Flutterborn, or “FUS RO yay!”

Peace, quiet, tranquil, these were synonyms for the shy yellow coated mare’s life on an average day. On an average day, she would wake up early enough to feed every animal in her tree and even those outside of it. She had almost every type of bird, small mammal, and other type of animal imaginable. Yes, Fluttershy would normally be caring for animals were this an average day. As it was, she was still caring for animals but it was far from an average day.

What sort of average day, for instance, involves her in heavy armor staring a dragon down? Does an average day see her defending a herd of critters in the middle of the Everfree with no plans, no backup, and no weapons worth a damn? Would a regular day have her winning this fight with naught but shouts and stares…okay, amplified shouts and stares? What day has her doing all these epic things without a drop of fear in her body? Most importantly…where did she find the armor and newfound courage?

Well, friends, it all started that very morning. Amazing how all the awesome stuff began that morning, eh? Unlike Dash or Applejack, the changes to Fluttershy’s life weren’t immediately apparent when she woke up. She still fed the chickens, fed her many animals with the generic foodstuffs she’d brought at the market in bulk, and fed Angel…even if he was being a little testy this morning. She didn’t have to stare some sense into him today, so that was a plus. That was about as normal as the day was going to get, as she discovered a helmet, a sword, and armor in a cabinet just after feeding the animals, and a plaque that read ‘When you are ready, you may possess your birthright…” and called her something that read ‘Dragonborn’.

Okay, that was odd. She didn’t use a sword, she was still deathly afraid of dragons, and she couldn’t think of a practical reason to use the armor. Okay, that wasn’t entirely truthful; she did think that the armor looked useful…a lot better then the ‘armor’ she tried to bring to deal with the dragon on the mountain when she utilized her newfound courage. But who would leave her something as deadly and as unnerving as a sword to somepony like her? She couldn’t use it and had no inkling as to how to do so! The helmet would certainly help in situations that would require combat, but she couldn’t think of one at that moment. So, she simply took it all in with a tilt of the head. Was somepony pranking her? Shouldn’t ‘Dragonborn’ have referred to Spike, seeing as he was a dragon?

She felt somewhat drawn to it; the more she gazed upon it and tried to imagine herself with the equipment on, the closer she got to the cabinet. Thankfully Angel managed to get her attention, pantomiming that she’d resembled a zombie pony looking at it. He even had the blank stare she had apparently donned! She merely chuckled and petted Angel as thanks, before walking out the door. Something told her she hadn’t seen the last of the equipment in the cabinet. Was this a next step in Iron Will’s training perhaps? She shook her head, trying to not think about it at all. She had shopping to do and friends to see, perhaps that would take her mind off of things?

Well, as it turned out…it didn’t. Shopping proved to be fairly well at first, were one completely ignoring the changes around them. Now, Fluttershy was used to being out haggled, bamboozled, and pretty much ripped off by ponies who’d take advantage of her shy nature before…then Iron Will’s teachings came along and she gave everypony a piece of her mind. Yes, for those that are wondering, that did include that one merchant that had her failing to lower the price for that cherry and ended up selling it for about 2 bits. The point of all this is Fluttershy noted a distinct change in the market atmosphere on this particular day.

The market was very lively today. Ponies were going about and buying things, chattering lively, and not really behaving like jerks at all. There was the occasional jerk here or there, but the mood was much lighter. This wasn’t entirely strange to her; the markets fluctuated at varying times of the year, sometimes vendors could be really pushy, aggressive, and evil…other times they could be nice. Today was...on the whole, one of the better days.

The only problem with this was the very, very noticeable glances toward the sky in fear. They also seemed to regard Fluttershy with a tad bit of suspicion; if a tad bit meant a few fearful glances in her direction or at the least a newfound sort of respect. Ponies were parting ways for her, giving her room, not really bothering her in the slightest unless she needed help. “Um…I’m sorry but, what’s going on?” she asked the merchant as she reached him, gathering a few bits for the lettuce and cabbage that she needed.

“N-nothing, Ms. Fluttershy, w-we’re ju-just ever so grateful you saved us from that dragon yesterday. Just take what you want today, free of charge!” the merchant managed to stammer out, which prompted the shy mare’s eyes to widen in disbelief. The thought of her taking on a dragon wasn’t new to the mare, she’d taken on creatures like a cockatrice, a manticore and, yes, even a dragon before but those were all in conditions where pony’s lives were in danger and she really had no true control over when it happened. Before any pony mentions Iron Will’s training, yes it did help control the stare…but that’s not a skill she’s been honing for a while. The idea of her, the shyest mare in all of Ponyville. saving everypony from a dragon wasn’t new. It was, however very surprising considering that it seemed like she did it alone. Yeah, alone…without backup and apparently she did so rather valiantly and fought hard and well; though the dragon had said it would return and it wasn’t coming alone. Evidence of the battle existed in the form of large scorch marks, ruined carts and tents, and there were even splotches of dried blood on the ground. Could this have anything to do with the…armor in the cabinet? She had felt hypnotized and conjured toward it earlier, and it had her name on it but who gave it to her?

She attempted to remember last night, but couldn’t; not because of being hung over, as she didn’t drink anything alcoholic, but she just couldn’t remember! Something weird was up, but she tried to keep her day normal. She actually got her stuff for free today, though, so that was something that was good…what? She deserved it, don’t you think? In fact, ALL of us deserve some sort of reward for saving the world no less then at least 3 times from major threats and others! Wait…silly Pinkie! We got rewards, we got to party, a Star Wars style medal ceremony, AND to attend as well as plan the BEST. WEDDING. EVER!

In her own kind nature, she still paid for the items but the merchants insisted she pay half-price. Even if she was a hero, she still felt like she had to pay. As she headed home, she wasn’t sure but she thought she saw Pinkie…a few of them, actually, running around the market place. That couldn’t be though, so she ignored it. She also noticed…Diamond Dogs? Diamond Dogs in Ponyville…that were casually shopping, they turned over a new leaf maybe? One of them said something about Rarity, but she didn’t catch it, as she was already on the way home when they arrived. She couldn’t help but check the graying sky though, because if all that was true then the dragon would be back.

She still had that phobia about dragons. They were huge, gigantic, terrible, enormous, teeth-gnashing, sharp scale-having, horn-wearing, smoke-snoring, and could-eat-a-pony-in-one-bite creatures. She did stare one down, but one dragon was a pinprick compared to a horde and it was also during an emergency situation. She could hang out with Spike, but he was a baby! Why do you think she was so desperate to avoid watching the dragon migration? There was no way she was watching creatures that could very likely swoop down and burn them alive or gobble them up! Sure she admitted she was a little fascinated by them, but not as adults!

Something told her she would have to face it soon, because there was a vast plume of smoke coming from the Everfree Forest. It was larger then any other plume of smoke she’d seen before, about as large as the dragon from the cave in the mountain. She commenced her emergency actions that she had memorized in case of a dragon attack or a possible one: get the animals to safety and warn the town. The town seemed sufficiently prepped, if the loud warning sirens going off in the distance were any indication. Strangely, the sirens originated from Twilight’s library and gave her cause for alarm. Realistically, though, she knew she’d have to be the first responder in this case and that made her quiver. As she and Angel began rounding up the smaller critters to safe places, the yellow pegasus found her gaze drawn to the cabinet that she’d discovered that morning.

Okay, recap of her friends for a second, her reasoning told her. She’d not seen Dash all day; except for a blur across the sky earlier that morning that she assumed was Dash being late for something. Applejack was probably bucking apples and prepping her family, so she was out. Twilight had presumably set off the alert, so she was probably dealing with the situation in town and getting everypony ready for the inevitable attack. Rarity was stockpiling her dresses and probably getting Sweetie Belle ready and she didn’t entirely like fighting anyway, so that left Pinkie. Pinkie Pie would probably try giggling it away, which would definitely help Fluttershy’s nerves a ton but not entirely when it came to the actual combat aspect. Pinkie was very random, though, so she kept an open mind on that one. That did not by any means mean that she wasn’t about to accept help or that she didn’t value her friends…as a matter of fact, she kind of wished they were there with her right now. She had no clue as to how she was going to resolve this situation, as she had apparently done yesterday. Strangely enough, she couldn’t remember last night! It was all a blur of swords and fighting and celebration…

The animal taming mare sighed as she found her hoof touching the glass of the cabinet, the headless helm seeming to bore its blank eye slits into her as she blinked at her reflection. She had talked down a dragon before and dealt with a manticore, among other things, but this one would presumably be holding a grudge and not at all inclined to listen. “Okay Fluttershy, you can do this…” she said, as she opened the cabinet and began to suit up. The armor was the first thing to go on; she found it fit rather comfortably as she folded her wings into it. The shield was put on her back and the sword in its sheath on her flank. The helmet was the last thing to go, and she looked at her reflection for a second.

Well, she certainly looked…nice with it all on. Was something supposed to happen or—she suddenly felt twice as aware and confident with it on as opposed to without it. Iron Will’s teachings times a hundred, without the nasty side effect of becoming a brute, that’s what it felt like. Her eyes glowed for a minute, just for a minute, and she felt…lightheaded for a brief second before shaking her head. Whatever these things were, they contained a power in them…and knowledge! She could suddenly know how to down a dragon, how to fight one effectively, how to avoid an attack, all manner of combat knowledge and skill that she was previously oblivious to! She could also see…words, mysterious words written in a language that took her a second to recognize. This was…ancient Draconian; a lost and ancient language from far beyond Equestria where the dragons once called home. It was effortlessly being translated in front of her eyes…

She briefly wondered if this was all meant for Twilight, seeing as ponies had absolutely no knowledge of dragons in Ponyville and she was the resident archivist. Regardless, she turned to the words and saw quite a few that were glowing. When combined, they formed a…saying, incantation, shout? She didn’t know, but she had a few at her disposal just in case. She had not the heart to try them now, for the smoke was beginning to hover over Ponyville like a bad omen. Angel motioned her out of her trance, that there were critters that needed aid in the forest. Thus, with a bewildered but determined look toward the woods, she left her home and ran as quickly as she could to follow Angel into the forest. Angel was sprightly for a bunny that demanded dishes that looked to fatten him up, but today Fluttershy had no trouble keeping up. Whether it was her newfound and still untested power or her own drive to see Ponyville and Equestria safe, she felt determined to see this through and was going at an almost Rainbow Dash level of speed!

This didn’t dispel her fears, mind you, but animals were in trouble and that’s what counted! The more she followed him in, the thicker the smoke started to grow. It started getting to the point where she couldn’t see, so she decided to try one of the word combinations. “LOK…VAH KOOR!” she ended up saying them and they came out in a loud shout that felt very unlike her and the smoke seemed to break and clear as the sky did likewise. Huh, it came out in shouts and this one completely cleared the skies around her? That one would probably put the pegasi out of business but she’d never abuse that! The pathway was much clearer now as she followed Angel toward the herd of critters. The good side to this was that she could see the animals were unharmed and running away from something. The bad? A larger than life dark scaled dragon was trying to barbecue them with fire and gobble them up for a snack!

Fluttershy wasted no time in searching for a Shout that would aid her in downing the creature. She finally found one that would paralyze it, and noted it would work in conjunction with the Stare. “JOOR…ZAH FRUL!” she shouted and it whipped into the dragon and seemed to almost petrify it into inactivity, sending it crashing into the ground. It looked like a cold fire surrounded it as it was paralyzed on the ground for a few seconds at best. More than enough time for her to…kill it? Kill—no! Where did that come in? Was it the helmet, the armor…or she that was urging these thoughts on? The sword was already out of the sheath and rose to strike down the black scaled dragon and…absorb its soul?

The knowledge of what she was began to take shape for Fluttershy, the most non-aggressive pony in modern Equestrian history: The Dragonborn was a defender of the weak and helpless, but used murder to accomplish its goals. The fact that its targets were vicious creatures and, from the knowledge that she had acquired from wearing the armor, corrupt and wicked individuals did little to temper her fears of the newfound power she had acquired. The sword she had equipped was already out and ready to strike, unknown to her. She had unconsciously drawn it and had been ready to strike, which scared her tremendously. As a result, she hesitated and stopped her hoof from lowering the sharp steel to bite into the black scales of the dragon. This act of mercy caused the dragon to shake out of the Shout’s effect, and glare at her as it began to rise.

The dragon was glaring at her with a gaze that would normally petrify a pony. She countered with one to match it, no doubt The Stare plus the newfound power she felt was taking effect. The first thing she noticed was how eerily quiet it was for those few seconds. It was ironic that the Everfree forest, the nosiest and most out of control forest in all of Equestria, was standing still for the two to duel. Then, at once, they lunged at each other.

Bright gouts of green flame suddenly interrupted their duel as the dragon was tackled through the trees. It started to flee…toward Ponyville. The ally she had gotten took off after it while she looked at the animals that she had been defending. The animals were fine, thankfully. “Make sure they make it to safety. I’ll head for Ponyville.” Fluttershy said, as she hugged Angel for a safe passage. The bunny merely saluted her and began to lead the animals away from the area.

Ponyville was a disaster area: sirens were screaming, ponies were running and several buildings were on fire. The black dragon began to swoop down and spurt fire on the village as ponies ran to and fro. “Get away from the village, get to the forest!” Fluttershy yelled as she ran into the village as the unknown aid kept racing at the black dragon. She saw a flash of green scales as it tried to lunge at the offending dragon. They clashed, with the black dragon pulling up after clawing her help to the ground. Fluttershy looked over her defender and nearly dropped the blade and shield when she figured out his identity.

“Sp-Spike?!” She exclaimed in shock, looking him over for a moment at the deep gashes in his stomach. He had grown, seemingly overnight! He was just as tall and fearsome looking as the black scaled dragon, only his eyes were much softer and familiar. Clearly, something happened that morphed him into this size and ferocity.

“Fluttershy...he is coming back.” He spoke in a gentle, deep voice that made Fluttershy snap out of her shock. Despite his large scales, fierce tail, teeth and flame he was still her friend and a wounded animal. The Dragonborn defended those that couldn’t defend themselves, right? She would do that!

She grounded herself in front of Spike as the dragon began to swoop toward her, its razor sharp claws and mouth open to either burn them out of existence or leave a bloody mess on the ground. She calmed herself, seeing as it sought to swallow her whole and burn Spike and the rest of Ponyville. She found a Shout that would barrel into it with the force of a cannon’s shot, hopefully stopping its momentum. “FUS…RO…DAH!” she yelled as it got closer and the force of the dragon Shout barreled into the dragon and indeed stopped it’s momentum almost too well. In fact, it sent the dragon careening off it’s intended path and into a building behind them, utterly demolishing the building by making it practically implode.

“That won’t stop it for long. Come on, let’s get you healed.” The Flutterpony said to Spike, starting to look over his wound as Zecora came racing over. “Fire and brimstone before my eyes/Fluttershy, are you in disguise?” she asked, as Fluttershy beamed at her. “N-no, not in disguise. I apparently got all this during the night, but that’s not important. Spike’s hurt, can you help me with him?” she asked, gesturing to the wounded Spike. “Dragons are not my forte, but I can make his wounds go away. I need help getting him out, for dragons are quite stout.” The zebra said before a very peculiar thing happened.

Diamond Dogs, the same ones that Fluttershy saw shopping earlier, arrived on the scene and started lifting Spike. It was more like dragging him, but you get the idea! As they helped him away, Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief at Spike getting medical attention. The debris from the building started to shift as the dragon got itself out. “Okay, buddy. Round 2.” She said, as she drew her sword and shield and raced at it. The sounds of its roar reached her ears, as did the roar of other dragons that would soon be there.

No time like the present, she supposed. Though she could really use the help…

Pinkie: That chapter was really hot! Eh, eh?
Second Pinkie: -plays rimshot-

Octavia: -facehoofs and groans- Just preview the next chapter.

Pinkie: Alright, alright! Geez, some ponies have no sense of humor.

What happens when a dragon awakens to unfamiliar surroundings? Does he go through dragon puberty, embrace his inner greed, or attempt to remain himself? Find out all these answers and more in Spike’s chapter!

Pinkie: Oh, yes! I almost forgot it was Spike before Rarity…huh. Maybe this writing is getting to my head? No, that would be silly! Plus, it’s what the fans want! So, yeah, tune in next time~!

Author's Note:

Finally, I finished this chapter! I do apologize, dear watchers and readers, but college completely wiped me of motivation to write on ANYTHING. Rest assured, the next chapter won't take a year! Yes, I am going Spike before Rarity to fit the story better.

Thank you guys for the comments and putting up with my lag in chapters!

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DoctorJack230

DoctorJack230 #1 · May 10th, 2013 · · ·

1552429
Pinkie knows. She's Pinkie and trying to follow the fanmail! Yes, follow the fanmail...
1050420
I'm actually planning on making an extra chapter with the Doctor! Expect zany antics involving Derpy, the TARDIS crashing and shipping! Wait, shipping?!
1041059
That's the idea! Be afraid of Pinkie, be verrrry afraid!
1040688
It WILL continue to snowball and get worse and worse. Time will tell if our heroes get out of this situation!