Burning Passionby PonyPixelChaptersA Reasoned to be SummonedBeing Around DragonsCrushedA Reasoned to be Summoned“Okay, let’s try this again,” Shimmy Shake said. Yona and Dotta started stomping on the ground as Shimmy Shake and Lighthoof jumped along to it. Smolder and Peridot flew into the air with Silverstream and Tarsi following behind while carrying bags of confetti. Ocellus took a deep breath before shouting. “Listen up, hear us out, we here to cheer! Tell us why you’re all here.” “V-I, C-T-O, R-Y!” Grace cried joining in. “Victory, let’s hear your cry!” With that, the two mares flipped in between the yaks. The dragons blew out smoke as Silverstream and Tarsi released the confetti from their bags. Grace and Ocellus flew backward, with the griffon landing in the middle of the third row of the forming pyramid. Ocellus and Tarsi landed on each side of her. They held their arms up to hold up Smolder and Peridot. The dragons then did the same for Silverstream. They all struck a pose as Shimmy Shake and Lighthoof started to struggle to keep them up. “Okay... Girls,” Lighthoof groaned. “Take five.” The creatures got to the floor and the mares collapsed from exhaustion. “I knew we should’ve been on the bottom,” Peridot sighed. “It’s okay,” Shimmy Shake panted. “We’re still getting used to this.” “Yeah, that was our best one yet,” Silverstream cheered. “I know,” Grace agreed. “I can’t wait to show the other students what we can do.” “What can you do?” Gallus asked, much to the cheerleaders’ surprise. He and Sandbar walked in. “We were coming in to see how you were doing,” Sandbar explained, walking up to Yona. “Yaks doing great,” Yona said happily. “Yaks are,” Dotta greed. “Friends can’t wait to perfect pyramid.” “Oh, boy, here we go,” Smolder groaned. “What’s the problem?” Gallus asked. “Dotta loves the sound of her voice.” “Yak also love snow,” Dotta spoke, “Though leaves aren’t so bad. Wish winter would come sooner.” Her mouth was now starting to talk a mile a minute. “She’s going to be doing that for a while,” Sandbar observed, “Is she?” “Yona tried to get Dotta to stop before,” Yona answered. The much quieter yak nuzzled against her boyfriend. “Ah, their love is nice,” Tarsi sighed. “Yeah, it tastes nice,” Ocellus agreed. “You can taste love?” Peridot asked. “Well, yeah.” “What does it taste like?” “It varies,” Ocellus explained. “There’s the love between parent and child, friends, or between a couple like Sandbar and Yona.” “Interesting,” Smolder commented. “It’s so cute to see a couple like them together,” Silverstream cooed. Smolder didn’t reply to this and just sighed quietly as she looked towards Ocellus. Suddenly, the spines on her head started to glow. Most of the cheerleaders gasped. “What’s going on?” Lighthoof asked. “Is Dragon Lord Ember summoning her?” Peridot questioned. “Sandbar glow too,” Yona added. The pony’s cutie mark was glowing just like the dragon’s spines. “The spirit must be calling you,” Silverstream cooed. “Spirit?” Peridot questioned. “I thought you were just being summoned by Dragon Lord Ember.” Suddenly, a copy of Sandbar’s cutie mark and an image of Smolder’s head floated into the air and then through a window. The students followed them to the castle and inside until they got to the room with the map. The cutie mark and head image were floating around in circles above the Dragon Lands. “What’s this?” Dotta asked. “It’s the map of Equestria,” Ocellus explained. “Our professors get called by this when there’s a friendship mission.” “Unless it’s a false alarm from Discord,” Gallus informed. “Don’t remind us,” Sandbar shivered. “So, we’re heading the dragon lands.” “Yeah,” Smolder said. “I’ll get to see Garble again.” “How are you going to get there?” Shimmy Shake asked. “That’s nowhere near the railroad and Sandbar can’t fly.” “I think I know a way.” In the Dragon Lands, a part of a stone wall was being pushed out of place. Smolder, Sandbar, and Fluttershy pushed the stone slab to the side, feeling a little tired. “Thanks... For coming... With us... Professor... Fluttershy,” Sandbar panted. “No problem,” Fluttershy replied. “It’ll be nice to see how those baby dragons have grown. I’m a little confused about how those tunnels have just formed.” “It’s a little confusing,” Smolder admitted, “But we’re here now. Let’s just find our problem.” The three walked around, find the area much warmer than Ponyville was. “Do you ever get snow around here?” Sandbar asked. “Not really. We basically live around volcanos. Cold weather isn’t an issue we deal with around here.” The sound of a crying baby was now starting to be heard. “Oh dear,” Fluttershy sighed. “Where is that coming from?” They walked towards the crying sound to find Garble with some of his friends, with the purple one holding a crying baby. “Okay, I give up,” the dragon groaned. “I tried feeding him some crushed gems, there isn’t a scratch on him. Why is he crying?” “Spear, calm down,” Garble said. “Would you like some help?” Fluttershy asked while walking towards them. “Fluttershy? What are you doing here?” “The gave some of our students a call.” “Which ones?” “Who do you think, Gar-Gar?” Smolder asked. “Smolder.” The brother and sister walked towards each other to give each other a fist bump. However, Garble left the baby on the ground, and it was still crying. He turned towards the pegasus. “Please help.” Fluttershy walked over to the crying baby. “Don’t cry,” she said softly. She gently picked it up and gave a soft hug. The crying lessened until the baby hugged her back. “Don’t you have anything soft around here?” “Softest thing we have here is gravel,” a green and gray dragon answered. “Baff’s right,” Garble said. “We don’t really have anything soft for us to lie on around here.” “No wonder this little one’s upset,” Fluttershy gasped. “There has to be something around here.” “You can take a look if you want,” Spear said. “You’re the only one who’s gotten that kid to stop crying.” “Could you show me to his mother?” “I’ll lead the way. He’s my brother.” Spear and Fluttershy flew away, as Baff decided he wanted to follow, leaving Garble with his sister. “So, how’s school treating you?” he asked. “Just fine,” Smolder replied. “Do you remember Sandbar?” She gestured over to the pony. “Oh, that’s right. The pony of the group. I honestly thought you were the hippogriff. Are that what those things called?” “Yeah,” Sandbar replied. “You’re probably thinking of Silverstream.” “Right. What was Fluttershy saying about a map bringing you here?” “It’s a bit weird,” Smolder said. “Some of our friends were called by it before. I don’t know why it took so long for it to call us. We’re looking for a friendship problem.” “Oddly specific. Let’s just fly around until we find what you’re looking for.” “But I can’t fly,” Sandbar said. “That’s where I come in.” Garble picked the pony up and took off into the air. “Whoa, easy!” “Relax, I’m not going to drop you. Besides, this really isn’t the safest place for a pony.” “He’s got a point,” Smolder said. Pointing to the ground, she showed her friend the various cliffs and pools of lava. “Fair point,” Sandbar commented, “But look for something like... Dragons arguing.” “If that’s what you were looking for the map would’ve told you to move here,” Garble said. “Didn’t many of them start getting along better since Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow were defeat?” “Sort of. The older ones are pretty stubborn.” “How about we ask Dragon Lord Ember?” Smolder suggested. “Sounds like a good idea,” Sandbar agreed. “That might be a little challenging,” Garble stated. His sister and her friend looked confused. “I don’t know why but she’s been a little cranky lately.” “I’m not sure if I should be happy we’re getting closer to our problem, or worried about getting close to an angry dragon.” They flew around until they found the Dragon Lord. Ember was standing on a ledge to look over the land. “Hey, Ember,” Smolder called as she landed behind her. “Huh? Smolder?” Ember questioned. “Shouldn’t you be at school?” “Before you ask, I was given orders to come here. Along with Sandbar.” “Hi,” the colt said after Garble let him go. “Okay,” Ember said, “And Garble?” “I was just giving him a ride,” he stated. “We’re looking for a friendship problem,” Sandbar explained. “Have any of the dragons been causing trouble here?” “I’ve heard that Fizzle’s been pretty quiet lately.” “He’s usually like that,” Smolder said. “Well, you go check on him. If you’re supposed to fix a friendship problem, go find it!” “Alright, you don’t have to shout.” The two students walked off. Garble got a look from the Dragon Lord, signaling he should go to. “Your brother wasn’t kidding,” Sandbar said. “I don’t remember her just scream like that,” Smolder replied. “She usually has a good reason. The spirit didn’t summon all of us, so it can’t be something supernatural.” “Let’s start with that Fizzle guy. You know what he looks like?” “He’s about as tall as Garble, white, and has some pink spines. He should be nearby. Fizz? Fizzle!” They carried on until they came across the dragon they were looking for. Fizzle was hanging out near a pool of lava only with another drake. This drake had green scales, orange horns pointing upwards, a dark green chest with purple wings and rose-colored eyes. “I could’ve sworn I’ve seen you before,” Fizzle said. “I’ve might’ve flown around a few times,” the drake said. “Fizzle,” Smolder called, grabbing the dragon’s attention. “Smolder?” the white drake replied. “I got called here. Ember said you were having some trouble with something.” “Not at the moment. Though, you think you could help me with this guy? I think I’ve seen him before.” The mysterious dragon looked to be nervous based on his expression and sweat. “He has a point,” Sandbar commented. “He looks very familiar.” “I... Um... Passed by a couple of times,” the drake said nervously. Smolder and Sandbar looked at each other before they started figuring things out. “You wouldn’t happen to be...” “Hey, what’s that!?” The drake pointed at something, making Smolder, Sandbar, and Fizzle turn around. This left the drake enough time to fly off. “I can’t believe we fell for that,” Smolder groaned. “Yeah, he got Clump too,” Fizzle told. “We have no idea where he came from.” “Well, do you have any problem we can help with?” Sandbar asked. “Aside from that guy, nothing.” “Welp, thanks anyway,” Smolder said. “Come on, Sandy.” The two walked off, leaving Fizzle to himself. “What’s that guy usually like?” Sandbar asked. “Like Garble, his actually pretty nice. Just pure pressure from some bullies.” “Speaking of which, was Clump one of them?” “He’s gotten better. His family is huge. Like... Huge.” “Wait, there’s that drake again.” He pointed to where the mysterious dragon was, flying around in the air as if he was looking for something. Smolder promptly dragged her friend under a cliff before he could see them. “Okay, as soon as he takes off, we’ll follow him,” she said. “You sure about that?” “Fizzle doesn’t know where he came from. He has to be something else.” “What are you talking about?” “Who else do you think has those colors?” “I... I thought it could be, but I didn’t see a good reason why.” The dragon then flew off. Sandbar got picked up by his friend, and they took off after him. “We just came back this way.” “You know this place better than I do, so I’m going to take your word for it. Where’s he going?” They followed behind and made sure not to get spotted. When the drake landed, he looked to be to hyperventilating. “What’s wrong with him?” Once they landed behind him, Ember walked up to the drake. “Princess... Ember,” the drake stuttered. “Where were you?” the Dragon Lord asked. “I was... Busy back home. My brother’s getting tired of taking my place.” Smolder and Sandbar looked towards each other. “That does sound like him,” Sandbar whispered. “But we would he come here?” “Who cares?” Smolder replied, “I’m asking.” She flew up the cliff, taking the older dragons by surprise. “Weren’t you with Fizzle?” the drake questioned. “I’m more curious about who this is.” “I’m the Dragon Lord,” Ember said, trying to change the subject. “Uh, guys,” Sandbar called. The tree turned to the colt who was struggling to get up the cliff. “Oop, sorry,” Smolder apologized. She walked over to help her friend when they heard a flash. After getting the pony back on the cliff, the green drake was gone again. In his place, was a rock with... Eyes? The rock tried to close them, but the students weren’t buying it. Ember groaned in defeat. “Come on Thorax,” she sighed, “You’re caught.” A sigh came from the rock as there was another flash, revealing the changeling king. “King Thorax?” Sandbar questioned. “I thought it would be you but... What are you doing here?” “Visiting Ember,” Thorax admitted. “Something you have barely done in a while,” Ember stated. “A while?” Smolder questioned. “How often have you visited?” Sandbar asked. “Well,” Thorax said. “It started after Twilight became the new ruler of Equestria.” Several months ago. At the changeling hive, the changelings were all relieved that Queen Chrysalis was now sealed in stone. Thorax was relaxing with some of the changelings. He was relaxing a bed of leaves. He could barely remember what parts of the hive looked like before he took charge. He often spent most of this time thinking about the other kingdoms. Yakyakistan, Seaquestira, Hippogriffia, Griffonstone. Then he thought about the Dragon Lands. He then thought of Ember. She did help give him some pointers on how to be a good ruler, and he also gave some tips to her. Though, once he started thinking about her, he couldn’t get her out of his head. “Maybe I could go and visit her,” Thorax said to himself. “Yeah. Equestria is safe now. Chrysalis isn’t coming back anytime soon. Who am I going to get to watch the hive though?” He thought for a moment before he thought of someone. “You want me to do what?” Pharynx asked after being asked. “I just want you to watch the hive for about an hour. You’ve done it while I was checking on Ocellus at the school.” “And tell me again why you’re leaving this time?” “I just want to visit Ember.” “...Seriously?” “Look, I’ve barely talked to her after we helped save Equestria. I just want to have a normal visit with her. No threats, no reasons, just a normal visit.” The king’s brother huffed. “Fine. But if you’re gone for more than an hour, I’m coming for you.” “Okay. See you later.” Thorax took off. Since the Dragon Lands were pretty far from the hive, he would have to good pretty fast if he wanted to actually spend some time with his friend. Ember was looking over the Dragon Lands, minding her own business. She could see Garble giving some poetry lessons, looking to her left, she could see some dragons actually sharing some gems. Things were looking good and she was thinking about heading to the lava pools when she heard something. She looked behind her to see the changeling king flying towards her. Thorax was sweaty and out of breath. “Thorax?” Ember questioned. “Hey... There,” he panted. “Your home’s... Far away. And hot.” Thorax tried landing on his own feet, but his exhaustion caused him to stumble. Luckily, Ember managed to catch him. “Easy buddy.” She helped her friend lie down so he could catch his breath. “I told my brother I’d be gone for an hour. I wanted to visit you. I forgot how far away this place was and... I only have so much time.” “You wanted to visit? Why?” “Just because. It’s been a while since we had a proper conversation.” “You could’ve just waited for another threat coming our way.” Ember chuckled to herself as Thorax tried joining in, though not as loud. “I have to say, it’s pretty warm here.” “That’s what you get when you live around lava. You want to take a look around?” “Sure. I haven’t really seen this place.” The changeling stood up and changed into his new dragon form. “Why did you do that?” “I thought I’d take it easy and try and blend in.” Ember just gave a shrug. “Whatever you say.” After grabbing her staff, Ember showed her friend around her home. “So, this place isn’t pretty... Rocky.” “Yeah. It feels nice when you’ve got stones under your feet.” “I don’t know.” “Right. You’re not as tough as a dragon. How often do you shape-shift?” “Not so much nowadays. Some changelings can flip-flop between different forms, myself included.” “Interesting. And how else does your body change?” “What do you mean?” The two stopped to look at each other. “Like... Do you feel weird when you change into new forms? Like, going from anything with legs into a fish.” “Oh, that. It can be a little confusing the first time you transform. After a bit of practice, you get used to it. Any other questions about changelings?” “A few. Do you eat anything besides love?” “We can. We have sushi at the hive sometimes. Though, love is our main source of sustenance. Believe it or not, it has flavors depending on what kind it is.” “Could you give me some examples?” The real and fake dragons slowly floated down towards the ground as they looked to be in for a long talk. “For love between friends, it can taste like a nice bar of chocolate. For love between parents and a child, it tastes like bubble gum. And romantic love... Oh, I can’t get enough of that.” Thorax was now starting to drool a bit. “That can taste like red velvet cake with frosting from one of the finest chefs in all of Equestria.” “Cool. Now, please stop drooling.” Thorax quickly saw what she meant. He snapped back to reality and whipped his mouth. “Sorry. That’s just how I taste love. It seems to vary from changeling to changeling.” “Well, maybe you liked to try some gemstones. I know a good place where you can get some.” She led her disguised friends over to a cliff where several gems were sticking out of. The Dragon Lord pulled two out and tossed one to Thorax. “What kind of gems are these?” “It seems like you have a sapphire. I’ve got myself a sweet amethyst.” She tossed her gem into the air caught it in her mouth. “Delicious. Try yours.” Thorax was a bit more cautious as he had never tried a gemstone before. He slowly took a bite, though he had to try pretty hard just to break a piece off. When he finally did, chewing it felt even harder, even with his dragon teeth to help him. After swallowing, he had mix opinions. “It feels like I’m swallowing gravel.” “Yeah, it feels good, doesn’t it?” “...Depends on how you like it. The taste seems... Weird to me.” “Really? It tastes just fine to me.” “Enough about food. Is this where you get most of your food?” “Yep. We also have fish from time to time.” “From where?” “Let me show you.” She led her friend away from the rocky area until they got to some cliffs over the ocean. “I thought I saw one near here. If you don’t have anything fishing rods...” He didn’t even finish as Ember started laughing. “I’ll show you how it’s done.” The Dragon Lord dived into the water, much to her friend’s shock. In a few seconds, she resurfaced with a fish in her claws. She held it in the air and breathed fire on it. In several seconds, it was cooked, albeit a little burnt. “That’s... Creative.” “My dad taught me a few tricks on fishing.” “Wasn’t he the original Dragon Lord?” “He was. I like the title, it’s definitely better than being called... Princess.” “What?” “Okay, technically I’m supposed to be called Princess Ember. I have the other dragons call me Dragon Lord. It makes me sound tougher.” “I don’t see what’s wrong with being called Princess.” “It just sounds... Girly. Do you know what I mean? It just doesn’t sound right to me.” “Princess doesn’t sound girly to me.” “It’s just... Dressing up. It just seems silly to me. Think about it. No creature normally wears clothing in Equestria, so why should we waste it just to dress up in something that’s more of a hassle than anything to have around?” “I see. I think it’s more of a hobby than anything. You don’t have to be a part of it if you don’t want.” “Thanks for that. It’s nice to get some things like that off my chest. You want to try fishing?” “Like that?” “I’ll show you.” Grabbing his claw, Ember dragged her friend into the ocean. Up close, Thorax could see tons of fish swimming past their legs. “Our claws are pretty sharp. Just reach and grab one of them.” The disguised changeling did as she said, but the fishes just kept slipping past him. “They’re too fast.” “You’ve gotta act fast.” Ember demonstrated as she swiped up another fish. “Try again.” Thorax tried. When it looked like he finally caught one, the fish flopped around and slipped out of his grip. “Darn it.” “Relax. I’ve caught another one. Just give it a good roast.” She handed her fish to her friend, though he wasn’t so confident. “What’s wrong now?” “You see, changelings can copy the form of different creatures. However, we can’t really copy their abilities, such as breathing fire.” “So, you’re not immune to lava?” “Probably not. I’m not going to find out.” “Okay then.” Ember took the fish back and held it by its tail. She then blasted it with some fire until it was nicely cooked. “Thanks.” Thorax was given his fish back and noticed that it had some burn marks. “You don’t have any...” Before he could even ask his question, Thorax got his answer as he saw Ember sinking her teeth into the fish she caught earlier. He figured he should try doing the same and was happy to find that the fish was nowhere near as hard as gemstones. They got back to the rocky area. Ember led Thorax to a pool of lava, which she hopped into. “You sure you don’t want to test it?” she asked. “I’m good,” Thorax replied. “I prefer not to get burnt.” “Suit yourself.” The dragoness sat back and relaxed. “Okay, your dad was the original Dragon Lord.” “He was. Though, he was pretty forceful. Ordering dragons what feelings to show.” “Gotta be better than being told to feed off of love. I’m glad Chrysalis is gone.” “I haven’t really heard much about her.” “Lucky you. When she was queen, all we did was hunt and feed. Hunt and feed, hunt and feed, every day. Every time we just get filled up we get hungry after less than an hour.” “Wow. I thought that the dragon’s greed was bad.” Thorax looked confused for a second. “One thing at a time. How did you coop with that?” “I couldn’t. But then I felt this huge surge of love coming from the Crystal Empire.” “There’s a Crystal Empire?” “Yeah. I had to hide until Spike found me.” “So, that’s how you met Spike. Tell me how you took the throne.” “I had a bit of help.” The two talked for ages. Once Thorax was done telling his tale on he became the king, Ember explained the Gauntlet of Fire. “Wow. You really went through all that?” “It wasn’t easy, let me tell you. At least I had my abilities with me. Your team had barely any of their powers.” “He does do well with a team,” said a deep voice. “Uh oh,” Thorax sighed. A dark green drake with red horns and chest along with purple wings. “One hour. You said you’d be back after that.” “It’s already been that long?” “Who is this?” Ember asked. “My brother, Pharynx,” Thorax answered. “Oh. I didn’t recognize him.” “Yeah, I’m a changeling,” Pharynx said, “It’s our thing. Speaking of which, they’re wondering where you are.” “Sorry, I lost track of time,” the king apologized. He turned to Ember. “I’ve gotta go.” “No, I get it,” she replied. “Make sure your hive doesn’t turn into chaos.” “Right. Hopefully, we could meet up sometime again.” Thorax and Pharynx took off. Once they were away from the Dragon Lands, they changed back into their normal forms. “Meet up again?” Pharynx questioned. “Ember’s a good friend. She’s the one who’s given me some advice on ruling over the hive.” “Yes, but you can’t just ditch your responsibility to go and hang out with a friend.” The king gave a frustrated groan. “You’re right. Maybe... I’ll visit her once a week.” “You sure about that?” “I’ve left the hives longer than an hour before. Just one hour, one week. I’m not asking for much.” “I think you’ll have to check with the other changelings before then.” After getting back to the hive, he explained everything to the changelings. “Doesn’t this seem a little risky?” one of them asked. “I’m well aware of the dangers of going to the Dragon Lands. I’ve managed to avoid any areas that would’ve been fatal to a changeling.” “You really can’t expect them to just except you’ll be gone...” “For an hour a week,” Thorax stated. The changelings talked with each other. “That doesn’t sound too much,” one said. “Maybe two hours,” another one suggested. “The lands are pretty far away.” “Thank you,” Thorax said. “I was afraid I was pushing my luck.” “Princess Twilight said all creatures need to share friendship.” “Exactly. So, starting next week, I’ll be able to visit any of the other kingdoms once a week for two hours. While also budgeting extra time for travel.” “Then I’ll keep an eye here while you’re gone,” Pharynx said. “Though, you’ll have wait next week.” The king sighed as he knew his brother was right. As days went by, the changeling king waited until he could visit Ember again. The Dragon Lord meanwhile, just waited for him to get back. She got a bit impatient and almost forgot about her friend coming to visit again. After one week, Ember was just minding her own business as a drake walked up to her. “Princess Ember,” he said. “What?” Ember asked. She didn’t like being called that. She saw the green, orange, and purple drake. “Where were you?” “I was setting up how I long I could visit here,” Thorax explained. “I’ve got two hours to spend with you.” “Wow, really? Great. Now, I can show you around this place.” She took off with the disguised changeling following behind. “And then each week we spent some time with each other,” Thorax explained, finishing the story. “Wow,” Sandbar said. “So, you two have spent...” He paused as he calculated the total amount of time the two have spent together. “About thirty hours with each other,” Ember said. “Right. Ocellus is more of the brains of our group.” “You think she would’ve mentioned this,” Smolder commented. “She wasn’t at the hive when I started this trip,” Thorax said. “Maybe you could spend your four hours here talking about that,” Ember said. “You’ve got extra time since you didn’t come last week.” She sounded pretty angry near the end of her sentence. “I’m sorry, I was... Busy... With... The changelings heading to the friendship school.” “Mm, hmm. Sure.” “Okay, is that the problem?” Sandbar asked. “Depends, what kind of problem are you looking for?” “A friendship one,” Smolder explained. “Which is something you have right now.” “Did your spines glow like Spike’s?” Thorax asked. “Yeah.” “I don’t see what the problem is,” Ember admitted. “He just missed a week.” “Yeah... Yeah, that’s it,” Thorax spoke. “You sure about that?” Sandbar asked. “I feel like there’s something else going on.” “To be honest,” Ember said, “I think we’re running out of things to talk about. I already told Thorax about my plan on how to change the ways of the dragons.” “There’s gotta be some other things. Maybe something you were too afraid to do.” “I... Haven’t introduced him to my dad.” The fake drake felt his blood go cold. “He’s huge,” Thorax stated. “If I can get through to him about becoming the new Dragon Lord, I can get through to him about you.” “Then let’s start with him,” Sandbar said. “Yeah, let’s go,” Smolder said. She picked up Sandbar, and then followed Ember to her father. Thorax took off a little later than they did, as he wasn’t just feeling nervous about Ember’s dad. Being Around Dragons“I’m not sure about this,” Thorax said to Ember. “He has to find out at some point,” Ember replied. “You said he’s forceful. What’s stopping him from turning me into a pancake?” “The only thing is pretty much Ember,” Smolder answered. “And even then you might have trouble.” “Smolder,” Sandbar cried. “Just saying what we’re all thinking here.” “Please tell me you brought a paper bag,” Thorax begged. “Sorry, no,” Sandbar replied. “There he is,” Ember cried. She pointed to where her father, Torch was. He was talking with some other dragons who were close to his size. Thorax could feel his heart accelerating. “The last thing I’m going to see is the claw print of giant dragon,” he panted. “Thorax,” Ember said, “Just let me do all the talking. Smolder, you and friend stay out of sight. No offense kid, my dad’s still a little iffy around ponies.” “Got it,” both teens replied. Smolder landed where Torch couldn’t see her or Sandbar. “He’s huge,” Sandbar commented on Torch. “I know,” Smolder agreed, “Just stay quiet.” The changeling changed into a dragon, then he and the princess landed close to the former Dragon Lord. “Hi, Dad,” Ember called. Torch stopped his conversation with the other dragon and turned around to see his daughter and a... Drake. “Ember,” he said. Torch bent down to take a good look at Thorax, who was starting to sweat in fear. “Dad, this is just like when I showed you who save the eggs. Garble is just a friend and so is...” Ember paused. Her father around ponies was one thing, but how would he react if the dragon next to her was actually a changeling. What kind of a dragon was named after a body part anyway? “Ember, what’s wrong?” “This is... Um... Bismuth.” She and Thorax tried to play it cool as Torch raised an eyebrow. “That sounds more like a girl’s name.” “Yeah, I know,” Thorax said. “That’s why I don’t like being called that.” “Understandable. How have you found out about my daughter? I haven’t seen you around here before.” “Oh... I was just... Flying from somewhere else.” “So why haven’t I seen you at the Gauntlet of Fire?” Thorax froze. “He’s dead,” Smolder whispered. “Shh,” Sandbar replied. “Um... You see... I’m a heavy sleeper,” Thorax answered. “Trust me he is,” Ember added. “He’s fallen asleep a few times. I’ve tried roar, dragging, and breathing fire on him. He’s like living rock.” “I see,” Torch commented. “How did you two meet?” “I was just flying around until I came here,” ‘Bismuth’ explained. “I found out that Ember was the new Dragon Lord and we started... Hanging out.” “For how long?” “Dad,” Ember groaned. “We’ve been hanging out for two hours a week.” “How many weeks?” “Ten weeks. That’s it.” The massive father seemed to be getting angry. ‘Bismuth’ knew he had to change the subject fast. “How are you enjoying the retired life?” he asked quickly. “It’s quite nice,” Torch replied. “I no longer have to worry about what some dragons do.” “Good for you. It has to be nice not being stressed.” The drake now started to breathe heavily. “It is. Though, whenever Ember’s away from here I watch over the lands. A sort of semi-retirement.” “I see.” He turned towards Ember. “Say something,” he whispered. “What do I say?” “Probably the things we’ve done together.” “What are you whispering?” Torch asked. “Oh, Bismuth was just wondering what do you do while I’m here?” Ember replied. “Ye... Yeah,” ‘Bismuth’ stuttered, “You have any hobbies?” “I’m glad you asked,” Torch replied. “Here we go again,” one of the adult dragons sighed. “Just follow me.” The retire dragon took into the air, creating a lot of wind, nearly knocking Sandbar off his hooves. Ember and ‘Bismuth’ flew after Torch while Smolder ran after her friend. “You okay?” she asked. “I’m fine,” Sandbar replied. “I’ve survived against Yona’s mini-earth quakes. Maybe we should follow them?” “Seriously?” “We were summoned here for a reason. We have to follow in case things go wrong.” The dragoness sighed. “Fine, but if you get caught that’s on you.” She picked her friend up and took off after three other dragons. Well, two and half-dragons. Torch landed in an area containing a large river and several different ships. Some of them looked like they’ve just been built, while others had seen better days. “What’s this?” ‘Bismuth’ asked while landing. “Just a couple of sunken ships I’ve recovered,” Torch explained. “You fix broken ships?” “Eh, it’s a hobby. I found a couple of these while I go fishing for a meal.” “What kind of fish do you find?” “Ones that are as long as the masts on these boats.” ‘Bismuth’ could see that the mast of quiet tall. “Honestly, I’ve seen him tackle ones bigger than his horns,” Ember whispered. ‘Bismuth’ gulped at the thought of sea creatures that big. “I’ve... Gotta say these boats look really nice.” “Thank you,” Torch said. “I’ve spent a lot of time on these. Some of these are actually are airships.” “So, where are the big balloon parts?” “You mean the envelope?” “That’s what it’s called?” “Yep. I don’t find a need for them and most of the ones I find are beyond repair.” “It would’ve been nice to see a couple of these in action.” He walked over to one that was closet to a stream of water leading to the ocean. “I’ve had a couple of teens who’ve tried to set sail. They didn’t make it very far.” “Wha... Did you do?” “Nothing. They mostly got unlucky and hit a rock, causing the boat to sink again.” “Dad, can we talk about something other than boats?” Ember asked. “I’m actually enjoying this,” ‘Bismuth’ told. “Good for you,” Torch said. “But this can’t be the only thing I want Bismuth to be interested in,” Ember sighed. “What do you mean?” “Dad, I’m sorry, but...” “Just say it.” “I find this... Boring.” “I know. I’ve heard it before.” “I’m honestly surprised one how many boats you have,” ‘Bismuth’ commented. “Same here.” Smolder and Sandbar were hiding behind a corner where the stream led out into the ocean. “He seems to be doing better than I thought,” Smolder commented. “Yeah,” Sandbar agreed. “Maybe we didn’t need to come here.” “So, Bismuth,” Torch said, “Why have you been interested in hanging out my daughter than the other dragons?” “Up, here we go,” Smolder said. ‘Bismuth’ immediately froze. “Oh... Uh...” he paused. “That because...” “Is something wrong?” Torch asked. “Dad, why do you ask these questions?” Ember groaned. “It’s just a question.” “That you also ask Garble. We’re just friends.” “Eh... Exactly,” ‘Bismuth’ agreed. “I’m sorry, this is getting awkward.” “Agreed. Let me show you to the other dragons.” Before Torch could say anything, he watched his daughter and the new dragon fly away. “Ugh, maybe she has a point,” he said to himself. The two students saw what happened and waited for Torch to turn his back. Then, they took off after them. “That went exactly how I expected it,” Smolder admitted. “Same,” Sandbar added. “Why are dads like that?” “Don’t know. You’re the dragon.” “I mean all dads. Let’s just try and keep up with them.” Ember and Thorax landed near some pools of lava. “Why does he always do that,” Ember complained. “You okay?” “I’m fine,” Thorax replied. He took several deep breaths. “Your dad’s really scary.” “He uses that to his advantage sometimes. How about I just show you to the other dragons?” “That would be nice. You’ve been telling me about this Garble guy. Who’s he?” “He’s the one who helped save the dragon eggs. He should be over here.” She led her disguise friend to where Garble was. He was with his friends and Fluttershy. Spear and his little brother were fast asleep as Clump flew in with one of his siblings. “Oh, how cute,” the pegasus commented on the big brown dragon’s younger sibling. “Don’t call me cute,” the young dragon complained. “She’s kind of right,” Garble admitted. Smoke came from the little dragon’s nose with a huff. “Fluttershy?” Ember question in surprise. She and Thorax landed next to them. “Oh, there you are Ember,” the mare said. Fluttershy’s eyes were now caught by the changeling in disguise. “Who’s this?” “Yeah, I’ve never seen this guy before,” Garble added. Thorax started getting nervous again, but Ember spoke first. “This is Bismuth,” she said. “Isn’t that a girl’s name?” Clump asked. “I know,” ‘Bismuth’ groaned. “I don’t like talking about it.” “Okay,” Fluttershy replied. Before they could actually start a conversation, they could hear something. “You’re getting sweaty,” cried a faint female voice. “This place is one big volcano,” said a male’s, “This is bound to happen to a pony.” “Do anyone else hear that?” Garble asked. “Voices?” ‘Bismuth’ asked. “OW!” the male’s voice cried. They looked up and could see Smolder holding Sandbar by his tail. “Why that of all places?” the colt asked a bit angry. “What else was I suppose to grab?” the dragoness asked. Sensing things might get worse, Fluttershy and Garble flew up to help them. “Should we get involved?” ‘Bismuth’ asked. “I’m sure they’ve got it,” Ember asserted. “Guys, tell our new friend about yourself.” “Okay,” Clump said, “I’m from a pretty big family.” “How big exactly?” ‘Bismuth’ asked. The big brown drake stopped to think. “I kind of lost track after the double digits. Let’s just say I’m the middle child of a lot of siblings.” “Including me,” said Clump’s younger sibling. “Hey, he’s kind of cute,” ‘Bismuth’ complimented. “She,” Ember corrected. “Wait, that’s a gir...” ‘Bismuth’ now felt a bit guilty. “It’s okay,” Clump said, “This happens a lot.” His little just groaned and walked away, right after kicking a stone towards Spear. The stone bonked his little brother on the head, which caused him to wake and cry. “Ugh, not again,” Spear groaned. Fluttershy helped Sandbar get onto the ground safely and then flew over to the crying baby. “Oh no,” she sighed, “What happened.” “My sister,” Clump answered. “Look, I’ll go get her.” He flew off as ‘Bismuth’ felt awkward. “Please help,” Spear begged. He held out his baby brother to Fluttershy. “I want you to do what I told you,” she replied. “I won’t always be here to help you.” “Just this once please,” Ember begged, covering her ears. The mare did her best to help Spear stop the crying baby as Sandbar noticed that ‘Bismuth’ was gone. He looked around until he saw the fake drake hiding in a small cave. “Bismuth?” he called. “Shh,” the fake drake hushed. “Pretend I’m not here.” The colt looked back over to where the dragons were. “Why are you hiding.” “I kinda. This is what I was afraid of.” Sandbar slowly crawled in to listen better. “I stick out like a sore claw. I thought if I learn how dragons acted, I thought I would gain their trust and show them my true body. That doesn’t sound like the old days of a changeling, does it?” “...Kind of.” ‘Bismuth’ sighed as he held his claws to his face. “I just wanted to get closer to Ember. Is that so much to ask for?” “Not really.” Sandbar noticed that the fake drake’s face was partly red. “It doesn’t seem that bad. You don’t have get angry.” “It went so much easier in my head. Just to get close to Ember and...” His face turned redder as he let out a frustrated groan. “Is there... Something else you were planning?” After taking a deep breath, ‘Bismuth’ sighed. “It’s Ember. After we first she helped give advice, we became good friends. Then when start hanging out once a week, it sort of devolved into a crush.” “Oh. So, that’s why you miss the last week.” “Yeah. I couldn’t build the confidence to come here. I thought I would blow it. I barely know anything about dragons. I want to know as much as I can before I ask her out.” “I know how that feels. I felt nervous before I asked Yona out. We hit a few bumps in the road, but we managed to work it out.” “You and Yona are more similar in personality. Ember is way tougher. She’s a tomboy. She blew up a boulder she threw with her fire breath!” “...Look, just take deep breaths and calm down. Just think about things Ember likes and try doing them. Have you tried that?” “Well, I already tried somethings. Like gem tasting and I’ve also helped Ember with some training. She’s really strong.” “Right. Just get back out there and try to know more about the dragons. I hear Garble does great poetry.” The two slipped out of the cave and back to the dragons. “Where did you go?” Ember asked. “I had a bit of a panic attack,” ‘Bismuth’ answered. “Tell me next time.” The disguised changeling nodded as before they looked towards Garble. “Anyways, this is Garble.” “Oh, yeah, didn’t you help save the dragon eggs?” “Yep,” Garble confirmed. “Ember said that you used poetry that made the dragons laugh.” “Yeah, we were jerks,” Spear admitted. The blonde dragon was cradling his brother as Baff flew up to them. “Where did you go?” Garble asked. “I had a run-in with Ballista,” Baff replied. “Who’s that?” ‘Bismuth’ asked. “Basically Baff’s crush,” Spear joked. “Hey.” “You have to be honest,” Garble said, “You haven’t asked her out yet.” “Look, I’m just waiting for the right time.” “I know how you feel,” ‘Bismuth’ said under his breath. “Let’s focus on one thing at a time.” “Right,” Garble agreed, “I’ll be right back.” He flew off for a minute and returned with his bongos. “Oh, yeah, let’s get started.” He started drumming a beat. “Smoke. Ashes. Rising. Falling. Both created from fire. Always feel kind of dire.” “Wow, your brother’s really good,” Sandbar whispered to Smolder. “I know,” she replied. “He’s written a lot over the summer. They seem to be enjoying it.” Smolder pointed to Ember and ‘Bismuth’ were both enjoy her brother’s poetry. Ember was causally snapping her claw while ‘Bismuth’ rocked his head side to side. “By the way, Bismuth told me the reason why he didn’t show up last week. He has a crush.” “On who?” Sandbar simply pointed to the Dragon Lord. “Ember?” “Apparently.” “Alright, it makes sense why you’re here, but why me?” “I don’t know.” “Guys, are you listening?” Garble asked. The two redirected to him, who noticed they weren’t paying attention. “Sorry, Gar-Gar,” Smolder apologized. “Sandbar was just reminding us of our friendship problem.” “You did find out what it was right?” “Not yet,” Sandbar replied quickly. The red dragon just shrugged and continued with his poetry. “Thorax doesn’t want her to know,” Sandbar whispered. “He’s trying to build her trust before asking.” “How long do you think it’s going to take him?” Smolder replied while trying to pay attention to her brother. The colt looked over to the disguised changeling, who was trying not to blush as he sat next to the Dragon Lord. “I don’t think he’s going to have the confidence,” he said to himself. “He just needs some help.” Suddenly, there was a low growling sound. “Sorry,” Ember apologized. “I haven’t eaten yet.” “I could get you something,” ‘Bismuth’ said. “Are you sure about that?” “You showed me where to get fish. I’ll be right back.” With that, he flew away before any dragon could say anything else. The Dragon Lord sighed as she looked towards the students. “He isn’t all that experienced in fishing.” “I can go check on him,” Sandbar said while standing up. “Are you sure about that?” “I’m going to try and find out why’s he’s so flustered lately. Plus, I’m getting a little hot here.” The colt walked off in the direction the fake drake went. After a little walking, he managed to reach the ocean, where it was a lot colder than it was back with the dragons. Shivering a bit, Sandbar sat next to the water and looked around. Bismuth/Thorax was nowhere to be seen. The colt was confused until something splashed out of the water. He thought he saw the tail of a seapony, which just confused him more. They weren’t anywhere near Seaquestria, so why would a seapony be here? Sandbar soon got an answer as the mysterious seapony swam out of the water. It looked like a certain changeling. “Oh, hey,” Thorax panted. “What are you doing?” Sandbar asked. “I was trying a new strategy of catching fish. I heard seaponies are really fast in the water, so I’d try doing what they do.” “I think they have nets set up.” Thorax groaned. “Probably.” “They had to have caught them without gear somehow. Ooh, I know.” Suddenly, he changed his form into a whale. He swam down and to scoop up some fish. Once he got back to the surface, he spat out all the fish he collected. They flopped around for a bit as he changed into his dragon form. “You could just change back into your... Wow.” “What?” “Those fish.” The colt covered his nose to help block out the smell, though this did very little to help. “Sorry. You’re right.” The king did the same as the pony. “What were you saying?” “You could’ve just changed back into a changeling.” “Someone could’ve caught me.” “Like how you turned into a whale?” Thorax sighed and facepalm. “Why is this so hard?” “You know, my girlfriend Yona went through the same thing as you. The easiest way to do this is to just be yourself. Plain and simple.” The fake drake stood up and sighed again. “How would the other dragons feel if I was there the whole time.” “You and the other changelings helped save Equestria. I’m sure you can onto their good side.” “But I’d be a jerk if I didn’t tell them sooner.” “Thorax, just be yourself. It’s that easy.” The disguised changeling thought for a minute. “What if I showed them my true nature before showing them my true form?” “If that’s what it takes to help you get going, go for it.” The fake drake smiled. He then picked up one of the fish and walked back with the pony to where the others were. Ember was trying to get a beat on Garble’s bongos as the boys returned. “There you are,” she said. “What took you so long?” “The fishes were very slippery,” ‘Bismuth’ answered. “And smelly,” Sandbar added. The fake drake handed the fish over to his crush, who then started turning and cooking it. The boys looked at each, with the colt speaking first. “So, Bismuth, would you like to talk about what you do before coming to the dragon lands?” “Oh... Well...” ‘Bismuth’ struggled to think of something to say. “My mother wasn’t what you would call a role model,” he said, starting his story. “No doubt,” Ember said under her breath. “She’d often find food, usually from other creatures, steal it, eat, and repeat. She taught this trick to me and all of my siblings. And trust me, I have a lot.” “Well, where are they?” Clump asked. “I’m... Not sure. I left them... A while ago.” “Sounds hard,” Smolder said. “I mean, that’s low, even for dragons.” “How many siblings did you have?” Spear asked. ‘Bismuth’ froze for a moment before counting on his claws. “I lost track after the double digits,” he answered. “I know how you feel,” Clump said. “I have a hard time keeping track of my siblings.” “How big was your mom?” Spear asked. “Excuse me?” ‘Bismuth’ asked. “You never heard of dragon’s greed?” The fake drake began to sweat with worry. “He’s a little rusty on that subject,” Ember spoke. “It doesn’t bring back positive memories.” “Understandable,” Smolder commented. “Spike told me what happened when he got greedy.” “How about I keep telling my story?” ‘Bismuth’ asked. “I eventually made it to the Crystal Empire.” “Crystal Empire?” Clump asked, now listening carefully. “Yeah. Some of the ponies were a little afraid of dragons, except for one.” “You mean Spike?” Ember asked. “That’s him.” “Yeah, he and I weren’t the best of friends when we met,” Garble said, feeling a bit of guilt coming back. “It’s okay,” Smolder said, “We’ve forgotten about that.” “Anyways, I managed to befriend the ponies at the Crystal Empire,” ‘Bismuth’ continued. “It took a while to get used to pony food, but they managed to give a couple of gems to snack on.” “Are there any different kinds of gems?” Spear asked. “Hmm, none that I’ve seen that aren’t here. How about you guys. What do you know?” The sound of a crying baby was now heard again. “I know my brother can’t shut up.” “He’s just a baby,” Fluttershy stated. “You try holding him.” The mare handed the baby over to his big brother. He still kept crying, even when Spear tried rocking him. “Come on. Stop crying, please.” As he tried to calm the baby down, a pink dragoness with a very long tail came around the corner. “Can you please make that stop?” she begged. “Oh, Ballista,” Baff said. “Yeah... We know. It’s annoying.” The black drake was soon starting to blush. “Wait could you make it stop?” “I’m trying,” Spear declared. Despite his attempts, his little brother kept bawling. “Fluttershy.” “Okay,” the mare replied. She was giving the crying dragon which she quickly calmed down. “How do you do that?” “Maybe we should get him something that’s soft,” Garble suggested. “Like a pillow,” Clump said. “Exactly,” Spear said. “Maybe I could actually sleep.” “Garble, could you keep an eye on Smolder and Sandbar until I get back?” Fluttershy asked. “Of course,” he replied. With that, Fluttershy handed Spear his brother back and flew back to Ponyville. “Okay, I’m going to hide somewhere to muffle noise,” Ballista said. “O... Okay,” Baff said. “We’ll let you know when things are... Under control.” The drake started blushing as the dragoness flew away. He let out a frustrated sigh. “That didn’t go too well,” ‘Bismuth’ commented, shuttering a bit. “Ya think?” Baff held his claws to his face in frustration. “Sorry, man,” Sandbar said. “You want to talk...?” “NO!” “Okay then.” The frightened colt slowly hid behind his dragon friend. “This is awkward,” ‘Bismuth’ said. Not knowing what else to say, he slowly walked away. “I should probably follow him,” Ember said. The Dragon Lord flew away after their friends, the dragons and colt decided tp follow. “Aren’t you going to follow them?” Clump asked Garble. “Honestly, they know more about how friendship problems work than me,” the big brother replied. The fake drake, Dragon Lord, and students managed to slip away from the other dragons. Once they were alone, Thorax changed back into his normal form. “Keeping this form up is getting tiring,” he sighed. “Just tell the others what you are,” Smolder said. “We just met them a few minutes ago.” “That’s true,” Sandbar said. “Well, I think I can connect with Baff. I mean... That taste of love. I feel sorry for him.” “Wait, you taste love?” Ember questioned. “Yeah, Ocellus told us about that,” Smolder commented. “Baff’s worry seemed to taste bittersweet,” Thorax explained. “It started out sweet like cotton candy but when he could say what he meant, it soon became sugarless lemonade.” “I see,” Ember said. “I’m surprised you’re connecting to him of all dragons.” “Yeah. Luck of the draw, I guess.” He gave a nervous chuckle as he tried to pretend no to blush. Sandbar noticed, and he knew what needed to happen. “Dragon Lord Ember?” called a voice. Thorax promptly turned back into a dragon as a big purple dragon flew up to them. “What’s up Vex?” Ember asked. “The underground lava pool’s leaking,” he replied. “What? I swear if it’s them. Show me the problem.” Vex led the way as Ember turned back to her friends. “Be back soon.” Once she was gone, the fake drake sighed and sat down. “You have to tell her,” Sandbar said. “I know,” Thorax groaned. “I just don’t know how to do it.” “I know,” Smolder said. “Just walk up to her, and tell her how you feel.” “Smolder, you don’t know how it feels,” Sandbar said. “Thorax, if you makes you feel better, I’ll help you ask Ember out.” “Really?” the changeling king asked. “It’s gonna happen at some point. It’s better if you get it over with now. You and Ember are good friends. I’m sure she’ll listen.” After taking one more deep breath, Thorax stood up. “Okay, let’s do it,” he said. The two boys walked away to find the Dragon Lord while Smolder thought about what her friend said. “I do know,” she mumbled. She then decided to follow behind. Ember was helping Vex and some other teenage dragons push some boulders back into place to stop the leaking lava. “How did this happen?” she asked. “It was just one missed dive,” Vex said. Smolder and the boys arrived at the scene. “Yikes,” Sandbar gasped. “This looks bad.” “You think we can help?” Thorax asked. “It would make things easier.” Suddenly, a burst of lava nearly caused the boulder Ember and the dragons back. Thorax jumped into action and flew up and help push the boulder to block to leak. Some of the dragons, especially Ember, were surprised to see him. What Thorax didn’t know was that some of the lava was leaking near their feet. When he felt some touch his foot, he jumped back and screamed in pain. Most of the dragons were surprised and confused by this, but Sandbar, Smolder, and Ember knew that changeling’s cover was blown. “Are you okay?” Vex asked. “I’m fine,” Thorax groaned. His foot wasn’t, it was badly burnt thanks to the lava. “Let me take a look,” Ember said. She and the fake drake landed away from the lava. Thorax had to sit down since his foot wouldn’t be able to take his weight without causing him pain. “What were you thinking?” “I was trying to help. I thought that boulder was going to crush you.” “I could’ve handled it. You got yourself burned.” “How’s that possible?” a dragoness asked. “Not now Prominence.” “I’m just saying, he’s a dragon. We swim in lava.” “There’s an explanation for that,” ‘Bismuth’ sighed. After a bright flash, e revealed his true form. “Wait a minute,” Vex said. “Is that one of those changelings?” “Yep,” Ember answered. “I think this is King Thorax,” Prominence said. “What is he doing here?” “I was just visiting,” Thorax said. “I didn’t plan on burning myself.” He held his burnt foot in pain. “Stop moving,” the Dragon Lord ordered. “We don’t have anything that can treat this.” “Can you still fly?” The changeling flapped his wings and hovered above the ground. “Yeah. I think I can make it back to the hive. But, can I ask you something, privately?” She helped her friend towards the ocean, where no other dragon was around. Thorax dipped his foot into the cool ocean to help cool his burn. “I really think you should get home.” “I know, but... I want to tell you something. ...The reason why I didn’t come last week is that... I had a confidence issue. It was because of you.” “Me? What did I do?” “Nothing on purpose. I feel... You make...” He was starting to pause yet not finishing his sentences. “Just spit it out!” “I...” He groaned as he pulled his foot out of the water. “I really need to get going.” With that, he quickly flew off. Ember just sighed and flew the other direction. Smolder and Sandbar looked at each other, knowing this was harder than it needed to be. Author's Note This took long enough Crushed“He just choked,” Smolder said. “I knew I should’ve been beside him,” Sandbar sighed. “We’re never going to fix this problem.” She kicked a couple of stones in frustration. “Why was I even called? Why couldn’t it be Ocellus?” “I’m worried about Thorax. Not just his crush, but his burn too. I sure hope he’s okay.” They looked over to Ember, who seemed to be a bit down. She then shook her head and donned a serious look. “You think she’s okay?” “She didn’t know about his crush.” “It was kind of obvious.” “Let’s try and talk to her.” The two walked over to the Dragon Lord. “Ember, do you have a minute?” The dragoness let out a sigh. “Make it quick,” she ordered. “Well, you saw Thorax panic, did you?” Sandbar asked. “Of course. You know why he just choked like that?” “Is it a crush?” “...How did you know?” “I could see him blushing. That’s probably why he flew off.” “Right. How are you feeling?” “A little surprised. How long has he been hiding that?” “Hard to say,” Smolder said. “Well, I just hope his foot’s okay. Lava’s really dangerous for non-dragon creatures.” “I could image,” Sandbar commented. “It’s kind of hard to believe. I didn’t know he felt like that.” She then walked off as she started to think a bit. “One of us should go over to the changeling hive,” Smolder said. “I’ll do it,” Sandbar replied. “I’ll use the tunnels to get there.” “Alright. I’ll try and talk to Ember.” “Got it. Wish me luck.” The colt ran off to the tunnels as his friend sighed. “I’m the one that’s going to need it.” She took off to catch up with the Dragon Lord. Ember was dipping her feet into some lava as she was in deep thought. The dragon student of friendship school landed behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. The princess looked to see her and was a bit surprised. “I thought you were going to get Thorax back,” Ember said. “Sandbar said he’d take care of him. What are you thinking about?” “Thorax. Why was he so interested in me? I didn’t think I was his type.” “Maybe it was one of the things you did in the past few weeks. Anything you can think of?” Ember thought for a moment for past activities. The Dragon Lord and fake drake stood in front of a lava pool. “Are you sure you don’t want to test your body?” Ember asked. “I honestly feel like overheating just standing near it,” Thorax replied. Suddenly, without warning, some teenage dragons rushed past them and cannonballed into the pool of molten magma. Bit of lava splashed towards the disguised changeling. He stumbled back to avoid getting burned. “What do you think you’re doing?” “Just having a bit of fun,” a blue drake with white spike horns said. “Something wrong with your friend?” “I just... Got out,” Thorax said trying to keep it cool. “Yeah, whatever,” the yellow and green drake said. “Move aside, my girl’s about to dive in.” On cue, a red dragoness bumped past Thorax, nearly knocking him into the lava. “Watch it,” Ember ordered. “Sorry, Dragon Lord Ember,” the dragoness apologized. “I made sure that dragons were supposed to learn about friendship.” “Let’s just go,” Thorax suggested. “Just a minute.” The princess glared down at the drakes. “I’ve tried to be nice to you, princess Twilight’s orders, so if I catch you being jerks again, there’ll be trouble.” Smoke billowed from her nostrils before she flew off. The fake drake flew beside her. “Thanks for that.” “No problem. Dragons like that are such a pain.” “Yeah, it’s like having multiple Pharnyxs. One was bad enough. Are most dragons like that?” “Unforinetly.” They landed on the cliff edge. “It’s gotta be nice to get away from your duties, right?” “Yeah. I wish I could get away from this more.” “Didn’t you say your dad watches over the lands while you're gone?” “Yeah, but I haven’t gotten a good excuse to travel too far from here. My dad doesn’t allow me unless it’s important, like checking on Smolder at school.” “So, there’s no good reason why you couldn’t visit the hive.” “Doubt it.” “Yeah, changelings are a lot nicer than dragons. No offense.” “None taken.” The fake drake sighed as he looked at the sun. “I think it’s about time I head home.” “Dang. I was hoping you can me with target practice.” “Maybe next week.” He stepped closer to his friend so he could hug her. The dragoness wasn’t soon keen on this, yet she just took it. “Bye Ember.” With that, he took off. “See ya.” She just sighed and went back to work. “I thought it was just a friendly hug,” Ember admitted. “I just stood up for him. Any friend would do that.” “I think friendship and love are completely different things,” Smolder explained. “I would know how you would feel.” “Seriously? Who is it?” “It’s... Ocellus.” “That changeling. I mean it’s kind of fun... Hold on, isn’t she a girl?” “I know. I think your problem is easier than mine.” “You sound like you should be assisting Thorax.” “I think Sandbar is better suited to that. Do you find... This hard to believe?” “I don’t know just... Why am I feeling this.” Smolder could see that the Dragon Lord was starting to blush. “What emotions are you feeling?” “I don’t know! Thorax and Spike told me about being nice and other friendship things but they didn't tell about these kinds. My heart is rushing now.” “Not to mention you’re blushing.” “I am?” Using her bloodstone scepter, she looked at her reflection to see she was blushing. “GAH! Why are emotions so complicated. I thought you only needed happiness, anger, and confusion.” “I feel like you need more than that. Don’t you feel sadness?” “That’s... Something I don’t like to talk about. Look, I don’t want to talk about this.” She was about to take off, but Smolder stopped her. “I know this is something you don’t like to, and I don’t either. In the end, this can help with your problem.” Ember sighed. “Fine, you’re right. Why do they make this harder than it needs to be?” “Maybe it’s because... Thorax was one of your first friends.” “Spike was the first friend I had. Why isn’t he in Thorax’s place?” “Maybe it’s the amount of time you spent together. Spike doesn’t usually visit you for two hours. You had more time to get to know him.” “That’s true. I’m glad Thorax is getting more confident but he’s still a bit worried around other dragons. Especially those jerks that nearly splashed him with lava!” The two dragons were surprised by this outburst. “I don’t what came over me.” “I don’t think you know who’s the only one that has a crush here.” “What are you talking about? Thorax’s the only one who has one.” “So why do you keep mentioning his name?” “Because he’s who we’re talking about. Thorax is why you’re here, Thorax is injured, he needs attention, I’m the reason he got burned.” Ember noticed she had a tear coming from her eye. “Am I crying now?” “Maybe it’s guilt.” “Are you saying that his injury was my fault?!” “N... No. I’m just saying, what do you think about him?” “I don’t see what that has to do with anything. He just has purple buggy eyes, he’s pretty tall, and he’s cute when he... I just called him cute. ...I have a crush on him.” She slowly brought her claws to her face and groaned. “Emotions are complicated. I get fuzzy feelings when I’m around Ocellus. I can’t help it and you can’t either.” “So, you can’t really tell me how to control it.” “...I think I know one to get rid of your fuzziness.” At the changeling hive, Thorax was having some cold leaves placed on his burn. “What did you think was going happen?” Pharynx asked. “I’m not in the mood to talk to you,” the king grumbled. “Is the burn bothering you?” a changeling asked. “It’s not just that. Could you leave me alone for a little bit?” The changeling did as Thorax told and left. The king sighed as he remembered his encounter after his injury. “Do you want to talk about that?” asked a voice. He looked up and Sandbar walking towards him. “How did you get here so fast?” “My friends and I had some tunnel made... Long story, let’s just focus on what happened. I know you feel silly with how that went.” “Don’t remind me.” The changeling winced as he nearly stood up. “I hate this burn.” “I could imagine. You know, it’s a lot colder here than it is in the Dragon Lands.” “True. That’s why most changelings prefer to stay inside during this weather.” “Yona doesn’t seem to mind this. She’s got pretty thick wool.” “Speaking of which, when did you ask her out?” “At the pony pal dance.” “No, before that.” “Oh, you mean how I asked her out. Well, after I nearly got crush by a statue one of my friends made, Yona pushed me out of the way in time. After we started our second year at the School of Friendship, I started having funny feelings for her. I couldn’t help but blush when I was around her. I couldn’t find the right chance until the Pony Pal Dance was announced. After the dance, Yona and I started dating more. We had a few bumps, but we managed.” “Yona’s personality seems closer to yours. Ember and I are like apples and oranges.” “Professor Applejack’s aunt and uncle have orange related names. Sometimes different things are good together. While it may not be true for somethings like eating something you’re allergic to, but I’m saying that you should try again.” The changeling thought for a moment. “You know, you’re right. I just made one mistake. I have to be more confident.” “That’s the spirit.” Thorax flew upwards. “Thanks, Sandbar. I hope Ember can...” “King Thorax,” a changeling said, “There’s someone here to see you.” “Who is it?” “She’s in the visiting quarters.” The king and colt followed the changeling to see two familiar dragons sitting at a table. “Ember?” “Hey, Thorax,” the Dragon Lord replied. “I’m really like the look of this place.” “Th... Thanks. What are you doing here?” “You visiting me tons of times, so I thought I visit you for once.” Before he could start freaking out, the changeling king remembered what Sandbar told him. “It’s... Nice to see you again.” “Same to you. You were wanting to say something earlier, remember.” “Um, right. I... Sort of...” “Have a crush?” “...Yes.” “Figured. I don’t you’re the only one who has one.” “Wait, what?” “Yeah. I really enjoyed you visiting. I hate to admit it, but I’m not to keen on showing my emotions.” “If you were you’d probably be sneezing smoke right now.” The two rulers shared a laugh as the king sat down. “It’s kind of colder here than in the Dragon Lands.” “Yeah, Sandbar told me about that. You’re not uncomfortable, are you?” “I’m just not used to it. How do you guys stay warm in here?” “This hive changes the location of its tunnels. Starlight helped find a spell so it’s more controllable for guests. With no holes, we help keep the heat in.” “Smart.” Smolder slipped over towards Sandbar. “Looks like we did it,” the dragoness whispered. “Hold on,” the colt replied, “I wanna make sure.” “Ember, you’re a great friend,” Thorax said. “You’ve helped give me tips.” “Same with you,” Ember replied. “If I’m having these kinds of feelings, I’m happy that you’re the one I’m sharing them with.” “Yeah. Same with you.” The new couple suddenly saw some glowing and saw they came from Sandbar’s cutie mark and Smolder’s spines. “Now, we’re done,” Sandbar said. “Thanks for the help guys,” Thorax said. “No problem,” Smolder said. “Now, we’re going to get back to the school.” “What about Fluttershy?” “I told Garble to tell her where we were going,” Ember explained. “See ya,” Sandbar said as he and Smolder walked away. “Let me show you around the hive,” Thorax said to the Dragon Lord. “I think we still have some sushi.” “What’s that?” Ember asked. “It basically fish rap in rice.” “Ooh.” The two walked off to start their tour in the hive. As they did this, the dragoness and changeling started holding each other’s claw and hoof.
A Reasoned to be Summoned“Okay, let’s try this again,” Shimmy Shake said. Yona and Dotta started stomping on the ground as Shimmy Shake and Lighthoof jumped along to it. Smolder and Peridot flew into the air with Silverstream and Tarsi following behind while carrying bags of confetti. Ocellus took a deep breath before shouting. “Listen up, hear us out, we here to cheer! Tell us why you’re all here.” “V-I, C-T-O, R-Y!” Grace cried joining in. “Victory, let’s hear your cry!” With that, the two mares flipped in between the yaks. The dragons blew out smoke as Silverstream and Tarsi released the confetti from their bags. Grace and Ocellus flew backward, with the griffon landing in the middle of the third row of the forming pyramid. Ocellus and Tarsi landed on each side of her. They held their arms up to hold up Smolder and Peridot. The dragons then did the same for Silverstream. They all struck a pose as Shimmy Shake and Lighthoof started to struggle to keep them up. “Okay... Girls,” Lighthoof groaned. “Take five.” The creatures got to the floor and the mares collapsed from exhaustion. “I knew we should’ve been on the bottom,” Peridot sighed. “It’s okay,” Shimmy Shake panted. “We’re still getting used to this.” “Yeah, that was our best one yet,” Silverstream cheered. “I know,” Grace agreed. “I can’t wait to show the other students what we can do.” “What can you do?” Gallus asked, much to the cheerleaders’ surprise. He and Sandbar walked in. “We were coming in to see how you were doing,” Sandbar explained, walking up to Yona. “Yaks doing great,” Yona said happily. “Yaks are,” Dotta greed. “Friends can’t wait to perfect pyramid.” “Oh, boy, here we go,” Smolder groaned. “What’s the problem?” Gallus asked. “Dotta loves the sound of her voice.” “Yak also love snow,” Dotta spoke, “Though leaves aren’t so bad. Wish winter would come sooner.” Her mouth was now starting to talk a mile a minute. “She’s going to be doing that for a while,” Sandbar observed, “Is she?” “Yona tried to get Dotta to stop before,” Yona answered. The much quieter yak nuzzled against her boyfriend. “Ah, their love is nice,” Tarsi sighed. “Yeah, it tastes nice,” Ocellus agreed. “You can taste love?” Peridot asked. “Well, yeah.” “What does it taste like?” “It varies,” Ocellus explained. “There’s the love between parent and child, friends, or between a couple like Sandbar and Yona.” “Interesting,” Smolder commented. “It’s so cute to see a couple like them together,” Silverstream cooed. Smolder didn’t reply to this and just sighed quietly as she looked towards Ocellus. Suddenly, the spines on her head started to glow. Most of the cheerleaders gasped. “What’s going on?” Lighthoof asked. “Is Dragon Lord Ember summoning her?” Peridot questioned. “Sandbar glow too,” Yona added. The pony’s cutie mark was glowing just like the dragon’s spines. “The spirit must be calling you,” Silverstream cooed. “Spirit?” Peridot questioned. “I thought you were just being summoned by Dragon Lord Ember.” Suddenly, a copy of Sandbar’s cutie mark and an image of Smolder’s head floated into the air and then through a window. The students followed them to the castle and inside until they got to the room with the map. The cutie mark and head image were floating around in circles above the Dragon Lands. “What’s this?” Dotta asked. “It’s the map of Equestria,” Ocellus explained. “Our professors get called by this when there’s a friendship mission.” “Unless it’s a false alarm from Discord,” Gallus informed. “Don’t remind us,” Sandbar shivered. “So, we’re heading the dragon lands.” “Yeah,” Smolder said. “I’ll get to see Garble again.” “How are you going to get there?” Shimmy Shake asked. “That’s nowhere near the railroad and Sandbar can’t fly.” “I think I know a way.” In the Dragon Lands, a part of a stone wall was being pushed out of place. Smolder, Sandbar, and Fluttershy pushed the stone slab to the side, feeling a little tired. “Thanks... For coming... With us... Professor... Fluttershy,” Sandbar panted. “No problem,” Fluttershy replied. “It’ll be nice to see how those baby dragons have grown. I’m a little confused about how those tunnels have just formed.” “It’s a little confusing,” Smolder admitted, “But we’re here now. Let’s just find our problem.” The three walked around, find the area much warmer than Ponyville was. “Do you ever get snow around here?” Sandbar asked. “Not really. We basically live around volcanos. Cold weather isn’t an issue we deal with around here.” The sound of a crying baby was now starting to be heard. “Oh dear,” Fluttershy sighed. “Where is that coming from?” They walked towards the crying sound to find Garble with some of his friends, with the purple one holding a crying baby. “Okay, I give up,” the dragon groaned. “I tried feeding him some crushed gems, there isn’t a scratch on him. Why is he crying?” “Spear, calm down,” Garble said. “Would you like some help?” Fluttershy asked while walking towards them. “Fluttershy? What are you doing here?” “The gave some of our students a call.” “Which ones?” “Who do you think, Gar-Gar?” Smolder asked. “Smolder.” The brother and sister walked towards each other to give each other a fist bump. However, Garble left the baby on the ground, and it was still crying. He turned towards the pegasus. “Please help.” Fluttershy walked over to the crying baby. “Don’t cry,” she said softly. She gently picked it up and gave a soft hug. The crying lessened until the baby hugged her back. “Don’t you have anything soft around here?” “Softest thing we have here is gravel,” a green and gray dragon answered. “Baff’s right,” Garble said. “We don’t really have anything soft for us to lie on around here.” “No wonder this little one’s upset,” Fluttershy gasped. “There has to be something around here.” “You can take a look if you want,” Spear said. “You’re the only one who’s gotten that kid to stop crying.” “Could you show me to his mother?” “I’ll lead the way. He’s my brother.” Spear and Fluttershy flew away, as Baff decided he wanted to follow, leaving Garble with his sister. “So, how’s school treating you?” he asked. “Just fine,” Smolder replied. “Do you remember Sandbar?” She gestured over to the pony. “Oh, that’s right. The pony of the group. I honestly thought you were the hippogriff. Are that what those things called?” “Yeah,” Sandbar replied. “You’re probably thinking of Silverstream.” “Right. What was Fluttershy saying about a map bringing you here?” “It’s a bit weird,” Smolder said. “Some of our friends were called by it before. I don’t know why it took so long for it to call us. We’re looking for a friendship problem.” “Oddly specific. Let’s just fly around until we find what you’re looking for.” “But I can’t fly,” Sandbar said. “That’s where I come in.” Garble picked the pony up and took off into the air. “Whoa, easy!” “Relax, I’m not going to drop you. Besides, this really isn’t the safest place for a pony.” “He’s got a point,” Smolder said. Pointing to the ground, she showed her friend the various cliffs and pools of lava. “Fair point,” Sandbar commented, “But look for something like... Dragons arguing.” “If that’s what you were looking for the map would’ve told you to move here,” Garble said. “Didn’t many of them start getting along better since Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow were defeat?” “Sort of. The older ones are pretty stubborn.” “How about we ask Dragon Lord Ember?” Smolder suggested. “Sounds like a good idea,” Sandbar agreed. “That might be a little challenging,” Garble stated. His sister and her friend looked confused. “I don’t know why but she’s been a little cranky lately.” “I’m not sure if I should be happy we’re getting closer to our problem, or worried about getting close to an angry dragon.” They flew around until they found the Dragon Lord. Ember was standing on a ledge to look over the land. “Hey, Ember,” Smolder called as she landed behind her. “Huh? Smolder?” Ember questioned. “Shouldn’t you be at school?” “Before you ask, I was given orders to come here. Along with Sandbar.” “Hi,” the colt said after Garble let him go. “Okay,” Ember said, “And Garble?” “I was just giving him a ride,” he stated. “We’re looking for a friendship problem,” Sandbar explained. “Have any of the dragons been causing trouble here?” “I’ve heard that Fizzle’s been pretty quiet lately.” “He’s usually like that,” Smolder said. “Well, you go check on him. If you’re supposed to fix a friendship problem, go find it!” “Alright, you don’t have to shout.” The two students walked off. Garble got a look from the Dragon Lord, signaling he should go to. “Your brother wasn’t kidding,” Sandbar said. “I don’t remember her just scream like that,” Smolder replied. “She usually has a good reason. The spirit didn’t summon all of us, so it can’t be something supernatural.” “Let’s start with that Fizzle guy. You know what he looks like?” “He’s about as tall as Garble, white, and has some pink spines. He should be nearby. Fizz? Fizzle!” They carried on until they came across the dragon they were looking for. Fizzle was hanging out near a pool of lava only with another drake. This drake had green scales, orange horns pointing upwards, a dark green chest with purple wings and rose-colored eyes. “I could’ve sworn I’ve seen you before,” Fizzle said. “I’ve might’ve flown around a few times,” the drake said. “Fizzle,” Smolder called, grabbing the dragon’s attention. “Smolder?” the white drake replied. “I got called here. Ember said you were having some trouble with something.” “Not at the moment. Though, you think you could help me with this guy? I think I’ve seen him before.” The mysterious dragon looked to be nervous based on his expression and sweat. “He has a point,” Sandbar commented. “He looks very familiar.” “I... Um... Passed by a couple of times,” the drake said nervously. Smolder and Sandbar looked at each other before they started figuring things out. “You wouldn’t happen to be...” “Hey, what’s that!?” The drake pointed at something, making Smolder, Sandbar, and Fizzle turn around. This left the drake enough time to fly off. “I can’t believe we fell for that,” Smolder groaned. “Yeah, he got Clump too,” Fizzle told. “We have no idea where he came from.” “Well, do you have any problem we can help with?” Sandbar asked. “Aside from that guy, nothing.” “Welp, thanks anyway,” Smolder said. “Come on, Sandy.” The two walked off, leaving Fizzle to himself. “What’s that guy usually like?” Sandbar asked. “Like Garble, his actually pretty nice. Just pure pressure from some bullies.” “Speaking of which, was Clump one of them?” “He’s gotten better. His family is huge. Like... Huge.” “Wait, there’s that drake again.” He pointed to where the mysterious dragon was, flying around in the air as if he was looking for something. Smolder promptly dragged her friend under a cliff before he could see them. “Okay, as soon as he takes off, we’ll follow him,” she said. “You sure about that?” “Fizzle doesn’t know where he came from. He has to be something else.” “What are you talking about?” “Who else do you think has those colors?” “I... I thought it could be, but I didn’t see a good reason why.” The dragon then flew off. Sandbar got picked up by his friend, and they took off after him. “We just came back this way.” “You know this place better than I do, so I’m going to take your word for it. Where’s he going?” They followed behind and made sure not to get spotted. When the drake landed, he looked to be to hyperventilating. “What’s wrong with him?” Once they landed behind him, Ember walked up to the drake. “Princess... Ember,” the drake stuttered. “Where were you?” the Dragon Lord asked. “I was... Busy back home. My brother’s getting tired of taking my place.” Smolder and Sandbar looked towards each other. “That does sound like him,” Sandbar whispered. “But we would he come here?” “Who cares?” Smolder replied, “I’m asking.” She flew up the cliff, taking the older dragons by surprise. “Weren’t you with Fizzle?” the drake questioned. “I’m more curious about who this is.” “I’m the Dragon Lord,” Ember said, trying to change the subject. “Uh, guys,” Sandbar called. The tree turned to the colt who was struggling to get up the cliff. “Oop, sorry,” Smolder apologized. She walked over to help her friend when they heard a flash. After getting the pony back on the cliff, the green drake was gone again. In his place, was a rock with... Eyes? The rock tried to close them, but the students weren’t buying it. Ember groaned in defeat. “Come on Thorax,” she sighed, “You’re caught.” A sigh came from the rock as there was another flash, revealing the changeling king. “King Thorax?” Sandbar questioned. “I thought it would be you but... What are you doing here?” “Visiting Ember,” Thorax admitted. “Something you have barely done in a while,” Ember stated. “A while?” Smolder questioned. “How often have you visited?” Sandbar asked. “Well,” Thorax said. “It started after Twilight became the new ruler of Equestria.” Several months ago. At the changeling hive, the changelings were all relieved that Queen Chrysalis was now sealed in stone. Thorax was relaxing with some of the changelings. He was relaxing a bed of leaves. He could barely remember what parts of the hive looked like before he took charge. He often spent most of this time thinking about the other kingdoms. Yakyakistan, Seaquestira, Hippogriffia, Griffonstone. Then he thought about the Dragon Lands. He then thought of Ember. She did help give him some pointers on how to be a good ruler, and he also gave some tips to her. Though, once he started thinking about her, he couldn’t get her out of his head. “Maybe I could go and visit her,” Thorax said to himself. “Yeah. Equestria is safe now. Chrysalis isn’t coming back anytime soon. Who am I going to get to watch the hive though?” He thought for a moment before he thought of someone. “You want me to do what?” Pharynx asked after being asked. “I just want you to watch the hive for about an hour. You’ve done it while I was checking on Ocellus at the school.” “And tell me again why you’re leaving this time?” “I just want to visit Ember.” “...Seriously?” “Look, I’ve barely talked to her after we helped save Equestria. I just want to have a normal visit with her. No threats, no reasons, just a normal visit.” The king’s brother huffed. “Fine. But if you’re gone for more than an hour, I’m coming for you.” “Okay. See you later.” Thorax took off. Since the Dragon Lands were pretty far from the hive, he would have to good pretty fast if he wanted to actually spend some time with his friend. Ember was looking over the Dragon Lands, minding her own business. She could see Garble giving some poetry lessons, looking to her left, she could see some dragons actually sharing some gems. Things were looking good and she was thinking about heading to the lava pools when she heard something. She looked behind her to see the changeling king flying towards her. Thorax was sweaty and out of breath. “Thorax?” Ember questioned. “Hey... There,” he panted. “Your home’s... Far away. And hot.” Thorax tried landing on his own feet, but his exhaustion caused him to stumble. Luckily, Ember managed to catch him. “Easy buddy.” She helped her friend lie down so he could catch his breath. “I told my brother I’d be gone for an hour. I wanted to visit you. I forgot how far away this place was and... I only have so much time.” “You wanted to visit? Why?” “Just because. It’s been a while since we had a proper conversation.” “You could’ve just waited for another threat coming our way.” Ember chuckled to herself as Thorax tried joining in, though not as loud. “I have to say, it’s pretty warm here.” “That’s what you get when you live around lava. You want to take a look around?” “Sure. I haven’t really seen this place.” The changeling stood up and changed into his new dragon form. “Why did you do that?” “I thought I’d take it easy and try and blend in.” Ember just gave a shrug. “Whatever you say.” After grabbing her staff, Ember showed her friend around her home. “So, this place isn’t pretty... Rocky.” “Yeah. It feels nice when you’ve got stones under your feet.” “I don’t know.” “Right. You’re not as tough as a dragon. How often do you shape-shift?” “Not so much nowadays. Some changelings can flip-flop between different forms, myself included.” “Interesting. And how else does your body change?” “What do you mean?” The two stopped to look at each other. “Like... Do you feel weird when you change into new forms? Like, going from anything with legs into a fish.” “Oh, that. It can be a little confusing the first time you transform. After a bit of practice, you get used to it. Any other questions about changelings?” “A few. Do you eat anything besides love?” “We can. We have sushi at the hive sometimes. Though, love is our main source of sustenance. Believe it or not, it has flavors depending on what kind it is.” “Could you give me some examples?” The real and fake dragons slowly floated down towards the ground as they looked to be in for a long talk. “For love between friends, it can taste like a nice bar of chocolate. For love between parents and a child, it tastes like bubble gum. And romantic love... Oh, I can’t get enough of that.” Thorax was now starting to drool a bit. “That can taste like red velvet cake with frosting from one of the finest chefs in all of Equestria.” “Cool. Now, please stop drooling.” Thorax quickly saw what she meant. He snapped back to reality and whipped his mouth. “Sorry. That’s just how I taste love. It seems to vary from changeling to changeling.” “Well, maybe you liked to try some gemstones. I know a good place where you can get some.” She led her disguised friends over to a cliff where several gems were sticking out of. The Dragon Lord pulled two out and tossed one to Thorax. “What kind of gems are these?” “It seems like you have a sapphire. I’ve got myself a sweet amethyst.” She tossed her gem into the air caught it in her mouth. “Delicious. Try yours.” Thorax was a bit more cautious as he had never tried a gemstone before. He slowly took a bite, though he had to try pretty hard just to break a piece off. When he finally did, chewing it felt even harder, even with his dragon teeth to help him. After swallowing, he had mix opinions. “It feels like I’m swallowing gravel.” “Yeah, it feels good, doesn’t it?” “...Depends on how you like it. The taste seems... Weird to me.” “Really? It tastes just fine to me.” “Enough about food. Is this where you get most of your food?” “Yep. We also have fish from time to time.” “From where?” “Let me show you.” She led her friend away from the rocky area until they got to some cliffs over the ocean. “I thought I saw one near here. If you don’t have anything fishing rods...” He didn’t even finish as Ember started laughing. “I’ll show you how it’s done.” The Dragon Lord dived into the water, much to her friend’s shock. In a few seconds, she resurfaced with a fish in her claws. She held it in the air and breathed fire on it. In several seconds, it was cooked, albeit a little burnt. “That’s... Creative.” “My dad taught me a few tricks on fishing.” “Wasn’t he the original Dragon Lord?” “He was. I like the title, it’s definitely better than being called... Princess.” “What?” “Okay, technically I’m supposed to be called Princess Ember. I have the other dragons call me Dragon Lord. It makes me sound tougher.” “I don’t see what’s wrong with being called Princess.” “It just sounds... Girly. Do you know what I mean? It just doesn’t sound right to me.” “Princess doesn’t sound girly to me.” “It’s just... Dressing up. It just seems silly to me. Think about it. No creature normally wears clothing in Equestria, so why should we waste it just to dress up in something that’s more of a hassle than anything to have around?” “I see. I think it’s more of a hobby than anything. You don’t have to be a part of it if you don’t want.” “Thanks for that. It’s nice to get some things like that off my chest. You want to try fishing?” “Like that?” “I’ll show you.” Grabbing his claw, Ember dragged her friend into the ocean. Up close, Thorax could see tons of fish swimming past their legs. “Our claws are pretty sharp. Just reach and grab one of them.” The disguised changeling did as she said, but the fishes just kept slipping past him. “They’re too fast.” “You’ve gotta act fast.” Ember demonstrated as she swiped up another fish. “Try again.” Thorax tried. When it looked like he finally caught one, the fish flopped around and slipped out of his grip. “Darn it.” “Relax. I’ve caught another one. Just give it a good roast.” She handed her fish to her friend, though he wasn’t so confident. “What’s wrong now?” “You see, changelings can copy the form of different creatures. However, we can’t really copy their abilities, such as breathing fire.” “So, you’re not immune to lava?” “Probably not. I’m not going to find out.” “Okay then.” Ember took the fish back and held it by its tail. She then blasted it with some fire until it was nicely cooked. “Thanks.” Thorax was given his fish back and noticed that it had some burn marks. “You don’t have any...” Before he could even ask his question, Thorax got his answer as he saw Ember sinking her teeth into the fish she caught earlier. He figured he should try doing the same and was happy to find that the fish was nowhere near as hard as gemstones. They got back to the rocky area. Ember led Thorax to a pool of lava, which she hopped into. “You sure you don’t want to test it?” she asked. “I’m good,” Thorax replied. “I prefer not to get burnt.” “Suit yourself.” The dragoness sat back and relaxed. “Okay, your dad was the original Dragon Lord.” “He was. Though, he was pretty forceful. Ordering dragons what feelings to show.” “Gotta be better than being told to feed off of love. I’m glad Chrysalis is gone.” “I haven’t really heard much about her.” “Lucky you. When she was queen, all we did was hunt and feed. Hunt and feed, hunt and feed, every day. Every time we just get filled up we get hungry after less than an hour.” “Wow. I thought that the dragon’s greed was bad.” Thorax looked confused for a second. “One thing at a time. How did you coop with that?” “I couldn’t. But then I felt this huge surge of love coming from the Crystal Empire.” “There’s a Crystal Empire?” “Yeah. I had to hide until Spike found me.” “So, that’s how you met Spike. Tell me how you took the throne.” “I had a bit of help.” The two talked for ages. Once Thorax was done telling his tale on he became the king, Ember explained the Gauntlet of Fire. “Wow. You really went through all that?” “It wasn’t easy, let me tell you. At least I had my abilities with me. Your team had barely any of their powers.” “He does do well with a team,” said a deep voice. “Uh oh,” Thorax sighed. A dark green drake with red horns and chest along with purple wings. “One hour. You said you’d be back after that.” “It’s already been that long?” “Who is this?” Ember asked. “My brother, Pharynx,” Thorax answered. “Oh. I didn’t recognize him.” “Yeah, I’m a changeling,” Pharynx said, “It’s our thing. Speaking of which, they’re wondering where you are.” “Sorry, I lost track of time,” the king apologized. He turned to Ember. “I’ve gotta go.” “No, I get it,” she replied. “Make sure your hive doesn’t turn into chaos.” “Right. Hopefully, we could meet up sometime again.” Thorax and Pharynx took off. Once they were away from the Dragon Lands, they changed back into their normal forms. “Meet up again?” Pharynx questioned. “Ember’s a good friend. She’s the one who’s given me some advice on ruling over the hive.” “Yes, but you can’t just ditch your responsibility to go and hang out with a friend.” The king gave a frustrated groan. “You’re right. Maybe... I’ll visit her once a week.” “You sure about that?” “I’ve left the hives longer than an hour before. Just one hour, one week. I’m not asking for much.” “I think you’ll have to check with the other changelings before then.” After getting back to the hive, he explained everything to the changelings. “Doesn’t this seem a little risky?” one of them asked. “I’m well aware of the dangers of going to the Dragon Lands. I’ve managed to avoid any areas that would’ve been fatal to a changeling.” “You really can’t expect them to just except you’ll be gone...” “For an hour a week,” Thorax stated. The changelings talked with each other. “That doesn’t sound too much,” one said. “Maybe two hours,” another one suggested. “The lands are pretty far away.” “Thank you,” Thorax said. “I was afraid I was pushing my luck.” “Princess Twilight said all creatures need to share friendship.” “Exactly. So, starting next week, I’ll be able to visit any of the other kingdoms once a week for two hours. While also budgeting extra time for travel.” “Then I’ll keep an eye here while you’re gone,” Pharynx said. “Though, you’ll have wait next week.” The king sighed as he knew his brother was right. As days went by, the changeling king waited until he could visit Ember again. The Dragon Lord meanwhile, just waited for him to get back. She got a bit impatient and almost forgot about her friend coming to visit again. After one week, Ember was just minding her own business as a drake walked up to her. “Princess Ember,” he said. “What?” Ember asked. She didn’t like being called that. She saw the green, orange, and purple drake. “Where were you?” “I was setting up how I long I could visit here,” Thorax explained. “I’ve got two hours to spend with you.” “Wow, really? Great. Now, I can show you around this place.” She took off with the disguised changeling following behind. “And then each week we spent some time with each other,” Thorax explained, finishing the story. “Wow,” Sandbar said. “So, you two have spent...” He paused as he calculated the total amount of time the two have spent together. “About thirty hours with each other,” Ember said. “Right. Ocellus is more of the brains of our group.” “You think she would’ve mentioned this,” Smolder commented. “She wasn’t at the hive when I started this trip,” Thorax said. “Maybe you could spend your four hours here talking about that,” Ember said. “You’ve got extra time since you didn’t come last week.” She sounded pretty angry near the end of her sentence. “I’m sorry, I was... Busy... With... The changelings heading to the friendship school.” “Mm, hmm. Sure.” “Okay, is that the problem?” Sandbar asked. “Depends, what kind of problem are you looking for?” “A friendship one,” Smolder explained. “Which is something you have right now.” “Did your spines glow like Spike’s?” Thorax asked. “Yeah.” “I don’t see what the problem is,” Ember admitted. “He just missed a week.” “Yeah... Yeah, that’s it,” Thorax spoke. “You sure about that?” Sandbar asked. “I feel like there’s something else going on.” “To be honest,” Ember said, “I think we’re running out of things to talk about. I already told Thorax about my plan on how to change the ways of the dragons.” “There’s gotta be some other things. Maybe something you were too afraid to do.” “I... Haven’t introduced him to my dad.” The fake drake felt his blood go cold. “He’s huge,” Thorax stated. “If I can get through to him about becoming the new Dragon Lord, I can get through to him about you.” “Then let’s start with him,” Sandbar said. “Yeah, let’s go,” Smolder said. She picked up Sandbar, and then followed Ember to her father. Thorax took off a little later than they did, as he wasn’t just feeling nervous about Ember’s dad.
Being Around Dragons“I’m not sure about this,” Thorax said to Ember. “He has to find out at some point,” Ember replied. “You said he’s forceful. What’s stopping him from turning me into a pancake?” “The only thing is pretty much Ember,” Smolder answered. “And even then you might have trouble.” “Smolder,” Sandbar cried. “Just saying what we’re all thinking here.” “Please tell me you brought a paper bag,” Thorax begged. “Sorry, no,” Sandbar replied. “There he is,” Ember cried. She pointed to where her father, Torch was. He was talking with some other dragons who were close to his size. Thorax could feel his heart accelerating. “The last thing I’m going to see is the claw print of giant dragon,” he panted. “Thorax,” Ember said, “Just let me do all the talking. Smolder, you and friend stay out of sight. No offense kid, my dad’s still a little iffy around ponies.” “Got it,” both teens replied. Smolder landed where Torch couldn’t see her or Sandbar. “He’s huge,” Sandbar commented on Torch. “I know,” Smolder agreed, “Just stay quiet.” The changeling changed into a dragon, then he and the princess landed close to the former Dragon Lord. “Hi, Dad,” Ember called. Torch stopped his conversation with the other dragon and turned around to see his daughter and a... Drake. “Ember,” he said. Torch bent down to take a good look at Thorax, who was starting to sweat in fear. “Dad, this is just like when I showed you who save the eggs. Garble is just a friend and so is...” Ember paused. Her father around ponies was one thing, but how would he react if the dragon next to her was actually a changeling. What kind of a dragon was named after a body part anyway? “Ember, what’s wrong?” “This is... Um... Bismuth.” She and Thorax tried to play it cool as Torch raised an eyebrow. “That sounds more like a girl’s name.” “Yeah, I know,” Thorax said. “That’s why I don’t like being called that.” “Understandable. How have you found out about my daughter? I haven’t seen you around here before.” “Oh... I was just... Flying from somewhere else.” “So why haven’t I seen you at the Gauntlet of Fire?” Thorax froze. “He’s dead,” Smolder whispered. “Shh,” Sandbar replied. “Um... You see... I’m a heavy sleeper,” Thorax answered. “Trust me he is,” Ember added. “He’s fallen asleep a few times. I’ve tried roar, dragging, and breathing fire on him. He’s like living rock.” “I see,” Torch commented. “How did you two meet?” “I was just flying around until I came here,” ‘Bismuth’ explained. “I found out that Ember was the new Dragon Lord and we started... Hanging out.” “For how long?” “Dad,” Ember groaned. “We’ve been hanging out for two hours a week.” “How many weeks?” “Ten weeks. That’s it.” The massive father seemed to be getting angry. ‘Bismuth’ knew he had to change the subject fast. “How are you enjoying the retired life?” he asked quickly. “It’s quite nice,” Torch replied. “I no longer have to worry about what some dragons do.” “Good for you. It has to be nice not being stressed.” The drake now started to breathe heavily. “It is. Though, whenever Ember’s away from here I watch over the lands. A sort of semi-retirement.” “I see.” He turned towards Ember. “Say something,” he whispered. “What do I say?” “Probably the things we’ve done together.” “What are you whispering?” Torch asked. “Oh, Bismuth was just wondering what do you do while I’m here?” Ember replied. “Ye... Yeah,” ‘Bismuth’ stuttered, “You have any hobbies?” “I’m glad you asked,” Torch replied. “Here we go again,” one of the adult dragons sighed. “Just follow me.” The retire dragon took into the air, creating a lot of wind, nearly knocking Sandbar off his hooves. Ember and ‘Bismuth’ flew after Torch while Smolder ran after her friend. “You okay?” she asked. “I’m fine,” Sandbar replied. “I’ve survived against Yona’s mini-earth quakes. Maybe we should follow them?” “Seriously?” “We were summoned here for a reason. We have to follow in case things go wrong.” The dragoness sighed. “Fine, but if you get caught that’s on you.” She picked her friend up and took off after three other dragons. Well, two and half-dragons. Torch landed in an area containing a large river and several different ships. Some of them looked like they’ve just been built, while others had seen better days. “What’s this?” ‘Bismuth’ asked while landing. “Just a couple of sunken ships I’ve recovered,” Torch explained. “You fix broken ships?” “Eh, it’s a hobby. I found a couple of these while I go fishing for a meal.” “What kind of fish do you find?” “Ones that are as long as the masts on these boats.” ‘Bismuth’ could see that the mast of quiet tall. “Honestly, I’ve seen him tackle ones bigger than his horns,” Ember whispered. ‘Bismuth’ gulped at the thought of sea creatures that big. “I’ve... Gotta say these boats look really nice.” “Thank you,” Torch said. “I’ve spent a lot of time on these. Some of these are actually are airships.” “So, where are the big balloon parts?” “You mean the envelope?” “That’s what it’s called?” “Yep. I don’t find a need for them and most of the ones I find are beyond repair.” “It would’ve been nice to see a couple of these in action.” He walked over to one that was closet to a stream of water leading to the ocean. “I’ve had a couple of teens who’ve tried to set sail. They didn’t make it very far.” “Wha... Did you do?” “Nothing. They mostly got unlucky and hit a rock, causing the boat to sink again.” “Dad, can we talk about something other than boats?” Ember asked. “I’m actually enjoying this,” ‘Bismuth’ told. “Good for you,” Torch said. “But this can’t be the only thing I want Bismuth to be interested in,” Ember sighed. “What do you mean?” “Dad, I’m sorry, but...” “Just say it.” “I find this... Boring.” “I know. I’ve heard it before.” “I’m honestly surprised one how many boats you have,” ‘Bismuth’ commented. “Same here.” Smolder and Sandbar were hiding behind a corner where the stream led out into the ocean. “He seems to be doing better than I thought,” Smolder commented. “Yeah,” Sandbar agreed. “Maybe we didn’t need to come here.” “So, Bismuth,” Torch said, “Why have you been interested in hanging out my daughter than the other dragons?” “Up, here we go,” Smolder said. ‘Bismuth’ immediately froze. “Oh... Uh...” he paused. “That because...” “Is something wrong?” Torch asked. “Dad, why do you ask these questions?” Ember groaned. “It’s just a question.” “That you also ask Garble. We’re just friends.” “Eh... Exactly,” ‘Bismuth’ agreed. “I’m sorry, this is getting awkward.” “Agreed. Let me show you to the other dragons.” Before Torch could say anything, he watched his daughter and the new dragon fly away. “Ugh, maybe she has a point,” he said to himself. The two students saw what happened and waited for Torch to turn his back. Then, they took off after them. “That went exactly how I expected it,” Smolder admitted. “Same,” Sandbar added. “Why are dads like that?” “Don’t know. You’re the dragon.” “I mean all dads. Let’s just try and keep up with them.” Ember and Thorax landed near some pools of lava. “Why does he always do that,” Ember complained. “You okay?” “I’m fine,” Thorax replied. He took several deep breaths. “Your dad’s really scary.” “He uses that to his advantage sometimes. How about I just show you to the other dragons?” “That would be nice. You’ve been telling me about this Garble guy. Who’s he?” “He’s the one who helped save the dragon eggs. He should be over here.” She led her disguise friend to where Garble was. He was with his friends and Fluttershy. Spear and his little brother were fast asleep as Clump flew in with one of his siblings. “Oh, how cute,” the pegasus commented on the big brown dragon’s younger sibling. “Don’t call me cute,” the young dragon complained. “She’s kind of right,” Garble admitted. Smoke came from the little dragon’s nose with a huff. “Fluttershy?” Ember question in surprise. She and Thorax landed next to them. “Oh, there you are Ember,” the mare said. Fluttershy’s eyes were now caught by the changeling in disguise. “Who’s this?” “Yeah, I’ve never seen this guy before,” Garble added. Thorax started getting nervous again, but Ember spoke first. “This is Bismuth,” she said. “Isn’t that a girl’s name?” Clump asked. “I know,” ‘Bismuth’ groaned. “I don’t like talking about it.” “Okay,” Fluttershy replied. Before they could actually start a conversation, they could hear something. “You’re getting sweaty,” cried a faint female voice. “This place is one big volcano,” said a male’s, “This is bound to happen to a pony.” “Do anyone else hear that?” Garble asked. “Voices?” ‘Bismuth’ asked. “OW!” the male’s voice cried. They looked up and could see Smolder holding Sandbar by his tail. “Why that of all places?” the colt asked a bit angry. “What else was I suppose to grab?” the dragoness asked. Sensing things might get worse, Fluttershy and Garble flew up to help them. “Should we get involved?” ‘Bismuth’ asked. “I’m sure they’ve got it,” Ember asserted. “Guys, tell our new friend about yourself.” “Okay,” Clump said, “I’m from a pretty big family.” “How big exactly?” ‘Bismuth’ asked. The big brown drake stopped to think. “I kind of lost track after the double digits. Let’s just say I’m the middle child of a lot of siblings.” “Including me,” said Clump’s younger sibling. “Hey, he’s kind of cute,” ‘Bismuth’ complimented. “She,” Ember corrected. “Wait, that’s a gir...” ‘Bismuth’ now felt a bit guilty. “It’s okay,” Clump said, “This happens a lot.” His little just groaned and walked away, right after kicking a stone towards Spear. The stone bonked his little brother on the head, which caused him to wake and cry. “Ugh, not again,” Spear groaned. Fluttershy helped Sandbar get onto the ground safely and then flew over to the crying baby. “Oh no,” she sighed, “What happened.” “My sister,” Clump answered. “Look, I’ll go get her.” He flew off as ‘Bismuth’ felt awkward. “Please help,” Spear begged. He held out his baby brother to Fluttershy. “I want you to do what I told you,” she replied. “I won’t always be here to help you.” “Just this once please,” Ember begged, covering her ears. The mare did her best to help Spear stop the crying baby as Sandbar noticed that ‘Bismuth’ was gone. He looked around until he saw the fake drake hiding in a small cave. “Bismuth?” he called. “Shh,” the fake drake hushed. “Pretend I’m not here.” The colt looked back over to where the dragons were. “Why are you hiding.” “I kinda. This is what I was afraid of.” Sandbar slowly crawled in to listen better. “I stick out like a sore claw. I thought if I learn how dragons acted, I thought I would gain their trust and show them my true body. That doesn’t sound like the old days of a changeling, does it?” “...Kind of.” ‘Bismuth’ sighed as he held his claws to his face. “I just wanted to get closer to Ember. Is that so much to ask for?” “Not really.” Sandbar noticed that the fake drake’s face was partly red. “It doesn’t seem that bad. You don’t have get angry.” “It went so much easier in my head. Just to get close to Ember and...” His face turned redder as he let out a frustrated groan. “Is there... Something else you were planning?” After taking a deep breath, ‘Bismuth’ sighed. “It’s Ember. After we first she helped give advice, we became good friends. Then when start hanging out once a week, it sort of devolved into a crush.” “Oh. So, that’s why you miss the last week.” “Yeah. I couldn’t build the confidence to come here. I thought I would blow it. I barely know anything about dragons. I want to know as much as I can before I ask her out.” “I know how that feels. I felt nervous before I asked Yona out. We hit a few bumps in the road, but we managed to work it out.” “You and Yona are more similar in personality. Ember is way tougher. She’s a tomboy. She blew up a boulder she threw with her fire breath!” “...Look, just take deep breaths and calm down. Just think about things Ember likes and try doing them. Have you tried that?” “Well, I already tried somethings. Like gem tasting and I’ve also helped Ember with some training. She’s really strong.” “Right. Just get back out there and try to know more about the dragons. I hear Garble does great poetry.” The two slipped out of the cave and back to the dragons. “Where did you go?” Ember asked. “I had a bit of a panic attack,” ‘Bismuth’ answered. “Tell me next time.” The disguised changeling nodded as before they looked towards Garble. “Anyways, this is Garble.” “Oh, yeah, didn’t you help save the dragon eggs?” “Yep,” Garble confirmed. “Ember said that you used poetry that made the dragons laugh.” “Yeah, we were jerks,” Spear admitted. The blonde dragon was cradling his brother as Baff flew up to them. “Where did you go?” Garble asked. “I had a run-in with Ballista,” Baff replied. “Who’s that?” ‘Bismuth’ asked. “Basically Baff’s crush,” Spear joked. “Hey.” “You have to be honest,” Garble said, “You haven’t asked her out yet.” “Look, I’m just waiting for the right time.” “I know how you feel,” ‘Bismuth’ said under his breath. “Let’s focus on one thing at a time.” “Right,” Garble agreed, “I’ll be right back.” He flew off for a minute and returned with his bongos. “Oh, yeah, let’s get started.” He started drumming a beat. “Smoke. Ashes. Rising. Falling. Both created from fire. Always feel kind of dire.” “Wow, your brother’s really good,” Sandbar whispered to Smolder. “I know,” she replied. “He’s written a lot over the summer. They seem to be enjoying it.” Smolder pointed to Ember and ‘Bismuth’ were both enjoy her brother’s poetry. Ember was causally snapping her claw while ‘Bismuth’ rocked his head side to side. “By the way, Bismuth told me the reason why he didn’t show up last week. He has a crush.” “On who?” Sandbar simply pointed to the Dragon Lord. “Ember?” “Apparently.” “Alright, it makes sense why you’re here, but why me?” “I don’t know.” “Guys, are you listening?” Garble asked. The two redirected to him, who noticed they weren’t paying attention. “Sorry, Gar-Gar,” Smolder apologized. “Sandbar was just reminding us of our friendship problem.” “You did find out what it was right?” “Not yet,” Sandbar replied quickly. The red dragon just shrugged and continued with his poetry. “Thorax doesn’t want her to know,” Sandbar whispered. “He’s trying to build her trust before asking.” “How long do you think it’s going to take him?” Smolder replied while trying to pay attention to her brother. The colt looked over to the disguised changeling, who was trying not to blush as he sat next to the Dragon Lord. “I don’t think he’s going to have the confidence,” he said to himself. “He just needs some help.” Suddenly, there was a low growling sound. “Sorry,” Ember apologized. “I haven’t eaten yet.” “I could get you something,” ‘Bismuth’ said. “Are you sure about that?” “You showed me where to get fish. I’ll be right back.” With that, he flew away before any dragon could say anything else. The Dragon Lord sighed as she looked towards the students. “He isn’t all that experienced in fishing.” “I can go check on him,” Sandbar said while standing up. “Are you sure about that?” “I’m going to try and find out why’s he’s so flustered lately. Plus, I’m getting a little hot here.” The colt walked off in the direction the fake drake went. After a little walking, he managed to reach the ocean, where it was a lot colder than it was back with the dragons. Shivering a bit, Sandbar sat next to the water and looked around. Bismuth/Thorax was nowhere to be seen. The colt was confused until something splashed out of the water. He thought he saw the tail of a seapony, which just confused him more. They weren’t anywhere near Seaquestria, so why would a seapony be here? Sandbar soon got an answer as the mysterious seapony swam out of the water. It looked like a certain changeling. “Oh, hey,” Thorax panted. “What are you doing?” Sandbar asked. “I was trying a new strategy of catching fish. I heard seaponies are really fast in the water, so I’d try doing what they do.” “I think they have nets set up.” Thorax groaned. “Probably.” “They had to have caught them without gear somehow. Ooh, I know.” Suddenly, he changed his form into a whale. He swam down and to scoop up some fish. Once he got back to the surface, he spat out all the fish he collected. They flopped around for a bit as he changed into his dragon form. “You could just change back into your... Wow.” “What?” “Those fish.” The colt covered his nose to help block out the smell, though this did very little to help. “Sorry. You’re right.” The king did the same as the pony. “What were you saying?” “You could’ve just changed back into a changeling.” “Someone could’ve caught me.” “Like how you turned into a whale?” Thorax sighed and facepalm. “Why is this so hard?” “You know, my girlfriend Yona went through the same thing as you. The easiest way to do this is to just be yourself. Plain and simple.” The fake drake stood up and sighed again. “How would the other dragons feel if I was there the whole time.” “You and the other changelings helped save Equestria. I’m sure you can onto their good side.” “But I’d be a jerk if I didn’t tell them sooner.” “Thorax, just be yourself. It’s that easy.” The disguised changeling thought for a minute. “What if I showed them my true nature before showing them my true form?” “If that’s what it takes to help you get going, go for it.” The fake drake smiled. He then picked up one of the fish and walked back with the pony to where the others were. Ember was trying to get a beat on Garble’s bongos as the boys returned. “There you are,” she said. “What took you so long?” “The fishes were very slippery,” ‘Bismuth’ answered. “And smelly,” Sandbar added. The fake drake handed the fish over to his crush, who then started turning and cooking it. The boys looked at each, with the colt speaking first. “So, Bismuth, would you like to talk about what you do before coming to the dragon lands?” “Oh... Well...” ‘Bismuth’ struggled to think of something to say. “My mother wasn’t what you would call a role model,” he said, starting his story. “No doubt,” Ember said under her breath. “She’d often find food, usually from other creatures, steal it, eat, and repeat. She taught this trick to me and all of my siblings. And trust me, I have a lot.” “Well, where are they?” Clump asked. “I’m... Not sure. I left them... A while ago.” “Sounds hard,” Smolder said. “I mean, that’s low, even for dragons.” “How many siblings did you have?” Spear asked. ‘Bismuth’ froze for a moment before counting on his claws. “I lost track after the double digits,” he answered. “I know how you feel,” Clump said. “I have a hard time keeping track of my siblings.” “How big was your mom?” Spear asked. “Excuse me?” ‘Bismuth’ asked. “You never heard of dragon’s greed?” The fake drake began to sweat with worry. “He’s a little rusty on that subject,” Ember spoke. “It doesn’t bring back positive memories.” “Understandable,” Smolder commented. “Spike told me what happened when he got greedy.” “How about I keep telling my story?” ‘Bismuth’ asked. “I eventually made it to the Crystal Empire.” “Crystal Empire?” Clump asked, now listening carefully. “Yeah. Some of the ponies were a little afraid of dragons, except for one.” “You mean Spike?” Ember asked. “That’s him.” “Yeah, he and I weren’t the best of friends when we met,” Garble said, feeling a bit of guilt coming back. “It’s okay,” Smolder said, “We’ve forgotten about that.” “Anyways, I managed to befriend the ponies at the Crystal Empire,” ‘Bismuth’ continued. “It took a while to get used to pony food, but they managed to give a couple of gems to snack on.” “Are there any different kinds of gems?” Spear asked. “Hmm, none that I’ve seen that aren’t here. How about you guys. What do you know?” The sound of a crying baby was now heard again. “I know my brother can’t shut up.” “He’s just a baby,” Fluttershy stated. “You try holding him.” The mare handed the baby over to his big brother. He still kept crying, even when Spear tried rocking him. “Come on. Stop crying, please.” As he tried to calm the baby down, a pink dragoness with a very long tail came around the corner. “Can you please make that stop?” she begged. “Oh, Ballista,” Baff said. “Yeah... We know. It’s annoying.” The black drake was soon starting to blush. “Wait could you make it stop?” “I’m trying,” Spear declared. Despite his attempts, his little brother kept bawling. “Fluttershy.” “Okay,” the mare replied. She was giving the crying dragon which she quickly calmed down. “How do you do that?” “Maybe we should get him something that’s soft,” Garble suggested. “Like a pillow,” Clump said. “Exactly,” Spear said. “Maybe I could actually sleep.” “Garble, could you keep an eye on Smolder and Sandbar until I get back?” Fluttershy asked. “Of course,” he replied. With that, Fluttershy handed Spear his brother back and flew back to Ponyville. “Okay, I’m going to hide somewhere to muffle noise,” Ballista said. “O... Okay,” Baff said. “We’ll let you know when things are... Under control.” The drake started blushing as the dragoness flew away. He let out a frustrated sigh. “That didn’t go too well,” ‘Bismuth’ commented, shuttering a bit. “Ya think?” Baff held his claws to his face in frustration. “Sorry, man,” Sandbar said. “You want to talk...?” “NO!” “Okay then.” The frightened colt slowly hid behind his dragon friend. “This is awkward,” ‘Bismuth’ said. Not knowing what else to say, he slowly walked away. “I should probably follow him,” Ember said. The Dragon Lord flew away after their friends, the dragons and colt decided tp follow. “Aren’t you going to follow them?” Clump asked Garble. “Honestly, they know more about how friendship problems work than me,” the big brother replied. The fake drake, Dragon Lord, and students managed to slip away from the other dragons. Once they were alone, Thorax changed back into his normal form. “Keeping this form up is getting tiring,” he sighed. “Just tell the others what you are,” Smolder said. “We just met them a few minutes ago.” “That’s true,” Sandbar said. “Well, I think I can connect with Baff. I mean... That taste of love. I feel sorry for him.” “Wait, you taste love?” Ember questioned. “Yeah, Ocellus told us about that,” Smolder commented. “Baff’s worry seemed to taste bittersweet,” Thorax explained. “It started out sweet like cotton candy but when he could say what he meant, it soon became sugarless lemonade.” “I see,” Ember said. “I’m surprised you’re connecting to him of all dragons.” “Yeah. Luck of the draw, I guess.” He gave a nervous chuckle as he tried to pretend no to blush. Sandbar noticed, and he knew what needed to happen. “Dragon Lord Ember?” called a voice. Thorax promptly turned back into a dragon as a big purple dragon flew up to them. “What’s up Vex?” Ember asked. “The underground lava pool’s leaking,” he replied. “What? I swear if it’s them. Show me the problem.” Vex led the way as Ember turned back to her friends. “Be back soon.” Once she was gone, the fake drake sighed and sat down. “You have to tell her,” Sandbar said. “I know,” Thorax groaned. “I just don’t know how to do it.” “I know,” Smolder said. “Just walk up to her, and tell her how you feel.” “Smolder, you don’t know how it feels,” Sandbar said. “Thorax, if you makes you feel better, I’ll help you ask Ember out.” “Really?” the changeling king asked. “It’s gonna happen at some point. It’s better if you get it over with now. You and Ember are good friends. I’m sure she’ll listen.” After taking one more deep breath, Thorax stood up. “Okay, let’s do it,” he said. The two boys walked away to find the Dragon Lord while Smolder thought about what her friend said. “I do know,” she mumbled. She then decided to follow behind. Ember was helping Vex and some other teenage dragons push some boulders back into place to stop the leaking lava. “How did this happen?” she asked. “It was just one missed dive,” Vex said. Smolder and the boys arrived at the scene. “Yikes,” Sandbar gasped. “This looks bad.” “You think we can help?” Thorax asked. “It would make things easier.” Suddenly, a burst of lava nearly caused the boulder Ember and the dragons back. Thorax jumped into action and flew up and help push the boulder to block to leak. Some of the dragons, especially Ember, were surprised to see him. What Thorax didn’t know was that some of the lava was leaking near their feet. When he felt some touch his foot, he jumped back and screamed in pain. Most of the dragons were surprised and confused by this, but Sandbar, Smolder, and Ember knew that changeling’s cover was blown. “Are you okay?” Vex asked. “I’m fine,” Thorax groaned. His foot wasn’t, it was badly burnt thanks to the lava. “Let me take a look,” Ember said. She and the fake drake landed away from the lava. Thorax had to sit down since his foot wouldn’t be able to take his weight without causing him pain. “What were you thinking?” “I was trying to help. I thought that boulder was going to crush you.” “I could’ve handled it. You got yourself burned.” “How’s that possible?” a dragoness asked. “Not now Prominence.” “I’m just saying, he’s a dragon. We swim in lava.” “There’s an explanation for that,” ‘Bismuth’ sighed. After a bright flash, e revealed his true form. “Wait a minute,” Vex said. “Is that one of those changelings?” “Yep,” Ember answered. “I think this is King Thorax,” Prominence said. “What is he doing here?” “I was just visiting,” Thorax said. “I didn’t plan on burning myself.” He held his burnt foot in pain. “Stop moving,” the Dragon Lord ordered. “We don’t have anything that can treat this.” “Can you still fly?” The changeling flapped his wings and hovered above the ground. “Yeah. I think I can make it back to the hive. But, can I ask you something, privately?” She helped her friend towards the ocean, where no other dragon was around. Thorax dipped his foot into the cool ocean to help cool his burn. “I really think you should get home.” “I know, but... I want to tell you something. ...The reason why I didn’t come last week is that... I had a confidence issue. It was because of you.” “Me? What did I do?” “Nothing on purpose. I feel... You make...” He was starting to pause yet not finishing his sentences. “Just spit it out!” “I...” He groaned as he pulled his foot out of the water. “I really need to get going.” With that, he quickly flew off. Ember just sighed and flew the other direction. Smolder and Sandbar looked at each other, knowing this was harder than it needed to be. Author's Note This took long enough
Crushed“He just choked,” Smolder said. “I knew I should’ve been beside him,” Sandbar sighed. “We’re never going to fix this problem.” She kicked a couple of stones in frustration. “Why was I even called? Why couldn’t it be Ocellus?” “I’m worried about Thorax. Not just his crush, but his burn too. I sure hope he’s okay.” They looked over to Ember, who seemed to be a bit down. She then shook her head and donned a serious look. “You think she’s okay?” “She didn’t know about his crush.” “It was kind of obvious.” “Let’s try and talk to her.” The two walked over to the Dragon Lord. “Ember, do you have a minute?” The dragoness let out a sigh. “Make it quick,” she ordered. “Well, you saw Thorax panic, did you?” Sandbar asked. “Of course. You know why he just choked like that?” “Is it a crush?” “...How did you know?” “I could see him blushing. That’s probably why he flew off.” “Right. How are you feeling?” “A little surprised. How long has he been hiding that?” “Hard to say,” Smolder said. “Well, I just hope his foot’s okay. Lava’s really dangerous for non-dragon creatures.” “I could image,” Sandbar commented. “It’s kind of hard to believe. I didn’t know he felt like that.” She then walked off as she started to think a bit. “One of us should go over to the changeling hive,” Smolder said. “I’ll do it,” Sandbar replied. “I’ll use the tunnels to get there.” “Alright. I’ll try and talk to Ember.” “Got it. Wish me luck.” The colt ran off to the tunnels as his friend sighed. “I’m the one that’s going to need it.” She took off to catch up with the Dragon Lord. Ember was dipping her feet into some lava as she was in deep thought. The dragon student of friendship school landed behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. The princess looked to see her and was a bit surprised. “I thought you were going to get Thorax back,” Ember said. “Sandbar said he’d take care of him. What are you thinking about?” “Thorax. Why was he so interested in me? I didn’t think I was his type.” “Maybe it was one of the things you did in the past few weeks. Anything you can think of?” Ember thought for a moment for past activities. The Dragon Lord and fake drake stood in front of a lava pool. “Are you sure you don’t want to test your body?” Ember asked. “I honestly feel like overheating just standing near it,” Thorax replied. Suddenly, without warning, some teenage dragons rushed past them and cannonballed into the pool of molten magma. Bit of lava splashed towards the disguised changeling. He stumbled back to avoid getting burned. “What do you think you’re doing?” “Just having a bit of fun,” a blue drake with white spike horns said. “Something wrong with your friend?” “I just... Got out,” Thorax said trying to keep it cool. “Yeah, whatever,” the yellow and green drake said. “Move aside, my girl’s about to dive in.” On cue, a red dragoness bumped past Thorax, nearly knocking him into the lava. “Watch it,” Ember ordered. “Sorry, Dragon Lord Ember,” the dragoness apologized. “I made sure that dragons were supposed to learn about friendship.” “Let’s just go,” Thorax suggested. “Just a minute.” The princess glared down at the drakes. “I’ve tried to be nice to you, princess Twilight’s orders, so if I catch you being jerks again, there’ll be trouble.” Smoke billowed from her nostrils before she flew off. The fake drake flew beside her. “Thanks for that.” “No problem. Dragons like that are such a pain.” “Yeah, it’s like having multiple Pharnyxs. One was bad enough. Are most dragons like that?” “Unforinetly.” They landed on the cliff edge. “It’s gotta be nice to get away from your duties, right?” “Yeah. I wish I could get away from this more.” “Didn’t you say your dad watches over the lands while you're gone?” “Yeah, but I haven’t gotten a good excuse to travel too far from here. My dad doesn’t allow me unless it’s important, like checking on Smolder at school.” “So, there’s no good reason why you couldn’t visit the hive.” “Doubt it.” “Yeah, changelings are a lot nicer than dragons. No offense.” “None taken.” The fake drake sighed as he looked at the sun. “I think it’s about time I head home.” “Dang. I was hoping you can me with target practice.” “Maybe next week.” He stepped closer to his friend so he could hug her. The dragoness wasn’t soon keen on this, yet she just took it. “Bye Ember.” With that, he took off. “See ya.” She just sighed and went back to work. “I thought it was just a friendly hug,” Ember admitted. “I just stood up for him. Any friend would do that.” “I think friendship and love are completely different things,” Smolder explained. “I would know how you would feel.” “Seriously? Who is it?” “It’s... Ocellus.” “That changeling. I mean it’s kind of fun... Hold on, isn’t she a girl?” “I know. I think your problem is easier than mine.” “You sound like you should be assisting Thorax.” “I think Sandbar is better suited to that. Do you find... This hard to believe?” “I don’t know just... Why am I feeling this.” Smolder could see that the Dragon Lord was starting to blush. “What emotions are you feeling?” “I don’t know! Thorax and Spike told me about being nice and other friendship things but they didn't tell about these kinds. My heart is rushing now.” “Not to mention you’re blushing.” “I am?” Using her bloodstone scepter, she looked at her reflection to see she was blushing. “GAH! Why are emotions so complicated. I thought you only needed happiness, anger, and confusion.” “I feel like you need more than that. Don’t you feel sadness?” “That’s... Something I don’t like to talk about. Look, I don’t want to talk about this.” She was about to take off, but Smolder stopped her. “I know this is something you don’t like to, and I don’t either. In the end, this can help with your problem.” Ember sighed. “Fine, you’re right. Why do they make this harder than it needs to be?” “Maybe it’s because... Thorax was one of your first friends.” “Spike was the first friend I had. Why isn’t he in Thorax’s place?” “Maybe it’s the amount of time you spent together. Spike doesn’t usually visit you for two hours. You had more time to get to know him.” “That’s true. I’m glad Thorax is getting more confident but he’s still a bit worried around other dragons. Especially those jerks that nearly splashed him with lava!” The two dragons were surprised by this outburst. “I don’t what came over me.” “I don’t think you know who’s the only one that has a crush here.” “What are you talking about? Thorax’s the only one who has one.” “So why do you keep mentioning his name?” “Because he’s who we’re talking about. Thorax is why you’re here, Thorax is injured, he needs attention, I’m the reason he got burned.” Ember noticed she had a tear coming from her eye. “Am I crying now?” “Maybe it’s guilt.” “Are you saying that his injury was my fault?!” “N... No. I’m just saying, what do you think about him?” “I don’t see what that has to do with anything. He just has purple buggy eyes, he’s pretty tall, and he’s cute when he... I just called him cute. ...I have a crush on him.” She slowly brought her claws to her face and groaned. “Emotions are complicated. I get fuzzy feelings when I’m around Ocellus. I can’t help it and you can’t either.” “So, you can’t really tell me how to control it.” “...I think I know one to get rid of your fuzziness.” At the changeling hive, Thorax was having some cold leaves placed on his burn. “What did you think was going happen?” Pharynx asked. “I’m not in the mood to talk to you,” the king grumbled. “Is the burn bothering you?” a changeling asked. “It’s not just that. Could you leave me alone for a little bit?” The changeling did as Thorax told and left. The king sighed as he remembered his encounter after his injury. “Do you want to talk about that?” asked a voice. He looked up and Sandbar walking towards him. “How did you get here so fast?” “My friends and I had some tunnel made... Long story, let’s just focus on what happened. I know you feel silly with how that went.” “Don’t remind me.” The changeling winced as he nearly stood up. “I hate this burn.” “I could imagine. You know, it’s a lot colder here than it is in the Dragon Lands.” “True. That’s why most changelings prefer to stay inside during this weather.” “Yona doesn’t seem to mind this. She’s got pretty thick wool.” “Speaking of which, when did you ask her out?” “At the pony pal dance.” “No, before that.” “Oh, you mean how I asked her out. Well, after I nearly got crush by a statue one of my friends made, Yona pushed me out of the way in time. After we started our second year at the School of Friendship, I started having funny feelings for her. I couldn’t help but blush when I was around her. I couldn’t find the right chance until the Pony Pal Dance was announced. After the dance, Yona and I started dating more. We had a few bumps, but we managed.” “Yona’s personality seems closer to yours. Ember and I are like apples and oranges.” “Professor Applejack’s aunt and uncle have orange related names. Sometimes different things are good together. While it may not be true for somethings like eating something you’re allergic to, but I’m saying that you should try again.” The changeling thought for a moment. “You know, you’re right. I just made one mistake. I have to be more confident.” “That’s the spirit.” Thorax flew upwards. “Thanks, Sandbar. I hope Ember can...” “King Thorax,” a changeling said, “There’s someone here to see you.” “Who is it?” “She’s in the visiting quarters.” The king and colt followed the changeling to see two familiar dragons sitting at a table. “Ember?” “Hey, Thorax,” the Dragon Lord replied. “I’m really like the look of this place.” “Th... Thanks. What are you doing here?” “You visiting me tons of times, so I thought I visit you for once.” Before he could start freaking out, the changeling king remembered what Sandbar told him. “It’s... Nice to see you again.” “Same to you. You were wanting to say something earlier, remember.” “Um, right. I... Sort of...” “Have a crush?” “...Yes.” “Figured. I don’t you’re the only one who has one.” “Wait, what?” “Yeah. I really enjoyed you visiting. I hate to admit it, but I’m not to keen on showing my emotions.” “If you were you’d probably be sneezing smoke right now.” The two rulers shared a laugh as the king sat down. “It’s kind of colder here than in the Dragon Lands.” “Yeah, Sandbar told me about that. You’re not uncomfortable, are you?” “I’m just not used to it. How do you guys stay warm in here?” “This hive changes the location of its tunnels. Starlight helped find a spell so it’s more controllable for guests. With no holes, we help keep the heat in.” “Smart.” Smolder slipped over towards Sandbar. “Looks like we did it,” the dragoness whispered. “Hold on,” the colt replied, “I wanna make sure.” “Ember, you’re a great friend,” Thorax said. “You’ve helped give me tips.” “Same with you,” Ember replied. “If I’m having these kinds of feelings, I’m happy that you’re the one I’m sharing them with.” “Yeah. Same with you.” The new couple suddenly saw some glowing and saw they came from Sandbar’s cutie mark and Smolder’s spines. “Now, we’re done,” Sandbar said. “Thanks for the help guys,” Thorax said. “No problem,” Smolder said. “Now, we’re going to get back to the school.” “What about Fluttershy?” “I told Garble to tell her where we were going,” Ember explained. “See ya,” Sandbar said as he and Smolder walked away. “Let me show you around the hive,” Thorax said to the Dragon Lord. “I think we still have some sushi.” “What’s that?” Ember asked. “It basically fish rap in rice.” “Ooh.” The two walked off to start their tour in the hive. As they did this, the dragoness and changeling started holding each other’s claw and hoof.
