He was running…
DANGER!
Where?
Not here, there, ahead.
Running faster.
Trees, bushes, a river, a large snake, no, the danger was further ahead.
Must keep running.
Faster.
FASTER!
Vulkan awoke with a start, looking around wildly as his chest pounded with the beat of his heart. Already he could feel the nightmare fading, but the lingering fear of danger remained. He shook his head; it was just another nightmare from his childhood, nothing more.
He stood from his bed and looked out the window at the sun rising over the horizon, noting the time as just past nine in the morning. He returned to his night stand and dressed in his usual attire, grabbed a small sack of bits and placed them in the bag he slung over his shoulder. He took a moment to hide his remaining bits and briefcase containing his work behind the dresser before leaving the room.
Just a short walk later and he was back in the room with the thrones and the large table. He placed his bag next to one of the thrones with a weird lightning bolt on it and headed back toward the library, if only because it was the only other place he had been to so far. As he approached he heard the sounds of things being shoved around and a low murmuring.
He entered the library to find it in a much more presentable condition; over half of the books he saw strewn about last night had been placed neatly on the shelves. He followed the sound of unmistakable grumbling and soon found Spike putting away several more books, staking them in his arms and precariously climbing a latter to the taller shelves.
“Sup little guy?” Vulkan asked, announcing his presence.
Spike stiffened and froze for a moment before shooting him a glare. “You’re lucky I’m used to distractions, I would have fallen off the latter!” He said loudly.
“You and I both know you would have been fine. Dragon scales are dragon scales, no matter the age.” He reasoned.
“It’s not me I’m worried about; Twilight would flay me alive if I damage her books.” Spike said, shuddering at the thought.
“Yea I know the feeling. Not being flayed but rather bearing the brunt of a mare’s rage.” Vulkan said as he picked up a few books and glanced at their covers. “Got anything besides history or magic in here?”
“Not in that pile, this section is the History of Magic. Pretty boring stuff I think.” Spike said as he finished sorting his handful of books.
“You and me both, so what do you do around here for fun then?” Vulkan asked as he passed a few more books up to Spike.
“Thanks. Well I have my own comic collection and a bunch more in the graphic novel section, there’s a fantasy book section and more history books all over everywhere else. Personally I think Twilight stocks a bit too many history books in here, and not enough comics.” Spike said as he began sorting again.
“Hm, got anything for the herbs in this region?” Vulkan asked as he prepared to pass up another set of books.
“Nah, those are checked out for a bit. Zecora stopped by and wanted them all for something.” Spike said as he grabbed the next set.
“Zecora? Sounds familiar...” He said, trailing off in thought.
“She’s a bit reclusive and lives a bit into the Everfree Forest; I think Ponyville is the only place she visits.” He said as he finished sorting the last of the books.
“So what else do you do? Surely you don’t read all day.” Vulkan asked as Spike hopped off the latter.
“Nah, even I get bored reading comics eventually. Twilight’s the one that can read for a week straight and swear it’s only been an hour.” He snickered.
“Hey! I’m not that bad!” Twilight said from the entrance to the library. Spike merely raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. “… Okay fine, it happened twice but that was it!”
“More like it will keep happening until we drag you out of the library kicking and screaming. Snakes usually work for that!” Spike giggled and held up a rubber snake.
“Spike! Put that away, it’s freaky!” Twilight said, hackles rising in fear.
Spike hid the snake back behind a shelf as Vulkan looked over Twilight. “That’s quite the phobia.”
“I was bitten as a foal, hospitalized for about a week because of it and I don’t plan on a repeat.” She said as she shook her fur straight.
“I do sell cures for poison; snake venom is easy to cure.” He said.
“I’ll think about it, but I was hoping to start our tour early and hit up Sugar Cube Corner, I haven’t eaten yet and I’m getting kind of hungry.” She said as she teleported a pair of saddlebags on herself. “And I need more quills.”
“I’m told there is a store called Quills and Sofas.” Vulkan said as they made their way back.
“There is, and they literally only sell two things.” Spike informed him. “And they are always out of quills for some reason.” He looked pointedly at Twilight
“Really? He always has quills when I go.” Twilight said, ignoring the accusation.
“That’s because you go buy quills when he gets the shipment in and you buy the entire shipment the moment he unlocks the door.” Spike scolded her as they entered the main room. Vulkan took a slight detour and grabbed his bag before catching back up.
“What? Don’t be silly Spike. Anyway...” Twilight said, starting to go into a long winded exposition.
Spike cupped a claw around his muzzle and looked up to Vulkan, who leaned down closer, “She says that, but watch her, she basically opens the door the moment it unlocks and goes in almost smashing the sales pony every time.”
“Doesn’t he get mad?” He asked quietly.
“Not really, he expects it at this point, and she is his best customer.” Vulkan nodded in understanding and stood back up to hear Twilight finish her speech.
“… and that was how this wonderful town was founded!” She finished with a smile.
Vulkan smiled nervously, “Wow, that’s uh, great!”
“… You weren’t listening at all, were you?” Twilight sighed angrily. “Am I the only one around here that cares about historical events!?”
“Eh, probably.” Spike said casually and walked past her outside into the morning sun.
Twilight stood there and ground her teeth for a moment before sighing again and following out, Vulkan not far behind with a wide grin.
“Anyway… I thought today we would start and Sugar Cube Corner and basically circle the town.” Twilight said as she led the way into town.
“Sounds good, I have a few places in mind I would like to stop by anyway.” Vulkan said.
Twilight led them through the streets toward their destination while Vulkan took the time to look around the town in the growing light. Compared to the cities the town appeared to be rustic, but with a definite charm to it. Already several ponies were milling about waving greetings to Twilight and several even to Vulkan, to his surprise. He recognized them as customers from the day before, but he didn’t think he left that big of an impression on them.
“Huh.” He muttered.
“Hm? Something wrong?” Twilight asked.
“No, no, I’m just… is everypony this friendly?” He asked, “Usually my customers tend to forget me until they need more potions.”
“Well it’s not every day we’re visited by well-mannered dragons, so that alone is quite the impression. But yea the town for the most part is very friendly.” She said, stopping in front of a large building. “Well here we are, Sugar Cube Corner!”
Vulkan looked at the odd building in confusion, “Why would they make it looks like this?”
“Because why not silly!” Pinkie said, now suddenly in front of him. His fins stood on end for a moment before he calmed down. “Are you here to try some of my tasty treats? We got aaaallllllll sorts of sugary goodness inside! Come on, a fresh batch of cookies are coming out of the oven.” And like that she was gone, presumably back inside.
“Well, I see she’s as energetic as ever.” He commented.
“Yea, the day she’s not bouncing off the walls is when you need to be careful, she’s like a completely new mare.” Spike said. “Rainbow told me some stories about her surprise party, gave me nightmares.”
“Oh come on spike, I’m sure Rainbow was making that stuff up.” Twilight said.
“I’m sorry, but a rainbow told you this?” Vulkan asked in confusion.
“Rainbow Dash, she usually sleeps in until noon so we won’t see her till around then. Anyway come on, let’s eat!” Twilight said as she ushered them through the doors.
Vulkan looked around the mostly pink interior, noting the child-like charm the dining area exuded. The scent of freshly baked goods drew his attention to the counter, where behind a glass counter various treats were on display. He took a moment to look over each of them, from cakes to cupcakes, muffins to cookies, and everything in between.
“Wow, quite the spread.” He noted.
“I know right?” Pinkie said from right next to him, face pressed against the glass like a filly. Luckily he was expecting her antics this time and managed to remain calm. “It’s always been my dream to make ponies happy, and what better way to do that than with cake?! Well, cake and something else, but that’s SPOILERS!” Then she whispered softly to him, “It’s a secret…!”
“So what can I get for you?” She was now behind the counter, donning a chef’s hat and suddenly covered in flower. If he didn’t know any better he assumed she rolled in it to make it look like she was literally just working.
“Spike and I will have our usual.” Twilight said.
“Hey yea! You should totally try a sapphire cupcake; they are the most delicious thing this side of Equestria!” Spike said from beside him.
“Sounds good, but I think I’ll settle for a few regular cupcakes, some cookies, and let’s see…. that cherry one.” He said pointing to each item.
“Three of each sound good for the big teenage dragon?” Pinkie asked. Vulkan laughed and nodded, “Coming right up! Go ahead and find a spot, I’ll be right out!” Pinkie ran back into the kitchen where the sounds of heavy machinery and explosions could be heard, amongst lots of yelling to some Commander Gummy for more flour.
Vulkan looked between the kitchen door and Twilight, who seemed to not notice the commotion or this was simply the norm. Assuming the latter he shrugged and followed her to a booth not far from the entrance.
“That mare has a really interesting way of doing things.” He noted as he slid into his side of the booth, across from Twilight and Spike.
“You get used to her antics.” Twilight asked, “But why turn down a gem cupcake?”
Vulkan glanced to Spike for a moment, “…Gems give me really bad indigestion.”
“Man, you’re missing out!” Spike said as he bounced in his seat with anticipation.
“WHAT?! THERE'S A NEW DRAGON IN TOWN AND HE CANT EAT MY SPECIAL GEM CUPCAKE I WAS MAKING JUST FOR HIM?! THIS IS AWFUL!!!” Pinkie appeared right next to him in the booth and hugged him tightly while bawling into his sweater. He also took note that their table was now bearing the sweets they had ordered. “This is the WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!”
Pinkie then proceeded to faint in an overly dramatic fashion, where she lay on the floor for a few moments before standing back up in a flash. “That was my impression of Rarity! How did I do?”
“I have no idea but it was amazing!” Vulkan said with enthusiasm and applause.
“Awww thank you! Wanna hear my impression of a dragon?” She asked.
“Sure, go for it.” He said.
Pinkie proceeded to take a deep breath, and then inhaled a bit more, then more still. She seemed to inflate like a balloon up to the point it would look like she would pop, then said, “Wanna buy some potions?” in a deep but otherwise normal voice.
Vulkan was caught completely off guard, as were Twilight and Spike, but right when they were about to laugh Pinkie let loose a monstrous roar that shook the entire store. After nearly thirty seconds Pinkie had deflated and was smiling at them expectantly. “Well? How did I do?” she asked innocently.
Vulkan was close to panicking, how had she done that? Was that even her? This mare is beyond anything he had ever encountered. Looking across from him he could see Twilight pressed against the wall and fear plastered on her face, while surprisingly Spike seemed immune to it.
“Eh, needs some work, sounded a bit like a bear.” He said.
“Shoot! I was sure I had it that time! Don’t worry guys, I’ll get the roar down pat!” and with that she bounced off and vanished from sight.
“Spike… what…” Vulkan tried to speak but words seemed to fail him.
“I’ve been giving her roaring pointers for about four years now; at this point I’m just seeing how far she can go.” Spike said as he continued munching on his special cupcake.
“Spike. You will tell Pinkie she has mastered the roar before this gets out of control.” Twilight said sternly.
“Alright, alright, fine. I’ll tell her she’s perfect next time.” Spike said as he finished off the last of his food and started eyeing Vulkan’s share.
He saw Spike eying his food and quickly popped a few into his mouth. The sudden explosion of flavor made his eyes roll back and he nearly lost consciousness as he was whisked away by the most amazing thing he’s ever eaten.
A giggle returned him to the land of the living to see Twilight laughing at his euphoria. “Pretty good?” She asked. “What happened to the ‘calm and collected’ act?”
He narrowed his eyes at her but was preoccupied with eating more of the sugary sweets to come up with a suitable reply. He soon started on the Cherry-Changas and his heart nearly stopped, no food should taste this amazing. He had to figure out how these were made. A flavor enhancement potion mixed in? No… this was all natural cooking professionalism.
“It’s alright, everypony has the same reaction.” She said.
“Not Twilight though, she accidently drank hot sauce instead!” Spike said and burst out laughing.
Vulkan raised an eyebrow at her as he kept savoring his food.
“It was an accident! Pinkie was distracting me and I thought it was a juice of dome sort!” Twilight blushed in her defense.
“Really? You didn’t mean to drink the hot sauce?” Pinkie said from her spot next to Vulkan “But it’s soo good and you gave me the idea to drink it like juice! How about you Vulkie, care for some Pinkie Patented Fire Sauce?” She slid a cup of bubbling red sauce toward Vulkan.
He eyed the cup warily, usually a bit of spice is a nice addition to food but he’s never straight up drank it. He glanced to the others; Spike seemed all for him drinking it while Twilight was face hoofing. He glanced back to Pinkie and she was staring at him with the intensity of a predator. He chose the lesser of two evils and drank the concoction, much to Pinkie and Spike’s delight.
He quickly felt his mouth heat up and tasted the zing of the spice, but felt no pain from it. It was rather nice. “Not bad actually. Though I think it would go better as a topping than an entree.” He said. He felt the molten liquid settle in his stomach, where it still broiled and churned, mixing with the sweets to form a deadly concoction.
“Hmm… yea I guess you’re right. But how about the after taste?” She asked.
“What after-” He was interrupted by a loud belch as the gas produced by the sauce expelled itself from his stomach.
The others, Spike included, hit the deck expecting a massive flame to erupt from his maw and start setting everything on fire, yet there was no heat. They cautiously looked back to see Vulkan giving them a puzzled look, “What?” he asked.
“I thought dragons belched fire!” Pinkie exclaimed.
“Yea! The other teenage dragons could!” Spike echoed.
“Pinkie, Spike!” Twilight tried to chastise, but Vulkan held up a claw.
“I’m able to control my fire, and I didn’t want to burn anypony or set the place on fire. That is all. Of course I can breathe fire and belch fire if I want to; I just don’t feel like it most of the time.” He said dismissively.
“OOHhh!!” Pinkie exclaimed, “Neato!”
“You can!?” Spike asked. “Can you show me?”
“Oh! Oh! Show me! Show me! Me meme mememe!!” Pinkie said, bouncing in her seat.
“Alright calm down, I’ll show you.” He said.
The others settled down and Vulkan made a show of covering his mouth with his claws, making it appear the fire originated from inside him. He pulled his claws back to show they were on fire. “Here, feel it.” He offered to the others. Pinkie was the first to act and shoved her hoof in the flames and started screaming, scaring Spike and Twilight.
“AHHH IT BURNS!! I can feel my flesh turning to charcoal!” She exclaimed, and then pulled her hoof free. “Just kidding!” She said as she toppled over in a fit of giggles.
“Ha ha, very funny Pinkie. Twilight deadpanned.
“I know! Wasn’t it the best?” She called up from the floor completely missing the sarcasm.
“I thought it was funny.” Vulkan said as he let the fire die out.
“You would say that you old charmer you~!” Pinkie said, suddenly flirting with him.
“Why wouldn’t I? I never got my kiss from a pretty mare yesterday.” He responded in kind.
“Well then, we’ll just have to fix that, wont we?” She said and leaned in closer to him.
“Looks like it, what did you have in mind?” He asked, leaning down so their noses almost touched.
Pinky blushed and looked away a moment, then looked deeply into his eyes. “How about right here, right now…” she trailed off for a moment, letting the tension build, “We have a cupcake eating contest!” she declared, jumping onto the table.
“Yes! I’ve been craving cupcakes since I ate the last one!” Vulkan agreed.
Spike and Twilight looked between them in confusion. “You know, you two together are scary.” Spike commented.
“No Pinkie, we don’t have time for a cupcake binge. Besides, don’t you have a huge work order to fill?” Twilight asked.
Pinkie gasped, “Oh my gosh! That’s right! I almost completely forgot about that! ThanksTwilightIgottagobye!” She rattled off and ran back into the kitchen.
“Well that’s one distraction out of the way. Shall we get going with the tour?” She asked.
“Sure, lead the way.” And with that said, their small group stood from the table and departed the bakery, an explosion of flour from the kitchen in their wake.