The morning played out just like yesterday, and the day before yesterday, and the day before that. Spike had got himself up early to prepare Twilight's exquisite breakfast meal while he had himself the usual bowl of cereal. Shortly after, Twilight had finally got up and ate her breakfast and talked to Spike about how spectacular yesterday was. At this point, she was just bragging about how much fun she had while he was cleaning up her mess which she could clean in an instant with her magic.
After breakfast, Spike cleaned up the kitchen while Twilight decided to do some reading in the library.
"Hey Twilight, I'm heading out for a walk, alright?" He called out to Twilight who was reading.
"That's fine, Spike," Twilight barely acknowledged him.
Spike just sulked and headed out. His chores were done from yesterday and there wasn't much to do but clean up Twilight's mess after he got back from the library. He had quite some time to spare so why not take a visit to see some of his friends.
Spike wandered to Sweet Apple Acres where he would find Applejack apple-bucking.
"Hey, Applejack," Spike greeted.
"Oh, hi Spike," Applejack replied.
"Do you need any help?" He asked just like a good friend would.
"Mighty kind of ya, Spike, but apple-bucking takes some serious strength. Ah don't think this is something you can handle." She innocently laughed.
Spike felt a little crushed by the way she said that. He may have been a baby dragon and all, but he wouldn't consider himself weak, he carries Rarity's bags and they weigh a tonne.
"Oh, okay." He replied to Applejack's somewhat mean comment. "I'll see ya around."
"Make sure ya tell Twilight ah said hi."
Spike wandered just outside of Ponyville where he noticed a cosy little cottage sitting on the edge of a little hill, isolating itself away from the populated town of ponies and the darkened depths of the terrifying Everfree Forest. His eyes immediately target a butterscotch mare, feeding her animals.
Spike approached his kind friend Fluttershy. "Hi, Fluttershy." Spike greeted with enthusiasm. This startled the cautious mare, turning around but relieved to see it was her little dragon friend.
"Oh my goodness, sorry Spike, you gave me a little fright."
"Oh, my bad."
"It's not your fault, is there anything I can help you with?" She asked.
"I was going to say the same thing to you," Spike answered.
"I'm fine Spike, I can't talk much right now, though, I need to feed Angel and the other animals."
"Well, let me help," Spike insisted.
"I don't think that's a good idea, remember last time when you had that cold and you nearly burnt off Harry the bear's little tail. It's best if you leave this to me."
"Okay..." Spike held down his head, clearly Fluttershy didn't want help either.
"Tell Twilight I said hi," Fluttershy said.
Spike found himself in Ponyville again when he heard the sound of his stomach growling like a pack of wolves. "Guess I could do with a snack." He told himself, heading towards Sugarcube Corner.
"Psst... He's coming." An unknown voice whispered.
"Quick get ready." The other whispered.
The moment Spike opened the door, he didn't have time to even look around or walk to the counter. A bucket of water was splashed onto him filled with ice. Spike fell onto the floor, shivering like he was in pain. He looked up and saw Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie laughing like mad. He would have been mad, but he couldn't even talk, he was stuttering due to how cold he was.
"Wh-wh-wha-t was-s that for?" Spike forced out, holding himself as the freezing cold water sunk into his scales.
"Pfft. Lighten up Spike," Pinkie Pie obnoxiously said. "We were only fooling. A brave and tough dragon like yourself can surely take it," Upon saying this, she couldn't keep a straight face while saying 'brave' and 'tough.'
Spike looked around and noticed there were a few other ponies in the café laughing at his pain.
"Yeah, a 'brave' and 'tough' dragon that wears a frilly apron can sure turn out to be a lame dragon," Rainbow Dash laughed along with Pinkie, a few others were laughing as well.
Spike's cheeks went red as an apple, embarrassed when Rainbow mentioned the apron he likes to wear. Suddenly, Spike didn't feel hungry anymore. He got back up on his feet and stormed out of there.
"Let Twilight know that we said hi!" Pinkie Pie called out to the mad dragon storming off while Rainbow Dash was laughing.
As Spike walked around Ponyville, cold and wet, he stopped when he noticed the Carousel Boutique. Spike's heart began to pump twice as fast knowing that the pony he dreamt of was there. Spike progressed his was towards the front door and gave a slight knock.
Immediately, Rarity came to the door and answered with such enthusiasm. "Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, may I-" Rarity looked down and saw her little dragon friend. "Oh... Spike, darling, just the dragon I wanted to see."
Spike felt his heart jump up, bouncing like a ball. "Really?" He answered in happiness.
"I need you to clean this place until it's spic and span," Rarity ordered.
Spike felt a little broken. He thought he could have proven his usefulness but instead it was the same thing with her, clean this place up, be a pincushion, listen to me do drone on about a charming, but ignorant stallion that has no interest in herself.
After an hour of cleaning up and doing the rest of what Spike predicted. He listened to Rarity drone on about some stallion he has never heard of.
"He's going to be visiting tomorrow, what do you think I should wear?" Rarity asked.
"You look fine as you are Rarity," Spike complimented.
"Why, thank you, Spike, but seriously this is no time for flattery, I must make a unique first impression."
"Unique first impression?" Spike was confused.
"Oh, if only you knew what love was Spike, it would be easier for you to understand."
From hearing this, Spike felt irritated. What does she mean by if he knew what love was? He's been worshipping her, slaving himself away, and she has the nerve to say that to him.
"Uh huh, listen, I'm going to go and see Twilight now, alright?"
"Of course, darling, make sure to tell her I said hi."
Spike sighed. "Will do..." He said, dragging himself sadly.
As Spike dragged himself back towards Twilight's castle, he felt empty with no emotion, he was confused to why his friends would turn him down, he rarely gets to spend time with them and half of the time they insult him due to his size or strength. Spike finally made his way home and noticed Twilight was still reading, it was pointless to notify her that he was home, whenever it cam to reading, Twilight would always be in some kind of state, a trance. He didn't bother and decided to go back to bed and that's where he slept, his day was turning out to be awful.
One Hour Later...
"SPIKE!"
Spike had awoken from his deep, relaxing sleep to the sound of Twilight calling his name, echoing through the endless corridors. He promptly pulled his blanket and hopped out of his basket and ran towards Twilight's voice. Her voice sounded desperate and in distress, Spike was just hoping this was important.
"SPIKE!" She called out.
Spike made his way to the library where an angry Twilight was standing before him with a livid expression on her face, she looked disappointed in the young dragon.
"What is it, Twilight?" He asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and letting out a small yawn. The moment he stepped into the room a burnt book was thrown before him so he couldn't take another step. His eyes targeted the book, his body was frozen solid.
"Explain yourself!"
Spike looked down and held onto his tail as tightly as he could, he slowly began to stutter. "W... well, I cleaned up the library like you told me too... and I put away every book except for your book of memories... and I sort of sneezed."
"Memories?" Twilight levitated the book towards her, she was astonished to find that the book was her memories, her past. She flicked through all the pages in horror to see every photograph of her memories burnt away. "Spike... how could you?!"
"It was an accident, I swear!" Spike pleaded.
"Every memory I had was in this book, every achievement. What were you thinking?!" She scowled angrily.
"But Twilight, it was an accide-"
"If I've told you once then I've told you a million times: stay away from the books when sneezing!"
"I know, but-"
"Every happy memory, the photos I could look back on and be proud of were in that book and now it's gone all because of your foolishness."
"Twi-"
"Do you literally not listen to a word that I say, can't you follow the simplest of instructions. Why must you be a nuisance! I swear sometimes I think you-" Twilight stopped herself the moment she heard the sound of the poor dragon sniffing, slowly choking on his tears. "Spike? Are... are you crying?"
There was no reply. Spike's head was just pointing down as he let his tears spill. Twilight immediately felt bad, sympathetic towards her assistant. "Spike... I'm..."
"SHUT UP!"
Twilight quickly backed away from the dragon's sudden outburst. Horrified at what he had just said. "Don't raise your voice at me like that Spike."
Spike wiped the tears from his eyes and argued. "Well don't insult me over a dumb book."
"Dumb?! Spike every accomplished and happy memory was in that book."
"Well, at least, you have happy memories!"
"What are you talking about?"
"I looked through that book and I saw five photos of me, the rest were of you and your friends, accompanied by the princesses, your family, and even the Cutie Mark Crusaders! How much have I been missing out?!"
"You haven't been missing out!"
"Haven't I? What about the time when you all went to Cloudsdale to see Rainbow Dash's Rainboom? And where was I? I was cleaning up your mess!"
It was a fact that Spike did miss out on Rainbow's victory during the Cloudsdale competition. Twilight did recollect.
"How about the day where you celebrated your birthday in Canterlot without inviting me!"
Twilight couldn't remember, she could have sworn Spike was at her party in Canterlot, after all, it was her birthday so how could she forget him? Somehow she did.
"And the National Dessert Competition? You didn't even notify me."
This was all too true for Twilight, however, she never really took time to notice how Spike was left out.
"There was the time you got to meet Pinkie's sister, the time when you all got to go to Manehatten to help Rarity with her new store. You'd expect me to be some kind of hero considering I prevented a war from the dragons and ponies during the Gauntlet of Fire, but no! It was just the same old Spike stay here. Spike clean up after my mess. Spike stay here and do nothing while I go have fun with my friends!"
Twilight just held herself within the same position, taking every word in.
"Oh wait! How about the time when I saved the Crystal Empire, but everypony was more happy about you passing your stupid test! I didn't get any recognition from you girls whatsoever! And then you all got invited to go see the Equestria Games tryouts while I was left behind despite the fact that I saved the empire!"
Twilight did have to admit, it was a little cruel for Spike to not be invited to the Equestria Games. She couldn't bear to listen anymore, it was true he had missed out on so many wonderful adventures, life-changing experiences.
"And here you are, insulting me over a book that I accidently burnt. Sometimes I don't think you actually appreciate how hard I work for you!"
"That's not true Spike!" Twilight argued.
"Then how come you've never thanked me? How come you've never took any time to realise that I was feeling hurt?"
"Well..."
"You managed to cause mayhem throughout the town because you mixed the Elements of Harmony on accident, but somehow you don't get punished, instead, you're granted a pair of wings and the role of princess. What was Celestia thinking?! You have your kingdom to rule and you don't even know how to make your own breakfast! You act like becoming a princess has been the best thing that's ever happened to you!"
"Becoming a princess HAS been the best thing that's ever happened to me!" Twilight raised her voice.
"Well, it's been the worst thing that's happened to me!" Spike shouted, tears filling. "You're a princess. You don't need me, and sometimes you barely acknowledge me. You don't offer me to do anything fun. All I do is clean up after you over and over again."
"Spike you're my assistant, it's your duty remember?" Twilight reminded.
"Why do you keep saying that?!" Spike growled as he smacked both claws on his head.
"Saying what?"
Spike gave into his dark thoughts, what he truly was to Twilight. "I'm just an assistant. Assistant. ASSISTANT!" He roared.
"What else do you want me to see you as?"
"A FRIEND!"
Twilight felt an uneasy feeling within her body, she had empathy leaking towards the young dragon. "Spike, of course I see you as my friend."
"Then why can't I believe you?" He questioned. "Ever since we moved to Ponyville you've been avoiding me. While you're having the time of your life, I'm the one that's working, being bullied, and ignored!" Spike was letting his anger get the best of him.
"Spike that's absurd!" Twilight reasoned.
"Is it?" He questioned. "I'm either being downgraded to a baby that can't do anything by Fluttershy and Applejack, whenever I offer them help they quickly turn me away as if I'm the definition of trouble. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie are targeting me when it comes to pranks, they're not even funny pranks, they're hurtful. They make fun of me because I don't look or act like other dragons, I'm basically being bullied!"
"And the worst of it is Rarity! All I do is work for her just to get a little bit of respect or recognition but I continue to be neglected. Rarity takes advantage of me just so she can get free labour and she still stays in denial about the fact that I like her, she even goes a far to say that I have no idea what love is which hurts!"
"Spike..."
"AND YOU!" He pointed towards Twilight with an angry expression. "When I was hatched I didn't have much of a choice, I was given to you as a friend, but you only see me as your assistant, you may love me, but you don't show it. How come I never got to come to your birthday? How come I never got to go to anypony's birthday? Last week you forgot my birthday and you decided to celebrate the anniversary of when you and your friends got your cutie mark instead!"
Twilight didn't know what else to say. She never noticed that Spike had missed out so much. The rift between Twilight and Spike was growing stronger throughout the argument. There was nothing but silence as Spike finished his rant, Twilight just stood there, shocked by the way he felt, the way he was treated.
"Spike... why didn't you say anything?"
"I did, but no matter how many times I tried you still didn't listen, you would just keep yourself busy with reading or having fun with your friends while I was kept in the dark. Do you even love me?" He asked, quivering his lip a little.
"Spike I do love you and you are my friend, I didn't mean to leave you out on purpose... It's just that... I forgot about you..."
Spike felt his heart being pierced, sliced into tiny pieces the moment Twilight said the word forgot. His eyes began to swell up with tears. "Forgot about me..." He repeated Twilight's exact words.
Twilight looked at him, fazed by how sad he looked, how upset he was. With no warning Spike ran past Twilight and went running down the main hall, running away from her.
"SPIKE WAIT!" She said while putting up her hoof. "I didn't mean it like that!" Twilight watched in dread as Spike ran out the double doors, crying in misery from what she said.
'Oh dear, what have I done?'
Sucks to be the nail instead of the hammer, eh Twilight?? And we havent' even got started with the actual hammering...
Also, the truth is a bitch, isn't it? I admit that I'm a Spike supporter, so I can't help but be biased, but it doens't feel so good when someone else highlights your thoughts and shortcomings one...by...every...BUCKING...one....
............Wow. Not even Maleficent is that cruel.
Well, it did feel a little hammered in, but maybe Fright had something to do with that.
So many little mistakes, a forgotten birthday there, a celebration that he didn't get to attend. It all adds up to a lot when you actually put it all together. And then... all you need is one bad day.
Even though it's harsh, I actually think Spike leaving would actually be good for him in a way. He'll never learn who he really is as long as he's living under the shadow of everyone else. And maybe the mane six would finally realize how much he really does for them once he's no longer there.
Jesus F***ing Christ
...
I. Hate. You. Twilight.
7270680 Come to think of it, why wouldn't someone think of Scarecrow with you? At this time, it's actually your picture!
You know, reading over this one more time, I actually noticed something really smart. Most stories where Spike runs away is simply because he feels neglected and such, and that is present here. However, looking closely, the instant Spike hears Twilight admit that she forgot about him is the moment he bolts. And in hindsight, that's clever, because if Fright really was influencing these events as I suspected, then it's proof that he really knows what he's doing.
The most clever way to defeat your enemies is to find out their crucial Fatal Flaw. A careful observer can note the most obvious one in each of the major characters.
Applejack's is her stubborn pride and belief that she doesn't need help.
Fluttershy's is her lack of backbone and the fact that she's sometimes too kind.
Pinkie's is her insensitivity and inability to recognize thoughts other than her own.
Rainbow Dash's is her narcissism and at times, her self-obsession.
Rarity's is her materialistic nature and at times, her obsession with fairy tale-like thinking.
Twilight's is her perfectionist qualities, neurosis and single-minded thinking.
And Spike's is simply identity.
A bit of that is displayed in this chapter, but Spike's is clearly the most evident. He really has no life other that what he does for Twilight and others close to her. And so when Twilight admits forgetting about him, his identity is completely shattered. He literally lived for Twilight, and her not recognizing that means to him that he feels no purpose. That's like his equivalent of losing a cutie mark (minus the actual capabilities), that in turn means he has nothing, and thus is easy prey for Fright's manipulations.
Now the only question is what will happen to Spike? He's lost himself, and could potentially be forged into anything just for a sense of purpose.
you BUCKED up Bitch
GO TO HELL, HASBRO! GO! TO! HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(calms down) Sorry, everyone...erm...let's move on.
"Say hi to Twilight! Say hi to Twilight!" After everything you losers put him through up to now? No, I got a better idea. I was saving this for Apple Bloom, but:
(Dukes of Hazzard Accent) "And that's when the pony realized, that when ya don't want the dog to bite, you better steer clear."
And I'm even more sad. Love your story tho.
Twilight Sparkle, people. If she can't treat Spike decently, what makes her think she's deserving of her title?
I noticed something.
Whenever the story wants to hammer in how Spike is "abused", it'll spell it out, like tell us Twilight is stupid and oblivious. Whenever it could say something nice about his friends, it doesn't. It doesn't even give Twilight the opportunity to tell him about the times he did thank her, or was nice to him, or showed him he had worth and that she appreciated him, all to railroad us into having sympathy with him.
I'm going to read on, but these are some warning signs for me. I don't like being railroaded like that.
My feels r broken
7267899 yeah. At least Maleficent acknowledged Aurora's birthday.
I like this
“Okay let the plan begin, first we need to -”
*sees Spike running away from Twilight* “I HATE YOU!”
“...urm. Okay! Stage two!....holy shit did you see how they treated him?”
oh twilight you fucking bitch.....
7658276
I second that.
The list of all the plot holes.Wow, Twilight. For being the Princess of Friendship, you and Spike have a very distorted chemistry together now that I’m seeing all these errors pointed out.
Of course for the records, the mlp writers are not smart enough to acknowledge Spike’s inclusion, let me tell you.
What a pity.
...Well, there goes my heart.
I have no idea why I enjoy this chapter so much, there's so much suffering being felt from Spike. Perhaps it's because I feel so much empathy for him that it feels like I am him. Really not much else to say, everyone else has said it already!
9181450
Agreed.
7271265
A weapon, no doubt. The perfect weapon. And if our hunches are correct, we already know what it is.
And the anxiety of how this story will end is the main drive for us readers.
8468423
Too right man, She ain't no pony....SHE A COW!!!
7728281
You got that right, she's either hilariously stupid, or inherently evil! :(
9887581
Oh wow, that's an old comment!
You know what's unfortunate? The tendency of an overwhelming amount of stories of this type to vilify Spike's friends and then make them suffer to 'avenge' him actually made me actively dislike Spike as a character for a long time. I'd gotten so sick of it that, it spilled over to what I felt about the show itself. I'm very, very happy that concept was never picked up there too, that it was made clear he wasn't forced to live with Twilight, that he liked being with her.
Now, I haven't read any further than what I had three years ago, so I wouldn't know if things eventually balanced out in this one. The comments suggest that they did not.
Here's a song I recommend to listen to while reading this chapter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fqnfiwBfIo
8831472
Me three :(
Hey Twilight! I've got a riddle for ya, What do you get when you cross a poor little depressed and lonely dragon with a unfair and cruel world that abandons him and treats him like trash!? I'll tell you what you get, YOU GET WHAT YOU BUCKING DESERVE!!!
7343401
Hey mate could you please show me how you put that vid on here please cos theres something I really wanna punt on here myself.
Well I now have the big sad. THANKS A LOT!!!
8848029
Got that right mate Spike could've been so much more, real waste of potential :(
Forgot about me.............😢
Spike is cold blooded you idiots.
Alternate scenario (If we had known about Spike's friendship with Gabby and this takes place some time after Dragon Dropped)
Spike: (Thinking fast of an excuse to get out of work from Rarity) "ACTUALLY! I...I I've got an ice cream date to get to with Gabby, so I'm afraid I don't have the time. I-I gotta go. See ya!" (Makes a hasty retreat for the door)