Ocean Eyes

Chapters

We Didn't Come Here To Party, We're Too Tired For That
Welcome to Equus Beach
No Frozen References Allowed
Something Resembling A Summer Fling
Let's Just Say We're Good
You Think A Momma Bear Is Scary, You Never Met Her...
A Dance of Fire And Ice
And It Feels Like Summer

We Didn't Come Here To Party, We're Too Tired For That

Summertime was here again, thank Celestia’s mane. After a tough year like this, there was nothing that could delight ponies around the world like the hot summer air, wide open beaches, and knowing that there wouldn’t be school for a long while for the colts and fillies alike. It was music to everypony’s ears, but for mares and stallions, it offered them something they needed most of all: A simple break from the chaos and disorder of their adult lives. They needed it bad, maybe even more than any filly or colt.

That was the case in a port just south of Canterlot. Many cruise ships were docked in there for the day, and some of them were loading up with passengers for the voyage later that afternoon. While there would be a few families, the majority of the ponies boarding the Equestrian Breeze were adults, roughly in their twenties and thirties. They were all wound up, and the deck already felt like a party with a lot of festivities and dance music blaring on deckside.

Well, save for one. By the boarding entrance, one member of the crew would be accepting tickets to board, noting that every pony, consisting mostly mostly unicorns, were ready for a party. On the other hoof, a pink mare unicorn came to the boarding checkpoint with a different dune. Her green mane was usually long and straight, but it was frazzled and standing upright in many spots. There were a few bags under her eyes, and she yawned while she waited to be checked in.

With another heavy yawn, she reached into her bag and pulled out her ticket for the staff member to see. He examined it with his magic and chuckled from the sight. “Lucky you, Miss Ember Spark, getting a hoof onto a first class ticket. That’s exactly what I could use right now, a trip full of luxury on the way to Equus Beach. How did you get one, anyway? They’re usually sold out the minute they go on sale.”

“My...my….” Ember had to fight off fatigue just to stay awake. “My cousin owns the ship line. Sapphire Shard, you probably heard of him. And yeah, that’s just what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna crash...and get drinks...and I’m gonna go swimming for days.”

“Well, don’t let me stop you.” He punched out her ticket, gave it back to her, and let her continue. “Lucky mare…”

She was too exhausted to laugh on the outside, but she made up for it by laughing on the inside. Knowing what she was in for gave her the energy to board the ship, and she was right on deckside before she knew it. Oh sure, it was loud and there were excited ponies everywhere she looked, but the feeling of the ocean breeze on her face was like a warm blanket.

Even her bags, both of them, felt light on her back while she got a good look around the deck. Just as she was hoping for, there were long chairs for her to rest her weary head on. She helped herself to one by the deckside pool and pushed in a couple of earplugs in her ears, and she was already relaxing by the time the ship-wide announcement was made.

“Thank you for boarding the Equestrian Breeze with us today. Our final passenger has boarded for the day, so we will be departing for historical Equus Beach in five minutes. One of the earliest towns to be formed in Equestria, Equus Beach retains its popularity by being one of the best rated beach towns in the world…”

She was already tuning it out in her mind. No matter how bright the sun was above her, she stretched out all four hooves and took it easy on herself. The earplugs let her hear the announcement, but she was able to ignore all the rest. The next thing she knew, she could feel the ship depart from the port.

Everypony on board cheered from the departure, and Canterlot would slowly but surely turn into a blot of land at their backs. In due time, the only thing that would surround them would be nothing but sea, and the smell of it all was the perfect change of pace for Ember…

...only thing was, she wasn’t really relaxing like she thought she would. It was the damndest thing, like when she was ready to pass out an hour before bed, but she would be wide awake when she actually tried to sleep. “Ah buck it…”

She pulled out the plugs, and the deck wasn’t as rowdy as she feared. There were a lot of ponies in the pools and the deckside restaurants would be busy, but it was surprisingly quiet for so much activity. Ember would glance around the sea, and there was an unsettled feeling deep into her stomach.

It made her feel like an idiot to feel like that. There would be dolphins floating around the surface and delighting the fellow passengers, and that was the thing. The sight around the ship was the kind that could be put in the dictionary underneath “serene”. “Calm down, Ember,” she told herself. “You’re okay. You can rest all you want. Just...rest, damn it!”

Frustrated at her inability to do so, she went down to one of the restaurants. There would be drinks around the bar for everypony, and given her first class status, she didn’t feel the least bit bad about grabbing a margarita and enjoying a sip. “Oh yeah, that’s the good stuff.” Some of the anxiety left her hooves, and her flank sank deep into the seat. “Just what I needed.”

“We’ll be arriving in Equus Beach shortly after sunset this evening,” the announcer would speak up. “Until then, all services are open until further notice, including the spa, the restaurants, and everything else you can imagine. Thanks again for sailing with us.”

It brought a small smile to Ember’s face, but she swore something wasn’t right. To her left, she could see a school of dolphins fly above the surface of the water. She was seemingly the only one that saw them...along with a dark yellow, humanoid figure, flying in the air with them.

The sight startled her, and she wiped her eyes clean with a napkin. She turned her attention back to the dolphins, and they splashed across the water. The person she thought she saw, there were no signs of them at all. It was just the usual bunch of fish coming up to delight the ponies.

She shook her head and saw all the other passengers enjoy the sight, wondering if they saw what she saw. Nopony else was acting like something was off, and she pondered if she ordered an especially strong drink. “What the hay is in this?”

The only conclusion she could come up with was that it was all in her head. It wouldn’t take long for her to soon forget her worries, though. There was a mountain to their right, and it was swarming with dragons. Given recent breakthroughs between Equestria and a certain Dragon Lord that shared the same first name, there wasn’t a sense of dread over her like there would have been a few months ago.

In fact, a lot of ponies were cheering from the sight of the dragons. “Hey, look over there! Now it’s really a party! Woooohooooo! Fly over here!” In due time, pretty much everyone on board was shouting it at the same time, practically begging the dragons to fly on by.

A lot of the smaller dragons, around teenage sized, heard the siren’s call. They looked at each other and asked themselves if the ponies were actually serious. “DRAGONS! DRAGONS! DRAGONS!” they heard from the ship. That little chant alone sealed the deal for them, and they started to fly over to the ship’s deck, much to the delight of the patrons.

“We at the Equestrian Breeze welcome visitors of any species, as long as they follow the same rules as the guests,” the announcer blared out. That was enough for them, and Ember soon found herself sharing a deck with a handful of dragons.

It was actually quite nice to see this, in her opinion. She had heard that the newest princess of Equestria was practically siblings with a dragon for years, but seeing this in person was something else. One dragon, obviously, had to spew fire into the air to signal that this was a real party. Of course they acted like the frat boys at her college. Practically everyone here was like that.

Still, the margarita wasn’t doing it for her. She nodded to a dragon right before he sat down on the stool next to her, and she carried her drink while she carted off the bags to her room. At the very least, if she couldn’t relax down there, she wouldn’t have to worry about the bags for the next few hours.

“Hey, less dancing and….I dunno...I just gotta get to my room,” she said, finding her eyes twitchy after a dragon and pony blocked the way between her and the way to her room. “You can even have my drink if that gets you out.”

“Your drink? Nah, you can have mine!” The dragon handed her a drink, some kind of lemon shot. She didn’t mind it, but she used her magic to lightly push him aside. “What was that for?”

“All nighter at my job. I need some sleep…” Any other day, she might have been entertained by the dragon’s antics. She needed the sleep more than the companionship, though. At long last, she was off the deck and towards the way to her room.

There were roughly three floors of rooms on the ship, and Ember’s room was on the second floor. She went down the steps along the way, and she got a closer view of the ocean from there. The sea breeze was practically in her face, and it stayed refreshing to her senses. Along the way, she swore she could see dolphins and other fish swimming along with them…

...and she dropped the lemon shot when she swore she saw the orange fish lady again. Okay, that has to be real. I've seen it twice now… She hung her head over the ocean, and it was gone. That was it for her. If she saw anything more concrete, she was going to go down and deal with it herself, or she was going to contact one of the security unicorns that a ship like this usually had, in case of magic emergencies.

Still, she didn’t think about it for a while when she arrived in her room. Ahhhh, the joys of first class. There was a little plate of fresh fruit to eat on the table, the living room was almost as big as hers, and there was a luxurious bed waiting for her to rest on. For one moment, she was going to turn off her brain and let poor old Ember enjoy things.

As anxious as she was, all of it melted away when she pushed her head into the marshmallow pillows she would call her own for all of a few hours. Who cared how short it was? She was feeling something resembling life coming back to all four legs. That was enough.

She tilted her head enough to sip her drink, and she groaned from just how tired she was. “I needed this. This is all for you, Ember Spark. Enjoy it.” A grape levitated with her magic to her lips, and it had been years since she had something that good to eat. And that was just one grape she could have.

With all of that surrounding her, she was prepared to rest, relax, kick back with her hooves and have the time of her life. But it never happened. She was pampered, loving life like it was right then and there, but the fish lady remained in her mind all the time. She couldn’t escape the feeling that something was off about it. It would have been one thing to see something like that one time and pass it off as a mirage. To see it twice, she knew something was up about it.

Just a little more time to rest first…

Author's Note

Well, finally out after a bit of a delay. I know it's a short chapter, but a lot of stuff came up recently and it might be slow for a bit. The plan is to drop a new chapter every Monday for now, and then hopefully after chapter 3 or 4, I can pick up the pace a bit. Should be done well before August is over.

Welcome to Equus Beach

Sleep never came to Ember during the cruise, but she still got something resembling the rest she was looking for. For now, that was enough. She was still kicking back along the bed as the day turned into night. Any moment now, the ship would pull into port and she would be at her home for the next few days...like she cared right now. She was working a difficult job as recently as that morning, and she was gonna rest, damn it.

Nevertheless, she was curious about what it looked like outside. The curtain to the window was closed, and she could just use her magic to pull it away. Deep down, she was a little hesitant to look outside. Not because of bad weather or anything like that, but the sight of a certain fish lady. There was someone out there. She just didn’t know who.

But then again, was the fish lady actually doing anything? Even if something was up, she could use magic to zap at it, and she was far from the only unicorn on deck. That was enough to convince her to actually go out there and deal with the horrors of….oh Celestia...the world around her room.

When she went into her room the first time, a bunch of college aged ponies were partying it up with dragons around the same age as them. When she left the room, taking her bags just in case they were about to dock, it was quieter. The breeze around the ship was gentler, and the sun was about to set. Nothing but ocean and the outlines of a beach laid out in front of them.

Ember was pleasantly surprised by the environment and stepped out to the deck. Even that part of the ship was quiet. There was some low tempo dance music playing, and it fit the mood. Ponies were drifting peacefully around the pool, and only a few dragons remained around the ship. It was exactly what she wanted, a low key evening. Not that she couldn’t party, but she didn’t want to party on a day like this.

Still, she noted the beach out in front of them. There was a telescope mounted on the deck, and she took a look at it. Pointing it down to the beach, she caught wind of a tropical island, with more palm trees than she had seen in her entire life. Not only that, but she could see the outlines of a town and miles upon miles of shores. To make it even better, all the sand was white, almost shimmering from the dying traces of the sun.

“All passengers on the ship, we’ll be docking in Equus Beach within the next hour. Please gather your belongings and get ready to depart,” the announcer said over the speakers.

That had Ember feeling mixed. She stared at the pool and debated about taking a dip while she still could. On the other hoof, she did enjoy swimming in seawater over some chlorine drenched pool water. And then she noticed one dragon staring right at her.

The dragon was a guy, green in color, and he was getting a good look at her. One look at her flank, and she knew what he was thinking. “Look, I’m not interested,” she said. “Just...I don’t know. Broke up like two weeks ago with this guy. It’s not a good time for me right now.” ”

“Alright. I can take no for an answer.” He let her be after that, and she rubbed at her mane for a good bit. She knew the true reason why she turned him down, although she wasn’t lying about the recent breakup, either. That’s all anyone needed to know for now.

Still, there was a renewed air of excitement when the town of Equus Beach came into view. They could see that it was a larger island than anyone expected, and the town was as well. If one had to guess, it was roughly the size of Ponyville. The beachfront was out for miles, and a few rivers from the island drifted from the beach into the water, fed by a dormant volcano out in the back.

The town itself was simple and seemingly quiet. It was spread out with a lot of storefronts, and several villas were out by the beach. Ember’s eyes lit up from the sight of them, knowing that one of them would be her place for the next few weeks. Still, she noted something unusual.

There was a lot of beachfront around, but one corner had nopony there at all. She checked it out with a telescope, and it looked normal in her eyes. Then she saw one filly inch up to it, curious about it, but her parents were quick to pull her back with a panicked gasp.

“That’s weird…” She pulled back and pointed it out to the closest pony. “Do you know anything about that?” She had him look through the telescope as well.

“Huh. I heard rumors that something was going on, but nopony really knows,” he explained. “Something like a sea monster or creature. That’s all I heard.”

That set off the alarm bells in Ember’s head, and she was ready for a fight. She checked to examine the water around the ship on all sides, anything that resembled the fish lady she saw earlier. All she caught were schools of fish drifting lazily around the Equestrian Breeze. “Calm down, Ember,” she told herself. “It’s nothing to be worried about. By Celestia’s mane, this is a vacation...just enjoy it…”

It didn’t settle her nerves like she wanted. Instead, she kept an eye out for anything and everything while the ship approached the port. On the plus side, the port itself was welcoming, with several ponies waiting to serve them with refreshments. Everypony on deck was just as excited as she wanted to be as it pulled right in.

Witn no sign of the fish lady in sight, Ember felt slightly more comfortable once the ship had docked. Several exits were made for the passengers, and her hooves felt a little less jittery once they pulled off the deck. It was even better when her hooves were touching the wood of the harbor. “See?” she told herself. “Nothing to worry about.”

Truth be told, she almost forgot about the whole thing when she arrived at the harbor. Not because of the refreshments on display or anything like that. It was purely because this place looked like heaven to her senses. It really did feel like a Ponyville by the beach, a combination that was great on paper, even better in reality.

With her bags in tow, she went further into the town. With the wonderful breeze at her back, she saw all the numerous flags flapping around the streets of Equus Beach. They were all flags of the different Equestrian towns. Lately, they also added the flags of the dragons, yaks, griffons, seaponies, changelings, any species that recently made ties with Equestria.

Along the way, she could find a few restaurants that looked delightful to her eyes and stomach alike. Her belly growled from the scent of freshly baked bread, fruits, all that stuff. Still, she wanted to give herself more time to check out the town. Then she would help herself like she deserved.

Keeping the bags close by, she also noted how vast the ocean looked from here. It seemingly stretched for miles in all directions with nothing to stop the blue horizons. Just the sight relieved some of the tension from her hooves. “See, Ember? You earned this. Look at all this. Look at...the lazy river....by the ocean….really?”

Yeah, there was a lazy river nearby. She found it redundant to have anything resembling a water park so close to an ocean, but eh. She hoofwaved it as an attempt to get some money from tourists. If she had to be honest with herself, she would have done the same if she owned some land down by the ocean.

Ah well. She decided to go ahead with a restaurant, a little cafe in the middle of the main street. From the table she rested in, she got to enjoy all the fresh fruit that an island like this provided. Now and then, she would see a dragon, but she was most curious of all about the pegasi around. There was a reason for it, and the moment one came to her table, she flagged him down. “Hey, I noticed that there’s a part of town ponies are avoiding like the plague,” she brought up. “Do you know anything about that?”

The moment she brought it up, she swore the color from the pegasus’s face drained. “Oh. That. We heard a lot of rumors about it, too. It’s more of a precaution than anything else. One thing I can say, there’s been sightings of ice around the place. And it’s not melting…”

Ember’s eyes widened. It might have been a few precious minutes before sunset, but she could still feel the heat in the air. “At this time of the year? Are you pulling my leg?”

“I’m afraid not. I’ve seen it myself. I’m just hoping they send somepony in there to find out what’s going on.” The pegasus left after that.

“Hmmm. Maybe I should do something about that. I’m brave enough to take on anything.” She pounded the table with a hoof, almost scattering her drink across the table’s surface. “No no, Ember, you’re on vacation. You’re here so you DON’T have to work...ah buck it.”

She was about to get up and deal with it herself, but the fatigue in her legs reminded her that it had been a long day. Well, if you count eating grapes in bed a long day. Still, she finished her meal without creating another commotion, and she left from there.

On the bonus side, the sand on her hooves was just as pleasurable as she wanted it to be. Once she went down the way to her villa, she let the breeze hit her face...and she shot the ocean a deadly glare. “Come on, evil ice fish lady. I know you’re there. Just get out of the way of my vacation and I won’t do a thing.”

The ocean mindlessly touched her hooves with its waves. “That’s right,” she warned. “I’m watching you. You’re not ruining this for me.”

Instead, the waves continued their approach, and she kicked the sand for good measure. A few ponies asked themselves what her deal was, but she wasn’t thinking about it. The bags under her eyes were growing by the second, and she knew how to fix that.

Among the villas that laid out by the shore, one stood out to her. It was a simple, big enough place with a thatched roof and warm colors with its wood palette. It was the perfect mix of fancy and simple, just like what she wanted. She fumbled around with the key in her possession, and the front door unlocked for her after a little bit of work.

Just like the room in the ship, the villa had extravagant sheets for the large bed, but that’s not what was music to her eyes. That would be the wide open window to the ocean by the front door. After she dragged her bags into the villa, she sat down by said window and enjoyed the sights and sounds. “That’s paradise, right there. I don’t care if Canterlot’s got it all. It doesn’t have THIS.”

And then the siren’s call came for her...to go to bed. Oh was she game for it. She climbed up and laid down in the bed...and fell asleep in no time at all. For all the tiredness and fatigue she felt in the ship, it wasn’t time for her to sleep just yet. By the time she got the villa, it was finally, and she wasn’t going to hesitate any longer. In the span of minutes, she was already dreaming of swimming in the ocean she saw with her own eyes.

However, something else was happening down at the part of the beach where nopony wanted to go. It would go unseen at first, but ice formed out of thin air around the shoreline. No matter how hot the early evening air was, it refused to melt even a little bit. It almost seemed to be resisting the heat through pure might.

Now and then, whoever was casting it stepped back to admire their handiwork. A heavy sigh escaped their lips, and it continued its work like ice in the summer was the most normal thing in the world. Well, people did like their frozen drinks by the beach…

Still, it wasn’t really satisfied by the work so far. It would continue with its efforts for the next few minutes, and the ice continued to spread around its little spot in the world. Eventually, the ice was so contagious, it was hard to see where it started and where it stopped.

And then a few brave ponies trotted over to check it out. “I don’t think there’s anything to the rumors,” one earth pony mare thought. “I don’t really get how ice would survive out here. If that’s all there is to the stories, what should we be afraid of?”

“It has to be some kind of magic,” her unicorn friend noted. “In my studies, there are spells that leave ice strong enough to outlast the heat. It’s not that the ice is strong, but the magic is. I heard something similar about dragons with ice breath, too.”

“You didn’t bring a bunch of books with you on this trip, did ya?” a pegasus teased. “Come on. Relax a bit.”

“Hey, I’m not like Princess Twilight. I don’t sleep on books like she did that one time.” Still, they were all curious and continued on...until they swore they saw something glisten under the dying rays of the sun. “What’s that?”

They all saw the same thing, the sight of ice reflecting the sun. There was a lot of it, and it was starting to resemble some kind of gigantic house. It had them all curious, so they went to check it out. The pegasus hovered above the ground, secretly wondering if he needed to flee the scene.

They checked out the front of the ice house, and the unicorn tapped it with a leg. “It’s definitely not natural…” He peeked into the cracks of the entrance, and he narrowed his eyes inside. “What’s going on…”

Before he could catch what was going on inside, someone...or something was staring back at him. The eye was giant compared to his, and it breathed a heavy breath full of ice down his mane. Frost was left in its wake, and it blinked its eye right at him.

“MONSTER! RUUUUUUN!” The unicorn deployed a teleportation spell to get the hay out of there, and the eye turned to the pegasus and earth pony. Both of them screamed from the sight, and the pegasus grabbed the earth pony around the shoulders and got her out of there, pronto. The sound of their screams could be heard for dozens of feet.

Rather than give chase or even yell at them, the creature merely shook its head and resumed its work. “You think they’d want a place like this in the summer…” It pulled away and used its breath to spread the ice around the beachfront. The ice fortress would only grow with time, remaining defiant of the summer heat.

Then again, I’m here because I wanted to be alone. Maybe I should have researched this place before I picked it out...

Author's Note

Yeah, still a bit short with the chapters so far. I'm hoping that after chapter 3 comes out by next Monday, things will have calmed down enough for me to write these faster.

No Frozen References Allowed

After all the ruckus of the last few days, Ember got to enjoy herself in the middle of a dream. What was in it, she didn’t remember. It didn’t make sense to her, even in the midst of it. That was the last thing she was concerned about. Her mind was conscious enough to know she was dreaming, and it was a sign she was getting the rest she deserved for a long time. Ahhhh, sleep…

Still, her ear twitched around in the air. Maybe she had to go to the bathroom? She would have to wake up in the middle of the night from it, just like most ponies. Nah, it can wait. Then she heard more noises. That wasn’t right. She wasn’t making them, and they weren’t that far away. Without waking up, her horn subconsciously grabbed one of the pillows with her magic and tossed it at the front door. That had to shut the chaos up.

But it didn’t. It kept going. She swore she heard something like a scream, and her eyes shot open. “Geeeeaaaahhhhhh….stop it…” She buried her face into the pillows, but the screams only intensified. It was like they were upset that she tried to rest on a night like this.

“Fiiiiiiine. We’ll do it your way.” She sprung out of bed and rubbed her eyelids with her hooves. One quick stop to the restroom later, and she went out the front door. Then it hit her that it was deep into the evening. Given the position of Luna’s moon--she guessed it was Twilight’s moon now--it had to be just after midnight. At least she got SOME rest before life kicked her in the hindlegs.

Still, she noticed a slight chill in the air when she ventured out into the beach. This wasn’t because it was late at night. The chill almost felt like the kind Equestria had right before Hearth’s Warming Eve. With the little story about a fish monster fresh in her mind, she kept it in the back of her head when she went to investigate the source of the screams.

It wouldn’t take long at all to find it. A bunch of scared ponies were running away from that little spot of the beach nopony wanted to go to. Not only that, but it dawned on Ember that all of the ponies were around her age. If she had to guess, somepony dared another pony to try to step hoof into the area, only to run away when they found out what was waiting for them.

“What the hay is going on?” she yelled at them. “It’s almost one in the bucking morning, and some of us are trying to sleep! Well, I am. I don’t know what you guys are doing.”

“There’s a monster down by the abandoned pier!” one stallion explained on his way out of town. “It’s shooting ice everywhere. I shouldn’t have taken that dare, I was such an idiot, even for my age!”

And now Ember was asking a lot of things about the kind of ponies in her generation. She twisted her head to see that little spot she heard so much about, and there were a few ponies scattered around the beach, mostly running out of the area. Anyone else that was looking to have a midnight swim was doing the same thing as Ember, looking in that direction and questioning what was going on.

“I’m gonna need a lot of coffee, aren’t I…” Ember used her horn again to summon a cup of coffee over to her spot, and she drank the whole thing down. Just another cup for good measure. She was sick of this. “There we go.” She slammed the cup down to the ground and went to face the threat head on.

At the very least, the cold chill in the atmosphere kept her awake just as much as the caffeine coursing through her legs. More ponies were running away from the stretch of land, and she heard one of them scream in her direction. “You don’t wanna go down there. I saw the monster’s eye. It was freaking me out!”

“Yeah, well, I got the magic to shut it up if it’s gonna be a problem.” Ember kept on walking like this was normal, and she was more annoyed than anxious. Maybe a little anxious, but still. In due time, there wouldn’t be a single pony along the beachfront other than her. This would be between her and the creature that dared to interrupt her overdue beauty sleep.

She looked dead ahead of the beach, and she didn’t see anything wrong. That part of the island wasn’t as developed as the rest of the place, so there was just a thick, tropical forest near the beach. One thing she noticed, however, was that...well...she got the surprise of her life near the ocean.

Up ahead of her, there was a massive ice structure along the sands. It was well over three stories tall, and it had no set structure. It was like a minor iceberg just showed up near Equus Town one evening. The chill in the air grew intense near the ice fortress, and she felt her coat’s fur stand up after just a few seconds near it.

Part of her was thinking it would melt, given it was still warm for a summer’s evening. Instead, it remained intact, and there wasn’t even one sign it was melting. Her mind immediately thought that some kind of magic was at play here. It was the only answer that made sense.

The moment she learned nopony was pulling her leg about it, that there was an actual building of ice by her hooves, she scanned the place around with her eyes. If the fish lady was around, this had to be the place she’d call home. Instead, Ember found nobody there at all. There wasn’t a single soul to be found for miles in all directions, let alone inside the fortress.

And that’s when something changed inside of Ember’s mind. “You mean...I come all the way out here, get the vacation of a lifetime, and I hear a thing about this evil monster...and it’s just a big block of magical ice? I had to wake up in the middle of the night because some unicorn decided to pull a prank on everypony? Are. You. Kidding. Me?”

That was enough for her. Her horn flared up with a blue light from the base to the tip, and she summoned all the magic she could muster. A bright blue fireball launched right at the nearest block of ice, and that was the thing that caused the ice to start melting.

Not that it melted much, if at all. It was more like the ice fortress suddenly had a door for visitors. “Oh no you don’t!” She stormed through the open door and looked all around the ice. “You’re not staying here. I’ll melt the whole damn place down if it means ponies stop freaking me out, and I can’t get a good night’s sleep if I tried!”

There was nothing but ice around her for a good few feet, and the mere sight irritated her. She launched fireball after fireball at the structure, letting her anger take on a physical form. Her spells were intense and fierce, but it didn’t melt the ice away as fast as she expected. Steam nearly came out of her nostrils when she realized that, and she kept melting it away. “Just go away!”

Little did she know that the owner of the fortress would catch wind of her deeds. It took a few careful steps in her direction, having just finished off part of an ice sculpture. Most would assume it would be pissed off that all of its hard work was being undone by a(n almost literally) fiery pony. After all, she was making that open door just that much more open.

Instead, it watched her with a slight sense of curiosity. Every time she burned another inch of ice down, the creature merely kept observing. It even crossed its arms and thought about whenever or not it should say something. It chose not to, at least, not at first. It scratched the back of its neck and shrugged.

“Go away! All of you!” Ember launched the mother of all fireballs at the front gate and it exploded against the structure. It only withered away the ice by an inch or two. “Are you freaking kidding me! Why does it have to be so stubborn! Whose idea of a prank is this?”

“I didn’t think of it as a prank,” a deep, masculine voice responded behind her.

“Whaaaa!” Ember fell down on her side from the voice, and she sprung up just as quickly. She turned around and faced her foe straight on. “Where are you? You’re not going to keep doing this! I won’t let you! Can’t you just give us all some…” Her head tilted up a few degrees. “...rest…”

A male dragon, standing at least six feet tall, looked down upon her. Most of his body was coated in dark navy blue scales, and the skin on his wings was a faded light blue. The spines around his face were the same color, and the ones on his back took on a dark red hue. From his height alone, it was easy to feel the strength radiating from his limbs, and the fact that he carried a little muscle with him added to the presence he irradiated to anyone that found him.

Despite that, he wasn’t showing any emotion in his face. One breath from his nostrils later, and Ember felt a tiny blast of cold air come out from his lungs. There was even the slightest hint of frost on her fur. It wasn’t much, but it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out who created the ice fortress around here.

Ember was a little tense from seeing such a tall and strong dragon like this, especially one with ice powers to boot. In spite of that, the way he seemed completely calm and not at all pissed off didn’t make her as anxious as she thought she would be. Instead, she slowly opened her mouth and made the words come out.

“Woah. So you’re the dragon that’s been terrorizing Equus Town. What for? Come on, we all just want some time off by the beach, and we won’t mess with ya. What’s the big deal, are you trying to freak everypony out?”

The dragon scratched the back of his neck again, and he went over to one little spot Ember did her magic on. “I wasn’t trying to do that. They haven’t met a dragon with ice powers before if that scared them.” He breathed gently along the weak spot on the wall, and the ice formed in sheets around the holes like she did nothing to them at all. No matter how deep his voice was, there was almost a soothing afterglow to it.

“Yeah, well, most of them do the fire breath thing. Not the ice thing. Seriously, I don’t get what’s going on anymore.” Ember shook her head, wondering deep down if this was the monster she was thinking of, not the scary fish lady.

“I hate the summer heat,” he explained carefully, going over to fill the other holes Ember created. “It’s bad in Equestria, but it’s worse in the Dragon Lands. There’s so many active volcanoes to start with, so you have to deal with the hot lava. Then it gets too hot in the air. I needed a break. I didn’t think I would scare everyone along the way.” Finishing his work, he walked over to another part of the fortress. There, a little icy bench laid out in front of him, and he laid down on his back. He leaned back and sighed contently while the ice cooled off his scales. “It beats going to a tundra. There are people here.”

Once she saw the situation for what it was, Ember pulled on both eyelids with her hooves. “You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s all this was, a misunderstanding? I woke up in the middle of the night because everypony was telling these tall tales, and then this is what’s going on. A dragon that just wanted to cool off his way?”

“You can sleep on the other bench if you like. Name’s Frigid.” No matter how irritated the pony was, Frigid didn’t show a trace of emotion in his face. “And you’re really good with magic. Is that why there’s a flame on your flank?”

Ember stared at her flank for a second, and it was showing off a cutie mark of a blue flame. That made the second time a dragon stared at her backside on the trip. “Well, yeah. I’m good at fire magic. You saw me burn the whole door down. That’s getting away from the point. There’s something we gotta do about the ponies thinking you’re some kind of monster.”

“Is it because I’m a dragon, or because they’re worried I’m a monster because I have ice breath?” He blew a little bit into the air above him, and a small bushel of snowflakes drifted down gently onto his chest and belly.

“Well…” she sighed. “There’s a story about monsters around these parts, but I don’t think it looks like you. And you have to admit, this isn’t normal for this time of the year.”

“Nothing’s normal anymore. Dragons and ponies are living together, legends from centuries ago come back and haven’t aged a day, and there’s a new Dragon Lord and Princess of Equestria.” The snow flurries kept coming down, and it looked as if winter arrived above his head. “I like the changes.”

“...yeah, I can see that. It’s kinda cool--no, I did NOT make a pun just now--that I’m hanging out with a dragon. We used to be scared of them as fillies and colts. And now I’m talking to one like it’s normal.” She blinked her eyes. “Wow. I’m talking to a dragon. Name’s Ember Spark.”

“Good name.” He rested well, not minding the surreal encounter he was having, but he thought about something else. “Do you think the other ponies will like me if I explain everything to them, and they see I’m not the monster they’re talking about? You sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. And they’ll like you if you just come out and explain what you’re doing. Who knows, maybe they’ll like it if you ice up their drinks or something. It is bucking hot out here, anyway.”

“Then I’ll do that when they wake up.” He tilted his head over at Ember. “Do you want to hang out or something? It’s nice to talk to a pony for once.”

“Uhhhh…” Part of her felt like it would be interesting, but her mind reminded her that it was after midnight. “I gotta head to bed. It was a long week and everything. Maybe tomorrow. I’ll see you when I’m up and everything. I’ll meet you back here?”

“I could meet you in town. It would probably scare less ponies if I’m out in the open, and they know the whole story. I don’t want them to think I’m a monster that needs to be feared.”

“Alright, I hear ya. See you tomorrow, Frigid. That’s a good name, too…”

“Good night, Ember Spark.” Frigid tilted his head back up to the clouds, and he closed his eyes to get some rest. As it turned out, Ember wasn’t the only one that needed some rest and relaxation by the beach.

Still, she was curious about the dragon she just met. He was strange, the way he didn’t show a single trace of emotion with his tone or facials, but the words and actions did the talking in their place. She was about to second guess going to bed like that on him, but then he started to snore. It was so loud against her ears, it was like someone was ripping thousands of pieces of paper right by her face. “Alright, alright, I got it. I’m leaving now.”

She headed out of the ice fortress and headed back to the villa. As much as she was still weirded out by the whole show, she had to admit that the chill going through her spine from the wind was a nice touch. It was just what she needed as relief from the heat.

Still, she had to ask herself something. He didn’t look anything like the fish lady she saw in the ocean. Sure, everypony was spooked out by Frigid’s little ice show, but there were still questions she had left to answer. Maybe I just saw her because I was tired. I haven’t seen her since I took that nap. Yeah, that’s probably it. Still, I need to keep an eye out. Equestria can be dangerous when it wants to be…

And sure enough, someone was watching her from the rocks alongside the bottom of a cliff. She watched Ember walk away, careful to keep herself hidden among the rocks. “Ponies. They always have a superiority complex, don’t they? So do dragons...and hippogriffs...and other species...they always think they know the answers, but they don’t. Not when things get tough.”

Once Ember was away, the fish lady turned her eyes over towards the ice fortress. “That’s why I like people like you. The ones that are lonely and alone. The ones that are familiar with their flaws. You’ll know what I’m talking about in time. Don’t worry. I’m not going to hurt you. I can’t say the same for others…”

Deep down, the feeling that something was up remained in Ember’s head. She would check along the water, but there was no sign of the fish lady. “Okay, if anyone is out there and being a creep, I’m just gonna buck you in the face. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

The ocean would remain vacant in her sight of vision. The threats that laid within the sea wouldn’t show themselves to her just yet.

Author's Note

And so things deescalate and escalate at the same time.

The uploading schedule will change after this one. Expect chapter 4 tomorrow or Wednesday. After that...well...I'll talk more about that in the author's notes for chapter 4.

Something Resembling A Summer Fling

Ember’s eyes didn’t want to open up. It was too much after such a long day of anxiety, work, and discovering that a big, tall dragon was shy about his ice breath powers. The dreams she had that evening were scatterbrained, not making sense even by dream standards. She was pretty sure bangs were developing under her eyes just from her dreams. At least, that’s what it felt like. Her body had enough and that was that.

And then she woke up...and realized she was actually feeling restful for the first time in weeks, months or even years. Her eyes were still slow to peel themselves open, but the wonderful mattress on her back was giving her the relief she deserved, the likes of which she didn’t know were possible. Her hooves stretched and cracked a bit, and she was thankful to herself for keeping the curtains on the windows closed for that evening.

Hesitant to go through with it, she still used her magic to open the curtains up. Her house was pointing over to the west, so she wasn’t blasted with the rays of the sun, thank Celestia’s skies. She was treated to a wonderful landscape of the ocean and beach, and she could see a few eager ponies already frolicking on the sand. None of them were close to the villa, but she could see them just fine.

“And that’s what I call a good night’s sleep.” Ember rolled out of bed and yawned. Even her legs felt more full of energy than they had in a while. Her hindlegs got a nice stretch, and she used her magic to get herself a nice cup of coffee with plenty of cream and sugar. As she headed to the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror. The pony that greeted her that day looked well rested, relaxed, and ready for anything.

And then she remembered what she promised to Frigid last night. “Oh, buck. I almost completely forgot.” The next thing she knew, she had a toothbrush, hairbrush, and other stuff hovering in the air around her face with the magic of her horn. If she looked well rested before then, she was full of life now. A few drinks of coffee would finish her morning routine, and she was ready to go.

As she headed out the door, the sunny skies and sandy beaches suddenly took on a new tone for her. The first time she felt the sand on her hooves, she was irritated and just wanted the next open bed. This time, the combined sounds of seagulls, rolling tides, and ponies enjoying the sun were positively delightful to her. One more arch of her spine later, and she was ready for anything. “Now, where’s that dragon at...oh come on, Ember. Like it’s gonna be hard to find somepony--err, someone like him.”

She went down the way to Equus Town proper, and it would take five minutes, at most, to get there. As it was early in the morning, it wouldn’t be as crowded as it was last night, but she knew it would pick up in intensity around the lunch rush. It always did in vacation spots like this.

Once she arrived at the town, she was looking for any signs whatsoever that Frigid was around. Given his powers, she expected a sign of snow or ice around. Still, he didn’t seem to be in the area. She started to wonder if he flew back home or something like that, or if she should have gone back to the place they first met.

And then she felt a cold breeze roll down her spine. It made her shiver, and she turned around to catch the source of it. He wasn’t directly behind her, but she could feel a cold wind cut through the summer heat in front of her. It would lead to the beachfront directly ahead of the town, and she could hear some ponies chattering their muzzles off. Bingo.

The closer she got to the source of the sounds, the more she found out why she felt a cold breeze in the air. As it turned out, Frigid made another ice fortress by the beach. It wasn’t the towering structure of the one he created before, but he made up for it by having it cover a larger area of beachfront. Ponies and griffons were already enjoying it by resting on the ice benches he made, and the dragon was lounging on one of said benches like this was nothing at all.

A timid little filly came up to the dragon and held up a cup of soda in front of him. “Excuse me, but are you okay if...um...you make my soda colder?” Frigid looked down at her, not a single trace of emotion to boot, and he casually picked up the drink and blew his ice breath on the bottom of the glass. After a mere second of his breath, it was frosted and well chilled. He handed it back to her, and the filly was delighted by the results. “Wow, you’re so cool--oh no...that’s a dad joke…I’m too young for that...”

Rather than complain, he shrugged and remained rested on the ice bench. “If it makes you happy.” He rolled back onto the bench with his belly up, and he made himself comfortable. Before he could fall asleep, he noted the pink and green mare coming up to see him. That was enough for him to get off and stand back up. “It’s you again. Ember Spark, right?”

“Yeah, that’s me. First and last name and everything. At least your name is a lot easier to remember. Frigid. Just one word.” Ember took a look around the ice fortress, and there were around a dozen ponies and griffons combined in there. “Heh, you’re already popular around here and you just showed up. I take it that things went really well when you explained things to everypony.”

“Well, yes and no.”

Frigid was in the mayor’s office, a simple but sturdy room. The mayor had her hooves on the desk, waiting to see what this supposed ice dragon was all about. He tilted his head up and blew enough snow to coat the ground in it. The mayor shook her head and sighed. “Okay, if you help me clean up all this ice and snow, we won’t have any issues. I’m gonna need a coat down here…”

“...huh. Yeah, government types can be like that. It’s not every day in Equestria that you have someone that can spew ice like that, and it’s not from magic…” Ember didn’t want to laugh from the picture she had of the mayor’s office covered in snow, but it sure was tempting.

“But you have fire powers. It’s on your flank.” He pointed right at Ember’s cutie mark. “Why is that different from having an ice breath?”

For once, she wasn’t irritated that he was kinda-sorta pointing at her ass, knowing he really was just noting her cutie mark. “I don’t know. I guess it’s because it’s still weird to see this in the middle of summer.” She came up to the nearest wall of ice, and she could see her own face within the surface. It was already warmer outside than it was last night, but the snow and ice weren’t melting whatsoever. Before she knew what she was doing, she pushed her face right into the surface. “Ahhhh….that’s some nice relief from the sun…”

Frigid tilted his head from the sight. He had heard that ponies could be weird, from hugging to spreading the word about friendship, among other things. Not once was he warned that they could be so eccentric. He looked around the ice fortress, and he noted that he was still getting a lot of attention from others. “Do you wanna hang out somewhere less crowded? I’m not used to getting these kinds of stares.”

“Huh?” Ember peeled her face off the cold surface, and she noticed all the stares Frigid got as well. “Yeah, sure. It’s a big town. We could hang out anywhere we want, and you can fly, right? You wanna go somewhere more secluded so we can actually hear ourselves talk? It’s only gonna get crazier in an hour.”

“Sure.” He offered Ember a hand. “I’m a fast flier, though. Do you get airsick?”

“Airsick? Pfffffft, nah. I’m totally okay with--”

“AHHHHHHHHH!” Ember thought she could never, ever have a fear of heights or anything like that. And then she was on Frigid’s back, traveling at a blazing speed around the island. Her cheeks were practically peeling around her jawline, and her eyes watered from the speed Frigid was putting her through.

By the grace of the princesses, Frigid saw she was about to hurl and slowed down from there. “Sorry. I know it’s a lot to take in for someone that’s never flown before.” His pace was far more gentle, no faster than a simple trot on solid ground.

“Thank...you…” Ember was about to throw up her breakfast before he cut down the pace, and her stomach settled down from there. Then she got her first real look at the island from the heights, and she was blown away. She could see so many pegasi, birds, griffons, and other airborne creatures drifting into the skies below them. The jungle was spread out below her, and she was astonished by it all. “I didn’t think it could look so good up here…”

“It’s nice,” he stated as a matter of fact. “It’s quiet.” He drifted along to another part of the vast beach, and he picked out the perfect landing spot. It was right in the middle of the white sandlines, and a few rocks were far off into the waters. It created a breathtaking sight of waves crashing against the rocks, splashing into the air before they landed back to the boundaries of the blue horizon.

When Ember finally landed on solid ground, her legs were practically made of jelly, and she had to take a moment to steady herself. “How in Equestria do you do that all the time? How? I did that for like ten minutes and I feel weak in parts I didn’t know I had.”

“Sorry about that.” Frigid used his ice breath to make another sculpture, one resembling a couch. He picked her up and gently put her on her side. “Does that help? I know it’s getting hot out here.”

Once Ember got the feeling back in her bones again, she couldn’t deny the sensation. “Yeah. It’s actually really nice. It’s just that…” She didn’t want to say what she was thinking, given that Frigid was being so considerate of her.

“Just that what?” He tilted his head again, remaining stoic with his facial expressions. It amazed her that he was so calm about this, given he was flying almost as blazing fast as Rainbow Dash.

“I don’t know…” She sat up on the icy sofa. “You probably figured out that I’m a really blunt mare, and I’ve been looking forward to this vacation for months. It’s just that I had a set image in my head about how this vacation would go, and the reality is so different.”

“What do you mean?” He went to sit with her, looking at the crashing waves against the jagged rocks.

And now she was starting to feel worse about her own issues. “I don’t know. I broke up with a stallion last week that I thought was perfect, but he was a pain in the flank. Then I had this job as a nurse in Equestria, and that’s been so draining lately. I really wanted to spend this week relaxing and kicking back. Then I hear this thing about an evil sea monster, and the stuff with you last night…” She stopped when she realized how that sounded. “Not you you, but everypony freaking out about you.”

“I see.” Frigid didn’t show a trace of emotion, but she swore she saw a flash of understanding in his eyes. “You want the kind of vacation where you do nothing but sit around, watching pretty oceans and having a drink.”

“Yeah. Something like that. I think you’re a nice dragon, for what it’s worth. But man...what a crazy last couple of days. And it’s still hot outside…” A drop of sweat rolled down her face, and the ice bench only did so much for her.

“Hold on. I can do something to help with that, something better than blowing more ice around.” He got up from the bench and headed to the palm trees behind the beach. It gave Ember a brief moment to think to herself.

“Don’t be a stick in the mud, Ember. He’s nice. You just dumped a stallion that was anything but nice. Don’t be a stubborn mule to him just because you’re bitter…” She was about to continue her train of thought, but she was cut off from hearing a massive amount of wood get pulled off from the ground.

She turned around to see what was going on, and her jaw dropped to the floor from the sight greeting her. Frigid carried an entire palm tree in his hands, fresh roots hanging from its bottom and all, and he walked to the beach like he was holding a feather. Not only that, but there was a grace in his step while he went through sandy floors on the way to their little spot.

Ember’s eyes were as big as saucers when Frigid brought the palm tree next to her. He observed the shadows carefully, and he stuck the tree into the beach at just the right spot to block the sun. A good few seconds were spent embedding the roots inside, and it didn’t take any effort at all for him to do so.

After all that was done, Frigid dusted his hands clean and sat down with Ember. “There. That should give us some shade. If we stick around any longer, I can just pick it up again and move it so we still have some cover. Does that help?”

She had no words for the sight she just saw. Her breath was taken away, and she shook her head. “How did you do that so easily? It was like you were picking up a foal! That must have weighed hundreds of pounds. Do you work out or what?”

“No, not that much. Dragons are naturally strong. I just figured it would make you happier.”

“What--” She shut herself up before she could snark or snap at him again. “Yeah. That’s actually considerate of you. I just had no idea you were that strong, I guess. Could you pick up a house if you wanted to?”

“If I needed to.” He lounged back into the bench and observed the waves once again. “I don’t like showing off just to show off.” He tilted his face over to Ember, and she saw something else in his eyes. “Sorry about worrying you last night.”

She sighed and nearly tilted her head back. “That wasn’t you doing all that. It was a bunch of scaredy cat ponies freaking out about nothing. If anything, you’ve been nice and considerate since the moment we met. There’s just one thing I wanted to say, though.” Deep down, she wasn’t looking forward to what she was about to do, given how generous he was.

Frigid tilted his head again. “And what’s that?”

“I…” Ember stopped and kicked the sand around them with a foreleg. “I don’t really wanna date anyone so soon after breaking up with that plothole. I just wanna relax and not think about a dating situation. It has nothing to do with you, but more that my ex was that much of a pain in my plot.”

To her amazement, he didn’t shift around or seem to react at all. It was creeping up in her mind that this might just be the way he was. “Why are you mentioning that to me? I haven’t asked you out or anything.”

“Well, if I have to be honest, it feels like you’re doing all of these things for me because you really like me. As in, maybe even like-like me. I’m just warning you that I’m not dating anyone right now.” The more she continued, the more she felt like the plothole she just broke up with.

She felt worse when she caught a brief flash in Frigid’s eyes, one that she swore was out of pain. “That’s okay. Ponies are known for friendship. We can just be friends like that.” And yet, the wince in his gaze remained.

“Right. We can still hang out while I’m down at the beach. If Princess Twilight was here, she’d be saying that friendship is magic and all that jazz.” Stupid stupid stupid… Still, she kept her gaze out into the ocean for the time being. “It’s a great spot you picked out, too.”

“Yeah. It really is.” The dragon watched over the ocean with her, doing his best to relax. Despite that, he fidgeted a little more against the icy sofa, more than he had done in a little bit. Still, once he got comfortable, he joined her in enjoying the vistas around them while the moment was still fresh, however long that would be.

* * * * *

Back in Equus Town, everything seemed normal and peaceful at first glance. The flags of the nations were flapping in the gentle breeze, fillies and colts were enjoying the beaches, and the restaurants were buzzing from the lunch rush, all the way into the night. But that was the thing about situations like that. Everything looks normal unless you take a closer look.

The cracks in the surface showed themselves with a few panicked ponies on the main street. “Has anyone seen my friend?” a pegasus asked around. “She was just here.”

“You too?” a unicorn inquired. “My brother...oh horsefeathers. He has to be around here somewhere. We should go look for them together.”

“Right. I'll help you out.”

What they didn’t know was how their friends weren’t that far away from there. They were down at the beach in a little corner that few knew about. Just the way a certain presence wanted. They wouldn’t be alone, either. A couple of other ponies would follow them in a daze. A lovely song would implore them to follow along to a spot where there would be a cave along the cliffs, and a shimmering orange light would guide them inside.

The cave itself was damp and easy to see, given the holes here and there along the ceiling. They were guided to a natural pool in the midst of it, where an orange lady would be resting along the rocks. Her song continued until they were within her temporary home’s confines.

“Come in, come in,” she sang to them, clearing her throat once it was clear they wouldn’t leave. “I know you’ve all been lonely, haven’t you? That’s why you came to me.”

“Y-Yes…” one mare trembled. “My friend...she’s seeing another pony...I wanted to ask her out first, but I didn’t have the courage…”

“My marefriend just broke up with me,” a stallion continued. “It’s all my fault, but it still hurts so bad. I-I don’t know what to do right now…”

He felt a humanlike hand trace his chin, and he was greeted by a pair of eyes that were seemingly full of love and attention towards him. “That’s okay. I know a thing or two about losing someone valuable in your heart. But that’s why we’re here. We’re all broken-hearted.” She stood up among them and gave every pony a kiss on the cheek. “And we’re here to heal up.”

Despite being in a trance, one mare was nervous about it. “And what do we do? I just...I don’t know! I want the hurt to go away…”

“And it will fade in time. I promise you that.” The lady kissed the mare on her forehead and stood back. “There is something you can all do for me. Among you, there are two unicorns, a pegasus, and an Earth Pony. You could all do so much...but we need more if we’re going to start the healing process. Of taking back what was once ours.”

“A-And what would that be?” the mare asked with a blush.

“Well, I did notice a dragon in this town…”

Author's Note

So that's that. I wrapped this up just a little bit after uploading chapter 3, and the schedule changes...I actually don't know what they'll look like.

Without going into details, there's been some personal stuff going on, a lot of changes in a short amount of time. I'll be pushing myself to get this story as quickly as possible, but the uploading schedule is going to be a lot more erratic. You might have chapters just two days apart, or as far as two weeks. I have no idea what it's going to look like.

One thing for certain, I'm hoping to finish this between now and the end of August, but don't be surprised if this story goes on hiatus at the same time in spots. I'll have to see what happens between now and then.

Let's Just Say We're Good

The heat was always bad around that time of the summer, from high temperatures to humidity that made it seem like you were in a sauna after just a few minutes outdoors. Regardless of the month, the ocean had a funny way to make it feel cooler than it really was. The water knew how to cool off even the hottest pony or dragon with just a brief splash of mist, let alone diving underneath the surface.

That’s what Ember experienced when she dove into the sea. She had a snorkel and pair of goggles around her head, and her hooves lightly kicked around the water. Even from a foot or two below the surface, she saw a vista of sea life she never thought she would see so clearly in her life. It was one thing to read about a school of swordtail fish, but another to actually see it in person.

On top of that, she spotted numerous gardens of coral reefs, some of them wearing all the colors of the rainbow. Everything about it was oddly soothing to her. All the peace and relaxation she was looking for when she first set sail to Equus Beach, she was finally experiencing it now. Despite that, there was still a sense of guilt to everything she did. It bore down on her, and she didn’t feel like it was appropriate to stay like this.

She raised her head above the water, a lot of it dripping down her mane. “Ahhhhh…nothing like actual air in the lungs after all that.” She drifted down to the little boat she rented out for the occasion, where there was one certain guest with her.

Naturally, Frigid had another icy bench in the boat, but it didn’t weigh the vehicle down any more than his own mass did. He pulled away from the bench and sat on the edge of the port side. “Is it pretty down there? I’ve never been able to see it myself.”

“Then you should go down there for yourself.” Ember used her magic to pull the goggles and snorkel off her face, and she levitated them in front of the dragon. In the meantime, she climbed herself back on board, shaking all the water off her fur like a dog. “What’s stopping you? Actually, now that I think about it, can dragons swim? I never really found out…”

“We swim in lava. That’s enough for most of us.” Frigid lended Ember a hand back on board, and he stared at the instruments for a moment. “How does this work? I’m not familiar with either one of these things.”

Ember wanted to snark at such a silly comment, but then it hit her. “I guess that makes sense when there’s a bunch of volcanoes and stuff in the Dragon Lands...here. Let me put them on you.” She adjusted the straps of the goggles along Frigid’s head, and the dragon remained still. “The goggles are for seeing underwater, and the snorkel is so you can breathe while you’re one or two feet deep, if that makes sense.”

Frigid stared at the snorkel, and he slowly put it down. “I can hold my breath for a minute or two. Thanks for the goggles, though.” He tightened it around his eyes, and he got himself comfortable. “And thanks for hanging out with me.”

“No problem.” Ember kept checking for any signs that Frigid was secretly upset. She had a habit of hiding when she was going through a rough time when she was a filly, and she would tell in seconds if someone did the same. But he didn’t. “Hey, I really do like hanging out with you. You’re kinda cool. Pun intended.”

He let out a brief but deep grunt, something that almost sounded like restrained laughter to Ember, although it wasn’t meant to be. “And you’re like a warm flame. Pun intended. I think.” Before Ember could tell him that that wasn’t how puns worked, Frigid took a deep breath and dove deep into the water. It created a wave so large, it lifted the boat up and nearly tipped it over.

“Ahhh! I rented this…they’ll chew me a new one if I ruined it...” Ember was prepared to use a spell to level it out, but the wave stopped its course of action before it came to the worst case scenario. With that out of the way, she noted that the water around this little part of the ocean was crystal clear. Keeping that in mind, she gazed over the deck and watched Frigid swim along the water.

To put it lightly, she was blown away with the grace Frigid carried around in the water. He moved with a quick pace around the boat, and he dove at least a dozen feet below the surface. The poise he swam with was like watching a Wonderbolt master the skies and clouds, and she was mesmerized. There were soft drinks on board...frosted by Frigid, of course...and she had to know the ice would melt on this occasion. That was the last thing on her mind when she was witnessing something this special.

Frigid’s legs kicked around, and he was careful not to touch a coral reef bed or harm a fish by accident. A current of cool air brushed around him with each move, and it was so strong that Ember felt it on the boat. Before long, his eyes were closed, and he was letting the currents of the ocean carry him where they pleased.

Knowing she was alone, Ember brought her front hooves along the barrier and sighed. “Damn. He’s a nice guy, considerate, got the drinks cold for me just because, and he’s a great swimmer, too. Why did you have to say all that stuff to him, Ember…”

On the plus side, she thought he appeared to be at complete peace with the ocean as he glided through its currents. It dawned on her that he wasn’t even using his wings, and he was still that fast. As if dragons don’t already have a ton of advantages over ponies…

Then he glided his body back to the direction of the boat, and he lifted his head above the water just ten feet away from Ember. It was the first time he carried any emotion on his face, and she swore it was something resembling happiness. As it turned out, she misread it, and he was merely opening his mouth for air. He pulled the goggles off his head gently tossed them into the boat.

“I see why ponies like it down there,” he noted, taking in more oxygen while he climbed back on board. He flopped on his back and spent a moment to recover. “It’s beautiful. The fishes are so vibrant. And those...I think they’re called coral reefs...I liked them. I wish I could touch them, but when I hit my foot on one of them, it burned my scales like the hottest lava pools.”

“Oof, yeah. I think it’s called fire reef or something like that. You gotta avoid that stuff.” Ember finally helped herself to some soda, and she was at peace. Well, when she wasn’t worried that Frigid might be gasping for air. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’ll be fine. I’ve held my breath for longer under lava.” Frigid’s breathing relaxed after he finished speaking, and he sat upright. “There, much better. I’m glad I got to try that.”

Given how long he was underwater, that raised a red flag in Ember’s mind. “How did you learn to hold your breath for that long, anyway? It can’t just be because you have big lungs, given you’re a big dragon.”

Frigid curled up his legs and rubbed the feeling back to his knees, and he let them loosen out underneath him. “I don’t really know. I hated the heat, but now and then, it was relaxing to swim in a volcano. It’s like everything was so clear to me. It became one of my favorite hobbies after a while.”

The idea of a younger Frigid swimming alone in lava all day was both badass and saddening to Ember’s mind. “You...didn’t have many friends growing up, did you?”

Despite how emotionless he remained, Ember wasn’t sure if she should have brought it up. Still, he didn’t appear to be upset after the topic came up. Then again, he didn’t appear to feel anything most times. That was just the way he was, as Ember figured out.

“No,” he spoke softly. “When Torch was the Dragon Lord, it was hard to make friends in the Dragon Lands. You only really made friends by throwing your weight around or dominating everyone. I don’t enjoy doing that. It never felt right.”

If Ember thought she was a jerk for friendzoning him immediately, it was cemented after learning that. “At least things are different now. I visited the Dragon Lands after Dragon Lord...um...the other Ember worked with Princess Twilight. We’re all practically friends now. She’s made a lot of friends, and that little dragon, Spike, he’s got so many friends, too. They’re both dragons.”

“And they’re both smaller than me, and they talk a lot more than me,” Frigid sighed. “It’s still been hard to make friends. Might be why I like hanging out with you already. You’re nice. You want to hang out and talk. I like that.”

Ember’s ears still parted down her head. “Why do I feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming?”

“...there shouldn’t be. I was just surprised you said you didn’t want to date when we just met.” Frigid wouldn’t say or show it, but there was a sting in his chest. “I wouldn’t have pushed it.”

And then Ember’s ears were practically glued down to her head. “I’m sorry. I kinda felt like it was a sore point when I said it. We can still hang out, though.”

“Then what did you have in mind?”

Now that she had her back against the wall, Ember checked around the boat. It had a motor to it with a few simple controls, and she knew it could go fast if she felt like it. “I might have an idea. Could be a great way to cheer us both up.”

Frigid tilted his head over in her direction. “Where is this going? And I’m okay. You don’t have to worry about me like that.”

“Nah, I’m not accepting that as an answer. We’re gonna have some fun while we’re out here.” Ember scanned the ocean around them. Using the controls on the boat, she guided them down to the deeper parts of the blue horizon, to the point where it was hard to see Equus Beach from there. She wasn’t worried about getting lost, given she had a dragon on board.

After a bit, she observed the water below. Just as she expected, the ocean turned deeper to the point where any fish or coral reefs would be way below them. “So my idea is...you use your ice breath to make an obstacle course for us.”

He remained calm and controlled, but he tilted his head again. “You seem fixated on my ice abilities. Are they that special to you?”

“Hay yeah, they’re special!” She gazed across the waterscape ahead of her, and she used a hoof to get a good idea of where everything was. “How about...you make a huge ramp that we can fly on? We could use it to gain some air like crazy.”

Frigid countered by flapping his wings around. “But I have these. Why would we need a ramp?”

“Come on, this is more fun and exciting. Do you wanna give it a shot?” She was hoping by Luna’s mane that he would say yes. Anything to help his mood out.

She could practically see the gears turning in his head, wondering if this was such a good idea. At the end of the day, he nodded. “I’m going to do it for you, though. I’ll be fine either way.”

“That’s the spirit! Now make the best ramp you can make!”

The more she talked, the more perplexed Frigid was about her well being, but he went ahead and got off the boat, hovering above the surface with his wings. He would guide his lips to the water, and he wondered if this was a good idea or not. Either way, the pink pony really wanted this, and that’s what mattered most of all.

In turn, he breathed down along the ocean. The beginning of a ramp would take form, and he used his breath with precision and grace. She was positively giddy when she saw the ramp emerge into form, and he used his wings to slowly come up with the structure.

When Ember first came up with the idea, she figured he would take it easy, no matter how much she wanted the biggest ramp in the world. And then he actually went through with her crazy plan. The ramp was...well...the top was at least twenty feet tall. It helped that he made the curve a gentle one, but she gulped from the sheer size of it. “By Celestia’s mane...he did it…”

Frigid finished up his work and brought himself back to the deck of the boat. “I figured that was big enough to make you happy. What do you think?”

A drop of sweat rolled down Ember’s neck, and she was second guessing herself. “I...I had no idea it was going to be that big. That might be the biggest boat ramp I’ve ever seen…”

“Should I make it smaller? I could make it half that size with a few punches if you like.”

Despite knowing this was a horrible idea that could break the boat in half, Ember shook her head. “No. We’re doing this.” She grabbed the handle on the boat’s controls, and she braced herself to pull up. “We’ve come this far. This is our destiny now. We’re going to fly like pegasi!”

“Or dragons…” Frigid found himself gripping the sides of the boat a little tighter than before.

Everything in Ember’s heart and soul was telling her this was a terrible idea. Well, except her hoof. That part grabbed the handle with the hoof hook made specifically for ponies, and she pushed it forward. The ramp remained ahead of them, silky smooth and ready for the boat that was about to glide over it.

More sweat poured down her face from the nerves she had to summon to make this happen, and she turned to Frigid. He was his usual stoic self, but his eyes were glued solely to her. “We’ll be fine!” she tried to convince herself. “It’s gonna be fine!”

“I’m not worried about me…” Frigid trailed off.

And then the boat finally made it to the beginning of the ramp. He didn’t just make the curve easy, he built the ramp for the kind of boat they were on. It’s why the boat glided so easily along its surface. The wind around the boat picked up, and Ember’s heart sank from getting so close to the top.

Then the moment of truth was coming...the top was just mere feet away. “AHHHHHH!” Ember pushed the handle all the way for max speed, but Frigid wrapped an arm around her. She didn’t have to think to see he was doing it to protect her skin. That didn’t stop the boat from flying off the ramp.

Then, at long last, there was nothing but air around them. The skin around Ember’s jawline nearly peeled back, and her eyelids were almost flapping against the wind. Frigid’s grip on her turned tighter, and they nearly fell off the boat. It was the first time she swore she saw a hint of worry on his face, no matter if she was just seeing things. Given the huge drop in her stomach, she was pretty sure the same thing was happening to her, too.

It was sinking more, more, and more, and she realized in a split second that she should have asked if the boat would survive such a drop. Then it crashed back on the surface. Frigid and Ember both landed on their sides along the deck, and the impact created a wave in all directions around them. Amazingly, though, the boat didn’t sink. It didn’t even take any damage. How that happened, only the princesses would know.*

*If Twilight had seen this, she would have spent the next few hours explaining that Frigid angled the ramp just right, so the boat would take the pressure of the impact across all of the bottom, not just one part. That’s why it didn’t take any damage. She would also question if it was okay if a “true” princess was still allowed to lecture ponies like this. Celestia didn’t stop princesshood from lecturing others when she had to.

After the impact, Frigid and Ember alike were in a daze. She slowly creaked her eyes open, and Frigid was doing the same thing. His own eyes were widened but still stoic, and he slowly came to her side. “Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?”

“....those were the best twenty seconds of my life…” Ember lifted her head up in his hands and slowly got up. “Dude. That ramp, we gotta do it again. Once the head trauma’s gone, at least….I’ll wear a helmet next time…”

Frigid merely sighed and shook his head. “You’re crazy. You’re all crazy in Equestria. I’m just glad you’re okay.” After seeing she was okay, he lifted his head up to check out the ramp. “I don’t think we can use it again, though.”

Curious what he meant, Ember stood on all four hooves and saw that the boat caused a huge cut along the surface of the ramp. “How fast was I going? Well, we can’t use this again, and it’s not gonna melt, so…” She used a spell to cover the entire ramp in her blue flame. Soon enough, it would slowly melt from all of her magic. “There we go. Give it a few minutes, it will be like nothing ever happened down here.”

“Yeah.” After he caught his breath from everything they just did, he sat down on his rear. “That was heartpounding. Swimming and then risking our lives for fun. Is this what you normally do?”

“It’s what I wish I was doing all the time.” Ember sat down on her flank as well, sighing along with the dragon.

After a long little pause, though, Frigid’s eyes lowered to the floor, staring at his legs. “...did you say you didn’t want to date because of that ‘plothole’ ex of yours, or for some other reason?”

That brought all the life back to Ember, and not for the right reasons. “I...uhhh…”

“I’m a big dragon. I can take it. I just…” He seemed unwilling to continue at first. “I want to date someone, eventually, and I don’t care if it’s a dragon or pony as long as they like me. I don’t want to force you into it, though. I just want to know if that was the true reason or not.”

Ember rubbed at her front hooves, and she was hesitant to continue. “I really don’t know. If you haven’t dated before, it sucks when you break up. There’s always a fight that sparks it or leads up to it. I just...I don’t know.”

Seeing the wince in her eyes, he let it go. “Okay. I’m still okay if we’re friends. Just wanted to know.”

“I get that, Frigid. For what it’s worth, you’re a nice dragon, and anyone that has you as their boyfriend is going to be lucky.” YOU BUCKING IDIOT, just tell him the truth. Why is that so hard?

You know why it’s hard. Because it’s a selfish reason why you’re not wanting to date him…

While the ramp continued to melt in the flames, a certain figure used it as cover to observe the proceedings. The little sigh in the dragon’s throat after Ember finished speaking was delicious to the orange lady’s eyes. She saw the boat turning back to Equus Beach, and she dove under the ramp to get herself some cover.

After it was all said and done, she wound up back at the cave that she called home for the time being. When she returned, the amount of ponies and griffons there had already doubled since the morning. They were all entranced by the presence of their new master, and many bowed before her.

“You know that’s not necessary,” she told them all. They rose back up to their hooves and feet. “I just want to know if you’ve made the preparations as I commanded.”

“We have,” said one griffon. “There’s a lot of lonely and lost people here. When do we strike?”

“Tomorrow,” she spoke with a calmness that was almost unnerving. “Based on what I saw, I just need to have a little conversation with that dragon.” A heavy, but lovely sigh escaped from her lips. “To think I’m so close after waiting for this long…”

Author's Note

This ended up taking far less time than I expected lol

I really don't know what the schedule will look like after this. Hopefully, I get something in next week, but we'll see how it goes. It's past the halfway point in chapter count, at least.

You Think A Momma Bear Is Scary, You Never Met Her...

After their little trip in the air on the boat, the rest of the day was quiet for Ember and Frigid. That was, as quiet as a day with a dragon like Frigid could be. Come to think of it, it was pretty low key. He was content to hang out at the beach with Ember wherever they liked, use his breath and strength to give them shade, and things like that. It was exactly the kind of vacation Ember wanted all along: Peace and quiet, a chance to relax, enjoy the picturesque sights of the ocean in full detail, and more. Yet, the guilt never truly went away.

The hours blended together after a while. Ember went out swimming, and she didn’t mind it when Frigid accidentally made a few platforms out of ice when he went out with her. It made for a great break from the water when she needed it and she couldn’t believe how beautiful the town was from their vantage point. After a little bit, Equus Town appeared to be the same town it always was, but neither one of them noted the signs of something wrong going down.

Namely, neither one noticed the extra security along the towns, along with the wanted posters of missing persons. It was something one would have to look out for to notice, and the two of them weren’t really thinking about that right now. Instead, Ember enjoyed the best damn pizza she ever had at one of the restaurants, with Frigid sitting opposite her on the open aired second floor.

“I have no idea how you make cheese pizza taste this good, but it’s almost to die for,” she commented. She helped herself to some wonderful crust, downing it with a little soda, but Frigid was slow to eat his own pizza, the same as he always was. “I don’t mind you being the stoic, quiet kind, but it’s really hard to tell when you’re enjoying something,” she thought.

“Is that something I shouldn’t do?” he wondered. “I never really thought about that.”

“It’s not a bad bad thing, Frigid. It’s more like, I've done stuff for you, and I’m not sure if it’s making you happy or not.” Ember interrupted herself with a sip of her drink. “For example, I hope you’re liking all this pizza, but I can’t tell.”

“Oh. I see.” Frigid tossed the whole slice in his mouth and swallowed it. “I don’t like pony or griffon food as much as I like gems, but I can tell this is a good pizza. Does that help?”

“Oh yeah,” nodded Ember. “That goes a long way.” The breeze picked up around them, but it wasn’t enough to make things a hassle. “Um, there is something I wanted to bring up.”

While she talked, Frigid experimented with freezing the pizza. One tap of it later, and the slice fell apart into icy dust. “I won’t try that again. What is it, Ember?”

“Well...um...I’m leaving for Canterlot in three days after tonight. Just figured you should know. If you wanna hang out after that, I have that nursing job, but we could still meet when I’m not working, if you wanna.”

He blinked at her a few times, and she was a little nervous about it. Not because of the stare itself, but the way he was thinking things over. His expression never changed, but now and then, she noted a muscle or two twitching, especially near his forehead. Over the course of the day, she picked up that he did that whenever he was deep in thought.

“We could,” he concluded. “I don’t mind it in Equestria like I used to, and it’s near the end of the summer. It won’t be so hot. You could visit the Dragon Lands, too.” He picked up another slice and started on it, but he was eating even slower than before.

“Alright, great! We can do that, and we both have really distinct colors, so it should be...easy to find each other.” The more she talked, the more she felt that pit in her stomach deepen. Should I say something about things…

“And we have three more days to hang out if you want to.” Frigid was a little more at ease with the breeze picking up, and he tilted himself a little to the right to get the brunt of it. “You seem nervous, though.”

OH BUCK HE FOUND OUT-- Ember took a gentle breath. “It’s probably the thing I said earlier. I don’t know if you’re happy with all this or not.”

“I am. We have time.” Despite that, Ember was more than a little anxious for the duration of their stay, no matter if the size of the pizzas they ordered was gigantic. She got more than her share of crust and cheese while they were together.

In due time, it was the middle of the night, and they headed down the beach to Ember’s villa. “I guess I’ll see you next thing in the morning, Frigid.” She was slapping herself around in her mind, but she could have just as good of a poker face as Frigid. Almost.

“You too, Ember. Don’t worry about me being happy with all the stuff you’re doing. I haven’t had a friend in a while. You’re a good friend. That’s all I need.” Frigid arched his front leg in the air, and he stopped after they came to the front of a villa. “That’s your place?”

“Yeah. I’m sure we’ll find something to do that we’ll both enjoy tomorrow.” She went around and gave him a quick hug around his waist, and his scales down there were cold. “You’re gonna be okay?”

“I will. See you tomorrow, Ember.”

Despite that, she was hesitant to step into the villa and close the door behind her. On the way, she stopped and gave him a quick wave with a foreleg again. He gingerly waved a claw at her, and she mumbled something under her breath before the door finally closed.

Once she was gone and closed the window curtains, Frigid was by himself, save for a few ponies at the beach. After he had the all clear, he sighed deeply and let out a current of cold air to the ground. His face was still the same, but he rubbed at the back of his neck while he watched Luna’s moon lift over the town.

He wouldn’t admit it to anyone else, but he wasn’t sure what to do with himself after she left. The island was large, but lounging around the trees wasn’t what he wanted to do anymore. There had to be something else to fill his time. Then he remembered something he found along the way to the beach, and it was something worth looking into.

The journey would bring him through the town again, but something felt off to him. Not the stares from the ponies and griffons, that was okay by that point. They liked him. They thought he was quiet but friendly, a reputation he could live with. It was the sensation that someone else was watching him.

Everywhere he looked in the town, filled with people enjoying the nightlife, he swore he would find someone that wasn’t supposed to be there. There was no actual sign of the person, however. In fact, had he not seen the wanted posters, there wasn’t anything to give away that this was anything but a normal evening in paradise.

“Maybe Ember and I should go find those missing ponies tomorrow,” he noted under his breath. He made it a point to look out for anypony that matched those descriptions, and he carried himself down to the place he had in mind. It was a water park of sorts, a simple but lively place, but most ponies had already left. Only a stray pony or griffon was left, despite the light that illuminated the place.

There were a few attractions like water coasters, tube rides, all the stuff that usually came with a water park. The destination he had in mind happened to be the lazy river. It was a pretty big river for such an attraction, around two miles in length, and he knew he needed to lay down to collect his thoughts.

With Frigid being Frigid, he didn’t use a tube or anything like that. Instead, he made himself a little raft with his breath and got comfortable on top of it. He laid down on his back, and the raft did the rest of the work. The current of the river was gentle, and it carried him at a steady pace. With all of it said and done, he closed his eyes.

“I should have said something…” It was the only thing he said in the open before he went deep into his private mind palace. The river made it easier for him to think, and he did a lot of it in a short amount of time. A mix of memories, emotions, and thoughts filled up all that space. It was unusual. Every second he spent like that made it seem like a weight was coming off his chest, but another weight took its place just as quickly.

Despite what he was going through, the river supported his raft perfectly. He wasn’t in danger of bumping into anyone. In fact, the lazy river was empty save for him. That made things simple for him to take it easy on himself.

Until he heard a song in the air.

His eyes shot open and he sat up, scanning the area around the river with his vision. He wasn’t jolted, but he was fully alert, too. There were boomboxes hanging up on pillars for music and such, but they weren’t playing the song he heard. It was a deep, feminine voice singing around him, and it was as if the singer came directly from his head.

Not only that, but the singing had to be close by. Frigid got up from the raft and hovered a foot above the river. He turned around in a full circle to find any signs of the person responsible for it, but the song she sang faded in and out. One moment, she sounded so far away. Another moment, and it was like she was right there with him in the river.

“Who are you?” he finally asked. “Do you mean any trouble?”

“I almost feel insulted by that,” the song continued. “Why do you hear such a wonderful melody in your ears, and your mind jumps to that conclusion? Are you the type to be offered a gift from a pony, and your first instinct is to freeze them to the bone?” Her voice was sweeter than honey, along with the precision that only came from training one’s vocals.

He flew away from the river and landed by the entrance, and his forelegs dug into the ground. “It’s because I saw the posters. Are you behind their disappearances?”

“Why don’t you come over here and find out…” After the voice spent minutes bouncing from place to place, it took on a clear place of direction. It was deeper into the water park, just outside of a jungle.

“Okay, but I think this is a trap.” He was careful with his steps and flight down her path. “I’m not afraid to fight you if you’re the one responsible.” Frigid figured in his mind that he could handle whatever the singer threw at him, between his strength and breath.

“I know, I know. Dragons are strong and fearsome, and you’re no different. But I’m not going to hurt you…” In front of him, Frigid could see the outlines of a person. He was barely able to see anything from there, but he could tell that whoever she was, she had orange scales along her body, and she stood on two legs like a younger dragon. Unlike him, however, she was wearing a brown robe of sorts.

He kept his forelegs by his side as he approached her, and he took a deep breath to prepare the strongest ice breath he could muster with his lungs. As he kept moving, he found her sitting on the side of a rock, and the moonlight started to break through the trees above her. That’s when he got his first glimpse of the lady.

“Who...what are you?” he inquired.

“Hmm, good question. How about we start with my name? You can call me...Aphrodite.”

Aphrodite was a fish lady, covered from head to toe in dark orange scales. Her light brown hair trailed down her back, and she wore a dark brown, tattered robe around her body. It went around her shoulders down to the knees of her otherwise bare legs, and she had humanoid feet. The light in her eyes was dark blue, and staring at them was like staring into the depths of the ocean. A flipper of sorts formed a tail around her backside.

The sight made Frigid stop in his tracks. “I never heard of an Aphrodite, but I can tell you’re up to something.”

“There you go, jumping to conclusions again,” she purred. She got up and went to approach him, and she noted the curled up claws by his sides. “Even if I was up to something, you could take me out in one punch. You know that, don’t you?”

He didn’t move an inch from her argument. “Even if you’re not here to cause trouble, why are you here? You’re not a pony, dragon, or a hippogriff. I have no idea what you really are.”

“Call me a Siren, then. The oldest one still around in Equestria…” She cringed a bit from the fresh reminder, but she regained her form. “And I tend to observe a lot of people that come around here.” She walked around Frigid, glancing around him at every angle. “After a while, I noticed you and I have something in common.”

Just as well, he kept his attention on her, fists still ready to launch. “And what’s that?”

“We’re both broken-hearted. Albeit, for different reasons, but….” She glared directly into his eyes from the side, and some kind of dust launched from them. “Your heart was torn when that pony turned you down, wasn’t it?” She sang every word in her last sentence.

It made Frigid’s head throb, and he tried to shake his head to break it off. In just a few seconds, however, something about her eyes grabbed him. He couldn’t look away if he wanted to, and there was a beauty in her gaze that captivated him. Whenever or not it was magic, he couldn’t tell. He didn’t have experience with such things to figure it out. “I...I…”

“It’s okay. I’m here for you to tell me everything,” she purred again. By then, their faces were just half a foot apart, and the depths in her eyes widened by the second.

“I...I wanted to date her,” he admitted. In his mind, he could tell her anything and everything, and it would be okay. “I didn’t care if she was a pony and I was a dragon. She was fiery, funny, and willing to do anything to help me out.”

“Ah, I see. And it crushed you when she turned you down before you even asked, didn’t it?”

He tried to close his mouth, sensing something was wrong, but his body acted on its own. “It did. I felt like we should have tried before we decided it wasn’t going to happen. But...I didn’t want to be rude about it.”

“But it doesn’t change that you’re broken-hearted about it.” Aphrodite went up and held his face with her hand, and it was softer than any hand he felt before. He looked right at it, unsure what to make of things. “You really want someone in your life, don’t you?”

“Yes…” He closed his eyes for a moment, and he didn’t push her hand away. Despite that, it still felt like he was staring into her gaze. “I want someone like that.”

“Then why not me? We’re talking. We’re hanging out. And unlike that pitiful pony, I’m not going to turn you down. Look into my eyes and see how sincere I am.”

Frigid complied and opened his eyelids, unable to take a single step away. Once he did, Aphrodite’s true work came to the surface. Her eyes were as all encompassing as the deepest trench in the ocean, and his mind was awash in her magic. He couldn’t see the spell at work, though. All he could think about was how sincere she really was, the way she held his face with both hands by that point.

“You...you mean it? Every word?” he demanded to know. “I don’t want to go through this twice in one week…” By then, he wasn’t putting any thought into his speech. It was flowing out on its own, like something else pushed them to the surface.

“I do...if you’ll accept me. Accept me, Frigid...let me fill the void in your heart…”

By then, her gaze was hypnotic, and Frigid almost couldn’t imagine breaking away from it. While his facials remained the same, a tear rolled down his cheek, just one. “Please fill it…”

Aphrodite chuckled and leaned ever closer to his lips. “I will, Frigid.” She leaned down and brought him in for a kiss.

Despite how tender the kiss was, every fiber of Frigid’s body jolted with electricity, and he couldn’t move a muscle. He found himself pushing into it, and his mind was completely shut down. In its place was a voice telling him all he needed to know. Aphrodite is a good mistress. Listen to her. Do everything she wants you to do. She only wants the best for you and her. Cherish her every command. Embrace it.

Aphrodite chuckled from the draining resistance in Frigid’s body, and her lips wrapped around his. The moment he wrapped a foreleg around her waist, she knew she had him where she wanted him. It was going to be even easier than she thought.

When she broke the kiss, the gaze in Frigid’s eyes were vacant and dazed, and she petted the top of his head. “Now, what do you say to me when I ask you to do something?”

Her spell probed him to say the following. “Yes, Mistress.”

“No matter what it is, you’ll do it?”

“Yes, Mistress.”

“Good boy.” She traced her fingers along his chin, and she hummed again. “There is something we need to do in the morning. We have many others on our side, and there is much work to see through. Are you ready to do what needs to be done, my pet?”

“Yes, Mistress…” He sighed again. “There is one question I have.”

“Oh? Hmm, figured you would be so underneath my grasp that questions wouldn’t happen anymore, but go on.”

“How are you broken-hearted like me?”

The question sent a deep shiver down Aphrodite’s spine, and she briefly turned her head away. “Before you were born, in the age of Starswirl the Bearded and the Pillars...I had three daughters that were taken away from me. Banished to another world. There isn’t a day where I don’t think about how much I miss them…”

“And that’s what this is all about? Trying to get them back?” Frigid pondered.

“In a way, but there is something we must do. And you’re going to be the centerpiece of it all…”

Rather than turn away or run, Frigid simply nodded. “It will be done, Mistress.”

“I know it will, especially with you by my side. Forget about Ember Spark. She won’t love you like I will…” She pulled him in for another kiss, and soon, Frigid did just that. Ember was barely a fragment of his imagination in due time.

Author's Note

Annnnd down to the final stretch. Just two to go.

A Dance of Fire And Ice

A good night’s sleep usually tended to range around eight to nine hours, maybe seven if left undisturbed. It might leave one unwilling to leave the bed right away, but it could still melt away the exhaustion of the previous day. That’s what it was supposed to do.

Ember didn’t have the rest she was supposed to have, despite sleeping in that morning. When she woke up, she didn’t feel exhausted, but there was a weight on her front joints. She sat up and rubbed at her eyelids, using magic to get herself a cup of coffee going. Once the caffeine kicked in, she felt only a sliver of an improvement. All she could think about was the previous day. “I blew it…”

More coffee went through her system, and she was fully awake once it settled in. One set of morning chores and a couple of bagels later, she was resembling a functioning pony again. “Let’s see. Made a really nice dragon depressed by friendzoning him just after learning his name, left him out by himself that evening, oh man. How could I blow it any more than I have?”

“AHHHHHH!” A loud shriek came from outside the villa, and Ember nearly bashed her head against the surface of the nearest table. She didn’t want to think about another threat, no matter if she never actually found that creepy fish lady. Part of her wanted to pretend she heard nothing.

Then she heard more screaming, and it hit her that it was more than one voice doing it. That set off a few alarm bells in her head, and she was quick to open the curtains around the windows. When she saw what waited for her, out in the great outdoors, she experienced a mix of anger, frustration, and panic.

“By Celestia and Luna’s cosmos, if this is punishment for being a plothole last night, I’m sorry…”

Shards of ice shot out by the shoreline, thick and sharp to boot. Not only that, but numerous snowflakes drifted around in the air. She could still spot the summer sun, but she also found a herd of ponies fleeing the scene by the ocean, along with several ponies with a dazed look in their eyes, like they were under some sort of spell.

Right away, Ember fled the villa and turned around, catching a horrifying sight. It wasn’t just by the beach where the ice laid. It was all over the town. Whatever fortress Frigid made in the past, it was nothing compared to the sculpture of ice and shards that enveloped Equus Town. “What the hay is this all about?”

She got out of the area and nearly bumped into a blue pegasus. “Tell me you know what’s going on--” The pegasus had the same dazed look into his eyes, and she realized this wasn’t natural. “Oh no, no no no no. You’ve got to be kidding me!”

After the changeling invasion of Canterlot, a lot of unicorns got together and trained to figure out how to break the mind control that Chrysalis used on Shining Armor. It was tricky to find a solution, but one spell came out of all that research. With Chrysalis still out in the open for a while after the wedding, Ember decided to play it safe and learn the spell for herself. SHer horn blazed with magic along the tip, and she shot the spell right into the pegasus’s head. He flailed his forelegs for a moment, and he nearly fell to his side. When he came to, he looked around the place like it was the first time he saw all that ice around. “I’ve got to get out of here…”

“Wait, what’s going on?” Ember asked. “Don’t tell me Frigid lost control.”

“What? I don’t know who that is.” His wings frantically tried to open up. “It’s Aphrodite. You’ve got to get away from here!” He spread his wings at full span and took off, panicking in a way she had rarely seen before.

Ember turned around to face the ice, and it grew around the main street a mile ahead of her. She brought her attention to the skies above. At long last, she finally found Frigid...and the sight sent a shiver down her spine before she felt the cold on her coat. He was going wild in a way she never saw him do before. It was as if someone took over his body and wreaked havoc.

Each breath he let out unleashed a huge wave of ice and snow, and it dawned on Ember that he wasn’t alone. Unicorns were on the ground to help spread out the ice with their own magic, and he was joined in the skies with griffons and pegasi alike. They all had the same dazed look in their eyes as him.

“No….Frigid!” Ember’s mind quickly wondered if the orange fish lady was responsible, but that didn’t matter as much as stopping Frigid. “What are you doing?” She raced as fast as her hooves would carry her, and she went deep into the heart of the town. “This isn’t like you!”

It seemed as if someone expected her to show up around the street, as the path to Frigid’s location was covered in a thick maze of ice. It was well over ten feet tall, spanned for dozens of feet, and every inch was thick as an iceberg. It would take a long time to reach there, but that wouldn’t stop Ember. She glazed her horn with magic, and she rushed to start melting down the ice.

Along the way, she was stopped by a couple of brainwashed unicorns, trying to stop her with a force field spell. She meeped and ducked under the magic trails, and she shot the same spell breaking magic at them. It was enough to shake it off both of them. “Where...where am I…” one unicorn trailed off. “I was in a cave and--yeah this looks just as creepy.”

“Just get out of here. I’ll try to take care of it!” Ember rushed into the heart of the maze, and she heard Frigid’s breath go haywire above her. Storefronts were covered in ice in no time, and she panted from the anxiety and magic she already had to go through to get this far.

However, something was off in the spot she wound up in. The ice of the maze didn’t resemble spikes or pillars anymore. It was more like a chamber with the ceiling of ice above her head, and the way the walls reflected almost everything about it. It made her think this was a trap, and she tried hard to melt some of the surfaces away with her magic. Before she melted much of it, she heard something that made her, pardon the pun, freeze in her tracks.

“Ember Spark, was it?” a voice sang to her, sweeter than any honey she tasted. “I’ve been watching you, and I must say, you’re a delight. Even if your cutie mark wasn’t about fire, I would enjoy that flame in your soul…”

Ember’s heart shot through the roof, and her horn remained aglow with her blue flames. “Huh? Don’t tell me you’re the one pulling this stunt. Show yourself!” She scanned the chamber around her, and she swore she saw a shade of orange around the place...the same shade of orange she saw on the cruise to get to Equus Town. A drop of sweat rolled down her face, quickly frozen from the cold.

“That’s what I mean. You’re quick to fight, even when everypony else is running scared or wondering what’s going on.” More and more, Ember could see the orange figure for what she was. The ice walls distorted the sight, but she could see the brown robe around her figure, the scales, everything about her.

“You’re the one that made Frigid like that, right?” Ember’s jaw was clenched tight, and she was more than a little ticked off. “I hate you and I just met you. Do you know how hard that is?”

“Not that hard if you know how to press the right buttons. But don’t worry, I don’t make ponies like you wait for long…”

After a few seconds, Ember picked up that the fish lady was two legged, like the humans Princess Twilight wrote about. Something about that unnerved her. It was a sign that the lady wasn’t a normal pony being, nor was she a dragon. Dragons didn't have scales that looked like that….

Eventually, Aphrodite showed herself in clear detail, standing along the other side of the closest icy wall. Her amused smirk drove Ember crazy, and she shot a fire spell at the wall without thinking about it. It was enough to melt the wall, but there wasn’t someone on the other side. Instead, Aphrodite stood behind the wall on the right. “Can we talk before you decide to kill me first?”

“How about you start by telling me what you are, what you’re doing, and what you’ve done to Frigid!” Ember snorted and pounded the ground with a front hoof. The anger was masking the terror in her icy veins.

“That’s a good point, actually. The Equestrian history texts barely give me a blurb, so this will be perfect.” Aphrodite’s hands brushed along the surface of the ice, and her face kept that same arrogant smirk. “You know of the Sirens, I take it?”

“Y-Yeah...a bunch of monsters that could hypnotize people….” Recalling what she knew of them, it started to come together in Ember’s mind.

“DON’T TALK ABOUT THEM LIKE THEY’RE MONSTERS!” Aphrodite’s voice deepened to a near shriek. “I mean…” She forced herself to return to her singsong voice. “They were my daughters, you see. They meant the world to me, more than any kingdom or riches…”

After Ember was done freaking out from that shriek, the rest of the information filled in within her head. “You’re...you’re Aphrodite? I thought you were a myth! Nopony’s heard about you in centuries…”

Aphrodite’s hands kept touching the ice as she walked around the wall, and it was clear that there was an opening to the chamber on the end of the surface. “Wouldn’t you hide and wait for an opening when your daughters were banished to another world by Starswirl the Bearded? You may not be a mother, Ember Spark, but it’s a pain that’s easy to imagine…”

Ember took a step away, realizing that Aphrodite would be directly in front of her at any moment now. “I...I’m sorry that happened to you, but they were doing awful things to the ponies. Not to mention, the whole mind control thing is just...wrong.”

Aphrodite shrieked again from such an accusation, and it was enough to break the ice that remained between them. With nothing standing in the way, Ember got the best look yet at her. The lady could be standing there, doing nothing, and she could still sense all the power radiating from the mother of the Sirens. It wasn’t physical power, but she made up for it with her sheer presence. In the back of her mind, Ember couldn’t make a mistake at this point and knew it.

“You’re lucky I see you as valuable, or you’d be lucky to stay in one piece for more than ten seconds after saying that,” Aphrodite huffed. “In addition, you’re wrong to boot...and it was wrong of him to rip them away from me...it’s time I made my move to start bringing them home...and most importantly, now that Starswirl is back, maybe we can even the score…”

“B-But why now?” Ember trembled, taking another step backwards, but her horn still blazed with her blue flames. “The Pillars are back, and Princess Twilight has the throne. The deck’s stacked more than ever against you.”

“The latter is exactly why. Equestria is now ruled by an inexperienced princess, and Celestia and Luna show signs that their powers are waning…” Aphrodite regained her form, and every step Ember backed up with, she was quick to make up for it. “That, and I figured you’d want to be reunited with Frigid. I’m sure he won’t mind at all.”

Something about name dropping Frigid like that melted the fear in Ember’s body, and her horn nearly made a pillar of fire. “Don’t you dare do that to him...he’s under your control, isn’t he? Why him…”

“You mean, other than the fact that he can do all this with just his breath?” Aphrodite gestured around the fortress, and her eyes came just inches from Ember’s. “Because my powers work best with the broken hearted, and his heart was practically ripe. I wonder why…” She traced a finger along Ember’s cheek.

Most of the time, Ember would be incensed by an act like that, but the words cut deep. She thought about their dates, the way Frigid acted after she sent him to the friendzone, all of it. The gasp in her throat told the whole story. “You mean...he…”

“Yes. You broke his heart. I could feel it all over when I probed his mind. He knew you weren’t telling the whole story on why you turned him down.” Aphrodite chuckled and pulled back a few inches, the hand staying on Ember’s face. “Oh, the look on your face is so rich right now. Nothing like fresh regret in a pony’s heart.”

Ember’s jaw dropped from there, and her pupils dilated. She clutched at her forehead, and she turned her head towards Frigid. He kept spewing his breath around the area, and it wouldn’t be long until the whole town was covered in his ice. If that wasn’t enough, Ember could see the blank look he carried with him through the filter of ice and snow.

“I...I...what have I done…” Ember’s mind was gone, and then her head was pulled down to meet Aphrodite’s own gaze. “No...please don’t…”

“Don’t what?” Aphrodite said in amusement. “Don’t you want to make it right with him? I could open the door for that. He’s in my army now, and I’m offering you the same position in my army. Why don’t you join us...I’m a forgiving mistress, and he would be so happy to see you again. You can tell him everything in your heart after you join us…”

Ember’s heart sank, and she was falling into a pit within her own mind. The smile along Aphrodite’s lips widened as the pony’s eyes started to glaze over, and the tension in her hooves slowly disappeared. “There we go, Ember...that’s it...make it right with him…”

I...I want to make it right… Ember thought, falling into Aphrodite’s grasp. I can do that...I want to be honest with him...I need to be honest with him… Her hooves started to shift around. I...I know what I need to do now… All four legs bunched up together, and her attention shifted to the corner of her vision, the one place the siren had no jurisdiction over.

“Well? What do you say, Ember?” Aphrodite inquired. “Are you willing to meet him again under your Mistress?”

Suddenly, all the tension in Ember’s hooves returned. She punched Aphrodite’s stomach hard with a foreleg, and it caused the Siren to cry out and bend over. If that wasn’t enough, Ember’s horn glazed with a renewed blaze. RIght when the Siren was about to get back up, Ember bucked her right in the face with her back legs.

“Ahhhh!” Aphrodite was quick to get back to her feet, but Ember’s hooves left a couple of marks along her cheeks. “What are you doing?”

“I’ll make it right with him, on my own terms!” Ember’s fire shot out in all directions in a wave, and it cut through the layers of ice like a knife. In due time, there was an opening along the chamber’s ceiling, and Ember used the crashing ice chunks as steps to reach the hole. “That, and you’re kinda creepy!”

Aphrodite’s hair was matted all over her face, and she blew it away while she got back up to her feet. She watched the pony flee through the ceiling, and she checked the area around her. “So that’s the way it’s going to be, huh…” She shot a surge of magic over in Frigid’s direction. Cut down the annoying pink pony for your Mistress….

Right as Ember got out of the fortress, Frigid received the command in his ears. His gaze turned to the pony, and his wings turned to face her. She gasped when she caught him diving right into his direction, and he was liberal with his breath. It shot out a wave unlike anything she had seen from him, and she jumped out of the way before it was too late.

It was barely in the nick of time; she felt a trace of frost hit her back legs, and his ice wave re-sealed the hole in the chamber’s ceiling. Aphrodite chuckled and shook her head. “I won’t have him kill you, just hurt you enough to get you out of the picture…” She strolled to another area of the town in the meantime, confident that he had it in the bag by then.

“Stop, Frigid! Don’t do this!” Ember galloped across the street, dodging pillars of ice along the way. Now and then, she heard him crash and break through the pillars at her back, sending another wave at her. Like before, she barely avoided it in time. “I know you’re under her control. She’s just using you!”

Frigid remained undeterred. In fact, his waves only seemed to grow in intensity with each passing second. She saw Aphrodite’s fury in his eyes, and it made her wonder, even for the briefest of seconds, if this was how she would die. “Oh buck oh buck OH BUCK…”

If Ember was freaking out from before, it was nothing when she realized she made a huge mistake. She didn’t wind up in an alley between buildings, within a store, or any place that offered cover. He had brought her to the beach, and there weren’t any palm trees around to hide her from his magic. Not only that, but he cut the distance between them in no time at all. If she didn’t do something fast, he would cover her in ice, and that would be it. Her magic could only get her so far…

Once she realized it, there was just one shot for her to take. It made her frightened to even consider it, but it was the only way. She turned around and faced him directly, screaming at the top of her lungs. “STOOOOOP! There’s something I have to say to you!”

The surprise of the move made Frigid stop right in front of her, and he ended up on all fours before her on the ground. He huffed again, almost in amusement and confusion, and he stopped to see what she would do next. The back of her neck was coated in cold sweat, but she felt a small twinge of relief that he didn’t press the attack.

“Okay...I don’t know where to start…” Ember clenched her jaw and nearly whimpered, but she forced herself to get it together and look right into his eyes. “Nevermind. I know where. You were really upset about what I did, weren't you?”

On the other side of the town, Aphrodite was busy commanding the ponies and griffons around the rest of the island. Regardless, she could see everything Frigid saw through his eyes, and she stopped in her tracks. “What is she trying to do…”

In the meantime, Frigid remained the same as always. The only sign he acknowledged what Ember was doing was from tilting his head to the side. Ember was praying to anyone that was listening that it was a sign that he wanted to listen, and not that Aphrodite saw her as prey to play with.

Ember couldn’t believe that it worked, but it wasn’t the time to hesitate. “I...I’m happy you didn’t get mad or upset at me when I turned you down...not that I think you COULD get upset, and...I hate that I lied about why I did it. It was actually a dumb, ignorant reason…”

Frigid kept tilting his head at her. On the other side, it wasn’t just Aphrodite looking in her direction like she was crazy, it was all the ponies and griffons under her command. The siren’s eyes widened when she saw where this might go.

“I...I wasn’t sure about dating a dragon, okay?” Ember lowered her head out of shame. “It’s just weird that I was taught to stay away from dragons when I was a filly, and now we’re all friends with them and everything. I didn’t know how to feel when I thought you wanted to go out with me, and that’s the real reason why…”

Frigid didn’t react at first, but then Ember noted the pupils in his eyes. They were starting to grow a bit. Not only that, but the glassy surface on them dimmed by a few degrees. That was enough to encourage the pony to keep going.

“But that was a really dumb reason to turn you down. You’re kinda weird with the way you don’t emote at all, but I’m kinda weird, too. That, and you’ve been so nice to me since the moment we met. You care a lot about my well being. You literally made a boat ramp when you didn’t have to…”

She wouldn’t know it, but Aphrodite was already racing in their direction to put a stop to it, especially when Frigid stopped to hear it all. The hold on his mind was still there, but he wasn’t attacking her anymore. Realizing that he wouldn’t lash out, Ember came closer to Frigid and sighed heavily.

“Look, you and I are really different, and I don’t know if it’s gonna work out between us. But I didn’t give you a shot for the dumbest reason ever, and I need to change that…”

Deep down, what she was about to do terrified her. Not just because of the actual thing she would do, but whenever or not it would work. This wasn’t the time for second guessing, however. She went in and plunged her face forward, kissing him on the lips.

The sensation of dragon lips was surreal to her at first, and his scales were just as cold around them as she suspected. Her heartbeat shot through the roof, terrified he would still hurt her under Aphrodite’s control. Over time, however, she noted that the surface on his eyes cleared up. It never went away on its own, but it wasn’t as strong as it was before. She could tell within his gaze that he was freaking out on the inside.

“Finally!” With that little break, Ember launched her magic right at Frigid’s head. He clutched at his forehead with both front legs, and he crashed down on the ground. With anyone else, that collison would have freaked Ember out. With Frigid, it was a small little bump. In spite of that, she rushed over to his side and hoped for the best, prepared for the worst. “Are you okay?”

“Grrrrrr…” He shook his head around the place, and his eyelids were slow to open up. The moment he did, the daze in his eyes was gone at last. “Ember…” He lifted up his head to her, still coming back to his senses. “Tell me I didn’t hurt anyone...I remember bits and pieces…”

“Frigid!” Ember rushed to his side and hugged him tight. “I’m so sorry about everything.” She heard another pained groan come out, and she backed up a little bit. “You didn’t hurt anyone. You just...kinda sorta covered Equus Town in ice.”

He turned his head to face the music. Sure enough, Equus Town appeared like a blizzard fueled by Wendigos. That was enough to jolt him back to something resembling life, and he checked around the place for a certain someone. “I...Aphrodite turned me into...wait. I remember you said something about me. Did you just kiss me? You...you admitted you didn’t want to date because I’m a dragon...oh. It’s coming back to me. You were really emotional.”

Ember sniffled for a moment and nodded. “I know I was, but I meant everything I said. You’re a really awesome dragon, and you deserve better than that. For now, there’s something we gotta do. And--oh Celestia she’s right there!”

Right on cue, Aphrodite was standing off in the town ahead of them. Over two dozen ponies and griffons were surrounding her, all in the same hold she put Frigid in. “Oh COME ON,” she sneered. “Don’t tell me you broke it off over the power of love--actually, given my magic works best on heartbroken creatures, that makes sense.”

Rather than continue with the dance of words, Ember arched down and faced the siren directly. “Are we strong enough to take her on?” she whispered to Frigid. “I don’t know how strong she is.”

Frigid snorted ice down his nostrils. “I think so. We have to stop the ones under her spell first. She wanted to use me because of my powers. If we stop her control on the others, it will be a lot easier to stop her.”

Ember nodded, blowing the hair out of her face. “Then let’s do it…” She reared up and let her horn glow up with the flames, and she was prepared for a fight. Frigid dug his claws into the ground, and he took a deep breath to get ready to rumble. “If we come out of this alive, Frigid, I promise I’ll go out on a date with you.”

“Are you saying this because you want to, or because you feel like you have to?” he inquired.

“Both.” Ember tapped a hoof on the ground, all but challenging Aphrodite with that one move. “But mostly the former.”

Aphrodite wasn’t amused, and she waved over at them. “Every pony and griffon here, your mistress wants you to take out that unicorn and dragon. However you want to do it is up to you. I need to handle something, anyway.” She calmly traveled down to the beach, stepping into the waves without a care in the world.

“Hey, get over here--” Before Ember could get to Aphrodite, three ponies blocked the way to the beach, all unicorns. They all had spells of their own that were ready to launch, and it was enough to make Ember back away. “You ready, Frigid? No turning back after this…”

“I never wanted to turn back in the first place.” Frigid snorted more ice down his nostrils, and he took one last breath before it was time. “Good luck, Ember. I’ll be with you.”

“Likewise…”

Before Ember could get to one pony, those same unicorns launched everything they had at her, and she fired a shield spell to protect herself. One had fireballs that were weaker than hers, but still singed the air around her. Another shot a blast of water near her hooves, and it was almost enough to make her lose her footing. Just when she thought she had it under control, another unicorn was thrown into the air by a griffon and came at her, firing a huge bolt of light aimed right at her horn.

She gasped and thought she was too slow, but Frigid came to the scene and blew ice at all four of them. He guarded Ember with a wing while his ice went and trapped all three ponies and one griffon, and they were stuck in the spire he left behind. “Now!” he shouted, somehow reaching a high tone and sounding calm at the same.

Ember saw what he was going for, and she rushed to everyone trapped in there. In less than a minute, she used the same disruption spell to break the mind control off of them. They all shook their heads and looked confused. “Great, I get trapped into a changeling egg when I travel to ONE royal wedding in Canterlot, now this...my luck in picking out vacations is AWFUL,” one unicorn noted, using his flame magic to get them all out of the ice.

As much as Ember wanted to laugh from the thought, she was quickly overwhelmed by the amount of pegasi in the air. Several of them were holding onto unicorns as well, and they went to continue spreading the ice around. They didn’t do it as well as Frigid, but it was adding to the headaches of the situation. “What do we do?”

“Climb onto my back,” Frigid offered. He lowered himself down to make it easier for her, and she climbed on board without hesitating. “Can you use your magic while I’m flying, or will you throw up again?”

“I ALMOST threw up last time,” she snarked. “Just don’t go anywhere near top speed and I should be fine.”

With that in mind, Frigid picked up his wings, secured Ember on his back, and took off from there. She noted that she felt a lot better than last time, possibly from all the adrenaline pumping through her veins. Her attention drifted to the pegasi around the spot, and a few were starting to form ice spirals…

...including right in front of them. Ember panicked from the sight, but she quickly launched a blue fireball right at it. It melted the ice fast enough to leave a hole for Frigid to fly through, and he looked behind the spiral in surprise. “You’re really good at this.”

“Thanks, you’re good at flying, too. Wow, that sounded sappy...look out!” A pegasus was coming right at Frigid’s right side, and she landed with a thud. Frigid grunted from the impact, and it nearly sent Ember crashing to the ground. “Oh Luna, this is intense!” She turned to see where the pegasus went, and she was quick to launch a disruption spell at the threat.

The pegasus managed to dip low enough to avoid it, and she came down to a few feet above the ground. With the ice all around her, it was going to be tricky to fly through behind her, not that it would stop Frigid. “If I get down there and get you a clear shot, do you think you can still reach her?” he asked.

“It’s worth a shot…” Ember didn’t want to admit she was about to throw up, but she made herself get through it. With that green light, he dipped down in pursuit of the pegasus. One bar of ice formed in front of him, and he dove down to just a foot above the ground. Ember swore they would crash, but he managed to pull up again.

The pegasus was disgusted from their maneuvers, but it wouldn’t matter when Frigid had already gained ground on her. An Earth Pony crashed into the scene and tried to intercept the dragon in the streets, but Ember had a clear enough shot to land her spell on his head. He would be left rubbing his head after Aphrodite’s grip disappeared from his mind.

After thirty seconds of flight, Frigid finally caught up to within ten feet of the pegasus. Eventually, his ice fortress turned out to be a curse to the foe, as it forced her to fly in a straight lane. “Ember, are you ready?”

Ember had her head over the side of his body. Without going into details, she was reminded of what she had for breakfast that morning, and her face was pale green. “Y-Yeah...here goes nothing…” She took a long breath to get her stomach under control, and the spell landed right on the pegasus’s flank. It was enough; the pegasus stopped in the middle of her flight and clutched her head with both forehooves. “What...what happened...I think I saw a really hot fish lady…was she a hippogriff or one of those weird human people?”

Frigid pulled up before he collided with the pegasus, and he checked around the area. “There’s still a lot of ponies and griffons under her control. Are you holding in there?”

The poor choice of words made Ember lean over and hurl again, and she coughed after she was done. “You did that on purpose...okay, we can do this. We’re doing good so far. Just...give me a moment…”

The next fifteen minutes consisted of the longest fight Ember and Frigid remembered being in. It felt like it took twice that time, but eventually, there wasn’t a single pony or griffon under Aphrodite’s control. All of them looked around the town in a daze, adjusting to life under their free will again. The next thing they knew, they were already helping Ember melt the ice down over the town. Frigid remained by the beach for the time being, staring off at the beach where two humanoid footprints led up to the ocean.

Once it was all said and done, Ember was so relieved by the progress they made. Save for a lot of water from the melted down ice, Equus Town was back to its old self. “There we go. You’re all safe and sound again. Everyone Is accounted for, I think that’s all the people on the wanted posters, and...and…”

She realized that Frigid wasn’t there, and she searched frantically around the beachfront for him. After a little bit of searching, she caught him sitting at the edge of the shore, secretly afraid that Aphrodite caught hold of him again. “What’s going on?”

“I was waiting for you,” he informed her. “When we were fighting, I remembered more and more about my time under her command, including the footprints she made. These match hers perfectly. She’s somewhere out there, and I don’t think she’d walk away from a fight like this.”

“Of course she wouldn’t,” Ember sighed. “And I’m not finished with her by a longshot. If she was going to use you like that, she deserves all that’s coming for her.”

“But what if this is a trap? She’s a Siren. They lived in and around the ocean for a reason. It could be where her powers are at their strongest.”

“I don’t care.” She was quick to climb on his back again. “Between my magic and your awesome dragon powers, she can’t stop us at this point. Let’s finish this.” She felt confident by that point, given her stomach was done emptying out. Hopefully.

“Very well.” As soon as she was snug on his back again, Frigid spread his wings and took off again. In the blink of an eye, they were off above the ocean, and there would soon be nothing but blue horizons around them.

Back in Equus Town, however, several people were at the beach, looking off at the dragon and pony. “Wow, those are the guys that got me out of that trance,” one griffon noted. “They really did a lot for us.”

“That’s what was going on?” a pegasus realized. “Huh. I was hiding for a while there. Wait a second. They’re going off to fight that siren, right?”

“Yeah. At least, I think that’s what they’re doing. Why do you ask?”

“Well, a lot of us have wings, and we’re strong enough to carry unicorns in our limbs. That’s what the siren was making us do when we fought that dragon, so we could do it.”

“Huh?” Then it hit the pegasus. “Ohhhhhhhh. I see what you’re getting at. It doesn’t feel right just sitting on the sidelines, anyway. We can do something about this.”

In the meantime, Frigid and Ember were searching the waters around the island, scanning for signs of Aphrodite. “Have you seen anything yet?” she inquired. “I have no idea where she went off to.”

“We won’t have to look for her. She’s going to come to us when she’s ready,” Frigid noted. “You need to be careful. She’s not going to take us lightly.” A slight snort came out of his nose. By his standards, that was almost as unnerving as a full throated roar from any other dragon.

“Yeah...I’m not looking forward to this. She made it way too personal.” For good measure, she snorted through her nose as well--and then she found something. It was subtle at first, but she saw ripples in the surface to the side, the kind that only tended to happen with sea life directly below it. “Stop for a moment. I think she’s close.”

Frigid did just that, and he slowed his flight to a hover. He caught wind of the ripples along the water shortly after she did. The ripples continued, intensifying with time. With how clear the waters were, it wasn’t hard to see below the surface...and they could find Aphrodite swimming with her front side facing them. Even from that distance, they could see the hateful beam she sported on her face.

It was enough to send Ember on edge, and she tugged a little tighter on Frigid’s back. “Okay. I don’t actually know how to fight a siren, but it can’t be that hard, right? It’s not like she’s gonna hypnotize you again…” The tightness on her hooves told a different story.

“Prepare for anything and everything with her,” Frigid warned Ember. “It’s the best we can do.” He used a foreleg to steady her on his back.

While they were coursing through the possibilities, Aphrodite just kept swimming inches below the surface. Then, like a teleportation spell at work, she disappeared within the confines of the ocean. It was like she was never there in the first place. Frigid remained well above the water, and he would search around for any signs of her once more.

Ember did the same thing, secretly panicking on the inside. She remembered a few details about the Sirens when she read up on Ancient Equestrian History, and she recalled how powerful they could be. Before she could question what Aphrodite was going to do next, she got the answer in the most unpleasant way possible when she spotted something in front of them.

To put it lightly, a massive wave rose ahead of them. The siren stood on the top of the wave, her arms out in full force. Her voice echoed a melody that was both pleasing and eerie to hear. It carried all the power she needed, and the wave was so high, it was hard to tell how tall it really was. Before it reached its crest, she pointed both arms at Frigid and Ember, and the wave rushed at them with an unnatural speed.

“What the hay is that?” Ember balked. “Okay, that’s not fair. What do we do now?” She was thinking of all the spells she could muster, but there was no time for any of them before the impact was made.

Instead of responding with words, Frigid rushed right ahead at the wave. He heard Ember’s screams in his ear, but he flapped his wings to get up close and personal with the wave. There was seemingly no end in sight of the wave, but he prepared his lungs and hit the heart of the water with his breath, from the bottom to the top of the crest.

Within the blink of an eye, a slice of the wave froze up. Frigid shifted Ember in his forelegs and clung to her tightly, shielding her in his grasp while he landed on the side of the frozen water. She screamed from it, and she shut her eyes before he landed. The wave crashed around them, and the frozen slice gave them just enough shelter before it fell down to the side, dropping down to the bottom of the ocean.

A few seconds passed, and Ember opened her eyes again. They were both safe and sound, and she realized he was observing her state through it all. “Oh...OH. That's what you were going for. You’re a genius, Frigid.”

“For a moment.” He shifted her onto his back again. “That was the first round. She’s got more tricks up her sleeve.” He kept an eye out for Aphrodite, but he wouldn’t have to look far. Her handclaps gave her location away.

“That was a clever counter against my attack. I'll give you credit for that,” Aphrodite admitted, standing on top of a levitating wave. “But defense will only get you so far. Let’s see if you can actually best me in a fight.” She waved them on, inviting them for said fight.

Just that little taunt was enough to egg Ember on, and she didn’t even wait for Frigid to fly over to Aphrodite to launch her fireball at the wave she stood on. The siren shrugged and merely let the wave collapse below her, and she fell underneath the fireball before it was remotely close to her.

It all seemed so simple...before Frigid managed to freeze the water directly below her. She let out an oof as her back hit nothing but solid ice, and it knocked the wind out of her sails. Ember was prepared to launch another blue fireball at her, and Aphrodite didn’t have the strength to dodge it like before. Instead, she rolled off the ice platform, and she swam below the surface. Unlike last time, the fireball came so close to her, she felt the heat as clear as day. This wasn’t going to be so easy.

“Did we get her?” Ember asked, searching with her eyes underneath the surface. “Tell me that it hit her. She’s pissing me off!”

“She’s not going to be so easy to hit,” Frigid warned her. Sure enough, they were blinded by a sudden wave behind them. It sent them crashing down to the ocean, and they ended up a foot below the surface.

Every fiber in Ember’s being screamed at her that this was Aphrodite’s domain, and she had no chance down there. She kicked as hard as she could to reach the surface, and she gasped for air once she finally got up there. “Frigid! Are you okay?”

Frigid’s wings flapped around the water, and he coughed out water as ice chunks from his throat. “I’m okay. Where is she?” He swam close to Ember and held out his wings around them. When the coast was clear, he aimed his lips in front of them. In just a second, he made a little cold platform for the pony, and he guided her to stand on it. It was stable and left her plenty of room to stand on.

“Thanks...aI can’t find her anywhere--” They were hit with another wave, not as harsh or big as the last two, but it was enough to catch Ember off guard. She tugged around the platform with all four legs, and she found Frigid pulling away from the current. He struggled at first, but he flapped his wings and escaped from the water. However, that didn’t stop her from drifting away from him, or from being able to stop the mini wave that hit her.

She nearly screamed as she fell off the platform, but Frigid was quick to use his breath from a distance. Ahead of her, Ember spotted five platforms around the water, and she jumped as far as she could to land on one. She tugged at it again, but she finally found Aphrodite...right when she was using currents to pull Ember far away from Frigid.

Something about that ticked her off, and she pointed her horn right at Aphrodite’s front side. Time crawled to a halt, and all of her senses were focused just on getting some hit on the siren. Her horn ignited from the blue flames she gained her cutie mark in, and the mother of all fireballs launched right at Aphrodite.

The siren was distracted by the dragon flying in her direction, and a deep, pained cry came out of her when the fireball collided with her chest. Her body and robe briefly ignited, but the flames extinguished the moment she fell into the water. The worst damage from the fireball was a bodywide sting and the brown robes turning slightly black, but the sting was so harsh that she gritted her teeth again. Her eyes widened while she sunk down, and she was prepared to swim up to get her revenge...only to find out how deep Frigid’s ice could go down into the ocean.

A pillar of ice emerged from the surface and shot down at her. Frigid had to use every ounce of oxygen in his lungs to make it happen, and his wings flapped harder to compensate for it. Aphrodite put everything she had into her legs to get out of there before it was too late. Even then, she felt a trace of ice hit the back of her leg. At least it came off easily and dulled the pain from Ember’s fireball.

She was so relieved when she came up above the surface, and she was thinking about the next move she was about to do, right when a certain ice platform manned by a certain mare bumped onto her back. She turned around to see who it was. In all her life, she had never seen a mare so furious as Ember was when they met face to face.

Ember didn’t hesitate and launched fireball after fireball at her. Aphrodite ducked at the nick of time, but Frigid responded with more ice bursts in her direction. He was beginning to tire out, but Ember was just getting started. “GET HIT GET HIT GET HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!” Ember shouted.

They had Aphrodite corned and saw it as plain as day. The siren was increasingly incensed, and she prepared another spell of her own. “I underestimated you, I admit that, but that’s nothing that can’t be fixed with a few adjustments…”

All of the sudden, over a mile of ocean in all directions shifted around them and rose up, inch by inch. Ember caught wind of what was happening, and she swam in tight with Frigid. “Don’t tell me this is happening. There is no way!”

Frigid clung to Ember, but he gazed up to the sky. “Wait a moment. We just need to stall for a little bit. It won’t take long. Just look ahead of you.”

“What do you mean--” Ember saw what he meant for herself, and she sighed in relief. “Oh thank Celestia, Luna, Twilight, Cadence, all those princesses...we weren’t going to win on our own, were we?”

“No. But we held our own. That’s all you have to do, sometimes.”

Aphrodite didn’t see what they were talking about. Instead, she brought her hands up and raised more of the water into the air. It lifted Ember and Frigid up with them, and it turned into the start of a wave that made her first attack look like a warm up act. She rose up to the top of the watery pillar away from her foes, and she had a self-satisfied smile when she saw the lack of any fight left in them. “Don’t worry. I won’t kill you. You’re too valuable as pawns for that...I might need to try harder next time…”

“Yeah, well, buck you!” Ember sneered. “Alright, everybody, she’s over there!”

“Wait...who are you talking to…”

Right after she finished, she saw it for herself at last. A couple dozen pegasi and griffons emerged over the blue horizon, many of them carrying unicorns with their front legs. “There she is! She’s the hot lady that hypnotized us!” one griffon pointed out. After she got a few stares for that choice of words, they all swarmed after Aphrodite.

Aphrodite sneered from the sight and found herself having to dodge countless spells and attacks. “Damn it...strength in numbers again…” She dropped the wave away, and she had to deal with the wholesome sight of Frigid swooping in and picking up Ember in his forelegs. At least she could just dive into the water for some cover, and so she did.

As the siren hid within the depths of the ocean, she got a better glance at the numbers she would have to deal with. “Okay okay, so I underestimated all of you. My planning left much to be desired, and I need to work on that...good thing I have time for that. More time than most of you will ever live for…” She went deeper into the trenches, using the darkness to hide her tracks while she fled the scene.

“Is she gone?” one pegasus asked around. “Oh come on. I wanted to be the hero for once...I don’t want everypony to have to rely only on the Elements of Harmony…”

“I think we were the heroes,” a unicorn cut in. “Well, the main heroes are that dragon and mare, but--wait a second. He’s not looking too good.”

After it was pointed out to her, Ember gazed up and realized Frigid looked exhausted. His eyes were barely open, and his wings slowed down the frequency of their flaps. He forced himself to lower down to the surface, and his breathing was sharp and heavy. “Wait, it’s okay now. You don’t have to fight anymore” Ember told him.

“Are...are you sure? Is she really gone?” He still scanned around the ocean to see if it was true, and he didn’t lower his guard just yet. “I can’t stop until she’s gone…”

“Hey, it’s okay, Frigid. It’s okay. I’m safe and sound, she’s gone, and we won. You don’t have to worry anymore. It’s over.”

Despite that, Frigid fought hard to stay awake. He didn’t fully sense it, but his belly was resting along the water. Ember hovered on the surface in front of him, nuzzling his face softly. Up ahead, he swore he saw boats from the town coming to their aid, and he didn’t know why they were there.

All he knew was that Ember was just as safe as she said she was. Right when a few ponies helped him rest on his side onto one of the rescue boats, that would be enough. He passed out and dreamed well after that, right after he felt another kiss from Ember on his lips.

Author's Note

Whew. That was a long one, I know. Took some time to write it and all, but I'm really proud of this one. The action scenes in particular, I think they're among the best or THE best I've written up to this point.

Just one more chapter to go. Looking forward to that one.

And It Feels Like Summer

Frigid’s dreams were full of turmoil and confusion. Now and then, he saw the town as vividly as he did in the real world, and his legs kicked around in the air. Huffs came out as he tossed and turned, but there was no ice forming around his lips. Aphrodite’s gaze popped up multiple times in his dreams, but something shifted towards the end of them. Rather than the trials he had to go through, there was nothing to worry about down there. All he saw was lines of shoreline on both sides, and one side had Ember sitting on her flanks. She watched him with a smile and without a care in the world.

Then his eyes slowly opened up.

He didn’t recognize the little apartment or villa he was in, but it seemed nice enough for one made for ponies. The bed was soft against his scales, and the pillows were nestled tight along his face. When he looked around, he saw little splotches of ice along the walls. He rubbed his claws along his head and groaned. At the same time, all the exhaustion and pain he went through was gone.

Despite the small headache pounding between his ears, he lifted up his head to glance at the window by the front door. It was late in the afternoon, and sunset wouldn’t be far away from then. A few ponies were swimming in the ocean, and they weren’t screaming from some threat anymore. That was enough to remind him that they actually won.

He rolled out of bed, groaned again, and headed for the front door with a heavy sigh. The door seemed just wide enough for him to fit through, but the doorknob turned to the right before he reached it. He sat there by the door, curious who would be on the other side. After a little bit, he was treated to the best sight of all.

Ember carried a few bags of drinks and to-go boxes from some restaurant, but she stopped after catching Frigid alert and okay. “You’re awake? Thank Celestia. I got worried there for a second. They said you were fine, but you were out for hours.”

“I was? You mean that fight with Aphrodite wasn’t a dream?” He pinched his foreleg with a claw to see if he was still dreaming. The muscles on the leg twitched up, and the doubts were gone. “Huh. I just have a headache now, and it will go away in a bit. How are you doing? She hit you with a lot of waves before she fled.”

“She left a few bruises, but that’s it.” She plopped down on the bed and patted the spot next to her. Despite his size, they had no issues sitting on the edge together. “Figured you’d like something like this.” She opened up the box, and it was full of gems of all colors and sizes.

Frigid leaned down and checked the box out. Seeing what she did for him, he lightly grabbed it and enjoyed a few fire rubies. “Thanks. That’s really nice of you.” A small snort came out his nose. “What happened when I passed out?”

“It was pretty much over by that point,” Ember explained as she rested on her side. “Aphrodite disappeared in the ocean, and we fixed the mess she left behind. I already got a letter sent to Princess Twilight, and she wants to meet me when I get back to the mainland. I’m going to share everything about her that we found out.”

“That’s a good idea. She won’t stay away forever, and she can do terrible things. Somebody needs to stop her for good.” After he ate a few more gems, his eyes lowered. “Right before I passed out, I remembered everything you said before you kissed me.”

Ember’s tail twitched from the memory, and she lowered her head, too. “I’m sorry, Frigid. Refusing to go out with you, just because you’re a dragon, that was so, so stupid. I should have seen that from the beginning.”

“No, not just that,” he interrupted. “I meant everything else you said. Did you mean all that about me?” He remained stoic, but she swore she could feel a lot of emotions radiating off of him.

“Ohhh…” Ember reached up and rubbed the back of her neck. “That. Well, yeah, I did. You’re a good dragon at heart, and anyone that wanted to be your partner would be lucky to have you. I’d be lucky to have you. It’s just that…”

“I’m a dragon, right?” He finished up the last of the gems.

“No, not just that. It would be an adjustment, but there’s something else.” Ember sighed and leaned her backside against the bed. “I’m not sure if you noticed, but sometimes, it’s hard to get a read on your feelings and emotions. On the other hoof, I’m the complete opposite. I’m not sure if you’re my type, or if I’m your type.”

“Oh. I understand what you’re saying.” He dropped the box gently into the trash can. “I don’t know how I ended up like this, but I hope it’s not a bad thing. I like that I can always tell what you’re thinking. It’s easy to get along with you that way.”

That was enough to elicit a smile from the pony. “Thanks. It’s not a bad thing that you’re like that, just that you’ll be the first boyfriend I’ve had that doesn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve. But you know what? We should give it a shot, find out if it could work out between us. Plus, you can fly, so it shouldn’t be hard to visit me in Ponyville if you wanna hang out or go on a date.”

“I thought you came from Canterlot,” Frigid pondered.

Ember paused and realized her mistake from earlier. “Well, the cruise I came to Equus Town from set sail from there. I spent most of my life in Canterlot, but I moved from there to Ponyville eventually. Now it’s just my brother and cousin living there.”

“Hmm, I see,” Frigid responded. “I’ve heard good things about that town.”

“Still, what do you say to hanging out sometimes, maybe even a date?”

“A date. One of those pony things would be mates tend to do.” He scooted a little closer and petted her mane with a front limb. “I’m okay with that as long as you want it, too. I might have been upset that you didn’t want to go out with me at first, but don’t let that be the reason we’re dating. It should only be because you like me enough to try it.”

“But I do like you enough to give it a shot,” Ember corrected him, leaning into the pets. “You’re strong, caring, and nothing gets under your skin. Those are the things I like about you.”

“Thanks. What should we do now, then--” He was interrupted with another kiss to his lips, and he didn’t know what to do. Still, the amount of passion Ember showed him was enough, and he accepted it gracefully.

In fact, she swore she saw a tiny blush on his cheeks, but it might have been all in her imagination. When she pulled back, she made no attempts to hide her own blush. “That’s another pony thing, kissing. Well, griffons do it, too...and hippogriffs...and others…”

“Dragons can do it, too.” Frigid lightly kissed her back and sighed. “I promise to give it my all with this relationship, and if it works out, I’ll be happy. If not, I’ll respect your wishes. I just don’t know what we should do next.”

“Hmm…” She turned to check out the window and noticed the time of day. “We still have a lot of daylight left. How about we do our first date right now? We could go flying around the jungle, grab more gems, stuff like that.”

“That sounds great. Maybe you could show me more of those pony things, and I’ll show you more of those dragon things.” He got up from the bed and headed for the door. Once he lumbered his way through, he opened the door for Ember to go first.

“Heh, now I’m curious what you mean by dragon things. Still, it’s a beautiful day, and I got a few days before the vacation’s over. We both deserve a break after all that hell.” Ember trotted outside, and she was treated to the coolest day of the week so far. The breeze was nice on her back, the sound of ponies and griffons playing filled her ears, and everyone was having a good time.

To her surprise, again, Frigid had no issues twisting around the doorframe to poke out of the villa. “It is nice out here. Not as hot as before, either. So where do you want to go first? The jungle or one of those restaurants?”

“Hmm, flying. I promise I won’t throw up this time.”

With that decided, she climbed up on his back, and he spread his wings to their full span. It wouldn’t be long until Ember got to see the island from the point of view of a dragon or pegasus like before, but something was different about this time. She didn’t want to throw up again, nor was she thinking about the threat of the orange fish lady. Instead, she was calm and relaxed. Frigid looked to be the same way, even by his standards.

As they continued their flight, she nuzzled deep into his head and kissed him again. He tilted his head to meet her face to face, and he was treated to the sight of her smiling and nuzzling his face. Their lips would meet once again in the middle of the skies, like it was something they had done a million times before.

What the future of their relationship held in store for them, they wouldn’t know right now. For that moment, though, they were blissful in each other’s company. It would be more than enough on a day like that.

Author's Note

WHEW. Finally done. This was a challenging project, not because of the actual thing, but a lot of things in life keeping me from giving this story the full attention I normally would. I'm happy with the way it turned out, and I know Salnalus has been enjoying it. Ember and Frigid are his OCs and he asked me to give a story with them a shot, and you see the final product now.

Also, this just happens to be the 30th story on this site from me, so...yeah. This kinda feels like the end of a chapter for me in many ways. G5 on the horizon, things opening up for me on the horizon, things like that. Future looks right, that much I can say.