Just as the sun was within an hour of setting over the Ponyville horizon, Twilight and Fluttershy had managed to finish all of their errands for the day together. Even though the librarian would’ve preferred to do things on her own to save some time, she knew enough about Fluttershy’s apprehensions regarding Nightmare Night to even consider leaving her behind. Not to mention, she didn’t mind having some company during the day while Spike was out preparing for his fundraiser. By the time they finished the last of their errands, Twilight and her friend were about to leave Sweet Apple Acres with Fluttershy’s book in her possession.

“So, you do have plenty of oil in your lamp at home, right?” asked Twilight with a curious glance behind her smile. “Considering how you’re planning to read that book under your bed, I really don’t want you to try using candles as your primary source of lighting.”

“Oh, don’t be silly, Twilight,” replied Fluttershy with a more carefree smile and a roll of her eyes. “I already learned that lesson when I was still a filly. And don’t worry, I’m taking the utmost precautions when it comes to handling Nightmare Ni--EEEEEPPPPP!!”

As soon as she looked up, Fluttershy shrieked in a panic upon seeing the winged creature hovering inward for a landing. Even though Twilight could tell that it was clearly Fizzle (albeit, while wearing a baggy black hoodie), she also knew about Fluttershy’s dracophobia to understand why she rushed off to cower behind a bale of hay. Fortunately for the dragon himself, and the smaller drake perched atop his back during the flight, Fizzle made sure to land as carefully and quietly as possible to keep from triggering the pegasus. After his claws touched the ground, Fizzle waited until Spike hopped off of his back to stand upright and wave awkwardly. “Uhhhh… H-Hey, Twilight… a-and hi, Fluttershy.”

Twilight kept her muzzle shut, but still tried to smile politely with a wave back at Spike’s apprentice. Fluttershy briefly popped her head from behind the hay bale to respond to Fizzle’s greeting. “H-Hi, Fizzle. Ummm… I’m sorry, but I’d rather not get too close…”

“It’s alright,” assured Fizzle with a raised claw, even though his muzzle was slightly skewed in tension. “I-I know it’s not because of me personally. Spike already explained it.”

Fluttershy made sure to smile gratefully with a nod, but then quickly disappeared from the dragon’s line of sight again. However, it seemed that the pegasus wasn’t the only one trying to keep their presence discrete from unwanted eyes. As soon as Spike got off of Fizzle’s back, Twilight could see that he was wearing the dark purple bathrobe Rarity made for him back in the Spring. He also tried to keep his face pointed away from his guardian, mostly to keep her from reacting uncomfortably from the part of his costume he couldn’t hide. Even though the drake’s modesty was a rare sight to see, Twilight was grateful that he was trying to place her feelings into consideration.

“So, ummm…” Twilight didn’t want to stay silent, but she had to take a moment to think of what to say after beginning to speak. Fortunately, she was able to take note of Fizzle’s hoodie as she asked, “... I’m gonna take a wild guess and assume that isn’t your costume for tonight?”

“Hmm? Oh! No, it’s not,” answered Fizzle upon looking down at himself. He then chuckled lightly as he scratched the back of his neck with his claws. “I just find it a bit easier to have it on when walking around with Spike. Dragons aren’t really known for their tolerance to cold weather.”

“I completely understand,” assured Twilight with a wave of her hoof. However, her positive demeanor skewed slightly as she tried to sneak a glance over towards Spike. “But… I’m assuming that Spike is already in costume?”

“Yeah,” admitted Fizzle with a slight shrug of his shoulders before putting his claw back down. “He had the bathrobe on before we left the Carousel Boutique because there were still a ton of kids out on the streets. Even I would’ve covered up.”

“Well, that’s good to know.” Twilight kept her optimistic smile as tried to speak to Spike, even though she could see enough of his makeup to make her struggle not to wince. “So, ummm… Spike, do you two have everything accounted for?”

“Yep!” Despite his hesitance to look back at her directly, Spike stayed positive as he pulled out the triple-checked list he had in his backpack, and let her take it in her aura while he spoke. “Fizzle’s outfit is in my backpack, and we made sure the stocks were secure this morning. All we need to do is make sure Mac and Caramel are ready to set us up.”

“Well, I just saw them in the house upstairs,” replied Twilight with a motion of her head back towards the main barn behind her. “I think Applejack and Granny Smith are still in the kitchen, so you probably won’t run into them if you go through the dining room to reach the stairs.”

“Nice! Thanks for the head’s up!” Spike’s makeup wasn’t nearly as obscene as his covered outfit, but he was thankful for that tip as he went towards the house. “I’ll be right back, Fizzle. So just wait here.”

The dragon nodded his head, and didn’t say much as he watched his mentor walk off towards the farmhouse. Fluttershy quickly left her hiding spot to follow the drake, clearly using him as an excuse to distance herself from the more mature-looking dragon. As the pegasus trotted to the house first, Spike paused to wave back at Twilight and say, “Oh, happy Nightmare Night, Twilight! Rarity and Rainbow said Hi!”

“Thanks, Spike!” Twilight waved back, and sighed more contently as he saw Spike disappear into the house with Fluttershy. Unfortunately, the mare then looked as awkward as Fizzle as the two turned back towards each other, realizing that they were alone without anyone else to talk to. Even though Twilight was able to accept Spike having an apprentice, she couldn’t say she was able to learn much about him aside his name. Likewise, Fizzle seemed just as uncomfortable being alone with her by himself, since Spike was usually nearby to keep any unpleasantness at bay.

However, despite feeling unsure how to approach talking with Spike’s legal guardian (especially after hearing some of the stories the drake shared about her), Fizzle tried to clear his throat to speak up first. “Ummm… So uhhh, Twilight…”

The mare tilted her head a little, but kept her attention on the dragon as he tried to say something. After taking a quick breath to refocus himself, Fizzle’s voice came out more confidently when he tried smiling back at her. “I know I already said this before, but I… I really can’t thank you enough for helping me out during my, ummm… apprenticeship with Spike.”

Twilight sighed softly as her own smile became more relaxed. “Hey, it’s no problem, Fizzle,” she said assuredly back at him. “All I did was write to Celestia about you learning Equestrian culture from Spike. If anything, you should be thanking her for paying for your lodging in Ponyville.”

Fizzle nodded in agreement, but still gave a warmer smile to the librarian nonetheless. Of course, Twilight couldn’t blame him for wanting to show his thanks regarding that gesture. If it wasn’t for that check the Princess sent shortly after Twilight’s letter, the dragon probably would’ve slept somewhere outdoors during his time being mentored by Spike. Not to mention, the unicorn was certain that providing Fizzle a hotel room helped him try to better understand generosity; Spike’s recollection of what happened with his Dragon Greed probably helped, but she could remember how gracious Fizzle looked upon seeing the inside of that room.

“Yeah, I probably should,” admitted Fizzle with a meager shrug, “but still, I just… I know you could’ve easily turned me away when I came to learn from Spike. But… But you’ve been really supportive of Spike from what I’ve seen, and… and I really appreciate that.”

Twilight wasn’t sure how to process the dragon’s kind words, but they were sincere enough to make her smile with a faint blush. Part of her wanted to just accept that compliment, and thank him for treating her with the same respect he did for Spike. However, it wasn’t long before the mare sighed and gave a more honest reply. “Well… I guess I just wanted to make up for how I used to act with him regarding his, ummm… you know…”

Fizzle only nodded as his expression turned as uneasy as Twilight’s. Despite how far she’s come to accept Spike for who he was, even Fizzle knew there were some barriers that haven’t been crossed as of yet. Of course, most of those were out of mutual respect between her and the drake, like referring to him as an ‘Escort’ instead of a ‘Slut’. Fortunately, it seemed that Fizzle knew enough about their relationship to try and retort in her defense. “Honestly? I really don’t think Spike is upset with you about any of that stuff. Well… except maybe that book shelf thing…”

“Ughhh…” Twilight winced upon remembering that night; even if Spike didn’t get Celestia involved, she knew that her actions were beyond stupid in retrospect. Nonetheless, the librarian was able to look past that moment quickly enough to register what Fizzle said before that mention. “Wait, you… you really don’t think Spike is upset about everything?”

“I don’t think so,” he answered with a shrug and more casual smile on his muzzle. “I mean, from where I see it, it seems like you’ve been handling everything pretty well! You may have been a bit protective, sure, but… Heck, Spike totally understands that! Not to mention you’ve also like, listened to him and stuff. Even when he first wanted to be a Sl--I mean, Escort, you… you agreed to let him talk to a therapist and make sure he was okay. I really doubt many other parents would be chill enough to accept that. Or uhhh… whatever your relationship with him is…”

Twilight nodded once more, her muzzle slightly clenched as she processed the dragon’s words. She could tell that Fizzle was being genuine with his positive opinions, and she could even agree with him to a large extent. Even when she was first freaking out immensely about Spike’s newfound mindset, she never once tried to dismiss him completely. But still, the unicorn could only shrug after a moment of thought. “Well… I really do appreciate hearing that, Fizzle. I really do…”

Fizzle could tell something was up, but kept his muzzle closed while studying Twilight’s discomforted expression. After another moment, she sighed with her head slightly lowered in guilt. “Honestly, I wish more ponies in town had that same opinion. I know that Raspberry Mousse isn’t the only one who thinks poorly of me because of Spike…”

Fizzle let out a brief huff, and looked more determined as he debunked Twilight’s statement. “Well, first of all, you really shouldn’t be letting Spike’s choices affect how you see yourself. You did nothing wrong with raising him, and I’ve met enough of Spike’s clients to know I’m not the only one who thinks that.”

Despite how truthfully Fizzle made that claim, Twilight tilted her head confusedly with a raised brow. “Wait, what do you mean by that?”

“Do you know how many times Spike had to stop a session early because he had to help you around the library?” he asked in a more matter-of-fact tone. “I mean, I totally respect that measure, since he still lives with you and all. But you know what? I haven’t met a single stallion who was against that either. If Spike ever needed to stop to get back to you, guys are usually like, ‘Oh, that’s fine!’ or, ‘Oh okay, say Hi to Twilight for me!’ or something like that. They never got mad, or impatient, or acted like they mattered more than you. They totally respect you as his guardian, and don’t look down at you at all.”

Twilight’s eyes were widened a bit after hearing that detail, clearly not having known that Spike gartered that sort of respect from stallions regarding her; although to be fair, she never tried to ask Spike about what he did to constitute that detail ever being mentioned. But still, her look of confoundment caused Fizzle to smile more warmly towards her, and add with a more casual tone, “And after spending so much time with him, I don’t blame any of those guys for respecting Spike so much. He may be kinda direct at times, or uhhh… maybe a little flirty when he shouldn’t be, but I never once saw him acting rude around a pony. He was always really kind, and polite, and knew when to back off if a stallion wasn’t interested. I mean, compared to some of the dragon sluts back home, he’s waaaaayyyyy different in comparison.”

“Really?” asked Twilight as her tone of voice remained intrigued. However, Fizzle could see that the mare also had a hint of optimism behind her puzzled expression. Because of that, the dragon felt a lot more comfortable while explaining things from his own perspective.

“Totally! Like, back in the Dragon Lands, most of the sluts I saw would be, like… really possessive and desperate if they didn’t get enough action. For them, it was more like… a drug or something. Like, they needed their fix for their own pleasure and nobody else’s. But when it comes to Spike, it’s like… the exact opposite. He does it to help others just as much as himself, and it just… you can tell he didn’t learn that kind of politeness from dragons…”

After blinking a couple times, Twilight was able to process Fizzle’s words enough to start smiling more naturally. “Ummm… wow, I… I honestly never realized that...”

“Well,” continued Fizzle as he paused for a second to shrug, “what I’m trying to say is that… you did a really great job raising Spike. He’s not even fully grown physically, but… he has way more class and respect for others than most adult dragons I know. He’s kind, courteous, generous, polite, and… honestly, I’ve never met anyone with as much self-confidence and love for themself as he does. And it just… it makes me really wanna aspire to be like him…”

Twilight nodded in silence while a hoof was over her mouth, hopeful that could keep Fizzle from seeing how much her smile was trembling. Even though the dragon could still tell she was getting emotional from the way her eyes were beading up, he didn’t point that out as he said one last thing. “I know there might be some ponies who’ll judge him for what he does, but… that doesn’t change the fact that he does it with one of the biggest hearts I’ve ever seen. And I just… I wanna thank you for giving him that.”

Twilight’s face scrunched in, and her cheeks were blushing hard while trying her hardest not to look too overwhelmed. Fizzle bit his lip while looking between the unicorn and the house, seeing that they were still alone. After a couple seconds, the dragon glanced back at her before putting his arms out. “Ummm… do you, like… need a hug?”

Twilight nodded almost instantly, and lunged in to wrap her forelegs around Fizzle’s torso. The dragon was a little taken aback as seen by his blush, but he still smiled gratefully as he returned the gesture. By the time Spike finally emerged from the farmhouse in his robe, he froze upon seeing his guardian and apprentice hugging from the distance. He didn’t say anything, but he had to look away with a touched smile to keep from ruining his mascara. After about a minute, the two finally pulled away as Twilight frantically wiped her face with a foreleg.

“Th-Thanks,” she muttered while trying not to look back at Fizzle directly, feeling a little flustered that the nympho dragon got to her in such a profound way. Nevertheless, she was still able to smile thankfully after taking a breath to settle down. “I-I gotta say, you… you’re a really good dragon, Fizzle.”

“Well, you’re not the first pony to say that~” replied Fizzle with a coy chuckle, and then an awkward blush when he realized that may have been inappropriate. He coughed a little in awkwardness before clearing his throat, and adding with a more sincere, “Seriously though, I… I really doubt I can take all the claim for that, Twilight. I mean… Spike is a heck of a good teacher.”

“He really is, isn’t he?” After sighing with a more contented look on her face, she looked back to see Spike waiting by the door alongside Fluttershy. She smiled back at him with a look of pure respect, and turned back to Fizzle to say, “Not to mention, he’s… he’s also a wonderful son~”

Fizzle gave her another hug in response to that, which she accepted gratefully. By the time Spike and Fluttershy finally came back to the two, it seemed that Twilight and Fizzle were on much better terms with each other than they may have been before. Fortunately, neither the drake or the pegasus tried to ask what was up, and just looked happy to see how well they clicked.

“Whoo!~” Twilight huffed more contently after that much-needed discussion, and didn’t mind Spike’s makeup as she went in to hug him farewell. “Okay, I need to drop Fluttershy off at her place. And I’ll be sure to have breakfast ready for you and Fizzle in the morning~”

“Ooh, nice! Thanks, Twi~” Spike hugged her back tightly, and waited until she pulled away to add with a caring smile behind his makeup, “Uhhhh… I’ll try not to raise too much trouble, alright?”

“I know you’ll make the right choices,” she assured while rubbing the top of his scales, and bending in to kiss him sweetly on the forehead. “Okay, I love you, Spike. Have fun~”

“I love you too,” he said with a blushed smile, before he and Fizzle watched the two mares make their leave. As the drake and his apprentice waved the two goodbye, Spike took a quick breath before glancing back at his Fizzle, and grinning more sultrily in anticipation. “And don’t worry… we’re gonna have a lot of fun~”

Author's Note

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