//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 // Story: A Growing Fire In My Heart // by Rated Ponystar //------------------------------// Learning that her father had been murdered was enough to get Ember out of her depressed state and replace it with anger and a passion for justice. Silverback and her were the only ones at first to know the truth, but after forcing the other advisors of her father’s reign into questioning, she soon had them as allies. Aquafire and Blitz’s clans swore their service as well when she told her friends and they told their clans. She had them silently question other clans in the area to see who was with and against her. Most, to her surprise when they reported back, were honored to have her as their Dragon Lord and trusted her. A smaller group was unsure about her methods, but more curious than anything since she had shown positive results so far in leadership. However, there was a group of clans that hated her changes, believing them to be weak and against tradition. The only thing keeping them from rebellion was the fact that she was THE Dragon Lord and had to obey. “As long as you hold the scepter, they can’t touch you,” finished Aquafire as she, Blitz, and Ember sat in small hidden chamber designed for secret meetings. Placing her notes on the black iron table they sat at, Aquafire looked worriedly at Ember who stared at a copy of them. “What are we going to do?” Ember didn’t answer. She had no proof that any of these traitor clans had taken any action against her, nor did she know if they were behind her father’s death. Furthermore, even though she could have them answer her questions with the Bloodstone Scepter, there was a flaw to the Scepter’s powers. You had to be in the actual presence of the Scepter to be controlled by it, and while she could summon the clans it could have them react with suspicion. That could force them to run away or enact other plans to hurt those close to her such as ally clans or even Equestria. Spike and his friends had no idea of the problems she was dealing with at the moment. She didn’t want them to get involved in fear of endangering them. This was her problem, and as the leader of the dragons she had to deal with it. “Who is the most likely clan to be the head of all this?” asked Ember. If she could find the head of this all, she could start from there. “Three I can think of,” answered Blitz, raising his talons. “Clan Lavamist has always desired to have a Dragon Lord from their family and hate any who isn’t related to them. Clan Blight still hasn’t forgiven your father for executing their heir about two hundred years ago. Hell, I think some of them were smiling at his funeral. And finally, Clan Redskull.” “Garble’s clan,” muttered Ember, growling. They were the most traditionalist out of all the clans and had been very vocal in their dislike for her changes. It’s head, and Garble’s father, had obeyed her so far, but was his loyalty just a farce? There was also the problem with Garble. What if he was a spy?” “There has to be a way to see who's behind all this or at least get an idea of what their future plans are,” replied Ember, rubbing her chin. “Maybe you can use the scepter to force Garble to tell you?” suggested Blitz. “I doubt it. Even Garble’s father knows his son is an idiot and could spill the beans. Chances are he knows nothing,” pointed out Aquafire. “Even so, maybe I should try it,” replied Ember as she got up and took her scepter. “He’s guarding my chambers tonight. I’ll confront him about this and make sure he’ll stay quiet about it.” “I need to head back to my family,” replied Aquafire, as she got up and turned to Blitz with a smile. “You wanna stop by the lava rocks later for some fun?” “Sure, mind if I grab a few friends? The more the merrier, right?” asked Blitz with a smile. “Ugh, sure,” replied Aquafire, frowning just as he turned around and left. “Idiot.” “Just tell him already,” replied Ember, snickering much to Ember’s embarrassment. “I don’t question your choice. He’s a good guy, but you realize that you’ll get nowhere in a relationship if you don’t tell him you like him.” “I can’t and you know it,” muttered Aquafire, sighing. “He’s already got a future mate. I just want to spend time with him before he has to be a life mate to her when he’s two hundred.” “You got another one hundred years, you’ll be fine,” replied Ember, shrugging. “Plus, I could always be the one to have you two married.” “Married?” asked Aquafire, as if the word was alien to her. “Sorry, pony term Spike taught me,” replied Ember. This made Aquafire smirk. “And what are you going to do with your feelings for Spike?” Ember sighed. “I don’t know... look I get it. I got something for him, but he’s too young! He’s-” She stopped. “Look, I’m too old for him. That’s it.” She made her way for the door. “I’m going to find Garble, have fun with Blitz.” *** She didn’t have to wait log for Garble to arrive at his post. She toyed with her scepter for a bit while pondering what questions to ask. Garble wasn’t the smartest of the bunch, but he was a good fighter. If he exposed himself as a spy, and he saw an opportunity, he could take her down. She only barely managed to beat him last time during the trial. He was also the only one to technically know that Spike was the true Dragon Lord, but gave it up for Ember. She used the Bloodstone Scepter to keep him quiet on that just in case. Never before had a dragon willingly gave up the Scepter and title to another dragon and it might cause some to doubt her leadership. When she finally had the right questions, she rang the bell in her room and Garble entered, dressed in his armor. “What do you want?” “Is that how you address your Dragon Lord?” asked Ember, raising an eyebrow. Sighing, Garble got on his knee. “How can I serve you, Dragon Lord Ember.” Wielding the scepter, she activated it and its aura shined in front of a confused Garble. “I want you to tell me what you really think of me. From your deepest of hearts.” Garble raised an eyebrow to this, but snorted. “Really?” “Yes, really.” Getting up, Garble crossed his arms and looked at her with a deadpan expression. “You know, I’m flattered you like me and all Ember, but you’re not my type.” “W-what?!” shouted Ember, blushing as she momentarily stopped using the scepter. “This isn’t a confession of love you dolt! I want to see if you're loyal to me!” “Why wouldn’t I be loyal to you? You’re the Dragon Lord. I have to obey you, even though technically Spike should be but I’d rather be ruled by a pony than him.” Ember rolled his eyes and lifted the scepter. “Just answer the question. The scepter will force you to tell the truth.” Garble eyed the scepter almost with a wanting desire and glared at Ember. “I could have been a great Dragon Lord, but fine I’ll tell you what I think.” He took in a deep breath. “I think you’re dumping a huge dung on all the traditions and lifestyles we dragons have lived with for so long. I think that, success or not, you’re going to change things and we’ll forget our place in the world as the dominant species. I hate ponies and I hate the fact that you’re friends with ponies and want us to ally with them. I believe I could have been a true Dragon Lord and lead us to victory and dominance, but you’re taking a weak path for us all. Our pride is shattering because of you and I hate it. I hate you.” Ember was about to say something until Garble continued, “But I respect you.” Ember’s eyes widened as Garble went on. “You’ve stuck to your beliefs and I’m not an idiot to see that it's benefiting other dragons. You still keep some traditions at least, which I am thankful for. Plus, your father believed in you and he’s been my hero since we were hatchlings. I’m sorry he passed away, trust me I cried in private when nobody was looking. I may not want you as my Dragon Lord, but you are my Dragon Lord and I’m honor bound to serve you until the end of your days. So while I may not be your biggest fan, I am still loyal to you and would die for you because this is our way.” “Oh...” Ember looked at the scepter and made sure it was working. An awkward pause stood between them as she lowered her scepter and rubbed the back of her head. “Well... that’s good to know...” “Okay, now answer my question,” said Garble, poking her in the chest. “Why are you even asking me this?” Ember was going to order him to forget it, but paused. Garble was loyal to her, the scepter’s powers had helped proved that. She also knew he worshiped his father growing up with him and believed he was telling the truth about how he cried for his death. Deciding to take a risk, she told him everything about her father’s murder. Garble’s expression changed from shock and then to outright fury before calming down. “Are you sure my father is a potential suspect?” “He’s been one of my most outspoken critics and you know how traditional he is,” replied Ember, pointed out. Garble snorted. “Yeah, don’t I know it.” He closed his eyes and bowed to her. “I’ll see what I can dig up. But I’m doing this for Lord Torch. Not for you.” “That’s fine by me. You can go, Garble,” replied Ember as he began to leave. She then stopped him by saying, “Garble. I know we don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things, but I am doing what I think is best for our kind. I just want you to trust me.” “... I’m going to be spying on my own clan. I have no choice now but to trust you,” replied Garble without looking back as he left.