Spike climbed out of bed. Before he started his day in earnest, Spike allowed himself a moment of satisfaction as he thought about how he had saved the Crystal Empire, and how he had melted that huge block of ice at the Equestria Games. When they wrote “The Legend of Spike the Noble Dragon,” those two stories were definitely going in, and then little fillies and colts everywhere would demand their parents tell them those stories at bedtime even though everypony had heard them a thousand times before.
Like most days that ended up being life changing, it started out just like any other day. Spike was busy tidying up the new friendship castle that Twilight still insisted be available as a library for the citizens of Ponyville.
It was late in the morning, and Spike had just about finished dusting off the bookshelves when he heard a knock on the door. He momentarily wondered if he forgot to turn the sign to "open", because most ponies just walked right in during library hours. He hurried over to the door as fast as his stubby legs could carry him, and opened it to find Fluttershy awkwardly waiting outside.
Upon seeing Spike, she immediately brightened up, her previous distress all but disappearing. “Hello Spike, is Twilight here?”
Be helpful
“I think she’s in Trotston for the day, something about a rare book collection being on display. But maybe I can help you?”
Fluttershy appeared to consider the offer, looking up at the cloudless sky before smiling broadly. “Well okay. We’ve had a lot of rain the last few days and so there’s some mold that’s been growing near the Everfree forest-”
“A mold monster! Say no more, Fluttershy. I promise to protect the good citizens of Ponyville from this vile scourge!” Spike puffed out his chest and prepared to charge headfirst into danger with no regard for his own well being, just like any knight worth his salt would.
But Fluttershy just giggled at his proclamation. “There’s no monster, Spike, but the mold has caused an uncomfortable rash among some of my critters. It’s not harmful, but it is kind of itchy. I need to go to the Everfree to collect some taro root and juju berries to make an ointment and I was hoping Twilight might come for…well, some company. The Everfree is awfully big and scary when you’re all by yourself.”
Spike deflated his puffed chest and donned a smile he had been practicing in the mirror. It was his “have-no-fear-Spike-is-here” grin, meant to be reassuring, brimming with confidence and just a touch of humility. So what if Fluttershy didn’t need him to valiantly charge into battle to meet a terrifying beast? She still needed his help.
Consider Others
Keeping her company was a way of protecting her from her fears, which made it a very noble thing to do by his reasoning. “Don’t worry, Fluttershy, I’d be honored to accompany you on your mission of mercy.”
Fluttershy giggled again. “Thank you, Spike, that’s very nice of you. I need to go make lunch for the animals at my house, can you come over around one?”
Spike bent at the waist and bowed deeply, just like the knights in his stories would. “Of course, m’lady.”
Fluttershy left the library-turned-castle and Spike resumed his chores, pleased that his Noble Dragon Code had led him to be of assistance to a pony in need.
The next few hours were unbearably normal. A few ponies had checked out some books, and Spike had just about finished cleaning the library for the day when he heard the bell that was mounted above the front entrance rattle fiercely. Before he could make it over to the door to see who had entered in such a hurry, the most gorgeous, wonderful mare in all of Equestria burst into the main room of the library, apparently quite distraught.
“Spikey, thank goodness you’re here! Sapphire Shores crew accidentally threw her headdress in with her set and now it’s ruined and she needs another one as soon as possible and I am out of gems! This is the worst possible thing that could ever happen!” Rarity shrieked as soon as the purple dragon rounded into view.
Be helpful
“Don’t worry, Rarity, I’ll help you dig up some more gems.”
Rarity let out an excited squeal. “You’re the best Spikey!” she said, hastily grabbing his claw. “Come, we have no time waste dawdling.”
Despite how wonderful his claw felt wrapped up in Rarity’s hoof, a troubling thought pushed past his enjoyment. He dragged his feet so that he might slow Rarity’s momentum. “Wait, we need to leave now?”
“Why yes, dear. She needs it as soon as possible.”
My words speak only truth
Spike sighed, “I can’t go with you, Rarity. I told Fluttershy I’d help her gather some roots this afternoon.”
Rarity’s face fell, the disappointment plainly evident on her lovely, delicate features. “Oh, I suppose I shall just have to endeavor without your help,” she said putting up a brave front.
Rarity’s regretful acceptance was even more heartbreaking than her anger would have been. Spike tried to recover. “I’d love to go with you, Rarity! Really! But I promised Fluttershy and well, I wouldn’t really be a noble dragon if I went back on my word.”
Rarity smiled, and it all but broke Spike’s heart. “Of course Spike, I completely understand.”
“Maybe I can come help you tomorrow?” Spike offered, desperate to find an excuse to be able to spend time alone with Rarity.
Rarity smiled again, a little wider and more genuine this time. “That’d be wonderful dear; I do so enjoy your presence at the Boutique.”
Rarity turned to leave and Spike tried his hardest not to be disappointed. The code was clear, if he went back on his word he’d be both dishonest and disloyal. All things being equal, he would rather spend the afternoon with Rarity than Fluttershy, but a a knight never put his own desires ahead of his chivalrous duties. Fluttershy needed his help, he promised it to her, and that meant she was going to get it.
Shortly before one o’clock, Spike started out toward Fluttershy’s cottage. He had come to take for granted that the sight of a dragon walking through Ponyville didn’t cause stampedes of terror. In the rare event that someone new to town panicked, that pony would quickly be informed that “Oh that’s just Spike, he’s an assistant over at the library,” and then both Spike and the pony would go on about their day. So Spike jauntily walked through the town square, waving hello to the occasional well wisher and picking up an apple to munch on from Granny Smith.
He arrived at Fluttershy’s cottage to find the yellow pegasus ready to leave, two empty saddlebags on her back and a basket in her mouth.
Be Kind
“Would you like me to carry your basket?” Spike asking, seizing an opportunity to be both useful and considerate .
Fluttershy set the basket down so that she could accept his offer more clearly. “Thank you, Spike, that’s very gallant of you.”
Spike glowed inwardly at the praise and the pair ventured into the foreboding forest that abutted Ponyville. Fluttershy wasn’t wrong when she said that Everfree could be a big and scary place to a lone traveler. The Everfree was one of the few place in Equestria that hadn’t been domesticated; a thick canopy blocked out most of the light, and thorn bushes grew with reckless abandon. Perhaps because of it’s untamed nature, the Everfree was also home to any number of dangerous predators that would just as soon eat a pony who dared to wander into their home.
Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately for Spike, he and Fluttershy were allowed to walk through the forest without incident. Whether this was because the creatures of forest knew enough not to risk a confrontation with a dragon, or because they recognized Fluttershy as a friend, Spike wasn’t sure. But either way Spike accompanied Fluttershy, pleased that his presence was in some way helping.
After a ten minute walk, made enjoyable thanks to some small talk, the pair arrived a clearing that housed a small meadow. Bright yellow flowers grew out of the ground and the edges were marked with clusters of bramble.
“Wonderful,” Fluttershy exclaimed upon observing their apparent destination. “Those bushes should have some juju berries and I can get taro root from these flowers. Would you mind gathering some berries for me?”
Would I mind being useful? “Not at all.”
Spike hummed a cheerful tune as he set about filling his basket with the red berries that grew on the interior of the bramble. Thanks to his scales, the occasional thorn that stuck him had no effect, and soon his basket was nearly half full. Eager to see if Fluttershy needed anything else, he glanced over his shoulder only to see a hulking grizzly bear approaching Fluttershy, licking it’s lips. And to make matters worse Fluttershy was too enthralled in her present task to notice.
My claws defend the helpless
“Bear! Fluttershy, look out!” Spike shouted. He charged forward and threw himself at the bear with all his might hoping to at least knock it off balance, but the physics of the situation were not in his favor. He bounced off the giant creature and was sent unceremoniously sprawling while the bear just glanced downward, confused by the minor annoyance.
Instead of running for her life, as Spike implored her to do, Fluttershy looked up and giggled. “That’s not a bear, that’s my friend Harry,” Fluttershy said flying up to the hulking mammoth of a grizzly bear and softly nuzzling his nose with her own. “You’re just a big ol teddy, aren’t you,” Fluttershy cooed, lightly scratching the bear under his chin, her face perilously close to the bear’s gaping maw.
Spike winced as the bear responded by reaching up with an enormous paw and bringing it over Fluttershy’s head…only to pull the yellow Pegasus into a hug that threatened to engulf her entirely. If Fluttershy was in any danger, it was of being suffocated as she was pressed into the bear’s soft fur. But after a few moments, Harry ceased his onslaught and Fluttershy landed back on the ground, her mane a little ruffled but otherwise no worse for the wear.
Harry let out a noise, halfway between a grunt and a yawn; and while Spike had no idea what it meant, but apparently Fluttershy understood it perfectly. “Harry says hi, and that he’s sorry for frightening you,” Fluttershy said.
Spike got up and dusted himself off with a few flicks of his wrist. “No big deal, big guy. Sorry about almost knocking you over just now, I didn’t realize you were a friend of Fluttershy,” he said as he brushed the last remnants of dirt off his shoulders, his pride more wounded than anything else.
Harry let out another noise, this time a half snort, half whine, which Fluttershy translated as “Harry accepts your apology.”
His presence acknowledged, Harry the bear lay down at the edge of the field, quite content to nap in the sun as Fluttershy continued to gather roots in her basket. Between the bear napping and the dragon picking berries, no other creature dared to disturb the trio, and after an afternoon of gathering ingredients for an ointment, as well as some other herbs that were growing nearby, Fluttershy pronounced their trip a success. With Harry escorting them back through the forest, Spike and Fluttershy had no problem reaching Fluttershy’s door, their harvest fully intact.
“Thanks for coming with me Spike. Umm... I know it wasn’t as exciting as fighting a giant monster but I really appreciate your help,” Fluttershy said as Spike set his basket of berries down on the kitchen counter.
“You’re welcome, Fluttershy. Need me to do anything else?”
“Nope, you were a big help today. Thank you, Spike,” Fluttershy replied.
On his way home Spike felt a familiar warming sensation in his chest. It grew until there was no room left and then it started to press against his insides. Spike let out a fiery belch that offered him both instant relief and a scroll. He made a mental note to talk to Twilight about exploring other methods of communicating and quickly unfurled the parchment to see what message it contained.
Hi Spike
I met some really nice curators here in Trotson, and they invited me to spend some time studying these really neat old manuscripts. So I’ll be home tomorrow night. Be good, and keep an eye on the castle for me.
Love,
Twilight
Spike let his eyes linger on the last part of the message. Twilight both loved him and trusted him enough to be on his own. It had been a good day. He helped Fluttershy, Twilight reaffirmed her faith in him, and tomorrow he was going to get to spend time with Rarity. Buoyed by that thought and with no supervision to speak of, Spike spent the rest of his evening enjoying a monster movie marathon and ice cream for dinner.
Spike jumped out of bed the next morning eager to begin his day. By his reasoning, the sooner he ate breakfast and showered, the sooner he could go the Carousel Boutique and spend time with Rarity.
As soon as he opened the door to Rarity’s shop, he was greeted with the horrific sight of Rarity hobbling around with a bandaged hoof on her left foreleg. “Rarity! You’re hurt!” Spike cried as he rushed over to offer his support.
But Rarity merely brushed aside his help with a dismissive wave. “Oh, yes. It seems as though I was in such a hurry to gather my gems yesterday that I failed to pay attention to my surroundings and twisted my ankle in a freshly dug hole.”
Spike winced at the thought of Rarity hobbling around in pain, all alone without any help. “You got hurt because I wasn’t there to help you,” he said quietly.
“Oh, Spikey, you really can’t blame yourself. I promise you that I’m fine. Besides, what would have happened to Fluttershy if she didn’t have a brave dragon with her yesterday?”
“She probably would have gotten another hug from a bear,” Spike muttered.
“What was that, dear?”
“Nothing,” Spike said louder. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Thank you, dear. And everything worked out just fine. I met a perfectly charming stallion who took notice of my distress and gallantly offered to pull my cart, with me in it, back to town.”
Upon hearing Rarity’s tale, Spike felt a very ignoble pang of jealousy. He was the one who was supposed to save Rarity from danger. Well, Rarity herself had proven that she was quite capable of saving herself and Rainbow Dash did save her that one time, but that was only because it involved flying. And there was that time Fluttershy kind of saved her from a dragon but that was different, and of course Twilight periodically saved everypony; but other than those isolated incidents, Spike felt like it was his job to keep her safe and he didn’t like the thought of somepony else intruding on his noble turf, so to speak.
Before Spike could say anything, he was interrupted by a knock on his door. Puzzled, Rarity opened it. A brown maned, purple stallion stood at the door, almost but not quite self consciously cringing at the sight of Rarity. He was wearing a pair of wire rimmed glasses and his cutie mark was some kind of music note, but Spike couldn’t recognize it.
“Treble, your ears must have been burning, because I was just telling Spike all about how you arrived in my hour of need,” Rarity exclaimed as she opened the door, clearly recognizing the pony standing there.
The stallion, Treble apparently, blushed and squirmed where he stood. “It was no big deal. I …umm…just came over to see how you were feeling,” he stammered.
“How thoughtful of you. I’m doing wonderfully. Oh, where are my manners? Treble, this is Spike,” Rarity said gesturing toward the dragon who had taken up a position just to the right of Rarity as he studied the stallion in front of him. “Spike, this is Treble, the pony was I telling you about.”
Treble extended a hoof. “Hey there, Spike, it’s nice to meet you,” he said, offering Spike a hoofshake. Spike reluctantly gave it a quick shake, muttering a perfunctory greeting.
“Would you like to come in for some tea?” Rarity asked politely.
In response to the offer, Treble pawed at the ground and rubbed the back of his neck. “I really can’t, I have a music lesson to get to.”
“Oh well-”
“Would you like to go to dinner with me?” Treble blurted out, much to the surprise of both Rarity and Spike.
Rarity appeared flustered for a moment before regaining her composure.“Dinner sounds lovely, I’d be delighted to share a meal with you,” she said with a confident smile that left Spike feeling nauseous.
Rarity’s acceptance seemingly left Treble as flustered as Rarity was a moment ago, because he stammered incoherently before managing to say. “Wow great...ummm I’ll pick you tomorrow at eight?”
“Eight o'clock it is then,” Rarity announced with another nauseating smile.
With nothing else to say Treble turned around and headed back toward the town square, but Spike could clearly detect a spring in his otherwise ungainly trot.
“Well, that was unexpected,” Rarity said after the door had closed and the two were alone again.
Spike felt as though the room was closing in on him. The usual friendly confines of the boutique were instantly transformed into a prison. Spike felt his chest grow tighter and he began to feel weak on his feet.
“Umm... Hey, Rarity? I just remembered that I promised Twilight I would help her do …stuff and I wouldn’t want to disappoint her. Can I have a rain check?” he asked, hoping that he didn’t sound as distraught as he felt.
“Of course Spike. I-”
“Great, bye,” Spike said as he rushed out the door, hoping to get as far away from the Carousel Boutique as he could.
Thankfully, Twilight wasn’t home when Spike returned to the library. The little dragon ran upstairs and slammed the door. Spike stood staring at himself in the mirror, his Noble Dragon Code mocking him from its taped perch in the corner.
A while back, there were rumors that the King of the Griffons was preparing to invade Equestria. Whether or not it was just a test so Celestia could see how Twilight might handle such an event, or whether she had actually entrusted the matter to her protégée, Spike couldn’t be sure. What he was sure about was that Twilight had written a very polite, well organized letter to the King of the Griffons, detailing exactly why invading Equestria would be a poor decision.
In her letter, Twilight had noted that although an individual pony faces several disadvantages in a fight against a griffon, as a nation, Equestria was a forced to be reckoned with.
Pegasi could create hurricanes and other catastrophic weather events, Earth ponies could utilize their strength in a myriad of ways, and Unicorn magic could serve both offensive and defensive purposes. Twilight also pointed out that Equestria was home to several powerful magical artifacts, which could and would be brought to bear in the event of a threat emerging. In addition, she noted that the diplomatic efforts of Celestia and Luna meant that Equestria would never want for allies in any confrontation.
In closing, Twilight had chosen to highlight the fact that there existed three nigh-immortal beings of immense power who would take an attack on Equestria very personally, and perhaps angering all three of them at once would be unwise. The three immortals were, of course, Celestia, Luna and Discord. She then noted that both herself and Princess Cadence, while not as powerful as the previous three entities she mentioned, also possessed alicorn magic and would undoubtedly join in Equestria’s defense.
At the time Spike hadn’t thought much of it, but as he sat staring at both himself and his Dragon Code, it occurred to him that Twilight hadn’t mentioned him anywhere in her letter. No “we have a dragon named Spike who could tap into a power that would make him as large as a house.” Not even a line when Twilight was detailing the vast array of magical artifacts, did she think it necessary to include a mention of her assistant who would certainly take up arms in an effort to defend Equestria. He wasn’t exactly a magical artifact, but he wasn’t really a pony either.
He then thought again about the Knights in the stories he liked. They were always helping ponies, true, but their efforts were always celebrated also. They were welcomed with huge banquets and parades, the townsponies rejoicing as they strutted through town. And their maidens never ended up going to dinner with some chump because their Knights were off on some stupid noble quest that nobody really needed.
Spike never got any parades for his efforts. Ponies didn’t gasp in awe as he walked through the town. And Rarity had just agreed to go on a date with the pony who had been there for her, while he was off helping a different mare who didn’t really need his help.
And of course they would fall in love, because who wouldn’t love Rarity? And then they’d kiss and Pinkie would throw a party for the happy couple and then they’d probably get married and Spike would get asked to be the ring bearer, cementing his role as just some dragon that Rarity used to do things for her. Which would lead to babysitting the couple’s young foals so that Rarity and her husband could enjoy a date night. Spike shuddered just thinking about it. And all of this was because his stupid noble dragon code had told him he had to ignore his self interest and help Fluttershy instead of doing what he wanted.
He stared at his reflection, hoping that maybe a closer examination of himself would tell him what was wrong with him; why Rarity didn’t feel the same way about him as he did her or why, despite his efforts to be noble, ponies still viewed him as a just a library assistant.
Face it, Spike, you’re not a Knight, or a Noble Dragon, you’re just a library assistant, the reflection answered.
So if Spike wasn’t a knight, and he certainly wasn’t a pony, what was he? The reflection again held the answer.
I’m a dragon.