The egg nestled closely to the dragon's chest, sheltered from the dangers of outside. The fragile, unborn child was being protected by the warm, loving arms of his mother.

“Well, sug, looks like you’re going to hatch soon,” she said, giggling softly. “And I still haven’t come up with a name for you yet. I wonder what I should call you, my little fire spewer.”

She set the egg down in it’s nest, watching it with a tender smile on her face. “I’ll come up with something soon. Trust me, sweetie, you’ll love your name.” With those words uttered, she leaned into the egg and planted a small kiss along the top. “Good night, my precious baby.”

“Mommy?” Spike leaned up in his bed and touched his cheeks. There was no sign of comforting kisses there. It was cold and dry, bringing much sadness to him. “Darn, another dream…”

Spike sighed and lay back in his bed, small streams of tears trickling down his face, his small form being wracked by his silent sobs.

The sun soon invaded Spike’s peace of mind, breaking him out of his reverie. He sat in his bed, staring blankly at the wall. For some reason, he didn’t feel like his normal self. He felt empty… incomplete. And it was all due to the strange dream he just had.

Rubbing his eyes, he made up his bed and walked downstairs. Twilight had prepared breakfast for the both of them, and placed the steaming pile of food on the table.

“Well, looks like someone finally decided to get out of bed!” Twilight cheerfully teased.

“Mmm hmm.” Spike walked to the table and sat down.

“Since you slept in for the most part, I decided to make something nice. Buttery, mouthwatering pancakes! Piled up high, just how you like them.”

“Yeah… thanks,” Spike duly replied, poking at his breakfast with a fork.

“Um, is something wrong, Spike?” Twilight asked. “You’re kind of acting strange. Normally, you’d be downing these homemade pancakes.”

“Yeah… homemade…” Spike sighed and dismissed himself from the table. “I’m not really hungry right now.”

Twilight watched as Spike walked back upstairs, dragging his tail along the ground. His display was upsetting her greatly. Without another thought, she followed him up the stairs and back into the bedroom.

“Twi, there a reason you came up here?” he asked.

“Actually, there is,” she said, sitting on the floor next to him. “I want to know what is bothering you.”

Spike stared at the ground and sighed. This wasn’t normal behavior for him. Twilight could always count on Spike being the lively one in the house. He might not have been the most productive at times, in fact a lot of the times he was downright lazy, but he always greeted her in the mornings with a smile. The Spike she was talking to however was a different story. He seemed borderline depressed.

“I dunno, Twilight,” he responded quietly. “I just don’t feel right.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. She read about certain mood shifts in dragons before, ranging from extreme rage to complete depression. However, from what she had read, those only took place every hundred years, and she was sure the flame induced rage he recently had wasn’t a coincidence.

“What do you mean?”

“Well… I just… forget it.” Spike attempted to get up and walk away, but Twilight used her magic to force him back down.

“Spike, don’t walk out on me without telling me what’s wrong. Now, what do you mean by ‘you don’t feel right’?”

“There’s no point, Twilight,” Spike insisted. “It’s just me being dumb…”

“Spike, I’ve seen you being dumb, and this isn’t one of those times. I just want to know what’s got you so worried.”

Spike sat silently for a moment before finally bringing himself to open up and speak. “I don’t know why, but for some reason, I feel homesick.”

“Homesick?” Twilight began to smile knowing that that was all that was concerning him. “Well if that’s all that you’re worried about, we can always arrange to go to Canterlot for the weekend. Mom and Dad would be delighted to see…”

“No, Twilight! Not that kind of homesick.”

“Huh?”

“See, I knew you wouldn’t understand. Can we just drop this?”

And just like that, Twilight’s happiness came crashing down. She no longer had the slightest clue what was bothering Spike, nor what he truly meant by homesick. In situations like these, she considered it a better idea to give Spike some space.

“If it makes you feel better,” she said, turning towards the door. “I’m going to get some supplies for the picnic we’re having with the girls. Please, if you go anywhere…”

“Yeah, I’ll be back by ten if I decide to go anywhere,” Spike interrupted, laying back on his bed.

“Yeah. Like I said, I’ll be gone for a bit. Please, try to feel better when I get back.”

“I guess…”

Twilight closed the door and trotted downstairs. She was hesitant to leave such a depressed Spike inside of the library, but she needed to run errands before the outing. Still, it broke her heart to see him in such a state.

Spike remained upstairs in his bed, looking up at the ceiling. He brought his claws out, staring at them with small tears trickling down his face. The dreams he had became a recurring thing, haunting him everytime he closed his eyes. He didn’t know why he was having these dreams, nor what they meant. All he could recall is the same vision: an egg, a soft, motherly voice, and the warm hands that cradled it, looking like larger versions of his. With a sniffle, he closed his eyes and muttered to himself.

“Where are you?”

“WHAT? Spike is upset?”

Pinkie Pie gasped from behind the counter once she heard about Spike’s apparent depression.

“I don’t know what’s bothering him, and he won’t talk to me,” Twilight explained to both Pinkie and Rainbow Dash, who was preoccupying her time with an oatmeal raisin cookie.

“Probably just a dragon thing,” Rainbow Dash said. “Didn’t you say he had one of these random mood swings before?”

“Yeah, but even for him his reaction seems off. His mood swings are usually anger, not depression.”

“So what do you think it could be?” Rainbow asked.

“All I could get out of him is something about him being homesick.”

“Well that’s easy, silly!” Pinkie exclaimed. “All you gotta do is to take him back to Canterlot and throw him a giant Don’t be Homesick Party!”

“I already suggested that… well… without the party, but he says that’s not what’s making him homesick.”

“Why would he be homesick?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I mean, he has us! Hard to believe he would be homesick with us supporting him.”

“Which is why I came here to ask for something,” Twilight began. “Pinkie, I know you’re already helping prepare snacks for the picnic, but do you mind…”

“Making Spike some of those yummy sapphire and emerald cupcakes with ruby bits that he likes?”

Pinkie’s ability to read into what other ponies were about to say never ceased to amaze her friends.

“Well, yeah.”

“Don’t worry, Twilight!” Pinkie exclaimed saluting her. “Pinkie Pie will do anything to bring a smile back on Spikey Wikey’s little face!” She skipped to the pantry to gather the supplies. “Oh, I can’t wait to see the look on his… um… Twilight, we have a tiny, itsy-bitsy problem.”

“And, that is?”

“We’re out of gems!” Pinkie flailed her arms out in despair. “Now Spike is going to be depressed all day, all because I couldn’t make him his cupcakes! THE HORROR!”

“Calm down, Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash said, covering her ears. “You do realize we can always just ask Twilight to go to Rarity and get some more, right?”

“Oh yeah…” Pinkie giggled at the realization. “I guess I overreacted a little.”

“Ya think?” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and directed her attention to Twilight. “Hey, if you don’t mind, could you go down to the boutique and fetch some more gems? I would come along, but I’m kind of busy helping Pinkie here.”

“Really?” Twilight questioned, “Cause from what I see, it looks like you’re eating more than you are helping.”

“Hey, this is helping!” Rainbow Dash blurted in offense. “I’m taste testing to make sure the food and snacks are good!”

“She’s being very helpful, too!” Pinkie chimed in. “So far, she’s taste tested all of our sandwiches, cakes, and drinks!”

“Again, I don’t really think that counts as helping,” Twilight retorted.

“Look, if you want to eat subpar food, that’s on you! I just want to make sure that we have something good to eat on this picnic, especially since Rarity is very picky. In fact, why are you even questioning my motives? Don’t you have a sad sap of a dragon you’re suppose to be helping?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight sarcastically responded. “I shouldn’t have questioned your helpful nature! I’ll just get going and let you get back to work.”

Rainbow Dash smiled victoriously, and went back to taste testing. All Twilight could do before leaving Sugarcube Corner is shake her head and smirk. Leave it to Rainbow Dash to take advantage of a situation.

Rarity sat at her table, sipping a cup of tea and reading the paper. She had finished organizing her home earlier than expected, and with the get together not starting for a few hours, she decided it would be nice to relax and unwind until it was time to get ready. These moments came rarely for her, and she made the most out of every moment.

However, the bell on her door reminded her that she still ran a business, and peace only lasted for so long. She set her mug on the table and walked into the main hallway.

“Welcome to my boutique,” she greeted, assuming it was a customer. “How may I help you?”

“Rarity, it’s just me,” Twilight responded.

“Twilight! It’s so good to see you. What brings you here so early?”

“Well, I need to ask a favor of you.”

“Do tell. I’m always willing to help a friend.”

“Well, I just need a few gems, just a few sapphires, emeralds, and rubies.”

Rarity put a hoof to her chin. “I don’t know. My gem supply is a little low right now, and I still have quite a few projects I need to get done.”

Twilight sighed. “That’s understandable. If you can’t spare a few, we’ll just have to find another way to cheer Spike up.”

Rarity’s ears perked up immediately. “Wait, what’s wrong with Spike?”

“He’s… going through some form of depression I think. He didn’t eat this morning, and went back to his room and layed down on his bed. I thought that maybe some of his favorite cupcakes would cheer him up.”

Rarity gasped and cuffed her face against her cheeks. “Well, we can’t have him feeling miserable for the big picnic, now can we? Come! I’ll find you some of the best gems to use for the poor dear!”

Rarity led Twilight into her work room to retrieve the gems. Everything was shelved and well organized, with the exception of her organized mess that she left lying around if a spark of inspiration hit her. She walked to her chest where she stashed the extra gems she used for the dresses and opened it, inspecting her inventory.

“Well, I have plenty of sapphires, and I have a few rubies lying around here. However, I’m at a shortage of emeralds now. Hmm… does Spikey like topaz?”

“I think that Spike will eat anything gem related.”

“Not going to take that chance. My poor Spike is feeling down, and I want to cheer him up before our get together.” She looked at her small set of emeralds, smiling softly. “You know, we can always go dig for more gems later. My Spikey Wikey deserves to be happy.”

She levitated a mix of the three colorful gems and placed them into a bag. “Here, take them! Make Spike the best cupcakes you can out of these! Poor dear deserves at least that.”

Twilight took the bag with her magic. “Thanks, Rarity. I’ll take these back to Pinkie so she can make something out of them.”

Rarity gave a wide smile in delight. “Oh, that reminds me, am I needed for anything? I kind of feel bad for not helping with the set up. It’s just that, working outside in all that dirt…”

Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at Rarity’s disdain against anything that could make her filthy. “Don’t worry, Rarity. You giving me these gems is helpful enough.”

The egg once again was lifted by warm, loving claws, cradling the spotted unborn child in her hands. It was peaceful; just the egg and its mother, passing the time together in sweet comfort.

“I think I’ve finally figured it out what I’m going to name you,” the voice chuckled, rubbing the shell with it’s claws. “I think it’s a very fitting name for you.”

The name curled off the tip of the speakers tongue, however the egg was oblivious to what it was saying, and the memories that the egg retained couldn’t piece everything together. It was in the dark, knowing very little about it’s origin.

“What do you think about your new name, sweetie?” the voice softly whispered along the tip of the egg.

“I think the name is perfect. If only I knew what it was…” Spike continued to lay on his bed, tears failing to escape from his eyes anymore. He didn’t understand why his emotions were welling up inside him so much. The trigger came out of nowhere, and he was the victim of the shot. It hurt him to no end, not knowing who his parents were or where he came from.

And what bothered him more, was that the voice… the loving, nourishing voice… kept haunting him.

“I think he likes his name,” it whispered, most likely to something else in the area. “Can’t wait for our baby to hatch!”

It seemed as if the tears hadn’t dried out quite yet; one more streak decided to slide down his face.

“Spike?”

The door creaked open and Twilight walked into the room. He didn’t move, didn’t flinch. He continued sulking in his confused misery.

“How long have you been like this?”

“Since you left,” he bluntly replied, still keeping his attention away from Twilight. “Not really in the mood for anything.”

“When I left, I asked yourself to try to feel better by the time I got back. This doesn’t look like you’re trying to make progress.”

“Yeah, well maybe I just don’t want to.” Spike tossed slightly in the bed, sniffling as the thoughts kept looming through his mind. He would have kept wallowing in his own sadness, if Twilight didn’t lift him up with her magic and let him drop onto the ground.

“Ow! What was that for?” Spike hissed, rubbing his gut to ease the pain.

“Well, it’s about time I got a reaction out of you that wasn’t depressing,” Twilight responded. “Sorry, but you laying around and feeling sorry about yourself for… whatever you’re feeling… is not going to help you. I want you to show up to this picnic, and I want you to try to enjoy yourself there. Please, can you at least do that?”

Spike sighed and looked up at Twilight. There wasn’t really anything he could do other than abide by her commands.

“Fine,” Spike agreed. “I’ll try not to have you guys worried on this picnic. Will that make you happy?”

“Very.” Twilight smiled and hugged Spike, who in turn wrapped his claws around her. “Well, we should get going. Don’t want to keep the others waiting for too long!”

“Yeah, I suppose we don’t.” For the sake of Twilight, Spike decided it would be in his best interest to try and smile, giving her a half hearted grin. He followed Twilight out of the library and headed towards Sweet Apple Acres.

The two walked quietly, Spike making no attempt to start a conversation.

“I bet you’re going to enjoy what we have in store for the picnic, Spike,” Twilight said, trying to force out a conversation. “Rainbow Dash took the liberty of test tasting the food to make sure it was up to standards. Classic Dash, huh?”

“I guess.”

The silence was absolutely unbearable. Twilight coughed, trying to rummage up ways to kill the empty void.

“Yeah… I bet you’re going to like what we’re going to have. We had Pinkie make special cupcakes just for you!”

Still, not a pleasant reaction out of him. The situation was worse than Twilight thought. She didn’t know what to do to get Spike to snap out of his saddened state, but it was beginning to depress her.

“Please, Spike, can you at least tell me part of what’s bothering you?” Twilight pleaded.

“I don’t know…” Spike responded. “Like I said, you’ll probably think it’s stupid.”

“Spike, nothing that is bothering you could ever be stupid.”

Spike sighed and looked up at Twilight. “Okay, if I tell you, do you promise not to laugh?”

“Pinkie promise!” Twilight went through the entire motion, screaming a little as she tried to poke her eye, forgetting how painful that was. Spike chuckled at her pain, which both warmed and agitated Twilight.

“Okay, I’ll tell you.” He took a deep breath and began to explain his troubles. “Okay, so everytime I go to sleep, I see this egg… similar to mine.”

Twilight’s eyes widened in intrigue. “Really?”

“Yeah. Only, this egg wasn’t inside of Canterlot Castle like where I was hatched. I was in some kind of cave, being cradled by a set of purple claws.”

Twilight listened intently, finally understanding what was troubling him.

“It was strange, yet it soothing. I wanted to be there more than I wanted to be here. It felt more like…”

“Home?” Twilight finished, receiving a nod from Spike.

“I mean, it’s not like I don’t consider you guys family or anything, it’s just… ah forget it. I knew it would sound stupid.”

“Not at all, Spike,” Twilight replied, smiling softly. “It’s understandable why you would be feeling this way. Afterall, you were raised by a group of ponies, and you’re a…”

“DRAAGOON!”

The civilians of Ponyville ran and screamed. Spike and Twilight looked at each other in confusion as the trail of ponies all ran in fear. One of them panted, tired of running away.

“Um, excuse me!” Twilight walked towards the tired pony. “But, could you tell me what’s going on?”

“Dragon… in the marketplace… run…” was all the pony could huff out.

“Dragon? In town?” Twilight looked at the growing chaos; ponies were sent in disarray because of the beast. “Spike, you wait back at the library. I’m going to go confront this dragon.”

“No.”

“Okay, just be safe on your… wait, what do you mean no?”

“I want to see this dragon with my own eyes, Twilight. I rarely get a chance to see my own kind. This could be some clarity, especially if it doesn’t try to kill me like normal.”

“And what if it does try to kill you?”

“What can it do? Burn me? I’m a dragon, Twi. I’m pretty much fireproof!”

Twilight thought it over, realizing that Spike wouldn’t leave until she complied with his wish.

“Okay Spike, but keep your distance from the dragon when we get close.”

Spike smiled and planted himself on the back of Twilight. She trotted through the clutter of confusion to reach the marketplace.

The dragon walked through the main streets, watching as the terrified ponies fled.

“Well, this is a warm welcome,” she huffed. “Friendly town of ponies my scales.”

She blew smoke through her nose, watching as the ponies she was towering over cowered and ran away from her. It was quite annoying, but she didn’t care about that. She came to the town for a reason.

“Where to look first.”

As she put her claw against her chin to think, she noticed something shocking to her. Something that didn’t happen ever since she walked into Ponyville. Somepony was actually running towards her, not away from her. Not only that, but there was someone on the pony’s back.

“Um, hello!” Twilight began, looking up at the dragon. “What is your business in Ponyville? You’re kind of scaring its citizens.”

The purple scaled dragon leaned down and smiled. “Actually, I think I found who I was looking for.” She stared directly at Spike, small tears welling in her eyes. Twilight’s confusion grew.

“So… just to be clear, you’re not here to terrorize anyone, right?”

“Oh heavens no. Though, I don’t think your kind takes too kindly to ours. Still, you seem to accepted one of our own, and I’m glad I finally found my baby.”

“Baby?”

Spike got off of Twilight’s back and walked towards the dragon, looking up with her in both confusion and a sense of clarity. The dragon pulled Spike closer to her, nestling him in her arms.

“I’ve waited for so long to find you,” she softly chimed. Spike didn’t feel the need to hesitate; her touch felt familiar, safe. A flurry of emotions began to well inside of him as he nestled against her warm chest. In his confusion, he began to shiver,restraining his tears.

“There there,” the dragon said, stroking Spike’s head. “Everything will be alright now, baby.”

The touch, it was so warm, so soft. It was everything he dreamed of. His dream… every detail: her claws, her soothing voice, the color of her scales. It fit the description of his dream perfectly.

“Why do I feel so comfortable around you?” Spike asked softly, confused by his welling emotions. His question seemed to elicit small chuckles from the dragon.

“Dear child, why wouldn’t you be comfortable around your mother?”

Both Twilight and Spike’s eyes widened in shock, the revelation hitting both of them hard. But the effect hit Spike twice as hard, and a stream of tears began flowing down his face.

“Mom?”