Chapter Eighty-One: Citizenship Declared

Having been left behind by her attendant, Chenoa had wandered off, curious of the calamity. She had seen Fluttershy right before she disappeared behind the squadron of officers. Waddling and weaving between their legs to get to her mother, she gave pause the instant Smokey came into her sight, laying on his side and groaning. Eager to get to him too, she bounded right up to his side.

"Dada!" she cried out in elation, oblivious of her father's pain and that his position on the ground was a signal that he was encouraging her to play with him.

"Get that baby away from him!" bellowed one of the police ponies.

Fluttershy snapped her head up, her eyes wide as she heard her child call out to the dragon. As she turned her head, she noticed one of the officers was beginning to make the move to swoop in and scoop her up.

"No, wait, please!" she called out. "That's my daughter!" Huffing, she shifted to Chenoa, stretching her forelegs out. "It's okay, sweetie! Come to Mommy!"

"Hold on! Isn't that the chick that's in custody of Pendulum?" queried one of the officers as he slid a foreleg around the child and stepped away from Fluttershy. The baby tried to resist, wriggling and reaching her little eagle paws out to the yellow and pink mare. Her friends tried to intervene, but were held back by the police.

Flashbacks dispersing, Pendulum shook his head and rose up onto his haunches. Holding his injured leg, he observed the scene before him. He was utterly shocked to see Fluttershy near Smokey, even though he was not in his right frame of mind. Though, he knew his own spell would soon wear off.

Seeing the pegasus and griffon long for each other ignited a deep-seated jealousy within him. His own mother having died when giving birth to him, he had never experienced a mother's love.

"Let 'er 'ave the child," he instructed the stallion holding Chenoa.

The equine in uniform was a bit shocked, but obeyed-albeit reluctantly. As Chenoa toddled up to Fluttershy, the mare sobbed as she gathered up the baby in her forelegs, hugging her tightly.

"Oh, Chenoa, I'm sorry!" she whimpered, kissing her forehead. "I'm so sorry I was such a bad mother! I promise I will never leave you behind again. Never, ever! I love you so much…"

The small griffon squeaked and babbled excitedly as she found herself in the embrace of her mother. Clinging to her, tiny claws digging into her fur, she nuzzled her and attempted to preen her coat as she was kissed again.

Groaning on the ground, Smokey's eyes slowly returned to normal as the spell gradually wore off. Curling up into a ball, he squeezed his eyes shut and compressed his teeth with an agonized wince. He didn't know why he was there and not located in his cage.

Sighing, Fluttershy turned around. Tears spilling down her face, she was at his side, pressing her head against his.

"Smokey? Smokey… can you hear me?"

Still slightly dazed and confused, the draconic being's eyes opened, ear frills perking at the familiar voice.

"F… Fluttershy?" he ventured, lifting his head to see both the pegasus and chick. "Chenoa?"

Bursting into tears anew, the mare nuzzled the side of his face while hugging Chenoa closer.

"Smokey…" Fluttershy murmured. "You're… Oh, you're back to your old self…! I'm so relieved…"

As she continued to nuzzle him, Twilight Sparkle gave a sigh and turned to Pendulum, stepping into his direction with a look that clearly said she had a word she wanted to have with him.

"What are you doing here?" the dragon asked, weakly returning the nuzzle, his eyes misting over. "I… I missed you and Chenoa so much…"

"Dada!" the baby griffon squealed.

Hearing her call him that for the very first time evoked tears from his eyes. Removing one of his hands from his injury, he brought it to the chick's fuzzy head to stroke it.

Before Twilight Sparkle could reach Pendulum, one of the officers approached Fluttershy and placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"Excuse me, miss. We still need to terminate him. So, could you please back away?"

"We came to bring you home," Fluttershy replied, then turned to her friends. "We all came to bring you home."

Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity responded with warm smiles as Pinkie Pie bounced in place.

"As for you…" Fluttershy said to the officer, narrowing her gaze at him. "I will not let you hurt him. If you want him, you're going to have to go through me, first!"

She felt a hoof on her back, and she slightly jumped at the unexpected touch. Turning her attention, she found Twilight Sparkle.

"And if you want to get to her, you're going to have to get through me. Stand down, officer. I assure you Smokey will be no harm to you at this point. You have my word as a princess of Equestria."

Rainbow Dash snorted, zipping in front of Fluttershy with the rest of the mares falling into place at the yellow pegasus' side. They-with the exception of Pinkie Pie-had failed to believe in her and defend her when they had been assured that Smokey never bit Pendulum, and that was a mistake they were going to make up for by standing with her; her and Smokey.

"He bit that stallion," the officer stated, pointing to Pendulum. "By law we have to destroy him."

Despite the searing pain in his pastern, Pendulum was moved by the fact these six mares went through all the trouble of tracking down Smokey. He had assumed they would have replaced him eventually, but he was beginning to see that he was irreplaceable to them-especially to Fluttershy and Chenoa.

Smokey grunted as he returned his free hand to his wound, a bolt of pain shooting through him.

"It hurts…"

"Oh, you poor dear…" Fluttershy crooned, leaning in to inspect his injury. "Here, let me take a look…"

Twilight Sparkle, not taking her gaze off of the officer, narrowed her eyes into a glare.

"You would defy a direct order from a princess of Equestria," she questioned, wings bristling noticeably.

"It dooesn't matter," Pendulum interjected, staring intensely at the officer. He couldn't keep the dragon away from his family. Though he never experienced a loving father, he wasn't going to deny the baby griffon the chance to have one. "I'm drooping all charges. Truthfully, it was my fault. I antagonized 'im. I am willing to let 'im goo."

The entire force was bewildered to hear this. Not knowing what to do, they turned to their chief. The stallion sighed through his nostrils, remaining silent for a few moments.

"Well… we can't disobey a princess…"

Shifting his attention to the one employee who happened to remain behind out of morbid curiosity, Pendulum opened his mouth to address the pony.

"Soora Skies, goo find the dooctoor." He paused and extended his injured hoof to Smokey. "Foor 'im."

"The doctor?" Stormy Skies looked like she had just swallowed something sour. "For that… BEAST?"

She was met with several glares-mainly from the myriad of mares that were congregated around the dragon. Snorting indignantly, she turned around and departed to fetch the doctor.

"Well. Now that's been settled…" the lavender alicorn said, turning to Smokey. "Let's get these chains off of you."

"Do I have to move?" he inquired shakily, obviously still in much agony.

"No. Just stay where you are," Twilight Sparkle replied. Focusing her magic very carefully, the shackles binding his wrists broke apart and, crumbling into several rusted iron pieces.

"Smokey…" Fluttershy shivered, softly crying again-relieved that he was now free. Allowing Pinkie Pie to take Chenoa from her, the pegasus wrapped both of her forelegs around him to hold him close, nuzzling him. "Oh, Smokey, I'm so sorry. I never should have let you go…"

Smokey was glad his wrists were now free of his binds. They had been digging uncomfortably into his scales. Unfolding a wing and bringing it forward to drape it over Fluttershy's back, he nuzzled her in return with a purr.

"I… still don't understand why Mr. Pendulum is letting me go… I bit him…"

"I tricked you, booy. I 'ypnootized you and planted fish blood oon you," Pendulum filled in, even though the police were still present. The response he received from Smokey was nothing short of bewilderment. "Seeing 'oow much these yooung ladies care aboout you… I apooloogize. I shoouldn't 'ave doone it. 'aving as much mooney as I do, noor 'aving a looving family, I never learned there are soome things that cannoot be replaced."

"Darn right, and furthermore-" Applejack started, only to pause as she stared at the stallion. "Wait… wha? You… mean to tell me y'never…?"

Fluttershy brought a hoof to her mouth, stifling a gasp.

The stallion nodded in affirmation.

"My moother died while giving birth to me, and my father blamed me foor it and beat me ooften. Noot oonce do I recall 'im smiling foor me. There was noo winning 'is approval. Oof coourse I inherited everything, but oonly to keep the foortune in the family."

"That's… terrible…" Smokey said, still reeling in from the shock at the fact that he had been manipulated all along. Growing up parentless, he could sympathize.

"That still doesn't give you the right to dragonnap Smokey!" the prism-maned mare declared.

"I have to agree," Twilight Sparkle said. "Abuse or not, there is no excuse for you to have taken our friend and chain him up like he were some… wild animal!"

"Erm, beg your pardon, darling," Rarity cut in. "But… didn't you say that Smokey sort of… is? No paperwork and all?"

"…Yes. Yes, I did say that. And you know what? To Tartarus with it!" The alicorn's wings flared open as she turned to Fluttershy and Smokey. Smiling lightly, she moved closer and raised a hoof to lay it on the dragon's shoulder. "Smokey, you are… probably one of the nicest, most selfless individuals I have ever had the fortune of meeting. You have given so much of yourself for the ones you love, never once taking the risks to your own personal health or safety into account. If I knew nothing else about you, it would be enough, but you have shown me a valor and a quality of character many ponies could never hope to achieve. You may be of wild origins, but for all you have exemplified you may as well have descended from a noble line."

She lifted her head, turning to speak to everyone in the vicinity, from her friends, to Pendulum, to the police force still present.

"From this moment forward, I hereby royally decree Smokey as an Equestrian citizen, with all the rights and privileges hereof! This is my word, and as such, is beyond contestation!"

Smokey was quite surprised, and moved, as Twilight Sparkle gave her monologue and outright declared him an official citizen. Tearing up again, a wide grin pulled at the corners of his maw.

"Th-thank you…"

It was then the doctor entered the big top. About to tend to his boss' bite, Pendulum shook his head and motioned it into Smokey's direction.

"Patch 'im up."

Equestria's youngest princess bit her lip as she watched the medic comply, though confused, as he seemed to want to actually focus on Pendulum more than the dragon.

Fluttershy exhumed a sigh, nuzzling Smokey again.

"You're going to be all right," she reassured in a gentle intonation. "You just have to be. I…" She pressed her forehead against the side of his, caressing his cheek with a hoof. "Smokey, I honestly thought I was going to lose you for real. I wouldn't have been able to bare it. I… Smokey, I…"

She blushed. As she picked up her head, she drew in a breath, glancing over her shoulder at her friends. Upon receiving their encouraging smiles and nods, she turned back to the winged reptile. Tears still in her eyes, she took another deep breath.

"… I…"

Time seemed to slow to a crawl… and she found that, despite herself, she still couldn't bring herself to say three specific words that she had admitted to her friends-and even the officers-to the one she truly felt for. Wings flapping softly, she cursed herself for being unable to utter them.

It was then, she realized, that actions spoke louder than words, anyway. Giving him a loving smile, she just nuzzled him on the side of his face, her face wet with fresh tears.