Molt Down: TLC Timeline

As Rarity advised, I start a shower in an effort to get rid of the odor. I can only hope it will help, and that my fire cooperates long enough to make this a little bit easier at the very least.

In the middle of my shower, Rarity knocks on the door. Lucky the curtain is over the tub to keep the water from flowing out into the rest of the bathroom, and my fire breath under some semblance of control.

“So sorry to interrupt, Spike,” says Rarity as the sound of her hooves signal her coming into the bathroom. “Mangle left now that you’re educated on this molt. But Twilight dropped off the creme you needed from Zecora’s and left to take Aita on a walk. She put it on the roundtable in the library.”

“Sounds- hm!” I burp fire as I try to answer, but not before separating myself from the shower brush out of safety. The fire fizzles out due to the running water, allowing me to take the brush back. “Sounds great. If only I could keep my stomach under control long enough to CLEAN MYSELF!”

“Oh, funny you brought that up. Twilight suggested I fetch you a large glass of water to calm your pyrotension while she’s gone.”

Rarity sounds like she’s setting down a mug on the sink counter. That must be the water she’s talking about.

“Have you talked to Starlight?”

From the sound of it, Rarity simply walks out and closes the door behind her, clearly not hearing me trying to speak. I toss the brush I’ve been using over the curtain in the process of planting a claw on my face.

“You have to be kidding.” Suddenly the stone scales kick in again. “AH! WHY DO I ITCH SO MUCH?!?”

After several wailing grunts, I turn off the water in between scratching, only to have to turn it on again when I have another one of my fire burps. This is sure going to be a long day.

Not long after the school disappears from view, Twilight begins conversing.

“So, did you see any stone scales, Aita?”

“I saw one yesterday,” I reply. “and so did Rarity, but it didn’t look like such a big deal when I saw it, even if it did seem uncomfortable.”

“Well, I’m really glad Spike slept in in hindsight then. You would not believe the breakout he had when I woke him up while you were in school.”

A breakout, huh? That sure sounds familiar to me.

“He’s growing. It’s probably just puberty. I remember Tim used to get acne as a teenager. I’m not entirely sure about dragons, but science videos from back home taught me everyone builds up skin oil that washes away when we shower. Spike probably had excess oil on his right cheek if he had a stone scale there.”

Twilight is stunned at what I speculate. “That’s… actually a really good explanation. Spike never did get any dry skin last winter like he usually does that time of year. Well anyway, there was also apparently a body odor.”

“Aaaand yeah, this really is starting to sound like puberty, Twilight. What’s next? Vocal impulses? Clock shifts?”

“Well, there’s also the fire burps.”

I buzz my wings in excitement when I hear that fire is involved. “Ooh, I can imagine it’d be quite the show to watch.”

“And a big safety hazard. It’s why Zecora advised me to take you on a walk while Spike is coping.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I remember the morning before Thorax and Ember met, the former ended up instinctually attracted to the Ceremonial Dragon Fire of Friendship. But close proximity will especially spell disaster for a changeling.”

I hang my head in disappointment. “Aw…”

“Don’t worry, Aita. Spike’s condition shouldn’t last too much longer. I did some research the past weekend while you two were with Rarity. His-”

“Wait, you noticed too?”

“Well, he was holding his cheek the entire day, even before breakfast. Anyway, the process seems to take around thirty six hours. Chances are this started early in the morning yesterday, which means he should be done by supper.”

“Ah! I don’t think this is gonna be done by supper!”

All throughout the castle, I have to constantly stop and rub my back against the walls I’m so itchy, starting with my room, Aita’s, Starlight’s, Twilight’s, the kitchen, the throne room and the dining room - not to mention. In the library, I end up knocking over all four DS’s off the mirror, trying to relieve all this itch. In the middle of using the mirror as a backscratcher, Starlight comes in to see me.

“Is… this a bad time, Spike? You look like you’re glowing diamonds.”

“That’s not important right now! Where’s the creme?!?”

“Here you go.” Starlight floats a potion over to me from on the roundtable that I somehow miseed. She then opens it up. “You wouldn’t happen to see Aita, would you Spike? He’s been gone all day.”

“Gee! I didn’t know it was that late! Ahah!”

Starlight attempts to come close to me, but is repelled by the odor, which I thought I mitigated with that shower. At least the water helped. “Eugh… are you sure you just got yourself cleaned?”

Just as Starlight gathers the determination to fight the odor and put the stone scale creme on me, the glowing fades away, along with the stone scales blending in.

“Huh? What just happened?”

I sigh in relief. “Finally, I thought that itching would never stop.”

“Well, now that that’s over. I guess we’ll just start picking up. Starting with-”

Starlight is interrupted when crackling sounds start coming from my body. Looking around me, my skin seems to be hardening, starting from my lower back and spreading to the rest of my body. “W-what’s happening?!? I… I can’t mo-”

And so, I am entirely encased in a hard shell. Should’ve known something like that was going to happen. I suddenly get teleported to outside the castle.