The silence in the clearing pit was so strong that the only thing that could be heard was the gentle breeze of the wind and the sounds of roaming animals nearby. The strength of the silence made all the other sound around the ponies and one Hippogriff, including the soft breathing of the wounded dragon, seem like they were in a bustling city instead of a forest. The rancid stench of blood was the only thing to remind them that they were still in the Everfree, and not in a city, as much as some of them would’ve preferred. However, none of them were currently focused on one of that at the moment. Not at the forest above them, not at the noises of the animals prowling it, not even at the dragon lying in a pool of blood in front of them. The only thing they were focused on was the words that emitted from the mouth of Fluttershy, and the species of dragon she had said that they had encountered.

“A…a Night Fury?” Twilight asked, her violet eyes widening. “You mean an actual Night Fury, the most elusive and dangerous dragons known to exist on the face of Equestria?!”

“The very same one.” Fluttershy nodded gently, confirming the lavender Unicorn’s guess. “It’s actually really simple to see. If you look closely at its texture and its body shape, you can see it’s the real thing.”

“Yes…she’s right! I can see it too!” Fast Tracks exclaimed, examining the Night Fury’s body parts closely. “It really is a Night Fury, and actual living breathing Night Fury!”

“My goodness…I never thought I’d see a Night Fury now, especially at a time like this.” Violet Fire murmured, staring down at the black dragon. “Me and my team have seen a few dragons whenever we ventured into the Everfree, and we’ve even had some up close and personal encounters with them. But…to see an actual Night Fury here…especially…this close…I never thought that it would be possible.”

“Y’all seem pretty excited t’ see this ‘ere Night Fury dragon.” Applejack asked, looking from in between the beast and the Shadowbolts. “Ah don’t mean t’ be rude but, would any o’ y’all mind explainin’ t’ us just what’s so amazin’ ‘bout this critter? It just seems like any other ordinary dragon t’ me.”

“An ordinary dragon? An ordinary dragon?!” Goku repeated incredulously, looking at the tangerine Earth Pony as if she had said the most insulting thing in the world. “Applejack, the night Fury isn’t just any ordinary dragon, let alone your average or standard dragon! The Night Fury is considered to be a legend compared to other dragons, especially the ones in the Dragon Lands! It’s one of the many species of Dragons that are said to not only come from lands beyond that of Equestria, but one of few dragons able to use magic, and think, like we do!”

“What do you mean by that?” Rarity asked, tilting her head. “I’m afraid I’m not quite following what you’re trying to say, darling.”

“I think we should all explain.” Zephyr said, brushing her mane out of her face. “You see…back in the Medieval Times, the Breezy Vikings in forests beyond Equestria used to be in a constant battle with dragons, day in and day out, though its mostly at night. This is mainly because the dragons raid their villages for food, be it farm animals and even other ponies, since, well, we did use to fight them. There were many species of dragons that lived during that time, such as Nadder Heads, Grongoles, Monstrous Nightmares, Terrible Terrors…all of them were fierce on their own way. Out of all of them however, the Night Fury was the one who was at the top of the food chain, in many more ways than the ones you may think.”

“How’s that?” Pinkie Pie asked curiously. “Does it have to do with them being able to think and use magic the same way as ponies can? Like Goku said they could?”

“Pretty much, yeah.” The royal blue stallion nodded. “You see…the Night Fury is considered to be a…special type of dragon. Not only because it’s the most elusive of the most least known o dragon species, but because of its powers and the way that it thinks. For one, Night Fury’s are fast; not just the normal standard fast, but like, fast…the fastest of any dragon species, and the most efficient whenever its hunting or fighting. Out of all the dragons that the Vikings fought in the past, the Night Fury was the one dragon that they could not kill, let alone fight or defeat. It never stole food during the nighttime raids, never showed itself in combat with the Vikings, and…it never missed whenever it did attack the villages.”

“Really? It never ever misses its target?” Rainbow Dash asked, her magenta eyes wide with amazement. “Each and every time it aims, the Night Fury always hits its mark?”

“Always Rainbow Dash…it always hits its mark no matter what else is happening.” Sky Ranger replied, looking straight at the cyan mare. “It moved so swiftly and so fast that nopony ever saw it coming, and those that did, were only able to capture a glimpse of it before it vanished, and death claimed them in his dark cold cloak. Because of this, the Night Fury’s speed and size were left relatively unknown, which made it all the more feared and watched out for. Anypony who’s ever come in contact with a Night Fury has never been known to live to tell the tale, so they decided that none of them were to engage one, and avoid it whenever they could. The Night Furies were considered to be that dangerous.”

“It sure was, and if they did encounter one, all they could do was hide and prey that it didn’t find them, and if the Night Fury did find them…” Goku’s ears flattened against her head, dipping at the blood beneath her hooves. “Well, let’s just say that the Night Fury made their deaths as swift and as painless as possible. It did prefer to finish off its enemies as quickly as possible anyway, rather than let the fight drag on or let them suffer.”

“Oh my…that does sound quite petrifying when you put it like that.” Rarity said, trying to hold back a shiver that threatened to go up her spine. “I know that dragons can be scary in all fairness, but…this Night Fury dragon seems like quite a force to be reckoned with.”

“It is.” Violet Fire nodded, turning to look at the alabaster Unicorn. “It’s because of those reasons that the Night Fury is considered to be the most dangerous of all the dragon species of this time and the past time. That, and…because of the powers that it holds, both that of your standard dragon…and the ones that are very much like ours.”

“Powers like ours?” Twilight asked, giving an inquisitive tilt of her head. “What kind of powers does the Night Fury have?”

“They’re very unusual and bizarre; the type of powers you would more likely find in ponies rather than other creatures.” Storm Shadow replied simply. “You may find this hard to believe…but Night Furies are known to have the ability use magic equivalent to that of an Earth Pony, Unicorn, and a Pegasus. They can cover themselves in scale-like armor that’s harder than the ones that adorn their body, which increases their strength and durability to blunt force attacks or magical ones. They can shoot bolts of magic out of their mouths that look like fire but is actually magic, and even increase and decrease power in those same attacks, judging on just who or what they’re fighting. Night Furies can also use the elements of nature, and even change the color of their entire bodies to represent which of those five elements that their using.”

“Wow, really?!” Pinkie Pie asked her eyes wide with amazement. “That is so cool! I never knew that Night Fury’s could do that, I bet they look really cool when they do turn colors!”

“Well, based on all pictures we’ve seen of them, they really do.” Lightning Shadow replied, giving a little chuckle. “Anyway, yeah…Night Furies can change color to let other dragons know of what specific element that they’re going to use. Like if they turn white, then that means their using wind. If they turn yellow, then that means their using lightning. If they turn red and orange, then that means their using fire, even though they can already breathe fire. If they turn green or brown, then that means their using earth, and if they turn blue, then that means their using water.”

“There’s even be theories from the Breezy Vikings that the Night Fury has the ability to use ice, but since it was never really shown in or talked about very much, it wasn’t really proven.” Blue Skies added, giving a flick of her tail. “It has been proven however, that the Night Fury likes to use lightning out of those five elements the most, because it’s the quickest and most efficient way for it to finish off its enemies. Thanks to this, its unpredictable power and ferocity, and the fact that the Night Fury attacks at, well, night, it was given the nickname, ‘The Unholy Offspring of Lightning and Death Itself.’”

“Oh…oh wow…” Twilight murmured, her jaw hanging slightly as she took in the Shadowbolt’s words. “That sounds really…really…”

“Poetic? Yes, I know…it really is, isn’t it?” Fluttershy asked, smiling at the lavender Unicorn. “I admit, it sounded pretty scary when I first heard it, but when you think about its powers and its reputation, it does suit them. Although, I’d never call a Night Fury by that, especially not the offspring of death.”

“Well, I think that it’s pretty cool that they have a name like that.” Rainbow Dash murmured, crossing her forelegs. “It lets us know just how awesome the Night Fury is…and judging from everything you’ve told us; they sound pretty awesome.”

“They really are.” Violet Fire smiled. “They’re one of the many dragons that ponies both fear and respect at the same time, and want to know more of. The only problem with that is they’re so elusive, and, they live here…so we can only go off of what we know of them from before Equestria was founded.”

“That makes sense Ah suppose…it’s not every day that ya see a dragon just loungin’ ‘round, let alone lookin’ like he got into a fight with a bunch o’ Timberwolves.” Applejack shrugged, giving a flick of her tail. “Though, there is somethin’ ‘bout what y’all had said ‘bout this here feller an’ his kind that’s buggin’ me a bit.”

“What’s that Applejack?” Fluttershy asked curiously.

“Earlier, ya mentioned that the Night Fury doesn’t really fight th’ Vikin’s ‘r steals any farm animals ‘r anythin’ like that, and avoids ponies as much as it can.” The tangerine mare replied, running a hoof through her golden blonde mane. “If it doesn’t do any o’ that, then why go t’ them raids in the first place?”

“See now that, that was what we was going to explain. Because, that’s where the Night Fury’s more intellect thinking comes in.” Zephyr replied, a small smile coming to her face. “You know how many animals, along with dragons, are known to be quite territorial and protective or their land and their own species, in the animal kingdom? Well, things are a bit different for the Night Fury; at least then it comes to raids and the fight for survival between the Vikings. Whenever it did join the raid, it wasn’t to try to take the food or fight the Vikings, but to protect the other dragons from the Vikings and prevent them from being taken and killed.”

“W-what?” Twilight asked, blinking a few times as she registered her foalhood friend had said. “The Night Fury…protects other dragons? Even ones that aren’t its own species?”

“Yes, it does.” Sky Ranger replied firmly. “Like Goku said, Night Furies were known to be more intellect and…caring, when it came to other dragons. Now, they do behave as any other dragon, and protect the things that they see of value, like food, gems, and treasure. However, when it comes to other dragons’ lives, especially hatchlings, they can be quite…protective and even nurturing to them. Night Fury’s have been known to help and care for dragons that are old, injured, and sick, and have been known to feed and look after the hatchlings of other dragons if their parents aren’t with them. They’ll care for them and keep them under their wing, until their parents either come back or they can fend for themselves once they leave the nest. Night Furies have even been known to adopt abandoned hatchlings into their families and raise them as her own, even going so far as to, um…make them as they were too. I’m not exactly sure how they do that but…they do make them official parts of their families if they chose to.”

“Wow...now that sounds even more cool!” Rainbow Dash said, grinning down at the Night Fury. “Now I can totally see why you guys think this dragon is so awesome!”

“I you think that’s awesome, then wait till you here this…” Fast Tracks said as he hovered down next to the Night Fury, reaching a hoof out towards it. “You know how many dragons tend to get burned alive if they’re consumed or fall into a big enough inferno? Well you see-”

That was as far as Fast Tracks was able to get before he placed his hoof on the Night Fury’s right foreleg. The moment it made contact, the light brown stallion blaring pain course through his head as he was flown back, all the while being nearly deafened by a chest rumbling pain-filled groan. He fell right into the arms of Pinkie Pie, who had her arms out ready to catch him before he even made it halfway towards her.

“Whoa!” Goku shouted as she scrambled way from the dragon, nearly falling in the puddle of its blood as Chenoa flew up to her. The others were right behind her as they back away a full twenty feet from the Night Fury, who now looked to be much more alive than dead just a few minutes ago. If its breathing was non-existent before, it was definitely more noticeable now. As evident by the quick rising and falling of its chest and the harsh ragged breathing that it was giving through its nostrils. The wound on its foreleg form where Fast Tracks had accidentally touched it opened up a little more, and a bit of blood flowed out of it and onto the already large crimson river beneath it.

“Whoa…I was definitely not expecting that to happen.” Applejack said, trying to calm her increasing heartbeat.

“Damn it, Fast Tracks! What is wrong with you?!” Lightning Shadow exclaimed, glaring down at her teammate. “Why did you have to go and just touch him like that?! Are you trying to make his wounds worse?!”

“I-I didn’t mean to! I wasn’t even trying to touch him at all!” Fast Tracks stuttered out, shrinking under the silvery grey mare’s glare. “I had no idea that he was gonna just flip out like that, honest!”

“Well, at least we can see now that he isn’t minutes away from death.” Storm Shadow said calmly, watching as the Night Fury began to shift. “As a matter a fact, it looks like he’s still able to move, despite all of those injuries.”

“As good as it is to know that, he shouldn’t be trying to move right now.” Fluttershy said, her face morphing into a concerned frown. “With injuries as serious as those, he needs to stay as still as possible, or he’ll make them worse. We’ve got to keep him still long enough so I can use my healing magic to close them.”

“Uh, Fluttershy…” Pinkie Pie said slowly, pointing a hoof out. “…I think that be a bit of a teensy-weensy tiny problem.”

Giving the bubblegum pink Earth Pony a confused look, the buttermilk Pegasus and the rest followed the line of her hoof back to the Night Fury and gasped. The large dragon had shifted itself right into its stomach, and was slowly beginning to sit itself on his haunches. They watched as its blood continued to drop from its wounds, its wings standing halfway spread as it struggled to keep itself upright. With a slow shake of its breath, and a couple heavier breaths, it turned into the direction of the eleven ponies, and slowly opened its eyes.

Goku felt her heart skip a beat and her breath leave her lungs as she stared wide-eyed into the slitted fiery yellow and orange orbs of the Night Fury. Her whole entire body went stone still, all thought seeming to leave her mind as her piercing golden eyes looked straight back at the wounded dragon. Not a single sound was heard across the clearing pit, except for the dragon’s heavy breathing as the tan Pegasus and her friends held their gazes on the Night Fury’s own. The silent staring contest only lasted for a minute, but for Goku it seemed to last forever as she stared into the soul of the very creature that she had the ability to turn into. An indescribable feeling suddenly overcame her at that moment, so much so that she didn’t noticed the metal dragon on her necklace giving a faint glow, or her friends trying to gain her attention. That is, until she felt a warm hoof gently touch her shoulder, snapping her out of her trance and ending her staring contact with the Night Fury.

“Goku, are you alright?” Twilight asked quietly, watching as the tan Pegasus snapped her gaze towards her. “You spaced out there for a moment…”

“Y…yeah, I’m fine. Sorry about that, I just…” Goku said softly. “…I got lost for a second there, looking at that Night Fury.”

“You mean at its eyes?” Rarity asked, glancing at the Kirin. “Yes, I can see why…I have to admit, they do look quite…fiery in their own fashionable way. I can say without a doubt that I’ve never seen eyes quite like that in my life.”

“Same here Rares.” Applejack murmured, giving a little gulp. “Ah feel like Ah’m being cooked int’ an apple fritter on in oven jus’ by lookin’ at ‘em”

Another moment of silence passed, before Rainbow Dash spoke up. “Okay so…how do you guys want to do this? We came down here to help this big guy get back in the air, but now that he’s awake…that may be a little bit harder now.”

“Well, there’s one thing I do know that we absolutely need to take precaution of.” Fluttershy replied, narrowing her eyes a little. “Like I said before, animals are at their most dangerous when their either protecting their offspring, or if their cornered with no way out. When an animal is cornered, especially a wounded one, it’ll do whatever it can to escape their adversary, even resorting to killing them if that’s what they have to do. So, my advice to you all is to try to look as none threatening as you possibly can, and let the Night Fury know that we’re not a threat. This is a dragon that we’re trying to help here, and they can be extremely unpredictable and aggressive if pushed or treated the wrong way. So, whatever you do, don’t give it any sign or reason that we’re here to harm it, okay?”

“Don’t need to tell us twice.” Fast Tracks replied grimly, rubbing the side of his head. “I think I can speak for all of when I say that I do not wanna be cooked alive!”

“Our thoughts exactly sweetie.” Violet Fire muttered dryly, patting the light brown stallion on the head. “So…who’s going to go first to try to keep him calm?”

“I will.” Fluttershy replied immediately, holding a hoof up. “I was able to calm the Manticore before I found that giant thorn under his paw. I’m also pretty much the most expert on the animals here and how they behave, so I should be able to do it. I don’t really have any idea how the Night Fury will react or what he’ll do but…I can at least give it a shot.”

“We’ll go with you.” Goku suddenly said, coming up next to the buttermilk Pegasus as Chenoa gave a squeak of agreement. “I know you have a way with animals and all Fluttershy, and I trust that you can do this. Still, it wouldn’t hurt if you had some backup just in case the Night Fury gets scared. Plus, I’m pretty much half dragon myself, so I should be able to keep him from getting too worked up.”

“Good idea, thank you Goku.” Fluttershy said, flashing the Thestral a gentle appreciative smile. She then turned to the rest of her friends and the other Shadowbolts “Girls? Captain Violet Fire? Do you want to come?”

“I think we’ll just stay here, sorry darling.” Rarity said, smiling apologetically. “It’s not that we don’t want to help you in healing him. It’s just…we’d rather not do anything to scare our fallen friend any more than he probably is. If we all go to him at one, it may give him the wrong impression, and he may attack without warning. Best if we go in a few ponies at a time, just to be safe.”

“Wow Rarity, that’s actually pretty smart.” Twilight said, looking impressed. “Where did you learn something like that? I never took you for one to know how to best calm frightened animals.”

“Well, there’s a lot of things you and the others don’t know about me darling.” The alabaster Unicorn said sweetly, winking at the magical protégé. “Though, to answer your question, I learned this little important fact from Opalescence, my dear darling cat. When I first got her, she was just so shy and scared; the poor dear wouldn’t let more than few ponies near here, and if there was more than that, she’d have an awful meltdown! Overtime, I quickly learned that Opal doesn’t like more than three or four ponies around her, and that it wasn’t wise to have her in a whole crowed. So, I made sure that only a specific number of ponies approached and made contact with her, so she wouldn’t get so frightened. She’s much better now, though she still doesn’t like being in such large crowds, and prefers being in much smaller groups, and around children. I figured that somepony else may need help in a situation like that, so I took that lesson to heart, and watched out for anyone that may need help with their pets’ sociality around ponies.”

“Wow, that’s actually pretty neat, Rarity.” Zephyr murmured, and impressed smile making its way to his face. “I bet a lot of ponies came to you about their pets being scared around ponies.”

Well, not really. I was always too busy with my customers orders and fashion lines to really worry about that, and animals aren’t really my thing anyway.” Rarity said abashedly, her cheeks flushing a bit. “I always had a feeling that I may need to give somepony that same advice someday. I just didn’t think it be for something like, well…this.”

“Well, considering all the shit that we go through, and the shit we’re going through now, I’m not really all that surprised.” Rainbow Dash said with a shrug. “Still, it is pretty cool to see a real-live dragon so up close.”

“And we can talk about how cool it is later, Rainbow Dash.” Goku said plainly. “We’re on a bit of a schedule, and it’s taking us way longer than we should to get to the castle of the two sisters. So I say get this dragon up and moving as quick as possible so we can continue on, and so you can finally, ‘kick that Nightmare Moon jerk’s ass’, as you so kindly stated.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” The cyan mare nodded. “Just saying.”

Goku sighed gave a roll of her eyes at the athlete’s antics before she and Fluttershy turned back to the Night Fury, who was watching them all silently. They looked at each other for a moment, before slowly making their way towards the dragon, their steps slow and tentative, Chenoa following close behind. The large black and blue dragon watched them both wearily, Goku especially; is eyes never leaving the metal dragon hanging from her neck. It continued to give off that faint glow, which grew brighter the closer than the tan Pegasus got, until it was practically shining like a flashlight.

It was only when the two mares got within tails length of the dragon did they stop, and the dragon give off some sort of reaction. It suddenly shifted up on all fours and began to back away slightly from them, lowering its head. The Night Fury spread its bloodied wings slightly wider as it bared its teeth large teeth at them, the smallest of growls leaving its throat. The girls could tell that it wasn’t hostile, but it did give a clear message for them to watch their step; which was only made clearer by its tail slowly whipping back and forth.

“Okay, I think that’s as close as he’s going to let us come.” Goku murmured taking in a few breaths. “Well Fluttershy, it’s your call…go ahead and do your stuff.”

“Right.” Fluttershy nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat as she drew in a deep breath. With all the courage she could muster, the buttermilk Pegasus slowly walked closer to the Night Fury, her head lowered, and ears flattened. She kept her teal eyes locked right onto the dragon’s, wanting to look as non-threatening as she possibly could and show the dragon she was not there to harm him. Once she got within hooves length, she began to speak to the dragon, her voice gentle and soothing.

“Hello Mr. Night Fury…it’s very nice to meet you this evening.” She began, not taking her eyes off of the beasts’ own. “I have to say; I didn’t really expect to encounter a dragon of your species here in the Everfree Forest. At least, not up close in personal…”

The wounded Night Fury paused, looking at Fluttershy with expression that looked to convey surprise at her words. He slowly raised his head, his posture relaxing somewhat as he stared at the buttermilk Pegasus with a look of curiosity. A moment, he gave out a soft growling sound from his throat, indicating to Goku and the others that he was trying to communicate with Fluttershy.

“Yes, I can understand you, my and Goku here can. I have a special talent that lets me know what animals are trying to say.” Fluttershy chuckled softly, gesturing to the butterfly Cutie Mark on her flank. “It doesn’t just limit me to other animals; it lets me talk to dragons too, and pretty much any animal that I come across. So I can tell what you’re saying, even if you can’t voice your thoughts verbally, I can tell what you’re talking about just through the sounds that you’re making.”

The Night Fury titled his head, his yellowish garnet eyes glancing down to the Cutie Mark on Fluttershy’s flank in interest, before locking eyes with her again. The slitted pupils in his eyes stretched slightly as his posture relaxed more, before he softly growled again, to Goku this time.

“Why am are me and my friends here? Well, long story short, we’re here on a mission to defeat an enemy of our home town, and we came across a deep dirt trail in the ground.” Goku explained calmly, keeping her own voice low and soft. “It, um…it had some splatters of blood covering it, along with a good number of scales in them too. I’m assuming that those scales and all of that blood belonged to you, Mr. Night Fury?”

The night black and dark blue dragon looked around his body, staring at the slashes and bit marks that covered his body and wings. Giving an involuntary shudder, and wincing at the pain it caused, he looked back at Fluttershy and Goku and nodded slowly, its cat-like fins drooping as it purred softly.

“Those are some very nasty wounds that you have there. I’m amazing that you’re able to move, let along stand up.” Fluttershy continued, her eyes trailing down the dragon’s body. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but…could you tell me how you sustained those injuries?”

The Night Fury paused, looking to be taken aback by the question, but, seeing the interest concern on the two mares, he answered anyway. He let out a series of deep growls and soft purrs, pretty much like how the Manticore did, while Fluttershy stood and listened, her attention never breaking. She gave a nod every few seconds while Goku stood beside her, and the others waited in the background. A couple of minutes later, Fluttershy spoke again.

“I see…so some purple mist came out of nowhere and attacked you while you were out hunting, and you got into a fight with a flock of Sky Dragons?” She asked quietly, earning a slow nod from the large dragon. “I see…that would explain those slashes and bits on you and why so many of your scales were ripped off. Are you able to regenerate them or grow them back?”

The Night Fury nodded letting out another soft growl as it gestured to its wings and tail, allowing the buttermilk Pegasus to see the full extent of the injuries. As it did this, its expression became solemn as a deep purr escaping its throat as it pawed at the ground.

“Hm…so you can’t regenerate all your scales because you used so much of your magic to fend off the Cave Demons and get away before they ate you?” Fluttershy asked gently her expression morphing into sympathy as the Night Fury nodded again. “You poor thing…you must be in so much pain right now. What do you say to me and my friends helping you be relieved of that pain?”

The large dragon paused again, tilting its head to the side perplexedly at Fluttershy’s words and her offer. Giggling at the beasts rather cute expression, Goku elaborated for her. “Sorry, what Fluttershy mean is, me and a couple of my friends actually have a talent for healing magic and treating the wounds of injured ponies. If you want, we can use that same healing magic to heal your wounds, especially the ones on your wings. If you let us that is.”

The male Night Fury’s eyes widened as it reeled back some, its expression that of shock and disbelief as it took in what Goku had just said. It soon regained its composure, leaning close to Fluttershy and Goku as a low growl escaped its throat.

“Why of course we’d do that for you…I would most certainly do it for you, even if they won’t. I do have a love and respect for animals, along with the rest of my family.” Fluttershy replied, letting out a small laugh. “I know that you’re a dragon and all, and that they don’t really get along with ponies. Even so, that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to help one that’s in need, especially one that’s as elusive and amazing as you, Mr. Night Fury. Every animal deserves love, kindness, and respect from ponies, and dragons are no exception, even if some don’t seem to agree…for obvious reasons.” She looked off to the side as she said the last part, a disappointed frown morphing into her face. As quickly as it came, it disappeared, her gentle smile returning once more. “So, what do you say Mr. Night Fury? Will you let me and the rest of my friends help you heal your wounds so your able to fly and go back home?”

For a minute or two, the Night Fury gave no response, just staring down at Fluttershy and Goku as if they wre trying to contemplate whether she was telling the truth, or just pulling his leg. He searched into her teal eyes for any sign of deceit or trickery, but found only honesty, gentleness, and a deep sense of sadness and sympathy. He looked in between her and Goku, who had the same expression on her face, along with something else that, for some strange reason, made him feel safe around her. The dragon looked down at his bloodied, claws and bitten body, then over at the other mares standing a good few feet away from them. After another moment of thought, the Night Fury looked back at Fluttershy and Gou again, and nodded slowly giving them his consent.

The buttermilk Pegasus and tan Thestral beamed at the dragon, elated upon seeing that the dragon was allowing them and their friends to help them, even if he still seemed a bit cautious of them. Giving the best a thankful nod, they turned to the rest of their friends and silently motioned for them to come over. They did so, albeit reluctantly, nervous about how the Night Fury would react, Rarity especially, since she was the one who suggested that they not overwhelm the beast. They stopped just next to Fluttershy and Goku, not wanting to get any closer to the dragon for fear of setting him off or scaring him, or worse. Fortunately for them, the Night Fury didn’t seem like it was nervous or scared with all of them there at once. Though he could see that they were keeping a respectable distance; something that only further proved in his mind that they weren’t a threat, and were really there to help him.

“So…what did he say?” Applejack asked cautiously as she looked at Goku and Fluttershy. “He’s not gonna try an’ burn our hides, is he?”

“No, he’s not.” Goku said reassuringly. “He said that he’ll let us help him, and allow us to heal his wounds so he can get out of this pit.”

“He did?” Rarity asked, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. “I thought for sure that he was going to refuse. How did you manage to get him to agree?”

“We didn’t.” Fluttershy replied, shaking her head. “He could see that we’re not here to harm him and help him instead. Plus, Night Fury aren’t nearly as prideful and stubborn as other dragons are, at least when it comes to accepting help. So, it wasn’t really all that hard for us to convince him to accept it.”

“Huh…and I thought that you were awesome with animals before.” Rainbow Dash said, getting over her amazement. “Way to go Fluttershy, you tamed your very first dragon! And you didn’t get scared or anything!”

“Well…under normal circumstances, I probably would be scared of being up close and personal with a dragon.” Fluttershy said bashfully, hiding behind her mane. “This wasn’t one of those times I guess…this wasn’t just a big scary gem eating fire breathing dragon. This was an creature and dire need of help and care, so when I saw him like that…I just threw fear into the wind to help him.”

“Well, it certainly paid off in the end honey.” Violet Fire said, giving the buttermilk Pegasus a sweet smile. “You really are something else.”

“Yeah, she totally is!” Pinkie Pie giggled as the others nodded in agreement.

“Anyway, now that we’ve got that out of the way…” Goku began, looking in between the dragon and her friends. “…now there’s the problem with this big guy back up and kicking, and to do that, he needs treatment. How many of you guys know healing magic?”

“Not very much….” Twilight replied, her shoulders sagging as her head slumped. “I was always so focused on the spells taught to me by Queen Celestia, that I didn’t have time to practice that type of magic. I do know one type of healing magic, but that’s for self-healing though; meaning that I use my magic to heal my own wounds instead of others.”

“Seriously?” Rainbow Dash asked incredulously, one of her prismatic eyebrows raised. “Come on Twilight, your Queen Celestia’s star student! You know so many more spells than I know the amount of Daring Do books that come out! How can you not know something as important as healing magic?!”

“I…I don’t know.” The lavender Unicorn replied, a guilty expression on her face. “I just…never found the time to really do it while I was growing up. Especially with so much of my time learning new assignments and spells from the Queen. I know that’s no excuse but…it’s the only way I can explain why I never learned the healing magic to heal other ponies, other than myself.”

“Oh, that’s alright Twilight.” Rarity said gently, giving a winning smile. “Not everypony can be prepared for certain situations like this, not even you. We all tend to not obtain things that are needed for things like healing others…all we can do is learn from those mistakes and ensure that we’re smarter next time.” As she took her hoof away from Twilight’s shoulder, a smirk made its way to her face. “Despite that, just because you don’t quite have the accessories needed to help this dragon, doesn’t mean that none of us do.”

“Whaddya mean by that Rarity?” Applejack asked inquisitively.

“Oh come now, dear.” The alabaster Unicorn snorted, gracefully tossing her mane. “Do you honestly believe that Fluttershy is the only one that knows how to do healing magic?”

“Wait, what?” Pinkie Pie asked, her eyes widening. “Rarity…are you saying that…you can help make this dragon all better?”

“I most certainly am!” Rarity said cheerfully. “As I said, Fluttershy’s family isn’t the only clan that specializes in healing magic. My family specializes in it too; except for us, we have the ability to regenerate certain parts of our bodies…well, except for our heads and hearts that is. That’s beside the point...that I’m trying to say is, with enough magic and concentration, I can heal practically all of this poor dragon’s wounds in record time. It’ll take quite a bit out of me when I’m done, and I may need to rest for a bit. However, if it’ll help this mighty beast feel the freedom of flight again, then it’ll be worth it.”

“Whoa…that’s…actually really awesome of you Rarity.” Rainbow Dash grinned, impressed by the alabaster Unicorn’s act of generosity. “This is actually the first time I’ve heard you say something nice about one of the animals since we got here. What made you decide to change your mind?”

“Well…it was the fact that I wasn’t exactly myself when we first came here. Everything in this forest, from the weather, the trees, and animals and the magic put me in quite the unladylike state. Something that I’m still feeling a bit ashamed of right now…” Rarity admitted guiltily, looking to each of her friends. “That and Fluttershy’s words from earlier…about how she was willing to risk getting either eaten or burned alive, just to help the very creature that she fears the most. She was also right about one thing; that if any of us her in her horseshoes, we’d probably to the same thing, and after thinking it over, I realized that I’d to the same thing for my dear Opal, and even Sweetie Belle of need be. So, I figured if I could do it for them, then why not help somepony, or some creature that really needs it too?”

She looked up at the Night Fury, a small smile adorning her features. “Besides, this dragon does have the rather exquisite scales, even if they are a bit…how shall I say, stained.”

“Way to put it lightly there Rarity.” Fast Tracks snorted dryly. "Real classy..."

“Rarity…” Fluttershy said after a long moment of silence, her voice shaking as her eyes glazed over. “I…I don’t know what to say…thank you.”

“Think nothing of it dear, I’m just following your example of doing what’s right; this being one of them.” Rarity replied, waving a hoof dismissively as she stepped closer to the Night Fury. “Now, would you be so kind as to stand back? I’d like to have a bit of room if I’m going to put my magic to good use.”

“Wait, you’re going to heal him?” Sky Ranger asked, blinking in surprise. “By yourself?”

“Well of course darling, what did you think I was going to do?” The alabaster Unicorn asked, rolling her eyes. “As kind as it is for Fluttershy to give this creature, I believe she has done quite enough of that for us, along with giving us information on how to avoid them and what to expect should we fight them. I think it would be fair for at least one of us to pick up the slack and do the same…even if it isn’t for one of us.”

“Rarity, honey, are you sure that you want to do this all by yourself?” Fluttershy asked worriedly. “I can do this on my own if you want; you don’t need to do this because you feel like you have to or because of what I said. Really, I can use my own healing magic to heal Mr. Night Fury’s so you can-”

“Thank you darling, but no.” Rarity interrupted, her tone polite yet firm. “You have done more than enough on your part as far as I’m concerned, especially with all the healing you’ve done for us at the beginning of our adventure. You and I know for a fact that all of that has burnt you out, and despite the rather nutritious boost of energy dear Goku and had given us before hoof, something tells me that you are not quite back to one hundred percent yet. So, you just sit back and rest while I do some of the work for once okay, darling? No ifs, ands, or buts.”

“Well…okay…if you’re sure.” Fluttershy murmured, hesitantly backing off. “Just…be gentle with him, okay Rarity? Treating wounds, be it through magic or normal means can really hurt an animal if you’re not careful, or if you don’t have enough experience with it. So, try not to overwhelm him or give him too much at once, okay?”

“Oh, don’t worry dear, I intend to be as gentle with this mighty beast as I’m able to.” Rarity replied, giving the buttermilk Pegasus a wink. “As a matter of a fact, with what I have planned, I think he’ll find this treatment to be quite…relaxing.”

With those words, the alabaster Unicorn walked right in front of the Night Fury, who stared back down at her curiously, wondering what she was going to do. She motioned with a hoof for it to come closer, and after some hesitation on his part, the dragon did so. As soon as he was within reach, Rarity ignited her sword-like horn and gingerly touched it to the Night Fury’s forehead.

The moment she did so, a huge aura of beautiful azure magic encased the dragon’s entire body, and his eyes widened in surprise, his pupils slitting at the unfamiliar sensation. Just as soon as the surprise came however, the Night Fury’s expression became that of utter relief and contentment his pupils dilating once more. A loud, rumbling cat-like purr escaped its throat as it hung suspended in Rarity’s magic as the warm feeling coursing through its body, causing the Night Fury to close its eyes. Zephyr, Sky Ranger, Goku, Fluttershy and the girls all watched in silent awe as the fashionista did her work, running her magic through the dragon’s entire body as she worked on his wounds. They could see the bite marks and slashes slowly being closed up, and the blood withering away from its body, allowing them to see more of its scales. They wanted to express their amazement, but they kept quiet, not wanting to break Rarity’s concentration in healing the nocturnal dragon.

After what seemed like forever, which in reality was only a few minutes, Rarity slowly lowered the Night Fury back down to the ground, the aura around his body vanishing with a poof. The large dragon’s eyes snapped open as he fell back down on his feet, stumbling for a moment.

“There we are, good as new! Now he won’t have those horrid injuries to keep him grounded in this pit.” Rarity chirped, smiling at the dragon as he marveled his healed wounds. “Do you feel better now, darling?”

In response, the dragon’s pupils dilated their biggest size yet as looked at Rarity, giving her what looked to be his best happy smile, despite his razor teeth being in full display. He then started jumping and running around the ponies, purring and rumbling loudly as he flapped his wings jovially. The girls and Shadowbolts all watched him silently, smiling fondly as the dragon celebrated his newfound movement and mobility.

Without warning, the Night Fury suddenly stopped in front of the girls and leapt into the air, spreading his wings as he attempted to give them a test flight. For a few moments, it looked as if he was able to properly fly and get out into the open air again. That theory went flying right out the window not even a second later as the Night Fury began to lose balance in the air. Before Rarity or any of the girls could even blink, the large dragon back crashing back down to the ground, just several feet away from them.

“What the-what the hay just happened?!” Rainbow Dash shouted, looking taken aback. “He was flying just fine just a second ago! Why did he crash?!”

“I don’t now…I didn’t see anything wrong with the way that he was flying.” Twilight said, inspecting the dragon’s body as she searched for any more injuries. When she found none, she turned back to Rarity, who was staring at the Night Fury slack-jawed. “Rarity, did you miss any of the Night Fury’s wounds when you healed them?”

“N-no, I didn’t!” The fashionista replied with a slight stutter. “I-I healed each and every single one of him! His wings, his head, legs, back, all of them! I don’t see how he’s not able to properly fly.”

“Wait.” Sky Ranger suddenly said, holding a claw out as he walked towards the Night Fury. The dragon raised his head up to look at him, but was taken by surprise when he walked passed him and made his way towards the beast’s tail. The Night Fury and the others watched as the azure blue Hippogriff inspected his tail, going from the base, all the way down to the tip. When he reached the end of the dragon’s tail, he gasped, a talon rising to cover his beak.

“Um…Rarity…” He began hesitantly, slowly looking over to the alabaster Unicorn. “I don’t think you healed every injury on him. At least not fully…”

“What do you mean Sky Ranger?” Pinkie Pie asked curiously. “How could Rarity have missed something?”

Wordlessly, Sky Ranger lifted the end of the Night Fury’s tail, and slowly lifted it into view. The dragon and everypony else’s eyes widened, gasps leaving their throats as they saw the left tailfin on the Night Fury’s tail. A large portion hung limply in the air, just barely more than enough skin keeping it stuck to the tail and preventing it from falling off. While there was no blood or any tears, they could see the thick muscles hanging from the tail, twitching ever so slightly.

“Ooooh…” Pinkie Pie cringed, her ears falling limp. “Never mind…”

“Oh…oh boy…” Applejack murmured as she sucked in a breath through her teeth. “That’s unfortunate…Ah definitely did into see that comin’…”

“Oh my goodness…look at it…it’s almost completely torn off.” Twilight said, holding a hoof to her mouth. “Is…is that why he wasn’t able to stay in the air?”

“As much as I hate to admit it, it was.” Sky Ranger replied gently setting the Night Fury’s tail down. “You see girls, a Night Fury’s anatomy is different compared to other dragons. Most dragons would only need a pair of large muscular wings for them to be able to fly…but with the Night Fury, its different. They are a…special type of dragon, that needs a certain body shape that helps them move and fly as fast as they do, and be able to stop and land like they do. This is why they have a set of fins on their tails, both on the base and at the tip. These very same tail fins help them fly, take off, stop and land with more speed, grace, and efficiency than most dragons, which makes it all the more important for the Night Fury to not lose either one of them. Even if they have both of their wings, they still need those tail fins to really be able to fly and take off…and land safely, and if they don’t have them…” She trailed off, looking off to the side. “...well, you all saw what happened.”

“That…that’s insane!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, looking from between the Night Fury’s tail, and her friend. “So, even though he does have wings, he still needs those fins on his tail to be able to really fly and stay in the air?!”

“Unfortunately, yes, they do.” Blue Skies nodded solemnly, staring down at the Night Fury sympathetically. “All Night Fury species have fins on their tails that allow them to fly in a way different from your standard dragon…and that’s what makes them so special. It’s important that the Night Fury doesn’t lose even one of those fins on either part of their tails, ever. If they do, they won’t be able to stay in the air long enough to either hunt, or get away from an enemy dragon, or from places like this. If they happen to be in the air above water, and they lose one of the tail fins, they’ll know doubt drown…or get eaten by any water-dwelling predator if the drowning doesn’t kill them first.”

“My goodness…that…that’s horrible!” Twilight cried putting a hoof to her mouth. “So, what you’re saying…if we hadn’t found this poor dear like he was…he may have been forever stuck in this pit, or worse?!”

“Well…maybe not forever.” Lightning Shadow replied with a shrug. “The Night Fury, along with other dragons like them, have the ability to regenerate any excessive damage that’s not too fatal, and will be back in shape within a day or two. That is, as long as they haven’t lost too much magic in a fight or anything…if so, then it’ll take much longer for them to do it, and while that process is going on…they’ll be very vulnerable.”

Silence ran over the pit as the other girls took in what the Shadowbolts had said, all of their minds reeling in shock from her words. Beside them, the Night Fury whimpered staring sadly at the limp fin on his tail as Fluttershy tenderly rubbed the top of his head, rubbing her warm furry face against his. The silence of the clearing was suddenly broken by the sound of somepony stomping their hoof, and they all looked to see Rarity with a determined look on her face.

“Well, we can’t have that, now can we?!” The alabaster Unicorn said, her sapphire eyes flashing. “No poor animal that can fly deserves to be grounded so they can be prey for the wolves that lie in wait! They deserve to be up high in the sky and be able to fly away from all the things that could hurt them down below! Not only that, this is a total crime against fashion, and as a fashionista myself, I cannot let such an act to unfixed!”

Giving a rather ungraceful lash of her tail, the alabaster Unicorn trotted over to where Fluttershy was and took Night Fury’s tail in her hooves. She inspected it as if it were a huge tear in a dress that she was making for an important customer, and something that urgently needed to be fixed. She then took a look at her own tail, running her eyes through its silky skirt, before looking back at the limp tail fin and the thick bare muscles sticking out. A moment later, a small smirk made its way to her face

“Hm…yes, I think that may work. If I put it in just right… yes, there we go!” She said to herself, fondling with the tail fin in her hooves. “Girls, I think I may know just how to get this dragon properly flying again!”

“How are you gonna do that?” Rainbow Dash asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow. “No offense Rarity, but you don’t really have the things needed for this big guy to heal from something like that. I’m no doctor or anything, but even I know that putting that back together, is not gonna be easy.”

“I know I don’t have the essentials needed to put something like a tail fin back on a tail, darling.” Rarity said dryly as she gave a toss of her mane. Her face soon morphed into a smirk reached out for her tail and held it in front of her. Then again, with what I’m about to do, I don’t need to. There’s a lot of things you all don’t quite know about me…and I intend to show you just what I mean by that.”

Before anypony could say anything, the alabaster Unicorn took a firm hold of her tail skirt with both of her hooves, and held it up horizontally in front of her. Closing her eyes, she swung her head down in a graceful arc, and sliced it clean off with her horn.

“R-R-Rarity!” Violet Fire exclaimed; her eyes wide with shock. “What did you that for sweetie?!”

Rarity smiled, levitating her torn tail skirt to the ground as she looked over at Violet Fire and the others.

“For this.” She said gently as she began to go to work.

The alabaster Unicorn took the Night Fury’s nearly severed tail fin in her hooves and lined up with the thin muscles that it was supposed to be attached to. With a great amount of concentration and efficiency, she was able to slip the fin in just the right holes where specific tail muscles were supposed to be in. Once they were fully in, Rarity took her tail skirt and began to loop the hairs in and out of the tail fin, making sure she got every hole in the torn appendage. When that was done, she used the rest of her severed tail skirt to keep the newly sewn fin firmly in place, before stepping back to admire her work.

“There you are go darling, now your tail is as good as new!” She said sweetly, watching as the Night Fury moved its tail around, using the muscles to fold and spread the fins. “You shouldn’t have any trouble getting back up in the air again anymore now. Why don’t you give it a little test flight to see if it works?”

The Night Fury stared at Rarity for a few moments, before he nodded and spread his wing, taking off into the air once again. The dragon stayed low to the ground, not wanting to take any risks of going too high and crashing to the ground again. He stayed like that for a minute longer, waiting for himself to lose control of staying in the air again, but it didn’t happen. Feeling a sense of confidence, the Night Fury went up higher, and continued every few seconds the more his newly fixed tail fin kept him up in the air. Soon he was flying fast and hard around the clearing, purring and giving loud happy rumbles while the ponies below watched on in amazement.

“Wow Rarity…you did it! You really did it!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, looking at the fashionista with a wide smile. “You fixed his tail; you helped him fly again!”

“I most certainly did!” Rarity said with a wink, giving a proud toss of her mane. “And it worked better than I expected! I did think that he’d have just the slightest bit of trouble trying to stay airborne…but it looks like I did a better job than I thought.”

“Yes, you did…but it didn’t come without a cost.” Twilight said, her expression downcast as she walked up to Rarity. “Now you don’t have your beautiful tail skirt anymore! It’s gonna take forever for it to grow back!”

“Oh, don’t worry about it darling! I knew what I was doing, and I was willing to pay the price of it meant helping this Night Fury fly and fixing that crime of fashion done to him.” Rarity said reassuringly, putting a hoof on the lavender Unicorn’s shoulder. “Besides, short tails are in this season anyway.”

“Oh, really now?” Storm Shadow asked, looking over at Goku and Fluttershy’s own tails. “I highly doubt that somehow.”

Right as she said this, the Night Fury came landing back down on the ground hard, skidding to a halt in front of the girls. It continued to and purr and rumble loudly, prancing and leaping around as his tongue hung out of his mouth like a dog. He stopped in front of Rarity, his dilated pupils staring to her in what looked to be happiness and gratitude.

“Well, I can see that you have no trouble keeping yourself anymore dear.” She said dryly, putting a hoof to her mouth to stifle a giggle. “I take it that you like you’re newly fixed tail?”

In response to her question, the Night Fury leapt onto Rarity, showering her in a series of sloppy kisses while the fashionista squealed and laughed underneath her. Under any other circumstance, she probably would’ve been repulsed by being covered in the saliva of animal, even if they were just being friendly and expressing their appreciation. Right now however, she was just so proud of herself and happy for helping the dragon be able to fly properly that she couldn’t bring herself to care at that moment.

It took the combined effort of almost everypony to get the Night Fury off of Rarity before he drowned her in slobber, and some gentle coaxing from Fluttershy. It took a minute or two, but when Fast Tracks intervened, and joined in on calming the dragon down, he finally backed off.

“Well, I guess we can all take that is a big slobbery yes.” Fast Tracks chuckled dryly as she helped the alabaster Unicorn back up on her hooves. “You okay there, Rarity?”

“Yes darling, I’m fine…besides the fact that I am covered head to hoof in a dragon’s mouth fluids…” Rarity replied, cringing as she shook some of the saliva off of her hooves. “…and in his life fluids as well.”

“Don’t worry Rarity, there’s a pond just behind us; we can go and wash up there.” Applejack said, gesturing to the large pond behind them. “Though we’re gonna need to hurry…we’re kind o’ hustlin’ ‘ere.”

“Yeah AJ, we know.” Rainbow Dash said knowingly, none of them noticing the Night Fury slinking off. “Luckily for us, only a few of us are covered in this stuff, and the Shadowbolts only got in on their suits.

“That may be true, but blood isn’t the same as water or any other liquids.” Fluttershy pointed out. “Even if we have only some of it on, it’ll still be pretty hard to get off.”

“Uh, Fluttershy…” Pinkie Pie began. “I don’t think we’ll need to worry about that.”

Right as she said that, the Night Fury suddenly jumped in front of all of them, the scales on his body fully healed, his mouth dripping and his entire body glowing a deep ocean blue. Before any of them could say anything, they found themselves getting blasted in a sea of water as the Night Fury sprayed them all like a living hose. Rainbow Dash and the Shadowbolts all flew back, letting the dragon wash the others clean of his blood, before he finally stopped just a minute later.

“Well, that’s one way to do it…” Goku muttered to herself, shivering as her mane clinging to her face while Chenoa squeaked beside her.

“Oh right…Lightning Shadow and Storm Shadow said that the Night Fury can use water along with the four elements.” Fluttershy murmured, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. “Thank you for that Mr. Night Fury. I appreciate you washing us off, even if it was with your mouth.”

Giving what looked like another smile, the Night Fury purred to Fluttershy, his tail splashing against the water behind him. The buttermilk Pegasus’s eyes widened for a moment, before a sheepish smile came to her face, her cheeks turning a bit redder.

“Oh, I’m sorry…” She said apologetically. “Thank you, Sapphire Flame.”

The Night Fury, now named Sapphire Flame, smiled again, giving out what sounded like to be a laugh as he let out another purr.

“Alright then, looks like we’ve done what we came here to do.” Violet Fire smiled, hovering over to the seven mares. “I have to admit…that worked out better than I thought that it would; for just a second there I thought that the Ni-I mean, Sapphire Flame wouldn’t accept our help. You’re a lot better at taming animals than I thought Fluttershy.”

The buttermilk Pegasus blushed her deepest shade of red yet. “Well, what can I say? I did always have a deep connection with animals, whether it be normal ones or the ones here. Still, even I didn’t think I’d be able to tame a dragon…I guess I had a deeper connection with them than I thought, huh?”

“Heheh, yeah, I guess you did.” Fast Tracks chuckled, giving Fluttershy a pat on the back. “Kudos to you Fluttershy, for taming the most elusive and exotic dragon ever known to ponykind! You should really be given a medal or trophy for that!”

“Now, now, Fast Tracks, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Fluttershy was only doing what she believed was right, and while I do think she deserves the praise, I don’t think she’d like that much praise.” Zephyr said, the smallest hint of a smile coming to his face. “Besides, we have more important matters that we need to attend to; like getting to the Castle of the Two Sisters.”

“Don’t worry Zephyr, we haven’t forgotten about that. Or, at least…I haven’t forgotten.” Twilight said, shaking the water off of her body. “Though, I don’t know how we’re gonna get there from here. I don’t see any path that leads from the one we were on from this pit…and the trees aren’t helping much either.”

“Do you want me to go up there and look?” Sky Ranger offered. “I’m sure I could see it of I go up high enough. Besides the Shadowbolts, I’m quite the expert flyer, so it should only take me no less than a minute to go up there and come back down.”

Before the lavender Unicorn could reply, they heard a deep set of rumbling and purring coming from Sapphire Flame trying to speak to them. He made gestured with his claws up to the other side of the pit, and made a few flaps of his wings in the process.

“Uh, Fluttershy, do ya know what this critter’s tryin’ to say?” Applejack asked, glancing at the buttermilk Pegasus.

“His name is Sapphire Flame, Applejack, I said what his name was a minute ago.” Fluttershy said firmly, gesturing to the dragon. “As for what he’s trying to say, he’s saying that, if we want, he can take them to the castle and get us there in record time.”

“Wait, really?!” Pinkie Pie asked, a smile slowly coming to her face. “He’s saying that he wants to give us a ride?!”

Sapphire replied with another set of rumbling and purrs, and Fluttershy immediately translated them to the others. “Yes, he said that he’ll give us a ride to the castle and get is there as quickly as he could. At least, the ones that can’t fly, like Rarity, Twilight, Applejack and Pinkie Pie. He’s actually been over there a few times, but he never really went in it…he says that there’s something…off about it that he really doesn’t like.”

“Something off about it, huh?” Violet Fire muttered, looking down at the ground. ‘I think I have a pretty good idea what that might be…’

“Well, that’s quite generous of him.” Rarity said, smirking up at Sapphire Flame. “I’m assuming he’s doing this to pay me back for healing his injuries and fixing his tail?”

At this, the Night Fury looked away, pawing at the ground somewhat shyly as he glanced at the alabaster Unicorn every couple of seconds. This earned him a little laugh from the fashionista as she walked up and scratched him on the back of his muscular neck.

“I thought so.” She said dryly, running a hoof gingerly across the side of the dragon’s face as she turned to the others. “Well girls, what do you say? Are you gonna take Mr. Sapphire Flame on his offer and let him give us a ride?”

“Well…we might as well…we’re on a bit of a tight schedule anyway.” Applejack said hesitantly, slowly walking to the large dragon. “Ah’ll admit…Ah’m kind o’ nervous ‘bout this. Ah never really ride on a dragon b’fore, so Ah don’t really know what t’ expect.”

“Yeah, me neither!” Pinkie Pie said trotting up next to the tangerine mare. “But I still think that it’s cool that we get to ride a dragon! Oh, I can’t wait to see what it feels like!”

“Only you would Pinkie Pie.” Twilight said with a slight smile, as she and the other three mares slowly, albeit nervously, climbed into Sapphire Flames back. The Night Fury hunched his upper body down, letting them set themselves onto his back and hold onto the large spines that ran down his back. Once they were all settle, it shifted back up, looking at the other mares and letting out a purr, shifting his wings in preparation.

“It looks like Sapphire’s ready to go.” Fluttershy with a light giggle as she turned to the others. “Is everypony else ready too?”

“We were born ready Flutters; ready even before we got here!” Rainbow Dash replied, grinning wildly as she slammed her hooves together. “Let’s get to that castle and finally show Nightmare Moon what happens when you mess with our town and our friends!

“My thoughts exactly.” Goku said softly, chuckling at the cyan mare’s enthusiasm before she turned to Night Fury and the Shadowbolts. “Well Captain Violet Fire, Sapphire Flame…let’s the way, shall we?”

Smiling, the ebony mare opened her mouth to reply, but before she could her eyes caught sight of Sapphire Flame, whose body was glowing bright with different shades of blue. His fiery eyes were closed as he slowly spread his wings to their fullest span, dragging one of his claws across the ground in preparation for takeoff.

‘Oh no…’ Zephyr thought, noticing the expression on the Night Fury’s face. ‘Don’t tell me he’s going to…’

“Uh…what’s he doin’?” Applejack asked, squinting her eyes in an attempt to block out the glow coming from the dragon’s spines. “Why’s his body glowin’ like that?”

“I don’t know, but it’s so pretty!” Pinkie Pie said, staring deep into the rather beautiful light. “Do you think he’s going to transform?”

As if to answer her question, Sapphire Flame opened his eyes and slowly turned to look at the girls resting on his back. Though it was somewhat difficult, they could see what looked to be a smirk etched onto his face, which was only confirmed further by how his gleaming teeth were displayed. The look in his eyes didn’t not help in settling their apprehensiveness either, as evident by what Rarity said next.

“Oh, dear me…” She said weakly, her ears falling limp against her head as she gulped. “Girls…I think we may need to need to hold on tight. I fear that we are going to be in for a rather unpredictable ride.”

“What do you mea-” Twilight began to ask, only to be cut off when Sapphire Flame let out a half-roar half-scream that echoed about the pit they were in. The mares and one stallion all covered their ears to block out the near deafening sound as it made the ground beneath them shook. As quickly as it came, it stopped, and the ponies were left reel in the shock of the sound before they looked over at Sapphire Flame. They were only able to look at him for just a few moments, before he rocketed off into to sky, leaving a powerful shockwave that blew all the other flyers back and nearly sent them tumbling to the ground. They watched as the Night Fury took off with a screaming Applejack, Twilight and Rarity, and a cheering Pinkie in tow, disappearing into the giant trees above them before the others could even blink.

“Well…that was quite the, um…takeoff.” Fluttershy said after a few moments of silence. “I was thinking that it’d take Sapphire much longer to regain control of flight. It looks like I was wrong…”

“Well, this is a Night Fury that we’re talking about.” Sky Ranger chuckled, spreading his own four wings and hovering in the air. “They’re not like any ordinary Dragon, so it shouldn’t really be all that surprising.”

“No doubt about that.” Zephyr chuckled. “C’mon, let’s go after them before our new reptilian friend crashes himself and our friends face first into a giant tree.”

“Heh, now that’d be funny to see!” Rainbow Dash guffawed, but nonetheless complied as she, Goku, Fluttershy, Zephyr, Sky Ranger, and the Shadowbolts all took to the skies and after their friends.

Author's Notes:

Wow...that was rather quicker than I thought was even possible would be...I actually manage to get the next revised chapter out, and not even that long before the last! Well, here it is, the beautiful act of generosity from by divine mare of fashion!!! This is another one of the chapters that I didn't have to do much revision with, like with the chapter focusing on Celestia's memories to the day that Luna had become corrupted, Nightmare Moon's invasion in the Town Square, and Fluttershy's timing of the Manticore. Now, after doing a thorough going over of the chapters similar to this one, I think that I still have a good number I will need to revise, especially when it comes to the final battles for this first book, though I think I can say that it'll be somewhat different for what's happening in Ponyville. I'm gonna have to see where that goes, especially with the little fighters that will be making a reappearance, along with a greater and more powerful character! For now, I'm just glad that I was able to get this urge to rewrite Rarity living up to her Element out of the way, and that I can really focus on the rest of the story at a smooth pace once more.

Well, that's it for today; tune in next time for a revisit to Venture Vine, Celestia and the Royal Guards as they encounter another beast of the Everfree Forest!!! One that they surely won't see coming, unlike with the Ursa Major!!!