@Background Pony #17AA
Fortunately, Season 8 came along – and it turns out that greed-induced growth is not normal for dragons, either. It seems to be a curse that only some dragons have had.

Thank goodness. FIM used to have some very racist overtones. Season 8 made it anti-racist at last!

@Itsthinking
Here’s a dragon with a hoard of friends:
https://derpibooru.org/images/2517497

It does make you wonder if spike does outlive his friends/family how would he control his demon without twilight,rarity and the others to help him.It like superman,hulk,wolverine,etc lose control without their friends and love ones to help them.

@JetWave  

 
It awakes some dramatic memories from 3 hours ago.
 
I have dark and morbid thoughts all the time that might turn my friends and families heads if i ever voiced them. Each time, i just thank myself i’m not a villain and move on.
 
I can easily imagine spike being like this and now i wonder how he’d deal with it.

For me, the fact he’s a dragon who actually could do these things isn’t even needed for this comic to work. I could very much relate to his situation of thinking and fantasizing about horrible things ending in a sudden enormous guilt. It awakes some dramatic memories from when I was a child.

@atalarikt  
I’ve seen darker. i would link it but i don’t remember what or where i saw it

That’s the darkest and most depressing Spike-related comic I’ve ever seen.

Aw. Spikey-Wikey needs a big hug mon….=(

@Background Pony #1C28  
The “oh, his hoard is made up of his friends” thing has been passed around for a while. I think it works. But yeah, a two-parter focusing on feelings like this, obviously ending happier, would be awesome.

We normally work on the assumption that so long as he keeps this greed in check, he won’t become like that…but we’re assuming his greed will always be that controllable. He’s a kid right now. A dragon’s body is made to take what they want and guard it. What if the more he grows, he more his body/instincts start pushing him into greed/violence/etc. What if the reason all the dragons we’ve seen so far are like that, is because no matter how much they to deny their nature (maybe some were nice like Spike when they were kids), they eventually become like that as a natural part of their growth? What if its something that can’t be avoided?
 
He literally has to live his whole life denying what his body tells him to do, or lose everything the real him loves.  
I’m dying for a season premiere/finale that focuses on this, with Spike being the accidental antagonist and coming close to destroying Canterlot/Equestria before the Mane6 help him find a way to help him avoid becoming like that but without having to keep living in denial. And as corny as it may sound, after long years of looking into this topic, I came to the conclussion that the only way would be for Spike to direct his greed towards his friends instead of material treasure. Being greedy about his friends, helping them attain happiness, accomplish their dreams, etc. I know how it sounds, but be honest, it could totally be something that happens in the show.  
A great lesson to learn for everyone, and it would be amazing character development for Spike as well.
 
PS: Also, remember how big the red and green dragon’s hoards were? They had oceans of gems and treasure. Spike grew the more he collected and he reached that size with only a small wagon full of random stuff. So I think he could very easily become a high-end threat if he actually collected as much as he did in his fantasy on page2.

@Background Pony #DFF0  
Worse than that, he might forget all about them. Every lesson, every good feeling he’s had or given others, all the memories he’s made and love that the world gave him. Gone. He’ll be a monster who won’t remember the world who was so kind to him, and he won’t be able to stop himself because he won’t be himself anymore.
 
He’s not only becoming a danger to his friends, he’s losing himself forever.
 
At least this is just fan theory junk and his actual story will be less sad even if he has a moment or feeling like this that is acknowledged.

@Itsthinking  
Oh, I see what you meant now. Yes, that could certainly be the case. In a sense it’s almost a worse scenario too, since there’s not really any way he can prevent it. He’d have to deal with the knowledge that one day, regardless of anything he’s ever done or wanted to do, he’d just become a danger to all his friends.
 
That would definitely lay heavy on the mind.

@Background Pony #DFF0  
That would be interesting, to see him dreamwalk with Luna.
 
What I was saying is that even if he keeps his greed in check, what if he keeps growing anyway and it is an inevitability rather than something he can avoid? It might eventually come to him anyway.

@Itsthinking  
A quote from The Dark Knight comes to mind.  

It has to be a hard thing to live with, really. He spends every day with the knowledge that no matter how much he denies it, no matter how much he struggles to find his place in Ponyville or meaning in his life, he’s only a tiny bit of greed away from becoming a terrifying monster once more.
 
I suddenly want to see Spike in some kind of group therapy with Luna. It would be interesting to see the two of them discuss their mutual fears of someday succumbing to the dark and what they might do if it happens.

@Background Pony #DFF0  
He realized with horror what he could, or might even ultimately become.

@Itsthinking  

 
I think the part that gets me the most is how, right after he’s snapped back to reality and realizes what was going on, he looks down and sees what he’s standing on. And you realize what happened in his mind that we didn’t see. And what he did to the one pony most like family to him.

Jesus Christ this was disturbing… On the second page I thought it was all actually happening for a second.

Man, that’s some heavy shit.

Damn. Spike’s too young to be suffering from PTSD.

My heart

Christ man that’s some physiological shit spike just did to him self. talk about a total mind trip. also don’t worry spike you won’t ever become like thoe’s other dragons. you have a good heart

Embrace your destiny spike