Shaping a loose collective of dragons into a formidable and regimented empire isn't the easiest task. But with the proper application of wit and willpower, she's started to chisel out edges in the previously dull kingdom, started to sculpt it into something powerful enough to stand the test of time.
Spike was only supposed to visit her as a diplomat, to help her hammer out a trade agreement between The New Dragon Empire and Equestria. But he's everything a dragon shouldn't be: conciliatory, spineless, peace-loving, friendly. He sees what she has to do - executions, browbeating, delegation - and balks, has the audacity to think he can help her.
And he's getting popular. Among them. They're supposed to hate him, but they're doing the opposite. And in a world where he's treated like royalty and could have been king, what room is there left for Ember? How's she supposed to govern when the mere presence of a foreigner is enough to shake the empire's principles to their roots?
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This story is designed to be able to be read as a stand-alone long story. Similarly, Flint. is designed to be read as a stand-alone short story. For fullest reading experience, however, read the two of them together; chronologically, the events of Steel. come literally right after the events of Flint.
I'm gonna be honest, I haven't done multi-chapter stuff in a while, and I might have bitten off more than I can chew here. I've got it all plotted out, in my head and on paper, but actually making good on my promises feels daunting at best. "Bear with me" applies until I've published everything, I guess, and I'll try to release chapters on a semi-regular basis until it's done (and add a tag when it starts actually cropping up in the story proper.)
All of my thanks to Flashgen for helping me with this.
Spike calling Ember out?
Oh, this is going to be interesting!
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I don't know about callong her out, Garble DID just try and commit regicide. That's usually a big freaking deal.
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It is, but so is the death penalty, and it was a gruesome one at that.
Ohhh dear. This could go very, very bad indeed.
Looking forward to it.
So... is no one gonna talk about how Spike was implied to have been next to Ember the whole time? He was splashed with blood so he must have been there since the beginning and no shout or gasp he was as quite as a church mouse. Spike.exe has stopped working and I doubt a soft reset is gonna do anything about that.
This should be interesting. Please continue.
And a large part of that job is making friends, so...
The pressure of ruling is definitely getting to Ember, far more than it needs to. At least, that's how it seems to a non-dragon. I just hope that she remembers Spike's diplomatic immunity should the dragons love him more than they fear her...
Love it. Keep it up!
Damn....this was intense.
The problem with a species that measures its lifespan in centuries is that there are so many old, inflexible minds with traditions spanning farther back than some civilizations looking at the new and judging it unworthy. Some more loudly than others.
And remember, Torch, as long as your species remains crystallovoric, you're slaves to dirt either way. Ember's method lets you enslave back.
8536367 You're right, dragons are basically elves with terrible tempers.
Wait, did Ember just tell Torch it was ok they are getting into agriculture because they can use it to take over the world?
I see embracing the worst-case scenario as thiugh it were the only possibility is a species-wide trait. Hopefully Ember can recognize that her foreign allies aren't dragons... though that doesn't change the fact that her subjects still are.