Session 103.0 Mtangalion and Alex Warlorn
Pyro and Cinder were still celebrating when a great pop-flash heralded the sudden arrival of Princess Twilight, with Spike and the rest of her friends. “What… the… hay?” exclaimed Twilight, her mane already fraying. “Button Mash, what did you do?!”
Button’s mom couldn’t teleport, but that didn’t stop her from appearing right behind Twilight, eyes blazing and katana half drawn. “Language!” Then she flash-stepped to Button Mash, turning the same burning glare on her son. “Young colt, what did you do!?”
Rarity had fainted artfully onto her chaise longue when they arrived, and now she seemed annoyed that nopony was paying attention to her. “Really, darling… a little warning before you magically sling us halfway across town?” She paced over to the portal arch and peered at it, then tapped it with a hoof. “I could be mistaken… and I must say the golden letters are rather gaudy, but… it’s another portal? I must confess, I don’t see the harm.”
Princess Twilight sighed. “Yes, it’s another portal. We already have three other permanent portals in this geographic area... that we know of! The potential for interdimensional incidents increases geometrically, you know!”
Since she had to wait in line to chew out Button now, Twilight’s curiosity quickly got the better of her. Twilight picked up a stick in her magic and waved it around through the portal. When it seemed unharmed, she took a deep breath and stepped through the portal herself… into a peaceful forest meadow with a castle in the distance. The other side of the portal arch turned out to be a doorway set in a great crystal pillar resembling the Tree of Harmony, and… sure enough, large golden letters floated over the door, spelling out “Equestria.”
“Oh, look at that. This whole setup just screams…” She rose and waved her forehooves dramatically. “Everycreature, come have crazy adventures in our kingdom, which is crazy enough already!” She shook her head. “We’re going to need some Twilight Guard posts, rules and schedules for crossing between worlds…”
Pyro and Cinder flew through the portal, blasting Twilight’s mane back. “Woohoo!” shouted Pyro. “Wait till ALL our friends hear about this!” He looped back. “Bye, princess! See you again soon!”
Twilight gritted her teeth, one eye twitching. “Or, we can just let everything go to Discord, and it’ll all work out… somehow...”
Trotting back through the portal, Twilight was mildly surprised to see that Rainbow Dash had taken her dragon form… odd, was Rainbow *bigger* than the last time she’d seen her as a dragon? She was more surprised to realize that Garble and Ember’s date had brought them here as well, and a lot more surprised when *Applejack* turned into a bronze and gold dragon, hat in claws as she approached Ember!
“It’s a pleasure to meetcha again,” stammered Applejack, grinning. “Dragon Lord, ma’am…” She, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo all bowed before her.
“Of course, she goes right out and lets everypony in on the big secret,” said Big Macintosh, tisking as he arrived. “This is why we didn’t tell ya sooner.” He wasn’t alone either. Granny Smith and Grand Pear were strolling beside him… and all three of them promptly blurred and became dragons too, bowing to Ember. “Howdy and welcome to Ponyville, Dragon Lord. Goldie and the other kinfolk’ll be disappointed they missed this.”
“Huh!” mused Pinkie Pie. “So that’s why my Pinkie Sense said I should bake extra gem cakes!”
Fluttershy’s eyes just got wider and wider, mirroring how Twilight felt. “A-A-All of the Apples too? How did this happen, Twilight?”
Apple Bloom hadn’t transformed, but Twilight held back from correcting her. Even that was forgotten when a light gray and blue dragon flew past her, rushing over to join the bowing dragons. Twilight’s jaw fell open. “Shiny? What… No, that can’t be him. He should be in the Crystal Empire!”
Garble kept looking from the other dragons to Ember and back, not knowing what to make of any of this.
Oddly, Spike wasn’t bowing either. He just waved casually. “Heya, Ember! Um, what’s going on?”
Ember seemed to swell a few inches taller from the sheer boost to her ego, but the young Dragon Lord seemed flustered at the same time. “This many? What was Tiamat thinking? With this many dragons and Smolder here too, I should be declaring an official lair and putting a dragon boss in charge, but this isn’t just a dragon town…”
Garble smirked. “What, are you asking me? Do I look like an elder?”
Ember’s face lit up. “The dragon elders! Of course, they’ll know what to do! Meanwhile...” She held out the Bloodstone Scepter, and the ponies-turned-dragons watched it, seeming entranced. “All of you, keep doing what you’ve been doing and be proud dragons, but don’t do anything lame that would make me have to fly back here and knock some skulls together!”
After that, Ember tried to shoo the gathered dragons away so she and Garble could finish up their date, and that gave Princess Cadence a chance to get close and draw her husband aside. “Shiny, how did you turn into a dragon just now?”
“Huh?” Shining Armor looked over his dragon form, then shrugged. “Your spell… I just assumed you left a trigger so I could switch back and forth if I needed to.”
“No, I removed the spell,” said Cadence. “Or at least, I thought I did...” She frowned. “What kind of game is Tiamat playing?”
Within the hollowed-out volcano at the heart of the Dragon Isles, Dragon Queen Tiamat brooded over a colossal chess board, seeming to be in great thought as she pondered her next move.
Dragon King Bahamut grinned smugly up at his colossal mate. “What are you playing at, dear? We both know what you really want.”
Tiamat waggled a claw, and her closest heads stuck their forked tongues out at him. Then she swept all the dragon pieces right off the board, gathering them up and hugging them to herself. “MINE.”
-
'Be proud dragons' the command rattled through their bones, not ponies, dragons, be proud dragons, be proud of being dragons, not ponies. They played nice because the Dragon Lord had commanded, they were Dragon, so they obeyed. They would continue with their normal tasks with these little, weak, and fragile ponies because the Dragon Lord had willed it, even if they might have better ideas now. Powerful. Strong. Take what was theirs. They were proud dragons. Children of Tiamat.
'Mine!' Tiamat's telepathic word echoed through their minds, yes, they belonged to Queen Mother Tiamat. They were but jewels in her hoard. And would do as good jewels would.
Somewhere, far beyond mortal reach, Celestia and Luna's mother felt some of her children slip from her.
Apple Bloom felt grateful she WASN'T a dragon when Ember used the scepter. Her family was scaring her a bit.
Twilight eyed Scootaloo, the Apples, Shining, Rainbow... and saw the glint of draconic aloofness she'd gotten used to from seeing from most dragons sans like Spike and Mina.
She didn't see ponies transformed into dragons. She saw a pack of dragons. Period. The way they moved like they owned the place, the way they eyed everything with that glint of greed, that fierce stance ready to rend limp from limp anything that challenged their might. The way they unconsciously shifted position on who was the strongest in the flight. They stood tall and proud, without a hint of humility or shyness.
"Wait a minute..." Twilight said slowly. "Did Ember... just use the BLOODSTONE SCEPTER... which bends the dragons to her will... and used its power to command my brother, my friends, and their family, to 'keep being proud dragons' 'not do anything lame' that would bring down Ember's wrath?"
Instead of bursting into flames like she used to, Twilight herself seemed to grow larger, her mane becomes a skyscape between day and night, her eyes crackling with power... and across Ponyville, it suddenly became twilight, in spite of it still being the middle of the afternoon in the rest of Equestria. And they heard the Royal Canterlot Voice give out a most unprincess-like cussing.
On her balcony, Princess Celestia (and groggy Luna) stepped out.
"Well, it's about time," Celestia said.
"Sister, she hasn't been an Alicorn for even a decade. Do you have any idea how much you are rushing her?"
"True, but look, she's now able to control the phases of the day WITHOUT that silly artifact we created using both our essences... And she's finally mastered the Royal Canterlot Voice."
"We are proud of her for that... but we best learn what it was that caused her first... explosion... "
Celestia suddenly shuddered and nodded. Both goddesses remembering their own 'first time'.
-
Twilight finished panting. Back to her normal size and colors.
Twilight's friends all instinctively took a step back from her for a second, except Fluttershy who flew in and gave her a cool down hug.
"Thanks Fluttershy."
"Welcome."
Maternity, for some reason, awkwardly asked. "So... so they're brainwashed. It's not so bad right? I mean, she did tell them not to do anything that would make her angry, so she basically told them to behave... why is that so bad?"
Princess Twilight Sparkle boomed. "Because! Then I'd have to admit that Starlight Glimmer was RIGHT to brainwash ponies into getting along with each other, and that is something I am NEVER allowing to happening!"
"Oh. Yes My Princess," Maternity cringed, remembering her conspiracy with Daring Do, Starlight, and Sweetie-Drops/Bon Bon to do exactly that to Equestria's villains, in particular Daring Do's nemesis.
"Hi." An Alicorn version of Starlight Glimmer appeared, giving several ponies (and dragon) minor-heart attacks and requiring CPR. She spoke to Cadence in a deadpan voice. "Hey Cadence. Became a goddess down the line. Was sentenced to help keep this worldline from going south as part of my penance.
"And yeah, Tiamat is most definitely trying to tilt the board in her favor. A big disaster is coming, ya know the drill by now, epic battles, everyone coming together, evil looming, light vs dark, blah-blah-blah. Don't worry, you kick their flanks and everything works out, as normal.
"But Tiamat is looking to use this to her advantage, after all, if a buncha former ponies brainwashed into 'proud dragons' helps save the day, it'll lure MORE ponies, and the rest, into become MORE brainwashed 'proud dragons', and the balance of power will shift from the Alicorns to the Ryujin. And in a century or two Tiamat will be ruling over most of the world without a single battle."
"Aren't you... breaking time by telling me this?" Cadence asked.
"Meh, none of this would be happening... IF A CERTAIN STUPID ALICORN COLT HADN'T BEEN MESSING WITH HIS POWERS LIKE THEY WERE A TOY!" Princess Starlight finally snapped.
Prince Button Mash defended. "HEY! HEY! It's not my fault! Magic went crazy!"
"Yes. Spoilers. Your great threat is behind it. Won't say who. Gotta keep some dramatic tension!"
"IT'S COZY GLOW AND TIREK ISN'T IT?!" Twilight said with mane hairs popping out of place.
"Partially right."
"Only one of them?!"
"Not just them."
"... Fluttershy."
"Yes, Twilight?"
"Go to Chaosville... get Discord here, and MAKE HIM help us with this mess. Kiss, hugs him, say nice things, promise to go on a date, DRAG HIM BY HIS MISMATCHED TOOTH! But make clear that him blowing us off this time is NOT an option!"
Fluttershy shrank some. "Y-yes Twilight! Right away!" She then said a low voice. "Uh, Discord, can I come in for a moment?" And a portal immediately opened to the realm of Chaos and Fluttershy stepped in.
A time-warp portal popped a letter to Princess Starlight, which she blandly read. "Oh. Twilight. Odyne, demi-draconequus of tribalism, says thanks for cementing her existence and getting 'mom and dad' together."
Twilight groaned.
"And Spike..."
"Yes Twilight?"
"Get to Dragon Town, get Mina. DO NOT propose to her! But just tell her my friends got turned into dragons and are now brainwashed to be aligned to the Dragon Lord and Tiamat. Ask her for help with whatever means she has to get them back on hooves and their brains fee. And no, this ISN'T because 'ponies are better!' "
"GOT IT!" Spike nodded.
*one trip to Dragon Town, Fillydelphia's later.*
"Mina!" Spike came into the comic shop.
"Hey Spike!" Said a brown pegasus with a pink mane and blue eyes, her cutie mark was a open comic book with a flame in the panel.
"MINA?! Is that you!?"
"Yeah, don't laugh. I got a vision from... well, seriously don't laugh, a vision from Father-King Bahamut, telling me to use an artifact we got back when we first separated from Tiamat's tyranny. And told me I should experience what it's like being a pony for a while to help understand their point of view."
"... How's that working out for you?"
"For some reason I really feel like hugging people and breaking out into song, and thinking how we should all be friends... is that normal?"
"For most ponies, yeah. Sadly there are ponies who IGNORE that part of themselves that say those things."
"So like ignoring Tiamat's telepathic tripe but it being GOOD advice instead?"
"Pretty much, yeah. Soooo, you flown with those pegasus wings yet?"
"Once or twice... I've never felt so one with the wind!"
"Yeah, that's normal too. Come on, I'll explain on the way! Oh! And grab whatever magical dodad you've been secretly holding to help you push back against Tiamat's power."
"How the horse-apples did you know that?!" Mina asked, not noticing the equine cuss she used.
"Twilight told me. I think she got told by a friend of hers from the future. Maybe. Or maybe she just guessed. My head was spinning for a while."
"Okay fine."
*one trip to the vault hidden underneath the comic shop later*
The gem was similar to the Bloodstone... except it was blue. It was a staff, not a scepter, meant to guide, rather than rule.
Mina the Pony said, "Ya know... being a pony, the part I wasn't expecting was the lack of fearful stares from ponies I'd gotten so used to them... and how dragons were pushing past me like I was just in their way."
"Maybe they're just used to ponies getting out of the way?" Spike said.
Mina shuddered.
"So... that thing can turn dragons into ponies?"
"Yeah... but Bahamut said we were to use it for understanding... not shame. And after how Fillydelphia's ponies began treating us... yeah, none of us felt like 'understanding'... "
"Gotcha."
Session 103.1 Ardashir
The Student Six broke off their online gaming in World of Horsecraft with some of the students they'd met months ago to watch the wild events outside, with a small army of dragons, an alicorn version of their teacher Starlight, and Headmistress Twilight looking like she was going insane.
"Again," Gallus commented as he turned and strolled back to his computer, claws and talons clacking on the floor.
"Gallus! That's not very nice!" Ocellus looked out the window one last time, winced at one more shriek from Twilight, and returned to her own computer. "Even if it's kind of true. I wonder if any of the divine ancestors of our races are going to try doing what Tiamat is?"
"Yona hope not," the Yak girl snorted as she checked through her gear for the upcoming fight. They ought to be facing Tirek soon in-game; she was glad she'd never face him for real. Working slowly so as not to smash one more computer, she with the ease of total conviction, "Yaks best, but not everyone need to be Yak. World not survive so much perfection."
Gallus rolled his eyes but carefully said nothing. But he couldn't help thinking why Boreas didn't offer to turn creatures into griffons.
Even as the thought passed through his mind Gallus seemed to find himself in a palace made of pure gold with windows and aeries everywhere, all crowded with squabbling griffons filling the air with their complaints, threats, and shrieks. Seated on a massive nest in the middle of it all was a golden griffon of pure magnificence.
"Why don't I do that, hatchling?" Gallus gulped as the gigantic griffon leaned over him, scowling so fiercely lightning played in his eyes. "Because I already have enough ungrateful griffons giving me grief!"
"Okay," Gallus shook himself, fur and feathers shivering, as he saw the school's gaming and computer room around him again. "Uh, thanks, I guess Boreas. But I really don't need ta see ya in person like that, ever again!"
Nearby Smolder scratched her chin. "Huh, when Ember commanded all the dragons in Ponyville to 'do what we'd been doing and be proud dragons', did that affect everydragon in town?"
Her answer was several floors below where Sludge and his assistants cleaned the floors and walls of the school with renewed energy, panting.
"Gettin' bossed around like this is why I ran from the Dragonlands in the first place!" Sludge moaned as he washed walls like his life depended on it. "Rotten Bloodstone Scepter! I hope Ember and Tiamat's fires both go out!"
Session 103.2 Alex Warlorn
Grubber asked, "Think anyone in Ponyland has noticed we're missing yet?"
Tempest Shadow sighed. "They had better have a dang good explanation... I'm only not jumping to conclusions because I did that before with my other friends and betrayed my county and my entire species and the trust of countless creatures the last time."
"Yeah... gotta learn from yer mistakes eh? I spy with my little eye-"
"An air-ship dungeon."
"Dang you've gotten good at this!"
"OGA-BOOGA!" Said the Yeti guard sitting besides their cell.
"NO!" Tempest broke out into a cold sweat. "Don't read the Storm King's autobiography again!"
"Yer brain kinda goes numb to it after the first dozen times," Grubber tried to console her.
"Boga-boga-oga?"
"... Fine we'll play Storm King Conquer the world!" Tempest said. "But let us roll our own dice this time!"
Grubber whispered, "Think ya can sling the dice to knock'em out and bounce the keys towards us?"
"I will if you don't spoil it!" Tempest hissed back lowly to the oblivious Storm Guard.
Session 103.3 Alex Warlorn
"Girls," Maternity asked, figuring what the end result of this would be, but had to say it anyway. "Anyone else feeling doubt about our 'dirty but necessary' conspiracy to brainwash villains like Sludge, Garble's cronies, and Ahuizotl, after Dragon Lord Ember accidentally brainwashed some of our Ponyville neighbors and heroes into Tiamat adherents?"
That was when Future Starlight popped in a teleport flash.
"Don't worry, your scheme is only going to backfire a 'little bit' when the evil storm hits. Most of the villains you brainwashed will decide they like being good better."
"Most?" Bon Bon/Sweetie-Drops asked.
"That would be TOO BIG a spoiler, but you're all smart girls, I'm sure you can all guess."
Present Starlight groaned.
+++
"You're charging THAT MUCH for apples today?!" June Bug gasped.
The orange dragon (still wearing AJ's hat, it was hers after all) with blond frills said, "Ah know ya need'em bad for that apple pie yer already bakin', Ah can smell it. Ya can ether pay the ticket to another town to pay less for 'em there, ya can let that apple pie go to waste, or ya can pay the price we've put up for own produce."
There were no price control laws in Equestria, there had never been any NEED for them with the community mind-set that was wired deeply into pony brains. A brain that AJ no longer had.
June Bug surrendered and handed over the bits, AJ gave her the basket of apples. "Pleasure doin' business with ya!"
+++
Twilight was not pleased with whatever was keeping Ember busy, so Twilight could explain to Ember she'd made a oversized (but utterly reasonable Twilight was forced to admit) mistake. She wondered how long a visit with the Dragon Elders lasted.
Meanwhile Fluttershy was wherever negotiating with Discord.
And Spike's trip to Dragon Town left her without one of the REASONABLE dragons she knew, hopefully he would be back with Mina and whatever artifact Dragon Town had been hiding under the table this whole time.
Which meant Princess Twilight and the rest of Ponyville made to endure some of her friends and their families (AND HER BROTHER!!!), remade in Tiamat's image, outside AND on the inside!
With Spike gone, Twilight had had to step-in as Oubliette Overseer.
While Ember's command had included 'keep doing what you're doing', her friends' new true nature was obvious.
"AH KICK'IN THE DOOR AND CHOP THE HEAD OFF ANYTHIN' THAT MOVES!" AJ's new draconic barbarian roared.
"While the fighting is going on, I pick up any expensive looking loot I spot and hide it on my person!" Said Rainbow Dash's thief.
Rarity and Pinkie Pie looked at each other.
"I guess darling I'll just hang back and heal you as needed as the enemy swarm you."
"And I guess my bard will just hang back and play music to boost everybody."
"MAKE IT HARD ROCK! None of that lame pretty stuff!" RD snorted, and AJ nodded.
Pinkie Pie shrank some. "Okay."
Twilight said, "Many of the orcs and goblins flee in terror at the sight of you, some dropping their equipment as they flee so they can run away faster."
"MINE!" Rainbow Dash hissed.
"Cowards! Come back here and die like a dragon!" AJ slammed her fist on the table, making it shake.
+++
As Button Mash had used his power to let them play close up another video game... a loot driven hack-and-slash by Scootaloo's demand.
Deep inside the monsters' coded programming, some spark of them wished they'd been programmed to drop their loot and simply run away. Instead they swarmed the adventurers into her randomly generated infinite crypt, being cut down like wheat before a war axe weilded by a orange dragonling with fully functional purple wings.
"Come on Apple Bloom, change into the real you!" Scootaloo snarled.
"Ah'm... fine the way Ah am," Apple Bloom said awkwardly, finishing off the stragglers with her mace. It wasn't the first time Scootaloo had been urging Apple Bloom to 'show her true colors.'
Apple Bloom hadn't used her dragon form since Ember's command... she felt, worried about using it. Discord's foolishly reality retconning the Apples into were-dragons had far more dire implications than he'd ever intended. Could were-dragons infect others? Apple Bloom felt confused that she'd been never taught if that was the case or not.
Playing the role of healer for once instead of fighting with Apple Bloom over taking point, Diamond Tiara recognized the look in Scootaloo's eyes... She'd seen it reflected in the eyes of foals she'd once bullied. Silver Spoon resisted the urge to get behind Scootaloo from her little lifetime of deference.
'Something's wrong when I know dark magic but I'm not the scary one in the room,' Sweetie Belle thought dressed up as a necromancer in the pocket bubble created for the game. (With strict instructions and lessons from Twilight on how NOT to let his creations rampage through Ponyville... or Button Mash would be sent to Alicorn Prince boarding school on the moon for the next thousand years... Button Mash had made sure these creations could NOT leave the pocket bubble and the bubble could NOT expand... his mother had sworn to take away his Joyboy if he failed, and Button Mash was even more motivated.)
Session 103.4 Mtangalion
When word got out that the Apple clan, the very bedrock of Ponyville, had secretly been a clan of *dragons* all these years, most ponies started giving Sweet Apple Acres a wide berth. Not all, though…
Big Macintosh was out harvesting the south field all by himself, just like usual… only now he did it as a dragon in broad daylight, and didn’t care who saw! He could lift twice as many baskets, and *fly* heavy loads of apples back and forth. He worked harder than ever before and didn’t injure himself. He didn’t tire… he didn’t even sweat!
“Heh, what a fool Ah was,” he rumbled to himself. “Trying to hide this… trying to be humble about it! Ah bet even the Dragon Lord ain’t near as strong as Ah am!”
Yes, life was good… until his ear fins twitched, picking up the sound of pony hoofsteps. Too heavy to be Apple Bloom’s… that meant a stranger on *their* land.
“Big Mac?” asked a mare’s voice, hesitantly.
“Miss Cheerilee,” replied Big Mac, but he was completely focused on punching one of his trees just so, jarring a full load of apples into waiting buckets. Only then did he turn around to face her, brow ridge lifted and one clawed foot tapping. “Ya need somethin’?”
Cheerilee mustered up a warm smile. “So, it’s true. You’re a dragon now.”
Big Mac snorted, then took to the air, ferrying apple baskets to his wagon. “Eeyup. And yer a pony.”
Cheerilee’s smile faltered for a moment. “Even if you’re a dragon, I thought…”
“What’s this ‘even if’?” retorted Big Mac. “Something *wrong* with me being a dragon?”
She flinched. “No, of course not, Mac! It’s just… You’re still…” She blushed. “I mean, I can’t help but feel…”
Suddenly, Big Mac was right there before her, resting a clawed hand gently on her shoulder. “Lemme stop ya right there, Miss Cheerilee. You and all those mares that used to chase after me... If ya think I’m about to turn back into a pony and take ya on some kinda date? You can just buzz right off.”
While she gaped at him, shocked, Big Mac continued, “Unless, of course, ya can make nice with Mother-Queen Tiamat and convince her to make you a dragon. A *strong* dragon, mind you, not some flimsy thing that’ll *break* if Ah try to love ‘em.” He grinned toothily, gazing off into space. “Ah wonder if Miss Rainbow Dash is looking. Now *she* looks strong… and she’s a nice piece of flank, too… Of course, she’s lookin’ after that whelp now, so...”
The red dragon heard rapidly retreating hoofsteps, and saw that Miss Cheerilee was galloping away. Probably crying, too. Mac shrugged it off. Running away and crying was what weakling ponies did after all…
Session 103.5 Mtangalion
Flim glanced back to make sure he wasn’t being followed, then slipped into the cheap Ponyville hotel room that was their new strategic planning facility. It wasn’t a hideout… only criminals used hideouts, not fine upstanding businessponies like themselves!
“Did you know,” he asked Flam breathlessly, “that Ponyville possesses a shop which can turn out an entire room full of fanfilly swag in mere minutes? Banners, pennants, dolls, hats, costumes, you name it!”
The brothers considered this, then flashed matching grins. “Only in Ponyville!”
A short while later, the Ponyville farmers market got a little busier when a moving bush crept over to the temporary buildings. There was a brief but intense flurry of hammering and sawing, and somepony tossed up another stall, one that definitely wasn’t on the official list for renting the space, much less paid for.
Then Flim and Flam themselves rose from behind the counter, grinning up a storm… and wearing matching dragon costumes that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a foal’s school play. Nocreature would have confused them with real dragons… but the costumes also served to disguise the faces of Ponyville’s most infamous scam artists.
Even Applejack failed to catch on. The bronze and gold dragoness cringed, then hurried back to her own market stall, wanting nothing to do with a couple of embarrassing dragon fancolts.
Flim beamed, setting out more of the merchandise. “So far, so good, brother!”
Flam frowned, squirming in the itchy dragon costume. “Yes, yes, but do you think that hot tip will pan out? Will ponies really be lining up to purchase more dragon potions, here of all places?”
A purple mare slammed a saddlebag full of bits onto their counter, startling them. “Give me your strongest potion!”
Flim scooped up the bits and handled it over, pleased as punch… until Miss Cheerilee gulped the potion down right there and then. The brothers cowered and clung to each other as Cheerilee’s groaning and snarling form rose up and up, looming over them…
Back at Sweet Apple Acres, Big Macintosh heard another intruder and scowled, considerably more annoyed than before. “Look, Ah told ya…”
Then his eyes grew wide as saucers, seeing the mighty purple dragoness with rounded pink fins bearing down on him. “Th… that’ll do, Miss Cheerilee.” He grinned broadly. “That’ll do.”
Cheerilee matched that grin, then roared “MINE!” and tackled him into the bushes. Only their scaly tails were left visible, twitching every which way, then curling around each other.
“IT’S ABOUT TIME!” shouted Princess Cadence, loud enough to shatter some of Twilight’s crystal windows.
“Whoa, I’m not deaf!” exclaimed Shining Armor. “Another thing this dragon body is good for!”
Princess Twilight rubbed one of her ears, wincing. “Why do I feel like we’re already falling way behind in this battle?”
Session 103.6 Alex Warlorn
Tiamat's two dragons that had been the ponies Big Mac and Cheerilee were none too pleased when their newest round of burning out passion was interrupted.
The pair of draconic eyes zeroed in on one little gray earth pony. In the proper, prime heart-world, this mare had folded into herself seeing the stallion she loved express his feeling for another. This was not the heart world, and this mare had spent years in a herd. And she dared take a risk.
"Room for one more?"
The dragon that used to be Cheerilee said, "My big red dragon isn't interested in a mare who's going to snap in two when he next hugs her."
Marble Pie's expression didn't change. With one hoof, she picked up a boulder Big Mac had been meaning to get rid of, and tossed it out of the field far enough to make any dragon proud. Next she picked up a rock, and munched into it like it was an apple, and swallowed.
"I can take anything you can dish out Big Mac," The rock farmer said defiantly.
The two dragons' eyes widened at the feat... and politely made room for her.
Marble Pie thought of her family, but herd laws had never been taken off the books, and she and the others were legally a herd. And she'd drag all three of them to the pairing stone if she had to later...
-
Pinkie Pie felt her ears tingle and at the same time Cheese Sandwich felt a slight shivered.
-
When the foals strolled into the school room, they could only stare in shock at their teacher.
"Nice upgrade Miss Cheerilee!" Scootaloo grinned.
"Thank you dear," the purple dragoness said. She looked at Apple Bloom. "Shouldn't you be in your true form dear?"
Apple Bloom said slightly uncomfortable, "Ah'm fine the way Ah am."
Sweetie Belle whispered, "We better figure out something soon, or we're all gonna end up assimilated!"
Button Mash, not really wanting this to be all his fault said, "You're exaggerating."
"Today class we'll be going over the draconic treasures stolen by Ponykind over the centuries, and then I'd like a list from each of you of things you'd like to do that you can't do as a pony but you could do as a dragon."
"Cool!" Scootaloo said.
While the CMC and friends had no idea what to do... arguing and contradicting the teacher was WRONG... Diamond Tiara's eyes narrowed.
'I've had the head of the school board, my mom, wanting to mold my destiny how she saw fit... Not happening here!' It was time to put her crown cutie mark to good use. Diamond Tiara had often fantasized her cutie mark symbolized her inevitably ascension to Alicorn-hood... Well, time for her first verbal brawl with a dragon.
"Miss Cheerilee," Diamond Tiara in her best 'schmoozing with your betters' voice her mother had taught her. "I would like to share some draconic history that I've learned."
Cheerilee looked surprised but nodded. "Oh please dear! Go ahead!"
"The Pie family legendary claimed one of Queen Tiamat's eggs that she laid before time itself began, left in one of her earlier nests, and have protected and nurture it since their farm's founding. And Queen Tiamat has done nothing to reclaim. And since draconic law says 'no backsies' that would make the Pie family, ponies, the proud foster parents to an unborn dragon god. For such diligent caring without repayment, I would say ponies have earned Queen Tiamat's respect would you not? Unless you believe the trinkets ponies have claimed through right of conquest were equal to that of one of the first generation spawn of the ryujin themselves."
"Those treasures were claimed through trickery!"
"So was the Bloodstone Scepter from one of the previous Dragon Lords, and yet they are admired and respected in draconic history."
"Er, yes, that is true."
"So shouldn't therefore pony tactics be deemed worthy of respect if they were good enough for a dragon lord?"
"Now I didn't say that wasn't the case..."
Apple Bloom whispered. "How did ya know all that?"
"I think I had an unusual royal tutor. I don't know if it was me from the future or Starlight Glimmer from the future."
Alicorn Diamond Tiara... that didn't give Apple Bloom nightmares like it used to.
-
"I wonder what our whelp will look like after centuries of being saturated by pony love and harmony," Bahamut mused.
One of Tiamat's head grumbled angrily.
-
Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood (in her ancestral Pegaopolis armor) lay on the ground twitching and smoking.
"Yeah, I'd say I've won this custody battle," The draconic Rainbow Dash grinned.
-
"WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON?!" Starlight The First and Sunset Shimmer both exclaimed in the 'chat room' Princess Twilight had set up with the enchanted journals across universes.
"Dragon-mania has begun to spread in Ponyville! Literally!"
Session 103.6 Alex Warlorn
"Thanks for the save Diamond Tiara," Apple Bloom said the words she never thought she'd say.
"Even if Miss Cheerilee gave you extra homework 'since you clearly are not challenged by this assignment'," Sweetie Belle added.
"Thanks. And no problem... I'm actually kinda used to it believe it or not," Diamond Tiara said.
"At least we don't have to worry about being assimilated at school now right?" Sweetie suggested hopefully.
"Ah don't know about that," Apple Bloom pointed. Scootaloo was turning the charms on Rumble.
"And just think, dragons don't have cutie marks," Scootaloo listed. "Plus, I think you'd really look cute in scales."
"I-I would?!" Rumble blushed.
"Hooo-boy," Apple Bloom sighed.
Session 103.7 Ardashir (and a little extra by me)
"Honey," Shining Armor said, his voice a growl, "I've been thinking." He walked up to his wife, flexing his claws and long scaly tail lashing behind him. Twilight gulped and backed away. Something told her things were about to go badly.
Cadance gave him a brilliant smile. "About what, dear?"
"Remember when we dated, and sometimes we'd play-wrestle when we couldn't decide what we should do?" Cadance nodded, still looking innocent, even as Shiny reared up, wings spread wide and giving a roar.
"Shiny!" Twilight yelled. He plunged down on Cadance, pinning her against the floor. Gently, not hurting her, but inexorably pressing her down. Twilight started to charge her horn -- she didn't want to hurt her dragonified big brother, but she couldn't let him hurt Cadance!
She stopped as Cadance gave her a meaningful glance and slight wave of one hoof. Uneasy, Twilight settled back as Shiny growled deep in his chest. "Maybe I should have a better title in the Crystal Empire -- yum, crystals," he licked his muzzle with a long forked tongue, "than 'Prince-Consort'. 'King', for example. And a room to use for my hoard. Oh, and a hoard in the first place!" His eyes glowed with greed's inner fires. "The Crystal Heart would make a nice start for it!"
He frowned as Cadance interrupted with a small polite cough. "What?!?"
"There's just one problem with those plans, dear," Cadance said in her smoothest and silkiest voice. She kept smiling, even as Shiny leaned more of his draconic weight on her. He lowered his muzzle to her face, a trickle of smoke escaping his nostrils.
"I don't see any problem."
Cadance just smiled and seemed to explode into pink and purple light. Twilight blinked away the sparks that danced before her eyes. As she did, she heard her BBBFF give a terrified draconic shriek.
When her eyes cleared she saw why. A shivering scaly Shiny was pinned under a claw almost as big as he was. Long talons tore through the carpet and dug into the stone and crystal beneath as a huge pink and purple dragoness, elegant and graceful even though she was three times Shiny's current size, held him down effortlessly.
A massive muzzle lowered to the frightened dragon and Cadance hissed, "I forgive you, darling. I know it's the dragon-essence and Tiamat's power doing this. But don't you ever try threatening me again. I can turn into the form of any creature capable of love, and this form isn't even my biggest. Understood?"
Shiny nodded weakly and licked at her fanged muzzle in a dragon display of submission. Cadance accepted it and laid down, keeping him pinned.
"Uh, Cadance?" Twilight forced herself not to flinch back when her old foalsitter tuned that fearsome face in her direction. She pointed at her brother. "Shiny apologized and he seems to have learned his lesson. When are you changing back?"
She did flinch at the blast of dragon breath when Cadance spoke, hot as a steam bath and reeking of sulfur.
"Oh, I may stay this way for a while. At least until you or Aunt Celly and Luna figure out how to get things get back to normal. As for Shiny," she gave her husband a lick with a long slimy tongue, "if he wants to live like a dragon, then he can learn what happens when a teenage dragon falls in love with a centuries-old adult." She leaned down towards Shiny, scaly lips pursing for a kiss. For his part Shiny looked to be somewhere between intrigued and horrified.
Shuddering at the idea of what was to follow, Twilight left the room. Se shut the doors behind her. As low draconic growls, hisses of delight, and moans began to filter through them she quickly cast a silencing spell on them along with a general 'Avoid This Room' spell for the rest of the school staff and students.
And then she hurried down to her office to write a very urgent letter to the Princesses.
***
In Canterlot, Princess Celestia nodded to her little sister. "We are decided then."
"Indeed," Luna said, looking grim. "Since Tiamat seeks to play a game with ponies and dragons..."
Celestia finished the thought for her. "We'll play as well. Or rather, the Alicorn of Games will." She cast a spell an sent a magical message off with one command: "Summon Prince Button Mash."
***
Elsewhere still, in a dark alley in Klugetown, a pair of little fillies slipped out of their stolen Diamond Wolf ponysuits to stand revealed as Cozy Glow and Ira. A purple alicorn, recognizable as Twilight Sparkle save for the surly look on her face accompanied them, loaded down with saddlebags and packs.The alley seemed darker than even the lack of light could suggest, and longer. Both ends of the alley looked like they ran off into infinity. If you looked down it either way, the normal noises of a Klugetown market day seemed dimmer than normal.
"Okay, Ira," Cozy said, looking around. Her gaze briefly rested on a poster that seemed to be in Prench and advertising a musical performance, odd for Klugetown. Massa de Requiem per Shuggay with Erik Zann as chief violinist, tonight only at the Cassilda Opera House? The Dirge of Shan sung by the King in Yellow? The pegasus filly shook her head. Whatever. "Now where's this music shop you told me about?"
"We still need to go down a few more alleys to get there," Ira told her almost-friend. She held up a map in one rotted smoky hoof. It looked like leather, very old by the ancient and near-forgotten Ponish runes on it, but Cozy decided she had to be wrong. Leather that old wouldn't still look wet. "But when we find it, we'll find Casonetto's Carillon, and he has that book about enchanted bells -- and then?" She smiled hideously, her teeth rotted fangs.
Cozy hugged her almost-friend. "Then we figure out how to use Mister Grogar's bell for ourselves!" She turned and gave False Twilight a kick in the flank. "Come on, phony pony! You're doing the carrying on this trip!" She and Ira turned and vanished into the shadowy depths of the alley.
"Of course, little Mistress," Twilight lowered her head, mane hanging to hide her evil smirk. "You lead the way. For now."
-
"Hey big brother!"
"AHHHH! Rumble?! Is that you?!" Thunderlane gasped at the gray and black dragonling.
"Yep. Scootaloo told me I should move up in life. She told me I'm gonna be really great at getting other foals to try out and see how great being a dragon is. Had to use up a lot of my allowance to get my hands on the dragon potion though!"
"Do you have a special talent for starting cults?!" Thunderlane heard himself exclaimed and covered his mouth. Trying to get out of his head the mental image of his baby brother getting a cult-leader cutie mark or something!
-
Starlight sneezed. "Why did I suddenly feel like there's a foal out there would make a great apprentice for me?"
Future Princess Starlight said nothing.
-
Rumble seemed to take his big brother's words in good humor however. "Don't worry big brother, everything is gonna turn out just fine!"
Session 103.8 Mtangalion
“Hold on, Your Highness!” shouted one of the Royal Pegasi Guards pulling Blueblood’s chariot. “There aren’t any dragons in the sky at present, but I don’t trust them not to show up and ‘accidentally’ make trouble!”
Prince Blueblood nodded, bracing himself in his seat. The wind was whipping his carefully groomed golden mane every which way, but there was nothing to be done about that at present. “Understood!” The pegasi swooped in low and fast, landing directly in front of the Friendship Castle and pausing just long enough for Blueblood to leap out before they launched themselves skyward once more.
Blueblood chuckled, watching them depart. “I’m in peril. No guards or attendants, potentially hostile situation… I suppose I should abandon royal decorum, this once!” With that, he galloped towards the castle doors, tugged them open with his own magic, and scrambled on through.
So far so good… but when Blueblood shut the castle doors again, he was cast into darkness. This wasn’t at all the welcome he’d envisioned. “Hello?” He heard whispering voices, too faint to make out, and soft steps scurried about the darkened crystal foyer.
Blueblood grinned, suddenly recognizing this game. “I should warn you all!” he called out, “You’re not dealing with some defenseless royal fop!”
The prince focused his will, and his unicorn body swiftly grew huge and shaggy, sprouting paws and claws and impressive fangs. His royal vestments did not burst apart… instead they vanished into the aether, instantly replaced with his authentic diamond wolf collar, thanks to the work of skilled royal enchanters and plentiful bits for commissioning them.
Now, fully revealed as a wolfpony, he could see the smaller canines in the dark as they circled and pounced! Blueblood staggered and fell, feigning being overwhelmed. “Oh, I am overcome! You scamps have bested me! Parley, parley I say!”
The little growls quickly became howls and barks of laughter, and the crystal glow gems flared to life, revealing Pavel, Elena, and Scruff sitting atop him… with a smirking Princess Twilight approaching. “And Rarity swore that you’d be terrible with foals,” she said.
“One serves as one must,” rumbled Blueblood, trying to smooth his wolf fur into some semblance of order. “But what’s all this?” He playfully ruffled Pavel’s headfur with a forepaw. “Not that I mind, but I thought I’d been summoned to negotiate with dragons, not for puppy-sitting.”
“Oh, you’ll definitely be doing that,” said Twilight. “Especially if Button Mash’s game backfires on us.” She teleported a bundle of letters to her hoof. “But since you were coming here anyway, I thought I could take care of some other royal business.”
Blueblood had only just shrugged off the pups and stood up, but catching the scents on those letters, he immediately sat his hindquarters down, whimpering and drooping his ears. “Dash it… And I thought the noblemares were persistent.”
Princess Twilight shook her head. “Apparently, as your ‘pony alpha,’ I’m supposed to order you to get your fuzzy behind back to Icehome and do your duty for the pack. They also suggested that having you spend more time around wolf pups might awaken your stubborn male instincts. Their words, not mine.”
Blueblood winced. “Yes yes, I know that Icehome has accepted me and all, but I’m also a Prince of Equestria! I can’t simply… You know...”
Elena padded over, ears flicking in honest confusion. “Why not? Did females offend Blueblood?”
Her brother Pavel joined her. “Strong males sire more pups, so pack will be stronger! Blueblood’s really strong, it’s duty to pack!” He and Elena grinned, nodding to each other.
Scruff the diamond dog pup blinked, pointing a claw. “Why are you wolves always nodding like that? Don’t you get dizzy?”
Elena tilted her head, as if Scruff had just asked why water was wet. “Wolves are strong when pack agrees!” She and Pavel beamed and nodded some more.
Scruff groaned, tugging on his own ears. “But I see you doing that even when there’s no other wolves around!”
Pavel rolled his eyes, but he patiently tried to explain. “Wolf with strong pack is strong, he’s never alone!”
“I feel like I should be taking cultural notes,” mused Blueblood. Then he did a mild double-take, noticing that Princess Twilight actually was taking notes. “Of course.”
Session 103.9 Alex Warlorn
Meanwhile, in the human world, Sci-Twi, as part of her seeking to get over her old social anxiety ... stared in bewilderment at her six friends... Spike was grinding online again. (And Twilight worried again Spike might start insisting on uplifting all dogs on the planet to sapience... like had been done to Gilda's dog, Ember.)
"You... you all decided for my campaign to WHAT?!" Sci-Twi said, her face blushing bright red.
"We're all playing nudist characters," Rainbow Dash said.
"EVEN FLUTTERSHY?!" Sci-Twi asked with a high pitched voice.
Fluttershy blushed herself a little. "Well, the others were doing it, it's all pretend, and it's not like I sleep in the nude."
"None of us asked that."
"OH!" Fluttershy clammed up.
"Look! It's not as bad as you make it sound!" Sunset said. "Rainbow Dash is a warforged barbarian, so there is no taboo about her character going around naked."
"I'm a fantasy-land war machine baby!" Rainbow Dash cheered.
"Well, we used a lot of our 'character level appropriate money' combined with that magic tattoo supplement you approved..."
"Oh, right I did..."
"Please don't tell my mom and dad about that one," Fluttershy squeaked.
Sunset said, "I don't see what the big deal is, you girls are so saturated in magic now that your cutie marks appear on your body anyway."
"NO ONE HAS TO KNOW ABOUT THAT DARLING!" Rarity hissed.
"And Rarity, you too?" Sci-Twi pleaded.
"Well. My character isn't exactly naked, you did approve my adaption of the diamond dogs from World of Horsecraft remember? She's a Saluki breed, so her fur covers everything naughty anyway... and is covered in jewelry along her arms and legs, some magical that enhance her defenses, some mundane. And she's a sorceress."
Sci-Twi began to wonder if she should have been more strict in what she approved for her friends' characters.
"Well, my character is a golden Kobold fighter, who has magic tattoos on her body that enhance her AC," Sunset explained.
"A KOBOLD?! Those pathetic weaklings? Most adventures can kill them by sneezing on them!" Rainbow Dash said.
"There is a reason why they're listed as hiding behind endless booby traps darling."
"Oh you'll see how nasty she can be in a fight," Sunset grinned. "Considering she's right in stabbing level to the place humanoid keep things... seriously, there's a reason we ponies evolved to keep those things safely in the back."
"Too much information darling."
"Oh! Sorry!"
Sci-Twi sighed. "So, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, what are your characters?"
"I'm playing a female Lizard Folk Cleric," Fluttershy said. "Remember how I asked you pretty please to have non-offensive one spell I could cast on my character as part of her back story being captured by wizards? I chose Mage armor."
"THAT'S NOT A CLERIC SPELL!"
"You didn't say it had to be a cleric spell."
"... No I didn't."
Pinkie Pie said, "My character does wear clothes."
"Oh thank goodness!"
"THEY'RE AN EXILED MODRON BARD BABY!" Pinkie Pie giggled. "The Great and All Powerful Primus The One and the Prime has severed my connection to the hive mind and sent me out into the multiverse, now I seek to understand all these weird customs and humanoids obsession with covering themselves even when it serves no practical purpose, BZT! Illogical! Must try on all outfits to determine meaning!"
"So, barbarian, fighter, wizard, cleric, bard... that leaves..."
"Ah'm playin' a jet-black chaotic good were-cat rogue. I used to be a lying jerk, but I got accidentally infected when I robbed the wrong isolated community... A malfunction of my curse means I'm stuck using' my hybrid or full feline form..."
Sci-Twi asked, "You're planning to infect every bad guy you come across aren't you?"
"What? Better than killin' 'em."
And Sci-Twi had been worried about the nudist thing...
Session 103.10 Mtangalion Ardashir Alex Warlorn
In the abandoned basement of the former Golden Oaks Library, Scootaloo banged a chunk of basalt on a desk. "Hear ye, this meeting of the Ponyville Dragon Whelps Cult will come to order!"
Rumble groaned and faceclawed. "Please, cult is such a nasty word! I'm just finding other foals who wanna try out our new draconic lifestyle!"
"Whatever!" roared Scootaloo. “It’s definitely gonna be the most awesome club!” She paused to glance around their secret headquarters, which was in fact empty, besides the two of them. "Once we get some more members. Hey, wanna burn more pictures of our totally lame former rulers?"
Rumble grinned. "Sure, sounds like a great bonding exercise! For our group, which isn't a cult!"
Many miles away at Canterlot Palace, Princess Celestia was ignoring a stack of photographs in favor of enjoying a banana cream dessert. "I wonder when those dragon tykes will realize that they've been magically flame-mailing these pictures straight to me."
Luna arched a brow. "You're not troubled by their disloyalty, sister?"
Celestia shrugged. "Should I be? The aristocrats meet to burn our photographs once a week."
"Of late, they only burn your picture, sister." Luna turned her morning paper to the next page. "The fools labor to convince me I should lead a coup and replace you."
That gave Celestia pause. "Have they forgotten what almost happened the last time that was tried?"
Luna waggled a hoof. "Nay. This time, they plan to poison me once I depose you. Apparently, they know not of mine immunity to such things!" She took a swig from a wine bottle labelled 'From Your Aristocratic Admirer.' "At least they're cutting back on the arsenic. It was ruining the taste."
More pictures appeared in bursts of dragon fire... a foal drawing of Celestia bowing before Tiamat, and another of her and Luna making silly faces while wearing piles of stinky poo on their heads in place of crowns. Celestia smirked. "It seems the whelps have figured it out."
“And still, they do not repent?!” Luna thumped a hoof on the table. "Reverse thy connection, sister! Mail something back that will teach yonder miscreants some manners!"
Celestia pushed her chair back from the table. "Better yet, I'll pay them a visit myself. Just as soon as I pick someone else up..."
"Fellow dragons!” bellowed Rumble.
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Still just the two of us.”
“Whatever! Fellow dragons, how have you honored Mother Goddess Tiamat today? MAKE IT GOOD! We're not wimpy ponies here!"
Without warning, a solar beam blasted right through the basement door. “Indeed, I am not,” said Princess Celestia. "And neither is she…”
Dragon Lord Ember shoved her way past Celestia, barely able to fit down the tunnel with her greed-enhanced stature. "You bratty whelps!" She breathed a torrent of fire over their heads, making both whelps cower. "What's the idea, insulting one of Dragonkind's few allies!?" She towered over them, speaking in a voice that literally dripped with venom. “WELL?”
"Hey, we're dragons!” stammered Scootaloo. “Being forceful, despising puny ponies, and refusing to take orders we don't respect is what we do!"
All the commotion was drawing a lot of attention to their formerly secret hideout, including Garble, who stuck his head in the tunnel. "Tell it like it is, little sister!"
Ember slammed the Bloodstone Scepter down, smashing the basalt chunk and leaving the scepter embedded in the desk. "Garble, shut up." She turned back towards Scootaloo and Rumble. "As for you…” She grinned sharply. “Heh. You were actually dumb enough to try it."
Scootaloo hefted the Bloodstone Scepter over her head. "Bwa-haha! I listened to Smolder's Feast of Fire story about Scales! Now I’m the Dragon Lord! What are ya gonna do about that, huh?"
Rumble gulped, backing away. “Um, why’s Ember still huge... and not obeying you?”
Ember spat fire at Scootaloo, then kicked the little dragoness in the stomach while she was shielding her face. The Scepter clattered to the cave floor, and Ember took her time stomping over, then bending down to retrieve it. “Because the scepter only works for a dragon who’s proved she’s worthy to be Dragon Lord! Now…” She shoved Scootaloo towards Celestia. “Apologize!” Just to hammer home the point, Ember planted one foot atop Scootaloo’s head, firmly holding her down.
Scootaloo shuddered as she was forcefully reminded that Ember was Dragon Lord, and she wasn't. "I'm sorry, Celestia."
Ember’s slitted eyes narrowed. "Apologize and MEAN it. You too, Rumble!"
"I'm sorry, Princess Celestia, Goddess of the Sun and ally to dragon kind!"
Above ground, Princess Twilight teleported into the crowd, sending ponies scurrying. "Is it true? Ember is back?! GREAT! That means she can use the scepter to undo her unwitting brainwashing of my brother and... my friends?"
Starlight Glimmer was wearing glasses and a t-shirt that read 'Welcome to the mind-control club!' "Sorry, is this a bad time?"
Ember emerged from the tunnel, snorting. "What do you mean, brainwashing?” Shining Armor, Rainbow Dash, Cheerilee, and Applejack were standing in the forefront of the crowd, and they looked upon the Bloodstone Scepter in awe when Ember waved it around. “Sure, the scepter makes dragons obey, but that doesn't mean I control their minds like some lame unicorn spell. They still have free will and choose for themselves how they obey me."
Scootaloo sighed. “Well, so much for the dragon cult.”
“It’s not a cult!” insisted Rumble.
Cheerilee put a claw on each of their shoulders. “That’s an easy mistake for other creatures to make, young ones… when you’re meeting in an abandoned basement! I believe we can serve Tiamat much better with an official dragon club, with regular meetings in the schoolhouse!”
Unnoticed at the edge of the crowd, a nondescript “pony” slipped away and into an alley. Queen Chrysalis would very much want to hear about a way to control dragons...
“So that’s the secret!” gloated Chrysalis, when her drone had finished his report. Green flames danced, transforming her into a beautiful but fearsome blue dragoness. "Once I replace Ember and claim the Bloodstone Scepter, I'll have an army of dragons to conquer Equestria with!"
Tirek just laughed. "I can't wait to see how you botch this one."
“Silence, fool! You will not interfere…”
Chrysalis froze, then looked sharply towards the ancient centaur. “What was that?”
Tirek arched a brow. “I didn’t say anything.”
Vastly amused laughter seemed to echo in Chrysalis’ head. “Clearly, the stress of dealing with this so-called alliance of equals is wearing on me.” She changed back to her natural shape, sneering. "Once I put that decrepit old goat Grogar in his place-"
She choked on her words as Grogar himself entered the room.
"And where would that be, little missy?" he snarled at her.
"Why, right over me," said Chrysalis, gritting her fangs and forcing herself to smile. "Master."
Session 103.11 Alex Warlorn
In the human world, the native Starlight Glimmer, conspiracy theorist... rather ironic, or perhaps fitting if the psychology of conspiracy theorists is to be believed, was playing a indie computer game centered around hypnosis... the problem was what the game was ALSO centered around."
"AGH!" Starlight banged her head against the table, and deleted the game before her parents were laid eyes on it. "Why does every single hypnosis video game out there have to be about sex! There are other applications for mind control you know!"
-
"No Starlight! You are NOT using mind control to make them ACT normal!" Princess Twilight said.
"But it would fix everything!"
"NO IT WOULDN'T! ... And WHAT IS TAKING SPIKE AND MINA SO LONG?!"
-
Spike asked awkwardly to the pegasus transformed Mina (normally dragon). "Uh, Mina, I know Twilight, and she's getting antsy by now... She keep dragon mailing me letters wanting to know where we are!"
"Sorry! So this is what it's like for weather drakes!" Mina said as she manipulated the weather with her newfound pegasus magic.
Thankfully Equestria was not so bureaucratically insane that you had to fill out a stack of paperwork to move about a few clouds and water a few flowers.
-
Dragon Lord Ember said to the growing population of ponies 'upgraded' to dragons, "So... talking it out with the Dragon Elders... and I'm supposed to ask which of you is the oldest or the strongest of the flight here? Though as Dragon Lord I get to fudge things! So I'm going to ask which of you is the smartest?"
Shining Armor (thankfully with Spike The Great a national hero, the crystalline crystal ponies had no fear of the gem eating dragon their prince had become), and Cheerilee both stood up at the same time and glared at each other.
"Why are you here if you're not a dragon?" Ember asked Marble.
"I'm part of this flight by being betrothed to Big Mac's herd," Marble said politely.
"Ponies do that?" Garble asked.
"We used to... and nobody bothered to change the laws."
Session 103.12 Jarkes
Starlight sighed. "Well, since clearly my help isn't needed, I'm just going to go make out with Sunburst in my room until this all blows over. Don't wait up!" With that, she teleported away.
Future Starlight suddenly received another letter. "Oh, this one's from Luster Dawn. 'Dear Past Princess Twilight, thank you for making sure that Starlight and Sunburst ensure my existence. ...At least I'm pretty sure they're my parents in at least one timeline. It's REALLY unclear.' ...You know, you'd think it would feel awkward for me to read about my past self doing it, but I'm basically desensitized by now."
Twilight made an incomprehensible groan.
Session 103.13 Mtangalion
“Whatever could be taking Prince Button Mash so long!?” demanded Princess Luna, stamping a hoof in frustration. “We summoned him as high sovereigns of Equestria, did we not? He does not strike me as the sort of colt who would patiently wait on a royal carriage, or the train…” Luna trailed off. “Do you hear that, sister?”
Indeed, there was a high-pitched ‘waaauuughh!’ sound in the air, faint and coming from a great distance, but rapidly drawing nearer.
Princess Celestia smiled. “I believe that Prince Button will be joining us shortly.”
Luna opened her mouth to demand an explanation, but just then a small bronze and amber blur rocketed into the courtyard outside, making the castle towers ring and light up as it rapidly ricocheted between them like a runaway ball in a giant pinball machine.
A panicked royal guard bolted into the throne room. “A-a-announcing… Prince Button Mash!” he shouted, before diving out of the way.
Button shot through the open doors and skidded right up to the royal dias before he landed in a heap. “Whoa, whoa whoa…” He put a hoof to his head and tried to refold his wings, pupils still rolling round and round in his eyes.
Luna quickly extinguised the smoldering carpet with conjured icy mists. “We know that thou art new to thy powers, Button Mash, but ye must learn better control!”
The Alicorn colt blushed. “Sorry, I’m trying! It’s just… whenever I start flying, I’ve gotta go fast!” Across the throne room, a scroll appeared in a burst of fire and dark smoke, falling onto a pile of similar scrolls. “Um, what was that?”
“It’s just another lawsuit,” said Celestia soothingly. “Pay them no mind.” Indeed, a castle maid was using a levitated push broom to shove all the scrolls into an open furnace. “Now, tell us your plan to ease tensions between dragons and our ponies in Ponyville.”
“Oh, that’s easy!” said Button Mash brightly. “We’ll do what always works… challenge them to a game of O&O!”
Luna frowned. “Would this be some grand contest with the highest stakes? More ponies becoming dragons, or dragons changed back to ponies, depending on the outcome? Winning would solve many problems, but we could ill-afford to lose.”
“Nah, nothing like that,” said Button. “We just need to get all those new dragons having a good time with everycreature, so the Magic of Friendship can kick in and remind them that they’re still ponies at heart. Ponies and dragons, just having fun!”
“You’re far too casual about dropping titles, Princess…” Blueblood sighed heavily. “My apologies… Twilight. As a properly bred and educated royal pony, I am proud to be known as Prince Blueblood of Equestria, Grand Marshall of the Realm, Admiral of Their Highnesses’ Navy!”
“And Icehome’s most eligible bachelor,” quipped Trixie smugly, having just arrived to join the strategy discussion.
The wolf pups started nodding while Blueblood fumed. “You’re one to talk, Miss Queen of the Gem Dogs.”
Somehow, Trixie and Blueblood wound up in their canine forms, snarling at each other.
“Pampered overbred pup!”
“Incessantly yapping mongrel!”
Twilight banged her head against the map table. “If those two getting together is vital to the future, I don’t want to hear about it!”