Chapter III: From Smallest Beginnings
~ Chapter III: From Smallest Beginnings ~
+ Bathing Under the Moonlight + The Magic of Friendship + Fluttershy's Choice +
The night sky shone brightly over the town of Ponyville, the forest shaken from the rumblings of the beast that now lay hushed in the center of the deep woods. A long time had passed since the announcement was made regarding Fluttershy's predicament. The entire town was now fast asleep and the grief-stricken dragoness was alone. Fluttershy wanted to curl herself up into a little ball, but found it difficult to position herself due to her new girth. Her neck stretched a few feet outwards so that she could look upon the distant mountains to the north of the forest. As she tore against the patches of grass that surrounded her, Fluttershy lay silent, the only sound being that of her own breathing. A great deal of thought formed in Fluttershy's mind. Why had this happened? Of all the creatures in Equestria, why did fate choose this strange and almost otherworldly circumstance to find its way to the most timid of pegasus ponies?
To Fluttershy, it made no sense. But her conscience was clear. To her, this was no ordinary spell. It was a curse; it was nothing more than an evil work of magic put upon her by a wicked enchantress of some sort. That had to be the explanation. Who would even think of changing her into a dragon, and why? But then she remembered the vision. The dragon in her sleep did feel very real when she encountered it the night before her sudden transformation. But Fluttershy had more important things to worry about other than her own trepidations. Her friends still hadn't found a solution to the problem and Fluttershy was growing very uncertain about her future. The thought of having to leave Ponyville and her friends forever brought her once again to the edge of tears. She wept silently, her deep breathes becoming stifled. Then, she felt a light touch on her back.
From behind, Fluttershy felt the gentle stroke of the Princess' hoof, soothing her pain as Celestia spoke to her with somber yet motherly words.
"Shhh. Dear Fluttershy, there is no reason to grieve," she said. Fluttershy lifted her neck off the ground to see the Princess. She saw the ivory alicorn smiling at her, as she did with her all her subjects, but soon saw it fade as the Princess saw the bruised backside of the dragoness. Fluttershy noticed right away the rather solemn demeanor Celestia had as she looked at the blotches of rippled scales from the side of Fluttershy's body. As Celestia inspected Fluttershy's back, her eyes darted back and forth as she saw the massive clawmarks cut deep within the creature's skin. Celestia looked back into Fluttershy's eyes with an expression of heartache that mirrored Fluttershy's own visage with incredible accuracy.
"Fluttershy... did you... try scratching off your own scales?" the princess asked. The dragoness looked at the torn patches of scales and dragon's hide scattered across her back. She hung her head low in shame, hoping that the princess might spare her her humility.
"I didn't mean to! I swear! I was just scared. No... I was terrified. I was so afraid of what I had become that I just couldn't bare to look at myself. Now look at me. I'm a terrifying, horrible, ugly looking monster," Fluttershy replied. Just then, Fluttershy felt the gentle nuzzling of the Princess' mane against her cheek. Using her right hoof, Celestia urged the dragoness to lift her head slightly upwards so that the two's eyes could meet one another.
"No, Fluttershy. Don't say that. I don't think of you that way at all. Fear is very common. But it is also a very powerful and dangerous emotion. Only when its confronted can you prevent yourself from doing rather foolish things," Celestia said, her tone both pleasant and dignified.
"But... don't you ever get scared?" Fluttershy asked. Celestia lightly chuckled and nodded.
"I do. I fear for my subjects every day. But the ponies I fear for the most are the ones closest to me, just as your friends fear for you," Celestia replied, her motherly smile once again shining through. "Come. If you have the strength, I would like for you to walk with me. There is something I would like to show you," Celestia added, urging the dragoness to follow her.
Curious, Fluttershy tried lifting her body off the ground but found that she was aching all over. She let out a quick groan and began stretching her body. Celestia stood back a few feet as the dragoness spread her beautiful wings. Celestia, having yet to actually see Fluttershy spread her newfound wings, was in awe at how light they appeared to be. Fluttershy flapped them once or twice to check if everything was in order. After she readjusted her neck, Fluttershy stood up and started walking alongside the Princess.
Celestia guided Fluttershy deeper into the heart of the woods, the moon still shining above them. But for a majority of the their walk, Fluttershy found that neither she nor the Princess had been sharing a conversation with each other. The whole trip was rather silent, the chirping of the crickets being the only audible sound to touch Fluttershy's ears. Fluttershy would frequently look at the Princess, nervous and a tad puzzled as to where she was being led to. She had never gone this far into the forest on her own. But she was still very curious as to what it was that Princess Celestia was so eager to show her. Celestia remained silent. Eventually, the two arrived at a hill beyond the woods, which Celestia started to climb. "Follow me," she said, looking back at Fluttershy for a brief moment before trudging onward. Fluttershy had stopped at the base of the hill, still a little perplexed about Celestia's intentions for their walk. The dragoness leaped forward a few inches every now and then to keep up with the Princess, fearing the possibility of being separated from her.
After what had seemed like ages, Celestia stopped at the very apex of the hilltop they had been climbing. The top of the hill was high enough to provide an excellent view of Ponyville to the two of them. The little town could be seen even beyond the wide expanse of forest; it appeared to be quite a few miles away. Celestia turned her head and saw Fluttershy following suit. Fluttershy stopped and began to catch her breath. "Why... why did we stop here?" she asked, letting out a few prolonged breathes. Celestia then directed Fluttershy's attention to what they had climbed the hill to see. A small pool of water rested before them. It was colored a vivid blue and it appeared to be steaming hot. Fluttershy's eyes widened with intrigue as she slowly stepped closer to look into the water.
"This pool is a place where I tend to cleanse myself and relax during long visits to Ponyville. It has magical properties. Under the light of the moon, this water can heal one's injuries and pain. Sadly, I'm afraid it will not change you back into a pony. But it will help with your missing scales," Celestia stated, pointing to the gashes on Fluttershy's side. Fluttershy's face went red as she began to notice just how dirty and ragged she looked. She giggled nervously, embarrassed by her current appearance, and slithered into the pool, causing some of the water to splash out.
To Fluttershy's surprise, the bottom of the pool was astonishingly deep. Although she wasn't very accustomed to swimming, she found it easy to move her now massive body underwater. Her immediate thought was that the pool's size changed depending on whoever stumbled upon it. Perhaps this was one of the pool's magical abilities. The warm water was very relaxing. As she let herself sink towards the bottom, Fluttershy would occasionally try to pop a couple of the bubbles surfacing towards the top; a childish sense of wonder filled her up with delight. Every now and then, she would stretch her neck out towards the surface to catch her breath before diving back down again. Soon enough, the pool's wonders began to take effect. As Fluttershy closed her eyes, the gashes on her body began to heal, returning the yellow-colored scales to the patches of skin that was missing them. As Celestia looked down from above, she watched as an array of bright lights danced and dissipated across the surface of the water. With a great splash, Fluttershy crawled out of the pool, breathing heavily as she shook the water droplets off her body like a wet dog.
"Feeling any better, Fluttershy?" Celestia asked. After she shook herself dry, Fluttershy examined her body and found the pain from her injuries had vanished completely. All of her scales were intact. Fluttershy let out a heavy sigh of relief and smiled, refreshed and happy that the pain had finally passed.
"Yes, much better. But I'm starting to get a little tired. If it's not too much trouble, Princess, would you mind walking back home with me?" Fluttershy asked politely.
"I'd be glad to," Celestia said, smiling sweetly as both she and the dragoness made their way down the slope of the hilltop.
_________________________________
Princess Celestia was satisfied knowing that she had helped heal the wounded dragoness and helped settle her growing fear, if only for tonight. As the two made their way to the little cottage at the edge of the Everfree Forest, Celestia couldn't help but think about Luna's previous suggestion. The idea that Luna had stated was nagging at the back of her mind and Celestia was beginning to fear its inception.
Asking her to journey to the City of the Dragons? Ask her to make peace with the Dragon's Guild? How could I ask that of her? she worried. Celestia became lost in her thoughts as she and the dragoness continued to walk in silence towards the cottage. Fluttershy stopped and turned her head towards the Princess.
"Princess Celestia, before I go... I'd like to say thank you. For everything you've done for me," Fluttershy said meekly. As if on cue, Fluttershy's kind words broke Celestia's train of thought and brought her attention back to reality.
"Truly, its the least I can do. Sadly, while I would like to stay, I must return to Canterlot. I hope that you have a wonderful evening," Celestia said, preparing to turn her back.
"Wait... don't go," Fluttershy said quietly. Celestia stopped and looked back. Although Fluttershy was starting to get a little more used to her situation, the Princess could see the uncertainty in Fluttershy's eyes. The dragoness hung her head low, staring at the grass. Celestia turned back towards her.
"I-I know that that's a lot to ask for but... I'm scared. What's going to happen to me? What will my friends do? Please, I don't want to leave Ponyville! I just want to be myself again. I want to be the pony that my friends love," Fluttershy cried. Celestia chuckled lightly and shook her head.
"Fluttershy, do you want to know why I sent Twilight to Ponyville? I sent her here because I wanted her to learn about the Magic of Friendship. You know that, don't you?" Celestia asked. The dragoness nodded.
"Well, there once was a time when Twilight believed she did not have a need for friends. But like many things in this world, she changed. She soon realized that it was her connection to you and the rest of your friends that gave her the strength she needed to defeat her greatest enemies. Your friends care deeply for you, Fluttershy, no matter what you may be," Celestia said.
"But... what if I never become myself again? What if I'm forced to be a dragon forever?" Fluttershy asked. It was at that moment that Celestia saw just how desperate and afraid Fluttershy was. Celestia once again found herself thinking about the Dragon City and the possible quest Fluttershy would have to take if she wanted to return herself to normal. The princess lifted the dragoness' head so that she could meet her gaze.
"Fluttershy, even if things are at their bleakest, your friends will still love you and care for you as they always have," Celestia said. "However, there may yet be a way for you to fix this," Celestia exclaimed. Fluttershy raised her head in curiosity. Celestia began to gaze at the stars in the sky.
"In ancient times, long before the uprising against Nightmare Moon, dragons and ponies lived together in unison under the rule of my sister and me. Far beyond the land of Equestria, a league of wise dragons ruled in the City of the Dragons, known as Targus. They called themselves the Dragon's Guild," Celestia spoke in a tenebrous manner.
Fluttershy stared at the princess, intrigued yet terrified at her story. A league of dragons? she mused. Perhaps, she thought, this could be the answer to her returning to her original form.
"When my sister threatened to shroud the land in eternal night, the dragons became divided and most of them were never seen or heard from again. Some of them even went mad. However, I have confidence that one of them may still be alive. He is my friend, Arabus, the Earth Dragon. Fluttershy, if you wish to become a pony once again, go to Targus and seek him out. He will give you the answers you seek," Celestia said.
"But how do I find this city? It sounds like it could be very... very far away," Fluttershy said timidly. Celestia turned her head, pointing Fluttershy towards a gorgeous view of the landscape.
"Targus lies beyond the reaches of Equestria. Follow the Morning Star beyond the snowy mountains and pass the fiery deserts. The journey is a long one, filled with many dangers," Celestia said.
"Dangers? Oh, no! I couldn't possibly do that! What if I get captured!? What if I come across bigger, meaner, scarier dragons!?" cried Fluttershy as she forced herself onto the ground in fear.
"It is your choice, Fluttershy. I will not force you to venture to such a far distance if you do not wish to," Celestia replied. A look of worry fell upon the dragoness' face. "I will stay until tomorrow. If you choose to embark on this journey, you just need to inform me of your decision to do so," the Princess added, nodding her head slightly as a sign of respect. As she nodded, Celestia started walking down the road back into Ponyville.
The Magic of Friendship....
"Princess Celestia, wait!" she cried. Celestia stopped and turned to face the dragoness.
"Give me until tomorrow morning to make my decision," Fluttershy said. The Princess, surprised at Fluttershy's response, nodded gracefully.
"Very well, Fluttershy. I must go now and rest. In a few hours, I will have to raise the sun. I hope you have a wonderful evening," the Princess told Fluttershy. Without looking back, Celestia walked slowly down the road back into Ponyville, leaving Fluttershy to her own thoughts.
"Good Night," was all the dragoness managed to say before the Princess had left. Fluttershy took a deep breath and started making her way towards the back of her cottage, hoping to find some place to sleep for the rest of the night. She fashioned a makeshift bed using a collection of leaves from the trees surrounding her home. She curled up atop her creation and closed her eyes, hoping to at least find peace in the silent repose of slumber.
_________________________________
Darkness. It was pitch black when Fluttershy opened her eyes, only to find herself lost in the dark. The air was deathly still and nothing made a sound. All Fluttershy could hear was the stilted sounds of her own breathing. To her surprise, Fluttershy found that she was no longer a dragoness, but a pegasus. She was her old self again. She gave a huge sigh of relief, a small bit of joy warming her heart.
It was enough to make the darkness subside, the black shadows melting away all around her. A new picture had been painted in front of the pegasus pony. She found herself standing near the edge of a ravine, a snowy mountain off in the distance. The sound of a massive waterfall rushing down the side of the mountain caught her attention. She then heard the merry chirping of songbirds as the sun began to set. To Fluttershy, it was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. She then looked to the sky and saw something she hadn't noticed before. A bright star was shining just over the horizon, beyond the sun.
The Morning Star...
It shone brilliantly above the ravine. Fluttershy took yet another deep breath inwards, closing her eyes and enjoying every minute of this beautiful place. It was then that she head the all-too familiar voice of a stranger.
"Such a lovely place," said the stranger. Fluttershy gasped and quickly turned around to find Princess Luna approaching her.
"P-Princess Luna? What are you doing here? Am... Am I dreaming?" Fluttershy asked, placing a hoof on her chest. Luna smiled and nodded her head as a friendly gesture.
"Indeed, Fluttershy. Forgive me for my intrusion. As the Princess of the Night, it is my duty to look into the dreams of those who are troubled," Luna stated in a whimsical but potent manner.
"Then you must know what I've been thinking about. You must know why I'm having this dream," Fluttershy replied, hoping for a response that could further answer her questions.
"I do. You are frightened by your current appearance. You wish to return to the way you once were," Luna stated. Fluttershy nodded in agreement. "Then I am afraid the journey to the Dragon City is the only way you will be able to return to normal," Luna added. A look of dismay quickly fell upon Fluttershy. Her greatest fear had been realized.
"Please! That can't be the only way! I can't go to the Dragon City! Please, you must know something else! Is there anything that I can do to fix this?" Fluttershy pleaded to Luna. As dismayed as the Princess was for the yellow pegasus, she had to tell her the truth. Luna placed her hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder and sighed.
"I'm afraid not, Fluttershy. Even Celestia and I do not have much knowledge on dragons. I wish I could help you, but I'm afraid I do not have the ability to change anything in this situation. The City of the Dragons could provide you with more answers than we could. If you make the journey, Fluttershy, you will find the members of the Dragon's Guild. They will help you. I am certain of it," Luna said encouragingly.
Fluttershy looked up at Luna. She could see Luna forming a friendly smile. The yellow pegasus looked out past the waterfall and back towards the snowy mountains. The astounding height of the mountains intimidated her a bit. "The decision is yours, Fluttershy. Should you choose to travel to the Dragon City, your chances of breaking the enchantment that was put on you will be much greater. If not, you can choose to remain a dragon and stay in Ponyville with your friends. It is your choice," Luna said, further complicating Fluttershy's decision.
Fluttershy looked back at Luna and sighed. "I... I've got to try," the yellow pegasus said. Luna shut her eyes for a brief moment.
"So you will choose to journey to Targus. If I might ask, dear Fluttershy, why?" Luna asked.
"I could never leave my friends. They mean so much to me. But I can't stay a dragon forever. It would just hurt them too much. Even though it pains me to leave, I have to go. Its just... I'm afraid to do it," Fluttershy said. Luna could feel the levity in Fluttershy's tone. The Princess of the Night began to feel a great deal of respect for the yellow pegasus pony.
"Fluttershy, everything that you see here once began from small beginnings. But it was the journey that lead them towards greatness. You will never truly be alone. You have the love of your friends to guide you. However, one question remains. When your fears begin to take hold of you, will you be ready to face them?" Luna asked.
Luna's question resonated in Fluttershy's mind for a moment. As it did, the scenic world of the dream began to disappear, and with a sudden gust of wind, Luna was nowhere to be seen. The dream came to a collapse and Fluttershy once again found herself in darkness.
Fluttershy quickly opened her eyes to find the sun shining down upon her. Fluttershy had slept close to the chicken's pen at the back of her cottage where most of her animal friends could be found. She yawned and stretched her legs. Fluttershy's thoughts turned to the dream she had encountered with Princess Luna last night. Unbeknownst to Fluttershy, however, Princess Celestia had been standing right next to her for a good five minutes.
"Ahh!!" Fluttershy yelped. She backed away from the Princess slightly, startled by her sudden appearance. She quickly straightened herself out and cleared her throat.
"Good Morning, Fluttershy. I'm here, just as you asked. Have you made your decision?" Celestia asked calmly.
"Yes. I'm ready," Fluttershy said with a stroke of confidence. Celestia nodded and the two began putting their plans to work.
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ITS ALIVE ITS ALIVE!!!! MHAHAHAHAHAHAHA*Harck*
Holy shit! This was the last story I expected to see! YES!
IT LIVES!
Well, I wasn't expecting this story to update. Very surprised and happy to see a new chapter. Good show, ol' bean.
Holeee it's aliiiiiiive!
I thought this one was totally dead, it's good to see i was wrong.
Why hello it's been a while!
I personally hope some if not all of her friends can come along.
oh i completely forgot about this story lol
It's alive?! YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES
Fluttershy the dragon: an unexpected journey.
Well, it is really great to see this story updated, and I enjoyed this chapter. I look forward to the next part. Are the rest of the mane 6 going to follow Fluttergon to Targus?
Okay, thisngs are heating up. Author, don't make us wait so long again! We love this story!
HEYO! I thought this might have been dead for good. So glad I was wrong!
Great chapter! Best surprise I could ask for before heading off to bed.
FINALLY! I thought you'd given up on this xD
Glad to see you haven't
BUT! There is one they fear! In their tongue, she is dovahkiin. Dragonborn! FUS-RO-yay
The question is will she be going alone or will her friends tag along... can't wait for the next chapter to find out.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Gn3caYBZLyc]
First this song, and now an update. This week is turning out to be headed for Fluttershy epicness.
*Checks calender* ...oh, and "Flutter On" this Saturday. Can't forget that. //dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Fluttershy_lolface.png
Why you make us wait almost a year for an update?
I'm so happy and sad at the same time.
Sweet Mother of Epona it updated. I know I will have to go back to reread the previous two chapters but at least on this one you did good. Particularly on the princesses, and for sure on Celestia. "I fear for my subjects everyday", I think that sums up her character pretty well.
BWOOOOOOMMMMMMM
Keep up the great work, Can't wait to read more.
Good stuff. can't wait for more!
that dragon in the cover:
static4.fjcdn.com/thumbnails/comments/sigh+here+we+go+again+_2e450d155edac8e03e6967b521f1da18.jpg
At first I was like:
And now I'm like:
i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/6934045952/h6BBB0FF8/
By the way, listen to this during the Healing Lake scene. It sets the mood perfectly
1958661 Okay, I will just say, this comment made me laugh like an idiot for a good minute or two when I read it. Just what I needed! XD
1958287 Thank you so much! I have plans to update a lot more frequently from now on! The long time I took off from the story to work on my film really helped develop my skills in terms of writing. So I'm a lot more confident now in my skills than I was back when I first started this story. Thanks again!
1959877
Regular updates?!
deviantart.com/download/198988974/tf2_demoman_by_minidude_2009-d3ah0vi.jpg
LET'S DO IT!
Interesting, interesting.
I found this today when it updated, and I have to say, there is definitely improvement in the quality between the first two chapters and this one. I would suggest that you go back and clean up the older chapters a little, focusing on the stilted dialogue.
Otherwise, this is quite interesting, and I shall be paying attention.
1961170 I agree wholeheartedly. A lot of my writing skills I feel have improved greatly since I went to work on Journey of the Spark. My writing skills in terms of the characters I believe has improved the most and I hope to go back to the first two chapters and clean them up considerably. Just a forewarning though, I'm more a visual storyteller than I am a verbal storyteller, so dialogue probably won't be one of the strongest things of this story. But I'll try! Can't say I didn't try!
1961230 Yea, dialogue is horrible for me too. I have two stories up, one chapter each. The reason there is no second chapter? It requires characters talking, and no matter how much I work on it, it never looks right.
Of course, dialogue doesn't have to be gleaming if the story is good, and that appears to apply here.
Oh look, the story has risen from the dead! IT'S A ZOMBIE FIC!!!
Anyway, there IS another way for Flutters to become a pony again!
The transmogrification ray!
niksula.cs.hut.fi/~jthynnin/transmogrifier/ch8802092891.gif
Gold I say pure gold
Welp, time to reread this!
Ok, not bad, but a little disheartening, I thought that Spike might have had a bigger part to play in all of this.....
1964229 Actually, Spike might be getting a much bigger role in this story than you might think.
1965209
Descendant on an elder dragon, with the power to help, if only he knew how?
Oh, and why not have her friends come as well? I'm sure they would volunteer.
Please update this sooner than 8 months! I need MOAR
Poor Fluttershy!
This fic is so good it makes me wanan cry. 
1958603
lol
Hoennshy...
1980046 I'm fully aware that the first two chapters of this story have a lot of problems. I wrote them way back before I actually had experience writing for these characters and my sense of storytelling was very mediocre to say the least. I know what I want to do with this story and I know the themes and contexts that I want to put them in. I'm planning on going back and re-writing them from scratch. But in the meantime, I'm writing the rest of the story so that people who are really huge fans of it and do wanna see it continue can enjoy them.
It bothers me that Celestia basically pushed Fluttershy into making her decision in a day, when there is actually no rush (if she has the option of staying a dragon then surely she has the option of being a dragon for a week and then going on her quest).
awesome story.... cant wait till next chapter.... i'll have to though XD
Fluttershy as a DRAGON? My favorite pony as my favorite animal. Liked and faved good sir.
I'm probably not the only one but when I first read the title i was all
from 00:30 until the rest of the song. When I read the discription I was all
but after I read the three chapters and realized you probably won't be updating for a long time
still good job have a mustache
will we be seeing a new chapter soon or not?
2713450 damn, o-well I still liked what you have so it stays in the fave bin.
2713790>>2713450
It says from the blog post in March that he's been working on chapter 4 since spring break so hopefully there will be a new chapter sooner rather than later.
Bah, magic. It has no sense of sensible navigation. Everything else gets its directions based on the North Star and the Sun and things like that. But that's just not good enough for Targus; it has to take its directions from a planet. Sometimes it's east, sometimes it's west, sometimes you just can't get there at all. And woe upon you should you seek to determine which one it is currently and then use a compass so you can travel by day. You will invent entirely new levels of being lost.
Please update the beautiful shit.