//------------------------------//
// Chapter 29: Egg and Bakie 
// Story: Fire and Steel 
// by shirotora 
//------------------------------//

The next morning dawned with an air of excitement.

Did I say 'air'? I meant dragon. 

It dawned with a dragon of excitement.

Named Smolder.

"Come on, lazy butts, get up already!" Smolder said, hopping around.

It would have been cute if I wasn't so homicidal. 

"She's not going to stop," Ember said.

"She will if I knock her out," I countered.

Ember thought about it for a moment. "Nah. I'm already awake. Might as well get up."

"Finally, let's get going!" Smolder cheered.

So we got up, took a quick shower and followed Smolder, who was excitedly talking about everything she was going to do with her newfound magic, like make a cave out of solid gold and turn any other dragon that tried to get too close into a bunny.

By then, though, I had enough time to wake up, so I could appreciate it for the adorable spectacle it was.

Throughout the entirety of breakfast, her energy never wavered. She even yapped Celestia's ear off. I would have said something, but I realized I had never felt so much pure joy coming from the princess as she engaged Smolder.

Finally, it was off to the university. This time, though, we were all going to the officer school's training ground.

I decided to stay and watch. I wasn't going to miss this for the world.

"So, what am I going to learn first?" Smolder asked, bouncing excitedly. "How to freeze things? How to bend the earth to my will?"

Ember stopped any further rambling. "Before you can do anything, you have to learn how to channel your magic."

Smolder stopped, blushing sheepishly. "Oh... yeah."

"Of course, before we can do that, you need to calm down," Ember chided.

"Yeah, alright," Smolder said, taking a deep breath. "Alright, I'm calm."

"Alright, first, you need to know what to look for," Ember began. "Luckily, this part is easy. You know that feeling you get right before you breathe fire? The one that starts in your belly and rises into your chest? That's your magic. Now, aim that way and breathe a little jet of fire, the kind you'd use just to intimidate."

Smolder nodded and turned to face down the target range. She took a deep breath and hesitated for a second, her eyes widening in shock. Then, she let it out in a massive torrent of flame at least thirty feet long.

"What the hell?" Smolder said "That was way bigger than it should have been!"

Ember chuckled. "Yeah, you're going to have to relearn control. Anyway, you notice how much stronger that feeling was?"

Smolder replied, "Yeah, it was super strong. I thought something was wrong at first."

"That's because your magic was awakened," Ember explained. "Think of your magic as a volcano. Before, it was just bubbling up a bit of lava, but now it's erupting. I really should have pointed that out yesterday, but I guess I was too excited.

"Anyway, I wanted you to feel how different it felt. Now, I want you to take a deep breath, as if you're going to breathe fire, but then let it out slow and easy. Don't breathe fire."

Smolder nodded and faced down range. She took a deep breath, feeling that feeling form in her belly and rise into her chest. She slowly released the breath, noticing how the feeling didn’t leave with her breath like when she breathed fire, but sank back down.

"Did you feel how it goes up and down?" Ember asked. "Now, I want you to do it again, only this time, when you breathe out, try to keep that feeling in your chest. Don't let it sink back down."

"Right," Smolder said. She took in another deep breath and held it for a second before letting it out slowly, a look of concentration on her face.

"Damn it, I had it," Smolder cursed.

She tried again and again, until finally, "I... think I got it."

Ember smiled. "Good, now I want you to do it again, but this time when you breathe out, draw it into your claw."





After an hour of that, I excused myself. I couldn’t really contribute anything, anyway.

I didn’t go far, though. Just enough out of the way that I could have some peace and quiet.

My mind wandered to my future child. I was scared, to be honest. Would it be a dragon? Would it be whatever a baby lucario is? Would it be some hybrid? If it was a hybrid, would it have similar issues as hybrid animals on Earth?

And those were just the medical questions. There were the social questions, too. How would society see them? Would they be shunned? If they were a pokemon, how would they even communicate? Would they be able to use aura like me?

There was something I had to try. I wasn't sure if the games or the cartoon were closer to the truth, but in this case, I really hoped it was the latter.

I took a seat in front of a reflecting crystal and focused on my mouth and the sounds coming from them. 

"Car-cario. Car luc lucario..."





"Look! Look, I did it!" Smolder cheered as she lifted the training weight in a spectral hand.

Ember felt a swell of pride in her chest. Her student had taken her first step to becoming the second dragon sorceress.

"So, are you going to teach me some cool spells, now?" Smolder asked. "I wanna shoot lightning from my claw tips, like that evil emperor guy in Luke's story."

"That should be doable," Ember said. "You just have to figure it out. I find some spells work better if you say something, kinda like you're invoking the power of nature."

Lyra spoke up from her place by the equipment they were using to monitor the magic being used, "You mean like an incantation?"

Ember scratched her chin in thought. "Kinda, but not really. It doesn't really matter what you say, as long as it relates to the spell somehow."

"Can you give an example?" Moondancer asked.

"Well, if I was going to, say, throw a fireball, I could say something like, 'Burn to a crisp!' or 'Inferno!'," Ember explained. "I don't have to say that stuff, but it makes it a lot easier. Same with some claw gestures."

"She did describe her magic as demanding reality to bend to her will," Lyra said. "Maybe it channels that will more effectively?"

"It wouldn't be the only kind of magic that uses a verbal or somatic component," Moondancer agreed.

"What the heck does 'somatic' mean?" Smolder asked.

Lyra chuckled, "In magic, it usually refers to hoof, hand, paw, or claw motions, but it can also refer to body motions or positions."

"Wow, an egghead word that's easier than just talking normal," Ember said with a chuckle.

"I know, right," Lyra said. "Don't get used to it."

"So, basically, I just have to demand that lightning shoots from my claw tips, right?" Smolder asked.

"Pretty much," Ember confirmed. 

Smolder took a deep breath, pulled her magic into her claw and commanded, "Strike!"

A crack of thunder sounded as a jagged bolt of lightning streaked across the field and struck one of the target crystals.

"Yes!" Smolder cheered.

"Nice," Ember said with a grin. "I think I felt that one in my gut."

Moondancer tilted her head. "You could feel the spell she used?"

"I think so," Ember answered. "Heck, I still feel it..." Ember groaned, clutching her belly. "Nope, that wasn't the spell. Luke!"





I ran as fast as I could when I heard Ember call my name.

When I got back to the others, Ember was sitting on the ground, legs spread, groaning with Smolder beside her. Moondancer was a short distance away trying to calm a panicking Lyra.

"Just go into town and buy a baby stroller," Moondancer said. "I'll take care of things here."

I wasn't dumb. Ember on the ground and demands for a stroller? She was laying.

"Ember! I'm here," I said as I slid to a stop by her side on my knees.

"Glad you could make it," Ember joked. "Laying eggs sucks when they're unfertilized. Fertilized eggs are even bigger, so... good thing you have metal bones, huh?"

"Yeah, but I would still be here if I didn't," I said, taking her claw in my hand. "I'll take a broken bone or two for you, anyday."

Ember took one more deep breath and pushed.

She grunted as the slick, round egg slid out of her. "Oh, wow that hurt."

I blinked dumbly. "Was... was that it?"

Ember raised an eyebrow. "What? That kinda hurt."

I shook my head and looked down at the egg between her legs.

My egg.

I reached down to touch it. I could hardly believe it was real.

"Careful, it's slippery," Ember said.

Moondancer had apparently gone off to get towels and warm water and had only just returned.

"I already missed it?" she said in mild surprise. “That was a little quicker than expected.”

Ember looked up and smiled. “Oh, awesome. Can I get a couple of those towels?”

Moondancer passed the towels and water over, “Of course. I got them for you.”

I took one of the towels, moistened it with the water and began cleaning the egg while Ember cleaned herself.

It was about half the size of my head, and mostly blue with a black ring around the middle and sparkled in the light.

"Ember... our baby..." I said, still stunned by it all.

“Give it here,” Ember said.

I held it out, and Ember took it with all the love and care she had. “Come here to momma.”

She took a light breath and breathed a little jet of fire on it. I nearly jumped out of my skin before I felt that the flame was barely giving off any heat. It was more like the air in a sauna than actual fire.

“Luke, can you check, just to make sure?” she asked.

I leaned in, placing my hand on the egg again and reaching out with my senses.

"I feel it," I said, grinning like an idiot. "I can feel our baby."





Upon hearing the happy news, Celestia personally enchanted a blanket that would warm whatever was wrapped in it to the levels needed for an egg.

Lyra had the presence of mind to get an egg stroller. It was meant for griffin eggs, but ours was about the same size, so it worked perfectly.

We walked down the street, side by side with our egg. A couple ponies stopped to congratulate us on our little bundle of joy. I was just surprised to learn how famous we apparently were. 

In hindsight, though, I should have known we would be a popular topic of gossip. It wasn't every day a dragon sorceress and alien laser dog show up in town.

Still, it was nice to see that ponies were so accepting of us. I heard it was a common fan theory that they were kinda xenophobic. Maybe they are, but if so they warmed up to us quickly enough.

Smolder stayed behind at the university to practice her magic more. Mostly her offensive spells. She was making sure she was ready to face the dingonek.

"So, where do you want to eat?" Ember asked.

"There's that one place run by that Saffron pony," I said. "There was a couple things I was still wanting to try."

Ember hummed. "She does make some pretty good curry chicken. I didn't even think a pony could cook meat like that. But that's on the other side of town. I don't really want to go that far. I'm still a little sore from pushing this thing out."

I chuckled. "Hey, be glad you aren't a mammal. You wouldn't even be walking right now."

"Is it really that bad?" Ember asked.

I smirked, "I couldn't tell you from experience, but yes, it's much harder for a mammal. For mammals, it's an ordeal that is harsh enough that females have been known to die from it."

Ember winced. "Oh... wow. That sounds rough."

"So, palace?" I asked, getting back on something more positive.

"Yeah, sure," Ember said.

We made our way back toward Canterlot Palace at a gentle pace. We still had time, so we weren't in a hurry. We arrived with an hour to spare, so we took a detour through the gardens.

When we got there, we were met with an unexpected surprise. There was apparently some event going on, if the decorations and pastry ladened tables were any indication.

Ember turned to a nearby guard and asked, "What's with all this?"

The guard, remaining stone-faced and stoic, said, "It's a baking competition. The best bakers from across Equestria have come here to compete to see who's number one. As representatives of the dragon lands, you are permitted to join in the post judging sampling."

"Oh," Ember looked back at me with a grin. "I think our dinner plans have been decided for us."