The Measure of a Dragon Original Outline

It's almost the one year anniversary of the most popular story I've written on Fimfiction thus far. It's an absolute pleasure to remember the writing process, and an even greater joy to remember how one person's advice completely changed the story. I reached out to someone for help with character names and they made me rewrite the character of Dr. Saffron and created Silver Stone. I owe this person everything for this story's success and for spending hours on a phone helping me sort out the story. All the comments about the characters, story, and the fan art this story received goes to this person as well. In celebration of the upcoming anniversary, I decided to upload my original story outline before reaching out to this person. Dr. Saffron didn't exist as you know her and Silver Stone wasn't there at all. Thanks for your support.

Evidence Against Spike:
• Largely physical attributes
• Ability to breathe fire
• Greed transforms him into a larger dragon
• Unnaturally long life-span
• Dragons live outside of Equestria law; outside of any law except survival of the fittest therefore they do not deserve the same rights as ponies, yaks, donkeys, or any other creature in Equestria
• Studying Spike would greatly advance knowledge concerning dragons
• Twilight never signed a document confirming Twilight as her family much less pet
• If he were in the wild, he would have turned out like any other dragon; any discrepancies between him and other dragons is due to the fact that he is not where he belongs
•

Evidence Supporting Spike:
• Largely internal attributes
• Collecting objects that are not truly rare/valuable
o Pictures of friends
o Gifts from friend
• Giving Rarity the fire ruby
• Enjoying house hold chores such as cooking
• Selflessly risking his life to save the Crystal Empire proves he understands loyalty
• Trump Card: Spike’s crush on Rarity
o Despite being a dragon, he is capable of feeling love for a pony
o He is a being capable of love
• Spike is physically a dragon, but on the inside, he is a not just a pony, but a rational, self-aware being capable of feeling emotions
o Taking him away to use merely as a test rat is cruel
o It would be taking him away from the ponies who love him and who he loves
o Any advancements in science are not worth separating a family for

• Twilight and Spike visit Canterlot to meet with Twilight’s family and Cadence
• When they arrive, they are confronted by a scientist, Lystria (Help me I can’t make up names)
• She excitedly examines Spike and explains her goals
• She hopes to take him to her lab for several years and study Spike and learn about dragons, sampling his scales, fire breath, and various attributes
• Spike is uncomfortable with her goals, the prospect of leaving his friends, and declines
• Lystria frowns and insists this will advance science and studies on dragons
• Spike asks how she will study him and she is some what reluctant to share her methods, prompting Twilight to ask if her methods are tested
• When she begrudgingly admits these methods are largely untested, Twilight refuses on Spike’s behalf
• The next morning, Twilight, Cadence, and Spike are brought before a counsel at the request of Lystria, where they are faced with a conflict
• As a dragon, Spike is not protected by Equestrian law therefore he does not have the right to refuse Lystria’s request; he must submit to her will or leave to go be with other dragons
• Twilight protests, declaring Spike is entitled to equal rights after living with her for so long
• The counsel once again points out he simply is not a pony, therefore he does not have the same rights
• Twilight insists he does; he has friends and family who would miss him if he left, and as a princess, she refuses to part with Spike who Princess Celestia decreed she would keep when she hatched him
• Lystria points out Spike was never formally adopted as a pet much less a family member; therefore, Twilight has no claim to him, princess or not
• Cadence asks if there is some way to prevent them from taking Spike and the counsel agrees to a court hearing to determine how much the law applies to Spike
• As his surrogate mother who knows him the best, Twilight takes up the role of Spike’s defendant
• The counsel decrees that if Twilight will defend Spike, then another alicorn must serve as the prosecutor, to avoid the jury from ruling in favor of a princess; thus, they appoint Cadence to the role
• Cadence refuses but the counsel threatens to rule in favor of Lystria without a hearing if she does not participate, so she grimly accepts
• They warn her that if they believe she is holding back and not trying to win, they will rule in favor of Lystria
• Spike is confined to a detainment cell, to prevent his escape; Twilight demands him free but the counsel once again insist Spike does not have the same rights as a pony
• Twilight notifies her friends; both she and Cadence set about their tasks
• The next morning the trial commences
• Cadence leads the prosecution
• She demonstrates the many ways Spike is not a pony or similar to any other creature living under Equestrian law
o His scaly body
o His fire breath
o His desire to eat gems
• She calls Mayor Mare as a witness to testify Spike’s rampage through Ponyville when he was consumed with greed to highlight his destructive nature
• She then calls Rainbow Dash as a witness to testify when Spike left to join the dragon migration to demonstrate he wants answers behind the nature of dragons as much as Lystria
• She then calls Twilight’s mother to testify how Spike was destructive as a hatchling, burning down books and gardens, biting ponies he didn’t like (Maybe, but I just don’t like this idea. Or the fact it’s Twilight’s mother. Maybe a guard from back in the day could testify about this?)
• Finally she brings out the history books involving major pony interactions with dragons
o Celestia offered them a place in her empire and they refused
o Dragons live like animals, away from other creatures, and as such are not entitled to rights given to ponies
o Dragons steal and hoard gems, living outside of the Equestrian law; they have no regard for anything but themselves
o Spike is a dragon; if he were living in the wild, he would be living like any other dragon
o As a dragon, the laws that do not apply to every dragon cannot apply to him
• A recess occurs and Twilight and the Mane Six frantically wonder what they can possibly do
• Moon Dancer/Discord approach them and say they should explore Spike’s inner self (who would be more appropriate to make such a suggestion, Moon Dancer or Discord? On one hand, Moon Dancer would already be in Canterlot and probably have attended the court hearing, so she would make a logical choice. On the other hand, Discord might be the wiser character and much more capable of suggesting such a tactic. He might offer such advice if he was unable to testify in Spike’s defense and felt some sense of responsibility. But then again, Discord typically has to steal any scene he is in. Writing him into the story simply to make this one suggestion feels like a waste of his character.)
• The group disperses; Rainbow Dash and Twilight quickly return to Ponyville to gather evidence
• Twilight visits Spike in his containment to comfort him and warn him that they are going to have to do something very drastic to secure his freedom; he has to trust them
• She is unable to say exactly what they have planned as she is worried the prosecution might find out
• The trial recommences
• She calls Rarity to the stand and asks how she could forgive Spike after his rampage through Ponyville
o Rarity explains that when Spike saw the fire ruby he changed back
o He stared at his giant footprint and was crying at the thought of hurting his friends
o After all that, he returned everything his friends gave him and swore to never let his greed control him again
o She then asks what Rarity thinks about Spike
• She calls him an incredibly sweet dragon who is always willing to help her on any little chore; he puts the happiness of others before himself
• He helped her gain the attention of a certain some pony
• He helped her find gems for an outfit and asked for none in return
• He helped save her from the diamond dogs
• He even saved the Crystal Empire when Twilight could not
• She and every pony in Ponyville love him very much, even though he could become a giant dragon if he became greedy; they all believe he would never intentionally hurt any pony
• Twilight then calls Fluttershy to the stand to testify as an animal expert
• She describes an animal as a non-speaking creature and lists various subgroups of animals
o She explains dragons are in a class of their own; they don’t qualify as reptiles because they breath fire, can fly, or truly coldblooded and they aren’t amphibians because they don’t have permeable skins or complex reproductive needs
o Most of all, dragons can talk and think for themselves; unlike animals that live mostly in the present, Spike could recall his entire life in detail when she asked
o No other animal she’d ever seen could read, write, or think for themselves
o Spike is a dragon, but he has demonstrated that he can think for himself
• Twilight then calls Spike to the stand
o She asks him to write his name and he complies
• Twilight presents items belonging to Spike:
o Rarity doll
• One he made on his own
• Spike blushes heavily and burst out that he had the spare materials and thought it would be a nice gift (though he never intended to part with it)
o Picture of friends
• When asked why he keeps these items, he says they are precious to him
• Makes the case that Spike is collecting items that are not valuable
• She then highlights his many hobbies
o Cooking
• He learned how to cook because in his words “Twilight’s cooking skills are so-so”
o Cleaning
• Anything he can do to help Twilight
• All things that he’s come to on his own
• Finally, she presents the fire ruby he gave to Rarity
o She asks why he gave it to Rarity
o Spike nervously says he thought she would like it more; all he would do is eat it
o Points out that despite being a dragon, he was clearly capable of generosity
• Twilight asks what he thinks about Rarity
• Spike looks into her eyes terrified as he realizes what she meant by you’ll have to trust us
• He shakes his head and replies “I’d rather not say”
• Twilight gazes into his eyes with an encouraging smile, “under the circumstances, I’m sure Rarity wouldn’t mind.”
• Spike looks at Rarity in the audience and blushes even further, sweating profusely
• His discomfort does not go unnoticed by the jury
• Rarity smiles encouragingly, and Spike almost melts under her gaze
• Tongue tied, his head falls to the stand in embarrassment
• Twilight become anxious, concerned that the prosecution will cut her off
• She puts her hooves on the stand and leans close to Spike to whisper “Please, Spike. This is the only way we can prove taking you away would be wrong. This would prove what you’re capable of feeling. Please, Spike. You have to trust me.”
• Spike meets her gaze with teary eyes and sees similar tears in her eyes; she doesn’t want to do this either but has no choice
• The prosecution moves to end the questioning as the witness is incapable of answering further questions
• Before the judge can approve, Spike blurts out the truth, “Ever since we’ve met I’ve always had a crush on Rarity!”
• The entire courtroom is silent
• Spike hears some ponies snickering, others fawning over his confession, others disgusted at the prospect of a dragon loving a pony, others furious at his temerity to say such things in court, but a majority of them, look at him in a new light
• Pandemonium ensues as ponies argue what to do with him; the judge is unable to immediately restore order and has to call another recess
• Out of the courtroom, Spike immediately turns on Twilight, devastated and distraught she made him confess in front of all of Canterlot
• He furiously berates her for betraying him
• Twilight apologizes but insists his confession had a noticeable change in the courtroom; all of the ponies realized he was truly capable of love; even more remarkably, he was capable of loving a pony
• Spike admits he noticed the change but is still unhappy
• She points out the change in the courtroom is evident; he wasn’t brought back to the containment cell
• Spike is still furious and unwilling to look at Twilight in the eye
• Rarity approaches and Spike feels close to dying from embarrassment; before he can run, Rarity asks Spike to wait a minute so they can talk
• Spike can’t speak and stands uncomfortably
• Rarity tells Spike she always knew he had a crush on her
• Spike turns to look at her in (what emotion?)
• She saw how he always fawned over her and went out of his way to be kind to her without question
• Spike fiddles his fingers nervously
• She knew for certain when they were falling after he returned to his normal size
• She lifts up his face and smiles reassuringly, “Spike, I’m truly flattered. You’re the sweetest little dragon that could ever be.”
• Spike blushes even further at her praise and their proximity
• “Please, don’t be angry with Twilight. She just wanted to prove you’re different from any other dragon”
• “I know,” Spike’s eyes fell
• “Then what’s wrong?” Rarity asked concerned
• “I wanted to tell you, in my own time,” he was burning red, “when it was perfect.”
• “Well,” Rarity blushed slightly at Spike’s romantic notions, “I suppose we could always arrange a more … atmospheric confession. Pretend it was for the first time.”
• Spike smiled weakly and his blush diminished slightly when he saw Rarity’s blush
• “The point is,” Rarity snapped out of the fantasy and moved her hoof to Spike’s shoulder, “I care about you too, Spike.”
• Spike’s eyes widened at this and his blush increased tenfold, “D-Do you m-mean that y-you l-love…?” He couldn’t even finish his sentence
• “Let’s take it slowly, Spike,” Rarity smiled. “If we get out of this—“
• They are summoned back to the courtroom and the trial recommences
• Twilight calls Lystria to the stand
• She asks Lystria what qualifies as a being protected by Celestia’s laws
• Lystria says all beings protected by her laws are under her rule
• Twilight points out Spike is under her rule; he takes messages directly from her and sends messages to her
• Lystria counter argues that being a messenger doesn’t mean he is under her rule
• Twilight then points out Spike has constantly obeyed her laws; never stealing or hurting any other pony. Even if other dragons don’t live under the law, Spike does. Should he be punished for the rest of them?
• Lystria points out Spike is still a dragon; in the wild, it would have been just like any other dragon
• Twilight then counter argues that Spike was not raised in the wild; she raised him in Canterlot; he is not like any other dragon and Lystria just admitted it
• She then asks Lystria for any other qualifications for Celestia’s laws
• Lystria sets forth certain criteria:
o Self-awareness
o Intelligence
o Morality (These first three are directly from a Star Trek episode The Measure of A Man. I am worried about copyrights or offending someone with my unoriginality)
o Emotions
• Twilight points out Spike collected items that had no particular value to any pony but himself → self-awareness
• He is capable of writing his name, cooking, sewing, and reading → intelligence
• He was clearly guilty after his rampage through Ponyville → morality
• He even demonstrates generosity to others without prompting → morality
• Clearly, he is capable of feeling emotions such as love
• Spike is physically a dragon, but on the inside, he is a not just a pony, but a rational, self-aware being capable of feeling emotions
o Taking him away to use merely as a test rat is cruel
o It would be taking him away from the ponies who love him and who he loves
o Any advancements in science are not worth separating a family for
• She rests her case and the jury convenes
• Soon, they present their verdict
o As Twilight pointed out, “Spike is physically a dragon, but on the inside, he is a not just a pony, but a rational, self-aware being capable of feeling emotions”
o “Spike has the right to choose what he wants to be and what he will do”
• The Mane Six and all ponies present from Ponyville cheer at the verdict
• Spike approaches Lystria
o “Hey,” he said without a single hint of malice, “I really wouldn’t mind helping you study dragons once you’ve improved your research methods. But I’d like to do it on my terms and with my friends close by. If you ever decide to visit Ponyville and stay for a while, I’d love to help you anyway I can.”
o He turns and leaves with Twilight
o Lystria stares at him and lets out an admiring smile, “he really is something else.”
o “You called him a ‘he’,” Cadence noticed Lystria did not call the dragon an ‘it’
• Outside, Twilight and his friends embrace him
o Celebrations & dialogue occur b/n them and soon all of the Ponyville
• Pinkie Pie declares she’s hosting a celebratory party for all of them in Canterlot and the group readily agrees to this
• Spike and Twilight return to Twilight’s house
• Spike finds Cadence staring out of the balcony, shame evident on her face
• “Hey, Cadence,” Spike’s voice startled her and awoke her from her brooding, “aren’t you coming to the party?”
• “I just testified against you,” Cadence was evidently disappointed in herself, “I nearly took you away from your friends forever. How can you even talk to me?”
• “Cadence,” Spike smiled at her, “if you refused to testify, they would have sent me away without a fight.”
• Cadence still looked unsure, she had not completely forgiven herself
• He took the alicorn’s hoof in his appreciative hand, “You did something that I doubt Twilight could have done if she had to, even for me. And the fact is you didn’t win.”
• Cadence finally began to forgive herself as Spike lead her off the balcony, “Come on,” he grinned at her, “I can’t go to the party without my favorite aunt!”
• Twilight watched this whole exchange, once again amazed at her little assistant
• Sometimes, he was more pony, no, more compassionate, than any other being could be

Comments

[Black Hoof]

Besides some points like the name "Lystria", this was quite good!

[Zephyr Spark]

4449365 Thanks.