Cleared for Take Off
Twilight was whistling a little tune to herself as she cleaned her entire castle from top to bottom, even Spike's bedroom. Usually, she would be quite insistent that he clean up after himself. But after the change he'd undergone just a few hours earlier, Twilight decided the now not so little dragon could use a break. No doubt he was still admiring his new wings, and taking great comfort in the fact that he wasn't going to be kicked out and abandoned.
While in the midst of cleaning, Twilight stumbled upon Spike's Rarity plushie tucked away in his basket. It wasn't the same as the one he'd slept in when he'd first moved to Ponyville with her, and Twilight secretly wondered if she might have to soon get him a proper bed. Celestia knows how difficult those first few nights with her new wings had been.
Thinking about the bed prompted Twilight to start recalling other memories she'd shared with Spike over the years. It seemed like only yesterday she'd hatched him from that egg during her entrance exam. And now he'd sprouted wings and even expressed worry about having to leave the nest.
"Has it really been that long already? Where has the time gone?" The young princess thought to herself, as she briefly paused in her work. "Now I know how Rarity must've felt when she was doing all those things with Sweetie Belle that she liked doing as a foal. My little Spikey-Wikey is growing up." A lone tear formed in her eye, as the mare fondly recalled the time when she first became aware of how much Spike would mean to her.
It was only a day after Twilight had given Spike his name, and finally confessed to Princess Celestia that she couldn't care for the baby dragon on her own. The princess had been quite understanding, and to that end had arranged for a mini-nursery to be set up adjacent to Twilight's room.
The biggest surprise of all though, was when Celestia revealed to Twilight who would be caring for Spike during her classes. "This is Nanny Sweetheart," The sun princess spoke in a warm, motherly tone, as she pointed a hoof to a jolly looking (and rather plump) unicorn mare. She sported golden locks in a short trim, gentle blue eyes that complimented her lavender coat, and a cutie mark depicting a red heart as if it had been drawn in crayon. "She is a highly skilled caretaker all the way from Trottingham. Having seen her resume, I can attest that she's very well versed in caring for others. Thus, she'll be babysitting Spike during your regular class periods. But you'll still have to share in the responsibilities of raising your baby dragon."
"Why couldn't you get Cady to do it? She's the best foalsitter ever." Twilight protested.
Celestia gave a faint chuckle at Twilight's adorable nickname for her niece, who foalsat Twilight quite often. "Cadence has royal duties as a princess, to say nothing of her career as a foalsitter," She explained to her student. "But if you ask nicely, I might be willing to arrange for her to visit from time to time. However, it is important that Spike not be introduced to too many unfamiliar faces all at once. He's still quite young, and being in an unfamiliar environment is already quite stressful for him."
"Tell me about it, night after night he wakes up at the most random times and runs around, and I have to get up and calm him down," Twilight acknowledged. "I've had to start giving him Smarty Pants to sleep with. He seems to really like her mane."
"It's natural for little ones to require something like a stuffed animal or parental figure to help them sleep at night. It's not unlike a favorite blanket," Nanny Sweetheart explained, as she approached Celestia and Twilight. "I must say, I was not expecting my new charge to be a dragon. But I wouldn't have accepted this assignment if I weren't sure I could handle the responsibility," To Twilight, she then added. "I look forward to helping you raise your baby dragon, Spike was it? A fitting name if I do say so myself."
Twilight gave a toothy smile. "Well, I had to name him something. It just came to me in an instant," Then she proudly declared. "I can't wait to take him home and show him off to my family. Mom's probably gonna break out the family album."
Nanny Sweetheart chuckled, patting Twilight softly on the forehead. "That'll come in due time, young filly. Perhaps at the end of the semester, when all the students go home for the Winter holidays. For now though, I believe you have classes to attend. You don't want to be tardy, do you?"
Twilight gasped! A quick glance up at the clock revealed to her that her first class was due to begin in a matter of minutes! "Oh my gosh, you're right! I gotta go!" And the filly made a beeline for the door.
However, she hadn't gotten very far when Spike sprang from Sweetheart's hooves. Grabbing Twilight's hind leg, he pleaded with her. "Mama!" He refused to loosen his grip.
"Spike, I'm not your mommy," Twilight corrected the baby dragon. "Your actual mommy was the one who laid the egg you hatched from. I just wish I knew who your mommy was, and why she gave you away."
Spike just continued to hold onto Twilight's leg. "Mama!"
Twilight tried her best not to groan, she knew Spike wasn't used to her not being around. But she couldn't take him to her classes, doing so would disrupt the other students. "Spike, I just said I'm not your mommy. Please let go."
Nanny Sweetheart, however, commented to the filly. "A mommy is more than just someone who gives birth to a child. A mommy is someone who cares for a child, and teaches them right from wrong. Have you heard about how newborn ducklings become attached to the first thing they see when they open their eyes?"
Twilight nodded in confirmation. "But Spike's not a duck."
Sweetheart giggled. "No, but I think he's undergoing a similar thing. You were the first creature he saw when he opened his eyes. And in a way, you brought him into this world when you hatched him. I'd say that makes you his mommy more than any biological connection."
"But...but... I don't know how to be a mommy!" Twilight protested.
"That's why you have ponies like Princess Celestia and myself to help you out," Sweetheart explained in a soft tone of voice. "Heck, you could probably ask your mommy for advice. I'm sure she has plenty of it to go around."
"And you can always consult with me if you need advice, there are a few books I could recommend on dragons and infant care," Celestia suggested to her student. "But for right now, I think Spike could use some reassurance that his 'mommy' isn't going to go away forever."
Sensing what she had to do, the filly reluctantly looked down at the baby dragon clinging to her back leg. Looking into his eyes, she got a sense that he was scared and alone, like she would be if she ever got separated from her parents. Hadn't they reassured her on the day of her admittance to the school, that they would still be there for her if she needed them? That was probably what Spike needed now. And so, adopting the best motherly tone she could, Twilight said to Spike. "Spike, please let go. Mommy has somewhere important she needs to be, and she needs you to be a good little boy for the nice mare that'll be taking care of you," Then, making a commitment on the spot, she added. "Mommy promises to come check up on you as soon as her classes are done. And she promises to do it every day she possibly can."
That did the trick, Spike loosened his grip and waddled back over to Sweetheart, who scooped him back up into her hooves. And after waving goodbye, Twilight finally departed the nursery. Being a little bit tardy this once was an acceptable price for being there for her baby dragon.
"I never thought I'd miss Spike calling me 'Mommy' or 'Mom'," Twilight thought to herself. "Still, at least he knows he's part of my family. And Celestia knows how much my mom enjoyed spoiling him. To her, it was like Spike was her grandson." She chuckled a bit at the notion, before she returned to her work and pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind.
However, sometime later, there came a knock at the castle door. Spike must've come back already from whatever it was he'd been doing, probably hoping to rest his sore wings. So Twilight cheerfully trotted to the front door, and opened it. But although the individual who greeted her there was a dragon, it was not Spike. It was Smolder, the very same Smolder who had taught Spike about the molting process in the first place.
"Professor Twilight, am I glad to see you!" Smolder exclaimed, her tone of voice conveying a sense of urgency.
"What's going on, Smolder? Is something wrong?" Twilight asked with concern.
"It's about Spike," Smolder explained. "I don't think he's quite gotten the hang of his new wings yet."
Twilight wasn't too worried about that comment. Spike's scales would protect him from any serious harm (what she wouldn't have given for that kind of protection when she was learning how to fly). "He didn't seem to have too much trouble flying when he took on that nasty roc. It can't be that bad."
Smolder shook her head. "It's not that he's crashing that's the problem, it's that he keeps getting back and flying again. That's not how you break in wings. He clearly needs flying lessons so he can learn how to control himself in the air."
"Well I don't see why you couldn't do that," Twilight suggested. "You're a dragon, and you have wings. Spike even told me how you were the one who told him about the molt. Though you conveniently left out the part about gaining wings."
Smolder ended up rubbing a claw alongside her backside, trying her hardest not to look guilty. "Well, the thing is, I don't really remember my flying lessons," She acknowledged. "Flying at this point is like second nature to me. I can't really explain how I do it, I just do it. Spike's not at that level yet, he needs someone who can actually teach him the ins and outs of flying."
At that very moment, an idea formed in Twilight's mind. And with a confident grin, she told Smolder. "Well you tell Spike not to worry. I've already got the perfect flight instructor in mind. One that I've had the good fortune to know personally and observe their methods in practice."
"Really? Who would that be?" Smolder pondered.
Twilight just winked at the dragon. "That's my little secret. Just make sure to tell Spike to ease off on flying for the rest of the day."
"Can do!" Smolder saluted. "And once Spike's flying like a pro, let me know. I'm itching for a new challenger to test my mettle against. Gallus isn't much of a challenge." And with a flap of her wings, she took off.
Spike returned to the castle later that day, and one look at him was all Twilight needed to see just how fixated he had become on his new wings. His entire body was covered with dust and dirt, the likely result of who knows how many crash landings. Luckily, it seemed like his scales had done their job, there was no sign of bumps or bruises anywhere.
But when Twilight reached out a hoof to pull Spike inside, he let out a sharp groan of pain. "Twilight, that's a very delicate area." He complained.
"Only because you've been constantly hard landing on it," Twilight lectured in a way not unlike a mother scolding her child. "Smolder told me about your constant take offs and crash landings. Fortunately, I've already taken the liberty of signing you up for flight lessons."
Spike rolled his eyes. "Twilight, you don't have to do this, I don't need flying lessons. I can take off just fine, it's just the landings that are giving me trouble. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it eventually. You didn't become an incredible flyer overnight."
"It's not up for argument, Spike," Twilight said firmly, putting her hoof down. "You're going to attend flight lessons with a private instructor first thing tomorrow. But don't worry, I'll be there to encourage you."
Spike's response was to sigh ever so slightly. He really should've expected this from Twilight. Whenever she became concerned about his well being, it was to an almost smothering degree. She'd been like this for as long as the dragon could remember (not that he necessarily minded it, it certainly beat the kind of rude remarks and whispers ponies made about him back in Canterlot). And he knew from experience that when she got into one of these moods, she wouldn't take no for an answer. The only way to alleviate her concerns, was to go along with whatever she had planned for the next day or two. So, admitting defeat, he groaned. "Okay, Twilight, you win. If it'll make you happy, I suppose one day of flight lessons won't hurt."
Twilight beamed a bright smile. "Excellent, just what I wanted to hear. Now come along," She motherly cooed, enveloping him in the glow of her magic. "You need a bath. I want you to be nice and squeaky clean for your instructor tomorrow. And then it's straight to bed with you, mister."
"Twilight, I'm a growing dragon!" Spike whined in protest.
"And growing dragons need their sleep. Besides," Twilight went on. "You don't wanna be all tired out for a fun day of flying lessons, do you?"
"Well no, but-" Spike began.
Twilight quickly cut off any protests. "But nothing, Spike. It's bath and bed for you, and that's it."
Next morning, after a hearty breakfast, Twilight led Spike out the doors of the castle and towards a hill overlooking the school of friendship.
"Are you sure you don't have somewhere more important to be today, Twilight?" Spike asked the alicorn. "I mean, what about that lecture you were planning to give?"
Twilight giggled ever so slightly. "Well, since someone ended up accidentally burning my lecture notes, I need time to make up new ones. Not to worry though," She gave a wink. "Starlight's filling in for me. And being with you sure beats having to look for new fire proofing spells, that flame breath of yours is incredibly potent now. Wouldn't want you to burn down the castle by accident."
"Twilight, all I did was burn up one pile of notes. And you saw how my fire breath is totally under control now," Spike commented, as they approached the top of the hill. "I appreciate your concerns, but I'm totally fine. You don't have to constantly smother me, just because I'm not getting kicked out of my home."
"I can't help worrying about you, Spike, it's who I am," Twilight remarked. "Besides, once you've had a chance to meet your flight instructor, you'll be begging for my care and concern."
Now Spike became puzzled. He had fully expected for Twilight to be the one giving him lessons, seeing as she was so fixated on his well being at the moment. "Wait, you mean to tell me you're not going to be my flight coach?" He asked her.
Twilight nodded. "I reckoned this called for an expert's touch. The same expert that taught me."
"You don't mean-" Spike began.
But the dragon need not have said anything. For a loud whoosh signaled the arrival of a very familiar pony. In a blur of cyan, who should descend from above but Rainbow Dash herself (thankfully without her coach hat and whistle)? "Hiya, Spike!" She loudly greeted. "Twilight tells me you're in need of a little flight practice. Having some trouble getting used to your new wings?"
"Not really, it's just the landings that Twilight's worried about." Spike protested, mostly muttering under his breath.
Rainbow Dash paid no attention to the complaint. "Well don't you worry, Spike. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be all but doing sonic rainbooms with those wings of yours! I taught Twilight everything she knows, and you can see for yourself how far she's come since training with me!" She boasted.
"Don't try to push him too hard, Rainbow Dash," Twilight cautioned to her friend. "Remember, he's still a rookie. He just got his wings yesterday."
Rainbow just nodded back to Twilight. "Relax, Twilight, I promise I won't be too hard on him," Then she turned to Spike. "But that doesn't mean I'll give you the kid gloves treatment either. I'm a firm believer in the 'No Pain, No Gain' school of teaching. I'm gonna push you to your limits, so I can teach you how to surpass them. Now then, let's see how well you've mastered the basics," She commanded. "For a warm-up, let's see how well you can flap those wings. See if you can get up as high as me."
"Just do the best you can, Spike," Twilight kindly reassured the nervous dragon. "Now come on, show me what you can do. I promise I'll try not to laugh if you crash."
"That's not what worries me. I mean, this is Rainbow Dash we're talking about here." The dragon remarked.
"Yes, Rainbow does have a tendency to be a bit 'pushy' when it comes to her method of instruction," Twilight commented with something of a frown. "But that's why I'm here. I'll be sure to reign her in if she goes too far and tries to make you do too much too soon. All the same, she does know what she's talking about. And her lessons, though they can be extreme at times, are ones I highly recommend," In a soft and caring tone of voice, she reassured him. "I wouldn't sign you up to learn from her if I had any doubts about your ability to handle her teaching. Just relax, and you'll do fine. Now get on up there and put those wings to good use!"
"Thanks for the pep talk, Twilight, really," Spike sincerely thanked the alicorn, and then he took a deep breath. "Well, here goes nothing." And he started to flap his wings. Slowly at first, then faster and faster. In a matter of seconds, he was lifting himself off the ground and closing in on Rainbow's position.
Even the cyan coated speedster was impressed by Spike's quick ascension. "Not bad, kid, not bad at all. But taking off is easy. Let's see how you do when it comes to sticking the landing."
Spike tried not to gulp, this was the part he'd been struggling with all day yesterday. And now he was going to have to pull it off in a way that would meet Rainbow's high standards.
To say that he ended up choking would be a severe understatement. He lost control the second he began his descent, and in a manner not unlike Twilight when she had first tried to fly, he spun around in a loop before he descended again and slammed into the dirt face first. Even with his thick scales to cushion the blow, he still felt the brunt of the impact. And it was anything but pleasant.
Surprisingly, Rainbow gave kindly remarks to him after he'd dug himself out. "Like mother, like son," She teased. "You're way over thinking it."
Spike groaned. "Twilight's not my mother." He protested, brushing off the dirt.
"Yeah, but you're still part of her family," Rainbow joked. "Anyway, it seems like Twilight was right. Your landings need a lot of work. Not to worry though, that's what I'm here for. Here's a hint for next time, the key is not to think too much about the how. Just concentrate on slowing yourself down."
Hours passed with Rainbow focusing primarily on helping Spike perfect his landings, so that he wouldn't always end up crashing. For the most part, she succeeded. Spike's crash landings slowly became less frequent.
But it seemed like there were still instances where he wasn't able to maintain the necessary control. At last, per Twilight's concerns, Rainbow decided. "Okay, I think that's as good as we're gonna get on the landings for today. We'll have to keep working on that."
"So, what are we supposed to practice now?" Spike wondered aloud.
Rainbow flashed a grin. "Now that you've more or less mastered the basics, we can start with some of the more advanced stuff. The things that really put your wings to the test."
"Rainbow Dash, I thought I said not to try anything too extreme!" Twilight protested with a frown.
"Relax, Twilight, I'm not gonna make him try to break speed records or anything like that," Rainbow called back. "I was thinking we'd see how he does with an aerial obstacle course. You know, a few cloud rings, tight turns, that sort of stuff."
"I... suppose there's no harm in that," Twilight considered, putting a hoof to her chin. "What do you think, Spike? You feeling up for it?"
Spike proudly puffed out his chest. "Are you kidding?! Compared to take offs and landings, an obstacle course sounds like a piece of cake! Tell Rainbow Dash she can set up her toughest course, and I'll beat it!"
"All or nothing, eh? Just the way I like it!" Rainbow proudly exclaimed. "You just sit tight, Spike, while I get everything ready!"
Twilight, meanwhile, called out to Spike. "Be careful, don't overestimate your limits, Spike."
"I'll be fine, Twilight. Just watch!" Spike called down to her from the sky. "You'll be speechless!"
And indeed she was. Spike absolutely astonished Twilight (and even Rainbow Dash) with a better than expected performance in the obstacle course. It was by no means flawless, he missed a few rings, and one or two tight turns had resulted in him veering off course. But he made it through to the end much faster than had been expected.
"See? I told you I'd be fine." Spike called down to Twilight once again, enjoying a lull in his flight training.
Twilight, for her part, was at a loss for words. But not for the reason you might think. To see Spike so quickly master his new wings, to her, further hammered home just how much her "baby" dragon had grown up. And as is often the case when seeing a loved one grow up, memories of old came flooding back to the alicorn in an instant. One, in particular, stood out to her:
The unicorn filly was nose deep in a book, like she always was. Sometimes it was just a little light reading, but nowadays especially it was necessary for her studies. Many of the subjects she was now learning, were in areas Twilight was unfamiliar with. Things like the ancient sorceress Mage Meadowbrook and her eight enchanted items, and other legends passed down from the days of old ponish.
However, today the studious unicorn was going to have her homework interrupted in the most unexpected of ways.
Though his exact age wasn't known, Spike had been declared a baby dragon, a fact that Twilight had been made aware of on multiple occasions. And being a baby dragon, Spike couldn't understand why Twilight was focusing so much on a book and not him. So he did the first thing that came to his mind, he crawled over to the book, yawned, and curled up into a little ball in the middle of the pages.
Twilight tried not to frown, as she lit up her horn and gently moved Spike off the book. "I'll play with you in a minute, Spike. I need to finish this chapter." She told him, and resumed her reading.
Not one to take no for an answer, Spike crawled right back and curled up again. And just like before, he was moved off courtesy of the aura from Twilight's horn (which had a nice tickling feeling to it). "Spike, please, I said I'd play with you in a minute," Twilight scolded, this time a bit more forcefully in the hopes her message would stick. "I just have to get through these next two pages."
But Spike only tried one more time. He crawled over, yawned, and curled up as tightly as he could.
Twilight prepared to light up her horn and move Spike yet again, this time further away. But that was when she happened to look down and get a good look at the sleeping form of her dragon. She couldn't help but aw in spite of herself. With a light shake of her head she nudged Spike, hoping he would move by himself. But he didn't, he remained where he was.
It was now that the filly finally got the message. Spike demanded her attention more than some musty old book. "Oh Spikey-Wikey, never stop being cute." Twilight thought. She proceeded to light up her horn and envelope Spike in her magic's soft glow. But this time she took the liberty of moving him over to the little basket she'd bought for him with her allowance, gently tucking him in.
Contrasting that memory to the reality that now greeted her eyes, Twilight was amazed at the passage of time. "He's growing up so fast. When was the last time we did something together that didn't involve a world crisis, or him helping me with something?" The alicorn thought to herself. And then she decided. "Well, that's going to change. Staring now!"
Spike and Rainbow Dash were most surprised when Twilight flew right to where they were resting, and told them in no uncertain terms. "Hope you don't mind if I join the lessons."
"Uh, Twilight, you don't really need anymore lessons," Rainbow protested as she shot the most confused look at her friend. "You've basically mastered your wings. You could probably even take me in a race if you really wanted to."
"And did you stop learning new tricks after you joined the Wonderbolts?" Twilight corrected. "I've always believed there's always something new to learn. Besides, the incident with the roc yesterday showed me that I need to really brush up on my flying skills. Never hurts to be prepared for the next life saving crisis."
"Well... I don't know..." Rainbow trailed off in uncertainty.
Looking her pegasus friend firm in the eyes, Twilight pleaded. "Come on, please let me join! I'm tired of being a bystander! You and Spike are making these lessons look like fun."
"You think that?" Spike laughed. "I think you'll change your tune pretty quickly once you see what Rainbow's putting me through. That is, unless you're saying you can do better than me."
"Ooh, a little bit of friendly competition?" Rainbow grinned in delight. "Well, how's about this? The two of you versus me, a race to the finish line," She pointed a hoof to a huge cloud halfway across the sky. "First team to the cloud wins. Think either of you can take me?"
Twilight gulped a bit. "Uh, actually, I'm not so sure we can-"
"Oh, you're on!" Spike interrupted, belching out fire. "Don't hold back on us, cause if you do we'll leave you in the dust!"
Rainbow only laughed at the notion. "If I went at top speed, we all know who'd win. I wanna give both my students a sporting chance. Now get ready!" And with a fiery determination in her eyes, the brash speedster added. "Just try and keep up!" Before she took off, flapping her wings faster than would seem natural.
"Come on, Twilight, no turning back now!" Spike declared, nudging her slightly with a claw as he started to flap his wings as well. "It's time for the students to surpass the master!"
"Oh goodness," Twilight panted, as she flew off in pursuit of Spike and Rainbow Dash. "I'm more out of practice than I thought, I haven't flown this fast in ages."
Yet somehow, both Twilight and Spike were able to catch up and overtake Rainbow for the lead. It was a surprise to them both (as well as their instructor) when they ended up winning.
Fortunately, the cyan coated pegasus took the loss well. "See what happens when you train with yours truly?!" She declared. "A few more days of practice, and you could both qualify for the Wonderbolts if you really wanted to. Don't get any ideas though, we're not looking for any new recruits right now."
"I think I'm fine just flying at my own pace," Spike panted. "Flying so fast like that really makes my wings ache."
Twilight only giggled. "It was your first time, Spike. The more you do it, the easier it'll come to you," And then she embraced the unexpecting dragon in a hug. "Oh, you're taking to this flying so well. You're growing up so fast."
Spike blushed. "Twilight, please, you're embarrassing me. I appreciate the affection, but I'm not that old yet."
"Still, you're not really a 'baby' dragon anymore," Twilight admitted with a sigh. "And I just wanted to show you how much you mean to me. I know I don't always do the best job of showing it, but you are a part of my family."
"I know that, Twilight," Spike replied with a nod. "You prove that to me everyday, just by being there for me. Of course, it never hurts to be reminded of that."
"And part of any good family is doing things together," Twilight explained. "Since I couldn't remember the last time we did something together as a family..."
"-You thought flying lessons with Rainbow Dash would give you an excuse to do just that." Spike concluded.
Twilight nodded. "It wasn't originally my intention, but I hope you don't mind the development."
"Are you kidding? Flying with you was awesome!" Spike happily exclaimed. "We gotta do that more often, like maybe once a week!"
"Only if you can beat me back to the castle, Spike!" Twilight playfully teased. "Let's see which of us is truly the better flying student!"
Spike giggled. "Alright, Twilight. But don't think I'm gonna go easy on you, just because you're practically my mother."
"You took the words right out of my mouth, my son," Twilight added. "But it's only fair to warn you. If I win, you're getting piggyback rides everywhere for a month. And you're gonna like 'em."
A broad smile creeped onto Spike's face, as he and Twilight flapped their wings, after exchanging a friendly shake to agree to the bet. And in the back of his mind, Spike was thinking. "Regardless of who wins, I get to spend time with my mom. And to think I actually thought she'd kick me out over some silly molting phase. Don't why I ever believed such a thing. Twilight loves me way too much to do something like that."