Trusted Scales

Dear Spike,

First of all, I should answer your previous inquiry as to whether or not you should address me in a formal manner. Normally I would state that yes, that is the proper way; but for you I do believe I can make an exception. You are my number-one assistant, after all.

Now on to your second inquiry. I'm afraid it's all a bit confusing at the moment, as this is the first time an Element has hatched a dragon from such a young age. It seems that Princess Luna has taken an especially keen interest in this matter, and she has been an enormous help. Our search for answers has not been without success entirely, however. We know a few things for sure so far.

For one, we understand that since I had a sudden burst of magic, I overcharged your birth. According to some texts here in the library, you're classified as a "drake". You'll not grow wings, but your breath is unique to you. Princess Luna seems to think that when I put my magic into your birth, I also altered your breath. This would explain the ability to magically send letters via your fire-breathing.

Secondly, the way you grow is apparently also altered. Though you would still need to keep your greed in check as you grow up naturally, it seems that I may have stunted your growth. This is actually very beneficial, as it seems that you will not need to take many precautions around others. You'll grow to about the size of Ponyville's town hall when you're full-grown. But I say this again; keep your greed in check. Princess Luna also seems to think that if you were to lose control again, but have a more developed ability to breath magical fire, you could accidentally start sending massive objects. I don't need to tell you how dangerous this is.

And finally, I suppose I should address your new relationship. Yes I know you wanted to keep it a surprise, but Rainbow Dash had sent a letter in mere minutes after you sent yours. Apparently Fluttershy had called her over and they had a long talk about it.

I'm very proud of you, Spike. This is a wonderful thing for you to see first-hand, and I'm glad you've finally found somepony that you can love and be loved by. Though I must say I'm very surprised that you somehow overcame Fluttershy's innate fear of dragons. You'll have to tell me your side of the story next time we meet face-to-face.

Also, you should know there is a very high interest with you here in the castle. It seems you're a topic of wonder, now that we're learning about your special traits. You may have to pay a visit to us soon so that we may further study your abilities.

But for now, you need not worry over it. Everything is perfectly fine here in Canterlot, and you should focus on your new partner. Take your time and try not to worry too much; we both know I have that part covered.

Sincerely,

Princess Twilight.

"Well that's that, I suppose," Spike said softly as he read the letter. He laughed a bit at the final parts of it - it seemed Twilight had gained a bit of a sense of humor over in Canterlot. He rolled it back up and laid it next to him, laying back with a sigh.

He stared up through the dark green leaves as he laid on the cool, green grass. The sky had a few clouds for shade, and it was a very lovely day to relax. What was more relaxing was that the sounds of nature were all around him. Birds were chirping, squirrels were clicking, and the occasional bark rang out across the fields.

What topped it all off, however, was who Spike was with. He tilted his head to the left to find a smiling Fluttershy laying on her back beside him. She looked more joyful than he had seen in ages, and she made him crack a toothy grin of his own. He reached over and curled an arm underneath her neck.

In response, she moved in closer and nuzzled up to his chest. The feeling was still a bit foreign to Spike, but he enjoyed it all the same. She let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes, and Spike let out a low chuckle. It really was a nice feeling to have someone like this. All he could hope for was that it would stay this way.

As he gave one final glance down towards Fluttershy, however, any doubts of that quickly faded away. Her loving embrace was only matched by the calm aura she put off. He felt at peace, and he was willing to bet she felt just about the same. It seems that love overcame fear, in this case, and Spike was extremely glad it had happened this way.

All that was left now was to wait for what would happen next. There was so much that could happen between the two, both good and bad, but there wasn't a shred of doubt in Spike's mind that they could overcome it all. And as the young dragon considered all of the possibilities of what that meant, he could only think to do one thing.

He leaned down and kissed Fluttershy atop her head before finally laying his head upon the grass and closing his eyes. With a smile, he contemplated just how this all came to be. Everything had turned out better than he could have possibly hoped for, and now he finally took some time to get a little rest.

The sounds of nature slowly faded around him as he drifted off in his thoughts, but there was one sound he made sure to focus on much more than the others. The soft sounds of Fluttershy's breathing filled Spike with a sense of joy and warmth, and he allowed sleep to overtake him entirely.