Spike sniffed in his basket, snuggling the Rarity plushie Fluttershy made for him. Pinkie had left him alone a few hours ago, leaving him his favorite treat by his basket... he wasn't normally allowed to eat in bed but despite the opportunity he couldn't make himself enjoy it. He was too busy crying. The food had long since gone cold.

"Spike?"

The young dragon's head jerked with a start as he recognized the voice. He looked up to see a pair of spiral eyes looking down at him.

"I told you mortals are evil,"

Spike groaned, "Please don't start on that, Screwball,"

"... Sorry..." Screwball said emotionlessly. She looked at the door, as if she was debating leaving but then looked back at Spike. After a moment she floated into the basket and laid down, "Sorry your sleep over ended like that,"

"Is okay," Spike sniffed, "Well, not really but at least your here now,"

"I'm a fairly awesome consolation prize," Screwball smiled.

"Were... were you here the whole time?" Spike asked.

Screwball shrugged, "Kinda, I was in a dimensional frequency which let me perceive you but you couldn't perceive me,"

"... so you were invisible," Spike deadpanned.

"Not really," Screwball shrugged, "invisibility is a result of bending light. I was on the edge of the dimensional barrier so I wasn't really here but at the same time I was... I can teach you how if you want?"

"I can't learn magic," Spike sighed, hugging the plushie tightly as his eyes stopped burning from tears. Talking to Screwball was a nice distraction.

"Of course you can," Screwball rolled her eyes, "All Equus Dragons can cast spells," she didn't really ask.

"It be kinda pathetic how little you know about your own species," she smirked teasingly, however Spike was not amused.

Spike hung his head, "Ponies don't know a lot about Dragons,"

"Of course not," Screwball shrugged, "Dragons are isolationist, with a major phobia of other creatures trying to touch their hoard. They don't even like living near other dragons and leave the communal nest as soon as they can,"

"Nest?" Spike blinked.

"Whelps, baby dragons like you, are looked after by the Lord of the territory in a large communal nest," Screwball explained, "When they turn a hundred they are allowed to live anywhere in that lord's territory. Often they will build communities of their own like the one in Manehatten you visited. They live together til they turn a thousand, when they are considered adults. Only meeting once every 500 years, for mating season, then leave the eggs with the Dragon Lord.

"The older dragons will often visit their nest but seeing as they lay a few dozen eggs at a time they don't really have the resources to care for them themselves. But they can pay taxes to the Dragon Lord, of their Territory, and by pulling their resources they can take care of all Whelps,"

Spike awed, never in all his life did he think he could actually learn so much about dragons in one sitting, "Think you can tell me more... about dragons?"

"Sure," Screwball shrugged indifferently, not knowing just how much this meant to her new friend, especially today of all days.