//------------------------------//
// Full Of Surprises 
// Story: Fortune Favors The Bold 
// by TheEquestrianWing 
//------------------------------//

After Applejack said that, she, Bronze Star, and Alpine continued trotting in silence. About an hour later, they finally made it to the halfway point of the mountain. The other five members of the group were waiting for them there. They had managed to find ways to pass the time. Pinkie Pie had beaten Rarity at thirty-five consecutive games of tic-tac-toe, Twilight Sparkle was outlining a plan for confronting the dragon, Rainbow Dash was flying upside down, and Mauser was resting against a rock.

It was a good thing Bronze Star, Applejack, and Alpine reached the halfway point of the mountain when they did. By that time, they had begun to get tired of carrying Fluttershy.

Once they came within sight of the rest of the group, they gently lowered the stiff mare to the ground. Applejack mumbled while panting "We. Made. It."

At that moment, Fluttershy snapped back to awareness. She regained her bearings and got back to her hooves. She was still as nervous as she had been earlier, but at least she was capable of independent movement again. Bronze Star face-hoofed himself, but Alpine smiled in satisfaction.

Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash glared at Fluttershy incredulously, and the cyan mare whispered "Told you it was going to take them forever."

Despite this hindrance, the rest of the group was determined to make up for lost time. Earlier, Mauser had scouted ahead to survey the environment and the path so that they would have a clearer idea of what they were up against. He informed the others that the most direct route to the top of the mountain had a certain complication: a few hundred meters upward, the path split apart over a ravine.

A half-hour later, they encountered this break in the terrain. Fortunately, the gap was only a few feet wide. Rainbow Dash effortlessly flew over it, and Bronze Star, Alpine, Mauser, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle easily jumped to the other side.

Here the group encountered another setback; this one involved Fluttershy, too. She was too timid to hop over the chasm, claiming it was so wide. The others patiently tried to convince her that she could easily make that distance. Pinkie Pie even broke into a song for about twenty seconds. The subject was about hopping, skipping, and jumping. As bizarre as that was, it had a positive effect on Fluttershy, and she managed to leap over the gorge. She almost fell when she looked down in midair, but the others were able to pull her up onto the ledge.

From this point onward, it was pretty much smooth sailing until the group neared the top of the mountain. That was when they arrived in an avalanche zone. Twilight explicitly instructed everypony to remain absolutely quiet, lest they risk starting a rockslide.

For a couple minutes, they managed to get by in total silence. But when they were halfway through the avalanche zone, a leaf from a dead tree drifted through the air and brushed by Fluttershy's flank. That took her by surprise and she shrieked "AVALA-!"

Applejack quickly placed her hoof over the yellow mare's mouth. Although that shut her up, her voice echoed all over the area. Nothing seemed to happen once the echo faded, so the group breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Their relief turned out to be premature. Just when the group thought it was safe to move on, the ground started shaking. Then pieces of the mountain started rolling down towards the nine ponies. At first, they were just pebbles, but larger and heavier pieces soon followed, such as rocks, stones, and full-sized boulders.

"Avalanche!" the nine ponies shouted in unison.

They scattered all over the area to avoid getting crushed by the rocks. Rainbow Dash was able to fly to avoid getting hit, but the others had to get by on their hooves. Thanks to their military training, Bronze Star and Mauser Sauer were able to dodge the boulders with relative ease, and Applejack had the reflexes and agility of a hawk. However, it was not as easy for the rest of the mares to maneuver through the rockslide. At one point, one of the boulders almost landed on Twilight Sparkle while she was running, but Applejack lunged towards the lavender mare and pushed her out of the way just in time.

The avalanche only lasted for a couple minutes, but by the time it was over, the entire cliff was buried under a pile of rubble. Fortunately, the group had been buried under a shallow part of the pile; they were able to dig themselves out. Other than a few scrapes and bruises, none of them were injured. Rarity lost her scarf, but she brought a spare.

The avalanche set the group back once more. They needed another twenty minutes to climb over the pile of rubble and get to the other side of the cliff. However, once they were on the other side, they encountered a crooked passage. After they trotted up that passage, they finally arrived at the dragon's lair.

Twilight Sparkle had already put together a plan. First, she had Rainbow Dash use her wings to clear smoke. Then she instructed Rarity and Pinkie Pie to prepare to create a diversion, and she had Applejack and Bronze Star stand ready to fight in case things turned violent. She also had Mauser guard the entrance to the cave and asked Alpine to have her medical supplies out.

Lastly, she planned to send herself and Fluttershy into the cave to wake up the dragon and open up negotiations with him. It all seemed like a fairly straightforward operation, and everypony understood what was expected of them.

However, there was a slight problem. Once again, Fluttershy was the cause. It turned out that she was scared of dragons. She was so afraid of them that she was totally unwilling to go into the cave, even if the entire group went with her. The others tried to persuade her that she would be alright, but their efforts were in vain. Applejack claimed that all of them were scared of the dragon, but Bronze Star, Mauser, and Rainbow Dash were quick to deny that statement; they insisted that they feared nothing. Applejack corrected herself by claiming that almost all of them were scared of the dragon, and that Fluttershy had nothing to worry about. Unfortunately, the farm mare was unable to calm the wildlife preserver.

Ultimately, Twilight Sparkle decided to go in alone. Fluttershy hid behind a rock at the edge of the platform. The others remained at the entrance of the cave and watched the lavender mare as she trotted inside.

Soon she came face-to-face with the dragon. She was astounded by the sight of him. He was massive; at least one hundred times the size of the average pony. His scales was blood red and tough as steel. His fangs were sharp as razors, and his claws could cut through rock. He was lying on a huge pile of gems. He was sleeping very soundly; his nostrils were expelling smoke rapidly.

Twilight Sparkle softly called out to him "Mr. Dragon? Excuse me. Mr. Dragon?"

Soon, the dragon woke up. He slowly opened his eyes and turned towards the lavender mare. She stated "Oh, good, you're awake. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Twilight—"

The dragon interrupted her by yawning loudly. He inadvertently breathed smoke all over Twilight.

She coughed and muttered "Augh! Puh! Sparkle, and my friends and I are residents here in Equestria. Ponyville, to be exact. We've come her to ask that you find another spot to take your nap. It's just that you seem to be doing an awful lot of snoring, and every time you do you send out a terrible cloud of smoke. *cough* Equestria simply can't survive a hundred years in a dark haze. You understand, don't you?"

The dragon then rose up off his stomach and stretched. Then he scratched his hide and grunted tiredly. He looked as though he was actually going to move.

Twilight Sparkle smiled hopefully and said "So, you'll find another place to sleep?"

Evidently, she got the wrong idea. Once he was done stretching, the dragon lied back down on his bed of gems and huffed out a huge cloud of smoke. Twilight took that as her cue to leave the cave. She turned around and trotted back outside, coughing all the way.

At this point, all the other ponies were coughing, as they had been covered in smoke as well. Rainbow Dash angrily mumbled "So much for *cough* persuading him."

"Now what?" Applejack queried.

Rarity came forward with another idea. She coughed and stated "Obviously, this situation just calls for a little "pony charm". Allow me, girls."

As the white Unicorn trotted inside the cave, Mauser turned to Bronze Star and sarcastically remarked "What are we? Invisible?"

Bronze Star chuckled and cheekily commented "I don't think she's forgotten about us."

Inside the cave, Rarity approached the dragon and gently pronounced "I'm so sorry to interrupt."

Her voice caught the dragon's attention. Once she had his attention, the white Unicorn cleared her throat and went on with "But I couldn't possibly head back home without mentioning what handsome scales you have. And those scales have to be hidden away in some silly cave for a hundred years?"

Her ploy was a little more successful than Twilight's. The dragon rumbled, stood up, and looked himself over. While he did this, Rarity began taking certain treasures from his horde of gems.

As she gathered more, she told the dragon "Personally, I think you should skip the snoozing and be out there, showing them off."

The dragon seemed pleased with this concept. He grinned at the prospect of letting others behold his greatness.

Then Rarity added in "Hmm. Obviously, I would be more than happy to keep an eye on your jewels while you're gone."

That was the wrong thing to say. The dragon quickly realized what was going on. He growled angrily, glared down at Rarity, and swiped at her. He missed intentionally, but that gesture was all that was needed to get the white Unicorn to drop the jewels and retreat. As she galloped out of the cave, the dragon gathered his gems together and lied back down on them.

Once she was outside the cave, Rarity sat down in the center of the cliff. She sulked and murmured gloomily "I was this close to getting that diamond."

Twilight Sparkle scowled and stated crossly "You mean... getting rid of that dragon?"

"Oh, yeah... sure," was all Rarity said in response.

"Well, that's two plans down the drain," Mauser noted.

Bronze Star was pacing at this time. He rubbed his chin and thought aloud "Maybe we're going about this the wrong way."

"What else can we do?" Applejack inquired.

"I say we try a different approach," Alpine proposed, "Consider this: the dragon himself isn't the problem. It's what he's doing that's the problem. With that in mind, I may have a solution. One that doesn't even require him to leave the cave."

"What might that be, Alpine?" Twilight Sparkle queried.

"It's complicated, so listen closely," Alpine advised. She waited until everypony was listening to her, and then she opened up with "First off, do any of you know how dragons breathe fire?"

None of the other eight ponies knew this knowledge, not even Twilight Sparkle or Bronze Star. Fortunately, Alpine remembered everything from her course on dragon biology. She informed the others "Dragons have two stomachs, and they follow the same digestive process as birds. Because of that, leftover food and acid remains in both their stomachs even after the digestive processes have been completed. Bacteria in the intestines feed on these undigested food particles and release intestinal gases composed of hydrogen and methane through fermentation. You getting this so far?"

None of the others were medical students, but they managed to keep up with the chartreuse mare. She continued with "These intestinal gases are produced by most other species, including us. However, ponies and animals are able to expel these gases through certain… bodily functions. However, dragons could actually store the hydrogen and methane in storage sacs. These gases are very flammable. They're essentially the fuel for the dragons' fire."

"If that's just the fuel, how do they ignite it?" Twilight Sparkle queried in interest.

"They use a type of flint," Alpine responded, "You see, dragons don't just gather and eat gems simply because they taste good. When a dragon grinds up gems and large rocks, metal-rich residue is left on its teeth. When the dragon releases the hydrogen and methane gas, the gas mixes with oxygen in the air and ignites against the metallic residue. This combination of rock-grinding and intestinal gas storage is what gives dragons the ability to breathe fire."

The others were deeply fascinated by this knowledge. Rainbow Dash approached Alpine and remarked "This is all very interesting, Alpine. But how does knowing all that get us anywhere?"

"Dragons only breathe fire when they chose to," Alpine illuminated, "They're not supposed to exhale smoke when they sleep. This one might have an illness that causes him to do that. Maybe some metallic residue got caught in his nasal cavity. Or he could be producing too much hydrogen. Or there could be a breach in one of his storage sacs. Whatever the reason, there's a chance that I might be able to cure him."

"That's great, Alpine," Bronze Star stated in appreciation.

Alpine smirked and said "Glad you approve. Now, before I can help the dragon, I'll have to determine what exactly is wrong with him. In order to do that, I'll need to go inside and examine him up close."

"Okay," Bronze Star acknowledged, "Just be careful in there."

"Of course," was all Alpine said in response.

The chartreuse mare then headed inside the cave. The dragon snarled at her as she approached him. Alpine was a little intimidated by this gesture, but she put aside her fear and continued inside. When she reached the base of the pile of gems, she told the dragon softly "It's alright. I'm not going to ask you to leave, and I'm not here for your gems. I just want to examine you."

The dragon was perplexed by this odd request. He narrowed his eyes at Alpine, as if he suspected foul-play. She could tell he did not believe her, so she uttered calmly "It'll only take a couple minutes. I'll leave as soon as I'm done."

The dragon was still suspicious of Alpine's motives, but he lightly nodded his head in agreement.

Alpine took a couple steps closer and her horn lit up. She cast a spell that allowed her to see through the dragon's skin and scales. This enabled her to examine his interiors. She focused the spell on the dragon's head and neck first, and then she moved on to his torso. She took notes of everything she saw. The dragon kept his eyes on her the entire time.

Five minutes later, Alpine disabled the spell, thanked the dragon for being cooperative, and left the cave. Once she was back outside, the other ponies gathered around her.

"So, what's your diagnosis?" Twilight Sparkle queried.

"I was able to find the problem, and it doesn't look good," Alpine sullenly disclosed, "This dragon has a rare condition that forces his intestines to create hydrogen and methane at a much faster rate than usual. His storage sacs are already filled to their maximum with both types of gases. Since the excess gas has nowhere else to go, it's travelling back through his digestive system and up through his lungs. That's what's producing the smoke."

"Is there any way to cure him?" Applejack asked.

"I'm afraid not," Apline professed, "This condition is untreatable. Even if the dragon emptied his storage sacs, it would only be a matter of hours before they were automatically refilled. Then we'd be back where we started. The way I see it, the only way we could get him to stop producing the smoke would be if we cut off the airflow to his digestive system."

"But wouldn't that kill him?" Bronze Star pointed out.

"Of course it would kill him," Alpine bluntly confirmed, "He'd die of suffocation in minutes."

"So?" Rainbow Dash countered indifferently, "At least it'd get the job done."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that, Rainbow," Bronze Star muttered irately.

Rainbow Dash was surprised by the tension in the gold stallion's voice. She asked him in confusion "What'd I say?"

"If my mother wanted the dragon dead, she would have given this mission to Special Forces," Bronze Star clarified, "But she gave the job to US, and she instructed us to get the dragon to LEAVE. That means she's hoping to find a peaceful solution, not one that ends in bloodshed."

"Oh, alright then," Rainbow Dash mumbled in understanding.

There was a short period of silence, and then Applejack thought aloud "So what do we do now?"

"Maybe he'll respond to warnings," Mauser hypothesized, "Let me take a shot at him."

"Be my guest," Bronze Star coincided, "Just keep it to warnings, though."

"Relax, I know what I'm doing," the jasper stallion assured him. He took a moment to straighten out his military uniform. Then he trotted over to the cave. As he entered it, he wittily called over his shoulder "Take notes, ladies. This is the proper way to get rid of pests."

Bronze Star and the mares kept an eye on the soldier as he proceeded further into the cave. When he was a couple meters away from the dragon, he boisterously shouted "Awake, brute!"

The dragon raised his head and glared down at the jasper stallion. He appeared to be furious that he had been disturbed in such a rude manner. The dragon certainly looked intimidating, but Mauser was not afraid of him. He looked the dragon in the eye and boldly declared "Listen up and listen well. What gives you the right to sleep here? You are lounging in a part of Equestria! This land is the sovereign territory of the equines, and you are knowingly trespassing on it! What's more, by producing this smoke, you are creating a disturbance of the peace. What you are doing here could be regarded as an act of aggression towards the people of Equestria. It will not be ignored. I have been sent by Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia to give you a message. This is that message: you are to vacate this area within the hour. If you refuse to comply, I will call upon the Equestrian military to have you forcibly removed! And let me tell you this; my colleagues are not as tolerant of your kind as I am."

Mauser momentarily paused, and then he wrapped up his speech with "So what's it going to be? Will you fly away peacefully, or will we have to drag you out?"

Tense silence followed this statement for an entire minute. Then a wide grin came across the dragon's face and he let out an evil cackle. After that, he raised his left claw into the air and swiped it at Mauser. The jasper stallion was thrown off his hooves, and he sailed backwards through the air. He flew right out of the cave, and he probably would have been thrown off the mountain, as well. Fortunately, Rainbow Dash managed to position herself in the air so that he collided with her.

A moment later, the two of them were lying on the ground. Bronze Star and the other mares galloped over to them to ascertain that they were not hurt.

"Are you guys alright?" Pinkie Pie asked in concern.

"Yeah, I got no aches and pains," Rainbow Dash assured her friend.

"I'm fine, too," Mauser pronounced, "But it would appear that some pests are harder to get rid of than others. He didn't buy my warning."

"I should say not," Bronze Star perceived. He rubbed his chin again and thought aloud "Well, that aside, there's still one thing we haven't considered."

"What's that?" Rarity queried.

"Believe it or not, dragons live by a code," Bronze Star expounded, "They may seem savage, greedy, deadly, and vain, but they still have their own set of principles and their own sense of honor."

"I can validate that," Twilight Sparkle disclosed, "Spike's brought that up a couple times."

"Alright then," Applejack stated, "So what kind of principles are we talking about?"

"For one thing, dragons never turn down a fight," Bronze Star explained, "If another dragon questions his strength or his reputation, he is compelled to face the other dragon in battle."

"Battle?" Rarity repeated in surprise.

"That's correct," Bronze Star affirmed, "With that in mind, I'm going to go in there and challenge him to a duel. That'll get his attention, and he'll know we mean business."

Rainbow Dash smirked and said supportively "I like this idea."

"If you think it'll work, go for it, Bronze," Alpine encouraged.

"Yeah, show that dragon who's boss!" Pinkie Pie yelled giddily.

Bronze Star nodded and turned towards the cave. He started trotting towards it, but before he made it halfway, he was intercepted by Mauser. The jasper stallion cautioned his friend "Hold on a second, Bronze. You're not actually going to fight him, are you?"

"It may come to that," Bronze Star admitted, "If it does, we'll just wait and see. But don't worry; I have no intention of dying. It's tradition that in a fight between two dragons, the loser is spared so that he is forced to live with the shame of defeat. So regardless of who wins, both of us are guaranteed to survive."

"Okay then," Mauser stated in acceptance, "Good luck in there. Especially if things get rough."

The young prince nodded and went inside the cave. The dragon watched him as he approached. When he was close enough, Bronze Star yelled derisively "Well, well, what do we have here? I was hoping to encounter a ferocious, awe-inspiring dragon, not a slothful overgrown lizard."

The dragon was clearly offended by this remark. He scowled harshly at the gold stallion.

Bronze Star lightly scoffed and shouted mockingly "Oh, YOU'RE the dragon? My sincerest apologies. I mistook you for the buffoon."

The dragon growled angrily at that and glared at Bronze Star in fury. Bronze Star was not afraid. He kept up his act and proclaimed in an arrogant tone "You don't look so tough to me. I bet I could beat you in a duel. In fact, that sounds like a good idea. How about a contest? Just the two of us, you and me. We'll fight for claim over this cave. No tricks, no traps; just a good, old-fashioned brawl. Whoever wins the duel gains possession over this mountain and everything on it. Are you in? Or are you too afraid to face me?"

The silence that followed this monologue was even tenser than the silence that followed Mauser's. Bronze Star and the others anxiously waited for the dragon to respond. Ultimately, he did respond, but he did not give the response Bronze Star was looking for.

Apparently, he saw right through Bronze Star's plan. Instead of accepting or denying his challenge, the dragon just grinned wickedly, took a deep breath, and expectorated onto the gold stallion. This took everypony by surprise, especially Bronze Star.

The dragon chuckled deeply and laid back down. Bronze Star just frowned uncomfortably, as he was now covered in dragon saliva. He slowly rubbed some out of his eyes and drily mumbled "Yuck."

After that, he spun around and marched solemnly out of the cave. As he stepped outside, several of the others started snickering at the sight of him. He was somewhat annoyed by this, but he really could not blame them. After all, he figured he must have looked absolutely ridiculous.

"Well, that didn't go well," Bronze Star uttered brusquely, brushing his front hoof against his brow.

"Here, Bronze," Mauser told his friend, tossing him a towel. The gold stallion caught it and put it to use.

"Thanks, Mauser," Bronze Star said gratefully as he cleaned himself up. Once his head and mane were mostly dry, he mumbled "I don't think I've failed so epically at anything."

"To your credit, you weren't thrown off your feet," Mauser pointed out.

"True, but at least you didn't get covered in dragon spit," Bronze Star countered.

"Where'd you learn to talk that way, Bronze?" asked Applejack.

"The Canterlot elite," Bronze Star replied, "They're like the embodiment of arrogance, thoughtlessness, and outspokenness. I don't appreciate talking like them, but I was certain that doing so would convince the dragon to accept my challenge. Boy, was I wrong."

At that moment, the sound of a horn filled the air.

"What in tarnation...?" Applejack remarked.

Pinkie Pie had suddenly adorned on a very strange costume. It was composed of wrapping paper, a rubber chicken, balloons, flippers, and several similar items. She blew into a noisemaker wildly.

"Darling, you look ridiculous," Rarity told the pink mare.

Pinkie Pie just smiled and said "Exactly! Sharing a laugh is a sure-fire way to get someone on your side!"

She stumbled into the cave and called out "Hi!"

The sound of a crash was produced a moment later. Soon after, Pinkie Pie tumbled back outside and drearily informed the others "Apparently he doesn't like laughing, heh. Or sharing."

By this point, Rainbow Dash was extremely impatient with the group's lack of success in getting the dragon to move. She rose into the air and announced to the others "All right, that's it. We tried persuasion… charm… treatment… intimidation… challenges… whatever it is Pinkie Pie does…"

Pinkie Pie blew into her busted horn.

Rainbow Dash firmly declared "It's time to stop wasting time! I'm going in!"

Without another word, the cyan mare bolted into the cave. The others realized what she was doing, and Twilight urgently called out to her "Rainbow! No!"

Rainbow Dash ignored the lavender mare's calling and flew up to the dragon. Then she yelled demandingly "Get! Out!"

Then she rammed her back hooves against the dragon's face.

The dragon was stunned for a moment, and then he gave a violent sneeze. Other than that, he seemed undamaged by the blow. However, this hostile gesture had succeeded in angering the dragon. He growled at Rainbow Dash and stared at her threateningly.

Rainbow Dash slowly backed away from the dragon and muttered guiltily "Heh. Sorry."

The dragon roared in her face. His roar was so powerful that Rainbow Dash was flung out of the cave. She screamed "Who-o-o-o-o-a!" as she landed outside.

The dragon was not finished yet. He climbed off his stack of gems and began stomping out of the cave. The ponies realized he was coming for them, and they all went into a panic. Even Mauser and Bronze Star could not contain their worry.

Soon, the dragon arrived at the mouth of the cave. He slunk outside and rose to his full height. Now that he was visible in the daylight, the ponies saw just how huge and menacing he really was.

Bronze Star, Alpine, Mauser, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie all came together in the center of the cliff. They stayed close to each other as the dragon came closer and closer. At one point, he stopped and roared again, expelling a huge cloud of smoke. This blast was so powerful that the eight ponies were thrown backwards against the stone at the edge of the cliff.

The ponies hit the stone so hard that it crumbled into hundreds of tiny pebbles. Needless to say, they felt sore, disoriented, and incapable of fighting back as a result.

Fluttershy had been hiding behind that stone ever since Twilight entered the cave. Now that it had been destroyed, she was within sight of the cave and vice versa. Fluttershy peered over the rubble and noticed that her friends were sprawled out on the ground before her. They were moaning in pain and distress.

The dragon roared again, as if he planned on becoming aggressive again. He did not care that his victims were too weak to defend themselves. He just wanted to make them pay for attacking him.

When Fluttershy saw what he had done, she felt great rage building up inside her. She gazed up at the enormous creature and yelled furiously "How dare you... How dare you!"

Then she did something that nopony saw coming, especially the dragon. Fluttershy flew up to his face and snapped angrily "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 just whimpered. The yellow mare's sudden outburst had left him speechless.

"Well?" Fluttershy said, assuming he had something on his mind.

The dragon finally spoke for this first time. He timorously pointed out "But that rainbow one kicked me."

On the ground, Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, smiled, and nodded proudly.

Fluttershy calmly told the dragon "And I am 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."

The dragon began to respond with "But I—"

"Don't you 'but I' me, mister," Fluttershy sternly interrupted, "Now what do you have to say for yourself? I said, what do you have to say for yourself?"

The dragon could not take any more of this. He whimpered and abruptly burst into tears. By now, the other eight ponies had managed to get back on their hooves. A moment ago, they had been fearing for their lives. Now their biggest concern was keeping themselves dry, as the dragon's tears were falling directly on them.

Fluttershy gently spoke to the dragon "There, there. No need to cry. You're not a bad dragon, you just made a bad decision. Now go pack your things. You just need to find a new place to sleep. That's all."

The dragon quickly realized she was right. He wiped his eyes and nodded his head in understanding. Then he spread his wings and ascended into the air. As he did this, the other eight ponies cheered merrily.

Fluttershy descended to the ground. Her companions approached her and congratulated her. Twilight Sparkle smiled at the yellow mare and told her "You did it! I knew you could do it."

Fluttershy just nodded and smiled in fulfillment. Once the dragon left, she and Rainbow Dash went to work clearing away the smoke in the surrounding area. Within two hours, there was nothing but blue skies as far as the eye could see.

After this, the nine ponies wasted no time in returning to Ponyville. They managed to get back to the town by the late afternoon. Noble Edict and SIG Sauer were there to welcome them. The pine green Unicorn was elated to see that his son and his daughter were totally unharmed. He embraced both of them as soon as they were within reach.

When they pulled apart, SIG Sauer noticed that Mauser's attire was rather dirty. It had gotten that way when the dragon struck him in the cave. SIG Sauer scoffed and slyly remarked "You need to take better care of your uniform, Mauser. If Commander Hard Hull saw it like that, he'd write you up for disorderliness."

Mauser chuckled in amusement and stated "I hear you, Dad. I normally make sure that my uniform is spotless before I report for duty. The situation with the dragon just got a little… messy, so to speak. I know that doesn't excuse this, though. I'll wash my uniform as soon as we get back to the embassy."

"Make sure you do," SIG Sauer said, nodding in approval.

"Hey, look on the bright side, SIG," Bronze Star pronounced, "Mauser just got dirt on his clothing. He didn't get any dragon spit on it. Unlike some of us."

SIG Sauer was confused at first, but when he turned to the gold stallion, the older stallion understood what he meant. Bronze Star's exercise outfit was still soaked in the dragon's saliva, but it had mostly dried by now. SIG Sauer snickered and commented "Such as yourself, Your Highness?"

"Ho, yeah," Bronze Star wryly affirmed, "I've never felt so unclean in my entire life."

"You seem to be handling yourself rather well, though," Noble Edict perceived.

"I am for now," Bronze Star replied, "But I'm hoping to get myself cleaned up soon. Otherwise I'll probably start smelling like essence of dragon."

"Well, at least Spike wouldn't mind that," Twilight Sparkle pointed out.

"True," Bronze Star admitted, "But the rest of the town might be a little more adverse."

"Speaking of Spike, we should probably go find him," Twilight Sparkle declared, "I doubt he's having a lot of fun looking after all those animals. Plus, I've got another letter for Princess Celestia."

"Sounds good to me," Bronze Star commented.

The group of eleven ponies headed to Golden Oaks Library. Rainbow Dash decided to go back to what she had been doing that morning: bouncing a ball on her head to break the Ponyville ball-bouncing record. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy stayed outside to watch her.

The other members of the group went inside the library. There they found the baby dragon struggling to control Fluttershy's pet bunny Angel. He panted and mumbled "I said come back here! Ooh! How does Fluttershy put up with you furry little things?"

Twilight approached her assistant and told him "Spike, take a letter."

Spike sighed, released Angel, and commented "With pleasure."

As soon as he had a quill and parchment at the ready, Twilight Sparkle dictated the following:

"Dear Princess Celestia,

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."

Spike took all that down, and he was about to roll the scroll up, but Bronze Star stepped forward and bade him "Hold on. Don't send it just yet. There's something I'd like you to add."

"Okay, Bronze," Spike coincided. He picked the quill back up and got ready to continue writing. He declared "I'm ready when you are. By the way, that's a pleasant smell you've got on you."

"Uh, thanks," Bronze Star muttered awkwardly. Then he announced "P.S. The Ambassador to Ponyville is pleased to inform you that your beloved sister, Princess Luna, has decided that she is ready to move to Canterlot and join you at your side. She expects to arrive sometime within the next week. She eagerly looks forward to the event."

Spike wrote this entire passage down word-for-word. Once he was finished, he rolled up the scroll, fastened it with the royal seal, and sent it off to Canterlot.

Noble Edict, Mauser, Alpine, SIG Sauer, and Twilight Sparkle seemed pleasantly surprised to hear this.

Noble smiled and said "So, she's really ready?"

"Yes, she is," Bronze Star confirmed, "She told me just this morning."

"That's good news for all of us," SIG Sauer declared, "Her timing couldn't be any more perfect."

Bronze Star understood what he meant by this statement. After all, SIG Sauer, Mauser, and Alpine were expected to return to the capital city soon, and they had decided not to go back until Princess Luna was ready.

"Has she decided on a specific date?" Alpine queried.

"She estimates five or six days," Bronze Star replied, "That should give the four of you plenty of time to make preparations."

"It's more than enough time," Mauser declared.

SIG Sauer nodded his head. Then he turned to the red mare and asked her "So, Noble, are you looking forward to our audience with Princess Celestia?"

"Oh, absolutely," Noble Edict confirmed, "However, I'm a little concerned about leaving the town without its chief of security for very long."

"It'll only be for a few days, Noble," SIG Sauer informed her, "Surely one of your officers can take over your duties for that long."

Noble Edict lightly shrugged and stated "I suppose you're right. Sometime tomorrow, I'll speak with Copper Hollow. He's a very capable officer; I'm certain he could take my place temporarily."

"Excellent," Bronze Star commented, "You won't regret it, Noble."

There was a brief interval of quietness. Then the gold stallion pronounced "Guys, while we're on the subject of Princess Luna and Canterlot, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Name it, Your Highness," SIG Sauer proclaimed.

Bronze Star looked around at the four ponies other than Twilight Sparkle and pronounced "Other than my mother and Lord Bellerophon, there is nopony in Canterlot my aunt knows. However, she knows and trusts the four of you. So when you get to the capital city, for the first couple days you're there, could you stay close to Princess Luna? You may be able to help her make a smooth transition."

"I could certainly try," Noble Edict declared, "But I doubt I'd feel much different from her. After all, this will be my first time visiting the capital city, too."

"I may be too busy catching up with my classes to even visit her," Alpine revealed.

"And I have no real control over when or where my duty shifts in the castle are," Mauser disclosed.

"Between the four of us, I may have the best availability," SIG Sauer claimed, "However, between the Royal Guard's training and the debriefing with the Firebrand Regiment, I may be extremely busy for the first few days we're there."

Bronze Star sighed and rubbed his chin. Then he thought aloud "I understand what you're saying, guys. You can't help being busy. Even so, I really want to make sure that Princess Luna makes a steady transition to life in Canterlot. I think the best way to do that is to send a certain somepony with her. Somepony she feels comfortable around. Somepony who has been to the capital city before. Somepony who is reliable and dependable. Do you know somepony like that?"

The others took a minute to think about this. Ultimately, it was Twilight Sparkle who came up with a solution first. She approached her friend and told him "No, but I do know somedragon."

"Huh?" Bronze Star and Spike replied simultaneously. But they could both guess what she was entailing.

"Think about this," Twilight suggested, "Spike was born in Canterlot, and he's lived there all his life. As somepony who's known since he hatched, I can vouch for him. He knows the town and the castle as well as I do, he is familiar with the protocol of the Canterlot Royalty, and he has never let me down. Never."

"Aw, shucks, Twi," Spike remarked, blushing lightly.

"Everything she says is true, though," Bronze Star declared. He turned to the baby dragon and stated "So, what do you say, Spike? Would you be willing to go to Canterlot as Princess Luna's guide for a couple days? Both she and I would be extremely grateful if you do."

Spike spent a couple minutes thinking about this. Although he had enjoyed staying in Ponyville, he had begun to feel a little homesick. He missed the old dorm back at the Canterlot School for Gifted Unicorns. He also missed his other friends such as Moondancer. Plus, being permitted to accompany royalty anywhere was considered by all to be a privilege.

Eventually, the baby dragon looked up at the gold stallion and told him "Alright, Bronze. You can count on me. I'd be happy to go with Princess Luna to Canterlot."

Bronze Star smiled down at his friend and said admiringly "Thanks, Spike. She'll be very grateful for that."

Spike smiled back and humorously stated "It's no sweat. As SIG would say, I'm just doin' my job."

All the ponies in the room got a good laugh at that, including SIG Sauer.