My Son, My Soldier, My Hero

by That_Random_Pony

Mixed Feelings

5 years before NMM's return

"Oh shit!" Moon grunted as he landed on his back, after being flung across the mat.

Draco waited for him to get up, which Moon did sluggishly. "Come on… Moon," he panted. "We still… have… a few minutes."

The hybrid groaned as he rubbed his head with a paw. "We're still tied," Moon smirked. "What was it… again?"

The two circled each other on the mat. "572-572. Ready for a tie breaksr?"

The two charged at each other, and just as they neared each other, Moon got on his hind legs and grappled Draco. They strained for an advantage, their hour long match starting to catch up. Draco slipped under him, got a hold of his hind leg and head, then threw himself back. Moon yelped as Draco's weight pinned him down immediately after. His hind leg and neck were pulled towards each other in a grapple move.

"Say it," Draco laughed. "Say it!"

Moon wrapped his other leg around Draco then rolled over, freeing himself and getting hold of Draco's arm. "What were you saying?"

The stone wall moved aside as another pair of dragon teens entered. "Our turn," the blue one said.

Moon let go of Draco, who chuckled as they left for the training area. "So 573-573?" Moon asked.

"Yup," Draco laughed. "But don't expect it to stay that way."

Moon looked up to Draco and smirked. They had both grown over the years, which was strange for him. He had always been about as big as an average wolf, but after meeting Draco he'd gotten to about a paw shorter than his mother. The ten year old he'd met had also changed to a towering teen. They were both strong, but he had to admit that Draco may have been stronger. It was just the matter of whether or not he was holding back in their weekly wrestling matches.

"Going for 250 or 260 today?" Moon asked. Draco shrugged, pushing the door open with ease.

"Let's try 300," he answered.

"You sure?" Moon questioned. "You've never lifted that much before."

Draco rolled his eyes with a chuckle at his friend's careful nature. "Well, now's the time to start," he smiled.

There were dozens of other dragon adolescents in the training area. It was more public than the multi-mat, which was in it's own room because of it's size. The two preferred doing it without anyone watching. They passed the wrestling mats and field course, heading straight to the stone weights. He could see some other teens conversing while their friends lifted a couple dozen pounds. Draco went to a free bench and loaded the metal bar. The dragons used stone weights, saying it was easier to measure the weight of them. He loaded 150 on each side, then nervously laid down.

"Just say something if it's too much," Moon said. He got on his hind legs and lightly placed his paws on the bar.

Draco nodded, firmly grasping the middle grips and pushing it off of it's rack. Steadily holding it in place, he pulled it down then pushed it back up.

"1." Moon could see the strain in his muscles, but it was always something that didn't matter to him.

"Not too fast," Moon warned. Draco nodded, breathing rapidly and grunting as he pulled it down again.

On the far side of the room, Ember watched with amusement as Draco uneasily lifted the hundreds of pounds. It was typical of him to "test his limits" at anything. She could see the anxiety in Moon's face as he spotted him.

"He certainly is strong." Ember turned to the red dragoness beside her. "Don't tell me you weren't thinking that."

Ember chuckled, flipping from her handstand and gracefully landing on her two feet. "He has gotten… stronger," she smiled. "I'm surprised he doesn't have a dragoness."

Flare, one of Ember's other friends, raised an eye crest. "Yuu're surprised?" she laughed. "You have every fertile idiot staring at you in every level of the mountain. Don't tell me you haven't seen it."

"Seen what?" Ember asked. She pointed to Draco, both of them seeing him quickly refocus on his lifting.

"He likes you," Flare teased, flicking Ember's spines with her tail.

"We've been friends since he was in his first grade," Ember argued, a small patch of discolored red on her cheeks. "That's all we are."

Flare giggled, turning back to the display Draco was showing. Ember turned as well, her eyes widening as she watched Moon put another set of fifty pounds on each end. Draco was pumping away, switching between arms while Moon was waiting for the bar to break. He kept going, and going, and going even as some of the other dragoness' watched.

Draco didn't understand where the strength was coming from, but every time he had Moon put more weight on, his body felt like it just recharged instantly. Even as the bar wobbled dangerously, Draco kept lifting with either arm. He glanced to the others watching him, his gaze focusing on Ember watching him. He felt his cheeks warm up, and he started lifting even faster.

"Draco, the bar's gonna-!"

Crack!

The metal bar bent in half, and Draco grunted as he held each half a foot from his face. Carefully placing the broken bar beside the bench and panting.

"Damn. Benched more than Rough Spot," he heard a teenage dragon murmur.

"He still looks ready to go," he heard a feminine giggle.

Blushing a bit at the crowd, he rushed past the dragons, some dragonesses giving him slightly disturbing looks. Moon shrugged, spotting Ember. He passed the other teens and smiled softly.

"Draco's getting better, huh?" he chuckled sheepishly. Ember nodded, and Flare nudged her.

"Very," she finally said. "We'll be leaving next year for Gryphos."

Moon sighed, sitting down and stretching his back. "It's all he ever thinks about," Moon said. "Dasher's death really changed him."

Ember nodded, remembering the day she saw him experience loss. "He's blinded by his anger," she spoke softly. "Maybe I can talk him out of… out of… AH-CHOO!"

Moon ducked under the flames quickly, his fur getting singed at the tips. "Ember, are you sick?"

"Of course not," she sniffled. "It was ju-" She went into a violent coughing fit, some flames escaping as she did.

"Ember!" Flare exclaimed. "You're maturing and you didn't tell anyone?!"

Ember shivered, even in the warm room. "I thought… it wasn't c-coming yet," she managed to say before sneezing and shooting another flame.

"Come on, we'd better get you to your bed," Moon offered. She nodded, leaning against him as he escorted her out.

Meanwhile, in Draco's room, he continued his earlier exercise with push-ups. A block of stone was strapped to his back as he lifted himself up and lowered back down. His mind was wandering from the focus of his breathing to when he saw Ember before. The few years that had passed by went quick, but he remembered every detail.

King Draco started training them apart, meaning he saw Ember less and less. It came to the point where the only time he saw her was when she was up next for her turn. And with the fact that he couldn't sleep most nights, Moon was his only companion that was awake. The other dragon teens were rough and nice in their own ways, but the boys were just interested in lighting stuff up. With Moon's long life-span, he had plenty of stories to share with him.

The one thing that he didn't understand, however, was his mother. Moon said she never told him her name, only that he was to call her Mother. She was supposed to have an dark blue coat with a flowing mane and a horn. He would have thought she was a unicorn, but he recalled flying and his imagination led him to an alicorn. Maybe before his mother was ruling? Or she was hiding somewhere?

Though the company was nice, his recent maturing brought him some unwanted attention. Some dragoness' would tease him, give him alluring looks, and many dragons were looking for a good wrestling match. He wrestled through all of them, bruises coming and going. The only real competition he had was Moon. Since they had met, he got stronger and bigger, just as Draco did. Their hundreds of wrestling matches was meant to prove who was stronger, but they all ended up the same.

Ties.

It was funny, how neither of them would give in, but it made their rivalry all the more interesting. However, he was doing his best to keep in touch with Ember. Before either of them left to train, they would leave their door's open slightly so as to slip a letter in. He was always excited for the end of his rigorous training, which meant he could hear from Ember. They talked about mundane things, but it wasn't to say they didn't mess around. But she would also ask him about Canterlot, and how he was since…

…since Dasher left.

Seeing her a few moments ago, and her slender figure, it made something… flutter, in his stomach. He'd never had a good look at her, but her maturing body almost drew his eyes in. It was disrespectful in every way, and he'd expect it to come from the other dragons. But he just had to stare.

"AH-CHOO!"

"Whoa!" Draco pushed significantly harder with his left to stop his fall. Untying the weight and letting it drop, he pushed open his door and saw Moon patting his singed muzzle while Ember put out a fire on his back.

"Sorry!" Ember sheepishly chuckled.

"Sometimes I think you're trying to turn me into roast-wolf," Moon whimpered as the flame on his paw relit.

Hearing her laugh from Moon's joke made the same weird feeling from other instances return. "Did you try setting him on fire?" Draco chuckled.

Ember stopped to stare at him. He stepped out into the tunnel and leaned against the wall. Moon was saying something, but she was too focused on his toned upper body. A normal dragon had to count on thick arms, tough scales, and personal demonstrations to show off their strength. All Draco had to do was take off his shirt. Along with his toned torso, the scars of his first fights with the griffons marred him. She could imagine him looking in a mirror to remind himself of his goal.

"-and I had to duck twice," Moon laughed. "Sure you'll be alright, Ember?"

She snapped out of her stare, a small blush evident, and cleared her throat. "Y-Yes," she nodded. "I just need some rest."

"What's wrong?" Draco asked, uncrossing his arms.

"It's no… no… nAH-CHOO!" Draco jumped to the side, his spot being scorched red.

He glanced back and forth between the burn mark and Ember. "Nothing is it?" he smirked.

"You're lucky it didn't hit you," Moon countered with a laugh.

Ember wiped her nostrils, shakily standing back up. "It'll be fine," she insisted. "Every dragoness goes through this phase of her adolescence. I'll just be in bed for a few days."

"Sure you shouldn't tell your father about this?" Draco questioned.

"It would be wise to have a fighter right outside," Moon nodded. "In case something happens."

Ember growled with a bit of annoyance. "I can take care of myself," she said loudly. The two of them glanced at each other, then shrugged.

"Still, a little help wouldn't hurt," Moon shrugged. "Draco, want to go up on the cliff?"

Draco shook his head. "I'm gonna turn in early," he said, ignoring Ember's small glare. "Tomorrow, though. I promise."

He pushed the stone door closed, pushed the weight off to the side and jumped onto his bed. Sleep came slowly, but he was going to wish it never came at all.

The enormous forest. He was… high in the trees. Something was holding him, something with an intimidating face. Was he… laughing? And was the figure… tickling him?

"Elsh huga butork," a deep voice laughed.

"Elsh huv jrom okoro," a softer, sweeter voice giggled.

Mother?

The figures face tore away, and he found himself falling through a black void. His body grew out, just slightly, and he saw them.

The monsters.

Hundreds of them coming from the burning forests. The figure again… and others… protecting him. A huge flying machine… they flew through the stars, away from the fires. Everything was shaking, and he heard more voices. An enormous figure looked at him with teary eyes, then kissed his forehead before the other took him away with five other giants. They got into little, tiny, rooms.

They went off into the stars again, but a loud noise rang through his ears, and a light grunt reached him. More rumbling, then a hard shake. The monsters… they were following. They were snarling at him, trying to claw at him. The figure set them aflame, a pile of dirt swallowing them right after. Then… then…

What happened next?! What happened?!

The forests came back. Creatures so malicious, so evil… and there were so many of them. They were coming…

…coming for him.

"Draco! Draco, wake up! Draco! DRACO!"

He jumped out of his bed, pinning Moon to the floor. "Moon?! What the-?!"

"Ember's in the medical caverns!" Moon shouted over him. "She's in critical condition!"

Draco's eyes widened, and he bolted after Moon. They practically jumped down the stone stairs, pushing past the various fighters and teens that had heard about it. The royal fighters stepped aside as Draco and Moon ran into the room. King Draco was at his daughters side, holding her claw and worrying even more as her temperature dropped.

"What happened?" Draco gasped, coming over to Ember's side.

"She didn't tell me her Illness had begun," King Draco sighed.

"Illness?" Moon asked. "What is that?"

"When a dragoness reaches a certain age, she'll get incredibly sick," he explained. "We often quarantine them, as they're sickness can be deadly to others. It's a maturing phase. Once she's over it, she'll only have one year before she's an adult."

"So why can we be here now?" Draco asked.

"We've given her some stabilizing medicines," King Draco said. "She'll have to stay here until the Illness subsides."

"We can't just leave her alone," Moon said. "She needs someone to keep an eye on her."

Draco agreed completely. "I'm afraid not," King Draco said.

"But she needs someone! Anyone!" Moon shouted.

"The disease can kill ponies and dragons alike!" King Draco growled. "We've made these mistakes before and I won't-"

"Then I'll take care of her," Draco interrupted. "You said the disease only affects ponies and dragons. Maybe I can take care of her without getting sick."

"No," King Draco said. "It's too risky. Your mother already thinks you're dead, I don't want to tell her you really are dead."

Draco ignored that and looked to Ember. She shivered, even wrapped in the thermal emitters. "She needs someone to be with her," Draco said softly. "None of you can do it without getting killed. But we don't know if it could hurt me. Please, just let me help."

The king looked to his medical staff, who shrugged with honest uncertainty. He looked to Draco, to his daughter, then sighed deeply. "There are some antibiotics she can take to ease her symptoms," he said at last. "Her body temperature will keep lowering, so make sure she stays in bed. I have to warn you, you can't get out of the room until she's better."

"How will I know if she's better?" Draco asked.

"Simple. Her scales will change color, and her body will grow slightly," he said.

"Change color?"

"Every dragon adapts their scale color from a bright layer to a darker layer," one of the doctor's said. "Brighter colors often mean immaturity, and darker colors are the opposite."

Draco nodded. "I'll take care of her," Draco smiled.

"I'll have her brought to her room. For now, you need to leave," the doctor said. "The antibiotics are going to wear off any minute now."

They exited the medical wing, but King Draco stopped him just outside. "You'd better make sure she doesn't worsen," he growled. "You're there to take care of her. Nothing more."

Draco rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "Yes, sire."

Author's Note:

Yes. I. Did. Remember, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peace off!

Comments

[JT]

E-P-I-C!!!

[midnightshadow1]

the adventures of draco and midnight moon

[Deltafire34]

esh thank god humans aren't like that

[Dragon Blaze-X]

finnaly the sex is apone us

[Mylittlebronyhood]

3250130well someone is expecting a little too much

[Dragon Blaze-X]

3250382 a man can dream can't he?

[Mylittlebronyhood]

3250412yes, yes he can and so he will, he will!

[rikusorasephiroth]

I see souls to nom.
Dark ones.
The darker ones alway taste sweeter.
Like chocolate.
I look forward to nomming the gryphon king's soul.

[BronyGuy2014]

3250945
Same.

[HoneyBadgerr]

The two preferred doing it without anyone watching

Giggity.

[DNA Hochburger]

Flare, one of Ember's other friends, raised an eye crest. "Yuu're surprised?" she laughed. "You have every fertile idiot staring at you in every level of the mountain. Don't tell me you haven't seen it."

The first "u" has to be an "o".