//------------------------------//
// Chapter 42: Upgrades 
// Story: Secrets of the Everfree 
// by PaisleyPerson 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 42
Upgrades


“Honestly, Rarity, we’re fine. I don’t see why you need to come over and make our breakfast,” I sighed, scrambling about the kitchen as I reluctantly assisted the unicorn in fixing the meal. Charcoal was now a week old and living back at home with us, and our friends were being overly-helpful in assisting us to settle in. “Surely you have your own responsibilities to take care of?”
“Nonsense, darling! None more important than my friends, anyway. You’re under so much stress, taking care of the baby and all. The least I can do is fix you a meal or two.”
“Cooking isn’t even my job. You just put Blaze out of work.” I gestured to the table, where the dragon had taken up the duty of feeding Charcoal after being booted out of the kitchen.
“And now he’s looking out for the baby, so you can have a few minutes to relax,” Rarity explained, levitating a couple of bowls to the other counter. 
“Look, I appreciate the gesture, but I can handle it, really.”
“I say let her stay. Whatever’s cooking in there smells heavenly,” Torchwood made his way down the steps. “Have either of you ladies seen my saddlebags? I need to start my rounds.”
“Behind the register where you left them,” I sighed, finally accepting the fact I’d lost the battle with Rarity. 
“Thanks.” Torchwood started to reach for them, but the bags were suddenly jerked away by a bold blue aura. 
“Ah, ah! I’m sure the mail can wait until after you’ve eaten,” Rarity sang. 
“But-!”
“No buts! It isn’t healthy to skip meals, especially breakfast. You won’t have the energy to make your rounds,” she scolded, sitting him at the table. He grunted in irritation. 
“Now you see what I have to put up with?” I exclaimed. 
“You’ll thank me later,” Rarity sighed, retrieving her own saddlebags from the corner. “Very well, I do have some things to attend to, so I’ll leave you be. But if you need anything at all, I’m just next door.”
“Yes, I know. Thank you, Rarity, but really, we’re fine.”
“As you wish. Goodbye, Charcoal! Ooh, he does look fabulous in those new baby boots!”
“Careful, Char! Don’t get Aunt Rarity’s boots messy,” Blaze gently moved his hoof out of the way before he dunked it in an applesauce spill (courtesy of Applejack, of course). 
“Never fear, they’re washable,” Rarity assured. “Alright, I’ll see you soon. Farewell! Au revoir!”
“Bye, Rarity.”
“Say goodbye!” Blaze regained his hold on Charcoal’s boot and gently flapped it so the baby could wave to his aunt. 
“Ba bee!” At last, Rarity disappeared. 
“Oh, I was worried she’d never leave!” I sighed in relief. 
“I know! I’m going to be late for my rounds!”
“What are you talking about? There’s still time.”
“Have you tasted this breakfast? She may be overly enthusiastic, but she does know how to cook.” I realized that he’d finally broken down and started eating the meal she prepared for us. I laughed and shook my head. 
“Didn’t you say you were going to get an early start this morning?”
“Come on, Acrylic. She did come over just to make us breakfast. It would be rude to let it go to waste.” I couldn’t argue with that, and gave in.
“Fair enough.” I’d just taken my first few bites of the undeniably delicious meal when Blaze scrunched up his face. 
“Ugh! Charcoal!” He desperately began fanning the toxic fumes away from his face. “Someone needs a diaper change!”
“I’ll get it,” I sighed, sliding out of the chair. 
“No, that’s okay. I can do it,” Blaze offered, removing the foal from the high chair.
“Are you sure? It’s not your responsibility, you don’t have to do it.”
“I don’t mind,” Blaze shook his head, already halfway up the stairs. I shrugged, and allowed him to carry through with it. 
“He sure loves that colt,” Torchwood shook his head in amazement. 
“He and Garble didn’t always see eye to eye until recently. I think he’s trying to give Charcoal the brotherhood he never had,” I quietly voiced. Torch nodded, accepting this reasoning. 
“Okay, I’ll see you later.” He pushed his chair away, having cleared his plate already. I kissed him goodbye, and he grabbed his saddlebags before ducking out the door. Finally left alone, I let out a tired sigh, dragging once again. I slowly forced myself to begin clearing the table, the mere thought that I’d have to open up the shop soon making it seem like a much harder job than it already was. 
“Hey, Heckley? Could you flip the sign for me?” I hadn’t called on my pet for assistance in quite a while, but he was still happy to oblige. Now that Blaze was looking out for Char, and Heckley was getting the shop opened up, my load seemed a little more manageable.
From upstairs, I heard a commotion, and froze. The roar of fire was followed by a frightened shout. I relaxed a bit. Just like young unicorns were known to have magic surges, thestral foals sometimes began experimenting with their fire dancing ability early on. Thinking all was well, I continued with the dishes. 
“ACRYLIC!”
“What is it, Blaze?”
“COME QUICK!”
“Did Charcoal have a fire surge?”
“You could say that.”
“Don’t worry. It’s perfectly normal,” I promised. 
“I really don’t think this is normal.” Baffled and a bit worried, I tossed the plates aside and rushed up to the nursery. Blaze was still pressed against the opposite wall, staring at the blackened crib in fearful wonder. The entire wall had been singed, as though a small explosion went off in the crib. Indeed, that was where Blaze pointed to. I cautiously but quickly continued forward, worried about my son. My eyes bulged when I peered into the cradle. “See?”
“TWILIGHT!”





“I’ve never seen anything like it before,” Twilight mused, checking over Charcoal with a scanning spell. (Doctor Horse had assured us that magical exposure would be perfectly safe after birth.) “You’re sure this isn’t normal?”
“WOULD I HAVE CALLED YOU IF THIS WAS NORMAL?”
“Alright, alright, calm down.”
“How can I calm down, Twilight? Look at what’s happened!”
“I am looking.”
“Then fix it!”
“I’m trying, but I don’t know how!”
“Is everythin’ alright, sugar cube?”
“We heard yelling!”
“Is Charcoal okay?”
“Where is he anyway?”
“In there,” I squeaked, trying to keep my cool. A trembling hoof pointed to the cradle, where Heckley was already scrutinizing the form within. My friends curiously pushed farther into the room, but gasped in horror when they peered into the crib. 
“What in the hay?”
“Oh my stars!”
“Sweet Celestia!”
“Whatever happened to him?”
“I don’t know! I was just changing him when he suddenly burst into flames! When the fire died down, he looked like that!” Blaze frantically explained. 
“Changeling?” Pinkie suggested.
“No, not a changeling. My scan shows that it is Charcoal. It’s fascinating, really,” Twilight calmly mused. 
“Fascinating isn’t exactly the word I’d use,” I furiously flipped. 
“I know you’re worried, Acrylic, but there’s no reason to be. In fact, this could be a huge scientific breakthrough!”
“My son spontaneously turned into a dragon!” I clenched my teeth, face pressed against hers. I heard a carefree giggle from the crib, and melted as my son again caught my eye. At least, I was pretty sure he was my son.
As Blaze had explained the story, Charcoal had been laying on the changing table rather cooperatively when he suddenly exploded in fire. It sounded like a standard fire surge up to that point. But when the fire blew out and left a dragon hatchling behind, I knew to call Twilight. I had Blaze send word to Torchwood as well, but if he was in the middle of his rounds, I wasn’t sure how quickly he could be back. 
This dragon shared an uncanny resemblance to my Charcoal; the colt’s forest green coat had translated into matching scales, and those beautiful golden orbs still shone back at me. His wing membranes had paled a bit, light green spines now lined the top of his head like a mohawk while a few shorter spikes stood at the base of his tail, and an underbelly of the same color was clearly outlined. Half of a spade-like protrusion topped off his tail. Tiny claws gripped the crib, and small ears swiveled around with incredible dexterity, picking up every noise in the room. His weak hind legs supported him as he reached up for me, asking to be held. I gave in to the demand, and cradled my child.
“This is because of the transformation spell, isn’t it?” I sniffled.
“I think so,” Twilight confessed. 
“Then it’s my fault.” I coddled the hatchling more closely.
“No, it wasn’t! You didn’t know! And besides, I don’t think this is permanent. I do believe he can switch between pony and dragon forms at will.” I searched Twilight’s eyes for truth. Could I really get my son back?
“Can you do that, Charcoal? Can you switch back for Mommy?” I met Charcoal’s innocent eyes with my own tear-filled ones. He responded with a sneeze that coated his whole body in blue-ish fire. I shut my eyes to shield them from the unexpected glare, but when the heat was extinguished, I looked back to find my little colt squirming in my grasp. I let out a breath I wasn’t aware I’d been holding, and held him tight.
“Yay! Charcoal’s back!” Pinkie cheered a little more quietly than she might have normally as to not upset the baby.
“What was that?”
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Twilight said again. “I’m not entirely sure what happened, but my guess is that when Acrylic went through that transformation spell at the beginning of her pregnancy, the spell somehow worked its way into Charcoal’s genetic makeup. It was so early in his development that he compensated for the magical contact by absorbing it directly into his DNA, thereby gaining the abilities cast by the spell. And since Acrylic transformed from pony to dragon, then from dragon to pony, he can go both ways. We just never noticed it until now. I wonder if something like this is what ‘upgraded’ thestrals...”
“Twilight, is this... condition... going to cause more problems in the future?”
“I’d prepare for some more charred furniture, but I don’t think Charcoal is in any danger, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Can he be cured?”
“Acrylic, this is more of a gained natural ability we’re dealing with here, not some disease. I don’t think there is a cure. It’s just who he is.” I groaned, setting the baby down before I smothered him with more of my coddling. 
“Acrylic? Are you alright, dear?”
“It’s just... he’ll never have a normal life because of some stupid decision I made.”
“That wasn’t stupid in the least! You were tryin’ to protect your other boy!” Applejack exclaimed. 
“And I don’t think there is such a thing as a normal life, darling,” Rarity assured. 
“This just means he’s super-duper special!” Pinkie assured. 
“And if he can change back whenever he wants, it’s not like it’s a big deal. He can just go around in pony form most of the time, and switch over to a dragon if he feels like it,” Rainbow shrugged. 
“At least you won’t have to worry about him fitting in with the other dragons,” Blaze cautiously pointed out. 
“Yeah, I bet Garble will be impressed now!” Spike added.
“Am I the only one freaking out over this?”
“Of course not, dear.”
“Yeah, it’s kind of weird,” Rainbow agreed, “but we know what’s going on and we have a good idea of why it’s going on, and so far it doesn’t look like it’s going to be causing any major problems. So why worry about it?”
“He’s still your son,” Fluttershy reminded. 
“I know that. And I still love him to death, I’m just worried. What if he gets teased in school about it?”
“Who knows? Maybe just the opposite will happen and he’ll make other ponies jealous!”
“Yeah! I, for one, think that your kid has the coolest superpower ever! I’ve always wanted to know what I’d look like as a dragon.”
“That really isn’t helping, Dash.”
“What’s wrong?” Hooves skittered along the wood floors as Torchwood flew into the room. “I came as fast as I could,” he panted. “Is Charcoal okay?” I choked on my words, and salty tears leaked from my eyes. Torch was upon us in an instant. “What happened?”
“You remember the transformation spell?” Realization hit him like a brick. “Turns out there was a side effect.” I could contain myself no longer, and broke down in tears.
“Shh. We’ll work through this,” he assured, taking the baby. “Just tell me exactly what happened.”
“I took Charcoal upstairs to change his diaper,” Blaze repeated for the fourth time, seeing as how I couldn’t bring myself to give any sort of explanation. “And there he was, on the changing table, behaving himself. I turned away for just a second, and the next thing I knew, he exploded in blue-ish fire like some sort of magic surge. But when the fire went out, he turned into a dragon!”
“A dragon?” Torchwood considered the colt before him once again, finding it rather hard to believe. Charcoal just kicked and squirmed, pleading for attention. Torch complied by giving him back to Blaze. No sooner had the baby been passed on, though, than he lit up in fireworks once more. Blaze just held him away from his face and turned away to shield his eyes, becoming accustomed to the routine. Torchwood, on the other hoof, was paralyzed in shock.
“You see!” Blaze exclaimed, resituating the hatchling more comfortably in the crook of his arm despite the fact that he was now covered in soot. 
“Y-you w-weren’t kidding,” he stuttered, still staring at our child.
“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Twilight spoke gently. “But I don’t think it will cause any real problems. He just gained a new ability, which he can turn on and off at will, not unlike your wing retractions.”
“You’re saying he can still lead a normal life?” he clarified.
“As far as I can tell,” she shrugged. Torchwood took a moment to steady himself.
“Then... I suppose... this is good news.”
“GOOD NEWS?!” The rest of us screeched.
“How in any way, shape or form is this good news?” I ranted.
“Think about it, honey,” he urged. “If he can turn it on and off as he likes, it can only help him. He will be spending a lot of time with his brothers, after all.” Torch glanced to Blaze.
“I do see how that could be of benefit, given his circumstances,” Rarity tried to soothe.
“But what if he gets teased about it at school?”
“Pfft! Are you kidding me? If those kids know what’s good for ‘em, they won’t risk the wrath of a dragon!” Rainbow snorted.
“That’s a good point!” I exclaimed, nerves getting the best of me. “What if he can’t make friends because his... ability... scares everypony off?”
“Oh, my!” Fluttershy gasped, realizing I was right. The rest of our friends glared at her. “I mean... I’m sure that won’t happen.”
“Acrylic, you know better than anypony that if your friends can’t accept you for who you really are, they aren’t your real friends,” Twilight pointed out. “If the other colts and fillies won’t take Charcoal for who he really is, then it’s probably for the best.”
“I just don’t want him to feel alone. I know what it’s like to feel stuck between two worlds.”
“You’re frettin’ too much,” Applejcak wrapped a hoof around my shoulder. “He’s got a whole slew of friends right here!”
“And I’ll make sure he doesn’t get bullied,” Blaze declared. 
“That’s sweet, Blaze, but you can’t be with him every minute of every day,” I weakly smiled. 
“No one can do that, but we can all be there to help all four of you through this. Right, girls?”
“Yes indeedily!”
“Certainly!”
“Uh-huh!”
“You got it, partner.”
“Of course!”
“Don’t worry. We dragons look out for each other,” Spike assured. I wasn’t sure if he was wrapping an arm around Blaze or just leaning on him, but either way, the gesture showed their mutual intimacy. 
“It’ll all work out, I promise,” Torch heartened once more. “I’ll stay home with the three of you until we know exactly what’s going on.”
“Can you get someone to cover your shift?” I sniffed, relieved we wouldn’t be left alone but concerned for his work. He had been taking a lot of time off lately, and that couldn’t look good to his boss.
“Consider it done,” Rainbow saluted, snatching Torch’s mail bag and zooming out the door before anyone could argue. 
“I know you don’t like me cooking for you, Acrylic, but please allow us to bring you a meal tonight,” Rarity gently set a hoof on my shoulder. As exhausted and scared as I was, I could only nod. “Excellent!”
“We can pitch in ‘round the house, too. Whatever ya need, just tell us, and we’ll get ‘er done,” Applejack ran her hoof along the edge of her stetson, a gesture that somehow expressed pride, capability and determination all at once. 
“Ooh! Ooh! Can I help?” Pinkie requested. 
“Pinkie, you work the register at Sugar Cube Corner sometimes, right? Why don’t you keep the shop open? And Applejack? I’d say those flowers Acrylic dried are about ready to be made into paint. Right?”
“Sure.”
“We’re on it!” Pinkie dutifully marched back downstairs, closely followed by Applejack. I’d run her through the paint-making process once or twice when she came by to help out before.
“What should I do?” Fluttershy helpfully asked.
“You’re good with all sorts of baby creatures. Could you stay upstairs and help Spike and Blaze babysit?”
“I’d be happy to,” she sweetly smiled. 
“I’m going to go consult with Doctor Horse and see what else I can find out. If we’re lucky, we might even be able to convince him to make a house visit.”
“What about us?” Torchwood queried. 
“Right now, you should just focus on getting some rest,” Twilight conducted. “If I can get the doctor over here, he’ll probably have some questions and maybe even advice, but other than that, you both need to take the day off. Let us handle things.”
“It’s under control,” Spike winked.
“Between the four of us, how hard could it be?” Blaze concurred. 
“Four?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Sure. Heckley’s going to stick around and lend a tail, right boy?” Heckley tilted his head upon being addressed, and though he didn’t seem very enthusiastic, he didn’t protest, either.
“Well...”
“Come on, honey. Get some rest. It sounds like they all have a good handle on things.” I moved close enough to Blaze so I could give Charcoal a final nuzzle. He grabbed at my nose, good-naturedly pinching the flesh between his pointy little dragon talons.
“Okay.”





I remembered Torchwood leading me off to bed, and though he’d lay down beside me, I must have fallen asleep relatively quickly, because I missed the doctor’s visit. My friends later reported that he basically confirmed Twilight’s theory after running a few tests, and likewise didn’t find any other problem. He acknowledged the possibility of bullying in the future, but assured that though Charcoal’s case was unusual, magical mishaps weren’t unheard of, so hopefully the oddity of the matter would be more or less readily accepted over time. To my surprise, he also made the suggestion that we start providing Charcoal with as much public exposure as possible early on. It was tempting to keep the matter hush-hush, but as the doctor logically explained, the truth would come out sooner or later and it would be best if everypony learned of his ability now so they would be more likely to accept it.
I didn’t wake up until nearly four, and after missing lunch, I’d worked up quite an apetite. As promised, Rarity had us covered, and had prepared a meal large enough to accomodate everyone. This hadn’t been done without Applejack’s help, of course. Torchwood realized that we still had yet to inform our family of the matter, and recruited Rainbow to help him track down our parents. Spike had performed the courtesy of notifying Wild Flower through Nova, which probably meant Cedar was also aware.
Like the concerned grandparents they were, our parents immediately stopped by to check up on Char. They shared my concern, but like our friends, were determined to make the best of the situation. My father declared that he would begin researching how Char could make the best use of his dragon physique to perform new aerial stunts. Rose suggested that maybe this could open up a whole new range of ways for him to earn his cutie mark, which led Meteor to mention he hoped it would be in the quarrying business. “We can always use more strong lads out in the quarry. A dragon’s sheer size would be more than useful, not to mention that kind of brawn,” he’d said. Mom was there mostly for moral support and stuck by my side the entirety of the night, but also kept everypony else from getting carried away in their plans for the baby’s new “powers.”
Of course they stayed for Rarity and Applejack’s dinner. Our friends had definitely prepared for visitors, because there was more than enough food to accomodate everyone, plus Wild Flower, Cedar and Nova who arrived just after we began eating.
“We came as soon as we heard,” my sister assured. 
“But what exactly is the problem?” Nova scratched his head. Blaze only had to gesture to the tiny green hatchling seated beside him for all three of their jaws to drop. 
“My... word...” Wild Flower breathed, eyes bulging. 
“I- er...” Cedar stuttered before deciding it was best to keep his mouth shut for fear of saying something offensive. My sister, on the other hoof, had no such fear.
“What in the hay happened to your kid?!”
“Wild Flower!” Mom loudly barked. “Mind yourself!” 
She flattened her ears in embarrassment and uttered a barely audible, “Sorry.”
“It’s okay, Mom,” I sighed, half-amused, half-pained by the remark. “I know it’s weird.”
“That’s one way to put it,” Wild Flower agreed, moseying over to receive her nephew. The baby erupted into giggles of greeting upon eyeing his aunt. She timidly reached out to tickle the hatchling’s belly. He kicked and squirmed and thrashed in complete and utter delight, which prompted another body-shift to overcome him. Wild Flower didn’t even retract her hoof when Charcoal’s blue flames erupted, or when he changed back to a colt. She merely continued to stare, rather mesmerized by the transformation. “Just... why?”
“You remember when Luna cast the transformation spell on me and I turned into a dragon?”
“Oh yeah. That was when your other... uh... boy, got into some trouble.” she looked at Blaze, hoping he wasn’t offended. He didn’t even seem to acknowledge that she’d spoken at all.
“Yes. Well, the doctor thinks that since I was pregnant when I went through the spell, Charcoal somehow absorbed the transformation magic, so he can turn it on and off at will now.”
“Sounds... logical,” Cedar processed the information.
“Still weird, but I guess I can see that,” Wild Flower shrugged, finally coming to terms with the situation. “Does anyone else know?”
“Not yet, but the doctor wants us to get the whole town used to it as soon as possible,” Torch responded. 
“How’re you going to do that?”
“Not keep him locked up in the house?” I sardonically put in. 
“I know! Why not bring him to the Breezy Crossing next week? The whole town’s going to be there, and he’ll have a blast. And aren’t you guys helping out anyway, ever since you became the ‘mythical creature nuts’ or whatever?”
“Breezies aren’t mythical creatures, Wild Flower,” I rolled my eyes. 
“Actually, they’re very rare, tiny, magical ponies,” Fluttershy helpfully explained. “They migrate to the western part of Equestria every few years to gather pollen. But they have to make it back before the portal to their native land closes.”
“We pegasi are making the breeze for them,” Rainbow proudly declared. 
“The breeze activates their magic, which they use to keep the pollen from being destroyed.”
“Wow! I bet even Acrylic doesn’t know that much about breezies!”
“Because they aren’t mythical creatures!” I snorted again.
“No, but they are adorable, tiny, fairy creatures. Their wings are so itty-bitty! Like a butterfly, but even more delicate. Did I mention how tiny they are?”
“Don’t suppose you pegasi need any help?” Dad turned to Rainbow, correctly assuming she was heading the operation.
“I was going to ask for some thestral help, but as I recall, you guys don’t hover so good. At least not without kicking up a tornado.”
“Oh, no, no, no. The breezies are so delicate, they need a very gentle breeze to help them on their way,” Fluttershy hastily interjected.
“What can I say? We’re powerhouses,” Dad chuckled. “Alright, then. You said this is next week? I’ll make sure to keep all thestrals grounded for the little guys.”
“So you aren’t helping, then?” Wild Flower looked at me.
“THEY AREN’T MYTHICAL CREATURES!! I can tell you almost anything you want to know about hippocampi, hippogryphs, destrals, centaurs, aponi, any of those guys. But breezies actually exist!” I seethed throughout the entire duration of the rant.
“Well, duh. Haven’t you been listening?” I couldn’t help but face-hoof. “Just because you don’t know anything about them doesn’t mean you can’t help. Right, Flutters?”
“Oh, uh, well... I think we have things covered,” Fluttershy uneasily shifted.
“But you can come and watch with everypony else!” Pinkie invited. 
“Just make sure to keep your distance. You don’t want Char exploding in a fiery inferno and burning everypony,” my sister ever-so-helpfully pointed out. 
“Or distracting the breezies. It sounds like they’re very sensitive creatures,” Rose Petal added. Fluttershy’s expression told me that the older mare had read her mind.
“Oh my! I hadn’t thought of that,” Rarity mused. 
“Maybe we better sit this one out,” I sighed, reading our yellow friend’s face. 
“No, really. We’d love to see you there,” she hastily but quietly interjected. “After all, I’m sure Charcoal will have his powers under control by then.”
“He’s a week old, Fluttershy! You can’t expect him to learn that quickly.”
“I don’t know. He seems to be getting the hang of it,” Nova observed. 
“It would be a good chance to introduce him to everypony,” Spike agreed. 
“I’ll keep working with him. Baby dragons learn fast. I’m sure we can get him ready for next week,” Blaze vowed.
“We’ll see.”