Dragon-Hearted

by Marion330

Parasprites and Train Rides

"Princess, I beg you to stay for the conference tomorrow. The Griffins will think you're brushing them off."

Even with her nearly unlimited patience, this ambassador was starting to annoy her. "They should, I've met with your 'friends' three times this week alone. I received a letter from my student in Ponyville, and I'm going to see what she needs of me. Tell the griffins their conference can wait until next week."

Wing Tip scowled, "Yes, your majesty."

He left the room, leaving Celestia in her study on her own.

A letter had arrived addressed from Twilight, asking for her to come to Ponyville. It had lacked detail, but what was there concerned her greatly.

Atticus had asked to speak with her, in private. She would have to give a good excuse to leave Canterlot in such short notice.

She sighed. The work of an immortal monarch is never done, and certainly never easy.

"Did she respond?" Atticus was lying next to the tree-house as the three crusaders got ready for a Saturday full of plans.

Scootaloo looked up from the map of Ponyville, "Spike told me he got a letter back last night. She should be coming tonight."

"Good, I just need to speak with her. Ask her a few questions about Equestria." Atticus rose from his belly and stretched out his still torn wings. "Applebloom, you said Applejack wanted me?"

"Yeah, she said she had a job for ya to do while you wait for Celestia to get here. She said she was gonna wait near the barn for you." Applebloom pointed of in the direction of the barn.

"Thank you, Applebloom." Atticus was tall enough that if he rested on his back legs he could see just over the trees. "I'll find my way over there now." He left the small clearing.

Atticus looked back at the fillies, feeling pangs of guilt. His own son-in-laws hatchlings suffered while he attempted to recover. He shoved it from his mind, hoping maybe helping Applejack will quicken his recovery somehow.

Applejack was waiting next to the barn. Atticus could tell from a distance that something was eating her. She was shifting uncomfortably on her hooves, watching Atticus approach.

"Is something wrong Applejack?"

"Well, I was going to put you to work today in the orchards hauling carts. But I now have a much more important matter I need help with." She peered around, making sure no one was around. "There seems to be an ongoing infestation in the north orchard, there are parasprites eating every leaf, apple, and blossom in the orchard!"

"You want me to get rid of them," Atticus' nostrils flared as a puff of smoke rolled out.

"Well, yes, but Fluttershy is over there already. She's already afraid of dragons, and would be devastated if any of those critters got hurt, no matter how much of a pest they are. I need you to do it without hurting them or scaring her."

"So, no fire then?"

Applejack gave him a look.

"Oh yes, flammable trees." Atticus again thought back to the lands of his origins, where a green landscape was almost unheard of.

"Alrighty then, Lets get over there before those varmints spread any farther." With that, the apple farmer and the dragon set off to fight the approaching swarm.

Finch had been put on recon duty, and today had to be the day someone spotted the dragon.

Finch trained his goggles on the large reptile, tracking its large figure through the apple trees.

"Where are you going?" he murmured to himself. He kept watch of the dragon while he pulled a small pink crystal out of one of his bags. He crushed it, sending a signal back to his comrades he had spotted the dragon.

He prepared to leave his roost, but halted for a split second. He had set the gears of their plan in motion. But for the first time in his short mercenary career, he felt a pang of guilt rip through him.

He shrugged it off as a sign of pre-op jitters, and flew back to base.

Parasprites zipped in-between trees, trying to find an apple that might have been missed.

"Oh...my...ummm. If you little guys, um, bugs I mean, could stop eating Applejack's apples. That would be really nice."

Fluttershy sat in the middle of a one swarm apple apocalypse, attempting to negotiate with the feasting horde.

"Fluttershy!" Applejack and Atticus approached. Atticus wore a look of concern when he realized the task that laid ahead of them.

"How many are there?" Atticus asked.

"Enough to wipe out my farm! Now, can you try and scare 'em away with a roar or something?" Applejack suggested. The parasprites multiplied by the second, and soon they might spread into another orchard.

"Roar? Oh I haven't raised a threatening roar for almost a century," Applejack gave him a look. "But I suppose I could try..."

Atticus cleared his throat. Fluttershy shrieked as the low rumble made the ground underneath her hooves tremble slightly.

Atticus opened his mouth and let out a terrible roar,

"RAWWWWW-*cough*-*cough*..."

This quickly evolved into a coughing fit.

Smoke from the dragons coughing spread into the nearby trees. Fluttershy watched as parasprite after parasprite dropped, as if lulled to sleep by breathing the smoke.

"You call that a roar?! It died like halfway through!"

Fluttershy lightly poked Applejack, and pointed in the direction of the fainting parasprites.

Applejack looked at Atticus, who was huffing from his attempted roar. "Good news is you don't have to do that again. I got a better idea!"

"What do you mean 'all the carts have been sabotaged'?" A very concerned Celestia stood with her new Captain of the guard.

"I'm sorry ma'am. Someone must have sneaked in in-between shift switches." The new captain matter-of-factually stated. "I suggest until we find the culprit you remain in Canterlot."

Celestia turned from her captain and weighed her options.

"Captain, has the train to Ponyville left yet?"

"No ma'am, it lea-" In a flash of white Celestia disappeared before his eyes. He stood there dumbstruck for a second, then galloped off to the train station.

Fluttershy and Applejack covered the last basket full of knocked out parasprites and loaded them in a cart.

"Are yah sure you can handle this big cart by yourself?"

"No. I was going to ask if A-Atticus could pull it for me," Fluttershy looked past AJ at the still puffing dragon.

"I'd...love...to," was all the old dragon could muster.

"Great, just wait here you two. I'll be back with the harness for Atticus in no time." AJ trotted back to the barn to grab it.

Both Atticus and Fluttershy occupied the pregnant silence waiting for Applejack to return. Atticus grew uncomfortable and spoke, but at a whisper.

"So, Applejack told me you’re afraid of Dragons."

"Only big ones. Baby dragons are o-ok though."

"Do I scare you? I'd like to think I'm young at heart." Atticus joked. Fluttershy eased a smile.

"I suppose with all this talk of war and invasion it hasn't really helped your fear of my kind." Atticus grew somber as he remembered why he was trapped in this town until her recovered in the first place.

"N-no, not really. Most of that gossip doesn't reach me out at the cottage."

"Perhaps you would feel better if you could talk to a dragon instead of having him just roar at you?"

Fluttershy relaxed," Y-yes, that would be nice."

So they talked. Atticus talked about his home and relatives, and Fluttershy talked about animals. The dragon quickly learned this was her favorite subject, and she opened up when she talked about it.

Applejack arrived mid conversation and helped Atticus hook up to the parasprite cart. Fluttershy's voice faded into the evening as the two took off to deliver the parasprites to their home in the Everfree.

Carrot top sat alone on the train home. She had delivered the orders of fresh vegetables on time to her clients(ponies in Canterlot paid top bit to get farm fresh produce every year), and was heading home after a busy week in Canterlot. She had a newspaper open to the weather schedule for Ponyville for the next week. Rain was due, the ground needed it.

"Is this seat taken?" another pony asked from behind the paper.

"Oh no, I'm here by myself. Go ahead."

"How does the weather in Ponyville look?"

"Clear 'til Sunday, Then a rainy week until Thursday.

"Good, I hear Ponyville needed a little rain."

"A little rain is good for my veggies, but four days in a row might be a little much at a time."

"True. How was your visit to Canterlot?"

"Good, other than all the business I had to take care of."

"Canterlot is always at it's busiest it seems this time of year."

The pair continued, chatting about the weather, recent Wonderbolt performances, and other small talk. The train began to slow as it chugged into Ponyville.

"Thank you for the offer, I'll come by later to talk about ordering yearly deliveries," The nameless pony said through the newspaper.

"No problem. I haven't had such a casual chat in a long time. My name is Carrot Top, by the way."

"Nice meeting you, Carrot Top. I'm glad I got to spend this time with such a relaxed mare. Usually most ponies aren't around me. Even the other passengers seem to be a little worked up."

The other mare got up and began walking away. Carrot began to fold her newspaper, looking behind her for the mare who had sat next to her.

The weather, sports, and all the other pages slid to the ground. Carrot top felt her jaw drop as Celestia herself trotted down the aisle, eyes fixed on her. Others were looking at Carrot Top. Carrot Top felt her jaw drop, speechless.

Her mind flushed, barring one thing.

"She wanted to buy some of my carrots!"