Prologue

I, Dragon
Prologue

Typically, we would begin with a greeting and by exchanging names. In this case, I have no way of knowing your name, and my own is unpronounceable to anyone who doesn't have a mouth shaped like one of us. I suppose if a name is needed, you may call me Sparky. It is a name I have come to own despite it’s odd origins. A pretty pink pony gave it to me. I have adjusted to her antics with frightening ease and count her among my friends. More on that later.

Let’s start at the beginning. I am a Bronze Dragon. About one and a half centuries ago I was hatched in my homeland by the coast. My parents raised me until I was about 25 years of age. Since then I have lived a solitary life both above and below the waves of my home. I have acquired a reasonable hoard for myself; nothing too extravagant. Mostly gems I have found in the sea that I called home for the better part of a century. Being a water dragon, breathing underwater is second nature to me. I lived a comfortable life into adulthood until I received my summons.

It seems our neighboring country, Equestria, was trying to establish a treaty with us. While I was not against the idea, I had no idea why I was selected. At least I was able to adjust to my new life abroad. So, that brings us to the present.

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

I was told the best time to approach my assignment would be in the evening soon after sunset. I timed my arrival and glided in for a relatively smooth touchdown. Had I known she was already living with a dragon hatchling, I could have messaged ahead, but I believe our first meeting went rather well considering the circumstances. Now let’s go over one of the abilities of our kind.

All dragons can change their form at will upon reaching adulthood. It’s more of an ability then a spell, but it does take magic to accomplish. It’s not easy to compress 15 tons of dragon into the form of a 130 pound pony. I usually don’t even change my mass. If someone were to try to strike my pony form, they might be surprised just how hard my “coat” is. The appearance I always take is a Pegasus colt who appears to be just under adulthood. My coat appears to be the same color as my scales minus the bluish tinge along their edges. My mane and tail has this dark bluish green color. My eyes are the same green in both forms. I decided on the colt form due to my lack of a cutie mark. I am a blank flank for life.

This form can be altered to have characteristics from each of my appearances. Tonight, to help clear the air and make my identity known, I will keep my pupils slitted and my elongated snout. I was told to report to the local tree castle first. I give the door a few hard raps.

“Just a moment,” a young male voice announced from within. The door opens and to my disbelief I am looking at a purple dragon whelp.

“Were you sent here as well, young one?” I asked him.

“What are you talking about? Twi, are you expecting company tonight?” he calls upstairs. He looks back at me with a confused expression. “Dude, whats with your eyes? They look radical.”

Sharing his confusion, I can only assume he is not a part of this social experiment. I look behind him and see a purple pony descending the stairs. Given her appearance, I know she is my contact.

“Good evening, Princess Twilight Sparkle. I was told to visit you before I do anything else.”

“Oh! You must be the representative from the Dragon Lands. I didn't expect you to look quite like, well, this,” she remarks. “Please, just call me Twilight. I am not much for titles.”

“Okay then, Twilight it is. I just assumed this form to prevent panic if someone were to see me. I can dispel it if you like, however I will need more room.”

“Well, we could go into the main meeting room. Right this way.” She leads me to the stairs and we encounter a problem.

Upon placing my weight on the first step, it shatters. I lift my hoof (kinda weird calling it that), and look at her. She calls forth some magic and the step is quickly repaired.

“So, just how much do you weigh?” she asks.

“Maybe about 200 times what you do? I never had reason to weigh myself before. I can adjust my mass to fit my form, but it takes a lot out of me, and I am exhausted from my journey. Maybe we can just do this outside?”

I suddenly find myself enveloped within a magic field. I immediately dispel the magic and glare at the alicorn. She looks abashed and backs away from me.

“Oh, I’m sorry, my curiosity got the best of me. I just wondered what your actual weight was. I was only going to lift you for a second. I didn’t mean to…”

“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” I growled, “Never, ever use magic on me without my permission again. As I said before, it takes a lot of effort to maintain this form. If I lose focus, my form will snap back to my actual size. In a corridor this small, it will have catastrophic effects. I would rather not bring your home down around us.”

She sheepishly nods her head. About this time, the youngest dragon in the entryway makes his presence known. “I’m kinda tired Twilight. Think I’m gonna call it a night,” he yawns.

“Hmmm, I would have thought you would like to see your fellow dragon’s actual appearance,” Twilight smirked.

“What fellow dragon?”

‘Heh, nothing gets by this kid,’ I think to myself.

His eyes go wide as he looks at me. It looks like his sleepiness has been forgotten for the moment.

“You? A dragon? For REAL?! Whoa! Awesome! This I gotta see!” he exclaimed.

We go outside and find a wider area nearby. I drop my pony form and look down upon the alicorn and whelp. They stare up at me in amazement.

“Twilight! Don’t move!” I hear from above.

Before anyone can react, I am slammed in the side by a rainbow streak. I grunt and take the blow by rolling onto my side. This causes me to collide with a tree, knocking it over. The tree fortunately doesn't strike anything else. I stand back up and check myself for injuries. On the side where i struck the tree, I feel a slight pain but nothing serious. Not even so much as a cut or bruise from the impact. If the blow hadn’t taken me by surprise, I probably would have just remained upright. Of course, the same cannot be said for my attacker.

I stare at the would be offender. The light blue pegasus has already gotten to her hooves and starts to square off against me. I hate the idea of taking a life but I won’t hesitate to defend myself. Luckily for both of us, the pegasus is prevented from taking further action by Twilight.

“Rainbow Dash! That’s enough. Please calm down.”

“But, but…”

“No! That’s enough Rainbow. This dragon is not a threat. He is a guest in Equestria by the order of Princess Celestia. His particular subspecies actually believes in Law and Order. He will not harm anypony.”

“If you say so. I got my eye on you buster. Don’t try any funny business. I will be watching you,” She states. Overall, that could have gone worse.

She takes off, leaving the three of us alone. I look at the downed tree and grunt softly.

“Are you able to fix this?” I ask her.

She nods and grips the tree in her magic. I watch in amazement as she replants and repairs the damage with seemingly no effort. It would seem alicorns are as capable as the stories depict them. I am relieved the damage I have caused on my first night thus far has been so easily repaired.

“I apologize for being such a bother thus far,” I state.

“Ha! You should have seen when I first arrived in Ponyville! I will never forget that day.”

“Hmmm. A tale for another time perhaps? It is quite late and a certain dragon hatchling need his rest.”

“Hey! I’m no baby! I can stay up as la..[YAWN]te as I want.”

“Yea, that’s not happening, Spike,” Twilight says.

“Spike?”

“Yea, that’s my name. S to the P to the I K E, aint no other drago..MMPH!”

“That’s enough of that Spike.” Twilight looks at me and removes her hoof from Spike’s mouth. “Will you be needing a place to sleep for tonight?”

“If you could direct me to the nearest body of water. I can’t help but notice how landlocked this town is.”

“Oh, you’re aquatic? I should have realized with your webbed feet. There is a small lake south of here. Will that work?”

“That should do nicely. Thank you Twilight. Good night.”

“Good night… OH! I never learned your name!”

“Ahhh… Heh, it’s unpronounceable with your mouth and tongue. A series of growls really.“ I make a series of soft, rumbling vocalizations for her. Spike, to his credit, actually manages to pull it off back at me with only a few minor mistakes. Back home, it might be insulting, but given his age and upbringing, I overlook the slight.

“A good effort, young one. With practice, you could learn our language. Let me know if you want to practice.”

“Actually, I kinda wanna learn how you changed into a pony,” He states.

“That will come with age. Polymorphing is something all dragons are able to do when they reach young adulthood.”

“Oh.” He looks down, a bit dejected. I can tell he really was looking forward to this skill. Interesting.

“Some learn it faster than others, Spike. I myself only needed 75 years to develop the skill. Most don’t learn it until well after their first century.”

“Oh.” He doesn't look up. Hmm. I think a quicker timeline is needed here.

“Tell you what. I will try to help you with polymorphing. Most dragons just let it come naturally, but it can be taught sooner if you can find a willing and able teacher. Once you learn how, it’s not difficult to do. It actually becomes more difficult as you grow older due to your larger size. I was never given a time frame for how long I will be here, but I can assure you even if I am dismissed early, I will stay on until you are able to polymorph yourself. How does that sound?” I ask.

He immediately perks up. “Deal!”

Twilight chuckles. She looks pleased to see him happy. I wonder…

“Twilight, if you don’t mind me asking, what is your relationship to Spike?”

“Spike? He’s my Number One Assistant. He has always been with me since I hatched his egg. I can barely remember the times before he came into my life.”

I stare at her in awe. For a pony to hatch a dragon’s egg is no small feat.

“Another tale for another time. I look forward to hearing that one. Good night again Twilight, Spike.”

“Good Night,” they say together. Twilight then picks up Spike and plants him on her back. Seems she is easy with the telekinesis. No wonder she tried lifting me in her castle.

I call out to her. “Twilight?”

“Yes?”

“Care to check my weight now?”

She smiles. A lavender field envelopes me and I feel myself rise in the air, then I settle back down.

“204.26 times my weight. Not a bad estimate. Good night.”

I smile and take off. One in the air, I notice a familiar blue Pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail on a nearby cloud glaring at me. She strikes the cloud and a lightning bolt shoots at me. I could have avoided it, but that’s okay. I let the bolt strike me in the chest. I absorb the energy and smile at her. She looks in shock as I land on another cloud. Turning towards her, I unleash my own bolt back towards her. This bolt did not come from my cloud though. I breath lightning. I am also immune to it. The bolt strikes her cloud and she catches the edge of it.

“AAAHHHHH!”

It seems she does not share my immunity. At least I held back. She will most likely be stuck on that cloud until she is able to move her limbs again. That shouldn't be longer than 10 minutes. I take off and fly away.

I see the lake in the distance and wing towards it. Forgoing the beach, I splash down into the lake and dive to the bottom. I relax in contentment. It’s not the salty sea but it will do. Oh, yes, it will do.

Chapter 1

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Chapter 1

I wake up to the sound of distant splashing. First things first, I do some fishing. I catch a few big ones and enjoy my breakfast. Now to address the goings on around me. I move away from the sound and investigate my surroundings. I spot a log in an unoccupied area of the lake and swim under it.

Changing my form, I poke my head above the water and scan my surroundings. I am clear of the area where the activities are taking place. I see multiple families playing in and near the shore of the lake. While this is not uncommon for a nice summer day like today, I cannot help but feel a bit put out with this invasion of my “home.”

It takes a moment to crush that thought. I must remember I am a guest in these lands. While collecting myself, I didn't notice my log had started to drift towards the crowded beach.

I hear a whistle. “Hey buddy! You okay out there?” I hear somepony ask.

My eyes widen and I quickly dive beneath the surface. I had hoped to integrate myself gradually into this village. Now it seems I must meet a few of the locals a bit sooner than I planned. I spend a few minutes collecting myself when I realize something important.

I have been underwater for over three minutes.

Ponies cannot breathe underwater.

I hear splashing above my head and shake my head in frustration. It seems I have several would be saviors above me. I swim towards shore and casually step out onto the beach unnoticed. Several onlookers with concerned looks are staring out across the lake at the group of ponies circling my log. A few dive under but obviously come up without finding me.

I make my way over to one of the locals. “Is everything alright?” I ask.

“There was a colt with a blue mane on that log. He went under and hasn't come back up,” she replies.

“Oh. Any other features that you noticed?” I ask, grinning.

She looks at me and says “Yea, his coat looked light yellow in color and…” She goes wide eyed and stares at me. I fly out to the searchers and land on the log, laughing the whole way. Some of the searchers tell me to help them find me.

I reply “Why? Am I lost?”

I now have everypony’s attention.

The group stare up at me and start groaning. They turn back and swim to shore and I fly after them. Play resumes now that the crisis has been resolved. I take off and fly back towards Ponyville. Down below, I notice a pink mare waving at me. I circle around and land next to her.

“Hi!” Well. She sounds chipper.

“Hello,” I reply.

“Are you new here? You must be new here! I know everyone in this town and I don’t know you so since I don’t know you you must be new and since you’re new I can meet you for the first time! Isn’t this exciting?! Ohmygosh I gotta get started on the preparations! Oh! And you’re young! So you must have family here that’s new too! WOW! I haven’t gotten to greet an entire family before! Where is your family?”

I retract my previous statement. There is a pony who can live underwater. She is standing before me. She doesn’t seem to need to breath at all. I am pretty sure she can live wherever she wants.

Wait, didn’t she ask me something?

Oh, yes, my family.

“I haven’t seen my parents in years. I am sure they are well though. Are you okay?”

I notice her mane starting to deflate from its puffy, curled state to a straighter, longer look that appears sadder somehow.

“You haven’t seen you parents in YEARS? But, but…”

I shake my head. “It’s just our way. Upon entering juvenile age we are expected to make our own way in the world. We do gather from time to time but it’s very infrequent,” I state.

“Hmmm… Okay!” She immediately perks right back up, her mane springing back to its previous bounciness. “Oh! I’m Pinkie Pie! What’s your name?”

“I ahh, I don’t have a name at this time.” I say, scratching the back of my head. She looks at me with awe.

“Could I… Can I give you a name?” she asks, a bit more timidly then I would have thought she was capable of.

“I guess?”

She gasps loudly. Well. It seems she does need to breath after all. Or maybe she is just doing it for dramatic effect.

“SPARKY! Sparky Sparky Sparky Sparky, SPARKY! I am gonna call you Sparky cause Sparky is your name cause that’s what I named you! Sparky!” She laughs and throws her hooves around me. I have no idea how, but somehow I am knocked backwards. I really think if she had a mind to, she could have picked me up and squeezed the life out of me. As it was, it was everything I could do to not fall on her. I don’t know what would have happened. This bundle of pink energy seemed content to just strangle me for the time being though. In my panic, I allow my form to slip.

“Whoa! You’re HUGE!” Her hooves slip from around my now much larger neck and she laughs with glee.

I look down at her. She looks up at me, grinning so wide her face must hold another dimension just to contain it.

I shift my form back and just stare at her. “How long have you known?”

“Since I saw you in the lake. That was an awesome prank by the way. You really pulled it off back there. What’s your secret?”

I smile at her. “Being able to breath underwater helps. It was my revenge for them invading my space. I’m glad somepony got a laugh out of it at least.”

“HA!”

“So, why Sparky?” I ask.

“I dunno, it just seems right. You look like a Sparky. And now you are a Sparky! I’m glad you’re a Sparky!”

“It’s a good fit, Pinkie Pie,” I remark. I turn towards a tree and jolt it with a small bolt from my mouth. The bolt of lightning dissipates against the trunk of the tree without causing any real damage.

“Wow! Neato! Can you do that again?”

“Well, I can only do that a few times a day. When I do it while maintaining a different shape, It drains me even faster. I am trying to get to know everypony slowly and it’s best if I can keep this form for as long as possible.”

“So who already knows you’re here? Oh! Lemme guess! Does Twilight know?”

“She was the first pony I met actually,” I reply.

“Well, if Twi knows, that must mean Spike knows too! What did you think of him? Ohhh, and what did he think of YOU?! You must be the first dragon he’s met that wasn’t a total bully! Didja like him? Huh? Huh? Didja?”

“We got along great Pinkie. I met him just before I met Twilight. He will grow into a fine dragon one day. I will actually be teaching him a few things while I am here.”

“Cool! Will you teach him to ROAR?!”

Whoa. Where did that come from? I start looking around for the manticore or hydra that must have stumbled upon us, but it’s just me and Pinkie. I turn back to her.

“Something wrong, Sparky?”

“Well, I just heard you make a sound any dragon would be proud to make. Well. I gotta fly. Nice meeting you, Pinkie.”

“You too, Sparky. See ya later!”

She then bounces off towards town, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I take back to the air. I drift along with the wind currents for a bit before landing back at the tree castle. On the door, I see a sign.

I have stepped away for a while to take care of a few errands. I will probably be gone for the rest of the day. To the new visitor to our town, please stay out of trouble. If you like, you can go meet your main caretaker in a cottage near the Everfree Forest. You will be looking for a yellow pegasus named Fluttershy. She can be very nervous meeting somepony for the first time, but I believe you two will get along great.”
Twilight Sparkle

Well, it seems I have my first assignment. This should be fun.

I fly around until I spot a lone cottage by the Everfree Forest. I see nopony around so I decide to relax and see if I can do this meeting in my natural form. I lay down near a small bridge over a brook. I close my eyes and before I know it, I’m asleep.

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

I awaken a little while later and look around. The first thing I see is the yellow pegasus I was told to find. She utters a quiet “Eep!” then runs into her home and slams the door. Funny thing, I have never heard a door slam so quietly.

At least she wasn’t screaming in outright terror.

I let out a yawn and stretch my back, then take up my pegasus form. I walk over to her door and knock.

“Umm, go away, if you don’t mind. Please?” she gently requests.

“That’s fine. I will be out here when you are ready to talk.” I go back to my spot and lay down again.

I don’t change back this time. A few hours later, I see her peek out of her door. I make no move and neither does she. Noticing the number of animals around, I try something.

Now for a bit of knowledge on polymorphing. My ability to take other forms can include any animal ranging in size from a regular dog to a minotaur. I can even assume the form of a certain bipedal, mostly hairless member of the great ape family. However, they have not been seen in millennia, and I have no desire to reintroduce them to this society. I am sure wherever they now reside, they have no interest in our activities, and I shall extend the same courtesy to these ponies.

Somewhere in town, a mint green unicorn sniffs at a seemingly lost opportunity.

I change my form to a young bear. She widens her eyes and lets out a barely audible gasp. I chuckle, which in this form sounds like rapid grunting. I try another. This time a very large tortoise native to my home country. She throws open the door and is on me in seconds.

“I have never seen such a big tortoise before. Can they really get this big?” she asks.

I resume my pegasus form and nod. “Where I come from they are rare but can be found on an island far off the coast. The sea turtles grow even bigger.” I answer.

“What about that first form I found you in?” she asks.

“No, that is actually me.” I relax to my original state and stand before her. She gasps and backs away slowly.

I immediately lower myself to her eye level. “I promise I won’t hurt you. I was told to come here by Princess Twilight Sparkle. You were to be assigned as my caretaker while I reside here. If this is a problem, I can leave.”

“Twilight sent you here? Oh. Umm, it’s just a lot to take in. I will be okay. I just, umm…”

“Fluttershy! I’m sorry! I meant to come here sooner!” I stand and look down the road and see Twilight running towards us. Behind her is a familiar blue pegasus.

“Hello Rainbow Dash. I see you are moving better since last night. Were you stuck on that cloud for long?” I ask.

She glares at me and growls. She lowers herself down, looking like she is ready to pounce. I just stand there grinning at her, my mouth full of large white daggers.

“You didn't have to shock me like that!” she exclaims. I just shrug and look at her.

“My siblings and I would often play catch with ball lightning. I caught your bolt so thought you would like to try to catch mine. My aim was a bit off, though. It’s funny, I never missed before. At least it struck your cloud. Next time you want to play, just let me know. I would be more than happy to give you another jolt.”

“That’s enough, you two,” the resident princess says.

“(S)he started it!” Rainbow Dash and I exclaim together.

“Enough! Both of you! I just… Gah!” Twilight is looking pretty upset now. Better back off. I sit back on my haunches. Rainbow still looks like she is at a simmer, but doesn't look like she is ready to jump at me anymore.

“Alright, you…” Twilight begins, pointing a hoof at me.

“Sparky” I interrupt.

“Come again?”

“Just call me Sparky. Somepony came up with it a little while ago. It fits and I kinda like it, so Sparky shall be my name while I reside here.”

“Alright, Sparky. Who came up with that anyway?” Twilight asks.

“Pinkie Pie did!” shouts Pinkie Pie as she jumps out from behind me. I swear, she wasn’t there a moment ago. “I got to name him because he let me! I never got to name somepony before! Or somedragon in this case. It was incredimazing! I mean awesocool! I mean fantabulriffic! I mean SQUEE!”

Whoa, now that was adorable. I have no idea what that sound was, but I will do anything I can to get ponies everywhere to make it.

“Yea, it is pretty neat to name one. I remember naming Spike. Alright. So, Sparky. What was I gonna say?”

“Are you freaking kidding me?!” chimes in Rainbow Dash. “So we’re just gonna let this dragon waltz around OUR Ponyville like he owns the place? Well there’s no way buster! All dragons are bad news. Plain and simple.”

“I see. So Spike is…” Twilight deadpans.

“I… Uhhh… I mean… That is…” Rainbow stutters

“It helps to take your hoof out of your mouth when you speak,” I comment.

“Stop, Sparky,” Twilight commands.

“I’m afraid I can’t this time, Princess. This needs to be said.” I get up and walk over to Rainbow Dash. To her credit, she doesn’t back away from me, despite me being in my true form. If anything, she readies herself to possibly attack. When I am about one of my lengths away from her, I stop and sit down again.

“I am not here to cause trouble. I was requested to come here so our respective species can learn from each other and possibly forge a relationship between our kingdoms. It was left up to me whether I wanted to come here. I chose to come here, far from my home, from the seas I love, to help establish this relationship.

“I am here until I am dismissed. I am free to leave at any time I choose should I so desire. After all, you could sooner move a mountain then force a dragon to do something against his will.”

Fluttershy meeps behind me. I turn my head to look at her and see she is blushing profusely. I shake my head and turn back to Rainbow.

“I can’t wait to hear your stories from before my arrival. It would seem all of you have had quite a few adventures. In the mean time, I am not going anywhere. I will do my best to not cause trouble. I may have a mischievous streak as wide as I am, but none of my pranks will have a lasting effect.”

Of course now is when my stomach would choose to make its presence known. A loud rumble sounds forth from my abdomen, causing a lot of the local fauna to poke their head up and look at me. Several dart off while the rest remain still, hoping I will overlook them for my next meal. A quick glance at the sun confirms it has been many hours since I last ate, which had been light anyway. I can pack away a few hundred pounds of food on any given day. Even more when using my polymorph skill. I get up and turn away from Rainbow Dash.

I walk back over to Fluttershy and calmly sit down again. “The animals here are under your protection, correct?” I inquire.

“Umm, yes. I cannot have you eating the local animals, If you don’t mind,” she replies.

“Okay then. What about the local rivers and lakes? I have already eaten a few fish, but I think if I were to eat my fill, the local population would soon be wiped out. I doubt this is acceptable for either of us.”

“OHH No! You are not cleaning us out buddy! No way, no how!” I hear from behind me.

Ignoring the outburst, I calmly wait for Fluttershy’s reply.

“A few fish are fine, but yes, please try to limit yourself. No more than 5 adult fish per day?”

“Alright, agreed. I don’t suppose there is a place to get seaweed around here? Kelp is one of my favorites.”

“Some of the local restaurants import it from the coast. I can talk to them about who their suppliers are,” Twilight states. “What about gemstones? I know Spike loves them. What about you, Sparky?”

“OOOOOooooooo. I could make him sapphire cupcakes like I do with Spike! In fact, I’m gonna go get started!” Wow, from what I know of Pinkie Pie, she was remarkably quiet this whole time. She bounces down the road back towards town.

“Huh. Well, yes. Amber and sapphires are among my favorites. They restore quite a bit of my magic too.”

“Well then. That settles your dietary intake at least for now. How are your accommodations?

“Funny story about that actually.” I proceed to tell her about my morning prior to reading her note. Thankfully, both Fluttershy and Twilight laugh at my antics. Behind me, I hear a frustrated grunt. Rainbow looks less than pleased.

“I’m outta here,” she states. She takes off straight up in a maneuver I could only dream of pulling off. I haven’t flown that well since I was a lot younger and smaller. Even my pegasus form would have a difficult time accelerating straight up like that, and that’s only if I change my true mass.

“Wow, that was pretty impressive,” I remark.

“Nah, that’s just Rainbow being Rainbow. She is actually in the Wonderbolts Reserves for now, but someday she will no doubt join their active duty roster,” Twilight informs me. “She has actually performed a stunt long thought impossible. Breaking the sound barrier is one thing, but being able to pour out enough of your magical energy to actually create a Sonic Rainboom is no small task. She can pretty much do it at will now.”

“A Sonic Rainboom? Wow. I never would have believed a pegasus could pull it off. I myself haven’t done one in the better part of a century. I am much too large now, of course. I can get in the air just fine still, but I am long past the age when I could perform those kind of stunts.”

“You were able to do stunts?” asks Fluttershy.

“Oh yes. All young dragons have an incredible amount of magic and wing area for their size. As we get older and larger, our ability to fly diminishes. The ancient wyrms almost never fly if they can avoid it. Fortunately, as we age, we are better able to ride thermals and glide.” I extend my wings. “As you can see, I still have a pretty decent wing to mass ratio. I will still fly as well as I do for another 5 or 6 centuries, then it will become a steady decline of ability. But enough of that! FOOD!”

“Oh! Right!” exclaims Twilight. She leads us back into town as I assume my pegasus form. It’s tiring, but I can maintain it for the time being as long as I don’t overexert myself. It will be nice to get some food in my belly at last.

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

She takes us to a seafood restaurant that is enjoyed by the local pegasi. The first thing I notice are the chairs. They will present a problem. I cannot adjust my weight at this time, and if I sit in one, it does not stand a chance of holding me. Fortunately, I have a solution.

“Twilight, I have a problem. I think it might be an easy fix for you, but it’s kinda embarrassing.”

“What’s wrong, Sparky?” She asks. She sits down and stares at me, expecting me to take my place at the table.

“What do you think will happen if I were to plant my 15 ton rear end onto this chair?” I ask back at her, grinning. They say it’s bad form to answer a question with another question, but I just couldn't resist.

She gawks at me, realizing my problem. She chuckles, then laughs at me. She then directs my attention to the other patrons. “Sitting in a chair is optional here. You can even request a pillow if you want. Some pegasi bring in a small cloud to sit on. It’s one of the reasons I selected this restaurant. Please, have a seat.

Sheepishly, I move the far too weak chair aside, and take a seat on the floor. Given my tough “skin,” I have no need for a pillow. I see other ponies sitting on the bare floor as well. I pick up the menu and gawk at the prices.

“I should have brought my hoard. This place is outrageous!”

Twilight chuckles. “Actually, I get a discount due to being royalty. I have to force them to take my bits as it is. I guess I shouldn't be surprised but it’s always embarrassing. I’m just not used to being a royal still.”

“You mean you weren't born into royalty?” I inquire.

“Oh, no, my immediate family are minor nobles, and my older brother is a prince by marriage, but until recently, I was a normal unicorn. I was granted my wings just a few months ago when I finished an ancient spell which created new magic. It was sort of like a test from my mentor, Princess Celestia.”

“Oh, Twilight, normal is not the way any of us girls would have described you,” remarks Fluttershy. “Your talents have always been extraordinary.”

“Thanks, Fluttershy. Anyway, don’t worry about the prices. My weekly stipend is more than I can usually spend anyway. I do set some aside in case of emergencies, which by the way, happen far more frequently around here then you would realize, but a good deal of what I receive goes to local charities and to rebuilding our library. The loss of all those books…” A tear escapes her eye at this.

“The loss of knowledge is never a good thing. If I ever have need to go to my hoard, I have some old tomes with whom I could part. It’s always been my belief that knowledge is always to be shared, never hoarded. I have been looking for a reason to pass them on. I believe I have found a worthy place for them.”

“Oh thankyou thankyou thankyou!” I am now being all but smothered by a very happy alicorn. I had guessed she would be happy with my donation, but this? I could get used to this. We dragons are usually solitary creatures until we take a mate, and even then it would just be the pair that stays together. Even offspring would leave the nest after a mere quarter century. It’s not uncommon to visit your elders, but it is usually long and far between, and the visits themselves are never long enough but at the same time too long. For ponies to get along as well as they do is something from which we dragons could learn much. Complete strangers with no familial bond working side by side to benefit a community. We have much to learn indeed.

The waiter comes and takes our orders. Twilight gawks as I order basically the whole menu. I would try to hold back, but I am famished and my magic reserves are dwindling. I devour the shrimp appetizers when both Twilight and Fluttershy both decline to partake in any. Our first courses arrive (my own being decidedly larger) and we tuck in. I manage to keep pace with both Fluttershy and Twilight, and somehow not make a complete mess of myself or the surrounding area.

“I did agree to pay this time, however next time, I think you should buy, Sparky,” deadpans Twilight. I do see a hint of amusement on her face, so I don’t feel too bad about my overindulgence.

“Actually, that brings up something I have been meaning to talk to you about anyway. I would like to earn my way around here. I do have a decent range of skills so finding work shouldn't be too much of a problem. I would prefer to be out of the way though. If I overexert my magic, I form may falter and it may lead to a shock should anyone be around when and if that happens.”

“You could, umm, help me with my animals, if you like I mean,” offers Fluttershy.

“I would love to help you, Fluttershy, but I don’t believe they would like my assistance. They will always see me as a very large predator. I may earn their trust with time, however, it cannot be rushed and I need something sooner rather than later. I thank you for the offer though.

Our second course arrives, once again my own several times larger than my two companions’ respective orders. As we continue eating, Twilight divulges her plan.

“I actually was visiting Applejack prior to going to Fluttershy’s cottage and finding you there. I asked her if she was needing an extra hoof on the farm. She agreed, although she is skeptical about taking on a pegasus. I informed her you would be far stronger than most pegasi, but I have not told her of your true nature as of yet. I thought we might go there after we finish dining.”

“That sounds ideal. I look forward to meeting her then. And next time we dine here, it would be my honor to treat.” I state. We continue our meal with stories from their past. I am intrigued with Fluttershy’s story of staring down an elder red dragon and getting him to pack up and move for his Great Nap. I am surprised the dragon chose to nest in Equestria at all. They usually prefer a more temperate climate. From what I know of the weather here, even with the control the pegasi maintain, a snowy winter is still preferred. Still, I am glad he chose to move without much fuss.

We soon finish our meal, and leave for Sweet Apple Acres. It will be nice to earn my keep while I stay here. I probably shouldn't have gotten complacent though. This visit would be anything but smooth.

Chapter 2

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Chapter 2

Upon leaving the restaurant, Fluttershy turns to us. “I have to go home and feed my animals. And, um, thank you for lunch. It was nice meeting you, Sparky.”

I nod and smile. “The pleasure was mine, Fluttershy. I look forward to seeing you again. I would love to tell you more about the animals I have encountered.”

“Oh, that would be lovely. Have a nice day.” We part ways and I start to walk around town with Twilight.

The walk to Sweet Apple Acres is an interesting one. We could have flown, but after the meal I just ate, a nice stroll is just what I need. Along the way, I am shown the sights of Ponyville. Sugarcube Corner, Sofas and Quills, a distant cloudhouse that belongs to my rainbow maned antagonist. We pass the Town Hall, easily the largest building around, and turn south following a river that runs through town. It was a circuitous route to be sure, but it’s nice to get a tour finally, and walking with this mare is turning a few heads, even if I have the current appearance of a colt.

A little while later, we pass the schoolhouse. A bit further and we turn onto a side trail leading through an orchard. Above the trail is a sign that indicates we have reached our destination. Well, the edge of it anyway. It takes another 5 minutes before we actually reach the heart of the farm. There I see 4 ponies. An elderly mare, a much younger mare and stallion, and a young filly. The filly leaves after shouting a greeting to Twilight.

I have heard of Applejack from the restaurant, and a few of the stories that were told to me. It’s safe to assume the younger mare to be her. She nods her head and trots over to us.

“Whoa nelly, Twi, ya’ll didn’t mention this here pegasus was a colt. Ah dunno if’n this is gonna work.” It seems I was correct in my assumption that this was in fact Applejack.

“Trust me, Applejack, he is more than strong enough for the job,” Twilight informs her. “I actually doubt you will find somepony stronger. Would you care for a demonstration?”

Hmmm. Seems our princess can be a prankster too. Lets see what she has in mind.

“If you say so, Twi, but I dunno. What’cha got in mind?” Applejack inquires.

“Just a simple test. Lets say, tug o’ war? You and your brother versus Sparky. No stakes, just a friendly challenge of strength.”

“Sparky, eh? Me an’ my brother? All at once? That seems a bit much, Twi. Ah’m all fur believing in your friends and all, but this seem like foolishness, plain and simple. Well, lets see then.” She walks over to me and looks me over. “Howdy, Sparky, name’s Applejack. You feel like takin’ me an’ my brother on? It’s alright if’n ya wanna back down. Our princess over yonder seems content to getcha into a heap of trouble.” She glances over at a smirking Twilight.

“Actually, a pair of earth ponies might be a pretty good challenge. I am definetly game. What do I need to do?” I ask her.

She looks at me wide eyed as could be. “Well alright then. Looks like we got us a challenger! YE HAW! Lets do this!”

They put a harness around my body and fasten it to a long length of rope. A ribbon is tied in the middle and the other end is fastened to Applejack and her brother. The rope is pulled taught and lines are drawn on the ground. We all stand ready.

“Twi, could ya’ll do the honors?”

“Sure, AJ. Alright! Ready? Set, Pull!”

And pull we do. We all strain against the rope, none of us really making any headway. At first, it’s a steady pressure, but it changes to a rocking motion that has me starting to back up. The team pulling me along is actually surging in waves to try to get me off balance. I dig in my hooves and stop the backwards motion. I manage to get a better stance and start making my own headway. Since I am pulling alone, I cannot use the same surging motion they can. I have no doubt I could fly away with both of them, however, this seems like a ground based event. Step after step, I slog forward. Then one of my back hooves slips. I immediately feel the surging motion dragging me backwards again. This time, I cannot relocate my hooves and before I know it, the game is over.

“Whoa, nelly! That was way harder than it had any right bein’! What kinda game was that, Twi?”

I calmly walk back over to Applejack after freeing myself from the harness. “Was that not tug o’ war?” I ask, grinning.

Applejack applies hoof to face and shakes her head. She then glares at me.

“Alright, Ah want some truth. There ain’t no way a colt yer size could put up that much of a challenge to either of us, let alone both of us. Fess up.”

I look at Twilight and she nods her head. I sigh and lie down as my form reverts to it’s natural state. Applejack’s eyes widen and her jaw drops. She grins and goes back to her brother.

“Hey Big Mac, Ah reckon we just bested a dragon at tug o’ war!”

“Eeyup.”

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

A little while later, we are walking around the farm as I tell the siblings and elder of my time in ponyville so far. They chuckle at my first meeting with Pinkie, and refer to Rainbow Dash as a “Mule-headed idjit.” I smile at this, but I still feel bad about having made such a bad impression with her. Still, I am glad I came here. Then we hear the cry.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders Dragon Riders YAY!”

All eyes go wide as three fillies fly through the air and land on my back. I recognise one from earlier standing near Applejack and Big Mac, who I guess to be their sister. The other two with her are an orange pegasus and a white unicorn. All three are wearing capes with a shield that depicts a rearing foal. They start bouncing around on my back and shoulders, trying to get me to move. I grin and wink at Twilight and Applejack, and oblige the fillies. I jump and give a downward flap of my wings.

I no longer feel them bouncing on my back. I look back and see them clinging to my spines. I circle around a couple of times, then set down again. I could have avoided all of this if I had just changed back after showing my form to Applejack; however, the food I had eaten at the restaurant is settling so much easier in my larger stomach that I decided to keep my form. Upon landing, the three fillies jump down and check their flanks. Sorry girls, better luck next time. They grin back up at me.

“That was our best failure EVER! Can we do that again?” the white unicorn asks.

“Girls,” Applejack begins, “what did we tell ya about jumpin’ on strange critters? Ah reckon ya’ll owe Sparky here an apology.”

“Sorry, Mr. Dragon,” the three all chime at once.

“It’s okay, I love foals! They taste so good!” I grin at them, showing of my pearly whites.

They go wide eyed and gulp in unison. I take up my colt form and keep grinning at them. They cautiously step closer to me. “Y..you were kiddin’, right?” asks the yellow filly.

I chuckle. “Your bravery has earned you a ride from a dragon today. Is that not enough? The line between bravery and foolishness is very, very thin.”

She gulps again and responds, “Ah reckon it ain’t. Ah was sure we would get our cutie marks that time, Mr. Dragon.”

I laugh. “Please, call me Sparky. No, I don’t eat sentient creatures. Actually, I have a preference for fish.”

“Yea? Me too!” the orange pegasus states.

“I’ve had it before. It wasn’t bad,” the white unicorn responds.

“Ya’ll are just weird,” the yellow earth pony adds. “Ah could never understand your taste fur fish. Yuck!”

Applejack just laughs. “Earth ponies almost never like it, Sugarcube. Actually, the only one Ah know of who does is Big Mac here.”

“Eeyup!”

“Sides, ain’t nothing like one of our apples, right Apple Bloom?”

“You bet, Sis! Would ya like one, Sparky? Better’n any filly Ah bet you ever had!” Thats the spirit, Apple Bloom. A bit of good natured ribbing can crack any ice. I smile at her and nod my head. I’m glad for that earlier contest. burning off some of that food has left me feeling satisfied still, however, an apple would be delightful. She trots over to a nearby basket and retrieves one. I take it from her and down it in a few bites.

“Oh, my, yes.” I will definitely enjoy working here if I can get more than a few of these for my trouble.

“Well, Ah reckon it’s about time we got back to work. Care to take a crack at one of our trees, Sparky?” Applejack asks.

“It would be my privilege, Applejack, however, I would like to practice on something else first, if you don’t mind. I am a bit heavier than your average pony, you see.

“Yea, no kidding,” remarks Twilight.

We walk to the edge of the orchard, and find a small stand of trees. I walk up to one. The trunk looks to be a bit thicker than a typical apple tree, but close enough. I rear back and give it a kick.

My hoof goes through the trunk. The damaged tree starts to fall towards the orchard. A lavender light envelopes it and Twilight guides it softly to the ground.

“No worries there, we were gonna need some firewood soon anyway. If’n ya like, you can take out that whole stand. It would be mighty helpful,” Applejack supplies.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders Lumberjacks YAY!” sound the horns of war.

The three fillies run up to a nearby tree and start kicking it for all their worth. I just chuckle at their antics. I catch Twilight’s eye and point at the tree. She nods her head and readies herself. I set my aim above the fillies’ heads and let loose a bolt from deep within my core. It strikes the tree at exactly where I aim, and blasts a hole through it. The tree falls and is caught once again by Twilight. The three fillies grin and hoof bump each other.

“Whoa nelly!” Applejack stares wide eyed at me. She shakes her head and smiles at me, saying nothing more.

I turn back to the fillies. “Save a few for me, would ya? I gotta get some practice in.”

They grin at me and walk away from the stand. I walk over to another tree and give it a light kick. The tree gives a bit but I can tell I didn’t provide near enough power to shake anything loose. Had this been an apple tree, It would have been unaffected. I apply a bit more force. Nothing. I hit it as hard as I dare to. A few leaves fall, but the tree is still unaffected. I turn to Applejack. She shakes her head and confirms what I already know. I apply a bit more force and sure enough, another fallen tree.

Well. I can either knock down the tree, or knock a few leaves off. No happy medium.

In frustration, I go back to my natural form, walk to the largest tree, and rip it out of the ground. I then smash it into kindling. I feel a bit better, but it doesn’t solve my problem.

“What if you try it while staying as a dragon?” Twilight asks.

I look at her, sigh, and try again. Inspiration strikes. Instead of kicking it, I reach up and shake it. The tree drops a great deal of its leaves, and stays rooted.

Applejack smiles over at me. “Well I’ll be. Looks like instead of apple buckin, you will be apple shakin’.”

“Heh, yea, I think I can manage that. Thank you, Twilight.”

She smiles at me. I walk over to another tree. Using one of my powerful forelimbs, I smash the trunk. Before the tree can fall, I reach up and push it away from the orchard. It falls inward towards the stand. After about 10 minutes of work, All the trees have been taken down. It takes a bit longer to uproot the stumps, but I manage. I walk back to Applejack and Big Mac.

“Fella, ya’ll just saved me an Big Mac a heap of work. You can come back anytime and help out.” She reaches into her saddlebag and pulls out a bag. She tosses it over to me and I catch it. “You can expect another bag just like that one fur each hour ya put in. That there’s about 10 times the normal rate for a farmhoof, an’ you’re worth every bit. Ah hope we can see ya soon.

“Hey AJ, one more thing; our friend here is normally aquatic. He is currently staying at the lake near here. If he ends up saying over for the winter, though…” Twilight trails off. Hmm, I hadn’t thought of that. I doubt the cold would bother me, but breaking through a layer of ice to go to sleep and wake up every day would be bothersome.

“Say no more, Twi. Ah have a barn that stays plenty warm enough. Lotsa space in there ta boot. The fact yer not a fire breather is a good thing too. Just lemme know when yer ready to move in, Sugercube.”

“Thank you, Applejack, Big Mac. I look forward to seeing you again.”

I turn to the three terrors, I mean, fillies. They look back at me, smiling. I focus on the yellow one. “Your sister mentioned your name, Apple Bloom. Correct?”

“Yup!”

I look over at the other two.

“I’m Scootaloo! The totally awesome honorary sister of Rainbow Dash!” the orange filly states with a huge grin.

“And I’m Sweetie Belle. I’m Rarity’s sister,” says the white unicorn.

“Rarity? I haven’t had the pleasure just yet. I imagine I will be meeting her soon enough.

“You will. But first,” She turns towards the three fillies, “how about we get going on another Twilight Time session girls? And you are welcome to join us today, Sparky.”

“Twilight Time?” I ask.

“Its just a little something I came up with for the local foals. It’s a chance for me to teach them on subjects that interest them, and they of course get to continue learning outside of their classroom.”

“Yea, it’s totally neat,” Scootaloo says. “Hey Twilight, can we learn about dragons today? PLEASE?” Oh, my, aaugh, those Eyes! There should be a limit on the amount of cute that one filly can muster.

“Well, we do have a subject matter expert with us. How about it, Sparky? Care to enlighten us? I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious myself,” requests Twilight.

They all look at me, pouring on the cute. I cannot help myself. I just wanna hug em. I release my form, look at the bewildered fillies, and grab em up in what must be their most awesome, scariest hug. I settle down with them still in my arms, growling in content. They all start giggling and settle down in my massive arms.

I grin at everypony. “So, what’s up with us dragons, eh? I suppose that’s reasonable. Lets start at the beginning. Just as you ponies have two goddesses, we dragons have two deities as well. There are others we will worship, your own Princess included, however, these two were the first. Lord Bahamut, the benevolent ruler of the Metallic Dragons, myself included, and the wicked Lady Tiamat, the 5 headed goddess of our Chromatic cousins. Now, recently, your own Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends had a run in with a Red dragon. They were lucky on two fronts on that encounter.

“One: He was sleepy. More than anything, he just wanted to be left alone. Two: He was not a follower of Tiamat. Anypony care to take a guess as to how I know this to be true?”

“Oh, OH!” Scootaloo is waving her forelimb erratically.

“Hmmm? Well? Doesn’t anypony have an answer?” I tease her. “Ah! The little orange filly in my arms. What’s your theory?”

“Would he have tried to eat them?!” She inquires.

“Ah, it always come back to us eating the so called ‘lesser species.’ Even evil dragons wouldn’t take a life without reason. I know for a fact that Red did not feel threatened by his unexpected guest. And eating. Ponies have this stringy meat, and just so many bones, and you would barely be even a mouthful for a dragon his size. No, a dragon does not settle down for the Great Nap with an empty stomach. Princess Twilight, do you know about the Great Nap?” I ask, taking her title for the sake of a lecture.

“Yes, I have looked into it. You cannot have a Number One Assistant like mine and not wonder about what he will go through after, well, lets just say later in life. Upon exiting adulthood, usually 700 to 800 years, a dragon will be compelled to gorge itself on the local flora and fauna, sometimes eating 2 or 3 times their own body weight in food. Then, they will be compelled to find a place for a long rest. They know it might be anywhere from 1 to 3 centuries before they awaken. They will choose accordingly.

“Correct! A gold star for the Princess! And a very good effort, Scootaloo. Now, we have established this dragon was in no way hungry. What a dragon will be thinking of is his hoard. A follower of Tiamat would have tried to collect a few new pieces before bedding down. Some are known to keep cocatrices in covered cages so they may add new, unwilling statues. Others would just enslave you, blasting your minds until you are just mere shells of your former selves. Fortunately, followers of tiamat are few, and far between, and they would never set claw into Equestria.

“Well, on to lighter topics. So. Lets talk about our moral compass, our alignment if you will. We all know the big one. Good vs. Evil. The old struggle. The righteous against the wicked. Who can think of another opposite?”

The pegasus shoots up her arm again. “Scootaloo. Go ahead!”

“Discord, the spirit of disharmony!” she responds.

“Ah, excellent! and the other end of the spectrum?” I quiz her.

“The Elements of Harmony!” She answers.

Twilight beams at Scootaloo. I have not yet heard this tale, but knowing this group of ponies, I am looking forward to it. The elements themselves are well known among our kind, and we know of their recent rediscovery and recovery. Looking back at some of my encounters thus far, I have little doubt I have met some of the bearers themselves. Ah, but I digress.

“So. Harmony vs. Disharmony. Chaos against Order. Is someone who is chaotic also evil?”

Sweetie Belle puts up he hoof. I nod to her and she begins. “Discord wasn’t evil. He wasn’t good at first either. Even now, he does good things, but sometimes in a bad way?”

“Again, very good. So,we know a pony or other being can be chaotic good, one who would steal to feed a starving friend, maybe? How about order evil? Maybe somepony who uses the law to their own ends perhaps?

“King Sombra. His word was law, and he used it to enslave his ponies,” Responds Twilight.

“I do hope he was dealt with swiftly,” I state.

“He is no longer among us. The crystal heart saw to that. Actually, Spike had a role in his destruction. The crystal heart sent out a wave of pure hope and love that completely obliterated him. His punishment was a thousand years overdue,” Twilight informs me.

“While I detest the taking of a life, I do know sometimes it’s necessary. Well, this has gotten pretty heavy all the sudden. How about I put these elements into place so you can see where I’m going with all of this?”

“Chromatic dragons are the usual bunch. Red, blue, green, black, white, et cetera. Each has a unique breath weapon as well. Red dragons, the most common, breath fire of course. White dragons, their smaller northern cousins, breath a cone of freezing breath. The blue dragons share my electrical ability. Green dragons can go one of two ways. Fire, or a caustic gas. It’s like an airborne acid. They also share another of my abilities. My underwater nature. Black dragons are also water dragons. They spray a line of liquid acid. They prefer marshes and have been known to create them with their acid.

“They are usually chaotic, evil, or both. They will almost never fall on the good or order side. Of course, a lot of that is how they are raised. Most chromatic dragons are alone as hatchlings. Spike is a great example of how a dragon can be raised to be a model citizen.” Twilight smiles and blushes, looking down and away. “That is something to be proud of, Princess. Your efforts to raise Spike will have lasting consequences for the better part of the next 2,000 years. Even longer, depending on how he lives. I have no doubt he will do great things, and all because a pony showed him the way.” I smile at her. She has a grin pasted on her face that won’t go away anytime soon. “Careful, Twilight, those smiles of yours can be contagious.” Sure enough, the three fillies are all beaming their own smiles at her. “Ahh! It’s too late!” We all share a hearty laugh. The three fillies all get up from my arms and make their way over to Twilight. They lay down next to her, holding her from all sides.

“It’s amazing how the next generation can be so easily molded by our actions. The Metallic dragons all know this. We are all raised for at least a quarter century before we start to make our own way in the world. We will even visit our elders, usually once a decade or so. It’s always planned well in advance. We can expect a summons anywhere from three to 4 years in advance. Unplanned visits are frowned upon. It’s considered rude to bother your parents or siblings with your problems. Attempting to solve a problem for somedragon else is also rude. So, pretty much the exact opposite of pony culture.

“There are 5 main classes of Metallic dragons. Gold dragons are like our paladins. They will suffer no disorder, nor any evil. They breathe fire, and are colossal in size. To my knowledge, they are all followers of Lord Bahamut, and accept any words from him as absolute truth. Silver dragons are slightly smaller than Gold dragons, however they share many of the same beliefs. They breath a cold blast on their enemies. Bronze dragons, myself included, are aquatic in nature. We can live above or beneath the waves, however we always prefer to live near the coast. I have never been this far away from the sea before.” I take in a breath, then shoot a lightning bolt at a nearby cloud. It dissipates, leaving a clear patch. “Like a Blue dragon, we shoot forth lightning. I can use it while underwater, however it usually dissipates very rapidly. It is useful for stunning fish within about 10 meters of me.

“Copper dragons live in the mountains. They are tricky fellows, climbing up sheer cliffs like a spider on a wall. Elders can actually shape stone as well as any pegasus can shape a cloud. Of course, any species who primarily warship Discord will always have a few tricks to handle any situation. They shoot a stream of acid, like the Blacks. Brass dragons are the smallest of us. The oldest of them will never be much larger than I am now. They live in deserts, where the young ones will bury themselves in the sand if they feel threatened. They are also tricksters. Their favorite activity is talking to travelers who are crossing their desert. If the traveler tries to leave before the dragon has had its fill of conversation, it will bury the traveler in sand up their neck and continue talking. When finished, the dragon will always free the traveler, and even offer supplies should they run short. Once again, chaos does not mean evil. Their weapon is a line of liquid fire that extends much further than your typical fire breath.

“These are the primary dragon species for each family. There are several subspecies. Steel dragons of the Metallic family, and we all know a purple chromatic dragon that lives with the local librarian princess, don’t we.” The three fillies all giggle, and Twilight blushes again. “So, are there any questions?”

Four hooves shoot into the air, the lavender one much longer than the other three. I laugh and make my decision. “Apple Bloom, you’ve been pretty quiet. Please, what’s your question?” I ask her.

She blushes, then quietly asks, “Have dragons ever fallen fur someone who wasn’t another dragon? Say, a pony?”

Her two friends both chuckle, giving her a bit of a hard time. It seems somepony has a crush. I look at Twilight for help. I cannot answer this without affecting her ward, so I will have to defer to her judgement.

“Actually, Apple Bloom, Spike is smitten with a pony right now. I don’t foresee the relationship going beyond friendship, however, yes, it would seem a dragon, especially one who lived among ponies his entire life, could find love and happiness with someone not of his kind.”

“Oh. Okay. Ah kinda already figured,” she says quietly.

I approach her, and lift her chin gently with one of my claws. I smile at her and tell her, “A dragon’s love is no small thing to earn, Apple Bloom. When a dragon loves, and is loved in return, it’s forever. Sometimes, when something is difficult to do, it’s that much more special when you are finally able to realise your dream.”

“Ah’ll do whatever it takes. Thank you, Sparky,” She says, a determined look now on her face.

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

Following the lesson, I found myself laying in the grass beneath an apple tree with Twilight.

“So, Spike has a crush,” I state.

“I promised I wouldn’t tell anypony about it, however, I felt like I needed to today.”

“So, who knows about it?” I ask.

“It’s just about the worst kept secret in Ponyville. You can almost see hearts in his eyes when he’s around her. He even let her poke pins into his back. A living pincushion. I dread the day when she finally tells him he has no chance.”

“I doubt he felt it through his scales. So, no chance at all? A pity. I meant it when I said a dragon’s love is forever. But, the heart wants what it wants, and it cannot be forced to feel anything one way or another. She isn’t leading him on, is she?”

“Oh, no, never,” Twilight answers. “She cares far too much for him to ever get his hopes too high. But at the same time, she doesn’t want to break his heart completely. I doubt he has even thought about somepony else having feelings for him. I just want him to be happy. Actually, I’m pretty sure she already has her eyes on another. I believe she’s afraid of moving forward until she knows Spike’s going to be okay. Of course, she being a lady, she might be waiting for her love interest to make the first move. Knowing who that is, I doubt that will happen. It’s all circular logic. A real vicious cycle. A cannot happen before B, and B cannot happen because C is in the way, and C needs A to function properly. It keeps me up some nights.”

“So we introduce a new variable. Lets call it S. S takes C aside and teaches it to function independently. A and B, by mutual agreement, start to coexist. C finds happiness with another, or finds happiness without another. It will be his choice. S, of course, stays on to assist C in any future endeavours.”

Twilight smirks at me. She shakes her head and laughs. “Could it really be that easy?”

“Who better to understand the heart of a dragon then another dragon? He can be happy. He may be sad at first, but then he can be happy. It’s really up to him how long he remains sad. Having the support of his friends and family will make a real difference. When and if he decides to open his heart to another, he will make that decision himself. It may break a little filly’s heart, but it’s important that she give him time to heal. She said earlier she would do whatever it takes. Well, right now, it will take time. An open ended timeline is the best I can offer. Only Spike can know when he is ready.”

“Well. Sounds like we have a plan then. Oh! I need to write this down! Where’s my checklist! Spike! Oh, wait. I can’t very well have him write down a checklist about derailing his love life. Augh!” A manic looks crosses her face, and I start to feel afraid for some reason.

“Twilight?”

She looks at me, grinning unnaturally. I need to choose my next words carefully. Actually, words are overrated. I grab her and get her into a hug. She starts to struggle, but cannot get any leverage on my limbs. When I feel her relax, I set her down.

“Feeling better?” I ask.

She looks calmer, more composed. “Yes, actually. Thank you for that.”

“My pleasure. Actually, a hug is a pretty useful way to calm a pony down. Do you know why, Twilight?”

“Actually, yes. Being lightly restrained can trigger a release of endorphins, causing a happy state of mind. A bit of compression around the torso and all is right with the world. Funny how that works, really.”

“Nothing gets past you, Twilight. So, the pony of Spike’s dreams?”

“You will be meeting her tomorrow. You would have figured it out sooner or later anyway. Actually, if you don’t mind, could you sleep near Fluttershy’s cottage tonight? She can take you to meet Rarity tomorrow. That might answer a few of your other questions, too.”

“So Fluttershy is…”

“I’m not saying a word. Nope, no way, not a chance. Gotta fly! Gotta feed the baby dragon and wake up the owl. Yup! See you later, Sparky!” She takes off, leaving me a bit confused, but overall, I am okay with that. I walk over to the farm house.

I take on my pony form and knock softly. Applejack soon opens the door. She blanks for a second, then recognizes the dragon before her. “Your shape changin’s gonna take some gettin’ used to, sugarcube. Come on in. We were just fixin’ to start dinner. Would ya care to join us?”

“Will there be apples?” I ask.

She just looks at me and lets out a good, hearty laugh. “Git in here, you! Hey, Granny, set another place! Our farmdragon is here fer dinner!” Before she can lead me to the dining room, I stop her. “What can ah do you fur, Sugercube?”

“I… huh?” I don’t even know where to begin.

“Ah’m sorry, it’s just an expression. Our way of askin’ what’s on your mind. Don’tcha be thinkin’ too deep into it, now.”

“I… see. Well, first, I want to ask you. Are you aware of your sister’s crush?”

“Ah know there’s a durn fool baby dragon who better not break my sister’s heart, if’n he knows what’s good for ‘im. She’s been fawnin’ over that there rascal almost since she first met ‘im. It durn near broke ‘er heart when she found out he was pining over that frou frou fashionista. Dang, I wasn’t supposta’ be passin’ that along. Ya’ll can keep your mouth shut, right?”

“Actually, I am already familiar with a good deal of the situation. I may be able to, at the very least, help him overcome his infatuation with Rarity. I cannot speak of his feelings for Apple Bloom, if any, but I know his current situation is causing some difficulties. What I need from Apple Bloom right now is patience. Today, she told me she would do anything for Spike. I wish to hold her to that.”

“So, what, ya just want ‘er to wait? Fur how long?”

“When Spike goes through this, he will be fragile. He will need his friends and family more than anything. What he doesn’t need is a filly tossing her heart at him so soon after his own gets broken. All it will do is confuse him. He will need to get over his feelings for Rarity fully before any attempt is made to pursue him. It would be better if he were to develop feelings of his own, however, I think she deserves her chance. Twilight or myself will let you and Apple Bloom know when Spike is ready to hear what she has to say. Is this acceptable?”

“Absolutely.” Applejack and I turn our heads and see Apple Bloom descending the stairs. She has the same look of determination from when I last saw her. “Ah already told ya, Ah will do whatever it takes. If’n you can just gimme the chance, Ah will sit on my hooves fur as long as needed.”

This young pony has more fire in her then some dragons I have met. The look on her face is clear. This is where her heart lies. She walks into the dining room. Applejack and I look at each other, smile, and follow her. When we enter, I smile at what I see.

Apples. There isn’t a dish out there that doesn’t have some kind of apple theme. Salad with apples. Apple fritters. A good deal of it I couldn’t even name. I didn’t even know you could make apple dumplings. After my large lunch, I am not nearly as hungry as I could be. I bet I could only eat half of what is being offered.

Applejack leads me to my place. The head of the table. I widen my eyes at her. She just nods and says, “Ya’ll are our guest, so take your place. And don’t you be thinkin you’re gonna bust our food stores. We make this much most nights anyways. So, dig in! Just wait till we say Grace.”

Everypony takes their spot. I remove the chair and sit on the floor. Applejack looks at me, but says nothing. Everypony then bows their head, and I follow suit.

“Hail Luna, fulla grace, as we all mess up this place!” Applejack exclaims.

“GRACE!” the rest of the family follows suit.

Everypony, and I, go for the food. I get the idea that, yes, I could eat half the food on this table, however, I won’t get the chance. I scoop a little of this, and that, and some of what’s over there, and get a pretty respectable plate of food. The conversation stays light. Apple Bloom talks about school, Granny Smith asks if I’m seeing anypony, I of course, answer in the negative, and she bats her eyes at me. I let out a laugh. “You’re a bit young for me, Granny.”

“Horseapples! Ah’m twice your age, sonny! Wouldn’t want no young whipper snapper like you nohow.” The whole family and I share a laugh and we all continue dining. The feast ends far too soon, and we all sit back with various looks of contentment. At one point, my age is brought up.

“So, just how old are ya, Sugercube?” Applejack asks.

“I am not exactly sure. Not quite a century and a half, but almost. I am an adult by a dragon’s standards,” I reply.

“Dad gum! You sure you’re older than he is, Granny?”

“Ah stand by what Ah said, young’un. Ponyville has been around for dang near 300 years, and Ah was there since the beginnin’ for all of it. Us earth ponies can just go on livin’ if’n there’s work to be done. And raisin’ you three is work enough for me. Ah’m mighty proud to call ya my grandchildren. Now enough of ya’ll askin’ your Granny about her age.” She turns to me. “Where you sleepin’ tonight, Sugercube?”

“Twilight told me to sleep at Fluttershy’s cottage. I found a nice little patch of grass there that suits me just fine.?

“And suppose it starts rainin’?”

“I love the rain. If it does, I might have to go for a flight just on principal. If a full on storm were to take place, that would be just fine.”

“Well, alright. Just remember, you always have a place here at the Acres. You keep workin’ the way you do, Ah might just have to make ya Kin. Ya ever wanna be an Apple, honorary or legal like, ya just lemme know. Why, I bet Applejack here would love ta have ya.”

“Granny!” Applejack has gone from orange to red. She glares at her elder. She then glares at me. “Don’t you git no ideas. I ain’t got no interest in romanticizing right now. Granny, Ah’ll settle down when Ah’m good ‘n ready, and not a second before.”

We all laugh at her expense. She glares for a few seconds more, then joins in with a few chuckles of her own. A few moments later, I bid them farewell. I look forward to spending a lot more time here. However, it’s getting late and I could really use some sleep. No doubt the rest of this fine family feels the same way.

I exit their home, and fly to the northeast.

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

I arrive at Fluttershy’s cottage, and see her standing outside. She instantly recognizes me and waves. I land and approach her.

“Good evening, Fluttershy. I hope it will be okay if I bed down here tonight.”

“Oh, it will be my pleasure, Sparky. I wasn’t sure if you were coming back tonight. I was just going to go to bed. Do you need anything?”

I shake my head. “No, thank you though. Do you know of my plans for tomorrow then?”

She shakes her head.

“Twilight was going to take me to see Rarity. However, something came up, and she told me to ask you instead. Will you take me to see her?” I ask her.

“Meep!”

Wow, red on yellow. It reminds me of a sunset. She gets a goofy grin on her muzzle, and nods her head. It looks like she is worlds away right now.

“Splended! I look forward to meeting the pony who has caught the heart of a dragon.”

Her grin disappears. “What? But, you have never even met her. How could you say you love her? Does she just attract every dragon she meets?”

I cannot help it. I want to behave. But I just cannot pass this up. I will hate myself after, but it’s just irresistible. I have to do it. There is just no way around it.

I have to prank Fluttershy.

Somewhere, a blue pegasus and a pink earth pony both scream their vengeance if this goes wrong.

I grin. “Ever since I heard of her, I just cannot help but hear her name ringing in my head. Rarity! Rarity! Oh Rarity! Come with me and you may have my hoard! You will be all the riches I will ever need! Rarity!”

Fluttershy has a shocked expression. Then she covers her mouth and softly giggles. She sits back and wipes a tear from her eye. “You know, you had me convinced for a second there. Right up until you mentioned your hoard. I doubt any dragon would give up their hoard for somepony they haven’t even met.” She giggles again. “Thank you, Sparky.”

“Hmmm?”

“Nopony wants to tease me because of my soft spoken nature. I know my friends love me, but they don’t have to always treat me like I’m made of glass. I could use a good laugh sometimes.”

I smile at her. “Anypony who stands up to a red dragon will never be weak in my eyes. So, about meeting Rarity tomorrow?”

She blushes again, red on yellow. It’s a striking combination. The attraction is there, however, I will leave them to figure out how to go forward with it. My main concern is with Spike.

She nods her head. “It would be lovely to see her tomorrow.” She yawns. “Goodness, it’s time for bed. Goodnight, Sparky.”

“Goodnight.” I wander over to my spot by her bridge. As I relax into it, my original form comes out. I let out my own yawn. The sound causes the immediate area to fall silent. I smile, lay my head down, and fall asleep.

Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

“Sparky?”

The world is fuzzy. I find this odd. Ah, that’s right. I slept above the water last night. I blink a few times to clear my eyes.

“Oh, good. Would you like some breakfast? Harry has offered to share, if you like.”

The world comes into focus. I see Fluttershy sitting next to a bear. I uncurl myself and rise. One good stretch later, and I am good to go.

“Good morning, Fluttershy, and Harry?” The bear lets out a growl in what could be confirmation. I see a few fish next to him, and my mouth waters.

“Oh, goodness. I forgot just how big you are. And yes, this is Harry. He caught a few fish this morning, and would like to share them with you, if that’s okay.”

“That is very nice of you, Harry. Thank you.” I look at his catch. Five good sized fish. “Please, Harry, take the ones you want. I think you earned them, after all. Tomorrow, I will be sure to do the fishing.”

Harry lets out another growl, and picks off two of the fish. Fluttershy smiles at him. “Thank you for sharing this with our guest, Harry. I will return later and give you another back rub.” Fluttershy then turns to address me, “The poor dear keeps winding himself in knots. It can make him very cranky, but he is so sweet when he is relaxed. Thank you for giving him first pick of his catch.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. Like I said, tomorrow, I will provide breakfast. Actually, if you give me a number, I can catch it. I know I have seen a few otters around, and I bet Harry goes through quite a few fish himself.”

“Oh, no. They enjoy fishing for themselves too much for me to take that away from them,” she says. “Catching fish is never a problem for my animals. They are actually always offering me some, but I just can’t. I will never deny a carnivore its habits, but I cannot bring myself to eat something that was once a living creature.”

“You can communicate with animals?”

“Yes. It’s my special talent. I can talk to them, and I understand what they want and need.”

“That’s nothing short of remarkable, Fluttershy.” I pick up one of the fish. Fluttershy turns back to her cottage and starts walking. It’s pretty plain to see she doesn’t want to see me eating. Looking back at lunch yesterday, I feel bad about eating all that seafood in front of her. I start in on the fish I’m holding. As I’m chewing, Fluttershy turns back around.

“We will leave for Rarity’s shop once you’re finished.” She smiles at me. “Enjoy your breakfast.” She turns around and enters her cottage.

Well. So much for that fact. That smile was in no way a look of disgust. I finish my breakfast in quiet contemplation.

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

A little while later, I change into my pony form, then Fluttershy and I walk over to Rarity’s home and workplace.

“It’s called the Carousel Boutique. She designs and makes dresses there. Her designs are the talk of the elite. She has a real eye for beauty, and knows how to make connections everywhere she goes. Actually, I am looking forward to her reaction when she sees what you actually look like.”

“Well then. If there is nopony in her shop, I would be happy to oblige. You don’t think she will be afraid, do you? I would hate to cause a panic.”

“Oh, no. I will be there, and she knows I would never bring somepony, or somedragon, who would cause harm to her or her workplace. I think she will just want to design something based on your coloration. She takes inspiration from everything, and her ideas are simply wonderful.”

We arrive at the boutique. Fluttershy walks in first, and, seeing nopony in the main room, nods to me. As I walk in, I revert to my natural state and shut the door behind me. Fluttershy flips the “OPEN” sign to “CLOSED” and waits.

From the back room, I hear a voice coming near. “Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where everything is OHMYCELESTIA! EeeeeeeeeeYES!!! Oh, Darling! Just look at you! Your scales! Such a lovely bronze color, and the blue on their edges, and oh! Please, forgive my manners. I am Rarity, and I am the proprietor of this boutique. Please, come, come. Fluttershy, Dear, wherever have you been keeping this fine specimen of a dragon? I just simply must know. Oh, goodness me, I have nowhere for you to sit. This simply will not do. Oh, dear I just…”

I laugh. I literally roar with laughter. Fluttershy was spot on with her mannerisms. I look back at the yellow pegasus, and yes, she is blushing again. Oh, this is such a delight. “Miss Rarity, if I may call you Rarity?”

“Yes, Rarity is fine, Darling.”

“Thank you, Rarity. If you like, you could just bring a table over. I am sure you have many questions. I do hope I have as many answers for you. First, my name is Sparky. I would never have a lady such as yourself at a disadvantage. I will be staying here in Ponyville, and I would like nothing more than to make myself useful to the local population. Now, I understand you are a designer by trade?”

“Yes, Sparky, was it? What an unusual name for a dragon. Not that I disapprove, Darling, but I would never have guessed it.”

I laugh again. “Yes, I do admit it is an unusual name, and you may rest assured it was given to me in an unusual way. Do you know a mare by the name of Pinkie Pie?”

“Ah, say no more. Just one moment, Darling, while I retrieve a table for us. Oh! And where are my manners, would you or Fluttershy care for some tea?”

We both nod our agreement. Rarity turns around and walks to the other room. I grin at Fluttershy and polymorph into my pegasus form. She just smiles and shakes her head. I walk into the other room and see Rarity struggling with the table.

“Allow me, Rarity.” I say.

She turns around. “Oh! Thank you, Darling. I don’t know if… I’m sorry, do I know you? Forgive me if I have forgotten. Actually, I have guests at the moment. Would you please excuse me?”

“Of course, Rarity. It would be my pleasure. Oh, and I happen to like peppermint tea. Would you have any perchance?” I move under the table and lift it easily with my wings. “I would hate to be a bother. Whatever you have will be fine.”

Rarity stops all activity and looks back at me carrying her table. She follows me into the other room, and notices a distinct lack of a dragon. After setting down her table, I take my spot next to fluttershy. She closes her eyes for a few seconds. Upon opening them, she sees her friend, and me, the dragon, again.

She swiftly turns around and returns to her other room. She spends a few minutes making the tea, then returns to us. Fluttershy, of course looking like Fluttershy, and me, looking very much like a pegasus colt.

She calmly sets down the tea, summons her couch to her, and passes out on it.

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

“Really, If you moved your couch so easily, I think you could have managed your table just fine.”

A few minutes have passed, and Rarity is stirring. Her eyes open, and she sits up. “I enchanted it long ago. It’s so nice to be able to move my couch around without too much effort. My table, on the other hand, has not moved in quite some time. I see you are a pegasus now. Will you be staying like that, or will you continue your little game?”

“Please forgive me, it’s in my nature to tease a little bit. I apologize for distressing you..”

“It’s quite alright, Darling. You actually remind me of my friend, Rainbow Dash. She can be quite a prankster herself.” Rarity gets up and sits on the other side of Fluttershy. I notice she chooses to sit quite close to the yellow pegasus.

I smile at her. “If it makes you feel any better, you are far from the only pony I have played a joke on since my arrival. Actually, just last night I pulled one over on Fluttershy here. We had a good laugh over it.”

“Fluttershy, Darling! Are you quite okay? This mean dragon didn’t make you cry, did he? I swear if he did, I will END HIM!”

And just like that, my life is in Fluttershy’s hooves. Please, be merciful.

“Oh, goodness, no. It wasn’t like that, Rarity. He um, well, um. It was harmless, Rarity. I…” It’s remarkable just how easy her coat goes from yellow to that red yellow coloration.

“You! What did you do to my dear Fluttershy!” The look of anger on her face does not bode well for me.

“Eeep!” Fluttershy is not helping.

“I swear, we were laughing about it last night!” Rarity looks ready to jump over the table at me. I get up and back slowly away, trying to disarm the situation. Then something bad happens.

When I am in my dragon form, my weight is spread out over a much wider area. Thus far, my switching back and forth has not given me any trouble. I was fortunate enough to stay over support beams in the floor. Unfortunately, my luck ran out. My weight on four much smaller areas causes Rarity’s floor to buckle into her basement.

Rarity pokes her head into her new basement portal. “Are you injured, Sparky?”

“Only my pride.” My eyes adjust to the lower levels of light, and I make a startling discovery.

“My, my, Rarity, you have quite an extensive collection down here. I never would have guessed you had it in you.”

Rarity blushes deeply. She can clearly picture what I am seeing right now. “You must understand, darling, that is my private collection.”

“I can imagine, Rarity, I just never would have thought you were the type to make these.”

Her blush only deepens. “Please, not another word. I beg you!”

“But these designs, they’re so…”

“No, please, don’t say it!” pleads Rarity.

“OLD!” I exclaim. I revert back to my dragon form and poke my head through the hole.

Crimson in face, Rarity gasps. “AH! No! They are not old. You misunderstand! When my muse speaks, I must listen. Even when it calls me to make something ‘Retro!’ I simply cannot ignore it! Oh, my life is over. Where ever shall I go? Whatever shall I do? The scandal is simply too much to bear! Oh, Fluttershy, what must you think of me.” She runs over to the pegasus and throws herself at her hooves.

“Umm, it’s okay, Rarity, I could never think badly of your designs.” She lowers herself next to the unicorn and embraces her with her wings and hooves. Rarity finds herself face to face with Fluttershy, their noses almost touching. Her blush doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Fluttershy’s blush deepens again. Oh, this is too fun. But, alas, I feel the need to stay quiet. I duck my head back down and survey the damage.

It’s bad. I took out several cross beams, and a support post. This might be beyond Twilight’s abilities. I have seen her repair a still living tree, and a step made of crystal. From the look of things, though, the wood in Rarity’s floor will likely need to be replaced. Worse, this is Rarity’s workplace and home. The hole is in her main showroom. This will cost a lot of time and bits for her. Well, time, anyway. I will provide the funding. Actually, this is ideal. I might be able to turn this situation around. It just depends on if Rarity is up for a little trip. Maybe a week or so.

I poke my head back up. I see Rarity and Fluttershy still holding one another. Neither seems inclined to let the other go. At least their natural coloration has returned. “Rarity, may I speak to you? Alone?”

Rarity disengages with Fluttershy, much to their mutual disappointment. As she comes over, she does her own damage assessment. I can tell she isn’t pleased with the state of her floor. As she makes her way over, she steps into a weakened area. I quickly lift the offending beam before she involuntarily joins me in the basement. She feels the floor shifting and quickly backs up.

“How bad is it, Darling? Do you think it can be repaired?”

“I can assure you, it will be taken care of. I do have an idea, however, it would require a bit of travel on my part. Or our part, if you are interested?” I inquire.

“Whatever do you mean, Darling?

“I cannot in good conscience leave your residence and business in this state. My local funding might be limited, however, I am not limited to my local funding, if you catch my meaning. I was actually planning to make a return trip soon anyway. This merely speeds up the timeline.”

“Are you suggesting I sojourn to places unknown with a dragon I have just barely met?”

“I will let you have your pick of my hoard,” I offer.

“I shall pack at once. Actually, I shall pack later. I am expected somewhere for lunch. I would very much like it if you were to accompany me, Darling. You as well, Sparky.” I chuckle at her use of my name and her offering to Fluttershy her term of endearment. At least she isn’t my outright enemy, unlike my pegasus nemesis.

“Oh, another lunch date? I’m not sure, I mean, I cannot leave my animals for too long.”

“Oh, but I insist! I simply… What is this about another lunch date, Dear? Has somepony been courting you?” A brief look of jealousy crosses her face, but it’s quickly replaced with a neutral expression.

“Oh, my, no. I had lunch with Twilight and Sparky yesterday. I am not sure if anypony is… is… Eeep!” There she goes again. She lowers her face and hides behind her mane. If this keeps up, I fear we shall break Fluttershy. I clear my throat.

“Twilight invited us to lunch after I first met Fluttershy. It was a splendid location that I will be visiting quite frequently. Actually, I am finding myself hungry again just thinking about the place. Where are we going, Rarity?”

“Well first, you are going to get out of my cellar. Can you manage without further damaging my floor?”

I chuckle a bit at her priorities. I polymorph into a large eagle. I am a bit bigger then a foal in this form, except for my wings. Hmmm. Well, I guess I could just take the stairs. I just don’t know if my stamina will be able to keep my form for very long after. In order for this to work, I will have to adjust my mass. I am not looking forward to the next couple of hours. I morph to my pegasus form and walk across Rarity’s basement. The stairs are easy enough to find, however, what I am about to do will not be pleasant.

“Is the door to your basement unlocked? I really cannot maintain my mass for too long. A few seconds at best, really,” I call out.

“Just a moment, Let me make sure.” The door at the top of the stairs opens. I get the feeling if we hadn’t checked, it would have been locked.

“Could you open your front door as well, and make sure the coast is clear? I will meet you outside.”

“Alright, Dear. Please, be careful. The hole is directly in the path from the basement door to the front door. I get the feeling you can’t try this more than once. We will see you outside.” I wait a few seconds, and hear what I think is the front door opening. I play it safe and wait another 10 seconds. Then I begin.

I collapse my mass down. It hurts. It HURTS. I haven’t done something like this in decades, and it shows. It’s not something that gets easier with practice. It’s not a skill or ability that fades with age. It just gets more and more difficult as a dragon grows larger. I rapidly lose my reserves of energy and it’s all I can do to not think only of the pain. I am in a vice that is on fire. I am being compressed from all sides inside and out. My blood boils. I start to run as I start to scream. I am up the stairs in 2 seconds. I am still screaming. I lose a precious second getting my bearings, then locate the front door. The pain in my lungs matches the rest of the pain. I fly across her showroom to avoid the hole in the middle. I touch down just in front of her front door and charge through it. I collapse on the other side, outside, and it’s all I can do to stay a pegasus. I cannot stop screaming. My mass snapped back as I crossed the threshold, however the pain is still there. I’m just gonna lie here for a while and suffer.

My body is on fire. The vice is gone, but the heat will linger for a while longer. I swear to everything, I will never alter my mass again. Celestia, Luna, Bahamut, Discord, I invoke your names and hereby swear to eat my own tongue before I ever alter my mass again. My tongue guides my bolts, my bolts are my lifeforce given form. I am swearing to give up what makes me a dragon before ever altering my mass again. To eat one’s tongue is to wander forever alone, shunned and shamed until death. The pain lessens after a few minutes that pass as hours. I stayed awake, barely. Had I passed out, my form would have reverted. I cannot be known just yet by the general public. I regain feeling in my body and limbs, and feel bodies covering my own.

Two of the most lovely ponies ever are holding me, whispering to me. General nothings that don’t mean anything to me just yet. I focus on the voices. One is apologizing. Rarity. Tears escape my eyes as I hear her beg for forgiveness. I cannot tell her yet that there is nothing to forgive. I cannot find my words. I think I stopped screaming some time ago. Ah, Yes. There it is. “Rarity, I’m okay. I just need a moment longer.” I try moving a limb. It’s a foreleg. Left side. It responds to my command, but refuses to bear weight. I am so heavy. I feel myself slipping. I open my way too heavy eyelids and try to focus. An apple is in front of me. I eat it whole. Another appears. I make it disappear. The darkness at the edges of my vision recedes. Apples keep coming. I banish them to my stomach. After a moment, I am able to regain my hooves. I do so, and retreat back into the boutique. I stay well away from the hole, and let my form slip.

My head is swimming, but I no longer feel heavy. I lay down, and see the two mares in front of me. Rarity is crying. Why? Oh. She blames herself. This cannot do. I will not allow it.

I pull both the mares to me. “Thank you, both of you. I will be alright. It was my foolishness, my pride that left me like this. I will heal.” Rarity stops crying. I feel a bit sick, but I keep everything down. I turn down the offer of another apple. I want to just lie here. I don’t want to move. I want these two mares to stay with me. I release them instead. I attempt to stand. Pain shoots through my limbs. I rise, letting the burn take its course. I move my forelegs, keeping my weight on them as I do. It hurts, but they loosen. I repeat the process with my rear legs. I twist my head and neck until it hurts. Then I twist further. Each back and forth motion restores mobility. I move my tail around. I usually don’t even think about moving it. Now I have to give individual commands to it. Up, down, left, right, twist, circle, back and forth. I flex and arch my spine. Rarity and Fluttershy give me general encouragements.

I am able to keep upright. The food I have eaten is staying where it is most needed. I am weak, but functional. I cannot change my form. I don’t even want to try. “Rarity, I’m afraid I simply cannot make it to lunch today. Actually, I fear I will need to sleep here tonight. I am sorry if this is an inconvenience to you. I cannot go outside as I am.”

“Actually, I was going to suggest the same thing, Dear. If I had known what you were going to go through, I would have ripped out my floor myself. I would have torn down my Boutique. You silly, silly fool. Nopony, nodragon, should go through what you just did, Darling. The fact that you did speaks volumes to your character. Never, ever, EVER do that again. If you do, I will be most cross. Am I understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Incorrect.”

“Yes, Rarity.”

“Much better. Fluttershy, would you be a dear and watch over our fool for me? I have an errand I must attend to. Once I return, you may take your leave for your animals if you wish. Can you do this for me?”

“O-of course, Rarity.” She looks at me. She stares at me. She STARES at me. “Please do not move, Sparky. I just need a moment, if that’s okay with you.”

My eyes are locked on to hers. I can only nod. My world centers around her gaze. She looks away, and I lie back down. Nothing could move me from this spot, except for a yellow pegasus. Rarity and Fluttershy go outside. I decide staying awake is overrated.

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

My eyes shoot open. Ponies. My head shoots up. My body denies my attempt to change it. I look around.

“I see you finally decided to wake up,” says Twilight. “You burned yourself out. I would recommend at least 2 days before attempting to polymorph again. You are lucky to be alive.”

“What were ya thinkin’, Sugercube? You done scared the wits outta everypony here. I got half a mind to buck ya into your lake, ya lunatic,” says Applejack.

“Not so big and tough now, are ya. You are just lucky I won’t buck a downed dragon. Don’t think you’ve seen the last of me, either.” Rainbow Dash. I’m surprised she’s here. Not that she stays. Once she chews me out, she flies out the door. I could almost detect a hint of worry coming from her. She probably just wants to beat me herself.

“Two days, Sparky. Two days. I have been trying to get you to come to your party for two days, but every time I get set up, you don’t come. First, you sleep at Fluttershy’s instead of going back to your lake and then, you agree to follow Rarity to Sugarcube Corner, but you no show because you decided to be a silly head and hurt yourself. Now I brought you to the party by bringing the party to you.” Pinkie Pie takes a party horn out of her mane and blows into it. “Lets get this party started!”

Music plays from every corner. Confetti is everywhere. Rarity cringes at the mess, but she still smiles at the antics of the energetic Pinkie. Fluttershy is off to one side. She looks like she is enjoying herself, talking to Rarity. It seems they are standing very close. I cannot help but wonder if they have decided to start seeing each other. It might make things easier if they have.

I see a purple glow coming from Twilight’s horn. A matching half sphere surrounds the hole in Rarity’s floor.

“Can you do anything for it, Twilight?” I ask.

“I already am. This barrier will prevent anypony from getting too close. Other than that, It will require repair from a specialist.” She replies. She lets go of her magic, and the barrier stays stable.

“You mentioned this town has seen its fair share of problems. Any chance you know who best to hire? Bits will be no problem at all. I will even pay extra if they will defer payment until Rarity and I return.”

“You and Rarity? Where are you going?”

“I was planning to go back to my hoard. I asked Rarity if she would accompany me. I kinda made her an offer she couldn’t refuse,” I reply.

“Will she be okay there? I don’t want her running into any hostile dragons.”

“The area we are going is pretty isolated. The only dragons who know the general location of my hoard are my parents and siblings. We inform each other when and if we are planning to take an extended leave.”

“Alright, I will trust you,” she says. “Just please let me know if you have any problems. You are able to send messages, right?”

“I can, however, it might not be pleasant for Spike to receive it. The message would arrive as a very small bolt of lightning. More like a very bad static shock in the mouth. I have been told that numbness and tingling of the mouth, lips, and tongue are the usual result of receiving a message this way. I cannot imagine I would want fire in my mouth, either.”

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind. I doubt Spike would enjoy that. So, I have a few ponies I can talk to about Rarity’s floor. I will make sure they know that payment is guaranteed. I give them a lot of business, so I doubt haggling will be much of an issue. I wish I could give you an estimate, but I never was good at those kind of rough estimates. I much prefer precise numbers to general ones.”

“I have no problem with you doing the negotiations for me. I doubt they would take the word of a young colt anyway. Thank you for taking care of that for me,” I say. “I was planning on leaving early tomorrow if Rarity agrees. It will have to be before dawn if we want to leave that soon. I will also be bringing back those books I promised you. There will be a lot of them, so I hope you have room.”

Upon being reminded of her expected books, Twilight gets giddy. She starts bouncing around me, repeating “Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!” Her friends all look over and just smile and laugh. I guess this is a common occurrence to them. No matter. I call out to Rarity. She and Fluttershy walk over.

“If it’s okay with you, I would like to leave tomorrow before dawn.” Noticing I am talking to Rarity, Twilight stops bouncing. She has a sheepish look on her face. She sits calmly in front of me.

“I see no problem with leaving tomorrow, Darling, however, how will you exit my door?”

“I…” I draw a blank. This is a problem. Fortunately, Twilight has the answer.

“I should be able to teleport you outside. I have already levitated you, and for me, teleportation is not too much harder than levitation. I can meet you here tomorrow when you’re ready to leave. I just need to know the time.”

“I believe 4:30 should do, Darling. I am in no rush, however. Do we have to leave tomorrow?”

“I cannot stay here too much longer, Rarity. I took a risk even coming back in here. I have no idea how your floor will handle my weight if I remain on it for an extended period. I would also try to minimize your down time. I cannot imagine you wanting to be out of work for long. You making this trip with me just clears the way to having your home and workplace back to the way it was.”

“I do appreciate your offer, Sparky, but is it really okay for you to be exerting yourself to this degree? That was quite an ordeal you went through on my behalf. I won’t have you injuring yourself permanently for any reason.”

“I have a sort of magical burnout, Rarity. I experienced some physical backlash, but nothing some stretching cannot overcome. I just need to get a good night’s sleep and I will be fine. Waking at 4:00 will be no problem, and I am used to long distance soaring anyway. I even have a place on my back for you. I promise, I will be fine.”

"Well, alright, Darling. Twilight, I will see you tomorrow. I must get ready for my trip. Given my mode of transportation seems willing to cause permanent injury to himself, I suppose it will be up to me to be sensible. It’s funny, really. I have Spike carry so much luggage usually, and now that I have this great big dragon, I will be bringing hardly anything.”

“So you haven’t told Rarity your plan?” Twilight asks me.

“What plan?” asks Rarity.

“I will tell you all about it on our journey. It need not concern you for tonight. I will see you in the morning, Rarity.”

“I will not be dismissed so easily, Dear. If you have been planning something behind my back, I would like to know now.”

I sigh. I had hoped to talk to Rarity alone, however, she is determined learn the truth. I decide Fluttershy should be present after all. I am taking a chance by assuming they are a couple, but it seems a safe assumption. I have little doubt their friends already know one way or another, but I need to keep this quiet.

“Twilight, would you excuse us? We shouldn’t be long,” I request.

“Actually, I would prefer Twilight stay. She seems to know information on this plan, and I want complete answers,” states Rarity.

I shake my head, smiling. Okay, Rarity, you asked for it.

“Rarity, Fluttershy, have you two started dating yet?” Sometimes it’s best to rip off the bandage. Or so I’m told, anyway. Tape on scales is hardly a painful experience, going on or coming off.

I am treated to a pair of blushing mares. Twilight may be blushing as well, however her coloration makes it hard to tell.

“I hardly see how that is any of your business, Darling. A lady simply does not talk of these things.”

“My plan concerns a small dragon’s infatuation with you. I am guessing it would make things easier if he could move past his crush. I will be taking him on to show him our ways. I also happen to know of a filly that currently feels for him the way he feels for you. For right now, I will show him how to get over his sadness.”

“I simply cannot allow this. It would break his heart if he learns he could never be with me.”

“It will only get worse with time, Rarity. He needs to move on. Your own relationship, whether real or perceived, cannot progress until this happens. I promise, he will be okay. This is why I approached Twilight about this. Spike is her family. Call him assistant, brother, son, Twilight means everything to him. She is his pony. I will provide what help I can, but she will be central in getting him through this.”

“It’s true, Rarity. I believe Spike will be okay, especially with Sparky helping him through this,” adds Twilight.

“I… see. Fluttershy, do you agree with them?”

“I will support whatever decision you make, Rarity,” she says, extending a wing over her.

“Twilight, I never wanted to hurt Spike. I just wanted him to be happy. I would have told him sooner, but every time I see him, I just cannot bring myself to hurt him. I had hoped his crush would fade, however, I cannot wait any longer.” She nuzzles Fluttershy. “It would not be fair to you, Love.” She looks back over to us. “If we can help Spike in any way, we will. You only need to ask.”

“Yes, please do. I have always been fond of talking to Spike. If I can be of any help at all, I will do all I can.”

“Thank you both so much,” responds Twilight.

“We can discuss more tomorrow if you like, Rarity. For tonight, I am going to sleep early. We have a long flight ahead of us, and I want to be well rested.” I go towards the corner that is as far away from the hole as I can manage. I step carefully, and feel no shifting for my efforts. I bid each of the others good night as I pass them. They are confused at my early bedtime, however they all respond in kind. Pinkie seems the most distressed.

“Did you not like your party, Sparky? I tried to make it super duper extra marvaltacular for you!” She is almost in tears. I smile at her, then laugh.

“I definitely had a marvaltacular time, Pinkie.”

She perks up a little. “Was it super duper?”

“It was EXTRA super duper. I look forward to the next one, Pinkie. I just have to wake up early tomorrow. Good night.” I pull her over with one of my massive arms. Pinkie hugs me back as best she can, and manages just fine.

“Okey dokey lokey! You better be ready for another party, big guy. You owe me!”

I smile and nod. I lay down in the corner, and drift off to sleep with a bouncy pink pony guiding me.

Chapter 4

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Chapter 4

I need to start sleeping in the water again. I also need to move around. I try a few of my limbs. Functional, pretty limber. I am a bit sore from sleeping on a hard surface. I usually prefer to sleep underwater for this reason. I get on my feet and stretch some more. I flex and extend my wings. Ouch. They are way tighter than they should be. I move them slowly, testing my range of motion. Looks like I have full mobility, but it’s pretty painful. This is gonna be a long day.

I hope Rarity wakes soon. It’s almost time to leave. I am expecting Twilight any minute. Sure enough, I hear a knock at the door. A jolt of pain goes down my spine as I try to change forms. I really need to stop doing that. I make my way over to the door. Guess I will just have to rely on luck here.

“Who’s there?” I ask. Lets hope if it isn’t Twilight, I didn’t just cause a scandal for Rarity.

“It’s me, Sparky. Spike is here too. Please open up.” I obey the request. The door is difficult to manage with my claws, but after a few seconds I get the door open. Twilight and Spike both enter. Twilight is nice enough to close and lock the door behind them. Spike grins up at me.

“I have been wanting to spend the night here since forever. How did you do it?” he asks.

“Well, first you gotta break through the floor because of a basement you didn’t know was there.” I point out the hole to Spike. Twilight’s spell is still in place, preventing any accidents. I’m just glad there is still only one hole. “Then, in the process of leaving the basement, foolishly assume you are a half century younger than you really are. That may be tricky for you. Then it’s just a simple matter of compressing your mass much further than it was ever meant to be compressed, causing you extreme amounts of pain, and almost frying your magic completely. If you do that, I am absolutely certain you may spend the night anywhere you please.”

“Now, now, Sparky. My darling little Spikey Wikey will never need to resort to such things to sleep here if he wishes. I dare say I would never expect somepony, or dragon, to go through what you did yesterday.” Rarity descends the last few steps from her bedroom upstairs. She looks like she has spent plenty of time on her appearance. Not so much as a single hair in her mane or tail is out of place. Spike gets a goofy grin on his face. He all but floats to the white unicorn.

“Hey, Rarity,” he says, that goofy grin of his plastered on his face. This kid’s got it bad. Twilight and I will have to get right to work once I get back with Rarity.

“Spike, Darling. How have you been? I do hope you are doing well.”

“I’m always good when you’re around, Rarity. Do you really have to leave?” he asks her.

“I’m afraid so, Dear. My floor won’t repair itself. We shouldn’t be gone to long. Then I can tell you about all of my adventures! Will that be okay, Darling?”

“I guess.” Spike turns to me. “You’ll make sure she’s okay, right?”

“On my honor, young one. Rarity shall be returned to her loved ones exactly as she is.” I may be laying it on a bit thick there. I lean down to his level. “She’ll be fine, Spike. I suspect she is more than capable of handling herself should the need arise.”

“I know.” He looks down at the ground. I really need something to keep him occupied. Once again, Twilight to the rescue.

“Spike, you already know your role in this. You’re our link to each other if we need to communicate. Without you, Rarity would be lacking what could be a vital lifeline. Are you ready to try it?”

Spike nods.

I glance at Twilight. I have no idea if she really intends to try to communicate, but if it helps Spike get over Rarity’s absence, I suppose we could try it. “Do you have any scrolls, Rarity?”

Rarity drifts a rolled up scroll to me. I take it and look at Twilight. She nods and I put the scroll in my mouth. The parchment is engulfed in electricity and shoots out from my mouth. Almost immediately, Spike feels a jolt in his mouth. The parchment pops back into existence as it emerges. Spike just stands there, mouth hanging open.

“How do you feel, Spike?” I ask him.

“I aan’n eeel eye outh.” I am guessing his lips and tongue are mostly paralyzed. He gets a look of anger, picks up the scroll, and huffs fire onto it. Intense burning follows for me. I belch and the scroll is back. His retribution was definitely not pleasant. I exhale and a bit of smoke exits my nostrils. My eyes water, and I sneeze. A lightning bolt shoots out of my mouth, rebounds off the shield covering the hole, and smashes back into me. My eyes widen, and I cannot help but laugh. I have never been hit by my own bolt. Then the pain begins.

My reserves of energy are still very low. Sending a scroll a short distance takes almost no effort. Polymorphing is a continuous moderate effort. Shooting lightning is a very short burst of extreme effort. I lay back down to see if the room would be kind enough to stop spinning. It takes a moment, but the room complies with my silent request.

It would seem I will be unable to use by bolts for anything aside from messaging for some time. “Are you alright, Darling?” asks Rarity.

“I will be, I just need a moment.” I grin. “The sneeze that floored a dragon. I doubt I will live that down anytime soon.” I slowly rise, and start moving my wings around in their sockets. The muscles are still very tense. I feel a firm pressure on the affected muscles. I look back and see a purple glow coming from Twilight’s horn.

“Princess, what have I told you about using magic on me without my permission,” I ask, chuckling.

“Would you like me to stop?” she asks back at me.

“Oh, no, I never said stop. Wherever did you learn to do this?”

She opens her own wings in response. “When I first started learning to fly, I always felt sore afterwards. Rainbow Dash always wanted me to push myself while she was training me. She would always make sure I would do my stretching exercises before and after each session. Even after that, though, I would still feel sore and worn out. So, I found a book on massage techniques. I learned to pinpoint or dull my magic as needed to get in deep. It worked wonders. I am simply scaling up to match your size. You seem to have a lot of the same musculature as a pegasus.”

I continue to move my wings around as she kneads my muscles and lectures us. Before too much longer, I have full mobility and strength in all of my limbs. Spike wanders over.

“Whoa! Nice wingspan, Sparky!” It seems the numbness of his mouth wears off after only a few minutes. I myself still have a burning aftertaste in my mouth and sinuses.

I nod at Spike, smiling. I then look at Rarity. “Are your things ready? We have to leave soon.”

She shows me her saddlebags. I widen my eyes in surprise. “Come now, Darling. Surely you don’t think I do not have the ability to pack light. I am quite certain we will be bringing back much more than I currently have on me. It only makes sense to bring a minimal amount of items for our departure.”

I grin at her. “You are correct, Rarity. Thank you for your foresight. Twilight? I believe we are ready to begin.” Hugs are passed around as everyone says their final farewells. Spike’s lower lip quivers a bit, but he holds his tears. Good lad.

“Rarity, if you could take your place, I should be able to start you at altitude. No need to bring us out to the street and chance an encounter.” Rarity climbs up onto my back and settles on my shoulders between my wings. I barely even notice she is there. I lift both of my wings to make sure she is in a safe place. Seeing she could be squeezed on my upstrokes, she shifts backwards a bit. Much better. “Alright, Sparky, Rarity? Are you all set?”

We both nod affirmative. I feel a tingling sensation as Twilight’s magical field envelopes us. I extend and level my wings, ready to be airborne. A loud “POP!” sounds and I find myself high above Ponyville. Twilight had oriented me in a slightly nose downward position that, after a few flaps of my wings, lets me get my forward momentum going. Clever. I glance back at Rarity on my back, and see her clinging to my spines for dear life. A fitting description in this case.

“Will you be alright?” I call above the rushing wind. She looks miserable. Her hair is flying everywhere, her eyes are watering from the moving air, and there’s nothing she can do about it. Still, even with all this going on, she also looks determined. She just nods her head, then closes her eyes and lies as flat as she can. I turn my head forward and leave her be. I angle to the southeast.

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

I set down several hours later near a large lake. We are just outside the badlands. I remember stopping here just prior to my visit to Ponyville. Normally, I would have landed in the lake itself, but I doubt my passenger would have liked that. I instead find a nice patch of sandy beach for us. After landing, I lower myself and let Rarity off my back. She shakes her head, and her windblown hair almost snaps back into its usual perfection. It could still use a good brushing, but it looks great considering she just spent a few hours flying through the elements.

“Nice trick,” I comment. “We will rest here for a few hours. I don’t suppose you like fish?”

“It’s hardly my favorite, but in this case, I am just happy to get something in my belly, Darling.”

I nod and make my way into the lake. Knowing I have no catch limit here, I go all out. I catch 22 of the biggest and fattest fish I can find. I eat most of them before I even emerge from the water. I also bring back some plants from the lake bottom. I don’t know their name, but I do know they are delicious. I lay out the remains of my catch before the unicorn.

“Is this all? This cannot possibly feed the both of us,” she says.

I chuckle. “This is your share, Rarity. I have eaten my fill already.” Before us are 5 large fish and a mound of lake grass about a foot high. “If you want more, I would be happy…”

“Oh! No, that will not be necessary. If you would be so kind as to start a fire, I can get these cleaned and prepped.”

“I’m afraid I have no experience starting a fire, Rarity.”

“Well I cannot eat these raw.”

I grin at her. Her eyes go wide as she looks at me, then at the fish.

“Oooohh no. No no no. I simply cannot do it,” she deadpans.

I pick up one of the fish and carry it over to the lake. I use my claws to behead it, gut it and cut it in half. I then bring it back to her. She looks in horror as I lay the two halfs at her hooves.

I just smile at her. “Enjoy your lunch.”

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

“I’ll admit raw fish isn’t that bad, Darling, but it’s not something I will be eating any more than necessary. In fact, let us never speak of this again.”

We finished our meal a little while ago and are now flying south. Rarity is shouting to be heard, but she is managing. At least she is keeping her lunch down.

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

The day is starting to fade as we reach the edge of the ocean, and Equestria. Thanks to our early start, We have made it much further than I had hoped we would. The salty spray from the waves below make me think of one thing. Home. It’s been less than a week, and I missed it so much already. I settle in for a landing on the beach.

“Would you mind waiting here for a while, Rarity? There is something I must do. I won’t be too long.”

She nods and hops down from her spot on my back. Once she is clear, I take back to the sky, angle out to sea, and dive in. I cannot help but smile through all of this. The currents, the salt, the sounds, all around me are the things I love most about the oceans of this world. I hurl myself out of the water, give a few flaps of my wings, and roar my excitement at the skys. I am home.

I dive back under. I go deep. I take the salt water into myself, letting it sustain me. Fish scatter from around me. They know their master. They know they live because I am not that hungry for now. I dive until I reach the sandy bottom. I dig into the silt, raising a cloud into the dark waters around me. The distant surface above me prevents the light from penetrating far, but I can see better than most in this darkness. This is my home. My realm.

I cease my digging. It served no purpose other than to raise the salinity of the ocean surrounding me a bit. There are a few scattered shells, but no real treasure. I collect some of the shells anyway. I can think of somepony who might like them. My thirst for the ocean satisfied, I surge back to the surface. The currents took me a few miles down from where I started. I retrace the shore and find Rarity lying where I left her. She sees me and waves. I come ashore and expel the water, retaking in air.

“Did you have fun, Dear?” she asks me. I nod my head, grinning like mad.

“What’s it like?” she asks. I respond by opening my mouth wide. She looks inside and gasps. I feel her levitate the shells I found to her.

“It was just as I remember. Living so far inland, even for so short a time, inspired a lust for the ocean that I didn’t have before. I really must make a few visits to the coast in the future. In the meantime, lets take up camp here. We are making excellent time, so there is no need to push ourselves further today. I would love to show you the depths, but the pressure down there alone prevents that. Not too mention your inability to breath underwater.”

“I am sure it’s marvelous, Darling. Although, yes, I am afraid that is a world I simply cannot be a part of. I do thank you for these, though.,” she says, referring to her newly acquired shells.

“It was my pleasure, Rarity. My deepest pleasure. You have no idea how much fun I had retrieving them. If ever you have need of something from the seas, I am your dragon. Just say the word.”

“Well, the word for now is food, Darling. I am a bit peckish after our flight. Would you be a dear?”

“Of course! I need but a moment.”

I fly back into the surf. About 10 meters underwater, I come across a kelp forest. I gather a few lengths of the fast growing plant. I also catch a few medium sized fish. I make my way back to shore.

“Here you go. I hope you like seafood,” I say, chuckling. She looks at me with a neutral expression.

“More fish, I see. And what is this?” she asks, eying the kelp. I have about 20 meters of the stuff in my arms. I grin at her.

“This is one of the most tasty sea plants I know of. It grows like a weed too. I brought enough that you can eat your fill of this alone, if you like.”

She takes a bit into her mouth, and makes a sound in which I have come to take great delight.

“SQUEE!”

A 3 meter piece is already gone. I laugh, offering her more. She just sits an chews on what she has. I think the fish will be going to me after all. Now I am just left with the issue of hydration.

I can drink seawater. It presents no problem for me. Rarity, however, cannot. I do know how to make fresh water as a kind of spell. It’s another skill almost every dragon learns at an early age. It’s no more difficult than polymorphing, really. Therein lies the problem. It’s also as difficult as polymorphing, therefore I am unable to do it at this time. I search the skies above me. A few clouds, but they are too small to provide rain. Were I an actual pegasus, I could produce rain from any cloud. I can move them, I can stand on them. I cannot drain them.

“We will have to move back inland. I think I remember a river a few miles back. We can set up camp there instead,” I state.

“Whatever for, Darling? This seems like a lovely spot. I am not even thirsty.”

“First, you don’t drink when you’re thirsty. You drink before you are thirsty. Second, you have been eating a plant that is saturated with salt water. You will be dehydrated unless you get some fresh water into you. This is not negotiable.”

She stares at me. I stare back. She gives a loud “Hmph!” and turns her head. She makes her way onto my back, and we take off.

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

We found a clearing next to a river last night. I got Rarity to drink plenty of water before we went to sleep.

Celestia’s sun starts to cast its rays on us. We wake up, and bathe in the river. I have to admit, if I were a pony, Rarity-with-wet-mane would definitely be getting my interest. The remaining kelp I gathered yesterday evening has long since dried up. I toss it into the river. It’s better fresh anyway.

I call out to Rarity, who is still in the water, “Breakfast?”

“Yes, please. Some more of that sea plant would be wonderful. Also, maybe, perhaps…”

I smile and ask, “Rarity, would you like some fish.”

“Maybe, just a small one? I don’t want to be a bother!” Rarity exclaims.

“I’ll turn you into a proper dragoness yet, Rarity!” I inform her. I give her a nice big toothy smile, she give me back a set of shocked, wide eyes. I think I saw a twitch in there. Ah, how fun.

I set off for the sea. My ocean.

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

Breakfast was uneventful, aside from Rarity gutting and cleaning her own fish. According to her, her father taught both her and her sister on various camping trips. She admits to liking camping, although she will never tell her friends. She swears me to secrecy on this. She also likes spending time with wildlife. This might explain part of her attraction to her pegasus friend. I cannot help but bring this up.

“So, you and Fluttershy?” I ask her.

“We started seeing each other only a few days ago. Nothing too serious just yet. We have always cared for each other, but each of us wants to see if we can be something more. It’s funny that my prince may very well turn out to be a princess. I suppose if I am honest with myself, I never preferred one gender over the other.”

“How are things so far?”

“Well, it’s going very slowly. It’s mostly me. I give so much of myself, I find it difficult to reserve enough of myself to give to the pony I want to be with. It’s strange thinking of my own generous nature working against me. I have had ponies take advantage of me in that regard. And now I’m rambling. Shouldn’t we be off?”

I nod and lower my body. Rarity takes her place. Our next stop will be my hoard.

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

We arrive late in the afternoon. Dusk is still a few hours off, so not bad over all. We are left with one challenge. I grin at Rarity. She gulps in response.

“The entrance to my hoard is below us,” I inform her, pointing down the cliff on which I landed. “The opening is about 30 feet below the surface of the water. You will need to hold your breath and hang on tightly. You are going to feel a lot of pressure in your ears. The water pressure will be about twice what it is here. Would you like to come inside?”

There’s that determined look again. I already knew the answer, but it’s never good form to just bring a lady into your home without asking permission.

“Sparky, Dear, I would love to join you in your home.”

“Splendid! Please remove your saddlebags. We will pick them up on the way out.” She does so. “Alright, Rarity. Hold your breath!”

I hear her gasp as I launch us over the edge. I control our fall so we land relatively softly in the water. I dive quickly down and into the entrance. The hole in the cliffside goes up at a steep angle until we reach the surface again. A few enchanted gems provide a low level of light. The entrance levels out and a smooth path lies before us. Rarity tries to disembark, but I stop her.

“Please remain where you are for the time being, Rarity. You will have time to explore soon enough.”

She nods and retakes her place. I step over a few tripwires. The first few are simply noisemakers. Meant to scare away intruders and alert me if someone trespasses. The next one are meant to cause a cave in about 50 meters ahead. The last ones are located at the cave in site itself, designed as a last resort. I have intimate knowledge of the location of all these traps, having placed them myself. My siblings also know of their locations, just as I know how to enter my siblings’ respective hoards should the need arise.

We enter my main chamber, and I see a dragon on top of my hoard. He appears to be asleep, but I can tell when he’s faking. I lower myself to the ground to allow Rarity access to the ground. I step away from her and roar my defiance to the other dragon. He rises and roars back at me.

The air is electrically charged. He shoots a bolt at me that I catch in my claws. I hurl it back at him. We go back and forth like this for a little while. It’s all in good fun, but of course Rarity doesn’t know that. I charge up the mound and grapple with the other dragon. We both start laughing and the grapple changes to an embrace. I hurl him off my mound and roar. He roars back. I walk over to him and throw a wing over him.

Grinning like the fools we are, we walk over to the white unicorn. She stands her ground, clearly missing something. My brother changes his form to a pony and runs next to her. For some reason, he always goes with an earth pony. Stranger still, it doesn’t affect his flight.

“Don’t worry, miss, I’ll protect you!” he tells her, still grinning.

Rarity just looks at him, then turns to me. “Sparky, who is this?

“Rarity, this is my brother and clutchmate. He decided to check in on my hoard early, apparently. I wasn’t expecting you to be here for a few weeks at the least, Brother.”

My brother looks at me. “Sparky? Really?” He shakes his head and laughs at me.

“Yes, the ponies named me. I wear that name with pride. It’s not like they can even pronounce my birth name anyway,” I inform him.

He laughs. “You don’t have to justify anything to me, ‘Sparky!’” He is having way too much fun with this. Of course, were our situations reversed, I cannot say I wouldn’t do the same to him. “And who do we have here? Has my little big brother found a pony for himself?! Aww, that’s too sweet. Lemme know when the wedding is, bro.”

I let out a good laugh. He hatched after I did, but grew to be larger. We always tease each other about it. It’s always fun when we get together.

“Alas, my Rarity has promised herself to another! I was simply devastated when I learned the truth. Oh, woe is me!” I put my forearm to my head and pretend to swoon. I personally think it’s made all the funnier that I’m still in my draconic state.

“Ah! Brother! What is this! His heart cries out to me! I must act! Where is this other man! I will show him what for!”

Rarity is turning a nice shade of red. She shuts her eyes and starts counting to herself. She glances at the exit tunnel, then decides against it.

My brother isn’t finished just yet, “And what will the kids look like!”

“HEY!” Rarity and I say together.

“It’s like you’re already married!”

My brother takes his leave and goes off to a side cavern. I turn to Rarity. “So, that happened.”

“Yes, indeed it did, Darling. I have a sibling of my own, of course, so I know they can be a bit grating. Still, I am glad I met him. He seems nice enough.”

“He is, although no doubt he was here to rearrange my hoard. It’s among our favorite tricks to play on each other. It’s like we know we have something, but no idea where it is. Well, enough of that. Rarity, I promised you your pick. Please look around. I have a few things I will be bringing back with us, and plenty to exchange for payment for your floor. I’m thinking 100,000 bits should cover it. What about you?”

“Goodness! That much could buy the boutique outright, that is if I was in a selling mood. I doubt you will need half that, Darling.”

“Oh well, I’m sure I can think of something to do with the rest of it. Philanthropy has always been a hobby of mine. Oh! And if I might make a suggestion for you, in that room over there is a crystal butterfly in a glass case. I am sure if you just so happened to know of a pegasus, I mean a pony, who just so happened to have a butterfly, or three, as a cutie mark, why, that might make a wonder gift for her, er, that pony I mean.” I don’t think I’ve done so much winking in my life. Guess I can afford to sweeten the deal.

“I will be willing to part with that item, and maybe one or two others. Take your time.”

She goes off to the room I mentioned. My hoard isn’t the biggest. I have only had a little more than a century to collect items for it. The butterfly is actually one of the more priceless artifacts I own. I just have a good feeling about giving it up. I make my way over to my books. Three large bookshelves full of books on various subjects. A bit more than 10,000 pounds of paper. The return trip will be much slower than the trip here.

I move to a side cavern that I use for storage. I select 4 bags that I use regularly. These bags are enchanted to reduce volume, but not weight unfortunately. The only limiting factor is one’s ability to carry the weight of the cargo inside them. 2 bags will be for books, the other 2 for the items with which we will be returning. The enchantment protect the items inside from movement, and the elements. They are what allowed me to bring the books below the waterline in the first place.

I bring the bags over to the bookshelves. I wish I could fit the shelves, but I bet Twilight will be able to manage without them. I start packing the books into the bags carefully. Rarity notices and walks over.

“Are these for Twilight?” she asks. I simply nod in acknowledgement. A pale blue glow surrounds several volumes and they are placed into the bag. We continue packing all the books until I stop her. I tie up the bag halfway through the second shelf and grab another bag. Rarity notices the magic involved in the bag. She tries to lift it, and just barely gets it off the ground with her magic. I smile at her efforts, and start packing the remaining books into the second bag.

When we are finished, we have 2 bags that are a little larger than Rarity’s saddle bags. Each weighs almost three tons. I carry them over to the entrance of my cave. Rarity sees the other two bags I have left. She calls her magic and two items float over to me. One is the butterfly. This doesn’t surprise me at all. The other does. If she inspected the item for magic, I will be impressed if she found it. If the butterfly is one of the most valuable items I own, this other item IS the most valuable. It may not seem like much. A simple necklace, really. I take it from Rarity’s grasp. I then fasten it around her neck.

“Do you know what this item is?” I ask her. She shakes her head.

“I felt a faint magic aura around it. I have no idea what it does. It looks priceless, so if you don’t want me to have it…”

“Nonsense. If I didn’t want you to have it, I wouldn’t have put it on you. I can think of no better gift for you. Maybe Twilight can study it and make more. Even if this isn’t the case, I would very much like you to have it, Rarity. As a friend, please accept it. As for it’s value, well, yes, it is worth quite a bit. You will find nothing in my hoard worth more actually. I have no real need for it. I have no doubt you will put it to good use. For finding the most valuable object, you may find one more item of your choosing.”

“The most valuable… No, no I couldn’t!”

“I said it’s the most valuable in terms of price. Not the most valuable to me, Rarity. That would be the butterfly I already gave to you. Go and find something else.”

“No. I am more then happy with these two items already. Something for my beloved, something for me. I couldn’t ask for more, Darling. Thank you so much.”

I simply smile and nod to her. All these items of wonder and mystery. This vast treasure. She has her pick of anything else she wants. Her restraint is amazing. Of course, I keep the heart of the hoard with me always. A simple blue pebble that was given to me long ago. The very first object of my hoard. I sometimes bring it up to remember the old times. I do so now.

I once knew a blue dragon. She and I were hatchlings who just so happened to find one another. She was on her own, and I still had my family. We encountered each other in the sea. I would meet her at an ancient shipwreck, and we would go on adventures. One day, she gave me this pebble to remember her by. I never saw her again. I longed to see her again, and still do. She is still out there, somewhere. If ever I find her, I will do anything for her.

I tuck the pebble back into its place. A pocket I carved under my scales next to my heart. It caused some minor irritation when I first did this, but the scar now serves its purpose. Even when I polymorph, that pocket remains right where it is.

I gather various gems and jewels anyone would pay dearly for. I place them in the last two bags. I call Rarity over.

“Yes, Darling?”

“The butterfly will be best carried in one of these bags. They are enchanted to resist the elements, as well as our swim we are about to take.”

She levitates the display case and places it into the bag. I close both of the bags of jewels and tie them to me. I do the same with the bags of books. I am now quite weighed down. Swimming will be much slower this time around. I don’t tell Rarity though. I just make sure she is wearing the necklace. She seems to have forgotten about it for the time being. I call out to my brother.

“Sparky! Leaving so soon?”

“Indeed, Brother, I cannot keep Rarity away from her friends for too long. I am sure you understand.”

“Of course. I am glad to have seen you again. One of us may pop in for a visit sometime. We will let you know. Rarity? Please keep him out of trouble. He can be… difficult. I suppose we all can. You all will take care of him though, right?”

“Oh, don’t worry, Darling. He already has made so many friends among us. His antics aside, he will get along swimmingly!” she says. I absolutely love her choice of words.

“Take care, Brother! Standard rules apply! Happy hunting!”

I nod to Rarity, and she climbs onto my back. We make our way down the tunnel, bypassing my tripwires, and come to the waterline. I glance back at Rarity to ensure she is still wearing the necklace. She is. I grin at her and submerge us. I swim much slower this time due to the added weight. Rarity hold on to me, looking ahead. I wonder if she notices her eyesight is better underwater now.

Getting to the edge of my cavern, I start to swim parallel to the surface. I allow us to sink just a bit deeper. Looking back, Rarity has a panicked look on her face. She lets go and starts to surface. I grab her and hold her in front of me. Her eyes go wide and she exhales her air in a scream. She clinches her eyes shut.

She’s breathing. She opens one eye, then the other. She is still breathing. The confusion I see on her face is just wonderful. Her panic has subsided, and a look of rage crosses her face. Her horn charges, and I am stuck by a blast of magic. It hurts a bit, but nothing serious. I just grin at her. We surface, and I fly us back to the top of the cliff.

“You SCOUNDREL!” She exclaims. “You Brute! You, you, aaugh!” She sees her saddlebags and levitates them onto herself.

“Perhaps I should have explained what Poseidon's Pendant does. My dear, I am so sorry, but I just couldn’t help myself. I did say I had no use for it, and now you know why. Of what use to me is a pendant that lets one breathe and see underwater?”

She just continues glaring at me. This time, I am the one to look away. The grin is still there though. I suspect it will be for some time.

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

We land at last night’s camping area. It’s close to midnight, but I wanted to make sure we were back in Ponyville by tomorrow evening. I lower myself and Rarity silently climbs off my back. Her look of rage has passed, but she looks troubled none the less.

“Are you alright?” I ask her. She shakes her head and starts to cry. I go over to her.

“I thought I was going to die. I thought you were going to kill me and I was going to die. I was powerless against you. How could you?! Prank or no, you cannot place a pony in that situation! I didn’t know what to do. When I lost my breath, I almost… I just don’t know what to think. I am sure you had every faith in this blasted pendant’s ability, but I have been so scared since I left your hoard. I don’t know what to think about you, Sparky.”

I am taken aback by this. Looking back, yeah, that could have been handled better. Hindsight is always perfect.

“Rarity, I would never hurt you. We dragons can be strange to those outside our race. I have told Twilight of dragons who will bury travelers in sand up to their necks for a conversation. I have played many a trick in my day. Thus far, yours has been the worse. I never wanted anyone to fear for their life around me. I cannot stand the thought of taking a life. If you like, when we get back to Ponyville, you never need to see me again.”

“I doubt that will be necessary. I think we should just sleep on it for now.”

“You know, if you like, there is no more comfortable a place then underwater. The weightless feeling is right up there with sleeping on a cloud.”

“I have no doubt about that, Sparky. I may at some point in the future. For right now, though, I think a good night’s rest will be just the thing I need. Goodnight, Sparky.”

She lies down next to me. As I extend a wing over her, she smiles.

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

The following evening, we arrive in Ponyville. We made good time, skipping our lunch stop in favor of arriving sooner. I land just outside of town. By this time, I am able to use my full range of abilities again. I change into my pegasus form, and we enter town. I escort her to her boutique, where she finds, much to her delight, her floor has already been repaired. I bid her farewell and visit Twilight. It’s late in the afternoon, but hopefully too early for everypony to be going to bed just yet.

I knock on the door. A moment later, it’s opened by Twilight. “Oh! Good evening, Sparky. How was your trip?”

“Uneventful. Rarity got to meet one of my brothers. It was a great time overall, right up until Rarity thought I was going to kill her.”

“WHAT?!” she exclaims. She glares at me, her horn powering up. “If you harmed her…”

“No, no, you misunderstand…” I start.

“Ooohh, no. You listen to me. I don’t care how big you are, I…”

“She was never in any danger for the duration of our trip!” I blurt out. “I swear, she was fine the whole time. It was a practical joke that went very wrong. You might be better off getting the story from her. If I had known how things would go, I would have done everything very differently. As it is, it might be best if a few of you were to go see her tomorrow. Physically, she is fine. Emotionally and psychologically, she will need help and guidance. Don’t take no for an answer.” I sigh. “It actually might be best if you don’t wait until tomorrow. I know she will be okay, but just to be sure, somepony should stay with her.

Twilight continues to glares at me. I was expecting this, but it doesn’t make it any easier. “Tomorrow, you will have some explaining to do. It’s apparent your joke did in fact hurt her. I will go there myself right now. Go to your lake. I will find you tomorrow myself, and we will straighten everything out. Was there anything else?”

“I wanted to drop these off to you.” I gesture to two of the bags on my hip. I untie them and set them down. I cannot take them upstairs for her. I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t want me to anyway. She takes them up in her magic, straining a bit with the effort.

“How many books are there in here, and what is the deal with these bags?”

“They are bags of holding. I have several already, so feel free to keep them. They basically create a pocket in space for themselves. The only thing they cannot do is affect the weight of the items inside. I wouldn’t recommend putting living creatures inside of them. They would suffocate after about an hour. Also don’t turn them inside out. That would dispel the effects. You may place one bag inside another, however this is pointless, since the only limit to the bags themselves is the carrying capacity of whoever is carrying it. There are a few other rules, but as long as you keep them away from portable holes, you should be fine. You also might want to watch Pinkie Pie around them. Just a thought. As for the amount of books, I had 3 bookshelves, each held anywhere from 1,300 to 1,500 books. I didn’t really count them.”

Normally this gift of books and magical artifacts would be cause for celebration from her, however, the events prior to that has led to a somber atmosphere. Without another word, I turn around and start to leave. Twilight calls out to me.

I look back over my shoulder. Twilight is walking up to me. She stands beside me and extends a wing over me. I take comfort in the gesture, and sit down.

“I know you didn’t mean any harm. Please just learn from this. I will make sure Rarity is okay. Good night.”

“Thank you, Twilight. Good night.”

Chapter 5

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Chapter 5

I wake up the next morning, bright and early. I glance up to the surface. I could just stay here. I weigh my options. I consider just leaving altogether. I wanted this to succeed. I really did. I just don’t know if it can. Can I make this work? Is there any chance at all that I can still fit in here? I make my decision.

I poke my head above water. Nopony here yet. I submerge and rest a little while longer. A few minutes later, I hear the sound of distant splashing. I poke my head up again. I see Twilight and Rarity by the shore. Time to face the music.

I fly out of the water and glide over to them. Too late, I see a third pony behind Twilight. A dark pink earth pony mare. I don’t recognise her. She has already seen me, judging from her trying to hide behind Twilight. I land in front of them.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you would be bringing another pony for me to meet. I didn’t see her until I was well above the water.”

“It’s okay, Sparky, I wanted her to see you as you really are anyway. Miss Cheerilee, this is Sparky. Sparky, this is Miss Cheerilee. She is the local school teacher for our town. We want you to spend some time there. I think it might help you to learn a bit about us, and maybe learn how to interact with ponies as well.”

“Um, Twilight? I don’t know. What about the children? Will they be okay with this?” asks Cheerilee.

“They should be fine. Go ahead and show her, Sparky,” commands Twilight.

I take up my colt pegasus form. I just stand there as Cheerilee gawks at me. She comes out from behind Twilight, a bit distressed. I take a seat and smile at her. She starts to smile back, then shakes her head and looks at Twilight.

“I still don’t know. Can he be trusted?” she asks.

“He’s spent time with the Crusaders as both a pony and as a dragon. They love to be around him, to the point they are able to sit still and listen to a very long winded lecture from both he and I,” Twilight states.

She turns back to me. “When can you start? The sooner the better.”

We all let off a good laugh. “Any chance I can attend with the Crusaders? I might be tempted to join their ranks, given my own lack of a cutie mark.”

“Their class starts in an hour. Think you can make it?” she asks.

“I’ll be there, Miss Cheerilee. See you soon.”

She leaves to prepare for class. I turn to Twilight and Rarity. “How are you doing, Rarity?

“Better since yesterday. Thank you for sending somepony over. I was still a bit distressed from my ordeal, Darling, but after talking with Twilight about the incident, I know it was never your intention to make me feel like I did.”

Twilight then adds, “Sparky, I want you to know that, while what you did was very wrong, we are not going to hold it against you. We also figured you could do with some lessons on local pony culture and history, and maybe meet a few foals. The Cutie Mark Crusaders took to you so well, we are willing to leave it to your discretion on who to tell. It’s time to start exposing you to the public. The children might be as good a way as any.”

“Okay, Twilight, Rarity. I’ve already decided to do this anyway, so don’t start worrying about me now. Were you able to get any sleep last night?”

Rarity walks over to me. She throws her hooves around my neck, nuzzling me. “I know you were worried about me. You should know, I was also worried about you. You simply cannot continue to beat yourself up over this.”

“I just didn’t mean for things to turn out that way, Rarity. Can you ever forgive me?”

“I already have. Now, it’s time for you to forgive yourself, Dear.”

I smile at her. It’s a good feeling knowing I didn’t permanently scar her. “So, new rule. No more using the fear of death in a prank.”

Twilight smiles. “Seconded.”

Rarity grins at me. “All in favor?”

“Aye!” we all chime in unison.

I finish us off, “Motion carries unanimously. New rule to be instituted immediately. I hereby move we move past this silly nonsense and get on with our lives. All opposed?”

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

I arrive in front of the schoolhouse about 10 minutes before class. I see various fillies and colts playing in the playground. I move among them, wishing I could make myself smaller. Alas, I am as small as I am comfortable being. I have little doubt I could fit in better if I go for broke and make a foal out of myself, but I need some level of independence, and if I walk around unescorted as a young colt, somepony will take notice. I could just claim a familial relationship with one of the ponies I have met so far, but that would just be awkward for everypony involved. No, It’s better to just stick with what I have going already. An older colt can move around pretty easily in this town.

I see my favorite fillies in one of the corners of the playground. They are without their capes today. I walk over to them.

“Sparky?!” Heh, point to Apple Bloom for her her perception. “Now what in tarnation are ya doin’ here?”

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo both turn their heads and give me a questioning look.

“Why, I’m going to school, of course. What else would I be doing? I gotta learn somewhere.”

“But, you’re so old!” exclaims Scootaloo. Leave it to her to be bluntly honest.

“Oh come now, I’m not even into my second century yet.”

The school bell rings, and we all make our way inside. Cheerilee spots me and waves me over. I make my way over and we stand together in front of the class.

“Alright, children, find your seats. As you can see, we have a new student in our class today. I want you to welcome our newest colt, Sparky! Please say hello, class.”

“Hello, Sparky.” they chant in unison. I hear a few whispers and chuckles. I ignore them.

“Eyes forward, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Please take a seat, Sparky.”

I find a seat towards the back. I am 2 rows behind the Crusaders, and one row behind a pair of chattering fillies, one wearing a small crown, the other with glasses on her face. I am the same age as a few of the other foals there, but older than most of them. Well, in fact, I am older then all of them combined including Miss Cheerilee. This morning’s class is on arithmetic, so a bit on the dull side. I can calculate the exact amount of the worth of my hoard in any denomination you choose at any given point. I can plot glide points between thermals while riding them. I have been charting ocean currents for decades. I suppose I can just pay attention and hope the day passes swiftly.

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

Ah, recess. I could really kiss the pony who came up with the brilliant idea to give the children a break. I wander around, taking in the activities around me. A couple of colts on the swings, a few foals on the jungle gym, the Cutie Mark Crusaders in the corner, Sweetie Belle crying, the…

Hmmm…

The two bullies that are about to meet a very angry dragon. Yeah, lets do that one.

I make my way over to the corner. Five fillies are there, my favorite three among them. The other two I recognise from inside. They were sitting directly in front of me. Scootaloo looks like she is about to do something she might regret. Or might not regret. Apple Bloom is just trying to comfort Sweetie Belle. I come up behind the other two.

“Hello, girls!” I state.

The pink pony with the crown turns around. She gives me a quick once over, and grins when she spots my bare flank.

“Aren’t you pretty old to be a blank flank?” she inquires.

“Nope. I just don’t have a special talent. Too many to choose from, really, so I just go with all of them.” I answer.

“Whatever.” she turns back to the Crusaders. Clearly she isn’t interested in a pony who doesn’t respond to her taunts.

“Actually, there is this one thing I can do, would you like to see it?” I ask her.

She turns to me. I think she was about to say something smart. It might help if her mouth could close. She looks a bit scared. It could be my eyes. Having slits instead of pupils is probably considered abnormal. It could my my muzzle. It’s much longer than when she last looked at it. Or it could be my teeth. I am grinning with this too large mouth of mine. The white daggers therein are on full display. It could also be the sound I am making. A low growl. Kinda sounds like an empty stomach, but maybe just a bit more menacing.

I move over to stand among the Crusaders. I have reverted my features back to a smiling pegasus colt. Yup, completely normal here folks. Nothing to worry about, please move along. The pink filly’s eyes roll up into her head, and she collapses on the ground. In the confusion that followed, I may or may not have ‘accidently’ stepped on her little crown. It may or may not be a flattened piece of metal, looking very much like an angry dragon stepped on it.

Miss Cheerilee is called out, and helps to revive the filly. She glances my way, smiling at me. The filly has started babbling about a colt with the face of a monster. Oh, come on. I think I have an awesome face.

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

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful for me. My place behind the two bullies let me torment them a bit more. The Crusaders place in front of them let them hear me, their covered giggles disrupting class several times. A splendid first day of school, if you ask me.

I walk with the three fillies towards their club house. We are going to some kind of initiation. I am just having fun being here. Then a blue pegasus drops in.

“Heya, Squirt. Who’s the new kid?” She asks.

“Rainbow Dash! Wow!” exclaims Scootaloo.

“Um, no, Rainbow Dash is my name.” She grins at me. “Nice to meetcha. I’ll catch ya later, Squirt. Gotta fly!” She takes off straight up. It never ceases to amaze me that she can do that. Something in my mind clicks.

She has never seen me in my pegasus form before.

Hmmm. Well, I’ll have to file that information away for later. For right now, I am going going to enjoy my walk.

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

We have arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. I see nopony around aside from the Apple family, so I relax and let my form revert. The three fillies just giggle to themselves. One of them says something about needing a bigger cape. No matter, I just happily follow them. We arrive at an old treehouse nearby, and the fillies walk inside. I just put my head inside their door.

“No, Sparky, we need to set up!” cries out Sweetie Belle. I nod and leave them to it.

I decide to wander around the Acres for a while. I know my lake is nearby, but I have a feeling I am expected to remain in the area for this ‘ritual.’ No matter, I just grab up a few apples and continue my walk. It’s not long before I come across Big Mac.

“Good Afternoon, Big Mac!” I call out to him.

“Eeyup.”

I walk up to him and see what’s going on. He is ploughing a field for future planting. I see another plough nearby, and walk over to it. I could ask if he wants help, but he might say no. I set the plough onto the next line and pull it through the soil. I set a light pace. I could go much faster, but I’m in no rush, and I’m not here to make my friend look bad. We just continue on in silence for a little while.

I notice the Crusaders beside the field waving to me. I finish another couple of lines, then put away my equipment. I walk over to Big Mac first. “Good talk, Big Mac. I’ll see you later.”

“Eeyup.”

I leave the field, and the Crusaders walk over to me. They glance at my side, and seeing nothing of course, get a disappointed look on their faces. I wouldn't have a cutie mark in my pony form, let alone in my dragon form. I just shake my head and smile at them. We make our way back to the clubhouse. I wait outside for them to call for me.

“Sparky, git in here!” calls Apple Bloom. I poke my head into the door. I see the three fillies across the room. Scootaloo is beating a pair of drums, and sweating from the restraint. Sweetie Belle is behind a podium in the center, and Apple Bloom is on the other side of the podium from Scootaloo.

It seems Scoots can’t take it anymore. She is now doing something funky. The drums are sounding from everywhere. A few more join it. I just grin and enjoy it. I refuse to question this awesomeness. I bob my head in time to the beat. At one point, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom break out a violin and a cello. I doubt they could ever play like that before or after this moment. The orchard has been shaking since Scootaloo decided to ramp things up to 11. The string section fades away, but that doesn’t stop Ponyville itself from doing its earthquake impression. The drums sound for a bit more, then Scoots raises her hooves. A pity. I would have loved to hear more.

Apple Bloom begins, “As chairman of the welcoming committee, it is my privilege to extend a laurel, and a hearty hoofshake, to our newest… dragon!”

“What’s a laurel?” asks Scootaloo.

Apple Bloom just grins. “Ah have no idea!”

I just chuckle to myself.

Sweetie Belle picks up a scroll. She frowns at it, then at Scootaloo. She throws it behind her. “We, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, in the spirit of friendship, do hereby officially welcome Sparky the dragon into our ranks. Please step forward.” She looks at me, then shakes her head. “Er, just move your head forward, if you can.”

Outside, I take a small step towards the clubhouse. I manage to get my head inside another foot.

“That’s good enough, Sparky,” states Scootaloo.

The three fillies walk over to me with what appears to be a dark bedsheet. On the side is embroidered their emblem. I grin at them and roar my approval.

The three fillies walk outside to check their work. The cape is currently tied around my neck right at the base of my head. It covers the spines on my neck, but nothing else. I just keep smiling and lower my head for them. To make things easier, I take up my colt form again. The cape is now draped over my entire body. It’s about as close to swimming on dry land as I have ever gotten.

“Ah don’t think this is gonna work, ya’ll. What with Sparky’s changin’ all the time, and how big n’ little he gits, I just don’t see us being able to keep a cape on him,” states Apple Bloom.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle nod in agreement. The cape is removed from my body, and folded up. I leave the girls alone for a bit while I take the cape into the farm house.

“Well howdy, Sparky. Been up playin’ with the girls, have ya?” asks Applejack.

“Yea, can you believe it? I am now a member of their club! Oh, and you might want to check your bedsheets. You might be short one.”

“Hmm, ain’t the color we use in this here house. Usually the girls get their fabric from Rarity. Ah’m bettin’ that’s where this came from. If’n Ah know Rarity, she would want you to have it anyways. She might even want to make improvements on it, if’n ya catch my meanin,’ Sugarcube.”

“Well, I kinda like it the way it is, so no worries there. Mind if I leave this here? It kinda gets in the way of my ability to change.”

Applejack takes it from me and heads back inside. I turn to leave back to the clubhouse myself. As I near it, I hear what sounds like an argument taking place. I slow my pace and confirm what I see. Five fillies standing at the base of the clubhouse. I sit back and watch for now.

“Ya’ll need to leave, Diamond Tiara. Ya’ll ain’t welcome here,” orders Apple Bloom.

The pink filly, Diamond Tiara, responds, “So, what? I don’t have to listen to a bunch of blank flanks like you. Right Silver Spoon?”

The grey filly nods in agreement, then glares back at the Crusaders. She is definitely a follower in this situation. Diamond Tiara seems to be the primary instigator. I am finding it harder and harder to restrain myself. No using the fear of death. No using the fear of death.

“Just leave, go away. We don’t want you here,” informs Scootaloo.

“Oh? And what are you gonna do about it, ‘flightless wonder’?” asks Tiara.

A look of pain crosses Scootaloo’s face. She looks visibly stung. She swallows her tears, clenches her eyes, and screams at them, “GET OUT OF HERE!”

No using the fear of death. No using the fear of… No… Well, I tried. I made it through most of one day. Rarity, Twilight, I’m so, so sorry for what I’m about to do. I truly hope you can forgive me for what I’m about to do. I advance.

I shed my form. I flare my wings. I ROAR! I DISAPPROVE! I charge at the two hapless fillies in my sights. I grab them in my talons and fly into the air. I take pleasure in their screams. That last part makes me feel a little guilty. Just a little.

I fly out to the Everfree forest. I land in a clearing. I set the cowering fillies down and eye them. They are clutching at each other. The look of fear makes me feel humiliated. I crush it down for now. There will be time for that later.

“YOU DARE?!” I demand of them. “YOU DARE TRESPASS WHERE YOU’RE NOT WELCOME?!”

The two fillies just cling to each other tighter, shaking their heads. Their eyes are clenched. Their tears are flowing freely. I feel sick to my stomach. I just want this to be over.

I bring my form back to my pegasus self. I manage to keep a look of anger on my face. The look of disgust is very real, but directed at myself.

“Never return to the farm without an invitation again. You are to each write an apology to each of the fillies you hurt today. You have until tomorrow. You are not to speak to them unless spoken to. Am I understood?”

Silver Spoon dares to open her eyes. She sees me, and nudges Diamond Tiara. They are now both looking at me fearfully. They nod in unison.

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

I guide them out of the forest and back into town. Their looks and tears quickly attract the attention of a few passers by. I leave them and fly back to the farm. My own tears have started flowing. I land in front of the farmhouse and let myself in. If I try to knock right now, I might smash the door off its hinges.

“Applejack!” I call out.

“What in tarnation?! Sparky? What happened? Where’s Apple Bloom?” She has an alarmed look in her face. Before she can bolt off, I stop her.

“Apple Bloom and the girls are fine. They will probably be making their way here shortly. I just have something I need to tell you.” I relay the events to Applejack. I leave nothing out. My anger, my disgust, their terrified looks, I tell her everything. The Crusaders arrive as I finish. They all settle in beside me. It helps a bit. When I finish, I look at Applejack. She has a grim look on her face.

“Ah dunno what to tell ya, Sugercube. Those two fillies have always given my sister and her friends a hard time, but what ya did, I just dunno.” She looks down and shakes her head.

“Ah do, Sugercube.” Granny Smith descends slowly from upstairs. She has a small smile on her face. She reaches the bottom and makes her way over to me. She sits in front of me, and begins, “Whatcha did was powerful wrong, Sugercube, and powerful right all at once. You were actin’ like you were protectin’ your own. There ain’t no shame in that. Ya just gotta learn to do it different. You ain’t protectin’ your hoard here, young colt. I think I might’ave tried to tan your hide, if’n your hide could be tanned anymore than it already is, ya bronze galoot. As it is, you got some apologizin’ to do yourself. Git to it.

I nod my head and go to the mare. She wraps her forelegs around me in a very effective embrace. Applejack and the girls soon follow.

“Thank you, all of you.”

Chapter 6

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Chapter 6

I have spent the last few days at my lake. My friends stopped by to visit every day. I surfaced for each of them, always with a smile. I am glad to see them. I just feel like I have to limit my interaction with the rest of the town for a while. This self imposed exile has helped me to get my emotions under control. On the third day, I get a surprise visit. The pony herself isn’t a surprise. She has been to see me several times. It’s the way Rarity decided to visit that was a pleasant shock.

There she is, floating in the water in front of me. She is breathing normally underwater, her pendant around her neck. I smile at her, and she leads me back to shore. There I see Twilight waiting for us.

“Hello, Sparky,” Twilight says. I nod and smile in greeting. “I hope things are going well for you here.”

“Some time to think has really helped, Twilight. How about you?”

“Well, I received a visitor today. A very angry Filthy Rich demanding I find and drive away the dragon who threatened his daughter and her friend. I told him that wherever this dragon was, I was very sure he was sorry. Of course, he still has his demands. I do know your side of the story, Sparky, so I am not mad at you.”

“I…” I start. I shake my head and lower it. I take up my pegasus form and lie down in the sand. Twilight lies next to me and spreads her wing over me. Rarity is on my other side. This has been a common position for us the last few days. Sometimes it’s Fluttershy and Applejack, others its a combination of any of the 5 adults and 3 fillies. Rainbow Dash stopped by once, but didn’t say anything. She just wore a look of disappointment. She flew off leaving me and Fluttershy alone after a few minutes. That was the hardest time. I suppose a part of me wants to earn her approval.

“You have all become my hoard,” I state.

“You think of us as objects to be protected and sequestered away?” asks Rarity.

“Gods, no!” I answer, shaking my head. “To a dragon, there is nothing more precious than the relationships we build with those around us. It’s easier for us metallics due to our familial bonds. For the chromatics, however…” At this, I reach into myself and bring out my blue pebble. Such an ordinary stone, and it means so much to me.

The two mares look at it, then at me. I cannot tell them about her, not yet. I tuck my stone and memory away for the time being.

“I saw them being brought low by those two fillies. I became enraged by a simple schoolyard fight. I never wanted to hurt the two fillies. Even at the peak of my rage, I never would have allowed any harm to befall them. I just…”

“We know, Darling. I suppose that brings us to the reason for today’s visit,” Rarity states, nodding at Twilight.

Twilight is levitating out a scroll. I open it and read.

Your presence is requested in Canterlot Castle at your earliest convenience. We would very much like to hear of the tales of your visit thus far. We will be looking forward to seeing you.
With highest regards,
Princesses Celestia and Luna
Carpe Diem et Noctum.

Short and to the point. I doubt any warrant has ever been so clear and concise in history. I look to Twilight.

She says, “I will be accompanying you, should you decide to go. It’s always nice to see my mentor and her sister.”

“Well, in that case, I accept. Could you have Spike pass along my acceptance? I’m afraid I cannot send it myself without having met her first.”

“Of course, Sparky.”

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

“Twilight? We’re almost there.” I nudge her side. I’m surprised she fell asleep. The train ride to canterlot is only a few hours. She stirs next to me, blinking open her eyes. She lets out a soft yawn and looks out the window.

The Canterlot skyline is truly a sight to behold. The spires of the castle alone make the trip worth taking to anypony. The train arrives at the station and we walk into the city. I take in the sights as we make our way to the castle. Twilight acts the part of the tour guide. We must look a strange pair. A princess escorting a young pegasus colt. I could drop my cloak and make it stranger, but I don’t know how they will react to having an adult dragon among them.

We pass various landmarks around the city. Twilight’s favorite donut shop, the playhouse where she and her friends performed the hearths warming pageant, and the street leading to her parent’s home.

“I would like to meet them sometime,” I say.

“Well, I was planning to go there myself tonight, but I would love to have some company.” She gets a mischievous gleam in her eye. “I actually have an idea for that. I will tell you later.”

We arrive at the castle itself and are let in by the gate guards. “Shall we find the princesses?” I ask.

“We shall. They said they would be eating lunch in their private dining room. It’s large enough that you should be able to be yourself if you like.”

“I have no problem with my normal state if the princesses don’t.”

We make our way to the stairs leading to the more private areas of the castle. Ahead lie the living quarters for the princesses and a few rooms for visiting dignitaries. Twilight herself has a room at the top of one of the spires. She shows me to a wide door and opens it. As I walk through, I feel a tingle and my original form asserts itself around me. I pause at the entrance, taken slightly aback. I suppose an anti magic field would be emplaced anywhere the princesses frequent. I doubt there is much that can actually harm them, but an anti disguise spell would definitely be useful to them.

I see them sitting at the table, quietly chatting to each other. I approach and the both stand and turn to me.

“Welcome, Ambassador, to our home. Please, have a seat if you like,” requests Celestia.

“Thank you princesses, it’s an honor to be here. And Sparky is fine.” I state. I alter the request and lie down instead. A unicorn sets a place for me and Twilight at the table. I see a selection of pastries and desserts on a cart, and more standard foods on a table. The unicorn notices my interest in the fish and brings me a few large pieces. I grin at him as he sets it in front of me.

“Sparky, then. Well met. We are informal within these walls. We prefer not to stand on titles here, especially with visitors of a foreign land,” states Luna.

“Thank you, Celestia, Luna, for having me both in your land and in your home. With hospitality like this, you might be hard pressed to get me to leave either!” I say, laughing.

Luna laughs with me, clearly enjoying the company. Celestia and Twilight soon follow suit. I start in on my meal. Ocean caught salmon. I glance back over to the table, and notice fresh seaweed salads and some shellfish. I have no idea how they keep it all fresh when it’s so far away from the ocean, but I refuse to question it. I take some small bites for my size, but it’s gone far too quickly.

“How has your time among our ponies been so far, Sparky?” asks Celestia. I now have the attention of the whole room.

“Well, I am sure Twilight has been keeping you informed of my activities thus far,” I begin. “I have found myself at a loss on some occasions, and have completely triumphed in others. I do have my regrets, though.”

“I suppose you are talking about how you handled a couple of bullies at school?” asks Luna. I simply nod and drop my head. “It’s not that long ago that I would have done things no differently than you did. Please, do not be hard on yourself. We do understand your feelings on the matter.”

“I thank you for your understanding, Luna, but it will take some time to get over it. I secluded myself for a time in my lake to think things over. I think I may be ready to integrate myself into the town again, but I think it’s time for me to stop hiding my true identity from them. For better or worse, I have started to think of Ponyville as my home.”

Everypony freezes. Celestia is the first to speak, “Are you sure this is the correct decision to make? I do not like hiding things from my ponies, but sometimes it is a necessity.”

“What are your plans for telling them?” asks Luna.

“Well, I was planning to go the town square, revert my polymorph, and let them figure it out for themselves.”

Silence.

Laughter. Ah, I needed that. Laughter fills the room. Even our unicorn attendants cannot help but voice their mirth.

After we settle down, I begin. “The way I see it, I have a few option on how we go about this. We could call a general town meeting and announce my presence to them. We could pass out individual bulletins to everypony. There’s my aforementioned idea of just showing instead of telling, or any combination of these ideas. But this all might be a moot point anyway.”

“And why is that?” asks Luna.

“Because I doubt very much one of the most influential stallions in town is going to take kindly to having a dragon around who threatened his daughter.”

“You will have the protection of the crown, Sparky,” advises Celestia.

“While I do thank you for that protection, I have come to realise that, like it or not, there will be some ponies who simply cannot trust me. What do I have to offer, other than my word, that I will not cause them any harm?”

“My word,” answers Twilight.

“And mine,” Adds Celestia.

“Mine as well, Sparky,” Luna states, making it unanimous.

“You can count on me, too!” states Discord.

I was kinda wondering when he would show up. I distinctly recall invoking his name about a week ago. Celestia doesn’t look amused. Luna looks kinda bored. Twilight is smiling, and lightly grinding her teeth.

“Hello, Sparky, was it? You have been doing a tremendous job so far. I simply love your work.”

I simply nod and smile. Discord is my kinda god. Always up for a laugh and never takes himself seriously.

“Discord,” starts Celestia.

“Celestia?” finishes Discord.

“What brings you here?”

“Why, I simply go where I’m needed. Up till now, I was not needed here. Sparky here has been causing so much delightful chaos and commotion without even revealing his true nature. I simply must be there when he ‘comes out’ to everypony, as it were.”

“Well, we have one in favor of me just showing everypony outright. Any others?” I ask.

Silence. That was pretty much expected.

“Who votes for calling an assembly?” I offer.

Twilight raises her hoof, followed by Celestia. I look to my right, and there’s my own forearm going up. Luna makes it official.

“Well, can’t say you didn’t try, Discord,” I tell him. “No hard feelings, right?

“Oh, no. None at all. I have never had so much fun participating in a vote. The fact you even had that option on the table was simply delicious.” He bows low to me, removing his top hat that wasn’t there before. He puts on his bowler hat, picks up his cane, wiggles his toothbrush mustache, and walks out of the room like he owns the place.

“It’s great you are keeping him free. He is such a pleasure to have around,” I laugh. The others look slightly bemused. Discord is clearly playing for a different audience than us.

“This has been a wonderful meal, Celestia, Luna, but we must be going soon. I was going to go visit my parents, and Sparky wanted to meet them too. I promise to keep writing,” says Twilight. It must be nice to be able to bend the ears of the rulers of your country.

I nod in agreement, then make my way over to them. “I’ll be sending a few messages myself.”

“I look forward to getting them, Sparky. Please let me know if either of you need anything,” Celestia responds, closing the gap between us. We embrace, then I do the same for Luna. What a pair of lovely goddesses.

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

“So, you know the plan, Sparky?” Twilight asks me. I nod to her, then she disappears inside the house in front of us. I wait patiently outside the front door. I have altered my facial features slightly for this visit. If I could, I would have made myself purple, but I cannot choose the coloration of the forms I take. I am bad enough without having the ability to look like just anypony I encounter.

A short moment passes by, and the front door opens. A pair of ponies looks out at me. Twilight’s parents. I just grin at them. “Mrs. Mom! Mr. Dad! It’s been so long!” Their eyes go wide.

“Spike?!” asks Night Light. He seems to be trying to wrap his mind around what to him was the nicest little purple dragon. Now standing before him is a pegasus that has the face of a dragon. My different coloration aside, I’m sure I’m pulling off a very convincing Spike.

“What happened to you?” asks Twilight Velvet. She is also trying to process the story Twilight Sparkle and I agreed upon. According to what they’ve been informed, Spike and some pegasus were merged into one body. I see Twilight inside, a hoof over her mouth. She is having trouble restraining her laughter. I feel your pain, sister.

“The spell was going perfectly, until this pegasus crashed into our home! Now I can hear him in the back of my mind. Be quiet! I don’t care if this is your body! No, gems are good for you! Yes, I’m going to keep eating them! Mr. Dad, can you make him be quiet?”

Twilight looks like she’s going to throw a fit. Her ability to hold herself together is reaching critical mass!

“BWHA HA ha ha!” and there she blows. I join in. Night Light and Twilight Velvet just look confused. I bring my features under control and take pity on them. Twilight has regained some of her composure.

From upstairs, I hear a voice. Twilight looks up in shock. “Twiley!”

“Shiney?!” she asks. A white unicorn stallion descends the stairs and runs up to Twilight. He is followed by a pink alicorn. “How long have you been here?”

“We just got here today! It’s great to see you, sis!”

I sit back and watch the reunion. They will get to me in due time. Of course, somepony still has to explain to the parents about me. It’s been fun, but it’s time to give them a break.

“Sorry about earlier,” I start, “but Twilight was wanting to have a little fun. Spike is still very much himself back in Ponyville. My name is Sparky.”

“That was a very convincing disguise you had on, son,” states Night Light.

“Oh, that wasn’t a mask. I never said I wasn’t a dragon. I just said I wasn’t Spike.” I turn back to him, smiling.

“I see. Well, Mr. dragon…”

“Sparky.”

“Ah, yes. So, is this the part where you keep laughing at us?”

“No, I already had my fun. I’ll tell you what, though. Twilight used her magic to check my weight once. I estimated I was 200 times her weight. Turns out I was pretty close. Would you care to give it a go?”

Night Light looks me over. A blue field envelopes me. I see the stallion straining.

“Dad, why are you trying to lift that dragon?” Shiney asks. It seems someone is in the know.

The field evaporates. I stand there, unmoved. Night Light looks at his son, then back to me, eyes wide. I seem to get that expression a lot. Twilight quickly steps in.

“Sparky is a guest here. You could call him the ambassador of his kind. He has been staying in Ponyville to help develop a relationship across our species.”

I just nod. Night Light looks over at his son. “How could you tell, Shining Armor?”

“He is polymorphing. It gives off a very subtle magical signature. He must be at least an adult. His signature is almost nonexistent. Only a select few of us could pick it up.”

My turn for a set of wide eyes. Shining Armor here was able to detect my true nature. This is made all the more amazing by the fact that he wasn’t actively looking for a dragon at the time. He must scan magical fields constantly just out of habit. I can only think of one profession where that is necessary. Given his abilities demonstrated so far, I have little doubt he is a high ranking officer in the Royal Guard. This is backed by his clear marriage to the princess of love.

“I am taking a guess here, so forgive me if I get it wrong. I am not trying to insult you. Would you be the Captain of the Royal Guard?”

“Former. No insult perceived. I gave up my commission when I became the Prince Consort to the ruler of the Crystal Empire. That would be my lovely wife, Princess Cadence.”

“I’m delighted to meet you. My husband and I would love for you to visit us up north sometime.”

“Please, call me Sparky. An empire made of crystals, you say? Thank you for the offer. I was feeling a bit peckish!”

I am wearing my usual grin. Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor have an amused look on their face. I suppose they are familiar with a dragon’s antics, given their exposure to Spike. Ah, well, a visit to the frozen north may very well be in my future.

“Mom, Dad, we will have to be leaving soon. Shiney, Cadence, please visit soon. I never get to see you ever since this Princess of Friendship thing landed on me. I keep getting requests for us to ‘Rainbow Up’ and visit different cities. I miss being just me sometimes.”

“Don’t worry, Twiley. We will visit soon. Love you, sis.”

“You too, BBBFF.”

“One last thing, Shining Armor?” I ask. He turns to me. “What was my tell?

“A faint glimmer next to your heart. It reads like an old injury, but it’s too smooth. The only reason I even saw it was because it reacted just a bit when my father attempted to lift you. Other then that, your technique is flawless. Please behave around my little sister?”

“She has been a great friend to me since my arrival. Our friendship,” I emphasize the word, “is something I cherish, and would never change.”

Shining Armor smiles at me and nods. Twilight and I make our way out, and home.

Chapter 7

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Chapter 7

I awaken underwater. It has been far too long since I last slept beneath the waves. These are hardly more than ripples, but I am okay with that. I have grown quite fond of my lake. I move around a bit, then set after my breakfast. I splurge and catch my limit. There are other places to eat.

I poke my head about the surface. Nopony around. I polymorph and take off into the sky. It’s time to check in with my caretaker. Her cottage lies just ahead. I pass overhead a couple of times to check my surroundings. I spot a couple of unicorns making their way to the cottage as well. I land and knock on her door.

Fluttershy cracks her door and peeks out. On seeing me, she opens the door fully and allows me to enter. “It’s good to see you, Sparky. Would you like anything?”

“No, thank you. I had breakfast before coming here. Are you expecting visitors?”

“Not today, why do you ask?”

“I saw Rarity and Sweetie Belle on their way here. I didn’t want to impose,” I answer.

“Oh!” she exclaims. Red on yellow.

“Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me, Fluttershy. Lets go greet them.”

We make our way outside as the sisters enter the clearing. Sweetie Belle on seeing me runs right over. “Sparky! I missed you!” she squeaks. I pick her up in a hug, than plant her on my back. She lies down and we walk over to the embracing couple.

“Good morning, Love. I was taking Sweetie to school, and decided to stop here first.”

“Um, isn’t the schoolhouse across town from my cottage? I wouldn’t want you to go out of your way.”

“Hmmm. I suppose it is, love. Well, no matter. We still have plenty of time,” says Rarity, still holding Fluttershy.

“Actually, I was going to go there myself. I wanted to talk to Cheerilee about starting up again. Now is as good a time as any. Sweetie Belle already seems to be comfortable where she is, so I see no problem with a nice, easy flight for us.”

Sweetie Belle looks at her sister with a big grin. “Can we, sis? I’ll hold on real tight!”

“Alright, Sweetie Belle. Make sure you listen to whatever Sparky tells you. Sparky, I don’t think I need mention what fate might befall the dragon who lets harm come to my dear sweet little sister, do I? I hear Dragon Scales are all the RAGE this season. Please, be a Dear and ensure she arrives safely at her destination?” she requests, her voice never wavering from its usual sweet demeanor.

I gulp, and nod solemnly. I take up my pegasus form, then I give a few flaps and we’re in the air. My last glimpse of the two friends/potential lovers is of them going inside the cottage. If I didn’t know better, I would swear Rarity planned this. Ah well. I wing over and direct us towards the schoolhouse. En route, I see a familiar orange pegasus filly emerge from a nice sized house. I glide low and land gently beside her. “Scootaloo!” calls my passenger. Scoots looks at us and grins, walking over to us.

“Wanna lift?” I ask her. You would think I had asked her if she wanted to own Sugarcube Corner. She climbs up my side and onto my back, behind Sweetie Belle. We have a bit of time, So I take them on a less than direct route to the schoolhouse. The two fillies are cheering to every climb, dive, and turn I make. I don’t do anything overly dramatic, Rarity’s request still ringing in my ears. The schoolhouse comes into view, and I land in front of it, to the dismay of my passengers. Apple Bloom runs over to us from the playground.

“Aww, ya’ll got ta ride Sparky again?” she asks, her lower lip quivering.

“After school, Apple Bloom. I promise.”

I hear a familiar voice address me, “My daddy says you’re not allow to come to school here anymore.” I look over and see Diamond Tiara. She is standing a short distance away, looking like she is ready to run at any moment. I feel a spark of shame start to emerge.

“Diamond Tiara! Neither you, nor your father, have the right nor the authority to decide who can or cannot learn here. That authority belongs to me and me alone. Princess Twilight Sparkle herself may make a request of me, but the decision is ultimately mine,” states Cheerilee. “Please, go inside until class begins.” She looks at me. “Sparky, you are welcome back anytime you are ready. I actually have a special block of instruction I could use your help with, if you like. I look forward to having you.” She walks over to me and gives me a firm hug. She whispers in my ear, “I have tolerated that little bully for long enough. I don’t condone your actions, but I don’t condemn them either. Since it didn’t happen on school grounds, I choose to overlook them.” She releases me and walks inside.

I smile. My hoard grows ever larger. “Scootaloo, could you please tell Cheerilee I will be back to school tomorrow? There are a few things I need to do today.”

Scootaloo nods at me. I walk into the playground, and spot a grey filly sitting by herself. She turns towards me, and her glasses confirm her identity. She looks fearfully at me, cowering away. I stop in place and sit down.

“I never meant to make you feel this way. It was wrong of me to make you suffer. I want you to know, I would never hurt you, or anypony. I reacted harshly to a perceived threat to my friends. For this, I’m sorry. If you learn anything from this, please just know that, while what I did was wrong, what you and Diamond Tiara were doing before that was wrong as well. If you need somepony to talk to, I would suggest seeking out the Crusaders. They know about me and will listen to you. Just approach them as a friend, and I’m sure they will welcome you.”

She stops shivering and trying to back away. The look of fear is still there, but it no longer controls her. She says something I didn’t expect to hear from her so soon, “I… I accept your apology.”

I nod and walk back over to the Crusaders. “Please, be nice to her. She has been through more than any filly should ever have to go through. I told her to come find you when she’s ready.”

The three fillies nod. I smile and take to the sky.

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

I wanted to take a short flight to clear my head. A few laps around ponyville does wonders. The view from up here is quite different than walking through town. A few landmarks are easy to spot. The City Hall, Carousel Boutique, even Sugarcube Corner give me good point references to my location. Applejack’s farm to the southwest, my lake a bit further south and east from there, up north along the edge of the Everfree Forest, then past Fluttershy’s cottage. From there, I turn directly west straight over town. it all flows together so well.

And the tree castle, my destination. Its location on the western edge of town allows me to complete my circuit. I land nearby and walk over to the door. I give a few hard knocks.

“Just a moment!” calls Spike. Just the dragon I wanted to see. He opens the door and smiles at me. “Hey, Sparky! Long time no see.”

“Is Twilight here? I was hoping to catch you guys together, maybe take a walk?”

Spike starts to laugh. I start to look confused. “Yeah, she just finished what she was doing. I’ve never seen her want to hug a dragon that wasn’t me so bad before. Hey Twilight! We have a guest!” he calls upstairs.

Twilight comes down to the entryway and spots me. A flash of light envelopes her and I now have an alicorn on my back, trying her level best to smother me with her hooves and wings. It seems the princess is pleased.

“OH THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU!” she pretty much squeals at me. I guess that’s for the books.

“OH MY CELESTIA and those BAGS! I just…”

Wait for it…

“SQUEE!”

Heh, three down. I get a goofy smile on my face. I can’t help it. That noise just does something to me. She rambles on about them some more, things I already know.

“Where did you get them?!” she demands.

“I had them made for me long ago. Feel free to study one of them if you like. They are incredibly stable. Just make sure you trust whoever gives you one. There are several variations that are not as benign as the ones you now possess. Bags of transmuting, for example. Precious gems and currency placed inside will change into worthless bits of stone and metal. Then there are bags of devouring. Items placed inside are lost forever in the void. Including your limb should you reach inside to retrieve something.”

She takes in what I’m telling her and nods her head.

We turn and leave. “Where to, Sparky?” asks Spike.

“There’s a grassy hill west of here. It looks nice and isolated. I thought we might relax there.”

“We go there to stargaze sometimes. It’s nice for picnics too. Lets go,” Twilight says, leading the way.

We arrive a few minutes later. Seeing nopony else around, I relax into my true self. I lie down in the grass. Twilight and Spike do the same.

“Tell me about Rarity, Spike.” I request.

“Rarity? What do you want to know? She’s just the most amazing, the prettiest unicorn I know.”

“Hey!”

Spike looks at Twilight sheepishly. Twilight manages to look upset for a few seconds, then laughs. I let off a few chuckles myself.

“She sounds very important to you.” I state.

“I…” he starts. He looks at me. “She is.”

“How important is her happiness to you?” I ask.

“I would do anything for her.”

“Anything?” Twilight asks.

“Um…” he stammers.

“What if being with somepony else made her happy, Spike?” I ask.

Tears start to well up in his eyes. Sorry, little one. It’s long since past for you to let her go.

“I just don’t know. I don’t know, OKAY?!” he shouts. He is openly sobbing now. Twilight moves over to him and takes him into her forelegs and wings. He continues sobbing into her for a while. We just wait patiently for him to be able to continue. He starts to relax into her. The sobs have slowed. It’s time to finish this part of his agony.

“Spike?”

He shakes his head, holding Twilight harder. Come on, little one. We're almost there. He takes his head away from Twilight and looks at me.

“I would do anything for her,” he states, sniffling. “I… I want her to be happy.”

“She already is, Spike,” Twilight informs him. “She will be more happy if you give her your blessing, though.”

“I… I'll go and see her. I am glad she’s happy, and glad I had a small part of it.”

“Tomorrow, Spike. Take the rest of the day off. You and I both know what will happen if she sees you looking like this,” Twilight says, gesturing to him. He does look like a mess.

“Can I spend it in the new library? I have been wanting to look at those new books.”

I just laugh. “Well, not new, just very well protected and preserved. They will last even longer now that they are out of my damp cavern. Might I suggest a thick, green volume? It will have a picture of a dragon on the front. It contains our history and lore. You might like it.”

Spike gets a gleam in his eye. He will be a mess for a little while, but this distraction should help him through it. Good luck, little one.

He remains with us for a while longer, lying in Twilight’s embrace. This would have been impossible for him to go through without her. After a while, he gets up and starts towards the castle.

“We are always willing to listen if you want to talk, Spike,” Twilight says. I nod in agreement.

“Thanks, guys. I’ll be okay. I kinda knew this was coming sooner or later. It hurts, but I’m just glad she’s happy.” he says. He turns and walks away. After a moment, Twilight thanks me and leaves as well. I just lie in the grass. Today, I broke his heart. Tomorrow, he can build it back up. For now, I take a nap.

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

I awaken a little while later. I doubt much more than a couple of hours have passed. I stand and change myself to my colt form. I guess I could go to school after all. A few flaps later, and I’m on my way.

No need for clearing my head this time. The schoolhouse lies just ahead. I lightly touch down and make my way over. Looks like the midday break is just about over. Foals are filing inside the building. I take my place at the rear of the line and walk inside. Miss Cheerilee sees me and smiles. I walk over to her. “Please stand at the front of the class,” she requests.

I walk to the head of the classroom. Miss Cheerilee stands next to me and calls for everypony’s attention. The class settles down and she begins her lesson.

“It’s not on the agenda today, but I decided to introduce a new topic in class. Now, who here can tell me about dragons?”

I see where she’s going with this. No time like the present. Not surprisingly, three hooves shoot up. “Go ahead, Scootaloo.”

“They’re big!”

Laughter rings out through the classroom. “Alright, settle down. Go ahead, Sweetie Belle.”

“They can change their shape?”

The response this time is a murmur of disagreement. A few side debates take place. Cheerilee is on it. “Actually, she’s right, class. What is it called, Sparky?”

“Polymorphing,” I respond.

“Polymorphing. That’s right. Thank you, Sparky. Anypony else? Go ahead, Apple Bloom.”

“We all know a dragon,” she says.

Disagreement rings out again. Apple bloom continues, “We all know Spike!”

Comprehension and agreement. It seems they forgot about the little guy. My turn.

“Do you know any other dragons?” I ask them. The Crusaders have their hooves up again, as well as a shy Silver Spoon. Diamond Tiara is nowhere to be seen. “Anypony else?” No other hooves go up. Then a lone pegasus colt up front raises his hoof.

“You know another dragon?” I ask him. He shakes his head.

“No, I just had a question. Is it true they all breathe fire?” he asks.

I just laugh. “A great many of us do, but not all of them. Spike is a wonderful example of a fire breather. I, myself, however, do not.”

They look at me like I just grew another head. “Good afternoon, class. My name is Sparky. I am almost 150 years old. I can breathe underwater, and shoot lightning out of my mouth. I am a dragon,” I calmly state. The Crusaders leave their seats to stand next to me. Slowly, the other fillies and colts make their way over to me. I only change my eyes for the moment. A few are skeptical, but most of them stare at me with a sense of awe and wonder.

Silver Spoon approaches me. I lower my head to her. In this form, I’m not that much taller than she is, but I want our eyes to be level. I see no more trace of fear in her. “Thank you for getting me to talk to the Crusaders. They really helped me, even though I was so terrible to them,” she says. “I think the written apologies helped a bit.” Ah, a smile.

“Shucks, Spoony, we know a pony in need when we see one. Am Ah right, girls?” states Apple Bloom. Nods of agreement come from Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. I am glad she went to them.

I address the class, “There will be a meeting about my presence in this town soon. I am sure your parents will have questions about me. Let them know to find Princess Twilight Sparkle. Are there any questions?” Every hoof in the class is raised. I love these foals.

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

A little while before school ends, I take my leave. I go towards Sweet Apple Acres a little ways, until I see no ponies around. Once there, I sit and wait. Before too long, the Crusaders approach. I still see nopony around, so I release my polymorph. The crusaders see me immediately and run over. Apple Bloom reaches me first.

“Ya’ll promised!” she declares. I nod in agreement and plant her on my back. I then grab the other two and place them there as well. Seeing they are well clear of my wings, I take off and gain altitude. The three fillies all make their joy known as I go through a few simple maneuvers. I take us over the Acres and fly around for a little while longer. Before too long, I attract attention. She cuts through the air in front of me and gestures me to the ground. I comply, much to the disappointment of the three fillies.

“What do you think you’re doing?” asks Rainbow Dash.

“Fulfilling a promise to a friend. What are you doing?” I ask in return.

“Keeping a menace away from these three fillies.”

This has gone on long enough. I decide to end this. “Girls, I will have to join you later. Rainbow and I have something to discuss.”

I walk over to Rainbow Dash with a chorus of “Bye Sparky!” behind me.

We go off into a corner of the orchard. I decide to strike low. “Can Scootaloo fly?”

“What?”

“Can she fly? I’ve heard at least two times where she was insulted for being unable to touch the sky. Is this true?”

“I have been trying to teach her. She cannot seem to gain any lift from her wings. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. What’s it to ya?”

“She is my friend. Do I need anymore reason to want to help her?” I ask. I take off into the sky. Rainbow flies beside me. I swoop and dive. Rainbow, not to be outdone, corkscrews and loops. I find a cloud and land on it. Rainbow lands on the same cloud. It’s just small enough for both of us. She has to be close. Just like I planned. I lie down and look at her. “What has Twilight said about her?”

“I don’t need Twilight. I can teach Scoots just fine. I don’t need you either, buster.”

“Nevermind me, Twilight is a master of all kinds of magic. Since becoming an alicorn, I have little doubt she has knowledge of pegasi magic as well. Why aren’t you asking her for assistance?”

“Because she can’t help! I already know why Scootaloo will never fly!” she declares, nearing tears. She sits down, wiping her face with her hoof. “Her magical connection is severed at her wings. It has left them stunted, and unable to bend the air currents the way we pegasi are normally able to. She can still walk on clouds, and I have never seen a pony her age who was able to shape them so well. She just can’t reach them.”

“Is it hopeless?”

“No, she can still create thrust. Forward momentum will be easy for her. It’s lift she can’t produce. I keep hoping she will hit a growth spurt and her wings will catch up to the rest of her. It would mean the connection might be restored. But there’s something missing still. You and I both know wing size has nothing to do with flight for either of us. It’s our magic that lets us do what we do.”

“Well, wing size does affect our flight to a degree. For dragons, the larger we grow, the less we are able to do in the air. The flying we did earlier is about the limit to what I am able to do. Every time I see you take off and accelerate straight up, it makes me long for my younger days. I haven’t even broken the barrier in forever.”

“The barrier? You? No way. What, a sonic dragonboom? As if,” scoffs Rainbow.

“How do you think I reacted when I was told you pulled off the same feat? I have never heard of a non-dragon who could go super sonic. But the way it was told, I have no doubt you pulled it off. So, now I’ll ask you a question that will confirm to both of us our respective abilities. Who did you rainboom for?”

Rainbow Dash just looks at me. I can see it. She’s a believer. “The first time was for Fluttershy. It took me years to figure out how to do it again. It took one of my friends being in mortal danger to learn the true secret behind it. That day, I used it to save Rarity. Since that day, I have been able to pretty much do it on command.”

“I will never do it again. It’s just a simple fact,” I state. “Still, I think we should ask Twilight. Can it really hurt?”

“Why are you doing this?” she asks. Her look of anger is returning.

“As I said, she is my friend. I have come to care a great deal for the ponies around me. If there is any chance that I can be of some kind of assistance in all of this, would you deny her the sky just because of your personal vendetta against me?”

She looks defiantly at me. I have her on the ropes, and she knows it. Time to give her room to breath.

“Aside from Spike, of course, do you hate all dragons?”

“Let’s just say, aside from Spike, I never met a dragon I liked. It’s always, hide for the dragon migration, or, this dragon is gonna cover our land in smoke, or, these dragons want to beat up Spike. I guess I have just come to expect the worse from you. No offence.”

“None taken, you are right to fear a species who used to feed on your own.”

“I’m not afraid of you. I just have a healthy respect for what you’re capable of. In answer to your earlier question, the answer is obviously no. Scoots flying is way more important to me then my ‘vendetta’ against you. I guess I never really gave you a chance, did I? From the start, I thought you were a rampaging beast. I kinda have an attack first mentality. ‘An enemy too broken to move is an enemy defeated.’” she says, making quote motions with her hooves.

“What about innocent until proven guilty?” I ask.

She glares at me. “This was so much easier when I didn’t like you. Why’d you have to go and be all friendly and logical at me?”

“I would say I’m sorry, but that would be a lie. I will say I never wanted you as an enemy. I would actually prefer if the town knew about me, and we all just got along. I have taken steps towards that goal. We’ll see how it goes from there. One way or another, it’s out of my claws.”

We are silent for a bit. I stand up and kick off the cloud. We land back in the Acres. I reach into a tree and grab a couple of apples. Rainbow looks at me when I offer her one.

“Does AJ know you take her apples? she asks.

“I have a standing invitation to take a few when I work here. I was planning to put in a few hours, but then this blue pegasus started harassing me. Now, I can either play with the Crusaders, or put myself to work. And I already promised the girls my time. It’s all your fault,” I state.

“Me?! I… But… Gah! Lets just go see them.”

“You know, If I were a lesser being, this is when I would say you’re cute when you’re mad,” I say, laughing.

Red on cyan. It really stands out on her. She pretty much turns purple. I suppose I could make a joke to her about her Twilight Sparkle impression, but I need to let her calm down a bit. It wouldn’t do to have her blushing in front of her honorary sister, after all.

She hits my leg with one of her hooves. I just grin and keep moving forward.

“So, are you going to talk to Twilight about Scootaloo?” I ask her. She walks silently for a moment, then nods.

“Yeah, it’s past time for me to seek outside help with her. I feel like such a failure. I failed the filly that looks to me as a sister. I always wanted one of those, you know. When she asked me to be like her big sister, it took everything I had to keep my cool. I could have done a million rainbooms that night, and it wouldn’t have been enough. I have this filly that looks up to me. She started a fan club for me. For ME! Now I, Rainbow Dash, have to go tell Scootaloo, the filly I love like a little sister, that I couldn’t get her to the sky where she belongs.”

“You didn’t fail her. The only way you did is if you have given up. I don’t see you ever doing that. It’s funny, really. As a dragon, I now know our biggest weakness. We never seek aid from others. I see that now in this community. The whole of it is vastly greater than the sum of its parts.”

She stops. I look back at her. I then tell her, “It’s not always about you, Rainbow Dash. Sometimes, to help the ones we love, we need to ask for help ourselves. If she were injured, would you try to heal her yourself? Or would you seek the aid of a doctor. This is no different. She has a problem with her magic. Why not seek the aid of a magical expert who also just so happens to be your friend?”

“Flying just comes so naturally to me, that I have no idea how to explain it to somepony else. I can’t believe I’m learning to rely on others from a dragon!”

“At least you’re listening. Lets let her play for a while. This is going to be hard on her, one way or another. Best case scenario, she is looking at magical rehabilitation for who knows how long. Worse case…”

“She never flies.” Rainbow finishes. She starts forward again. We soon arrive at the clubhouse. The three fillies have been keeping themselves occupied by planning their next cutie mark schemes. I would laugh if they got a cutie mark of a cutie mark. Or their own Crusader emblem, right there on their flanks. Dash has already started telling the stories of her adventures to the girls. I just sit and listen.

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

Rainbow Dash and I make our way to the castle. Scootaloo is riding on Rainbow’s back. A pang of jealousy hits me, but i crush it down with a vengeance. The flight is too short for all of us. I finally showed Rainbow Dash what I look like as a pegasus colt as well. She just stared at first, then laughed. I’m glad she took my deception so well.

We all land in front of the castle. Rainbow goes inside with Scoots to find Twilight, while I just wait downstairs in the entryway. All those books I brought, and I can’t even see the new library. I’m sure they will be well read here. A few moments later, the three of them descend and approach me.

“So, that’s the whole story, Twi. I… I need your help. We need your help.”

Scootaloo starts crying. I would’ve guessed this would scare her. She starts apologizing to Rainbow, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to let you down, Rainbow Dash! Please!”

Rainbow Dash looks at Scootaloo with shock. “No, Squirt! None of that. You never let me down. You’ve been nothing but the most awesome little sister a pony can ask for. You’re my awesome little sister, and don’t you forget it. We’re here because I was finally shown just how much help I need. I know how much you love to see me fly. I would love to see what you can do, too.”

“But you said it didn’t matter if I could fly or not. I don’t understand!”

“That’s still true, Squirt. Whether or not you can fly, I still love being your sister. That doesn’t mean we can’t try. If there’s a chance to make this work, shouldn’t we go after it, wings blazing, rainbooming the whole way? I believe in you, Scoots, and I know we will do everything we can.”

Scootaloo wipes the tears from her eyes. She hops down from Rainbow’s back, and sits in front of her. Rainbow moves forward and wraps her up.

“Most of my equipment survived the attack that destroyed the former library. I’m just glad I kept it all underground. The machines that didn’t survive can be found in Canterlot Hospital, if we need them. As a princess, I pretty much have carte blanche to use the facilities as I wish, as long as it doesn’t interfere with regular patient care. Scootaloo, if there’s a way to get you into the sky, we’ll find it.”

“And I’ll be there for all of it, Squirt. Element of Loyalty here. You can count on me. I don’t always play the element card, but when I do, LOOK OUT! I am Rainbow Dash! Here me Roar! Take that, you, and that!”

And now she’s shadow boxing the imaginary fiends that are keeping her sister ground bound. It’s super effective. Scootaloo starts to laugh. Twilight and I join in. Tomorrow promises to be a busy day for us. For today, the sound of a filly’s laughter at the antics of her older sister has brought laughter to all of us.

“What’s going on down here?” asks Spike. He looks much better since this morning. He sees Rainbow fighting nothing, and us laughing at her imaginary battle. Still laughing, I walk over to him.

I manage to get myself composed before asking him, “How are you feeling?”

“Better. It hurt to hear it like that, but I’m glad I know. I guess I already knew. It just took hearing it from you guys to make it finally sink in. So, overall, thanks, I guess.

“We only did it because we care about you. It wasn’t any easier for us to have to tell you all of that.. Just remember, we are always available to talk. All of your friends are,” I remind him. Sometimes, it helps to be reminded what we already know. I reach down and pull him to me. He wraps his arms around me and smiles. All of this didn’t go unnoticed.

“You okay, Spike?” asks Rainbow.

“Yea, I’m fine. I’m just going through a rough spot. What about you, Scoots? I thought I heard…”

“Nope! No crying here! I’m just here with my sister. I’m definitely not sad because I can’t… can’t…” she tries to finish, tears forming. Rainbow scoops her up and holds her through her renewed sobbing. Spike looks at me sheepishly.

“It’s not you, Spike. She has a tough time ahead of her. We,” I gesture to myself, Twilight, and Rainbow, “are going to do our best to get her into the sky.” I lean into his ear and fake whisper, “It’s also a way to get Rainbow Dash to like me.”

Rainbow turns to me and frowns. I just grin back. She glares at me but, then, there it is. The barest hint of a smile. She turns away and goes back to cuddling Scootaloo. Of course, if either of them realised I thought of them as cuddling right now, it would break the magic of the moment. I grin down at Spike.

“Most. Awesome. Hug. Ever.” I say, emphasizing each word.

Rainbow looks at me again, grinning. “You got that right, Buster.”

I let go of Spike and walk over to Twilight. The last thing I want is her to be caught unawares. "You might be getting visitors soon. I made myself known to the children in Miss Cheerilee's class. I gave them instructions to not hide thier knowledge from their parents. They will be telling everypony who has questions to come find you for answers. I hope this isn't a bother. I also told them we would be having a meeting soon. Any ideas on that?"

Twilight takes in everything I said and smiles at me. "I'm actually glad you told everypony to find me. I was going to talk to Mayor Mare tomorrow about the meeting. I believe we can be ready in as soon as 2 days if the need arises. A week would be better. I have every confidence almost everypony will be accepting of you. Especially if the foals have already been around you with no problems."

I hang my head and sigh. All I can think of is the wrong I committed by scaring those two fillies. "We both know there were problems. I made peace with Silver Spoon today. She accepted my apology, and I believe she in turn made peace with the Crusaders as well. I would have apologized to Diamond Tiara as well, but she wasn't at school when I went back."

"Actually, she and her father came here shortly after I arrived back with Spike. He was trying to get me to influence Cheerilee into not letting you near the school. They weren't pleased with my answer."

"That Cheerilee alone has the right to allow or disallow a student to attend her class?" I ask, even though I know the answer. Twilight confirms it with a nod of her head. "She told Diamond Tiara as much when I arrived there this morning. The filly tried to get me to leave, but she was reprimanded by Miss Cheerilee."

"Are you guys finished?" asks Rainbow Dash. She has a sleepy looking Scootaloo on her back. "I gotta get her home to her parents. I made sure to tell them where we would be, but we gotta get going."

"Of course, Dashie. Bring her by tomorrow after school, and we'll get started. Sparky, I'm afraid you won't be able to be there for her, since my equipment is upstairs."

Dashie. I like it. "I think she will be fine with just Rainbow 'Dashie' with her," I say, chuckling. Rainbow just glares at me. I keep smiling back. She shakes her head and leaves, flying off into the evening sky.

"Do you always have to tease her like that?" asks Twilight.

I nod my head. "I have a feeling she can give as good as she takes in that regard. I know, sooner or later, she'll get me back." I make my own way to the door. Spike and Twilight walk with me. "I will probably spend tomorrow at Sweet Apple Acres if you need me. I have been meaning to put in some work there, and it's nice to be able to walk around as myself. Until then, goodnight, Twilight, Spike, and good luck tomorrow," I say, nodding to each of them in turn. They both wish me the same and let me out. I take off into the night.

Chapter 8

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Chapter 8

Distant splashing awakens me again. I was dreaming of flying. This is a common dream I have, especially when I sleep underwater. This is getting to be routine. I decide to change things up a bit. I enjoy fish, but today, I feel like having breakfast with apples, and Apples. I have little doubt they will have me. I poke my head up. The distant splashing I thought I heard was nothing more than nearby ripples hitting a log. Grabbing an item I wanted to give to the family, I take off and fly northwest to the farm.

The flight is short and easy, and due to it being over an unpopulated area, I forgo changing my appearance. I circle around the farm a couple of times in the early morning air. I see Apple Bloom with a bucket of scraps going over to the pigs, and Applejack is laying out baskets under her trees. I look back where she originates from, and see more baskets inside a cart nearby. I land nearby and make myself known.

“Good morning! I hope I’m not disturbing you. I was hoping you nice folks could put me to work today.”

“Dagnabit, Sparky,” she starts, “ya’ll just durn near… Nevermind. You can’t sneak up on a girl like that. And ya left without payment for helpin’ Mac with plowing that field under. Don’t you run off like that again, ya hear?”

“It really wasn’t necessary. I was just enjoying myself.”

“You durn near plowed under half that field. Ya’ll saved Big Mac enough time with his chores that he was able to see his lady friend. The big galoot bought her a gift and everything.”

I just laugh. “Tell you what. If you and your family haven’t started breakfast yet, I would love to join you. I imagine we would have to finish what you’re currently doing first. Is that a fair trade?”

“More’n fair, if ya ask me. Don’t you be sellin’ yourself short. I reckon we got some baskets to lay, and some breakfast to eat. Lets git to it.”

I pick up the cart full of baskets and walk among the trees, dropping a few under each one. Applejack chuckles and shakes her head. “Showoff,” she says under her breath. I just grin back at her. She places the baskets I drop in their correct positions, and before too long, the cart is empty. I carry it with me as we go back to the house and set it down where Applejack points. I morph to pony, and we walk inside. I lay the item I brought with me over the back of a chair.

“Sparky!” a little bundle of yellow and red energy rushes over to me. I wrap her up in a quick hug, then let her go so we can eat. As we move towards the dining area, she asks, “How’s Spike?”

I stop in place. Applejack heard the question and stops too. They are both looking at me. “Twilight and I had a good long talk with him yesterday. It’s going to be a rough time for him, but he’s already started to heal. Be there for him as a friend. I haven’t told him about your feelings, and I never will. That is your place. Try to give him at least a couple of weeks to recover. Also, before you tell him, make sure you go to Twilight. She has a lot more say in this than I do.”

She nods her head. We walk into the dining room, and I smile at the spread. Granny has pulled out all the stops here. Pancakes, fritters, eggs, toast, and some strange multicolored jam. It looks like a rainbow in a jar. I pick it up and examine it.

“Zap Apple Jam,” Applejack informs me. “Ya’ll are in for a real treat today. We’re the only farm that grows it. Given your ‘letric personality, Ah think you’re gonna like it. When they grow, Zap Apples are infused with Lightnin’. We still got plenty of jars out in our cellar, so help yourself.”

This sounds intriguing. But I cannot help but focus on another part of Applejack’s statement. “Is your house on top of your cellar? I don’t want to crash through another floor.”

Applejack just looks at me and chuckles. “Nah, our cellar is out back. An earth pony will always build her home on solid earth. No cellar or basement will ever be under an earth pony’s home if they can help it.”

We all take our places at the table. They again talk me into taking the head of the table, and no amount of protesting on my part makes any difference. Once that’s settled, we dig in. I go for a few slices of toast to try out the jam first. It sizzles and crackles down into my core, and I feel like I could take on the toughest of tasks. The family all start looking at me strangely. I look down at myself. I’m glowing, and electric sparks are shooting along the surface of my ‘fur’. It creates a slight tingling sensation that I find enjoyable.

“Ya’ll okay, Sparky?” asks Applejack. I nod my head and smile at her. After a moment, the glow fades and the sparking subsides, but I still feel energized. Everypony settles down and resumes eating. I stare in wonder at the jar of Zap Apple Jam. I have eaten only a few large spoonfuls of the stuff, and I feel like I just gorged myself on liquid lightning. I try to eat a few other items, but it’s really just nibbling.

“Ain’t ya’ll hungry, Sugercube?” asks Applejack. I just shake my head.

“The jam filled me up. It’s like I just tried to eat a thunderstorm. Would you mind if I kept this jar? I kinda want to see what Twilight thinks of it.”

“Ah ain’t gotta problem with it. Actually, if’n ya want, I can git ya a fresh jar from the cellar later. We’ll just call it a gift, kinda like your helpin’ Mac out the other day.”

I nod in agreement. Soon, breakfast is finished. Apple Bloom gathers her things and starts off for school. I may pop in later, but for now, I stay behind. We all head outside and get started with the day. I go ahead and drop my polymorph. Time for work.

“We’ll start with apple buckin’ first. Think ya could grab some more baskets, Sugercube?” asks Applejack. I nod and make my way over to the cart and grab it. The baskets themselves are kept inside a nearby shed. I load up the baskets and bring them out to the orchard where Big Mac and Applejack are waiting. We get into a configuration of me dragging the cart and throwing out baskets, Applejack getting them into place, and Big Mac bucking the trees. Every so often, we exchange places to keep everyone fresh. I find myself placing baskets with Big Mac pulling the cart, then I take over by shaking the trees while the siblings pull and place. The work goes quickly in this manner. After only a couple of hours, we take a break and look back over what we accomplished. This part of the orchard is about two thirds complete.

“Boy, howdy! Havin’ you around sure makes a difference!” states Applejack.

“Eeyup,” confirms her brother.

I take a seat and relax. Really, I am not doing anymore than they are. Even though I’m stronger than either of them, I cannot work any faster than they can. Actually, I believe the only reason we are going as quickly as we are is due to their experience. I’m just glad I’m not slowing them down. Even as strong as I am, it takes everything I can to keep up with them.

We get started again. I pull the cart and place all the baskets while Applejack and Big Mac both buck the trees. We keep up this frantic pace for an hour and complete the job. Applejack fetches a few apples out and tosses one to Big Mac. She offers me one, but I’m still going strong on jam.

“Good job, fellas. Ah can’t remember gettin’ through an orchard that quick. Ah’m almost tempted to keep goin’. Let’s get these here apples loaded and stored. Ah reckon we’re gonna have a good harvest this season,” says Applejack, a pleased look on her face.

We get the cart turned around (well, I pick it up and turn it around), and Applejack hitches herself to the front. Big Mac and I both load the baskets into the cart as she pulls it between the trees. At one point, Big Mac stops loading while I keep going. I can see why: My height lets me stack the baskets much higher than normal. I stop loading when I see the topmost baskets start to sway. Every bump almost topples the load, but I just put out an arm and steady it.

It takes a few trips, but we manage. By lunch, we’ve completed a task that usually takes the two siblings alone all day. I feel that good kind of tired after a hard day’s work. We walk back over to the farmhouse and inside, myself back in my pegasus form. Applejack goes upstairs for a moment and returns with a bag. She hands it to me and I gawk at the weight. I’m torn. I cannot possibly accept this much from them, but I know if I refuse it, they will be upset. Then I remember the item I brought with me earlier. I go to the chair and retrieve it. I give to Applejack what appears to be an ordinary bag.

After paying off the workers for completing Rarity’s floor, and entrusting the rest of the items I brought to Twilight, I was left with two bags of holding. I had no real use for two of them, so I decided to give one away. It was an easy decision who could get the most use out of it. Who else would need a near limitless storage space.

Applejack takes the bag with a questioning look. “I gave Twilight two bags just like it. By now, I’m sure she knows enough about them to make a few if she wanted. What you’re holding could hold all the apples in your orchard without getting any bigger. Of course, it would pretty much be impossible to move. However, if you were to use it for simple storage, or to help move baskets of apples around, well, I think you get the idea.”

She smiles, tears welling in her eyes. “Ah… Ah dunno what to say. Ah never even heard of such a thing. Where in tarnation did ya git it? Ah mean, thank you, Sugercube. This means a lot to me. We do sometimes hurt for storage space during applebuck season. We was gonna havta dig a new cellar ‘fore too much longer. I reckon with this here bag, why, Ah just… Thank you.” She walks over to me and gives me a hug. “The things ya’ll have done for me an’ my family, Ah’ll never forget. Thank you, Sparky.”

I smile and return the embrace. “You’re welcome. I’m glad to count you among my friends, Applejack.” We release each other, and go to the dining room. Applejack shows Granny Smith and Big Mac the bag and tells them of the possibilities it contains. As we eat lunch, I go over the same rules I gave Twilight about the bag.

“So, no livin’ thing can survive long in this here bag?” she asks.

I shake my head and respond, “Not if it needs to breath, and that’s only if the top is drawn closed. It creates an airtight seal that cannot be opened from the inside. The only way out would be to rip a hole in the side, which would ruin the bag.”

Applejack just shakes her head. “First thing Ah’m gonna do when Apple Bloom gits home from school is demand a pinkie promise to never hear the phrase: ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders Bag of Holdin’ Explorers YAY!’ from her or her friends. Ah reckon if’n Ah can git that promise from each of ‘em, Ah’ll be able to sleep tonight, and not a second before.”

Lunch ends and they inform me there’s nothing left for me to do today. If they get too far ahead with their apple bucking, the apples could spoil before they have a chance to be sold. Applejack presents me with two jars of Zap Apple Jam. Given that I’m still going strong on two spoonfuls of the stuff, This amount would last me a few months. First, I need to talk to Twilight about what this does to me. Just because I feel full and energized, doesn’t mean I should forgo eating everything but this delicious substance.

“Let me know when you want to buck another orchard, Applejack. I’ll look forward to it.”

“Go on and git, ya crazy dragon. Are ya’ll tryin’ to work us to death?” she asks, laughing. I grin back at her. “We usually apple buck every other day. Given the kinda speed you can keep up with, Ah’m gonna say every three to four days will suffice. Ah’ll be sellin’ these here apples at the market tomorrow if’n ya wanna come talk.”

“I might just do that. Take care, Applejack, Big Mac.”

“Eeyup!” they chorus together.

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

It’s a nice day, so I walk from the orchard to the tree castle. I arrive after a little while and knock on the door. Twilight soon opens the door.

“Oh! I thought you might have been Spike. He went over to Rarity’s boutique this morning."

"Rarity's boutique?"

"Yeah, I think he’s looking for some closure. I really hope things go well for him. What can I do for you, Sparky?”

“Well, I came across an interesting phenomenon, and I was wondering if you would like to study it with me.”

“Research into an interesting phenomenon, you say? Color me intrigued! Tell me the basics,” she says, using her magic to summon a scroll and quill to her. We take up our spot on the nearby hill. It’s occupied by a few other ponies today, so I stay as I am. I lay down and bring out a jar of Jam.

She looks at the jar. “Zap Apple Jam? I know a good deal about it already. I actually have a few jars back at home.”

“So, you have already studied the effects it has on a lightning breathing dragon such as myself?” I ask her. Given how rare we who emit lightning are, I doubt this to be true. But this being Twilight, I just don’t know.

“Well, no. What effects have you noticed so far?”

“Well, I normally eat quite a bit. You have seen me eat. This morning, I ate two slices of toast with about a spoonful of this on each slice. That’s it. I nibbled on the rest of my breakfast, but I couldn’t really eat anymore. I have been hard at work at the farm since then, until about an hour before I knocked on your door. I still feel full. Not just full, energized. I feel fifty years younger. I kinda wanna eat a whole jar of it and see what happens. I’ve never heard of lightning infused apples before.”

“Alright, slow down a bit. We can’t rush into this. From what I know of the Zap Apple Harvest, the trees attract a storm from the Everfree Forest and are repeatedly struck by lightning. The trees themselves hold onto the charge until the fruit is ripe, at which time the charge is transferred to the apples. It would seem the lightning within these apples is absorbed into your being, causing you to feel sated as far as your food intake. You should watch your intake, though. I do not know if your body’s needs will be filled by such a meager amount of calories. I see no reason for you to not eat this on occasion, but I don’t think it’s healthy for you to replace your current diet with it outright.”

I sigh. She pretty much told me what I believed already. Still, it’s nice to know where the apples get their charge from. “Is there anything else?”

“Yes. I want you to be careful when you use this for another reason. It could be addictive for you. It may also be possible for you to overdo it and hurt yourself. I want you to watch yourself carefully when you eat any of this. If you notice something else happening, anything at all, I want you to find myself or Fluttershy immediately. Understood?”

I nod. This I hadn’t thought of. Well, I might as well do this safely. I bring out my other jar. “Take them. We might as well do this the correct way. So far, all I know is I can consume two spoonfuls with seemingly no ill effects. I am reluctant to try anymore without some kind of supervision. It might be better if we document the effects anyway.”

“I was hoping you would reach that decision yourself,” says Twilight. She takes both the jars and puts them away into her saddlebags. School should be letting out in about an hour, at which time Rainbow and Scootaloo will be stopping by.

“Care to go flying, Princess? Play hookey from the castle for a bit?”

She smiles and nods. We take off into the sky.

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

Our flight takes us around the town and outlying countryside. Neither of us are particularly fond of stunts, so we just set an easy pace. By now, I can find my way around Ponyville by ground or air. An hour passes us by and we make our way over to the castle. Sure enough, there’s a rainbow streak heading that way as well. We angle our path to intercept.

“Whoa, Sparky! You actually managed to get Twilight out for a flight?! Awesome!” exclaims Rainbow Dash. She has Scoots on her back. The filly is having the time of her life. Twilight and I adjust our path and fly alongside Rainbow and Scootaloo. “We were just going to see you. You ready to do this, Squirt?”

Scootaloo loses her enthusiasm. A nervous look passes over her face. We settle in for a landing at the castle. Scootaloo remains on Rainbow’s back, refusing to get down. I make my way over to her.

“All we’re going to do is a few simple tests. Rainbow will be with you the whole time,” I say.

Rainbow nods in agreement. Scootaloo looks at me. “What about you? Can you be there, Sparky?”

I shake my head. “I’m sorry. The crystals inside the castle won’t support my weight. I have never been past the entryway. I really want to be there. I wish there was a way.”

Twilight reaches into her saddlebags. I see what she’s holding in her magic. The Jam. I consider it. I really consider it. If two spoonfuls have gotten me this far, what could ten do? Twelve? Fifteen? Scootaloo looks at me expectantly. I take the jar from Twilight. “I don’t know what will happen, but she’s worth the risk. Does somepony have a spoon?” I ask, chuckling. Twilight goes upstairs and retrieves a small spoon. If we’re doing this, we’re doing it right. Twilight already has a quill and parchment. I start in on the jam.

After five spoonfuls, my mane is standing on end. two more and electric sparks are shooting off of me in all directions. Another three and I just can’t eat anymore. The energy inside of me makes it look like I’m on fire. I start directing the energy towards reducing my mass. As I do, the external 'fire' fades away. Here I go again, breaking my vows. I feel the same compression as before, but the fire is replaced with a steady warmth. Electric currents course their way through my veins, making me smile. Overall, aside from the squeezing from all sides part, it’s not bad. I nod to Twilight and we walk inside.

The room her equipment is kept in is rather large. I try to keep away from everything in it, as well as everypony. I am still emitting the occasional electrical discharge. Rainbow Dash hasn’t taken her eyes off me.

“So. Awesome!” she states, looking on in amazement. Scootaloo is likewise mesmerized. She barely notices Twilight placing wires along her wings, hooves, and a helmet on her head. I lie down to try to conserve energy. The room is large enough to take my normal shape, but doing so would put me in closer proximity to the equipment that is now reading Scootaloo’s magical flows. I see the door into this room has been left open. I silently thank Twilight for having the foresight to clear my way should I need to make a hasty exit. So far, I am holding.

A few minutes later, the machines being to produce parchment with various readouts. Twilight takes the paper and analyzes it. She makes a few adjustments, and goes back to reading the papers produced. A large discharge escapes my left hoof into the floor. The sound causes everypony to jump. Scootaloo keeps the connections on herself, in spite of her movement. Twilight takes a few more readings, then shuts down the machines. Scootaloo is disconnected, and we all go back downstairs.

In the entryway again, I bring my mass back up. The compression fades, but is replaced by increased discharges of electricity. I go outside to avoid zapping everypony. I make my way behind the castle and, seeing nopony around, I shoot off a good sized bolt into the sky. The sound is close to an explosion. I run back to the front of the castle and go back inside. Twilight glares at me, then continues what she is saying.

“Thank you for joining us, Sparky. I found the magical connections in her wing are all functional except the ones on the leading edge. The connection appears to be severed just after the first joint. I will need more tests to find if this is repairable. We still have a ways to go, but We should be able to get you in the air, Scootaloo.”

Scootaloo jumps in the air. Her wings flutter rapidly, causing her to slowly drift back down. Murmurs of excitement fill the entryway from all of us. I look at her and smile. Rainbow walks over to me.

“That was awesome what you did for her, Sparky. It really means a lot to me, too. I’m not so great with the whole saying sorry thing, but, you know. Sorry. I’m glad she has you for a friend.

“Don’t sell yourself short, ‘Dashie’,” I say. She frowns at me, then chuckles.

“Usually only Pinkie Pie calls me that. For some reason, Twi has too lately. Nopony, or dragon, has that privilege. Because of what you did today, I’ll allow it that once.”

I nod and smile. She grins back. My hoard grows larger. I would offer her a hug, but I doubt she does that very much, and I might electrocute her. The discharges have stopped, but I still feel the electric currents going through my body. No point in tempting fate anymore than I already have.

“Twilight, I was going to go check in with Fluttershy. Scootaloo, are you okay now?” I ask.

“I’m Awesome! I’m gonna learn to fly!” she exclaims. I nod to her, and wave. Rainbow picks the filly up and plants her on her back. Scoots wraps her hooves around Rainbow Dash’s neck. Twilight bids me farewell, and I leave the castle.

I take off into the air, and fly across town towards Fluttershy’s cottage. I am passing over city hall when I feel sick. My insides start spasming and I lose control over my polymorph, making me revert to my draconic state. I see her cottage, but start to feel my wings lock in place. I shift my weight and try to glide. This landing is going to hurt. Muscular spasms hit my limbs and neck, and I growl in pain. I squint my eyes, trying not to curl into a ball in mid flight. I have to land. I try to angle downwards, but my movements are sluggish at best. I pass over Fluttershy’s cottage, still growling. The ground finally decides to meet me. I manage to roll over onto my back and finally tuck my wings. The impact is loud and about as painful as you would expect. The local animals all look towards me, and immediately run towards the cottage. My forward momentum finally stops and I am now wracked with pain. My limbs refuse to move due to my spasming muscles. I cannot even lift my head to look around. I somehow managed to land in a clearing.

I keep my eyes open through pure will. Some animals have come to investigate what’s going on. Finally, Fluttershy arrives.

“Sparky! What happened!” she yells quietly. Only Fluttershy could yell quietly. I wonder how she does that. “Answer me, please.” Those eyes. I look into them. Blackness.

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

I open my eyes. Blinding. Pain. Fluttershy. Eyes. Blackness.

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

I keep my eyes closed. Voices. Soft, kind. Fluttershy. Another. Raspy. Arrogant. Rainbow Dash. A third. Calm. Questioning. In Charge. Twilight.

I growl. “Don’t move.” Twilight. I try to move. Can’t. Panic. I growl again. Louder. I open my eyes. Twilight. Horn glowing. I look away. I begin to take in my surroundings. I’m outside. I try to move. I still can’t. I start to crave something. I want jam. I think I need it. I close my eyes. No. Using it got me here. I try to speak. Growl. “You’re okay, Sparky.” Twilight again. No, I’m not. I hurt, and I cannot move. I focus on the pain.

Right forelimb. Pain at first joint. Probably dislocated.

Left forelimb. Minimal pain. Bruising. Probably some cuts.

Left rear leg. Extreme pain below second joint. Probably fractured.

Right rear leg. Muscle Spasms. Pain at second joint. Another dislocation.

I open my eyes again. Twilight is standing in front of me. I try to speak again. “Jam.” No. I close my eyes and try to shake my head. It barely moves. I reopen my eyes. “Twilight.” Better. I try something else. “Ouch.” Well, I can relay that I’m in pain. I need full sentences here. I stare at Twilight. She is using magic. I think I know why. “Magic?”

Twilight nods her head. I finish my question. “No moving?” I ask. She again nods her head. I am being magically restrained. I shift my focus around, and see Fluttershy. She is just barely in my vision. Rainbow Dash is standing behind Twilight. Darkness starts to fill my vision. Staying awake is overrated anyway.

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

“Sparky?” asks a voice.

“Yes?” I respond.

“Can you open your eyes, please?” asks Fluttershy. I comply. Light. Bouncing. I try to lift my head, and succeed. I am still in the clearing where I crashed. The light is coming from a nearby fire. I look up and take in the night sky.

“Ouch. Remind me not to crash again, please,” I request.

“How are you feeling?” asks Twilight as she walks over from the fire.

“Like I crashed. I think I have at least two dislocations, and one fracture of my left rear leg. The pain has started to go down,” I respond.

“There were no broken bones. I scanned you myself. You’re right about the dislocations, though. I don’t know how we can reduce them. I can try, but I don’t know enough about your anatomy to know if they would be in their proper place.”

“I know how. I just need a scroll. I guess my brother gets to pay me back for when I reduced his arm. I totally won that fight.”

Rainbow comes out of the darkness. “You fought your brother? Why?”

I smile, remembering. “Because we wanted to. We would challenge each other all the time. Usually it would be until first blood. Sometimes we would go until one yielded. I have broken their bones, and had my own broken in turn. We always repair the injuries we inflict on each other. Rarity actually saw me and another of my brothers wrestle in my hoard. Nothing serious on that occasion, though. We never wrestle for real in front of guests.”

Rainbow just looks at me. She shakes her head, then walks to the fire. Twilight finds some parchment. “Just write down my major injuries, and our location. A map would be helpful as well. He will be a while, but I doubt he will take longer than two days to get here. Rainbow?” I call out. She trots over. “When he gets close, it would be best if you could meet him and bring him here. Close in this case may mean anywhere within 100 miles. He can get a bit lost at times. He may or may not be polymorphed when her arrives. His pony form is a Unicorn. Just look for a pony who kinda looks like me, and is flying without wings.”

Rainbow Dash looks at me in shock. “Without wings?” she asks. I nod my head. “And he can still fly?” I nod again. “You’re kidding, right?” I shake my head.

“A dragon can fly while polymorphed. Whatever shape we happen to be in, we can fly. We usually don’t fly without being in a form that has wings because most dragons still need them for control. Just trust me on this.”

Twilight finishes writing on her paper. A few minutes later, Fluttershy returns with a map of equestria. Ponyville is circled, and an ‘x’ is placed on our exact location. Twilight also included instructions to send the message back to me when he got close. I take the items and place them in my mouth. I picture my older brother, and send it off. The bolt shoots out of my mouth, and into the night sky. Now we wait.

Chapter 9

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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.

Chapter 10

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Chapter 10

Rainbow Dash left a few minutes ago to retrieve my brother. He managed to find Ponyville, so she shouldn’t be long. I just finished breakfast, and now I’m waiting.

“You fool!”

Ah, that would be him now. He is in his pony form. A full grown stallion, his coat a few shades darker than my own, and a midnight blue mane. He lacks a cutie mark, but then, all dragons do. I stare at him impatiently. “Good morning, Brother. How was your trip?”

He snarls at me, baring his teeth. It might be more effective if he were to phase his snout, but, eh, it’s his choice. Our opinions always had us at odds. This will just be the latest in a very long series of fights. Or, it would be if I were to choose to engage him.

“I didn’t come here for your pleasure, Brother! You would do well to remember your place. Why are you in your true scales? Why do you not hide yourself?”

“Sparky? What’s going on?” asks Rainbow.

“Sparky? You let them name you? Are you their pet, then? Next you’ll tell me you’ve fallen for one of them,” my brother states, disgust on his face. I merely smile at him. Rainbow puts on a look of defiance.

“He’s not a pet! He’s our friend!” she shouts at him. She stands in front of him. My brother responds by shedding his form in favor of his true appearance. He rises to his full height, almost twice as large as I am.

Rainbow just grins up at him. “Eh, I’ve seen bigger.” She turns her back on him, much to his confusion. “You really wanted this guy to help you? I’m sure there’s somedragon else who could have fixed you up. Just say the word and I’ll get rid of ‘em for ya.” She turns back to my brother and looks up at him, still grinning. “Yeah, I could take him. Might take longer than 10 seconds, though.”

My brother stares down at her. “I would know your name, little pony.”

“Yours first,” she responds.

He continues to stare at her, then rears back and laughs. He brings his massive head down to her level, and states his name.

“Nice ta meetcha, Rawgrrrrgraaa Yeahthisisnthappening. The name’s Rainbow Dash. Fastest flyer in Equestria, future wonderbolt, yadda yadda yadda,” she states, obviously completely butchering his name and insulting him. I start to rise, but I stop when I see the look on my brother’s face. He is expressing pure amusement. Given that this is his first meeting with the ponies he claims to despise, it’s nothing short of incredible. He calmly steps over her and approaches me.

Rainbow flies out from under him and gets in his path. “We’re not finished!” she shouts to him.

“It’s okay, Rainbow Dash. He’s coming to do what he needs to do. I will be fine in a moment,” I tell her. She looks down at me, then nods and lands nearby. My brother reaches for my injured arm. He pulls, and I experience a sharp pain as he straightens the joint and completes the reduction. I roar in pain, but don’t move. He sets his sight on my leg. I gnash my teeth as he grips it and forces my leg straight. He inspect his work, and gives my leg another sharp pull. The joint finally complies and I feel the pain subside. He continues to stand over me.

“You are thinking of jam. Why?

I stand and struggle to get out from under him. He holds his place. I turn my head and glare up at him. “Remove yourself from my thoughts, Brother,” I demand.

“I didn’t enter them. You are shouting in your mind. I didn’t have to try to hear the echos. What is this jam that you are shouting about? Answer, Brother.”

“Leave him alone!” shouts Rainbow.

He turns to her. “You amused me by playing the part of the protector. I am tired of this game.”

Seeing him distracted by Rainbow, I shoot myself backwards and up, upsetting his balance and freeing myself. I turn and glare at my downed brother. He rights himself and stares back at me. “I can feel the greed in you, Brother. This jam is consuming you,” he states. He speaks the truth.

“I will not succomb to my base desires. I have long since mastered them.”

“Then speak the name of your demon,” he requests. I nod at him.

“Zap Apple Jam. It’s made from apples infused with our element. I tried some as a curiosity. A small amount empowered me for a large part of the day. Later, I consumed more. I was reluctant, but I agreed due to a friend in need. I was able to be there for her, but it came at a price. It overcharged my system, and caused me to crash from the sky. Until the full effects of the jam wear off, I am unable to use my abilities. This empowers me to rebuke my greed for it.”

My brother takes what I say in. He lies in front of me, polymorphing back to his unicorn form. “Tell me everything that’s happened since your arrival, Brother.”

I lie down and do so.

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

“You’re a fool. You pointlessly made an enemy.”

A few hours have passed. Fluttershy has yet to emerge from her cottage, but Rainbow has kept us company while I brought my brother up to speed. I already know he disapproves of my being here, but ultimately it’s my decision. Still, I listen to what he says.

“It wasn’t my intention at the time. I already know I overreacted to the situation,” I respond.

He sighs. “I cannot say I would do any different if our roles were reversed. All we can do for now is move forward. So, only a limited number of ponies know of your being here?” he asks. If I know him, he will try to use this to bring me home. Sorry, big brother.

“I will be announcing my presence here in a few days. The local leaders of this town have already agreed that I will be a welcome part of this town for the duration of my stay. I will stand before them as I am now. The original plan called for me to not reveal my true appearance, but that choice was removed when I consumed that jam. Delaying the meeting is pointless, seeing as how I will probably be made aware of soon anyway. I doubt very much that stallion will keep silent for long.”

My brother takes a moment to think on this. He shakes his head, and says, “I fail to see how this will end in anything but disaster. Still, I have made my thoughts known.” He looks over at Rainbow, then back to me. “I suppose you have done well to turn one enemy into a friend.”

I nod and smile at him. Rainbow blushes lightly at the remark. “Watch it, I can still take you, Mr. Dragon,” she says. My brother chuckles.

He smiles at me as he informs me, “Don’t crash again. Next time, I won’t be so kind when I fix you up. I hadn’t planned to stay long, so I won’t. Farewell, Brother.”

Watching a unicorn fly away is quite amusing. My brother’s talent for flight allows him to stabilize himself without the use of wings. I suppose if I wanted to, I could achieve the same finesse in flight. But then, I’ve grown attached to the pegasus I turn into.

Rainbow and I walk over to Fluttershy’s cottage. She knocks on the door.

“Is… is he… gone?” I hear from inside. She cracks the door, and seeing me, slams it shut. I let out a laugh, and Rainbow knocks again.

“It’s just Sparky, Fluttershy. His brother just left. You can come out now.”

Fluttershy cracks the door open again, and looks at me. She confirms I’m not my terrible, horrible big brother, and ventures outside. I lower myself down and smile at her, keeping my mouth closed. I know she’s used to me, but there’s not point in trying to make her scared of me again. She smiles back and gives a quiet “Thank you, Sparky, but I’m fine now.”

“Just doing what I can for my most gracious host, Fluttershy. And you,” I begin, turning to Rainbow Dash, “thanks for protecting me from that beast of a brother.”

Rainbow grins at me, saying “You know I got your back, Big Guy. Anyway, I gotta jet. Later, guys.” She does that vertical take off that I so admire.

“You know, my brother wouldn’t have hurt you. You didn’t have to hide from him.”

“I know, Sparky. Still, I’m glad he was able to get you going again. How are you feeling?”

I move my limbs around, testing my mobility. “My legs are a bit stiff, but I can work that out. Actually, would you mind if I went for a swim? I kinda miss the water, and I’m a bit hungry. I can come back here if you like.”

“That’s fine, Sparky. Thank you for staying here for as long as you did. I know Twilight wanted to talk to you some more about the meeting. I can tell her to go to your lake, if you want.”

“That sounds great, Fluttershy. I’ll see you soon!” I say. With a flap of my wings, I take off and fly south over the Everfree Forest. I’m going to have to avoid flying directly over Ponyville for the time being.

I fly south for a little while, that angle west. My lake is now directly ahead. Off in the distance, I spot it, and Sweet Apple Acres a bit farther to the north. I play it safe and check the nearby area before descending. Nopony is swimming today, so I glide into the lake and dive under. The water feels wonderful after so long out of it.

It doesn’t take me long to catch my fill. The effects of the jam must be wearing off; I’m starting to feel hungry at appropriate times now. My appetite is still diminished from what it normally is, but that will fade. The thoughts of the stuff keep circulating in my mind. It’s easy enough to fend off, but for the time being, I decide to take a nap. Maybe later I will feel more like myself.

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

It’s a wonderful experience, waking underwater again. I open my eyes, and see several fish nearby either dying or dead. I can’t tell what happened, but they don’t appear to be injured. My only theory is that I overcharged while sleeping. Sure enough, I can feel the tingling sensation through my veins again. At least I don’t have muscle spasms going through my abdomen this time.

Well, no sense in letting the fish go to waste. I find just over half a dozen fish of various sizes. A nice sized lunch. I finish eating and poke my head through the surface. On the distant shoreline I see Twilight and Pinkie. A nice, easy swim takes me to them.

“Sparky! Ohmygosh! I haven’t seen you in like, FOREVER! Twilight told me she was going to see you so I was like, ‘Can I come?’ and she was like, ‘Sure, Pinkie!’ only more like ‘Yeah, Pinkie, that’s fine,’ so we walked over to see you and now here we are! And Twilight told me you were hurt! Why were you hurt, Sparky?” She has been steadily moving closer to me as she speaks. Now she is snout to muzzle with me. “Don’t get hurt again, Sparky. I don’t like my friends to get hurt.” Her mane lets go of some of its fluffyness.

I smile at her, and get a big one in return. “I’m okay, Pinkie. I just had a disagreement with the ground. The ground won, but I got in a pretty good hit. I really think I can take him the next time.”

“You silly! The ground isn’t a him, it’s a her! Next time you decide to pick a fight with the ground, lemme know! Twilight is always saying even the ground couldn’t hold me down for long. Then she says I make her head hurt sometimes. Why is that, Twilight?”

Twilight has just been listening to our exchange with growing confusion. It takes her a moment to realised she has been asked a question. “Huh? Oh, it’s okay Pinkie. Why are you almost kissing Sparky? Actually, nevermind. I see your brother was able to get you going again. Is he still in the area?”

I turn to her and shake my head. “No, he told me he didn’t want to stay here long. He doesn’t outright hate ponies, but doesn’t like being around them either. A pity, really, I would have liked for you all to have met him, especially you, Pinkie. Rainbow Dash made quite the impression, though.”

Twilight keeps her expression neutral. “She didn’t… attack him, did she?”

I laugh and shake my head, saying, “No, no. She did try to stand between him and I, though. Squaring off against an ancient dragon. Pretty much, if you could do something wrong to a dragon, she did it. It was funny, really. My brother knew she meant well, though.”

Twilight’s left eye seems to be twitching. “It seems I have a pegasus to strangle later. For now, I’m just glad you’re okay. Will you be ready for the meeting?”

“I will have to attend ‘au naturel’, but I’m thinking that should be fine. My abilities are still on the fritz, so I’ll just make do and wing it. Look out Ponyville, here I come!”

Twilight just shakes her head. “If you say so. Just remember, individually, ponies can be very calm and collected. In large groups, however, if something sets us off, we can be set into a panic with something as simple as a doll and a spell,” Twilight says, shuddering at a memory. It must have been some spell.

“Got it. So, you two have any plans for today?” I ask. Pinkie is nodding so fast it appears her head is vibrating. “Party preparations, I assume?” The nodding somehow goes faster. Any more and she’ll look like she has two heads. Twilight looks at her in shock.

“Pinkie?” Twilight asks.

Pinkie stops nodding suddenly and turns to her. “Yes, Twilight?”

“Nothing. I’m sorry, what were you saying, Sparky?” she asks. Twilight seems to be distracted for some reason.

“I was saying, what’s going on? Tell me what’s on your mind, Twilight.”

She sighs, and look at Pinkie and myself. “I’m just thinking of all that can go wrong with this meeting. I know we have to do this, but this town has had a bad experience with a rampaging dragon before. The issue was resolved, and Spike apologized to everypony, but…”

“Spike?!” I ask in alarm. Twilight nods her head.

“He let his greed get the better of him. Before we knew it, he had grown into a mature adult. He even abducted Rarity. Fortunately, she was able to get him out of his greedy ways. I shudder to think what might have happened if he kept going. I just can’t predict how the townsponies will react to having you around, Sparky.”

Pinkie smiles up at me. “I think everypony will like him! He’s just the coolest, most awesome dragon we have aside from Spike!”

I manage to get a wounded look on my face. “I’m hurt, Pinkie!” I exclaim. Pinkie just keeps grinning up at me. Before too long, I’m grinning back, and so is Twilight.

“Thanks, Pinkie, I needed that. There’s something else, Sparky. It’s Scootaloo. I think I can isolate where her flight magic is severed, but fixing it will be something else entirely. Something like this has never been attempted before. What if we can’t…” she says, trailing off.

I shake my head, but Pinkie’s grin never fades. “Then I’ll throw her a ‘I’m-sorry-you-can’t-fly-but-your-still-awesome-in-your-own-way Party!’ She’ll be kinda sad again, but as long as she has Rainbow Dash, and you, Sparky, then she’ll be okay. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” she says, making the motions.

“Scootaloo’s strong, Twilight. No matter what it takes, she will either earn her place in the sky, or know she did everything she could to reach it,” I add. Twilight looks like she’s feeling a bit better now.

“Thanks, I needed that. My equipment’s at Applejack’s farm now, Sparky. She let me take over one of her barns. Think you can stop by for a few tests?”

“Oh, that was fast! You only told me yesterday you were moving. Yeah, Twilight, my pleasure. When do you want me?”

“I will be conducting another round of test on a few foals this afternoon after school. This might also be a good time to show you to a few of the children.”

“Yea, they bugged me about it when Miss Cheerilee and I did that impromptu class on dragons. They wanted to see me like this, but I wasn’t able to show them inside that tiny classroom. It never even occurred to me to gather them at the farm. Actually, come to think of it, there were only a few pegasi in class. Were you able to find more?”

“Rainbow Dash found a few through her weather team. They come from all over, really. Quite a few fly in from Cloudsdale to help with the weather here. Others, like Cloud Kicker, have younger siblings that live elsewhere with their parents. The whole Kicker Clan lives in Canterlot, minus a few exceptions.”

“So a lot of these foals won’t know about my being there. What about their parent or siblings?” I ask.

“I told them there may be an unexpected visitor, but I didn’t tell them who or what to expect. For all they know, the princesses are going to make an appearance.”

Pinkie lets out a loud gasp. “Twilight! Have you gone prankster on us? I mean, comeon! How are me and Dashie supposed to keep up with an alicorn princess?! Or maybe,” she gets a huge grin on her face, “maybe you wanna prank WITH me and Dashie?”

“Pinkie, I have more trouble keeping up with you and Rainbow Dash then you two will ever have with keeping up with me. It’s your wits, not any special ‘alicorn powers’, that make a pony, or dragon, a great prankster. And you,” Twilight says, bopping Pinkie on the nose, “have wits in spades.”

“No I don’t, I got em in my head!” she exclaims, laughing.

We all share a laugh. I get myself collected and turn to Twilight. “So, how many ponies are you expecting?”

“Seven pegasi, three unicorns, and five earth ponies, all of various ages. All three of the crusaders will be there as well. Oh, and two dragons, of course. Spike volunteered to be scanned as well. I suppose I could invite one of the princesses to get some alicorn magic into the mix, but there are just too few of us to get any kind of broad data. It also doesn’t help that there has never been an alicorn stallion in history. Still, I could make the offer.”

My eyes go wide at this information. “You’re testing the magic of all the pony races? My word! What are you calling this study?”

“The Scootaloo Project. It all started to help her. I have developed new designs for some testing equipment. It’s been a while since I tackled a project this huge. When I think of how this data will affect ponykind, it just boggles the mind. Turns out I managed to find a worthy place for that donation you were wanting to make. I hope you don’t mind.”

I grin at her. This is indeed just the thing for all that extra treasure I brought here from my hoard. “Twilight, it would be my privilege to fund The Scootaloo Project.”

Twilight smiles back at me. Pinkie smiles at both of us.

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

Sweet Apple Acres is only a few minutes away by air, but I take the scenic route. Pinkie is on my back, whooping up a storm. Twilight went on ahead about half an hour ago to get everything ready, and everypony prepared for my arrival.

“Whoo Hoo! Higher, Sparky!” shouts Pinkie Pie. I locate a rising thermal and comply. Before too long, we’re three miles in the sky. The air is thin and crisp, but still breathable. Pinkie has the same giddy look she usually has. I start to angle us downward towards the Acres.

Before too much longer, I can see a small gathering of ponies near one of the barns. I get closer and start to make out the individual features of each pony. I find my favorite three off to the side, with their sisters nearby as well. By accident or design, they are in the clearest spot near the barn that I can land in. My landing point found, I descend and settle down.

The reaction is immediate. First, the fillies and colts from school rush towards me, including the Crusaders. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity all move towards me as well. Among the older ponies who don’t know me, a scream is heard. The children gathered around me are now climbing on me, trying to join Pinkie Pie on my back. A light grey pegasus colt lands on my head.

“Rumble! Get down from there!” shouts a much darker pegasus stallion. I smile at him, once again making sure to keep my mouth closed. Rumble closes his eyes and shakes his head.

“Sparky won’t hurt us, Thunderlane. I promise!” he calls down. I feel another foal climbing my neck. I can’t really turn my head and look, but I have a feeling I know who it is.

“Hold still, Sparky! Gah, I can’t wait till I can fly. Finally. Hey, Rumble,” says Scootaloo. She takes a place right behind Rumble on my head. I carefully look back and see the rest of my body is covered from the base of my neck to my tail in foals. A few of them are clinging to my wing joints as well, making flight impossible. The older ponies all still look worried about the dragon their younger charges are climbing.

I lower my head, much to the disappointment of the two foals who are perched upon it. Rumble is collected by Thunderlane, and Scoots hops down herself. She walks over to Rainbow Dash and grins up at her. Rainbow reflects the grin right back.

Twilight calls for everypony’s attention, “Alright, everypony. I know this is your first time seeing Sparky. We need to get started on the examinations. Sparky, would you mind bringing the children over to the barn?”

I nod and make my way over to the barn. The door is open, and Spike is already inside adjusting some of the equipment. He turns and see me, and runs over.

“Sparky!” he shouts. I grab him up and plop him on my back with the other children. Pinkie finally hops down and bounces over to Twilight.

The interior of the barn is a lot more spacious than the room this equipment was formerly housed in. Twilight walks over to me and directs me to lie down near the table. For obvious reasons, I’m not on the table itself. She uses her magic to attach the various leads for her machinery. I glance at the door and see the ponies from outside. They start to file in and gather around me. The foals make their way down and go to their respective families.

“Sparky, was it?” asks the dark pegasus. I nod to him. “My name’s Thunderlane. When Princess Twilight told us there would be a dragon joining us shortly, we all thought she was referring to her assistant.”

I chuckle softly. “That’s quite alright, Thunderlane. As you can see, I mean nopony any harm. At least the children are having fun.”

Sure enough, the children are all eagerly telling the tale of riding the dragon. Rainbow walks over and sits nearby. Soon, all the adults and children have gathered to watch my exam. Twilight finishes connecting me and begins the process.

“It’s entirely passive, so you don’t have to worry about any more excess currents running through you,” Twilight explains. “I did have to use a few extension wires to cover his increased size, of course, but I can easily adjust everything for the minor variances this might cause. Please extend your wings, Sparky.”

I do so, my wingtip almost reaching the ponies sitting nearest to me. I slowly raise and lower them as Twilight directs me to do so.

“As you can see, his wings are roughly proportional to a pegasus in terms of wingspan to body size,” Twilight informs them.

I decide to add a few points to this, “As we age, our wings don’t keep up with our size. Typically, the younger a dragon is, the better we are at flying. As juveniles, we can fly with the best of you. As I am now, I can manage in the air enough that it’s my preferred mode of travel aside from very short distances. I can fly very easily with riders, which Rarity, Pinkie, and three of the fillies here can attest to.”

The three fillies all call out in unison, “Cutie Mark Crusaders Dragon Riders, YAY!” This causes a few of the ponies present to cringe slightly. I just laugh as always.

Twilight begins again, “Anyway, wingspan does affect our abilities in the air somewhat, but overall its our magic that keeps us aloft. Everypony here knows Rainbow Dash, correct?”

“They better!” she exclaims. A round of nods and chuckles follows.

“She claims to be the fastest pegasus in Equestria,” Twilight continues. “I have no doubt whatsoever that it’s true. Rainbow, could you stand here and spread your wings, please?”

Rainbow Dash makes her way to the front of everypony. She unfurls her wings, and Twilight stands beside her and does the same. Twilight stands a bit taller than Rainbow, with a larger wingspan as well.

“Now, it’s hardly fair to compare a pegasus to an alicorn. As you can see, my wingspan is larger than Rainbow’s, however, she is still by far the better flier. Thanks, Rainbow,” Twilight says, nodding to her. Rainbow Dash just nods back, grinning. “Um, you can take your seat now.” Rainbow finally gets it and move back over to Scootaloo.

Behind Twilight, the machines start printing off their readouts. Twilight pauses just long enough to take a quick glance at them, then make a few adjustments. “As I was saying, wingspan isn’t everything. I have another guest here today. He will be a bit cranky, given his nocturnal hours, but he will be okay. Owlowiscious, would you mind coming down here for a moment?”

The owl silently glides down from the rafters overhead. He alights on Twilight’s back and looks at everypony. “Hooo!”

“You, you silly bird,” says Twilight, smiling at their little game. “Could you show the ponies your wings?”

Owlowiscious spreads his wingspan for all to see. His wings are almost as large as Scootaloo’s.

“My nocturnal assistant here flies without magic. His wings and muscles are all proportional to a filly or colt having the same wingspan as Princess Celestia. She, in turn, would need wings roughly the same size as Sparky here to stay aloft without magic. Of course, the muscles required to use them, well, that’s another story entirely.

“I am attempting to find just what it takes to keep a pegasus in the air. Your part in all this, as simple as it is, is to just lie on the table over here behind Sparky, and I will do the rest. If you like, I can provide a copy of the readings I get today for future reference. I will be keeping the originals at the castle and doing the analysis myself. The more data I can acquire, the better.” She turns back to me and starts removing the leads from my wings and body. “Looks like you’re good to go, Sparky. I may ask you here again, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all, Princess.” I turn to the gathered ponies. “I will remain outside for the time being if you have any questions. There will be a general town meeting regarding my presence in Ponyville in a couple of days. I look forward to seeing you there if you decide to join us.”

Most everypony who are not actively being tested join me outside. Yeah, I like it here.