”You’re a DRAGON!?” Rainbow Dash yelled. Everypony in the room was shocked. Even the guards looked surprised at him. But Sharpy didn’t care about any of them. The tears slowly ran down his cheeks as he thought of his dead sister. But then his eyes met Fluttershy. He looked at her and it seemed like she was about to curl into a ball in the corner of the room. She was shaking. Sharpy couldn’t tell if it was because of fear or something else, but he suspected it was because of him. And as his reptile-like eyes met Fluttershy, she closed hers and turned her head in another direction. It was defiantly because of him. But Sharpy didn’t look away until Twilight broke the silence.

“Well… that would explain the dragon-like wings and those pupils”, Twilight said and inspected both Sharpy’s wings and eyes. She was on a short distance, of course. She didn’t want to get too close before she knew it was completely safe. And right now, she didn’t trust him too much. “And why my magic didn’t work yesterday”. She apparently knew about the magical defense a dragon usually got as he or she grew older. But that didn’t surprise Sharpy too much considering she seemed to be a heavy reader.

“Yeah…” Rainbow Dash looked at Sharpy with great suspicion as she talked. “And those sharp teeth too”.

Sharpy felt ashamed of himself. When he was in this state where his wings, eyes and teeth reminded of a dragon’s but the rest of the body was a pony’s, he felt like some kind of monster. He turned and looked into the wall behind him. He unfolded his wings and made a half-unintended attempt to hide himself with them. When the transformation had faded it changed his appearance. He’s body size wasn’t any bigger, but the dragon-like wings that appeared when his feathers fell off were a lot bigger than the feathered wings. Even though blood had dropped from his wings when the feathers fell off, there was no need for medical treatment. It was just like the transformation from a dragon to a pony; the pain during the transformation was almost unbearable, but there were still no physical damage. Sharpy guessed there was no remarkable difference with a transformation from a pony to a dragon. He just wondered why he was turning back into a dragon. Or at least some parts of his were. Even though these thoughts didn’t make Sharpy feel any better, they at least made him think of something else then his sister. Easing the pain and sorrow at least for the moment.

“So, what’s your story?” Twilight’s sudden question surprised Sharpy a little. It was a completely understandable question, but it interfered with Sharpy’s thoughts. “Well? How did you end up here as a pony?”

“Are you a spy?” Rainbow continued the second Twilight stopped. Sharpy just looked at her. He couldn’t believe she would even believe that. But then he took a look at his wings and realized he was still lucky the guards didn’t kill him right away. But then again; the ponies weren’t as violent as the dragons. He sighed. Now it was time to finally tell the truth. The entire truth. He closed his eyes for a second, trying to figure out what would be the best was to say this. But Sharpy couldn’t think straight so he decided to figure out how to explain everything as he spoke.

He began with how this very unusual dragon called Huffy, or Huffy the Magical Dragon as most dragons called him, had summoned him to one of his caves. He told them how Huffy had used his very unusual powers of magic to transform Sharpy into a dragon. Sharpy didn’t left out the fact that the pain during the transformation was unbearable. He explained how he’d fled through the Everfree Forest and reached Ponyville.

As he explained how Fluttershy had saved him by letting him inside her house, he looked over at Fluttershy. She had absolutely no expression at all. There was no way to figure out what was going on in her head. Her mind was probably in a complete mess right now.

He told them how his plan was to find a powerful unicorn that could help him transform back into a pony. And when he realized Fluttershy was a friend to one of the most talented ponies in Ponyville he had decided to spend time with them, earning their trust. He took a pause. He was really ashamed to admit this. The fact that his original plan was to use these ponies for his very own good even disgusted himself. Apparently Fluttershy could take anymore. The tears had started coming out from her eyes.

“Twilight…” she whispered. “Come to my home when you’re done here”. And then she fled the building without looking back at Sharpy.

“Fluttershy! Wait I…” Sharpy shoved Twilight and Rainbow away and made an attempt to follow Fluttershy, but he got stopped by two spears from the guards standing in front of the only exit. “Fluttershy…” he whispered as he was the door slowly shut. He backed off. And as emotional as he already was, the tears started coming out again.

“I don’t think she wants to talk to you right now”, Rainbow said. She was clearly angry, but Sharpy were too psychically tired to start an argument with her, so he just backed off a few steps more. As Rainbow looked at Sharpy, she started to feel bad for him. Sharpy was completely destroyed psychically and what she said was probably just like putting salt in the wound. Yet she was still angry and very suspicious. Twilight however had started to understand the position Sharpy was trapped in, but was still not quite satisfied with what she knew.

“But what happened then?” she asked to get Sharpy to continue talking. “Was this thing with you and Fluttershy a part of the ‘plan’ too?”

“I was coming to that part”, he said. He was hoping that Fluttershy would still be here to listen to what he had to say, but there was nothing that he could do now. “As I spent some time with Fluttershy I started to get feelings for her. Even from the very first minutes actually. There was something special about her. And shortly after I got a new plan…” Twilight and Rainbow looked at each other.

“And what about this new plan?” Twilight asked, eager to know. Sharpy didn’t hesitate to answer, but as he did; he was looking in a different direction.

“To live a life as a pony… together with Fluttershy”, Sharpy answered quietly.

“But that didn’t work out as planned, now did it!?” Rainbow raised her voice as she spoke. She wasn’t even sure she could believe the story he was telling them. It could be a part of some kind of ‘plan’. Sharpy could feel how his emotions tried to take over again, but he refused to lose control again. But what Rainbow just said really was a hit under the belt.

“Rainbow!” Twilight silenced her. She didn’t trust Sharpy completely herself, but there was no need for Rainbow to be so insensitive to him. Especially not in this emotional sate he was in right now.

“If he would have told us he was a dragon right away, it would have saved us a lot of trouble!” Rainbow defended herself. “Especially for Fluttershy! I mean, did you look at her?” Sharpy couldn’t just sit idly and listen to this without even make an attempt to defend himself.

“But how would you have reacted if I would have told you? I wouldn’t have been treated like an equal, that’s for sure!” he said with a raised voice. “And I truly love Fluttershy! And no dragon or pony could ever be compared to her! And if I would have told you I was a dragon I would never even have gotten the chance to even speak to her!” Here Twilight had decided to end Sharpy’s and Rainbow’s conversation, but it didn’t look like she needed to. Rainbow had no answer for what Sharpy just said, so she just stayed quiet. Twilight looked at them both without saying anything for a while. But then she turned to Sharpy.

“And then what happened?”

“Yesterday must have been one of the… if not the happiest day of my life. I know we’ve only known each other for a very short time… but still…” then Sharpy lowered his head and closed his eyes. “Then today happened…” He was quiet for a very long time. Twilight nodded, encouraging him to continue.

“… I saw my own sister… die… right in front of my eyes…” He started crying. But among the tears something else appeared. Hate! Hate against the one who had put him in this situation. Huffy had to pay for what he has done. And thanks to Crystal he now knew where to find him. He stared into the floor with hatred as his tears made it wet. Twilight looked worried when Sharpy said this. But not for her own sake, but for Sharpy’s. When you are emotional like this, you’re capable of anything. She didn’t think that he would start attacking ponies, no. But he might do something that made the situation for him worse. She felt sorry for him. Watching your sister getting killed isn’t something anypony or anydragon should have to witness.

“But why did she attack us?” Rainbow said. She’d apparently calmed down a bit. Perhaps she felt sorry for him too? Sharpy didn’t care too much. All he wanted was to get out of this building. He needed someplace to think.

“She was under one of Huffy’s infamous corruption-spells. She couldn’t control herself…” Sharpy felt how the need for revenge grew larger as he spoke of Huffy. Twilight and Rainbow looked at each other. They weren’t sure what to think. They felt sorry for him, but as suspected, they didn’t trust him completely. But there was no need to keep him in here. It was time to let him go. Twilight told the guards that they could leave. The hesitated for a second, giving Sharpy suspicious looks, but then agreed to leave.

“Is this really a good idea?” Rainbow whispered in Twilight ear.

“I think so. There is no use for keeping him inside here”, she answered quietly. The two girls looked at him before opening the door. “You’re free to leave, but we would prefer that…” Sharpy didn’t listen to Twilight but took the opportunity to fly away. With these new wings he was even able to outfly Rainbow Dash as she tried to follow him. She didn’t fly in full speed, of course, but neither did Sharpy.

Sharpy flew and landed at the roof of one of the higher buildings in Ponyville. He wasn’t exactly hiding from anypony, but he preferred that nopony would find him. He needed some time alone so that he could think uninterrupted. He’d apparently been knocked out for a few hours, because the day was almost over. He looked at the sunset. In a couple of hours there would probably be all too dark or anypony to see. But not for him. He now had the eyes of a dragon which could easily snap up even the slightest source of light and help him see in the darkest of places. But the sun was yet up, shining down on the land. Sharpy looked over to the field outside Ponyville where his sister, Crystal, had died earlier today. She wasn’t there anymore. They had probably dumped her body somewhere without paying any respect to the dragon ways. But as he thought of it he realized Crystal would never be anywhere anymore. He felt bad for the guard he attacked. It wasn’t his fault. He’d just done what was asked of him. No, the blame fell yet again on Huffy. Sharpy decided that he would go hunting for him. Huffy had to pay for what he’d done. And Sharpy didn’t doubt for a second that he was responsible for the deaths of many other dragons as well. He took his eyes from the sunset and turned to the ponies walking on the streets down below. All the ponies were probably on their way home to their families and friends. Sharpy didn’t want to admit it, but he envies them. They lived, for most parts, a very peaceful life. Not unlike the dragons. The life of a dragon was filled with violence and action. As the dragon Sharpy truly was it didn’t matter too much for him. He had lived with these circumstances his entire life so he was used to it. But if you would compare the life of a dragon and what he’d seen so far of the life of a pony, he would’ve chosen the life of a pony without a doubt. That is… if things would’ve been different. Because right now, his life was even more twisted that what it had ever been before. With his sister dead, Fluttershy terrified and he looking like some stupid mix between a pony and a dragon Sharpy wasn’t sure where he belonged. He bit his lip in frustration just to realize his sharp teeth weren’t meant for a pony when blood slowly starts to flowing from the specific place where he was biting. He looked at his hooves. What was he right now? He wasn’t a dragon yet, that’s for sure. But was he really a pony. He looked back at his big dragon-like wings. He concluded that he wasn’t a pony either. He was this stupid mix between a pony and a dragon. He was a DragonPony. Or perhaps the dragonpony considering he was probably the only one in this situation of his.

The sun had just gone down and the darkness of the night covered the land. Sharpy were still sitting up on the roof of the high building. He found comfort in the night. Everything was so calm and quiet. And knowing that you could see everypony while nopony could see you satisfied Sharpy. He breathed slowly. He wasn’t tired, but yet he decided to lead backwards and close his eyes. He needed this moment considering all that had happened. But as he closed his eyes, the picture of his dead sister came up. He screamed and sat up again. Sharpy swore as his tears appeared again. All he wanted was to relax, but it was impossible. He still felt satisfied looking into the night, observing everything that happened. It made him think of something else, or perhaps not think of anything at all. He sat there for a few hours before taking off. He had to see Fluttershy. The thought of what Fluttershy really thought of him had bothered him during these hours of just sitting on that roof. He had no idea what time it was, but the moon was still shining its little light it could provide on the land below. Though he didn’t really care what time it was. He had to see Fluttershy and he had to see her now when his feelings were finally mostly under control. He didn’t want to see her before he was mentally ready. Otherwise he might just make the situation worse.

When Sharpy reached Fluttershy’s house there were light coming out from the windows. Apparently she was awake. He walked carefully up to the door, leaned towards it and listened. She was indeed awake and there were apparently other ponies there too, because he heard the voices talking to each other. He backed away from the door, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. He wondered what they were talking about, so he sneaked to a window so that he could both see and hear what they were saying. He could see all the ponies and Spike were inside the cottage. And on the couch lay Fluttershy. She looked down to the floor, nodding and uttering a few words as she was spoken too. Sharpy tried to hear what they were saying, but there was no use. He would probably hear better if he moved closer to the window, but then he would put himself in a risk of being spotted. He took a deep breath. He sneaked back to the front door and raised his hoof. But he hesitated before he knocked on the door. He really wanted to see Fluttershy, but what if she didn’t want to see him? And what would he say, anyway? He shook his head. He was heading out sooner or later to get his revenge on Huffy, but he had to see Fluttershy before that. And as he knocked he heard all the voices inside go quiet just to be followed by some suspicious whispering. He heard somepony walking towards the door. The door slowly opened and there was Twilight, standing in the doorway.

“Oh, is it you?” Twilight said with a badly faked surprised tone on her voice. Sharpy looked at her in disbelief. It was obvious they had been expecting him.

“Is Fluttershy home?” he asked. He felt how his chest suddenly felt heavy as Twilight slowly nodded and stepped aside. Sharpy walked inside. Everypony was looking at him, except Fluttershy. She stared tired down to the ground. Sharpy looked at her for a moment, completely ignoring everypony else that was standing around him.

“Fluttershy… I…” Sharpy began but did not continue. He didn’t know what to say. And when Fluttershy looked up and her eyes met Sharpy’s he could see how she started to feel uncomfortable. Her eyes were wide open and she curled up even more. She was still afraid of him. To that, there was no doubt. Sharpy started to feel guilty. Sharpy felt like everything was his fault.

“I’m sorry, Fluttershy…” he began. “I’m sorry. I should have told you. But I lied to you… But if I would have told you I’d never have gotten the chance to get to know you. But perhaps that would have been for the best. I would never have put you in this situation… and perhaps… my sister would still be alive…” Sharpy felt how tears flowed down his chins. “I just wanted to tell you… that I love you… I truly do… You’re the reason I didn’t want to be turned back into a dragon… and stay here as a pony…” Sharpy looked up, waiting for an answer. Though he didn’t think he would get any… and he didn’t. He nodded slowly and turned back. Nopony dared to say anything, even if they wanted to. They just watched as Sharpy left the cottage with his head hanging.

“I’ll be going after Huffy soon…” Sharpy said without looking backwards. “But I’d like to meet you one more time before that… Don’t try to follow me… I will see you when I feel like it” And with those words Sharpy shut the door behind him and flew away to the centre of Ponyville to sit on top of one of the buildings.

All the ponies back in Fluttershy’s cottage immediately regret not saying anything. They looked carefully at each other without saying a word. The silence was absolute. At least for a while…

Next Chapter: Chapter 9: Ready to go Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 20 Minutes