Ember's been the Dragon Lord for a few months now, and the pressures of the throne are beginning to get to her. Although she told her new (and only) pony friend Twilight that she could write to her with any questions about dragon culture, she was beginning to think that maybe she would need to send a letter the other way. After all, Ember's a young princess, just like Twilight! Surely she can give her some princess-ly advice? But Twilight may find that a dragon princess has a few problems that might be a bit different from her own.

*Mods, Ember character tag pls.

What's the deal with ponies? Squint just a little and you can't tell one from the next.
Ember doesn't even need to squint to get the effect.
Who would have guessed that a Dragonlord would have problems that needed more than just an application of violence?

Spike has always lived among ponies, who don't know much about dragons. There was lots of guesswork involved in raising him. He had to be his own baseline for expectations. Then he met other dragons, and found out how different his upbringing made him. But he was so busy with social differences, no one noticed another key difference...

The surprise arrival of a group of fearsome dragons over Canterlot precipitates a panic in Equestria's capital. With tensions running high, a response needed and almost no information to work with, the Princesses reach out to the only pony they can call on for help.

Thrust into a precarious maze of political imperitives and Phyrric choices, where the wrong word said at the wrong moment could begin a war, Spike must use all of his wits to bring the two sides together peacefully. He knows it's possible... but he seems to be the only one who does.

Since the day she ascended, Dragon Lord Ember has strived to move beyond the shadow of her father's rule. She's pursued some strange things to achieve this, perhaps none more strange than forging a close friendship with Twilight Sparkle, now ruler of Equestria. They've exchanged hundreds of letters over the years, growing closer and more familiar to each other with every one.

Ember knows her feelings for Twilight have changed, but the distance between them had provided an easy excuse to ignore them. Had, because with a summit between the Dragon Lands and Equestria starting, Ember and Twilight have the opportunity to once again enjoy each other's company.

And Ember is not the only one trying to come to terms with her feelings.

Ember vector by tyler611

Thorax has the nerve to mysteriously, suspiciously go missing at a political summit that every single major power in Equestria is attending.

It's up to Pharynx has to find him and chew his ear out and make sure he's safe and sound and destroy whoever took him away.

No, he's not worried. That would be stupid. It's just that if he doesn't find Thorax quick enough he's going to raze Bitaly to the ground.

Everything is fine.

Thirty years ago, after laying her and Torch's first and only egg, Ember's mother Glazier gathered up her entire hoard and flew off, vanishing without a trace. Torch has constantly refused to talk about the whole affair, and Ember's been torn ever since becoming Dragon Lord: should she use the Bloodstone Scepter to force some answers out of him?

But then she learns where a piece of her mother's hoard might be hidden, and investigating it points her toward zebra shamans on the other side of the world.

Except...didn't Spike mention a zebra shaman when he was telling his whole story about going through the molt? And Ponyville's a lot closer than Zebrabwe...

Inspired by Charlie_K's request, I started this story as an entry for the Original Pairing group's May 2021 Contest, but I couldn't finish by the deadline. So here it is now!

This story is a sequel to Let's Kill Tirek

No one has said ever said that being the Dragon Lord was easy, even under normal circumstances, but in the early days of her reign, Ember has been performing her duties admirably, walking the delicate balance of Draconian politics with aplomb. However, during a diplomatic visit to Equestria, she runs into a snag when she finds herself in the crosshairs of the lovestruck tail of the local chimera. It seems that it's not particularly wise to get between a viper and the dragon of her dreams.

Artwork by Page Turner.

Becoming Dragon Lord has brought a wave of new responsibilities for Ember, none of which she enjoys. The first of these tasks are the formal negotiations with Equestria, which will either formalize peace between the two nations or else be the start of a deadly war. She's pretty sure it's going to be the former, but if she has to sit through another awful meeting, she may change her mind.

Spike offers her an alternative: visit the spa.

Written as a minific commission by Vilken666 on my Patreon. Fluff isn't really my genre, but I took my best crack at it anyway. This was the result. Credit for the fantastic cover goes to Zutcha, as usual.

Dragons are large. Dragons are mighty. Dragons are powerful.

And yet.

Written in like an hour and a half on 3 1/2 hours of sleep.

You're welcome, PresentPerfect.