I, Dragon

by Psychomaniac

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I awaken to the sensation of pain. It’s not surprising, given my injuries. I see I have been moved to my spot by Fluttershy’s bridge. Fluttershy herself comes out and sees I’m awake. She calls to Harry and walks over.

“Good morning. How are you feeling?” she asks.

“Like I still crashed. I have pain where you expect it, but I can tolerate it. I’m not hungry, but I think I should still eat. I keep having a craving for that jam. I think after yesterday, however, I’ll be avoiding it,” I respond.

“Thats good. Harry will be bringing you some breakfast soon. He’s already eaten, so there’s no need to split his catch today.”

I just nod and lie my head back down. The throbbing in my right legs is starting to increase. I groan softly, and Fluttershy walks over to get a better look. I shift to my left side to expose my limbs to her. The joints are severely out of place. They are also swollen and painful to the touch. Moving them is out of the question.

“Twilight will be here soon. I think she might be able to create some ice with a spell. That may help with the swelling. I’m afraid to give you something for the pain.”

I just nod. The pain slowly fades to a dull ache. “Pain management is not a lifesaving measure. I’ll be fine. For dragons, pain is a teaching aid. Yesterday, I learned not to crash. More importantly, I learned not to overdo it on Zap Apple Jam,” I say. Jam. That sounds good. I give my head a firm shake. I hope Harry gets here soon.

“You poor thing! No more of that, Mister. I take care of my animals. Today, that means you. I want you to eat, then rest. I’ll wake you when Twilight gets here. Understand?”

I lift my head and nod. She walks over and nuzzles me. I really need to injure myself more often. Of course, that would make her sad. My thoughts go in circles for a bit until Harry arrives. “Thank you, Harry,” I say, smiling. He nods and growls an acknowledgement, then turns and leaves me be. I’m still not hungry, but I eat anyway. Fluttershy returns.

“Lie down and rest, please. I’ll see you in a little while,” she requests. What a wonderful idea.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Sparky?”

I open my eyes. Fluttershy and Twilight are here. I don’t think I was out that long. I lift my head and look at them. “Good morning, Twilight. How are you feeling today?” I ask.

“Um, okay? I was just about to ask you that. So?”

I laugh. “I’m okay, all things considered. How long was I out, Fluttershy?”

“Only about half an hour, Sparky. Are you still tired?” she asks.

“No, just a bit bored.” I respond. A fresh bout of pain makes me wince. I take a few breaths and wait for it to subside. “And there’s that, of course. I’m almost tempted to go to my lake. I bet I could make it there tonight.”

“You shouldn’t be swimming with those injuries, Sparky,” says Fluttershy.

“What’s the worse that could happen, Fluttershy? I’ll drown? Being in the water takes all the pressure off my limbs, the bottom is nice and cool, I can get my own meals, and I don’t usually use my limbs to swim anyway. I usually just use my body and tail. Sometimes I might use my wings if I need some speed.”

“I just… I…” she begins. She turns her head and runs away, crying.

“Fluttershy, wait!” I cry out. A fresh source of pain comes from my snout. An angry princess has just struck me. I try to rise and go after Fluttershy, but I am magically restrained. I glare at Twilight, and she glares right back at me. I lose this staring contest.

“She was just trying to look out for you, you scales-for-brains! Stay here. You got that?”

I just nod in response. Twilight turns and goes after Fluttershy. I am left alone to think. I lower my head back to the ground. I really didn’t mean hurt her. For so long, I was used to tending my own injuries. I need to learn to rely on these ponies for a few things. Ha! Here I just taught this lesson to Rainbow, and I haven’t even learned it for myself.

“I’m an idiot,” I say aloud.

“You’re darn right you are,” responds Twilight. Fluttershy follows her close behind.

“I wasn’t trying to upset you, Fluttershy. I would rather continue staying here, if you’ll have me,” I request. Fluttershy moves from behind Twilight and walks over to me.

“You can stay. But no more trying to do this on your own. We are here for you, and want you to get better. I just couldn’t stand the thought of you being by yourself, in pain.”

Our conversation stops as Twilight sees a pony coming. A stallion with a light brown coat and back mane. He is wearing a collar and tie. The tie has a currency symbol on it. She tries to stop him from coming into the clearing, but he charges onward. He has already seen me, and approaches with anger written all over his face.

“You! Dragon! Why are you still here? I demand that you leave at once!” he says. I don’t rise of course, but I do face him.

“And you are?” I ask.

“That doesn’t concern you. I want you to leave this town. Now!”

“Filthy Rich!” exclaims Twilight. “You do not have any authority over him! You are not welcome here. Leave!”

“Not until it does, Princess. That thing threatened my daughter and her friend. I refuse to let it stay here.” he states. I now know his quarrel with me.

“He has already apologized to Silver Spoon for his actions, and wants to apologize to Diamond Tiara as well.” states Twilight.

“And, since you’re here, I am sorry…” I start.

“Not good enough, Dragon!” he interrupts. I narrow my eyes at him. He stares right back.

“ENOUGH!” Twilight thunders. I didn’t even know a pony could speak so loud. I growl softly, then turn to her. “Sparky is here as a guest of Princess Celestia. As an ambassador for his kind, he is welcome for as long as is needed. You may petition her if you like. She is currently in Day Court.”

“My name is Sparky. Address me as ‘dragon’ at your own peril. It has been made clear you are not welcome here. If you don’t leave, I will make you. I don’t care what kind of influence you think you have in this town. Rest assured, I am not going anywhere. I LIKE it here. I have FRIENDS here. You know the Apples, right? I am a frequent visitor to their farm. I have assisted their family in ways you haven’t even dreamed! Leave!”

“This isn’t over,” he states.

“I notice you’re not leaving,” I answer. I shoot a bolt at the ground by his hooves. He jumps back and glares at me. He looks at Twilight. She continues to glare at him. Seeing he cannot get any further, he turns and leaves.

“That didn’t help, Sparky,” says Twilight. Fluttershy comes from behind me.

“I’m sorry. Truly I am. He was not going to leave. I take issue with those who trespass. All dragons do. There are those would would not have been so diplomatic.”

“Well, according to him, you aren’t welcome in Ponyville,” she states.

“Does he own the town? I truly doubt it. He already tried to ban me from the school. Miss Cheerilee has made it clear he does not have that authority.”

“He does own a few business in town. I would recommend staying away from them. We don’t need you causing a scene in town. We are trying to get support for you. Just remember that. Speaking of that, the town meeting is scheduled for three days from now. Mayor Mare knows of your presence here, and is willing to officially welcome you. Pinkie Pie will more than likely throw another party afterward.”

I grin. I haven’t seen Pinkie in some time. I really must visit her sometime.

The pain in my legs has been coming and going this whole time. I was just too angry before to feel it. Now that things have calmed down, I feel the pain again. I am getting used to it, so I manage to keep it inside. Or, at least, I thought I did.

“Oh, you poor dear. Those injuries are really bothering you, aren’t they?” asks Fluttershy. She turns to Twilight. “Is there anything we can do for him? I was hoping you could maybe do an ice spell?”

“I don’t know any freezing spells off the top of my head. Too bad I didn’t keep my powers from when we were in that comic. I can check to see if I have any books on it. Actually,” she begins, then turns to me, “Sparky? Did any of the books you gave me have something like that?”

I think for a moment. I can only think of one thing. “The same book I recommended to Spike. Check the silver and white dragon section. It goes more in depth into their cold breath. Perhaps you might find it useful. I did include several books on unicorn spells, however, I didn’t read that far into them myself.”

Twilight nods. “As for the pain itself, we just cannot risk it. Our current medicines work on ponies, but we just don’t know how a dragon will react to them.”

“It’s alright, ladies. I already told you, Fluttershy. We dragons can deal… with…” I groan as a sharp pain rips through my abdomen. This has nothing to do with my injuries. This is the same pain that brought me to crash yesterday. I feel the lightning in my veins again. “Stay… back…” I command. Both Twilight and Fluttershy had started towards me. I cannot let them touch me as I am. I catch their eyes. “Danger… don’t touch me…” I manage to get out. They nod their understanding. The electric currents have made their way to the surface of my scales. The ponies can visibly see the arcing. It’s not painful to me. The feeling in my gut is.

“Sparky?”

I slip into darkness. The pain follows.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I awaken several hours later. The pain subsided maybe an hour ago. The sun is well past midday, and approaching evening. I lift my head, and see Fluttershy running towards me.

“Stop,” I command. She stops a little ways from me, and walks a bit closer. The electrical surges are nowhere on me anymore. I don’t feel it in my veins, either. Still, I refuse to risk contact. “I’m experiencing surges of lightning. I don’t think I’m safe to touch right now.”

“Twilight had to leave to meet Rainbow and Scootaloo again. She said she would be back when she finished another round of tests. She scanned you before leaving, and detected the surges. She, um…” Fluttershy cuts off.

I look at her. She has a worried expression. “It’s okay, Fluttershy. You can tell me.”

She closes her eyes and continues, “She said these surges may last a few days. She also told me to tell you not to use your lightning anymore, until this passes. Even polymorphing might be too much.”

I can’t say I’m surprised. I nod at her. It looks like my meeting will make a big impression. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing I have a place to stay. Thank you, again, Fluttershy.”

“You’re most certainly welcome. Harry will be bringing you something to eat shortly.”

She leaves me be for a while, and Harry does bring me a few more fish. As I’m finishing, Twilight arrives with Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo. I manage to smile through a fresh bout of pain from my joints.

“Sparky!” shouts the filly. Twilight and Rainbow land nearby. I’m just glad to see them.

“Heya, Scootaloo. Could you do a big favor for me?” I ask. Scootaloo nods enthusiastically. “I need you to stay with Rainbow for the moment. Just until we know I’m safe. Okay?”

She lowers herself on Rainbow’s back and throws her hooves around her neck. Rainbow smiles back at her. Yea, that’ll do, kiddo. Twilight approaches me, horn glowing. I have pretty much become accustomed to her use of magic on me. I get a full head to tail scan.

“It looks like your electric levels have dropped significantly. It’s easy enough to confirm,” she states. She walk over to me and puts a hoof on me before I can protest. Nothing happens. I look at her with disbelief.

“If I still had been overcharged…” I begin

“The shock would have probably hurt quite a bit, but nothing else. I have every confidence that I could take the hit and be fine. I was blasted through a mountain not long ago. I came out the other side just fine. You should see the mountain. I imagine somepony will use the new tunnel I made with my body for something,” she says, smiling. “Come over here, Scootaloo, I think this dragon could use a hug.”

Scootaloo immediately hops down from Rainbow’s back and runs over. I lower my head and she throws her hooves around my neck. Rainbow Dash smiles and shakes her head, saying, “Traitor.”

I look over at her. “Too good to hug the dragon, are we, Rainbow Dash?” I ask, chuckling. She looks back at me and grins.

“Normally, I don’t do hugs. They just aren’t my style. But, I think I can make an exception for a dragon. One time deal, ya know,” she says. She walks over and wraps her hooves around the other side of my neck where Scoots can’t reach. I wish I could return the gesture, but I’m lying on my uninjured side. I do growl in contentment.

“What happened, Sparky?” asks Scootaloo.

“I found out I’m allergic to something, Squirt,” I say, taking Rainbow’s nickname.

Twilight looks at me. “You have allergies? What are they?” she asks. She walked right into it.

“GRAVITY!” I roar. I get a nice round of laughter for my efforts. Ah, laughter makes the pain go away for a while. We all settle down for a while. Fluttershy returns and lies in the grass with us. Scoots and Rainbow sit a little ways away, listening to me. I turn to Twilight. “Any new results from yesterday?”

“Well, today I wanted a baseline comparison to a healthy pegasus. There are none more healthy than Dashie here, so I hooked her up in the same way as I did to Scootaloo yesterday.”

“Yea, I’m just awesome like that,” injects Rainbow.

“Yes, we know, Rainbow. Anyway, I found out she has several times as many output points as Scootaloo. I don’t know if this is because of her talent for flight, or if it’s because she’s an adult being compared to a foal. I will need to test a few more subjects before I can reach any conclusions. Fluttershy, maybe I could convince you to stop by the castle for a little while sometime? The process is quick and painless, I promise.”

Fluttershy sits back and knocks her forehooves together a few times. “S-sure, Twilight. I’ll do it.”

“Great. I’ll want to check a few pegasus foals as well. Rainbow, think you could ask the ponies on the weather team? A few of them must have younger siblings or children.”

I throw in my bit, “Tell them they will be compensated for their time. Twilight, I trust you still have those gems I left with you?”

“Oh! Sparky! You don’t have to do that. I’m sure a lot of them will come just because I asked,” says Twilight.

“Very well. If needed, please don’t hesitate. I used what I needed when I paid for Rarity’s floor. The rest can be used at your discretion. I’m sure the emergency fund could use a boost, and maybe some of the local charities. I have no preference.”

Twilight just gawks at me. I didn’t really bother getting the gemstones and jewelry I brought back appraised. I didn’t have to. I have discovered a new kind of hoard. One I have been steadily adding to since my arrival. The stones and objects I left behind have nowhere near the value as what this new hoard contains.

“I’m just going to hold on to them for the time being,” she says. She turns to Rainbow. “Please ask your team, Dashie?”

Rainbow is slow to respond at first. She stares at Twilight for a moment, then nods. “You know me, Twi. I’ll do anything for my friends.”

“Thank you, Rainbow,” says Twilight. She smirks at her friend, then turns to me. I can tell she likes teasing the pegasus. And to think, she asked me to stop! Ah, well. “Sparky, I’m thinking of moving my equipment to a new location. This will serve two purposes: First, I want to get readings on you, too. Second, Scootaloo likes having you around when I am doing these tests. I have a few places I can move to, but only one is large enough for you at your actual size.”

“Will you need help with the move?” I ask her.

“No, it’s nothing I can’t handle. That was just me delaying what I really need to talk to you about,” she says. She looks down and sighs, then walks over to me. She sits very close to me and speaks barely above a whisper, “We need to talk about Zap Apple Jam.”

I close my eyes and shake my head. Thoughts of getting ahold of that stuff and getting it into me fill my mind. I manage to suppress these images, then I turn to Twilight. “I cannot eat it ever again. I feel like I would do anything to get some. If a jar were placed in front of me, I would down the contents and damn the consequences.”

Twilight is visibly upset at this. She begins to cry as she says, “It’s my fault! I all but forced that stuff down your throat! You’re like this because of me! ME!” She is openly sobbing. I cannot bear to have her like this. I carefully move my injured arm around her. She responds by moving closer to me. I move a wing and create an enclosed space for her.

“I would have eaten twice that amount to be there for that filly. Ultimately, it was my decision, and I don’t regret it for a single moment. Given the chance, I would only change one thing: I would have flown to my lake. A much softer landing would have waited for me there.”

She stops sobbing and gives up a little laugh. I lift my wing and move my head to her. “I need to stop hurting myself around you ponies. Everytime I do, you blame yourselves. My injuries are my own. Let me own them.”

At this time, Scootaloo notices our exchange. She walks over and stands on her hind legs, her forehooves resting on my arm. “Twilight?” she asks.

Twilight wipes her eyes, and faces her. She reaches over my arm and drags the filly to her. Scoots looks a bit embarrassed at being used as a comfort pillow, but voices no complaint. My arm, however, does. I move it back to a neutral position and take pleasure in the following numbness. The pain returns, but significantly less than before. I just smile at the pair. Rainbow walks over to see what the fuss is all about.

“Twilight? You okay?” she asks. This attracts the attention of Fluttershy, who, upon seeing the state of the princess, walks over and holds her. Rainbow holds back, looks at me, shrugs, and joins in. What a softie.

Twilight’s head emerges from the pile of ponies. Her friends disengage from her one at a time, and a grateful looking Scootaloo steps towards Rainbow Dash.

“Feeling better, Twilight?” asks Rainbow. Twilight nods her head. I chuckle.

“Thanks, girls. And you too, Sparky. I know you want to own your pain, but we still want to be there for you. Deal with it,” she states. I just smile and nod. “I haven’t received anything from your brother. Are you sure he’s coming?”

I nod again. “We will always respond to a message that contains a list of injuries and a location. It’s a summons that’s never ignored. I have every confidence he will be here soon.”

“I didn’t mean to offend. It’s just an unusual way of seeking help for us.”

“He knows it’s me because no other dragon from our family would be in Equestria. We may have a few words on that subject. He’s of the opinion that dragons and ponies will never get along. I beg to differ. It took some time, but I even managed to bring Rainbow Dash along, didn’t I,” I state. Rainbow gives off a light blush, but nods and smiles. “I hate to say this, but I need to get some rest. I will send the message to Spike when I receive it. Could you apologize to him for me? I know he must hate receiving my messages.”

Twilight just nods. Rainbow Dash stands up and walks away. “I guess I should get some sleep, too. Looks like I gotta lotta flying to do tomorrow. Come on, Squirt. I gotta get you home to your folks. See ya later, Big Guy.”

Scootaloo runs over and gives me one last hug before climbing on Rainbow’s back. I smile at them as they take flight. Fluttershy and Twilight both thank and hug me. Ponies are the best huggers. I tuck my head under a wing, and give serious thought to staying here permanently as I drift off to sleep.

Author's Note:

A short chapter, I know. I can only stretch a day of waiting so far. And what's this? A new antagonist? I figure Filthy Rich has every right to be angry at Sparky for what his daughter went through. The way he goes about dealing with this anger will leave something to be desired, of course. No matter what, rest assured Sparky will refuse to take a life. However, that's not to say he won't defend himself.

That being said, I hope you are enjoying the story thus far. I will be taking a short break here soon. I'm taking a trip to visit my family, and pick up my eldest from his extended visit to his grandparents. I may or may not update during this time. We'll see how things go. Take care, all!

Comments

[Kenshinryuu]

Nice chapter, especially Sparky getting Pony hugs. I can totally see the CMC going "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS DRAGON HUGGERS YAY!!!!!" And hugging Sparky for an hour straight. Even if they don't get a Cutie Mark from it... who cares because hugs