Of Dragons and Mortals

Chapter 2: A warm summer day

Morning at Sugarcube Corner was, as always, busy. Ponies too busy or stressed to cook breakfast at home, ponies who had overslept, ponies with an early morning sweet-tooth, and ponies who simply enjoyed eating breakfast at such a fine establishment all filled the many seats available both indoors and outdoors.

It. Was. Super!

Perhaps the best part of working in such a popular shop, Pinkie Pie pondered as she pounced on a nearby pastry, was that she got to meet so many of her friends practically every morning! That meant getting to talk to them and keep up on what was happening in their lives, treating them to delicious baked goods, and making them smile and laugh as she told a joke or clowned around. Really, there was nothing she would rather be doing on a beautiful morning like this.

It was already shaping up to be a wonderful day, and judging by her itchy back, today was going to get even better in a hurry!

Speak of the draconequus; Pinkie felt her back itching again as she handed a box of donuts over to one of her stallion customers. The itch sent a pleasant shiver through her body, too, which was new. Itchy back meant it was her lucky day, but what did the shiver mean? Had she just discovered a new combo? Pinkie Pie got lost in thought, and the stallion had to call out to get her attention so he could pay.

A few more customers passed by the counter, and then the early morning rush was basically over. Now that almost everyone Pinkie had expected to show up at the rush had been served, she was free to socialize with the guests. With that in mind, she bounced out to the outdoor tables, and began to catch up with her many friends.

It was right around the time she was congratulating Rose on her bumper crop of roses that she felt the itch and the shiver again. Pinkie was reassuring Rose that she was alright when she heard and felt a subtle shift in the atmosphere that drew her attention. She followed the murmur of the crowd until her eyes locked onto exactly what had caught everypony’s eyes.

Twilight Sparkle was approaching the Corner, but she wasn’t the one drawing the crowd’s attention right now. Next to her strode what could only be Spike, but he looked different. Just yesterday, he’d been a child, but now he was…

Rose was the only pony close enough to see the cartoon hearts appear in Pinkie’s eyes before said pink pony ran--no, sprinted-- over to meet her friends.

When emotions run high, it’s easy to forget things. That was why, in all the drama of their morning, Twilight and Spike had forgotten to eat breakfast. When Twilight had calmed down (and enjoyed Spike’s embrace for a while longer than she strictly needed), Spike’s rumbling belly had informed them that they hadn’t even started making the most important meal of the day yet. Since Twilight had a busy schedule, they had agreed to eat out, and headed for Sugarcube Corner. Some part of Twilight was worried that Spike’s new appearance would cause a panic, but all it did was seem to attract stares. Warm stares. Twilight swore she saw a few pairs of “bedroom eyes” among the staring mares, but didn’t have time to investigate. She was already a bit behind on her schedule. Soon enough, however, Sugarcube Corner appeared as they turned a corner.

And Spike was abruptly tackled by what was apparently a pink missile.

Grass grows, pegasi fly, and Pinkie Pie was overly affectionate. As the pink mare's arms slid around Spike's neck and she squeezed herself into him, Twilight couldn't help but smile in relief: at least somepony was acting normal. She barely had time to recognize the irony that Pinkie of all ponies made her feel normal before she realized that Pinkie wasn't letting go. Instead, she seemed to be snuggling deeper into Spike’s chest and… purring?

Okay, a little odd, but still well within the borders of normalcy as adjusted to account for the influence of Pinkie Pie.

“Good morning, Twilight.” Pinkie finally said, her muzzle half-buried in Spike’s neck. “And good morning to you, Spike. Look at you, all grown up.” She looked up into Spike’s eyes and smiled. Today there was something about her voice that seemed warmer than usual. Still, this was Pinkie after all…

“Hey, Pinkie,” Twilight answered, since Spike seemed to be a bit tongue-tied at the moment. “Yeah, we woke up and he was like this. You haven’t happened to see Quick Wits around, have you? He seems to be involved somehow.”

While her left arm remained around Spike’s neck, Pinkie’s right hand slipped away from Spike and rested on her chin briefly in a thoughtful gesture.

“Nope, I haven’t seen that pretty boy today. Sorry!” Her voice took on a decidedly sultry tone as she turned back to Spike. “Besides…” She purred as her right hand traveled to Spike’s chest and began to lazily draw circles over his heart. “Mr. Replacement Eye Candy here is much tastier anyway…”

Okay. That was new.

Spike was having trouble breathing. Not because he was crushed by her grip or anything, but because he hadn’t realized until today that despite the fact that Pinkie was on the chubby side, she was... stunning. His new body had apparently changed his perspective. With her large, soft breasts that were currently pressed against him, that beautiful, infectious smile on her face that lit up the whole world, and those big, soulful baby blue eyes that were staring into his… seeing her like this, feeling the ample softness of her body against his and looking into those eyes, that smile…

She was gorgeous.

Spike found his pulse increasing at the closeness and at the sensation of her fingers on his scales. And then she openly flirted with him. Spike lost his breath completely, staring into her eyes, not sure what he was hoping to see in those windows to her soul. But that smile, those eyes, were warm and genuine. His heart fluttered.

Warning bells chimed in Twilight’s mind. Her eyes shifted between Pinkie and Spike, disbelief painted on her face. Looking for something, anything to break up the scene without causing one, Twilight looked over to the Corner and caught a glimpse of Mrs. Cake manning the counter.

“Spike, could you go order our breakfast?” Twilight asked, poking Spike softly in the side to get his attention. “And Pinkie? I need a word with you in private.” Really, considering everything, Twilight was proud of herself for maintaining a steady voice.

“Talk to you later, Spike,” Pinkie purred at him. She let go, turning to Twilight. Spike wandered almost mechanically towards the Corner, glancing back a few times as he did. Every time he turned around, Pinkie gave him a smile and a wave. Soon enough, he disappeared into the Corner, and Twilight turned to her friend, not sure how she felt.

“Wowee, Twilight,” Pinkie said before Twilight could figure out what to say. “He grew up fast. And good…” She ended with what could only be described as a sultry purr. Now Twilight knew what to say.

“What’s going on with you? I’ve never seen you act like this!”

“You’ve never seen me with anyone I’ve wanted to act like this with.”

“But…” Twilight was confused. She would almost immediately regret what she said, but she couldn’t stop herself. “But it’s Spike!”

“Yes. It is,” Pinkie said, choosing not to take offense. “And that’s why it’s okay.”

“What?”

“Twilight. Ask me who my closest female friend is.”

“That sounds like a horrible thing to…”

“Do it, Sparkle!” Pinkie mock-ordered.

“Fine… Pinkie, who is your closest female friend?”

“What!? How could you ask that?”

“But you said…”

“I have five great girls, the greatest, who are my closest friends. I couldn’t possibly pick one! How could you expect me to?”

“I… I’m sorry, but you said…”

“I know. It’s okay. I was just caught up in it.” Pinkie instantly calmed down. “Now ask me who my closest male friend is. I promise not to yell again.”

Realizing that she had to follow the trail of crazy before Pinkie could be reasoned with, Twilight sighed and did as instructed.

“Pinkie Pie,” she began, resignation in her voice. “Who would you say is your closest male friend?”

“Spike” was the immediate, unhesitant answer.

“Okay…”

The two fell silent for a while, Pinkie waiting to see if Twilight would connect the dots, Twilight waiting to see if Pinkie was going anywhere with this. After a handful of seconds, Pinkie spoke again.

“Spike’s always been good to me. To us. He’s been kind, supportive, charming, intelligent, diligent and more… He’s been... pretty much everything I want in a stallion, really.” Pinkie paused there and smiled. “I really, really like him, and I feel all warm and fuzzy inside seeing him all grown up and hunkified like that.”

Confused with the situation, Pinkie, and most of all her own emotions, Twilight tried to reenter the conversation.

“‘Hunkified?’” she managed to ask.

“It’s a word! Or if it isn’t, it is now. I decree it to be so!”

“But… But…”

“I understand that it’s a lot to take in right now,” Pinkie said. She drew Twilight in for a hug. It helped. “Here’s the thing. I really, really like Spike. I have for a while now. But he was too small, so I didn’t do anything. And I tried not to feel anything. But now he’s all grown up and handsome and everything, and I really like him, and… well… if I felt this way about a pony, I’d act on it. So I’ll act on it.”

“I… think I understand. And I certainly want both you and Spike to be happy, it’s just… This is all so very sudden.”

“Oh thank goodness!” Pinkie exclaimed. She released Twilight, a big smile on her face. “I was afraid you were going to go all ‘overprotective older sister’ on me.”

“Overprotective...?”

“But I’m glad you’re supportive.” Pinkie raised her knee as though she was bracing herself on an imaginary rock, held her hand up to her chest, and made a grand sweeping gesture with her other hand. “Never fear, my dear, my intentions for Sir Spike are completely honorable.”

That drew a much-needed laugh from Twilight’s lips.

“Anyway, come on,” Twilight said. The two friends walked towards Sugarcube Corner. “I’m almost running late for the Quill Enthusiasts meeting, and…”

Twilight and Pinkie both fell silent as they looked in through the window.

Spike was talking to another mare.

Spike’s day had been surreal. Nice, but surreal. There was all the awkwardness with Twilight, which, thankfully, had been mostly taken care of for now. Mostly. They would have to spend some time working everything out, but they were still very close. But then, Pinkie…

Now, having growing up around beautiful mares, you might think that Spike had built up an immunity to the female form and affection received from it. You would be right. And wrong. While Spike was indeed used to hugs and nuzzles, that had always been where his fantasies had stopped: he was a child, and then he was a young adult trapped in a child’s body, so all he had ever gotten, all he had ever allowed himself to seek out, was simple platonic affection.

And now he had an adult body. A body that could take him much further than his child body ever could. His fantasies no longer ended at “but I’m too little for that.” Now, he could dare hope for more.

Long story short, when Pinkie Pie had held her gorgeous body close against his, nuzzled his neck, let those generous breasts press up against his chest, filled his nostrils with the sweet scent of freshly baked cupcakes, and implied that she found him very handsome, Spike had been at a complete loss.

He still was, really. It was all so new, and his mind was spinning furiously from the implications. Pinkie found him attractive. Twilight maybe also found him attractive, considering how she had stared at his bare chest and blushed like that. Did this mean that they were… interested in him? Did he dare hope that? And what about the other friends who had been occupying his thoughts? How would they feel about his new form?

When Spike entered Sugarcube Corner, a flash of knowledge appeared before his mind’s eye, momentarily distracting him. Since he woke up, he’d had to deal with these flashes as the infused knowledge he had received last night was still trying to settle in his mind. This flash told him nothing useful, and he had to forcefully dismiss the useless tidbit before he could focus enough to actually order. If Mrs. Cake noticed his distraction, she didn’t comment on it.

He was, however, happy to see that she recognized him immediately, just as, thankfully, pretty much all of the ponies he had met so far had. Spike ordered for himself and Twilight, and the shopkeeper set about preparing it without raising a fuss, recognizing a preoccupied customer when she saw one. Spike sat at a nearby table to wait, and to think about everything.

After only half a minute, Spike’s introspection was interrupted by a vaguely familiar voice.

“Hey, Spike.” Said dragon raised his head to see a pretty mare with a soft lilac coat and a two-toned blue mane. He struggled for a moment to place a name on her vaguely familiar face. He had definitely seen her around Ponyville… “Look at you, all grown up. What’s up with this; is it a dragon thing?”

“Hey, Sea Swirl,” Spike answered, successfully pulling her name from the recesses of his mind. “Yeah, it’s a dragon thing.”

With that, Sea Swirl apparently saw fit to seat herself beside Spike. Rather close, too.

“You’re certainly looking good…” She spoke with a light purr to her voice. “What’s happened to you, and is it permanent? I know I’m not the only one who wants to know…”

As she spoke, Sea Swirl leaned forward slightly. She was wearing a low-cut tank top, and with the way she was leaning, Spike was getting a very good look at her cleavage.

“Well…” Spike’s mouth felt a little dry, but he soldiered on nonetheless. “Turns out my growth… my height… was stunted.” The mare crossed her arms under her breasts, and Spike lost his train of thought for a moment. “It was a mental block that was… well… stunting me… and now it’s all cleared up.”

“Really?” Swirl purred at him. “Well, I can only say the scenery around Ponyville has certainly just improved…”

Before Spike could answer, not that he had anything clever to say, the door to the Corner opened, and Twilight and Pinkie walked in. They immediately headed straight for Spike.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Sea Swirl said. She patted Spike’s hand, which was lying limply on the table, and walked back to her friends with a distinct sway in her step that drew his eyes to her hips for a few seconds. Then his vision was suddenly filled with pink.

It was odd, really. Neither of the two mares had anything against Sea Swirl. In fact, Pinkie even considered her a friend. Not a close friend, but still. But when Twilight and Pinkie saw Sea Swirl flirting with Spike, they both felt uncomfortable. Twilight found herself suddenly thinking hurtful things about Sea Swirl that she probably didn’t even deserve, while Pinkie felt saddened but determined. Pinkie knew what she had to do.

They entered a few seconds later. Maybe she wanted to avoid a confrontation, or maybe she was done talking, but whatever it was, Sea Swirl excused herself and went back to her friends as soon as Pinkie and Twilight entered. To both of their discomfort, however, Spike watched her leave for a few seconds.

Deciding that subtlety was something for politicians and barbers, Pinkie immediately went over to Spike, wrapped her arms around his head, and gently buried his face in her ample cleavage. She kept him there for several seconds before she let him out, his nose no doubt filled with her scent now. She glanced at Twilight, but was relieved to find that her friend didn’t seem to be upset, just a bit flabbergasted. And that funny word was also a good description for how Spike was looking, and the nearby ponies who had seen her do that.

Before anything else could happen, Mrs. Cake approached with breakfast: a wrapped sandwich to go for Twilight and a bowl of oatmeal with gemstone shavings for Spike.

“Oh my, the meeting!” Twilight exclaimed. She grabbed the sandwich with a quick bow of thanks. “Pinkie, I gotta go. Can you take care of Spike?”

“No problemo! See you later!”

“See you. Take care, Spike!”

Thus confident that Pinkie would take care of things (and running late for an important meeting), Twilight waved to her friends (though not to Sea Swirl’s group; she couldn’t shake the dislike she had for the other mare just yet) and quietly left the Corner to head off to her meeting.

It was funny, in a way: when Sea Swirl was hitting on Spike, Twilight felt an uncomfortable feeling in her gut that blossomed into irrational anger. But when Pinkie buried his head in her breasts, that sensation went away, and she felt something else. Triumph? But that didn’t make sense…

Her mind abuzz with many questions and few answers, Twilight set off towards the library. She had an appointment to keep, after all, and a schedule to follow.

Pinkie slid into the seat next to Spike, signaling Mrs. Cake that she was taking her break. Spike was staring down at his oatmeal with a thoughtful expression when Pinkie snuggled into his side, which caused Spike to give a little start, and called his attention.

“Bit for your thoughts?” Pinkie asked. Spike blushed bright red and didn’t manage an immediate answer. “You know… I still don’t know why you’re all grown up all of a sudden. Care to tell me the story?”

Spike managed a smile before he started talking. A good sign as far as Pinkie was concerned.

“I, uh... ran into Quick Wits last night. We talked, and I mentioned my… growth problem. He gave me a gemstone that had some special properties, and… Well, it turns out that it was a mental block of sorts that was keeping me small, and it cleared up. I already told Twilight the details, so she can fill you in if you want to know more. I just… want to eat a bit right now.”

“Of course.”

Spike ate his breakfast, and Pinkie stayed glued to his side the entire time.

He did not object.

Twilight was running at this point. She was very nearly late, and she cleared her mind as best she could as she hurried towards the meeting.

However, she stopped when she saw a blue ball of fur sitting on a barrel by the road. Something about the creature drew Twilight’s attention, and she slowed down to get a better look. The creature apparently sensed that it was being watched, because it turned and gazed at her with wide, intelligent eyes.

It was a fox, Twilight realized, a bright, fuzzy blue fox. Now why did it look familiar? Where had she read about fuzzy blue foxes?

It was a spirit fox! They were rare creatures indeed, but what little Twilight had read about them implied that they were intelligent, friendly, and non-threatening creatures. Under normal circumstances, spirits couldn’t be seen by the naked eye, but alicorns had a different connection to the spirit world, and they could sometimes see them.

“Hey there…” she cooed as softly as she could, but the spirit, not used to being seen at all, leapt off the barrel and ran off around a corner. When Twilight followed, it was gone.

“That was weird… What was a spirit doing here?” Twilight muttered. She shrugged and continued towards the meeting. She could still make it in time!

Author's Note

And here is the latest installment of Of Dragons and Mortals. Hope you enjoyed it!

I appreciate the comments on my work and I apologize again for not answering them. Rest assured, I read every comment posted on the story, so I'm not ignoring you. I'm just being shy.

Chapter 3 is in the works, but I have some RL drama to deal with at the moment so I honestly can't give you a timeline, sorry!

Anyway, I hope you'll keep on enjoying my story.

Edited, once again, by the talented Feo Takahari
Edit: and by the enchanting Pearly (who is not on this site)

Signing off.

Rakni