Living in Equestria

Twilight was still asleep when I woke up the next morning to the faint light of dawn tinting the sky outside the window. The landscape had changed dramatically overnight. Gone was the deep green tunnel of the Everfree Forrest we were traveling through at sundown and now the morning's light illuminated a barren scrub land sliding by the window pockmarked with the occasional cactus and tumbleweed. The ground here was a clay-ish orange color, not unlike Scootaloo's coat, I thought while rubbing my eyes.

Sliding out of bed, I looked at the purple mare laying on her side facing away and snoring lightly, her dark tail shot with a streak of violet lay draped over the side, swinging lazily with the train's rocking motions. I thought about what she had said last night and a pang of sympathy hit me. It probably wasn't easy for her to go from a bookish, anti-social pony to a royal figure responsible for so much and I remembered how much she hated the formalities she had to go through sometimes that came with that title. I guessed she was really struggling with the pressure of adopting the regal position, always having to make a decision and be refined around anypony at the drop of a hat.

As if in defiance of my thoughts of her acting proper and dignified, Twilight's tail lifted and the long, trumpeting note of a magnificent, world class fart reverberated through the cabin, starting low and then shifting up into a question mark ending of a squeaker that forced me to slap a hand over my mouth to keep the giggles in.

It was so goddam loud that it woke her up with a startled jerk.

"Wha... are we there already?" She said groggily, her head coming up off the pillow.

"Not yet..." I tried to compose myself.

"Oh... I thought I heard the whistle..." Twilight mumbled and then flopped her purple head back on the pillow.

I had to leave the cabin for fear of embarrassing her, moving out into the hall and down towards the bathroom before I could finally get control of myself again.

Later that morning, it was clear Twilight was back to her usual self again. She made no mention of our conversation and brief kissing session last night and that was fine with me. As long as it helped her get over the idea I somehow held a grudge for her bringing me here, then that's all that mattered. She had woken up bright, cheery and talkative about her ideas for Dodge City.

"OK, First I think we should visit the hospital and check out the dragon wing. Maybe we'll find somepony there who can point us in the right direction?"

"Sounds like a great place to start." I said, pushing the green alfalfa sprouts around the plate we brought back from the food car. I secretly wished for some real breakfast for a change.

"If all else fails, we should be able to fly up to the edge of the Badlands nearby and look there as well. It's not that far and we should be able to see the ridge from town as long as the map I have is right."

"So what, are we just going to go up and ask a random dragon to help us with a Feracity problem back in Ponyville and hope we don't get cooked?"

"I dunno... I was kinda hoping you'd take care of that part! You're a male, after all... isn't there some unspoken code between you all for this kind of thing?" she waved her hoof around with a generalized look of assumption.

"Huh?"

"You know... like a wingpony? I read about it once. I'm trying to find a suitable mate and you're here to help me!"

She was only confusing me now. It sounded like she was talking about a wingman that you took to parties and stuff that helped you talk to the cute girl alone... but I didn't see how that applied here at all. She really was hopeless with this kind of stuff.

"Twilight, no. That's not how it works." I shook my head with a laugh.

"But... the book said a wingpony was supposed to do the hard part about clearing the way to get the mate!" she argued.

"Yeah but... nevermind. Alright. I'll be your wingpony..." I gave up with a shrug. I figured it couldn't hurt to let her think she was right about this one.

"All-right!" she gave a cheer and popped her hoof up for a high five. I gave it a slap with a bemused smile on my face at Twilight's odd naivety gaps surrounding her otherwise incredible knowledge.

After we ate, cleaned up and got our bags packed again for arrival at Dodge City, we sat across from each other, both looking out the window in silence for a long while. Without realizing I was doing it, my fingers were running through the long, black hair that fell from my head in a curtain below my shoulders. It had already been longer than I usually kept it before I got here and now after several months of not getting it cut, I was a veritable long haired hippie now. I could feel it brushing against my wing feathers whenever I turned my head.

"Mason?" Twilight's voice snapped me out of a vacant stare.

I turned to find her looking at me with an odd light in her eyes.

"Can I braid your mane?" she asked a little timidly.

"Uhh.. sure, I guess. Never had my hair this long to braid before." I shrugged.

"Come here and sit on the floor!" she grinned with excitement brightening her eyes and she pointed to a spot on the floor next to the bed.

Twilight sat up in that weird way ponies had that left their underbellies exposed to sit like a human. I tried not to look too obviously at her lower half as I got up but between her completely unashamed posture, the two purple teats, and a barely visible thatch of dark hair between her legs... it was an erotic enough sight to distract me for a moment.

I sat where she'd pointed with my back to her and two purple legs slid closed to press against my shoulders. I could smell the lavender scent of whatever shampoo she used mixed with that familiar warm, earthy body odor that ponies had that was tinted with Twilight's own brand. Her teats bumped against the back of my head as she shifted her weight around. Jesus... they were like two soft pillows just begging to rest my head against.

I heard the sound of her pack opening behind me and then moments later, the stiff bristles of a brush tickled my head. The sensation caused me to shiver and break out in gooseflesh before it snagged hard in the thick curls, causing me to grunt a little.

"Wow... somepony needs a good main and tail conditioner!" she remarked as the brush worked through several knots. "Remind me to let you borrow mine, OK?"

Soon though, it was passing freely against my scalp and I couldn't help but smile at the relaxing feeling it gave me. It was almost as good as when Scootaloo preened my wings in the privacy of our bedroom at night. A sigh escaped my lips, casing Twilight to stop suddenly.

"Did I do something wrong?!" she said quickly.

"No, it feels... nice, that's all." I brought a hand up across my body to rub the purple fur of her lower leg reassuringly. It twitched in my hand nervously.

The brush didn't return but instead I felt my hair being pulled back tightly. From what I could tell she used her hooves in combination with magic to accomplish the task quickly and when it was finished, she tapped me on the shoulder with a hoof.

"All done!"

I leaned forward a little, reaching behind my head to feel the tight braid that now lay just between my shoulder blades. It felt smooth and sleek in my hand, a rough contrast to the hard nub of Twilight's teat that rubbed the back of my knuckles inadvertently, causing her to jump slightly.

"Thanks, that feels way better." I said, giving an approving nod and feeling just a bit turned on by the whole experience.

I got to my knees then turned to face her on the floor between Twilight's legs, her anxious face looked at me with red cheeks and darting, nervous eyes. For a long moment, there was an almost physical tension of anticipation as neither of us moved but sensed that one of us should. A slight tint of her body's arousal wafted up from her seat on the edge of the bed that entered my nose like a freight train, lighting my senses on fire. Twilight's lower jaw trembled, her ears relaxed and I swore she was just leaning forward ever so slightly before the loud, harsh whistle of the train jolted her out of the spell she was under.

"Oh my gosh... We're here! Dodge City!"

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Applejack decided it was best to put a blanket over the large cage that held Spike. That thing on his lower belly was just to disturbing for her to look at all the time and it just seemed right to give the guy some privacy. Even though Apple Bloom was no longer an innocent little filly... Applejack still would rather not have something like that on display for her to see so casually.

"Well, Twilight 'n Mason ought ta be gettin ta Dodge City right about now, hopefully we ain't gotta keep you locked up in there fer too long." Applejack said regretfully to the sleeping green dragon that was curled up in a ball.

Big Mac had taken some bits into town early this morning and had returned with a large sack of gem shards for him. They weren't the good, expensive kind, but they'll do nicely to keep Spike fed with his favorite treat for quite a while until this gets sorted out. She filled a large bowl from the bag and slid it next to the cage so that when Spike woke up, he would be able to reach it easily. The cage was right next to the water spigot on the side of the barn and he could fill up the cup that was in there with him whenever he wanted to. It was the best she could do with the situation, she thought.

Rarity had shown up at the meeting place last night in the darkened Ponyville square floating the unconscious Spike in front of her with tears in her eyes. When she relayed the story of how she found him, Fluttershy had about come unglued with worry. They all had, as a matter of fact. They'd never seen or heard of anything like this and it was with heavy hearts they all watched Rarity move him into the cage, locking the door once he was laying on the soft, clean blankets piled inside.

"He'll sleep for quite a while, Applejack. I'm afraid I hit him much harder than I meant to." Rarity's eyes were fixed on Spike as she shook her head regretfully, her tail sagging low along with her ears.

"Don't beat yerself up over it, sister. Ya did what ya had ta do. He's safe now and that's all that matters." she comforted the unicorn.

"What I don't understand is why didn't he just tell us!" said Rainbow Dash. "I mean, it's not like any of us wouldn't have tried to help him or anything!"

"Oh no... Rainbow Dash. I'm sure Spike is probably very embarrassed and confused right now. There aren't any dragons around for him to have learned about this from, now is there." Fluttershy's soft voice came as she ran her hoof along the edge of the cage with concern clouding her face.

"No wonder he didn't come to any of my parties! It all makes sense! I feel so... much... better!" Pinkie was visibly relieved by Spike's condition because now she could put to rest something that had been bugging her for a while. Having a friend missing not one but two parties in a row had bothered her more than anypony could ever imagine. The others rolled their eyes. Leave it to Pinkie Pie to miss the bigger issue, as usual.

"I'll take him to tha the farm and away from folks in Ponyville 'till Twilight gets back. It's startin ta cool off now so he should be fine outside for a couple days in the shade. He won't get in ta any trouble there." Applejack said as she hitched the wagon holding the cage to the collar around her neck.

"Wait, Applejack. Before you go, let me do something..." Rarity stopped her and moved next to the cart. She closed her eyes and looked thoughtful for a moment before her horn sparked to life with a pinkish glow that spread quickly to cover the entire cage, the light sinking into the bars of the cage like water on a sponge.

"If Spike wakes up anything at all like the monster I met in that alley... he's going to be awfully mad. It simply wouldn't do to have him melt the cage and escape now, would it? That spell should prevent such an occurrence."

"Oooh! A very good idea, Rarity." Fluttershy nodded. "Spike's fire has been getting much hotter lately. Poor Angel Bunny's tail will never grow back the same..." she trailed off, remembering the unfortunate incident not to long ago. It was Angel's fault... he shouldn't have been trying to bite Spike on his tail in the first place.

The friends said their goodbyes and Big Mac followed his sister silently as they made their way back to Sweet Apple Acres with Spike in tow. They'd placed him just outside the kitchen door in the comfortable nighttime air before turning in for the evening and now, just after lunchtime the next day, as Applejack was getting ready to drop the blanket over the cage and find one of the never ending chores to do around the farm, Spike's eyes flew open and he sat up, causing Applejack to give a small yelp of fright at the sudden movement.

He looked around quickly before noticing Applejack and his bloodshot eyes fixed on hers.

"Where am I, Applejack?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head painfully. Applejack thought he sounded very much like himself and not the raspy creature Rarity had witnessed last night. His color was still not right though, and that thing was still flopping around out of his scales near his lower belly.

"H-hey ya Spike. I brought ya here to tha farm for a while." she said cautiously.

"But why am I in your sheep's cage?" he gave one of the bars an experimental tug.

"Uh.. cause ya kinda ain't been yerself lately. You remember anything bout that?"

"I remember leaving the library... and then going into Ponyville for a walk... but after that?" he shrugged, confusion clouding his face.

"Well, I'm sorry ta tell ya this little buddy, but yer in there under Twilight's orders an I can't let ya out. But... uh... we got some gems here fer ya an we'll keep ya fat n happy till she gets back with whatever ya need ta make ya better!" Applejack nodded, trying to sound upbeat and casual about it.

"Twilight? Oh... I guess she must be worried about me. This thing is getting worse, Applejack. Sometimes I... I just can't control it anymore!" he shook his head. "But how did I get here?"

"Rarity found you last night, she said you was..." she broke off when Spike's face slowly caved in at the sound of the unicorn's name with the most miserable look she'd ever seen. His head fell into his green claws and a small weeping sound followed shortly after.

"Spike?"

He didn't say anything for a moment and Applejack wondered if he heard her.

"Spike? What's goin on, buddy?"

"Go away..." his miserable voice came muffled and choked with tears.

"What?! What in the hay's wrong, Spike? Tell me what's the matter with ya!"

"Why don't you a-ask Rarity, she'll tell you... Leave me alone..." Spike snarled and then broke into inaudible sobs, rolling on his side away from her and pulling a green blanket in the cage over him. The quality of his outburst nearly broke Applejack's heart in two it was so sad.

She let the blanket covering the cage drop with a sigh and decided a trip into town and a chat with Rarity sounded like a fine idea. As much as she didn't want to leave Spike alone, he didn't seem too interested in company right now anyways. The blond haired pony could still hear him sobbing under the blanket as she turned towards the gate and headed into town.

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Dodge City was the last major point of pony civilization before the Badlands started to the south, splitting the land all the way to the Quiet Sea. It was much larger than Dodge Junction to the north, and acted as a hub of trade from goods coming up Fillydelphia to the south west and Hoofington to the south east. Some of the items traded here had reached Equestria by way of seafaring vessels traveling between this landmass and a far off and wondrous place called Cervidas beyond the sea to the distant south past the Badlands.

Twilight rapidly filled my head with these facts as we waited to get through the turnstiles and leave the platform but while I heard her clearly... I didn't register much more beyond these tidbits. I was too busy staring at a large griffon in front of us with wide eyed wonder.

As it turned out we didn't have to wait long before seeing our first dragon here. No sooner had we stepped through the doors onto the bustling street filled with ponies, griffons, and other creatures that looked like some kind of deer, I felt a tug on my shirt and turned around.

There was a small dragon, barely larger than Spike, standing there holding out a grubby claw. It was a brilliant red color with scales that shimmered even through the coating of dirt on them and had bright, white spines coming off of it's back all the way down to the pointed tip of it's tail. The little creatures eyes matched the scale's color perfectly, a clear glittering red that shone with little flecks of white. But it looked a little different than Spike, more slender with smoother, delicate features. It looked up at me with a sad, desparate look as it curled it's claw meaningfully at me before it noticed Twilight. The look of a beggar vanished and was instantly replaced by an excited grin.

"Woah! You're an Alicorn!" it said. The voice was decidedly girlish.

"Mhmm..." Twilight nodded with a smile.

"I thought so! Only alicorns have both a horn and wings. Aren't you royalty? Aren't you supposed to live in a castle somewhere?" it asked unabashed.

Twilight remarkably took it all in stride, "Yep! My castle is in Ponyville. That's where we're from!"

"Wow!" the little things eyes grew wider. "I bet your castle's so big you could get lost in it for days!" the dragon's glittering red eyes turned to me and it's snout turned up in confusion. "What are you?" it asked bewildered.

"I'm a human." I said plainly.

"Huh... never seen one of you before..." it studied me closely for a moment before Twilight spoke up again.

"You're a dragon, right? What's your name?"

"Ashley." said the dragon casually without looking away from the hair on my legs that it was inspecting so close it might as well be checking me for fleas. Between the voice and the name, my brain decided it was a girl.

"Well, Ashley... Can you tell us where more dragons are? Maybe some older ones?" Twilight asked pleasantly enough.

"Whaddya mean older!" Ashley bristled and stepped back annoyed. "I left my nest along time ago and I got my wing buds already, look!" with that she spun around to show us two large protrusions on her back that looked exactly as I imagined how my own wings looked when they were forming and still trapped under the skin.

"Hey... look at those!" Twilight humored her with a false chuckle of being impressed. "But seriously, we need to find dragons that can help us with a big problem. Maybe you can tell us where your nest was and we'll start by looking there?"

"Pfft!... tell ya what. Gimme five bits and maaaaybe I'll point in the right direction, Alicorn!" her claw came out again, this time with none of the sad, puppy dog eyes. Now there was a shine of clever cunning in those brilliant orbs of hers and I began to think she was experienced with this kind of thing.... even though she sounded a little young for it.

"Six bits and you definitely point in the right direction." Twilight countered.

"Deal!" Ashley nodded.

Twilight gave a self satisfied smile and her horn sparked to life. The bit purse floated out of the bag on her flank and as Twilight busied herself with opening the delicate pouch, Ashley suddenly let loose a short blast of red fire that singed Twilight's face, breaking her concentration enough for horn to lose it's magical grip. In the blink of an eye, the little red dragon gave a taunting laugh and snatched up the bag where it fell. She took off, weaving through the oncoming ponies and vanished out of sight down the road.

"Shit, Twilight, you alright?!" I asked her, bending down to check her muzzle.

"I'm fine, I'm fine! It was just a distraction, she didn't try to hurt me... But Mason, that's all the bits I brought with us!"

"Stay here!" I told her and launched into the air, heading in the direction Ashley had gone. I searched madly for any sign of her, seeing moving traces of red everywhere on the manes and tails of the bodies crowded together. Then I saw her, crossing a street and running quickly for a narrow, dark opening between two brick buildings on the far side.

I clenched my teeth in anger before diving at full speed. It was going to be close, I knew I couldn't fit in that space and if she got in there ahead of me... we'd lose all our money. I skidded into the ground right behind her just as she turned to slip in to the crawlspace. My arm shot into the gap in a desperate, wild attempt to catch her and landed on the top spine of her head, grabbing it tightly.

"OWW!!! Lemmi go!" she cried.

"Gimme our bits you little thief!"

"Buck off, human! Lemmi go before I roast ya!"

"Give them back!" I yelled and gave a massive tug on her her spine that brought her back out into the street. Knowing better than to stand in front of her, I used the leverage of her spine to keep her facing away from me.

"Stop it!" her high pitched voice cracked a little.

"Give me the pouch and I'll let you go... I just want our bits back!"

"Please... you don't understand! If I don't bring any bits back, they won't let me eat tonight!" Something in her voice sounded so desperate that I almost let her go. I had to force myself to stay mad at what sounded like a hurt and crying desperate young girl. I squeezed a bit harder on the white spine in my hand and she squirmed in pain.

"AaahAAA OK OK! Take em!" she cried and threw the bit pouch over her shoulder at me.

It hit me square in the chest and I caught it with my other hand before letting her go. I instantly regretted it, remembering exactly why I was holding her like that in the first place. She whirled on me, rage in her small red face at getting caught and I braced myself to finally feel what getting cooked by dragon's fire felt like. But it never came. She only looked at me with frustration that slowly melted into a sad, defeated posture from missing her chance.

There was something about her that made my heart hurt a little bit even though I was still mad. At the very least... if she's resorted to stealing like this, maybe a single bit would help her get something to eat after all. I couldn't stop my heart from forcing my fingers to palm a single coin out of the pouch into my hand before tucking it away in my bag once I knew she wasn't going to fry me.

"There, you happy now! I ought ta roast you right where you stand for grabbin' my spine like that!" she tried to regain her fiery anger, rubbing the spine on her head with a wounded look.

"Maybe if you could run faster... I wouldn't have caught you!" I smirked.

She pouted and we regarded each other for a moment before she turned towards the space between the two buildings. I watched her go and just when she was about to vanish in to the shadows, I called to her.

"Hey... Ashley!"

"What!" she snapped, spinning again to face me again.

"Get something to eat." I said and flipped the bit to her. She caught it coolly and inspected it before she grinned up at me. I thought she would say something like Gee! Thanks mister! or something cheesy out of a feel good movie like that.

"Sucker!" she laughed and then stuck her forked tongue out, showing me the back of her pinkie claw with a sassy move before vanishing into the shadows.

"Son of a bitch..." I said quietly.