"Ready?" Night Light asked the eager little unicorn in front of him. Shining Armor nodded his head and narrowed his eyes on the straw training dummy in front of him. His horn gave a soft spark of gathered mystic energy. He squared his shoulders, lifted his head, and his horn lit up brightly before it propelled a blast of magic towards the target.
Night Light watched the shot sail by completely. He watched the expression on Shining's face turn from glee to disappointment, and he watched as defeat washed over him. But he would not watch the boy's dreams drift to dust. He reached out and rested a hoof on Shining's shoulder.
"I missed." The little colt groaned. "I'll never make the royal guard at this rate. I suck at this. " The pony sighed. He gasped when Night Light roughly twisted him around and glared at him- nose to nose. He wasn't going to let his son start talking about himself like that. No. He was going to squash that idea right now.
"Shining! Hey, no, what do we say?" He asked, peering into his son's eyes.
"...We can't succeed unless we fail." He mumbled, in a voice that suggested he was tired of a mantra that wasn't doing him any favors. Dad, however, seemed to live by that rule, and so Shining tried too as well.
"Remember DFR. Draw, Focus, Release. " He said, as he took a position next to Shining and squared his shoulders. He lowered his head and grinned, pointing his horn at the dummy.
"We got this. That guy? That guy is uh, a bad guy, stealing from the castle!" He chuckled, narrowing his eyes. "Mr....Bad-Guy, Baddy McBadbad." Night Light said as dramatically as possible. Shining rolled his eyes, and Night Light grinned.
Shining couldn't help but giggle at his father's foolishness, and the dumb name but he aimed at the target and tried to focus regardless.
"We've only got one shot at this! Come on, Shining; I need your help here! Seriously, I've seen this guy kill ten ponies before they even hit the ground! Uh...imagine it's.... name one of your comic book villains?" He asked after a brief pause.
"Mane-iac," Shining grinned. Night Light gave a stoic nod and narrowed his eyes back on the target. "Mane-iac...we meet again." He muttered in a playful stage whisper.
The dummy did not respond.
"Right. Mane-iac. He's a serious threat, so you give it your strongest blast, alright Shining? Ready? Draw..." He announced, focusing his thoughts on the passive magic invisible in the air. Shining followed suit, pulling in mystic energy along with his father.
"Focus, we're using a basic fireball. Put some oof into it; this guy is no pushover." He explained. Shining giggled quietly but focused on the glyphs he'd learned in school. Putting them together, concentrating on the spell, he could feel a slow growing heat in his horn. Like holding your breath, magic could not be held indefinitely. The heat grew in intensity, and Shining stole a glance at Night Light, who had his sights aimed at the target dummy.
Night Light kept his head down and grinned as his son mimicked his stance. They held that position for a few seconds longer, before Night Light finally shouted:
"RELEASE!"
The two unicorns unleashed a fearsome blast of power that swirled together in an explosive display of force. The straw dummy exploded into a colored firework, and Shining's mouth dropped open.
"Did you see that?! DID YOU SEE?! I totally hit it! Oh, wow, it's completely gone too!" Shining squealed, racing up to the remains of the dummy. He hopped about it gleefully, before returning to Night Light to wrap his father in a warm hug.
"T-Thanks, Dad. I'll practice every day!" He promised. Night Light chuckled warmly and nodded his head.
"You'll make a fine guard one day. What do you think your code name will be?" He asked with a sly smile. Shining's ears perked in confusion before his expression twisted into a huge grin.
"I, get, my, own, CODENAME?!" He gasped and Night Light's grin grew even larger.
"Oh, sure. All of the best guards have codenames! Let's see. How about Shining Armor, A.K.A. The Destroyer!" He announced, but Shining gave a frown and slowly shook his head.
"I...I don't want to destroy things. I want to protect them. Can't I be a shield instead?" He asked softly. Instead of a reply, his father swept him into a loving hug, his eyes blinded by liquid pride.
*********
From the upstairs window of the house, Spike watched them. He watched them gambol and prance about one and other, celebrating a victory against a straw dummy. It was stupid, but they seemed like they were having fun.
The little dragon glanced down at his purple claws and frowned. Why was he so painfully different? It haunted him every time he saw himself in the mirror. Claws, not hooves. Scales not fur. No horn, no wings, no gloriously long hair like any of the other citizens in Canterlot. How did he feel so lonely in a house full of ponies? It didn't make any sense!
But lonely he was. He pressed his head against the window, watching Shining and Night Light spar and tumble around each other. For a brief, unsettling second. A flash of anger burst from the emptiness in his belly. It wasn't fair!! And just as quickly, it turned to a bitter, quiet sadness. It wasn't fair. But nobody said life was supposed to be fair. At least, not fair for him. A dragon living in a pony world, trying desperately to find something relatable. He glanced down at his claws again and gave a hopeless sigh.
No...No no no!
But the tears came anyway. Long streaming ones that splashed down his cheeks and onto the carpet below. He watched the two unicorns through teary, blurry eyes and shook his head. Night Light was there to teach Shining Armor to use magic and be a proper unicorn but who was supposed to teach him how to be a dragon? Would it be like this forever? How was he expected to learn? Who cared enough to show him? There were no other dragons around, and most of the ponies in town didn't much care for him anyway. Was this life? Was he always going to feel this way? Lost and broken forever? Too much of a dragon to be a pony, and too much pony to be a dragon. It was like some cruel, horrible joke life was playing on him.
"SPIKE! DINNER!" Twilight Velvet yelled from downstairs. Spike's belly gave a quiet rumble, but the boy didn't have an appetite to match. No, the emptiness inside his tummy filled him completely. Something else that didn't make any sense. None of it made any sense! Slowly, he turned from the window and trudged into the bathroom. He peered into the mirror, past tear soaked eyes. It was wrong. It was ALL WRONG! How was he supposed to-
"SPIKE! DINNER!! DON'T MAKE ME CALL YOU AGAIN!" A voice called out from below him again, snapping him out of his thoughts. Maybe it was for the best, though. It wouldn't do to show up to dinner while crying. So he did his best to wipe his tears away with a claw, draw in a deep breath, and force a smile. Three square meals and a roof over his head and here he wished to live somewhere else. Maybe he was just foolish, wanting more out of life. That must have been it. This was all there was for him, and that was pretty good, right? Couldn't get TOO upset over food and shelter. He was just silly, wanting to be loved like the other ponies. But he was a dragon, not a pony, and therefore, none of them would ever love him. He had to accept that. He had to come to terms with it and get over it. There weren't any other options. This was all there was.
At the dinner table, Shining was telling a vibrant story of how he and Father had beaten back Mane-iac with a powerful team attack! Spike picked at the food on his plate. Vegetables. Fruit. Things ponies liked to eat. Nothing for him specifically. He gave another sigh. No, his appetite was long gone. Instead, he glanced to his left at Twilight vibrantly talking with her mother about her latest school project. Shining Armor and his father were discussing tactics and strategy.
"I- I want to have a golden hoard one day!" He blurted out suddenly. That's what dragons were supposed to want, wasn't it? He didn't really understand it but that's what they were all after, right? The conversation stopped, and the four ponies turned to look at him curiously. He paused, unsure of how he would continue that statement. He had just hoped to be noticed for once, but now that he had their attention what was he supposed to do now? He was so awkward and dumb.
"Heh, I'm sure that you do. Wouldn't you like a treasure hoard, honey?" Twilight Velvet chuckled, waggling a hoof at Night Light. Making fun of him. They were making fun of him. He chewed his lower lip, feeling that emptiness inside of him was threatening to burst out. He wouldn't let that happen.
"Excuse me." He muttered softly and slipped from the table as they happily discussed treasure hoards and what they would buy with the money.
Quietly, Twilight Velvet watched the little dragon slip away and flashed the rest of the family a warm smile.
"Twily, Shiny, go and do your homework. I'll take care of the kitchen with your father." She smiled cheerfully and Night Light frowned. Two ponies weren't needed to clean the kitchen.
When the colt and filly had left the table, Twilight Velvet turned to Night Light.
"I'm worried about Spike. " She said. Night Light frowned and shook his head.
"He's a dragon, isn't he? I'm sure he'll be alright. " Night Light mumbled, scooping up dishes on the table. Twilight Velvet didn't move, and slowly Night Light put the dishes down. It was never about cleaning the kitchen.
"He's not. I spent all day helping Twilight with her assignments from the Princess, and you're with Shiny, but..." She trailed off, losing herself to thought while her husband stared in confusion. Slowly, Twilight Velvet reached out to cup her husband's face.
"Honey...You remember when we promised to take care of Spike when Twilight hatched him? We go to Shiny's recitals, and Twilight's Spelling Bees, but we don't pay enough attention to Spike. That has to stop. We have to fix this. We're failing our family and as parents and-" She stopped as Night Light promptly drew himself to his hooves and headed for the door. He marched like he had a purpose and nothing in the world would stop him from it.
"Night Light? Wait, Where are you going?!" She cried out. Night Light paused at the front door and peered back at his wife.
"Library. Need to study up on dragons if I'm gonna be a dragon tamer, Don't wait up!" He laughed and headed out the front door.
********
To Night Light's ultimate disappointment, scouring the Canterlot Library for a book about dragons proved nearly impossible. What little information that was documented he'd already read over. Basic facts, like dragons lay eggs or hoard gold. But nothing else he didn't already know. He searched the library well into the late, late hours of the evening. When he finally came home, empty hooved and miserable, he climbed into bed and lay next to Twilight Velvet, who had stirred awake at her husband's entrance.
"You find anything?"
"Nothing. Dragons aren't well documented. " He said. She gave a quiet sigh and rolled onto her back, staring at the shadows on the ceiling.
"W-Well we've got to do something! I'm worried about him! I don't want him to think we don't want him around, poor thing. I wish I knew what I could do to make him feel better. I suppose I could bake him a cake, oh, but do I have any gems to put in it?"
Next to him, his wife muttered and contemplated, but nothing would fix the fact that the library didn't have any information and neither did they.
"I wish I could teach him magic. It's weird having someone around without it. If I were training Shining Armor, I'd know exactly what to do, and what to say and how to treat him. But Spike isn't a unicorn, he's a dragon! He's small and scaled and it's not like he's my so-..." Night Light slowly trailed off, staring into space. He knew what was wrong. It hit him like a ton of bricks. His eyes widened, and he nodded to himself. First thing in the morning he knew exactly what he was going to do.
**************
"W-Where are we going?" Spike asked quietly as Night Light lead him into the backyard, where the training dummy had been set back up, and stood stoically in the morning sunlight. Slowly, Night Light came to a stop and set himself down. Spike hopped off his back and sat next to him, looking up at him curiously. Night Light stared at the training dummy, then twisted to look at the little dragon next to him.
"Alright, Spike. Today we're learning a basic fireball. You might not be able to conjure like a unicorn can, but don't you EVER forget you're special, and you have skills no pony else has. I'm sorry I've been neglecting you." He said stiffly, gesturing towards the training dummy in front of them. He flashed Spike a warm smile, and Spike balked. Was this more cruelty? Did Night Light not know he couldn't breathe fire? Making fun of him again?! He was only a few years old and he was- he frowned when he caught sight of a quiet grin tugging at Night Light's lips.
"Soldier! I said we're learning a basic fireball! TEN-HUT" Night Light Shouted quite suddenly, and Spike instantly stood at attention, unable to help but giggle at the goofy, exaggerated salute Night Light gave him.
"As you know. We're under attack from the enemy forces! The dreaded straw people from...Straw...town. Yes. Straw town. Straw town is a dangerous place, but our scouts have discovered they have one weakness! We're brushing up on fire techniques today soldier! We start with a deeeeep breath. In deep Spike!" Night Light barked, and Spike took in as much air as he could.
"Now, let it out, slowly. Thaaaats it, relax and take the air in, let it out, and just relax." He explained, slowly circling the little dragon. He paused behind Spike, and slowly straightened his shoulders so that he was squarely pointed at the dummy.
"See the target in your mind. Can you see it?" He asked. Spike quickly nodded his head, glaring at the training dummy with a hateful expression. Night Light nodded his head.
"Alright, soldier, take in a deep breath, hold it in your tummy, and try to imagine it bursting into a ball of flame. Really really super duper hot, right in your tummy! It's so hot you've gotta let it out! Ready?! BURN!" Night Light snapped, and Spike hopped forward and blew out- absolutely nothing. He was a failure. A broken dragon. Sadly, he glanced up at Night Light, who was peering at the straw dummy.
"Soldier! The enemy target is still active! You're not going to give up on me now, are you? After one try? You know you can't succeed unless you fail soldier! Breathe in deep...real deep...gooood...let it out...focus on the fire in your tummy, let's try again..." He cooed, and Spike glanced up at him quietly.
"I can't do this. "He whimpered softly and Night Light sat down next to him.
"Hey...hey don't worry about it. I'm so proud of you for coming out here and trying to learn with me. We won't stop until we get it, but even if we don't, we'll go and get some ice cream afterward, so no matter what, we'll have a lovely day. How's that sound?" He asked, and yelped when Spike tackled him into a fearsome hug.
"Wonderful!!" he sobbed.
Night Light smiled lovingly and pulled Spike back into a combat pose, pointing him towards the straw target dummy. In truth, Night Light was making it up as he went along, but as long as Spike was having fun, so was he. He liked the little dragon quite a bit. He smiled and leaned down next to him.
"Remember, breathe deep, we got this." He whispered. Spike grinned.
**************
"I DID IT!!" Spike screamed, throwing himself into the house with wild shouts of glory. Twilight Velvet was in the kitchen, preparing to bake a cake. She'd never seen Spike so excited as he rushed in, hazy smoke drifting from his nostrils!
"Well, I almost did it. We've got the smoke part! It took all morning, but-" He pauses and blew out another darkish wisp of smoke that rose up and vanished into the air.
"That's terrific honey! Congratulations!" Twilight Velvet smiled warmly and watched Spike go tearing through the house again. He had to find Twilight and Shining!! Quietly, Twilight Velvet slipped over to her husband and rested her head on his shoulder.
"You told me there were no books on how to tame dragons." Velvet murmured in awe of her husband's achievements. Night Light smiled quietly and shook his head.
"There aren't. But that's okay. " He said. "I'm not taming a dragon; I'm raising a son."
Author's Note
more family shenanigans for the group. People liked 'member when' and this is an idea I've had on back burner for a while now. Have some Spike/ Light goodness. <3
(and yes, I know Mane-iac is a she. That's part of the joke, his Dad doesn't read comics. ;) )
