//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 // Story: Their Knight of Scales // by Radiant Dawn //------------------------------// It had been about a week since the incident with Fluttershy and my non-greed growth. We had sent a letter to Ember early the following morning, and the dragoness had been rather evasive with her response as to what was going on. Apparently, she had explained that it was something she would have to tell me about in person, and while I was quite happy to be seeing her again so soon, it irked me that I still didn’t have answers. Rarity had made good on her promise to make me a new wardrobe, but with my recent incidents regarding my fluctuating size, she chose to create clothing that was incredibly stretchy, though a bit less fashionable. I distinctly remembered her face looking quite pouty when I remarked that the skintight clothing made me look like a superhero, though I’ll admit to liking the way her eyes roved over my body as I wore the stuff. Her and I had been sure to prepare for any clothing emergencies, so I was always sure to carry some extra clothes with me, just in case. For the following week, life progressed as usual, and we even had a friendship problem come up that the map sent Lyla and Rainbow Dash to handle, out near the badlands. I still helped Applejack with her work at the farm, and royal duties never seemed to end, but the difference was that I ensured I had a few hours set aside every day to spend time with Fluttershy. The kind pegasus was taking Angel’s passing particularly hard (which was to be expected), so I personally did all I could to support and care for my friend. I spent the afternoons helping out around her house, cleaning and organizing for winter for the most part, and spent at least half of the time just talking with her about the good memories she had of her animal friend. Rarity had come by to take her to the spa on Thursday, and all the other girls had done what they could to try and cheer up our friend, but for the most part, it was me ensuring Fluttershy wasn’t alone during her grieving period. Many times, the days ended with her just crying silently in my arms, and my heart broke, knowing there honestly wasn’t much I could do other than just be there for her. Nonetheless, it was nice to know I was able to do something to help, even if it seemed insignificant. The side effect of spending so much time with Fluttershy was that her and I inevitably grew closer as a result, so much so that it felt normal to be holding her in my arms, even if it wasn’t to comfort her. It was a bit alarming once I noticed my growing attachment to my friend, but I buried the worries for the time being; my assistance to her was because she needed me, and so I was going to do whatever it took to help her through this tough time. And so the week passed in similar form, until finally, during the weekend, Ember arrived. “I have to give credit where credit is due, Spike: you certainly know how to make life interesting.” Twilight snarked from beside me. The two of us were waiting out on the front balcony of Ponyville’s castle, keeping our eyes on the sky for Ember. Due to flying all the way from the dragon lands, she couldn’t exactly give an ETA other than “some time on this day”, so Twilight and I took shifts waiting for the dragoness to show. As the day bled into the afternoon, and we had finished our daily duties, we decided to wait together on the balcony of the castle that faced the direction our guest would appear. Twilight had been stretching herself rather thin trying to discover just what was happening to me, even though Ember was coming to explain all of it to us, which was why the alicorn currently looked a bit more disheveled than she would otherwise at this time of day. Normally, Twilight would be worried about incurring Rarity’s wrath because her state was “unbecoming of one of the royal family,” but since she had practically been working herself to the bone for the previous three days, she was apparently beyond caring. Even though I’d never say it aloud, I thought she looked cute with her fur mussed and hair not-quite-perfect; it gave her a more “down to earth” feel that she hadn’t had since she was a unicorn, and I felt privileged that I was often the only one to see her that way. “You act as if I did this on purpose, Twi.” I retorted, snorting a shower of annoyed sparks out of my nose. “I didn’t ask to be weird, or to grow, or for any of this.” I then glanced to Twilight out of the corner of my eye. “Besides, compared to some of your exploits, my life is comparatively tame.” Twilight opened her mouth to return fire, only to close it and pout instead. We both knew she practically invented “excitement” when it came to life. Celestia had long ago told me that she had guided Twilight toward some of the more character-defining moments of her young life, but most of Twilight’s life was completely her own. It didn’t help that we had a rather interesting set of friends and acquaintances, all of whom were crazy in their own way. There was no denying we could fill volumes upon volumes of books with our adventures, and most of them would be considered fiction simply based on the insanity of it all. “The girls are really worried about you, you know.” she voiced, shuffling over to lean against me as we rested against the railing, eyes scanning the horizon for a familiar dragoness. “I know they haven’t exactly been able to spend much time around due to prior obligations, but all of them have been asking about you, making sure you’re okay. I’m not really sure what to tell them, other than ‘we’re looking into it’.” I nodded to her, nudging her with my shoulder. “It’s okay, Twi. We don’t exactly know what’s going on either, so we just have to wait for Ember to give us the details. I don’t blame them for not being around more; it isn’t like when we were younger, when we could just drop whatever we were doing to run to the assistance of each other. We all have important duties now -- whether they be royal or otherwise -- and there are other ponies depending on us. Rainbow can’t just abandon her students, Rarity can’t tell her clients to go screw themselves, and Lyla promised to help rebuild the clock tower after the last storm.” I shook my head with a tired sigh. “Adult life is full of responsibilities to keep up with, so I don’t blame them for any of it. I miss them, and I wish we could be together more often, but I don’t care about them any less, nor am I upset with them.” “Well, we need to be sure to keep them up to date on the situation, no matter what it is,“ Twilight advised, her fluffy wing settling over both of mine. “Rainbow Dash in particular has been practically pulling out her mane with worry, so the sooner we can tell them something, the better.” I raised my brow at the words, turning to look at Twilight. “Rainbow Dash? I figured she’d be the most calm, out of all the girls. It isn’t really like her to worry about things;” I nudged Twilight at that point, “that’s more your job.” Twilight took the good-natured jab well, shaking her head with a sigh. “You know how she is about things she has no control over. If she can’t be doing something about a problem, she gets anxious. You should know by now that Rainbow Dash is far more complex than she appears.” “Maybe,” I conceded, “but she never talks about it. It’s like she’s afraid of looking weak if she’s worried about something. I thought we had gotten past the bravado by this point.” Twilight finally looked to me with a small frown. “Which means that if she’s acting this way, she’s very worried. As a mare of action, she prefers to do things instead of talk about them; she can’t do anything about this, so she just worries and feels helpless.” Twilight nudged me back. “You should probably go see her tomorrow, after Ember arrives, to let her know everything’s all right.” “If everything’s all right.” I reminded, frowning a bit at the thought. “I’d like to think everything is fine, but we don’t really know until Ember tells us. I might have some kind of weird dragon thing going on that’s going to turn me into a monster at any moment, or I might be growing again. If I grow much more, I won’t be able to fit indoors anymore.” Again, Twilight opened her mouth to fire off some sort of denial, but she could not. We met with Rarity the next day after my sudden growth, and we discovered I had grown another two inches in height. Luckily, I wouldn’t need new clothes again, but it was still worrying; it was the most I’d grown within a year in the past ten years, not counting the temporal spell Twilight had unknowingly cast on us. Even though I hadn’t told Twilight, I’d actually had nightmares about literally outgrowing Ponyville, becoming so large that it would be dangerous for me to live around ponies. That nightmare in particular was why I was really hoping for Ember’s help, because I didn’t know what I’d do if I was forced to leave Ponyville due to getting too big for it. I’d like to imagine perhaps that was a reason the huge “mature” dragons were so grouchy: they outgrew life as a whole, and had to isolate themselves to keep from breaking things...and people. A gentle kiss to my cheek brought me out of my inner thoughts, and I looked to Twilight, who was frowning with concern. “Spike, if worse comes to worst, we’ll figure something out.” She stomped her hoof on the crystal floor. “I’m not letting you go, ever. I don’t care if it means I need to leave, too; we’re not splitting up because of something beyond your control.” The determination in her gaze and the finality in her tone practically made my heart explode with love, and I couldn’t stop myself as I pulled her close, and captured her lips with mine. As always, she melted into me, and we both relished the kiss as long as we could before pulling away. As I looked into her bright eyes, I was reminded once again of just how much I owed to Twilight -- how much I depended on her. I hoped with everything in me that my plight wouldn’t end with voluntary banishment, but I knew without a doubt that Twilight would willingly follow me to the gates of Tartarus if she had to. Still… “I couldn’t let you do that, Twi.” I replied, shaking my head sadly as I bored my eyes into her own. “You’re the Princess of Friendship; how can you be the princess of something that you give up on? Twi, I appreciate the sentiment, but what makes you think I’d let you abandon all your friends, Equestria, and your family, just for me?” Before she could launch into a rebuttal, I turned and cupped her cheek in my hand, wiping away the gathering tears of her eyes with my thumb as I smiled sadly to her. “I love you, Twi -- and I love that you would be willing to sacrifice that for me -- but I couldn’t stand by and watch you destroy everything that you’ve worked for, and everything you care about, just for me. Don’t worry,” I pulled my wings out from under hers, and wrapped my significantly larger wingspan around her, “we’ll figure this out. One way or another, we’ll make sure things turn out okay.” I tried my hardest to sound more confident than I felt, but I had a feeling the effect was miniscule at best. Twilight didn’t look entirely convinced, but knew we should wait and see what happened with Ember before she started freaking out. She nodded gently, resting her head against my chest as she silently relished in my warmth, safe from the winter cold. We were thankfully not kept waiting long, as a blurry dot appeared on the horizon from the north, quickly approaching Ponyville. As it drew closer, I was able to easily make out the coloration of the person approaching, as well as the fact it wore nothing in the realm of clothing. Though the distance was at least a few miles, my sharp eyesight was able to identify Ember as she approached, her polished scales shining in the winter sun as she flew over the northern Everfree border, and the light reflected off of the snow made her lighter-colored scales glitter like jewels. She truly was a beautiful creature to behold, even from a purely academic standpoint, and I couldn’t look away from the dragoness as she journeyed ever closer to us. Twilight and I were both able to recognize the moment Ember spotted us, as she changed her vector to our location, and I could clearly see a toothy smile grow on her face. Twilight and I backed up a few feet just as Ember flared her wings to land, and once her clawed feet touched down on the balcony, Twilight immediately rushed forward to greet the dragoness. “Dragon lord, it’s a pleasure to see you again. Thank you for coming.” Ember folded her wings and settled into a more comfortable stance, rolling her eyes at Twilight. “Twilight, stop with the titles. I’m not here as an ambassador or even a dragon lord: I’m here as a friend to both you, and Spike. Anyhow,” she continued before Twilight could inevitably start to apologize, “can we head inside and warm up? My tailtip went numb over an hour ago.” I looked to the feathered appendage with confusion, only to remember that we were technically two different subspecies of dragon: as a narrowscale, Ember did not share my immunity to cold, but she could also fly far longer than I could, and was effectively immune to lightning; it made sense, then, that cold was far more inconvenient for her than it was for me. I opted to just keep us moving, so I opened the glass doors that led inside, ushering the dragoness and pony indoors before shutting out the cold. The pleased sigh that escaped Ember told me she was enjoying the warmth of the fireplace, which she directly approached and sat in front of; I was quite sure that, if it weren’t for the fact she wouldn’t fit, she would have climbed onto the fire. With the confident, assertive exterior she often displayed, it was nice to see Ember sitting cross-legged in front of the fireplace, eyes closed, with a smile of childlike happiness on her face. It was a few moments before she spoke again. “Sorry if I was short with you, Twilight. Like I said, I was cold, and I get...grumpy when I’m cold. Anyhow,” she opened her ruby-colored eyes and tilted her head back to look at us, “it’s good to see the two of you, and I’m grateful for the hospitality.” Twilight composed herself and nodded to the dragoness, smiling in return. “Thank you for coming, Ember. While I wish it were under better circumstances, it truly is good to see you again.” Ember’s eyes slowly navigated to me, and we both locked eyes at the same moment. For a long few moments, neither of us spoke, just letting our eyes do the talking for us. In hers, I saw more than I ever thought mere eyes could display: I saw concern, happiness, weariness, uncertainty, and utter joy all at once, along with a faint note of desire. I imagined my eyes showed much the same, since we both began to smile at each other at the same time. After those moments passed, Ember looked to Twilight with a pleading expression. “Do you have anything hot to drink? I’m not like Spike -- I get cold -- so I could really use something to warm me up.” Twilight jumped a bit at being addressed after a stretch of complete silence, but she nodded and answered, “Um, I suppose it depends on what you want. I have hot chocolate, coffee, tea…” Twilight trailed off as she thought, then she glanced to me. “Do you think she’d enjoy a hot toddy?” I smiled at the suggestion and nodded. “I think she will. You could fix us all one; I think we’re going to be here for awhile, and a warming drink would be nice for a day like today.” Twilight nodded before retreating from the room, likely to the private kitchen. This left me alone with Ember, and without even thinking about it, I immediately made my way to her side and sat next to the dragoness. I didn’t know it at the time, but the magical mate’s brand worked with dragon instincts themselves, which was why the desire to be near Ember was so strong. Ember didn’t hesitate in leaning against me, drinking in the furnace-like warmth I gave off, compared to her. I extended my wing around her body, finding it slightly amusing that I was a good deal larger than her now. Still, it felt nice to be with Ember after what felt like far too long apart, so I just enjoyed the silent moment in front of the fireplace. It was a few minutes before either of us spoke again. “I missed you.” It wasn’t me that spoke, and such words coming from Ember were all the more surprising. Still, the declaration made me feel all sorts of nice, regardless of how out-of-character they seemed at the time. I held Ember tighter against my side, running the palm of one hand along her arm that was closest to me, and leaning my head to rest against her (my mate, my instincts reminded me). “I missed you too, Ember.” I whispered affectionately, smiling as she nuzzled against me, not unlike a happy pony. “I wish I could have come back sooner, you know.” she muttered, almost sounding disappointed in herself, “But, like I said before, I can’t exactly just pick up and leave. I have duties just like the two of you do, so I couldn’t just bail and fly away...even though I kinda wanted to.” She turned her head slightly, but only enough so her eye found mine. “To be honest, I wanted to come back as soon as I left. I wasn’t even five miles out, and everything inside me was screaming, ‘Just go back to Spike. Fly back, and forget about everything else.’ Fortunately, what’s happening to you gave me a perfectly legitimate reason to come back, as a dragon’s ‘awakening’ isn’t exactly something that can be ignored.” “Is that what it’s called?” I asked, pleased to actually have a term to match with what was going on with me. I felt Ember nod, still refusing to move away from me. “Yeah, or at least, that’s the best short explanation. In what ponies call ‘Drakespeak’, it’s called ‘voire wvōk,’ which roughly translates to ‘fire awakened’ in common*. Think of it like puberty, but for a dragon’s magic instead of their body.” I pursed my lips at the thought, nodding only slightly. With that in mind, I relaxed further, knowing that, “This is a completely normal thing to happen then, right?” Again, Ember nodded. “Yeah, though you’re going through it a lot later than other dragons do. That’s not your fault, though; you haven’t been taught to use dragon magic the way you should have, as most dragons learn to use their magic from their parents, only a year or two after birth. You’ve only been using your breath, which is why it took so long for your fire to ‘mature’.” I absently brought a hand to my chest, rubbing it slightly. “My fire?” Chuckling softly, Ember finally pulled away so that we could properly look at each other. Her eyes danced with the firelight, amusement and happiness flickering in equal measure within her glittering ruby irises. “As you’ll find out, fire plays a very important role in dragon culture, and the word is mentioned pretty regularly in what few recorded stories we keep. It’s the first bit of magic any dragon uses -- most do so instinctively -- and it does many things for us in life: for those of us not blessed with a resilient hide,” she gave a pat to my neck, “it keeps us warm. We hunt with it, cook with it, and even build with it; we use it for protection, and to attract mates. When we refer to a dragon’s fire, however, we’re referring specifically to his or her magical core, not the magic breath they expel.” She chuckled slightly. “If you ask Twilight about maturation of a magical core, she’ll know exactly what you’re talking about, though. Ponies go through the same thing in their lives, though not with the same effects we experience.” “We do indeed.” Twilight answered as she reentered the room, a tray with four oversized, steaming mugs on it floating in her magic. She passed the drinks between the three of us, and at Ember’s questioning stare, explained, “It’s whiskey, slightly watered down, with honey and a stick of cinnamon in it, warmed to steaming. It does a good job of warming the body up from the inside, without actually making you drunk; it’s perfect for cold days and nights.” Raising one of her brows at the explanation, Ember looked down appraisingly at the mug in her hand. She gave a sniff, and then a small sip, before humming happily and taking a larger pull from the warm, sweet drink. I followed her example with my own, and for minute or two, the commons area was filled only with the sound of a crackling fire, and three people enjoying warm drinks on a cold day. “So,” Ember began, swallowing a gulp of the steaming beverage as she turned her eyes to Twilight, “the good news is that what’s happening with Spike is completely normal for dragons. We all go through it, and there’s nothing inherently bad about it. He’s going through the process later than most do, but that’s because he hasn’t been raised like a dragon.” Twilight released a breath she had apparently been holding, relaxing slightly. “Okay, good. That’s a load off of my mind. Is there bad news?” Ember shook her head, motioning to me. “Nope, not really. There is, however, news, but it’s not bad: I have to be here to teach him things that he should have learned a long time ago. It’s because of this lack of ‘education’ that his magic core is maturing much later in life than it should have.” She again looked to me, her eyes twinkling with noticeable joy. “I won’t lie and say I’m not happy to get to be around Spike, but he also needs someone to teach him the things he never learned as a younger drake, which is what I’ll be doing.” Twilight stood and moved closer to us, sitting in a cushy chair just off to the side of the fireplace. “How long do you think it’ll take?” Ember shrugged her shoulders, nudging me in the ribs with a claw. “That depends almost entirely on him -- it could be weeks, or it could be months. I’m leaning more toward the former though, considering the guy isn’t known for being stupid.” Twilight giggled at the jab. “Maybe a little goofy and oblivious sometimes, but no, not stupid.” “Hey!” Twilight giggled again, reaching out and poking me in the cheek. “Oh, don’t act like it’s not true, Spike. Don’t worry, it’s endearing.” Twilight then turned her attention back to Ember. “Well, we’ve got plenty of room available, and we’d be happy to have you. But please, don’t eat my castle this time.” I felt Ember’s body go rigid, and watched as her head spines turned a deep, vivid blue as she blushed. “Hey, how was I supposed to know it wasn’t food? To a dragon, your place looks like a giant gemstone, and gems are food, so…” I chuckled at the memory, shaking my head. “To be fair, the castle does look like it’s made out of gemstones. And, it doesn’t exactly taste bad.” Twilight’s glare made me laugh again. “Hey, it grew back! I promise, no eating of the castle.” Twilight’s expression softened as she continued looking at me, and she smiled as she flicked her eyes from me to Ember, and back again. Finally, she commented, “Even though there was a good reason you had to come see Spike, I’m glad you did, Ember. As much as we all try, there are simply some things about being a dragon that we can’t help with, and I know he’ll enjoy having someone in his life that can easily empathize with what he deals with as a dragon. And, of course, even though you did it with good intentions at heart, I know that the brand is magical, and has affected more than just his exterior.” Again, Ember stiffened and again she blushed, but this time she looked distinctly ashamed. “R-right, I guess we should start with that, then.” She cleared her throat and turned to look at me directly. “A mate’s brand isn’t just a physical mark, Spike; as I’m sure you know by now, your hide is pretty much immune to heat and fire. The brand has to be magical to burn into a dragon’s hide, and it’s more than just an exterior mark. When we branded each other, we were also trading our magic with each other, as well. Doing that creates a form of imprinting that I’m sure Twilight is familiar with.” Looking to Twilight, she gave me a nod. “Basically, anything a pony puts a significant amount of magic into, they feel connected to it -- the technical term is ‘harmonic imprinting’. This is part of the reason I seem so obsessed with the books I read, as well as why Rainbow Dash loves to fly so much; whether it’s an action or an object, anything a pony spends a lot of their magic on becomes something they are drawn to have in their life.” She motioned to the two of us. “If a mate’s brand is so magical I can still feel it, then it’s a safe bet that the two of you exchanged a fair share of magic to give them to each other. Because of that, it makes you feel drawn to the one you gave the brand, missing them when they’re gone, even if only for a few hours.” Ember nodded as she picked up where Twilight left off. “For dragons, though, the fire we use for the brand merges with that of our chosen mate, and it affects thought and behavior to a minor degree. A mate’s brand makes the two more affectionate to each other, more protective, and even more...amorous.” The last bit was said with a much deeper blush, and Ember looked away, this time. It took me a few seconds to understand exactly what she was saying, and when I did, I matched her blush with my own. “...a mate’s brand increases the sex drive?” Ember shrugged helplessly. “Mates are supposed to procreate, right? Evolutionarily speaking, the reason for mates is to ensure the species continues, and to do that, mates need to...well, mate. The mate’s brand was created with that in mind, though,” she raised a claw and waved away my growing concern, “it only works with the two that have the brand. Giving a dragon a mate’s brand doesn’t make them sluts, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Twilight quirked an eyebrow at the new vocabulary word. “Slut? What’s a slut?” Ember looked to me for help, and I just shrugged. “I don’t really know either. Speak pony, if you would.” The dragoness snapped her fingers a few times. “Umm...I think you use the word whorse, right?” “Oh. Oh! Okay. Well, that’s good.” I replied, understanding and relief washing over me. I chuckled a bit at the thought of all the new words Twilight and I could learn, just from talking with Ember. However… “So you mean that I’ve been missing you because of the brand?” Ember chuckled a bit as she shook her head. “No, not really. Think of how you would water the ground to grow a tree: if there’s no seed, nothing happens. The mate’s brand works the same way. If we didn’t already care about each other, it wouldn’t do much of anything. The brand only amplifies what’s already there, if that makes any sense.” I nodded slowly as the pieces all fell into place, and I understood the entirety of what the brand entailed. “Okay, cool. Well, that’s a load off my mind.” I then glanced between the two females questioningly. “So, what’s the plan as far as what I have to learn?” Ember took another, larger gulp of her drink, enjoying the warmth it gave before she answered. “Well, I think we should start with your recent growth, and why it’s happening. We can cover that tonight, and the rest we can start with tomorrow, and go from there.” Ember pulled away from me a bit reluctantly (I have to admit, I shared the sentiment) in order to face me properly. “I think I should start by breaking down some of the incorrect assumptions you’ve likely made about our kind. First of all, dragons don’t grow due to greed on its own.” She nodded toward Twilight. “From what I understand about how horned ponies cast spells, you need to be calm, with a clear mind, or else you could risk miscasting the spell; well, dragons don’t work that way. At heart, all dragons are very emotional creatures, and our emotions are our power.” She then pointed a claw to me. “That’s actually probably the reason you stayed so small for such a long time. Without an older dragon to teach you, you basically learned to emotionally chain yourself up to keep from doing anything dangerous.” Thinking back on how I grew over the years, I realized she was completely right. After learning that greed could cause me to become a hoarding beast, I made it a point to keep calm at all times, even if I didn’t particularly feel that way. With fire breath, wings, and sharp teeth, I knew I could be very dangerous to everyone around me if I lost my cool. I gave a slow nod, half-ashamed. “...yeah, you’re right. I didn’t really know what else to do.” Ember finished off her toddy, setting the mug aside as she reached across the small gap to place her hand on my shoulder. Giving me a smirk, she soothed, “And that isn’t your fault. You did the best you could do at the time, with no other input. Starting really soon, though, I’m going to have to teach you the opposite of what you’ve done pretty much your entire life.” Removing her hand and bringing it to press against her own chest, Ember closed her eyes as she reverently recited, “Emotions can be as unwieldy as an unbalanced blade: powerful, yet dangerous to handle. But, with training and dedication, you can master your emotions -- you can master your power. While all others train to resist emotion during critical moments, we embrace it willingly, and let it give us power. Control your emotions, and you will control one of the greatest forces on the planet.” Ember opened her eyes, focusing on me as she smiled sheepishly. “Or, at least, that’s what the elders say. They get kinda convoluted with their ‘lessons’ sometimes, but there’s truth to the words. Your emotions directly affect the amount of power you have at your disposal. So, in order to efficiently use that power without losing yourself to whatever emotion you’re feeling, you have to become mentally resistant to your own emotional whims, so that you can channel them into power without losing yourself and becoming a danger to everyone and everything around you.” I’ll admit, it was a bit jarring to basically be told I had been living my life wrong the entire time. “When dragons rage, they can level entire mountain ranges.” Ember continued, her tone slow and low, as if she were speaking from experience. “When dragons fall to sorrow, they can become as still and unmoving as the earth itself. When dragons embrace joy, the land itself rejoices with them, blooming and growing vibrant life.” She then smirked at me, sensually purring, “It’s because of this reason that, a long, long time ago, dragons were world-renowned for being the best lovers, bar none.” While I took the comment as an ego boost, I was also privy to seeing Twilight’s entire face light up like a ripe tomato. I couldn’t help but tease her further by poking her in the knee with a lecherous grin. “See Twi? You’re missing out.” I didn’t think it was possible, but her face reddened further as she mumbled, “...I thought Lyla was exaggerating when she said she saw stars.” At my surprised glance, Twilight rolled her eyes and retorted, “Oh please, you can’t tell me guys don’t get together with their other male friends and preach about their sexual exploits. Well, mares do the same, and Lyla, as you know, practically has no filter.” “Right, the changeling.” Ember mused aloud, glancing to me. “I gotta admit, I never thought a dragon would fall for a changeling in modern times. There are claims of it happening in the past, but not since the time when the clans burned the hives.” She bobbed her head from side to side as she thought aloud. “Though, come to think about it, dragons have long memories, and some of the older ones still hold a grudge. I guess it’s lucky for your changeling mate that you were hatched and raised around ponies, so you could see her kind without centuries of racist stories.” I raised a brow at the words, suddenly a bit worried. “Do you have a problem with changelings?” Ember shrugged. “Can’t say I do. I never put much stock in the stories, because they were written centuries before even my parents lived. Times have changed a lot since then,” she gestured to Twilight, “and you ponies are proof of that. Going by the stories dragons kept, there’s no way one pony could stand up to a demon like Tirek, or turn an enemy like Discord into a friend. But, it happened, so clearly, the old dragons were wrong. Nowadays, I choose to believe what happens now, not what a biased history claims happened.” Again, she shrugged. “If what happened with that other dragoness is any indication, I think this ‘Lyla’ might be worth getting to know.” I gave a wide smile at her answer. “Well, you’re going to be here for awhile, so you’ll have plenty of time to get to know her. I have a feeling you’ll get along pretty well with both her and Rainbow Dash.” Ember gave a grin at that before clearing her throat. “Anyway, we’re getting away from the topic. The bottom line is that you grew in the face of Fluttershy’s grief because of an innate need to protect what you value the most. For most dragons, that would be their hoard, but a tiny minority place their value on their loved ones, or their mates. Instinctually, your desire to comfort and protect her fed your growth, because your primal brain recognizes that ‘size’ means ‘power’, and more power means you’re better able to protect what you care about. It was mostly temporary because you were fully rational the whole time, so once you recognized the immediate ‘threat’ to what you value had abated, you didn’t need that extra power any longer.” She held up a hand as I prepared to ask a question, silencing me. “As for why you’ve actually grown larger in your ‘resting’ state, that has more to do with your fire having matured than anything else. While the comparison is a little flawed, you can think of your body as a balloon: as the ‘pressure’ from your fire increases, your body grows to accommodate it. Unlike a balloon, however, you don’t have to worry about exploding, so stop making that face.” The look of abject horror on my face faded to relief at her words, and I released a breath. “Wow, okay. That makes me feel better. Wait,” I felt myself tense again at what I was thinking, “so I’m going to keep growing?” I looked to Twilight with a worried expression, seeing it mirrored on her own face. “If you didn’t have a fellow dragon to help you, yes.” Ember interjected with a smile, stopping my spiraling depressing thoughts. “However, if a dragon was completely at the whims of their fire, that wouldn’t make for a very powerful race, now would it? We would have to basically live like you have: locking away our powerful emotions, unable to embrace life to the fullest, due to the fear of losing control of what makes dragons, dragons. To be direct: through your magic, there are ways to regulate your size to pretty much any size you want, within reason. If you don’t want to outgrow ponies,” she glanced to Twilight on that, “then you don’t have to.” As if a great weight had been suddenly lifted off of me, I slumped and released a happy sigh. “That is literally the best news I’ve had in a long time, Ember. Thanks.” “Hey,” she nudged me with the tip of one of her wings, “a dragoness takes care of her mate. If you’re not happy, I’m not doing my job.” Seemingly realizing what she had said, Ember lost her bravado and turned adorably awkward as she glanced away and blushed hotly through her head spines. She turned her eyes toward Twilight as she asked, “Um...me being here isn’t going to be a problem for you all, right?” Twilight frowned a bit, tilting her head in confusion. “How do you mean?” Ember cleared her throat and gestured to me. “I mean, Spike already has mates here, and I’m an outsider. Technically, I’m a foreign dignitary and I’m not even a pony; is that going to cause issues with all of you?” Still, Twilight was pretty confused (and, to be honest, so was I). “What do you mean? You’re a friend, you’re always welcome here.” “No,” Ember growled, slapping her palm to her face, “I mean with his harem, or herd, or whatever you call it!” I mouthed the words for a moment before I “oh’ed” in realization. “Oh, no, I don’t think so. Lyla might want to have some words with you to be sure you’re not going to try and steal me away or anything, but Twilight clearly doesn’t have an issue with you, and Rarity won’t either. The only one you might have to worry about would be Pinkie, but she’s not a part of the herd, so you don’t really have anything to fear from her anyway.” Ember raised one of her brows. “Pinkie? The loud, poofy, pink one? She doesn’t exactly strike me as scary...or remotely threatening.” I chuckled at that, shaking my head. “Oh, just wait. That mare has a way of surprising you in ways you never imagined, and I swear she has eyes all over town. I’m pretty sure she already knows your here, and is probably planning something for you tomorrow. I’ve known her for over a decade, and I still haven’t figured her out.” Twilight picked it up from there. “She’s a sweetheart, and lives to bring a smile to the faces of everyone she meets, but she just...doesn’t operate in what most consider the ‘normal’ laws of reality. All I can recommend is: don’t try and figure out how she does what she does, or how she knows what she knows. If you don’t get it, just smile and nod, and eat the cupcake.” “What cupcake?” Ember queried, looking at us as if we were crazy. Catching sight of a paper plate behind her, I pointed. “That one.” Following my finger, Ember pivoted on her behind and noticed the plate. She whipped her head around back to us, then back to the cupcake, and then back to us again. “Okay, I know darn well this wasn’t there a minute ago. How did…? What…?” “What did we just say?” I asked rhetorically. “Don’t question it. Eat it, and enjoy. Thank you, Pinkie!” “You’re welcome!” echoed from somewhere in the castle. Ember retrieved the plate, which held a chocolate, blue-frosted, ruby-topped cupcake on it. She stared at the cupcake, as if trying to divine its secrets from sight alone, before shaking her head with a sigh. “I know she’s a great friend to you two, but that pony freaks me out.” I shrugged with a bright grin. “If you’ll let her, she’ll be a great friend to you, too. You’ll get used to her, I promise.” Ember pursed her lips as she looked at me before turning her attention to the cupcake. She cautiously peeled the paper off of the bottom before tossing the whole thing into her mouth, chewing a few times before swallowing. Her long, forked tongue leapt out to lick the frosting off of her lips and she hummed with delight as she closed her eyes happily. “Okay, I’ll admit, that pony knows how to bake a good cupcake.” I chuckled at Ember’s response, knowing we all had similar reactions the first time we met Pinkie. While I didn’t see Ember and Pinkie becoming best buddies, I knew the pink mare would grow on Ember, if the dragoness let her. Just as I was about to comment with the thought, a knocking on the second story window (which looked like a blank wall from the outside) caught my attention, and all three of us looked toward the curtained window before I stood and made my way over. With a grin, I loudly commented, “Only a flying pony can reach this window, and only one pony I know of practically refuses to use the front door, because it’s not fast enough.” I pulled open the heavy insulated curtains and pushed open the window, greeting, “Hey Dash. C’mon in, we got company.” The cyan mare dashed inside with a front flip and a flourish, landing masterfully on her hooves as she shook off the dusting of snow from her coat and scarf. She wasted no time in unbuttoning the heavy fleece coat, removing it and tossing both it and the scarf over to the coat rack in the corner of the room, both catching onto the hooks with perfect precision. Next, Rainbow Dash bent over and removed the insulated boots she wore on her sensitive hooves, tossing them into the corner next to the rack before finally hopping over the back of the sofa and settling onto it, fully prone. I readily admit to being jealous at how cool she could be just doing regular, mundane things. “‘Sup Ember? How’s it hangin’?” Rainbow Dash greeted with a lazy grin from her resting place. While Ember wasn’t necessarily “uppity” (as Applejack would call it), she still had a more proper way of speaking than Rainbow Dash, nevermind the fact that she wasn’t exactly up to date with pony slang. With a look of confusion toward the rainbow-maned pony, she glanced to me next with a pleading expression. I chuckled again, shaking my head at the mare’s antics. “Translated, she’s saying, ‘What’s up, Ember? How are you doing?’” Realization dawned on the dragoness, and she turned back to Rainbow Dash. “Oh, I’m good. Spike needed me, so here I am, and I’m going to be staying for awhile to teach him some things he should have learned a long time ago.” While Rainbow Dash gave off the impression of unflappable calm, after having known her for so long, I was easily able to catch the tension that invaded her core, even as she laid lazily on the couch. I knew she was doing it because she didn’t know Ember all that well yet, and I knew it would be a blow to her ego to bring that up in front of Ember. Because of that, I decided to handle the situation in a way that would let her retain the image of “the cool pony” in front of the dragoness. I jerked my head toward Ember. “She came here because of what happened last week, as well as a few other things. Bottom line: what happened to me is normal, and she’s going to help me learn to keep it under control so that I don’t just keep getting bigger and bigger.” It was nearly imperceptible, even for those of us that had known her for so long, but I was able to detect the exact moment Rainbow Dash’s body relaxed fully, the worry nearly tangibly leaving her body as she sighed almost silently through her nose. “Cool. That’s...that’s good news. So,” Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and glanced to me, eyes twinkling with mirth, “this is your dragon honey, huh? She’s a lot better looking than I remember. The years are pretty good to dragons, I guess.” Ember blushed through her spines once again, unsure how to respond to the compliment other than an unsure, “Uh...thanks, I guess. You’re very, um...blue. And rainbow-y.” Rainbow Dash gave a bark of a laugh at Ember’s nervousness. “Girl, chill; I’m just teasing you. Strictly stallions for this mare, so stop looking at me like I’m going to molest you in your sleep.” Ember just stared at the pony for a few moments, tilting her head side to side as she just took in everything that Rainbow Dash was showing her. After a minute of silence, Ember cracked a grin and held out a fist to the mare. “You’re all right, Rainbow Dash. I think we’ll get along just fine.” While I told myself it shouldn’t matter, I was still very happy that Ember was getting along with my friends, especially the one that was essentially one of the gatekeepers to our inner circle. Rainbow Dash wasn’t the leader that Twilight was, she was hotheaded, and kindness was not her schtick, but her loyalty to her friends and family ensured that she was going to make the life of anyone she didn’t approve of a living Tartarus. Rainbow Dash’s casual teasing of Ember meant that not only did she like her, but the mare approved of her as a friend; Rainbow Dash didn’t tease people she didn’t like. “Oh, Spike, I forgot to tell ya something.” Rainbow Dash announced, bringing me out of my thoughts. After getting my attention, she jerked her head generally toward the door. “I swung by Shy’s place earlier, and I told her she should come over tonight.” Deciding not to chastise Rainbow Dash for inviting a friend to someone else’s house, I nodded to her with a smile at the thought of seeing Fluttershy again. “Cool. When’s she gonna be here?” As Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to answer, a knock could be heard echoing from downstairs, the spells in place working to amplify the sound so we could hear it from the private floors of the castle. The pegasus grinned and hopped off the sofa, straightening her tank top as she answered, “Right now. I totally planned that.” Hopping to my feet as well and offering a nod to the other two in the room, I followed Rainbow Dash out of the room toward the main door. We both opted to just bypass the stairs with our wings due to the hurry we were in, and after landing, I walked the last few dozen feet to the traditional throne room, hooking a right toward the main doors after that. Grasping the oversized handle, I pulled the door open, inviting a chilling blast of air in as well as some snow flurries. Fluttershy entered first, wrapped up tightly in warm clothes and matching insulated boots, but she was also followed by a certain bouncing mare, who was immediately recognizable due to her pretty blue eyes and wide smile. “Oh, hey Pinkie. I wasn’t expecting you as well, but I’m not complaining.” I greeted happily, helping the two mares dust off before taking their coats, hats, and scarves. I jerked my head toward the side door that led to the private stairwell. “Twilight’s already upstairs with Ember; why don’t you swing by the kitchen and fix up some warm drinks for you, Fluttershy, and Dash, hm? We’ll meet you upstairs.” Pinkie nodded before zipping off at what would, for any other pony, be an impossible speed, leaving a poof of the snow that clung to her clothes in her wake. I just shook my head before turning toward Fluttershy, opening my arms with a warm smile. She looked up with those beautiful aqua eyes, still saddened, yet grateful for my offer. She wasted no time in pressing herself against me, and I cocooned the two of us in my wings as I just held her tightly for a few moments of silence. I released her and nodded to Rainbow Dash, who then led the way to the commons room on the upper floors. As had become more common in the past week, Fluttershy didn’t speak, but was practically glued to my side as we walked. Her fingers casually laced in mine, and I gave her hand a gentle squeeze for support. Similar gestures would have felt oddly intimate with any of my other friends, but I knew Fluttershy didn’t mean anything by it other than a desire for support and comfort. Besides, as I stated before, something about Fluttershy brought out a strong protective instinct within me...which makes more sense now that Ember had explained how dragons worked, in regards to emotions. Huh… As I expected, Pinkie was already waiting for us in the commons room when we arrived, already dressed down, with a small tray of steaming drinks prepared for her and the other two newcomers. She was sitting next to Twilight on the love seat, and I tried not to laugh out loud at the apprehensive look Ember was giving her. Rainbow Dash again flopped onto the sofa, taking up practically the whole thing, so I led Fluttershy to sit with me close to the hearth. I helped the yellow pegasus remove her heavy winter coat, gloves, and boots, allowing Twilight to levitate them over to the proper area. After helping the mare dress down, I took notice that she was still wearing a pair of cute, teal insulated socks with little yellow ducks on them, and I’ll admit, Fluttershy looked adorable in socks. When I turned back to the others, I saw Ember with an odd little smile on her lips, nodding softly. “I get it. I can see how much you care about her, and I understand how she would have awakened your protective instincts.” Fluttershy normally would have been mortified by the attention of a stranger, but wrapped in one of my wings, in front of a warm fire, and with a cup of hot cocoa, she might as well have been in her own little world. The pegasus just snuggled up close to me, with her eyes closed and a relaxed look on her face; while she wasn’t smiling, due to still grieving the loss of a dear friend, it was clear that simply being around us was doing wonders to help her heal. Thinking on Ember’s words, I could only nod as I kept my eyes fixed on Fluttershy, ensuring she was symbolically shielded from the world by my wing. “...yeah, she does.” Glancing around the room again, I was treated to multiple smiles from my friends, including an uncommonly warm one from Rainbow Dash, who was giving that rare, gentle grin that only her closest friends regularly saw. Though the arrival of our friends was unexpected, the end of the day was turning out very nicely so far. “So,” Ember began, raising her voice to draw attention to her, “for those of you who weren’t here earlier, Spike is okay, and I’m going to help him learn to control his magic; that’s why he’s grown, and why he temporarily grew a week ago. With my help, I’ll ensure he doesn’t keep growing endlessly, so that you all don’t have to say goodbye to your friend.” “Oh. That’s...that’s very good.” Fluttershy answered, speaking for the first time that day. When I looked down to her, Fluttershy released a long, drawn out breath through her nose as she opened her eyes and returned my gaze. “I was very worried about Spike, so it’s nice to know he’s all right.” Though she spoke as if addressing the group, her eyes never left mine, and I had the distinct impression the words meant far more than I was able to grasp at the time. The intensity in those intense, yet vulnerable eyes somehow made me unable to look away (at the time, I could only rationalize it was some version of “The Stare”). “Do uh...do the two of you need a room?” Twilight asked, her query breaking the spell on me. I blinked a few times and looked away from Fluttershy, though I never once released her. “Um…n-no, we’re fine. Sorry.” While none of the girls teased me about the fact that I had been staring “like a lover” into Fluttershy’s eyes for over a minute, Twilight’s insufferable smirk persisted. Night had fallen a few hours ago, and Pinkie had helped me prepare a meal for all of us. The food was simple since it was a casual gathering between friends, three of whom hadn’t been expected whatsoever, but the meal was filling, the company was good, and the warmth of the fire and of the shared companionship was more than enough to make a mundane, unplanned night into something special. To my surprise, Ember settled into the group just fine, compared with the past. While it had only been six years, it appeared time had calmed her down quite a bit, as the previously fiery dragoness (no pun intended) was much more understanding and less overbearing than she used to be. She had never been outright disliked by our friends, but since she had very little contact with ponies for most of her life, Ember was unintentionally abrasive to most ponies. Ember was truly a good friend and even selfless, when the situation called for it, but dragons related to each other very differently than ponies did, and so for years she was partially an outsider to most of my Ponyville friends. Now, though, she was just one of the girls, and I can’t express how happy that made me. She was easily able to hold a conversation with Twilight in regards to history or even most magic, she was playfully competitive with Rainbow Dash, and even though Pinkie still threw her off-balance every now and then, she knew the mare just wanted to be friends, and she took the teasing well. As for Fluttershy, the mere fact that the pegasus was not cowering was a great accomplishment, and Ember even got her to smile a few times when she started a conversation on some of the animals native to the dragon lands. As for me, I mostly kept close to Fluttershy and Ember, since they were the two that needed me most that night; for different reasons of course -- I somehow doubted Fluttershy wanted to be my mate. Eventually, it became time for us to clean up and prepare to rest for the night, which left me with a bit of a conundrum. Normally, it would be no problem for me to sleep in the same room or even the same bed with my friends -- we had done it many times before, and there was nothing strange about it for us. However, Ember was a dragon, and I knew for a fact that dragons only slept in the same area with their own young whelps, or mates. Ember had been very understanding about Equestrian herd mentality, my own herd, and the fact that she was not the sole object of my affection, but I wasn’t sure how she would react to me asking if she would sleep in the same area with several ponies she didn’t know that well. Fortunately for me, I knew that for Ember, at least, the direct approach would be best. “...so are you gonna be okay sleeping in the same room, or do you want a separate room?” I asked the dragoness, standing next to her as the other girls all changed clothes for the night. As the only one not wearing any clothing, she was already prepared for bed. If nothing else, a lack of a need to wear clothes was efficient. Ember stared at the door we were standing in front of, which led to Twilight’s bedroom. While her tail wasn’t lashing in the obvious display of anxiety or irritability, the lack of a response told me she was uncomfortable with the situation -- less so than she would have been earlier, before she got to know the mares better, but a lifetime of living in dragon culture wasn’t exactly something one could just disregard. She didn’t even move until I settled my hand on her shoulder, and then, only a subtle twitch of her left wing was all that happened. After a few moments of complete silence, she sighed and turned to me. “I mean, are you sure it would be cool? I don’t want to be cramping your friends or anything; I feel like I’d be intruding.” “Our friends.” I corrected. “You may not have known them as long, but this is something ponies do regularly with friends. I trust you, and Twilight trusts you, so that’s your in. If you want, you can think of the two of us as the alphas for this little group: the rest will go with it because we approve, and that’s good enough for them. Besides,” I nudged her in the ribs with a claw, “they like you. I watched you all night, and all of them became very comfortable with you, even to the point where Dash dropped the cocky attitude.” Ember turned her eyes to me, raising a brow. “And that’s special?” I nodded with a chuckle. “Of course it is. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but that mare acts like she’s got bigger balls than most of the stallions in town.” That earned me a snort of a laugh. “If she sets down that front, she likes you. Just…” I cleared my throat as a thought came to mind, “don’t be surprised if you find a pony or two cuddling up to you. Apparently, we run hot, so we’re like giant, personal heaters for a pony trying to keep warm.” The words caused a slight blush to show through her spines, and she cleared her throat nervously. “Right. Ponies I just got to know might snuggle with me. Totally normal.” “For ponies, it is.” I commented, wrapping my tail around hers. That, of course, immediately caught her attention, and I imagined if I had done that in front of the others, she would have practically leapt away in embarrassment. With us alone in the corridor, however, I knew I could afford such an intimate gesture to reassure my mate (my mate...that’s still sinking in). As Ember looked to me, I smiled supportively. “Besides the fact I don’t think I could, I’m not going to make you do something you don’t want to do. I would like you to be in there, with me, but if you really don’t feel comfortable, there are plenty of comfortable guest rooms you’re more than welcome to take. You and I can pick one of those, and I’ll stay with you tonight.” Her mouth twitched, and from the way her eyes widened, I could tell she was considering my offer. After a moment of silent thought, she shook her head. “No, I can’t ask you to do that. Besides the fact that your friend Fluttershy clearly needs you, this is a regular thing for you all. If you’re not in there with them, I’d essentially be stealing you away from four of your friends, and that...doesn’t sit right with me for some reason.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in through her nose, letting it out through her mouth, before she opened her eyes to look at me again. “No. If you say it’s okay, and that this is normal, I have to trust you. It’s...weird, but if they disagreed, Rainbow Dash, at least, would have said something.” I chuckled and nudged her with my shoulder. “You’re learning already.” I gave her another supportive smile. “If you’re really willing to do this, then I’ll be right there beside you the whole time. Anytime you start getting nervous, or don’t know what to do, just grab my hand,” I demonstrated, lacing my fingers in hers, “and I’ll be there for you.” At my words and my touch, Ember’s posture relaxed, and she nodded with a more confident expression. “...okay. Let’s do this.” I chuckled again at her words. “Ember, you act like you’re getting ready to run the Gauntlet of Fire again. Calm yourself; you’re just sleeping in a room with a few ponies that consider you a friend. That’s not something to be afraid of, I promise.” Though her body was relaxed, it appeared she was still nervous: she had just chosen not to show it through body language. I sighed heavily at this, knowing I was going to have to do something uncomfortable. “Okay, I’m sorry Ember, but you’ve left me no choice. I apologize beforehand for what I’m about to do.” “Wait, what?” That was as far as she got before I pushed the door open, walking in on four mares, already dressed in night clothes, preparing to settle down for the night. I pointed to Ember and announced, “She’s under the impression that she’s intruding, and thinks she shouldn’t be here tonight- OW!” I rubbed my shin in pain, since Ember had saw fit to retaliate for me embarrassing her in front of the ponies. Still, even with the stinging pain, this had to be dealt with or it was never going to get better. Twilight tilted her head in confusion with a frown. “Is that true, Ember?” The dragoness threw a heated glare my way, but eventually sighed and nodded in defeat. “Well...yeah. You all have known each other for years, and I’m sure this had become a regular thing for you all, but dragons don’t really sleep in the same room as anyone but their young whelps and their mates. This feels...odd, for me, and I feel like I’m disrupting something special between Spike and his friends.” Twilight seemed to frown harder as she stepped around Rainbow Dash, approaching the dragoness directly. Ember took a nervous step back as the normally calm alicorn approached almost aggressively. Once Twilight was standing directly in front of Ember, having to look up slightly to match her gaze with the taller female, she shook her head with disappointment. “Ember, I know we haven’t really known each other that long, but I’ve always considered you a friend. Sure, we’re not as close as you are to Spike, but I still consider you a friend of mine, and I know the girls agree.” “We wouldn’t have invited you to stay the night if we weren’t comfortable with this.” Rainbow Dash threw in, smirking at the dragoness. “I know most dragons think ponies are all soft, squishy little scared things, but that’s not what’s going on, and it’s not why Spike suggested this.” Pinkie picked it up from there, plopping down on the large bed with a much more reserved smile. “For ponies, it’s normal to want to be with your friends and those you care about, even when you’re sleeping. We wouldn’t just ask a random acquaintance to share a bed; we’re asking you because this is one of the ways ponies welcome and support close friends.” “There’s nothing weird about it, Ember.” Rainbow Dash added, her grin slowly turning lecherous. “I mean, it’s not like we have a crazy orgy every night, but -OW!” She rubbed her arm with an abashed expression as Fluttershy, of all ponies, glared at her. The normally-timid pony shook her head at the other pegasus. “Rainbow Dash, that was inappropriate. She’s nervous, and that’s making it worse.” She then turned her eyes to the dragoness, and while a bit of her token shyness kicked in, she still kept her eyes focused on Ember. “W-we don’t want you to be uncomfortable, Ember. If you really don’t want to join us, there are plenty of other rooms to stay in, and Spike can stay with you.” I gestured with an open hand to Fluttershy as I glanced to Ember. “See? It would be fine. Besides,” I grinned mischievously again, “we only have orgies on Wednesdays -OW! The same place? Seriously?” And I was back to rubbing my shin with a grimace. Ember was scanning the ponies in the room as she thought, before finally making a decision and shaking her head firmly. “No, it’s cool. If I’m going to be a part of Spike’s life, I need to adjust to the fact that he lives differently than I’m used to.” Extending her hand to me, she pulled me to stand once I had finished trying to soothe my throbbing leg. Looking to my eyes she continued, “If you can do it, I can do it. It’ll be weird at first, but I can deal with it.” “I just want you happy, Ember.” I countered, frowning at the thought she was doing this because of me. Her face relaxed finally, and she gave me a gentle smile. “I’m happy when I’m with you.” “Awww, that's so CUTE!” squealed a familiar bubbly voice. Realizing we were all suddenly staring at her, Pinkie shrank a bit with a sheepish smile. “Uh, hehe. Oops.” Ember, of course, began blushing again, but she strode confidently you the bed, stopping upon realizing I wasn't following. Throwing a raised brow my way, she taunted, “Well? Are you coming, or what?” Shaking myself out of my momentary stupor, I followed behind Ember and quickly removed my shirt, tossing it into the hamper in the corner of the room. I grew my own blush at the approving gaze from Ember, but climbed into the giant bed next to her, regardless. Ember moved to the edge of the mattress, and immediately afterward, I felt Fluttershy slide in behind me. From my position, I was unable to see Twilight and Rainbow Dash, but the loss of the room's lights told me Twilight had dimmed them as everyone got settled. Other than a single, awkward night during my tour of the dragon lands, Ember and I had never shared sleeping quarters before, and if her fidgeting tail was any indication, she was feeling just as awkward. Luckily, this time, I would be able to calm her down with a more hands-on approach. I shifted to lay on my right side, extending my right wing behind me for Fluttershy to use as a warm, makeshift blanket, which I felt her do without hesitation. My other wing, I brought over to cover Ember, along with wrapping my arm around her stomach to pull her until her body was molded against me. If I was completely naked, like she was, our new position would be a very forward move on my part -- going off of the gasp and anxious trembling of Ember's wings, she still might see it that way. However, this was a position I shared with my other herdmates, and since Ember was my mate, I was going to share this with her, too. “Spike,” Ember hissed, turning her head to shoot a glare at me, “we're not exactly alone right now!” At her half angry, half embarrassed expression, I had to laugh. When her glare didn't abate, I calmed down and explained, “We're not doing anything. From how you reacted, I can guess what this,” I gestured to us with my wing, “means to you, but for me, it's just a comfortable position to sleep in with someone special. You're one of those, so I'm doing it with you.” Ember squirmed a bit regardless, whisper-shouting, “But your crotch is pressed right up against-" “Hence the pants I'm wearing.” I interrupted, whispering in return. It was at that moment, I saw an opportunity: Ember was here to teach me, but what if I could teach her things as well? I smirked at the thought, adding, “Let's call this a lesson.” At that, Ember stopped moving. “...aren't I supposed to be teaching you?” “We'll teach each other.” I answered, slowly moving my hand to rub the soft, broad scales of her stomach. “Ooh~” Ember cooed softly (I'll readily admit, I enjoyed the sound, and promised myself to find more reasons to coax it out in the future). She turned her head to glance at me from the corner of her eye, and while I still recognized nervousness, underneath that was curiosity. “A-and what exactly is this supposed to be teaching me?” I smiled a warm, private smile just for her, and nosed the area behind her ear as I answered, “Being close to others is nice, and physical affection doesn't have to progress to mating. Also, this position,” I pressed my palm against her stomach again, forcefully pressing her body against mine, releasing a comforted, soothed breath from Ember, “is great for a dragon that wants to be as close to his mate as possible.” Ember turned to face forward again, going silent for a few moments before she admitted, “Maybe there are some things I need to learn.” Her hand found mine, and she released a pleased sigh. “Goodnight, Spike.” I laid my head on the pillow, closing my eyes with a happy smile. “Goodnight, Ember.”