//------------------------------// // Persistence, Plants, and Puke // Story: Twilight Dragonkle // by TheAmazingMe //------------------------------// As dawn broke two weeks later, Spike woke to find that Twilight wasn’t in bed. Venturing down to the kitchen, he opened the kitchen door to an immediate wall of heat. Twilight was curled up on the floor in front of the oven, which was on and open. Nudging her shoulder, Spike woke her up. “Twilight? What happened to ice baths?” Sleepy-eyed, Twilight stood and opened a jar of honey on the counter. Downing the contents of the jar, she replied with only a little rasp in her voice. “Got cold last night. This felt better than blankets. How is Zecora doing with the latest batch?” Spike shrugged and pulled open the fridge. Pulling out a vial of red, glowing potion, he passed it over to Twilight. “Zecora and Mama Velvet said they’ve found a way to refine the process. Zecora said something about some trial and error using it on Starlight. Well, at least I think that’s what she meant. The rhymes can be a little vague sometimes.” Downing the vial, Twilight looked alarmed for a moment before her mouth popped open and she belched an impressive amount of flame. The scent of honey and spices wafted strongly around the warm kitchen. “Oh, excuse me.” Twilight’s cheeks turned a bit rosier than they were before. “Well, I’m going to try and go to the school today.” Twilight announced. “I’ll see you in the evening.” That evening Twilight entered the castle and before Spike could return with a tray of cookies and a numbing potion, she disappeared. Spike entered Twilight’s room only to find it empty. Scouring the castle, he came across Twilight Velvet, Starlight Glimmer, and even Zecora, but hadn’t found the princess of friendship. Each mare in turn started their own searches. The Castle of Friendship afforded quite a few places to hide. The real trouble in finding her was just how many separate rooms had their own bookshelves. Spike decided that if she’d had a bad day, she would naturally seek out her happy place amongst one of these bookshelves. Finally, he found her. Not in the main library, nor even the special collections room, but in Twilight’s “important but not important enough for my bedroom bookshelf” personal library is where she was. Stacks of books once again surrounded her. Spike stood in the doorway, hesitating about entering unannounced. Gingerly, he knocked on the open door. This vain attempt to gain Twilight’s attention failed. The purple alicorn paced from one shelf to another with her back still to the little dragon. Spike knocked with more force. The sound gained the notice of Starlight Glimmer, passing by in her own search. She came up behind Spike and looked over his head at the scene. She and Spike shared a look and as she looked back at her friend, she knocked her own hoof against the doorway. Again, the gesture failed to gain Twilight’s notice. Behind them, Twilight Velvet approached. When she got to the doorway, she snorted and made to move past the stymied pony and dragon. They turned and prevented her, and the trio moved back into the hall. “Mama Velvet, are you sure it’s safe?” Spike asked, his voice barely above a hoarse whisper. “Are we sure this isn’t more of her hoarding?” Starlight added, her voice in a much more typical horse whisper. “I’ve been snapped at so much it’s like living with a lobster!” Twilight Velvet laughed softly. “Well, there’s a clause that helps us.” Spike and Starlight groaned at the pun. “For whatever reason, Twilight doesn’t snap at me when I mess with her ‘hoard.’ So, don’t worry your pretty little heads, I’ll take it from here.” Zecora, who approached when nobody was paying attention, adjusted her satchel and piped up. “A curious gathering, is something amiss? If Twilight is changing, we should look into this.” Spike sighed, scratching his head-ridge. “Not sure if it’s a change or just Twilight being Twilight again.” Twilight Velvet entered and knocked over a pile of books. Turning around at the noise, Twilight Sparkle had a deathly glare. Spike, Starlight and Zecora all froze in the doorway. Velvet, on the other hoof, waltzed right in around the books she’d disturbed. “Sweetheart, you’re not trying to start another hoard in another room again, are you?” Velvet asked with a bit of humor to her voice. Sighing, Twilight looked at the stacks of books around her and wilted. “No, although I can see how it would look that way.” Beckoning the others in, Twilight Velvet cleared off a chair and sat. Wincing, she shifted and pulled a quill that she’d missed out from underneath her. Absently, she twirled the quill around in her hooves. “So, how was school?” Twilight opened a book, turned a few pages and sighed. Setting the book down in another pile, she turned around. “Other than snapping at Pinkie during my “So You Found Out You’re Part Dragon” party, it went okay. Then I vomited through my desk and Applejack sent me home.” “Well, that could’ve been worse, Twilight. It could have been a lot worse,” Twilight Velvet said. “Now, what are you doing?” Eyes turned back to the shelves, Twilight scanned the volumes as she ruffled through her mane with a hoof. “I’m trying to research what I can about dragon behavior. Ever since my dragon blood kicked in I’ve been crabby. There has to be some way to relieve that. Spike and I wrote some of the teenage dragon sports and activities from when he visited the dragon lands during the migration. I think I wrote a small section on behaviors I observed. We added to it after the Gauntlet of Fire contest. Now I can’t find it!” “And it didn’t occur to you to just ask me?” Spike asked as he bent over to pick up the fallen books Velvet knocked over. “What’s the point of having a dragon in the castle if you never use him?” “Well, usually,” Starlight said, playing with Spike’s ridge-scales, “a dragon in the castle would mean you have a princess or treasure to protect.” Scowling, Spike set the books in his claws on the table and shooed away Starlight’s hoof. “We do have a princess to protect,” Spike reminded her. “Yes, but our Princess is also a dragon. Partly.” Starlight lifted a book of fairy tales from a nearby pile. Pulling it open, she turned to an illustration of a dragon atop a castle tower. “So I guess you could say she fills out both roles.” Sticking out his forked tongue, Spike hissed lightly. This only elicited an eye-roll from Starlight Glimmer. Spike crossed his arms and turned back to Twilight Sparkle. “The book is in the shelf near my bed. I moved it when I realized it wasn’t in the bedroom. When it comes to contests, the office of Dragonlord and molting, we know more about dragons than we did when I first questioned my own identity.” “Dragonlord Ember did say to write her if I ever had any questions about dragon culture. But, now that I know I’m part dragon, I don’t know if I can wait for her to write!” Twilight said. “I’m also a little worried that dragons just exist in a state of perpetual crabbiness. And Ember is often an example of this.” “Yeah, well even she learned to reign it in,” Spike said. “Maybe she has a few tips. I’ve never been all that crabby, so this might even be just a lady-dragon problem.” The mares around him all glared for a moment. Suddenly, Spike found himself in an avalanche of books. “Proving my point!” He said, although the words were muffled under the books somewhat. Zecora stepped forward, around the Spike-pile. “I fear that this knowledge should be sought at the source. Which would mean a trip to the dragon lands, of course.” Velvet shrugged. “I suppose Zecora is right.” She stood and crossed around to hug her daughter side-long. “With Ember as a friend, it’s easier for a pony to travel dragon lands.” “Yeah, even seven-eighths of a pony like you!” Starlight said. Spike huffed as he managed to pop his head out, a spark of green flames erupting from his mouth from the exertion.  “I’d say ask Smolder, but young dragons can be a real pain in the scales. That young dragon especially.” The three mares looked at the young dragon. Spike realized what he just said. “That young dragon! THAT one! Not me!” Twilight Sparkle shook her head, smiling. Turning, she looked around. “Can I really just leave? I have so many responsibilities! I’m a princess and a principal, not to mention all my friends.” Starlight came forward and patted Twilight on the shoulder. “Ah, I’m sure we can last a week or two without you. It would give us enough time to replace your desk, at least..” “Some time spent with the dragons would hardly disturb. Besides, we’re nearly out of that throat-soothing herb,” Zecora said, placing the book in her hooves down on a table. She rummaged through her satchel and passed over one of the last vials of anti-acid potion. Twilight knitted her brows as she uncorked the vial. “How did we run through that many plants?” She asked, taking a drink. Zecora and Starlight exchanged looks before Starlight shrugged. “Zecora tried examining a few plants to see if she could replicate the properties or see how well they grow outside of the dragon lands. And we couldn’t get a lot imported here quickly.” Starlight Glimmer clapped her hooves together. In a flash, she levitated books out of the way to create a safe path from Twilight to the exit. Careful to not ram her horn up Twilight’s backside, she used her head to push her friend towards the exit. “Okay, okay!” Twilight protested. “Spike, let’s put together a list of necessities for a visit to the dragon lands.” “Yeah, yeah. Always a list. I wonder if I have the one from one of our earlier trips. Save myself the claw cramp.” Spike continued muttering to himself as he and Twilight Sparkle exited. Twilight Velvet looked at Starlight Glimmer and Zecora for a moment before turning to follow her daughter. Starlight Glimmer started levitating the book stacks to sort them. Zecora moved to a table to do the same by hoof. “It seems that we’ll have some time to ourselves.” Starlight turned to re-shelve the first set of books. “Are we really all out of the ... numbing plant?” “A curious thing to find you coquettish. Perhaps numbing parts is something like your fetish?” Zecora asked, arching an eyebrow. Starlight Glimmer dropped her pretense and the book she was holding. “Okay, look. It’s been a while for me and I kinda like it rough. I just don’t like the soreness afterward is all.” Twilight Velvet re-entered and Starlight’s face turned beet-red. “I would have gone a little easier on you if I thought you’d get bruised so easily.” Starlight stomped a hoof as Zecora laughed silently into her hooves. “I can handle myself!” She protested hotly. “I’m just a little out of practice when it comes to that kind of playing around. I’d heard you were adventurous, but what you can do with your hooves at your age...” Twilight Velvet laughed into her hoof. “At my age? Well, that’s your mistake. Also, I don’t ‘play.’” Starlight stepped up to Twilight Velvet and stared her down. “Then let’s get serious. You. Me. Obstacle course. Now.” As Twilight Velvet nodded gamely, Zecora stood up. “If another race around is your intent, I’ll go and retrieve some more numbing ointment.” Twilight and Spike flew together down to the inhospitable, rocky wastes of the dragon lands. The contrast between pony and dragon lands was stark. Every sense experienced the change in its own way. Muted, dark volcanic rock and hellish skies assaulted the eyes. Vapors of pungent gases wafted across the open plains. Their biting smells were strong enough to stick in the back of the throat, leaving a bitter taste in the mouth. Heat radiated from the ground as well as the sun, punishing fur-coated skin. And all around the sounds of far off roars and thundering storms warned the meek and mild to flee. Spike and Twilight touched down in this hell-scape. Taking a deep breath, Twilight blanched and looked for a good place to get sick. “Twilight? Oh man, did your potion run out?” Spike asked as Twilight scuttled to a nearby rock. Just as she heaved herself over it, a scaly head popped up. In surprise, Twilight lost control of her gag reflex and hurled her vile bile right onto a dragon’s face. As the dragon stepped back in shock, Twilight fell onto the rock and continued her acidic yawn. “Oh geez, Twilight,” Spike said, his face paling. “Smooth move.”