Spike is an apparently orphaned dragon who was hatched by Twilight Sparkle and raised as a member of her family. He eventually became Twilight's assistant, helping her in various tasks including sending messages to her mentor Princess Celestia with his magical fire breath. Spike was actually somewhat more social than Twilight was when the two lived in the city of Canterlot. He later accompanied Twilight to Ponyville, which became their new home, and made several new friends, notably including another unicorn mare named Rarity who became the subject of a crush from Spike.
Though raised by loving ponies and with good pony friends, Spike is at times sharply reminded of the fact that he himself is not a pony. As such, he at times struggled with a sense of identity and desired to know more about being a dragon. Ultimately, however, he would always choose to remain with his pony family and friends.
