For years now, Spike has been known as Twilight's baby dragon. But how much longer is he to remain a baby? When can he finally be teenager, all leading up to a big, strong adult dragon? With each passing year comes more questions and even less growth on his part, him staying the same size as ever. It is only with a final confrontation with Twilight on his thirteenth birthday does Spike learn the real truth. Dragon immortality isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Thanks a ton to my incredibly awesome and talented collab partner Draconian Soul, who you guys should definitely check out for some really rad stories!
Another big round of thanks to my editors Xl9, SolidFire and mikemeiers for all their expert help!
Chapters (1)
Ahhhh... Poor spike...
Pffffffttttttttttttttt.
~Skeeter The Lurker
Hope this little collab we did was fun Bob, cause I know I sure as hell enjoyed it
3250476
do i see spike hate?
spike hate is getting old.
My FEELS! All over the damn floor.
Poor Spike, he's fucked for life. The only real problem I had was his age... and the fact that he's thirteen and lived in Ponyville for years... how old was twilight when she moved to Ponyville? 14!?
3250490
I know. But still fun.
Plus, he's hard to do right and not make look like a fool.
~Skeeter The Lurker
Your fiftieth story, and it's quite fitting. Good job, and way to tug at my heartstrings.
I don't know. Some things about being a kid forever sound kinda awesome.
Of course Twilight could have an incomplete understanding of the matter. I mean how would you ever test it? Has there ever been a dragon who has not been tempted by greed? Forever is a long time and there could always be a different unknown process that follows a road never or at least very rarely traveled.
I definitely appreciate that Alternate Universe tag up there. It seems fatalistic and a little ridiculous that the only choices his future has in store come with heavier misfortune than he deserves. Why should he be stuck with a nigh-eternal lifespan just because one dragon subspecies is? Meghan McCarthy said that Twilight won't outlive her friends, so I doubt she would condemn any one of those friends to an equally lousy fate. Still, it was a pleasure to read.
3250523 It's only fun for people who are so high on the neurological sugar rush of feminine cuteness the ponies supply that they're incapable of seeing Spike as anything but detrimental to their dangerous and disturbing addiction.
ALL DAH FEELSS MAN....great work as always
This is what i think spike is not gonna grow up at all because he being around ponies all his life and remain as a baby dragon forever anyway good story i give it a 8/10
3250673
Jesus. Can none of you take a fucking joke?
Or see a joke for that matter?
~Skeeter The Lurker
3251039 It's good to see civil fimfic conversations again.
3251179
Eh, I'm done. Too much BS over something dumb, you know?
~Skeeter The Lurker
3251181 Much like the internet in general, this site can occasionally be filled with dumb.
3251219
Today more so than others, it seems.
~Skeeter The Lurker
This was very good, very emotional, and captivating. I think there maybe could be a sequel made to this.
However, something bugs me. It seems like to me that Twilight and Rarity, excluding the other girls, wants Spike to choose to grow and be greedy.
For instance Rarity decided to get Twilight to give Spike the Fire Ruby he gave her back, and then Twilight telling Spike that she already found a place for him to live with other dragons. I feel that Twilight was trying to push Spike into being greedy, and want him to leave.
I know it might not seem that way, but it feels that way to me.
However, a great one-shot.
So what did he choose ?
And why's this is an alt uni ?
You aren't helping him get over it Rarity!
Also, no definite end. Not sure if I like it or not.
Poor Spike.
Poor Spike.
3251039 It's an unpleasant joke that many of us are very, very tired of seeing perpetuated.
He should eat all the gems in town, you know, just to be sure.
♫ Forever young, I wanna be forever young. ♫
Oh, wait, that's a bad thing...
Growing old is not...
In the end, this is ultimately Spike's decision. You made the right choice in not showing what that decision is. There certain points where the fourth wall needs to be made opaque for the sake of the characters' dignity, and this is one of them.
...did I really just commend RainbowBob for respecting the characters' dignity? What is this world coming to?
SPIKE FIC! *Tackle*
Ahem, sorry. I just love the little kid. He doesn't get anywhere near enough love from the fandom. That said, I was really surprised where this story went. I'm not sure where I was expecting, but it wasn't that. I like that you captured Spike's pouty and slightly tantrum style without making him lash out at ponies. That's always a bit disturbing when authors do that. The Fire Ruby part was pretty obvious, but that is by no means a bad thing.
I don't think it was Rarity and Twilight trying to force him, as a previous reader suggested, but more that they wanted him to know that they were totally fine with whatever choice he made. He could grow, or he could stay small. It really comes down to it as a choice for Spike, and it's one I could understand either way. All his life he has been the small and weak one, unable to protect his friends, even if he was to grow, it would be with the best of intentions, not for pure selfishness.
And that is what makes the open ending so powerful. It doesn't feel like a Right and a Wrong answer. It is two different answers, that are both equally valid. Getting that kind of... 'equality' I guess, is a hard thing to do. You deserve props for pulling it off.
Thanks again for this awesome story!
-Lumino
Oh my god, I teared up! Ahhh! It's worse that we don't even know what Spike's going to do.
Actually, it's better. Because it's open to interpretation, and the answer really isn't that important in the end. Super touching. I love how you can write funny stories, but also really touching ones, RainbowBob. Nice work~
Very nice
Man, Spike and Twilight are being way too melodramatic about this. With the Fire Ruby Spike has the ability to stop his greed - as explicitly spelled out in the story - so he can just choose to moderate it to become a teenager/adolescent dragon instead of going full adult. By careful usage, he could remain of a perfectly acceptable size to remain among ponies while also growing up some like he desires.
They are really making a mountain out of a molehill here.
3251890
Then get a sense of humor.
That joke won't be going anywhere fast.
~Skeeter The Lurker
3252669
That wasn't a choice in the story. Either he fully embraces his greed side to grow up, or he doesn't and remains young forever.
3252377
Hey, some thanks goes to my awesome collab partner Draconian Soul as well.
Congratulations Bob. We've become feature box buddies again
Wow, that story is just. It is quite amazing, I just lost a happy buzz in a good way let me tell you that.
3252828
Hah! He doesn't need anymore praise from me! After little Lavender he's become my favorite Sparity author on the site, full stop.
Sorry Rainbow, you're awesome but that story was literally everything I wanted in a Sparity fic. I seem to have gone on a tangent though. Thank you to both of you for another fantastic piece of work.
-Lumino
If the entire scene with Spike's internal struggle were animated this song would definitely fit well with it.
3251288 It may have seemed that way, but I don't think Twilight and Rarity would ever try to actually push Spike into deciding to grow up so fast. It was more like they were being prepared, just in case if Spike really couldn't take it anymore of being a baby dragon forever. They gave him the ruby, because they figured that he was going to be upset of not having grown up at all, but they really didn't want him to do it. It was their way of telling him what would happen if he decides to grow up, and he was given the freedom to decide what he felt would be the right thing to choose.
Nice idea, but a very poor attempt at writing a sad, emotional story. It evoked no emotion in me. This story ended terribly as well. I like your vocabulary and the general story was nice, but it definitely lacked the elements it would need for me to hit like. Cool story, I wish you the best of luck in life and I'm sorry that I don't enjoy your story as much as I could.
Cool idea, but could have been a bit better. However, it's still good enough to deserve the feature box! The coveted feature box...that I will never achieve...sob...
Spiker Pan and the Lost Dragons, eternally fighting/pranking Captain Hoof for the treasure!
Then, a young mare named Twindy arrives, and they must go on all sorts of adventures with her to save Rainbow- Bell!
This could be the basis for such a wonderful Peter Pan/ MLP crossover...
This fic doesn't seem right... what if he just lives as a whelp until his friends die, and then he moves on?
That's what I would do. Stay in control of myself while the ones I cared for most lived- and then, later- since I'll stay like that forever until I decide to greedy, only grow later, when everyone is dead. It's still sad, but he gets all the memories, basically.
I am now depressed.
3253266 I can see that now from what you said. I think the one thing that pushed me to my theory about them forcing him to decide, more Twilight than Rarity when Twilight told him that she already found him a place to live with other dragons with a vast amount of space.
3250673
What an extremely vague and unnecessarily sexist comment. It's not because he's male that people make Spike jokes, it's because of his character. He's short, jovial, the little apprentice/assistant. He's a sidekick... hell, that's even canon. (Just for Sidekicks, anyone?) And sidekicks, by and large, have always been both negative plot points and comedic relief. Basic fact of storytelling throughout the ages. Don't like it, go pick up a book and see what I mean.
3250490
Spike hate? Getting old? HAH. What about all the Celestia hate? Don't see anyone but me campaigning against that. Save poor Spike, but people cheer when Celestia's portrayed as an imbecile, a whiny bitch, or an evil tyrant that sweet avenger Luna has to deal with. Spike is fine, he gets by, he's usually treated as a deeper character by bronies whether they're hating on him or praising him or just mostly including the fact he exists. The boy gets his props one way or another, either as a jester, a regular dude, or a king.
The only sure-fire way to get emotional at the near-end, is to play this song:
One of the few new fics dealing with Spike growing up that doesn't try to contrast poor abused Spike with his evil, evil pony "friends". Instead, they are his family, and his friends.
I like it.
Poor Spike
How does dragon population stay under control if they're immortal though? I assume dragons can be killed but that assumes a natural predator. The Ursa Major could actually function for this quite well considering how giant it is.
fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2013/117/9/0/human_ursa_sizes_by_tvtyrant-d635yv6.png
(credit for image goes to Tvtyrant on Deviantart)
It would be like a fox after ducks in terms of size comparison and abilities.
3255219 On the flip side, Luna is portrayed as being perfect and innocent despite attempting genocide.
ANOTHER!? at least it was a oneshot this time! XD
While I enjoyed this story, the choice seems too absolutist, especially considering the key factor in the conflict is an emotion: an extremely relative, variable, and malleable state of existence.
What Spike is looking for, what Spike needs, is boundaries: a way of establishing what is acceptable and what is not in a manner that is applicable to day-to-day life. Greed towards things you earned? Good (or at least acceptable). Greed towards the possessions of others? Bad. And so on.
One of the purposes of childhood is the establishment of such boundaries. As his current mother figure, Twilight has a responsibility to help Spike develop such limitations so he can grow up - physically, mentally, and emotionally - at a healthy and reasonable pace. Just leaving him with an all-or-nothing decision, with no guidance or counsel offered because it needs to be "his decision?" Bit of a parenting fail, Twilight.