Afternoon With A Dragon

You are looking at a brave pony.

You are looking at a brave pony.

"You are looking at a brave pony." Fluttershy continued to repeat this to herself in the mirror. Through her old football helmet, she gave herself the biggest glare she could possibly make. Despite the pillow wrapped around her body and the old kneecaps strapped to her, she had the stance of a warrior.

"Come on, Fluttershy." Fluttershy stared even closer to her reflection, her glare in full intimidation mode. "you think you can't handle a simple get-together?"

Her reflection immediately lost her glare, and began to back away. "u-um, well, I, uh-"

"Really?" the real Fluttershy retorted. "Do you really want to hurt your friend just cause of some silly fear?" Fluttershy then suddenly jumped forward, shocking her reflection to her knees. "Well, DO YOU?!"

"I-I-I don't know!" Reflect-Fluttershy began to weep through her helmet. "I don't want to hurt Spike, but I also reallyreallyreally REALLY don't want to deal with a ferocious, fire-breathing dragon, either!"

Getting back up, wiping the tears from her eyes, Fluttershy reflected on this statement, then began to back off of her mirrored copy. Her glare replace itself with a caring, yet concerned look.

"I know, I know, me. It is scary. I am just as terrified as you."

Fluttershy moved towards her reflection till she was only two inches from her mirrorized muzzle. "But guess what? Sometimes, that's what life is: facing your fears. Accepting the terrifying. Embracing the unknown!" She smiled. "Now then, are we ready?"

Reflect-Fluttershy smiled back, and said, "Yes. I am."

"I couldn't hear you!" Fluttershy jumped onto her mirror cabinet. "I said, are you ready?!

YES I AM!

ARE YOU READY?!?

YES! I AM!

ARE YOUUU READYYYYYYYYYYYY-"

"Shy?"

The jump both Reflect-Shy and the real Fluttershy both made a jump in the air at such a speed that it could (maybe) rival Fili-Second. She bonked her head on the floor, her helmet protecting her brain from any serious harm. Despite this, as she got up, she got quite the headache forming.

Grabbing her head and cringing, Fluttershy then opened her eyes back up to see Spike in her entryway. To describe his face at that moment would be the same to describe a chipmunk after seeing a French Fry for the first time: weirded out and confused, but still intrigued.

"Oh, Spike!" Fluttershy immediately got back on her feet, dusting herself off quick as a whip. "I-I-I uh didn't see you there!"

"What...... are you doing?" Spike asked, his eyes still wide.

"Uh, uh, umwell, I uh...um-"Fluttershy felt her panic mode begin to rise yet again. The sweat started to trail.

Then her eyes diverted from Spike as one of her animal friends, the bear, trudge in. He obviously just woke up, as it was his enormous yawn that turned Fluttershy's head and eyes to him. He only saw her watching him, and weakly waved.

This, in turn, set Fluttershy's gears a-turning.

Swooshing over, Fluttershy grabbed her bear friend around the shoulder, making him twitch in surprise. "Weeee were just about to..play a game of hoofball before you came!"

Spike raised his brow. "You..play hoofball?"

Fluttershy's mind, though still sort of off guard, managed to come up with, ".....Yyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeess?" Her mind still processing, she continued. "I , uh, I like to get my mind and body pumped sometimes, uh, before I go out. Heh, you know, uh-" She quickly started tackling the bear. "YEAH! LET"S DO IT! YEAAAAAAAAH!!"

Spike stared for a second, then crossed his arms. The look on his face turned to one of judgment. "Rrreally?"

"....Uuuuuuumm.."Fluttershy only stared back, not showing her teeth. "Yyyyyyyyyyyyes."

For a solid minute, it was only a battle of stares and looks. Spike squinted at Fluttershy, his eyes silently burning into her soul. Fluttershy could only stare back, not Stare-worthy, but enough to not wet herself in pure terror. The bear, meanwhile, could only stare into oblivion cross-eyed, feeling the usual feelings after being punched in the gut several times: confusion, rage, nausea, and the slight feeling that he just broke a rib.

"OK!" Spike said with a clap of his hands and a smile. "Then, let's get going!"

Fluttershy whewed quietly as Spike walked out. She turned around and mouthed Sorry to her bear friend as she walked out, with the bear only responding with a weak wave, then turning around and falling flat on his belly.

Fluttershy was able to stream out the equivalent of Neighagara Falls in sweat by the time she and Spike had gotten to Sugarcube Corner.

"She should be here any minute,"Spike said, an enthusiastic smile on his face. "Before I left this morning, she had sent me a scroll saying that she was on her way. Hopefully she didn't run into anything dangerous."

Fluttershy felt ashamed for doing so, but crossed her back hooves that she did. She put on a smile. "I hope not, either."

Fluttershy went back into her mind as she and Spike waited. You can do this, Fluttershy. I know you can! It'll be fine. She's nice, and friendly, and *not quite as scary as other dragons*, like Spike said.

"Here she comes!" Spike shouted, pointing in the air.

The bright light of the sun evaded Fluttershy's view for a mere millisecond as a shadow soared over her head. Her wings immediately folded into her body.

BOOM!

Fluttershy screamed, and ducked for cover, her hooves over her eyes. Her inner panic began to monologue. Changelings! HYDRA! Earthquake! GIANT WORMS!!!!!

"Giant worms?"

Fluttershy'stared mind stopped. It is a voice different from Spike's. Feminine. Older. Not like any she heard from anyone she knew in Ponyville.

"It's okay, Fluttershy. It's just Ember!"

Shy's inner monologue started up again, but only this time in the course of the second she took to uncover her eyes. Youcandothisyoucandothisyoucandothis! Youcandothisyoucandothisyoucandothis!!YOUCANDOTHISYOUCANDOTHISYOUCANDOTHIS!!!!!

The dragon she saw was a nice, light blue. Scales ran all over the skin, like ants over an anthill. Her large, but thin, hind legs stood a foot apart. Fluttershy mentally gulped as she saw the large claws her feet presented as Ember stood there. She looked up, and saw her other claws, growing from her hands like Tirek's horns. In her face, Fluttershy stared into the reddest pair of eyes she had ever seen, like rubies of fire. Yet, she also saw, for lack of a better word, light.

This may be surprising, but Fluttershy overall, was somewhat scared, yet at the time...calmed by what she saw. As if that light in Ember's inferno-like eyes somewhat quelled her crippling fear.

"Well, Ember, I would like you to meet one of my friends, Fluttershy!"

Ember raised her arm to Fluttershy. "Hi."

"H-h-hello.." Fluttershy returned the dragonpaw with a hoof, shaking it delicately.

"You will have to excuse her, Ember. She has a bit of a fear of-mmmh!"

Spike tried to finish his sentence through Fluttershy's hoof, which surprisingly could move again.

Fluttershy gave a big smile to Ember as she leaned over to Spike, whispering through her teeth, "Ixnay."

Spike put her hoof down, and, giving her a passing confused glare, continued, "What I meant to say was, Ember, is that Fluttershy's really done many things with, well, a dragon before. Or anypony, for that matter. Cause, well, she's...shy! Hence her name, Fluttershy."

"Oh. O..K?" Ember said, one of her thin black eyebrows raised. "Let's..go in, then?" With that, she continued to watch them questioningly as she stepped into the Corner.

Spike grinned at her until she was out of sight, then turned to Fluttershy. "What was that about?"

"Well, you can't just say to her I'm afraid of dragons! One, it's rude to say that to a dragon, at least I would think. Two, it might ruin this! If she knew about my fear, she would feel soo bad throughout the get-together, and she wouldn't have a good time!" Her eyes bulged. "I would already be a problem, what with not being able to speak to her!"

"Oh, come on! You were like that with everypony here, and still are! They understand. Why couldn't she?"

Fluttershy inhaled, then sighed. "My shyness is one thing, Spike." She lowered her head, her eyes watering. "This...problem, with dragons...is another thing, entirely."

Spike only muttered, "Oh." He raised her face with a paw. "I understand, then." He sighed, as well. "If you want to go back home, that's fine, then. But thanks for trying."

Fluttershy wiped her eyes. "No, no! It's ok. I'll still try and make friends with her! It'll just be.."She gulped big and loud- "hard."

"Alright, then," Spike said, shrugging his shoulders. "Let's go in, then."

They then walked in slowly, Fluttershy taking deep breaths as they did.

But when they got in, their mouths dropped to a rather strange sight.