//------------------------------// // Dragon Council // Story: Calming Sigh-- with a Breath of Fire // by Laze Around //------------------------------// Flying through the air at mach one speed, my wings swung in powerful arcs, almost lulling me into a hypnotic trance as they were the only things worthy of note in the empty sky. It took me a day and a half to get into Dragonland from Equestria. Leaving behind the lush greens of the ponykind, and flying into the realm of volcanic wastelands of dragon kin. Even with me being so high in the air, I could still smell the faint fumes of the volcanoes that littered the dragon continent. Clouds in this world fly lower than in my old world. I never really thought much of it, or even noticed it earlier, but every cloud, smoke, or some other things similar to both, absorb magic. Or already have magic in them. Inside some of the volcanoes that I've passed by, I saw a few specks diving into the molten lava. Dragons, the teenage drakes, were enjoying themselves in what most creatures would avoid ever touching their body. Every dragon had at least some resistance against lava, it's only a matter of how much that vary. Depending on where the dragon was born, how they hatched, and who their parents were, a dragon may have differing characteristics. In this world, there is more than one Type of dragon. And apparently I was the newest one that came this millenia. A few more hours later and I was finally able to see my destination. A series of mountains that rivaled the height of Cantelot's highest tower. A sierra; mountain peaks likened to a saw's teeth, or a dragon's ravenous maw in this case. In the middle of it all, though, was a gigantic spire that dwarfed the rest. It stood twice, or so, more than the others. It was nothing but a giant spike that rose from the earth, but its size was more than enough to intimidate those who would complain of its tasteless shape. On the surface of every mountain in the area had multiple number of caves where dragons would dwell in. Inside were enormous bounties of gold, jewels, shiny trinkets, and others knickknacks that dragons procured during their travels as they grew from hatchling to adulthood. They often come here to settle down and have a family of their own when they've grown bored or have sated their greed in hoarding. I flew up all the way to the highest peak of the spire in the middle of the village, crouching low as I perched myself as I landed. ROAR The sound of a dragon's rage echoed in the village- or would it be better if I called it a valley? My eyes looked down and searched for the source, and found two dragons rolling down one of the mountain sides biting, clawing, and trying to end each others life. If the two had been nothing but teenagers, (a drake more or less human sized), I would have thought that they were merely playing. But two adults, male ones at that, having a tussle wasn't common unless they were trying to kill each other. In this world, like any other worlds, gold, jewels and any other shiny treasures were finite. There was a limit on how much a dragon could hoard before they would run out. Back then this was not a problem. If they wanted more treasures, all they had to do was steal it from another race. And over one thousand years ago that practice had stopped, because a strict law on theft from other races was established and enforced. Of course, the dragons all objected with this new law, and tried to stop it by killing the one to propose it. The one who proposed this new law was tiny compared to the other dragons. He was the size of teenage dragon, the same size of a three story house dragon's foot. They laughed at him, loud and mockingly, and an elder tried to squish him like a bug. What that didn't expect was for that tiny intruder to disappear under his massive foot and appear in the shadow under his chin, where he then swiftly crawled over to the elder's ear, plunged my hands through the membrane protecting it, and roared into the canal with a pitch so high, with no obstruction, that the elder didn't know he was dead until he started bleeding from his snout and eyes. [Howling] was a move designed to intimidate foes using a primal roar that would reverberate inside the victim's ear and rattle their brains from the sheer volume, stunning and making the victims hesitate. That was the effect when the target was a dozen feet away, and where they still had the opportunity to cover their ears for defense. But when used so close to the hearing organ, with no time or opportunity to raise any kind of defense for it, and where the pitch was raised so high that it would normally render the victim deaf even in a fair distance, it was no surprise to me when the elder started to froth in the mouth as he crashed down, dead before he even touched the ground. I was very reckless back then. My only battle experience came from the games that I've played. Rage had been driving me, and was still emotionally unstable. It still hadn't been a year since I came to this world, so I was still shaken from my near instantaneous shift in lifestyle. I killed that elder with a surprise attack, and killed four more, his sons, with four [Aura] attacks that snapped their necks with tremendous force. It was no easy battle. I got crushed under a fist or claw a few times, but the hate that I felt back then numbed my pain and kept me up even as all four ganged up on me. Overconfidence had been their downfall, bickering near the end on who would finish me off. One got impatient and made for the kill. He didn't even get the chance to see what killed him when my [Aura], in its natural state of being three times my size, sprung up and crushed his neck when he tried to kill me with his jaws. The other three soon followed. A burst of concentrated mana would always appear whenever my [Aura] made contact, penetrating their scales and going through the muscles on their necks and straight to the bone. After that, the Dragon Code was in motion: Five deaths, all wins for me. It was 'Winner take All'. My proposition was already accepted after I killed the elder dragon. It was a rule, a law, that when somedrake wanted to have a new code added to the laws they need to win three out of five favors from the dragon elders. But dragons were prideful creatures, and would never take no for an answer. Thus was the alternative way to pass the law: a duel to the death with an elder. The challenger could choose any of the elders that declared Nay, and fight them to the death. When one was chosen, the other elders were not to interfere at any circumstances. Without that rule, there was nothing to stop all five from ganging up on the challenger. The dragons respected only power and greed, and this extended to all species in the world. Without the laws, they would have killed each other a long time ago trying to steal the hoard of other, weaker, drakes... and nothing was there to stop them from killing hatchlings, either. Of course, I knew nothing of these laws until later, but the duel began as soon as that one elder raised his foot to crush me. Only two elders were present at the time, but they knew that the vote was a unanimous Nay. It didn't matter who I chose back then, that was already taken from me when all of them would say no. When all five elders were to refuse the new law, it would mean that it had insulted them in some way that they didn't like. It would be up to them on who they would send to execute the proposer. And one was quickly chosen and chose to quickly end me my crushing me under his foot. Unfortunately for me, there was no law saying that they couldn't kill the proposer to null the new law. That was another thing. In order to null and void a law, the one to propose it must be dead and another must properly appeal to the elders to abolish it. The four sons of the elder were quick to take advantage of the opportunity, for revenge and to take the empty seat that their sire left. Normally, the one to win over the elder would be the one to replace him/her, temporarily, but I didn't. I hated the dragons back then, utterly abhorred them. With the other four dead, stacking up my wins, that meant that I could take all of their hoards for myself. Luckily, one of them was the one that took the heirloom. After retrieving what I came for and forcing the dragons to follow the new law, I returned the stolen item and refused the offered seat for the new elder. No new dragon came to challenge me after that. They saw me take on five dragons simultaneously and earned their respect by winning. ROAR I continued to watch as on of the two fighting drakes was able to capitalize on an opening, and managed to latch on to his opponent's neck. He pushed down on his opponent's body and gave a mighty heave. I didn't hear anything from where I was perched, but there was no doubt that there would have been an audible crack that emanated from the now-limp dragon's neck. ROAR The victor bellowed out in the sky as other dragons stood back and watched the fight. They roared soon after with the winner, and proceeded to congratulate him. The dead and defeated dragon lay where it was, with only a handful of its kind moving over its corpse and mourn for his death. The winner then proceeded to fly into one of the caves, and came out carrying an arm full of treasures. I couldn't look anymore. These dragons sicken me. The only ones tolerable were the ones that isolate themselves away from this rabble. At least they were kinder than these lot. I looked down on perch and noted the dark shadows cast by my wings. I activated my [Shadowwalk] and sunk into it without delay. The faster I get to this meeting, the quicker I can leave this horrid place. Deeper down into the massive tunnels inside the spire, I continued to swim down, passing by rooms meant for the elders and their blood relatives. It functioned like a hotel for what the dragons considered as royalty. At the very bottom of the spire, deep underground, was a chamber filled to the brim with gold and other treasures. Enough to bury Ponyville twice over and still have plenty left to spill in the outskirts. It was the accumulated hoard by the very first dragon so many millenias ago. The treasures inside the chamber were gathered so long ago that they even exceeded the age of all the current members of the Elder Council, and the oldest one was nearing his 8000th birthday. The Council was made up of six dragons, all different from one another. I became one a few years after successfully deceiving Celestia and Luna with my [Aura]. Before I became one, however, there used to be only five dragons that held the entire Council. These five were the dragons of Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, and Magic. Each one has a name passed down to the next successor, where they would carry it on for the rest of their lives or until the decide to pass it to someone else from the same elemental type. Usually. Fuego, for the dragon of fire. Agua, for the dragon of water. Sora, for the dragon of wind. Titan, for the dragon of earth. It used to be Wyrm, but was changed twenty years ago during the annual 'Gathering for Nothing in Particular'. Then there's the dragon of magic, Da Wan, pronounced as 'The One'. When I came along and was added amongst the the top drakes, the normal element system was updated into a parody of the Elements of Harmony. They stopped using Fire, Water, Wind, Earth and Magic as the basing system. The Names were still passed down, but the selection in choosing the next elder now- (who didn't die in battle)- required the right characteristic from the elements of harmony to gain the seat. Now we have Da Wan of the Dragon Magic. Agua of the Malicious Generosity. Sora of the Hysteric Laughter. Titan of the Stoic Kindness. Fuego of the Brutal Honesty. And Kaiser of the Undying Loyalty. Ironic, since I didn't like the current bearer of said element. Da Wan was the eldest of the Council, being over 7900-ish. He was hatched during a chaotic storm, with the air nearly suffocating with magic residue coming from the land itself. His flames were enchanted from the very first time he breathed them. He didn't need thousands of years to passively absorb the magic in the air to manipulate his flames like his predecessor. He could manipulate them however he wanted. Agua was the second eldest: 7100-ish. She was hatched under the ocean, where the rest of the aquatic dragons resided. They lived near underwater volcanoes to help incubate their eggs, and gather pearls and sinking ships back when they were still allowed. The other name for their kind were Leviathan, after the greatest sea serpent to ever come to this world's existence. Though her fire breath was little more than puffing smoke, she has a special talent to take water through her gills and spit them out like a high pressure hose, strong enough to cleave a mountain in two. Titan came third, only hitting his 7000 this decade. He was hatched under the earth, or more specifically, he was planted like a seed under the soil and was left to grow on his own. Earth dragons leave their eggs buried so that they may absorb the magic from the ground itself and help them hatch, similar to how a seed grows only using the earth nutrients. This in turn made them like the dragon version of Earth ponies. They were big, strong, and were the sturdiest of all the dragon types. They were lazy, though, but kind. They were the least greedy of the drakes, where they only gather gems for food and nothing else. Sora was next, being only 6000 years old. His predecessor gave him the Name about a hundred and twenty years ago. Sora was the most frequent in changing the dragon taking up the elder seat. They were hatched on very high mountains, and sometimes even on clouds. They were flighty in personality, and had a very severe case of wonderlust. Their most interesting trait was that they had four wings similar to the dragonfly insect. The current Sora was the fastest of the Wind dragons, as well as the most... um. I suppose his personality was similar to Pinkie Pie's, only instead of throwing parties, he likes to drift around the sky and invite anyone who was interested. The current Fuego was only 3000 years old. Surprising since the council normally on lets those who were over 5000 to take an elder's seat. It spoke volumes of her combat prowess as the seat for the Fire dragons were mostly decided by battles to the death. But then again, revenge was a great incentive for progress. Ember Scales, the Fuego elder, was a short-tempered, ill-mannered, and angst-y dragon whose been after my head for centuries now. Well, I did kill her father and four brothers. Dragons live for a very long time. It's not surprising for them to have a child, parent, or relative to have thousands of years in age gap. The four brothers were actually getting groomed to replace their sire when he finally stepped down from the Council seat. After his death, the four took the opportunity to try and take it while also taking revenge and abolishing the (what they thought was) ridiculous new law. With them dead, however, the seat of the Fire elder became a free for all. Come to think of it, I think there was a steady decline in the Fire types these last few centuries. Fire dragons were born and bred close to lava or in it. They have the strongest fire breaths that could melt almost anything within a few seconds. Fuego's was exceptional, from what I've heard. She had a talent in concentrating her flames like a blowtorch, and even scorching through the another dragon's fire immunity. I don't even know how she does it. Maybe she was adding magic into it? As I was moving through the shadows inside the tunnels of the gigantic spire, I noticed that Agua, Da Wan and Titan brought along their children and were busy having a tussle in one of the bigger chambers. Sora and Fuego's cousins seem to be there as well. Heading deeper underground, about a quarter mile in, I finally arrived at my destination. I pulled myself out of the wavering shadows made by the dragon fire torches that served to light the tunnels. Heaving out a sigh, with a scowl firmly etched on my face, I walked further in and arrived in a gigantic cavern. All five dragons were already there. I was the only one missing. Three of the five had been busy with their conversation, while Fuego and Titan merely looked on, bored and stoic, respectively. The chatter immediately stopped upon my entrance. Da Wan and Sora both gave me a fanged grin in greeting, while the two others nodded. Fuego just glared at me with hate as I walked over to my spot in our circle. From the north was Da Wan, facing me in the south. Agua sat to Da Wan's right, with Sora on the left. I had Fuego sitting beside me to my left, wtih Titan sitting to my right. We sat with a fair distance from each other. The chamber was big enough that we all fit inside and still have enough space to stretch out wings. With that, all six were present and complete. "You're late." Fuego said, glaring daggers at my tiny frame. She was fifty meters long from the tip of her snout to her tail. I was the tiniest in the room, being only 5'10", human size. "I know." I muttered in reply, spearing my tail into the ground and leaning on it for support. "I had better things to do than show up to this nonsense." Fuego snorted, crossing her arms and giving me a sneer. "Ponies." she spat. I grunted in return, saying nothing else. Fuego, or Ember Scales, was named after the unique coloration of her scales. I only knew her name because she announced it to me during my first meeting as an elder in the Council. The real name of the others, though, were still unknown to me. Ember had been hatched in a pit of lava, and came out looking like a metal fresh from the forge. Even after she had cooled down, her scales retained their almost-golden fire color. While not uncommon, hers gave off an unnatural shine, or glow, under the rays of the sun. From what I've heard of her, she had been a popular during her early years as a pup. A lot of dragons tried to take her and add her to their hoard, but her father and brothers kept that from happening. Quite a strong family bond, given the nature of their kind. Her golden eyes would have been a beautiful sight to behold, if only they weren't filled with so much contempt. I turned my head away from her and faced the one who called me. "Da Wan." I addressed the dragon elder. "Let's hurry up and get this over with." "Aw, don't be like that, Kaiser." Sora said, waving his grass-green claws in a placating gesture. "This one's actually pretty important." "If this is like the one twenty years ago, I'm leaving." I told him. Sora merely grinned in response, his pale blue eyes filling up with mirth. The green elder was a member of the Wind type dragons. He was hatched on free roaming cloud a was already flying after he was fully out of his egg. That wasn't strange for his kind, but his speed as a hatch-ling was something of an intrigue. He was flying like a humming bird with perfect control, and was twice as fast as his fellow newborns. He was forty meters long with four wings. His kind were meant to be fast and light, and his wings weren't leathery like the typical dragon types. They were similar to the insect dragonflies', but every buzz they make were fueled by magic and helps them fly like how the pegasi do with their wings. He has an ability that nauseates everyone around him using his wings. Same with how my [Howling] rattles the body in a certain area of effect, his wings' range were more spherical. Everything within a certain radius would have a hard time reorienting themselves if he ever decides to vibrate his wings at a certain high frequency. "The eggs are hatching!" Da Wan grinned as I eyed him. "Ah..." I breathed out, nodding my head. That was all I needed to hear. Migrating season was soon. Dragon eggs are very, very hard to hatch. The new pups are only born under very specific circumstances. A heavy dose of magic was needed to wake the eggs from their dormant states. Up north, far beyond Equestria, an island materializes every 100 years. An island called Paradise. As I've said before, this world was a world filled with magic. Paradise was one of those places where the flows of moving magic meet: A ley line. Because of the amount of magic in the island, it would shift in and out of the dimension. Disappearing for a hundred years and returning for a full year. Enough time for the eggs to absorb a good amount of magic to hatch. The reason for its disappearing was because of its location, and its size. It was an unstable rock unlike Equestria where it could anchor itself to the land. Though not as powerful as the one in the ponies home country, the island's power was only slightly below compared to the land of ponies. And unlike Equestria, the island contained all of the elements needed to hatch all the types of eggs. An endless storm could be found on the north end of the island, where the land and sky were leaking concentrated amounts of magic; the place where Da Wan was hatched. In the middle was an active volcano, glowing with power and perfect of the Fire types to hatch their eggs. In the south was a deep trench, just off the beach, for the Water dragons. In the east side was a high mountain that produces its own clouds for the Wind types. One the west was a perfect field of soil for Titan and his kind. As for me, my purpose on that island was similar to what I do for my friends and acquired family. I was a guardian. I roam the island and look for any malicious magic and destroy it. The island's power was close enough to Equestria's that it attracted a lot of unwanted attention during its reappearance. And dragon eggs were a delicacy to some creatures. Like the Everfree forest, the sea surrounding the island was a chaotic and lawless region because of the ambient magic. A lot of monsters lurk under the ocean, many were unknown even to Agua and her kind. Out of all the dragons, it was the eggs on Agua's side that was in most danger. Because I had no form that could breath underwater, her kin were always the most vulnerable. It didn't help that most of the more dangerous monsters came out from the sea instead of coming from the island itself. The adults had no problem pushing them back in case of trouble, but the eggs were mostly the ones in danger. Once the eggs were set, they weren't allowed to be moved because once it started absorbing magic it was constant. Being moved from its spot could have detrimental effects on the newborn dragon, or even weaken it. The absorption process also takes time. Unlike Twilight Sparkle's assistant, there was no unicorn in the area to forcefully inject the magic into the eggs, and that method only works for eggs that were already set to become similar Da Wan's type. “When will the island reappear?” I asked. Though I didn't care much for the dragons, I did have my own reasons for coming to the island. “In a few more months.” Sora answered. “A few of mine saw the island blink in a few times before disappearing again.” “We also felt the ocean shift because of its momentary reappearance.” Agua added. “It’s going to cause a high tide and a few tsunamis to the uninhabited islands a few miles away, and unfortunately we found a few settlers in one of those islands.” Her long serpentine body slithered as her tail fin came came up to cover her coy smile. “I had one of mine warn them, though, but those griffons were very stubborn and still insisted on building their resort in one of those islands.” I snorted. “I’m sure you also generously offered them your kind’s assistance in fending off the other sea monsters from their construction?” “Of course.” she admitted clearly. “They even gave us some of their signature dishes as a way to say thank you.” “And now that resort was washed away with every creature inside dead.” I muttered dispassionately. “Tragic.” Agua sighed sadly, but the small smile on the corner of lips said otherwise. Agua was a Leviathan. Fifty-five meters long from snout to tail, with gorgeous blue shimmering scales. Her appearance reminded me of a Pokemon I've seen back in my old world: a Milotic. She was beautiful, graceful, majestic, sadistic, cruel, and finds amusement from the misery of others. But only to an extent. I wouldn't hesitate to call her evil. But even so, I didn't dislike her much. Shame as I am to admit it, her looks were enough to distract any creatures from their hatred of her. I say this from personal experience. Her laugh, or more like titter, would send goosebumps up and down your spine. Her eyes, both irises and sclera, were glittering sky blue. They would pierce your heart and dampen your raging emotions. Her smile, even the tiniest of curls, would make any dragon weak in the knees and prostrate themselves before her. She was one of the very few in this world that could turn her looks into a deadly weapon, where she could easily manipulate the hearts of both male and female kind. She knew very well of what her appearance does to others, and she had no reservations in taking advantage of it. It wasn’t much of a stretch to say that she could make anyone’s heart skip a beat, like what mine did when I saw that smile of hers. Placing a scaly hand over my chest as I looked somewhere else, I sighed in exasperation. The others in the room made sure to turn their heads away quickly as to not fall prey to her charms as well. This was why she was called the Malicious Generosity. She was a very agreeable dragon, and would willingly lend her aid, or the aid of her kin, to anyone so long as you didn’t ask for any of her hoarded pearls or whatever treasure she found from sunken ships. But then she’d milk you of every misery she could until she’s done “helping”. The phrase “Your tears are delicious” would always come to mind. "I'm sure it was." I muttered. "I hope that we can count on you again this year, Kaiser." Titan finally spoke. I looked up to the biggest of the dragons and nodded. "Of that, you can be sure of." If it's for the new pups than I have no problems in helping. Wyrm, now Titan, was an Earth dragon. Like his other brethren, his scales were one of the various shades of brown. Their kind have traded the use of their wings for bigger and better claws for digging. Like the Diamond Dogs, they easily wade through the ground like water. They've also acquired an instinct that would tell them if a spot is safe to dig and won't be in danger of collapsing. Earth dragons were bred to be big, and Titan was no different. He was eighty meters long and was two times wider than the rest of the dragons that have gathered. They would have easily subjugated the rest of the dragon kin had they been like the brash Fire-types. Luckily for the rest of the dragons, earth types were the kindest of all the dragons, and have the least amount of greed in their blood. And like every other elder, he also has a characteristic that stands out from the rest. He has a roar that could shake the very heavens themselves, make the earth tremble and rattle, the air vibrate in intensity, cow the turbulent waves to silence. He was proof that Kindness was not a Weakness. "If that's all..." I said, getting ready to walk out. But when Da Wan's smile slipped and turned into a grim frown, I new that there was more. The rest of the dragons also shared the same look. "That wasn't all, was it?" I asked. "No." Da Wan shook his head. "It wasn't." For the Dragon of Magic to become serious... it must be something that even he hesitates to go up against. Da Wan, the oldest of the Council, was a dragon who's learned to take life less seriously. He was still greedy, but a little more playful than the rest. He's fifty-five meters long, with dark purple scales. His build was similar to the Fire-types, and the only difference between them and Magic-types was the ability to manipulate their flames and conscious application of magic. He can augment his body and strengthen any part that he wishes to. They could grow bigger, smaller, older, younger; all they need was the right kind of trigger. The perk of being a Magic-type was having multiple specialty and talents. The can imitate the abilities of the other dragons to a lesser degree and also create spells using their flames. I would have also been categorized as a Magic-type if it weren't for my human form and other variants, as well as my nuclear breath attack. "I've been feeling that something is getting closer." Da Wan said. "So, you also started feeling it." I looked at he grim looking dragons. "The Rebound?" "That's a good name for it." he nodded. "It comes only after I feel you transforming." Because my transformation actually creates a minor distortion in the dimension, and it has my own magic signature in it, those with high sensitivity to such distortion would most likely feel it when I transform fully. Celestia, for all her "greatness", didn't notice such distortions, apparently. Or because such things were common whenever a unicorn teleports nearby, she probably just ignores it. Even though my transformations should create the same distortion signatures because it came from the same source of magic... it doesn't. My dragon Genes give me different properties and attributes depending on what Gene I'm using. Though I use the [Warrior] Gene as my base template, adding another Gene would change my magic signature's "Flavor". I become a whole new different creature when I transform. It's like an instant evolution. "It's fine." I said. "I've already told a couple of friends of mine about it and started preparing." "That's good." "I've also told Celestia and Luna about it." I added. "I see- Wait, what?" Every expression in the chamber suddenly change to surprise upon hearing my added news. My seclusion was no secret among the older dragons, and they all knew my disdain for Equestria's princesses. "As in," Agua spoke. "You yourself went to the ponies and exposed yourself?" "Yes." I nodded. "You mean like, you didn't have somepony tell it to the alicorns?" Sora asked. "Or maybe write a letter or something?" "No. I went there and told them personally." I said. "I'm surprised that it hasn't reached you all yet. It's already been a few days, and there's no way that the ponies would keep quiet about it." They said that gossip travels faster then the speed of light. Though I neglected to see if that was true, there was no way that the Canterlot snobs would ever hold their silence of the monster that interrupted the ceremony that Celestia herself had thrown for that heroes that defeated Discord. I completely forgot about it since Applejack and her friends said nothing. Even Miss Rarity. "Is this good news, then?" Titan asked. "Or is it bad news?" "That depends." I said. "I'm actually going to stop hiding and start walking out in the open again." From my left, I heard Fuego snort out a gout of flames. "Finally done hiding like a coward, then?" "No. More like I'm done acting like a hidden bomb." I said, panning my eyes over to her with an even stare. "The only difference now is that I'm a bomb out in the open. I could still be set off accidentally, but now also deliberately." Fuego snorted at my use of metaphors and returned to ignoring me. I could see that Da Wan and Agua were extremely pleased by this revelation while Titan and Sora still acted the same as ever. "That's wonderful news!" Da Wan exclaimed, tossing his arms up and grinning with his full fangs bared. Him, Agua and Sora all gave me their praises and congratulations in which I nodded in return. "Finally." Agua sighed airily, sending shivers up and down everyone's spine. "Everydrake will be very pleased with this." At this, Fuego smirked a little. "It's time to announce the superiority of the Council and the entire dragon race to the world. They'll respect us again and put those pony princesses in their place." "This calls for a celebration!" Sora exclaimed. And now I'm uncomfortable. Not really because of Agua or of Fuego's statements, but because of what Sora said. "I hope you're not including me in that, Sora." I eyed the green dragon. "Why not?" he asked cheerfully, completely ignoring or unaware of my feelings. "We're going to celebrate because of you, so you have to come!" Titan sent me a look of understanding while the rest gave me a smile. Even Fuego, seeing as I was uncomfortable with it, shot me a malicious grin. Agua definitely had a devious leer on her while Da Wan just looked like he didn't care as long as he could enjoy himself. "Stop being so recluse, Kaiser." Da Wan said. "We know all about your little bonds with the other races, but you really should start thinking about pups soon." "I already do think about the pups." I said heatedly. Da Wan scoffed. "Not the pups of others. I'm talking about yours." My lips pressed into a thin line as I looked back at the drake. That was a sore spot for me. "I'm still looking." I said plainly. "You don't need to look too far, Kaiser." he said, opening his arms and directing my attention to the ceiling above, or more specifically, the dragons on the surface. "We have great dragons here who have seen what you can do a thousand years ago. They have no problems in being your mate." "I definitely wouldn't mind." Agua added. "See!" Da Wan pointed, though I thought I heard a little bit of envy in his voice. "You lucky reptile." "There's also Fuego." Sora interrupted unhelpfully. "WHAT!" The elder of Brutal Honesty didn't seem to keen with the idea. Her whole body was glowing with heat, and her mouth was spewing fire like a blowtorch. It looked weird from my perspective. "Like heck I would ever— With that thing—!" One of her claws was pointed at me as she continued to sputter. Her eyes then went straight to mine. I broke eye contact and snorted. That seemed to have been the wrong choice of action. Fuego's body twirled in place instantly. Before I even noticed what she was doing, the end of her tail was already on me. The force behind the tail-whip sent to the opposite wall. I sunk a few inches into the earth and was aware enough to see the other dragons wincing at the same time. I felt a sting on my side, where Fuego's tail connected, and nothing more. The dragoness turned her back to me and huffed a gout of flame. "You okay, Kaiser?" asked the green drake who started the Fire dragon's ire. "Peachy." I replied. Damned Tsundere.