//------------------------------// // Being Around Dragons // Story: Burning Passion // by PonyPixel //------------------------------// “I’m not sure about this,” Thorax said to Ember. “He has to find out at some point,” Ember replied. “You said he’s forceful. What’s stopping him from turning me into a pancake?” “The only thing is pretty much Ember,” Smolder answered. “And even then you might have trouble.” “Smolder,” Sandbar cried. “Just saying what we’re all thinking here.” “Please tell me you brought a paper bag,” Thorax begged. “Sorry, no,” Sandbar replied. “There he is,” Ember cried. She pointed to where her father, Torch was. He was talking with some other dragons who were close to his size. Thorax could feel his heart accelerating. “The last thing I’m going to see is the claw print of giant dragon,” he panted. “Thorax,” Ember said, “Just let me do all the talking. Smolder, you and friend stay out of sight. No offense kid, my dad’s still a little iffy around ponies.” “Got it,” both teens replied. Smolder landed where Torch couldn’t see her or Sandbar. “He’s huge,” Sandbar commented on Torch. “I know,” Smolder agreed, “Just stay quiet.” The changeling changed into a dragon, then he and the princess landed close to the former Dragon Lord. “Hi, Dad,” Ember called. Torch stopped his conversation with the other dragon and turned around to see his daughter and a... Drake. “Ember,” he said. Torch bent down to take a good look at Thorax, who was starting to sweat in fear. “Dad, this is just like when I showed you who save the eggs. Garble is just a friend and so is...” Ember paused. Her father around ponies was one thing, but how would he react if the dragon next to her was actually a changeling. What kind of a dragon was named after a body part anyway? “Ember, what’s wrong?” “This is... Um... Bismuth.” She and Thorax tried to play it cool as Torch raised an eyebrow. “That sounds more like a girl’s name.” “Yeah, I know,” Thorax said. “That’s why I don’t like being called that.” “Understandable. How have you found out about my daughter? I haven’t seen you around here before.” “Oh... I was just... Flying from somewhere else.” “So why haven’t I seen you at the Gauntlet of Fire?” Thorax froze. “He’s dead,” Smolder whispered. “Shh,” Sandbar replied. “Um... You see... I’m a heavy sleeper,” Thorax answered. “Trust me he is,” Ember added. “He’s fallen asleep a few times. I’ve tried roar, dragging, and breathing fire on him. He’s like living rock.” “I see,” Torch commented. “How did you two meet?” “I was just flying around until I came here,” ‘Bismuth’ explained. “I found out that Ember was the new Dragon Lord and we started... Hanging out.” “For how long?” “Dad,” Ember groaned. “We’ve been hanging out for two hours a week.” “How many weeks?” “Ten weeks. That’s it.” The massive father seemed to be getting angry. ‘Bismuth’ knew he had to change the subject fast. “How are you enjoying the retired life?” he asked quickly. “It’s quite nice,” Torch replied. “I no longer have to worry about what some dragons do.” “Good for you. It has to be nice not being stressed.” The drake now started to breathe heavily. “It is. Though, whenever Ember’s away from here I watch over the lands. A sort of semi-retirement.” “I see.” He turned towards Ember. “Say something,” he whispered. “What do I say?” “Probably the things we’ve done together.” “What are you whispering?” Torch asked. “Oh, Bismuth was just wondering what do you do while I’m here?” Ember replied. “Ye... Yeah,” ‘Bismuth’ stuttered, “You have any hobbies?” “I’m glad you asked,” Torch replied. “Here we go again,” one of the adult dragons sighed. “Just follow me.” The retire dragon took into the air, creating a lot of wind, nearly knocking Sandbar off his hooves. Ember and ‘Bismuth’ flew after Torch while Smolder ran after her friend. “You okay?” she asked. “I’m fine,” Sandbar replied. “I’ve survived against Yona’s mini-earth quakes. Maybe we should follow them?” “Seriously?” “We were summoned here for a reason. We have to follow in case things go wrong.” The dragoness sighed. “Fine, but if you get caught that’s on you.” She picked her friend up and took off after three other dragons. Well, two and half-dragons. Torch landed in an area containing a large river and several different ships. Some of them looked like they’ve just been built, while others had seen better days. “What’s this?” ‘Bismuth’ asked while landing. “Just a couple of sunken ships I’ve recovered,” Torch explained. “You fix broken ships?” “Eh, it’s a hobby. I found a couple of these while I go fishing for a meal.” “What kind of fish do you find?” “Ones that are as long as the masts on these boats.” ‘Bismuth’ could see that the mast of quiet tall. “Honestly, I’ve seen him tackle ones bigger than his horns,” Ember whispered. ‘Bismuth’ gulped at the thought of sea creatures that big. “I’ve... Gotta say these boats look really nice.” “Thank you,” Torch said. “I’ve spent a lot of time on these. Some of these are actually are airships.” “So, where are the big balloon parts?” “You mean the envelope?” “That’s what it’s called?” “Yep. I don’t find a need for them and most of the ones I find are beyond repair.” “It would’ve been nice to see a couple of these in action.” He walked over to one that was closet to a stream of water leading to the ocean. “I’ve had a couple of teens who’ve tried to set sail. They didn’t make it very far.” “Wha... Did you do?” “Nothing. They mostly got unlucky and hit a rock, causing the boat to sink again.” “Dad, can we talk about something other than boats?” Ember asked. “I’m actually enjoying this,” ‘Bismuth’ told. “Good for you,” Torch said. “But this can’t be the only thing I want Bismuth to be interested in,” Ember sighed. “What do you mean?” “Dad, I’m sorry, but...” “Just say it.” “I find this... Boring.” “I know. I’ve heard it before.” “I’m honestly surprised one how many boats you have,” ‘Bismuth’ commented. “Same here.” Smolder and Sandbar were hiding behind a corner where the stream led out into the ocean. “He seems to be doing better than I thought,” Smolder commented. “Yeah,” Sandbar agreed. “Maybe we didn’t need to come here.” “So, Bismuth,” Torch said, “Why have you been interested in hanging out my daughter than the other dragons?” “Up, here we go,” Smolder said. ‘Bismuth’ immediately froze. “Oh... Uh...” he paused. “That because...” “Is something wrong?” Torch asked. “Dad, why do you ask these questions?” Ember groaned. “It’s just a question.” “That you also ask Garble. We’re just friends.” “Eh... Exactly,” ‘Bismuth’ agreed. “I’m sorry, this is getting awkward.” “Agreed. Let me show you to the other dragons.” Before Torch could say anything, he watched his daughter and the new dragon fly away. “Ugh, maybe she has a point,” he said to himself. The two students saw what happened and waited for Torch to turn his back. Then, they took off after them. “That went exactly how I expected it,” Smolder admitted. “Same,” Sandbar added. “Why are dads like that?” “Don’t know. You’re the dragon.” “I mean all dads. Let’s just try and keep up with them.” Ember and Thorax landed near some pools of lava. “Why does he always do that,” Ember complained. “You okay?” “I’m fine,” Thorax replied. He took several deep breaths. “Your dad’s really scary.” “He uses that to his advantage sometimes. How about I just show you to the other dragons?” “That would be nice. You’ve been telling me about this Garble guy. Who’s he?” “He’s the one who helped save the dragon eggs. He should be over here.” She led her disguise friend to where Garble was. He was with his friends and Fluttershy. Spear and his little brother were fast asleep as Clump flew in with one of his siblings. “Oh, how cute,” the pegasus commented on the big brown dragon’s younger sibling. “Don’t call me cute,” the young dragon complained. “She’s kind of right,” Garble admitted. Smoke came from the little dragon’s nose with a huff. “Fluttershy?” Ember question in surprise. She and Thorax landed next to them. “Oh, there you are Ember,” the mare said. Fluttershy’s eyes were now caught by the changeling in disguise. “Who’s this?” “Yeah, I’ve never seen this guy before,” Garble added. Thorax started getting nervous again, but Ember spoke first. “This is Bismuth,” she said. “Isn’t that a girl’s name?” Clump asked. “I know,” ‘Bismuth’ groaned. “I don’t like talking about it.” “Okay,” Fluttershy replied. Before they could actually start a conversation, they could hear something. “You’re getting sweaty,” cried a faint female voice. “This place is one big volcano,” said a male’s, “This is bound to happen to a pony.” “Do anyone else hear that?” Garble asked. “Voices?” ‘Bismuth’ asked. “OW!” the male’s voice cried. They looked up and could see Smolder holding Sandbar by his tail. “Why that of all places?” the colt asked a bit angry. “What else was I suppose to grab?” the dragoness asked. Sensing things might get worse, Fluttershy and Garble flew up to help them. “Should we get involved?” ‘Bismuth’ asked. “I’m sure they’ve got it,” Ember asserted. “Guys, tell our new friend about yourself.” “Okay,” Clump said, “I’m from a pretty big family.” “How big exactly?” ‘Bismuth’ asked. The big brown drake stopped to think. “I kind of lost track after the double digits. Let’s just say I’m the middle child of a lot of siblings.” “Including me,” said Clump’s younger sibling. “Hey, he’s kind of cute,” ‘Bismuth’ complimented. “She,” Ember corrected. “Wait, that’s a gir...” ‘Bismuth’ now felt a bit guilty. “It’s okay,” Clump said, “This happens a lot.” His little just groaned and walked away, right after kicking a stone towards Spear. The stone bonked his little brother on the head, which caused him to wake and cry. “Ugh, not again,” Spear groaned. Fluttershy helped Sandbar get onto the ground safely and then flew over to the crying baby. “Oh no,” she sighed, “What happened.” “My sister,” Clump answered. “Look, I’ll go get her.” He flew off as ‘Bismuth’ felt awkward. “Please help,” Spear begged. He held out his baby brother to Fluttershy. “I want you to do what I told you,” she replied. “I won’t always be here to help you.” “Just this once please,” Ember begged, covering her ears. The mare did her best to help Spear stop the crying baby as Sandbar noticed that ‘Bismuth’ was gone. He looked around until he saw the fake drake hiding in a small cave. “Bismuth?” he called. “Shh,” the fake drake hushed. “Pretend I’m not here.” The colt looked back over to where the dragons were. “Why are you hiding.” “I kinda. This is what I was afraid of.” Sandbar slowly crawled in to listen better. “I stick out like a sore claw. I thought if I learn how dragons acted, I thought I would gain their trust and show them my true body. That doesn’t sound like the old days of a changeling, does it?” “...Kind of.” ‘Bismuth’ sighed as he held his claws to his face. “I just wanted to get closer to Ember. Is that so much to ask for?” “Not really.” Sandbar noticed that the fake drake’s face was partly red. “It doesn’t seem that bad. You don’t have get angry.” “It went so much easier in my head. Just to get close to Ember and...” His face turned redder as he let out a frustrated groan. “Is there... Something else you were planning?” After taking a deep breath, ‘Bismuth’ sighed. “It’s Ember. After we first she helped give advice, we became good friends. Then when start hanging out once a week, it sort of devolved into a crush.” “Oh. So, that’s why you miss the last week.” “Yeah. I couldn’t build the confidence to come here. I thought I would blow it. I barely know anything about dragons. I want to know as much as I can before I ask her out.” “I know how that feels. I felt nervous before I asked Yona out. We hit a few bumps in the road, but we managed to work it out.” “You and Yona are more similar in personality. Ember is way tougher. She’s a tomboy. She blew up a boulder she threw with her fire breath!” “...Look, just take deep breaths and calm down. Just think about things Ember likes and try doing them. Have you tried that?” “Well, I already tried somethings. Like gem tasting and I’ve also helped Ember with some training. She’s really strong.” “Right. Just get back out there and try to know more about the dragons. I hear Garble does great poetry.” The two slipped out of the cave and back to the dragons. “Where did you go?” Ember asked. “I had a bit of a panic attack,” ‘Bismuth’ answered. “Tell me next time.” The disguised changeling nodded as before they looked towards Garble. “Anyways, this is Garble.” “Oh, yeah, didn’t you help save the dragon eggs?” “Yep,” Garble confirmed. “Ember said that you used poetry that made the dragons laugh.” “Yeah, we were jerks,” Spear admitted. The blonde dragon was cradling his brother as Baff flew up to them. “Where did you go?” Garble asked. “I had a run-in with Ballista,” Baff replied. “Who’s that?” ‘Bismuth’ asked. “Basically Baff’s crush,” Spear joked. “Hey.” “You have to be honest,” Garble said, “You haven’t asked her out yet.” “Look, I’m just waiting for the right time.” “I know how you feel,” ‘Bismuth’ said under his breath. “Let’s focus on one thing at a time.” “Right,” Garble agreed, “I’ll be right back.” He flew off for a minute and returned with his bongos. “Oh, yeah, let’s get started.” He started drumming a beat. “Smoke. Ashes. Rising. Falling. Both created from fire. Always feel kind of dire.” “Wow, your brother’s really good,” Sandbar whispered to Smolder. “I know,” she replied. “He’s written a lot over the summer. They seem to be enjoying it.” Smolder pointed to Ember and ‘Bismuth’ were both enjoy her brother’s poetry. Ember was causally snapping her claw while ‘Bismuth’ rocked his head side to side. “By the way, Bismuth told me the reason why he didn’t show up last week. He has a crush.” “On who?” Sandbar simply pointed to the Dragon Lord. “Ember?” “Apparently.” “Alright, it makes sense why you’re here, but why me?” “I don’t know.” “Guys, are you listening?” Garble asked. The two redirected to him, who noticed they weren’t paying attention. “Sorry, Gar-Gar,” Smolder apologized. “Sandbar was just reminding us of our friendship problem.” “You did find out what it was right?” “Not yet,” Sandbar replied quickly. The red dragon just shrugged and continued with his poetry. “Thorax doesn’t want her to know,” Sandbar whispered. “He’s trying to build her trust before asking.” “How long do you think it’s going to take him?” Smolder replied while trying to pay attention to her brother. The colt looked over to the disguised changeling, who was trying not to blush as he sat next to the Dragon Lord. “I don’t think he’s going to have the confidence,” he said to himself. “He just needs some help.” Suddenly, there was a low growling sound. “Sorry,” Ember apologized. “I haven’t eaten yet.” “I could get you something,” ‘Bismuth’ said. “Are you sure about that?” “You showed me where to get fish. I’ll be right back.” With that, he flew away before any dragon could say anything else. The Dragon Lord sighed as she looked towards the students. “He isn’t all that experienced in fishing.” “I can go check on him,” Sandbar said while standing up. “Are you sure about that?” “I’m going to try and find out why’s he’s so flustered lately. Plus, I’m getting a little hot here.” The colt walked off in the direction the fake drake went. After a little walking, he managed to reach the ocean, where it was a lot colder than it was back with the dragons. Shivering a bit, Sandbar sat next to the water and looked around. Bismuth/Thorax was nowhere to be seen. The colt was confused until something splashed out of the water. He thought he saw the tail of a seapony, which just confused him more. They weren’t anywhere near Seaquestria, so why would a seapony be here? Sandbar soon got an answer as the mysterious seapony swam out of the water. It looked like a certain changeling. “Oh, hey,” Thorax panted. “What are you doing?” Sandbar asked. “I was trying a new strategy of catching fish. I heard seaponies are really fast in the water, so I’d try doing what they do.” “I think they have nets set up.” Thorax groaned. “Probably.” “They had to have caught them without gear somehow. Ooh, I know.” Suddenly, he changed his form into a whale. He swam down and to scoop up some fish. Once he got back to the surface, he spat out all the fish he collected. They flopped around for a bit as he changed into his dragon form. “You could just change back into your... Wow.” “What?” “Those fish.” The colt covered his nose to help block out the smell, though this did very little to help. “Sorry. You’re right.” The king did the same as the pony. “What were you saying?” “You could’ve just changed back into a changeling.” “Someone could’ve caught me.” “Like how you turned into a whale?” Thorax sighed and facepalm. “Why is this so hard?” “You know, my girlfriend Yona went through the same thing as you. The easiest way to do this is to just be yourself. Plain and simple.” The fake drake stood up and sighed again. “How would the other dragons feel if I was there the whole time.” “You and the other changelings helped save Equestria. I’m sure you can onto their good side.” “But I’d be a jerk if I didn’t tell them sooner.” “Thorax, just be yourself. It’s that easy.” The disguised changeling thought for a minute. “What if I showed them my true nature before showing them my true form?” “If that’s what it takes to help you get going, go for it.” The fake drake smiled. He then picked up one of the fish and walked back with the pony to where the others were. Ember was trying to get a beat on Garble’s bongos as the boys returned. “There you are,” she said. “What took you so long?” “The fishes were very slippery,” ‘Bismuth’ answered. “And smelly,” Sandbar added. The fake drake handed the fish over to his crush, who then started turning and cooking it. The boys looked at each, with the colt speaking first. “So, Bismuth, would you like to talk about what you do before coming to the dragon lands?” “Oh... Well...” ‘Bismuth’ struggled to think of something to say. “My mother wasn’t what you would call a role model,” he said, starting his story. “No doubt,” Ember said under her breath. “She’d often find food, usually from other creatures, steal it, eat, and repeat. She taught this trick to me and all of my siblings. And trust me, I have a lot.” “Well, where are they?” Clump asked. “I’m... Not sure. I left them... A while ago.” “Sounds hard,” Smolder said. “I mean, that’s low, even for dragons.” “How many siblings did you have?” Spear asked. ‘Bismuth’ froze for a moment before counting on his claws. “I lost track after the double digits,” he answered. “I know how you feel,” Clump said. “I have a hard time keeping track of my siblings.” “How big was your mom?” Spear asked. “Excuse me?” ‘Bismuth’ asked. “You never heard of dragon’s greed?” The fake drake began to sweat with worry. “He’s a little rusty on that subject,” Ember spoke. “It doesn’t bring back positive memories.” “Understandable,” Smolder commented. “Spike told me what happened when he got greedy.” “How about I keep telling my story?” ‘Bismuth’ asked. “I eventually made it to the Crystal Empire.” “Crystal Empire?” Clump asked, now listening carefully. “Yeah. Some of the ponies were a little afraid of dragons, except for one.” “You mean Spike?” Ember asked. “That’s him.” “Yeah, he and I weren’t the best of friends when we met,” Garble said, feeling a bit of guilt coming back. “It’s okay,” Smolder said, “We’ve forgotten about that.” “Anyways, I managed to befriend the ponies at the Crystal Empire,” ‘Bismuth’ continued. “It took a while to get used to pony food, but they managed to give a couple of gems to snack on.” “Are there any different kinds of gems?” Spear asked. “Hmm, none that I’ve seen that aren’t here. How about you guys. What do you know?” The sound of a crying baby was now heard again. “I know my brother can’t shut up.” “He’s just a baby,” Fluttershy stated. “You try holding him.” The mare handed the baby over to his big brother. He still kept crying, even when Spear tried rocking him. “Come on. Stop crying, please.” As he tried to calm the baby down, a pink dragoness with a very long tail came around the corner. “Can you please make that stop?” she begged. “Oh, Ballista,” Baff said. “Yeah... We know. It’s annoying.” The black drake was soon starting to blush. “Wait could you make it stop?” “I’m trying,” Spear declared. Despite his attempts, his little brother kept bawling. “Fluttershy.” “Okay,” the mare replied. She was giving the crying dragon which she quickly calmed down. “How do you do that?” “Maybe we should get him something that’s soft,” Garble suggested. “Like a pillow,” Clump said. “Exactly,” Spear said. “Maybe I could actually sleep.” “Garble, could you keep an eye on Smolder and Sandbar until I get back?” Fluttershy asked. “Of course,” he replied. With that, Fluttershy handed Spear his brother back and flew back to Ponyville. “Okay, I’m going to hide somewhere to muffle noise,” Ballista said. “O... Okay,” Baff said. “We’ll let you know when things are... Under control.” The drake started blushing as the dragoness flew away. He let out a frustrated sigh. “That didn’t go too well,” ‘Bismuth’ commented, shuttering a bit. “Ya think?” Baff held his claws to his face in frustration. “Sorry, man,” Sandbar said. “You want to talk...?” “NO!” “Okay then.” The frightened colt slowly hid behind his dragon friend. “This is awkward,” ‘Bismuth’ said. Not knowing what else to say, he slowly walked away. “I should probably follow him,” Ember said. The Dragon Lord flew away after their friends, the dragons and colt decided tp follow. “Aren’t you going to follow them?” Clump asked Garble. “Honestly, they know more about how friendship problems work than me,” the big brother replied. The fake drake, Dragon Lord, and students managed to slip away from the other dragons. Once they were alone, Thorax changed back into his normal form. “Keeping this form up is getting tiring,” he sighed. “Just tell the others what you are,” Smolder said. “We just met them a few minutes ago.” “That’s true,” Sandbar said. “Well, I think I can connect with Baff. I mean... That taste of love. I feel sorry for him.” “Wait, you taste love?” Ember questioned. “Yeah, Ocellus told us about that,” Smolder commented. “Baff’s worry seemed to taste bittersweet,” Thorax explained. “It started out sweet like cotton candy but when he could say what he meant, it soon became sugarless lemonade.” “I see,” Ember said. “I’m surprised you’re connecting to him of all dragons.” “Yeah. Luck of the draw, I guess.” He gave a nervous chuckle as he tried to pretend no to blush. Sandbar noticed, and he knew what needed to happen. “Dragon Lord Ember?” called a voice. Thorax promptly turned back into a dragon as a big purple dragon flew up to them. “What’s up Vex?” Ember asked. “The underground lava pool’s leaking,” he replied. “What? I swear if it’s them. Show me the problem.” Vex led the way as Ember turned back to her friends. “Be back soon.” Once she was gone, the fake drake sighed and sat down. “You have to tell her,” Sandbar said. “I know,” Thorax groaned. “I just don’t know how to do it.” “I know,” Smolder said. “Just walk up to her, and tell her how you feel.” “Smolder, you don’t know how it feels,” Sandbar said. “Thorax, if you makes you feel better, I’ll help you ask Ember out.” “Really?” the changeling king asked. “It’s gonna happen at some point. It’s better if you get it over with now. You and Ember are good friends. I’m sure she’ll listen.” After taking one more deep breath, Thorax stood up. “Okay, let’s do it,” he said. The two boys walked away to find the Dragon Lord while Smolder thought about what her friend said. “I do know,” she mumbled. She then decided to follow behind. Ember was helping Vex and some other teenage dragons push some boulders back into place to stop the leaking lava. “How did this happen?” she asked. “It was just one missed dive,” Vex said. Smolder and the boys arrived at the scene. “Yikes,” Sandbar gasped. “This looks bad.” “You think we can help?” Thorax asked. “It would make things easier.” Suddenly, a burst of lava nearly caused the boulder Ember and the dragons back. Thorax jumped into action and flew up and help push the boulder to block to leak. Some of the dragons, especially Ember, were surprised to see him. What Thorax didn’t know was that some of the lava was leaking near their feet. When he felt some touch his foot, he jumped back and screamed in pain. Most of the dragons were surprised and confused by this, but Sandbar, Smolder, and Ember knew that changeling’s cover was blown. “Are you okay?” Vex asked. “I’m fine,” Thorax groaned. His foot wasn’t, it was badly burnt thanks to the lava. “Let me take a look,” Ember said. She and the fake drake landed away from the lava. Thorax had to sit down since his foot wouldn’t be able to take his weight without causing him pain. “What were you thinking?” “I was trying to help. I thought that boulder was going to crush you.” “I could’ve handled it. You got yourself burned.” “How’s that possible?” a dragoness asked. “Not now Prominence.” “I’m just saying, he’s a dragon. We swim in lava.” “There’s an explanation for that,” ‘Bismuth’ sighed. After a bright flash, e revealed his true form. “Wait a minute,” Vex said. “Is that one of those changelings?” “Yep,” Ember answered. “I think this is King Thorax,” Prominence said. “What is he doing here?” “I was just visiting,” Thorax said. “I didn’t plan on burning myself.” He held his burnt foot in pain. “Stop moving,” the Dragon Lord ordered. “We don’t have anything that can treat this.” “Can you still fly?” The changeling flapped his wings and hovered above the ground. “Yeah. I think I can make it back to the hive. But, can I ask you something, privately?” She helped her friend towards the ocean, where no other dragon was around. Thorax dipped his foot into the cool ocean to help cool his burn. “I really think you should get home.” “I know, but... I want to tell you something. ...The reason why I didn’t come last week is that... I had a confidence issue. It was because of you.” “Me? What did I do?” “Nothing on purpose. I feel... You make...” He was starting to pause yet not finishing his sentences. “Just spit it out!” “I...” He groaned as he pulled his foot out of the water. “I really need to get going.” With that, he quickly flew off. Ember just sighed and flew the other direction. Smolder and Sandbar looked at each other, knowing this was harder than it needed to be.