It wasn’t just synthetic wool, wrapped in fabric and coated in soft ‘furr’. It meant so much more to her than that. A filly taking an exceptional liking to a particular stuffed toy was hardly unheard of but it was what this cuddly little dragon symbolised and reminded her of that made it special. Far from the usual, “It’s so cute,” or “the fur is so soft,” this toy let her feel closer to both her dreams and someone dear to her.
The spectrum of colours that graced the room were comparable to the filly’s mane and tail. They were so bright and vivid. No cost was spared in making this day one of the filly’s best. To her parents, it was completely called for. It’s not every day you turn a year older. It was by no means packed with many ponies, but a select few of her closest friends and family. The happiness and joy shared that day the filly of the hour would never forget.
A rapid tapping of hooves against the hard wood floor echoed as a young Rainbow Dash galloped to the pony she had been waiting most of the day to see; careful to avoid slipping on any of the streamers or confetti. “Grandpa Bolt!” She beamed as she crashed into the old stallion, nearly knocking him over.
“Whoa!” The pegasus stallion faltered. “Careful there Dashie, Grandpa’s not as tough as he used to be. Happy birthday.” He returned the embrace after regaining his balance. His originally sky blue mane had lost almost all colour with age and upon smiling, his face resembled a prune. Still, he had the most caring, green eyes Dash had ever seen.
After the embrace broke, Grandpa Bolt spoke once again in his usual soft and kind voice. “Hey, I heard you’ll be heading off to that Junior Speedster’s Flight School in a few months.”
Dash smiled proudly as she responded, “Yeah! I can’t wait. I want to grow up to be just like you!”
“A stallion?” Bolt tittered.
“Eww, Grandpa, gross,” the filly retched before correcting him, “I want to be a Wonderbolt!” Dash jumped in the air excitedly at the mention of the name.
Bolt couldn't help but smile as fond memories flooded back to him. He brought a hoof up and ruffled her mane. “It’s been a long time since I was a Wonderbolt, Dashie.” He swept the room with his bright gaze. “So, what’s the occasion? My memory’s a little faulty.”
“What?” Her confounded expression, Bolt found adorable. “How could you forget my birthday?” Before a hurt expression could take hold of her face, it turned to a knowing smile at the realisation of a joke her grandfather had pulled at nearly all of her birthdays. She could never get over how cheesy his sense of humour was.
Oblivious to her knowledge, Bolt continued. “Birthday!? Oh my, it seems that I have forgotten.” He turned around and picked up the handle of a bag in his pristine teeth. Returning to Dash, he set it down on the ground while casually saying, “Oh well, I guess this will have to do.” Out of the bag came a white box with a simple crimson red ribbon wrapped around it and tied neatly at the top. Without missing a beat, the stallion hinted. “This is something from my foalhood. Needless to say, it’s very old,” he laughed. “Luckily, I know a unicorn and he used his magic to keep it in as good a shape as the day I bought it. I dare say it would be pretty valuable nowadays. I’ve never seen another like it. It’s very important to me, so I hope you look after it. You could probably give it to one of your foals some day.”
Immediately after Bolt finished speaking, Dash took one of the ribbons between her teeth and gently unravelled the bow. As it came undone and fell limply to the floor, she lifted up one of the corners of the lid. She could see... something furry. As she lifted the corner further, two green, slitted eyes stared out at her.
Noticing Rainbow’s hesitance, Bolt spoke up. “It’s not going to bite you. It’s not a real dragon.”
Dash smiled sheepishly to her grandfather before opening the box fully. Inside was a plush dragon; a smile adorned on it’s muzzle. Whomever made such a toy went to extraordinary lengths to make it the highest possible quality. Every seam was carefully hidden by the tightness of the stitching. Meticulous effort went into defining each ivory coloured stomach scale, so that each valley was the same distance from the last and the border traced the way from the half way point of the tail, to the jaw perfectly. The deep amethyst fur, while inaccurate to the real thing, was silky and soft. Green, felt spinal scales ran down it’s back, all the way to the tip of the tail. The creature rested of all four of it’s stubby yet muscular legs. It would remain a mystery how the artisan managed to capture such a complex shape. Value essentially oozed from every crevice.
Rainbow Dash locked Bolt into a one legged hug, cradling the dragon in the other. “Thanks, Grandpa. I love it.” Out of the sea of wonderment, sailed an unexpected question. “What’s his name?” Inquired Dash.
Bolt furrowed his brow in thought. “Um, I think I used to call him... Draco. Yeah, that’s it.” Dash returned her gaze to the dragon. “I suppose I should explain why I kept him all these years. You see, he is supposed to be a particular type of dragon.” He poked Draco’s belly. “The real thing is a lot less chubby. Anyway, the species is called the ‘dragon of agility’, which means they can move very quickly.” She looked up at him and blinked. “This creature always inspired me. They are natural fliers. Some of them could easily give the Wonderbolts a run for their money! More than that, they have one trait that I think is one of the best any pony could ask for.” He looked into the filly’s eyes. “They are the most loyal creature in the world. This dragon’s loyalty, is forever. They will do everything in their power to help their friends in need and then some. It’s always been something I’ve looked up to.”
“Why is loyalty so important?” Asked Dash inquisitively. She was genuinely curious as to why her grandfather held such a solemn tone when speaking about it.
“Because, Dashie; loyalty means to follow blindly, without questioning, even when your guts tell you something else, you stick to that pony’s ideas and thoughts. Stand one hundred percent behind them and no matter what the consequences are; you protect them. The best thing is, loyalty gets loyalty back, so your friends will do the same for you. Most importantly, if you stay loyal, you will never, ever hurt those you love.” Bolt started stoking her mane while asking, “Dashie, do you think could promise me something?”
Dash’s ears perked up. “What is it?”
He put the tip of his hoof to her chest. “I want you to promise me, that you’ll always be loyal to your friends and family.”
Rainbow Dash spoke with as much sincerity as her maturity would allow, “I will, Grandpa Bolt.”
Four weeks later, Ex-Wonderbolt, Lightning Bolt, suffered a fatal heart attack.
Draco’s coat was quickly becoming soaked with her tears. She held it close to herself; practically wringing it’s neck. The gesture did little to console herself, death of a loved one couldn’t just be fixed by a simple toy. Despite all logic, it did make her feel better, even if it was by only a fraction. It was like she held a piece of her grandfather in her hooves. A part that could not be taken away from her.
They had told her not to take it hard; that there was nothing that could have been done to save his life. Why did he have to go? Would it have been different if she had been there? Was he dead because she hadn’t been there to protect him? The thought only brought more tears to her eyes. That was it. She lost her idol; the one she looked up to most in life, because she hadn’t tried hard enough to be loyal. She made a promise to herself that she would never let that happen again.
Dash pulled Draco closer, buried her face in it’s fur and cried, until uneasy sleep silenced her weeps.
The pale moonlight washed over the room as Rainbow Dash tried to capture ever elusive sleep. It must have been her nervousness; performing a trick she had only done once before, and that time had been by accident. She threw her head against the cloud in frustration with an audible grunt. She wriggled around on her ‘bed’; trying to find a comfortable position. Her efforts were in vain though. The pressure to perform well the following day was too great. Her mind swirled with all the possible outcomes. The cynical part of her mind made sure all of the possibilities resulted in failure.
Rainbow Dash shot up from her lying position when the realisation struck her. A smile crossed her face as she trotted to a nearby storage cupboard. Inside it was nothing but a synthetic leather case. Upon releasing the latch, she threw the lid open and took out the contents. After gingerly setting the case in it’s original position and closing the door, she lay back down on her side with the object resting against her belly. She pulled it into a tight embrace, resting her head on the tiny purple dragon’s surprisingly comfortable neck. With that, she drifted into a far easier sleep. It was just a shame she couldn’t take Draco to the competition. It would have comforted her greatly.
She was holding Draco again; a rarity during those days, however certainly not unwelcome. Having only just drifted back into some form of consciousness, her eyes were still shut; not having the will to open them. It came as a surprise when she moved a hoof to stroke the plush dragon’s coat and was met with a smooth, scaly surface. Suddenly, he was no longer small enough to fit in her forelegs. They stretched across his sides but could not connect. She could feel Draco’s stomach scales pressing against the entire length of her body. Her face was pressed against what she assumed to be his chest. Draco was bigger than her, much longer. One hoof glided up his neck but could not reach as far as his head; to touch his face. One of her hind legs stretched down and slid across one of his haunches. It could touch the base of his tail but no further. She could feel the end of his tail in the middle of her back. It curled up, lay across her multi-coloured tail and cuddled her spine.
It was almost enough to make her blush in embarrassment; the amount of time it took her to realise where Draco’s arms were. They were much longer than she remembered. The appendage exposed to the cool air of the cloud house (the other, crushed between Draco’s torso and the bed) was draped over Dash’s shoulder with his palm embracing the centre of her back. Her head lay on his other arm; using the bicep as a pillow during the night. It’s hand was placed softly on the back of her head. She could feel it’s claws through her mane.
Her hoof quivered slightly as Dash stroked the side of Draco’s belly. It was stone cold; as were most places new to her warm touch. It was when she took notice of this lack of heat, that she felt it; that small spark of life.
Thud-thud, thud-thud, thud-thud, thud-thud.
The sound was dull and quiet, but unmistakably there. Putting her ear against Draco’s chest, she could hear it more clearly. There was another, slower sound; of lungs being inflated and deflated rhythmically. Dash adjusted her position to make herself more comfortable. In doing so, she only got closer to the dragon. She could get used to this. A cool, dry and smooth surface to sleep on; unlike clouds. While they were soft and cool, they were most certainly not dry. The moisture that would build on her coat could be annoying at times.
Throughout her time experiencing this new Draco, Rainbow Dash had been in a semi-conscious state. Of course, the living figure beside her was even less conscious; still in a deep dormancy. As such, the mare was the only one to crack open her eyes when a meek and familiar voice echoed through the room.
“Oh my...”
Dash craned her neck to see the source of the disturbance. “Fluttershy?”
There she was, standing on the balcony just outside of Dash’s bedroom; hiding behind her candy pink mane and tracing circles in the cloud with the tip of her hoof. Her voice was barely audible. “I... Um... I’m sorry to disturb you two.”
Two? It was then that Rainbow Dash became aware of the intimate embrace she had somehow gotten herself into with Spike. Quickly, she rolled onto her back and sat up to face a slowly leaving pastel yellow mare; blushing furiously. “Fluttershy, wait! I-it’s not what it looks like.”
Instead of being woken by the broken cuddle and loud words, Spike subconsciously did something to worsen the situation. Feeling the absence of the pony, he slid on his side and wrapped himself around Rainbow once more. His side propped her up at a lazy angle as his neck arched his head one hundred and eighty degrees to rest on her chest. He made a throaty sigh in what could only be the equivalent of a dragon purr.
Fluttershy stared at the wide eyed pegasus and her dragon recliner before remembering her purpose for being there. “Twilight... Twilight sent me to check if you were here.”
“Well,” Dash forced a laugh, “we’re here and fine. You can tell her she can stop worrying.” She tapped Spike’s head a few times, trying to rouse him from his sleep.
“O... Okay then.” Fluttershy took one last look at the pair before taking off.
With the other mare gone, Dash redirected the rest of her attention to waking spike. She leaned down close to spike’s oddly designed ear. “Spike.” How she planned to wake him with such a soft voice was a mystery.
The dragon stirred, and groaned incoherently. “I’m in pain is cupcake,” he frowned, “I will eat you.”
She shook his head again, this time using a much louder and forceful voice. “Spike! Wake up!”
Finally, Spike’s eyes cracked open and looked up at her. “What? Dash? What are you doing in my bed?”
She shook her head. “It’s me who should be asking you that question.”
He groggily looked around the room. “Whoa!” Dash fell back when the body supporting her leaped up.
Spike stood upright and scratched his head frantically. “I brought you here when you fell asleep last night.” He spoke quickly. “I must have... dozed off.”
The mare looked up at the dragon from her position on the floor. “I’ll say, but do you mind explaining why you were snuggling up to me?”
“Ah, that one’s easy. I’m cold blooded and you’re warm. It must have been a chilly night and clouds don’t make very good blankets.” He wearily tugged at his spinal scales.
“You... You should probably get back home. Fluttershy was here not too long ago looking for you.” The pair moved to the balcony overlooking Ponyville. Dash spoke, “I’ve got weather detail, so I’ll see ya round.”
“Yeah, I’ll see you too.” Spike replied. Neither of them moved. They both froze; not sure of what to do next. After several seconds, the dragon awkwardly extended a hand. Dash responded by raising a hoof to meet it. The two creatures joined together in a somewhat absent hoof shake. Without another word, they flew their separate ways.
Author’s note:
First order of business:
As a friend put it, “SHIP JUST GOT REAL!”
Second:
NO! This is most definitely not the sad part I was talking about. If this made you feel sad, you probably shouldn’t read this from here on, because shit’s about to go down. Speaking of that, I might give you a bit of a clue. After reading the sad part (which is a MAJORLY MAJOR plot development, in fact, the entire lead up boils down to 500 words of weapons grade depression) a friend said that this song goes with the development very well. I shall not say how accurate it is, as the omnipotent author, though I will say the lines to pay particular attention to are:
And if you go,
I wanna go with you
And if you die,
I wanna die with you
Take your hand and walk away.
MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I love teasing people.
Third:
I submitted the first chapter to EqD a while ago when this fic was first released. It was turned down because of bad grammar. Since then, I have corrected what I think is all of said mistakes. The question is, should I submit it? I am fully aware of the length requirements, but if I were to submit the fic upon completion, it would be far greater than the minimum length of a one shot.
Anyways, as always, thanks for reading and please do leave a comment on what you like/didn’t like. Don’t worry, I can take criticism, as long as it’s well founded.
~MagaSpark