Soul of a Dragon

Luna’s mouth was agape. “Twilight, tell us you’re not serious.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t I be? Rarity will need somepony to defend her and prove it was Garble who’s been behind this.”

“But this is a bit much; even for you,” argued Luna.

“What choice do we have, princess?” inquired Spike. “You all admitted that you have no lawyer, and we need to prepare for the trial.”

“But we don’t know if there’s going to even be a trial!” shot Rainbow. “We haven’t heard anything from Ember or the Dragon Council since Rarity’s arrest. What’s to say they won’t let Rarity have a fair trial and just kill her?”

“You forgot that my sister is making sure that Rarity will be given a fair trial,” said Luna. “Tia would never allow one of her friends and subjects be sentenced without a proper trial.”

“You know what those dragons did, right?” asked Rainbow. “No offense, Princess, but they were ready to turn Ponyville upside down until they found Rarity.”

“Master Ash did promise he would let me know in a few days,” said Twilight.

“But what’s to stop them from changing their mind?”

“You need not worry, Rainbow,” assured Luna. “If anypony can defuse a situation like this, it’s my own sister.”

“I’m more wondering if Twilight and Spike are up to this,” said Starlight. “I don’t doubt they can do it, but maybe we should explore a few more options before you two go to court.”

“Starlight raises a good point,” said Luna. “Perhaps if I offer to go as an aid to one of the lawyers, it may change their mind.”

“You can’t!” Spike yelled as he slammed his fist on the table.

The group looked at the drake with shock on them.

The drake shrunk back a little. “Sorry,” he quickly said. “I just want to help Rarity and Ember out any way I can. With everything Twilight has told me, it’s got to be Garble who’s done this. I want to prove it to every dragon in the Lands.”

“Are you sure you two want to do this, Twilight?” asked Fluttershy.

The alicorn nodded. “I’m sure of it. Rarity is our friend, and I’m not going to leave her alone and helpless.”

“I’m with you, Twilight,” said Spike. “I want to help Rarity out too and see her again.”

Rainbow smirked. “So does that mean you still have the hots for–OOF!”

Applejack smacked Rainbow on the back of the head. “Not the time for that kind of stuff, sugarcube,” she scolded.

Spike looked away and shifted uncomfortably. “I admit I’m still upset at her and Ember, but that doesn’t mean I want to see Rarity suffer in jail. I want to help Ember too and prove that Garble was behind this.”

“Which is why Spike and I will take on Rarity’s defense and uncover the truth,” said Twilight. “We already have most of the pieces put together, so we just need to connect it all to Garble and expose him for what he’s done.”

“Twilight, if it’s true you and Spike want to save Rarity and be her lawyers, there’s one thing you’ve forgotten,” said Luna.

“That is?” wondered Spike.

“The bar exam.”

Spike’s eyes widened. “The bar exam?”

“It’s a test to see if you can qualify to practice law,” answered Luna. “Usually, you have to study law school for a couple years before taking it, but considering the circumstances, this is an exception.”

“Do we have to take that test?” wondered Spike.

Luna nodded. “I’ll explain things to the Bar Association tomorrow morning. Once they learn about the situation, they should allow this as a one time exception deal. So they should allow you take it. Once both of you are finished, I’ll have your badges made for you immediately.”

“We better get back to studying then, Spike,” said Twilight. “We’ll have to be ready first thing in the morning.”

“I would advise you come with me back to Canterlot,” suggested Luna. “I have no doubt your library has its fair share of law books, but the Royal Library will be more helpful.”

Twilight smiled. “Good idea, Princess.” She turned to Spike. “Get some stuff to pack up for an overnight trip.”

“You got it,” said Spike.

Twilight turned to her friends. “Girls, meet back here tomorrow afternoon and wait for me and Spike. By the time we come back, we should hopefully be ready to take on Rarity’s defense.”

Applejack put a hand on Twilight’s shoulder and smiled. “Good luck, sugarcube.”

“You got this, Twi,” assured Rainbow.

“Both of you do your best,” said Fluttershy.

“Work on your objection pose!” encouraged Pinkie.

Everypony looked at her with confused looks.

“What?” asked Pinkie. “It’s important for a lawyer to have the proper pose.”

Starlight shook her head and looked at Twilight. “We’ll be waiting for you and Spike. Just try not to make it one of your overnight reading sessions. I don’t think the Bar Association would appreciate you two falling asleep in the middle of the exam.”

“We got this, Starlight,” assured Spike. “Twilight’s done plenty of late night studying, and I’m guilty of staying up late myself.”

Luna looked at the clock to see it was a little after eight. “We better get going. You two will need all the time to study before this test tomorrow.”

“Right!” Spike and Twilight said in unison.

Spike began walking down the library corridor and narrowed his eyes. Hang on, Rarity and Ember. I’m coming to help!

Ember marched down the hall with a determined look on her. Down at the end of the hall were two dragons in black and gold armor standing in front of a door.

Found you at last, she thought.

As Ember approached, the guards put their spears in front of the door.

The dragoness glared at them. “Put those weapons away and get out of my way!” she ordered. “I need to see Master Ash immediately!”

“Lord Ember, forgive us, but we have orders to make sure Master Ash isn’t disturbed,” said a teal dragon. “He’s currently in a private meeting with someone.”

Ember raised a suspicious eyebrow. “Who exactly is it?” she inquired.

The guard shrunk back a little. “We didn’t get a look at them. All Master Ash told us was that he wasn’t to be disturbed until he came back out.”

Ember rolled her eyes. “Well too bad. I don’t care if Master Ash has the whole Dragon Council in there. This is something that can’t wait!”

“Lord Ember, we have our orders! We can’t just–”

The large, metal door opened. “What is going on out here!?”

Ember and the guards looked to see a disgruntled Ash glaring at them. The guards froze up in fear immediately, but Ember pushed past them.

“Master Ash, it’s time we had a talk,” she said, sternly.

Ash raised an eyebrow. “Can this wait, Lord Ember?” he asked. “I’m currently busy with other matters.”

“I know you are,” said Ember. “But this is something that can’t wait. It’s time to talk about what happened between me and Rarity.”

The elder dragon raised an eyebrow. “How interesting. That’s exactly what me and my guest are speaking about. If you could just come back later, we’ll talk more about it.”

“No!” stated Ember. “I don’t care who it is you’re talking to! It could be my dad and I wouldn’t care! You need to remember one thing; you may be the head of the Dragon Council, but you still answer to me, the Dragon Lord!”

Ash stepped back and was left speechless.

“You should listen to her, Master Ash,” said a gentle voice. “She is your leader after all.”

Ember’s furious expression faded and was replaced by a curious one. “Who is that?” she wondered.

Ash let out a sigh. “Come on in and I’ll show you.”

Ember went in and the door slammed shut. In front of the dragoness was a large marble table with various parchments stacked neatly, a small photo frame of what she could see of himself and Garble, and a small globe on the table. In front of the table were two large, velvet chairs and behind it one large, black chair.

“Please take a chair, Lord Ember,” said Ash. “Perhaps you can give some insight to our guest here.”

“What guest?” asked Ember.

“Someone who’s been looking forward to meeting you, Lord Ember.”

A tall figure rose from one of the chairs and turned to face the dragoness. Ember froze up and gasped.

“P–Princess Celestia?” she asked in awe.

The solar princess smiled softly. “I see you’re already familiar with who I am.”

Ember rubbed the back of her head. “Um, Twilight told me about you in some of her letters. She mentioned a lot about you and how great it would be for me to meet you.”

Celestia's smile faltered a little. “It’s true that it’s good to finally meet the new Dragon Lord. I just wish it was under better circumstances.”

Ember nodded. “I know, princess, but I’m here about what happened that day on the beach.”

“Funny you should mention that, Lord Ember,” said Ash. “Princess Celestia and I were discussing about the incident and the idea of a trial for Rarity.”

“Master, I’ve come here because there are things that I need to clear up about that.”

Ash raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me, Lord Ember, but what do you mean by that?”

“There’s some things you don’t know about, Master,” she replied. “You’ve been so busy questioning Rarity that you haven’t even allowed me to explain what happened.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Is this true, Master Ash?”

The elder dragon frowned. “I admit we’ve been asking Miss Rarity a lot about the incident, but we were going to request Lord Ember come and testify about her own side of the story. However, during her hearing with the Council, Miss Rarity plead guilty to causing the whole incident and assaulting Lord Ember.”

Ember frowned. “She plead guilty?”

Ash nodded. “She admitted to the crime after she saw those photos. She told us herself during her hearing. During her hearing, Miss Rarity brought up something very interesting between you and her, Lord Ember.”

Ember’s eyes widened. Looks like he knows.

“Something about a dispute between you two over Spike,” continued Ash. “Something about a love triangle.”

Ember looked away.

“I take it that means Miss Rarity was correct?”

The dragoness nodded. “She is, Master, and it’s for that reason that I’ve come to talk to you. The incident on the beach was partially because of that.”

Ash tilted his head. “Partially? What do you mean by that?”

Here goes nothing. Ember took a deep breath. “Master Ash, Rarity wasn’t the one who attacked me first on the beach.”

Ash had a confused look on him. “But she plead guilty to the crime.”

Ember shook her head. “You don’t understand, Master. I saw Rarity didn’t attack me first. I was the one who hit her first and instigated the fight.”

Ash flinched and looked like someone slugged him. “W–what!?”

Celestia had an equally shocked look on her. “Lord Ember, can you explain what exactly happened that day and what lead to it?”

Ember nodded. “Truth be told, this started way back on the first day I arrived in Equestria. It happened shortly after I arrived with Matches. We were both getting clothes made by Rarity, and…”

Ash and Celestia listened to Ember’s explanation. As Ember went on, Ash looked had a mixture of shock and anger on him. Celestia listened and kept a straight face while nodding.

“...and then Rarity was arrested before I could explain things to Master Ash, and now you all know the rest.”

Celestia rubbed her chin and nodded slowly. “I’m honestly shocked by your actions, Lord Ember. Doing something like this to one of my subjects, and a close friend of mine.”

Ember frowned in remorse. “I know what I did was stupid, but I never wanted things to get like this. I never intended to take things this far or hurt Rarity. I just let my frustrations with Rarity and jealousy get the best of me.”

The dragoness looked down in shame, but was surprised to see Celestia put a hand under her chin and lift it up. The solar alicorn smiled softly at her.

“Love can do a lot of weird things to us, Lord Ember,” she said. “It can mess with our emotions and cloud our judgement. I appreciate you coming out and telling both of us the truth. This has all been a big mess, but I expect you as Dragon Lord to help clean up this mess. If you truly want to have a new beginning between dragons and ponies, this would be a good first step.”

Ember nodded. “I understand, your highness.”

“Since this revelation has come up, I believe this changes a lot. Wouldn’t you agree, Master Ash?”

The elder dragon leaned over his desk and grimaced. “I don’t understand this. What I was told the other day now concerns me.”

“What were you told, Master?” wondered Celestia.

“I believe I know what he’s referring to,” interjected Ember. “It’s about what Garble said.”

“Garble?”

Ash nodded. “My grandson brought me these photos.” He held up a vanilla envelope. “He claimed that he witnessed Rarity starting a fight and assaulting Lord Ember. Now with this information, I don’t know what to think of it.”

“It’s the truth, Master,” said Ember.

Ash tapped his fingers together. “Lord Ember, forgive me if I’m reluctant to believe this. How do I know you aren’t just saying this just to cover Miss Rarity?”

Ember narrowed her eyes. “What did you say!?”

Ash held a hand up. “Hear me out. I understand your friendship with the ponies you made is important, but what’s to say you aren’t doing this just to save Miss Rarity? All we have is your word to go on this.”

“You don’t understand!”

“What I do understand is that you were attacked regardless, and this is something that can’t be overlooked. Miss Rarity must answer to what she’s done.”

Ember raised a fist and slammed it on the table. Celestia and Ash looked at Ember in shock.

“Enough!” she declared. “Master, I know you’ve been worried about what happened to me and how I was attacked, but this has got to stop!”

Ash narrowed his eyes. “Stop what exactly? Justice being delivered?”

“No! I mean you need to step back already and let me handle this! Ever since you learned of this incident, you’ve taken control of everything without letting me tell you what happened! You’ve been pushing Rarity without letting me get a word in! You’ve gone around acting like you’re the Dragon Lord and I’m not! You even sent in your own army to ‘rescue’ me!”

Ash shook his head. “Lord Ember, you have to understand that there’s a reason I had to step up and do all this!” he argued. “You were attacked and as head of the Dragon Council, I had to do something!”

“Including sending an army to Ponyville?” asked Ember. “How many did you say you have?”

Ash was flummoxed and muttered quietly.

“I think I remember correctly,” said Celestia. “Twilight told me it was a large army that threatened to burn Ponyville down.”

“I’ll tell you exactly what he said,” said Ember. “He said, and I quote, ‘brought an army big enough to burn this village to ashes’ to Twilight.”

Celestia narrowed her eyes at Ash. “Is this true, Master Ash?” she demanded in an icy tone. “I knew you had brought some of your forces to Ponyville, but you were threatening to burn the town down?”

Ash slammed his hand on the desk. “I never gave the order to burn Ponyville down!” he shouted in a frustrated voice. “I ordered my forces to rescue Ember and capture Rarity for what she did! That whole thing was just an intimidation tactic to make Princess Twilight tell me where Miss Rarity was!”

“But did you need to do that!?” inquired Ember. “Did you really need to go that far!?”

Ash bit his lip.

“If you were so concerned about me, why didn’t you just come yourself?” asked Ember. “I understand you were worried about me, but you went too far in what you did.”

Ash leaned back in his chair. “What exactly was I supposed to do, Lord Ember?” he asked. “You were attacked, I saw the photos, and immediately had to spring to action. I had no idea how much danger you were in, so I had to rally my forces to come to your rescue. I admit, I may have gone overboard with how many I brought, but I couldn’t risk it. I had no choice but to send in the cavalry.”

Ember sighed. “It doesn’t excuse everything else you’ve done. You may be head of the Dragon Council, but you’ve forgotten that I’m the Dragon Lord, and that you have to answer to me for your own actions. Even if it was for the best intentions, I can’t overlook this.”

The elder dragon leaned over his desk and frowned. “I...I understand, Lord Ember. I was just worried about what had become of you. You’re the Dragon Lord, and I couldn’t just stand by after seeing those photos. I had to do something, and I felt the only way to do so was to bring Miss Rarity in to answer for her crimes.”

“I know you must have had the best intentions in protecting your leader,” said Princess Celestia. “But to go as far as sending a large army and take Rarity like that is no excuse.”

Ember nodded. “She’s right, Master Ash. Once this over, I believe I’ll let Princess Celestia decide your punishment for what you’ve done. Does that sound good to you, your highness?”

The alicorn nodded. “I accept it. I’ll be sure to include the soldiers he sent to Ponyville as well to be punished for their actions.”

Ash looked forlorn as he let out a sigh. “Very well, Lord Ember. I’ll accept whatever punishment Princess Celestia has in store once this is all over.”

“Speaking of that, I know you’ve been discussing about the possibility of a trial for Rarity,” said Ember. “Well there’s no need for debate. There will be a trial.”

“There will be?” asked Ash. “But the facts are clear though that Rarity assaulted you. She even plead guilty to it.”

“There are three reasons for this, Master,” said Ember. “First, I told you that I started the fight when I first hit Rarity. She was never the one who instigated it.”

“But that contradicts what Garble told me. What does this even mean?”

“That’s the other reason. Garble’s claims now come into question. He needs to explain why he said he saw Rarity first struck me.”

“What’s this third reason?” wondered Celestia.

Ember narrowed her eyes. “This is the most important one of all. What were Garble’s movements during his time in Equestria?”

Ash’s eyes widened. “His movements in Equestria?”

“Master, think about it,” urged Ember. “What exactly was Garble doing in Equestria?”

“He said he was looking out for you,” replied the elder dragon.

“But is that really true?”

Ash said nothing.

“Even you have to admit some things just don’t add up. He was doing this out of concern? I don’t buy it for a moment. You know he’s been against this whole alliance since the start and hates ponies.”

“That’s hardly a reason to question him though,” argued Ash. “There are dragons out there who feel the same way about this alliance.”

“If he was so concerned about me, then why didn’t he go to you and ask if he could secretly keep an eye on me? Garble never did tell you about any of this to you, did he?”

Ash froze up.

“You understand now, Master Ash?” inquired Ember. “There’s too many questions to Garble’s story that’s not adding up. It’s for this reason we need to call into question his so called ‘heroic’ actions. I know I’m not the only one who’s questioning his movements. Princess Twilight and her friends don’t believe he was doing this out of concern either.”

The elder dragon leaned back and said nothing. He looked down with a grim look on him.

“Master, whether you like it or not, there will be a trial,” said Ember, firmly. “You said it yourself that you didn’t want to rush to judgement. You probably want to know the full truth.”

Ash slowly nodded. “You’re correct, Lord Ember.”

“Good. As Dragon Lord, I’ll preside over the case as judge and make sure things are run fair around there.”

“Hold it, Lord Ember,” objected Ash. “With all due respect, you do have some bias about Miss Rarity. I fear you would purposefully lead the case to favor her.”

“I assure you that won’t happen, Master,” said Ember.

Ash frowned. “I’m not sure about this, Lord Ember. How do I know you aren’t going to try and manipulate everything in favor of the defense?”

“I told you that won’t happen, Master. I want the truth as much as you do. While I will serve as the judge, the Dragon Council will act as the jury in this case and decide on a verdict after hearing arguments from both sides.”

“What if the rest of the Council objects to this?”

“They can complain to me all they want, but I won’t change my mind,” stated Ember. “It’s my job to help uncover the truth about this incident. I want to ensure a fair trial will be held. Do I make myself clear?”

Ash said nothing for a moment, and then reluctantly nodded. “Very well then. Since this is your first time presiding over a case, I must warn you, Lord Ember. You can’t show any favoritism towards Miss Rarity or to the prosecution.”

“I understand fully, Master. Now can I trust you in finding a suitable prosecutor for the case?”

“It shall be done, my Lord.”

“Princess Luna should’ve found a lawyer by now,” said Celestia. “I think it’s best that I return to Canterlot and inform her of this news.”

An idea clicked in Ember’s head. “There’s one last thing I’d like to do, Princess Celestia.”

The alicorn smiled at her. “What is it?”

The dragoness grabbed a parchment paper and a quill from Ash’s desk. “Master Ash promised to let Princess Twilight know about if there would be a trial or not. Do you think you can give this letter to her first thing in the morning?” She wrote on the parchment quickly and handed it over to the solar princess.

Celestia took the note and read it. She nodded rolled the paper up. “I’ll do something better” Her horn lit up and the letter disappeared.

Ember raised an eyebrow. “What did you do?”

“I sent it to Spike,” replied Celestia. “It’s how I used to send Twilight letters back and forth. I just hope Spike doesn’t mind this one exception after all these years.”

Ember raised an eyebrow. “That’s interesting. I never knew Spike used to be Twilight’s personal mailbox.”

Celestia chuckled a little.

Ember turned to Ash. “Inform the Dragon Council about this trial. I expect them to listen to both sides and come up with a fair decision based on what both the defense and prosecution has to say.”

“Understood, Lord Ember.”

“While you’re at it, let Garble know he’s going to appear as a witness. It’s time he told us the whole truth about his trip into Equestria and what he was really up to.”

Ash stood up. “Lord Ember, I do have a question about this.”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you suspect Garble is lying?”

Ember said nothing.

Ash narrowed his eyes. “You do, don’t you? You think my own grandson fabricated this whole thing to make himself some sort of hero?”

“His story contradicts what I’ve told you, Master,” assured Ember. “I’m sure even you have to admit that something isn’t right about what Garble’s done. I think he owes us all an explanation as to what he was doing in Equestria at the time leading up to my fight with Rarity.”

Ash looked down.

“Master, I promise you this much,” said Ember. “If it’s proven he didn’t do anything wrong, he’ll be let go. Do you understand?”

The elder dragon nodded slowly. “Yes, my Lord.”

“Good. I’ll leave you with finding a prosecutor for the case then. I’ll be back tomorrow evening to check on you.”

Ash smirked a little. “I already have an idea as to who to get.”

Ember and Celestia looked at each other with concerned looks on them.

“If you say so, Master,” said Ember. “Just be sure to see if they can do it.”

“Of course, Lord Ember.” Ash walked over and opened the door. “I need a little time to prepare for what I need to tell the Council. If you don’t mind, I’d like a little privacy.”

“We’ll leave you to it,” said Ember as she exited the room.

Celestia smiled at Ash. “Goodbye, Master Ash. Don’t forget about our deal.”

Ash bowed. “I won’t, your highness.”

Ember and Celestia walked out the room and the door shut. The two walked down the hallway a little bit. The dragoness turned back briefly at Ash’s door and frowned.

I’m sorry, Master, she thought to herself. You’re going to have to learn the truth the hard way.

She turned around and went around the corner, but before Ember could continue, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Celestia frowning at her. The alicorn gestured her head to the left. Ember looked over and saw a door next to it.

“You want to talk alone, don’t you?” asked Ember.

The princess nodded in response.

Ember walked over and pushed open the door to see a room similar to where she met Matches earlier. Only it had a large window with the moonlight shining in. Celestia walked in and shut the door.

The alicorn crossed her arms. “You know it’s him, don’t you?”

Ember was taken aback by the sudden way Celestia spoke. “What?”

“You believe it’s Garble,” said Celestia. “You know he’s behind what lead to this.”

Ember gulped a little. “How did you know?”

“Master Ash told me about what Garble did,” she answered. “He said his grandson was concerned about your visit to Equestria and secretly kept an eye on it. Considering what Twilight has told me of Garble’s actions in the past I had my suspicions, but you confirmed them in what you told Master Ash.”

“So you already know about Garble’s true colors.”

“Indeed I do. What I want to know from you is how you came to such a conclusion.”

Ember looked down and looked uncomfortable.

“You can trust me, Ember,” assured Celestia. “I want to know the truth too.”

The dragoness looked at Celestia. “Truth be told, I already had my suspicions the day that Rarity was arrested, but Master Ash was so furious about what happened, he didn’t listen to me. Ever since I’ve come back home, I’ve suspected Garble that he was somehow behind this.”

“Do you have proof he did it?” wondered Celestia.

“No, your highness,” replied Ember. “Garble actually confessed to me.”

Celestia’s eyes widened. “What did you say?”

“I said he confessed.”

“I don’t understand. What made him do this? Guilt?”

Ember rolled her eyes. “Not even close. I was having a private talk with Rarity and we decided to finally put the feud between us to an end. Garble eavesdropped on us and he admitted what he had done to both me and Rarity.”

Celestia rubbed her chin. “This doesn’t make sense. Why did he bother telling you this?”

“Because he knows I’ve got no evidence to prove he sabotaged this visit,” answered Ember. “As much as I hate to admit it, he’s right. I don’t have any evidence except for his word.”

“So he just did it to spite you.”

“It wasn’t just me. It was to rub it in Rarity and Spike’s face. He’s got us all right where he wants us. He believes there’s nothing we can do.”

“Do you really believe that, Ember?” wondered Celestia.

Ember narrowed her eyes. “Of course not. I know for a fact he’s not invincible. No dragon goes through all this and doesn’t leave behind an evidence trail. It’s why I’m hoping Twilight and her friends will find some evidence to prove it.”

“I’m sure they’re doing the best they can, Ember,” assured Celestia.

Ember kicked her foot lazily and had a concerned look on her. “Princess, can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead,” answered the alicorn.

“Have you ever had to deal with something like this before?”

Celestia frowned. “I’ve seen a lot in my time as ruler of Equestria, Ember, but nothing like this.”

The dragoness looked down. “I was kind of hoping you could give me some advice. You know; between rulers?”

“What I can offer you is this. Trust in your friends to help you in this time of need. You do trust the friends you made in Ponyville, right?”

“Of course I do! Why wouldn’t I? Twilight herself told me she would find proof of Garble’s actions.”

Celestia put a hand on Ember’s shoulder and smiled. “Then you don’t have to worry. Twilight and her friends have always been able to overcome many obstacles and come out on top.”

“I wonder if any of them have ever had to do something involving a trial though,” said Ember.

“You have to be careful, Ember,” cautioned the princess. “I know you want to expose Garble, but since you’re going to be the judge for the trial, you have to be neutral in these procedures.”

Ember nodded. “I’m aware of that, your highness. As much as I want to help out, the burden of finding proof and proving it was Garble lies on Twilight and her friends. I just hope they’re up to it.”

“I’ll have to check in on Twilight in the morning. In the meantime–”

Celestia’s words were cut off as a green flame flashed in the room and a scroll dropped to the ground.

Ember looked at it with a bewildered look. “Is that a message from Spike?”

“It is,” confirmed Celestia. She bent over and picked up the scroll. “I didn’t think Twilight would respond so fast.”

She pulled open the scroll and her eyes moved across the paper. Celestia’s eyes suddenly widened as she read the paper, and let out a gasp.

“Oh, my,” said the alicorn in a surprised tone. “I didn’t expect this.”

“Expect what?” wondered Ember. “Is something wrong?”

Celestia rolled up the scroll. “I’m sorry, Ember, but I must leave at once. Something has come up and I need to get back to Canterlot at once.”

“What’s going on? Are you sure nothing is wrong?”

Celestia opened her mouth, but quickly shut it and shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I have to keep this a secret for the time being. There’s one thing I must ask that you do for me please.”

“What is it?”

“Tell Rarity about the trial coming up, and for her to hang on a little longer. We’re coming to save her.”

Ember nodded. “I will, your highness.”

“Just call me Celestia,” said the alicorn with a smile.

Ember smiled back. “Right, you–...um, Celestia. I’ll send a message to you as soon as I get word on when the trial will be.”

“I’ll be waiting,” said the princess. “In the meantime. Prepare yourself, Ember. A lot is going to happen in these next few days, and it’ll shape things between Equestria and the Dragon Lands. It’ll be up to you to help improve things between our two kingdoms.”

Ember bowed. “I won’t let what Spike worked so hard for be for nothing. I helped make this mess, and it’s time to finally make things right again.”

“I’m sure that whatever Twilight and her friends found, it will prove Garble’s actions. Whatever they find, Master Ash will have no choice but to accept the truth; no matter how harsh it is.”

“I just hope they’re ready for a tough fight,” said Ember. “Whoever Master Ash finds as the prosecutor, they’ll no doubt put up a fight.”

Master Ash looked out the window of his office and watched the full moon shine down upon the desolate wasteland. In the distance, he saw some volcanoes erupt and shoot out lava and ash. He narrowed his eyes and turned his chair around back to his desk. His eyes fell upon the picture of him and Garble together and he picked it up. Ash had a small smile on his face in the photo while Garble looked uninterested as they stood in front of his desk.

“What did you want to talk to me about, old man?”

Ash put the photo down and let out a sigh. He looked up to see Garble slouching in the chair with an irritated look on him. “There’s a lot of things to talk about, boy, and quit calling me that. There’s been a development in Lord Ember’s assault this past hour.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Ash took a deep breath. “Garble, you need to tell me the truth about what happened in Equestria.”

The drake raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean ‘tell the truth?’ I’ve told you everything, and even showed you photos of that pony’s crime.”

“Not according to Lord Ember,” Ash rebutted. “She came in and told me that it was her who started the fight with Rarity; not the other way around.”

“What?”

“I want the truth from you, Garble. Are you sure it was Miss Rarity who attacked Lord Ember first?”

Garble smirked. “I remember it perfectly. That no good pony did it. Ember’s just trying to save her flank. Why she would do that, I have no idea.”

Ash leaned back in his chair. “For your sake, Garble, you better be right. You’ve been summoned to be the witness at Miss Rarity’s trial.”

Garble narrowed his eyes. “What!?” he yelled. He rose out of his seat and slammed his hand against the table. “What in Tartarus are you talking about, old man!? We don’t need a trial!”

“Lord Ember herself ordered the trail, boy!” Ash shot back. “She’s brought up some points about what happened, and it does warrant further investigating.”

“Those claims can be thrown out easily,” argued Garble. “Does she have any proof?”

“No. I only have her word to go on.”

“But you have all the proof you need to prove that pony’s guilt! I even went out of my way to get proof those ponies were up to no good with those photos!”

Ash leaned forward. “That reminds me of something. Lord Ember brought up a very good point that I believe you need to answer.”

“Go ahead.”

The elder dragon glared. “What were you doing in Equestria up until the incident?”

Garble flinched a little. “W–what did you say?”

“You were in Equestria for nearly a week, but what were you doing all that time?”

“I already told you that I was keeping an eye on Ember.”

Ash raised an eyebrow. “Without telling me or the Dragon Council?”

Garble pulled his shirt collar and chuckled weakly. “Hey, slow down there for a moment, old man. I did tell you all...eventually.”

“Why did you hide this from me? Garble, please tell me you didn’t do anything wrong. I want to believe you were doing this for the good of the Dragon Lands, but there’s still a lot of questions remaining.”

Garble crossed his arms and smiled confidently. “Of course you can trust me. Have I ever proven you wrong?”

Ash glared at Garble.

The drake waved a hand. “Okay, bad choice of words, but this time you can believe me. Besides,” he grabbed the vanilla folder and held it up, “these photos are proof of Rarity’s guilt and that I did it out of the goodness of my heart.”

The room fell silent as Ash looked at the smug look on Garble’s face. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. Garble stared at him, continuing to force his smile at the elder dragon.

After a minute, Ash opened his eyes again. “I’ve decided.”

“Decided what?”

Ash put his hand on his desk drawer and pulled it open. “Garble, for your sake, you better be telling me the truth,” he warned. “When the trial happens, you’ll have to put these doubts to rest with your testimony.”

“You can count on me.”

“I hope I can trust you this time, Garble. If you’re speaking the truth, then you have nothing to worry about. Now, on to the matter of one last thing Lord Ember requested.”

“A request?” asked Garble.

Ash pulled out a small black box and placed it on the desk. “Yes. Lord Ember asked me to find a suitable prosecutor for the trial. I think I know exactly who to get.”

A sinister smile started to form on Garble’s face. “You don’t mean…”

The elder dragon nodded. “Yes, it’s time to bring it back again.”

The box opened and Garble beamed with delight as he looked inside the box.

Ember, Twilight, you two idiots don’t know what you’ve gotten yourselves into.