Apple Jewel was playing happily with her cousins until she suddenly felt itchy.
Screw Ball gasped and pointed, "Jewel! You're glowing!"
"What?!" she looked and saw her cuz was right! She kept scratching. "Why won't it stop?!"
"I'll get help!" Gem ran out of the playroom that was in their Everfree Castle.
The rest of the cousins gaped at Jewel's condition and wished there was some way to help her.
Gemstone came back with their mothers and Applejack gasped at what was happening to her daughter.
"Jewel! Sweetie!" she held her girl, but Jewel was scratching uncontrollably.
"Help me, Mommy!"
"I… I don't know how I can, sweetheart! Nothing has ever happened like this before!"
Suddenly, Spike's voice cried out, "Help!" He rushed in and was glowing, too! "What's happening to me?!"
"You too?!" AJ gasped.
"Daddy! I'm glowing and I'm itchy!"
"So am I, honey!" he scratched some of his scales.
Rarity turned to Twilight, "What can this mean?!"
"What's happening to them, Mom?" Fire questioned.
"I… I… I honestly don't know! I don't know what's wrong with them!"
Discord suddenly popped in wearing doctor's attire and had Spike and Jewel on separate exam tables. He spoke, "Stand back and let the doctor do his job!" He had them hooked up to machines that monitored their heartbeats.
Fluttershy worried, "Oh, honey, can you really find the source of their glowing?"
"Glowing? I'm trying to figure out why they're itching! Dragons only glow when the Dragon Lord is summoning them to the Dragon Lands."
"And… you know this how?" Twilight asked suspiciously.
"Twilight, Twilight, I have traveled all over Equestria in my pre- and post-stone days. I have seen this happening with other dragons when the Dragon Lord uses that glow to summon his subjects. It only stops when the dragon goes to see the Dragon Lord."
Spike said, "So, we have no choice but to go see this Dragon Lord?"
"Afraid so, but I think it'd be best you went on your own in this matter. Ponies aren't welcome in Dragon Land, so you would be putting us in senseless danger."
"Aren't you technically part-dragon?"
"I have extraordinary powers that allow me to be free of the Dragon Lord's summoning."
"But what about Jewel?" Applejack pointed. "She's half-pony and yet she's glowing like a light beacon!"
Discord shrugged, "Who knows how genetics work in Equestria? Screw Ball is half-draconequus and yet she looks like a pony except for her eyes. Jewel looks like a pony, but she has characteristics of a dragon: the fangs, the fire breath, and now the glowing."
"I guess… I have to take her to the Dragon Lord, too…"
Applejack told Spike before he and Jewel started on their quest, "I really wish you wouldn't go alone like this. We don't know what this Dragon Lord is like and Jewel looks like a pony. As Discord said, ponies aren't welcome in Dragon Land."
"I know, but it's the only way this glowing and itching will stop. Don't worry, I'll keep Jewel safe and sound. After all, nobody wants to mess with a dragon dad!"
She gave a tiny smile and kissed him and their daughter, "I love you…"
"I love you too, Mommy…"
"I love ya, AJ…"
Father and daughter said more goodbyes to their relatives and left.
"How long until we get there, Daddy?"
"According to Discord, the glow gets brighter as we get closer."
She noticed her coat was getting brighter with each step they took.
"I'm sorry we have to walk. If I had wings, I would carry you so we can be there faster."
"It's okay, Daddy. Not all dragons have wings. Remember Mina and Firestone?"
"Well, let's hope the Dragon Lord and other dragons that were summoned are just as friendly as them…"
"Why wouldn't they be?"
"Dragons are very mysterious creatures. We don't really know much about them because there aren't any books about them. When I was young, Twilight and I searched the Canterlot castle library for answers because I was having a hard time figuring out why I was a dragon and what dragons were supposed to do. Eventually, we gave up the search, and with support from your mother and aunts, I was able to focus on the life I was living in. I may have been a dragon on the outside, but I was a pony at heart."
"Do you think I'm more pony or dragon, Daddy?"
"It depends on what you think, sweetheart. Do you feel more like a pony or a dragon?"
"I think pony because I don't know what dragons do other than they breathe fire and apparently glow."
"I wish I had the answers to being a dragon, kiddo, but even I don't know for sure what dragons do. That glowing was just as new to me as it was to you…"
"I don't understand something. If Mina and Firestone live in a Dragon Town next to a major pony city, why aren't there any books about dragons? Surely one dragon from there would write and publish a book about dragon knowledge."
"That is a very good point. We should have asked Mina and Firestone why that was, but between Snow Pea's Fire Tiara giving her heatstroke, the Umbrum attacking, and the Sirens and Nightmare Moon causing a sleeping curse, it never occurred to me to ask."
"Think once we get rid of the glowing, we can go to Dragon Town and ask?"
He smiled, "We'll do that."
"Whoa…" Jewel breathed, "Big dragon…"
Spike whispered, "Just stay in the sack and we'll be outta here…"
Dragon Lord Torch bellowed out, "DRAGONS! I HAVE SUMMONED YOU TO WITNESS MY SUCCESSION! THE COMPETING IN THE GAUNTLET OF FIRE SHALL START TOMORROW MORNING!"
There was cheering until he shouted, "SILENCE!" There was instant quiet. "Dragon law states I am allowed to choose a champion to retrieve the Bloodstone Scepter and I choose my daughter Ember to do it!"
A blue dragon appeared along with a younger dragon next to her. Jewel glanced through the bag to see the young male dragon.
"Huh. He's actually kind of cute."
Spike heard that and thought, Uh-oh… Are we on the first crush stage now? He tapped the dragon next to him that was red and had wings, asking, "Who's that next to Ember?"
"That's her son, Torch's grandson, Asher. Rumor has it he would have let him compete were it not for the fact he was so puny."
"What's wrong with puny?"
The dragon turned his head to him, "Hey, you're new! I haven't seen you around here before."
"Oh, that's because I've been living in Equestria."
"Equestria?!" The dragon shouted, causing heads to look their way.
Torch yelled, "Who dares speak in the presence of the Dragon Lord?!"
"It wasn't my fault! This guy claims he's from Equestria!" he pointed to Spike.
"Dragon! Step forward!"
Spike gulped while Jewel kept hidden in the bag, feeling worried.
"Who are you to claim to come from the land of the feeble ponies?!"
Jewel whispered, "Hey! Mom's not feeble!"
Spike shushed her.
"Did you just shush me?!" Torch demanded.
"What?! No! No, of course not, Your Dragon… Lordly-ness?"
"YOU WILL ADDRESS ME AS DRAGON LORD!"
"Yes! Dragon Lord! Sir!" he saluted with a fearful grin.
"Hmm. Dragons, I give you the Bloodstone Scepter!" He showed the scepter and then threw it into the Flamecano with fire bursting out. The glowing surrounding the dragons disappeared.
"Finally… Let's get out of here…" Spike muttered and started to quickly leave, but was stopped when a booming voice barked.
"NOT SO FAST! I DID NOT SAY YOU COULD GO! IF I WANTED YOU TO LEAVE, I WOULD HAVE SAID 'GO AWAY!' BUT I DID NOT! NOW STAY!"
Spike gulped and froze in place. In the sack, Jewel was quivering.
"I thought I had made sure to keep the summoning from any member of the Dragon Town clan."
The dragons made gagging sounds.
"Huh? The Dragon Town in Fillydelphia are a clan?" Spike inquired.
"Then you are not of their clan, then?" Torch questioned.
"No! I was raised by ponies ever since I was found as an egg!"
The dragons gasped while Torch snorted some smoke out his nose.
"You were raised by the feeble ponies? All because you were alone as an egg?"
"That's right."
"Then you have come not a moment too soon! You must rejoin your dragon brethren to help you forget everything those weak ponies told you!"
"No! Equestria is my home!"
"Not to mention you have a wife and daughter who needs you…" Jewel uttered.
"I know… I'm trying to get out of this…"
"Then you're better off living with those defective dragons, but at least I still have some control over them… I ordered them to never reveal our secrets to the ponies they live so close to… The last thing we need is ponies thinking we want to be friends with them! If they don't know anything about us, then they'll leave us alone in fear!" He eyed his subjects, "CHEER!"
The dragons cheered.
"So, um, may I go now…? Dragon Lord?" he winced.
"Yes, get out of my sight!"
He sighed in relief and turned to go, but then Jewel suddenly had a sneeze attack and fell out of the pack.
The dragons gasped again.
"WHAT IS THIS?! YOU BRING A PONY INTO OUR LANDS?!"
Jewel sneezed again and the green fire came out, causing the dragons to gasp once more.
The red dragon - whose name was Garble - yelled out, "What is this thing?! It looks like a pony, but it sneezed like a dragon!"
Spike shielded his daughter, "She is my daughter! And if anyone's got a problem with that, they have to put up with me!"
"YOUR DAUGHTER?!"
Spike gulped and his eyes shrank as he and Jewel faced the Dragon Lord with his large face glowering at them.
"YOU DARE BREED WITH THE WEAK, FEEBLE PONIES?! DRAGON LAW DEMANDS THAT WE MATE WITH OTHER DRAGONS, EVEN THOSE WHO LIVE IN A DEFECTIVE CLAN! BUT. WE. DO. NOT. BREED. WITH. PONIES!"
Spike got angry and shouted back, "WELL, I DIDN'T KNOW, OKAY?! I NEVER LIVED WITH OTHER DRAGONS IN MY LIFE! PUNISH ME IF YOU MUST, BUT MY DAUGHTER IS INNOCENT! SHE HAS NEVER COMMITTED A CRIME IN HER LIFE, SO DON'T TAKE IT OUT ON HER JUST BECAUSE SHE'S HALF-PONY!"
Torch was growling until Ember came between them.
"Dad, he's right. How the heck was he was supposed to know the dragon law for mating? He lived with – ugh - ponies… Just let them go. He wouldn't be able to compete in the Gauntlet anyway."
"No, this is too big to overlook. I can forgive this pony-loving dragon for ignorance, but that… child is a mockery of all we stand for! It carries the blood of mighty dragons, but it mixes with weakness and soft-heartedness!"
The other dragons agreed while Spike noticed Garble was giving off a menacing smile.
I don't like the looks of this…
Jewel clung on to her father and was whimpering.
Asher came closer and whispered, "Stand up straight. Don't let them see your fear…"
"Huh?" she stared at him in bewilderment. Wow, he's cuter up close…
"My gramps will respect you better if you show you have no fear like a dragon…"
She slowly let go of her dad and took a breath. She gave off a scowl.
Spike saw that and smiled. She kind of looks like her mom this way… AJ always stands her ground, even if she is afraid…
Asher spoke, "Gramps! Let her at least prove herself so she can call herself half-dragon!"
Garble objected, "No way! I'm not letting some half-breed join us!"
"QUIET! I SHALL DECIDE IF SHE WILL JOIN OR NOT!"
Garble cringed.
Ember pointed, "Need I remind you, Dad? You're about to hand over your title, so even if you do declare she could join, the next Dragon Lord will just change the rule…"
Spike could see Garble was giving off that creepy smile again.
No… if any one of these dragons win. Who knows what they'll do with Apple Jewel?! I can't let that happen!
Ember kept speaking, "We'll keep an eye on them in meantime until the new Dragon Lord has been crowned."
"Very well. You shall watch over them, and if anyone comes near them… THEY WILL BE SEVERELY PUNISHED!"
Spike and Jewel were looking around the cave-like castle and escorted into a room by Ember and Asher.
"Son, go watch the entrance." Ember said.
"Got it, Mom."
Ember turned to the dragon and the half-dragon.
"I've heard a lot about you, Spike…"
"Huh?"
"I know you've been to Dragon Town during the darkness. Dad wasn't too thrilled that happened and blamed the ponies."
"Wait… How do you know all of that?"
"My cousin, Mina. She wrote to me telling about this dragon who married a princess and had a daughter to go with it."
Jewel gasped, "You and Mina are cousins?!"
"Yes, our fathers are brothers, though Dad wants to keep that under wraps. He didn't like it when Uncle Firestone created the Fire Tiara to help an old bearded unicorn, so he exiled him out of the Dragon Lands. There were also a few others who supported Firestone's need to help other creatures. They may not be part of our tribe anymore, but they still have to obey the Dragon Lord."
"Yeah, I noticed the scepter helped stop that glow Jewel and I had."
"I was wondering why you would be stupid to bring your half-pony daughter into Dragon Land, but if she was glowing too, then I guess it couldn't be helped… But, yes, the scepter helps the Dragon Lord rule over all the dragons."
"That's why I'm worried about tomorrow… If any of those dragons win… I can't imagine the torture that awaits for Jewel…" he covered his eyes.
Jewel was scared about that, too, but she had to be brave for her daddy. She touched his claw, "It's going to be okay, Daddy…"
"Yes. It will. Because I'm going to win!" Ember proclaimed. "I've been training this for my whole life! I'm meant to rule as my father before me!"
Spike looked up in surprise, "Will you really? That you won't hurt Jewel because she's half-pony?"
"Of course not! Before Mina was sent to live with her father, we were the best of friends. But once she started to show that she was acting like her dad, my dad was upset and told her to leave. But I made sure to hide my feelings about her leaving and vowed to be like her, even though I had to act tough around the other dragons and Dad. Once my son was born, I taught him what Mina would have wanted, but he had to keep his wits about him so he wouldn't get caught for acting so goody-goody and get sent to Dragon Town, away from me…"
"Wow…" Jewel muttered and said, "You sure got some tough rules here."
"Yes. At birth, a dragon is taught to be big and strong. They don't realize that's only the half of it. Dragons need to be smart, too, or how else are we going to survive as a species? If we had a leader like Garble, we'd all be extinct!"
Spike thought that over, "Garble… He's the one who objected about Jewel joining the dragons?"
"That's the one."
Apple Jewel glanced to see Asher by the doorway. She couldn't help but admire how much he looked like his mother, but he was more buff and had a horn nose like his grandfather. She went to him while their parents were talking more about the Gauntlet.
He noticed her, "You know, I never met a pony who's also a dragon…"
"Well, I never met a dragon that's close to my age…"
"You seem pretty young."
"How old are you?"
"I'm almost of age."
"Seriously?!"
"Dragons age differently than ponies. You are aware of how a dog ages?"
"Yes… by seven years."
"It's the same concept for us. We may look young, but we age really fast."
"That explains so much why Daddy was ten years old in pony years, but he looked so grown up when he married Mom!"
"Hey, you got some of the dragon genes. Maybe you'll age faster, too."
"You think so?" she asked hopefully.
He smiled in amusement, She's pretty adorable… for a pony hybrid…
"Word of advice. Don't let them see that they get to you. You had almost let them see you cowering out there. If my mom can't beat them tomorrow, you have got to stand up for yourself and show them the dragon that's inside you…"
"But… I don't know how to act like a dragon… My dad doesn't know, either. We both grew up knowing the pony way."
"Then I better start teaching you…"
The fire was just a few inches away from the target.
"You're getting there. The distance of your fire is improving greatly." he said as he looked at where she was a few feet away.
Apple Jewel was panting and coughed a little.
"I know it's hard, but dragons have been taught to breathe fire from the moment they were hatched. You said so yourself that you've been forced to keep from sneezing fire on ponies, but now that you're away from Equestria you can breathe fire all you like."
"But will I be able to control it when I get home?"
"You should. The fire comes from deep within you. Only you can control when you'll use it or not."
She smiled at him, "Wow… I never would have known that without your help. Thank you so much for teaching me."
"It's no big deal. Besides…" He started singing, "You're one of a kind, I can't explain it, yet kind of cool in a wonderful way… Though you're weird, you could make it… And who better than me to teach you? Who better than me to set you on your way? This could take some hanging in there… Though with persuasion I could take you on up… Make you groove up beside the others… And who better than me to lead you? Who better than me to take you all the way?"
They sang together, "Struggling alone for years and years…"
He sang, "Until I came along for you… Now it's all coming together…"
They sang, "And together we'll see this through… You for me 'n' me for you…"
Jewel sang, "I can learn, I can listen… I know there's something deep inside, but I need assistance to go the distance…"
He sang, "And who better than me?"
"To teach me…"
"Who better than me?"
"To tell me all you know…"
"Who better than me?"
"You reach me…"
"Who better than me?"
They finished, "To show them all we know!"
They ended up staring at each other. Then he broke the moment by flapping up.
"It's a shame you were born without wings."
"I know. Not even Daddy has them! But I have aunts, uncles, and cousins who have them! But my mommy is an earth pony, so…"
"That's rotten luck. Most dragons are born with wings, but there are those like your dad and Cousin Mina who don't."
"Did… your dad have wings?" She felt unsure if it was okay to ask him about his father.
"He did. He and Mom met during the dragon migration. But he took a detour and she was flying around, so they ended up bumping into each other. He was a bit goofy for her taste, but eventually he grew on her and so they mated and had me."
"Is… he still around?"
He frowned, "No. He was flying near a mountain when a rock slide happened and…"
"I'm sorry…"
"It's fine. You didn't know much, like how your dad didn't know it was against Dragon Law to mate with ponies. How did that happen anyway?"
She grinned, "It's a very long story…"
"We got time." He sat on a rock and motioned her to sit next to him.
She grinned further as she took her seat. She started the tale, "It all started when my grandma made a proclamation…" she continued on while Asher listened intently to every word, and once she reached toward the end… "…So they got married with the rest of my aunts and uncles and eventually had me!"
"Whoa… that's just… blue sapphires…"
"Is that another dragon expression? I remembered Mina saying 'red rubies' before."
"Pretty much."
They kept on talking while Spike watched them from a distance and looked behind him to see Ember was doing push-ups.
"I can see our kids are getting along pretty well." he mentioned.
"Are they out in the open?"
"No."
"Good. Because if other dragons see them being friends, I can promise you that won't bode well for either your daughter or you and my son would be banished to Dragon Town. Around here, dragons don't do friendship, so keep that in mind for tomorrow."
"I will."
The day of the Gauntlet came and the competitors were ready to compete. Spike, Apple Jewel, and Asher had to wait on the sidelines as the competition was underway.
Jewel almost cheered out as Ember passed the first obstacle, but Asher managed to cover her mouth in time, telling her, "Dragons don't cheer for their fellow dragons. It's every creature for themselves."
"I really can't wait till this is over. Then I can go back home."
"Home? You are not going back home!" Dragon Lord Torch said to her.
"What?! But why?!" Both Jewel and Spike said.
"You are too much a disgrace on our noble race! We cannot let the ponies see you and think that we dragons are safe to be around!"
"But ponies have already seen her!" proclaimed Spike, "She is a princess!"
"PRINCESS?! WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME THAT SOONER?! Dragon Law demands that I must respect other leaders of lands far beyond my own. Even if I do not like them, we keep concord with them. If you had mated into a powerful pony family, then I must keep my own law."
"What about the next Dragon Lord?" Spike questioned in concern.
"The Dragon Lord must always use Dragon Law. It is the Dragon Way."
Asher was smiling and whispered, "Which means, even if Mom loses, you're safe. Not even that bully Garble can harm you without a war between lands starting. Of course… with him, he might want a war…" He slightly frowned at the thought.
Spike and Jewel frowned too and hoped once again that Ember would win.
Several hours later, their wish came true as Ember presented her father the Bloodstone Scepter. She quickly told her friends and son, "It was a close call, but I managed to beat Garble, even if some of it required combat. Luckily, my training paid off for that and I grabbed the scepter just before he could."
They turned to where Garble was looking battered and grumpy.
Once Ember became of aware of Dragon Law toward other dignitaries, she grinned and addressed her subjects as the new Dragon Lord. "Dragons! The half-pony you see before you is really Equestrian royalty! So Dragon Law demands that I let this half-pony, half-dragon return there! And if anyone objects, they will be punished! As of now, we are tied to Equestria through this half-dragon! I decree that this hybrid is one of us and shall be welcomed and treated with respect when entering these lands!" There was a pause, "CHEER!" But then giggled, "Just kidding. That's not going to be my thing."
With that, there was cheering.
When all the dragons had gone - even Torch - Ember and Asher were the only ones left saying goodbye to Spike and Apple Jewel.
"I'm going to miss you…" Asher admitted.
"Me, too…" Jewel sadly said.
"Will you write to me?"
"Yeah! Then we can be pen pals!"
"It's a good idea, and you can use your dragon breath to send the messages back and forth." said Spike.
Jewel then went for a hug, catching Asher by surprise. "Bye…"
"Bye…"
She let go, started setting off, and gave a small wave.
Ember touched his shoulder, "Come on, son. Time for us to go." She took off and he followed.
He took one look back and thought, I hope to see you again one day… my princess…
At the same time, Apple Jewel was thinking, I hope to see you again, Asher… my prince…