The group were standing on a platform that lowered them deep into the manufactorum as Spike began to wander how deep it was. As they went down into the heart of the manufactorum Ember turned to her friend who was smiling as she spoke.

“Since when do you smile,” She asked her usually grumpy friend, but she turned to her.

“Since I met Sandiel. He showed me what I was missing,” Sliver told Ember as her friend held a look of consuren.

“What did he show you,” That was when her smiling turned to a serious look.

“The weakness of flesh,” That caused to Ember to get a good look of her friend she hadn’t seen in almost a year, before she saw she had a metal eye and hands but as her friend rolled up her sleeve, she saw her entire arms had been replaced and the metal claws on her feet told her she had replaced those too.

“What has he done to you!” Ember shouted as the rangers looked to her not knowing if she was a threat...yet.

That was when Sliver raised her hands.

“Nothing I asked him to do this,” This caused ember to stop as she saw the truth in her friend’s eyes.

“W-why?”

She then told her what happened with the griffins that tried to rape her, she thought she could take them but they overpowered her. Sliver’s realty of her being strong enough to punch sure rock meant nothing now as some griffins could easily take her down. Ember heard of how she had to have her wing removed due to infection, but the rest were removed on her behalf to find true strength within blessed steel.

But one question stormed Ember’s mind.

“DO YOU REALISE YOU CAN’T HAVE KIDS NOW!” Ember shouted as Silver backed up slightly with a blush at the shout as the rangers turned away in embarrassment.

But sliver just smiled as she placed the tips of her metal claws together as she blushed slightly.

“Well I didn’t say that,” This caused Ember to tilt her head as her friend spoke. “I may have given myself to the Omnissiah but one day I want to have kids of my own so...I do still have it,”

Ember and spike blushed as she lifted her cloak to where her metal legs end half way through the thigh. She then dropped it as she turned to Ember with a smile but ember scold.

“Do you really want this for your kids?” Sliver looked at her. “To become soulless machines like these...things!”

Ember gestured to the rangers who backed up slightly, but dark walked up with a finger and was going to speak but Ember knew who the darkness was and pointed at him,

“You don’t count for that body is just a puppet for you right?” Dark ‘sighed and nodded, but then a ranger walked up.

“Lady ember we are not soulless,” She turned to the ranger with a snarl but the ranger didn't flinch for he knew no fear.

“I was once a play thing for female diamond dogs but lord Sandiel found me and showed me strength though steel,” The ranger spoke before going on. “Before this I was a scared pony now I’m apart of something greater and fear is something of a past memory,”

Then another ranger spoke up this one was changeling...a ‘black’ changeling, he then spoke. “I was one of the old ways of my people than to go with the new that was who I was. Master Sandiel found me alone and hungry and held out his hand to me,”

He then pulled down his hood to reveal the metal skull like head of the changed changeling before he spoke again.

“Now I never go hungry as I was given a ‘family’ of my very own,” Ember wanted as the skull then ‘smiled’ somehow.

Then another and another and another ranger told there tale dragons, griffins, hippogriffs, changelings, yaks, hell even some caribou were in the mix. Silver then slimed at her brothers and sister as she turned to Ember with a smile.

“When the day comes for my children to come into this world they will be safe here and when the day comes if they wish to leave than I’ll let them but they wish to become apart of the Omnissiah than I will let them be apart of the machine god. I will never take away their free will trust me Ember this place is where I want my kids to grow up,” She told her before Ember could say anything the lift stopped as Sliver turned behind her and waved for her friends to come with as Spike looked at Ember who looked back before he nodded.

Ember sighed as she walked forward with her old friend who smiled as she pulled up her hood as it had two holes for here horns as she led them to the forge. The two were awestruck at the design and the huge room that was the Forge it was slightly dark but they were dragons they could see in the dark. The light came from lamps and the hot steel that was being made, the two then saw Sandiel who was working on what seemed to be a smaller and different version of him.

(The space marines aren’t there...yet)

The two saw he had replaced his weapons for tools as the only weapon he held was his ax but it was in his third had as he worked on the foot of an ironclad dreadnought that he built himself. But as Sliver came closer she smiled as her boss turned to her for some reason Ember and Spike knew he smiled back as he placed down the foot and went over to them as he knelt down to their level.

“Sliver I’m glad you brought these two,” His eyes flicked as if making an expression of happen.

She gently punched his leg as she spread her METAL wings as she few in the air and landed on his knee as she crossed her arms.

“Well leave me as you took the pillars bodies really? I mean come on was that really necessary why couldn’t you have taken the bodies with you when you told them to come with?” The giant held out a finger.

“You know the drill Sliver I had to get the bodies back before there brains died and began the long process of there transformations into Servitors,” He told his closest friend but then he turned to the two dragons.

“Now for the reason why you two are here,” he spoke in a serious tone than the playful one that he had for Sliver.

“Yeah why did you bring me down here to kill me?” this caused his many eyes to go wide eyed as he shook his head.

“No no no no You got it all wrong I brought you her for something,” He the snapped his large metal hand (somehow) as a servo skull came down with a tray with a small bag on it. Ember looked at the bag and held it confused as she looked at it.

“And these are?” The giant then spoke.

“Seeds I had my servo skull scout out each kingdom and I saw yours was lacking in...the food department so I had these made. They’re genetically modified seeds that grow plants with fruits and vegetables that are made just for dragons,” The giant told her. “As I know you people are facing hunger correct,”

This caused spike to turn to his blue friend.

“What is he talking about?” Ember then sighed as she spoke.

“Our people are staring spike and not all dragons want to turn to cannibalism,” She spoke as Spike went wide eyed.

“What!? For how long,” He asked.

“When I put Smolder in the school,” Spike was wide eyed now.

“She doesn’t know does she,” Ember nodded sadly.

Spike then rubbed his fins on his head.

“This is heavy,” He then turned to Sandiel. “Ok then what do you want in return,”

Sandiel then nodded.

“Yes I need something in return for these,” Ember sighed.

“If you want gold I got a ton of it-” but Sandiel held out his hand.

“No, I don’t want anything that came be given I want to enter a part of your land,” He spoke as ember raised an eyebrow.

Ember gave an understanding look but also confused.

“OK you know your free to enter my land without any problem I know there are dragons that are really hungry but don’t worry they won't eat any creature like yourself your metal and all,” She spoke.

“I was asking if you may be our guide,” Ember blinked before rolling her shoulders and nodded.

“Well you are helping my people so I guess it's the least I can do but where do you want to go?” She asked.

As she did a servo skeleton with a griffin skull came down and in its left socket held a projector and it projected a map of the dragon lands (spike thought that was cool the map not the skull). Then a red dot appeared as the dragon lord raised an eyebrow.

“That's where you wanna go?” Sandiel nodded.

“Yes I have been receiving a faint signal coming from that cave,” He spoke in a claim tone “Is there something wrong with that?”

Ember shook her head before speaking.

“Nah the place is just full of rocks and other stuff but there is a story that a star fell into the volcano when it was young,” Ember spoke.

“A star? How long ago since it fell?” The dreadnought.

“Well the story dates back to before luna and Tia so...5,000 give or take,” The dreadnought held his chin.

“Damn. well it doesn’t hurt to check,” He then held out his hand for a handshake. “How about we meet in two weeks at you kingdom's boards for this little search expedition?”

She nodded taking his hand.

“Sure two weeks say here at this spot,” She pointed to a spot that overlooked the valley. “It a good spot for any of to wait,”

He then nodded.

“Two weeks from today at noon sound fair,” Ember smiled

“Yeah that sounds good,”

WIth that the data was set in place.

Author's Note

I'm back once again with more stories!