Author's Note

Re-edited to remove grammar errors.

Chapter One: The Forge

Pitch black smoke spewed forth from the mouth of Mount Tiamat, choking the light out of the midday sun. The burning ashes from the ever increasing volcanic activity across the equestrian dragon lands would no doubt cause permanent damage to the environment in the years to come. But this was still better than the alternative, considering everything Lord Ember had seen. The aquamarine blue dragon marched across hastily constructed stone bridges, glancing over each of the volcanic forge pits to ensure that the production of weapons and armour remained on schedule.

Just as she passed the sixth forge in the alternating row of twelve, a bulky, bipedal green dragon who stood no taller than the average pony suddenly started to feel feint, dropping his smithing tools as he stumbled over backwards. Unfurling her wings, Ember leapt into a glide to catch her fallen comrade before he could hit the ground. There had already been one tragic accident not three days ago where an exhausted dragon had fallen into the lava below; a scenario that the newly crowned princess did not want to repeat.

Grabbing the emerald tarragon, Ember flapped her wings in rapid succession, gradually lowering herself and her comrade to the floor. “Take it easy, friend,” she said softly, waving her free hand to signal down the guards to her location.

“I'm...sorry...my Lord...” the adolescent male said in a weak voice, before breaking out into series of painful sounding coughs. “I cannot go on...”

“Say no more, young one,” Ember shushed the fallen dragon before he could speak another word. “Save your strength, and focus on getting better. Everything will be fine.”

The sickly reptile gave his ruler a nervous smile as the guards lifted him up to take him to medical attention. Ember didn't doubt for a second that the blacksmith's brave face was little more than a facade. Had Ember's predecessor—her father, Lord Torch—still been in charge, he would have almost certainly put the sickly dragon to death for little more than damaging his crafting tools. “No room for weakness,” he had always told his daughter. “Might makes right, that is all that is needed to survive.”

While Ember recalled this message being drilled into her head from an early age, she had always assumed that the runts among any dragon hatchlings had simply been exiled; forced to find their own means of survival away from the protection of the cut-throat dragon flights. Ember was not exactly a large dragon herself, being noticeably slenderer in figure and small in size compared to other female dragons of her age. She had claimed the right to rule through obtaining the dragon sceptre, a magnificent heirloom that represented the might of her people, considering the ruthless gauntlet they had to go through to win it. However, Ember had not won alone; she had been aided every step of the way by one baby dragon named Spike.

If someone had told her just one year prior that she was destined to make alliances with Ponies of all creatures, she would have laughed in their face. An alliance between dragons and ponies? How absurd! Ponies were puny creatures, spending their days drinking tea and making friends, relying on the magic of their rulers in order to keep them safe from the threats of the outside world. Any pony who would became separated from their own kind would have no chance of survival in the dragon lands.

Ember sighed and shook her head. How naïve she had been back then. Back then, the Dragon Lord thought to herself, Ha! As if it was all that long ago. The legacy of my father is still a very recent memory. I must do everything I can do undo the damage he caused to everyone under his reign. Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to the rest of the workers, many of whom were looking back and forth between one another, looking visibly shaken about what they had just witnessed.

“Eyes front, all!” Ember announced with a strong tone of authority in her voice. “We cannot let production slack! The plagueling army marches towards our lands as we speak. Every day they cover more ground, infecting all that they touch with their pestilence. The more dragons we can have armed by the time they arrive, the more we will have to cut them down in their tracks! You are the ones who are responsible for crafting the finest weapons and armour in Equestria, far stronger than even the thickest dragon scales! Friends, are you with me?”

An ecstatic cheer rang throughout the forge, leading straight into the furious rhythm of pounding hammers on metal. Giving all the working dragons one more quick look over to ensure no others were starting to fall ill from the volcanic fumes, Ember breathed a sigh of relief. The lessons she learned from her visit to Ponyville shortly after she inherited the throne were paying off well enough. There could be nopony better than Rainbow Dash to learn from when it came to inspiring speeches to make her people's spirits soar. No wonder she was a prime candidate for joining the Wonder Bolts!

Speaking of Ponies, Ember recalled that Princess Twilight Sparkle was expected to be done with her anatomy research by now. Though she understood very few of the technical details that the lavender Alicorn would rattle off, the number one assistant to the Princess of Friendship was always close behind to give a quick translation. If anything was going to give her an advantage over the monsters that had been attacking her kingdom, understanding their biology to make sure they died quickly was going to be her best bet.