//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: A Burning Flame In My Soul // by Rated Ponystar //------------------------------// Spike used to always dream of being a knight when he was little. It was ironic considering he was a dragon, and, according to the tales, knights were always going around slaying dragons. Spike didn't learn about it until he was ten from a bully at the elementary school he went to when he was little. His adopted family always made sure to make the dragon the good guy in all the stories they told him. Still, even knowing this it didn’t stop his desire to be some kind of heroic warrior saving the day. Having been by Twilight's side ever since she became Princess Celestia's student, he was always in the Royal Guard's presence and admired their physical prowess and heroic duty. When Shining Armor went to the Royal Guard Academy for training, he told stories of his training and drills which only fueled Spike’s desires. His first experience of their amazing abilities was when he and Twilight were traveling with the guards to find a Mother’s Day gift for their mother when a few thugs tried to take his older step-sister as ransom for money. After all, being the Princess’s prized student meant she was worth quite a bit. Fortunately, the guards had managed to subdue them easily and Spike was only left in awe by their way. The only reason he didn’t sign up to be a Royal Guard himself was because he felt like he had a bigger duty to be Twilight’s personal assistant. That and his height sadly left him unable to properly be trained as a guard. Chalk it up to genes or lack of growing up in a dragon environment, but he was a very short dragon for his age until the rage potion incident. Having become big enough, he finally achieved his dream of learning to be a master of combat like the heroes he grew up admiring. However, due to his temporary exile, he couldn’t learn the pony way so he had to learn the dragon way. Ember took him in and quickly began helping him learn how to fight as a proper dragon. Not just with claws, teeth, fire, and tail, but swords, lances, spears, axes, and more. Dragons didn’t just rely on their physical features for war and battle, they were also experts in weapony. When Spike finally returned to Equestria he decided to test his abilities on a number of Royal guards and managed to win a good number of bouts until he lost to Shining Armor. Spike might have been good, but there was a reason Shining became the youngest Captain of the Guard in Equestrian History.  Still, Spike kept up his skills despite the loss and was proud to say he had become quite the warrior. Of course, despite training for twenty years, there were always those who were more experienced. Spike ducked behind the swing of a crystal sword before raising his own to block the downward blow from the golden armored female dragon coming right at him. Meanwhile, he was wearing thick silver armor that he would never have dreamed of wearing twenty years ago. One great thing about being older was how much stronger he had become. Of course, while he might have had strength, his opponent had speed. She was always more on the offensive side when it came to combat, while he preferred to be on the defense and wait for an opening to strike. Such as her current attempt to stab him, and his countering of it by spinning around and smacking her with his wings. She quickly recovered and turned around to slice at him, but he ducked and gave an upper swing to get her only to miss by inches. Again their swords clashed repeatedly as Spike attempted to break into the circle of his opponent, but she was able to block each time quickly. Deciding to try and get in a win with a risky move, he faked a downward chop before raising his leg to go for her legs. However, the golden armor dragon countered with a kick of her own but wrapped her leg around his and pulled him forward. She smacked her helmet against Spike's and dazed him long enough for her tail to wrap around his other leg and trip him. He tried to get up, but he found the crystal sword right against his neck as the golden armored dragoness pinned him. "Any last requests?" She asked. Spike sighed as he took his helmet off and grinned. "Can I get a kiss?" Ember took off her helmet and put away her sword before giggling. "Oh, how can I resist such a request from a handsome dragon?" She leaned down and kissed Spike on the lips as the two closed their eyes and soon embraced each other with their swords all but forgotten. A new battle, one using their tongues, began to erupt inside their mouths as they fought each other for dominance. Their exchange of love was like a burning flame being spread throughout their bodies from heart to heart. One that Spike never would risk losing for anything else in the world. Of course, this wasn’t enough to please the young male dragon who wanted more. And what Spike wants? Spike gets, he thought as he flexed the digits on his claw. Spike slowly moved said claw towards his girlfriend's rear end. Only their chests and heads were covered in armor, leaving their backsides and legs exposed to the elements. He squeezed the right hard scaled backside of his girlfriend’s rump, which made Ember cut the kiss to gasp before moaning as he began rubbing it like a genie’s lamp. Her scaled backside was one that Spike found himself treasuring more than anything, especially when he came to understand what sex was both in a physical and emotional sense. While Spike regretted the damage he had done thanks to the rage potion, he wouldn't deny that the benefit of being aged up was a great benefit. Ember, of course, never pressured him to put their relationship into a sexual tone, but one heat became too much for either of them, and it led to their first night in bed together. And by the gods above that night was awesome...although we had to replace the bed afterward. However, before anything could go further besides fondling certain prized assets, a knock on their door made Ember moan in annoyance. "Who is it?!" "It's me, Smolder," said a voice from the door. "Can I come in? And you two better not be screwing in there like last time! My eyes are still reeling in horror from that!" The two dragons blushed at the memory of Smolder walking in after a previous duel and finding them in a compromising position where Ember was sitting on Spike's face while handling his...other sword. "Y-Yeah," Ember said as he quickly got off and dusted herself off before helping Spike up. "You can come in, Smolder." She then whispered in his ear. “We can continue our spar later.” “Can’t wait,” Spike whispered before giving a quick peck on the nose. Smolder soon walked inside the dueling room wearing the prized ruby-red and obelisk-black armor of Ember's Scale Guards, although there was a golden sash around her chest to indicate she was captain of the entire force. Something Smolder worked hard for ever since she joined ten years ago. Spike could remember her final challenge to prove herself as the new leader of the Scale Guard by fighting against the previous captain in hand-to-hand combat and winning with probably the best suplex he had ever seen outside of a pro-wrestling show. The day Ember proudly put the sash on her armor was one of the few times Smolder allowed herself to cry tears of joy. It was not a surprise considering her half-brother, Garble, had inspired her to join the Scale Guard in honor of his sacrifice in saving them all from her father's plot twenty years ago. Just as Ember promised, she buried Garble's burned armor in the Cavern of Heroes after the incident, and a statue was made just outside the Scale Guard barracks in honor of his sacrifice. Smolder practically went there every week to pay her respects since he was not just her brother (half related or not) but the only member of her family that treated her like a decent being her entire life. Being born a bastard, Smolder had been mistreated for years by the rest of her clan save for Garble. According to her, he loved his sister more than any other relative, and being around her was the only time he acted "mushy." Even though he had long put his issues with Garble aside after his death upon learning what he did, Spike found it hard to think of the rugged and bullish dragon having a soft side. It made him wonder sometimes that, if things had been different, they could have been friends. Smolder also had the honor (though not in her eyes) of being the last of Clan Redskull, but she refused to take the name and formally disowned herself even though the rest of the clan had been put to the sword or hunted down and killed over the years. Smolder always said they deserved it, but one look into her eyes and you could tell she still felt some sort of grief for all that had happened. Combined with her brother's death, it wasn't a surprise that she was in a bad spot for a while. With a suggestion from Spike, Ember decided to send Smolder to Twilight's new Friendship Academy to help her out. It turned out to work as she not only found friends she treasured, but soon healed her emotional wounds before returning after graduation into not just a great guard for Ember, but also a close friend.  Bowing before the two, Smolder announced, "Sorry to interrupt you two, but Professor Rainbow Dash is here with some important news." "Dash is here? Huh, that's a surprise," Spike said before worrying. "Nothing bad, I hope?" "She didn't say, but we better not keep her waiting. She's outside," Smolder answered. Sighing, both Ember and Spike helped each other get their armor off before the former summoned the Bloodstone Scepter to her hands. "Well, let's not keep her waiting." The three of them walked out of the dueling chambers and into the main halls of the Dragon Palace, which had been updated in the past two decades. It was no longer just a simple dark cavern of tunnels and towers on a mountain but a full-on palace with towering obelisks, domes for study, diplomacy, art, and even a few housing areas for the staff and guards. Best of all, it was practically impenetrable with solid walls, siege equipment, and lava traps that the security could turn on or off with levers and switches. It was like combining the castle in Canterlot (which some inspiration came from) with the mountain itself.  Various servants, guards, or pages bowed before the Dragon Lord, Scale Guard Captain, and the Dragon Lord’s Consort/Ambassador. Being a consort was a big deal since it theoretically made him Ember's most prized possession and dragon due to being her lover. Spike had long gotten used to this, but he found it hard to take all the attention back when he started publicly dating Ember. Of course, he didn't wield any actual political power, not until he decided to become an ambassador for both Equestria and the Dragon Lands. It was more a symbolic thing.   The three of them walked onward until they made it to the outside of the palace, where the gardens awaited them. It was a fantastic feat in itself as it turned out there were flowers that could grow in the ash-like soil of the dragon lands. It added a charm of beauty rarely seen before. However, the true treasure lay below the mountain where, surrounding the entire base, was the city of Torchstone. The whole city was built with pure obsidian fireproof marble with dozens of iconic buildings, statues, and themes around its nine different districts, each named after the nine prime dragon gods of the dragon faith. For the first time in a long time, the dragons had a city for themselves fit for the sizes of all dragons, both large and small. It had been one of the many projects that Ember had wanted to bring to the Dragon Lands for change, and it was one of the most rewarding.  A new culture was being built around the dragons, and Torchstone (named after Ember's father) was the center of it all as dragons, now having a stable home, could build, create, inspire, and research without having to worry about survival. The various trade treaties they had with the other members of the Alliance of Harmony had played an enormous role in that as well. The dragons were already making plans to build two more cities, one for trade and the other for military purposes, but they were only still in the early stages of construction. Waiting for them, looking at the city from the hill they were on, was a blue-coated pegasus whose famous rainbow mane was flowing behind her with a bit of a poof to it. She wore a blue collared Wonderbolts jacket with the iconic logo of her former team on her back and the right side of her chest.  Upon seeing Spike, Rainbow Dash grinned and flew towards her old friend before fist-bumping. "Hey, Spike. Long time no see. Ember still keeping you on a leash?" "Applejack still keeping you grounded?" Spike joked with a smirk. "Yeah, but I'm getting used to it," Rainbow Dash replied with a blush. Everycreature had known the two rivals had feelings for each other but never admitted to it. Applejack was always too busy on the farm while Rainbow Dash was always too busy with the Wonderbolts until Discord, of all creatures, hatched a plan. Applejack had sprained her ankle one day and took a week off to recover in bed. Discord sent a letter saying that Applejack was "mortally injured" and "didn't have much time left," so Rainbow Dash should come over and “tell her how she felt before she bought the farm”.  She practically broke her speed record rushing to Applejack, burst through her window, and confessed her love to her at some point in a commotion of tears and babbling. After calming her down and assuring her she wasn't dying, Applejack grabbed Dash before having some hustling in bed together so loud that the rest of the family had to leave the house while trying to avoid giving Mac and Sugar Belle’s son, Big Sugar, The Talk early on in his life. Discord had been reprimanded for his actions, but every creature gave him some slack since he managed to get the two to get together and marry a year later. So all he had to do was work on the apple fields with no magic for a few weeks.  Of course, Rainbow Dash's job as a Wonderbolt kept her away from the farm for long periods of time, which almost put a strain on their marriage until Dash decided to retire early. Applejack was more important to her, and she had lived out her dream of flying with the Wonderbolts anyway. She also didn’t have to worry about leaving behind a legacy as not only had she helped save Equestria multiple times, she also broke a number of Academy Records and still was the only pony in recent memory who could do a Sonic Rainboom. It was quite clear that Rainbow Dash would never be forgotten for a long time. So Rainbow took a part-time job at the Wonderbolt Academy while focusing on helping the rest of the Apple Family on the farm.  "Well, welcome back to the Dragon Lands, Rainbow Dash," Ember greeted her with a nod. "Is there anything we can help you with? You said you had an important message." "Yeah," Rainbow Dash frowned with a sigh. "You know how we were supposed to have this year's anniversary of the Alliance of Harmony at Yakyakistan? Unfortunately, that's been canceled. The capital city suffered a sudden avalanche that wrecked a good portion of the main village." "Yona's family are okay, right?" Smolder asked urgently. She didn't have to worry about her yak friend herself since she lived in Ponyville with her husband, Sandbar, and their adopted two children, while working as Rarity's apprentice.  "Yeah, they're fine, but there were some casualties," Rainbow Dash replied. "They're going to be focusing on fixing their village and giving a proper farewell to their dead. Twi's already got some medical and food aid heading over to help while the Crystal Empire is sending some construction crews to help with the rebuilding. The Kirins are also sending some of their own to help with the ice and snow, while the Griffin Republic is sending a few divisions of their army to protect the yaks from any snow trolls who might get the idea of attacking the weakened defenses. Don't know what the changelings are doing yet." "I can also send some dragons to aid in the defense and help burn the ice away," Ember said with a nod before calling upon a nearby scribe to write down her order. Once he was sent away, Ember asked, "So are we canceling the event? I'd understand if we can't have it." "Nah, the Prince said it should go forward as planned, just without him and his entourage," Rainbow Dash said, shaking her head. "We're going to have it at Canterlot since we got Pinkie Pie and her husband...and their seven children. They're already working on setting everything up from what I heard." "Please tell me they're not going to let Button Pie near the party canon again like last year?" Spike groaned as he winced upon thinking how the little colt managed to get a hold of it and accidentally covered a good position of the attendants in brownie batter.  "You have to admit it was a tasty way to end the party," Smolder pointed out with a smirk. "Yeah, but I liked that suit..." Chuckling, Dash said, "And this is why AJ and I agreed not to adopt any foals. Big Sugar's big enough of an issue that he needs his parents and us to watch over him. Anyway, that's all I had to tell you guys. Date's the same, but different location." "Princess Twilight could have sent a simple messenger over. Or have it sent through Spike via flame mail," Ember asked, confused. "Well, I wanted to see my old friend and my old student," Rainbow Dash said, shrugging. "Speaking of which, mind if Spike shows me to a room to sleep? I'm a bit beat and not as young as I used to be." "Sure, follow me," Spike said before smiling at Ember. "See you later. We can continue our spar later." "I'll show you some new moves I've been practicing on," Ember replied with a grin as the two quickly kissed before Spike left with Rainbow Dash.  She then noticed that Smolder was giving her a deadpan expression. "What?" "How you two haven't had babies, yet I'll never know," Smolder snorted before rolling her eyes. "Just make sure I don't have babysitting duty when you finally hatch some younglings. I had to babysit Yona and Sandbar’s kids one time when I was visiting and I nearly shipped them off to Saddle Arabia." "You mock me now, but eventually, you will find a lover of your own, Smolder," Ember said with a chuckle. "I mean, most of your friends are married to each other save for Ocellus. Aren't you curious about finding love?" "No way, love looks so stupid," Smolder complained as she crossed her arms. "Sandbar and Yona are so sweet that I swear I get diabetes whenever I see them with each other. And Gallus and Silverstream are always acting like the perfect couple. I'm not unhappy for any of them, especially since they had to work hard to be together with them both being different races and, in Gallus's case, dating royalty while being a commoner. But I just find it so...weird." "Trust me, I thought the same thing too," Ember said as she thought about her early days with her crush on Spike and how she was attracted to him despite their age and size difference. "But, you know? When I finally decided to let go of my doubts and put my faith in those feelings? I never felt better in my entire life." "Eh, whatever," Smolder replied, shrugging. "I still doubt it will happen to me." "You never know, Smolder. You never know." *** "So, did you bring it?" Spike asked with haste as soon as he and Rainbow Dash were alone in her guest room. Smirking, Rainbow Dash pulled a black box and opened it revealing a perfectly cut blue colored diamond on a golden ring. "Here you go, loverboy. About time too. Twenty years and all of us got married except for you and Twilight. I guess egghead's going to need to start dating soon but considering she's going to outlive all of us, I guess she's got all the time in the world." Spike gave a warm smile as he held the engagement ring. He had been divided on whether or not to finally ask Ember for her hand in marriage until he finally asked Twilight for advice in his last visit that finally encouraged him to do it. Both she and Rarity had been working hard to give him a perfect ring to propose to Ember. Now, it was here, and he felt both ready to jump for joy and faint from nervousness. "So when are you going to propose? Tonight?" Rainbow Dash asked, eagerly.  "No, I want to do this both ways, so I need to prepare a God's Blessing to Ember to show that I don't just want us to be husband and wife. I want us to be life mates as well," Spike said.  "Are you sure you're ready for that? From what I know of dragons, it's a pretty big step," Rainbow Dash asked seriously. "Technically, both of you are still young for dragons with hundreds of years ahead of you. Can't you be married and do the life mating thing later?" "Maybe..." Spike whispered as he rubbed the back of his head. "But I do think Ember is the one, Rainbow. I know I've always focused so much on Rarity, but that was just a crush. A silly one at that. Ember and I have been through so much these past twenty years, and she's always been there for me. I've learned so much with her, and the bond we share is strong. Maybe I'm rushing it, but I think the two of us are meant to be." "Well, I won't stop you from doing what you want, Spike. You're a grown dragon now," Rainbow Dash said before putting her hoof on his shoulder. "Just be absolutely sure about this." "I find it funny that you, of all ponies, are telling me to take things slow and consider the choices before me," Spike chuckled. "What can I say? The older I get, the smarter I become," Dash replied with a proud smile while crossing her hooves. "So, you're just as smart as Boulder now?" Spike teased. "That's righ-hey!" Dash shouted as she chased after Spike, who laughed while running out of the room and into the hallway.