Torch's wings carried him across Equestria as he reached the edge of Canterlot, which was surrounded in a giant pink bubble. He pounded his fist into it, but the force field didn't break. He pounded on it again, but still it did not break.
Shining Armor - while wearing his armor and helmet - watched from a balcony as did many of the royal family. They gaped at how huge the dragon was as he kept on pounding the large shield. The citizens of Canterlot were told to remain into their homes until the threat had passed. It was a good thing, too, because surely upon seeing the dragon, they would have panicked and run.
The unicorn cringed every time the dragon pounded on his shield. He turned to Sombra, "It's not going to hold him off forever. Once it breaks, you'll have to step in to perform your shield spell."
The ex-king of Canterlot nodded, "Of course. He and I may share the same great-granddaughter, but I will not have my daughter and granddaughter suffer from losing the child."
Torch bellowed out, "I WANT THE CHILD, AND I SHALL HAVE HER!"
Asher flew up to face his grandfather with the bubble separating the two, "Gramps! We are giving you the chance to back away. I don't want to fight you, but if you keep insisting on taking my daughter, then we will have no choice."
"YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A TRAITOR TO YOUR KIND! YOU HIDE BEHIND THE PONY'S MAGIC AND WON'T FACE ME YOURSELF! I CARE NOT IF THE YOUNG ONE HAS MEAGER BLOOD FROM HER UNFORNATATE LINEAGE, BUT I WON'T STAND BY AND LET ALL THAT IS MIGHTY IN HER BE RUINED!"
Asher sighed and glared at Torch, "Then I will fight until my last breath before you take her." He went back to the castle and landed on top of the watch tower where Celestia was.
She gave him a sad smile and touched his shoulder in comfort, "You did all that you could…"
"He is just too stubborn…" he shook his head.
Torch went back to pounding, eventually causing the whole force field to shake. Shining Armor ordered the nearby guards to brace themselves as they were stationed in front of the castle with their weapons at the ready. Whirl Wind, Dignity, Fire Spark, and Sky Blitz were gnashing their teeth as they braced themselves, too. The pink shield eventually weakened and Sombra quickly cast his own shield spell when the force field slowly came down. However, he felt weak from casting it, for he wasn't as young as Shining Armor cast his spell and he knew his own shield would not stay up for long.
Torch was getting angrier by the minute and when Sombra's shield lowered, the large dragon roared and Shining gave the command to attack. The guards charged forward, but Torch was able to bash them all away with a single hand. Shining then told the family to ready the catapults as they filled them with vegetables and fruits. Even Pinkie and Cheese had their party cannons filled with cakes and all sorts of desserts and fired them at the mean dragon.
Rainbow saw what the party ponies were doing and questioned, "Pinkie, why are you guys giving him cake?!"
The couple replied, "We're not giving him cake. We're assaulting him with cake!"
That managed to slow Torch down for a bit, but he just kept on coming. Celestia and Luna then took this as their cue as they flew around the dragon. Torch tried to swat them away, but they were too quick for him.
Celestia then glowed bright orange while using the Royal Canterlot Voice, "MIGHTY TORCH - ONCE-KING OF THE DRAGONS - WE, CELESTIA – ONCE-QUEEN OF CANTERLOT - DEMAND THAT THOU LEAVE AT ONCE AND LEAVE THE PRINCESS TURQUOISE ALONE!"
Luna then used the Voice, "THY HAVE NO CLAIM OVER THE CHILD! SHE BELONGS WITH HER PARENTS! NOW GO, BEFORE WE - THE ROYAL SISTERS - USE OUR POWER ON THOU!"
Torch glowered and shouted, "YOU ARE JUST FEEBLE PONIES! YOU COULD NOT DEFEAT ME!" He took a deep breath and blew out a large amount of fire.
Sombra cried, "Celestia!" just as the girls shouted, "Mom!"
Shining yelled, "Luna!"
The sisters managed to dodge the fire, but they landed on the ground surrounded by a firewall.
Luna started to flap up, but her sister stopped her.
"We must stay put or else we will provoke him to attack us."
"So we must do nothing?!"
"It's out of our hooves now…"
Torch addressed the remaining family members who were watching on, "NOW, GIVE ME THE CHILD OR ELSE ALL OF YOUR LITTLE CITY WILL BE BURNT DOWN!"
Asher worried. He didn't want to give up his daughter, but if his grandfather made good on his word, then the rest of the ponies in Canterlot would lose their homes and possibly get hurt… He covered his face in despair. He didn't know what to do until a voice suddenly shouted out.
"That's your answer to everything?! Just burn everything down?!"
Torch's eyes widened before he snarled, "That voice… I know that voice…"
Asher gasped when he saw his mom, Spike, and a whole coven of dragons behind them.
The red dragon with thinning blue hair and glasses spoke again, "I knew you were always big-headed, but this is going too far!"
Mina begged, "Please, Uncle Torch! Don't take this innocent child from her parents!"
"SILENCE! That child is part of my blood, and I will not let some defective members of our kind tell me otherwise!"
Ember flapped up, "Dad! For goodness sakes, stop this! I am tired of having to fight with you on what makes a dragon! You think dragons have to be strong and mean, but look around you! The ponies that you call weak were willing to fight you! My son had stood up to you and you call him a traitor, but he has proven that it takes someone strong to stand up for what's right. I believe that is the mark of a true dragon."
Firestone spoke directly to his brother, "Torch, you know she's right. Long ago, I once stood up to you when I helped create the Elemental Jewelry and you told me I should not have gotten involved, but I did anyway. You then banished me from the Dragon Lands, but if I may be so bold, that was the best thing that's ever happened to me! You may have thought you were punishing me, but in truth, I was happy to be away from there."
Torch shouted, "You fool! You were supposed to want to come back! To return to your glorious roots! I would have forgiven you if you had just repented the way I wanted you to!"
Everyone gaped at that statement.
Firestone shook his head, "But I couldn't. I am who I am, brother…You may be thick-headed, but you do care about those around you…I saw the regret in your eyes when you had to banish me. Let's face it, you don't really want to take this child. You just don't want to lose your grandson to a world that you don't understand…The same way you lost me."
Torch made a humph sound. He wasn't admitting it, but he wasn't denying it, either.
Ember looked on in shock between her father and uncle. She turned to Mina, who whispered, "I think my dad is getting through to him."
There was a long dramatic pause before Torch spoke again, "If I was promised that the dragon way would continue through the young one, then I would leave her alone."
There were laughs of disbelief as Asher faced his grandfather, "I was always going to teach Turquoise the importance of her dragon heritage! And to start, I would like for all of us to perform a Blazing for my daughter."
Torch then did the impossible: he actually smiled!
Every pony and every dragon gathered fire wood in front of the castle. The dragons - including Ember, Spike, Asher, and Jewel - blew fire on the kindle as Turquoise was entertaining her large great-grandfather, who gave a mighty chuckle as the baby hybrid cuddled up on his nose.
Ember then came to take the baby as she tickled her, causing her to giggle. They faced the fire as Ember took some actual embers and planted them on the baby's head, making a design.
She spoke to the assembled crowd, "I, Dragon Lord Ember, am the daughter of the mighty Torch, niece of wise Firestone, cousin of sweet Mina, mother of determined Asher, and now grandmother to the remarkable Turquoise. A child of both worlds, dragon and pony. On this day of Turquoise's Blazing, I hereby lift the banishment of the dragons of Dragon Town so that they may return back to the Dragon Lands whenever they like. This is a sign that all dragons are one and that we would not harm the ponies of Equestria. Because Turquoise has helped united our two lands, she is a princess through and through."
There were cheers and applause.
Once the ceremony was done, Torch faced Asher and Jewel - who was holding Turquoise in her arms - and said to them, "I wish to apologize for what I had almost done."
The parents gaped as Asher said, "Did I hear that right? The great dragon Torch actually admitting he made a mistake?"
Torch grunted, "Do not think I shall do it all the time, but the child is where she should be. Now that my brother is not banished anymore, he will come to visit the Dragon Lands."
Firestone came up, "As prideful as my big brother is, I actually did miss him. If it helps him get over his loneliness, then maybe we can rekindle what we had."
Ember and Mina appeared as the Dragon Lord stated, "That goes for us, too."
Asher smiled, "It's wonderful seeing all of you together like this," He turned to his wife and daughter, "…and it's wonderful knowing that our family did not get torn apart this day."
Ember declared, "Instead, it was brought together by a single child…"
They all looked at the happy baby Turquoise as she was surrounded by love, and she always would be.