//------------------------------//
// Throw a dragon a bone 
// Story: Sky's Changing Secret 
// by Sky Sprinter 
//------------------------------//

Crystal Castle, The next morning
“So what’s the plan?” Sky asked as he, Spike, and Twilight ate pancakes for breakfast.

“It’s going to be a day-off for both you and Spike while I work on the book. I’ve already told Fluttershy about the change of plans today and Rarity that she might be expecting you two, just in case you guys might want to go over there, but if you guys do go, please be back by around 4:30, I’ve got something planned that has to do with the book and you Sky,” Twilight answered.

“So it’s only like two-thirds of a day-off in reality, or something like that?” Sky asked.

“Yep, pretty much,” Twilight replied before then saying to Spike, “I need you to send a message to Princess Celestia, Spike, after breakfast. It’s about the book.”

Spike saluted and said, “You can count on me Twilight.”

Outside the Crystal Castle, a few hours later
As both Sky and Spike exited the castle, his thoughts turned to his baby Dragon companion. Spike had been quite dutiful to Twilight through this whole process and he seemed to not be all that fazed by Sky as everypony else had been, he took the whole thing in stride it seemed. Which meant it surprised him when he sensed little bits of hostility and jealousy coming from the dragon ever since he had returned from Rarity’s two days prior and it was showing again now that the two were walking towards Carousel Boutique. At first he thought it might be the dragon being jealous of him spending so much time with Twilight, but now after thinking over when those two emotions flared, they always seemed to be happening whenever Sky and Rarity were mentioned in the same conversation.

“Oh hey, it’s Rarity, and I think she’s waving at me” Sky said out of nowhere focusing his emotion sensing on Spike as well as paying attention to the baby dragon’s actions.

“What? Rarity? Where? Are you sure she isn’t waving at me?” Spike said looking for the white mare. He was certainly sending out those emotions as well as the infatuation he had for the mare.

“I knew it,” Sky said, “Sorry Spike, I just needed to make sure that my assumption was correct,” Sky then said apologetically.

“What? What are you talking about?” Spike asked hoping that Sky wasn’t thinking what he thought the changeling was thinking.

“Come on, Spike. You can’t hide it from a changeling, Spike. You, my good sir, have a cr-” Sky said before Spike stopped the changeling with his hand.

“Ok, ok, but please don’t say it out loud,” Spike said.

“There’s nopony around to hear it,” Sky said confused.

“You never know whose ears might be listening,” Spike stated, “And promise me that you won’t tell anypony, please?”

“Fine then, I promise to not tell anypony about it,” Sky said without thinking.

“No, I want a Pinkie Promise,” Spike said, “Then I’ll know you’ll never break it.”

“Alright then, it’s not like I wouldn’t be able to keep a secret like that, I’m a changeling you know? Keeping a secret is kinda my thing,” Sky said rolling his eyes.

“Just do it,” Spike said.

“I promise not to tell anypony about your secret. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” Sky said doing the motions. “And don’t you do that creepy thing again, Pinkie. I know you’re watching!”

“What are you doing?” Spike asked.

“I feel like that mare watches me sometimes, I mean the first time I ever did the Pinkie Pie swear I could swear that I heard her voice telling me how those promises were forever,” Sky said.

“Forever…” Pinkie quietly said from behind a bush which, itself, was behind Sky.

Sky let out a mareish scream before closing his mouth. “Darn it Pinkie!” He yelled embarrassed.

Spike meanwhile was laughing about Sky’s scream, “Oh that was just perfect, Pinkie! I wish I knew you were gonna do that!”

Sky sighed, “I told you, who knows what areas that mare follows me into.”

Minutes later, the pair reached Carousel Boutique. Sweetie Belle opened her eyes and her eyes lit up in excitement, “Rarity, Sky’s here!” Sweetie announced.

“Hey, what about me?” Spike asked.

“Spike’s here, too!” Sweetie added.

“Oh perfect, it’s good to see my Spikey-wikey and little Buggy are here, we’ve got quite a bit of work to do, darlings,” Rarity said as Sweetie let the two into the boutique.

“Little Buggy?” Sky and Spike asked with raised eyebrows.

“Not a fan of the nickname?” Rarity asked.

“Not really,” Sky asked.

“Oh all right,” Rarity said, “Now, since Twilight told me that you guys have a few hours here before she wants you back, I think the perfect thing to do would be to get started immediately. There is this one dress that I’m trying to get done and I think that that shape-shifting ability will be of great help.”

“Alright, just tell me the details of the pony and let’s get this started,” Sky said as he saw Rarity’s horn light up.

“Actually, I’ve got a picture of the mare right here,” Rarity said as she brought up a picture of a white Unicorn mare with a long, flowing silver mane, somewhat in the style of Fleur de Lis’s as well as a tail in her style.

“A mare? Alrighty then,” Sky said as he took the image of the mare in the picture and pictured it in his mind. One flash of green flame later and that mare was standing in the room.

“Testing, testing, one, two, three, blue Pegasus really gets to me,” Sky said testing out the mare vocal cords, sounding a bit like Fleur. “You know, I’m getting a bit creeped out about how non-weird this feels, heck I might even create a normal female form for myself.”

“Woah, I’ve never seen you do that up close,” Spike said as he then took a quick look-a-round to see how different Sky looked. Gone was the chitin and in its place was just pony skin and fur, even the spot-light cutie mark looked authentic.

“Yeah, I guess it really is kinda cool, but when you’re the one who does it though, it kinda looses its luster after a few transformations,” Sky said to Spike. Sky then turned his head to Rarity and asked, “Alright, back to the dress room, correct?”

“Exactly, Sky. Come on darlings, let’s whip up a dress that’ll excite this client,” Rarity answered and then announced.

As the next few hours in the boutique passed by, Sky’s mind wondered about what exactly Twilight had needed a few hours to get prepared for, especially concerning the book. To go from the plan we had over a day ago to whatever she’s planned now… it couldn’t be all that much.