The Element of Empathy

Eleanor's POV.
*Sigh* Finally a quiet day in Ponyville. It's been over a week since Trixie's visit and the attack of the Ursa Minor. Now everything has been fix and everypony is enjoying the day as a normal day.

Well, except a certain shy Pegasus, who was running into the park shouting, "Help. Help! Please? Help? There's-- there's a horrible cloud of smoke." Everypony seemed to be ignoring her, "It's headed this way and--"

Fluttershy squeaked as a red starred ball came flying toward her. She ducked and the ball missed her. Rainbow Dash quickly dashed past her and caught the ball, kicking it into the air.

"Don't be such a scaredy-pony. It's just me, future Equestria Ball-Bouncing Record Holder." Rainbow assured, then resumed counting, "Three forty six, three forty seven..."

Pinkie Pie accompanied Rainbow and smiled, "This calls for a celebration!"

Fluttershy shook her head, "Oh, no, Pinkie Pie, this is no time for celebration. This is a time for panic, for--"

Ignoring her, Pinkie Pie bounced by, "Ooo! I'm going to need balloons! One for every pony in Ponyville!"

Fluttershy followed after her, "There's-- There's smoke. And-- And where there's smoke, there's fire. And--"

Pinkie came to a sudden stop, Fluttershy rammed right into her. Pinkie counted the Ponyfolk present, "Let's see, that's one, two, three, four..."

Rainbow was still counting her bounces, "Three hundred fifty four..."

"Five, six..."

"Three hundred fifty five, no, wait..."

Pinkie cut Rainbow off by jabbing her chest, causing Rainbow to drop the ball, "Seven."

Rainbow took a step back and caught the ball under her arm. She glared at Pinkie, "Pinkie Pie! Now I have to start over."

A small cough caught me by surprise. I looked up and saw a large trail of black smoke sneaking across the sky. A familiar smell reached my nostrils. Fire and brimstone.

Oh no. Not again...

"We're all going to have to start over, in a new village." Fluttershy tried to speak up, "'Cause ours is gonna be--"

But she was cut off by Rainbow Dash flying off somewhere.

Pinkie Pie dashed after her friend, "Hey, Rainbow Dash, wait up!"

Fluttershy started to get desperate, "Oh, please, this is an emergency. I-I need everypony to--"

But, yet again, she was cut off. This time by Twilight Sparkle, on the bridge, "Listen up! Smoke is spreading over all of Equestria."

The other Ponies gasped, "What?" "Oh no!" "That's awful!"

"That's what I've been trying to--" Fluttershy tried to speak up, but Twilight cut her off again, "But don't worry, I've just received a letter from Princess Celestia informing me that it is not coming from a fire."

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

"It's coming from a dragon." Twilight finished.

Everypony gasped in dread and panic.

"A... d-dragon?" Fluttershy stuttered.

*A Little Later, in Golden Oak Library...*
Twilight told everypony in Ponyville to go to their homes and stay inside. Then she rallied to rest of us into Golden Oak Library to come up with a plan to stop this dragon.

"What in the name of all things cinnamon swirled is a full-grown dragon doing here in Equestria?" Applejack asked, as Twilight looked over her books

"Sleeping, of course." I answered.

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie tilted their heads in confusion, "Huh?"

Twilight nodded, packing a backpack with books and scrolls, "According to Princess Celestia, he's taking a nap. His snoring is what's causing all this smoke."

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

Rarity shrugged her shoulders, "Well, at least he's not snoring fire." Then asked, "What are we meant to do about it?"

"I'll tell you what we're meant to do." Rainbow Dash spoke up, "Give him the boot." She took off into the air and kicked the library's centerpiece, "Take that." Twilight quickly grabbed the piece before it fell to the ground. Then she lifted it as Rainbow charged through, "And that!"

Rainbow crashed into a bookshelf.

"Violence doesn't always solve the issue, Rainbow." I told her, "We need reason as well."

Twilight nodded in approval, "We need to encourage him to take a nap somewhere else. Princess Celestia has given us this mission, and we must not fail." Rainbow Dash got back to her hooves and saluted, "If we do, Equestria will be covered in smoke for the next one hundred years."

Fluttershy gasped, while Rarity scoffed, "Talk about getting your beauty sleep."

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

Rainbow cheered and smiled, "Okay, girls, you heard her. The fate of Equestria is in our hands. Do we have what it takes?"

Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity smiled and cheered in affirmations. They left the library to make their way home and pack some supplies.

Fluttershy was the last to leave. She hesitated, "Um, actually..."

"Is something the matter, Fluttershy?" I asked.

Fluttershy looked at me, "Umm... Well... It's just that-"

But Twilight cut her off, "Fluttershy, we need to get going!"

She pushed the shy Pegasus out of the library and slammed the door behind her. I folded my arms at my friend.

That was rude.

*Less than an hour later...*
Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Fluttershy returned outside the library with backpacks full of supplies and such.

"All right girls, 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 told us, as she marched past us.

"M-m-mountain?" Fluttershy stuttered.

Twilight nodded, as she pointed to the mountain just outside of Ponyville, "The dragon is in that cave at the very top."

"Looks pretty cold up there." Applejack noticed.

Rainbow Dash nodded with a smile, "You bet it is. The higher you go, the chillier it gets."

"You guys are lucky you're ponies." I pointed out, "You girls have thick hides to keep you warm. I'm gonna need a thicker jacket."

Rarity smiled, "Good thing I brought my scarf."

She reached into her backpack and got out a pink stripped scarf. She wrapped it around her neck.

Pinkie Pie smiled, "Ooo! Pretty!"

Rainbow Dash chuckled, "Heh, oh yeah. That'll keep you nice and cozy."

I looked up at the mountain. For some reason, I felt scared and frightened. The funny thing is I'm not afraid of mountains, dragons or heights. I've done this thing before, with Sunset Shimmer. It was actually pretty fun.

I looked to my right and saw that Fluttershy was looking scared and nervous.

"Is something wrong, Fluttershy?" I asked the timid Pegasus. She looked at me, then away in uncertainty. "It's alright. You can tell me anything. I'm your friend." I assured her.

Fluttershy looked at me, and took a deep breath, "I... I really don't want to go up the mountain. I thought... Maybe I can stay here in Ponyville, keep an eye on the others while you and the others are gone."

I raised a brow, "You're afraid, aren't you?" Fluttershy gulped and gave me a small nod. I smiled, "That's okay, Fluttershy. I'm not a big fan of the cold. We just need to tell Twilight. Okay?"

Fluttershy looked uncertain, then looked at Twilight, who was looking over a map of the outside of town.

"Um, excuse me, Twilight?" She spoke up to Twilight, "I know you're busy, but..."

"Uh-huh." Twilight nodded, her eyes glued on the map, "Well, we could go this way."

"Twilight, Fluttershy wants to speak to-" I tried to speak up, but Twilight cut me off, "Uh-huh. No, we want to avoid that."

Fluttershy took a breath and spoke up, "So, um, I was thinking that, um, maybe Ellie and I should just stay here in Ponyville."

Twilight nodded, "Uh-huh." Her eyes were still glued on the map.

Fluttershy smiled, "Oh! Good. Ellie and I'll stay here and--"

Twilight finally heard Fluttershy's words and turned to her, "Wait! You and Ellie have to come! Your way with wild animals will surely come in handy. And Ellie's experience with dragons will definitely help."

"I don't think I--" Fluttershy tried to argue, but Twilight cut her off, "Oh, and don't worry about your little friends in the meadow. Spike's got it covered while you're gone."

Spike nodded, with little critters at his feet and birds and chipmunks perched on his arms, "You can count on me!" Unfortunately Angel Bunny thumped on Spike's head. Spike reacted and the animals ran off. Spike chased after them, "Hey! Hey! Wait!"

"I don't really think he's up to the task. Maybe..." Fluttershy told Twilight, but her words fell on deaf ears, as Twilight put the map back in her backpack and started walking, "But... But..."

"Are you sure you want Fluttershy to come along?" Rainbow Dash asked Twilight, "I mean, that pony's afraid of her own shadow. She's just going to slow us down."

I nodded in agreement, "And you know how much I can't stand the cold." I told her, "Maybe we should stay here."

Twilight just shook her head, "Oh, she's just a little nervous. And you just need your jacket. Once we get going, I'm sure you both'll be fine."

Suddenly, we heard Fluttershy squeak in fright. Twilight, Rainbow and I turned to see Fluttershy jogging on the spot, looking at her shadow. Then she leaped into a bush behind her.

I helped Fluttershy out of the bush, then Twilight announced, "All right girls, move out!"

With that, the girls charged forward, toward Fluttershy and I. "But... But...!" Fluttershy tried to argue, but we were carried with them.

Fluttershy screamed, while I shouted, "TWILIGHT BELLATRIX SPARKLE! YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!!"

*A little later, at the Base of the Mountain...*
Twilight, the Girls and I arrived at the base of mountain. The dragon's snore caught everyone by surprise, creating a larger cloud of smoke toward Ponyville. Fluttershy gasped and hid close behind me.

"Whoa. What was that?" Rainbow Dash gasped.

"That is what it sounds like when a dragon snores." I answered.

Fluttershy looked at the mountain and squeaked, "It-- It's so... High!"

"Well, it is a mountain." Rainbow Dash pointed out, then added, "I'm going to fly up there and check it out!"

She was about to dash off, but Applejack stopped her by grabbing her tail, "Hold on, now. I think we should all go up together. Safety in numbers an all."

The others nodded in agreement. Rainbow folded her arms and pouted, "Oh, all right."

With that, the girls and I started climbing up the mountain. Unfortunately, I walked plantigrade, so Applejack helped me keep my footing on the mountain, as we climbed.

"I hear the only thing that sparkles more than a dragon's scales are the jewels they use to build their nests." Rarity spoke up, as we climbed up the mountain, "Ooo, if I play my cards right, I might be able to convince him to part with a few!"

With a growly voice, Pinkie Pie imitated the dragon, "Welcome to my cave, Rarity. Care for a diamond?"

She roared. The rest of us laughed at her joke. The only one that wasn't laughing was Twilight Sparkle.

"Girls, this is no laughing matter!" She told us sternly, then we continued climbing.

I cleared my throat, "I think you might have trouble getting one gem from the dragon's nest, Rarity."

Rarity looked at me, "Why is that?"

I was about to answer, but Twilight marched past me and asked, "Fluttershy, you're the expert on wild creatures. What do you think the dragon will be like?"

Getting no response, Twilight looked behind her, "Fluttershy?"

The rest of us turned to find Fluttershy still at the base of the mountain, hiding behind a bush.

"Hey! What are you waiting for? An invitation?" Rainbow Dash shouted impatiently.

Pinkie smiled, "Ooo, I think I have one in my bag!"

She dug into her backpack and got out a card. Confetti popped out with a party whistle and startled Rainbow Dash.

"I-It's so... So... Steep." Fluttershy squeaked timidly

"Well, it is a cliff." Rainbow pointed out, "You could just, oh, I don't know, fly up here?"

"Come on, Fluttershy, you can do it." Pinkie Pie encouraged with a smile, flapping her hands, "Flap those wings!"

"Oh... Okay." Fluttershy took a breath and flapped her wings.

She made it to our location and we smiled at her accomplishment. However another snore alerted Fluttershy. Her wings snapped closed and she fell into the bush at the base of the mountain. Rainbow Dash sighed in annoyance.

"Fluttershy, you okay?" I called.

"I'm okay." She answered. She tried to open her wings again, but they weren't cooperating with her this time around.

Twilight sighed in impatience, "Uh, we don't have time for this." I rolled my eyes and grabbed her map. "What are you doing?" Twilight asked me, as I looked the map over.

"I'm gonna be needing this, if I'm going to take her around the mountain another way." I answered.

Rainbow Dash groaned, "Around the mountain?" I rode down the cliff to meet up with Fluttershy, "That's going to take them forever."

I made to Fluttershy, she was still struggling to open her wings. Another snore echoed from above the mountain. Fluttershy froze solid and fell on her back.

"Don't worry, Twi. We'll reach you guys as soon as we can." I assured Twilight.

*A Few Minutes Later...*
Twilight Sparkle's POV.
The girls and I were still waiting for Ellie to bring Fluttershy to meet up with us. During that time, I was pacing along the path. Rainbow Dash was trying to keep herself from getting bored by following me. Applejack was sitting down and waiting patiently. And Rarity and Pinkie were playing Tic-Tac-Toe. So far, Pinkie was wining.

"Whoo-hoo! I win again!" Pinkie cheered as she won another game.

Rarity sighed, "Ugh. That's thirty-five games in a row." Then asked with a smile, "Best of seventy-one?"

Then I heard the sound of footsteps and hoofsteps. Finally arriving was Ellie and Fluttershy. Fluttershy was hiding behind Ellie and holding her hand.

"There we go." Ellie smiled at Fluttershy, "Told you, you can do it."

"Told you it was going to take them forever." Rainbow Dash whispered to me.

I gave her a look. They were only gone for eight minutes.

With Fluttershy calmed down and both her and Ellie finally with us, it was time to continue up the mountain. I followed the map up a crooked path and met up with a gap across the mountain. Rainbow Dash wasted no time and leaped over. The other girls and I followed behind her. The only one left was Fluttershy.

"Your turn, Fluttershy." I told her.

Fluttershy refused to move and hugged a nearby rock, "But... It's so... Wide.

"Come on, Fluttershy, we should be much farther along by now." I sighed.

"You could just leap on over." Applejack encouraged.

Fluttershy looked over the gap, "I--" Another dragon snore echoed from the cave. It was louder this time around. Fluttershy squeaked and curled into a ball, "I don't know."

Applejack and I shook our heads. Then Pinkie Pie spoke up with a cheerful smile, "There's nothing to be afraid of. It's just a hop, skip and a jump." She leaped over to Fluttershy with ease, "See?"

Then she broke into song,

'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." I sighed.

Pinkie resumed singing, leaping back and forth across the gap,

'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!'

Fluttershy gathered her courage and stood up, "O-okay. Here I go." She hopped over to the edge, "A hop."

Applejack smiled, "That's it."

I nodded, "You've got it."

"Almost there." Rarity cheered.

"Skip." Fluttershy skipped, and leaped over the edge.

"You're doing great." Ellie smiled.

I nodded, "Just don't look down."

Fluttershy opened her eyes and looked down. Panicked, she lost her hoofing. Luckily, the gap was smaller than Fluttershy believed it was. You could've just stepped over with no harm.

Rainbow Dash sighed in annoyance and flew over to the other side. She pushed Fluttershy over, while Applejack and I grabbed her hands and pulled Fluttershy over.

Again, Fluttershy lost her hoofing and tripped over, falling on top of Rainbow Dash. "I guess I forgot to jump." She whispered with a sheepish smile.

*A Little Later...*
Eleanor's POV.
"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 whispered, as we arrived to a part of the mountain that looked like it could collapse at anytime.

"An... An ava... Ava..." Fluttershy whispered, as fear began to pick up on her again.

Twilight quickly 'shh'ed her and we walked up the path, as quietly as we could. Fluttershy stayed as close to me as possible. Rainbow Dash flew past a tree, her shoulder brushing over a branch. Two leaves fell and landed on Fluttershy's shoulders.

Startled and frightened, Fluttershy screamed at the top of her lungs, "AVALA--" I quickly covered her mouth and her echo screamed into the air. Luckily, no avalanche.

The girls sighed in unison, and the ground started to shake around us. The wall next to us started to topple over with rocks of shapes and sizes falling toward us.

"Avalanche!"

The girls and I ran around the area, trying to avoid getting crushed by the falling rocks. Rainbow Dash stuck to her flying skills.

"Oh no! Help!" Twilight screamed, as she tried to avoid the rocks.

Applejack tackled her out of the way and the rocks created a huge cloud of dust. All of us coughed the dust out of our lungs, as the cloud cleared and a large hill of rocks blocked our path.

"Everypony okay?" Applejack asked everyone.

Twilight sighed and smiled at Applejack, "Thanks to you I am."

Fluttershy popped out of the dirt with a small sheepish smile. Rarity found herself covered in dust and dirt, from the cloud. She dusted herself off and the dust and dirt attracted itself to Pinkie Pie, who bounced in excitement.

"Whoo-hoo! Let's do it again!" Pinkie smiled, now covered in dirt and dust.

Rarity smiled, "This is why a girl always packs extra accessories." She reached into her backpack and wrapped her pink-striped scarf around her neck. Then her smile fell, "Oh, please tell me I brought the tiara that goes with this."

"Uh, think we got bigger problems than making sure our hair bows match our horseshoes." Rainbow pointed out, pointing to the hill of rocks and stones.

Fluttershy sighed with a sulk, "Sorry."

I smiled and assured, "Don't worry about it, SugarCube." Applejack gave me a look.

Twilight nodded in agreement, "Yeah, we'll just have to..." Her smile fell and sighed, "Climb over."

With that, the girls and I started climbing over the hill of rocks, stones, dust and dirt. It was quite slippery on the up, Rarity helped me this time around. On the way down, Fluttershy lost her hoofing and slid down the hill. She collided into Rarity, me and Applejack, crashing into the foot of the hill.

Rainbow Dash flew over and tried to help Rarity out of the pile. "My apologies." Rarity apologised.

"Not your fault." Rainbow Dash answered, glaring at Fluttershy. I gave the impatient Pegasus.

Not Fluttershy's fault she has been trying to tell us she's scared of dragons. If you just stop an listen, you'll know and help her out too!

Then Rainbow Dash flew off to meet up with Twilight, as the rest of us got back to our hooves.

"Still think it was a good idea to bring Fluttershy along?" She asked Twilight.

Twilight looked ahead, "We're about to find out." Then came to a stop, "We're here."

The rest of us gathered with Twilight, in front of a large cave with the smoke leaking out from the ceiling.

Twilight turned to Rainbow Dash, "Rainbow Dash, you'll use your wings to clear the smoke."

Rainbow Dash nodded and took off into the stream of smoke.

Twilight turned to Rarity and Pinkie Pie, "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, as Pinkie got out a rubber chicken from her backpack and started shaking it around like a dog, much to Rarity and Twilight's confusion.

"I don't think that's a-" I tried to speak up, but Twilight cut me off and turned to Applejack, "Applejack, you're ready with the apples in case he decides to attack."

Applejack nodded and threw two apples into the air, kicked them into a nearby tree.

"Twilight, there's no need fo-" I tried again, but Twilight cut me off again, "But it shouldn't come to that, because Fluttershy will do what she needs to do to wake him up, and between both her and Ellie, we should be able to get him to understand why he needs to go." Then she asked, "Is everypony ready?"

Everypony, but Fluttershy and I, nodded in agreement.

Twilight nodded and took hold of my hand, "Okay then, we're goin' in."

With that, Twilight and I entered the dragon's cave. It was getting darker the more we walked in.

"So, what is the best way to wake up a sleeping dragon without upsetting him?" Twilight asked.

"Well, the most efficient way is to-" I answered, but Twilight turned and noticed a certain shy Pegasus wasn't with us, "Fluttershy?"

I quietly growled in frustration. Twilight wasn't asking me about the dragon. She was asking Fluttershy!

Twilight grabbed my hand and we exit the cave, "Oh, come on!"

We found Fluttershy curled in a ball, with her head buried in her knees. Poor lass is scared to death.

Twilight picked Fluttershy up by pulling her wings, "Come on! We have to do this!" Then she started pushing her forward, "Now!" Rainbow Dash joined her, "Every... Second longer that dragon..." Rarity joined in, "Sleeps is another..." Applejack joined, "Acre of Equestria that is covered in... Smoke."

Fluttershy refused to move. Pinkie joined with a laugh. I just folded my arms with anger boiling my blood.

"I-- I--" Fluttershy stuttered, then admitted, "I can't go in the cave."

The girls fainted in impatience.

Rainbow Dash sighed, "Oh, great. She's scared of caves now, too."

Fluttershy shook her head, "I'm not scared of caves, I'm scared of..." She mumbled the last word very quietly.

Applejack leaned closer, "What's that, SugarCube?"

"I'm scared of..." Fluttershy repeated, mumbling the last word more quietly.

Twilight leaned closer and cupped her ear, "What?"

"Oh for the love of..." I growled, then shouted at the top of my lungs, "Fluttershy is afraid of dragons!! There, it's said!! Are you happy now?!"

The dragon snored again. It was very loud that it shook the cave and created another cloud of smoke around us. Fluttershy squeaked and hid behind me.

The girls coughed, as the smoke cleared.

Twilight turned to Fluttershy, "But Fluttershy. You have a wonderful talent dealing with all kinds of animals."

My blood continued to boil, as Fluttershy nodded, "Yes, because they're not dragons."

"Oh come on! We've seen you walk right up to a horrible manticore like it was nothing." Rainbow Dash pointed out.

Fluttershy nodded again, "Yes, because he wasn't a dragon."

"Spike is a dragon." Pinkie pointed out, "You're not scared of him."

Fluttershy nodded again, "Yes, because he 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. Fluttershy hugged close to me, shaking in terror.

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

I turned to the bookworm Unicorn, "We tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen!" I told her with a glare and folded arms, "And you have a dragon expert right in front of you. But no!" I walked toward her, "No-one listens to the Human with magic. You have to ask the shy Pegasus, who is frightened out of her own wits!!"

Twilight looked at me, then sheepishly looked away, rubbing her arm.

Applejack helped Fluttershy to her hooves and assured with a smile, "All of us are scared of that dragon."

Rainbow Dash shook her head proudly, "I'm not!"

I raised my hand, "I was my first time to face a dragon, but not anymore."

"Almost all of us are scared of that dragon." She corrected, "But we've got a job to do. So, get in there with Twilight and show her what you're made of."

Fluttershy looked at her friends, 'I-- I-- I just..." Then she sulked and sighed, "Can't."

She turned made her way back down the path. I watched her with a sad look, "Oh, Fluttershy."

Twilight mustered up her courage and marched into the cave alone, "I'm goin' in. He... Probably just doesn't realize what he's doing." She looked back at the entrance, "Right?"

Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie all answered in agreement, but were nervous in their answers.

Twilight walked deeper into the cave and looked around, "Mr. Dragon?" Then she bumped into the muzzle of a large dragon.

His scales shined like red rubies with an underbelly of heliodor. Large wings and sharp spines of rose quartz running down his back.

Twilight cleared her throat, "Excuse me?" The dragon grumbled and rolled on to its back and scratched its underbelly, "Mr. Dragon?"

The dragon opened its amber-golden eyes and looked at Twilight.

Twilight took a step back and smiled, "Oh, good, you're awake. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Twilight-"

The dragon yawned. Twilight got caught in his breath. Twilight gagged a little, then continued, "Sparkle, and my friends and I are residents here in Equestria."

The dragon looked at the entrance of the cave. The girls smiled politely, while Pinkie and I waved.

"Ponyville, to be exact. We've come here to ask that you find another spot to take your nap." Twilight continued, "It's just that you seem to be doing an awful lot of snoring, and every time you do you send out a terrible cloud of smoke."

The dragon blew a small cloud of smoke at Twilight's face. Twilight coughed a bit, before continuing, "Equestria simply can't survive a hundred years in a dark haze. You understand, don't you?"

The dragon stood up and stretched with a yawn.

Twilight smiled, "So, you'll find another place to sleep?"

The dragon collapsed back into his nest and fell back to sleep, blowing another cloud of smoke out of the cave.

Twilight exit the cave, coughing. The dragon blew more smoke our way.

"So much for persuading him." Rainbow spoke up, between coughs.

I folded my arms, "Yeah, adult dragons don't listen to reason. As long as he's comfortable, he's not moving until the next Dragon Migration."

"Now what?" Applejack asked.

Rarity cleared her throat and spoke up, "Obviously, this situation just calls for a little pony charm." So she made her way into the cave, "Allow me, girls."

"Uh, Rarity? I don't think that's a go-" I tried to speak up, but she was already inside. I growled in frustration and kicked a nearby rock off the cliff.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt." Rarity cleared her throat, "But I couldn't possibly head back home without mentioning what handsome scales you have." She started picking up some of the jewelry from the dragon's nest, "And those scales have to be hidden away in some silly cave for a hundred years?"

"Rarity Tabitha Stone? What are you doing?" I whispered.

The dragon smiled in humble pride of Rarity's words.

"Personally, I think you should skip the snoozing and be out there, showing them off." Rarity told him. The dragon got too prideful. Then Rarity said the dreaded words, "Obviously, I would be more than happy to keep an eye on your jewels while you're gone."

The dragon caught her words and growled in anger. He stomped the ground and hugged his nest close. Scared, Rarity dashed out of the cave, leaving all the gems and jewelry behind.

"I was this close to getting that diamond." Rarity complained, lightly pinching the air.

"You mean... Getting rid of that dragon?" Twilight corrected.

Rarity rolled her eyes, "Oh, yeah... Sure."

I folded my arms and blew my bangs out from my eyes, "I tried to tell you. Dragons are also very greedy creatures. Never give up their loot for any reason. Trust no-one either."

"What in tarnation...?" Applejack gasped.

Twilight, Rarity and I looked and saw Pinkie dressed up like a clown inside a present box. With flippers, balloons and large shades.

"Darling, you look ridiculous." Rarity told Pinkie, with hands on her hips.

Pinkie nodded with a smile, "Exactly!" Then made her way into the cave, "Sharing a laugh is a sure-fire way to get someone on your side!"

I quickly reached my hand to her, "Pinkie, no!"

But she was already in the cave, "Hi!"

The dragon growled and there was the sound of something getting beaten up. Pinkie Pie exit the cave, looking like she just lost a battle with a freshly baked cake, "Apparently he doesn't like laughing, heh. Or sharing."

Rainbow Dash lost her patience, "All right, that's it. We tried persuasion, charm, whatever it is Pinkie Pie does. It's time to stop wasting time! I'm going in!"

"Rainbow Dash! Don't!" I shouted after her, but she charged into the cave.

Rainbow Dash met with the dragon and shouted, "Get! Out!"

She kicked the dragon's muzzle, hard. The dragon let out a sneeze, the growled angrily at the rainbow-themed Pegasus.

Rainbow Dash sheepishly smiled, "Heh. Sorry."

The dragon roared at her, throwing Rainbow Dash out of the cave, into us and into a nearby rock. The girls and I recovered from the collision and gasped, as the dragon started to emerge from the cave. The girls huddled with one another in fear.

I jumped in front of my friends, made myself look large and growled at the dragon. Angry and challenged, the dragon attacked with a blast of his fire breath. My ruby glowed brightly and projected a magical shield against the flames.

The dragon withdrew his fiery blast and attacked me with his claws. I was able to dodge some of the attacks, then the dragon mixed combos of his claws, teeth, and fire breath.

"Go get him, Ellie!" Rainbow Dash cheered, as I fought.

I was able to slide underneath, and get behind the dragon. Thinking I was after his gems, the dragon attacked me with his tail. I was thrown into the air and crashed into a nearby rock. It crumbled apart from the impact. A powerful surge of pain shot through my body. The left side of my torso was bleeding, you could see red leaking from my hoodie.

Hiding behind the rock was Fluttershy. I heard blurred voices calling my name before my vision started to go black and silence filled my ears.

Fluttershy's POV.
I jumped in startle, as the rock I was hiding behind crumbled into smaller rocks. I looked on the other side, to find Ellie. She didn't look so good. Her clothes were burnt. Her glasses were cracked and there was a pool of red appearing on her hoodie. I knew that red color.

"Ellie!" I gasped in worry.

Ellie was able to look at me, before blacked out. Anger burned and boiled in my blood, as I glared at the dragon, "How dare you... How dare you!" I rose from my hiding place and flew toward the dragon's muzzle, "Listen here, mister. Just because you're big doesn't mean you get to be a bully." I looked at him dead in the eye, "You may have huge teeth, and sharp scales, and snore smoke, and breathe fire. But you do not-- I repeat-- You do not! Hurt! My! Friends! You got that?"

The dragon lowered his head in shame, his eyes not turning away from me.

"Well?" I asked him, folding my arms.

"But that rainbow one kicked me." The dragon told me, pointing to Rainbow Dash, "And the human-"

"I am very sorry about her." I apologised about Rainbow Dash, then I furrowed my brows, "And Ellie was trying to protect us. 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 in understanding, then spoke up, looking away, "But I--" But I cut him off, "Don't you 'but I' me, mister. Now what do you have to say for yourself?" I hardened my tone, "I said, what do you have to say for yourself?"

The dragon's lip started trembling and he started crying.

I regained my smile and stroked his muzzle, "There, there. No need to cry. You're not a bad dragon, you just made a bad decision." I made my way back to my friends, "Now go pack your things. You just need to find a new place to sleep. That's all."

My friends gathered around me, cheering and smiling. Twilight smiled at me, "You did it! I knew you could do it."

With that, the dragon grabbed his things and left the cave to find somewhere else to sleep.

Later, back in Ponyville...
Eleanor's POV.
I finally was able to find the strength to open my eyes. I opened my eyes to find myself back in the Golden Oak Library. Twilight was looking over me.

"Twilight?" I recognised, finally able to find my voice.

The purple Unicorn smiled in relief, "Ellie! Thank goodness. I thought you weren't gonna make it." I tried to sit up, but Twilight put her hands over my shoulders, "Don't get up so fast, you're still recovering."

I looked myself over. My right hand and forearm was bandaged, as well as my torso and my left shoulder.

"What happened?" I asked, "Did we get the dragon to leave?"

Twilight nodded, then turned to Spike, "Spike, take a letter."

Spike smiled and grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill, "With pleasure." He started jotting down Twilight's words.

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

"Twilight! You gotta come see this!" Applejack's voice shouted from outside. Twilight helped me off my bed and we walked toward the balcony. "She's just five away from a new pony record!" Applejack told us.

Of course, she was referring to Rainbow Dash, who was bouncing the red, starred ball and keeping it in the air.

"Three hundred forty-seven, three hundred forty-eight..." Rainbow Dash counted, then froze at the sound of a loud roar, "Dragon!"

Rainbow Dash froze and fell on her back in a similar fashion that Fluttershy was earlier.

Everyone started laughing in humor and irony.

Rainbow Dash recovered and asked, "Why are you laughing? That awful dragon is back!"

Finally it was revealed to be Pinkie Pie who was roaring. Rainbow glared at Pinkie, "Pinkie Pie, you scared me!" Realizing what she said, Rainbow recollected herself, "I mean, uh, you... broke my concentration."

Fluttershy put her hand over Rainbow's shoulder, "It's okay, Rainbow Dash. Not every pony can be as brave as me."

A small leaf almost landed on Rainbow, until she blew and the leaf flew over and landed on Fluttershy's shoulder. Once it touched her shoulder, Fluttershy squeaked, froze and fell on her back. Laughter broke and I couldn't help but smile.

I'm glad everyone was okay.