This Is Where The Title Goes

10

"Come oo-on, Fluttershy!"

The yellow Pegasus came around the corner shyly.

"A-are you sure it's-?"

"Don't worry, darling! You've handled dragons before!"

The white unicorn (Rarity) came out from behind a rock further down the cave.

"Eep!"

"... Fluttershy, what exactly do you expect to come out slowly from behind a rock that size? I mean, really!"

"I-I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise. It's fine."

"S-Sorry!"

Rarity sighed.

"Come on, it's one little dragon. Just do the Stare on it, get it to move away before it covers Ponyville with smoke."

"B-But usually dragons in these mountains are well enough away, I'm sure it'll be fine, I don't want to disturb a dragon unnecessarily, so maybe I should just go now and-"

Rarity pushed her back into the cave.

"Stare. No dragon. You can go home. I already apologised to you for abandoning you behind Twilight's tree-"

"Oh no, it has nothing to do with that! We had a nice chat, anyway."

"We?"

"Me and Twilight's tree."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... you can tell what they're saying by the way the leaves rustle..."

Rarity sighed again and pushed her into the main chamber. It wasn't a large chamber, but a wizened dragon sat upon a smooth collection of pebbles. A very large collection.

A very large dragon, in any case.

"Look darling! It's smoke is already flooding the room! We're all doomed!"

"B-But there's just a few stray wisps up by the c-ceiling..."

The dragon snorted, eyeing the visitors.

"A-and the dragon seems quite nice, s-so, we'll just go now Mr. Dragon, it was j-just a misunderstanding-"

"Fluttershy! This is a matter of great importance!" Rarity lowered her voice and brought her face close to Fluttershy's. "This dragon's smoke could cover all of Equestria, blocking out the Sun, eternal night, like Nightmare The Moon's reign, chaos and confusion, like Discord's, flame and fire because the clouds keep in the heat, like Tirek's, or even severe freezing like Sombra's, or maybe all the changelings can come back under the cover of ETERNAL SMOKY DARKNESS!!!!"

The final three words reverberated around the chamber.

Fluttershy was shaking, chattering, scared down to her very soul.

"And you know what's worst of all, darling?" said Rarity casually, "Without sunlight all the plants would... well, shrivel up and die. You know what's also a plant? Trees..."

For a second it seemed like all of reality had stilled.

The darkness of the cave, the waver of the wind, the whispers of smoke.

Time was nill in this ethereal moment, nary the sound of a breath in the frozen air.

All across Equestria, the land of these ponies, heartbeats slowed.

Outside the cave, the leaves of the trees were still, and the bugs upon their bark were still.

Trees.

Trees.

Fluttershy lifted her head.

"You..."

There was no movement in the cave, no clue of what to come.

"You..."

Blood pumped quietly, quickening and turning cold.

"You...

YOU MONSTER!"

A roaring gale filled the room and Fluttershy lifted off the ground, flying with outspread wings. The dragon stood, but it was too late.

The Stare had begun.