An Important Spell
It was just past Celestia’s dinner when she told one of the guards to escort her most faithful student and her companion to the personal quarters. The same place where Celestia would mentor Twilight on problems she had during the school day and anything else that would be on her mind or the curriculum. Today was no different, but since lately hearing of Spike’s cognitive improvements she had a plan cooked up inside her mind.
The guard bowed and said, “As you request, Princess Celestia.” At once he trotted out of his post next to the door.
Celestia shook her head. She never was able to shake all the unneeded pleasantries from her personal guard. It seemed that her status would always be at the front of everypony’s mind. Before she closed the door she nodded to the other guard, still bowed before her. “At ease, my little pony.”
Celestia after a long day of managing delegations and keeping public image sighed. She put off her horseshoes and crown with the help of her magic. They floated neatly to the corner of her room, placed on a soft cloth. In the middle was a big round bed perfect for late night sessions with Twilight or for herself. As Celestia laid herself on the bed, a recently lit fireplace crackled happily next to her. The warmth of the fire soothed her tired muscles and sank deliciously inside her coat.
Not before long she heard small filly hoofsteps accompanied by the older, heavier, steps from her guard. It seemed a little argument had broken out between Twilight and Spike. It was so simple and innocent Celestia was almost jealous of it.
“For the last time Spike. No! The princess can’t wait until you’re” Celestia could already see Twilight doing the hoof quotes. “done reading the cool picture book.” She heard a snort. “We can’t risk being late, especially for the Princess.”
Celestia heard the telltale clicking of claws on marble as he jumped off Twilight’s back. Spike talked with a whiny undertone. “I was almost done, Twilight! You just don’t like the books I read. Hmph.”
Before Twilight could answer the guard politely coughed. “Miss Sparkle, the Princess is already inside. Go on in.” As he said that the door creaked open far enough to let a little filly and her dragon inside.
The princess could see Twilight giving Spike the stink eye while he pouted right back. She whisper-shouted, “We will talk about this when we’re back in my room, okay?”
Spike snorted, some smoke coming out. “Yeah. Fine.”
Celestia smiled at them, a glint in her eyes. She beckoned them in with a hoof. “It seems you two are at a disagreement, Twilight.”
Spike forgotten for a moment, Twilight bowed before the princess as she walked inside. Spike walked behind her as he gave a shy wave to the princess. Celestia waved back at him with a hoof. A door could be heard clicking closed in the background.
“Good evening, Princess Celestia.” She nodded to the baby dragon. “Spike deemed it necessary to keep you waiting for a while longer.”
He snorted at Twilight. “Did not! It’s just that I was almost finished and it would’ve taken only a minute or two.” He poked Twilight on her flank, making her shake her leg in annoyance. “You were the one so hasty even though the guard said you didn’t need to rush.”
Twilight harrumphed and looked the other way. Celestia smiled and said, “My most faithful student, it is fine. You never make me wait for long if at all. No harm no foul.” She nodded to Spike, who was fiddling with his claws. “And Spike, I’ve heard from Twilight and her mother that you’ve lately been getting smarter at a higher rate than we’re used to. I’m very proud.” She winked at him. “And it even looks like you’ve gotten a growth spurt.”
As Twilight looked on apologetically to Spike, the dragon grew a bashful smile and blushed. “It’s uh, nothing Princess.” He looked at her again, waiting for more praise. “Just Spike, being Spike as always, hehe.”
Twilight went from apologetic to a frown. “Spike, that’s enough.”
“Uh, right.” He playfully pointed a claw. “That’s enough.”
Celestia opened up one of her wings in an inviting manner. “Please, come sit next to me. The fire is nice and warm.”
Spike perked up, his shyness forgotten. “Don’t mind if I do! The floor is always so cold.” Instead of sitting next to Celestia, Spike chose to sit in between her forelegs. He snuggled with his back in her chest fluff, his freshly grown headfins touching her slender neck. Celestia smiled impishly as she nuzzled the top of his head. Spike giggled and playfully swatted her head away. “Ahaha! Stop it, princess.”
Twilight followed him, getting comfortable next to Celestia. One of her wings carefully draped over the filly unicorn in warm comfort. Twilight made an appreciable noise in the back of her throat. “This is nice, Princess.”
The unicorn looked around for any new books or learning material. “So what are we doing this evening, Princess Celestia? I don’t see anything new around.” She gasped in horror. “Wait, is there a test I didn’t know about? What is it about? Is it something I already know? Oh no, Spike quick! Get me my flashcards!”
Before Celestia could interrupt the panicking unicorn Spike sighed and showed what he was best at. The baby dragon reluctantly stood up from his warm refuge and lightly tugged at Twilight’s ear. “OW!” She rubbed it with a hoof. “Spike, what did you do that for?”
His snark already developing, Spike cocked an eye at her as he pointed a claw at Celestia. “How about you first listen to what the Princess has to say, Twilight. You’re already freaking out and she hasn’t even started yet.”
Her cheeks felt a bit warm all of a sudden. She smiled awkwardly at them both. “Yeah, right. Of course, Spike.” She laid back down again.
Satisfied, the little dragon went back to his warm place at Celestia. The princess giggled at their interaction. “You see, Twilight. I was actually especially interested in Spike these last weeks.” She waved a hoof around. “Normally he is too tired to keep us company with our study sessions.” Celestia ignored his mumble in indignation. “But it seems his recent growth spurt has also helped him in his daily stamina.”
Twilight nodded and playfully pointed a hoof at Spike, who snorted in mock annoyance. “You can say that again, Princess! Ever since his growth spurt his stomach has been an even more endless pit.” She winked to him, “Especially for certain gems stolen from the decor, right Spike?”
Spike crossed his arms, “I’ve already apologized, Twilight. It’s not my problem they are so delicious.” He’d gotten a dreamy stare, drool dripping from his lips. Twilight pushed his mouth closed with a glow of her magic. “Watch out before you drip on the Princess, jeez.”
Celestia nodded at Twilight, “I’m happy things are working out for you two.” She got a pointed look from Twilight. “Well, relatively speaking.”
Spike looked up at the Princess from his warm embrace. “So, what do you wanna know, Princess?” He puffed out his chest, proud. “My claws and teeth have become even more sharp.”
Twilight pointedly looked at a small bandage on her withers. “As I’ve noticed.”
Celestia nodded and said, “Well I’ve got a question for both of you. Have you ever heard of dragons using magic? Similar to the abilities of a unicorn?”
While Spike shook his head ‘no’, Twilight excitedly pointed up her hoof as if she was still in class. “Ooh! I know, I know!” Celestia rubbed the top of Spike’s head with a hoof and nodded. “Go on, Twilight.”
Twilight sat up in her so-called ‘lecture mode’, Celestia’s wing folding back to her side. “As far as the books I’ve read that talk about dragon physiology or psychology, there has been no pony written recording of dragons being able to harness magic the same way unicorns can.” She shuffled her hooves, excited. “Of course, that doesn’t mean they don’t have any innate abilities. Mature dragon scales are very good at deflecting magic of most forms and their fire is one of the hottest any creature can conjure up. Not even mentioning their ultra sharp teeth and claws. Their lifespan is also centuries long at the minimum.”
Celestia spread out her wing with a smile, pride twinkling in her eyes. With it she softly nudged Twilight until she was laying against her once again, cuddled with comfort and warmth of her feathers. “Very good, my student. That was a nice abbreviation of what the general consensus is.” Twilight glowed with pride.
Celestia looked conspiratorially at Spike and Twilight, as if she had a huge secret to unveil. “Now what if I told you it is possible for some very special dragons to wield magic?”
Twilight let out a big and mildly overacted gasp while Spike’s eyes just widened in realization. “Oooh! Is that true Celestia? How is that even possible? Their species don’t have an innate connection with the magic of Equestria the same way ponies do.”
Celestia nodded to Twilight while she hugged the baby dragon close to her with a hoof. “Not if they get hatched normally, Twilight. But.” here she gave a pointed look. “If one gets hatched with the help of unicorn magic instead of the warmth of dragonfire or lava there happens to be a small chance for them to use magic the same way unicorns do.”
The eyes of the kids couldn’t be more wide, an unblinking stare looking at Celestia. At once they both called out.
“Does that mean I can levitate stuff like Twilight can?”
“So that must mean Spike can harness usable magic!”
Celestia chuckled at their enthusiasm. “Well, no to you Spike and yes to Twilight. While you can not literally manifest magic with the help of an organ suitable for that task.” She pointed to her forehead. “Like my horn. But you can use your dragonfire for a replacement of some sort.”
While Spike was at first down at being told no, he quickly perked back up when Celestia began talking about all the other possibilities that he could do with his dragonfire. Twilight meanwhile, had already pulled out a notepad and quill out of who knows where to begin scribbling.
The princess continued her short lecture. “Normally the aura of somepony’s magic could simply be seen as let’s say ‘the effective range’ of the current spell used. Be it levitation or something else. Now in this regard Spike’s fire is actually similar. The fire he puts out with his own special organs are partially infused with magic the same way a unicorn's horn is.”
Furious scribbling could be heard in the background. Celestia also felt some claws on her shoulder and part of her neck, the appendages attached to a very attentive dragon. “So it is possible for Spike to harness his innate magical ability and regain it passively after using it.” She slightly ruffled her wings, “Now that doesn’t mean he can just do any random spell. But with enough trial and error, I believe he’s capable of using certain spells involving his fire.”
Spike had eyes as big as dinner plates, he hugged the princess around her neck. “That sounds super cool, Princess Celestia!”
Twilight poked out a tongue as she studiously finished her notes with a flourish. “Yeah! What a great discovery, Princess. Did you recently find this out or..?” She let it hang in the air, waiting for an answer.
Celestia shook her head, making Twilight frown in confusion. “No, Twilight. I’ve known about this for a very long time. I know my appearance won’t betray my age so easily, but I’ve already met dragons such as Spike during my life.”
The baby dragon perked up, “Are they still around? Dragons raised by ponies?”
Celestia frowned at the two, “I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you, Spike. The last one has been centuries ago, lost to time and only written about in old mare tales. Furthermore the old pony practice of finding orphaned eggs has already been stopped for a long time. You were the last one we still had in magical stasis, Spike.”
Spike sat back on his haunches, crestfallen. The unicorn looked like she had extra questions, but delayed them for later. Spike sighed, “Oh.. bummer.”
Twilight took a moment to touch a hoof to his shoulder, smiling. “Spike, I heard the princess mentioning you should also be able to use some spells. How about you ask her about that?”
Her attempt at cheering the little dragon up was successful. Spike was already in higher spirits than before. Celestia looked on in pride at her little student. “Is there a spell I can already do? Like a light show or teleportation!”
Celestia chuckled lightly, entertained by the enthusiasm of the baby dragon. “I’ve got something more simpler in mind. You know how when you or Twilight want to exchange information with me it either has to go through a guard or talking to me in pony?” Spike nodded. “That seems like a hassle is it not? You are already practicing your claw-writing and it’s shaping up to be very beautiful.”
Spike blushed in appreciation, his hard work and practice paying off. Twilight frowned and said, “But that isn’t so bad. We’re never very far away from you, Princess. And a guard that knows us is almost at every corner.”
Celestia had a twinkle in her eyes, anticipating the reaction. “Now what if I told you, Twilight, that you’ll some time stop being my student? Leaving Canterlot in the process to experience other ventures?”
Twilight gasped dramatically, horror etched in her face. Spike rolled his eyes. “Now that is simply impossible, Celestia. I will always be your student. You have centuries worth of information still to teach me! How am I even going to absorb a fraction of that knowledge if I'm not even your student?”
“I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you, Twilight.” Celestia answered cryptically as Twilight’s ear twitched in annoyance. “So let’s say, hypothetically, you are to leave Canterlot to live someplace else. Sending letters back and forth via mailpony seems fairly troublesome and slow now doesn’t it? And I can’t just talk to you or get a guard whenever I want.”
Both dragon and filly were at full attention, they nodded in unison. Celestia went on with her story as she subconsciously kept rubbing comfort in Spike with a hoof, the same way one of her wings tightened around Twilight. “Wouldn’t it be super convenient to be able to send small items like..“ She put herself on eye level with Twilight for dramatic effect. “Scrolls full of information via magical fire, while having almost no transport time?”
Spike waved his claws around, excited. “That seems awesome, Princess Celestia! I could even send you little presents if I want to, right?”
Celestia nodded while Twilight had a contemplative look on her face. “Yes, Spike. Whatever you desire as long as it fits within your dragonfire. So naturally as you grow older you would be able to do more.” She playfully poked him with a hoof. “Watch out though, mister. It wouldn’t be very handy to suddenly have a big rock or something manifest before me.”
Twilight lost her look, having replaced it with excitement. “That does seem very handy, Princess. Even now, I could ask you short questions or send little items without bothering the guards! Think of all the time savings I can spend on studying!” She clopped her hooves together. “Ooh! Sunrise Storm won’t be able to complain anymore about my total valid questions for you. I swear, how does he forget the most simple things about thaumetic energies in regards to unicorns? That’s like, basic stuff!”
The princess of the sun giggled, “I think you two have different interests altogether, Twilight.”
Spike lightly pulled on Celestia’s mane for her attention, earning him a squawk of indignation from Twilight which he promptly ignored. In his interest he forgot the prefix. “Celestia. How can I learn? What should I do to send cool dragon letters? Can I do it if I just think hard enough?”
Celestia put down his claws with a wisp of her magic, pulling him inside her embrace again. She looked at both of them and said, “I think for the basics of how magic actually works Twilight will be happy to teach you. It will be a good refresher for herself too.” At this the unicorn's eyes sparkled at the prospect of teaching her dragon. “And in a week or few, when you know enough. You will come here,” She nodded at her student. “with Twilight. And I will teach you two all I know about harnessing your unique magical fire. The rest you can figure out on your own, Spike.”
Both the unicorn and dragon happily squealed. But before they could run out of the room to hastily begin learning Celestia stopped them with a cough. “It’s been a long day for all of us though, my little pony and dragon. I know Twilight is far enough on her curriculum, and it’s already pretty late for you, Spike.”
The princess laid her head down, her slender neck in between Spike and Twilight. “Let’s just rest for a while together, hmm? We have a nice fire, and I’ve already called the kitchen beforehoof for some tea, biscuits and gems.” She snuggled the both of them closer to her. “They should be here any minute now.”
After some reluctance on Twilight’s part, the young proteges of the Princess of the Sun took great enjoyment in their snuggle session with each other. All was right this evening. And lots of exciting adventures await the impenetrable team of Twilight Sparkle and Spike the Dragon.