Morning greeted the early risers Link, Navi and Epona with a warm glow. Once Twilight woke, and after she planned their day, the 4 of them traveled to Sweet Apple Acres at Aj's request. Link and Epona helped in the fields, while Twilight enjoyed Granny Smith's company. At lunch, the two prepared a meal and lemonade for their hard-working families.

Spike, however, was sent to Rarity's Boutique to help her send a letter to her contact. She had requested a steel ingot from a blacksmith in the northeastern mountains. He was well-known for his durable craftsmanship, and therefore a reliable source of material. Along with the letter, she sent half the price in bits as an up front payment. Twilight said she'd be back later to pick him up, after she had dinner with the Apples.

True to her word, after her dinner she went to get Spike from Rarity's. The little guy didn't want to leave, but he had to, for Rarity had to put her sister to bed. Link, Epona and Navi went back to the library to wait for them.

The next morning, Link had absolutely nothing to do. He had helped Aj the day before, Rarity didn't want any help, Dash and Fluttershy had their work to do, and Pinkie... Pinkie just had everything under control. Twilight, with a very serious need for research time, had to convince Link and Navi to vacate the library for the day. Since Epona was still new to the town, he decided he'd walk her around and show her the sights.

With Link and Epona finally gone, Twilight dove right in to research of the augmentation spell she planned to use on his birthday gift. After a few hours, she turned up a few spells. One of which fit her bill to the 't'. It would increase his weight load by 4. And, as she hoped, it would not need a magic source tied to it, rather it would magnify his own outgoing energy. As a result, it cannot increase his striking capability, because the activation of the spell had a delay that prevented its immediate use.

At the end of the day, Link, Navi and Epona returned from exploring. Understandably tired, he and Navi went upstairs and retired for the night. Epona and Twilight stayed up a while talking about their favorite books, and of course what the former had done all day. Walking around, lunch, flower smelling. Naturally, Epona started talking about where she came from, without getting too much into detail.

Link came down the following morning and saw Epona asleep on the couch. Navi had sat on his head, and was still somewhat sleepy. He was wearing shorts and a t-shirt of similar color. As early as it was, he walked outside and sat on the front step of the library. The sun hadn't even pushed the moon from the night sky yet.

"You know Link? You haven't talked to Emmy in a while..." Navi pondered aloud.

"It's not that I don't want to, trust me... It's just... What would I say to her? 'Sorry for invading your head, but I just wanted to say that I can hear your thoughts. Hope you're not creeped out.' I don't think so." Link rested his chin on his hands as he slouched forward.

"Well, you could start with how she's doing. She did go to a rumored active volcano." Navi flew around him and stopped in front of his face. "If nothing else, ask about the stone you need. You must know she has one."

He shrugged. "I do know, but these things take time. I know I'm on mission from the princess, but I somehow convinced her to give me time off. Besides, I think I want Ruby to help me with the next one. I owe that to her."

"... You mean from the ice caves, right?" Link nodded. "If that's the case, then I suggest you get started again after your birthday. I'm sure she'll be thrilled you want to go on an adventure with her, now that you two are friends."

"Well now, aren't you up early," a voice asked. Rainbow landed in front on him and flashed a smile. "Though it's what I expect from ya."

"Morning Rainbow. What brings you down to Earth?" he asked her. Navi returned to his head. "Have a seat."

She took his side and watched the sun rise. In silence. After a few minutes, Dash started, "You know kid, the sunrise is a lot better from the clouds."

"Is that why you came down? Talk of the weather?" he countered. "What's really going on?"

Dash fell silent a moment, then admitted, "Alright, ya got me. In my pass over Ponyville, I heard you say something about my friend Emmy." She gave him a serious look. "What were you talking about?"

Link turned away from her. "Is that all?"

"Wha-! 'Is that all', of course that's all. She's my friend and any mention of her name is reason enough to be curious."

"Hey, quiet down, yeah?" Link turned to the closed door behind him, causing Dash to look as well. "Epona's sleeping on the couch."

"Heh, sorry," she said. "Guess that's why you're out here?" Link nodded. "I usually go to Applejack's farm when I want quiet."

"Oh?" Navi asked, "What's so quiet there?"

Dash smiled. "The thousands and thousands of napping places. As a bonus, breakfast in bed."

"You eat her apples?" Link questioned. "Isn't that theft?"

"Not if you don't get caught. Besides, I doubt she's noticed." Dash shook her head. "But I'm off-topic. About Emmy."

"Right. Recall I found a blue instrument? Well, that song she gave me? I played it, and somehow I could talk to her with just my thoughts. And later, since she's asleep now probably, I was gonna do that."

Rainbow chuckled at his claim. He looked at her with a straight face, calming her down and convincing her to mirror his expression. "You're serious? You can really do that?" He nodded in agreement. "Cool." The two sat and saw the last part of the sunrise in silence. After it ended, Dash stretched her wings and legs. "Well, it's been a good morning so far. I'm gonna go practice a bit. Get some flight training in before it gets too late. Later, kid." She took off and left them there.

"See ya," Navi replied, after she was gone. "She's really fast. Gone in the blink of an eye."

"So, Dash really cares about all her friends. We learned she has a rivalry with Applejack, and doesn't like girly things based on her attitude."

Epona opened the door and stepped out. "Do you analyze all of your friends this way?" she asked him. Link turned with a confused look. "That's hardly nice."

"Uhh..." he muttered. "Kinda... It's an old habit. Anyway, good morning. How'd you sleep?"

She walked out and smelled the morning air. "It would have been better if you hadn't woken me up."

"Eh heh... sorry about that. How about some food?"

After they walked through the door and closed it, he saw Twilight at the base of the stairs holding a coiled scroll in her magic with a stern look. "Link. I'm in desperate need of your help." Link ran up the stairs and got all of his gear on. Before he returned, she continued, "Epona, you too. You're faster than I am. I need you to go get Applejack from the farm. It's important. Very important."

"On it." Without asking why, she ran out the door and toward Sweet Apple Acres.

Spike came down the stairs with Link in his full uniform: sword, shield, gloves, gold outfit, white pants and brown shoes. He sported his hat as well. "What does it say?" Link asked.

"A dragon that's been asleep for ages has started snoring. If we don't do something soon, his toxic smoke will cover all of Equestria. She didn't go into detail, but the princess is handling some things on her end and can't actively help right now. As such, she's entrusted the 6 of us with the task of dealing with the dragon directly. Failure is no option."

"What I want to know, is how something like this went by unnoticed over the night. What was Princess Luna doing?" Link asked her. "On top of that, I was talking to Rainbow Dash earlier, and she didn't say anything about this. It must have just started spewing smoke no more than a couple hours ago."

"Regardless of our friend's lack of noticing detail, and our night princess's oversight, it's our problem now." Twilight headed for the door. "I need you to round up the rest of our friends: Fluttershy at her cabin, Dash wherever she is, Pinkie at Sugarcube corner, and Rarity at the boutique. I'll tell the townsfolk about the situation. Meet back here in an hour. Spike, with me."

The two pairs departed the library to their respective destinations. Nearly one full hour later, the whole group gathered in Twilight's library. Link was able to convince the others the seriousness of their appearance without the need to mention dragons. As the last pair, Fluttershy and Applejack, walked in with Epona, Twilight began explaining.

"I'm glad you all could make it. Given the circumstances, I'm surprised even half of you could find the time."

"Believe me, Twilight. If Link hadn't stressed the importance of being here, I'd still be working on an important article of clothing in preparation for my Fall line," Rarity admitted.

"Yeah, and I was just about to try for the Equestrian ball-bouncing record," Dash argued. "But every time I wanna try, something comes up and I can't even get started." Rarity and Aj start laughing at her. "What? I'm serious! Ball-bouncing isn't easy, especially when you get distracted." Louder laughs and a few snickers came from Pinkie.

"Dash, Ah don't think 'ball-bouncing' is somethin' ya need to advertise. Ah know we're friends an' all, but your personal life should stay personal." Aj stopped laughing and got serious. "'sides, Granny's gettin' real tired o' me jus' up an' leavin' the farm to do things like this. Link didn't even say why ya needed all of us."

"On that subject, and steering away from how you are all here and not ... ball-bouncing... Earlier, the princess sent me a letter asking the 6 of us to deal with a big problem: a dragon."

"What in the name of all things cinnamon swirl is a full grown-"

"DRAGON?!" Epona cut Aj off, causing the others to jump at her sudden outburst. With just the mention, Epona's knees locked in place as she began shaking. Link looked at her in worry. With slight control over her actions, she collapsed on the floor and covered her head with her hooves. "P-please don't m-make me go with..." Twilight looked at Link, to see his reaction and hear his response.

"I can tell you're scared, and we won't make you go. Instead, you can watch over Fluttershy's critters. I'm sure they'd be lonely without her there."

"I have to go?" Fluttershy asked. "Why me?"

Twilight looked at her and answered the what-she-thought-was-obvious question. "It's because of your way with animals. Your skill will come in handy if we're to convince him to leave."

"What's it even doing here?" Dash asked, now that the attention was off of her.

"Sleeping. Or more specifically, snoring." Twilight uncurled the scroll and read it again to herself. "And it's up to the 6 of us to see it gone from the cave it's holed up in. As are Princess Celestia's orders."

"You know Twilight, if all that smoke is coming out of a dragon's lungs, imagine how bad his health is. If you ask me, he should see a doctor," Pinkie suggested.

"At least he's not snoring fire. What are we meant to do about it?" Rarity asked.

Dash zipped around the room. "Tell him to scram. Give him the boot!" She stopped beside Twilight. "Or whip his sorry flank for being a bad dragon in the first place."

"As good as that would be, I want to try ... less aggressive methods first. Through persuasion, convincing, or hopefully not necessary force, it's up to us to get that dragon gone. If we fail, then Equestria won't see the light of the sun for at least 100 years. As this is an official mission from the princess, we cannot fail." Twilight stomped her hoof for emphasis as she recoiled the scroll and set it aside.

"Talk about getting your beauty sleep. 100 years with a toxic cloud hanging over all of Equestria? That's simply dreadful." Rarity shook her head at the thought.

"Now that the explanation is out of the way, I need you all to get ready. Go home, bring what you think we'll need, and come back as soon as you can. Remember you can never be too prepared. Rarity, I understand you may need someone to sit for your sister. Take what time you need to do that. Epona, go with Fluttershy. I'm sure she can acquaint you with her animals well enough. Don't worry about snacks, Spike will have that covered. Though, if you could, Aj, bring a few apples for everypony?" Aj nodded her head and listened.

"Alright gang! Celestia's got a mission and we can't let her down! Let's get up there, get the job done, and make her proud! Equestria's counting on us! Move out!" As Dash finished her cliff notes motivational speech, the others dispersed from the library to their respective homes.

Epona tailed Fluttershy to her cottage and made quick friends with some of her animals before helping her pack. Dash had one of her work friends keep an eye on her house while she was out. Rarity enlisted the help of one of her own friends, Amethyst Star, to look after Sweetie Belle. Neither Aj nor Pinkie needed anyone to watch over their own establishments, as others were already there to handle it: Aj her family, and Pinkie the Cakes.

The last one to show up to Twilight's pre-expedition was Aj, as she was the furthest and had more to bring. As the others had formed a line in front of the library, Aj took her place between Dash and Rarity. Twilight had started walking in front of them as some sort of instructor. Instinctively, Link had joined them as well. Each was wearing their own saddlebags, Aj with a third carrying the food for the trip.

"Alright. Everypony's got what they need. The dragon is at the top of that mountain." She pointed to a tall one to the west, which had a cloud coming out of its peak. "As established, we'll need to try a variety of methods.

"First, I'll try to persuade him to leave with logic and reason. Should that fail, which is unlikely, Pinkie is the next one to try. I want you to use whatever prowess you have to do whatever you do. I don't exactly know what that is... If things go south, hopefully they don't, Aj and Dash will try to force the dragon to leave. I'll help on that front for support. As an ace in the hole, Fluttershy. Your skill will come into play if all of us fail to succeed. You are our last resort, and also our key to waking him up safely." As Twilight finished, she turned and faced the others, noticeably leaving out her orders for Link and Navi.

"Uh... And what am I to do?" he asked. "What's my role?"

"Oh... yours? ... Uhm... I didn't say?" Twilight looked again at the scroll. "It clearly says 6. I imagine she meant the 6 of us, not including you."

"But you said you 'desperately need my help', didn't you?"

"You misunderstood. I needed your help gathering everypony else. That was all. In fact, I was going to suggest you go to the farm and act in Aj's place while she was gone. Spike was going to lead the library while I was gone. It would work out just fine that way. Besides, aren't you on break? From being a guard?" Twilight questioned as she stood in front of him. "That means this mission does not include you. In fact," Twilight looked over the scroll quickly, "I don't see your name mentioned anywhere on this scroll. That means the princess understood your request for time off and has granted it to you. I certainly don't want to go against the orders of royalty. Do you?"

Link was silent for her explanation, taking it all in. "Anywhere, huh... Not even, telling me I can't go with?" Twilight looked at it again. "If there is no rule saying I can't go along, then I'm going. As this is my time off, I get to do what I want within Equestrian rule. If that means climbing a mountain to find a dragon had made roost at the top, then it's just bad luck I chose that one to climb."

Twilight looked at him with a scowl. "It's dangerous up there. Who knows how big or strong it will be. If the smoke could cover Equestria in a day, then it's full-grown."

"Then I should go with to increase the odds of survival. Face it, Twilight, my skill in combat would come in handy if things do indeed take a turn for the worse."

"Or you could be in the way. Dragons, or at least Spike, is prone to magic. Their effects are more potent on a dragon than they are on other ponies. And your sword, sorry to say, isn't suited for piercing dragon scales! You'd do little harm. And since it's a dragon, its claws could rip through your flimsy cloth and shield and tear you apart! I can't let you go."

The others in the group looked back and forth between Link and Twilight. A silence fell over the two as they stared at each other with anger.

"If it's sooo dangerous, then why is the princess sending 6 little ponies to drive a giant dragon out of its own cave? It couldn't be all that deadly if she trusts you 6, with hardly any experience in the matter, to accomplish this task."

This time, Twilight had no retort. No counter argument. Not even one comment against his own. He makes a valid point... I would think the princess, in all her wisdom, would attempt to send in the military to handle a dangerous dragon. But that's not the case. She didn't even ask that Link come along, despite the fact he, himself, is among their number. Hmm... Maybe she is planning to get us out of Ponyville? If she expects us to be able to vacate the dragon easily, then it should be non-hostile. Maybe she's expecting Link to remain here... then... him coming along would throw a wrench into a plan that she may have cooking...

"Earth to Twilight. What's it gonna be?" Link asked.

"Hm. Since you are so determined to come along, and since I am against the very thought, to an extent, we'll put it to a vote."

"Seriously, We're voting on this?" Dash asked. "I say let him come with. If it gets to that point, I'd want him at my side. I know he'll have my back, and he'll know I've got his."

Rarity scoffed at the idea, and quickly said, "I do not wish for his assistance. As you said, magic is a dragon's weakness. If we miss our shots and hit him, he could be wounded beyond recovery. I'm sorry, Link. You're safer here."

"I for one want him. To come with, of course. With him up there, it'll be that much easier to have a party after we win!" Pinkie bounded up and down. "And who can resist a good party?"

Aj shook her head. "Sorry Link. Not sayin' ya can't go is just like not sayin' ya can. Not tellin' mah sis to not have friends over, is the same as not tellin' her to have friends over. There's a trust in silence, and sometimes, it's said best when nothin's said at all."

"That reasoning... got a bit complicated, but I'll take that as a 'No'. Fluttershy?" Twilight started, "your decision... Bring him along? Or leave him here?"

Fluttershy sat there and thought about her next words. the weight of the stares she got from the others made it that much harder to decide. If he comes along and things are fine, if he comes along and things are bad, but we handle it, if he comes along and things are bad, and we don't handle it... if he stays and things are fine, if he stays and things are bad, and we handle it anyway, if he stays and things are bad, and we don't handle it... 6 different outcomes and 4 of them are good endings while 2 of them are bad. 2/3 isn't so bad, so I say... "Let him join. I'd feel safer knowing he's there anyway." She sat upright and smiled.

"That's 3 for, and 2 against. Guess you're coming along, since majority rules." Twilight didn't notice Aj and Rarity look at Fluttershy with judgmental eyes. "You're all geared up anyway. And since you've got a spatial pouch, you get to carry all of our food. Congratulations, you got what you wanted."

"Doesn't feel like a victory to me." She 180'd too quickly. What went through her head, I wonder... "Aj, could you?" She gave him the bag of food to put into his pocket. He had prepared a few water bottles for the others, as he believed he was going before Twilight attempted to shoot him down.

Twilight looked over a map of Equestria and began planning their route while the others talked among themselves. Fluttershy silently walked up behind her and started asking. "Um... Twilight?"

"Uh huh... That looks bad..." she replied.

"I was ... well I was thinking and-"

"Uh huh," she said again. "Definitely want to avoid that route..."

Fluttershy shuffled her hooves. one more try "I, um... I was thinking... maybe it would be best if ... I stay behind instead?"

"Uh huh. That looks safe."

With joy, she responded, "Oh? Great. I'll stay here and-"

Twilight snapped out of her concentration and argued, turning to look at her. "'Stay'? No no no, we need you to come along. I do believe I've explained why."

Link walked over to them and stood beside Twilight. "Come on, Fluttershy. It's just a hike up the mountain. There's a chance we won't need your help, but there's also a chance that we will. For that, it's better you come along."

"And Princess Celestia said 6. That includes you." Twilight turned once more to the mountain. "And we must be going soon."

This time, Rarity joined the growing group. "That brings this to my attention. Remind me why Link wasn't included and the number made 7? I would think he'd be among the first to know about it."

"Princess Celestia granted him time off. And he did get back a few days ago. I imagine he'd need to rest. Another reason I'd have liked him to stay. But, majority ruled and he's coming anyway," Twilight admitted. "Got the snacks?" Link nodded. "Good." She turned to the others. "Everyone! Let's go!"

Everyone followed Twilight to the edge of town and beyond. In 2 hours time, the group arrived at the base of the mountain where the dragon slept. After some shy hesitation, Applejack agreed to take Fluttershy up a less steep path. Dash insisted she fly, but Fluttershy's wings wouldn't open. Unnerved, Twilight gave the map to Aj and agreed on a meeting place up the mountain.

"What's taking them so long?" Twilight asked herself. "Surely she isn't that slow..." She looked out over the edge of the mountain at the ground below and saw no ponies. Looking to the others, she found that they had began to occupy themselves in one form or another.

Link sat and watched Rarity lose endlessly to Pinkie Pie in more games of tic-tac-toe than he'd care to count. After one comment of how he could do better, even beat Pinkie at her own game, Rarity stepped aside and let him have his fun. The following 9 games were ties, each and every one. Pinkie scratched her head at the perplexity of having tied so many games.

"A strange game," Link admitted. "I've never played it, but something's not right. It's like..." He paused. "Like, the only way to actually win, is to choose to not play in the first place. Given that you know how to play."

Pinkie looked over their most recent game and thought to herself. Interesting... He's tied with me every game. Me. Tied. He's never played it before, but he already understands there's no true winner when both are playing their best. She looked up at him as he looked at her. What is it about him that makes him learn so fast?

"Personally, I prefer a nice game of chess. The strategies are numerous, and no matter the skill level, there's always a winner. Stalemates don't count." Link looked over to Navi who stayed with Twilight.

"Huh. How about that..." Pinkie looked with wonder at the boy as he walked over to Twilight.

"Pinkie, don't worry too much. A tie isn't a loss, which means you're still undefeated. Want to go again?" Rarity offered.

Just then, Aj and Fluttershy walked around a curve in the path. "We. Made. It..." the farmer exerted before laying down. Twilight trotted over to her with Navi by her head.

"Glad you made it. Fluttershy? You alright?" She nodded and looked at the others. Fluttershy took into account the face Dash had for her.

"Told you she'd slow us down, Twilight," Rainbow scolded. "But she's here, which means we can go, right?"

"I'd like to, but I'm willing to bet these two are hungry." Agreements came from the two. "Link?"

Link handed each of them an apple and a bottle of water. "We've already had ours, so don't worry about it."

Hastily, Aj ate hers in a few bites while Fluttershy decided to eat more slowly. "Thanks, Link. Sorry it took longer than ya thought, Twi. Fluttershy had to stop an' smell the flowers. Literally. Now that we're here an' not so hungry, should we move on?"

Twilight looked at Fluttershy, then back to Aj. "The map, please..." She gave it back and watched as it unrolled in front of them. "Everyone, come over here." Twilight waited, then once they all gathered around, she continued, "Up ahead the path will narrow, there will be a gap afterward, then broaden. To avoid catastrophe, please keep your noise level as low as possible. Avalanches are among the worst ways to go. We're about half way up the mountain, and we've still got several hours before sundown. I'd like to get back home as soon as possible. Fluttershy, are you alright now?" She nodded. "Aj?" Another nod. "Good. Rainbow, I need you to be a lookout for any signs of falling rocks. If you see something out of the ordinary, let me know."

"Understood, Twilight. Since we're going so soon, and Fluttershy is one of our slowest, can we have her in the middle?"

Twilight looked at the map again. "Right, the narrow path..." A walking order needs establishing...

"I'm not too sure the order we walk in will count for much," Link interrupted. "We're all going to the same place, and we're only as fast as our slowest member. If they want to crawl, then we all will wait unless there's another way around. Moving as one unit is better than splitting up. Not that we could anyway, given the width of the path..."

She looked over at him. "He's right. Minus the whole, 'one speed' thing. Fluttershy, you can be anywhere except the end and the front. The end's Link's position, and the front is mine. Since you're against flying, Rainbow has it covered."

"Oh... ok." Fluttershy squeaked out before lowering her head. They took it better than I thought they would.

Twilight coiled the map and tucked it away. As the group walked up the path, they approached the gap mentioned in Twilight's warning. Dash and Navi flew over with ease, Twilight, Aj, Pinkie and Rarity jumped over with similar ease. Link waited for Fluttershy to do either, but she took too long. In haste, Twilight levitated Fluttershy over the gap and watched as Link cleared it.

Just as foretold, the path widened. No one made any loud noises, thanks to the warning of Twilight ahead of time. And thanks to her preparation, the group made it past the avalanche danger zone with no incident. Afterward, the path curved around the mountain a few times, which notably ended at the top.

"Not much further now. I know we're in a hurry and all, but is there anyone who thinks they need a quick breather before the main event?" Twilight turned to the others who had sat or laid down with varying levels of exhaustion. "Yeah, I'm tired too." She, too, sat down and saw Link take a knee at the edge. "What's the view like?"

"Great. Wish I could take a picture. Hang it on my wall." Link looked down over the mountain, and saw Ponyville. "I can see the library from here. And there's the farm too. ..." He turned back to Aj. "You've got a lot of trees at Sweet Apple Acres."

"Ah better. Those trees yield the fruit mah family needs to survive." She saw Link come back over to them and reach in his bag. "More food? Ah'm still a bit hungry."

This time, he handed out a sandwich to each of them, making sure he had his special one to himself. "Hey Twilight. How much further?"

"About 30 minutes walking. That said, before we get there, I want to discuss our strategy for getting him to leave once more."

"About that..." Link started, "Do you think I could try first? I know you said you wanted to, but I actually have an idea for how this can work." He retrieved a scroll from his pocket and held it up for Twilight. "It's this. A 'letter' from the 'princess' telling him to leave."

"But... that's not possible. How do you have something like that?" Twilight asked.

"I don't. It's a fake. See?" He changed his holding pattern to both sides of the scroll, revealing a wax seal with no brand. "Inside is mostly garble. And there's no signature. I figured I could convince him to go by royal order."

"You know forgery is a crime, punishable by imprisonment?" Twilight cautioned. "If the dragon finds your falsehood, what'll happen next?"

"Then it'll be up to you girls to handle it, as I will have done what I could." Link sat in relative silence.

"So... you're willing to gamble, Equestria's safety, with a scroll that's forged?" Link shook his head. "Then what?"

"No signature. And even if he decides to open and read it, he'll find it worded to convince him the princess wrote it." Link placed the scroll in his pocket.

"So, yer still lyin' about it. That don't sit well with me..." Aj said.

"If it works, then we win. No violence needed. And all will be well. Isn't it worth a try at least?" Link tried to convince.

Aj sat in judgmental silence. Finally she answered, "Jus' don't ask me to go along with it. I'll have no part of whatever scheme you're plannin'."

"Fair enough. Though it's a good plan, I think I should be the one to employ it," Twilight began. "I still care for your safety, and going against a dragon... well, I'm still not okay with you being up here."

"I understand that, but it's my plan. I know how to work it better, because I've thought about it longer."

"Can you two not argue for a single day? It's gettin' on mah nerves," Applejack inputted. "It's Link's idea, let 'im do it." A few of the others agreed with her.

"Fine... You want the spotlight so bad, you can have it. Just don't expect me to rescue you when it falls apart." A collective gasp came from the group. " ... What?"

"You basically said you'd turn your back on him. When he would need your help. What kind of sister does that?" Applejack asked.

Twilight sighed. "Look, I'm sorry if it upset any of you, but..." Her eyes darted back and forth as she racked her brain. Good going, me. You made everypony turn against you with one sentence. It's not like they know your relationship with Link well enough to understand this. Maybe I can ... I don't like it but... I could try to make them believe something that isn't true. Not wholly untrue, anyway... Gain their sympathy and be forgiven. I'll have to apologize to them later. "Ugh, I don't know how to put this!" She took a deep breath, and calmed down. "The truth is, Link is seen by the princess as a major asset, while I'm just her student incapable of handling herself. Just once... Just once I wanted to stand alone and be somepony the princess could be proud of." Twilight laid down and frowned. "And since he's used to being on his own... what does he need me for..."

Link picked her up and hugged her. "You know something... I'm never really alone. I've always got you running through my head. Telling me how I should perceive certain things. In fact, I got this idea from you. Rather, you helped to inspire it. If you want this, you can have it."

"No no, I'm alright. It is your idea after all. Just be careful, alright?" Twilight smiled a weak smile and held herself up. Wow. It worked better than I thought. Link even fell for it, unless he played along.

"Now, none of that, 'Ah ain't worthy' nonsense. Ya've got friends for a reason. We're in this together, fail or succeed." Aj hugged her as well, and felt everypony else join in.

"Thanks you guys..." She wiped away a slowly rolling tear and stood, getting everyone off of her. "Now, we've spent too much time here as it is. Let's get this done and over with so we can go back home with our heads held high. Or, with moderate altitude."

The group shared a laugh and continued their march. Half an hour later, they rounded the top of the mountain and found themselves in front of a giant cave. Fluttershy stood in terror at the size alone, not to mention what it held inside.

"Well, now... Ain't that somethin'," Aj pointed out. "That's some heap o' gold he's got stashed away in there."

As expected... I'm glad the princess sent me up here. This way, I can get ahold of an amount of gold I need for Link's gift. I couldn't tell him that's the real reason I didn't want him along. If he knew, he'd get suspicious and spoil the surprise. It's alright though. Fluttershy has given me an idea of how to send him away before I make my way down. "How about that?" She replied. It's also fortuitous that he was too busy in the kitchen making food to see me look for a spell. "Well? Aren't you going in?"

"Need to wake it up first," Link replied. "Fluttershy? ... Fluttershy?" He looked back and saw her shaking behind a stone barely big enough to hide her mane and tail.

"Fluttershy!" Dash called out. "Ugh! We need you! This is the whole reason you were forced to come all the way up here!" She flew over to the stone and stared at her.

Twilight added, "Every minute we spend working around your feelings is another acre covered in toxic smoke."

"I-I-I can't... I'm sorry... I ..." Fluttershy whimpered.

Dash rolled her eyes. "Great, she's afraid of caves now, too." She flew over to Twilight. "Still think it was a good idea to bring her along?"

Twilight replied, aloud, "One of my best." Dash looked at her in confusion.

"Let me be clear, I'm not scared of caves," Fluttershy said, emerging from behind the rock. This earned the others' glances. "I'm scared of dragons."

"What was that sugarcube?" Aj asked, leaning in to hear better.

Again, Fluttershy admitted, "I'm scared of dragons."

"Didn't quite catch that..." Twilight agreed.

Fluttershy took a breath, and repeated once more, "I'm scared of dragons."

Twilight looked at her, as though in disbelief. "But you care for a considerable quantity of critters."

"None of them are dragons."

Link looked as well, with similar disbelief. "You tamed a manticore, and he's more deadly than your pets combined. Maybe without Angel though..."

"It wasn't a dragon," she reiterated.

"What about Spike? He's a dragon. And from what I saw, you handled your first encounter leagues better than Epona," Twilight comforted.

Fluttershy inhaled as much air as her lungs could hold, and explained, "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!"

Twilight sighed. "If you're soo afraid of dragons, then why didn't you say something before coming up here with the rest of us?"

"I was afraid to..." she admitted.

Aj put a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "All of us are scared of that dragon."

"I'm not," Link and Rainbow denied in unison, before sharing a chuckle.

"Well, most of us," Aj corrected, "but we're on a job from the princess an' we just can't let her down. So whaddya say ya go on in there with Link an' show 'im what yer made of?"

"I-I-I just..." Fluttershy hung her head. "Can't."

"Oh Fluttershy..." Link resolved. "Alright, since she won't, then I will. Watch my back." He turned and headed into the cave. Inside, piles of shiny treasure lined the walls and lit the place up with reflected sunlight. How a dragon can sleep in this blinding light is beyond me...

"How're you gonna wake him up?" Navi asked atop his head.

"I could always stick him with the pointy end," Link pondered.

"Not a good idea. What else you got?"

"Hmm... Since all I've got aren't things to wake something... I could use this." Link put his shield on his arm and looked at it. "Strike it a few times, the loud noise should do the trick."

"Better," Navi complimented. "Against what?"

He drew his sword and clanged the two together. Several sharp pings rang through the cave. As the dragon stirred, Link quickly put his sword and shield away. "Mr. Dragon?" Nothing. "Mr. Dragon!!" The creature turned over and opened a slotted eye. "Oh good, you're awake. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is-" Without warning, the dragon expelled a great force of smoke from his lungs. Link held his ground and started clearing away what smoke had blocked his view. After coughing, he continued as if nothing happened. "Link. I have with me an order for you to vacate this location." He held up the scroll and made sure to cover the blank seal. "If you fail to comply, actions will be taken against you."

The dragon sat upright and leaned in to face him directly. "Maybe you didn't get the hint the first time." With another blast of smoke, Link flew backward out of the cave and landed on his shield-covered back. The blast also forced the scroll to go over the edge of the mountain.

Link slowly got his feet under him and took a knee, coughing to expel the foul air from his own lungs. Twilight and the others got to his side. "Alright. I admit, that didn't go as I hoped it would. Who's next?"

Rarity volunteered, only to be roared out. After her failure, Pinkie put on her party suit and bounded in. She, too, retreated in failure. Dash wouldn't take any more, so she flew in and bucked the dragon in the face.

Points for guts, I'll give you that... But really... Let us do the attacking Twilight thought. She saw the dragon take a breath, and she had just enough time to yell, "Get out of there!!" She and the others hid around the corner, Fluttershy on a lower edge just off the side of the mountain. Dash got out of the way just in time before the dragon belted out a stream of fire toward the cave entrance.

"I'm not leaving, and little beings like you can't force me out!" Fluttershy looked over the edge at the dragon, then to her friends who were still reeling from the assault. Aj just had the end of her tail crispified from the breath, and Link was still breathing heavy from the dragon's smoke.

Fluttershy saw that her friends needed help. "how... dare you..." Fluttershy mumbled. "How dare you!!" She flew toward the dragon with a mean look.

"Fluttershy, no!" Link tried to yell, but it did no good.

She ignored him and narrowed her vision, glaring at the dragon. He opened his maw and started inhaling again. Quickly, Fluttershy landed on his opened mouth. "Now you listen here, mister! Just because you're big doesn't mean you get to be a bully! You may have huge teeth, sharp scales, snore smoke, and breathe fire. But you do not -I repeat- you do Not. Hurt. My. Friends!" Fluttershy waited a moment to see the dragon cringe a little. "You got that?" With no reply, she repeated once more. "Well?"

"But that rainbow one kicked me," he replied.

Fluttershy changed her tone to one of sympathy. "And I'm very sorry about that. She was defending her friends from your scary roars."

"That's only because all of you barged into my cave without warning or reason," he argued. "And that strange one woke me up with that annoying ringing."

"With a very good reason. You were snoring, and as a result, your smoke was becoming a health hazard for the residents of Equestria. You're big enough to know better."

"But I-"

"Don't you 'but I' me, mister. Now, what do you intend to do?" She waited for his response. "You're going to go pack your things and find another place to sleep. You're not a bad dragon, just a normal dragon who made a bad decision. That's all." Fluttershy flew down and landed where the others were waiting for her.

The dragon, peacefully beaten, flew out of the cave and out of sight. "You did it! I knew you could do it!" Twilight commended.

Rainbow approached Fluttershy and looked away slightly. "Hey, sorry for being so hard on you earlier... I didn't know how else to motivate you to do what needed doing."

"YAHOO!" Aj cried. "Well done Fluttershy! Ya sent that dragon packin'!" She looked inside the cave to see the gold still there. "Well, maybe not packin'... His loot's still here."

"Twilight?" Rarity asked, seeing Twilight look into the cave. "Is something wrong?"

"Not at all," she replied. "Link, I want to apologize to you for initially refusing your help. But I'll need it now. Fluttershy, can you and Link go relieve Epona from caring for your pets? I'm only asking you this because I think Epona's had all she can take. I'm sure she likes animals, but caring for them is entirely different."

"Absoluely. Come on, Fluttershy. Let's go." He began walking down the mountain before calling out, "I'll be at home when you get back."

"I'll be there later. Just have something to take care of first." Twilight watched as Link, Navi, and Fluttershy faded from sight. She listened carefully to determine whether he'd gone back or tried to spy on them. Thankfully, it ended up the former. "Now that he's gone, I can get to work."

"Uh... Work on what?" Aj asked her. Closely, she watched Twilight walk into the cave and gather a few objects. Rarity had followed her inside.

"Well, Twilight. Have you found enough?" Rarity asked her.

"Not exactly..." Twilight closed her eyes as her horn lit up. One by one, the objects in her magic broke down into various colored orbs: green, blue, red, gold, silver, and a few others. "Oh, and please don't tell Link how I obtained the material, as that's not important."

"'Not important'? Yer stealin! From a dragon that ain't even here!" Aj exclaimed. "An' worse, ya plan on givin' it away! Ah cannot believe Ah helped ya with this... Ah'm just as guilty as you are."

Twilight paused, and dropped the orbs that weren't gold, then looked over at her. "... Then do you have gold I can use?" She turned to the others. "Anypony have a spare lump of pure gold laying around?" The others shook their heads. "I thought not."

"That don't excuse your thievin'. What's even the point of the gold? A coatin' for the outside. Just for show. Why not use the color from bits? Same thing." Aj had a point, and Twilight knew it. She placed the gold ball on the ground. "Ah know ya want the best gift for him, but stealin' ain't the way to go about it."

"I'm well aware that what I'm doing is wrong. But who's going to miss their objects more? A nest-flown dragon missing a few trinkets, or the town's librarian missing her money? If I were to do the same to the bits at home, I'd have less money. And I'd need to break down more of it, since the coating is very thin, and not even pure gold in color like the armor the guard wears." Twilight left the orb on the ground. Rainbow and Rarity had taken to looking at the two while Pinkie looked through the piles of treasure.

Aj put a hoof to her face. "Ugh... Ah can't believe Ah'm arguin' with ya now. Fine. If it's that big a deal, do what ya want. Ah'm goin' home." Aj turned around and headed down the mountain alone.

"Twilight, darling... What will you do?" Rarity asked.

"I ... I don't know... I might not get a chance like this again... With his gift or to get back on Aj's good side." Twilight sat down and listened to Aj's hoofsteps taper away. "I had such a good idea, and one friend turned it into ash. Never thought it would hit this hard."

"I think you need to ask yourself which is more worth it: your brother's birthday gift, which you'll have plenty of chances to redeem yourself for, or your friendship with Applejack, which you might never be able to fix." Rainbow flew down the mountain without waiting for an answer. She quickly caught up with Applejack and stopped to talk to her.

Twilight sat in silence while Rarity tried to comfort her. "You know, Rarity... Now that I think about it... I'm not sure he'd mind the color difference. Just the-"

"You could always use this!" Pinkie returned with a small bracelet with three pointed parts. "Looks like a hooflet, but it could also be a crown. I think you might be able to resize it."

"Ooh..." Twilight looked at it, then frowned. "Darn, now I may actually regret this..." She took a breath, then looked at Pinkie. "Toss it back inside. Sure, it might be easy. But, it wouldn’t be right. Thanks anyway, girls." Twilight rose to her hooves and started down the mountain. "Come on. We've got a friend to catch up t-"

Aj stepped around the corner and smiled. "Ah heard what ya said... Dash told me to come back for ya." Twilight stood in silence. "Good to see ya made a good choice. Ah'm sure that whatever ya find will suit 'is needs jus' fine."

"Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie, shall we?" Twilight led the others down the mountain.

The allotted 2 hours later, Twilight had walked Rarity to her boutique, and Pinkie to Sugarcube Corner. Afterward, she and Aj were left to walk to the farm by Rainbow, who had flown home herself. Along the way, Aj and Twilight talked about what went on between when she left and when she came back. Sure, Applejack heard it from Dash, but the details might have gotten mixed up. As requested, Link, Navi and Epona waited for Twilight at the library.

Once there, she explained that she walked each of their friends home. Link had asked what was so important that she stayed behind. Her simple response was, "To spend more time with my friends." He took it at face value and didn't question it. Now with Spike, she wrote a letter to princess on the successful vacation of the dragon and a friendship lesson.

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. They are also there to pull you back to the right path, when you stray too far off course. My good friend Aj convinced me of that, and I have her to thank.

Always your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle.

At the end of the day, Link made dinner for the residents of the library. He saw the pegasi had cleared away what smoke remained from the dragon's awful snoring. Twilight received a letter from the princess congratulating her on a job well done. The thought that the princess was hiding something would not leave Twilight's mind.

Why had she sent the 6 of us, and not include Link? Why would she need him in Ponyville and the rest of us away? Maybe she set up a contingency plan, in the event he came with... I've got to be careful over the next week. Something could befall us and catch us unprepared... "Ugh! Why is it so confusing?!" Twilight yelled, catching Link's attention.

"Why's what confusing?" he asked her, rolling to his side in bed.

"Nothing. Just... I have an uneasy feeling. Do me a favor and be on the lookout for anything suspicious, and that includes behavior," Twilight warned.

He rolled back to his other side and replied, "Sure thing..." Link fell asleep within the hour.

Please please PLEASE forgive the double entendre. I was too tired to think clearly.
~~~~~~~~~
Points to anyone who can find the Dragonball Z reference.
~~~~~~~~~
And I know they might be acting out of character. Such is the price of having someone else in the world that shouldn't be.

"Twilight would never steal." I know that, but I think Twilight's entitled to go the least bit overboard for a birthday gift for her own sibling.

"You burnt Applejack's tail! How could you?" Well, not everyone gets out of danger unscathed, do they?

"Also, the joke between Rainbow and Applejack seemed a little... (insert negative adjective here)." Yeah... I finished that part, then looked it over and thought, 'Well... it's a good joke... but maybe not the best characters to pull it off...' With that in mind I left it and hoped it would be forgotten.

Any others?
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EDIT: The last bit at the end there was a last minute addition. It may not fit, you may not agree with it, but Twilight has every right to be paranoid.