The Element of Empathy

~Eleanor's POV~

It was a nice and calm summer day in Ponyville. About a week since Trixie came around and the Ursa Minor attacked Ponyville. Everyone was outside, enjoying the lovely weather and hanging out with their friends. I was relaxing near the fountain, reading a book on Equestrian history, when a faint, but noticeable odor of smoke and brimstone was sneaking in the air, causing me to slightly cough.

Then Fluttershy came running into the park, "Help. Help! Please? Help? There's- There's a horrible cloud of smoke. It's headed this way and-" She squeaked and flinched, as a red ball with stars came flying toward her.

Luckily, Rainbow Dash came flying by to catch the ball and resumed kicking it into the air, "Don't be such a scaredy-pony. It's just me, future Equestria ball-bouncing record holder." She resumed counting, "Three forty six, three forty seven..."

I closed my book and sat up, looking at Fluttershy. Did I hear that right? A cloud of smoke heading toward Ponyville? I looked up to the sky, past the trees, and saw a large cloud of smoke heading toward the town. I sighed and rolled my eyes. Here we go again...

"This calls for a celebration!" Pinkie Pie cheered.

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

But Pinkie wasn't listening and smiled, "Ooo! I'm going to need balloons! One for every pony in Ponyville!"

She hopped down toward the park and Fluttershy followed after her, "There's- There's smoke. And- And where there's smoke, there's fire. And-"

Pinkie Pie came to a stop, causing Fluttershy to crash into her, then Pinkie started counting, pointing to each of the other Ponies, "Let's see, that's one, two, three, four..."

"Three hundred fifty four..." Rainbow Dash counted, as Pinkie counted, "Five, six..." "Three hundred fifty five..." Then Rainbow lost her count, "No, wait..."

Pinkie booped Rainbow Dash on the nose, "Seven."

This caused Rainbow to drop the ball. She picked the ball up, put it under her arm and glared at the pink Pony, "Pinkie Pie! Now I have to start over."

Fluttershy nodded, "We're all going to have to start over, in a new village." Rainbow Dash flew off into the clouds, as Fluttershy continued, "'Cause ours is gonna be-"

"Hey, Rainbow Dash, wait up!" Pinkie Pie shouted, as she followed after the rainbow Pegasus.

Fluttershy shook her head again and turned to the other Ponies that were ignoring her, "Oh, please, this is an emergency. I-I need everypony to-"

Suddenly, from on top of a bridge, Twilight spoke up, "Listen up!" Everyone turned to her, "Smoke is spreading over all of Equestria."

The other ponies gasped and began murmuring to each other, "What?" "Oh no!" "That's awful!"

Fluttershy leaped into the air, trying to get everyone's attention, "That's what I've been trying to-"

Twilight raised her hand, "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 and smiled in relief, "Oh, thank goodness."

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

Everypony gasped and Fluttershy shook in fear, "A... D-dragon?"

*A Little Bit Later, in Golden Oak Library...*

"What in the name of all things cinnamon swirled is a full-grown dragon doing here in Equestria?" Applejack asked, as Twilight Sparkle searched through her books and backing her backpack.

I raised my hand and answered, "Sleeping, of course."

Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy looked at me with raised brows of confusion, "Huh?"

Twilight nodded, "Ellie's right. According to Princess Celestia, he's taking a nap. His snoring is what's causing all this smoke."

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

"Well, at least he's not snoring fire." Rarity pointed out, 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. Take that." She kicked the centerpiece of the library table, then charged, "And that!"

Twilight caught the centerpiece and Rainbow crashed into a shelf of books.

I shook my head, "Brute force is always the answer, Rainbow Dash. We need persuasion and reasoning."

Rarity looked at me, "You seem to know a lot about dragons, Eleanor."

I folded my arms and nodded, "Dragons and I have a history."

Twilight raised her hand and spoke up, "We need to encourage him to take a nap somewhere else." Rainbow Dash picked herself up as Twilight continued, "Princess Celestia has given us this mission, and we must not fail." Rainbow saluted, "If we do, Equestria will be covered in smoke for the next one hundred years."

Fluttershy gasped and started trembling in her horseshoes. I noticed this and raised a brow.

Rarity scoffed and commented, "Talk about getting your beauty sleep."

"All right everypony, I need you to gather supplies quickly." Twilight spoke up, as she put on her backpack, full of books and scrolls, "We've got a long journey ahead of us. Let's meet back here in less than an hour."

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

The other girls, except Fluttershy and myself, nodded in agreement and exit the library to gather supplies and get ready for the journey ahead.

Fluttershy walked toward the door and stopped, "Um, actually..."

I walked over to the butter cream Pegasus and asked, "Is something troubling you, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy turned to me and nodded, "Um.... Yes. I'm afraid-"

"Move it, you two!" Twilight shouted. Fluttershy squeaked and hurried to her cottage. I frowned and glared at my study partner.

*An Hour Later, outside of Golden Oak Library...*

"All right girls, listen up." Twilight told the girls and myself, as she paced past us, "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."

"M-m-mountain?" Fluttershy stuttered in fear.

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

"Looks pretty cold up there." Applejack noted.

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

Rarity smiled, "Good thing I brought my scarf." She reached into her backpack and got out a pink striped scarf.

"Ooo! Pretty!" Pinkie Pie smiled, as Rarity wrapped the scarf gracefully around her neck.

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

I folded my arms and looked at the top of the mountain. Applejack was right, it does look cold at the top of the mountain. And I'm a human that has a low tolerance for cold temperatures. And Fluttershy was trembling like she had a terrible case of the chills. It was like she was frightened by something.

"Um, excuse me, Ellie?" Fluttershy called, getting my attention, "Is something bothering you?"

I looked at the shy Pegasus, and nodded, "Y-yeah. Something is bothering me."

Fluttershy frowned and lowered her head, "Oh. I'm sorry."

I quickly waved my hands in defense, "Oh, no! It's not you, Fluttershy." I lowered my hands and explained, "It's just that I envy you Ponies for having a thick fur coat to keep you warm. I don't have a fur coat, you see. And I can't help but notice that you're trembling like you have a bad case of the chills." I looked at Fluttershy with concern, "Is something troubling you?"

Fluttershy looked at me with wide eyes, then at the mountain. She quietly squeaked and nodded her head. I looked at the mountain and tried to sum it up. Fluttershy's not afraid of heights. She's not afraid of caves. She's not afraid of the cold. The only thing left was the dragon. My eyes widen and I gasped. Fluttershy is afraid of dragons!

Fluttershy continued to tremble badly. I took hold of her hands and looked at her dead in the eyes, "It's gonna be alright, Fluttershy. If it makes you feel better, I'll talk to Twilight and see if we can stay down here, where it's safe. How's that?"

Fluttershy looked at me and nodded. I nodded back with a small smile, then made my way to Twilight, who was surveying a map toward the mountain.

"Twilight, I have to speak to you." I spoke to the lavender Unicorn.

But Twilight's eyes refused to leave the map, as she answered, "Uh-huh. Well, we could go this way."

"Twilight, I don't think you understa-" I tried again, but Twilight cut me off, "Uh-huh. No, we want to avoid that."

I raised a brow and just spoke, "Twilight, my hair is turning pink!"

Twilight nodded, her eyes glued on the map, "Uh-huh."

I took a breath, then told Twilight, "Twilight, Fluttershy and I are gonna stay here in Ponyville, while you and the others deal with the dragon."

Twilight gasped and turned to me, "Wait! You two have to come! Your history with dragons and Fluttershy's way with wild animals will surely come in handy."

I folded my arms, "Oh, now you decide to listen..."

Fluttershy shook her head, "I don't think I-" Twilight cut the shy Pegasus, "Oh, and don't worry about your little friends in the meadow. Spike's got it covered while you're gone."

Spike nodded and smiled, "You can count on me!" However, Angel Bunny climbed on top of Spike's head and thumped his foot on top of Spike's head. Spike lost his composure and the animals scurried off. Spike chased after them, "Hey! Hey! Wait!"

Fluttershy shook her head, "I don't really think he's up to the task." Twilight rolled up her map and put it back in her backpack, ignoring Fluttershy's words, "Maybe... but... but..."

I folded my arms and scuffed my foot across the ground in frustration.

Rainbow Dash walked up to Twilight, "Are you sure you want Fluttershy and Ellie to come along? I mean, Fluttershy's afraid of her own shadow. She's just going to slow us down. And Ellie's a human. She'll probably freeze to death while we're up the mountain."

Twilight smiled and waved her hand dismissively, "Oh, Fluttershy's just a little nervous. And I taught Ellie a little flame spell to warm her up. Once we get going, I'm sure they'll be fine."

Suddenly, Fluttershy squeaked in fright again. We all turned to find Fluttershy jogging on the spot, staring at her shadow, then jumped into a bush. I helped Fluttershy out of the bush and assured her that nothing was going to hurt her.

Twilight turned to the others, "All right girls, move out!"

With that, Twilight and the others dashed down the path toward the mountain.

Fluttershy froze on the spot, "But... but...!" And she screamed, as the others carried Fluttershy and I down the path. I shouted as loud as I could, "TWILIGHT BELLATRIX SPARKLE, YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!!"

*A Little Later, At The Base of The Mountain...*

The Girls and I arrived at the base of the mountain. A loud snore echoed in the air and shook the ground beneath us, as another cloud of smoke exit the cave and followed the trail of smoke in the sky.

Fluttershy gasped and hid behind me.

"Whoa." Rainbow Dash gasped, then asked, "What was that?"

"That is the sound a dragon makes when he snores." I answered.

Fluttershy looked at the mountain and trembled in her horseshoes, "It- it's so... High!"

"Well, it is a mountain." Rainbow Dash pointed out. Then she took off into the air, "I'm going to fly up there and check it out!"

But Applejack grabbed her by the hoof and pulled her down, "Hold on, now. I think we should all go up together. Safety in numbers and all."

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

And so, the Girls and I started climbing the slope of the mountain. Applejack had hold of my hand, just in case I lose my footing and lose my balance.

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

Pinkie Pie smiled and imitated the deep and gruff voice of a dragon, "Welcome to my cave, Rarity. Care for a diamond? Rawr!"

The Girls and I started laughing, except for Twilight, who marched ahead of the line.

I calmed my laughter and spoke up, "I think you're gonna have some trouble with your plan, Rarity."

Rarity looked at me and asked, "Why is that?"

"Girls! This is no laughing matter!" Twilight scolded, before I could answer with a small joke. Then she asked, "Fluttershy, you're the expert on wild creatures. What do you think the dragon will be like?"

But there was no answer. Twilight looked around, "Fluttershy?"

The rest of us looked around and noticed Fluttershy wasn't with us. We looked down and saw Fluttershy was hiding behind a bush, back at the base of the mountain.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash shouted at Fluttershy, "What are you waiting for? An invitation?"

Pinkie Pie smiled and dug into her backpack, "Ooo, I think I have one in my backpack!" She got out a card with a blast of confetti, startling Rainbow Dash.

"I-it's so... So... Steep." Fluttershy stuttered in fear.

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

"Come on, Fluttershy, you can do it." Pinkie Pie encouraged, flapping her arms, "Flap those wings!"

Fluttershy emerged from the bush, "Oh... Okay."

Fluttershy took a breath and flapped her wings. She flew up to meet us. The Girls and I smiled at Fluttershy's accomplishment. However, there was another snore from the dragon. Fluttershy froze on the spot and her wings quickly closed themselves, causing her to tumble into the mountain and crash into the bush at the base of the mountain.

"Fluttershy! Are you alright?" I called the timid Pegasus.

"I'm okay..." She squeaked back, as she picked herself back to her hooves and tried flapping her wings again. But her wings refused to open.

Twilight sighed and shook her head in impatience, "Uh, we don't have time for this." I glared at the lavender Unicorn and grabbed the map from her backpack. Twilight looked at me, "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to need this, if I'm going to take her around the mountain another way." I answered, as I looked over the map.

With the map memorized, I put the map back in Twilight's backpack and rode down the mountain to meet up with Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash sighed and folded her arms, "Around the mountain? That's going to take them forever."

I met up with Fluttershy, as another snore erupted from the mountain. Fluttershy froze on the spot and fell on her back.

I looked up the mountain and called, "Don't worry, Twi. We'll be there before you know it."

With that, I began helping Fluttershy to regain her nerves and help her meet the others around the mountain.

*Ten Minutes Later...*
~Twilight Sparkle's POV~

The other girls and I waited for Eleanor and Fluttershy to meet up with us, as they took a route around the mountain. Applejack was pacing back and forth. Rainbow Dash was hovering up-side down. I was looking over the map and the dark trail of dragon smoke in the sky. And Rairty and Pinkie Pie were playing tic-tac-toe.

"Whoo-hoo! I win again!" Pinkie cheered.

Rarity sighed, "That's thirty-five games in a row." Then she smiled, "Best of seventy-one?"

Then there was a sound of approaching hoofsteps and footsteps. Eleanor and Fluttershy finally arrived. Eleanor had hold of Fluttershy's hands and she smiled, "There we go. Well done, Fluttershy. You made it."

Fluttershy blushed and smiled, "Thank you, Ellie."

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

I sighed and rolled my eyes. Ten minutes wasted and the crisis is getting worse...

With Eleanor and Fluttershy reunited with the rest of us, it was time to continue the mission. We continued to follow the map, until we came across a gap in the path. Rainbow Dash was the first to leap over the gap, showing it was an easy jump across. Followed by myself, then Rarity, then Applejack, then Pinkie Pie and then Eleanor. Last one was Fluttershy.

"Your turn, Fluttershy." I told the yellow Pegasus.

Fluttershy hugged closely to a nearby boulder, "But... It's so... Wide."

I rolled my eyes and folded my arms, "Come on, Fluttershy, we should be much farther along by now."

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

Fluttershy look over the gap, "I-" Another dragon snore and Fluttershy cuddled close to the rocks, "I don't know."

"There's nothing to be afraid of." Pinkie Pie cheerfully encouraged, "It's just a hop, skip and a jump." She leaped over to Fluttershy with ease, "See?" Then she broke into song,

Pinkie Pie leaped back to the rest of us and Fluttershy stood up, "O-okay. Here I go." She hopped closer to the gap, "A hop."

"That's it." "You're doing great!" "You've got it." "Almost there." The Girls cheered and encouraged.

"Skip." Fluttershy skipped and jumped over the gap.

"Just don't look down." I told her.

In mid-jump, Fluttershy looked down and froze. Luckily her hands were able to reach the other side of the gap. The gap was actually smaller than she estimated.

Rainbow Dash sighed and rolled her eyes, as she and Eleanor got Fluttershy to our side of the gap.

Fluttershy smiled sheepishly, "I guess I forgot to jump."

~Eleanor's POV~

"Let's keep it down." Twilight whispered quietly, as we entered an unstable area, "According to my map, we're entering an avalanche zone. The smallest peep could cause a huge rock slide."

Fluttershy trembled as she took hold of my hand, "An... An ava... Ava..." Twilight quickly 'shh'ed her and we quietly made our way across the avalanche zone.

However, Rainbow Dash flew too close to a nearby tree and two leaves landed on Fluttershy. Startled and frightened, Fluttershy yelled, "AVALA-!"

But I quickly covered her mouth. Fluttershy's echo faded and the Girls sighed in relief. However, the ground started shaking and the rocks from the rock slide crumbled and started to fall around us.

"Avalanche!" The girls shouted in panic.

The Girls started running around the avalanche, avoiding getting squashed by the larger rocks. Applejack tackled Twilight out of the way. Rainbow Dash used her flight skills. Rarity and Pinkie Pie stayed close to the wall. Fluttershy and I stayed away from the avalanche as much as possible.

Once everything calmed, the dust and smoke cleared to reveal that our path was now buried in stones and rocks.

"Oh my!" Applejack coughed, "Everypony okay?"

Twilight Sparkle turned to the Earth Pony and smiled, "Thanks to you I am."

Rarity looked herself over and shook the dust, that covered all over her body, on to Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie Pie cheered and smiled, "Whoo-hoo! Let's do it again!"

Rarity smiled and dug into her backpack, "This is why a girl always packs extra accessories." She grabbed her scarf from before and wrapped it around her neck. Then she gasped and resumed digging in her backpack, "Oh, please tell me I brought the tiara that goes with this."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and glared at the Unicorn fashionista, "Uh, think we got bigger problems than making sure our hair bows match our horseshoes."

Fluttershy frowned and lowered her head, "Sorry."

I smiled and helped the timid Pegasus to her hooves, "Aw. Don't worry about it, Butterscotch. We all make mistakes."

Applejack nodded in agreement with a small smile of her own.
Twilight nodded, "Yeah, we'll just have to..." She sighed in dismay, "Climb over."

With that, the Girls and I tried our best to climb over the rocks and stones that buried the path toward the dragon's cave. Once we were on the other side. Fluttershy lost her footing and slide down the rocks, taking Rarity and Applejack with her.

Rainbow Dash struggled to help Rarity out from under Applejack and Fluttershy.

"My apologies." Rarity apologized.

Rainbow Dash glared at Fluttershy, "Not your fault."

Fluttershy frowned and lowered her head. I glared at the impatient, blue Pegasus, as I helped Fluttershy back to her hooves.

Rainbow Dash flew over to Twilight and whispered, "Still think it was a good idea to bring Fluttershy along?"

"We're about to find out." Twilight answered, as we arrived to the front of a large cave entrance, "We're here."

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

Rainbow Dash nodded, "Mm-hmm." Then took off into the cloud trail of smoke.

Twilight turned to Pinkie Pie and Rarity, "Rarity and Pinkie Pie, you'll create a diversion to distract the dragon if things get a little hairy in there."

Pinkie Pie and Rarity nodded, as Pinkie Pie dug into her backpack and got out a rubber chicken toy, much to our confusion.

Twilight regained herself and turned to Applejack, "Applejack, you're ready with the apples in case he decides to attack."

Applejack smiled and kicked two apples into a nearby tree.

"But it shouldn't come to that, because Fluttershy and Eleanor will do what they need to do to wake him up, and between the three of us, we should be able to get him to understand why he needs to go." Twilight explained her plan.

"Uh... Twilight-" I raised my hand, but Twilight cut me off, "Is everypony ready?"

Everyone, except Fluttershy and I, nodded in agreement. I tried to speak up, but Twilight didn't glance at me.

"Okay then, we're goin' in." Twilight answered.

With that, Twilight and I entered the dragon's cave.

"So, what is the best way to wake up a sleeping dragon without upsetting him?" Twilight asked, as we walked deeper into the cave.

"The best way is to-" I was about to answer, but Twilight looked around and called, "Fluttershy?"

I folded my arms and glared at the lavender Unicorn in frustration. She asked the timid, frightened out of her wits Pegasus, and she doesn't bother to ask someone who has a history with dragons!? Give me a bucking break!!!

Twilight turned and exit the cave, "Oh, come on!"

She walked over to Fluttershy, who has curled up into a ball, and began pushing her toward the cave, "Come on! We have to do this!" Rainbow Dash joined her, "Now! Every second longer..." Rarity joined, "That dragon sleeps is another..." Applejack joined, "Acre of Equestria that is covered in smoke." Pinkie Pie was the last to join.

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

The Girls sighed in impatience and dismay of Fluttershy's answer.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and exclaimed, "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 quietly.

"What's that, sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

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

Twilight cupped her ear, "What?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose, "Oh, for the love of..." Then I shouted, "Fluttershy is afraid of dragons! There! You happy!?"

Another dragon snore blew in another cloud of smoke into our faces. Fluttershy squeaked and hid behind me.

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

Fluttershy nodded, "Yes, because they're not dragons."

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

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

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

Fluttershy nodded again, "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!"

Another dragon snore shook the ground. Fluttershy hugged her knees close the chest and started trembling again.

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

"Because you didn't listen!" I shouted, letting all my frustration out, "Fluttershy and I tried to tell you before we left, but no! No-one listens to the human or the timid Pegasus. You've been so obsessed with this mission that you neglected to listen! Every time you asked Fluttershy about the dragon, you neglected the one person that has history with them. Again, no-one listens to the human." Tears of anger welled up in my eyes, "Maybe Trixie was right. Humans are inferior to the great Pony Tribes of Equestria. Because your best friend basically means nothing to you!"

Twilight's eyes widened, as she recollected what has transpired today. She rubbed her arm and gave me an apologetic look, "Ellie, I'm sorry that you feel that way. I- I didn't know."

Applejack walked over to Fluttershy, "All of us are scared of that dragon."

"I'm not!" Rainbow Dash interjected proudly.

Applejack rolled her eyes, "Almost all of us are scared of that dragon, but we've got a job to do." Then she encouraged the timid Pegasus, "So, get in there with Twilight and show her what you're made of."

Fluttershy turned to look at her friends, "I- I- I just..." She lowered her head and turned away with a sad sigh, "Can't."

I sadly frowned at the timid Pegasus, "Fluttershy..."

With Fluttershy gone, Twilight mustered up her courage and entered the dragon's cave, "I'm goin' in. He... Probably just doesn't realize what he's doing..." She looked back at the entrance of the cave, "Right?"

The Girls nodded in agreement and encouraged Twilight to reason with the dragon. I was about to say something, but Twilight was already in front of the sleeping dragon.

She walked closer and called, "Mr. Dragon." She bumped into something and saw that was dead in front of a large dragon, "Excuse me." The dragon grumbled, as he continued sleeping. Twilight tried again, "Mr. Dragon."

The dragon opened its amber-golden eyes and looked at the lavender Unicorn.

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

The dragon yawned, releasing its foul, brimstone breath into Twilight's face.

Twilight coughed a bit, before continuing, "Sparkle, and my friends and I are residents here in Equestria." She gestured to the outside of the cave. The Girls smiled and waved in greeting, "Ponyville, to be exact." Twilight resumed, "We've come here to ask that you find another spot to take your nap. 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 let out another puff of smoke at Twilight. The lavender Unicorn coughed, before continuing, "Equestria simply can't survive a hundred years in a dark haze. You understand, don't you?"

The dragon sat up and stretched its body with a loud yawn. It was a very big dragon with ruby scales and rose quartz pink spikes. A citrine yellow underbelly and large wings.

"So, you'll find another place to sleep?" Twilight asked hopefully.

The dragon laid back down in his nest of gold and gemstones and blew another cloud of smoke at Twilight. Twilight quickly left the cave, as another cloud of smoke exit the cave close behind her.

"So much for persuading him." Rainbow Dash noted.

"I tried to tell you, Twilight." I spoke up, "Once a dragon makes himself comfortable in his nest, he's not going anywhere."

"Now what?" Applejack asked.

"Obviously, this situation just calls for a little 'pony charm'." Rarity spoke up, as she walked into the cave, "Allow me, girls." She walked up to the dragon and called, "I'm so sorry to interrupt." She cleared her throat, "But I couldn't possibly head back home without mentioning what handsome scales you have." Then she started picking up certain gems and jewelry from the dragon's nest, "And those scales have to be hidden away in some silly cave for a hundred years?"

The dragon smiled bashfully. But I noticed what she was really doing.

"Rarity, what are you doing?!" I whispered, "Put those gems down, now!"

But Rarity ignored me and continued what she was doing, "Personally, I think you should skip the snoozing and be out there, showing them off." Then she smiled, "Obviously, I would be more than happy to keep an eye on your jewels while you're gone."

The dragon caught her words and angry gathered his nest close to him. Rarity ran back outside, leaving the gems she collected in the cave.

Rarity pouted in disappointment, "I was this close to getting that diamond."

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

Rarity nodded with a sheepish smile, "Oh, yeah... Sure."

I folded my arms, "Dragon are very greedy creatures by nature, girls. They would never part with gems, gold or anything shiny." I shrugged, "Sorry, Rarity."

Rarity glared at me, "Oh, you tell me that now?!"

"What in tarnation...?" Applejack exclaimed in surprise.

The rest of us turned to see Pinkie Pie dressed as a birthday present, with flippers, a red nose, balloons, and swirly glasses.

"Darling, you look ridiculous." Rarity told Pinkie.

Pinkie nodded, "Exactly!" Then she made her way into the cave, "Sharing a laugh is a sure-fire way to get someone on your side!" She greeted the dragon, "Hi!"

But the dragon growled and attacked her. Pinkie returned to us, looking a bit burnt and beaten up.

"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!" She flew into the air, "I'm going in!"

My eyes widen, as I called after the cyan Pegasus, "Rainbow, no!"

Rainbow flew toward the dragon and kicked him in the chin, "Get! Out!"

The dragon let out a sneeze, the recomposed himself and growled angrily at Rainbow Dash. Now, she's done it!

Rainbow Dash sheepishly smiled, "Heh. Sorry."

The dragon blew smoke at Rainbow Dash, causing her to roll around the ground, outside the cave and into the rest of us. We braced for impact and fell like bowling pins. The dragon exit the cave, ready to attack the rest of us. It blew flames at the Girls, but I quickly used my magic to redirect it back toward the dragon.

The dragon turned its attention to me and attacked me with his claws. Since I was smaller and faster, I was able to use my magic to create a shield and bounced back to claws. I ducked out of the way of the second claw attack and slide under the dragon's belly to get to the tail. Thinking I was after his treasure, the dragon was able to blindside me by stomping on the ground and whacked me hard with his tail. I flew into a rock and felt something crack in my body. My body surged with pain and I couldn't move.

The last thing I saw was Fluttershy's worried face and her calling my name, before I blacked out from the pain.

When I felt my strength returning to me, I opened my eyes to find myself back in the Golden Oak Library, laying in bed. Was it all just a dream?

I sat up to find my torso, and head covered in bandages. I rubbed my throbbing head and looked around, "Twilight?"

Twilight came up the stairs and smiled in relief, "Ellie! Oh, thank goodness. We were worried that we lost you." Then she asked, "How are you feeling?"

I sat up and placed my hand over my throbbing side, "A bit sore, but I'll manage." Then my memories came rushing toward me, "The dragon! He have to sto-" My body surged with pain, as I tried to stand up.

Twilight forced me to sit down, "Easy there. The dragon is gone. Fluttershy was able to persuade him to find somewhere else to nap."

I smiled in relief and pride for the timid Pegasus. I knew Fluttershy would be able to confront her fear. She's a lot stronger than she realizes.