Spike trotted along beside me. "I've been here before." He stepped over me easily. "Maud lets me mine, sometimes. She charges a little tax, but she makes good mines."

"I try." Maud was right around the next corner. "Welcome."

"Maud." I advanced on her. She didn't stop me, so I toughed noses.

We stood there quietly a moment before Maud stepped back. "You are heat-resistant."

"I am." Spike inclined his head. "So is David."

"He is." Maud nodded with sureness. "I wish to take advantage of that. You two will mine. I will direct. David, protect me. You know the spell."

I focused on that icon, of the pony safe in their bubble amidst the flames. A literal bubble of red and orange popped up around Maud, shielding her from the heat we were approaching. "This is near the magma, right?"

"It is." She was angling down sharper than last time. "With two heat resistant miners, I will let you two dig. We will unearth gems that would normally be impossible." She directed to a wall. "The stone here acts oddly, being so warm."

I cheated. I gathered rocks that I could see and dropped it to the side, digging with my glowing horn.

Spike grunted, then swung his mighty hand forward, digging into the ground with savage claws. "Wow, like really heavy chalk." He worked with diligent progression. "And there are gems in here?"

"Gems you won't find anywhere else. David, protect me."

Right! I refocused on the protective bubble and got to pawing with my hooves. Using my magic to dig and protect at once was a bit much. The heat wasn't bothering me. I was a kirin. I was fire.

Spike seemed to agree with that, unbothered entirely by the sweltering heat washing over us as we pushed into the wall.

The first glittering gem fell at our feet. Spike snatched it up. "Nice." A square and bright cyan stone. "Look at you." He sniffed gently. "Mmm, smells good too..."

"Please don't eat it." Maud reached up and secured the gem. "We will decide on portions when we're done. No sampling before then."

"Aw." Spike got right back to digging.

Hours melted past as we filled stone basket after stone basked with the gems Maud somehow pointed us towards and trusted us to dig free. Emerging into cooler tunnels, we piled them on her favored examination table to begin sorting through.

Fiery sweat soaked my coat despite elemental affinities as our expedition finally finished under Maud's exacting supervision. But excitement tingled spotting precious piles sparkling from our efforts. What unique specimens now awaited her keen appraisal coaxed from below by artifact-hunters' tireless teamwork?

Spike lounged with a grunt, scales steaming faintly even after molten tunnels' blistering exposure. Noticing my impressed whistle at his durability he smirked smug pride my way. "Aww, just takes practice. Dodging Twilight's experiments builds endurance quick!"

Maud remained immersed cataloguing each crystal catch, meticulously scribing weight, luster and other attributes into a dusty ledger. Unsure whether conversation bothered I kept respectfully silent. There were certainly worse companions for quiet contemplation than diligent scholars contentedly collating data sets.

Eventually Maud stretched with a satisfied sigh turning our way smiling subtly. "Exceptionally productive outing all together. You exceeded my operation's typical solo yields notably." She inclined her head graciously. "Valuable assistance meriting formal compensation it seems."

My ears perked up excitedly. Before I could inquire details Maud continued evenly meeting our curious gazes: "I will provide twenty percent gemstone shares each by mass extracted, with an additional stipend of one prime or unique specimen selected personally as bonus."

Spike pumped his fist eagerly clearly no stranger bartering for subterranean treasures. But I still sought deeper rewards from shared exertions below far exceeding crystalline riches alone. "I'll give my twenty to Spike." That got him to perk anew.

Maud inclined her head faintly. "Why?" No doubt or judgement there, just the question.

"I assume you keep the rest." I point to the gems. "40% to Spike sounds fair, and I don't need the gems. 60% you, 20% Spike, 20% me who isn't using them feels less fair."

Spike suddenly grabbed me, squeezing and rocking me about. "You're the best!"

I smiled from my captivity. "You're very welcome."

Maud hummed softly. "Was that the intention? If I offered a kiss, would I get a percentage?"

I blinked at that. "N-no! This isn't a try to buy affection..."

"So if I did kiss you?"

"I'd blush a lot." I rubbed at a warmed cheek. "But you wouldn't get gems. I already gave them to Spike."

"That makes sense." She push her baskets back and stood up. "You can't give what you do not have."

I squirmed anxiously in Spike's celebratory embrace watching Maud calmly approach after my awkward gemstone redistribution attentions. Had that transparent transaction somehow implied ulterior motives wrongly? This stoic scholar brooked no falsities from uneasy suitors.

But her deadpan delivery betrayed no judgments beyond information gathering now shadowing me studiously nose to nose. "So generosity expects no guerdon for you, noted."

She maintained unblinking eye contact through my nervous chuckle. "Commendable, if atypical for opportunistic colts seeking advantage." The faintest smile ghosted her stoic lips. "Fortunate then you stand unique here among us, hmm?"

Without warning she kissed me suddenly herself, firm and brief before withdrawing with scientific scrutiny gauging reactions. I sputtered steam in surprise before managing coherence: "Ha, well guess not needing gifts to grab affection does help simplify things, yeah?"

I fanned cooling air Spike's amused way before meeting Maud's intent gaze more steadily this time. "But for what it's worth, your insights feel prize enough for me after our time together today." And we shared a smile then free of ulterior motives, just the promise of treasures yet unlooked for in each other's quiet company.

Maud fixed her gaze on Spike. "Does it bother you? Part of me is warmed easier than the heat we mine, knowing that David hopes I will kiss him. He hopes I will allow more than that."

Spike shook his head. "Yeah, no... Look, I don't have those parts." He lifted a leg as if to show his clear lack of any such parts. "Not how they made me, blame Twilight. When she was a little filly, making a familiar, she was not worried about that." He snorted softly. "And adult Twilight never sat down and decided to fix that. Probably for the best."

Maud examined the space that would, on a pony, reveal such intimate parts. On Spike, not at all. "I see... Then you won't mind?" She casually wrapped her arms around me, hugging close, but with no expression on her face. "I do like him."

Spike snorted gently, throwing one arm around to pull me away a little. "I like him too."

"I like him more." She pulled me back.

"Cut that out!" I swatted at either of them. "I'm not a toy to wrestle over."

"Says you," they echoed at the same time.

Spike snickered at that, releasing me. "Seriously... Don't treat me like an uninteresting rock and we'll be fine."

"Hey! Both of you knock it off already." I swept the cavern theatrically. "Do you wanna bring the roof down on this whole operation?"

Chastened spectators shuffled abashed under my dramatic scolding. Sensing a teaching moment I pressed the advantage while they were receptive. "We all want this" - I gestured around - "whatever this is becoming, on some level yeah?" Reluctant nods answered my questioning stare.

"Then we gotta plow ahead the mature way, not just reacting blind." I met Maud's neutral gaze. "That means listening first when some new boundary's bumped into." Pivoting Spike's uncertain way next: "And giving space for real reflection before possessive instincts kick in."

I let those reflections sit a minute before relaxing my rigid posture with a self-conscious laugh. "I mean, I ain't no expert on managing relationships either, so maybe I shouldn't preach, eh?"

Maud blinked slowly. "Your passion shows wisdom beyond years..." she pronounced evenly. "Channel it constructively and all benefit." Nodding agreement, Spike offered a conciliatory claw my way which I bumped companionably with a hoof chuckling together, tensions thawing.

I circle around Maud to see some of the gems, but something distracts me. I peel my lips back and sniff in some new way. It occurs to me a moment later. A flehmen response. What had caused that. I snuffed, trying to find the source, soon facing Maud's rump. "Oh."

Maud looked over her shoulder at me. "You noticed?" She smirked faintly. "You're from another world. You probably don't know."

"Don't know what?" Spike really wasn't much more knowledgeable about that. "What am I missing?"

Maud shook her bottom sedately. "I am in season. I am burning hot, and wouldn't mind the service of a virile stallion." Despite her heated words, she spoke evenly, as if commenting on the weather or a passing butterfly. "I am told the animals of your world did not talk, save the one you were. I am not a critter. I do not lose control. You have not lost control. You are a colt, heavily swayed by such things, but you stare and do not act."

Not that I didn't want to act, but Spike was right there. That felt rude, at best. Also, I didn't have a single bit of permission from Maud. Hopping on her felt, at best, kinda... impolite. Still, her lesson made sense. "You want to, but you don't have to. I want to, but don't have to."

"Exactly." Maud fanned her tail, teasing me with that scent. "Spike, I am enticing him."

"What with? Your butt? I don't get it..." Poor sexless dragon had no clue what the other two of us were feeling. "You two are being so strange right now."

I squirmed under conflicting impulses sparked by that enticing aroma wafting Maud's artful way. She wasn't exaggerating brute biology's influences judging by instinctive reactions - yet conscious consent complicated matters immensely however alluring the prospect.

Despite smoldering temptation I sighed regretfully withdrawing a few steps shaking my head clear from that dizzying perfume's grip. "Yeah this pony brain's revved up for sure but we gotta steer things sensibly..."

I shrugged meeting Spike's baffled curiosity. "Apparently nice lady rocks there are putting out some sorta pheromone vibe my altered wiring finds real interesting if ya catch my drift."

Spike's eyes widened comically. "Wait wait...Maud's in season and you can smell that?!" He pointed between us frantically. "No wonder you're acting mega weird!" Relieved at grasping contexts finally he glanced Maud's impassive way. "So that means you wanna...with him...to uh..."

His claw traced random shapes in the air before the last tumbler clicked. "OHHH. Oh jeez." Scales flushed faintly at the biological basics dawning at last. "Guess that explains stuff..."

Maud simply nodded. "I have needs. I stated them plainly. I assumed that was proper." She turned fully to me. "Was I wrong to say such things aloud?"

"No, no." I waved my hooves frantically. "I mean... it does make things plain. I just don't know the rules here for all this." I gestured around helplessly. "Do we all talk first, make sure everycreature is good? Do I need anything to uh...be...safe?"

Spike suddenly put a hand on my back. "I'll be back at the library." He reached over me, snagging his forty percent. "I already said, you two want to do gross biological stuff, you do that. Not my game." And, just like that, he headed for the exit and left us behind.

Maud raised her tail higher. Even if she couldn't shout, her tail's motions were practically booming, speaking clear messages. She wanted what I had. "Tell me." She was watching me over her shoulder. "Did Twilight accept me? Spike seems to be alright with me."

With Spike no longer there, the tense parts of me spill free. I do it. I hop on her and hug her gently from above. "She would like... to learn you more...But she's alright with you." I rub my belly against her back. "Is this... alright? Isn't there a chance things will happen?"

"Maybe."

She was not resisting what either of us wanted.

Author's Note

Is this at all a good idea? Perhaps it's time to run away!

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