Fear Is The Mind Killer

"So? Do you like it?" Twilight asks, anxiously awaiting for my reaction. Now that it was common knowledge that I would be staying in Equestria for what appears to be the rest of my life, Twilight had taken it upon herself to clear one of the libraries spare rooms, the one next to hers, in fact, so as to provide me with a more comfortable stay. Suffice to say, it was a major upgrade from the couch that I'd been living on. Looking around the newly refurbished room, I can't help but smile at the sight, very grateful for the effort that the mare had gone through for my sake. 'Sure beats sleeping on that couch every night. Fucking beautiful, Sparky.'

"Like it? I bloody well love it, Sparky. You're bloody brilliant." I reply, giving the mare an appreciative nod. "But you didn't have to go through all the trouble, y'know. I was fine with that couch, kiddo."

"Well I thought that, with you now living in Equestria permanently, you would appreciate a room to yourself. I'm sure the couch can't compare with an actual bed." She replies, gesturing to said furniture. 'Oh that gives me an idea...' Throwing my bag into the corner, I do what any self-respecting individual does upon seeing a new bed for the first time.

I dive onto it, of course. As is the norm, I manage to fuck even that up, launching myself right over the bed and onto the floor, landing with a hard thud, much to Twilight's amusement. 'You had one job, Alex. One job.'

Pushing myself off of the hard, wooden floor, I look over to Twilight, who was trying her hardest not to laugh. She failed. Flipping her off, I collapse backwards onto the bed, thankfully not messing that up as well.

"Yea, you're right. The couch aint got jack on this bad boy." I admit, sprawled across the bed, relishing in how comfortable it felt. Looking to the unicorn, I nod. "Thanks Sparky, this is great." Blushing, she paws at the ground.

"It's no problem, really." She replies. Looking back up to me, her attention is drawn to the window. Eyes widening, she dashes over to it, looking outside. Confused as to what had just spooked the girl, I join the mare at the window, sharing her surprise upon seeing just what exactly it was that had her spooked. As it turns out, a thick, black cloud was approaching Ponyville, its origins appearing to be a far off mountain. 'Oh Christ, is that a volcano?'

"Uuhh, Twilight? Does Ponyville, like, translate to anything? Maybe Pompeii, for example?"

"No?" She replies, still staring out towards the sky.

"Oh good. Worried for a second there. Perhaps we should figure out just what in the hell is happening, then?"

"Yea, that's a good idea." And with that, the pair of us sprint out of the room. No sooner had we gotten downstairs, Spike ran over to us, holding a scroll in his claws. Ripping open the seal, Twilight reads it out loud for us both to hear. 'Can I just go 5 minutes without having to save the bloody day? Please?'

"Oh she's got to be taking the piss, right?"

She was not.

'Why is it, that, I'm gone for a week, and nothing of note happens here. And yet, I'm back for literally a few days, and already I've helped save it from a bear that was at least as tall as a factory, and now I'm being forced to help relocate a dragon? Seriously? Christ, it's like someone's writing some poor story about the unluckiest twat in the universe, with me as the protagonist.' Running alongside Twilight, Spike hanging onto the back of her, we soon find ourselves standing upon the bridge connecting Ponyville and it's massive park. Looking around the park, I can see dozens of ponies casually going about their day, apparently blind to what lay in the sky above them.

"Listen up!" Shouts Twilight, getting the attention of all ponies in the general area. "Smoke is spreading over all of Equestria!" Hearing this, everypony begins to panic, finally noticing the progressively thickening shadow in the sky, which was growing larger by the second.

"Oh no!"
"That's awful!
"Whatever shall we do?"
"That's what I've been trying to-" 'Is that Fluttersh- yea, that's Fluttershy.' Before I can call her over, Twilight shouts once more to the crowd.

"But don't worry, I've just received a letter from Princess Celestia informing me that it is not coming from a fire." Hearing this, everypony visibly relaxes, many letting out sighs of relief. Unable to resist, I step forward.

"But do worry, it's coming from a dragon!" And worry they did, with many ponies shaking in fear and looking to eachother in horror. Glaring at me, I give Twilight an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it." Shaking her head, she looks to the still panicking crowd.

"But don't worry, everypony! The problem will soon be resolved, and everything will be back to normal as soon as possible! Please don't panic, everything will be okay!" She shouts, hoping to calm the terror stricken crowd down. Thankfully, it works, and the mob of ponies quietens down. Sighing in relief, Twilight turns to me. "We should probably get the rest of the girls and head to the library. We need to figure out a solution to our dragon problem."

"Sounds like a plan. FLUTTERSHY!" I shout, getting the timid pegasus's attention. Making her way towards us, I can see that she appears to be shaking, most likely out of fear. 'Of what? The cloud? The dragon, maybe?' Ignoring it for the time being, I nod towards Twilight, keeping my eyes fixed on Fluttershy. "We're off to the library to sort this mess out. You coming?" Nodding, she steels herself and falls behind Twilight, as we all turn and head back towards the library. 'Now how in the fuck does one go about kicking a dragon out of its home? Do I look like a bloody miracle worker?'

"What in the name of all things cinnamon swirled is ah' full-grown dragon doing here in Equestria?" Asks Applejack, not able to understand how a dragon, not a baby one like Spike was, had decided to call the area home. To be honest, I was wondering that as well. 'I thought they lived in cases and guarded hoards of treasure and stuff. Damn, I wonder if one of those will be on the mountain? Wouldn't that be amazing.'

"Sleeping." Is Twilight's simple response, levitating a book into one of her saddle bags. Are you goddamn serious?'

"Huh?"
"Of course it bloody is."

"According to Princess Celestia, he's taking a nap. His snoring is what's causing all this smoke." She explains.

"He should really see a doctor. That doesn't sound healthy at all."Pinkie says, concerned for the dragons well-being. 'Oh that's class. The insane pink ball of energy is talking about something else needing help? Beautiful.'

"Pinkie, dragons breathe fire. I'm pretty sure snoring smoke comes with the package." At this, the mare stinks her tongue out at me, which I return.

"Well, at least he isn't snoring fire." Remarks Rarity, to which most of us are likely thankful for. "Still, what are we meant to do about this?"

"I'll tell you what we're meant to do!" Exclaims Rainbow, hovering above us. "We give him the boot!" 'Small pegasus, meet dragon. I'm sure that'll go well.' "Take that!" As if giving us a live demonstration of how she planned to remove the dragon problem, she kicks at one of Twilight's decorations. A bust, to be exact. Catching it just in time before it fell, Twilight breaths a sigh of relief. "And that!" And thankfully raises it just in time for Rainbow to completely miss it once more and crash headfirst into one of the many bookshelves around us, landing in a heap. Giving the mare a thumbs up, Rainbow scowls at me. '

"We need toencouragehim to take a nap somewhere else. Princess Celestia has given us this mission, and we must not fail. If we do, Equestria will be covered in smoke for the next one hundred years." This gets my attention, and draws a sharp gasp from a number of the mares in the room. '100 years? Shit man, if that happens, there'll be no sunlight, and Equestria probably won't last even half that time. Best get ourselves together then.'

"Talk about getting your beauty sleep." Rarity quips. 'Oi, get your own job. The role of sarcastic arsehole is taken, Snowflake.'

"All right everypony, I need you to gather supplies quickly. We've got a long journey ahead of us." Twilight says, levitating her saddlebags onto her back. "Let's meet back here in less than an hour." With a plan now agreed upon, Twilight heads upstairs to do whatever it was she needed to do. I'm about to begin sorting myself out as well, before Rainbow decides to give us all a motivational speech.

"Okay everypony, and Alex, you heard her! The fate of Equestria is in our hooves!" She says, wrapping her forelegs around Pinkie and Rarity. "Do we have what it takes?" She asks, now hovering above us all. 'Probably not?' The mares did not share my pessimism, however, and instead begin voicing their own determination, leaving the library in high spirits.

"Um, actually..." Turning to Fluttershy, I notice that she did not share her friends enthusiasm. 'What's up with her?'

"Fluttershy? You alright?" I ask the mare. Looking at me, she forces a smile and nods, exiting the library to make her own preparations. Shrugging, I look to Twilight, who had just come back from upstairs, now sporting even more books and scrolls.

"Ever heard the phrase: don't bring a book to a dragon fight?" I ask, gesturing to the multitude of books she had stashed away in her bags. "Unless you plan on burying the poor thing under them, I don't see how they'll help."

"Have you ever met a fully grown dragon before?" She asks, to which I shake my head. "Exactly. I've gathered every book I have on dragons, so that we have an idea as to what we'll be dealing with." She explains, levitating a random book from one of her saddlebags. Reading the title, I smirk and raise an eyebrow at the mare. 'Damn girl, have you even met the guy yet?'

"A Guide On Dragon Mating? You planning on seducing the guy, Sparky?" I ask, wiggling my eyebrows at the mare. Blushing madly, Twilight drops the book, stammering about how she didn't mean to throw that certain book into her bags. Giving the mare a doubtful look, I smirk.

"Hey, I'm not one to judge, kiddo. If that's how you swing, then that's how you swing." Blushing harder, the mare now looks mortified at such an assumption.

"I-I-I uh I-don't swi-I-I-pre-prefer stallions-I m-mean huma-I me-me-I-I-uh-canwepleasechangethesubject?" It would appear that I've reduced the mare to a stuttering mess. What do I win?

"Calm down, Sparkles. I'm just teasing." I admit, thinking that the mare would take my innocent teasing as a joke, and not try and throw any books at me like she usually does. Why I have these stupid lapses in judgement is beyond me, though the books/cushions being launched at my head are probably one of the main causes, such as the one being launched in my direction at this very moment. 'worth-OW-it.'

One hour later, and the seven of us were now standing outside the library, stocked with supplies and prepared to head out towards the mountain. 'Looks like we're going to have to save Equestria, for the...uhh...what is this, the third time? Fuck it, I'll say fifth. Makes me seem like a hero.'

"All right girls, listen up." Twilight says, walking down the line of ponies and one human. "I'm mapping out the fastest route, but we've all got to keep a good pace if we expect to make it up the mountain by nightfall."

"M-m-mountain?" Stutters Fluttershy, shaking at the prospect of climbing to the summit. This was not the first time I'd seen the mare shaking in fear today, and would most likely not be the last time either. 'Someone had best talk to Flutters before she has a heart attack.' Oblivious to her friend, Twilight carries on talking.

"The dragon is inthatcave at the very top." She points to where this cave was located, only just visible from where I was standing. 'How the hell can she see where it is from here?'

"Looks pretty cold up there." Comes the Applefarmer. 'No shit? Did the snow give that away, Sherlock?'

"You bet it is. The higher you go, the chillier it gets." Replies Rainbow.

"Good thing I brought my scarf." And with her horn, Rarity levitates said scarf out of her saddlebag, wrapping it around her neck. 'I hope she's brought more than that. That mountain looks pretty big, and if I know my mountains, they're downright bloody freezing, and that's just in the day.'

"Ooh, pretty!" Compliments Pinkie. To be honest, I think she was complimenting the colour of the scarf more so than the scarf itself.

"Heh, oh yeah. That'll keep you nice and cozy." Remarks Rainbow, Rarity too far gone in flaunting her scarf to hear the sarcastic pegasus. Now that she'd explained what we were doing, Twilight pulled out a map of the area, planning our route to the mountain in the quickest and hopefully safest way possible. Moving to stand beside Twilight, I find that Fluttershy is trying to get Twilight's attention, albeit failing miserably.

"Um, excuse me, Twilight? I know you're busy, but..."

"Uh-huh. Well, we could go this way..."

"But if I could just have a second..."

"Uh-huh. No, we want to avoid that..."

"Sparky? Hellooo?"

"But what if...no, that wouldn't work..." Turning to Fluttershy, I shrug. Not giving up hope, she tries again to get Twilight's attention.

"So, um, I was thinking that, um, maybe I should just stay here in Ponyville?" 'Wait, what? Is she that scared?' Before I could give Fluttershy the best motivational speech, which would have gone along the lines of 'Sort your shit out', Twilight does it for me.

"Uh-huh." 'Right, what the hell?'

"Oh! Good. I'll stay here and-"

"Wait!" Twilight cries, suddenly realising exactly what Fluttershy had just asked. "Youhaveto come! Your way with wild animals will surely come in handy."

"I don't think I-"

"Oh, and don't worry about your little friends in the meadow. Spike's got it covered while you're gone." She reassures the mare, apparently believing that her friend's fear was for her animals. As if summoned from thin air, Spike appears next to us, along with a dozen of Fluttershy's animals.

"You can count on me!" He declares. All of a sudden, Angel, Fluttershy's pet rabbit, jumps on top of Spike's head and begins thumping Spike with his foot. The vibrations lead Spike to recoil in shock and/or pain, startling the animals, who begin scurrying away in different directions. "Hey! Hey, Wait!" He cries, running after them. Chuckling at the poor dragon's misfortune, I look to see Fluttershy staring after him, an uneasy look on her muzzle.

"I don't really think he's up to the task." She admits, turning to Twilight. "Maybe..." But it's already too late. Twilight and the rest of the mares were starting to leave, myself and Fluttershy still standing outside the library. "But...but..." And then she turned into a kitten. Well, not literally, but she sounded like one.

"Fluttershy, you alright?" I ask, coming to stand beside her. Looking up to me, she shakes her head, not wanting to follow the mares. "Are you scared of the dragon?" At the mention of the dragon, her eyes widen, pupils shrinking in fear. Hiding behind her mane, she begins shaking. 'Well that answers that question, then.'

Realising that she was in fact terrified of the dragon, I kneel down and place a comforting hand on her back. "Hey, it's alright sweetheart. We all have our fears, yours is overgrown lizards. Nopony will think badly of your for it." This does little to assuage her fears, though her shaking had lessened somewhat, most likely from my hand.

"Re-really?" She whispers, peeking her head out of her mane. Smiling down at the yellow pegasus, I nod.

"Yea. Now come on, the girls are waiting for us. Equestria won't save itself, y'know." I reply, standing up and walking towards the waiting group of mares. Moments later, the rest of the mares gallop off towards the mountain. Quite coincidentally, Fluttershy was in their path, and ended up being carried of by the mares, screaming all the while.

"It's gonna be a long day." I sigh, traipsing after the mares. So all in all, the seven of us now had the vitally important task of relocating a fully grown dragon, that breaths fire, somewhere that wouldn't result in Equestria being blanketed by smoke for the next century.

No pressure.

Hours later, and we'd arrived at the bottom of the mountain. Looking to the top, I can't see a clear path to the top. Before I could voice this problem to the group, the ground shakes beneath our feet, accompanied by a loud snore. Or growl, it was hard to dinstinquish. Either way, the quaking stopped moments later.

"Whoa, what was that?" Questions Rainbow. 'Most likely the dragon.'

"That is what it sounds like when a dragon snores." 'Bingo.'

"It..it's so... high!" Exclaims/whispers Fluttershy, hiding behind Applejack. It would seem that the prospect of facing a dragon was well and truly getting to her. 'I don't think she's up to this, honestly. Maybe should should have stayed in Ponyville?'

"Well, it is a mountain." Comes a sarcastic Rainbow. Looking to the top of the mountain, she grins. "I'm going to fly up there and check it out!" She declares, preparing to shoot upwards. Before she can do so, however, she's pulled back by Applejack, who pulls her back down to the ground.

"Hold on, now. Ah' think we should all go up together. Safety in numbers and all." Suggests the apple farmer, her logic sound enough for the pegasus' to forget about her previous plan.

"Oh, all right." She grumbles, conceding to Applejack's wisdom. Now that Rainbow wasn't planning on ditching the group, Twilight begins to scale the mountain, followed by the rest of the mares. However, this left both myself and Fluttershy at the bottom still, the latter still looking at the mountain in fear and the former trying to figure out how he was supposed to get up this mountain without breaking his neck in the process. A minute later, Rainbow shouts down to the pair of us, the group finally noticing the absence of two of its members.

"Fluttershy! Big guy! What are you two waiting for? An Invitation?" Shouts the sarcastic rainbow-maned mare. Seconds later, I notice confetti shoot out from beside her, startling her. 'Confetti? Where'd confetti come fr-Pinkie. It's gonna be Pinkie. Why am I even asking such a stupid question?'

"I-it's so...so...steep!" Comes the shaky voice of Fluttershy, looking up at her fellow pegasus.

"Well, it is a cliff. You could just, oh, I don't know, fly up here?" Remarks Rainbow, stating the obvious. 'She has a point.'

"She has a point, Flutters. You have wings, and can easily get up there. Me? I'm stuck down here until I can figure something out." I say, concurring with Rainbow. Swallowing her fear, Fluttershy unfolds her wings and begins to ascend. It was all going well until another snore came from up high, causing the shy pegasus' to fall back into a state of terror, falling back down to earth. Catching her at the last second, we fall into a bush, the mare lying ontop of me.

"Have we met before?" Blushing, the mare jumps off of me. Chuckling, I get up out of the bush and dust myself off, thankful that it wasn't a thorn bush.

"Greyson! Fluttershy! What's taking so long?" Comes the voice of Twilight, drawing my attention back to the group of mountaineighrs.

"Fluttershy can't make it up there! The snores are scaring the poor girl! We'll need to find another way up!" I reply, getting a whimper from the mare in question and an annoyed groan from Rainbow.

"Darling, can't you just carry Fluttershy up the mountain?" Suggests Rarity, apparently under the impression that I was suddenly an anthropomorphic mountain goat. 'Great idea! Scale a mountain? Shall I cure cancer whilst I'm at it? Solve world hunger, perhaps?'

"Do I look like Reinhold Messner to you!?" I shout back, receiving a number of perplexed looks from the mares. "I don't scale mountains for a living, boys and girls! I can't climb this! Let alone carrying a pony! Throw me a map or something, and we'll make our own way up!"

"Aroundthe mountain? That's going to take forever!" Groans Rainbow.

"Suck it up, skittles! We're going around!" I shout, catching the map thrown to me by Applejack. Seconds later, another snore is heard. Hearing a soft thump behind me, I don't even need to turn around to know that Fluttershy had most likely fainted. Unfolding the map, I plan the new route for me and Fluttershy. Quickly finding a new path for the pair of us, I refold the map and tuck it into one of my inner coat pockets, not wanting to lose the thing in the event that we lose our way. Turning around, I'm surprised to see that Fluttershy had not fainted, and was instead looking to me for instructions.

"Come on, Flutters. I found a new path for us that should lead us to the top." I say, heading towards a nearby path. Moments later, Fluttershy is at my side, almost brushing up against my leg at times. 'Meh, if it calms her down, it calms her down I guess.'

An hour or two later, and we'd rejoined the group, albeit later than they would have hoped. Nevertheless, we pressed on wards, heading further up the mountain. Throughout our trek, we came across a small gap that needed to be crossed. Whilst we'd managed to cross over it easily, Fluttershy was unable to, and it took another migraine inducing song from Pinkie Pie and a push from Rainbow, literally, to get her to cross.

We were now almost at the top of the mountain, and just as luck would have it, we'd reached quite possibly, the second most dangerous part of it. The first being where the dragon was situated.

"Let's keep it down." Whispers Twilight, looking around at the mountain. "According to my map, we're entering an avalanche zone. The smallest peep could cause a huge rock slide."

"An...an ava...ava..." 'Don't you fucking do it, Fluttershy.' Thankfully, Twilight shushes the mare, who quickly shuts up. Breathing a sigh of relief, I carry on forwards, hoping that we could get out of here before anythi-

"AVALA-" Or not. Spinning around, I watch as Applejack quickly shoves her hoof in Fluttershy's mouth, silencing the mare. Looking to said mare, I quickly notice a couple of leaves descending onto the floor. Looking up, I spot Rainbow hovering next to a tree, looking rather sheepish. Piecing it all together, I conclude that Rainbow had brushed against the tree, causing a number of leaves to fall from it and then landing on Fluttershy, resulting in the already skittish mare crying out in shock.

Waiting with bated breath, we all stand as still as statues, hoping that Applejack had silenced the mare in time. Moments pass, and everything is silent. 'Oh thank fuck for that.'

"Right, I think we're good." I say, much to the relief of everypony present. "Now let's get a move on befor-" I was interrupted, however, when I felt the ground shaking beneath me. Looking upwards, I quickly find what was causing the earth to shake, and it fills me with dread. "Me and my fucking mouth..."

"Avalanche!" Descending from above us were dozens of rocks, large and small, all capable of hitting me in the head and ending me. Preferring the alternate option of living, I dive out of the way, just in time for a boulder twice the size of my body to land in the spot I was just standing in. I didn't stick around, however, as I was still in danger. Running after the mares, I notice Twilight was having trouble. Unfortunately for the mare, a rather sizeable boulder was heading her way.

"MOVE SPARKY!" I shout, praying to God that the unicorn heard me. Fortunately, she needn't have, as Applejack tackled her out of the way of the oncoming boulder. 'Thank fuck for that.' A sudden noise to my right demands my attention, as I turn to see a wave of rock and death sliding down the mountainside towards us.

More specifically, Fluttershy.

"Oh fuck me." Thinking fast, I run straight towards the mare, picking her up and using my body as a makeshift shield to prevent any harm coming her way. It works, and Fluttershy is left unharmed. Me, however? I'm struck by rock after rock, and I could already feel the bruises forming. Miraculously, neither my neck nor spine ended up being broken, thankfully. Seconds later, the pair of us are buried under a mixture of rock and dirt. A minute later, and all was still. 'Shit, did we actually survive this?'

I manage to dig my way out from under the rocks, bursting through the rock like a 5ft gopher. Fluttershy, the poor mare, is still clinging onto me for dear life, shaking like a leaf. 'Damn, how hasn't she had a heart attack yet?'

"Damn...that happened....You alright, Fluttershy?" I cough, concerned for her well being. She doesn't answer. Looking down to my chest, I see that Fluttershy had buried her muzzle into my shirt, her legs wrapped around my abdomen in a vise. 'Fuck me, today's done a number on her. And we haven't even reached the bloody dragon yet.' "Fluttershy, you're safe now. Calm down, kiddo."

"I-is-is it o-over?" She stutters, looking up at me. Gesturing to the surrounding area, I nod.

"Yep. Somehow we're still alive, and I didn't break my neck in the process. I'd call that a win-win. Now, are you gonna let go of me at some point or is my shirt just that comfortable?" Blushing, the mare lets go of me, and we make our way to the rest of the group, who were already conversing about what had just happened, and the problem we now faced.

"-roblems than making sure our hair bows match our horseshoes." Rainbow says, gesturing to the newly formed wall of rock in front of us, blocking our way forward. Noticing the stares coming her way, Fluttershy look to the ground, guilt etched across her muzzle.

"Sorry." She apologises, unable to look her friends in the eyes.

"Aw, no big whoop, sugarcube." The apple farmer says, giving the mare a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, we'll just have to...climb over." Sighs Twilight. Whilst the rest of the mares began to climb, I hung back with Fluttershy, who was still looking rather upset with what had just happened, most likely thinking that she was becoming a real detriment to the group. As much as she was, she was still my friend. 'She's yet to get me killed, so I can't exactly be angry with her. Annoyed, perhaps, but still.'

"Come on, Flutters. It's not far now, I promise." I say, beginning my ascent. She nods, and begins trudging up the hill behind me. 'Let's see if we can't get to the top without anymore incidents.' A sudden impact to the back of my legs dashes such hopes, as Fluttershy and me end up sliding down the hill, taking our friends down with us. 'I swear to God, if that dragon doesn't kill us, she bloody will.'

"Still think it was a good idea to bring Fluttershy along?" Rainbow asks Twilight, out of Fluttershy's earshot.

"Oh, lay off, skittles. The girl's just scared, that's all." I argue, not appreciating how easily Rainbow was slagging off her friend.

"Yea, of everything and nothing!" She shoots back, turning to face me. Before I could argue any further, Twilight silences us both.

"You can both argue some other time. We're here." She says, gesturing ahead of us. Following her hoof, I realise that we had, in fact, reached our destination. The dragon's cave lay straight ahead, the smoke threatening Equestria originating from the dragon that lay within. 'It's about goddamn time.'

"Oh finally. Now we can get eaten, burnt, or thrown off of the mountain. Joy." I remark.

"If you want, you can go in first, Alex." Responds Twilight, smirking at me. 'Haha. No.'

"Oh you can fuck right off, mate." Is my answer.

"Then stop whining. Rainbow Dash, you'll use your wings to clear the smoke." Hearing this, Rainbow nods, and flies upwards into the smoke itself. With Rainbow sorted, Twilight turns to Rarity and Pinkie.

"Rarity and Pinkie Pie, you'll create a diversion to distract the dragon if things get a little hairy in there." She says, before looking questioningly at Pinkie Pie, who, for whatever reason, was swinging a rubber chicken in her mouth. Rarity was as confused as I was. 'What. The. Fuck.' Knowing that questioning the pink demon would most likely result in every brain cell she's has to implode repeatedly, she turns her attention to Applejack.

"Applejack, you're ready with the apples in case he decides to attack." 'I'm sorry, but what?'

"Wait wait wait, what? That's your plan? If the dragon gets pissy, we're going to kick apples at it...have you gone mad, Sparky?"

"Don't you worry, sugarcube. Ah' can buck these apples ah' lot harder than you'd think." Reassures Applejack, though it doesn't fill me we with confidence. "Ah'd teach that varmint what'for."

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

"Right, good pla- wait, hold on...Three?"

"Yes, three. Me, Fluttershy and you." 'Joy.' "Is everypony ready?" 'God no.' Whilst I may not have been, the rest of the girls seemed to be, shared determination all around. "Okay then, we're goin' in!" And with that, the three of us enter the cave.

"I've got a bad feeling about this..."

We were only in the cave for a few seconds, before I notice something was wrong. And by something wrong, I mean somepony missing. Fluttershy wasn't in the cave with us. It only took me a moment to realise why. 'Oh for fu- she's terrified of dragons. Why would she come in the bloody cave with us? How has Twilight not noticed she's gone yet?'

"So, whatisthe best way to wake up a sleeping dragon without upsetting him?" Twilight asks, still not realising that the animal expert was not with us. "Fluttershy?" She asks once more, now turning to where the not-so-present mare should have been. "Oh come on!" She groans, now turning back towards the entrance. "What is wrong with her, Alex?" She asks, looking to me. 'Are you blind?'

"You telling me you haven't figured it out yet?" I ask, surprised at how she had not pieced together why Fluttershy has been acting up all day. Shaking her head, I sigh. "You're quite possibly one of the smartest pe-ponies I've ever met. You'll figure it out." Blushing ever so slightly at my compliment, the pair of us exit the cave and rejoin the group. Walking over to Fluttershy, who had decided to try her hoof at being an ostrich and buryied her head in the ground, Twilight pulls on her wing, bringing the mare into a sitting position.

"Come on!" It's no use. Fluttershy will not budge. Taking a different approach, Twilight tries to push the mare towards the cave. Yet the pegasus is stronger than she looks, not giving an inch to Twilight. "We have to do this!...Now! Every...second longer that dragon...sleeps is another...acre of Equestria that is covered in...smoke!" Pony after pony joins Twilight in her attempts to force the mare into the cave, lining up behind each other and using their weight to try and push Fluttershy towards the dragon's cave. For my part, I just hung back and watched the scene unfold, chuckling at how adamant Fluttershy was in not facing this dragon.

"I...I...I can't go in the cave." Fluttershy says, much to the frustration of the group.

"Oh, great. She's scared ofcavesnow, too." Comes the grumbling voice of Rainbow Dash. 'Well, I wouldn't say caves. More like the dragon that's inside. Hell, I would be too.'

"I'm not scared of caves, I'm scared of dragons."

"What's that, sugarcube?" Asks Applejack, not being able to hear what the pegasus had said.

"I'm scared of dragons." She repeats, albeit louder this time. Still, it's not enough, as the group look questioningly at each other.

"What?" 'Oh for fuck sake.'

"I'm scared of dragons!" Fluttershy shouts, for quite possibly the second time in recorded history. A sudden snore from inside the cave brings us back to reality, as we're promptly smothered by a wave of smoke. One coughing fit later, and the smoke dissipates. 'Do love me some fucking dioxide poisoning.'

"But Fluttershy, you have a wonderful talent dealing with all kinds of animals!" Argues Twilight, confused as to why Fluttershy was so terrified of facing a dragon. In Twilight's defense, Spike is a dragon, and Fluttershy's not scared of him. On the other hand, Spike is half my size, and unlike this dragon, won't eat me if I look at him funny.

"Yes, because they're notdragons." 'Dragon shaming!? Oh my! Check your privilege!'

"Oh come on! We've seen you walk right up to a horrible manticore like it was nothing!" Counters Rainbow, referencing the manticore we encountered during our trek through the Everfree Forest some time ago.

"Yes, because he wasn't a dragon."

"That's racist." I remark, getting a laugh out of Pinkie Pie, who had quite suddenly appeared right next to me. "Where'd you come from?" I ask, confused as to how quickly and quietly she had managed to go from one side of the group to appearing next to me. 'I swear she just teleports around. Is she an Alicorn in disguise? Oh god, that'd be terrifying.'

"Well you see, when two ponies love each other ve-" 'Oh I am NOT being taught this by you of all ponies!'

"Forget I asked." This conversation was going down a deep, dark hole and I had no intentions of Pinkie dragging me down it.

"Okay then!" And with that, she turns towards Fluttershy. "Spike is a dragon. You're not scared of him." 'My thoughts exactly.'

"Yes, because he's not a huge, gigantic, terrifying, enormous, teeth-gnashing, sharp-scale having, horn-wearing, smoke-snoring, could eat a pony in one bite, totally all grown-up dragon!"

"She has a point, y'know." I say, putting myself into the spotlight. "What? She does, though. Spike's like, half my size. I could probably punt the little bastard from here to Canterlot." I joke. Rarity was not amused, however.

"My! How could you even think of doing such a thing?" She cries.

"Calm it, Snowflake, I'm only kidding. I have no intention of kicking your boyfriend over the horizon."

"I should think so! Such a cruel thing to consider. Why, I shudder to even thin-" 'Oh stop bitching.'

"Right, I said I was joking, mother. I don't need a lecture on kindness and all that bollocks, sweetheart." I chuckle, smirking at the mare's umbrage at being interrupted. Before she could retort, we're interrupted by Twilight, who was once more standing before the cave's entrance.

"Come on, Alex. We're going in." Looking to the unicorn, I stare quizzically at her. Why was it just the pair of us going in? What about Fluttershy? Gesturing to the pegasus in question, Twilight shakes her head, giving me the answer I already saw coming. Her fear of dragons was holding her back, and she was too afraid to face that fear. Sighing, I nod, once more following Twilight into the cave.

"What an absolute cunt." I grumble, exiting the cave and coughing up any and all remaining smoke still trapped in my windpipe. As it turns out, the dragon was a rather heavy sleeper, and any attempts from Twilight or myself to speak with the dragon were met with bouts of smoke.

On the plus side, I did nab a few gems whilst we were in there, so it wasn't a total failure. 'If all else fails, I can probably buy my way out of the country to somewhere where the sky doesn't look like death itself.'

"So much for persuading him!" Remarks Rainbow, also recovering from the smoke. 'I wonder if inhaling too much of this smoke will give us lung cancer. Sure hope not.'

"Now what?" Inquires Applejack, unsure as to our next move.

"Now you lot can have a shot at this." I answer, heading towards a large boulder that a certain pegasus was hiding behind. "I'm gonna have a chat with Fluttershy, see if I can't get her to help us with this whole dragon situation."

"But ya' heard what she said abou-"

"Yea I did. And quite frankly, I don't really care. She needs to face this fear, and she needs to face it now."

"It's no use, Greyson. She's too scared to even think about facing the dragon." Rainbow argues, unconvinced that I'll somehow be able to bring Fluttershy out of her shell.

"Skittles, do you know who you're talking to? I'm Alexander goddamn Greyson. I'll figure something out." Reaching the boulder, I make my way around it, finding Fluttershy sat up against it staring down at the floor. Sitting down next to her, she lets out a startled squeak. "Sorry, Flutters. Didn't mean to scare you."

"I-its al-alright, Greyso-I me-mean Al-Alexander." The mare replies, still staring at the ground.

"Alexander, Greyson, whichever one you prefer, sweetheart." I say, not really caring what she called me. First name, last name, I didn't mind whatsoever. Nodding, the mare continues to stare at the ground. Sighing, I begin to think of what I have to say to get the mare to help the rest of us face this dragon.

"Fluttershy, I get that you're scared, really I do. But refusing to face your fears won't make them go away." I begin, getting her attention, as she turns away from the ground and now up to me. "You can't just hide from what scares you forever, kiddo. You need to face this dragon. They're all counting on you, Fluttershy."

"B-b-but I just can't." She whines.

"Why? Why can't you? Because of your fear?" She nods, looking back down to the ground in shame. Putting my hand under her head, I force her to look back up at me. "So are the rest of the mares, though Rainbow is adamant she isn't. They're all scared, Flutters. Hell, I'm scared of this dragon." I admit, much to her surprise.

"Yo-you're scared? But yo-you're never scared. You stared down N-Nightmare Moon. You pu-put yourself in harms way a-against an U-Ursa Minor. You're the b-bravest stallion I k-know!" "'Yes, yes, I have the testicular strength of Dwayne Johnson's pecs, I know.'

"Be that as it may, it doesn't mean I can't be scared of something. Nopony can ever not be scared of something. There'll always be something that scares you. The dark? Spiders? Losing something precious to you? Anything. You'll always be afraid of something, no matter how serious or trivial it may seem to be. But its what you do about this fear that matters. If you refuse to accept it, lock it away and hide from it? It'll always be there, right in the corner of your mind, always there, waiting for you. But if you have a purpose, a reason for facing this fear, then it is no longer a fear. If you're scared of the water? Cannonball it. If you're scared of heights? Jump out of a helicopter. Give yourself a purpose for it, a reason to do what you fear, and then that fear will no longer have any hold over you."

"B-But I can't. I'm s-scared! I'm not as brave as e-everypony else!"

"Back on Earth, there's this guy I know. Not personally, mind you, but I know who he is. And do you know what he once said? 'Being brave isn’t the absence of fear. Being brave is having that fear, but finding a way through it.' The mans name is Bear Grylls, and he's quite possibly one of the bravest men I've ever heard of. So you see, Fluttershy, It's alright to be scared. It's alright to fear something, really it is. But there comes a time where you need to be brave, and put your fears aside, for both yourself and those around." I finish, letting go of the mare, letting her process everything I'd just said.

Hearing a loud crack next to me, my eyes widen in fear as I look to what had just happened. "And that time may quite possibly be right now, sweetheart." Following my gaze, the mare's eyes widen in fear alongside mine, panicking at the sight before us. Our friends lay dazed on the floor, groaning in pain. The boulder we'd been sitting behind had been smashed in half, and the dragon we'd been sent to relocate? He was now fully awake, and was looking rather angry if I do say so myself.

Knowing that our five friends were most likely seconds away from being roasted alive, I jump out in front of them, getting the dragons attention. 'I am so going to die.'

"Right, you! Mr Vape-nation! Listen here, and listen good, you twa-" He was not in the mood for conversation. Opening his maw, he lets out another torrent of smoke, launching me backwards. Hitting my head on what remained of the boulder, I could already feel my senses fading. Managing to flip off the dragon one last time before then, however, I take notice of a yellow blur flying straight towards the dragon. This was to be the last thing I saw before my consciousness decided to take a well-deserved vacation.

"-eyson?" 'Huh? Who's that?'

"-lex, can you hear me?" 'Aww come on, mum. Just a few more minutes?'

"-at dragon really did a number on the big guy, huh." 'Uuh, fine, I'm up.' Slowly opening my eyes, I realise that I was no longer on top of a mountain, but instead on an all to familiar couch in an all to familiar library. 'Oh thank fuck for that. I did feel like dying on top of some godforsaken mountain.'

Before I could make any more observations, I find myself victim to a three things. Firstly, my name being shouted by multiple ponies. Secondly, said ponies diving onto me. And thirdly, my ability to breath properly now being restricted. Cheers for that, girls.

"Girls, ah' don't think he can breathe?" Points out my southern saviour. A moment later, and my ability to take in oxygen had been restored as the ones responsible for taking such a sacred privilege release me.

"So did we win?" I ask, though the answer should've been pretty obvious if I was still alive to ask such a question.

"Yes Greyson, we won." Replies Twilight, giggling at my silly question. Of course we'd won. I wouldn't be sitting in a library full of talking, magical ponies if we hadn't now would I?

"Nice one. Okay, next question: what happened after I got my ass handed to me?"

"Well you see, darling, Fluttershy was not so scared after all in the end." Rarity answers, looking proudly towards Fluttershy, who looks away in embarrassment. 'No way. Fluttershy actually stood up to the dragon?'

"It's true!" As if she could read my mind, which she probably can somehow, Pinkie throws herself into the conversation. "When that big, mean old dragon hit you, Fluttershy got sooooo mad! She was like 'You big bully! Don't hurt my friends!'" Pinkie cries. 'Well shit, she got over her fear? Damn, I must be more persuasive than I thought.' Looking to Fluttershy, I laugh.

"Well I'll be damned. I knew you could do it you little devil!" Before she could react, I've already picked the mare up and pulled her into a hug. Her shock only lasts a moment, before she happily returns the hug. Seconds later, I release the mare, who reluctantly rejoins her friends on the floor.

Eventually, only myself, Twilight and Fluttershy remained in the library, the rest of our friends having departed already. Excusing herself, Twilight headed upstairs towards the bathroom, leaving myself and Fluttershy alone.

"I should probably go home. My animals must be worried sick by now." She says, getting up off of the floor. Nodding, I'm about to turn my attention elsewhere when Fluttershy says my name. Turning back around, she hovers over to me, before wrapping her forelegs around my neck. 'Yay, more hugs. I approve of such things.'

"Thank you for believing in me."

"Anytime, kiddo. You did good, Flutters. You did good." And with that, I let the mare go and she makes her way over to the front door. Opening it, she's about to step outside when she turns around to look at me one last time, smiling at me. Returning the smile, she steps out of the library and shuts the door, now leaving me alone on the couch. This doesn't last, however.

Turning around, I see Twilight stood at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the front door with a strange look on her muzzle. 'What's up with Sparky?' "You alright there, Sparkles?" I ask, unsure as to why she was staring at the door like that.

"Hmm? Oh, yes I'm fine, thanks." She replies, coming over and joining me on the couch. Out of nowhere, she suddenly rears up and throws her forelegs around me. 'Right, these hugs are all well and good, but why am I being blessed with so many all of a sudden?'

"Whoa, you alright there, Sparky?" I laugh, returning her embrace. She doesn't answer, instead preferring to tighten her hold ever so slightly. Before I could question the mare on her strange behaviour, the door opens, and in waddles Spike, a familiar rabbit attached/latched onto one of his claws. Letting go of me, Twilight jumps off of me and looks to Spike, trying her hardest to hide the blush that had formed on her muzzle. 'Mares, man. They're weird as hell.'

"How does Fluttershy put up with you furry little things?" He cries, shaking Angel off of him. Landing on his feet, the rabbit shoots out of the library, much to Spike's satisfaction. Closing the door, he turns to the pair of us, sighing in relief. "I tell you what, I'd hate to be in Fluttershy's hooves, having to deal with all those animals."

"Spike, take a letter." Twilight says, ignoring my quizzical gaze.

"With pleasure." He replies, oblivious to what had just happened moments ago.

"Dear Princess Celestia,

I am happy to report that the dragon has departed our fair country, and that it was my good friend, Fluttershy, with the invaluable support of Greyson, 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.

Always your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle.

"Do you seriously have to add those little bits about 'Friendship' at the end of every letter?"

"They're called Friendship Reports, Alex. Of course I do. It's instrumental that I inform Princess Celestia about what I've learnt during my studies." She answers, looking at me as if I'd asked her if a pony required food. 'Alright smartarse, calm down.'

"Maybe you should tell her about all the studies you've done on Dragons: A Guide to Ma-" Before I could finish, Twilight begins throwing things at me. Things being cushions, books, anything she could get her magic on, actually. Laughing my ass of, and fearing for my heads safety, I sprint towards the stairs, Twilight hot on my heels.

"A Dragons Guide to What?"

"I'll tell you when you're-OW-older, Spike!"

"Get back here Greyson!"

"I'd much rather not!" Oh, life is good.

Author's Notes:

And so Greyson defeated the fearsome dragon, rescued the beautiful princess, and they all lived happily ever after, Just kidding, he got his ass handed to him by the dragon, who promptly received a very stern scolding from our favourite timid pegasus, who finally grew a pair and stood up for her friends.

And holy hell, over 8K words? This is the longest chapter I've written for this story so far. And that little speech by Greyson? Rather proud of that one, to be honest. Bear Grylls is a legend.

Until next time, folks! Peace.