"I don't know what I did wrong!" Fluttershy yelled, burrowing her face into Toothless's flank. "I didn't want this to happen! I just wanted to help you..."

"I know." The Fury replied. "I understand."

Fluttershy sniffled, the warm tone of the dragon's mind-speech comforting. She pushed up against his side. "I don't want them to be mad at me."

"You could fly away with me." Toothless murmured, nosing her mane. "Once we're out of Equestria, the griffons will stop fighting. Your clouds can be cleared, and your friend's lives will go back to normal."

"I couldn't leave!"

"But why would you stay?"

This question startled Fluttershy. Normally, she would have answered it right away. But she realized that for once, her animals weren't the top things on her list. For once, she was putting her feelings first, over the feelings of others. "I don't know why I would stay." She shook her head. "All I want is to be with you."

The dragon didn't break his gaze from Fluttershy. He didn't look surprised. "I want you to know, I don't have any magic other than what allows me to talk."

"I figured that out a long time ago."

Toothless's mind raced, invisible to magicless Fluttershy. He wanted to go all the way with this fragile pony. He knew it would never happen. They were different species. He was grateful for his thoughts being invisble to the Pegasus. It would never work... would it?

Fluttershy picked up Twilight's dropped saddlebags, searching for the needle. Just as she hoped, it was small, thin, and looked like the least painful one. She streched the tarp over the gaping hole, miking sure it was flat, missing any uneven parts. Slowly, she started stitching, running the thin rope through the needle-holes with almost-magical presicion. Slowly, she made her way around the tarp, tieing off the end of the rope and stepped back to admire her work.

The black tarp looked flat, without any odd bubbles.

"Will I be able to fly?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "The skin has to heal around the rope, or it'll just tear off."

"So we're walking?"

Toothless tried to slow down to stay close to Fluttershy. Despite his broken leg, he was faster than she was. "Do you want me to carry you?"

Fluttershy took a flying jump on his back, lying down between his shoulders. "Am I okay here?"

Toothless savoured the feeling of their bodies touching, her coat soft on his scales. "No, you're good."

She set her chin on the back of his head. "That's good."

For once in his life, Toothless felt like he was in love. Fluttershy could feel it too.