Author's Note

So. Another update routed through the dumbphone because Telstra, in it's infinite desire to bend the rubes over the nearest flat surface and gently whisper in our ears "There is no lube.", has delightfully informed me that my broadband access is at least THREE WEEKS AWAY.

So unfortunately, that means brute-force copy-pasting this from the PC to the dumbphone, and from the phone to hear, which somehow strips all the italliac away, so there's no way for me to put it back in since this phone apparently cannot shift-drag over words.

Please bear with me as I try to figure out how I am going to get around this without an aneurism in the process. As soon as I have working net again, I'll be Editting these back up to my usual level.

Edit: TEMPORARY ACCESS TO THE NET ACHIEVED! Let me burn all this money editing MLP:FIM fanfictions ... the fudge am I doing with my life?

Chapter 10: Attention shoppers, we are having a sale on towels, awkward situations and stalking in aisle 10

Dusk commended himself with mustering the physical stamina necessary to walk to the modern-looking super-store, given that his legs felt like shredded jelly, his back like a slab of tenderized meat and his unmentionables defied description in any of the many languages Dusk could speak and read, but found the small glow of satisfaction fading swiftly at how easily Spine moved about.

Eight times. EIGHT. TIMES. I had to wrap my groin in a barrier spell and then teleport into my pants because of how badly mangled I am right now, and she’s bouncing around like she’s made of rubber. Is this a Dragon thing, or are all females just dementedly happy after sex?

A small mercy came from the fact that despite walking around in public, well, limping if Dusk was being totally honest with himself, was that not a single mare had come up and tried to put the moves, or a hand, on him, Officer Rulebook’s not-entirely-stalking-but-still-unsettling shenanigans notwithstanding. The pale brown Mare’s peeking around corners and stalls and tip-toeing in broad daylight to the next ‘hiding place’ would have been hilarious if her attention was on anyone but Dusk right now.

Faust as my witness, I hope I can chain a few instant teleports together if the policemare decides to go for the kill, because right now a lame, geriatric hamster could outrun me.

“…So I’m thinking we set aside a section of the library for a Gaming Corner, and then …” Dusk ‘returned’ to the conversation he was having with the very happy Spine, and frowned as he caught the tail end of a happy ramble.

“Okay, stopping you right there, Spine. The Golden Oaks Library is a public venue, and more importantly, government property. We might get away with putting a magi-net café in there, a couple of computer towers and a router with sufficient grunt to handle the traffic, but an actual arcade would simply draw all the wrong kinds of attention.” Dusk grunted, his expression stormy as Spine turned to give him an incredulous look. “Do you have any idea how many months we would been hitting our head against the Department of Planning and Infrastructure when they learn we’re trying to convert a literal monument to an almost-forgotten magical art into a gaming corner? Let alone how much Mayor Mare might take offence at us just changing the library into our personal home-away-from-home without consulting her first about the changes?”

“But … this town is boring. I spent most of this morning talking to Ponies and the only real entertainment they’ve got is one tavern, a karaoke bar that’s only open on the weekends, a spa center and whatever gossip they get up to at the markets, and that’s so heavily in the Sisterhood’s hands that if I take you with me, you’re basically going to get assaulted the moment I let go of your hand.” The young Drake’s smile fell so instantly Dusk’s heart clenched.

“I didn’t say we wouldn’t have a gaming corner, let alone injecting some more modern entertainment venues into the town, but we have to make sure that whatever we build here is going to last after we leave and go back to Canterlot, remember? We’re going to be pumping a considerable amount of bits into the town for the … thingy … that’ll be happening in a few months, let alone whatever the Princess will redirect once she can start following up on the misappropriated funds we’ve discovered thus far.” The Unicorn limped up and wrapped an arm around Spine’s shoulders, and pulled the young Drake into a one-armed hug, marvelling that he could do this in Ponyville without nearby Ponies turning up their noses or muttering about ‘race traitors’. “I am thinking we’d probably need to set up something simple, just a concrete insta-building like the town’s council offices, and given that Ponyville was built right ontop of a Leyline, all they’ll need is the tech to condense and refine the mana into a usable state, and a suitable connection to the magi-net, and the gaming corner would be pretty much set. Probably a small cinema or theatre hall wouldn’t go astray either, but we’d have to go small since the town may not have that big of a population even after the festi … thingy is over.”

Spine’s arm snuck around Dusk’s chest and returned the hug, crushingly so as Dusk wheezed from feeling his ribs creak under the pressure.

“Sorry, I just … I was talking to Sweetie Belle, and she was just so … I get it, you know? I get what it’s like to be so bored because I can’t do anything, because nothing clicks for me, I don’t fit in anywhere and nobody will let me join them because of that.” The drake’s voice was small and fragile as they kept on walking, and Dusk’s heart squeezed in his chest. “So, I thought if I could build a place where the local kids could have fun, then maybe I could … maybe if I ran the place where they could have fun, then they’d think of me as Spine the fun dragon, not Spine the scary monster.”

“Hey. Hey. None of that. We haven’t had a single comment about predators since we got here, and that’s not going to change.” Dusk stopped walking and turned Spine to face him, frowning as he saw a tear in the corner of the Drake’s eye. “Creepy mares aside, this town is perfect for us, together, because we can make a difference here, and nobody important is making a fuss about either of what makes us different, me being a Unicorn, or you being a Dragon. Give it a few more weeks, we’ll have you set up as the life of the party for the under-twenty crowd, and I’ll hopefully have gotten the ball rolling on both the thingy and helping Cherilee with her students.”

“Heh. You know nobody in this town is going to be anywhere near you in the brainiac department, right? You’re going to be stuck teaching at the public level, not the level you’re used to at Celestia’s school.” Sniffing, Spike wiped the tear away and gave Dusk a fragile grin. That’s better. I knew Spine was lonely with just myself and my family for company, but I didn’t know she was so brittle about being isolated. She’s very mature for a Pony of her age, but she’ a Dragon, and they age very differently, and that’s not even including the hot mess of her hormones causing Spine to shift into different age categories at the drop of a hat!

“I think I can make do. Besides, you have got to try the produce here, we’re getting our food straight from Ponyville no-matter where we end up, and hang the cost.” Dusk replied with an exaggerated sniff, which made Spine giggle and start walking again, this time holding one of Dusk’s hands in her own as they meandered towards the super-market. “We might even end up living out here permanently if things go well.”

“You’re going to give up on Canterlot’s libraries?” The Drake asked in surprise, giving Dusk a searching look as they ducked around a knot of chattering mares, many of whom gave Dusk looks of their own that the young Unicorn ignored with weary practice. So long as all they did was look, Dusk could simply ignore them, but if they tried anything else, the mares would end up pulling back singed hands at best. “Did you have a stroke or something back at the library?”

“Hah. Hah. Hah. No, but you did cause some damage, so please, slow down, my everything is killing me. But I have been doing some thinking, about what we’re going to do if we keep going down this path, about what’s best for us as people, not a Magi and a Dragon. I mean, Canterlot’s just a half-day’s travel via train if I absolutely need to go back to Canterlot to attend a lecture or visit a library, and even shorter if I hire a flying carriage.” Dusk explained as Spine fell in beside him, walking a little bit slower to stay by Dusk’s side with his limping stride. “And even if we don’t end up staying in Ponyville for longer than the Princess requires of us, there’s no hard-and-fast rule that we need to stay in Canterlot, there’s plenty of other towns and cities that would pay through the nose for a Magi of my calibre to handle their magical problems, and we can keep shuffling around until we find a place where Ponies will accept you for you. Manehattan has a large non-pony population, after all, as does Neigh York and Hoofington, just off the top of my head.”

As they had almost reached the entrance to the super-market, Dusk turned and gave Spine a serious look of his own.

“Maybe that’s how we make our mark, Spine. I teach the children, you set up sanctuaries for them where they can enjoy their childhoods, with full sanction from Celestia herself, and that’s our legacy, a chain of Spine’s Corner Stores where people can come in and just have fun, a place of safety where anyone and everyone can be accepted and just be themselves without having to wonder what the close-minded are doing on the other side of the door.”

Spine’s squeeze of Dusk’s hand, and the eager grin on her face, filled Dusk with a sense of relief. It wouldn’t necessarily be a bad life, travelling Equestria and helping out the needy and creating places for the nation’s youth to gather and relax. It would also do Dusk wonders for his experiments in the coveted ‘eternal youth’ spell that so many Magi sought out, since Canterlot’s resources tended to either be loaded with self-impressed ramblings of the delusional and the mad that led the unwary to extremely horrific ends, or were filled with obfuscating texts and intentional sabotage by magi who had made their own variations on the spell and sought to keep others from achieving the same lofty heights out of hubris and spite.

Travelling the country, if not the world, and learning secrets from beyond Canterlot’s stunted and in-bred magical community could be an adventure in and of itself. I have kind of exploited all my options in Canterlot as things stand, and even if I did manage to make the spell work, did I really want to spend the next several thousand years hiding from consecutive generations of stalkers in my tower?

The sliding doors opened, and a blast of cool, dry air, loaded with the smell of cleaning agents, competing perfumes and the faint ozone scent of mana-preserved food.

“Huh … it’s like being back in Canterlot’s lower suburbs, but without the staff acting desperately snobby to pretend they’re of the same class as the Nobility.” Spine wondered out loud as the mismatched pair entered the building, taking note of the dozen service-stations staffed by younger Ponies all wearing crisp uniforms and bored expressions, and Mares of all ages, a few with Stallions at their sides and many more with children testing their patience with insistent begging for cheap toys or junk food, and many more running wildly around the supermarket’s aisles.

“Huh, feels like home, which just makes me depressed. C’mon, let’s grab those towels, snacks and whatever else we need to bring the Library back up to code, and then we hit the market stalls for some fresh food.” Dusk grumbled under her breath, elbowing Spine as a few ponies turned to stare at the Dragon and snickered at her comment. “No sense in riling up the locals, Spine, not without due cause.”

“Hey, it was a compliment. I want to shop here, nopony’s running up and telling me I’m not equine enough to come in.”

“Do I have to explain the concept of a backhanded compliment to you again?”

“Do I have to reverse cow-girl you into submission again?”

“… Curse your draconic vitality, and your cute little butt, Spine.”

“Hey, I put the ‘ass’ in ‘assistant’ for a damn good reason. And remember, we’re getting the extra fluffy towels, the ones that can absorb the extra … spillage.”

Dusk only whimpered as Spine dragged him further into the store, the sliding doors hissing softly as they glided shut behind the hapless Magi and his Draconic ‘assistant’.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rarity bit a finger as she walked the newcomer from Canterlot walk into Filthy Rich’s Barnyard Bargains superstore, eying her competition with a critical eye.

Another species, so his tastes run to the exotic, maybe he’s had so many Mares that what nature intended no longer arouses him? A stallion who is so experienced and inexhaustible that the pleasures of his own kind no longer excite him? And from what I could see, he’s able to cheer that dragon up with just a few words, so possibly able to read the mood of his lover at a glance? Or perhaps it’s magic?

Whatever the case, Lord Dusk Shine was everything and more than the stories and scandals promised. Slender of build without being thin and muscular enough to fill out his clothing in just enough fashion to hint at what might be lurking under the cloth, tall enough to be just slightly above eye-level with all but the tallest of Mares and his mane, tail and coat shined with good health and the signs of excellent grooming. Perhaps lost to the non-unicorns, however, was the length and girth of his horn, the elegant, spiralling grooves that ran around and up the horn, and the sharpness of the point …

Goodness me, if I keep thinking about his horn, I think my underwear might undergo something of a crisis shortly! The fashionista tittered to herself, stepping confidently out into the sunlight and towards the superstore, already mentally planning her courtship of the ‘uncatchable’ bachelor. To ‘casually’ bump into him, be approachable to the Dragon, work her way in and see how deeply the two were attached, if it was just a sensual fling or if it was something more … emotional … between the two.

And what if it is just that, Rarity? What if they truly are in love? How will you pursue your dream with a clear conscience if this one, shining chance ends up costing somebody else their heart? The thought put a pause in Rarity’s otherwise flawless stride that nearly made her stumble. What if Lord Dusk Shine and this Dragon were in love? Certainly, cross-species marriages were rare, especially in Canterlot where old blood, old rules and older ways of thinking still held the reins of power, but with the backing of Princess Celestia herself, there would be few who would openly decry such a union … And what if in pursuing Dusk Shine, I set myself square in the sights of the Princess as a threat to her daughter? That is Spine el’Celeste, adopted daughter of the Princess herself, not some half-inbred hick-mare I can just bump to the side without a care.

Another thought came to Rarity as she considered her options, the sliding doors of the superstore coming ever closer, as did the rising feeling of butterflies in her stomach.

Could I share Lord Dusk Shine with the Dragon? I mean, I’m not averse to sampling from both side of the buffet, after all, and if what Sweetie Belle was saying is true, Spine is quite lonely and lovely. If I work my way in slowly, I could not only become wedded to the greatest Wizard of our time, but also be the co-wife of the adopted daughter of Princess Celestia herself! I would become the relative of the Goddess of the Sun!

The thought almost made Rarity swoon on the spot. More than just being able to influence the fate of the nation and stamp her mark on history, she’d be a literal relative of a timeless, nay, Divine Ruler! Her dreams of dragging Equestria out of the cultural Dark Ages and embracing a wider world of talents and ideas would metamorphose from mere fantasies into actual possibilities! She could become the trend-setter for world fashion!

Giggling to herself at the thought, Rarity almost missed the rare sight of Fluttershy out in public. The town’s notoriously reclusive veterinarian and conservationist, wearing her trade-mark over-sized hoodie, nervously dithering at the entrance to the superstore, curls of pink hair escaping the voluminous hood before, amazingly, Fluttershy entered the superstore.

… What did I just see? Fluttershy, of all Ponies, entering the Barnyard Bargain store during the early morning rush period? She normally gets all of her animals’ food delivered via courier, doesn’t she? Rarity paused her advance to tap a finger to her lips in thought. Fluttershy’s fear of large groups of ponies was legendary, and nothing short of an animal in distress or a rare creature being on display would bring her away from her cottage and into such a situation … Of course! The dragon! Fluttershy must be dying to see a young one, and there’s one that’s been reared by the Princess herself, so she’d be perfectly safe getting close to the dragon!

Smirking as she stalked into the superstore after Fluttershy, Rarity looked around confidently, noting that, once again, she was the best-dressed mare in the vicinity, elegant yet casual, sophisticated yet not over-dressed for her surroundings. Several mares scowled at her, but many more looked her way and smiled or waved. It paid to be the only tailor in town, and to be the best clothes shop as well, especially since Rarity prided herself on taking great pains to make the perfect outfit for whoever she served, regardless of any animosity she or the customer might have felt towards one another. Even if other mares did try to compete with Rarity for the affections of the new Stallion in town, they’d hardly be in any position to offer meaningful competition.

She was a successful business owner, moderately wealthy in her own right, elegant, educated and …

The confidence died in Rarity’s mind as she saw Fluttershy, the mare who could barely bring herself to talk to another pony and would freeze up or run away if a stallion spoke to her, took a deep breathe, stride through the crowd of gossiping mares at the service stations and walk right up to Lord Dusk Shine and Lady Spike el’Celeste and tap the Stallion on the shoulder.

Rarity felt her stomach-butterflies come back with a vengeance as she remembered that Fluttershy was famous around town for three reasons: her incredibly shy nature, her deep and abiding love of animals and her natural beauty that could make even the most heavily augmented supermodels weep tears of bloody jealousy.

FUCK!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was taking every scrap of courage and resolve for Fluttershy to hold her ground as the stallion and dragon turned to look at her, the purple unicorn with a look of weary resignation, the drake with one of frustration.

“Uh-uhm, excuse me, but is that a baby dragon, or is she a juvenile?” Fluttershy squeaked out, her eyes trailing over the ridge of green that ran from the drake’s head down her back and to the tip of her tail, the lighter-green ear-frills, the pale purple scales, and felt a thrill of excitement course through her. A real life dragon! And not one of the brutes that lived in the Badlands and captured Ponies for ransom!

“I am a … uhm … teenager, and I can speak for myself.” The drake snapped, pausing uncertainly at first before gaining momentum. “Can we help you? We’re kind of in the middle of our shopping here.”

“Oh, oh I’m sorry, it’s just I’ve always wanted to meet a dragon, but the only ones I knew of were the ones who liked to kidnap Ponies at the borders and ransom them back for gems, and, well, I was told a dragon had come into town, so I was wondering, if you don’t mind, if we could … talk?” Leaning in closer to give a trembling smile, Fluttershy’s eyes locked onto the drake’s, who seemed rather flustered. “Oh, I didn’t mean I thought you were one of those dragons, I mean … I’m the town veterinarian, and I’ve always had an interest in the other intelligent species, but the town doctor only know how to deal with pony injuries, so …”

“Only a single doctor, huh? Wow, huh, looks like we’ve got something else to fix while we’re here …” The stallion muttered darkly, while the drake flushed a darker shade again.

“W-well, if you don’t mind talking while we shop.” The drake mumbled, and squealing softly in excitement, Fluttershy shuffled up next to the drake, who sneezed and gave Fluttershy a bewildered look, oblivious to the incredulous faces of the stallion, and the local residents who were watching the exchange. “My name’s Spine, Spine el’Celeste, and y-you are?”

“Oh, this is so exciting! I’m Fluttershy, Ponyville’s veterinarian and … and I guess I’m also the town’s expert on non-equine medicine. There’s so much I want to know, so much we don’t know about how the dragon physiology works! U-uhm, would it be okay if, while you are shopping, if you could start at the beginning ...”

“The beginning of what?” Spine asked softly, nostrils twitching as the odd trio walked down the aisle, Dusk levitating basic necessities, dry goods and cleaning products, into the trolley, as Spine, awkwardly at first, began to share her hatching, and her early life, with Fluttershy, who ate up every word with wide, excited eyes and soft urgings to continue.

For Fluttershy, it was simply amazing to speak to a dragon who didn’t send her into spasms of terror at just the sight of them, and once Spine got over her shyness … how amazing is it that I am making somebody else nervous? … and began to explain what it was like, growing up a carnivore amongst herbivores.

“Technically, I’m more of an omnivore, so it wasn’t so bad. I mean, I ate a lot of meat, and Dusk and Celestia only ate a little bit, most fish or a small amount of shredded chicken at most so I wouldn’t be the only one at the table eating meat, but I can eat just about anything. Gemstones, in fact, are my favourite food, there’s just something so … good about the crunch of a sapphire or diamond under your teeth, and there’s no way to really describe how amazing they taste to a pony, Equinish just doesn’t have the depth to properly explain it.” Spine explained, gazing dreamily at Fluttershy while drooling slightly at the corners of her mouth as the young drake began to describe her dietary needs. “Nothing else comes even close to the flavour of a gem, no cut of meat, no type of fruit or vegetable, no dish that’s ever graced Celestia’s table tastes half as good as a nice, raw gem.”

“We think it has something to do with the way the draconis fundamentum works, the organ that takes the magical energy stored within a dragon’s body and converts it into their flame.” The unicorn, Dusk, interrupted, giving Spine a look of amusement and affection as he handed her a handkerchief to dab away her drool, and Fluttershy found herself staring. She’d never seen such an elegant-looking stallion outside of the fashion magazines Rarity leant her, and he wasn’t scary or cruel like the other ponies from Canterlot that she’d met.

“She eats the gems, and her body converts the minerals into magical energy, which is a lot more efficient than converting biological matter, right? Like the cockatrices eat small bits stone from the Everfree Forest, which is soaked in wild magic, and absorb the magic of the stones to fuel their petrification ability, and the stones themselves serve as gastroliths to help grind up their meal in their gizzards?” The butter-yellow Pegasus rattled off, surprised to find she wasn’t entirely scared of the stallion. He honestly seemed nice, and cared for the dragon’s well-being, at least.

“Wait, are you two saying I’m similar to those chicken-things the Royal Gardeners have to keep stopping from eating all the statues in Princess Celestia’s maze-garden?” Spine growled, shooting dark but playful glances at Fluttershy and her partner, then dug an elbow into the unicorn’s rib-cage, who grunted in pain but gave the drake a sly grin in return.

“Only in your eating habits ~oooof~ but no, it’s not quite the same principle. You metabolize the entire gem, while the cockatrice simply absorbs the magic alone in like a snake sleeping on-top of a sun-warmed rock absorbs the heat. But I surprised you know about mineralogical diets, miss Fluttershy. Most ponies don’t even believe that some magical species derive their necessary dietary intake from inorganic compounds, let alone understand the basics of the process.”

“Oh, well, I live by the edge of the Everfree Forest, so I get to see a lot of Wild Magic in action. And when one of my animals gets into trouble, I have to know what’s causing them issues, so I had to … read up on a lot of … old texts?” Fluttershy found herself stammering at the last at the stunned expression on Dusk’s face. “Is … is that odd?”

“A little? I mean, most Ponies refuse to even go near areas where magic isn’t stable enough to use normally, and apart from a farm or two, most of Ponyville is as far from the Everfree Forest as the zoning laws will allow ponies to build their houses and businesses.” Spine shrugged, her expression somewhere between amazed and hungry.

“Most Unicorns wouldn’t even go anywhere near a zone filled with Wild Magic for fear of their horns overloading from all the excess mana they’d be absorbing. The other Tribes generally stay away as well since most modern technology is mana-based, and spending any amount of time in a Wild Zone tends to fry all but the most insulated gear in a matter of days.” Dusk added, giving Fluttershy an appraising look that made the colour rise to her cheeks and her head duck down low as she tried to hide behind her hair and the cowl of her hoodie. “How close to the edge are you living? One mile? Two?”

Fluttershy forced her nervousness aside with mixed results. Her urge to talk to the dragon, and the kind unicorn with her, warred with her natural inclination to avoid attention and simply wait silently till the other ponies went away. But she had to be brave, or her one chance to befriend a dragon would be lost! “Uh-uhm … right on the edge of the forest. Some of the animals won’t come any closer to the town than that because they’re afraid of the townsponies, and some of the townsponies tend to … to shoot first and ask questions later at anything that isn’t a domesticated animal.”

There was another awkward pause as the unicorn gave her another stunned look, before the drake surged up and hugged Fluttershy, who squealed softly in delight despite the urge to run away that flashed through her at the sudden invasion of her privacy.

“You. Smell. Amazing.” The drake whispered into Fluttershy’s ear, a feathery tickle of hot, spicy air that thrilled Fluttershy and sent surges of excitement racing through her veins.

“Ahem. Spine, what are you doing? If you don’t mind, Miss Fluttershy, would we be allowed to come over and see where you live? I’ve been fascinated with the properties of Wild Magic for some time, and since both Spine and I are likely to be in Ponyville for a good six months, it would really help my research out if I could study Wild Magic in a safe location?” Dusk gave her a warm smile, and a part of Fluttershy’s mind went pink at the sight, her face flushing crimson as she remembered all too well how she’d first come across the pair, and realized there was the very same dragon now pressed up tightly to her breasts … and how the dragon’s talon-tipped hands were pressing so possessively into the small of Fluttershy’s back, pushing the two of them into a very close embrace that Fluttershy was certainly of two minds about escaping.

“Uh … uh … okay?” Fluttershy squeaked, unable to bring herself to say anymore from sheer anxiety, nervousness and the tightness of the dragon’s hug, which she didn’t dare break for fear of offence, and how warm and wonderful the contact between them felt … And how much warmer would she be, if we were skin to scale … AAAAAAAH! I need to go, need to go now, too close, too much, my wings are going to break the wraps I put around them and poof out and she’ll think I’m a pervert! “O-oh, I just remembered, Harry the Bear is duh-due for his chiropractic session in a little while, I ha-have to go and get ready!”

Her excuse didn’t have the desired result, instead Spine simply pulled her closer, the drake’s tail snaking and twining around one of Fluttershy’s legs and one of the drake’s own, her slit-pupiled eyes flickering with competing flashes of green and gold as her muzzle came within a hair’s breath of fluttershy’s own, before a loud cough from Dusk and a shimmer of purple magic surrounded the drake, pulling her limbs and tail away and holding them rigid as the unicorn stallion levitated the drake away from Fluttershy.

“Right, going to have to have a chat with Spine about her hoarding instincts again. Uh, sorry about that, miss Fluttershy.” The stallion gave Fluttershy an apologetic smile, then turned and gave a thunderous look at the drake held paralysed in his magic … who only had eyes for Fluttershy. Wide, adoring, begging eyes.

“O-oh, it’s fine, I was just … I was just a little surprised, but it’s wonderful to meet you, Spine, oh, and you too, Mr Shine. I will, ah, send word to the library when I’m free, if that’s alright?” Fluttershy said in a soft voice, her eyes locked with Spine’s, unwilling to look away or break the connection.

“That would be just fine. I’m, again, sorry about that. Spine normally has her greed impulse well in check, but something must have set her off, maybe the change in her environment or … oh. Oh that’s not a good scenario if it was what we’re doing that’s causing this …” Dusk began, then trailed off into worried mumbling, shooting nervous glances at the dragon who remained oblivious to him and totally focused on Fluttershy.

After a few seconds of wondering if the Stallion was going to keep talking to her, Fluttershy started walking backwards in a slow, steady pace that she’d use around carnivores who showed up at her cottage for healing or aid, keeping her eyes locked with the yearning gaze of the dragon before slipping away at the end of the aisle and rushing for the door, hoping that the bindings on her wings would hold this time, and she wouldn’t pop a full-stretch wingboner in-front of so many ponies.

I’ve so much to prepare, so much to do! Fluttershy couldn’t help but squeal with delight as she rushed home, ignoring the startled looks from the few ponies who managed to notice her presence. I wonder if … I wonder if this is it? The moment when I finally get be friends, maybe more, with a Dragon!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The fuck was that?” Rarity hissed in a low voice, as much to herself as her fellow bystanders, peering around the end of the aisle along with a half-dozen other mares who had watched the debacle that was Fluttershy’s attempt at seducing Dusk Spine with varying degrees of amusement and outrage.

Fluttershy had had the perfect chance, Lord Dusk Shine had been a complete gentlecolt, Spine el’Celeste had been completely off-guard … and then the ditzy vet had instead somehow managed to seduce the Dragon instead of the Stallion. Watching her friend nearly get grinded to the floor in a very public space had been an experience, possibly voluntarily on Fluttershy’s part no less, but now the Lord and his bodyguard were arguing softly, their postures practically screaming ‘fight’ as they stalked down the aisle together.

The perfect chance, and the perfect outfit for this sort of place, wasted! Rarity seethed, taking a half-step out into the aisle, and found herself wondering exactly what to do next? Certainly, she could go up and try to woo the infamously-uncatchable bachelor, but after that little display, Rarity had no doubt that Lord Dusk Shine would be most unreceptive, and first encounters were so important to romance, since a pony often lived and died on the dating scene depending upon how they were received by their desired partner. Perhaps it would be best to retreat for now, and try again later in the day?

It certainly wouldn’t do to appear too eager, or too crass (perish the thought!) in her pursuit, and it was painfully obvious that Lord Dusk Shine had other matters to deal with right now, his bodyguard’s overly-affectionate greeting of the town hermit for staters! Rarity couldn’t risk coming across as desperate or easy, yet if she left her pursuit too long, he might flee back to Canterlot without her, or some tramp of a mare might manage to get a leg over before she did, and Rarity did not do sloppy seconds!

And yet, if she played her cards right, she could play the peace-maker, urge the drake to go and apologise to Fluttershy and leave herself at Lord Dusk Shine’s side, to act as his guide around the store and maybe Ponyville itself, leave her mark on him, as it were, in the public eye, that she was laying claim to the new stallion in town, and that the other mares had better stay out of her way!

Ultimately, Rarity chose to retreat and try again at a later point, noting how the pair avoided contact with others or tried to keep their contact as short as politeness allowed, and stalked her way to the entrance, chewing on a thumb-nail to keep herself distracted from being decidedly unladylike on the way out. Still, the game remains afoot, and Lord Dusk Shine is obviously displeased with his bodyguard. Perhaps dear Fluttershy, in her own hamfisted way, has given me the perfect opening to winning the heart of Lord Dusk Shine!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Spine, seriously, what in Tartarus was that all about?” Dusk hissed as the two, hunched over the trolley’s handlebar, pushed on with their shopping, Spine having to do so one-handed as the other held Dusk’s handkerchief to her nose to block the blood-nose she’d gotten from close-contact with the strange mare called Fluttershy.

“I … I dunno. But I think I’m a lesbian now.” The Drake muttered dreamily, a goofy smile still plastered across her face.

“After what you did to me less than an hour ago, I’d say that’s a definitive no to you being a lesbian, Spine. Bisexual, maybe, but not a lesbian.” The unicorn grunted and gave his … lover? Girlfriend? Assistant-with-benefits? Gah, why do relationships have to be so complicated? A gentle elbow to the ribs that did nothing to wipe the love-struck expression off her face. “As soon as we get some privacy, I’m running a full-spectrum toxicology spell on you, there’s no way your control over your hoarding instincts is that weak, and your nose was kinda twitching back when that Fluttershy character got close to you.”

“Oh, I was happy to be close to her. Those were definitely F-Cups, and she was sooooo soft …” Spine mumbled, unhelpfully filling Dusk’s minds with rather lewd images of what Spine would have done to the mare, right on the floor of the supermarket, if Dusk hadn’t stopped things when he did.

“It could have been powdered Dragonweed, or maybe some sort of alchemical perfume containing … aaand you’re not listening to me.” The unicorn sighed and re-adjusted the handkerchief to catch the trickle of blood coming from the love-struck drake’s nostrils. “Seriously, I think you’ve been poisoned here, Spine!”

“Do you mind if we have an open relationship, Dusk? ‘Cause I really wanna open up that Fluttershy mare, like, way open.”

“Oh my Faust, you nearly crippled me and you’re still wanting more, from a mare now?”

“So soooooooooft …”

“…” Dusk gave a weary sigh and hoped the vial of dragon’s fire he’d stashed in the shielded portion of his suitcase was still intact, since he now had a very serious letter to send to Princess Celestia, involving her adoptive, draconic daughter who had apparently turned into a swinging, aggressively bisexual cuddle-fiend after one meeting with a strange, shy mare. Somehow, I just know this is going to come back to bite me on the plot sooner or later. I just hope that Spine either snaps out of this really quick, or the other mare really is as keen on dragons as she implied, because if Fluttershy isn’t, this is just going to end in tears for everyone.