My Son, My Soldier, My Hero

by That_Random_Pony

Different Lessons

Dear Mommy,

We got to the dragon kingdom today. It's really nice, but it's really cold too. My room's made out of gems, and it's really cool. Did you know dragons are warm-blooded? Ember said they're ancestors grew scales because they used to live in really hot places.

I really miss everypony. Make sure Twilight isn't given a lot of homework, because she needs help sometimes. And tell Cadence and Blueblood and Twilight that I said hi. And Chef Pan, too! I love you, Mama. And I'm sorry for saying I hate you a long time ago.

--Love, Draco

Draco's stone door rumbled as it slid open. The torch light in his face was as bright as the sun, so he opened his eyes slowly. "Wake up, Draco."

Draco sat up, rubbing his eyes then focusing them on the king's face. "Is it morning already?" he yawned.

The king chuckled, placing a pile of clothes sent from Celestia on his bed. "Change into one of these and come to me outside," he said. "Quickly."

King Draco left the young prince to change, which he did sluggishly. He put the rest of his clothes in the gem-crafted dresser and went into the stone hall. The king gestured for him to follow, and they were soon walking through a very narrow tunnel.

"What are we doing up so early?" Draco yawned.

"Your mother told me about what happened several days ago," King Draco said, making the boy remember. "I'm very surprised that you alone put an entire squadron in the emergency room."

Draco looked to the ground, but gasped when the king stopped him and knelt down. "I didn't mean to," Draco whispered.

"I'm certain you didn't intentionally hurt them," the king clarifed. "The whole reason you are here is to make sure that never happens again. I need to teach you discipline, self-control, and serenity."

"How do we do that?" Draco questioned. The king guided him back down the small tunnel, where a single room was.

King Draco opened the steel door with his claws, pushing the two ton door to the side. Draco followed in after, taking a glance over the room. There was a sort of wrestling mat in the center, stone weights in the corner, and a sparring ring to the far left. The king grabbed a slab of rock from the side and put it on the mat. He took a smaller chunk and placed it like a seat beside the first one. He motioned for Draco to sit, then placed parchment and writing tools on the table.

"Write or draw." Draco shrugged, dipped the quil into the ink, then thought of what to draw.

He started drawing a set of hooves, then connected them to a large body. Next came the neck and head, which was longer than most ponies. He gave the tall pony a set of wings and a horn. The crown and collar piece came next, which had amethyst gems melded into each-

Smack!

The drawing was ruined, and Draco's quil was sent across the slab. He turned to the king with annoyance and anger. "What was that for?!" he exclaimed. The king put another piece of paper and cleaned the ink.

"Again." Draco grumbled under his breath, but thought of something else to draw.

He made a tall spire with smaller turrets and towers that connected to a castle. The gates and outer walls were massive, and two Solar Guards were posted on each side. The door that led to the inside of the castle was also enormous. More vast stained-glass lined the castle walls, the pictures only visible from the inside. Banners with the Equestrian flag flapped from their poles high above the-

Smack!

Draco clenched his fist and growled as the quil fell to the floor. King Draco cleaned the mess again, and put another piece of paper in front of him.

"Again."

Draco's eyes flashed darkly, and he spun in his seat and swung at the king. The dragon king leaned back to avoid it, then grabbed the boy's arm and pulled it behind his back. Using his other claw to grab his leg, he picked up the boy and pinned his free arm down with his leg. Draco struggled for a moment, snarling and writhing beneath him before coming to terms with his futile attempts.

King Draco let go and resumed his stand next to Draco's seat. "Again."

"What's the point of this?" Draco asked. "This is stupid if you tell me to draw and then you ruin it!"

The king could see the anger, but not the rage that showed a moment ago. "Self-control," he explained. "Your job is to keep drawing or writing while I decide from time to time to ruin it. I'll move your hand, burn your paper, or tear it to shreds, but you can't lose your temper. I'll also try to anger you whenever I decide, and you must bear through it."

Draco crossed his arms and sighed. "That's really tedious."

The king chuckled. "You're eight, and you know the meaning of that word?" he asked with interest.

"My teacher taught me high school stuff before I left," he explained. "I was reading at the skill of a twelfth grader."

King Draco raised a curious brow-crest. "Really?" Draco nodded. "Perhaps I can get you some books."

Draco shook his head and went back to drawing. He tried drawing simple things like flowers and trees, but King Draco noticed how indifferent he was when he was interrupted. He instructed him to draw something he did with his mother or with his friends. Draco started drawing the cake Chef Pan had made for him. The king waited a bit as Draco started putting lots of detail into the cake. He then drew his mother, Cadence, and Rainbow Dash smiling in front of him. King Draco spat a glob of magma onto the paper, incinerating it almost instantly.

Draco growled before turning to glare at the king. King Draco saw the black spreading from the outside edges of his eyeballs and slowly consuming the white. It only got so far before Draco took deep breaths and went back to his original position

If he didn't come to learn self-control, he could have destroyed the castle with that rage.

It reminded him of a dragon going into the "boiling" phase of their maturity. They were very prone to random rampages, which was the main cause of town attacks for most carrier-dragons. Smaller dragons such as himself and his fighters would just get short-tempers and want to destroy whoever and whatever bothered them. From what he heard from Celestia, the boy's rage increased his strength and primal instinct.

It went on for hours, just pissing off the boy and seeing to what extent did his anger need to go before he "changed." He only attacked two other times, each being when he drew pictures of either his family or a friend. His anger seemed to come from a protective instinct over his loved ones, but that wasn't the case in the castle. As he continued to annoy the boy, he formulated different scenarios akin to what happened the very first time.

If he was going to truly help him, he would need to understand what could draw out his other side. He promised not to hurt the boy, so it would be increasingly difficult to think of a way. It wasn't impossible, but it would be hard to think of it.

"So this is all we'll be doing?" he asked. "It sounds like I'm going home in a few months."

The king set his newest drawing aflame, making him clench his fist as hard as he could. "No. There are different stages for each phase. Right now, you'll only have this. Then, I'll have other dragons flicking you, tripping you, bumping into you, hiding your clothing, and many other things." He raked his claws across the drawing before he could finish the hooves.

The result was Draco losing it again and roaring as he tried kicking him. King Draco grabbed his leg and held him upside down, though he still kept swinging to try and lay a hit on him.

"Deep breaths, Draco," the king chuckled. "Calm down."

Draco snarled, but closed his eyes, crossed his arms, and slowly breathed. He still wrinkled his nose in anger, but showed that he was calm enough.

This will be interesting enough.

Draco downed the charred meat, then drank the water before asking for another serving. Ember watched with her jaw dropped as Draco was on his eigth slab of cow of the night. That too was devoured and another serving was requested.

"Did you eat this much in Canterlot?" Ember asked, watching the water drain into his mouth.

He burped in his mouth and sighed contentedly. "Kind of. Mama said I can't bother Chef Pan too much," he explained. "And they never had anything this good!"

Ember stared as he swallowed the last of his tenth beef steak. "It looks as if you've never eaten," she chuckled.

Draco burped again, laughing with the dragoness. "Hey Ember, how old are you anyway?" She frowned slightly, then turned her head to the side and sighed.

"Eight," she murmered.

"Huh?"

"I said eight," she said louder. "I just turned a month ago."

Draco's eyes widened a bit. "Really? You talk and look like your a teenager," he said. "Hey… that means… I'm older than you!"

Ember rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Dragons learn to talk by the time they're two, and we start being taught discipline when we turn six," she told him. "I've talked like this ever since my father begun teaching me."

"What about your mom?" Draco asked. "Is she somewhere else?"

Ember's mood changed instantly, and she lowered her gaze to her empty plate. Draco noticed this, and gasped silently as he put two and two together.

"Ember, I'm so-"

"Don't be," she sighed. "I've never told you. It wasn't your fault."

Draco was upset by her sadness, and he got up to walk around to her side. He tugged on her arm, surprising her. "C'mon," he smiled.

She followed him slowly, unsure of what he was doing. He brought her back to his room, then jumped onto his bed and layed down. "Mama says when you're feeling sad, just lay down and think of everything good," he laughed. "Everything funny, happy, silly, or even dumb works."

She raised a brow-crest and layed beside him. Her mind was solely focused on her mother's blue scales and green eyes. It was where she got the blue ripples and green eyes from. She got the green from her father, but she was much lighter than him. Following Draco's instructions, she thought back to when she was just four years old. Her father was off working, and her mother was crafting from lava.

Being a hatchling, Ember went to the pool of lava and scooped some onto an empty piece of stone. She had her tongue sticking out as she tried molding a cup for her Mommy, but the mush just wouldn't stay in place long enough. Growling angrily, she kept trying to hold the lava cup in place, but it just wouldn't stay. Just as she was about to throw a fit, her mother sat behind her and guided her claws over the lava. She breathed a long, cool breath over the lava-sculpture, making it cool and harden as she turned it on the rock.

Another memory came from when she was five. Her father was always reminding her that soon she would be taught her discipline, but her mother wanted her to enjoy what freedom she still had. They flew to a remote plain that had been recovering from a century-old war. There, a family of prairie-dogs were popping up from burrows in the ground. It wasn't hunting, just a little game. Since the dogs were terrified of them, they would hide quickly, but always popped up when they looked to make sure it was safe.

Her mother showed her that swiping at them when they popped up was tricky. They were by no means quicker than the small mammals, but it proved to be both fun and frustrating. Ember tried grabbing them, but they kept ducking down into their holes. At one point she was ready to shoot fire into the hole, which her mother then told her not to do. In the end though, she was tired from throwing herself around to try and get one. Neither of them hit any, though it was one of the things they would do regularly. It was the funnest thing she could remember about her mother.

Ember gasped when she felt Draco's finger wipe away a tear on her cheek. "It's alright," he smiled. "You have to remember she watches you and still loves you."

Ember gritted her teeth as she refrained from crying, but even her strong will didn't stop her from doing so. She was by no means a softie, but she silently cried, letting the steaming tears fall. She sat up and tried covering her face with her claws, which was useless since Draco already saw her. He sat up and went over the bed to hug her gently. She wrapped her wing around his back, trying to return the gesture.

"Maybe showing me those fire shapes'll take your mind off it," he said. She chuckled lightly, practically hearing the smile in his tone.

"I'm still rusty, so don't expect a mountain to show up," she warned playfully.

Draco sat back and watched as she steadied her breathing and adjusted her lips strangely. She puffed a breath of fire, which came out as a star. Moving her lips again, she let out another flame that formed a circle. Draco awed at the different polygons she was creating.

"Make a castle!" he exclaimed.

"I'll try," she said.

Ember took a deep breath, then quickly puffed five times to connect three towers and two main buildings. It was decent, but she was surprised she had even pulled it off. She made dozens more shapes, and even made a crude image of the mountain Canterlot was on. When she was out of breath, she layed back down beside Draco.

"You're really good at that!" Draco laughed. "And you said you weren't that good."

Ember's green scales tinted just a bit red. "Thank you," she forced herself to say. "I haven't done it for some time, actually."

"I bet if you keep practicing, maybe you could make a picture of me," he thought aloud. "Or your dad, or-!"

He giggled slightly as Ember's snores interrupted his ideas. She looked pretty tired, which was mostly his fault, so he let her sleep there. Snuggling up next to her, he blew out his candle and smiled at her one last time.

"Night, Ember."

Thousands of dark, furry bodies layed strewn about, black blood spread out like puddles. The five brothers panted heavily as their second day of fighting ended. Agner sat down beside an odd tree with only five giant leaves, while Fermot sat cross-legged to pray. Derekosh went about making sure the horde was eliminated, while Jaqeluu and Jerosh went over the plan.

"Ji Reku'un grak Heraj oft butiyago un dest ganko? (So Reku'un and Mother are somewhere on this planet?)" he asked.

Jerosh nodded. "Jrav vivitinak ut wetor oraz vot. Et Heraj grak jrem nugisham off yukil, jrill ev dreft (I've pinpointed the signal days ago. If mother and our youngest are alive, they'll be there)"

Derekosh joined them after placing the enormous hammer on his back. "Grak et dot'et u cavek? (And if it's a trap?)" he questioned.

Jerosh glared sternly at his younger brother. "They are Arthanian, Derekosh," he said out of his usual language. "They don't lay traps or plan ahead. They attack, kill, and move on. Mother and Reku'un are still alive. I know it."

"If it's this important you speak this language," Agner said. "What's the plan?"

"First, our ship must be repaired," Jerosh began. "Once that is done, we travel to the homeworld to assemble a fleet to retrieve the Doshu'um, and we bring him back to begin his training."

"And if the horde gets there before we do?" Jaqeluu asked. "They will get the transmission sooner or later. We must hurry if we want to get him in time."

"Yutak (Right)" Fermot called from behind them. "Grak uvigad brutek Neric. Dot'et hegaskimaq unt it uvakek midigat (And please speak Neric. It's disrespectful not to among family)"

"Refk. Jaqeluu, Jerosh, Derekosh, fugop ut bicanom. Et besfo novo nikat'ot ungoa jraf okki at wepot (Fine. Jaqeluu, Jerosh, Derekosh, guard the perimeter. If that horde wasn't alone I'd like time to repair)" Agner ordered.

The three eldest nodded, leaping off to find vantage points of the area. Agner went to the ship's engines with Fermot and examined the damage.

"Dot'et vort nukaz hunuk jrem'ek vigai Reku'un. Hruuk ed jro finka esh joork en gao (It's been years since we've seen Reku'un. How do you think he looks by now?)" Agner asked his older brother.

Fermot sighed, remembering the last time he saw their youngest. "Begantop driik Herod (Probably like Father)" Fermot smiled.

Author's Note:

Hint hint. Hey guys! Another update, only several hours late! Remember, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peace!

Comments

[UnderCoverismyname]

I know you want to but try not to bring to much OCs in this story as you did with to call the moon my own. It gets kind of annoying after you bring more the five of them in. Over all nice chapter

[Deltafire34]

so its neric

[Brakyo]

Draco's a real charmer.

[King-Nightmare]

Thanks for the subtitles

[shadowf1re]

Dragons!!!!

[midnightshadow1]

awesome chapter can't wait for the next one

[That_Random_Pony]

3221740 So, you don't like To Call the Moon My Own?

3222715 I just got what you meant. I thought you were talking about the individual chapters! Little derp right there.

[JT]

Epic

[UnderCoverismyname]

3224182 No I do like To Call The Moon My Own. I just do not like too many OCs

[light snow]

Haven't red that other story yet, eeerrrrgggh. I need to but I wanna finish this one

[Therisinghero]

4811831 i feel the same but I still need to read all 100+ chapters in order to at least until i do
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