Stellar and Quartz: Ghost Town Showdown

Dawn saw Stellar up earlier than usual; she knew she needed to go apologize to Cloudy for blowing her off yesterday so she quickly got dressed and headed over. She rapped on the door and made sure she was smiling when it opened.

“Hey, partner.”

“Stellar,” Cloudy observed her closely. “You seem in better spirits.”

“Yeah, just needed to clear my head; I’m good as new and ready to keep moving.”

“Are you certain?” Cloudy asked.

“Yes,” Stellar nodded. “I’m sorry I got pissy with you yesterday, I’m over it; let’s get this show back on the road.”

“Very well,” Cloudy stepped back in to collect her bag. “What is our plan for today?”

“Well, we’ve got one more creature to talk to,” She shrugged. “Wheeler.”

“Do you know where to find him?”

“He introduced himself in the bar the other night, said his work office is in the old bank,” She laughed. “Pretty cliche, huh?”

“Cliches exist for a reason.” Cloudy quoted.

The two of them traveled back into the center of town and towards the historic structure that once served as the town’s bank. The door opened as they neared and Legerdemain emerged, as soon as he noticed them he smiled and made his way over.

“Hey, nice to see you again.” He greeted.

“Ledge, what are you doing here?” Stellar asked.

“Getting my ideas shot down again,” He chuckled. “Wheeler keeps saying he wants ideas to help revitalize the town, but he never seems to care for mine all too much.”

“Are they magic related?” Cloudy inquired.

“Well… not all of them,” He muttered. “Maybe you’ll have better luck.” He waved and continued on his way with a farewell for the time being.

Stellar and Cloudy stepped through the old wooden door and onto the teller floor; the counters still protected by iron bars. The floors creaking under their hooves was all the announcement needed to draw Wheeler from the back office.

“Ah, good morning,” He greeted. “I see it’s my turn.”

“That it is.” Stellar smiled.

“Then please, step into my office.” He extended his hand back the way he came. Leading them into his work station, Wheeler sat in his chair and folded his hands on the desk. “I’ve got a feeling you and I are cut from the same cloth, Ms. Flare. We’re both modern minds on the edge of how things work nowadays.”

“If that’s the case, then how come you seem to be having trouble reading the writing on the wall when it comes to this town?” She countered.

"As my father used to say, a sinking ship makes a great aquarium.” Wheeler stated.

“Meaning?” Stellar asked.

“Meaning that as one use fades away another comes into being,” He explained. “Just because this town’s time as an attraction is coming to an end doesn’t mean that it no longer contains opportunity. Ridgeway has lost sight of that; he and the others only see this town as one thing but that doesn’t have to be the case.” He sat back. “I take it you’ve spoken to Oak by this point?”

“Yes, we have.” She nodded.

“Then you know, this town has been many things over the course of its history; evolution is as true in business as it is in nature and I understand that well.”

“So what exactly are you intending to happen?” She asked.

He politely raised his hands. “My intentions are not part of the current situation and hence are not necessary for the discussion. Suffice to say, they are enough to prevent me from wishing to part with my ownership of the town.” He looked at her with a sincere curiosity. “Did Ridgeway tell you that I was the first one to offer buying out the town?”

"No, he didn’t.” Stellar shook her head.

“I was willing to buy out his part of the ownership for a fair price, relieving him of the responsibility and taking majority control. At first, I was understanding of his hesitance but imagine my surprise when he turns around and begins entertaining offers from outside hands.” He made a dry laugh. “To be honest, I was hurt; he and I have worked together for over fifteen years and that felt like a betrayal.”

Stellar thought about his explanation of events. “Do your “intentions” involve Hathaway or the buffalo? Or would they just be shit out of luck if you took majority ownership?”

“Hathaway is removed enough from the situation to not interfere; I would gladly leave him and his family to their farm and would likely continue to rely on their crops. The buffalo… well, they are even more stuck in their ways than Ridgeway. I doubt anything would truly make them happy other than leaving the land as natural as possible.”

Again, Stellar paused to think about his words. “It’s the mine, isn’t it?” She finally asked, her question causing the faintest of flashes to run across his eyes which was all the proof her intuition needed.

“What makes you say that?” He asked back.

“Like you said, we’re similar minds.” She smirked. “Even based on the limited amount I know, I understand that there is a very good probability that the mine isn’t as dry as they say and that modern mining operations could revitalize the site.” She shrugged. “Hell, even if I was just able to prove that fact on paper, that could jack the market value of the land up hundreds of thousands of dollars. That wouldn’t involve Hathaway as you said and the buffalo sure wouldn’t be happy, but wihout majority control they wouldn’t truly be able to do anything because of the grandfather clause this place exists under. The only real obstacle to that is Ridgeway, who either doesn't understand or doesn’t care about the possibility in the first place.”

Wheeler grinned as she concluded. “I knew there was something about you I liked,” He laughed. “Fair enough, I admit that the mine holds my interest. I’ve asked Ridgeway to investigate it many times but he refuses because he deems it too unsafe; and we can’t exactly afford a professional evaluation.” He sat back in his chair. “But I do believe it has potential, potential I wish to explore before I’ll decide whether or not to part with my interest.”

“Okay then,” Stellar nodded. “I understand your position. That being said, if I could prove whether or not the mine had value, would you make your call?”

Wheeler eyed her in surprise. “How would you do that?”

“As a party sent here to evaluate the land, it falls within my jurisdiction to have the mine surveyed.” She detailed.

“I see, and if you should find that the mine could still produce?” He inquired with interest.

“Then that would call for a change in the terms,” She said plainly. “The value of the mine would have to be considered and added to the offer.”

“Well,” He made a short laugh. “How can I say no? If you can get a definitive answer on the mine, you’ll get a definitive answer from me.”

“Alright then,” Stellar stood, causing Cloudy to do the same. “I’ll get to work.” Shaking hands, Stellar and Cloudy left the bank and began walking down the road.

“Forgive me for being of little use,” Cloudy apologized. “If you claim I speak Hathaway’s language, then you truly speak Wheeler’s.”

“Not something I’m proud of,” Stellar wiped her hand on her skirt. “I can feel the slime on that guy.”

“You were right, however,” Cloudy reminded. “The mine was a point of contention that needed to be explored. Just how exactly are we to explore it though?”

“I need Ridgeway’s OK and then I can put in a call to have a licensed surveyor come out and inspect the work site. I’ll need to see it for myself, as much as possible anyway.” She sighed. “Guess we’ll be here a little longer than I thought; let’s go talk to Ridgeway and get this ball rolling.”

The two of them returned to the city hall, knocking on the door as they entered. Ridgeway emerged from the back and smiled as he saw them. “I was hoping to see you today,” He noted. “I spoke with Hathaway on the phone and he’s decided to put his hat in on the sale. Whatever you discussed really moved him, thank you.”

“That’s good to hear,” Stellar smiled, nice to see some headway being made. “Job isn’t done yet though, I have a favor to ask.”

“Of course.” He opened his arms.

“I need to call in a survey of the mine.” She explained.

“The mine?” He repeated.

“Yes, Wheeler’s decision is hinging on it.” She continued.

“I see,” He sighed. “I had a feeling that’s what he was holding out for.”

“He said he offered to buy you out before all this.” Stellar noted. “You turned him down?”

“Don’t get me wrong, Wheeler and I have worked together a long time and he's my friend.” Ridgeway assured. “Which means I know him well enough to know when not to trust him; if the town has to go then it has to go, but I knew that Wheeler would do something that wouldn’t sit well with the buffalo and I couldn’t do that to them.”

“Spoken like the last living descendant of Light Spur.” Cloudy applauded.

“Oh… you heard about that?” He rubbed the back of his head. “It’s a fine bit of trivia, but I don’t consider myself on par with the type of stallion that lived back in the day.”

“I think he would disagree.” Cloudy added with a small smile.

“Thank you, ma’am,” He tipped his head. “Back to the mine though, what would a survey do exactly?”

“Wheeler knows that if the mine is still a viable source of ore then the land is worth more than what’s being offered.” Stellar detailed. “A survey will help confirm the status of the mine, if it turns out to be worthless then he’ll fold. If it turns out that the mine is still profitable, well then the terms of the deal will have to be renegotiated from scratch based on all of your decisions.”

“I knew there was a possibility, we just didn’t have the means to check it for ourselves.” He said through a long breath. “It was too dangerous, I don’t want some creature getting hurt or worse over gold that may or may not exist.”

“Well enough intentions,” Stellar commended. “But this needs to happen, for my employer’s side as much as yours. So, do I have your permission?”

“Yes, do what you have to do,” He nodded. “If we can help, we will.”

“Thank you, I’ll start making phone calls and get things started.” She informed. “With that, I’ve spoken to everyone involved, we’ll have to wait for this to wrap up before we can continue.”

“Understood,” He smiled. “You’re considered my guests until the job is done, however long that takes.”

“Appreciated,” Stellar headed for the door. “I’ll update you as soon as I have news.”

The two mares started the walk back to their lodges. Along the way, Stellar caught sight of Arcus with an armful of boxes, no doubt heading for the diner. Her mind immediately drifted to the prior night and her conflicted feelings about kicking him out. She had to put it aside for the time being though as when they got back to the lodges she set herself to her phone to put the necessary wheels in motion. After over two hours of conversations and phone tag, she happily threw the device on the bed and left it there so she could get some air. Wandering over to Cloudy’s, she checked in with her friend to let her know that they were on standby until the surveyor team arrived. Deciding to give her a break for the time being, Stellar drove back into town and returned to Ridgeway to tell him the same. With the rest of the evening free and nighttime settling in, she meandered back to the bar although not looking to drink this time. Passing through the old doors, she headed for the bar where Legerdemain was talking with Stormy.

“Hey there.” She greeted as she neared.

“Hey,” Stormy grinned. “Already becoming a regular.”

“How’d it go with Wheeler?” Ledge inquired from behind his glass.

“Good, oddly enough,” Stellar replied as she sat. “Long story short, I’m having a survey done on the mine. Turns out he’s interested in knowing whether or not it’s still profitable."

“Oh, really?” Ledge lowered his glass. “That mine is a deathtrap.”

“So I’ve heard,” Stellar looked between them. “But it’s got to be done.”

“What will you have to celebrate then?” Stormy asked.

“Actually…” Stellar paused. “Is Arcus around?”

“Yeah,” Stormy pointed towards the back corner. “Corner booth, as always.”

“Thanks,” Stellar left the stool and made her way to the back of the bar. She found the dragon on his phone, huddled quietly in the less active area of the room. “Hiding from anyone in particular?” She asked as she slid in across from him.

His head whipped up at the sound of her voice. “Oh… Ms. Flare,” His eyes brightened. “I was e-mailing my dad, just keeping in touch.” He set the phone down on the table. “How did today go?”

“Good, got a bit of a speed bump that’s going to extend my stay though.”

“Really?” He asked, not doing a good job containing his excitement at the news.

“Glad someone is happy about it.” She smirked.

“Oh... well,” He immediately shied.

Stellar laughed and kicked his leg under the table. “Hey, I wanted to say sorry for last night. I wasn’t trying to be cold; I really did have a good time.”

“Me too,” He smiled. “Can you… stay for a while?”

“I think I can manage that,” She smiled back. “Mind getting me a drink?”

“Not at all,” He slid out of the booth. “What do you want?”

“Tequila.”

“Okay.” He started making his way towards the bar; returning a few minutes later with a pair of drinks. “Here you go.”

“Thank you,” She took the glass and had a sip. “Mm, nice.”

“So what’s this speed bump?” Arcus inquired as he got comfortable again.

“Going to be doing a little mining,” She explained. “I’m having a team come in to verify if the mine is really dry or not.”

“Please be careful,” He immediately countered. “That place is dangerous.”

“What happened in there?” She asked, recalling mention of an accident.

“Well, Ridgeway used to offer tours of the area that included the mine,” He began. “Hatch and Earnhardt handled them.”

“The bull?” Stellar scoffed. “He doesn’t really seem the tour guide type.”

“I know, he was mostly there to handle anything that might go wrong.” He detailed. “But on one tour, one of the foremost shafts in the mine had a collapse and a tourist was pinned under the rock and wood. Earnhardt was able to muscle it off of him, but he wound up losing his hoof from the damage.”

“Shit,” Stellar muttered through another sip. “Did he take legal action or something?”

“Yeah,” Arcus nodded. “Ridgeway wound up paying all the medical bills and another ten thousand in damages as part of the settlement. It was a big hit financially as things were already slowing down; so, he decided to shut the mine down permanently.”

“Makes sense,” Stellar admitted. “Can’t blame him.” She stared down into her drink. “Hey, how we talk about something other than work?”

“Sure.” He said understandingly.

The two of them spent the next hours just chatting about randomness; as with their previous night, Stellar genuinely felt more relaxed around him and after a few drinks her mind and body began arguing again. Her mind told her to just leave the night at this, that going in for a second dip into the pool of their lust would be a bad idea. Her body, however, was already reacting to him; its memory of how good he felt inside her making her damp with desire. As their time went by, she slowly worked her way around the cushion of the booth and against his side; setting her final drink down she looked up at him with a comfortable smile.

“I never do this,” She laid her hand atop his claw and squeezed. “But if you want to follow me home again, I’m pretty sure I won’t say no.”

“I’d really like that.” He lowered his head to hers.

“I promise I won’t kick you out this time,” She caressed his beak and brought it to her lips, kissing the tip. “So how about we get out of here?”

“Okay.” He whispered, nuzzling her lips.

They paid up for the night, Stormy smiling as she watched them leave together yet again. Arcus managed to fit into the back of her car and she drove them to the lodge; unpacking himself, he followed her in and her arms were around his neck the moment the door shut. Arcus stumbled back as they kissed, claws working to undo his clothing. Stellar quickly shed her outfit and undid her bra, hooking it around his neck with both hands and using it as a leash to pull him to the bed. As her thighs hit the mattress she fell backwards and dragged him on top of her, his cool scales pressing against her body. His beak dug into her neckline as he kissed and nipped her lovingly, she pet his head and let out a restrained laugh at the tickling sensation.

“You know, I’m dying to know what that tongue of yours feels like.” She not so subtlety hinted.

“Good, cause it’s dying to know what you taste like.” He countered, the alcohol removing much of his shy demeanor as he gave into his need for her. He knelt beside the bed and stripped away her salivating loins last line of defense. Beak parting wide, he yanked her waist off of the bed and dipped his long tongue inside of her; Stellar immediately jerked at the bizarre feeling of the thin, wiry appendage snaking around.

“Holy hell,” She hooked her hooves together around the base of his neck. “Don’t stop!” Arcus closed his eyes and focused on his movements, sweeping broadly across her vaginal walls before pushing deeper to seek out her most sensitive areas. The beautiful moans ringing in his ear guided him and once he mapped out her interior the forked end began to tickle and tease the right spots. His cock hardened between his legs as his senses drank all of her in; the feel of her hands gripping his head and thighs squeezing his neck, the smell of her arousal, the taste of her essence and the sound of her passion. “God!” Stellar growled. “I’m cumming!” Back arching as the orgasm hit her, Stellar's body locked; held in place by Arcus’ strong grip she bucked as his tongue ceaselessly pleasured her through the experience.

Arcus sat back and eased her lower body up onto the mattress. His tongue slid out and wiped the sides of beak clean, savoring every drop it collected. “How was that?” He asked as he stood.

“You kidding me?” Stellar laughed through a hard breath. “You’re a fucking a pro at that,” She sat up and stared down the bed at him. “Get a lot of practice?”

“Well… a little.” He admitted.

“Uh huh,” She smirked, eyeing his bobbing erection. “How about I show you what I can do?” She shimmied forward and sat on the edge of the bed, gliding her fingers along the underside of his shaft and prepping her lips with a quick swirl of her tongue. Arcus watched as his cock disappeared into her muzzle; he hissed in pleasure, gently holding her head as it bobbed in staggered tempo. Her fingers gripped the base, lips pursing around his shaft and sucking hard as her head slowly rose; tongue coiling around his tip, her head quickly shot back down until he hit the back of her throat.

“Ms. Flare… that’s… fuck…” His head hung loose in the air, stuttered grunts falling out of his beak as his body melted under her expert attentions. Her other hand took hold of him, sliding up and down his saliva coated length alongside her mouth. Stellar quickly found that his taste was just as addictive as everything else about him; her outright passion for him continued to rise and her technique grew more animalistic in kind. Arcus' head swam as she worked and just as he felt a deep swell in his gut, she pulled away and chuckled up at him.

“No you don’t,” She grinned, sensing how close he was. “I’m more than ready to have this bad boy inside me now.” She flipped onto her hands and knees and served her ass up to him, tail raised high. “Now fuck me!”

Arcus roughly gripped her hips, body dead set on getting the release it was screaming for; he took a step forward and pushed himself inside of her, going all the way down to the knot in a single thrust. Stellar got her wish as now, in control this time, the powerful dragon proceeded to take her without restraint. He forcefully pulled her back into him with each thrust, repeating the process again and again with impressive speed and stamina. Stellar choked and cussed into the sheets, her body reeling from a fucking more intense than she had ever experienced before. A part of her mind was both scared and excited by the feral sounds he was making; it heightened her already mind wracking pleasure and she begged and screamed for him to go even harder.

“You want more!” He huffed.

“Yes!” She cried. “More! Fucking break me!"

Arcus reached and hand up and took her shoulder, using it for even more leverage. Stellar cried out as he slammed into her, his already thick shaft expanding even more as his climax built. His growling intensified as he finally felt himself ready to blow. “Fucking take it!” He roared as he forced his swollen knot inside of her; Stellar let out a throaty gasp as hot cum began filling her up. Arcus kept thrusting as much as he could while tied to her, his beak resting on the back of her head as he drained himself dry; muttering his pleasure into her hair. Stellar climaxed with such intensity that she almost passed out; her arms went out from under her and her torso crashed onto the bed, body quivering as it processed what just happened. They stayed in that spent position until he finally popped out of her; Stellar collapsed onto her side as Arcus sat on the floor.

“Son of a bitch…” She panted. “I can’t remember the last time I got off that hard.”

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Arcus asked, his sweetness returning now that his beastly need had been satisfied.

“A little pain in the bedroom is nice,” She answered. “And fuck do you hurt me in all the right ways.”

Arcus rubbed his cheek. “Not sure how I feel about that.”

Stellar laughed and managed to sit up. “Come here,” She motioned for him to get closer, taking his head as it came up to her and kissing him. “It’s a good thing, kid.” She stood from the bed and prepared her ritualistic shot and cigarette.

“Not to be that guy,” He slowly began as he watched her. “But smoking is terrible for you.”

“So I’ve heard,” She laughed as she took a long drag. “I appreciate the concern, but if you want to be up my ass I can think of better ways.” She winked.

“Sorry.” He laughed.

“It’s fine, you’re just sweet; can’t be mad at you for that.” She downed her shot. “Well, I promised you could stay so how about we get cleaned up and hit the hay?”

“Sounds good.” He got up from the floor as she temporarily extinguished her smoke in the ashtray.

Cramped in a good way in the shower, they cleaned each other thoroughly before making it back to the bed. Stellar sat on the side of the mattress and sighed, mind considering the fact that she hadn’t shared a bed with a man since Sunburst’s father. She laid down and stretched out, rolling onto her side and curling up. “Night, kid.” She suddenly felt his claw on her hip as he spooned against her, his head laying just above hers; she immediately twisted back in surprise which made him back off.

“S…sorry,” He apologized. “Is this too close?”

Stellar settled and gently shook her head. “Sorry, it’s just… been a long time.”

“Oh,” He toned. “I can move over if you want.”

She reached back and grabbed his wrist, dragging his arm across her body and settling back down. “No, it’s okay.” As Arcus got comfortable again she allowed herself to nestle against his body. Her mind once again argued with her body, but after a few minutes she couldn’t deny how good it felt to have him against her; she could feel his big heart beating against her back and the rhythmic thumping soon caused her to drift into sleep.