Author's Note

I'm just going to say now that I am sincerely sorry for making you guys wait basically a week for a chapter this short but after my dad's nephew left my some divine being decided to make me sick and I still am so yeah that Is why I'm even more sorry for what you are about to read as I am not proud of this chapter of all since I'm pretty sure this Is one of my worst ones possibly the worst and no I'm not saying that to say that but I genuinely don't think that this one will be enjoyable to read at all because if how bad It Is and you might ask why I didn't just try to make it better is because I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer so i tried my best even though I'm still sick so yeah.

You dint have to comment anything positive since I doubt you will find anything positive to talk about so just tell me what you think I can do better and I will take the advice to try and be better In the future.

Bye and have a nice day.

Nothing Much

"And that dragons are how eggs are made, Torch finished grinning as all three of us awkwardly stood there blushing and trying not to look at each other while Smolder just looked confused wondering why are faces turned different colors.

"Now do you need me to explain It to you three again? Torch questioned to which Ember shot her arms up In an attempt to stop him.

"N-No No! I uh don't, think that's necessary Dad," She said glancing at me before we both looked away from each other.

"Actually, now that that's over there Is something we wanted to tell you," Ember said as her face took on a more serious expression.

"You mated with one of them?" Torch questioned narrowing his eyes at me and Garble as Ember's face lit up with a bright red bringing her blush back into full force.

"DAD! Maker above NO I didn't, mate with Garble OR Falkor," She said blushing a bit on the last part.

"I was talking about something else," She said looking annoyed as her face returned to normal.

""Good then, looks like they seemed to remember my warning," He said focusing back on Ember.

"So what did happen then?" He asked

"W-Well I'm not sure how to explain It really, It was just.......... unnatural," Ember said struggling to find an answer.

"It looked like a regular drake but their whole body was pale and you could kinda see through It If you looked hard enough," Ember continued as Garble took over.

"Yeah! And the thing Is they didn't even have any eyes but that wasn't even the worst part about It," He said pausing a bit as he tried to recall the feeling, "It almost felt like-"

"Something horrible would happen to you If you looked Inside where their eyes would be?" Torch questioned cutting off Garble's sentence as everyone looked at him In shock while Smolder looked on In confusion trying to figure out what was happening.

"How-"

"Would I know that? I know what It Is you speak of, and thankfully since you three are still standing before me you were wise enough to not look into the space where its eyes should be," Torch said shocking us even more.

"What are they?" I questioned hoping to get some answers which caused him to sigh dragging his hand down his face.

"Nodrake knows what they are exactly but," He hesitates for a second before continuing.

"From what I can guess It's a dead hatchling soul stuck In an incomplete drakes body. " Torch explained

"A hatchling soul?" Ember asked Incredulously.

"How are you so sure It's a hatchling soul?" Garble asked causing Torch to grimace.

"Because If I'm not wrong these souls are the unfortunate ones that died during the trial that you three went through as hatchlings that are now somehow coming back In a more hideous form." Torch explained

"So then If you know the reason why these, souls, are appearing then why are you still sending innocent hatchlings to that place to die needlessly for!?" I questioned as I started to get worked up.

"Me and Garble almost died In whatever that place was, you sent your daughter to that place where she could've died so why would you still send us there If you know all of that!?" I questioned trying my best to not let my anger get out of hand.

"Because It doesn't matter," He said angrily stunning us.

"What do you mean It doesn't matter?" Ember asked confused.

"Because whatever that excuse of a Dragon Lord did to the Bloodstone Scepter caused It to where anytime any hatchling tried to avoid the 'trial' It would just force them anyways." He finished upset

"You want to know how I know? Because everydragon tried once before to refuse to let their hatchling take part In what Is basically a gamble on their hatchling's life."

"As soon as I became Dragon Lord everydragon begged me to not do It and I agreed not wanting to subject them to something so needlessly cruel and so we waited until the next time the Bloodstone deemed that we had enough hatchlings for the next 'trial' when I would have to call everydragon except I wouldn't that time and It seemed to work." Torch said

"For a whole year It seemed as though all we had to do was ignore the uncomfortable itchiness of the Call before It went away after a day and we celebrated the fact that we would be allowed to keep our hatchlings alive In peace," He said looking off into nowhere before frowning.

"But we were wrong, just a few days after that year passed the Bloodstone Scepter went off by itself without me activating It and all of a sudden I was overcome with so much pain It almost made me pass out from how intense It was, heh ME, could you believe that?" He asked rhetorically

"I could barely focus with all the pain that I was feeling until suddenly It stopped," He said snapping his fingers.

"Just like that leaving me confused as to what happened, and as I was trying to recover dragons started rushing Into my cave In a panic with their hatchlings In tow as they accused me of breaking the agreement and putting their precious hatchlings back Into that horrible place." Torch explained

"And just like that 'trial' they laid there unconscious after the Scepter activated and stayed like that for a couple of minutes until some awakened," He said before his face darkened, "And some didn't," He finished looking back at us.

"I then tried everything I could think of to stop the gem from activating and from sending hatchlings to wherever they were sent to." He explained

"Crushing, burning, dropping It into lava, I tried everything I could think of to get rid of It to the point where I was desperate enough to ask the pony princess for help If It could mean stopping this nightmare from happening again."

"Yet It was all for nothing for not even she could destroy the gem with the full force of her powers, all she could do was narrow down the fact that It was some sort of advanced Umbral magic whatever that was combined with something else that was changing what the Bloodstone was able to do." Torch explained

"Yet apparently she had already destroyed anything that would contain the knowledge of how Umbral magic works saying that the last time a creature had access to that type of magic was a pony named Sombra," He finished that last part with a growl.

"Now I have a name responsible for our hatchlings being sent to whatever that place Is, and It was a pony of all things that tampered with the Bloodstone, how the previous Dragon Lord was able to let a pony get access to It will always be a testament of how much of a failure he was," He finished looking at us with a resigned expression.

"Now you know why I said It doesn't matter because In the grand scheme of things It doesn't." He said

"So then what about all those years ago when you acted like It was some sort of honor to have to go through that!?" I questioned even more upset now.

"A lie, something that all dragons know once I tell them the true nature of the 'trial'." Torch explained

"So then why tell us the truth? Not that I don't appreciate It but why tell us the truth then?" I asked causing Torch to snort.

"There would be no point In trying to hide It, almost everydragon knows what happens once I activate the Bloodstone Scepter." Torch explained

"Every time I tell them to be excited? just a moment of distraction for them from the horrible reality that they will inevitably have to put their hatchlings through." Torch said

"Though everything else Is true just In a different way, the 'trial' will possibly be the hardest thing that you will have to go through and you could have lost your life from It." Torch said

"It's not a trial, It's a tragedy," Torch said darkly before sighing.

"The hatchling souls are just fortunate to be able to find a way out of that place while unfortunate enough to not be able to pass on and instead be stuck In a body that offers them nothing but a reminder of what they could never be, at least that's what I assume." Torch explained

"The reason why I tell you not to look Into where their eyes should be Is because the last time a dragon did they started lashing out at everything around them while shouting out about how they failed to help them." Torch said

"Help who?" Ember asked

"The hatchlings that died," I replied immediately drawing everyone's attention.

"When we encountered them It focused mainly on Smolder and asked me If I was helping them when they pointed at her, I assumed It was talking about her and I said that we were and then they said to make sure 'It didn't share the same fate as them' before leaving us," I explained causing Torch to sigh.

"So another reminder of what we are powerless to stop," Torch said before laying back down and closing his eyes.

"Well now that my mood has been completely ruined I'm going to take a nap and hopefully it will improve when I wake back up," Torch said

"W-What about Smolder!?" Garble questioned, "Are you telling me that she might die!?" He asked panicked

"No" Torch immediately replied.

" The only thing I'm thankful for about this Is that the gem won't affect any hatchlings that didn't hatch alongside any other eggs for some reason, why? I have no clue but that's the only saving grace of It, so be thankful that that drakina hatched alone instead of hatching together with any other egg,"Torch said as he closed his eye again leaving us with the bombshell he just dropped on us.

Out of everything he said there was mainly one thing that stood out to me and the more I focused on It the more angry I got.

All of this suffering that hatchlings have to go through and for what? What's the reason for all of It? The worst part Is that no one including the Dragon Lord himself knows, and the only thing he does know Is that apparently there Is only one creature responsible for causing this to happen In the first place.

A pony named Sombra.