Her Guardian

by Soothing Stone

Rating: teen
Tags: Gore, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Fluttershy, Slice of Life
Length: 6052

When things can't get bleaker for Fluttershy, an unexpected scaly source might be the thing to save her.

Dragons aren't usually known to be kind and loving towards ponies. In fact, they're usually brutes who want to destroy any pony they come across.

But then there's another kind of dragon altogether.

And when Fluttershy finds herself in a life and death situation, she might see the other side to a dragon.

Cover image by CrazyRabidPony.

Published 2013-11-08 16:40:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-11-08 16:40:02 UTC

Don't You Worry, Child

There were a few places in Equestria where nobody, save for a few certain alicorns, would dare step foot or hoof into. Whenever it was the Everfree Forest or a certain mirror pond, every forbidden place had a story or legend attached to it that would work as a warning to stay away.

And then a few places didn't even need a story to keep ponies away. All it took was figuring out who lived there, and that was enough to keep it deserted.

A mountain range northwest of Ponyville was like that. The tops of the mountains were covered in snow, the bottom was too steep to climb, and everywhere in between had endless caves cutting into the formation. That was where dragons dwelled inside, adding to their hoards as they pleased. Or so the fillies were told. The reality was much different.

In one of those caves, a dragon was indeed stirring, taking the time to nap before it was dark. But he wasn't one of those terrifying monsters everyone feared, but rather a teenage dragon. He lived alone all the same, and his hoard was impressive.

He slept on top of a stash of gems and gold coins, big enough to support his spine. His red and black scales reflected the glimmer of the rubies and sapphires that he possessed, and the hoard was growing by the day just as he was. Within a few years, he could have been a full grown dragon for good.

The cave was spacious enough for everything he wanted to keep, but there would be a point where he was too big for the space. It didn't matter though; this mountain had everything he could need.

But even as he was sleeping, he kept an ear open. Listening closely for any noise nearby. And the noises were dying down, as it was getting late in the day. Birds stopped chirping near his home, and they returned to their nest in the forests. Any stomping of hooves he might have heard was fading away, as the ponies returned to the small town nearby.

It was time to wake up.

He opened his eyelids to reveal a pair of deep, orange eyes. He rubbed his temples a bit, and spread his wings out to the sides. His muscles cracked as he gave his arms a good stretch, and he took out any gems that were stuck on his backside. That was always the annoying part about sleeping on your stash.

Regardless, he rolled off of his makeshift bed and landed his feet on the hard cave floor. It was a short yet refreshing nap, but he was eager to do something else that night. He looked out to the cave's entrance, and it was indeed dusk outside. That meant that nobody would be there to see him come out.

His stomach was growling, so he had to wait before he could step outside. A fire ruby seemed to do the trick, and he snacked down on a few of those. It felt like a fire was burning inside his stomach every time he had one, but the taste made it worth it.

With that out of the way, his eyes came back to the open air just outside his home. He glanced around the open space around the mountain range, and as he thought, nobody was here to invade his space. There were a few ponies in the little settlement off to the south east, but if he played it right, nobody would notice. He knew what happened to the snoring dragon that had last lived in these caves. He would not be provoked in the same manner.

He spread his back wings to their full span and began to flap them. In no time at all, his feet lifted off the ground and came into the open air. A few more flaps of the wings, and he found himself flying into the cool crisp sky.

Everything seemed so small up in the clouds, and the wind soared in his face. But he was a dragon. He was stronger than the forces of nature themselves.

He spent a good time flying around wherever he wanted to go, shouting in trimuph like this was an achievement. He kept it quiet before long, not wanting anypony to notice his presence, so he would have to wait for a time.

As it turned out, he wasn't the only one high in the clouds. A team of pegasi, all wearing a blue vest of some sort, were up there with him. They were led a a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane, and he would know that pony anywhere, being the infamous pony with the gall to kick the snoring dragon in the face.

He flew as far away from her as possible, wanting to avoid the same fate. There was no other place to fly near his home without attracting attention, so he decided it would be best to just walk around on the ground for now. He scanned the area for a place where he knew nobody would see him, and found the perfect location.

The Everfree Forest. It would be dangerous, but then again, he was stronger than anyone down there. Creatures tended to run away from his kind.

He brought himself down to the forest floor, avoiding any trees that might get in his way. The cheerful and bright sky gave way to twisted trees, muddy pathways, and a fog so dense it covered the ground completely.

His feet touched the ground, making a squishy sound as he landed. The forest was silent even for the nighttime, and he made sure he wasn't being hunted. Thankfully, there wasn't anyone of note near his location.

With that out of the way, he went on a stroll through the forest without a care in the world. Everything just seemed to blur together as time went on.

A few birds were cheering and chirping around him, but they shut up the moment they realized he was here. It was typical for someone like him, but it still didn't feel right.

In the end, his thoughts were clouded. They drifted from memories to the few stories he knew, not spending much time on either. How his parents were like. The freedom he felt when he hatched from his egg. And the exhilarating feeling of having his very first cave.

And the years of boredom that followed.

Other than collecting more gems and gold to add to his hoard, he didn't get to do much of anything around here. He almost feared being spotted by the ponies in the nearby town, because he really did love his cave. But when you don't want to be spotted, that makes things rather difficult for you.

Either way, he kept going on his walk. Dew started to form on his scales, and when he wiped it off, it was like brushing water off his body after swimming. The darkness grew thicker as the night arrived, yet the ground was glowing an eerily green color to replace the sun.

Now he was in the middle of the forest, where civilization was a million miles away. Nobody was going to be here--

A cry cut the silence with a knife.

It grabbed his full attention. It didn't sound like some animal who just cut itself on a tree, it seemed like that cry belonged to an intelligent being. It sounded like a woman too, and a meek one at that.

He tried to ignore it, thinking maybe it was just someone having an emotional moment. But then he heard what sounded like a thump against wood, and the following cry was even more heart piercing. This time it was clear that it was a pony, not far away from the dragon.

And the pony was being attacked.

Without even thinking about it, he ran to see what was going on. He followed the direction of every cry, knowing something was wrong. The trees grew thicker and thicker, and whenever they stood in his way, he used his claws to tear away at the branches.

There was no reason for him to help a pony. They were weak by nature, and he wouldn't even have fears fighting the legendary Celestia if he had to. But while he didn't need to help this mare, something in him wanted to.

As he came closer, he got a good hunch on who was doing this to the pony. The sound of bark strips grinding together. A foul stench that offended even him. And the growl he would recongize anywhere.

He came to a clearing, but hid himself in a bush to catch what was going on. And soon enough, he found the pony he was looking for.

Amother pegasus was out in a tiny meadow. She had a yellow coat and pink mane, along with a design of butterflies on her flank. It didn't take him long to recognize her as that pony, the one who was able to scare off a dragon all by herself.

But she wasn't standing up for herself this time. Her mane was matted against her head, and her right eye had been blacked out. There were countless scratch marks all over her body, each drawing a little blood. She whimpered and tried to look at her attackers with a gentle face, but her eyes were stricken with fear.

As it turned out, a pack of Timberwolves were preying on her, four in all. One had blood on its teeth, no doubt from the pony's body.

The dragon still waited in the bush, curious what else would happen. If she could manage to terrify a dragon, this should be easy.

The pony staggered up to her four hooves, shaking violently from the trauma. She came forward to the lead wolf, trying to show mercy.

"Please, let me go," she told him, her voice quivering in terror. "I just needed to find my pet bunny, Angel. That's all."
The Timberwolf was quiet at first. His glowing eyes widened and he snapped his mouth shut. He looked to the rest of the pack, seemingly asking for advice.

Maybe he would let her go after all.

He acted as if he would turn back, and the pegasus sighed in relief. But then he came back and rammed her right side with the crown of his skull, hitting her with all his might.

She screamed in pain and horror, and her body flew a good ten feet back. It hit the trunk of a tree straight on, and a sickening crush came from the tree. She fell down to the ground, and all signs of life was gone.

The dragon felt a crushing sense of agony, one he never felt before. But he felt like he needed to stay in the shadows. He didn't think that the pony would react well to a dragon, but then again, she managed to scare the snoring dragon straight.

The pegasus tried to get up again, putting everything she still had into getting up. But she cried out as she fell flat on her belly. That headbutt took everything out of her, and one of her hooves was broken from the collision. Tears streamed down her face, and she looked back to the lead wolf.

"Please.....don't do this to me," she begged. "I haven't done anything wrong..."

But she was greeted by another headbutt from the same wolf, even stronger than before. She slumped down to the ground like she was dead, but she was somehow conscious. She didn't even have enough in her to cry, and blood spewed out of her mouth.

The rest of the pack came in and smelled the red liquid oozing out of their meal. She smelled so delicious to them, and they would eat well today.

To finish the deal, another wolf came up and buried its fangs into her backside. She screamed again as he drew even more blood out of her, beginning to eat the poor pony. The rest of them swooped in, trying to get whatever meat they could for themselves.

That was enough for one to see for a lifetime.
A growl came out of the bushes, one foreign to the wolves. The mare couldn't even lift her head to see who it was, but she recognized that sound anywhere. And she was convinced she was a goner.

The dragon stepped out of the bush to make himself known, and roared for the second time at the top of his lungs. He breathed fire out in front of them, making sure they damn well knew what he could do.

The pack let go of their meal, and they were astonished that a dragon was in their territory, even if it was a teenage dragon at heart. This was not something they could take lightly.

One of the wolves came over and hovered above the pony, making it clear that she belonged to the pack in his mind. The rest of them growled and beared their fangs to complete the threat.

The dragon stomped his foot on the ground and roared again, almost mocking them. "That pony doesn't belong to you. I will take her away from your hands, one way or another."

The lead wolf almost seemed to smirk at him, and gave a bark as a signal to the other wolves. The rest of the pack charged right at him, determined to keep their hard fought meal.

The dragon almost laughed at them. "Even for mutts, you lack intelligence."

One came to his left side, and the dragon answered with a swift kick to the side. The wolf got the full brunt of the first move, and spun around to the ground. He whimpered himself, as part of his backside crumpled from the force of the hit.

The second wolf leaped right at the dragon, but he came down and managed to pick up the mutt above his head. The wolf tried to kick out of the grasp, but the reptile wouldn't let him go no matter what.

The third wolf took advantage of this chance and headbutted the dragon in the chest. He dropped the other wolf and grasped his chest. The strike caused his chest to burn. But the dog followed up and swiped him in the right leg with a claw.

He fell on his hide, as the wolf managed to hurt him with that hit. The pack pulled back and gave way for the leader, letting him come in to finish the dragon off. He laughed as much as a wolf could, and bared his fangs for his second meal.

This was too easy, but then again, it takes a lot more than that to finish a dragon.

The dragon looked to the lead wolf, and knew there was only one thing he could do in this situation. He breathed in all the air his lungs could take in, and breathed out a gust of fire, hotter than almost anything in the lands.

The fire engulfed the Timberwolf from head to claw, and he screamed in pain. Every piece of bark of his body was burned away, and his frame crumbled from the fire. After only ten seconds, the proud wolf was nothing more than a pile of ashes.

The rest of the pack was shocked, unable to imagine that their fearless leader wound end this way.

The dragon got back up to his feet, his eyes glowing with the fire within. He approached the pack with grace, and the wolves took several steps away from the fearsome beast.

"Run far away from here, unless you want to look like this!" he proclaimed, his hands grabbing the ash and letting it run through his fingers.

The pack heeded the warning and ran as fast as they could, to the point where not even he could see them anymore. He roared one last time, making sure they knew not to come back.

The dragon was satisfied with himself, knowing that he had succeeded. But it struck him why he was even here to begin with, and turned to see how the pony was doing.

The pegasus was a complete mess. Blood was coming out of every wound she had, and her coat was beginning to stain red from the liquid. Her hooves didn't move an inch, and at least two bones were broken. She was barely conscious at all, and she was hanging on by a thread.

But she heard the dragon come to her side, and she shut her eyes tight. She cried again and asked Celestia to make her death as painless as possible.

The dragon wasn't sure how to handle the situation at first. He could see that this poor pony was at death's door, and he couldn't sit back and wait.

He bent down on his knees and brought a hand to the the top of her head, petting her mane. She froze out of surprise, and she looked up to see two orange eyes filled with concern for her.

"What...are you...going to...going to do to me?" she asked, barely able to say anything.

"Do you really think I'm going to kill you?" he asked. "Don't lie to me, I can see it in your eyes."

She had to do everything in her spirit to nod, and even that sent another wave of pain that she didn't need.

"No, I'm going to get you out of here. Please trust me on this. Do you live in the small town outside of the forest?"

"Yes....but its too....late for me..."

"No, it's not. You need help, and I'm getting you out of here."

"Wait...why would you..."

"There's no time to explain. You're almost dead as it is."

He came closer to the broken pony, and brought his hands around her belly. He tried to lift her up, but he could feel all the broken bones and internal wounds inside. And he could feel a sharp pain inside every time she moved a muscle. Walking with her in his arms wasn't going to work.

So he tried something else. He bent over and placed her on his backside, and he would walk on all four limbs. She wasn't a heavy pony by any means, so he could handle the burden.

Everything ready to go, he ran as fast as he could out to the town called Pomyville. He was surprisingly fast running like that, but it wasn't fast enough. He still had a long distance ahead of him.

His hands and feet almost galloped through the forest, ignoring any creature that came his way. He pounced through any obstacle large or small, and he felt like he was making great time.

But the pegasus wasn't doing so well. She slipped in and out of the living world, and the blood was still leaking out of her. Her hooves were shaking from the blood loss, and she almost fell asleep.

"Don't do this to me!" said the dragon. "You're better than that!"

Yet she hardly had the strength to stay awake. But she managed to keep her eyes open, knowing what would happen if she closed them. She had come this far, it wouldn't be for nothing.

When she opened them as wide as she could, she realiized that they weren't in the forest again. He finally managed to get her out of the Everfree Forest, and she could see her house from where they were.

Down on the dirt road to Ponyville, she recognized the pony coming that way. She was a purple unicorn, with a white bunny on her backside. He looked ticked off, but that didn't stop her from taking the pet back to her owner.

"I...I know her," the pegasus said.

"You do?" the dragon responded. "How exactly do you know her?"

"She's...my friend..."

"Then I think she knows what to do. I'll leave you here."

"Wait....don't leave me..."

"You know how ponies are with dragons. Its too risky."

He arrived at the doorstep of the pegasus's house, and carefully placed her body at the doorstep. She was even worse off than when he rescued her, but at least she had a chance to survive here.

And so he took off into the forest, finding another hiding place within a bush. He turned around to see how things would go, hoping that abandoning the pony wouldn't backfire like this.

The unicorn came down to see her friend, all while the bunny wanted to kick her in the face. "Hey Fluttershy, I found Angel! You wouldn't believe where I found her, he was..."

Then she noticed Fluttershy lying limp on the doorstep. Both the unicorn and the bunny dropped everything and ran to her aid.

"Oh my gosh, what happened to you?" she asked, horrified at Fluttershy's state.

"Take me to.....a hospital..."

"OK, OK, I'll do that right now!"

She picked up the pegasus with her magic and galloped down the dirt road, leading to the nearest hospital. Angel followed them down to Ponyville, and they all disappeared soon after.

The dragon took a deep, deep sigh of relief. He might have wanted to do more than that himself, but at least he knew she would be safe.

Late in the afternoon, all was quiet and peaceful inside the hospital room. There wasn't anypony around to disturb the silence, and the heart monitor beeped every other second.

However, Fluttershy wasn't in the best of conditions either. Her hind legs were covered in a pair of thick casts, an eye patch was over her right eye, and she had another cast around her belly area. A tube was placed inside her nose, giving out the medicine she desperately needed to recover from her injuries.

And yet, she felt at peace.

Nobody was here to hurt her anymore. She didn't have to worry if she was going to die, and the hospital a a nice orange scent to it. That was a positive at least. And her friends could visit her whenever they wanted.

She took a few deep breaths, her chest rising with every one. She looked up at the ceiling and thought about what had happened on that day. It must have been a few days since the attack, yet she remembered everything with a vivid memory. Even how she felt at every moment, from when she was almost eaten to when Twilight found her. And the dragon....

She scooted around to the dresser by her bed, and picked up the Daring Do book that Rainbow Dash left for her to read. The front cover seemed nice, so she thought it would be a nice way to pass the time.

But after she opened the front cover, she heard something. It sounded like a gust of wind, which wouldn't be surprising. She had asked to keep the window open. But then she heard the sound of claws touching the tile floor.

He was back.

She dropped the book and gasped when she saw the dragon standing there, right in the middle of her room. He towered above her, his smoky breath filling the room with the smell of rubies and gems. His orange eyes glowed brighter than ever, and they were staring right at her.

She almost hid under the blanket at once, fearing that he had come to eat her. But she recalled that he was the one who saved his life, and she brought her face above the cover of the blanket.

He walked over to the left side of the bed, and petted her mane with a claw. Her ears twitched from the feeling, not used to claws touching her mane like that. Well, except for Spike, but he was a baby dragon. This one was way bigger.

"You look far better than when I found you," he spoke.

She nodded, wondering if this was just a dream. "They said I have to be here for a few weeks, but I'll live."

"Wonderful. I was hoping that would happen. I'm sorry I had to leave you like that. But I have my reasons. If a pony knew I was there, they might run me off, even if I had the best intentuions. Do you understand?"

She nodded again, and didn't say anything else as he petted her pink mane again. Her ears stopped twitching as she got used to a teenage dragon petting her, and she had a gut feeling that she could trust him somehow.

He didn't seem to realize how surreal this was for her. He treated her like he was just another visitor, worried about her well being. But there was an elephant in the room that she had to deal with immediately.

"Why did you save me?" she forced him to answer.

The dragon was almost surprised at that question. "Why does it matter?"

"You're a big, fire breathing, d-d-dragon," she stuttered. "Dragons aren't supposed to be like....you."

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "This happens anytime I help a pony out. They wonder why I'm doing this when I should have been trying to eat them instead. Do you think all dragons are like that?"

"Y-y-yes...only one dragon has been nice to me, but he's a baby dragon."

"Then you haven't met all dragons. I'll admit that we are all greedy, that cannot be helped. And we all grow to be towering beasts that almost everyone fears. But we are not all brutes. Most of us...but not all of us. There are dragons that would offer help if a pony asked."

"Really?"

"Yes. But we rarely are asked for help, being dragons and all. I don't blame you even now. But you can believe that I won't harm you, right?"

"Yes, you saved my life. I believe you. So you saved me because you wanted to?"

"That's the idea."

"Oh, then thank you."

She grabbed his right hand with her two front hooves, and gave him something resembling a handshake. He laughed and returned the handshake, grateful she was warming up to him.

"I think I need to leave now. There's bound to be someone coming in at any moment."

He faced the window and prepared to take off again, when he heard a noise he never thought he would hear in his lifetime.

"Wait."

When he turned around, Fluttershy almost seemed to tear up.

"Can't you stay...for a few more minutes?"

He sighed. "Are you sure you want me to stay?"

"Yes. Please, just for a few minutes."

"If you insist...."

He sat back down at her side, not saying a word to her. She smiled when she knew he would stay, and touched his right hand with a hoof.

He smiled back at her, and decided that staying here wasn't a bad idea after all.

"I never got your name. What is it?"

"Its Fluttershy."

And so he stayed in the hospital room, spending what little time he had with her. Neither one of them were willing to speak up, but they didn't feel like they needed to.

It was, as one would call it, a comfortable silence.

Time passed by, and he was still there. It was almost nighttime now, and he didn't even feel the desire to get up and leave. This was where he wanted to be.

He petted her mane again, and she closed her eyes as he did so. She was peacefully still, and she almost appeared to be falling asleep. Maybe this was a good time to leave. Sooner or later, a pony was going to come in, and he didn't want to be caught.

Fluttershy's ear twitched as she heard the door to her room open. She panicked and thought up a perfectly good excuse for why there was a dragon in her room. Discord was playing tricks with her by transforming into other species. That would do it.

Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash came in the room, cheerful as always and not noticing anything out of the ordinary.

"I must say, you look far better than what I pictured," Rarity greeted. "From what they told me, I thought I wouldn't even recognize you."

"That's because she's been here a few days," Dash countered. "And she's tougher than you think. Remember New Fluttershy?"

Rarity shuddered at the thought. "Don't you dare remind me. We're all past that time."

Fluttershy blinked, wondering why they were acting like this was normal. "Um...hello?"

"Hi, Fluttershy," said Twilight. "How are you feeling?"
"But...but..."

She looked to the right, and the dragon was gone. The curtains flapped against the window to her room, and she caught a red blur flying at the speed of sound, moving to the mountains far away from Ponyville.

"Is something wrong?" Twilight asked. "We could leave, if that helps."

"No, its not you. I just thought I saw something...."

"Now, you should still get all the rest you can," said the doctor. "Don't do any heavy lifting or anything like that for a week. Other than that, you're good to go."

"OK. Thank you," Fluttershy said, bowing out of respect. "I really liked it here."

With that out of the way, she turned around and came to the exit doors of the hospital. Sunlight and a gentle breeze greeted her face, as she got to see the outdoors from somewhere other than a window.

She stepped out of that prison, and her hooves touched dirt for the first time in an eternity. Her mane drifted along her face from the wind, and she brushed it away from her eyes.

Finally, the whole ordeal was behind her. She survived the attack, made a full recovery, and could now go home as she pleased. It was like nothing had ever happened, and she didn't have to worry about it at all.

But the dragon didn't see her again during her stay.

Either way, she trotted her way down through Ponyville. It was in the middle of a warm summer day, and she could hear birds singing melodies everywhere out in the town. It seemed like a perfect day for flying, but she planned to rest for the day as the doctor had ordered.

So she walked down a trail cutting around the heart of Ponyville and leading straight to her home. It would take some time, but she had all the time she wanted to make the trip.

While she was on her way, she couldn't stop thinking about the dragon. She kept hoping he would show up again, maybe at nighttime whenever nopony would come in. She even kept the window to her room open at all times, even when it rained. Hoping that it would be enough to invite him in.

And she realized that she didn't even ask him for his name. She would apologize as soon as she saw him again. If she ever saw him again.

The wind kept drifting along Ponyville, not strong but it was more than a breeze. Strands of hair kept flying in her face no matter what she did. At least it was sunny outside.

At long last, she found herself at home. She could hear the animals inside almost knowing their caretaker had come at last, hearing them chirping and barking and whatever as she came to the door. The house wasn't as nice as when she was in charge, but at least it wasn't torn apart piece by piece by rioting animals.

When she opened the door, all the animals had gathered in the living room, eager to see her arrive. Angel had gotten a bunch of critters together and held up a giant poster at the sofa.

Welcome Home Fluttershy
Thank Celestia You're Here
(Discord has been using us as throwing darts)

"I...I'll have to talk to him about that," Fluttershy responded, getting more than a little upset at his antics. "He'll have to answer to me. But let me check my mail first."

She closed the door behind her and came to the mailbox. There were probably a million get well cards for her, which she always appreciated in times like this.

And sure enough, the mailbox was full of them. She recognized the hoofwriting of the Cutie Mark Crusaders in one, all of her friends in another....and one she didn't recognize at all.

She stopped and examined the letter closely. It had shards of gems all over the paper, and she could smell a scent of smoke coming from it.

Could it be?

And sure enough....

To Fluttershy

You may not see me,
But I can see you.
I might come from
The roughest of species
But I will not let harm come upon you.
You might be a delicate flower,
But you are just as beautiful as one.

Whenever harm comes upon you,
I'll be there to stop it.
Just call for my name
And I'll be there for you
As your guardian whenever you need it.

It is nothing to be ashamed about
That you need help at times
For even I could use a helping hand at times.

So thank you for looking past the scales
And trusting my help in the end
I will repay you however I can
And hope we will see each other again soon.

From Heartfire

It had to be. There was so much evidence that it was from him.

She stood there by her mailbox, not sure how to take it. It was a sign that he hadn't forgotten about her, and for that she was grateful. But it wasn't enough to just have this letter from him.

She looked around her house to, looking for him wherever he was. Now she knew he lived in a mountain right by her town; it wasn't a long shot that he was here.

And then she saw him. Right there, looking right at her.

Just like before, he was hiding in a sense. He stood out in the middle of the Everfree Forest. She could barely see him in the daylight, since he was in the middle of that dark forest. But she could see him waving at her, greeting her in his own way.

She dropped the letter and ran to him as fast as she could. She had to see him one more time.

He was surprised that she was coming for him, but he did not stop her. Instead, he stood there as he watched the pegasus jump through tree branches and logs to meet him.

She arrived at his spot, and she couldn't stop smiling. He smiled back, allowing her to make the first move.

"Heartfire," she said, "do you want to fly with me today?"

"With pleasure," he answered.

Author's Note

Let me answer your first questions. Yes, the chapter title is a reference to Don't You Worry, Child by Swedish House Mafia, and the comfortable silence line was a reference to my favorite movie ever, Pulp Fiction.

This story went through a number of changes before it came to this version. I was inspired to do this from a conversation about the Grim Reaper, and I liked the idea of someone so dark turning out to have a protective, gentle side. The part about the character saving Shy from a life threatening attack was already there.

But I tend to go crazy when I think about death for very long, so it changed to a pony dragon hybrid. That's when he got the name Heartfire. That was a pony name.

I was afraid he would be labeled a Mary Sue, typical bad OC stuff, and it didn't fit the FIM universe at all for me. So I just decided to make Heartfire what he is in this final version.

If you read this, you actually get a feel for how I like my dragons. I like them to be strong and wise, and have a caring side if you take the time to learn it. But if they need to be, they can be terrifying creatures like most dragons are portrayed. I don't just want to do it like that with FIM stories, I want to do it with my stories period.