//------------------------------//
// Emerald 
// Story: Empress Dragon 
// by Mystic Sunrise 
//------------------------------//

Emerald finally couldn't take watching Orchid and Lilly make a mess of trying to just walk, let alone anything else in their new combined form, and turned to Cosmos. The question was driving her crazy. "Where did you even come up with the idea for this?"

Cosmos sighed as she watched the two of them trip once more. "I honestly could not say where the idea for this came from. It did not happen right off the bat though, not for that first group of Exarchs."

"So why then?" Emerald asked.

Cosmos shook her head. "I must have been in one of my crazier moods at the time. The first group I did this with? None of us had any idea of what we were doing. We eventually got the hang of it, but that was a trainwreck if there ever was one."

Emerald rolled her eyes. If it was anything like she was seeing now, she could very well believe it. But that led to another question, one that tied in with her the most. "And, what about me? You have said I am the first Chiroptera to be an Exarch. What does that mean for this?"

Cosmos smiled as she looked at her. "I do not know. It could be nothing for all we know. I hope so. Your dragon, no matter what color yours will be, will not hold it against you. She cannot, nor would she ever want to."

Now Emerald was even more confused. "What do you mean?"

Cosmos turned to look at Crystal and Blaze. She could see Crystal wince as she watched Lilly and Orchid. Blaze didn't look any happier than she did at the sight before them.

"Every dragon that bonds to an Exarch, no matter what kind of pony they may be, or their age, is utterly and completely loyal to that pony. Above and beyond any other loyalty they may have. They literally cannot even imagine, let alone think or try, betraying their Exarch, and they would rip apart any who tried to make them rebel against her."

She chuckled. "I have seen it happen several times over the eons. Someone gets it in their head that if they can't make you break your oath, then maybe your dragon will instead. It is the one and only time that your dragon will come out on its own and transform you into this form. By then, you know what's going on, and you are more than happy to let them rip that idiot apart."

Emerald tried not to imagine that, but that was easier said than done. It did answer one question, but not all of them. "Where do they even come from? They look like they come from Equus, but they don't seem like they do."

Cosmos shook her head. "No, they do not come from this world. Or any world for that matter. Before they join with their Exarch, they live and grow in a place that exists outside of time and space. Once they hear the call, they will journey to that world, and join with their Exarch."

Twilight, who had been listening to this conversation the whole time, finally had to ask. "Isn't all of this dangerous though? I can't see Ponyville taking this well at all, let alone the rest of Equestria."

Cosmos nodded. "That's why we do not show these off to just anypony. We do not need panic." Her gaze fell as she looked at Amber and Blister. "Amber's rampage showed me that would never work. I could not take away the knowledge of it, but I forbade us from ever using these forms again unless we had no other choice."

Twilight and Emerald shared a look. Neither wanted to ask more about that particular event. Something told them they did not want to know more, even if a part of Twilight was curious about it.

Emerald though seemed to be more sure of herself now. "I think I am as ready as I will ever be to try this. Not like we have anything else to do today. Plus, I do not want to be left out."

Cosmos giggled as she and Twilight stepped back. "That's the spirit. Just follow what I told Celestial, Orchid, and Lilly, and the rest will do itself."

Emerald smiled before closing her eyes and concentrating. For a moment, nothing happened, but having seen it now, she did not panic that she was doing something wrong and waited as long as she needed to.

After a moment, she felt something answer back. Even knowing what was coming, Emerald still felt her whole body rock as her dragon latched onto her. Letting go of her stress, she relaxed and let the process begin.

Cosmos and Twilight watched the transformation happen. This time, there seemed to be no surprises as Emerald grew bigger and bigger. After a moment, the transformation stopped with a lurch.

One that sent Emerald's head rocking back and forth. Knowing it was coming was one thing, but experiencing it was something else altogether. She could feel her new body all around her, and what felt like her breath weapon in her throat. But why was it so cold? Not painfully so. But it was cold, nonetheless.

Opening her eyes, Emerald let out a happy squee as she saw the snout out in front of her. If she was seeing, and feeling things right, her dragon was White. Looking down, as much as her position would let her anyway, she saw her dragon giving her a loving look. One she was happy to return.

She heard Cosmos let an audible sigh of relief. In the grand scheme of things, Emerald really could not blame her. From her current spot, she had an even better view of how much Orchid and Lilly were struggling to get their new form to work. Though it seemed they were beginning to get on the right track at least. Or maybe she was just seeing things.

Despite being as different as it was possible to be to the ponies around her, except maybe Twilight, Emerald did not feel any sort of reaction to it from her dragon, which was a load off of her shoulders, if she was being honest. No matter what Cosmos had said, she hadn't been able to fully get rid of the idea that her being a Chiroptera would change something about this.

With that laid to rest, Emerald turned to feel out her new body. Her wings fluttered slightly as she tested them. They felt no different from her own in her normal form. A few tentative steps and she was more than happy to see that nothing felt any different from her pony form.

Her next question was rather simple, or so she hoped. What was her dragon's name? She knew that she was female, and if Emerald was any judge, she felt the same age as her as well.

Her dragon giggled, a musical sound that put her at ease even more so. "My name is Rime. Or at least that is what it is in Equestrian. It does not really work in Draconic," Rime said, or at least she did in Emerald's mind.

That was something she would have to get used too. Emerald knew that they could all do this with their dragons but hearing it for herself was something else. "Does this get any less weird?" She thought back.

Rime nodded, sending Emerald's mane bouncing. "Give it enough time, and it will. This is still new to me as well, and I have known this was coming all of my life. But we have all the time in the world to get used to it. I do not mind."

And that was something Emerald couldn't argue against as she looked down at Rime, who smiled back up at her. She could get used to this, she thought. It was not so bad once she got used to it.

She wondered if Crystal and Celestial felt the same with their dragons?