Beauty of the Beast

Beauty of the Beast

Chapter 1: Hot Hot Heat

It was Monday, the preferred shopping day for most of Ponyville’s residents, and the entire shopping district was jam-packed with ponies trying to snag the best deals during the sale rush. Despite the crowds of ponies grinding past each other to get where they needed to go, nothing particularly risque was going on and stallions and mares walked innocently past each other without so much as a second glance.

Vendors were busy with taking orders, reorganizing their shops, and dispersing the correct amounts of change, while consumers galloped from stall to stall, desperately trying to get their shopping done before their necessities went out of stock. So busy was the entire street that ponies hardly noticed the late arrival into the shopping spree, nor did they pay any heed to the sudden rise in temperature. But one mare, who was co-managing a flower stall with her two friends, caught the shining, purple glimmer in the corner of her eye.

Roseluck squinted at the fierce glare reflected from a passerby and frowned. “Argh, my eyes!” she cried, using her hooves to shield herself.

“What the hay is that?” asked Lily, one of her co-managers.

“It must be some gaudy piece of accessory for it to shine like that.” Daisy, the last of the trio, peered through the hoof she was using as a visor and eyed the approaching figure. As it came closer, she saw purple and frowned. “Ugh, I think it’s Rarity. She would wear a disco ball as a necklace.”

They shared a collective chortle as the light came closer, dimming when the source was no longer at an angle to the sun, but as soon as whoever it was came into view, the three florists went silent. They worked their mouths but nothing came out, for no words were worthy of describing the beauty of what they saw.

A domino effect took place, and suddenly the bustle around each stall quieted and all transactions came to a stand-still. The sound of scales against cobblestone drew the interest of everypony, and they all turned their attentions to the approaching figure. Then they too were hypnotized by the beauteous creature.

Spike, a young, purple dragon at the peak of his teenage years, sauntered through the shopping district, his smooth scales glimmering in the noon sun and reflecting purple and green lights around the stalls like an iridescent gem. He walked with a straight, puffed posture that shone confidence, and his long and slender, yet toned and defined features coincided harmoniously, giving him an androgynous figure that made ponies of all genders and orientations double-take.

And his heart was just as pure and fair, if not more so, as his appearance. A draconic Adonis with the kind of temperament and kindness one would only find in the princesses themselves; such an exotic and noble creature was the center of attention at the shopping district that day.

The dragon held a basket in one claw and a shopping list in the other, and just seeing those two things in his possession gave the vendors hope—hope that the items they sold would be on that list and that Ponyville’s dragon would come to their stalls and grace them with his presence.

He finally walked into the center of the shopping district where everypony had a clear view of him, and as if on cue, a hushed murmur chorused throughout the district.

“It’s… it’s him!” Roseluck whispered to her cohorts. “It’s… Spike.” After a shared dreamy sigh, she and her fellow florists squealed in unison and fell into silence as they watched the young dragon walk towards them.

“Hey, girls,” Spike greeted casually when he was in front of their stalls.

With the other two stall managers being too shy to step up, Roseluck inched her way to the register and welcomed him with her biggest smile.

“H-hey, Spike!” she said with a little too much enthusiasm. “Anything I can get for you?”

“Um, I’ll let you know in a sec. I’m just browsing for now.”

“Sure, take your time.” Roseluck watched nervously as Spike perused her wide selection of flora with the eyes of an expert. She gulped when his brow furrowed while eyeing a daisy, but sighed in relief, as did her friend who’s specialty and namesake were said flower, when he relaxed his facial muscles and smiled at the dainty thing.

“Do you have any of those hybridized roses from last season?” the dragon asked without looking up.

“Eh?” Realizing that he was addressing her, Roseluck shook out of her stupor and put on her most natural smile. But then the smile vanished as she fully comprehended the question.

“Um, well.” She didn’t have them. The hybridized roses were a one-time thing only. Being an earth pony, she had a lot of difficulty utilizing the tools necessary for artificial cross-pollination and barely met her quota last season. After realizing her limitations, she decided to never attempt it again, and with that regretful thought in mind, she told her much-valued customer the bad news.

“I’m sorry, Spike, but I don’t have any in stock. They were a limited-time thing.” Spike frowned a little before shrugging it off, but just seeing that brief moment of disappointment was enough for the infatuated earth pony to feel the need to console him.

“I-I’m really sorry. It’s just that, it’s hard for earth ponies like me to use the tools needed to self-pollinate them.” With a dejected sigh, she bowed her head and began to feel disappointed with herself for not being able to satisfy her man. “If only I were born a unicorn—”

Roseluck fell silent when she felt a gentle squeeze on her withers. With a surprised squeak, she slowly lifted her head and made eye-contact with the emeralds that were Spike’s eyes.

“It’s okay, Roseluck,” he said gently, his claw still caressing her shoulders and the back of her neck. “You shouldn’t feel ashamed of your limitations. I appreciate you just the way you are.”

If not for the strong claw holding her upright and her friends supporting her weight from the sides, Roseluck would have fallen backwards in the cheesiest of swoons.

“As for your flowers,” his voice became hushed as he leaned forward, his lips just inches away from her ear. “If you ever need help pollinating them, I’d be happy to help. My claws would come in handy, don’t you think?” He flashed what she saw as a sultry smile before pulling back.

“B-but, huh?” Roseluck spluttered as she tried to wrap her mind around the comment, and soon her cheeks took on the same coloration as her cutie mark. Did he just say what I think he said? There was definitely an innuendo in there about pollinating her flower. She wasn’t too sure whether she had just imagined the flirtatiousness in his voice, but it drove her to madness nonetheless.

She became scared for her life—not because she was face-to-face with Equestria’s most powerful predator, but because she felt like she was on the verge of having a heart-attack. Spike, the sexiest creature in Ponyville, had just flirted with her. Thinking quickly, she covered her mouth for fear that she might start frothing from it like a rabid fan-girl.

Spike raised an eyebrow at her odd behavior, but snapped his fingers after coming to a realization. “Oh, you’re wondering how I knew so much about self-pollinating flowers, huh? Well, being a librarian’s assistant, I’ve read my fair share of—”

Roseluck tuned everything out. She didn’t pay attention to a word the adorable dragon before her was saying, nor did she notice the line of drool trailing down her chin. She just watched through dreamy eyes as his mouth worked up and down and his snake-like tongue slithered between his long fangs to form vowels and consonants and other word stuff that the intelligent dragon probably knew the names of… words stuff that were being so rudely ignored.

She came to and wiped the drool off her muzzle while nodding in comprehension, pretending as if she’d been paying attention the whole time.

“So my claws would be a good alternative to the tweezers meant for collecting the pollen, don’t you think? Oh, but don’t tell Twilight about this. She might get jealous if she finds out that I’m assisting another pony.” He chuckled at the last sentence, but Roseluck kept on a serious face. It was just as he said; Twilight couldn’t find out about this. That possessive, brother complex mare would just get in their way.

“So yeah, if you ever need help with your flowers, just give me a holler. Oh, and I would like a bouquet of each of your specialty flowers, please.”

“Sure, Spike." Roseluck whipped the wrapping paper out. "Anything for you.”

She and the other two mares managing the flower stall immediately got to work. They shuffled around and filled their bouquets with the freshest and most beautiful flowers in their stocks, hoping to satisfy their wonderful visitor with their best. With toothy grins and hot cheeks, the three mares handed Spike their flowers.

He took them gratefully and lifted them to his face, breathing deep of the pleasant aroma. But then he noticed a fragrance he hadn’t expected. Lowering the bouquets from his face, he saw a pale flower hiding amongst the petals of the more extravagant flora.

“Carnation,” he identified after examining its frilly, flimsy petals. “I think you added a flower by mistake, Roseluck.”

“T-that one’s for free. For you, and stuff,” Roseluck mumbled as she stared at something interesting on the ground.

Then her vision danced as she was swept up in a tight hug. At first, Roseluck was startled at the sudden contact, but soon melted in Spike's embrace. “Thanks, Rose.” She felt the vibration of his voice, the warmth emanating from his fire gland, the thumping of his big, dragon heart, and she savored the scent of old books and minty soap wafting off his scales. But just as quickly as he attack-hugged her, Spike dropped her back on the other side of the stall.

“Well, I’ve got to get on with the shopping list now,” he said as he rearranged the flowers to fit them in his basket. “Twilight is going to lecture me again if I’m late.” In spite of the groan of annoyance following his last remark, there was a smile on his face as he waved the trio of florists goodbye. “See you!”

Despite the glares she got from several jealous mares that had witnessed the scene and the fact that she was an earth pony, Roseluck was perched on cloud nine. After receiving a congratulatory buck to the flank by her two friends/coworkers, they stood together and watched the dragon sashay down the street, his slender hip swaying with each step and his tail waving at them teasingly.

He left behind a trail of flower petals and blooming hearts.

By the time Spike made it to the Apple Family’s booth, his basket was so over-packed with groceries that he had to carry half of his load on his shoulders. Once he was in front of the familiar wooden stand, he let his cargo drop unceremoniously on the ground with a loud thud and gulped down as much air as his dry lungs could take in.

“My, my, Spike. Are them flowers for lil ol’ me?” Applejack teased as she watched the tired dragon from the other side of the stand.

Spike smiled mischievously and opened his mouth with a comeback, but all that came out was a raspy cough followed by heavy wheezing. Applejack chuckled at the sorry state her friend was in and trotted over to a barrel behind her to get him some sweet relief. Grabbing a mug from the counter, she placed it under the spout and filled it to the brim with the Apple Family’s signature brew. Once golden foam began to seep off the edge of the cup, she gave it to her suffocating friend, who grabbed it with trembling fingers as if he’d just been handed the Holy Grail.

After guzzling down the beverage, Spike hiccupped and placed the mug on the board along with a few bits. But with a firm shake of her head, Applejack put a hoof over the money and slid the coins off the table and back into his basket. Before Spike could protest, she spoke again.

“Boy, you sure can handle your cider. Feelin’ any better, sugarcube?”

Spike sighed in defeat and put the bits back into the small money pouch Twilight had entrusted him with. “Yeah, much better. Thanks, AJ.”

“It’s the least I can do for all the work you’ve been helpin’ Big Mac with.” She reached a hoof past her baked goods counter and grabbed a rag, which she used to wipe the mug with. “So, what’s with all of them groceries?”

“Oh, I was out grocery shopping,” Spike said as he gathered the goods in one spot for ease of access later.

“Land sakes! How much do ya’ll eat? Oh wait, let me guess, Twilight’s been binging during her studyin’ breaks again. If that girl keeps snackin’ like that, she’s just gonna plump up again, I tell ya. Then it’ll be up to me and Rainbow to help her lose it all, just like last year.”

Spike snorted in amusement but shook his head. “Nah, she’s learned her lesson. She sent a letter to Princess Celestia and everything. These,” he said, gesturing towards the groceries, “are all just gifts from… well, everypony!”

“Eh? Pardon?” Thinking that she had heard wrong, Applejack cupped an ear with her hoof to better listen.

“Everypony I visited today during my grocery shopping gave me something extra,” Spike said as he pointed at the gifts accordingly. “Roseluck gave me a carnation, Bon Bon gave me some bonbons, and so on. I wonder why ponies are being so nice to me today. Maybe they think it’s my birthday, or something.”

Or maybe it’s ‘cause yer darn cute and you’ve got some nice tail, is what Applejack would have said if Granny Smith hadn’t bucked a good set of morals into her head at youth. But pushing those thoughts aside, AJ cleared her throat and got back to the matter at hoof.

“So, what can I do you for, sugarcube?”

Spike shifted where he stood and looked around conspiratorially before leaning over the counter and whispering. “Well, it’s not on Twilight’s shopping list, but I came here to pick up an apple pie,” he said nervously.

Applejack clicked her tongue and replied in an equally hushed voice. “You know I can’t do that, Spike. Twilight told me an’ Pinkie Pie to stop feedin’ you on the count of our treats always ruinin’ yer appetite, and I gave her my word.”

“But you’re not exactly feeding me if I’m paying for it, right?”

Shoot. Applejack hoped he wouldn’t play that card, but she too had an ace up her slee—err, Stetson. She looked thoughtful for a moment, as if considering what he’d just said, before replying with a smug grin.

“Nah.”

She giggled as Spike gave her a deadpan look and broke into unabated laughter when he rolled his eyes. It was always fun messing with her friends, and that was one of her favorite ways of doing it, but her amusement came to an end when she felt something lightly tug at her mane.

Applejack was so consumed in laughter that she hadn’t noticed Spike’s change of position. He was now fully leaning against the stall, his head resting on one hand while the other was playfully twiddling with a loose strand of blond hair.

Applejack knew she was in danger. Spike was about to use his pretty boy charms against her; she could feel it in the way he kept looking at her with those big ol' eyes. Trying to avoid his steely gaze, she lowered her stetson and kept her eyes below his chin, resting them on his defined pecs. Shoot.

"Applejack—"

"No, Spike," she said sternly. "No pie."

“It’s just one pie, Applejack.” The way Spike breathed her full name sent shivers down her spine and made her fur stand, but still she persisted.

“Nuh-uh, no can do, Spike. Twilight said—”

“She doesn’t have to know.” She could feel that hot breath against her, and all she could do was keep her eyes down and her mouth shut as he continued.

“Come on, let me eat your pie.” Spike lifted the rim of her hat with a finger and he looked into her frightened eyes the same way a Winona looked at the rabbits she chased out of the orchards. With one final word, he closed the deal.

“Sugarcube.”

“I…" She conceded. "I guess just one pie wouldn’t harm nopony.”

Applejack dived under the stand and reached out with shaky hooves for an apple pie. She knew that she had failed Twilight, but she’d do anything to get Spike to stop talking to her like that. Once she had a good-looking pie in her hooves, she sprang back up and practically shoved it into the waiting dragon’s hands.

“There’s yer apple pie. That’ll be five bits.” She snatched the bits from Spike’s outstretched claw and shoved them into her bag with awkward vigor.

“Thanks, AJ,” he said as he smacked his lips while staring at the baked goodness in front of him. “Don’t worry, I’ll finish this before Twilight sees it. But I’ll also make sure to savor every. Last. Crumb of your delicious pie.”

“Alright, well you move along then,” she said as she hurriedly prodded him away from her stand, hoping that he didn’t notice her blush. “Don’t want to you to get lectured by old mare, Twilight for being late. Plus, yer holdin’ up the line.”

Spike turned around and noticed that a line of ponies had formed during his chat with Applejack. Most of them were listening intently to the conversation, hoping to hear something gossip-worthy, while others waited impatiently, just wishing that the line would move on so that they could mark apple produce off their shopping list. With a bashful smile, Spike waved at the audience before grabbing his groceries and starting his trek back home.

“See you ‘round, partner,” he said in a poorly, but adorably, imitated cowpony drawl. And with that, he was off towards the Golden Oaks Library.

Applejack watched him thoughtfully as he disappeared over a hill. She began to wonder if he really was oblivious to his charms, or if he was just really good at faking it. It was probably the latter, considering how easily he was able to manipulate her, despite her dislike of mushy-feely things and the fact that she was one of the toughest ponies in Ponyville.

“Um, ahem.”

The sudden noise brought her attention back to the growing line, and with a forced smile, she greeted her next customer.

“Well, howdy there. What can I get for you… Fluttershy?” Aw, donkey spittle, Applejack thought as she recognized the mare in front of her, who for some reason, was blushing harder than she was. “Uh, how long have you been standin’ there?”

“U-um, I, wow,” was all Fluttershy could say before a toothy grin spread over her face and she squeed.

Applejack face-hoofed but kept enough composure to converse normally. “So you saw the whole thing, did’ja?”

Fluttershy nodded daintily. “Oh yes, I was behind Spike the whole time, even when he leaned over to whisper to you. I got to stare at his… butt.” She finished with a blush redder than any apple that Applejack had ever seen. The farm pony nearly fell over during a double face-hoof, but was able to stand her ground thanks to her powerful hind legs.

“At first, I didn’t believe in the rumors about him being, umm… sexy, as Rarity put it. But after seeing that, well, I guess the proof is in the pudding—or, erm, the pie? Does that make sense?”

“… Sure it does, sugarcube,” Applejack assured, not wanting to make her friend feel silly. “But shoot, that dragon sure knows how to work a girl’s heart. I’m still feelin’ a might flustered from all that.”

“Oh, I would be too.” The pegasus nodded. “Especially with the way he kept looking into your eyes. If he looked at me like that, why, I don’t know what I would do.”

"Reminds me an awful lot of your Stare, if'n ya ask me. You teach him that trick?" she joked with a snicker.

"Oh no, I would never teach anypony something so dangerous. Even I don't like using the Stare unless I really have to. Or if Angel is being extra naughty."

“I'm just messin' with you, sugarcube," Applejack said as she waved it off. "But where do you suppose he learned all of that smooth talk? I don’t remember him being so good with words before.”

“I’m not sure,” said Fluttershy. “Maybe we can ask him at the slumber party this weekend! We’ll have plenty of chances to talk to him then.”

“Makes sense,” said Applejack as she considered her friend’s idea. It could work, seeing as how the slumber party was at the library this time around. “Well, I’ve got a line of customers to serve, so I’ll see you this weekend, Fluttershy.”

“Yes, I’ll see you there, Applejack. And hopefully more of Spike’s tush as well.” Fluttershy giggled into her hoof as she stepped aside for the next customer, and with a final wave goodbye, she took air towards her cottage past the Sweet Apple Acres.

Applejack blew an exasperated sigh as she watched her friend disappear over the apple orchards. With two of her close friends visiting her in one day and distracting her, she hadn’t been able to tend to many customers, but that was about to change now.

“Next customer!” she said enthusiastically. But there weren’t any other customers. After waiting for several minutes, they seemed to have lost their patience and moved on.

“Aw, hay.” Applejack sighed again, this time in relief. Without any customers, she would get to close early for the day, something she was grateful for after the tiresome conversation with Spike. If ponies ever wanted apple-based products, they knew where to find her, and it was fine if she didn’t sell much today because it only meant more customers for tomorrow, she thought optimistically.

After packing her goods and reassembling her stall into its cart form, she pulled her load back home to the acres, eager to get some shuteye before the big day tomorrow.

That night, she dreamt of a rodeo with a certain purple dragon.