The Measure of a Dragon

Chapters

Part 1 For Those We Love
Part 2 The Challenge
Part 3 Hidden Truths
Part 4 Discoveries
Part 5 The Prosecution
Part 6 Change in Strategy
Part 7 The Defense Part 1
Part 8 Disclosures
Part 9 The Defense Part 2
Part 10 The Verdict

Part 1 For Those We Love

The hot air balloon touched down to the Canterlot ground, and two purple forms, the princess Twilight Sparkle, accompanied by her faithful assistant Spike, emerged from it. They walked from the balloon to Twilight’s old home, where they once lived with Shining Armor and her parents. Twilight planned to visit her parents as she seldom had in recent years and Spike, being her loyal assistant, came along. He was an undeniable part of the family after all.

And she was grateful he was a part of the family; he always did so many little things for her and rarely asked for anything in return. More than services, he was her friend, her first one that she truly cherished. Together they walked towards Twilight’s and his old home. She reached the doorway of that familiar home but heard voices inside, prompting her to stop. Noticing his friend’s hesitation, Spike also paused. Two of the voices she recognized as her parents but the other, she had never heard before. They seemed to be engrossed in some deep argument.

Cautiously, she opened the door, her magic carefully turning the handle. She and Spike peeked inside, “Mom, Dad?” Twilight called.

The voices stopped talking. Twilight and Spike proceeded into the house until they came to the foyer where they saw Twilight’s parents, Twilight Velvet and Night Light sitting together on a couch. They smiled at their daughter and surrogate grandson. Twilight’s gaze turned to the adjacent couch where she saw a cream colored unicorn, about her age, with a short dull red mane, and small glasses that covered her blue eyes. On her flank, Twilight noticed a cutie mark shaped like a red gem stone, surrounded by a yellow halo. She could make the faint outline of a DNA structure decorating the gem's interior.

“Hello, dear,” Twilight Velvet pleasantly spoke, although her smile looked a bit strained, “this is Dr. Saffron from the Canterlot Science Department.” She gestured to the cream unicorn who stood up and turned to glance at Twilight, “We were just talking about—“

Her mother was interrupted as the doctor let out a large, excited exhale and her eyes grew massive the moment she saw Spike. She instantly rushed over to the little dragon, knocking Twilight aside and examined him with the anxious intrigue of an excited child.

“My stars, the professors really were telling the truth,” the doctor opened Spike’s mouth with her hooves and examined all of his fangs, “perfectly operating fangs hard enough to crush gems,” she then turned him around and inspected the ridges on his back, “distinct scaly protrusions aligned around the spinal chord,” finally she took his one of his clawed hands into her hooves and inspected his talons, “ and thumbs! There really is a healthy baby dragon we can use!”

Her inspection was cut short as a purple magical aura formed around Spike and levitated him next to Twilight. Her horn glowed as she stepped in between Doctor Saffron and the little dragon refusing to be barreled over again.

“Now hold on just a minute,” the purple alicorn scowled slightly at the unicorn, “what are you talking about? What do you want to use Spike for?”

The unicorn looked slightly abashed but quickly put on her professional air, straightening her glasses and clearing her throat, “Forgive me,” the unicorn gave a polite and disarming smile, “As your mother said, my name is Doctor Saffron and I am a member of the Canterlot Science Department. I’ve heard so much about you. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

“Hi,” the little drake smiled earnestly, not minding the unicorn’s intrusive inspection too much, “my name is Spike.”

The doctor eyed him with a moment of confusion and winced in mild astonishment. This was not the reaction she expected from this little dragon. It was oddly polite.

“Yes, well,” she continued as she addressed Twilight, “I joined the science department last year and have been trying to further our studies on dragons. As you probably know, we have very little information regarding these creatures, as they are very dangerous to study and difficult to even find.”

Twilight nodded, but kept a wary eye on Doctor Saffron. She disliked how the doctor was acting like Spike was not present and had no say in the matter. Spike didn’t seem to notice this as he listened to the doctor.

“But the magic department recently informed me that you actually managed to hatch a dragon egg when you were a filly and the dragon has been living with you ever since,” the doctor spoke with her practiced formality but was trembling with excitement. “If you would permit it, I would like to take your dragon and analyze him so we could better understand these creatures.”

“Um excuse me,” Spike waved for the mare’s attention, “what exactly would you be studying about me?”

She blinked in surprise and annoyance. On one hand, she found it perplexing that the dragon seemed to be fully invested in this conversation. On the other hand, she wasn’t talking to the little dragon in the first place. Twilight’s eyes glanced to Spike and turned to the doctor, as though she was asking the same thing.

“Well,” the doctor felt a small headache but maintained her calm as she addressed both the princess and the dragon, “I would sample your scales, your fire breath, your growth, your biological and social behavior, and so on.”

“How exactly?” Spike asked with a curious smile that was really getting on her nerves.

“I can’t disclose my methods to you at the moment,” she spoke more to Twilight than the purple dragon, “but I assure you that he will absolutely further our knowledge of dragons.”

Twilight and Spike exchanged a quick glance. Neither of them liked the idea of participating in something when the doctor would not explain what she would even be doing. Twilight decided to intervene.

“Then perhaps you can disclose your methods to me,” Twilight’s authoritative voice startled the doctor as she realized Twilight was ordering her as a princess.

“The methods are classified by the science department and in their most primary state,” she quickly tried to divert the princess’ attention, “but they would require me to take your dragon for a few decades at least.”

Spike frowned and recoiled at the thought of leaving his friends for that long and her really didn’t like the fact her methods seemed to be untested.

“Sorry,” he said, “I don’t think I could go without my friends for that long.”

The doctor narrowed her eyes. Of course the dragon would refuse. They were all an inherently guarded species that would do anything to maintain their secrets. Her gaze rose to the princess as she tried to continue.

“Well, there you have it,” Twilight gestured to Spike, “his answer is mine.”

No. She had come too far, suffered too much for her journey to end here.

“Please,” she implored the princess, “if you allow me to study your dragon, it will benefit countless ponies.”

“And I’d love to help,” Spike answered trying to keep himself from getting irritated that the doctor didn’t seem to think he was worth consulting, “but not if it means I have to leave Twilight for decades.”

“And I don’t want Spike to leave,” Twilight quickly and gently spoke to keep the professor from ignoring Spike, “so my answer is no, you can’t take him.”

Dr. Saffron looked particularly unhappy. Not furious, exactly, more like upset.

“Princess,” Dr. Saffron spoke, “may I please speak with you alone? So I can truly show you everything this would accomplish?”

Twilight narrowed her eyes, “anything you have to say to me you can say in front of Spike.”

“It’s fine, Twilight.” Spike subtly winked one eye to Twilight to indicate he would eavesdrop “you two go outside, I can wait.”

Not missing Spike’s cue, she nodded and proceeded with Dr. Saffron out the front doorway she entered minutes ago. When they were alone, the doctor removed her glasses and gave the princess an absolutely sincere expression of conviction.

“Yes, I will admit my methods are untested, but they are guaranteed to benefit ponies to extents you can barely fathom,” Twilight exhaled sharply but listened patiently to the doctor.

“For starters, sampling real dragon scales could provide actual flame resistant armor for the royal guard. Studying an actual dragon’s physical growth could provide the first accurate model comparing pony years to dragon years and gauche their life spans. Merely studying ‘Spike’,” Doctor Saffron was still uncomfortable with the notion of naming a dragon but hid this as best she could, “in general would advance studies on dragons immeasurably as all other dragons have been too difficult to study due to the risks and unlikelihood of finding one. Most importantly,” the doctor was about to reveal her true intentions, “Understanding how dragons behave and think could prevent any dragon and pony conflicts in the future brought about by misunderstandings and resulting in losses.”

She stared at Twilight intently, “Please, I’m not doing this to advance my career or achieve fame. I want to improve and save lives. Don’t you too?”

Twilight believed her. Doctor Saffron truly wanted to improve lives as she claimed; Twilight could sense her honesty and determination. The doctor believed everything she was saying and wanted to do good for every pony. But she still could not agree.

“I’m sorry,” the doctor’s face twisted into visible disappointment with a trace of despair, “but I can’t let you treat Spike like some lab rat. And I can’t approve of methods you haven’t even tested.”

“The methods are untested because we’ve never had a dragon before,” Dr. Saffron interjected, “I swear they will leave your dragon unharmed.”

“The fact remains he doesn’t want to be separated from his friends for any extended period of time, he clearly was uncomfortable with your goals and methods, and he directly told you no.” Twilight firmly responded, “If he doesn’t want to go, then he doesn’t have to.”

Dr. Saffron bowed her head in sadness, which soon gave way to bitterness. It just wasn’t fair. How could she withhold a dragon that could save lives? It was so selfish. Doctor Saffron would not lie down and accept it. She couldn’t. She raised her eyes to meet the princess’ gaze with firm resolution and put her glasses back on.

“Tell me, Miss Sparkle,” the doctor spoke coldly, “are you aware that your ‘Spike’ is, in fact, a dragon?”

Twilight blinked at the question, not understanding what the doctor was trying to say, and frowned at the doctor’s sudden harshness.

“Those creatures have never lived under Princess Celestia’s laws,” the doctor advanced towards her but Twilight gave no ground. “They live outside of any law, save for their own: survival of the fittest. Your dragon is not protected by any of Celestia’s laws. He does not have any right to refuse.”

Twilight met the mare’s piercing gaze, refusing to be intimidated, “Well, I’m refusing on his behalf. Now I do believe you’ve overstayed your welcome.” Twilight’s horn glowed with the first traces of a spell, and Doctor Saffron suddenly felt less confident. She was far out of her league. Slowly, she backed off. Then she trotted out of sight. When she was sure the doctor was gone, Twilight relaxed and walked back to the door. Suddenly, it was pushed open by a familiar little dragon.

“You know,” Spike said as Twilight stepped back inside, “that wasn’t exactly the best way to tell her ‘no’.”

“I didn’t want to see where that conversation would go,” Twilight explained as they walked back to the foyer.

Twilight’s parents seemed relieved that the doctor was finally gone, and welcomed the two home at last like any family would. Twilight Velvet explained the doctor had been there nearly an hour, trying to convince them to let her study Spike, but she refused to give such permission, saying Spike had the right to decide. Dr. Saffron tried to tell them all the good this research would do, but they kept insisting Spike should be the one to giver an answer. The doctor seemed unaware that Spike wasn’t some family pet, but a full-fledged being capable of thought, or that’s how they felt when she gave little regard to the little purple dragon.

“In any event,” Night Light finally spoke and beamed at his daughter, “we’re both glad you’re home.”

Night Light and Twilight Velvet embraced their daughter and her number one assistant. Twilight Velvet excused herself to make some dinner for all of them, saying Night Light and Twilight could catch up on everything, while they waited. Spike offered to help cook dinner, but Twilight Velvet shook her head.

“Your our guest, Spike,” she explained, “don’t you lift a finger.”

With that, she turned around and walked to the kitchen, smiling at what a truly wonderful friend Twilight found in Spike.

***

Dr. Saffron sat at her desk with her hooves on her aching head. Frustrated wouldn’t begin to describe how she was feeling right now. As the moon rose over Canterlot, she could only stare out her window and wonder what she would do now.

Then a motion in the corner of her eye made her turn. A gray unicorn filly with a white mane, cerulean blue eyes, levitated a dinner plate with five specially prepared daisy sandwiches onto the doctor’s table. Doctor Saffron smiled and affectionately rustled the filly’s head. After all this disappointment, it was nice to come home with her number one assistant waiting for her.

“Thanks, Silver Stone,” she removed her hoof from the filly, who grinned all the while, “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Well, for starters, you’d probably forget to eat,” Silver Stone teased her mentor with a playful smirk. “And sleep, and groom yourself, and go to the bathroom.”

“Oh come on,” Dr. Saffron gave an exaggerated look of exasperation, “I’m not that useless. Without me, you’d forget to take a bath.”

“I don’t forget,” she retorted with her usual boundless energy, “I just choose not to.”

The doctor made another exaggerated look of disgust as she pinched her nose, “And it shows! Maybe I should start calling you Stinky Stone.”

“Hey!” the filly looked at her with mock indignity.

“I’m kidding,” Doctor Saffron quickly assured her, “I’d never do that to you.”

She stared at the filly a moment, feeling Silver Stone’s smile radiate her very heart. Doctor Saffron then looked at her assistant's cutie mark, a light brown infinity-like structure that turned into wings towards the ends of its curves, positioned both above and below the mark. She recalled the day Silver Stone achieved her cutie mark with fondness, feeling immense pride for her student. But then remembering her dilemma, she turned her gaze back to the window and sighed. Suddenly, a daisy sandwich appeared in front of her face levitated by magic. The doctor nearly fell out of her chair in surprise.

“You have to eat,” Silver Stone’s horn glowed as she placed the sandwich under the doctor’s nose trying to tantalize her with the scent, “doesn’t the sandwich smell good? Remind you how hungry you are?”

She was right. Dr. Saffron was hungry, starving in fact. She took a bite out of the sandwich and relished the taste. Silver Stone always prepared excellent meals and knew exactly what Dr. Saffron wanted, and she was easily the best friends the doctor could ever ask for, loyal and supportive at all times. Her eyes moistened as she stared at the little unicorn. It just wasn’t fair. Silver Stone did so much for her without asking for anything and Dr. Saffron couldn’t even get that dragon for research. Without him, she would never prove to Silver Stone that no other pony would suffer like she had; like her parents had. Without that dragon, she couldn’t prevent another tragedy that would cost more friends.

The filly noticed her mentor’s sadness and her smile faded. Had she prepared the sandwiches incorrectly? Had she done something wrong? She was too nervous to ask, and was ready to do anything the doctor asked to make up for any mistake

The doctor swallowed her food and gave a wistful smile, trying to ease whatever plagued her ward’s mind. She placed the sandwich down on the plate and spoke, “It’s delicious, Silver Stone. You’ve really outdone yourself this time.”

Silver Stone sensed something was amiss and began to worry. She found herself unable to return the smile as she spoke, “Saffy? Is something wrong?”

The doctor’s smile faded and she blinked in surprise. The little filly was remarkably perceptive. She should expect no less from her surrogate daughter. She deserved to know the truth.

“Well, you know about that baby dragon I wanted to study?” Silver Stone nodded and the doctor continued with misty eyes, “It seems the princess is unwilling to part with him. So I’m afraid I won’t be able to find a way for ponies and dragons to understand each other.”

Silver Stone rested a hoof on the doctor’s shoulder and gave a weak smile, “you tried. That’s more than any other pony would do. Thanks.”

They shared a fairly unhappy embrace; neither felt joy at their usual contact, knowing the other was so upset. Dr. Saffron felt upset at the prospect of failing her assistant, but Silver Stone felt upset at merely seeing her mentor upset. When they broke from the hug, the doctor glanced at a clock hanging on the wall behind her assistant and realized it was 10:00 pm.

“Come on. It’s past your bedtime, young lady,” Dr. Saffron scooped up the filly, who tried to object but quickly stifled a yawn. Placing the weary unicorn on her back, Dr. Saffron trotted up the stairs into the filly’s disheveled room, carefully avoiding the toys, comic books, and various articles strewn about the floor. She didn’t mind the filly’s mess too much. It was her room, after all. Besides, it was organized chaos.

Tucking the unicorn under the bed covers, she gently kissed the gray unicorn’s forehead and whispered goodnight. As the filly drifted off into sleep, Dr. Saffron stared at her assistant and could not stop tears from rolling down her face, feeling she had failed her precious friend. She had to have that dragon. For the sake of the pony most important to her and her deceased parents.

Part 2 The Challenge

The next morning, Twilight sat on the couch in the foyer and told her parents for the fifth time how they banished Sombra and saved the Crystal Empire, with Spike chirping in to add relevant details, and then for the tenth time, how they defeated Tirek.

“So let me get this straight,” Night Light asked disbelievingly, “after he betrayed you and helped Tirek, you forgave Discord?”

“Yes, dad,” Twilight exasperatedly responded. “I forgave Discord. Now can I continue the story?”

So she retold her visit to a strange town where she uncovered a unicorn named Starlight Glimmer stealing cutie marks, and how her friends dealt with said issue. All the while, her parents listened on proud of their daughter’s impressive accomplishments.

Suddenly, Spike’s stomach felt queasy and he let out a belch of flames. A scroll dropped from his green flames onto the table. Only Celestia would communicate like this. Twilight was instantly concerned. Picking up the scroll, she examined the princess’ seal binding the scroll, and opened to read it. Spike did not like the frown he saw forming on her face, but patiently waited for her to finish.

“Mom, dad,” Twilight rose from the couch and beckoned Spike to follow, “Spike and I have been summoned to a council meeting.”

“What for?” Spike asked curiously as he walked to his mentor’s side. Twilight being summoned he could understand, but him? He was just a baby dragon. What could they possibly want him for?

“I’m not sure,” Twilight answered, “the letter just says Celestia’s royal council must speak with us about a certain issue. It doesn’t say what or why or how long.”

“Do you have to cut your visit short?” Twilight Velvet looked a bit sad.

Twilight gave a quick reassuring smile, “Don’t worry. I’m sure we can sort this out, and we’ll be back in no time.”

Together, Twilight and Spike walked out the door into the Canterlot streets. Making their way to the castle, the little drake looked up at his alicorn friend, wondering what was going through her mind. He quickly diverted his eyes back to the road as at long last the castle came into sight.

Two guards bowed at Twilight’s approach and feeling embarrassed, Twilight ducked her head and continued through the doors with Spike in tow. The little dragon noticed the guards slam the doors behind them and instinctively sensed something wrong.

Two more guards approached and led the two to a windowless room, filled with older, more official ponies sitting at a large round table with Princess Celestia at the head. The princess nodded her greeting to Twilight and Spike, and motioned them to sit down before the ponies. Her actions seemed empty of her usual happiness at seeing her student, and Twilight was instantly worried she might be in trouble. At her left, Twilight noticed her sister in law Cadence sitting in a humble chair, appearing apprehensive. In any other circumstance, she would have jumped over and given Cadence their special greeting.

As she moved to take a seat, she turned to the right and scowled to see Doctor Saffron staring impassively at her with her hooves pressed together in thought under her chin. When she noticed Spike sit beside Twilight, her eyes briefly glinted with emotion. What emotion, Spike could not tell. It looked like bitterness, sadness, satisfaction, and resolve all tied into one.

“Princess Celestia,” Twilight spoke at last to diffuse the tension, “why did you summon me?”

The princess regarded her with a wistful glance, and then sighed. “I had to summon you and Spike due to …” she bit her lip a moment, “certain concerns.”

Twilight frowned. Celestia looked very disappointed with herself, "I'm sorry. I tried to overrule them, but I was vetoed due to --."

A member of the council cleared his throat to grab her attention. Celestia lay back and motioned for the councilor to speak, taking no pleasure what so ever.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” the elderly stallion spoke with solemn authority, “Doctor Saffron informed us that you refused to let her to conduct research on your dragon.”

Twilight sighed. The doctor must have gone whining to the council when she couldn’t have her way. Well, she was still going to be disappointed.

“Yes, Spike said he didn’t want to go, and I am standing by his decision.”

The stallion frowned at Twilight’s response, but pressed on, “The doctor brought to our attention that no dragon has ever actually lived under Princess Celestia’s rule, and that Spike is not protected by her laws. I’m sorry to say this,” he really was somewhat sorry, “but she is correct. As a dragon, Spike is not technically protected by Equestrian law therefore he does not have the right to refuse Dr. Saffron’s request. He must submit to her will or leave to go be with other dragons.”

Spike’s heart filled with dread. He couldn’t be separated from Twilight, he couldn’t! Nothing scared him more. His eyes grew watery, until Twilight placed comforting hoof around his shoulder. He realized she was far from beaten, as she turned to face the council

“But Spike has lived with me for years,” Twilight protested, “Surely he’s entitled to some rights!”

An elderly mare on the council rose to speak, “The fact remains he is simply not a pony, donkey, griffon, or any such creature living under Equestrian law. Therefore, he does not have the same rights. And given the countless advantages we could gain by merely studying him, this is necessary.”

Twilight grew irritated but remained calm, realizing it would do her case no good if she became emotional. “He has friends and family who would miss him if he left,” Twilight explained, “and as a princess, I refuse to part with Spike, who Princess Celestia decreed I would keep when I hatched him as a filly.” She gave the council a defiant but restrained glare, “don’t tell me the council is going against Celestia’s laws?”

“Unfortunately,” Dr. Saffron spoke without moving from her place, “your dragon was never formally adopted as a family member, much less a pet. Princess Celestia never officially recognized ‘Spike’ as a member or property of your family in any sort of document or proclamation. So, you have no claim to him, princess or not. Don’t tell me you’re placing yourself above Celestia?”

Twilight gritted her teeth. This self-righteous unicorn was unbearably annoying as she was correct. Celestia had technically never released any sort of decree granting Spike protection under her laws; they had always just assumed Spike had such protection. Seeing her friend in distress, Cadence decided to interject.

“Excuse me,” she waved for the council’s attention, “isn’t there anyway we could prevent Dr. Saffron from taking Spike? There must be a reason you summoned me here too.”

The first speaker nodded at Cadence’s observation. “Initially, we were content to reside with Celestia's ruling, but another scientist brought forth evidence that compelled us to veto her actions. We are willing to hold a court trial tomorrow to determine how much the law applies to Spike and evaluate whether he indeed has the right to refuse.”

He turned to Twilight, “as his surrogate mother and the one who knows him best, we assumed you would take up responsibility of defense attorney.”

Twilight blinked in surprise. She had not expected they would offer an alicorn the chance to defend someone in court, much less appoint her of all ponies. Still, they were correct. Twilight knew Spike better than any other pony and was already familiar with pony court procedures, having studied nearly every field of academia. And honestly, no other lawyer, no matter how skilled, could represent Spike’s interests as she knew she could. She turned to Spike to ask his opinion but he instantly nodded with a beaming smile. He trusted her more than any other pony.

“Yes,” Twilight said, “I will accept this duty.”

The elder nodded and then turned to Cadence, “We must uphold equality in our justice system and prevent jury bias. If Princess Twilight will defend Spike, we must ensure that the jury will not merely rule in her favor due to her alicorn status. That’s where you come in, Princess Cadence.”

Cadence’s eyes widened as she realized what they were trying to tell her, “You want me to lead the prosecution.”

A hush fell over the room. Twilight and Spike looked at Cadence in shock, while Cadence stared into the eyes of each jury member. Finally, her gaze fell to Princess Celestia, who sadly met her incredulous gaze. They weren’t joking. They truly expected her to prosecute one of her friends, one of the most important friends in her life, to Twilight’s life. Angrily, Cadence scowled and placed both her hooves on the table. She stared at Dr. Saffron and the council intently.

“Forget it,” Cadence snarled, “I’d sooner die than prosecute my friend.”

The elderly stallion sighed and shook his head, marveling at the impulsiveness of youngsters. “If you refuse to testify against Spike, then we will simply not have a trial whatsoever and Dr. Saffron will take custody of Spike.”

Cadence fell back into her seat, shocked. She didn’t have a choice in the matter. If she said no, they would take Spike without a fight. If she said yes, she would be fighting for the side to take him away forever. She glanced at Twilight and Spike who stared at her with anticipation. She stared at the purple alicorn she used to play with, and the little dragon she knew Twilight adored. Twilight was the best possible pony to defend Spike, Cadence knew that. If Twilight’s role as the defense demanded Cadence to take the role of prosecution, she bitterly realized there was only one thing she could do.

“Fine,” she muttered at last, “I’ll do it.”

The elderly stallion once again addressed Cadence, “If we think for a second that you aren’t trying to win, we will have to suspend the trial then and there and transfer Spike to Dr. Saffron’s care. Do we make ourselves clear?”

Cadence nodded grimly. Twilight and Spike took a moment to admire their friend for taking on such an abominable task. Then the council called their attention once more.

“There are a few other conditions that we must enforce if Princess Twilight is adamant in playing the defense,” the elderly stallion’s voice made them nervous. “Firstly, Spike must be confined to house arrest within the castle until the trial commences.”

Twilight looked like she wanted to argue, but bit her tongue to listen. Being placed under house arrest was not a truly harmful action, so long as Dr. Saffron could not touch him.

“Secondly, Dr. Saffron’s assistant, Silver Stone, will be the only one allowed to check on Spike until the trial commences. This includes bringing him meals and ensuring he has not escaped at some point.”

Twilight rose to her hoofs, “May I have some written oath that this Silver Stone won’t attempt any experiments on Spike?”

“Silver Stone is a little filly,” Dr. Saffron interjected with a pointed stare at Twilight, “what experiment do you possibly think she could perform on your dragon?”

“Well, forgive me if I don’t trust you,” Twilight responded calmly, “but I would prefer to know you aren’t planning and pre-trial experiments that could alter Spike in some way that would benefit your case.”

“It will be done,” Princess Celestia rose at last to speak. “And I will ensure the guards watch over them to prevent either one from attempting to further their own trial case by interrogating the other.”

The council nodded, and dismissed every pony.

“Twilight,” Spike tried to get his mentor’s attention, “I do trust you. I know you can win this.”

Twilight smiled until Spike was led away by two of the royal guard. He turned to glance at his protector once more before she faded from sight.

Cadence walked over to Twilight’s side in complete sympathy. She felt unworthy to touch her friend, knowing what she would have to do. Dr. Saffron proceeded to exit the room until Twilight approached her. The doctor turned to glance at the alicorns, masking her emotions.

“I hope you’re happy,” Twilight spoke with barely suppressed rage, “trying to take my friend for your own research.”

The doctor adjusted her glasses coldly.

“I take no pleasure doing what I know is right,” the doctor responded, seriously tempting Twilight to throttle her, “and I’m not doing this for myself.”

She left the room, leaving the two alicorns to ponder her words.

“Cadence,” Twilight snapped Cadence out of her ponderings, “I need to contact my friends in Ponyville to tell them what’s happening, and I have to tell my parents about this whole mess.”

“You tell your friends,” Cadence offered, “I’ll tell your parents.”

The two realized they would soon be enemies in the courtroom. This could be the last time they would ever stand together in camaraderie. Eventually, Twilight nodded and both set about their tasks with bitter resolve.

Part 3 Hidden Truths

“You mean they’re trying to take Spike?” Rainbow Dash angrily bumped her hooves together, ready to pound something, “alright, when do we beat them up and how long before we stop?”

Twilight rolled her eyes in exasperation. She had teleported to Ponyville and gathered her six friends at Sugar Cube Corner to explain this whole situation to them, but they seemed too outraged to even listen to her. They had to go back to Canterlot now. Find out whatever they could about dragon relations to help Spike’s case. More than anything, they needed to find a way to prove Celestia had decreed Spike could stay with her. Every second they wasted put Spike in greater risk.

“For the last time,” Twilight suppressed her irritation and spoke, “we can’t go beating these ponies up. We have to present a case for Spike.”

Rarity stamped her hoof, causing every pony to jump in surprise, “I can’t believe you Twilight!” She stared at the alicorn through narrowed eyes, “How could you possibly be willing to throw Spike’s life away for this trial? You’re a princess! You or Celestia just have to say no they can’t take him, and our problems are solved!”

Twilight inhaled sharply through her nose, trying to keep calm. “Princess Celestia and I may be monarchs, but we are not dictators. What kind of message does it send to every pony if we rule in favor Spike because we don’t like the council?”

Rarity was still undeterred, “This is absolutely preposterous! Spike is our friend! Surely, you could make an exception for him.”

“And then what?” Twilight challenged her friend, “Even if I just said no today, that might not stop another scientist from experimenting on him when I’m gone!”

Her friends flinched when they realized what she meant. Twilight was not an immortal, naturally born alicorn like Princess Luna or Princess Celestia. Given time, she would pass on like any other pony, leaving Spike to potentially live on by himself as dragons could live far longer than a pony. They never really thought about it, but being a dragon meant Spike would likely outlive all of them.

“I have to take on this case now while I’m still here for Spike,” Twilight fought back her tears while trying to maintain her dignity, “so that he can live on a free dragon among ponies when we’re all gone. I have to bring this case down now, while I’m still alive to do so.”

Her friends stared at her, as Twilight inhaled sharply to steady her pulse. She was absolutely terrified of what could happen to Spike in the distant future, so she had to ensure him the best possible future. Every one of her friends wanted that for Spike, as well.

Applejack frowned, “But couldn’t Princess Celestia or Princess Luna keep on protecting Spike?”

Twilight smiled at her friend sadly, “I’m sure they want to. But the council members said certain evidence brought before them, forced them to veto her decision. The council never vetoes a royal decision unless they are absolutely convinced to give the matter consideration.”

“What evidence was that, pray tell?” Rarity’s brow furrowed, hardly masking her contempt.

“They wouldn’t say,” Twilight said, just as wary as her friends, “But if we want to stop those scientists from taking Spike tomorrow or any point in the future, we have to move now while we still can. ”

Her friends exchanged glances, and then turned back to Twilight. Each one of them voiced their support and agreement to help in whatever way they could. With that, Twilight teleported them all to the Canterlot Library, to dig up whatever information that they could.

***

Dr. Saffron walked side-by-side with her little assistant, led by the royal guard. After explaining their arrangement, Silver Stone accompanied the doctor to Spike’s room in the castle to meet him, though she would enter alone. Being the protective guardian she was, Dr. Saffron insisted on following her assistant to the door at least, before returning to business. The guard promised they would attend to Silver Stone’s needs as necessary, so the doctor need not worry. Not that she wouldn’t of course.

She meant what she said to Twilight. She wasn’t doing this for herself. Silver Stone needed closure. After all her nightmares waking with screams of guilt, she needed peace. Dr. Saffron’s heart broke every time the filly had to remember that horrible day in vivid dreams. She loved Silver Stone, more than her career, more than her kingdom, more than herself, and would do anything for her. The only way to prevent another one of those horrible days depended on furthering dragon research. If obtaining peace for Silver Stone meant researching on the princess’ dragon, then so be it.

They came to the door and the doctor asked once more if Silver Stone was sure she could do this, to which Silver Stone annoyed said yes. Sometimes this motherly affection could be smothering. Dr. Saffron said farewell to her cherished assistant.

“I’ll be back tonight,” Dr. Saffron wrapped a hoof around her assistant, “you stay safe, okay?”

“I’m sure I can handle a baby dragon,” Silver Stone responded with irritation, but also embraced her protector.

“Still, be careful,” the doctor responded as they parted, “Dragons are not creatures to be underestimated.”

Silver Stone nodded. Dr. Saffron had debriefed her on what little scientists knew about dragons in preparation for this encounter. She already knew what dragons were capable of firsthand, they both were. A guard led the doctor away, and she reluctantly left. The second guard motioned to the door before them, and stood with two other guards posted to keep watch. They would monitor the room through their secretive means, but arrive seconds before any sort of incident could take place. At least, that’s what they said. Taking a deep breath, Silver Stone gritted her teeth preparing herself for whatever creature she might find. With gritted teeth, she opened the door and entered the room.

There was no way she could have anticipated … this. Instead of some ferocious dragon that grunted and groaned to communicate, shifted its reptilian eyes as it hoarded treasures, and bellowed waves of fire at anything it wanted to, she saw a purple and green dragon no bigger than her, sitting at a table reading what looked like a comic book. Upon hearing her enter, the dragon put down his book and turned to see who had come in.

“Hi there,” Spike tried to be polite considering this would be his only company for the entire day with Twilight busy on the case. “My name’s Spike. You must be that Silver Stone the council mentioned, right?”

Silver Stone blinked and felt her mouth open slightly in complete bafflement. Every story tale she ever heard painted dragons as vicious beasts capable of leveling entire forests. From her firsthand experience, she recalled dragons as unfeeling creatures, who cared for nothing but their hoards. This little dragon was anything but that. He had greeted her like any pony would greet another, discerned who she was quickly, and identified himself with a name.

Noticing the filly’s hesitation, Spike scratched his chin in confusion. Realizing this might be a different filly, Spike put his hands behind his head in a sort of apologetic gesture.

“Sorry,” Spike quickly stuttered, “I just assumed you were Silver Stone because you’re all silver and you’re the first filly I’ve seen walk in here—”

“No that’s me,” Silver Stone quickly cut him off, “I’m Silver Stone.”

Spike gestured to a chair on the other side of his table, “Well, make yourself comfortable. We’re going to be here a while after all.”

Suspiciously, she walked over to the seat and inspected it for any hidden trap. She knew there probably wasn’t anything but she still didn’t want to take any chances. Dr. Saffron had taught her to be meticulous and observant, like any good scientist. Spike looked at her curiously, wondering if she had something against chairs.

“You know,” Spike’s voice stopped the filly’s inspection, “I doubt the chair is gonna bite you.”

She grew a bit flustered, feeling this dragon might be teasing her. She quickly sat down in the chair, and stared at the dragon perplexed. He was oddly docile.

After that uncomfortable silence, Spike nervously returned to his comic book. This was quite possibly one of the most awkward meetings he ever had, and he lived with Twilight so that was saying something. What was he even supposed to say? Hi, there. I know your mother/sister/employer is trying to take me for her personal lab rat, but we should still make some small talk or something considering we’re stuck with each other all day and I’ve already read this comic three times. Even in his head that sounded thorny and uncomfortable. He found himself immensely grateful that Cadence had managed to sneak him one of his comics back at Twilight’s house (after the guards thoroughly examined it of course) so he could pass the time, but the same comic, no matter how amazing, became less enjoyable to read when it was the only thing he had for the whole day. He wasn’t sure he could ask the guards if he could have another comic book; they were reluctant to even let him have this one. If this filly was going to sit there in silence the entire day, he could only imagine he would read this book hundreds of times before the day was up. What else could he do?

Silver Stone felt equally uncomfortable, unsure what she should say or do. Sitting before the baby of a creature that took her parents, she expected to feel anger, spite, but instead she felt pleasantly surprised. This little dragon, Spike, was actually kind of cute in some ways, and she could not possibly associate him with the great winged tyrants she had seen in the sky and her dreams. He seemed completely domesticated and fairly intelligent, and she found herself wondering if this was a case of nurture versus nature. Maybe, she had come here with incredibly misled preconceived notions. No, she definitely came here with incorrect preconceived notions. In any case, now she was stuck here for the rest of the day. She really wished she brought something to read because making small talk would be undeniably awkward, given the bitterness between both of their mentors. Yet, there was nothing else she could really do. Why hadn’t she brought a comic book of her own?

Then she looked at the comic book in Spike’s hands, and realized what he was reading. Her eyes grew large in shock. Spike looked up when he heard a sharp gasp, wondering what was happening now.

“Is that the collectible Power Ponies: Eclipse issue thirteen, where the Power Ponies finally discover the true mastermind behind the Shadow League?” she wasn’t even sure she was seeing this, “where did you get that?”

“I traded it for a Power Ponies/Beast Brigade cross over comic at an exchange,” Spike explained, but he added with a sly smile, “though to be fair, I got the better deal here.”

“I’ll trade you for that comic,” Silver Stone offered excitedly, “I’ve been searching for it forever, but none of the stores keep it in stock.”

When she realized she didn’t have her own comic collection with her, she almost panicked. “I don’t have my collection with me now, but I promise I can get you something amazing!”

Spike chuckled, “Sorry, but what could you possibly have that I want?”

Silver Stone’s head swiveled side to side, making sure absolutely no pony could hear her. She leaned in close to Spike and whispered, “What about the comic that all Power Pony fans have demanded since the series inception?”

Spike’s eyes narrowed with intrigue. She couldn’t possibly mean – no, he was certain that comic was a myth, an April Fool’s joke. Or the writers never finished it. So much mystery and myth surrounded that book that supposedly no pony had ever laid eyes on it and lived to tell the tale. That is supposing it even existed.

Silver Stone grinned, “The book that the creators toiled endlessly to create, but did not publish due to copyright claims, causing its publication to be delayed for a decade, by which time the public had given up hope.”

Spike’s eyes widened incredulously. This sounded exactly like the comic book that he spent years searching for, but could never find. He had all but given up hope of finding it. Was she saying it truly existed? That his long searches might finally be at an end? He held his breath, feeling tension and excitement flood his body.

She had him now. “You know what book I’m talking about?”

“The –,” Spike couldn’t even finish his sentence, “you mean it’s real?”

“Oh, it’s real,” she smirked, “and I’ve seen it.”

“How?” Spike asked, “I searched everywhere but I never found it.”

“You weren’t looking in the right place,” she explained. “But I found it.”

Spike stared at her, trying to see if she was just toying with him. She seemed completely earnest.

“So what do you say?” she smiled nonchalantly, “your Power Ponies: Eclipse for my Power Ponies Hearth’s Warming Eve with the Teenage Samurai Griffons?”

Spike’s head swiveled right and left, to be sure no pony was listening to them. If she was telling the truth, no way could he pass up this offer. He leaned in close and whispered, “if you can deliver, you’ve got a deal.”

***

“Hello, Princess Cadence,” the librarian politely greeted the alicorn, “Is there something I can help you with?”

“Yes, I need history books from the royal archives, detailing dragon and pony interactions since the reign of Princess Celestia,” Cadence was not particularly excited to do any of this.

The librarian frowned, “I’m not sure we have such records.”

Cadence hoped that meant there was no information whatsoever for her to use against Spike. The less she found the better.

“Well, there are mentions of such interactions in this book,” the librarian motioned Cadence to follow her to a back room with several texts transcribed from millenniums long past, “but they’re honestly more of footnotes.”

“That’s fine,” Cadence replied as the librarian took a book from the shelf and laid it on a nearby table for her. The librarian told Cadence to make herself comfortable, and left to tend to others.

Cadence skimmed through the book. Indeed, dragons were largely a footnote; there were mentions of pony and dragon interactions but they were few and interspersed with various other accounts. There were essentially no recordings of events where dragons actually attacked ponies; in fact, such attacks appeared to be scarce, largely exaggerated, and typically resulting from dragons being provoked. For the first time since the trial was issued, Cadence began to feel relief. She wouldn’t be able to portray dragons as monsters that needed to be understood to prevent conflicts in the future. Maybe, Twilight could win this after all.

“Excuse me, milady,” Cadence turned to see the librarian approaching with a book and several scrolls levitated by magic, “a stallion from the science department, Dr. Facts I believe it was, just came by with these and said these would help with your case. Is he a friend of yours?”

Cadence’s eyes narrowed as she slowly took the materials, noticing a royal seal of authenticity on each document, “I’ve never heard of him. Did he say a pony named ‘Dr. Saffron’ sent him?”

“No,” the librarian responded, “he said that these were from the council’s personal collections to ensure ‘the advancement of science’ or some nonsense. Sounds rather pretentious if you ask me, but the seal isn’t a counterfeit, and I seem to recall Dr. Facts has contributed a number of books on various fields.”

As the librarian left once again, Cadence placed the heavy book and scrolls on the table, unsure what to make of them. Slowly, she opened a nearby scroll and read its contents. It detailed the various creatures officially recognized as Equestrian citizens, noticeably leaving out dragons. Cadence would have loved to crumble this up and burn it, but if a member of the science department gave these to her and she pretended not to know, she worried the council might believe she was not trying to win and rule in favor of Dr. Saffron.

Her eyes turned to another scroll, which detailed cultural barriers between dragons and practically every other creature officially recognized as Equestrian citizens. It also detailed how these barriers had lead to multiple confrontations. Few of them were violent, or even intentionally malicious on either’s side part, but they still resulted in setbacks from complete tranquility and in an extreme case, the destruction of entire forests and near extinction of certain animals. Cadence soon found all of the documents containing similar information that would prove her case, but nothing necessarily incriminating.

Then she noticed a scroll she had unintentionally shoved to the side. Picking it up, she opened it to find a detailed account concerning the science department. Legally speaking, it had existed long before Princess Celestia under ponies such as Clover the Clever and Starswirl the Bearded, but was reorganized by name under the Princess and relegated to minor roles of government. So the department was older than Celestia, how did that pertain to anything? Then she noticed that the department had established certain practices that Celestia had never officially altered. Many in fact were still in effect, as they had been since the time before the princess. Although it had ceded many of its powers under Celestia, there were a certain well-established laws that could not be altered and were installed to keep a check on the Princess’ powers to prevent a tyranny. One of the most noticeable of them was a rule stating that all objects, relics, and animals discovered by the science department were property of the science department.

She then opened the book, which she realized contained a list of every such thing the department had ever found, that legally belonged to them. She came to a page that was bookmarked and scrolled through the contents. What she read made her heart sink.

Part 4 Discoveries

Dr. Saffron scowled as she read another proposed experimental procedure from the science department to try on the dragon should she win the case. She crumpled it up and threw it into a trash bin already overflowing with similar proposals. Maybe she was a scientist seeking to understand dragons, but she put her morality first.

Once again her eyes turned to the clock. She had been going through proposals like these for well over two hours. Plenty were insightful and reasonable procedures, such as creating a scratch test with the dragon’s crystal breaking fangs and comparing them to the hardest known stones to determine just what they were capable of crushing, and testing the bite force behind a dragon’s jaws. These experiments would not hurt the dragon in any way, shape, or form and would provide valuable biological findings on these species.

However, there were many unorthodox experiments proposed, that quite frankly, she wouldn’t perform on a lab rat. These experiments involved a dissection. Dr. Saffron found this absolutely brutal, inhumane, and seriously considered moving for the scientist who proposed the experiment to be permanently suspended. It wouldn’t do any good if they mutilated the only dragon they might find. If the department tried to push for something so terrible, Dr. Saffron had no doubt she would leave the department for good or drop the case altogether. No dragon deserved that sort of treatment, even if it could be done safely.

But these letters told her a sadly unfortunate truth. Few other scientists could appreciate what a valuable asset this dragon was, and how many of their methods could hurt it before they made any true discoveries. She was grateful she brought the case to the council before Dr. Facts and became its head. A scientist like him would squander the dragon in his attempts to achieve fame. If she won the case, she would ensure that dragon did not go to waste. Yes, her methods were fairly untested and could cause the dragon discomfort, but she had no intention to dismember the dragon or change him. She realized that if she dropped the case, some other scientist with no such reservations would take control and ruin any chance they had to learn about these creatures.

Using her magic, she grabbed a book, full of her research notes and proposed experiments. She added some notes regarding the reasonable propositions, before closing the book and placing it aside on the left side of her desk. She plowed through similar letters, made notes in her book, and crumpled up others. As she neared the final proposals, she noticed a package beneath the mail. She levitated the yellow package, no bigger than a letter, and inspected the address, which listed Dr. Facts’ name. She sighed, not wanting to deal with that doctor right now, until she turned the package over and noticed a message scribbled on its back.

You once asked us how we confirmed Dr. Ruby and Dr. Sapphire’s demise despite never locating their bodies. I’d say the means justify the ends. And I’m not the only one who thinks so.

The unicorn’s eyes widened and she gasped. Dr. Ruby and Dr. Sapphire were Silver Stone’s parents. After the fire, every pony assumed they had perished amidst the flames, but no pony ever found their remains. They had to bury empty coffins. Her whole body trembling, Dr. Saffron opened the package and out slid a journal, bound with some sort of scales. She immediately recognized them as flameproof dragon scales and recoiled. What kind of monster would do this to a dragon? One or two scales, she could understand, but to acquire this much, one would have to … She didn’t want to finish the thought.

Tentatively, she opened the journal. On the first page, she had to catch her breath. There was a picture of a red male unicorn and blue female unicorn, cradling a silver coated little filly between them. Beneath she read:

Ruby & Sapphire with Silver Stone Day 1

Recognizing the handwriting, she scrolled through the pages, and realized the nature of this journal. It was her dear friend Sapphire and her husband Ruby’s research journal and diary from their days studying dragons, leading up to the day when something provoked the dragons into burning down an entire forest. Every pony knew that their field research had provided valuable knowledge of dragon migration patterns, but never had these documents been salvaged to reveal the exact migration routes. Had the science department, or some other pony, found this and withheld it from her all these years? Why? The public had a right to know this.

Then she read more closely. And for the first time in her life, Dr. Saffron wondered if she ever truly knew her friend.

***

Silver Stone raced back to the room with Spike’s meal as well as hers. She was anxious to resume their debate of which of the Power Ponies would win an all out battle royal. Every time they came close to the answer, one of them recalled a nugget of information that prolonged the debate. So far, the fight was ending up in a stalemate, as the ponies seemed far too evenly matched to truly claim victory over the other. With the guards’ permission, they retrieved loads of paper to chart out how any fight between the six could play out and so far they had tracked over 300 possible outcomes, though no common trends in the victors and many fights ending in complete wipe outs. This whole day was just pure geek fantasy.

Being home schooled, Silver Stone never really had the chance to interact with other ponies her age and now she was spending the entire day with a fellow Power Pony fan, just enjoying their time together as friends. The thought almost made her stop in her tracks when she realized she regarded of the purple dragon as her friend. She hadn’t realized it, but in the little time that they already had together, she and Spike had undeniably become friends, bonded by a shared love of Power Ponies and an appreciation for the other’s company. She didn’t just appreciate his company because he was the only one she could really talk to for the rest of the day, but because he seemed to appreciate her company equally. And they didn’t just appreciate each other’s company; they enjoyed every second of it.

She honestly rather liked him. He was polite, had a surprisingly sharp wit, and was a good listener. Even though her surrogate mother and his protector were enemies, they could both find common ground and camaraderie. It was the last thing she expected of any pony, much less a dragon. Everything Dr. Saffron taught her about dragons, it was all so wrong. Spike wasn’t some animal that kept to itself, he was a friendly individual, no different than her on the inside. Honestly, the biggest difference between them she could see was his physical exterior, but when she looked closer, they were so much alike. They both never really got to know their parents; she had very faint memories and he had none what so ever. They both loved the Power Ponies, and they both lived with a pony they admired above all else.

With this in mind, she began to seriously question Dr. Saffron’s goals as she reentered the room. Separating Spike from Twilight would be the equivalent of separating her from the doctor. Being forced apart from the pony they loved most would break either of them and destroy their protectors. At least, Silver Stone was fairly confident Spike loved Twilight. He certainly seemed fond of her and endlessly loyal. Yet, this loyalty was not merely an animal staying with a master to be fed and sheltered; it was a loyalty defined by … love. She no longer doubted. This wasn’t right. She had to talk to the doctor

“Silver Stone?” Spike motioned for her attention, and she remembered where she was, “did you hear me?”

“Um, sorry no,” Silver Stone sheepishly responded as she placed their meals on the table.

Spike smiled at the filly’s scatterbrained nature. It honestly reminded him a bit of Twilight. Then he remembered that tomorrow, he might never see her again and his smile faded. He quickly drove those thoughts away. He believed in Twilight. She could win this. She had to.

Noticing his sudden frown, Silver Stone wondered if once again if she had done something wrong. Before she could ask, Spike put on another quick smile and walked to the table, pulling up a chair.

“I said that we could take a quick lunch break and get right back on it,” he said as the unicorn walked to an adjacent chair. “This would be like, what? Match number 324?”

“326,” Silver Stone corrected the dragon, “and we estimated there are over 3000 ways this battle could play out. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”

“Well, it’s not work if you’re having fun,” Spike grinned as he dug into his meal. Silver Stone completely agreed, and this was the most fun she had in a long time.

***

Twilight nodded to herself as she read another helpful bit of information. So far, this venture had revealed immeasurably beneficial findings. Dragons seldom attacked ponies. Indeed, there were incidents and conflicts between the two, but these attacks seemed largely the result of misunderstanding or provocation. It made sense and seemed consistent with their experiences. During the dragon migration, none of the thousands of dragons they saw fly over Ponyville demonstrated any aggressive tendencies towards the ponies. When they had to stop a dragon from filling the sky with smoke, it only attacked them after Rarity tried to nab some of its treasure and Rainbow Dash bucked its face. And even then, Fluttershy was more than capable of talking it down. With this, Twilight could prove dragon and pony interactions were not so strained as the doctor had said.

In the end, her case resided on a one of Celestia’s law. This law essentially stated any being who lived with another for a period of over eight years, would be recognized (if the being so wished) as the other’s family. Spike had been with her for longer than that. If she could get this point out quickly, perhaps she could turn this whole trial in her favor.

“Twilight,” the alicorn turned from the table to see Rarity approach with a grim expression, “we might have a problem.”

Twilight frowned, feeling a headache at the mere anticipation of whatever might be said.

“The librarian told me she was here with Cadence a little while ago,” Rarity explained, “and in the middle of her research, some pony named Dr. Facts came with documents from the council for ‘the advancement of science’.”

Twilight knew that name. Dr. Facts had written often on biology and physics, and she had used his textbooks in magic school. He was a very curious albeit risk-taking scientist, who often posed that the ends justify the means. If he too was interested in experimenting on Spike for the sake of science, Dr. Saffron would be the least of their worries. Twilight turned back to the book with new vigor.

“We’ve been researching what we can,” Rarity continued. “We’ll tell you everything we’ve found for the case when you’re done with that book.”

Twilight nodded without looking back. The words before her became blurry, as her eyes grew moist with worry.

“Don’t fret, darling,” Rarity laid a hoof on the alicorn’s shoulder in an effort to comfort her, “I know you’re frightened, but I promise you, we will get him back.”

Twilight’s lips curled slowly into a smile. She was truly grateful to have such wonderful friends. No, that she and Spike had such wonderful friends.

***

“So how did you get into the Power Ponies?” Spike asked as they finished charting out the one-thousandth possible outcome of a battle royal, which once again revealed a stalemate.

“Dr. Saffron gave me one of their comics when I was six years old.” Silver Stone fondly recalled the event, “she said it was one of hers when she was my age, and she thought I might like it. Which I totally did.”

Spike noticed how she referred to the doctor as Doctor Saffron, and was intrigued to know what exactly was her relationship to Silver Stone. They didn’t look physically similar so Spike had doubts they were mother and daughter, sisters, or directly related. But he dare not ask as he realized they were actually enjoying their time together despite their protectors’ rivalry. He did not want to spoil it by overstepping his boundaries.

After seeing his curious expression, Silver Stone recognized that Spike wanted to ask her something. Given how far they had come, she felt obliged to answer any question.

“Is there something you wanted to ask me?” Silver Stone smiled innocently.

Spike blinked in surprise. The filly was remarkably perceptive. Well, she was a scientist in training.

“Yeah,” Spike admitted, “ about Dr. Saffron. Is she like your mother, sister, or – what?”

“No,” the silver unicorn answered, though she quickly reconsidered, “well, I suppose in some ways she is, but no, we aren’t related.”

Spike’s suspicions were confirmed, “So she adopted you?”

As he asked, he noticed her smile fade, replaced by a melancholy expression. He was suddenly worried that he had ruined their friendship and was about to stammer out an apology before the filly nodded.

“Saffron was a friend of my mom and dad,” Silver Stone’s head drooped a bit but she remained strong. “She took me in after they…”

Before she could even shed a tear, Spike was by her side with a tissue and a comforting expression. She smiled, truly grateful to have found such a wonderful friend.

“I’m sorry,” Spike said, ears drooping.

“It’s fine,” Silver Stone assured him, though she had doubts, “I’ve had time to move on, and I really don’t remember them that well. I lost them when I was five.”

“What happened?” Spike blurted out, and instantly tried to backtrack, “I’m sorry, it’s none of my business.”

“No, it’s alright,” the filly’s gaze moved away from Spike to stare pensively at a wall, as the ghosts returned. “They were scientists studying dragons and their migration patterns in the field. They had been studying them for three years when something happened. No pony knows for sure what happened, but one of the dragons they were observing went berserk. It burnt down a forest with them inside.”

Spike’s eyes gaped at the unicorn. Once again, he felt disappointment with his dragon kind. How could they be so cruel and thoughtless? How could they orphan this sweet little unicorn? He longed to comfort her, offer some words to ease her mind. But he had never lived through such a traumatic experience.

“I wasn’t there when it happened,” she continued, “but I saw the fire and smoke rising from our campsite. After that, some ponies brought me back to Canterlot and Saffron found me and took me in.”

Silver Stone grinned wistfully, “You know, despite everything I’ve been through, she makes me feel so loved that it doesn’t feel so bad. She gave me family, home, and has always gone out of her way to care for me. To me, she is my mom and my sister. I know that doesn’t make any sense, but it’s just the way I feel.”

Spike’s gaze softened as he felt new kinship with this pony. Now, he recognized an undeniable truth. Silver Stone was exactly like him; orphaned and adopted by a pony, who treated them like family. They both saw their guardians as parental figures and siblings, and dedicated their lives to them. The purple dragon turned his gaze to the wall to confront his own ghosts.

“It makes perfect sense,” Spike’s heavy voice made the unicorn turn and see his pensive stare. “I never knew my parents, but Twilight has always acted like my mom and sister, so I never felt unloved. She adopted me, even though no pony told her to, and the only way I’ve been able to repay her is by helping her in any way I can, but even that could never show how much she means to me.”

Spike’s green eyes met the unicorn’s cerulean blue eyes, and she recognized tears of bittersweet joy trailing down his face. “She’s the most important pony in the world to me. I love her.”

She now recognized the kinship Spike had seen moments ago. Wordlessly, the two embraced in movements to comfort each other, as they both recognized how they needed their protectors. If Spike truly meant this about Twilight, Silver Stone would beg Saffron to drop the case immediately. No science was worth separating a family for.

“I’m sorry, Spike,” Silver Stone broke from the hug to look at Spike in the eyes. “Saffron’s probably doing all of this for me. She thinks I’m still suffering over my parents and wants to prevent another incident like this. I don’t think she realizes I’ve been able to move on because I had her.”

She stared at the dragon with new resolve, “I’ll tell her to drop the case. You shouldn’t have to help her if you don’t want to.”

Spike smiled appreciatively, “Thanks, but I really don’t mind helping her if it can prevent another incident. I just don’t want to leave Twilight. If you have to convince her of anything, please just show her how much Twilight means to me, okay?”

The unicorn could only look at the dragon in complete disbelief. He was willing to subject himself to any experiment for her, a pony he had just met. In return, all he asked was to keep Twilight by his side. Silver Stone no longer had any doubts. She had to confront her mentor.

“Silver Stone,” a guard peaked through the door, shifting their attention away from each other, “Dr. Saffron has returned.”

She gritted her teeth, ready to chew out her mentor until she felt Spike lay a clawed hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t be mad at her,” he said calmly, “her intentions are good. She’s just been looking out for you.”

Once again, she gazed at the dragon in disbelief. Then, she nodded, said her goodbye, and walked out the door to find Dr. Saffron, looking absent-mindedly into thin air. Normally, the doctor would greet her with a smile and warm embrace. Something was wrong. Silver Stone shook her head, dismissing the thought for later, and walked up to her guardian, shocking her from her ponderings.

“We need to talk,” she mustered the courage to reprimand the doctor and would not back down.

Dr. Saffron was slightly taken aback when her surrogate daughter did not give her usual joyful greeting. But the filly was right. Dr. Saffron had something to tell her. The guards led them out of the castle to the doors they entered from this morning. They departed through the night sky back to their little house, not speaking a word. They reached the door and Dr. Saffron used her magic to open it. Her ward walked in with her head turned down.

The second the doctor closed the door behind her and turned to the filly, she braced herself to tell Silver Stone the truth about her parents. Before she could, her assistant gave a very harsh stare.

“How could you –?” Silver Stone choked, disliking what she had to do.

Dr. Saffron blinked uncertainly, as she noticed the filly trembling. She motioned for Silver Stone to continue with a gentle motherly expression.

“How could you take Spike from Twilight like this?”

The doctor winced in surprise. This was not what she was expecting. What had the dragon done to her in their time together? No doubt he wanted to avoid revealing the secrets of his kind and was using Silver Stone to get her to drop the case. She was ready to dismiss anything the dragon told her assistant, but then Silver Stone continued.

“He thinks of her as family. Even though he never knew his parents, he hasn’t felt lonely because he had her. He needs her like I need you. If you take him away from her, he’ll die.”

Doctor Saffron shut her mouth. She always had a soft spot for her surrogate daughter, and valued her insights. Silver Stone believed what she was saying, so much that she compared their relationship to that of the dragon’s and Twilight’s. She was willing to listen and hear her assistant.

“I told him about my parents, and you know what he said?” Silver Stone’s eyes watered but she kept on, “he’s willing to help you understand dragons to prevent another incident. And all he asks is to keep Twilight by his side. You know why? Because she gave to him what you gave to me: a home!”

Silver Stone stamped towards her mentor defiantly, but with love.

“You wouldn’t keep someone from their family, would you?”

Dr. Saffron stuttered, “I…”

Silver Stone’s eyes gaped at Dr. Saffron in horror, “Would you?”

“No, I guess I wouldn’t.” she finally said, “but I can’t drop the case.”

For the first time in a long time, Silver Stone grew angry with the pony she had called her family. Was she really so wrapped up in her own grief not to realize how wrong she was?

“Let me explain,” Dr. Saffron quickly tried to defend herself.

“No, let me explain,” Silver Stone grimaced, “what you’re doing is wrong. Spike belongs with Twilight like I belong with you. You have to drop this case now.”

“And then what?” Dr. Saffron became irritated with her student’s naiveté, “another scientist would just come along and take up the case! And they won’t have any reservations about tearing him limb from limb if they think it could advance science!”

Silver Stone winced at those brutal words. She had never considered another scientist trying to take up Dr. Saffron’s case, and potentially destroying Spike.

“There are hundreds of other scientists who believe the ends justify the means,” the doctor brought her emotions under control, “and they would love to treat him worse than a lab rat. I’ve already had dozens of proposals for experiments that I wouldn’t try on any other being. If I don’t take the lead on this case, then there’s no guarantee that dragon will even be alive after one year.”

Silver Stone became irate and began pacing, furiously stamping her hooves. It wasn’t fair. Spike only wanted to keep Twilight nearby. Why couldn’t scientists see that he loved her? Did they think he was incapable of love?

Dr. Saffron noticed her student’s displeasure, and softened her gaze.

“If I win custody of Spike,” she said his name without any hint of sarcasm or mock, truly being sincere, “I promise not to separate him from Twilight or do anything that could physically hurt him.”

Silver Stone stopped mid-pace to look at her mentor. She meant it, every word. Spike wouldn’t have to leave Twilight after all. She no longer held back her tears, now fueled with joy. Suddenly, her teary assistant tackled Dr. Saffron in a bear hug, nearly toppling her over. Dr. Saffron wrapped a hoof around the filly unsure what to make of this outburst.

“Silver Stone?” her eyes gazed down at the little unicorn, “what’s wrong?”

Through sobs, the unicorn spoke, “Thank you. That’s all he wanted. Thank you.”

They sat on the floor, wrapped in an embrace for what seemed like hours. Finally, the doctor broke the hug. Silver Stone was confused when she noticed the doctor’s grim expression. Slowly, the doctor spoke, wondering how to explain what she learned.

“Silver Stone,” she began nervously, “I have something to tell you. Something I learned recently … about your parents. And what triggered that dragon to go berserk all those years ago.”

Silver Stone’s eyebrows rose with curiosity and surprise. Dr. Saffron trotted over to her desk and levitated a book, bound with some reptilian scales that Silver Stone could not identify. The doctor handed the book to the unicorn, who gazed uncertainly from the book, to her mentor, and back to the book.

“You know how I said some scientists believed the means justified the ends?” Dr. Saffron pursed her lips uncomfortably. Silver Stone nodded as she opened the book. “Your parents believed that, and it cost them their lives.”

Part 5 The Prosecution