> The Dragon And The Pony 2 The Adventure of Parenthood
>  by Azure Drache
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Guess Who's Coming For Dinner!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluffy first rubbed her head against my chest, then moved up my throat, nibbling on my scales, making room for her fleecy side to take the spot at my chest. “So nervous.” she purred. 

Yes, purred. Despite the fact that she was a pony, a pegasus, she had learned how to do that. Could be that her ability to turn into a Kirin, with a little help of an old artifact that is, helped with that. Anyhow, it was good enough that my dragon ears didn’t complain.

“Of course I am,” I replied. And I had a very good reason for it.

Fluffy reached my jaw and rubbed her snout against it. “Don’t worry so much, they are just your parents. They will be happy, don’t worry.”

Since I was sitting at the entrance of my outer lair with a fresh spring like morning breeze playing around my tail, I had my claws free to hug Fluffy, which I did. ‘Don’t worry’, easier said than done. I admit, the first eight month of her pregnancy had done her well, and it was hard to worry with a slightly out of shape, fluffy, cozy, and fleecy pegasus mare in your claws, but still, it was my parents who where coming to visit.

“Easy for you to say, your parents are two harmless, fluffy pegasi.” (The meeting with them had turned out quite well, since both of them loved to be lifted up and cuddled by their soon to be son in law.) “The only one of you family who tried to tear off my head was your cousin.”

Fluffy waved that off with a hoof. “Daring just was a bit overwhelmed by the news.”

That was the understatement of the century! She was about to make her next book’s title: ‘Daring Do and the Headless Dragon’. “You had to pull her off of me, remember?”

“Details… “ she snorted and wished away my objection with more cuddling. 

In a different situation, I would have taken advantage of this, very much to my delight, I had found out that her pregnancy had increased her interest in sex significantly. After a few months, Fluffy was always somewhat horny, like a unicorn, but better. I mean, I am naughty, but now it was her who growled when I tried to rise out of bed without ’cuddling’ her first! Though, with my parents showing up soon... not now.

Speaking of them, I saw two spots in the sky approaching my, or better, our lair now. So I let my claw run down Fluffies soft back and gave her a naughty little slap on the flank before I pointed at the spots, saying: “That must be them.”

With a little growl, either from my naughtiness or our inability to make use of it, I’m not sure which, and a quick lick over my jaw, she let go of me and returned to my side, awaiting our guests.

*

It was my father who landed first. He is a black dragon like me, though, his scales were more polished than mine his claws filed, and he was over and over loaded with baggage. Of course mother wouldn’t allow it any other way.

“Son,” he growled, showing his long white teeth.

“Dad,” I answered, matching his growl.

We approached each other, slowly, spreading our wings, threatening, hissing… and then hugged.

“Good to see you son, it has been a while.”

“I know.”

“So where is this dragoness you wrote about, and more importantly, where is the egg?” He patted me on the shoulder. “I was quite proud when I read that you found a mate so soon.

“I didn’t write about a drag…”

“Oh, what is this!? You have a pet!” My father rushed over to Fluffy, and, ignoring her offered hoof, picked her up and held her like a pony would hold a foal in his arms, belly up, and started to stroke over her head. “Oh isn’t it cute! What is it? Look at these feathers!” His head sprung up to me, “It has feathers!” 

That should tell you where I got my liking for cute and fluffy from. 

“Yes dad, could you please place her down again, carefully.”

“Oh, it isn’t that bad,” Fluffy said. “It is quite comfortable.”

“And it can talk! Amazing!” My dad shouted out. “I need to convince your mom to get us one too!”

I faceclawed. Awesome, my dad mistakes my marefriend as a pet and she is totally ok with it. Great start! Really great start! 

“Dad, she is not…”

A loud impact interrupted my words when my mom landed.

Well, let me take a moment to introduce my mom before we go on. She is light blue, unlike me and my dad, and is taller, not to mention much stronger, than both of us while still looking quite gracile. You could think of her as some kind of noble, if we dragons had those. Anyway, she is from an upper social class, (how my dad was able to claim her is its own story), and all other dragon tribes show her and her kind respect. This respect didn't extend to me or my dad however, seeing as we were black dragons and only black dragons in other dragon’s eyes.

Yes, that should be enough for now, let me continue.

“Mom,” I said bowing, “welcome in my lair.”

Generously, she gave me a nod, allowing me to raise up again. “At your lair, son, not in, we are still outside.”

“Yes, mom.” And there was the reason I so rarely invite them to visit.

“And look at yourself? Is this how you great your mom properly?”

My scales were freshly polished and irreproachable. Still I said, “Sorry mom.”

“And you could have decorated the cave entrance a bit too.”

“Yes, mom.”

Now Fluffy giggled, causing my mother to raise an eyebrow.

“What is it, that giggles there?” my mother asked.

“It is his new pet.” My father answered and turned around to his wife, presenting Fluffy. “Look how cute it is.” He started to tickle her to cause her to make more giggling noises. It worked. “Can we have one too?” Now my fathers looked up to my mother with pleading eyes.

“No, you can’t have a pony, Slasher. Now place it back on the ground.”

With a loud unhappy ‘ohhh’, my father did as he was told. Fluffy however gave him a rub with her head before returning to my side. I had told her before that she could wrap my father around her hoof by being cuddly. It is a family weakness at my father's side.

“Your letter raised a few questions, son,” my mother got back to the topic. “You wrote nothing about your partner's scale colour, her size, her house, and there was also nothing about the egg. I must say, I am disappointed.”

“Actually,” I rubbed my snout, “it’s quite complicated.”

“I am listening,” my mother said.

“Uhm… can’t that wait a moment?” I asked.

“No, and where is your dragoness in the first place?” my mother demanded to know. “Your partner should be at your side when your parents arrive. Such effrontery!”

“Uhm, hehe, funny that you mention that,” I started and pushed Fluffy a bit behind me, “actually, she is.”

“Where?” My mother looked around. “I can’t see her. Is she green or yellow, hiding in the bushes?”

“She has a coat of ocher, and she is not hiding.” 

“If she is not hiding, then why can’t I see her?” My mother wanted to know, and my father had started to look around in confusion too. Both of them hadn’t noticed that I had said coat, not scales.

“And there is no egg, since she is pregnant,” I finished my explanation.

Well, this statement obviously meant nothing to my father, since he was as clueless about what a pregnancy meant as I had been. Though, my mother's eyes instantly locked on Fluffy, telling me she knew what it meant, and, seemed to put the pieces together for who my mystery mate was.

Her claw scratched a deep furrow in the ground and a growl came up her snout, causing Fluffy to duck behind me. “That is all your fault!” she half shouted, half roared as she grabbed my father by his throat.

“I have… no clue… what you’re... talking about!” Slasher managed to say. He wasn’t stupid enough to show any signs of resistance towards my mom.

My mother let go of him, and while he still coughed, she pointed at me. “How?!”

“Well… “

“I think one could blame me for this... incident!” Another calm voice sounded up from the top of my lairs entrance. Fortuna, self appointed goddess of luck, had decided to show up. 

“Great, exactly what we needed,” I mumbled. I did remember how helpful Fortuna, and even more so Aphrodite, were in bringing me and Fluffy together. But also how they were to blame for why Fluffy’s belly had grown by a good bit.

“My apologies for not giving you a previous warning my dear, but it was serious goddess business.” She opened her wings and flew down in front of my mom.

“Fortuna,” my mom said with some disapproval in her voice, though not in anger anymore. It shouldn’t surprise me these two knew each other, but it did.

“Yes, Perle des hohen Berges?”

Just so you know, of course my mother had a name in old draconic, meaning ‘Pearl of the high mountain’. Though, she had a lot of titles like it, but that is for later.

“How do you think that that,” my mother pointed at me and Fluffy, “ is for the benefit of my family?”

Fortuna shrugged. “I only know that it was her wish.” She pointed at Fluffy. “He was interested.” Now her claw moved to me. “And,” her claw pointed back at my father, “that he, had thrown a bit into one of my fountains with the wish to have grand hatchlings.”

My father shrunk a good bit under the gaze of my mom as she suddenly turned towards him.

“I see. And you spared no thought about how that will influence the politics of ‘The Roof Of The World’?”

She was referring to the immortal dragon city, on top of the highest mountain we dragon's were able to find in the world. A cold and windy place, if I may say.

“No, not at all, there is a greater purpose behind this after all. These two, or more accurately, soon to be three, will play a part in the great game.”

“And what part would that be?”

Fortuna waved her off with her tail. “You will find out soon enough.”

“I would like to hear that too!” Fluffy shouted.

Fortuna just gave her a very quick look and a mischievous grin. “All in due time. For now, I should be going.” And with those words, she snapped her claw and away she was.

“Typical!” Fluffy snorted and stomped a hoof. “I will have a serious word with her when she takes over the role of godmother!”

“Godmother?” My mother repeated a bit confused. “I think you two have a lot to explain. Though, that was already a lot of news for one minute.” She massaged her temples. “My son will be the father of some dragon-pony halfbreed, more so his firsthatched, a goddess has her claws in the game too and will be part of the family soon, and, from what I see, my son is going to keep the mother of the halfbreed at his side too.”

“Doesn’t sound that bad,” my father said, walking over to my mom and rubbing his head against her side. A thing only a very, very select few dragons are allowed to do.

“And I remember, I told you, that I don’t want to see you throwing bits into that fountain!”

“You didn’t see me,” my father said with an innocent smile, rubbing his head more passionately against her.

My dad isn’t really able to show open resistance to my mom, mostly because of her standing, but he is able to avoid her orders to an extend. If she didn’t love him so much, he would have likely been killed by now, several times in fact.

“Alright, let us go in, settle down, and then you two can tell me the whole story,” she shook her head, “maybe we can get something good out of this after all. Having a goddess as the godmother for the child may help improve its reputation.”

I could have let that happen, I mean, it had gone quite good so far, thanks to Fortuna, but there was a little thing that must be taken into consideration when it comes to dragons, so I moved into the way of my mom and stopped her.

“You need to greet the… Lady of the Lair before you enter, and she wants to greet you too, mom.”

I know that this would anger her, but if I allowed my mom to enter my lair without doing this, it would place Fluffy very low in the hierarchy, and that could be dangerous when she was going to lay, uhm, give birth to my firsthatched. Her position in my family must be secured, and the way to achieve that was to get my mom to respect and accept Fluffy as my mate here and now.

Not hard to guess that this interruption to her plans was not taken so well, and so she growled. This caused my instincts kick in, telling me to bow and step back as fast as I could.

But I resisted. “Mom!”

She turned to me and presenting her teeth, growling deeper.

I turned my face away, unable to hold her gaze, but I stood my ground. “Mom!”

“It is not so important!” Fluffy tried to calm things down, unaware how important it was for my mom to acknowledge her.

“You will greet my marefriend, mom!” I managed to spit out between gritted teeth.

A roar was my mother's answer, pushing me back a few feet and down, making my inner dragon scream in horror and fear. Yes, this is an ability of my mother's kind.

Sweat formed on my forehead as I rose back up, but I was not willing to let her get away with it. I may be more of a black than a blue dragon, but a part of me was from her, so I did what was otherwise unthinkable, I bared my teeth and growled back.

Now it was my father who became angry, he wanted to storm forward and teach me a lesson for speaking this way with mom, but she held him back. Seeing how serious I was, and how much it meant to me, she gracefully rose to her full high and slowly walked over to Fluffy, who had hurried to my side as soon as my mother’s growl was gone.

I knew I could count on my mother’s love. She loves both of us, my father and me, otherwise…

“Then introduce us, son,” she demanded.

I shook off the remains of my mother's… magic would be the wrong word, let say ability, and bowed formally before her.

“Mother, may I introduce you too Danger Do from Equestria, daughter of Gold Digger Do and Cloud Planter Do. Cousin of Daring Do, the adventure. Also, an adventure herself, chosen by Fortuna, goddess of luck, recommended by Aphrodite, goddess of lust, finder of the collar of fire, able to turn into a kirin with it, and,” I paused, “my marefriend, soon to be mother of my firsthatched.”

My mother nodded generously.

“And may I introduce you, Danger Do, to my mother, Perle des hohen Berges, wife of Fast Slasher, tamer of storms, windrider, ice crusher, Lady of the two rivers and Eye of the Everlasting Mountain.”

Yes she had some more titles, but I needed only to polish Fluffies reputation here, so…

Fluffy bowed deeply with spread wings and greeted my mother appropriated.

With this out of the way, I stepped aside and invited my mother into my lair. I was sure she would find enough to complain about in it, as soon as we had the more urgent stuff taken care of.
> Fluffy Magic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“That is enough.” My mother pushed her nearly empty bowl of gemstones aside. “Let us talk about you and your little-” she sighed “-marefriend.”

Here we go. Sure, it had been clear to me that my mom would address this in all likelihood sooner rather than later. I just hadn’t been expecting it to be this soon 

The dinner had been going quite well up unto that point, we had informed my mother about the details surrounding how Fluffy and I had come together, starting with Fluffies braveness in the tavern, all they way to the point of Deus ex fructices, the goddess out of the bush as our child like to call it later. Sadly, Fluffy’s bravery didn’t impress my mom, though, at least Fortuna’s appearance somewhat had an influence on my mother's opinion. For good or bad? I couldn’t tell.

My mother pointed at me. “I don’t approve of your relationship.” Well, she got straight to the point. “Nor am I fond of the idea that the two of you are living together the way you are and will be having a hatchling together.”

“Mom!” I complained indignantly while Fluffy slid nearer to my side.

My mom hit the table with her claw. “What? Did you think I would approve of this kind of relationship? That I would come here and praise the connection of my son, my firsthatched, to some lower creature from a foreign continent?” She snorted. “Of course not!”

I laid my arm around Fluffy. “I had at least expected you to give us a chance, mom! That you wouldn’t immediately dismiss the possibility that we could be happy together and were worth your approval! You didn’t even try to give this a fair chance!” I raised my free claw in anger. “You haven’t even thought about what we just told you!”

“Oh, I have, son, I’ve considered what you’ve told me, but have you considered all the problems this will cause? Have you even a clue about the problems you will face?”

“If you mean the politics of… “

“I’m not talking about politics, son!” My mother growled in frustration. “The impact on politics will be disastrous, no doubt, but that’s something I will have to handle now.” She waved the topic away with her wing. “But that is not what I am concerned about!”

“And what are you concerned about then?” I asked harshly. The fact that my mother was so closed minded about me and Fluffy from the moment they had met infuriated me!

“That she will leave you heartbroken! That you will be lonely, crushed, unable to feel anything after she has left you! That I will lose you, son! Lose you to the point that I won’t be able to bring you back!”

“I don’t plan on leaving him!” Fluffy had decided to join the discussion, shouting over my mother and I’s bickering. “We may not have been together for very long, but, well-” She rubbed over her belly “-we have some good reasons to give this a serious try!” She then rubbed herself against me. “And for now, we have everything we need to make this work!”

I wrapped my wing around Fluffy. “As if you ever cared about my happiness, mom. So much for giving this a shot, huh? You’re already expecting us to break up after seeing us for not even a full hour.”

“If it were only that easy,” My mom said, holding my gaze. “If you two would only break up and go your separate ways, it would make things so much easier for you.” She held my gaze while she slightly shook her head. “No, son, I’m not talking about you breaking up, I am referring to the two of you staying together, maybe even having even more hatchlings. After all, you already have one goddess behind you, maybe even two, that are likely to cause trouble.”

“I don’t follow you, mom,” I said, and exchanged a quick confused look with Fluffy. “Why would I be heartbroken if we live happily ever after?” I saw in Fluffies eyes that she didn’t have a clue either.

“I see,” my mom nodded and clicked with her claw on the table for a moment. “I see.” She took a very deep sigh before she gave us the explanation.

“How long do you think ponies live, son?”

“Uhm…” That question had caught me unprepared, actually, I hadn’t thought about it until then. “I don’t know.” I gave Fluffy another look. “Maybe three centuries? Four with a bit luck?” I turned back to my mom, “Why?”

I felt Fluffy’s uneasy moving in my arm.

“Some of them don’t even last one, son, they die before they even get out of the double-digit range.”

My jaw dropped. Unbelieving, I looked down at Fluffy, seeking eye contact. This couldn’t be true! Sure, subconsciously I was aware that she would not live as long as a dragon, but under a century… nonsense!

So when our gaze met, an ice cold shiver ran down my spine as I saw in my mates eyes that what my mother had said was true.

“You… you really…?” I stuttered.

“Mhh mhh,” Fluffy seemed to be a little unsure about how to handle the situation. For her, it was not that big of a deal to be reminded how old she may get. But for me, considering the fact that I may very well see my sixth century, it was a very depressing thought to know that she would pass away not even halfway through my lifespan.

If I hadn’t already been sitting, I would have needed a chair.

“The same goes for your children,” my mother went on, knowing exactly where to place the talon to hurt the most. “As a halfbreed, or breeds if you have more, they will have a lifespan somewhat between yours and hers, probably two centuries, maybe three. Who knows.” She lowered her voice, speaking in a more bitter tone. “Fact is, they will all die before you do, son.”

My mother wanted to say more, but my dad laid a claw on her side. Under normal circumstances, my mom would rebuke him, but he shook his head and nodded in my direction, requesting my mom to give me a moment. After all, I was his child too.

Like I said, my mom loves my dad, so instead of telling the lower ranked black dragon where his place was, she indeed gave me a moment to let this wisdom sink in. 

“Are you alright?” Fluffies soft voice penetrated my thoughts. She rose from her spot and moved over onto my lap, rubbing her nose against mine.

“I… I will be okay, just give me a moment.” I pulled her into a hug and let her softness push away my sorrows about the future. “I hadn’t expected your species to be so… short lived.”

She spread her wings under my arms and returned the hug, then laid her head on my upper chest, listening to my heartbeat. “I must confess, I didn’t think you would live that long either,” she said while her wing petted my back, “The fact that you assumed I would live for several centuries tells me that you’re not going to be passing away any sooner that that, right?”

“I may be here for five or six more centuries.”

“Ohh… “

“Yes, ohh.”

“That is a lot of time,” Fluffy told my chest scales.

“Yeah… “

“Enough to even see your grandhatchlings die,” my mother added.

I stared at my mom, gritting my teeth, pushing the words out from between them. “Really mom?”

“Maybe even the next generation after them too, if you are lucky,” she continued unimpressed, doing her best to make me feel miserable.

“Could you please just keep your snout shut?” I asked angrily, and far bolder than I would normally be in the presence of my mom.

“Why should I, that is what you get for copulating with a lower species.”

“Mom!” I pushed Fluffy aside and rose from my chair.

“Yes, son?” she asked in a calm, even more annoying voice.

“That is enough!” I yelled while whipping the ground with my tail.

“I decide when it is enough, son,” The word son was emphasized in a way that I knew I had to be carefull, my mom was an azure dragon before anything else. “You seem to have put very little thought into all of this, time for me to remind you of the reality you have created.”

“The reality I created?” I was this close to growling at her. “It wasn’t like we had much time to think this through you know!” I lifted my claw and stretched one talon out, pointing into the distance. “ Fortuna set events into motion before we even had our say in the matter! And Fluffy is not from a lower species!”

Now my mother rose from her seat too and leaned over the table. “And you decided to keep her by your side! More so, you want to raise some halfbreed hatchlings with her!” She started to growl. “And ponies are a whole step down, son!”

“They are not! And Fluffy is special, she is my mate!” I bared my teeth, though I was not able to growl at her. “I will raise our child with her, mom, whether you like it or not!” 

She snorted. “You should have gotten rid of her as soon you found out she stole from your lair! Killed her as soon as you had your claws on her again!” my mom yelled in all seriousness.

This statement made me speechless for a second.

“It would have spared us all the pain!” my mother added, though this sentence was spoken to noone in particular, and without her growling or showing any signs of annoyance.

However, I was too angry to recognize this, failing to notice she had said us, not you. 

“How dare you to even suggest that!” Now I was able to put at least a little growl in my voice, it wasn’t much, but it was at least something.

“Why? Because it is the truth?” My mother’s eyes became slits as her tail swung left and right in anger. “You know it would have been the dragon way! No creature is allowed to steal from one’s lair and live!”

“It was different!”

“No it was not! Just because you mounted her doesn’t mean you had to spare her life!” She released a deep growl and scratched a groove in the table. “See what it brought you!” Her talon pointed at Fluffy. “A mate you will outlive by far and a child that will be no different!”

“That’s easy for you to say! Just because your heart fell for some creature that will live as long as you will!” I snorted in my dad’s direction. “Speaking from your high perch down to me who had the misfortune to fall in love with someone who will not be there for as long as I am!” I gave the ground a second whip with my tail. “Of all the things you could have brought up, mom, it had to be something that painful, right! Something you knew would hurt me more than anything, but doesn’t affect you!”

To my surprise, my mother didn’t respond to that immediately, instead, my father took action and grabbed her claw, holding it. But I was too angry to give this a second thought.

“You come to my lair, and instead of being happy for me to have found a mate, you have to point out her short life and the pain it may cause me when she passes away! A pain you have the luck to never have to feel yourself!”

“Enough, son,” my father said loudly but calm.

I grunted. “It was clear you would join her side on this, you have too.”

“No, son, I would have supported your mother here, even if I didn’t need too. You don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Is that so?” I growled. It had never had been a problem for me to growl at him. “What do you know about this, huh?”

“More than you know. You should take a moment to think, son.”

“More than I know…” Pushing my anger aside for a moment, I took into consideration what I had seen and heard. After all, when my father had asked me to do this in the past, he had had his reasons. Still, the reality of the situation needed a moment to push through my anger, but when it did, I was able to start putting the pieces together. 

There was my mom, looking at me with a gaze like stone, obviously angry, but also strangely calm. Then there was my father, holding her claw, his own claw pale from the pressure my mom was putting into the grip. Both of them had gone silent, and I wondered why, until the answer seemed to slide into place.

In that moment, I realised that I had never asked my mom how old she was, nor how old she would get. It simply never came up. I guess that may be the dragon way of raising a hatchling, since my firsthatched had started to ask me those types of questions regularly as soon as they were able to talk.

I swallowed my anger at my mom’s solution to the ‘problem’ and asked her right away. “How old are you, mom?”

She growled.

“How old does an azure dragon get?”

She only growled deeper, but my father’s head went to me and his lips formed two simple words. “Too long.”

That knowledge hit me like a rock. I mean, normally it would have just been an interesting piece of information, but with what my mother had pointed out a minute ago…

I had just gotten a taste of what true loss felt like with the understanding that Fluffy and our children would pass away long before me. It was a horrible feeling, but I could only imagine what it must feel like for my mother, knowing now that she would not only outlive her own husband, my dad, but in all likelihood me, her daughter in law, and a series of grandhatchlings too. A circumstance born from the fact that I had chosen a short-lived mate instead of a dragoness.

Suddenly my anger vanished, replaced by a deep feeling of sadness.

I must say, my mother always kept her distant from me and my dad. We were her family, but due to our lower in rank in the dragon hierarchy and her elevated position, we were handled differently from how one would expect. Don’t get me wrong, I never doubted her love, but it always felt like there was an invisible wall between her and us. With this new knowledge, that she very well may outlive all of us, it was less of a wall to keep us out, and more of a wall to protect herself.

And she knew exactly what she was talking about when she pointed out how much pain it was going to cause when Fluffy and I would not only stay together, but also raise a child. For her, it was another generation of her family she would have see fade away.

I gulped. “Mom, I…”

Her gaze bored into mine and I had to look away. Despite the fact I wanted to apologize, holding the gaze of my mom when she was angry was already hard, but when you know you had been wrong… . When she pointed out the problem, I had only thought about the impact it would have on my life, not even thinking about her situation. Urg, that didn’t make things easier now.

“See, mom, I… “

“Spare me your pity,” she growled.

“Mom, really I…” I started, but again she cut me off with a move of her claw.

Darn, we dragons weren’t that good with words to begin with, and this highly emotional stuff… it simple wasn’t part of my education. I felt bad for my mom, despite the hurtful things she had said. 

Luckily, even if I was unable to make thing right again, I had a very fluffy and diplomatic marefriend who was more than capable of handling emotional situations. As hard and as rough we dragons are, we were no match for the soft and good mindedness of the pony species. More so when they were pregnant.

So Fluffy took things into her hoof, and without warning, she started to cry. No, that was not the normal procedure, this was owed to her condition causing her emotions to get mixed up. Though, it was not crying of sadness, it was crying of compassion, something ponies were especially good at. 

Fluffy rose from her chair, and, like one of this fat bumblebees, she flew over to my mom and wrapped her forelegs around her throat. Good thing I had established her position before we had gone into my lair, otherwise this could have turned out very dangerous, given what my mom thought about our relationship.

So I witnessed my mom get her first claw taste of pony-magic herself. I saw how it worked on her mind, how she was trying to put a wall between her and Fluffy, but also how she failed. Fluffy’s pure show of compassion, without any trick or ulterior motive like a dragoness would have, worked on my mom. 

Instead of using her claw to get rid of Fluffy by pushing her away, she placed it underneath Fluffy’s hooves, helping my very short-winded pegasus maintain the hug.

“I thank you for your compassion, Lady of the lair,” my mom simply said.

“I am sorry for causing you even more pain,” Fluffy responded, sobbing while increasing the pressure of her hug. “It wasn’t my intention!”

“It is not… “ my mother started, but then stopped herself. I guess ‘your fault’ was what she had planned to say, which would be far from the truth. In actuality, it was Fluffies fault, as well as my own. “It is alright,” she said instead. 

And it was, at least between Fluffy and my mom. Of course, my mother was still against our relationship, but now that I knew her reasons, which were understandable, it was no longer a thing between her and Fluffy.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t say the same for her and me.

I turned away and let Fluffy deal with this. Anyways, it was a bit much for me to handle at the moment, and with my mixed emotions, I may only make things worse. It was not only the idea that Fluffy would fade away far sooner than I had expected, or that my mom actually had reason for being against our relationship. The problem laid a whole step deeper. This new side of things brought a new light on my mother and I’s past, more specifically, how she raised me and later treated me. Till now, I had always thought my mother, well, I knew she loved me and my father, but I assumed she was a cold hearted dragoness on the inside, with the reason having its origins in her being an upper class azure dragon. Now, however, it was more likely that she was  just trying to protect herself from the inescapable. Seeing me and my possible children pass away. Not that this reason reconciled my feeling on how she had raised me.

“I’m going to fetch some fresh air,” I announced over my shoulder while moving towards the exit, not without stopping at the fridge and grabbing a bottle of cider though. Like I said, it probably was for the best to leave them alone for a while, and I didn’t need to worry about Fluffy since my mom was already under her fluffy spell. Also, the protocol made her inviolable anyway, and of course, some fresh air would do me good.

*

I slowly rubbed one of my talons over the label of the bottle, a gesture that for some reason I had noticed other species do a lot while enjoying their drink. I wasn’t sure why they did it, since it didn’t give me any surprising thoughts, but thinking about it gave my mind a much needed distraction.

The bottle was only half empty at that point, despite the fact it had been maybe half an hour since I had gone outside. Must’ve been due to the fact I hadn’t really been thirsty in the first place. It was good cider, a brand that was hard to get around here, but I played more with the bottle than actually drinking from it.

I sighed and lowered it without taking another sip. Instantly, my mind returned to the unwelcome question of my relationship with my mom. I had always thought it was the dragon way, let your hatchlings grow a bit and then let them find their own way. More so when it came to my mom, who was more than just one step higher in rank than me, her offspring. But now, I wasn’t so sure anymore. Could my mom have been more of a family dragoness if she had just wanted too? Was the distance between us just something she willingly established? And my name, my real name, was it just something she gladly accepted to increase the distance between us?

So many questions, so few answers.

And there was another, how would that affect her role as a grandmother? Would she keep her distance the same way she had done with me? I worried a bit until I remembered that there were still some new relatives from overseas that had more than enough love and cuddling to offer. I bet even Daring would drop by every now and then to check in on her…  niece ...nephew? One of those. 

Whatever our child will be, since Daring and Fluffy are cousins, it would technically make our child Daring’s first cousin once removed, but I think we’ll just go with aunt and niece or nephew.

No, I really didn’t need to worry about our child not getting enough love from the family. Though, when it came to my side of the family, only time would tell how that would turn out. Oh, thinking of it, I felt a smirk work its way onto my muzzle. Knowing my father, he would surely insist on visiting us and demanding his right to play with his grandchild, if it was at least somehow fluffy or cozy. A possibility that was all too likely given what their mom was like.

Speaking of him, I noticed him approaching through the tunnel behind me. I didn’t need to turn around to know it was him, Fluffy didn’t have such a long gait, and even if she did, her hooves make that lovely clippety-clop whenever she walked on the stone. And I could rule out the possibility of it being my mom, seeing as she wouldn’t come to me, I would had to come to her.

So I rose from my spot next to my lairs entrance, revealing my position. No use in having my dad walk right past me and start flying around trying to find me. I didn’t turn around though, if he had something to say, he would need to make the first move.

Yeah, I know, it was a stupid way for us dragons to display dominance, but that was the way things were between me and him. There was no invisible ‘wall’ between me and my dad, but we were both males. Some things never change.

I could feel my dad struggling a bit with the fact that I was not turning around and showing him the respect he possibly deserved, but also, there was something on his mind he wanted to talk with me about, so it was on him to start the conversation.

He took his time, taking the spot next to me at first and spent some time after that drinking from his own bottle that he had snatched from my stocks. It could be that he thought that it would trigger me to say something, but it didn’t.

“You know what, son? I could get used to this, a warm lair and cold drinks, not vise versa as it is at the Roof Of The World.”

I stayed silent. I had no intention of discussing lair management and placement with him.

He took another long sip and then let his claws click against the glass for a while. “Look, son, your mother… “ he stopped, causing me to finally look over at at him.

“She will grow to be a little bit older than we will,” he tried again. “She has to deal with it in her own way, it is not for us to judge how she does this.”

“Not for us to judge, heh?” I snorted and looked into the distance again. “Yeah, we're just her family, nothing too special. Why would that matter when she's making a decision? It's not like family means anything. That’s what you’re try to say, right?”

“Not really. It is more that your mother must keep a balance between being a wife, a mother, and an upper class azure dragon. It is not easy to achieve that balance, if she goes too far in one direction, the whole thing would collapse.” He released a short monosyllabic laugh. “Imagine it like the wheels on a cart, if one wheel is bigger or smaller than the others, it will not work.”

“Did you just compared our family to a cart?” I raised an eyebrow.

“You know what I mean, son. Don’t play the fool with me here, will you?”

“Why not?” I shrugged my wings. “It wasn’t your mother who tried her best to keep your relationship as distant as possible.”

“No, my mother was far worse. I haven’t seen her since I left her lair, around fifty ot years ago.”

I waved him off. Even if I had never seen her, I knew my grandmother from his side wasn’t allowed to visit The Roof Of The World since her and her mate were only black dragons. Yeah, this meant my father is a pureblooded black dragon.

“She didn’t really have a choice, right?” I asked. “After mom caught you, your own mom didn’t have the option to even see you anymore, that is, if she even found out what had happened to you in the first place.”

“She didn’t exactly try, even in the years before your mother caught me,” my father explained in a calm voice. I listened very closely for any sign of grief in his voice, but there was none. And it seemed he really was alright with it, judging by his next words. “And why should she have? It’s completely normal for black dragons to abandon their young after a while.” He turned to me. “Or any dragon for that matter.”

That statement had gotten him my full attention, as I was astonished at hearing this. “What do you mean that is normal? I can’t remember you showing any intentions of wanting to kick me out. You just let me be until I left on my own.” 

When I was growing up, I never felt like my parents would force me to leave or that they would prefer me to not be around anymore. Sure, they did let me be after I finally left, like I mentioned before, but did they actively supported it, no. The only thing I could remember that might be related to this was my mother's strict enforcement of her superior position and using that to forbid any dominance fights between me and my dad.

She didn’t forbid me from challenging her though, but that was a ridiculous prospect in the first place. Not even during my, what you might call the dragon version of puberty, was I stupid enough to challenge her.

“I wouldn’t call what I did there normal for a black dragon, son, and your mother would have ripped my head off if I was to blame for you leaving.” He smirked. “She was really clear about her wishes in matters concerning you.”

That surprised me even more. “Is that so?”

“Yes,” he grinned and took another sip. “Let me quote your mom as best as I can remember.” He straightened up and spoke like he was addressing something smaller than him on the ground. “If our son ever leaves our home, and I have even the smallest inkling that you are the reason, you had best fly after him and bring him back. Otherwise, I will be adding your wings to my hoard, understood?”

“That’s what she said?” I asked with curiosity, as well as doubt, in my voice. “That doesn’t really sound like her. I had the feeling she was somewhat glad I left when the time came.”

“Mhh, she had mixed feelings about it. Of course she was glad you developed into an independent dragon, but her motherly heart was crying that day.”

I looked back into the distance, letting my thoughts wander through my memories of that day. “She sure was good at hiding it then.”

“Centuries of practicing self control.”

I played a moment with the bottle before I asked the question that surely had to follow that statement. “How old is mom, dad?”

“Older than me.”

I only could assume the age of my dad, I had never asked him about it either, but if I had to guess, I would say he was around his late sixties.

“Not a big of a deal considering you’re still one of the younger dragons in the immortal city.”

“If you really want to know, you have to convince your mom to tell you.” He shook his head. “I am not stupid enough to tell you myself.”

“So you do know.”

“I am her husband, what do you think that is good for?”

“Well, you are no longer her sexslave because of that. Before you two married, that’s mostly what she kept you around for after she captured you from what I’ve heard.”

Now my dad laughed. “Yeah, this is definitely an improvement, but no, that was already gone by the time she layed your egg. Being her husband gives me some more rights in regards to us cohabitating, though, within the limits of still only being a black dragon.”

“Hmm… “

“Let me tell you something about dragons, son, and about your mom’s relationship with you.” He took a seat on one of the rocks. “You may think she kept her distance at all times, but that is not really true.” He raised a claw to stop my protest before I had even said a single word. “I know, but let me tell you the whole story before you bring up your objections.”

I took a deep breath and released a small smoke cloud before I took seat on another rock. “I am listening.”

“See, dragons normally just feed their young and teach them how to hunt, how to stay alive and care for themselves before they let them go. Normally before they reach an age that qualifies them to challenge the authority of their parents.” He pointed at me. “I do remember how you wanted to challenge me during your puberty before you mom had a serious roar with you.”

“I do remember that,” I suddenly had to shake a bad feeling off. “Nothing like an azure dragon roaring at you to get any thoughts about speaking up out of your head.”

My dad nodded. “Indeed. Anyway, it is not, and I repeat, not, normal for a dragoness to spend several hours a day with her child to play with it and later to teach it non basic survival stuff.”

“For that not being normal, she did put a lot of effort into it.”

“Do you think it is normal for you to not only speak two languages, but that you can also read and write both of them?”

“Uhm… “

“It is not common, I doubt there is more than a clawful of black dragons who can speak old draconic, not to mention write it.”

“Heh, and what is your point with this, dad?”

“The point is that your mother does care for you, she really does, you can see it with everything she did for you.”

“She had a strange way of expressing it.”

“Balance, son, all about balance. She spent far more time with you than a dragoness normally would, and she also checked on you from time to time, also something unusual.”

I rolled with my eyes. “You mean the few visits you two made during the years?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, “once you left, it would had been totally normal to not even spend a single thought on you.”

“I guess visiting once or twice a year still counts as not spending much thought on me.”

“It is not like I wouldn’t come by more often if I had the choice you know?”

I gave my dad a longer look before I sighed and responded. “Yeah, I know.”

It was true, my dad was more of a family dragon then my mom was, no matter the basic dominance conflicts between us.

Thinking of that, a mischievous thought crawled it's way into my mind. “It's a real shame you probably won’t get see your fluffy grandhatchling that often with how frequently you visit. Not to mention Fluffy and her family when they also come to visit.”

I saw on his face that this thought hadn’t found his approval. So I decided to add a little oil to that fire. “You know, they are pegasi too, meaning they are literally a bunch of walking balls of fleecy feathers that are very soft to touch. And the last time I met them, they seemed to like it when I picked them up and cuddled them,” I added, not even trying to hide my smirk anymore.

Okay, with the exception of one very overprotective cousin maybe, and brother, but he doesn’t need to know.

“I think your mother can be convinced to check on you more often,” my dad said, more hopefully than really convinced. “Raising a half dragon is not an easy task after all. More so with a mother that isn’t fireproof.”

It took me a second to follow his sudden change of topic. “What do you mean?”

“Well, there is a high chance that your child will be able to spit fire when it gets older, right?” He gave me a look to see if I was with him on his thoughts, and when I nodded, he continued. “Seems you forgot about fire coughing and diseases like that? If you are not careful, your child could very well set your mate on fire.”

“Ohh… “ I placed a claw on my snout. I really had forgotten about that little detail of dragon childhood. It hadn’t been that big of a deal for my parents to handle them. The worst thing that had happened was that I set some furniture on fire. They were the only flammable object in range anyway. In this case however, Fluffy counted as flammable too!”

I let my claw slide down my snout. “That will be fun.”

“Not to mention the other dragon habits that may develop, like finding something to sharpen their claws on, biting your tail, and later, challenging your dominance. If, they stay that long in your lair anyway. They could very well leave as soon as puberty kicks in.” He flickered his tail, “I don’t know how these ponies act when they grow up, but with being a halfbreed, they very well could leave far sooner than you imagine.”

“I don’t think I’ll have to worry about the dominance part, not even if it was a full blooded dragon, but what do you mean by leave so soon? I never felt the urge to leave during my… difficult times. That came later.”

“Because your mom had told you not to. She has quite an influence on the instincts of lower dragons.”

“I am a part azure dragon myself, dad.”

“Is that so? I never noticed.”

“Dad!”

“Alright,” now he smirked, “why don’t you go in there and tell her your opinions then? Straight to her face? I am sure there are a few complaints that you’ve accumulated over the years.”

I waved my tail in frustration. “I’ll pass.”

“I thought so. Speaking up to her is never easy, not even as her husband.”

I just grumbled.

“But this is something you have to take into consideration! Your offspring may want to leave and create their own lair far sooner than you or your mate would assume, ... or like.”

“My mate has a name dad, Danger Do, it would be nice if you used it”

“Sure, still, keep that in mind, son, raising a half-dragon can turn out quite difficult for your m… for Danger Do. Though, on the upside, I think that the pony part of your child will be far more easy to handle for you.” He looked back at the lair. “I mean seriously, son, hooves and feathers? I see why you mounted her,” he nodded in approval, “but having a child with her is something different.”

“Not you too, dad! Were you even listening when we explained the reasons to mom?”

“Yes, I did, but still…”

“It was Fortuna’s doing, not mine. If I had known what she was up to, I would have obviously used protection.”

“Would you have?” He gave me a honestly curious look. “Are you sure about that?”

“Mhh... “ I took a moment to think this through, I was still not so fond of the idea of becoming a father this early, but on the other claw, it had gotten me Fluffy. It was a question I would have to think about for longer. “Actually, I am not quite sure. Sharing my lair with Fluffy is… kind of nice. I would miss her if she wouldn’t be there.”

“You would miss her, or her body?”

I smirked. “Both. She can be a bit strange sometimes, and we still have to get used to each other's quirks, but I like her personality as much as her fluffy body.”

“Good for you, otherwise this would have become a problem sooner or later. Raising a child can pull at your nerves, and I can tell you this from experience, it will definitely reduce your fun times.”

“We will see about that.” I wanted to say more, but I noticed the sound of hooves coming from my lair. Fluffy was about to show up, and it was not wise to worry her with dragon stuff given her condition. Not to mention, she may not approve of me and my dad discussing my sexual interest in her. I mean, for us dragons, it was quite normal to speak that openly about our desires, but for ponies… 

So, when she stepped out of our lair, I simply walked over to her and stroked over her back with my head, purring softly.

She returned the favor by using her wings to pet me. “Your mom wants to see you, both of you,” she said with a nod to my dad. “I think she’s calmed down enough to continue a civil conversation, though, you should avoid the theme of age for a while.”

I moved my head to Fluffies neck and nibbled on it a bit, knowing it made her crazy. It was my way of saying that I approved of her diplomatic skills. I knew she would get things back in line. Though, the final words between me and my mother still needed to be said, I knew then would not be the right time.

At that time, however, I enjoyed the little noise of pleasure Fluffy made, and took the playful and disapproving hit from her wing.

“Your dad is watching,” she said smiling. “Save your naughty tricks for later.”

I purred in approval of the idea, though, my mind was still a bit distracted by the problems my dad had mentioned. Even if I didn’t like some of his opinions, he had been a great help, and I should reward that.

“Hey dad, my fluffy marefriend seems to be a bit tired, would you mind carrying her back? Carefully!”

Very enthusiastically, he nodded. “Sure!”

I lowered my head to Fluffies ear. “See it as a part of our diplomatic negotiations,” I half whispered, half purred into her ear when she gave me a raised eyebrow. “My dad gave me some useful advice, and allowing him to carry my fluffy treasure back home is a way of showing my gratitude. Not to mention, I seem to remember you like getting carried around.”

She snorted, but did so magnanimously. “In the name of diplomacy,” she said, and allowed my father to lift her up, cuddling into the most comfortable position she could.

I had to smile, one thing was for sure, my father was a big fan of my choice of mate, no matter what he would say in the presence of my mom.

***
   
Hmm, that should give you enough knowledge about how things were between me and my family, and that was what you asked for right? So let me tell you in advance that the differences between me and my mother were not settled that day, nor during their whole stay. 

My parents gave us some more advice though, it seemed to be more difficult to raise a halfbreed than I expected. Anyway, that’s only the boring stuff, me and my parents talking about dragon matters is not the most exciting thing in the world I guess, so let me grab a drink and then I’ll tell you about the birth of Fluffy and I’s child, that should entertain you far more.

That much I can assure you already, it was a very nerve-racking day for the both of us.
> Birth of a Legend
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, now you will get to hear about something I rarely talk about, me, getting nervous!

So, the day of the birth, that was something! One moment I was laying in our bed, sleeping, peacefully cuddling my fluffy marefriend, when suddenly, she sat up and started to whimper loudly while pressing her hooves into her belly.

Of course, that woke me up. Fluffy quickly and forcefully grabbed my wing, seeing as it was the closest thing to her belly, I could hardly blame her, before I even was fully awake and started to whimper once more.

“I think it's time!” she pressed out while sweat formed on her forehead.

My head sprung up and I waved my tail tip like a rattlesnake. “You mean, the baby is coming?”

“No silly,” she started to curl up out of pain, “I mean the train will arrive!” She groaned, “Of course it’s the baby! And it seems it is really eager to…” the rest of her sentence got cut off by another whimper.

“Okay, okay!” I started and half jumped out of the bed, only held back by Fluffies grip on my wing. “I’ll get the midwife… if you let me leave that is.”

Her grip got stronger for a second before she let go. “Yeah, sure…” she started to breath faster and sunk back into her pillow. “I’ll just wait here!”

I rushed out of the room, nearly turning the door to splinters by my enthusiasm, and yelled all over my lair, “Helping Hooves! Helping Hooves! Get over here! The baby is coming!”

Of course, that not only woke up the midwife, but everyone else in the lair. My Dad, Fluffies parents, her cousin, everyone that wasn't already awake, like my mother. 

Yeah, I was not too fond of Daring being here too, but as I found out, it is common practice to have the ones closest to the pony giving birth around for when they have their first child. This, to my chagrin, meant that Daring was included in this case, though, fortunately, her brother hadn’t come.

Anyway, it didn’t take me long to reach Helping Hooves’s door, and without hesitating, I pushed it open and yelled loudly for her to wake up. Straight into her face actually, since she was already on her hooves and had been standing behind the now open door and had barely been missed her when I had thrown it open.

While she was still a bit dizzy from my screaming, I grabbed her and pulled her out of the room, pushing her in direction of Fluffy and my sleeping room.

“Quick! The baby is coming!” 

Well, of course I was told how long the birth would take, meaning that it could very well be quite some time till something would actually happen, but I was far too excited to remember at that moment!

“Is it time?” Fluffies mom peaked out from their room, looking at me and the midwife as we passed.

“Yeah.” I nodded hastily without slowing down. “The blows have begun.”

“We’re going to be grandparents!” Fluffy’s dad shouted loud enough that I was able to hear him from outside their room. 

Cloud Planter, her mom if you remember, stomped with her hooves in happy expectation. “Our little girl will be a mom soon!” She turned around and clapped her hooves together, “I can’t wait!”

And neither could we, I took off towards my and Fluffy’s sleeping room, not sparing a second thought to Fluffy’s parents. I pushed Helping Hooves in and followed right after.

Even if I had been away for a minute or less, the scene inside the room had changed. Fluffy had made herself comfortable by taking all blankets and pillows and using them to build a cozy nest in the middle of the mattress which she was now laying on top of.  

I was impressed, but Helping Hooves was not. “Oh no, missy! You do not start nesting yet! She made her way over to the bed and removed some of the pillows by throwing them off the bed. “Come on, time to stand up and take a walk, hopp hopp!”

Fluffy just groaned, half in disapproval, half in pain. “I don’t think I can walk anywhere at the moment.”

“Good for you that I know you can.” Helping Hooves insisted, placed one hoof on the side of the bed and grabbed one of Fluffies forelegs. Carefully, but unyielding, she pulled, forcing Fluffy to raise up from her nest and get out of the bed.

Once Fluffy stood, restlessly stepping from one hoof to the other, Helping Hooves started to inspect her belly and other parts of her body. If another male had dared to touch her that way, I would have attacked him right then, but keeping in mind it was the midwife, I allowed it.

“Just as I thought.” Helping Hooves nodded. “It is way too early to nest now. The birth canal isn’t wide enough yet, so you have to trot around for a while first.”

“I don’t think I am able to trot around at the moment,” Fluffy groaned. “Why can’t I just lay in my bed and wait till this is over, huh?” She waved a bit as she talked, and it was no wonder, given that she looked very much like a barrel on hooves, a seasick, fluffy, barrel on hooves.

“Because that would not be good for you or the foal. Trotting around will support the contractions and eventually cause the amniotic sac to burst.” Helping Hooves nodded in the direction of the bed. “And you don’t want that to happen here, do you?”

“Right now, I don’t really care… “ Fluffy answered before another wave of pain coursed through her body and silenced her.

I rushed to her side and offered my wing as aid, which she gladly accepted. “I think the nest is the better choice.”

“No, it is not, now make yourself useful and take her out with you, the garden seems to be a fitting place.”

Despite the fact that I was a dragon and she just a pony, Helping Hooves was not satisfied with only giving me orders, in fact, she also started to softly push me and Fluffy forward.

Knowing my reaction to this, Fluffy quickly drew my attention to her again by a cleverly placed whimper and by increasing the support she needed from my wing to keep standing.

“Alright, alright,” Fluffy threw a last longing look at the nest she had build and started to trot to the door. “Come my big softy.” She grabbed my wing stronger. “Time for a little walk.”

“How long will this take?” I asked, a bit worried about Fluffies condition. Of course, she and the midwife had told me how a pony birth works, but I still had a hard time adjusting to experiencing it first claw. I mean, a hatchling just cracks the egg and ‘tada!’ there it is, but ponies…

“It shouldn’t take longer than an hour at best,” Helping Hooves reminded me. “After the amniotic sac bursts, it will only be a question of minutes till the foal shows up.”

“A full hour… “ Fluffy mumbled and threw an uncertain look at her belly, “this is going to be fun.”

“Don’t complain too much, there are species that take even longer, and once your child is there, you can return to your ‘nest’.” Helping Hooves shook her head while she walked next to us. “I’ll never get used to the fact that pegasi build those, I mean on clouds, okay, they get poofed afterwards, but on the ground, ney.”

“Unicorns don’t build those? Or earth ponies?” Fluffies voice was filled with doubt. “Not even with hay or something?”

“No, earth ponies just trot around restless till the foal wants to be born, and then they lay down where they stand and let things happen, while unicorns are just too fancy for that most of the time.”

“What do they do?” Fluffy asked, but before Helping Hooves could answer, Daring showed up, holding her head like this all was just another adventure. And I was right about my thoughts about her, as she moved to Fluffies other side, taking the midwife's spot. 

“Seems like this day starts with just another adventure, right, Danger?”

“Yeah, but this time there’s no doubt that I get the treasure,” Fluffy replied with a smirk.

“Sure you do, I don’t think I want that kind of treasure anyway.”

“What did you always say? Another day, another adventure, right? Means someday… “ Fluffy just smiled mischievously.

“Hey! I work alone, there is no place for a stallion in Daring Do’s adventures!”

“Working alone, huh?” I threw inbetween, “if you would be a bit nicer, you might get a stallion to help you with that.”

“I don’t need a stallion, I am very capable of rescuing the day alone.”

“He wasn’t talking about the adventuer part,” Fluffy giggled.

“He wasn’t?” Daring gave first her than me a confused look.

“I’ll explain it to you when you’re older,” Fluffy said shaking her head but giggling a bit more.

I rubbed my head against her and smiled myself. Being together for nearly a year had a good influence on her naughty humour.

*

I didn’t know what I should’ve thought about it. After we spent a little over half an hour walking around in my little garden, Fluffies blows had started to get significantly stronger and, well, it seemed the amniotic sac, as the midwife had called it, had burst. 

It was a mess, a very disgusting mess that no hatching species created when giving birth, but, that was something to deal with later.

For now, Fluffies dad had brought her a nice little cloud, something he said had helped to calm down his wife a lot when she gave birth. I was doubtful at first, but Fluffy had clearly relaxed as soon as she had the cloud under her back.

At the moment, she was laying on her side, panting heavily and holding Daring’s hoof. With every contraction, a wave of pain pushed through her body and she groaned loudly. Not to mention that it left me very restless and aggressive. It was hard for me to just stand there watching while my mate was in pain, it was not something we dragon's were used to letting happen. Normally, we just applied violence to get rid of every source of negative feelings for our mates, this meant we tear every poor being that was to blame to shreds, but here I simple couldn’t do that.

So I simply walked up and down, growling, making the midwife kind of nervous, though, she did her job.

“You must push!” she commanded right at this moment. “Push!”

“I am!” Fluffy yelled back with a suppressed scream of pain in her voice. “I am!”

“Do it again!”

“Come on, Danger, just a little bit more.” Daring stroke over Fluffies sweaty head with her free hoof. “It’ll soon be over!”

Another scream, this time only containing pain, escaped Fluffies mouth and I shredded a little tree in frustration and anger that I was unable to help.

“You're not helping here!” Daring scolded me and the fearful gaze of the midwife supported her statement.

I growled at her.

With a quick wave of her hoof, Fluffy requested my head in it. “Come… here… Big Softy… “ She had to stop and pant while I moved over, rubbing my head, outraged, against the soft inside of her hoof. “Every… thing… is fine. No… one is… hurting me, this… is… quite,” she groaned and I wanted to hiss at someone, no matter who, but she grabbed my head and continued as calmly as she could under this circumstances, “normal, it is… quite normal.”

My unhappy growling intensified.

“I know… I know… it will be… over… soon… “ It was quite strange, she was the one who actually had to endure the pain and the struggle of giving birth, but she was the one who was calming me down and giving me support.

Ponies…

Another, this time far heavier, blow struck, and Fluffies body shook in pain and cramps, but before I could move and tear somepony else to shreds, Helping Hooves screamed, “I can see the Claws!”

The moment had come!

All attention was now focused between Fluffies legs, were indeed a tiny pair of white claws were hanging out.

Claws were good! It meant our child was more dragon than pony! Though my father would complain about the eternal shame that his grandhat… birthling would be white!

“Keep pressing!”

Fluffy did, and I offered her my tail to grab onto while I moved to her rear end, spending my attention on our child who was coming out from her belly, something that still felt very strange to me.

Fascinated, but still astonished, I watched as our child made its way out, blow after blow it moved, first the claws, but soon, those were followed by some skin coloured arms, or legs.

I raised an eyebrow. There were no scales on its arms! And the skin was pink! I was shocked, there were no scales nor coat!

And then the head came out.

This was the first time I saw our child's face… and it was the most ugly creature I had seen in my entire life!

Only a few blue scales covered the nose and went up to its forehead, the rest was covered in wrinkled pink skin! The eyes were pressed shut forcefully and covered with wrinkled skin too, the nose was ruffled, the ears, while formed like its mothers, were without coat or any fluff, and the fact that it was covered with slime wasn’t exactly helping matters!

If I had pony like ears, I would have flinched them back now! Our child was so hideous!

“How does she look?” While there was still pain on her face, Fluffy managed to smile and look happy. Whatever she had seen in her vision about our… girl, she had asked how she looked, it must have been very different from what I saw at this moment.

I simple couldn’t tell her.

“A bit too much like her dad,” Helping Hooves answered for me, “but she will surely grow out of that and become a pretty little half pony.”

While I turned my head to Helping Hooves, unsure if I had heard right, Fluffy and Daring laughed.

“Hopefully,” Daring added. “We don’t want her to stay that ugly, right?”

There I stood, seeing our outstanding ugly daughter, and these three mares laughed! It was unbelievable!

While I was still unable to understand what was happening, our daughter made her way further out of her mom. It turned out, the scales from her nose continued over her neck and all the way down her spine till they ended at the start of her tail. A mix of dragon and pony tail that is. It had substance, it wasn’t only hair like Fluffy’s, but was very thin for a dragons tail. Also, our daughter had wings, something that wasn’t that surprising given that her mother and I had those, as well as everyone else in the family, it was still calming that they were there. Her’s were the fluffy ones with feathers though. Furthermore, her hind legs ended in split hooves, something that was, according to my knowledge, quite normal for the kirins. And, to top it off, she had a little cutie mark on both sides of her flank, something that seemed to confuse the present ponies for some reason. I didn’t mind though, all ponies seemed to have those, so it was the last thing I was worried about.

It was a little golden four clover leaf, the sign of luck, fitting if you ask me.

Still, what I was worried about was her general look, so few scales, pink skin, no coat, generally so… weak, and unfluffy! I didn’t know if I could get used to this. I confess, my heart was filled with doubt, but then, my daughter proved that she was worthy of my love and ignited the spark of my father’s pride just a moment later.

When she was fully outside, Helping Hooves cut the umbilical cord and picked my daughter up at her tail.

Even if I knew what would happen next, I was told a few dozen times, I had to bring forth all my willpower to not jump at Helping Hooves and tear her apart when she raised her hoof and gave my daughter a weak slap on her flank. I knew it was a common practise to support the breathing of a newborn child of ponies, but ugly or not, my fatherly instincts wanted me to protect my daughter.  

Though, like I said, my daughter earned my fatherly pride and love that moment, when a loud scream echoed all through my outer lair.

It was Helping Hooves who screamed in agony!

I can’t describe how proud I was. How my heart filled with love and pride till it wanted to burst that moment.

What had happened you ask? Well, pony foals may be helpless when they are born, but dragon hatchlings are not when they hatch. Our daughter, as a half breed, was kind of defensible, so when the midwife gave her the little slap... she didn’t take it well.

She burst into flames, like her mother could with the help of the collar, and had curled around the foreleg Helping Hooves was using to hold her like a snake and sunk her tiny, beautiful fangs into her!

So adorable!

Helping Hooves thought different about it though, and began shaking her foreleg in pain and horror, tring to shake off my wonderful, burning little girl. Without success of course.

Given the adventurer that she is, Daring of course quickly tried to act and help her, but I would be damned if I let her lay her hooves on my daughter before I had the chance to hold her myself!

I jumped forward and grabbed Helping Hooves by her neck with one claw, lifting her up and holding her still while I carefully took my daughters head in my other one. Slow and softly, I pulled her, along with her fangs, to get her off the midwife. A slight hiss was heard when I managed to get her fangs out of her victim.

The adorability had been doubled!

I brought my head closer to my daughter, and naturally, a purr built up in my throat. I wasn’t doing it intentionally, it was something that just happened as nature had intended it. It wasn’t some standart purr, one I could modify as I wished, like the cadence or the intonation, no, it was the purr of a dragon parent for his hatchling, or bornling in this case. It was a purr I never would forget in my whole life, and, neither would my daughter. It was my special purr for her that would identify me as her dad for all my life. The purr that established our family bond, and of course, my daughter had one for me in return.

While I was still unfurling her from Helping Hooves foreleg, my daughters head turned to me, and the hiss was replaced with a purr, a purr that she wouldn’t forget as much as I wouldn’t forget mine for her.

And something in my head clicked. This terrible ugly creature was my daughter, and I loved her.

I barely noticed how Helping Hooves, now free, ran away towards the little pond in the center of my garden and jumped right into it. My gaze was fixed on the little eyes of my daughter, which had now opened a tiny little bit, revealing two deep, sparkling, dark blue irises.

I moved my snout closer to her and our noses touched, giving her the chance to memorize my smell. She sniffed and placed her little claws on my snout, but since I wasn’t her mother she soon turned her head around, trying to find her.

“I think our little girl is looking for you,” I said, still with a little purr, and turned around to Fluffy. “Though, I don’t think you would like to hold her like this.” I gently stroked over my daughters head, trying to calm her down so the flames would vanish, but the birth and the little slap might have been a little bit too much fuss at the time.

Good thing we were prepared for this situation.

Fluffy giggled in joy and waved at her little daughter, before I turned around and moved a few steps back, knowing what would come next. Daring was also privy and stepped away too, not without quickly grabbing some of the midwife's tools first.

When we had reached a safe distance, Fluffy touched the collar she had constantly been wearing for the last two weeks and spoke the magic words. A loud bang was heard, the shockwave shook us and the surroundings a bit, and the cloud Fluffy was resting on ‘poofed’, causing her to fall a few inches onto the stack of, this time fortunately, fireproof pillows.

And now Kirin-Fluffy was able take her daughter in her own hooves for the first time.

I stepped closer and extended my claw with our daughter in it towards her, and, attracted by the fire her mother was now causing, our daughter stretched out her tiny claws for her.

Even my heart melted that moment when Kirin-Fluffy’s hoof touched our daughters claws, and after a quick sniff, she quickly climbed over to her mom, nuzzling into her fiery mane and was embraced in her mom's burning feathers.

I couldn’t resist letting out a nearly unhearable ‘ahh’, but Fluffies sensitive ears picked it up anyway.

“Big softy,” she whispered with a smile.  

“Don’t tell any creature,” I whispered back and moved my snout close to the spot our daughter was laying.

The little thing had made itself comfortable on her mothers chest, with her belly and head getting warmed by the fire of Fluffies mane.

“I wonder if she’s fireproof when she isn’t burning herself?” I couldn’t resist stroking her softly with my nose. “Though, she is quite ugly when she’s not burning, isn’t she?” I quietly asked with concern in my voice.

Fluffy just giggled.

“What? Haven’t you seen her? All the pink and wrinkled skin?” I looked up to Fluffies eyes. “She doesn’t have much of a coat or many scales for that matter.”

One of Fluffies wings stretched out for me and stroked over my head. “Silly,” she scolded me softly, “they will grow, she’ll be covered in a beautiful white coat, don’t worry.” She giggled again, “No way she’ll be as ugly as her dad.”

“My dad will call that a shame for the whole family,” I mumbled and gave her a lick over her cheek. “Did you just insult me?”

She tickled my nose with her tricky feathers. “Did you just call my daughter ugly?”

I snorted to get rid of the tingle. “You mean my daughter.” I added a nearly unhearable hiss to not disturb the little one we talked about.

“Mine,” Fluffy hissed back as quiet as I did as she added her second wing to our daughters back.

“Mine,” I responded and covered both of them in one of my wings.

Fluffy bit my wings radius, “Mine,” she mumbled.

“Deal,” I rubbed the top of my head against the back of Fluffy’s head and we both purred.

*

After we had our little family moment, it was time to present our little girl to the rest of our relatives. Daring was the first who got the chance to hold her, and I was too happy and proud to really complain. Fluffy waved her nearer with a burning hoof and removed her protective wings from our daughter back.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” Fluffy asked, keeping her gaze on our daughter, not giving Daring much attention.

“She is perfect,” Daring assured her, though I saw that she had as mixed of feelings about our daughters appearance as I did. Or she was just worried how she should hold her, even with the fireproof gloves we had organised for her.

“What’s her name?” Daring asked to buy herself some time, though, maybe out of real curiosity, I don’t know. I am still a bit biased about her. 

Fluffy looked up to me. Due to her not wanting to spoil which gender our child would be, we weren’t able to talk about a name till now. Sure, we could have considered names for both genders, but I refused to do so.

“Taking Lead?” Fluffy asked unsure.

“Mhh, why not something more dragon-like?” I suggested, giving my daughter a closer look. The little four clover leaf and the front claws instead of split hooves seemed noteworthy to me. “How about… Lucky Strike?”

A frowned eyebrow by Fluffy told me enough. “Lucky Hunter?” I changed my idea.

“Nothing that aggressive maybe?” she requested. She looked in the distance for a moment, thinking. “Leading Way?

“Fiery Bite!” Helping Hooves threw in, waving her injured leg in front of us. “Your daughter is… “ She froze when I brought my face in front of hers. I hadn’t paid much attention to her coming back from the pond, but I would not allow her to speak bad about my daughter.

“Lovely, quite lovely.” Helping Hooves finished her sentence, before she quickly stepped aside and grabbed some of her tools, bandaging her leg.

I kept my gaze on the midwife for a moment, only to snort and return my attention to more important things. “Lovely…” I said slowly, tasting the sound on my tongue. “Lovely Bite, that sounds good.”

“Lovely Bite Do?” Daring asked with a raised eyebrow, “that sounds horrible.”

“Do?” I asked. That was so erroneous that I hadn’t even thought about that. My daughter wouldn’t carry the name ‘Do’ around. She is part dragon, and dragons don’t have a family name.

“Yeah, ‘Do’,” Fluffies cousin repeated. “She is part of the family.”

“Yes, she is,” I spread my wings a bit. “Part of my family.”

“No, she is a ‘Do’,” Daring once more insisted. “Since you too aren’t married, she is first part of our family, not yours. And that also means that Danger chose the name, not you.”

I am quite sure she would have shouted the last part at me if my daughter wasn’t resting so peacefully on her mothers chest.It was the same reason I didn’t roar her back into her place actually. Instead, I just spread my wings out completely and lifted my claws off the ground, ready to bounce at her most silently.

No! What do you think I was going to do? I wouldn’t harm her at the birth of my daughter, nor in the presence of Fluffy, just pin her down and maybe give her a good spanking. I doubt Fortuna would have allowed me to do much more anyway. Remember, Daring is still protected by luck.

You probably forgot, but Fluffy didn’t. She remembered that there was no real danger to Daring. However, even with that knowledge, she was begrudging to let me have even that little bit of fun.

“Stop it, both of you.” She yelled, silently, but with some force behind it. “We will figure something out, peacefully.”

“But he,” Daring started, only to get cut of by Danger with a hoof wave. 

“If you make her cry with your shouting, cousin,” Fluffy softly stroke over our daughters back, “then Celestia may have mercy for you, but I will not.” She caught Daring’s gaze, “And not even Fortuna will save you from a mother's rage.”

Daring gulped, then she nodded.

“Same goes for you.” She pointed at me and my smile about Daring being put in her place vanished. “If you make the baby cry, not even your mother can protect you from me.”

Kirin-Fluffy really had a certain charm about her! I returned to her side and nuzzled her, not undermining her motherly authority, even if it was an empty threat, but expressing my love and liking of her being more bold when turned into a Kirin. And, by the way, not making the baby cry was the most important task I had in the following months. But more of that later.

With Daring and me no longer arguing, Fluffy thought of a way to find a solution. “I would like her to have the name ‘Do’ along her full name,” she said while rubbing over my snout tenderly, “though I won’t insist on her carrying the family name right in front of everypony.” She looked at me. “You know what I mean?”

“I guess so, I don’t want her name to be pony dominated on the other claw though.”

Both of us released a hum of thought.

I coughed. “Let me tell you something, not typical for me. I have a compromise to offer.” I really could see the ‘Big Softy’ in her eyes. I snorted. “What if we use your idea of leadership and just add a bit of fire to it? Like Fiery Leadership? I know there is no ‘Do’ in it, but you have your leader-thing in it and you can come up with a nice nickname containing a ‘Do’ later.”

“Like Fiery Do?” She suggested.

“Fiery Do?” I repeated, letting the words roll on my tongue a few times. “Yeah, that would… “ I paused for a second “Do.”

Her face expression was priceless. Though, I really wouldn’t advise trying to make fun of her family name if you weren’t me.

“Then it is settled,” she agreed, “Fiery Leadership, also called Fiery Do, daughter of Danger Do and Warm... “

I hished quickly, nodding in Darings direction.

Fluffy rolled her eyes and just formed the words with her lips.

Better.

*

Well, now that our daughter had a name, it was time to call in the rest of the necessary family, her and my parents. I don’t need to tell you this was going to be something! 

Of course, my parents were the first to join us, not because I don’t like my fluffy, cozy, parents in law, but because of my mothers standing. Having her not be the first to see her granthatch… bornling, would be a direct challenge of her authority, something that wouldn’t end well. It had cost us a lot of persuasion already, only to allow Daring to be present during the birth process, not to mention the opportunity to hold our child. It was only due to Fluffy’s pony magic and her condition that she was able to get my mothers permission, by bringing up that it was a tradition and that it was for her emotional support to have her best friend around. To avoid any provocation though, now Daring was with Fluffies parents, waiting for their time in my inner lair.

The midwife however, was from such a low standing in my mother's opinion, that she counted as nothing more than a slave, as nothing, and therefore could do her job without my mother being protest.

Anyway, my father didn’t have such strong restrictions. He didn’t dare try to lift Fiery Leadership, not before my mom could, but he dared to walk a bit ahead of her and threw the first glance at his grandbornling.

He was so excited!

He just gave Kirin-Fluffy a curious short look, adding a mix of a smirk and an approving naughty gaze, showing his approving of my choice for a mate even more, and then lowered his nose till he nearly touched Fluffies protective feathers which lay on our daughter and sniffed.

Generously, Fluffy removed them slowly and allowed him to see Fiery.

By the view on her back, the blue scales and the little burning wings my dad had started to purr. 

“Ohhh is she pretty!” His purr became louder and I saw he wanted to lift her up so badly. He shuffled from one foot to another, impatient waving his tail. “Come, you must see this!” he yelled to my mom. “She is so beautiful!”

I would have loved if my mother would have simply done this, but the dragon she is, she took everything else into consideration too. Giving the mess around us a good bit of attention, and didn’t even attempt to cover her disapproval.

When she reached us, however, something in her gaze changed. While my father made a respectable amount of space for her, she tilted her head and raised an eyebrow at our daughter and Fluffy. 

“A pegasus nirik?” She seemed kind of surprised. “You told me she could turn into a kirin, not a nirik, and I wonder how your daughter became a nirik too.”

She made it sound like this all was something bad and it was all my fault again.

“She isn’t in the first place, mom, she just got angry at the midwife and hasn’t calmed down yet.”

“Hmm, interesting,” my mom said and inspected Fiery further. “I assumed that a dragon and a pony would have kirin progeny, that it depends on the tribe of the pony which kind of kirin it would be, but I never thought the ability to turn into a nirik would be innate.”

While she stood there thinking about this, my dad took the initiative and rubbed his head against her side. “If you don’t want to lift her up, I sure do.”

Giving him an indeterminable look, my mother opened her claw and reached out with her talon for Fiery, and stroke over her back. Our daughter however was too lazy to react to this, she kept her eyes shut and ignored it.

Well, azure dragons have a problem with being ignored as you may have already assumed.

My mother snorted and tried to grab Fiery, but she hadn’t thought about Fluffy may take this personally. With a loud hiss, Fluffy closed her wings and pushed away my mother claw. My mother’s behaviour must have looked too aggressive or dangerous for Fiery in Fluffies opinion.

My heart skipped a beat, that could turn out disastrous!

Without thinking I pushed forward, trying to get between Fluffy, my daughter, and my mom. But by some miracle, it wasn’t necessary. My mom didn’t roar, or attack, or even look angry, she simple pulled her claw back, stepped back, and watched me getting between them.

“My apologies, lady of the lair, it was not my intention to trigger your protective instincts.”

And my jar nearly dropped. Never had I experienced my mother apologize to somedragon lower than another azure dragon, not to mention to another species.

My thoughts, of course, were clear to see on my face, and it was my father who discreetly grabbed my wing and pulled me out of the way between the two females.

So I stood a bit aside when they settled this dispute. Fluffy kept presenting her fangs for a moment, even keeping her hiss audible, while my mother just watched, giving her time. In the end, Fluffy calmed down, at least enough to let my mother approach again and try to get Fiery’s attention. She kept a close eye on my mother though.

Softly, my mother stroked over Fiery’s back again, but didn’t stop there, instead, moving to the side and over to her belly, turning her carefully around that way.

Fiery wasn’t pushed out of the fire by this, meaning the warmth stayed and she didn’t really complain. She grabbed my mothers talon though when she placed her claw near Fiery’s belly as she was laying on her back. What happened next showed that my daughter would not be willing to give it back anytime soon. Instead, she kind of curled around it and the whole claw.

For a second, my mother was unsure of what to do, but then she tried to free her claw by slowly lifting it up and ever so slightly shaking it. Only to have my daughter’s grip get stronger and Fluffies gaze become more disapproving. So she had to stop and lay it back down.

Happy with what she caught, Fiery let out a little purr, starting to nibble on her catch. I don’t know why, but that seemed to calm her down most effectively. Must be some pony habit. Anyway, not long after she started to nibble on my mothers claw, she turned back to her ugly form.

That caused us all to gasp, for various reasons. While Fluffy and I panicked that our daughter may not be fireproof in that form, my mother had other reasons.

But first things first, Fluffy screamed and ripped off the collar from around her neck, causing her to turn back into a pegasus, while I grabbed my mothers claw with Fiery around it and lifted it up quickly, collecting my daughter from it, luring her into my claws with my special purr for her, checking her for any signs of burns. Luckily she had none.

Heh, a good side effect I forgot to tell you about, with my special purr, I am able to convince her to come to me or some other simple tasks without her starting to complain or hesitate. But if you wonder why I don’t used it to calm her down, that is not how this works. Imagine it like yawning or hiccups, one can tell if you fake it. And I didn’t see anything threatening with her being in her, what my mother called, nirik form.

Speaking of her, she didn’t spare too much attention to the dangerous situation, she was more concerned about the colours of Fiery’s back. Had they been a bit darker and mat during her being a nirik, now they were shiny and clean, shimmering in azure blue.

“A Kirin-leader,” Perle des hohen Berges said respectfully, “it's been centuries since I saw those.”

“A Kirin-leader?” I asked confused, “what do you mean?”

“Azure blood,” she explained, “your daughter has inherited my blood from you, making her to kirins what I am to dragons, a noble, a leader if you will.”

“What a lucky coincidence.” A new, but very familiar voice stated from behind my dad.

Fortuna had decided to join us.

“Who could have guessed the chances for that to happen, huh?” As usual, when she was not angry, and quite proud of herself, Fortuna spoke in this cheerfully, light tone. “A Kirin-Leader, from all possibilities, that is what I call luck.”

“Fortuna,” my mother greeted her, this time more welcoming than a few month ago.

“Perle des hohen Berges,” Fortuna slightly nodded in her direction, “I see you changed your mind about my doings about your family?”

“That remains to be seen.”

Fortuna giggled. “Yeah, maybe it is. Anyway, I assumed I have to be here, now, at this moment?” She gave Fluffy a questioning look.

Confused, Fluffy exchanged one with me, before Fortuna reminded her that she was the  godmother, or at least that was what Fluffy had said she was.

“Oh, right, year, the godmother, of course,” Fluffy shook her head and sat up. “Actually, you are a bit early, first the grandparents, than the godmothers and fathers.”

“I think we could make an exception here, right? We shouldn’t forget who you all have to thank for this, right?” She made an eye-catching pose for a second. “And of course, I take the label godmother to a completely new level.” She gave us a generous smile, “your welcome!”

A moment of silence followed, but with the soft nature of ponies, Fluffy granted Fortuna’s wish. She was sure her parents wouldn’t complain if they were not the first after my mom and my dad to hold Fiery. Though, first it was my dad’s turn, he had waited for this the whole time.

With a purr, he approached Fiery to let her know that he had no bad intentions. And despite her now ugly appearance, he gingerly took her from my claw in his and started rub his head against hers. Something she seemed to like, giving that she started to purr. In no more than a few minutes, and a little purr, my dad was already under her spell.

Patiently, we gave him a while to enjoy his time with his granddaughter, but eventually, it was Fortunas turn.

The goddess of luck didn’t purr or otherwise use some dragon behaviour to approach Fiery with, she simple walked over and started to glow a little bit brighter than usual. Thinking about it, she wouldn’t be very good at playing hide and seek with her godchild with this, but for getting her attention, it was enough. A short moment after her glow had intensified, our daughter raised her head and began looking for the source of it, finding it soon to be Fortuna. She rolled around on my dad’s claw and sniffed, though, Fortuna didn’t smell much it seemed, causing Fiery to wonder and stand up on her hind legs, raising her nose higher and sniff again. Still, whatever she smelled didn’t give her an indicator about who she may face, friend or foe.

Unsure, she looked back to the owner of the claw she was standing on and then back to Fortuna, it was clear that her instincts failed to make a decision here. So I made one, I began purring encouragingly to let my daughter know that Fortuna wasn’t a treat.

I don’t know if you remember what I told you about Fortuna. As I said, she is that kind of goddess that does good most of the time. You know, helping creature and stuff, also, after all, she had arranged for Fluffy to become pregnant and whatever else that meant, she was to blame for Fiery’s existence. And not to mention, if my daughter managed to befriend her, she would be even more lucky than her aunt Daring, keep that in mind too!

With my approval, all what Fortuna needed to do was extending her claw, and my daughter grabbed one of her fingers, rubbing her nose against it, still trying to smell the goddess of luck, and when she doesn’t get any negative sense, allowed her to pick her up.

Heh, how wonderful the world of a child can be. For any adolescent, the glowing and the eyes of stars would have at least been irritating, but for a newborn, it was the most common thing in the world. Had Fortuna suddenly turned into a fish and flown around with her on a surfboard made of cheese, she’d have simply accepted it.

Or try to eat both, let’s be honest here.

“Hello Fiery Leadership,” Fortuna said, moving her open claw before her face, “a pleasure to meet you.”

My daughter just raised on her hooves again and placed one white claw on her godmothers nose, giving her an interested look.

“I never had a godchild,” Fortuna said to no one particular, turning Fiery in her claw slightly. “This is a completely new experience for me.”

“Don’t screw it up,” my mother said, but her tone made clear she would be angry if Fortuna did.

“I… “ Fortuna started but Fiery had other plans than to let her speak, she grabbed Fortuna’s nose and giggled loudly, placing her other claw on her godmothers tongue, pretending her from speaking anymore.

“He-ey” Fortuna mumbled. “Lit-ohh.”

My daughter didn’t plan on doing that though, instead, she giggled even more and tried to pull the tongue out, turning to real laughter when she succeeded. It was clear that Fortuna let her, but my daughter celebrated her victory over the goldish-pinkish thing anyway. And like most children do as I have heard, this was done by trying to put it in her mouth and bite it.

“No!” I said loudly, “No Fiery!”

My daughters head sprung around to me, but she didn’t let go of her spoils. Only when Fortuna tickled her with the tip of her wing, Fiery squeaked happy and let go.

“What a nice child,” Fortuna said after she had shook her snout a moment, “I am sure this godmother thing will be wonderful.” She nodded, “Time for my present it seems.” Without explaining what it would be, she took a deep breath and slowly released a cloud of golden, sparkling flames, which playfully flowed around Fiery and covered every piece of skin or scales while looking like a swarm of fire-dragonflies. 

“Hey!” Fluffy protested and I was as quick on my feet as my mother and dad, but before the situation could escalate, the swarm had already started to vanish, revealing a happily giggling little half dragon who had snatched a few sparks which now tickled on her tongue.

“What did you do?” My mother asked with a little growl in her voice and also Fluffy and me growled. Godmother or not, there was a limit.

“Just gave her my blessing,” she moved her snout to my daughters head and gave her a kiss between the ears. “May luck follow you on each step.” With those words the she moved over to Fluffy and stretched out her claw. A quick little purr by Fluffy and our daughter just jumped off the claw into her mother's chest fluff, cuddling deep into it till only a tiny bit of her body showed out here and there.

Seems we both shared a liking for Fluffies chest fluff.

*

Well, the short, tense, moment with Fortuna was quickly settled afterwards since no harm was done and a little blessing of Fortune never hurts anyway. Yeah, my mother and I and especially Fluffy hished a bit and such, but it was nothing serious anymore.

So, the last thing on the list for the day however was that Fluffies parents got their time with their grandchild too. I think I should add this here too, for the sake of completeness.

*

“Isn’t she lovely?” Cloud Planter Do whispered when she had the sleeping Fiery on her foreleg. “Look at all this tiny scales all over her head, and this cute little snout.” She moved her hooftip almost unnoticeable above Fiery’s had.

“Yeah, she is wonderful.” Gold Digger nodded and put a wing around his wife. “Her ears remind me a bit on yours from the form.”

“Ohh silly you.” Cloud Planter denied, but it was clear to see that the comparison pleased her. She softly cradled my child in her arms a while longer and enjoyed the warm feeling before she eventually passed it carefully over to her husband.

Poor guy, not long after he had Fiery on his arms, she woke up and, after a little bit of bubbling and something that reminded me a bit of squeaking, she got grumpy and tried to escape his grip.

Not that he had intended to hinder her to go, but he wasn’t willing to just drop her either due the fact she may hurt herself. So he struggled a bit with an unhappy Fiery, getting a few scratches, which he commented on each with either an ‘ouch’ or  ‘arg’, before he managed to give her back to her mother.

Fluffy giggled by the sight of her dad getting a few harmless scratches by her daughter, but quickly took Fiery in her own arms. A little mother-daughter purring and all was good again, or at least for a few seconds, till Fiery remembered why she got grumpy in the first place. And so she started to search for something to solve that problem. Though, since she was just a bornling, and the solution was out of her direct line of sight, she couldn’t find it and began to cry for it.

“Shh, shh, everything is fine Fiery,” Fluffy calmly whispered, stroking over her daughters back, “mommy is here.”

It didn’t work though. Fiery still looked around, unsure what to do, and like small children have it when they are helpless, cried on.

“Maybe she’s hungry?” Cloud Planter suggested, “I remember you nearly drank your own weight of milk right after your birth, sweety.”

“Mom,” Danger gave her a flat look, “I didn’t do that.”

“Oh you did, you did. Your dad can tell you too, he saw it himself.”

He hastily nodded, “Yeah, your mother is right, if I had to guess, you drank three or four liters right away.”

Fluffy waved off, “You two are exaggerating, I surely didn’t do that. Anyway,” she shifted her body a bit more upright, “If Fiery is hungry, I should feed her.”

That was the point she and I had argued a lot about previously, what would our child eat. Fluffy, of course, went with milk from her mother, meaning herself, while I bet it would be most likely meat, or gems at worst. Just to be sure, and to give each a fair try, we had everything ready.

By the way, that was one of the deals Fluffy and I had, with our child being a mix of our both species, we give both cultures a fair chance. I would teach her how to be a dragon and Fluffy would teach her how to be a pony. In the end, Fiery would have to decide which way she would like to follow, or, if she went on her own after a while, something either a combination of both worlds or something completely new. Either way, we wouldn’t hinder her at developing her personal way of life, at least after we taught her the basics of course.

Surely things hadn’t been safe and sound at all times, we had our moments when we had heated arguments about this, but that is for later.

So for now, let us see what Fiery liked to eat. And yes, that much I can spoil, she was indeed hungry.

When Fluffy had gotten comfortable in her new position, she picked Fiery up and placed her between her hind legs, offering her an opportunity to drink.

Well, if I may interrupt here once more, the fact non hatching species do that, I mean giving milk which their own body produce to their young, strongly irritates and disgust me. Really, for me that feels like something that a vampire would do! Just imagine the scene, Fiery, with her fangs, drinking milk from one of Fluffies teats! Crazy, isn’t it?

Back to the story, our daughter indeed approached said teats, sniffing at them. Luckily though, she didn’t seem to have a clue what to do with them. Another sniff, a look to her mother, than to me and back to her mother, then, crying.

“Shh, Shh, no need to cry Fiery,” Fluffy tried to calm her down once more and continued in her soft tone, “just give it a try, you will like it.”

But Fiery didn’t want to give it a try.

Smiling, and sure of victory, I said, “Seems our daughter doesn’t like milk.”

Fluffy gave me a disapproving look, but just snorted. Allowing me to try.

I pulled out a little piece of fresh meat from a cooling box. “Fiery,” I whispered, “Fiery, look what daddy has for you.” I moved the meat in front of her nose, moving it a bit from side to side to trigger her hunting instinct. “Fresh and tasty,” I added.

Now Cloud Planter and Gold Digger wrinkled their noses, they of course knew I eat meat, but in respect for Fluffy, I never had done so in front of them. Ponies are so sensible when it comes to others being non herbivores, or gemmivores to be fair. That is something they do, tolerate for some reason. At least Fluffy had discard her complains about it and accepted me being me on that matter. Oh, that doesn’t mean I could regularly eat a fresh kill next to her, but as long as I ate meat only rarely, like once a month, and used my manners and don’t push it in her face, she got used to it.

However, the meat got Fiery’s attention and her head soon started following the little movements of the meat. My feeling of triumph raised, I saw it in her wriggling of her hip and tail that she was ready to strike, preparing to sink her fangs into the meat.

And not three seconds later, her head sprung forward and her claws and fangs penetrated the meat. My triumph was perfect! 

And lasted for less than a second when Fiery spit out the small portion of meat she had in her mouth and let go, hissing at it, but not longer willing to bite into it.

Now it was Fluffy’s turn to smile, and at her parents to release a sound of relief. They really would have have a problem with it, if their grandchild had turned out to be a carnivore.

I made a sour face, before I flipped the meat up and snatched it out of the air with my mouth, swallowing it.

“No need to waste it only because she didn’t like it,” I explained to Fluffies parents. “Would be a shame otherwise.” I mean, it was just a very little piece, nothing that should shock them that much.

I only got a slightly agreeing look from them, more than anything else it was disgusted. Well, at least Daring didn’t said anything to it this time, I assume Arisotl, or was it Aritzotel? Meh, the guy she was with in the past, may have some eating habits her parents wouldn’t approve of too.

Fluffy spared me a accusing look and tried the second time to feed our daughter instead, this time with a little bit of hay. “Fiery,” she lurkely said, “Fiery, look here.” 

Of course Fiery obayed the request of her mother by instinct and followed more her voice than the words. Still, she looked at her mother again.

Like a present, Fluffy offered her the little ball of hay and our daughter took it in her own claws, sniffing at it.

“She will like it,” Fluffy assured me with a hopeful smile. And I could see her parents pressed the hooves and wings too that she did. The tense was really to feel in the air when Fiery dropped everything except for one stray and turned it around in her claw, examining it. And then the unavoidable happened, she put it in her mouth and bite on it.

A little noise of exultation was heard from Fluffies parents and also Daring stomped one hoof, but like me, they celebrated too early. Though, Fiery chewed on it a bit, but it wasn’t to her liking, as in the end, she spit it out. 

Like I said, small Children do put everything in their mouth at first.

The unhappy ‘owww’ might as well have been shouted with how clear it was to hear. Well, another try for her dad.

Without any comment, I picked up a gem, a shiny green emerald, and simply offered it to my daughter. She took it, even nibbled on it, then tried to bite into it with her fangs, but wasn’t able to crush it yet. That meant, even if she would like gems, she couldn’t eat them for the time being. So, after Fiery lost interest, I took the emerald, a bit disappointed, and ate it myself. Even the little aquamarin I had excavated for her stayed in the small picnic basket. I had just brought it along incase my child simply disliked the taste of emeralds, like I do with diamonds.

Yes, our daughter was really a nitpicky eater.

To shorten this up a bit, let me just tell you, we tried a lot of other things, like different fruits (she more liked to rub her head against them than attempt to eat them), vegetables (She didn’t even show any interest in them as long as they were not of a dark colour. Still, even then she didn’t eat them) and also some sweets (she liked to lick them a bit, but not to swallow them). Nothing helped.

“Seems we have to find something else,” Fluffy said worried when all what we had brought along didn’t showed the desired effect. I confess, I too was worried, feeding our daughter was something very important, and if we wouldn’t be able to find out what she would eat soon, it would be bad for her development!

Though, luck came to our aid, when Fluffy raised from her spot and, a bit shaky, on her hooves again, Fiery quickly jumped down from my arm and went under her belly, more exactly between her hind legs. While Fluffy, still surprised, watched what she would do, Fiery already pressed her claws against her teats and nibbled on her nippels, drinking her milk.

“Ha!” Fluffy yelled, “one to zero for her mother!”

All it had needed was the right position to trigger Fiery’s instincts, when Fluffy had half sat on the pillows, her instincts had failed, but with her standing there, Fiery had known exactly what to do.

Now we all watched our little girl greedy drinking, pushing the teat with her claws to make them give more milk.

Fluffy giggled.

“Just wait till she uses her fangs on you,” I said a bit grumpy about my loss.

“Nah, she wouldn’t do that, she is mothers little darling.”

“At least she drinks like her mother,” Cloud Planter added and we all laughed, except Fluffy, but she smiled… a bit.
> Interlude
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With a little purr, barely noticeable outside of our bedroom, I let Fluffies fine ears know that I had made myself comfortable in our bed, and, as she already knew, had our sweet little Fiery sleeping on my back. 

When she had left, Fluffy had pretended that she was really busy with all this mother stuff, and therefore, didn’t have the time to cuddle right now. Well, she was making a mistake if she thought she could get away with that.

I had started to build a nest out of our bedding shortly after she left the bedroom to do whatever it was that she wanted to do. And now that it was finished, I had placed myself and her daughter in it’s center. The trap had been set.

And of course, it didn’t take long for an ocher colored head to peak around the corner, checking on what the purring meant.

When I heard the lightly clipedi-clop that announced her approach, I had closed my eyes, doing my best to look as innocent as possible. I only slightly intensified my purring, knowing that it would lure her closer. She responded with a half reproachful, half pleased, growl. She knew exactly what I had done, though unfortunately for her, she couldn’t resist. My mischievous plan had been crafted to exploit not one, but two of her weaknesses.

Slowly, she entered the room and came closer to my trap. I waited until she was almost able to touch me before I shifted my wings, allowing her a good view of our sleeping daughter and how she had peacefully curled up on my back. She was a little heap of adorability.

And with that, the trap was sprung!

Her daughter, the nest, and my warm body, were too much for my fluffy pegasus to not be enticed to jump onto my back and start nesting. With a little flap of her wings, she was on my back, and with a little bit of shifting to find the most comfortable position, she was ready. Triumphantly, I stretched out a bit more and enjoyed the warmth of Fluffies chest fluff, once Fluffy laid down to nest on Fiery.

Being a dad had its advantages.

“Lousy, cuddling tricks,” Fluffy accused me while she placed her head on my neck, rubbing her nose against it.

“I learned from the best,” I agreed. “And your daughter supports my actions, as you can hear.”

From below Fluffies chest fluff, a soft little purr could be heard. It wasn’t too loud since Fiery was still sleeping, but it was enough to show her approval.

“I think it is fair to say this is family time at its best,” I added.

“More so,” Fluffy playfully licked over my neck, “when you clean the kitchen later instead of me, since this was your trap.”

“Wait a mom…”

Fluffy purred seductively.

“But…”

“You really want me to get up again now?” She stroked her wings across the tops of mine.

I growled silently in defeat and got a kiss on my neck. “That’s my Big Softy.”

*

Well, it was mostly me who did the cleaning in our lair anyway, so trading a few hours of cuddling for washing the dishes wasn’t that bad. And, I had a little helper, though, she was more or less only there for moral support, but she did a good job at that. Everything feels more important when your little girl watches you with full attention, like you are doing the most important thing in the world.

Fiery had chosen the worktop next to the sink as her spot to watch me from. She had used me as a ramp -something that was very uncomfortable for Fluffy most of the times seeing as she doesn’t have scales- since she couldn’t fly yet, and climbed up my back until she was able to jump onto the countertop. Once there, she had stood up, like she always did when she watched mom and dad do something. She looked a bit like one of those meerkats when she did that.

It was quite cute. Even if I just placed a cup in the dish holder, her blue eyes would follow my claw, and she would even move to inspect the dish holder closer. She was acting like doing the dishes was a skill she would really need to help her survive. I know that it was just her instincts telling her to do this, but that didn’t make it any less cute. And I was sure, her mom would very much approve of her learning how to do the dishes. Fluffy and housework, for some reason, didn’t work well together.

For now, however, Fiery was more of a saboteur. I had to replace the water in the sink after Fiery thought the hot water was a nice bubble bath and had jumped happily into it. It had been sabotage seeing as I couldn’t convince myself to remove her from the sink given how happy she looked, along with the squeaky noises of pleasure she made while splashing the water.

Oh yeah, I should probably mention that we found out that Fiery was fireproof in both her forms, so the nearly boiling water was more of a pleasure than a threat to her. I can remember the moment I found that out quite clearly. One moment I was boiling water to make some rice, and the next moment, Fiery had jumped into the pot, purring while making herself comfortable. I had been scared for a second, but luckily, her mom hadn’t seen it. 

Anyway, if there is one thing that Fiery likes more than a hot bath, it’s getting dried by her dad and his flame breath. So eventually, I lifted her up from the bath and used it on her. I could see that she tried to spit fire at me too during the process, so there was hope she could breathe flames later too. Even though that meant we would soon have to teach her that her mom wasn’t fireproof most of the time.

Of course, this was not the only thing Fiery did to hinder me at washing the dishes, though, she had good intentions. Every now and then, she would grab a random item within her reach and toss it into the sink, helping daddy in her opinion. 

To be fair, a few things she threw into the sink actually belonged there.

She was too adorable to be scolded though, so I improvised and just rubbed my snout on her head whenever she picked a right item, teaching her what was right and what was wrong that way.

Near the end of the work, she rarely threw the clean dishes back in the sink anymore.

We proceeded that way, till a little while later, all was finished, and it was time for her reward for being a good girl. So I purred and cuddled her a moment with my head, before I bit her short orange mane with my lips, lifted her up, and carried her over to the fridge.

Just to let you know, in the few month since her birth, Fiery had grown a beautiful white coat that complimented the shiny gloss of her azure blue scales, her tail had grown some bushy hair at its end, making it look like a tuft, and to top it off, she had started to grow an orange mane around her whole neck. So she naturally had a very practical ‘carry me around’ holder. Though I was getting suspicious that she would occasionally do her best to look cute in an attempt to get a free lift sometimes.

Of course, after I found out I could carry her around that way, I tried it with Fluffy too, but sadly, it only caused her pain. Though it is okay to lift her by the tail, at least it doesn’t cause her pain, unfortunately, she isn’t much of a fan. I really wonder why, since it allows me a very good view of her special places.

Anyhow, when Fiery and I arrived at the fridge, I placed her back on the ground and fetched an orange from it for her. Curious as she was, she stood up and stretched out her tiny claws for the orange fruit, eagerly taking it from me. She turned it around several times and sniffed at it before she happily decided it is something to cuddle with.

Yeah, sometimes her baby instincts fail at determining things. Well, at least it was cuddling and not destroy this time, like with an apple. I don’t know why, but she hates apples. The first time I had given her one, her immediate reaction was what I would have expected towards a rabbit or an actual threat, she started to hiss, and loudly at that. It wasn't long after that that she charged forward to attack the fruit. She wrapped herself around the apple, doing her best to compress it with her body, all while ripping into it with her claws and hind hooves, reminding me of how a cat would attack a toy.

The little apple didn’t stand a chance. In mere second, the apple was reduced to nothing more than applesauce and the occasional pieces that had managed to escape her wrath by being thrown about during her assault. The pieces did not escape her wrath fully though, as they had been burned seeing as Fiery had turned into her kirin form while she killed the apple.

Anyway, back to the orange.

“Fiery, this is something to eat,” I explained to her, but she just looked up, continuing to cuddle with the orange. “You shall eat it, not cuddle it.”

She squeaked happily.

“Eat, e-a-t,” I repeated but with the same effect.

“Alright,” I stretched out my claw, requesting the fruit back. “If you are not hungry, the orange goes back to the fridge.”

And with that, we got straight into her second favorite reaction, right behind cuddling things that are not supposed to be cuddled, ‘declaring stuff hers’. Fiery turned her back to me to ‘hide’ the orange, cause when I can’t see it, I am no longer aware it exists… baby logic.

Well, at least that is a reaction I can understand, ‘mine’ is something all dragons use. In my case, that reaction was mostly reserved for Fiery’s mom around that time, but when it came to Fiery, I was willing to share. A bit.

“Come on, give the orange back to daddy.”

She refused, and quickly jumped around the fridge in her very special way of moving around.  Instead of walking normally on all four, like she was supposed to do, she kind of jumped, using each pair of legs together which each step. It looks adorable, but also makes her little body look like an accordion, shrinking and then extending out again which each little jump, more so with the difficulty of holding the orange during the movement.

Heh, I called her little accordion sometimes during that period of her development.

Be it as it may, she placed the fruit between the wall and the fridge, sure I wouldn’t find it there. And I was so generous to pretend it was so, I could always come back later to gather the forgotten fruit. So instead of taking her treasure away from her, I moved back to the bedroom, knowing she would follow me, and, of course, she did.

*

Well, I would like to add here that her reaction can be ‘eat it’ too when it is totally wrong. Straight to the point, I gave her a little stone once… Oh boy, I am so happy Fluffy hadn’t seen that. It wasn’t a gem, just an ordinary stone, something to cuddle with! And Fiery ate it. 

I am so glad that she didn’t do the same thing with the fabric stone my dad gave her. Funny story by the way, Fluffy wanted Fiery to have a doll, some kind of pony cuddle doll, while I, of course, wanted her to have her own stone. I remember how happy I was with the stone my mother gave me when I hatched, it was a grey and sharp-edged, an awesome gift! Though, a doll? Come on! Anyway, so after a long discussion, Fluffy agreed that I would get to choose what we lay in her cradle for her to cuddle with, as long it was made out of fabric and not scary. I really had a hard time coming up with something, everything you can buy that was made out of fabric for children were dolls of cute animals or ponies, as long as you don’t want your child to cuddle with a kitchen towel that is.

It was my dad who saved the day. Not long after I had told him about the problem, he came back with a stone, made out of fabric, fireproof and scratch resistant. The best gift for Fiery ever! Fluffy did not approve of it, for some strange pony reasons, but she had no choice. So Fiery now had a medium, orange, fabric stone in her cradle which she likes a lot.

At least her obvious liking for her own little stone calmed down Fluffies annoyance about it. And when Fiery grew a little more, she would carry it around, wrapped in her tail, most of the day, very much to my liking.
> Hunting Stories
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Softly, I placed my claw on Fiery’s back, pushing her deeper into the grass. “Lower your back and merge with the ground,” I whispered, “you don’t want them to see you coming.”

Keeping her eyes on the target, she lowered her back, but at the same time, raised her tail. 

I smirked and pushed it down too, the first try is always for practice. I moved in front of her to show her how to properly stalk, dropping to the ground but making sure that I could still move my legs. Though, with my black scales, it was far easier for me to hide in the first place. Her white coat didn’t really help her hide you know? Anyway, the bushes and small plants of my garden, together with the dim light of the evening, hid her well enough, so small mistakes wouldn’t hurt too bad. Better she learns and makes mistakes now than when it would actually matter.

The griffon that had entered my lair a few minutes ago still hadn’t noticed us yet. He had just passed the little waterfall at the entrance to the inner sanctum of my den and was making his way down to the heart of my lair, which gave us some more time to prepare since he didn’t seem to be in a hurry.

“Look, Fiery,” I placed my head next to her ear and whispered, “the direction you come from is very important when you hunt something. You see how much he is carrying with him? The huge bag on his back? If you attack him from the front, he will be dragged down with it when he rears up and he’ll be unable to get back up as soon as you jump on his belly.”

Of course, Fiery didn’t understand what I had said, but she made a little agreeing purr anyway. I shook my head with a smile and turned my attention back to our visitor.

He was still none the wiser about our presence.

Slowly I crawled forward, not an easy task with my size, but I managed to proceed nearly silently. Though, my daughter didn’t. The grass rustled while she made her way forward and with her tail raised again, waving like a flag, giving away that we were here!

I used my wing to push it down again and moved along with her until we were only a few meters away from the entrance of the inner lair, hiding there. If someone were to listen close enough, they would be able to hear Fluffy’s humming from within.

When the griffin was only a few meters away, he noticed it too, which confused him obviously. He hadn’t expected some creature with such an adorable voice to be in my lair. So he stopped near the entrance to listen more closely, making him highly vulnerable to an attack from the garden.

I readied myself to jump and adjusted my daughter's stance with a claw. This was a team hunt after all. When we were both ready, I pushed forward, jumping half the distance between me and the griffon in one move and added a roar to my second jump to force him to turn around before I would crash into him.

He spun around, the shock was clear to see on his face when his gaze landed on me, only a few inches away from him already, gliding through the air with my snout wide open, presenting my teeth, and with my claws ready to strike.

The poor griffon didn’t have a chance. Before he had even raised his claws to protect himself, I had already crashed into him, throwing him over with all my weight and pinning him down with my body.

I didn’t hurt him though, I only roared straight in his face when he tried to say something, suppressing anything he wanted to say instantly. And of course, I placed my claws in a way that prevented him from moving his own claws or wings. I don’t want him to hurt Fiery, who was still rushing over as fast as she could.

It took her a few seconds though to reach us, and when she did, she got into her meerkat position. I would have liked to face-claw at her doing this, but couldn’t at the moment. Teaching your kid is never easy I guess.

I slightly growled to get Fiery’s attention before I roared at the griffon again, hoping she would do the same, but instead, she jumped closer and tilted her head, unsure of what to do with our catch.

Before I could show her what to do again, however, Fluffy rushed out of our inner lair, summoned by my roaring. She only glanced at me and the griffon for a split second before her head hectically started to spin around, looking for Fiery, checking to see if she was alright. 

As soon as she spotted our daughter, she rushed over and picked her up, holding her tight while stepping to my side and watching out for additional threats.

“No worries, Fluffy,” I laid my wing over her back and poked her with my nose, “I am just teaching Fiery how to hunt.”

She gave me an irritated look before changing it into an accusing one. “Hunting?” She asked and nodded at the griffon. “I don’t think a griffon should be a part of her regular diet. Stop teaching your daughter nonsense! You scared me!”

“I didn’t mean to, I was just showing our little girl what to do with a catch.” I gave Fiery a look, at least the parts of her that were peeking out of her mother's chest fluff that is. She had grown quite a bit already, so she wasn’t completely vanishing into Fluffy’s fluff anymore. “She doesn’t understand that she is supposed to roar yet.” I moved my head, fumbling through Fluffies coat and gave Fiery a kiss on the head, “But she will eventually. It is just her pony side that… “ I stopped and thought about what I was about to say. “Well, she has the best aspects of her mother too, so roaring at strangers probably isn’t going to be her first instinct.”

Fluffy took another look around, making sure nocreature else was here, besides us and the griffon, before she spoke to me again. “Maybe if you showed her how to great strangers instead of attacking them, she would do better at it.”

“Hmm, maybe, but what would that be good for?” I said with a smirk before winking at her.

“You are… “ she stopped, trying to think of a good reply, but I just gave her a kiss before I responded to the statement she was about to make 

“Yes, I am.”

“If I may?” The griffon interrupted in a quiet and respectful tone, though, still a bit shaken.

I just snorted. “You just keep playing dead.”

“Nonsense, let him go,” Fluffy demanded and softly poked me in the side. “That is not how we treat a guest.”

“But I don’t want too,” I declined. “Fiery’s lesson isn’t over yet.”

“Big softy…” Fluffy insisted and used her head to push me up.

“Fine,” I rolled my eyes, but still moved. With Fluffy standing next to me I had better things to do anyway. 

I received my ‘being a good dragon’ kiss and some rubbing against Fluffy while she addressed our ‘guest’.

“I am sorry,” she said and offered the griffon a hoof to help him up. “BD here has some strange methods for greeting guests sometimes.”

“It is fine,” the griffon said with wide eyes while he took her hoof, “I’ve been greeted worse.”

“I see,” Fluffy gave me a quick look, “don’t you think it would be polite to introduce us?”

“Why do you think I know him?”

She cutely raised an eyebrow. “Please, you jumped on him, but you did it so carefully that he doesn’t even have a scratch. You also took care to not crush his bag and everything in it. Furthermore, you didn’t seem to care that he’s this close to me and took my hoof while I still have Fiery on my arm,” she shook her head slightly, “no way you would allow an unknown griffon to do that.” She smiled and her voice got a bit softer, “And you still are more interested in cuddling me, (I was still rubbing my head against her back), than keeping an eye on him. You wouldn’t let him out of your sight, even for a second, if you didn’t trust that he wouldn't be a threat.”

“Point for my clever pegasus,” I agreed and moved my head along her spine, finishing my cuddling with a kiss between her ears before turning my head to our guest.

“Fluffy, this is Angorik, son of Alfons, from the clan of Aduras the old.” I mixed a little pride into my voice before continuing, “Angorik, this Danger Do, my marefriend.”

They shook hoof and claw and exchanged the usual pleasantries.

“And this, “ I purred at Fluffies chestfluff, luring my daughters head out of it, “is our daughter, Fiery Leadership.” She squeaked and I rubbed my nose against her. “The most adorable girl in all the world.”

Well, the most adorable girl in all the world stretched a claw out and pointed at Angorik, squeaking again.

“Griffon,” Fluffy explained and raised Fiery up so she could see better, “that is a griffon,” she repeated and pointed at Angorik too.

My daughter commented on that in her own way, squeaking and bubbling, sadly without a roar.

“Quite lovely,” Angorik approved, but quickly changed the topic to something he was far more curious about. “So… you,” he pointed at Fluffy, “and him… “ he pointed at me.

She nodded, “yep, we.”

“And he listens to you?” He raised an eyebrow in suspicion and lowered his head a bit, adding a doubtful look.

Now Fluffy giggled, “Sometimes. I need to use a lot of cute pegasus tricks though.”

“That means only she can do them,” I clarified what she was saying before he could start to think that I had become a softy after all. “Little griffons shouldn’t count on me being more tolerant of them.”

He quickly shook his head. “Never would!”

While I just snorted, Fluffy took over the speaking. “So what brings you here, Angorik?” She placed Fiery on her back and threw a glance at me. “You didn't come for a cup of tea, did you?”

“Actually, I did, well, kind of. I sometimes visit Black Death and tell him stories, in exchange for food and shelter.”

“Normally when he is in trouble,” I added. “He used to stay over the winter, or at least until the grass grew over the things he had done. Not many creatures would follow him here.” I smiled, still proud of the reputation I had.

“Oh, nothing like that this time, I promise!” he quickly said. “I was hoping I could use your candle though, you know, some inspiration and the like.”

I focused my gaze on him.

“I have some stories as payment of course!” A little bit of sweat formed on his forehead. “And a book or two!”

“What does he want exactly?” Fluffy asked.

“He wants to use my candle of inspiration... you know, the one you took from my hord and somehow lost in the temple of Fortuna.” I must say I am proud that I managed to say this neutrally, preventing my tone from becoming accusatory.

My effort was in vain though, as Fluffy looked away guiltily and rubbed the back of her neck. “Oh, that candle. Funny story actually.”

“You mean you don’t have it anymore?” Angorik’s asked frustrated, “oh no!” He sunk down onto his haunches. “Without it, I will never be able to complete my great saga of the Owlking!”

“Why would you need that candle for that? When I had… borrowed it, it didn’t seem to do anything other than give off light.”

“If you didn’t think it was anything other than a regular candle, why did you take it than?” I asked.

“Well, it was in a secret chamber and on its own pedestal. I mean, it must have been worth something. Just seemed useful and valuable at the same time.”

“The candle was indeed valuable, though, not as valuable as you.” I moved over and kissed her again, showing her that I wasn’t angry about it anymore. It was a sweet sight to see her blushing. “Anyway, the candle did something, besides give off light, whoever holds it or does something creative in its light, is blessed with a great deal of inspiration. It’s also said that it boosts your skills. It unfortunately doesn’t work on most dragons though.”

“Hmm, It does sound useful if you want to write a saga,” Fluffy admitted, before she turned to Angorik again, “but I am sure you’ll be able to complete your story without the candle.”

“I can’t, I have writer's block. I’m never going to finish it!” He shouted before covering his head with his claws.

“My, my,” Fluffy said, again, patting his shoulder, “it isn’t that bad.” She exchanged a look with me before she gave him an offer, “Why don’t you come in and have a cup of tea, everything looks less bad over a cup of tea.”

“I… I don’t know,”

“Resistance is futile,” I said, already knowing how this would end. No creature can resist pony magic. “So, come in.”

“But,“ he started, only to get interupted by me moving my head before his, staring at him. “Uhm, tea would be nice,” he finished his sentence.

*

“So, where did you come from, Angorik,” Fluffy asked while she pushed an earthen vessel, full of green tea, over to him.

Angorik took the cup and sniffed at the content, obviously he wasn’t a big fan of tea, giving his face expression, but knowing my reaction if he declined it, he just thanked Fluffy and took a sip. I know he had a liking for cider, like most of his kind have, or wine, we shared a bottle or two back in the days. I mean, there isn't much to do during the winter other than sleep and lay around, not that something is wrong with that. Still, him coming around every once and awhile helps keep things entertaining. If you wonder, he is the friend I told you about, the only one I had before I met Fluffy. He indeed dropped by every now and then, telling me stories, legends and the like.

“Well that is a tricky one, I come from Alofted Harbor, as well as from Aglowing Shores,” he explained.

“What do you mean?” Fluffy asked while giving me my cup, which I would share with Fiery. “You were born in one and live in the other?”

“No, the city’s actually split in half, it’s situated on a mountain that peeks out of the northern ocean. The part of the city near the top where the airships arrive is called Alofted Harbor, while the normal port is called Aglowing Shores, due to the magma rivers under the surface, creating warm waters that always glittered.”

“Sounds like a nice trading port.”

“It’s a pirates nest, Fluffy,” I corrected her thoughts. “The two harbors are not meant to be for trading ships, or more accurately, ones that leave as trade ships.”

Her ears peaked up. “So you’re a pirate?” Fluffy asked shocked.

“He was,” I answered for him, “a pirate bard, responsible for the moral onboard. He never was a great fighter or plunderer to begin with.”

“Yeah,” Angorik nodded with a sigh, “I was. Now however, I am only a bard. But somewhat of a famous one,” he added.

“Thanks to me,” I threw in.

A nervous little ‘heh’ filled with a bit of melancholy escaped his beak.

“What do you mean?” Fluffy asked suspiciously. “I have the distinct feeling that with you involved, things were a lot darker than him just singing and playing an instrument.”

I smiled innocent.

“So?” she raised an eyebrow.

“Let Angorik tell you the story, he is the bard here” I said, taking a sip of my tea. “Though, let’s move over to the living room, it’s a longer story, better heard while laying on the couch, next to a fire.”

“If this is a longer story, Fiery is going to need to be in bed during it,” Fluffy reminded me, “It’s not good for her to stay up for too long, and of course, I would be going to bed with her.”

“Don’t worry about that, she can sleep on my back today, and I have no problem laying still, cuddling with my marefriend while listening to a good story.”

“I am not sure…”

“You could also nest on her during the story,” I added, we both would like that.

“Mhh… “ I could tell from the tone of her voice that she was going to agree, and I was right. “Alright, why don’t you prepare everything,” she turned to Angorik, “if that is alright with you?”

“Uhm, yeah, sure,” he agreed, “just, uhm, it’s not one of those light and funny stories, like one where the heroes overcome the evil and get home all safe and sound.” I saw his inner struggle at trying to give Fluffy an idea of what the story would be like, the bard in him wanting of course to tell the story, while the rational part of his brain told him that a pony may not like that kind of story. It didn’t surprise me that he knew about the pony species already.

“The hero of this story stands right here,” I reminded him over my shoulder while I rose up and moved to the living room. “It was only some of the villains that didn’t make it!”

“Villains?”

“Now, who is who in that story isn’t quite clear,” Angorik said. “We don’t want to get ahead of the story though, it would kill the atmosphere.”

“Mhh, if you say so. Then let me be surprised.”

“Are you sure about this, I mean, I know your folks, you’re normally a little bit too soft for a good story like this.”

“I am tougher than I look,” Fluffy replied with a smile.

Angorik threw a look at me while worked in the living room. “I guess you're right, givin you’re living here with him.”

Now it was Fluffy who moved her snout before his face, giving him the look. Even with Fiery on her arm, she looked threatening. “What are you trying to imply here?”

“Uhm,” he stuttered, “I… uhm, nothing.”

Believe it or not, my marefriend doesn’t allow somecreature to speak negatively about me in her presence. I purred approvely.

*

Well the preparations were quickly made, I set up a nice fire in the fireplace, fluffed up the pillows and blankets on the couch, a large one that sat low to the ground, and was surprisingly stable despite how soft it was. Fluffy had decided we need one, and since I had already extended our lair with the two guest rooms, the future room for our daughter, and some rooms for storage and the like, I had agreed to add more furniture too. The expansion also included some new features, like the fireplace.

Anyway,  just imagine it as a perfect place to cuddle while listening to a story.

Once all of the preparations were finished, I laid down on said couch with Fluffy nestling against my side, while Fiery played with some building blocks next to us on the floor. It was still an hour or so till she needed to go to sleep, so she could play a little while we listened to Angorik. As long as we were close to her, she wouldn’t make a fuss normally. Though, we needed to wait a few minutes before actually settling down since Fluffy decided it would be best to feed Fiery before we enjoyed the story. I must agree, she was right.

So, now Angorik stood in the middle of the room and prepared to tell us the great story about how I made him famous, waiting for us to be ready too.

With a purr, I rubbed my head against Fluffy, getting a little bit of cuddling before I signaled for him to start.
> Surprise!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“The rumours we had heard about your mate, if anything, had been watered down. He was known as a monster, with fangs, as sharp as polished diamonds, and claws, so strong, they could easily shatter rocks with only a glancing strike. He’s always had a habit of keeping his scale clean, so he was as black as the night and his soul wasn’t too different when we first met! He wasn’t so cuddly and friendly back then! You would try to avoid him at all costs back in those days!

But, that wasn’t what we were going to be doing. Me and my crew, the Black Sabers, were some of the most skilled and successful fortune hunters from Alofted Harbour to the springs of the Golden River after all. Our crew had a little over half a dozen griffons and a few minotaurs, enough to sail our airship, the Windbreaker. Tall as the largest dragon and twice as swift. 

I don't think I need to remind you that dragons are some of the most dangerous and deadly creatures. Well, at the time, he was pillaging the nearby village and plundering the homes of every noble in a day or two’s flight from this icy wasteland you two call your home today. If he wasn't so lazy, he might have raided a lot more nobles that were living around here. Anyhow, it came to our attention that your mate’s hoard had more than likely been filled to the brim with shimmering gold and precious artifacts, it wouldn’t be a surprise after all the trouble he had been causing. So it didn't take much to convince us to take the job, especially since what we would have found in here would have been on top of the Fifteen-thousand gold piece bounty for his head- and only his head. Fifteen-thousand, let that roll on your tongue for a moment. Who wouldn’t like to bathe their claws in that? It was enough to make us even consider doing some work for the authorities, despite the danger, and our… let’s say not so good terms we had with them. We were pirates after all! But still, Fifteen-thousand gold pieces.  The potential for what one could buy with that. Even split ten ways, the sum was still a small fortune.

We all knew that the risk was high... but our greed was stronger. 

So the Windbreaker set course for the scattered shores of Sandworm Bay, and from there, along the Icy River and right into the mountains. 

Mount Tail-Tip, we were coming!”

***

“Just skip the pre-story, Angorik, and start when you and the guys entered my lair, that’s far more interesting than all this background stuff.” I stroked softly over Fluffies wing, making sure she felt comfortable. “You don’t want to bore your audience with details.”

“But this could be interesting,” Fluffy objected, “who knows what they did on the way here?”

I shook my head pejoratively. “Eh, nothing important, just some preparations, filling of their stocks and gathering some info about me.” I placed my wing on her and tried to roll her on the side, into a position I could more easily cuddle her. “Really nothing of interest.”

Fluffy gave me an accusing smile and spread her wing to push mine away. “Storytime, not cuddling time.” She booped my nose with her hoof. “Behave yourself!”

“Always do,” I said with a mischievous smile which caused Fluffy’s smile to get brighter.

“No you don’t.”

I shrugged and then kissed her. “I am a good dragon.”

She rubbed her head against me. “Meh, sometimes… maybe, a tiny bit.”

“Uhm, shall I continue or not?” asked an obviously confused Angorik. Seeing me and Fluffy being so affectionate and playful didn’t match with the image he had of me back then. And I confess, there was definitely a significant difference, though, pony-magic works twice as well on dragons! Anyway, back to our conversation.

“Yes, please continue, Angorik, I would like to hear the story.” Fluffy turned her head to him and gave him back her attention. “Though, maybe it would be better to start when you entered the lair.” She nodded in my direction. “I don’t know how long I can convince this dragon to behave.”

I purred silently, but for some reason, it didn’t increased Fluffies confidence in me behaving.

“As you wish.” Angorik bowed and continued…

***

“It was our captain, Anastasia, who first set paw in the dark and spooky cave Black Death had chosen to be his lair. A saber firmly in her grip, and a shield steady in her left claw. Whatever lurked in the depths, she was sure we could handle it.

I myself walked near the end of the group, my bow ready, I was not the kind of griffon to stay in front. And with my leather armour, I had no illusions that it would withstand even a single strike from your mates claws. Nah, my place was behind the others and their thick iron armour, though, we would soon learn how little they would matter in the fight to come.

We left Augustus and Artur at the entrance, guarding the ship, and followed our captain into ‘the beast's’ lair.

To our surprise, besides the sound of a waterfall, it was quiet. No sound of the dragon and nothing that would indicate that a monster was living here. Still, in the dancing shadows of our two torches, we expected something to be lurking in the dark and watching us. It was like a cool breeze running down my spine, and I wasn’t the only one that had a bad feeling about this. Alidaria next to me moved closer. Her bow shivering. The arrow on it sliding ever so slightly back and forth.

Heavy Hammer noticed this too and snorted down at her. He had it easy, wielding this two-handed hammer of his. Though, minotaurs are known to be more brave than other species in general. I always wondered why he joined our crew in the first place. He seemed way too smart for a pirates life. But on second thought, he did walk into this cave with us. So maybe not that smart.

Despite our misgivings of the situation, we kept moving, reaching a larger area not too long after. You can imagine our surprise when we found it wasn’t only not empty, but filled with a little forest. Grown only by the dim daylight coming through small holes in the ceiling and water from the stream that was being fed by the waterfall we had heard earlier.

Anastasia raised her shield up and we stopped. Closely, she looked at the forest. No sign of Black Death so far. But just because we couldn’t see him didn’t mean that he wasn’t there. From all that we had heard, he was good at hiding, merging with the darkness. He could hide in every shadowed corner, waiting for a moment of carelessness to strike.
 
I must confess, my bow was starting to shiver a bit too now that I was seeing this. These trees, they shouldn’t be down here. This was a cave occupied by a monster, not a garden.

I saw it in the faces of the others, they were thinking the same.

Only Anastasia and the first officer, Silver Claw, a griffon we gathered from Sore Rift, weren’t showing any signs of concern. Even the condescending smile Heavy Hammer always seemed to have plastered on his muzzle had vanished. We expected a cave full of bones, but found a peaceful little forest instead. Something felt really foul.

“Fifteen-thousand gold pieces,” Ansgar whispered while he played nervously with the shaft of his axe before he spat and straightened up. “Heh, if anyone found out that we fell back after seeing this we would be the laughing stock of pirates for all eternity. And that’s not going to happen, not at all.”

I heard similar sentiments from the others. Finally, one by one, we moved after our captain. Down into the cave we went.

“Silence!” Anastasia whispered when we reached the edge of the forest. “Whatever awaits us now, no need to alert it too soon!”

“If it isn’t already waiting for us…” one of the others mumbled, I couldn’t say who.

We did as we were told, no further sounds passed through our lips as we made our way through the trees and bushes, approaching the lair’s main entrance.

At any second I expected something to break free from the greenery, jumping at us, or a lance of stone melting fire to fly our way, but… nothing happened. It seemed Fortuna was on our side. Without incident, we reached the main entrance, and found it locked by a lattice.

“A lattice? Which kind of beast has a lattice as door?” Maze Keeper wondered quietly, with one eyebrow raised and a hint of sorrow in his voice. ‘No way this is the brainless beast we expected.’ He started to look around, trying to pierce the greenery with his gaze.

“Nonsense. However this lattice got here, the beast has nothing to do with it.” Anastasia hushed him sharply. “And it surely is to our advantage, no way the beast is roaming around here now.”

“What makes you think that?” Alidaria asked while she peaked inside the darkness behind the lattice.

“Do you really think this monster closes the door behind it? Like a gentle chick? No way. It is definitely inside.” Anastasia put down her saber and shook the lattice carefully. “Best case scenario, it’s sleeping.” She shook the lattice once more, a bit more forcefully. “Doesn’t move an inch, we have to find a way to open it, or, we wait till it comes out, but that could take quite some time.’

“And if we try to use a lever on it?” Silver Claw suggested. “Makes some noise, but at least we would be trapping the beast inside since we would be guarding the only way out.”

Anastasia leaned back and looked up to where the lattice vanished into the stone. “Leveraging it should be our last option, surprise is out greatest advantage at the moment. If this beast knows we are coming, we are toast.”

“What about a nice big fire, smoke it out?” Dead End asked. “It has to come out, and when it does, we impale it right away.”

Well, he sure was a good animal hunter, but not the brightest bulb in the team.

“It’s a damn dragon we’re talking about,” Anastasia reminded him. “It’s a giant, fire breathing lizard, smoke will do nothing on it.’

“Oh, hmm, shame.” Dead End said.

To be honest, If it wasn’t for his talent at hunting everycreature and his skills with the javelin, we would have kicked him out of the team a long time ago.

“I think we have no choice other than to wait for it to come out.” The Captain looked around. “We’ll take position in the brushwood and hit it with everything we got when it comes out. Make sure you guys aim for the head, or the wings if you must.”

And that is what we did. The plan wasn’t bad, and we had the time, though, there was a little thing we overlooked. Clever Black Death here, wasn’t inside the inner lair.

*

It was an hour or two later that we first got a clue that something wasn’t right. It was Alidaria who brought it to our attention.

“Shouldn’t we tell the others? I mean, we have been here for quite a while, not that they would leave without us.” Alidaria mentioned.

“They won’t, I told them clearly if they don’t hear from us in a reasonable amount of time, they should come and look for us, carefully. And, if there is nothing to do, take the ship and leave.” Anastasia explained. “And since they haven’t shown up yet, they probably think everything is fine.’

“Or they already took the ship and left,” Heavy Hammer mocked, “Wouldn’t be the first time somepirate tried their luck with leaving the rest of the crew back.”

“Everyone at home knows who’s ship it is and which crew it belongs too, they wouldn’t dare lie about us,” Silver Claw snorted. “They are not that stupid.”

“No, they are not,” Anastasia agreed.

“Definitely not,” Silver Claw once more supported his statement.

“If we were in their situation we wouldn’t leave for sure.’

“No way.”

“Ridiculous.”

“Absurd.”

A moment of silence followed were the two exchanged a longer look.

“Alright, Alidaria, you go and check if they are still there.” Anastasia decided.

“Aye. What if they aren’t?”

“Better for them if they are still there.”

Obviously glad to get more distant between herself and the beast, Alidaria quickly rose from her spot, hung her bow on her back, and scurried back into the tunnel behind the waterfall.

“You know, somehow I have a bad feeling about this,” Ansgar said. “We’ve been waiting here all day, though nothing’s happened. What if this is just an empty cave, long forgotten and all. I mean, this little garden here,” he plucked a random little plant out of the soil, “it doesn’t seem like it’s being maintained. And I see no signs of some evil beast living here either, no bones or bodies, you know?’

“So what you wanna do? Politely knock and ask if a dragon lives here?” Heavy Hammer spat out. “Maybe you get an invite for tea, huh?”

“Shut up, both of you. Only thing that’s happening here is that you’re exposing that we’re here.” SIlver Claw silenced them.

“But,” Ansgar started once again, only to get an angry stare from Anastasia which caused him to fall silent once again.

Well, maybe another 20 minutes passed, without anything happening. And I mean, without anything! Alidaria didn’t come back.

And that was the point we started to worry a bit.

“Where is she?” Anton, despite his name was also a minotaur, asked. “She should have been back by now. It’s only a few minutes walk back to the ship at best.”

“I said so at the start, something is wrong here,” Ansgar repeated. “What if the beast is outside, trapping us here while taking the others out one by one?”

“Nonsense, you always have a bad feeling about everything,” Silver Claw replied.

“But something is different this time,” Anastasia threw in, “this time, I feel it too.”

With surprise, we looked at our captain, rarely did she ever agree with something we said.

“Captain?” Silver asked.

“He is right, she should have been back by now. Whatever is going on outside, if Artur and Augustus are still there or already on their way home, Alidaria should have come back to report either way.”

“So what do we do?” Heavy Hammer asked.

“We go back, and check on the ship. The beast can’t escape without us noticing, there is only that one tunnel. And we will hear if the lattice moves, it will at least give us some time in the worst case.”

No one had any objections to this.

Though, before we could make our way up the tunnel, Alidari suddenly appeared out of it. Unharmed and with no sign that anything bad had happened.

“Where have you been?” Anastasia asked impatient. “You had us worried!”

“Not my fault captain, the weather outside’s gotten worse, I came just in time to prevent the worst. Artur and Augustus were already back on board, sailing the Windbreaker to the other side of the mountain and out of the wind. It looks like a heavy storm is forming. The ship should be okay, but we are on our own for now.”

“Dammit, that’s the last thing we need at the moment,” Anastasia groaned. “Even with the beast inside, we can’t stay here much longer without some supplies and we don’t know how long it will take until it comes out on its own.” She sighed. “Maybe we need to risk it and leveraging the lattice after all. Silver, you…” Anastasia turned to her first officer, or where he had been standing for the last few minutes. But there was no sign of him.

“Silver?” she repeated. “Silver? Where are you?”

We all turned around, our attention had been so focused on Alidaria that we hadn’t noticed how Silver had vanished.

“Where is he?” Anastasia demanded to know. “He was standing right here,” she pointed at the spot, “just a few seconds ago!”

“Don’t know captain.” Anton said with this clueless look on his face. He had been the one nearest to him. “Didn’t see him leaving.”

“He couldn’t have vanished into thin air, search for him!”

“Aye captain.”

We didn’t need to look for long though. Just a few dozen steps away from us, a paw was peeking out from a bush. 

It was Dead End who found him.

“Nothings going to help him now,” Dead End commented after Anton had kneeled down and whispered Silvers name. He pointed at the wet red puddle below Silvers head. “Whatever got him, it had to have been swift and silent, that much is for sure.”

It was that moment a…

*

…loud ‘Hello!’ echoed through Fluffies and my lair.

I raised my head from Fluffies and looked at the floor in confusion. If I weren't mistaken, it was Fluffies mom that we had heard.

And indeed, that much was confirmed when another ‘Hello? Somepony or somedragon home?’ came from the inner lair’s entrance.

“What’s your mom doing here?” I asked Fluffy as I made an attempt to stand up.

“I don’t know,” she replied and rose too. She turned to Angorik. “I am sorry, let’s take a short break while we greet my mom.”

“Of course, I understand,” Angorik answered with a sour face. After all, he was a bard, and they naturally didn’t like it when someone interrupted their stories.

“We are here mom!” Fluffy shouted, “in the living room!”

“Ah, it is good to see you, Danger,” Cloud Planter Do said warmly and embraced her daughter after she had entered. “And where is my little granddaughter?” she asked with a happy tone, already lowering her head to get level with Fiery. “Come to grandma!” she requested and opened her forelegs.

With a happy squeak, Fiery did as she was told, though, that may have been caused by the knowledge that grandma always had sweets for her little sunshine when she visits. A thing Fiery soon found out after the regular visits from her grandparents on Fluffies side.

And that hadn’t changed this time. As soon as Fiery was in Cloudies forelegs, a little piece of chocolate wandered into her mouth, followed by some snuggling.

Fiery approved.

“Mom! I told you to ask me first before you feed her sweets!” Fluffy scolded her. “It’s not good for her to have too many!”

“Oh, don’t be so finicky,” Cloudy waved Fluffy off. “She likes it.” Cloudy rubbed her snout against Fieries. “You like it, right my little sunshine?”

Happy squeaking was proof enough.

“And how is my favorite dragon?” Cloudy went on before the argument with her daughter could go on. She opened a wing to allow me to hug her without having to drop her grandchild.

“I am fine,” I said amused, knowing how this harmless dominance fight between her and Fluffy was just their way of saying they love each other. “Though, I must insist you listen to the lady of the lair. I heard her dragonfriend doesn’t take it well if somecreature doesn’t pay her the respect she deserves.” I playfully spit a tiny lance of fire above her head. “He is very picky about that.”

“You wouldn’t dare scare an old lady!” she replied with a giggle, “What would your mom say to this?”

“She probably would tell me to eat you I’m assuming.”

“Touche!”

Now we both giggled. Just so you know, I had a very good connection to Fluffies mom. She was very grateful that she had a grandchild now, despite it not being a pony, and I was more than happy for someone to tell me how to treat a pony. Or how to seduce a pegasus mare. Cloudy had told me quite a few tricks, and Fluffy would surely kill me if she ever found out I had asked her mom about it. For some reason, ponies don’t speak about this so openly.

Anyway, there was still another creatures present. So I introduced her to Angorik and she was pleased to meet him. She said that a bard always makes for a more enriching gathering. In return, obviously happy about her praise of his profession, Angorik bowed and told her what a good looking mare she was.

Those two seemed to have started out on good terms from the start. But as soon as we came to ask for the reason Cloudy was here, my mood soured.

“Well, Danger, your brother was visiting and you can’t imagine how surprised we were when he told us that he’d never visited you two here, and, therefore, hasn’t seen Fiery yet! And that’s such a shame!” She shook her head unhappily. “You sure can imagine that we do not approve of this, he is your brother, he has to know his niece! So long story short, we brought him here. He and your dad are waiting outside.”

I growled.

“I know, I know, “ Cloudy admitted, turning her head slightly left and right, “you are not so fond of our son, and that is understandable given how your last meeting went at our house, but still,” she nuzzled Fiery once more, “she is his niece. He should know her and come to visit once in a while.”

“Mom! You really should have let us decide on that,” Fluffy said angrily, and I agreed with her.

Well, it should be said, her brother and I have never had too much contact with each other, so I neither hate him nor like him. But, he had gotten between me and Fluffy when we were at their parents’ place. That act alone didn’t exactly make him the most welcome stallion at my lair, if you know what I am talking about.

Remind me to tell you that story later, for now, be it as it may, bringing him here without at least a letter first was rude. Letting him wait in the cold outside, however, was a nice touch to things. And, from what I had learned about ponies, they cared about their siblings, and despite my thoughts on what he had done, Fluffy liked her brother regardless of his behaviour.

So I let Fluffy and her mom argue just a little bit more before I played the ‘be calmed’ dragon and began sneaking some cuddling and calming caresses towards my marefriend. Cloudy, and to my surprise, also Fiery, just watched me, not buying it.

I got my cuddling though, and generously agreed to pick Fluffies brother up at the entrance. I must add, Cloudy’s clever understanding of dragon behaviour impressed me from time to time. For a pony, she stuck to dragon etiquette quite well. It was hard to tell if I should consider her to be more brazen or more intelligent.

“Would you take care of your mom and Angorik while I get your dad and brother?” I asked Fluffy.

“Of course.” Fluffy pointed towards the kitchen. “Mom, Angorik, why don’t you take a seat while I make us some more tea?”

Both agreed, even Angorik threw a longing gaze at the wine shelf before he followed them into the kitchen. When they had left, Fluffy whispered into my ear. “Be nice, he is my brother, and you know I like him.”

I sighed, but before I could reply, our daughter made it audable that she was not pleased with being taken away from her parents, and therefore Fluffy had to hurry off to catch up with her mom.

My eyes stayed on her sexy flank while she moved away, I had quite a good idea about what I would request as a reward for being a nice dragon towards her brother. But first things first.

*

The two were easy to see, and more easily heard, when I neared the surface. Seemed like Never Ending Do, Dangers brother, was not so fond of the idea of staying outside in the cold, while at the same time worried to enter my lair. His dad was constantly assuring him that if he would just behave and go through the formal greetings and stick to the protocol, there would be nothing to worry about. That I’m a nice dragon, just as long as he doesn’t make a fuss about me being with his sister. 

Meh, for pony standards I was anything but nice I suppose, though for Fluffies family I did made some concessions.

“Welcome, Gold Digger,” I said when I came into the dim light of the evening sun again, “a pleasure to see you again.”

Well, he and I were not as close as I was with Fluffies mom, but still, he was Fiery’s granddad and he had the guts to threaten me if I were to treat Fluffy badly when we told him about ‘us’. I assume that not many ponies would have dared to threaten me, so yeah, I kind of liked him.

Also, keeping my focus on him for the moment would only underline how low my opinion of Never Ending was.

“Black Death,” Gold Digger turned to me and greeted me formly with a little bow. “Good to see you too.” He pointed at Fluffies brother. “You remember my son, Never Ending Do?”

Said son was showing obvious signs of wishing to be somewhere else right now. No wonder, since my gaze had moved onto him and I had spread my wings a bit to look more threatening too.

“Yes, I do.”

“Well,” Gold Digger began rubbing his neck, “I assume my wife already told you we are here to introduce him to our grandchild?”

I just released a small cloud of smoke.

“So, uhm, will you please allow him to enter your lair?”

“We will see.” I said as I clicked my claw on the ground.

“Uhm…” Gold Digger’s tone was highly unsure. “Right,” he gestured his son to come closer, “time for you to say hello, Never Ending.”

With his ears folded back, Never Ending managed to approach me slowly and say a barely audible hello.

I growled in response, straightening my stance, causing him to hastily step back.

“Stick to the protocol, son!” Gold Digger reminded him. “You are supposed to show respect and bow.”

“Bowing?” Never’s bold behaviour seemed to have come back, he was a Do after all. “Don’t I count as family too?” he unsureadly asked. “Bowing sounds like lowering my status.”

Oh, someone’s paid attention to dragon behaviour. I mean he was right, though, a shame he couldn’t use his knowledge at this moment.

Gold Digger shook his head. “It is his lair after all. But it is only a one time thing, you don’t need to do it every time once you have permission to enter.”

“And if we just fly home and forget about all this?” he suggested, throwing another unsure look at me and the lair. Being stuck in there with me gave him a bad feeling I suppose.

“You know what your mom would think about that. And she is already in there, so come on and get this done so you can get in too.”

He sighed, as frustrated as he was unsure. “Alright, alright.” He stepped forward again and slightly bowed. “See, all done, let us get in now.”

It was unwisely of him to not wait for my response and simply take my ongoing silence as acceptance or permission.

So he was quite scared when I rushed forward in his direction and hished, spreading my wings and slammed the ground with my tail, causing him to fall backwards over his own hooves. If it wasn't for my intention to be nice for Fluffies sake, I wouldn’t have held back in my charge before I could teach her brother about dragon protocol. But I could only behave myself so much, I would not tolerate this lack of respect in my own lair.

“Woah!” his father rushed between us. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on, hold on, please.” He made a calming gesture with his hooves. “Just give us a second to figure this out.”

I lowered my wings and allowed him to try. He always showed me respect, except for the time he threatened me, and I knew it was to my benefit to have a good connection to Fluffies dad.

He exhaled slowly. “Alright, alright, something obviously went wrong, but it’s not a broken wing, we can make this right.” He offered his son a hoof to help him up and turned to me again. “Keep in mind, Black Death, that we are not familiar with all the dragon rules yet, and that we were so generous as to turn a blind eye to your mistakes when you visited us.”

Not that they had much of a choice, but yes. Even so, I remained in my less aggressive stance for the time being.

“So, my son greeted you and bowed soon after. That should have done the trick as far as I know, more so since he’s family. Am I right?”

“Not completely, only very close family members get away with such a botched attempt.” I explained.

“Oh, that's the problem. I see.” He whispered something to his son.

Before I could figure out what it was, however, a light clippety-clop echoed up from the tunnel behind me, making it known that somepony was approaching. It turned out to be Fluffy with Fiery on her arm.

“Didn’t you say you were going to be a nice dragon?” she accused me with a certain look before she addressed her family. “Hey dad, hey brother.”

“I am,” I snorted, “I let them try again after your brother was so rude, again.” I nuzzled her and poked my nose against Fieries. “I wouldn’t give just anycreature such a chance.”

“Hey kid.” “Hey sister.” where the delayed replies.

She rubbed her head along my shoulder, pushing me aside a bit. “Males, always the same no matter which species.” She added a little smile to her next words. “Look who’s there, Fiery, it’s grandpa and uncle Never Ending!”

Ponting in their direction, she lifted our daughter up a bit. “Are we wanna greet them? Yes we are, right?”

In the case of grandpa Do, Fiery was of course happy to see him. She knew him and her baby instincts were telling her that grandpa was a good guy. So a happy bout of squeaking and open claws were her reactions. Her uncle was ignored though, at least for the time being. Gold Digger took his granddaughter in his own hooves and it was not clear who was more happy at that moment. It was always something special to see how Fiery affected her relatives. And even though Gold DIgger doesn’t have as much chestfluff as his daughter, cuddling was a must for Fiery, as she welcomed it with happy noises.

When it comes to her uncle however… the reaction was quite different.

“Look son, your niece.” Gold Digger held her up and offered her to Never Ending. “Isn’t she beautiful?”

Hesitantly, Never Ending stretched his hooves out to take her, though, both he and Fiery didn’t really seem to know just what to do with the situation. Fiery stopped her happy squeaking and seriously looked at this strange pony. Her uncle, however, just held her there, his hooves stretched out under her armpits.

“She is not a sack of flour, brother!” Fluffy scolded him while shaking her head. “Hold her in your forelegs, she is a baby after all!”

“Uhm… yeah… of course,” he replied and leaned her against his shoulder. “Hey Fiery, uhm, nice to meet you, I am your uncle Never Ending.” He started to pet her head.

Unsure about him, Fiery started to sniff at him, first his hoof and then his mane and throat.

It found my full approval that she wasn’t happy with the result. Since he wasn’t present at her birth so she could get to know his scent, nor was she given to him directly by me or Fluffy. So in her opinion, he wasn’t allowed to hold or pet her. So Fiery took immediate action to stop this, she raised a claw, threatening his hoof and started to hiss and squirm all of a sudden, scratching her uncle in the process..

“Ouch! Ouch stop!” Never Ending tried to calm her down, but without effect.

“Fiery, no!” Fluffy shouted and rushed over. “Don’t scratch you uncle.”

A little smile crawled up my lips, my daughter showed a good understanding of who could be trusted. Though, Fluffy thought differently and placed a hoof on her claw, telling her that was bad behaviour.

Spoilsport.

Well, it was a bit of a back and forth, but in the end, Never Ending was at least allowed to carry her. Still, Fiery stared at him emotionless whenever he tried to pet her. I was rather pleased. That was far worse than scratching and biting, she judged him silently.

“I don’t know what there is to be purring about!” Fluffy snorted.

“I am just a proud father you know, having such a wonderful girl is a gift.” I gave her a kiss on her head. “And having a most attractive marefriend doesn’t hurt either.”

Fluffy hissed at this obviously attempt to flirt my way out of this, though, since my words were the truth, and she knew that was what I really though despite my use of it here, it was not meant seriously.

“Okay,” Fluffy sighed, “lets move in.” And with those words she took the lead, walking into our lair.

“Hey!” I interrupted, “your brother still doesn’t have my permission!”

“He has mine,” Fluffy replied a little annoyed.

“But,” I started, though I had underestimated Fluffies understanding of dragon behaviour. With a loud hiss, Fluffy turned to me, spreading her wings and charged right in front of me, rising to her hind legs.

“This is my lair too, and my family is always welcome!” she hissed.

“Not without paying me the respect I deserve!” I countered, spreading my wings too.

“They show it like ponies do! By being nice to you!” Fluffy yelled, stomping a hoof.

“I am a dragon, I want to be treated as one! Little ponies have to bow before me!”

“Not my family!”

“Maybe we co…” Gold Digger started, trying to help, but we both hissed at him unison and he stepped back. So did Never Ending, with an attentive Fiery on his arm. Fiery seemed to be the only one that wasn’t worried though, her dragon side knowing mom and dad were only playing.

And that was the case. Of course, to the unskilled eye it looked like an argument, and a heated one at that, but in truth it was just a civilized bargain.

“I got this dad,” Fluffy explained loudly, hissing once more. “My family is always welcome in my lair!”

“Our lair!”

“Our lair,” Fluffy agreed but added, “is always open for my family as it is for yours!”

“I demand some form of respect though! I am the offspring of an azure dragon after all!”

“And I am the lady of the lair!”

“Still, a bow and a gift is the bare minimum!”

“A friendly nod is enough!”

We continued at this for a little while longer, threatening each other, whipping up some dust and therelike, in short, it was like good foreplay, just with the purpose of both satisfying my demand for respect while also allowing Fluffies family to visit and come in whenever they want. I didn’t mind, mostly. I had no problem with Cloudy and Gold Digger, but for her brother… for her brother she would need to give me something in return.

“A massage for every day he stays!” Fluffy offered.

Now she was talking.

“Two! One in the morning and one in the evening! And you do the housework while they stay!”

While her giving me massages was something she had no problem with, I saw it in her eyes that doing the housework was a different story.

She growled.

“You give me the massages and I do the normal housework while you do the extra housework that comes with us having guests. Last offer!”

After thinking for a second she charged forward, her wings spread and her hooves ready to strike.

We had an agreement.

I caught her midair and we exchanged some cuddling and purring. Good old dragon diplomacy.

So there was only one thing left to do before we could move in. I placed her back on the ground, walked over to the still astonished Never Ending and grabbed Fiery by her mane with my fangs, lifting her up and placing her on my back. I couldn’t stand that accusing look of hers, like mom and dad had betrayed her, leaving her with this strange pony.

“Alright, welcome at my lair, Never Ending, you may enter now,” I said. And when I reached my spot next to Fluffy, I rubbed my head against her. “I am really looking forward to my massage this evening.” The look on her face when she realised that our agreement already included today was very pleasant. I simply had to kiss her again.







 
> The Visit, Day 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a joy to see Gold Digger try and explain what had happened outside the lair to his wife. He tried his best to make me not sound like I was just a wild dragon with anger issues, while also focusing on pointing out that he and his son had done nothing wrong either. I have to say, it was a bit tricky for him, dragon behaviour obviously seemed to confuse him.

Good thing Cloudy had a better understanding of it and just waved the matter off with her hoof, saying that since everything had already happened they should just leave it in the past.

Anyway, after this was settled, and of course, Gold Digger and Never Ending had exchanged the usual pleasantries with Angorik, we all moved into the living room to find a comfortable place to relax, talking all the while. I put another few logs in the fireplace before taking over most of the couch with Fiery still on my back. It seemed though that with all the guests we had my little daughter was too excited to curl up to sleep. She instead moved to the edge of my back and placed her claws on top of my folded wing to look over it. I could feel her tail wagging left and right as she kept a close eye on everything, not only on daddy refilling the fireplace, but on everypony around.

That was, until her mother noticed how our daughter refused to curl up to sleep. 

With a little purr, Fluffy approached me and laid her hooves on my side. She looked kind of like a predator this way. It only took her a second before she flapped her wings twice and found herself on my back, fluffing up and preparing to nest on Fiery. Our daughter, however, looked back and forth between the interesting creatures that had joined us and her mom, and I saw she was highly tempted to keep watching everyone. But when Fluffy’s melodious purr reached our daughter and she saw her mother's inviting chest fluff, she quickly rushed to her mom and pressed her head against her side. Of course, Fluffy lifted herself up slightly and our daughter, without hesitation, crawled under her and rubbed her head against her mom’s belly and purred in approval when she reached the warm and cozy chest fluff. Once there, she curled up and allowed her mom to nest on her, welcoming the warmth and love.

There is absolutely no resistance to a fluffy pegasus.

I was no different as I rubbed my head against Fluffies, purring as I enjoyed the cozy warmth she offered. I was so focused on her that I needed a second to process that the sofa had suddenly shook. Turns out Fluffy’s brother had taken a seat next to us.

While Gold Digger and Cloudy had taken the chairs, Angorik had brought another one from the kitchen, leaving Never to either go and fetch one more or try to take the free spot next to Fluffy and me.

And I was not going to let that happen.

I swung my head around to him and growled, so he quickly rose and looked for a better place to sit. Clever choice.

“Don’t growl at my brother,” Fluffy scolded and poked me. “I don’t want you to show Fiery that it’s alright to do so, she may get a bad impression of my brother.”

I unhappily grumbled. “Then tell him to stop interfering with what is mine.”

Now she gave me a raised eyebrow.

“Mine,” I purred and returned my head to rub it against her wing before I moved over to her fluffy chest. “Also mine,” I purred at what had curled up beneath it. 

“Sweet Talker,” Fluffy accused me with a smile, and I saw that a purr was lurking below her voice. “Still, no growling at my family.” She made herself clear before patting my head with a hoof.

I snorted and quickly licked over her cheek before I pulled my head back, evading a playful slap of her hoof, “No promises.”

“I don’t want to interrupt you playing with my daughter, “Cloudy spoke up, “but would it too much to ask if we could have some snacks? The flight was quite long, and with us getting here so late, it would be better for us to eat soon before it gets too late.”

Not paying her much mind, I simply answered, “There are some vegetables and a bit of hay in the pantry, serve yourselves.”

It seemed that was not the response she had hoped for, seeing as her lips curled up displeased, but she quickly returned to smiling again. “Oh, thank you,” she turned to her son who just came back from the kitchen with another chair, “Never, would you be so kind as to fetch some food from the pantry since you are already up?”

He rolled his eyes, placed the chair down, and with a “Yes mom,” returned to the kitchen.

“So, Angorik,” Cloudy went on, “you’re staying the night too?”

“Uhm, we haven’t come to that point yet, I only arrived a bit before you.” He threw a look at Fluffy. “Originally I just wanted to borrow something from Black Death, but your daughter invited me for tea and he made it clear it would be rude to say no.”

“Yes,” Cloudy nodded, “he does have good manners. Dragons are so friendly these days.”

“See,” I whispered to Fluffy, “what a well behaved dragon I am.”

She only gave me a look, one which contained a mix of doubt and a hint of naughty approval. I smiled.

“Anyway, if you want to leave, you should do so soon, it’s already getting dark outside,” Cloudy stated. “We don’t want you to get lost in the night, do we?”

“Well, I uhm… “ Angorik started and exhaled deeply, but Fluffy spoke up before he could continue.

“Of course you can stay here for the night” - Fluffy raised a hoof- “no discussion. A friend of Big Softy is always welcome in our lair, and we don’t kick someone out into the cold night. You can share the second guest chamber with my brother, while you, mom and dad, take the other one.”

“Then it is settled,” I agreed, preventing any objection from the start. The fact that Fluffies family would be staying had already been established, but having my friend Angorik here to entertain us with his stories and maybe play this little harp of his was a nice addition. While it made me sleepy, it may make ponies even more inclined to cuddle, who knows?

Fluffies parents exchanged a quick look when they thought they were not being observed, Cloudy pulled a snout and Digger just shrugged, whatever they were up to, it seemed that Angorik staying here would not fit into their plans.

“I hope everycreature likes pears and carrots,” Never Ending announced as he came back with a basket full of said items, breaking the short silence that had developed. “I couldn’t find any hay, but I brought a few gems along too.”

I could feel Fluffies ‘ see how nice my brother can be if you give him a chance’ stare on my back.

Never Ending distributed everything and placed the nearly empty basket next to me so I could reach the gems without standing up. Yeah, it was a nice gesture, I’ll admit that, but that didn’t mean my opinion of him had changed.

“We were just discussing who is going to sleep where, son,” Gold Digger said between bites of his peach. “Seems you’re sharing a room with Black Death’s griffon friend tonight.”

“I am?” One of Never’s ears perked up and he took another look at Angorik. “Ehh, well then.”

“Never…” Fluffies tone had gained a serious undertone, causing her brothers ears to flinch back. For some reason, she seemed to be rather stern when judging his manners; maybe it’s a sibling thing.

“I mean” - he rubbed his head - “I don’t mind sharing the room with a griffon, but Angorik, you do could really use a shower, you know? No offence,” he quickly added with a glance at his sister, “but you smell a bit funny, and, uhm,” he sniffed at himself, “I could probably use one too after that long flight.”

Angorik took it lightly. “A bard’s curse I guess, traveling far and wide without a shower or river at claw all the time. Especially-” he paused for a second “-after the cold sweat I had when a dragon and his kirin daughter hunted me from the shadows today.” He looked over to me. “I mean, I’m sure it was fun for you, but I assume I have your permission to use the giant shower bathtub thing you have in exchange?”

Before I could answer though, Cloudy spoke up. “In fact, we probably all could use a shower, and I am sure you wouldn’t mind, would you?” Her question was obvious directed at me, but Fluffy answered for me while she patted my back.

“Of course you can use it, Angorik, and yes, mom, you, dad, and Never too.”

At first I wanted to protest and make a fuss about it, but the deal I had with Fluffy came to mind rather quickly. “I am so happy that I don’t have to clean the feathers out of the shower this time,” I purred demonstratively. “So nice of you to take care of that tomorrow, Fluffy.”

Do you know how sweet a mildly sour but defeated pegasus mare can look? How their lips curl up in the cutest way and how their beauty is accentuated by their flinched ears? She was a small, fluffy heap of adorability. More so with the little purr that had started to come from under her chest fluff by now.

“Good thing cuteness can’t kill,” I said, and moved my snout before hers and tried to kiss her. She pulled her head a bit back, grumpy, but I followed and booped her nose with mine. “You only look cuter this way my beloved little mate.” I then kissed her. “Love you too,” I purred with a blink. Her cheeks reddened and her wings poofed open a tiny bit.

“Unfair dragon tricks,” she mumbled.

“It’s the only way we can stand the magic of pegasi,” I retorted and kissed her again, softer and longer this time. “Otherwise we wouldn’t have a chance.”

I saw it quite clearly how she wanted to stay a bit angry and play the victim, but failed in the end. “I’ll get you back for this,” she whispered sweetly while she stretched out a hoof and caressed my head.

“I bet you will.” I tilted my head to let her reach the more sensitive spots. “And I will be ready for it.”

“You’ll never see it coming…” she whispered, challenging but seductively. Her eyes narrowed, “soon… “

My purr got louder.

“Ehem,” Gold Digger coughed. “I would prefer it if you didn’t seduce my daughter while I’m in the same room.”

“You are allowed to leave anytime.” I waved his complain off, keeping my attention on his beautiful daughter, who poked my nose in disagreement.

“Big Softy… “ she let the words linger in the air.

“Aww fine,” I snorted and returned my attention to less important subjects. “Let us eat then and after that, you can all prepare your bedchambers and have showers. Obviously Fluffy and I can’t do much to help, Fiery needs her sleep, and she prefers a warm pegasus for a blanket.”

“Lazy you,” Cloudy giggled.

“I deny nothing.”

The preparations were quickly made. I always kept the guest chambers ready for visits, I mean, what other purpose would they have? So after that was done, we sat in the living room for a little while longer and the conversation turned to more common things, a little bit of smalltalk, some catching up, in short, the usual family gathering for ponies.

*

When everyone was finally in their beds, and I had reached ours after a very slow ‘not waking up Fiery’ kind of walk, I climbed onto it and stretched myself out, sinking into the softness of our bed. Due to my size, I took up a large part of the bed, but Fluffy was never one to complain about it as she preferred to have me curled around her or to sleep on top of me. I pulled a few pillows under me and a few blankets above me. But, to no one’s surprise, the blankets were quickly stolen by Fluffy; as I told you, she is a blanket stealer! While yes, a few blankets were meant for her, she took them all.

Well, I still had a warm pegasus on my back, and it was fairly warm in the lair anyway. Before I could rest though, the melodic voice of my mate whispered into my ear.

“I wonder what they are up to?”

“Who?” I asked, shifting deeper into the pillows, laying my head to rest.

“My parents.”

“What do you mean?”

Fluffy rearranged the blankets and stretched a hoof out, demanding a pillow. “They wouldn’t fly all the way here just so my brother and our daughter could meet.” She paused when I gave her the pillow, which she promptly  arranged on my neck. “And have you seen how rude my mother was to Angorik, she nearly pushed him out of the door. Something is on her mind, and she doesn’t want him around for some reason.” She tapped my back with her hoof, thinking.

I yawned. “You’re just overthinking this, your mother was just worried about him getting home safe and sound, ponies are not at all capable of being mean, well, except for your cousin of course.”

I got a soft poke on my neck for that comment.

“It’s true, don’t you remember that she tried to rip my head off after you told her you were pregnant?”

“You’ll never let go of that, will you?”

“It’s just as unlikely as me forgetting about the massage you owe me for today, though, with Fiery already sleeping, I’ll allow you to make up for this one when your family is gone again.” I put a naughty smile on. “Gives us some opportunity to extend it anyway.”

“Oh you!” Fluffy slapped my with her tail. “Lecher,” she added.

I purred approvingly and used my tail to softly stroke over her flank. “I blame you for that. That is what you get for using your pegasus mare tricks on a dragon.”

“You are impossible,” Fluffy said, shaking her head before giving me a kiss on my neck. “I never know if I should scold you or purr.

“Perfect,” I said and buried my head back in the pillows. “Exactly the way I want it.”

While I saw the discussion as finished and tried to get some sleep, I felt that Fluffy was still lost in thought for a while before she laid her head down and allowed sleep to find her as well. I wondered if she was right about her mom though, Cloudy did not exactly strike me as someone that conniving.



  
> The Visit, Day 2 Magical Melody
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Slowly, I opened one eye and yawned widely. A quiet noise, followed by some movement on my back, had awoken me. It turned out, the noise was a mix of purring and happy squeaking.

My daughter had woken up.

I felt her make her way out from under her mom and began struggling with the blankets. It would only take her a few moments to get out from underneath them, and then, she would do everything to get Fluffy and or my attention. When that happened, only one of us would be allowed to return to sleep.

“Your daughter woke up,” Fluffy whispered sleepily before yawning as well.

“Before the cave starts warming up, it’s your daughter who woke up,” I retorted.

The growling of a sleepy pegasus was my answer.

Well, we both knew that in the end, it wouldn’t matter, our daughter would make that decision for us anyway. That was, as long as no one volunteered to get up with her. But that wasn’t going to happen today.

So, when Fiery finally managed to free herself from the blankets, she instantly began looking for one of us, or more accurately, our faces’. In this case, it was Fluffy who she saw first, which wasn’t surprising seeing as she had been the closest. Still happily squeaking, she rushed over to her and began rubbing her head against her mother and walking down her side, purring all the while.

“Good morning, Fiery,” Fluffy whispered before giving Fiery a little kiss on the head as well as a little purr and some motherly caresses. Fiery’s purring intensified at the affection.

Fortunately though, my daughter began to look for me after not too long so that I could be a part of the purring session. And in her little world, finding me meant finding my head. I felt her little claws and hooves crawl towards my neck along my back before stopping to sniff at it. When she seemed satisfied that I was indeed her father, she half trotted, half slid down the back of my neck, only to fall off halfway and land with a ‘poof’ on one of the pillows.

This caused Fiery to start happily giggling.

Nevertheless, she was still on her mission to reach daddy’s head and say good morning. So she quickly recovered and was back on her claw and coming towards my head in a little over a second.

“Good morning, Fiery,” I purred when she placed one of her tiny claws on my nose.

A series of very happy squeaking followed. She had accomplished her goal and found daddy, a great victory. Now I was the one who was being rubbed against, she even gave my scales a few licks.

Now, with the morning routine covered, it was the moment of truth, would she return to her mother, determined to lurk in her soft chestfluff, or would she climb onto my head, purring and expecting me to lift her up and carry her around instead. It was a fight between her desire to be lazy or cozy. Her mother was undoubtedly softer and more cuddly, though, she would have to walk on her own claws and hooves then, I, on the other claw, was warmer, and would carry her around by holding her by her mane. 

The choice was tricky, and Fiery was too moody in the morning for us to guess. It was basically random what she would be more interested in.

In the end, this morning it was…

Soft claws landed on my forehead and tiny hooves on my nose when my daughter placed herself on my head, purring and demanding a lift.

Releasing a sigh of defeat, I prepared to rise to my claws. “Dragon-taxi it is.”

“I’ll guard the bed.” Fluffy words rubbed salt in the wound as she slid down my side. “Don’t want it to get lonely and cold.”

I wanted to snort, but my cute passenger made that difficult, so I simply threw a pillow at my mate, causing her to giggle as it collided with her.

“Have fun you two,” she cheered, quickly collected the pillow I had thrown at her.

I had barely set a claw out of bed before a heap of pillows and blankets was created, with Fluffy underneath this soft mountain of course. The speed with which she was able to do this still impressed me.

Anyway, since I was Fiery’s choice this morning, I figured I might as well make her happy and do something I knew she would enjoy. I tilted my head forward and shook it up and down slightly to cause my daughter to slide down my snout. When she was finally over my nostrils, I then flicked my head up quickly, causing her to fly into the air.

Unsurprisingly, she happily squeaked at this and spread her little wings. She flapped them a few times, but they were still too small for her to fly just yet, so her time in the air quickly came to an end. Well, I was happy to see that my little stunt got her to use her wings a bit, but the real goal was… my head sprung forward and I snapped at her… catching her by her mane, holding her in front of me like cat carrying its kitten.

Very, very happy squeaking and giggling was the result of my little stunt, just like all the other times we had done this. It not only entertained Fiery, it also gave her the well-desired lift to the bathroom she wanted. I carried her from our room and into the bathroom, placing her on the little step we build for her so she could reach the sink and the toilet.

I must say, it was a blessing that Fiery took after me more than Fluffy in this regard. I mean, did you know that foals have diapers? And this is something they have to wear for months? Disgusting! My daughter, like most dragons, figured out herself where she could do her ‘business’ by her second week. Though, she would only do it if Fluffy or I were present. We had to accompany her to the bathroom when she wanted to go. Fluffy told me that it’s quite a common behavior for little foals to only feel comfortable if a parent was present, and from what I know about hatchlings following their parents around, dragons weren’t much different. However, unlike foals, we don’t follow our parents around out of a desire for attention, but we do still follow them, so normally ‘it’ happens outside the lair itself.

I let Fiery take care of her business before the two of us went to the sink so that we could clean her teeth. We moved over, washed ourselves a bit, and then I took her toothbrush and started cleaning her teeth. She enjoyed when I would help her, but she also wanted to try doing it herself. Of course, I let her, but the result was just a mess of toothpaste on her snout. I smiled. “Very well done.” I ruffled her mane and she lit up under the praise.

“Still, let daddy try again.”

*

When we came back to the bedroom, we were greeted by the lovely snoring of Fluffy. She was still buried deep under the pillows and blankets and stretching out to cover a good part of the bed. 

“Do we want to wake up mommy?” I conspiratorially whispered to Fiery as I rubbed my nose against her belly. She squeaked happily. It was all the approval I needed.

Quietly purring, I approached the bed and snuck my head under one of the blankets near Fluffy’s hind legs. Carefully, I pushed my head forward, under some more blankets, till I reached what I was looking for. Her brown and black tail.

I giggled in anticipation, made sure my daughter, who had scurried between my legs, was not in the way, and… grabbed onto it with my teeth and forcefully pulled, dragging Fluffy from under the blankets and out of the bed in one quick move.

A surprised, short scream echoed through my lair before Fluffy landed on the floor, only to then be pounced on by me a second later. I sealed her lips with a kiss and drew back to make myself comfortable, avoiding placing too much of my weight on her.

As soon as she realized what had happened, she sharply inhaled, likely to begin scolding me, but a little fluffy kirin hindered her from doing so. Our daughter quickly stormed to her mother's throat before placed her tiny claws on her chin and licking her cheek, purring all the while.

It is hard to stay angry when your whole family is purring at you and expressing their love, doubly so for ponies. In the end, Fluffy giggled in defeat and accepted her fate of being cuddled and loved.

“Your daughter is ready for the day, and the bathroom is yours,” I said, sneaking a little more cuddling in before moving to allow her to stand up as well.

“Alright, alright,” she giggled, grabbing Fiery off her belly, where she had crawled to, and placed her on the ground next to her while she stood up. “Could you make breakfast for everypony while I am in the bathroom?”

I scowled at that.

“Please?” She gave me a kiss and added a sweet strum of her eyelids. “For me?”

“Fine-” I looked down at her “-you’ll probably be too busy cleaning the bathtub anyway.”

Now it was her turn to scowl.

“That was the deal,” I reminded her, poking her nose in the process. “Not to forget my massage.” I looked back at my daughter. “Come on, Fiery, you can help daddy make breakfast.”

*

Well, on our way to the kitchen, I threw a short look into the living room as we passed, and to my surprise, Angorik was sitting in the armchair. His paws were placed next to a little fire in the fireplace while his claws absentmindedly plucked at the lyre he was holding, not really playing anything, simply allowing his mind to create its own tune it seemed.

“You’re already up?” I asked, changing my direction so that I was now heading into the living room.

His head spun around and he took a second to answer. He must have been deep in thought indeed. “Oh, morning, Black Death. Yeah,” he placed down his lyre, “kind of.”

I gave him a raised eyebrow.

“Uhm… “ he was obviously unsure of what I wanted.

I stroked softly over Fiery’s back while she scurried around my legs livelily.

“Oh, yes, my apology,” Angorik bowed his head in respect, “good morning, Fiery.”

I nodded, while Fiery just turned to him at the mentioning of her name, squeaking questioningly.

“Yes,” I nuzzled her, “he’s talking to you.”

Even though she didn’t understand what was going on, she was receiving attention and some nuzzling from her daddy, and that was something she was most happy with. I enjoyed her display of happiness and exchanged a head rub with her before I lifted my head again and addressed Angorik.

“I take it you couldn’t sleep last night?”

“Eh, not exactly, Never Ending is not the best to share a room with to be honest.” Angorik lowered his voice a bit before he continued. “He snores far too loud.”

That made me chuckle. “All ponies do that, you should hear Fluffy, she can shake the walls with her snoring on good days.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I sometimes wonder how Fiery can sleep under her, tail, I even wonder how I do. I’ve gotten used to it it seems. Her fluffiness makes up for it though.”

“Hmm…” Angorik shrugged.

A moment of silence followed, well, besides the little noises Fiery made every now and then. Watching her gave me an idea though.

“Say, does your lyre still have its magic?” I nodded at the instrument. “I would like to hear it again, and, I’m curious how Fiery will react to it.”

“This old thing?” Angorik asked and softly stroked over the wood. “I am sure I could play a few nice sounds from it if you wish.” He picked it up and stroked over the strings once before turning back to me. “Which song should it be?”

As always, it didn't take much to convince him to play his lyre.

“Surprise us, something beautiful that my daughter can enjoy would be nice.”

He smiled. “As you wish.”

Pensively leaning back in the armchair, Angorik played a few unconnected notes, thinking about a good song. After a moment, he nodded to himself and started playing a slow and quiet melody, which soon became a lively song.

I watched my daughter while the music filled the room. At first, daddy was still more interesting, but soon, her left ear perked up and she paused. She turned her head back and forth to look for the source of the melody, sniffing the air in confusion. It took her a moment or two to understand that these strange sounds were not coming from my or Angorik’s mouth, but instead, from this wooden thing in his claws.   

When she finally figured this out, she pointed at the instrument and squeaked.

“That is a lyre,” I explained, “a musical instrument.”

Fiery looked at the lyre, back at me, and then back at the lyre, jumping a little bit closer to it. Soon, her hooves and claws started to move to the music, like she did when her mother sang her a song.

I yawned, as I said, this little lyre always made me a bit sleepy, but in a good way. The next moment I was wide awake again as Fiery had rushed below my belly and was running back towards the bedroom.

“Hey, what are you doing, Fiery?” I asked, confused by her actions. I lowered my head to look under my belly and after her, but she simply kept running. “Hey,” I repeated before following her.

When she arrived, she stopped for a second to look into the bedroom, only to move on to the bathroom, or more specifically, to the front of the door. I could hear the water from the shower along with Fluffies humming coming from behind it, and based on Fiery’s actions, so did she.

“Fiery?” I asked, but my daughter just ignored me. Her tiny claws found their way to the door and she scratched at it. “Mommy is having a shower, Fiery, you just have to wait a while.” I made an attempt to pick her up, but she kept scratching the door, showing her disapproval with me when I lowered my head to pick her up.

Before I really knew what to do however, she rose to her hind legs, flapped her wings a bit, and neighed loudly for her mother, something she’d never done before. This was especially surprising because of just what it was that she had done. She had roared or hissed before, yes, but never something as complex as a neigh, and never this loud.

I was taken aback at this, but not enough to not notice the sound of the shower and Fluffy’s humming had stopped.

“Fiery?” Fluffies voice unsurely asked through the door.

My daughter repeated her neigh, loud and clear.

“Fiery!” Fluffy’s voice was now concerned and I heard her jump out of the shower and head for the door, unlocking it. Not a second later, a wet and worried pegasus mare stood in the door, looking down at her daughter. “What is it, sweety?” She picked her up. “Are you okay? Does something hurt? Tell mommy what's wrong!”

Fiery squeaked and pointed towards the living room.

“What, sweety? What is it?” Fluffy examined her closer, looking for any injuries.

“Is everypony okay?” A loud shout from the door of one of the guestrooms echoed through our lair, just before Gold Digger rushed over to us, followed by his wife. “Is something wrong with Fiery?” They both seemed as worried as Fluffy had been a moment prior.

“I don’t know, she just neighed.”

For some reason, this seemed to worry all the ponies. I mean, I was kind of surprised, and a little bit impressed that Fiery could do that, but there hadn’t been any real hint of pain or fear in it. Must be some strange pony thing, I mean, whenever I had made Fluffy neigh, it was quite the pleasant event. This was confusing, even more so with how concerned everypony was.

“I don’t know why she’s doing that, but I’m sure it’s nothing serious.”

“You can never be too careful,” Gold Digger said. “A neigh is a serious thing!”

“Yes it is!” Cloudy supported his statement and stretched out her hooves to hold Fiery herself, but Fluffy refused to hoof her over. Instead, she pulled her closer to her chest, rubbing over Fiery’s head.

“Don’t make mommy worry so much, you are ok, right?”

Our daughter only repeated her squeaking and turned her head to the living room, squirming in her mother's hooves, trying to get free.

Fluffy only grabbed her every time she was close to slipping out of her hooves, unwilling to let go, too worried about what she had heard.

“Put her on the ground, Fluffy, I have the impression she wants to show you something.”

With a doubtful look, she eventually did as I said and placed Fiery on the ground slowly. As soon as she touched the ground, Fiery began rushing back to the living room, stopping after a few jumps to look back, making sure her mom was following.

“See, I told you she wanted to show you something.”

Fluffy left a wet trail behind her as we followed Fiery the short distance back to the living room, with Fiery stopping every few steps to make sure we were still following. She eventually stopped next to Angorik, who looked at us with an unsure stare.

Fiery pointed at him before jumping next to his paws and poked his leg.

“Uhm…?” Angorik threw and questioning look at me and Fluffy, raising his claws slightly in defense. “I have no clue what I should do, just saying, I don’t want to annoy you, Black Death, really.”

Fiery poked him again, more forceful this time. Her squeaking had become demanding.

“Hey, I know how protective you are about your daughter,” Angorik continued, “I don’t want any trouble, I just have no clue what I did wrong.”

While Fluffy and her parents were still worried and unsure about the situation, I finally put two and two together and laughed.

At least for Angorik, this had a calming effect, Fluffy, however, was still too worried about the neighing of her daughter. “Why are you laughing? This could be serious!” she scolded me.

“Oh yes, it is,” I agreed, still smiling, “very serious.”

“If you know what's wrong, tell us!” Fluffy demanded.

“Angorik, would you please play your lyre again? I think your new number one fan wants to hear more from it.”

“My new number one fan?” He looked down at Fiery who had started to growl unhappy. “Oh, oh! Yes, yes of course.” He grabbed his instrument and returned to playing it. Instantly, Fiery stopped her growling and rushed over to her mom, placing her claws on her chest, waving her tail with joy and dancing with her hooves to the music.

“Awww, looks like our grandfilly wants to dance with you,” Cloudy said, and leaned against her husband, calmed.

“You wanna dance with mommy?” Fluffy asked, and grabbed Fiery's claws. “That’s why you neighed?”

Apparently that wasn’t it, since Fiery shook off Fluffy’s hooves and placed her claws on her mother’s chest again, starting to babble.

“What do you want sweety?” Fluffy tried to lift her up, but Fiery start to whine as soon as she wasn’t touching the ground anymore, so Fluffy placed her back.

“Oh, I get it,” I purred. “My daughter has a very good taste in music,” I proudly looked at her, “just like her dad.”

“What does she wants?” Fluffy turned her head to me and gave me a confused look.

“Well,” I rubbed my head against her wet coat, “a melodic and soft pegasus voice would fit perfectly with the sound of the lyre, at least if you ask me and our daughter.”

Said daughter was now starting to rub her claws up and down her mother's chest.

Fluffy turned her attention back to Fiery. “You want mommy to sing?” She rubbed her nose against her daughters. “Hmm?”

More babbling followed.

Fluffy looked at the little puddle that had already formed under her and sighed. “Alright, but don’t scare mommy again, you hear me, Fiery?” she sighed before patting her daughter’s head.

Knowing what would follow, I laid down and snatched a pillow for under my head. I was going to enjoy that as much as Fiery would, though, I probably would start sleeping during the show.

And indeed, after a few deep breaths, and an exchanged look with Angorik, Fluffy joined in the music with her sweet voice, singing a slow but happy little foals song. I can’t repeat often enough how sweet this pony race is, I mean, not only are they fluffy, soft, and also smell good, no, they also seem to have a collective ability to sing. And I don’t just mean making noise or hitting a few tones, no, they really can sing beautifully. More so when they’re in groups. I have no clue how they do it, but the more ponies gather, the more likely a song is to be sung, and everypony somehow instinctively knows their role in the song too. It’s Magical!

Fiery approved of the song too. She let go of her mother as soon as the song started and danced around. This was after a little celebratory high-speed run around the living room though, filled with babbling and squeaking about her success at not only summoning mommy, but getting her to sing too.  

Not long after this, Cloudy and Gold Digger joined in, making the song more wholesome and family like. I enjoyed the sound of the song and the sight of them dancing, though, I could barely suppress a yawn as everything continued. As I said, those little lyres really had an effect on me, more so when cute pegasus magic was added to the mix.

It was only natural for my thoughts to trail off. I wondered if Fiery would be able to sing as good as her mother when she grew up, or if she would share this pony ability to sing together that perfectly. Also… also… al... *Zzz Zzz Zzz*

***

I was woken up by something soft and small, rubbing itself against the side of my snout, purring all the while. Lazily, I opened an eye and yawned, only to have a fluffy tail slip into my mouth. “Bah!” I coughed.

“Fiery,” I whispered as I spat out a few hairs from her tail, “how often have I told you to watch your tail when waking daddy, hm?”

When I looked at her, she just gave me this ‘I was a good Kirin and woke daddy. I deserve some petting and cuddling’ look. I smiled. “How could I resist that little face?” I ruffled through her mane and played with her ears for a moment before I raised my head and looked around.

Obviously, everycreature was gone. The fire in the fireplace had reduced itself to embers, and the puddle that Fluffy had brought with her from the shower had been cleaned up.

“Well, daddy must have slept for some time it seems, huh?” My daughter simply got into her meerkat position and watched me as her tail swung happily behind her, sparing me an answer.

“Alright, time to find mommy. Where’s mommy?”

Fiery simply squeaked questioningly and cocked her head to the side.

“Mommy,” I said, slow and clear. “Fiery, find mommy.” Obviously she couldn’t be too far, otherwise Fiery wouldn’t have been allowed, nor willing, to leave her mother’s side to run to me and wake me up.

After she got what she wanted, she happily babbled and trotted towards the exit of the lair, stopping every few steps to make sure daddy was following.

Only, when she actually passed the entrance, she sped up and rushed over to a group of chairs around a table, approaching a specific one and jumping up, right into her mother's hooves.

“Well done, Fiery.” Fluffy praised her and gave her a kiss. “You woke up daddy.”

“She used some fluffy pony-kirin tricks on me, she must have learned from her mom,” I added, walking over and cuddling with Fluffy and my daughter for a moment. “I take it everycreature’s had some breakfast already?”

“Yes, thank you,” Cloudy said as her husband nodded. “Good morning by the way.”

“Oh yes, morning,” I replied. Due to the panic over Fiery’s neigh, we had forgotten to actually greet each other back in the lair. My gaze wandered over the others, Angorik seemed to have a glass of tea and some vegetables, something that made me smile mischievously, while Never had some standard pony food.

“Morning,” he simply said when my gaze met his and I nodded in reply.

“Well, I think somegriffon earned himself a good bottle of wine or cider this morning. You made my little girl quite happy with your lyre.”

Angorik’s eyes shone with excitement over this statement.

“You know where I keep them, just get yourself a bottle before my marefriend forbids it.”

He didn’t need to be told twice, before I had even finished my sentence, he was already on his paws and walking towards where I kept the adult beverages.

I, on the other claw, had to deal with a certain look from said marefriend, accusing, but with a smile. “As if I would begrudge him for having this little reward.”

“You have some strange pony views on things sometimes,” I whispered in my loving way.

She shifted Fiery a bit on her foreleg so that she would have a hoof free to stroke over my cheek. “Like finding an impossible black dragon most attractive for no reasonable reason?” She fluttered her eyes after saying that.

“Exactly,” I purred and kissed her again. “As I said, very strange views on some things.”

Well, my purring didn’t stop, and of course, Fluffy joined in with a purr of her own, which again, caused Fiery to purr too.

“D’awww.” Cloudy tilted her head as she brought her hooves together while Gold Digger looked away. 

Never wisely spared us his thoughts on the matter.

*

“So, have you looked for a kindergarten yet?” Cloudy asked. 

We were still sitting outside the lair at the breakfast table, it was a bit crisp, but with some blankets and the morning sun already above the horizon, it was okay.

“Isn’t that a bit early?” Fluffy asked back. “She’s not even a year old yet.”

“It's never too early to start looking for those places, Danger. At some places, you have to reserve a spot years in advance, especially if it’s a more prestigious kindergarten.”

“What is a kindergarten?” I asked. “If you think she should have a garden, I can always convert one of the beds for her.”

“Garten, not garden,” Fluffy made it more understandable for me. “It is a place for young foals to go during the day so they can meet other foals and have some fun while the parents can do their daily chores.”

“It also gives them a basic education and prepares them for school,” Cloudy added. 

I raised an eyebrow. “Why would we want her to go there? She’s our daughter, we love having her around.”

“Of course we do,” Fluffy agreed, “but she needs to interact with other foals and make friends.”

“I assume you also had other foals, or in your case hatchling, to play with when you were young, Big Softy?” Cloudy asked. “I doubt your parents raised you in their cave till you were fully grown, without any social interaction.”

“Well, there were other hatchlings, but we didn’t do so much together. Most of the time a young dragon simply sleeps, eats, and learns lessons from their parents,” I explained. “Mom and Dad were basically the only dragons I interacted with to a significant degree.” I shrugged. “If you think about what would happen if two hatchlings would start fighting with each other, you would agree that that’s the best way for a dragon to be raised.”

“That explains why you only have one friend so far,” Fluffy commented. “I am sure you would have more, maybe even some dragons, if you would have had more contact with other hatchlings when you were younger.”

“No, I don’t think so. Other dragons only cause problems; fighting you for treasure or territory.” I raised my claw and shook my talons in the air. “We are not the most friendly species after all. And just imagine what would have happened if I would have gotten into a fight with, let’s say, a green or red dragon. Mom would have torn them to shreds, along with their parents.”

“Your mom didn’t seemed to be that aggressive,” Fluffy said with an unsure look.

“When it comes to our hatchlings, we dragons are very protective,” I explained.

“No one doubt that,” Angorik agreed. “Protecting the young is a behavior that nearly all species share. Still, there are stories to tell about dragons who had friends, even in their younger days, ones that achieved great things together.”

“See, and anyway,” Gold Digger added, “it’s best for our granddaughter to make some friends since she is half-pony after all.”

I looked at said kirin, who was laying on her mother's chest, cuddling and quietly purring. “I must admit, it may do her good, well, depending on if the other young… creatures, are more like ponies.” I scratched my chin and thought about it a bit more. “Though, I am not so fond of the idea of leaving her somewhere else, with individuals I don’t trust.” Now I looked into Fluffies eyes. “You know I would be very upset if something were to happen to her, even if it was just a scratch.” I once more raised my talons. “I mean very upset, like dragon rage upset. Like I said, very protective of our treasure.”

Fluffy bit on her lower lip and inhaled sharply. “That, could be a problem. Foals do play and sometimes get hurt while doing so.”

“No one would willingly harm Fiery of course,” Cloudy threw in. “And surely she’s not that fragile, especially with all her beautiful blue scales.”

“It’s more likely that she’ll hurt somecreature else,” Never dared to point out. “Sharp claws, possible firebreathing at some point, that kirin temper from what I heard. My bits are on her being a nightmare for the Kindergarten staff to handle.”

“Yes,” I said, for once quite pleased with what Never had said. “Fiery is quite well equipped for a non-dragon.” I leaned over to Fluffy and rubbed my cheek against my daughter’s back and neck, ruffling up her fur. “She’ll be even more so once I teach her how to use them.”

“No need to rush that,” Fluffy quickly protested. “I know you want her to learn about her dragon side, and I don’t object to that, but we shouldn’t be pushing it.” My mate placed a wing on my head and began stroking me with it softly. “I think teaching her how to sing, dance, and paint should come first, as long as we care for her, there won’t be a need to teach her hunting and fighting, right?”

“I don’t mind her learning about those, but self defense is a big part of…”

“I am sure you are strong enough to protect her and that you would tear everycreature who tries to harm her on purpose to shreds, right?”

“Sure would,” I growled. “Painting the surroundings with their blood and collecting the heads to be an example for every creature.”

While Cloudy, her husband, and Fluffy’s brother made faces of disgusted, Fluffy just nodded and rubbed my head once more.

“You can’t seriously be agreeing with him,” Never protested indignantly. “That’s horrible!”

“I not only agree with him,” Fluffy replied, “I would also help him.” Her gaze moved to her brother. “Never underestimate the protective instinct of a mother, brother. In this matter I am one hundred percent dragon-like.”

“That’s my mate,” I purred.

“Though,” she poked my nose when I moved to her muzzle, “we don’t want that to happen, nor encourage her to get into such a situation. Therefore, we’ll need to do our best to be nice and help our daughter with making friends, right?”

I growled in displeasure at that, I still was not convinced about this Kindergarten thing.

“Pony-stuff,” Fluffy declared, “pacta sunt servanda, Big Softy.”

Again I growled a bit, “Urg… fine.” Before Fluffy’s smile became too bright though, I added, “but I will have a say too on where she goes, and, Fiery has to be happy about it as well. If she doesn’t want to go, she doesn’t have to.”

“It’s not so easy.” It was Cloudy who replied this time “There’s a period of acclimation until a foal accepts such a drastic change in circumstances.”

“Yeah, Danger needed a week to get used to it, while Never was crotchety for over a month after he started Kindergarten.”

“Dad,” his son complained.

“It’s true, you didn’t want to go at all when you first started,” his mother said.

This statement made me concerned, what if Fiery was just as unhappy as her uncle? What if it was worse? What if she wasn’t willing to go and us forcing her would cause her to think we hated her or were punishing her? I wasn’t sure if I could handle that.

Of course, Fluffy knew me well enough to see how distressed I was becoming. “Don’t worry, she will like it, and there’s still quite a bit of time between now and then. We can practice by visiting my parents, getting her used to the idea of mom and dad not always being around.”

“But if she doesn’t?” I asked.

“Well,” Angorik spoke up, “why don’t you two make a plan in advance? Setting a fixed time for acclimation, so there is no arguing later? If it works out, Fiery stays in the Kindergarten, if not… you’ll need an alternative plan.”

“Mhh, sounds reasonable to me,” Fluffy agreed, “What about you, Big Softy?”

I turned my head and watched my daughter for a moment. “Mhh, I think that may work.”

“Good!” Cloudy clopped her hooves together, “and just so you to know, Applejack and Fluttershy,” she paused and explained to me, “two of the elements of harmony, discovered a kirin village not too far away from our home! That means there is a whole town full of kirins at the Peaks of Peril! It’s only a half hour flight from where we live, an hour at most!”

“Well” - I exchanged a look with Fluffy, who seemed just as confused as I was - “that’s good news. Maybe we should visit them when Fiery’s a bit older, but that’s still a two-day trip from here.”

“Oh -” Cloudy waved away my concern, “- you can go there the next time you come visit us, it’s really not that far away, and Fiery will surely love to meet other kirins.”

“You hear that, Fiery?” Fluffy asked, lifting her daughter so that their eyes met. “Grandma and Grandpa told us about a place full of kirins. That means we can visit them and you can make kirin friends.”

Fiery smiled at her mother and released a series of babbles while pawing at her

Fluffy placed Fiery’s head on her shoulder and stroked her back. “Yes, exactly what I thought. Big Softy?”

“Yes?”

“I think that visiting this town would be a good idea, surely they could tell us a lot about how to raise a kirin.”

“And-” Cloudy started, but Gold Digger laid a hoof on her shoulder and shook his head slightly, whispering something I couldn’t make out.

Cloudy thought for a second and decided to stay silent.

“What were you going to say, mom?” Fluffy asked.

“Oh nothing, Danger, nothing.”

“Hmm, well, I admit that that could be of benefit to our daughter,” I replied with some delay.

“Then it is settled,” Fluffy nodded. “We’re going to visit this kirin town once we go back to Equestria.”

“Good,” Gold Digger stated, “with that out of the way, I would like to address something else.” He waited until he had my attention. “Black Death, when you visited us, I showed you the gem mines I found and I remember you said our gems taste quite different from the ones you have here. If you don’t mind, I would like to visit one of your gem mines too?”

“I don’t see a problem with that.” I turned to Fluffy. “You wanna visit the mines today?”

“Uhm, actually,” Gold Digger said, “I was thinking that just the two of us go while the ladies and Never stay here.”

I was kind of surprised by this request, but Fluffy seemed to see something I couldn’t. “What are you up to dad?” she asked.

“Nothing, Danger -” he replied with raised hooves “- just spending some time with your dragonfriend, you know, between stallions.”

Fluffy narrowed her eyebrows.

“Don’t worry, Fluffy -” I rubbed my nose against her “- I can handle your dad, as long as you can handle your mother.” I blinked. “But I think we should take Angorik with us,” I looked at said griffon. “I don’t think you’d mind getting a few gems yourself?”

“Oh, not at all.” His head feathers rose and his excitement was clear to see. Gold and gems are always good treasures, besides being tasty food. No wonder he was so willing to join.

“Oh, I was hoping you could’ve played your lyre for us a bit more today,” Cloudy complained, “Fiery likes it so much, and I would like to hear a story or two, particularly one of the ones you mentioned yesterday.”

“He can do that this evening, mom,” Fluffy declared. “Go with Big Softy and get yourself some gems, Angorik.” He smiled happily. “But be aware that Fiery expects you to play some good songs this evening, so don’t get too exhausted.” She shifted her gaze from Fiery to him. ”It would be a shame if you were to make her unhappy. Because if she were to be unhappy, that would make me and Big Softy unhappy as well.” She let that threat linger in the air, when it comes to Fiery’s happiness, Fluffy was as serious as I was.

“I promise,” Angorik said, while I purred at Fluffy.
> The Visit, Day 2 Family Is Complicated
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Wow, even if I’ve already seen those, I must say, dragon claws are very effective!” Gold Digger admitted as he watched a large amount of rubble and small pebbles get thrown into the air as I dug a new side tunnel into my gemmine. Yes, while I had shown him my abilities when I had been in his mine, compared to his little pickaxe, well, yes I was able to go ten times faster, so an acknowledgment was in order. While my gem mines had a bit softer rocks to break through, it still felt nice for him to recognise my greatness.

While I was busy digging, Gold was standing at the entrance of the new tunnel and lighting up the tunnel with his helmet-lantern while Angorik stood next to him.

“Hmm, kind of,” I retorted, a bit delayed due to still being focused on my work. “They’re better than your pickaxe for sure. And it feels good to use them from time to time.” It wasn’t that I didn’t use them, but I know how sensitive ponies were about that and would rather not remind him of me being a predator.

“Those things are sharp,” Angorik agreed, pulling his head back behind the edge of the opening. “That much I can tell you.”

Aaand my efforts had been in vain.

“Hmm?” Gold Digger threw a glance at Angorik.

“He got me once with those,” Angorik lifted his left wing and pushed away some of his feathers and fluff, presenting a long scar over his chest. “Was a close call, but I survived.”

“You came to plunder my lair!” I reminded him over my shoulder.

He smiled innocent. “Actually, we were after your head.”

“Hm-hmm, and you shot an arrow at my belly!” I added.

“Wait,” Gold Digger pointed as Angorik, “you tried to raid his lair? And you two are friends?”

“To be fair, and to protect my honour, it wasn’t intending for him to survive,” I yelled, “was kind of an accident.”

Angorik nodded, “Yep, he definitely didn’t do that on purpose.”

“Uhm… “ Gold Digger made.

“It’s alright,” Angorik said, “point is, those claws are cutting through that stone like it’s balsa.”

“They would be doing a much better job if I didn’t file them, but it was a benefit to Fluffy and Fiery if I did.” It really was, I mean, I never scratched either of them on purpose, but sharing a bed together would be a bit risky otherwise. And of course, my claws were still deadly, it just took a lot more force. “Anyway,” I stopped my digging and looked backward, “this should be enough for you two to have someplace to excavate some gems on your own.”

I shook off the dust and pebbles that had found their way onto my back and stepped out of the corridor I had just created.

“Thank you, uhm, Big Softy,” Gold Digger said as he lifted his pickaxe and switched places with me, obviously still a bit confused by the most recent revelation.

Yes, I know that how he addressed me is confusing, so let me explain. When I was at Fluffy’s parents’ place, I had a deal with Fluffy to be nice, and that included letting her parents call me Big Softy, since, you know, The Black Death doesn’t go over well with ponies. Though, when they came to our lair, I demanded that I be addressed as Black Death for anything formal, like when asking permission for Never to enter. Though, since there wasn’t anyone around that would require me to maintain my image of dominance, I allowed him to use Big Softy. He is family after all.

“Alright, let’s get started then,” Gold Digger said. “Angorik, could you place the lantern in the center, please?”

“Sure,” my griffon friend agreed before sticking the metal pole in the ground and hanging the lantern on it by its chain. It swung back and forth a bit, causing the light to flicker and cast spooky shadows on the walls. It was a good thing I was able to see in the twilight and Gold Digger had his helmet-lamp, otherwise, Gold and Angorik might have been afraid of any potential threats.

Angorik made a deep “Mhh,” as he took place a bit behind Gold Digger and inspected the walls closer, stroking over them with a claw. “Actually, I am not sure where to hit. I’m unfamiliar with gem digging.”

Gold Digger lowered the pickaxe and looked at the spot were Angorik was standing. “I would say one step to the left and at hip height. No, a bit lower, yeah, a bit more… right there.” He nodded encouraging to the griffon. “That's the spot.”

“If you say so,” Angorik said doubtfully. For him, the spot looked like any other on that wall, but I agreed with Fluffy’s dad. I didn’t know why I was sure that it was the right spot to dig, nor was I any wiser as to why Gold Digger knew, but that was the right spot for sure.

Gold digger was proven correct a second later when Angorik hit the spot with his pickaxe and a little sapphire and some dirt rolled down from the wall.

“Not the best yield, but still…” Gold Digger giggled. Angorik, however, carefully picked it up and rubbed over it with his wing, removing the remaining dirt and holding it up to the light.

“My first gemstone gathered by honest work,” he happily announced. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Well, you find much bigger ones in Equestria,” Gold Digger replied. “Not to mention more tasty as well.”

I raised an eyebrow, it confused me a bit as to why Gold Digger said that. I mean, normally ponies were more supportive towards the luck of others. What he said made it sound luke he was trying to belittle Angorik’s accomplishment. Mhh, maybe he was just proud of his home and this was his way of showing it.

“That very well might be the case in Equestria, but this stone -” Angorik fluffed up his chest “- this gem, this is mine. I found it myself, it is my personal treasure.”

Now it was my turn to chuckle. It would have been so easy for me to take it, or more cruelly, take and eat it. It was just a thought to amuse myself, not really something I would consider doing. Not that it wasn't my right to do so in my gem mine, but, Angorik was a friend and here with not only my permission, but my invitation. So no, he was allowed to keep this treasure.

“Still a small one if you ask me,” Gold Digger snorted and lifted his pickaxe again. “Let’s see what I can do.” And with those words, he swung his pickaxe down and into the rock. Though, nothing showed up after this first strike, or the next, or the ones after that.

“Very impressive,” Angorik teased him, “really, very impressive.”

“Just you wait!” Gold Digger continued to swing his pickaxe, and indeed, several blows later, a topas about half the size of his hoof was among the dirt that fell to the ground. “Ha!” he shouted as he picked it up. “Look at this little beauty. Not as big as back home, but still quite valuable.”

“It’s not worth writing a song about it,” Angorik joked, “but yes, I have to find another one then if I want to be in the lead again.”

“Well, if this’s become a competition all of the sudden,” I moved closer to them and inspected the wall myself, “let the real expert show you how it is done.”

“Be our guest,” Fluffy’s dad said as Angorik made some more room for me.

I licked over the wall and felt the taste on my tongue. “Not here.” I moved forward and repeated my tasting a few times until I found an interesting spot. “Now observe the master, hatchlings.” I pierced into the stone with my claw, slightly above the spot I’d found and ripped off a good chunk of it.

Revealing… a tiny ruby, even smaller than what Angorik had found.

“Oh yes,” Gold Digger giggled, “seems like our gem expert won without doubt!”

When I didn’t show any intention of ripping off Gold Diggers head, Angorik joined the giggling.

I smiled. “Well, I won by taste,” I proclaimed before flipping the little gem into my mouth, chewing and gulping it. “Delicious,” I said while licking over my lips. “Ruby beats sapphire, which beats topas. So first place me, second place Scarchest, and last and least, Featherball.”

A moment of tense silence followed, only interrupted by the slow, creaky swinging of the lantern between us. We all exchanged a look, like only guys could do, then burst into laughter.

“Alright,” Gold shook his head smiling and returned to his digging, “I let you get away with Featherball this one time, but next time I ask my daughter what your full name is in return.”

“Dangerous knowledge,” I laughed. I then lowered my head to his level. “Seriously, you don’t wanna know.”

“We will see about that,” he replied with a smirk. “I can always ask my granddaughter when she’s older too. I am quite sure she will know what her dad’s name is.”

“Pony tricks,” I snorted.

“No,” he objected, “father tricks. You learn a thing or two when you raise two foals.”

“I see.”

“Uhm, could we dig out some more gems before you two continue that argument?” Angorik quietly asked. “I really would like to excavate some more gems for myself before you two start squabbling.”

After releasing a small cloud of flames in his direction, which causes him to quickly duck, I nodded. “Fine, we can talk this out later.”

Gold Digger also nodded and returned to his work, but I was sure that at some point this argument would come up again.

*
The rest of our trip was quite calm and somewhat successful. We dug out some more gemstones, even a few rather tasty ones like rubies and emeralds, and very much to my pleasure, even some onyx. You know, they taste like chocolate, imagine them as sweets for dragons. 

We also found a single piece of sphalerite, or more accurately, Angorik found it. These gems taste like cinnamon, one of the few gems I like more than onyx. If you remember, Fluffy smells just like cinnamon, so it’s not too hard to understand why I like it so much. The gem also has the advantage of being quite fragile, meaning my daughter might be able to crack it. Angorik was a bit disappointed that I demanded it from him, but he already had more than enough gemstones to satisfy him.

The only strange thing was that Fluffys father always had something to complain about whenever we found a stone. Too tiny, too dull, too damaged; and that was just the gems, the mine in general was not to his liking it seemed. Nearly empty and not very lucrative were his words. 

I really wondered why he was behaving that way, normally, from what I know about him, he was far more peaceful and good-natured. His constant mocking and complaining were uncharacteristic for him. I‘d have to ask Fluffy about it when we were back home.

***

I announced our return with a medium roar as soon as we reached the waterfall, adding a “We are back!” right after it. It would give Fluffy, her mother, and Never a moment to prepare for us, it also had the pleasant little side effect I loved to see.

Not even half a minute later, a tiny spot of white, blue, and orange burst out of the lair. I simply had to purr at the sight of my overly enthusiastic daughter. She nearly fell over, like she did so many times in the past, when she made the turn onto the path leading up to us; but that little misstep did nothing to slow her down. Going at her full speed, she jumped upwards and loudly and happily squeaked when she saw me. I spread my arms and wings, lowering my body to catch her when she bounced at me, because of course she did. What followed was a series of purring, cuddling, and some licking over my scales by her. Daddy coming back home always has this effect, and I loved it.

Grandpa and Angorik were of no interest to her, and that made me even more proud and happy.

We spend a few minutes with our greeting ritual, blocking the way most effectively, till I finally turned around to let her see the others. With a final purr and head rub, I placed Fiery back on the ground and let her approach her grandpa.

“Hey, Fiery,” Gold Digger said and stretched his hoof out to pet her. She got into her meerkat position and allowed him to proceed. Granting him a little purr when he reached her ears.

“Have you been a good girl while we were away?”

Of course she had been, or better put, she wouldn’t know if she hadn’t have been. All that counted for her was being cuddled or pet. So she simply stood there and received what she could without spoiling it with a reply.

That didn’t mean she didn’t notice how somegriffon wanted to sneak past her. And based on how she reacted to this, it was obvious that Angorik had really made a good impression with his playing of the lyre. Fiery jumped over to him and squeaked—half demanding, half requesting—before holding her head up so that he could pet her too. Something that not everycreature was allowed to do, as her first interaction with Never Ending demonstrated. 

A bit unsure, and after a quick look at me, Angorik began petting her head and ruffling her mane. “Good kirin?” he more asked then said.

Satisfied with the attention she got, my daughter squeaked in agreement before hushing back to me, climbing up my tail, and taking a place on my back next to the bag of gems, which she quickly began inspecting. 

I poked her with my head and purred. “Daddy brought something for you too, Fiery. Just wait a moment till we are back inside.” I poked her once more with my snout to get the message across that she needed to leave the bag alone. She didn’t need to be told a third time, so the three of us made our way down into the heart of my lair.

What we saw when we reached the living room, however, surprised us. Fluffy was standing on one side of the wooden table with a sour expression while Cloudy and Never Ending were sitting on the other side, and based on her expression, Cloudy seemed to be just as upset as Fluffy.

I raised an eyebrow and purred at my mate, giving her a kiss when I was finally next to her. “I’m guessing you three had some kind of dispute?”

Fluffy snorted. “Kind of, I found out why mom and dad were so eager to visit us.”

“Cloudy…” Gold Digger asked in an accusing and disappointed tone.

She raised her hooves in defence. “It was unintentional, honestly.”

He sighed. “Look sweety… “

“No, dad,” Danger cut him off. “You know exactly what I think about you two tring to guide my life.”

“It’s not like that,” he replied, “your mom and I originally agreed to just make suggestions.” He threw a look at his wife. “Approach this slow and talk calmly about it.”

“I did,” Cloudy defended herself. “Your daughter just… “

I growled loudly, silencing everycreature. “I better hear an explanation quite quick,” I announced. “What did your mom do, Fluffy?”

“Oh nothing, my mom and dad just decided it would be in Fiery best interest to grow up in Equestria. That is the reason they are here, to convince us to move,” Fluffy explained.

I blinked.

"The fact that my brother had never visited us before was just a cheap excuse," Fluffy went on. "They just needed a reason to come over that wasn’t so suspicious."

I spun my head around and pushed my snout up against Gold Diggers, forcing him back while I held his gaze and growled angrily. His pupils shrunk to the size of a pinhead and he hastily moved backward, but I didn’t allow him to put any distance between us. I followed him, making sure I was in control of how fast he retreated, not him.

"Big Softy," Fluffy scolded as she rushed over to intervene, but I just spread my wings to block her path. This was a male thing, something that her dad and I had to figure out between us.

"Half empty and not lucrative, hmm?" I growled. "Unappetizing and small gems, right?" 

"Look, it wasn't meant to..." he started, but I speed up, silencing him by pushing him back till his flank collided into a wall.

"Liar!" I spread my wings completely and forced him onto his hind legs by continuing to move forward.

"Hey, hey, we don't need to be hasty!" he yelled in an attempt to calm me down, but I really have a problem with someone lying to me.

"You come here under false pretenses and dare to speak ill of my lair and my gem mine, all so you can tell me and Fluffy how to raise our daughter. Why shouldn’t I be hasty?" I blew a cloud of smoke into his face. "Not to mention your..."

I didn't get any further.

Alerted by her daddy’s yelling, Fiery, who was still sitting on my back, became curious, and with two quick jumps, was on my snout, preventing me from yelling at her grandpa any further.

She noticed the last vestiges of my smoke cloud and saw the unfamiliar position her grandpa was in, though, she didn't make the connection. Instead, she squeaked and hopped over to Gold, landing on his head and purring as she tried to cuddle with him without falling off. It was a hard task for her, made harder now that she’d learned not to scratch him with her claws. So with that option off the table, she did the next best thing and bit his ear to hold on.

"Ouch!" he yelled and flinched back his other ear.

I observed my daughters struggles as well as her attempts to cuddle with her grandpa. Her approval of his presence was far more effective in calming me down than anything he could have said. As you may have noticed, my daughter had an unreasonably high influence on me. So with a snort, I lowered my wings and allowed Fluffy to approach.

"Stop scaring my dad!" she scolded me again. "You promised to be nice to my family."

"Your dad lied to me, Fluffy," I replied and growled again.

She gave him an inscrutable look before she went on. "That is no reason to threaten him like this."

"But... "

She poked me. "No,” and now her ears raised up too, “simply no. If he lied to you, he will explain and apologize. And you will not scare and threaten him for it."

"This is a male thing, Fluffy, you don't understand," I tried again.

"Oh, I understand," she said before she rubbed her head against my shoulder and used it to push my head away from her dad, placing a kiss on my snout in the process. "But that is not how I want you to deal with my family and their flaws."

"And I," I half hearted tried to look back at Gold Digger, only to get more cuddling by Fluffy as she tried to hinder me, "would like to not be lied to." I quickly pulled my head back to cause Fluffy to slide aside before then pushing forward again, not to look at Gold Digger, but to get my snout between Fluffies ears so I could start nibbling and tickling her there.

"Hey!" she half purred half laughed.

"What?" I mumbled, playing with her ears and mane even more.

"Stop that!"

"I don't think so," I smirked.

She dug and pushed my snout off of her with a wing. "Cuddle dragon. One moment you’re soo angry, and the next you’re using it as an excuse to start cuddling me."

I smiled innocently.

Don’t get the wrong idea, I was still angry, and I wanted to punish Gold Digger for his lying, but I had come up with a much better idea for how to do that.

"What are you up too?" Fluffy asked suspiciously while giving me that look. She knew me too well to just think a bit of cuddling would calm me down, especially when it was nothing she had done to anger me so.

My smile got much, much brighter. "I have a very good idea of how to pay your dad back for talking poorly about my home."

"You are not going to harm him!"

"No, of course not," I said and lowered my head to her level and purred seductively.

She looked at me confused by this very sudden change in theme.

I, however, looked back at her dad, who still had to deal with a kirin who wanted to cuddle. Though said kirin was now in his hooves and chest fluff since I was no longer pinning him to the wall. Of course Fiery always found a way to sneak into those, clever daughter of mine she is. I waited a second until my and Gold’s gaze met before I started rubbing my snout against Fluffy’s and stroking over her side with my wing, making sure he had a good view of that.

"I think we should talk about this later," I said loud enough for everyone to hear, blinking at Gold Digger. "You know, between mates."

A bit confused by my actions and my 'reasonable' suggestion to discuss things, Fluffy wasted no time in agreeing. She was so used to me flirting with her and being naughty to a degree that she hadn't noticed what I had actually done. But Gold Digger did. I saw it by his reddened cheeks and the way he was avoiding my gaze all of the sudden. I always found it strange how ponies could be such prudes, but, I think I’d found a good use for this information. Without Fluffy noticing, I had made her dad pay. Oh, and how he did, I could see it in his eyes that he wanted to be anywhere but here.

I smiled in victory.

He knew what I was going to do. I knew it. And maybe even Cloudy and Never Ending, perhaps Angorik as well; but Fluffy, Fluffy was none the wiser, and so proud of me for being reasonable and forgiving.

It was purrfect.   

That was till Cloudy rejoined the conversation.

"Well," she started and trotted over to us, "I admit that we could have been a bit more direct and open about our intentions, but still, they are good ones." She opened her hooves to take Fiery into her arms, but our daughter was too comfortable in her grandpa’s chest fluff, so she refused to be grabbed with a squeak and Cloudy was not stupid enough to try anyway with me and Fluffy standing next to her. She only pulled a snout, but went on nonetheless. "Fiery should have some other kirins around her as she’s growing up, not to mention school and kindergarten in general."

"Mom..." Fluffy said, impatient and annoyed.

"No, sweety, it is true. Don't get me wrong," she made a gesture including all of my lair, "this lair of yours is wonderful, quite charming with all the comforts and furniture it has, not to mention the garden, but still, it is not a place to raise a little kirin." Now her gaze wandered to me with a raised eyebrow. "And don’t think I didn’t catch your not so subtle implication at laying our daughter. I know you did that to make my husband feel uncomfortable, but that won’t change our minds about this."

"Mom!" It was now Fluffy’s turn to sound angry and indignant. "He would never..." She stopped there and also looked at me. "Well... he..." she closed her snout and started thinking about what just happened.

Unfortunately for me, she came to the right conclusion.

"You!" She yelled at me before slapping me in the chest with her hoof. "Naughty dragon!" She yelled again as her cheeks reddened. "No fun for you today!" She punched my chest once more in anger. "I told you not to do that in front of my family!"

"If you prefer, I could still discuss that with your dad," I raised an eyebrow. "If this is what you want."

She groaned. "I just want... I... arg! I just want you all to be more honest and friendly to each other!"

"But your parents started this," I replied grumpy.

"I know! And you just used that as an excuse to be mean and naughty, even though I asked you not to!"

"Hey! Why is this all suddenly my fault? I..." I stopped mid sentence and turned around to Gold Digger, or more precisely, to his chest fluff, when I heard something. Without us noticing, our arguing had started to make Fiery unhappy. She now looked at us with worry in her eyes and was starting to cry.

All arguing was immediately forgotten.

I stretched out my claws and retrieved her from Gold's hooves, pressing her against my chest and purring loudly. Not a split second later, her mother joined in rubbing her snout against her head and stroking over her back with her feathers, bubbling calming nonsense into her ear. In this, dragons and ponies were the same, we love our children and everything else becomes unimportant when they need our support, emotional as well as physical. 

I closed my wings protectively around my family and made sure no one else would interfere. Grandparents, uncle, or what else, none of them were allowed to get close to what I was so dearly protecting at that moment. For several minutes, we stood there, purring, cuddling, and Fluffy whispering soft nonsense into our daughters ear till she finally stopped crying and started to babble herself. It was not important that we didn't understand what she meant, only that she was no longer sad.

"No more fighting today," Fluffy whispered to me.

"Yes." I nodded and gave her a kiss on the forehead, with a second one landing on Fiery's head. "Mom and Dad will behave now," I purred while I licked over my daughters ear, causing her to giggle.

I clawed Fiery over to her mom where she soon cuddled into her chest fluff and started to squeak happily. The little argument already forgotten. But me and Fluffy had not, so we exchanged a nod before I addressed Angorik.

"I think it is time for that next lyre performance you promised," I said, opened my wings and turning around to open the bag that had slipped from my back during our cuddle session. "And also for daddy’s gift for you, Fiery." After a short search I had found the sphalerite and pulled it out of the bag. "Here Fiery," I announced, holding it up before her snout, "this one is for you."

Fluffy raised an eyebrow at this, but Fiery gave the shining stone a closer look and stretched a claw out for it.

"It is quite soft and fragile," I explained for Fluffy. "She should be able to break this one, and if not, it is her first piece of personal treasure that actually has some value, I mean more than her cuddlestone." I poked her with my nose. “It tastes like you smell.”

"Dragons," Fluffy whispered cheekily with a smile on her face before placing a hoof under Fiery so that she could sit up and have both claws free to inspect daddies gift. "You know she already had some gems at her birth, right?

"That doesn't count," I waved that off with my tail, which earned me another shake of the head and smile from Fluffy. I placed the gem in Fiery's open claw. "That is for you," I assured her once more when she closed her claw around it. "Your first gemstone, you can eat it or keep it."
 
It was a joy to see her turning it around in her claws, fascinated by how it's played with the light. I was also happy to see her first definitive attempts to chew on it.

"You must use your fangs, Fiery," I told her. "Crack the gem before you chew on it."

"Why don't you show her?" Fluffy suggested. "I’m sure seeing daddy do it will show her how it’s done."

"Good idea," I agreed as I fetched a onyx from the bag.

"Sweet tooth," my mate scolded me jokingly. "I knew you would find some of these by happenstance."

Of course, I had told my mate about the taste of my favorite gems quite a while ago, not entirely so that she would know what she could make me happy with though. And yes, I did manage to find some more onyx by happenstance from time to time.

"Look, Fiery," I whispered, and raised the gem so she could see it. Of course, she stretched a claw out for it, but I slowly placed it between my fangs and mumbled, "you must crush it before you can chew it."

A loud, outraged squeak was heard after I ate the gem instead of giving it to her, but her attention returned to her own gem in her mouth rather quick. And like Fluffy said, seeing how daddy had done it showed Fiery how to do it. A short while later, we heard a crack and a happy kirin joyfully chewing the splinters after that.

A warm, happy feeling grasped my chest when I saw my daughter swallowing her first gem, and the joy and happiness on her face about the taste it had.

"Great!" Fluffy proclaimed and lifted her up. "You cracked your first gem, Fiery." She rubbed her snout against Fiery's. "Look how proud you made daddy!"

And indeed, before she even turned to me completely I had made nose contact and purred most approvingly.

It was at that moment that Angorik returned with his instrument and started to play.

Good timing, I thought, and after some more cuddling, I turned my attention back to the sofa where Fluffy’s family had retreated to while we had our family thing. Oh no, this argument wasn’t over, far from it, but as we told Fiery, no more arguing today. So I just snorted at them to make some space for me and my family, and when they did, I took the spot and watched my daughter and Fluffy dancing to the music.

A little cough to my side pulled me out of my thought though.

"Uhm, Black Death, look, I want to apologize," Gold Digger said. "It really wasn’t right for us to withhold the truth about our visit."

I snorted disapprovingly. "We will discuss that when Fiery is in bed." I made myself more comfortable on the couch. "It will just anger me again, and I don't want her to see me like that anymore today."

"Well, maybe it would be better to discuss things now where you have to stay calm instead of later when you can shout at us again," Cloudy pushed into our conversation. "It would be our best chance to talk with you about it reasonably."

I suppressed a growl and just replied, "You remind me a bit of my own mom, Cloudy."

"Is that so?" she asked.

"Yes, always seeing the opportunity and not hesitating to go for it."

"That is a good thing I suppose?" She gave me a little smile.

"Difference is," I turned to her and gave her a wide smile with my fangs easily visible, "my mom is a dragoness; swift, deadly and more than capable of enforcing her will if diplomacy fails. You on the other claw," I moved my head closer so she had to lean back, "are a pegasus, a pony, soft and cute, and no match for an angry dragon of any kind."

She shook off a little shiver. "That is not how to treat your mother-in-law, you know, scaring and threatening me. And I thought we had a good mother, son-in-law relationship."

"You are lucky that we do and that I like you two to a degree, otherwise I would not tolerate the two," I looked at Never Ending, "three of you in my lair anymore."

"Hey, I didn't do anything today!" Never Ending threw in. "I had nothing to do with this at all!"

"You have the tendency to come between me and your sister when we are going to have sex, something I highly disapprove of!"

"That was an accident, really," Never Ending mumbled sheepishly. It was nice to see that his cheeks reddened as well as Gold Diggers. Only Cloudy seemed to have no problem with me addressing this theme at all. Well, there was a reason I liked her in general.

"Accident or not, there are a few things you guys have to understand, and even if that makes Fluffy angry at me or not, I will not tolerate your misbehavior any longer. Dragons are not ponies!"

"Uhm, we know that much," Gold Digger said after a short moment, exchanging a look with Cloudy and Never Ending. "I think I remembered we were talking about that when you visited us the first time?"

Well, we had spoken about this, but it was more like what they would and wouldn’t find okay when I was there, the part about dragon culture and behaviour had been quite short and hadn’t really contained much besides the basics. And the few times when they were here they had been more focused on Fiery and how she was doing, and the must knows when it comes to dragons and their hatchlings. For example, to never ever try to take her from my back. I know for sure my father instinct would kick in and I would attack anycreature besides Fluffy who dares try that. As I said, between moms and dads wings is the safest place for a hatchling, and that is for a reason.

Even today I can remember the safe, warm feeling of laying between two azure blue wings... but I digress.

"It is a bit more than just eating habits and a tendency for violence in general." I inhaled deeply and looked at my family for a moment to gather my thoughts before starting that topic. Fluffy had picked Fiery up in the meantime and she was now nestled against her chest while they slowly turned around and danced in little circles.

"Look," I started after another deep breath, "your indirect approaches will not work, not now, not ever. If you want something, put the cards on the table and negotiate about them. Under clawed play will get you in trouble."

"But we..." Cloudy started, only to get cut of by my claw slapping on the sofa loudly.

"I am not done yet!" I quickly checked that Fiery did not noticed this and was still distracted by mommy. "You are indeed very lucky that your species is so cute and I inherited a liking for that from my father. Most other dragons would have simply killed you by now, or have killed your daughter that day we met." I noticed that I was making them feel uneasy based  on their facial expressions. "It is true, even I considered doing that after how disrespectful she had been. I am happy I didn't, but it was an option. Pride, pride is a big thing in a dragons world, you must never forget this." I looked back at them. "Fluffy told me a lot about being nice, reasonable, and calm, but it is not, and I repeat, not, in my nature. If you continue to disrespect me, there will be the point I will do something we all will regret."

I waived off doing any dramatic gesture or growling, the message itself worked well enough.

"Pony rules when we are in Equestria, dragon rules when we are here," I made clear after a moment.

"Uhm... yeah... sounds fair enough," Cloudy slowly replied, still a bit shaken by the seriousness of my words. 

The fact that there was such a big difference between my behaviour and tolerance with them in our previous interactions and now was something that was hard for them to understand and swallow. Still, it was better to be crystal clear now then to possibly have to deal with problems later.

"I must say," Gold Digger added, "this is tough." He looked up to me and opened his mouth, but hesitated. "Honestly, I’ve just seen you as a rougher and taller version of a pony so far, I can’t say that I was prepared for those to be your inner thoughts."

I just raised an eyebrow.

"Well, maybe we should have asked to know a little more about dragons culture in the first place. It’s just, you know… from how you tread our daughter and how you act, not to mention how you care for Fiery... it’s not all too different from a pony. At least not when one take into consideration that you are a dragon."

"Maybe I can make a suggestion?" Never Ending asked.

I snorted, "And what would that be?"

"What if you tell us a bit more about what it means to be a dragon, especially when it comes to the family aspects. That way, we know what we can and can’t do, giving us an outline for how to stay safe. And in return, while we try our best to follow that, you don't get angry when we do something wrong in your eyes that we couldn’t have known about? Like today."

"Yes, I mean we are family now, aren't we?" Cloudy asked. "At least for ponies that's how it is.” She shrugged. “I mean, you haven’t formally married our daughter yet, but with Fiery being born, we are related now.” She looked back at me. “Or do dragons have a different view on that?”

She didn’t wait for an answer to that and went on, “Well, we don't want someone to feel uncomfortable in our family at all."

“This also might be a good place for you to start teaching us about dragon culture,” Never threw in. “If you tell us about how dragons handle certain things and how you think things should be, we could work something out.”

“We want you to be able to honour your traditions too,” Gold Digger added.

My gaze wandered back to Fluffy and my daughter. I know that normally a dragon would not care at all for their father or mother in law, even if they had such a concept. Though, we wouldn’t attack our mate’s parents or vise versa, or even fight with them over territory. So we had some sense for that concept now that I thought about it, but only subliminally. And I had to take Fiery's and Fluffy’s interests into consideration too, Fiery would care for both sides of her family, especially since that was the case for her mother. They are also all fluffy and cute...

So I made a decision.

Quickly, I sprung up and, before he could even react, bit into Never Ending mane and pulled him up. He screamed in shock as Cloudy and Gold tried to run away in a panic, but I caught them with my wings and forced them back onto the couch before throwing Fluffy’s brother between them and hopping onto all three of them.

"Big Softy!" Fluffy screamed as she sprinted over to us, but when she arrived, I had already laid myself comfortably onto the ponies and was starting to calmly purr.

It was a bit tricky to stay on top of them without letting them escape or accidently hurting them, but after the initial shock, they calmed down quite quick.

"Diplomacy," I explained over the sound of three groaning ponies below me. That was before I purred at my daughter, luring her out of mother's embrace and onto my back. It must have been quite a sight for Fluffy; with me carefully resting on her... our family, purring and trying to lure her in too.

Even Angorik had stopped playing his lyre.

"But what... how..." Fluffy stuttered, unsure of what I was doing.

"I... I think it is okay, sweetie." Cloudy managed to struggle her head out of the heap. "I think we and your dragonfriend just settled the problem.” She groaned again under my weight. "Or at least solvet one of them."

I snorted agreeingly and pointed with my snout to Fluffy’s brother. Waiting for my ‘being a very good dragon’ kiss for accepting him too.

Of course Fluffy had questions, much to the misfortune for her family at this point, who still had to wait for me to get up, but first things first. She came closer, and in a dialog between mates, containing a lot of questioning purring, head rubs, little growls and kisses, along with some other, non verbal communication, I answered her questions and found that she approved of my actions. I got my passionate ‘very good dragon who will definitely get some naughty fun later’ kiss and rose up.

With noises of relieve, Cloudy and Gold hushed away from under me, I only held Never Ending back with my wing.

"Well, that was something," Cloudy commented, sounding a bit excited. "I must say, your dragonfriend’s quite warm and heavy." She ruffled through her mane to get some fresh air in it. "Uhm,but what is he doing now?"

I had placed my claw on Never Ending and rolled him around and onto his back, holding him that way and rubbing my head against his belly and chest. It was obvious that he was not so comfortable with this.

"Uhm, sis?" he asked worried.

"I don't know... Big Softy?" she asked.

But I was not in the mood to answer, I had gathered the information I wanted. I reached onto my back and fetched my daughter before placing her down on Never Endings belly. After my inspection, it turned out that he didn’t have as much chest fluff as Fluffy or their father, but he did have a soft and comfortable belly, something that was very much acceptable for Fiery to lay on. And it was to show my good will to my mate that I placed her there.

Fiery released one of her unsure kirin squeaks. She wasn’t so sure what to think about this either. On the one claw, daddy had placed her there, on the other, that strange pony had not been to her liking so far. She needed her daddy to show a little more approval to convince her to trust him, and, since it was her uncle and I had agreed to accept them more into my family, I was willing to give it.

I rubbed my head once more against his belly and over my daughter, showing her that daddy approved of this resting place. And when Fiery still hesitated, I requested mommy’s approval too, which she eagerly offered after she understood what was going on.

It still took a while, but after I had grabbed his wings and placed them on Fiery, so she had something to nibble on, along with his chest fluff to cuddle, she started to warm up to the idea of liking her uncle. And a few minutes later, she curled up on his belly, and was so generous as to begin purring... only quietly, but still.
> The Visit, Day 2 All Comes Together In The End
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I lazily laid my wing on Fluffies back, pulling her a bit closer so that I could more easily rub my head against her mane. She returned the favor by softly purring and fluffing up a bit more.

We were laying in our bed after having discussed the actual situation, in detail, repeatedly, until Fluffy requested we drop the subject due to her fatigue. I wouldn’t have minded another round of discussion, but with her family still around and Fiery napping on her uncles belly at the time, it wouldn’t have been possible.

Since I had agreed to improve my opinion of her family, Fluffy felt I needed a reward, and her parents were more than willing to take a walk through the forest outside my lair with Angorik as a sign of good will. And Never Ending? While he was still in the lair, I knew that even if he took issue with hearing what was going on, he wouldn’t be so rude as to complain about my and Fluffy’s activities.

I licked over Fluffies neck, causing her to shiver, before I then playfully began nibbling it.

“Stop it!” she playfully shouted. “Greedy dragon!”

I purred in agreement.

She turned around and kissed me. “Let a weak pegasus have her rest.”

“Weak?” I snorted.

She fluttered her eyes before more closely snuggling against me.

“Cute, not weak,” I countered before curling up around her once more.

“Whatever you say,” she yawned before pushing her snout between my arms so that her head would come to rest on my elbow, the most comfortable position for her.

Sneaky pegasus, I thought while adjusting my position so that we could both lay together comfortably. Though for her, it was hardly an inconvenience. 

We had already considered the idea of moving to Equestria, in addition to some other topics, and at least for the time being, we would be staying here, despite the good reasons her parents had presented.

As I said earlier, there was a reason for her parents to insist at the time, one of the dig sites on a mountain near them was about to be auctioned. It seemed that in Equestria, at least in populated areas, one couldn’t simply claim as much land as they could defend. Ponies have some ‘way’ to share land between them, and it was based on bits it seemed. At least that was easy to understand.

So, with the land near them about to become available, they rushed over so as to set things in motion. I admit that from their point of view, it made a lot of sense. They really wanted to see their grandfoal and daughter more often.

So I forgave them for trying to use a fairly backclawed tactic on us.

And of course, as a black dragon, I would always be able to claim some land in Equestria later if I wished. So if Fluffy and I decided to move at some point, we need only do so.

The only reason I could imagine though for doing so would be for Fiery’s sake. Fluffy and I had spoken about schools and kindergarten again, and while I still had my reservations; being half-pony, Fiery had the right to at least get the chance to go.

Fluffy also brought up the point that with her out of the lair for half of the day, there would be more time for cuddling, the special sort of cuddling. It was a very good point, despite the fact that she only brought that up to convince me.

Speaking of that adorable little kirin, I unwillingly stopped cuddling with Fluffy. Fiery would be waking up soon, and it would be the best for every creature, especially her uncle, if her parents were around then. So when Fluffy made her first weak attempts to stand up, I didn’t hinder her… much.

***

Returning to the living room, an amusing view awaited us, at least from my point of view.

There laid Never Ending, snoring almost as loudly as Fluffy, and on his belly sat Fiery, waving her tail in joy as she watched him and cuddled into his chest fluff. Not only was the place she was sitting on cozy, but the sound of a snoring pony was much to her liking. A thing I think she got from her mother.

So, the scene found my approval, Never had made the best of the situation and was now functioning as a soft pillow for my and Fluffy’s daughter. A win for everycreature.

Though, Fluffy’s thoughts were quite different. I saw it in her body language that for some unknown reason, her brother was in trouble. Only his niece, due to Fluffy’s desire to keep quiet and not alert Fiery, protected him from Fluffy’s wrath.

Well, the peace didn’t last long, for as soon as Fiery spotted her mom, she let out a series of happy squeaks and rose to her hooves to get picked up.

This, of course, woke up her uncle, who yawned widely before his gaze landed on Fiery.

“Hey, Fiery,” he sleepy mumbled. “you woke up. Well, I hope uncle Never was a good napping spot?”

He must have been, otherwise he would have had an angry kirin on him. At least in Fiery’s opinion, he did great.

“You can’t sleep in while watching her, brother!” Fluffy scolded him while she picked up Fiery and nuzzled her before nestling her against her chest. “She could have hurt herself!”

“She was doing fine, sis. She walked back and forth on top of my stomach until she buried her head in my fluff and began taking her nap as intended.”

“You still have to watch over her!”

I rubbed my head against my mate and made my way towards our daughter, who purred welcomingly when I was near enough. “I don’t see what he did wrong, Fluffy.” I looked over Fiery and found nothing out of the normal. “We both join her in her naps from time to time, you never had a problem with that.”

“That’s completely different.” She replied. “When you take a nap with her, your daughter will not leave your side, even if she woke up earlier, she would try to wake you up. Same goes for me.” She rearranged Fiery on her chest. “But you, brother, can’t do that! Who knows what she would do while you are sleeping!”

“Probably crawl deeper into my fluff and enjoy the warmth I offer?” he suggested while standing up, stretching his wings, and shaking his shoulder a bit to get rid of the last stiffness of sleep. “Either she cuddles with me, or calls out for mom and dad, which would have woken me up anyway.”

“While I agree that she,” I once more rubbed my head against Fiery, “likely wouldn’t leave your side, I think Fluffy’s warning still had a valid point, even though it might not have been the one she intended.”

My mates head turned to me. “And what would that be?” she asked with an accusing undertone.

I smiled and poked her with my wing before answering, and when I did, it was directed at Never Ending. “You could get into a lot of trouble if I trust you with watching over my daughter and I end up hearing unhappy or sorrowful cried from her echoing through the lair. I can tell you, Fiery would not have to wait long for me to come to her aid, and I’m not sure you would want to be the focus of a worried father. Especially when that father is a dragon.”

“Uhm, that sounds uncomfortable,” Never replied.

“I’m just giving you a heads up. Now that you have my permission to be here and play with your niece, you better not fail in your duties as uncle.”

“Big Softy,” Fluffy stroke over my nose with her wing, “didn’t you and my family agree to treat each other more nicely just an hour ago?”

“No, sis, it’s fine,” Never interrupted. “That is part of the deal, he warned us previously, so we can react accordingly while here.”

“And in return, I don’t get mad when they screw up something that they wouldn’t have known,” I added.

Fluffy snorted unhappy. It was clear to see that she was not completely okay with this yet. It also didn’t help that she still wanted to scold her brother. Problem was, if she did that,  Fiery would see, and that was something that she really wanted to avoid. She had brought this on herself.

Remembering that she specifically told me not to growl at Never when Fiery was around, I smiled at the irony of Fluffy’s current predicament.

“We will talk about this later, brother,” Fluffy finally said. “Don’t think you are off the hook already!”

“Oh come on, sis, Fiery had a really good nap with uncle Never.” He extended his hoof and petted my daughters head. “Nothing bad happened, and if you wouldn’t have shown up, she would still be sitting on my chest and enjoying my chest fluff.”

“Don’t forget the snoring,” I added mischievously. “You successfully convinced your daughter that snoring creatures are the good guys, Fluffy.”  I placed a kiss on her ear. “Lovely snoring pegasus that you are.”

She pulled a snout and fluffed up angrily, making her even more cute.

“Aww,” I adored her while Fiery started to purr seeing as she was still was in mommy’s chest fluff.

“You guys are impossible!” Fluffy huffed, though, she couldn’t stay grumpy for long, a happy kirin prevented that most effectively.

I watched the magic my daughter was doing to her mom for a moment before my belly started to grumble. After all, we had been engaged in a great deal of physical activity for the last hour, so it only made sense that it was time to eat something.

“Alright, I think it is time to prepare dinner.” I moved in the direction of the kitchen before remembering that it was on Fluffy to set the table for her family. “Wait, you agreed to do the chores for the time being.” I looked at Fluffy and stretched my claws out for Fiery. “Mommy has to do some housework for a change, Fiery, come to daddy.”

It was clear to see that my comment had not found Fluffy’s approval, but she had indeed agreed to this. With a sigh, she kissed Fiery and hooved her over. “Come on, brother, you can help me in the kitchen,” she said, before trotting in said direction.

I exchanged a look with Never, we both knew she would use this opportunity to scold him further.

“Never thought you pushing the housework on her would be a punishment for me,” he half said, half sighed.

I shrugged.

“Never!” Fluffy yelled from the kitchen.

“Coming, sis.”

I held Fiery up. “And that is why you never anger your mom. At least if you are not a huge dragon.”

She purred agreeingly.

*

The rest of the day passed quickly. We told Cloudy and Gold about our decision when they came back. They were a bit disappointed, but understood and respected our choice. And as we said, eventually moving to Equestria was not completely off the table.

I admit, the school and kindergarten part was not especially to my liking or interest, but, having her pony grandparents babysitting her every now and then was not a thought I found to be unpleasant. I mean, for dragons it is quite common to have one's hatchlings around them all day, but just an hour for me and Fluffy here and there…

Anyway, we did decide to visit this village Cloudy had spoken about sooner rather than later. Best case, they could give us some good advice on how to treat a baby kirin and what is and isn’t good for her. Sure, I had no doubts that we were doing quite fine and were perfectly capable of raising her ourselves, but if there was the chance to do it better, it was our duty as parents to at least give it a look.

So, let me tell you about our visit to the Peaks of Peril...
> The Peaks Of Peril
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I guess that’s it,” Fluffy said, pointing at the bright brown mountainside slightly to our right. “Though, it is not as green as I imagined it.”

Indeed, I had to agree with her that the area around it reminded me more of a savannah, rather than the green plane we expected, given that Cloudy had mentioned a forest nearby. There was still a bit of vegetation, a few trees and bushes, but overall, it was quite barren.

“Are you sure? There are more mountains around here, maybe they have more plant life,” I replied.

Fluffy stopped mid air and hovered there for a few seconds, looking around.

“Quite,” she shrugged. “My parents said it was slightly south of the railroad station.” She pointed at it. “Which is over there. And surrounded by other mountains in a half moon circle.” Now her hoof wandered over the horizon. “Seems fitting to me.”

I gave the scenery another look. “Well, we’ll find out. Let’s land there and start looking for this hidden kirin village.”

“It may be better if I fly ahead and look for it, who knows how they’ll react when my strong dragonfriend lands in the center of their village all of a sudden.” As she said this, she flew over to me and began stroking my chest with her hooves. “You know how somecreatures react to mighty dragons.”

“I am quite sure that they will take it well, they are half dragons after all. And,” I pointed at Fiery with my snout, “I have the best diplomat you can imagine on my back.” That being said, said ‘diplomat’ was currently half asleep.

“One more reason for me to go first,” she smiled. “Don’t want to risk anything with the greatest of all treasures, right?”

I smirked, “You just want to feel the thrill of adventure again, don’t you?” I inquired while raising an eyebrow.

She blushed. “Maybe a little bit,” she said with her cute little pegasus voice, something I couldn’t resist. “It has been some time since I explored anything.”

I flattened my gaze at that.

“Besides the best dragonfriend in the world of course,” she hastily added.

I smiled. “Better. Fine, you may fly ahead, but if anything suspicious happens, you come back. I don’t want to erase a kirin village from the world because they hurt my mate.”

Fluffy rolled her eyes and quickly placed a kiss on my nose. “I promise.” She then flew back to check on Fiery, and when she found her still lazily resting on my back, she flew off.

Before I followed her at a slower pace, I took the opportunity to check on Fiery myself. It was hard to resist the urge to nuzzle her and purr, but she needed her sleep. We had left Fluffy’s parents home quite early in the morning, so it was understandable that our little kirin was more than a little tired.

Be it as it may, in another half an hour at most, she would have to wake up and hopefully play with other kirins.

*

The village on top of the Peaks of Peril was not too hard to find once we were slightly closer. Fluffy had already landed, and was in the middle of a conversation with one of the kirins by the time I arrived.

“Hey Big Softy,” she yelled, waving at me, “we’re over here!”

“Oh, ohh, is that your dragonfriend?” the kirin Fluffy was talking with asked while walking over. “Wow, that is a dragon you got yourself there! Look at his scales, so shiny!” She turned around and yelled, “Dragon!” into the village before turning her attention quickly back to me. “And such huge wings, he really is amazing!”

Well, that was not what I had expected. I landed right next to them and looked around, normally creatures are very fearful of me, and when somecreature yelled dragon, it was mostly in fear and to warn others. Not so with this kirin. While this first one was still praising my appearance, which I liked, several kirins peaked out from every corner. And instead of looking worried, running away, or the other usual actions, they started to whisper excitedly and hastily trotted over.

“You must be really happy to have him,” the kirin went on, “and is this…” her eyes got wider and a huge smile spread across her face, “a baby! You had a baby with him! It is yours right?” She quickly glanced at Fluffy, “This is so awesome!”

Indeed, Fiery had gotten curious about what was going on and had sleepily opened an eye and peaked above my wing for a moment, before curling up again.

“You must tell me everything! How you two got together, what it’s like to have a kirin baby as a pony and… oh, I totally forgot,” she focused on my face for a moment and bowed, “welcome to the Peaks of Peril. My name is Autumn Blaze.” 

Now she stayed in this position waiting for my response. I was a bit surprised at first, but then nodded. “The Black Death,” I replied.

“Welcome The Black Death,” she said and rose up. “It has been so long since we had a dragon here, kind of forgot the formal greeting for a second.” She clapped her hooves together. “I love visitors,” for a second, a sad expression got on her face, “we have so few visitors here, but,” the expression vanished and the happy smile returned, “it’s gotten a lot better lately!”

In the meantime, upwards of a dozen kirins had arrived at our location and started to form a half circle in front of us. Fluffy trotted over to my side, though not out of concern for herself it seemed, but more so of how I might react. I rubbed my head over hers to show her that I didn’t feel threatened and would not attack them. Truth be told, a warm welcome for once was a pleasant change.

“This is a far warmer welcome than I had expected,” I told her.

“If all kirins are half dragons, it kind of makes sense, you know. Babies have to come from somewhere. I guess that means they’ll know how to deal with dragons,” Fluffy replied.

“It means a lot of ponies took advantage of dragons with a liking for softness,” I jokingly stated, while at the same time giving it an accusatory tone.

“Naughty pony race,” she admitted, ironically, with a grin while stroking my side with her wing.

Autumn Blaze used the short pause that followed to join the conversation, “So what brings you here? You wanna see the opera? Or the stream of silence? Or…?”

Fluffy finished her stroking by rubbing her head against my side before she answered. “We wanted to learn more about kirins, and especially how to raise one. You see, our daughter, Fiery Leadership,” she pointed at her, “is a kirin, and, uhm, we thought it wouldn’t hurt to see how you guys handle raising children.”

“Not that we are not capable of… “ I started, but stopped when I saw the amazed and surprised faces around us. All of the kirins suddenly became very excited when I mentioned Fiery, and had started to whisper to each other more loudly.

Fluffy noticed it too. “Uhm,” she made a gesture with her hoof, including all the kirins in the crowd, “what’s with them?”

“They’re just excited,” Autumn Blaze explained, “it has been a while since we’ve seen a first generation kirin,” She giggled in joy, “and a pegasus one too. As you can see,” she pointed at her horn, “All of us have unicorn heritage, a pegasus kirin is something rare for us.”

“First generation kirin?” Fluffy asked.

“A first generation kirin is the baby of a dragon and a pony,” a new voice replied.

I looked for who had said this. When I directed my gaze towards where the voice had come from, I saw a huge kirin approaching us from behind. She was a good bit taller than the rest of the kirins, who were more or less the same size as Fluffy, appearing to be closer to my size. She had a light brown coat and a bluish mane in the same style Fiery had, and like the other kirins, she had a large horn. However, sitting at the base of her horn was a crown

“A first generation usually has the best traits from their dragon and pony heritage. Unfortunately, depending on what kind of mate they choose to take, following generations can lose some of these characteristics.”

“And you are?” I asked.

“I am Rain Shine, leader of this kirins. Welcome to the Peaks of Peril, dragon.”

I kept my gaze on her, waiting for her to address Fluffy too, but she didn’t.

“Hi, Rain Shine,” Fluffy said, compelled to do so by her friendly pony personality. “I am Danger Do. And that is,” she pointed first at me, then to Fiery, “ The Black Death and our daughter, Fiery Leadership. Nice to meet you.”

Rain Shine just nodded.

I knew that ponies were more friendly and loose about greetings, and Fluffy didn’t seem to mind, but if these kirins really knew dragon protocol, and it seemed so to a degree, it was like I told you with my mom, one has to be acknowledged to secure their social standing.

I would not allow the kirins’ leader to fob Fluffy with a nod. My tail tip raised up and my wings spread a bit, together with the growl that formed in my throat, it was a clear display of my disapproval of Rain Shines lack of respect for my mate.

“Big Softy,” Fluffy scolded me and pokeds me into the chest. “Be nice.”

I ignored her and presented my fangs, hissing at Rain Shine, challenging her.

She looked kind of surprised, her gaze switching between me and Fluffy a few times. It seemed she had some trouble understanding why her actions had made me angry, but she quickly overcame them.

“And welcome to you, Danger Do, to the Peaks of Peril,” she finally added.

“I will not tolerate any disrespect for my mate,” I made this clear with another growl before I returned to a less aggressive stance. “My mate deserves the same respect as I do, anycreature that fails to show her this will have to deal with me.”

“Big Softy!” Fluffy yelled at me, “that was rude!” My demand that everycreature treat her with respect seemed to have fluttered her a bit. Based on her tone of voice, especially after living with her for so long, the redness of her cheeks was not due to her being angry at my rudeness.

“I am sorry, he is a bit overprotective sometimes,” Fluffy explained to the kirins. “He is very sensitive when it comes to me and our daughter.”

“Don’t you worry about that,” Autumn Blaze replied, “we are familiar with dragon behaviour. I think the problem was just that it wasn’t obvious that you’re his mate, like, real mate instead of just friends with benefits. Probably because you’re not carrying your mate insignias, but only a collar. I mean it is a nice collar, suits you nicely, but it doesn’t show that you two are married at all.”

“Uhm, what?” Fluffy asked.

“You know, the golden rings around your horn, or in your case wing joints. The public display that you two are married. I mean, right now, everypony, or dragon, or kirin would assume your handsome dragonfriend here is still available.”

“He is not available!” Fluffy made clear, laying a wing possessively on me. “We are not married yet, but we are mates!”

This statement caused the kirins to return to whispering amongst themselves. It seemed the news that we are not married had made a few of these kirins quite happy.

Fluffy noticed it too, and after a short moment of shock, I could see the fur along her back begin to rise as she started fluffing up. “Mine!” she yelled, adding her second wing to my side. When this didn’t seem to do the trick, she added a growl in the direction of the kirins.

I couldn’t resist purring. Normally I was the one she called jealous and clingy, but this time, she was the one who was claiming her mate in front of others. I rubbed my head against her back and let her feel my deep purr while I inhaled her smell, a strong scent of autumny cinnamon. As I told you, she normally smelt like this, but it had gotten five times stronger now that she was jealousy claiming her mate.

I simply had to pick her up and cuddle her. Yes, perhaps not the very best moment to do so, but I am a black dragon, I can choose when to cuddle my mate. Though, Fluffy growled more deeply and struggled a bit to force me to let go of her so she could continue hissing at the kirins. Oh, she was so adorable!

“Feels good doesn’t it...” I inquired and placed soft kisses on every spot of her head or neck I could reach, “... claiming your mate in front of others.

When she realized I would not let her go since she had triggered my soft side too effectively, she glared at me with a mix of anger and this cuteness she always has when angry. “Put me down!” She demanded.

I turned her around so she was face to face with me and lifted her higher. “Not before you admit that it’s not only fun, but satisfies something deep in your heart.” Of course, I used this opportunity to cuddle her and purr as I did so.

She struggled and tried to push my head away with a hoof, but it was useless of course. “This is not the time to cuddle, Big Softy!”

I rubbed my cheek against hers and whispered into her ear. “Now remember all the times you scolded me for growling and hissing at creatures that took my claim of you into question. How does it feel to not be able to display your claim to me?”

“That is something completely different! Nocreature tried to snatch me away from you like these kirins are!” She flicked her ears and tried to give me a grumpy look.

“And nokirin had a chance to snatching me away from you, and you know that.” 

Her growling got quieter and more defensive at that. She knew I loved her and that what I said was true.

“Mine,” I said while holding her gaze and giving her a kiss.

She snorted unhappy having lost the argument, but returned the kiss anyways. Though, she still growled.

“You’re lucky that I am not a pony, I understand these desires.” I placed her back on the ground. “You can go hiss and growl at the kirins now if you like.”

Surprisingly, this support from me kind of killed it for her.

“I don’t want to anymore,” she admitted silently. She gave the surrounding kirins a stare. “Still mine!”

“We saw that,” Rain Shine admitted, with a very confused look. “I, uhm, I confess I did not see that coming. And I apologize for not showing you the respect you deserve as his mate.” She made a step towards us. “I’ve… never heard or seen a black dragon that is a cuddler before. They are normally not the type to do that.”

“What do you mean?” Fluffy asked.

“Black dragons are normally very possessive. When not married, they collect a lot of ponies or kirins to have, well, fun with. So seeing you without anything displaying your right to claim him for yourself and yourself alone, it seemed to be that you were just his slave or toy, no matter if you had a child together or not.”

Rain Shine shook her head slightly. “The fact he is actually a cuddler, binding himself to only one pony, is kind of… uncommon.”

“It is a family thing,” I explained, using the opportunity to rub my head against Fluffy once more while her scent was so intense and good, “and Fortuna has her claws in it too.”

“Oh, you must tell us everything about it!” Autumn Blaze requested. “And feel free to add a lot of funny side comments and running gags!”

We stared at her.

“Uhm, if you like to that is,” she added with a grin.

“We could use that as a chance to start over too,” Rain Shine agreed. “Again, I am sorry for the bad greeting, so let me invite you to the mainhal. I am sure everykirin is curious about your story.”  

*

Well, it turned out that it wasn’t our story that was the main attraction, but Fiery. Once we got to the mainhal and settled down, our daughter decided it was a good idea to leave daddy’s back and see what the new day brought. The reaction of the kirins, particularly Rain Shine, was quite special though.

“Azure Blood?” she asked astonished, rising up when she noticed Fiery’s scale colour. Her gaze quickly wandered to me. “Your dad is an azure dragon?”

“My mom is,” I said, offering Fiery a snout to lean against while she tried to figure out how to react to suddenly being the center of attention for so many new creatures.

My daughter turned to me and pointed at the kirins, squeaking.

“Yes, kirins,” I explained, “just like you.”

“That makes it even more strange for you to be a cuddler,” Rain Shine whispered, more to herself than to me.

“I know, I know.” I raised my head and looked at her. “Azure dragons are not the friendly, harmonious type of dragons. More like the dictator and ruler type.” I shrugged. “Believe me I know, I was raised by one.”

“Hey, Fiery,” Fluffy shouted out for our daughter, “stay with mom and dad!”

Our little one had used the moment I wasn’t paying attention to quickly move forward and towards the nearest kirin. It was the light greyish gold chatty one, Autumn Blaze.

“Look at you little cutie,” she said while lowering her head to Fiery’s level.

My daughter on the other claw, tried her best to elevate herself, getting into her meerkat position.

“Fiery, I told you that you should stay with us!” Fluffy reminded her while going after her. Fiery was even so generous as to look back at her for a moment before pointing at Autumn Blaze and squeaking.

“Oh, she is sooo adorable,” Autumn Blaze said, “can I lift her up? If she lets me of course,” she added.

“You may try,” I permitted, “but be aware that she normally does not allow it. And I would get very angry if someone would ignore her wishes in that regard.”

“I would never dare, though I am sure she would love to cuddle with a cozy kirin, right?” The last word was addressed at Fiery. “Do you like to be cuddled, Fiery?” She opened her hooves and offered Fiery a place between her shoulder and mane.

As I said, Fiery hesitated, letting random creatures pick her up or pet her were not things she normally allowed. Though, to my surprise, after checking if mom and dad were okay with it, she stepped forward and gave Autumn Blaze a sniff, searching for any signs of danger. When she found nothing wrong, she moved into her forelegs and let her pick her up.

“Fiery,” Fluffy said surprised,” you normally don’t let creatures do that.”

“Maybe it’s because I’m a kirin too,” Autumn Blaze guessed. “I mean, I assume I’m the first kirin to try this since you came here to learn how to raise a baby kirin, which means you don’t know another kirin that could tell you. Or it’s just my mane that’s attracting her,” she added after Fiery started to put her claws into it and pull at it, happily squeaking. “Don’t worry,” she rejected Fluffys helping hoof, “kirins hair isn’t so easily pulled out, she won’t be able to do too much damage.”

That statement didn’t prevent her from trying though.

“You know what is even better than ripping off my mane, Fiery? Autumn Blaze asked. “How about this?” She moved her own hoof into Fiery’s mane and started to softly scratch her somewhere between the ears.

The effect was immediate, as not long after she started doing this, Fiery relaxed into Autumn’s forelegs and released a loud purring. Whatever Autumn was doing, it was entirely to Fiery’s approval, she even moved her head so that the other kirin could reach the spots more easily.

“Yeah, you like that, right? Who is a happy baby, huh? You are!” Autumn proclaimed. And it was true, a lot of happy kirin noises were being produced by my daughter, showing her approval.

“You’ve got to show me how you’re doing that,” Fluffy requested, coming closer, “ she really seems to like what you are doing.”

“Oh it is nothing, everykirin likes that. You simply have to carefully scratch the spot between where the ears and scales meet. I mean, who doesn’t like that?”

“Yes, everykirin likes that,” a mare that had somehow appeared at my side affirmed. “Especially if such a shiny dragon does it,” she added it a seductive tone while rubbing over my side.

While I didn’t mind the attention and her approach, I didn’t even need to look to know the status of Fluffy’s backcoat. I smiled internally and waited for my mate to burst out. However, instead of yelling and screaming, or even growling, it was the new mare who’s reaction changed drastically. Just a short glance in the direction of my mate and her eyes widened while her pupils shrunk to pinheads.

After a short glance at Fluffy, I knew why.

You know the phrase ‘giving someone a death stare’? Well, it should be named giving someone the Fluffy stare. Her wings had sprung open and her mane and coat had risen as much as they could. There also seemed to be a burning fire in her eyes, the kind of fire that promised a bloody rage and many dead bodies before finally extinguishing. Dragonrage, only, in the eyes of a pony.

While I found it very attractive, the mare next to me started to fear for her life, shivering while proceeding back to where she had come from.

“It looks like my marefriend would prefer it if you would find someone else to help you with that,” I said with an amused tone. “Otherwise, she may get angry at you.”

The mare simply nodded quickly and rushed back into the crowd.

“You must forgive them,” Autumn said, trying to ease the situation, “we really haven’t had a dragon here for a long time, not to mention the fact that we weren’t able to speak for the last few years. Our conversation skills are not exactly the best. We’ve also gotten used to only using gestures, so that doesn’t help either.” She moved her hoof to Fiery’s other ear, keeping her distracted. “So we can be a bit rude sometimes, we don't mean to be, we’re just a bit blunt.” She paused for a second. “And you have to admit, your dragonfriend is very attractive. Did I mention how shiny his scales are already?”

Well, the last part of her comment didn’t help her argument, of course I am attractive and shiny, but Fluffy obviously didn’t want to hear that from other mares. I saw her gaze slowly wander to Autumn, but before things could get worse, I played my trump card.

“Fluffy! You don’t want to ruin this trip for Fiery, right?” I walked over and rubbed my head against hers. “Remember, we came all the way here because of our daughter. You don’t want to ruin this for her by being overly jealous, right? You want to be the reasonable mare here, or...”

It was a good thing that her motherly instincts were stronger than her jealous marefriend instincts. I could see it in her eyes that my words had done their trick, though it took a moment for her body to follow.

“Your marefriend seems to be a bit overzealous,” Autumn whispered to me behind her hoof.

“Yes, and I am perfectly fine with that,” I whispered back, just loud enough for Fluffy to hear. “And it really feels good to see how much she loves me since she’s acting protective and jealous for a change.”

Knowing that I was up to something, Fluffy reacted quite quickly. “Oh no, you are not using this as an excuse to hiss and growl at anycreature that is nice to me in the future,” Fluffy demanded, but I was already smiling widely. “No!” she repeated.

“No, I am definitely using this as an excuse. And if you ever complain about me doing it, I’ll just need to remind you of how you were acting today.” Even though I tried to say this in a neutral tone, or mostly neutral, my smile leached its way into my words. “This trip is already a success simply for the fact that I am now allowed to growl at creatures in the future.”

“I did not growl this time!” Fluffy pointed out. “I stayed silent all the while!”

Dammit! She was right about that, but I would not give up so easily. “Right, I’ll give you that, though, I may just look threatening like you did then. That should be enough in most cases anyway.”

“Big Softy!”

“Yes?” I recited, flickering my eyes at her.

“You… you…”

“Yes?”

Fluffy inhaled deeply. “You are a far too civilized azure blooded dragon to do such a thing when it is obviously not necessary.”

I was going to reply to that not being true, and that a good dragon would do exactly such a thing, but following Fluffy’s gaze, it was hard to miss that several kirins and Fiery were watching us. I had to rethink that statement. It was still true, but if I admitted that an azure blooded dragon would do something like that, it would reflect poorly on such a noble heritage, likely lowering my social standing for pointing that out in front of everykirin.

“Well played, Fluffy,” I whispered, “but we’re discussing that when we are alone again.”

“Oh no, if you have any objections, just go ahead and tell everycreature, otherwise, I’ll have to assume you are agreeing with my point of view,” she whispered back with this mischievous pony grin.

Oh this impudent little pegasus! I was so proud! Using my own pride against me while looking cute enough to get away with it, one of the many reasons I loved her so much.

“I will get you back for this,” I purred and licked over her cheek. “In a most naughty dragon way of course.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” she purred back.

Well, since that was settled, after a bit more purring and a little cuddling, my attention moved back to Fiery. She was still being so generous as to allow Autumn Blaze to proceed to pet her, and it seemed that it would stay this way a while longer. Our visit here was not only about her being fondled though. I finally decided to ask about where the other kirin bornlings are.

“Hmm, most of them are in the kindergarden at this time of day,” Autumn answered, “well, at least the younger ones that are not babies anymore. A baby like Fiery would stay with their parents at home while the older ones go to school.” She looked at Fiery again and smiled. “I can show you around if you like? There are a lot of other places you surely want to see too, and I can tell you all about what we kirins do during the day and such, also…”

A tiny claw had placed itself on Autumn’s mouth, preventing her from speaking further. It seems my daughter preferred it if she focused on petting her instead of talking with us. 
 
“That’s my daughter,” I purred and moved my snout over to cuddle with Fiery. “Being petted and cuddled is most important of course.” 

Fiery was more than happy that I shared her point of view, and tried to explain to me what she did and why, at least, that was what I assumed when I saw her bubbling and squeaking while gesticulating at Autumn in some baby ways.

“Absolutely,” I agreed when she finished.

“It sure is,” Autumn also agreed. And while I cuddled my daughter, Autumn began rubbing my head. “Wow, these scales are smooth! Are you using a special shampoo? Or how do you get them so clean and smooth? Normally scales get a bit rough if you clean them too eagerly, but yours are like glass.”

“Hooves off of my dragonfriend!” Fluffy shouted, though, I managed to calm her by turning and cuddling her too.

“Oh I am sorry,” Autumn said, “I was just curious.” She returned her hoof to Fiery’s ear now that my head was out of the way. “Shiny and sleek scales are a blessing, so if there is a trick to get them this way, I’d really like to know.”

“Well,” I paused to purr at Fluffy and demanded her attention before I placed a kiss on her lips, “I'll tell you the secret while you show us around. I am sure my mate is okay with you guiding us since you don’t seem interested in stealing me away from her.”

“I’d sure like to show you around,” she turned to Fluffy, “and I promise to not steal your dragonfriend.”

Fluffy seemed to accept that promise, but she still pointed a hoof towards her eyes  before turning it to Autumn, making it clear that she would keep her eyes on her.

“Don’t you worry,” Autumn started, but again, a tiny claw found its way on her mouth.

“You better return her to my mate,” I said, “otherwise you won’t be able to tell us anything.”

Well, while the idea was good, the reality was a bit tricky. When Autumn hoofed Fiery over, the little one demanded the same treatment from Fluffy now, which she could not provide at first, resulting in heart melting squeaking. So we had to wait a few minutes till Autumn taught Fluffy how to do the ‘scratch-to-make-kirins-happy-thing’. 

When Fiery was happy with the result, we were finally able to move on.”
> Dragonpears And Proud Parents
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“No, we don’t eat meat anymore, well we could if we wanted to, but after all the hunting we did in these forests, we needed to convert to exclusively fruits and other plants. We still have the fangs though.” Autumn Blaze stopped and opened her mouth widely to let us get a look at them. “See?” she mumbled. “They are sharp and lovely, but we don’t really use them anymore, still nice to have though.”

“And how about gems?” Fluffy asked. “Fiery ate one not so long ago, is that good for her?”

“Gems are a bit tricky, not all kirins can eat them, it depends on how closely related to a dragon you are.” She happily smiled. “I can still eat them, they’re just a bit hard to find around here.” She thought about it for a moment. “And sometimes you break a tooth if you aren’t careful.”

“I assume they regrow, like mine,” I asked. It was an uncomfortable thought to imagine Fiery losing a tooth and not having it regrow.

“Yes, they do,” Autumn nodded, “at least when it comes to the fangs. The other teeth,” she waved a bit with her tail, “they regrow too, but far slower, and you have to pull them out if they are only broken. If the stump stays, they don’t.”

“Hmm, good to know,” I said before turning to Fluffy. “That means we don’t have to worry if she loses one from time to time, like the time you almost cried when you first saw me lose a fang.”

“How could I not be shocked when my special somedragon suddenly spits out one of his fangs,” she reddened a bit, remembering the circumstances around that before quickly changing the topic. “Though I seem to remember how horrified you were and how you feared I might die when I started to molt.”

“I only lost a fang, you lost your wonderful feathers! That was far more concerning!”

Fluffy giggled. “You should have seen him,” she told Autumn Blaze, “he was all worried and afraid, I could hardly keep him off me.”

“I was not afraid,” I corrected her, “I was rightfully concerned.” 

With all this talk of her losing her feathers, I felt compelled to check on them just to make sure. She was not going to molt again for some time, so if any of her feathers fell out, I would know something was wrong. I nuzzled one of her wings so she would open them, and when she did, I slowly and carefully brushed along her feathers with my muzzle, watching for any sign that something was wrong.

“See,” Fluffy said in this cozy, cuddlily, flirty tone that was reserved just for me while caressing my head with her wing. “All worried and… concerned.” She gave me this seductive, innocent smile as she fluttered her eyes.

“If you don’t want me to break into one of these houses and throw the inhabitants out so we have a place for,” I looked at Autumn Blaze for a second, “cuddling, you better be less sexy and seductive you naughty little pegasus you,” I whispered, breathing in Fluffy’s scent.

As expected, she slapped me with her wing, but I saw her happy smile. I had learned near the start of our relationship that as long as I called her sexy and beautiful when I was being naughty, even though she acted disapproving and would publicly scold me, she loved that I did it.

“Behave yourself,” she said.

“I always do,” I replied and kissed her. “I am a good dragon.”

“Yes you are,” Fluffy agreed before turning around so we could continue our walk through the village. I saw the happy swing of her tail and flank that I caused, and I smiled too.

*

“And this,” Autumn Blaze lifted up some crazy looking fruit, “is a dragonpear!”

“Dragonpear?” I asked sceptical. “It does not look like a dragon at all.”

“No, of course not, but dragons love them!” She tossed it over to me. “You really should take a bite, it is awesome. It’s sweet and spicy and juicy and… well it’s awesome for dragons,” she lowered her voice a bit, “ as well as for kirins, but only the ones with strong dragon heritages.”

“And how does it taste to ponies?” Fluffy asked out of curiosity, giving the fruit a closer look. “No, Fiery,” she added when our daughter stretched out her claws for it. “Let daddy try it first.”

“A dragonpear?” the saleskirin, a stallion, asked while he came over. “A very good choice, you will love it! From what I heard, it’s not only healthy, but gives you a warm and cozy feeling!”

“From what you heard?” I asked.

“Well, I don’t personally know anydragon that’s eaten one, but my dad told me that they loved to eat them back in the days. As I understood it, it’s like a good glass of wine for them.”

“Meh,” I snorted, “that kind of stuff doesn't work on dragons. We don’t get drunk, especially -” I looked closer at this purple fruit “- from something as small as this.”

“You don’t get drunk?” Autumn asked.

“Nope, they don’t,” Fluffy supported my statement with a grin. “Believe me, I tried to get him drunk when we had our first ‘date’.” She giggled. “Didn’t work at all!”

“You tried to get him drunk to seduce him?” Autumn Blaze wondered. “You are far more naughty than I thought. Though it was a good idea.”

“What? No!” Fluffy shouted. “I-“

“Yes, she is a most naughty pegasus,” I said. “And after she filled me up with wine, she pulled me into a close, cuddle filled dance, using her sexy wings all over my body, practically throwing herself at me.”

“Wow, I call that passion,” the stallion nodded approvingly.

“I agree, the result speaks for itself,” Autumn Blaze said. “And was that the same night you got her pregnant?”

“That is not-” Fluffy’s wings sprung open, but since she was still shocked from what I‘d said, I was once again faster.

“Of course, this wonderful, sex-hungry pegasus did not leave my bed until she was. And she also turned into a kirin for the first round.”

“Big Softy!” Fluffy yelled at me.

“Oh yes, you are right,” I nodded. “She set my bedroom on fire in the process,” I explained to the kirins.

While the stallion whistled astonished, Autumn was more bewildered.

“Wait, you can turn into a kirin?” she asked. “Ohh, or do you mean like with a costume and roleplaying, right? I have heard that fire attracts dragons, which kind of makes sense since we are half dragons and that works on us, but where did you heard it from? Also, I’ve got to say, besides the wine, it was a well executed seduction!”

“It was not… I didn’t...I…” Fluffy’s face turned red, half from shame, half from anger. “It wasn’t me who seduced him, he seduced me!” she finally yelled. “Lousy dragon tricks, approaching me while I was a kirin!” She gave me a very angry stare, but quieted her yelling as soon as Fiery showed the first signs of worry with questioning squeaks. “It was all him, I had nothing to do with it. He was the one who was enamored with my fluff,” she said as she stroked her fur against the grain, “and my feathers.”

“No, Fiery, mommy and daddy are not fighting.” Fluffy nuzzled our daughter, calming her down. “Daddy is just being overly naughty again,” she said before shooting a glare at me. “You know how your father is,” she added while she cradled our daughter.

“Daddy’s no less naughty then your mother,” I clarified, lowering my head to give Fiery a kiss. “Your mom is a wonderful pony, Fiery.” 

“Don’t try using more of your honeyed words on me,” Fluffy scolded, but in her usual tone. “I’ll get you back for this.”

“You mean like what I just did? For your behaviour back at the town hall?”

Her eyes were sparkling as if she had lightning in them, but that was the only reaction she had, which was answer enough.

While I was enjoying the emotional tension between us, I knew it would be best for me to end it. I had used my naughtiness to make her happy, only to use that same naughtiness to make her angry. Right now, cuddling was the best thing I could do to turn things in my favor.

I tossed the fruit back to Autumn and picked up my marefriend and daughter. I didn’t say anything, simply closed my wings around them and began releasing a loud, clear purr.

As you know, I consider purring in public to be damaging to my social standing and my notoriety as intimidating. But I also know Fluffy knows this, and considering these kirins already thought of me as a cuddler, it was worth it. As always, purring at my family was a great feeling.

And it had quite the charming effect, for just as I can’t stay angry at Fluffy when she uses her pegasi tricks, she can’t stay angry when I do my dragon tricks. More so with a happy little kirin in her foreleg who was stretching out her claws to play with daddy.

“Of all the mares, you are the only one that can make me purr,” I said, “aside from this one of course,” I added as I nuzzled my daughter.”

“You can’t sweet talk your way out of this this time,” she insisted, but I could already see that my plan had worked.

I turned my head back to her. “The day I am not able to do that will be the day I’ll be in the deepest trouble possible.” I poked her nose with mine. “An angry marefriend is more frightening than a hundred azure dragons.”

“Only a hundred? You mean a thousand.”

“Of course, a thousand, if not more.” I smiled. “The only reason I’m still alive is because you love me so much.” I flickered my eyes before continuing. “The lucky dragon that I am.”

“Yes you are,” she agreed in a serious tone, but we both knew she wasn't angry anymore.

“It seems to run in the family, the luck thing, you know?” I said and placed her back on the ground. “Not only did it get me you,” I softly stroked over her chin, “but made the goddess of luck the godmother of my daughters as well.”

“Wait, Fortuna is your daughter's godmother?” Autumn Blaze asked. “Like in ‘the’ Fortuna?”

“Oh, yes, she is,” Fluffy said as if it was the most normal thing in the world. “She also brought me and Big Softy together.”

“So that’s why she has the four-leaf clovers on her flanks?”

“I guess so,” Fluffy nodded. “Now that you mention it, I wanted to ask why you guys don’t have cutie marks. Being half ponies and all. I keep my cutie mark when I turn into a kirin.”

“I don’t know,” Autumn lifted her hooves. “You have a clue?” she asked the stallion, but he shook his head. “Maybe Rain Shine can answer that for you,” Autumn suggested. “You should ask her when we get back.”

“Well, I shall do that then,” Fluffy agreed.

While Fluffy had her conversation with the kirins, I didn’t pay too much attention to the topic of the cutie mark. Fluffy had explained the concept to me, and I had already accepted that our daughter had one, so I took one of those dragonpears from the stand in the meantime. Upon closer inspection, it looked a bit like a small purple pumpkin with a blue stalk.

I sniffed at it, but the smell was not familiar. When I licked over it however, it indeed tasted spicy, along with some sparkling fruity undertone. Well, it wouldn’t hurt to take a bite, I thought, consuming half the fruit in one chomp. It had a very fruity taste, with a flavor almost like caramel mixed in, a taste I had gotten more familiar with since meeting Fluffy’s parents.

What, you didn’t think Fiery was the only one who was bribed with treats, did you?

Overall, the fruit was a strange one. Its flesh was slightly sour, but when I bit down on one of the many seeds it had, there was a sudden explosion of sweetness. It was a strange mix, but as Autumn had said, a tasty one.

I ate the rest of the fruit.

“And?” I heard Fluffy asking me. “How is it?”

She had ended her conversation with the kirins and all three of them were looking at me now.

“Well, it does taste good, but I don’t think it has any effect on me.” I licked over my teeth. “Still, we should maybe take some with us when we go.”

“A very good idea!” the saleskirin agreed and rushed over. “They are just four bits per fruit! And they only grow around here, so you should take a lot!”

There it was again, this bad habit of paying for things I could easily take. If it wasn’t for Fluffy, I would have told this kirin what I thought of him demanding money from me, instead, I simply lowered my head to his level and offered him one bit per fruit instead.

“No,” he said, “that is too little. I can offer you three per fruit if you buy five or more though.”

How dare he! Not only reject my offer but demand I take a certain amount to get a discount at all, as if I was just a random customer!

I growled.

He smiled and growled back.

It took me a moment to realise that he had really done that. He really growled back at me! Who does he think he is! This level of arrogance and stupidity! I would teach him how to speak to a dragon! Before I had recovered from the shock, however, Fluffy rushed to my side.

“Big Softy!” she yelled and stopped my claw with her hoof before I could toss the whole stand aside and talk face to face with its owner. She was lucky that despite my anger, I realised that it was her who had gotten in my way, otherwise she would not have been able to stay my claw.

I roared at the stallion, who just now seemed to realise who he had growled at. He stepped back and lowered himself in the process.

“Big Softy!” Fluffy yelled again and raised to her hind legs, placing her free hoof on my chest. “Stop it! I am sure he did not mean to challenge you!” She placed Fiery on the ground and added her second hoof to my chest.

“But he did!” I shouted back while keeping my gaze on the now shivering stallion. He had laid down and covered his eyes with his hooves.

“He did not mean it that way, I am sure of it!” She threw a short look at him too. “It’s surely just part of their trading habits, to growl and hiss over the price!”

“Surely not with a dragon,” I replied, though, his open display of submission to my superiority helped calm my anger, just a bit. Still, I growled at him once more.

“It is like I said,” Autumn Blaze hastily threw in, “our conversation skills are not the best at the moment.” She also tried to calm me down with gestures. “We just got back our voices so we don’t always think when we use them.”

It seemed Fiery shared my opinion though, as without me or Fluffy noticing, she had heard my second growl at the stallion as well as the heated emotions. Recognising all this, she had hopped closer to the stallion and did what she had failed to do when I had hunted down Angorik for her, she hissed at him too, the best thing I could think of for her to do.

It was quite a loud hiss for her size. She had also raised her tail along with getting her bushy mane to become stiff. All this combined with her spread wings made her look rather threatening I would say.

I forgot about the unimportant stallion, allowing pride to fill my heart instead. There stood little Fiery, hissing at the source of daddy’s anger.

“Fiery!” Fluffy started to yell, but I laid a talon on her snout, trying to make it so she would be quiet.

It seemed Fluffy still wanted to stop her, but one look at my happy face caused her to pause.

I lowered my head and purred approvingly at my daughter. “Spread your wings and raise them higher while keeping your fangs visible and lowering your head,” I told her. “Creatures shall see the fangs and fear them while you look even more intimidating with raised wings.”

Fiery simply kept her gaze on the stallion and continued to hiss, so I carefully adjusted her stance myself, showing my approval of her behaviour with a rub of my snout over her neck when I was done.

Sadly, she stopped threatening the stallion when she noticed my caresses of approval. She turned to me and the anger was already forgotten and replaced with happy squeaking at daddy’s approval.

I scowled at this, but still purred. “And now you ruined it,” I said, but cuddled with her when she rushed over to lick over my head. I took my time, but finally picked her up. “No creature can deny you are half pony. One moment the offspring of your father, the next, soft and cuddly like your mother.”

I got some more licks over my scales as she purred at me.

“Next time, you can add some fire to the mix,” I whispered.

“Or she can just make her father proud as she is,” Fluffy suggested before making sure she received some of our daughter’s love too.

“Well,” I couldn’t resist smiling, “that would also be fine. Still, the fire would be a nice thing.”

Fluffy gave me a raised eyebrow along with a kiss.

“Okay, being fluffy as she is also works.”

“Ooffi,” Fiery said suddenly, stretching a claw out for her mother.

My jaw dropped and Fluffy’s wings sprung open as she fluffed up, making her look like a walking pillow.

“Fiery,” she whispered, unable to speak further, astonished by the sensation of hearing our daughter attempting to speak her first word.

“Ooffi,” Fiery repeated, giggling happily. “Ooffi!”

Fluffy took her from me and held her up before her snout. The sun barely came close to how much Fluffy was shining at that moment.

“Fluffy,” Fluffy said slowly, emphasizing every letter. “Fluf-fy, or mom-my,” she repeated.

It took Fiery a few tries and a lot of babbling, but finally, there it was.

“Fluffy,” Fiery said.

The effect on her mom was outstanding! Fluffy pressed her against her chest and started dancing around in pure joy, shouting out our daughter had said her first word for all who wanted to hear, and even to those that didn’t. She was so happy that she even flew into the air a bit.

I did not want to miss out on her happiness for all the treasure in the world, so I grabbed her tail and pulled them both into my embrace, holding and cuddling them.

“Our daughter said her first word!” Fluffy practically yelled into my face.

“I heard,” I assured her, “half the village also heard,” I added. “You made mommy very happy, Fiery,” I continued and licked over my daughter's cheek.

Even though she had no clue about what was happening, the fact that she had made mommy happy was very clear. Based on Fiery’s squeeks, she was nearly as happy as her mom.

Now Fluffy started to cry. No, don’t you worry, there was nothing wrong with her, it was and is a normal reaction ponies have to such things.

“Her first word,” she repeated, half whispering as she wiped away the tears. “Our baby said her first word.”

Being familiar with strange pony behaviour, I simply nodded. “Yes she did.”

“I am so happy!”

“Oh really? I didn’t notice.” I smirked and played a bit with her ear.

“Oh you,” she giggled and flickered the ear I was playing with.

“Congratulations,” a voice to our left said, which turned out to be Autumn Blaze. She and several other kirins had gathered up around us and were cheerfully saying the usual stuff about it. Even though it was mostly mares that had gathered, Fluffy did not care to hiss at them.

I lowered my head to whisper into my daughters ear. “Seems you have the same magic as your mother, making creatures happy and calm.”

I know it was very unlikely, but I could have sworn Fiery blinked at me.

*

A good while later, I found myself sitting on the edge of a crowd of mares surrounding my mate. I was learning how quickly the simple act of Fiery saying her first word was capable of changing our situation.

Something I was finding rather amusing though was how Fluffy had gone from looking at every kirin mare with suspicion or open disapproval to now being all sunshine and rainbows. Fluffy was not only allowing the other kirins to approach us, but more specifically me, without thinking about tearing off their horns, but was also permitting them to hold Fiery for a time.

Fiery herself was in a very generous mood as well. The joy she was showing seemed to be the result of the praise she was receiving, especially from her mom, for allowing the kirins to hold her and pick her up. She knew they would all praise and cuddle her, so she was hardly being shy.

I was so consumed in my thoughts about it that I only realised Autumn Blaze was by my side when she carefully pulled at my wing two times.

“Hmm?” I looked down at her.

“If you don’t mind the question, I am a bit curious, how do you guys live?” she asked. “You saw a lot of our village already, but you didn’t say much about your own home.”

Before I answered, I took one more look in Fluffy and Fiery’s direction, making sure there were no threats in sight, or too many stallions around her. “We live very dragon like, I, we, have a huge lair.”

“You mean like a cave? I know dragons do like those.”

“Not exactly, it is a lair, not a cave. It also has some comforts than one would expect; warm water for example, a toilet, a shower. You can see it like a home you guys have here, just underground.” I pushed out my chest a bit more. “And we have a huge garden with fresh water, as well as a waterfall and a small pond.”

“You have a garden under the earth? In your lair?” she asked doubtfully.

“There are some holes in the ceiling to allow daylight to fall in, it sounds strange maybe, but I like it that way.”

“Must have been a lot of work to create it?”

“Oh yes, it was.”

“And do any other dragons live nearby, some friendly cuddlers like you?”

“No, my territory is quite large, I would not allow them around. Even more so since I have a daughter, they would be a threat.”

That statement seems to make her a bit sad.

“From what I’ve learned about ponies, even if your only half, you have something on your mind, little kirin.”

“Well,” she took a seat too, “it’s just... I was hoping there were more where you came from, you know, dragons. Wouldn’t hurt to have some more around from time to time.”

“I assume you are referring to having some more potential mates around?”

She smiled. “Dragons. You always speak your mind, and it is a naughty one.” She waited for a reply from me, but I remained silent. “No, not as mates, or not only as mates, but as guests in the village.” Her tail waved behind her a bit. “For some reason, you guys make us happy. It’s like a missing part of our heritage that’s coming back to us.”

“You don’t seem to miss ponies as much as dragons.”

“True, I don’t know why though.” She shrugged. “Maybe because we’ve kept more of our pony heritage and culture than our dragon one. As you see, we live above the earth and eat mostly fruits and thelike. And when Applejack and Fluttershy visited us a few weeks ago, they weren’t as different from us as you would assume.” She looked up to me. “You know them?”

“I heard about them from Fluffy’s parents, never met them though.”

“I see, well, from what they told us, they have a similar culture to us, you know, newspapers, theater, singing. What we don’t have is…” she stopped for a moment. “I don’t even know what we don’t have, but I’m sure there’s parts of dragon culture we should have.” She pointed at the salestand. “It would also be nice to have somedragon around to deal with the things we do get from dragons, like the growling between you and Spring Light. We used to growl and hiss to negotiate a deal, but obviously we do it all wrong today.”

“That's an understatement, if not for Fluffy, I would have broken some of his bones for the affront of growling at me.”

“That’s what I am talking about, we don’t know better,” she said before flicking her ear. “I paid for the fruit you ate by the way.”

I raised an eyebrow but nodded in approval.

“There are so many little things you guys would be useful for, besides the fact we find you very attractive. We never would’ve had the problem with the Stream of Silence if we had somedragon who could have tamed or at least caught the kirins who turned into niriks out of anger.”  She hit her forehead with a hoof. “Oh, I totally forgot to tell you, when angry, kirins can turn into niriks, you must be careful with your daughter.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that, which got Fluffy curious, causing her to look at us. But when she was sure Autumn Blaze wouldn’t try anything funny, which she checked on again a second later, she turned her attention back to the crowd around her.

“I know about that,” I said. “Not only did Fluffy turn into one, though we still call it her kirin form, Fiery did so too when she was born.” I smiled widely. “She caught fire and bit the nurse.”

“Really,” Autumn now laughed too, “I heard about those, but always thought it is just stories.”

“No, she really did. The nurse gave her this little slap, and woosh! All fire and fangs!” I looked at my little girl. “She was so ugly when she was born, but that moment, she claimed her place as my daughter.”

“I would have loved to see that,” Autumn longingly said. “Like all the other stuff you told about your lair. It must be very impressive. Say, do you have some treasure too?”

“Of course, every dragon does. It is a lot of gold and some very mighty artifacts.” Okay, maybe they were not all mighty, but she didn’t have to know that.

“I have a hoard too,” she whispered. “I collect shiny stones and crystals, if I can find some.”

“See, you have some dragon culture as well.”

“I know I have, or we all have, but we don’t understand most of it, and that was my point. There is still the stuff only you dragons can do, but we would like to do too, like flying. Before you came here with your mate, it must have been over a hundred years since we had a pegasus kirin in the village.”

“You had?” I asked, “where did they go?”

“Back to their village I assume, there are other kirin villages of course. Though, we aren't friends with them anymore.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know, it was before I was born. And the Stream of Silence thing didn’t help with that.”

“You brought that up a few times now, the Stream of Silence, what is that?”

“Oh, it’s a long, sad story,” she replied.

“So you don’t want to talk about it?”

“No,” she said, “I rather…” she jumped up and started dancing…”siiiing!”

That was a surprise! I did not expect her to suddenly sing, and when Fluffy and the others noticed, they were a bit baffled at first too. Though, after a moment, everycreature calmed down again and enjoyed the show…
> Little Kirin Beings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Fluffy smile before poking my side.

“What’s the matter? You have that look on your muzzle.” 

“Nothing, just thinking,” I replied while following Autumn as she led us further through the town.

“You, thinking about something? No way!” she teased, rubbing her cheek against my shoulder.

I was thinking about a number of things, but chief among them was that it felt good to see her this happy. With Fiery saying her first word and Autumn breaking out in a song and dance, well, it had definitely been a great idea to come here.

“You know, just before she had started singing,” I flicked my snout towards Autumn, “she told me that she would like to see our lair too.”

“And?” Fluffy asked, her voice still happy, but I had to be careful to not ruin it.

“I was just thinking about how I might convince you to allow her to visit. Perhaps even letting her bring some friends of hers along.” I looked at Fluffy, and seeing her expression sour, hastily continued. “Not as lairpets, obviously. Since I wouldn’t be happy with allowing kirin stallions to hang around, it only makes sense that you would not approve of mares as well. But I was thinking as guests every now and then. It would be good for Fiery, having some kirins around. And surprisingly, I don’t mind these kirins.”

“I noticed,” Fluffy said, and based on her tone, her good mood was quickly vanishing. I really needed to hurry now!

“So I thought, if I can pair Autumn with one of the stallions here, maybe get them to have a bornling themselves... you would no longer consider them as a threat, so they could visit and their kid could play with Fiery too.”

I stopped in my tracks when Fluffy suddenly started to giggle before then beginning to laugh.

“What?” I asked while Autumn threw a curious look back at us.

Fluffy moved closer to me and purred as she began rubbing her whole side against my chest, adding a little slap of her tail against my scales at the end. “Only you could say something so silly, while so logical for a dragon.”

“I think you’ll have to explain what you just said to me,” I said before purring the next words, ”maybe while you’re cuddling me.”

“You’re not even considering the possibility that you could fail at bringing her and a stallion together, hmm?” Fluffy explained teasingly, while her free hoof found its way onto my chest. She smiled and tilted her head. “The confidence of a dragon,” she played with my scales a bit, “charming, while ridiculous. You can’t just plan the life of somepony for them so it fits your desires.” She moved up to stroked over my snout. “Even if it is to make your marefriend happy,” she ended with a boop on my nose.

“Hmm, so you’ll allow her to visit without a stallion by her side then?”

She wrinkled her nose a bit, but one look at Fiery in her other hoof caused her to think about it a little more. “Maybe,” she finally said.

“That will be enough, for now,” I replied, kissing her before we continued our walk.

*

“And this is our kindergarten,” Autumn told us as we approached one of the larger treehouse styled flats. And it was indeed easy to identify, as there was a huge framed garden connected to it with one or two dozen little kirins playing there.

Of course, the commotion that so many tiny beings made grabbed Fiery’s attention. She perked up, listened for a moment, and then squirmed a bit in her mother's forelegs, signaling she wanted to be put down.

Fluffy exchanged a look with me though before she let her go. “Be nice, Fiery,” she told our daughter when her hooves touched the ground.

“She does her best,” I said, amused when I saw Fiery whiz towards the fence, peaking through the gaps between the laths. Though, since the fence was specially made to hinder little kirins from wandering off, it also stopped Fiery from sneaking in. She did try though; pushing and nibbling on the fence as well as her adorable attempts to jump over it, only to make it only a third of the way up. In the end, she decided it was a problem for mom and dad to solve. She took a seat and squeaked for us to come over and help her.

“Shall Daddy carry you over it?” I asked while cuddling her with my snout. “You wanna play with the other kirins?”

Based on the squeaks she made, that was indeed what she wanted, but her solution was to push the fence again, trying to encourage me to do the same.

“You want Daddy to break the fence?”

She squeaked encouragingly.

“Mom wouldn’t approve,” I said, and shook my head before grabbing her by the mane, lifting her up, and flying with her over the fence. Very much to the surprise of the two mares, one old and one young, on the other side watching the children.

“Hello,” Fluffy greeted them when she landed next to me. “I hope we did not scare you,” she said, even though it was clear that we had. The little ones, on the other claw, didn’t appear to be afraid of us. While Fluffy was still speaking with the two mares, a few of them approached us curiously.

“Allow me to introduce us,” Fluffy said, “I am Danger Do; this is my mate, Black Death; and this is,” she grabbed Fiery from my mouth, “Fiery Leadership, our daughter.”

“They are new to the village!” Autumn added after jumping over the fence, landing on our side, and exchanged a nod with the other kirins. I was quite impressed at seeing this, because as I said, the fence was not short.

“We heard about it,” she elderly kirin replied. “So it is true,” she continued in her slow voice while making her way over to me, “a real dragon has come to our village again.”

The little kirins stopped a wingspan away from us, waiting for the elderly one to approach us first.

“And such an attractive one,” the elderly added when she stopped in front of me and stretched out a hoof to rub over my snout. I was not sure if I was willing to allow that, more so knowing that Fluffy may take this personally. Though, she didn’t. Judging by her body language, it was okay if the old mare touched my snout, so I allowed it.

“And what hard scales you have, and so shiny.” The old lady giggled. “What a beautiful dragon you got yourself there,” she said to Fluffy, “if I were a century younger, I would challenge you for him, sweety.” She reconsidered what she said and added, “Maybe two centuries, he is a young dragon after all.”

“All mine,” Fluffy said, but in a joking tone. Obviously the elder one was not on her list of kirins to hiss at.

“Lucky you, now where are my manners?” The old kirin bowed before me. “I am Gentle Spice, and this is,” she pointed at the younger mare, “Clear Steam.”

“Hello,” Clear Steam said shily, keeping her distance.

“Nice to meet you,” Fluffy said while I simply nodded.

Familiar with dragon protocol, Gentle Spice bowed towards Fluffy, with Clear Steam quickly following, much to my approval.

“My daughter wanted to see the other bornlings,” I said after realising everyone had gone silent. Although, with Fiery squirming in Fluffy’s arms and stretching her head out so she could sniff at the other little kirins, I was stating the obvious.

“Then your mate should let her go,” Gentle Spice suggested.

Fluffy hesitated for a moment, giving the scenery another close look. It was good to see her being so careful when it came to our daughter. Finally, she placed Fiery on the ground, and as soon as she did so, Fiery rushed over to the other, well, not babies anymore, but little children.

Anyway, shortly before Fiery crashed into them, she slowed down and raised her nose into the air to sniff like I expected. Two of the children followed suit before approaching her. I didn’t see any tails raised or wings spread, so in short, it was a friendly meeting. Fluffy, however, was still on guard, it must be her motherly instincts.

I on the other Claw, laid down to watch the children play now, since of course that was what would follow. And I was right, when each of them seemed satisfied that they had identified each other’s scent, they started to squeak and rub against each other, quickly leading to them chasing one another around, even nibbling on the others scales. Fiery was a little shorter than them of course, but she still had her fun and had no problem with keeping up.

When I threw a look towards my mate, however, like proud parents do, I noticed Fluffy was on high alert. Her ears were perked up, her tail raised a bit, and her wings ready to spring open if the need to rush over should arise.

Seems I was not the only one who got protective.

Though, I wasn’t able to watch her for long as one of the other kids approached me while dragging a ball along.

“You play with me?” It asked in its childish way of talking.

I gave the ball a closer look. Despite a section looking to have been ripped out already, it appeared to be biteproof based on the numerous tooth and fang marks pitting its surface, it was still able to roll though.

Before I agreed however, I threw another look at Fluffy, one of us had to watch Fiery, luckily she still was, so I could play. I lowered my head and gave the ball a little push, resulting in it rolling forward and the kid chasing after it. I was well aware of how nervous this made Clear Steam, she was probably afraid I would hurt the children if they got too pushy. What nonsense! Gentle Spice shared my opinion since she gesticulated to her that everything was fine.

Anyway, showing my willingness to play lured far more children to me than I had anticipated. Soon, I was busy chasing after the ball and keeping it in my possession while a dozen little beings tried to snatch it from me. It was a lot of fun!

While we played, I occasionally glanced in Fiery’s direction, and every time I did so, she looked to be doing fine. During one of these brief looks, I saw that she and the other two kirins were cleaning each other’s manes. Seems that's what little kirins do to socialize. If I was right, I could hear a bit of purring too.

That moment of focusing on my daughter cost me the ball though. A sneaky little kirin bit into it and rushed away. Of course I started to chase after it, but two of the kids wanted to stop me by biting onto my tail, shaking their heads, hissing, and trying to pull me back.

“Wind Root, Leaf Whisper, stop!” Clear Steam yelled at them as she rushed over. Her yelling also alerted Fluffy, who’s eyes widened in shock at seeing what was going on.

I did not care too much though and wiggled my tail a bit, playfully trying to shake them off. When it did not work, I moved my head back to them and was planning to pick them off of it. I had just grabbed the first one by the neck when something heavy impacted against my side, nearly knocking me off my claws. Clear Steam had crashed right into me, and was now growling loudly while she picked up the kid I had dropped because of her attack.

“Big Softy, no!” Fluffy screamed while flying over as fast as she could. At the same time, the old kirin lady who had been talking with Autumn did her best to reach us as well.

Had every creature lost their mind now?

Fluffy was the first to arrive of course, and she placed herself between me and Clear Steam.

“Please don’t attack her! She didn’t mean the growling, I am sure!” Fluffy yelled hecticly. “They’re not good with words, remember?!”

“She is just protecting the children!” Autumn concurred when she arrived a second later.

My reaction to the saleskirin really must have had an impact on them.

“Oh stop it you two!” Gentle Spice scolded them both. “As if he would attack a protective mother! Did you learn nothing about dragons?” When she reached us, she grabbed and pulled Clear Steams ear. “And you, you really think he would harm a bornling? Stop your growling.”

Finally somekirin who understood dragons!

Fluffy and Autumn both threw a baffled look at her, then back at me.

“You’re not angry?” Fluffy asked.

“Of course not, it was my fault,” I replied.

“It was… your fault?” Fluffy repeated, astonished.

“Yes, from her perspective it must have looked like I was going to harm the little one.”

“Which is purely nonsense of course,” Gentle Spice explained. “No dragon would harm a bornling when they have one themselves.”

I supported this statement of me being a nice dragon by rubbing my head against my mate.

Gentle Spice took Wind Root from Clear Steam and placed him on the ground. “You go play, your mother and I have some adult stuff to talk about,” she told him and shooed him away. “And you too Leaf Whisper,” she added as she threw the ball for them. She smiled when the children rushed after it before then addressing the other mares. “You three still have to learn a lot about dragons it seems.”

I felt Fluffy’s hoof on my head, stroking over me softly. “It seems so,” she agreed. “After what you did when the stallion growled at you, I was a bit worried there, you know?”

“No need to.” I licked her cheek and then raised my head to look for Fiery. She was still playing with the other children, our little problem here hadn’t bothered her at all.

“I must say,” Autumn took a seat and watched me, “I am kind of surprised too. I’d expected a more... aggressive reaction to be honest.”

“If he was a single dragon, you would have gotten that,” Gentle Spice nodded. “But then he wouldn’t have played with the kids in the first place. When a dragon becomes a parent, they get far friendlier and more social, not to mention protective towards children and eggs.” She turned to Clear Steam. “However, he is more likely to bite you when he considers you a threat to the children than to bite one of them, no matter the reason.”

“Well, he has become a bit nicer towards others,” Fluffy said before returning the favor by rubbing her head against me. “Though, I would not really call him social now,” she added while raising an eyebrow at me.

I placed a kiss on her forehead.

“You are absolutely sure he is no threat to the children?” Clear Steam asked in the shyer tone I had heard her using when we first arrived.

“Absolutely, otherwise I would have not allowed him to play with them, or do you think I’m that irresponsible?”

“Right… I just… when he picked up Wind Root, I was… nervous.”

“Don’t you worry,” Gentle Spice assured her, “he will not harm them. Though,” she continued after a moment, “it would not be a good idea to growl at the children when he is around. He may defend them if they start to cry.”

Of course, Fluffy knew, and I think Autumn did as well, but to explain it, growling at one's own hatchling is the dragon way of saying ‘No! Don’t do that!’, but to do so to another’s was unacceptable. Seems Kirins do the same, except they seemed comfortable with allowing another to watch over their kids for them on a daily basis.

“We talk to them too of course,” the old lady told Fluffy when she noticed her concerned look. “It is just that when we were under the effect of the stream of silence, we were not really able to talk to them, so they do not reply to words all the time. Growling, however, is something they react to on instinct.”

“I see,” Fluffy said.

“So when you are done with considering me the big bad dragon, can I return to playing with the children?”

I got a light tap of Fluffies wing against my snout for my weak attempt at trying to play the victim and sneak some cuddling out of her.

“Go play you giant softy you!” Fluffy giggled.

And that is what I did, though, not without getting my good dragon kiss from Fluffy. So a few minutes later, I was already chasing the kids around the garden, playing ball and the like. And it was during that time that I heard a new voice.

“This is your sister’s overly dangerous dragonfriend?” The new voice asked ironically. “He doesn’t seem to be a threat at all.”

I stopped playing with the kirins and lifted my head, looking for where the voice had come from. It turned out to be a mare, a pony mare, but without wings or a horn, and she was looking over the fence.

“Just try to lift the winged one there, then you’ll see how dangerous he can be,” another voice half mumbled above her. It belonged to Never Ending Do. And from what I could recall, the mare must be, Holly, if I remembered her name correctly, as that made the most sense.

“Never!” Fluffy shouted when she spotted him and began trotting over. “What are you doing here?” She hoovered up and gave him a hug before turning to Holly, “and you must be Winterberry Hills, Never told me a lot about you.”

“Just call me Holly, when you mention Hills I feel like my mom.” She climbed over the fence and stretched out a hoof to shake it with Fluffy. “Nice to meet you too.”

A heavy nibble on my claw reminded me that I was in the middle of something. I tossed the ball away and watched the kids chase after it for a moment before walking over to the ponies.

As I walked over, I only caught the tail end of Fluffy talking. “...he is a big softy.”

“Are you telling lies about me again?” I teased while rubbing my head along her side to claim my territory in front of the new mare.

“And he is very cuddly and clingy,” Fluffy stated with a purr before adding, “Well, so am I,” and flying up, landing on my back, and placed her nose on my head.

See, I am not the only one who marks their territory.

“So, this is your mate?” I asked a moment after Fluffy had removed her head from mine and flew back to the ground. I gave the mare a closer look, she had a bright red mane with some darker streaks and a somewhat olive coat. “She has no chestfluff,” I judged negatively,” and no feathers.”

“I am an earthpony,” Holly said while Fluffy slapped me on the chest with her wing, “we don’t have those. But we are stronger and good with plants.” She then extended her hoof towards me.

I took the hoof she offered and sniffed at her in the process.

“And you two have not had sex recently,” I added disapprovingly.

“Big Softy!” Fluffy scolded me and slapped me with her wing once more while Holly’s face turned as red as her mane. “You can’t say that!”

“How is he supposed to have fluffy feathered bornlings if they don’t have fun regularly?” I pointed at Holly. “It is unlikely that they’ll have one on their first try with her being so… so unfluffy. It may take them a few times till they get the desirable feathered bornlings.” 

“Black Death, could you please not bring up that topic?” Never asked politely. “It’s not something Holly feels comfortable discussing so openly.”

“Well, if you wish.” I conceded, but still threw a confused look at Fluffy. “It is true though,” I added before I hugged Never, as I had agreed to consider him as family now too. “You really should have fun more often,” I whispered into his ear.

“I will try to remember that,” he nodded.

“Good.”

“I am so sorry, Holly,” Fluffy said, “he can be a bit direct sometimes.”

“It… it’s okay, uhm, I just…” Holly replied.

“It’s okay, Kitty,” Never jumped in, “we all got a bit… surprised when we first met him. My first encounter with him was even worse.”

“And we will never talk about it!” Fluffy insisted.

“Come on sis, it’s to help Holly deal with your dragonfriend!”

They stared at each other for a moment, only for Fluffy to sigh. “Fine.” She crossed her forelegs though.

Never laid a hoof on his mates back. “When I first met Black Death here, I yelled all kinds of threats while stomping up to their room at our parents house. I didn’t know he was a dragon though. I was just so angry about somepony getting my sister pregnant, so I threatened to break his bones, rip off his horn or whatever would fit.” Now he smiled embarrassed too. “You can imagine my shock when I opened the door to their room and stood eye to eye with him.”

“I was not so amused with some lower creature threatening me,” I nodded in support.

“With my brother,” Fluffy corrected me with a certain look, only interrupted when she quickly checked on Fiery.

“With your brother,” I adjusted my sentence. I knew I could’ve shown dominance in front of the others by standing by what I said, but I figured that a happy Fluffy was more important than intimidating Holly.

“Dragon culture is very different from ours,” Never went on. “The next time I saw him was when he knocked at my door to ‘ask’ me to sleep somewhere else, since my sister here,” he pointed at her, causing Fluffy to blush, “was uncomfortable with having fun while I was sleeping next door and able to hear them.

It took a second, but Never’s plan eventually worked. Holly first smiled a little, then giggled, before beginning to actually laugh. “I must say, these dragons are quite different, but I am glad I am not being treated differently.”

“You can see them as naughty lizards,” Fluffy mentioned a bit grumpy.

“Come on sis, don’t be that way now,” Never said while poking her with his head.

Fluffy snorted, so I grabbed her and cuddled her a bit. You know as well as I do that she can’t stay grumpy that way. So she sighed and gave up her silent protest.

“You still need to tell me why you two are here,” Fluffy asked when I placed her down again. “You didn’t mention having any interest in visiting the kirins when mom and dad told us about them.”

“Well, I still don’t care that much, but Holly got curious, more so about Black Death and Fiery here.”

Of course, mentioning any interest in our child had a great effect on Fluffy. She fluffed up, proud mother that she was, and happily told Holly about her. I watched Holly in the meantime, she really seemed to be interested, given how focused she was on Fluffy’s words and from the little questions she placed here and there.

“You want to greet your niece?” I asked Never while the mares had their talk.

“Of course I do!” he replied, so I cried out for her. 

Fiery perked up and stopped whatever she was doing with the other bornlings and squeaked.

“Uncle Never is here,” I yelled. “He wants to say hello. Come here, Fiery,” I added after lowering my head and purring so my daughter knew I wanted her to come to us. She was not as fast as normal to follow my will though, she first exchanged a bit of rubbing with each of her new friends before rushing over to us.

“Look who’s here,” I purred when she reached us and got into her meerkat position, sneaking some cuddling from me. “Uncle Never is here,” I repeated and pointed at him with my snout.

“Hello, Fiery,” he said, sitting down and opening his forelegs to embrace her.

She, on the other claw, just squeaked and looked back at her new friends, squeaking once again before turning back to me.

“You can play with them again in a moment,” I said and pushed her a bit in the direction of her uncle. “Just say hello to Uncle Never first.”

“You know me,” Never reminded her softly. “You slept on my belly, I’m the snoring guy.”

She tilted her head, squeaked, and turned around to rush back to the other bornlings.

“You should have puffed out your chestfluff a bit more,” I said. “Or started to snore.”

He sighed. “Maybe…”

I watched my daughter arrive at her friends and instantly cuddle and play with them again. “Well, maybe even that wouldn’t have worked, she really likes to have bornlings her age around her it seems.”

“At least she’s having fun,” he agreed, though, I could see it was a downer for him to not receive her approval. Male or not, he is a pony after all.

“She said her first word today,” I mentioned to lift his mood a bit.

“Really?” His head and ears perked up, and the usual pony smile crawled onto his face once more.

“Yes, she…” I wasn’t able to get further as me mentioning her first word caused Fluffy to take notice and excused herself from her conversation with Holly and storm over to yell the news into Never’s face.

“It is true!” she proclaimed. “And it was ‘Fluffy’!”

“That’s great news!” Never agreed. “You have to tell me everything about it!”

And as expected she did. She mentioned all the circumstances, every detail, and finally, the event itself. For ponies, it really was a big thing for sure.

On the other claw, Fluffy and Never catching up left me and Holly out, as well as Autumn and the other adult kirins, who waited patiently for us to introduce the newcomers. Surprisingly, the little kirins didn’t bother us at all. It must be some kind of learned behaviour by them to not approach larger gatherings of adults.

It was Autumn who made the first move as Holly and I waited.

“Have you been greeted by our village already?” she asked curiously while approaching Holly and I. “If not, let me be the first to say welcome!”

“We were just talking to some of the other kirins not that long ago,” Holly replied and shook Autumn's hoof. “That’s how we found out they,” she pointed at me and Fluffy, “would be here. Though I must say, the mares we asked were acting a little strange.”

Autumn giggled. “Yeah, I may have an idea why.” She shook her head. “Anyway, I am Autumn Blaze.”

“Holly, nice to meet you.”

What followed was what one would expect, questions! So many questions. And with Autumn being so talkative, you can imagine how that turned out. More so when Gentle Spice joined their conversation too while Clear Steam played with the children. The conversation was rather drull, but eventually, an interesting topic came up.

“It looks like you’re good with kids, Black Death,” Holly suddenly mentioned when there was a pause in her talk with the kirins.

“Hmm?” I withdrew my gaze from Fiery and focused on Never’s marefriend again.

“You always seem to be keeping an eye open for them, making sure they’re doing alright. Are all the dragons so careful?”

“Hatchlings must be protected,” I explained while turning my gaze back to my daughter. “It’s our duty as parents to make sure they’re safe. They need to know that mom and dad mean safety.”

“Isn’t protecting their children something all creatures do?” Autumn asked. “I mean we kirins are also quite aggressive when it comes to protecting our children. I always figured that was something we inherited from both sides of our heritage.”

“Our aggressiveness is a few levels lower than what you see in dragons,” Gentle Spice added. “We chase away the threat if necessary like you saw with Clear. Dragons on the other hoof will try to eliminate it, literally.”

I nodded at that before answering Autumn’s question after a bit of thinking. “I think most species do, though, for ponies, they tend to avoid getting into dangerous situations at all, given how Fluffy behaves. I, however, make sure Fiery doesn’t get into a situation that’s too dangerous, but I’ll make sure to solve it if one should arise. Kirins seem to fit in the middle of that.”

“I was referring more to how you’re acting around them.” Holly said, “You’re playing with them and making sure they don’t get into trouble or hurt themselves. It’s rather nice, if a bit unexpected.”

“What did you expect, that we don’t love our children, or that I can’t play with them because I am a huge dangerous killer like your coltfriend told you?” I said this neutrally, but she still took a tiny step back from me.

“No, totally not, just…”

“Their safety is our highest priority, but it doesn't mean we don’t love to see them happy.”

“Does that mean you’ll reconsider your opinion about kindergarten and schools now?” Fluffy had snuck into our conversation. I hadn’t noticed that she’d finished her talk with her brother and had come closer. “Fiery seems to love it here.”

“I am still not sure about it, though, I assume I’ll have to think about it more,” I replied. Seeing how much having other little beings to play with meant to Fiery though was definitely helping to change my opinion on the matter.

“It would be good for her,” Fluffy went on, trying to convince me while Never took the spot next to Holly.

“I said I will think about it,” I reminded her.

At that moment, a bell rang somewhere nearby, interrupting our conversation.

“Children! Time for midday nap!” Clear Steam shouted and started to collect the children from the garden by corraling them towards the house. “And don’t forget to bring the toys along with you,” she reminded them. That last statement didn’t seem to count though for Wind Root, as he just hopped onto his mother's back.

I smiled a bit when I saw how confused Fiery was by all this. At home, she didn’t have a fixed nap time since she never needed it. Whenever she was tired, she would just jump onto my or Fluffy’s back and take a nap. Well, she watched as her new friends quickly ran to the house, unsure about what it meant and how she should react. It was adorable. Finally she decided to chase after them and joined the herd of two dozen kirin bornlings searching for a place on the blankets that were spread out near the entrance of the house.

“Maybe I better go and get her,” Fluffy said, already halfway in the air.

“You worry too much,” I replied and stroked over her back with a claw, pushing her down. “She will find out what to do, napping is a significant thing in dragon culture.”

“I know that,” Fluffy said with a smile while rolling her eyes. “Still…” she raised a hoof again to step forward. 

I picked her up, took a seat, and placed her between my feet, wrapping my arms around her. “She will handle it, and if there’s a problem, she will come to us anyway.”

Fluffy knew I was right, but still she stood on her hind legs as best as she could and stretched out her head to keep watching. And even though she knew that the kirins here didn’t intend to pose a threat, I knew the feeling.

“Fiery really likes her new friends, sis, so you can calm down a bit,” Never said before he continued in a jokingly tone. “And from what I know about her dragon heritage so far, she will be a natural at taking a nap.”

Of course she would be, she is my daughter! Though, it turned out that taking the nap wasn’t the issue, it was where to have it.

When all her friends had chosen a place to lay, they curled up to take their nap, very much to the confusion of Fiery. First she squeaked a bit, but then followed their example and curled up a few times herself, but everytime she did, she rose a few seconds later, unsettled. Sleeping out in the open, without mom and dad nearby, was something she was not used to at all.

After thinking about the problem a bit, she tried to wake up her friends again, but they just ignored her, and when she pushed them again, they started to growl.

“Hey Fiery,” Clear Steam approached her, “maybe you just need a fine pillow or some belly rubs, hmm?”

Now it was my turn to tense up. I scratched the ground a bit with my feet and slightly spread my wings.

“She will be nice to her, don’t you worry.” Gentle Spice laid a hoof on my side and patted me a few times. “And she is the second Lady of the Lair for the kindergarten.”

“What does that mean?” Holly asked, curious after seeing it calm me down. “From how you’re acting, it sounds like it’s quite important.”

“Dragons have their own social norms, it means that creature is incharge,” Fluffy explained quickly, keeping her gaze on Fiery. “The title increases your social standing greatly in a friendly meeting.”

“Mhh that makes sense,” Holly replied, but I shushed her. I wanted to hear what Clear Steam had to say, and it was difficult from this distance with them talking right next to me.

Obviously, Fiery did not want a pillow or belly rubs, instead, she tried to explain the problem she had to Clear Steam by squeaking and gesticulating.

“It’s time for a good nap,” the mare explained slowly and calmly while bringing her head to Fiery’s level. “You will be well rested in an hour or so and then you can play with your friends again.”

Now Fiery’s gaze turned to me, she knew what a nap was, but the idea of leaving her friends was not something she wanted to do. So her head shook back and forth between me, Fluffy, and her friends.

Finally, she made a decision, she rushed over to us. But not to jump on our backs and take a nap like Fluffy had expected, as she had opened her forelegs for our daughter to give her a hug, but to bite onto my leg and drag me to the other bornlings.

“What is your plan, Fiery?” I wondered. She, however, increased her efforts to drag me forward.

I exchanged a look with Fluffy, she seemed to be none the wiser.

“Okay, Daddy is coming with you,” I said after a moment. “I am curious what her plan is,” I explained to Fluffy.

“Just don’t do anything stup… too dragonlike now.”

I rolled my eyes and gave her a smile. “As if we ever do anything stupid.” I was wise enough to not wait for her reply and started to move. When I did so, Fiery stopped her attempt to pull me and rushed ahead, back to her friends.

When I arrived a moment later, two things happened. First, Fiery tried to wake up her friends once more, and second, Clear Steam came closer with a half raised tail and erect ears. Clear signs she was watching me, protecting the children in case I tried something funny.

I ignored her for now and focused on my daughter. Like the last time she tried to wake her friends, they growled at her and just kept their sleeping position, unwilling to move at all.

That did not discourage Fiery though, she just climbed up my tail and looked down on them from my back. From this distinguished place, she squeaked at them again, and just like before, was met with a lack of success.

While it was very much to my delight that my back was Fiery’s preferable napping spot, the fact she was trying to lure all the children there as well was a bit much. So I laid down and nuzzled her. “You can still have a nap on your own if you like, Fiery, Daddy will watch over you.”

Her reaction was hissing. Not at me of course, Daddy still was the best, but at the fact the other kirins weren’t paying her any attention. She placed her little claws on my snout, letting me know she appreciated my affection, but her gaze was on the other children when she hissed.

You may remember that I told you azure dragons have a problem with being ignored? Well, Fiery had one with it too, and her azure blood came through.

Suddenly, she let go of my snout, moved to the very end of my side, got into her meerkat position, laid her claws on my wing and… roared at the top of her lungs while the little scales on her forehead started to glow in a light azure. Along with her roar, I felt a wave of ‘something’ flow over me, it felt a bit like what my mom could do, but also very different, like eating a familiar dish, but something was missing, no, not missing, replaced.

While I was still surprised and lost in thought, the effect it had on the kirins was impressive!

All the little beings were pulled out of their sleep forcefully and began cowering down on the ground thinking some dangerous creature had shown up. Or on second thought, they all got into a submissive position on instinct. And even the adults were affected, Clear Steam just shook herself like she wanted to get water out of her coat, and Autumn and Gentle Spice, a bit away from us, had a shiver run down their spines.

Fluffy, Never, and Holly were not affected though. Besides, Fluffy was on high alert immediately, and made her way over to us.

But Fiery wasn’t done yet. She looked at her friends and squeaked demandingly, rushing back to the middle of my back and tapping me with her tail, marking the best resting spot. When her friends were a bit unsure though, she squeaked again, more forcefully now, and the two quickly got to their hooves and hurried to get onto my back.

The only problem was that they didn’t know how to use my tail as a ramp to get up, so they stopped at my side and looked up at Fiery.

It was then that my daughter made a mistake. She was so deep into her commanding role that she forgot who was in charge and tried to order me to pick up her friends. She squeaked at me in a tone that I really did not appreciate.

“No,” I said, poking her with my nose, the same moment Fluffy arrived. She moved to grab Fiery as she was worried, though, I had to raise a wing and push her aside while I settled this.

Fiery squeaked again, angry and demanding.

I roared back at her to remind her of her place! My daughter or not, a bornling has to know who is the dominant!

I knew it would get a scolding from Fluffy later, and she was already starting to inhale to yell at me, but I had to prevent the thought of ordering mom and dad around from getting into Fiery’s head. So I just grabbed Fluffies snout and pressed it shut.

Luckily for Fiery though, she got onto her belly instantly and laid her tail flat while the light from her scales dimmed down. 

“Better,” I said and stroked over her back, growling slightly. “You better never try that with mom, or daddy will be most angry.”

She remained in her submissive stance, staying quiet.

“What was that?” Clear Steam, still a bit confused, made her way over to us now. “It felt… strange.”

“My daughter just lost her temper.” I lowered my head and picked up the two friends of hers and placed them on my back next to Fiery. They were a bit intimidated and unsure next to her, but as soon as Fiery recovered from my parental roaring, she approached them, and with little head rubs and squeaking, she convinced them she wasn’t a threat. Though, she pushed them around a bit till they all formed a comfortable heap on my back, exactly the right position in her opinion for a nap. In the end, she curled up with her tail and rear legs laying across her friends and settled in. Soon, her friends did the same, and eventually, all three of them were laid peacefully between my wings.

That was also the moment I could let go of Fluffy, her seeing our daughter peacefully taking a nap with her friends seemed to calm her down. Of course, she bit my claw out of protest as soon as she got the chance.

“Good old azure-kirin magic,” the old mare said quietly after she had slowly trotted to my side too and had taken a happy look at Fiery. “Last time I saw that, well I was a little filly then.”

“You’ve seen this already?” Fluffy asked, still a bit nervous.

“Of course I did, when I was your age, we had an azure-kirin as a guest in the village. She was good friends with Rain Shine, but she was kind of old though, even older than I am now.” Gentle Spice scratched her chin a bit. “I remember her doing something like your daughter here once, after she had kind of an argument with someone. I can’t remember who the other was, but I do remember half the village was just minding their own business when suddenly, everykirin laid flat on the ground, unable to move an inch. The azure was really angry and sparkling, just like the forehead of your daughter.”

“That means when she gets angry at kirins, instead of turning into a nirik, she may do this… this… azure thing?” Fluffy asked.

“No, not all the time, I am quite sure she can learn to control it. That is,” she added after a moment, “if she wants too.”

Fluffy threw a sorrowful look at our daughter. “If she wants too…” she repeated.

Well at the moment, the little heap of adorability did not look like a threat, but I shared Fluffy’s optimism. She could become a great ruler and dominant kirin.

“Sounds like my niece takes after her mom,” Never joked. He and Holly had also made their way over to us by now.

“I’m sure she will manage,” Holly said. “She has both her parents to help her with it.”

“Or, she will manage to control others,” I purred proudly while softly letting my nose slight above Fiery’s ear. For some reason the present ponies gave me a uncertain look.

***

And so, our visit to the Peaks of Peril ended more or less. The children took their nap, even without Fluffy nesting on them, and the adults talked quietly for a while before Never and Holly asked Autumn for a tour through the village. We agreed to meet at Fluffy’s parents house later today though.

For the moment, however, that left Fluffy and me with a lot to talk about. Things like the kindergarten for example. It was something Fiery loved, and when we finally wanted to go home, she was all cries and sadness, she even tried to convince us to take her friends with us. That was not an option of course, but I decided it would be best if we returned tomorrow, and we did, though in the long run, we had to find a solution at home that also worked.

There was also the use of azure abilities by our daughter, as you can imagine, that we had to consider. Fluffy and I had different opinions regarding that. She thought Fiery should be taught to be nice and not use it, while I thought it was her rightful heritage to use the azure powers she inherited however she pleases.

Anyway, enough of that for now, we already covered most of the interesting stuff that happened in Fiery’s first year, so I should move on and tell you something that happened a few years later, and it includes an egg!
> Growing Family
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, there is not much that could lure me from the huge, comfortable stone in my garden, which at midday was bathed in the warm sunlight from an opening in the ceiling . But when I caught sight of the nearby prey that had presented itself, I was more than willing to leave.

I am referring to Fluffy of course; what other than her sexy flank could promise a ‘get up worthy’ hunt at the laziest hour of day? Thankfully, she still thought I was sleeping on my rock, instead of sneaking through the garden towards the vegetable patch. Fluffy was so focused on using all her strength to rip some unruly carrots out of the ground, that she was no longer checking on me.

Purrfect.

And I have to say, her flank was giving me a very attractive view, shaking left and right as she tried to pull the carrot.

Anyway, I drew closer, rushing from tree to tree and bush to bush. On the one claw, I was proud that my mate felt absolutely safe in our lair, but at the same time, I was somewhat unsure if it was wise to allow her to become so careless. Mhh, I pushed that thought aside for the time being, there was a treasure just waiting to be taken!

It was only when I had drawn rather close to her that she suddenly perked up and turned around. I dropped to the ground, laying down flat, and froze. I knew that it wasn’t the best course of action, but my size and Fluffy’s sensitive pony ears greatly limited what actions I could take. Fortunately, I wasn’t the reason she had done this, it was a small bird that had taken a seat on her vegetable basket.

I released a relieved breath, but my celebration had come too early. Although Fluffy hadn’t seen me yet, that didn’t mean that I had nothing to worry about. The little bird suddenly frew up and landed on her hoof before chirping happily. This proved to be something Fluffy thought she should show me, as she turned to the stone I was supposed to be laying on!

The look of confusion that spread across her face at not seeing me there was easily visible from my position, and it wouldn’t take her long to figure out what this meant. Well, here goes nothing! I hastily crawled forward. Speed was more important than stealth now!

“Big Softy?” Fluffy shouted, watching the stone more closely. She even rose up onto her hind legs after a few seconds to get a better view.

Her shouting, to her misfortune, gave me the cover I needed, I was already in pouncing distance when she dropped back down onto her hooves with the bird still perched on her foreleg.

A smile formed on my muzzle before I began to release a loud purring in preparation for leaping forward. Fluffy was caught by surprise and hecticly spun around to face me, causing the bird to fly off in the process.

Our gaze met, and we both knew what this meant! This wasn’t the first time I had ‘chased’ her.

Oh, but today, Fluffy was not in the mood to play the prey, instead of pretending to run away and let me catch her, she lowered her head too, snorting forcefully in my direction. She also scratched the ground with her right hind hoof while spreading her wings and returning my smile.

My purring became louder and I slowly moved forward, ready to pounce on her at  a moments notice.

Fluffy did the same, very much to my surprise. It was obvious that it was I who was hunting her, not the other way around.

“Mine!” I purred. Whatever Fluffy was doing, I doubted she would be able to escape!

And it seemed she didn’t want to, since the next moment she bounced at me! Growling and hissing as she did so!

This strange behaviour caught me completely off guard, so her attack had an actual effect instead of just bouncing off of me. What I had intended to be a bit of pleasant foreplay had turned out to be an actual fight!

While I was still reeling, Fluffy used her wings to build up the momentum for a second attack. I was so confused I was almost unable to put up a defense in time. So with me being taken by surprise, and my hesitation to fight my mate, Fluffy had the advantage.

I was confounded! I mean, Fluffy had been acting a bit strange lately; talking to Fortuna a lot more, writing letters to my mother, as well as inviting her family over more often, like today. That was actually the reason we were alone in the lair at the moment, as Fiery was with the rest of the family on a walk. Though, the fact she would fight me was most confusing!

Well, I am a dragon after all, so even with the element of surprise on her side, I was able to turn the tide real quick. Or better said, I thought I would be. I received a few more kicks from her before I was able to grab her legs and prepared to pull her down. I just had not noticed the collar of fire around her neck.

The next moment I heard her say the magic words, and before I even had realised it, I had let go of her and continued to sail through the air.

Tricky little pegasus!

Good thing we were in the garden, having plenty of room around us for which to fly, so I was able to collect myself mid air and stop my flight before I collided with the wall.

What had gotten into my mate? I did not understand this at all! While I was still hoovering in the air, unsure of what to do, Fluffy had already made her next move.

Quickly, she flew over to my stone and landed atop it, roaring at me from her new position. It was more impressive in her kirin form than what she would have been able to manage as a pony.

Anyway, she had finally done something I could understand. She rightfully claimed the reward for fighting me, in this case, my favorite napping spot.

Not that I would let her get away with it so easily!

I flew straight at her and growled a warning. Mate or not, if she was to take what is mine, she would have to cuddle or fight with me over it. From how she was behaving, you could guess what she would do.

She jumped into the air just a moment before I landed, and tried to use her speed as a pegasus to fly circles around me. But this was a mistake on her part, thinking she could do that after we’d been a pair for several years now! Not even her kirin tricks would be of help to her, in fact, it made it more easy for me.

I faked a slap at her chest, and when she evaded, I grabbed her tail, forcefully pulling her closer to me.

“Come here you!” I growled.

Just for her to quickly open the collar and for her now shortened tail to slip from my claw. She showed me her tongue before flying backwards once more, turning around and heading for the exit to the lair.

Whatever was going on in her mind, I dared not to guess. I did quickly follow after her though.

“Catch me if you can!” Fluffy yelled back at me when she reached the tunnel to the surface. It was still the same old tunnel I chased her through four years ago when we had our first date. So I had to actually run through it while she flew. I lost sight of her after a moment because of this, but I would not let her escape!

I increased my effort to catch up and ran as fast as I could towards the surface. But when I arrived at the exit to our lair, Fluffy was nowhere to be seen. Instead, I heard her laughing from within the tunnel.

There, behind a blanket in the colour of the wall, I spotted her, peeking out with her head. In my haste, I had failed to notice her and had instead ran straight past her. She must have planned this a while ago, placing the blanket there! Oh, I would have some words with her as soon as I had her in my claws again!

I roared, less naughty or playful this time, instead making it exceptionally dominant.

She did the same before heading back into the lair, with me right on her hooves.

This time she stayed in my sight the whole time as we ran through the tunnel, but at the very end, right when the tunnel flared out into the cave contiangin my garden, she stopped mid air and threw something back at me. I was too angry to notice what it was at first, but after a second, the knowledge seeped into my mind.

It was a leash.

For a second I wondered about this, but the mockingly laughter of Fluffy ahead of me stole my focus. She was looking in my direction and blowing a kiss at me, only then to turn around, wave her tail at me, and fly into the inner lair.

You bet I was after her twice as fast as before!

When I passed the door, yes we had a door in addition to the lattice now, I saw her tail vanishing in the bedroom.

I growled. She could not escape anymore!

Slowly I approached the bedroom myself, watching out for any traps or funny tricks Fluffy might have planned still.

When I entered the chamber though, I only found my mate sitting, or rather half laying, on the bed, giving me seductive eyes all of the sudden. She even rubbed over the free spot at her side with a wing.

I growled more forcefully, I did not trust the scene at all. I was also a bit angry with her at the moment.

She, however, cuddled deeper into the blankets and pillows, suddenly purring most alluringly.

“What does this mean?” I asked sceptically. “First you fight me, now you want to cuddle and have fun?”

“Mhh-mh,” she nodded happily.

“Is this some kind of trick?” I asked while approaching the bed.

“A trick to seduce my dragonfriend,” Fluffy nodded again and pulled out a bottle of wine from under the bed, along with a bowl full of emeralds and awful diamonds.

I stared at the bowl in confusion.

Fluffy noticed it too and her expression became slightly accusatory. “Don’t tell me you don’t get the reference.”

“What reference?” I asked growlingly.

“A bit of fighting, a chase through the tunnels, a leash,” her voice got a bit louder, “emerald and diamond salad, wine…” she let the last word linger in the air.

I didn’t get it. And Fluffy noticed it too.

“Maybe if I let the horn gramophone play some country music you would get it?”

“Country music, gramophone?” I wondered, just a few seconds before it hit me. It was like our first date! “Ohh.” When I said this, Fluffy happily nodded.

“Finally you get it!” she cheered and sunk back into the bed, spreading her wings most welcomingly out for me.

My anger vanished instantly and I purred. “Yes,” I said while I approached her and rubbed my nose against her belly,” now I get it. Some fun while we have the lair for our own!”

“Could be some time till we have an empty lair again,” Fluffy said. “We should make use of it!”

I couldn't agree more. “I am sure we could find a babysitter for Fiery more often, especially since your brother has a kid of his own.”

“That very well could be,” Fluffy purred, fondling over my snout, ”though, in eight or nine months, I don't think that will be all too feasible.”

“Mhh?” I wondered.

“You know, a pregnancy takes some time,” she explained.

I stopped dead in the tracks of rubbing her belly. “You mean…”

“Mhh-mh,” Fluffy confirmed with an even more happy tone than before. “You’re going to be a daddy again!”

Well, that explained her long talks with Fortuna for sure!

Fluffy grabbed my snout and placed a kiss on my lips while she embraced my head with her wings. “Oh look at you!” she purred. “My big dangerous dragon friend, all astonished and silent all of the sudden.

Slowly, I came to my senses and started to purr. Louder and louder till it began to echo off the walls.

“Much better,” Fluffy decided with a smile as wide as mine. She paused and raised her eyebrows. “We should still make use of the empty lair, right?”

I pressed her back into the pillows and began nibbling on her throat and placing little kisses along the way.

She giggled. “I thought so.”

***

Softly, I let my snout slide along Fluffies side, only for her to cuddle closer against me. We had had great fun, but now my little pegasus surely needed a rest. Actually, she was half asleep, but somehow clinging to me, with her left wing and legs resting lazely on my body.

We had made ourselves comfortable on my resting stone in the meantime. A few blankets, a few pillows, you know, the stuff you need to build a nest for a dragon and a pegasus. I was more than welcome to curl around her, sharing my warmth and play with her wings and fluff while doing so.

A purrfect situation I would say.

Well, sometimes she tried to change her position in her sleep, but a quick, urgent purr would cause her to shift back into a more desirable position for cuddling.

Yes, I am a sneaky dragon sometimes.

Though, with more and more time passing, even though it was a wonderful, most enjoyable time, I started to wonder when Fiery would come back. The walk they were taking was supposed to go for some time, but it was already evening. Every now and then I lifted my head to look towards the cave entrance, a thing Fluffy quickly noticed whenever she woke up from her slumber.

“They’ll be fine,” she half yawned, rubbing her snout against my chest. “They’ll be back any minute.”

Her words didn’t help to alleviate my concern, but her little growl when she noticed my head was not caressing her did catch my attention. A demanding pegasus she was. Of course, that would only increase the longer she was pregnant if the first time was anything to go by.

I smiled and made sure Fluffy was well cuddled and wrapped under my wing. I was rewarded with her fluffing up and purring happily.

“We’re back!” Suddenly echoed through the outer lair.

“See? I told you they’d be here any minute.” Fluffy teased me, rolling to the other side so I could stand up.

“Hey!” I protested as she was already sinking into the pile of pillows nearby.

“You go greet them,” she said, “I’ll be right behind you… in a few minutes.”

“Lazy pegasus,” I giggled, nibbling at her neck, causing her to hiss lustfully and slap me with her tail.

“Insatiable dragon,” Fluffy purred, not judgmental, more approving.

“Keep that mood in mind, we will have use for it later,” I replied and looked up to the entrance again. Any second now, a little kirin should burst in and run or fly down to us, demanding cuddling.

When a minute or so had passed, I tilted my head, normally Fiery would already be here. I rose from my spot next to Fluffy.

“Hmm?”

“It shouldn’t take Fiery so long to reach us when Never’s already in shouting distance.”

Her ears perked up at that before she rolled over so she was on her belly, watching the entrance too.

Where was our daughter? My father sense kicked in and I roared out for her, no not an aggressive roar, instead a father’s worried roar for his hatchling.

Fluffy got on her hooves.

A few seconds later, Fiery’s reply came, though it was quiet and farther away than I liked it to be.

I was in the air and on the way to the tunnel before I was able to really process how worried I was. Fluffy was on my tail instantly, nothing wakes a mother more effectively then worry about her children.

“Fiery,” Fluffy shouted, “are you alright sweety?”

Another little roar from our daughter echoed through the tunnel.

“She’s alright!” Never’s nervous voice yelled when I had roared again. He was very well aware that a dragon who was nervous could be a problem.

His assessment of her well being did not stop Fluffy and I from sprinting into the tunnel though. It didn’t take long for us to reach them. Fiery was walking in front of the group, with Never and Holly following behind with a stroller containing their own foal.

The first thing I noticed was that Fiery had raised her wings and was holding them almost straight up. 

Something was not right it seems!

A growl built up in my throat, if Never had let my daughter get hurt while he was supposed to watch over her…

Then I saw it, his own leg, the one he was using to hold back Holly so Fiery could walk ahead, was in a bandage!

I roared in anger and increased my speed, very much to the surprise of Fiery, who stopped in her tracks and asked unsure, “Daddy?”

She looked back at her uncle and then to me and her mom. She had no clue what the fuss was about.

A moment later, I stopped abruptly when I reached her and dropped my nose to her level, checking her for any injuries. She, however, licked over my snout, expecting to be cuddled. I was not in the mood though, sniffing at her wings a second later, looking for what was wrong with them. It was not an easy task since Fluffy tried to do the same thing at that moment. I hadn’t noticed how fast she had caught up with me, but when she was worried about her child, she was as fast as lightning.

Though, you would never believe what we found to be the reason for her wings being in that position.

It was an egg! An egg in different shades of green and with a few brown sprinkles laying on her back, safe and sound protected by her wings.

“I found egg!” Fiery said proudly when she noticed us examining her discovery. She also raised her head higher after saying this, obviously expecting some praise and purring.

That had to wait a moment though, since now that I knew she was alright, I cared to investigate Never’s leg a bit further.

“What happened?” I asked shortly, keeping the side of my snout on Fiery’s level, looking up to Never.

“Uhm, well, she found an egg.” he explained nervously.

“And?” my gaze demonstratively wandered to his leg.

“Well, I tried to lay it back to where she found it, but she didn’t want me to take it from her, so she bursted into flames and bit me.”

“A reasonable reaction by her,” I decided and lowered my head again to purr and rub it against my daughter. I knew it was normal for ponies to not think too much about eggs, but his reaction to return it was reasonable too. Though, Fiery’s reaction as a half dragon to keep and protect the lonely egg was just as logical. I could not see either of them being in the wrong, that much I had learned at least from my life with Fluffy.

Fluffy, however, was not so calm. After she had made sure Fiery was alright, she’d listened to Never’s explanation as well.

“Fiery!” she addressed our daughter sharply, “You shall not bite your uncle!”

“He stole egg!” she replied accusingly, pointing at him.

“That is no reason to bite him!” Fluffy went on.

“I would very well say it is,” I supported Fiery. “Though, he couldn’t have known better.”

“How can you say that?” Fluffy asked as her chest fluffed up in annoyance. “Don’t tell our daughter it is okay to bite her uncle!”

“He tried to steal her egg,” I repeated for her. “He is lucky that she let go of him at all.” I turned to Never for a second. “Don’t worry though, I understand why you did so and forgive you.”

He ruffled his nose. “How generous…”

“Big Softy,” Fluffy sighed, “I know how sensitive you dragons are when it comes to eggs, but this is not some little baby, it’s some random egg that our daughter found somewhere.”

“Hatchling!” Fiery threw in happely.

“Sweety that is…” Fluffy started but I interrupted her.

“You can’t know, the hatchling could very well still be alive.”

“You can not be serious!”

“Well, we will find out.”

“We will not brood this egg!” Fluffy insisted energetically. “We will put it back to where it belongs!”

“You want to take the egg from her?” I asked while pointing my snout at our little daughter. Fiery looked up to her mom with this sunshine in her eyes like what other little half pony bornlings have, totally unaware of what her mother’s intentions were.

“You really think you can take the egg from her and not break her little heart?” I asked once more. “Go try it, she will never trust mommy again.”

“It is just an egg!” Fluffy looked down at Fiery and stretched out her hoof for said item. “Sweety,” she took the egg, ”you can’t keep it, it belongs outside,” she explained nicely.

“Egg!” Fiery replied seriously and rose onto her hind hooves, placing her claws on her mother’s hooves, watching it closely. “Mommy, put in fluff!” she added a bit later with joy while her tail had started to wave behind her. 

“Fiery, look,” Fluffy started, lowering herself and stroking over our daughters head with a hoof. “It is just a random egg, we can’t hatch it. Mommy will take it back outside.”

And she very well tried to, she even went a few steps in that direction, but our daughter quickly started to realise what her mom wanted to do, and she did not approve!

“Mommy?” Fiery asked worriedly, and when Fluffy took a few steps further, she chased after her and bit onto her tail, trying to pull her back.

Normally I would instantly roar at her, since it was not allowed to bite mommy’s tail, but today she had every right to do so.

“No, Fiery,” Fluffy said, “you can’t keep it.” And she continued on her way back to the surface, dragging the little kirin along with her.

When her attempts to stop mommy didn’t give the desired result, Fiery switched to a stronger weapon. She started to cry! Thick tears rolled down her face, and she made it very audibel how sad the was with her mom’s decision.

This got Fluffy to stop. She may be able to resist Fiery’s pleading to keep the egg, but not her crying.

She turned around and opened her wing to embrace our daughter, trying to calm her down. “Fiery,” she whispered, “it is just an egg, no need to cry.”

Fiery cried anyway.

A second wing found its way onto our daughter’s back as Fluffy tried to explain it to her. Though, when she let her guard down, Fiery snatched the egg out of Fluffy’s hoof and escaped her wings before making her way over to me as fast as she could.

“Fiery!” Fluffy shouted after her, but she didn’t listen. Instead, she sought shelter under my belly, squeaking loudly for daddies protection.

So when Fluffy approached, I did something I very, very rarely did, I lowered my stance and hissed at my mate. Not the diplomatic hiss, a threatening one. I doubt Never or Holly were able to tell the difference, and given that they saw us growling and hissing at each other several times before as part of a bargain, they did not interfere. Though, Fluffy could very well tell the difference.

“Big Softy?” she asked disbelieving, stopping in her tracks.

I hissed again and stepped forward, like I would do with an actual threat. Only difference was that I would not bounce towards her since it was Fluffy after all. My movement also allowed Fiery to climb up my tail, getting between my wings and curling up around the egg there.

Fluffy, however, was totally unsure of what to do, she had raised a hoof and tried to find the right words to say, but I didn’t wait for her to find them, instead, with her keeping her distance, I turned around and headed back into the lair. “Come, Fiery,” I said, “mommy is out of her mind today.”

“What was that?” I heard Holly ask behind us after a moment. “I thought you guys hiss and growl at each other regularly just to cuddle directly afterwards?”

“Me too…” Fluffy replied quietly.

*

Back at the lair, I made my way over to my and Fluffy’s bedroom, and stopping when I reached the bed. “We need a warm nest for the egg,” I told Fiery, but she wasn’t listening, her thoughts were still on her little treasure. “Alright,” I said, “daddy will build it.”

And so that was what I did. I may not be as good at it as Fluffy, but as a dragon, I knew the basics. I placed Fiery carefully on the one side of the bed, the egg tightly wrapped in her hooves and wings, and started to pile up blankets and pillows. “This is harder than it seems,” I mumbled to my daughter when I created ‘something’. My first try was just a mess, too big for Fiery, no little hollow for the egg, in short, not suitable at all.

“I’ll try again,” I said when Fiery looked at it with disapproval. “I know it is not good, stop judging me.”

Okay, it couldn’t be that hard I thought. I took a blanket as the base and pressed it down in the center a bit to create the needed hollow. Then, I added the pillows as outer walls and covered them with blankets to fluff things up.

“Yeah, that looks better.” I nodded at what I’d done and looked over to Fiery.

Obviously it was not as good as I thought it was. She just glanced at it and snorted disapprovingly. “Not good.” she judged.

“You are a nitpicky little kirin, you know?”

“Papa, make better nest!” she ordered.

“I am trying.”

“Try more.”

“Alright,” I shook my head a bit amused about her, but she was right, for an egg, the nest must be perfect. Maybe if I gathered a bit of hay from the kitchen? Or some feathers from Fiery’s bed?

While I was still in thought, the echo of hoofsteps resonated through the room, and a moment later, an orcher mare stuck her head into the room.

Fluffy looked very sad and miserable. Still, she slowly trotted into the room. I just watched her, as did our daughter, but when she came closer to the bed, Fiery started to hiss. Normally this would be unthinkable! I would not allow her to hiss at her mom, but today her mom had screwed up really badly.

Fluffy quickly looked at me for help, but I was on the side of our daughter in this matter, she had tried to steal an egg from her.

“Fiery,” Fluffy said quietly, with a pleading undertone. “It’s me, mommy.”

Our daughter was well aware of that. She crouched down on the egg to protect it from the threat of her mother, showing her fangs to her.

“Sweety…”

Fiery hissed louder as well as raising her tail.

For a moment, Fluffy wasn’t able to stand her gaze and looked on the ground, before looking back up. “Mommy wants to help.”

That statement didn’t land for Fiery since she didn’t feel she could trust mommy on that, but I watched Fluffy closely, to see if that was really her intention. I know, ponies are not exactly deceptive in the first place, and she is my mate, but when it comes to eggs, ponies are very careless and dangerous. They even eat them!

Though, Fluffy seemed to be being honest about her intentions.

So when Fiery hissed at her once more after she stepped closer, I rubbed my head against our daughters back. “Daddy will handle this,” I explained, calming my daughter with that.

“I told you she would never trust you again if you tried to steal the egg from her.”

Fluffy rubbed over her leg ashamed and looked to the side. “I know, it is just, I wanted to protect her from the pain she will feel when it isn’t going to hatch. Also she will be overstrained by the responsibility of brooding it anyway.”

“A good thing she has a fluffy pegasus mom who can help with that.”

“You expect me to sit on it for the next few weeks?” Fluffy asked disbelievingly. “I can’t just sit on the egg all day doing nothing for the next few weeks!”

“Then mommy will not be welcome around the egg in the coming weeks either,” I stated while rubbing my head above Fiery’s back once more. “Mommy screwed up really badly.”

I could see how this statement hurt her. Her head drooped as well as her wings. I could barely stand it. Whatever she had done, she was my mate, and seeing her this way made me sad. More so with the good news she had told me earlier today.

Fiery was not so easily bothered though, and pointed at her while looking up to me. “Bad, bad mommy!”

“Indeed,” I agreed, though my heart was not so much into it anymore thinking about Fluffy’s pregnancy. So when Fluffy deflated even more under this accusation, I went on, “but mommy can make up for it.”

Fluffy’s ears perked up and she looked up to me.

“Mommy is best at making nests, Fiery, and she has chest fluff to keep the egg warm.”

“Mommy bad!” Fiery replied.

“Mommy can nest best!”

My daughter just looked at her with suspicion, not trusting her.

I could agree with Fiery on this matter, that Fluffy had betrayed her, but I knew Fluffy wanted to make up for it. So I took a position between the egg and her, but made sure she could reach the bed and the ‘nest’ I had built. “Mommy will help with the nest,” I decided, looking at Fluffy to let her know this was an opportunity she better not pass on.

And indeed, quickly, she trotted over, under the close eye of Fiery, and worked her pegasus magic on the ‘nest’. In a matter of seconds, she threw pillows aside, punched the blankets into the proper shape, and finally pushed and pulled here and there until the whole thing was a cozy, inventing nest, worthy for an egg to lay in. All in under half a minute!

The result was so impressive that even Fiery perked up and gave it a closer look. She searched so hard, but didn’t find anything to complain about.

“See, mommy is a great help.”

Her gaze wandered up to me unsure.

“We place the egg under mommy’s fluff, it is the best place for it.”

Fiery’s reaction was only to lay down again and grab the egg tighter.

That only made her mom feel sadder of course.

“Fiery,” I said insistently and poked her with my nose. “Mommy wants to help.”

“No!” she replied stubbornly.

“Look how soft mommy’s chest fluff is,” I said, and when Fluffy had laid down, stroked over it with my snout, purring all the while, praising the feeling it gave me. “Nothing is as good as mommy’s chest fluff!”

Her resistance crumbled a bit at hearing this. Hesitantly, she threw a glance over to me. I of course increased my cuddling of her mom, showing how much I enjoyed it with my purring and little sounds of pleasure.

The good thing was, Fiery knew how soft her mom was, she had slept under this wonderful fluff many times herself. So slowly, she came closer. Only one step at first, then another. And when she was a wingspan away, at least for her, she stopped and hesitantly held the egg in her claws while watching her mother.

“The egg would fit perfectly here,” I mentioned and lifted a bit of Fluffy’s fluff up near her chest, revealing the hollow in the blanket beneath. “Safe and warm,” I added with even louder purring.

“Mommy bad?” Fiery more asked than stated now.

“No, mommy will behave,” I assured her.

“Yes, sweety, mommy will not steal the egg,” Fluffy confirmed and tried to fluff up as best as she could.

It took her a while to decide though, and a lot of affirmation that mommy would neither steal nor harm the egg, but, in the end, she came carefully closer and placed the egg below her mom.

When it was in place, Fluffy sunk down on it and started to brood it. Very much to the approval of our daughter. The good thing about a bornlings mind is that they forgive as fast as they get angry, if you make up for what you did.

So a little while later, Fiery was peacefully leaning against her mother, enjoying the warmth she was spending while I lay curled up around them.

Relieved that this incident had no further consequences, Fluffy rubbed her head against my neck. “Thank you,” she said, placing a kiss on my neck before she leaned back.

“You are not off the hook yet, you still have to brood the egg. Fiery is going to watch you closely these coming days.”

“I know,” she smiled, turning her gaze to our daughter. “I know. But what will we do when the egg does hatch? I mean, I don’t think it will, but what if it does? I don’t know how to feed a baby bird.”

“Me neither,” I confessed. “That could indeed be a problem.”

Now Fluffy looked at me concerned. “Don’t tell me you haven’t thought that far when you allowed Fiery to keep the egg!”

“Uhm,” I rubbed over my neck, “actually…”

Fluffy facehoofed.

*

“Uhm, yes, I do know a bit about birds. I raised Blue Ember after all,” Holly said when I asked her while we sat in the kitchen with cups of tea. Her husband, Never, had started preparing their daughter, Soundy Do, for bed just a few minutes ago, and so we had a moment to talk. And for those who don’t know, Blue Ember was her pet, a noctnix, or what ponies often called a night phoenix.

“Also I’ve had a lot of opportunities to watch birds raise their children while working as a forester in the White Tail Woods,” Holly went on, “though, are you really sure you want to raise a bird in your lair? Wouldn’t it be better to just give it to an animal shelter? From my personal experience, it’s not an easy task at all.”

“I am sure Fiery would not approve of that.”

“Shouldn’t you decide that,” she gestured to both me and Fluffy who was in our bedroom. “I mean, as her parents, it’s your duty to judge what is good for her.”

“Yes, but as a dragon, I am not willing to take the egg from her, and seeing as she is half pony, I am sure she will not be willing to abandon the hatchling after it breaks out of its egg.”

“Wait, you would do that?” Holly seemed to be a bit surprised. “After how much of a fuss you made about keeping the egg, you don’t care about the little babybird inside?”

“It’s not my hatchling,” I explained the obvious. “I protect the egg of course, but what the hatchling does afterwards is their business.”

Holly stared at me for a moment before turning her gaze down and inhaling deeply with a strange look on her face. “Dragons…”

“What?”

“Nothing,” she waved me off and took a sip of her tea. “Anyway, what you need to raise the babybird is food, water and some kind of nest.” She smiled. “Well, it depends a bit on the bird’s species, for a phenix for example you need a lot more heat than for a sparrow for example.

“Warmth shouldn’t be a problem, we have two fluffy creatures in this lair all the time. Water is also available. Only thing is, what does a bird hatchling eat?”

“Highly dependent on the species. If it is a normal bird, it could require worms, seeds, even insects of some kind. You know,” she spun her hoof in a circle, “flies, bees, mosquitoes, stuff like that.”

“I am quite sure I can dig out a few worms from the garden, maybe even find a beehive somewhere, but flies and mosquitoes are a bit too small for me to hunt.”

“You can buy them in a pet food store, if there is one around that is?”

“I don’t know,” I thought about it. “I never needed to use one before, so I didn’t pay attention to if there is one around here.”

“Well, every big town should have one,” she assured me. “Many creatures love to have pets at home, so it makes sense to have a shop around.”

I giggled at this.

“Hmm? What’s so funny?”

“I just remembered that I considered having some ponies as pets when I first met Fluffy. If there was a pet shop around for your species, that would be quite the sight! You could get your hay there, and even pet the little ponies in the showcases. That would be an awesome pet shop!”

She gave me that kind of look.

“I know,” I said amused, “it was just a thought back then.”

After a moment, Holly joined my giggling. “You know, having a dragon in the family tree makes things a bit more interesting.”

“Same goes for ponies,” I replied.

“Indeed,” a new voice entered our conversation. It was Never with Soundy Do on his foreleg. The little one was wrapped up in a pyjama near completely.

“Soundy wanted to say good night to mommy and uncle Big Softy,” Never explained and held her up.

Just to let you know, I was quite happy with how Never and Holly’s foal had turned out. I had been wrong when I said that it would take Holly a few times to produce fluffy little foals, instead, on their first try, she had given birth to a lovely little pegasus girl, complete with fluff and feathers. Fluffy of course had told me I was wrong repeatedly whenever they came to visit or we ran into them in general.

Anyway, I lowered my head and touched the baby with my nose after Holly had taken her time to cuddle her. “Good night Soundy,” I whispered.

“Good night uncle Big Softy,” Never said and took one of his daughter’s hoofs in his own and waving it. “Sleep well.”

I smiled and waved back.

“Well, time for me to go to bed too then,” Holly said. “I hope you can find one of those shops nearby. The one for actual animals,” she added with a blink.

“I hope so too,” I grinned.

“Good night,” she said and took her daughter from Never, leaving with both of them in the direction of the guest chamber.

That been said, I like them, Holly, Never and their daughter too, but, I am very glad that my daughter had turned out to be a kirin. All Soundy was able to do was cry, sleep, and then cry more. Maybe eat too sometimes, or fill her diaper. A pony foal is a lot, and I mean a lot harder to raise than a kirin.

That brought me back to the topic that Fluffy was pregnant again, it had been buried under the actual events a bit so we hadn’t told Never and Holly yet. Though, I think it was Fluffy’s decision when we would tell them.

***

Well, the little egg surely took its time, much to the displeasure of Fluffy, who had to care for it. She wasn’t bound to the nest all the time though, since we were able to build some kind of mobile nest. A mix of fabric, wool, and a lot of strings that hung in front of her chest, allowing her to move around while the egg was safely buried in half of her fluff.

Though, it was not helping Fluffy’s mood that Fiery stopped her every now and then to check on the egg, quite often actually. Though, remembering how deeply Fiery cared for the egg and how she’d screwed up by wanting to throw it away, well, she endured it. At least our daughter had forgiven her completely after she had taken on the task of watching over the egg.

Be it as it may, day after day passed by and Never and Holly left a few days later, that was after a little celebration when Fluffy told them she was in good hope again, which Holly responded too by telling her she was too. Never obviously knew nothing about it till that moment, given his reaction to it. It was great fun to see him that way, though, it was even more when all the ponies started to sing a strange song about having a second baby soon. I couldn’t join, but I could enjoy it. I was looking forward to the moment they would tell grandma and grandpa Do, sure it would cause even more singing and cuddling.

Though, when they were gone, and Fluffy was busy with watching Fiery and the egg, I was not idle either. I started to extend the lair once more, we would have another bornling towards the end of the year, so it was better that we were prepared. I also had to extend Fiery’s room soon, after all, the little bird needed a place to stay too.

It was maybe two and a half weeks later when the egg finally started to make noises. We were in the kitchen when it happened.

“Hmm?” Fluffy said suddenly while looking at the mobile nest. Then she placed a hoof on my snout, pushing me a bit away from her. “Shhh,” she said, “I’m listening!”

“What is it?” I asked anyway.

“I thought I heard something, like a scratch or so.”

“The egg?”

“I said shh! I can’t hear anything when you’re speaking.”

Now we both focused our attention on the egg, waiting for something to happen. And indeed, a few seconds later, there was the hint of movement coming from within it, like the hatchling turning in the egg.

I exchanged a look with Fluffy. She had heard it too.

“I told you it will hatch!” I poked her hoof with my nose happily. “When it starts to move it will break the shell soon.”

“How soon?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t brooded an egg before.”

“But you’re a dragon! I assumed you were an expert with eggs given how much you insist on protecting and caring for them.”

“Just because I hatched from an egg doesn’t mean I know how long it takes for it to hatch. And protecting them is something natural, like you would protect a foal.”

“So what are we gonna do now?”

“I would say we place it back into the nest and tell Fiery. She surely wants to know that the egg is about to hatch.”

“Alright, sounds like a good idea,” Fluffy approved and started to move towards the living room. “Take the chick food,” she requested as her gaze wandered back to the nest she was carrying.

I took the box and smiled when I watched her on her way. It was a bit funny to see how careful she suddenly was. The mobile nest was made precisely for the purpose of her being able to walk around and do stuff without risking the eggs safety. And she had trotted around the past weeks like she always did. But now with the egg about to hatch, she was careful as a dragoness with her own egg, walking slowly, holding the nest with a hoof and a wing spread ready to rush under it if the egg may fall off.

Pegasy…

Anyway, I followed her, entering the living room behind her. And while she moved over to the little padded box to place the egg there, I addressed our daughter who was laying on the ground coloring in a coloring book.

“Fiery, good news!”

She looked up to me.

“The egg will hatch soon.”

Her ears perked up and her tail rose. “Egg will hatch?” She was already half on her way over to mommy before the ending of her sentence.

Fluffy giggled when Fiery placed her claws on the edge of the box and peaked inside, waving her tail like a flag behind her in anticipation.

“Somekirin is very excited, right?” Fluffy asked with a smile while she stroked over Fiery’s head. “Your little friend is surely as impatient as you to meet you.” 

“You want to nest on the egg till it hatches?” I asked when I joined them, placing the foodbox next to the nest. “Of course you want to,” I said and lifted Fiery up by her mane and slow and carefully placed her on the egg.

My daughter arranged herself a bit, making sure the egg was covered the best she could while also being able to lay comfortably. Though, after a few seconds, she stood up again and watched the egg. 

It had made a noise again.

With a happy purring, Fiery doubled her efforts to nest it and sank back down, sure the egg would hatch any moment.

Though, the little one took its time! It took them a full hour until they eventually tried to break the shell. In the meantime, Fluffy and I had taken a seat on the couch and had placed the box with our daughter and the egg next to us.

The hatchling’s attempts to break the shell was brought to our attention when Fiery suddenly jumped up in surprise. She nearly fell out of the box in her attempt to not harm the egg when she landed.

And now it was clear to see, the egg had a crack!

“Any moment now.” I judged, leaning over the box. Though, Fluffy did the same and with Fiery in the box as well, it got a little cozy.

The egg did not care of course, and while we were still arranging ourselves, the bird poked the shell with his beak once more, causing a piece to fall off.

When the reddish beak was made visible, Fiery crouched down and purred loudly. Encouraging the little one to break free.




Well, it did its best. More and more pieces of the shell landed in the nest, and soon a little greenish head peaked out from the egg, chirping for its parents.

“Aww,” Fluffy said, “look at this little cutie.”

She looked over to me, but was surprised about the concerned gaze on my face. She shifted her gaze between me and the little bird several times, wondering what may be wrong.

“What is it? Why the concerned face?” she asked.

I remained silent, watching the chick. I had a bad feeling that I knew that species.

When it made its way out of the egg, revealing it had two pairs of wings, green feathers, and two legs, my worries were confirmed, and a growl formed in my throat.

“Big Softy!” Fluffy reacted to my growl with surprise. “What's wrong?” She laid a hoof on my chest, switching her gaze hecticly from me to the bird and back.

Fiery also noticed it and looked up to me. “Daddy?” she asked fearfully and moved over the egg to protect it.

“I know that species!” I growled, “that’s a ventalas, a lair parasite! We’re going to get rid of it!”

“We will not!” Fluffy yelled outrage. “It is a baby! A harmless little chick! You will not harm it!”

“Of course not!” I yelled back, “I won’t harm a hatchling, we’re going to bring it out of the lair and place it somewhere in the woods!”

Fluffy was shocked for a moment. “That is not going to happen!”

“Why not? You wanted to get rid of the egg in the first place!”

“And you insisted on keeping it, making me brood it and allowing Fiery to get even more connected to it! Look how much you’re already scaring her by just growling!” She stood up and pointed at her. “You will not take the bird from her! I forbid it!”

“You forbid it?” I half yelled. “You forbid it?” This presumption angered me immensely.

“Yes I do!” Fluffy insisted and got between me and the nest. “It is because of you that we hatched that egg, now it is your responsibility to care for the hatchling that came from it!”

I started to growl, but received a punch to my chest scales by Fluffy instantly. “Don’t you dare!” she growled.

I was going to respond accordingly, but a quick look at my daughter made me think otherwise. She looked up to us with fear and worry, protecting the little hatchling as best as she could with her body. Even in the heat of the argument, it was crystal clear to me that I would not be able to take the hatchling away from her. Fluffy couldn’t do it, and neither could I.

“Fine!” I snorted. “I leave the hatchling in peace, but I will not care for it!” Before Fluffy could respond, I turned around demonstratively and moved off the couch, putting distance between me and the nest with the parasite in it.

I settled down on one of the chairs and watched the scenery from there. By the time I got to the chair though, Fluffy had already started to calm our daughter. She was whispering to her, stroking over her head and back, and together, mother and daughter, they watched the hatchling completely get rid of the remaining shell.

Of course, like newborns, the need to feed it arised. Fluffy took the baby bird food we had prepared and tried to feed the little one, but without success. It refused to eat the seeds or even the worms we had collected in a glass full of earth.

It was no surprise for me, but it was a huge problem for Fluffy and Fiery. A hatchling needs a lot of food real quickly after the hatch.

They tried everything, they plundered the fridge for anything they thought a little bird could eat. They even looted the pantry. It was all for nothing. No fruit, no plant, not even living insects were to the bird’s liking. It drank the water they offered it though.

In the end, they even tried to feed it with a gem. A good idea, but even though it was a tiny gem, it was too big for the bird to swallow it. It tried though, but puked it out shortly after. I knew it needed shards, but for Fluffy, it just looked like it was with every other food, not to its liking.

Hour after hour passed. And while I kept my position of not helping raise a parasite in my own lair, Fluffy’s efforts became more desperate. She even tried to feed the bird with a spoon full of thin soup she had cooked.

In the end, with the day moving on, the little bird got weaker and weaker. Like I said, a hatchling needs to be feed quite quickly or it will perish.

I was looking forward to it. Sure it made me sad that Fiery would be sad about it, and I don’t want her to feel that way at all, but she would get over it in a few days or a few weeks.  

In the end, it came different.

In her despair, Fiery came to me. “Daddy help!” she demanded.

“No,” I told her.

“Daddy!” she bit into my tail and tried to pull me.

“I said no!”

“Hatchling!” she started to cry, pointing at it. “Daddy!

I looked away.

That did not stop her attempts though. She rushed over to the nest and took the weak hatchling out. Under Fluffy’s concerned gaze of course.

The bird only chirped quietly, too exhausted to do much more.

“Daddy!” Fiery repeated and rushed back to me, holding up her little treasure. “Daddy must help!”

I looked down at her, not willing to.

“Daddy!” Now big tears were rolling down her eyes as she sobbed. “Daddy help!” she repeated over and over again.

My resistance crumbled.

Then the chirping of the bird stopped and it laid flat on Fiery’s claws. Maybe it was already too late. Fiery very well thought so, and her screams of pain echoed throughout the lair, loud and clear. She pressed the chick against her chest and made her suffering be heard wide and far.

Fluffy was quickly on her hooves to comfort her, wrapping her forelegs and wings around her, cradling her back and forth, whispering into her ears.

My will to not help was strong, and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was not right to raise this parasite bird, but my objections were washed away like sand on the beach under my daughter's cries of sadness.

I stood up, earning a gaze of hate from Fluffy, and made my way over to the nest, taking the little gem from it. With it in my claw, I returned to them.

“Give me the bird,” I ordered.

The cries of my daughter only got louder and she was not willing to claw it over to me.

“Daddy will help,” I explained, but she was too deep in her mourning to listen.

So I had to take the bird from her by force, though carefully so as not to harm it. It was a difficult task, more so with how angry Fiery got, she bursted into flames, causing her mother to drop her, and bit into my claw as best as she could.

The fact that daddy had let the little one die was something she was more than furious about.

Well, I was fireproof, as was Fiery, and the little bird, as a dragon's lair parasite, was too. If not, we dragons would have gotten rid of them a long time ago!

So without reacting to my burning daughter, I crushed the gem in my mouth, took the little splinters, and pushing them down into the beak of the bird.

First, nothing happened. “Come on,” I whispered, “don’t let me down now.”

I softly poked its chest with a talon.

“Eat the gem,” I ordered.

Nothing happened.

I roared at it forcefully, even causing Fiery to stop biting me for a second.

The bird moved, slowly, it raised its head, swallowing the sprinkles I had given it.

I placed another one in its beak.

With effort, it also swallowed that one.

“Good,” I commented, giving it time to breath for a moment. “Now more,” I declared, and piece by piece, I feed it the whole gem. It was visible now that its condition was improving with every passing minute and every piece of gem that vanished down its throat.

When I was sure the little one was no longer in danger of starving, I placed it back into the nest. “Daddy has helped,” I told Fiery, who had turned back to her normal kirin form soon after she understood I indeed tried to help and the bird was not dead yet.

She hopped into the nest at once and cuddled her new friend.

I snorted approvingly at them and turned around. Only to see Fluffy standing there, watching me, her expression a mystery.

“What?” I asked after a moment, but she still just stared at me with those brown, unfathomable eyes of hers.

“If you ever make my daughter this sad again, even if you could have prevented it,” she stepped closed, “I will rip off every scale from your body, slow and painfully,” she hissed. “Every. Single. One.” she repeated.

I gulped. At that moment, a hundred azure dragons indeed seemed to be less dangerous than my mate.

I took a step away from her. “I won’t.”

“Good,” she decided before allowing her intimidating aura to vanish as quickly as it had arissen. She trotted over to me and placed a hoof on my chest, rubbing over it. “There is a huge big softy inside there.”

I shook off a shiver which had run down my spine. “I assume so,” I replied and looked over to Fiery. “My daughter, again, has too much of an influence on me.”

“She is a Do after all,” Fluffy said. “We know how to deal with dragons.”

I looked back at her. “Yes,” I nodded, “yes, you do.”

***

I know what you are going to say! I should have dragoned up, roared down my daughter and gotten rid of that bird instantly. It is a little parasite that plunders the gems from dragons hoards, is fireproof, and way too quick to hit it with a claw easely. It deserved to die, get eradicated from the world! 

I know all this!

But the truth is, I couldn’t. Yes, I am a black dragon, I am dangerous and deadly! Though, living with my mate and my daughter for years now… I simply could not do it. Yes, I admit, my fluffy mate and my adorable daughter have made me much softer than they should have been able too.

Be it as it is, like back in the days when I spared Fluffy’s life out of a moment of softness, it was to my fortune. After all, this is how Grünchen came into our lives. Yes, it is a more draconic name for him. And yes, it was a male bird we had hatched. Grünchen was something I came up with actually, it is a mix of grün, which means green in old draconic and uses the cute form of the word by adding chen. You may call him Greeny though, some creatures do, mostly the ones who have problems with the draconic letter of ü.

Fluffy was very happy with the name, she loves old draconic as a language. She never learned to speak it properly, but I told her a thing or two over the years. Anyway, Grünchen was a blessing as a pet for Fiery, you know, fireproof and such. They got along very well, Grünchen was luckily not too fragile to be cuddled when he was a bit older, so Fiery’s enthusiastic attempts to do so did not harm him.

I would like to add though, I was sure he would fly off as soon as he was fully fledged, but he didn’t. And so he became Fiery’s companion, her pet, when she grew up. And to be fair, since he was raised by a kirin, a pony and a dragon, he became less of a pest, and a member of the family instead.

Anyway, the last thing to tell you now is the second time my mate gave birth, right? Well, I thought I knew how it would proceed from the last time. But Fluffy had other plans...
> Unexpected Endings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“It is so good to have the whole family together again,” Cloudy cheered as she and her husband took their seats in the living room next to Holly and Never who had already done so. “You kids visit us far too rarely!”

“Mom!” Fluffy and Never responded unison.

“Well, what’s wrong with an old mare expecting her kids to visit more frequently?” she insisted while putting on a fake frown. “Really you two could stand to visit your parents more often.”

“Seriously, Mom? At least one of us visits you every two weeks or so,” Never proclaimed.

“And you’re not exactly what we’d call old,” Fluffy added.

“I see my grandchildren far from often enough!”

I smirked at this and looked over at said grandchildren as they played together on the carpet of the living room. Fiery and Soundy, Holly and Never’s foal, were getting along well together, a far cry from how they started out. It had taken some time for Fiery to understand that Soundy was her cousin and thus a part of the family.

That first meeting had not gone well according to Fluffy, as Fiery hissed and threatened the baby pegasus when she had tried to play with one of Fiery’s toys. I didn’t see anything wrong with Fiery showing her dominance and defending what was hers, but Fluffy convinced me otherwise. Now however, Fiery was much more friendly and generous with her cousin. That is, except for her orange fabric stone plushy. That was hers and hers alone.

I watched the little banter Cloudy had started and was preparing for how this was going to evolve. I smiled again, knowing exactly what Cloudy was playing at. Pony behavior was not as much of a mystery to me as it had been in the past. And as long as I saw Fiery’s tail waving happily whenever grandma and grandpa Do came through the door, I fully welcomed their visit. A fact that I explained to them due to our agreement of letting them know of things that could possibly go wrong. So if my daughter’s tail ever stopped being so wavy when they visited, they would not be allowed to visit anymore, or at least not as often. If that happened, then she really wouldn’t get to see her granddaughter that often.

I did have to question her assessment though that we didn’t visit her often enough, it is a two day trip after all. That and the fact they were still against us having sex in their house, something I did not approve of.

“That is not our fault,” Fluffy continued. “If you want to see them more often, you just have to come to our lair.”

“But we have jobs, Danger, we actually have to work for a living,” Cloudy replied. However, given how Cloudy pulled back her ears as soon as she finished saying that, she knew that her choice of words had been poor.

“Mom!” Fluffy’s chestfluff puffed up in indignation.

“Sorry! Sorry.” Cloudy raised her hooves. “Please forget that I said that.”

Surprisingly, that worked. Must be the kids being around or Fluffy wanting to be more relaxed for the baby. Speaking of which, she was getting close to giving birth, only a few weeks left. It was actually the reason why everyone was meeting in our lair. Fluffy was farther along in her pregnancy compared to Holly, so despite Never taking issue with us making his pregnant wife come all the way here, it was the most logical option. 

One last meeting before the trouble of raising bornlings started again. Little bornlings need a lot of attention, so we wouldn’t be able to see each other again for some time after my mate and Holly gave birth.

“What your mom is trying to say,” Gold raised his hooves in hopes of placating Fluffy, “is that we enjoy it when both of you visit us.”

“Indeed,” Cloudy nodded hastily.

Fluffy and I both snorted. “If you want to see your grandchildren more often, you have to travel to us, like my mate said. It is not our fault that you failed to achieve a hoard of treasure great enough to allow you to stay home and do as you please.”

Normally being this rude would cause Fluffy to scold me, but she just smiled and rubbed my snout.

“And you could have chosen a rich mate, that way you could laze around at home all day too,” I added with a blink to Cloudy.

“Softy,” Fluffy poked me in the chest.

“What?” I said most innocently. “I’m the one who profits from this deal the most,” I explained and kissed her. “After all, I got the greatest treasure in the world.” I finished my honeyed words with a possessive stroke over her belly. No matter how often I tell her this, that I considered her to be the most valuable of my belongings, it always makes her happy.

“What a sweet talker,” Holly commented as she cuddled deeper into Nevers fluff herself. “Take notes, Never, mares love that.”

He chuckled and pet her head. “Will do.”

It was good to see that Never had managed to get a wife that was also very much into cuddling, and, was also able to provide fluffy offspring. He made a good choice, though, it was of course inferior to my own!

Well, be it as it may, with me having the best of all mates, the time I spent with everyone there was made far more enjoyable when the topics of discussion became more mundane. Though, not long after this change of subject, a knock on the door to the inner lair interrupted us.

“Who could that be?” Fluffy wondered and stood up. “Are you expecting someone?”

I fixed my gaze on the door and growled quietly, whoever it was, they had caused Fluffy to leave me side. Not the best of all outcomes. “No, I don’t.”

“Softy,” Fluffy rubbed my side, “be nice. We’ll see who this is and then I’ll happily return to your side, as fluffy as always.”

I stopped my growling. “You always know how to make me happy.”

Her hoof was replaced by a soft stroke of her feathers against my side before finally using them to poke my nose as she walked ahead of me.

“I’m coming!” she shouted. 

As Fluffy made her way to the door, I made sure to stay on her hooves. Some strange visitor could be a threat after all, so my pregnant mate was not going to open the door first.

I made my way past her, earning me the ‘rolled eyes look’ and opened the door. 

“Hi there!” an overly excited kirin shouted, waving her tail in excitement before getting on her hind legs to offer me a hug. “It is so good to see you two! You know first I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find your lair, but well, here I am!”

Autumn Blaze. What other kirin would be so bold as to enter a dragon's lair and offer its inhabitant a hug.

Her look became a bit unsure when I didn't show any signs of accepting the hug. It was quite common by now for us to hug whenever Fluffy and I visited their village, but here, in my lair, without her giving me the fun of showing my dominance and proclaim my territory first, getting her to request permission to enter, I was not in the mood to reciprocate the gesture.

I growled.

“Uhm,” she flinched back, “maybe this is a bit too spontaneous and surprising…”

“Softy!” Fluffy pushed herself past me and the doorframe. “Hello Autumn.” She gave the other mare a warm hug. “Welcome to our lair. It’s nice to see you again, though, a bit unexpected for sure.”

“Well, you did tell me last time I could come and visit you guys sometime.”

“Yeah, like some point farther in the future,” Fluffy said slowly. “You know, like in a few months, maybe with a letter telling us you were coming beforehand.”

“Ohh, that is how this is done? I had no idea, honestly, I didn’t even think about writing a letter,” Autumn replied while looking to the side. “Yeah, probably should have done that,” she returned her gaze to Fluffy but rubbed over her head now. “I was just so excited to see your lair and how a dragon lives with my own eyes. I… could barely contain my curiosity.”

“It’s fortunate that we had indeed invited you, otherwise you would have gotten first-hoof experience as to how a dragon reacts to having their lair invaded.” Fluffy made a calming gesture towards me. “You know, Autumn, dragons are very particular about the protocol for entering another’s lair.”

“I thought this was covered when you told me I could come over?” Autumn wondered. “Like you said, you guys invited me,” her tone quieted down before she continued, “even if I messed it up a bit.”

“It kind of is, or Softy here would be far more unfriendly.”

I just snorted a little cloud of smoke when Autumn’s gaze landed on me. It was not like I didn’t like her, she had been very helpful with raising Fiery and gave us some tips and tricks along the way. She’s also a big fan of mine. Still...

“Dragons are very finicky when it comes to their lair,” Fluffy said as she made an inviting gesture with her wing. “Anyhow, now that you are here, you should come in. Actually, my family is here too, you remember Never and Holly?”

“I sure do, they…” Autumn stopped when I made a step forward while growling.

Though, Fluffy handled the situation by just rubbing her head along my snout, purring in the process. “Sneaky dragon.”

I love how my mate is able to see through my actions sometimes. Of course Autumn already had permission to enter, but playing the annoyed dragon can lead to calming down cuddling. Fluffy saw through me though, but went ahead with the cuddling anyways.

“He just wants to be cuddled,” she told Autumn Blaze. “No need to worry, now, come in.”

*

“Mom, Dad, may I introduce you to our friend Autumn Blaze?” Fluffy stepped aside, letting the other mare enter our living room “She’s a friend from the Peaks of Peril.” She looked over to her brother and sister in law. “Holly, Never, I assume you remember her?”

“Of course,” Holly said, and rose from her spot, and quickly the usual pleasantries were shared between her, Never, and Autumn. Though, as soon as Autumn began to speak, some tiny kirin ears perked up. My daughter was very familiar with Autumn’s voice, and in her head, this voice was connected to head scratches, as you would probably assume.

So before Never and Holly were even finished with greeting Autumn, Fiery had already whizzed over and begun purring loudly for attention. She had even tilted her head so the bigger kirin could easily reach the spot between her ears.

“If it isn’t my favorite little kirin!” Autumn proclaimed and picked Fiery up, holding her against her shoulder and starting to scratch her between the ears. “You get taller and taller every time I’m not looking!”

Fiery just purred in agreement.

“Aww,” Cloudy cooed as she got nearer. “Seems there are some kirin secrets you have to share with her grandparents. I really would like to be able to do that too.”

“I’m happy to share,” Autumn replied without hesitation.

“Cloud Planter,” Cloudy said and stretched out a hoof. “A pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Autumn happily bubbled as she shook the offered hoof. However, she had to stop scratching Fiery’s scales to do this, and my little girl made it clear with a hiss that she very much did not approve of Autumn doing this.

“Fiery!” Fluffy insistently scolded, “behave yourself.”

Autumn quickly shook Cloudy’s hoofs before returning to caring for Fiery. “She really is amazing, though a little bit greedy. Like a real dragon,” Autumn said, but it was clear it was a compliment, not an accusation. “You’re really taking after your dad, aren’t you? Anyway,” she looked back up, “today’s getting better and better. First I had an awesome trip here, and now I’m actually staying in a dragon's lair and holding a first generation pegasus-kirin, isn’t that amazing?”

“Uhm, first generation kirin?” Gold wondered.

“The direct offspring of a pony and a dragon,” Fluffy quickly explained.

“Mhh, well then, I assume it is,” Gold agreed. “We just got used to it I suppose, especially seeing as we’ve had our granddaughter around as often as we have.” He rubbed over his nose. “Say, miss Blaze…”

She waved him off. “Just call me Autumn.”

“Alright, Autumn, our daughter already told us you are, I mean you as a kirin, very much into dragons. But I have to say, you seem to be alot happier than I would have expected at having Fiery around and being here.”

Autumn giggled. “Of course I am! What kirin has the chance to see a dragon's lair first hoof? Just getting to see the entrance tunnel was amazing, and the little garden! Oh is it beautiful, I even delayed knocking for a moment to just walk through it! A garden! Several dozen meters below the surface! I mean, who would think to build one down here except for a dragon!” She focused back on Fiery. “And such a demanding little kirin foal, all due to her azure blood, I mean how cool is that!”

“I think everypony got it,” Holly threw in, amused at how Autumn was behaving, “dragons are awesome in kirin culture.”

“They sure are,” Autumn confirmed.

Fluffy was about to step in to stop this from devolving into a kirin-dragon discussion like the first time we’d met Autumn, when some little bird named Grünchen decided it was time for me to feed him, interrupting the conversation.

From where he was perched, he began to quietly release this long, very high pitched cry that went in and out sporadically before ending in this strange, almost choked, chirp. When I first started hearing him call out like this, I'd thought that one of the holes that allow light into my lair had suddenly started to whistle. But I had learned over time that that was just how he demanded food.

I was making my way over to him, when suddenly something strange happened. No, not that Fiery squirmed in Autumn’s forelegs and began making her way over as soon as she touched the ground, that was quite common when she wanted to watch me feed her friend and maybe snatch a gem or two in the process. No, this time, Holly’s bird, Blue Ember, who normally sat near her, decided to fly over as well.

He landed next to the bowl of gem splinters, started to pick some up, flew over to Grünchen, and began to feed him.

“Awww, you made a friend,” Holly commented proudly as she watched her pet feeding ours.

I stopped. “Kind of clever of him to figure that out, that Grünchen needs gems.”

“He is a clever little one,” Holly explained. “He must have been watching you.”

“Must be, I’m just curious why he started to do this now. He didn’t show any interest in feeding Grünchen when you four arrived.”

And that was true, Blue Ember had simply noticed Grünchen as a baby bird, flew over to his nest, and gave him a closer look before returning to Holly’s back without doing anything when they first met. That is except for screeching at me when I went near Grünchen of course. Protecting the young was something he did apparently. I mostly ignored him besides a little growl when he got too pushy. That was also mostly how we acted around each other at first; ignoring one another.

That changed drastically the moment he screeched at Fluffy when she came close to the nest herself though. You can very well imagine that I did not take that well, roaring, chasing, a little flamelance here and there… you know, the usual. He quickly understood who was the boss in the lair, to his benefit. He never showed any aggressive behaviour towards Fluffy again.

Okay, Holly was a bit mad at me at first, but since I had done no real harm to her bird, she calmed down. And Blue Ember was happily pecking Never every now and then when Holly wasn’t watching, so he had something to distract himself.

I did wonder though if this bird simply had something against other winged creatures, since Holly was the only earth pony here and he had gotten into trouble with every other adult in the lair so far. When Cloudy and Gold arrived though, it was proven that that was not the case, he was friendly to them too.

Anyway, back to our conversation.

“Who knows,” Holly said. “Maybe he simply didn’t know how to do that and therefore did not try, now, however, he does know.”

I snorted at that.

“Well, one less annoying task for me then.” You may remember that I don’t like caring for a parasitic bird that much, and I wasn’t yet at the point where I would accept Grünchen completely as part of the family either. So someone else caring for him was music to my ears.

I was already turning around when suddenly another strange thing happened. Fiery, who always watched me feeding her little friend, decided to do the same thing with Blue Ember. She placed her little claws on the edge of the nest and commented on what she saw of course.

“Blue,” she said and flapped her wings while pointing at the night phoenix, turning her head to me for a moment to make sure I saw it too.

“Indeed,” I confirmed which made her very happy for some reason. Fiery giggled and then tried to pet Holly’s bird while making calming ‘coo’ sounds. His confusion was kind of amusing when she started to stroke over his belly. Here was this little winged creature, crouching next to the nest, making strange noises, and trying to get his attention.

Blue Ember was surely confused about what to do, so he did his best as an adult bird. He pranced closer to Fiery and dropped a piece of gem into her mouth, feeding her too.

Of course, the little sweet got chewed and swallowed quite quickly, along with happy giggles.

With this proof that he had made the right decision, Blue Ember flew back to the bowl, fetched new splinters, returned, and proceeded to feed both of the little creatures sitting there.
 
I took a seat, watching with curiosity at what was going on. “I don’t know what I should think about this,” I said.

“Me neither,” Holly agreed when she moved to sit next to me.

The fact that she was taken by surprise that her bird had chosen to feed Grünchen when he cried out for food would have been understandable, but that he was also feeding Fiery? That was definitely something different.

“I can only assume he figured out that she is a small foal too after observing how you act around her.” She shrugged. “I think he’s got a good clue about what  foals are after seeing me caring for Soundy in the first place, though, he never tried to feed her.”

“I assume he would have had a lot of trouble carrying milk around if he tried to.”

Holly giggled. “He very well could.”

“I think it…” the rest of my sentence got buried under a loud roar from outside the inner lair.

I turned around, seeing Fluffy already standing up again. “Who could that be now?” It made sense to me that she wouldn’t have known since she’d never heard that roar in this way before. 

Though I obviously did, there are only a few dragons that could roar loud enough to be heard from here in the lair when they were at the entrance.

“That’s my mom,” I quickly explained, already making my way towards the exit. “You better stay here,” I added and pushed Fluffy backwards when she tried to come with me. “I’ll see what she wants first.”

“Your mom?” Autumn spoke up, half in excitement, half in doubt. “Isn’t she the azure dragon in your family? The one who Fiery got her azure blood from?”

“Exactly her,” I confirmed while leaving the living room. I could hear Autumn's happy bubbling behind me and had to smile a little. She did not know my mom at all.

*

“My mate is fine, mom, there’s no need to worry.”

“And why would I be here if there was nothing to worry about?” my mom replied. “I know something is going to happen, I feel it.”

“And you expect me to worry as well since you had the feeling there is something to worry about?”

“Indeed.”

I threw a look over to my dad. He just shrugged and gave me an innocent smile. If my mom wasn’t an azure dragon, we could simply ignore her and go on with our lives. As it stood, however, we had to listen to her anyway, no matter the nonsense she said.

“Well, maybe you can take a look for yourself then. When you see my mate is fine, you can stop worrying. Though, her whole family is actually here for a visit too.”

I couldn’t tell my mom to be nice of course, so this was meant to inform her in a roundabout way that I expect her to behave like a guest.

“You mean your lair is currently filled with fluffy ponies?” my dad asked, full of anticipation.

“Plus two kirins and two birds, one of which is a ventalas actually.”

“A ventalas,” my dad asked disgusted. “Why in the world would you want a ventalas in your lair?”

“Wasn’t my decision, Fiery brought back the egg from a walk. I didn’t know what it was till it hatched. After that, Fiery and Fluffy weren’t convinced to get rid of it. Instead, Fiery got very protective of him.”

Now it was my mother who surprised me. She not only did not criticize my decision to let the bird stay, but also gave me a look that I would count as one of approval, if it wasn’t so unlikely.

“You really have become a softy as your mate calls you,” my dad sprung in to replace my mother's disapproval this time. “You should have dragoned up and gotten rid of that pest.”

“I know, dad,” I said grumbling, “I... know.”

After that little bit of banter, the three of us made our way down into the lair rather quietly until we reached the garden. From there, I announced us with a little roar. “Fluffy, Fiery, oma and opa are here!”

Just to let you know, we used old draconic for my parents. So it’s grandma and grandpa Do, but oma and opa for mine. It’s also shorter, which is a nice benefit.

We’d just made it past the little waterfall when Fluffy came out to greet us with Fiery in her foreleg.

“Opa!,” Fiery yelled and stretched her little claws out for him, but Fluffy reminded her she had to wait a moment.

“Perle des hohen Berges.” Fluffy bowed down a little when we reached her. “Welcome to our lair once more.”

“Thank you, Danger Do,” my mother replied.

“And you too, Fast Slasher,” Fluffy addressed my father.

He nodded and then stepped forward to purr at his granddaughter. She returned the favor and then demanded, “Opa! Throw up!”

No, she doesn’t mean it that way of course, it is simply her way of talking.

Of course, he fulfilled her request, he couldn’t deny his granddaughter her wish. This also made it so my mom could talk with Fluffy for a moment while my daughter screamed in joy each time my father threw her into the air, just to catch her a moment later.

“I had the feeling our presence here would be needed,” Perle told Fluffy, “that you would need our assistance.”

“Need your assistance? Well, probably next month we will.” She smiled and brushed over the side of her belly with a wing. “We would need you here to see your second grandchild then. Right now, however, you could keep us company over a cup of tea if you like.” She made an inviting gesture towards the inner lair. “My family is staying over, and you could meet my brother and his wife.”

“That is not what I came for,” Perle said, “though, I assume we could do that while we wait for the events to come.” She looked over to me. “Son, go and announce us properly.”

“Yes, mom.”

And that is what I did. Despite my mother’s foreshadowing that something would happen, the only thing that happened was her and my dad getting to know the rest of Fluffy’s direct family. That and an overly excited kirin of course. Autumn Blaze was practically glued to my parents sides. Only the fact that everything my mom said was received with amazement by Autumn prevented her from getting on my mother’s nerves.

*

“That brings up the question as to why you chose an earth pony, Never,” my dad said. “There is nothing wrong with you, Holly, but you aren’t fluffy like a pegasus. Also, Never, by making her your mate, you risked your bornlings coming out unfluffy.”

“It is not always about fluff, Slasher. Holly has other qualities I find more important,” Never replied.

“I do?” Holly asked with an innocent smile.

“Yes, you do.” Never gave her a kiss. “And quite a lot of them.”

“And she made a fluffy bornling nonetheless,” I added. “I was in doubt too, but she did.”

“Hmm, but it was still risky,” my dad retorted. “You could at least have had a sidewife, like Autumn here.” He lifted her up a bit, before returning to stroking over her head as if she were a pet. Well, she more or less was at the moment, with how she was laying in my dad's arms and getting pet.

“You may not be able to make as good of a claim on a mate as your sister, but with my son’s help, you could convince one you are worth something. I heard kirins value the opinion of a dragon very highly.”

 “You have no idea,” Fluffy nodded. “When we visited their village the first time, they literally threw themself at him.”

“We simply love dragons,” Autumn said. “And I can’t see anything wrong with that.”

“There is nothing wrong with that, we are awesome,” my dad said.

“There were a lot of problems with that in the past,” my mother threw in, quietly, but in a tone that didn’t allow for us to contradict her.

“And why is that?” Autumn wondered. “I don’t see why…”

My dad gave her a little slap on the snout.

“Shhh,” little kirin.

“Ouch!” Autumn rubbed her nose. “What was that for?”

“Don’t question my wife.”

“And you don’t hurt my guests!” Fluffy jumped off the couch and flew over to my dad. “I will not tolerate you hurting somebody! Is that clear?” She even poked him in the chest. “Is it?”

Living with me for so long must have made her desire to bolt towards dragons.

“She questioned my wife!” Slasher said scandalized.

“That is no reason to slap her!”

“It very well is!”

“No it isn’t!”

“The words of my wife are not to be questioned!”

“My guests can do so here, in my lair!” Fluffy started to growl.

My dad growled back.

It was at this point that I felt the need to jump up and roar at my dad. A loud challenging roar which caused all the ponies except for Fluffy to quickly make room between my dad and me. I would not allow him to growl at Fluffy!

Before the situation could get out of claw though, my mom silenced me and my dad with a taste of her azure magic. A wave of pure horror and fear flowed over me and forced me to the ground. My dad didn’t have it much better as I saw him dropped Autumn and crouch on the ground as well.

“You will not threaten our son’s mate in her own lair!” My mom hissed. “Neither will you annoy her while she is carrying our grandbornling!”

My dad hastily nodded.

“Don’t forget about th…” my mom started when Fiery suddenly stepped up to her. Her scales on her forehead glowing brightly and her tail was raised up.

“Oma!” she yelled and then added a polite hiss.

My heart skipped a beat, hissing at my mom was not the best idea Fiery ever had. Fluffy also instantly understood this was a bad idea and rushed over to protect her, but it turned out to be unnecessary.

Instead of roaring back, my mom simply stepped a bit closer and took a seat again, lowering her head to look at Fiery more closely. And if I wasn’t mistaken, I saw her smile with delight!

“Oma, no!” Fiery insisted and looked up to her with furrowed eyebrows and a pulled snout. “Don’t hurt opa!”

And what about daddy? Of course daddy is a strong dragon who can protect himself, still…

“Your opa misbehaved and oma just reminded him to be a good opa,” my mom explained, but Fiery did not approve.

“Oma!” She added a growl to her reply this time.

I was so proud, there stood my little daughter, growling at the huge dangerous azure dragon that was her oma, starting to negotiate like a true dragon. That was till my mother joined the negotiation by adding her own silent growl. Oh, I had no problem with the fact that my mom growled. Like you know, dragons can negotiate between equals, or in this case family, but her doing this caused Fluffy’s protective instincts to kick in, and thus throw a cup at my mom, kind of killing the mood. I have to say though, it was a good hit. The cup exploded into thousands of splinters against my moms head.

Just like my sanity.

It felt like time itself had gone into slow motion for a second just to race thrice as fast afterwards. I shook off my mom’s azure tricks and jumped between her and Fluffy, who had just started to growl and scratch the ground with a hoof.

While I absolutely support my mate’s intention to protect our daughter, I really would prefer it if she would have run away, or hid, or something less suicidal.

Anyway, my mom used the time to swipe over her snout to get rid of a few remaining pieces of china and spilled tea that were covering her muzzle. Afterwards, she gave me a raised eyebrow and came closer.

There were a thousand things I would prefer over fighting my mom, but I had to protect my mate. So I growled.

My mom was unimpressed.

“Stay away from her!” I hissed.

It had no effect. I pushed my family backwards with my tail, but there was not much room, and Fluffy was not really willing to retreat at all.

Finally there was the moment I could not push further back. And my mom still proceeded to get closer.

I did what I had to, I roared and bounced at my mom. I knew my chances, don’t tell me, but I had to protect my mate.

Though, truth be told, I did as well as you could’ve expected. I might as well have tried to bounce at a mountain for all the effect my assault had on her. I wonder if it even slowed my mom down. She didn’t seem to care at all, only when I tried to hit her with my claw, which she caught midair and twisted downward so the rest of my body had to follow, that she acknowledged me.

“Be a good hatchling and lay down,” my mom said, not even aggressive or anything, but with force behind it.

I hissed and turned in her grip, scratching over her side to try and bite her. I was good in claw to claw combat, but not good enough for an azure obviously. Like a doll, my mom shook me, ignoring that I hit her with my tail or that I scratched over her belly. She just grabbed my neck with her free claw and pressed me down on the ground.

But this was not over yet, I still had my wings free and so I thrust them at her, trying to sting into her side with my talons. Mom was ready though and deflected my attempts with her own wings, making it so they simply glanced off of her scales.

The only thing I had accomplished was making her angry. She hissed and rushed her head forward. Her fangs blinking. She aimed for my throat. Only stopping when my scales and her fangs barely touched. Then, she purred. Her very special purr for her hatchling that I remembered from my hatch.

She continued to do this until I calmed down. Then she bit the top of my muzzle softly. A rebuke, not a punishment.

“I am kind of proud of you,” she purred, “there is more of me in you than creatures would expect.”

“Get away from Fluffy,” I retorted. I wasn’t really able to hiss or growl anymore and this had nothing to do with my mom being an azure, and everything to do with her being my mom. Remember what I told you about the special purr of a dragon parent? Looks like I am not old enough for it to lose its effect yet.

“I will not hurt your mate, nor my grandbornling. Though, her azure blood demands territory negotiations.” She looked up to Fluffy. “And you can place that saucer back on the table, no use in smashing all the china.”

“I will not allow you to growl at my daughter!” The saucer remained in her hoof, ready to go.

“As Lady of the Lair, and my son’s mate, you should know by now that that is part of dragon communication.” She pointed at Fiery. “Look yourself, she is waiting for my response.”

And indeed, Fiery had not moved since she and my mom had growled at each other. Her forehead was still glowing and her tail was raised.

I struggled to get up, my mom was not so fond of the idea, but let me go anyways.

“It would have been a lot easier if you just told Fluffy so instead of just growling, mom.”

“I am not used to explaining basic concepts, son.”

She had a point. Fluffy should have known better, but her pregnancy makes her a bit unpredictable. I was going to address that when my gaze landed on my dad, who was still cowering on the ground, unable to move.

I gave Fluffy a quick nuzzle before I addressed him. “What is up with you?”

“I never stopped using my azure aura,” my mom said.

“What do you mean? I can move around quite fine.”

“I noticed,” she purred.

This took me by surprise. I focused on my feelings, searching for any kind of fear and terror. There was nothing.

“I can’t feel it, your… azurness.”

“You are just looking in the wrong place, son. My presence should no longer intimidate you, but you should be able to feel that I am around, my presence.”

And I could! I really could feel that she was present!

“This is... strange,” I said confused. I could feel her aura, her very essence of being an azure, just without the overwhelming, dominating force. “Is this how it feels for azure’s?”

Even without me being specific, my mom knew what I meant.

“Yes, we can feel each other’s presence if we use our abilities,” she confirmed. “I don’t know if you can use it on non relatives too,” she added while she moved back over to Fiery.

Of course, Fluffy was still on high alert, and raised the saucer again, but I calmed her down.

“Let my mom figure this out with her,” I told Fluffy. “I don’t want a second round in close combat with my mom today.”

My mate fluffed up and it was looking like that was something she would not be willing to do, but after my mom gave her the generosity to wait a moment and look to her, not for permission, but to check if she would tolerate it, which she agreed to, did my mother procead.

“You really think it is necessary?” Fluffy wondered, her voice suspicious as well as guarded.

“It looks like Fiery is the one who wants this,” I pointed out. “She is making her presence quite known. That actually brings up the question… “

I focused on my daughter. There was nothing.

“Brings up which question?”

“Nevermind, I was curious if I could feel her now too, like my mom, but I can’t.”

“That would have come in hoofy.”

“Yes, but sadly, it is not meant to be.”

While I was still lost in thought, Fiery and mom approached each other closely and exchanged a series of purring and growling. And as I expected, it was not in a way of a threat or anything like this, it was negotiations.

“Stop hurting opa!” Fiery finally demanded.

“Opa misbehaved,” mom simply said.

“Oma bad! Don’t hurt opa!” she even stomped a claw and waved her tail.

“Opa belongs to oma, oma will decide about him.”

“Our lair!”

“My mate.”

This little banter lasted for a while, in the end, they came to an agreement. When my mom threatened Fiery to not bring opa along anymore, she was far more willing to let my mom handle him. Though, she insisted that she punish opa outside the lair. Both rubbed snouts to seal the deal and my mom let her aura vanish.

It felt kind of weird that I suddenly couldn’t feel her, but well...

Slowly, my dad roze off the ground again, shaking himself like a wet pony. “Been a while since I got hit by it on that level.”

“Been a while since you were that stupid,” my mom said.

“Of course,” my dad hastily nodded, not willing to get another dose. “My fault.”

I was not sure if he really was agreeing here or just wise enough to not speak up.   

“Then you can apologise to Autumn Blaze now,” Fluffy demanded.

My dad threw a quick look at my mom and then did as Fluffy told him. Whatever he saw in my mother's gaze was enough to know that he better obey.

“Apology accepted,” Autumn nodded. “Now can you pick me up again?” She got closer and rubbed her side against him.

“Irresistible dragon charm,” I laughed at how bold and full of forgiveness that kirin was.

“She has the liking for dragons that you have for my fluff” my mate commented, though I was not sure about her tone. I couldn’t tell if she approved or not.

It took a bit more effort to calm the other Do’s though. While Holly had grabbed Soundy and retreated to the next room, Never got a pike from my inventory of adventurer weapons while I was distracted. Can you believe that? He was really going to try to defend his family as I protected mine. Truth be told, his chances were even smaller than mine, but still, it was an audacious action that I approved of.

It took me a moment to convince him to place it back where it belongs. In the end, I explained to him that the guy who had carried it in the first place had not been so lucky when he tried using it on me, and look how I fared against my mother.

Grumbling, he placed it back. And in the meantime, Fluffy had convinced her parents that this was all just dragon culture to a degree that she understands and can handle, even if it looked otherwise. The fact that she was staying calm and even ordering my dad around now more or less proved her point.

So, after a while, things settled down, and like ponies often do, they began to chat like nothing had ever happened. 

Could have turned out worse if you ask me.

 *

“You should be a bit more careful when it comes to my parents,” I said while softly stroking over my mate’s belly. “Everycreature knows you are brave, but you’re carrying a very valuable treasure around with you.”

“Your parents would never hurt me,” Fluffy replied and snuggled against my chest, dragging the blanket tighter around her in the process. “Not least because of this treasure. Your mom even said so herself.”

“My mom is also used to her orders being followed and no one dareing to speak up to her.”

“That is because there’s no one else who has the right to forbid her from seeing her grandchild if she misbehaves.” She gave me a raised eyebrow along with a rub along my throat. “And I am very sure hurting mom would annoy said grandchild, as well as her son.”

“It surely would.” I rubbed my head above hers in return. “Still, I would like it if you were a bit more careful.”

“I can very well hold my ground,” and now her voice became far more seductive along with her hooves wandering above my chest, “I managed to tame a dragon already. Not much of a problem to handle a few more.”

I so very much like it when she gets naughty, and this was where she was trying to drive this conversation. I really needed to talk some sense into her first. So, I stopped her hooves and held her gaze.

“You cute fluffy tricks may work on my dad, I am really sure they do, but my mom is a different story.”

Fluffy snorted.

“If she gets the feeling you are seriously challenging her at some point, she will react. She is a dragoness in addition to everything else. You know how we are when it comes to our pride and territory.”

“Oh yes, I do,” Fluffy replied with a smirk and tried to push me onto my back with her head, purring all the while. “I know exactly how you are in that regard.”

“Fluffy…” I said strict.

“Mh-mhh?” she purred.

“You need to be more careful.”

“Urg!” She flickered her tail and growled, most unhappy that we weren’t doing to do something more naughty yet.

“This is important.”

She kept growling slightly.

“The sooner you agree, the sooner we can do other things,” I suggested and licked along her neck.

“I’m no longer in the mood.”

“Come on, we both know that’s not the case.” A light bite into her neck, followed by a lust filled hiss from her was proof enough. “See?”

“Naughty dragon!”

“Naughty pony.”

“Maybe,” Fluffy hesitantly admitted.

“So?”

“So what?”

“Are you going to be more careful with my parents?”

She stayed silent, so I started to nibble and play with her ear while stroking over her haunches with my tail.

“Arg, fine,” she finally agreed, more than eager to start, “but it is still our lair, and I am the Lady of the Lair!”

“No one doubts that.”

“They better not!” Fluffy insisted before she kissed her most naughty dragon.

*

With a now happily purring Fluffy resting on my belly, the night felt much more comfortable. I let out a satisfied sigh and sunk deeper into the pillows. Nothing better to help one sleep than some good fun time with your mate.

“Feeling quite proud of yourself, huh?” Fluffy lurkingly said with only one eye partially opened.

“Sure do,” I replied with a purr. “And for the last hour you didn’t sound like I shouldn’t be.”

As expected, I got a soft punch in the belly for this.

“It’s true,” I confirmed once again.

“You’re unbelievable,” Fluffy judged.

I just grinned, until Fluffy slowly slid off me and rolled to the side. Of course I growled unhappy.

“With your outstanding ability to satisfy your mate,” Fluffy started, “you should be more than able to fetch us both something to drink from the kitchen.”

My growling became even more unhappy, as well as gaining a hint of defeat. There is no arguing with your pregnant mate when it comes to her comfort or needs.

“Such a good dragon,” my mate cheeky mentioned when I raised.

I, in return, gave her a naughty slap on the flank with my tail tip.

*

While I was on the way to the fridge, I peeked into the living room. Autumn was still curled up on my chair, sleeping peacefully. As a chair sized for a dragon, it was more than big enough for her. 

My gaze wandered over to the couch where Cloudy and Gold had settled in. Well, with my own parents now staying here, we simply didn’t have enough guest rooms for everyone. So the obvious solution was for Holly to get one, since she was pregnant, and my mom to occupy the other, for reasons that should be self-evident.

To my surprise, Cloudy was still awake and watching over a little kirin who had snuck onto her belly with her favorite cuddle-blanket in claw and her stone-plushy wrapped in her tail.

“Your daughter will be furious if she saw you keeping our daughter from bed,” I whispered.

Moving her wing slightly so it was still covering Fiery’s back, she got into a position that was more suited to talk to me. “I am innocent,” she whispered too. “She just snuck out of bed and was on the way over to you two when she spotted me and Gold laying on the couch. It was her choice to climb up onto grandma’s belly.”

The tone of her voice made it clear that she was most happy that Fiery had deemed her worthy to nap on instead of walking all the way to me and Fluffy. Little did she know that Fluffy told Fiery again and again to not sneak into our room at night. She even carried her back if she showed up. 

It was an uphill battle for Fluffy to teach Fiery that though, since she had two unhappy family members trying to convince her otherwise. For dragons, it is natural that the little hatchlings stay in the nest for quite a while longer than pony foals do. So while Fiery made her best little kirin eyes and purred, and I poked Fluffy with my snout in my best attempt to convince her to allow our daughter to stay in our bed most of the time, it did not work.

Not even Fluffy’s argument that she would be in the mood for fun more often with the bed only belonging to us helped her to convince me. Still, with the weeks passing and Fluffy staying persistent about Fiery staying in her own bed, we got used to it. That didn’t mean though that I wouldn’t sneak out of bed on occasion to check on our daughter. Fluffy of course noticed, but she was generous enough to pretend she didn’t.

Actually, this made me wonder if Fiery did this on purpose. She knew mommy would carry her back to bed, but grandma wouldn’t for sure.

Suspicious.  

“I am quite sure my mate will not listen to any explanations or excuses.” I moved a bit nearer and cuddled softly over the back of my daughter with my snout. “She will be mad anyway.”

“Then you better not tell her,” Cloudy said and blinked.

“Not making my mate mad is one of my most important duties,” I agreed. “But if she finds you here like this, with our daughter on your belly, let’s just say I wouldn’t envy being you.”

Cloudy’s gaze wandered back to the adorable heap of cuteness on her belly. “I think that is a risk I am willing to take.”

I smiled and nodded before I turned around to continue my mission to fetch some drinks.

“Black Death?”

I turned my head around once more.

“Could you add a bit of firewood to the fireplace,” Cloudy nodded in the direction of Fiery, “I am quite incapable of moving at the moment.”

“Yes, I can do that.”

And that’s what I did. It had been getting a bit colder the last few hours, likely because of the small storm that had formed outside. I could hear the rain dripping through the holes in the ceiling of the garden when I had been walking to the kitchen. 

After I filled the fireplace with some more wood and sped up the ignition with a bit of my flame breath, I closed the grill and watched it for a moment peacefully. A burning fire always makes me calmer.

With that done, I finally made my way over to the fridge and grabbed two bottles of my good apple juice… as well as an emerald while I was at it. The fruity taste of it was really pleasing to me.

Well, back to snuggling and cuddling in bed with my fluffy, feathered mate.

Or at least that was my plan.

When I opened the door to our bedroom though, I saw Fluffy resting on top of a large pile of pillows and blankets in the form of a nest. And even though she is a pegasus, she doesn’t do that randomly in the middle of the night, so I instantly knew something was off.

“Fluffy?” I placed the bottles on the nightstand and rubbed my mate with my snout.

“Mhhh,” she grumbled, her voice contorted with pain.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” I asked, hecticly rubbing my head against her back, neck, and whatever part of her body I could reach.

“I think…” she grumbled once more, “the baby is kind of impatient.”

“The baby? I thought a pregnancy takes most of the year? You still have a month to go!”

“Tell that to the baby!”

“Hey, you still have to wait a month!” I told her belly.

“That wasn’t meant.... literally,” Fluffy half giggled half sighed.

“But you can’t give birth yet! The midwife isn’t here now, and neither is Daring! You said it’s important to have the best friend around!”

“I know.” She slowly turned around while growling. “I know!”

“Then stop this and wait till they’re here!”

Fluffy grabbed my snout. “If I could… I would!” The look she threw at me convinced me to not push that topic.

“Alright, alright,” I agreed

She let go of my snout.

“Then you have to get up now and walk around,” I decided.

“Are you kidding me?” Fluffy asked annoyed.

“Oh no, I am not. But I remember how it worked last time.”

“Last time was different.”

“Last time you were just as reluctant to get up,” I countered.

“We don’t need to walk around this time,” Fluffy suggested with hope in her voice. But I knew it would be better for her and the child, so I insisted.

“Cruel dragon!” Fluffy commented while I helped her to get out of the nest she had built. “Cruel merciless dragon!”

“Sounds like me,” I agreed and pushed her towards the door. I then roared, waking up everyone in the lair. “We need some help over here! Fluffy decided today would be the day!”

By me mentioning that it was her decision, Fluffy’s gaze wandered to me and I really wished I hadn’t worded it the way I did. I quickly rubbed my head against her back and then supported her with my wing under her belly, making walking easier for her.

*

“Where is that cloud?” I asked with very little patience left. Fluffy was done with her walking around, the amoniac sack had burst and everything was ready, except the cloud was missing!

“They’ll be here any second, it’s just not that easy to get a dry cloud with this storm outside,” Cloudy explained to me. “Gold and Never are doing their best I’m sure.”

I growled and began pacing. The little whimpers of pain from my mate were really causing me to get aggressive. It had gotten to the point Cloudy, who was normally more bold and cheeky around me, was starting to give me some more personal space. The only ones who could approach me now were Fluffy, my mom, and Fiery. I even hissed loudly at my dad when he tried to get near Fluffy to help.

I knew on a logical level that no one here was a threat to Fluffy, but with her little cries of pain, I was more than willing to bite and tear everycreature to pieces who got too close to her. It was even worse than the first time actually. Maybe because Fluffy and I had gotten even closer to each other over the years.

“Big Softy,” Fluffy said, pain warping her voice, “come here,” she raised up a hoof, “before you hurt someone.”

I growled very unhappily, but did as she asked. Rubbing my head against the soft inside of her hoof did well at soothing my temper, but not enough to cause me to calm down.

I looked down at my mate. It had taken us some time to find a good spot that was still dry in the garden where she could not only walk around a bit, but finally lay down until the cloud was ready.

“You’ve seen this… urg... already,” Fluffy reminded me. “You know how it... works, no need to... show the big scary dragon side of… of you here.” As she said those last words, she curled up a bit and bit on her lip.

“Doesn’t make it any easier!” I replied as I waved my tail angrily.

“You are not the… only one thinking that,” Fluffy pressed out. “I share the… opinion. Second time is as hard as the first one!”

“She’ll manage,” the calm voice of my mother found its way into our conversation. “She has proven she can give birth to your offspring already.”

Luckily, my newfound ability to shake off my mother's aura did not extend to the point that I could roar at her whenever I wanted, so I had to be polite to her still.

“You are not helping mom.”

“I am,” she said.

The only thing she had accomplished was that my anger with her now eclipsed my need to hiss at every creature else. Well, maybe that was of some help, but I was not aware of it at the time.

The cry of ‘We found one!’ suddenly reached us from near the entrance of my lair. Gold and Never had returned, dragging a medium-sized white cloud along. When they were nearer, it was clear that they were both utterly soaked, but the cloud was dry.

I approved, and the cloud was quickly placed beneath Fluffy. She proceeded to roll onto her back after getting onto the cloud, causing her to release a relieved sigh.

“Much better,” she decided. “Thanks, Dad, brother.”

“Your welcome,” they said.

“Now could you… get back into the lair. There are things… a mare…” she stopped and exhaled deeply.

“Already on it,” Gold said before both he and Never vanished into the inner lair, probably to help Holly and my dad watch the kids and birds, leaving my mom, Fluffy’s mom, as well as Autumn to help Fluffy. I wasn’t so sure about Autumn at first, but a pair of fireproof hooves may be of use, so Fluffy and I agreed she should stay.

“Now don’t you worry, mom will help you through everything this time,” Cloudy said while she grabbed my mates hoof in an attempt to calm Fluffy down.

“And I will grab my grandchild when it peeks out and will cut the umbilical cord for you,” my mom added.

“No need to,” Cloudy waved off, “ I’ll do that.”

“I insist.”

“And I insist you do not.”

“I will help my grandchild into this world,” my mom made clear. “I will not allow a lesser being to hold it before me unless it is my son or his mate.”

“Lesser being?” now Cloudy raised her voice. “Who do you think you are! It is my daughter who’s giving birth here! I will help of course!”

“Mom! Perle!” Fluffy yelled but both females ignored her and faced each other.

“You are just a pony, while I am an azure dragon. The honor of helping my grandchild will be mine.”

“And where was this honor last time then?” Cloudy pointed out. “Last time the midwife did a very decent job without you even lending a claw!”

Now my mom growled. “The midwife was of no importance.”

“And you think just because you are a dragon you can decide on this now?”

“I do.”

“Than let me tell you you are wrong,” Cloudy snorted and poked my mom in the chest.

She should not have done that.

With a quick slap of her wing, my mom sent Cloudy a good deal through the air and into one of the nearby bushes.

“Perle!” Fluffy shouted enraged. “You can’t treat my mom like this!” She even made an attempt to get up, but my mom and I both quickly laid a claw on her, softly pushing her back.

Now I was able to growl at my mom. Protecting Fluffy did the trick.

“I am an-” my mom started but Fluffy interrupted her harshly.

“Azure dragon, we got it!” she paused just to catch some breath. “That doesn’t give you the right to hit my mom!”

“Your mother poked me first, something I will not tolerate.”

“That is no reason… to slap her! You must... apologize to her!”

Now my mom snorted. “I will not. Your mother misbehaved, it is she who should apologize.”

My mom was obviously right, but that didn’t stop Fluffy from getting angrier about it, and caused me to growl even louder. Shifting Fluffy attention to me for a second.

With a mumbled curse, she quickly grabbed my snout and pulled me in for a quick kiss. “I will handle this,” she said while patting my cheek. “No need to growl or be angry.”

There were more than enough reasons to be angry and growl! But my mate’s strong grip and softness demanded a response. Yes, I could easily break free, but instead, I licked over her muzzle. My mate still had a right to claim my attention.

“You arrogant dragoness!” Cloudy suddenly shouted, and the moment of softness was ruined. “In what gilded carriage did you ride in on!” She had managed to untangle herself from the branches and gallop back to us.

I exchanged a glance with Fluffy. Her kind nature, along with the soft little moment we had, allowed me to come up with a plan which would not include harming her mother but making it clear how things were. It only took a split of a second for Fluffy to understand, and she approved.

So when Cloudy had nearly reached us and was going to release a burst of accusations and insults towards my mom, which would have caused more than just a little trouble, I turned around and bounced at her with a roar.

Of course, it took her completely by surprise. She managed to rise to her hind-legs and raise her hooves in preparation for the impact, but I just pushed her over, pinning her to the ground. And when she tried to say something, I roared straight into her face.

That was actually the first time I’d ever done something like this, so it kind of had an impact on her. More so with me spitting some fire above her head, scorching the grass and slightly singing her mane.

“You will not cause trouble at the birth of my child!” I growled deeply pressing my fangs against her nose. “And you will treat my mother like one of those princesses of yours!”

Cloudy slightly nodded with her eyes wide and full of shock. Good, maybe she will remember that there is still a difference between dragons and ponies, no matter how easy I am going on her because she is my mate’s mother.

“Fluffy is the only pony who can get away with behaving like an equal when it comes to royalty by dragon standarts. Is that clear?”

“Sure is,” Cloudy nodded quickly.

“And you, Perle,” Fluffy added. “You stop your…” she panted a few times, “grandmother rivalry! This is not about… social standing, it… is about who is the… best grandmother!”

This took me by surprise. I mean, my mother stood over such common things like a familial rivalry. I was going to say this when my gaze arrived at my mother.

It was not annoyance that I could see on her face from a senseless accusation, but guilt!

“Mooooomm…”.

The guilt only increased.

“Tell me that this isn’t true, Mom.” I stood up and let go of Cloudy. “You didn’t play the azure card on Cloudy just to get rid of her as a rival, did you?”

“Would you believe me if I were to say no?” my mom asked.

“No, I wouldn’t,” I replied. For perhaps the first time in my life, it was me who looked at my mother with displeasure while it was her who felt uncomfortable. She held my gaze though, as she was still a high ranking dragon, but I saw the touch of guilt in her face.

Luckily for her, at that moment, a very heavy blow struck Fluffy, making everything else unimportant.

“I guess… it is… time now!” Fluffy managed to squeak out as she curled up as much as she could for a moment.

“It’s alright, Danger,” Cloudy said before rushing to her side to hold her hoof. “Just keep pushing.”

“What do you think I am doing!” Fluffy screamed. Her other hoof looked like it needed something to grab onto, so I offered my tail like last time. This left my mom in the position she wanted, so that she could help her second grandchild into the world. Sure, Autumn could have done it too, but she was not going to challenge my mom.

“Just keep breathing and pushing, Danger,” Cloudy said once more and placed her second hoof under Fluffy’s head to support her.

And Fluffy did, oh how she did! The wonder of ponies giving birth astonished me as much as it had the first time I had seen it. With anticipation, I stood there, watching, waiting for our child to be born.

And then it happened.

Tiny black claws could suddenly be seen after one of the blows.

So we would be having another kirin, I thought. But, soon the head followed, and it was…

...a dragons head!

My second child was a dragon! A little black dragon hatch, uhm, bornling! I was so proud and amazed!

Though… he, it was a boy this time, had ears like his mother! And he would have this belly button since he was born and not hatched. But it didn’t matter! I had a dragon son!

“A healthy little dragon,” my mom said and softly grabbed him when he was nearly entirely out, cutting the umbilical cord in addition. “You have given birth to a little black dragon with some pony traits, Lady of the Lair. My congratulations.” She then clawed the little one over to me.

I purred like a crazy dragon, loud and long. My joy was indescribable. When my son finally opened his eyes and looked for the source of the purring… I think I got a little bit dizzy.

“Steady there, Big Softy,” Fluffy weakly said. “I would prefer it if I won’t have to stand up right now to rip off every scale on your body because you dropped our son.”

I shook my head slightly and focused back on the moment. Like it happened with Fiery, I exchanged a very special purr with my son. A real dad and son moment.

Though my mate made it very clear that she wanted to hold him too eventually. So with this happy smile still on my muzzle, I was going to claw him over so he could bury himself in her fluff, when another heavy blow hit Fluffy all of a sudden.

“What’s going on?” I asked, worried following another blow. “This didn’t happen the last time!”

“Seems there is another bun in the oven,” Cloudy proclaimed cherefully. “So same procedure as before, Danger.” She did her best to support her daughter and steady her grip on her neck and hoof.

“Again?” Fluffy’s voice was near panic now. “I don’t know if… urg!”

“Stop talking and keep pushing,” her mom ordered. “There is no turning back now!”

“What do you mean? Another bun?” I was confused as well as shocked.

“Your mate is about to give birth to another child that was growing in her belly,” my mom explained.

“You mean, like she had two eggs in the nest at once?”

“Yes, that is a fitting comparison.”

Now I was really close to fainting for real, but my mom held me with her wing.

“You will be needed,” she simply said, adding a bit of her azure presence to it. It sure helped to steady me again.

“What shall I do?” I asked.

“Just hold your son for the time being, and hold his twin as soon as they come out.”

Easier said than done, since this time Fluffy had far more trouble at giving birth. Her already sweaty fluff and mane became really wet as she screamed louder and louder with every passing minute.

If I wouldn’t have had my son in my claw, I probably would have growled and shredded a lot of trees and stones. This way however, I had to keep calm and hold my son. In hindsight, maybe this was the best way to calm down an unsettled dragon dad when his mate gives birth.

So while Fluffy struggled, we simply watched and kept her company as best as we could, hoping for the second child to finally be born. It wasn’t much, but we did our best.

This time however, it took Fluffy nearly half an hour until things finally progressed. And when it finally happened, she was at the limit of her strength.

“You have to keep pushing, Danger!” Cloudy told her daughter. “Keep pushing, don’t stop now!”

“I… “ Fluffy was utterly exhausted, “I… am… trying…”

“You’ve nearly done it, just a little bit more.” Cloudy tried to sound as optimistic as she could.

And then it was time, again today.

“There are the hooves,” my mom said encouragely. “You are doing good so far, now push out the rest.”

Easier said than done.

Fluffy pressed harder and harder, till, with a loud, painful neigh, it was done.

A little orange pegasus colt fell into my mother's claws while Fluffy sunk back into her cloud.

“You have to give him a little tap on the flank, Perle,” Cloudy advised.

“What good would that do?” My mother asked, doubtfully.

“To support the breathing, it is part of the procedure.”

My mom looked over to me, then back to my pony son. “Better you do that, son,” she decided and held him up for me.

But it turned out it wasn’t necessary. Not soon after my mom raised him up, he started screaming as loud as he could, causing my dragon son to cry as well.

To say I was a bit overwhelmed by the situation was an understatement.

“Here, take him,” my mom said and clawed him over.

I did as she said, and, for a moment, he stopped crying, and his eyes slightly opened, revealing two sparkling blue irises, the same colour as Fiery and his brother’s eyes.

He looked at me, and I looked at him. I wasn’t sure if I would have one… but there it was, my special purr for my second son. Even though he was a pony, I still had a special purr for him.

A second passed, then another.

Then, he purred back. And a weight was lifted off my heart. I was really worried for a moment there.

I rocked them in my arms for a little bit, till, satisfied, I decided it was now time for my mate to hold them too. I walked over and presented the two little beings to her.

“Your son’s,” I said proudly, before giving her a kiss. “Well done my little pegasi.”

Fluffy stretched out a hoof, softly petting her son’s heads, and allowing them to smell her. Then, with a little motherly purr, she lured them into her fluff.

I was worried they would fight over it, but instead, they snuggled up with each other. They seemed to know that they were related, or at least that's what I thought I saw.

“You have to name them,” Cloudy said with this happy smile that everyone here was probably wearing.

“I think…” Fluffy started, but then suddenly broke off. Her face became pale and she sank back, powerless.

“Fluffy,” I shouted and grabbed her head. “Fluffy what is wrong?”

She didn’t answer, instead, she began shaking.

Cloudy quickly grabbed the kids and I sat Fluffy straight up.

“Fluffy!” I shouted once more, grabbing her tighter. “Fluffy!”

But my mate didn’t answer me.

“What is this, what is happening?” I shouted at Cloudy.

“I don’t know!”

The kids started to cry again.

“Mom,” I turned my head around, “Mom, what do I do?”

“I do not know either, I have no first claw experience with the procedure of giving birth,” she almost sounded worried herself.

Fluffy shook more heavily.

“We have to do something!” I yelled.

My mom roared out for the rest of the family to come to our aid. She then turned to Autumn. “Go get her some cold water, and a bottle of something strong, like wake the dead kind of strong!”

“Will do,” Autumn nodded and ran towards the inner lair. She vanished inside a moment before everyone else rushed out.

“What’s happening?” Gold asked at once when he arrived.

“Something is wrong with Danger,” his wife fearfully said and clung to his side.

“What can we do?” he asked, far more calm than I could ever be in this situation.

Only problem was that no one knew. The midwife was not here, and no pony present or dragon or even kirin had any experience in the field of medicine for a mother who gave birth.

Helpless, I watched Fluffy shaking in my claws.

“Don’t scare me like that!” I pleaded her. “You can’t scare me like that!”

Obviously, she could.

“Mommy?” Now Fiery had poked her nose above the cloud Fluffy was resting on and noticed my worry.

I really didn’t have the ability to answer.

Fiery jumped on the cloud and sniffed at her mom. She was well aware something was wrong.

“Mommy?” she asked again, fear was now mixed into her voice.

Someone tried to grab her and put her off the cloud, I didn’t realize who it was, but she fended them off.

“Mommy!” she now half yelled and rubbed her nose against her.

“Mommy… mommy is sick, Fiery,” I said. “Mommy needs help!”

“Daddy help!”

A tear formed in my eye. “I don’t know how!” My gaze turned to my mom. “Mom do something!”

“I can’t.” She came closer and laid a wing around me. “I don’t know what to do either.”  

Fluffy suddenly stopped shaking and relaxed in my grip. At first I thought it was a good sign, but then I realised she wasn’t breathing anymore.

“Fluffy!” My voice echoed through all the lair. “Fluffy!”

Now Never appeared at my side. He laid his claws, I mean his hooves, on his sisters throat. “No pulse,” he said and Cloudy began to sobb. “Don’t you dare Danger!” he yelled at her and jumped on the cloud standing above her now.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Making sure she breathes,” he said quickly, grabbed Fluffy’s head and pressed his lips on hers, blowing air into her lungs. “Resuscitation…” he said, his voice clipped as he began pushing Fluffy’s chest rhythmically, “learnt… in first...aid course, for… Holly’s childbirth.”

Whatever he was doing, it didn’t work!

“Come on, sis!”

Still no reaction.

Suddenly, a light glow appeared. It was Fiery’s cutie mark, the golden four leaf clover. It glowed stronger and stronger till…

Fortuna, the goddess of luck, suddenly stood next to the cloud.

“Seems my godchild needs me,” she said, looking down at Fiery.

“Mommy sick!” Fiery explained.

“You must help her!” I demanded. I didn’t care that my daughter had summoned the goddess of luck, or how this was possible, but I was going to take every straw that was offered to me.

Fortuna took a long look at Fluffy. It was clear to me that she understood what was going on, though, the conclusion to which she came did not seem to be good.

And I was right on this assumption.

“There is nothing I can do for her,” Fortuna said.

“You have to!” I screamed. “You are a goddess, of course you can do something!”

Fortuna sighed. “I am not allowed to.”

“What do you mean you are not allowed to?” I asked desperately. “You are a goddess, who could forbid you from helping!”

“I told you we are bound to rules,” she simply said. “I am sorry.”

“Auntie help!” Now Fiery placed her little claws on Fortuna’s leg. “Help mommy!”

“What rule is preventing you from helping my son’s mate,” my mom asked, politely, but something darker lingered in her voice. It was clear that she spoke not only as my mother, but as an azure dragon. I really had no clue how the hierarchy was between azure and self declared god’s, but whatever my mom thought about it gave her confidence to approach Fortuna this way.

“I can’t just bring some mortal back from the verge of death, it is not allowed.” Fortuna looked at my mom. “You know it would bring the balance of the world to an end if we randomly do that.”

“It is not random, she is your godchild's mother,” my mom mentioned.

“That does not change a thing.”

“And you said they both have to play a role in the great game.”

Now Fortuna hesitated.

“You brought them together for the greater plan, you are responsible for their well being,” my mom added.

“It was this one,” Fortuna pointed at Fluffy, “who asked for more than what the plan had provided for her. It is on her to pay the price.”

“You were the one who made this possible,” I yelled at her, “you are responsible, I know it!”

And it was true, it was Fortuna’s doing which allowed us to have kids at all. That means if…  something were to happen to Fluffy, it would be her fault!

“I know,” the goddess answered, regret in her voice, “but your mate knew the natural risk of giving birth.”

“That can’t be your last word about this,” I yelled, as well as pleaded. “You must do something for her!”

“It doesn’t lay within the purview of my powers, nor would I be allowed to even if it was.” Fortuna denied. “If I help some random mortal I like, other god’s would do the same, the world would be driven into anarchy.”

“But you are part of the family! You are our daughter’s godmother!” I countered.

“Neither dragons nor ponies culture consider Godmothers as family members. I am sorry.” Fortuna answered.

Now it was on me to burst into tears and despair. I couldn’t stand to lose Fluffy! I didn’t even care that every creature saw me crying and sobbing, my dragon’s pride was of no importance anymore.

An azure blue wing wrapped tightly around me in an effort to provide some comfort. My mom didn’t say that this was exactly what she had warned me about, it wasn’t necessary. I knew all too well.

“But Kirins do!” Suddenly Autumn’s voice broke into my mourning.

I looked up, a spark of hope in my eyes. I hadn’t even realized she had come back yet.

“Kirins consider the godmother as part of the family!” Autumn said once more. “And as I was told, you are Fiery’s godmother, so you are part of her family, including Flu.. Danger Do as well.”

The little kirin shrinked under everyone's spontaneous attention.

“Is that the truth?” my mother asked intensely. “Do you tell the truth, Autumn Blaze, do kirin do that?”

“Uhm, yes…” Autumn said a bit shy now.

“Dann ist sie eine der Deinen!” my mother spoke in old draconic for whatever reason now. It was clear she addressed Fortuna though. And she continued to do so, but I translate it for you.


“Ein Mitglied deiner Sippe,


“Letting a member of your kinship group,


 deiner Familie sterben zu lassen,


your family die,


 ohne zu helfen,


without helping,


 ist ein verbrechen selbst für die Götter!


that is a felony, even for the gods!


 Lässt du sie sterben,


If you let her die,


 klage ich dich höchstpersönlich im Rat der Götter an.


 then I accuse you myself on the court of gods.


 Stellvertretend für meines Sohnes Gefährtin!”


Representative for my son’s mate!”


Fortunas answer was cutting like glass.


 “I lasse mir nicht gerne drohen!”


“I don’t like to be threatened!”


“It is not a threat,” my mom said, “it is a promise.” She raised her wing from me and stepped closer to Fortuna. “This one,” she nodded at Fluffy, “is one of my family. Mother of my grandchildren. She has the right to claim my protection.”

Fortuna took a long moment to think about this. “It still lays out of my power, but I know who can help.”

My gaze hung on her lips, there was hope for Fluffy!

“But a price will have to be paid,” she ended.

“Whatever it is, I will pay it if you save Fluffy.” I busted out.

“We will see about that,” Fortuna said mysteriously before then stepping back. Her gaze trailed off for a moment, then she asked into the air. “Charon, are you there, could you come here for a moment?”

For a moment, nothing happened.

“For you my dear, everytime,” a new, cold and dusty voice arose from the garden. When I looked over, there stood a skeletal dragon. Not one of these from the horror books or old stories, but a clean, pale skeleton, lacking any remaining flesh. It even had all its teeth, so other than it being nothing but bone, it looked perfectly fine.

Still, most of the ponies jumped back in fear, and even Fiery hissed at this new guest before hiding behind Fortuna.

“Oh, no need for this marvelous welcome,” the skeleton, Charon, said. “It is my pleasure, really.” He looked back at Fortuna. “What is it that the old Charon can do for you?”

“This one,” she looked at Fluffy, “is on the verge of death.”

“Oh really?” Charon came closer. “you may be right on that,” he added with a nod.

“You shall heal her for me, push her back into the realm of the living.”

Charon laughed. “That must be a joke! Aww old Tuny, always good for a joke indeed.” He wiped away an imaginary tear from his skull.

“I am serious, she… belongs to.. den meinen,” she explained, the last words in draconic since there was no fitting word in the modern languages for it.

Now Charon’s gaze turned serious. That is, as serious as a skull could get.

“You are telling me, this mortal… you… “ he trailed off.

“Indeed.”

“Aww Tuny, what have you gotten yourself into this time?” He managed to smirk. “I can see Aphrodite running into something like this, but you?”

“I am her child’s godmother,” Fortuna made clear.

“Ahh, yes, mhhh, I heard rumours about this. Oh well. A little romance with a mortal would have been more interesting, but well.” He rubbed his claws together, making a sound like sandpaper. “To business then. You know there is a price to pay.”

“I do, what do you want?”

Charon stroked over his chin a few times, giving the scene a closer look.

“Yes, mhh, yes, I think I know something,” he finally decided. “I shall push a beloved one back into the realm of the living, so I demand something beloved as well in return.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, impatient and full of sorrow for my mate. “What do you want from me?”

“Very simple, mortal,” he opened his claws in a humble gesture before interlocking them behind his back. “Give me something you value as much as your mate in return for her life. Maybe one of your children, perhaps?”

I stared at him with an open jaw. What he demanded was unthinkable.

“No!” I yelled. “You can’t demand one of our children!” Quickly I ordered Fiery to my side, away from Fortuna and this other god.

“I can give you something else, my gold, my artifacts, I can even sacrifice some creature else! I can fly out there and grab you a dozen griffons, or manticors if you wish! But none of my family!”

“I don’t want your gold, you simply like to have it, but do not love it. Same goes with your artifacts. They don't really matter for you.”

“What about some real treasures from the Roof of the World?” my mom threw in.

“This is not your bargain, Perle des hohen Berges,” Charon denied. “It has to be something that he values. It is he who is pleading for her life.”

My mind spun hecticly, my lair, my treasures, all my wealth, there was simply nothing nearly as beloved as my mate, except my children, and I would not give them to him at any cost.

I tried to bargain with him, I begged him to accept something else, but he refused. And a look at Fortuna told me she already had done what she could.

In the end, when all hopes were nearly gone, it was Fiery who saved the day. While I was not paying attention, she had snuck into the inner lair and retrieved an item that she beloved. No it was not Grünchen, it was her orange fabric stone. She approached Charon and offered it to him.

“This? In exchange for the life of your mother?” He took the dragon version of a plushy and began turning it around, inspecting it. “The beloved toy of a child, yes. Yes, this will do,” he decided finally. “We have a deal.”

Before I could even believe what I had just witnessed, he stepped over to Fluffy and whispered something into her ear.

A second later, she started coughing and rolled on her side.

“Fluffy!” I did not know how often I had screamed her name today, but it was a lot. Though, I was not the only one who approached her now. Nearly all of us stormed at her and checked on her well being.

I had to use my wings and claws to make some room for her and ensure I and Fiery were the first ones to purr and rub against her.

“Never! Never do that again!” I scolded her, unable to find the right words to express my joy that she was alive. I picked her up and cuddled her tightly.

“Shh shh,” she patted my back and tried to calm me down, before she wiped away some of my tears. “You don’t think I would leave you behind, do you?”

But her cheekines couldn’t fool me this time. I knew she was as emotional as myself at the moment.

I used my wings to hold everyone else back for a moment longer. “You scared me,” I whispered into her ear. “I was so worried I’d lose you!”

She nestled into my embrace.

“I love you,” I half whispered, half muffled in my sobbing.

“I love you too,” she whispered back and wrapped her wings around me and Fiery as best as she could.

*

From there, everyone seemed to break down into tears and hugs. We had nearly lost a mate, a mother, a daughter, a sister, or even a daughter in law. We were all very happy to have Fluffy back.

Still, there were things to do.

*

“Thank you, Fortuna,” I said and hugged her. I do not know if she liked it or not, but she allowed it. “You helped to save my mate, I will not forget this.”

“There might come the time I will need your help in return,” she said.

I nodded. “I will see what I can do in due time.” Normally I would have said she could count on me, but my mother taught me better than that when it comes to mighty beings.

“Yes, you will.” She waited till I let go of her and then moved over to Fiery. “And you my little one, we are family now.” She patted Fiery’s head. “That means I will have an even closer eye on you from now on.” She gave Fiery one of her fortune cookies, the special ones that really worked!

Fiery purred in return. She had summoned her godmother, and she had not only come, but really helped. She had every right to be proud of herself.

But there was another kirin who played a big role today, one whose presence here made it so that Fortuna could even help in the first place. And I would never forget this either.

“Autumn Blaze,” I asked loudly, and when she came closer, I exchanged a last ensuring look with Fluffy. “Autumn Blaze, you helped to save my mate today!”

“Oh it was nothing, really, I…”

“Silence!” I shouted at her, and she went really quiet. “Today, you have earned not only my gratitude and that of my mate, but… also, we decided to honour you with another task.”

Autumn tilted her head. “Honour me with a task? I don’t quite understand… “

I lifted up my dragon son with my mouth and carried him over to her, placing him careful in her forelegs. “This is my son, Nightflame.” I had decided on this name with Fluffy of course. I was to name him, while she was to name our other son. “He is one of our most valuable treasures! And it will be your duty, as his godmother, to help us raise him properly!”

“I…” Autumn stottered, “I… I am… godmother… of a dragon…” she began hyperventilating as she began to sway unsteadily on her hooves. “I will be... the godmother,  the godmother!  Of a black dragon! Me… !”

“Hmm-hm,” I nodded with a smile, amused by how overwhelmed she was. “You will be his godmother, and this you can make known to all the kirins you know.”

She fainted. Not without wrapping her hooves protectively around my son, so he landed on her soft belly.

I heard Fluffy giggle at this. “Seems that was a bit too much, even for her.”

“Indeed,” I picked up my son, “dad, could you…?`”

“Of course,” my dad said and picked Autumn up, carrying her into the inner lair.

“And what will be the name of my third grandchild’?” Cloudy asked, cradling the little one back and forth in her arms.

“Kindling Glow Do,” Fluffy said. After she had gifted me with three kids, it was only fair if this one official carried her family name. It also very much pleased my fluffy parents-in-law.

I placed Nightflame back into the little basket we had for him, and as soon as I did, his sister climbed into it and started to nest on him, purring sisterly. 

It kind of surprised me a bit how quickly and deeply these three were connected, but given who their mom was, it shouldn’t have. In fact, the twins were nearly inseparable, and cried if they were too far away from each other, and Fiery, well Fiery was very protective about them.

That was after they had growled and hissed a bit at each other to make clear who was the dominant out of the three. For now it was Fiery, but when Nightflame grows up, this might change.

Speaking of her protective instinct, actually it was Daring, Fluffy’s cousin, who got a good taste of that later. When she approached the little ones without me or Fluffy directly next to the nest, Fiery made her first death threat hiss and even spit fire at her.

I was so proud!

But that is another story, for now, everything was as it should be. My mom and Cloudy had buried their rivalry, Never and Holly would be leaving soon to prepare for their own childbirth, and Autumn would also be returning home eventually.

That was, after I told her about a little idea I had for her first.

So life was good for the time being.

Except, now I would have to learn what it is like to raise a pony foal. Not an easy task if you ask me.

***

And now, you know all my family members. Oh, no, there is still one worth telling you about!

After all the troubles were over and everything was calmer, my mom told my dad: “Time to go home now.”

“But,” my dad was actually bold enough to question my mom’s will on this matter, “our grandchildren, they were just born.”

“Indeed, and I have decided that it is time for me to lay another egg myself, so they can grow up with their cousins,” my mom said.

“Another egg?” my dad wondered, then smiled. He knew what this meant, and his will to stay vanished like a cookie thrown between my three kids when they were older. “Then we really should hurry!”

“I thought so,” my mom said, smirking no less than my dad. 

“Dragons!” Fluffy laughed, “just do what you have to outside the lair!”

And after a quick goodby and collecting their stuff, off my parents went. Resulting in me gaining a little sister, an azure dragon, who thinks she is the centre of the world, but that’s quite normal for azure’s, don’t you think?

Anyhow, back to the story. 

You’ve now heard a lot of the troubles and events that accompanied my and Fluffies first few years as a couple and as parents. It was not always easy, nor was it always fun, but, it was always worth it. 

My old life as a greedy dragon, the fright from Tailtip mountain, The Black Death, had come to an end more or less. But my life as dad, as husband, had only started. Yes, soon after these events, Fluffy and I married. It was a nice ceremony, half dragonlike, half ponylike. Even my mom approved, and that was something hard to archive. Me having a fluffy mate eventually grew on her.

So, what else? Well, Holly gave birth to a little colt, and a few years later, one more. They come over every now and then, as well as us occasionally visiting them. Cloudy and Gold also finally found more time to see their grandchildren, so Cloudy didn’t complain that much anymore.

And when it came to schools and kindergartens, well, I found a solution to that too! Fluffy was more than happy about this. It ensured our kids would have a proper education, even though interacting with other kids was not always easy for them. My mom even lent a claw in this and taught them old draconic form time to time.

And last but not least, the god’s. While Fortuna dropped by more often now, and on Fluffy’s birthday, on her request, she brought along Charon. He was not the kind of guy for friendship and stuff, but Fluffy really insisted he should come, and he liked her cookies enough to do so. Pony nature really was a strange thing sometimes.

Anyhow, that should be enough of my family for now, maybe I’ll tell you about Shakirin-La the next time. You didn’t think it was off the table, right? Remember what Fortuna, as well as my mom had said, we play a role in the grand scheme of things.

Shakirin-La would trouble us at some point in the future for sure...