• Published 9th Feb 2016
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Small Scale - Twinkletail



A female dragon mistakes Spike for an abandoned hatchling.

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Chapter 1

Three whole days.

It was absolutely unprecedented, something the likes of which a baby dragon like him had never experienced. To others, three days might have seemed like a minuscule span of time, but to Spike in this specific situation, three days was an eternity, a stretch of temporal bliss with no end in sight. Or at least he didn't want an end to be in sight...but for the moment, the end that he didn't want to think about was far, far away, and he had far, far better things to think about. He could hardly be concerned about something that was three whole days away when he had the prospect of an entire castle to himself weighing pleasantly on his mind.

Three whole days of doing whatever he wanted. Three whole days of no imposed bedtimes. Three whole days of not having to do chores. Three whole days of no Twilight.

Spike felt guilty as that last thought went through his head. He loved Twilight, he really did. She would take an arrow to the chest for him, and he knew he would do the same–not that either situation ever arose, nor did either of them want it to. As much as he cared for her, though, he had to admit that she had a way of being a bit...well, "overbearing" was probably the word for it, although that word didn't quite encapsulate just how overbearing she could be.

Twilight always made sure to claim that everything she did was done for his benefit, but it was often hard to really believe that. Sleeping was important, but Twilight's insistence on an 8:00 bedtime for Spike felt ludicrous and arbitrary. Any dragon who was mature enough to know the words "ludicrous" and "arbitrary" had no reason to be shackled into an 8:00 bedtime, even if he'd only recently learned those words from seeing them in a comic book and asking Twilight for their definitions. That was only one of many, many rules that Spike had to deal with while Twilight was around. And the chores...the neverending chores. Spike had rearranged the books in the library so many times that he would have probably memorized the titles of every book in the place, had he cared enough to not only pay attention to them but retain the information as well.

Spike loved Twilight. He really, really did. But he also loved freedom, and for three whole days, freedom was exactly what he was going to have.

"You're sure you'll be alright, Spike?" Twilight asked, her eyes filled with worry. "It's not too late to come with me. I'm sure Shining Armor and Cadence won't mind! They could always use another set of claws around the castle now that they're so busy with Flurry Heart, and I'm sure the little princess would love to spend time with her cousin!"

Spike couldn't help but roll his eyes a bit, although he made sure to do it while facing away from Twilight. It was always nice to be spoken of as family, but her tone had come off as a bit too motherly for him. Plus, with the way she said it, going with her would just mean doing chores in a different setting. With freedom this close, throwing it all away was out of the question.

"I'll be fine, Twilight," Spike assured her. "I can always see Flurry Heart another time. Besides, you don't know how excited I am to have this time to myself."

"Based on how much you've been talking about it this past week, I think I do," Twilight said, giving Spike a playful smirk. Her smile was quick to fade as she let out a soft sigh. "It's just that...well, it's rare that we're apart for that long. I'll miss you, Spike."

Spike smiled a sad little smile. Independence was important to him, important enough that nothing would take him away from this little taste of it. That didn't mean he was callous to Twilight's feelings, though. He was quick to move forward and give Twilight a hug, smiling as he felt her foreleg curl around him and give him a squeeze.

"I'll miss you too, Twilight," Spike said. "But I'll be fine, I promise." He gave her chest a little nuzzle, taking a moment to reflect upon just how ponylike that behavior was. He didn't know much about what it was like to be raised by dragons, but based on the gruff nature of every other dragon he'd come across, nuzzling probably wasn't a common practice amongst them. He was sure they had to show affection somehow, but it probably wasn't like that.

"I'm sure you will be," Twilight said, leaning down to give his forehead a kiss. Spike wasn't sure about the verity of her comment, but at the very least, her sentiment was certainly genuine.

"I've left plenty of food for you," Twilight said as she picked her bags up and draped them across her back. "And I've bought you a few new comic books for if you get bored. They're in the bedroom on my nighttable. If you need anything at all, the girls will all be around for the most part, so feel free to visit any of them. And if something incredibly urgent comes up, you can always send a letter to Princess Celestia, although you should only do that if it's a real emergency that the girls can't help with."

Spike slowly began to zone out as Twilight went on. It was just like Twilight to plan for every single situation. Prattling on like this was nowhere near new or unexpected for her, nor was losing focus during it for him. The gentle hoof poke to the forehead to regain his attention came as no surprise.

"I was listening, I promise!" Spike insisted. Twilight shook her head and chuckled lightly.

"Of course you were," Twilight said. "Do dragons typically droop their heads and gradually close their eyes when they're listening intently?" Spike blushed lightly. He already knew he'd been caught in the act, but having it pointed out to him was a bit more embarrassing.

"That's my...eager face?" Spike offered.

"Very funny, Spike," Twilight said. She was clearly attempting to look serious, although she couldn't stop a small grin from gracing her facade. Then she glanced up at the clock, frowning slightly. "I have to go catch my train. You promise you'll be fine?"

"For the hundredth time, I'll be fine," Spike replied.

"Let's be fair, Spike," Twilight said. "It was 50 times at most." She smiled and gave Spike another hug. "I'll see you in three days, okay? I love you."

"Heh...love you too, Twilight," Spike said, smiling warmly up to her. "Have fun on your trip! Tell everypony I said hi! Oh, and if you could bring a few of those delicious Crystal Empire gems home for me..."

"I will," Twilight assured him as she let go of the hug and turned to exit. Spike waved as he watched her depart, not lowering his claw until the door had closed. As much as he wanted to have this time to himself, he couldn't deny that he would miss having Twilight around for these three whole days. Missing her, though, would not stop him from enjoying this newfound independence.

~~~~~~~~~~

Spike rarely got the chance to just lie down outside and enjoy the sun. He often found himself far too busy with this, that, or the other thing to just relax and enjoy the simple pleasures that basking had to offer. This was obviously not the case today. While many his age might have gone with a more exciting first activity in their period of freedom and independence, Spike was smarter that that. Doing the most exciting things possible right off the bat would leave him with less to look forward to for the remainder of these three whole days. Younger Spike might have been foolhardy enough to fall into that trap, but this Spike was wise enough to kick the festivities off with an unexciting-yet-absolutely-refreshing activity. Perhaps spending so much time around the ruthlessly-efficient scheduler that was Twilight Sparkle had rubbed off on him.

It didn't take very long to find the perfect basking rock. Or rather, it didn't take very long today. In truth, it had taken him a good while last week when he'd first gone searching for one shortly after receiving news of his upcoming freedom. He'd considered basking right then and there when he decided on the nice flat rock he'd found just outside the Whitetail Woods, but to do so would have sullied the special moment that awaited him today when he returned. Besides, he would have only had a couple of minutes that day before having to return to the castle. Today's basking could last for three whole days if he really wanted it to. Not that he did; he had plenty of other things he wanted to do. But it was a nice thought.

Spike sighed happily as he lay down on the flat rock. It was as if the rock had been perfectly tailored for maximum basking potential. Its smooth surface made for a most comfortable recline, and its gray was just dark enough to absorb the perfect amount of sunlight and heat it up just right. Had other dragons lived in Ponyville, this spot certainly would have been claimed by now. As Spike splayed out upon the rock's surface, he found himself thanking his lucky stars for that fact.

Normally, Spike wasn't quite that happy about a lack of other dragons in Ponyville. He'd come to love living around ponies, but he often thought about how nice it would be to have some other dragons to relate to, dragons who would help him keep in touch with his instincts and really teach him what it was like to be a dragon. He had tried once to commune with them a while back, but those were teenage dragons. They probably weren't exactly the best examples of what typical dragons were like. Spike would hope every so often that a friendly new dragon would move to Ponyville, but right now he was happy for the lack of competition. Maybe some day he'd find a nice dragon who could teach him the ways of his kind, but for now, as he slowly succumbed to a warm, peaceful nap, he figured he could wait.

Had Spike's eyes still been open, he likely would have noticed the large shadow that was fast approaching. Although there was a fair chance that he would have noticed the giant figure flapping through the skies first. Which he would have noticed first was an entirely moot point, however, as the deep slumber he had fallen into negated any chance of noticing either. Had this not been the case, he likely would have been excited to see another dragon, for that was precisely what was flying overhead at this very moment.

The large dragon's graceful form flapped through the skies of Ponyville, taking in the various sights and sounds around her. Her purple scales glistened in the sunlight, the wind blowing through her pink spines as she harshly judged various facets of the town beneath her. Pony towns were all so bothersome. Their homes were far too garish and overblown for her tastes. Everything ponies did had to be unnecessarily complicated. Maybe one day, they would learn to appreciate the simplicity of caves. Until then, they would likely continue to build their colorful little eyesores everywhere they went. If that was her only grievance with ponies, life would have been a lot easier. If only that were the case.

The dragon continued her flight over the small town, her slender form blotting out the sun's rays as she went. She soon found her flight impeded, however, by a peculiar sight on the ground. She found herself doubling back to make sure her eyes hadn't been playing tricks on her. After all, her shadow had been casting that particular spot in darkness. It was entirely possible that she had been mistaken. As she hovered in place, her new vantage point casting the rocks beneath her in sunlight once more, her eyes confirmed the sight they'd tried to convince her of earlier. There, on the flattest rock of the bunch–she would have considered it a perfect basking rock had her mind not been elsewhere–lay a little baby dragon.

Had she not seen it with her own two eyes, she never would have believed it. What was a baby dragon doing in a town of ponies? Dragons and ponies didn't make a habit of coexisting–thankfully, considering the experiences she'd had and heard about other dragons having with ponykind. Every pony she'd ever met had reacted to her with fear, violence, or a combination of the two. The baby dragon seemed to be in no immediate danger, but it was entirely possible that he'd managed himself a moment of respite before the townsponies found him again.

The dragon flew in a bit closer for a better look. He was certainly not a hatchling, but he was still quite young. How such a young dragon had ended up here was unknown to her, but she shuddered to think of the possibilities. Perhaps one of their kind had stolen an egg from a nest? Or perhaps they had hurt a grown dragon and stolen its child? Maybe the whelp had escaped an attack that had left its parents injured, and had retreated here to hopefully avoid the ponies' watch?

The grown dragon felt instincts kicking in, instincts that she hadn't felt in a very long time. It was a crazy idea...but the thought of leaving the baby in the hooves of ponies who would look to do him harm was too much for her to bear. She began her gradual descent towards the whelp, well aware of how large and visible she was but hoping that nopony was nearby to catch sight of her. Once she was within claw's reach, she gently leaned in towards the whelp. Careful talons snuck under the prone baby dragon's body, trying to take him without jostling him from his nap. Once the child was secure in her grip, she brought him close to her body, holding him tightly yet comfortably against the scales on her chest. Confident in the good deed she was doing for dragonkind and ready to take on the responsibility inherent in her decision, she flapped her powerful wings, lifting back into the skies.

The dragon's heart skipped a beat as she realized she'd gotten away with it. Her town would consider her a hero for her efforts, but that didn't matter to her. All that really mattered was the well-being of the whelp, still sleeping soundly in her grasp.

"Don't worry, little one," the dragon whispered to her slumbering passenger. "I'll keep you safe."