//------------------------------// // Chapter I: Of Tooth and Claw // Story: Dragonborn // by TheEclecticEspeon //------------------------------// ~ Chapter 1: Of Tooth and Claw ~ + A Theory About Dragons + The First Vision + A Letter to Princess Celestia + The Dragon in My Dreams + Why am I so afraid of dragons? For as long as she could remember, Fluttershy had always had a strong fear of dragons. Yet for some odd reason, she could never escape them. Even with the simple passing of the great Dragon migration, she could never seem to evade the mythical creature. But for all of those unsavory moments, the very existence of these winged beasts had always fascinated her. To a very broad majority of ponies, not much is known about dragons. That was just a common fact that most of the denizens of Equestria had come to accept. Where they come from or what they do remains a mystery to quite a number of them. In a great deal of Equestrian folklore, dragons were always depicted as creatures who captured fair damsels and hoarded treasures for their own well-being and while only a small margin of it is true, those are the stories most ponies believe. So why is there very little knowledge about them? Why is it over the past thousand years, the history of dragons had faded from memory? So many questions asked and yet very few of them answered. But one thing was most definite to Fluttershy: the further away she was from a dragon, the better. Now, Fluttershy didn't necessarily hate dragons per se. In fact, she had no particular reason to hate them at all. After all, one of her best friends' assistant was a dragon. Granted he was a baby dragon, but still a dragon nonetheless. She had also tamed a fierce dragon in the face of danger to protect the ones closest to her. But deep in her heart, Fluttershy felt as though she could never truly escape her own trepidation. That's what she believed anyways. It was just something she had learned to accept over time. The subject of dragons had been troubling Fluttershy for the last week or so and she found herself having trouble trying to think of anything else. Tending to her animals seemed to help, but she would find herself looking up towards the sky, hoping that a dragon might pass over the valley connecting Ponyville to the Everfree Forest. Visits from her friends seemed to distract her, but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't stop thinking about them. However, something was different about today. Fluttershy's curiosity was piqued and before long, she had begun rummaging through the small pile of books that crowded the floor of her small cottage. Fluttershy was never known for reading anything particularly heavy. She loved reading fairy tales or anything pertaining to fantasy. But the reason as to why she was flipping through the soft-cut pages of her hardbound fantasy novels was for a completely different reason altogether. Her right hoof flipped page after page until she stumbled upon something that tickled her fancy. It was a colorful illustration depicting a soaring dragon rising upwards into the sky, a rushing waterfall setting the stage behind it. The illustration on its own was a relatively detailed picture, portraying the freedom of flight and the wonders of nature; something Fluttershy herself had grown to cherish as a filly. Fluttershy began to read from the passage that accompanied the illustration on the left-sided page. "By brighest day, a dragon never sleeps," she read, taking a few moments to pause every now and then to appreciate the drawing that accompanied the written text. "By blackest night, it is only then do they weep. Hmm..." she paused again, thinking to herself. I have to wonder. Do dragons ever become lonely? To Fluttershy, the idea of a dragon being lonely came off as a humorous thought. It was funny enough to where she had noticed herself chuckling slightly at the very concept. But as Fluttershy continued to read through the book, she couldn't help but notice that she was starting to doze off. Every now and again, she would open her eyelids if just for a brief moment to snap back into reality. After what seemed to be an eternity, Fluttershy gave into her drowsiness and began to dream. _______________________________________ The air felt cold as ice. Fluttershy awoke, her vision slightly blurred, and saw that she was laid upon the ground of a dark forest. The cold, ethereal chills of the woods sent shivers down her spine. To her sudden bewilderment, she began to take notice in the small, faint blue lights floating about her. They seemed to dance about merrily all around the dark shadows of the cold forest. At first glance, she thought they were snowflakes beginning to fade into the darkness. It was only then that Fluttershy realized that her surroundings were starting to feel familiar. I've been here before... The woods looked and felt a lot like the Everfree Forest, a place that Fluttershy was not too comfortable with. These woods however, had many differences that made it harder to identify. The bark of the trees stretched higher than the ones found in the Everfree Forest but remained as jagged as ever. Fluttershy raised her head up towards the canopy but was dismayed to find that nothing but darkness surrounded it. Her attention was instead brought back to the floating lights. The lights had no particular form and took no particular shape. Something about them seemed rather ghostly. In fact, they almost resembled- Spirits. It was just then that she remembered the passage she had read from the book. Those short but powerful words that had rung through her ears like a hymn being sung in a chapel. Is this what happens when a dragon sleeps? Is this what happens when they dream? Fluttershy, with all of her strength, rose up from the ground and onto her four hooves. Without so much as a second thought, she began to wander about freely, looking to see if she might find the source of these lights. Despite its eerie presence, Fluttershy could sense that this forest was not dangerous. The ethereal iridescence soothed her anxiety if only to heighten her curiosity more. There had to be a reason as to why she was here. All visions, in her eyes anyways, had a purpose. Fluttershy's gentle trot soon broke out into a gallop as she continued her journey through the frozen forest. Everywhere she looked, the spirits seemed to follow. They were leading her somewhere and wherever she was headed, it seemed as though she was getting close. Eventually, she came upon a clearing. At the center lay a small waterfall with a pool of water sitting in the middle. It was much brighter here than the rest of the forest. The glow of the spirits seemed to point towards the water. The ever gentle pony was reluctant at first. What would she find if she looked into the water? Would she see her own reflection? There was only one way to find out. Fluttershy leaned forwards upon the urging of the spirits and found not herself reflected in the water but something else entirely. There, staring back at her was the face of a dragon. Its scales the gradient of pink and butterscotch. Just like her. Its ears translucent with a deep shade of pink. Its eyes the shade of teal. Fluttershy's own eyes began to widen as she came to the realization that the dragon she was staring at was herself. Its movements mimicked her very own. That's me. I'm a dragon... Fluttershy stepped away from the edge of the pool and brought her hooves to the front of her face. What she saw though were not hooves, but claws. Upon closer inspection, she found that her whole body felt different. Rather than standing on all four of her hooves, she found herself standing up straight on two legs rather than four. In her heart, Fluttershy knew she should be scared and she was. But despite her initial fear, Fluttershy spread her wings. Her wings, much like her ears, were as thin as silk. Despite the dainty nature of her wings, Fluttershy found them to be quite flexible. She stretched just about every joint that she could before making her way back to the pool of water. She found it a bit tricky to walk on just her two hind legs and opted to walk on all fours again, her tail dragging along the ground behind her. Fluttershy took yet another look at herself as the ripples of the water started to diminish. For a dragon, the timid pegasus pony found that she looked rather harmless considering how much taller she was. Then again, she never really knew what dragonesses were supposed to look like. With a sense of thrill in her heart, Fluttershy plunged herself into the pool. As Fluttershy began to sink deeper into the water, darkness began to form around her. The dragoness had begun her sleep. ~ ~ ~ Fluttershy's eyes had opened slightly and she found herself back in her cottage asleep on her couch. Feeling an immense drowsiness, Fluttershy let out a yawn and began to stretch. "What a strange dream," she said. Fluttershy noticed the book that she had been reading wide open upon the floor. The page with the dragon illustration had been torn from the binding. Worried that she might've lost the page, Fluttershy began to frantically search for it. But it was then that she noticed the page was laid out upon her tummy. "Oh! There you are. I was wondering where you got off to," she said, straightening the page. Fluttershy gave another fascinated look at the illustration, trying to remember the details of her dream. Fluttershy turned her head towards the window and saw that the sun was beginning to set. "Oh my goodness. How long was I asleep?" she wondered. To Fluttershy, the dream had only lasted a few moments. But the fact that it was near nightfall meant that there had to be a reason behind this peculiar vision. It seemed far too important to go unnoticed. "I've got to tell someone about this," she said. Beyond the window, the world of Equestria fell under the protection of Princess Luna's beautiful night. The moon shone down upon her children, watching over them as the many different creatures of the land began their slumber. _______________________________________ The strong scent of herbal tea approached the tip of Fluttershy's nose as she took a tiny sip from the dainty teacup. True to her word, Fluttershy had taken it upon herself to inform at least one of her good friends about her dream. The ever knowledgeable Twilight Sparkle seemed like a good choice given her passion for studying. However, the lavender unicorn's response was far from what Fluttershy was expecting. "Hmm. Your overall description of your dream sounds very strange Fluttershy. I don't think I've heard of anything like it!" she exclaimed. Like on most occasions, Twilight had a textbook already placed upon the table that she began to flip through using her magic. It was typical behavior of her but Fluttershy knew that if anyone could help her find an answer to the meaning behind her dream, it was definitely Twilight. "I mean its very typical for a dream to be strange, but this sounded like a dream of a much higher magnitude. Almost spiritual even. Maybe the dream was trying to tell you something," she continued. "Well I will admit, it was rather strange. But me? As a dragon? What could that possibly mean? After all, dragons are... well... frightening," Fluttershy said timidly. She did find it rather odd that a dream depicting herself as a dragon could possibly be considered anything other than a dream. But the nature of dreams had always been a mystery to her in general. Right on cue, the sound of footsteps could be heard as Twilight's assistant Spike descended the staircase. "Woah. A dream about becoming a dragon? Imagine what kind of mumbo jumbo that might mean!" said Spike with great enthusiasm. Although Spike was a baby dragon, he had just as little knowledge about his own kind as the rest of Equestria. "Ah there you are Spike! Did you bring me the book I needed?" asked Twilight. "Yup! Oneirology: A Simple Study of Dreams and Visions. Pretty lengthy title if you ask me," he said, stumbling on one of the words as he read it aloud. The thick textbook levitated out of Spike's claws as Twilight began to flip through what seemed to be a book of at least over six hundred pages. "Umm...Twilight? I don't mean to be rude but... are you positive that a book might be able to give me the answers I need? That is... I mean... if you want me to look at it I will but... whatever you wanna do is fine," said Fluttershy. Twilight stopped flipping through the pages and set the book down. She sighed. "Maybe you're right. A scientific study on dreams might not be what you're looking for. Hmm... have you considered writing a letter to the princess?" she asked. "Yeah! Princess Celestia might know a thing or two about visions. Well her AND Princess Luna maybe, but you know what I mean!" said Spike. Fluttershy's ears rang at the mention of the princess' name. She knew that if anyone could answer her questions about her dream, it was definitely the princesses. "That's a wonderful idea! Thank you Twilight. I have to get home right away! Good bye!" she said. With that said, Fluttershy trotted off happily as the door to the library closed behind her. Twilight and Spike stared blankly for a few moments, confused as to what had just happened. "Umm...you're welcome?" they both asked in unison. "Ya know she could've just asked me to write the letter," said a rather confused Spike. ~ ~ ~ Dear Princess Celestia... The all too familiar phrase was scribbled upon the blank piece of parchment that sat upon the small writing desk in Fluttershy's cottage. The wick of the candle beside the desk began to melt as the flame atop it burned brightly. As she held a small writing quill in her mouth, Fluttershy overlooked her writing to make sure it was, at the very most, readable. Fluttershy placed the quill off to the side as she continued to brainstorm. "Hmm. I really should think about how I'm going to word this," she puzzled. Fluttershy knew that if the princess was going to believe her story, she should try her best to describe her current situation. A sudden stroke of genius hit Fluttershy like a lightning bolt and she began to write down her thoughts. I apologize if I might be disturbing you but um... recently, I have been having some very strange dreams. In them, I dream of a dark forest surrounded by faint blue lights. I think they might be spirits. They lead me to a glen with a pool of water. When I look into the water, I don't see myself as a pony. Instead, I see myself as a dragoness. So I was just wondering Princess Celestia if, that is.. if you don't mind me asking... Is it possible that this dream might be a vision? I know that it might not be, but it feels so real. It frightens me. I don't know what it means. That is why I was hoping if you might be able to help me better understand this. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this, and I hope to hear a reply from you soon. But if you're too busy to then that's fine! I wouldn't want to upset you. You're not upset are you? PLEASE DON'T BE UPSET WITH ME! Sorry... Your Friend, ~ Fluttershy Content with the words she had written, Fluttershy placed the quill aside and began to seal the letter with a small piece of ribbon. Outside, a grey falcon sat perched upon the windowsill awaiting orders from his owner. With the letter in her mouth, Fluttershy handed the scroll to the falcon and with one flap of his wings, he soared to the skies. Within a few days time, the letter would reach Princess Celestia and she would finally know the meaning behind her dream. _______________________________________ The forest was alit with a colorful spectrum of lights. Some blue, some green, and others purple. Fluttershy knew instantly where she was. Am I having the same dream again? It was the woods she had encountered only a night ago. Something felt different. The glow of the spirits was much stronger this time around and the air felt warm. The biggest difference, however, was the being in front of her. Before Fluttershy stood the spirit of a dragon, ablaze with fire. Who...who are you? The spirit did not return an answer. You can't talk? The spirit simply shook its head. Fluttershy lowered her head in disappointment. The dragon, as though it were trying to mirror Fluttershy's movements, lowered its head to examine the mortal pony. Fluttershy winced, expecting the apparition to harm her. But to her surprise, it nudged its head against her mane. The touch of the flames against her cheek brought about a feeling of warmth and comfort. Fluttershy's fear was calmed as the dragon before her lifted its head once more. Suddenly, the spirit began to dissipate and flew off into the heart of the forest. Fluttershy galloped after it. Wait! Please wait! The spirit flew far off from Fluttershy's sight. But it was very clear to her where she needed to go. The lights were guiding her to the clearing she had discovered before. Tension began to build in the pegasus' heart. She had to find out who this dragon was or where it came from. She just had to. The beating of her heart could be heard; a loud thump that seemed to increase in speed the further she seemed to travel. Despite this, Fluttershy galloped on. At last, Fluttershy had found her way back to the clearing. She collapsed on the ground, stopping to catch her breath. She lifted her head to find the dragon hovering above the water. It was waiting for her. Fluttershy lifted herself off the ground and spread her wings. She fluttered for only a moment as a shining light enveloped her and the dragon and then- She heard a voice. Spread your wings... take flight... my soul is now your gift... Her eyelids closed...and the darkness took hold of her once again. ~ ~ ~ A sudden warmth came over Fluttershy's body. One that began from the soles of her hooves to the front of her nose. An elongated yawn escaped from Fluttershy's mouth as she began to stretch. Something, however, felt off. Normally, Fluttershy's hooves would be able to touch the wooded padding of her bed. This time, she felt nothing. Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes and quickly hopped out of bed. To her surprise, however, she landed with a rather loud thump. "Ow!" she shouted. It was then that Fluttershy noticed that something was wrong. Right before her eyes were not a pair of hooves, but a pair of claws. "W-what? No...it can't be!" she said. Fluttershy ran over to her mirror, knocking over various pieces of furniture in the process. Before her, she saw the face of a different creature. The face... of a dragon.