“I ran away from home,” she lied.
The dragon stared at the little filly who stood before him. The tips of her mane were singed and her coat was covered with patches of soot. “I didn’t know ‘ran’ and ‘teleported’ meant the same thing,” the dragon remarked.
“But… they don’t. Running and teleportation are two very different things,” The filly was baffled that the dragon could not distinguish the difference between such very different concepts.
The dragon sighed. “Yes, I know. I was being pedantic.” When the filly raised an eyebrow, he explained, “It means I was being needlessly picky with your choice of words. Forget about it; it seems you’re not quite familiar with sarcasm yet.” The dragon turned away and began to prepare a pot of tea.
“Sarcasm?” The filly trotted over and watched the dragon work.
“It’s complicated. If I were to explain it in a simple way, it’s when you say something and you don’t mean it.”
“Like lying?” The filly examined a picture frame that sat on the counter as she spoke. In it was faded photograph with six mares and a baby dragon, all of whom were smiling at the camera. She would surely have inquired about the picture had she actually been interested in it, but as it stood, she was more preoccupied with hoping that the dragon did not notice that her body had tensed up.
“Not exactly, but I suppose in some ways the two are similar.” The dragon lit the stove with a small puff of flame and placed the teapot on top of it. “The difference is that when someone is sarcastic, they are obvious in their insincerity in order to make a point. When you lie, it’s to make someone believe something that isn’t true.”
“Oh.” The filly glanced back at the dragon to find that he was looking at her as well. She quickly averted her eyes.
“It’s not every day that I receive a guest. Why don’t we talk some more while we wait for the tea?” The dragon gestured towards the table, below the window through which beams of the morning sun illuminated the room.
The filly flew over and sat down on a chair near the table while the dragon opted to sit on the floor opposite of her, the chairs being too small to support him. Once the two were comfortably seated, the dragon spoke. “It’s quite the remarkable feat that you managed to teleport all the way out here.”
The filly raised an eyebrow. “It is?”
The dragon nodded. “Equestria is quite far away, and teleportation in and of itself is a rather advanced skill. You must be extremely gifted for a filly.” The dragon smiled as the filly shifted in her seat a bit.
“I’m alright… I mean, it took me a long time to understand it, but once you know how it works, it’s really not that hard.” The filly smiled with what could pass as confidence as she watched the sunrise through the window.
The dragon nodded. “I suppose that makes sense.” A few moments of silence passed before he continued, “Why did you run away?”
The filly continued to stare outside the window, though her smile became replaced with a frown. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
The dragon crossed his arms and snorted. “Oh? Even after I forgave you for breaking into my home, burning my carpet, and waking me up so early in the morning?” The filly remained silent as a bird landed on the window sill and began pecking at the feeder that hung beside it. The dragon watched her for a while, and when it became clear that she was not going to respond he spoke again, this time with a gentler voice. “Shall I give you a tour of my home?”
The filly seemed to ignore the dragon until her head jolted up. She shifted in her seat to get a better look out the window and, upon getting an eyeful of what laid outside, looked back at the dragon with eyes as wide as the moon. “Wait, where are we?”
The dragon chuckled as he took another sip from his cup of tea. “You mean you don’t know? I apologize; I thought that since you managed to teleport yourself all the way out here that you must have had an idea of where you were going.”
The filly froze. Her eyes darted between the dragon, the window, and the cup of tea that was now growing cold on the table. When the dragon raised an eyebrow, she knew that she had to answer. “W-well, you see, when the flow of magic through the air is interrupted… um… it can cause problems with… with… spells! Yeah, spells! Like teleportation!” With narrowing eyes, the dragon stared at the filly who, still concerned that the dragon was not believing her, put on smile with such force that she could feel the muscles straining in her face.
The dragon let her sit in her discomfort for a few more seconds before shrugging and saying, “Makes sense.” He had to hide his smirk as he heard the filly let out the breath that she had been holding the entire time. “As for your question,” he poured himself another cup of tea, “All you need to know is that you are in a safe place.” The filly seemed unsatisfied with the answer, but the dragon gave nothing more. “Now, how about that tour?”
The filly frowned. She did not like having things hidden from her, but the dragon was resolute in his secrecy. So, with a fall of the head and a sigh, the filly nodded. The dragon clapped his hands and grinned.
“Great! But before we begin, I think we should get you cleaned up first.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” The filly looked at herself and, upon realizing the state of her appearance, grimaced and nodded in agreement.
***
“...over there is the orchard, and that is the animal sanctuary.” The dragon arched his head to get a better view of the filly who clung tightly onto his neck.
The filly was not paying attention. Rather, what was at the forefront of her mind was the endless expanse of dark wood and storm clouds that encircled the area. “Where are we again?” she asked, a bit of panic in her voice as her eyes scanned the horizon (in vain) for a break in the never-ending stretch of forest.
“Like I said, we’re in a safe place.”
“It doesn’t look safe! Those clouds are acting on their own, and even I can feel how unnatural that forest is!” The filly waved her hooves wildly in all directions to make a point. “And it goes on forever! Does it even have an end?”
“It does, but it goes on for… well, it goes on for a good length. Even the fastest pegasus I had ever known—a Wonderbolt no less—would have taken days to reach the end of it, and that’s with clear skies and no rest.”
“You’re kidding…” The filly’s mouth hung agape as she looked back at the dragon.
“Nope. But that brings me to your other concern. You’ve probably noticed how the forest doesn’t go any further into the area below us, and that the clouds around us are rather pleasant.” When the filly nodded in response, he continued, “Well, that’s because I keep it that way.”
“How?” Her eyes widened with curiosity.
“That’s a story for another time. For now, how about we go get some apples from the orchard? I feel like making some cider.”
The filly pouted when her question wasn’t answered, but sprung up as soon as the cider was mentioned. “Why didn’t you tell me you were making cider?!” She bounced up and down on the dragon’s back. “ Let’s go!” She jumped off the dragon’s back and began gliding down towards the orchard at a speed that would no doubt end in her crashing into something.
With a shake of his head and smile, the dragon sighed. He gave one last glance at the setting sun before diving after her.
***
The filly took another sip from her mug of apple cider as she watched the fireflies dance across the lake. She licked the froth off her lips and grinned. “I haven’t had apple cider this good since my mom and I visited Sweet Apple Acres. Are you really the one who made this?”
The dragon chuckled and nodded. “Yes I am. I used the very apples that grow in the orchard. A friend of mine taught me the recipe a long time ago. Took me thousands of tries to get it right. Why, do I look like I would lie to you?”
The filly’s eyes lit up. This was the perfect opportunity to call the dragon out on his secrecy! She shrugged. “Well, you have been keeping things from me. How can I be sure you’re telling me the truth?”
The dragon raised and eyebrow and, as if to contemplate the question, began to scratch his chin. “I suppose you’re right. Why should you trust me when I’ve been keeping the truth from you?” The filly was already congratulating herself in her head when he continued. “Of course, why should I tell you anything if you’re not honest with me yourself?”
The filly froze mid-drink, causing the cider to spill on her. She dropped the mug in surprise and instinctively began to apologize before she met the dragon’s gaze. She turned away. After a few moments of silence, she spoke. “When did you figure it out?”
“The moment you said you ran away from home.”
The filly slumped down as she heard the dragon’s words, falling on her hind as her head drooped low. Her next words were barely more than a whisper. “Are you mad?”
The dragon shook his head. “Of course not.” When he saw the filly turn and look at him with a pained and confused expression, he went on, “I don’t know why you feel like hiding the truth from me, but I’ve been around long enough to recognize when someone does not want to talk about something, and since you and I have just met, I can imagine why you would be even more hesitant to talk.” Then, much to the filly’s surprise, found herself being lifted and brought close to the dragon in a gentle embrace. “You don’t have to tell me anything; just know that I’m here.”
The filly quietly watched the fireflies as their lights faded in and out of existence. No, that wasn’t right. She knew that no matter how brightly they shone or how dimly they dulled, those fireflies would always be there, floating above the water. The lights blurred, streaking down her eyes. Her lips quivered as the only sounds that wanted to come out were the ones she held back. Then, quietly, she buried her face in the dragon’s chest.
And the dragon held her.
***
The filly slept quietly as the dragon carried her back to his home. The only sound was that of the gentle wind, as if the night itself did not wish to disturb her sleep. While he carried her to one of his guest bedrooms, he heard a whisper. “I’m sorry.”
Looking down at the red-eyed filly that laid in his arms, he smiled. “It’s alright, I forgive you. We can talk tomorrow, though. You should go back to sleep.”
The filly smiled back and nodded in agreement, closing her eyes. Moments later, they shot back open. “I just realized that I never asked you for your name.”
The dragon chuckled. “And here I was, wondering if I was ever going to have the chance to introduce myself. You can call me Sparkle.”
The filly pondered this for a moment, “Sparkle doesn’t sound like a dragon name.”
“It’s not, but it’s what you can call me. I’m not going to press you for information you don’t want to share, but I expect the same respect for my own privacy. So when you are willing to talk about yourself, I will too. Deal?”
The filly opened her mouth to object, then nodded her head with a sigh. “Deal.” After some thought, she included, “And you can call me Nia.”
“Okie dokie lokie.” The dragon grinned at the filly, who returned the gesture until she was interrupted by a big yawn. “Now then, try to go back to sleep.”
“Okay.” The filly nestled herself in the dragon’s arms and closed her eyes. She had already fallen back asleep by the time they reached the room. When the dragon opened the door, he witnessed something he had not seen in a long time.
A baby dragon stumbled his way into the room. Tired from a day of chores and troubles, he collapsed in the small basket that was his bed. He was drifting off into slumber the moment his head hit the soft pillow. The last thing he was aware of before completely falling asleep was a pair of purple hooves, gently wrapping a blanket around him, and a small kiss on his forehead.
The dragon smiled as he carried the filly to the bed and tucked her in. Just as he was about to leave, he heard the filly speak. “Can I tell you something?”
The dragon moved over to the bedside and lowered his head near her. “What is it?”
“You know, even if Sparkle isn’t your real name, I still think that it fits you.”
The dragon smiled as he rubbed the filly’s mane. “I can only hope.”
***
The dragon rummaged through the organized mess of his hoard. After a several minutes, he withdrew a small, weathered scroll. He lumbered over to the small plateau of stone that he used as a desk, withdrew a feather from a nearby inkwell, and began to write:
Luna,
I don’t think I need to tell you that I was pretty surprised to wake up and find your daughter in my home. Next time, tell me before you send her (or anyone for that matter) over here, alright? If I had known I was getting visitors I would have spruced the place up a bit.
I don’t know why you sent her here, though I have a good idea as to what that may be. I’m flattered, I really am, but my days of helping out with friendship problems and the like are long past. Surely this is job better suited for the current Princess of Friendship, or perhaps even yourself. And while the Haven is safe, you of all ponies should know that Old Equestria is a dangerous place.
However, knowing how stubborn you can be, I guess I’m just going to have to deal with it until you come around. And when you do, we’re going to have a long and serious talk.
Your friend,
Spike
P.S. You owe me a new carpet.
Green flames enveloped the scroll, eating away at it until nothing remained. The dragon carefully waded through his hoard until he reached the mound of pillows and blankets that laid at its center. Curling up and nestling into the soft bedding, he closed his eyes and hoped that a certain princess would enter his dreams so that he could give her a piece of his mind.