Chapter Sixty-Four: Deception

The dragon gazed upon the moon-kissed mare, silently admiring her beauty. The hundreds of tiny orange glows from the fireflies dancing around them only made her appearance even more appealing. Bringing a hand to stroke her soft cheek, he lifted his head to touch his nose to her forehead.

"You're so beautiful…"

Blushing, Fluttershy tilted her head back to gaze into Smokey's eyes. His sea green pools shone with a deep, almost sorrowful light - one she desperately wished she could ease. Leaning into his caress, she smiled warmly.

"You're so sweet. You've been so sweet to me and Chenoa… I…" Tears began to fill her eyes. "I'm not worthy!"

"Miss Fluttershy, I am not the one who is worthy," he stated, continuing to stroke her cheek tenderly with a loving expression. "You're so amazing… Kind… Sweet… A wonderful mother."

The pegasus' grin grew even wider as she snuggled into his chest.

"You don't give yourself enough credit," she said, sliding closer to his head so that their noses were only a couple of inches apart. "You're handsome, you're strong, you're… the most selfless person I've ever known. I'm… so very lucky to have gotten to know you."

Smokey's heart melted and he gave a sighing purr, pressing his nose to hers to rub them together.

"You are too kind to me…"

Giggling, her heart swelling, Fluttershy closed her eyes halfway as she stared into his own. Feeling light and blissful, the beams from the moon and the fireflies reflecting off the water and illuminating his face brought her such contentment. She felt as she could stay out here and float with him for hours.

Spurned on by a sudden yearning, she closed her eyes completely and tilted her head to bring her lips closer to his…

Feeling that same desire, Smokey shut his own eyes and slowly moved his head forth to meet her…

"HEY! There you are!" came the voice of Rainbow Dash, startling Smokey and snapping him out of his transfixed state.

"Eeeek!" Fluttershy squealed, also snapping out of her stupor. She had been so surprised she had rolled right off of Smokey, splashing into the water. Floundering for a second, she burst through the surface, flailing a little more before coiling her forelegs around his arm.

"Rainbow Dash!" she gasped. "What… You scared me!"

"Sorry, Fluttershy, but everypony's worried. Twilight told me why everypony was freaking out."

The cyan pegasus offered a look of sympathy to the dragon, hovering closer.

"We're okay now," said Smokey, feeling a little irritated that they had been interrupted.

Fluttershy sighed.

"What are we supposed to do, Rainbow Dash? We can't show Smokey in Ponyville, and we can't use the disguise anymore! I don't think we'll be able to get away with that again…"

"No worries! I'm sure we'll think of something." The prism-maned pony beamed. "So, was I interrupting anything?"

"N-no!"

The dragon blushed immensely. While he wanted to say she had indeed bothered them, but he was too polite and embarrassed to do so.

"N… n-no. No, you weren't interrupting anything," Fluttershy stated, then turned to Smokey. "Um… Well… should we… should we go back to the cottage? I can pick up Chenoa from the Cakes on the way…"

"Yes… I will meet you there. I need to get this tape off of me."

Pulling himself forward, he swam to shore with Fluttershy. As she let go of him, he smiled sweetly to her then transferred his attention to Rainbow Dash.

"Thank you for your concern, Miss Dash."

"No problem. Say, I'm gonna head back and tell the others you're okay."

The yellow mare extended her wings and flapped them a few times to shake the water from them, and flapped a couple of meters into the air. Nodding at her fellow pegasi, she dispensed her thanks and, with a quick nuzzle to Smokey, fluttered off towards town.

Fluttershy smiled as she reached over to pour Smokey another cup of hot tea. They were located outside her cottage, seated in the comfort of two lounge chairs resting across from each other with a small wooden table between them. It was warm, barely a cloud in the sky and the breeze was just perfect. Though the mare had dropped by Sugarcube Corner to pick up Chenoa the prior evening, the chick simply had too much fun with her new friends to want to leave, so she brought her back to the establishment earlier that morning.

Pinkie Pie had been more than happy to take on a third playmate while watching over Pumpkin and Pound, and when Fluttershy left, the pink pony entertained them with a game of "Where's Pinkie Pie?"

"… It's quite nice, just the two of us here," Fluttershy spoke, breaking the tranquil silence. She hadn't said much of anything - she didn't feel she needed to. Just being with Smokey, spending time with him like this, was enough to make her content. She felt far happier with him present than she ever did when it was just her and her animals.

"Yes… You know… I really, really enjoy being with you," the dragon proclaimed somewhat bashfully, a pink blush saturating his cheeks. Rooting his elbow to the table as he put down his tea, he propped his arm to hold up his head as he stared at the mare across from him with affectionate, half-lidded eyes.

She paused, her eyes closing a fraction. Releasing a soft sigh, a couple of locks of her mane fell over her face and dangled over one of her eyes. Also setting down her tea and propping her head against a hoof, she shyly, yet deliberately, slid her other hoof across the surface of the table to his other hand.

"I really enjoy being with you, too," she said. "I don't think I've ever had so much fun, or just… just…" A lapse. "I don't think I've ever been happier in my life."

She was ecstatic Smokey decided to stay. She didn't know how she would have reacted had he left. Her heart had threatened to break that night…

"I… made you happier? Are you sure that wasn't just from Chenoa?" he inquired, a wide grin adorning his countenance.

Fluttershy nodded.

"Having Chenoa enter into my life was one of the best things to ever happen to me. But, Smokey, if it weren't for you, I'd have drowned at the bottom of that well. You did more than just save my life that day - you've been an incredible, invaluable companion to me and a wonderful father to Chenoa. My… my life just wouldn't be the same without you!"

The winged reptile felt his heart soar at Fluttershy's words. Emitting an adoring purr, he reached over to place his hand on her hoof.

"You've been an invaluable companion to me as well."

Blushing, the pony wrapped her pastern around his hand. Swinging her head lightly to throw her hair out of her face, she sighed when all it did was cause her entire forelock to fall over half of her facial features, obscuring it.

Another pause elapsed, and she stared over the dragon's shoulder, spying someone familiar walking towards them.

Following Fluttershy's line of vision, Smokey swung his head around to see what had caught her eyes. He found Pendulum making his way up the path leading to the property with a guilty expression.

"Good day, you two. 'oow are you doing?" he asked as he approached the dragon from behind and placed a gentle hoof on his shoulder.

"Um… Great, actually," Smokey replied.

"We're doing well," Fluttershy agreed, arching her brows in concern and befuddlement. "What brings you here, Pendulum?"

"I want to apooloogize foor what 'appened at the party," he relayed, withdrawing his hoof from the dragon to readjust the collar of his coat. He then slid it into the coat to pull out a bag of bits. "Buy yourselves soome extra coostumes to replace the oone my guests ruined."

The draconic creature was rather surprised at the stallion's generosity.

"Well… thank you, sir, but… you really didn't have to."

"But I wanted to," he insisted.

"That…" the pegasus began, stunned herself. "Thank you, Pendulum! … Would you care to join us?" she offered, removing herself from her chair. "I'll go grab another chair and make us more tea."

A wide berth spread itself across Pendulum's muzzle and he nodded.

"I would be delighted to! Thank you!"

Fluttershy nodded once, picking up the nearly empty tea kettle by the handle into her mouth and headed inside.

Once the mare was inside, Pendulum took a cursory glance at the area encompassing them to make sure no one else was around. Turning back to the semi-confused dragon, his horn lit up, a stream of dark yellow magic spouting from the tip and streaking to the reptilian's head. The results caused the scaly being's mind to dissolve into a state of stupor, his eyes crossing and his jaw dropping open with a strand of saliva dripping from his mouth.

"Doon't woorry, my friend. You woon't remember a thing," the stallion mused to himself as he reached into the inner pockets of his coat to retrieve a pocket knife. Sitting on his rump, he lifted his other hoof to quickly create rips in the sleeve in the pattern of Smokey's front teeth.

Once that was finished, he put away the pocket knife and fished out three small vials of blood. Spreading the red liquid from two of the vials over his pastern in the vicinity of the rips, he then used the final one on the dragon's jaws. Slipping the empty vials back into his coat, he conjured a golden pocket watch with his magic and swung it back and forth in front of Smokey's face. The dragon's eyes followed the swinging movements, drawing into a hypnotic state.

"This will oonly last a coouple oof minutes," Pendulum began. "Then you will wake up and becoome the savage beast you were meant to be."

Watch disappearing, Smokey awoke from his brain-dead trance, his catlike pupils shifting to paper thin slits and his irises changing into a fierce fiery orange. Snarling and baring his gleaming white fangs at the pony before him, he pounced.

Having the dragon right where he wanted him, Pendulum opened his mouth and shouted as loud as his voice would allow.

"'ELP! SOOMPOONY 'ELP ME!"

In the kitchen, Fluttershy was currently humming to herself. The kettle whistled to signify the hot water's completion to hot temperature, and the mare reached to turn the stove off. Grabbing the handle with her teeth, she picked it up and transferred it to the teapot and tray on her back that held an extra cup, saucer, and tea bags. As she turned around to exit, her ears picked up the screaming.

She jumped, so shocked that she dropped the tray - the tray, the mug, and teapot bursting and spilling scalding water everywhere. Ignoring the flecks of searing water on her coat, she immediately zipped out the front door - gasping in sheer horror at the scene before her.

Pendulum made it look like a struggle, utilizing his hooves to beat off Smokey's striking hands and magic to prevent him from actually biting. After a pair of minutes elapsed, the dragon got off the pony, staggering about dizzily. His eyes reverting to their natural color and shape and his viciousness fading, he touched a hand to his head with a groan.

"Ugh… What happened?"

Fluttershy was absolutely horrified. Could he…? No.

"Smokey?" she gasped, uncertain of what to even think. From a glance, it appeared as if Smokey had taken a significant bite out of Pendulum, but… no, he couldn't have! He would even harm a fly!

Finally detecting a coppery taste in his mouth and something cold and wet slide down his chin, he brought his index finger to the substance in his mouth. Holding it up to eye level to inspect it, his heart began to race once he realized what it was.

"… I-is… that… b-blood?" he whimpered.

"Yes, it is…"

Pendulum nodded, rolling up off his back to sit on his haunches. With his "good" hoof, he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a handkerchief to give to the reptilian.

Not accepting the proffered cloth just yet, the dragon's eyes focused intently on the blood coating the stallion's pastern and the tears on his sleeve. They looked exactly like something his teeth were capable of creating.

"I… I didn't…!"

"I'm afraid you did, Smookey," the orange-maned equine said with solemnity gracing his features.

"N-no! I… I d-don't even remember doing it!" he wavered, suddenly clutching his stomach as he was hit with a wave of nausea. "I feel sick…"

Fluttershy was hyperventilating, too shocked to be able to say anything or move at first. Part of her was still waging a mental war with herself - part of her wanted to check on Smokey, but she knew deep down he couldn't have done this.

Pendulum seemed to be the most in need of assistance, and she was at his side the next moment.

"Are you going to be okay, Pendulum?" she asked, reaching out to inspect his foreleg. "Quick, we should get you inside - I'm not a doctor, but I've got plenty of first-aid…"

"Noonoonoo. I 'ave a dooctoor back at my train."

Pendulum instantly wrenched his foreleg away. Setting the handkerchief between his teeth, he hobbled over to Smokey to offer it again.

Accepting it with a quick "thank you", Smokey wiped the blood off his lower jaw.

Fluttershy looked a bit confused and arched a brow.

"Really, it's no trouble," she insisted, following him. "What if it gets infected? And that wound looks really bad. I'd rather apply SOMETHING until we can get you to a physician…"

She extended her hoof to his foreleg again, managing to touch him right on top of the bloodied tears.

"I'll leave then…" Turning around, Pendulum began limping off into the direction from where he came. After taking a few steps, he stopped and glanced over his shoulder at Fluttershy and Smokey. "You do knoow what 'appens to creatures that attack poonies, right? The authoorities will 'ave to knoow aboout this."

Smokey swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. Clenching the soiled handkerchief in his trembling fist, he felt a heavy dread descend upon him. Almost everyone knew that anything that harms a pony was taken away to be destroyed.