I slowly woke up from my sleep and yawned. Man, yesterday was one hay of a day. Despite Celestia’s spell, I have a tiny bit of a hangover from the cider chugging. Ouch.

I got out of bed slowly and walked to the bathroom, taking care of business, brushing my teeth and showering. When I was done, Elise greeted me when I opened the door.

“Hey there, mornin’ Jordan! Hey, so what do ah do if ah gotta ‘go’?”

I looked at her. “Outside of course. C’mon, let’s go for a quick walk.” I got the leash that Fluttershy had given me yesterday and clipped it onto Elise’s collar. I walked down the stairs with her and saw Twilight at her study table. She looked up at us and smiled. “Going for a walk?”

I nodded. “Yeah, she needs to take care of business and I could use some fresh air, I think I have a bit of a hangover from last night. Doesn’t feel good. Never drink Twi. Haha.” I chuckled and she rolled her eyes playfully as she returned to the book she was reading.

I walked to the door with Elise (Whose name is pronounced ELL-IS, not E-LEASE), and smiled. “Ready girl?” She barked happily and we walked outside together.

I let her walk into a grass patch nearby, and let her take care of her business. I hummed a tune as I waited patiently and she came running back. While she was gone, I had realized something.

Fluttershy! She and I had a date to do some butterfly catching today. I have to go see her, it’s my one chance to get her to open up to me. I looked down at Elise and smiled.

“Hey Elise, wanna come with me to Fluttershy’s house? I think she has some dogs there, you can socialize and hang out with them and the other animals. Sound fun?”

She smiled. “That sounds like a dandy ol’ time Jordan! Ah’d love to see Miss Fluttershy! When do we go over there?”

I shrugged. “Now I guess? Let me just run inside and let Twilight know real quick, ok? Stay right here.” I let go of the leash, putting full trust in her that she wouldn’t run away.

I walked inside and poked Twilight on the shoulder to get her attention. I smiled at her. “Hey, I’m going with Elise to Shy’s house. I’ll see you later, ok?”

She nodded. “Be careful, ok? Some ponies have said there’s some smoke in the air today, there must be some wildfires burning.”

I gave her a wonderbolt style salute. “I’ll be careful. Promise. See you later Twi.” I walked out of the library and went to where I left Elise, expecting her to be there, but she wasn’t.

I started to look around for her frantically. “Elise?” I walked to the tree nearby, no sign of her.

“ELISE?!” I called out louder, more desperately. Suddenly, I heard a racket to my left. I saw Elise down the road, chasing a cat! Wait a minute, that cat is all white with a purple ribbon. OH NO, IT’S OPAL!

I ran down the street as fast as I could. “ELISE, ELISE STOP! That’s Rarity’s pet cat, stop it!” She wasn’t listening to me, however. Her animal instincts were kicking in. We all know cats and dogs can’t stand each other.

I ran to them both and tried to pull them apart, only getting scratches and bite marks for my trouble. “ELISE, BAD GIRL!” I yelled, hoping she would hear me and stop.

I then noticed we were outside the Carousel Boutique, and heard the front door open. “OPALESCENCE!” Rarity cried out. “You stop that right this second!” Rarity then ran towards the three of us, using her magic to pry Opal off Elise. Why didn’t I think to use magic?
Rarity held Opal in her magic grasp and gave her an angry look. “Opalescence, what in the name of Equestria has gotten into you?” She then looked at me and noticed the cuts and bites on my body and grimaced. “I sincerely apologize for this, darling. I don’t know what got into Opal!”

I then sighed. “I don’t know what got into Elise. I think she’s ashamed, she’s not talking.” I nodded towards Elise who was standing next to a tree with a remorseful look on her face.

Rarity visibly winced at my wounds as she looked at them. “Come inside, darling. I have a first aid kit that can help.” I quickly shook my head, declining her offer.

“Thanks Rarity, but I’m fine. A few scrapes and cuts never bothered me. I’m heading to Fluttershy’s.”

She gave me a serious look. “Jordan, dearie, it’s not a good idea to keep those wounds untreated, you-“ I quickly cut her off.

“Rarity, I appreciate your kindness and generosity, but I really am fine. I promise, if I need help, I’m sure Fluttershy can help me. I’ll be ok, ok?” She nodded and wished me well and I went to Elise.

“Elise? C’mon girl, time to go to Fluttershy’s!” She didn’t respond, and just ignored me. “Elise? I promise I’m not angry.” I then walked over to her and sat down on the grass, grabbing her gently and pulling her closely. I started to pet her coat gingerly and tenderly.

“Elise, honey. I’m not mad, I promise. You just scared me because I walked out of the house and you weren’t where I had left you. And then when I saw you with Opal, I freaked out, because I know Opal is a mean cat that will stand her ground. I was worried about you. That’s all.”

She made an almost purring sound as I pet her, and licked my face. “Ah’m sorry ah ran off like that, ah don’t know what came over me. Ah wasn’t myself, ah didn’t have control. Hey, we still goin to Mrs. Fluttershy’s house?” I nodded and put her leash and collar back on, which had fallen on the ground when she started sprinting. I tightened it a little more so it wouldn’t fly off, and walked with her towards the forest.

We walked in silence for a little bit of time before we walked by Sugarcube Corner. I looked over to the door to notice Pinkie turning the closed sign over to open. She saw me and gasped.

“HEY! Jordan, why don’t you come inside for a second? Please?!” I looked down at Elise who nodded and sighed. I guess Fluttershy could wait for a little bit.

I walked to the door with Elise, but Pinkie stopped me. “Sorry, but she has to stay out here. Pets aren’t allowed, minus Gummy, cause he has no fur!” I sighed and looked down at Elise.

“Stay here, RIGHT HERE, and be a good girl, ok Elise?” I scratched behind her ears and walked inside with Pinkie.

She closed the door and smiled. “Jordan, last night, I was going to play this game with you for your birthday, but we got too busy. So, I CHALLENGE YOU TO TIC TAC TOE!”

I raised an eyebrow. Tic tac toe? But I always get my rear end kicked at that game. Eh, oh well, might as well play.

“Sure Pinkie, let’s play.” She suddenly ran in a burst of pink and got the board, setting it down on the floor and lying in front of it. I did the same and smiled at her.

“You can go first!” She smiled at me. I grabbed an X and placed it on the very middle of the board. She then placed her O on the top right, to which I responded with placing my X on the top left. She then took the bottom left corner, but I won the game by placing mine in the bottom right.

She giggled. “You won, you’re good at tic tac toe!” I smiled at her.

We continued to play, but it seems Pinkie Pie is not much of a puzzle solver/strategic thinker. I was beating her, badly. I won six games in a row! When I won six games, suddenly her mane and tail deflated, and she turned a darker pink. For the next few games she looked sad and depressed.

We continued to play, but I kept winning somehow! At nine in a row, she got visibly irritated. She gave me a P.O’d look, and at 11, she was snorting through her nose.

At 12 in a row, she gave up and got super angry at me. She stood up, snorting angrily for a second, before she suddenly jumped and pounced on me, pinning me down. I looked up at her in fright.

“Pinkie Pie, calm down! It was just a-“ I was cut off as she raised her hoof and hit me, her hoof connecting with my face in a mighty hay-maker.

I have no idea how long I was out, but I awoke in a dark room. I tried to look around, but I just couldn’t see more than five feet in front me.

But suddenly, I saw a silhouette of Pink, and gasped. “Pinkie Pie? Is that you, oh, my head!” I moaned in pain as I felt my face.

Pinkie just stared at me, grinning evilly. I saw that she was holding an object in her hand, a scalpel. I gasped in fear as I saw it.

“I’ll teach you to beat me!” she yelled as she charged at me with the scalpel. I screamed, shut my eyes tight, but nothing happened.

I peeked one open to see Pinkie. She was standing still, scalpel an inch from my skin. She looked at me before she start guffawing, falling onto her back as her mane, tail and color went back to normal. Suddenly, the lights turned on, and all of the girls were there. Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow, Applejack, and even Spike. There were all laughing pretty hard.

I looked at them, confused. “What in the hay is going on here?!” Applejack walked up to me and started to untie me.

“We had this all planned sugarcube. Pinkie Pie meant to lose that game y’all were playin, and this whole thing was a gigantic in-joke to scare the livin daylights outta you, which ah say was a success!”

I looked at the girls in shock. Well, it was shock for a few seconds, before I got angry. I fell from my bonds and started to yell.

“THIS IS YOUR IDEA OF A JOKE!? I don’t mean to sound like Gilda, but seriously?! That was just messed up girls!”

Pinkie gave me a gigantic hug. “Hey, you should know I’d never hurt you! How could I hurt my bestest friend in the whole wide world over a stupid game of tic tac toe! But, next time we play I’m gonna totally beat you!”

I calmed down and hugged her back, smiling at her words. “It’s ok, but wow, that was really mean of you girls. Don’t do that again, please! I was really scared.” They all nodded, and we walked back upstairs together.

I saw Fluttershy and smiled. “Fluttershy, before this prank I was actually heading to your house with Elise. Do you still want to go butterfly catching?”

She gasped then smiled. “I’d forgotten about that. I’d love to, but I have to feed the animals at home first. Would you like to help me?” She gave me the biggest smile/blush combination I’d seen in my life, and my heart exploded; TWICE.

“Of course Fluttershy! I‘d love to help you. Let’s take a walk shall we?” I asked with a beaming smile at her and she nodded and smiled back.

As we walked out, I found Elise where I left her and I pet her lovingly. “Good girl, you didn’t run away! I think you deserve a treat at Fluttershy’s house.” We then started to walk along the road to her cottage, and she asked me a question.

“So….um…. how did you like your birthday? Was it good?” She spoke in a voice so soft it was hard to hear.

I nodded. “Yes, the party was amazing. But after that….. some things happened that I’ll never forget.” I grimaced internally as I remembered part two of Celestia’s gift, the kiss and seeing into the future. NO, NO, stop thinking about it Jordan, remember what you told yourself. It’s pointless getting worked up over, stop thinking about it and enjoy the time with Fluttershy you have.

I didn’t realize how long I’d been thinking, and before I knew it I heard Flutters say “Home sweet home. Oh Angel Bunny! Momma’s home.” She walked inside and walked to the kitchen, getting a bowl and putting a salad together for Angel, and I put Elise outside with the other animals. Angel then walked in and looked at me curiously. I kneeled down to his level and smiled at him, trying to show him kindness.

“So you must be Angel, huh? Nice to meet you.” I then extended my hoof out for a little hoofshake, but he declined it by crossing his arms and turning around. I looked at him confused.

“That’s pretty rude, don’t you think little buddy?” He then turned around and blew a raspberry at me in response. I stood up and glared at him.

“That’s not nice, I was trying to be nice to you!” He then smirked at me and stepped on my hoof with all four feet, making me yelp in pain. Fluttershy heard me and ran to the living room. “What happened?!”

I held my hoof in pain. “I was just trying to be nice to Angel and introduce myself, and he blew a raspberry at me and stepped on my hoof. I did nothing wrong…..” I said this in a sad tone of voice and Fluttershy looked over at the bunny.

“Angel, sweetie, please be nice to Jordan, this is momma’s friend honey. He was just trying to be nice, why do you have a temper today?” Angel turned his back on Fluttershy and folded his arms. I sighed.

“Maybe I should just go Fluttershy, it’s pretty apparent that, for whatever reason, he doesn’t like me. I don’t want to cause an argument.”

I started to walk away, but Fluttershy grabbed my hoof, boldly. She blushed. “D…..don’t go. Angel’s just a tough cookie, he doesn’t open up to many people. Please, I really need help feeding my animals today, and you promised we’d go butterfly catching.”

I smiled at her. “Ok Fluttershy, I’ll stay. But I’m staying away from angel for now. So who are we feeding first?”

She grabbed a giant basket and smiled. “Follow me outside to the forest.” She started to walk outside, and I did the same. We walked for a while to the forest before she stopped, and spoke.

“Ok little critters, lunch time! Come on out now, it’s all on the picnic blanket.” She laid out the blanket and put an impressive pile of food on it.

Many small creatures came out to eat. Birds, squirrels, rabbits, etc. But then I felt the ground shake a bit and my pupils shrunk as my eyes went wide with fear, due to the creature I saw next.

A brown bear. It looked to be eight hundred pounds with massive, club-like paws. It looked ready to kill. I shrieked in fear and ran for dear life to the cottage!

But on my way there, I tripped on a rock and went rolling for a bit. I did about five frontflips before I stopped, and groaned in pain. “Owch…..”

Fluttershy ran up to me and gasped. “Oh my goodness, are you ok Jordan?!” She sat down and held me in her lap, looking over my body to survey my injuries.

“Y…yeah, I’m fine. Just some scrapes and bruises, nothing major.”

She then held my arm up for me to see. “This isn’t major? Because it looks major to me.” She said in a soft voice. I looked at my arm and groaned, she was right. There was a stick lodged into my skin, and it looked decently deep too.

“Why did you run away? This all could have been avoided if you didn’t run.” She was right, of course. I sighed and told her the truth.

“Fluttershy, listen. I’m not scared of many things. But one thing I’m deathly afraid of is…..BEARS. They’re so big and frightening, and everytime I see one I feel like it’s going to eat me alive!” I whimpered as I said this, and she stroked my mane softly to calm me down.

“I know how you feel, trust me. Hairy scared me at first too, but once you get to know him he’s such a sweetheart, like Angel. I’m the same way with dragons, oh how dragons scare me!”

I smiled at her. “Well, at least you don’t have to worry, it’s not like some big dragon is going to attack Ponyville.” We both laughed before she got up slowly. “Come on, we have to get that arm taken care of mister. Let’s go home.” I slowly got up and followed her to her cottage, limping on three of four legs. Once inside, she got a first aid kit and sat me down at the kitchen table. She had some pliers and herbal medicine to numb the pain. She applied the medicine to my wound before she looked at me.

“Hold your hooves tightly, so the pain lessens, ok? I have to get this stick out.” With that, she gripped the pliers in her mouth and swiftly dislodged the stick. She then quickly wrapped bandages and gauze around the wound to keep it from bleeding.

I had managed to stay silent, but oh did I ever feel pain. When she was done, I was crying. She saw this and stroked my mane softly again. I looked at her with my teary eyes.

“F….Fluttershy, I’m sorry I’m being such a baby. I know you don’t want to hear me crying like a little filly.”

She looked at me before hugging me tight. “Jordan, you’re not a baby for crying. Everypony cries, even Rainbow Dash, but don’t tell her I said that.” She gave me a wink and I smiled. I could also tell she was speaking from past experience.

“Now, how does some lunch sound? My treat.” I nodded at her, I was feeling very hungry since I had skipped breakfast.

“Ok, you go lie down on the couch and rest that arm, I’ll have it out soon.”

I followed her directions and lied down on the couch. As I did, I gave a sound of pure comfort. Dear Celestia, this is the comfiest couch I have ever felt. It’s like lying on pure fluff! Even though I didn’t think I was tired, I very quickly fell asleep.

I don’t know how long I was out, but I was awakened by the sensation of a hoof stroking my cheek.

“Wake up sleepyhead, your lunch is ready.” It was Fluttershy, speaking in a sing-songy tone of voice. I gasped and quickly sat up, stretching and yawning.

“How long was I asleep?” She looked at me and smiled. “About an hour, sounded like you really needed it, you were even snoring.” I blushed a little bit before I walked with her into the kitchen. I gasped at what I saw.

I figured she would just make me a salad and call it good, but she did much more than that. There was a whole spread here! There was a salad of course, but she had also made hayburgers, hayfries, spaghetti, garlic bread and even an apple pie! I gasped and looked at her in disbelief.

“You….. you made this for me? But why, and how did you even make this much food in so little time Fluttershy?”

She blushed a little and hid her face behind her mane. She spoke softly. “W….well, we’ve never really been together before today, so I wanted to make it special. And since you got hurt on my watch I wanted to make it up to you. I’ve always been good at cooking, and with Angel’s help, it was easy. He says he’s sorry and wants to be your friend, by the way. He and I had a talk while you were asleep.”

Said bunny came up to me and nuzzled my non-injured arm. I smiled and pet him. “Thank you so much Fluttershy. Your plan definitely worked, I don’t think I’ll ever forget this.” I smiled at her, the corners of my mouth practically touching my ears, making her blush as she sat down to eat. I did the same.

I got helpings of everything, little samples if you will. A few plates and half an hour later and I was STUFFED. I sat back in my chair and rubbed my stomach. “Compliments. To. The. Chef. That was amazing Fluttershy!”

She blushed and smiled. “Th….thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it.” She then looked over at Angel, who was chomping on his carrot.

“Not too fast now, Angel bunny. You don't wanna get a tummy ache.” Angel looked at her and spit his carrot out. “You really should eat more than that, don't you think? It's not play time yet.” Angel started to run outside, but Fluttershy intercepted him “I know you want to run, but... just three more bites. Two more bites? One more bite? Pretty please?” Angel responded by shaking his head each time and finally kicking the carrot at her. What a jerk!

Angel started to cough, making Fluttershy become concerned. “Oh, goodness. Are you okay?” Angel only coughed again. “Are you coughing because there's a carrot stuck in your throat?” Again, he only coughed! ”Because you need some water?” This time he coughed very loudly.

“What is this, charades?!” I cried out in annoyance at both of them.

Fluttershy gasped as she looked towards the sky. “Because of that giant cloud of scary black smoke?” Angel again kicked the carrot at her. ”I'll take that as a... yes.”

I looked at the cloud in shock. “Twilight told me there’d been warning of smoke today, but she said they were just wildfires. This is either a gigantic wildfire, or something fishy is going on here!”

Fluttershy gulped nervously. “We…..we have to tell everypony what’s going on! Come on!”

She and I both ran towards Ponyville, leaving Angel and Elise at her cottage. We ran for a while until we got to Ponyville Park. There, she tried to get anypony’s attention, but they were all busy/ignoring her!

“Help. Help! Please? Help? There's-- there's a horrible cloud of smoke. It's headed this way and-“ Fluttershy shrieked as Rainbow Dash zoomed by her, bouncing a ball on her nose.

“Don't be such a scaredy-pony. It's just me, future Equestria ball-bouncing record holder. Three forty six, three forty seven...” I rolled my eyes. Gosh darn it Rainbow, this is serious!

“This calls for a celebration!” Pinkie said as she watched Rainbow bounce the ball.

“Oh, no, Pinkie Pie, this is no time for celebration. This is a time for panic, for-“ Fluttershy was again cut off by everypony.

I then tried to speak. “Uh, girls?! Hello?!” But, I got ignored like Fluttershy!

“Ooo! I'm going to need balloons! One for every pony in Ponyville!”

“There's— there's smoke. And— and where there's smoke, there's fire. And—“

“Let's see, that's one, two, three, four...” Pinkie started.

“Three hundred fifty four...” Dash went on.

“Five, six...” Pinkie continued.

“Three hundred fifty five, no, wait...” Dash lost track of her count!

“Seven.” Pinkie counted.

“Pinkie Pie! Now I have to start over.”

I then growled in annoyance before I stomped my hoof on the ground and shouted. “FOR THE LOVE OF CELESTIA, WILL SOMEPONY LISTEN TO FLUTTERSHY AND I?!” Well, that got everypony’s attention, cause they all looked at me.

“There’s a gigantic cloud of smoke in the air that is about five minutes from getting to Ponyville, LOOK AT THE SKY!” I turned and pointed towards the cloud, making some ponies gasp and run to their homes in fright.

Suddenly, Twilight showed up. “Jordan’s right! And the smoke isn’t just here, it’s spreading over all of Equestria!”

The other ponies all gasped. “What? Oh no! That's awful!”

“That's what we were trying to tell all of you…..”Fluttershy added softly.

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

“Oh, thank goodness.” Fluttershy said in relief.

“It's coming from a dragon.” Twilight proclaimed sternly.

All of us gasped collectively.

“A... d-dragon?” Fluttershy replied in fright. Ouch, she just admitted to me earlier how scared she is of dragons. This isn’t good for her, I feel bad for her!

“Come on, I’ll debrief you all at the library!” Twilight said as she galloped to the library, us directly in tow. When we got there, the questions started.

“What in the name of all things cinnamon swirled is a full-grown dragon doing here in Equestria?” Applejack questioned.

I then piped up again. “Yeah, I thought dragons lived in another land, until the great migration? Read about it in one of your books, Twilight.”

“It’s sleeping.” Twilight stated.

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and I were all confused. “Huh?”

“According to Princess Celestia, he's taking a nap. His snoring is what's causing all this smoke.” Twilight retorted.

“He should really see a doctor. That doesn't sound healthy at all.” I facehoofed. Pinkie, you dork.

“Well, at least he's not snoring fire. What are we meant to do about it?” Rarity asked.

I piped up again. “We’re just seven ponies! How are we going to wake up a dragon!? Those things weigh like, what, one hundred tons?!” I shouldn’t have said this, as Fluttershy started to shiver and shake in fear.

“I'll tell you what we're meant to do. Give him the boot. Take that. And that!” Dash made some impressive fighting moves, until she crashed into a bookcase.

I rolled my eyes. “Nice moves, Rainbow Crash.”

She glared at me before flying to me and getting right in my face, an irritated look in her eye. “Don’t you ever, EVER call me that!”

I just smirked at her. “Somepony angry? Good. Save it for when we go pay this dragon a visit!”

“How about I use it to smash my hoof in your face?!” she yelled at me in anger.

Twilight interrupted us by splitting us away from each other and glaring at us. “Ahem. 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 for the next one hundred years.” Fluttershy gasped at this.

“Hmph. Talk about getting your beauty sleep.” Rarity stated, half sarcastic, half serious.

Twilight continued. “All right everypony, I need you to gather supplies quickly. We've got a long journey ahead of us. Let's meet back here in less than an hour.” She finished as she walked away to go pack.

Dash piped up. “Okay, girls and boy, you heard her. The fate of Equestria is in our hooves. Do we have what it takes?”

We all nodded in agreement, except Fluttershy.

“Um, actually...” She said softly as the girls left. I nuzzled her side, making her gasp and look at me. I smiled at her. “I have nothing to pack, want me to go with you to the cottage and help you pack your things?” She nodded prudently. So, she and I hurried to her cottage.

We got there pretty quickly, and I started thinking of things she would need. “Ok Fluttershy, let’s see. Some snacks, a water canteen, oh, you’ll need that…..” I droned on as I helped her pack, and she started to put on some clothing. When I was done and looked up at her, I facehoofed.

She had on a football helmet and protective clothing. “Fluttershy, you don’t need all that, come on.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to get hurt. I’m wearing them!” she replied sternly. I sighed and let her.

When we were done packing, we walked to the front of the house and I grinned, thinking of the exciting adventure ahead. “LET’S DO THIS!” I yelled as I started running back to town.

“Um, let's... not?” Fluttershy said as she squeaked and whimpered. I used a spell to lift her up and carry her to town. She protested the whole way, but I got her there.

When we all gathered at the park, Twilight looked at me. “Here, I packed some things for you.” She then mounted the saddle bags onto me and I smiled at her in appreciation.

“All right girls, and boy, 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 said as we all gathered in the middle of town.

“M-m-mountain?” Fluttershy asked, stuttering in fear.

“The dragon is in that cave at the very top.” Twilight added.

“Huh. So we’re going to the top of a mountain, to meet a dragon in a cave? What if he hits us, and we go flying off the mountain? We’d be ruined, then!”

Twilight shrugged. “I guess Rainbow Dash could catch us if that happened? I’m not sure.”

“Looks pretty cold up there.” Applejack noticed.

“You bet it is. The higher you go, the chillier it gets.”

I groaned. “Oh come on, I hate the cold!” Rarity then tapped me on the shoulder. “Good thing I brought my scarf. And I made one for you, Jordan, since I know you don’t own one.” She smiled and handed it to me, and I smiled back. “Thank Rarity!”

“Ooo! Pretty!” Pinkie said to us when she saw our scarves.

“Heh, oh yeah. That'll keep you nice and cozy.” Rainbow said. I rolled my eyes at her. “Rainbow, for the love of Celestia, knock it off with the frivving sarcasm already, it’s starting to get on my nerves!” I stared at her in a half glare, which she returned.

“Don’t like it? Stay here in Ponyville then!” I grumbled and walked away from her, towards Fluttershy.

She looked at me with fright and fear riddled in her eyes. “D... do I have to go? I could stay here, and watch the animals and be safe… away from dragons!”

I sighed at her. “Fluttershy, we’re a group, and we need to-“ I stopped talking as I saw the look in her eyes, it made my heart shatter, she looked so scared. I sighed again. “Go ask Twilight, she’s the leader here afterall.” Fluttershy nodded and walked over to Twilight.

Fluttershy gulped and spoke to her. “Um, excuse me, Twilight? I know you're busy, but...” Twilight didn’t pay Fluttershy much attention, and focused on the map.

“Uh-huh. Well, we could go this way.” Twilight rambled on.

“But if I could just have a second...” Fluttershy continued.

“Uh-huh. No, we want to avoid that.” Twilight continued ignoring Fluttershy, and now I was getting angry. I walked over to Twilight and ripped the map out of her hands. “HEY, I was using that!” she cried out.

I gave her a stern look. “Fluttershy’s been trying to talk to you for about half a minute now, and you kept ignoring her. She wants to stay here in Ponyville, because she’s scared.”

Twilight gasped and looked at Fluttershy. “You have to come! Your way with wild animals will surely come in handy.”

“I don't think I—“ Fluttershy was cut off by Twilight.

“Oh, and don't worry about your little friends in the meadow. Spike's got it covered while you're gone.” We looked over and saw Spike corralling said critters, including Angel and Elise. Angel tapped rapidly on Spike’s head, making the animals flee.

“You can count on me! Oooh! Hey! Hey! Wait!” The animals all started fleeing, forcing Spike to chase them.

“I don't really think he's up to the task. Maybe... But... But... no!” Fluttershy made such an adorable sound, I swear my heart burst. She was way too cute.

I walked over to Elise. “Hey, will you be ok here with Spike honey?” I scratched her ears, just how she liked. She made a happy sound and nodded. “Of course ah will, y’all be careful up there, ya hear?!” I smiled and nodded at her before walking to Twilight and Rainbow.

“Are you sure you want Fluttershy to come along? I mean, that pony's afraid of her own shadow. She's just going to slow us down.” Rainbow was talking to Twilight, and then I stepped in.

“Oh, well excuse me if some of us don’t have wings, Mrs. Pegasus. It’s not Fluttershy’s fault she’s scared, you can’t honestly look me in the eye and say you’re not a little bit scared too!”

She looked me in the eye, like I said, before she backed away. “Ok ok, maybe I’m a little scared, but I’m still awesome and fearless!” I scoffed and looked at Twilight, who started to speak again.

“Oh, she's just a little nervous. Once we get going, I'm sure she'll be fine.” We looked over to see Fluttershy, like Dash said, get frightened at her own shadow. I sighed.

“Ok, look. It’s obvious Fluttershy has her pluses and minuses, but the fact of the matter is we’re a team, and we have to stick together. Even if she’s a pain sometimes.”

They couldn’t argue with that, so they just nodded, and Twilight spoke. “All right girls, and Jordan, move out!”

“But... but...!” Fluttershy screamed as the dragon snored, very loudly. So loud it was as if it were right next to us.

“Whoa. What was that?” Rainbow asked in amazement.

“That is what it sounds like when a dragon snores.” Twilight said as we started to walk towards the mountain. I went to Fluttershy.

“Hey, listen Fluttershy. I know how uncomfortable and scared you are, so I’ll walk with you. Will that make you feel better?”

She gasped. “You’d do that, for me? Oh, thank you!” She hugged me tightly, making me smile widely.

So, she and I started walking side by side, so close we felt each other’s body heat. Suddenly, she looked at me. I saw her move her neck, and I turned at her. As soon as she saw me turn my neck, she turned hers the opposite way, trying to hide a blush. It seemed clear she wanted to say something.

“Hey, something on your mind Fluttershy?” I asked.

She blushed more and gulped nervously, and spoke in a very soft voice. “I, um… was just wondering if I, um… could hold your hoof?” she blushed even more, turning her head away again.

Her question made even me blush badly. “You want to hold hooves with me?” she nodded. “If….that’s ok?” I smiled at her and grabbed her hoof, walking side by side with her towards the mountain.

Rainbow spoke to us as she flew forwards. “C’mon you two slowpokes, we’ll never make it if you—“ she had looked back towards us mid-sentence, and when she turned back and saw us holding hooves, she was in so much shock she messed up her flying pattern and crashed to the ground. She got up, shook her head a bit and looked at us in wonder, as if she was questioning something. Me and Fluttershy both blushed and turned away, not making our case look any better.

Finally, we got to the base of the mountain, and Fluttershy looked up in fright. “It-- it's so... high!”

“Well, it is a mountain. I'm going to fly up there and check it out!” Rainbow started to fly up until AJ stopped her. “Wah!”

Hold on, now. I think we should all go up together. Safety in numbers and all.” Applejack was right, it did make sense, and Dash agreed. “Oh, all right.”

The girls started to walk up the mountain, and I was doing the same until I heard the unmistakable squeal of Fluttershy behind me. I saw she was shaking in fear, so I quickly slid down the rocks back to the ground. I ran over to her and comforted her.

“Hey, it’s ok Fluttershy, it’s just a mountain. Shh.” I said as I stroked her mane, trying to calm her down. It worked, but she was still frightened.

“Hey! What are you waiting for? An invitation?” Rainbow cried out in anger. I then heard Pinkie Pie next.

“Ooo, I think I have one in my bag!” I couldn’t see what she was doing, the cliff was too high up.

“I-it's so... so... steep.” She shuttered in fear, as I held her.

“Well, it is a cliff. You could just, oh, I don't know, fly up here?” Rainbow suggested.

“Come on, Fluttershy, you can do it. Flap those wings!”

“Oh... okay.” Fluttershy broke away from me and started to fly, but then the dragon snored and she fell to the ground again.

“Augh!” Rainbow cried out in frustration.

I stopped listening to the girls’ conversation above as I comforted Fluttershy. “Shh, it’s Ok Fluttershy, the dragon’s not gonna hurt you. I promise.” She held onto me as she shivered in fear. All of a sudden, Applejack came down the cliff to us. “What are you doing here?” I asked simply enough.

“We gotta get Fluttershy up that there cliff, don’t we? We’re gonna walk her around the long way.”

I then noticed that said pony had fallen asleep in my arms as I tried to calm her down. AJ smiled at me.

“You’ve got talents at making ponies calm pardner, like her and her animals. Ya got a soothing voice sugarcube.”

I chuckled a bit. “You really think so?” She nodded at me. I then stood up used my magic to put Flutters on my back. “C’mon, we’d better get walking then.” AJ nodded and started to follow me and I started walking the long route, around the mountain. Fluttershy was surprisingly heavy, and it was a workout, but I carried her.

About halfway through the trip, we were silent. But around the halfway point, I suddenly spoke.

“AJ, do you think this is gonna work out? I mean, seven ponies against a full grown dragon, I—“ she cut me off as she patted my back. “Jordan, ah think we got this. Ain’t nothing bad gonna happen, you and Fluttershy don’t gotta worry none.” I nodded and continued walking.

At the halfway point, we’d been walking for about forty-five minutes. So, it took another forty-five to get to where the girls were. My hooves were aching; Fluttershy’s weight didn’t help either.

We finally got to our destination, the top of the cliff.

“Whoo-hoo! I win again!” I heard Pinkie say as we finally got to the crest of the trail.

“Ugh. That's thirty-five games in a row. Best of seventy-one?” Wait, were we walking for that long?! I’m just now noticing how bad my legs hurt, I think I’m going to get a cramp.

“We. Made. It.” Applejack said while panting, obviously tuckered out from the long walk. I was too.

“Told you it was going to take them forever.” Rainbow said in annoyance.

“That was not fun, I carried Fluttershy the entire way. Quick break, then we’ll keep going.” I said as I set Flutters down gently, sitting down to catch my breath.

Rainbow groaned. “Come on already, we need to get going!”

Applejack waved a hoof at her. “C’mon Rainbow, we walked all that way nonstop, we need a rest.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “For the love of Celestia, make it quick!” We all sat down and rested for a couple minutes, and Fluttershy slowly woke up. She was startled, as she was in an unfamiliar setting. She gasped.

“Where are we?!” She said in fright. I stroked her mane softly. “We’re at the top of the cliff, Fluttershy. Applejack came down to us, and you’d fallen asleep, so I carried you on my back up here.”

“You carried me up here? Oh, I feel terrible, that must have been hard.” She said with her ears drooped down. I nuzzled her.

“It was no problem Fluttershy, you needed to rest anyway. But I think we should get back on the road now. Shall we girls?” I looked to them, and they all nodded. We stood up and continued on the trail up the mountain, me and Flutters side by side like earlier.

As we walked, Rainbow flew ahead of me and Fluttershy and stopped us. “Fluttershy, is it ok if I stop for a second and talk with Jordan?” Fluttershy looked at me and nodded, and walked around Dash to continue walking.

Rainbow landed on the ground before playfully slugging my arm with her hoof. “You sly dog! I saw you and Fluttershy holding hands earlier. So, when’s the wedding!?” She was stifling laughter after she said this, because my face was red as a beet, and I was stammering.

“I….we…what?! You….you’re crazy! We….we’re not! I mean, Fluttershy’s amazing. And sweet. And kind. And beautiful, but…-“ I stopped as I realized I had just said that. Rainbow gave me a devious smirk for it. It was obvious that after I let those words slip out of my mouth, she was more convinced than ever I liked Fluttershy, and wasn’t going to let it go.

Rainbow then gave me another play punch. “I’m gonna be Fluttershy’s amazing mare of honor! Woo-hoo!” She then took off and flew ahead to the group again. As I walked, I noticed Fluttershy had stopped so I could catch up with her. She saw how red I still was and looked at me in curiosity.

“What’s wrong, what did Rainbow Dash talk to you about?” She asked in a soft, inquisitive voice.

I shrugged. “N…nothing. Let’s just keep walking, ok Fluttershy?” I then nuzzled her softly, making her make a very happy eeping sound.

We all continued walking, until we got to a deep ravine in the trail.

Me and the five girls all made it across the gap with ease, but Fluttershy was the last pony left. She gulped nervously, in fright.

“Your turn, Fluttershy.” Twilight said to her.

“But... it's so... wide.” Fluttershy said in worry.

“Come on, Fluttershy, we should be much farther along by now.” Twilight retorted.

“She’s right Fluttershy, we’ve wasted too much time!” I called out to her.

“You could just leap on over.” Applejack suggested.

“I—“ Fluttershy started to speak, but at that moment the dragon snored. It was so incredibly loud, and frightening, I almost fell over in terror myself!

“I don't know.” Fluttershy said worriedly.

“There's nothing to be afraid of. It's just a hop, skip and a jump. See?” Pinkie Pie demonstrated, and started singing.

-It's not very far
Just move your little rump
You can make it if you try with a hop, skip and jump-

“We don't have time for this.” Twilight said in annoyance. But I put my hoof on her shoulder, assuring her this was the only way to get Flutters over here. Pinkie continue singing.

-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,
A hop skip and jump,
A hop skip and jump!- Pinkie FINALLY finished singing her song. Fluttershy looked a bit more motivated now.

“O-okay. Here I go. A hop.” Fluttershy hopped in the air.

“That's it.” Applejack encouraged.

“You've got it.” Twilight motivated.

“Almost there.” Rarity chimed in.

“Skip.” Fluttershy then skipped, and was about to jump in the air, when Twilight spoke.

“Just don't look down.” Twilight warned. But of course, whenever you say those words, THEY ALWAYS END UP LOOKING DOWN. Fluttershy did, and became stuck in the ravine.

“Ugh.” Me and Dash both said in irritation as she was wedged between the two cliffs.

“I guess I forgot to jump.” Fluttershy said a bit sadly. I helped her up and shook my head. “You just need to learn confidence in yourself, Fluttershy. You could have made that jump easily, but you let your nerves, your fear get the best of you. That’s no way to live, you have to conquer fear, or else it will ruin your life. Trust me, I know from experience.”

Fluttershy seemed to be digesting what I told her, but she didn’t have anything to say in response, so she just nodded her head. “Can we…. Keep going?” Me and the girls all nodded at her, and so we all started walking on the road again. After a good bit of walking, we came across a cliff, shooting straight up to the right hand side.

“Let's keep it down. According to my map, we're entering an avalanche zone. The smallest peep could cause a huge rock slide.” Twilight warned to the lot of us.

“An... an ava... ava...” Fluttershy started to say in fright, before Twilight stopped her.

“Shhh!” Twilight scolded at Fluttershy. A few seconds later, something happened that made Fluttershy yell.

“AVALA--!” Fluttershy started to yell before I put my hoof over her mouth. We all then went on high alert, scared that an avalanche would start. We waited for a couple seconds of agony, before we let out a collective sigh of relief.

But then, all of a sudden, we heard rumbling all around us. I looked to my left, and there were rocks sliding down the cliff! Gigantic boulders!

Dash started flying for dear life, and the girls followed suit on the ground. I tried to run after them, but I kept taking rocks to the hooves, making me stop from the pain.

Then, I saw that a gigantic boulder was about to crush all the girls, before I scream. “NO!!!” I cried out, and all of a sudden, something incredible happened.

My horn started to glow and spark, without me even doing anything. All of a sudden, a magical bubble appeared around all six of the girls, and when the boulder came down to the bubble, it shattered into a million pieces, and the girls were safe. Consequently, I was vulnerable as this all occurred, and I took a mean sized rock to the head, knocking me out.

I don’t know how long I was out for, but I found myself… at peace. It was absolutely silent, like a solitary confinement, sound-proof room. I had a throbbing pain in my head, but I was relatively at peace besides that.

Then, I realized my predicament. I was trapped, encased in a rock tomb of sorts! Rocks were all around me and I couldn’t get out! I couldn’t move, I was absolutely stuck.

I was losing oxygen by the second, and it was getting hard to breathe. I feel my lungs start to tighten, and my throat get drier, and drier, and drier as I tried to get much needed air.

I tried desperately to move, shaking my joints and trying to get out. I was in full-tilt, desperation, survival mode, going off of adrenaline, because finally, I was able to dislodge a rock at my head and get air.

I spent literally the next twenty seconds or so taking in air, before I studied my surroundings. I had been completely encased by these rocks, like a bad body cast. I was stuck.

“Oh please, please let one of the girls walk by here! I need their help, I can’t get out on my own.” I thought to myself as I looked around.

Suddenly, I heard a voice. “JORDAN!” I saw Twilight and the girls run to where I was. “JORDAN, oh thank Celestia you’re safe! We thought we lost you!” Twilight cried out in relief, as they all started to dislodge the rocks from around me. When I was free, I lied down on my stomach and sprawled out a bit, until Twilight moved me back onto my back.

“We were looking for you for what felt like forever. We were so scared, so worried. We couldn’t find you…” Twilight said as she surveyed my injuries and winced a little. “That hoof looks badly hurt, if not broken. Fluttershy, can you make a sling for his hoof like you do for your animals?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Jordan and I packed one earlier. I had no idea he’d be the one needing it.” Fluttershy said as she carefully put my hoof in the sling, which allowed me to at least get up properly.

“How do you feel? Can you continue walking?” Twilight asked, as I started to test the waters so to speak. I could walk, but very slowly. It was painful. I sighed.

“Maybe I ought to just go home, I’m only going to slow you six down. I got a dead hoof, I’m no help to you now!”

Fluttershy shook her head softly. In a soft voice, she retorted. “Remember what you told me earlier? We're a group, and we have to stick together, no matter what.”

I gave an understanding nod. She was right, of course. It just meant we would be even more behind schedule getting to the dragon.

“Ok, we should get going then. Let’s do it.” I started carefully walking on three hooves forward. It turned out that somehow, I had gotten knocked forward, to the other side of the rock wall the avalanche formed. The girls had climbed over it to get to me.

“Still think it was a good idea to bring Fluttershy along?” Rainbow finally asked Twilight after we’d been walking a good distance.

“We're about to find out. We're here. Rainbow Dash, you'll use your wings to clear the smoke.” Rainbow nodded and went “Mm-hmm.”

“Rarity and Pinkie Pie, you'll create a diversion to distract the dragon if things get a little hairy in there.” Rarity and Pinkie nodded.

“Applejack, you're ready with the apples in case he decides to attack. But it shouldn't come to that, because Fluttershy will do what she needs to do to wake him up, and between the two of us, we should be able to get him to understand why he needs to go. Is everypony ready?” Everypony nodded, but I stepped forward.

“What about me? What should I do, Twilight?” She gave me a look of sorrow and remorse.

“I’m sorry Jordan, but you’re sitting this one out. You’ve already got a possibly broken hoof, I can’t let you put yourself into harm’s way again.” She pointed to a nearby rock. “Go stand behind that rock, just in case, ok?” I started to protest, but she gave me a stern look. “No buts! Now, go!” I sighed and nodded, and went behind the rock. I couldn’t hear everything the girls said, however.

In the next minute or so, I saw Twilight try to push Fluttershy into the cave, but to no avail. Twilight didn’t realize WHY Fluttershy wouldn’t go into the cave.

Finally, I heard Fluttershy cry out. “I'm scared of dragons!” She said and cowered in fear as the dragon snored, releasing a ton of smoke that made us all cough.

I then decided to walk over and try to help the situation as Twilight spoke. “But Fluttershy. You have a wonderful talent dealing with all kinds of animals.”

“Yes, because they're not dragons.”

“Oh come on! We've seen you walk right up to a horrible manticore like it was nothing.”

I then surprised them by speaking, as they hadn’t seen me walk over. “Girls, think logically for a moment. Dragons are gigantic, frightening creatures. There’s a big difference between a dragon and a manticore, and Fluttershy has every right to be scared. You girls can’t tell me you’re not scared too?”

Rainbow Dash flew and did a heroic, brave pose in the air. “Not me, I’ll kick that dragons butt!”

I rolled me eyes, and Pinkie spoke next.

“Spike is a dragon. You're not scared of him.”

“Yes, because he's not a huge, gigantic, terrifying, enormous, teeth-gnashing, sharp-scale having, horn-wearing, smoke-snoring, could eat a pony in one bite, totally all grown-up dragon!” The dragon snored again, making Fluttershy whimper in fear.

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

Fluttershy was about to speak, but I stopped her and spoke. “Twilight, if you remember, I told you when we were getting ready to leave, but you were so concerned about getting going you didn’t stop to think of the consequences...”

“All of us are scared of that dragon.” Applejack said, trying to play mediator. “I'm not!” Dash replied, and AJ sighed. “Almost all of us are scared of that dragon, but we've got a job to do. So, get in there with Twilight and show her what you're made of.”

“I-- I-- I just... can't.” Fluttershy then ran behind the rock I was behind, and Twilight sighed. “Go back to the rock with Fluttershy, Jordan. We’ll handle this.” I nodded and went there.

“I'm goin' in. He... probably just doesn't realize what he's doing. Right?” The girls all nodded at Twilight, and she walked inside the cave. I couldn’t hear her inside the cave, but I next saw her run out of the cave as smoke flooded the entrance.

“So much for -coughs- persuading him.” Rainbow said a bit annoyed.

“Now what?” Applejack asked.

“Obviously, this situation just calls for a little "pony charm". Allow me, girls.” Rarity said as she next went in the cave. A while later, she came back outside, running terrified.

“I was this close to getting that diamond.” Rarity said in regret.

“You mean... getting rid of that dragon?” Twilight said, correcting Rarity.

“Oh, yeah... sure.” Rarity said, still disappointed. Suddenly, we all heard a very loud horn.

“What in tarnation...?” Applejack said confusedly, as we all found out Pinkie Pie was blowing a horn.

“Darling, you look ridiculous.” Rarity said in disgust at Pinkie’s outfit.

“Exactly! Sharing a laugh is a sure-fire way to get someone on your side! Hi!” Pinkie said as she made some goofy motions.

Pinkie Pie went in, but came out with some equipment destroyed. “Apparently he doesn't like laughing, heh. Or sharing.” She said.
“All right, that's it. We tried persuasion, charm, whatever it is Pinkie Pie does.” Dash said as Pinkie blew the busted up horn.

“It's time to stop wasting time! I'm going in!” She said as she dashed into the cave. Next thing we knew, she flew out of the cave in fright, and right behind her was the dragon!

“Who-o-o-o-o-a!” Rainbow screamed as the dragon used her as a bowling bowl, before tossing her into the four others like a game of bowling.

Fluttershy and I gripped onto each other tightly, shaking in fear at the gigantic dragon. He looked cold blooded, like he was out for blood. Suddenly, he grabbed me, forcing me and Fluttershy to separate.

He clenched me in his fist, and brought me far up into the air. I screamed. “GIRLS, HELP ME!” His grip on me was only tightened, making me feel like I was in a vise grip. I wouldn’t last much longer.

Suddenly, I heard Fluttershy shout. “How dare you!” She yelled as she flew up to the dragon, and landed on its snout. “Listen here, mister. Just because you're big doesn't mean you get to be a bully. You may have huge teeth, and sharp scales, and snore smoke, and breathe fire. But you do not-- I repeat-- You do not! Hurt! My! Friends! You got that?” She finally finished her speech, looking straight into the dragon’s eye as me and the girls looked at her in complete, utter shock.

The dragon just whimpered, and lowered its head a little bit, too afraid of Fluttershy to say anything to her.

“Well?” Fluttershy asked as she raised her eyebrow at it. The dragon finally replied. “But that rainbow one kicked me.” I saw Rainbow Dash nod proudly at this fact.
“And I am very sorry about that. But you're bigger than she is, and you should know better. You should also know better than to take a nap where your snoring can become a health hazard to other creatures.” The dragon nodded, but then tried to protest at her.

“But I—“ He started before she cut him off. “Don't you 'but I' me, mister. Now what do you have to say for yourself?” She was staring at him, awaiting a response. When no such response came, she tried again. “I said, what do you have to say for yourself?” The dragon then whimpered and starting crying, literally raining salty, gigantic teardrops.

Fluttershy then comforted him. “There, there. No need to cry. You're not a bad dragon, you just made a bad decision. Now go pack your things. You just need to find a new place to sleep. That's all.” She had grabbed me out of the dragon’s grip and helped me safely to the ground below, before the girls all ran up to her and congratulated her.

“You did it! I knew you could do it.” Twilight said as she proudly embraced Fluttershy. I did the same thing, as the dragon flew away over-head.

“Fluttershy, that was amazing! I’m so proud of you, I know that can’t have been easy to do. You saved me. I owe you my life.” I said as I nuzzled her in appreciation. She blushed at me.

“I…it was nothing. I couldn’t let him my best friends. He was being such a meanie to you all.”

Applejack nodded. “I think we best all head home, Jordan needs to get to restin’ that there hoof. Maybe go to the hospital too if it’s bad enough.” The girls all nodded and went mhm in agreement, before they tried to think of a way to get me home safely.

“I…um, I can carry him on my back. It’s only fair, since he did the same for me earlier.” Applejack and the girls helped carry me onto Fluttershy’s back, and we all started walking home.

I tapped Fluttershy on the neck. “Fluttershy, you don’t have to do this, I can walk.” I tried to reason with her, but she wouldn’t have it.

“No way. I’m carrying you home and that’s final, mister. You need to rest that hoof.” I sighed and let her win the argument. I didn’t feel like arguing, I was in too much pain.

We slowly walked down the mountain the way we came, past that avalanche zone (Fluttershy made me hold onto her tight, as she flew over the rock wall that was now there), past the ravine she got stuck at, and finally the steep cliff she had trouble getting over. I then tapped Fluttershy on the neck again.

“See all the fears you overcame today Fluttershy? You got up the mountain, you passed the ravine, and you stared down the dragon. While I know you didn’t want to, you got past your fears for the most part to save us. You did an amazing job.” I then kissed her cheek softly, making her blush.

We continued walking back to Ponyville, where Twilight turned to me and Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, I hate to ask, but can Jordan stay with you for tonight? You’re much better at nursing wounds and injuries than any of us, and Jordan needs attention.”

Fluttershy blushed again and nodded. “It…it would be my pleasure, Twilight, I’ll take care of him, I promise. See you girls later!” She said as she walked towards the forest, not even letting me say anything. It was clear that in this matter, I had no say. I was too tired and weak to do much right now anyway, the pain in my hoof was only getting worse.

We got to Fluttershy’s cottage, and she walked inside, carefully laying me down on her couch. “Now you just lie down there and stay comfortable. I’m going to get my nightstand so you can lay your hurt hoof on it, should you need it.” She then hummed a beautiful tune as she walked across the room and grabbed it, placing it to my side.

“There we go. Now you just rest up, mister. Take a nap if you want, I’ll have dinner ready soon.” She said in a soft, soothing voice. I nodded at her. “Thank you so much Fluttershy, I’m so sorry you have to baby me twice in one day, I usually don’t get hurt this much.” I laughed a bit, and she did too.

“No need to be sorry, it’s my pleasure taking care of you. How about I surprise you with an extra special dinner?” I nodded, as I was very hungry. As she walked into the kitchen, I rolled onto my side and slowly felt my eyes get heavier, and finally, I was gone.

I was awoken by the sensation of her hoof gently shaking me, like earlier. In a sing-songy voice, she said. “Wake up sleepy-head, time for dinner.” I yawned and slowly sat upright. I was about to get up and walk to the kitchen when she stopped me. She pointed to the coffee table in front of the couch, which she had adorned with dinner.

She had raised the coffee table to act much like a normal table, and placed a chair at the other end so we could both eat as I sat on the couch.

I looked at the meal and gasped. She made an amazing spread, even better than earlier. There was salad, as always, but also spaghetti, breadsticks, and even lasagna! It all looked and smelled so delicious.

“Holy…whoa, Fluttershy, this all looks amazing! You made this for me?” she nodded and blushed. “Well then, shall we eat?” She nodded and sat in her chair, and we both started to eat.

The food was amazing. I got a plate of everything, and everything, even the salad, tasted scrumptious. Absolutely divine. I made happy sound as I ate, making Fluttershy proud of her cooking skills.

When I was done I leaned back a bit. “You’re such an amazing cook, I’ve never, ever had food like that.” She smiled. “Thank you. I learned how to make most of this from my mother. She always had a passion for cooking.”

I smiled. “I see it didn’t skip a generation, your cooking is incredible.” She smiled at me.

“So, now that you’re done eating, do you feel strong enough to walk?” I looked at her curiously. “Depends on where you want to walk to, where to?” She smiled and stood up, walking to the door. “Follow me.” I got up and followed her, being extra careful to avoid hurting my hoof any more than it already was.

We walked for a bit, until we got to the spot we had put the food out earlier. The basket and blanket were there, albeit empty. She smiled. “Here, sit down on the blanket, I’ll be right back.” I did as she said, and she walked into the forest, before coming back a few minutes later.

“Stay there, and be completely still, ok Jordan?” I nodded at her, getting a bit nervous as I wondered what she had planned in store for me.

Suddenly, I felt the ground shake, and as I looked to Fluttershy, I saw that the bear from earlier was standing next to her. My eyes widened, the pupils tiny and ridden with fear.

I jumped up and ran to them, fearing the beast was hurting Fluttershy, not caring how much my hoof hurt. I screamed. “NO, GET AWAY FROM HER YOU BRUTE!” I yelled as I jumped on it and made it fall to the ground. It easily kicked me off of it to the ground.

Fluttershy ran to me and held me, forcing me to calm down. “JORDAN, shhh. It’s ok, he wasn’t hurting me. He just wants to meet you and say hello.”

I panted heavily as I looked at her. “Say hello!? More like rind my bones! He looks bloodthirsty!”

Fluttershy gave me a stern look. “Now listen here mister, just because Hairy is a bear, that doesn’t mean he’s bloodthirsty or dangerous. He just wants to say hello.”

I sighed softy. “But, Fluttershy, he’s so big, and…..scary….” I said as I held onto her. She stroked my mane softly.

“Remember earlier, when I faced the dragon, and overcame my fear? You need to overcome your fear too, Jordan, and I know you can do it. For me.” She kissed my cheek softly, which made me feel lighter than air, like I was just going to float away. Just that one simple kiss on the cheek made me feel happier than anypony in the world.

I sighed at her. “O….ok, Fluttershy. For you.” I got up and walked towards Hairy slowly, gulping heavily as I did.

I eventually got so close, I could touch his fur. He looked down at me, which made me yelp in fright as I looked up to his eyes. I slowly extended my hoof out and pet him softly, shaking nervously.

“H….hey. I’m s…sorry I attacked you. I didn’t mean t…to hurt you. My name’s Jordan.” He looked at me and started to make bear noises back at me.

Of course, he wasn’t speaking real words, or English. But as he made those sounds, I felt something strange. I felt like… I could understand him! I nodded as he finished. “I’d love to be friends with you. I’m sorry I was so mean to you, I just… you frightened me.” He then surprised me by giving me the worlds tightest, most literal beat hug.

I hugged back, and when he let go we walked back to the forest, waving goodbye. I waved goodbye also, and Fluttershy tackled me to the ground, hugging me closely.

“You did it! I knew you could do it, I had faith in you.” She then kissed my cheek again, making me feel like I did earlier. I smiled.

“I’m so glad you talked me into that Fluttershy. I don’t feel afraid of him anymore, and something…amazing happened. I felt like I…could understand him, if that makes sense. Like I knew what he was saying without actually talking to him.”

Fluttershy smiled. “I feel the same way when I talk to animals. Maybe you have a gift with animals too. –Gasp- maybe you could come by more often and help me with them! Ohh, they would love to get to know you.” She was giddy in excitement, and I chuckled. “Sounds like a plan Mrs. Shy. Should we go back home now?” She nodded and we walked back to her house.

When we got inside, she and I yawned at the same time, looked at each other and said we were going to go to bed, at the same time. We blushed a little bit before I got on the couch, and she tucked me in and made sure I was comfortable.

When I was, she kissed my cheek again. “Goodnight, Jordan. See you tomorrow.” I smiled. “Goodnight Fluttershy, see you tomorrow.” She then turned out the light, and I rolled onto my side.

Today was a rough day, but it was such a good one too. Sure, I hurt my hoof and almost died at the hands on a dragon. But I got closed to Flutters and got a kiss on the cheek from her-thrice! That’s an amazing day in my book.

I can’t wait to see what kind of adventure awaits me and the girls tomorrow, no matter what it is, it’s going to be so much fun!

I felt my eyes get heavy, and I drifted off into the dream world.

Author's Note

There you have it. My favorite piece of writing i have ever done. I love this chapter because it was by far my longest, my cutest, and my most well rounded chapter. Next chapter is Look Before You sleep. See ya there!