Finding your Wings

Twilight woke them up the following morning. "Come on, you two, it's ten o'clock already!"

Spike fell to the ground in a panic, and then limped out of the room, his left leg still asleep. Scootaloo had been on top of it since three.

Scootaloo picked herself up, rubbing her sore jaw. "Sorry about that, Twilight. We were up half the night."

"Doing what?"

Scootaloo reached over and grabbed one of the condoms. "These don't work, by the way. They're too big, and they slip right off."

"Did you try the small ones?"

"These are the small ones. They're small as compared to an adult stallion, not a baby dragon. We even tried using the spines poking out of his base to hold it in place." She held one up that had been shredded. "Don't you have anything smaller and more durable?"

Twilight's pupils retracted. She hadn't considered that. Were there even condoms for dragons as small as Spike?

"I'll see what I can do," she sighed. "In the meantime, it's almost lunchtime. You should start working on what you're going to be doing today. I have it on good authority that Sweetie Belle is back, and Apple Bloom should be done with her chores. Plus, your center of balance has changed, so you might want to check to see if you're still crafty with the scooter."

Scootaloo smiled, remembering her falls the day before. "I think I'll do just that."

Twilight escorted Scootaloo to the front door, but just as they were about to open it, there was a loud knock. Twilight pulled the door open, and there stood Ember, Garble and Smolder.

"This her?" asked Ember, folding her claws. "Or is she still in the castle, somewhere?"

"No, this is her," nodded Twilight. "She was just on her way out."

"She should stay," said Ember. "It is her future we are here to discuss, and she needs to be present for it."

"I will take care of whatever tasks she needed to do," volunteered Smolder. "What are they?"

"She needs some exercise," stated Twilight. "Three laps around Ponyville. Off you go, then. And keep an eye on her balance; that's important."

Smolder pouted. "You're fucking with me."

"It really is good for her health," argued Twilight. "We'd have been ready for you if you'd responded to my letter."

"We're here, aren't we?" snorted Garble.

"Yeah, but I have meetings today, and Scootaloo here has other things she needs to do. If you'd sent back a letter saying when you'd be here, I'd have rescheduled."

Ember narrowed her eyes and turned to Garble. "I did send a message back. Did I not?"

"You did," he confirmed. "I sent it myself."

Spike came running to the door with a scroll from Celestia. Inside of that was a scroll with Ember's seal. Twilight looked it over, and read the one from Celestia aloud.

Dear Twilight,

This arrived yesterday, and I prepared a meeting room here in Canterlot to meet with Ember and her entourage. I was a bit confused at what she was hinting at, but I've only just realized it was meant for you. I hope you have time for this.

Yours, Princess Celestia.

"You sent it to the wrong princess?!" shouted Ember, grabbing his ear. "I said Twilight! Her name was on the letter! How could you fuck that up?!"

"I thought this one was Celestia! Look, she has the sun on her flank!"

"That's an asterism, you clod!"

"That's enough!" shouted Twilight. "I'll try to reschedule some stuff for tonight. In the meantime, Spike can show you to a room. I'm sure you're tired from the journey."

Spike waved for them to follow him, and they came inside. With Twilight's ushering, Scootaloo went out, with a promise to Twilight that she'd be back in time for dinner.

"I can't believe you didn't call us," said Sweetie Belle, walking another circle around Scootaloo. "We'd have found time to come check on you."

"Ah'd'a been done yesterday if ya asked," insisted Apple Bloom. "Ya should'a told me when Ah bumped inta ya!"

"I didn't want to interrupt. Apple Bloom, I knew you were in an emergency, and Sweetie Belle, you've been waiting for two years to take a trip like this!"

"Well, yeah, but that's because Rarity wouldn't let me go. If I had to leave, she would understand and I can always go on the next one."

"An' Ah take breaks every so often. Ya could'a helped me make apple lemonade and served it. An if ya'd come in an' helped, we could'a been side-by-side."

Scootaloo sighed and sat down against the wall to stop Sweetie Belle's circling. "I didn't want to do anything that would cause harm to you. Either of you. What kind of friend puts their problems on the shoulders of a friend who already has too much to deal with? A bad friend, that's who."

"An' by doin' that, ya made us out to be bad friends," argued Apple Bloom. "What kind a' friend doesn't help a friend in need? A bad friend, that's who."

"Look, we're not complaining that you didn't come to us for help," interjected Sweetie Belle. "We just wish that we would have known that you had a problem in the first place. We can't offer to help if we don't know what's going on. Tell us, next time?"

Scootaloo nodded. "So, there's more news."

"More?" Apple Bloom sat down next to her. "Can we help ya in any way?"

"I didn't say bad news."

"Good news, then?" smiled Sweetie.

"Not quite. Just news. I may or may not be pregnant."

Both of their jaws dropped. That was about the reaction she'd expected.

"We don't know for sure yet, and I don't even know how to go about testing that. Twilight had me pee on four little sticks, and three of them said I have "Err.""

"What'd the fourth one say?" asked Sweetie.

""Error.""

"Them things are built for ponies," said Apple Bloom. "It's probably different for a dragon. Applejack says that we can't use the sticks for the sheep on the pigs, or the pig thing on the sheep. There's prob'ly a special one just for dragons."

"Do you think Smolder or Ember might have one?" asked Scootaloo.

"Probably," chuckled Sweetie Belle. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I'm having dinner with them tonight."