Black Dragon

by MercilessKing

Adventures in Ponyville

Chapter 3
Adventures in Ponyville

Morning was normally a groggy time for Nel. His species was said to be part cat so he was known to sleep most of the day away as such a young kitten. It was only made worse by his lack of a solid sleep schedule. Some nights, he’d go to bed at a reasonable time, others he’d finally sleep when the sun was coming up. Some days, he’d wake up at dawn and on others, he’d sleep well into the afternoon. Today, he was happy to sleep long after Fluttershy had woken up.

The elegant pegasus flew around her home with a particularly relaxed feel. She was glad to have calmed her home down so quickly that morning. It was nice to know that she didn’t need Nel’s touch to keep her home in proper working order. With the excitement the day before, she’d let Nel sleep through most of the morning. Now, it was time to wake him up. She quietly poked her head into her room, finding the black dragon still fast asleep.

For whatever reason, Nel had taken to Fluttershy the same as he would have for one of his own kind. He could still remember the many times he’d snuggled up to his sister the way he did to Fluttershy. Now, with Fluttershy’s absence, he’d taken hold of the soft pillow as something to hold onto.

A grin found its way to Fluttershy’s face she saw the kitten cuddling his pillow. She gently nudged him to wake him up. “Nel,” she cooed, “It’s time to get up.”

The young dragon let out a short moan before biting the pillow! He didn’t even bite enough to tear into it.

That wasn’t good! Fluttershy quickly doubled her efforts to awaken him. “Come now, Nel…! It’s time to wake up.”

Again, Nel groaned, but he let go of the pillow first. “No…! I wanna finish my giant marshmallow first…” He then went back to gnawing on the soft cotton pillow. This time, his sharp teeth cut through the cotton.

“Oh, but, i-it’s time to wake up!” She hesitated slightly as she saw his sharp fangs. Even for her, it was an uncomfortable sight. “Um, t-that’s not a marshmallow…”

At that moment, Nel ceased his gnawing. He opened one of his large green eyes and turned sharply toward Fluttershy, tearing part of the pillow off with it! “Hm? Then what is it?” he asked, fluff dropping from his jaws with each word.

Again, Fluttershy hesitated, hoping he’d see the error of his ways. “U-um…” She bit her lip, trying not to laugh at the drowsy kitten.

Now that he was more awake, Nel looked back at his “giant marshmallow.” He was confused at the lack of sweetness he usually got from treats of the sort. …And then he started to panic when he saw that there was cotton fluff leaking from the pillow. There was no way he’d actually done that! He opened his mouth, letting the slightly damp fluff drop off of the blue tip of his forked tongue. “Oh my gosh!! I’m so sorry!!

If Fluttershy was able to keep her own agenda of tending to the animals of Ponyville, then Nel was able to keep his own schedule. …Though, when compared to most any pony, his schedule was very lackluster. Nel roamed around the humble town of Ponyville by himself, looking at the ponies all around him. He was honestly surprised. After the display the day before, he’d honestly expected something different than this.

“Hey!”

He flinched, stopping on a dime. He looked up and found a stallion with a light brown coat and dark brown mane trotting toward him. “Uh… Y-you wanted me?”

The stallion trotted toward the dragon with a grin across his face. “Yes you,” he chuckled, “You’re the little guy that fought that monster yesterday, aren’t you?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Of course you are… It’s gotta be impossible to miss a little black dragon.” He offered a hoof to the young dragon. “I wanted to thank you.”

Nel was a little more than hesitant. He shifted his large green eyes around his surroundings, finding several ponies watching their conversation. One pony’s attention was bad enough, but a crowd was just weird. He nervously shook the stallion’s hoof. “Um, you wanted to thank me for what?” He’d be the first to admit that it was odd for him to defend a place so adamantly—especially since it wasn’t his home—but that was just natural for him.

“For what?” he mimicked, “You fought that monster! Plus, you protected a friend of mine from that thing. Thanks for that.”

That was honestly unexpected. Nel was actually surprised to hear that. In this little tussle with the monsters beyond the Gate, he’d defended more than one or two ponies, but he’d never been thanked like this. “Oh… I-it was nothing, really…”

The stallion chuckled at the kitten’s nervousness. Did Nel think that the stallion was going to hurt him or something? “Oh yeah? Well, if you ever need anything, just call me!”

“R-right… I’ll keep that in mind…” Nel made a hasty retreat, trying to get away from all the prying eyes. He was a hunter and a well decorated one at that. He wasn’t made to be in the limelight. He was made to be hidden until the time to strike came. It made him nervous to get so much attention. Strolling through town, it really did make him nervous to get so many ponies’ attention. …But, then again, he was still able to notice the little things. After half an hour of exploring the town, he found something to look at himself.

Three ponies—fillies really—were up to… Something. Whatever they were doing, Nel was sure they weren’t doing it right. They looked about as old as he was. They weren’t like the tiny foals he saw at the confectionary story with the funny pink pony. They were older than that.

“C’mon, Apple Bloom,” the orange pegasus said, “Just a little higher.”

“Why don’t you just fly up there, Scootaloo?” the unicorn asked, straining to lift her friends higher.

“I can’t hover,” she stated glumly, “I can’t reach it without hovering to it.”

“Just get it!” the yellow earth pony demanded with an odd southern drawl, “I can’t hold you much longer!”

Nel raised a brow as he watched the three and winced as they went down due to a slight wobble. Looking up the tree they were trying to persistently to get to, he spotted a large, multicolored ball in the tree’s branches. His wing was in bad shape and he still had gashes in his leg and side to heal, but he could manage this at least.

“Ow…” The pegasus sat up, rubbing a new bump on her head. This was more annoying than she thought it would be. “Hey, Sweetie Belle, let’s try your magic again.”

Before the unicorn could get her horn to even light up with magic, the three of them flinched at a sudden blur zipping past them. The blur, Nel, dug his claws into the tree to get up to the branches. He quickly snatched the ball out of the limbs without popping it and made a quick, but slightly painful dismount. He still managed to push himself up on his injured leg. “Looking for this?” he purred playfully as he gave them their ball back.

“Yes… Thanks!” The pegasus quickly took the ball. She’d never seen a dragon do that before. She knew that Spike wasn’t nearly as sleek and agile as this wyvern, but it was a question of if other dragons could pull that off now. He definitely did look different from other dragons, especially with that wide grin he was wearing.

“Don’t thank me,” he meowed, starting back on his way, “Just pa—ah!” He hesitated slightly, slowing for his injured limbs. That was odd, even for him. “Just pay it forward.” It was nice to do something like that for some pony, but it was a definite strain on him. Maybe he could go somewhere to avoid the prying eyes of ponies and get some time to breathe.

For an injured Narga, down time was a must. Even for a determined kitten, it was necessary that they rest and simply focus on healing. That was how that spell worked after all. But, at the same time, it was expected that one would keep their skills sharp for when they could come back and hunt on their own. That was the very thought that drove Nel out of Ponyville.

The Narga crouched in the tall grass, and, using his camouflage and his stalking skills, he was able to sneak up on his prey with ease. Something told him that Fluttershy would be very hurt if she found out about this. He was stalking something near and dear to her heart: a large blue butterfly.

The butterfly fluttered across the tall grass, drifting lazily. It floated with whimsy that only a few creatures could hope to mimic.

The young dragon stayed perfectly still as his prey drifted toward him. It was only for a second, but his perfect muscle control made it possible for him to quiet even his beating heart. The stealth master moved ever so slightly, digging his claws into the ground to pounce on his prey. He was so close, he could almost taste—

“Hey, slow down, Sweetie Belle!!”

Like the trained hunter he was, Nel turned his attention to the new noise before going back to his prey. …Sadly, that target had been scared away by the noise. With a nearly silent sigh, Nel sat up in the tall grass, looking for the source of the sound. …But, that wasn’t what he found. The dragon went down hard as a pony ran into him full force! He rolled once or twice, but he was forced to stay down after that. For the second time that day, he was kept down by a wound, but it was the gash in his side this time. He had to stay down until the pain subsided. Once he was stable again, he pushed himself up, finding a familiar white unicorn on the ground beside him. “You okay?”

The unicorn rubbed her head, nursing another new bump. “Yeah, I’m fine. I did hit you kinda hard. Are you alright?”

He cocked his head, questioning what she meant for a moment. “Oh, don’t worry,” he waved off her concern, “You couldn’t hurt me if you tried.”

“Hey! You’re the dragon from earlier today.” An orange unicorn and a yellow earth pony trotted up as well. “I didn’t think we’d run into you again so soon.”

“Honestly, the feeling’s mutual…” He rubbed his side, soothing the pain a little more. “I’m pretty sure I don’t have enough pony friends, so my name’s Nel. It’s nice to meet you all.”

The three ponies smiled at him. It wasn’t every day they met such a friendly dragon. “I’m Scootaloo,” the pegasus announced, “My name’s Sweetie Belle,” the unicorn stated, “And I’m Apple Bloom,” the earth pony claimed, “And we’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders! Yay!!”

Nel cringed at the sudden cheer. His hearing was one of his most sensitive attributes. Much louder and his ears would have started ringing. …But, he still had to question it. “Cutie Mark Crusaders?” Glancing at the three, he quickly found that none of them had Cutie Marks. “So, I take it you all are helping each other to get your Cutie Marks?”

“Eeyup,” Apple Bloom chimed, “It’s really fun too!”

“More like uneventful,” Scootaloo chided, “None of us have had any luck.”

“And we’ve tried everything!” Sweetie Belle added, “We’ve even gotten into a lot of trouble with this stuff…”

“Hm…” He tapped his claws on his own obsidian, thinking over his next response. “Well, I’m sure you haven’t tried everything. Otherwise, you’d have them by now.” He glanced at the sky. “I’ve got an idea. I’m gonna be in Ponyville for a while, so, while I’m here, how about I help you all with your, uh, problem?”

The three stared at him, completely dumbfounded. “R-really?” Scootaloo began, “You’d really help us?”

“Sure!” he mellowed, “Just like how every wyvern deserves to fly, every pony deserves a Cutie Mark! I’d be happy to help you all find yours.”

“Thanks!” Apple Bloom chirped. She didn’t think they’d ever be able to say that they’d added a dragon to their group. …But, then again, the day was full of surprises for them.

It was an odd thing. Fluttershy could barely place the sound she heard. It was almost an hour after most all of her little critters had gone to bed and even Nel was supposed to be asleep, but she still heard something from the room he resided in. She quietly followed the sound, distinguishing it as a song when she reached Nel’s place of rest. She’d never heard a song quite so beautiful or sad. She quietly opened the door, peaking in. “Nel?”

The young wyvern was looking out the window at the full moon over head. He was absently singing as he looked into the terrain lit by the pale moon’s light. His soprano voice was perfect for the song, but the words were a bit of a mystery.

“Um, Nel?” she called a little louder. She almost felt wrong with the way he stopped and turned his glowing green eyes to her again. “Is everything okay?”

He was silent for a moment, letting his large eyes drift away from hers. “I guess…” He didn’t seem to be all there. “I was just thinking…”

She joined him at the window, hoping to give him some type of comfort. “What were you thinking about? I-if you don’t mind telling me, that is…”

He shook his head. “No, it’s fine…” He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “You know… Over Dragon Territory, the clouds are a lot like over the Everfree Forest. They change on their own… But, there, we use it for pillows.” He didn’t notice the questioning look on her face, but still answered the next question. “Clouds there can help you sleep better. So, the flying dragons take some and give it to the lightning beast to get the electricity sucked out.” He let out a short chuckle, thinking of the time his brother had forgotten about that part of the process and got a shock to remember. “Back home, I have a pillow made of clouds… When I tried to go to sleep… I thought about that pillow a-and then I thought about home…” He trailed off, shrinking slightly. “…I miss home…” He tried to wipe his eyes clean, but the tears started running too fast.

Fluttershy quickly grabbed him, pulling him into a hug. “Oh, don’t worry,” she cooed, using her most soothing tone, “You’ll be able to go home soon. Everything will be alright.”

Nel didn’t even try to fight it. He accepted the pony’s affection without a fuss. He was a strong kitten. He didn’t show when he was in pain. He kept his anger in check. He was almost always able to put on a smile for someone else’s benefit. ...But, even he had a breaking point. Something told him that he wasn’t going to be able to go back home with the way things were going. It worried him and made his heart hurt to think that. He wanted to go home. He wanted to see his brother and sister again. He wanted to go back to being a simple hunter again instead of being a grizzled warrior.

Fluttershy really hoped this ended soon. She wasn’t sure if Nel could take this for very long. It worried her to see the kitten in such a fragile state. Cradling the young dragon, she couldn’t help but wonder: what was that song? …And why did it suit him so perfectly?

Nel looked at the forest of apple trees from the outside fence of Sweet Apple Acres. He knew that the Crusaders met there and they’d invited him over today, but he couldn’t help but think about what they did normally. Sweetie Belle had said that they get into a lot of trouble with their schemes to get their Cutie Marks. So, what did they do? He took a breath and headed in. What was the worst that could happen? With him there, they’d be able to avoid the trouble. …Or most of the trouble at least. He stopped abruptly as he nearly walked into a large—very large—stallion with a red coat and a strawberry blond mane. “Eep! Uh, hi?”

The stallion just looked at him, keeping a perfectly neutral expression. He didn’t even return the wyvern’s greeting.

He thought that was a little odd to say the least. Most ponies—stallions, mares and even foals—greeted him, but this one didn’t. “Um, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo invited me. A-are they still around?”

“Eeyup,” he bleated, pointing to a different row of trees nearby. He didn’t say anything else.

“T-thanks,” he meowed and went along his way. He found it slightly strange. He’d so defiantly faced down a monster from the bottom of Tartarus that was easily three times that stallion’s size, but he was made nervous simply by this stallion’s mass alone.

“Nel!”

The kitten looked up in time to see an orange pegasus soaring toward him. “Hey, Scoot—she’s coming right toward me…” He didn’t have enough time to move out of the way before Scootaloo hit him. He was able to avoid hitting any of his injuries as they rolled to get rid of their excess momentum. Once they stopped, he found himself under Scootaloo. “Nice landing, ace,” he teased.

Scootaloo smiled, trying to hide her reddening face. She’d never been quite so close to any pony of the opposite sex. “Yeah, flying is the easy part now. Landing is what’s got me stumped…” She quickly got off of the dragon before helping him up.

“I’d give you some pointers, but my flying is a lot different from your flying.” He opened his wing showing the butterfly bandages holding his healing wing closed. “And I don’t think I’ll be able to show you that anytime soon, either…”

Scootaloo and Nel started walking through the orchard together. “How are you healing?” she asked, “It’s been like four days since that monster attacked.”

“And five days since my wing got slashed,” he stated, “Give it two more days and I’ll be flying with the best of them!” He gave her a friendly nudge. “And you too.”

“Hey!” She returned the playful nudge, but twice as hard. “I’m a good flier! …I’m just not a good land-er…”

“Like I said, I’ll give you a hand with that part.” He was almost surprised with what he found. “Huh?”

A large tree house was sitting in the midst of the orchard! It even stretched into the apple tree it was part of with an observatory.

“You all have a clubhouse in the orchard?” He followed Scootaloo up the ramp to the door.

“It’s pretty cool, huh? Apple Bloom put in a lot of work on this place.” She looked around, taking pride in her friend’s work since she wouldn’t. It always made her happy to think of the place the Crusaders could call their own. She opened the door for the dragon to follow her in. “Hey, we’re here!”

Nel followed her in, but froze as he found two extra pairs of eyes on him. He knew about Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom—he was around them the most—but the purple unicorn and the pinto colored earth pony were a complete mystery to him. “Uh, hi?”

The two new ponies smiled at him. “Hi,” the pinto pony chuckled as he approached the dragon. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Pipsqueak. Just call me Pip.” He spoke with a very distinctive cockney accent.

“And I’m Dinky Doo,” the purple unicorn chimed, slipping around the only colt in the room.

Nel sighed. “I hate that… Every time I meet a pony, their name always make makes mine sound like gibberish…” It never failed either. Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Applejack, even that mare from Trottingham, Milky Way, they all made his name sound like nonsense. “My name is Neliel Tsu Valshte, but you all can call me Nel.”

“That’s a funny name,” Dinky mused, but then again, she was the last one to try to judge someone before getting to know them.

“A funny name for a funny cat,” he purred, “It’s in another language. That’s why it sounds weird.” He circled Pipsqueak. “But, then again, I kinda expected to be the strangest looking one here, but I guess I lost that contest…”

“Hey!” Even while trying to act indignant, Pip couldn’t help but fall into the chorus of laughter that filled the clubhouse.

“Oh yeah!” Sweetie Belle dug in her bag. “Nel, since you’re gonna be helping us out, I thought you should get one of these.” She pulled a dark red bandana with a blue and yellow patch on it.

Nel looked at the bandana for a moment, noting that all of the ponies in the room had the blue and yellow insignia on their person in some way.

Pipsqueak wore the symbol on a scarf around his neck.

Dinky had it on a hairclip connected to the ribbon tying her mane back.

Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had the mark on bandanas of their own, all tied around their necks.

It really was like being invited into a secret club. Nel took the bandana with a grin and tied it on around his neck. He’d already gotten into the habit of wearing the red gem around his neck, so why not add something else? “Thanks,” he chuckled, looking at the bandana. He’d never been part of a club or anything like this in Dragon Territory. It was fun just being a frivolous child.

“Hey, are you sure about this?” Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash and Nel sat atop a cliff not too far from Ponyville. The three of them were there for a very big day: the day Nel would take flight once more! …But, his choice of stress tests was beautifully questionable.

“Now, now, Scoots,” Nel chided, “Don’t you know? I’m never sure of anything!” He opened his wing, grimacing at the scar there. “The doctor said that I should be able to fly now. I wanted to try one of the most stressful flying techniques out there to test out the integrity of my wing.” It was just too bad that the doctor also said the scar was going to follow him into adulthood. “Besides,” he spun around to face the two, “Who better to have around than the fastest and second fastest Pegasi in Ponyville? If something goes wrong, you two can catch me.”

The two Pegasi looked at one another. It was a bad idea and they all knew it. What if they couldn’t catch him in time? Sure he was a dragon, but a fall from this high was a death sentence for most any creature. It was survivable for an older dragon, but it was a death wish for a kitten like him.

“Ready?” He stepped up to the cliff’s edge, looking over at the ground far below. He breathed in the fresh air, reveling in the strong breeze. He’d missed this. Flying made him feel free. That was the same thing he’d heard from that griffon and it was the same way he felt about it all. It made him feel free. He glanced back at the two Pegasi.

Both Rainbow and Scootaloo were ready to take off as soon as he did! They would do everything in their power to catch him.

Without anymore hesitation, Nel leapt off the cliff. It was relaxing to simply enjoy the breeze, but it was an absolute adrenaline rush to go into free fall like this! It was something didn’t experience back in Dragon Territory. The skies were something far too dangerous for a young wyvern like him. It was only thanks to his connections that he was able to learn how to fly at all! With a smirk, the dragon opened his wings. He felt some stress on his newly healed wing, but it held together perfectly! He expertly caught the air and flew with the two Pegasi serving as his safety net.

It was an amazing thing to not only see a dragon fly, but to fly with one as well! Even though his wings were part of his arms, he flew just as blissfully as they did.

Scootaloo flew beside her friend. Even with the strong obsidian blade on the edges, his wings against hers was a friendly and welcomed feeling. She actually wondered if he knew what that was to Pegasi. He knew ponies, but he obviously didn’t know enough. Did he know that was a sign of affection for Pegasi? Even if he did, she decided to ignore it for the time being and just enjoy the flight.

Rainbow Dash was flying above them and spotted the odd touch. One part of her questioned if it was a fluke, but the other questioned if he’d done it on purpose. …But, of course, if he had, then what did that mean for their friendship, or was it more than that?

Now that he had his wing back, Nel was as cheerful as the day he’d learned to fly! He strutted down the streets of Ponyville with a wide grin on his face. He was happy to be around such friendly ponies. It was a welcomed change from the cold, mean spirited dragons back home. Above all, the young dragon couldn’t help but think about his new friends and even the mare that had so happily taken him in.

Without a doubt, Fluttershy was the kindest pony Nel had ever encountered. Honestly, it was to be expected from the Element of Kindness. She was deathly afraid of adult dragons, but her fascination with the younger dragons in Ponyville had prompted her to take him in. She’d selflessly taken him in and was the main pony looking after his wellbeing.
Nel was glad he’d been taken in by the gentle pony, but he did have to think about it all. He was staying at her cottage, sleeping in her bed, eating her food… How was he going to pay her back for all of this? Sitting by the fountain in Town Square, he couldn’t get that thought out of his mind. With all that she’d done, how would he repay her? The thought swam in his head for most of the day, but he’d come up with only half of an answer for it. He’d have to pay her back for all the food, the room and board, taking her bedroom and all the other precious commodities he’d taken from her. He snapped his fingers. “I’ll get a job.” That was the best answer he could think of. Jumping up, he took to the air and went to find himself some work.

“No…” The black wyvern sat up in a tall tree, marking on a map he’d made. He marked the locations with a sliver of coal. “I can’t dig up gems like Spike,” he mused, marking off Rarity’s Carousel Boutique, “I’m not as strong as Apple Bloom or Applejack,” he stated, marking off Sweet Apple Acres, “And I’m not so sure about baking with my flames…” The last time he tried anything of that nature, he’d burned his meal. He let out a heavy sigh. “And I’m not qualified to work anywhere else…” Maybe he wouldn’t be getting a job today.

“Ugh!”

The kitten’s ears perked up at the sudden noise. He shoved his map back into his bag and looked around for the source of the sound.

On the ground, there was a mare struggling with a large box. The pegasus struggled with the package, but she failed to get it far before having to put it back on the ground. Even using her wings, she couldn’t get it very far.

“Hm?” The black dragon got down from his perch and darted over to help the pegasus. Before he was even seen, he lifted one side as she lifted the other. “You looked like you needed some help,” he stated quickly.

The mare looked around the box, but couldn’t see his face. “Oh, uh, thanks,” she chirped. She walked the box over to a house with a thatched roof and knocked on the door. “I didn’t think any pony was going to help me!”

“Well, I just thought it’d be good to be nice…” He helped her carry the box into the house of a unicorn and his earth pony friend. …Though, he highly doubted that they were just friends. Setting the box down, he caught the confused look on the pegasus mare’s face, but remained professional.

“Thanks, Ditzy,” the unicorn chirped, giving the mare her bits, “I didn’t think it was that big.” He went to Nel and gave him several bits as well. “You’re always doing something for some pony, huh? Thanks for the help.”

“It wasn’t a problem,” he purred before making a quick exit with the pegasus. No matter what, he and Fluttershy would always have that in common: they both hated too much attention. Once out, he sighed, trying to retain his calm composure.

“Thank you.”

Nel quickly turned, finding the grey pegasus trotting toward him. “Oh… Really, i-it was nothing.” He went into his bag, retrieving the bits he’d gotten. “Um, don’t these belong to you?”

“Oh, no, no,” she giggled, “That’s yours. You do the work, you get the pay.” It was nice to see someone so young and so willing to help.

He paused for a moment. He knew the mechanics of a job, but he’d never actually been a part of it. He’d especially never seen had a pony pay him for helping. Any time he’d gotten money, it had been as a hand out, not for a service. With a shrug, he put the money away. It was apparently his now anyway. “Um, ma’am? I admit I haven’t been looking for long, but do you know anywhere I can go to find a job?”

The pegasus hesitated. He seemed nice and she knew he was a strong little one with the way he handled that package. “Hm… Well, why not ask for a job at Sweet Apple Acres? I’m sure they’d love to have the help.”

“The only place they need help is in the orchard and I’m not strong enough to knock the apples down like them,” he stated, walking with the pegasus. He had a very good balance between strength and speed, but he didn’t have enough to excel in either.

“Hm…” She thought of the way he’d coordinated the battle six days ago. It took one with serious thought power to do something like that in so little time. “Ms. Rarity told me that she was looking for an assistant. Maybe you can keep her in line.”

“Doesn’t the other dragon, Spike, fill that position?” He could still imagine the times he’d seen Spike swoon over the unique unicorn.

“Yeah, he does, huh?” She couldn’t keep from giggling at Spike’s infatuation with her. She was sure it would turn into something more sooner or later, but he seemed like a love sick puppy sometimes. She thought again, but then glanced at the small dragon.

He was smaller than her, but he seemed as mature as her daughter. His newly healed wing was flight approved and ready for use. He’d even gone off and made a map of Ponyville in his notebook! “Hm…” He turned his large green eyes to meet the mare’s yellow. “Do you think the post office is hiring?”

A wide grin crossed her face. “You’ve definitely come to the right mare for that!” She started strutting down the streets of Ponyville with more pride. “I’m the town’s mail mare.”

“So, I have to ask you for a job, then?” he asked with a chuckle. He stopped following as soon as he realized where they’d gone: the post office.

The post office in Ponyville was a cozy little building. It was a nice building and was well kempt.

Nel looked up as soon as he noticed that the mail mare had gone in already. He hastily followed her in. “S-so, uh, would it be possible to get a job here?”

The pegasus was going through the many letters and such in the office, gathering those that belonged in town to deliver to the ponies in Ponyville. “Yes, but it’s a demanding job.” She let out a short chuckle. “It’s a wonder that I ever get it done on time…”

“Huh? What do you mean?” He couldn’t see anything wrong with the pegasus. It did strike him as odd that she didn’t just fly back to the post office, but that was because he’d been around Rainbow Dash so much.

The grey pegasus leaned in close, beckoning for him to do the same. Without a word, she let one of her eyes go askew! “I’ve got a lazy eye…! I can’t fly straight because of it.” With a little effort, she put it back on center.

That answered that question. Normally, Nel was incredibly nervous under a pony’s scrutiny, but he was completely comfortable around this pegasus. Now, he could see that it was because she wasn’t looking directly at him as much. He cocked his head, trying to roll the information around. “That’s… Actually kinda cool…” He’d never met a pony with a lazy eye.

“Thanks,” she giggled, “But, if you want to work here, then I have one question for you. Are you ready?”

It was strange, even by Nel’s standards. This mare was obviously old enough to do whatever she wanted, but she acted like a big filly! Nel barely contained his laughter. Putting on a determined look, he let his grin show through. “Bring it on!”

The mare was actually quite glad that he had a good sense of humor. “My question is simple, but it can have any number of answers. My question is: when can you start?”

“H-hey!”

Nel flinched, stopping abruptly at the sudden call. This had happened to him several times in his past two weeks in Ponyville. It was usually from a pony that wanted to thank him for protecting the town. Looking around, he relaxed a little—only a little—when he saw that the pony vying for his attention was a colt close to Scootaloo’s age. “Uh, you called me?”

The unicorn trotted up to him in a hurry. “Yeah, uh, I was wondering if you could help me out.” The colt had a grayish coat and a choppy, dull orange mane. He seemed nervous and jittery, but nowhere near as anxious as Nel was.

“Um, okay…” Surprisingly, this wasn’t uncommon. Every other day, Nel was being asked for favors and help from ponies, but normally it was from ponies he knew. This random pony was someone he’d never met before. He was sure he’d probably seen the colt once or twice around town, but he couldn’t figure out where from. “What do you need?”

The colt shifted nervously, almost as if he had something to hide. His horn popped alight with a pale blue glow as he retrieved something from his bag. “You hang out with Sweetie Belle a lot,” he stated, giving him the envelope, “So, would you give this to her?”

The kitten took the note, keeping a neutral expression when he saw the heart sticker holding it closed. “Okay…” He tucked the note into his bandana instead of shoving it into his bag. “Um, you wouldn’t happen to be Snips, would you?”

He put on a friendly grin. “Yup, that’s me!” He suddenly became oddly eager. “Why? Did Sweetie Belle say something about me?” He was just a little too happy to have the marshmallow white unicorn as the topic of their conversation.

Nel bit his lip. “Y-yeah, she has said something about you…” He didn’t think it would be a good idea to tell him what she’d said, though. His mind went back to the conversation the Crusaders had about crushes and their opposing sexes. …The comments he’d heard about this unicorn were none too flattering. “I-it’s nothing!” He turned to make a hasty retreat. “I’ll get it to her in no time!”

“Thanks!” Snips chirped before going his own way. He galloped off to meet up with his friends: another unicorn and an earth pony.

Nel didn’t pay them too much attention. He took flight and got his distance before letting his mind wrap around the thought. Why would Sweetie Belle turn away a keeper like him? He’d be the last to ask about a pony’s appearance since he was one of the strangest sights in Ponyville, but even so, this colt seemed nice. …So, what was the deal between them?

On days like this, nothing was better than a stroll through town. Sweetie Belle was one of many ponies that could find the simple pleasure in this. Trotting through town, she hummed a merry tune and looked around at all the ponies she passed by. She knew most of them from living in Ponyville so long, but the merchants on the streets were the ones that confused her. Was Ponyville really that perfect for business? She’d have to ask Applejack sometime. The white unicorn would probably see her again soon any—

A large branch feel from the tree the unicorn trotted under. It hit the ground hard and barely missed hitting her!

She counted herself lucky to have missed the massive branch, but that only made her question what had made it fall. Looking up, she saw a familiar sight in the tree.

A young black wyvern clung to the tree, digging his claws into the bark. He honestly thought that branch was going to hold him. Once he caught his breath, he looked down and found a grinning unicorn looking up at him. “Oh, hi, Belle,” he meowed nervously.

“Hi, Nel,” she giggled as he made a surprisingly nimble landing, “What were you doing up there?”

He let out a short sigh. “I was going to take a nap, but my tree limb broke…” He looked at the unicorn’s green eyes. “What were you doing?”

“Taking a walk,” she stated, going back to her comfortable stroll. A smirk crossed her face as the dragon joined her.

“Uh, b-by the way,” he stammered, “I was kind of wondering about you—er you and a colt I met yesterday…” He pulled the letter Snips had given him. “He wanted me to pass this along to you.”

She levitated the note in front of her, opening it with little effort. “A love letter?” she questioned aloud, “Who’s it from?”

“A unicorn named Snips,” he stated, “He was really nervous about it, but he was really excited about… You…?” He trailed off once he read Belle’s expression. She definitely didn’t look happy.

She let out a heavy sigh. “He really went to you?” she asked in an annoyed tone, “I’ve told him a hundred times that I don’t like him, but he still tries to make me!”

“Really?” He didn’t think that was their connection. If nothing else, he thought that Sweetie Belle would be flattered at that notion. “Well, why don’t you like him? He seems nice enough. …Kinda jittery, but I’m really one to talk…”

She managed to keep from laughing at the comment, but a grin still crossed her lips. “Snips has liked me for years, but he’s so immature! He still thinks that teasing a filly is the way to tell her that he likes her…”

“So, I take it the spitball I found in your mane the other day was from him?” He couldn’t imagine a colt like Snips doing that. …But, then another thought caught the kitten. “Question… If you don’t like Snips, then what are you looking for in a colt?”

She hesitated. It was easy to see what she didn’t like, but what did she like? It was an interesting question, she had to admit that. “W-well…” She paused, trying to think of an answer. “I guess it’d have to be some pony mature, but fun. He has to be smart, too, and friendly.” She paused for a moment, looking up at the clouds. “Some pony dependable—oh! And some pony who can get along with me and my friends. That’d be the perfect pony for me.”

He let out a short chuckle. “That sounds like the perfect mate for just about anyone…” He trailed off toward the end. It could have been his imagination, but had she listed most of his traits?

Dragons like the Narga were known quite well as nocturnal creatures. They would generally hunt at night and sleep most of the day away. That could have been the biological reason for Nel’s sleep habits, but he chose to ignore that. After almost three weeks of living with Fluttershy, he’d learned how to tell when she was asleep or awake. Tonight, as soon as the timid pony fell asleep, he snuck out. Scaling the wall of her cottage, he made his way to the ground. A night time stroll wasn’t too much to ask for, was it? …But, he’d have to get past the security bunny first.

Angel Bunny had apparently had the same idea as the young dragon. He was hopping around, checking on the other animals around Fluttershy’s cottage. He came to a quick stop once he saw Nel and stood to confront the wyvern. What was he planning on doing?

He cautiously looked around, making sure the other animals weren’t awake. Quietly, he shushed the rabbit. “I couldn’t sleep. I’m just going for a little walk. Don’t tell Ms. Fluttershy, alright?”

It was only a few days into the dragon’s stay in Ponyville when Angel noticed that he could almost perfectly communicate with him instead of the game of charades he usually played with Fluttershy. The bunny raised a brow, thumping one of his large paws at the wyvern. Where exactly did he plan to go at this hour?

“Huh… Good point… I guess walking through town would be kinda useless, huh? No pony’s awake at this hour…” He shook off the thought. “I guess I’m gonna take a little fly to tire myself out. Ms. Doo doesn’t need me at the post office tomorrow anyway.”

The bunny couldn’t fight that argument. He shook his head. Nel was a trustworthy wyvern. What was the worst that could happen to him? So long as he was back before Fluttershy woke up, there was no problem.

“Can do!” the wyvern meowed, “I’ll be back soon, Angel!” Without anymore hesitation, he spread his wings and took flight, heading off into the night. With the work the weather team did, the skies were beautifully cleared and perfect for a midnight flight.

Ponyville was quite peaceful at night. It was hard to find any pony that wasn’t out cold, excluding the Golden Oaks Library.

Nel made a quiet circle of Ponyville, pointing out the homes of ponies he knew, landmarks he’d photographed and the homes of his fri—“What’s that?” He descended on the forest of apple trees known as Sweet Apple Acres. He’d expected the family of farmers to be sound asleep in preparation for the day to come, but some pony was still awake and they were roaming the orchard. With practiced precision, he swooped down, landing in a tree before making his descent to the ground. Instinctively, he went into predator mode. What if the wandering pony was an intruder on Sweet Apple Acres? …Or worse, another monster from Tartarus. He silently stalked his prey, getting as close as possible.

The pony wandered the orchard aimlessly, completely oblivious to Nel’s presence. It was only until the pony heard his growling that they stopped to find the source of the terrifying sound.

The wyvern pounced! He jumped on the pony, putting them on their back in only a fraction of a second! ...But, he was smarter than that. He lifted his claws to strike, but hesitated long enough to identify the pony. “Apple Bloom?”

The youngest of the farmers looked up at her friend in a panic. She knew the dragon could move faster than she could follow, but this was a little much. “N-Nel? W-what’re you doin’?”

“Oh… Sorry…” He absently scratched at his scales. “With all the monsters and stuff, you can’t really blame me for being paranoid…”

“Yeah,” she giggled, but then a thought hit her. Her yellow cheeks turned a bright red. “Uh, ya mind gettin’ offa me?” She’d almost missed how awkward an embrace they’d made with the way he’d almost torn into her.

The kitten let out a squeak and hopped off of her. “Sorry!” He quickly helped her to her hooves, feeling awkward to be under her scrutiny again. “I guess not sleeping during the night makes me more absent minded…”

“Or a little more frisky,” she teased, going back on her path. She didn’t even need to look at him to see the embarrassment painting his face.

He managed to suppress his camouflage reflex before going to join her. “I know I can’t sleep, but why are you out here? Shouldn’t you be sleeping for apple bucking tomorrow?”

“Nah,” she chirped, “I’ll be okay. Anyway, don’t you sleep all day? Shouldn’t you be asleep?” She didn’t have any reservations about turning the question around on the nervous wyvern.

“Yes, I do sleep all day,” he purred, “But, that’s because I don’t have as demanding responsibilities as you.” He quickly scaled a tree and swiped two apples before getting back to the ground. “You know,” he began, “I’ve been talking to the other Crusaders. I got kinda curious about Sweetie Belle the other day, so…” He paused, feeling that familiar nervousness again. “I-is there any pony in town you like? You know, a-as more than a friend?”

Apple Bloom stopped in her tracks. That was something she’d been trying to give more thought over the years. It hung on her thoughts when she was growing and it took her attention every time she fell victim to a mare’s curse: heat. “Well… I-I dunno…” She couldn’t think of any pony she could really connect with in town. Her attention was brought back to reality by a red apple put into her line of vision. Looking up, she found the wyvern’s glowing green eyes and a grin on his face.

“It was just a question. You don’t have to grill yourself over it.” As soon as she took the apple, he found a spot under one of the many trees and sat down. He bit into the juicy apple as the pony sat beside him. “I mean, hell, I’m not an expert on girls. I just try not to think about it too much.” He knew what to look for in a mate and how to get their attention, but he highly doubted that presenting the biggest and best corpse would impress a pony the way it would a Narga. “You just need to let things happen naturally.”

“That’s what Applejack told me.” She looked at her reflection in the shiny red apple. The wyvern could definitely pick out a good apple when he wanted to. “And a lot of fillies I know have got special some ponies already!”

Nel let out a short chuckle and gave the earth pony a playful nudge. “Like I said, don’t worry about it! I’m sure you’ll find the perfect mate for you soon. I guess it’s just like your Cutie Mark: it’ll happen when it happens.” He took another bite of his apple, but he couldn’t help but think about the interesting marks his sharp teeth left in the apple.

She let out a short sigh. “Yeah, you’re right…” Taking a bite of her own apple, she couldn’t help but wonder about the dragon sitting next to her. “Do you have a special some pony?” As soon as the question left her mouth she regretted it. He was a dragon after all. What were the odds that he even liked ponies?

He opened his mouth to eat the rest of his apple—core and all—but he hesitated. “Well, no, but I don’t really know many ponies that would give a dragon a chance…” He was sure that even Rarity was still on the fence about Spike and not for his age.

That was strange. How often would a pony get the chance to make a relationship with a dragon? She would have thought that some ponies would have jumped at that chance! Immediately, she tried to think of something—anything really—to dispel the dragon’s nervousness. “W-well, I’d date a drag…” She tried to stop herself, but that failed the moment she let the thought slip.

A wide grin crossed the wyvern’s face. “Or really?” He playfully poked the pony. “You’d date a dragon? You better be careful, then! I might end up trying to seduce you.”

“I-I didn’t mean it like that! I meant I…” She tried to think of an excuse, but each one made her sound more suspicious. With a sigh, she quickly gathered her thoughts for a legitimate excuse. “It’s just… Well, Applejack, Big Macintosh and Granny Smith always told me that if I like someone it don’t matter if it’s another filly or a griffon or a dragon! …I just didn’t know what to say…” She let out a squeak when she was suddenly pushed over and, oddly enough, used as a pillow.

“Commendable values,” he meowed, laying on the filly’s side, “Dragons are kinda the same. Smaller dragons—dragons like me, actually—get ponies for mates all the time. It’s not like we just shun them for liking ponies.” He pulled up his tail, checking his quills. “I’m sure ponies don’t burn bridges just for who they like. Aren’t you all supposed to be tolerant?”

She was honestly amazed with the way he’d so easily made such an awkward topic into something so trivial. She actually wondered if he could do that with any topic. “You’re takin’ this well,” she giggled, “I thought you’d be nervous…”

“Oh, no, I’m nervous,” he purred, “I’ve just been taking lessons from Pinkie Pie. That pony’s screwy, but really fun. How is it?”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “If ya did her voice, you’d sound better,” she teased. She’d never actually had a moment like this with any pony. It was nice just talking freely with him like this. She actually wondered if he’d be free to talk like this again tomorrow night.

“Damn it!” Nel flew as fast as he could, trying to get back to Fluttershy’s cottage. Looking back toward the east, he could barely believe that he and Apple Bloom had stayed up all night just talking! He could imagine Angel’s face already. ...Or worse, even, Fluttershy’s panicked face. If his math was right, he only had a few more minutes until Fluttershy woke up and he had to be inside by then! He landed on the side of the cottage, latching onto the foliage that covered the house. Quietly, he pulled himself in the window he’d left open, closing it behind him to keep inconspicuous. He pulled back the covers to climb into bed, but hesitated when he heard the door open.

Fluttershy trotted in with an angry glare marring her normally angelic visage. “Just where have you been all night, mister?” she asked. Sadly, most of the vigor was stripped from her tone by the volume she demanded with.

He shrank away from the angered pegasus. “I-I was at Sweet Apple Acres, t-talking to Apple Bloom…” He didn’t think Fluttershy was capable of such anger. “I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a midnight fly a-and I saw her trotting around the orchard… I just wanted to help…”

Fluttershy had actually questioned the effectiveness of her stern stare against the wyvern. He was a trained hunter and he even fought the same monster that scared her stiff with only a growl! Her glare melted away as the kitten cowered from her. Even if he was a predator, he was still a child. She gave him an affectionate nuzzle. “It’s alright,” she cooed in her normal, soothing tone, “Just, please, don’t run off like that again.”

He quickly relaxed with the gentle touch. If nothing else, he was glad that Fluttershy didn’t stay mad for long. “Alright,” he purred, “Thanks… B-but, uh, how did you find out I’d left?” The blankets still had his hand prints in them from when he’d left! There was no way she’d been in there to check.

“Oh, Angel told me,” she said immediately, “He was so worried about you that he went to check on you before I woke up!”

“Huh?” Nel leaned over, spotting the white rabbit at the door. Though he was thankful that the bunny was worried about him, he was still annoyed that he sold him out so quickly. He looked back at the timid pegasus. “So, I’m not in trouble or anything, am I?”

“No, not this time,” she teased, “But, don’t make me worry like that again, little mister!” Almost immediately, she deflated, fidgeting the same as him. “I-if that’s okay with you…”

“Of course not,” he purred, returning her affectionate nuzzle. He didn’t want to worry her anymore than he had to. …And he desperately hoped he didn’t have to.

Comments

[The Changeling Spy]

There is only one thig that is really bugging me.
Is everyone part cricket or something? They seem to be chirping a lot...

[DJ Dreamscape]

What's the song Nel sings? I'm curious