Dragon Slayer was pinned to a wall, with nowhere to run. This one being cornered him unexpectedly and totally caught him off guard. He locked his eyes on her as she got close and said…
“You should go shopping in town with me!” Silverstream told him, her request being difficult to decline in the current position he’s in.
“I have many assignments for classes as well as a meeting with Chewka.” Dragon reasoned. “I don’t have time to go out purchasing goods.”
“You always say that you don’t have time!” Silverstream pointed out, releasing her grip on the wall. “You said you’d go shopping with us that one time, but you never did! And I know you already know the answers to the homework.”
Silverstream was correct on all fronts. He could spend some time shopping, but he was to only spend his funds on necessities. Shopping around for the sake of pleasure seemed wrong to Dragon Slayer.
“I cannot spend any of the money my people have given me. It would betray their trust in me.”
“That’s fine!” Silverstream told him. “We’re just going through town to visit some stores! I’ll even pay for lunch!”
Dragon was surprised at how much she insisted on going out to the town. By then, he felt even more troubled if he continued to decline her offers. “I suppose I should accept since you’re quite persistent on the matter,” he relented. “So, where did you want to go?”
=
Dragon Slayer looked up at the massive dessert-like structure before him. He recalled those cupcakes and their taste so his mouth began to water when the building came into view.
“Welcome to Sugar Cube Corner!” the pink pony greeted, welcoming the two inside. Entering the building, Dragon looked around the store and saw customers eating colorful treats. He smelled the aroma of baked goods in the kitchen become stronger as he and Silverstream approached the register.
“Well, hey there!” The yellow stallion greeted. “I haven’t seen you around before! What would you like?”
Dragon’s eyes wandered aimlessly at the assortment of cupcakes in the display. There was so much to choose from. “Do you have any recommendations?” he asked.
“Ooh! I know some good ones!” Silverstream declared, quickly picking out treats that weren’t even on the display. The yellow stallion nodded and went to the kitchen to work on the order. Silverstream and Dragon seated themselves at a table and waited for their food.
“What do you think of Ponyville?” Silverstream asked out of nowhere. “It must have been pretty exciting when you came here!”
“It was quite new to me,” he told her, twiddling his thumbs. “When I received this mission, I wasn’t sure how to act when they got into the details of my stay.”
“What is your mission?”
“For one, to establish friendly relations with contacts in Ponyville. The other was learning what the School of Friendship had to teach.”
“Your tribe must be really interested in making friends.”
“I do find it interesting. I’ve read the reports on how the very concept of friendship was used against the enemies of Equestria.”
“Here’s your order!” A pink pony exclaimed as she set down the platter of treats. She took a look at the two of them and realized who they were. “Hey! It’s you two!”
Dragon was quite bewildered seeing his instructor outside of the school working a different job. “Professor, you work here as well?”
“Of course! They have the best cupcakes here, you know!”
Silverstream held up a slice of pie to Dragon, getting ready to feed him. “Here! This is blueberry pie with whipped cream!” She showed him before stuffing the pie down his mouth.
Dragon quickly chews, lest he choke on the contents. His expression changes to delight as the sensation of the sweet flavors dance on his tongue. The focused and cold stare he would have plastered on his face transformed into an innocent and pure smile of bliss, just as adorable as last time when he was fed the cupcake.
“WOW!” Pinkie jumped at the sudden shift of Dragon’s expression. “You must REALLY like that pie!”
“It’s quite delicious,” Dragon regained his composure and wiped the remains of the pie from his face. “I never had anything like this back home.”
“He said he’s never had cake before he went to Ponyville!” Silverstream told Pinkie his plight. “Only bread, bugs, and cactuses!”
Before Dragon could correct her, Pinkie Pie suddenly gasped at the revelation. “You never had cake!?” Dragon nodded to her. “What about smoothies? Or Juice? Or donuts? Or Ice cream? Or, Or, Or-!”
“I don’t know what any of those are.” Dragon Slayer said, confused at these strange words she was spewing out.
“It’s a tragedy.” Silverstream said, wiping a tear from her eye.
“It’s a crime against humanity!” Pinkie declared. She grips Dragon’s shoulders and says, “Don’t worry! In the name of all things sweet and tasty, I’ll make you everything you’ve missed out!”
Before Dragon could even retort, Silverstream stuffed another tasty treat into his mouth. “This one is key lime pie!”
As Pinkie started carrying a full tray to Dragon, it looked like he was going to be filled to the brim with food. Not that he minds as even the key lime pie had him making that expression again.
==
Dragon finally managed to leave the Sugarcube Corner once he had a chance to try everything on the menu that was available at the time. As great as it was to try and taste all the wonderful food they had to offer, the way they decided to feed Dragon wasn’t to his consent. His mouth still had crumbs around his lips, some of the food got onto his hoodie, and he had a bit of a difficulty breathing from his overfilled belly. Pressing on, the human followed the Hippogryph to a stall with distinct aromas.
“What is this place?” Dragon questioned.
“It’s a perfume stand!” Silverstream announced. “They have a lot of weird smells! Don’t worry! They smell really good!”
Silverstream brought one of the samples to Dragon and sprayed a bit for him to smell. “It’s… nice. I’m quite unfamiliar with this scent however.”
“Do you have perfume back where you live?” she asked him as she picked up another bottle.
“We do have scented candles blended with Desert roses,” he recalled. “It helped relax the mind before being sent out to missions.”
Another spray from the sample wafts to Dragon. As he continued to smell the exotic perfumes, someone placed their hand on his shoulder.
“Well, well, well.” a smooth and refined voice echoed quietly to the human and hippogryph. The two turn to the source and see another human. “Dragon Slayer, so this is where you were.”
Dragon was surprised by this man’s appearance and quickly bowed. “Prince Risen! To what do I owe the pleasure for?”
“I’m glad you remember your manners, Dragon Slayer,” he said looking quite unimpressed. “What are you doing out here?”
“We were just looking around and shopping here and there!” Silverstream answered, still smiling not knowing the pressure the Prince is having on Dragon Slayer.
“You’re not using the money we’ve given you to play around, are you?” Prince Risen inquired.
“No, it’s alright!” Silverstream assured him. “I planned on spending the money for him while we’re out here together!”
“Honestly, wasting time here when you should be onto more important matters,” Prince Risen rebuked. “Weren’t those teachings from the school supposed to be important? What are you doing out here spending someone else’s money?”
“My apologies, Prince,” Dragon said to him as he continued to stare at his boots.
“And what are you wearing?” the prince questioned as he looked at the Dragon Slayer’s garments. “The Tribe’s treasures were given to you as a symbol of trust to befriend the inhabitants here, and yet you replace your outfitted yourself with this armorless, defenseless, and constraining attire?”
“I was told that this would help others be more comfortable around me.” Dragon reasoned.
“Or is it to make yourself more comfortable?” the Prince wondered. “I see you have food on your clothes and some on your face. You must be quite comfortable, letting yourself go like this. You forget your greatest strengths.”
The prince sighs and hands Silverstream a bag. “There should be enough bits for whatever you had spent on him and extra. If it isn’t enough to pay for the expenses, have the Dragon Slayer inform me and I shall make the necessary arrangements.”
Silverstream attempted to say something throughout the Prince’s speal, but he continued to talk down to Dragon. “Don’t worry about the meeting today. This fateful encounter is enough for me to write home about.”
Dragon grit his teeth, not showing face to him. “I understand, Prince Risen.”
“Honestly, I still don’t agree with the Chief’s plan,” the prince sighed with dismay. “How is friendship going to help the tribe? You’re far more suited with your other skills. Don’t forget how you got that title, Dragon Slayer.”
The prince turned away and left. Once he was out of sight, Dragon rose from the ground as the townsfolk stared at the scene. Silverstream was confused by the whole ordeal, but before she could inquire about it, Dragon said to her...
“... Shall we continue?”
=
Silverstream took Dragon Slayer to a store with figurines, necklaces, and other knick knacks. Silverstream looked at Dragon who seemed to be lost in his thoughts.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked.
“It’s fine,” he told her. “It’s just… I’ve shamed myself in front of the prince, and he had to remind me of why I’m here.”
“Well, maybe you should think of this as an activity for friendship?” She reasoned. “I mean, friends do spend time together.”
“I suppose so...” he said even though he was obviously not satisfied with just that alone.
Silverstream looked around and picked up a figurine of a pony. “Look at this! The store sells these cute things for visitors to remember their time in this town!”
“That sounds nice,” He said, blankly staring at the figurine. He looked outside to see the sun almost setting. “We should wrap this up soon.”
“Okay, okay!” Silverstream spoke while trying to keep the mood up. “I know one place you’ll really like!”
She grabbed his hand and whisked him away to another place. A restaurant to be exact, another place to eat to end the day with. Silverstream approached the waiter and requested a table for two. Once they entered and were seated, Silverstream took out the menu.
“This place has really good food! Not just sweet desserts, though I know you really like those, but also other fun food and weird flavors you have to try!” She said, showing the menu to Dragon’s face.
“Three rolls of bread for me,” Dragon told the waiter.
Silverstream’s was shocked and saddened by his order. “What are you doing? They have cupcakes you know?”
“This should suffice. I have no need for sweets right now,” he stated.
Silverstream sat back down and sighed. “Well, I’ll have spaghetti with mushrooms.”
The waiter nodded and left to get their order. Dragon looked at the table while Silverstream stared at Dragon, trying to figure out what was going on with him.
“Dragon, are you still upset about that Prince?” she wondered. “He shouldn’t determine what you should and shouldn’t do.”
“I believe your reasoning is flawed,” Dragon retorted. “The prince, the Chief, and my tribe as a whole is whom I serve. I have always dedicated my very life to assist them in all prospects. They gave me a place to live, food to eat, and safety as well. The Prince also outranks me as well.”
“I understand that, but I’m just saying he shouldn’t tell you how to live your life.”
“My life is their sword and shield. The fact I’ve been sent here is so I can better myself to serve them more effectively.”
“Your bread, sir,” The waiter announced as he placed the basket of bread in front of him. “And for the lady, spaghetti with mushrooms.”
A plate of spaghetti in front of Silverstream and rolls of bread for Dragon. The two looked at the food before Silverstream said, “Well! Time to eat!”
Dragon nodded and ate the bread roll. Silverstream grabbed a fork and slurped up a string of pasta into her mouth. She expressed her pleasure of the meal, not that Dragon seems to have noticed.
“Well… What did you think of today?” Silverstream asked.
“I thank you for sharing your time with me. Perhaps the others will enjoy this time with you as well.” He merely responded back, staring blankly at his bread.
“We should do this again then!” Silverstream suggested with eagerness clearly showing. “Visit the Sugarcube Corner again, and the market stores, Oh! There’s a lot of places we haven’t gone to yet-”
“No, it’s quite alright.” Dragon told her. “I should really stick to my roots. The Prince was right, I’ve been too complacent and should return to my tribe's way of doing things.”
Silverstream laughed at that idea. “You don’t mean going back to only eating bread and wearing the coat forever, do you?”
“I don’t see a problem with that,” Dragon mused at the thought of the coat. “Perhaps I should wear something more common from my people though. I don’t wish to expose danger or disfigurement to a relic of my tribe.”
A loud slam on the table suddenly shakes the food on top. Dragon looked at Silverstream, no longer showing a giggly smile nor discontent frown. She was frowning in disappointment and anguish. “Stop, Dragon… Just… stop doing that.”
Dragon was unsure what he did, but felt as if he had insulted his friend once more. The words he was trying to think of was not coming together as his bewilderment to the Hippogryphs shift in behavior had left him confused. “I don’t understand...” was all he could muster.
“You sit there and tell me you’re going to go back to doing everything your people do back home, and that it’s the best thing for you to do!” Silverstream says, listing all of the things he was planning. “And you try to lie right in front of me!”
“It’s not a lie!” Dragon shouted, raising his voice. “I believe this is the best course of action!”
“For who!?” She questioned, still frowning but not out of anger. The sound of a raspy voice shows her sadness over the matter. “For your tribe? Your prince? Or for you?”
“For everyone, all of those people, myself included.”
“Then how come you aren’t happy?” She questioned.
Dragon paused. He didn’t understand her still. Does this have something to do with friendship? How was he supposed to diffuse the argument? What did she mean when she said he wasn’t happy?
“Explain,” He requested.
“You sit there and eat bread but never smile. You never look happy when you’re walking alone in the school unless someone talks to you! And you talk about how much you’ve helped your tribe and how much you had to endure! And if that’s what you wanted to do, then that’s fine!”
“Then why’re you complaining about it?”
“Because it’s not true! You’re not happy about it!” She said, exposing the core of the matter. “When you eat cupcakes, you look so happy! When you spend time with one of us, you look relaxed! Even when you smelled the perfume, you were interested in the new smell!”
She continues running on the intensity of her emotions. “But when that prince guy told you that you should be acting how you’re supposed to, you weren’t happy! Even when you start doing them, you’re still not satisfied! You’re sitting there eating bread, but didn’t even ask about my food when you ask so many questions to everyone! You were discovering new things before!”
Dragon listened to Silverstream as she began to slowly calm down. She however remained passionate about her words.
“Dragon, you sound like you’re isolating yourself from the world! All of the wonderful things to see and try, and you’re turning away not because you want to, but because someone else told you to! And it hurts! It hurts to see a friend go through that!”
Finally, she takes a few deep breaths as Dragon remains quiet.
“My people were the same. We had to hide in fear from the Storm King for so long. A lot of us wanted to see what was outside of our own home. That wasn’t too long ago either, when we were finally able to show ourselves to the world again.”
Listening to the entire story, Dragon finally understood. In a way, he insulted his friend with his behavior. While he did see his own life decisions as his own, the heartache he caused onto her was due to the burden he placed on himself. He looked down and wondered what he should do. What is the right thing to do from here on? Nothing comes to mind, but he felt the urge to say something regardless. “... I guess I shouldn’t have been too hasty. I’ve failed to appreciate everything you all have done for me. Though these days aren’t as long as my service to the Tribe, I have learned much and have gained experiences I don’t believe I would have had if I continued living back in my homeland. I don’t know whether or not my time here will help the Tribe, but I feel as if… They have helped me understand myself a bit more and those around me.”
Silverstream wiped her eyes and gave a small smile. Dragon smiled back as they looked down at the table after such a heated debate. He looked at Silverstream and then said…
“Do you… Think I can also order what you have?”