//------------------------------// // Chapter 14: Yet Another Roommate // Story: Fire and Steel // by shirotora //------------------------------// The next morning found all of us bidding our farewells. <> Leo said as we released our hug. I smiled at her. <> <> Leo agreed. <> <> added Yomega. They had spent a couple hours just telling me about all the moves I could learn. I had to say, a lot of them sounded useful.  Plus, discovering that I could learn the move psychic made me think that Pokemon, in reality, are probably not restricted to just two types. More likely, one could list a Pokemon's types as percentages. We guessed that Lucario really was psychic type, though only about fifteen percent. The others were fifty-five percent fighting, thirty steel. Of course, those were just theories, but we were going to try to figure out how to test it some time. Not far from us, a much more tearfilled goodbye was taking place.  "... and don't forget to brush your teeth every night. Don't go anywhere without Luke or Ember, maybe Smoulder." "Geeze, Twilight, come on," Spike said, both annoyed and touched by how much Twilight was fretting. "I'm not going to be gone long. And when I get back, I'll be able to teach you all about dragons." Twilight wiped a tear from her eye with a small smile. "I know. It's just... you're growing up so fast. I'm so proud of you." "He's in good hands," I said. "We'll have your son back to you unharmed and a better dragon." Twilight blushed and looked away. "Oh, he's not my son..." Rainbow cut in, "Well, he kinda is. I mean, you hatched him, you raised him, fed him, taught him..." "You do fill the role quite nicely," Rarity added. "Much like how Rainbow Dash fills the role of sister for little Scootaloo." "Anyway," Ember interrupted. "Let's go ahead and get you that ride." "Oh, right. I am curious who would be willing to take us back to Equestria," Twilight pondered. Ember chuckled. "'Willing' has nothing to do with it." She looked up and spotted a certain dragon, the one that tried starting trouble on the first day of the Gathering. She raised her claw and the same spectral hand that she used the day before against Garble and his friends shot into the sky, snatching the poor dragon up. <> Yomega asked. <> Leo agreed. <> Lulu added. I looked back at them, brows furrowed in thought. <> <> Yomega finished. The dragon was slammed down in front of Ember. She snarled and said, "Hey, jerkwad! You're gonna take my friends here back to their town. Got it?!" The sad little dragon just stuttered a, "Y-y-yes, ma'am!" As the ponies watched on, jaws slack in shock. I intercepted any possible issues by saying to the ponies, "Dragons respect strength and ferocity. It drives them to better themselves and become strong so they can protect what's theirs from the dangers of the greater world. This dragon tried to start trouble with us and was beaten, thus he owes Ember a favor. However, out here, one cannot simply ask for what is theirs, one must show they deserve to keep it. "Don't worry, though, we will show Spike that this is only something that applies to the Dragon Lands. We won't send him back jerk." "I-I suppose," Twilight said, approaching the dragon. "Thank you, sir, for giving us a ride." The dragon just grumbled. The ponies carefully climbed up onto the dragon’s back, even Rainbow settling in in front of the wings. Twilight’s horn began to glow as she anchored her friends to the dragon. “H-hey, Yomega?” Spike called as the Eevees began to climb up. “Can I ask you to do something for me?” Yomega paused, hopping back down off the dragon’s tail. <> Spike pulled a red and yellow egg from behind his back. “Could you take care of Peewee for me? I want him to be somewheres safe. A-and I’m not saying it’s not safe here, I just don’t want Garble to come and find it here, and-” Yomega reached up and placed a paw on his mouth. <> Yomega sighed, his ears drooping. “And take care of Twilight for me.” Spike knelt down, placing the egg to the side. “... I’ll miss you.” Yomega leaned up to hug Spike. <> The Eevee began to glow. I look at my tiny friend glow, a proud smile on my face. <> ”Suckers bet.” Yomega’s voice echoed in my head. The light faded to reveal a lime green cat-like creature sitting on its haunches while still holding Spike. It’s twined tip tail flicked from side to side, large tufts of fur sprouting from under its ears rubbing against Spike’s cheek. Yomega opened his almost pure lavender eyes. ”you have my word, Spike. I will do everything in my power to keep them both safe.” He smiled. ”I look forward to talking with you again when you finally come home.” Spike waved as Yomega joined the others on the dragon’s back, the Espeon floating the egg up to him. “I’ll write whenever I find the time.” “We look forward to them.” Twilight said, love clear in her voice. "You guys must be used to this, I said to the ponies. "Not even a reaction?" “Darling, I think half the pack have spontaneously changed by now.” Rarity tittered. Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, it’s like they insta grow or something.” Twilight sighed. “If only they would all change the same way.” She tried to throw her hooves up, but was thwarted by her own spell. “Each one has been completely unique! Just how much redundant DNA do you things have!” She directed the last bit at Yomega. "Do you want to know about the known evolutions, or the potential ones?" I asked with a smirk. I knew I was poking the bear, but I just couldn't help it. “P-potential ones?!” Twilight gasped. With a roll of his eyes, the dragon got tired of waiting, and took off. “Wait, I have so much to ask you!” Twilight’s shout faded into the distance. Yomega was going to put me through a wall for that... but, it was worth it. I turned back to Spike and said, "Come on, kid. Why don't we first take you to see some dragons your own age." The young drake looked at me, a bit of melancholy in his eyes. "Yeah... I guess." "Don't worry, Spike," Ember said. "You'll be back in Ponytown before you know it." "Ponyville." "Whatever." As Smoulder introduced Spike to some hatchlings his own age, Ember and I sat on a rock nearby, watching. "So... those were your friends." I chuckled. "Yeah. I really shouldn't have been surprised that they're here. I mean, the light that sent me here came from their house." "I'm glad you got your friends back," Ember said. "They seem pretty cool. They're tough for their size. I swear, they gotta be part breezie." "Breezie?" I asked. "Little, butterfly winged creatures that pack a mean punch," Ember explained. "So, you and thet Leo girl seem pretty close." She was good at hiding it, but I was getting good at sensing emotions. She was worried. "Leo was the one I was closest to," I explained. Predictably, her worry got stronger. "Of course, Leo was a male then." The worry vanished, replaced by confusion. "Male?" I leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. "That's right. No need to worry that she's going to steal me away. Besides, she's with Yomega." "Well, well, if it isn't the love birds," came a familiar, aged voice. We turned back to see Star approach. "Hey, you missed an interesting visit," Ember said. "Oh? I was wondering why I was smelling pony." We told Star all that happened. She seemed especially interested in Spike. I supposed that made sense, him being a dragon raised by ponies. She found Yomega's evolution to be interesting as well, but who wouldn't. It's not everyday you see something transform so suddenly. "So, that's the hatchling?" Star asked, gesturing towards Spike. The young dragon, as if on cue, let out an impressive stream of flame, showing off for the others. Ember let out an impressed whistle. "That's him. Hatched by Twilight Sparkle, personal student of Princess Celestia." I said. Star looked thoughtfully at Spike. "Interesting... that was certainly an unusually impressive display for one so young." "So, me and Luke were invited to some place called Canterlot to meet their princesses," Ember said. "I bet they wouldn't mind meeting you to." Star laughed, "Oh, absolutely not. I don't feel like dying." "They wouldn't just try to attack you just because you're a dragon," I said. Especially if they know we're coming. " "Oh, no, dear," Star said. "They'd try to kill me because I'm me." "Oh, so they met you," Ember stated nonchalantly. Evening came and found us back home, as Spike gushed about finally meeting dragons his age as I made supper. "... and then, Barb tried and fell off, but luckily, I swooped in to save the day! She was all like, 'Oh, thanks, Spike, you're so awesome!'" I wondered if I should tell him that his heroics earned him an admirer. If he was going to visit regularly - and I think he'd be quite welcome to, if he does - he might be seeing her often. I hadn’t really met this Barb before today, but she was a cute kid, and I definitely like his chances with her more than Rarity. "Well, I gotta admit, you are impressive for your age," Ember said. "You're a lot stronger and faster than a hatchling should be." "It's probably because he was hatched with magic," I said. "It probably infused his body with it, almost as if he were part pony. Considering how strong ponies are for their sizes, it would make sense." Spike looked at me with a confused expression. "Yeah, Princess Celestia said something like that... but how did you know I was hatched by magic?" I barely kept myself from faltering.  "Well, how else would a pony hatch you? They don't exactly have volcanoes to warm the egg," Ember said, saving my bacon. "Oh, right," Spike blushed in embarrassment. "So, Spike," I started as I started plating the food. "Does Twilight feed you meat?" Spike looked at me like I had just asked if the sky really was blue. “Yeah, I’m a dragon. You don’t think she’d actually starve me of something I need, do you?” "No, I doubt she would ever do something to harm you," I said as I passed out the plates. "I just don’t know how ponies typically see eating meat." “Oh,” Spike said, relieved that I wasn’t trying to suggest anything by that. “Well, most ponies don’t really eat meat, other than occasionally fish or chicken. Even then, not all ponies do. Like, Pinkie and Fluttershy are completely vegetarian, but Rainbow Dash really likes fish, like, a lot. Me, though, Twilight usually gets me chicken or pork, but she hates the smell of it cooking, so I do it myself. “What’s funny, is that we actually found out that the meat she got me while we lived in Canterlot actually came from Sweet Apple Acres, the farm run by our friend Applejack.” "Have you ever had venison?" I asked. At his clueless expression, I clarified. "Deer meat." “Oh!” he said looking down at the food. “No, I haven’t. So... you actually hunt and gather all this yourselves?” “Yeah, dragons don’t exactly do farming,” Ember said. “Of course, I don’t really know as much as Luke does about the gathering part, but I’m figuring it out.” Spike took a bite of the venison. “Mm, dish ish gud!” he said with his mouth full. “So, what do you do for fun, living with ponies?” Smoulder asked. Spike swallowed his mouthful and replied, “Well, mostly I hang out with Yomega, play O and O with Big Mac, and help Rarity in her boutique.” “O and O?” Ember asked. “Well, O and O is a game where you make a character and pretend to fight bad guys,” Spike answered. “That sounds kinda lame,” Ember said. “Why pretend when you can actually go out and kick something’s butt?” Spike shrugged, “Well, usually it’s more than just beating some bad guy up, it’s saving the world and stuff.” “What the heck is a Boutique?” was Smoulder’s inquiry. “Oh, a boutique is a shop that specializes in pretty dresses for special occasions,” Spike explained. “O-oh? Pretty dresses? Heh, that sounds lame,” Smoulder said, but I felt both intrigue and embarrassment from her. "There’s nothing wrong with pretty dresses," I said. "They can help accentuate a female’s appeal. Plus, there’s something undeniably sexy about a woman that can kick ass in a dress. If you come with us to visit Canterlot, maybe you should take a look at some? You’re already an attractive female. A nice dress would only make you moreso." Smoulder blushed. “Yeah, well, I don’t care about being attractive. I already told you I’m not looking for a mate right now.” “It doesn’t have to be for a mate,” Spike said. “Rarity always says that a mare always feels more confident when they dress up.” "Well then, maybe we should get one for Barb, then?" I said, teasingly. "I’m sure you’d love that." “Wh-what?!” Spike stammered. “No way! I already have my eye on somep... one.” “Aw, but she’s so adorable,” Ember added. “I bet if we get her in a nice dress you’re eyes will be on her.” Spike could only blush and shovel a mouthful of food in his face.