//------------------------------// // The Invitation and the Call // Story: The Embers of Friendship // by Whinifree //------------------------------// With her daily flight across the Dragonlands interrupted by the sudden arrival of the letter, Princess Ember stared at the rolled up parchment that hovered in the air before her. Tied to the center of the paper by a thin, red string was a small, circular object bearing a maroon, six-pronged star on its surface. Instantly recognizing the image as the seal of her new pony friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Ember snatched the letter out of the air. “Okay, Twilight, what part about dragons am I helping you learn today?” She unfurled the parchment and began to read. From the desk of Princess Twilight Sparkle. My good friend, Dragon Lord Ember, on behalf of myself and the citizens of Equestria, I would like to extend an invitation to you to attend one of ponykind's most popular annual festivals here in my home of Ponyville! To keep things exciting, I won't tell you in this letter exactly what the festival is or its significance for us ponies, but I can assure you that your attendance will really help our work in improving relations between dragons and ponies. Plus, it will be lots of fun! Ember raised an eyebrow. “Not what I was expecting.” Carefully gripping the letter and the Bloodstone Scepter in one claw, Ember rubbed her forehead as the steady flapping of her wings kept her aloft above the rocky, volcanic wastes far below. She took a quick breath and scratched at a small itch on the back of her neck before glancing back to the paper, closely examining the words. “I guess... tell me more, Twilight.” There is one special thing I'd like to request of your visit (I also want to apologize for sounding presumptuous): I'd like your arrival in Ponyville to be a surprise. I can work out a plan with my friends to have you stay in our castle until the festival. Speaking of my friends, Spike has been telling them nothing but good things about you, and they are all very eager to meet you! At the mention of Spike vouching for her to Twilight's other friends, a gentle flame ignited inside Ember's heart and she grinned slightly. "That's nice of him, but, I hope he's not making me out to be some kind of softscale." I'll understand if you don't want to come, but it would really mean a lot to Spike, Rarity, and myself, as well as the rest of our friends, if you could make it. The festival is approximately two weeks from today. If you would like to attend, use The Call of the Dragon Lord on Spike (it was Spike's idea. Don't worry. He promised he wouldn't mind!). Then at sundown a couple days before the festival, meet me at the location I've marked on the map included with this letter, and I can use my magic to transport you directly to my castle. We look forward to hearing from you, and also seeing you again! Your friend, Twilight Sparkle Ember read the letter again before rolling it up. Turning her gaze toward the massive clouds of volcanic smoke that blanketed the sky, the memories from when she first met Spike and his pony friends six months prior replayed in her mind. She folded her arms, continued to hover in place, and the time passed by in silence as she pondered Twilight's proposal. “I don't know why she couldn't just tell me in the letter. A festival would be fun. I'd get to see Spike and the others again, plus meet all of his other friends.” Ember's arms remained crossed and her tail gently swayed behind her. She smiled again, and closing her eyes, she held the Bloodstone Scepter above herself. Picturing Spike in her mind, the scepter crackled with energy as it emitted a bright, white glow that faded after several moments. She lowered her arm to her side and returned her attention skyward. The clouds of ash had thinned slightly and scattered enough that Ember beheld a fiery-orange sky, and warm sunlight embraced her while the setting sun inched closer to the pointed crags on the horizon. “I'll see you then, my friends.” She turned south, and the warm air caressed the folds of her wings as she launched herself forward. After a short flight, Ember set her sight upon a towering, throne-shaped precipice that sat in the center of countless smaller bluffs. She kept a tight grip on Twilight's letter, descended toward the spire, and folded her wings as she touched her feet down on the flat rock. Facing back to the north, she kicked some pebbles away to the side before sitting down. She dangled her legs over the edge of the cliff, and set the scepter flat across her lap. Rapping her talons on the rocky ground, numerous thoughts began to swirl inside Ember's mind. “I wonder what kind of festival it's going to be, but why keep it a secret in the first place? How do I prepare for an event that I won't even know what it is until it's time?” She scratched her chin for a quick moment. “Maybe I could wear that suit of armor I used to sneak myself into The Gauntlet of Fire, minus that ugly helmet.” She peered out across the barren expanse. Dragons of various sizes and colors swooped through the skies from one edge of the Dragonlands to the other, while others lazed about in the many lava pools in the area. “Many of them out there could really benefit from something like this. It's an honor to even be invited.” Clasping her scepter in one claw and the letter in the other, Ember took a deep breath and rose to her feet. She turned and started to walk toward the mouth of a cave that was dug into the rocky rise at the opposite end of the precipice, but before she had made it halfway, she suddenly stopped and went wide-eyed. “Wait a minute. Many dragons here could use a lesson in friendship, and Twilight never said I couldn't bring a guest with me.” Ember grinned and glanced to the side. “And I know just the one....” She lifted the Bloodstone Scepter above her head, tightened her grip, and the scepter began to crackle with energy and glow as it had before. The glow quickly faded, and she let out an amused hum. “Now I wait. Shouldn't take him long.” Ember resumed her approach toward the cave and took a seat on a rock to the side of the entrance. She leaned back against the wall, folding her arms and legs as she watched the evening sky slowly darkening. Several minutes later, the sound of wings flapping reached her ears. A young dragon no taller than Ember landed on the cliff end of the precipice and stepped up to her. His scales were a fierce red, his eyes and chest plates a pale yellow, and he peered at Ember with a sullen look on his face. “You called for me... Dragon Lord?” “Yes, I did, Garble,” said Ember, sitting up and maintaining her canny smirk. “How are you doing this evening?” “I could be a lot better. So what is this about?” “Mind your tone, Garble. Remember who you're talking to here.” Garble let out a small groan, but nodded. “Apologies... Dragon Lord.” “That's better. Now, on to business.” Ember rose from her seat and held the rolled up parchment out in front of her. “What's that?” Garble inquired. “I hold here in my claw a chance to repair some of the damage that's been done to dragonkind's public image.” Garble furrowed his brow. “And?” “It's a letter from Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria.” “Yeah,” Garble replied as he rolled his eyes. “I heard you and the pony were doing that.” “She's invited me to one of Equestria's annual festivals.” “And you're actually thinking about going?” “Of course I am.” Garble snorted and a jet of smoke escaped his nose. “Well hurrah for you, we're all so very jealous. What does this have to do with me?” Ember let out a hearty laugh. “Oh, Garble, even you should have figured it out by now. You're coming with me as my guest.” Garble gave Ember a blank stare that quickly transitioned into a fierce grimace. “What?!" he shrieked. "You want me to go with you and hang out with a bunch of ponies?!” “Yeah, that about sums it up. Otherwise... I'm getting the feeling that there are countless dragons out there who could really, and I mean really use a hug.” Ember pointed her scepter squarely at Garble's chest and gave him a firm look. “What say you?” Garble scowled at Ember and flexed his claws as if he were about to strike, but didn't make any other movements. He mumbled under his breath, and a few moments later, he sighed and hung his head. “Fine....” Ember smiled and lowered her scepter. “Very good.” “But I don't have to like it!” “Fair enough. Don't let it be said that I'm not a merciful Dragon Lord.” Garble huffed and flicked his tail. Ember disregarded the notion. “Now then, when the time comes I'll call you here again and we will meet up with Twilight at the location on the map she sent me. I've already told her I'm coming. I'll use some of the magic parchment she's given me to inform her I'm bringing a guest, but I won't mention you specifically.” “What's the point of hiding it? She's gonna find out anyway when she sees me. And how do you know she'll even let me go to this dumb festival?” Briefly, Ember pondered possible explanations. “She might be willing as long as I'm there keeping an eye on you. I'll also tell her that you're there to learn about friendship at my behest. According to the things she's written to me so far, the latter is kind of her thing.” “As you will... Dragon Lord. Can I go now?” “You may go.” Garble nodded and kicked at the ground as he spread his wings. With a groan, he rose into the air. Ember watched in silence as Garble flew away. Once he was out of sight, she sighed, looked down and shook her head. A warm breeze kicked up and Ember stood still on the precipice for several moments before stepping into her cave. A large brazier sat in the center of the grotto, lighting the area with a bright orange glow from the fire that burned within the metal basin. Mounds of different colored gems littered the ground and glimmered in the warm light. In a corner at the far end of the cave was a gold-plated, brown leather suit of armor large enough for a young dragon of Ember's age. Ember spotted the armor and paused before weaving her way between the piles of gems. Stopping in front of the suit, she knelt down, set her scepter aside, and ran her claw over the golden plates. As she did this, she recalled something Spike said to her during the Gauntlet of Fire. That's what friends do. They help each other. Ember stared at her reflection in the armor plates. She smiled, and leaned back against the nearest gem pile, gazing up at the ceiling while she recounted everything that happened during the Gauntlet. With a deep yawn, she closed her eyes and the darkness of sleep soon embraced her.