The six friends had assembled in the main room of the Golden Oaks Library, which was Twilight's home and their unofficial command post.
"What, in the name of all things cinnamon swirl, is a full-grown Dragon doing right here in Equestria?" asked Applejack.
Everypony well knew that Equestria had treaties with the Dragon nations, prohibiting Dragons from taking up residence in Equestria save with the permission of the Realm. The Dragons generally abided by these treaties, not so much out of a kindly regard for the well-being of Equestria's Ponies -- they could be quite cruel to those Ponies who were their subjects in the Old Worlds from which they came -- but rather from a kindly regard for their own draconic well-being.
After the Banishment of Luna, some dragons -- imagining that Celestia alone, the Sun Princess who styled herself the High Lady of Peace, would be easy to defeat in the absence of the Moon Princess, who had been styled her High Lady of War -- attempted to settle on Equestrian soil. Many of them also slew or plundered Ponies in the process.
The result was commemorated not only in history books but also in popular plays, stories and songs, of which the Song of Syhlex and His Seven Sons was only the most famous. The point of all these works was the same. Dragons who came to Equestria and harmed Celestia's little ponies would learn why Celestia was named the Sun Princess -- not merely because she controlled the Sun, but also because she commanded its powers on Earth. Gouts of sunfire hot enough to not merely melt but vaporize solid rock -- or the toughest dragonscales; balls of that hellishly-hot substance which left smoking craters hundreds of yards wide under rising mushroom clouds where once had been draconic lairs and hoards -- such were the weapons she could wield, and did wield against foes who deemed themselves safe merely because Celestia was physically far smaller than them.
There was a stern and ruthless side which Celestia hated to show to her subjects, because she wanted to reign as a beloved monarch rather than impose her rule with the iron hoof of a dreaded despot. This side she showed to the invaders, and they literally melted away before her wrath like snow under a hot summer sun.
Surprisingly -- if one did not know that Fluttershy came of the highest and oldest lineage, and what that meant -- Fluttershy was well aware of that part of history. As young teenagers at Flight School together, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had deliciously thrilled each other with that special joy that only Pegasi -- even rather timid yellow-and-pink Pegasi -- know from the vicarious participation in extreme physical violence, declaiming parts of the old sagas to each other. Strangely enough, it was Fluttershy who had usually played the part of Celestia, striking the dramatic poses, while Rainbow had been alternately the brave Pegasus scout who brought word of the draconic invasion, or the evil Dragon who menaced the peaceful Ponies.
Then, Fluttershy had not the slightest idea of just what sort of warmth she was feeling from her friend, just why Rainbow Dash had loved it when Fluttershy had spread her wings and reared before her, the Sun streaming through her mane. Her only experience of sexual desire from another had been that upsetting late-night assault by her cousin Ill Wind, and the adoration she received from Rainbow Dash tasted entirely different to her empathy than had Ill Wind's lustful aggression. Now, of course, she understood exactly why that was the case -- which didn't make her appreciate Rainbow's love, or love her in return, any less.
The fact that Rainbow Dash herself appeared to be unaware of her own emotions suited Fluttershy just fine, most of the time. It meant that Fluttershy was under absolutely no pressure to express the sexual side of her own nature, a side that scared her -- though not nearly as much with a mare she'd known almost all her life, as it would have with any stallion, in the wake of what had happened to her when she was sixteen. She still felt sexual attraction toward other Ponies, both stallions and mares, but she greater feared the consequences should she try to express such sentiments.
Such might be unsafe and unpredictable, and Fluttershy liked to live in a safe and predictable world.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Twilight's first action after gathering her friends at the library had been to grab a pile of hopefully-relevant books and speed-read through them in the hopes of finding something -- anything -- at all relevant to their problem.
"Sleeping," said Twilight firmly, in reply to Applejack's question.
Four of her friends gasped in astonishment.
Fluttershy wasn't astonished at all. She had long known as much of the biology of Dragons as was openly known in Equestria -- the fact that she was terrified beyond all reason by Dragons did not reduce her normal fascination with them as living creatures. That was one reason she found Spike so interesting -- he was a Dragon, yet not at all terrifying -- rather warm and cuddly, in fact. She had a rare chance with Spike to see, hear and smell a living Dragon without being frightened at all.
"According to Princess Celestia," Twilight told them, tossing books into her travel bags, "he's taking a nap." She turned back to regard her friends, her expression somber. "His snoring is what's causing all this smoke."
He's a smoker, Fluttershy thought to herself. Draco fumidus. He can belch out tremendous volumes of smoke: actually a mixture of carbon oxides, sulfur oxides and microparticles evolved -- or engineered -- to be produced at just the right particulate sizes to blot out the Sun over immense areas. Mildly toxic, too. If he does this long enough, he'll destroy the whole ecosystem for dozens of miles around his mountain. Her mind reeled at the thought. All the poor animals!
It did not occur to her to share this information. She figured that Twilight was already aware of all this. And she knew that nopony would listen to her in any case.
"He should really see a doctor," commented Pinkie Pie to Applejack, then turning back to Twilight. "That really doesn't sound healthy at all."
"Well," said Rarity, trying to see the bright side of the situation, "at least he isn't snoring fire. What are we meant to do about it?" She was almost whining, clearly intimidated by the prospect of going up against a full-grown Dragon, a sentiment with which Fluttershy could sympathize completely.
Actually it would be better if he were snoring fire, Fluttershy thought. The more complete the combustion, the less smoke. Again, she did not venture to share her opinion -- she was certain that Twilight Sparkle had thought of this anyway, and it did not suggest any actual solution to their problem.
Especially any solution which would enable Fluttershy herself to avoid actually having to go out there and facing down a full-grown Dragon, which was the solution which Fluttershy's considerable intellect was right now seeking. Unfortunately, no such solution appeared to be presenting itself to her frantic mind.
"I'll tell you what we're meant to do," asserted Rainbow Dash. She was actually flying in the middle of the library, wings beating with cheerful excitement. Her eyes were shining with happy battle-lust "Give him the boot. Take that!" she cried, whirling to double-kick the bust in the center of the library.
She would have knocked it over had Twilight Sparkle not reached out with her aura to stablize the heavy wooden sculpture.
"And that!" cried Rainbow Dash again, circling around for another pass at her wooden foe.
This time Twilight lifted the bust out of the way of the blue rainbow-maned pegasus.
Rainbow Dash darted through the space where the bust had been and crashed into a pile of books, finishing upside down on the floor, rainbow tail alone preserving her modesty as she sat on her head.
Twilight looked down at the bellicose pegasus in some irritation.
"We need to encourage him to take a nap somewhere else," she informed Rainbow Dash. "Princess Celestia has given us this mission," she said very seriously as Rainbow rose to her hooves, "and we must not fail."
At that, Rainbow Dash actually saluted, her own expression solemn as she responded to Twilight's leadership.
"If we do," Twilight continued, "Equestria will be covered in smoke for the next hundred years!" Twilight looked alarmed as she contemplated this prospect.
Fluttershy gasped, shivered in fear. It had just occurred to her that it would be very difficult to get out of this mission. Of course, Twilight wouldn't force her to go along. But -- given how important it was -- if she refused, Twilight Sparkle would never trust her again. And Rainbow Dash -- Fluttershy didn't want to even think about what this would do to the friendship that had been near the center of her world for more than half her life.
But how could she go? Nopony understood the utter terror which the mere thought of facing a full-grown Dragon evoked in her. Let alone the paralysis that would certainly come upon her if she actually had to confront such a creature.
"Hmmph!" snorted Rarity. "Talk about getting your beauty sleep!"
They probably do that to grow and molt. The speculation penetrated the cold fog of fear that had settled over her soul. Even at a moment like this, when she would have to choose between physical and social annihilation, Fluttershy could not be anything but a naturalist.
"All right, everypony," said Twilight Sparkle, throwing some last items into her bags and settling them over her back, "I need you to gather supplies quickly. We've got a long journey ahead of us." She gazed at her friends, her eyes full of determination. "Let's meet back here in less than an hour."
"Okay, girls," said Rainbow Dash, ascending into the air in the center of the library, wings flapping in a hover, eyes shining happily at the prospect of a life-threatening heroic mission, "You heard her!" She somersaulted in midair in sheer joy, dove down to fling her forearms around Rarity and Pinkie Pie, who smiled at the attention. "The fate of Equestria is in our hooves!" She flew to one side and shouted "Do we have what it takes!"
Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie reared up, affirming that they did.
"You betcha!" said Applejack.
"We can do it!" squeaked Pinkie Pie.
"Obviously," added Rarity.
As Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Rainbow trotted proudly out of the library, Fluttershy hung back uncertainly, stopping at the door. "Um, actually ..." she started to say.
She wanted to point out to them that a fully-grown Dragon was gigantic, aggressive and dangerous. That its armored scales were proof against any harm six Ponies could wreak. That its breath weapon could annihilate them all in a single spray. That its claws were long enough to impale a Pony as an owl's did a mouse, its teeth capable of crunching through their bones without difficulty. That, in fact, a creature of such size could kill them accidentally, regardless of any international treaties or personal higher purpose, and that it was foolhardy for six poorly-trained mares to face such a monster one-on-one.
That she didn't want to die, and that she didn't want any of her friends to die either.
But nopony was listening to her.
Nopony ever did..