A Dragon's Fate: The Fall

The sun was shining brightly as Zecora galloped down the path. Continuing along the edge of the Everfree, she rounded a bend. Within moments, her destination was in sight: Fluttershy's cottage. Drawing closer to it, Zecora's pace slowed until she was walking.

When she reached the front door, Zecora hesitated. Now that she was here, Zecora had no idea what she would say. How could she begin to explain her reason for coming here?

"Then again, perhaps there is no need to explain," she muttered. "Fluttershy would help any creature. That much is plain."

Raising her hoof, Zecora knocked on the door.

"Coming, coming!"

A moment later, Fluttershy had opened the door.

"Oh, Zecora!" she said in surprise. "Hello."

"I hope my arrival is not inopportune," Zecora said. "But I have a problem that must be fixed soon."

"Why? What is it?"

Here Zecora hesitated. "I trust you heard that commotion last night?" she said. "I imagine it gave you quite the fright."

"Well, you're right about that," Fluttershy answered. "All my animals were so scared I just had to let them stay the night in here with me. And that tremor made a terrible mess of things too."

Zecora wasn't sure how she was going to say this next bit. One one hand, she could tell Fluttershy about the dragon and risk her panicking and telling the entire town, or she could keep that detail to herself until they were in the woods. Zecora clenched her jaw. She didn't like omitting the truth, but it seemed the safest option.

Besides, there was no time to waste. The dragon wouldn't last long without their help.

"There's an explanation for the sounds you heard," Zecora said. "This morning I found a creature badly hurt."

"Oh my!" Fluttershy said. "That's awful!"

Zecora nodded. "The animal may not have much longer. And my skills alone are not enough to save it." She sighed heavily. "I know what it is I'm asking of you. I do. But there's no one I'd trust with this except you."

Fluttershy was silent for a moment, considering this. After a while, she spoke.

"All right," she said. "Just give me a minute to grab a few things. If it's as bad as you say, we'll need appropriate equipment."