//------------------------------//
// Starlight Fixes Dragonshy (Alternate version) 
// Story: Past Conditional: More Speedfics and Drabbles by Present Perfect 
// by PresentPerfect 
//------------------------------//

Starlight Fixes Everything
Episode 7, Dragonshy
Alternate version
by Present Perfect

Fluttershy swallowed.

"Um, excuse me, Twilight?" she said, in her most forward voice.  "I know you're busy, but..."

"Uh-huh." Twilight, nose stuck in the map, didn't seem to have heard her for some reason.  "Well, we could go this way..."

Licking her lips, Fluttershy redoubled her paltry efforts.  "But if I could just have a second..."

"Uh-huh." Twilight jabbed a corner of the map.  "No, we want to avoid that!"

Sensing her opportunity, Fluttershy pounced like a wild, cuddly beast.  "So, um, I was thinking that, um, maybe I should just stay--"

BAMF

Fluttershy just about jumped out of her skin as a pink unicorn with teal-striped purple mane appeared out of nowhere right beside her.  She yelped as she was lifted into the air by turquoise magic.

"'Scuse me, Twilight," the mare said, having no more luck in drawing Twilight's attention than Fluttershy.  "Need to borrow this a sec!"

BAMF

"Uh-huh," said Twilight.





"P-please, Miss," Fluttershy said, voice trembling as she was hauled through the air by the strange unicorn.  "I d-don't mean to be a bother, but I would be ever so appreciative if you would put me--"

"We're here," the mare said, dumping Fluttershy unceremoniously on the ground.

That was when Fluttershy realized where here was: right in front of a deep, dark cave at the top of a tall, gusty mountain.  She didn't have time to get in a proper freak out, however; the other mare stepped between her and the cave, lifting her chin with a hoof.

"So, hi there," she said, smiling brightly.  "My name's Starlight Glimmer.  This is technically the first time we've met, but in the future, I'm your friend."

Starlight took a few steps back, toward the cave.

Fluttershy was too petrified to speak.

"And if there's one thing I know about you," Starlight continued, "it's that you might be a scaredy-pony on the outside, but you'll always come through in a big way when your friends are in danger."

She took a few more steps closer to the cave.

"So I'm just going to head in there--" she tilted her horn toward the cave mouth-- "and wait for you to come in after me and tell that dragon off.  Then the smoke will clear up and we can all go home!  Sound good?  Great!  Don't keep me waiting, I'll only be in mortal danger, ha ha!"

With that, Starlight trotted into the cave as though she were headed to a party.

Fluttershy could only stare after her.

The mountaintop grew silent, save for the winds that whistled around the peak.

Fluttershy continued to stare into the cave's obsidian maw.

There came a sound like somepony giving a high-pitched, nervous laugh.

Fluttershy heaved herself to her hooves at long last.

The ear-shattering roar shook the dust and rocks outside the cave.

Fluttershy backed away down the twisting path that led up the mountainside.

Then there was a sound not unlike what you get when someone falls down and breaks a lot of bones all at once.  Yeah.  Someone definitely fell down and broke some bones in there, Fluttershy.

...Fluttershy?

Oh dear.  It would seem she's left us.

I suppose the same can be said for poor Starlight.

Guess she didn't think this one through too well.

GAME OVER