From an unknown location, Emily had been unconscious for some time. She moaned a bit and struggled to open her eyes. She slowly sat up and rubbed her forehead.
“Whoa, what hit me?” said Emily “Frosty, do you have any idea what…?”
However, she noticed that her brother wasn’t around. Come to think of it, neither were the others. She looked around and noticed nobody was there but herself.
“What the…?” said Emily as she slowly stood up.
When she looked around, she was surprised to see where she was. All around her appeared to be a place that nearly resembled Canterlot, but the buildings were larger, they were all in ruins, and there were plenty of broken statues. She was surprised to see how few statues were whole, especially because they were dragons.
“Whoa, this place has seen better days.” said Emily.
“Indeed, they have.”
Emily turned around and saw Bright Star, only she was a projection, floating as if she was a fairy from the Legend of Zelda, except she had a body and not an annoying tiny ball of light that everybody could step on or swat away with a flyswatter.
“What is this place?”
“This…” said Bright Star as she slowly looked at the place. “Is the city of Dragonia, once home to the dragons from long ago. This place was peaceful; the dragons, like the ponies, were once in harmony until Smaug the Black Dragon came along and destroyed everything with his power. The Knights were able to defeat and take away most of his power, but the damage had already been done, and they were forced to leave when this land no longer sustained life. Half the Dragons lived in Caribouria when they came to King Dorian for help; the other half traveled to what you know as the Dragon Lands.”
Emily remembered the bad history that the ponies had with the dragons from what Dragon Lord Ember had told her when she visited.
“Is this…” said Emily as she tried to grasp on something, then looked at Bright Star and asked, “Is this why they lashed out and attacked ponykind?”
“Because their home was destroyed, they waged war against others for no reason. A thousand years had passed, and the anger had faded. Spike taught Ember to tame it and help it be civilized. Thus, the Dragons accepted the change.”
Emily couldn’t help but smile in pride, for she was really proud of Spike for what he did. Emily thought about something, looked at Bright Star, and asked, “So…why am I here?”
“This is where your test will begin,” said Bright Star, pointing to the shrine’s top. “Your goal is to travel to the top of the shrine. Along the way, you will need to overcome obstacles that will help you get to the shrine’s top. Once you get to the shrine, you will face the guardian that protects what you seek. The guardian will allow those worthy of passing and seeking its power for the wielder to succeed as a Knight.”
“I see.” said Emily as she looked at the top, a bit nervous, but if it meant protecting her new home and, most importantly…Spike, she’ll do whatever it takes to keep her hubby safe.
Determined, she looked at Bright Star and asked, “What will I expect to encounter?”
“You will encounter a few things along the way,” said Bright Star. “And the only tool you need is your resolve. I shall wait for you until you return.”
Within moments, Bright Star disappeared, leaving Emily alone. She slowly looked up at the shrine. This was going to be a very long climb.
“This could take a while,” said Emily, but she sighed, “But I have to do what I have to do.”
She ran towards a stone stairway that led in the other direction. She climbed to the top of the stairs until she reached one of the stoned buildings. She thought about what to do, but all thoughts were cast aside as she was able to make her way towards her destination and climb onto it. She was able to get a good view of the place.
“Damn,” said Emily as she looked at the area. “This is gonna be tricky. There aren’t any straight paths. Most of them have either been destroyed or covered in vegetation. Smaug really did a number on this place.”
She looked down and saw at least a ton of trees all over the place and a cliff. She couldn’t help but smirk as she looked at the spot.
“Good thing I’m a star athlete. I am a champion at wall climbing, Parkour, and some training since college.” said Emily. “But now’s not the time to be overconfident. If I’m gonna make it to the shrine’s top, I gotta work fast.”
She soon climbed the stone stairs and headed toward the ground. She jogged towards the wall slowly to try and spare her energy if she was going to face something up on top of the shrine. She soon stopped near the climbable cliff. She dusted her hands several times and took a few breathers before she began.
She was able to find something to grab onto, allowing herself to scale up the wall and climb onto what rock she could. Without any climbing gear, safety harness, and rope, climbing up a ten-foot-tall cliff would be harder than she thought. Bit by bit, she found something to grab, then pulled herself up to climb up the wall while also trying to find a proper footing. Some parts were close calls. Sometimes her foot would slip, and sometimes a rock would come loose. But she couldn’t give up, not yet. For there was no other option.
After a grueling hour, she finally made it to the top. She found a rock nearby and sat down, taking a quick breather before she moved on. She looked ahead and noticed plenty of deep trenches and ditches, ones she couldn’t just walk or swing over. So, it would be a great challenge if it were to come to that. However, she noticed many trees around, with branches that were connected. She realized it would be a bit of a challenge, but then she remembered that one training she did involve walking on branches and required a lot of balance. Once she was done resting, she stood up and made her way toward a fallen tree connected to a larger tree.
Once she was on top, she used her balance lessons while also running on them simultaneously. Those hard times training that one summer camp had finally paid off. She jumped from branch to branch, making her think she was Connor Kenway from the Assassin’s Creed 3 game.
“And my brother thought that learning to climb and run like the Assassins from the Assassin’s Creed games was a waste of time.”
However, from the tenth tree, she slipped and nearly fell, but thankfully she grabbed the branch with both her hands. Dangling for her life, she was surprised that she nearly slipped up. She quickly climbed up and moved towards the tree once she was safe.
She wiped her forehead and said, “Damn, that was close. Note to self, don’t ever get cocky and overconfident when it comes to Parkour.”
She suddenly mumbled, “Though I wish Rainbow Dash could’ve done the same a while back.”
After many jumping trees later, Emily made her way to the last tree branch, which led straight to a clearing. She was surprised to see the shrine nearby. However, getting across was not going to be easy. There was no bridge but a very large gap leading to a nasty fall.
“Darn it.” said Emily to herself. “Now, what do I do?”
She then looked up and saw that there was a way for her to grab something. But it was pretty far. There was a 50/50 chance that she might miss, but she had to try.
“Okay,” she said, “Here goes nothing.”
She took a deep breath and ran to the tree branch. She jumped with all of her strength when she was nearing the tip. She reached out towards the ledge as far as she could. The moment she looked like she was about to fall, she was able to grab onto something, which made her tighten her grip in the process. She took a few deep breaths.
“Holy shit.” said Emily. “That was close.”
She was able to climb up and reach the top. The moment she was on the ledge, she was surprised to see what the shrine looked like.
“Wow, this place is beautiful.” said Emily. “I wonder why the Dragons never bothered to come back after a thousand years?”
She walked towards the stone stairs that led straight towards the stairs. That was until she heard crying. She looked to her right, and to her surprise, it was an eight-year-old dragon girl, who surprisingly looked like Spike but in a female version, crying while
huddled against a corner. Feeling sorry for the poor girl, she walked over to the girl, stood on one knee, and asked, “Hey, are you okay?”
“No,” sniffed the little girl. “No, I’m not alright.”
“What’s wrong?” asked Emily.
“I was bullied by the other dragons.” said the little girl. “They accused me of being a runt and said I would never fit in, no matter how hard I tried.”
“Why would they think that?” asked Emily.
“Because I’m young and I don’t know what it means to be a true dragon.” said the little girl “My mommy always told me about a special shrine from the top of this place, saying that there is a spot where dragons could learn the true meaning of what it means to be a dragon. So, I came here to see for myself. Only I can’t fly. I hurt my wing while on my way here.”
“Oh, you poor thing.” said Emily as she held onto the young dragon’s shoulder. “You can’t climb.”
“I can’t.” said the young dragoness. “I’m too scared to.”
Emily thought about continuing her journey but couldn’t bear to leave the poor girl behind. She looked around a bit and noticed a few plants she recognized from Zecora when she last visited.
“Wait here,” said Emily, “I’ll be right back.”
Working fast, she quickly gathered all the plants necessary for what she wanted to make. She used the rocks and leaves to mash the grass and leaves together, turning them into a salve. As soon as she was done, she looked at the Dragoness.
“Now you might wanna hold still.” said Emily. “It may sting a bit, but it has to be done if it’ll help you heal.”
She carefully placed the salve against her hurt wing, making the dragoness wince in pain. Once Emily was done, she tore off her long sleeves, hoping Rarity wouldn’t kill her for tearing up the fabric she had worked so hard to make for her. She then used the sleeves to make a proper bandage to wrap around her injured wing.
“There we go,” said Emily after she was done. “Your wing should feel better over time.”
“Thank you.” said the dragoness as she looked at Emily.
On the other hand, Emily looked at the top of the shrine, where the young dragoness said that what she needed to learn about being a true dragon might be up there. If it was up there, she needed to find out. She then looked at the young Dragoness.
“What’s your name?” asked Emily.
“Storm Fly.” said the little dragon.
“Well then, Storm Fly.” said Emily with a smile and slowly extended her hand to her.
“Why don’t we go together. Maybe together, we can find the answer we’ve been looking for.”
The little dragoness was surprised at first. She was frightened, but she smiled and placed her claw hand on Emily, allowing the human to help her stand up. Sure enough, the two of them walked together, making their way toward the Shrine, where both could find what they’d been seeking. They walked through certain parts of the ruins. From every rubble, Emily helped pick up Storm Fly and carried her most of the way, not wanting her to get hurt. Storm Fly wrapped her arms around Emily while resting her head against her chest. Emily couldn’t help but smile at the sight.
“Maybe one day…Spike and I could have a little one of our own.” thought Emily to herself.
They soon reached the stairs. From the looks of it, it was much farther than she realized. She motioned Storm Fly to hold onto her as she gave her a piggyback ride to the top. She kept holding onto her tightly to avoid letting the little dragon fall. Sure enough, Emily had reached the top of the stairs. And right before her, she saw the shrine appear inside a building.
She then allowed Storm Fly to stand on her feet and said, “Well, this is where I need to go.”
“Oh?” said Storm Fly. “You need to go in there?” asked Storm Fly.
“That’s right.” said Emily “Something in there is very important that could help a kingdom in despair. What about you? Where will you go?”
“Oh, in there.” said Storm Fly as she pointed at another building. “If I’m going to learn what it means to be a true dragon, I need to go in there.”
“Okay then,” said Emily. But then she thought about something and said, “tell you what? After you find what you’re looking for. Do you want me to escort you home?”
The little dragon perked up at that and said, “Really? You’ll go with me, even when I’m so different.”
“Of course.” said Emily. “It doesn’t matter how different you are. What everyone else says about you doesn’t matter. You’re special just for who you are. And that’s more than okay in my book.”
The little dragon couldn’t help but smile with tears in her eyes and instantly wrapped her arms around Emily, giving her a hug, with Emily hugging her back. After they broke the hug, Storm Fly remembered something.
“Oh right, here.” said Storm Fly as she handed something to Emily, but it was wrapped in some cloth. “You might need this. Just in case.”
Emily smiled and accepted it while saying, “Thank you. I’ll make good use of it. I’ll see you soon.”
“See you soon.” said the little dragon as she walked to the other building.
Emily looked straight at the building she was supposed to go in. She took a deep breath and said, “Okay then, here we go.”
But before she went in, she noticed a small waterfall nearby. She was quite thirsty, so she went over to have a drink. After taking a few sips, she pulled out a water can she always keeps with her just in case, which helped her out on many occasions. She used it to fill it with water, allowing her to close it and continue with her path.
Emily walked towards the shrine and went right inside the doorway. She continued to walk down the dark hall, hoping that she could reach the end in time. She doesn’t know what she’ll face, but she knows that whatever is on the other side, she needs to overcome it; otherwise, she and the others won’t stand a chance to help Thorin to stop Dainn and save their home.
Sure enough, she made her way toward the other side. The room was very large. What looked like a stadium on the inside? In the center appeared to be a ring. But when she squinted her eyes, she noticed a chest on the other side of the ring. She assumed that whatever was in the chest would most likely be the prize she would be seeking.
She walked down the stairs but, at the same time, looked around to spot any dangers. But the more she walked down, the more she felt that someone was watching her. Her hunch was correct when she reached what appeared to be an arena. A large entity landed near her out of nowhere, making her jump backward, for she hadn’t expected something like that to happen.
For appearing her, was a dragoness, who appeared to be the same height and size as Dragon Lord Ember, but her armor almost looked like a Valkyrie from the ancient Norse times. Emily kept her guard up, not wanting to take any chances. She saw the gift Storm Fly gave her but chose to place it aside so it would be safe from harm.
She walked to the center, standing where she needed to.
“You being here,” said Emily, “I assume you know what I’m here for?”
“Indeed I am.,” said the Dragoness.
“Then you know why I need it, right?” asked Emily.
“This one begs for forgiveness.” said the Dragoness. “But to obtain what you seek, the rite of passage must be earned.”
“I see.” said Emily.
Emily knew Dragons would like to fight more often than she could count. She knew that it wouldn’t be easy. Luckily, back in the human world, Emily had learned how to fight. She learned Karate, jiujitsu, and Kung Fu; Ember even taught her how to fight the last time they visited the Dragon Lands. She stood at the center of the ring, with the Dragoness doing the same.
“Before we get started,” said Emily, “I’d like to know your name.”
“Saphira.” said the Dragoness “You?”
“Emily Frost.” said Emily.
“Then let us begin.” said Saphira.
“Alright then, Saphira,” said Emily as she was pumped up, “Let’s do this.”
The two of them bowed to one another in respect. Then they stood back up and readied themselves for a fight. The two of them stared at one another, waiting for either of them to make a move. After a minute of standing, they charged and tried to strike each other, only to block one another.
Emily tried to deliver a few punches, but the Dragoness dodged left, right, down, and blocked four times. Saphira did the same, with Emily able to dodge and block, but the Dragoness was quite crafty, especially when she caught Emily a few times with the tail as she used it as a makeshift whip.
Saphira used her tail to grab Emily and tossed her further away. But thankfully, the human girl landed safely on both her feet.
“Wow,” thought Emily as she wiped the sweat away from her mouth, “She’s a lot tougher than I thought. But I can’t give up now. Everyone’s counting on us.”
She charged toward the Dragoness and delivered a high kick, but Saphira could dodge it, allowing the two to continue their fight. The two kept blocking to and fro, trying to oust the other. Emily was able to get an advantage over the Dragoness and remembered using some moves she remembered from her favorite female avenger, Black Widow.
However, just as she thought she’d win, the Dragoness pulled out a sword and lit itself in flames. Now Emily was in trouble. She didn’t have training this intense when she started out. Oh, how she envies the Shaolin monks for undergoing such intense training. She kept dodging left and right to avoid any blade strikes. But she couldn’t avoid the flame. When she wasn’t looking, the Dragoness ended up kicking her away. Emily skidded on the ground until she was close to the item that Storm Fly gave her. Emily struggled to get up, for she wasn’t going to give up, not now, not ever. But as she looked at what Storm Fly gave her, she was surprised to see what was inside; a Dragon Halberd. The Halberd is a long green shaft topped with a saber-like blade within its jaws, while at the other end was a trident head modeled after a dragon’s claw. She was brought out of her thinking when she saw Saphira attack. Emily realized that she didn’t have any other choice but to use the Halberd.
She quickly dodged, grabbed the halberd, and stood in position. Saphira noticed the weapon but ignored it, focusing on her opponent. Saphira charged again and struck, but Emily used her weapon to block it. To her surprise, the weapon kept the heat away from her, which could work to her advantage. She twirled the Halberd around as if it were an extension of her arm. She kept blocking left and right and parried some attacks, but the Dragoness was quite tough.
As the two kept their distance, waiting to strike one another. Emily had an idea, two in fact. One, she began to twirl the Halberd around as if it were a bo-staff. This confused Saphira, not knowing what she was planning, but she kept her stance.
“If you think I’m foolish to attack you without a plan, you’re surely mistaken.” Said Saphira.
Then Emily did the second part of a plan, which was the biggest insult language that would make any dragon angry. Dragon Lord Ember taught her something that would make any dragon angry. Emily smirked and said, “At least I’m not the biggest Darkle Feeble Beiger!!”
The Dragoness widened her eyes in shock, instantly making her angry, and charged towards her, which Emily was counting on, allowing her to swat Saphira backward and skid on the ground. She quickly got back up, and Emily kept her stance and maneuver.
“What’s the matter Agley Dauber?!!” taunted Emily. “Can’t beat a human?!”
Saphira got even angrier and charged while her sword was still on fire, but Emily swatted her hard on the gut, making Saphira grunt. And with great force, Emily swatted her away, making the Dragoness crash against the wall, then fall hard onto the ground.
Saphira groaned in pain as she stood up. But the moment she was on both her knees, Emily appeared from out of nowhere, aiming the trident part of her halberd straight at her. Both panted, exhausted from the battle.
“Do it then.” said Saphira. “Let us finish this fight.”
Emily then realized that this wasn’t what Spike would do. He would do what was right, accept those in a heartbeat, and even help those in need, no matter how different they were. Maybe this is why she loved him so much. She lowered her halberd and stood on one knee, pulled out her water can, and presented it to her, offering her some water. Saphira looked at it for a moment. At first, she was hesitant, but she realized that Emily had a good spirit, which a dragon can tell. She smiled and accepted it, allowing her to take a sip while Emily sat down, for it was quite the battle she endured.
“You have done well for a human.” said Saphira, impressed by Emily’s skills.
“I did some training back in my old home.” said Emily. “I still train every day. And it helps to put a little brother in his place every now and then.”
“I noticed.” said Saphira. “But if I might ask, how did you know about our language?”
“I learned it from my hubby, who happens to be a friend of Dragon Lord Ember from the Dragon Lands.” said Emily.
“Really?” said Saphira. “I’ve heard about another dragon kingdom, but we weren’t sure where. And you say that you learned it from your lover?”
“Yeah,” said Emily “His name’s Spike. He’s also a dragon.”
Saphira did a spit-take and was shocked to hear that. “You…fell in love…with a Dragon?”
“Yeah,” chuckled Emily. “When my brother and I first came to Equestria, we were confused and puzzled about where we were. But we soon got used to living in Equestria. My brother fell in love with a certain pony. She represented one of the Element bearers and helped him smile. Those two are crazy for each other. They even had kids later on.”
“And what about you?” asked Saphira after she handed Emily’s water can back.
“I helped Spike get out of his funk.” said Emily.
“What was wrong?” asked Saphira.
“See, when he first came to Ponyville with Princess Twilight,” said Emily “He had a crush on a certain fashion pony named Rarity, who happens to represent the Element of Generosity. But he failed to realize that it wasn’t going to happen, but he didn’t give up on trying. That was, until a human named Jim Silver, but now goes by Silver, came along, and Rarity fell in love with him. Poor Spike had been heartbroken, so I tried to help him in his time of need. Soon enough, we just clicked. And we’ve been going steady ever since.”
“Impressive,” said Saphira. “No one would fall in love with a dragon right off the hilt of a sword.”
“They haven’t met me.” said Emily “Sometimes love can surprise anyone.”
“On that, we can agree.” said Saphira, allowing the two to share a burst of laughter.
Until a voice called out, “Mommy, are you done yet?”
They looked to their left, and to Emily’s surprise, it was none other than Storm Fly.
“Storm Fly.” said Saphira. Storm ran over and hugged her mother, which surprised Emily.
“Wait, she’s your daughter?” asked Emily.
“Of course, she is, why…” said Saphira, until she noticed her daughter had a bandage on her wing. “What happened?”
“I had an accident.” said Storm Fly. “But the human here was nice enough to treat and bandage my wing. She even brought me up here so I could wait for you outside.”
Saphira looked at Emily, surprised, with the said human blushing at that.
“You…helped my daughter?” asked Saphira.
“Well, of course,” said Emily. “What am I, a monster? I would never leave a child or anyone else like that. It’s both wrong and cruel. I would do whatever it took to ensure they would remain safe or help them in their time of need.”
Emily was able to stand up and continued.
“We may be different, but a certain somepony named Sunset Shimmer once taught me. Everyone in life matters, no matter how insignificant or invisible they feel.”
Saphira was surprised by the wisdom she displayed. Maybe humans weren’t so bad after all. She smiled and stood up.
“You are kind and compassionate, Emily Frost,” said the Dragoness. “You even help those in need without hesitation, and you helped them despite being different. You have more than proven yourself. Come with me.”
Saphira led Emily to the chest with Storm Fly in tow. As they stood near it, Saphira unlocked the chest. As she opened it, it revealed a large item, allowing her to pull it out.
“What is that?” said Emily when she wondered what it was.
“This is called a Driver.” said Saphira “The power of the Knights once flowed through this, but since its original owner died, it remained inert. Now it seeks a new owner who understands the true meaning of compassion and love.”
The Driver suddenly glowed pink, allowing it to float right into Emily’s hand, taking her surprise, with Saphira smiling and saying, “It has chosen a worthy successor.”
The two of them stood up while Emily bowed in respect.
“Thank you for the opportunity.” said Emily. She handed the weapon she used for combat back and said, “I think this belongs to you.”
Saphira merely nodded no and pushed it back to her, surprising Emily.
“The weapon is part of it, too.” said Saphira. “Use them wisely.”
Emily smiled and bowed again, then said, “Thank you.”
She then noticed part of the floor beneath her was glowing, with Saphira saying, “It seems your test is done. Now go, return to your friends. Your trial is far from over.”
“Alright,” said Emily, “I hope we meet again. Get to know one another.”
Saphira merely smiled and said, “I look forward to it.”
And just like that, Emily disappeared back to where Moria resided.