//------------------------------// // Dinner with a Luck Dragon // Story: I'll Love You Always, My Little Flutters // by DaiAtlas2016 //------------------------------// The next day, thanks to Magnum, I was introduced to the earth pony family who would be helping me fix up the cottage: The Apples. "Well I'll be darned! A dragon! Here in Ponyville! It sure is nice to meet ya! I'm Mr. Apple!", smiled the buff earth pony stallion with a bushy mustache that rivaled Magnum's. "You too! I really appreciate this, but you didn't have to bring your whole family. I'm Corkscrew, by the way.", I replied, shaking his hoof. "Aw shoot! We get things done faster when we work together! Ain't that right son?", Mr. Apple beamed, putting a hoof around his short son, who had red fur and an orange mane. "Eyup, Pa!", the colt smiled. "And besides, Betty told us about your daughter. May we see her?", Mrs. Apple asked, holding an orange filly with a blonde mane, who was googooing and gagaing at me as I spoke. I looked down into my pouch and smiled as Fluttershy looked up at me and cooed. Fluttershy was only 1, but I could already tell she was very intelligent. Whenever I told her to "Hop in", she knew exactly what I meant and jumped in my pouch. Intelligent as she was, I still haven't been able to get her to say "Dada" or "Daddy". "Come on, Flutters, everyone wants to meet you.", I whispered. Slowly, Fluttershy stuck her head out of my pouch and looked around at everyone. "Awww...she's such a cutie.", the old pony known as "Granny Smith" smiled. "Her mother must have been beautiful...", Mrs. Apple grinned. I laughed slightly, "Hehe, funny story about that...she's not actually my birth daughter. I found her in a river and adopted her." "Well that was darn sweet of ya, Corkscrew! Now let's get busy!", Mr. Apple smiled. Betty showed up with Rarity, "Corkscrew! I'm here to watch Fluttershy! Oh, Abigail! Have you seen the little darling? Isn't she adorable?" Mrs. Apple grinned, as I took Fluttershy out of my pouch and handed her to Betty, "She most certainly is!" After a couple hours, the cottage was good as new! "I really appreciate you all helping me and Fluttershy get comfortable in Ponyville, so to thank you, how about you all stay for dinner!", I smiled, thankful I wasn't stuck without help. "Oooh...sorry Corkscrew! Me and Magnum are going out on a date tonight. But if you really want to do us a favor, could you watch Rarity while we're out?", Betty sighed with an apologetic look. "Of course! Rarity will have a blast with us, won't she, Fluttershy?", I smiled, taking Rarity and putting her in my pouch. She jumped around inside a bit before settling down a bit, sticking her head out and cooing like the dickens. As I picked up Fluttershy with my wings, she hugged my nose and smiled, "Pa...pa! Papa!" I cried. "Did you hear that? She said Papa! She called me Papa!", I cried, a tear falling from my eyes as I held her close. Abigail put her hoof on my shoulder and smiled, "Oh, Corkscrew, that's great! We're still trying to get Applejack to say her first word. Besides 'Yum yum'". "So what'd did you plan on making? I'll go back to the orchard and get some cider to drink!",Mr. Apple, who Abigail called Adam, inquired. "Spaghetti? Is that alright with you guys?", I asked. "Eyup, Mr. Corkscrew! It's my favorite! By the way, I'm Big Macintosh! But everyone calls me Big Mac!", the colt cheered. "It's nice to meet you, Big Mac.", I smiled, "It's a good thing you're bringing cider though, it is flammable, right?" "I think so...why?", Abigail asked, "Will it hurt you?" "Oh no! It's just what I need to keep my flame burning! It's no big deal if it goes out, but I really wouldn't be a dragon if I couldn't breathe fire, would I?", I replied, reassuring her. "No, I guess you wouldn't. Say...do you think you could do us the honor of lightning our fireworks for the family reunion we're having next week?", Adam asked. "I don't know...aren't family reunions supposed to be...family only?", I said. "Well, we'd be happy to have you and Fluttershy there! And besides, Nick would love to meet you! He needs some cheering up right now...", Abigail smiled, before sighing when she mentioned Nick. "Who's Nick? That doesn't sound like a very apple-like name.", I asked, curious. "He's our oldest, In-The-Nick-Of-Time Braveheart, after our special Braveheart Apples, of course. He's usually playing the piano in a band he and his friends started. But, since this morning he's had himself locked in his room. I think it's cause we told him...", Abigail sighed with worry. "Told him what?", I asked, more intrigued by what she had said. "Well, like you, we found Nick on our doorstep, and adopted him. Except...he wasn't a pony...he was a dragon. A Luck Dragon.", Adam finished. "A Luck Dragon? Holy Slag! Oops! Pardon my language! A Luck Dragon? In these parts? I thought they usually lived up north, or some of them were actually Princess Celestia's Golden Guardians, or something or other...", I exclaimed, I had never seen a Luck Dragon anywhere near Equestria, they were legendary! "I'll assume you'll want to meet him then?", Abigail smiled, ignoring my swearing, I don't do it often. She just took me by surprise. "Of course! I'll be there next week!", I answered, slightly excited at the fact that I was going to meet a Luck Dragon. "Ok then, I'll go get the cider! I'll see if I can get Nick to come over!", Adam grinned. So while Abigail, Granny Smith, and Big Mac played with Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack, I cooked the spaghetti. "Where is he?", asked a voice that, when I turned around, belonged to a furry, poofy, white dragon who had fur instead of scales, an impressive wingspan, and baby blue eyes. "Wow! Are you a real dragon?", asked the furry dragon. "In the flesh, straight from the Dragonlands! I'm Corkscrew! And you must be Nick!", I smiled. "I sure am! I've never seen a real dragon before! Can you breathe fire?", Nick answered, extremely excited. "I sure can! I assume you Luck Dragons can too?", I grinned. "I sure can, but Ma tells me to be careful when I do.", Nick replied, as I drained the spaghetti and took it to the table. "That's probably a good idea. A regular fire hurts, but Dragon Fire, Oh Boy! That'll eat up your skin and leave a nasty scar!", I explained, showing him my tail before smiling, "Ember accidentally burnt it once." "Who's Ember?", Nick asked. "A little dragon cub I used to babysit.", I smiled. During a nice dinner, I was telling Nick about my life in the Dragonlands. I didn't do very much stowing away gold or gems, or scaring ponies for fun. After that, we said our goodbyes, the Apple family left. Magnum and Betty then came and picked up Rarity, who was fast asleep in my pouch along with Fluttershy. I then gently put her in her crib, kissed her forehead and went to bed. Life was good.