The Coming

Chapters

Leaves in the Wind
Ripples
Nothing Replaces Fish
Just Visiting
Lurking Shadows
Hunger Pains
This Is All New
Stardusted
Cherries
Hoof in Each World
With a Beating Heart
Calm before the Storm
The Lunar Tribute
Lost
War

Leaves in the Wind

Applejack managed to arrive just as everyone else was finsihing. Twilight was handing out pamplets as fast as she could, Rainbow was delivering them door to door, and Rarity was encouraging people to read them. Meanwhile, Fluttershy was hiding against the wall and glancing up at the sky, and Pinkie was off in her own little world with sunshine and butterflies and cupcakes.

"You guys recruitin' for a war or something?"

"No, Applejack, silly!" Pinkie squealed, bouncing over. "We're making party hats!"

Twilight gave the pamplets to Rarity to hold. Shoving Pinkie out of the way, Twilight explained - with little detail, due to Pinkie constantly interrupting - what was going on.

"Why don't I just go into the forest with Winona and round up whatever's worryin' you and scaring Fluttershy?"

"Because, AppleURK!" Fluttershy choked and fell to the ground.

"Fluttershy! Fluttershy, speak to me!" Rainbow Dash's pamplets blew in the wind as she waved a hoof in front of the other Pegasus's face.

Fluttershy jerked up to her feet as if she were on a string. Her eyes narrowed, blazing with fury. "Don't come near me!" A voice roared. It sounded distorted, like it had passed through Pinkie's mind before reaching their ears. Whatever it was, it WAS NOT Fluttershy. "I'll kill-" The voice was cut off by a howl of pain. Puppet-Fluttershy grabbed her back leg. "I'll kill you!"

As quickly as it came, the violent possesion was gone, and Fluttershy was standing on her own hooves, completely in control.

"Well." Applejack said, breaking the silence. "I guess it's a dragon."

"How did you figure that out so fast?"

"Did that sound like a pony to you?"

Rainbow Dash scanned the shelves. "I don't see anything about night dragons."

Twilight frowned, pulling random books from the shelves. "Keep looking! There has to be something!" She turned to Spike. "Use your extensive dragonic knowledge! Know anything?"

Spike's eyes glazed over. "My what?"

"Never mind him, Twilight! He drank all of Big Macintosh's good cider. Ficus on the task at hand! At hoof! Whatever!" She went back to digging through the books Twilight pulled out of the shelves.

"I-I think I found it..." Fluttershy whispered, trembling. She kicked the book, sending it skidding over to Twilight.

The purple unicorns' excitement quickly faded. "Fluttershy, this is a hellhound."

"It's scary enought..."

"It can't fly."

Rainbow Dash cut in from above. "Maybe a bunch of Parasprites were carrying it!"

"Or it was part unicorn!" Rarity added.

"Or it was made of cake!" Pinkie finished.

Everyone stared at Pinkie Pie. "Hey," she snapped, "my opinion is just as likely as yours."

Spike sat up from his cider stupor. "Hey Twilight, what's my name?"

"Go back to sleep." She replied, setting him back in his bed and pulling the covers up as she cantered back to her books.

"There's nothing here!" Rainbow Dash shouted, darting down to the ground. "Why don't you ask Celestia if we can use her massive library?"

Twilight Sparkle scribbled out a letter and stuffed it down Spike's throught until he sent it. The reply was almost immeadiate. Applejack stuck her head over Twilight's shoulder to read the reply.

"Well, that sucks."

Twilght spun the paper so the others could read it.

'I'm sorry, but whatever your problem is, I'm sure you can deal with it on your own. So no, my library is not open for use.'

Fluttershy stepped away from the edge of the Everfree forest. "I can't go in!" She screamed, hiding behind Rainbow Dash. The second Pegasus grabbed Fluttershy's tail in her teeth and kept walking, despite protest from Fluttershy.

Rarity snorted, but it was a very ladylike snort. "This place always messes with my mane." She ran a hoof over it protectively, only to find her hoof had been covered in mud. "See?!"

Applejack kept looking up at the trees. "I wish there were some apple trees here. It would make it a little less weird."

"This place does everything on its' own, remember? It'll throw your seeds back at you!" Pinkie argued.

"FILLIES!" Twilight yelled. "Please, be queit. Your tails are still in Ponyville, relax."

"Well appearantly my hoof was in here."

"Nobody cares, Rarity."

"I could make it rain on you."

Rarity went quiet.

"Thank you Rainbow." Twilight nodded at her friend, who was pinning Fluttershy's tail with one hoof. "Anyway, we have a dragon to find. And judging by what he said, he's not very happy."

The dragon lifted his head, blinking as the sunshine bit at his eyes. Did he hear something? Yes. Voices.

Growling in displeasure, he dragged himself further into the Ruins.

Ripples

"Well, this officially sucks." This was Applejack, standing on a semi-underwater rock in the middle of a raging river. "Stupid water dragon couldn't bother with keeping these waves under control?"

"It is hard." Fluttershy whispered, teetering on the other side. "But I know you can make it!"

"She'd have to, or she'd lose to me!" Rainbow Dash laughed.

Applejack cleared the rest of the rocks in one jump, landing with her forehead pressed against Rainbows'. "And I did it without wings. This pony loses to no-one!"

"That's great, Applejack. Now could you please help us across?" Twilight called out, her hooves slipping. Rarity and Pinkie nodded agreement.

"I'm so sorry!" Fluttershy muttered, grabbing Twilight by the belly and straining to carry her. The Pegasus was trying so hard Twilight felt sorry for her, and sent a magical gust of wind to speed her wings. Rainbow was lugging Rarity, and Pinkie was bouncing across the rocks below now that there were no ponies in her way.

"Thanks, you guys!" Pinkie squealed. "I would have had to wait for these guys to make it and that would take so many forevers I would get bored of saying them, and forever is one of my favourite words!"

"Pinkie Pie, you are so random." Rainbow panted, her wings limp with the effort of lugging Rarity's deadweight.

"I know WATERMELONS right?"

Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes and faced towards the Old Ruins. The very thought of it awakened terrible memories of fighting Nightmare Moon. Twilight shuddered. "Well, if I were a dragon, I'd like to be in the Ruins. It must be as close to a non-Ursa-Marjored cave as we have around here."

"And it was wounded!" Rainbow Dash added, trotting up behind. "When I fly, it would hurt my legs."

"All trivial stuff." Applejack interrupted, standing in front of the fillies. "How are we going to deal with this problem once we find it?"

"In time, in time."

Fluttershy's head jerked back at an awkward angle. "I thought I told you to leave!" Her tail whipped, and she stomped her hooves. "This is my den, and my forest! Get out!" The puppet-Fluttershy whipped her head around. "You're closer than I thought. I can't smell you, but I can hear myself talking."

Puppet-Fluttershy rolled her eyes. "As long as you're here, bring some food. Maybe I won't eat you then."

Rainbow Dash hovered above the trees, looking out for any lurking forms in the Old Ruins. Something twitched in the shadows, making her jump. Once she knew where it was, she could see all of it, sprawled in the shadows.

It was a massive dragon, at least four times her length and twice her height. Even folded, the wings were wide, awkwardly furled against the wall. The dragon was listening for something, the six points on the edge of its' head standing on end. Suddenly, the dragon looked up, focusing on Rainbow Dash with emerald eyes.

"I'm not really going to hurt you." The voice was in her head, less Pinkie-brain-distorted and move even. "Feel free to come down."

A feeling of saftey washed over Rainbow Dash, and she made a lazy spiral to the ground. The dragon watched intently, its tail twitching in imaginary flight. "Why are you here?"

"Why does it look like I'm here?!" The voice snarled. "My leg is broken. It hasn't improved my landings, either."

The dragon pulled itself on its front paws over to a small pond. It lapped up some of the water, the ripples distorting the reflections of both pony and dragon.

"I'm going to go get the others. I'll bring back some food."

"Good." The voice replied, even though the dragon didn't stop drinking.

Rainbow Dash flapped her wings once and shot out of sight.

Nothing Replaces Fish

Twilight Sparkle reared up to watch Rainbow Dash land. "Well? See anything?"

She nodded. "He's bigger than all of us put together, but he doesn't seem like he wants to hurt us. He just doesn't want to be bothered, I guess. His leg will probably take a lot of time to heal."

"What?" Fluttershy shouted, flying up to meet Rainbow Dash. "He's hurt? how?"

Rainbow flinched, expecting the stare. "We saw it before, too. It's broken. And he's hungry."

"Well, I brought some apple products... except for cider... do you think he'll eat those?"

"Ugh!" Rainbow Dash grunted. "I told you, I don't know any more than you do!"

"Girls, girls, GIRLS!" Rarity yelled, pushing them all aside. "The only one who knows about the dragon is the dragon! Why don't we just go talk to him?"

She started walking away, and all the others gradually followed. They didn't have to walk far before they could hear the massive beast moving.

"You again?" His voice echoed through their heads. "You better have food."

"We do."

The dragon sighed. "Well hurry up then. That one Pegasus made me want to fly more now."

The ponies hurried up, skidding to a stop seconds before crashing into the dragon. He was sitting on his haunches at the end of the stone, wings drooping and tail curled around his feet. "Well? You brought food?" Applejack nodded. "Thank you." The dragon stood up, his belly at the same height as the pony's heads. He began slowly limping back to the center of the Ruins, keeping his left hind leg off the ground.

Twilight was the first to catch up, keeping a steady pace at his side. "If you can talk to us in our heads, why did you use Fluttershy before?"

"Range. The further the speech, the more power it takes. With puppetting, the range is much larger for less power."

"Okay, so why did you fly over the town to come here?"

"More prey. I couldn't catch any, though. And there was more shade."

"No. Why over the town?"

The dragon turned around and glared at her, his tail nearly taking out Fluttershy. "I was crashing after being attacked on the Griffon border. I didn't really have a choice!"

"I'm sorry..."

"I know a Griffon. If they think you landed here, something bad is going to happen." Rainbow Dash commented, gliding above the two. "They're going to get mad."

"Why did they attack you?" Twilight asked, still looking at the dragon.

The dragon was quiet.

Twilight tried again. "Why did th-"

"I HEARD YOU!" He shouted.

The ponies continued on in silence until the dragon lay down under a collapsed pillar. "Food. Now."

Applejack slid her saddlebags off, pushing them over to the dragon. He used one claw to spread out the contents. Apple, apple crisps, apple pies, apple brownies, candy apples...

"Where's the fish?" He looked up at Applejack.

"Umm... we don't eat fish..."

He grunted, swallowing one of the apples whole. "Thank you. But please, don't bring her back again."

He pointed a claw at Pinkie Pie, who was singing and trying to find confetti she could throw. Applejack looked over at the others, who were glaring at the party pony.

"We'll see if we can lose her somewhere."

Just Visiting

Spike looked up as heavy wingbeats shook the tree he was in.

"Hey, runty!" Gilda growled, coming to a stop. Her claws dug into the wood. "Where're the other twerps?"

"In the forest." Spike whimpered, pushing up against the trunk.

With a laugh, Gilda shot back into the air again, her rough takeoff bouncing Spike's branch for several minutes after she left.

"Twilight, do you hear that?" Rainbow Dash asked, cowering close to her friends. "It sounds like a roc or something."

"Am I taking that as an insult?!" Gilda pounced down from the sky, landing with her back to the dragon. His eyes narrowed. "Now, I heard one of our prisoners made it across the border. Everything around points to here. So where is it?"

"I am right here." The dragon lunged forwards, flipping Gilda over and pinning her belly-up. He looked like he was about to slash her open when Rarity pulled on his tail.

"There's no need. Something tells me you don't need a death on your claws."

He stepped off the Griffon, still glaring, and shuffled away under his rock. "Why are you helping it?"

"Why are you hunting him?" Rainbow Dash countered.

"Because he's a criminal! He killed five griffons!"

"They were attacking me for no reason!" The dragon growled. "You never take on something bigger than you, especially a dragon, if you don't have a reason! Those deaths are your own fault!"

"Both of you, please!" Fluttershy stepped between to two, wincing as Gilda growled. "There's no reason to be fighting!"

"Well, actually there i-" Twilight stuffed a hoof in Rainbow Dash's mouth before she could continue.

"Gilda, why don't you explain the reason for the attack? Maybe that'll clear things up..." Fluttershy whimpered and hid behind Twilight Sparkle as Gilda extended her claws. Twilight's horn flashed threateningly.

"We've been fighting the ponies for a while now. When a giant dragon flew over our ranks, of course we thought it was a weapon, so we attacked it. Then it killed our warriors!"

"I fought back!" The dragon hissed, tail flicking. "It's your fault!"

Gilda launched herself into the air as the dragon sent small bursts of flame at her. "This means war!"

Celestia shifted on her throne. Something bad was happening.

"Luna! Luna?" She called out, waiting for her sister to come cantering around the corner. When she didn't, panic edged further.

Getting to her hooves, she trotted to Luna's bedroom, her heart quickening even more at the sight of the open door. Ears flat back, she entered the room. Something fluttered off of the bed, and Celestia truly hoped it wasn't a ransom letter.

'I'm going to Ponyville for a vacation. Be back soon.'

Lurking Shadows

"You didn't have to stay." Toothless growled, back still turned to Fluttershy. Night had fallen, and starlight speckled across the sky. The moonlight filtered through a few wandering clouds, casting eerie, moving shadows that suddenly turned to bright white highlights.

"I couldn't leave you here."

The dragon lifted his head, looking at Fluttershy over his shoulder. "It gets cold at night, and I know you ponies have short coats. Are you cold?"

She shook her head. "I'm fine."

"I didn't ask if you were fine." Toothless's eyes glowed in the night, their green glow feeling warm on Fluttershy's face.

"I am cold... a little... but I'm good." She smiled, but shivered.

Liponite rolled over onto his belly, Fluttershy's hooves on his flank. Streching his torn wing over her back, he put his head back down.

Fluttershy instantly noticed the warmth in his sails. Running, moving blood. 'His torn sail must hurt more than he wants to let us know.' Fluttershy considered. Careful not to bump his wounded leg, she lay against his side and fell asleep under his warm wing.

"Fluttershy?" Twilght Sparkle jogged into the Ruins, saddlebags full of rolled tarp and strong, thin rope. "Fluttershy, are you awake?"

Twilight instantly noticed the sleeping form of Toothless pushed up against a pillar. There was no sign of Fluttershy.

Toothless woke up and yawned, his gaze locking on Twilight. "Oh, hi." He mindspoke. "Good morning. What time is it?"

Twilight charged over, forcing his jaws open with her hooves. "Did you eat her?!" She screamed, trying to look down his throat.

Toothless pulled his head back, closing his mouth. "I didn't eat her." He shifted, lifting his torn wing. Fluttershy woke up as light streamed in, eyes focusing on Twilight Sparkle's face inches from hers. She screamed and scrambled backwards, pressing up against Toothless's flank.

"Oh... Twilight... it's you." She recovered quickly, pushing her mane back with one hoof. "Sorry... you surprised me..."

Twilight Sparkle stepped back. "I'm sorry for scaring you. I thought this guy ate you."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Toothless growled, getting up and walking over to his pond. "I'm the big bad dragon, eating ponies and destroying villages."

"Oh be quiet." Twilight snapped. "I brought the stuff to fix your wing." She dropped the saddlebags in front of Fluttershy and promptly trotted away.

The Pegasus watched her friend leave, battling emotions. 'I have to tell her I'm sorry for scaring her' 'No, I should stay with Toothless, he's hurt.' 'But Twilght...' 'No, Toothless...'

"You can go after her if you want." Toothless whispered, nudging the back of her head with his muzzle. "I'm not going anywhere."

Fluttershy felt her skin tremble with the dragon's touch. She shrugged it off as the strong magic the dragon used to talk. "I'll be right back."

There wasn't much of a gap between when she started running and when she managed to crash into Twilight. The unicorn was standing in the middle of the path, facing her. "Why are you helping him?"

"Why not?"

"I don't know. There's just something weird about him..."

"Twilight, he's a dragon. He's Spike, but bigger!"

"Fine. I'll be at the library if you need me."

Fluttershy's mouth gaped as Twilight cantered away. About to run after her and demand an explaination, Fluttershy felt a warm touch in her mind.

"Is everything okay?" Toothless asked.

Fluttershy sighed and turned back to the ruins. "Fine..." she whispered. "We're both... fine..."

Hunger Pains

When Fluttershy got back to Liponite, he was spread out flat, moaning. "What happened?" She cantered over, waving a hoof in front of his face to try and get his eyes to focus. "What's wrong?"

He rolled over, holding all four paws to his belly. "I'm starvinggg....." He groaned, "Wasn't one of your friends bringing a meal?"

"Oh yeah!" Fluttershy looked out towards the forest. "I wonder what's keeping her? You stay put. I'll be right back."

"Yeah, like I can go somewhere else."

"Applejack!" Fluttershy trotted over to the ginger filly, who was standing on the barn porch, looking up at the sky. "Applejack, what's keeping your from making any-"

Applejack stuffed one hoof in Fluttershy's mouth, jerking her head up to the sky. "Quiet. They'll hear you."

Fluttershy looked up, scanning the clouds. Suddenly she saw what Applejack was worried about. Two griffons were flying just below the clouds, decked out in full battle armor and goggles. The one was talking to the other, waving its talons and swinging its head. They were almost directly overhead, but other, larger patrols were scattered in the clouds.

"Is it... Gilda?" Fluttershy whispered, pushing Applejack's hoof away.

"I don't know." Applejack replied. "But it's not good. Quick, come inside." She pushed Fluttershy through the door, and into the barn.

"Whoa!" Fluttershy tripped over her hooves and face-planted into the hay. When she opened her eyes, she was met by Twilight's muzzle in her face, for the second time that day. And just like before, she screamed.

Twilight Sparkle backpedalled, falling into a sitting position on the hay. As Fluttershy's eyes adjusted to the dark, she could make out Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Spike all sitting with Twilight. Applejack shut the door and trotted up to stand beside the other ponies.

"Fluttershy, I know your sensitive and all, but we have to get rid of that dragon!" Rainbow Dash stepped forward, shouldering Twilight aside. "He's made the griffons patrol the sky! I can't clear the clouds!"

"Because the clouds are here, my apples can't grow, Rarity's fashion colors are invisible, Twilight's finding it hard to study, and Pinkie can't throw any good parties!"

"I. Need. PARTIES!" Pinkie shouted.

"I need fashion!"

"I need books!"

"I need apples!"

"I need to fly!"

Fluttershy backed up towards the door. "I can't speed up his healing, guys. There's nothing I can do!"

"You can do anything you want, Fluttershy." Princess Luna was sitting up on the beams, looking out through the tiny window at the cloudy sky. "You can leave him alone instead of taking care of him. You could just leave him in the forest to heal on his own." Her black coat shone as she moved, looking down at Fluttershy. "Or..." She jumped down onto the top of the hay pile. "... I do hate to say this, but we've been pushed to our limits..."

"Before I explain the last choice, I need you to understand - this isn't just Ponyville. All of Equestria is covered in clouds. Cloudsdale itself has a Pegasus brigade that's currently keeping them out of danger, but our crops are dying. Since Cloudsdale can't plant seeds, our food will run out. You have to know that this isn't something I enjoy saying... but we may have to kill him."

Fluttershy pushed up against the door. They looked so imposing, Luna glaring down from the top, Spike watching just below her, looking uncertain, the others at the base, standing and glaring. She spun and pushed the door open, cantering back to the forest, mane and tail flying like banners, tears sparkling moments before they hit the ground.

This Is All New

"Look, Fluttershy, the sun is setting." Toothless lay down at the far edge of the Everfree forest. They had made good time, managing to make it out of the forest in half a day. Now, empty, barren desert streched for miles.

The sun touched the surface of the sand, suddenly igniting the sky and the sand red. The clouds flared into pink, and the shadows were suddenly visible against the light sand.

The pair sat in silence, watching the sunset. As the stars began to take the sun's place, Toothless turned to Fluttershy.

"You don't need to come with me, you know. Once my wing's healed, I'll find a dragon to teach me. You can go back to your friends."

"No... I... I want to be with you..."

Toothless was quiet for a long time. "Come on. It'll be easier to cross the desert at night."

"The sun's rising again, Toothless! Do you see any shelter?"

"There's no shelter in the desert."

"So why did you say we were crossing?"

He lay on his belly on the flat top of a sand dune. "You'll have to trust me."

"I always did."

He tucked Fluttershy under his wing, in a little chamber of air. Shoving his nose and paws into the sand, he began to dig in, the still-cold sand running over his back. Soon, he was under a thick layer. Turning slowly, he pushed his muzzle out from under the sand, taking a few deep breaths. Fluttershy looked around the air pocket he had formed with his wing. She couldn't see anything, but the effort was there.

"Are we safe?"

"Yes."

Fluttershy was finding it had to sleep. She could feel the weight of the sand around her, and although the amount of air was more than needed, she felt like she was suffocating. There were a lot of reasons ponies didn't live in burrows, and felt eerie in places without windows or light. They were genetically claustrophobic.

The pale Pegasus took a few calming breaths. "Are you asleep?"

"No." His thought-speak reply came faster than she expected. "Night Furies can go weeks without sleeping. I'm staying awake."

"Why?"

'Because I need to feel your fur on my skin...' He snuffed the thought before he could speak it. "In case there's a sandstorm."

"Oh. Okay." She paused. "Is it okay if I sleep tonight when you're crossing the sand again?"

"Mm-hm. That's fine."

They were both in denial of loving each other. When Toothless carried Fluttershy across the sand, he savoured the feel of her soft, warm coat. She was enjoying the touch of his tough, cold scales. They both wanted what the other had.

"Fluttershy, I need to tell you something."

She sat up on his back, swaying gently as he walked. "What is it?"

"I..." 'think I love you...' "I..."

Fluttershy leaned over his head, her face innocently upside-down in front of his. "Yeah?"

"I..." 'I can do this. I can tell her...' "I l... love..." 'I'm so close! I can almost say it...' "I..."

In the absence of words, he opened his mind to hers, feeling her gentle presence enter his thoughts. He entered hers. In the few, quiet moments, they completely understood the others feelings. They shared every moment of their lives, spread them out like star charts, surveyed every moment in the others life and compared them to their own.

It was what seemed like years before Toothless withdrew his mind from Fluttershy's. She was on his shoulders, front hooves placed on his forehead.

"You... you feel the same way about me?"

Fluttershy nodded. "We both just couldn't say it, I guess."

"Do you have any coltfriends?"

"No..."

Toothess was still walking, but his legs trembled from the amount of strength keeping their minds connected had used. "I'll be able to talk more once I've rested."

"Toothless, your wing has sealed over the tarp." He hadn't realized that Fluttershy had moved over, checking on her stitches. "We might be able to fly today?"

"Why not now?"

"There aren't any thermals. We can't use your wing too much, or it will heal slower. And it'll be colder the higher we get."

"Have you slept enough tonight?"

"I'll close my eyes for a few more minutes." Fluttershy curled up between his wings. Seconds later, she was snoring.

Stardusted

Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes, her vision blurry. She was on Toothless's back, she knew that. But why were they surrounded by snow?

Her eyes snapped into focus. They were between two layers of clouds, and Toothless was using the towering columns to practice his flying. The tarp was holding up well. Fluttershy screeched as he darted around one, wings flicking to keep his balance. He slowed to a stop once he heard she was awake.

"Oh, good morning."

"Toothless, your wing!"

"Works great, I know!"

"No, it's-"

And, just as Fluttershy had predicted, stressing the cords had caused one of the loops to snap. A corner of the tarp lifted up, slowly ripping the other ties out. Toothless roared in pain and fear.

Another set of loops gave out, and all lift the wing had was lost in mere moments.

They began to drop.

Toothless extended his other wing for balance, only manging to spin himslef in a series of tight circles. Fluttershy strained to keep her eyes open as they plummeted towards the ground. The ground splayed out in front of them.

"There! I see a pond! Try to land in that!"

Toothless spun sharply, holding Fluttershy in his front paws as he angled his back to the ground. "I'll meet you at the ground!" He pushed her up into the air.

She tumbled for a little while before righting herself and darting to the ground. Toothless hit the water back-first, sending water everywhere. Fluttershy landed running, skidding in the mud at the dge of the pond.

"Hey! Hey! Where are you? Are you okay?"

He surfaced, sputtering, and paddled over to the shore. Opening his wings to dry them, he inspected his tear. It was raw and bloody where the tarp had been ripped off. A few ties stubbornly hung on his wing, stained scarlet.

"I'm not flying until that heals up, I guess." He looked around slowly. "Those weren't Pegasus-made clouds. I thought the only free part in Equestria was the Everfree Forest..."

"You mean we got turned around?"

"No." His eyes lit up. "We're out."

"What do you mean?"

"We made it out of Equestria!"

Cherries

Fluttershy jumped as a mare screamed. Toothless spun, growling.

Across the pond, a dark red mare was frozen with fear, eyes fixed on Toothless's sharp teeth. Snapping out of her fear, she reared up, striking the air with silver hooves. Her black mane and tail were streaked with yellow and orange. She started running around the edge of the pond, eyes narrowed. Fluttershy tried to push Toothless away, but he wouldn't budge.

Fluttershy ran around in front of him, bracing herself for the impact. The red mare skidded to a stop, hooves spraying mud.

"Who are you and what are you doing on my property?"

"I'm so sorry, miss. We didn't mean to land here."

"Good. You can stay for a while. If you had reacted agressively, I would have had to kill you." She flicked her tail. "You have until nightfall to get out."

"Fine." Toothless growled. He leaned forward, lifting Fluttershy by her tail. "We're leaving."

"Wait!" Fluttershy yelled, looking back at the mare. "Where are we?"

"Where are you going?"

"Are we in Equestria?"

"That's just an old mare's tail. Don't go looking for things that don't exist, you hear me?"

"Doesn't... exist?" Fluttershy whispered.

"So, what should I have done with the girl?" The mare asked, talking to seemingly nobody.

"You did well." A thought-voice answered. A dragon stepped out of the trees, barbed tail straight behind it. It flicked the spikes lining it's head. "But it's much more common to see a Nadder like me, isn't it?"

"We need to find a place away from civilization."

"How's here?"

Toothless collapsed forward under the shade of a pine tree and shimmied forwards until he was under the branches. He used his tail to clean away a patch of needles for Fluttershy. She struggled through the lower branches, curling up in the space he created. Her belly brished his paws.

"Fluttershy, I have to ask you something..."

"Yeah?"

"Are you... willing..." He had to search for words.He only got tongue-tied around this pony. It had never happened before. "To... go... all the way... with me?"

"I don't know... I... I want to, but... it's my first time..."

"It's okay." Toothless drew her in close with his forepaws, hugging her close to him. She smiled.

Hoof in Each World

Toothless nudged Fluttershy, trying to wake her up. "Are... are you awake?"

She nodded, yawning. "Yeah, what is it?"

"I was just thinking... you know how that mare said that Equestria was a foal-tale? Well, I think I'm back home. On Berk. If you want to, you can go home."

"Berk?" The name sounded weird in her mouth, more like a type of rock than a place. "How far have we flown? How much ground did you cover while you were flying?"

"I... I don't know... but every hour I traveled will take you two."

"What about when I'm over the desert?"

"You'll have to fly two days straight. Try to stay in or just above the clouds. It's where the heat will be weakest."

"You're not... coming with me?"

"I can't. I wish I could. I really, really do. But I don't want to see anybody killed because I came back. I know your friends mean a lot to you. And I don't want you to lose that."

"No! I need to be with you-"

Toothless placed a paw on her mouth. "We're from different worlds, Fluttershy."

"But I love you..."

"Your friends love you too. They'll be wondering what happened to you, maybe panicing. You have to get back to your life, to them, to your house and your animals. You brought me home, Fluttershy. I can't thank you enough. And when the war with the griffons ends, I'll come back. I'll come back and be with you until the sun sets on our last days."

"But... Toothless..."

"Go."

Both were crying silently as Fluttershy kissed Toothless on the lips. It was a long time before they split apart and Fluttershy, mouthing goodbye one last time, disappeared into the clouds.

It had been five days. Fluttershy was worn to the bone, every muscle in her body aching. Her wings had seized twice that day, and she was close to falling asleep. But she didn't want to land, in fear that she would turn around and go back to Berk.

Her eyes almost closed before she jerked awake again. Her stomach growled. She hadn't eaten since she decided to stay with Toothless. 'What had I been thinking?'.

"What was wrong with me?!" She yelled at the clouds. "Why couldn't he be a pony? Why did we have to fall in love?"

She let out a few shuddering sobs, flying up through the cloud. Standing on the top, she looked at the flat white horizon. Letting her wings hang limp, she trotted off in the direction of home.

Rainbow Dash kicked at a cloud, scattering it into tiny peices and letting another ray of sunlight hit Sweet Apple Acres. "Is that better, Applejack?"

The ginger filly squinted to she her friend. "Much welcomed, Rainbow!"

"Yay! The sun is out the sun is out the sun is out!" Pinkie cheered, bouncing circles around Applejack. "Party time!"

"It does feel nice." Twilight admitted. "I can't believe the griffons were keeping us from clearing the sky."

"Well, thank goodness they left." Rarity replied. "I need a good tan."

"Rarity, your coat is white. You can't get a tan." Twilight reminded her.

"Well, I can believe I have one, can't I?"

As the pair argued cheerfully, Rainbow Dash soared up to the top of the clouds to kick another hole. Right before her hooves struck, she saw a yellow pony with a pale pink mane sitting on the far edge of the cloudbank.

"Fluttershy?!" Rainbow called out.

The yellow pony lifted her head and sped up.

"Oh my gosh! I thought I'd never see you again!" Rainbow Dash cried tears of joy as she hugged her Pegasus friend. "What happened to Toothless?"

Fluttershy started sobbing, clinging tighter to Rainbow Dash. "He... he..."

"Oh." Rainbow Dash suddenly realized what was going on. Pegasus were attracted to a lot of things that had a set of working wings. "Did he share a nest with you?" 'No, of course not...'

Fluttershy nodded.

"Oh dear sweet Equestria." Rainbow Dash still held her friend, but far enough away that they could see each other's eyes. "We need to get you to a hospital."

Holding Fluttershy by her tail, Rainbow Dash kicked a hole in the cloud and darted to Ponyville as fast as her wings could carry her, which was pretty fast.

With a Beating Heart

Rainbow Dash hovered in the waiting room, tail flicking impatiently. Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were all standing somewhere around the tiny room. Each was thinking differently, taking the problem in different strides.

'Maybe, if it's alive, it'll be a good flier. I haven't raced someone in ages.'

'Ah hope it's healthy... poor Fluttershy would be devastated if it was dead...'

'It better not be an ugly pony with that much dragon blood in it...'

'GASSSSPPPPP I'LL GET TO THROW A BABY SHOWER!!!!!'

'I bet I'll be the first to record a dragon-pony crossbreed!'

'There was another dragon here and nobody told me?'

'I hope the griffons don't attack Equestria because of this...'

'I hope the griffons overthrow my sister and let me be the leader!'

Of course, it's pretty easy to distinguish them.

The doctor, a black stallion with a wild white mane, stepped out of the operating room. He was instantly met by eight curious, worried stares and one 'I'm going to take over the world' face. He used one hoof to push back his unruly mane.

"I have good news and I have bad news."

"Good news, please!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"The foal is alive."

The ponies and Princesses exchanged worried glances. "What's the bad news?"

"I broke my watch." The doctor smiled as they all relaxed. "Do you want to come in and see her?"

Slowly, all of the assembled animals filed in the room. Fluttershy rolled over in the bed, a huge smile on her face.

"It's alive." She seemed to glow. "My foal is alive."

Calm before the Storm

Twilight grumbled to herself as she walked around the edge of the Everfree Forest. She had been working all day, and the newest addition to her jobs was taking away greatly-needed sleep.

At least the sky was pretty.The stars twinkled like Rairity's gemstones, and moon was round and unmarked over the Forest.

"I hate this job." She muttered. She closed her eyes and screamed into the sky. "I HATE THIS FOREST!"

Almost as if it was answering, something in the Everfree roared, the noise of trees crashing to the ground echoing around the cold, night air.

Terrified out of her wits, Twilight rapidly decided that Everfree had enough patrolling for the night and took off for Ponyville.

Once she was in the town limits, the regular feeling of peaceful warmth rushed over her coat. She sighed, looking back towards the forest, confused.

"HI TWILIGHT!" The unicorn nearly jumped out of her skin as Rainbow Dash came to a fluttery landing beside her. "I was doing some late-night flying, you know, because all the thermals are gone and..."

Twilight pretended to pay attention as Rainbow ranted on about velocity and aerodynamics. Something was tugging at the back of her mind, like magic, but different... like someone she knew was in trouble...

"And then I saw this giant thing and-"

Twilight snapped back to attention. "What? You saw something?"

"How did you miss it?! As big as a building, and creeeeepppppyyyyyy..." Rainbow reared up and did a zompony walk around Twilight, front hooves in the air and droning "Braaaaiiinnnssss and cutttiiieeee markkk dressessssss..." over and over again.

"Rainbow! Pay attention! What did you notice about the... thing?"

"I just told you, Twilight. That's all I know. But maybe one of the others has seen it. Not like many of them stay up much..." Rainbow muttered to herself again.

When she looked up, Twilight had already swung open the door of the library and was cantering inside.

"Hmph." Rainbow pouted, flying back into the air. "Rude to leave in mid-sentence."

The nest morning, Twilight was handing out pamplets she had made the night before. Spike was sleeping on her back. He groaned, massaging one paw in his sleep.

"Thanks for writing these for me." Twilight said, still handing out pamplets. "It would have taken me forever to do on my own."

"No problem." Spike yawned, opening his eyes. "But I'm hungry. I'll be over at Sweet Apple Acres if you need me!" He jogged away, still cradling his throbbing claw.

Twilight swished her tail in greeting as a yellow pony jogged up. "You don't look like you had much sleep, Fluttershy." Twilight commented.

Fluttershy pushed back her knotted mane with one hoof. "I didn't. That big scary monster kept me awake all night. I thought it was going to hurt the animals!" For once in her life, Fluttershy was talking in complete sentences in a fully audible voice.

'She must be terrified.' Twilight thought. "You saw it too? What did it look like?"

"I don't know!" Fluttershy whimpered, hiding behind one wing from Twilights' stare. "But it felt bad when I saw it. Like something weird was going to happen."

Twilight Sparkle handed another pamplet to a young colt. "You realize that, because it's happening to us, and in the Everfree, it's always something weird."

Somewhere in the Everfree, a massive creature dragged itself over to an old ruin, covered in moss and vines. Moving under an overhang, the creature curled up, glared at the sun, and fell asleep.

The Lunar Tribute

Twilight glared at the dragon. He was glaring at the sky. Everyone else was still slack-jawed in shock.

"There is no reason for you to be that mad!" Rainbow Dash shot forward, knocking the dragon backwards. "She was my friend once. Why did you have to try and kill her?!"

The black dragon kickeed her off, sending her reeling. Her body slammed into one of the pillars, falling limply to the ground. "She attacked me!" He extended his teeth, tail twitching. "And I'd like to be out of here before the bombs start falling, thank you very much."

"Why don't you just fly away?" Another pony landed in the clearing, black coat shining. "I know your wings are big enough."

"Princess Luna?" Twilight cantered up beside the princess. "Why are you here?"

She rolled her eyes. "Celestia is too high-and-mighty to bother with the problems of 'commoners'. She's probably soaking in her tub. Anyway, is this the mysterious dragon?"

"I have a name." He growled, eyes narrowed. "It's Toothless."

"So, Toothless, why are you tormenting griffons?"

He rolled his eyes, limping over to the corner of the ruins. "We've been over this."

Applejack nodded as Luna looked around, confused. "He did explain everything before you showed up.."

Twilight Sparkle was panicing inside, her heart racing. They were alone, in the middle of the Everfree Forest, with what had once had been Nightmare Moon. She couldn't understand how the others were so calm. "They attacked him first." She replied, shocked that her voice didn't tremble. "He defended himself."

"Well, we still have a war in the making. Any way you can fly? It wouldn't be as much of a problem if you could stay outside Equestria."

"If I could, I would be gone by now. But on top of my leg, which is much more painful, I tore my sail on the crash landing. Sharp trees you have around here." He opened one wing, the webbing in a large, ragged tear. He winced as it moved.

"Toothless, that looks painful!" Fluttershy trotted up, looking at the missing skin.

"Unlike your wings, skin can be removed. It's how they ground dragons to train them. It doesn't hurt that much. It still takes a long time, but it can fully mend."

"How long would it take?" Luna interrupted.

"The leg; probably a week, give or take a few days. The wing, maybe a month or so."

"That's too long."

"I'm quite aware of that." Toothless growled, shutting his wing again. "But you're stuck with me. And it's hard for a dragon to learn to fly again after being grounded for that long."

"How do you learn to fly?"

He grinned, lying down. "Well, our parents carry us up into the sky, way past the clouds, and drop us. If we can gain control before we hit the ground, we've learned."

"That's barbaric!" Rarity screeched. "What about the ones that hit the ground?!"

"Well, they're dead by then." Toothless shrugged, curling his tail. "So there's nothing to do."

Rarity gasped and fainted, her mane landing in another puddle of mud. Pinkie Pie laughed.

"Look, Toothless, I can put a tarp on your wing so you can fly until it heals."

"Doubtful that it would work." The dragon rolled over, his back to the ponies. "Night Fury wings are extremely sensitive. If I can't feel a section of my wing, I won't be able to fly alone."

Luna watched the dragon's back, mind racing. Twilight Sparkle had slowly inched away from the young mare. Rarity was still unconcious. Rainbow Dash was hopping from hoof to hoof, wanting to get back into the sky. Pinkie Pie was dunking Rarity's mane in the mud. Applejack was sorting through the food she brought. Fluttershy's inner voices were battling.

The dragon needed help. None of these ponies, the ones Toothless could trust, were going to help. But she had to keep an eye out for surprise attacks when the dragon became nervous, and stay for months while the wings healed. She trusted Spike and Angel with caring for the animals if she stayed, but still...

She looked up, noticing Toothless's large, green eyes were fixed on her curiously.

She made up her mind. "I'll help you fly."

All the ponies turned to look at Fluttershy, standing at the back of the group. The timid Pegasus cantered up to Toothless, placing a hoof on his back. "I'll stitch your wing shut, and stay with you until your leg heals, and I'll teach you to fly."

She looked at the assembled ponies. "Go back home. I'll be fine. Applejack, could you bring meals every-so-often?"

Applejack nodded. "Come on, fillies. There's nothing more we can do."

Twilight Sparkle watched the other ponies file away through the trees, and Luna took to the sky towards Ponyville. "I'll bring you a tarp ond some string tomorrow, okay?"

Fluttershy nodded, eyes narrowed in determination.

Toothless was going to fly.

Lost

"I don't know what I did wrong!" Fluttershy yelled, burrowing her face into Toothless's flank. "I didn't want this to happen! I just wanted to help you..."

"I know." The Fury replied. "I understand."

Fluttershy sniffled, the warm tone of the dragon's mind-speech comforting. She pushed up against his side. "I don't want them to be mad at me."

"You could fly away with me." Toothless murmured, nosing her mane. "Once we're out of Equestria, the griffons will stop fighting. Your clouds can be cleared, and your friend's lives will go back to normal."

"I couldn't leave!"

"But why would you stay?"

This question startled Fluttershy. Normally, she would have answered it right away. But she realized that for once, her animals weren't the top things on her list. For once, she was putting her feelings first, over the feelings of others. "I don't know why I would stay." She shook her head. "All I want is to be with you."

The dragon didn't break his gaze from Fluttershy. He didn't look surprised. "I want you to know, I don't have any magic other than what allows me to talk."

"I figured that out a long time ago."

Toothless's mind raced, invisible to magicless Fluttershy. He wanted to go all the way with this fragile pony. He knew it would never happen. They were different species. He was grateful for his thoughts being invisble to the Pegasus. It would never work... would it?

Fluttershy picked up Twilight's dropped saddlebags, searching for the needle. Just as she hoped, it was small, thin, and looked like the least painful one. She streched the tarp over the gaping hole, miking sure it was flat, missing any uneven parts. Slowly, she started stitching, running the thin rope through the needle-holes with almost-magical presicion. Slowly, she made her way around the tarp, tieing off the end of the rope and stepped back to admire her work.

The black tarp looked flat, without any odd bubbles.

"Will I be able to fly?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "The skin has to heal around the rope, or it'll just tear off."

"So we're walking?"

Toothless tried to slow down to stay close to Fluttershy. Despite his broken leg, he was faster than she was. "Do you want me to carry you?"

Fluttershy took a flying jump on his back, lying down between his shoulders. "Am I okay here?"

Toothless savoured the feeling of their bodies touching, her coat soft on his scales. "No, you're good."

She set her chin on the back of his head. "That's good."

For once in his life, Toothless felt like he was in love. Fluttershy could feel it too.

War

"You had a dragon here, and I know it!" Gilda growled, standing in the middle of the Ruins. "I can still feel his magic!"

"I assure you, I did not have any idea of any dragon in this forest." Celestia replied. "You should ask the residents of the town. They would have a better idea than I would."

"Yeah, right." The other griffon replied, steel helmet hiding his eyes. He waved one metal-coated talon. "You're the great and honurable leader of Equestria!"

"Shut it, Bolt." Gildda snapped, copper armour rattling. "Look, Alicorn, show us the stupid dragon!"

Princess Celestia suddenly thought back to Twilight's latest letter. She had asked about books... to look for a dragon species. Celestia had refused. Twilight... was she in danger?

"I'll go ask about the dragon for you..."

"No way, mare. We're coming with you. Don't need you teleporting off again."

Celestia suddenly pivoted, kicking out with her gold shoes. She knocked both griffons square in the foreheads, and they slumped to the ground, unconcious. She quickly magicked vines to tie the together to a large post. With a final flash of light, she vanished. Between dimensions, she realized how much she was going to regret that.

She reappeared in the center of Ponyville, almost materializing on top of Pinkie Pie.

"Princess Celestia?! Are you here for Twilight?"

"Yes, where is she?"

"Probably at the library, I guess... do you need another party?"

"Not right now, but when I do, I'll be sure to let you help!" She cantered off, barging in the library door and tripping over Spike.

"Princess Celestia?!"

"Where's Twilight?"

"Studying."

The Princess raced past, pushing Spike aside. "Thank you."

"No problem?"

Twilight sat up from her books. "Princess Celestia?!"

"If I had a bit for how many times I've heard that today, I'd be rich. Anyway, why did you ask about looking up dragons?"

"One crashed in the forest, but-"

"The griffons are here to kill it."

"-Fluttershy is teaching it how to fly again so it can leave Equestria." She finished.

"They aren't in the forest."

Applejack burst through the door. "Twilight, we can't find Fluttershy - Princess Celestia?!"

Celestia rolled her eyes. "No more short sentences. What's going on and where is the dragon?"

Applejack burst into a long, complicated explaination of what had happened, waving her hooves and speaking faster the further she went. "And Fluttershy said she was going to help it."

This time, it was Rarity and Rainbow Dash that cantered in. "We can't find Fluttershy - Princess Celestia?!"

"Oh. My. Dear. Equestria. We've been over this!" Celestia yelled. "I have to go."

And she flashed back to her palace.

Why?

She didn't want to be around when the griffons got free.

That's it?

Well, she had to go and find Luna. That's another thing.