//------------------------------// // Which Way is Memory Lane? // Story: Lagging Dragon // by PonyPixel //------------------------------// When the sun shined down over the hive, waking up several of its inhabitants including the king. Thorax yawn and stretched before walking to where his guest was resting. To his surprise, Ember was tossing and turning while panting. "Someone," she cried as she reached for her leg. "Let me go." "Ember," Thorax cried as he ran over to the dragoness. "Ember, wake up." "Let me go!" "Ember." "Help me!" "Wake up!" The dragoness shot awake and banged her head on the king's head. This felt like a pat to Ember while Thorax held his head in pain. "Oh... Sorry. Are you okay?" "I'm fine." He cringed a bit while touching his bruise. "What did you dream of?" "I'm not sure. I was sinking in some water as some sea creature dragged me down with its tongue." "It sounds horrible but it's just a dream. We were unable to find some gems for you, but we do have some sushi." Thorax left for a minute and soon returned with some leftover sushi. "Thanks... I guess." The dragoness started eating the sushi that was given but she had questions. "What do you mean I'm a... Dragon Lord?" "You're basically in charge of all the Dragon Lands. Without you, everything there will be in chaos." "That sounds bad." "It probably is. Let me know when you're finished eating." Thorax walked off for a minute to leave his friend to her breakfast. Ember thought as hard as she could but could recall anything about other dragons. That would explain what creature she was. Her claws were pretty sharp and her scales and wings didn't look anything like changelings. She suddenly got a tickle in her throat and she let out a cough and also a bit of pink fire. She didn't burn anything but she was still shocked. She just breathed fire. Is that what dragons did? Whatever they did, she just at the sushi that she was given. After a while, Thorax came back. "Okay, I've gotten everything taken care of here," he said. "Are you ready to go?" "I think so," Ember replied. Both walked outside and Thorax took flight but Ember just stood there. The changeling flew back to see what was wrong. "Well, I don't remember how to fly. I honestly forgot what a dragon is." "It's okay. Just flap your wings." The dragoness did so, but she was showing to have a hard time keeping control. "Don't panic." Thorax grabbed onto Ember's claw and helped her gain control. "Hopefully this will help." The two slowly flew off towards the Dragon Lands. Ember felt very nervous about being so high off the ground and held Thorax's hand tight. "It's okay, Ember. We'll be there soon." It took a little while for the two to get to the Dragon Lands. Once they got there, Thorax changed into his dragon form. This startled the dragoness but the disguised changeling reassured her. "It's okay," he said, "This is completely normal for changelings. Let's just find someone that you know and hopefully, they'll jog your memory." When they walked around, the didn't see that many dragons around. Those that were around were fighting other various things, like gems, space, or dragonesses that they wanted the heart of. "Are they normally like this?" Ember asked. "I think this is what happens when the Dragon Lord isn't around." "Oh, they're just fine," called a voice. The two look and saw golden horned drake land behind with his "girlfriends" beside him. He held the bloodstone scepter in his claw as he narrowed his eyes at Ember. "What are you doing here?" "Me?" Ember asked. "I thought this is where I live." "What's wrong with her?" Emma asked. "Well, she's the one who caused this diamond to get stuck in my chest." He pointed his claw where the diamond was. "Maybe we could just pull it out," Thorax said as he reached for the diamond but when it looked like he touched it, Pyrite appeared to wince in pain. "Don't touch it you idiot!" the drake ordered. "I don't know what'll happen if this diamond is removed but I don't want to find out." He tried to grab the fake dragon's head but Thorax moved back and avoided the claw. "Hey, stay still!" "I was just trying to help." "Dragons don't need any help. Especially kings." "King?" Thorax took finally noticed the scepter in Pyrite's claws. "That's not yours." "But he won the Gauntlet of Fire," Garnet stated. "That's not true. Ember did." "What gauntlet?" Ember asked. "These are all lies," Pyrite protested pointing the scepter at the changeling and true Dragon Lord. "Seize them!" By the sound of his voice, several drakes came flying towards the unwanted guests. "Let's get out of here," Thorax cried. He and Ember took off but the drakes were closing in. "What do we do?" Ember asked. "I'm not looking for a fight. Just fly faster." A breath of fire just missed the two. "Don't panic, let's just try and loose them." The pair swooped down with the army following close behind. With their increased speed, they quickly turned a corner and behind some boulders and the army just flew past them. "Okay, I think we're in the clear." The two flew out of their hiding spot. "Thorax, what do we... GAH!" Ember was interrupted by being tackled to the ground by familiar red and orange drake. "Let me go." "Not a chance," Garble said. Thorax didn't want to fight, but still, he flew into the air, turned into a falcon, and dived bombed at the drake. Just inches before he hit him the falcon turned into a minotaur and punched Garble several feet back while also breaking his nose. "How the heck...?" "Stay from her," Thorax demanded. "She's innocent. Why are you listening to him?" "The Dragon Lord said to capture the blue dragon because of what she did to him." The rest of the drakes were closing in fast. Thorax turned back into a dragon, helped Ember up and they took off. "How can we get away?" Ember asked. The changeling looked around until he saw a cave nearby. "Follow me," he said. The soared towards the cave with the other hot on their tails. They got closer and closer, they dodged the army's fire breath, and they soared into the cave. There was a bright flash of light and Thorax had turned into an Ursa Major. With one swing, he swatted all the dragons away. "Retreat!" one of the drake's cried. They all flew away as Thorax changed back to his normal form. "Are you okay?" he asked Ember. "I think so," she replied. "What do we do now? All of the dragons hate me and they don't remember me ever being the Dragon Lord. Are you sure that drake wasn't the real one?" "Of course not. I remember you tell me about having trouble leading all the dragons. You even gave me advice on taking charge of the changeling kingdom. I think you forgetting everything and the diamond chested dragon taking control can't be coincidences. Maybe Twilight will have something that can help us." "Who's Twilight?" "I'll explain on the way." The two took off with the changeling leading towards Ponyville. Meanwhile, Pyrite was about to take a dip within the lava pool as the army came flying back. The false king was very annoyed to see that they didn't have the dragoness or drake he wanted. "Where are they?" he asked. "We tried to catch them," one drake said. "We were thrown off because of an Ursa Major." "Those creatures don't live anywhere near here." "I know where it came from," Garble said. He stepped forward as Pyrite listened. "I saw the green one turn into a minotaur. I think he was the Ursa Major." "Hmm, alright. So, do you think he went?" "I don't know. But I have a good idea where they are." "I'm listening." In Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle was in her office. The School of Friendship had kept her busy as well as her friends. The six mares and Spike met up in the teacher's lounge. "So, how are students?" Twilight asked. "Doing great," Rarity said. "That may be for you," Applejack said. "Some of m'ah students aren't up for the hard work thing." "Ditto," Rainbow Dash said. "How can you be good at PE if you don't get off your flank? Aw, crud." "What's wrong?" Spike asked. "I accidentally left the buckball equipment in the field." "Don't worry, I'm on it." Spike left the lounge and walked outside and found a ball rack beside the setup goals. He about to bring them inside until he saw green and blue blurs flying towards him. After waiting for them to get closer he could see it was two of his friends. "Look, there's Spike," Thorax said. He and Ember landed in front of the purple drake who quickly hugged the dragoness. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself." Spike looked at Ember's face who seemed to be more confused than annoyed. "Is something wrong?" "I'm not sure," Ember replied. "Thorax said you helped me in a gauntlet." "The Gauntlet of Fire. How could you forget?" "It's a long story Spike," Thorax said. After letting them inside and they explained the situation, Twilight, Spike, and the other mares were in shock. "How can a dragon make everyone forget about a major event?" Applejack asked. "I think it had something to do with the diamond in his chest. I'm not sure if it actually caused him pain but he's using it to control all the dragons." "Why can't we just go up to him and whoop his butt?" Dash asked. "Because he has an army on his side." "Plus, dragons are very tough," Fluttershy said. "There's no way we could stand up to them." Ember looked over to Twilight, who had a very worried look on her face. "Is something wrong?" the dragoness asked. "Oh, not... Not really," the alicorn replied. "So, how on earth do we get her memories back?" Applejack asked. "Maybe we can still try it like it's normal amnesia," Spike said. Dash just simply looked him with doubt. "I'm just trying everything. Ember, you enrolled Smolder as one of the students here. I can show her to you." "Okay," Ember said feeling a little nervous. The two dragons left the teacher lounge as Twilight grabbed Thorax's attention. "Thorax, this situation is more urgent than you think," she said. "What do you mean?" Thorax asked. "A friend of mine had a similar problem. Someone was erasing the memories of her friends but she managed to get them back. However, if these two stones work in the same way, then on the third night from when the memories were erased... They'll be gone forever." The king's eye widened. "Then... We can't tell Ember about this." "Are you crazy?" Rainbow asked. "She's already freaking out about remembering nothing. If she finds out about she'll never remember who she is, she'll lose her mind." "But she wouldn't remember," Pinkie said. The changeling and mares looked at the pink pony looked at her pretty angry. "It sounds confusing on how he said it." "Just don't tell her about this." "Alright, Thorax," Twilight said. "We'll try and figure out what to do." He gave a thumbs-up before walking off to catch up with the dragons. In the school courtyard, Smolder was hanging out with Ocellus. "So, do different gems have different flavors?" Ocellus asked. "Well, some stones are harder than others," Smolder explained. "Emeralds taste kind of bitter to me..." "Hey, Smolder," Spike called walking towards her with Ember, "Could you help us with something?" "Us?" She then noticed the Dragon Lord walking next to him. "Oh, Dragon Lord Ember, what are you doing here?" "I think it's to remember you again," Ember said. "What are you talking about?" "Some magic diamond made her forget who she is," Spike explained. "Seriously?" "I'm trying to treat it like it's amnesia. Just tell her how you picked for this school." "Alright. So, Ember, do you remember me refusing to come here?" "No," the dragoness replied. "Or my brother saving the dragon eggs?" "Not really." "What about Chancellor Neighsay? He insulted you and the other species." "Who is he?" "...Welp, I tried." "Thanks anyway," Spike sighed. "How can diamond make someone forget everything?" Ocellus asked. "I have no idea." "Are you a changeling?" Ember asked. "Um, yes," Ocellus replied. She demonstrated this by transforming into a pony and a dragon. "I would show you more, but I don't want to ruin my uniform." "Yeah, it is one of the drawbacks," Thorax said as he caught up with them. "Hi, Ocellus. Are your classes going good?" The young changeling nodded. "I kind of like their uniforms," Ember commented. Smolder and Ocellus both white button shirts that were under a dark purple jacket with a violet pleated skirt. "It's okay I guess," Smolder said. "I would like something more than just what I have on now." Ember's bra and loincloth were partly burned to the dragon breath that nearly hit her and Thorax. "I thought you would never say that," Rarity said as she showed up with clothing rack behind her. "After the last time you and Thorax visited Ponyville I decided to make some clothes for you." She showed them two sets of clothing. One was a black t-shirt with a dark blue jacket with ripped sleeves and short-shorts. The other was an emerald green button shirt with some blue jeans. "Wow, Rarity, these look nice," Thorax commented. "If you follow me I can show you where you can change." After a few minutes, Ember and Thorax had changed into the clothes that Rarity had made for them. "That's for clothes. These are really nice." "Thank you. Ember, what do you think?" The dragoness took a look at her jacket. "Are all of these jackets like this?" she asked. "Well, I thought it would suit a dragon's behavior. You know, all rough and tough and all that." "They acted more violent." "Oh, right." "That's not all true," Smolder said. "My brother's actually nice when you get to know him." "It's not the case right now," Thorax stated. "All of the dragons tried to capture us." "And why?" "Because the diamond that was used is controlled by a power-hungry dragon," Spike said. "I think he has to grab onto someone's head to do that," Thorax said. "It would explain why he went for my head of all places." He could see Ember looked a little upset. "Ember, we're safe here. They won't find us here." "It's not that," she replied holding her stomach. "The sushi you gave me didn't fill me up all that much. I'm getting hungry again." "I think I know someplace that could fill you up," Rarity said. Rarity and Spike led the visitors to the cave where they found gems for dress designs. "Wow," Ember gasped. "These look amazing." "Yes. Somepony told me about these gems being... Common. Have as many as you want." Ember didn't have to be told twice. She quickly started breaking the gemstones out of the walls. Thorax decided to help out by turning into a Maulwurf and started digging some of the stones lose. The others were surprised by his new form. "Our hive had a problem with one of these creatures," Thorax explained. "Looks kind of weird," Ember said. "They're actually kind of dangerous. They can resistance being hit with magical spells and are way bigger than this." "That's scary," Spike said. "You should try fighting them head-on." He saw Ember was trying to keep up a smile but she was struggling to do so. "Is something wrong?" "It's just the other dragons," she replied. "I don't think I can keep up with them. The Maulwurf turned back into a changeling. "Don't talk like that. You just need to remember your combat skills. Just, try giving me a punch." "What?" "Just punch my arm." Ember didn't quite understand but just lightly tapped the changeling's arm. "No, harder than that." Ember smacked the arm making Thorax cringe a bit. "I'm fine. It's not too bad." "Thorax, I'm not sure about this." "I'm just trying to help you. Think about something that makes you mad." The dragoness scratched her for a minute. "Oh, right, no memories of something that can get you mad. Maybe you could..." "Okay, Thorax," Spike interrupted, "I appreciate your enthusiasm but I think we should try something different." "Come this way, Ember," Rarity said. "I think there are some big gems this way." The dragoness followed the mare leaving Spike and Thorax. The changeling king made his horns glow due to the fact they didn't have Rarity's light. "What were you doing?" "I'm just trying to help Ember about," Thorax explained. "But I've been feeling nervous when I talk... Personal stuff. Changelings share love but when I talk with Ember I feel like I get too much of it." "Oh, I know how you feel. When I first saw Rarity, I got everything related to a crush. Butterflies in the stomach, lovestruck eyes, and all that stuff." "How do I tell Ember about this." "My guess, take it slow." "You sure?" "I don't know, I think might a little different. She doesn't remember much, and her old self doesn't seem... To be... Your type. I had no idea how to say that without hurting your feelings." "...I understand." Later, Ember and Rarity had collected a huge backpack filled with gemstones. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and loads more. "Oh, this is going to fill me up," Ember chuckled. "I'm glad I could help, darling," Rarity said. "I thought my name was Ember." "It's something ponies say," Spike said. "Especially fancy ones." The mare rolled her eyes and tried to pick up the backpack but found it was heavier than expected. "Here, let me help you," Ember said. She picked up the bag as if it weighed nothing. "Wow, this is lighter than I thought." "Dragons are stronger than ponies," Rarity informed. "Yeah, check out these muscles," Spike bragged flexing his arm. "It doesn't look like much," Thorax said. Spike didn't take any notice and just picked up the other backpack he put his gems into. It didn't have much as Ember but he still seemed to struggle to carry it. They walked out of the cave and the dragoness decided to ask some questions. "So, Thorax said something about a Gauntlet of Fire," she said. "What's that?" "I can answer that," Spike said while struggling to carry his bag. "It's a competition to decide who the next Dragon Lord would be. I only volunteered to help protect my friends. You and I teamed up together and we got the scepter." "Oh, thanks for that." Suddenly, she held her head as she got lightheaded. "Ember, are you okay?" "I think so. I remember, dodging boulders, avoiding moving walls, and... You pushed to avoid getting hit by a crystal twice my size." "That was part of the gauntlet." The two dragons smiled at each other while Thorax looked at them and just frowned. "Something wrong, Thorax?" Rarity asked. "Oh, no it's nothing," the king replied. "I think Spike... Since he's known Ember longer than me, he could help out." "I think that can work," Spike agreed, overhearing what Thorax said. "Ember, I think we can help you with more of your memories if we get back to the school as soon as possible." "Then let's go," Ember said as she picked up the pace. "It's kind of odd to see her act like this," Rarity said. Spike and Thorax nodded as they tried to catch up. "Ember, slow down," Spike cried. "I thought you said you wanted to get back..." Ember wasn't looking where she was going and accidentally ran into the pond. "Are you alright?" Rarity asked using her magic to help the dragoness out of the water. She was surprised to see Ember flapping her wings frantically to get out. "I'm... Alright," she replied panting. She looked to see her backpack had opened up and half of her gems were gone. "Aw." "It's okay," Thorax said, "We'll try and fish them out later." The dragoness looked confused. "Why can't we get them out now." "I don't think you have the proper clothes for swimming." "I'm afraid he's right," Rarity said. "Wet clothes can be quite a nuisance." "Does that mean uncomfortable?" Ember asked. She pulled at the front of her shirt which was sticking to her scales. "Yes. You get to Twilight's castle, I'm going to run to my boutique real quick." The unicorn ran off as Thorax and the dragons walked the other way. "Is that what that thing was next to the school?" "Yeah, there's an interesting story to that," Spike said. Ember had put her bra and loincloth back on as her soaked clothes were hung out to dry. "I could've ask to borrow a shirt from Twilight," Thorax said. "No, I don't want to bother her," Ember said. "I honestly don't know which one she is." "She's the purple one with a horn and wings." "Like you?" "No, she's an alicorn. Alicorn have the magic of all different types of ponies, the strength of an earth pony, pegasi flight, and unicorn magic. Starlight told me about that." Ember looked confused. "She and I teamed up along with her friends to save Equestria." "Wow, really?" "That's how I became the new changeling king." "Cool. I think I'm getting a better idea of how I became Dragon Lord, but... The details are still a little fuzzy." "We can work on that," Spike said as he walked in. "You said you wanted some advice on how to be nicer to dragons." "Why would I do that?" "They were... A little... Tiny bit... You saw potential in them." "If you say so." Ember rubbed her head but she couldn't remember her and Spike talking about that subject. Just then, Rarity showed up. "Oh, Ember," the mare said, "I'm glad you found something to wear. I think I may have something that isn't burnt, however." She showed two different sets of swimwear, one was a one-piece colored purple with a few bits of red gemstone paterns on it. The other was a dark blue two-piece with white on each side. "What are those?" "Swimsuits. Your other clothes were for causal and everyday activates. These are for swimming." "Like in that bit of water, we passed a few minutes ago?" "Exactly. Now, which one do you like better? I couldn't decide which one would suit your personality better." "I don't understand that, but I like the darker one." "Oh good, this was the first one I made you." She gave the dragoness the two-piece and the boys left the room for Ember to change. "So, how're the memories recovering coming?" "Not so easy," Thorax sighed. "Yeah, I thought I'd get through to her," Spike said. "I know you two are trying," Rarity said, "And I'm sure you'll break through to her eventually." They suddenly heard a boom and looked towards the school where there were smoke and the smell of burned bread. "Un oh. Gotta go." Spike quickly flew down to the school to see what was the matter. "What was that noise," Ember asked walking out in her new swimsuit. Thorax blushed. "That looks great on you," the changeling commented. "Thanks. It's pretty comfy. What's with all that smoke?" "I don't know," Rarity replied. They walked down to the school to find Spike helping Pinkie clean up some batter that was somehow partly burnt. "What happened in here?" "I might have given some of my students too much yeast," Pinkie replied. "Hey, Ember, nice swimsuit." The dragoness smiled at the pink pony's compliment. "So, Spike, you want to go help get my gems back?" "Sorry, Ember," Spike replied struggling to get his mop free from the batter. "I need to help clean up this mess. This wasn't my best idea." "I can go with you," Thorax said. "I just need..." He suddenly noticed Rarity was holding a pair of magenta swim trunk with a purple band. "Way ahead of you darling," Rarity said. After changing into his new swim outfit, Thorax and Ember traveled to the pond. The changeling could see his friend was looking nervous. "Ember, your dream isn't real." "How did you know I was thinking that?" Ember asked. "I can see your face. There's no way a creature that could grab you with its tongue could fit into this pond." The dragoness shuttered just hearing that. "I didn't mean to scare you." "No, you're right. Let's just get the gems back." She slowly stepped into the water with her friend following behind. "This water feels kind of cold." "Y-yeah. Changelings don't do well in cold temperatures. You think you can use your fire breath?" "I think so." The dragoness let out some breaths of air but no fire. "Hang on, let me try." Thorax changed into a dragon and breathed fire onto the lake to warm it up. "How do you do that?" "It took me a bit of practice but I figured out how to do it. First, tilt your head back." Both dragons did this. "Take a deep breath and let it out." Both bent their heads forward and they both let out breaths of fire. "Oh my gosh, I did it." "Plus, the water's way warmer than before." The changeling changed back to his normal form and swam around for a bit. Once they got their bearings, they dived down to get the gem. Ember couldn't help herself and took bites of the gems which made her loose some air so she had to swim back up, Thorax followed just to make sure she was alright. "I'm fine. Just need some air. I've got some gems." She showed him the bits she got. "You should try one." "I'm not sure about that." "Just turn into a dragon, they're delicious." Thorax shrugged and did as his friend said took a bite of one of the gems she got. "So, what do you think?" "It's... Interesting. Kind of feels like gravel." "It kind of does. But they taste great." The changeling gave a nervous smile but couldn't help but shrug. Suddenly, the dragoness rubbed her head as she felt some pain. "Are you okay?" "I'm fine. I remember... I threw a boulder and blew it up with my fire." "That's when we first talked. Remember when I said I was having trouble to get the changelings under control and even when I tried asking nice..." Ember placed her claw on her friend's mouth making him stop. "Stop talking." Both let out a chuckle as Ember thought of something. "Thorax was I... A jerk like the other dragon?" The changeling's eyes widened. "No... Not really. I mean, you were assertive but you were just giving me advice. I'm sure you wanted to keep up part of that dragon pride. I... I... Why do you even ask?" "Because I remember acting rude and... I don't want to act like him." "Who?" "That drake who had the scepter." "Ember, you're nothing like him. You're a strong leader." "But... I can't remember taking charge." "It's okay, we'll get through this." He decided to give his friend a hug to try and comfort her. The dragoness smiled and hugged him back. "Thanks, Thorax." Meanwhile, Garble, as well as two other drakes, were flying towards Ponyville. "Why would they go here of all places?" the bulky drake asked. "Because, this is one of the places with ponies," Garble explained. "That purple pipsqueak should be here also. I want to talk to him, personally." "The king said to get the green and blue one first," said the tubby drake. "Look, we're almost here. Just spread out and find them." The three flew in different directions looking for their targets.