Of Dragons and Mortals

Chapter 8: New Happenings

It was nighttime in Equestria. The world was bathed in the gentle light of the moon as it rested from the rigors of the day and prepared for a new one.

In Ponyville, many ponies were were sleeping peacefully, while others returned home from late work shifts. But not far away, in the vast and mysterious Everfree Forest, there were many nocturnal creatures, ranging from harmless owls to deadly owlbears, who were now beginning to stir from their slumber.

On the swift river running through that mighty forest, there was a spot that predators knew to stay away from. A place where a larger beast frequently spent time. A place that only cute creatures were allowed into when said beast was present.

In that spot, there was a small outlet from the river into the forest proper, where a natural pool of crystalline water had formed sometime in the long-forgotten past. The water’s clarity, combined with a unique natural magic, turned the small pool into a perfect mirror.

The sea serpent known as Steven Magnet had found the pool many years ago, and returned frequently to style his hair and mustache. On that day, he was admiring his coiffure when he sensed something.

He felt a presence… One he hadn’t sensed since… well… ever. Nevertheless, there was something oddly familiar about it. Something he instinctively felt he should recognize, though he couldn’t quite grasp what it might be.

The Everfree was not a safe place by any means, not even for a powerful creature like Steven. So while this odd presence didn’t feel dangerous, he coiled into a defensive posture, just in case.

A pony wandered out of the tree line. Or it looked like a pony, at least. It was wearing an all-enveloping traveler’s cloak, under which Steven glimpsed a suit of armor that was decidedly not in the style of the Royal Guard. Nonetheless, Steven relaxed. There was a strange aura about this pony--he felt powerful, but not aggressive.

“A wandering soul alone out here in the dark forest?” Steven proclaimed. “Well, you have nothing to fear from me, stranger.”

The pony lowered his hood and removed his helmet, revealing a smiling unicorn’s face.

“What’s this, a friendly greeting in the Everfree?” he said jokingly. “I must be dreaming. Anyway, Sir Serpent, I am Quick Wits. Pleased to meet you.”

“A pleasure to meet you as well, sir. I am Steven Magnet. What brings a pony like you into my little corner of the forest?”

“Well, I was hoping to meet you, actually. If I knew you’d be this pleasant, I’d have come here sooner.”

“And what can I help you with, then?”

Quick sat down on a nearby rock and cleared his throat. Steven laid his head on the ground closer to him to listen properly. There was suddenly a tension in the air. The strange aura of power and authority around Quick intensified. When the stallion next spoke, his voice seemed… commanding, somehow.

“I am here to talk. You are a dragon, Sir Magnet, and there is much you do not know about your kind.”

“…You have my attention.”

The sun began to rise over Ponyville. In her cozy little house on the road between the town and the Everfree, Fluttershy was standing in front of a mirror. She had already been up for almost an hour, tending to the early birds, as was her routine. But she had caught her own reflection in the mirror, and she’d found herself staring.

I’m holding two of the most beautiful mares in the world in my arms. I gotta say, it’s kinda awesome.

What Spike had said yesterday floated through her head. His words, but also his tone.

most beautiful mares in the world

That utterly honest tone.

in the world

Not Ponyville. Not Equestria. The world.

And he meant it.

Spike could not possibly know what it had meant to her, that the stallion of her eye would praise her so highly and so casually. For the first time in what felt like forever, she took a look at the mare in the mirror in front of her, and she didn’t shy away.

If we wish to date Spike, Rarity had said, we are going to have to contend with the other single mares of Ponyville, who may try to steal him away.

Fluttershy looked herself over in the mirror, finding that the simple, conservative sundress she was wearing was a little stained from her early chores. Maybe… maybe today she should shake it up a bit, maybe try changing into something a little different from what she usually wore. Try to make an impression on her stallion, and on anypony who might try to steal him.

Her cheeks lit up in embarrassment, and she could no longer meet her own eyes. Still, the thought took root in her mind, and she could not shake it. Her heart pounded, she began to shiver, and she felt faint from anxiousness.

“I need some help,” she concluded.

Twilight’s eyes opened to see an expanse of purple and green scales before her, and she smiled. Spike was breathing deeply and slowly, clearly still sleeping. It was odd for her to wake up before Spike these days, but the mystery solved itself when she felt an uncomfortable tingling in one of her wings.

It turned out that while her right wing had retreated from Spike during the night and returned to its natural position on her back, her left wing was pinned under Spike’s body, where it had apparently spent the night.

In other words, she was awake because her wing was asleep.

She dug one hand under Spike’s chest and gently shifted him, relieving enough pressure on her wing that she could withdraw it and tuck it in behind her back. The tingling increased as the blood flow was restored, and Twilight sighed in relief.

Spike did not wake up. He merely grunted when his feathery mattress disappeared, and pulled Twilight closer. She snuggled into Spike’s chest and sighed lightly, listening to his steady heartbeat.

This felt good. It felt right. There was no sense of regret, no lingering feeling of shame, no overwhelming urge to go into the shower and clean herself, nothing to detract from the warmth she felt within her.

Her wing was still tingling uncomfortably, her hips were aching, and her thighs were sticky, but she couldn’t help but smile.

It felt natural.

She lit her horn and pulled the clock from the wall, bringing it down so she could check the time. She let out an unhappy groan when the cruel clock made her realize that they needed to get up and open the library, which meant that there was no time to explore more of this newfound intimacy. As though he was responding to her unhappiness, she felt Spike’s arms tighten around her, an unconscious gesture that set her heart a-flutter.

She wanted to lie there in his arms for hours, days… But she needed to wake him up. The library needed to open.

“Spike…” she said softly, putting her muzzle to the fringes that served as his ear. “Spike, it’s time to wake up.”

Spike’s breathing patterns shifted in response, and she pulled back to look at his face as he struggled awake. When his eyes finally opened, she was right there, meeting his gaze with a soft smile on her face.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hey…” Spike answered.

She was shocked to see a tear appear in Spike’s eye, but he quickly pulled her close again, tucking her head under his chin and holding her tightly, as though he was afraid she would pull away. She was about to ask what was wrong when he spoke up again.

“This… this is too good to be true… Please tell me I’m not dreaming,” he whispered, his voice wavering.

Twilight hugged him firmly.

“Spike… Yes. This is real. I’m here.”

The library could wait. The world could wait.

The sun rose in the Everfree.

There was silence in the clearing by the pond. Steven Magnet had been perfectly quiet for a long time, digesting everything he had heard.

“I see,” he finally said. It was the only answer he could manage. He was struggling for something, anything, to say. Eventually, he let his tongue go on without him. “You could have used a lot fewer words, you know. You have been talking for hours.”

“It’s a big decision,” Quick said, his expression serious. The unicorn had not moved from his stone throughout the lecture. “I felt that you needed to be informed before you make it. I have told you everything I can. There is more to say, mostly details, but I’m afraid it’s classified. And I must ask that you do not spread the information I have given you.”

Steven Magnet remained silent until Quick Wits spoke again.

“I’ll be back in three days,” he said, rising from his seat. “When I return--”

“That won’t be necessary,” Steven interrupted. “I’ll go through with it.”

“W--Are you sure?” Quick asked, clearly taken aback. “It’s a big decision, after all. Not to mention permanent.”

“It’s a no-brainer, Sir Quick,” Steven answered. “I would be proud to be a part of what you described. And besides, it does not change who I am, just what I can do, and what my responsibilities are.”

“Huh... Well then…” Quick said, his tone conveying both surprise and respect. “I’m certainly not going to turn you down.”

Quick took a few steps closer to Steven, but then paused and met the great serpent’s eyes.

“Before I do this, I have a favor to ask.”

“Oh?”

“There is another dragon here in the forest. He’s a lazy, arrogant, overgrown lizard, content to sit on his ever-expanding ass and do absolutely nothing with his life… but he is a dragon. So I am obliged to give him a chance.” Quick grimaced. “I talked with him earlier. And I, uh... may have antagonized him a bit. Now I’m a little worried that he’s going to take out his frustration on innocents.”

“You mean Ponyville?”

“Yeah.” Quick nodded. “I have eyes in Ponyville already, and I can move pretty darn fast, but I’d rest easier if I knew someone was keeping a lookout here. Just for a few days.”

“I’m your dragon, Quick.”

“Good man.” Quick nodded. “Now. This is going to be… an experience. I suggest you lay down and rest, as it will help speed up the process and keep you from tripping over yourself. I will make sure you’re not disturbed, so just get comfortable.”

Steven nodded and laid his body down on the ground, curling up as though to sleep. Quick walked up to him and placed his armored hand on Steven’s snout.

A surge ran through Steven, and the world fell away.

After Spike had calmed down, he and Twilight ended up sharing a shower. No words were spoken, and a sudden bout of shyness caused them to turn away from each other while they washed, but they still exited the bathroom smiling happily. Twilight also noted, with some amusement, that Spike was using some scale-care products that he rarely bothered with before, which gave him a subtle luster. She decided not to comment.

They dressed and set about double-checking the library for the day.

Spike felt the prolonged silence between them. It was not an awkward silence, not exactly, which made it even harder for him to say what he needed to say. He looked over his shoulder and watched Twilight run her fingers along a few bookends. Then he looked at his own checklist, trying to remember what exactly he was supposed to be checking off.

Finally, he decided to clear the air.

“I was scared.”

Twilight stopped and turned to look at him, but Spike turned away and looked down at the floor. Twilight said nothing, so he continued.

“This morning. I was scared that I was going to wake up downstairs in my bed, still small, still hopeless, and I… I don’t think I could’ve handled that.” He swallowed a lump in his throat. He could hear the soft clopping of Twilight’s approaching hooves, but he kept talking. “So when you were still there when I woke up, I just...”

He trailed off when he felt Twilight’s touch on his shoulder, only to yelp as a mild electric shock ran through him.

“Ow! What gives?”

“This is real,” Twilight calmly answered, spinning Spike around and wrapping her arms around his neck. “What we did last night was real. What we have now… It’s real. I won’t have you dismiss this as some dream.”

She smiled softly, and Spike instantly forgave her for the light shock. Then she drew in closer and planted a firm kiss on his lips. Spike wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close and happily returning her affection.

After a while, they broke off. They looked into each other’s eyes and smiled.

Fluttershy rushed through Ponyville. In the early morning calm before any shops opened, no one noticed her hurrying through the streets, heading for a familiar place. She needed help; she needed support; she couldn’t do this on her own. She needed a friend.

When she arrived at the building she had been headed for, she stared at the door and gulped. The bell chimed as she entered.

Rarity was having breakfast when she heard a rapid series of knocks on her door. Since it was before business hours, she simply ignored it. After all, her friends had extra keys if they wanted--

She heard a key turn in the lock, and the door opened.

“I’m in the kitchen, darling!” she called out. A set of soft, almost uncertain hoofsteps drew closer and closer, and Rainbow Dash walked into the kitchen.

“Hey, Rares.”

“Rainbow? I’m surprised to see you! Come, come. Have some tea!”

“Actually… You know what, yeah, that sounds good.”

Rainbow Dash pulled up a chair and sat down. She accepted the teacup that floated over to her, and a short time passed in awkward silence while she sipped her tea.

“At least you knocked this time,” Rarity deadpanned, breaking the silence. Rainbow barely managed to avoid snorting tea up her nose, and she put the cup down with a smile on her face.

“Yeah,” she said. She looked like she was going to say something else, but she closed her mouth and frowned.

She really was being quite un-Rainbow, Rarity noted.

“So, what brings you to my doorstep so early in the morning, dear?”

Rainbow stretched and averted her eyes, squirming in her seat for a bit. Rarity patiently waited.

“I was going through my clothes,” Rainbow finally said.

“Oh?”

“Yeah…” Rainbow said, looking embarrassed. She took a deep breath. “I have four formal outfits, thanks for those by the way, and a lot of training clothes. You know, t-shirts, track pants, and so on, but…” Falling silent, she pressed a knuckle into her forehead, clearly willing herself to keep going.

“You do pull off that look well…” Rarity offered, already sensing where this conversation was going.

“But that’s the thing!” Rainbow exclaimed, gesturing wildly with her hands as she spoke. “I’m always ‘Rainbow Dash the athlete.’ It’s great most of the time, cuz, you know, that’s who I am, but…” She seemed to run out of steam here, but kept talking. “Right now I kinda want to try to be... y'know... Pretty, too.”

“I understand perfectly, darling,” Rarity said in the most reassuring tone she could manage. Her friend looked up. “You want to look your best for your stallion.”

“Yeah, I guess…” Rainbow nodded and took another sip of her nearly-forgotten tea. “I wanted to wear something a little special, just something casual like… Well, like what you’re wearing.”

Rarity looked down at herself. Sundresses were in season right now, and she was wearing an especially stylish example today, since she had also felt the desire to dress up a bit.

“Just…” Rainbow continued. “Something cute, for once. I have all kinds of workout and sport clothes, but it turns out I don’t really have anything…” Rainbow gestured at Rarity’s attire again. “Well, anything like that.”

“So let me get this straight…” Rarity paused to try to contain a surge of glee. “You came here… Because you wanted my help dressing up?”

Rainbow sighed in defeat, then met Rarity’s gaze. She looked uncomfortable, but determined.

“Just don’t go too far, please.”

“Oh, I know what I’m doing, darling…” Rarity said. She finished her tea, then smiled deviously. “Now, let’s get started.”

Twilight was looking out the window. The library had opened a few minutes behind schedule, but fortunately, there had not been a line outside to get in. However, while she was waiting for visitors, she had glimpsed something violently blue on the roof of a nearby building. Needless to say, it had caught her attention.

She floated over a pair of binoculars (which she kept around for bird-watching), found the thing, and studied it. As far as she could tell, it was the same spirit fox she had spotted the day before. It was lying on a roof, across the street and down a few buildings. It was facing away from the library--looking towards the marketplace, Twilight realized. The center of Ponyville. It was not moving, and as far as she could tell, it seemed to be satisfied with its perch.

“What’s up, Twilight?” Spike asked. He was beside her, which startled her a bit--she hadn’t noticed him moving. She quickly composed herself.

“See that?” she said, pointing. “Over on Junebug’s roof?”

Spike squinted out the window.

“Uh… on the roof?” he mused. “I don’t… Roof tiles? A chimney? Bird poop? What am I supposed to be looking at?”

Interesting… apparently, dragons can’t see spirits.

Twilight’s horn lit up as she poked him in the side of his head and cast a simple spell. Spike’s eyes glowed briefly as the spirit-vision took effect. He raised his eyebrows.

“Is that…” he mumbled. Twilight held out the binoculars, and he gratefully took them, bringing them up to his eyes to verify what he was seeing. “Is that a spirit fox?”

“Yeah. I saw it around town yesterday after I left you with Pinkie. I tried to talk to it, but it just ran off.”

Spike lowered the binoculars and handed them back to Twilight.

“What’s it doing here, you think?” he asked.

“I don’t know… it looks like it’s just…” She looked out the window again. The fox squirmed a tiny bit, like it was getting comfortable. “Observing the marketplace? Do you have any idea?”

“Spirit foxes…” Spike muttered, furrowing his brow. “From what I know, they like playing pranks and having fun. They are considered benevolent, and apparently hate causing any real pain or discomfort. They’re masters of illusion, and often use disguises as part of their pranks… Though it’s weird that it’s sitting still at all; I’ve heard they’re pretty energetic. Anyway, that’s pretty much all I know about them. Maybe it’s planning some prank on Ponyville?”

“Possibly. Do you think this has anything to do with your… transformation?”

“Maybe…” Spike muttered, looking like he was a thousand miles away. “Hmm… As far as I know, there is no special connection between dragons and spirit foxes. If this has something to do with me, I wasn’t told.”

Twilight sensed no deceit in his words. She nodded, accepting his explanation.

The first library visitors of the day walked in, and the work day began. Any further speculation was postponed.

Mornings in Sugarcube Corner were always busy for Pinkie Pie. There was lots of baking to be done before the morning rush began, which suited her fine. Today, Mr. Cake was properly on hand, which meant that preparations were going much better than the day before.

The entrance bell chimed unexpectedly, and Pinkie looked up. She was surprised to find Fluttershy hurrying in, carrying a rather large bag with her.

Fluttershy looked around the store, making sure there was nopony else in there, then quickly moved across the room. Pinkie, sensing her distress, met her halfway. Fluttershy threw the bag aside and fell into Pinkie’s open arms, breathing heavily.

“Pinkie…” she managed. “I need help.”

“Okay,” Pinkie said immediately.

As if on cue, Mrs. Cake poked her head out to check on the commotion. Pinkie shot her a pleading gaze, and Mrs. Cake nodded empathetically, making a shooing motion towards the stairs.

“Let’s go up to my room to talk,” Pinkie said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible.

Nodding, Fluttershy picked up her bag again and allowed Pinkie to lead her upstairs. Pinkie sat her down on the bed and sat next to her, drawing her into a half-hug. In a rare display of tact, Pinkie even managed to remain silent for a minute or so while Fluttershy worked through her anxiety.

“Okay…” Fluttershy eventually managed. “Okay… I need your help.”

“Sure, anything.”

Fluttershy fell silent and shrunk in on herself.

“Is this about what we talked about yesterday?” Pinkie asked.

Fluttershy nodded.

“Is it about Spike specifically?”

Another nod.

“Something he did?”

A shake of the head. Negative.

Pinkie leaned back a bit and restructured her thoughts. She already had a strong hunch about what the problem was. In true Pinkie fashion, she decided to face it head on.

“Are you scared of getting close to a stallion because you’ve had your heart broken before?” Pinkie asked in as soft a tone as she could manage.

But gentle as Pinkie was, Fluttershy couldn’t keep the tears in. Pinkie buried her friend’s face in her chest and held her close, stroking her back gently.

After a long moment, Fluttershy pulled away, her tear-streaked face now a mask of determination.

“I’m in love with Spike,” she said firmly. “And I want to be with him. I want him to be with us, like Rainbow Dash said. I want him as our stallion, and I want us all to be a family.”

“I’m right there with you, sister,” Pinkie said, and Fluttershy managed a small smile. It fell quickly, however.

Pinkie rushed to save her friend’s mood.

“Oh! I have an idea!” she exclaimed excitedly. “I was going to ask Spike out today, but how about we ask him out together? That way I’ll be at your side the whole time, and we’ll all have a good time together!”

Fluttershy smiled, for real this time. This, she realized, was exactly what she had hoped would happen, that she could have a trusted friend at her side to help her through this.

“But only if you’re sure you want this, Fluttershy,” Pinkie added.

“I’m sure.” Fluttershy nodded. “I want this, and I’m not going to let fear get the better of me. But I really appreciate that you’re willing to do this with me.”

“No problem. I was probably going to ask you anyway. So what’s in the bag?”

“Oh, this?” Fluttershy hefted up the large bag she’d almost forgotten she had been carrying with her. “I was going to dress up a bit, but I… I didn’t want to be seen… So I thought I could change here, and maybe you could help me pick an outfit?”

“Sure! Then I’ll put on something special, and we’ll go ask him together, how about that?”

Fluttershy gave a genuine smile.

“That sounds wonderful.”

Author's Note

Edited by:
Feo Takahari
TheDaringExplorer
Shanenator
Edit: Also Pearly (not on this site)

I updated. This is a thing. My editors put a lot of work into this one, as they always do. I really couldn't do this without them.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you'll keep enjoying the story as it unfolds.

Best.
Rakni