It was a beautiful morning. The sun was shining bright over Equestria and not a cloud could be seen in the sky. A single gray pegasus mare was flying carefree above the Everfree Forest. Her long dark gray mane blew in the wind while her purple eyes took in all the sights around her.
"Wow, it's so beautiful out here. I don't understand why the others wanted me to stay away from this forest. There are so many neat things to see." Star Shine said to herself as she continued to fly around, looking at whatever caught her eye.
Little did she know, she was being watched from a nearby mountain. "Yes, beautiful. I must have it. It will be mine." spoke a low, deep voice.
Star Shine continued to fly along, blissfully unaware of her surveyor until suddenly a giant shadow loomed over her.
"Huh?" she said as she turned her head to look up at the source of the huge shadow and what she saw was a large, red scaled dragon. Unlike most ponies, Star Shine did not flee immediately, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Wow! A full grown dragon!"
The dragon let out a loud roar before swooping down at her. Star Shine's instincts finally kicked in.
"EEEEEEP!" she screamed as she dove towards the forest canopy, but right before hitting it, she broke out of the dive and skimmed the forest's surface. The dragon followed right behind her. She tried darting left and right, but he matched her every move. As the dragon drew closer to her, she suddenly shot back into the sky before making another dive for the forest. The dragon matched her maneuver, only this time Star Shine did not break her dive and flew straight into the forest canopy. The dragon reached his claw though the trees, but his body was too large to fit through the thick forest canopy. Star Shine's heart was racing as she continued to fly through the forest, using every ounce of what little concentration she had to avoid hitting any branches. After a few moments the canopy thinned out and she was flying through as small clearing in the forest. She breathed a sigh of relief, but suddenly the dragon flew down right in front of her. In a panic she attempted to brake in mid-air. "No! No! No! NO!" She yelled as she flew straight into the dragons claws, which he clutched around her instantly.
"Got you!" He shouted in triumph.
Star Shine struggled desperately to escape his grasp, but she was no match for his strength. Claiming his prize, the dragon began to fly back to the mountain he had been watching from.
"Hey! Let me go! Somepony, anypony, HHHEEEEEEELLLLLPPPPP!" She cried as she was whisked off to the dragon's lair.
************
"Spike, did you find that book, 'Rare and Mysterious Pony Properties'?" Twilight called out to her assistant.
Spike was already up a ladder, reaching his claw out to grab the book in question. "Got is right here Twilight." He said as he hopped down from the ladder.
"Thank you Spike. Put it on the desk next to 'The Known History of Pegasii'. There must be something in one of these books about Star Shine's ability." Twilight said.
Spike placed the book down next to a ridiculously thick tome with the silhouette of a pegasus on it. As Twilight stepped over to crack open one of the books, she began to hear noise coming from outside the library. It sounded like a crowd of ponies and they were heading this way. Her suspicions were confirmed when a knock came at the door. She made her way to the door and opened the top half to see what all the commotion was about. What she found was Sky Flare swarmed by a crowd of ponies all eager to get his attention "Sky Flare, Sky Flare!... Sky Flare, can I have your autograph?!... Sky Flare, show us some magic!".
"Hello Twilight, do you mind if I come in?" he asked.
"Oh, of course." Twilight responded using her magic to open the rest of the door.
Sky Flare barely managed to squeeze past the crowd and into the library. The crowd attempted to follow him, but Spike jumped in front of them wielding a broom as if it were a spear. "Back! Back I say!" He managed to push the crowd back out the doorway which Twilight slammed shut with her magic. Sky Flare had a worried look on his face.
"What the matter? Life in Ponyville not what you expected?" Twilight teased.
"No, it's not that." Sky Flare answered somberly.
Twilight could sense that he was serious "What is it?" she asked sincerely.
"It's Star Shine, I haven't seen her all morning. She want out on a morning flight and never returned." Sky Flare responded, the worry in his voice evident.
"Are you sure she didn't just get distracted by a flower or something?" Spike asked.
"No, she's been gone far too long. I hope nothing's happened to her." Sky Flare replied.
"I'm sure she's fine, she's probably with one of the others. Let's go asked them if they've seen her." Twilight proposed.
"I hope your right. How are we going to get past that crowd though?" Sky Flare asked.
Twilight put her hoof to her chin and looked like she was in deep thought for a few moments "I got it!" Her horn began to glow and the tie around Sky Flare's neck came undone. She levitated it over to the door where she opened the top half and dangled it for the crowd to see. "Look everypony, it's Sky Flare's tie!" she shouted before casting a spell to make the tie move on it's own.
The tie began to move away from the library leading the crowd of ponies away as they chased after it. "It's mine!... No, it's mine!... In your dreams!..."
"Well that takes care of one problem." Twilight said satisfied. "Sorry about your tie though."
"Oh, that's alright. Better it than me." Sky Flare replied.
"Alright let's go. Spike, you stay here and keep an eye out in case Star Shine returns." Twilight instructed Spike.
"On it! You can count on me!" Spike said proudly, performing a salute.
Twilight and Sky Flare decided to start with Sugar Cube Corner. Pinkie Pie was behind the counter already baking some of the goods for the day.
"Oh, hey Twilight, Sky Flare! Got a sweet tooth already huh?! What can I get you?! Cake?! Ice Cream?! Cookies?!" the pink mare blurted out as soon as she saw them.
"Sorry Pinkie Pie, we're not here for treats. We were wondering if you've seen Star Shine this morning?" Twilight asked.
"Nope, sorry. Why do you ask?" Pinkie Pie questioned in response.
"Well, she went out on a morning flight and I haven't seen her since." Sky Flare responded.
Pinkie Pie gasped "Star Shine's gone missing?!" she ducked behind the counter and an instant later she popped back up wearing a Sherlock Holmes style detective hat and coat. "This looks like a job for Pinkie Pie, Private Eye!" She proclaimed profoundly before holding a magnifying glass up to her eye.
"Actually Pinkie Pie, we were hoping you would..." Twilight started but was interrupt by the pink mare who held her magnifying glass close to the ground and began to follow it towards the door.
"Don't worry Twilight, I'll leave no house unchecked!..."
"Pinkie Pie..."
"No stone unturned!..."
"Pinkie Pie..."
"No dessert untasted!..."
"Pinkie Pie!" It was too late, the pink mare was already out the door.
"Should we follow her?" Sky Flare asked.
"Nah, sometimes you just have to let Pinkie Pie be Pinkie Pie." Twilight responded.
They decided to check Flutteryshy's cottage next, but on the way they spotted a familiar rainbow maned pegasus working on a new move.
"Hey! Rainbow Dash!" Twilight yelled up at her friend, but Rainbow Dash didn't seem to notice. "It's no use, she's too high up."
"Maybe I can get her attention." Sky Flare said pointing his horn at the sky. A red flare shot out of it and burst into a shower of red fireworks.
"Whoa!" Rainbow Dash said looking down at the source of the interruption. She swooped down toward Sky Flare with an annoyed look on her face. "What's the deal Sky Flare! I almost had that trick down!"
"I'm sorry, but we needed your attention." Sky Flare apologized.
"Well, you've got it." Rainbow Dash replied.
"We were wondering if you've seen Star Shine this morning?" Twilight asked.
"Nope, I've been working on my latest trick all morning. Why, what's up?" Rainbow Dash questioned.
"Star Shine went for a flight this morning and I haven't seen her since." Sky Flare explained.
"Sounds serious." Rainbow Dash responded.
"You wouldn't mind taking a look around for her would you?" Twilight asked.
"Of course." Rainbow Dash replied.
"Oh, and would you mind asking Applejack if she's seen Star Shine as well? You can get to Sweet Apple Acres faster than any of us." Twilight added.
"Sure, I'll be back before you can finish saying 'Sonic Rainboom'." Rainbow Dash boasted.
"Thanks and tell her to meet us back at the library with any information she might have." Twilight thanked her.
Rainbow Dash shot off at full speed leaving a rainbow trail in her wake. Twilight and Sky Flare continued along the road until they reached Fluttershy's cottage. The yellow pegasus was outside throwing carrots to some nearby bunnies.
"Oh, hello Twilight, Sky Flare." She said in a soft tone. She immediately noticed the worried look on Sky Flare's face. "Is something wrong?"
"Have you seen Star Shine this morning? She was on a morning flight and never came back." Sky Flare asked.
"Oh, no, I'm sorry." Fluttershy responded meekly.
"Oh." Sky Flare uttered, disappointed.
Fluttershy wished she could do more to help him. Then she had an idea; she just had to muster up the courage to voice it. "Um, if you want, I can ask my animal friends if they've seen her." she proposed.
"That's a great idea Flutteryshy. If you find anything out, stop by the library." Twilight complimented her.
Fluttershy flew up to a nearby tree and began to converse with some of the birds while Twilight and Sky Flare headed towards their last stop, Carousel Boutique. As they approached they could hear a lot of noise coming from within.
"Now where did I put that?! This color will never do! Oh inspiration, why have you forsaken me?!" Rarity's voice could be heard, even through the walls of the boutique. Twilight knew how much Rarity hated to be interrupted while she was working and hesitated before knocking on the door. "Just a minute!" Rarity called out in a sing song voice. Some more noise could be heard that sounded like a pony tripping over things. After a moment the door opened "I'm terribly sorry, but I'm incredibly busy working on an outfit for an important client and I don't have time to..." Rarity began before she realized who she was talking to "Oh Twilight, Sky Flare, it's you. Please, do come in." She offered.
As they stepped inside, Twilight could see that the place was unusually messy. Fabric and design sheets were scattered all over the ground while the middle of the room had a single pony manikin with only a few pieces of fabric on it. "You'll have to excuse the mess. I've been working diligently on Star Shine's dress, but unfortunately my muse seems to have taken a bit of a vacation." Rarity explained as she went back to her sewing machine.
"Actually, we wanted to ask you about Star Shine. Have you seen her this morning?" Twilight asked.
"I'm afraid not. Why do you ask?" Rarity replied.
"She hasn't been seen since she took a flight this morning." Twilight explained.
"Oh dear, I do hope nothing has happened to her; My design scheme would be completely thrown off." Rarity said, earning an eyebrow raise from both Twilight and Sky Flare. "Um, I mean, is there anything I can do to help?"
"We could use your help in looking for her." Twilight said.
"Very well, I could use the fresh air anyway." Rarity replied.
"Alright, let's head back to the library and see if the others have found anything." Twilight said.
************
Meanwhile on a mountain overlooking the Everfree Forest a large dragon landed next to the mouth of a cave with Star Shine in claw. As he entered, the cave opened up into a massive cavern. Against the back wall was a large pile of treasure worthy of a dragon his size. There were also two large gem encrusted columns near the center of the cavern. Star Shine didn't have much time to admire the view though as the was suddenly tossed inside what seemed to be a giant bird cage. The dragon closed the cage and used a large padlock and key to lock the cage shut. He then placed the key on a high rock jutting out of the cavern wall.
Star Shine was trembling in fear "W-What are you going to do with me?! You're not going to eat me are you?!" she gulped.
The dragon responded in a surprisingly calm tone "Now why would I want to harm the latest addition to my collection?"
"Collection?" Star Shine asked in confusion.
"Just like the rest of the treasure in here, you are part of my collection." the dragon explained.
"Oh. So when are you going to let me go?" Star Shine asked innocently.
This caused the dragon to let out a loud guffaw "Let you go?! I'm a dragon! You are going to be a part of my collection forever!"
"What?! But I don't want to stay in here forever!" Star Shine cried out in shock.
"Well get used to it, because you aren't going anywhere!" The dragon replied harshly.
Tears formed at the edges of Star Shine's eyes. There was still so much in the world she wanted to experience and now she would never get to see any of it. Worse yet, she would never get to see her new friends again. And Sky Flare, she realized just how accustomed she had grown to his presence. What she wouldn't give to see him again. However the dragon cared nothing for Star Shine's plight and simply continued to admire his new acquisition.
************
Back in Ponyville, Twilight, Rarity, and Sky Flare were on their way back to the library when Rarity noticed a large crowd of ponies chasing around a red bow tie.
"Goodness, why are all of those ponies so interested in that tacky little tie?" Rarity asked rhetorically. Sky Flare let out a cough which caused Rarity to notice he wasn't wearing his tie. "Oh! I mean tacky on any of them. It looks fabulous on you, it really... brings out your eyes." She added as a save.
It didn't take them much longer to reach the library. Twilight opened the door "Spike, we're back. Did anything happen while we were gone?" she called out to her assistant.
"Afraid not. How about you guys? Did you find anything?" Spike asked as he came down the library staircase.
"No. We didn't find anything either, but the others should be here soon. Maybe one of them has found a clue." Twilight replied.
As if on cue, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy came in through the door as well as Pinkie Pie who was still wearing her detective outfit.
"Pinkie Pie? How did you know we were all meeting here?" Twilight couldn't help but ask.
"Elementary, my dear Twilight" was all Pinkie Pie said in response.
They gathered in the center of the library and began to tell their findings.
"Rainbow Dash told me what happened. Sorry Twi I haven't seen her." Applejack started.
"I looked all over Ponyville and didn't find a trace of her." Rainbow Dash added.
"I'm still gathering clues." Pinkie Pie stated.
They all looked to Fluttershy who shrank back a little at the attention. "Some of my feathered friends said they saw her flying over the Everfree Forest." She said.
Rainbow Dash facehoofed "That feather brain! Didn't we tell her to stay away from there!"
"Well it's better than nothing, but it's still not much to go on. The Everfree Forest is a big place. If only we had more information." Twilight stated.
"What about Zecora?" Spike interjected "She lives in the Everfree Forest."
Twilight's eyes lit up "Spike, you're a genius!" she praised him.
"About time somepony noticed." Spike gloated in response.
"Alright everypony, let's head out. Spike, you stay here. There's still a small chance Star Shine could return." Twilight instructed as everypony exited the library and headed for Zecora's hut. As they traveled through the forest, Sky Flare looked around nervously, not being used to traveling through such treacherous terrain. He followed Twilight and her friends though, and soon they came across a large gnarled tree that looked to be somepony's home. Twilight gave the door a knock with her hoof and moments later her knock was answered by an exotic looking zebra.
"Twilight and friends, what a pleasant surprise! And who's this stallion before me eyes?" She greeted them in her usual rhythmic speech.
"My name is Sky Flare." Sky Flare introduced himself.
"Always a pleasure to meet a new pony. What brings you to my humble little tree?" Zecora asked him.
"A friend of mine went missing while flying above the Everfree Forest and I was wondering if you've seen her. She's a pegasus with a gray coat and purple eyes. Her mane is dark gray and spotted with yellow stars." Sky Flare explained.
"Forgive my lack of information. I do not know your friend's location." Zecora's answer made Sky Flare's ears droop.
"What am I going to do now?" He asked rhetorically.
"Why don't you come inside. I think some help I can still provide." Zecora invited.
Sky Flare perked up a little at the mention of help and they all entered Zecora's hut. Sky Flare had seen a lot of Equestria, but he had never seen anything like this. The middle of the hut housed a large cauldron while the walls were covered in racks full of vials, flowers and many other herbal ingredients. There were also several tribal masks scattered around that sort of gave Sky Flare the creeps. It made Sky Flare think about how much Star Shine would have loved this and made him miss her all the more.
"Your friend's disappearance is truly tragic. To find her why not use some magic?" Zercora proposed as she reached her hooves into a nearby chest. After a few moments of rummaging through it she pulled out a book. "This was meant for Twilight as a gift, but it seems your need for it is swift."
Sky Flare levitated the book over to his face, reading the title out loud "Lost and Found: A Study in the Art of Clairvoyance." He cracked open the book to find its pages were covered in runes, symbols, and magic formulas. "Whoa, this is way beyond me." Sky Flare stated.
"Here, let me take a look at it." Twilight said as she levitate the book over to herself and began to browse through the pages. After a few moments she seemed to find what she was looking for. "Ah, here we go! There's a spell here to locate lost ponies. It says that every living thing emits its own unique aura and that it's possible for a skilled unicorn to trace that aura to its source." she explained.
"That's great news!" Sky Flare said elated.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple. This spell is very advanced. Normally it would take days of practice to master a spell like this."
"What?! But we don't have that kind of time! Can't you at least try it?" Sky Flare asked desperately.
"Well, I suppose I could try, but it will take a great deal of concentration and I can't guarantee it will work." Twilight responded.
"Alright then, you just concentrate on findin' Star Shine. You won't here a peep from us." Applejack encouraged her.
"Alright, here it goes." Twilight said, closing her eyes as her horn began to glow. "Find her aura and trace it." she whispered to herself.
Twilight placed all of her concentration on finding Star Shine and after a few moments a huge light erupted from her horn, her eyes glowing with magical energy. Suddenly her vision jumped out of her body and high above the Everfree Forest. As she looked around, she saw huge swirls of color coming from the forest below. Every living thing in the forest was emitting its own aura, but luckily the skies above the forest were a lot clearer. There were a few faint auras, likely left by birds or pegasii who flew through days ago, however there was one purple aura that was bright and fresh. Twilight followed the aura until she saw something that filled here with dread. A much bigger, more menacing red aura began to follow the purple one. Suddenly the purple aura shot down into the forest, but the red aura stayed above. She followed it until the purple aura collided with it. The two auras became intertwined before heading off towards a nearby mountain. She followed the two auras to the mountain and into a nearby cave. It was here that Twilight's fears were confirmed. On the left was Star Shine, trapped in some kind of bird cage and on the right was a large red scaled dragon. Her vision shot back to Zecora's hut and she released a loud gasp.
"What?! What did you see?!" Rainbow Dash asked in curiosity.
"Please tell me you found her." Sky Flare hoped out loud.
"I know where Star Shine is." Twilight said, causing Sky Flare to breath a sigh of relief, however his relief was short-lived "The bad news is, she's been captured by a dragon." This caused everypony to gasp in shock.
"I knew it!" Pinkie Pie shouted as if her sleuthing had somehow revealed that fact.
"Did you say a d-d-d-d-dragon?!" Fluttershy said nervously, while Rarity just swooned.
"A dragon?" Sky Flare uttered "What can we possibly do now?" He asked hopelessly.
"We rescue her of course!" Rainbow Dash declared confidently.
"Rainbow Dash is right. We can't just sit back and do nothin'" Applejack agreed.
"You guys would do that for us?" Sky Flare asked in disbelief.
"Of course, you and Star Shine are our friends." Twilight replied.
"I can't thank you guys enough." Sky Flare said.
"Alright, let's go kick some dragon tail!" Rainbow Dash shouted to rally the others.
"Right, the dragon's den is on a mountain some distance from here. If we hurry we can make it there before sunset." Twilight explained.
They all thanked Zecora before leaving her hut and setting forth into the Everfree Forest. As they traveled Sky Flare was wary of all the strange things in the forest and seemed to jump at the slightest noise. He attempted to take his mind off of it by making conversation. "So, when you saw Star Shine, was she okay?" he asked.
"She didn't appear to be harmed, but she was being held in some kind of cage. I think the dragon may see her as some kind of treasure." Twilight answered.
"Oh that poor dear, trapped in a musty old dragons den, it must be simply dreadful." Rarity said as she imagined it.
Sky Flared ears drooped as he thought about it.
"Hey, don't worry about it. We've dealt with dragons before." Rainbow Dash boasted.
"You have?" Sky Flare asked in curiosity.
"Yeah, we've even got out own secret weapon!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as they all looked at Fluttershy, who blushed under the attention.
Sky Flare was a little confused by this. Was there something he didn't know about the shy little pegasus. Regardless, it did make him feel a little better to see everypony so confident. And not a moment too soon as they found themselves at the base of a tall mountain. Luckily there seemed to be a path leading up the mountain which made scaling the mountain a little easier. It was still an exhausting journey though and by the time they reached the entrance to the dragon den, the sun was starting to set on the horizon, casting the sky in a shade of brilliant orange. They decided to stop for a moment so they could catch their breath and discuss their strategy.
"Remember everypony, let's try to resolve this diplomatically. If a confrontation breaks out, I don't think we can guarantee Star Shine's safety." Twilight instructed, but the last bit made Sky Flare a little nervous. "Are you okay, Sky Flare?" She asked him.
"To be honest, I'm terrified. I'm just a showpony and I never imagined I'd be facing a full grown dragon." He swallowed hard. "But if Star Shine is in there, then I'm ready. I'll do anything for her. I lo..." He cut the sentence short as his face turned red with embarrassment. "She's my best friend."
They all took a deep breath as they entered the dragons den. Soon the cave opened into a large cavern. It was the same cavern from Twilight's vision. There were two gem encrusted stone columns near the center of the cavern and in the back was a large pile of treasure. And resting upon that treasure was a large, red scaled dragon.
"Sky Flare! Girls! You found me!" A voice from their right drew their attention, but also drew the dragon's attention.
"It seems I have guests. What are you doing in my lair?" He asked, more curious than irritated at the moment.
Twilight stepped forward to answer him "I'm sorry, we mean you no disrespect, It's just, that pony you have in that cage is our friend and we were wondering if you would let her go?"
"Your friend is the most prized piece in my collection, do you really think I would just let her go?" The dragon responded.
"But she's a living creature, you can't just go around collecting living creatures like they were some kind of trinket." She argued.
"Oh yeah? And what are you going to do about it?" The dragon challenged.
"Allow me Twilight, I think this situation calls for a lady's touch." Rarity said as she stepped forward. "Why hello big, handsome, and scaly. I must say you have quite a sense of style. You've turned this musty old cave into quite the quaint little abode. Those gem encrusted columns are fabulous and that pile of treasure is to die for. There is one thing though; That tacky cage with the pony in it. Dungeon chic is definitely out. So what do you say we get rid of that nasty old cage and put in another pile of treasure? I bet it would make you all the rage with the lady dragons."
"Well, I rather like the pony in that cage. In fact, I'm thinking of adding another pony right now." The dragon replied, eying her greedily.
"On second thought, that cage does bring the whole 'Dragon's Lair' look together. No need to change a thing." Rarity said nervously as she backed up towards the group.
"Look, clearly reasoning with him isn't an option. I say we kick his tail." Rainbow Dash said, growing impatient.
"No Rainbow, don't you remember what happened last time we tried it your way?" Twilight scolded her "I think we should give Fluttershy a chance. She was the one who managed to convince that other dragon to leave."
"Oh, um, I'm not so sure..." Fluttershy began to respond before she was shoved forward by everypony and was now facing the dragon. "Um, hi, um, Mr. Dragon, we were all wondering, you know, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, if you could, please let out friend go?" She asked him meekly.
The dragon and her stared into each others eyes for a few moments before the dragon let out a guffaw. "I don't think so."
Fluttershy returned to her friends with her head held low. "I'm sorry. He won't listen to me." She said.
"He does have a lot of treasure. Perhaps it's possible his greed is just too strong." Twilight theorized.
"I still say we kick his tail." Rainbow Dash suggested again.
"Rainbow Dash, we already went over this..." Twilight began to argue.
As they broke out into a small argument, nopony noticed Sky Flare approach the dragon until he spoke. "Please, release Star Shine. She means everything to me. I don't know what I'd do without her. I love her." He finally allowed himself to say the words. He no longer cared who heard him say them. He had finally managed to reveal his true feelings about her.
The dragon looked thoughtful for a second. "You don't know what you'd do without her? I suggest you start looking for a new love." The dragon laughed cruelly.
"Alright! That's it!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
"NO!" Everypony yelled as they dog-piled on top of her to keep her at bay.
"Le'me at 'im! Le'me at 'im! I'll show him! Nopony messes with one of my friends and gets away with it!" continued to shout as she struggled against her friends to get at the dragon.
"Is that a threat?" The dragon asked.
"You bet your scaly behind it's a threat!" Rainbow Dash threatened.
"As laughable as that it, you ponies have overstayed your welcome. Get out of my lair and forget about your friend! She's mine now!" The dragon commanded baring his fangs.
"Come on girls, let's go." Twilight suggested as they began to drag Rainbow Dash out of the cave.
"You better watch you back, scaly, because when you least expect it, I'll be there!" Rainbow Dash managed to shout out one more threat before she was pulled out of the cave. When they got outside, Rainbow Dash turned her anger on Twilight. "What are you thinking Twilight? We can't just leaver her there!" she began before Twilight interrupted her.
"And I don't intent to, but that dragon is far too big to fight head on. If we want to rescue Star Shine, we need to be smart. We need a plan." Twilight stated.
"I'm guessin' that means you have one. What y'all got in mind?" Applejack asked.
"Well it's almost nightfall. If we wait for the dragon to fall asleep, we can sneak in and rescue her before the dragon wakes up." Twilight explained.
"We'll be like pony ninjas!" Pinkie Pie said in excitement.
"It does seem like best course of action." Rarity admitted.
"Wadda ya say Rainbow Dash?" Applejack asked.
They all looked at Rainbow Dash for a few moments before she finally relented. "Fine."
They all waited patiently for the sun to go down and for Luna to usher in the night. Soon afterward, loud snoring could be heard coming from inside the cave. They took this as their cue and quietly made their way back into the cave. Twilight used her horn to create a dim patch of light so they could see where they were going. Once they reached the cavern they immediately made their way over to Star Shine's cage. They found the normally cheerful pegasus quietly sobbing to herself.
"Psst, Star Shine." Twilight whispered to her.
When Star Shine heard the voice her eyes lit up. "Girls! You came back for me!" she practically shouted.
Twilight shushed her before continuing. "Of course we came back, we would never abandon you. Now, do you know where the key for this lock is?" she asked.
"I saw him place it on a ledge over there" Star Shine answered as she pointed her hoof at a distant wall. Twilight turned her light up the wall and it glinted off of something metallic.
"Rarity, Sky Flare, come give me a hoof with this." Twilight instructed.
All three unicorn's horns began to glow as key became enveloped in a mixture of red, purple, and blue magic. It was tricky having three unicorns try to levitate the same object, but they finally managed to move the key over to the lock. They steadied the key before inserting it into the lock. They turned the key, and with a click, the lock popped open and fell to the ground with a loud thud. Everypony cringed and swiftly looked at the dragon, who simple rolled over and let out another loud snore. Everypony breathed a sigh of relief before Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew up opened the cage for Star Shine. Star Shine spread her wings and flew out of the cage. As soon as she landed she found herself in Sky Flare's embrace.
"Oh Star Shine, I missed you so much, I thought I would never see you again." He said as tears of joy streamed down his face.
"I missed you to." She replied, returning the embrace.
For a few moments everypony just enjoyed the moment of seeing the two reunited. Everything was calm and quiet, too quiet. Something scratched at the back of Twilight's mind, telling her something was wrong. Then realization struck her. The dragon had stopped snoring.
"Do you take me for a fool?!" A loud voice bellowed throughout the cavern and everypony turned in terror to see the dragon was awake and looking right at them. "I knew you would try to steal my prize! I gave you a chance to leave in one piece, but now none of you will leave here alive!"
"Everypony close your eyes, now!" Sky Flare yelled.
On instinct they all closed their eyes right as several white flares shot out of Sky Flare's horn. They exploded in a flash of white light right in front of the dragon's face causing him to roar in pain as he covered his eyes with his claws.
"Run!" Sky Flare yelled.
Everypony immediately made a break for the exit as the dragon began to shoot jets of fire in random directions. They quickly made their way out of the cave and began to run down the mountain trail. Meanwhile the dragon continued to rub his eyes as the spots finally started to disappear and he could see clearly once again. He shot out of the cave at incredible speed straight into the sky.
"Where are you?! You can't hide from me!" He bellowed into the night sky as he surveyed the area.
It didn't take him long to spot the group of ponies fleeing down the mountain path. He dove down and shot a jet of flame in front of them, blocking their path. He landed on the other side of them, pinning them between a wall of flames and a very angry dragon.
"Now you'll see what happens to those who steal a dragon's treasure!" the dragon shouted.
Twilight's mind was racing. How could this be happening? She couldn't allow it to end this way. She wouldn't allow it to end this way! It was then that she felt something within her snap. It was the same feeling she had during her entrance exam when Rainbow Dash set off that sonic rainboom. Suddenly her eyes were filled with magical energy as she began to float off the ground.
"How dare you! You've got some nerve ponynapping Star Shine and threatening my friends! You think that just because you're bigger than us, you can do whatever you want! Well, let's see how you like feeling weak and helpless for a change." She roared, here voice distorted by magical energy.
An extremely bright glow enveloped her horn before a bolt of lightning shot from it into the dragon's chest. Electricity coursed through his body as he began to shrink. He continued to shrink until he was small enough to be crushed under a pony's hoof. The glow left Twilight's eyes and she fell limply from the sky.
"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash shouted as the shot into the air, catching Twilight and carrying her safely back to the ground.
Everypony rushed over, worried about Twilight.
"You okay sugar cube?" Applejack asked with concern.
Twilight groaned and rubbed her head. "My head. What happened?"
"Well, I reckon you just took care of our dragon problem." Applejack answered.
"What did you do to me?!" a squeaky, high pitched voice called from the ground. They all looked down to see the now pint sized dragon shouting furiously up at them.
"Well, well, well, it looks like the show is on the other hoof now." Rainbow Dash mocked him. "So Star Shine what should we do with him? Lock him in a cage? Trample him?" Rainbow Dash asked in anticipation.
Star Shine looked thoughtful for a few seconds. "Nah." was all she said in reply.
"'Nah?!' What do you mean 'nah'! Did you forget everything he just did to you?!" Rainbow Dash was confounded.
"Well no, but look at him now. He looks so cute! I was thinking maybe I could keep him as a pet." Star Shine answered innocently.
"What?! I am no pony's pet!" The dragon shouted in protest.
"Whatever. I still think we should give him a good trampling." Rainbow Dash said raising her front hooves into the air.
For the first time, the dragon actually looked frightened and shot off into some nearby bushes.
"Hey, get back here you coward!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she prepared to give chase.
"Actually, you'd better let him go." Twilight intervened. "I have no idea how long that spell will last, and the last thing we need is a full grown dragon rampaging through Ponyville."
"But if the spell wears off, won't that brute just come after us again?" Rarity asked with worry.
"Oh I doubt he'll be eager to tangle with Twilight again after what she just did to him." Applejack reassured her.
"I suppose." Rarity replied "But there is another problem. How are we going to get back to Ponyville? We can't be expected to travel through the Everfree Forest at night and we certainly cannot rest here."
"I agree. We're all too exhausted to make the journey back to Ponyville, but it's just as dangerous here with that dragon lurking around." Twilight said thoughtfully.
So what are we ganna do?" Applejack asked.
Everypony was silent for a few moments before Sky Flare stepped forward. "I believe I have an idea." He said before his horn lit up, shooting several flares high into the air. They exploded in spectacular bursts of light that spelled out the word "HELP!"
After a few minutes a pegasus stallion flew down with a mail bag in tow.
"Hey, what's with the light show over here?" He asked before he realized who he was talking to. "Hey, you're Sky Flare and Star Shine! I'm a big fan!" He gushed before his expression changed one of confusion. "What are you going all the way out here?" He asked.
"It's a long story, but my friends and I have gotten ourselves into a bit of a bind. Would you mind fetching us some help?" Sky Flare explained.
"Of course, just hold tight. I'll be back before you know it." The pegasus answered before flying off at high speed.
With that, Twilight and her friends finally took a moment to relax. It had been a taxing day and they were glad it was finally over. After some time they spotted the mail pegasus once again, only this time there were several more pegasii pulling chariots behind him. The exhausted bunch of ponies boarded the chariots and soon they were on their way back to Ponyville. Twilight took the time to think about what had happened with the dragon. She was a bit worried that she had lost control of her power. On top of that there was a gap in her memory between the time the dragon caught them and the time she was flown to the ground by Rainbow Dash. On the other hoof, whatever had happened had saved her and her friends from an early demise. Whatever it was, she was too tired to dwell on it now. She would have to inform the princess about it later, but for now she could feel drowsiness pulling at her mind as she nodded off to sleep.
