Chapter 26: Caretaker

“Finally just the two of us, huh Spike?” Celestia murmurs, blinking sleepily as she climbs up the stairs of her tower. They’d just passed the pair of guards, and Cadance had left to handle some of the day’s administrational work.

Spike nods in agreement as Celestia watches him clinging to her mane out of the corner of her eye. Twilight had been right, the dragon does seem oddly observant; perhaps he had inherited that from his creator. “I haven’t had the pleasure of looking after you myself before. This will be new for both of us, won’t it?”

Even as Spike tries to nod and give a hopeful smile, the baby dragon clenches up, one claw grasping at his own stomach. Celestia stops and seems about to speak but before she can, the baby dragon lets out a titanic belch, this time not just accompanied with its usual distinctive odor of sulfur and stomach acid but a brilliant green flame that incinerates a lock of Celestia’s mane and scorches her withers.

“Ow! My, that really is some fire for such a young dragon. I’m glad I’m the one dealing with this, I wouldn’t want young Twilight getting hurt.” Celestia halts in place at the landing before her room, craning her neck around to look at the guilty looking dragon, holding both claws over his mouth as if scared more would come out. Celestia just chuckles and levitates the dragon down to the ground as she opens the door. “Please, try not to worry yourself on my behalf. I can endure the sun’s flames, I hardly think that a baby dragon’s breathe will pose much danger to me. I’m just a little tired, is all.” Celestia tries to reassure Spike, motioning for the dragon to follow as she steps inside.

The dragon scampers along on all fours, looking around curiously and sniffing at the air. Going from the elaborate desk and enchanted mirror, to the balcony, and then to the great cushy bed. Hesitantly, Spike climbs up onto it, before looking back at Celestia guiltily, shrinking back. The alicorn nods encouragingly. “Go on, make yourself comfortable. I’m just going to take a minute to examine you, make sure it’s what I think it is. Assuming that Twilight is wrong about you having any nutritional deficiencies, I should be able to help you feel better.”

Spike seems encouraged by that and smiles softly as he curls up, silent as a mouse. Twilight had been right when she said he was less talkative than usual, and even now he was absently pawing at his chest, little pulses of discomfort flickering across his face. Celestia frowns sympathetically and sits down next to the dragon. Normally an examination like this would require medical equipment, but Celestia had more than enough experience with magic to render most technology redundant in her presence. “Please, roll over onto your back. That will make it easier for me. This might feel a little odd, but I promise it won’t hurt.” Celestia instructs in a soft tone. It’s hard to tell exactly how much of that Spike understands, but her gesturing at least gets the intent across, and the dragon slumps over onto his side, at least kind of showing his belly.

Celestia closes her eyes and rests one hoof upon Spike’s side, reaching out with her magic to gently poke and prod both Spike’s form and soul. It’s normally easier to do this with ponies than other creatures; their magic is more akin to Celestia’s own, and therefore easier to understand and explore.

Emphasis on normally. The flame of magic within Spike is far more familiar than Celestia would have expected, blazing with the orderly, intellectual intensity of harmony rather than the chaotic wildfire of a normal dragon; even so, it chafes at it’s boundaries, blossoming and welling up from within as its glow gradually intensifies. When Celestia opens her eyes once more, Spike is staring up into her face with shallow breathes, shivering as he reaches out with one claw; as he does, Celestia feels the fire inside him do the same.

Can he ... Tell where the magic is coming from? Although Celestia had told Spike, it had honestly been mostly in the hopes that her voice and intent would carry, not because she had thought the dragon would actually understand. Even for a pony, that level of magical sensitivity would have been impressive at his age.

Before Celestia can take much more time to think about that, she feels the flame swell up inside of him again, and the dragon clenches up, pawing at his chest. Instinctively, Celestia tries to stabilize the magic flow, smoothing out the rough edges of the uncontrolled magic stream. An aura of golden light envelops Spike, who relaxes in surprise, sits up, and then reaches for Celestia.