An interesting friendship
A Dragon’s Journey
Ch.2
An interesting friendship
This situation could not suck worse. There I was, standing right in the middle of the Everfree forest, with a passed out yellow pony, in the middle of the night, with who knows what lurking around, and no food to be seen. It was literally a worst case scenario. The only good news is that I knew where the nearest town, Ponyville, was. Normally, I would just have waltz right into town, Fluttershy in tow, but it wasn’t a possibility. I could have done so if I was a pony, and maybe even arrive as a human without causing much of a stir. But nooooo. I had to be a freakin’ dragon, one of the most feared creatures in Equestria. As much as I set one claw in town, I was guaranteed a mob. And, it could only be worse if they saw me carry a limp Fluttershy around. And to top it off, I was still hungry. My only option at the time was to wait for Fluttershy to wake up and hopefully don’t pass out the moment she sees me.
On the subject of Fluttershy, you might be wondering why is it that I know her name, even when neither of us managed to say a word before she passed out. Scratch that. I know what you are thinking, and let me tell you, it’s wrong. Yes, I’ve watched My Little Pony. No, I’m not a brony. Now, don’t take me wrong, I like the show, I’m just not such a rabid fan as other people I know. I began watching it when my friend Cole, forced me to watch it with him. I was surprised that it was that good, but it didn’t particularly strike my fancy. The only reason I still watch it is because it makes for good conversation with my sister whenever we get on the phone. She’s eight by the way.
Back at the situation at hand, Fluttershy had begun to stir. I was hoping for the best, and preparing for the worst. I honestly didn’t know what to expect. There are too many possibilities with disastrous consequences, and only a few with good ones. Best case scenario, I wake up from this screwed up dream. Second best scenario, she wakes up and is perfectly fine, and leads me into town where a parade in my name is waiting. Fat chance, but I’m allowed to dream. Next best case, she wakes up and freezes in fear, giving me enough time to explain my situation and hope that she doesn’t run of screaming. Knowing what little I know about Fluttershy, that was the most likely case, or at least I hoped so. And in any case, I was about to find out.
Fluttershy began to stir. She just had the worst nightmare. She was walking through the Everfree forest on her way back from Zecora. She needed a special herb that only the enigmatic zebra could have. Once acquired, she headed back, only to be distracted by a patch of the most beautiful flowers she could have seen. She stepped out of the path to get a better look at them. This turned out to be a mistake, because as soon as she got within ten feet of the flower patch, the earth shook, and a massive root spurt out of the ground. It shot straight for the pony, scaring her witless. She ran away as fast as her legs would allow. She stopped once she was sure to be relatively safe, which was not much, considering that she strayed from the path and now was utterly lost. With no better option, she aimlessly wandered the dark forest for hours looking for an exit.
Night began to fall, and she was still lost. The dark forest was now almost pitch black, and she was beyond nervous. She caught a break when she came a across a clearing, moonlight dispelling all creatures. Or at least she thought so, because as she reached the bush line, she saw her worst fear: A dragon.
She stared unbelieving. A dragon, a story and a half tall, with massive claws the size of her legs, sat on his hindquarters, looking over the horizon, no doubt looking for prey. In an event that Fluttershy didn’t expect, it tumbled into his face. He got up, shaking his head. He started to walk, with very careful and considerate steps, almost if he wasn’t sure of himself. He stopped, looking satisfied by the simple act of walking straight. Fluttershy’s curiosity almost overrode her fear at the unusual display, almost.
The beast’s tummy rumbled, and this seemed to upset the dragon very much, because it roared something that she never heard before.
“Goddamn it. Goddamnit. GODDAMNIT!”
“Eep” she squeaked. The dragon’s outburst startled her, trembling in fear. Much worse was the fact that the beast was now looking straight at her. She fainted, and that’s where her nightmare ended.
She took an easy breath, knowing that it was just a dream. She now just wished to go back to sleep again. She probed for her blanket, but found grass instead. Then the realization hit her. Her eyes shot open, and took in her surroundings, and indeed, she was still in the forest. Oh uh. She slowly stood up, and turned to face the beast. It was staring at her, and she froze on the spot, fear clenching her muscles. She was completely expecting the beast to eat her alive, or roast her, or roast her and then eat her. She clamped her eyes shut, not wanting see her impending death.
To her surprise, none of the above happened. She opened one eye, expecting to see the angry beast’s maw. What she saw instead took her completely off guard. The dragon stood there, not moving an inch, and instead of the angry eyes that she was expecting, she saw ones that were full of apprehension. There was silence. They continued to stare at each other both in fear and worry. Finally, the dragon opened its jaws. Fluttershy squeaked, expecting a fireball.
“Are you ok?”
“Huh?” The question caught Fluttershy off guard again.
“Are you ok?” it repeated his eyes filled worry and anxiety.
“Um… Yes, I’m… I’m okay” the yellow pegasus managed to whisper, barely audible even in the dead silence of the night. She managed to break eye contact with the dragon. She knew that was probably a mistake, but nothing seemed to happen.
“Good. I’m glad” it answered. The pegasus looked up to the dragon. It seemed genuinely relieved. This confused her to no end. Why was this dragon, one of the most dangerous beings in Equestria, happy to see her?
“May I ask why is such a small thing like you, wandering around such a dangerous place, at such an hour?” It asked the nervous pegasus, concern clear in his voice, with a hint of nervousness.
This confused the yellow pony even more. Why was this dragon, concerned with her? And why did it seem nervous? Something was up. “I… I was h-heading home from Zecora’s when I… I saw a flower patch a-and… it tried to e-eat me… and I ran and got l-lo-lost…” she half stuttered, half whispered, tears forming in her eyes.
“Hmmm…” The beast seemed to ponder her statement for a moment, until it noticed the pony’s watering eyes. “Wait, no need to cry,” it said, raising his forelegs. “Everything is going to be alright” it said, trying to calm the yellow pegasus. “Everyone gets lost from time to time…” It stopped for a moment, and looking pensive, before a small smirk formed in its face. “I’m kind of lost too at the moment” it continued, a small tinge of sadness escaping along the amusing tone.
Fluttershy was completely thrown aback. One of the most fearsome, and proud creatures in the land was admitting weakness to her. That went completely against what all dragons believed in. At this point, she didn’t know what to think.
“Tell me, my little pony, what’s your name?”
“Uhh… My… My name is Fluttershy…”
It chuckled a bit before speaking. “Hehe, that’s a pretty name. Fitting too.” Fluttershy couldn’t help but blush a bit, her fear quickly dissolving into her usual nervousness. “The name’s Jack, by the way. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Fluttershy.” She nodded in agreement.
“The pleasure is all mine,” she whispered, a little louder that before, but still quiet as a mouse.
“Hmm. Tell you what; from up here I can see a few lights way over there. I’m guessing it’s the town you live in. I can get you over there unharmed, and then you can get me a map or something so I can place myself. Does that sound good?”
Fluttershy pondered the Jack’s offer for a moment. He seemed trustworthy, but then again, he was a dragon. She hadn’t heard of friendly dragons besides Spike. She kept weighting the consequences of leading a dragon to Ponyville for about a minute. But her decision was made for her when a howl was heard in the distance.
“Ok” she quickly said. “Lead the way”.
“Really? Alright! Town’s this way, follow me”. His voice was full of relief. He pointed in a direction, and set off.
Man, that’s a relief. My prediction turned out to be right. Fluttershy locked up, I spoke, and managed to get a bit of her trust. She was still shaking like hummingbird on a sugar high, but at least she wasn’t screaming in fear. It’s odd actually, that was slightly of character for me to present such concern. Normally, I would have presented myself in a stoic way, and chat it up with a bit of playful snarkiness I’m known for. But that didn’t happen. Instead, I was genuinely interested in her well being. Maybe it had something to do with me being a nervous wreck at the moment. Or maybe my brains got scrambled in the warp hole. Or maybe is the fact that Fluttershy is so damn cute. Or maybe all of the above.
For those who didn’t already know, Fluttershy is just about the most adorable thing on TV. Not even I, a guy that watches the show with no particular care for it, can deny that fact. Well then, let me tell you all a little something, they seriously tone it down in the show. In person, Fluttershy is an ambulating cuteness stroke. Seriously, just from watching her from fifty feet away, I felt like I was going to die out of diabetes.
I managed to snap out that train of thought for long enough to notice the awkward silence. We reached a wide trail, were the moon illuminated the path. Fluttershy was nervously shaking her head from one side to another, scanning the trees, looking out for whatever there is out there. I decided that it was wise to strike up a conversation, get her mind out of current situation.
“So… Fluttershy, care to tell me about yourself?” I already knew a little about her, but then again, I wasn’t a fan of the show. Every tidbit helps.
“Ummm…” Well, duh. I feel stupid now. I completely forgot that she hates being put in the spotlight. And no doubt the vagueness of the question put her on edge. Now she’s nervous for entirely different reasons. I have to find another subject, pronto.
“I mean, do you have any hobbies or such?”
“Well,” she continued. “I take care of all the little creatures in Ponyville. They come to me whenever they are hurt or sick.” Save!
“Oh? So you like animals then? He, you would look like the kind to do so. I like animals too.” I turned to look at her, a little smirk on my face. She instantly snapped her attention on me. She seemed to brighten up, but then her face quickly changed to one of doubt. She’s probably thinking that I’m going to eat them or something. Got to do something. “I used to have a cat. He was the cutest little ball of nuisance in existence. Only time he wasn’t jumping around was when he was sleeping someplace weird. I loved him to death and beyond”
That seemed to do the trick, because her face went back to a gentle smile. “Oh my,” she giggled. Lucky me, she seems to be ignoring the fact that a dragon with a pet cat would be a bit weird. “He does sound like a cute thing. Where is he? I love to meet him.”
“To be honest, I have no idea. He ran off one day, probably chasing after a butterfly or something.” I sighted. “I wonder what shenanigans he’s up to now. Hehe. No doubt pestering some poor soul out of his fish.”
An honest smile reached my face. Those were sweet memories. That cat was a personification of spasms. There was never a dull moment when he was around.
“What was his name,” I heard Fluttershy ask. I turned to look at her. Her eyes somehow managed to compact apprehension, worry, sadness, empathy, and support into a single, D’aw inducing, gaze. I couldn’t help but let out a slight chuckle. I wanted to get some information on her, but she somehow turned the tables without even trying.
“His name was Jerry.” I know that’s a weird name for a cat but I already had a cat named Tom, so instead I opted to pay homage to the little mouse in a rather ironic way. Anyway, I could tell I was getting to Fluttershy, because she had an honest smile both on her mouth and on her eyes. It’s incredible how much emotion can be conveyed by the eyes, especially if said eyes are at least four times the size of normal eyes.
Unfortunately for both of us, the happy moment didn’t last much longer. The trail had opened into another clearing, and low growl quickly killed both our smiles. From a high bush on the far right, a pair of yellow glowing eyes could be seen. Even worse was that, once I actually started to pay attention, I noticed that we were completely surrounded by them. A dozen and a half at least. Crap. I felt something lean against me. It was trembling madly. I looked back to see the yellow pegasus press against my leg, fear evident in her face. One of the set of eyes came closer, stepping into the light. It was big. Bigger than Fluttershy, and about half my height when I stood on all fours. It had huge fangs, complimenting the obviously sharp claws. But what really struck me, was the fact that this being was completely made out of wood. It looked like a chewed out ball of tree roots.
“T-t-t-t-timberwolfs!” I heard Fluttershy stutter. More of them came into the light, closing the distance between them and us. I didn’t like it one bit. For one, they looked hungry, which is hard to say, because you can’t exactly read twisted twigs. For another, they looked pissed, and that was clear from the beginning. But what bugged me most is that somehow, they looked desperate. They had to be to go against a dragon, now that I think about it. This meant that they would not likely back away until they got what they wanted. And they apparently wanted some yellow pony for diner.
One of them lunged forward towards Fluttershy. I managed to react in time, swatting away with a wing. Another one went for my front leg. That earned it an uppercut to the kisser. Two others timed themselves and ran towards us, one in my direction, and the other in Fluttershy’s. I grabbed the one that was charging me, and tossed it at the other. They crashed with a yelp, and tumbled for a few feet. I felt something cling to my rear left leg. One of the wolves was clamped solidly on it. It was trying to chew through my scales, but its teeth were soon flattened. I shook it off with ease. I noted that had they been normal calcium teeth, they could have a chance, but then again, this thing was made out of wood. Not exactly the most durable material if you asked me.
My train of thought was interrupted when I heard Fluttershy scream. My lapse of concentration allowed them to get closer, and the ones I hit earlier were recovered by now. This was a losing battle if I didn’t figure out a way to take them out en masse. One charged at Fluttershy, and I again tried to swat it away with my wing. This time it dodged, and lunged at my wing. His hit connected, tearing a small gap on the webbing. It hurt like a bitch. I looked around, hoping to find any openings in their formation. There weren’t any, we were surrounded. My mind was going into overdrive trying to come up with a solution.
I knew a few things about combat, most of them from the Military Channel, but no experience in actual fighting or logistics. They were closing in, and I could feel my heart on my throat. ‘Think, Jack think, what I have to work with, what they have.’ I was a dragon, I could try to burn them out of existence, but then, I didn’t know how to breathe fire. I had wings, but again, I had no idea of how to use them. What was left, then? I looked at my claws, then at the living wood surrounding us. Only option left was take them out one by one. It was going to be lengthy, messy, and very likely to be painful.
Three more charged at us, two from the front, one from the back. I slammed the back one with my tail, instantly flattening it. The other two jumped at Fluttershy. I got a hold of her and used my wings as shields. That added another few holes into the webbing, which burned like hell. I was not going to last long under these conditions. Taking them out one by one was going to take way to long. I needed a way to break them apart quick.
About half a dozen of them attacked us now. I quickly got a hold of Fluttershy and sat down on my hind legs. With the trembling pegasus out of reach, the wolves circled the scaly tower that was holding their prey. They clawed at my legs harmlessly, the scales easily deflecting their blows. They were at it for a good five minutes before a growl interrupted them. I looked down to see that the wolves were backing up. They went into a V formation where a timberwolf considerably bigger than the rest took the lead. ‘The alpha,’ I thought. They were getting ready for a coordinated attack on us. This time, instead of a few, the entire pack seemed to get ready. If my calculations were correct, this would completely suck. I needed to do something quick, or we would be wolf fertilizer in under a minute. I looked around, only to confirm that we were still surrounded, the V formation creating a dent in the otherwise perfect circle.
Wait. A dent! Yes! That’s what I need! The plan had already cooked in my head. I just needed for these brainless twigs to get closer. And to my luck, they did. I could have sworn that the alpha almost looked smug, but then again, it’s was like trying to figure out a tree’s mood. I put Fluttershy on my back, and landed back on all fours. I kept my poker face, as to not giveaway my plan to the plant beasts. The formation got within my range, and I couldn’t help but crack a small grin. You should have seen the face of the alpha when it realized what was going on. I lifted my front legs and spun on the back as fast as I could. My tail swung around, clobbering the wolves in the formation, including the alpha. They flew a few feet away, landing near the bushline. That’s all I needed, the previously perfect circle now had a huge gap on it. I made sure Fluttershy was holding into my back, which she was, and ran like hell.
I dashed past the shocked wolves and onto another trail on the opposite side of the clearing. It was barely wide enough for me to go through, and had to clamp my wings against my body. I kept running as fast as I could, which wasn’t much given that I still wasn’t accustomed to my new body, despite the sudden prowess I displayed back there. It felt awkward to say the least. I wanted to lift my front legs and stretch my wings, but I knew I would trip otherwise, or hit my wings against the trees. But I still felt like doing so.
I killed the thought when I heard barks further down the trail. They were, without a doubt, chasing us. I focused on running, checking every so often on Fluttershy. She was clamped solidly on my neck. Good, at least she wasn’t going anywhere. I kept running down the trail, the barks getting louder and closer. Up ahead I spotted a chasm. It could either mean salvation or damnation if I didn’t figure out how to cross it. Fortunately, I noticed the lingering impulse to stretch open my wings, which gave me an idea. The trail ahead widened just about enough for me to stretch them open. Despite not being able to fly, I figured at least I should be able to glide.
“Uhh… There’s a… gap up ahead,” a tiny voice said.
“I know,” I answered the voice I knew belonged to the pegasus on my back.
“A-are we going to… m-make it?”
“In all honesty, I have no idea.”
I was pretty sure she wanted to say something, she didn’t get the chance. The trail finally opened up, and I stretched my wings in the last ditch effort. The edge of the chasm was within reach, and with all my force, I leaped over it. Somehow, my last minute plan worked. I sailed through the gap, landing on the thankfully lower side of the chasm. I turned to see the faces of the very frustrated Timberwolves. The alpha was sporting what I assumed to be the wooden equivalent of a black eye. That made it, I let out a mocking laugh, which they answered with angry growls. That only lifted my spirits further. I was about to gloat a bit more when I felt something trembling on my neck. I turned to see the still scared witless Fluttershy holding onto my neck. I giggled at the sight, and picked her up. I placed her carefully on the ground, lowering my head to her eye level.
“Are you ok?” I asked.
“Y-y-y-yes… I’m… Okay, I think?”
I frowned. “You think?” Apparently she didn’t hear me, her face still frozen in shock. Or at least I thought so.
“You… saved me,” she said.
“Well, of course. I’m not about to let some rabid tree lunch on my friend. Now, answer me, are you okay? She kept ignoring the question, and decided to dwell on something else. It aggravated me to no end. “Fluttershy, answer me, are you-…”
My sentence and my train of thought were abruptly cut off by a trembling yellow pony. She lunged at my face, muzzling it tenderly. “Thank you… Oh thank you so very much,” I heard her mutter. She was sobbing, and I could feel tears seeping between my scales. “You saved my life…”
All my worries melted along with my heart. This was a true heartfelt moment both for me and her. “You’re welcome,” I whispered back at her, returning the muzzle. I was fighting tears of my own. That is when I realized what happened. I made an honest real friend, the first in a long time. And with a pony none the less. He, imagine that, a human turned dragon friend with a yellow and pink pegasus. It felt unreal, yet so real at the same time. And what struck me as the weirdest is that I was honestly happy. Something that comes far and wide and something you don’t expect to see from me in such a situation.
After what seemed like an eternity, we broke the embrace. She had a happy smile on her, and I imagined I did too. I reared up again, peeking over the trees. I could see the edge of the forest further down. I got back down to eye level, and spoke, suddenly feeling very weary, the adrenaline rush fading away.
“We are close; I can see the edge of the forest. We just have a few minutes more of walking.” She apparently picked up on my condition, because she snapped from a smile into a concerned stare within a second.
“Are you ok?” she asked. “You don’t seem to well.”
“I’m fine. Just a little tired is all.” She certainly wasn’t convinced, concern still plastered on her face like a mud mask. She trotted around me, a watchful eye examining every inch of my body until it fell on my wings.
“Oh my gosh!” she gasped. “You’re hurt!”
“Am I?” I turned to see what she was fussing about. My wings had a few holes and tears here and there, some were bleeding slightly. I had completely forgotten about it, to be honest. The initial burning had reduced to a dull pain, masked by the adrenaline. “Meh. Don’t worry about it. I’m pretty sure it will heal eventually.”
“Oh no nonononono. We need to get this patched right away. I hate to see you hurt.”
“I said not to fret over it. I will be…” Again, my sentence was interrupted, not by a show of affection, but rather of authority. The tiny pegasus was hovering in front of my face, staring intently at me.
“You are hurt. You are coming with me to my cottage to get bandaged and rest.” There wasn’t an ounce of doubt of a question in that sentence. It wasn’t even a sentence or a statement, it was an order. And if there is anything I hate more than anything, is being ordered around. I however was in no condition to argue, so with a sigh, I conceded.
“Lead the way.”
“Yay!”
And with that, we set out again. I took a minute to look at the Timberwolves, still staring at us with hateful intent. I made sure Fluttershy wasn’t looking, and gave them their well earned one finger salute. I assume they got the gist of it, by the growls I got back. I let out a quiet chuckle and trotted a bit to catch up with a waiting Fluttershy. She seemed confused at my act, but didn’t push it any further to my relief. After about twenty minutes of walking, we reached the edge of the forest. I could see Ponyville of in the distance. I was wondering if we were going into the town itself, but Fluttershy began walking in a direction towards the right.
“My home is on the outskirts of town, we can get there from here.”
“Ah. That makes sense. I think.”
We walked for another ten minutes or so, the forest of to the side. We reached Fluttershy’s cottage eventually, and I couldn’t help but notice it was dangerously close to the forest. I didn’t think about it much, I was too tired to. We walked to the back of the house. And then is when all the events of that night finally caught up with my body. I lost all motor control, and promptly collapsed to the ground.
“Oh my gosh! Are you okay?!” A very worried pegasus asked.
“Yeah… Just a little tired,” I answered, barely above a whisper. I chuckled lightly when I remembered I still had nothing to eat. I could feel consciousness leaving my grasp, eyelids barely holding open.
“Jack…” I focused my eyes on Fluttershy, her sad eyes full of concern.
“Don’t worry; I just need to sleep for a little while.” I smiled, hoping to reassure her. It halfway worked, her expression softened, but she was still nervous. I smiled.
“Fluttershy?”
“Y-yes?
“Thank you…”
And with that, I fell unconscious for the second time that day.
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Can't wait to see the other ponies reaction to a fully-grown dragon un their midst. That might be pretty awkward explaining it all. Oh yeah, and great job on this chapter,
Good story, keep it up
Good chapter. Looking forward to the next.
"She hadn’t heard of friendly dragons besides spike." - Spike
"He’s name was Jerry." - His
Nice chapter! You have new ideas, I'll give you that
Not a brony, yet still knows about the show? Great!
-Glassed
I would use a 'BRILLIANT' Image macro but i dont have one so... BRILLIANT!
Forget the ponies, I'm wondering how Spike will react!
Territorial? Admiration? Both?
202418
Thanks a lot! I'll make sure to correct them as soon as I can.
Excellent
more
Loved it, as the others said, more. However i can wait if need be.
So much d'aww,
I,m still jelly...
-.-
"This meant that they would not likely back away until they got what they wanted. And they apparently wanted some yellow pony for diner."
Normally you don't start a sentence with "and", although I suppose this is casual writing.
However, you are missing another "n" in "dinner".
Uh...wood's a very durable material. There's a reason most buildings are made primarily of wood.
And yes, wood can be made sharp. It's more difficult than just tying a pointy rock to a stick, but it's comparable in effectiveness.
i.qkme.me/3plzum.jpg
img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/papertablet/diabetes.png
Timber wolf = wood.
Dragon = fire.
Can he not breathe fire or something?
598124 Wood is also flammable.
2769375 He does not know how...yet...
"Jerry," I replied, quickly deciding to spin the tables back on her.
"He was so much nicer than that evil demonic white rabbit you keep and ironically named 'Angel'," I told her.
"By the way, did Twilight ever get her wings yet, or am I before she scrambled your cutie marks?" I asked. "Or have I shown up before Luna got freed of the moon? Has Discord started shaking up with you, yet?"
Her eyes got huge, her pupils and irises shrunk to dots, and she dumped a load of road apples that would've filled one of Applejack's baskets.
Mission accomplished!
6502844 It had to have been after Nightmare apeared, because she mentioned zecora, who they were to afraid of to talk to before.
...and now you have my thumbs up. I am happy you can write, otherwise I would be gone already. The first chapter was a HUGE turn off, but you made a very interesting story. I like how he acts right now, he seems outwardly like an old, sagely dragon, but then his first person makes it all the mote enjoyable to read the other parts. You have masterfully caught my attention. Vonderfully done, good sir.