The Misadventures of Ponified Friends

Chapter 10: How to Get Rid of a Dragon (Dragon Shy)


As I walked around Ponyville after grocery shopping, I spotted Fluttershy carrying many paper bags full of vegetables and, weirdly, a bucket of earthworms hooked on her hoof.

I quickly helped her carry the stuff. This was the first time that I talked to her since Gilda's Party. I asked her how and what she was doing today, revealing that most of the food she's carrying was for the critters at her home. The next thing I knew was that I offered her my assistance. We went to the library for a bit to drop off my groceries, and we head out to her home.

She led me to her cozy cottage with a grassy roof, a small stream of clean and clear water under a small bridge that crosses in front. I then noticed that there were a bunch of burrows, nests, and birdhouses surrounding the area.

I swear if I take out the burrows, nests and add a bit of modernization, THIS would be my dream home.

She had all kinds of animals in here from herbivores to carnivores, oh, and a bunch of insects too. She truly loves animals.

After an hour of feeding, Fluttershy, the expert she is, tended to their personal needs one by one. I find this very easy to do since the critters here are friendly and cute. It all came down to one particular bunny, though.

"All right, Mr. Angel. It's a very delicious carrot, no?" I said nicely. I didn't want to provoke this spoiled bunny again.

Fluttershy flew down after feeding the birds in the tree branch above me. "Thank you again, Star Blast, for helping me feed the little animals."

"Glad to help out, Fluttershy." I smiled. I noticed that Angel was eating his carrot way too fast.

"Don't eat too fast now, Angel Bunny. You don't want to get a tummy ache now, do you?" Fluttershy said to her pet.

Angel stopped eating, giving her an annoyed gaze. He dropped the carrot down and dusted his paws.

I raised an eyebrow, "I think you should eat more than the tip of the carrot, Angel." Do you know how long it took me to find that perfect carrot just so he could eat?

Instead of finishing his meal, Angel hopped away from us.

Fluttershy then bit the carrot off the ground, "But it's not playtime yet." She flew after the bunny, which led her to an open field. I followed and caught up with them.

Angel crossed his paws and turned his back at his master, eyes closed, and chin held high. Makes me wonder how he turned out like this when Fluttershy raised him.

"I know you want to run, but just three more bites?" Fluttershy said.

Angel shook his head.

"Two more bites?"

He shook his head again.

"One more bite?" Fluttershy pushed the carrot closer to Angel. "Pretty please~?"

The next thing he did was kick the carrot, which I barely dodged as it flew towards me. I glared at the rude-behaving bunny. It responded with a raspberry, sticking his tongue out.

Fluttershy sighed.

"I hope you don't mind me asking but, just how did you raise Angel?" I asked curiously.

Before she could respond, she was interrupted by a nearby cough. We looked around and saw Angel covering his mouth.

"Oh my goodness, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked her bunny. Angel coughed.

"Are you coughing because there's a carrot stuck in your throat?" It was my turn to ask. Angel coughed again.

"Do you need some water?"

Angel Bunny seemed like he was emphasizing his cough. Was he trying to say something?

That's when I smelled something burning. I inhaled the scent suddenly, and I too coughed and covered my mouth and nose with my hoof. In my vision, I saw black clouds up in the sky. I looked thoroughly, and I realized that those weren't clouds; it was a trail of smoke pouring from a snowy mountain.

"Are you…talking about that?" I pointed. Angel suddenly threw a carrot at my face, and I winced. "Well, why didn't you just say so?"

Fluttershy gasped. "Why is there a giant cloud of scary black smoke?"

"It's coming from that mountain over there." I said. "and it's heading towards Ponyville. I think we should warn the town."

"Of course! Let's go!"

We quickly galloped towards Ponyville, agreeing to check the park first. It was Saturday, so lots of ponies must be hanging out in this place.

"Help! Help! Please?" Fluttershy tried to grab the crowd's attention, but it was either they couldn't hear her voice, or they were too wrapped up in whatever it is they were doing. "Help! There's-there's a horrible cloud of smoke!"

Okay, it was the former. Fluttershy's voice was too soft to hear. "It's headed this way, and-Aaah!" A ball flashed over her suddenly.

"Fluttershy! Are you alright?" I asked, and she nodded that she was. I looked at the mare who suddenly came out of nowhere, bouncing the ball on her head.

"Don't be such a scaredy pony," said Rainbow Dash. "It's just me! Future Equestria Ball Bouncing record holder!"

"This calls for a celebration!" I got startled by Pinkie Pie's declaration. They've got to stop doing that…and this was no time to celebrate.

"No Pinkie Pie! This is no time for a celebration!" Fluttershy said. "This is a time for panic, for-"

"Oh! I'm gonna need balloons! One for everypony in Ponyville" Pinkie interrupted her before hopping away gleefully.

Fluttershy began to chase her, "But there's smoke! And when there's smoke there's fire, and-!" Pinkie stopped and therefore causing Fluttershy to crash behind her. It sounded like she just got hit by steel!

Pinkie started to count everypony around us, unaware that Rainbow Dash was in a calculating stupor as well. Rainbow lost count of the ball bouncing. "Pinkie Pie! Now I have to start over!"

"No, we all have to start over! In a new village! Because ours is going to be-!"

I tapped her shoulder lightly to grab her attention, "Fluttershy, now aren't you exaggerating a little bit?"

She looked down. "I-I'm sorry, but this is an emergency! I just wanted everypony to-"

"LISTEN UP!"

We all turned our attention towards Twilight at the park's bridge.

"Smoke is spreading all over Equestria!" Twilight informed, which caused the ponies to exclaim and panic in worry. All over Equestria? It hasn't even arrived in Ponyville yet. Did it spread out that fast?

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Fluttershy yelled, but still not loud enough.

"But don't worry. I've just received a letter from Princess Celestia informing me that it is not coming from a fire." Twilight continued.

"Oh, thank goodness," Fluttershy said in relief.

I didn't like where this news was going.

"It's coming from a dragon."

Everypony gasped in horror, including Fluttershy.

"A…d-dragon?"

I sighed. Not another monster problem.


I was pretty surprised and scared of how calm and quiet I am that a dangerous dragon was just near our place. Sure, Spike's a dragon, but he was pretty harmless (most of the time) and a friend.

Twilight told all the bearers of the Elements of Harmony to gather around the library to discuss the smoke problem. Everyone was present except Speedy and Silver. Why are they always tardy in an emergency?

"What in the name of all thing's cinnamon swirls is a full-grown dragon doin' here in Equestria?" Applejack wondered.

"Sleeping," Twilight replied while she was gathering a bunch of books. The others expressed their confusion.

"According to Princess Celestia, he's taking a nap. He's snoring, and it is what causing all this smoke."

"He should really see a doctor! That doesn't sound healthy at all." Pinkie Pie said.

"Well, at least he's not snoring fire." Rarity said in relief.

"So…what are we supposed to do about this?" I brought up.

"I'll tell ya' what we're gonna do: Give him the boot!" Rainbow Dash proceeded to showcase her, uh, fighting skills while Twilight was preventing her from developing collateral damage. Rainbow then accidentally kicked a stallion bust made of wood and flew towards the entrance of the library.

That was the moment the two arrived.

"Hey, guys! Everyone's saying that there's a dragon-OW!"

"Oops…" Rainbow laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, Silver."

"It's fine…It's fine…" Silver groaned in pain. "There's news that there's a dragon in a mountain nearby! Is that true?"

I nodded, "We're just having a meeting on how to deal with it. And by the way…what the heck happened to you, Lem?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing. My eyes just got sore, that's all."

I blinked, "Why?"

He chuckled. "Funny story. I thought that the stupid smoke in the sky was a storm cloud and when I flew through it, my eyes just got stingy and itchy, I couldn't breathe and got a coughing fit, then Badda-bing-Badda-boom, here I am."

"Really? Jeez, you need to be more careful."

"I'm alright. I'll just wash, and I'll be right as rain," Speedy said reassuringly. "So, what did you guys talk about while we were gone?"

"We just started, so you didn't miss anything," said Twilight. "and Rainbow, using violence won't work against the dragon unless you wanted to be a roasted Pegasus at the end of the day."

"Then what do you suggest we do, Twilight?" said Rainbow.

"We need to encourage him to take a nap somewhere else. Princess Celestia has given us this mission, and we must not fail. If we do, Equestria will be covered in smoke in the next one hundred years!"

The others gasped in horror; I was a little taken aback by the presumption as well.

"Talk about getting your beauty sleep." Rarity commented.

Speedy laughed, "Good one there, Rarity."

"All right, everypony. I need you to gather supplies quickly." Twilight announced, then wore her saddlebag. "We've got a long journey ahead of us. Let's meet back here in less than an hour."

"Okay, girls and boys, you heard her! The fate of Equestria is in our hooves! Do we have what it takes?!"

Everypony exclaimed their agreement before dispersing out to get ready. Although, I kind of noticed Fluttershy being a little hesitant.

"The three of you should get ready as well," Twilight said to us.

I nodded. "You heard Twilight. Let's get ready."

"Wait, we're actually leaving now?" Silver asked as we trotted upstairs to our room.

"Of course. Weren't you listening? We need to stop the dragon before his smoke covers all of Equestria."

"Uh, shouldn't we make a plan or something in this situation?"

"What do you think we just did?"

"Dude! You're being a chicken again!" Speedy intervened. "Aren't you like the Element of Bravery or something?"

"First of all, it's Valor. Secondly, who wouldn't get scared facing a dragon? This is probably the first time we'll ever encounter one!"

"No, it isn't. We saw Steven Magnet when we first got here."

I sighed. "Speedy, Steven is a Sea Serpent. They're different. Also, Spike's the first dragon we met."

"Potato, Tomato~!" that's not the correct saying but whatever… "Hey! What about Spike? He's a dragon, yet you aren't afraid of him."

"Because he's a baby and he's FRIENDLY." Silver reasoned. "I bet the dragon right in that huge as frick mountain won't even hesitate braking all our necks!"

"Sheesh, you don't have to make it all graphic. You're just scaring yourself more."

I opened the door of our room, "All right, what do we need?"

"Definitely food and water," Speedy said.

"Sleeping bags, too, if we wound up in that mountain overnight." Silver added.

"Okay. Also, first aid is necessary, so both of you grab one in the kitchen." I ordered. "Anything else?"

We were then met by silence.

"Hey! We don't have any bags like the one Twilight was using!" Speedy exclaimed.

"You're right. We don't have saddlebags…"

The three of us heard someone knocking on our door. It opened, and we were greeted by a smiling Twilight.

"Sorry to intrude, but I brought something for you three, and you're going to need these."

We tilted our heads in confusion first, but our faces were filled with astonishment when she revealed her surprise. With her magic, she held three saddlebags with three different themes. A gold, gray, and green saddlebags emblazoned with our cutie marks.

"I kinda have forgotten to give these to you three. I got busy these past few weeks."

"Well, ain't we all," Speedy commented.

"Is that really ours?" I asked.

"Of course! It even has your Cutie Marks on it. I got Rarity to customize it for you."

"Our own saddlebags!" Speedy chirped. "It looks awesome!"

Twilight giggled at Speedy's childish enthusiasm before she distributed our saddlebags. "I'm glad you liked it, Speedy."

"Man, the last time I got excited over a bag was when my parents bought me an exclusive Spurs duffel bag for my birthday." Silver smiled. "Wow, that brings back memories."

"Thank you, Twilight. We truly appreciated this." I said.

"No problem." She said before turning. "Meet me downstairs once you're done packing." We nodded. It was back to silence once she went out.

"So, we still have twenty minutes. Wanna play Snakes and Ladders?" Speedy suggested randomly.

I turned to him. "Seriously?"


"All right, gang, 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, and why were we all in a single file like soldiers? "The dragon is in that cave in the very top."

"Looks pretty cold up there." Applejack observed.

"You bet it is! The higher you go, the chillier it gets!" RD said in excitement.

"Yeah, talk about getting your beauty sleep." Speedy chortled. "Oh man, I'll never get tired of that!"

I shook my head, "What is so funny about that?"

"Okay…Well, it's a good thing I brought my scarf!" Rarity pulled out a pink striped scarf from her bag.

"Ooh, pretty!" Pinkie Pie complimented.

RD scoffed, "Oh yeah, that'll keep you nice and cozy."

I looked up at the mountain and watched as the smoke became thicker. More smoke was puffing out of the cloud every second.

I noticed how Fluttershy looked nervous, looking up at the mountain also.

"Fluttershy, is something bothering you?" I asked.

"I-I don't know, Star Blast. I think I should just stay here in Ponyville and know how things are well here…"

"What? But you HAVE to come!" Twilight heard Fluttershy's statement. "Your way with wild animals will surely come in handy."

"I don't think I-"

"Don't worry about your friends in the meadow. Spike's got it covered while you're gone." Twilight informed. Spike arrived with a bunch of small critters.

"You can count on me!" Spike said confidently. Angel Bunny suddenly started to tap his foot rapidly on Spike's head, and the small critter seized the moment to get away from Spike. "Hey! Wait!"

"I don't think he's up to the task, but maybe…but…but…" Fluttershy tried to reach out as Twilight trotted away. She let out a terrified whimper.

"Fluttershy, we're all going to be fine," I said to her reassuringly.

"Yeah! If Silver had the guts to join this quest, then so can you!" Speedy suddenly joined in.

"Hey, it's not like I wanted to do this, but it's necessary and a duty." Silver pointed out.

"But, I might slow you down and the others…" Fluttershy said nervously.

"You're not going to slow us down. Once you get the hang of this, I'm sure you'll be alright."

"Since when did you get the hang of this?" Silver asked.

"Honestly? Right after we fought Nightmare Moon."

"Seriously? How?"

"Well, I already accepted the fact that we may encounter things like this."

"Bruh."

Fluttershy sighed, knowing that she would not get out of this adventure. We were startled when she started freaking out and jumped in the bush shivering.

"Fluttershy! What's wrong?" I asked worriedly.

Her trembling body slowly came out of the bush.

"Oh, it's just my shadow…" she said with a blush.

"You're afraid of your own shadow…" Speedy said. "She's afraid of her own shadow." The three of us traded baffled looks.

"Alright, everyone! Move out!" Twilight declared. The other mares galloped as they followed Twilight and dragged Fluttershy along with them.

"That pony is the definition of innocence..." Silver and I agreed with Speedy. I could tell that this was going to be a long trip with the way she was now.

We arrived at the foot of the mountain that took us about an hour and a half. The earth began to quake when we heard a loud snore from up top as we stared at it.

"Woah, what was that?" Rainbow asked.

"I'm pretty sure that's the dragon snoring," Speedy said.

"I-It's so…high," Fluttershy said fretfully.

"Well, it is a mountain," Rainbow stated the obvious. "I'm gonna fly up there and check it out! Hey Speedy, wanna race?"

"Ha! Not if I get there first!" Speedy issued.

Before they could fly, they were both stopped by Applejack.

"Hold on now! I think we should all go up together, safety in numbers and all."

"And this isn't the time to play around, you two," I said. "We're in serious matters."

RD crossed her hooves in disappointment. "Oh, alright…"

"We should hurry up, as well," Twilight said. "The dragon's smoke will cover more of Equestria if we slack off for too long, so let's get going."

We all agreed and started to climb the rocky slopes. It was a miracle that we didn't slip off, considering how smooth the rocks' surface was.

"I hear that the only thing that sparkles more than the dragon's scales are the jewels they use to build their nest. Oh, if I play my cards right, I might be able to convince him to part with a few!" I heard Rarity share her desire above me.

"Welcome to my cave, Rarity! Care for a diamond? RAAAWR~!" Pinkie said in a growling voice. Well, the others laughed along with Pinkie Pie, though.

"Guys! This is no laughing matter!" Twilight scolded, continuing onward.

"Oh, cut us some slack, Twilight," Speedy said as he hovered above us. "Considering the danger that we're facing, joking around's probably one of the things that will keep us sane in this adventure."

Twilight sighed. "Anyway, Fluttershy, you're the expert on wild creatures. What do you think the dragon will be like?" Twilight halted when she waited for a response. "Fluttershy?"

We all looked back and saw Fluttershy still at the bottom of the mountain, hiding.

"Hey! What are you waiting for an invitation?!" Rainbow called.

"Oh, I think I have one in my bag!" Confetti suddenly busted out of her bag as Pinkie Pie literally brought out an invitation.

"I-It's so… so… steep." Fluttershy whimpered.

"Uh, I don't mean to sound rude, but you can always fly like Rainbow and Speedy." Silver told her.

"Go, Fluttershy! Flap those wings!" Pinkie cheered in encouragement.

"O-okay…" We all watched as Fluttershy started to fly, but before she could get any higher, the dragon snored again loudly. It instantly froze Fluttershy midway, and her wings snapped back in its folded state before she fell back down on the ground like a cat.

Speedy whistled, "All we needed was Goofy's cry."

"Ugh, we don't have time for this!" Twilight exclaimed.

I sighed as Fluttershy was struggling to open up her wings in fright. I walked towards Twilight.

"Can I borrow your map for a minute?" I asked.

She raised a questioning look, "Why?"

"To find a different route. I can't bear watching Fluttershy struggling like this." I pointed at her. "We need to find another way around the mountain."

"Around the mountain?" Rainbow was displeased by my decision. "That's going to take us forever!"

"As long as Fluttershy's comfortable. We do need her, after all."

"I think I should take her around another way, Star Blast." Applejack said. "It's gon' be hard dragging her along."

"Drag her? What do you mean?" The dragon snored loudly again. Applejack pointed at Fluttershy, who was lying on the ground.

Was Fluttershy playing possum?

"Believe me. She will NOT move a muscle."

I continued to stare at Fluttershy. Her fearfulness was on a whole other level. I know that she was always a bit timid, but this is too much.

I sighed. "All right, we'll meet with you guys up top. Be careful."

"Don't worry. We'll be there, lickety-split."

Twilight sighed and ordered us to continue climbing. Applejack slid down the cliff to meet up with the seemingly paralyzed mare. The apple farmer was right that Fluttershy wouldn't move a muscle. She was practically frozen.

I gave them one last look before moving forward.


"Woo HOO! I win again!"

I was speechless.

"Dude, did she just beat you in ten straight games of Tic-Tac-Toe?!" I was as dumbfounded as Speedy.

"Well, at least he won two. I lost thirty-five games in a row…" said Rarity sadly. The boards that we drew on the ground were proof of it.

"I'm surprised he even won against Pinkie." Rainbow Dash astounded. "She's unbeatable in party games!"

X's and O's was a relatively easy game, with common sense and slight strategy, also a bit of luck. I do admit that Pinkie Pie outsmarting me was a shocker. My respect for her just went up higher.

We heard tired pants nearby. We glanced in the direction and finally saw Applejack arriving with Fluttershy.

"We… made… it!" Applejack flopped down. On the other hand, Fluttershy was still in her frozen state.

"I told you it's gonna take forever!" Rainbow whispered loudly.

I rolled my eyes, "At least they came back safely."

I saw Fluttershy regaining herself as she stood up. "I-I'm sorry if you have to carry me all the way up here…"

"Stop sweatin' small stuff, sugar cube." Applejack responded nicely.

Twilight was having none of this. "Come on, everypony. We don't have all day!" she said, and we all began walking.

Further, we came to a point where we had to jump across a small gap to get to the other side of the mountain. One by one, we all crossed until Fluttershy was the only one left.

"Your turn, Fluttershy," I said. I tried to persuade her out of her fear by jumping across over and over. "See? I could even do this all day."

"But it's so wide…" she trembled, holding a rock.

"Come on, Fluttershy. We should be much farther along by now." Twilight reasoned.

"You could just leap on over. It's perfectly safe!" Speedy encouraged.

"Easy for you to say… You can fly…"

"You can fly too! You're a Pegasus for crying out loud!"

She gulped when she looked down at the scary height, "I-I don't think I can do it…"

The dragon snored for the umpteenth time, which made her back off and trembled more than ever. We were getting nowhere.

They couldn't help but shake their heads in submission.

"There's nothing to be afraid of." Speedy jumped over the other side. "It's just a hop, a skip, and a jump. Even a baby can do this."

"He's right!" said Pinkie. "A hop, skip, and a jump! See? It's not very far! Just move your little rump! You can make it if you try with the hop, skip and jump!"

Did she just think of that right now?

"We don't have time for this…" Twilight muttered.

"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!..." Pinkie continued to sing, again and again, attempting to encourage Fluttershy. I saw her form a smile when she stood up.

"Okay…Here I go… A hop," Fluttershy took a stance. The others exclaimed their words of encouragement. "…Skip…" she finally skipped towards us.

"Just don't look down," Twilight added, which was a big mistake.

Usually, when you tell someone not to, they always end up doing it…

…and this was what Fluttershy did.

When she was in mid-air, her front hooves caught the edge of our mountainside while her back hooves were still on the other end.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the gap was at least a foot wide. We didn't even need to jump across because a single, small step was all it takes.

If I were to think like Fluttershy, the gap's probably like a hundred feet apart in my perspective.

Rainbow Dash groaned as she helped Fluttershy cross by pushing her from behind. The others grabbed hold of her front hooves.

"I guess I forgot to jump…" Fluttershy released a smile.

"Glad that's over…" said Twilight. "Now, let's keep noises down as we move on to the next area. According to the map, we're entering an avalanche zone where the smallest peep can cause a huge rock slide."

Good thing I'm used to being quiet. Considering that Fluttershy also had this kind of demeanor, I was sure that everything will be alright.

"An ava-?"

Twilight quickly quieted, and we kept our mouths shut as we advanced.

Soft and steady. Soft and steady. I kept at this pace easily, so I was calm the whole time we were walking.

I heard the ruffling of leaves of the tree branch Rainbow Dash passed through.

"AVALA-!" I quickly turned my head to the source and saw that Applejack blocked Fluttershy's mouth. Her voice continued to echo through the mountain.

We waited, and when nothing happened, we all let out a sigh of relief.

Big mistake.

Everything around us started to rumble. We all looked up as rocks tumbled down towards us. What happened afterward was pandemonium for us.

"AVALANCHE!"

Adrenaline quickly took over my body. I ran and ran, desperately trying to dodge any boulder falling possible. The same could be said to the others, obviously. I quickly halted as a giant rock fell down in front of me and almost took my life.

"HELP!"

I heard Twilight cry. A giant boulder was rolling towards her. With every ounce of energy I had, I dashed and leaped and pushed her out of the way.

After that, all I could see was darkness.


.

.

.

.

.

As I start to regain my consciousness, I could feel something weighing me down, and it was surrounding me. I even found it hard to breathe as time goes on. I then realized that I was buried alive by the avalanche.

I was so nervous that I could hear my heart beating rapidly. I knew that if I freaked out right now, it would only make my situation worse, so I need to stay calm and think clearly.

I could tell that I was lying down from my position, so I need to push all the earth up to get myself out of here. It wasn't that hard to dig, so I presumed that I wasn't buried too deep. That gave me a glimmer of hope that I could make it out alive.

I dig away as much as the earth as I could. With the average-sized dent that I made, I took a deep pause.

Wait, air? That means that I'm nearly at the surface!

I took advantage of this newfound energy and pushed myself forward until I could see sunlight at the cracks in between the dirt. I could even hear the conversations outside now!

"Everypony okay?" It was Applejack.

"Wait. Where's Star Blast?!" Twilight demanded.

"Oh my god! He's dead!?" I sighed mentally. Thanks, Hassan…

With one last push, I could now see everything as I sat up. I shook my head and rubbed the dirt off my face. Fresh air! I inhaled loudly.

"Star Blast!" I heard Twilight's voice. I looked around when suddenly I was enveloped in her hug. I let out an oof! "Thank Celestia, you're okay!"

"I'm fine…" I said. This much physical contact with a girl I couldn't help but blush.

"And thanks to you, I'm fine too. I owe you my life, Star." She continued to hug me. It's getting pretty awkward…

"WAAAAHHH~!"

"DUUUUUDE~!"

I looked over Twilight's shoulder and saw Speedy and Silver bawling their eyes out. The others ran over towards us as well to check on my well being.

"I thought you were deeeeeaaaad~!"

"Howarewesupposedtoliveifyou'regoneeeeeeee~!"

I rolled my eyes, but I was glad that my best friends were alright. "I'm fine, guys. No broken bones here or there."

"I-I'm so sorry!" Fluttershy apologized. "This avalanche is my fault!" she said through tears.

"Nobody's blaming you, and it's not your fault. The avalanche was only a matter of time." I said.

"But…"

"Don't cry. I'm fine." I smiled reassuringly.

Twilight helped me up, and the others asked about my experience being buried. I gave them a look that I would rather not talk about it. The avalanche blocked our path, so we had no choice but to climb over.

I looked back down to the spot where I got buried one last time before shrugging off my near-death experience.


"We're here."

We finally arrived at our checkpoint. The colossal cave continued to puff out smoke, and the heat inside was unbearable. Most importantly, a dangerous dragon was in there.

"Rainbow Dash, you use your wings to clear the smoke," Twilight ordered quietly. Rainbow nodded as she flew up. "Speedy Glee and Pinkie Pie, you two create a diversion in case things get a little hairy in there."

"Hai, Kaichou~!" Speedy saluted. Pinkie dashed away and brought a chicken. It may confuse the dragon why she was carrying the rubber toy so it could work, I guess.

"Applejack and Silver Spur, get ready with the apples in case he decides to attack." She continued to instruct.

"What? How in the heck can apples stop a dragon?" Speedy wondered in confusion.

Applejack cleared her throat to grab our attention. "Do it, Spur."

Silver grabbed two apples from his bag (that was supposed to be his lunch) and threw it in the air. Applejack aimed for the falling fruits and kicked, projecting towards a tree. It sounded like a gunshot, and the force of her kick was enough to leave a significant dent on the tree.

Applejack grinned as if she was saying, 'how about that?'

Speedy was left gaping at the result.

"Nice! Lastly, Rarity and Star Blast will come up with a backup plan if this plan doesn't work," Wait, what? "but it shouldn't come to that because Fluttershy will do what she needs to do to wake him up. Between the two of us, she would be able to get him to understand why he needs to go."

Sure, but getting Fluttershy to do her task was a challenge itself.

"Is everypony ready?"

"YEAH!" Almost everypony shouted their agreement.

"Okay, we're going in!" Twilight had entered the cave, and our primary plan stepped into the 1st phase.

Wait, Fluttershy was supposed to enter with Twilight. Where is sh-?

Oh dear.

"Fluttershy! Don't stick your head on the ground like an ostrich!" I literally shouted.

"Oh, come ON!" Twilight yelled as she exited the cave and approached the scared mare. "We have to do this! NOW! Every second longer that dragon sleeps is another acre of Equestria that is covered in smoke!"

It took all the female ponies to try and push Fluttershy out, but she wouldn't budge.

"Should we help them?" I asked.

"Push her out or talk her out of it? Because I don't want my hands- I mean, hooves touching a girl's places." Silver questioned.

"I…I can't go in the cave," Fluttershy spoke up, which earned a submitting groan from the ladies.

"Oh great, she's scared of CAVES now." RD was exasperated.

"I'm not scared of caves. I'm scared of…" Fluttershy mumbled that last part.

"What's that, sugar cube?"

"I'm scared of…." She kept mumbling.

"What's that?"

"I'mscaredofdragons!"

Smoke suddenly came out of the cave when the dragon snored, making us cough.

"But Fluttershy, you have a wonderful talent dealing with all kinds of animals!" Twilight tried to reason.

"Yes, but they're not DRAGONS."

"Oh, come on! We've seen you walk up to a horrible Manticore like it was nothing!" Rainbow Dash argued.

"Yes… because he wasn't a DRAGON."

"Spike's a dragon, but you're not afraid of him." Pinkie pointed out.

"Yes…but he's not a huge, gigantic, terrifying, enormous, teeth-gnashing, sharp-scaled, horn-wearing, smoke-snoring, could-totally-eat-a-pony-in-one-bite, totally-all-grown-up dragon."

The dragon snored. She then whimpered.

"But if you're so afraid of dragons, why didn't you say something before we came all the way up here?" Twilight demanded.

"I…I was afraid to."

Rainbow Dash groaned.

"All of us are scared of that dragon." Applejack pulled Fluttershy up.

"Yeah, especially this guy!" Speedy pointed to Silver, who gave him a glare.

"Scared? Not me!" Rainbow bragged.

AJ rolled her eyes. "Almost all of us are scared of that dragon. But we've got a job to do."

"I second that." Silver stated.

"Get in there with Twilight, and show her what you're made of!" Applejack encouraged.

We all waited for her response.

"I…I just…can't." her head hung low as she walked away.

"Oh, Fluttershy…" Twilight said.

I sighed. "I'm going to go and talk to Fluttershy. Speedy, Silver, you two stay here and help them persuade the dragon." I offered. I swear I heard Hassan muttering prayers when I left.


"Fluttershy! Where are you?!"

She somehow really got far ahead, considering that we looked after her a minute before she left. I was almost a hundred yards away from the top.

I sighed as I stopped and leaned in against a boulder. Man, how many times have I sighed? It's really becoming annoying.

I then heard a sniffle behind this boulder. Curious, I walked around and saw Fluttershy in tears.

"There you are…" I softly said. "You had us worried."

"I'm so sorry…I just can't do it…" she sobbed. "I'm too scared…"

I took a seat next to her. "Fluttershy, it's alright that you fear something, but you have to face it one way or another in the future so that you can overcome it. I know what you're feeling right now."

She sniffed, "… You do?"

I nodded. "It's true. Did I mention that I really hated being around everybody else in the past?"

She shook her head, "But… you did mention that you never cared about making friends when we faced Nightmare Moon." She said. "To be honest, I find that hard to believe. I mean, you looked like a nice pony that treats everyone fairly. That's why I didn't even hesitate to talk to you when we first met in the park."

I chuckled. "Is that so?"

Fluttershy nodded.

"Yeah, I always had that kind of impression around people, yet I chose to shun them or ignore them." I continued. "As I grew older, I realized that if I continued this trait of mine, I might go nowhere. So, with all the courage I had, I went out of my comfort zone. Years later, I looked to where it got me: I have a wonderful group of friends that I truly adore, a nice reputation around people, and not long ago, an Element of Harmony that represents respect."

Fluttershy was silent after my little speech.

She stared at the ground when she said, "What if I mess things up again? Like what happened at the avalanche where you-" she immediately stopped when she brought that up. She turned her face away from me.

"I told you, I'm fine, and I did not and will not blame you ever. It's all in the past, and we might as well forget about it. I'm still here, aren't I?"

She hesitantly glanced back to face me. I released a smile that told her there was nothing to worry about.

"Okay…" she said. "Star Blast, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"…Was it pretty obvious and easy to notice that I was afraid of the dragon?"

I hesitated. "You want the honest truth?"

She nodded, and I fired away. "My answer is yes, plain as day. From the time you wanted to stay behind to the very moment you stuck your head through the ground." She blushed in embarrassment when I said that.

"But like I said earlier, it's okay to be afraid. It IS a dragon, after all. Heck, I'm surprised that we weren't the ones freaking out because in our world, dragons don't exist."

"What?! They don't?!"

I laughed a little at her reaction. "Yeah, they're just mythical and legendary creatures in our stories and folklore. They could either be killer monsters, deities that create or devour worlds, or companions that can be trained and love."

"You can train a dragon? Wow, that's amazing…" she said in wonder. "But, It's still scary that there's a scary dragon up the mountain…"

Okay, she was still uncomfortable… What to do… what to do…

I might as well give it a shot. "Fluttershy, what's the meaning of the word 'courage' to you?"

"Courage? Well… It's when you face danger bravely, right?" she answered uncertainly.

"Don't worry, you're not entirely wrong, but there's way more to it than just facing danger bravely."

"There is?"

I nodded. "You see, courage is… a strength of mind or one's spirit that enables a person OR pony to encounter danger while he also fears it."

She tilted her head, "Huh?"

…Okay, that might be a little complicated for her. I think giving an example will be much easier.

"Do you remember what Silver Spur's Element is?"

"It's Valor, right?"

"Mhmm. Courage and Valor are the same thing, you see. Now, can you tell me why Valor is his Element?"

"Because… even though he was afraid… he still continued to face the danger."

I nodded. "Yes, that is true courage. Remember that time when Silver was freaking out? He was more scared of everything around him than you, right? And that time when we encountered the Manticore, and he decided to duke it out with it himself and when he tackled Nightmare Moon to save us from being obliterated?"

"He didn't hesitate to save his friends, even though his life was on the line." She said.

"I could even tell you more stories of him being courageous, but now is not the time. We need you back up there. Will you come back with me?"

I offered her my out-stretched hoof. She examined it, and slowly she reached out until we heard a loud roar from the dragon's cave up top. The dragon had woken up!

"Oh, no. Twilight and the others!" I exclaimed. "We need to go now!"

When we arrived, the others were all lined up outside the cave. And from the looks of it, Rainbow Dash was ranting something to them. I wondered what happened.

"It seems that backup didn't work," I said. "Are you ready, Fluttershy?"

I turned around, and Fluttershy was nowhere to be found again.

I saw her behind a nearby boulder. "I think I'll stay here, for the moment…"

"Okay… I'll check the status and see what's going on."

I then marched forward, and the other's noticed me.

"Star Blast, you're back," said Twilight. "Where's Fluttershy?"

I glanced back and pointed to the boulder. "She'll be ready. What happened?"

"NOTHING happened!" Rainbow Dash shouted furiously. "Twilight tried persuading it, Rarity tried charming it, whatever it is Pinkie Pie does, and Speedy and Silver tried taming it!"

"You tried taming it?" I asked the two.

"Yeah, but it didn't work out as well as I expected." Speedy rubbed the back of his head.

"We should've seen it coming. We are no Hiccup…" Silver frowned.

"Damn. I planned on doing that when I got the chance." I admitted.

"It's time to stop wasting time! If Fluttershy still doesn't want to go in, I'M going in!" Rainbow declared and flew inside.

"Rainbow, no!" Twilight called after her.

"GET OUT!"

We heard a loud smack that echoed inside the cave. I gulped. Things were going to be pretty ugly.

We heard a terrifying roar as the ground shook. Rainbow Dash came barreling out of the cave and hit us. We were all sprawled on the floor as we cleared our heads. We quickly stood up when the dragon poked his head out of the cave.

Its scales were bloody red, his fangs were gleaming sharp, and its monstrous size gave him an ominous aura.

It glared at us.

And we were blown back at a boulder strong enough to make it crack. We all groaned in pain.

The dragon was enraged. It opened its mouth, and I saw a glowing sensation inside. We all embraced one another as we watched it charge his flame.

"How dare you… How DARE YOU!"

That was the loudest I've ever heard her voice. Wait for a second… Of course! We still have Fluttershy!

"Listen here, MISTER!" she flew up and landed on the dragon's snout. She proceeded to stare into its eyes. "Just because you're big doesn't mean you get to be a bully! You may have huge teeth, sharp scales, snore smoke or breathe fire, but you do NOT-I repeat-YOU DO NOT. HURT. MY. FRIENDS! You GOT that?! "

This proves that the scariest ones were always the quiet ones. The dragon even whimpered like a pup. I was even left speechless at her outburst.

"Well?"

"…But that rainbow one kicked me." The dragon pouted.

"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 nodded understandingly.

"But I-" the dragon tried to talk back but was interrupted by Fluttershy.

"Don't you 'but I' ME mister. Now, what do you have to say for yourself?" No response. "I said, what do you have to say for yourself?"

What happened next was startling. The dragon cried before us!

"Is it weird that Fluttershy reminds me of a mom?" We were all on board on that one, Silver.

"There, there…" Fluttershy stroked the dragon's nose soothingly. "No need to cry. You're not a bad dragon; you just made a bad decision. Now go pack your things. You just need a good place to sleep, that's all."

We all cheered as we gathered around her when she flew down.

"You did it! I knew you could do it!" Twilight said as the dragon finally flew away, and we headed back home.


"Hey! Come back here!"

We heard Spike yelling inside the library. We opened the door and witnessed him chasing after Angel Bunny. When he finally caught up, he grabbed him by the foot.

"How does Fluttershy put up with you furry little things!?" sadly, I feel his pain, at least in handling Angel Bunny.

"Spike, take a letter," Twilight said.

Silver and Speedy already went up our room to rest. I settled my bag down on the table and sat down to listen to Twilight's letter.

"With pleasure!" Spike said in relief as he took out a pen a paper from… somewhere behind him. I don't know. It just popped right out of him. Do we all have secret pockets?

"Dear Princess Celestia, I am happy to report that the dragon has departed our fair country. And it was my friend Fluttershy who convinced him to go. This adventure taught me to never lose faith in your friends. They can be an amazing source of strength, and they can help you overcome your greatest fears. Always your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."

I nodded in approval when suddenly, AJ's voice rung outside the library.

"Y'all ponies in the library! You gotta come see this!"

Twilight and I looked at each other before looking out the window. They were all watching Rainbow Dash bouncing the ball on her head

"Rainbow Dash is five bounces away from a new pony record!" AJ announced.

"We went climbing up the mountain just recently, and she still has the stamina to play?" Silver questioned in the window next to us.

"347…348…" Rainbow counted, clearly concentrating on the ball.

"RAAAAWR~!"

"DRAGON!" Rainbow Dash cried before playing dead, which earned her a round of laughter.

"Why are you all laughing? The dragon is back!" Pinkie then roared in front of her. "Pinkie Pie! You scared me! I mean- uh… you broke my concentration!"

"Your face says otherwise!" Speedy then laughed. Rainbow Dash glared at him.

"It's okay, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said, hovering above the rainbow mare. "Not everypony can be as brave as me."

I giggled at the smug look she was making.

Yeah, she handled her fear pretty well and smacked it right in the face. She's the bravest pony this day. I thought to myself.

A leaf floated down in front of Rainbow, and when she blew it, it landed on Fluttershy's back, and she was completely unaware. She instantly screamed in fright and played possum once again.

Or not. Force of habit, I guess.


Author's Note!

I hope this chapter makes up for a disastrous Chapter 9

And alas! Finals are upon me! My fate will be decided next week!

To all my readers before this chapter update, I swear this will be the LAST TIME I'm going to make changes to the entire story. I believe that this will satisfy me. ( Edited 25-10-20: Press X for doubt, my boy)

As always! Fav it! Follow it! Review and tell me what you think! (I'm serious. I don't know if the story is doing well at this point.)

See you guys in the next chapter! – Super Bright Brat


DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING BUT MY OCs