//------------------------------// // Chapter 73- Scaleless in Ponyville // Story: Of Flame and Shadow // by Garuda IV //------------------------------// The next day, Dark, Twilight, and the Scaleless Dragons finally arrived in Ponyville. With the time still early in the day, most of the ponies were either still asleep, or just starting to open their stalls or shops for the day, leaving the streets mostly empty. As they made their way from the train station and down the street into town, they drew the attention of what ponies were about on the streets. While they've gotten used to seeing Pyre some time ago, the sight of the other three and the egg was enough to put them on edge. But, since they were with Twilight, Dark, and Pyre, it wasn't quite enough to make them flee or cower in fear. In fact, the sight of Aero's and Aques' slender and elegant forms actually made them look in confused appreciation. Of course, the slight tremors from Fissure's heavy steps snapped them out of those thoughts and returned them to their work. Continuing down the road, they were about to pass by Sugarcube Corner when the door burst open with a pink blur darting out and stopping directly in front of them. And while Aero, Aques, and Fissure jumped at the sudden appearance of Pinkie, Twilight, Dark, and Pyre just shrugged it off. "Hey, guys!" Pinkie beamed. "How's everypony and dragon doing today and... wait, why are you all here? Are you here to visit Ponyville before you all head on back home, or are you-" "Easy there, Pinkie," Twilight interrupted, smiling at her friend's energetic antics. "One question at a time." "Oh, okay. So, what're they doing here? Not that I'm not happy to see them, of course. I just didn't expect to see them again so soon." "They're going to be staying here in Ponyville." "For how long?" "That would be hard to answer," Aques answered. "It depends on how long Twilight will allow for us to stay here. Otherwise, we'll be living here." Pinkie gasped with her eyes bulging out. "So you're all going to live here?!" "Pretty much," Aero happily said. With a happy squee, Pinkie reached around and pulled Aero, Aques, and somehow Fissure as well, into a massive hug. "This is so great! Not only do I get to throw a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party for three dragons and a Aurora's egg, which I have never done before, but I also get to have three new friends!" "Umm... Pinkie...?" Aero wheezed. "Yeah?" "Crushing... us..." "Oops." Pinkie sat them back down and let them go. "Sorry about that." With a few groans, Aero and Aques hunched over while Fissure's back cracked. "How're you so strong?" Fissure questioned. "Because I grew up on a rock farm. But if you think that I'm tough, then you should see my sister Maud. You'd like her. Oh, by the way, where will you all be staying?" "I've offered them each a room in the castle," Twilight answered her. "Celestia knows there's plenty of extra bedrooms in that thing." "And while I am thankful," Aques began, "I don't know how long I'll be staying there. I would much prefer to sleep in a body of water." "What about on a waterbed?" Pinkie suggested, earning her a confused look. "A what?" "Wait, you don't know what a waterbed is?" "... no?" "In that case, we'll just have to fix that." Pinkie then remembered what she was doing before she'd spotted them. "But not right now. I need to go back and get back to work. And don't worry, I'll have your 'Welcome to Ponyville' party all ready for you four tonight. Hey, is it alright if I hold it in the castle, Twilight?" "I don't see why not," she shrugged. "We'll probably need the extra room anyway." "Exactly. Well, have a nice day, and I'll see you all later today to give you the tour." With a smile and a wave, Pinkie bounced back into Sugarcube Corner with the door closing behind her on its own. "She's a strange one," Fissure commented. "Yes, but you get used to it." "I don't know, Twilight," Dark spoke. "There're still a few things that she does that makes me a little uneasy." "... okay, you get used to most of it." Continuing their walk through town, they eventually came to the castle. Pushing the doors open for them, Dark stood off to the side to let them in and smiled when he saw Twilight inhale deeply. "Ahhh, home sweet home," she sighed in content. "Yeah, I was starting to miss it too," Dark agreed. "I like it," Fissure commented. "Of course you do," Pyre snorted. "It's all crystal. Really, I don't get why it's like this. It looks like it belongs more in the Crystal Empire than it does here." "Still, I like it." Rolling his eyes, Pyre walked on ahead and waved them to follow. "Come on. I'll show you guys to your rooms to get settled in before Twilight and Dark take over giving you the tour." "You go on ahead," Aero said. "I've already been here, so I'll just stay here with our little brother and future sister-in-law." "Fine. Be back in a- whoa!" Taking to the air, Pyre avoided Soul as he darted beneath him in a panic. "Sorry, Pyre!" he said. "Soul? Why are you still here? Doesn't school start in a little bit?" Twilight scolded. "I'm sorry, Twilight, but my alarm didn't go off this morning." "In that case, hop on and I'll get you there," Dark said, crouching down to let Soul hop on. "Actually, Dark," Aero spoke, "could I take him?" "Really?" "Yeah. If we're going to be living here, then I'd like to get to see some of the town, and where Soul goes to school and stuff." Dark shared a glance with Twilight. "Are you sure? I remember you saying something about you being nervous around a lot of ponies." "That's why I want to go out before everypony wakes up, and I'm also hoping that seeing a bunch of the younger ponies will help me get more comfortable being around more of them." "I guess I'm alright with it. What about you, Twilight?" "I suppose you could," she said. "Thank you, Twilight," Aero thanked. "You're welcome. Oh, Soul?" "Yes?" he replied, jumping on Aero's back. "Did you at least get something to eat?" "I had some toast and jelly." "In that case, I'll make sure to bring you a lunch at school." "Thank you, Twilight." "You're welcome. Now you better get going." With a wave goodbye, Soul held onto Aero as she flew up into they sky. Soaring high above, Soul clung on tighter as he was unused to the almost serpentine motions as she flew across the sky. "How you doing back there?" Aero asked, noticing his grip tighten. "O-Okay," Soul answered over the wind rushing past them. "Just not used to this is all." "You mean flying? But I thought that you could fly?" "I can, but not like how you can." "Ahhh. Well, don't worry about it, you'll be alright." "Okay." "By the way, where're we going?" "It's the red schoolhouse on the other side of town." "Okay." "... um, excuse me, Aero?" "Yes?" "... you're Dark's sister, right?" "Yes, I am. Why?" "Well, since Dark adopted me, and you're his sister, then would that make you my aunt?" Taken by surprise by his question, Aero fumbled in her flight, but quickly managed to right herself before losing her altitude. Slowing to a stop, she floated in place and craned her head around to look at Soul with a look of surprise and realization. "I... well, I guess that I am," she slowly replied. "In that case, would it be alright if I called you Aunty Aero?" Soul innocently asked. Her smile beaming, Aero reached back and nuzzled Soul. "Of course it would," she laughed. "I would hug you right now, but you're kinda sitting between my shoulders." "It's alright, Aunty." Feeling herself warming up from being called that, Aero gave Soul another smile before she resumed her flight. Within seconds, she felt Soul as he started to snuggle down against her coat and nuzzle into it. Smiling at it, she started scanning the town below them before she finally found the schoolhouse. Changing direction, Aero began to fly towards it, but stopped and floated in place when a rainbow-colored streak zoomed past her and landed on a nearby cloud. "Aero? What're you doing here?" "Rainbow Dash?!" Aero said in surprise, but not because of her sudden appearance. "Your eyes!" Rainbow sat up proudly with her fully restored eyes glistening in the sunlight. "Yeah, pretty sweet huh? Good as new." "But how? Before you left, your eyes were damaged beyond repair." "For a unicorn, maybe," Rainbow smirked, "but not for a draconequus." "You mean Discord? He's the one who restored your eyes?" "You bet he did. This is just like how he did when Dark lost his eyes." Rainbow laughed at herself. "Can't believe I forgot about that back at the Crystal Empire." "Well, it's good to see you with your eyes again." "Thanks. Hey, not that I'm not happy to see you again, but what are you doing here in Ponyville... and with Soul on your back?" "The others and I are going to be living here to keep an eye on Dark and Aurora's egg." "Sweet!" "As for Soul, he was running a little late this morning, so I'm flying him to school today." Rainbow's joyful expression turned to realization. "Oops. In that case, I'll let you get back to it. Sorry for stopping you." "It's alright. I'll see you later?" "You bet." Waving her off, Aero resumed her flight towards the Ponyville schoolhouse at a faster speed. After a good half-minute of flying, Aero landed near the door to the schoolhouse and remained still while Soul fluttered his wings and lowered himself to the ground. "Thank you for bringing me to school, Aunty," Soul thanked before squeaking in surprise by Aero pulling him into a hug. "You're very welcome," Aero happily replied. A few seconds later after remaining like that, the door opened to Cheerilee. "Soul, there you are," she said with a breath of relief. "You're usually here sooner, so I thought that something might've happened... to... you..." Cheerilee's words drifted off as she saw Soul being hugged by a white, elegant dragoness. "Um, Soul?" "Yes?" "W-Who's your friend here?" Being let go, Soul hopped down and ran up to Cheerilee. "Miss Cheerilee, this is Aunty Aero." Aero gave a shy smile and waved. "Hello." "Oh, she's... wait, your what? But how?" "She's Dark's sister, and since he and Twilight adopted me, Aero's my aunt, along with the others." "Wait, others? Just what's going on here?" "Maybe I should explain," Aero stood in. "You see... umm... I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name." "Oh, I'm sorry, my name is Cheerilee Apple," she introduced, squeeing on the inside for using her new last name. "I'm Aero, Lady of Air," Aero introduced herself. "'Lady of Air'?" Cheerilee echoed. "Would that by any chance have anything to do with Dark being the... you know?" "Yes, actually. Tell me, are you familiar with name Nocturne?" "The dragon that Dark's bonded with, yes." "Well, he was my eldest brother, but now that Dark has beaten him and they're now more or less the same kirin at this point, Dark's our youngest sibling." "But I was told that he didn't have any siblings besides Pyre." "Considering what we are, he and Twilight have been trying to keep quiet about this from the public." "Ahh. I can understand that," she said before smiling. "Still, though, it's good to see that Dark as you as a sister. You seem like a nice dragoness." "Thank you. The others are nice as well." "Just how many others are with you?" "Well, there's Aques, Fissure, and Aurora's egg." "Her egg? Why an egg?" Aero nervously scratched an arm. "That's... complicated." Cheerilee nodded. "I see. Personal family matters, right?" "You could say that." "Then I won't pry, but I will thank you for bringing Soul to school. He would've been late, otherwise." "You're welcome," Aero said before something that Cheerilee said caught her attention. "Sorry to keep you, but could I ask you something?" "I suppose. What is it?" "You said that you're an Apple. Are you by chance related to the Apples living at Sweet Apple Acres?" Cheerilee blinked in surprise. "How do you know about them?" "I visited them when they were having a snowball fight with Dark and his friends last winter, but I don't remember seeing you there." "Oh... well, that's because I was married into the Apple family not too long ago." Aero squeed. "So you married Applejack's big brother?" "Yes, and I'm very happy to be married to that big lug," Cheerilee said with a dreamy look, one that slowly dissipated. "Now if only Apple Bloom would stop trying to ask me for answers to her homework and tests. You don't know how confusing and slightly annoying it gets sometimes since I'm both her teacher, and her sister-in-law now." "Hey, big sis, what's goin' on out there that's takin' ya so long?" Cheerilee sighed. "And that's the slightly annoying part I was talking about." Looking back to the open doorway, they watched as Apple Bloom came walking around the corner. When she did, her eyes lit up as she saw why Cheerilee was taking so long. "Hey, girls, Aero's here!" she excitingly announced. "Really?" Sweetie Belle squeaked before running around the corner with Scootaloo following closely behind. With a joyful smile, Sweetie Belle ran up and hugged Aero's chest. "Miss Aero! You're here!" "Hello, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo," Aero happily said as she hugged her back before they were joined by Apple Bloom. "Hey, everypony," Scootaloo called out, "come out and see this!" "What is it, Scootaloo?" A few seconds later, Diamond Tiara looked around the corner. When she did, her eyes widened in fear as she saw Aero holding Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. "Dragon!" Aero looked up to see the scared filly looking at her. "Hmm? Oh, um, hello there." "Hey, it's alright, Diamond," Scootaloo assured. "She's a good dragon like Pyre. She's also Dark's sister." "... really?" Diamond skeptically questioned. "Yeah. Didn't you notice how she doesn't have any dragon scales like Dark or Pyre?" Cautiously, Diamond Tiara looked over Aero and noticed that she was indeed covered in fur instead of scales. "Huh." "Now go on and say hi to her," Scootaloo encouraged. "Are you sure about this?" "Absolutely. I promise she won't bite or anything." "Yeah, Diamond," Apple Bloom agreed. "Come on and say hi ta Aero." "She's really nice," Sweetie Belle voiced. Being encouraged by them, Diamond Tiara followed Scootaloo as she lead her up to Aero. When they did, the other colts and fillies inside the school started to peek their heads through the door and windows to look at the dragoness. Slowly, one after another, they went out to see her, and before she knew it, Aero found herself in front of a group of awed foals. "Oh, hello there," Aero kindly said to them. They were all silent as they got a close look at the first female dragon they've ever seen in their lives. A few silent moments later, one of them, a pale-purple unicorn filly with a blond mane and yellow eyes, walked up to her. "Hello," Aero gently spoke. "What's your name?" She looked to Cheerilee for permission to answer. Once she did, she looked back to Aero. "My name's Dinky," she answered her. "Hello, Dinky. I'm Aero." "Hi, Aero," Dinky said before she looked Aero over. "You're really pretty." Aero giggled. "Thank you." "How do you keep your coat so sleek and shiny like that?" another asked her. "I air-dry it after a bath, and then I start brushing it." It was after that that Aero was bombarded by questions. "Why don't you have any scales?" "Why do you look like that?" "Where are your wings?" "Why do you have a mane instead of spines like Spike?" "Where did you come from?" "Alright, everypony, that's enough for now," Cheerilee interjected. "Don't forget that we still have school." With a disappointed collection of 'awws', Cheerilee looked back to Aero with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry about that, Aero. They've never seen a dragon quite like you before, let alone a female." "It's alright," she dismissed before putting Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle back down. "Besides, I kinda like these kids." Cheerilee hummed to herself in thought as she rubbed her chin with a hoof. "What'cha thinkin'?" Apple Bloom wondered. "Aero?" "Yes, Cheerilee?" Aero asked. "Do you by chance have any plans for this morning?" Aero thought about it for a moment before she shrugged. "Nothing that I can think of. Why?" "I was wondering, since the children seem to be so taken with you, I was wondering if you would be willing to help teach them?" Every filly and colt now had their sights locked onto Aero as they anxiously awaited her answer. "What was it you were hoping for me to teach them?" "Well, we ponies don't have very much information regarding dragons, even with Spike living here, and Pyre doesn't seem interested in telling us. So, I was wondering if you would be willing to teach us about dragons and their customs?" Smiling, Aero stretched herself out and laid down on the grass. "I could help you with that, and maybe I can even get my sister to join in later today." "Alright, students, looks like we'll be having class outside today, so go back inside and get your notebooks and pencils." With a collection of cheers, the foals stampeded back into the schoolhouse and quickly returned with a pencil and notebook. Taking a seat on the grass around Aero, they all paid attention as Aero began telling them the foal-friendly information regarding dragons. It was close to noon when Pinkie showed up at the castle to give Aques and Fissure the tour of Ponyville, the former holding onto Aurora's egg. With them being accompanied by Dark, Twilight, Spike, and Pyre, they felt more comfortable about it and followed her out with Twilight having packed a lunch for Soul. Their tour started out with a stop at Rarity's shop where she showed them some of her dresses and offered Aques to commission her a dress of her own. Of course, considering that she would be the first female dragon, Rarity offered to make for her as a gift. While their first stop was pleasant, it was when Pinkie led the group into town when things started to become a little hectic. However, it wasn't because of the two new dragons there. Thanks to Pyre living in Ponyville for a while, the townsponies were still surprised by them, but not frightened enough to flee. No. It was because of Twilight and Dark that things became like this. With news from the Crystal Empire having spread already, everypony knew about their engagement, the foal, and the attack, but it was the first two that really got everypony's attention. Throughout the tour, they had to stop numerous times when ponies would come and congratulate Dark and Twilight on their upcoming marriage and parenthood. And while everypony was happy, Mr. and Mrs. Cake were even more so with the latter of the two pulling Twilight off to offer her some motherly wisdom, which Twilight was happy to receive. While Mrs. Cake and Twilight were busy talking, Pinkie brought down Pound and Pumpkin to show off to Aques and Fissure. Even though they weren't that taken with Fissure, they were both more than open to Aques as they reached out for her to pick them up. When she did, she was surprised to see that they were so comfortable with her, seeing as how they'd just met. It was then that Pinkie told them about Dark's own party when he met them for the first time, which caused Aques to smile at the thought. Returning the twins to Pinkie, she left them in Mr. Cake's care just as Mrs. Cake returned with Twilight. Buying a snack for the road, they each said their goodbyes for now and made for their next location, which turned out to be the schoolhouse. As they approached, they were all surprised to see Aero laying on the grass surrounded by the schoolponies and Cheerilee. Getting a little closer to see what was going on, Aero's head rose as she spotted them. "Hello," Aero cheerfully greeted with a wave. When she spoke, everypony turned around to see who she was talking to. While they were surprised to see Dark, Twilight, Spike, and Pyre, their eyes widened when they saw the other two. "Everypony, these are my brothers and sisters that I told you about. The blue one is Aques, the bulky brown one is Fissure, and that egg that Aques is holding is Aurora." Having spent some time with Aero and listening to her stories about her siblings, the foals wasted no time in running up to the two and asking them questions. After some interference from Cheerilee and an apology from her for their rowdy behavior, she asked if they would be willing to spare a moment to talk to the kids about themselves. After giving her their permission, Aques went over to sit by Aero with Pinkie following her, while Fissure made himself comfortable off to the side a little bit. When they split up, so did the foals with the fillies being entranced by Aques' beauty and curious about the egg, followed her, while the colts hung around Fissure, thinking he was the coolest with how he looked like he was made of stone. Not wanting to really have to deal with kids, Pyre opted to fly up on top of the schoolhouse and spread himself out to soak in the sunlight. With the foals occupied and having some time free, Cheerilee made her way up to Dark, Twilight, and Spike. Once close enough, Cheerilee caused Twilight to let out an 'eep' when she suddenly pulled her in for a hug. When she let her go, Cheerilee started to giggle like a schoolfilly. "Oooh! I'm so happy for you!" Cheerilee squealed giddily before turning on Dark and giving him a hug too. "Both of you!" Twilight happily giggled back. "Thank you, Cheerilee." "Yeah... thanks..." Dark wheezed, taken by surprised by Cheerilee's strength. Realizing she was crushing him, Cheerilee let him go with an apologetic smile. "Oops. Sorry about that." "It's fine," he dismissed with a pop of his back. "Ooh! You two must be so excited!" "We admit that we're both really excited, but also a bit nervous too." "I can understand that," Cheerilee nodded understandably before turning to Twilight. "So, how're you doing? I imagine that you're having morning sickness and food cravings?" Twilight grimaced. "Don't remind me," she groaned. "While the food cravings aren't really all that bad, I could do without waking up most mornings with the urge to vomit." "Oh, sorry." "It's fine." "So, how far along are you?" "Between five to six weeks." "And what kind of food cravings are you having? I would imagine that they would be rather... interesting." "Apart from the meat, the weirdest craving that I've had was ice-cream with ketchup, mustard, and pickles." Cheerilee managed to keep herself from blanching at the thought of eating such horrendous-sounding ice-cream before her mind clicked at the first one. "Wait, did you say 'meat'?" Cheerilee questioned. Twilight nodded sheepishly. "I know that ponies used to eat meat a very long time ago, but it's going to be somewhat challenging since nopony really eats meat this age." "Um... what kind of meat have you been craving?" she cautiously asked. "... beef, pork, and chicken so far," Twilight nervously replied. "I'm hoping to try and substitute fish for most of them if I can." "I see..." "I'm sorry if this is making you uncomfortable, Cheerilee." "Well... I suppose a little bit. But, then again, I probably should've expected this, since the foal probably going to be part dragon, right?" "We don't know yet," Dark answered. "It's too soon to tell what the baby will look like, including whether it'll be born as an egg or not." There was an awkward pause that was interrupted when Spike hopped off of Twilight with a paper bag in his claw. "Yeeeeaaahhh, I'm outa' here," he said with tinted cheeks. "This is starting to get too much for me. I'm going to bring Soul his lunch and hang out with the girls. Call me when it's time to go." A moment of silence passed as they watched Spike walk away before turning back to each other. "Heh, guess we embarrassed him," Dark chuckled. "Why?" Cheerilee questioned. "Because, we're here talking about the possibilities of our baby being born, and we forgot that Spike might end up in the same boat in the future." Cheerilee blushed. "You mean because of his relationship with Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, and how their kids would be kirins?" "Eeyup." Turning around to look at him, they looked just in time to see the Crusaders approach Spike and each sharing a kiss with him. "You know, I still say that he's one lucky dragon." "And those fillies are lucky to have him," Cheerilee said with a smile. "Each one of those girls just love to talk about Spike while at school, and when they're over at the farm." "By the way," Twilight began, "are you still living in your house, or did you move in with the Apples?" Cheerilee's smile widened before proudly saying, "Moved in with them four days ago." "What?" Dark said with a hint of disappointment and guilt. "Why didn't you wait for us to help you move? You know that me and Applejack would've been more than happy to have helped you." "Please tell us you and Big Mac didn't do it on your own," Twilight nearly pleaded with worry. "Oh, no, no, no," Cheerilee quickly dismissed. "You see, turns out that Princess Celestia provided us with a moving crew to help with the moving as a part of our wedding gift. Granted that we mentioned it to her during the reception that we decided that I was going to live with the Apples on their farm, but we didn't know she'd actually did it until we got back from our honeymoon." "Wait a moment, didn't Princess Luna give you and Big Mac a ticket around the world?" "Yes, she did, but with school still going on, there won't be enough time for that, not to mention that it was hard enough to find a substitute teacher while I was gone. But, when summer vacation comes around for us in a few weeks and school ends, then we'll take that time off to travel." "Sounds like a plan," Twilight said before looking past to see Aques showing the fillies Aurora's egg. "Why don't we go and join them for a while? I'm curious as to what they're talking about." Over in the underbrush of the forest behind the schoolhouse, three sets of eyes pierced at the sight before them. "Well, boss?" one of them asked in a deep voice. "Well, what?" another one snapped. "What do we do now?" the third questioned. "Same as what we planned before." "But what about what the king ordered us to do? You know that he won't like it if we deviate from-" "My old dragon won't care," the second growled before setting his gaze on Spike and gagging. "I can't believe this. Not only is he a pony lover, but he's an actual pony lover! It's sick!" "Yeah, so sick," the first agreed with a chuckle, earning him a slap over the back of his head from the second. "Shut up, idiot." "So, what're you wanting to do about the shrimp?" the third asked. Their "boss" growled in thought. "We can't get close to him with him hanging around the Scaleless Dragons..." His eyes fixated on the three fillies cuddling up with him, and while he had a strong urge to gag, he instead had an idea accompanied by a fanged grin. "But maybe we don't have to." "I know that look. You've got a plan, don't you?" He chuckled. "You bet I do, and it's my best one yet. This way, we'll get that puny pony lover and be able to get away with it scot-free. We just need to lay low for a while and avoid being seen or otherwise caught." "What's the plan then?" the first one questioned. "You will follow the yellow one with that bow on her head." He then turned to the third one. "And you will follow that orange pegasus hanging onto his arm. I'll follow the white unicorn. Now, spread out and meet back in the hideout in one week. And remember to keep a safe distance, stay out of sight, and for goodness sake, stay down wind. I don't want us to get caught just because one of you idiots forgot to hide your scent." Having lost track of time with the stories that Aero, Aques, and Fissure provided, school came to a close and Pinkie's tour continued. Only this time, with school being out and their previous stop, they were now accompanied by Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo as they made their way to Sweet Apple Acres. And while Pinkie was their tour guide, since this was Apple Bloom's home, she decided to let her take over. "And here's Sweet Apple Acres," Apple Bloom proudly proclaimed. While Aero and Aques found it to be pretty, Fissure felt himself relaxing as he smelt the trees and fruits. "Beautiful," he commented, his low, rumbling voice having a tone of fondness to it. Wandering off of the dirt path leading through the orchard, Fissure walked over to the nearest tree and placed a claw on it. When he did, me smiled. "And strong, too." "Thanks," Apple Bloom happily chirped. "Applejack and Big Mac spend a lot of time takin' care of the trees." "I can tell." Fissure closed his eyes and remained silent for a few moments before giving a nod. "The trees like them." "Wait, you can speak ta the trees?" "Yes. I am everything earth. Not just rock, but also plant." "Huh.... neat." "Hey, Fissure," Aero called out, "show them that thing that you do." Rolling his ruby eyes, Fissure faced the others before his body began to change from rock, to wood. Once fully changed, Fissure walked back to them, his claws clinking like wood against the dirt road. "Whoa! That's so cool!" Scootaloo exclaimed. Apple Bloom knocked a hoof against his leg. "He sounds and feels just like wood." "I changed my hide to wood." "Sweet! Can you change into anything else?" Spike eagerly asked. "Yes. Even this." Fissure's wooden hide began to shift again. Once it was over with, he shimmered in the sunlight as his entire body was turned into a living mass of diamond. "I can change my hide into anything earth," Fissure told them before frowning at the sight of Spike's drooling. "No, I'm not edible." "Let it go already," Pyre huffed, getting a frown from Aques. "You tried to eat his tail," she reminded him with a disapproving tone. "Why shouldn't he give a warning after that?" Choosing to stay out of it, Fissure reverted back to his brown rocky look before continuing his way down the dirt path. After a few steps, he gave a faint smile of amusement when he saw that Apple Bloom had found her way on top of his head and sat down. "Where to?" he asked her. "Just up ahead," she answered with a pointed hoof. "Applejack and Big Mac should be almost done with chores for today." Clearing the orchard and moving into the front yard, they saw Applejack leaving the barn and closing it. "Hey, Applejack!" Hearing her little sister calling her, Applejack turned around to welcome her home, but stopped when she saw the group she was traveling with, namely the dragon who's head she was riding on top of. "Apple Bloom! Why are ya sittin' on his head?!" Applejack scolded. Fissure gave a throaty chuckle. "She's fine." "... alright, if ya say so." Applejack relented before walking up them. "So, what brings y'all out here today... and why are y'all even here ta begin with?" "We're all living here now as a way to help us keep an eye on our little brother here," Aero answered while ruffling Dark's mane. "And we're here here because I'm giving them a tour of Ponyville before their party tonight," Pinkie added. "Oh. Well in that case, welcome ta Sweet Apple Acres, largest apple producin' farm in Equestria." "And you run it on your own?" Aques questioned. "Eenope. Ah have my brother Big Mac ta help me, and Dark if we're needin' an extra hoof, or claw in his case." Fissure let Apple Bloom down before stepping forward. "You seem proud of this place." Applejack's posture straightened as she indeed did feel proud. "Eeyup. Take really good care of our trees." "So they told me," he nodded, getting a confused look from Applejack. "What? Ya mean the apple trees?" "Yes. I am everything that is earth. The plants speak to me in ways others can't hear." "Huh... um, hey, can Ah ask ya somethin'?" "Hmm?" "If ya can talk ta trees, then what can we do ta make them better?" Fissure shook his head. "Nothing. They're happy the way they are." "Oh. Well, alright then." Applejack then turned to Dark and Twilight. "And how're ya two doin'?" "We're doing fine, Applejack," Twilight answered. "Alright, but what about, Dark?" "I'm doing alright," Dark said with a smile, one that Applejack skeptically looked over. "Uh-huh," she deadpanned, clearly not buying it. "Come on, Dark. You didn't actually think that Ah wouldn't see it, did ya?" "What do you mean? I'm really fine." With a heavy sigh, Applejack walked up to Dark and hugged him. "You may look and act fine, but Ah can see the hurt clearly in your eyes." Dark winced. "It's not that bad, Applejack." Applejack looked to Twilight for confirmation while maintaining her embrace. With a sad sigh, Twilight shook her head. "He seems to be doing better," she began, "but he still cries in his sleep, including last night." "About him Ah'm guessin'." Dark solemnly nodded as he leaned into Applejack's hug. "I just need some time to get over it is all." Applejack nodded and gave him a small squeeze. "Well, if ya ever need somepony ta talk ta when Twi's not around, Ah'll be right here." "But-" "Nope. Ah'm not gonna hear it. Y'all were there for me when Ah needed it with my parents, now it's my turn ta be there for ya." While saddened about the reminder of Light, Dark was grateful for Applejack's support. With a small smile, Dark wrapped an arm around Applejack and returned her hug. "Thanks, Applejack," he thanked. "You're welcome," she said. Breaking their hug, she pulled back and gave him a nudge towards the house. "Now, ya better get on over ta the house and see Granny. If she finds out that y'all were here and didn't drop in ta say hi, she'd find ya and tan your hide." Chuckling, Dark left for the house while Applejack talked to the others, answering questions that the new arrivals had for her about her orchard and family. Ten minutes later, Dark returned from visiting with Granny and rejoined the group before leaving the apple orchard for town. Later on that evening, the 'Welcome to Ponyville' party that Pinkie had thrown in Twilight's Castle was in full swing, and was going better than expected. While the ponies were a bit nervous at first for having three new dragons and a dragon egg living with them in Ponyville, over the course of the party, they started to warm up to them, especially when they all saw the young ones running up to Aques and Aero wanting to play with them. Once everypony had calmed down, and after having Twilight, Dark, and their friends vouch for them, Aques, Aero, Fissure, and Aurora were welcomed with friendly greetings. While the two dragonesses were playing with the foals off to the side, and Fissure was talking with some of the adults with Pyre beside him, Pinkie sat down with a satisfied look on her face while holding Aurora's egg in her lap. "So, what of you think, Aurora?" Pinkie asked her, getting a series of soft glows in response. "Yeah, I think the party's going pretty well so far too." There were another series of flashes. "Nah, I don't believe that'll be a problem," Pinkie dismissed. "What won't be a problem?" Looking off to the side, Pinkie saw Twilight walking up to her with Dark following behind. "Oh, nothing much. Aurora just asked if them living in Ponyville will cause any of the ponies any problems is all." "After all the stuff that's happened in Ponyville since we've known each other, I doubt that three dragons and a dragon egg will be that much of a problem, if at all." Aurora's egg glowed a few times. "Yes, Aurora, she is serious," Pinkie told her. Dark blinked in confusion. "You can actually understand her?" "Yep." "How?" Pinkie shrugged. "Don't know, I just can." Deciding to just go along with it, Dark simply nodded. "Well, I think that I'm going to chat with Aques for a while." "Alright," Twilight nodded. "In that case, I'm going to go have a chat with Fissure. I'm curious about his ability to change his body like he did in Sweet Apple Acres, and would like to get a few samples from him." Aurora's egg flashed a few times. "What's she saying, Pinkie?" "That you should be alright if you ask him nicely," Pinkie replied. "Turns out that while Fissure can be pretty stubborn at times, if you ask him and he likes you, he'll let you. Oh, and Aurora also says to be careful of the fumes in your lab. You know, for the baby's sake." "I'll be sure to be careful," Twilight said reassuringly. "Thanks, Pinkie, You too, Aurora." With a soft glow that Twilight took as Aurora's thanks, she and Dark left into the crowd, leaving Pinkie and Aurora's egg alone. Smiling to herself, Pinkie looked out at the party to see ponies laughing at Aques and Aero laughing as they played with the colts and fillies, and seeing Fissure getting along with the small crowd that had gathered to visit with him. Leaning back and sighing in satisfaction of another successive party, she closed her eyes hugged Aurora's egg closer to her. "Yeah, I think that you and the others are gonna fit in here just fine."