That morning, Spike spent all of breakfast explaining to Twilight what Princess Luna had told him the night before. She sat quietly digesting the information eagerly while he flipped pancakes for the two of them. Once he was done telling his story, he hesitated to tell her his decision.
“So they want you to become a Dragon Sage?” Twilight asked. “It’s so strange to hear how dragons get older. But I don’t need more help. You’re already the best assistant I could have asked for.”
“Yes, but . . . what if you need me to do more than collect books? If I was stronger or older, then maybe I could have helped more when you were saving Canterlot from the changelings or fighting Tirek?” Spike shuffled the steaming cakes onto two plates and began walking them over to Twilight.
“We’ve always found a way to beat those challenges before,” she said.
“Yes but what if we can’t next time?” he retorted. “Don’t you think I could be more helpful if I was a real dragon?”
“You are a real dragon. You don’t need to . . . wait a minute Spike,” Twilight said placing her fork down on the table. “Are you actually considering going?”
Spike rubbed his shoulder and looked down at the floor in response. He received a long quiet stare from his friend. The silence stretched out between them as she realized he was serious. But why change his mind so quickly? He’s always been happy to help the way he does, so why feel the need for change? Something more was at work here. She quietly resumed eating her delicious breakfast while shooting a few glances over toward Spike.
“I guess . . . I don’t . . . well you know!” he gestured as if something was obvious. “It might be nice is all.”
“Spike, you know perfectly well that you’re the best help I could ever get. Why do you really want to go?” she said and eyed her companion sweetly.
“I just . . . I’m only a few years younger than you right? You were still a filly when I hatched?” he said, and Twilight nodded. “But I’m still a baby! I feel older, I act older, but I’m still tiny on the outside. Maybe . . .” he said softly. Twilight could tell he was having a hard time saying what was on his mind. “Maybe I don’t want to stay a baby forever. I need to be helpful to you, and if I can grow a little on the outside, maybe ponies would see me for how old I really am.”
Twilight wanted to refute his claims once more, telling him that everyone loves him the way he is. But then she placed herself in his scales. How would people treat her if she were still a filly? Chances are her best friends would be fillies her own age, and that means that Rainbow Dash, Rarity and the rest would probably treat her like a child rather than an equal. She quietly cursed at herself for never seeing this about Spike before. She thought about how frustrating it must be for him to be a young adult trapped in a child’s body. Then another thought occurred to her.
“You’re not doing this so that Rarity will fall for you, are you?” she asked flatly.
“No! I mean, yeah that might be cool and all, but it’s everyone else too! They are all going to get bigger and older while I’m going to stay a little squirt,” he said and chomped down a huge mouthful of pancake. “Ish nawt faar” he said, loosing a few crumbs.
“Spike, is that really what you want? Do you want to train for months and grow up away from all of us like that?” she asked. Spike sighed.
“No, I don’t want to go away, but I think I might be more scared of staying tiny forever than I fear leaving. Remember the pony you were when you first came to Ponyville? I've watched you learn so much and grow wiser and stronger because of it. You're an amazing magic student, a wonderful princess, and a strong friend to so many ponies. But, while I might have learned a thing or two along the way, I still feel like a . . . I don't know, a novice? Maybe I could . . . take some time to catch up,” he said and looked down at the floor again.
Twilight floated her fork down and got up from the crystal table. She lightly walked over to Spike, who refused to look her in the eye. She used her magic to wipe some syrup from his mouth and smiled at him.
“Spike,” she began, “I promised you I would never send you away, so I won’t. But if this is your decision, then I can’t keep you from leaving on your own. But I just want to make sure you don't feel inferior. This has everything to do with you being a dragon, but nothing to do with being my friend. If you feel like you want to study and train under Princess Luna, then you can. Its just that I'm . . . I’m really going to miss you,” she said. Out of nowhere, a tear began to well up in her eye as she spoke. Spike saw this and fought back the urge to join her.
“I’ll miss you too,” he choked and leapt into her mane, hugging her closely. She unfurled her wings and hugged him back as he rubbed his cheeks into her soft fur with a sob. She told herself to remember how he feels now, because he’ll be different when he comes back.
“Alright everypony, raise your ciders up!” Rainbow dash shouted as she flew around the throne room with a cider in her hand. The other ponies all smiled and raised there drinks up for a toast. “Here is to Spike,” she started, “our favorite dragon. May he come back soon with some awesome powers and stuff!” she said and took a great big swig.
“To Spike!” everypony else cheered.
Twilight’s house warming party was hastily converted into Spike's going away party. Pinkie still did a bang up job with decorating the place with little banners with Spike drawn on them. His closest 6 friends, the cutiemark crusaders, and a few others were there to wish Spike well. He couldn’t help but smile at all the love that surrounded him.
“So, um, how long will you be gone?” Fluttershy asked him.
“Months, according to Princess Luna. It all kinda depends on how it goes I guess. And I won’t be a baby anymore when I come back.” He said chomping down on a large emerald.
“So wait, you’re gonna be a giant green and purple monster again?” Pinkie asked loudly.
“I don’t think so. She made it sound like I’ll grow somewhere between that size and where I am right now.”
Spike continued to chat amongst his friends happily eating up gemstones while Twilight observed from her throne. She didn’t know how to feel about him growing bigger, but it was true that she had forgotten just how old he really was. She still saw him as her little baby dragon all this time while she grew older and taller. How did that affect his image of her?
“Worried about him?” Rarity asked her. She snapped out of her trance and bumbled in response.
“It’s ok, Twilight, I am too. He always seemed so attached to you and this place, but now he’s grown up enough to go out on his own. Our little Spiky Wikey is going on his own adventure.”
“That’s just it, Rarity. He’s not little. Not on the inside. While I’ve grown up all these years, I’ve completely forgotten how little he’s changed. We all treat him like he’s a child when actually, in a few years he’ll be the same age I was when I came to Ponyville!” Twilight said gesturing to the dragon. Rarity frowned and looked down at her punch glass she swirled around using her magic.
“I suppose I have treated him a little . . . unfairly,” she said with a sigh. “But Twilight, I need to ask you something very important.”
“What is it?” she asked and looked right at Rarity’s timid gaze.
“Do you . . . do you think he’s doing this for me?” She asked quietly. Twilight glared back at her, being very careful to phrase her words without assuming anything.
“Why do you ask that?” she pondered.
“Oh come now Twilight! We all know he has an unhealthy infatuation with me! I’ve been indulging him for a while, but I worry that if he comes back he’ll want to pursue something more . . . well more than just a childish crush,” she said and sipped her punch lightly.
“I didn’t think you knew about that,” Twilight said in response. “But I thought the same thing, so I asked him about it.”
“What did he say?”
“He said he was doing it for himself, not to try and win you over. And I think I believe him. I worry about something else,” Twilight said and peered back over to Spike, who was flexing his muscles to a bunch of rolling eyes.
“What’s that, dear?” Rarity asked sincerely.
“I’m worried . . . maybe he won’t be Spike anymore when he comes back? I mean, this training sounds tough and ‘aging his mind’ might . . . I don’t know. I’m just afraid that he won’t be my Spike anymore when he returns,” Twilight confessed. Rarity offered a reassuring hoof on her shoulder and smiled.
“No matter what he does or how he grows, Spike will always be your friend, Twilight. But we need to let our friends grow.”
"Thanks, Rarity,” she said softly. Twilight smiled at her assistant and silently prayed that Rarity was telling the truth.
The train station the next day was nearly empty. Spike had his bags packed to the brim with gifts from the previous day’s festivities. Twilight gave him some study materials, but everyone else seemed to give him some gemstones of some kind to munch on. She helped him load up his luggage with the help of a little magic.
“Make sure to re-organize the library’s booklist whenever you get a new book,” Spike reminded her. “And the parchment store usually runs out of black ink by the weekend, so always keep a little extra with you.”
“Spike, I know, I’ll be fine!” Twilight said with a giggle.
“Remember how the letter spell works, and if you get hungry, you can always go to Sugarcube Corner if you can’t make breakfast,” he said counting things off on his claws.
“I can cook a stupid breakfast,” she lied. “Have you got everything?”
Spike looked back at his pile of luggage in the train car. He eyed the whole contraption up and down. The conductor shouted from one end ‘All Aboard!’
“Not yet,” he said and turned. He jumped up into Twilight’s shoulders and wrapped his arms around her neck, squeezing her closely. Twilight couldn’t stop a small tear from forming as she hugged her dragon back. She felt a pit in the bottom of her stomach as she nuzzled his scales feeling how warm his fire-filled form was.
“Don’t . . .” Twilight mumbled in his ear. “ . . . don’t change too much Spike.”
“Don’t worry Twilight,” he said, feathering her mane in his claws. “I might get smarter or bigger, but I will always be your assistant. That’s a promise.” The dragon let go of his closest friend and stepped into the train car. As the train began to pull away, Twilight saw a little purple hand waving out the rear window. She waved back faintly, and just like that her assistant was gone.