"How many does that make?" Twilight leaned against Fluttershy's foot as she tried to catch her breath. They had been practicing for a while, ever since that annoying Ice Heart up and ran off in the middle of their conversation. "I've lost count."
Fluttershy winced. "Twenty-seven," she lied. The real number was closer to forty-three, but she didn't want to discourage the little hatchling too badly. "And, you almost had it that time."
Twilight groaned and plopped herself down on one of the larger dragon's toes. As she hung there, limply draped across the claw, she asked, "What am I doing wrong? The first one was so easy. Why can't I get any other spells right?"
Fluttershy shrugged helplessly. "I don't know, Twi. I'm not used to teaching anydragon magic. I'm trying my best, but I don't know how to perform scans, or troubleshoot spell failures."
The hatchling groaned in defeat. "You probably shouldn't use magic on me anyway. Nodragon should, not until I can get my magic under control."
Fluttershy carefully rubbed Twilight's back. "Then, how do we figure out what you're doing wrong?"
"I don't know!" The hatchling rolled onto her back with a sigh, straddling to of Fluttershy's toes like she was laying in a hammock. "It's recursion! I can't use magic right, so I need a scan. But I can't be scanned until I learn to use magic right. So, I'm stuck in an endless loop of magical mediocrity, the dragon with a single spell."
Fluttershy had to hold back a giggle while the hatchling pouted. "It isn't that bad, Twi. You did really well learning the lightbringer spell. I'm sure you'll do just fine, given enough time."
Twilight scoffed and crossed her arms. "Like a century or two?" she asked sarcastically.
"No," Fluttershy admonished, "but you can't expect this to happen overnight. It took me months to learn my first spell, and several weeks for each one after that. You're already ahead of where I was at your age."
"But I have to learn quickly," she whined. "So I'm not a danger."
"All the more reason to take it slow, Twilight." Fluttershy picked up the hatchling. "You don't want to rush into a mistake. How would Rarity feel if you hurt yourself? And what about Spike? He cares for you too. Neither of them would be happy if something happened to you."
Twilight looked up at the larger dragon. "Then what am I supposed to do?"
"For now, you should rest." Fluttershy held the hatchling up to her shoulder. "It's getting late, so I'll bring you back to camp. You can get to sleep, and we can practice some more tomorrow."
"Wait, you mean you're going to carry me?" The hatching squinted up at the other dragon and slowly, suspiciously asked, "What's the catch?"
Fluttershy shook her head. "No catch." She then deposited Twilight atop her head, letting her sink into the long pink hair. The older dragon then wiggled her claw playfully at the hatchling hidden in her crest. "But, it's just for this once. Remember that."
"Aw, come on!" Twilight whined. "You never carry me around. Don't you think you ought to make up for lost time at least?"
Fluttershy gave her wings an indignant flap, forcing the hatchling to brace herself against the sudden wind. "No, Twi. As a matter of fact, I do not. I also believe that Rarity should carry you around far less than she does. She's spoiling you when she should be helping you learn to stand on your own."
"But everydragon else can walk like, a thousand times faster than I can! I'd get left behind!"
"I know, Twi, and I can understand carrying you when we all go out together. But Rarity insists on carrying you, even if it's just the two of you. Some dragon has to take up the slack, and get you walking."
Twilight sighed miserably. "And that some dragon is you?"
"Exactly." Fluttershy smiled. "I'm glad we understand each other."
"But I walk around the library all day," Twilight whined. "And I go up and down all those ladders and steps."
"But you're still a bit of a couch potato." Fluttershy started walking. "When you play with the crusaders, you sit around and give out orders. When you all come back after playing for a day, they're filthy and covered in mud from their adventures, while you're the only one that's clean. You don't seem to be as active as a dragon your age should be. I'm worried about you."
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Because I make sure I run around mud puddles, instead of straight through them with the other crusaders?"
Fluttershy shook her head. "No, Twi, being a bit cleaner than your friends isn't the issue. It just seems to me... I guess it seems like you hold yourself back a lot, sort of like you did with your magic. You don't need to, though. You have a lot of friends, more than you think. Besides the crusaders, all of Rarity's friends care about you, and so does Spike, I think. There are more, too. The Cakes, Caramel, the Apples, and others."
Taking a clawful of hairs as a safety rope, Twilight made her way to Fluttershy's snout. "You really think so?"
Fluttershy almost nodded, but caught herself. "I know so."
Twilight didn't answer, but Fluttershy could tell that the hatchling was thinking it over. That was one of the young dragon's greatest strengths. That, even at this young age, she could think things through in a logical manner, and incorporate new information into her conclusions as it presented itself. True, her conclusions were sometimes based in some sort of fuzzy hatchling logic, and sometimes made little sense, but she still did the best she could.
The walk back to camp continued in silence. Fluttershy checked several times to make sure her hatchling cargo stayed awake enough to hold on, but otherwise let her be. It was late, and Twilight would be put to bed as soon as they made it back to camp, her being relaxed would make that easier. Rarity being back from her walk with Spike would make it even easier. Twilight never gave her caretaker a hard time when it came to bedtimes, unless there were books involved.
Fluttershy sighed quietly. She was a little curious what they were talking about. Given that mysterious light, it was probably something important regarding Rarity's earth powers. It's too bad, she had been hoping that they would get a chance to just talk. They were cute together, and Rarity of all dragons deserved someone nice to support her. Not that it would be a one way street, Rarity was a formidable dragon in her own right, and any drake would be lucky to have her on his side.
The yellow angel dragon sighed again. All this thinking about her friend's romance was bringing up thoughts of her own, or the lack of her own, with Applejack's brother, Mac. How long has it been since she even talked to him beyond a simple, "hello," or, "how are you?" Three years? Almost four? It wasn't like they were on uncertain terms about their feelings either. It brought a blush to her face to remember, but she once had a rather candid conversation with him regarding feelings, pledges, and even the possibility of starting a family. That was just before he was slated to join the military, with their plans to take effect when he returned in two years.
None of it never happened though. Things happened, the second attack happened, and everything changed. He had gotten hurt, and his sister had taken his place. Given the special circumstances, A.J. was given an easy job that let her stay in or near Dragonspire, but Mac stil blamed himself and withdrew. That was when they started drifting away from each other. He would pull away, and she was always too much of a coward to pull him back.
No more.
She would have to be a fool to believe there was any sense in continuing to act this way. She was going to change things... just as soon as she figured out how. Maybe Rainbow's advice was the way to go? Or maybe she should ask Applejack?
Fluttershy could see the glow of a campfire, so she was almost back at camp. She could also see Applejack, faintly lit by a fire that was much too small for her. As the yellow-furred dragon moved closer, she could see that the larger dragon was talking, no, more like arguing, with a much smaller figure.
For a moment, Fluttershy worried that she was somehow arguing with Spike or Rarity, but as the scene grew closer, she saw that the other party in the spat was that insectoid pony-like creature, Chrysalis. It wasn't long after that that Fluttershy was able to make out their words.
"It's gonna haf ta be, yer royal high-and-mighty-pain-in-the-tail-ness."
"Clever. How many hours did it take to think up that one?"
"Ya know, belittlin' me ain't gonna make me any more likely ta let ya in there."
"Oh, come on! I'll just slip in, transform in to one of them, cuddle with the other for ten minutes tops, eat my fill of affection, and be out without either of them noticing."
"That's why Ah said no."
"What if I cuddle with each one for five minutes? Then no one gets left out."
"How is that any better? Ah'm less likely ta let ya in there now."
"Um, excuse me?" Fluttershy rounded some scrub brush and entered the campsite. She pointed to a small ruin, probably an ancient storage shed, previously hidden by Applejack's bulk. "Are Spike and Rarity in there?"
Applejack nodded, then nudged Chrysalis, toppling her like she was a toy. "That's why she ain't. She's campin' out here with us until we figure out what to do with her."
"Figure out what to do with me?" Chrysalis stomped a hoof. " I'll have you know, I am a visiting dignitary! If I ever find a way home, I'll have an army I can unleash on you!" She waved furiously at the orange dragon. "Hey! Hey, don't ignore me, I'm talking to you! Look at me you overgrown dinosaur!"
Applejack sighed and lowered her head to the ground, looking down her nose at the small creature that barely came to her nostrils. "All right, Ah'm lookin'. Now what?"
As they glared at each other, Fluttershy took the sleepy hatchling from her snout and set her near the door to the ruin. Twilight yawned and wobbled a little, but stayed on her feet.
The winged dragon then peeked in the door. One pony, and one dragoness, both laying on opposite ends of a simple blanket, stared at opposite walls. They didn't even seem to notice the dragon at the door. Uh-oh, did something happen? They didn't really look mad at each other. If anything, they both looked a little sad and mopey.
Fluttershy chewed her lip a moment before whispering to Twilight, "You know, it's a really nice night out. Would you want to camp out with me and Applejack?"
"Why?" Twilight yawned, rubbing her eye. "Are they kissing or something?"
Fluttershy smiled and held back a giggle. "No, I was just asking." She nodded to the door. "Why don't you go in and show them what you can do now? I'm sure they'd love to see it."
Twilight yawned again, then shook herself almost awake. "Right... that... what?"
"The spell?" Fluttershy prodded. "Show them the spell you learned."
"But I didn't learn it, I just practiced one I knew. I messed up the one you tried to teach me."
"That doesn't matter, I'm sure they'll be happy either way." Fluttershy nudged the hatchling with a wingtip. "Go on."
Twilight looked up and nodded. "Ok, I'll try." The hatchling walked forward, into the dark building with her claws clasped tightly in front of her. "Mom? Spike?
Inside, Rarity looked up at the shadow falling across the floor. "Twilight? Is that you? Here, let me give you some light, dear."
"No, wait." Twilight squeezed her claws even tighter. "I can do it." She closed her eyes and lifted her claws, then whispered the spell's pattern to herself. Her horns glowed faintly pink for a second, and light began to escape between her fingers. She slowly opened one eye, then the other and a smile formed on her face. "See?"
She opened her claws a little too quickly, and was blinded by the sudden light. Blinking, she stepped forward, tripping on a small rock before reaching Rarity. The orb of light she just formed shattered against rock, spreading marbles of light across the floor, but something caught the hatchling before she could fall.
"Whoa there." Spike Lifted the little hatchling in his magic and deposited her next to her caretaker. "You've got to let your eyes adjust when you use a spell like that." Spike gestured at the glowing pieces left behind. "But you did great, look how bright these are."
Rarity patted the hatchling's head. "I agree." She mouthed a thank you at Spike for catching the hatchling and pulled the young dragon to her. "They look like stars, don't they?"
Spike rolled one around under his hoof. "Here's a little trick." He licked his hoof, then crushed the tiny light. When he picked his hoof back up, it was coated in sparkling glitter. He ran his hoof through his mane, leaving it dusted in light. "How do I look?"
"Like a pretty princess," Rarity laughed, "don't you agree, Twi?"
The hatchling examined the pony with a critical eye and nodded. "Not a good look for him."
"Perhaps it will suit me better, dears." Rarity reached for one of the spheres, only to yank her claw back when it sizzled against her scales. She looked down at Twilight as the hatchling looked up in worry. "It's ok," the dragoness reassured her, patting her head head and putting on a smile. "Why don't we go ahead and get to sleep? It's been a long day, and I'm certain we are all most spent."
Twilight managed a weak smile back. "Ok." She leaned against the white dragon's side and glanced over at her shattered spell. "Good night, mom. Good night, Spike." She crossed her claws and nestled in. "Spike?" She waited a moment, then waved the pony over.
He got up and dutifully walked over. "Yes?"
"Turn around." Twilight yawned. "Please?"
Spike blinked and glanced at Rarity, who offered up a shrug. "Ok," the pony replied, complying with the odd request.
There was a tug at his tail as the hatchling grabbed the end that trailed along the ground. She picked out a few sticks and bits of grass, then wrapped it around her like a blanket as she snuggled up against Rarity's side.
Spike chuckled softly as he sat down next to her, and by extension, next to Rarity. "Clever, isn't she?"
Rarity returned the chuckle and shook her head slowly. "She is at that." Smiling, she gave Twilight a goodnight kiss on the top of the head. Spike was watching with a smile, and Rarity gave him a mischevious smirk. "You want one?"
The pony's cheeks went red and his voice went all flustered. "What? No- I mean... Yes? But that wasn't, um-"
The dragoness giggled and laid her claw over the pony's snout, stopping his frantic rationalization. "Maybe tomorrow," she teased, mussing the fur on his snout.
"Yeah..." Spike closed his eyes and just enjoyed the feel of her claws running through his fur. "That'll be fine," he said, almost in a trance. When she finally pulled her claw away, he jerked his snout up and his eyes open like he was doused with water.
"Silly pony," Rarity chided with a smirk.
Spike laid down with an overplayed pout. "I'm gonna hold you to that, you know."
Rarity folded her claws and laid her head down. "Of course, dear."
Meanwhile, the not yet slumbering Twilight pulled her furry, improvised blanket a little tighter and whispered to herself, "So close."