Spike the Dragon has been the librarian at Ponyville's Golden Oaks Public Library ever since...
For a long time.
Today, an old friend comes to wish him a happy 100th birthday, but then a letter arrives, which leads to more letters, left to him from his youth and adolescence.

A bittersweet tale of Spike coming to terms with his place in the world through looking back at how he grew up.

(Rated Teen for heavy themes. No Sex or Gore)

Once upon a time, in the time before Ponies came to live in the great fertile land now known as Equestria, there was a unicorn sorcerer known for his hirsute nature and eccentric adornments for his robes and hat: Star Swirl the Bearded.

It is said that in his time working for the court of the Princess Platinum of the Unicorn Tribe, he created many new spells with which Unicorns could shape the world around them, and was seen as a great stallion.

But this is the story of a spell he did not create, nor did he take from somepony else…