Chapter 16: Dragon Trouble
It was a beautiful spring morning in Equestria. Celestia's sun shone brightly, birds chirped and sang, flowers bloomed, and dozens of ponies were out and about.
One of those ponies was Thunderlane, who was on his way to visit his friend Fluttershy. His younger brother Rumble accompanied him as he neared the butter yellow pegasus' cottage.
"Now remember Rumble, be a good little colt for Fluttershy and don't cause any trouble." Thunderlane said kindly.
"Relax big brother, I'm not a foal. You can trust me." Rumble replied. He had to admit, the way Thunderlane was treating him made him feel a little bit embarassed.
"I know, I know. But Fluttershy has her hoofs full as it is tending to her animals." Thunderlane went on "I don't think she needs any more headaches."
"Geez, you act as if I'm two years old or something. I already told you I'll behave." Rumble groaned.
Thunderlane laughed "I've heard that excuse before. You promised me the exact same thing right before the last foalsitter, and if memory serves you weren't very well behaved at all."
"It's not my fault, Miss Rarity wanted to use me as a model for her fashion career." Rumble complained "And for the record, I didn't need her to give me a bath. I can do that just fine on my own."
"That's not what Rarity told me." Thunderlane said "She said you were loud, cheeky, and more jumpy than Pinkie Pie on one of her sugar rushes. And I highly doubt Rarity is one to lie."
"Uh big brother?" Rumble asked suddenly. Thunderlane didn't notice.
"Why look, there's Fluttershy now." Thunderlane said, and quickly flew over to her.
"Big brother!" Rumble shouted. Thunderlane didn't hear him.
"Hello Fluttershy." Thunderlane said cheerfully "So nice to see you again."
"Hello to you too Thunderlane." Fluttershy replied "Just give me a minute to finish feeding my animals. You know how grumpy they can get when they don't get their food."
"Big brother, it's an emergency!" Rumble shouted at the top of his lungs. Thunderlane finally took notice.
"What's wrong Rumble?" Thunderlane asked "Do you need to use the little colt's room? You know where the bathroom is."
"It's not that!" Rumble said crossly.
"Did you cut yourself?" Thunderlane asked "I've got bandages right here in my saddle bag."
"It's not that either!" Rumble shouted.
"Did one of my chickens escape?" Fluttershy asked "I thought I checked the fencing just yesterday."
"Oh for the love of... look up!" Rumble shouted. Thunderlane and Fluttershy did so, and what they saw was something they wished they were just imaging. A thick cloud of dark black smoke was slowing hovering overhead. Neither of them knew where the smoke was coming from, but they knew it wasn't a good sign.
"Were you trying to tell us about this earlier?" Thunderlane asked Rumble.
"Yes, but you were so caught up with talking to Fluttershy that you didn't notice." Rumble said crossly.
"Sorry about that little brother." Thunderlane said, blushing slightly in embarassment.
"What are we gonna do Thunderlane?!" Fluttershy asked "I don't think anypony else has noticed the smoke yet."
"Yeah, what are we gonna do?" Rumble asked.
"Well, what YOU'RE going to do" Thunderlane said to Rumble "is stay here with Fluttershy."
"What?" Rumble asked "But I wanna help!"
"I'm sorry Rumble, but this is a situation that's meant to be handled by grownups like me." Thunderlane said sternly "And I'm sure Mom and Dad would agree with me."
"I never get to do anything fun." Rumble complained. Thunderlane and Fluttershy took no notice.
"What about you?" Fluttershy asked Thunderlane.
"I'm gonna go see if Twilight and Shining Armor are aware of the situation. Even if they aren't they'll probably know what to do next." Thunderlane explained "Once again, I am in need of your expert foalsitting skills Fluttershy. Can I trust you to look after Rumble until I return?"
"Absolutely. We'll have a wonderful time together, won't we Rumble?" Fluttershy asked sweetly.
"As long as you don't treat me like a baby." Rumble muttered.
"Come on Rumble, please try not to give Fluttershy a hard time." Thunderlane pleaded "I'll make this up to you somehow, I promise."
"Fine, but make sure she knows that I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need help with anything!" Rumble said stubbornly.
"Don't worry, we'll get along just fine." Fluttershy said sweetly "Now come on, let's get inside. That smoke's probably not gonna clear up anytime soon, and it's not good for your lungs." Fluttershy led Rumble through the front door of her cottage without another word. Once the front door was shut, Thunderlane took off. His destination, Golden Oaks Library.
Normally a flight to the library from Fluttershy's cottage would be a breeze. But not today, for the beautiful spring weather had brought a lot of ponies outside. This meant a ton of pegasi who were either trying to maintain the nice weather, or just pegasi that were enjoying the sunshine. This made the flight unusually difficult for Thunderlane, who had to keep weaving in and out of crowds. So far, nopony seemed to be aware of the thick black smoke that he had seen at Fluttershy's cottage. But he knew he hadn't been imaging things. Or at least, he was pretty sure he hadn't.
All of a sudden, who should appear in his line of vision but Soarin? The Wonderbolt Co-Captain seemed to be aware of the smoke as well, but he didn't seem to be aware of Thunderlane's prescence. By the time he was, it too late to do anything about it. The two pegasi collided with each other in mid air. Luckly no one was hurt.
"What's the big idea Thunderlane? I could've gotten hurt!" Soarin said crossly.
"S-sorry Soarin." Thunderlane apologized "But the smoke"
"You mean, you saw it too?" Soarin asked.
"Yes." Thunderlane said "I was dropping off Rumble at Fluttershy's when I saw it. Do you have any idea what's causing it?"
Before Soarin could answer, Big Macintosh came running up to them "You guys need to get your hineys to the library, pronto! Shining Armor's just called an emergency meeting for the six of us!"
"What for?" Thunderlane asked.
"He said it has to do with the smoke, now come on!" Big Macintosh shouted, and he raced away.
"I guess everyone knows now." Soarin said, rising to his hooves.
"That's good, I guess." Thunderlane commented. And then he and Soarin set off for the Golden Oaks Library.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice!" Shining Armor said, once all of his friends were gathered.
"This had better be important!" Fancy Pants said sternly "Time is money, and if you're wasting time then you're wasting money."
"I'm sure by now you're all aware of the thick black smoke that is spreading all over town?" Shining Armor asked.
"Yeah! Any idea what's causing it?" Braeburn asked "Something tells me it's not a wildfire."
"Indeed it's not." Shining Armor said, everyone breathed a sigh of relief "It's a dragon, a slumbering dragon to be exact."
"What?!" everyone else gasped.
"Are you sure about that?" Thunderlane asked nervously "I mean, what if it's something else?"
"Twilight and I got a letter from Princess Celestia just a short time ago explaining everything." Shining Armor explained "And dragons can sleep for a very long period of time. 1,000 years to be exact."
"Boy, talk about getting your beauty sleep." Fancy Pants commented.
"Why doesn't Princess Celestia just send down a few royal guards to take care of the situation?" Soarin asked "Aren't they suppose to deal with threats to Equestria's security?"
"That would be 'Making a Mountain Out Of a Molehill' so to speak." Shining Armor explained "The dragon's not intentionally causing harm, but sending in the royal guards could provoke it into attacking. No armor in the universe can protect against a dragon's firey breath and sharp claws."
"Yeah, imagine me, except 1000 times bigger and stronger." Spike joked.
"Does Princess Celestia know where the dragon is located?" Big Macintosh asked "Cause otherwise, how are we suppose to help?"
"The smoke is originating from a nearby mountain just outside of town." Shining Armor explained "It's obvious that's where the dragon is."
"Sounds like a piece of cake to me!" Soarin boasted "We just go up there, show that dragon who's boss, and that's that!"
"Easy there Soarin, we are suppose to convince the dragon to sleep somewhere else. Not attack him." Shining Armor explained.
"Aw man, I've been itching for some action." Soarin complained "Oh well, I guess this will at least earn me some bragging points with Fleetfoot. I really don't know what Captain Spitfire sees in her. Yes she's fast, but she's also incredibly annoying, even more so than Rainbow Dash."
"Who's Fleetfoot?" Braeburn asked "You never mentioned her before."
"She's the Wonderbolt that most oftens tags along with Spitfire and I whenever we go places." Soarin explained "She's the fastest Wonderbolt of all with an ego to match. She has a rather inflated opinion of herself, and I get the feeling that if Rainbow Dash wasn't the mare she was, Fleetfoot would be all over me in an instant."
"Sounds like she and Rainbow Dash would get along swimmingly." Fancy Pants commented.
"Yes. Well, anyway" Shining Armor continued "I called you all here to inform you of the mission ahead. I'm not gonna lie, it's probably going to be difficult. But I'm confident that as long as we work together we should be able to pull it off without a hitch. Now, I want all of you to go home, pack your saddlebags with the appropriate supplies, and meet back here in half an hour! Can you do that?"
"Yes sir!" Big Macintosh, Soarin, Braeburn, and Fancy Pants replied.
"I guess." Thunderlane said reluctantly.
"Okay Spike, did you finish the checklists?" Shining Armor asked.
"Yup." Spike replied.
"Good. You know what to do." Shining Armor instructed. Spike proceeded to give each of Shining Armor's friends a checklist. Said checklists had been created by his sister Twilight, and each of them indicated just what needed to be worn whenever one embarks on such a journey.
Soarin was the first one to finish with his preparations. His fellow Wonderbolts, including Fleetfoot, quickly collected everything he needed and loaded them into his saddle bag. After a final inspection from Captain Spitfire, Soarin was given the all clear to leave Wonderbolt Headquarters. And as he took off into the sky, Soarin strapped his flight goggles on, making sure they were nice and snug. "Let's, get, dangerous!" he shouted.
Preparations didn't take long for Big Macintosh either. His whole family, including Apple Bloom and Granny Smith, assisted him. His saddle bags felt quite heavy by the time they were done, but Big Macintosh was use to carry such heavy loads. So the weight felt like nothing to him. And with a quick kick from his back legs, just to be sure they were working properly, he uttered his trademark "Eeyup." and set off.
One would think that Braeburn, being a stallion who left Ponyville on an extremly frequent basis, would not have a place of his own in the town. That was not true however, Braeburn owned a cozy little house on the outskirts of town. Far away from the hussle and bustle of the market place. And when he wasn't using it he rented it out a very nice couple, Lyra Heartstrings and Bon-Bon, or as someponies called her "Sweetie Drops". Fortunately, Braeburn was a very organized stallion, after all he was always heard to say "Ma raised me to be a gentlecolt, and that's what I'll always be." So it didn't take him long at all to gather up the required supplies. He was incredibly excited, this sounded just like the sort of adventures he'd always dreamed of having as a child. "Hehehe" he chuckled in excitement, before quickly regaining his composure "I mean, grr! Let's rough em up!"
Fancy Pants' wife Fluer was more than a little concerned to hear that her husband had agreed to embark on such a dangerous quest. But she knew it was no use trying to reason with him, this was something he wanted to do, and no one was going to tell him otherwise. All she could do was help Rarity gather everything that was required for the quest. At last Fancy Pants was ready, and he headed out the door. But not before his wife gave him a good luck kiss. Fancy Pants smiled and boldly shouted "Onward!"
Thunderlane wasn't willing to take any chances. He knew he was going to hate himself, but he was determined to prove himself to his friends. If it meant facing down a gaint, scaly, fire breathing dragon, so be it. But that didn't mean he couldn't take steps to try and minimalize the risk to himself. So, in addition to obtaining what was needed, he made sure to load up on safety gear. A part of him knew he looked silly, but he didn't care. Reluctantly, he marched out the door. "I can't believe I'm actually going to do this." he said to himself.
"Glad to see you're all here." Shining Armor said, once all of his friends had gathered "I trust that each of you is prepared to face the dangers of this adventure?"
"Uh huh." Soarin, Big Macintosh, Braeburn, and Fancy Pants replied.
"Well, more or less." Thunderlane replied weakly.
"Good." Shining Armor said happily "Now listen carefully, we shouldn't be gone for too long, but I cannot stress enough that time is of the escence here. We should try to avoid any uneccesary risks, and avoid any diversions. The longer it takes us to reach the top, the farther that smoke will spread."
"Doesn't sound too difficult, we just gotta stick together." Big Macintosh stated.
"You took the words right out of my mouth Big Mac." Shining Armor replied "One thing I want you all to keep in mind, the higher up you go, the colder it gets."
"Don't worry about me, I'll be okay with my flight suit." Soarin said.
"Which is exactly why I had the rest of you, as well as myself, obtain something similar." Shining Armor explained "You probably noticed how brightly colored they are. That's to help make it easier to find one another on the off chance we get seperated. Speaking of which, no matter what, NEVER go off on your own! The mountain can be a very dangerous place if you're not careful, and going it alone increases the chance of injury or accidents!"
"I was wondering why you had those listed." Fancy Pants admitted "I knew they weren't just for show, but I couldn't figure out what purpose they would serve."
"Okay, before we set off, does anyone have any questions?" Shining Armor asked.
"I've got one, are you sure it's a good idea to bring Thunderlane along?" Soarin asked "I mean, no offense, but sometimes he can be afraid of his own shadow."
"I'm well aware of that." Shining Armor said firmly "But I would not ask Thunderlane to accompany us if I didn't think he could handle this assignment. I assure you that Thunderlane will play a very big role in regards to the success of this mission. Once again, you must remember that we are only trying to politely convince the dragon to sleep somewhere else, not provoke it into attacking. Now then, anymore questions?" No one said anything "Good. Let's move out!" And with that, the six stallions set off.
It wasn't long before they approached the base of the mountain, and began to climb. The thick black smoke was already spreading rapidly. Fortunately, it had yet to spread beyond Ponyville, and all the pegasi in Cloudsdale were working hard to keep it that way.
"I've heard tales that a dragon's cave is loaded with all sorts of jewels and riches." Fancy Pants commented "Hm, I wonder if I could perhaps convince the dragon to part with of them."
"Hey there Fancy Pants, welcome to my cave! Want a diamond?! Rrrrrrgh!" Braeburn said, and promptly laughed.
"Hopefully that won't be the case." Big Macintosh stated.
"I hope so too." Shining Armor replied "Thunderlane, you know Fluttershy better than the rest of us, and she's an animal expert. Any idea on what the dragon will be like?" Thunderlane didn't answer. In fact, Shining Armor now noticed that Thunderlane was not with the rest of the group.
Thunderlane was still at the base of the mountain, looking up. He didn't like what he saw. "It's so steep." he said, obviously stricken with fright.
"Well duh. It's a mountain. Mountains are suppose to be steep!" Soarin replied.
"Is something wrong Thunderlane?" Shining Armor asked.
"N-no." Thunderlane lied.
"Then come on up here! What are you waiting for, an invitation or something?!" Soarin asked.
"Soarin, stop intimidating Thunderlane! You're just making things worse!" Big Macintosh said crossly.
"It's called tough love! Thunderlane's got to man up one way or another!" Soarin explained.
"I'm coming, just.... give me a minute." Thunderlane responded weakly. With a gulp, he flapped his wings, and slowly flew up to join his friends. He was barely able to keep himself from fainting when the dragon let out a roar.
"Whoa!" Braeburn exclaimed "Sure am glad I don't have that for a wake up call."
"You and me both." Shining Armor replied "Now come on, we've got to make up for lost time!"
The journey up the mountain passed in relative silence for quite some time. Only occassionally did anyone stop. And even then, that was usually just for a minute or two.
Eventually, they reached a point where it became too cold to continue on without protective thermal suits. So they stopped, and one by one slipped them on. Each suit was a different color. Big Macintosh's suit was bright red, Braeburn's was bright green, Thunderlane's was bright yellow, Fancy Pants' was bright orange, and Shining Armor's was bright purple. Soarin laughed a little at the sight of them, but he was quickly silenced when Shining Armor threatened have Fancy Pants give Soarin's flight suit a makeover.
"According to the map we're half way there." Shining Armor said a short time later "So far so good. Everyone holding up okay?"
"Yeah." his friends replied, some more energetically than others.
"Alright. Stay close, and watch your step. If you fall, it's a long way down." Shining Armor said.
"Hey look, there's a gap up ahead!" Soarin exclaimed, and promptly flew over it.
"Wait a second guys!" Shining Armor called. The others apparently didn't hear him, as Braeburn hopped across next. Followed by Big Macintosh, with a little coaxing. The same held true for Fancy Pants. Only Thunderlane refused to make the jump.
"Come on Thunderlane, it's just a hop, skip, and a jump!" Braeburn called cheerfully.
"But, it's so wide!" Thunderlane protested.
"You'll be fine, you can do it!" Soarin said.
"Are you sure?" Thunderlane asked.
"Of course. I mean we're friends, and friends trust each other." Soarin explained.
"Well, okay." Thunderlane said nervously "Here goes. A hop."
"Yes, that's it!" Braeburn shouted "Go on!"
"A skip." Thunderlane said, and leapt into the air.
"Just don't look down!" Braeburn shouted. Shining Armor face hoofed the instant those words escaped Braeburn's mouth.
Sure enough, Thunderlane looked down. The sight caused him to forget the next step, so he shut his eyes and he prepared himself for a long fall. But all of a second later the fall had stopped. He opened his eyes, and saw that the "gap" was little more than a narrow little distance between two facing cliff sides. Hardly deserving to even be called a "gap".
"I was trying to tell you that earlier." Shining Armor explained "It's so small you can practically walk across it. The other guys were just blowing it out of proportion."
"Sorry." Soarin replied "I was just trying to have a little fun."
"My hooves are really starting to kill me." Fancy Pants complained "Feels like we've been walking for ages."
"I feel the same way to be honest." Big Macintosh commented "How much farther Shining Armor?"
"We're almost there, just hang on guys." Shining Armor said confidently "There's a fork in the road up ahead."
"Which path do we take?" Thunderlane asked nervously.
"Well, the one on the left would take less time." Shining Armor stated "But we're going to take the one on the right."
"What?! Are you serious?! You just said the one on the left was the shorter route!" Soarin shouted.
"I did say that, but I have a good reason for not going that way." Shining Armor explained "That path crosses through an area of the mountain prone to rockslides. The slightest sound or vibration could set off an unrelenting stream of falling rocks. And I dobut anyone here wants to be squashed flat."
Soarin sighed "Guess you have a good point there. Even though I could probably fly high enough to avoid the rocks."
"Well then, no point in standing around here. Let's go!" Braeburn said happily "Lead the way oh fearless leader!"
"I don't know about the whole fearless thing." Shining Armor stated "I'm really worried because so far this has been pretty easy. No major setbacks or delays at all. We're making great time. In fact, I'd say this is almost TOO easy."
"Ah you're just looking a gift horse in the mouth." Soarin suggested "All of what you just said simply proves you know how to think ahead. You already showed off your leadership skills when we were looking for the Elements of Harmony, and this is just further proof of how good of a leader you really are."
"You think so huh?" Shining Armor asked.
"We know so." Fancy Pants replied "So throw those worries away, and let's get going."
"Well, alright. But I've got a bad feeling about all of this." Shining Armor said, as he and his friends set off again.
At last, the six stallions reached the top. A small cave was all that stood before them, and it was obvious to everyone what lurked inside it.
"This is it men!" Shining Armor said firmly "The dragon is right inside that cave."
"All we have to do now is go in there and get that dragon to leave!" Soarin boldly stated.
"Peacefully!" Shining Armor reminded him.
"I was just about to say that." Soarin replied.
"What are your orders Shining?" Big Macintosh asked.
"They are as follows." Shining Armor explained "Soarin, I want you to start getting to work on clearing up the smoke. I'm sure the pegasi will appreciate that they're no longer fighting a losing battle."
"Consider it done!" Soarin said boldly, and flew up into the smoke.
"Fancy Pants, Braeburn, you guys be ready with a distraction in case we need it." Shining Armor instructed.
"Sounds good to me." Fancy Pants replied.
"Same here, now I'll have a chance to use this baby." Braeburn stated, and pulled out a rubber chicken. Shining Armor and Fancy Pants said nothing as he played around with it, like a dog plays with a chew toy.
"Big Macintosh, with your impressive bucking skills you're the ideal pony to fend off the dragon should it attack. Keep in mind however, that you are only to defend yourself, and the rest of us." Shining Armor instructed.
"No worries, I can handle it." Big Macintosh said "They don't call me Big Mac for nothing!" To prove his point, he took out two apples he'd brought for a snack, tossed them into the air, and used his back legs to kick them as they came down. They hit a nearby tree, and splattered on impact.
"And what about me?" Thunderlane asked.
"Thunderlane, you'll play the most important part. You're going to assist me with my task." Shining Armor explained "The two of us should hopefully be able to convince the dragon to leave, and there won't be any need for Big Macintosh's 'apple fu', or Fancy Pants and Braeburn's 'distraction'."
"Uh about that" Thunderlane said nervously "I suppose now is a bad time to point out that I'm terrified of dragons!"
"I figured you weren't looking forward to this, but why didn't you say something earlier?" Shining Armor asked "I never would've asked you to come along if I knew about this from the beginning."
"A part of me, and I really am growing to hate that part, wanted to prove to everyone that I was useful. And apparently, it thought this was the best way to do it." Thunderlane explained "I can't believe I was stupid enough to listen to it!"
"Well, if it makes you feel any better. I'm kind of afraid of the dragon as well." Shining Armor admitted.
"You're just saying that." Thunderlane said crossly.
"No I'm not. Trust me, I would never lie to a friend just to make them feel better." Shining Armor said innocently "I already stated how unsure I was about our luck."
"But that's different." Thunderlane replied "Your fear is justified, mine isn't."
"What are you talking about? Your fear makes much more sense then mine." Shining Armor said sincerely "Listen, if you don't want to assist me, that's perfectly fine. I would never ask anypony to do something that I wouldn't do myself. If you're not willing to talk to that dragon, then I'll go it alone."
"I'm sorry Shining Armor, I really am." Thunderlane apologized "I should've spoken up sooner."
"Stop beating yourself up Thunderlane." Shining Armor said kindly "It took a lot of guts for you to make it all the way up here before deciding you couldn't go on. I can respect that."
"But are you really sure you can convince the dragon to leave all by yourself?" Thunderlane asked.
"I'm not 100 percent sure, but I have to give it my best shot." Shining Armor confessed "At least that way I can't say I didn't try. Wish me luck."
"I don't think you'll need luck." Big Macintosh replied.
"Well, only one way to find out. Here goes nothing." Shining Armor said nervously, and he went into the cave. Fortunately it wasn't very dark, so he could see where he was going. And it didn't take long for him to find the dragon. His red coat constrated quite sharply with the walls of the cave.
Shining Armor gulped, and plucked up courage "Uh, excuse me, Mr. Dragon?" he asked. The dragon's eyes opened, and he let out a slight yawn. It was pretty obvious he wasn't very happy to have been woken up. "Sorry to disturb you during what I'm sure is a very good nap. But it's just, well, you're doing an awful lot of snoring. And whenever you do, you send out a cloud of awful black smoke." The dragon snorted, smoke blew out of his nostrails. Shining Armor coughed and sputtered as the smoke enveloped him "Like that." he said "So, I'm here to ask, if you would kindly leave and find someplace where your smoke won't be a health hazard to everyone in Equestria. You understand, right?"
The dragon rose, and paused for a moment. Shining Armor looked up with interest, had he actually gotten through that easily? The dragon then layed back down with another yawn, and blew more smoke into Shining Armor's face. Apparently he either didn't understand the situation, or he didn't care. Shining Armor hoped it was the former.
"So much for just talking him into leaving. I guess I don't quite have the same charm as Fluttershy." Shining Armor said glumly.
"Ah, don't beat yourself up. You gave it your darn best shot." Fancy Pants said "But a situation like this simply calls for a little more 'charm' if you will."
"Remember what's important Fancy Pants." Shining Armor called.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Fancy Pants replied "Here goes a pro in action." And with that he went into the cave. "Pardon me Mr. Dragon. I know you're probably trying to enjoy your beauty sleep, but I can't help but notice that you have some very fine claws. Topped only by your most magnificent scales. Truly you are a sight to behold. And a thing of beauty such as yourself shouldn't be holed up in a cave like this." The dragon seemed to consider what Fancy Pants was saying, and looked like he was about to leave. Then Fancy Pants made his mistake "Of course, I'd be more than happy to safeguard your treasure until you return." That comment instantly angered the dragon, who swiped all of the treasure he could into his claws, before angrily growling at Fancy Pants.
"Not my finest moment." Fancy Pants sighed "I'm ashamed of myself, I'm better than that."
"That doesn't make up for the fact that you made that dragon even more angry than he already is." Shining Armor said crossly.
"I'm aware of that thank you." Fancy Pants said with a hint of anger. His thoughts were soon interrupted by what sounded like a party blower.
Everyone turned their attention to Braeburn, who was wearing a gaint brightly colored present. He was also wearing a pair of sassy glasses, and had a bunch of balloon animals tied to him.
"Uh Braeburn, not that I mean to be rude, but you look ridiculous." Fancy Pants commented.
"That's exactly the point." Braeburn replied "As Pinkie Pie always tells me, sharing a laugh is the fastest way to win someone over. Once I've done that, getting him to leave will be a breeze." He waddled into the cave before anyone could point out how absurd that idea was. "Hello Mr. Dragon!" Braeburn called cheerfully. The dragon was not pleased to see Braeburn at all. A few seconds later, Braeburn crawled out of the cave. His outfit completed ruined. "Apparently he's not really into laughing, or smiling for that matter. And that claw of his packs a real wallop."
"Okay that's it, no more Mr. Nice Pony! That dragon just crossed the line!" Soarin said furiously "No one does that to my friends and gets away with it! Time for Mr. Dragon to learn a lesson he'll never forget!" And with that, Soarin flew into the cave. Everyone else panicked. Soarin's actions were sure to make things worse.
"Soarin wait!" Shining Armor called "Don't do it!" But it was too late.
"Hey you! Yeah you!" Soarin shouted at the dragon. The dragon was surprised to see Soarin looking so angry. "You've got some nerve picking on my friends like that! We tried to nice, we tried to be peaceful. But now you've left me no choice! If you won't leave willingly, then I'll just have to make you leave! Taste the painbow!" Soarin kicked the dragon hard in the snout. That certainly got his attention all right, but not in the way Soarin would've hoped.
The dragon woke up all the way, and glared angrily at Soarin. Soarin was now starting to regret his decision, big time. "Uh he he, is it too late for us to be friends?" he asked sheepishly. The dragon replied by letting out a fierce roar. The roar was so powerful it sent Soarin flying backwards, causing him to crash into his friends, who fell like bowling pins.
"Now you've gonna done it!" Big Macintosh said angrily.
"Uh-oh! Here he comes! Everypony run!" Braeburn shouted. But his warning came too late. The dragon emerged from the cave, and sweeped his firey breath. If it weren't for the suits they were wearing Shining Armor and his friends would've been burnt to a crisp. That wasn't enough to stop them from being pushed back.
Thunderlane,(who had taken shelter behind a rock at the last second) was horrified when he saw that the blast had completely incapicated his friends. This made him cross, so cross in fact that he forgot all about being afraid of the dragon. "How dare you!" he bellowed "Now you listen here Mr. Dragon! You may be big, but that doesn't mean you have the right to be a bully! You might think that just because you have sharp teeth, thick scales, and firey breath, you can do anything! But you're wrong. YOU DO NOT! EVER! HURT MY FRIENDS! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"
The dragon was silent for a moment. No one had ever spoken to him like that before, let alone a pony that wasn't even one tenth his size. Then he spoke up "But that one with the blue suit kicked me in the snout, and it hurt!"
"That's not an excuse for your behavior, two wrongs don't make a right! You're bigger than him, and should know better!" Thunderlane scolded "Now then, what do you have to say for yourself mister?!"
Those words seemed to touch a nerve, because the dragon burst into tears. Thunderlane's friends were amazed, they never would've believed this was possible if they weren't seeing it for themselves.
"There, there. It's okay. You're not a bad dragon at all, you just made a bad decision." Thunderlane said kindly "And you should know that you shouldn't be sleeping where your snoring can become a problem for others. Now, go pack your things, it's time for you to leave." The dragon did just that.
"That was incredible." Shining Armor stated "And you thought you weren't brave."
"I know, I still can't believe I did that." Thunderlane replied "But right for now I just hope Rumble's holding up okay, This is the longest he's ever been foalsat."
"I'm sure he's doing just fine." Big Macintosh said "Trust me, I speak from experience."
"Hey Thunderlane?" Soarin asked as the group made their journey back down the mountain "I just wanted to say, I'm sorry for the way I treated you throughout this mission. I had no right to do that, and I really shouldn't have lashed out at you for your fears. Can you ever forgive me for the way I acted?"
"Of course." Thunderlane replied "Like I said with the dragon, you're not bad, you just made some bad decisions. What's important is that you feel sorry for doing them, and are willing to admit it. I wouldn't be a good friend if I wasn't willing to forgive you for something you clearly regretted. Just don't let it happen again."
"I can't make any promises, but I'll try." Soarin said honestly.
"Oh, thank goodness you're back." Fluttershy said once Thunderlane had returned.
"Did Rumble give you a hard time?" Thunderlane asked.
"Actually no, he wasn't a hooffull at all." Fluttershy confessed "In fact, I think the two of us really bonded."
"Where is he now?" Thunderlane asked.
As if to answer his question Thunderlane heard the sound of a toilet being flushed. "I'm done Fluttershy." Rumble called.
"Good boy Rumble, don't forget to wash your hooves." Fluttershy replied.
"I won't." Rumble called "Thanks again for all you did."
"Don't mention it, it was my pleasure." Fluttershy said sweetly.
"Did he let you help him with wiping?" Thunderlane asked. Fluttershy nodded "Wow, Rumble's never let anypony do that. Not even me. You're really good."
"It was nothing, really." Fluttershy said "I'd be glad to be his foalsitter on any occassion."
"Well, I'll have to ask Rumble what he thinks." Thunderlane said. He didn't have long to wait for his chance. Rumble came out of the bathroom a moment later.
"Hey big brother." Rumble said sweetly "You're back already?"
"Yup, and I've got a proposal." Thunderlane said, smiling brightly "Apparently, Fluttershy here tells me you behaved well while I was gone. Is that true?"
"You betcha. She's the greatest foalsitter ever!" Rumble said excitedly.
"In that case, how would you like Fluttershy to be your go to foalsitter from now?" Thunderlane asked.
Rumble was speechless "Do you really mean it?" he asked.
"Of course." Thunderlane said sweetly "As long as that's okay with you."
"Are you kiding?! Of course that's okay with me!" Rumble replied.
"Well then, congratulations Fluttershy, you've got the job!" Thunderlane said.
"Oh thank you big brother! Thank you so much!" Rumble said happily.
"No need to thank me." Thunderlane said sweetly "Now come on, let's go home. Just wait till you hear what your big brother did while Fluttershy was looking after you. It's quite a story."
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OK, this worked in Dragonshy because Fluttershy has the Flutter Stare. Thunderlane doesn't, so I have to ask "Would this work for him?" & I've got say "I've got my doubts"
Ok wow So the others had to make it to the top Of the mountains To tell the dragon to move somewhere without any violence but thanks to Thunderlane They finally got the dragon out I mean I never thought of Thunderlane to be very scared dude but work out