Prologue
The air in Sugarcube Corner was heavy with the scent of freshly baked pastry. Spike braced himself, gesturing to the three fillies before adjusting his chef’s hat and strapping his apron a little tighter. “Clear!”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders ducked, the dragon let loose. With a jet of flame over the counter, Spike added a glaze to the pies they’d been making. Mrs. Cake moved them to the windowsill to cool off and readied the next batch. “Thanks so much for the help, girls. This order’s been quite the challenge.”
Apple Bloom put a hoof to her chest. “No biggie, Mrs. Cake, the Cutie Mark Crusaders are always ready to help.”
Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement. “Uh huh. We didn’t get a pie-baking cutie mark, though.”
Scootaloo sighed. “Or a cupcake-baking cutie mark.”
“Clear!”
Another round of flame, another set of pies done, finished with an authentic dragonbreath crisp.
Apple Bloom looked behind her at the mess they’d made of the kitchen. “We might get a kitchen-cleaning cutie mark, though.”
Sweetie Belle turned as well. Dough had been splattered on the walls and ceiling and several of the dishes set out had somehow ended up with a black, mud-like substance on it. Rarity had warned Mrs. Cake that Sweetie Belle was not to be trusted in the kitchen, and Apple Bloom had mentioned something about not trusting the little unicorn with electrical appliances, but in the end things had worked out despite the unheeded warnings.
“Clear!”
The green flame singed the last batch of pies. Spike grinned triumphantly at a job well done. “There, that’s the last of them. Twenty-five dragon-made dragonfruit pies with real dragon breath to top it off.” He wiped his apron to get rid of some dough.
Scootaloo rolled her eyes when she caught the disaster area they’d made of the kitchen. “I’m still surprised you didn’t get a cutie mark in melting food, Sweetie Belle.”
“I told you a hundred times: the ovens don’t work the way they do at my place!”
Mrs. Cake sighed and put the last of the pies on their cooling spot. She walked over to Spike when she was done. “Thank you especially, Spike, for keeping the girls in line. It’s nice to have someone their age around to be the voice of reason. I wouldn’t have even asked if it hadn’t been so urgent.”
Spike looked at the dripping wreckage behind him, ignoring the bickering that had started. He gave it about thirty seconds before it would die down, it always did. “No sweat, Missus Cake. I’m always ready to lend a helping hoof, err, hand, or claw. Even if it doesn’t always turn out perfect.”
“Oatmeal? Are you crazy?” Sweetie Belle went wide-eyed.
Spike blinked, confused. Apparently, that settled that argument. Mrs. Cake got out a mop and a bucket. “All right, girls, that will be all. Thanks again for the help, I can take it from here.”
With yet another crusade failed, the girls galloped out. Apple Bloom turned back in the doorway. “Okay, see you later, Missus Cake! And thanks for the help, Spike!”
Mrs. Cake chuckled once the girls were out. “You know, when I asked Applejack for help, I wasn’t expecting to get a dragon along for the ride, too.”
Spike shrugged. “Rarity asked.”
“Oh. And you didn’t mind helping out the girls with something? Just like that?”
Spike eagerly took a rag and started cleaning the table. “Just like that. That’s my Dragon Code: always ready to lend a claw, come rain or sun or ice or thaw.”
The mare started rubbing the mop into the dough-stained floor. “That’s very gallant of you, Spike, but really, I can handle it from here.”
“Oh, it’s not a problem, I’m happy to help. Besides, it’ll get done faster this way, right? Unless you want Mister Cake to come in with the twins and see the place like this? Or Pinkie Pie, once she gets back?”
Mrs. Cake surveyed the one spot she’d managed to clean, and the one corner of the table that Spike had cleaned. The rest of the kitchen remained in a state that wouldn’t have been out of place on a horror movie set, though at least here the slime didn’t contain any facehugger eggs. No intact ones that she knew of, at least, one could never be certain in Ponyville. “Point taken. But, if you don’t mind my asking, what’s your stature?”
Spike didn’t even bother using the rag at this point, just taking the dough in his claws with big lumps and dropping them in a waste basket. “My what?”
“Your stature, or your status. I keep hearing ponies call you ‘baby dragon’, but… well, I’ve got two babies around the house, and Pinkie Pie, I know what babies act like and you, Spike, do not act like a baby. So, sorry if it’s a bit blunt, but what are you, legally? Do you know if you’re an adult?”
Spike got the rag out again once all the big lumps were done. With his small stature, it was easier for him to stand on the tables and reach for the stains on the cupboards. “Oh, you mean that? Well, I’m not exactly an adult, but I’m not exactly a kid, either, according to the law. I think Princess Celestia said I was… constituted?”
The mare looked up. “Constituted?”
Spike scratched his chin. “Constipated?”
“I should hope not.”
The baby dragon squinted, lost in thought. “Emaciated?”
The mare checked the dragon’s scales for fat reserves. “No, Spike, you’re definitely not that. Oh, you mean you’re emancipated?”
Spike nodded and snapped his fingers. “Yeah, that’s the one. Twilight’s my guardian, but I’m allowed to have a small job, since I went to school and everything. I’ve got a diploma somewhere. Twilight knows what I can and can’t do.” He patted his rumbling stomach, but he didn’t burp up the document quite yet.
Mrs. Cake got her mop into some purple grunge, then nearly jumped when the stuff moaned, sprouted eyes, then scuttled out the door. Spike saw it, but waved it away. “Yeah, that’s Sweetie Belle’s fault. Her magic’s acting up, or something. It’s not alive, it just moves around for about five minutes. Creepy, though.”
Mrs. Cake’s nose curled in disgust. “Yes, very. But hang on, let me see if I’m understanding this correctly. You’re not really dependent on anypony, but you are still a child?”
Spike shrugged. “Um, yeah, I guess. Why do you ask?”
“Well, because I need to know what I’m allowed to ask of you. I mean, sure, little ponies often do little chores here and there; it helps them find their talent, learn skills, and make a few extra bits. But the law doesn’t allow for foal labour, Spike, kids can’t work like they have a job. Even if you have a day job, if you’re still a child, then I’m not allowed to ask you to work too hard. Or for too long.”
Spike kept going, unabated. “Oh, well, if it’s foal labour you’re worried about, it’s not a problem.”
“Why’s that?”
“I’m not a foal, remember?” He chuckled.
“Very funny, Spike. You’ve done enough now, honest. Thank you very much, but I really have to ask you to go. If anypony ever asks, I could get in trouble. I’ll be sure to drop by and get you some gemstones for your effort.”
“Oh, you don’t need to, Missus Cake; Rarity’s already got some sapphires waiting for me,” Spike said.
“And that’s Rarity saying thanks. I owe you, Spike, that’s how it works.”
“Well, I was planning to make another five-gem cake…”
The blue mare smiled knowingly. “Some rubies, then?”
Spike licked his lips. “That’d be perfect.”
The mare extended a hoof for the dragon to shake. “That’s a deal, then. Now off you go, dear, I’m going to finish up and if I hurry, my husband should be back from the doctor’s by the time I’m done.”
“Okay. See you around, Missus Cake!”
“See you around, Sir Dragon.”
Spike hummed a merry tune to himself as he strode out through the front door.
Then he jumped at the sound of impending armageddon.
By the time he landed, the laughter registered, along with the post-lightning strike ringing in his ears. “Rainbow -- hiccup -- Dash!”
Rainbow Dash lay on her cloud, laughing and kicking her hooves up with delight. “Hahaha, that never gets old. You didn’t hurt yourself, did you, Spike?” She rolled over and looked down to check.
Spike kept hopping up and down, hiccoughing all the way. “N-no, but -- hiccup -- I -- hiccup -- think -- hiccup -- I might have the -- hiccup!”
“I kinda caught that much, Spike. Try drinking some water. Need a little rain?”
Spike glared and sucked in a big gulp of air. He spat out a blue flame at Rainbow Dash’s cloud. Before she even knew what had hit her, a shock had gone up the cloud and into her hooves, barely enough to shake a seasoned Weather Patrol captain, but more than enough to make her mane explode into a colourful ball or frizz.
Rainbow patted her poofed-up mane with a hoof. “How did you do that?”
Spike grinned. “You do know who I live with, right?”
Rainbow rolled her eyes, trying to get the lightning style out of her mane. “Oh yeah, guess you would learn a trick or two. Hey, did that clear your hiccoughs?”
“Yup, special dragon remedy.” Spike casually turned and walked off towards the library. “Oh, and Rainbow? Next time you feel like pranking me, bring a brush.”
Rainbow Dash shot him a playful glare. “Maybe I will, Spike. You win this one, for now…” Rainbow Dash flew off, presumably to wash her hair under a raincloud to get the poof out.
Spike got home in one piece, Twilight was reading, just like he’d left her, all in all the afternoon had been well-spent. His stomach grumbled, though, loud enough for the princess to hear.
Twilight’s ears perked. “Hey, Spike. How was the crusading? Girls didn’t give you any trouble?”
“Nah, I could handle it. Hey, do we have any bananas around, and some chocolate sauce?”
“In the fridge, Spike, just make sure it doesn’t spoil your appetite. We’re eating out tonight.”
Spike didn’t hear. He’d already heated up the chocolate-covered banana with his fire breath and wolfed it down with one big gulp. He rubbed his belly as he came back into the main reading room. “Ah, much better.”
Twilight chuckled. “Never mind. An act of gallantry like that deserves a reward, after all. Not to mention you’re still growing.”
“Exactly. Gotta keep all this going strong, after all.” Spike struck a pose he’d seen in a bodybuilding magazine, curling his arms to show off his impressive biceps. Not that he had any dragon reference to compare his biceps with, but it’s the thought that counts.
Twilight nodded, her eyes still on the book. “Very true.”
Silence fell between them. Spike fidgeted in his seat. “I’m gonna go get another chocolate-covered banana.”
Twilight finally looked up from her book. “No, Spike, you don’t need to go overboard.”
Spike groaned. “So I guess I’ll go clean the library, then?”
Twilight shook her head. “No need for that. We’re doing that tomorrow, remember? But if you have nothing to do, I think Fluttershy was looking for you, something about needing a reptile’s perspective on habitats. Actually, come to think of it, you’re not technically a reptile, are you? You’re definitely not cold-blooded, your bone structure is set for bipedal motion instead of quadrupedal, and you have your own brand of magic, so you can’t be reptilian. I should really look into your taxonomy sometime, huh? What do you think, Spike? Spike?”
The princess looked back. It seemed the library was suffering from an acute lack of purple dragon.
Guess he bolted at the word ‘help’. I really should pay more attention to what he eats and does, all things considered.
Oh, what am I worried about? It’s Spike, he’s more of a grownup than some of the grownups around here.
Well, sometimes.
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Should I assume there was a conversation going on amongst the Crusaders that we weren't aware of, or did that just come out of nowhere? Or possibly from the ambient field of Pinkie magic that has permeated Sugarcube Corner's kitchen?
That said, I'm sure the animate dough is all Sweetie Belle.
I really like the idea of Spike picking up new tricks with his breath, though given the story description, we probably aren't going to see much more of that.
In any case, I look forward to more. Not sure if I'm going to like where you're headed with this, but I'm willing to get on the ride.
Promising. Give me more, sir/madam.
4137895
The story is completely finished as of today, I'll be uploading chapters once every two or three days. It's a short story, though. I am also a sir, and actually this will be my last story before a hiatus that'll last through August. Kind of a send-off. Will be making more, but not publishing right away, more info is in blogs.
4137893
They were arguing amongst themselves, yes, but it's hard to put that in writing and have a regular conversation going on in the foreground. The notion of Spike learning from Twilight without him being her 'child' or 'pupil' is part of the main... theme (?) of the story. Also note the Diamond Tiara tag. She doesn't do much, but she does get development. Horrible, horrible development
On a side note: whew, for a second there I thought this was going to tank completely just because the description had a caps lock joke in it. Dang random downvoters
.
For some reason, I expecting it to be a suppository.
Does Diamond Tiara's development involve a suppository?
Because I came here expecting a suppository and by Celestia's Beard, I want a supposi-..
I'm going to go lie down for awhile.
i.imgur.com/6MrWqNZ.png
Looks good so far, and Spike really doesn't get enough time in the spotlight normally...
Hmm. Interesting enough start to merit a track, but since Knighty hasn't gotten the bookshelf feature online yet, faving to track. Will hold off on an upvote until I see more.
4137998
Gosh, I'm kinda scared to answer this one now. If I say 'yes', then I'd have to alter the rating and rewrite the story, possibly as a comedy. If I say 'no', then... well, I kinda just did, didn't I? Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not going out with anal humour. Suffice to say it will be pills, and as for Diamond... well... where's that bloody River Song .gif?
Not bad, I'll stick around and see where you take it.
Well, considering other countries, because ones beyond America seem to exist, and the proof is in the Nikes, there are still parts of the world that still take on kids from as early as 4 or 6 to get hands on training helping them get familiar with how grownup professionals do their job. They have a professional chef at the age of 8! That's AWESOME. I myself was able to speak and adapt quickly to new words and meanings as early as 3. It's all about communication and how well you get the kid to listen.
So, I think Equestria isn't really breaking any child labor laws. If a pony can toss a rock as effectively as dropping a nuke over Hiroshima, and the ponies are always surrounded by potential death living so close to the Everfree's natural predatorial grounds, I think it's perfectly find to let them in on the farm work and get them into the routine, muscle memory, of wanting to work and grow up nice and strong to be able to casually hoof a tree in half.
Have you seen these ponies? lol Maud alone could probably single-hoofedly take out America if she got anywhere within 100 feet of a rock query!
Far as this story goes, this was... wow. An actual Spike story that feels like Spike and delves into the nitty gritty of what makes a Spike.
If this was the prologue, I quiver to think what the rest of this story will be like after this!
4142301
Glad you like it. Expect things to go downhill starting tomorrow. If you thought Empathy escalated quickly, wait 'till you get a load of this one
Seriously, though, I will try to put this as close to show look and feel as possible, and that means having about four distinct segments in which Stuff Happens. It also means ponies acting like total jerks at times.
I have no idea what you mean by rock tossing and nukes, but I can take a wild guess. I have seen pictures of Maud, and I do admit it's clever to name a rock farmer from Pinkie's family after a mud pie, but I'm still in the dark regarding Season 4, and will continue to be until August, at least, which is when my hiatus is due to end. See blogs for more
rantingwhininginformation on the subject.Clarification: I agree that Equestria isn't breaking any laws regarding foal labour. After all, pastel coloured ponies have different context and different resulting moralities. However, my point is that the system they have, which works, would need to involve some law that also protects children from exploitation. If I didn't point this out, I'd have a different story (and tags) altogether. So I went with the explanation they're allowed to work, but not beyond a certain time limit in one place. That's kind of like student jobs here, but with the caveat that kids can browse lots of jobs in one day.
4142551 Escalated quickly? Not really. I just PM'd a reply from a comment I caught regarding Empathy.
At it's core, it was Rarity's mental state and how untouchable she acted and forgiving the world is to just any adult pony that just happens to feel like doing what she did or worst.
The more it sank in, the more it sort of upset me due to the context of "I get to do whatever I want and walk out of this unscathed, because you, Missy, owe me a favor you didn't know you owed!" if you can see where I'm coming from with that, that be awesome. Doesn't mean the story is bad. I just didn't like the pony in that universe's state of mind.
Anyhow, hope that explains things better in less words. I do need to get some rest.
I'll look forward to seeing the poop hit the fan. Not in a fetish way, or literal for that matter, but I'm not adverse to seeing Diamond in bad situations. I can already surmise that DT is addicted to drugs or something and perhaps becomes Spike's dealer? There are a few other things I can imagine but that's the more immediate one I thought of.
Either way, bring it on. I can take all the awesome.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2013/10/9/444761__safe_clothes_equestria+girls_glasses_diamond+tiara_skirt_silver+spoon_unamused_artist-colon-killryde.png
P.S. You should watch Twilight Time. It'd be the only episode you'd need that season.
But her, S4 had a Scootaloo episode with over the top DT and SS. Your Empathy got it right.
Looks great, will read more later!
Bless you. It's amazing how many people miss this about Spike.
I like it!
Not cold-blooded huh? I always like to imagine that dragons had the ability to actively change being warm or cold-blooded. It would certainly be a convenient ability. Oh well, that's just me.
5430720 it seems more likely that they would just have macro-homeostasis rather then cellular homeostasis.