//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: Their Knight of Scales // by Radiant Dawn //------------------------------// “Rarity, this is cruel and unusual, and you know it!” I groaned out pitifully, doing my best to control my...urges. Rarity, on the other hand, was clearly enjoying tormenting me as she modeled some of the lingerie she had created for a new “personals” line of clothing she would begin marketing next year. The set of violet panties and brassiere, coupled with stockings and a certain fire-ruby necklace, was enough to completely hold my attention. To be honest, a swarm of parasprites could have eaten everything in town at that moment, and I wouldn’t have even noticed. “Oh come now, dear,” Rarity began coyly, winking at me, “you can’t tell me you aren’t enjoying yourself. Besides, regardless of what you may believe, you are helping me.” Trying my best to remain indignant, I rolled my eyes...only for them to snap right back to her gorgeous form a moment later as I grumbled, “By boosting your ego and letting you know that you could take over the world if you used your powers for evil? Yeah, really helping, I’m sure. It doesn’t matter what you wear -- you could have on a burlap sack, and I’d still think you were beautiful.” Rarity smiled at me in that way that let me know I was being corny, but she loved it anyway. “I appreciate that, but you and I both know that presentation is everything, in my business.” She crossed the room with a slow saunter before sitting sideways on my lap, throwing her arms around me. “What I look for is something that is comfortable and keeps one modest, while still causing the audience’s eyes to nearly pop out of their sockets.” With a slow, sensual rub of the fins on the sides of my head, she added, “You are proving what is and isn’t good, simply by your reactions. For example: what did you think of the corset and garter belt?” “It looked uncomfortable and the corset would probably be a pain to get on and off, even with help. Just doesn’t seem practical.” I answered honestly, remembering the first set she had shown me. “Also, because of the bulkiness, you couldn’t really wear it under anything, so it would be limited to just the bedroom, instead of a surprise for a lover after a nice date, without even having to go home...if that’s how the night ends, that is.” Rarity smiled again, clearly pleased with my answer. She gave a loving kiss to my temple before replying, “See? You have more fashion sense than you think. Most ponies believe that the point of lingerie is simply a wrapping to be removed from a present, but any mare will tell you that the tease is just as important as the physical acts themselves. After all,” she held a hand to my cheek, grinning like a cat, “it’s gotten you quite bothered, hasn’t it?” “Considering you can turn my insides to goo just by fluttering your eyes with a cute pout, that’s not a big accomplishment.” I shot back playfully, relaxing a bit at realizing that -- even in a small way -- I was being a help to my marefriend, instead of just being a toy to be played with. Rarity’s expression dropped a bit as she queried, “I’m not putting undue stress on you like this, am I? I don’t mean to be needlessly cruel, if that’s how you perceive it. I just...” she glanced away as she bit her lip, “it’s nice to be desired by someone that cares about me as more than just a thing or an ideal.” Her words caught me a bit by surprise -- Rarity was always so confident, so it was uncommon to have her actually seem regretful or unsure about something she did or said. While it’s true that I’d be more than willing to rip off the undergarments she wore, should she ask me to, I knew her teasing and playful moments weren’t done out of maliciousness or spite, and neither were they even done out of a need to assert a form of control over me. Instead, from what I could gather, Rarity was enjoying having a romantic partner that adored her for more than her well-kept body. True that said body was very nice to admire, but the time we’d spent as friends had helped me look past all that to fall in love with the mare she was. “I don’t really mind.” I answered honestly, smiling at the mare in my lap. “Sure, you acting like this, wearing what you are tends to make my mind head in only one direction, but I know you love me. Besides,” I ran my fingers up her spine, starting just above the dock of her tail and trailing all the way to her neck, causing her to shiver violently, “we both know it’s all building up to the future, and we’ll have plenty of time to express ourselves.” Rarity was unable to stifle the soft whine that escaped her mouth, nor could she stop the subtle roll of her hips that told me I was by no means the only one that felt the desire for more carnal delights. Still, she had been quite adamant that only the one that she would spend her life with was going to be given her body, and I could understand that. I had a great amount of respect for someone who could stick to their morals, even when they strongly desired something that would go against said morals. Still, part of the reason Rarity teased me so much was because I did the same, and it only made the anticipation for our mutual future that much more intense. And so I continued, pulling her body until she was pressed firmly against me, to the point where she could feel the strong thumping of my own heart, even through her fur. I buried my nose in her neck, taking a deep breath and laying gentle nips along the sensitive flesh, eliciting gasps and more whimpers from my victim. She writhed against me, reaching behind and grasping at the back of my head to keep me there, as if I ever wanted to stop. Unfortunately, free time was a novelty for the average working pony, and doubly so for Rarity. The chime of her shop’s bell caused Rarity to freeze momentarily before letting out a muted groan of frustration. I echoed the noise as we both slumped in annoyance. Rarity stood and sashayed over to her wardrobe, quickly throwing together a white business-casual outfit with violet accents, winking over her shoulder at me as she chose to keep wearing her new creations underneath her outfit. Even though it shouldn’t have, knowing she chose to keep on the lingerie made me smile. Without hesitation, she then pulled me up from my seat and engaged me in a kiss, which I was perfectly happy to return. As we separated, I jerked my head to the balcony. “I’m actually going to go meet Big Mac at the hospital; AJ’s being released today, as all her tests came back and the doctors feel safe sending her home.” Rarity grinned and planted another kiss on me before suggesting, “Give her my love, dear.” I chuckled a bit and pulled away, heading to the open balcony. “I don’t know if she’d appreciate me giving her some love, but I think some support would do just fine.” I felt Rarity slap my one of my extended wings playfully, which I only chuckled at before stepping outside and taking off into the air. By now, everyone knew that Rarity and I were together, but that didn’t mean I wanted her to seem unprofessional in the face of her clients, which was why I chose to duck outside instead of walk with her downstairs. It was true that many of her clients had known the two of us for years now, but I didn’t want to risk her business due to my own carelessness. That said, I landed shortly after leaving the boutique, and walked the rest of the way into town. One of the upsides of being with a clothing designer was that I had first pick of some of the latest fashions, the most recent of which was a new type of collared shirt that opened down the entire front, and was fastened with buttons. It was meant to be worn with an undershirt, and depending on how one wore it and with what pants, it could be considered casual or business-casual, which meant it could look nice regardless of the setting. I knew this was a fact when I recieved casual praise for the nice outfit by ponies in town, most of whom usually didn’t comment on my clothing choices otherwise. I’d have to tell Rarity about her success later on, though something told me she’d already know by the time I saw her again. It only took a few minutes to reach the hospital -- it was one of the largest buildings in Ponyville, and was purposefully located right in the center of town -- which allowed me time to greet the staff and meet up with Big Mac when he arrived as well. The two of us only had to wait a few moments before AJ was wheeled out to the waiting room, and we didn’t even have to ask how happy she was to go home, as it was pretty clear just from looking at her face. After a quick sign out, the three of us were on our way out of the hospital, and to Sweet Apple Acres. Against her wishes, Big Mac forced his younger sister to be wheeled home in the wheelchair, as she had some nasty bruising along her left leg. This meant that I had a front-row seat to see Applejack foalishly pouting with her arms crossed as we made our way to the farm -- I’ll admit it: it was adorable, and I have no problem saying so. The walk to Sweet Apple Acres was quiet and calm the whole way, which probably had more to do with the time of day than anything else -- most ponies were still at work, which meant clear roads for us. Upon arriving at our destination, I silently offered my aid in getting Applejack into the farmhouse and set up on the well-loved couch in the main room, after which Big Mac went to fetch Granny Smith. This left me alone with Applejack for a few minutes as we waited, so, with no other pressing obligations, I sat next to my friend and offered silent support. I enjoyed the moment of comfortable silence in my day, happy that Applejack was home. “Thanks f’r bein’ there for me, Spike.” The gratitude was simple, yet powerful, as Applejack didn’t like being vulnerable in any way. Beyond being the Element of Honesty, Applejack made it a point to only say what she meant, and only if it needed to be said. So, for her to feel she needed to thank me again for offering her support when she needed it, she must have felt it was important I knew how valued my actions were. Granted that I may have saved her life, but it wasn’t anything she hadn’t done for me in the past. In my mind, I was just returning the favor for a best friend, and that was enough for me. I’ll admit it was nice to receive the gratitude, though. I nodded to Applejack in response before asking, “So, are you looking forward to a stay-cation from work?” I heard her blow out an exaggerated breath as she grumbled, “Are ya kiddin’ me? It’s drivin’ me crazy. Ah don’t know how some ponies just laze around, doin’ nothin’.” I shrugged with a grin, turning to look at her. “I don’t know, it all depends on what you have to do, and who you spend the time with. Time off can be a blessing, trust me.” Applejack glared at me before slumping with another loud sigh. “Maybe, but an entire season? Last time Ah had that much time to mahself, Ah was four.” I rolled my eyes with a smirk. “You’re being dramatic, but if it really bothers you to have that much free time, you can focus on the logistics of Sweet Apple Acres while you mend. That way, when the time comes for you to get back out in the fields, all the paperwork has already been worked out.” Applejack huffed and tried her best to look indignant, but it was clear her heart wasn’t in it as she let the tension of the day leave her. She closed her eyes, absently pushing her “scratch stick” down into the cast on her arm to rid herself of an itch, before commenting, “Ah hope it’s a calm winter, because Ah’m about full-up on mah big surprises for tha year.” “Well, funny that you should mention surprises.” I commented, taking a sort of mischievous joy in how Applejack stiffened, as if bracing herself for a physical blow. After a few seconds of watching her try and fail to keep herself calm, I blandly stated, “Twi and I got together...and me and Lyla got together as well.” By how big of a flinch it caused, I had a feeling that if she’d been standing, she’d have fallen over. It took a minute or two for Applejack to compose herself enough to cutely squeak out, “T-Twi and Lyla?” I simply answered with a nod, which prompted a shake of her head. “Mah word, y’all don’ waste any time, do ya?” I shrugged nonchalantly, crossing my arms behind my head and relaxing on the sofa. “Sounds like jealousy to me, AJ. If you want in, you need only ask.” I’d meant the comment to poke fun at her -- as I always did -- but the way she clammed up made me think I might have said the wrong thing. The wound from her breakup with Thunderlane was still pretty fresh, after all, but before I could apologize, the matriarch of the family entered the room. I quickly stood from my place and offered it to the wizened old mare, who took it gratefully and nodded her thanks to me. As the two mares began speaking, Big Mac pulled me aside and quietly asked, “Can ya wait f’r the others outside? We got some family stuff ta work out, and Ah hope ya don’t-” I waved his concern away with a reassuring grin. “Don’t worry about it, Mac. I know there’s some stuff that’s just between blood, so I get it.” He nodded to me, smiling slightly. “Right, thanks. Anyway, Cheers and tha others should be ‘round soon, so could ya greet ‘em and bring ‘em in when they get ‘ere?” I nodded back to him and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Sure, I gotcha. See you in a bit.” I left without another word, closing the farmhouse door behind me and taking a seat on a well-loved bench on the front porch. With the trees having lost all of their leaves by this point, it was a simple thing to see all the way to the gate in the distance, so I simply waited patiently for some of Big Mac’s herd to arrive, or Applebloom. Until then, I just closed my eyes and kept an ear out for any visitors. It didn’t take long for the telltale sound of hooves on dirt to catch my attention, as well as the sound of multiple voices. I waited until the voices were close enough to pick out individually before opening my eyes and standing to greet the visitors. The first one I noticed was Big Mac’s first flame, Cheerilee. While I had never been one of the younger generation that was “hot for teacher”, I had to admit that Cheerilee pulled off the modest teacher look very well, creating an authoritative yet supportive presence, all wrapped up with a warm smile and kind eyes. Next to her were the twins, Flitter and Cloudchaser, both of which worked on the weather team and both of which loved Sweet Apple Acres cider (which was probably how they met Big Mac in the first place). Following them was Sea Swirl, the soft-spoken marine biologist, and Boysenberry, a fellow farmer -- the latter of whom was offering support to the final two ponies: Berry Punch and her daughter, Ruby Pinch. I  had grown up around most of the ponies in Big Mac’s herd, so it was easy to feel comfortable around them, which made the near-Pinkie-level glomp from Ruby Pinch easy to deal with. Even with the new generation of foals around Ponyville, being the only dragon around had the perk of me being quite popular, which was why I was asked to speak as a special guest at the schoolhouse every year. Being different had its own positives, it seemed. “Hiya, Spike!” Berry Punch greeted brightly, moving swiftly over despite using crutches. Upon settling herself in front of me, she reached down and used her uncommon strength to pull me up before wrapping me in a half-embrace. I returned it with a smile, shifting Ruby Pinch to rest comfortably in my free arm. Much as ponies wouldn’t think of it just from meeting the jovial, unorthodox earth pony, Berry Punch was quite the martial artist, and had gotten quite a few bruises and bumps from her ring fights. Her busted leg was the most recent one, as a result of a bout with a thestral from Wispy Woods far to the east. Though she was an unassuming mare otherwise -- she was a loving mother and owner of the town’s commercial distillery -- Berry Punch lived up to the second part of her name easily. Pulling away, I motioned to her immobile leg in a cast. “How’s it feeling?” She glanced down at her cast and tapped it with one of her crutches. “Eh, it’s all right. It itches more than anything else, though. Luckily, doc says I’ll be able to take it off in another three weeks, if I keep healing the way I have.” I gently set down Ruby Pinch and jerked my head toward the door. “Well, the family’s inside talking, so give them a few minutes before you all go in. I’m sure you and AJ will have a blast signing each other’s casts.” Berry Punch grinned before taking a seat on the bench I had been using. This was followed by warm greetings from the rest of the group, before all of us took seats and waited patiently for Big Mac to fetch us. We made small talk to pass the time, though it only took a few minutes before a certain giant red stallion came to the door and greeted his herd, at which point Ruby Pinch happily jumped off my lap, only to be swept into a gentle embrace by Big Mac himself. He exchanged kisses and hugs with his mares before beckoning them inside and turning his eyes to me with a serious look. “AJ wants ya here at sundown, Spike. Didn’t say why, other’n she wants to talk ta you.” he intoned thoughtfully. He then shrugged before waving at me. “Be seein’ ya, Spike.” I raised my brow at his words, but nodded. “Yeah, see ya.” As the door closed, I turned on my heel and walked away from the farmhouse, letting out a loud sigh. Much as I didn’t want to, I still had a bit of work to catch up on before tomorrow, so I took flight to run some errands around town to kill time. A meeting with the the local guard’s district clerk had taken up a good chunk of time, and by the time I left the town hall, the sun was well on its way to the horizon. I still had about an hour left to drain, so I slowly glided towards Lyla’s home to see what she was up to. Thankfully, it wasn’t hard to spot her place from the sky, being the only changeling home in the town, since it was in a rather sizable hill outside town. Since most changelings lived and worked in their respective hives (most spent their entire lives there), they tended to build their dwellings to reflect what they felt comfortable with, which meant Lyla’s home was largely underground, with only a very small structure on top to serve as a visual entrance. This, of course, made pegasi pretty claustrophobic when they visited, but I never actually minded much. Truthfully, I enjoyed the quiet, and the ground insulated far better than artificial insulating materials ever could. Changelings also lined their rooms, hallways, and corridors with a sort of mucous they created naturally -- which, I’ll admit, was kinda gross -- and said mucous dried into a durable, shiny material that added structural integrity to the earth it was bonded to. As an odd side-effect of the biological building materials used, changeling pheromones were more concentrated in their dwellings, which lent the places an odd, sweet scent that, for ponies at least, worked as a natural freshener for what would normally be a damp, earthy smell. Living underground, changelings were also far more adept at sensing seismic waves, which was proven by the fact that Lyla didn’t have a doorbell. Instead, like all the other times I visited, she greeted me at the door thirty or so seconds after I arrived, having felt me land. Lyla opened the door for me with a bright smile, practically yanking me inside as she exclaimed, “Spike, welcome! It’s so good to see you.” Once inside, I brought her in for a strong embrace, letting my own joy be known. “It’s good to see you too, Lyla. Sorry I’ve been busy the last few days; things have been kinda hectic.” Lyla pulled away after few moments and just smiled comfortingly to me. “It’s all right, I know you’re a busy guy. Frankly, we’re all busy this time of year, so I kinda expected it. It’s good you’re here though, because I could use some help from someone with your unique skills.” I followed her as she pulled away and began descending into her home, intrigued by what she could be talking about when referring to my “unique” skills. Generally speaking, anything intimate we participated in was limited to the evening, when the day’s work was done, so I was fairly sure it wasn’t that. Still, the possibility existed, which, I’ll admit, was exciting. “Fluttershy, guess who’s here...” Okay, so maybe that wasn’t a possibility after all. As we rounded one of the passageways that led to Lyla’s main sitting room, I saw Fluttershy sitting on the ground a short distance away from a very agitated wyrm pup, the latter of whom was half-buried in Lyla’s floor. I just raised my brow to the two girls, who just shrugged helplessly. “From what I can deduce,” Lyla began to explain, her hand rubbing her forehead, “this little guy was tunneling around, and happened to dig straight into my sitting room. He got stuck because of the kherak gloss* covering the floor, and so I called Fluttershy in to try and keep him calm until we can dig him out.” “It’s not working too well, though.” Fluttershy added helplessly, releasing a frustrated sigh. “I can’t communicate with wyrmkin, and he doesn’t seem too fond of ponies.” She held up part of her green flower-print sundress, which was clearly shredded by claws. My eyes widened as I noticed more than a few red lines through the fur of Fluttershy’s thigh, and while she blushed a bit, she still assured, “It’s fine, Spike. I’ve had worse from Opal.” Maybe it shouldn’t have really bothered me -- I had seen worse on some of the other girls, after all -- but for some reason, I didn’t like the idea of Fluttershy getting injured, even if it was only minor. Be it an innate protective instinct or simply how Fluttershy’s personality made others want to keep her safe, it made my gut twist up uncomfortably at the thought of her being in any sort of pain. However, that could wait until later -- for now, I had a problem to solve. Now, wyrms and their kin were very closely related to dragons, but only as close as monkeys and minor primates were related to the great apes of Equis. Regardless, because of this, wyrms were drawn to inhabit the same areas as dragons did, and some species had actually been domesticated as pets because of their ability to be trained and submissive nature towards dragons. Intelligence-wise, they tended to be about as smart as the average domesticated dog or cat, and were actually known to be very affectionate to their masters. What Lyla had originally said now made a little more sense. I took a deep breath and shrugged. “Can’t say I’ve ever dealt with a wyrm on my own before, but I suppose there’s a first time for everything.” Slowly making my way over to the pup and doing my best to appear non-threatening, I desperately tried not to think of all the ways this could go wrong. Nonetheless, my decision was made for me when the wyrm pup’s head whipped around to me, and its glossy, orange eyes immediately locked on my face. While I hadn’t ever personally spent time around wyrms (what I knew was taken from books shared with me by dragon scholars), judging only by the look the little creature gave me, this little wyrm pup definitely knew what I was. With painstaking care, I kneeled a short distance away from the pup, and while it had ceased thrashing its forelimbs in an attempt to dislodge itself from the floor, I had the distinct impression it was more afraid of me than anything else; much like how Fluttershy could become paralyzed with fear when something sufficiently scary startled her, the wyrm pup was, quite literally, too afraid to move. While there were still doubts in the scientific community as to whether all animals had a true sense of self and some sort of rational thought, even the most instinctual animal was well aware when it had caught the attention of a larger, more dangerous predator -- not that I did any predation in my day-to-day life, but a wyrm pup wasn’t going to know that. Regardless, I still had to be careful: the nails and teeth of a scared pony might not be much good against dragonhide, but the claws and fangs of a terrified wyrm pup were certainly capable of causing me quite a bit of pain. Without taking my eyes off of the wyrm pup, I gently shooed Fluttershy away with a wave of my hand. Taking my cue from how dragons related to one another, I spread my wings wide to assert dominance, my gaze neutral, but unwavering. The pup let out a growl -- which, I’ll admit, was just cute -- which I returned as we continued to stare each other down. It only took a few seconds before the pup took a much more submissive posture -- prostrating itself as much as it could, and crossing its large claws under its belly -- which was much better than fear or hostility. I shot a satisfied look to Fluttershy and Lyla before moving closer to the pup and slowly reaching my arms out to attempt to dislodge it from the ground. I quite clearly saw the pup’s eyes flash crimson for a fraction of a second, and I only had enough time to start to wonder why it had happened before the small wyrm reached out and sank its teeth into my extended hand. I clearly felt the intense pain of fangs sinking through my flesh before the whole world flashed white as it fell away around me. … I couldn’t see anything, but I knew I was being watched. A very intimidating and oppressive presence was somewhere, watching me, but without being able to see, I had no idea what to do or where to run. “I SEE YOU!” The voice came from all around me, and I only had a moment to cringe in fear before I felt myself “falling” again. … Something that felt like knives piercing my skin brought me to full attention, and I noticed the wyrm pup was clamped on my hand firmly. Before I could do something stupid, like jerk my hand away, the pup released me with what I could only discern as a very confused look on its face. It glanced around curiously before it seemed to notice me, as if for the first time. And then, to completely confuse me, it held its forelegs up to me, like a child would to their parent. After a few moments of me standing there completely dumbfounded, it whimpered helplessly. With a great degree of confusion and hesitation -- with my hand actively bleeding, mind -- I shook my head and reached down to attempt to pull the pup out of the ground again. “I must be nuts…” Much to my surprise, it allowed me to touch it this time, and I quickly and easily pulled the little wyrm out of Lyla’s floor. Once free, the pup wasted no time in giving me what I imagined was a thankful nuzzle, before diving headfirst back into the hole, I assume to head home. … … “What in the bucking hay just happened?!” I normally don’t curse much, if at all, but I honestly couldn’t think of anything else to say at the moment. All I knew for sure was that my hand was in immense pain, I had some sort of vision that I couldn’t explain, and my hand hurt like a motherbucker. I mentioned my hand twice because one sentence wasn’t enough to completely explain how much it hurt. At least, that was until I realized… “...forgot about the venom.” I muttered, sighing angrily as well. I turned around to the girls, only to find one of them missing. Lyla walked over and gently took my injured hand in hers as she led me over to a chair to sit down. “Fluttershy bolted out the door when you were bit, saying something about an ‘antivenin’. For now, let me clean this so you don’t get an infection.” “You’re surprisingly calm right now.” I observed aloud, glad that both of my friends were quick to act on my behalf. After my words, I slapped myself on the forehead with my free hand. “Soldier...right. Don’t know how I keep forgetting about that.” Despite the situation, Lyla let out a soft chuckle as she walked out of the room, presumably to fetch her first aid kit. “It pays to be calm in a battlefield scenario, and life as a whole tends to be the same. When you let your emotions take over, you lose focus. When you lose focus,” she stepped back in the room, holding a small red box with a white cross on it, “you could die. Granted that the venom of a wyrm pup isn’t exactly deadly, but it can cause a fair amount of soft tissue damage, and the bacteria in its mouth could be deadly. So, let’s get this cleaned up.” The first thing she took out of the kit was rubbing alcohol, so I took a deep breath and braced myself as she brought a gauze pad over, dampened it with said alcohol, and began gently dabbing my hand. Still, the wounds already hurt, and the added burning sensation didn’t help how it felt. All I could do was bite my lip to keep from crying out as she disinfected the small pictures. After what felt like hours, she pulled away briefly before wrapping my hand in fresh gauze. “There, that’ll have to do until we can get you to the hospital.” Lyla concluded, inspecting my wrapped hand critically. “At the very least, it should keep it clean until we get there.” I stared at my wrapped hand as well, huffing angrily at the situation. “It just figures that the first thing in five years to hurt me is a quarter of my size. I’d be laughing if it didn’t hurt this much.” “Venomous snakes are just one of many examples of how danger can come from something small.” Lyla commented with a grin, snapping the first aid box closed and pushing it aside. “So,” she began, turning and boring her eyes into mine, “are you going to tell me what else happened during the bite?” I raised my brow, trying to seem confused about it, since I wasn’t really sure I wanted to talk about it. “What do you mean?” Lyla let out a slow breath through her nose as she answered, “For about half a second, your eyes went completely glossy and I could tell you weren’t conscious of the world. Something else happened, and I would like to know what it is so I can help.” Mentally cursing how observant Lyla was, I sighed in defeat as I prepared to explain. “I...I’m not sure what it was. I guess you could call it a ‘vision’, though it only lasted a few seconds before I came to again. All I remember is it being dark, and then some loud voice says it sees me. I did notice the wyrm pup’s eyes flash red before it bit me, though I can’t be sure that’s connected.” Lyla frowned briefly as she thought aloud. “I can’t be sure, but going only off of what I saw and you experienced, it sounds like a form of consciousness projection. Whatever you ‘heard’ could have been what led the wyrm pup here.” Lyla let out a long, slow breath as she stood and began pushing the loose rock and soil back into the hole made by the wyrm pup. “It’s only a theory, but it might be that wyrm pup was looking specifically for you, which is worrying.” Going simply by how quickly Lyla had packed the rock and soil back in the hole and covered it with more kherak gloss, I had a feeling this wasn’t the first time a ground-dwelling animal had ended up in her home, but what she was suggesting regarding what had happened was a little more upsetting. It took me only a few seconds to come to a possible conclusion. “Do you think it might be the dragon?” I asked carefully, trying not to sound as worried as I was. Lyla froze and tensed briefly before turning to me with a frown. “It could be. Most of what changelings knew about dragons was destroyed in the Great Crusade*, but I distinctly remember reading about dragons being capable of much of the same magic unicorns use. It stands to reason that it’s quite possible you were the target all along.” I was still worried, but the fact we didn’t have a castle-sized dragon bearing down on us spoke volumes. If our theory was correct, the dragon knew where I was now, and if it had wanted to come for me, it would have already arrived by that point. What this meant was that either the dragon simply wanted to confirm where I was, or that there was another entity we didn’t know about. I hoped with everything I had that it was the former instead of the latter. Lyla perked up and looked down the hallway, putting the jar of kherak gloss away as she headed for her front door. “I think Fluttershy’s here. Wait here and I’ll be right back.” After Lyla left the room, I spent the brief time marvelling at how the glossing changelings applied to tunnels could not only add strength and stability, but also change the color of the surface itself. Even now, if I let my mind drift, it’s easy to forget her home is underground, even with the distinct lack of windows. I liked it, though: it was well-decorated and furnished, lending the home an elegant, homey feeling. Plus, the fact it was underground made modern heating unneeded, since the insulating ground could keep the entire home warm with just the single indoor fire pit located in the main chamber. I had no more time to admire the decor, as Fluttershy practically sprinted into the room, sliding to a stop next to me. She handed me a vial of what I assumed was the antivenin before kneeling and pulling out a larger hypodermic needle, which was specifically made for thick-skinned creatures like myself. She wasted no time in quickly wrapping a rubber tourniquet around my arm and disinfecting the chosen site of my inner elbow, then connecting the needle to the syringe and sticking it into the top of the vial. Another few seconds later she finished, and looked to me apologetically before bringing the needle in and pressing around on my arm as she presumably tried to find a vein. Again she disinfected the site before slowly and carefully sticking the needle into my arm. I was thankful for the fact that I only had scales on certain parts of my body now, but to pierce dragonhide, the needle still had to be large and strong so that it didn’t break. This all meant that the injection was uncomfortable to say the least, and I had to suppress the knee-jerk reaction of jumping away. It was all over within about five seconds, and Fluttershy pulled the needle out of me before placing a folded piece of gauze over the needlepoint on my arm, and bending my elbow so that it was held there. Removing the rubber band from my arm, she then glanced to me with a worried frown. “That should take care of the burning sensation, but how do you feel otherwise?” I shrugged, holding my wrapped hand up. “Like I just got bit by an adorable little monster. Hand hurts like crazy and I’m more than a little upset by it, but I guess I’ll be okay.” I then glanced to Lyla briefly before adding, “...that’s not all that happened, though.” I briefly explained what else I had experienced during the bite, and while Fluttershy was clearly concerned, she seemed more confused than anything else...which was pretty much what I was expecting, because it’s what I felt. Busying herself with doing something constructive while she thought, Fluttershy gently unwrapped my hand and took a look before wrapping it back up with a relieved expression on her face. “Well, you may need a few stitches, but it appears the wyrm pup didn’t want to hurt you, since it looks like you only have a mostly surface damage. I think some proper care from the hospital and some rest should make you feel much better, i-if you want to do that.” Fluttershy’s token shyness seemed to disappear whenever she was working -- whatever that may be -- but came right back once she realized it. Much as we had all gotten used to it over the years, it still made me want to give her a squeeze until she squeaked, because she was just so darn cute. Luckily, I had learned to control those impulses, since a cute baby dragon giving a hug was...well, cute. A dragon larger than most mares, though? That could be a little scary. Instead, I simply smiled at her, and nodded gratefully. “That sounds like a good plan, actually.” Unfortunately, before I could even glance at Lyla, she suggested, “I guess Fluttershy can go with you, then. I’ve got to stay here and make sure the floor sealant sets right so that I don’t end up with a crater in my home.” She nudged Fluttershy towards me with her elbow, grinning in what I could only discern was a mischievous way. “Go get’im, tiger.” Fluttershy’s face lit up like a ripe red tomato at the words, but nodded before taking my hand and guiding me out of the home as quickly as she could. As much as I tried to ignore it, I could easily tell something was bothering Fluttershy. While she’d never been overtly outspoken on much of anything unless she had to be, she also wasn’t known to be so quiet around her close friends. Even though soft-spoken, she usually had no problem with conversation between us, which meant something was really wrong. I just hoped I would be able to figure out what it was, because dragging information out of a walled-off Fluttershy was about as likely as teaching an earth pony how to fly without wings. “So,” I began, moseying along languidly next to her, “nice weather we’re having.” My words were only answered by a soft mumble and a meek nod, so I tried again. “I’m sure your critter friends are enjoying the clear skies as they prepare to go into hibernation, so at least there’s that.” She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, muttering a barely-audible, “Yes...it’s, um...nice.” Frowning in frustration, I just continued following Fluttershy toward the hospital silently, doing my best to keep from grinding my teeth. As kind as she was, if Fluttershy truly didn’t want to talk to me, there was very little I was going to be able to do about it. That being said, I still had just one question before I shut up and just dealt with it: “Did I do something wrong, ‘Shy?” My question seemed to shock Fluttershy out of whatever funk she was in, as she was quickly at my side, spreading her wing under mine across my back. She firmly shook her head as she answered, “No Spike, you didn’t do anything wrong.” I stared at her for a few moments, a little surprised by the complete turnaround in her behavior. “But then why have I gotten the cold shoulder since we left Lyla’s?” It was interesting to see the blush slowly grow on Fluttershy’s face from up-close, just before she pulled away from me and shuffled nervously in place, darting her eyes away. “Well, um...I was just really embarrassed. I-I was in a hurry to get to the cottage and back with the antivenin, and I wasn’t thinking about anything else. I was flying above everypony on the way there and back, and I only noticed when I got to Lyla’s door.” Again she was wringing her hands together as she fidgeted in place with that cute embarrassed expression she often got. I raised my brow as I tried to understand what had her so worked up, only to look down and gasp in realization. “Oh gosh, everyone saw up your dress, didn’t they?” Fluttershy’s blush seemed to increase even further, but she nodded meekly in response. I’ll admit, I was silently ashamed at myself for my first thought being, “I wish I could have seen that.” “...th-there’s more, though.” Fluttershy added, so embarrassed I imagine she wished the ground would just swallow her up at that moment. At my questioning look, she added, “My dress wasn’t the only thing that the pup tore when it scratched me. Th-they must have come off when I was flying.” “What do you mean by ‘they’?” I questioned, hoping what I was thinking was wrong. I was certain that if Fluttershy blushed any more, she would have fainted at that point, but she was still able to point to her lower abdomen and mutter, “...undies.” My mind froze with my body at the implications of what she just said, and now I was definitely jealous of the ponies who happened to be out and about. Still, I knew Fluttershy was likely going to die of embarrassment if I didn’t think of something to make her feel better. Instead of taking a few seconds to come up with something comforting that might help, my stupid mouth decided to take the initiative with, “Well, look at it this way: you probably made somepony’s week.” The sharp intake of air from her made me realize what I’d said, so I amended with, “I-I mean, it would have made my week at least…” I felt the blood begin to congregate in my face as I embarrassed myself, so I ended with a quiet, “...I’ll just shut up, now.” Needless to say, the rest of the walk to the hospital was completely silent, and I spent the entire time mentally kicking myself. I only had myself to blame for it, but Fluttershy was quite quick to leave as soon as I was signed in at the hospital, which made me feel further guilt on my behalf. Then again, though, I knew I only had myself to blame for speaking before I thought, so I resigned myself to dealing with it until Fluttershy could find it in herself to forgive me, or at least allow me to make it up to her. This all made the trip to the hospital seem to take a lot longer than it actually did. With a hand covered in salves and fresh bandages, I later found myself soaring through the sky toward Sweet Apple Acres, just as the sun sank beyond the horizon and the moon began its journey across the sky. I knew I’d have to apologize to Applejack for my words to her earlier in the day -- I later realized they were not appropriate, at all -- but I knew that Applejack, as a pony, was quick to forgive if the apology was honest and straightforward, so I held out hope that I wouldn’t thoroughly upset two of my friends in the same day. I was a few minutes late, but I was pleased to see the lights still on in the home, which meant I wouldn’t be waking everyone up if I knocked. With that in mind, I quickly landed and walked the last few feet to the farmhouse door before knocking firmly and waiting for someone to answer. Big Mac was the one to greet me after a minute or two, and wasted no time in inviting me in with a nod and smile. I thanked him before entering, and moved quietly to the living room. I was just about to ask where Applejack was before hearing a loud, “Ah said, Ah can do it mahself! Mah leg’s sore, not broke, so gimme some room!” It wasn’t hard to identify the voice shouting at her family, so I just waited patiently for her to get downstairs. A few knocks and thuds against wood, followed by some muffled curses, slightly preceded Applejack, and she rounded the stairwell only a few moments later. I stood to assist her, noticing the slight limp in her gait, but a glare she shot my way strongly recommended I sit back down, so I took my seat again. She hobbled her way over and leaned over to brace her left hand on the arm of a well-loved armchair before gently sitting down and exhaling loudly. “Ah swear, Ah ain’t never gonna take a healthy body f’r granted again.” she droned tiredly, reaching up and rubbing her eyes as she wiggled her slinged right arm around uncomfortably. However, because she didn’t ask a question, I didn’t say anything in response, and just waited patiently for her to speak again. Unfortunately, once again, my adverse reaction to tension in the air caused me to blurt out, “AJ, I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have teased you about my new relationships; it was insensitive, and I apologize for that.” “Ah ain’t mad atcha, Spike.” Applejack answered immediately, saving me from making myself out to be more of a fool. She let out a long, measured breath before continuing. “Ah’m sore -- ain’t no way around that -- but Ah ain’t sore at you. It’s like when ya do a number on yer wings flyin’: ya f’rget ‘bout tha ache after awhile, ‘til someone mentions it. Then it all jus’ comes back fresh.” Even though she said she wasn’t mad at me, I still felt bad for what I’d said, so I found myself saying, “Is there anything I can do to make it better?” Applejack was quiet for awhile, her eyes glancing toward the ceiling as she sat there and thought. Finally, almost so quiet that she was whispering, she answered, “...Ah could use a hug right about now…” I was momentarily caught off guard by the request. It wasn’t that Applejack was distant normally, but I wasn’t used to her being so vulnerable either. After all: Applejack was known to be as honest as ponies came, and was “the most dependable of ponies”, in her words. Though she was the middle child of Ponyville’s Apple family, she was the one that took the dominant role in the household, and nothing happened around the farm without her say-so. She was proud, and strong, and though loving to friends and family, had a strictly no-nonsense attitude when it came to life. She was one of the ponies I admired, so it was still odd to think she could be scared, or need comforting. Nonetheless, I didn’t have to think long on her request, because while Applejack might be the most dependable of ponies, I was the most dependable drake of Ponyville, and I had no problem proving it. So, I stood and gently pulled her off of the chair before wrapping my arms and wings around her, nestling her head on my shoulder as I held her close and rubbed her back in a comforting manner. With her one good arm, she held me just as close and seemed to relish the embrace as she relaxed in my arms and drew deep breaths as we stood there for several minutes. I heard her sniffle a few times, and saw a tear or two fall down her cheek from the corner of my eye, but said nothing as we just enjoyed the closeness. After an indeterminable amount of time, I heard her whisper, “Pinkie always said ya gave tha best hugs, and Ah gotta agree. Yer warm, and two arms just can’t compete with a set ‘a wings.” “I didn’t know that was a thing ponies around town said about me.” I returned, smiling despite my words. “But, I guess if I have to be known as ‘the scaly hugger’, I’ll deal.” Applejack chuckled softly before pulling away, and she wiped her eyes as she looked up at me. “Thanks for comin’ by, Spike.” I nodded gently. “You’re welcome, but why did you want me here? I mean, I figured it was because I was going to get a talking-to for saying what I did earlier today, but you said that you weren’t mad at me.” Applejack nodded before taking her seat again, and waited until I had done the same to answer me. “Well, Ah wanted ta tell you that, first of all, but other’n that…” she shrugged helplessly, “Ah wanted ya here. Can’t rightly say why, but Ah wanted ta see ya tonight, so Ah asked Mac ta tell ya.” She then pointed to me and drawled, “So, are ya gonna tell me why yer hand is wrapped up?” I raised my hand up and glanced at it, honestly forgetting about the injury until that moment. “Little mishap from visiting Lyla after I left here. A little wyrm pup had popped up through her floor, and before I could get it out, it bit me. Fluttershy gave me antivenin to counteract the venom, then I went to the hospital to get it stitched and wrapped, and that’s pretty much it. Well, except…” I paused as I rolled my jaw around in thought again, remembering what I had seen during the bite, “when it bit me, I kinda went out of it and had some kind of vision of something that apparently saw me. Lyla said it could’ve been that dragon that I’m supposed to meet, and it was controlling the pup to find me.” Applejack twitched her mouth around as she silently pondered what I told her, then answered, “Well, Ah guess if that lady dragon wanted ta hurt’cha, she’dve been here already. Still, Ah got a bad feelin’ about this, Spike.” I nodded solemnly, letting out a loud sigh. “Yeah, you and me both. I guess we’ll find out her motivations when I meet with her at the end of the week. I figure if she wanted to do anything violent, she’s had plenty of chances. Honestly, at this point, I’m actually kinda curious to see what she wants with me.” “An’ yer sure Ah can’t convince ya ta take some backup with ya?” she questioned hopefully, though I could tell she already knew my answer. I shook my head, shooting a smile her way. “I appreciate the concern AJ, but this is something I have to do alone. It’s clear she doesn’t want to hurt any of us, or she’d have bolted here once she found me, so I’m just going to go see what she wants. Hopefully, I make a new ally, and we can put this all behind us.” “Ah hope yer right.” Applejack mumbled half-heartedly. It was clear she would much rather I accepted help for this, even though I’d already explained to her why I had to handle this alone. Much like Rainbow Dash, Applejack felt lost whenever she couldn’t do something in a situation, but unlike Rainbow Dash, she didn’t have anything to distract her. Instead, all she was going to be doing was sitting around worrying, and probably praying that she wouldn’t lose someone else close to her so soon. I knew that, but there still wasn’t a whole lot I would be able to do to help her feel better about my “mission”. Still, there were a few things I could say to at least give her something to focus on, other than the possibility of me getting hurt. “Chances are that I’m going to be pretty tired by the end of that day, so if you don’t mind, I’d like to crash here that night, unless you mind.” I suggested casually, glancing over to her again. “You’re the closest to where I’ll be coming from, and some Apple hospitality is just what I could use after a rough day -- even if everything goes good, I’m still going to be stressed out.” Applejack wasn’t a stupid mare, so I had a feeling she knew there was more behind my proposal than the obvious. “Are ya sure? Won’t Twi get ‘er wings in a twist if ya don’t come ta her first?” I shook my head resolutely. “Twi’s going to be in Canterlot that day, so she won’t be here, and the rest of the girls will be sleeping by the time I get back. I have a feeling that, without something to tire you out, you’re probably still going to be up when I arrive back in town, so I figured I’d chill with you that night.” I then gave her a pleading look as I added, “Plus, if you don’t mind, I think I’m going to need some that pie of yours by the end of that day. I’m not gonna have time to stop somewhere on the way back, and I’m going to try and bring as little with me as possible, so that I can get there and back quicker.” Near the end of my explanation, Applejack snickered, and it was only after I’d finished that I noticed what I’d said. She had no problem bringing it up as she commented, “So, ya want my pie, do ya? Can’t say Ah ain’t heard that from plenty’a smooth stallions b’fore, but it’s a first fr’m you.” Her grin was decidedly lascivious and playful, so while I had to suffer near-death by embarrassment, it was clear Applejack was already in a better mood than she had been just a few minutes prior. I just closed my eyes and tried to will away the warmth in my face before making a response. I just stayed silent for a few seconds before deciding to return fire with, “...I mean, are you offering? I just wanted some apple pie, but if I’m allowed to-” I was silenced by a couch pillow thrown at my face, followed by Applejack’s laughter. When I pulled the pillow off my face, I let out a chuckle of my own, unable to keep the smile off my face at the sight of the smile on Applejack’s face. It wasn’t much, but I’d made her smile, and that would be enough for now. Eventually the laughter tapered off, and Applejack answered, “About yer question, Ah’d love ta have ya, Spike. Ya can tell me all about yer ‘grand adventure’, and Ah’ll make sure some warm apple pie is waitin’ for ya.” She gave me a teasing grin, but she was sincere nonetheless. I stood with a firm nod, stretching my back and wings out. “Thanks, AJ. Anyhow, I hate to flirt and run, but I have to get back home.” She nodded with a grin and stood as well, walking over and embracing me without hesitation. After a few silent moments, she whispered, “Thanks again f’r comin’, Spike. Ah needed it.” I nodded and pulled away, holding her at arm’s length. “Before anything else, we’re friends, and I’m going to help you get to 100% again. I don’t care if it takes the whole winter: I’ll be here every week, if I have to.” Applejack’s smile softened to something much warmer, and nodded to me. “Ah wouldn’t have a problem with that.” She then reached up and ruffled the fin on the side of my head. “Now go on, git. Twi’s prob’ly waitin’ for ya, loverdrake.” Applejack walked me to the door and nudged me on, so I quickly jogged down the front steps and spread my wings before glancing back. Applejack was still there, smiling at me, and offered me a silent wave. I returned the wave before blasting into the air, rapidly gaining altitude until Sweet Apple Acres was visible in its entirety. I hovered for a few minutes, just looking down at the farm with a faint smile on my face. I hadn’t been able to do much, but a smiles and laughter were good enough for the moment, and I would make sure I was there for Applejack through the winter. Applejack’s body wasn’t the only thing that would need time to heal, but I hoped that with some support, I could help bring the sunshine back to her life.