//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 // Story: I, Dragon // by Psychomaniac //------------------------------// Chapter 7 I awaken underwater. It has been far too long since I last slept beneath the waves. These are hardly more than ripples, but I am okay with that. I have grown quite fond of my lake. I move around a bit, then set after my breakfast. I splurge and catch my limit. There are other places to eat. I poke my head about the surface. Nopony around. I polymorph and take off into the sky. It’s time to check in with my caretaker. Her cottage lies just ahead. I pass overhead a couple of times to check my surroundings. I spot a couple of unicorns making their way to the cottage as well. I land and knock on her door. Fluttershy cracks her door and peeks out. On seeing me, she opens the door fully and allows me to enter. “It’s good to see you, Sparky. Would you like anything?” “No, thank you. I had breakfast before coming here. Are you expecting visitors?” “Not today, why do you ask?” “I saw Rarity and Sweetie Belle on their way here. I didn’t want to impose,” I answer. “Oh!” she exclaims. Red on yellow. “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me, Fluttershy. Lets go greet them.” We make our way outside as the sisters enter the clearing. Sweetie Belle on seeing me runs right over. “Sparky! I missed you!” she squeaks. I pick her up in a hug, than plant her on my back. She lies down and we walk over to the embracing couple. “Good morning, Love. I was taking Sweetie to school, and decided to stop here first.” “Um, isn’t the schoolhouse across town from my cottage? I wouldn’t want you to go out of your way.” “Hmmm. I suppose it is, love. Well, no matter. We still have plenty of time,” says Rarity, still holding Fluttershy. “Actually, I was going to go there myself. I wanted to talk to Cheerilee about starting up again. Now is as good a time as any. Sweetie Belle already seems to be comfortable where she is, so I see no problem with a nice, easy flight for us.” Sweetie Belle looks at her sister with a big grin. “Can we, sis? I’ll hold on real tight!” “Alright, Sweetie Belle. Make sure you listen to whatever Sparky tells you. Sparky, I don’t think I need mention what fate might befall the dragon who lets harm come to my dear sweet little sister, do I? I hear Dragon Scales are all the RAGE this season. Please, be a Dear and ensure she arrives safely at her destination?” she requests, her voice never wavering from its usual sweet demeanor. I gulp, and nod solemnly. I take up my pegasus form, then I give a few flaps and we’re in the air. My last glimpse of the two friends/potential lovers is of them going inside the cottage. If I didn’t know better, I would swear Rarity planned this. Ah well. I wing over and direct us towards the schoolhouse. En route, I see a familiar orange pegasus filly emerge from a nice sized house. I glide low and land gently beside her. “Scootaloo!” calls my passenger. Scoots looks at us and grins, walking over to us. “Wanna lift?” I ask her. You would think I had asked her if she wanted to own Sugarcube Corner. She climbs up my side and onto my back, behind Sweetie Belle. We have a bit of time, So I take them on a less than direct route to the schoolhouse. The two fillies are cheering to every climb, dive, and turn I make. I don’t do anything overly dramatic, Rarity’s request still ringing in my ears. The schoolhouse comes into view, and I land in front of it, to the dismay of my passengers. Apple Bloom runs over to us from the playground. “Aww, ya’ll got ta ride Sparky again?” she asks, her lower lip quivering. “After school, Apple Bloom. I promise.” I hear a familiar voice address me, “My daddy says you’re not allow to come to school here anymore.” I look over and see Diamond Tiara. She is standing a short distance away, looking like she is ready to run at any moment. I feel a spark of shame start to emerge. “Diamond Tiara! Neither you, nor your father, have the right nor the authority to decide who can or cannot learn here. That authority belongs to me and me alone. Princess Twilight Sparkle herself may make a request of me, but the decision is ultimately mine,” states Cheerilee. “Please, go inside until class begins.” She looks at me. “Sparky, you are welcome back anytime you are ready. I actually have a special block of instruction I could use your help with, if you like. I look forward to having you.” She walks over to me and gives me a firm hug. She whispers in my ear, “I have tolerated that little bully for long enough. I don’t condone your actions, but I don’t condemn them either. Since it didn’t happen on school grounds, I choose to overlook them.” She releases me and walks inside. I smile. My hoard grows ever larger. “Scootaloo, could you please tell Cheerilee I will be back to school tomorrow? There are a few things I need to do today.” Scootaloo nods at me. I walk into the playground, and spot a grey filly sitting by herself. She turns towards me, and her glasses confirm her identity. She looks fearfully at me, cowering away. I stop in place and sit down. “I never meant to make you feel this way. It was wrong of me to make you suffer. I want you to know, I would never hurt you, or anypony. I reacted harshly to a perceived threat to my friends. For this, I’m sorry. If you learn anything from this, please just know that, while what I did was wrong, what you and Diamond Tiara were doing before that was wrong as well. If you need somepony to talk to, I would suggest seeking out the Crusaders. They know about me and will listen to you. Just approach them as a friend, and I’m sure they will welcome you.” She stops shivering and trying to back away. The look of fear is still there, but it no longer controls her. She says something I didn’t expect to hear from her so soon, “I… I accept your apology.” I nod and walk back over to the Crusaders. “Please, be nice to her. She has been through more than any filly should ever have to go through. I told her to come find you when she’s ready.” The three fillies nod. I smile and take to the sky. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I wanted to take a short flight to clear my head. A few laps around ponyville does wonders. The view from up here is quite different than walking through town. A few landmarks are easy to spot. The City Hall, Carousel Boutique, even Sugarcube Corner give me good point references to my location. Applejack’s farm to the southwest, my lake a bit further south and east from there, up north along the edge of the Everfree Forest, then past Fluttershy’s cottage. From there, I turn directly west straight over town. it all flows together so well. And the tree castle, my destination. Its location on the western edge of town allows me to complete my circuit. I land nearby and walk over to the door. I give a few hard knocks. “Just a moment!” calls Spike. Just the dragon I wanted to see. He opens the door and smiles at me. “Hey, Sparky! Long time no see.” “Is Twilight here? I was hoping to catch you guys together, maybe take a walk?” Spike starts to laugh. I start to look confused. “Yeah, she just finished what she was doing. I’ve never seen her want to hug a dragon that wasn’t me so bad before. Hey Twilight! We have a guest!” he calls upstairs. Twilight comes down to the entryway and spots me. A flash of light envelopes her and I now have an alicorn on my back, trying her level best to smother me with her hooves and wings. It seems the princess is pleased. “OH THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU!” she pretty much squeals at me. I guess that’s for the books. “OH MY CELESTIA and those BAGS! I just…” Wait for it… “SQUEE!” Heh, three down. I get a goofy smile on my face. I can’t help it. That noise just does something to me. She rambles on about them some more, things I already know. “Where did you get them?!” she demands. “I had them made for me long ago. Feel free to study one of them if you like. They are incredibly stable. Just make sure you trust whoever gives you one. There are several variations that are not as benign as the ones you now possess. Bags of transmuting, for example. Precious gems and currency placed inside will change into worthless bits of stone and metal. Then there are bags of devouring. Items placed inside are lost forever in the void. Including your limb should you reach inside to retrieve something.” She takes in what I’m telling her and nods her head. We turn and leave. “Where to, Sparky?” asks Spike. “There’s a grassy hill west of here. It looks nice and isolated. I thought we might relax there.” “We go there to stargaze sometimes. It’s nice for picnics too. Lets go,” Twilight says, leading the way. We arrive a few minutes later. Seeing nopony else around, I relax into my true self. I lie down in the grass. Twilight and Spike do the same. “Tell me about Rarity, Spike.” I request. “Rarity? What do you want to know? She’s just the most amazing, the prettiest unicorn I know.” “Hey!” Spike looks at Twilight sheepishly. Twilight manages to look upset for a few seconds, then laughs. I let off a few chuckles myself. “She sounds very important to you.” I state. “I…” he starts. He looks at me. “She is.” “How important is her happiness to you?” I ask. “I would do anything for her.” “Anything?” Twilight asks. “Um…” he stammers. “What if being with somepony else made her happy, Spike?” I ask. Tears start to well up in his eyes. Sorry, little one. It’s long since past for you to let her go. “I just don’t know. I don’t know, OKAY?!” he shouts. He is openly sobbing now. Twilight moves over to him and takes him into her forelegs and wings. He continues sobbing into her for a while. We just wait patiently for him to be able to continue. He starts to relax into her. The sobs have slowed. It’s time to finish this part of his agony. “Spike?” He shakes his head, holding Twilight harder. Come on, little one. We're almost there. He takes his head away from Twilight and looks at me. “I would do anything for her,” he states, sniffling. “I… I want her to be happy.” “She already is, Spike,” Twilight informs him. “She will be more happy if you give her your blessing, though.” “I… I'll go and see her. I am glad she’s happy, and glad I had a small part of it.” “Tomorrow, Spike. Take the rest of the day off. You and I both know what will happen if she sees you looking like this,” Twilight says, gesturing to him. He does look like a mess. “Can I spend it in the new library? I have been wanting to look at those new books.” I just laugh. “Well, not new, just very well protected and preserved. They will last even longer now that they are out of my damp cavern. Might I suggest a thick, green volume? It will have a picture of a dragon on the front. It contains our history and lore. You might like it.” Spike gets a gleam in his eye. He will be a mess for a little while, but this distraction should help him through it. Good luck, little one. He remains with us for a while longer, lying in Twilight’s embrace. This would have been impossible for him to go through without her. After a while, he gets up and starts towards the castle. “We are always willing to listen if you want to talk, Spike,” Twilight says. I nod in agreement. “Thanks, guys. I’ll be okay. I kinda knew this was coming sooner or later. It hurts, but I’m just glad she’s happy.” he says. He turns and walks away. After a moment, Twilight thanks me and leaves as well. I just lie in the grass. Today, I broke his heart. Tomorrow, he can build it back up. For now, I take a nap. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I awaken a little while later. I doubt much more than a couple of hours have passed. I stand and change myself to my colt form. I guess I could go to school after all. A few flaps later, and I’m on my way. No need for clearing my head this time. The schoolhouse lies just ahead. I lightly touch down and make my way over. Looks like the midday break is just about over. Foals are filing inside the building. I take my place at the rear of the line and walk inside. Miss Cheerilee sees me and smiles. I walk over to her. “Please stand at the front of the class,” she requests. I walk to the head of the classroom. Miss Cheerilee stands next to me and calls for everypony’s attention. The class settles down and she begins her lesson. “It’s not on the agenda today, but I decided to introduce a new topic in class. Now, who here can tell me about dragons?” I see where she’s going with this. No time like the present. Not surprisingly, three hooves shoot up. “Go ahead, Scootaloo.” “They’re big!” Laughter rings out through the classroom. “Alright, settle down. Go ahead, Sweetie Belle.” “They can change their shape?” The response this time is a murmur of disagreement. A few side debates take place. Cheerilee is on it. “Actually, she’s right, class. What is it called, Sparky?” “Polymorphing,” I respond. “Polymorphing. That’s right. Thank you, Sparky. Anypony else? Go ahead, Apple Bloom.” “We all know a dragon,” she says. Disagreement rings out again. Apple bloom continues, “We all know Spike!” Comprehension and agreement. It seems they forgot about the little guy. My turn. “Do you know any other dragons?” I ask them. The Crusaders have their hooves up again, as well as a shy Silver Spoon. Diamond Tiara is nowhere to be seen. “Anypony else?” No other hooves go up. Then a lone pegasus colt up front raises his hoof. “You know another dragon?” I ask him. He shakes his head. “No, I just had a question. Is it true they all breathe fire?” he asks. I just laugh. “A great many of us do, but not all of them. Spike is a wonderful example of a fire breather. I, myself, however, do not.” They look at me like I just grew another head. “Good afternoon, class. My name is Sparky. I am almost 150 years old. I can breathe underwater, and shoot lightning out of my mouth. I am a dragon,” I calmly state. The Crusaders leave their seats to stand next to me. Slowly, the other fillies and colts make their way over to me. I only change my eyes for the moment. A few are skeptical, but most of them stare at me with a sense of awe and wonder. Silver Spoon approaches me. I lower my head to her. In this form, I’m not that much taller than she is, but I want our eyes to be level. I see no more trace of fear in her. “Thank you for getting me to talk to the Crusaders. They really helped me, even though I was so terrible to them,” she says. “I think the written apologies helped a bit.” Ah, a smile. “Shucks, Spoony, we know a pony in need when we see one. Am Ah right, girls?” states Apple Bloom. Nods of agreement come from Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. I am glad she went to them. I address the class, “There will be a meeting about my presence in this town soon. I am sure your parents will have questions about me. Let them know to find Princess Twilight Sparkle. Are there any questions?” Every hoof in the class is raised. I love these foals. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A little while before school ends, I take my leave. I go towards Sweet Apple Acres a little ways, until I see no ponies around. Once there, I sit and wait. Before too long, the Crusaders approach. I still see nopony around, so I release my polymorph. The crusaders see me immediately and run over. Apple Bloom reaches me first. “Ya’ll promised!” she declares. I nod in agreement and plant her on my back. I then grab the other two and place them there as well. Seeing they are well clear of my wings, I take off and gain altitude. The three fillies all make their joy known as I go through a few simple maneuvers. I take us over the Acres and fly around for a little while longer. Before too long, I attract attention. She cuts through the air in front of me and gestures me to the ground. I comply, much to the disappointment of the three fillies. “What do you think you’re doing?” asks Rainbow Dash. “Fulfilling a promise to a friend. What are you doing?” I ask in return. “Keeping a menace away from these three fillies.” This has gone on long enough. I decide to end this. “Girls, I will have to join you later. Rainbow and I have something to discuss.” I walk over to Rainbow Dash with a chorus of “Bye Sparky!” behind me. We go off into a corner of the orchard. I decide to strike low. “Can Scootaloo fly?” “What?” “Can she fly? I’ve heard at least two times where she was insulted for being unable to touch the sky. Is this true?” “I have been trying to teach her. She cannot seem to gain any lift from her wings. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. What’s it to ya?” “She is my friend. Do I need anymore reason to want to help her?” I ask. I take off into the sky. Rainbow flies beside me. I swoop and dive. Rainbow, not to be outdone, corkscrews and loops. I find a cloud and land on it. Rainbow lands on the same cloud. It’s just small enough for both of us. She has to be close. Just like I planned. I lie down and look at her. “What has Twilight said about her?” “I don’t need Twilight. I can teach Scoots just fine. I don’t need you either, buster.” “Nevermind me, Twilight is a master of all kinds of magic. Since becoming an alicorn, I have little doubt she has knowledge of pegasi magic as well. Why aren’t you asking her for assistance?” “Because she can’t help! I already know why Scootaloo will never fly!” she declares, nearing tears. She sits down, wiping her face with her hoof. “Her magical connection is severed at her wings. It has left them stunted, and unable to bend the air currents the way we pegasi are normally able to. She can still walk on clouds, and I have never seen a pony her age who was able to shape them so well. She just can’t reach them.” “Is it hopeless?” “No, she can still create thrust. Forward momentum will be easy for her. It’s lift she can’t produce. I keep hoping she will hit a growth spurt and her wings will catch up to the rest of her. It would mean the connection might be restored. But there’s something missing still. You and I both know wing size has nothing to do with flight for either of us. It’s our magic that lets us do what we do.” “Well, wing size does affect our flight to a degree. For dragons, the larger we grow, the less we are able to do in the air. The flying we did earlier is about the limit to what I am able to do. Every time I see you take off and accelerate straight up, it makes me long for my younger days. I haven’t even broken the barrier in forever.” “The barrier? You? No way. What, a sonic dragonboom? As if,” scoffs Rainbow. “How do you think I reacted when I was told you pulled off the same feat? I have never heard of a non-dragon who could go super sonic. But the way it was told, I have no doubt you pulled it off. So, now I’ll ask you a question that will confirm to both of us our respective abilities. Who did you rainboom for?” Rainbow Dash just looks at me. I can see it. She’s a believer. “The first time was for Fluttershy. It took me years to figure out how to do it again. It took one of my friends being in mortal danger to learn the true secret behind it. That day, I used it to save Rarity. Since that day, I have been able to pretty much do it on command.” “I will never do it again. It’s just a simple fact,” I state. “Still, I think we should ask Twilight. Can it really hurt?” “Why are you doing this?” she asks. Her look of anger is returning. “As I said, she is my friend. I have come to care a great deal for the ponies around me. If there is any chance that I can be of some kind of assistance in all of this, would you deny her the sky just because of your personal vendetta against me?” She looks defiantly at me. I have her on the ropes, and she knows it. Time to give her room to breath. “Aside from Spike, of course, do you hate all dragons?” “Let’s just say, aside from Spike, I never met a dragon I liked. It’s always, hide for the dragon migration, or, this dragon is gonna cover our land in smoke, or, these dragons want to beat up Spike. I guess I have just come to expect the worse from you. No offence.” “None taken, you are right to fear a species who used to feed on your own.” “I’m not afraid of you. I just have a healthy respect for what you’re capable of. In answer to your earlier question, the answer is obviously no. Scoots flying is way more important to me then my ‘vendetta’ against you. I guess I never really gave you a chance, did I? From the start, I thought you were a rampaging beast. I kinda have an attack first mentality. ‘An enemy too broken to move is an enemy defeated.’” she says, making quote motions with her hooves. “What about innocent until proven guilty?” I ask. She glares at me. “This was so much easier when I didn’t like you. Why’d you have to go and be all friendly and logical at me?” “I would say I’m sorry, but that would be a lie. I will say I never wanted you as an enemy. I would actually prefer if the town knew about me, and we all just got along. I have taken steps towards that goal. We’ll see how it goes from there. One way or another, it’s out of my claws.” We are silent for a bit. I stand up and kick off the cloud. We land back in the Acres. I reach into a tree and grab a couple of apples. Rainbow looks at me when I offer her one. “Does AJ know you take her apples? she asks. “I have a standing invitation to take a few when I work here. I was planning to put in a few hours, but then this blue pegasus started harassing me. Now, I can either play with the Crusaders, or put myself to work. And I already promised the girls my time. It’s all your fault,” I state. “Me?! I… But… Gah! Lets just go see them.” “You know, If I were a lesser being, this is when I would say you’re cute when you’re mad,” I say, laughing. Red on cyan. It really stands out on her. She pretty much turns purple. I suppose I could make a joke to her about her Twilight Sparkle impression, but I need to let her calm down a bit. It wouldn’t do to have her blushing in front of her honorary sister, after all. She hits my leg with one of her hooves. I just grin and keep moving forward. “So, are you going to talk to Twilight about Scootaloo?” I ask her. She walks silently for a moment, then nods. “Yeah, it’s past time for me to seek outside help with her. I feel like such a failure. I failed the filly that looks to me as a sister. I always wanted one of those, you know. When she asked me to be like her big sister, it took everything I had to keep my cool. I could have done a million rainbooms that night, and it wouldn’t have been enough. I have this filly that looks up to me. She started a fan club for me. For ME! Now I, Rainbow Dash, have to go tell Scootaloo, the filly I love like a little sister, that I couldn’t get her to the sky where she belongs.” “You didn’t fail her. The only way you did is if you have given up. I don’t see you ever doing that. It’s funny, really. As a dragon, I now know our biggest weakness. We never seek aid from others. I see that now in this community. The whole of it is vastly greater than the sum of its parts.” She stops. I look back at her. I then tell her, “It’s not always about you, Rainbow Dash. Sometimes, to help the ones we love, we need to ask for help ourselves. If she were injured, would you try to heal her yourself? Or would you seek the aid of a doctor. This is no different. She has a problem with her magic. Why not seek the aid of a magical expert who also just so happens to be your friend?” “Flying just comes so naturally to me, that I have no idea how to explain it to somepony else. I can’t believe I’m learning to rely on others from a dragon!” “At least you’re listening. Lets let her play for a while. This is going to be hard on her, one way or another. Best case scenario, she is looking at magical rehabilitation for who knows how long. Worse case…” “She never flies.” Rainbow finishes. She starts forward again. We soon arrive at the clubhouse. The three fillies have been keeping themselves occupied by planning their next cutie mark schemes. I would laugh if they got a cutie mark of a cutie mark. Or their own Crusader emblem, right there on their flanks. Dash has already started telling the stories of her adventures to the girls. I just sit and listen. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rainbow Dash and I make our way to the castle. Scootaloo is riding on Rainbow’s back. A pang of jealousy hits me, but i crush it down with a vengeance. The flight is too short for all of us. I finally showed Rainbow Dash what I look like as a pegasus colt as well. She just stared at first, then laughed. I’m glad she took my deception so well. We all land in front of the castle. Rainbow goes inside with Scoots to find Twilight, while I just wait downstairs in the entryway. All those books I brought, and I can’t even see the new library. I’m sure they will be well read here. A few moments later, the three of them descend and approach me. “So, that’s the whole story, Twi. I… I need your help. We need your help.” Scootaloo starts crying. I would’ve guessed this would scare her. She starts apologizing to Rainbow, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to let you down, Rainbow Dash! Please!” Rainbow Dash looks at Scootaloo with shock. “No, Squirt! None of that. You never let me down. You’ve been nothing but the most awesome little sister a pony can ask for. You’re my awesome little sister, and don’t you forget it. We’re here because I was finally shown just how much help I need. I know how much you love to see me fly. I would love to see what you can do, too.” “But you said it didn’t matter if I could fly or not. I don’t understand!” “That’s still true, Squirt. Whether or not you can fly, I still love being your sister. That doesn’t mean we can’t try. If there’s a chance to make this work, shouldn’t we go after it, wings blazing, rainbooming the whole way? I believe in you, Scoots, and I know we will do everything we can.” Scootaloo wipes the tears from her eyes. She hops down from Rainbow’s back, and sits in front of her. Rainbow moves forward and wraps her up. “Most of my equipment survived the attack that destroyed the former library. I’m just glad I kept it all underground. The machines that didn’t survive can be found in Canterlot Hospital, if we need them. As a princess, I pretty much have carte blanche to use the facilities as I wish, as long as it doesn’t interfere with regular patient care. Scootaloo, if there’s a way to get you into the sky, we’ll find it.” “And I’ll be there for all of it, Squirt. Element of Loyalty here. You can count on me. I don’t always play the element card, but when I do, LOOK OUT! I am Rainbow Dash! Here me Roar! Take that, you, and that!” And now she’s shadow boxing the imaginary fiends that are keeping her sister ground bound. It’s super effective. Scootaloo starts to laugh. Twilight and I join in. Tomorrow promises to be a busy day for us. For today, the sound of a filly’s laughter at the antics of her older sister has brought laughter to all of us. “What’s going on down here?” asks Spike. He looks much better since this morning. He sees Rainbow fighting nothing, and us laughing at her imaginary battle. Still laughing, I walk over to him. I manage to get myself composed before asking him, “How are you feeling?” “Better. It hurt to hear it like that, but I’m glad I know. I guess I already knew. It just took hearing it from you guys to make it finally sink in. So, overall, thanks, I guess. “We only did it because we care about you. It wasn’t any easier for us to have to tell you all of that.. Just remember, we are always available to talk. All of your friends are,” I remind him. Sometimes, it helps to be reminded what we already know. I reach down and pull him to me. He wraps his arms around me and smiles. All of this didn’t go unnoticed. “You okay, Spike?” asks Rainbow. “Yea, I’m fine. I’m just going through a rough spot. What about you, Scoots? I thought I heard…” “Nope! No crying here! I’m just here with my sister. I’m definitely not sad because I can’t… can’t…” she tries to finish, tears forming. Rainbow scoops her up and holds her through her renewed sobbing. Spike looks at me sheepishly. “It’s not you, Spike. She has a tough time ahead of her. We,” I gesture to myself, Twilight, and Rainbow, “are going to do our best to get her into the sky.” I lean into his ear and fake whisper, “It’s also a way to get Rainbow Dash to like me.” Rainbow turns to me and frowns. I just grin back. She glares at me but, then, there it is. The barest hint of a smile. She turns away and goes back to cuddling Scootaloo. Of course, if either of them realised I thought of them as cuddling right now, it would break the magic of the moment. I grin down at Spike. “Most. Awesome. Hug. Ever.” I say, emphasizing each word. Rainbow looks at me again, grinning. “You got that right, Buster.” I let go of Spike and walk over to Twilight. The last thing I want is her to be caught unawares. "You might be getting visitors soon. I made myself known to the children in Miss Cheerilee's class. I gave them instructions to not hide thier knowledge from their parents. They will be telling everypony who has questions to come find you for answers. I hope this isn't a bother. I also told them we would be having a meeting soon. Any ideas on that?" Twilight takes in everything I said and smiles at me. "I'm actually glad you told everypony to find me. I was going to talk to Mayor Mare tomorrow about the meeting. I believe we can be ready in as soon as 2 days if the need arises. A week would be better. I have every confidence almost everypony will be accepting of you. Especially if the foals have already been around you with no problems." I hang my head and sigh. All I can think of is the wrong I committed by scaring those two fillies. "We both know there were problems. I made peace with Silver Spoon today. She accepted my apology, and I believe she in turn made peace with the Crusaders as well. I would have apologized to Diamond Tiara as well, but she wasn't at school when I went back." "Actually, she and her father came here shortly after I arrived back with Spike. He was trying to get me to influence Cheerilee into not letting you near the school. They weren't pleased with my answer." "That Cheerilee alone has the right to allow or disallow a student to attend her class?" I ask, even though I know the answer. Twilight confirms it with a nod of her head. "She told Diamond Tiara as much when I arrived there this morning. The filly tried to get me to leave, but she was reprimanded by Miss Cheerilee." "Are you guys finished?" asks Rainbow Dash. She has a sleepy looking Scootaloo on her back. "I gotta get her home to her parents. I made sure to tell them where we would be, but we gotta get going." "Of course, Dashie. Bring her by tomorrow after school, and we'll get started. Sparky, I'm afraid you won't be able to be there for her, since my equipment is upstairs." Dashie. I like it. "I think she will be fine with just Rainbow 'Dashie' with her," I say, chuckling. Rainbow just glares at me. I keep smiling back. She shakes her head and leaves, flying off into the evening sky. "Do you always have to tease her like that?" asks Twilight. I nod my head. "I have a feeling she can give as good as she takes in that regard. I know, sooner or later, she'll get me back." I make my own way to the door. Spike and Twilight walk with me. "I will probably spend tomorrow at Sweet Apple Acres if you need me. I have been meaning to put in some work there, and it's nice to be able to walk around as myself. Until then, goodnight, Twilight, Spike, and good luck tomorrow," I say, nodding to each of them in turn. They both wish me the same and let me out. I take off into the night.