//------------------------------// // New Home // Story: My Son, My Soldier, My Hero // by That_Random_Pony //------------------------------// The dragon mountains were beautiful. The snow covered peaks were the exact opposite of the grassy plains beneath them. Draco could see volcanoes even farther off, but even their sheer intimidation added to the beauty of pure nature. There was only one thing he wasn't okay with. It was freezing. "Does anyp-pony have a sweater?" he shivered. "Anyone, Draco," the king chuckled. "That terminology refers to ponies." "S-So, no sweater?" he asked again. "I'm afraid not," King Draco chuckled. "Dragons have internal fires that warm our bodies." "But aren't dragons cold-blooded?" The two royal dragons, and and their guards, laughed. "Did you read that in a fairy tale?" Ember asked. "Every other species compare us to reptiles just because of our scales and tongues." "We're warm blooded, like you," King Draco said. "Though our predecessors' bodies have adapted to severely hot conditions." "Oh," Draco said. "So where's your castle?" "We don't live in castles or buildings, Draco," Ember chuckled. "The mountains themselves are our homes." He realized what they meant as they started flying upwards. Draco held onto his seat, while the dragons simply sat with amused grins. They made a sharp turn into a large cave with several other dragons of varying sizes waiting. The massive carrier-dragon landed beside others of it's kind. A squadron of dragon fighters awaited their king, getting a grip on their weapons when they saw the strange creature. They calmed themselves when their king raised a claw.  "He is the Equestrian Prince," he explained. "Prince Draco." They could see his enthusiasm with the same name, but they only nodded. "Sire, I've readied the fighters," an orange dragon said. "When do we march onto Gryphos?" "What's he talking about?" Draco questioned. Ember and her father exchanged glances, deciding unanimously. "The dragons are at war with the griffons," King Draco lied. "We're sending a group of fighters to begin our assault." Draco's eyes widened. "S-So it's not safe?" he stammered. "We're fine here, Draco," Ember assured him, putting a claw on his shoulder. "They can't climb this high. Only a dragon can fly this high." Draco nodded. "So… where am I gonna sleep?" King Draco gestured to his daughter. "I need to coordinate the sqaudrons," King Draco told Ember. "I'll see you both in time." The two nuzzled briefly before the dragon king walked off with several armored fighters. "Come on, your room's this way," Ember waved. Draco followed close to his one friend in the new kingdom. There weren't dragon guards in the tunnels, only torches and lots of other intersections. He noticed how much warmer it was in the mountain than it was outside.  "Why's it so warm here?" he asked.  "Does it bother you?" Ember smirked. "I'm kidding. We built this cavern system above a dormant volcano." Draco slowly halted, Ember doing the same a few steps ahead. "We're… on top of a volcano?" he asked fearfully. "A dormant volcano," she reminded him. "We dragons aren't reckless like those minotaurs. We take decades or centuries to determine whether or not a mountain is suitable." Draco sighed with relief, catching up with Ember. "Did they have guest rooms, or is it for me?"  "For you," Ember grinned. "My father is very… calculating. He knew you'd one day come to stay with us." "How did he know?" Ember shrugged in response. "I wasn't sure either, but he had a strong belief you would," Ember chuckled. "He's not like most of our past rulers. They were always looking for a war to fight, or a meadow to set ablaze. My father wanted to make it peaceful for us, but he's never turned down the opportunity for war." Draco could see the mix of sadness and disappointment in her eyes. "You don't like fighting?" Ember raised her head and gave him a stern but friendly smile. "I've learned for two years how to fight," she said. "I would fight if I could, and I'm happy my father is looking out for our kind. It's just…" She shook her head and sighed. "Just-" "You don't see him a lot," Draco finished. "It was like that with my Mama. She has to work a lot, and she gets really tired from all her hard work. I played with her sometimes… and she used to read me stories… and… sing to me…" Ember frowned when she saw his attitude sullen from his memories. It had only been a day's journey to get back to her home, but she could see how homesick he was. She moved closer and wrapped an arm around him, he in return looking up to smile at her.  "My father would show me how to make shapes and pictures out of my flames," she said with a smile.  "That sounds cool," Draco laughed. "Maybe you could show me later?" "I'm not so sure," Ember stammered. "I haven't practiced, and I've only done it for a year." "Still, could you show me?" he asked. Ember sighed, then nodded reluctantly. "Awesome!" They turned down a smaller corridor, which had two final turns. She opened the thin, stone door to the left and motioned him in. Draco gasped as he gazed around the room. His bed was not only bigger than his mother's, the entire room was furnished and decorated with gems. His dresser was made completely of silver, the bed was supported by emerald instead of wood, there was a small desk made of ruby, and his nightstand was carved from sapphire. He plopped down on his bed, sighing contentedly as he sank into the mattress a bit. Ember chuckled at his actions. "So you like it?" she chuckled, glancing at the usual furniture.  "It's amazing!" Draco laughed. "Does your place look like this, too?" Ember nodded. "Although, my room is mostly ruby and pearl," she smiled. "I'll give you some time to settle in. And Draco…" He turned back to her. "…it's nice having you here." Draco nodded softly. "At least we'll be closer friends, right?" he laughed.  Ember nodded, amused by his still-innocent mindset. "Right," she nodded back. "My father will have a messenger dragon outside your door at all times. Whenever you want to send a message, hand it to him and he'll bring you any letters in response." Draco nodded again. "Got it." Ember smiled one last time before closing his door and going to her own.  Draco reached into his bookbag and pulled out his only belongings. His blanket, sone parchment, quils, inkwells, and the Smarty Pants plushie. He sighed softly, thinking back to the day before. Grabbing a slip of parchment and his writing tools, Draco sat down on the chair and put the paper on the desk. He wrote out a small letter for his mother, making sure not to smudge his writings. Once the letter was written, and he was sure it was dry, he rolled it up and went to the door. Stone doors proved to be much heavier, but he was able to get it open just enough to slip through. A tall, winged dragon stood at attention and turned to him. "Um, can you take this to my Mommy, please?" The messenger nodded, putting the scroll in a small case and sprinting down the tunnel.  The speed the messenger was running at astonished him. The only time he'd ever seen somepony go that fast was when he and… Rainbow Dash… raced in… Canterlot. Draco sighed and went back into his room, shutting the stone door for the last time that evening.                                                                                       Griffon/Equestrian Border "Hey Tails, come check this out," Talon called. The scout partners regrouped and the older griffon took the telescope. "What am I looking at exactly?" he asked. Talon sighed and adjusted the angle. "All those posts are empty, beak for brains," he groaned. "Are they giving up?" "Equestria's never given up a war," Tails muttered. "Always diplomacy or fancy magick's. So what could it be this-" "Uh, Tails," Talon stammered. "When's the next dragon migration?" "Four years from now. Why?" Talon smacked the scope away and pointed to the sky. Thousands of dragons flew through the skies, some descending quickly on them. Dozens of wingless dragon fighters were dropped in lower heights on the ground, overrunning other outposts along the griffon border. Two giant dragons hopped onto the platform and pointed their spears in the griffons' faces. The two dropped their weapons and raised their claws. "Guess we lost," Tails chuckled.