> Kind Yet Humble Courage
>  by misskoifishpony
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Lightning and Terror
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 1: Lightning and Terror

A galumphing, limping, but shadowy mass slowly clawed through the Everfree Forest. The forest was dark and wet with morning dew. The only sound that could be heard throughout the mysterious foliage was the sound of screeching birds and the heavy panting of the shadowy mass. Each step that the mass took sent small earthquakes into the ground. And every step left heavy and hard prints in the mud. 

After what seemed like to be hours of dragging through the forest, the bulky creature finally saw light. A sign for the end of the forest. It wasn’t a bright light, but enough light for this predator to keep moving forward. When it reached the end of the forest, the beast noticed how dreary and grey the weather was. The grey clouds consumed the sky. The air’s pressure was close to the ground surrounding the creature, that means that a rainy thunderstorm was coming. It lifted his head and saw a grassy meadow and… a small cottage inside a tree? The creature tilted its head at the odd homing structure. However...a scent caught his attention. There were animals. Lots of them. Most of them were animals of prey. This made the beast snicker and growl evilly. 

As the blood-thirsty intruder prowled through the cottage, the clouds in the sky burst and the rain came down.. 





"Alright everyone, it's time to clean the cottage." Fluttershy announced to all her little animals in her living room.

Despite it being the first day of spring, it was a grey and cloudy day. Rainbow Dash had told her earlier that thunder and lighting would arrive in Ponyville by the afternoon. As much as Fluttershy feared loud and noisy storms, her little animals feared them even more than she did.

So, she decided to distract them by having them help her with spring cleaning. And in return, they would all get special treats.

"Robin, Caroll, Gale," Fluttershy told the songbirds, "you're in charge of dusting. But be careful of Charlotte's webs when dusting the ceiling, it took her quite some time to make those."

Then, she directed her attention to the squirrels and chipmunks on the floor. "You're in charge of sweeping the floor and beating out the rugs."

After that, she turned her gaze to the large brown bear waiting patiently by the clock. "Mr. Bearington, you're charged with cleaning the fireplace. But don't clean the chimney, I don't want you to inhale the soot and get sick."

Next to Mr.Bearington was a grey goat and a small group of bunnies, and Fluttershy tasked them with "And as for all of you, you'll be in charge of cleaning the kitchen."

She turned her attention to the whole group and asked, "Does everyone understand their tasks?"

Her animals answered her happily with squeaks and growls.

"Oh, wonderful! Have fun everyone."

As the group dispersed, the yellow pegasus noticed something tapping one of her hind legs. She looked down and saw Angel bunny kicking her back legs with a frown on his face.

"Don't worry Angel, Mommy didn't forget you. You get to help me with cleaning the bathroom upstairs and washing my bed sheets. Won't that be fun?"

Angel answered his owner's question with squeaks of protests. He waved his little arms around to emphasize his point.

"Come on Angel, everyone has to do their part for spring cleaning day. And that includes you too."

Angel then scowled at the pink-maned mare. His frustration caused him to turn around and cross his arms.

"If you don't, then there will be no treats for anyone. And that includes you too, Mister."

Angel turned his head back towards Fluttershy, to see if her face matched with her kind yet stern demand. With a sluggish sigh, he hopped upstairs. This made his owner smile, "Oh, that's a good boy Angel."

Before the kind mare could join her bunny upstairs, there was a hard and forceful knock on her door.

Huh? That's strange. She thought to herself. Nopony is supposed to come today. Especially in this weather.

However, despite these thoughts, Fluttershy called out "Coming!"

She trotted up to her wooden door and told her guest, "Yes, how may I help...AAH!"

A flash of lightning revealed a tall, horrifying creature at her door. Its skin was red like fire. It had large fangs, a long spiky tail, and claws that dragged in her doorway. It was panting...hard. She could see the creature's breath in the cold air. It was drenched and dripping wet with rain water.

When it opened its eyes, it growled at the sight of Fluttershy. She immediately backed away from the intruder and quivered. It crawled on all fours and entered into Fluttershy's beloved home.

Her animals, in the midst of their cleaning, immediately noticed the monster and ran away into the dark corners of the house. That is...except for Mr.Bearington, the goat, and Angel Bunny.

The goat was the first to attack. With his horns out in front, he planned to head-butt the enemy. However, his enemy's head was a lot harder than his. He sent the poor goat towards the couch with his counter head-butt.

"Shaun!" Fluttershy cried out.

Mr. Bearington was the next to attack. He towered over his opponent easily. With a quick swing of his claw, he swiped the creature's back. This made it roar in agony. The beast, once it set his eyes on Mr. Bearington, thrashed his tail against his stomach. Mr.Bearington went down to the ground and hugged his aching belly.

"Mr.Bearington!" Fluttershy cried out with tears in her eyes.

Then, she saw her dear Angel hop angrily towards the intruder. She couldn't bare to have another one of her defenseless animals getting hurt for her sake. "Angel! No!"

The creature looked down and saw the white bunny furiously kicking his front claw. Without a second thought, he grabbed Angel by the stomach and stood up on his hind legs.

"P-Please!" Fluttershy pleaded desperately, "Don't hurt him. I'll...I'll do anything. Anything! Just please...don't hurt my animals. Don't hurt Angel."

"Anything huh?" The beast replied with a smug smirk.

Fluttershy noticed that his voice sounded fairly young. Almost like a teenager. It was strange...she didn't expect this powerful creature to be so young. Who was he? What was he?

"In that case," her intruder continued, "this namby pamby pony home...belongs to me now."

> Desperate Times
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 2: Desperate Times

"Now," Fluttershy's new master demanded, "go get me something to eat, pony!"

"R-Right away!" Fluttershy squeaked before galloping towards the kitchen.

He dropped Angel harshly to the ground. The white bunny rubbed his sore bottom and growled at the large beast. Then, Angel Bunny noticed that the front door was left open. He knew that he had to get help. As much as he wanted to beat up this brute by himself, he knew that he couldn't take him down alone. However, he couldn't just leave Fluttershy alone with him.

Seeing Fluttershy cower before his enemy gave Angel enough courage to face the storm and get the rest of his owner’s friends.

Meanwhile, the intruder collapsed onto Fluttershy's couch with a relieved sigh. All his muscles were sore and they were aching like there was no tomorrow. He could already feel his body melting into the cushions.

The kitchen lights turned on, and Fluttershy was able to get a good look at the new master of the house. It was worse than she feared. It was a dragon. She was thankful that he wasn't a giant older dragon. However, this young dragon had the strength of ten bears. He could tear her cottage apart if he wanted to.

Or...burn it down.

The thought of her home burning in dragon fire made Fluttershy gulp nervously. As she took a closer look at him, she noticed that he had fairly large and wide wings, yellow spines, and very angry looking eyebrows.

She had to find him something to eat. And fast! Or else...he'd eat her. Or worse, he'd eat Angel or any other of the small animals hiding in her house!

Fluttershy started searching in the bottom cabinets underneath her sink, "Oh come on! Where is it?! I know that I put it around here, oh where could it be?!"

Her searched ended when her front hoof bumped into some kind of bowl, "Ah, there is."

She pulled out a medium sized bowl full of  bite sized emeralds. Fluttershy always saved up whatever gem she could find and add it into Spike's snack bowl. It always made the baby dragon so happy whenever she pulled these gems out.

"I'm sorry, Spike." The yellow pegasus sighed sadly while looking down at the bowl.

"Hey pony!" the dragon snarled. "What's taking so long?! I don't got all day you know."

"Coming!" Fluttershy called. While carrying the gem bowl with her front hooves, she fluttered quickly back into the living room.

She presented the meal to him. "Here, some nice tasty gems for..."

The brutish beast snatched the bowl harshly from Fluttershy and began to devour the gems.

"...you."

Before the shy mare could blink again, her "guest" had already finished all the gems until they were nothing more than glittering dust. He licked his lips before throwing the bowl across the room.

"Is that it?!" the dragon growled, with hunger still lingering in his mind.

"Well, um..."

"Pssh! Typical ponies! Always lacking in the good stuff. Anyway, go back in the kitchen and get me some meat."

Fluttershy did as the dragon asked and went back into the kitchen. She walked over to the fridge and opened it. Luckily, she had some fish fresh from the river. A nice big salmon she’d saved for Mr.Bearington.

Then Fluttershy started to think about how much pain that Shaun, Mr. Bearington, and Angel are in. Her poor darlings...suffering from what this dragon did to them. Her mind then wandered to her other animals, hiding in the darkness. Waiting for their mother to soothe them from this nightmare.

"Just...just give him his meal and then, attend to the others," she told herself. "Just give him his meal and then attend to the others."

Fluttershy placed the raw salmon on one of her large oval plates. She added some berries next to the salmon in order to give the meal some variety. Mr. Bearington always appreciated that wherever she made fish for him, and Spike had always enjoyed berries. So, she was sure that this dragon would appreciate it.

At least, she hoped.





Angel blazed through the rain and the wind. Despite how cold he was, despite how much the storm stinged his eyes,despite how much the lighting made his heart race, he had to find help for Fluttershy. He had to help Mommy.

Angel felt like he was trapped in a maze. All the houses looked the same, nothing was sticking out. He kept running into dead ends. He felt so stupid and idiotic. He knew every route in Ponyville like the back of his paw. This storm and his own stress were distorting his own perception on reality. He had to find help soon or else he'll get lost in all this mess.

Finally, he saw something glittering in the distance. It's was Twilight's castle. He scurried like a panicked mouse to the front door and pounded on the door as hard as he could. It felt like an eternity as he waited for somepony to answer.

However, when the door creaked open just slightly, Angel raced in like a mad rabbit.

"Woah!" Twilight exclaimed when what seemed like a gust of wind blew past her. "What in the world?"

Twilight closed the door and turned around to see a very wet and shivering Angel dripping on her carpet.

"Angel!"

She trotted over to the poor bunny and lowered herself down to his eye level. "What's going on? What's happened? Where’s Fluttershy?”

Angel was too tired to do his usual charades to explain urgent emergencies. In fact, he was too tired to even squeak. He was too weak to stand.

He started to fall down towards the floor, face first. Twilight gasped and caught the tired creature with her hooves before he collapsed into the floor.

She looked down at the unconscious pet. She gently caressed Angel into her embrace and whispered, "Don't worry Angel, I've got you."



> Scars That Need To Heal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 3: Scars That Need To Heal

"Um, here we are...Mr. Dragon...some fresh salmon with berries. I hope this satisfies your...appetite." Fluttershy proclaimed while carrying the large plate on her head.

She stopped in the middle of her tracks when she saw what was going on in the living room.

The fireplace was the only illuminating source in the room. Fluttershy assumed that the dragon lit it. But in the glowing yet shadowed light, the shy pegasus witnessed him on all fours ready to prey on the chipmunks and rabbits shivering in the corner. 

"STOP!" Fluttershy screamed.

He turned his head away from his prey, and snarled at the pony "Why should I?!"

Fluttershy stomped over to the bully dragon while still carrying the oval plate on top of her head. In all honesty, he wasn't expecting the shy pegasus to speak out so loudly and march over to him so angrily. But regardless, he still maintained his ferocious image.

Fluttershy continued her rant with "You promised that you wouldn't harm them if I did as you said! And I am feeding you, just as you asked!"

"Oh yeah? Well... you were taking too long! And I need food now!"

"I was only in the kitchen for two minutes!"

"Pfft! Still waaayyy too long."

Fluttershy couldn't help but growl underneath her breath. She grinded her teeth slowly yet harshly. But you couldn’t hear the frightening grind of her teeth. She was so angry, so frustrated at this brute who had scared her animals and barged into her home and taken it over.

However despite this, she kept a straight yet cold face in front of him and placed his meal in front of him, "Here."

The dragon looked down at the meal and then back up at Fluttershy, "That's it? That's all you got?!"

"You should considered it lucky that I had any meat at all. Ponies don't eat meat."

Garble’s angry eyebrow arched up with suspicion and slight curiosity. But his eyes widened with his curiosity. However, this curiosity didn’t last. After all, this pony mustn't know that he has a slight interest in what she does with her life. So, he asks her in a deep yet suspicious voice,  "So, why did you?"

She looked over to the whimpering and wounded bear in her living room. She sighed sadly. "It was for Mr. Bearington."

The teenage dragon looked over to the bear too, trying to see why her tone suddenly changed when she looked over to him.

"Eat up." The serious pony stated before walking over to attend her animals.

"Whatever," he mumbled before digging into his meal. 

To him, the meal lacked flavor and taste. It was nothing compared to eating a fresh warm kill out in the mountains. Yet despite his hunger, his mind couldn’t help but wander back to the pegasus. He imagined what she did in the corner of room with this bear. He didn’t know why he was thinking of her. He didn’t know why he was interested in what she was doing behind his back. Was it a dominance thing? Did he need to know what she was doing at all times in order to control her better? Or was it actual curiosity? 

This pony...was different from all the ponies he has ever met. And he hasn’t met many ponies. Probably, only ten ponies in his lifetime. She was submissive yet rebellious. She was meek but then loses this meekness whenever he threatens the animals. She’s cold to him but mournful with these pathetic beasts. And yet for some reason, whenever she acted sad around other creatures in the cottage...his anger only increased. He could feel his fire bubbling and boiling in his throat just thinking about it. What frustrated him even more was that he didn’t know why he felt this way.

Luckily, Fluttershy always kept a first aid pet box underneath her couch. She pulled it out and addressed Mr. Bearington's wounds.

She was thankful that it was just a bruise on his stomach instead of his ribs. She wrapped his stomach in white bandages to keep his back straight. Then, placed an ice pack on his stomach and told him to lay down slowly on his back.

After that, she walked over to Shaun, who was in much worse shape than Mr. Bearington. His head was covered in bruises and scratches. His back was bent out of shape. His horns were still in good shape, but it didn't help his situation. The best she could do was bandage the top and the sides of his head, along with his back. She also gave him a cold pack for his head and gave him some herbal pain relief that Zecora made for her. The medicine helped the suffering goat to take a nice nap.

As the yellow mare walked away from Shaun the goat and towards the young dragon, she noticed something new about him. And it made her stop in her tracks.

While he was eating his salmon on all fours, she got a good view of his back. It was covered in scars. Deep, cruel, unforgiving scars. Scars created by claws as large as his own. These claws were probably from a older, giant dragon. A lot of the scars were old. But there were some fresh wounds alongside these old scars. These fresh cuts disturbed her the most.

She just imagined how much pain this poor creature was in, despite him hiding it as well. His back was probably stinging, and most likely got infected by the harsh wilderness. No wonder he hadn’t just fled to a cave somewhere. His back was so sore that he wouldn't didn't have the strength to flap his wings.

Fluttershy then realized something. He wasn't a bully. He wasn't a brute or a beast. He was like...

The wolves. 

Sometimes, during the white blistering days of January, she would get poor and starving year-old wolves  wandering around her cottage. At first, these young wolves would only growl and sneer ferociously at her when she approached. They would usually think she was a hunter or some other creature trying to dominate them for territory. It was natural for them to not trust her; they were too focused on staying warm and finding food. But once Fluttershy made a soft den for them outside her fence line and fed them some meat, the young wolves weren't so bad. And because of her kindness, these wolves would visit her during the summer and come back to her homemade dens in the winter. They wouldn't be friendly like puppies towards her, but they would silently acknowledge in her presence and show her trust.

Fluttershy felt her heart sink in her chest. How could she be so blind to an animal that needed her? No wonder he’d barged in like he did; he was just a scared and wounded soul that needed somepony to take care of him. Even though guilt was breaking her heart, her mind motivated her to approach the dragon quietly.

With a look of sympathy, she asked him "Um, Mr. Dragon?"

"Gmarble," he mumbled. His mouth full of food almost spilling out every time he uttered a syllable. 

"Huh?"

The teenage dragon swallowed his fish quickly and exclaimed, "Garble! My name is Garble! So, don't call me ‘Mr. Dragon.’ Okay?!"

"Um, okay...Garble...where did you get those scars?"

Garble looked away from his pony servant, and looked down at his empty plate. His shoulders hunched over, and acted as a wall for his face. Fluttershy immediately noticed this, and tried to search for his eyes. It was like he was hiding them from her, and she didn’t understand why he was doing this. 

"That's none of your business."

"I... I understand that. And I'm sorry to intrude, but... I want to help you. With your scars... and your wounds."

Garble quickly lifted his gaze and stated bluntly to her face, "I don't NEED your help. My scars AND my wounds are just fine!"

"But... don't they hurt?"

"No!" He pouted his lips forward, sounding like a stubborn foal.

"It's okay to admit that they do."

"Hmph! No they don’t," Garble grunted while taking his head away from her.

"I won't tell, I promise." Fluttershy tried turning her head towards his, while suppressing a smile. He really was a teenager. That thought alone made the small pegasus chuckle.

Her quiet laughter faded and the core issue at hoof returned to her mind. "Please Garble, let me help you. If you don't let me help you, you won't be able to fly for a long time."

This made the dragon softly gasp. Ever since his fight with the mountain elder dragon, his wings would sting every time they flapped. And this new pain only aggravated the old scars on his back.  It never occurred to him how long it would take to heal. The thought of being grounded was just too humiliating for him.

He knew what he had to do, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. "Fine! Go ahead, just... don't take too long. Alright?"

"I won't, I promise."

Fluttershy went into the kitchen and soaked a towel in warm water. With the towel in her mouth and a bowl of warm water on her back, she walked back to Garble.

He set the plate aside and adjusted a comfortable position for himself on the floor. While laying his head on his arms, he closed his eyes and tried to not think about the agony jabbing him all over his back. Fluttershy lowered herself right next to him, and soaked the towel in warm water again.

With the lightest touch she could muster, she gently placed the warm towel  in the middle of his back.

"Aah! Geez!" Garble cried out. He turned his neck, glaring at her. "What was that for?!"

"I'm sorry Garble, but before I can bandage your wounds,I have to clean them up first. And the only way to clean them, without a lot of stinging that is, is with warm water."

"Well, I think that you should-- aah!" The tough dragon then felt a sudden tension stiffening his neck and it forced him to rest his head again.

Fluttershy then gave him a big pillow to cling on to, which he took without hesitation. "I know this hurts, but try to relax. It doesn't sting as much when you do. I'll be super gentle, I promise. But you'll have to trust me in order for me to do that. Do you think that you could do that? Just for one moment?"

Garble took a moment to reflect. The thought of trusting this wimpy pegasus made him gag. Dragons were independent and solitary souls. Dragons relied on their own strength and intuition to survive the lands beyond Equestria and fight off creatures of pure magic and darkness. Asking for help and trust would mean weakness.

And weakness usually led to your own demise. However, he needed this pony's help to fly again.

So, he lied through his teeth. "Alright, fine. I trust you. For now."

With Garble's approval, Fluttershy went back to softly stroking her warm towel in the middle of his back. The teenage dragon hissed through his teeth once she started, but the pain wasn't as bad as it was before. His muscles were still stiff and tense, but at least he was allowing her to do this.

There were long wounds planted across the middle of his back to the spot between his wings, and that was the area that Fluttershy focused on first. She figured that this was where the majority of the back pain was coming from.

The higher that the towel went up his back, the more Garble buried his head into his pillow. Fluttershy couldn't bare to hear his muffled squeals and growls, nor bare to see his almost hidden expression of pain in his face. So, she decided to gently massage his back and scars with the warm wet towel in order to help him relax.

And it worked. She could instantly feel his muscles relaxing. Garble loosened his grip on the pillow, but he still kept his face buried in it. With a soft smile on her face, she could focus her circular massage on the other wounds that needed her attention.

Garble didn't feel comfortable with the fact that this pony's touch was relaxing him. It was like every part of his hard scaly skin was becoming baby soft and squishy under her touch. What was she doing to him?! The young dragon tried to come up with conspiracies or some ideas about why she was doing this. What would she gain from this? Maybe she was just using her fake nicey-nice behavior to charm him into leaving.

Well, I have news for ya pony, he thought to himself, you won't break me down that easily!


> Help Is On The Way
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 4: Help Is On The Way

"Twilight!"

The crystalline doors at the entrance to the castle burst open as Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity galloped in from the storm. They called for their friend urgently, hoping that Twilight could hear their panicked echoes in the vast towering castle.

Luckily, she did. Twilight galloped to the front entrance hallway and called back to her friends. "Girls!"

"Twilight! What's going on?!" Rainbow asked as soon as Twilight appeared before them.

"Yeah...we came...as soon as we got...Spike’s message," Applejack added while trying to catch her breath.

Twilight was able to get a good look at her dear companions who braved the storm. They were drenched from head to hoof.

In fact, they all looked exhausted and Twilight realized as they all sat there, panting and shaking the water from their dripping wet manes, that they must have all dashed out into the storm as soon as they'd received the green fire message from Spike. 

"It's Angel," Twilight explained solemnly, "he came to the castle not too long ago with an urgent message. Something possibly about Fluttershy and danger, but then, he collapsed before he could even explain it. Luckily, Spike and I were able to help the little guy regain consciousness again. He's resting in the living room yet now."

"Well, what are we waiting for?! Let's go!" Rainbow exclaimed while preparing herself to zip to wherever Angel was.

However, she was quickly stopped by something pulling on her back leg. It was Rarity's magic pulling on her leg.

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity scolded, "I know you're worried about Fluttershy, but there's no reason to rush into the room and scare Angel Bunny. The poor fellow had to venture into this storm all by himself despite the odds. He needs his rest."

"But..." Rainbow protested.

"Rarity's right Rainbow," Applejack remarked, "we need to be gentle and patient with Angel right now. Besides, we'll get to the room soon enough."





Meanwhile, Angel was lying silently and stiffly on the plush purple couch. His small body, except for his arms and head, were bundled in two layers of blankets. His pure white fur looked grey in his disheveled state. 

The small bunny could feel the coldness of the rain wash away from his body. The fireplace was glowing with a sweet and inviting amber. The couch, the pillows, and blankets comforted him with their heat. But most of all, Spike's homemade carrot soup warmed his bones. The little dragon was even kind enough to spoon feed him.

Spike would blow on each little spoonful before gently bringing the soup into the rabbit's mouth. And whenever Angel accepted each spoonful, he would smile softly at him. Angel would try to smile back to the best of his ability. The little rabbit felt so weak. Even if he moved his arm, the muscles in his paws would shiver. Causing his whole arm to shiver with it. His beady black eyes were heavy and half opened, portraying his lack of energy and weariness.

The little bunny's ears shifted quickly towards the door. Even though his head couldn't move, his ears were always alert. And Angel heard the door squeak and hooves slowly tip-toeing into the room.

Spike turned around and saw Twilight and his friends coming close to the couch. "Hey guys." He sweetly whispered and waved.

"Hey Spike," they all whispered back.

"Hey Angel," Pinkie softly cooed to Angel Bunny.

She propped her head and forelegs on the back of the couch and whispered "How are ya feeling bud-bud?"

The little rabbit responded to Pinkie's question with a weak smile and a soft nod. 

"Don't worry tough guy," Rainbow cheered quietly, "you'll be back on those lucky feet of yours soon."

Angel turned his head to Rainbow, and smiled at her as well. But when he turned his head towards her direction, he noticed something on the coffee table. It was a large, purple leather bound book filled with pieces of paper and pages sticking out of it. 

Twilight directed her attention to where Angel was pointing to and saw the the thick book.

"This?" She asked while holding up the book with her magic, "You want this?"

Angel smiled and nodded his answer. Twilight placed the book carefully onto Angel's belly. She used her magic to open the book for him. He put his white paws on the pages and looked through the pictures. There were pictures of Twilight, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. But his eyes were locked on the picture of Fluttershy. His owner's hair draped over half of her face, yet her shy smile could still be seen. Angel's smile dropped when he saw her smile.

The weakened bunny looked back at Twilight pointed his small paw towards Fluttershy's picture.

"What about Fluttershy?" she asked.

The rest of the ponies and dragon in the room leaned in closer towards Twilight and Angel. Like Twilight, the expectancy for the worse clouded their thoughts and their concern for their friend clearly showed.

Twilight's fear was soon confirmed by a solemn and silent nod by Angel.

Every soul in the living room gasped, their racing hearts stopped in mid beat. However, despite their shock, Rainbow exclaimed "What happened to her?! Where is she at?!"

Angel went back to the photo album and searched through the pages for a new picture. He pointed towards a photo of Fluttershy's cottage in the spring.

Twilight narrowed her eyes, rubbing her chin. "Her cottage? You mean she's still there? But if she's in trouble, then..."

"The danger, aka some no good monster, is there with her!” Rainbow finished Twilight's statement, grinding her teeth in subdued rage. Angel nodded to confirm her suspicions and Rainbow’s hooves pawed the floor, her eyes begging for battle and revenge.

"But who, or more like what, could possibly be there? At her cottage of all places?" Rarity wondered aloud.

Angel responded by pointing his paw towards the little dragon in front of him.

"Huh? Me?" Spike answered while pointing towards himself.

"No sugar cube," Applejack remarked, “ah think Angel is tryin’ to imply that it’s a creature like you. A critter small like ya, or a monster scaly like ya, or maybe…”

“...An actual dragon,” Spike whispered while lost in his own reflection. His thoughts quickly flashed back to his time with the Dragon Migration. The time where he meet dragons face to face, especially teenage dragons. Spike didn’t want to think about them again. Thinking about those jerks only made Spike regret of the mistakes that he almost made. 

"A dragon!?" Twilight added in a panicked voice, "Nononono, it can’t be! What's a dragon doing out here in Ponyville?!"

"It’s doesn’t matter Twilight, we gotta save her!" Pinkie shouted while grabbing the sides of Twilight’s face.

"What are we waiting for?!” Rainbow shouted. “Let's go!"

Rainbow's command immediately caused everypony to charge out of the room. However, Twilight lingered in the doorway before following the others.

"Spike,could you...?"

"Don't worry Twilight, I'll take care of him."Spike smiled softly at Twilight while gently patting the resting bunny on the couch. 

Twilight smiled back him and whispered, "Thanks. You too, Angel."

Angel grinned back at her and slightly nodded his head before drifting to sleep.

Twilight quietly closed the door behind her before galloping down the hall. It took almost all her strength to reach her friends at the front door. She opened the grand doors with her magic.

However, something strange, yet familiar stopped Twilight in her tracks...when she opened the door...thunder and lightning boomed in the background before a mischievous voice replied...

"Evening all!"

It was Discord, dressed in his Sunday best black suit. Although, his Sunday best looked more like a wrinkled wet suit. He was soaked from head to toe, yet he still had that cheeky grin on his face. He even had a black fedora on his head,but it looked more like a wilted flower than a hat. The draconequus was leaning most of his weight on a tall cane in front of him. His mismatched feet was covered in shiny tap toes. The ponies, especially Twilight, wondered why tap toes. In weather like this?

"Lovely weather we're having, don't you think?" He asked, his grin getting bigger with each second.

He put his paw on the front tip of his cane and turned it into a black umbrella. He held opened umbrella over his head, and the umbrella rained on Discord from the inside.

"In my opinion," he sighed, "nothing can beat a stormy day. Thunder booming in the mountains, lighting setting the earth on fire, the clouds swirling and clashing in the sky."

Then, a green frog jumped out his coat pocket and hopped off into the warm castle.

"Discord!" Applejack groaned. "We don't have time for yer shenanigans right now!"

"My my, what's got your hat in your knot today? Lack of outdoor activity I assume?" Discord replied with a smirk.

With a snap of his talon, AJ's hat snapped over her eyes and the cowmare couldn't pull her hat off her face. This made Discord snicker into his paw, poorly hiding his laughter from the others.

"She's right Discord, we don't have time for this," Twilight patiently stated to him.

"Yeah!" Rainbow shouted in Discord's face, "Fluttershy's in trouble!"

"T-Trouble?" Discord murmured in disbelief.

He quickly poofed away his costume, stood in front of the group in shock. To Twilight, it almost looked like he couldn't process the concept of Fluttershy being in dire peril. Thunder starting booming outside.

"More like BIG trouble!" Pinkie proclaimed. "A huge dragon is holding Flutters hostage in her own home!"

Discord's eyes suddenly narrowed. Flames sparked inside his red pupils, and all his fangs snarled out. The claws in his lion paw came out, and the ponies could hear a low but frightening growl grumbling in Discord's throat. The ponies waited for his next dangerous and unpredicted move. Twilight knew that the dragon holding Fluttershy hostage will soon be in a world of pain and agony.

Discord's tail rapidly coiled it's grip around the Mane Five. They struggled and tried to break free, but Discord didn't listen to their pleads. His eyes were on the horizon, and they were as dark as the stormy sky. With a snap of his eagle talon, they vanished in a flash of light. Thunder boomed once more outside.

> I Don't Need Your Pity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 5: I Don't Need Your Pity

"Annndd, there! All done!"

Fluttershy softly but happily exclaimed as she finished wrapping layers upon layers of white bandage on Garble's back.

Garble opened his eyes and slowly crawled off the floor and his pillow. The bandage made his back and chest feel tight and constricted, and he could barely even feel his wings, let alone flap them. His back had been stiff before, but now he felt like such a mere groundling that could barely stand up on his own, almost like a baby cow just coming into the world.

And yet he felt such a soothing and relaxing sensation from not feeling his back and wings. His wings weren't flapping in the air full of pins and needles. His muscles covering his spine weren't in binding knots, everything felt like it was loosening.

Garble turned his neck a little to see the pony's hoofwork on his bandaged back.

"So, how does it feel?" Fluttershy asked him with a small smile.

"It feels... pretty good actually." Garble responded breathlessly. However, this changed quickly and he pouted angrily "I mean! Did you seriously have to put a bow in the middle of my back?!"

"Sorry, bows are the only ones I know to do and bows keeps the knot in for the bandage."

"So, how long do I have to be in this thing anyway?" Garble remarked as he turned his gaze away from Fluttershy.

"Not too long, actually. Only a month and a half."

"A month and a half?!" Garble exclaimed as he turned quickly back at Fluttershy. But as he does this, a quick jolt of pain returned to his back and made him groan.

"Oh dear. Please, sit down. You'll feel better." Fluttershy gently led Garble to the couch.

The young dragon reluctantly followed her instruction and sat down on the couch slowly. As soon as he did, he sighed in his relief from the pain.

"I know that... you're not use to taking it easy. But..." Fluttershy explained, "you can stay here with me and my animal friends while you heal."

"Now why would I do that, huh?" Garble harshly questioned.

"Garble, you need somepony to take care of you. And I think you would be better with off with me than just taking care of yourself."

With a warm smile, Fluttershy slowly yet sincerely placed her hoof on top of Garble's claw.

This took Garble by surprise. He arched his face and neck from the pegasus, but did not scold her for this act.

Suddenly, the glowing amber in the fireplace went out.

"Oh dear," Fluttershy proclaimed, "The wind must've...don't worry, I'll get a flash light."

When the yellow pegasus stumbled off the couch, Garble added "No need pony, I got it."

Garble stiffly walked over to the fire place. He lowered as far as he could, and opened his jaw. But before he could let out a flame, Garble heard a deep,masculine, but eerie chuckle coming from the top of the chimney.

"Aah!" Garble softly shouted as he backed away from the fire place. "P-Pony?! Did ya say somethin'?"

"No, I didn't." Fluttershy answered, now in the kitchen looking through her cabinets.

"T-Then w-who...?"

WHAM!

The front door slammed open with ferocious wind, pouring rain, and thunder.

Garble shouted in his shock, before rapidly closing the front door. He let out a quiet "Whew!" once the door was closed.

As he walked away from the door, a hard but powerful claw grabbed his face and pulled him off the ground.

Through the claws of his captor, Garble's squished eyes could see a long yet haunted face distorted in the shadows. He could vaguely see sharp horns on it's head, and a white tuff of fur on it's chin, and a gleaming fang coming out of it's mouth. But what terrified him the most was the creature's glowing gold and ruby eyes. They glowed like the Harvest Moon tinted with blood.

Garble could tell that this creature was not only as a strong as a grown dragon, but magic coursed through its veins. The teenage dragon could do nothing but stare at this unknown monster and waited for his doom.

"hELlo CLariCE," the intruder stated in his dark but twisted voice.

Garble's eyes widened as he saw a smile forming on the creature's face. "Soooo, you like scaring ponies huh? Well then..."

The monster brought Garble's face closer to his and uttered in his deepest yet echoing voice, "I'm sure that a dragon like you would appreciate some terror in return."

"Mmr!" Garble screamed, his mouth muffled by his enemy's tight grip.

The creature laughed at the dragon's terror. However, this laughter soon ended when a flashlight shined through the darkness and Fluttershy shouted, "Discord! Put him down! Now!"

Discord squinted through the bright light and uttered, "Fluttershy?"

Once his eyes readjusted, he dropped Garble to the floor like a sack of potatoes. He clapped his hands and magically brought light back into the living room. Happiness beamed on the draconequus's face as he exclaimed, "Fluttershy! Thank goodness!"

Before Fluttershy knew it, she was trapped in a tight hug with Discord. He fussed over her and embraced her like panic stricken father, "You're alright! Did he hurt you?! Strangle you?! Pull your teeth out one by one?!"

"N-No Discord!" Fluttershy gasped, struggling in her chaotic friend's grip. "I'm fine! Um, could you...?"

"Hmm? Oh yes, of course." Then Discord gently placed Fluttershy back on the ground.

Meanwhile, Garble couldn't believe his eyes. One moment, this Discord was a monster ready to tear him apart limb by limb. But now, he's a giddy happy puppy acting over bearing over this pony. He followed her command at a drop of a hat.

But why? Garble thought to himself.

Suddenly, the front door opened again. Five ponies crawled in, soaking and dripping wet with deadly frowns on their faces.

"Girls!" Fluttershy cried out joyfully to the five ponies.

Their frowns instantly turned into smiles, they called Fluttershy's name before gathering her into a group hug.

"Oh Fluttershy, thank Celestia you're alright," said Twilight.

"Indeed,” Rarity added, “with that dragon we thought..."

But Rainbow finished her thought with great confidence, "Are you kidding? I wasn't worried for one bit. I knew that Flutters would take care of that ole dragon."

"Well, I did," Fluttershy chuckled nervously, "But not in a way that you would expect."

Fluttershy then noticed the soggy wet feeling of soaked manes dripping on her neck and asked, "Um, girls? Why are you all soaking wet?"

The Mane Six broke up their group hug and looked directly at Discord. Twilight muttered in an agitated tone, "Discord, would you like to explain to Fluttershy what happened to us?"

"Pfft! Have you ponies ever heard of a tactical attack?" Discord asked as he poofed himself a large, blue and puffy military jacket decorated heroic medals along with a tall Napoleon hat. "I figured that all of you can sneak up the dragon from behind while I distract him head on and rescue Fluttershy. If you asked me, I say that was a pretty good plan IF all of you showed up on time that is.”

"Woah," Garble whispered as he slowly backed away from Discord.

"How were we supposed to if ya dropped us off at least a half if a mile away from Fluttershy's house?!" Applejack scolded Discord, "Besides, YOU didn't even tell us yer plan first!"

"Yeah!" Pinkie agreed in a mad tone.

"Geez, I thought all of you were suppose to be the Elements of Harmony." Discord pouted while crossing his arms across his chest, "Not the elements of a complaint."

"Girls! Discord! I'm fine, truly," Fluttershy explained to the two groups. " Actually, at the moment, Garble is quite harmless."

"Gar-ble?" Rainbow said slowly, trying to process the new name, "Who's Garble?"

"I'm Garble," The red dragon huffed.

Then, he pointed his claw into Fluttershy's face and sneered, "And FYI pony, I'm not harmless!"

"Oh really?" Discord remarked with an unsettling smile. He grabbed Garble suddenly by the back of his head and brought him into the air. Garble started to pray for help silently to himself.

Discord's eyes glowed once more, and his voice went back into a shadowy tone. "Then, I guess there's no reason for me to hold back."

"Help me," Garble squeaked in his highest voice.

"Discord!" Fluttershy ordered. "That's enough! Put him down this instant!"

"Why should I?" Discord asked in a frustrated tone, "After all that he has done to you, why should I spare him?"

"Because he deserves a chance...just like you did."

Garble instantly felt Discord's grip on his head loosen. In the corner of his eye,Garble could see his captor's face soften gradually. He just couldn't understand this. This serpentine monster was putty in this wimpy pegasus's control, and... he was doing nothing to stop it! What was this pony holding against him?

Discord turned his head away from Fluttershy's sweet eyes, and his face hardened once more. "He tried to hurt you. I never did that. Sure, I teased you and mocked you to no end. But...never hurt you."

Fluttershy glided gently towards Discord. With her small hooves on the sides of his face, she then explained to him "That may be so, but you also didn't want to be my friend at first either."

His eyes returned to hers, and his gaze urged her to say more. "Others told me that I shouldn't be friends with you and that you didn't deserve my friendship."

"But, do you remember what I did anyway?" Fluttershy added with a smile.

Discord sighed, "You became my friend, and I became yours. And blah blah blah. Yeah, yeah. I get the comparison my dearest. You know Fluttershy, sometimes you're not as subtle as you think you are."

"So, will you please let Garble go? Please?" She pleaded innocently.

"As you wish." Discord answered, as he dropped Garble bluntly back to the floor. Again. Thus, making the sore dragon grumble in pain.

"Thank you Discord, for being such a good friend." Then, Fluttershy gave a quick peck on Discord's cheek before flying over to help Garble. This left Discord in a stunned, stiff, stupor state.

"Uh, Discord?" Rainbow asked. She tapped him on the shoulder, causing the statute like Discord to fall over like heavy stone.

"Are you okay, Garble?" Fluttershy asked, while assisting him off the wooden floors.

"You two..." Garble uttered while pointing his claw between Fluttershy and Discord, "you and that thing are... friends?!"

"We sure are!" she replied with cheerful confidence.

"B-but... how?"

"Well," Fluttershy tried to explain, "that's kind of a long story."

"Oh Fluttershy! Let me explain! I know how to condense the story!" Pinkie shouted while putting her hoof in the air. She took a long and overly dramatic breath in before rapidly going through the story, "ItallstartedwithCelestiawantingtoreformDiscordfromabaddietoagoodie. Yousee,DiscordusetowanttotakeoverEquestriaandmakeitrainchocolateraineverydaywithoutasingledullopofwhippedcreaminsight! Notasingledullop, canyoubelieveit?! Anywho, wefirst...!"

"Okay okay! I get the picture! Too much info, I get!" Garble roared while squeezing  the sides of his head with his claws.

"What Pinkie is trying to say is," Fluttershy commented in a gentle tone, "Discord needed a friend when he needed it the most, and I became that friend."

"But why?" Garble asked, still not believing in this whole ridiculous story. "Why become his friend when he didn't want you around? And for that matter, why would a creature as powerful as he is make friends with a wimpy pegasus like you?"

"Why I outta..." Discord growled, stepping towards Garble and getting ready to punch him in the face.

But Fluttershy's raised front hoof stopped Discord in his tracks. "Let me handle this." she whispered.

She turned her attention back to Garble and said, "Garble, I guess what I'm trying to say is..."

"Stop." Garble mumbled coldly. He turned his back to her and stated, "Unlike your friend over there, I don't NEED a friend. And I will never need a friend. Friends aren't needed to survive in this world."

"But Garble, don't you get...?"

"No! I don't!" Garble quickly turned around to scream at Fluttershy, "So you can just stop! Stop with this whole thing! I DON'T NEED YOUR PITY!"

Despite his snarling fangs...despite the raging fire in his eyes...despite all his words...Fluttershy fluttered up to him and took his claw in her hooves.

Garble felt his face and his body loosen at her touch. His anger slowly faded from his mind. His eyes couldn't help but stare down at the gentle but sad looking pony.

She broke the silence with, "I know. But I will still treat every guest with the same amount of kindness. Whether they deserve it or not. I would also still lend a hoof of friendship, even when I know that sometimes...friendship can be impossible in certain circumstances."

Her words...he couldn't get rid of them. They echoed in his words. Her touch...his claw didn't want to leave her hooves...it was like his claws wanted to remember. Her tone...there was no malice, no lies,no schemes...only wanted seemed to be the truth for her. Her eyes...no longer wide with fear...but wide because she wanted to see through his eyes...possibly to see what was inside him.

He couldn't keep staring at her any longer.

He swapped his claw away from her hold, growled under his breath, and galloped on all fours out of her cottage.

"Wait! Stop!" Twilight called out to him.

"It's okay Twilight, let him go." said Fluttershy, 

Fluttershy's comforting smile faded as she brought her eyes back to the front door. “It’s alright…” She finished with a whisper.





Garble watched Fluttershy's cottage from his perched view on the edge of the Everfree woods. Surprisingly, the rain was lightening up and the clouds were thinning out. Garble's tight wrapped bandage was loosened a little from the journey, and dampened from the easing storm. Yet despite this, Garble wasn't shivering or aching in pain. His body was numb, but his heart was pounding and warm.

In all his life, no creature had ever acted so sincerely, so truthfully, but strongly around Garble before. No creature certainly had never shown him...

He lifted his claw to his shoulder, wrapped in white by the wimpy pegasus's hoof work. He gave the cottage one last look before disappearing into the shadows of the Everfree.

The End.