//------------------------------//
// Cocoa and Stories 
// Story: Arrival 
// by ChemIisan 
//------------------------------//





Arrival




Back in Ponyville, homes are closed. Hot chocolate is served behind wooden doors. Small fireplaces heat living rooms, and a group of friends is chatting in the local library. These friends had been through much together, and each was keenly aware of the others talents and weaknesses. They were finishing a story about a brave stallion that fended off a dragon by tricking it into leaving. The dragon that was present was not amused.
“You simply must get over it, Spike. It was- is a harmless tale from many years ago. The dragon wasn't even slain, which is quite unusual for a story about stallions and dragons.” Rarity was wrapped fashionably in a purple scarf, her hair done in an unusual fashion. Her mascara was as blue as ever, and Spike could not help but forgive her. The other ponies, however...
“It doesn't have anything to do with whether or not that dragon was killed! It has do do with the fact we dragons are demonized in every tale from the old days, and we're still hated even today! I never did anything to harm people, so what does that make me?” Spike wore an irritated face directed at Twilight. His foot stamped impatiently, and there was an awkward pause.
“Y'see, Spike, you ain't a normal dragon. Normal dragons eat meat an' th' like, and you just ain't a meat-eater.” Applejack was trying her hardest to explain that the stories had nothing to do with Spike, that Spike was a good kid. She shook a shiver off and inched closer to the fire. Even in the dead of winter she wore nothing but her lucky hat. She's worn the same tattered ten-gallon since she was a kid. Spike eyed her with disdain.
“You know what I think? I don't think any of you have actually met a dragon before.”
“That isn't true! We totally fought a red one about a year ago.” Rainbow Dash was fidgeting, as she was apt to do. Her candy colored mane shined in the light of the fire burning. Her eyes were representative of her body as they flitted back and forth. She was obviously uncomfortable being still for so long, but she put up with it in the name of friendship. That, and the last time she went outside she nearly died of hypothermia.
“You never met that dragon at all! You kicked its face, Rarity tried to steal its things, Twilight talked it to death, and Celestia knows what Pinkie Pie did. If you actually felt like moving him out, you could have struck a conversation, or asked a riddle...” Spike had clearly been premeditating this scenario.
“Spike, dragons are one of the exceptions to the 'not everyone is bad' rule. As it happens, a study was recently done among non-Equestrian dragons and more than 90% reported or showed signs of unwholesome behavior. As it happens, you are an Equestrian purple dragon, a breed designed to perform only wholesome behavior under the careful tutelage of a magic unicorn.” Twilight sat in the very center of her friends, pulling from a large book titled 'Tales to Tell to Young Fillies'.
“Question for ya Twilight; what 'sactly does 'unwholesome behavior' mean?”
“Applejack does bring up a good point. What exactly IS unwholesome behavior?” Spike was starting to question Applejack's ability to support her own opinions.
“Err...” started Twilight. She hadn't exactly thought about that. “I suppose that insulting ponies works... hurting animals... I'm not quite sure what the surveyors exactly meant there, but it involves any selfish and disharmonious behavior.”
“Wait, wait; say that last bit again?” requested Spike.
“Selfish, disharmonious behavior-”
“Aha! That's exactly what I mean. You can say dragons are selfish because they horde gold and gems, but the fact is we need those to live and you don't. Imagine if I called you evil for storing apples in the winter, Applejack. Or if I called Rainbow Dash evil for hogging all the water in Ponyville for one shower.”
“Hey, wait a minute!” exclaimed that colorful pegasi.
“Point is, what you deem selfish is healthy, perhaps even required for a dragon. I don't think I'd like to be told I'm evil because I have a stockpile of food. That would definitely make me an irate dragon in the morning, don't you think?”
“Well, I suppose that does question the validity of the survey... now that I think about it, I've never heard of any dragon attacks in recent years...” Twilight was obviously troubled by this new information. If one thing she knew about dragons was wrong, then how valid was the remainder of her knowledge?
“I have a story... if anyone really cares...” said a hushed Fluttershy from behind the group. Angel was nestled between Fluttershy's wing and her soft yellow pelt. She was wrapped in a large number of quilts formed into a nest. Her hair was also done in an unusual fashion, perked up into a ponytail. It was not particularly fashionable, but it allowed Fluttershy to wear a woolen cap.
“An actual dragon attack? Tell us, Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash jumped at the prospect of an exciting story. She liked it better when Twilight was reading rather than arguing about how evil or not dragons actually were. In fact, she would hardly care if Spike started attacking Rarity. Well, she might care then. But only because it would be fun to watch.
“Well, it does have an attack in it-”
“Is to going to be THAT story again?” moaned a disinterested Rarity from the sidelines.
“Hush! Fluttershy's going to tell a story!” Rainbow Dash wanted to get to the meat of the story as fast as possible. The friends quieted down, and all attention was on Fluttershy.
“Do you remember the time I was in the hospital? You wouldn't, Twilight, you hadn't met me yet. I... I never told many ponies this. It was very difficult.” Fluttershy nearly backed away, but Twilight egged her on.
“We're your friends, Fluttershy. We would never do anything to hurt you.” Fluttershy seemed comforted by this, and continued.
“I- I was young. It was a few years after I got my cutie mark, and I was- well, I was adventurous. I- I overestimated myself...” Fluttershy quieted down as a knock was heard from the direction of the door.
“I'll get it!” shouted Spike. He opened the door to find nopony there.
“Why are you looking over there, Spike?” said a bright pink form mere inches away from the baby dragon's spine. “I'm behind you, silly!”
Spike closed the door slowly and turned around nervously to see Pinkie Pie, bright as ever and wearing four fur boots. Her boots were attached to tennis racquets, and she also wore a long scarf that dragged on the ground. Unsurprisingly, she was not wet and vibrated warmth from head to toe. Pinkie Pie grinned and then cracked up, rolling on the floor in laughter.
“How... but... huh?!” Spike was flabbergasted, chalking it up to magic he would never understand.
“It's okay, Spike. You aren't the first one to fall for the old 'Knock-Knock' trick.” Pinkie Pie had been inside the whole time, listening in on the conversation. It only made sense she would knock on the door before introducing herself. Of all of the group, she was the only one still hiding secrets, most of them locations to her 'shortcuts'. Having a magic shovel didn't hurt either.
“Pinkie Pie! So glad you could be here! Fluttershy was about to tell us about her dragon encounter!” Rainbow Dash was itching for Pinkie to sit down and listen.
“Oh, that? I was there. Good times.” Pinkie Pie plopped down next to Rarity. “I love this wonderful scarf you made me!” As Rarity was about to respond, Rainbow Dash gave her the stink-eye.
“Go on, Fluttershy.” finished Rarity with a bored expression on her face.
“A-alright... I was headed off when I got caught in a snowball fight-” Fluttershy started.
“Ooh, ooh! I can do this one!” interrupted Pinkie Pie. “Me and Rarity were having a snowball fight, and this little yellow pony walked in the middle of us! I thought she was Rarity, being covered in purple winter clothes and all, so I threw a snowball at her!”
“Oh, please. Spare us the lies, Pinkie. You were never in a snowball fight with me.”
“I am not a liar! You are the liar! You even initiated it!”
“I swore revenge, dear. I never actually challenged you to a snowball fight. You just started throwing snowballs at everyone, up to and including Fluttershy.”
“You're just sore because you couldn't hit me with a snowball.”
“Girls! Fluttershy was telling a story here? About dragons? To us? Did I mention dragons?” Rainbow Dash never really cared for snowball fights. She was never able to put that ball of snow together and then throw it so it didn't fall apart. The last time she was in a snowball fight she was put under house arrest for the winter. Apparently if you throw a snowball too fast it becomes an icicle. She still wasn't sure if that icicle caused permanent damage to Carrot Top.
“You're right; it was incredibly impudent of me and Pinkie Pie to fight. Continue, dear.” Fluttershy was once again caught in the headlights.
“I cried for a bit. Pinkie Pie stopped throwing snowballs at me after a while. Then Rarity and Pinkie Pie took me to a hospital.” Fluttershy stopped for a bit to think.
“What- that's it? I thought this was a story about dragons!”
“A story about d-d-dragons? When did I say it was about d-dragons?”
“Right at the beginning!”
“Actually, Fluttershy's right. She never mentioned anything about a dragon.” Twilight looked like she was about to say more, but a loud snore interrupted her. Applejack lie asleep on the rug.
“I would say that is adorable, but that sounds somewhat incestuous.” Twilight and the other girls laughed deep into the cold winter night.

***

Fallen trees litter the ground. The snow is disturbed and the ground is cracked at intervals. Trunks ar lifted from the ground and brought to a pile. The others will soon arrive, and it is their job to prepare the way for them. Animals scatter as their homes are demolished for the burly lumberjacks moving their way through the forest at an alarming rate. Only stumps are left behind, and even these are being uprooted. There was no shelter. There were no screams. The Huge Men had arrived.