Episode 7 – Dragonshy
I couldn't sleep well last night, so I didn't stay asleep as long as I usually did. I woke up in the morning, feeling a bit sleepily. I walked over to the bathroom and took a quick shower. After waking up a bit, I raced over to Fluttershy's.
I really want to see her.
However, I couldn't help but notice that the sky seemed darker than usual. I shook my head and answered it with a guess. It was probably just the morning sky… I continued to gallop.
When I reached Fluttershy's home, I was so relieved to see her feeding a bunny who was inside a small little home that contained a cardboard carrot on top.
"Not too fast, now, Angel bunny." Fluttershy spoke. "You don't wanna get a tummy ache." The bunny suddenly stopped eating and dropped the carrot. It crossed its arms and looked away with its eyes closed. Fluttershy giggled. "You really should eat more than that. Don't you think?" The bunny hopped out of the home. "It's not play time yet." Fluttershy began flying to catch up to the bunny. "I know you want to run, but... just three more bites." The bunny shook its head. "Two more bites?" The bunny shook its head again. Fluttershy moved the carrot closer to the bunny. "One more bite? Pretty please?" The bunny kicked the carrot and hopped off, causing Fluttershy to sigh.
"Hey Fluttershy." I walked up to her.
Her mouth formed a smiled and she raised her head. "Hi, Alex!"
"I didn't see you yesterday. Everything okay?" I asked.
"Yes, everything is alright. I'm sorry. I didn't go to town because I was too busy taking care of my animals."
"It's alright."
"Why? Did I miss anything important?"
I thought about yesterday's long and bizarre adventure. "Yeah… you could say that…"
"You need to tell me everything that happened!" Fluttershy exclaimed, excited.
"Alright… maybe later on today?"
Fluttershy smiled with her eyes closed. Her bunny suddenly coughed. She raced over to him.
"Oh. Oh, goodness. Are you okay?"
The bunny continued to cough.
"Are you coughing because there's a carrot stuck in your throat?"
The bunny replied with more coughs. I looked at where the bunny was looking.
"Because you need some water?" Fluttershy continued to ask.
The bunny emphasized his cough.
"Fluttershy… I think he's talking…" I pointed. "…about that."
Fluttershy observed to where I pointed. There was a huge mountain with a large trail of smoke pouring from it. The smoke was heading over to Ponyville…
Fluttershy gasped. "Because of that giant cloud of scary black smoke?" The bunny tossed a carrot at Fluttershy. "I'll take that as a... yes."
"We should warn the town." I suggested to Fluttershy.
"Of course! Let's go!"
Fluttershy and I ran across town, starting off at the park.
"Help. Help! Please?" Fluttershy tried to shout, but her voice was too soft for anyone to hear or take serious. "Help? There's- there's a horrible cloud of smoke. It's headed this way and- aaa!" A ball had flashed over her, along with a rainbow as well.
"Fluttershy, are you okay?" I asked.
She nodded, a little frightened.
"Don't be such a scaredy-pony." It was Rainbow Dash. She was bouncing a ball on her head as she talked. "It's just me. Future Equestria ball-bouncing record holder. Two forty six, two forty seven..."
Pinkie Pie had been observing and shouted. "This calls for a celebration!"
"No, Pinkie Pie, this is NO time for celebrations." Fluttershy responded. "This is a time for panic, for—
"Ooo! I'm going to need balloons! One for every pony in Ponyville!" Pinkie Pie interrupted.
Fluttershy followed her, trying to warn her. "There's- there's smoke. And- and where there's smoke, there's fire. And—
"Let's see, that's one, two, three, four..." Pinkie Pie continued to talk, ignoring Fluttershy.
"Two hundred fifty four..." came from Rainbow Dash.
"Five, six..." Pinkie Pie talked over Rainbow Dash's counting.
"Two hundred fifty five no wait…" Rainbow Dash lost count.
"Seven!" Pinkie Pie poked Rainbow Dash.
"Pinkie Pie! Now I have to start over." Rainbow Dash replied, annoyed.
"We're all going to have to start over." Fluttershy continued to warn. " In a new village. Because ours is gonna be—
Regardless, Rainbow Dash flew off with Pinkie Pie trailing behind her.
"Oh, please, this is an emergency. I-I need every pony to—
Annoyed with Fluttershy being ignored, I was about to shout out the warning, but somepony had beaten me to it.
"Listen up! Smoke is spreading over all of Equestria." Twilight yelled.
All the ponies finally began exclaiming and panicking.
"That's what I've been trying to—
Fluttershy tried to talk…
"But don't worry…" Twilight continued. "I've just received a letter from Princess Celestia informing me that it's not coming from a fire."
"Oh, thank goodness." Fluttershy was relieved.
"It's coming from a dragon." Twilight broke.
Every pony gasped, especially Fluttershy.
"A... d-dragon?"
Twilight spotted us and ran over.
"Fluttershy. Alex. I need you guys to come with me!"
Fluttershy and I looked at each other. Twilight began galloping back into town. We followed her all the way to her home.
When we were inside her home, we noticed Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash while Twilight was flipping hastily through a book.
"What in the name of all things cinnamon swirled is a full-grown dragon doing here in Equestria?" Applejack asked.
"Sleeping." Twilight answered briefly.
"Huh?" The rest of the girls asked.
"According to Princess Celestia, he's taking a nap. His snoring is what's causing all this smoke." Twilight explained as she was finishing packing books into a saddle.
"He should really see a doctor!" Pinkie Pie shared. "That doesn't sound healthy at all!"
"Well…" Rarity replied. "At least he's not snoring fire! What are WE meant to do about it?"
"I'll tell you what we're meant to do!" Rainbow Dash announced, flying mid-air. "Give him the boot. Take that!" She kicked a small statue Twilight had. Twilight used her magic to keep it from falling. "And that!" Rainbow Dash flew towards the statue again, but Twilight lifted it up, causing Rainbow Dash to miss and crash into a pile of books.
"We need to ENCOURAGE him to take a nap somewhere else." Twilight made her point. "Princess Celestia has given us this mission, and we must not fail. If we do, Equestria will be covered in smoke for the next one hundred years."
Fluttershy gasped.
"Talk about getting your BEAUTY sleep. Rarity added.
"All right, every pony." Twilight began. "I need you to gather supplies quickly. We've got a long journey ahead of us. Let's meet back here in less than an hour." Twilight placed the saddle she finished on her back.
"Okay, girls, you heard her. The fate of Equestria is in our hooves. Do we have what it takes?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity agreed cheerfully as all of them raced out the door.
"Um, actually..." Fluttershy said.
I walked up to her. "Fluttershy, are you okay?"
She looked at me and motioned for me to walk along side her. When we reached far enough from the house, she spoke softly to me. "I'm scared…"
"Why don't you stay here…?" I asked.
She thought for a moment. "Twilight might need me…"
I couldn't argue about that…
"Alex, aren't you going to get your stuff?" She asked.
"I don't think so. There's not much stuff that I could use on this 'mission'."
"Oh…"
When we arrived at her house, I waited outside for her to grab the things she needed. When she came out, she was wearing a pony football helmet, a hard leather vest, and floaters. The door behind her shut and she shrieked, frightened by the noise.
"It was just the door, Fluttershy." I told her.
"Oh… sorry…" She apologized.
"Why are you wearing that much stuff?" I asked.
"You never know what could happen…"
I began taking off the football helmet. "Trust me, you're going to be fine, Fluttershy."
"Are you sure…?"
"Yes." I finished taking off the rest of her gear. "Besides if you wore that much, it would most likely weigh you down too much so you wouldn't be able to fly."
"I guess so…"
"Come on, we should get going."
"Umm… let's… not?" Fluttershy hesitated. She then let out a whine.
I faced her and looked into her eyes. "It'll be fine… I'll be with you to take care of you…"
She stared at my eyes and then looked away, blushing. "Okay… I trust you…"
We had regrouped with Twilight back in town. She had us line up in attention as she briefed us on the mission.
"All right, ponies, listen up. I'm mapping out the fastest route, but we've all got to keep a good pace if we expect to make it up the mountain by nightfall." Twilight announced.
Fluttershy looked at Twilight and stuttered. "M-m-mountain?"
"The dragon is in that cave at the very top." Twilight pointed.
"Looks pretty cold up there." Applejack commented.
"You bet it is. The higher you go, the chillier it gets." Rainbow Dash explained.
"Good thing I brought my scarf." Rarity added. She unpacked a pink scarf.
"Ooo!" Pinkie Pie observed Rarity's scarf. "Pretty!"
"A-heh, oh yeah. THAT'LL keep you nice and cozy." Rainbow Dash responded, satirically.
I noticed Fluttershy continue to stare at the mountain in horror. She gulped and walked over to Twilight, who was observing a map.
"Um, excuse me, Twilight? I know you're busy, but..."
"Uh-huh. Well, we could go this way." Twilight replied, not noticing Fluttershy.
"But if I could just have a second..."
"Uh-huh. No, we want to avoid that."
"So, um, I was thinking that, um, maybe I should just stay here in Ponyville."
"Uh-huh." Twilight still hadn't noticed.
"Oh! Good. I'll stay here and—
"Wait!" Twilight finally realized what was going on. "You HAVE to come! Your way with wild animals will surely come in handy."
"I don't think I—
"Oh, and don't worry about your little friends in the meadow. Spike's got it covered while you're gone."
Spike came over with little animals on his arms and head. "You can count on me!" The bunny kicked his head and every creature ran off. "Oooh! Hey! Hey! Wait!" Spike exclaimed as he ran after them.
"I don't really think he's up to the task. Maybe... But... But..." Fluttershy slipped out another whine as she noticed Twilight had walked away, ignoring her pleads.
I walked over to Fluttershy as she lowered her head and stared at the ground. I placed my front right hoof on her and tried to comfort her.
"I'm sorry Alex…" She said with closed eyes. She opened them and noticed her shadow. She screamed and jumped in a bush.
"Fluttershy, it's okay. It's just your shadow."
She poked her head out and looked at me. "I'm so sorry, Alex… I'm just going to slow all everypony down."
"You'll do fine, Fluttershy. I—
"All right, ponies, move out!"
Fluttershy noticed the girls moving straight towards her. "But... but...!" They took her along with them. I ran after them as Fluttershy screamed.
When they finally stopped in front of the mountain, the dragon let out a loud snore, causing Fluttershy to gasp and hide behind Applejack.
"Whoa. What was that?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"That is what it sounds like when a dragon snores." Twilight answered.
"It- it's so... high!" Fluttershy exclaimed.
"Well, it IS a mountain. I'm going to fly up there and check it out!" Rainbow Dash was getting a head start in flying to the top, but Applejack grabbed her tail with her teeth and prevented her from going.
"Hold on, now. I think we should all go up together. Safety in numbers an all." Applejack reasoned.
"Oh, all right…" Rainbow Dash said, grumpy.
We began walking up the mountain.
"I hear the only thing that sparkles more than the dragon's scales are the jewels they use to build their nests. Ooo, if I play my cards right, I might be able to convince him to part with a few!" I heard Rarity say above me.
"Welcome to my cave, Rarity." Pinkie Pie imitated the dragon. "Care for a diamond?" She let out a roar, making the ponies laugh.
Twilight continued onward. "Girls, this is no laughing matter!" She scolded. "Fluttershy, you're the expert on wild creatures. What do YOU think the dragon will be like?" There was no response. "Fluttershy?" The girls and I looked back. We could see Fluttershy hiding at the bottom.
"Hey! What are you waiting for? An invitation?" Rainbow Dash called.
"Ooo, I think I have one in my bag!" Pinkie Pie literally grabbed an invitation along with pop whistles.
"I-it's so... so... steep." Fluttershy whimpered.
"Well, it IS a cliff. You could just, I don't know, FLY up here?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
"Rainbow Dash… do you think you could be a little more sensitive?" I asked.
She seemed to ignore my comment.
"Come on, Fluttershy, you can do it. Flap those wings!" Pinkie Pie encouraged.
"Oh... okay." She began flapping her wings. She managed to begin flying. However, the dragon let out another loud snore, causing Fluttershy to whine in fear. Her wings failed and she fell straight onto another bush.
"Fluttershy!" I called and ran after her.
"Augh." I could her Rainbow Dash groan behind me.
I reached up to Fluttershy to make sure she was okay. "Fluttershy, are you alright?" I asked, observing if she had any cuts or bruises.
"Yes… but—
Fluttershy let out soft grunts as she tried to open her wings again.
I could hear Twilight above me. "Uh, we don't have time for this!" Applejack grabbed her map and observed it on a nearby rock. "What are you doing?"
"I'll need this if I'm going to take her around the mountain another way." Applejack replied.
Rainbow Dash groaned. "AROUND the mountain? That's going to take them forever!"
Applejack skidded down toward us. The dragon snored again, causing Fluttershy to fall to the floor, paralyzed. "Don't worry, Twilight. We'll be there lickety-split."
Twilight sighed and continued on.
Applejack walked over to Fluttershy and asked if she was alright. Fluttershy didn't respond but remained paralyzed.
Applejack sighed. "So… what are we gonna do?" She asked me.
"Why don't you let me carry her?" I asked.
"You sure you can?"
"Yeah… just not climbing up the mountain… that would be nearly impossible. We have to go your way. Just stay be me and make sure Fluttershy doesn't slip off."
"Alright…" Applejack helped pick up Fluttershy and place her on my back. "Ready?" She asked.
"Yeah…" I could feel the weight of Fluttershy. "Ready…"
Applejack walked and directed me the path we were taking. I carried Fluttershy all the way to see Twilight and the others waiting for us, bored. Applejack helped me place Fluttershy on the ground. In a moment, she finally regained herself and stood up.
"What…happened..?" She asked.
"Alex had to carry you all the way to the top." Applejack responded.
Fluttershy looked at me, and then blushed, looking away. "Oh… sorry…"
Rainbow Dash interrupted. "COME ON! WE DON'T HAVE ALL DAY!"
We all began walking further into the mountain while I stayed by Fluttershy. We came to a point where we would have to jump across to another part of the mountain. The others jumped across, leaving me and Fluttershy to be the last ones.
"It's just a small jump, Fluttershy." I said. I ran and jumped across, showing her. "See?" I yelled. "You can do it!"
"Your turn, Fluttershy!" Twilight said.
"But... it's so... wide…" Fluttershy trembled, holding a rock.
"Come on, Fluttershy, we should be much farther along by now." Twilight tried to reason.
"You could just leap on over." Applejack encouraged.
Fluttershy looked at the height. "I—
The dragon snored loudly, making Fluttershy back off and tremble more.
"I don't know…"
Twilight and Applejack shook their heads."There's nothing to be afraid of!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "It's just a hop, skip and a jump. See?" Pinkie Pie jumped across to where Fluttershy was and began singing. "It's not very far. Just move your little rump. You can make it if you try with a hop, skip and jump!"
"We don't have time for this!" Twilight repeated.
"A hop, skip and jump. Just move your little rump. A hop, skip and jump. A hop, skip and jump A hop, skip and jump. A hop skip and jump, A hop skip and jump!"
Pinkie Pie continued singing, attempting to encourage Fluttershy to jump by continuously jumping over many times.
"O-okay. Here I go. A hop." Fluttershy hopped.
Applejack, Twilight, and Rarity encouraged her.
"That's it."
"You've got it."
"Almost there."
"A skip." Fluttershy skipped, beginning to come to us.
"Just don't look down." Twilight added.
However, most of the time when you say DON'T LOOK DOWN, you end up DO LOOKING DOWN.
When Fluttershy was in mid-air, she looked down. She whined, but her front legs caught on the other end of the jump."
"Ugh." Rainbow Dash groaned.
I walked over to Fluttershy and grabbed her front hooves, pulling her across.
"I guess I forgot to jump." Fluttershy said, releasing a smile.
Twilight warned us about the area we reached next.
"Let's keep it down. According to my map, we're entering an avalanche zone. The smallest peep could cause a huge rockslide." Twilight whispered.
"An... an ava... ava..." Fluttershy grew terrified.
"Shh!" Twilight shushed.
Every pony began walking softly along the dangerous area. Rainbow Dash had been flying low, but she pushed through a tree branch, which caused a couple of leaves to fall. These leaves landed on Fluttershy.
"AVALA-!" She immediately screamed, however Applejack placed her hoof on Fluttershy's mouth, preventing her to finish her sentence.
After a few seconds, everyone sighed.
On the other hand, a rumble commenced shortly afterwards. Rocks began tumbling down straight towards us. All the ponies cried out Avalanche. I tried to dodge the rocks coming straight towards me. I barely escaped, alive. However, I saw Fluttershy shaking terribly when a boulder was about to plunge down on her.
"Fluttershy!" I rushed over to her and push her out of the way. However, the only things I can see now are many rocks… and I feel rolling motion on my body… now… everything is black.
"Alex!" I could hear very faintly. "Alex!"
"Alex, where are you…? Alex!"
I could feel that my eyes were open… but why was everything black?
I felt weight on me, separated by little pieces. However, it was a little hard to breathe. It felt as if I was losing air by the second… I tried squirming around but I didn't even know if it had any effect. What do I do?
"Maybe he's already at the top…"
"No! He's not! Something must have happened to him during the Avalanche!"
I continued to hear my name being called, along with voices… but too faint to distinguish whose it was.
"Keep searching!"
I tried kicking in front of me with my back leg. I kind of felt a hole open up where I kicked… like a dent… but if I continue to kick, I'll waste energy. And if I don't make any progress and waste all my energy, I'll be done for… but if I save my energy and hope that help finds me, I might make it out alive… What should I do…?
I closed my eyes, despite the lack of sight. I looked inside myself and pulled out my decision. I trusted my instincts and continued to kick. With little grunts, I could feel the dent growing larger and larger. I finally gave one last kick and broke open the hole. I heard the chunks of rock that I kicked away. My leg felt free. I could hear the voices clear now. I took a deep breath, sucking in the air that I now had access to and continued pushing the rocks with my other legs. When I finally removed a lot more weight off my chest, I pushed myself forward until I could finally see everything now. All the piles of rocks on my chest fell downward as I sat up.
"Alex!" I heard Rarity's voice from behind me. I looked behind and saw Rarity running towards me. She hugged me and continued speaking. "I thought you were DONE for!"
"Gee… thanks, Rarity…" I replied, brushing off the dirt from my coat.
"Oh, I didn't mean it like that! I meant—
"It's fine."
She helped me up and shouted to every pony. "Alex is alright!"
Every pony suddenly ran over to me, making sure I was alright and that nothing was broken. They all asked me what had happened. But all I could say was that I didn't know. Fluttershy had broken through their blockage and ran towards me, sobbing.
"Oh, Alex! I'm so glad you're okay! It was my entire fault!" She said through tears.
"No it isn't Fluttershy, I'm fine." I replied.
"Well…" Rainbow Dash started, but I gave her a stare that shut her mouth.
"Will you still be able to come with us, Alex?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah…"
We continued walking to the dragon's lair. It turned out that I was on the other end of the avalanche. How I survived, it is a mystery…
"We're here." Twilight announced. "Rainbow Dash," She spoke softly. "You'll use your wings to clear the smoke."
Rainbow Dash nodded and flew up to do her duty.
Twilight continued to direct the others. "Rarity and Pinkie Pie, you'll create a diversion to distract the dragon if things get a little hairy in there." Pinkie Pie grabbed a rubber chicken and began waving it around. "Applejack, you're ready with the apples in case he decides to attack." Applejack kicked a few apples to a nearby tree to show her accuracy. "But it shouldn't come to that, because Fluttershy will do what she needs to do to wake him up, and between the two of us, we should be able to get him to understand why he needs to go. Is every pony ready?"
Every pony gave their affirmatives, except Fluttershy. She was trembling.
"What about me?" I asked.
"After that avalanche? I don't want you getting into any more dangerous situations."
"But—
"No buts. If Applejack or any other pony needs help, you can help them. But, I don't want you going into that cave."
I sighed. I didn't want to argue. "Alright…"
"Okay then, we're goin' in." Twilight walked inside the cave alone. After a few seconds, she came back out, looking for Fluttershy.
Fluttershy's face was buried in the ground.
"Come on!" Twilight grunted, grabbing Fluttershy's wings with her teeth and pulling her head out. "We have to do this!" Twilight released another grunt, pushing Fluttershy from behind. "Now!" Rainbow Dash began to help Twilight push. "Every - second longer that dragon—Rarity joined – sleeps is another – Applejack helped - acre of Equestria that's covered in—Twilight grunted –smoke." Pinkie Pie flew straight towards them. "Ooh!"
"I- I- I can't go in the cave." Fluttershy spoke.
Ever pony groaned.
"Oh, great." Rainbow Dash announced. "She's scared of caves now, too."
"I'm not scared of caves, I'm scared of…" Fluttershy mumbled.
Applejack walked towards Fluttershy. "What's that, sugar cube?"
"I'm scared of…" Fluttershy mumbled again.
"What?" Twilight asked.
"I'm scared of dragons!" Fluttershy exclaimed.
The dragon gave out another loud snore, blowing out a large cloud of smoke and causing Fluttershy to squeal. All of us coughed until the smoke disappeared.
"But, Fluttershy, you have a wonderful talent dealing with all kinds of animals." Twilight tried to reason with Fluttershy, who was hiding behind Applejack.
"Yes. Because they're not dragons." Fluttershy replied.
"Oh come on! We've seen you walk up to a horrible manticore like it was nothing." Rainbow Dash added.
"Yes. Because he wasn't a dragon." Fluttershy made a point…
"Spike is a dragon. You're not scared of him." Pinkie Pie spoke.
"Yes. Because he not a huge, gigantic, terrifying, enormous, teeth-gnashing, sharp-scale having, horn-wearing, smoke-snoring, could eat a pony in one bite, totally all grown up dragon!"
The dragon snored again which made Fluttershy whimper.
"But, if you're so afraid of dragons, why didn't you say something before we came all the way up here?" Twilight asked.
"I was afraid to." Fluttershy replied.
"Augh." Rainbow Dash groaned.
"All of us are scared of that dragon." Applejack pushed Fluttershy up.
"I'm not!" Rainbow Dash bragged.
"Almost all of us are scared of that dragon. But we've got a job to do. So, get in there with Twilight and show her what you're made of." Applejack encouraged.
"I- I- I just... can't." Fluttershy lowered her head and began walking back.
"Oh, Fluttershy…" Twilight said.
"I'll go talk to her…" I offered.
While the other ponies began their persuasion to get the dragon to leave, I walked over to Fluttershy, who was sniffling behind a large boulder.
"Fluttershy…" I said as I took a seat next to her.
She wiped her eyes and looked at me. "I can't do it Alex…"
"Yes, you can… you have a fear… and that's alright… but at one point of your life, you're going to have to face it… believe me. You don't want to be scared of dragons your whole life, do you?"
"I don't know…" Fluttershy stared at the ground. "What if I just ruin things all over again? Like I did with that avala—
"Stop about that Fluttershy." I interrupted her. "It's in the past. I didn't get hurt. You can just forget about it. We all make mistakes because we're not perfect. I promise you… you'll be fine. I believe in you…"
"You do…?"
I nodded.
She managed to smile softly. "Oh, Alex… I—
We heard a terrifying and awfully loud roar from the dragon's cave. The ground shook and the dragon poked his head out of the cave. It blew the other ponies toward the boulder we were at with its smoke, causing half of it to collapse. Fluttershy stared in disbelief at her moaning and groaning friends. She didn't notice that the dragon saw her and was about to grab her. I jumped in the way, making the dragon grab me instead. It held me tightly in its scaly hands. It looked over at Fluttershy, whose eyes looked around nervously. Fluttershy then balanced herself and looked at the dragon with the fear gone.
"How dare you?" She finally spoke. "How dare you!" Fluttershy began to exclaim louder than I've ever heard her before. She flew straight towards the dragon and landed on its mouth, walking towards its eyes. "Listen here, mister. Just because you're big doesn't mean you get to be a bully. You may have huge teeth, and sharp scales, and snore smoke, and breathe fire. But you do not- I repeat- You do NOT! HURT! MY! FRIENDS! You got that?"
The dragon backed its head away, whimpering like a puppy.
"Well?" Fluttershy asked, hooves crossed.
"But that rainbow one kicked me…" The dragon responded.
I could see Rainbow Dash nodding, proudly.
"And I'm very sorry about that. But you're bigger than she is, and you should know better. You should also know better than to take a nap where your snoring can become a health hazard to other creatures."
"But I—
"Don't you 'but I' me, mister." Fluttershy interrupted. "Now what do you have to say for yourself?" The dragon remained silent. "I said WHAT do you have to say for yourself?"
The dragon whimpered and began to cry, surprising me with its huge eye drops.
"There, there. No need to cry." Fluttershy said, compassionately. "You're not a bad dragon; you just made a bad decision. Now go pack your things." Fluttershy flew downwards, pulling me out of the dragon's hand and placing me back on the ground. "You just need to find a new place to sleep. That's all."
The other ponies cheered.
"You did it! I knew you could do it." Twilight exclaimed.
The dragon began flying out of the cave, searching for a new home.
"Thanks… but I didn't do it by myself…" Fluttershy's eyes shifted towards me. I felt a little red.
We returned home to see all the flying ponies clearing out the smoke from the sky. We had walked over to Twilight's home to see Spike having a lot of trouble with Fluttershy's animals.
"Spike, take a letter." Twilight announced.
Spike sighed, dropping the bunny he was holding. "With pleasure."
"Dear Princess Celestia..." Twilight spoke. " I am happy to report that the dragon has departed our fair country, and that it was my good friend, Fluttershy, who convinced him to go. This adventure has taught me to never lose faith in your friends. They can be an amazing source of strength, and can help you overcome even your greatest fears. Always your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."
When Twilight was finished, we had noticed that Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash had left.
"Twilight! You gotta come see this!" Applejack yelled. We ran outside to see Rainbow Dash bouncing a ball on her head. "She's just five away from a new pony record!"
"Three hundred forty-seven, three hundred forty-eight..." Rainbow Dash counted.
Some pony had roared, causing Rainbow Dash to drop the ball. "Dragon!" Rainbow Dash fell to the floor.
Every other pony began laughing.
"Why are you laughing? That awful dragon is back!" She stood back up.
Pinkie Pie had walked up to her and roared loudly again.
"Pinkie Pie, you scared me!" Rainbow Dash then realized what she said and shifted her tone. "I mean, uh, you... broke my concentration."
Fluttershy flew near her. "It's okay, Rainbow Dash. Not every pony can be as brave as me."
Rainbow Dash blew a leaf that was floating in the air. The leaf swerved over to Fluttershy and landed on her back. Fluttershy screamed and fell to the floor. Every pony laughed, even Twilight who shook her head.
When night began to fall, every pony returned back to their homes. I helped Fluttershy bring back the animals to her home. When we placed the animals back where they belonged, we traveled over to a cliff, where we sat and watched the ocean.
"Thanks for helping me bring my animals, Alex." She spoke.
"It's not a problem at all." I replied.
Fluttershy paused for a moment. "…And thank you for helping me face my fear too…"
"Me?" I placed a hoof on my chest, confused. "I didn't do anything…"
Fluttershy smiled and looked towards the ocean. "Yes, you did. When you told me you believed in me… I began to believe in myself… and when I saw every pony hurt because of the dragon, especially you… that when I remembered…"
I continued looking at her.
She looked over at me. "I remembered when you stood up for me when Gilda was being a bully… so I did what my heart told me and faced the dragon." She looked up at the stars. "And now… I'm not so scared of dragons anymore… so… Thank you…"
"Wow…" I looked at the ocean. "I never knew I could affect somepony so much like that…"
Fluttershy giggled. "I'm pretty sure there are so many more things you can do, Alex."
"Maybe…"
"Well… I guess I better be going now…"
"Mmk…" I felt something soft and sweet planted on my cheek, leaving me even more paralyzed than last time.
"Goodnight, Alex." Fluttershy said, blushing intensely but most of the redness was hidden by the dark. She began flying away to her home while I sat there breathless…
I placed my hoof on my cheek.
"Wow…" was the only thing on my mind while the new feeling grew even stronger, which was pounding like crazy now…