There were some monsters whose names alone could make anycreature freeze in fright. Names that anyone, even those who knew nothing about monsters, knew for their infamy:
The Leviathan.
The Baba Yaga.
The Nosferatu.
The Gorgon.
The Basilisk.
And above them all, the Typhon.
Said to be the father of monsters, the Typhon was a beast of terrible, fiery power, enough to wipe out entire nations in a matter of weeks. Stories of that power were tied to the graves of powerful empires throughout history. And now one Metallic Dragon wanted to make the Chromatics join their ranks.
Smolder’s mind first went to her parents and siblings. They wouldn’t stand a chance. They would be wiped out, as would so many other dragons she knew. Even those she despised didn’t deserve the wrath of a Typhon.
And this Valaxis plothole wanted to use the First Flame, the holy symbol of all dragonkind, to summon him?
“Y-You can’t be serious!" Jaden shouted, his eyes wide. "He’s insane! Nobody can control a Typhon! It wouldn’t just stop at the Chromatics! It would continue on to wherever else it wants! Equestria! The Badlands! Zebraswana! Even our home isn’t safe from this!”
Xieru's claws dug into his palms. "He told me so himself, and I looked into his eyes. His hatred for the Chromatics has made him lose all sense of reason. He will stop at nothing to wipe them out and damn the consequences.”
“But why does he need the First Flame?” Fluttershy asked in confusion.
“Summons require a sacrifice of some kind. For something as big as a Typhon, the First Flame makes a good choice,” Discord said, his grim tone sending a chill down Smolder's spine. “The First Flame just so happens to be placed perfectly at a crossroads in the world’s magical key lines. It’s quite literally a super sponge for magical energy; with the right ritual, it can and will summon the beast. If Valaxis summons that thing, even I won’t be enough to stop it.”
“Then let’s stop this guy already!” Smolder turned to Discord. “Teleport us there now!”
Discord scratched the back of his neck. "I can't."
“What?! Why?!”
“The First Flame is a symbol of Order. I am a Spirit of Chaos,” Discord said as he snapped his fingers, reappearing in a professor’s uniform, hat and all, with a chalkboard beside him. He wrote a complex equation on it that Smolder doubted was real, given that it used smiley faces, poo symbols, and Princess Celestia’s cutie mark. Regardless, he explained, “We’re like oil and water! Bacon and tofu! Heavy metal and disco! My powers wouldn’t work around it. I’d be as powerless as the time Tirek took my magic. Why do you think I used those vines to hurt the Tree of Harmony all those years ago? I couldn’t get near it in the first place.”
“Can you at least teleport us as close as possible to it, Discord?” Fluttershy asked.
“That I can do, but I don’t know how close you’ll be. You’ll have to fly fast to stop him.”
“Alright, then we teleport in. We fly fast, and we do not stop until Valaxis is taken down. One way or another,” Skyrir said with a determined expression.
“Discord, you should find Ember! She needs to know about this in case we fail!” Smolder said.
Oasis made a few quick hand signs. Smolder turned to Fluttershy for a translation as the pegasus said, “Apparently the Metallics have an army nearby.”
Xieru's eyes lit up. "Yes, Commander Joreim! Tell him everything, and to work with Dragon Lord Ember right away! We can put aside our differences for something like this easily!”
“But what about the rules for the journey?” Fluttershy pointed out.
“Screw the rules! It’s not going to matter if the First Flame is destroyed and we’re all dead!” Smolder shouted.
“Right, find Ember. Find this Joreim. And then I might as well find Twilight and the rest of her friends while I'm at it,” Discord replied as he began counting with his fingers.
“Wait, Twilight and the girls? Why?” Fluttershy asked.
"You and them swooping in to save the day is pretty much a trope by now," Discord said with a shrug. "And besides, the Elements of Harmony might be able to counter the ritual if need be."
Discord snapped his fingers. A portal appeared nearby, showing the base of a rocky mountain surrounded by dozens of smaller ones. Its summit rose high above the clouds.
“This is as close as I can send you, and the Flame's already taking a lot out of me as-is.,” Discord said as he wiped some sweat from his brow. “It will take some time for me to fully recover, so reinforcements might take a while. The rest is up to you.”
“Then let’s move! Come on!” Xieru shouted. He flew in first, with everyone else not far behind. Fluttershy gave Discord one last hug before she followed her student and the other dragons into the portal. Silently wishing them good luck, Discord snapped his fingers and teleported out of the pit.
Swordrock Point was exactly what one would expect: a sword-shaped cliff along a mountain's edge. One of the Dragon Lands' more unique landmarks, it lay on the border between Metallic and Chromatic territory. Throughout history, it had been used as a place for both sides to talk without invading the other’s territory, and often was the place where war or peace broke out.
Dragon Lord Ember and her guards stood on one side of the edge, glaring at the Metallic Dragons on the other. All of them were the same height as her own dragons, only they were wearing armor and had large blades on them, as if they were preparing for war.
The small army not too far behind them didn't help either.
Meanwhile, I’m peanut-sized, Ember thought as she looked around. She really tried to give the image that size didn’t matter, but she couldn’t help but feel it was necessary at this point.
Nevertheless, she had a duty to represent her people, and thus stepped forward, as did a silver-scaled dragon with a purple cloak, golden armor, and a crystalline sword at his side, thankfully sheathed. The two met in the middle of the rocky formation.
Despite having to look up at the much taller dragon, Ember stood as proud as ever. Scepter raised, she said, “I am Dragon Lord Ember of the Chromatic Dragons. Who are you?”
“I am Commander Joreim of the Metallic Dragon Templars,” he answered with a small nod. “We are not here for war, for a dangerous criminal that has escaped our lands. We have a scouting team looking for him, led by a dragon named Xieru. Have you seen him or any Metallic Dragons in your territory?”
“You know that no Metallic Dragons are allowed in our territory without permission.” Ember forced back a growl. “Who is this dangerous criminal?”
“All you need to know is that he is a heretic and hates Chromatics. We believe he wishes harm on your people, and we wish to avoid that,” Commander Joreim answered.
Ember narrowed her eyes. “Why were we not informed of this sooner? If he is a threat to us, you should have told us at once!”
“We believed that we would be able to capture him in time. We also did not know how you would react to this news,” Commander Joreim answered with a sigh. “We were afraid you would seek retaliation. We are not seeking a war. Again.”
“How dangerous is this so-called ‘heretic’?” Ember asked, folding her arms. She wasn’t the most religious dragon in the world, but she knew the Metallics tended to be. Then again, they use “heretic” for everything against their views.
“He’s made a deal with the Dragon Titan of Death, Null,” Commander Joreim said, which made Ember’s eyes widen and her tail freeze. “He’s already sacrificed a number of lives to summon dark creatures, and we believe he intends to summon a massive creature against the Chromatics for revenge on his parents’ death.”
“....Godsdamnit,” Ember growled, burying her face in her hand. First I gotta worry about Smolder and Fluttershy, and now this?! What else is gonna give me a headache?!
A portal erupted right between the two dragons. Spooked, they drew their weapons, only for Ember to look with confusion at who it was coming out of the portal. It was Discord, dressed in some kind of red spandex costume with a yellow lighting bolt symbol in the middle. It reminded Ember of those comic superheroes Spike had once shown her.
“Discord?!” Ember shouted as the Spirit of Chaos zipped past her before skidding to a halt. “What are you doing here?!”
“Well, hello to you too, your majesty,” Discord said with a snort, before snapping his fingers to get rid of his costume.
“Wait, Discord?! The Spirit of Chaos?!” Commander Joreim pointed his sword at the unimpressed intruder. “What are you doing here?”
“Relax, Commander. He’s a...friend of a friend,” Ember said reluctantly as she waved for him to calm down. “But he is right, Discord. What are you doing here?”
“Well, after my little tea session got canceled, I found out that my dear friend Fluttershy is on a quest with Smolder to deal with that First Flame thing you dragons do ever so often,” Discord answered, crossing his arms.
“They’re alive?!” Ember shouted both with relief and happiness. She then paused. “Wait a minute, you’re not allowed to-”
“Intervene? I know, but considering that they and a bunch of Metallic Dragons were in Cyclops territory dealing with a bunch of Nightwalkers about to sacrifice them, I think I should be thanked, then scolded.”
“Nightwalkers?! Metallic dragons?! That must be Xieru, Skyir, Jaden and Oasis!” Commander Joreim exclaimed. “Are they okay?!”
“I take it you are Commander Joreim?” Discord asked, getting a nod in return. “Great, this will make things faster. Your dragon friends told you to get with Dragon Lord Ember and her forces and make for the First Flame as fast as you can.”
“Wait, The First Flame? Together? Why?” Ember asked. A bad feeling started forming in her stomach.
“Because some crazy Metallic Dragon is going to use it to summon a Typhon, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to see half of the entire world turn into a wasteland if that thing shows up. So whatever differences you have with each other, put them away, get flying, and pray your gods are with us today.”
“Can’t you just teleport us there?” Ember asked in frustration.
“Believe me, I would, but the others called dibs, and subjecting myself to symbols of Order tends to take a lot out of me,” Discord explained as he snapped his fingers and a lounge chair appeared for him to relax in. “I need to rest up, and then I’m going to get Twilight and her friends. I’d get flying if I were you.”
Ember cursed and turned to Commander Joreim. “As Dragon Lord, I ask for an alliance with the Metallics and permit them entry into our borders.”
“We will work with you,” Commander Joreim agreed. “Let’s hope we can make it there in time and our comrades can hold their own.”
“Um, is the First Flame’s mountain supposed to be this scary?” Fluttershy asked as she looked up and gulped.
“No, it’s not,” Smolder grumbled. Red, thundering clouds swirled overhead as chill winds blew around them, punctuated by deep rumblings that emanated from the mountain every few seconds. It felt like the gates of Tartarus had opened.
“Either he’s already preparing the ritual, or it's just about to begin,” Xieru said. “We have to fly at full speed! No rest! If someone falls behind you, leave them behind! Too much is at stake! Now let’s go!”
Nobody waited for a response. Everyone spread their wings and flew as fast as they could up the mountain. However, they soon felt the effects of the ritual working against them. Smolder could feel the fierce winds already pushing them down and around. It was almost as if her wings were going to get torn from her back, but she managed to stay strong despite the bumpy ride. Most of the others were doing okay as well, but Jadan was still struggling and it was clear that, despite healing most of his injuries, his body was still a bit damaged since he was wincing. There was a large part of Smolder that wanted to tell him to take it easy, but his cute, confident grin kept her mouth shut.
....Wait, cute?
A yelp distracted Smolder, and she saw that Fluttershy was furthest behind. Her wings, already weaker than most, weren’t fit for this kind of weather, and she was struggling as hard as she could to keep up. Smolder bit her lip and began to worry about her teacher. Much as a part of her wanted to help Fluttershy with her flying, she knew it would only delay the others.
Sighing, Smolder let herself float back to Fluttershy. “Professor! Stay back and let us handle this!”
“W-What?! But I can-”
“You look like you’re about to keel over!” Smolder shouted as Fluttershy winced. “Look, we’ll go on ahead and you join us when you can! Just be careful! If the worst happens-”
“I’m not leaving you, Smolder!” Fluttershy shouted. “We came all this way to do this, and we’re going to finish it together! We survived this much and we can survive this too! You...You’re one of my best students, and I’m not going to leave you! Win or lose!”
“But aren’t you afraid?!”
“Of course I am afraid!” Fluttershy screamed, blowing Smolder back with enough ferocity to rival the winds. “I've been afraid since we started! But I’m more afraid of losing you and failing you!” She grabbed Smolder’s claw with her hoof and smiled at her. “You’re a brave and kind dragon, Smolder. And you are going to go far. I’m proud to have you as my student, and I'm going to see this through with you. If we go down, we go down together.”
“...You’re pretty cool, Professor Fluttershy,” Smolder whispered as she did her best to hide a tear. “I’m really glad I chose you to do this with me. I don’t think...I don’t think I could have without you.”
“And me without you,” Fluttershy replied with a warm smile. “Now, shall we go save the world?”
“Yeah, but I got an idea.” Smolder flew under Fluttershy, pressed her back against her stomach, and let the pony place her hooves around her neck. “Hang on tight, okay?”
“O-O-Okay!” Fluttershy shouted as she held on.
Gritting her teeth, Smolder kicked it into high gear. She wasn’t going to lose to this storm. Nor to this Valaxis plothole for trying to ruin the world. She managed to catch up with Jaden and gazed over at him. He nodded. but then turned forward again, only to curse in alarm. “Dodge!”
Smolder only did so by turning to the left just as a thunderbolt nearly struck her in the chest. It wasn’t the only one, as dozens of lighting bolts came down upon them from above. The dragons ducked, twirled, and twisted in the air to avoid them. She wasn’t sure if the bolts would kill her or not, but she didn’t want to find out.
“Cave to the right! Take shelter!” Xieru shouted, pointing to a nearby cave.
They all flew in, just in time to avoid a giant bolt that struck the mouth of the cave a moment later. Landing on the ground, Smolder let Professor Fluttershy down as they gathered together.
Xieru cleared his throat. “Alright, we’re just a few feet away. Here is our battle strategy." He pointed to Oasis. "You, Smolder, and Fluttershy will sneak around and see if you can find some way to stop the ritual. Me, Skyir, and Jaden will distract Valaxis and fight him head-on. Valaxis will stop at nothing to get the ritual to work, even kill us, so hold nothing back.”
His expression darkening, he locked eyes once with each of them. “There is a good chance we might not all make it out of this alive. Should the worst happen to some or all of us, I want you to know that I am grateful to have fought alongside you all. Bahamut blesses you in the afterlife.”
“We’re going to make it out of this,” Fluttershy said much to everyone’s surprise as she stared at them with conviction. “All of us.”
“...Yeah,” Smolder said with a confident smile. “We will.”
Skyir nodded with enthusiasm, while Oasis gave a thumbs up and Jaden gave a grin. “Let’s kick some flank out there.”
“Alright, let’s get going,” Xieru said.
However, Jaden took Smolder by the shoulder and looked at her with a serious expression. “You be careful out there, okay?”
“Hey, you’re the one facing him head-on,” Smolder chuckled. “I should be saying that to you.”
To her surprise, Jaden didn’t say anything. He kept staring at her for a bit before closing his eyes. “Screw it. I don’t want to die with regrets.”
“Huh? What are you-” Smolder didn’t get a chance to finish as Jaden took her by the waist, brought her close, and, before she knew it, pressed his lips against her own. Her eyes widened and her cheeks went crimson as her tail and wings flared out straight. She stood there frozen, her heart thumping like a drum as Jaden continued to kiss her.
But the strangest thing of all?
She liked it.
He ended the kiss and grinned as a blushing Smolder babbled a bit, saying nonsense words before shaking her head. “W-What...was...that?”
“Call it a good luck kiss,” Jaden replied with a wink, before joining his comrades, all of whom were giving him knowing smirks..
Even Fluttershy couldn’t help but coo as Smolder focused on calming herself down, torn between kissing Jaden back and killing him herself.
Giggling, the pegasus then asked, “So what was that about not having feelings for anycreature earlier?”
“Shut up.”