The Dragonsblood Elixir

The trip back to Zecora’s was… interesting. Travelling through town was fine, but when Night and Velvet reached the Everfree, they discovered an escort waiting to guide them through the forest. It wasn’t hard to guess their benefactor given said escort was a grizzly bear, but the flag emblazoned with a trio of butterflies was a small additional hint.

They followed the bear through the woods at an easy pace. Night and Velvet couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of being watched as they went—not in an ominous way, but like they were the center of attention. The air was filled with the faint rustle of bushes and the subtle flapping of wings, but when Night and Velvet turned to look, there was nothing.

They heard voices in Zecora’s hut on their approach. The bear called out with a grumble, and the door opened.

“Oh! I didn’t think you’d be back so soon!” Fluttershy beckoned Night and Velvet inside. “Thank you so much, Harry. I think we’ll be alright from here.”

The bear waved before lumbering into the foliage.

A sharp, herbal scent hit Velvet and Night’s nostrils. Zecora was busy tending to the cauldron in the middle of the room, which was filled with a thick, frothy fluid. She was stirring it with a utensil resembling an oversized whisk: first clockwise, then counterclockwise, then clockwise again.

Night furrowed his brow. “Hard at work, I see.”

Fluttershy shifted her weight back and forth. “I... might have been a teensy bit worried about you. You’re not mad, are you?”

Velvet laughed. “The only thing I’m mad about is not getting a chance to see your friend in action!” She gave Fluttershy a hug. “Thank you for thinking of us, sweetie. I’d love to meet your other animal friends sometime—do you think you could introduce me?”

Fluttershy squeed. “Of course! I’d—”

“Fluttershy,” Zecora called. “Your help, need I.”

Fluttershy meeped and hurried over. At Zecora’s direction, she took out a second utensil with a wide, flat end. She waited until Zecora stopped stirring, then scraped the foam into a waiting bowl. Zecora then stirred in the opposite direction to bring up more foam.

Night was transfixed. What kind of chemical reaction required the constant infusion of air? What substance Fluttershy scraping off—an impurity, or something else? Why was blood the key component in this? He knew Mercurial’s Theory of Metaphysical Catalytics, of course, but Starswirl’s Second Law of Transmutation stated—

Velvet nudged him. “Stay on task, dear.”

Night jumped. “Ah?! O-Oh, yes! Of course…”

Fluttershy giggled.

“Your arrival is sudden, but not unwelcome.” Zecora motioned for Night and Velvet to sit. “I trust you’ve acquired the blood of a dragon?”

Velvet produced the vial of blood. Zecora put it aside and continued to stir, all while directing Fluttershy with more instructions. The minutes passed in a busy blur while Velvet and Night watched.

“I can see why you’re the Element of Kindness, Fluttershy,” Night said. “Directions, an escort, and now this? Twily and Spike are lucky to have a friend like you.”

Fluttershy blushed. “I-It’s no problem, really!” She scraped more foam into the bowl, which was now nearly full. “Erm, Zecora? Is this enough foam, do you think?”

Zecora wiped her brow. “It is, indeed. But before our reprieve, there’s one more thing you must retrieve.”

“Right.” Fluttershy set down the bowl. “I’m guessing you need that powder in the pantry.”

Zecora nodded. “Pour in all of it, please.”

Fluttershy went to the adjacent storeroom. Zecora had indicated the bottle earlier, but considering there were quite a few similar-looking bottles (all labeled in Zecora’s native language) it wasn’t the easiest thing. She recalled it was a white bottle with a salt shaker top, and also that the powder inside was pink.

Fluttershy grabbed a white bottle. A test shake revealed it contained pink powder, so she returned to the others. She dumped the powder into the bowl, stirred the mix into a fine paste, then scraped it into the cauldron.

"Last but not least, the blood of a drake.” Zecora uncapped the crimson vial and poured it in. “Since the sample is fresh, I’ve no doubt it will take—”

FWOOM!

Smoke belched from the cauldron. Primal magic churned with hisses and rumbles, the hut shaking and sending things toppling. Those present were left coughing as the mixture turned all manner of angry colors. It got so bad they all feared the cauldron might explode… but just as quick as it started, the volatile elixir calmed.

Zecora waved a hoof before her face. "Spirits protect, that was quite the reaction!” She peered into the cauldron and found the elixir was now pale yellow. “To think Spike's blood would cause such interaction!"

Night and Velvet looked at each other, but remained silent.

Zecora took her ladle and resumed stirring. "T’would seem his power is greater than I guessed. I often forget he’s a dragon so blessed! Hatched by magic and raised with care, exposed to harmony and taught to share?” She referenced the book again to see if it mentioned anything about smoke or powerful magical reactions, but there was nothing. “Truly, he is the rarest of rare.”

Velvet’s eyes lingered on the cauldron. “I… guess so? We’ve never really thought of him that way. It’s not easy for us to see the kids the way others do.“

Night rested his hoof atop Velvet’s. “Before the titles, castles, heroics, relics, and ascensions, they were just our three children. We do try to acknowledge them for everything they’ve done, of course, but… parents will be parents, as they say.”

Zecora laughed. She ladled out two servings of the bright yellow elixir and put them a pair of fresh vials. “Then here you are, honored parents—a dose for you both. Twenty-four hours of true dragon growth. Know that this draught spoils quickly, so I’ll store the rest here. I look forward to Spike’s special time of the year!”

Velvet bounced to her hooves. "Thank you so much!" She shook Zecora’s hoof, hugged Fluttershy again, then dashed out the door with the vials in her aura. “Woohoooooooo! I’m gonna be a dragonnnnnn!”

Night made to rise, but paused. “Oh! I almost forgot.” He tossed Zecora a hefty pouch of bits. "This isn’t for the elixir; it’s for helping Twily and Spike over the years. We’ll let you know our plans for Spike’s party, alright? Take care!”

And with that he galloped off.

…

…

…

Zecora stared at the huge money pouch. With shaky hooves, she poured out the bits on the table and began counting.

Fluttershy wasn’t looking at the money at all. Her gaze was on the pantry, or more specifically the floor. Shattered glass, ruined labels, and ingredients were everywhere, for the quaking had caused many of the bottles to fall.

A pile of pink powder lay among the mess.

The violent rumbling had also sent Fluttershy’s animal friends running. The strange sense of being watched was gone, and Night and Velvet were now free to travel the easy trail in peace. They made idle banter as they discussed plans for the evening, their moods playful and light as they trotted through the trees.

They never could remember who instigated the magic tickle fight. All they recalled afterward was Night’s ribs were poked, Velvet’s tail was tugged, and then they were laughing and chasing each other like flirty teenagers. The woods raced by in a blur as they ducked and weaved around each other, their zigzags and mad dashes racing up gentle hills and leaping across streams. Tickles and touches soon became naughtier as time passed—a smack to the rear, a nip on the withers, a kiss on the neck, a fondle to—

“Ha!” Night dodged Velvet’s aura. His own magic snaked around and countered with a squeeze of her luscious flanks. She shrieked and laughed, zapping away his touch and going for another attack. Night dashed behind a large spruce tree before she could and galloped towards a sudden break in the trees, Velvet giving chase right behind.

She caught him right as they emerged into a clearing. She glomped him and sent them both sprawling, and soon they were kissing like their lives depended on it. Their horns crossed to send buzzes through their minds. Needy gasps escaped their lips as they fought for breaths of air, groping and pressed against each other in perfect sync. They pushed back and forth with rising fervor until a cool breeze reminded them of the time, and it was only then they realized something important.

They’d gone off the trail.

Night brushed a hoof through Velvet’s mane. “Looks like we’ll have to interrupt Spike’s O&O game.”

Velvet tittered. “Let the boy have his fun. We can get back on our own.”

Night was about to ask how, but then he realized her plan. “Did you do this on purpose?”

Velvet booped his nose. “No, but you have to admit it works out. Can you think of a better place to become dragons? It’s private, it’s outdoors… Maybe put up some fire wards for safety, but we may not even need those.”

Night frowned. “And if something goes wrong?”

Velvet rolled her eyes. “I seem to recall several gushing letters about how skilled Miss Zocalo—”

“Zecora.”

“Whatever.” Velvet nuzzled his neck. “Point is, if they trust her, then I trust her.”

Night was quiet. He rubbed Velvet’s back in slow circles, the surrounding branches and leaves swaying in the breeze. The house-sized clearing they were in was mostly bare save for some wildflowers and stunted shrubs with stripped branches. They’d need to do some hard flapping to reach the break in the canopy above, but after that...

“We’ll have to fly northeast to avoid Ponyville,” Night said at last. “Don’t want to ruin the surprise, after all.”

“Yessssss!” Velvet kissed him. “I love you so much, yes I do~”

Night watched her produce the vials. He accepted his and weighed it in his hooves, tilting it back and forth with every possible pro and con. “I know you’re excited, but... is it alright if I take mine first? I just want to make sure it’s—”

He realized Velvet had already drank hers.

“—safe.”

“Blech!” She swallowed the last bit with a grimace. “I sure hope it works better than it tastes!” She stifled a burp. “Should I take off my hiking gear? I think I should—oh, wow…”

Night got up. “What?”

It began with Velvet’s eyes. Her pupils were changing, narrowing and lengthening into vertical slits. A scratchy sensation made her rub her eyes, and when she opened them, she found her vision sharper and clearer. The scratchiness continued as a second iris and pupil formed behind her first ones, followed by her transparent flight eyelids blinking across her eyes like sliding doors.

“I don’t think you need to hope, hun.” Night brushed back her bangs. “How do you feel?”

Velvet put a hoof to her head. “Well, I’m either turning into a dragon—nngh—or I’m going to explode. Hurry up and take yours, okay? I want to… do this… togetherrrrr...”

Now her muzzle and neck were changing. Her nose wiggled, her mouth throbbed, her jaw itched, and her throat tingled. Her tongue became so dexterous it was like an extra limb. New scents flooded her nose in droves. Her neck and jaw muscles were changing in too many ways to count, and the connecting bones weren’t far behind.

Night put a hoof on her withers. “I think I should wait a bit. If it turns out you need to get a doctor—”

“I’m… FINE!” Velvet flashed Night a big, fanged smile. “It just feels a little strange, that’s all.”

Night gave her a flat look.

“Okay, okay.” Velvet sat back and flexed her jaw a few times, her thin, forked tongue flitting out to taste the air. She could feel her teeth getting denser and harder by the second. “Wow, I feel like I could bite through anything! Not to mention eat anything, if Spike’s any measure. Do you have any gems I could try?”

Night couldn’t say he did, but he did have a nose. And said nose had just caught a distinct scent on Velvet’s breath that set off several alarm bells. “Honey…”

“Or maybe I should—” A loud gurgle in Velvet’s chest cut her off. An incredible, tantalizing heat welled up Velvet’s lungs, the heat already trying to travel up her throat. “Uh-oh.”

Night was already warding the clearing. Velvet couldn’t hold it back for long—it felt like a really spicy burp at first, or perhaps more like a cough? Or maybe it was similar to a sneeze. She was still deciding when the tantalizing heat erupted from her mouth in a scorching cone of magenta dragonfire.

FWOOOOOOOOOSH!

Velvet burst out laughing afterward. "Did you see THAT?!"

Night, who’d dodged the flames, resisted the urge to facehoof. “Luna almighty…”

“Hey, come and help me.” Velvet started shucking off her bags and gear. “I don’t want to ruin anything.”

He came back over just as Velvet’s pony ears were replaced by angular spines. Large, curved dragon horns swept back over her skull in a graceful arc. Her unicorn horn started shrinking right after to create the first of three spines running down her pointed muzzle.

Velvet went cross-eyed for a moment. “Whoa…” Her new dragon horns buzzed with magenta sparks. She could feel the internal systems slithering around inside her head, the flow of magic reconnecting with little twinges. “Tingly.”

Night noticed the aura around Velvet’s horns. “You’re still able to use pony magic?”

Velvet blinked several times. She tried casting a few spells, all of which worked fine. “Looks like it.”

Night examined each new horn. “That doesn’t make any sense.” The fluted grooves were similar to a unicorn’s, but deeper and more intricate. “Breathing dragonfire is dragon magic. How can you have both?”

Velvet drug a hoof along the ground. “Maybe it’s temporary? I’m not done ch-changing, so mmmmaybe…”

There was a tight feeling spreading throughout her body. She stretched herself out, joints popping, bones creaking, insides squelching, and muscles shifting. Hot, wonderful throbs coursed through her as her frame became longer and more serpentine. The heat massaged her legs and numbed the nerve endings in her hooves, leaving only a maddening internal itch she couldn’t scratch.

Night winced as deep creases formed in Velvet’s hooves. They crept upward to form paws with floppy digits, which, while gruesome, would’ve been a lot better without the sounds. "You alright?”

Velvet didn’t answer until she had enough feeling to wiggle her claws. “I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO THIS!” She bade Night stay still, pinched his snout, then pulled away like she’d snatched something. “HA! Got your nose!”

Night laughed. “Sounds like a yes.”

“Of course I’m alright!” Glossy scales started cascading across her body. “I told you we could trust—GAH!”

Huge, leathery wings exploded from her back. They hung limp at her sides until the color seeped into the lavender membranes, the inner workings finishing shortly after.

“You’re right,” Night deadpanned. “I’m not sure why I was worried.”

Velvet gave each wing a test flap. "That… surprised me.” She swished her tail without thinking, its lengthening, thickening shape slinking out behind her. “Okay, well… I doubt there’s going to be anything else like that. I’d even venture that was the last thing altogether, don’t you think? How do I look?”

A simple question, but one Night wasn’t ready for. A sleek, sinuous dragoness stood before him, mostly light gray, but with blue and violet accents. Her wide, curvy hips enticed him as she twirled in place, his eyes drawn to the three purple stars still on her flanks. There was a tremendous presence about her that rivalled Ember’s strange aura, but in Velvet, it was comforting… almost beckoning. It resonated with Night in a way he couldn’t describe.

Night met her piercing gaze. His heart was hammering, a blush heavy in his face. “V-Vel…”

Velvet purred like a great cat. “Your turn.”

…

…

...Crud.

Well, he supposed there was no more delaying it. Night took his vial and uncorked it, the pale fluid glistening in the fading sun. “I—I-I did it again, didn’t I?” He gulped. “This is why you wanted to do it together.”

It was, but Velvet also wasn’t stupid. “There's been just as many times where your caution has paid off. I’m not about to be the pot calling the kettle black.”

Night managed a smile. “C-Can’t win them all, I suppose…” He took one more look at the vial, then downed it like a shot of whiskey. It tasted just as bad as Velvet had said.

Velvet pecked his cheek. “You know I'm with you, even in the scary parts.”

The changes began the second he swallowed. Teeth became fangs, muscles shifted about, bones altered and scales sprouted. Great dragon horns came in while his hooves split into claws. His tail snapped out like a whip and tore a bush straight out of the ground.

“Nnngh!” Night’s barrel lengthened with a series of pops. He fought to remain upright on transforming limbs, his cat-like eyes focusing on Velvet. “This...is… WEIRD!"

Velvet chuckled. A witty remark danced on her tongue, but before she could voice it… something happened. Night’s first few changes hadn’t done anything for her, but enough had occurred now that her mind connected the dots. A subtle, pervasive heat stirred in her nethers, growing warmer and warmer the more draconic Night became. Soon she was watching and circling around him like a huntress, her muscles tense and ready to spring.

Sensory input flooded Night’s brain. A distant part of him noted Velvet acting funny, but he was too overwhelmed to speak. The world was alive with sound—some from nature, some from creatures. He could taste the temperature of the air with every flick of his tongue. The feeling in his claws was unlike anything he’d ever known, and the boost to his sight was even more so. Last to come in was his nose, and the first thing he smelled was Velvet’s heavenly—

Oh.

Dark blue scales rippled over Night’s body with a series of clacks. Liquid fire raced through him, massaging every organ and limb. Blazing power seethed in his chest like a drumbeat. Skeletal blue wings exploded from his sides without warning; and Night ROARED, bright blue flames jetting from his mouth.

Sound and heat washed over Velvet like a fog. Night’s spicy masculine scent consumed her, new and familiar at the same time. He was gaining that alluring aura now, and it called to her like a siren. Her attention moved to his lower half just as his hard, mottled cock grew longer, then thicker—so much thicker. His flat head tapered into a dragon’s tip, his medial ring vanished, and a fat, bulbous knot formed at the base of his shaft.

All of that was well and good, of course… but what appealed to her more was his dense, virile nuts. They’d grown so large they brushed against his thighs, their burgeoning heft nestled within his tight sack. Their earthy scent made her mouth water. Their size made her wetter than ever. She could practically hear how full they were, and they only got fuller and more potent with time...

Night was panting. The changes after picking up Velvet’s damp, cloying scent had been a blur. She was stalking closer in his peripheral, wings and tail twitching, mouth partway open, her eyes downright wild. He could hear the pitter-patter of fluids dripping from her folds… or perhaps those were his fluids. Something inside him knew he was now a dragon in full, equal in every way to his gloriously fertile mate.

He turned to face her with a growl.