My Little Injured Dragon

by CrypticGoose

Rating: everyone
Tags: Princess Cadance, Twilight Sparkle, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Romance, Original Character
Length: 4867

When Princess Cadence’ little dragon gets hurt in an accident and now has to rest, Cadence comes to a realization that maybe she doesn’t know as much as she thinks she does about dragons.

Dragons are virtually indestructible creatures, right? There is a reason why they are the stuff of legend in stories. Their strength and resilience knows no bounds… unless their name is Scales Solace. In which case, he is a little dragon and isn’t indestructible yet.

After a good deed goes wrong, Scales finds himself with a broken leg and forced to rest to recover. Normally, he wouldn’t be too thrilled about staying put, but fortunately for him, he has Princess Cadence to keep him company.

While watching over him, it comes to Cadence’ attention that Scales has a lot more needs than she realizes. And also that she knows very little about the dragon race. It doesn’t help that literally all of Equestria knows nothing else about dragons either…

Luckily for Cadence, she knows just the bookworm who does happen to know everything. Including information that will help her better understand dragons as a species so she can give Scales the proper attention he needs.

Published 2024-12-16 05:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2024-12-16 05:00:00 UTC

My Little Injured Dragon

“…Is he going to be okay?”

“Be okay? Cadence, he’s a dragon! Of course he’ll be okay.”

“But, Twilight! He’s still considered a hatchling in dragon years, just like Spike! His little bones are fragile like a foal’s bones.”

“I think you’re overreacting, Cadence.”

“I am not!”

Within the confines of the Crystal Palace, located in the private chambers of the Princess of Love herself, two mares stood over the bed looking down at a little yellow dragon. It was Scales, and he had gotten himself into a bit of a pickle…

Princess Cadence had a worried expression painted over her features as she stared down at her little dragon. He was resting currently, having fainted from the shock of everything that happened earlier. She didn’t expect her day to go like this, with her little sweetheart breaking his leg. Specifically, his left back leg. She had let him go out on his own in the Crystal Empire without her supervision because the alicorn princess was busy with some royal affairs, so she thought nothing of it at the time to let him go on his own.

Oh what a mistake that was.

“Are you sure he will be fine, Twilight? He doesn’t look fine…” Cadence said in a worried tone.

“Cadence! For the last time, Scales will be fine. He’s a dragon for Celestia’s sake. They heal just like all the other creatures in Equestria.” The mare that Cadence was speaking to was none other than Twilight Sparkle. She had a slightly exhausted frown on her face, having dealt with Cadence’ worrying for a bit now.

The purple unicorn mare, Twilight, had been messaged by Princess Cadence to come to the Crystal Empire as soon as she learned that Scales needed some additional help. When she found out about his condition and his broken leg, her first instinct was to get one of her many royal doctor’s who were on standby to treat the little dragon prince. Though that’s where the pink alicorn ran into a glaring issue…

Nopony in the Crystal Empire knew how to treat a dragon.

In hindsight, it made perfect sense why nopony didn’t know anything about the physiology of a dragon. But by Celestia’s mane, did it irk Princess Cadence to no end. There was not a single pony who could help her little dragon love! Not even herself to that extent… And that made her feel horrible. So the pink alicorn got in touch with her good friend, Twilight Sparkle, because she knew if anypony could help her, it was the Element of Magic herself.

Cadence continued to give Twilight a worried look, the pink alicorn’s heart aching at the sight of Scales on the bed with a broken leg. “I just want to make sure he’s getting the care he needs. Could you believe that nopony in the Crystal Empire knows how to treat a dragon! It’s Unbelievable!”

Twilight merely rolled her eyes, “Welcome to my world, Cadence. This is what happens when you take care of a little dragon. You run into problems like this.”

Cadence huffed, still feeling frustrated over the fact that her sweetheart of a dragon couldn’t get the proper help he needed. “It’s still annoying! My little prince is currently lying on my bed with a broken leg and not even my best doctors know how to help him just because he is a different species! Ugh! How did I not realize this problem sooner!?”

Twilight could see that her good friend was letting her frustrations get the best of her. So she trotted up to her and put a forehoof on the pink alicorn’s shoulder, trying to be reassuring about the situation.

“It’ll be okay, Cadence. I promise. That’s what friends are for, right? We help each other in times of need like this. And I want Scales to get better too.”

Cadence calmed down and exhaled softly, giving the purple unicorn a small smile of gratitude. “Thanks, Twilight. I really appreciate you coming out here on such short notice. You were the only pony I could think of that might have an idea on what to do.”

Twilight returned the smile and then turned her attention back to the little yellow dragon lying in the bed. “I’ll certainly try, Cadence. He’s really lucky to have somepony like you to care for him. Especially in a place where dragon healthcare doesn't really exist.”

“Heh, I know he’s lucky to have me. Just as I am lucky to have him as well…” When she said that, Cadence glanced over at Scales’ unconscious form and gave him a loving expression.

Twilight could see the love and affection Cadence held for the little yellow dragon, the sight of such devotion tugging at her own heartstrings. “I know you’re worried about him, but I promise he will be fine. Dragons are resilient creatures by nature. These kinds of things happen.”

“I’m aware of that, Twilight. It just hurts my heart to see him not be his happy little self.” The pink alicorn sighed and turned her attention back to Twilight. “A part of me wishes I was there to help him immediately when he got hurt, but another part of me is also glad I wasn’t there to witness his initial shock of being hurt. I don’t think my heart could have taken it.”

At this point, the two stood there in silence, glancing back and forth between each other and Scales resting on the bed. Cadence’ face was still etched full of concern and she couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. But that’s what happens when your lover is hurt, you worry for them.

After a few more minutes of silence, Twilight decided to give Cadence some space so that the purple unicorn could be productive while they waited for Scales to awaken. “Alright, if it’s okay with you, I’m going to head down to the library and see if there is anything useful on dragons you might want to know.”

Cadence gave Twilight a small grateful smile. “Thanks again, Twilight. You’re a great friend.”

With that, the purple unicorn then left Princess Cadence’ private chambers, leaving the pink alicorn by herself with her little dragon prince. The only sound that could be heard in the room now was the soft breathing of Scales’ sleeping form. His back laying on top of the bed sheets with his left hind leg propped up on some pillows.

It was a slightly uncomfortable silence to Princess Cadence, her heart aching and worrying greatly for Scales. This was the first time he had gotten hurt like this, and she wasn’t even there to prevent it! And based on what she heard from eye witnesses, it sounded like Scales was just trying to help the crystal ponies out. Though unfortunately an accident occurred and… here she is now, overlooking his unconscious injured form.

The pink alicorn leaned forward and placed her front hooves on the side of the bed, looking down at Scales and speaking in a whispered tone. Her ears folded back against her head, “Oh, my sweet little Scales… I hope you get better soon. I wish you didn’t have to go through this right now.”

As Princess Cadence spoke in her hushed quiet tone of affection, she heard him groan a little and begin to stir from his slumber. The little yellow dragon shifted in his spot on the bed and his ears flicked multiple times. Hearing him groan caused the mare’s ears to perk up, a hint of hope overcoming her saddened expression.

It didn’t take long before she saw those familiar emerald green irises again as they fluttered open. It took a moment for Scales’ eyes to adjust to the lighting of the room, the circular pupils in his eyes dilating and adjusting properly before ultimately expanding at the sight of Princess Cadence.

“Cadence…?”

“Oh! Scales! You’re awake!” Cadence said happily before wrapping her forehooves around his small neck. She nuzzled him tenderly against the cheek, taking comfort in him being awake now. “I was so worried! When I heard that you had been hurt and fainted, I came right away and did everything I could to try and get you someplace comfortable.”

The little yellow dragon smiled tiredly and let out a gentle yawn, his small fangs being visible for a brief moment. “Thanks, Cadence… Ugggh, my leg… What happened?”

When Scales groaned out in pain, Cadence turned her head to look downwards where his left hind leg had been propped up by the pillow. There was a decent amount of thick bandage wrapped around his little leg to act as a cast.

“Your leg…” She started, glancing back at him nervously. “It’s broken. At least, from what we can tell. Whatever accident you had, you hurt yourself pretty badly. Just what were you doing that got you so hurt?”

Blinking tiredly and viewing his somewhat casted leg, Scales thought back to what happened that caused him to be in this position. Slowly, a small red hue filled his cheeks as he blushed out of embarrassment.

“Y-You know how I told you I was going to help the crystal ponies today?” Scales gulped, knowing that Cadence was not like what he was going to say. “Well… They needed some help pulling a lot of carts full of general supplies to deliver the goods around the empire. And I may have tried pulling multiple at once… heh…”

That explanation of his worried Cadence even more. Her amethyst eyes grew large with concern as she specifically remembered telling him not to overdo it today. “Scales! Why did you think that was a good idea!?”

His own ears drooped down to the sides of his head as he heard the pink alicorn’s light scolding. “I-I just wanted to help the crystal ponies get done in a timely manner. They said some of those supplies were running behind on their delivery schedules and I thought that maybe I could pull multiple at once… I’m sorry.”

Upon hearing Scales further explain himself, Princess Cadence’ expression morphed into that of a soft smile. Even if she was a bit upset that he tried to do something as reckless as pushing his own body to the extreme like that, it still warmed her heart to know Scales was trying his best to be a big help around the Crystal Empire… Celestia, why did she have to love this dragon so much? He tugged at her heartstrings too much sometimes.

“Well, all things considered, I’m glad you are safe and in my care now. It makes me happy and grateful to know you care so much about the kingdom I rule.” Princess Cadence smiled some more and leaned down closer to his ear, before opening her muzzle to nip and tug on his ear in a playful manner. “But you better not try anything foolish like that again, mister! Princess’ orders.”

He was not expecting Cadence to nip and tug at his ear, so he yelped a little in surprise and agreed instantly. “Ah! Ow! Okay! Okay! I won’t do anything foolish like that again, I promise, my princess!”

Cadence released her hold over his ear with her teeth and smiled smugly yet also lovingly at the same time. “Good, I’m glad that’s settled then.”

Scales breathed out a sigh of relief when she stopped nipping and tugging at his ear. One thing he has learned after being with Princess Cadence for a little over a month now, was that mares liked showing physical affection. And one such way they do that is by occasionally nipping and biting their lover’s ears. Why do they do it? Probably because it was a pleasure point for most ponies, but for dragons it wasn’t quite as pleasurable…

Though that certainly didn’t mean Cadence would stop with her nipping anytime soon.

Shifting in the bed, Scales groaned in slight pain as he tried to move his broken leg, forgetting it was broken and instantly regretting his decision to try and move. The whimpers of pain he let out reached the pink alicorn’s ears and immediately she placed a hoof on his chest, trying to get him to relax.

“Scales, darling! You need to relax, hun… The pain in your leg is not going to go away if you keep trying to move like that. It needs to heal, so you have to stay still in bed. Okay, my love?”

Gritting his fangs, Scales furrowed his brow as he felt the sharp stinging feeling in his left hind leg. The little yellow dragon hated being immobilized like this and wanted to be active. But he knew with Princess Cadence around, that wasn’t going to happen.

Sighing in defeat, Scales leaned his head back against the pillows. “Fine… I’ll relax. But I hate feeling like I can’t do anything. I’m practically useless in this state.”

Furrowing her own brows, Cadence shook her head. “Nonsense, Scales. You’re far from useless. You just had a bad accident, that’s all. You are way more productive than some ponies I know. I mean, you were trying to help my subjects today out of the kindness of your heart, and nopony asked that of you. That just goes to show how big of a heart you have!”

At her response, Scales didn’t say anything. He felt bad for letting himself get hurt like this, since he did know better and pushed himself more than he should have. His ears dropped to the side of his head, a way for him to express his sadness or any other emotion through body language.

Cadence could sense the little yellow dragon’s sadness based on the way his ears fell to the sides of his head and how his emerald green eyes glanced elsewhere. The pink alicorn didn’t want her little sunshine to feel ashamed or that he did anything wrong because she wasn’t mad at him by any means. She just wanted to make sure he was safe and well cared for. If anything, Princess Cadence was more frustrated at herself for not being there when he needed her.

“Scales, sweetie, don’t feel bad. These things happen to even the best of us…” She gently jumped up onto the bed, making sure to be mindful of his smaller body before laying down next to him. “We’re gonna make sure you get better, you have my word. I’m not mad at anypony, darling, so don’t worry anymore, okay?”

Scales’ tilted his head slightly on the pillow he was laying on so he could look at the mare lying next to him. Her forehooves then wrapped around his midsection and pulled him close to her body in a gentle manner, the alicorn princess snuggling against her little dragon love.

“If you say so, Cadence… You’ll be here with me the entire time as I get better, right?”

She pressed a loving kiss against his cheek. “Of course I will, Scales. You’re my little cuddle bug after all! I wouldn’t miss this opportunity in the world to be able to cuddle my favorite little dragon~”

As Cadence snuggled closer and cuddled Scales, she nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck and hummed softly in satisfaction. Even though he was hurt, she still took pleasure in being able to share intimate moments like this with him. And she knew he enjoyed it too based on the way Scales let out those soft little affectionate whines of his.

Continuing her nuzzling, Cadence let out soft and happy hums of affection. This little dragon was just too cute to not want to smother in her love. But just when she thought he couldn’t get any cuter… Scales began to purr! She didn’t even know that he could do that, let alone dragons having that ability. His body vibrated gently as the sound reverberated through his throat, making him appear even more adorable than he already was.

The sound made her gasp softly in surprise, pulling her head out of his neck to look him in the eyes. “Scales, are you… purring?”

Upon realizing that he was indeed purring, the little yellow dragon blushed heavily in embarrassment. “Uh, yeah, I guess I am… surprised?”

“Of course I’m surprised, Scales! I had no idea dragons could purr! Why haven’t you done this sooner!? It’s so adorable and cute!” The pink alicorn could barely contain her affection for him at this rate. Somehow he just continued to prove to be the cutest thing in Equestria when it didn’t seem any more possible. “My little purring dragon~”

When Cadence returned to nuzzling and cuddling against his side, Scales let out a soft coo of affection before purring some more. “A dragon purring is like a sign of trust and comfort. We don’t do it often, but when we do… We are really happy.”

She smiled at his response, leaning in to start peppering small kisses against Scales’ blushing cheeks. “It makes me so happy to know you’re comfortable and happy with me. I love my little dragon so much!”

The room fell back into silence once more, the two now just cuddling and enjoying each other’s embrace. Princess Cadence’ presence brought Scales an immense amount of comfort upon knowing she would be there to help him recover from his broken leg. He certainly hoped he would get better in time for the Hearth’s Warming Gala, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to attend with Cadence.

While Princess Cadence was raining small kisses upon her little dragon, the door to their room opened up and trotted in Twilight. The purple unicorn mare poked her head in and turned to see the two of them lying in bed, snuggling up to each other.

“Cadence, I found some books on dragons here inside the palace library that you may want to take a look at and-“ Her eyes widened when she saw the somewhat intimate moment between the pink alicorn and little yellow dragon. “Am I interrupting something here?”

Cadence’ ears perked up at the sound of Twilight’s voice and her gentle hoofsteps into their room. She giggled and shook her head. “You’re fine, Twilight. You're not interrupting anything at all. I was just enjoying the peace and quiet with Scales…”

Twilight slowly narrowed her eyes, not sure what to think. “…Right. So, anyways, I found some books here that I want you to read. They should help you understand more about dragons and how to help Scales.”

She trotted over to a nearby table and set a few of the books down, looking over at Cadence before the pink alicorn hopped off of her bed and trotted over to Twilight.

“What are all these, Twilight?” Cadence said, looking down at the small stack of books. She read a few of the titles carefully, furrowing her brow slightly. “…’A Pony’s Guide to Avoiding Dragons’? Twilight, why would I need to read something like this?”

An excited smile appeared on Twilight’s muzzle as the purple unicorn got a little giddy. “Because! All these books contain all the information we have on dragons! And that means my favorite thing… Research! Ah! Isn’t this so exciting!?”

Cadence looked down at the books and took note of how there were only four books in total. “Twilight? You said this is all the information we have on dragons? Why are there only four books? Aren’t there like… hundreds of books on ponies?”

Twilight’s horn lit up a soft pink, gently grabbing one of the books and flipping through the pages with her magic. “Well, I mean, this is Equestria, Cadence. It’s not like dragons are a common sight here. Most ponies on the surface level would be terrified of meeting an adult dragon.”

The pages of the book Twilight was flipping through eventually came to a halt as she then turned to the book to face Princess Cadence, an excited expression still gracing her features. Cadence took the opened book in her hoof, looking down and reading the words. Her eyes widened as she read the contents of the page.

“Twilight! I don’t want to read about… dragon anatomy and how they mate! I don’t need to see a diagram of their body!”

“But, Cadence!” Twilight scrunched her snout, as if finding the idea of not wanting to research and learn about something new unfathomable. “You need to learn these things if you are going to take care of Scales and be in a relationship with him!”

The pink alicorn sighed and shut the book, shaking her head at Twilight’s words. “I know how to be in a relationship, Twilight. I’m the Princess of Love, I know what I’m doing.”

The purple unicorn raised an eyebrow, noticing how Cadence brushed her off. “Do you know what you are doing? Cadence! This isn’t a regular kind of relationship you are in. This is an interspecies relationship. Not a stallion and a mare. A dragon and a mare. You have to be more serious about this.”

“I am serious!” Cadence huffed, now frowning at Twilight. “If I wasn’t serious, then I wouldn’t have asked for your help on how to take care of my little dragon.”

“Oh yeah? What does a dragon’s diet consist of then, huh?”

Cadence was about to respond, lifting up her hoof as she prepared to tell Twilight everything she knew about a dragon’s diet. Until it hit her… She didn’t really have a clue on what a true diet looked like for a dragon.

“Uhhhh… Gems?”

That made Twilight facehoof herself.

“Seriously? You think gemstones are all that dragons consume?”

Cadence now smiled nervously, having a feeling that Twilight was going to make her sound stupid for not knowing. “Let me guess… They don’t?”

At this, Twilight laughed, grabbing another book with her magic before opening it up to a specific page and showing it to Cadence. “No, they don’t. In fact, dragon’s find gems to be more of a treat than anything else.”

This time, Cadence looked at the book more carefully, taking it in her own magic and really taking in the information it had to offer. “But I always see Spike eating them when he comes to the empire? I thought it was healthy for dragons.”

Again, Twilight laughed. “That’s because he’s treated like a king here and spoiled by your subjects for being their hero. You think I give him that many gems? Of course not! Where do you think he gets all that baby fat from?”

In hindsight, it did make sense now why Spike liked eating gems so much. Cadence was beginning to understand that there was more to taking care of a dragon than she first thought.

“I guess that makes sense… And also explains why Scales is leaner since he doesn’t eat them as often.” The pink alicorn read up on the page about dragon diets, her amethyst eyes going wide when she read a certain part. “Wait… Dragon’s are considered to be carnivores!?”

“Yes, carnivores, Cadence. While they can be ominorvous, they need protein to be able to survive. Like it or not, Scales is a growing dragon, he needs protein to be able to heal his leg.” Twilight explained while pointing with her hoof at the little yellow dragon still in bed with his broken leg. He was asleep again, not disturbed by their rather loud conversation.

A hoof went up to Cadence’ chin, a thoughtful expression now on her face. “I… see. Thank you for making me realize this, Twilight. I’ve been a little blindsided by my newfound love for him. I sort of just ignored the fact he is a dragon at the end of the day, and not another stallion. He has special needs, and I intend to meet all of them.”

At last, Twilight smiled at her friend for she was finally understanding what she was trying to say. “You’re welcome, Cadence. Anytime you have a question about dragons, don’t be afraid to ask. I’ve learned a lot from taking care of Spike, so I got you covered.”

Princess Cadence returned the gentle smile with her own smile, setting the h book down in her magic back on the table before trotting back over to the side of her bed where Scales slept. She placed a delicate hoof on his cheek, her expression tender and loving.

“I just want to make sure I’m doing the best for him… This is all so different and new.” She sighed, blushing a tiny bit before continuing. “He needs me just as much as I need him. Somehow this little dragon has weaved his way into my heart like nopony before, and now I don’t want to let him go.”

The purple unicorn also trotted up beside Twilight, looking down at Scales’ resting form again. “Have you thought this through? I mean completely thought this through?”

Cadence took a moment to answer Twilight, thinking deeply about her question. Though, deep inside her heart she knew the answer.

“I have. I know what it means to be with him. And I understand that it won’t be easy. But our love is like a symbol to all love out there, that it can form in the most unlikely of places.” She then gave him a tender and loving nuzzle against the cheek, sighing happily at the contact of her furry cheek against his scaly one.

Twilight could see the love and devotion in Cadence’s words and actions. If her friend was confident about this, then she would support her decision. “As long as this is what you want. I just want to make sure you are happy.”

Cadence pulled back from the sleeping little dragon and wrapped a foreleg around Twilight, giving the purple unicorn an affectionate half-hug. “Thanks, Twilight. It makes me glad to hear that I have your support. I’m grateful, truly.”

“Anytime, Cadence. As I’ve said before, I’m always happy to help a friend in need.”

They continued chatting for a bit, albeit a bit quieter now that Twilight wasn’t constantly berating Cadence to learn more about dragons. They read through all the books together and by the end of it, the Princess of Love learned several important things about dragons and how to take care of her beloved little dragon. Princess Cadence wanted to make sure she was the best lover she could be towards him.

It turns out that dragons had a lot of information on them, despite ponies only having so little at the same time. It was a spectacle to Twilight and Cadence that they had this much knowledge on dragons, given how not very often they get the chance to interact with one… Outside of dragons like Spike and Scales. Those two were a special case.

Reading up on dragons also made Princess Cadence realize that she could very well be one of the first few ponies to pioneer having an intimate relationship with one. In fact, she could be the first alicorn to be involved with a dragon to this extent. It was sort of surreal to Cadence that she was technically making history when it came to this sort of thing, but it made her heart flutter when she came to the conclusion that it was all in the name of love.

It was nearing the end of the day now, Princess Celestia’s sun was getting ready to set, which signaled that Twilight should probably return home to Ponyville.

The purple unicorn mare was preparing to leave out the door of Cadence’ private chambers, giving her friend one last hug with her forelegs.

“…And remember, Cadence, do not feed him too many gems otherwise he could get a stomach ache. Celestia knows Spike gets them all the time when he has access to gemstones.”

“Don’t worry, Twilight, I promise not to let Scales have too many gems. I wouldn’t want my little dragon getting sick while his leg is fractured, would I?”

Twilight chuckled and laughed, giving Cadence one more glance while the pink alicorn held the door open for her. “Okay… And don’t forget, if you need anything else from me, I’m only a scroll away!”

“Bye, Twilight!”

Cadence then shut the door when Twilight left her room, letting out a soft exhale. She loved Twilight like a sister, but Celestia knows that pony can be a lot sometimes.

Once she was sure Twilight had trotted away, Cadence turned her head to look at Scales’ sleeping form still. A cheeky smile grew on her muzzle before she whispered to herself…

“Oh I’m so spoiling him with gems now~”

Author's Note

Hello fellow reader!

Here’s the third story for this little duo, this time featuring Twilight! I had a lot of fun writing this one and thinking about how this kind of interaction would go. I really like writing these sort of one-off stories that keep to themselves yet are all still interconnected and gradually leading towards something in the background. I still got more in store, so stay tuned for that if you want.

Like before, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!