If anyone wishes to support me, please consider subscribing to my Patreon.

Before I get caught up on the main event of yesterday, I should mention events that happened a week earlier. The Best Young Fliers competition rolled around again and Rainbow Dash was eager for me to join along. Now, I still remember what happened last year and how I ended up wishing that I went with them. But just to psych her out, I denied her request and saw her off with my friends in that hot air balloon. But as soon as they had taken off, I hurried on up to Canterlot to retrieve my winged armor and took off for Cloudsdale to beat them there. I just wanted to surprise them.

Needless to say, Rainbow was utterly delighted that I decided to come along when I met up with them shortly before their arrival. She even tried to get me to try out the obstacle course at the stadium so she could have me try out in the competition as a last minute entry. Unfortunately, while I am confident in my flying skills by this point, I simply was too large and cumbersome compared to the smaller nimbler pegasi contestants. My wingspan was too great and I kept clipping and colliding with everything I was supposed to fly around. Rainbow Dash was definitely disappointed that I could not join her in the competition, but she was very understanding about it.

I watched the whole thing unfold in the spectator seats and was especially surprised to see all three of the royal sisters show up to watch. Not surprisingly, Rainbow Dash put on her best show just for me and came out on top. That earned herself the top prize. A day with the Wonderbolts. Although immediately after the closing ceremonies, she pulled some strings with Spitfire to get me to tag along as well for a few hours at their favorite sports bar. The rest of the squadron were all too happy to have me along. Those guys are some of my best customers from out of town and Spitfire was eager to catch up with me as my former flight mentor. It was a good time for everyone involved.

Now that I got that out of the way, time for what I really want to chronicle here.

I woke up alone to find that Fluttershy had left me a note on the bed. She was insisting on giving me the day to myself. And for good reason. I had something to look forward to that evening. My bachelor party was being held at Shining Armor's house.

Fluttershy and the rest of our friends had already attended her bachelorette party, which was for ladies only. And like that morning, I left her alone for most of the day to have one more day all to herself and her mare friends. It sounded like they all had a good time too. Hopefully mine would be just as fun.

I washed up, got dressed, and went downstairs to check on Scootaloo. As it turned out, even she was absent from the house. What time even was it? 9:30 AM? That was a bit late for me to be getting downstairs. Regardless, I could appreciate the quiet and solitude for a day. I mixed myself up an omelet with a pancake on the side and put some music on to break the silence.

Before long, I stepped back out into the living room and then into the brand new nursery towards the back. It was still empty and devoid of furniture, but the walls were painted in a way that depicted vast flowering meadows. I do suspect Gladesong will develop something of a green thumb. At least if she had thumbs.

Staring at my surroundings filled me with a complex mix of emotions. Excitement. Uneasiness. Fear. Pride. I was on the verge of becoming a father. Fluttershy will likely give birth in less than two months. And while her pregnancy had been unexpected, we had done all we could to prepare and plan for it. We certainly were confident by that point, but I was still worried. I had witnessed firsthand what an unplanned pregnancy and the resulting parenthood is like when the parents are woefully unprepared for it. Would the same happen to me? That was my greatest fear. I did not want to make the mistakes my brother did. All I could do was push the thought into the back of my mind and hope for the best. Everything would be OK in the end. Hopefully.

Knowing I had until the late afternoon, I took a walk outside once I was done with my breakfast. It seemed Fluttershy had gotten her morning routine finished up early since none of the animals hanging around the cottage seemed to be waiting for her to feed them. I soon looped around to the back to check on the chickens. I cannot really start my day without seeing those adorable clucking hens. However, when I got to the back, they were nowhere to be seen.

I cocked my head to one side as I pondered why they were not out in the pen. Fluttershy even left a layer of chicken feed out in it. But as I beheld the empty pen, I got a case of deja vu. This had happened before. And only a few weeks ago at that. Did the hens have a guest?

Intensely curious, I briskly walked over to the pen and peered into the coop. Sure enough, all of the hens were roosting. And in the far corner and curled up into a ball, there she was. The same dragon child that I encountered on the morning of Hearts and Hooves Day. She was sleeping soundly, making me reluctant to wake her.

I was actually quite relieved to see her again. Seeing her fly off into the Everfree Forest had left me concerned for her safety, but she looked just fine to me. Although I was curious as to why she came back when she was convinced she was not welcome on my property. She had such a melancholy air about her last time too...

I felt compelled to give this wayward kid a warm awakening, so I hurried back inside and fried up another omelet. I am unsure of what a dragon's diet consists of, but they seem to be extremely omnivorous if the stuff I have seen Spike eat is of any indication. They can probably eat and digest anything that is edible. I threw in a little bit of everything I could find in the fridge for maximum nutritional coverage and carried the plate with a fork in my hand back out to the coop. I pushed the plate and its accompanying utensil inside and backed away, waiting for the dragon girl to awaken.

It did not take long. I sat on one of the pen's posts as I heard a familiar voice from within the coop. "Mm... Erf... Something smells tasty... Huh?"

I heard the faint clinking of ceramic against the wooden floor of the coop. I expected to hear my guest say something, but heard nothing. Instead, it sounded like she was going to town on that omelet. She was likely famished and eager for some real cooking. Eventually, I heard a loud sigh of satisfaction before the scratching of her claws approached the coop's entrance as she pushed the plate out to set it aside before crawling out herself.

I leaned forward a bit as the dragon child stood up and stretched with her wings spreading wide. Still undetected, I decided to greet her. "How was it?"

Her eyes shot open as she froze with arms outstretched. When her bright blue eyes glanced at me with the rest of her body frozen stiff, I just waved at her. I do not think she was ever expecting to see me again. Her beautiful blue eyes glanced down at the plate before glancing back at me. She then asked softly, "You made that...?"

"Yeah. How was it?" I asked with a sense of satisfaction coming over me. I knew she enjoyed it and was waiting for her evaluation.

She just stood there, gazing at the ground as her body relaxed with her stretching having ceased. She seemed to be at a loss for words. Was she just not used to civilized cuisine? Eventually, she did finally speak without even looking at me. "It was good..."

I did not press her for greater detail. I could still remember how despondent she was at our first encounter. "Glad you liked it. I wasn't sure what you like, so I threw in a little of everything."

"Thanks..." She muttered before climbing atop the coop and lying on her back with her arms behind her head. Her wings spread out as she began to sunbathe with a very conflicted look on her face.

I soon retrieved the plate and was tempted to leave the dragon child alone, but felt very concerned for her. She was nowhere near as dismissive as last time. Instead, she seemed confused. Then again, so was I. Why did she come back?

I just looked at her for a moment before finding the will to speak. "I didn't think you'd come back. What changed your mind?"

She hesitated for a few seconds before speaking while still directing her gaze to the summer sky. "You didn't chase me off, so I thought maybe it was safe to try this place again for the night."

It sounded like she was generally unwelcome in all prior establishments she had trespassed on. She must have expected me to chase her off my property like all the other times. I decided to not comment on this so as to not bring up unpleasant memories, so I changed direction. "I never got your name."

"Why do you want to know?" She asked in return as her tone continued to carry a monotone while she seemed to become slightly defensive.

I decided to give her the best answer I could on top of making an offer. "Well, if I know who you are, I'd be more willing to let you hang out on my property whenever you want."

She fell silent for a moment while she never once looked back at me. But I soon got a response. "Smolder..."

"Smolder, is it?" I replied before stepping closer until I was looking down at her while her eyes gazed up at me. "OK then. You're welcome to visit at your leisure, Miss Smolder."

She did not seem all that excited at the offer. Although she soon muttered, "You didn't tell me your name."

"James." I replied briskly while casting her a smile. I then stepped away as the chickens started to emerge from the coop. I watched as they went right to the chicken feed spread on the ground and started pecking away. I was briefly distracted by a sound behind me and glanced back to see Smolder roll over onto her front while resting her chin on her arm. I thought she was watching the chickens, but no. Her attention was focused entirely on me with a look of intense curiosity. It was more or less the same look I had given her when we first met. After a minute or so of being on the receiving end of that stare, I finally got curious enough to ask. "What's with that protracted stare?"

Smolder just continued to look at me for a few seconds longer before she asked a most unexpected question. "Um... Did your kind go extinct a long time ago?"

She was definitely starting to open up. Although I was still bewildered by her apparently knowing what I was despite that not being possible. Unless she interacted with someone who knows me, which was nigh impossible if she was as isolated as she had been up to that point. "Extinct? I really don't get where you would get that idea. You don't even know what I am."

Much to my surprise, she displayed a snide smirk as her despondent attitude faded for the time being. "Well, yeah. I've never actually seen your kind. But I've heard stories from dragons who were around back then. And you look just like what I was told. Human, right?"

I stared in disbelief. It never occurred to me that a dragon's lifespan could be that vast. Vast enough for some to have been around centuries ago to actually witness the presence of Equestria's human population. "Um... Wow, there were some around back then? How old can dragons get?"

Smolder's eyes rolled back and forth in her head as she seemed to contemplate an answer. "Good question. All I know is that the oldest dragon's I've met are more than 2000 years old. They've seen a lot, even if they weren't that involved themselves."

I have only heard bits and pieces about the humans who came before me long before my arrival. I decided to try and get more information out of my guest. "Well... If that's the case, what have you heard?"

Looking and sounding much more stimulated, Smolder looked right at me as she started to tell the tale. "Well, from what I know, they had a whole empire waaaaay out east from here. You can't find it anymore though. The wilderness just sort of took it all back over time. I don't think anyone really saw what happened, but one day, all you humans just up and disappeared. What did you do back then to make that happen? Must've been pretty messed up."

I decided to feign ignorance and keep what little knowledge I had to myself. Celestia would not appreciate me telling others what she entrusted me with until the time is right. "News to me. I have no connection with those who came before. I'm not even from this world."

"Huh? Not from around here? Guess that makes two of us." Smolder replied while apparently missing my point. She seemed to assume that I meant I am not from that region rather than not being native to this planet, but I saw no need to elaborate for the moment. "Still... Wow. There's still one human left after all. Cool."

"Yeah... Cool." I muttered while taking a seat on a post with plate in hand. She seemed a lot happier now that she had someone to talk to. Even moreso now that she thought she had someone she could relate to. But as the moments went by, I noticed her starting to slip back into a more despondent mood. Noticing the shift in mood, I looked over at her. "You OK?"

"I dunno..." Smolder muttered as she slouched on her belly while gazing at nothing in particular. "It's been a really long time since someone was nice to me..."

I thought back to how distant she had been at our first encounter. As if she was deliberately keeping me at arm's length with a cold exterior. But now, she seemed very uncertain about where she stood. I think she sincerely wanted to lower her guard, but experience taught her otherwise. I asked quietly, "You don't trust others easily, do you?"

"I had nothing but trust for my folks before they threw me out of home because of tradition. It's not easy to shake that off." She replied bluntly without even looking at me. What a toxic environment to be born into. No wonder dragons were never integrated into Equestria's society. They sound downright barbaric. Even Smolder seemed to have become disillusioned to the ways of her own species.

I felt compelled to comfort the dragon child. And so I stepped over to her and reached out to her. But as my hand reached for her shoulder, she coldly muttered, "Don't touch me."

My hand immediately jerked back at the warning. I did not want to anger her while she was having a bad moment. So I just stood by the coop with her lying beside me, eyes watching the chickens. Still, I wanted to help in some way. She was hurt and not at all a bad person. She wanted to be happy and I had seen a glimmer of her true personality just minutes earlier. She deserved better. She did not deserve to be living out there on her own, fighting to survive day by day just because she had nowhere to call home and no one to call friend.

With some caution, I set my hand down beside her head and turned it over with my palm facing up. Smolder blinked slowly before glancing at it out of the corner of her eye. "What...?"

"I want to help you." I replied quietly while beckoning her with my hand. I said nothing else, just letting the silent gesture do the speaking for me. I was hoping she would take hold of me to establish emotional contact. She was the first girl I had met in a long time who had hands like me, so it was something that only she could do.

Smolder very cautiously looked up at me and back to my hand before looking away and repeating the process several times. Eventually, she finally began to move her hand towards mine. It felt like she was not going to do it and I even resigned my expectations to her not going through with it on the first time. But she surprised me. The dragon girl placed her hand upon mine and curled her fingers over the back of my palm, her smooth scales pressing against my skin. I responded by closing my fingers over her hand, securely clasping it in my own grasp.

I just stood there for a moment. Offering no words and waiting for her to feel at ease in the act of holding one's hand. Her gaze remained exclusively focused upon our hands as it was probably the first time she had held hands with anyone. As I was about to speak, she surprised me again. Her other hand reached over and took hold, clasping my hand between each of hers. At first, I thought this was just getting awkward as she seemed to be completely ignorant to the context of such a gesture and was just getting too curious. But I instead felt a corner of my heart melt as she held my hand to her cheek with her eyes closed. A whisper came from her lips. "So warm..."

"And you feel so cool..." I replied as I noticed her scales seemed cooler than my own skin despite feeling nothing but warmth every time I have ever touched Spike. I knew it was because of her emotional isolation. She was afraid of opening up to someone. And now that barrier was beginning to collapse.

"Please... Don't make me regret this..." She whispered again as a single tear was squeezed out of her eyelids. She wanted to trust me. She was desperate. And so I brought her into my embrace by placing my other hand on the back of her head and pulling her face into my chest. I said nothing, letting her bask in my warmth and trying to let her know without words that I would not harm or abandon her if she would just give me that chance.

Smolder shuddered harshly in my embrace as one hand released our clasping hands and was placed upon my chest. A ragged breath hissed from her jaws. Despite coming from a more barbaric culture, she really was just a lonely lost little girl looking for a place to belong underneath those cool scales. Seeing that she really was just upset and not really knowing how to process the surge of relief going through her, I decided to try and make her feel more at home. "Come on... Let's get you inside."

"Mmhm..." She mumbled as I took her into my arms. She kept her wings tightly folded against her back as I cradled her in my embrace, her hands clinging to my shirt while nestling her face against my chest. I carried her around to the front of the house and ducked through the doorway as her eyes never once opened. I then took a seat on the sofa with the dragon girl in my arms, barely resisting the urge to rock her to sleep. I had to be careful with the placement of my left arm as I found that the long horns growing out of the sides of the bottom of her skull were quite hard and probably relatively sharp at the tips.

Her eyes began to open lazily as I felt Smolder become quite relaxed in my arms. Her eyes soon glanced around at the ceiling above before her gaze fell upon my face as I looked down at her. "Feeling OK?"

"I guess..." She mumbled while being reluctant to wiggle out of my arms. She just laid their in my arms for a good while without saying a word. I was expecting her to at least say something, but she seemed reluctant to speak. And she seldom looked away from me. I found the stare to be awkward and avoided looking at her for too long, but I could see out of the corner of my eye that she never once averted her gaze. Those beautiful blue dragon eyes never really stopped gazing at me. On a whim, I adjusted my grip to place one hand upon her upper arm. In response, she crossed her other arm over her chest to bring her hand to mine.

I had forgotten what a pleasant feeling it is to just hold hands with someone in such a calm situation. I finally looked down at Smolder as she gazed up at me, seeing her hand resting over my fingers. "Do I make you feel relaxed?"

"I don't know... I just don't..." Smolder muttered while she finally turned her head sideways to gaze towards the door. I could see where her gaze was directed. Was she considering just up and leaving?

"Hey... Don't feel like you have to leave right away. You're welcome in my home." I said softly to try and convince her to stay a while longer. She really had a pleasant, if not melancholy presence to her.

"If you say so..." Smolder mumbled as her eyes turned to the floor. She seemed so...lost. So unsure of both everything around her and even herself. Was she afraid that she was becoming a burden to me, even if we had really only known each other for maybe an hour? Being chased off the properties of so many other people around the continent on top of being dumped by her parents must have really ingrained a sense of being unwanted in the poor girl's heart.

As I considered this, I adjusted my grip on Smolder as I lied on my back and nestled her head under my chin. "I'm serious. I don't want you to feel unwelcome. I'm enjoying having you here."

Smolder fell silent outside my field of vision, but I felt her tense up as if she was struggling to not cry. Her quivering voice only confirmed my suspicions. "Stop it... You're gonna make me cry..."

"Cry if you must. I won't think any less of you for it." I whispered gently to her as my hand stroked down her smooth back and the scales that lined it. She must have taken my words to heart because she almost immediately clung tightly to me as her body shuddered with anguished sobs. I brought my hand to her head, stroking my fingers over her scalp while keeping my palm where it was. Just what did she go through since leaving home?

Over the course of a couple of minutes, Smolder's weeping steadily became lacking in volume until it just turned into quiet sniffling. My shirt was soaked in her tears, but I hardly minded. She needed that. I tilted my chin down to look at her, soon seeing the dragon girl lift her head to look at me with very tired eyes. I whispered to her while managing to smile, wanting to reassure her that I was enjoying her company. "Feeling better?"

"I... I guess so..." Smolder mumbled while looking like she was ready for a nap. She seemed to be fighting the urge since she only just woke up less than an hour ago.

I was at a loss of what to do for a moment. Once again, Smolder could not take her eyes off of me as if she found something comforting about my gaze. I forced myself to sit up with my back to the staircase behind me, but Smolder remained firmly against my chest as if afraid to let go. However, I noticed something on the shelves carved out of the staircase behind me. A bowl with several small diamonds in them. I think Rarity gave them to Fluttershy to use as a decoration piece. While I probably should not have, I know Rarity always has a steady supply of the stuff and I can always ask her for more. And so I reached for the bowl and lifted a diamond out of it. "Say... I know you just had breakfast, but... Want a snack?"

Smolder's eyes lit up like never before as she gazed at the red six-sided gemstone held between my fingers. "Diamonds... Oh, those are the best... Please!"

Not surprised that she had a taste for gemstones in the same manner Spike does, I brought the shiny red gem to Smolder's lips. She gratefully took it into her waiting jaws and began to chew with very loud crunches one would expect from cracking glass. "Mmm... Oh man, it's been too long since I last had some of these..."

My draconic guest soon rolled over with her head right under my chin while being very careful to not rake me with her horns. One by one, I fed her the shimmering gemstones of various sizes and shapes while she loudly crunched them in her jaws of unparalleled strength. How did the sharp jagged shards not reduce her mouth to a bloody mess? She must have some very tough flesh in there. That, or the gemstones are broken up into very even fragments before being swallowed.

That thought got me thinking for a moment. Once I had fed her the last of the gems, I felt the need to bring up something I had never considered until that point. "Hey. Uh... How exactly does one digest gemstones anyway?"

Once Smolder swallowed that last gem, she replied rather nonchalantly. "How? By incinerating it. It gets hot in a dragon's stomach."

"Wait... Seriously? Your gut is basically an incinerator? Then... How does it...come out when reduced to charred bits of carbon?" I replied while trying to not think too hard about how unpleasant it must be to pass charcoal.

"Actually... It doesn't. It comes out like this." Smolder said before breathing a plume of smoke from her nostrils. It really did not smell all that different from the smoke one would get off of a barbeque pit and eventually dissipated, although I still had to fan it away from us. "I think that was my dinner from last night..."

"So... Everything you eat is reduced to smoke and soot and belched back out... Wait, does that mean a dragon's fire comes from the stomach too?" I asked in return as I recalled how often fire is involved with Spike's belches.

"Yep. All that fire comes from the gut. But we still need to exhale to do it, so when I do this..." Smolder replied before inhaling deeply and unleashing a small sustained gout of flame from her mouth. I was left awestruck by the plume of fire. It was a beautiful shade of blue not entirely unlike the hue of her eyes. She was being very mindful to not let it reach the ceiling, although I was still very apprehensive over it setting fire to the house. It soon faded as Smolder took a long breath afterwards. "So yeah. Dragon fire is a combination of a burp and a breath. Although I guess they can come from just a burp if I don't see it coming."

"Huh... That explains why Spike always breathes fire when he belches." I mumbled to myself while trying to not let Smolder hear me. I was unsure if it was a good time to let her know there was another dragon child nearby. I was not even really sure on where we stood with each other at the time. "Anyway... Uh... Don't do that indoors again, please. I'd hate to have my house burned down."

"Gotcha." Smolder replied briefly before falling quiet on my chest. She just seemed to gaze at the ceiling while I set aside the empty bowl and crossed my arms over her to keep her secured. She responded by crossing her arms over her chest with her hands resting upon my arms.

She was being very clingy. If she was not looking at me, she was holding onto me. If not holding my hand, her eyes were looking into mine. I was unsure of what to even think of this young girl I barely even knew, but she was very precious and I felt compelled to make her comfortable. Finally, I broke the silence and asked, "How are you feeling? Any better?"

Smolder stayed silent as she continued to just gaze at the ceiling. At least for several seconds. "I don't know... I have no idea what to think of all this. Of this place. Of all you're doing for me. And especially you."

"Well, we only just really met. It's OK to not have a solid conclusion on what you think or feel about something like that." I retorted while not moving much myself. It must have been a very alien experience to go from being a wandering vagabond without a family to suddenly being welcomed into the home of a complete stranger. "So... What now, Smolder?"

"I still can't get over how weird it is hearing my own name again... It's like someone actually cares about me." She mumbled, once more drifting into a melancholy tone of voice. It really was not easy keeping her distracted from those memories of parental abandonment and solitude.

"Well... I care about you." I whispered back gently with my chin resting upon her head.

"I know... And I really appreciate that." Smolder muttered while squirming a bit to find a more comfortable position. "I don't know what it is about you... I feel like I can trust you with anything."

I did not say anything for a few minutes as I allowed Smolder to just relax in silence for a time. But as my bare hands and arms rubbed against her scales, I noticed the feel of a grimy or grainy buildup in some spots. When was the last time she properly bathed? And even then, it was probably restricted to the occasional dip in a river or pond. "Well... You want to wash up while you're here?"

Smolder turned her head to look back at me while being mindful of her horns. "Wash up? I did that a few days ago."

"A few days? Yeah, you need a shower. Come on, I'll help you wash up." I said while rising to a sitting position.

Smolder did not seem to like the idea of being forced into anything she was not familiar with. "Whoa, hold on! Is it really not enough to splash around in a river once a week?"

"If you just don't have time for it, maybe. But it'll be much better if you bathe at least once a day. And with soap too." I explained as I rose to my feet while Smolder remained seated on the sofa. "Trust me, I think you'll really enjoy it."

"Well... I guess I'm up for anything new as long as it's nice." She mumbled in reply before hopping down from the sofa. Her hand immediately reached for mine, which I noticed and took into my grasp without a second thought. I led my guest upstairs and into the bathroom. It was by that point that Smolder gazed around at her surrounding's and asked, "Is this a pony's house...?"

"Yeah. Fluttershy owns this place. Why?" I replied while locking the door out of habit for some privacy.

"Uh... No reason." I heard Smolder grumble before I looked back at her. She seemed rather disdainful and uncomfortable at that revelation, but she at least did not say anything else and I chose to not press her for answers.

It did not take long for me to get the water going while Smolder examined the bathtub. I did not want to give her a bad first encounter with indoor plumbing by having her get doused in cold water. Soon, steam rose from the tub as the water became heated. Smolder reached out and let the water fall upon her palm. "Hey... That's actually warm. And it feels good."

"Go ahead and take a seat in it. It'll only get better." I said as she seemed to become more open to the idea of a good hot shower. Smolder did as I requested and sat down in the tub, letting out a long sigh of delight as she let the water fall on her. All the falling water slid right off her smooth scales.

"Wow, this feels a lot better than taking a dip in a waterfall at dawn." Smolder said with a sigh. She closed her eyes and bowed her head, just letting the falling water splash all over her while I adjusted the shower curtains to minimize spilling.

"Well, you won't get completely clean with just water. You'll need something more." I explained before looking over the bathroom supplies nearby. I dismissed the soap since it would likely leave a white film over her scales and the shampoo was useless due to lack of hair. And so I felt the shower gel would be the best choice. I reached for the bottle and the sponge on a stick before soaking the sponge and turning the water off.

"Huh? Hey, what gives?! I was just getting into that!" The dragon child spoke up in protest before giving me a frustrated scowl.

"Easy there. I'll turn it back on in a minute. Just need to get you acquainted with this stuff first without the water washing it all down the drain." I said as I poured some of the gel into the sponge. "This stuff will get you completely clean and even make you smell good. Just lather the sponge up with this stuff and rub it all over. Just don't get it in your eyes. That'll sting. And don't eat it either. I swear it doesn't taste as good at it smells."

Smolder leaned forward and took a few sniffs of the sponge before grabbing its handle. "Yeah, that does smell nice. Like a meadow of flowers."

She was quick to figure out how to use it. Smolder stood up and started scrubbing the sponge all over herself while looking like she was really enjoying it. I was unsure of what to think as I observed. It is not like reptiles have much to show, but I kept telling myself it was just to supervise someone with no grasp of civilized living. Pretty soon, she dropped the sponge while covered in varying layers of soapy lather with her hands reaching around blindly. "OK, now what? You said to not open my eyes, right? How do I get it off?"

"By letting the water do its job." I replied as I reached past her and turned the shower back on. She seemed slightly startled by the hiss of the pipes and the splattering of water on her body, but soon calmed down as it began to rinse the lather off. Smolder rubbed her fingers over her eyelids to make certain there was no trace of the slick gel left before opening her eyes and rubbing her hands all over herself to assist in the rinsing. She seemed to be just about done as I asked, "I think that's all that was needed. How do you feel?"

"How? Well..." Smolder muttered before turning off the shower herself. She stood there in the tub with water dripping off her body as she looked herself over. "I gotta say... I feel cleaner than I've ever felt before. Really refreshing! What have I been missing all this time? Although... I guess I feel a bit cool now..."

"Yeah, being wet makes things feel a bit drafty. Wrap yourself in this until you're dry." I replied before passing her a towel. I knew it would not take long to dry off with her scales not absorbing the moisture, but I still wanted her to be comfortable.

Smolder lifted her leg to step over the edge of the tub with the towel wrapped all around her little body. She seemed to be barely any taller than three feet. "I could really get used to this... You ponies really know how to live... I mean humans. Since this is a pony's house and you're a human..."

"Hey, it's cool. I know what you mean." I retorted as my hand rubbed over her round smooth head reflexively. I quickly realized I may have pet her against her will, but Smolder seemed to enjoy the gesture as she turned her head to let my hand move all around her skull.

I followed Smolder out into the bedroom and watched as she dropped the towel and jumped backwards onto the bed before putting her arms behind her head. "Heh, I had a hunch this is soft. What is it?"

"That's a bed. You sleep on it." I replied while finding it amusingly awkward that I was having to introduce her to the absolute basics of modern living.

"You sleep on these?!" Smolder asked with a look of amazement. She started rolling all over the bed, trying out all sorts of positions like a kid bouncing on a trampoline. "Wow, this is so comfy... Why can't we get stuff like this back home?"

I was tempted to ask about life in dragon society, what little there is, but wanted to avoid a topic that would bring up bad memories. I could tell she had no desire to revisit where she came from and I only wanted her to feel happy. "Yeah, I'm sure it beats sleeping on the ground."

While I watched Smolder marvel and examine everything around the room, I looked at the nearest clock sitting above the fireplace. It was getting close to 10 AM. Perhaps it would be a good time to start to make my way up to Canterlot for the party. I was about to speak to Smolder, but then noticed her looking through my most recent journal entry. She was flipping through the pages too quickly to actually be reading anything and just put the pages back together before setting them back in the chest where she had gotten them. Probably not much of an intellectual, but that is to be expected of a wandering vagabond.

Seeing an opportunity to get her attention, I spoke up. "Say... I need to be somewhere today. If it's all right with you, I should probably get going."

Smolder immediately glanced at me with a look of disappointment in her eyes. "Huh? You...have to leave?"

"Yeah, at least until tonight. It's a pretty big day for me too, so I'd hate to miss it." I explained, hoping she would understand.

"Oh... Right..." Smolder mumbled while looking genuinely disheartened. She looked away while resting her hand on the bedpost against the wall for a moment. I was unsure of what to say. She looked upset. Smolder soon looked my way again and asked, "You sure you can't stay a bit longer? Maybe a half hour?"

I was actually surprised someone like her knew how to track the passage of time. Still, I was hesitant to leave my new friend alone just yet. "Sure... Thirty more minutes."

Smolder's eyes brightened a bit while a slight smile spread across her maw. "Thanks... I really don't wanna be a bother, but..."

"No need to apologize. I don't want to leave you alone either." I said while stepping forward. I held out my hand since I knew she likes to hold it, but was surprised when Smolder reached out and held me in a firm embrace with her eyes closed. I was left at a loss of what to say. I expected her to mutter a short statement or words of thanks, but Smolder just remained silent. All I could do was rest my hand on the back of her head, thumb rubbing along the spines going down the middle. "So... What now?"

"I dunno..." I heard her mutter against my belly. We just stood there for a few minutes, wasting time while just enjoying each other's company. I could not bring myself to pry Smolder off of me. I was her host and I wanted her to be comfortable. Eventually, Smolder did pull away with one hand grasping mine. She gazed up at me with a look of unease, as if she knew our time together would be short. "Here... I want to do this."

I said nothing as she lead me to the bed. She lied down on it while I did the same. Just relaxing by each other with our gazes turned to the ceiling and our hands clasped together. We said nothing for a good minute or two before I tried to break the silence. "So... How've you been enjoying yourself today?"

Smolder let out a long sigh as she seemed to try to find the right words. "It's been great... Maybe one of the best mornings I've had in years."

"And...?" I asked again in the hopes of getting more input. Maybe I was just being selfish, but I really wanted to know how well I was doing in cheering her up.

"And... I... I don't know... I...really don't know what to think about all of this... And I hate that I don't know what to think." She mumbled while just sounding so despondent all over again. "I just...don't want this to end."

"It won't end if you don't want it to." I said while tightening my grasp on her hand. "If you come by every day, it'll always be just like today. I'll make sure you stay happy here."

"And I really want to believe you." Smolder muttered as her own grasp tightened against mine. "I feel like I just don't understand anything anymore. Just when I thought I know how the world really works, I found you. And...you're nothing like everything else I've gone through."

"I won't ask for the details." I said as I tried to avoid digging up bad memories.

"Yeah, you shouldn't... Life out there, going from place to place just trying to survive... It's not fun." She mumbled glumly as she rolled onto her side and draped her spare arm across my chest. Smolder tilted her head forward to rest her forehead against my shoulder without saying a word.

I said nothing as I allowed my guest to quietly rest beside me. My hand never released hers. I really was unsure of what to think. I did not get the kind of surrogate daughter or little sister feeling I always get from Scootaloo despite their vague similarities. I doubt Smolder would even be keen on the idea of being adopted due to her being as independent as she is. All I knew was that I just wanted her to be happy.

Still, knowing that she had been without a loving family, I decided to at least bring up the subject. "You know... I could adopt you."

"Don't..." Smolder muttered as her beautiful blue eyes glanced up at me. "I've already been there. I don't need a new father. I don't even want one."

"Then...what do you want?" I asked in return while not being surprised at all by her rebuttal.

"I don't know... I really don't..." Smolder mumbled while sounding genuinely confused. It was as if her entire reality was being broken down.

I tried to give her the best advice I could think of. "Then... Don't worry about not knowing. Just take it all like some...sort of adventure. Just go on ahead without a plan and see what you find. If you don't know, all you can do is proceed and learn."

"Huh... That makes sense. I'll try that, I guess..." Smolder muttered while sounding a bit more relieved. She then clung to me a bit more tightly as she said, "I guess I'm just not used to all this hospitality. It's...nice having someone looking out for you."

"That's what friends do." I said softly as a calm smile spread across Smolder's lips. Her eyes closed, but the smile soon faded as well. I decided to just let Smolder rest while keeping an eye on the clock nearby. Twenty minutes to go.

I did not want to stay on the bed for the rest of Smolder's visit, so I sat up while bringing the dragon child up with me. She protested quietly as she said, "What's up? Time to go?"

"No, not yet. Just don't want to stay up here for the rest of my stay." I replied as I stood up while taking Smolder into my arms. She held onto me as I carried her carefully down the stairs as if she was my own child. I soon set her back down on the sofa in the living room and asked, "You want another snack? I have time to make you a sandwich."

"I dunno... That stuff from earlier was good and those gems filled me up too... But sure, I'd love to try something new." Smolder said while not looking particularly hungry. Still, I am sure her curiosity was driving her to taste new foods in spite of her lack of hunger.

"Sure thing. I'll be just a bit." I replied before going over to the phonograph and turning it on. One of Fluttershy's relaxation albums began to play while Smolder seemed surprised by the melody filling the air. She peered over the side of the sofa and watched the record spin while I went into the kitchen. I went to work putting together a little sandwich on wheat bread, putting slices of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and some grated cheese together before drizzling honey mustard on top. I came back out with sandwich in hand to find Smolder trying on Scootaloo's helmet. She must have not taken her scooter today. "Hm... Looks good on you."

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Was just looking around." Smolder replied as she hastily removed the helmet and chucked it back into Scootaloo's room and onto her bed. She then returned to her seat on the sofa and held out her hands for the sandwich. "So... What's all this?"

"It's a sandwich. A food of two slices of bread holding the contents between them. I put in some cheese, tomato, lettuce, cucumber, and topped it off with honey mustard." I explained while Smolder just looked up at me.

"And I have no idea what any of that is." Smolder retorted while letting out a laugh at her own ignorance. Still, she seemed eager to learn. With that, she took a bite and immediately seemed to like what she was tasting. "Mm! I like the crunch!"

I watched with my arms crossed, delighted to see the lonely little vagabond so thoroughly enjoying herself. She was so taken with her snack that she did not even notice the white dove suddenly perch upon her head. Once she had finished consuming her new snack, Smolder let out a loud sigh before falling back on the sofa and patting her belly. "Wow, that was good eating. Wish I found out about this stuff a long ti... Huh?"

"Heh, someone wants to say hello." I said as the dove adjusted her position to the point of now looking down at Smolder from her forehead. "That's Angela. And I think she's very interested in you."

Angela let out a loud coo while Smolder just stared up at her in awkward silence. "Huh... Most birds would just fly away from me. I guess she likes me?"

"Well, she's a domesticated dove. And most animals around settlements in Equestria are quite accustomed to interacting with people, so they're hardly shy." I replied before Angela fluttered over to my hand. She reached out and preened my cheek when I reached out to her for a kiss.

Angela soon flew off for a little outdoor exploration while I took a seat by Smolder. She immediately sat up and leaned into me while the phonograph continued to play nearby. I reflexively put my arm around her shoulder and asked "How're you feeling so far?"

Her response was quiet and to the point while letting out a long sigh, her eyes closing shut. "Happy..."

"You really look it too." I spoke while placing a kiss upon the top of her head. This caused Smolder's eyes to shoot open at what was likely a new experience for her. I took note of her look of shock and asked, "What? Something wrong?"

"What...did you just do?" Smolder asked as she turned her gaze up to me. She did not seem offended or afraid, but she did seem very confused.

"That? It was a kiss. A display of sincere affection." I explained while minding my behavior. I did not want to scare my new friend.

"Oh..." Smolder mumbled while she looked away for a moment. She then glanced back at me and asked, "So... Does that mean you...like me?"

That situation certainly got awkward in a hurry. I was unsure of how to even respond to that at first. Mildly flustered, I replied with a question of my own. "Well... Do you like me?"

Smolder blushed heavily, probably having never developed any real emotional attachment to anyone after being forced to leave home. With some hesitation, her hand gently grasped mine while she leaned against me. "Yeah... I do... Like...a lot."

I let out a long yet happy sigh of my own. I was already developing a fondness for that dragon girl. I put my arm around her shoulder and whispered, "I like you too."

My words definitely hit a sweet spot. Smolder let out a delighted giggle as she clung to me with her wings even wrapping around me the best they could. Probably the dragon equivalent of a bear hug. That was probably the happiest she had been in a long time. I just responded by caressing her head with a finger or two.

Of course, we could not stay seated on that sofa forever. I eventually asked, "So, what now? We still have some time."

"I dunno..." Smolder replied without sounding any less delighted. Although her next response made me feel rather warm inside. "I just want to stick with you."

"Me...? Um... Why?" I asked while feeling a bit flustered. It felt like Smolder may have been experiencing her first teenage crush, which was nothing short of awkward for someone who was more than likely twice her age.

Her response was brief, but heartfelt. "Because you make me happy."

"I'm...uh...glad for that." I mumbled while at a loss of how to really respond. Trying to find an activity for us to both enjoy, my eyes turned towards the front door. "Hey, I'm in the mood to let my feet soak in the brook out front. How about you?"

"Sounds good to me." Smolder said while still clinging to me. There was just no getting her off me. I had to turn off the phonograph and walk outside with that girl holding onto me as if she was afraid to let go. I still managed to waddle on down to the stream in front of the house where Smolder finally let go of me. She stepped forward and gazed down at the shallow water as it slowly flowed by with her own reflection gazing back from the rippling surface. "Nice. I didn't know rivers could get this shallow."

"River's don't get this small. Most call them streams or brooks." I replied as I took a seat at the water's edge and removed my socks and shoes. Smolder's legs were a bit too short to reach the water while sitting on the nearest cliff, so she settled for wading in the stream instead.

Smolder just went exploring while walking along the brook. She went past the nearest tree to the south before coming back north and ducking under the bridge. She even got into a short conversation of sorts with the weasels that live under the bridge in front of the cottage. I just sat where I was, keeping a constant eye on the wandering dragon girl while my feet soaked in the water and dragged themselves over the smooth rocks lining the bottom.

At one point, Smolder came out from under the bridge and just lied on her back in the stream with her arms behind her head and one leg crossed over the other as if she was chilling on a beach. She let out a relaxed sigh while just looking at me out of the corner of her eye with a bit of an aloof smirk. "Man, I don't get why we dragons like lava soaks when water feels so much better. This is nice."

"Lava? You can submerge yourself in that stuff and it won't hurt you? That's crazy. Lava's hotter than even the hottest fire, you know." I said in surprise as I contemplated something actually lounging around in molten rock. To anything else, it would be one of the worst ways to die. But dragons can frolic in it without trouble? That is one of the most ridiculous revelations I have ever heard of. I wonder if a dragon could bathe on the surface of the sun? Nah...

Smolder seemed more than happy to talk about it as she lifted her hands for gesturing. "Well, it's not like you can just move through just any lava like it's water. You'd be amazed just how dense that stuff can get! Nah, we only do that with the thinnest kind of lava. And even then it can be a bit thick. I heard some kid found that out the hard way a few years back when he tried belly flopping off of a cliff into a pool of it. Who does that?! You just don't belly flop into lava!"

"Ooooh, he must've been feeling that in the morning..." I said with a bit of a chuckle. Really, that must have stung. Regardless, I was enjoying Smolder's personality now that she had room to stretch and just be herself. A bit on the snarky side, but in a fun way. I could tell there was not a single bad bone in her body.

Keeping track of time was not easy without a clock being within my line of sight. I just had to play it by ear so as to not miss the last train before noon. Still, I was curious about this whole bathing in lava thing dragons do. "Say, doesn't lava harden into rock when it cools? How do you get that stuff off you when that happens?"

"Yeah, it does. If it doesn't drip off of you before then. Besides, rock isn't exactly sticky and scales aren't really easy to cling to. If it does harden, it'll just drop right off without much trouble." Smolder replied while regaining a comfortable position in the water. "Unless you somehow stay covered in it until it hardens, but I've never heard of anyone getting unlucky enough for that to happen."

I snorted to myself as I tried to envision someone like Smolder or Spike getting trapped in a cocoon of rock due to hanging out in cooling lava for too long. "Yeesh, you'd need someone to take a hammer and chisel to that to get out."

Smolder closed her eyes and snickered through bared fangs. She seemed to find the thought rather hilarious too. "Yep! Not something you'd wanna get stuck in."

With Smolder looking so relaxed and unwilling to move from that shallow spot in the brook, I felt I could take the time to check on a few things. I lifted my feet from the water and shook them off the best I could before managing to get my socks and shoes back on. Smolder took note of me standing up and asked, "What's up?"

"Just thought I'd check on a few things while I have time. I'll be right back." I replied before walking back up the path and into the house. A quick glance at the nearest clock revealed I did not even have ten minutes left before the half hour I had reserved for us had passed. I knew Smolder would be nothing short of disappointed when I would announce it was time for me to depart, but there was no way around it.

I went into the kitchen to examine the calendar on the wall. Indeed, the party started at 5 PM, but I wanted to get to Canterlot a bit early regardless. Maybe grab some lunch up there at a restaurant I have not tried yet and show up early to help set things up. However, I did not go long without a voice speaking up from right behind me. "Everything OK in there?"

I turned around abruptly, having not expected Smolder to follow me into the house without a sound. As it turned out, she did not. I saw her looking in through the window with her hands grasping the sill. I thought she was standing right outside, but that was not the case. Her entire body was being held aloft by the steady flaps of her wings. Once the light startle in my nerves had passed, I just smiled at her. "Oh, yeah. Was just checking the calendar. I'll be right out."

I walked out of the kitchen and soon passed through the front door only to find Smolder waiting patiently on the other side. I was greeted with a smile as she immediately reached for my hand, almost as if she took comfort in our combined touch. I said nothing, but she was quick to speak while grasping my hand. "So, what's next? Find everything you need in there?"

There was no way I could escape the fact that I was going to have to leave soon. With some hesitation, I decided to break the ice. "Well... Yeah. But time is almost up. I'll have to head out in a few minutes."

The look in Smolder's eyes immediately dimmed the instant I said that. She bowed her head as she muttered, "Oh... Right..."

Not wanting to see her so down, I made her a little offer. "Say... What would you like to do for the next five minutes? Your call."

"Well..." Smolder mumbled before walking down the path and taking a seat at the edge of the little bridge spanning the brook with her legs dangling off it. I caught on to what she was getting at and did the same by taking a seat beside her. Smolder immediately leaned into me with her arms crossed over her chest, head tilted sideways a bit so as to rest her face against the side of my chest instead of her long horn. A matter of seconds later, I felt her drape her right wing across my back and curl it over my side like an arm. I returned the favor by placing my hand upon her opposite shoulder.

The two of us just gazed to the south as the morning sun shone over the land, Fluttershy's many little animal friends scurried around and went about their morning routines. Eventually, Smolder broke the silence with an unexpected question. "Hey... How long do humans live?"

An odd question to be sure. Still, I gave the best answer I could. "It really varies. One average, anywhere between sixty to eighty years if in good health. There are even exceptional cases where humans have lived into the triple digits too."

"And...how old are you now?" She asked again while sounding quite despondent all over again.

What was wrong with her? Strange questions for someone of her age to be asking out of nowhere. "Well... I just turned 27. Why?"

Smolder's response was not immediately vocal. Her wing tightened its grasp around me before she muttered softly, "I hope you live a long time..."

"Well, no matter how long I live... I just want to live a happy life." I replied as I rubbed my fingers over her shoulder. We just sat there a while longer, holding each other without really looking at anything. Even as I am sure I was staying a bit later than I promised, I could not bring myself to depart.

I did not have to say anything. I think Smolder was aware that her presence was compelling me to stay. And so she glanced up at me and asked, "Time to go?"

I did not immediately reply, but I had to say something. "Yeah... I really should be going now. Will you...be OK out here until I get home tonight?"

"Yeah... I'll just...take a nap on the roof or something..." Smolder said with a tone of disappointment in her voice. She stood up and stretched a bit before looking back at me. She managed to force a smile as she said, "Thanks for making my morning such a nice one..."

"No problem, Smolder. You have a good one, OK?" I replied as I expected her to fly off to someplace nearby. She did just that, flying up to the roof of the cottage and rooting around in the thick foliage that covered it. Smolder took one last look at me before lying down out of sight. It would be hard for anyone to notice her up there. With some reluctance, I stood up and started to make my way towards Ponyville and the train station at the far end. There was someplace I needed to be.

There were no interruptions as I trekked across Ponyville at a brisk pace. It was a good thing I left when I did. The next train to Canterlot had less than three minutes until departure by the time I reached the train station. The ride up the mountain was pleasant enough, even if somewhat lazy. Beautiful as the view is, it is not hard to fall asleep during the ride.

My thoughts went back to Smolder as she was likely slumbering away on the roof of my home. I almost felt guilty leaving her behind, even though I know she was not invited to the party. Even if that is due to just about everyone I know having no idea she even exists at all on top of her being much too young for such a thing. I wonder when a good time will come for me to introduce her to Fluttershy and everyone else...

After disembarking from the train upon arriving in Canterlot, the first thing I decided to do was grab some lunch somewhere. And so I began to wander through town until I came to the business district. I wanted to try someplace new rather than go to that pizzeria or that restaurant by the canal. Many of the restaurants I passed looked like they specialized in roughly the same field of cuisine too. And so I explored until something caught my nose.

I paused and sniffed the air. There was a strong, yet savory aroma in the air. It began to get my mouth watering. Definitely some sort of cuisine that I had not tried before. I began to follow my nose and soon came to a break in the road that led to a dead end. And at that end, I saw what was likely the source of the aroma. Against the usual pale colorations of Canterlot's architecture stood a small building of vibrant warm hues. Above the exotically shaped doorway stood what was likely the symbol of this restaurant. An elephant head holding a spoon in its trunk. Taking note of the elephant combined with the vibrant colors and design aesthetics, I immediately deduced what type of cuisine was being served. "Indian cuisine... Ooh, I've always wanted to try that."

With my mind made up and that aroma leading my nose along as if it had caught me on a hook, I wandered over to the door and pushed it open. And... I really wish I could do the interior justice, but there is no effective way for me to describe everything within. It truly felt like I had suddenly been transported to a corner of the world far away. There was no trace of Canterlot's culture within those walls. It truly was a unique location in the elegant capital of Equestria and even the quiet music playing throughout the restaurant was delightfully exotic. I loved it. It was rather small and I only saw one table in use that was bordered by three chairs or stools and a very cushy bench that spanned over to the next table. And at that table sat two familiar faces I was not expecting to see, one of who immediately waved at me. "Oh, hello darling! Over here!"

None other than Rarity and Fancy Pants were seated together. I was quick to approach and join them as I found a spot beside Rarity on the soft booth bench. Her black eye had healed nicely by that point and left no discernable scarring. Fancy Pants was quick to greet me as he said, "So good to see you, Master James. And you've picked a fine establishment to dine at. This your first time dining here?"

"Yep. Never seen this place in my life, but I've got a good hunch of what they serve and I've always wanted to try this cuisine." I replied as the smell from the nearby kitchen teased my nostrils. "So, what brings you up here today, Rarity?"

My beautiful friend gave me a delighted smile as she said, "Oh, I just happen to have some business to attend to up here in Canterlot today. What about you? Isn't today the big day for our darling bachelor here?"

"It most certainly is. I too will be attending. Though it is good of you to come early so you may join us for lunch." Fancy Pants added before I could offer a response myself. I was not surprised to hear that he was invited. Always a pleasure to have that gentleman along.

"Hey, it's always a pleasure to see you. So... What is this place? I didn't see much in the way of text on my way in." I then asked as I became curious as to what to expect from such a fragrant establishment.

Rarity proceeded to provide an explanation. "Why, this is the Tasty Treat. And you won't find another restaurant like it for miles around! Fancy Pants got me hooked on what they serve here and I just cannot get enough. Though take care when ordering. The food here is quite filling. Must be the coconut milk..."

"Really? I'll try to restrict myself to just an entree then." I replied while still unsure of what to expect. "Judging by the smell... I take it a lot of what they serve is spicy?"

"Oh, it varies. Most of the food here will make your tongue tingle, but it all tastes so good that you won't want to stop eating regardless. It's just how this cuisine is." Fancy Pants replied right before I heard the sound of hooves approaching.

I turned my attention to the doorway leading into the kitchen to see a truly exotic beauty of a unicorn mare emerge. Her coat was a vibrant orange with her eyes being a dark shade of purple. Her full voluminous mane and tail seemed to be of varying hues of dark fuchsia. Thick gold round earrings hung from her ears along with a gold band wrapping around the base of her mane. A pale yellow shirt of foreign design covered her body along with a scarlet wrap of cloth hanging below her neck that had tiny round bells hanging off the edges. Her cutie mark depicted a purple flower of sorts. A saffron flower. Upon seeing us, our host approached us with a delighted look in her eyes as she spoke with a very noticeable accent. "Oh! Hello, Fancy Pants! Good to see you back! Are you here for lunch?"

"As always, Miss Saffron. And I do believe you have a first time customer here joining us today." Fancy Pants replied before leaning his head in my direction. I just remained silent as I beheld the exotic mare before me. She certainly was nothing extravagant, but she exuded a type of exotic beauty that I utterly adored. I had barely met her, yet I was already liking her.

Our host looked past the fine gentleman and gazed at me with quite a look of bewilderment in her eyes. I know she was curious as to what I was, but she maintained her professionalism as she maintained eye contact. "Oh, so it is! This is your first time dining with us, yes? I am Saffron Masala, the chef of the Tasty Treat. Let me get you a menu!"

Our beautiful host soon laid out three menus for each of us along with pouring us glasses of icy water. Her gaze remained upon me, most likely because she was very eager to please someone who was dining in her establishment for the first time. "Would you like to hear our specials?"

"Not this time. I'd like to ease myself into things first. I've never tried this cuisine before." I replied as I flipped the menu open.

"I would like to explore the menu a bit more as well. This is only my fourth visit, Miss Saffron." Rarity replied as she too began to browse the menu before her.

Saffron left us alone as she returned to the kitchen. I cannot even begin to remember the names of the dishes I saw available in the menu. I can remember some of the descriptions, but it will take several visits before I can recall the names from memory. But there was one type of food on the menu that I saw often in it. Curry. I always wanted to try that.

While I browsed the menu, I took a moment to notice how quiet it was in the Tasty Treat. Aside from the music, it was almost depressingly silent. No other customers were there. In fact, I could not see any sign of prior customers in general. I turned to Fancy Pants and asked, "Is business usually this slow on Sundays?"

Fancy Pants displayed a look of disappointment as he heard that question. He lifted his head from the menu and said, "From what I've seen, things tend to be slow for the Tasty Treat in general. The Canterlot elite tend to be unwilling to step outside their comfort zone."

"Oh... It's like that, huh? But doesn't this place get reviews? You'd think word of mouth would help if customers really enjoyed the cooking here." I replied while hardly being surprised by such a claim.

Rarity then joined in as she said, "Unfortunately... When it comes to Canterlot, only the words of the culinary critic known as Zesty Gourmand seem to turn any heads. I pray that you haven't dined at any of the establishments out there that bear her three-hoof ratings. They're all just more of the same and remarkably bland with everything on the menu. Even I didn't take long to become disillusioned with it."

"Um... Zesty Gourmand...?" I asked in return, having never even heard the name before. Sounded like quite the critic with a name like that.

Fancy Pants then reached over yonder with the levitation spell and brought a food magazine over from a rack near the door. "Yes, you can see her on the cover. I really must insist you do not take her reviews with any seriousness. She... Um... Master James?"

I immediately gave the cover of the magazine a perplexed stare. There was a unicorn draped in a very dark magenta coat that seemed to reveal bits of a tidy black and white suit underneath. What I did see of Zesty was that she was mostly of very muted hues of pink to the point of being varying shades of gray. But... Something seemed off about her face and general muzzle structure. After a moment of confused scanning, I put my finger down on the photo and turned to Fancy Pants. "That's a chick?"

The sheer brazenness of my question caused both of my dining partners to burst into barely muffled snickering. Rarity hissed in amusement, "Ohoho my, darling!"

Fancy Pants barely managed to composed himself as he replied, "Yes... Yes, that is Zesty Gourmand. And let me tell you right now, her tastes in cuisine is every bit as bland as her outward appearance. And you're quite right about her androgynous form. Trust me, you have no idea how surprised I was to meet her and find out that she is not a stallion. That was quite a faux pas..."

"Wow. Well... How bad is her sense of taste then?" I then asked now that we were on the subject.

Fancy Pants let out a sigh of exasperation as his expression darkened. He seemed to be recalling a rather unpleasant memory. "When I had the misfortune of asking her what defines the finest cuisine, her response was... A subtle flavor. The removal of flavor to create the barest hint of a sensation. To her, that is 'art'. And I use that term very loosely."

Rarity and I just stared at our friend with utter confusion. I then said, "Well... I must confess that it does take a strange kind of talent to remove flavor from food until there's hardly any left, but... That is preposterous. I have experience in the restaurant industry and even I can say the entire point of the art of cooking is to make food more delectable, not less. Just... How does she make a living off of such backward tastes?"

Fancy Pants then became the most vocal I had ever seen him get as he looked almost angry. "That's exactly it! It defies all logic and sense! How can anypony take such reviews seriously?! It is one of the most incomprehensible hogwash I have ever..."

Our friend fell silent with an arm raised as we all noticed that Saffron Masala had approached our table and was looking on with a gaze of silent concern. With a look of sheer embarrassment, Fancy Pants slowly regained his prim and proper composure before clearing his throat and looking at Saffron with a much more relaxed tone. "I will have an order of your sag paneer, please."

Rarity too tried to veer ourselves away from the current topic by placing her order as well. "I would like an order of your tikka masala curry please."

Why is it that I can remember their orders, but not mine? The entree that caught my eye was something that I could barely pronounce in my head. It seemed to be a curry dish that contained a number of vegetables. Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, lima beans, and such. It sounded really healthy on top of being tasty. I turned the menu towards Saffron and asked, "Um... This one here. Is this more of a mild dish?"

Saffron leaned forward to get a better look at what I was pointing at before happily saying, "Yes, that is one of our most mild curry dishes. Would you like to try it?"

"Please." I retorted before Saffron took our menus away and headed back into the kitchen to prepare our meals.

As Saffron trotted away, I felt something upon my hand. A quick glance down revealed that Rarity had placed her hoof upon it. My gaze then met hers as she looked at me with a most endearing smile. No words were shared, but I knew what she was saying. My thoughts went back to that magical night from not very long ago. I turned my hand over to gently grasp her hoof. I smiled back, returning her wordless statement. It was simply our way of saying 'I love you' when we could not speak verbally. However, I did whisper to her, "Your eye healed up nicely."

"That it did." Rarity whispered back. She started to lean forward in an obvious attempt to kiss me, but managed to restrain herself since Fancy Pants was watching. I know that guy is truly unlike any other man in Canterlot, but I still doubt he would be understanding enough to not keep such a secret.

It seemed he overheard us since Fancy Pants then asked, "Actually, speaking of that... How is that case going right now, Miss Rarity?"

Our friend's inquiry quickly drew Rarity's attention away from me as she explained, "Oh, it's going quite well! The authorities could not ignore the evidence and arrested her right away. You should've seen the look on her face. She could not comprehend that she was being arrested. Even added a charge of resisting arrest in the process."

"Wow. Sounds like that will make for quite a scene when she stands before the judge." I retorted as I could imagine how defiant that wretch must have been in the face of the law after most likely gone so long thinking she was above it. It was very satisfying to hear Rarity's righteous retribution was beginning to move ahead.

Fancy Pants looked especially delighted at the good news. "I concur. Those who abuse their lofty positions in society are indeed deserving of a taste of karma now and then. Especially when it comes to this. Bravo, Rarity. Please do keep me updated. I shall vouch for you, if needed."

"Thank you, Fancy Pants. I shall keep that in mind." Rarity responded with a grateful smile. However, her gaze was then drawn to someone coming out of the kitchen. A rather stout and heavyset unicorn stallion walked out of the kitchen while clad in a dark orange shirt of similar exotic design to Saffron's shirt. His coat was a shade of yellow that brought to mind cumin powder and his thick mane, bushy moustache, and short tail were of very similar color to Saffron's mane, as were his eyes. His cutie mark depicted a bowl of yellow power, a few cinnamon sticks, and a few...seeds? Berries? He had a most sour expression on his face, probably due to being the owner of the restaurant and having slow business.

I felt it was best to leave the poor guy alone, but Fancy Pants thought otherwise. He called out to the passing stallion. "Ah, Coriander! A moment, please?"

The stallion glanced over at Fancy Pants as his eyes brightened just slightly. They must have been acquainted with each other by that point. He soon approached and spoke with an even thicker accent than Saffron herself. "What can I do for you, Fancy Pants?"

Rarity's hoof found its way to my hand once more now that Fancy Pants was distracted, but we both listened into the conversation. "How has business been? Has anypony stopped by in recent weeks?"

Coriander sighed in frustration as he said, "Very few. I do appreciate you advocating for us, but I do not have high hopes. Canterlot is a city that is not interested in trying new things."

Rarity then had the idea to speak up. "Well, if bad comes to worse, you could always try setting up shop in Ponyville instead. You won't have to travel far and I know the locals would be excited to try your cuisine. Simply divine!"

"Your words honor me, Miss Rarity. But... Things are just so uncertain right now." Coriander replied as his eyes gazed at me with some curiosity for a moment. He probably thought it better to not inquire as to who I was and left me alone. But no sooner had he started to turn away, Saffron emerged from the kitchen with a trio of plates floating around her head while they and her horn were engulfed in a magic aura of similar color to her eyes. Seeing that our orders were up, Coriander stepped away. "I hope our cooking satisfies you."

"Doesn't it always?" Fancy Pants retorted as Saffron set out our plates. The sag paneer seemd to be a type of spinach dish with the spinach having been turned into a type of fine paste. I think the 'sag' in the name refers to the spinach while the 'paneer' refers to the cubes of white cheese I saw dotting it. Rarity's tikka masala curry was a delightful bold orange spread over a bed of thin rice. Mine, however you spell and pronounce it, was served identically, being a bold yellow curry filled with generous amounts of healthy veggies served over rice. Fancy Pants inhaled deeply as he sampled the aroma. "Mm, fantastic presentation as always. James, this is your first time here. How about you try yours first?"

Saffron watched with intense interested, probably eager to hear the verdict of someone dining in for the first time. Even Coriander was watching from nearby. With spoon in hand, I scooped up some of the rice and curry before bringing it to my lips. I was not disappointed. It was hardly spicy at all and was bursting with exotic flavor that I had never experienced before. Definitely what I would have expected from such cuisine. "Oh my god, that is heavenly..."

Our host and chef seemed delighted by my words of praise, though Coriander was more subdued in his expression. Saffron beamed at me as she said, "Oh, it always makes my day to see a first time customer enjoying our dishes. Please, do enjoy."

The three of us began to dine at a reasonable pace. Fancy Pants and Rarity even let me sample a bite of their dishes to broaden my palette. Both were just a little spicier than my dish, but not by much. The sag paneer had a more modest flavor to it while I enjoyed the cube of cheese that was in my bite, but the tikka masala curry was even more flavorful than my own curry. I knew I would be returning to try more of what the menu had to offer.

By the time I finished my dish, I was beginning to see what Rarity meant. That curry really does fill you up. I would probably have to wait a good while for my appetite to return. Rarity gently wiped her lips with the provided napkin as she let out a satisfied sigh. "Mmm, delightful as always. I'm sure that will be one of your biggest sellers when business picks up."

"Mmhm, that is a very popular type of curry back home. But now that we have a moment..." Saffron replied before she turned her gaze to me. "If I may ask... Where are you from? I've never seen anything like you in my life."

"Me? Well, I'm not exactly from this world. Long story. I'm what is called a human and... Well, I'm the only one of my kind right now." I explained while trying to avoid going into too much detail.

Saffron was bewitched by my response as she suddenly became quite inspired. "Oh, the only one of your kind?! Well... Then... I must ask a favor of you, sir. Mister... What was your name?"

I kept my response brief. "James. And what is it?"

"Ah, Mister James. If it's not too much to ask... May I ask you to write a review for our establishment?" Saffron then asked with such a hopeful look in her eyes.

Fancy Pants seemed to like the idea as well. "Brilliant idea. Even the Canterlot elite would hesitate before dismissing the opinion of someone who is the last of his kind. Rare breeds tend to draw a lot of attention."

"Huh... I see your point. All right then, I'll fill one out. Or is there a review form for me to fill out at all?" I asked in return while being completely ignorant of how such a process is carried out.

Coriander was quick to respond as he used his own magic to levitate a sheet of paper and a pencil over to me with said items being surrounded by an aura of a darker purple color than his daughter's. At least I assumed they were father and daughter. "Use this."

"Thank you, Father. Now, go ahead. Be as honest as possible." Saffron added, immediately confirming my suspicions.

I started to find myself smiling as I began to put together my thoughts. I then brought my pencil to the form and began to write while speaking aloud my thoughts. "Along a street of identical bland restaurants serving identical bland dishes with identical bland atmospheres, I was fortunate enough to come across a delightfully exotic diner known as Saffron Ma... Um..."

I paused as I was stuck thinking of two similar spices. I turned to Saffron and asked, "Uh... What was the second word in your name again? Marsala or Masala?"

Saffron was quite amused by my confusion as her smile became momentarily crooked. "Oh, that's Masala. Not Marsala. That's an entirely different kind of dish."

"Ah, right. Sorry, grew up in a family of Italian cooking. Anyway... Where was I?" I said in apology before getting back to what I was doing. "Oh, right... Saffron Masala's Tasty Treat. Greeted by a hostess of radiant beauty of both body and mind, she provided for me a vibrant feast of zesty foreign cooking that set my taste buds dancing to the samba of flavors in that delightful yellow curry. The restaurant interior matched the cuisine to a T, rich with color and exotic flair. Truly, one of the finest eateries in the city of Canterlot. I highly recommend stopping by. The beautiful Saffron Masala will insure you leave satisfied."

Rarity could not help giggling at my heavy-handed praise. Saffron Masala even seemed to be quite flustered as she partially covered her face. "Ooooh my... You are too kind, James... Truly, thank you for this. And don't worry about the bill. This is more than enough payment. Maybe this will be enough to draw in some fresh faces."

"That's very kind of you, Miss Saffron. Thank you." I replied as I handed the form back to her father, who seemed to be showing a cautious smile of his own. They are definitely good folk. I hope business picks up for them.

Saffron then asked, "Well, is there anything else I can get you? Maybe a dessert menu?"

While tempted, I knew better than to fill up too much. Especially after an already filling curry dish. "Not this time. I've got a party to attend in a few hours and I don't want to fill up too much. That curry was amazingly filling already and I'd hate to miss out on the buffet because of a full stomach."

"Oh, I see! Well, is there anything I can get for you two?" Saffron then asked as she turned her attention to Fancy Pants and Rarity.

Both of my companions declined, Fancy Pants probably doing so for the same reason I did. It just would not do for us to not have the appetite to pig out at the party buffet in a few hours. Saffron then fetched our bill while taking off my entree as promised. She then placed an unexpected kiss upon my cheek as she said, "Thank you so very much for such a wonderful review, James. Please do come back anytime."

I happened to notice Coriander giving us a bit of a look. Not sure why. Regardless, I smiled at the beautiful chef of the Tasty Treat. "And thank you for providing us with such amazing food. The Canterlot locals don't know what they're missing. It was great getting to meet you, Saffron."

"Likewise, James. You have a wonderful day, my friend." Saffron replied sweetly as she gathered up our empty plates and carried them back into the kitchen.

Coriander seemed to be starting to stack some of the chairs and stools as if he was preparing to close the restaurant early for the day, but seemed to think better of it as he then brought them back down to the floor. Maybe he was just trying to resist the doubt he must have had over drawing in more customers. Rarity then walked up to him on our way out and said, "Another delightful visit, Mr. Cumin. We will most definitely return."

Cumin, hm? Coriander Cumin? It seemed to fit. Still, Coriander gave us all a slight smile as we made our way to the door. "It was a pleasure to have you. Take care."

"We shall. Goodbye, my good sir." Fancy Pants replied as we made our way outside. With how little natural light was able to make it inside the Tasty Treat, my eyes had to take a moment to adjust once I was exposed to our brighter surroundings. Our refined friend then said, "Well, that was another fine experience. Now, we still have a few hours before Master James' bachelor party, do we not?"

"I think so. The doors open at 5 PM, right?" I replied wile thinking back to what was scrawled on the calendar at home.

"Yes, that sounds about right. I'll see what I can do to preoccupy myself until then. Rarity, do you have any plans for the day?" Fancy Pants then asked as he turned to our beautiful friend.

Rarity seemed to have her whole schedule planned out. "I was planning on visiting some of the local boutiques for some inspiration. Would you care to join me, Fancy Pants?"

"Sounds delightful. What about you, Master James?" Fancy Pants then asked as he turned to me.

I paused in thought for a few seconds before I said, "Actually, I was gonna stop by Shining Armor's place to see if I could help set things up."

"Very well then. Then I will be seeing you in a short while. You have a jolly fine afternoon, Master James." My friend relief as he adjusted his monocle.

Rarity flashed me a lovely smile as well while she said, "Likewise, darling. You have a wonderful time."

After I saw the two of them off, I made my way to the residential district. It took me a bit, but I managed to retrace my steps to Shining Armor's house. I gave the doorbell a ring and waited for a moment before seeing the door open to reveal none other than the man of the household himself. "Huh? Hey there, James! Uh... What brings you here early? Couldn't wait?"

"More like I wanted to help out if you need any." I replied while Armor seemed a bit surprised and even a little uneasy about me being there a few hours ahead of schedule.

Not entirely unsurprisingly, Armor was quick to turn my offer down. "Nah, it's cool. Besides, I'd hate to spoil you of the surprises. Pinkie Pie's setting things up in there, so she knows what she's doing."

That was the last name I expected to hear. "Pinkie Pie?! She sets up bachelor parties?! Seems a bit outside her expertise..."

As if to prove me wrong, I heard Pinkie Pie call out from somewhere inside. "Hi, James! Don't worry about anything! I've got everything under control!"

"Huh. I guess she does know how to set up a party for gentlemen only." I replied quietly while Shining Armor looked back at her somewhere behind him.

However, she then threw me a curveball. "Hey, Shining Armor?! Where'd you want me to put the pole on the stage?!"

Armor looked back with a look of embarrassment and frustration as he shouted, "Pinkie, I already told you we didn't hire a pole dancer! They're doing a completely different kind of dance! Just put up the curtains!"

"Pole dance... Did you hire strippers for the party?!" I said in a louder voice than usual as I started to wonder exactly what I was getting myself into.

"What?! No, no, of course not! Fluttershy wouldn't be happy with me if I did that! No, we hired a different tamer kind of dancer. Trust me, you'll enjoy the show." Shining Armor quickly explained while looking understandably flustered. Just... What does go on in bachelor parties anyway?

I crossed my arms as I gave my host a suspicious smirk. "Suuuure you did. Anyway... I should come back later, right?"

"Yep. 5 o'clock sharp. We should be done by then. Just... Go find a way to kill time until then, all right?" Armor replied while seeming eager to get back inside and help Pinkie get things set up.

Seeing that I was only wasting our time, I started to turn to leave. "All right then. I'll see you later today. Have a good one."

I walked down the steps and back to the street as the door closed behind me. However, I did not get far before I bumped into someone waiting for me just past the steps. "Done already, darling?"

Had Rarity followed me? She was standing out in the street while Fancy Pants was nowhere to be seen. I tilted my head to one side slightly as I asked, "You done with Fancy Pants already?"

"Oh, not really. He just remembered at the last minute that there were a few errands he had to run and he wanted to get them over and done with before the party starts. I didn't care much for the thought of browsing without someone to ask for a second opinion, so I thought I would rendezvous with you to help us pass the time." Rarity replied while flashing me a loving wink.

I could never say no to the company of someone I love so dearly. And so I walked up alongside her while casting a smile at my beautiful friend. "Sounds good. Where to, m'lady?"

Rarity let out a light giggle as she cast me a more amorous smile. "Well... Why not a stroll through the park to work off that very filling lunch? It should help boost your appetite for tonight, won't it?"

"That it will. Lead on, m'lady." I replied while smiling back to her. I can never get enough of Rarity, no matter how often we see each other.

Along the edges of town somewhere, we found the local park. Even though it was nowhere near as spacious as Ponyville's park, it was still nicely designed overall. It combined the elegance of Canterlot in the designs of its lampposts, benches, and occasional fountain displays with the lush natural flora of the landscape below. It was nice to have a place in a city of elegant stone where one can walk among trees and bushes.

The park was relatively empty due to it being a Sunday. I suppose Saturdays are when such locations get the most use. Rarity soon guided me to a bench and took a seat on it while I sat beside her. I just took a moment to gaze at my surroundings as it was my first time there, that curry making me just a little drowsy. However, I was brought back to my senses as I felt Rarity once again place her hoof over my hand.

My hand turned over to grasp her hoof in my palm as I turned to look at her. She was giving me such an endearing smile while not saying a word. I know what she was thinking of. And I was having the same thoughts. Thinking back to the most recent Hearts and Hooves Day where we finally became more than just friends. And so I whispered to her, "I love you."

Rarity's smile only brightened as she heard those three sacred words. She leaned closer to me as she too whispered, "And I will love you forever, my prince."

We could not help ourselves. After a quick glance around to see if anyone was nearby, we found ourselves in each other's embrace with our lips sealed together. Why? What was it about Rarity that made it so hard for me to resist her? And she was likely thinking the same thing. We gravitated towards each other, unable to suppress our affections. Our tongues danced, our hands and hooves roamed over each other. We were just so in love and we simply did not care if someone were to pass by and see us sharing such a passionate kiss. Then again, hardly anyone in Canterlot even knows who I am aside from being the only human in Equestria. They might not even care.

We soon came to our senses as our lips separated in a gasp, eyes glancing around in caution. No one was around. We were safe. Rarity soon gazed back into my eyes, her cheeks flushed with a blush shining through her pale coat. "Goodness, I don't know what came over me... I just... I could not stop..."

"Hey, I'm feeling the same way... I just...couldn't resist you..." I whispered back as I still felt hot and even a bit lethargic in her embrace. Is that how one feels when they are with the person they love more than anything else? Someone that they mesh absolutely perfectly with?

Rarity's hooves rose until she was practically holding my face between them. Her face showing a conflicted expression of confusion, happiness, and even worry as she whispered sweetly to me. "I shouldn't... I know, but... My god, I love you so much..."

I tenderly cradled Rarity in my arms with one hand upon the back of her head. It turned sideways to rest against my chest as I tilted my chin down and muttered into her ear. "Me too... I... I just love you so much, Rarity... I want... No, I need you in my life... I can't lose you... I love you too much..."

My secret lover whispered back to me without turning her head. "You won't lose me, my dear... My heart is yours and yours alone. As is my body. No stallion will ever touch me as you have. No stallion will ever love me as you do. No matter what happens, I am yours. Your mare... Forever."

My grasp on Rarity only tightened. I wanted to honor that powerful love by any means necessary. I love her. I need her. I cannot even fathom saying farewell to her. And so I whispered in her ear, "And I will always be your stallion. Yours and Fluttershy's. I don't care if its right or wrong. I'll always love you both forever."

Rarity shuddered in my embrace as she seemed to hold back tears. "You marvel of a man... I'll never know how you do it... No wonder I fell in love with you so long ago... You and your bottomless love..."

"Shh... No tears, love... Show me that elegant smile of yours." I said softly as I saw a few tears trickle down her cheeks. Rarity slowly lifted her head to look at me, showing such a somber yet happy smile as she gazed at me. Those beautiful azure eyes gazing at me with half-closed lids adorned with a layer of baby blue hues. Truly there could never be a more beautiful mare in Ponyville. My finger traced along her elegant lashes, the natural fibers having long since grown in to replace the artificial product she had hidden them with a year ago. "They've grown in so nicely... Those false lashes could never compete with them now."

My beloved sighed in delight at my observations as she leaned forward just enough to place a kiss upon my chin. "To think that I ever believed my natural lashes could never match those of artificial improvements. Truly, I was a fool obsessed with superficial qualities... True beauty takes time to forge. And my patience was rewarded. Thanks to your kind recommendation, my love."

"Rarity, you've always been beautiful." I retorted as my hand caressed her cheek before tracing a finger over the edges of her ear.

The wonderful mare in my arms only blushed faintly as she whispered back, "And you have always had an eye for beauty, James dearest."

"That I have." I whispered back. I could not help myself. Once again, our lips joined for another passionate and loving kiss. Muffled moans of delight hummed in our throats, our hands and hooves roaming over each other. I felt a shiver of excitement come over me as Rarity slid her hooves under my shirt and began to caress my chest with them. God, I wanted to take her right there if I could get away with it.

Unfortunately, we were all too keenly aware of what a bad idea that would be and very reluctantly pulled away from each other. We partially turned away from each other, an uncomfortable tension in the air as the sun above became momentarily blocked by a layer of clouds to ease the harsh rays of light. "That's enough... We... We shouldn't."

"I know... But..." Rarity whined as her hoof remained upon my hand. She then looked at me with such a needy and frustrated gaze as she whimpered out words that only made me more anxious. "But... I want to make love to you...!"

My body was hot and frustrated in its own way. If we were alone in a room somewhere with no risk of interruption, I would have likely mounted her by then. I wanted her just as much as she wanted me. We were too in love with each other. Rarity then threw her arms around me and buried her face into my chest. "Oh, my prince... I want you to take me away from here and make such sweet love to me like the last time... My body aches for you..."

"And believe me, I want that too... But... Ugh... I think we need to get away from each other for a little while..." I replied as I became terribly afraid of what might happen if we remained with each other for much longer with our love and passion burning so hotly. We had already crossed that bridge a little while ago. There would be little in the way of inhibitions to dissuade us from sneaking into a closet somewhere or possibly in a back alley if we got desperate enough.

With great hesitation, Rarity released her grip on me with tears of frustration pouring down her face. "Yes, we... We should.... Drat...! When did being in love become this painful?! Just... I'll be right back!"

I watched as Rarity galloped away while looking absolutely furious in some strange way. I was deeply frustrated too. Rarity had too much to lose. I just sat there and groaned with my face held in my hands. I needed to find a way to distract me from my body's desires.

I went for a walk through the business district and browsed many of the shops there to take my mind off of things. My thoughts went back to Smolder back home as a surge of inspiration hit me. Perhaps I could pick up a gift for her. Of course, I could not forget Scootaloo too. Now thoroughly distracted, I entered the nearest candy store and browsed the many colorful displays. Since Spike really likes rock candy, I decided to see if Smolder would like them too. I got a dozen sticks with each being a different flavor along with a sack of salt water taffy for Scootaloo and left the shop. However, I did not go far before hearing a voice call out to me. When I turned around, I saw Rarity galloping my way. "Oh, I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long... Oh? What's that you have there? Is that rock candy for Spike?"

I felt I could get away with revealing Smolder's existence to Rarity since it would be unlikely for them to cross paths for the time being. And so I said, "No, not him. They're for a different dragon kid."

"Oh, that sounds... Wait... ANOTHER dragon child? I... Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Spike the only dragon in Ponyville?" Rarity asked in return while looking understandably confused.

"Yeah. There's another close by now. She call's herself Smolder." I retorted as I took baby steps in revealing more about her.

"She?! A little lady, hm? I've yet to actually see a female, even that one time..." Rarity exclaimed while looking quite intrigued. She then asked, "Well, where did you find her? Just knocked on your front door one day?"

I cast my lover a bit of a crooked smirk. "Nope. Found her napping in my chicken coop."

Rarity just stared at me as she seemed to be at a loss of words. At least for five seconds. She then burst into laughter as she replied, "What?! Well, that's quite a first impression to make! So, I take you two hit it off quite well? Those are a gift, no?"

"Well, we didn't really get to know each other until this morning. She's got it rough. A wandering vagabond even though she only looks a bit older than Spike. She doesn't really have a place to live, from what I understand. So I'm gonna give her these when I get back tonight." I then explained while trying to avoid the sensitive topic of why she was without a home in the first place.

My beloved was quite understanding and even seem to detect my hesitation in revealing more. She respectfully did not pursue the topic any further as she said, "A vagabond? A wanderer without a home? Well, it was very kind of you to be so accommodating to her. I likely would've done the same." She then flashed me a wink as she added, "Seems the virtue of generosity is strong with the two of us, no?"

"Heh, yeah... Hey, are you OK?" I then asked as I noticed that Rarity looked a little winded while her face was a bit flushed. Almost like that of a mare when she... No.

Rarity realized that her cover was blown and became a bit flustered while glancing around for anyone who might be within earshot. "Oh... Um... I'm just... Ooh, I can't hide it from you, dear... I ran off to find a secluded spot to..."

My expression stiffened as I assumption proved correct. "You...had to scratch an itch of sorts, huh?"

She let out a frustrated groan as she said, "It was that or make you mount me like the stallion you are! And I could not risk that!"

"Shhh, not so loud!" I said as I waved my hands at her. She was frustrated, I could see that, but it is not like we wanted all of Canterlot to know about it.

Rarity covered her mouth with a panicked look in her eyes. "Oops... Um... Let's just forget I said that and... Shall we do a bit of window shopping while we're here?"

"Yeah, let's..." I mumbled while Rarity began to walk alongside me. That certainly got awkward in a hurry...

However, she then redirected the conversation back to Smolder. "But anyway... It sounds like your new friend must be quite the charmer if you're getting gifts for her. You think I could meet her sometime?"

Relieved to be talking about something else, I replied, "Maybe in time. I don't think she's in a hurry to meet others just yet. I understand she's been chased away from most places she tried to find shelter in, so she's a bit on the wary side right now. Rather snarky too, but I'm not sure if that's just her or if she's just that bitter."

"Ah, experience has taught her to not trust strangers, hm? Very well then. But I would be happy to lend her a hoof if she ever needs it. Just let me know when she's comfortable with saying hello, yes?" Rarity replied while giving me a supportive smile. I could only smile back at Ponyville's beautiful angel of generosity.

We wandered around a bit, ducking into shops and browsing while even picking up a few things here and there. Mostly edible goods. Rarity insisted on treating me a few times while I treated her at times myself. It felt like we were a married couple at times having a time out on the town like a pair of tourists. At least our surroundings proved to be helpful in distracting us from each other.

Quite a bit of time passed before someone came trotting our way. Fancy Pants had caught up to us. "Ah, Miss Rarity! So sorry if I kept you waiting. Are you ready for that visit to the boutiques like we planned?"

I was expecting Rarity to be quite hesitant about leaving my side, but she instead seemed quite eager to get back to what she had planned. "Oh, absolutely! Let's not waste any time. James, we'll catch up later, yes?"

"Sure thing, Rarity. You have a good one. I really enjoyed our time." I replied while giving my beautiful lover's mane a stroke of my hand.

Fancy Pants then turned to me and said, "And I will see you at the party, my good sir. See you again, James."

I saw off the two of them before proceeding to wander around Canterlot for a good while like a wayward tourist. That city is deceptively large. Larger than you would expect for a city mounted on the side of a mountain. Eventually, 5 PM started to draw near, so I made a beeline for Shining Armor's house. Surely the doors were open by then.

I really had no idea what to expect, having never even attended a bachelor party myself. I was hoping it would not be too crazy since I am just not that kind of guy. But with Pinkie Pie being the party planner, I was confident she knew my likes and dislikes enough to put something together that I would enjoy. Upon arrival, I knocked on the door and waited to be let in.

Barely ten seconds passed before the door opened and I was loudly greeted by Shining Armor himself. "Hey, there's the lucky guy! Get in here!"

I was practically dragged in with the sound of lively jazz playing through the house. And I was promptly greeted by quite a few guests. Fancy Pants had beaten me to the arrival, on top of Estoc, Big Macintosh, Mr. Cake, Soarin, and... Was that Button Mash?

After saying hello to all of our guests, which seemed to be restricted to gentlemen that I personally know, I took one long look at the very tiny 'stallion' wearing a beanie with a refined black moustache under his nose. Flummoxed as to just how a colt could sneak into a party for the big boys, I walked up to the tiniest attendee and stared him down. "So... Who are you?"

I recognized his voice immediately. "Me? Why, I'm Mr. Stache. And I'm here to be a part of this party for stallions! Because bachelors are stallions and only stallions can get in and..."

"You're not fooling anyone, Button." I retorted dryly to shut him up. "And how did you get in here with such a barebones disguise?"

"I dunno! I didn't think I'd get this far! Spike wanted to come too, but good luck sneaking past the guard when you're the only dragon in town." Button Mash replied while trying to make sure no one was watching. Everyone was busy enjoying themselves much like how they did at Shining Armor's prior house party. Still... You know what? The less I wonder about how a kid could deceive the captain of the royal guard to infiltrate his own house, the better.

"Well, whatever. I guess you're welcome to stay, but stay away from the booze. I'm not getting in trouble with your mom over you coming home drunk." I said while both amused and confused over why he was there. Maybe Pinkie Pie had something to do with it...

Much to my surprise, Button replied, "Oh, don't worry about that! Already tried it and didn't like it. Seriously, how do you drink that stuff?!"

I barely had time to process that before Soarin flew over and pulled me over to a table with beer shots lined up before me. "Hey, there's the stag! Come on, time to broaden your horizons!"

I was sat down at the table and looked at the frosty glasses of booze. The liquids ranged from varying hues of brown. Some were almost gold while others were a dark copper hue. "Uh... What is this, a beer sampling session?"

"Never been to a bachelor party, James? Well, you can always count on plenty of strong drink at one. But go ahead. You're the reason we're all here." Mr. Cake replied as familiar faces surrounded me.

I saw no reason to keep them waiting and started chugging the glasses. I found I liked the lighter beers, but the darker beers were too bitter for me. Big Macintosh helped himself to whatever I could not stomach. He must have a high tolerance of that stuff if he can drink his grandmother's moonshine.

With the alcohol setting in and loosening me up a bit, I started to feel more open to conversing with our guests. I chilled out on the couch in front of some red curtains set up in a circular formation with Fancy Pants by my side. "So, did Rarity see all she needed with you today?"

Fancy Pants happily replied, "Oh, quite. She seemed very inspired by the time she left the second boutique we stopped by. Took some notes and we said our goodbyes. I wish I was more fashion literate to understand everything she jotted down, but she likely knows what to do when she gets home."

"Yeah, she's a marvel with the needle and thread. Probably one of the best in the world." I said while thinking back to my secret lover. I was already starting to miss her.

Eventually, Fancy Pants made his way to the buffet to sate his appetite. As he headed away, Shining Armor trotted over to me and cast me a friendly smile. "Hey there, James! Liking everything so far? Pinkie Pie did everything she could to get it just right. Not too loud and crazy, right?"

I glanced around at my surroundings. Indeed, it was rather modest for a bachelor party, at least if they are known for getting as crazy as I have heard. But that is definitely my style. I wanted to remember the party. Not waking up facedown in a puddle of alcohol and vomit. "Yep, she knows me well. Just the way I like it. What about you? No Ogres & Oubliettes this time?"

Shining Armor just let out a laugh as I brought up his favorite hobby. "That?! Nah, this is your party, not mine. Besides, it wouldn't be the same without Spike. I need the whole team to continue where we left off and Sir McBiggun and I just won't cut it."

"Sir Mc what now?" I asked in return while trying to understand where that came from. But then it dawned on me. "Wait. Big Macintosh? Uh... Then who's Spike?"

"Oh, Garbunkle? Yeah, he completes the team." Armor replied without noticing how bizarre it was to talk about these weird codenames he and his gaming partners go by.

"Um... I'm pretty sure the correct name is Carbunkle. And Spike's not green enough to fill that role." I replied while probably completely missing the point. I just cannot wrap my head around those weird role-playing tabletop games and their various nuances. Video games have always been my preferred form of interactive entertainment.

Before long, Shining Armor dragged me over to his entertainment lounge. It seemed that there was no sports game on, but he seemed to be drawn to the game console he had tucked away under the display. "I heard you really enjoy video games. Well, how we get one going? Feel free to browse my collection."

"You and Cadence play this stuff?" I replied while examining the handful of cartridges in the cabinet under it. I was especially liking the look of Super Norico World.

Shining Armor showed no shame for his love of gaming. "Yep. Cadence is pretty good at this stuff too. And she calls me a dork."

I soon got Super Norico World going and took a seat on the couch with gamepad in hand. The other guests started to gather around to watch, but Button bounded up onto the couch with the second gamepad in his hooves insisting that he play along too. I obliged and chose a two player game while he somehow continued to have everyone fooled. It must have been quite a treat for him to be playing a 16-bit console. Man, I remember those days...

I seldom lost any lives, so Button's game sessions were few and far between. That, and he did not even come close to lasting as long as I did due to his lack of experience and less developed hoof-eye coordination. Although I thought I heard someone come in through the front door, I was too distracted to pay any mind.

During that time, I think Shining Armor stepped away to grab a bite and a drink. Although... Why did Estoc look like he was on the verge of panic when he saw Shining Armor take a shot of whisky? While Button enjoyed a turn, I turned to Estoc and asked, "Um... Something wrong?"

"Don't look now, but the captain just downed a double shot of the 50% stuff." Estoc muttered as Shining Armor lined up a tray at the buffet.

I took a long look at the captain of the royal guard before giving Estoc a cockeyed glance. "So? That won't even faze me on a full stomach."

Estoc just looked at me with a gaze of astounding unease. "You haven't seen the captain... He has an infamously weak stomach. It doesn't take much to get him crazy. And I think he overpoured what he thought was a weaker whisky..."

"Oh come on, I'm sure he's not that bad. Besides, let the guy eat in peace." I replied while going back to watching Button Mash play through his turn. How wrong I would be...

Before long, it sounded like Shining Armor was slurring his speech a bit in the back with some of the other guests. My turn came up again when Button Mash lost a life when his character fell down a pit. But barely a minute into my turn, Shining Armor came up to me and leaned on the arm of the couch next to me. "Sooo, how's this crazy party turning out for you, #1 bro?"

I swear he was starting to sound like some sort of surfer dude with how he was slurring his lines. Was rather entertaining, to be honest. I did not pay him much mind since I was focusing on the game before me. "Oh, it's going great. Good food, good company, good entertainment. What's not to JESUS CHRIST!!!"

It was only then that I got a good look at the guy. Seems Estoc's worries were not unfounded. Shining Armor must have really been off his rocker. The guy was... My god, am I really going to write this? He was... Dressed up in some sort of harem belly dancer getup or something like that. Translucent shawls of royal purple and equally translucent mask over his muzzle and leggings over his hips. And that was without counting the thong or whatever it was secured over his groin, which left VERY little to the imagination. By this point, pretty much everyone had backed away while I scooted myself away from Armor until I was in the middle of the couch. Shining Armor was hardly fazed as he started to...awkwardly swagger out in front of the couch on just his hind legs as if trying to do his own drunken version of a belly dance. Poor Button looked downright traumatized as he hid under a desk while Armor smirked at me. "What? I thought this was supposed to be your big night!"

"Well, yeah! But good god, take that off and sober up! There's no way you planned this part, dude!" I all but yelled at the guy as he turned around before I froze up in horror when he started to back up towards me. Dear god...

"What're you talking about, bro? I'm just trying to make sure the #1 lady killer I know has the time of his life." He replied as he looked over his shoulder at me, body swaying in ways no self-respecting heterosexual stallion would ever be seen doing.

"I beg your pardon?! Dude, just stop. This isn't..." I tried to say as his rump started to lower to my lap. Next thing I knew, I was vaulting over the back of the couch and into the kitchen before standing on the countertop in the corner and waving a salad fork at the guy with every last guest in the house howling with laughter. All except for Estoc, that is. "BAD TOUCH!!! BAD TOUCH!!!"

"Oh come on, was I really that bad?" Shining Armor drunkenly asked while still trying to get to me even as my 'weapon' kept him at bay. Suddenly, Armor was jerked in one direction as an magic aura covered his ear. "Ow! Mom, come on! I'm not dooooone..."

"Good heavens, this just won't do. Allow me to tend to this, Master James. Captain, if you would just step outside for a moment..." Fancy Pants then said as he pulled Shining Armor along with his own magic towards the sliding doors that led to the backyard. That was a close one. And where did Armor even get those clothes?!

Still feeling a bit rattled from having almost been shagged by a drunken stallion... God, that is a terrifying thing to say. Regardless, I hopped down from the counter and returned the salad fork to the drawer I found it in. Everyone started to scatter while still snickering at the absurd spectacle they had witnessed, although I was quick to notice a camera floating next to Estoc's head. My eyes opened wide as I realized what he had done. "You didn't."

"I did." He replied with a satisfied smirk on his face. "Maybe these will provide incentive for him to not do that again. That, and I think I'll be taking that vacation next year after all."

"I'd feel sorry for the guy... But I don't." I snickered in return as I felt satisfied that this little incident would not be forgotten by Shining Armor's second in command. What was Fancy Pants even doing out there? Patient guy, that stallion.

Maybe ten minutes later, Fancy Pants led Shining Armor back inside with his entire set of clothing floating in a bundle besides him. While still looking a bit on the tipsy side, Shining Armor looked utterly embarrassed with his face flushed red. And his face was looking soaked along with the locks of mane hanging over her brow. Did Fancy Pants try to drown him in a pond or fountain out back?! He then walked right up to me without a word and immediately groveled at my feet. "I am SO sorry..."

"It's cool... I think. But where did you even get that stuff?" I replied while still trying to push that image out of my head. Good god, how did that happen?

He sheepishly and unsteadily pointed his hoof over to the lounge next to the kitchen. "Behind the curtains."

Fancy Pants approached the red curtains hanging in a circular fashion over were the karaoke stage used to be during the last party that occurred there. He seemed to even whisper to someone behind the curtains before passing the exotic ensemble back to whoever was in there. It looked like we would be getting some live entertainment before long. Still, I looked back at Shining Armor and said, "A shame Cadence wasn't here to see that."

"Oh god, don't bring this up to her... I'll never hear the end of it..." Shining Armor groaned as he slinked off in shame to wait patiently for the alcohol to pass through his system. Poor guy. It really sucks when you cannot hold your liquor.

Shining Armor managed to sober up relatively well in maybe a good thirty minutes or so. Once he had helped himself to some ginger ale, he started to guide me to the armchair set before the curtains in the lounge. "OK, I think now's a good time to really get things going. We've got a special surprise in store for you, James."

"As long as it doesn't involve you giving me another lap dance, I'm all for it." I replied as I took a seat while also casting Armor a smirk.

"Dude... Let's not go there again, please..." He groaned as a hoof rose to his face, still reeling from the embarrassment of his drunken shenanigans from not even an hour earlier. But he soon composed himself and gave me a returning smirk. "Besides, it's not gonna be me giving you a lap dance."

"Oh boy, we're really doing this? Who'd you hire for it?" I asked with a wave of anxiousness coming over me even as the rest of the guests started to pour into the kitchen behind me to watch the show. Except for Button Mash, I think. Was he hiding in a closet while playing his Joyboy to drown out the memory of Armor's performance? And right then... The music over the sound system... That jingling bells or tambourines... The strumming of a sitar... It had a very ethnic vibe to it. Something for belly dancing?

And just when I could not be anymore worried, the place suddenly went much darker as the window blinds were shut while a little disco ball hanging from the ceiling started to cast beads of light all over the lounge. Shining Armor then called out from behind me, "Here's what every bachelor looks forward to at their party. Come on out! The guest of honor's ready to see you!"

My hands clutched the arms of my chair firmly as if I had suddenly found myself on a roller coaster. The curtains began to part as I held my breath. And yet... When they did open to reveal the dancer, I was left shocked and spellbound, but not for the reasons you would expect. They did not just hire any performer. They hired someone very beautiful and dear to me. And it was then that I realized why she was even in Canterlot that day in the first place. Rarity stood before me.

The beautiful mare before me was standing on just her hind legs as she began to step out from the curtains, her upper body constantly moving in subtle ways to maintain balance. My god, she was a sight to behold. She was clad in sensual belly dancing clothing, all consisting of a lovely baby blue hue. she wore very loose translucent leggings down to her ankles and equally translucent shawls over her arms that were secured to her wrists. Matching blue wraps that lacked the translucent quality of the rest of her attire covered her chest narrowly as her groin area, the latter riding up between her flanks on the backside which I noticed whenever she turned around, accentuating the lovely curves of her flanks. A translucent veil hung over Rarity's muzzle, a seductive smile thinly conceal underneath. Golden bands were secured around her ankle's and one around her left wrist. Her right instead held the silver opal-studded bracelet I had given her long ago, a sight that made me smile as I began to reconsider its meaning after so long. Lastly, a thin golden band wrapped around her crown, a single oval sapphire hanging from the front. She truly was a sight to behold, channeling the exotic beauty and flair of a dancer from a faraway land.

Rarity's dancing was slow and elegant, always in time with the music as she either held her arms out to the sides or up high. Her legs and hips were the stars of the show, doing everything to really draw attention to those gorgeous hips and her indigo tail swaying through the air. And I could see something in her eyes. A type of hunger. She was not doing this just for fun or as a favor to a good friend. She was getting a lot of enjoyment out of entertaining her beloved in a way only she could at that moment. And I was certainly appreciating it.

The guests behind me started letting out playful jeers as Rarity drew near. She smirked at me under that mask as she was practically upon me. I was tempted to reach out and hold her, but I had a hunch I was supposed to look and not touch. Swaying to and from Rarity eventually turned to present me with her hindquarters and came remarkably close to caressing my crotch with her shapely rump. Even without actually feeling her touch, I felt a twinge of excitement that translated into the first few flickers of arousal. I know if Rarity had her way, she would have me mount her right there. But she then surprised me with a sudden change of plans. She turned to face me again and, while still maintaining her intoxicating gyrations, brought her face near mine.

My beloved gazed tenderly into my eyes while her smile under that veil remained constant. Her horn became coated in her billowing light blue aura, as was the veil. The veil was then lifted just as her lips were pressed to mine for a very brief kiss before she stepped away to continue the dance properly. It was certainly like her to sneak a kiss to the love of her life. As the song drew to a close, Rarity swayed and spun her way back over to the curtains and took hold of them with her magic. She cast me one loving gaze over her shoulder as the curtains closed, the drapes being pulled as natural light flooded the room and the music drew to a close.

Several stallions burst into a round of applause as Soarin looked at me over the back of the chair. "How was it? Fitting for a nice guy like you, huh?"

"Well, I've known Rarity for quite a while. You'd have to work hard to find a mare of greater beauty and finesse." I replied while trying to not look too worked up over having very nearly been given a lap dance from my best friend.

"Oh, you're too kind, darling. How many times have you said such sweet things about me?" A voice spoke to my right as my attention was directed towards Soarin. When I looked, I found that Rarity had quickly slunk over to me with one hoof resting upon my chair's arm. She then glanced around at the rest of the guests and said, "I know this party is generally for stallions only, so might I make an offer? That little performance was far too brief for such a fine stallion such as James. If it's not too much to ask, make I take him upstairs for an extended encore in private?"

The stallions around me muttered to each other in surprise as their hired performer requested a private session with me. I knew why and I was more than happy to indulge in Rarity's company. Shining Armor, now looking a bit less tipsy while not quite sober, seemed more than willing to oblige. "Whoahoho, you sure about that? Lucky guy, James! Head on upstairs and use whichever of the bedrooms you want. Just don't wear him out too much, all right?"

"Oh, I'll be gentle! Come along now, darling. I didn't put this together just for one use." Rarity then said as she started to step away from the chair, but not before stroking the underside of my chin with her tail.

I followed all too willingly. Rarity and I made our way upstairs while the rest of the guests continued to mingle. But once we were alone in the nearest bedroom, Rarity's immediately cast me a most alluring smile beneath her veil before using the levitation spell to cast it aside. "Kiss me, my love."

"With pleasure, m'lady." I whispered back as Rarity rose up to be held in my arms. She and I immediately joined lips, our tongues soon doing the same thing. Such an intoxicating mare, that woman. I could not get enough of her touch. Her taste. Her voice. And she could not get enough of me.

We reluctantly broke the kiss, the two of us panting in a haze. Rarity soon muttered, "Right... I owe you...a private dance, do I not?"

"Well, it was your idea." I replied with a whimsical smirk. Rarity guided me to an armchair in the corner of the room before locking the door behind us. Once seated, I observed as Rarity once more assumed a bipedal stance. Her magic aura engulfed her horn momentarily as I heard music start to play downstairs that seemed to be of the same genre as before. It was muffled, but I could still hear it clearly. One cannot dance without proper music, usually. As I observed my beautiful and exotically clad lover once more belly dancing for me, I provided some compliments befitting such a woman. "I didn't think you could get anymore beautiful, but you never fail to surprise me."

Rarity chuckled lightly as she swayed her hips for me. "Oh, this was not entirely my idea. Saffron Masala suggested such a design when I looked into attire native to her homeland. And I think I pull off the look quite well."

"That you do. That shade of blue compliments you well." I retorted as she swayed closer to me. Eventually, she placed her hooves upon my shoulders for leverage while gazing lovingly into my eyes. "Oh? This the next phase?"

"Only the best for my beloved." Rarity whispered as she began to climb onto my lap and became seated there. She then placed her hooves behind her chest as she swayed and gyrated her hips, occasionally grinding them against me as she began to perform a lap dance. "You can touch, if you want. You know my body belongs only to you, my love."

"And I think I shall." I whispered tenderly back to her. My hands gravitated to her waist, rubbing along her beautiful frame as she put on a show before me, head held high. I was developing a painfully hard erection in my pants, but I knew that was the point. This was my first lap dance and I was enjoying it.

Before long, I could not help showering the most beautiful mare of Ponyville with even more affection. I began to place soft kisses upon her chest and belly while Rarity could only sigh in delight at my touch. But as I continued to rub my hands along Rarity's waist and back, an unseen force soon drew my hands to her beautiful curvy flanks. My palms were pressed firmly against her tender cutie marks, raising a gasp of sensual delight from my lover's lips. "Ooooh, darling... Yes, there... Let me enjoy this with you... So we may climax together..."

"I can never say no to you, my dear..." I whispered back as I resumed kissing her chest. My hands began to massage Rarity's hips, palms pressed against her cutie marks while my fingers rubbed and groped her hips through the sheer fabric of her leggings. I wanted her so dearly, but knew we should not. Not where the risk was greatest.

As my arousal grew, I began to feel something around my waist. My belt loosening? A quick glance down only confirmed that. My belt buckle was engulfed in Rarity's magic aura as it became undone. And then my zipper and pants buttons followed. I glanced up at Rarity, her face flushed with a most needy gaze while a blush was set into her cheeks, mouth agape as she panted lightly. I could see where this was going, even as my own heart was filled with a powerful desire for the mare I loved so much. "We shouldn't be doing this..."

"I know." Rarity whispered to me as my pants were loosen and then dragged right down to my ankles. A firm bulge was straining the fabric of my boxers as I gazed up at her in worry.

Even after making clear why we should not pursue each other after the last time, there we were. Right in the heart of the home of the fashion industry's elite, where Rarity's most prolific associates resided. The worst possible place for us to do such a thing. I whispered with a hushed tone of eagerness, "We should stop..."

"I know." Rarity repeated as my boxers were soon pulled down to join my pants. My shaft stood tall, hard and eager for the mare before me

It was not too late. And yet, I did not want to turn away from this. I loved her so much. I wanted to make sweet tender love to her as well. But I had to put the consequences first. "Rarity... We shouldn't... Your career. If they find out..."

My lover brought her hooves to the side of my face and held them to my cheeks. "I don't care."

Her words were brief and stern. Her gaze showed not just passion, but focused determination. "Rarity... You... I don't think you mean..."

I noticed the fabric around Rarity's waist become coated with her magic aura. The backside of it was likely being pulled aside to reveal her needy marehood. I could already smell her, that familiar feminine musk filling the air. She gazed sincerely into my eyes and whispered, "My body aches for you... My heart craves you... I don't care what they think, my love. I need this. I need you. I love you so very much and my heart will not be denied. Not tonight..."

I could not say no. She was so brave. Putting our relationship before her own career. All I could do was hope that she would not regret this as I too began to lower my guard. My hands guided her hips, situating her above me. All that was left was for her to lower herself. "Rarity... You're amazing... I hope we don't regret this..."

"I certainly won't... My love... My everything..." Rarity whispered as she brought her curvy hips down, slowly taking me into her once more. "Oooooh, James... Take me. Breed me. Make me yours. I don't care if the world finds out. I want to be yours. Make love to me, my darling..."

"Oh god, Rarity... My mare..." I said in a hushed voice as I tried to keep my voice down, my hands still grasping her lovely feminine hips. Rarity began to do all the work, turning her lap dance into something even more intimate. Her hips rose and fell, taking me deep into her while I never let go. It was heaven. We were both giving each other what we most desired at that moment. We just could not resist each other.

Rarity's eyes closed as she lifted her head high, her hoof soon covering her mouth to muffle her more shrill yelps of pleasure as she made love to the one man she loved in her life. I sighed, savoring the warmth of her inner walls. She was absolutely wonderful. Perhaps even better than the last time.

She must have managed to find her balance as Rarity soon brought both hooves to my shoulders as she gazed into my eyes. And then, she began to sing her heart out to me. "My darling... Please... Walk me down the aisle next week... Let me stand beside you when you say your vows... I want to be your wife... Let me be your wife along with Fluttershy... I know we'll both make you very happy..."

Tears were flowing down her cheeks. Such a look of astounding devotion and desperation in her eyes. She looked so wanting. And I wanted her. My heart called out to her as I whispered back, "I want you too, baby... I want you in my life... Want you to always be there for me... So I can always hold you..."

We both gazed at each other in a miasma of pleasure and longing. Was I crying? Was I shedding tears like Rarity as well? Our lips joined together many times, kissing and caressing as lovers even as Rarity's hips increased their tempo. Her words echoed in my head. Yes, I wanted to take Rarity as my bride alongside Fluttershy. I could not choose one over the other. I love them both!

As Rarity's panting and cooing became more rapid as the minutes went by, she leaned forward and whispered into my ear with such wonderful passion. "James... My love, my everything... Marry me, darling... Please, make me your bride... Say you do... Please... Let me here it... Let me here you say it..."

My arms wrapped around Rarity with one hand on the back of her head as I began to buck my hips upwards against hers. I whispered back into her ear, "I do, baby... I do... Will you be mine, Rarity? Will you marry me? Be my mare?"

Rarity lifted her face to the ceiling, eyes closed as she smiled deliriously in joy. "Oh, I do... I do, James! I do! I'm yours forever!"

We were just speaking fantasies and nothing more. Merely speaking our love for each other. I wish it were possible. If we could do so without consequences, I would gladly marry her along with Fluttershy. So many wonderful thoughts passed through my mind. Thoughts of a family with them, each having a beautiful filly of their own who saw each other as sisters. A fantasy, to be sure. But a wonderful fantasy.

I could feel a rising pressure in my pelvis that grew as the seconds went by. We had to hurry up. The other guests might grow suspicious if we spent too much time upstairs. I took hold of Rarity's hips with my own slapping against hers. "Rarity... I'm almost... Where do you want it..."

My beloved provided the response I was expecting. "Inside me darling...! Where it belongs... Claim my womb! Give me your foal, my love! I... I love... I..."

With what little control we had, we leaned forward and closed our eyes as we sealed lips. Our jaws clamped against each other's to muffle ourselves as we yelled and groaned in powerful orgasm. Her walls quivered around me and gushed with fluid as I unleashed my seed into her waiting womb. Our muffled moans steadily became little more than exhausted whimpers as our kiss ended and we gazed into each other's eyes. We then fell into each other's arms, holding each other. Cradling each other as we basked in the tender afterglow.

"I love you..." I whispered to the wonderful mare still in my arms. It was not an impulsive mutter. I knew for sure that I was very much in love with her. Rarity is, for lack of a better word, my dream mare. We need each other. We adore each other. And that moment proved it. Even with all the risk involved, we could not stay away from each other. It was foolish of us to even try.

"And I will love you forever..." My beloved whispered back to me. We soon pulled away her right hoof and my hand touching. Her eyes soon wandered to her wrist and beheld the silver bracelet upon it. To think I got that for her almost two years ago. She smiled warmly as muttered, "Your first gift to me... I have to wonder... Was this a way to court me back then?"

My thoughts went back to that day. I was new in town with almost nothing on me but the clothes on my back and Rarity offered to allow me to bunk in her place. That bracelet... It was a gift in return for her generosity. And yet... Was that all it was? Were the seeds of attraction starting to bloom into adoration at the time? Surely to spend a fairly hefty sum of funds on a fine piece of jewelry like that could not be chalked up to simply repaying one for such kindness. "I don't know... Maybe it was."

Rarity let out a long quiet sigh as she closed her eyes momentarily. "When I woke up to find this on my wrist... Somehow... I knew it was you. And I was left wondering what drove you to give me such a thing... James... Darling, please tell me. Were you...trying to woo me back then? Was your heart starting to pine for me?"

Those memories of that first week in Equestria rose from deep in my mind. I could remember the thoughts I had when I began to wonder if it would be wise to pursue a relationship with one of my knew friends. After trying to find the right words, I whispered to her. "In hindsight... I think I was. You were the first woman to come to mind when I started to wonder if it would be possible to pursue a relationship with one of the six wonderful mares who came into my life. But... I knew I didn't fit your criteria. I was sure I could never be good enough for you, so... I turned away from that path."

My beautiful lover brought her left hoof to my cheek and looked into my eyes with a most mournful frown. "James... Believe me when I say I am not the mare I was five years ago. I was a fool back then. Blinded by visions of grandeur and even base avarice, I set my sights upon the highest echelons of society without considering the true value of that which was around me. And I hate that giving off an air of such impossibly high standards drove you from me. Unknowingly turning you away from me... That was my greatest failure."

"Rarity, don't say that... Look at us now. Even if we didn't come together traditionally... Here we are." I whispered back to her as my own spare hand cradled her cheek in its palm.

"I know... I know... Life has the strangest way of working out in the end... And I could not be more grateful for how things have turned out between us." Rarity replied with such a thankful smile setting in upon her lips. "And with everything said... I think you made the best choice in the end. Fluttershy certainly needs you. And the faith she has in you... Trusting you to bring more lovers into your life while remaining loyal to her... I fear I would not have had the courage to do the same. With all said and done... I'm certain the choice you made was the path towards the happiest future possible for us."

I fell silent. Perhaps she was right. Fluttershy... So trusting and so faithful. I could never leave her. And yet, she has more faith in my ability to pursue such an unorthodox relationship with multiple lovers than even I do. "We'll see, won't we...? I hope I'll never disappoint her..."

"You won't, darling... Also, if I may dare to make a request?" Rarity then asked as I turned my gaze to her once more. "Please... From now on, let us not deny each other anymore. I know there is risks involved, but we'll find a way to manage. Please... Let us partake in our love with each other when the time and place is right... I know Fluttershy would approve and support us. But will you?"

Such courage she was displaying. And yet... I knew denying her would only be delaying the inevitable. We cannot resist each other. What should have been a simple lap dance turning into a lovemaking session out of sheer passion and love for each other. To expect us to keep our hands and hooves off of each other would be an unrealistic expectation. And so I relented. "Sure... I don't think we would be able to stay away from each other like that for long anyway if we were alone in a room with each other."

Rarity let out a quiet chuckle as she kissed me upon the cheek, getting a smile out of me in the process. "Mm, I think you are most right about that. I just love you so much, my dear..."

"And I love you just as much, m'lady." I whispered back as I felt some of my worry melt away. We would be fine. And we would be very happy if we would allow our relationship to flourish. However, I finally noticed the time on the clock hanging nearby. As well as the stink of sex lingering in the air. "Hey... Uh... We should probably be getting back to the party soon. And we should probably crack a window first."

"Open a window? Whatever fo... Wait... Hmm... Oh, that... I see now." Rarity mumbled before using her magic to open the room's window while making certain the curtains were closed. If someone were to walk in later and notice that smell, I would have a lot of explaining to do. We were also very careful to not leave a mess behind as I got dressed again and soon headed back downstairs with Rarity by my side.

The rest of the party went off without a hitch. Good food and drink and a fair bit of entertainment. Button Mash eventually rejoined me in the entertainment lounge for some more gaming, but he ended up having to leave before long. Probably because he wanted to get back home before his mother started wondering where he had gotten to. One by one, the guests started to head out while Rarity and I were the last to depart as we gathered up everything we had purchased that day and headed out to the train station in the hopes of catching the first train home we could. Thank goodness Shining Armor was sober by the time Cadence got back, even as Estoc seemed tempted to show her some photos on his camera as he left.

Our timing could not have been better. A train was leaving less than five minutes after we reached the station. The two of us sat at the back of the rear car, cuddled up on a seat as the train soon rolled out of the station and towards Ponyville. I was quite tired by then, as parties tend to do to you. I just cast my gaze towards the window, but was soon distracted as Rarity put her hoof upon my hand.

My gaze fell upon Rarity as she gazed at me with a smile. We were the only ones in the entire car. I could only smile back as she whispered, "I really enjoyed our time together, dear."

"As did I, m'lady." I whispered back as my hand turned over and held her hoof in my palm. My thumb traced over the bracelet upon her wrist, now feeling more proud than ever that I had ever gotten it for her.

I felt a twinge of intrigue as I saw Rarity's other hoof gravitate to her belly. She rubbed over her side, sighing happily. "I can still feel it inside me... I love it, that tingly feeling sloshing around where no other man will touch."

That look of adoration she gave me... It was as if all my worries faded while we gazed into each other's eyes. And before I knew it, we were in each other's arms as we shared many tender kisses. We simply could not resist each other when there were no prying eyes about. I spoke these thoughts aloud as I muttered, "I can't keep my hands off you..."

Rarity too spoke softly to me as a blush shone through her pale coat. "And I can't keep my hooves to myself when it's just the two of us..."

She soon began to rub her hooves over my chest while my hands did the same along the backs of her shoulders. It was as if we were performing our own little dance together. I soon whispered, "I just don't get it... Why do we gravitate to each other like this? I've never felt this kind of chemistry with anyone..."

"I wish I had a concrete answer for that, my love. But I know we both carry the virtue of generosity. I just know that would be your Element if you ever had to take my place." Rarity whispered in return as she placed a kiss upon my chin. "Whatever the reason, I hardly mind. I know you will always be the love of my life."

Her words tickled my heart. I felt nothing short of honored to have such a wonderful mare as a lover. My hands rested upon her hooves as they sat over my heart. "Am I really the one you desire most, Rarity?"

My beloved's gaze remained blissful, and yet I could see a more sincere and serious look in her eyes. "Darling... James. I want to by your wife. I want to have your children. I want to grow old with you. And I want to walk alongside you into the eternity that lies beyond this and to spend that eternity with you. That is what you mean to me, my love. You are my everything."

Powerful words indeed. And that was the first time a woman had ever told me we wanted to grow old with me. How do I even describe the weight of such a statement? All I could do was wrap my arms around my beloved and whisper into her ear. "And I have no words to say how honored I am that you said that... I love you, Rarity. And I always will."

"And I love you, my wonderful prince. Please... Let us stay right here for the rest of the ride. I just want to hold you... To feel you here with me." Rarity said softly as her eyes began to close. I too closed my eyes, holding my beloved in my arms as we awaited our arrival in Ponyville.

The train arrived without any trouble and I escorted Rarity home under the glow of a half moon. Upon arriving at the Carousel Boutique, I held the door for her before we stepped into her darkened home. With a flick of a nearby light, the main workroom was bathed in light. Rarity let out a long yawn as she flexed her neck. "Mmm, goodness, what a long day! I do hope Opal doesn't mind getting fed this late."

"Yeah, I'm surprised we got home after 9 PM. Long day indeed." I replied while also feeling like I would have no trouble sleeping tonight.

Rarity set her belongings on a stool nearby before turning to face me and flashed me an amorous wink. "I would invite you to stay the night, but don't you have a certain expecting mother to return home to?"

My thoughts immediately went to Fluttershy. She was likely home waiting for me and I had not seen her all day. And I was looking forward to snuggling in bed with my bride to be. But as I began to step towards the door, something happened I did not expect. I began to cry.

"Darling...? Is something wrong?" Rarity asked as she too could see tears beginning to stream down my face.

A hand rose to my cheek. I could not even remember the last time I had felt such a way during an imminent parting. My breathing became unsteady as I dropped to a knee to hold Rarity in my arms as she rushed to my side. I did not want to leave her. I knew Fluttershy would be waiting at home for me, but Rarity would not. I could not bear the thought of having to say farewell. "I don't... I don't know... I just...don't want to go..."

Rarity was quick to understand and wiped my tears away as she too gave me a sorrowful gaze. "I know, dear. I know. And I don't want us to part either. But it will only be for a little while. You know I love you too much to ever say goodbye forever..."

Her words soothed me a bit as my sniffling slowly came to a stop That somber gaze became a hopeful smile as she then said sweetly, "Don't be sad, my darling. We've been a part of each other's lives for two years now and many many more years are to come. I swear I will see you again tomorrow. I'll even come find just so we may hold each other and kiss each other like so many times today. So please... Don't cry. Can you promise me this? As the love of my life?"

I managed to regain my composure while I dried my tears. I do not know where that came from. It is indeed rare for me to just crack like that. I nodded and managed to smile. "All right... Sorry, I don't know where those tears came from... I guess... I just love you so much, Rarity..."

My believed replied with a kiss upon my lips before gently guiding me to the door. "And I love you to the moon and back, my dear. Now, no more delays. Somepony is waiting for you. And don't forget the gifts you picked up! Have a wonderful night, my love. I'll see you again soon."

With some reluctance, I headed out on my way with bag in my hand. The soothing night air along with the faintly illuminated surroundings calmed my emotions in mere moments. Nothing like a quiet walk to clear your head. I was feeling much better once my house came into view. But there were no lights on from what I could see. Did Fluttershy and Scootaloo go to bed early?

Once I pushed the front door open and turned on the lights, I was quick to see a note on the stairs. It was from Fluttershy and it detailed that she and Scootaloo would be spending the night at Rainbow Dash's house so I could enjoy the place to myself for the night. She even revealed that my bosses at Sugarcube Corner had given me the day off tomorrow to just relax after the party. While somewhat disappointed to not find Fluttershy waiting for me, I could appreciate enjoying a quiet night with the entire house to myself. And so I went to the kitchen to steep myself some chamomile tea before bed. I did not even turn the phonograph on to play music. I simply left the windows open to create a cool breeze and to listen to the sounds of the night.

As the tea kettle sat on the stove, I sat on the sofa nearby while waiting for the whistle to sound. I looked at the bag of goods I had picked up that day. It was only then that I remembered Smolder. Where was she? Was she still sleeping on the roof? Remembering how she did not want me to leave, I was surprised that she was not there to greet me upon my return. I quickly went outside and called out to the darkened roof. "Smolder...? Smolder?! You there?!"

No response. Perhaps she went back out to the Everfree Forest. But then I remembered the chicken coop out back and how I had already found her sleeping in it twice. I went back inside and fetched an oil lantern, but not before pouring a cup of tea for myself since the tea kettle had begun to whistle. With the lantern's glow guiding my way, I walked around to the back of the cottage. The chickens were nowhere to be seen, most likely fast asleep in the coop.

With a deep breath to steady my nerves now that I was very concerned on Smolder's absence, I stepped into the pen on got on my knee before holding the lantern near the coop's entrance. I was not disappointed by what I found. There she was. Just like before, the dragon girl was sound asleep at the far end of the coop, tucked up in a ball in the corner. Feeling I should not leave her there, I tried calling out to her. "Smolder... You awake? Smolder? I'm back. Are you all right?"

Before long, I saw her eyelids start to twitch as she even grumbled while bringing a hand up in front of her face to shield herself from the lantern's glow. She did soon open her eyes and almost immediately cast me a look of surprise. I just smiled at her, genuinely happy to see her again. But she soon averted her gaze. Almost as if she was ashamed of something. "What's wrong? Are you OK?"

Smolder let out an audible sigh before looking at me out of the corner of her eye. "I didn't you'd really come back..."

I felt a sting in my heart to hear her say such a thing. Even after the time we spent together that morning, she had no faith in me. Granted, neither of us knew each other well at all, but... It was disappointing for her to expect me to never return. I then replied, "Why...? I live here. This is my house. I had to come back at sometime."

"That's...not what I mean." Smolder muttered while still refusing to make eye contact with me. "I thought... I thought you were too good to be true... That you were just being nice to me so you could sneak away or something... I couldn't believe...you could be so good to me without asking for anything in return..."

What a miserable solitary life she must had led up to that point to never have any positive long-term expectations for anyone she meets. But I was not going to fault her for it. Instead, I reached in with my empty hand. "Come here, sweetheart."

Her eyes perked up in shock as she cast her gaze towards me. "Wha... What did you call me?"

"I said come here, sweetheart. You're not staying out here tonight." I replied while reaching further with my hand. Smolder did not say a word, though she looked visibly jarred. Her eyes fell upon my hand as I waited for her to take hold. And she did. Her hand reached out to mine and grabbed on, crawling forward as I pulled her out. She rose to her feet and gazed up at me in the glow of my lantern, seemingly speechless. Seconds passed before she overcame her confusion and jumped right at me, wrapping her limbs around me like a vice as she hung from my body. Her eyes were squinted shut as I whispered, "Are you all right...?"

"Yeah... Just feel...pretty stupid right now..." Smolder grumbled as I heard a faint sniffle while her face was buried in my chest. "I... I guess I should've known better... I should've believed you when you said you'd be back tonight..."

"It's, OK, sweetheart... I don't blame you for being skeptical. Come on. Let's get you inside." I said softly while stroking her head before placing my hand on her lower back to hold my new friend up. I walked back around to the front of the house and turned the lantern off before stepping inside and carefully lowering Smolder to the floor. "How about some tea before bed? That should help calm you down."

Smolder just cast a rather guilty gaze up at me. "Tea...?"

"Oh... It's a type of drink. I think I still have enough hot water left for another cup." I replied while I led Smolder into the kitchen. I poured another cup of tea for her and said, "I'm sure you can take the heat, but let it steep undisturbed for ten minutes to draw out the flavor. Or longer, if you prefer."

"OK..." Smolder mumbled as she took a seat at the table. She looked down at the cup, seeing her melancholy expression gazing back at her. The faint scent of chamomile rose from the cup as I tested the heat of my cup. Still too hot to drink.

Knowing I would not be able to drink my tea for a while longer, I felt it was a good time to take a shower and bathe for the night. I knew Smolder likely would not want us to be apart, so I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Hey... I'm going to go take a shower while I wait for my tea to cool. I'll be back down in a bit, all right?"

"Sure... I'm not going anywhere." Smolder replied quietly as her hand gravitated to mine. I felt a familiar sensation upon feeling her touch, much as I did that morning. With some reluctance, I stepped away and went upstairs to the bathroom after closing the hatch to the stairs behind me.

My shower went by without incident and I soon stepped out into the bedroom to don a clean pair of boxers. I wanted to avoid being too bare when being around someone I only just met, so I then pulled on a bathrobe that Rarity wove for me. It was a minty green, which only seemed to add to the refreshing effects of the shower I just experienced. I opened the hatch to the stairs with only the lamp at my bedside illuminating the bedroom and quietly descended the stairs to find Smolder still waiting patiently at the table. Her cup of tea had not been touched. I noticed this and said, "You haven't touched your tea..."

Smolder cast me an indecisive look as she appeared to be unsure of what to do. "I was waiting for you..."

"So we could enjoy our tea together?" I asked while Smolder just nodded. I could only smile at that and take a seat at the other end of the table. I cast our used teabags into the waste bin and began to sip my tea. Mine had cooled enough even though Smolder's was still quite hot, but she clearly did not mind as she began to take light sips. "How is it?"

"It doesn't taste like much... But I think I taste some honey in it?" She said while looking down at her cup.

"Yeah, that's chamomile for you. Even without adding some, it tastes a bit like honey. Really good for helping you sleep too." I replied while sipping away at my tea. I normally like to chug the thing to get the maximum effect fro the tea as quickly as possible, but I was in no hurry this time. I did not want Smolder to feel inclined to hurry through her drink.

We did not speak much at first. I just turned my gaze to the window as a cool night breeze blew past the parted drapes. Smolder would frequently glance at me, but would avert her gaze whenever my eyes locked with hers. She sipped slowly from her cup, the silence broken by the faint rustling of leaves outside from the wind and the chirping of wayward crickets. Finally, I tried to break the silence. "So... What were you up to while I was gone? Taking a long nap?"

Smolder seemed to hesitate before speaking without looking at me. "Looking around outside... Foraging for berries in the forest... Hanging out with the chickens... And... Well..."

"Yes?" I added as Smolder fell silent. She almost seemed embarrassed to continue speaking to me.

With great reluctance and an uncomfortable frown on her lips, Smolder continued with her gaze turned to the floor. "Thinking about you..."

A long sigh escaped my nostrils as her words warmed my heart. I too felt some difficulty bringing my gaze to meet hers. "I was thinking about you too..."

Smolder immediately glanced up at me when I said that, a look of shock in her eyes. "You...were...?"

"Yeah... I even got something for you. Although I think we should wait until morning before I give it to you. Consider it something to look forward to." I explained as I was worried if letting her eat candy might impair her sleeping that night.

The dragon girl just let out another long sigh as she once again looked very disappointed in herself. "Now I feel even dumber... I don't know why I thought you wouldn't come back... I guess I'm just not used to having faith in others."

"It's OK. It takes time to recover from what you've gone through. But I promise you'll be happier when you do." I replied while taking another sip of my tea. We fell silent once more, though I noticed Smolder was starting to look at me more frequently by then. I finally got curious and asked, "You've been looking at me a lot today... Is something wrong?"

Smolder began to give me an uncertain smile as her gaze wandered once more. "No... Nothing... It's just... You make me feel safe."

I did not really have an answer for that. All I could do was smile. Eventually, we both finished our tea and pushed our cups towards the middle of the table. I then asked, "Ready for bed?"

"Yeah... I think that tea really did calm me down after all." Smolder said quietly while she stood up. When I did the same, she immediately reached for my hand. I responded in kind, taking her hand into my own and guiding her out of the kitchen after turning the lights off. I led Smolder across the living room and into Scootaloo's bedroom. I doubt she would mind a guest using her bed for one night so long as I tidied it back up in the morning. "So... I get to sleep here tonight?"

"Yep. Make yourself at home. I'll be upstairs if you need anything." I replied as I released my grasp on Smolder's hand and stroked my fingers along her scalp. She looked up at me in silent uncertainty, probably unsure of how to go about it. I had faith she would get settled in on her own and began to turn towards the doorway. "Sweet dreams, Smolder. You be good now."

"Sure... Good night." Smolder mumbled in return as I made my way to the stairs after turning out the lights. But before I reached the top, I looked past the railing through the dark to see Smolder watching me from the doorway. She did not seem happy and waved halfheartedly at me. I waved back and reached the top before lowering the hatch into place. I debated on whether or not to secure it and decided to leave it unlocked just in case Smolder needed to reach me. I hung up my robe and climbed in bed, thoroughly exhausted after such a long day.

I did not go as undisturbed as I would have liked. Barely ten minutes later, I thought I heard a faint sound just ahead of me. Like faints footsteps downstairs. A moment later, I heard the faint sound of the hatch opening before being very carefully lowered again. The sound I heard shuffling along the wooden floor was not the sound of hooves. It was soft feet. In the darkness, I could see a vague shape against the darker background. Barely more than three feet tall. I pretended to be asleep as I said nothing, watching the figure as it soon stood beside my bed.

It remained still for a good minute or two, almost as if afraid to move or speak. I was not comfortable with someone looming over me in my sleep, so I spoke up in a whisper. "That you, Smolder?"

Indeed, it was her. She whispered back in a hushed tone, "Hey... I... Is it all right if I... I don't...want to be alone right now..."

I smiled drowsily before reaching up and pulling the covers down for her. "Sure. Climb on in."

I watched Smolder's silhouette climb into bed before me before I pulled the covers back up. I could feel her next to me, her hand upon my shoulder. I then whispered to her, "Feeling better?"

"Yeah... A lot better..." She whispered to my face before feeling her hand upon my cheek as we were likely gazing right at each other mere inches away. I felt along under the covers and rested my hand upon her knee. Sounding a bit happier, Smolder asked an unexpected question. "Sorry, but... What's your name again?"

I was hardly surprised that she had forgotten, but did not feel any harm in reminding her. "I'm James."

Smolder then whispered back with a happier tone, "Thanks. Sweet dreams, James."

"You too, sweetheart." I retorted as I closed my eyes, feeling even more relaxed now that I had some company.

Before I could drift off to sleep, Smolder whispered back to me. "I don't even know what that means... But I like it..."

I know not what I ended up dreaming about, but I awoke feeling refreshed and rested. I just gazed at the ceiling while my senses returned to me. But before I could even start to sit up, I started to notice a feeling upon me. Like a little extra weight.

I looked down at my chest and saw nothing while seeing Smolder's sleeping face just to my right. But when I pulled the covers down, I got an answer. Smolder's arm was draped across my chest, as was her entire wing a further down. Had she slept the entire night while embracing me like that?

While I found this position to be an awkward sight to wake up to, I could not feel anything negative when I took a good look at Smolder's face. She was smiling in her sleep. With such a look of peace on her face, I did not want to wake her. But I had to get up at some point. I caressed her cheek with one finger, slowly rousing Smolder from her slumber until her beautiful blue eyes slowly opened to gaze at me. Her smile faded momentarily and quickly returned once she saw me looking right back at her. "Hey there..."

"Good morning, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?" I whispered back as we gazed into each other's eyes without ever looking away.

"Mmhm... Really well... I don't remember ever waking up and feeling this...good." Smolder muttered while looking the happiest I had seen her yet. Her sleepy smile only brightened further when I brought my left hand to hers as it remained upon my chest. She then let out a long sigh as she whispered, "You make me happy..."

"You make me happy too, Smolder. I'm glad I got to meet you." I said back to her quietly while rubbing my hands over her four fingers. I almost forgot that dragons have one finger less than humans. Of course, I knew we should not stay in bed all morning and started to brace myself to sit up. "You want to take a morning shower while we have time?"

"Mm... Sounds really nice... Sure." Smolder mumbled happily before we both sat up in bed. Smolder groaned and opened her jaws wide, her long tongue snaking out and curling while stretching beside me. However, I was quick to notice something not quite right with what I was seeing. And so did she. "Wow... I must've slept well... Huh? Wait.. What's... Huh?!"

"Uh... Smolder? I think got something snagged there." I spoke as I saw one of the pillows hanging off of her left horn. Those things really are quite long. They reach much higher than her own head.

"Huh?! Oops, didn't mean to do that! Just let me take... Um... Uh oh..." Smolder stared in shock as she held the pillow in her hands. It was not simply snagged on her horn. Her horn had outright punctured it. "Um... Wow... I didn't mean to do that last night... Sorry..."

"Huh... Maybe it would be a good idea to get those trimmed sometime..." I muttered while taking the pillow in hand. I could hide the tear in the pillow case, but I would have to do something about the pillow itself to keep the stuffing from falling out.

Smolder looked genuinely embarrassed and even fearful that she had started her day by damaging one of my belongings. She would not even look at me. Still, I placed my hand on her shoulder and said, "Hey, it's all right. I didn't see that coming either. I'll patch it later. It's no big deal. Now, how about that shower?"

"Yeah... Sure, I'd like that." She said softly while looking a little less worried. Once I stood up from the bed in just my boxers, I noticed Smolder give me a most curious gaze. "Huh... So that's what humans look like without clothes."

"The males, at least. Anyway, right this way." I replied before leading my new friend into the bathroom for a good soak. It went roughly the same as last time with Smolder really enjoying herself. Once she was all dried off and I was dressed in some shorts and a green polo, I headed downstairs to get started on some breakfast.

Once again, I served Smolder up an omelet. Only this time, I fried up some hash browns too and served us up some cold milk. She watched from the table the entire time, apparently studying exactly how I cooked. And she really enjoyed the food. Probably even more than yesterday morning.

As we ate, I caught a glance of the calendar hanging on the wall nearby. A random thought came to mind as I turned to Smolder while she munched on some hash browns. "Say... Um... Random question, but when is your birthday?"

"Huh? Birthday?" Smolder replied while not seeming to understand the meaning of the word.

Not entirely surprised by her ignorance, I attempted to explain it briefly. "You know... The day your life began."

She seemed to get it then. "Huh? You mean the day I hatched? What about it?"

It was so strange to hear that Smolder had hatched from an egg until I put into consideration that she is a dragon. Still, I then asked, "I was just wondering which day it is. Do you know?"

"Um... Not really. I mean I know it was when the weather gets cooler." She said while still looking puzzled. "Why do you even want to know?"

"Because birthdays are special days. I mean it marks the day you were born into the world. That makes it special, right? Hold on..." I replied before walking over to the calendar and taking it off the wall. I went to the very first page, which shows all twelve months arranged in three rows. I then put it on the table and moved my finger along each month to show in what order they go. "You can tell the passage of time, right? Which day is your birthday?"

Smolder began to study the calendar quite intently as her finger wandered around the chart. I was not expecting her to figure it out in any great hurry, but minutes went by without her saying a word. During that time, I finished my breakfast and brought my plate and glass to the sink before returning to Smolder's side. Roughly five minutes after her started, Smolder finally spoke up. "I think... Here."

I looked over her shoulder as Smolder's claw touched one of the squares under the month of November. "You sure?"

"Yeah... Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is the day." Smolder said while looking proud of herself for figuring it out.

"November 11th... The eleventh day of the eleventh month. Nice." I retorted as I took the calendar in hand and went to the page of November and drawing a large X on the day to serve as a reminder before placing the calendar back on the wall.

"Um... November? That's what it's called?" Smolder then asked while looking over at the calendar.

I was not surprised the name did not sound familiar. I then turned to her and said, "Yes, November is the second last month of the year. When autumn ends and winter begins." I then pointed to the name of the current month being displayed and said, "And right now, it's June. Says it right here."

Smolder just cocked her head to one side while giving me a strange stare. "That's... That's what those lines say?"

"Huh? Yeah, this says..." I began to say before falling silent. I began to comprehend what she was trying to tell me as my eyes opened a bit wider. "You... You can't read, can you?"

"Um... Read?" Smolder asked again while sounding like she truly did not understand what I was trying to convey.

No wonder she looked through my journal only to put it down like it was a blank sheet of paper. Smolder was entirely illiterate! Then again, it should have been no surprise to me when taking into account that it sounds like most dragons are nomadic barbarians. Still, as someone who writes, I know better than most what a gift it is to know how to read. And so I said, "Well... That's a problem. Still, it's never too late to start. How about I at least try to teach you?"

Smolder did not seem entirely sold on the idea and asked, "Is it really that big a deal to know how to read?"

I did not want to sound too pushy, so I just tried to explain the benefits. "Well, yes. Reading words is basically hearing with your eyes. You can read stories that make you feel happy, sad, or even make you laugh. It'll make life a lot easier when you can read text more easily than processing words being spoken to you. Trust me, its a wonderful skill to have. And I'm sure you're a fast learner at your age."

She gazed at me while I spoke and seemed to really want to believe me. I thought for sure her draconic pride would drive her to turn down an offer to teach her how to do something most ponies can. But she surprised me by showing a calm smile. "OK then... Sounds like it'll be cool. How do I start?"

"Well, let me go find something that might help. I think we have just the thing." I said before stepping out of the kitchen and heading into the new addition to the house. Just past the doorway was a small box full of stuff that would be put to good use once Gladesong had been born. Mostly toys and the like. But among them were a few little storybooks. Including a book that was meant to be used to teach her how to read once old enough. Smolder was definitely far beyond its age group, but it was the best place to start. "OK, found it."

Smolder had followed me out of the kitchen after gulping down the rest of her breakfast. She really did not like the look of the infantile cover of that book as she gave me a very disdainful scowl. "Ugh... Isn't that for babies or something?"

"Hey, we gotta start somewhere." I replied as I reclined on the sofa. I had no real idea how to exactly teach someone how to read, but I would at least try. "Some on over and we'll get started."

With some reluctance, Smolder climbed onto my lap and leaned back with her backside against my chest. I then held the open book before us so we could both see the contents. "We'll start with the alphabet. It's made up of all the letters in every word in the world."

"Sounds good. I guess... I'm not digging these pictures a whole lot." Smolder said with a bit of a grumble in her voice.

She sounded less than impressed as I began to show and speak the letters in order while making sure Smolder could see the upper and lowercase versions of each letter. Much to my surprise, or maybe not so much, Smolder began to pick up on things rather quickly. She is much smarter than any toddler and is definitely a very sharp girl. In less than twenty minutes, she was reciting each letter back to me and began to correctly make the varying sounds each letter makes in a word.

I did not want to advance too far too fast with her, so I stopped once Smolder had learned how to say read and pronounce single syllable words. I closed the book and sat up straight while Smolder hopped down to the floor. "So... How was it?"

"Well..." Smolder mumbled before looking at me with a rather pleased smile on her face. "That was...pretty enjoyable. I actually feel kind of proud of myself."

"And you should. Reading is in important skill to have... Oh, let's step it up a bit. Now that you know how to string letters together into words, let's teach you how to write. That's when you jot down words with ink or other materials to make words on paper or other surfaces."

"Huh? Like... Make words for other people to read?" Smolder asked while showing a hint of excitement. She really seemed to be getting into it.

"Exactly. Hold on a second." I replied before going to fetch a bit of paper and a pencil from the green desk near the front door. I led Smolder into the kitchen and sat at the table with her. "Here's a little test for you. Write your name."

"My name? Uh..." Smolder mumbled before she took the pencil in hand and held it like an ice pick. I suppose I would have to show her how to hold it properly.

"Oh, you don't hold it like that. You need to turn it the other way first. Here, let me write mine first." I said before taking the pencil and holding it properly. I then jotted my name down on a slip of paper and pushed it her way. "There we go. That's how you spell my name."

"Oh. So that's... James... Um... Wait... Something's wrong with this A here..." Smolder then said while pointing out a bit of an inconsistency in my writing.

I took a closer look at my own handwriting and saw what she meant right away. "Huh? Oh... Yeah, that's a little penmanship quirk of mine. For as long as I can remember, I've always written my lowercase As in cursive. I guess I just thought it was easier that way."

"Cursive...?" Smolder asked while looking completely at a loss of what I was saying.

Unsure of how to exactly describe it, nor am I even sure if it is commonly done in Equestria, I tried to dismiss the topic altogether. "We'll go over it some other time. It's an advanced form of writing than might not even be worth bothering with. Anyway, show me if you can write your name. You can put it together with how it sounds, right? Smol...der?"

"Um... Hang on... I think it's..." The dragon girl mumbled while I looked away a bit so she could surprise me. I heard the scribbling of a pencil point against paper before Smolder spoke up. "How's this?"

I took the paper in hand and looked at what she had made. Her handwriting was not very neat, but it was at least neater than mine. And I could not help smiling as I saw the word on the paper. 'Smolder'. She had correctly written her name for the first time. "Yep... That's it. That's you."

Smolder took the paper back into her hands and looked at her own name. Just seeing her own name for the first time, written by her own hands, brought a massive smile to her face. "So... This is my name. S-m-o-l-d-e-r. Smolder. That's me."

Feeling quite proud of her myself, I went over to the far end of the kitchen to retrieve a familiar bag. "It sure is. Now, I think I've earned yourself a lollipop or two."

"Lollipop? What are... Ooh, those are colorful!" Smolder exclaimed as she saw me pull out a few sticks of rock candy from the bag. I brought them all over and set the entire dozen of them on the table for her to see. She immediately picked up one in each hand while looking them over. "Man, these are some really bright gems... Or are they crystals... Quartz, maybe? What is this stuff? It doesn't look right..."

I actually got a bit of a laugh out of her confusion. "Well, they're not. That's what I picked up for you yesterday. It's called rock candy. Just bits of hard candy. You'll like it. Help yourself. It's all yours."

"You got all this for me? Wow... I don't know what to say..." She replied before taking one and chomping the entire thing off. Stick included. I doubt she would have any trouble digesting the wooden stick if she can digest diamonds, so i just watched as Smolder enjoyed each and every one of them. "Mmmm... Wow, that's sweet..."

It really did not take long for Smolder to finish off every one of them and was left looking quite satisfied while I took the time to do the dishes. Once I put the dishes away and turned around to look at her, Smolder just smiled back at me. "Thanks... That was really yummy... Do I owe you anything?"

"Nah. Just seeing you happy is enough for me." I retorted while walking over to Smolder and immediately being on the receiving end of a big hug. It was quite a change from the despondent child I had first seen in my chicken coop. It felt good to see her in much better spirits.

While I tidied up the kitchen a bit, Smolder looked out the window. However, her expression suddenly became alarmed as she seemed to notice something out there. I then asked, "Something wrong?"

Smolder stepped back as she glanced at me. "Someone's coming... I... I should go..."

"Someone coming? Who? Is it Fluttershy?" I asked while I followed Smolder into the living room. She seemed to be looking for a window she could climb out of.

"I don't know. But... I don't feel ready..." Smolder stammered out quickly before opening a window in the newest room. I suspect she was afraid she would be chased off the property like all the other times it likely happened.

"Smolder... Smolder! Wait! Please." I finally said in an attempt to get her attention. She listened and turned to face me, still looking more than just a bit uneasy. I held my hand out to her, which she eagerly took into both her own. "I get it. You're just not ready to meet someone new yet. But that's OK. It can wait until later. But just remember that you're always welcome as far as I'm concerned."

"I know..." Smolder said before she managed to flash me a grateful smile. "There's no way I can stay away forever. Not after today. You'll see me again, James. I promise."

I smiled in return and dropped to my knees. Smolder fell right into my arms as we shared a tender embrace. I felt her sigh happily, probably the happiest she had been in quite some time. "You be careful out there, Smolder."

"Will do. See you later, James." She whispered back before we reluctantly released each other from our arms. Smolder quickly vaulted out the window, but took one last look back at me before spreading her wings and taking flight. I then closed the window and returned to the living room as I wondered who was approaching.

Moments later, there was a knock at the door. And I could not be more delighted to see who it was. "Good morning. I was hoping to see a lonely prince awaiting his lady. Is he home?"

Rarity stood before me. Completely unexpected, but I was very pleased to see her as I welcomed her inside. "Why, yes he is. And he's very happy to see you."

We soon found each other seated upon the sofa at the back of the room, Rarity's hoof in my hand. She then asked, "James, I almost forgot to mention... As I was drawing near, I could swear I saw something orange fly off over the Everfree Forest. Was that your little dragon friend?"

"Yeah, that was Smolder. I don't think she's ready to make new friends yet... She'll be back though. She knows she's welcome here." I replied before I too took note of something. "Come to think of it... What brings you out here this morning?"

My elegant lover smiled sweetly at me as she said, "I did say that we would see each other again soon, my dear. I could not forget the tears you shed for me last night, so I hurried on over here at the first opportunity I could find. I can stand to open up shop later. Mondays tend to be rather inconsistent in customers anyway. But did you at least sleep well?"

I was touched that Rarity really did follow through on her promise, especially so early in the day. "Yeah... Slept very well. And I'm really glad you're here..."

"As am I, my love... Now, why don't we get this off?" She replied before using her magic to pull my shirt off and set it nearby. Her hooves slid over my bare chest as she gazed lovingly into my eyes. "Let me feel the tender beating of that beautiful heart."

We just sat there for a good long while. Holding and caressing each other, lips occasionally joining for a tender kiss. But we did not go any further than that. There is a time and place for everything and that time was reserved for us just savoring each other and nothing more.

I think we almost dozed off for a nap by the time I heard the front door open. And a familiar quiet voice was quick to greet us. "Oh? And I thought I would be the first one home. Did I miss anything?"

Rarity and I turned our gazes towards the door. Beautiful Fluttershy approached us with a calm smile on her face. Rarity soon brought her hoof to my chest as she said, "Oh, I'm so sorry I beat you to it, Fluttershy dear. You see, this poor darling was simply in tears when we had to part ways last night! I could not leave such a precious gentleman unattended when he was such a delicate emotional state, so I hurried on over here to insure that his heart was in good hooves until you could return home."

I offered no vocal response, but still managed to crack an uneven smile. I still felt strangely silly that I broke down in tears the way I did. I am just grateful they did not think less of me for it. Fluttershy was quite understanding as she drew near and placed her hoof upon my hand. "Oh, you poor thing. If I had known you would have been so lonely, I would've come home last night. Are you all right?"

"Yes, dear. I'm OK. I felt better after a long walk home. How was the sleepover? Did Rainbow Dash give Scoot a quick lift to school?" I replied while feeling happy to have my fiancée home.

"Mmhm. I think she enjoyed the flight there too. But if you're still feeling a little down... Why don't we all take a nap together?" Fluttershy asked as she began to pull me from the sofa. "I'm sure the bed can hold the three of us."

"Oh, that sounds lovely, dear. Come along, James. We'll make certain your lonely heart gets all the recuperation it deserves." Rarity added as she too began to nudge me towards the stairs. I could not refuse. I followed my two dear lovers upstairs and soon cuddled up with them in bed.

I have been spending the rest of the day typing this every now and then while setting aside time with Fluttershy after Rarity went home. What a wonderful time I had yesterday. And... I really hope Smolder is doing all right. I cannot wait to see her again.

And to think... In just a week, the wedding happens. And then the honeymoon. Happy days are coming. I hope everything goes off without a hitch.