"Here you go. Give it a swing," Hammer Time said. I had identified the earth pony blacksmith by his flank mark, lucky in my guess at the meaning of his hammer. An anvil would have been a surer thing, I supposed, but I hadn't seen one like that around.

I took the sword he offered me into hand, looking it over first. The cutting edge was sharp, the back edge blunt but smooth. The length was just as I had requested, a good four feet. It was much lighter than my buster sword, but I was a bit lighter myself these days. Wordlessly, I took Hammer Time's advice and gave it a few testing swings, getting a feel for the grip in my hands. It was a bit alien feeling; both my hands and the handle they gripped notably more slender than I was used to. But the latter was sized perfectly for the former, and the blade well balanced.

"It swings nicely, at least without anything to strike. And it has a good heft and a keen blade... I think it will do just fine. Now to try out the special feature," I said, reaching into one of my pouches.

"I made it like you described, but honestly I don't know what you were really going for with that. I can't promise it will work like you hoped," Hammer said.

I nodded in understanding, as I got out my makeshift fire materia. I had gotten it encased in green tinted glass, like a sort of marble, and already confirmed it still worked for me if I held it as such. Pushing it into one of the three open slots in the handle of my new blade, I closed the latch to hold it secured and gripped the blade again. It was there. I could feel it in my mind, the awareness. The knowledge of the arcane patterns. Energy began to flow through me, then flow out of me in green rippling waves. I spun my sword around, attaching it to the pair of magnets Rarity has sewn into the back of my bra, and let the power flow. Pushing my hands forward, I focused on the cooling coals within Hammer Time's forge and watched with satisfaction as they erupted with new heat, flames wafting out a moment before settling into a dim red glow.

"It works perfectly," I said, before handing over nearly every bit I had managed to save up thus far.

His hoof brushed my hand as he took the coins, causing me to blush reflexively, losing my cool. I started to make a hasty retreat but he called out to me. "Stop."

"Hammer Time?" I questioned with bated breath. I hated what was happening to me just then, my emotions going on overdrive over what was clearly nothing. Did all women have to deal with this nonsense? Maybe it got easier when you had your whole life to get used to it.

"You gave me too much. Here's your change," he said, proving just how nothing it was as he lifted a handful of coins in his teeth with dexterity that seemed impossible and dropped them in my hand. I flinched in anticipation of the slobber that must surely be on them, but there was none. How did ponies manage that?

"Thanks. I should get going," I said, before rushing out. I was across the street and behind another building before my head cleared enough to put the bits away. My heart was still pounding, beating more heavily than it did in the life or death struggle of combat. My mind railed against the wayward, nonsensical emotions. The stallion hadn't even so much as flirted, I was pretty sure. Neither had I, I hoped. We just conducted some perfectly normal business in a perfectly professional manner, and now it was done. DONE!

"That is a handsome looking sword, darling, but it doesn't go with your outfit at all," Rarity objected. "I'll need to make you a whole new wardrobe to go with it," she insisted.

"I can't afford that," I complained, "I just spent all my bits getting this made. Well, most of them," I conceded, blushing once again at the memory of his hoof, sliding gently across mine.

"You're blushing, dear, is it that embarrassing to be short a few bits? In any case, it's on the house, this time. My muse will not be denied," the unicorn insisted. "Besides, I've been wanting to make you something more suitable to your, ahem, lifestyle choices for some time."

"Alright," I conceded. "I can't really say no, especially if it's something sturdy that can stand up to a proper adventure. But I'll owe you."

"If you insist darling. Actually, I do have an idea of how you might repay me, later," she said as she headed to her drawing board to start sketching some designs. "In the meantime, I think we're done for today. Thank you ever so much for your help, darling."

"Stay classy, Rarity," I said, before heading out into the streets.

"There you are!" called a pegasus, before the mare in question descended upon me. It was a wonder she could see me even now, with how her eyes refused to focus in any particular direction. "Letter for Cloud Strife," she explained, offering up a scroll.

"Thanks," I thanked, tossing her a bit as a tip, which nearly toppled her over in surprise. She grinned before making her way to the nearby Sugarcube Corner, possibly intent on spending it before I changed my mind. I unrolled the scroll, looking it over. The handwriting, or whatever, was immaculate.

Dear Cloud Strife,

Thanks again for all your help saving the world from eternal night! You've really proven yourself to be a great ally in times of darkness. Speaking of which, have you seen the sky lately?

I paused in my reading to look up, frowning at the blanket of smoke overhead. How did I not notice that? How much else was I missing by not looking up? I continued reading.

If you could, I would like you and the other Element Bearers to join me at the Golden Oaks Library as soon as possible to discuss how you can remedy this troubling situation.
Thanks in advance,
-Twilight Sparkle, Librarian, Golden Oaks Library, Ponyville, Equestria

Opening up the door, I called in. "Rarity, I need your help with something a bit more pressing than my wardrobe."

The six of us arrayed ourselves in a semicircle in the main room of the library, each of my pony friends wearing the necklace that bore their flank mark, while I wore the tiara with my buster sword symbolized in the center. Rarity was looking at me thoughtfully, eyes roving up and down, no doubt trying to factor in the tiara to her next dress design for me. I tried to remember I'd need to insist on pants this time.

Twilight was front and center with a chalkboard, practically vibrating with excitement. "Alright, listen up!" she said, acquiring our attention, and then directing it with a levitating stick toward the chalk board where she had laid out bullet points for her presentation.

"At 0800 this morning," she began, before pausing to answer a raised hoof from Fluttershy. "That's eight in the morning. Ahem. Element Bearer Fluttershy observed copious quantities of smoke emanating from 317 degrees, to the northwest. She expressed concern regarding arboreal combustion, however, I have confirmed with Princess Celestia that the origin of the substance is draconic in nature instead."

"In Equine, egghead?" Rainbow Dash requested with considerably less tact than the rest of us would have.

"There's a dragon, around here," she said, pointed to a mountain to the northwest of Ponyville on a nearby map. "He's making smoke, but the forest is not currently on fire." A round of "Oh!"s signalled our newfound understanding.

"Your mission, should you chose to accept it, is to go to the mountain and remove the dragon," Twilight explained.

"A dragon?" Fluttershy's voice asked from someplace out of view. "A full grown dragon? I don't accept, no no no no."

"So what's the game plan? We go in and blast it with rainbows like we did to Nightmare Moon?" Rainbow Dash asked, much more eagerly.

"I don't think the Elements work that way," I pointed out. "Not unless the dragon was corrupted by some outside force or something. Did this princess mention anything like that?"

"No, nothing like that," Twilight said.

"Then you won't need me this time, right?" Fluttershy's voice asked. I think she was under the couch, but I couldn't be sure, and didn't want to compromise her hiding spot.

"You can stay home, Flutters," Dash said. "We'll take care of this ourselves."

"So who is this princess, anyways, and did she mention what the mission pays?" I queried.

"Pay? You mean saving Equestria from an ever growing cloud of smoke that threatens to block out the sunlight, choke off plant life, destroy the entire ecosystem and cause us all to starve to death isn't payment enough?" Twilight asked incredulously. "Anyways, you've met Princess Celestia, remember? She was the one with the wings and the horn."

"How do you expect us to pay for wear and tear on our equipment, as well as upgrades to be prepared for future emergencies, if we don't get paid, especially on vital missions like this? To say nothing of hazard pay. I've helped take out a dragon before, they're no joke," I pointed out seriously. "Wings and a horn... you don't mean Nightmare Moon's second form, do you?!"

"What? No. That was Princess Luna. Technically she is the co-ruler of the country now, and she's Princess Celestia's sister. No, Celestia is the white one, with the sun cutie mark," Twilight explained, sounding a little exasperated.

"Oh, the one with the magical hair? I hadn't noticed she had a horn or wings," I admitted, causing a round of face clopping. "Anyways, please request that her highness prepare a payment of one thousand bits per element bearer, so six thousand for the mission, due upon our successful return. Fluttershy, since you aren't coming on this mission, you'll only get half of your share, to support your readiness in the future, while the rest will be divided between us for taking up your slack. Don't make a habit of this though, or we'll have to have words about your role in the team."

"Do you really think the princess will pay all that?!" Applejack asked in shock.

"Do you think she'll let Equestria remain covered in smoke, killing everything just to avoid paying the mercenaries she explicitly reached out to hire?" I countered. I turned back to Twilight. "She might try to haggle. If she tries to go below half, she can deal with the dragon herself. If she's a cheapskate about it, we'll start working in line item fees into our contracts. Anyways, this is a pretty low price for something like this, but we need to build up our reputation, along with our equipment and personal readiness, so that we can earn a more suitable price."

"Are you going to be charging the crown every time there's a crisis?" Twilight asked, sounding a little worried at the idea.

"If the princess prefers, we can negotiate a retainer fee, so she doesn't have to pay per-crisis. I'm sure her regular guards receive a regular salary, we can work that way too. But she can't expect us to step in to deal with things her regular guards can't or won't without any pay," I said firmly. "Since we aren't already on the payroll, though, she's going to have to pay for this mission as is."

Twilight sighed. "Alright, I'll have Spike send your demands along. In the meantime, can I finish my mission briefing? I've mapped out a path to get you to the dragon's lair as quickly as possible..."

"Thank you Twilight... actually, let's make it 7000. You do a lot yourself to make this team work, and deserve to be paid for your own efforts as well," I said.

"What? No, I couldn't. All I did was look in some books, find a map, plot a course, prepare this presentation..." A checklist, mostly checked off, appeared in the air beside her as she went over all the things she had done.

"And that's all quite valuable. Plus, if you had a budget for equipment or maybe support staff, I bet you could do even better in your role," I pointed out.

"I already have an assistant. Spike," she pointed out.

"And you should pay him from your share. I'll let you be the judge of how much he deserves," I replied. "Now then. That path?"

We met at the start of the trail up the mountain, each of the ponies sporting a pair of saddle bags heavy with gear. We set out with grim determination, knowing our task before us. I thought back to when Sephiroth and I had fought the dragon near the mako reactor in Mount Nibel. It had taken only three blows, two from him and one from my buster sword, to take the beast down. I didn't know what to expect from my allies in terms of combat performance, but I figured I could at least land three blows myself and win this if it came down to it.

Sadly, my fire materia was likely to be worse than useless.

"This is soo cool. We're like total badass big-shots now," the pegasus said, as she puffed along riding a dark storm cloud.

"Y'all don't get careless now," Applejack cautioned. "We haven't won the day, yet."

"Oh, I do hope this doesn't come to violence," Rarity pointed out as we walked. Her camouflage hat seemed like it made her stand out even more, but I wasn't one to criticize the fashionista's fashion choices. And this wasn't really a stealth mission.

For my own part, I made a note to spend some of my earnings on a pair of boots. I'd gotten used to going about barefoot all this time, but the rugged terrain out here made that all the more uncomfortable. Still, I was certainly not going to be defeated by rocks.

Pinkie Pie bounced along beside us, lightly buoyed by the balloons she had tied to her, her identity obscured from the unbelievably unobservant by lensless glasses and a fake mustache. I would ask if that was all a joke, but she was the bearer of the Element of Laughter. If she anyone could weaponize cheap gags it was her.

The ground rumbled as we walked, like a cross between an earthquake and a snore. I briefly doubted whether three hits would prove enough, but I wouldn't allow myself to doubt for long. We had this. We had to.

Still... "If any of you can think of a way to get rid of the dragon without a fight, I'm all ears. Twilight only said we have to remove it, not kill it per se."

They nodded, but nopony had any suggestions just yet.

The trek up the mountain was a good warm up for what was to come. The shaking came at pretty regular intervals, so we were able to time the more treacherous parts around the rhythm, making dangerous leaps well between the snores. A rock slide half way up gave a bit of excitement and perhaps even danger to the trek, but we made it through uninjured. Rarity was quite taken aback at the amount of dirt that deposited itself on her in the process, but managed to remove it from herself with a bit of magic.

We finally reached the top of the mountain, the smoke billowing out from the cave a sure sign that we were at our destination. We took a moment to recover from the trek, while Applejack deployed snacks for us. Trust an Apple to have apples on hand at a time like this.

"So, any ideas on how we approach this nonviolently?" I asked.

"I brought props!" Pinkie Pie said, deploying her array of silly objects. "If we can just make him laugh, I'm sure we can convince him to leave peacefully!" she said.

"Okay... any better ideas?" I asked hopefully.

"I can use my feminine charms on him," Rarity said seductively. I blushed a little as she managed to get a reaction out of me. And here I thought my new body didn't respond to females... Not the time for this!

"Okay... any others?" I asked, but Rainbow and Applejack shook their heads, each preparing their weapons of choice. Rainbow's thundercloud looked promising, while Applejack's apples looked... frankly, silly. But if she could throw as hard as she could buck trees, maybe they would serve some purpose.

Also, maybe we were doomed.

Nope. Just three hits. One, two, three. As long as my party members could even distract him enough to give openings, we had this.

"Rarity, you're first. If he laughs you off then Pinkie, you follow up with the clown routine. If that fails, the rest of us will be ready," I said. "Don't take chances though: if he moves aggressively, get out of there."

I struggled to maintain my patience while Rarity called on the trick she had used on stage before, magically twirling her hair around her while she quickly changed her outfit, redid her manestyle and gave herself an instant makeover with makeup I never caught sight of. Seeing it much closer stirred something within me, buried deep within. My body wasn't reacting, I realized, but I was. I could still appreciate a beautiful woman, or mare in this case. She caught my look and gave me a wink as she trotted past, making me worry about what exactly she would be planning for me now.

The rest of us crept after her, taking up positions out of sight of the dragon, but where we could see Rarity and move to assist if we were needed. The dragon was quite thoroughly asleep, and from here I could see the front of his snout, where there smoke billowed free from massive nostrils. I couldn't help but comment quietly. "I don't think it would fit."

Rarity glanced at me in confusion a moment, before looking back at the huge red reptile, realizing what I was referring to and blushing madly. Fortunately she had time to recover her poise before proceeding forward.

She stopped, distracted by something, and soon a couple of new necklaces were around her neck. Then a crown on her head. Other accessories floating over to her. Oh Bahamut, was she robbing a fucking dragon?! "Rainbow!" I shouted just in time, giving Dash the go ahead to dash in, barreling into Rarity and knocking her out of the way just before a claw swept through the space she had just occupied.

Before I knew it, my sword was in hand, my feet pounding across the stone, coins, and gems as I closed the distance with the massive dragon. His eyes were still locked on Rarity, tracing her motion to one side, while I rushed in from the other. He barely saw me coming in time to blink, the massive eyelid sweeping down just in time to trap my blade within the massive but delicate orb rather than keep it out. His roar of pain shook the cave, causing rocks to rain down toward us all.

He tried to smack me with a massive claw, but I hefted myself up with the sword handle, ducking onto his face while his limb slammed into where I had just been, driving my sword even deeper into his eye. As he recoiled, I slipped back down, grabbing the handle and tugging the weapon free with all the might my mako-fueled muscles could muster. One hit. Two to go.

Despite her theft, Rarity was no longer the dragon's prime target. I was, and that meant I had to be on the move, dodging flames, claws and teeth.

"Call out your attacks for extra power!" Rainbow advised. Where in Bahamut's name did she get a stupid idea like that from? "Rainbow Bash!" she shouted, demonstrating her nonsense, before shoulder checking the dragon in a blurring streak of rainbow colors. It clearly did not have nearly the impact on the dragon that it did on her own shoulder.

"Party Cannon!" Pinkie said, before pulling out a massive cannon. Where had she hidden that thing? Did it matter. That was just the kind of firepower we needed right now. Or so I thought, until I saw confetti and balloons scatter uselessly out of the thing. The dragon was not even so much as distracted.

"Thousand Needles!" Rarity shouted, getting into the spirit of things. A pair of large knitting needles flew forth from her pack and began stabbing the dragon repeatedly, working their way down his sides. While they seemed to be rather accurately landing blows between the scales, no blood was forthcoming. But then the dragon wobbled anyways, collapsing to the ground with a contented sigh.

"Rainbow, get your cloud ready to strike on my mark," I shouted, moving to take advantage of the opening. I managed to shove my blade in under one of his scales toward the back of his head before he regained his feet, pulling my sword out of reach with him. Two.

"Applejack! Your lasso!" I shouted, as I was back on the defensive.

The earth mare nodded and, without calling out an attack, got her rope wrapped around my handle, giving it a sharp tug that brought the blade to her while dislodging the scale. Before she could toss me the blade, though, a massive wave of flames washed over her. She passed out in a cry of pain, still smoldering.

"Hay, you big meanie! Eat this!" Pinkie yelled before throwing a large cream pie at his one good eye. The dragon complied with her directions, snatching the snack out of mid air, only to start writhing and trying to scrape it off of his tongue desperately. Whatever was in that pie, Pinkie had pranked him good.

My blade reached my hands in Rarity's telekinetic aura, while the mare started acquiring more loot, making plenty of noise in the process. The mare was a bit too busy with what she was doing to properly evade the backhand that launched her into the nearby wall.

Seeing two of my friends go down, I reached my limit. No. I broke it. Power surged through me, pulsing out from me in red waves as I began to run toward the dragon. Leaping high into the air, I made it up above his head before coming down, blade first, driving my blade into his head where the scale had been knocked loose. Had his eye worked on this side, he probably could have dodged, but as it was?

"Rainbow, now!" I shouted as I leaped off like a frog. A sharp kick from the pegasus knocked a lightning bolt loose from her cloud, the energy arcing down into the nearest conductor: my blade. And through it, directly into the dragon's skull. Power arced out from lower parts of his body into the gold coins around him, and from there into the ground. Three.

His death cry peeled out, making his earlier snores and roars seem like whispers in comparison. The cavern rumbled and shook, more rocks falling free. In his death throes, his body jerk up, head slamming powerfully into the ceiling, making the ceiling shatter even faster.

One of the rocks must have struck me. The next thing I remembered was waking up in the hospital.

"Twilight, she's awake!" Fluttershy called out quietly. Barely audible over the beeping monitors tracking a half dozen heart beats around the room. But somehow the librarian got the message and came to my other side.

"Cloud, are you okay? No, of course you're not okay, but you're still alive!" Twilight pointed out.

"The others?" I said, rather alarmed by her choice of words.

"All made it out alive. You're all here in this room, actually. Oh, and good news! I have Celestia's acceptance letter!" Twilight declared, pulling out a scroll.

I looked at her blankly, wondering why she would think now of all times was the time for this. But she did have me curious now. "What's it say?"

Dear Cloud Strife,
In light of your recent success, the crown has decided to pay your requested fee for service of seven thousand bits. Enclosed is a royally sealed voucher which will allow you to acquire the funds from any bank in Equestria. In addition, the medical expenses of you and your group will be covered in full.
The crown would also like to thank you not only for removing the dragon menace from Equestria, but also through your actions providing the location of a rich new source of funds for the national treasury. We look forward to more lucrative business ventures with you in the future.
Get well soon!

-Princess Celestia