The Serpent City

The quiet whistle of the wind sent sand tumbling over dunes and the half-covered road to Shady Grove, several hundred miles away from Las Pegasus. The gem filled mountain rising up high towards the clouds, topped with a cone of snow that sent one of the few streams of water through the vast desert towards the ocean far away. Nestled at the bottom of the mountain was a small village with several rows of houses, stores and even a luxurious hotel just tipping out of the long shadow cast by the mountain to sit in the gleaming sun. On the road, a single wagon rumbled along lonelily. It was an oak wooden wagon with a clean finish and silken red curtains, its occupant was seated facing towards the city, taking in the mountain without focusing on the distance to the town below, as the driver panted heavily at the reins.

Galactic Moonshine wheezed slightly from the blistering heat, his blue neck bandana thankfully covering part of his neck saving him from a complete burn if he got one, although, he thought, that might just make him look even sillier when he took it off, having his blue fur coated red save for a knot where his bandana was tied up. His milk chocolate brown and chestnut streaked mane and tail were covered in dust, as well as some sweat at the front of his mane, from dragging the wagon along for so long, as such the bands tying his mane in a ponytail and the end of his tail were hard to notice from how frazzled his hair was and his usual spikey, fluffy mane was almost entirely flat down, covering his eyes slightly. Galactic’s wings were hanging down towards the ground as well. His normal white underbelly was streaked with roasted, dry, dirt and sand and he kept closing his sky-blue eyes, wanting so badly to just rest. Galactic also briefly regretted not shaving off his goatee beard as he didn’t need any extra layers out here, that was for sure!

Galactic looked up briefly, almost fainting in relief at seeing the little city “Mistress… we’re… here…” He panted wearily and the mare within shuffled as she moved forward to see more clearly than her relaxed position.

Scarlett smiled “Ah, at last. This will be delightful, we’re right on the mountain, I rented out rooms from a masseuse who lives with a member of this quaint little town’s new council I believe, so it will no doubt be a delight.” Galactic panted, too tired for any more words, he figured he knew how Scarlett, with her ‘interests’, had found this particular lamia and was a little nervous about being around another Scarlett like pony, only this one had a massive snake tail as an extra feature.

Galactic and his wagon were quite a sight to the bewildered citizens of the town, the dirt coated stallion dragging along such a regal looking carriage. Scarlett peaked out of the side of the curtain, not moving them to avoid being seen, as she took in the village. The town had signs of recent renovation and construction on the buildings, packed up scaffolding lined many houses, waiting to be taken away, and when able, Scarlett could still see some buildings half assembled and being worked on. Although, this was only a side note, the main focus for Scarlett were the town’s residents themselves, regular ponies of many colours, Earth and Unicorn only, but with massive trailing coils winding around them, slithering back the way they had come, lighting up the pavements. It was a very stunning display, so many scales sparkling in the desert sunlight; breath taking. Such a shame Galactic had his head dipping so low he hadn’t even noticed he was being stared at.

Galactic quickly found the address, parking the wagon and pitching it down in a little lot at the bottom of the ramp leading up to three houses that seemed to grow out of the mountain itself. Wood being absorbed into rock. Galactic moved to the door of the wagon and opened the door for Scarlett, with an attempt at a flourish but Galactic gave up with a wheeze, Scarlett gracefully stepped down from the wagon, glancing around with a smile as she took in her surroundings more clearly than through the curtain gaps. Scarlett Marmalade was an off-white bat pony with a dark brown mane done up in a high ponytail, a cute match to Galactic’s low-down miniature ponytail. She was wearing a lace trimmed dark red dress that brushed just barely above the ground and a matching choker, one of which Galactic was made to wear under his bandana so others knew he was her property, which seemed much more important here in grabby Shady Grove, the ‘city of lamias’ as it was referred too. Scarlett looked up at the specific house in question that they were to be staying in, her slitted amber eyes flicking over and she hummed.

“It is rather beautiful, nature tamed and turned with rather than against. And the view from the third floor where we are staying should be wonderful.” Scarlett said heading up the ramp at a steady trot, whilst Galactic slumped against his wagon looking up before groaning, deciding to fly up to save his hooves a little bit of agony.

Scarlett glanced back as Galactic landed beside his Mistress and Scarlett knocked briskly on the door, within seconds hearing a soft swishing of scales behind the door. The door swung open inward and Scarlett smiled widely as a graceful looking white furred and fiery red maned unicorn mare glanced between the pair, returning the smile, her own teeth containing a set of fangs similar to Scarlett’s. What Galactic took in wasn’t the mare’s gorgeous form though, but instead the great massive tube of scales and muscle that connected to her lower waist, behind the mare a great massive tail that slithered back into the house and into a room off to the right where she must have just come from. Galactic gulped quietly as Scarlett moved forward, hugging the mare fearlessly to some, foolishly to others.

“Hello, Ruby, it’s so nice to finally meet you in the flesh.” Scarlett said gently caressing Ruby’s upper coils curiously as the lamia’s tail swished around and looped over Scarlett’s neck and choker as Ruby smiled.

“Likewise, Scarlett… and who is this?” Ruby asked turning to face Galactic who withered and tried to back up a little as he waved weakly, but Ruby wouldn’t have it and snagged him around the throat with a coil as she looked over his face, smiling at she took in the cute blue and white masked face of Galactic.

“My friend, Galactic Moonshine, Galactic, this is Ruby Scales, our hostess for the next five days.” Scarlett said waving between the two as Ruby nodded, relinquishing her hold, for now.

“Wonderful, please come into the living room and we’ll get properly acquainted.” Ruby said slithering back and allowing the pair inside.

Ruby’s house had a nice clean wooden finish or marble polish to it when further in at the back and, much like its exterior, it perfectly blended away from wood into stone as you went into the further back rooms. The living room had the fireplace in front of the door when you entered, the furthest forward part that entered the stone mountain face, the fire was already lit and the room was stiflingly hot, how could a pony survive in here? However, Ruby seemed to sigh at the heat, she was a reptile so it stood to reason she was cold blooded and this room was merely at her content heat level. Either that, or she liked to have her visitors become exhausted from overheating!

Scarlett took in the lavish room, a five-seat silken coated corner sofa sat snug around a large coffee table, a nice lusty red colour, with contrasting purple coating the walls. Scarlett noticed the end of Ruby’s coils trailing up onto the sofa where a stallion was laying on his back, bound tight save for her head, the stallion flushed slightly, his blood red face turning pinkish as he dipped his head forward, trying to hide his face under his messy brown and red streaked mane as he noticed the two visitors. Ruby, however, visibly tightened her coils and pushed them up under the stallion’s throat as she lifted him up, a pair of unfolded wings squashed out the back of the coils were being rubbed over slowly and the stallion wriggled a little as he flushed deeper.

“H-hello-guk!” He managed as Ruby tightened suddenly yet again.

“Bolt, this is Scarlett and Galactic, the pair I rented the attic room to, Scarlett, Galactic, this is my husband, Boltblood Thundercloud, but you can just call him Bolt.” Ruby said casually as if this wasn’t out of the ordinary. Which is wasn’t, here at least.

Scarlett moved forward, closer to Bolt “You aren’t hurting him, are you?” Scarlett asked and Ruby shook her head.

“Just a little harmless constriction,” Ruby said smiling.

“It looks comfy.” Scarlett mumbled under her breath, watching as Ruby trailed her tail tip, which had been patting Bolt’s head up until this point, up and waved it in the air before her.

Scarlett quickly deduced what Ruby was trying to do and allowed her, her head moving in time with the tail’s swaying motions, Scarlett adding extra little movements to exaggerate the effects on her as Ruby grinned from behind “Yessss, it issss sssso very comfy.” The two stallions sighed quietly, Bolt sinking into the coils which he could personally attest to their comfort, Galactic finding Ruby’s presence a little less intimidating… how could something evil sound so… beautiful?

Scarlett, meanwhile, felt as if something had brushed over her mind, it slipped through so easily she was only able to notice it, not stop it, as it looped and soothed her mind. Scarlett hummed, this mare was incredibly powerful, she had to keep herself on her hooves.

“May I… may I sit on your coils?” Scarlett asked daring to risk it and Ruby nodded eagerly as Scarlett moved over to the sofa, hopping up and seating herself on the pudgy, squishy coils which sank down around her. Ruby looped a coil over Scarlett’s lap like a seatbelt and she cooed softly in delight, patting it and watching Ruby sigh and relax as she worked the thick tube of muscle and fat under her hooves “Galactic, take a seat, it’s wonderful!” Scarlett said.

Galactic hesitated, but didn’t want to provoke Scarlett so he obeyed, moving up beside her and settling down beside the eager bat pony. Ruby shifted her tail around below Galactic’s legs and tugged them forward making him slip down as Ruby looped up his torso and legs “H-hay, hang on-mnfff!” Ruby quickly gagged Galactic, Scarlett watching.

“Oh, can you squeeze him?” Scarlett said and Galactic groaned quietly as Ruby’s coils cinched in around her latest catch, Scarlett purring quietly as she watched.

“My, this one is going to be easy.” Ruby thought with a smirk as she slithered over, pulling Bolt up as she sat down with him, laying down to rest on Bolt’s coil covered chest like a massive pillow.

“So, tell me, why did you come to visit Shady Grove?” Ruby asked.

“We heard about what a wonderful place it was from others who had visited, saying it was the most relaxing and welcoming city in Equestria and when we heard about lamias we just had to discover what the fuss was about.” Scarlett shared Ruby’s smile, though for different reasons “I have one for you, what’s it like living here, what do you do and how did you get here? I hadn’t heard of lamias before Shady Grove.” Scarlett said preventing Ruby from pressing on with her own questions.

“That’s three,” Ruby pointed out with a smile and Scarlett shrugged.

“I’m curious about lamias.” Scarlett said simply.

“Yes… yes you are.” Ruby agreed ominously “Well, it is nice living here, for the most part. There aren’t a lot of ponies living here to cuddle up with and only a few tourists currently so there is little ‘prey’ in rotation for wrapping up,” Scarlett shuffled as the coils around her rubbed back and forth, the muscle and fat moulding to her body, causing her to relax involuntarily as Ruby spoke softly, certain words reverberating in Scarlett’s head “As for what I do, I own the city’s local spa, it’s a good business, we get some ponies from Las Pegasus and the small mining towns surrounding us who pay top bits for services as well as Canterlot nobles, apparently getting treated by such an exotic species is something that they desperately want, even coming out this far. I always make jewellery, it’s my talent but that’s more a hobby on the side as opposed to my actual job. Bolt, meanwhile, was originally the town mayor but… well seeing as he is a pony the citizens were very good at… ‘persuading’ him to made decisions that benefitted them individually and not the whole town, so he stepped down after forming the city Council, he still holds a seat, but the mayoral title has been given to our old Queen, Sunny Coils and nopony can sway her as easily. And, finally, our species originated from a small village in the Badlands, the Canterlot guard has a garrison there to keep an eye on things out there but, at this point, no lamias actively live there anymore and it’s mostly just a glorified city of barracks with how it is used now.” Ruby shrugged, summing up what Scarlett suspected to be a much grander adventure.

The conversation continued, Bolt and Galactic said very little, Bolt couldn’t as he was being squeezed like a toy in a dog’s mouth, and Galactic hadn’t been spoken too yet, so he kept quiet.

Ruby, however, did take notice of Galactic’s appearance and weariness within her embrace and smiled slyly “Sorry, Scarlett,” Scarlett paused holding out a hoof to let Ruby speak “But it would seem that your partner has worn himself out getting here, maybe we should let the pair visit my spa whilst we get more closely… acquainted.” Scarlett saw Ruby’s eyes rapidly dilate and a blur of rings flashed through.

“Just say yes.” A quiet voice whispered in Scarlett’s head, she intended to anyway, she didn’t need ‘convincing’ “Yes, I think that sounds okay, Galactic why don’t you go with Bolt to the spa and get cleaned up, Ruby and I will organise dinner.” Bolt sat up a little at that.

“Erm, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, Scarlett, Ruby isn’t-HULK!” Bolt choked on his words as Ruby chuckled.

“Scarlett will be more than suitable at helping me prepare dinner, Bolt, don’t worry. I won’t burn down the kitchen,” Ruby blushed “Again.” She muttered under her breath “Besides I want you to try a new service we’re planning to sell for me, give me your opinion, and somepony who has never visited would have wonderful outside perspective.” Ruby said with a hint that this decision was non-negotiable.

Bolt hummed then sighed, conceding defeat “Alright, you two have ‘fun’.” Bolt said, easily guessing Ruby’s intentions.

“Oh, we will,” Scarlett said.

“We will.” Ruby agreed with a grin as the two stallions clambered out of their scaly cocoons, heading for the door. It closed with a dull snap and Ruby turned to face Scarlett “How’s about we go upstairs so we can get a little more comfortable, and I can show you where you’ll be sleeping tonight.” Scarlett shared Ruby’s smile.

“That sounds delightful,” She said offering a hoof to the door, letting Ruby lead the way, keeping her eyes fixed forward as best she could as she suspected the loud swishing was Ruby attempting to mesmerise her with her gorgeous tail “Hmmm, she is much more powerful than I had anticipated…” Scarlett thought “Question, Ruby,” Ruby glanced back, Scarlett flicking her eyes down before she had turned back, staring at the tail, feeling the glittering shifting scales rub over her mind before she broke away to look at Ruby, hoping she fell for the illusion… and that she herself didn’t sink into Ruby’s “Can you actually cook?” Scarlett asked.

Ruby stopped slithering “Honestly?” Ruby cocked her head “Not even toast in a toaster. You?” Ruby asked hopefully.

“…This place has a takeaway, right?” Scarlett asked with a sheepish smile.