Afternoon With A Dragon

Spike's jaw reclined into a hearty smirk as he witnessed Ember being a jungle gym to the fillies currently dining at the Sugarcube Corner.

He watched in humored pleasure as Ember stood, arms outward, still as a sleeping buffalo, as the little ponies climbed all around her body. Two of them, one green colt with blue hair and one orange one with oranger hair, were racing around and underneath her standing legs. She winced, yet cracked a polite smile as two other fillies, both mare twins with cerulean skin and brown hair, one braided and one not, were giggling aplenty as they rode up and down on her wings. Spike saw Ember wince a little bit more, then turn around to see a smaller baby filly, white with gray hair, gender currently unknown, gnawing on her tail as if it was a teething ring.

"Childreeeeen!" Somepony said, a sweetened alarm to her tone definite.

Immediately, all the fillies got off (or, at least, spit out her apparently gum-soothing back appendage) and went off to the source of the call, a yellow-skinned adult mare with curly dark-blonde hair, wearing a nice, bright blue necklace.

"Oh, terribly sorry about that, um, miss......dragon," the mother said, in the sweetest tone she could muster, for meeting a dragon in the Sugarcube Corner for the first time(hey, can you blame her?), then quickly and quietly shuffled back to her corner of the sweet store.

"Well, well, Ember! Looks like you already made some friends!" Spike said enthusiastically, trotting over to her.

"Sure, I..guess?" Ember replied, rubbing drool off her tail. "But, I still don't know about making friends here."

"Are you kidding?! Those kids loved you! You'll definitely be able to make friends here!, Right, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy was currently still mouth agape, eyes like bowling balls, at what she just witnessed, her mind a mixture of white noise and a series of OHMYCELESTIA!!!s. Hearing her name spoken, she managed to mutter," Um, yeah, yeah."

"..weeell, then, let's..get a table, Ember." Spike put his hand on Ember's back, leading her to another corner of the Corner.

Fluttershy, gaining full thought-process, facehoofed herself, realizing her reaction. Immediately, she dashed over, dragging a chair out for Ember.

"Here you go," Fluttershy said, giving her dragon acquaintance the biggest smile she could make thus far. Ember only slightly grinned back, and took the seat. Fluttershy only took her own, partially relieved of guilt.

The next few seconds, about thirty to be exact, were spent in complete silence. Fluttershy only stared at her hoofs, occasionally glancing at Ember, and swiftly going back down the moment Ember so much as turned a scale. Ember, tapping her claws on the table, only looked around at the décor of the Corner, with its bright colors and nice atmosphere, partially getting a whiff of its nice cupcake-topped-with-a-chocolate chip cookie smell. It made her feel calmed-and partially hungry. Spike, on the other hand, focused on glancing back and forth between his old pony friend, and his new dragon friend, his hope shining in his smile. However, given the sweat furrowing on his skin, he was either only trying to be hopeful, or he needed to pee. Either way, he looked uneasy. His mouth opened up a bit, as if to say something.

"So-"

"Hiddee-ho, everypony!"

All turned to see a bouncing pink pony bound into the room with a gigantic smile on her face, as she hummed a little song. Her cotton-candy-like hair swirled around as she wove around like a hopping bunch of bubble gum.

"Hey, Spike! Fluttershy! How are two of my bestesty best friends ever this avidly amazing afternoon?"

Both were left unable to answer as Pinkie Pie continued. "Meivebeingdoingwellimanagedtomakesomecake, thenblowupsomeballoonsthenmakecakethenfixmypartycannonthenmakesomecupcakes, thensawadragon,thenmadeevenmore-"

Pinkie, for once, stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes dashed to Ember.

"Gasp! DRAGON! RUN FOR YOUR LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVES!"

She could not get away, the hole she made in the floor from incessant leg use in one space too deep for her to get out. She continued screaming banter as the rest of the Corner looked at the spectacle.

Fluttershy, in a flash, soared into the tunnel and grabbed Pinkie out of it. She tried to hold on to her, but Pinkie's speed and strength were as large as her love of parties. She gave a look to Spike. He noticed her bulging, panicked and tiring eyes, and knew he was needed.

"Pinkie, it's ok! it's ok! Ember's not gonna hurt you!"

"How do you know that, Spike?!"

"Cause, um..well..she's..um...........different from other dragons?!"

And just like that:

"Oh. Ok!"

Pinkie hopped right out of Fluttershy's arms, her back legs unwillingly kicking her square in the muzzle and sending her to the ground.

"Wow! A real dragon, here in the Sugarcube Corner! Ah! This is definitely a selfie moment!" Pinkie pulled out a camera, from where nobody knew, grabbed Ember, and shoved both of them into the shutter.

FLASH

Everypony covered their eyes at the shock of the camera's light. Spike rubbed his eyes, and opened them to see Ember and Pinkie, dazed and rocking back and forth from the shock. He noticed their eyes were almost completely white, their pupils were so contracted.

Pinkie giggled as she rocked side to side, still holding an aching Ember. "Got that flash from Canterlot, hee hee! The guy who sold the camera said, hah, "You'll never see greater pictures than this!"

Ember held her head, barely soaking in Pinkie's words as a result of the instant headache. "Yeah...I can see why."

"Ha! I know, right! Ha ha ha!" Pinkie raised the camera to her eyes. "Nother one?!"

"NO!"

Pinkie felt a pain to that very word as she felt claws push her back. She then saw Ember slowly get smaller through the viewhole of the camera as she sailed back.

BAM!

Into the wall she went. Pinkie could only collapse into quite-literal jelly onto the floor, her now-dough-like hands still holding the camera. Debris from the Pinkie-shaped hole fell on her head as she lay there, her eyes staring widely at Ember still.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry about that!" Ember retorted. "I'm...a bit..jumpy today." She flapped over to Pinkie, cringing at the damage. "Are you..ok?"

Ember was only met with the picture as it printed out of the slot of the camera. Then, a moment later, one of Pinkie's gelatin hoofs rose up to her and slowly but surely formed a thumbs-up.

Ember somberly walked back to her seat at the table and sat down, Spike doing the same.

Ember sighed. "I'm really sorry 'bout that, Spike. I'm just not used to......attention like that."

Spike nervously chuckled. "uh, no problem. Pinkie's been through worse things. Heh, right, Shy?"

Fluttershy, having only been watching Ember the whole time through the ordeal, swiveled her head. "Huh?" Then, the question processed itself in her head. "Oh, oh yeah, right, Spike. It, uh, could've been worse." Her eyes glanced to Ember's tail, its spikes shining under the light of the sun shining through the windows. "Youuu-you could've....if you had the tail just right, heh, j-just chopped her in half! Ha!" Fluttershy didn't know it, but then, her mouth started going more. "Or-or you could've knocked her right out of the Corner entirely! Or you could've smashed all her bones! Or well, maybe, you could've hit with your..your sharp claws, or-or-or you knock her into other customers, hurting them too, you could've used your mouth, and eaten-"

"Fluttershy!"

Fluttershy blinked in surprise, shaking her head. She quickly passed her eye over Spike. The retort in his voice was evident, matching his clenched smile and sweating brow perfectly. She passed back to Ember. Her dilated pupils and shriveled, concerned brow said it all.

"Uh......right........could've been worse."

Spike quickly wiped his brow in approval as he turned to Ember. "I apologize on Fluttershy's behalf, Ember." He added with a nicely-disguised chuckle, "I -I think she might have played hoofball a bit too much this morning. Heh."

Ember slowly nodded. "Okayyyyyyy." Her hands, then clenched to herself, settled to the table, gripping the edge.

Again, the silence of discomfort stewed in the air. Ember stared at Fluttershy this time, her scales beginning to turn wet with sweat. Spike did the same as before, sweating and smiling, as if pretending nothing had happened, but to no avail. Fluttershy only went back to her hoofs, silently exhaling her inner frustration, clenching her eyes and hoping she could turn invisible at that very moment.

Then, an odd question.

"So.....what's hoofball?" Ember said, scooting to her fellow dragon.

Spike turned to Fluttershy. "Uh.......care to explain?"

Fluttershy turned her eyes from Ember to Spike, her inner alarm starting up. However, she only silently sighed again, only this time, she exhaled her immediate urge to forget her ideals and give Spike the Stare at that very moment.

This is not going to be pleasant.