April and Karai were currently sitting on two boulders discussing the situation, “Well, we know what our friendship mission is.” April began.
“Yeah. Question is how to solve it.” Karai added.
“Well, let's look over things. Ember is Dragon Lord now and she's trying to rule her way.” April pointed out.
“But her father seems to be so caught up in old traditions and is afraid of change is constantly questioning her choices making her feel like she's failing as Dragon Lord.” Karai put in.
“The way I see it we need to get to know both their feelings on the matter before we try and get them to bury the hatchet.” the redhead suggested, before standing up.
“Agreed. And might I suggest we start with Ember since she's the one who's dealing with all the stress.” Karai suggested, as she got up.
“Then let's go.” the two kunoichi got off their boulders and started looking for Ember.
The two eventually found ember sitting by a lava pool dipping her legs in it while trying to calm herself. The kunoichi not wanting to startle her approached carefully until the dragon lord spoke, “You don't have to sneak up on me. I heard you two coming.”
April and Karai got startled before getting themselves together, “Sorry about that, Ember.”
“We were actually looking for you.” Karai stated.
“Did you find the problem you were looking for?” Ember asked.
“Oh, we found it alright.” April answered while rolling her eyes.
“Have you and your dad always been like that?” Karai inquired.
Ember sighed, “Sorry you had to see all that drama. But that's how he is. He's always been overprotective of me since I hatched. But no matter how much I grew I could never measure up to him, especially by size.” she clenched her claw.
“What does he expect? You're not an adult dragon yet.” April replied.
“Still, he didn't even want me to compete in the Gauntlet of Fire because he claimed I'm no bigger than Spike.”
“Is your dad blind or something?” Karai asked in disbelief, “I mean Spike's short because he's still young. But you're the height of just about all the other teen dragons here.”
“Tell him that.” Ember grumbled.
“I can understand where you're coming from, Ember.” April said.
Ember turned to the redhead, “You do?”
“Yeah. For a long time my dad has been overprotective of me too. It was always so frustrating when he worried about me staying out late. At first I just thought he was just trying to keep me sheltered. But after everything I learned about the Kraang and our connection to them since my mother disappeared I realized he was only trying to protect me. I was all he had left, and he didn't wanna lose me.”
“Whoa.” Ember gasped.
“I'm not saying your father is right about you, but you should look at things through his P.O.V. And how he must worry about you even if you can handle things.”
“Somehow I don't think my dad ever did think I could handle it. He may have admitted he was wrong about me when I proved I could handle the Gauntlet, but since then he's still treated me like every choice I made was a mistake. He was skeptical of the idea of letting Smolder go to Twilight's school. He only went along with it when I had to mention that all the other creatures were sending a student there and didn't want our kind to be overlooked.” Ember explained.
“Reverse Psychology.” April noted.
Ember continued, “My dad also thinks commanding dragons to make peace with ponies was a poor ruling decision.”
Torch's voice came off screen from the distance, “DRAGONS AND PONIES ARE NOT MEANT TO BE FRIENDS! IT'S UNNATURAL!”
Ember growled, “You're unnatural! (Sighs) See what I mean? He's hung up in his own ways. He believes that dragons are meant to be fierce, vicious, and brutal. As did the other dragon lords before him. He's just so closed minded! Do you have any idea what that's like?” she asked rhetorically.
April blinked in surprise, before answering, “I... I guess not.”
“That's what I thought!” Ember crossed her arms.
“I do,” Karai answered, as she spoke up to the dragon lord, “I may not have had issues with my father, but I did have issues with... someone who taught me how to fight. He was only focused on vengeance and that drove him to madness.”
“Who?” Ember wondered.
“Not the point. You and your dad might not see eye to eye, but you're lucky he's still around.”
“And just how am I lucky?”
Karai explained, “Because, because what if you were taken from him by his enemy who then brainwashed you, both figuratively and literally, into thinking he and the rest of your family were your enemies? And when you learn the truth and break free from his control, you divulge all your time into taking your fraud father down that you neglect to spend that time with your real father. And then one day, your father is gone. And you regret on never getting to spend time with him...”
Ember blinked her eyes, before asking, “We're still talking about me here, right?”
Karai realizing she was venting her own problems blushed in embarrassment, “Uh, right. Sorry I let my own feelings get the best of me.”
“But Karai is right. If you keep looking at your dad in such a negative way then you'll only delude yourself into thinking he never cared about you at all. And when he's gone, it'll be too late for you to make amends.”
Ember sighed seeing their point, “But you know in a sense I did make poor choices when I became Dragon Lord.”
“What do you mean?” Karai asked.
“There was a time a sacred bond was forged between the Dragons and the Yaks of Yakyakistan.”
“A bond?” April wondered.
“Yes. Many moons ago, dragons and yaks fought over the land that is now Yakyakistan, and their battles caused considerable damage to the land. A peace was eventually established between Prince Ulysses of the yaks and Dragon Lord Scintilla, and they traveled together to find a place that satisfied Scintilla. The land they found would later become the Dragon Lands, and Prince Ulysses bestowed the title of "honorary yak" on Scintilla, declaring it "a sacred bond that never would be replicated".”
“Ok. So what does that have to do with you?” Karai asked.
“We discovered that Prince Rutherford of the Yaks had bestowed upon Pinkie Pie the title of Honorary Yak. That made the dragons and myself angry for breaking a tradition. Rather than explain things I just flat out on impulse ordered the dragons to lay waste to Yakyakistan.”
“Whoa.” the girls gasped.
“When Spike and the others asked why we were attacking I didn't even bother explaining. I just left with my forces. Spike came to us and demanded answers. I told him about everything and he agreed to join us when we'd confront the Yaks the next day. When we arrived Spike stopped us all from attacking telling us all off for being at fault. He told the ponies about how they made discriminatory generalizations about dragons, and we were all impulsive and just resorted to violence before trying to be civil. But then we found out Prince Rutherford had forgotten about the sacred bond between our tribes because he thought Scintilla was a volcano.”
“What?” Karai asked.
“How could he make a mistake like that?” April wondered.
“The yak who drew up the legend on the parchment long ago was obviously a bad artist.” Ember shrugged.
“Well, that's embarrassing.” Karai said.
“I know. So we all agreed to a truce and helped rebuild Yakyakistan, while allowing Pinkie to keep her honorary Yak title.”
“A whole fight over a misunderstanding.” April said.
“Yeah. Spike passed the Dragon Lord title to me instead believing I would lead the dragons into a bright new age without so much hostility. But my act of judgment almost cost me my friend and my trust.”
“At least you learned the truth.” Karai noted.
“I know. But I fear of making mistakes like that again, and it's because of that my dad constantly puts so much pressure on me.”
“Well, it looks like we'll have to talk with him about that.” April said.
“You two are wasting your time. Dad is as stubborn as a yak. Good luck trying to talk to him.” Ember doubted their chances. The girls just headed back to the cave.
When they arrived they saw Torch, who was fiddling over pieces of a hatched egg that had a familiar blue color, “Torch?” they asked.
Torch got startled before looking over, “What're you two doing here?”
“We came here to talk with you.” April began.
“Can't you see I'm busy here?”
“You're a retired Dragon Lord. What could you be busy with?” Karai asked rhetorically.
Torch could only grumble knowing she had him there. The girls took notice of the egg pieces, as April asked, “Was that Ember's egg?”
“Yes. I've kept the remaining pieces with me ever since she hatched. That felt like such a long time ago.”
“Is it just you who has been raising her?” Karai asked curiously.
Torch looked to him squinting his eyes, while Karai knew she brought up a touchy subject. The former dragon lord sighed, “Yes. Not long after she hatched, Ember's mother, my wife Sparx came down with a terrible illness. We were unable to treat her and she left both Ember and I.”
“Oh my gosh.” April gasped, as she and Karai were in shock.
“When that day happened I vowed to look after Ember and make sure nothing happened to her.” Torch explained.
“Understandable behavior from a single parent,” April admitted, “But don't you ever feel like you've set too many boundaries with her?”
“What do you mean?” Torch asked suspiciously.
“Well, she wanted to participate in the Gauntlet of Fire, but you refused to let her because she wasn't big and strong.” April explained.
“And based off all the other dragons we've seen around here they're no different from her in terms of size.” Karai added.
“It is a father's duty to protect his child!” Torch shouted.
“Is that the father talking, or the dragon lord talking?” Karai questioned, “You've obviously let your duty as Dragon Lord cloud your judgment on being a father to her.”
“Sure she went behind your back and competed in the Gauntlet, but look at what happened? She overcame every obstacle you set up for the other dragons and succeeded.” April put in.
“You don't give her enough credit that she deserves,” Karai added, “Always putting her down and making her feel like she's the worst dragon lord ever. Sure she may have made mistakes, but she learns from them.”
“And no ruler is perfect.” April finished.
“I only wish to offer my expertise on how to handle situations,” Torch argued, “I have been dragon lord for a long time, so I have experience.”
“I'm sure you do, but you're living in the past. Your time as the dragon lord is over, just as those who came before you.” April noted.
“You may also be afraid of changes like your kind associating with ponies, but that's because you only remember how ponies felt about your kind in the past.” Karai said.
“But times have changed for the better,” April explained, “Your daughter has done something no other dragon lord ever considered, and now you have one of your own learning about friendship at Princess Twilight's school. And the ponies have medicines and elixirs now to help cure ailments to not only their kind but to all kinds. Even dragons.”
“We know you love Ember like a father would, but if you keep treating her like this then she's going to end up forsaking you and never want to see you again,” Karai warned him, “And is that what you really want?”
Torch looked down at the two having taken their words to heart and recalled all the times he had disagreements with Ember to the point she spoke to him like she wished she wasn't his daughter. Swallowing his pride, he asked the girls, “What should I do?”
“Talk to your daughter. Let her know you still care and that you believe in her.” Karai suggested. Torch looked at the two before deciding what he had to do.
Later on, Ember was still sitting by the lava pool until she saw a shadow cast over her. She looked up and saw it was her dad, “Hello, Ember. May I join you?”
“Sure.” Ember sighed.
Torch sat his legs down into the lava pool next to his daughter. There was silence among the two, until Torch spoke up, “Ember, I know you think I'm being too hard on you in terms of being Dragon Lord. But I only just want to see you succeed and make a name for yourself.”
“I know you do, dad, but do you always have to sound like every choice I make is a bad one?” Ember asked.
“I have been giving thought about previous actions, and I realize I had been too hard on you. Sending Smolder to the School of Friendship was a good idea. I've just been so caught up during my time as Dragon Lord I just have letting go issues. But I know my time is over, and this is your time. But even if you are Dragon Lord, you will never stop being my daughter.”
Ember looked up at Torch while noticing the sincerity in his voice, “Thanks, dad. And I want to apologize to you too. I've been so stubborn thinking I don't need help from any dragon to be leader. I just wanted to prove to you I can handle it. Some Dragon Lord, huh?”
“You have nothing to be ashamed of, Ember. There's never been a perfect Dragon Lord ever. Not even me.” Torch admitted.
'Especially not you.' Ember thought, before speaking up, “Listen, dad, if you still want to I could use some advice on how to deal with some other dragon issues. If you want to help that is.”
Torch smiled, “I would love that very much, Ember.” Ember smiled and rested her head against her dad.
Ember looked over at a boulder and called, “All right, you two can come out now!”
Popping up from behind the boulder was Karai and April, who looked sheepish, “Sorry, but we had to watch.” April said.
“I want to thank you two for helping me see my daughter is in fact a capable Dragon Lord, more than I gave her credit. And I know she'll be the greatest Dragon Lord the dragons have ever had.” Torch said while smiling at Ember.
Ember herself smiled at her dad's bode of confidence, and spoke to the girls, “And thanks for helping me see no matter how much my dad can get on my nerves. He's still family. And family is the most important thing. More than gems and treasure.”
“If there's one thing we know about family, it's the most important thing no matter what world your from.” April admitted, as suddenly hers and Karai's cutie marks started glowing again.
“What's that all about?” Torch wondered.
“Looks like our work here is done.” Karai answered.
“We better be heading home.” April added.
“Feel free to come back any time.” Torch offered.
“Yeah, bring the guys too. I'm sure Mikey would love to try gorge surfing. It's the best sport here.” Ember offered.
“We'll keep that in mind.”
“Bye!” Karai called, as the two left.
As the kunoichi were leaving the dragon lands, Karai spoke up to April, “April, you know how I got too serious when talking about fathers and how much you'll miss them when they're gone?”
“Yeah?”
“I did mean it. If I hadn't spent so much time focused on finding Shredder and crippling his empire I could've spent it better by being with father. Looks like Oroku Saki did taint me after all by making me think vengeance was all that mattered.” Karai sighed.
April put a hoof on Karai's shoulder, “We can't change what happened, but you can move forward. Because you still have a family.”
Karai smiled, “Yeah. Leo and the guys are my family, just like Shini, Casey, Sunset, the professor, and the Rainbooms. Even you, April.”
“Thanks.” April smiled.
“And to tell you the truth, I did feel jealous of you.” she confessed.
“Of me, why?” April asked.
“You spent more time with father than I did, even when I didn't know who he really was. You probably felt more like a daughter to him than I did.”
“That's not true, Karai,” April replied, “ Master Splinter would always tell me and the guys how much he hopes you're doing ok. Even when you were focused on finding Shredder. Heck, we all hoped you were doing ok.”
“Thanks. But you know, deep down I always wondered what it would be like to have a sister.”
“Don't you have that with Shini?” April asked.
“Shini's a close friend, but not exactly sister. But you, the both of us share more in common. Both trained to be kunoichi from two of the greatest ninjas of this century, and both of us are part mutant. I feel a closer sisterly relationship with you than anyone else.”
“Wow. Thanks.” April said, as Karai embraced her.
“And thanks for being a good friend to me, despite our first encounter.” Karai said.
April smiled and returned the hug. When they parted, April spoke, “Let's go home. Race?”
Karai smirked, “You're on.” And with that the two kunoichi ponies galloped off racing for home while laughing and cheering.