So far, our date had gone nicely, well, for someone who is into dating that is. I had set the table, prepared the food, set the wine in a bowl of ice, all before Fluffy came back from the bathroom.

At the moment, we were sitting at said table and had even been able to somehow start a civilised conversation.

Like I said, so far, so good when it comes to our date.

I turned my attention to my plate, picking out the diamond sprinkles from my emerald salad. I was never a huge fan of diamonds, but on a salad it's even worse. Though, the host of the tavern had done his best, I guess. Or maybe it had been Ludewig, that could have been the reason he proclaimed Fluffy had cost him so much money, diamonds are expensive after all.

And to crack them into sprinkles, heh, even more expensive.

Anyway, this was just a distraction. I was using a lull in our conversation to think about what Fluffy had just told me. Ponies, different tribes, a land called Equestria, the dragons who lived next to it, in short, a lot of things.

I placed another bunch of sprinkles aside.

Honestly, I had a hard time to believing her. I mean, if there were dragons where she came from, why didn’t they hunt Fluffy’s species? Even if the dragons didn’t see them as food, the ponies seemed to be perfect to have as slav… I mean pets, yeah pets. Fluffy little lairpets.

I chuckled to myself, thinking of Fluffy sitting on my legs, purring like a cat, all while I fondled her and read a book. Ok, maybe not as pets, since I guess it wouldn’t just be me who thought they were rather sexy too.

“What’s so funny?” She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow at my chuckling.

“Oh, nothing.” I looked up. “Just thinking about this, Equestria, as you called it. Must be a nice place.”

“Yes, yes it is.”

I bit on an emerald and swallowed. “Why did you leave it then, I mean, if it’s such a lovely place?”

Instead of answering me, she grabbed her cup and took a sip of her raspberry juice, stalling.

I had offered her the wine, but she had rejected it. She told me, ponies don't typically drink that much alcohol, though, she encouraged me to drink it, saying it would be a waste to simply leave an open bottle of such a rare wine out without it being consumed.

Eventually, she placed her golden cup back on the table and wiped her snout.

“Would you believe me if I told you I was just sightseeing?” she asked.

I smiled. “No.”

She sighed and looked to the side. “Personal reasons.”

“Oh don’t worry.” I gave her a smirk. “The less we talk, the faster we can finish our meal. That means we can get to the best part of the evening sooner.”

She flinched, her ears flicking back and pressing into the sides of her head. With a quick look at her already half empty plate, her eyes widened.

“Thinking about it,”she suddenly said and spread her hooves out, “I think I should give you the full explanation!”

“You don’t have too.” I waved her off with my claw and smiled. “I respect your privacy on this matter.”

“No, no, no! This is a date, you should know about my reasons for coming here!”

I lifted one of the bigger emeralds up and took a bite out of it to progress our dinner, encouraging her to do the same. “If you say so.” I flushed it down with a sip of the wine. “I however, simple can’t wait for tonight's dessert.”

“Please tell me its hayfries or something like that.”

I laughed, “Oh no, not at all. It does smell a bit like hay though.”

My comment was followed by a very nervous laugh by her.

She was playing the unwilling female quite well, if I didn’t know better, I would have bought it.

I emptied my cup. “You’re really missing out, the wine is quite superb.”

She gave my empty cup a look. “If it’s so good I don't see why you shouldn’t be the one to enjoy it. It is your wine after all.” Flying up from her seat, she picked up the bottle and refilled my cup.

“Oh, thank you,” I said and lifted the cup to my mouth.

“Your welcome,” she replied and hoovered next to the table, waiting for me to take a sip.

I had hardly taken the first sip when she flew back over and filled my cup again.

Yes, these pegasi, or ponies, were indeed nice to have around, so thoughtful and friendly. Maybe I should fly to this ‘Equestria’ one day and collect some?

Well, maybe in the future, for now, I had this one.

Seeing her still hoovering next to me, I assumed her hunger was taken cared of, “Well, if you’re not hungry anymore,” I said, reaching out for her, “we can make our way to the bedroom if you like.” When she evaded my claw, I added, “or I could swipe this table clean and we could stay here if you feel the bedroom is too far away. I wouldn’t mind either way.”

She looked at the bottle in her hooves. “Not so fast. The wine will go to waste if you don’t empty the whole bottle!”

“Hmm, I’m not thirsty anymore, and I can afford to lose half a bottle. It’s a small price considering the alternative.” My lustful undertone returning as I told her this.

“Wait!” She lifted a hoof. “There’s more to a date then just eating! On a real date there’s dancing too.” She looked back at me. “You can dance, right?”

“I’m not in the mood for a dance,” I said, rejecting her suggestion. My interest lay elsewhere at the moment. Honestly, I had very little experience in dancing, none to be precise, so the proposition of starting with such a small partner didn’t appeal to me. And besides, from what I had seen on the few occasions I had seen others dance, it didn’t seemed to be so much fun either.

“Oh come on,” she begged, “a little dance wouldn’t hurt.”

I snorted, “I'm good.”

“Not even with a fluffy pegasus?” She gave me a cute look and stretched out her fluffy chest even more.

Well, she had a point…

“And, you know that we pegasi use our wings in a dance too, right? Stroking over our partner and such… ” She placed a hoof on the table to keep her balance while she gave me a good display of her fleecy, feathered wings.

“Maybe, a short dance wouldn’t hurt,” I said as I rose from my stool.

“I thought you would change your mind.” She smiled and placed the bottle back in the ice before she looked around. “Hmm, we still need music. You have a horn gramophone or something?”

“I sure do.” I moved over to what I called my living room, not without rubbing my head against her side, and opened one of the showcases, withdrawing said music device from it.

“It is a bit smaller than the common version,” I explained, “but it will do the job.” I placed it on the nearest table and began preparing it. In a lair like mine, where most sounds tend to echo, it is better to play the music at a medium volume anyway, so it’s size wouldn’t be a problem.

I finished the preparations and looked up at her. “What type of music would you prefer?” I pointed at the lower part of the showcase, “I have quite the selection.”

Curious, she hovered over to it and inspected what kind of music I had. She pulled out one vinyl record after another, sometimes surprised, but mostly displeased with what she was finding.

Finally, she pulled one record out, read the title, and smiled.

“This seems good,” she said and clawed it over to me. Well hooved in her case.

I read the title. “Seriously?” I lowered the record, “I think there’s better music for dancing with someone as fluffy as you. What about one of the more romantic songs, one that suggests to cuddle?” I blinked at her.

“I like country music,” she insisted, “and we plan to dance, not cuddle.”

“That's your weird plan… “ I mumbled.

“Huh?”

“Ah, nothing.” I smiled and placed the record on the turntable. “Country music it is.”

I’ll still be able to cuddle her anyway.

Placing the needle on the disk, I turned to her, gave a short bow, and put on a requesting look.

Normally I would have taken the lead of course, but like I said, I didn’t have much experience when it came to dancing, and with her being so fragile... it would better if she lead and I just tried not to step on her hooves.

She took her time, waiting a moment, till the music started to play. Then she spread her wings, flew in front of me and began hoovering there.

Seeing her hovering this way, I appreciated her tail a lot more then I had before. It playfully waved from side to side every time she flapped her wings. I was tempted to pull at it and grab her right then, but the idea of having her wings on me during the dance held me back. At least for now.

Absorbed in my thoughts, it took me awhile to realize she had just gotten into the rhythm of the music with her movements. Now she was swinging her flank in a very sensual manner in front of my face, and my head followed every motion.

“My eyes are up here!” she waved her hoof right before my face, then pointed at her eyes.

I chuckled. “I know.” My gaze returned back to her flank. “But your flank is just so enticing, I can hardly resist.”

She shook her head, though this time, it seemed less reproachful, or perhaps that's just how I wanted to see it.

“Just give me your claws,” she said and offered her front hooves to me. When our, well, when we touched each other, she began to relay the rhythm to me. Slowly, she pushed me back and forth, just a little at the beginning, but it got more and more forceful each time.

I was only moving my upper body at first, but soon, I began moving my feet back and forth too.

It was a strange feeling. Though, it wasn’t uncomfortable.

Had someone told me earlier that day I would dance this evening with a fluffy creature to country music, meh, I never would have believed them. But, here we were.

For a moment, I forgot about bedding her and just enjoyed the dance. Her hooves where soft, laying smoothy in my claws, her wings, flapping quietly to the rhythm, showing all her cuddly feathers, and her flank, oh boy, her flank… Yep there was the idea of bedding her again.

I pushed it aside and took her smell in. The gentle scent of hay pleasured my nostrils, and the dash of raspberry from her drink just added the slightest hint of fruitiness.

It was wonderful.

“Hey!” she protested.

“Huh?” I shook off the dizzy feeling that had begun to cloud my thoughts like a cozy blanket. I then pulled my head back from her chest fluff. I had unintentionally buried my snout into her warm fluff while I was enjoying her scent.

“Dancing,” she repeated, poking my snout, “not cuddling!”

Still a bit lost in my own head I growled. Not that it was my intention to do so, it was just far more natural for me to growl then to purr or apologize. Honestly, I had gotten so accused to responding with threats that it had become my default method for responding to a situation, and her poking my snout had caught me completely off guard.

Naturally, my reaction scared her a fair bit, as she tried to pull her hooves back and put some distance between us.

Good thing I came back to my senses at the right moment. I stopped growling and grabbed her hooves tighter while I started to turn in a circle, dragging her with me.

When it was obvious I wouldn’t harm her, she relaxed a bit and supported our turn with her wings.

Showing my good will, we proceeded this way for a while, slowly turning around and moving to the rhythm. It was a bit tricky to keep the pace while slowing down enough to keep calming her, while also giving her a feeling of safety.

“Didn’t you say pegasi tend to use their wings on their dance partner?” I tried to push her thoughts onto something else to take her mind off of what had just happened.

Instead of an answer, she let go of my right claw and made a turn on her own, at which point she softly sunk down till she touched the ground with her back hooves.

Elegant, I must say.

Now standing on her rear-legs again, she grabbed my free claw and stroked along both my claws with her feathers.

A shiver of joy crawled up my arms, I couldn’t resist, closing my eyes, I began to purr. Even if I had wanted to try, which I didn’t, I couldn’t curb the urge to do so.

Without some creature watching, well besides us, it was fine. Yes, I said black dragons don’t purr, but under the right circumstances, it was fine. I’m sure you wouldn’t have been able to resist that level of fluffyness either!

Suddenly she stopped.

“Hey, why did you stop?” I wondered and reopened my eyes. When our gaze met, I saw she was worrying again. Maybe she was afraid if she did this too well I would take her right on the spot.

Clever pony.

I gathered what I had left of my self control and charm before I spoke again. “Dragons who purr won’t eat you, don’t you worry.” I whipped my tail impatiently. “Keep going… please.”

I closed my eyes again and waited, trying to look as harmless as I could.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, her wonderful feathers stroked my scales again.

Caught up in the music, the dance, and her warm tender touch, my purring got deeper.

We had started moving again, now, not only in circles, but dancing around the room. It was a bit difficult to cope with her new position on the ground, I had to duck a bit, but it was worth it.

Soon, when the music had become a bit faster, she started to make turns again. First, only whenever we reached a corner, then, in the middle of a series of steps.

She seemed to like dancing a lot.

Suddenly, Fluffy gave me a push, trying to force me to make a turn on my own. It was a bit much to ask for from an inexperienced dancer like me, but I tried.

Quickly, Fluffy jumped up and pushed herself a step away from me with her wings. In my greenness, I had nearly knocked her out of the air with my wings and tail.

For some reason she found this to be rather funny, her little chuckling sounding nice and warm.

“Are you laughing at me?” I teased and tried to grab her, playfully of course.

“Look what a clumsy dragon we have here!” she mocked, while she easily evaded my attempt to grab her as she flew around me.

“Darn little fluff-ball!” I chuckled as I tried to turn around as fast as I could as she made her circles around me. But without using my wings, or other, more lethal methods, it was a hopeless battle.

This funny little act lasted for a while till she eventually decided to land on my back.

Normally, I wouldn’t allow any creature to stand on my back. I started to bare my fangs and growl, but Fluffy knew how to calm an angry dragon.

I sensed her gently feathers stroking along my spine.

My typical threat quickly turned into a comfortable purr at her soft touch.

“What a big softy you are below these scales.” Now her hooves had joined in and were starting to put pressure on different spots on my back.

This was the first time she had called me a big softy, and I was in far too much bliss to even think about complaining. No one had ever done something like that for me. I didn’t even know that day it was called a massage.

I melted under her hooves and laid down on the ground, giving her as much space as possible to do whatever wonderful thing she was doing with her hooves and wings.

To my shame, I also began wagging my tail after a while.

“Who is a good dragon, huh?” she teased me further.

I growled, but my heart wasn’t in it, the end result coming out as more of a moan than a displeased rumble.

“I wonder what happens if I…” she said, before beginning to move down my spine. A few seconds later I scratched my good carpet with my claws and let loose a heavy, lustful moan.

“So sensitive.” she commented.

What had she done you ask? Well, imagine dozens of little fleecy feathers stroking softly and slowly over the most sensitive part of your body, tickling every nerve and covering the whole area in a cozy, electrifying feeling. That was what it was like, only far better, when she used her wings to caress my own.

So, there I lay, happily moaning and purring like a fool.

If any dragon were to have seen me in that position, ever, I would have died of shame instantly!

When I thought it couldn’t get any better, Fluffy turned around and began massaging my neck, proceeding down my spine and to my tail, continuing until she reached the tip of it.

I mumbled, “This feels awesome.” Though, my chuckling like a fool didn’t help with enunciating the words, nor at speaking clearly. She understood what I meant though.

With a swift move of her hooves up my spine, she asked, “Maybe good enough to let me go?”

I shook myself, just enough to get rid of the shivver her actions had caused all over my body. I yawned. “Hmm, it was good for sure! Thank you little miss Do.”

When I rose completely, she flew up and hoovered in the air.

“So… was it good enough to let me go then?”

I brought my head before hers and looked her in her hazelnut brown eyes. Then I licked her snout. “Good enough to allow you to put the collar back around my tail without punishing you for your attempt to steal it from me,” I purred.

“Pony feathers!” she cursed.

Lifting my tail before her, I gave her an demanding look.

“Urg, fine,” she said and fetched the collar out off her feathers, placing it around my tail again.

“That's better, nice archaeologist skills though… thief.”

“I am not a thief! The collar is mine!”

I only chuckled, and with a quick move, embraced her in my wings. She yelled in shock at first, but this wasn’t an attack, it was just me grabbing my treasure.

“Hey, let me go!” she demanded. But I ignored her protests and carefully grabbed her midsection with my claws. Holding her in place this way, I rubbed my head against hers, moving down to her neck, bathing in her scent and fur.

“You know, whatever it is called you just did, I love it, I should return the favor.”

“You don’t have too,” she said a bit hecticly, trying to push my wings and claws aside.

I lifted her up a bit more and purred into her chest fluff, slowly sliding down deeper.

So soft!

I thought about tickling her at this so called belly button some non hatching species had. I was curious if what I heard about it was true. If so, it should be very sensitive.

And who knows, maybe move lower from there…

“St-stop it!” she said blushing.

I placed one of my claws on her flank, reaching around with my talons…

“Yikks!” she yelled, giving me a heavy kick in the chest with her hoof.

“Don’t you dare!” now her voice was a mix of anger and embarrassment.

“Oh I think I do dare.” I purred and, changing my mind, I moved my snout up to her throat, ready to nibble or lick it.

Pulling back her head as best as she could, she yelled,” Wait! There’s still the wine and the food! We haven’t finished our date yet!”

I gave her a long lick with the tip of my tongue along her throat. “I don’t mind,” I purred, “ I think it's time for the dessert, don’t you?”

“Pacta sunt servanda!”

I stopped my attempt to seduce her and released something between a deep, a very deep, sigh and a growl.

Seriously!?!

I let go of her and unprepared, she felt on the floor.

“Fine!” I growled.

This was getting dangerous, in my inner lair there was nothing I could use to release my frustrations on by tearing it to pieces or by simply smashing it. Well, there was a pegasus to smash, but that was for later, and that was a different type of smashing of course. So the problem was, that everything I had around here held some kind of value for me, nothing I could focus my annoyance on right now, nothing to distract me from my naughty thoughts.

Carefully I removed the needle from the vinyl record and put the horn gramophone back in the showcase before I did something I would regret.

Standing there, I breathed in deeply, held it, and then exhaled slowly. I had to get my anger under control, otherwise a few very precious things would be destroyed.

A dragon's rage is a wonderful thing in a fight, it was less useful, however, if you were in your own home.

A kind stroke of Fluffy’s wing along my tail suddenly helped me to calm down a bit more.

On her way back to the table she must have noticed my great annoyance, and, forced by her pony nature, she tried to help.

This species was so confusing! I mean look at them, they are so defenceless, helpless in a fight, but still, there was an entire whole country full of them, surrounded by mean creatures like dragons and griffins! And all they do is be kind, cute, and from what she told me so far, spread friendship!

Friendship!

As if that had ever solved anything! Personally, I’ve only had one friend, and that was more for entertainment and some creature to talk to then anything else.

Well, be it as it may, it seems that the two of us were going to be returning to the date.

I followed Fluffy back to the table and unenthusiastically poked at my meal.

“Any more wine?” she asked suddenly.

I took the bottle, put the neck to my muzzle, and emptied the remnants in one go. “Yeah, good idea,” I agreed and wiped my snout.

For some reason, she smiled.

“I appreciate your intention to lift my mood, but dragons aren’t affected by alcohol.” I pointed at my chest. “Our body temperature is too high, the alcohol just vanishes from our system before it has a chance to affect us.”

The smile on her face froze. She really cared for my mood, how thoughtful of her. Though, her culturel opinion about what constitutes a proper date was what made me frustrated in the first place.

With a loud noise I placed the bottle back onto the table.

“Finish your meal,” I ordered grumpy and clicked inpatient with my claw on the table.

For some reason it made her nervous. And the impression only got worse the more empty her plate became.

“So,” she tried to start a conversation again, “I’ve told you a lot about my country, what about yours? Were you born here?”

I took a emerald from my salad and bit it in half, demonstratively loud. “I am not in the mood for small talk anymore.”

She placed her fork back on the table. “Well, then I should do the talking and you can just listen.” She clapped her hooves together and let her gaze wander around.

“Family! Yeah, that's a good theme!” Fluffy took a sip from her cup and licked over her lips, ready to speak on.

“Not. In. The. Mood!” I harshly interrupted her. I let my gaze hang on her nearly empty plate, “eat up! I’m starting to get the impression you’re doing this on purpose!” I started to growl quietly... for now.

“Oh no, nononono,” she denied. “Me? Never!” She gave me a innocent smile. “I just love a good conversation.”

I stared at her, silently.

Feeling unpleasant, she rubbed her neck. “Well, you’re such a good listener… hehe-he-heee.” Quickly she took an another sip.

My growl got more serious.

“Uhm…” she placed the cup back on the table. “Well, you were so curious about why I came here, right?”

Silence.

“The reason is, well, it is quite funny actually. You’ll like it.”

Silence.

“I…” she started but I cut her off.

“Finish, your, meal!” I demanded and smashed my claw on the table. “Right now!”

“But I… “

I growled and rose from my stool. “If you’re not hungry anymore, fine!”

“Wait!” she begged but I didn’t listen anymore. I hastily made my way over to her. Ready to take my prey, I had waited long enough!

Fluffy jumped up and flew over the table. I chased her. The room was too small to fly in for me. I had to move around the table. When I had made it halfway to her, Fluffy crouched under it and quickly bursted out on the other side.

I roared, jumping on the table and sweeping a good portion of the dishes off of it.

“Come here!”

Now she wasn’t listening. Instead of coming back to me like a well-behaved pegasus, she increased her speed even more to get away.

I wasn’t in the mood for her playing the unwilling victim anymore. I wanted my dessert!

I pushed forward.

With a scream she headed for the exit, nearly stumbling over her own hooves and wings in her haste.

She made it… almost.

Right on the doorstep I grabbed her tail and pulled her back in, throwing her at the middle of the floor.

Or that was my plan, she still had wings and caught her fall halfway, and was now hovering in the air.

Her gaze passed over the weapons on my walls. I saw she calculate her chances in her head. As expected she discard that idea.

“We… we don’t want to rush something? Right?” she said, with raised hooves, trying to calm me down.

“Rush something? Oh we’re far from that my dear!” I took my time to get closer. “I’ve been waited for this the whole evening.”

She flew backwards, I stepped forward.

Slowly the distance melted between us, eventually she reached the wall and couldn’t go back any further.

Placing her hooves on the wall, her head turned swiftly from side to side, trying to figure out the best way to escape.

“Don’t even think about it! If I have to catch you only one more time, I won’t be gentle! That much I can promise you!”

Fearfully, she sunk down the wall, closing her wings and curling up.

“Much better!” I approached her with new ignited lust and a desire for her softness. This would be my reward for being such a good dragon. Fluffy had strained my patience long enough!

I brought my head close to hers, snorting. I then took a deep breath, smelling her personal scent, mixed with the emotion of… fear. That was strange, I expected more lust then fear, but I am the Black Death after all. So fear was understandable.

I moved closer, rubbing my head slowly along her hoof, up her leg, and then towards her throat.

She had closed her eyes. Good, a sign she was finally focusing on the pleasure to come.

I purred and started to lick over her throat, slow and playful. My claws reached out for her wings, softly pressing on her joints, forcing her to open them.

“P… p… please…” she quietly stuttered.

“I am right on it,” I assured her. “Don’t you worry.”

So impatient all of a sudden, I liked it.

I played with her feathers, starting at her marginal coverts before making my way down to her primaries. Playfully pulling at them, not enough to tear them off, but enough to open her wings even more.

“Who would have thought such a little collar would cause me to have such a wonderfully fluffy guest in my lair tonight?” I smiled and nibbled on her wing joint.

I realized I had said something very stupid when her eyes sprung open and she had this look that said, “Idea!”

“Right!” she yelled, “the collar, I had agreed to tell you about it!”

Oh please no! Not this again!

“Pacta sunt…”

“Servanda!” I shouted in frustration.

Oh, how much she’s made me hate that phrase by now! Believe me, I was trying to lay her, really! I was as horny as can be, even more horny than you while reading this… and twice as frustrated that I still haven’t scored!

You think you have to wait so long? Imagine how I felt!

I brought my head back in front of hers, looking right into her eyes. “Pacta, sunt, servanda,” I more growled then said. I lifted her head with my talon, nearly piercing her jaw with it.

“Listen well, Fluffy, this is the last time you delay our fun, or I swear by my tail, you regret the next time you dare to say that phrase!” I increased the pressure of my talon, causing a single drop of blood to run down on it. “I am not a dragon you can just mess with, understood?”

I don’t know where they had come from, but her guts had returned, now that she wasn’t about to be taken anymore. She held my gaze and said loud and clear, “Yes, I do.”

I lifted her up and walked to the bedroom.

“Hey, that’s not the dining room!” she complained.

“Clever pony.” I walked in and pulled a lever next to the door, causing the portcullis at the exit to my inner lair to come down, blocking the exit.

“Just in case, something, were to come between us again.” I closed the bedroom door behind us and placed her on the large bed.

I had barely let go of her when she rushed to the other side of the bed.

“Just make yourself comfortable,” I said. “I am all ears for this story to your,” I lifted my tail and removed the collar from it, “artifact.”

I placed it on the nightstand.

“It better still be there the next time I look over there.” I had very well noticed her greedy eyes on it.

Cuddling myself into one of my many blankets and onto a few large pillows I was ready, but not willing, to listen to her story.

I tapped my pillow, disappointed, it wasn’t nearly as soft as her fur.

She still sat at the very edge of the bed, as far away as possible from me.

“If you are not in the mood for telling stories anymore…” I let the end of my sentence linger in the air, sure it would make the right impression.

Of course it did.

“Well,” she coughed, “well you know I acquired it for Ludewig.”

“Yes, yes, you stole this useless thing from somewhere and he didn’t paid you for it. I saw the result in the tavern.”

Oh boy, I really would prefer to listen to her moaning by now! But here we go…

“That is only half of the story, this collar was buried deep in the ruins…”

“Of some long forgotten civilisation, perhaps, some native tribe of bush creatures?” I interrupted bored.

“Of Shakirin-La.”

I snorted, “Shakirin-La is a mythos! No creature had ever been there!” The answer came to me without having to think about it, though, I knew it was only half of the truth.

“Shakirin-La isn’t a mythos!” she protested. “The place is real!”

“And you try to tell me you have been there? Nonsense!”

“I wasn’t, but this collar was, before it was stolen and brought to the temple ruin I found it in.”

“Oh shut up!” I growled, “This thing has never been in Shakirin-La!”

For a moment, I forgot my plans to lay her. Shakirin-La, hah! I bet she didn’t even know what that place was supposed to be! Oh I had heard of it, all dragon had, or at least the dragons from around this country.

“It has!” she interrupted my thoughts, “this collar is full of magic, magic that only Shakirin-La was able to summon!”

“What do you know of Shakirin-La, huh?” I waved her off. “As if you could tell what is made in Shakirin-La and what isn’t.”

“I know it was a place of great power, wisdom, and peace. A place for all creatures.”

“A place for all creatures,” I repeated more to myself. Well she wasn’t wrong on that, technically, though, at the same time she was as far from the truth as one could get. Obviously, she and my kind had a very different story about Shakirin-La to tell.

I reached out for the collar, picking it up and turned it around in my claw.

“It’s nothing more than an average looking piece of jewellery.” I said pejoratively.

“It’s more than just a piece of jewellery!” Now ardor got the better of her, and she came a bit closer. “It is a magical artifact! It provides the carrier the ability to withstand fire and also spit it themselves!”

Now I laughed. “So it turns you into a dragon, heh?”

Well at least that fits for what I know about Shakirin-La.

“You know what?” I asked. “Do it!” I threw the collar over to her. “Show me its great powers!”

She caught it with her mouth and then put it into her hoof. “I can’t.”

“Because it is just a piece of garbage?” I gave her my best ironic look.

“No!” now her voice had got an angry tone, “because the magic words from the temple wall doesn’t work! It should be activated by them, but nothing happened.”

“I see, you brought this ‘collar’ to Ludewig and because it didn’t work, he tried to cut the answer out of you as to where the original was, or what the real words were, right?”

“Well…”

“Yeah, the typical story of a thief trying to fool his customer.”

“It is nothing like that! I rescued this collar from the thieves who stole it from Shakirin-La. Even with all the extra dangerous traps, the murderous guards, and dangerous animals all over the place!” Now her voice was in a rage, but also filled with pride. She shook the hoof with the collar at me. “I did something worth the name Do!”

“Oh it gets even better,” I mocked, “now we have some family tragedy too.” I pointed at her. “Let me guess, trying to impress your parents, huh? Prove yourself worthy in their eyes?”

She bit her lip.

“I see. Listen, Fluffy, this collar was never in Shakirin-La and whatever you read on the temple wall was only the scribblings of a crazy shaman or priest.” I extended my tail to her. “Just give it back and forget about it.”

“No! That can’t be!” now sorrow had mixed its way into her voice. “For once, really for once, I did something great! It can’t be for nothing!”

I hold my tail up before her, saying no more.

She clasps the collar. “I simple can’t believe I did all this for nothing!” She put it around her neck and spoke in an old and rough tongue, “Der Macht bei der Vorfahren, meinem Blut bei, mit innerem Feuer meinem, schütze, mache stark mich!”

Where in tartarus had this pegasus learnt to speak old draconic? Even if her grammar and emphasis were terrible, there was no doubt it was old draconic! Though, the way she had spoken it, the incantation wouldn’t have worked.

With despair in her eyes, she placed a hoof on the collar and started to sob. “All this for nothing!”

I stayed silent, too confused to speak at the moment.

“I came here to make my own name! Make my cousin proud!” She then covered her eyes with her hooves and wings. “And all I did was get nearly killed, betrayed, and now,” she started to cry, “I’m going to be raped by an overgrown Lizard!”

Ouch, that hurts! I am not an overgrow… wait, raped?! How could she imply that?

“I think we have something to speak about, miss Do.” I walked around my bed and sat next to her. I pushed her wings aside and lowered her hooves. She halfway tried to hinder me, but her heart wasn’t in it anymore.

“Don’t worry, that part that’s making you afraid, we can speak about that later.” I placed a claw on the collar. “Now, let’s see if there is something to your idea of this collar’s origin’s being in Shakirin-La.”

I don’t know where this sudden surge of compassion came from, it really wasn’t natural for me, but something about Fluffy just seemed to bring this side of me to the surface.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

“The scribbles on the temple wall, either you didn’t read it accurately or whoever wrote it was an idiot. I know that language, and if this collar is from Shakirin-La, it can’t work if the incantation is spoken incorrectly.”

Now her head sprung up and our gaze met, a spark of hope in her eye.

“You mean…?”

Instead of an answer, I spoke the incantation, or more accurately, the way I thought it should be spoken. “Bei der Macht der Vorfahren, bei meinem Blute, bei meinem inneren Feuer, erwache, beschütze mich, mache mich stark!”

We both waited with anticipation what would happen.

The seconds passed, then…

Nothing.

It really saddened me to see how Fluffy deflated like a balloon running out of air.

Her wings hung limply at her sides, her otherwise cuddly and lively looking body now looked only weak and dreary, her feathers, normally inviting to play with, where now rigid and murky.

If I saw her today in such a state, I would kill whoever was responsible for it!

“Try it again,” I demanded. I grabbed her hoof and placed on the collar. “Repeat after me!”

“Bei der Macht der Vorfahren…”

“Bei der Macht der Vorfahren…” she repeated.

“bei meinem Blute…”

“bei meinem Blute…”

“bei meinem inneren Feuer…”

“bei meinem inneren Feuer…”

“erwache, beschütze mich…”

“erwache, beschütze mich…”

“mache mich stark!”

“mache... mich stark!”

The second she finished speaking the incantation, a ring of pure energy blasted out in all directions, with her at the center, blowing me across the room, destroying my bed and devastated the whole room.

‘Luckily’ one of the walls had stopped me from flying into space. Urg, that hurt!

I picked myself up from the ground, looking for Fluffy. What I saw however left me speechless.

There, on the remains on my bed, which was now on fire by the way, she stood. She was covered in flames, her hooves were now red flames, her mane had vanished and was replaced with a bushy ring of fire around her head, her back was now covered in scales, and her tail, her tail had become a whip of fire!

It was damn sexy!

Oh and her eyebrows were now two strings of blue flames too, framing her closed eyes.

I had to struggle very hard to think of something else other than my desire to bed her here and now. But first things first.

When I had shaken off my inability to act, I moved closer to her. “Are you alright?”

At my words, she opened her eyes and looked around, blinking a few times. I could see how she needed a few seconds to come to her senses too, just like me before.

“This… this… this is amazing!” she yelled and lifted her hooves to inspect them. “Absolutely awesome!” She spread her wings, now looking more like a harbinger of fire then anything else. Her feathers, now glowing from light yellow to deep orange, with her marginal coverts, actually on fire, shining a deep red.

It was so hot, metaphorically as well as literally!

“Can you believe it? It worked! It really worked!” She turned around on the spot several times, inspecting her body further. “I am legendarily kirin! I am a kirin!”

“Well, yeah… kind of,” I replied and looked at my burning bedroom. The fire wasn’t a problem, but my pillows and blankets…

Suddenly, she rushed over to me, and in that moment, allowed me to forget about my furniture.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she yelled as she grabbed my snout, placing a big kiss on my lips. “Thank you so much! Woohoo!” She screamed, dancing throughout the room.

I touched the spot she kissed me with my claw. She had really kissed me. I smiled. Even though she was on fire and all that, she still had such a soft to touch.

“That means Shakirin-La is real! It, is, real! And I, Danger Do have proven it!”

“With a little help, of course.” I threw in.

Her gaze sprung to me, “Oh, of course,” she rushed over to me, grabbing my claws. “How can I ever thank you for this?”

I looked around my bedroom, or what remained from it, and then back to her glowing white eyes, making it painfully obvious what I wanted.

She followed my look and then gave me her best apologetic smile.

Ouu, she had fangs now too! Beautiful!

“Well, I know something… “ I said, sending one of my free claws to stroke across her scales.

This time was perhaps the first time she laughed happily at my attempt to seduce her.

“How about you help me discover Shakirin-La instead, the actual city? The collar is only the first step on the road to it.”

I grabbed her neck, brought her face right before mine.

I purred, she purred back.

“Depends on the payment!” I said, letting my tail play with hers.

It seemed the collar also had an influence on her mind, since she only responded, “We can figure something out” before kissing me.”

What a lucky dragon I am, more so since I knew how to turn her back. This way I could have this firepony as well as my fluffy pegasus in my be… on my floor tonight.

Author's Note

! Warning !

The next chapter will pick up right after this scene, and will contain romantic sex scenes as well as some clop, if you’re not into that, please just skip it and continue with chapter 5. :)

The next chapter is meant for entertainment, the content of chapter 4 will not be of importance to know for the story going forward.