“There has to be another way!” Fluttershy replied. When Rainbow Dash angled herself a little closer, Fluttershy edged away, and a moment later, the two of them both had to dodge another blast.

“There isn’t!” Dash said. “And we don’t have time to argue! Come on, Fluttershy!”

“We can’t!” Fluttershy said. “I can’t!”

“Then you get this thing off our backs!” Dash said, speaking between gritted teeth. The heat had passed ‘unbearable’ a while ago, and now she felt like she sat on a campfire. She barely had time to get out of the way of the next beam. The great bird was right behind them, a dark and shiny beak set in a burning head stretched out towards the ponies. Soon, Yelgadar could just open her mouth and gobble them up or whatever else she wanted.

Fluttershy’s eyes flitted between Rainbow Dash and Yelgadar. Dash caught the glint of tears in her eyes, her mouth yawing wordlessly. “I… I can’t. I don’t know how,” she said, sobbing.

From To Perytonia. Read it or don’t. It’s long and has some fire but mostly not.