Finding your Wings

Spike clung tightly to the reins Rainbow was wearing. She didn't like wearing them, but this was a special occasion. She and Spike had to reach Scootaloo's cavern as soon as possible. Spike had almost fallen off twice already, so there was no time for further delays.

"C-can we go a l-little lower?!" shivered Spike. "It's f-f-freezing up here!"

"No chance!" shot Rainbow back. "Can't have you slipping loose that close to the ground! Besides, the cold air is keeping me awake!"

Twilight and Scootaloo's aunts were still several dozen kilometres back. They'd opted to take the train to the border and fly the rest of the way, but Rainbow was much faster at full speed. She'd be even faster without Spike, but he deserved to be there more than she did, so she didn't mind the extra weight. He was lighter than Lofty, at any rate.

As soon as they crested the last peak, Rainbow opened her wings and began to glide down. Immediately, two guards flew up to chase her down. Spike had their passes, and a quick flash in either direction diffused the situation. A closer inspection would have to be performed after they landed, but just having passes proved that they were cooperating.

They landed just outside of Scootaloo's cave. Having been here multiple times in the last year, they knew exactly where they were going.

Spike was about to hand over the paperwork, when Ember herself came forward. "Don't bother," she commanded. "These visitors are expected and approved for entry. No inspection necessary."

The guards nodded and backed off.

"Thanks, Ember," smiled Spike.

"Why are you still out here?" she grunted. "Scootaloo's inside!"

Spike didn't need to be told twice, rushing inside, followed by Rainbow, who just flopped down on the couch. She'd flown all the way here, a trip that usually took a whole day, in a seven-hour flight. No bathroom breaks, no food breaks, and she was exhausted. It was time for a nap.

Scootaloo was in the nursery, a large chamber off the side of the main hall. Her hosts, a couple named Scepter and Mace, were coiled up at the far end of the room, watching Scootaloo bouncing a tiny dragon on her knee. When Spike entered, she waved him over.

"Is this him?" Spike smiled. "Is this my son?"

Scootaloo shook her head. "There have been a few developments since last night," she shushed. "This is your daughter, Barb. Your son is asleep in his bed."

"Two hatched at the same time?" exclaimed Spike, quietly now so as not to wake him. "That's astounding!"

"Well, no," answered Scootaloo. "Come with me."

They stood up and walked over to the rock pit that had been designated as their bed. Aside from the one Scootaloo was carrying, two more hatchlings were curled up and napping.

"Three?" Spike was on the verge of fainting. "Triplets?"

"Well, one and then the twins," corrected Scootaloo. "Do you know what this means?"

Spike fell backwards, into a chair that was quickly pushed up to him by Scepter's tail. "I'm a dad..."

"More importantly," urged Scootaloo, "We can all move back to Ponyville nine years from right now."

"Nice try," snarked Ember from the doorway, "but they still have to finish out that school year. But you can move back in the summer. That is, assuming that I can't change the laws, but I guess we'll wait and see."

"They do need the basic levels of dragon education," nodded Scootaloo. "Even I'm doing my best to learn through a private tutor, but it's all so much."

"I don't even have a proper dragon education," smirked Spike. "You'll probably know more than I do when you come back."

The other two hatchlings began to stir from their slumber. Scootaloo was quick to climb in with them and be close to them. "Ready to meet them?"

The oldest by a few hours, having hatched the previous night, was the only boy. Cudgel was his name, in honour of Scootaloo's hosts while she was here, and he looked very similar to his mother, except with bright green eyes with a yellow tint. He also had a fanned-out claw at the tip of his tail that could open and close.

Barb, the youngest, looked just like her father, but instead of the hard spines her parents were sporting, hers were fibrous, similar to the way Smolder's was. She also had bitonal irises, but it was far more noticeable than her brother's. Hers were green on the inside, and pink on the outside. Her tail ended with a spade tip, just like her father.

Lastly, as would be expected between purple and orange, the middle child, another girl, was bright red. Her spines started at red near the tip of her tail, which just ended with a point, and changed colour to be purple on top of her head, hitting the entire colour wheel along the way. They were very short spines, but she was also the only one with horns, black and curling backward. She had heterochromia; her left eye was pale blue and her right dark brown. With permission from her eventual godmother, Scootaloo wanted to name her Rainbow Slash, but that would have to wait until after her nap.

"They're all so beautiful," smiled Spike, looking down at them. "And I love their names, too. I do wish I'd have been here to help pick, though."

Scootaloo shook her head. "It all happened so fast. No sooner had we brought Cudgel home than we had to go back because Rainbow was hatching. Scepter stayed behind, of course, to make sure he was supervised, but not ten minutes after bringing Rainbow in, it was right back to the hatchery. And this time, I knew they wouldn't be calling me back in, because I only laid three eggs."

"Yeah," chuckled Spike. "Could you imagine if they called you about another egg hatching?"

"I did imagine it," sighed Scootaloo. "I was worried about it, actually, because I'd already grown attached to them, and giving them back... I don't know if I could. I mean, Rainbow doesn't look like either of us."

"Trust me," interjected Ember, still leaning against the doorframe. "They're yours. I kept them in a secure place and verified that they were all there every day."

"Even so," sighed Spike, "Even if there was a mix-up, I love them either way. As far as I'm concerned, they're my kids."

"Our kids," smiled Scootaloo, cuddling up to him.