Finding your Wings

"And that's everything," said Twilight, closing the book. She was arguably more embarrassed than Scootaloo. While Scootaloo had been the one on full display, it was Twilight who had to be the one to verify the information, with assistance from Spike and with consultation from Smolder. "You can return to your seats, now."

Scootaloo closed her legs and climbed off the table. It was embarrassing to have been on display like that, especially with Spike groping and prodding at her. Twice, he'd tried to stop the activity, claiming that the method couldn't be real and was being made up, but Twilight showed him the diagram and instructions every time, and Ember would explain the purposes of each test.

Spike still thought it was odd to stick a claw into Scootaloo's pussy and taste the discharge as a medical procedure, but when he described the taste as rich, Ember informed him that being too sweet was a mark of kidney or liver problems, and bitter meant an infection. Rich meant healthy. He also thought that the test where he shoved his penis down her throat was untoward, but he did learn something from doing so: Dragons come equipped with a secondary tube leading from their nasal cavity directly to their lungs. It was a very old mutation, which was intended to keep them from choking on their food, but in recent years, had been seen as something to keep them from choking on other things.

The last test before they sat down was a chemical test, and would not be ready for a good few minutes while the reaction was happening, but it would confirm the pregnancy.

"What outcome are you hoping for?" asked Smolder.

"I don't want to jinx it," smiled Scootaloo shyly. "I'll just wait for the results."

"I hope it's negative," said Ember, meshing her claws together.

Twilight furrowed her brow. "Really? You don't want her bringing forth more dragons?"

Ember leaned back. "You like to think, Twilight. Consider the following: Being a parent is already a difficult task, no matter the species. This is true for yaks, ponies, gryphons, et cetera. It does not become untrue just because she's a dragon."

"That's true," nodded Twilight. "However, with proper guidance for her, as well as for Spike, I trust that they can manage it together."

Smolder shook her head. "While your faith in them is reassuring, it is not their willpower I doubt. Being as young as they are, they very likely are lacking experience, something all new parents share. It is a task many have overcome, to good effect or ill, depending on their circumstances. I trust that Spike and Scootaloo will do their best to raise their offspring if they have any, with help from more experienced parents."

"Then why do you hope she's not?"

Ember held up a claw. "I have several more reasons. Consider, as well, that Scootaloo, here, is new to being a dragon. While her knowledge of dragons may possibly be grander than my estimate, due to her closeness with Spike, she was unquestionably confused by some of the methods used in her physical examination. Her knowledge of dragonkind is lacking, and as a result, I question her knowledge of how to care for baby dragons, especially when she herself is still having trouble walking without wobbling."

"She can learn," argued Twilight. "I learned dragon care, and I didn't even have the benefit of up-to-date literature. She has access to better, clearer information than I did raising Spike. Even if she doesn't have the books, I can always add my own advice, clearly better than nothing, if you'll look at how Spike turned out. And even better, there are lines of communication with the dragons, now, so she can always send a letter to you or one of your vassals, or you can send a dragon of your choosing to check in on her periodically. She may be inexperienced and not very knowledgeable on dragon physiology, but she's certainly not dumb."

Scootaloo blushed at the vote of confidence. It was true that she wanted to learn more about dragons, now that she was one, and it couldn't hurt to do a bit of research. Spike helped Twilight with research all the time; he'd be a huge help in figuring out what to do.

"It's not just the physiology," sighed Ember. "This is the big reason." She reached into her bag and pulled out another book. "This one is not a gift, as I have to bring it back with me, but for as long as I am here, you may look over it."

"What is it?" asked Twilight, waving for the book to be passed to her.

"This is volume eighty-six of the collection of dragon rules, codes, creeds and guidelines. Chapter sixteen, section thirty-six, subsection B, point four. If you would?"

Twilight flipped open to the five paragraphs associated with that rule. As she read, her jaw began to slowly drop, and her face began to pale. "Does this mean..."

"It does," confirmed Ember. "And that is neither a code, creed nor guideline. It's a hard and fast rule."

"But you're in charge of the dragons now," insisted Twilight. "You can grant an exception!"

"Spike was granted exemption," she nodded. "Scootaloo is also exempt from this ruling. Any hatchlings, however, are bound by it."

"Can't you grant them exemption? Let them be with their mother!"

"Point sixteen," answered Ember, pointing to the book.

Twilight rushed to that section and quickly read it, burying her face in her hooves. "I'm such an idiot..."

Spike put a claw on her shoulder. "You're not an idiot," he smiled. "You're one of the smartest ponies I know!"

"Read those two sections, Spike," commanded Ember.

Spike did as she said, and when he had finished, he swallowed hard. Immediately, he returned to Twilight. "It's not your fault," he breathed. "You did the right thing, and you made sure it was all above-board. It's not your fault, Twilight."

Smolder checked the vial. "It's blue," she announced. "Scootaloo is carrying fertilized eggs."

Ember sighed and clasped her claws together. "Well, this has gone to shit. I almost knew it would, but I was hoping to avoid this." She turned to Scootaloo. "By the laws of the dragon lands, those eggs will need to be taken back with us, where they can be hatched in the claws of a more experienced parent. The main reason I was hoping you weren't pregnant was that I didn't want to be forced to confiscate your eggs."