"Supper time!"

Spike, a baby dragon of purple scales and green spines, looked around the small corner strewn with hay. An iron birdcage, small door swung ajar, hung above the messy area by the arm of a small brass stand. The occupant of this corner of the library, Peewee, a baby Phoenix owned by our very own Spike, was nowhere to be found.

Setting aside the plate of birdseed he'd been carrying, Spike sighed, confusion furrowing his brow. He looked behind him, where an owl watched him from afar.

"You seen Peewee?" he asked it.

The bird took a moment, sitting still as stone on its perch. "Who?" it cooed wryly.

"Figured as much," Spike muttered, turning back to stare at the empty birdcage. He looked up at the top of the bookshelves. Aside from cobwebs and a few spare scrolls, the space was unoccupied. "Hey, Peewee! Where are you? I've got you some grub!"

Spike heard a small peep. It was faint, but he could just pick out where it had come from. With a weary glance at the still-glaring owl, he climbed the stairs leading up to the loft that served as his and Twilight's bedroom.

"Peewee?"

Sure enough, another soft squeak led him to the foot of Twilight's bed. Kneeling, he spotted the orange hatchling hiding in the shadows, yellow eyes gleaming like embers.

"Hey, what're doing hiding under there, buddy?" Spike reached under the bed and pulled out his friend. "Y'hungry?" The little tyke gave an affirmative coo. Spike smiled and brought him back down to the ground floor. Once there, he set his companion and the birdseed he'd been carrying earlier on the rug. The bird blinked before nibbling vigorously at his delayed meal.

An ominous creaking spread around the living wood around them. A blow stuck the library door, causing a loud knock to ring out once, twice, thrice. Aware of his custodial obligations in the absence of the main librarian, Spike dutifully went to answer the knock. As the door swung upon, the frame of a queer creature came into view.

"Are you Spike Twilightkin?" The creature, cloaked in dark blue cloth, stood erect on two legs left uncovered. From a large hood protruded its long, thin, reptilian snout. Its scales were a pale blue-violet, and Spike saw two blue eyes burning somewhere in the shadows deep within that hood. It possessed a domineering stature, standing at least three heads higher than most the ponies he knew. Its posture was relaxed, but the straightness with which the stranger stood contained an uncanny, unnerving quality.

"Er, yes? Most everyone just calls me Spike, though."

The stranger pulled back its hood, revealing a feminine, smiling face. Yellow spines curved out of her head and neck. "I have come to offer you something. I've come to give you the chance to obtain what you've sought for so long." She took a moment to pause. In the interval, she reached out a talon to Owlowisius, who pecked at it curiously. "I am here to offer you knowledge, the knowledge of your past, and maybe, just maybe, some of your future."

Spike just stood there, looking at the visitor. Worry pursed his lips.

"What do you mean? I—" Spike went silent. "I mean, it's not like I don't want to know, just, I don't understand what it is you're trying to tell me."

The visitor knelt down, placing her hand lightly on his shoulder. With a slight breath, she exhaled a thin, yellow flame. From within the flame came an envelope, burning in reverse. She held it with her other hand, waiting for the flames to finish eating back the edges. Once it was whole, she handed him the envelope. In red ink on the yellowing parchment was inscribed Spike.

"I am just the messenger. Now, I've overstayed my welcome. It is time for me to go. Do consider our offer carefully, Spike Twilightkin." With that, she departed. Spike was left standing there, holding the letter which bore his name and staring out of the open door.

"Wha—?"

---

"Spike, I'm back!" called Twilight Sparkle, a purple unicorn and the resident librarian. "Spike?" The little dragon was sitting in a corner, staring into space, a piece of paper clutched in his hands. "Hey, what's wrong?"

As if only now aware of her presence, he shook his head and stood, walking over and hugging the nape of her neck. "I don't know what to do, Twilight! I don't want to leave. I don't want to go away…" The dragon fell back to the floor, the glimmer of fresh tears twinkling on his cheeks.

"Leave? What do you mean?" Alarmed, Twilight waited for the young dragon to respond.

"Here," said Spike, showing her the paper he'd been clutching. It was a letter. Twilight took a breath, taking the letter with her magic aura and beginning to read through it.

She didn't say anything. She stood there, immobile, soaking in the words neatly written on the page before her. Finally, flicking her tail, she looked intently at her assistant. The one she'd hatched while still a foal. The one she'd had for all her time in Ponyville, and the one who feared no longer being useful to her more than anything else. She placed a hoof on his head and searched for answers in his eyes.

"It'll only be a month or two. Isn't this what you've dreamed? Isn't this your chance?"

"I guess…" he said, glancing down at her hooves.

The truth was, he didn't really know what he wanted. And he was afraid, oh so afraid. The world seemed turned on its head



"All aboard! All aboard!"

Spike clutched Peewee's cage and a small suitcase of his own measly possessions. The terminal felt cold and exposed that night. One of the draft stallions at the head of the train gave him a nasty look, which did nothing to allay his fear and anxiety. He boarded the train quickly, noting its apparent emptiness. Behind him stood his friends, some smiling and others waving. He sighed and turned back around as the train jolted to a slow start. After a few moments, the train gained speed. After a few moments, Ponyville became a speck on the horizon. After a few moments, Spike already felt homesick.

A nudge from behind gave him a start.

"Hey, are you making the pilgrimage too?" said a voice behind him. Spike turned to face an auburn stallion wearing a similar cloak to the one he'd seen on the female dragon he'd met earlier.

"I suppose. This is all a little new to me, to tell you the truth." Spike walked to a seat and crawled up on it. "I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing." The cabin's oil lamp swung idly to the rhythm of train’s motion, illumination rocking from one side to the other. The sky outside showed all the stars and all the ether binding them together as crisp as any painting he'd ever seen.

"Neither are any of us. Try to rest. Our trip is a long one, and it will be early morning before we disembark."

Spike took this advice readily, and soon after he'd closed his eyes, the world was void and dark.

---

Flute!

His companion obeyed the command immediately, emanating from its body a massive blast of energy. Heat and light blazed in golden ball across the greenery, now leveled by the phoenix's unbridled power. Spike smiled up at his friend. The bird dove back down to return to its master's forearm. The dragon patted his friend's head, and the phoenix nipped playfully at his talons.

They had been at this all morning. Spike's larger, more muscled body was on the verge of collapse from exhaustion. He was a stout creature, twice the height of a mare and thrice their width. Peewee now displayed a regal, sleek coat of red, orange, and yellow feathers. The sun glinted sharply in his yellow eyes.

The two made their way down the scorched path. They stumbled over rubble, stepped over charred brambles, and limped across steamy gorges where once there were running streams. This was progress. They were making their way across the Dauthsfall to the lands beyond, in order to lay a railroad connecting kingdom to kingdom. Knowledge and prosperity would follow.



Flute!



Spike cringed at the gurgling screams that ensued as souls were plucked from their bodies. Even through the shouts of berserkers butchering their way down the line of brutes and beasts, he could hear the agony, the terror, the fear.

However, he was not left to contemplate this for long. The sun was high in the sky and the blood still fresh. There would always be a time later to mourn.

He hefted his great-sword as a band of enemies rushed closer. Bellowing a mighty war-cry, he charged.

The brutes were shred asunder.



Wilt and Wisp!



The air screeched in rage as Peewee dove, pivoting at impossible speeds. Flames erupted around the phoenix and circled it like a spinning top. Fire met ice. Clouds of steam rolled off the glacier, but the Istdrao he'd been aiming for was unscathed, having dodged the attack at the very last moment. Spike scowled. His left eye sported a long, thin scar and the pale white of sightlessness. He was a dominating figure, but the Istdrao he was facing was twice his size and in most likelihood contained five-fold his own power.

Summoning an icy spear, the creature rushed across the water, leaving in his wake a path of frozen sea.



Shades!



Peewee swooped down from his perch high above Spike, sending trails of embers behind him. The two collided, sending out a ring of fire the set alight the field they'd been standing in.

Spike blinked away the spots in his vision. As his head cleared, he saw before him their destination. Ponyville, he thought. He was home. Stifling a sniffle, the dragon strode down the main street of Ponyville, Peewee perched on his shoulder.

It was eventide, so most of the town's populace had locked themselves away for a restful night of sleep. Lamps still glowed in one residence, however. The old, hollowed willow that served as the town's library still had the faint flicker of a candle winking at its windows.

He sprinted to the door, memories clouding his mind.

Twilight! he shouted, swinging open the door.

Something wasn't right. Something had gone wrong. This wasn't supposed to happen. He fell to his knees while his companion flew into the library, blue aura streaming around him. Spike was pushed back by a blast of power and sound. A high pitched yowl signaled the deed had been done. Peewee shot through the branches of the hollowed willow, which were all now alight in green, blue, and orange flame. The graying clouds above rumbled before screeching in white and blue lightening.

Choose your words carefully,

An explosion shook the ground as thunder sounded and lightning bore down upon the library.

For you may never, for all your life,

Tears streamed down Spike's cheeks.

Utter them outside these halls

He bent over, grasping at the grass. Ponies awakened by the commotion were now coming out of their homes to see what had happened.

Or when you are not in the face of the Enemy

He could feel their accusing stares.

[i]For this is a great power not to be misused,

[/i]

---

"Hey, buddy," whispered the stallion. "You can get up now. The train ride's over."

Spike stirred from his slumber, rubbing his eyes and blinking. "Hrm?"

"Ya, time for us to go." Outside it was still dark, and the stars were still winking in their way. The moon shown through the windows like a stream.

Spike cleared his head with a slight shake and crawled off the cot he'd been sleeping on. Grabbing up his things, he followed the still-cloaked stallion out the open door, into the chilly northern night air.