Lyra and Sweetie were relaxing in the dining room. Breakfast was a most wonderful mix of pancakes and syrup. Both mares knew they recognized the sweet, sticky topping from somewhere but neither could pin it down.

"You two want another helping?" Starry trotted out of the kitchen, another plate of pancakes floating before her.

"Oh no, couldn't eat another." Lyra leaned over and kissed her Bonny. "What about you, love?"

A loud pounding on the front door interrupted the conversation. Starry looked up and in the direction of the sound. "Oh, coming!" She trotted out, her apron proclaiming, 'smooch the cook'.

The unicorn mare didn't make it all the way to the doors before they were thrown open. "Twilight Sparkle! I have come!" The aquamarine-on-purple maned mare at the door stood proud, resplendent. "Uh… this is Twilight's castle, isn't it?"

Starry smiled and nodded. "She isn't in right now, would you like pancakes? I just made them fresh!" Starlight Glimmer blinked at this and nodded dumbly. "Come on through, just a few of us girls here at the moment."

Starlight trotted after the mare, hearing the heavy doors close behind her. "Where is she? Did something happen?" She had to fight to keep the wistful tone out of her voice, she didn't want to alert the Princess' guards that she wasn't here to make friends.

"Oh, something to do with dragons, or so I heard." Starry led the way into the dining room. "This is Lyra Heartstrings and Sweetie Drops. My name is Starry Field…" It occurred to Starry it probably wasn't a good time to introduce Twinkle.

"Sta… Starlight Glimmer." Starlight had been disarmed by the mare's openness, but she shouldn't be distracted. "Oh, is that syrup?"

Luna was panting, it had been such a rush to just have the stallion take her like that. The Princess of the Night certainly wouldn't put up with such things but Lulu seemed quite happy to. "What's your name, stud?"

Swift Board gave a little buck. "You can call me that if you like. What's yours?"

"Mmm, Stud, I like it. My name is Lun-" Luna froze, she almost ruined everything. "Lulu. My sister is Tia, I think she will like you too." She hoped it would work and, when a moment later she felt another little buck, she sighed.

"My lovely Lulu. It's cool little filly, what happens on the beaches of Las Pegasus stays on the beaches of Las Pegasus." Swift leaned in and nibbled one dark ear of the mare. "But the memories, those you can take home. Want to go catch some surf?"

Luna was leaning back, adoring the attention when the question caught her answering before she realized it. "Mmmm, yes please." She stopped and blinked. Surfing?

"Excellent, you ever ridden the waves before?" Swift nipped down on an ear and drew back, grazing it lightly with his teeth as he dismounted. The water sluiced over their bodies and, quickly, both were cleaned of their latest little fun.

Luna shook her head, suddenly liking the idea of trying another new thing. "I haven't…"

"Lucky you then, little Lulu, your Stud here is the best surfer this side of Canterlot." Swift pushed his snout up and under the mare's tail, licking her from the bottom of her puffy lips all the way up over her taint to the hole he had just stuffed with his cream. "Don't bother drying, we are just going to get wet again."

Luna watched as the big stallion stepped from the shower, trailing water all over the bathroom and into the bedroom. It felt so naughty and wrong. She had to follow him and walked out, her silver-black mane dripping everywhere.

"Splash, just going to take your mare here out to show her the waves. You look a bit busy." Swift noted the white unicorn servicing his friend’s shaft. He reached down a hoof and smacked the mare's plot. "Don't tire him out none, I want to see all three of you out on the beach."

Following suit, Luna gave her sister a smack too and levitated the remains of the breakfast up, offering some to 'Stud' first, then taking some for herself.

"Don't eat too much now, last thing you want is to surf on a full belly… although other places can stay full." Swift guided the dark mare down and out of the hotel, the place practically right on the beach.

Celestia was taking her time, nursing slowly on Splash. Her rump still had a slight sting where her sister and the other stallion had given her a smack each, but at the same time it felt nice, naughty. At last she felt the male start to tense up and when she saw the muscles in his thighs tighten she knew what was coming. Him.

Splash bucked forward, shoving his length into the back of Tia's throat, his body flooding her with hot spunk. Celestia however wanted to taste her meal and pulled back a little, although not enough to get a facial. Slurping the musky-sweet seed right from Splash's tip, Celestia gave a happy sigh.

"Think I got you in every hole now… twice." Splash rubbed the unicorn's rump, right where the two red marks were from the other pony's hooves.

"Oh? Does that mean something?" Celestia lifted her rump a little into the attention. It had been a little sore at first, but the more he rubbed the better it felt.

"Not sure as it is too official, but that normally means I get to keep filling them, at least by the rules of the beach." Splash drew his hoof back and smacked down firmly. The gasping moan of the mare met his ears a moment before the smack actually hit, but he liked the sound all the same.

Celestia liked not only the sound of his claim but also the warm glow her plot had gained.

Luna was balanced on the board, her legs slightly bent, with the big stallion she only knew as 'Stud' practically mounted her and showing her how to surf.

"That's it, relaxed, you need to feel the wave through your hooves, keep your balance in the direction you want to move and… yeah, you're getting it." Swift nuzzled her ear again, the one he had been paying attention to since they were done in the shower.

Luna squealed when a big wave came but she felt as Swift shifted their weight, she leaned with him as the wave was suddenly under them and they were speeding along on it. "This is amazing!" Luna felt great, she really wished their little holiday could last past the weekend but then again, it wasn't like they couldn't come back.

As the pair came in toward the beach, Swift jumped off and trotted alongside the dark mare as she rode the board almost onto the sand. "You want to try that yourself?" Heart thudding in her chest, Luna nodded. "Go on then, just remember, move with the waves, don't fight them."

The stallion watched as the unicorn pushed the board back out, flopping down on it to paddle further and further out. How could he not watch, that plot was just about the best view he had gotten all year.

"You, runt, would challenge me? I forbid it." Garble threw his chest out but, although the words bit with the command of the Dragon Lord, Ember found herself laughing. "What? What is so funny?"

Torch was beside him, dwarfing Lord Garble with his bulk. "The Dragon Lord cannot refuse a challenge, wyrm." The big dragon seemed a heck of a lot more intimidating when he was up close like this, but Garble wasn't scared of him.

"A challenge!" The cry went up from many dragons around the little group.

"Oh, and I suppose you let these, ponies," Garble made the word sound like an accusation, "come and watch?" The Dragon Lord sneered at the four winged creatures. "Look at them, we should eat them before we fight."

"The Dragon Lord cannot refuse a challenge, nor defer it." A purple dragoness to one side, called out the ancient rules of dragon society, getting a chain of cheers and boos both.

"Then if you have given up to have breakfast, that makes me Dragon Lord." Ember grinned, reminding herself to thank whatever dragon it was who was jeering this oaf too. "Very well my fir-"

"Stop!" Garble had almost lost control of the situation. This wasn't right, he was Dragon Lord, all dragons should obey him. He would have to deal with this weakling female. "Okay, what are the rules… uh, you know, for anydragon who might not know them. I totally do." The last he said to one of his supporters, behind a cupped hand.

Torch smiled and bowed to both Garble and his own daughter. "The rules are simple. Once the fight starts, only the two dragons fighting may trade blows. The fight ends when only one dragon stands at the end, whether by death, forfeit, or unconsciousness."

The dragoness stepped over to Gel, smiling to him. "Still want to be part of this?" All he gave her was a smile as he stepped forward, flowing against her and working between her body and the already tight armor. He gripped the straps and buckles, holding the protection closer to them.

"You doubted I would help?" Gel spoke right into the dragon's ears. "I don't know why, but I feel there is some destiny involved here. You will need me."

"Wait, what the… that's cheating, he is helping her! I think…" Garble pointed at where the now black-clad dragoness stood.

"Gel is my armor, nothing more." Ember clacked a foot down. "Unless you are scared of what a pony could do?" When she heard only grumbling, Ember opened her mouth and let loose a roar. She knew the rules well and leaped into the air.

"Wait, she gave up!" Garble pointed at the retreating tail of the dragoness.

"The last rule," Torch glared at the Dragon Lord, "is that when each party is ready, they will roar once and once both have, the fight starts."

Garble blinked, it took a little bit for the gears in the red dragon's head to tick over. "Oh! She was… " He let loose with a roar and a fraction later the missile on wings that had been diving back down from the clouds hit him squarely in the back, raking claws along his scales and dislodging a few. "Oh, hay, that isn't fair!"

Torch smiled and backed away.

"Where did she even go? Dragon's should fight claw to claw not like-." Garble's complaining was cut short when a black and blue winged demoness in flight came in and raked both her claws down his back, tearing at one of his wings. The red dragon roared in pain, part of his right wing torn and hanging.

By the time the Dragon Lord had turned all he could see were two legs and a tail disappear into the clouds of sulfur from the nearby volcanoes. He waited, senses reaching out and around until he felt the first touch of her claws at his other wing. "Fight me on the ground!"

The ache built in Ember and she snarled and had to use her wings to slow down and land. The damage was done, his command was one of his weapons. Gel's voice was in her ear. "Ember? Oh Celestia what… his words?" The dragoness nodded and Gel forced more of himself into her ears, sealing them against outside sounds. "Best I can do… oh, he is trying to tell you to take off your armor and surrender now."

Ember's ears felt stuffed and a little sore, but she certainly couldn't fault the pony for what he was doing. Lifting up a hand comically, she cupped it to the side of her head. "What was that? I couldn't hear you too well." Taunting the Dragon Lord was just too fun but she was suddenly having to dodge and move. Garble was on the offensive.

"He commanded her, that is cheating!" Rainbow Dash was angry and looked to Torch, the big dragon shook his head. "Aww come on, she totally had this in the bag…"

"She still might." Muffins pointed with a hoof. "Each time he reaches forward with his forelegs… arms, there, you see it? That twitch. His wings hurt really good." The alicorn rubbed her hooves together, she knew all too well how much pain can be used in a fight.

The problem was, for Ember, Garble had the reach of her and then some. "Dance." The word broke the silence. "Dance like this." Gel remembered the strange fighting that Muffins had used in the Crystal Empire. It was not designed for dragons of course, but he was feeling just how Ember was moving. The next time Garble's claw came in, Ember was astonished to feel herself gently cartwheel backwards out of it, her steel-lined feet raking up the underside of the dragon's arm.

"What… what was…" Ember felt the changeling around her teaching her, even in the middle of a fight, a strange new way to move. Movement was key, each time she felt a limb set in motion it had not only a target but purpose. Her wings beat lightly and pulled her out of reach of Garble's talons again and this time Ember needed no prompting to tilt and rotate, bringing her tail around to slap at his wrist.

Muffins' eyes widened as she felt her reserves pulled on. "Oh this is going to be-." She got no further when the scream of the Dragon Lord was heard.

The impact of the magically enhanced spikes threw Garble's clenched hand to the side and there was the sound of a snap.

Author's Note

Oh my, that is certainly going to hurt! But I bet it feels wonderful, right Celestia?

I bet Garble is realizing just how much Ember is willing to fight for not only their people, but ponies as well.

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