Heavy Are The Horns Part 1
You know, I think I get it now. I'm beginning to understand why my Dad didn't want me to compete. That day at the volcano seemed like forever ago, but I can still hear my dad being his loud, mouthy self. I remember him telling me I wasn't allowed to try for the scepter. Sure, I stormed off, but it wasn't without a plan. I always had one. I grew up watching him rule our kind. He was the biggest dragon I'd, or anyone else had ever seen. He was always quick to remind me of that. And now, to see him like this... it's almost too much. I know we've only exchanged a few letters, and this one probably seems pretty out of the blue, but I didn't know who else to turn to. I figured, as a princess yourself, you might find the time to come by the Dragon Lord's fortress. With this letter, you'll find two special badges. Wear them on your journey, and no dragon will dare hurt you. Please, I hope you'll accept my invitation.
Dragon Lord Ember the Wise
Twilight set the letter down on the crystal table in front of her throne. Spike was still out running errands, and she knew he'd be eager to know what the letter from his friend Ember said. She gently bit her bottom lip as she considered the Dragon Lord's invitation. She had every intention of honoring it. After all, what kind of friend would she be if she declined? Leaving a newly minted ruler out in the cold was certainly not something befitting the Princess of Friendship.
She levitated her day planner over from a bookshelf and opened it. Twilight hummed to herself as she glanced over the coming week's tasks. It looked like there was nothing she couldn't reschedule, and nothing she'd been putting off that absolutely needed to get done.
Her front door slammed open, nearly startling her out of her throne. Spike had returned with arms full of groceries, stacked so high she doubted he could see where he was going. "I'm back from the market!" he called proudly as she lightened his load with her magic, setting the tower of foodstuffs in the kitchen.
"I see you deviated from the list a little bit." Twilight chuckled.
"Just a little," he replied, handing her the remaining bits from his trip.
As he did, he noticed the letter on the table.
"Is that from Ember?" he gasped, recognizing the broken seal on the outside.
Twilight nodded. "It is. She's invited us to the dragon lands for a few days."
Spike was nearly overflowing with excitement. "Can we go? We're going, right?" he said breathlessly.
"That depends. I seem to remember a certain dragon's room being pretty messy the last time I checked," she reminded him.
He disappeared in a flash down the hallway. "I'll have it cleaned in no time!" he called over his shoulder as his stubby legs carried him as fast as they could to his bedroom.
She smiled, glancing back down at the letter. She removed the two badges and examined them. Fairly simple, two jeweled talismans with Ember's likeness on the front and back. Its simplistic design made Twilight wonder how easy they would be to forge. Not that she had any intentions of trespassing in the dragon lands, but a fledgeling nation-state should at least have a standardized foreign affairs office!
But perhaps she was reading too much into it. She trotted over to her writing desk and set about composing a reply.
Dear Dragon Lord Ember the Wise...
Ember sat back in her throne, letting the letter fall to the ground. The gold coins beneath her clinked as she shifted atop her modest hoard, the sound filling the high ceilings of the room. The Dragon Lord's fortress had been her home since as far as she could remember. It seemed natural to her that she had kept the ruling title in her family. It certainly didn't sit well with some dragons, but being the solitary creatures that they were, most bitter feelings left with them as they dispersed back to their homes in the far flung reaches of the world.
A groan from the far end of the massive treasure room drew her attention. Her father lay curled on his hoard. A massive hoard for a massive dragon, it made sense to her. He had been growing weaker since the Gauntlet.
"Dad, are you okay?" she asked, walking towards her father. He was just as big as he had been, but now, without a purpose, he seemed to grow weaker with each passing day. His eyes cracked open, vertical pupils widening and then focusing on his daughter. Now it was she who bore the ring of the Dragon Lord on her horn.
"Ember..." he whispered, though even his indoor voice nearly shook the room.
"Yeah, I'm here," she said, gently touching her father's cheek.
"Have I ever told you... about your mother?"
Her mother. She had only known him. He was all she had. She smiled, and sat next to her father.
"No, I don't think you have."
Spike and Twilight traveled across the rocky ground, dodging the lava pits of the dragon homeland, their badges dangling from their necks.
"So do you think Ember's enjoying being the new Dragon Lord?" Spike asked, bouncing from rock to rock. The miles they'd put between themselves and Ponyville didn't seem to wear down the young dragon's enthusiasm.
"Well, it did seem like she was a bit unsure of herself, but I'm sure she's doing alright," Twilight replied, more than grateful to be able to experience the dragon lands in something other than a rock costume. She'd packed plenty of note taking material for any impromptu learning that might occur during their trip.
The arid, tough landscape was beginning to take a toll on her hooves.
"Spike, do you think I could just fly us there? These rocks are killing my hooves."
He looked toward the lone mountain on the horizon. The Dragon Lord's fortress loomed large, but within reach. "I guess it would get us there faster..." He seemed reluctant as he climbed on her back. She could guess why. Shortly after the Gauntlet of Fire, he had become fairly self-conscious about his lack of something it seemed most, if not all dragons had. Unfortunately, very little was known in the way of how a dragon matures, so most of his questions were fairly difficult for Twilight to answer.
"What're you doing here, nerd?"
Spike gulped. Even after all this time, he still knew that voice. He and Twilight turned to face the red dragon as Spike slid off her back.
"Just checking to see if you've hugged every dragon on the planet yet," Spike replied. He had to admit, he was getting better at comebacks.
"Why, you little runt!" Garble growled, clenching his fists and stepping towards them.
"Not so fast," Twilight piped up, levitating their badges into view. "You'll leave us alone if you know what's good for you."
He scoffed. "You think some homemade badges are gonna stop me from pummeling you into powder for humiliating me? And now you bring their kind here?" He kept pressing forward, and threw a punch towards Spike. Twilight charged a defensive spell, but before she could cast it, the badges themselves lit up. A powerful blast of magic repelled Garble though a boulder and into another one. Garble unburied himself, shaking with fury. "You think just because you helped Ember you can bring ponies in our lands?!" He spat. "Have fun being her pet while it lasts. She won't be the Dragon Lord for long."
He took off without another word. Spike watched him go before turning to Twilight.
"Spike, these talismans are enchanted with dragon magic! We've got to ask if we can keep them when we see Ember! I've always dreamed of being able to study dragon magic, and this is the perfect opportunity!"
He glanced at the badge, Ember's likeness staring back at him. "Twilight," he interrupted her rambling. "Did you hear what Garble said before he left?"
She paused and scratched her head. "Uh... was it something stupid? I tend to tune him out."
"He said Ember won't be Dragon Lord much longer."
Twilight scoffed. "Spike, Ember did just fine against him during the Gauntlet of Fire, and now that she's got the Bloodstone Scepter, he'd be crazy to try anything! Not to mention her dad is gigantic!"
Spike looked back to the horizon. "You're probably right; let's just get to the fort."
He climbed on her back and with a flap of her wings, they were in the sky. As they flew, Spike couldn't help but worry. Garble was a jerk, but surely even he wasn't crazy enough to usurp a dragon tradition nearly as old as time itself. The jagged, inhospitable landscape passed by below him. This was his home, or, it would have been, if not for Celestia. It was little wonder to him that dragons acted the way they did. After all, they lived in nearly deserted lands, with little to no contact with any other creature until the migration. All most dragons care about is their hoards, and how to make them larger, or protect them. He was truly the outlier of his kind.
Within the hour, they arrived at the mouth of a massive volcano. The mountain itself seemed to be shaped like a roaring dragon, smoke billowing from it's mouth and into the sky, staining the vibrant hues of the setting sun with an ashen coat.
Against her better judgement, Twilight held her breath and flew into the ash cloud and down into the volcano. After punching through the obscuration, she spotted what appeared to be an entrance into the side of the mountain. She touched down, letting Spike slide off her back.
"Spike... is it... a little... warm in here?" she asked, trying to catch her breath.
"Feels fine to me," he replied, heading into the cave with Twilight in tow. The magma chamber lit the way as they trekked deeper into the cave, Twilight secretly hoping they'd picked the right volcano to fly into.
To Twilight's relief, the cave opened up to a main room carved out of the mountain itself, Twilight forgot all about the oppressive heat as she tried to take in all the ancient history stored in this one room.
"So... much... history!" she squealed as Ember entered from a far hallway, scepter in claw.
"Ember!" Spike said excitedly, zipping across the room. She raised her claws in defense as Spike wrapped his arms around her waist. "Still getting the hang of hugs, huh?" Spike asked with a smile.
She smiled, returning the embrace. "I guess I am. Not much hugging goes on around here since you guys left."
Spike separated as Twilight hugged her as well, a little quicker on the draw this time.
"I set a room aside for you guys. Ponies sleep on hay, right?" Ember asked.
"Uh..." Twilight paused as Spike gave her a knowing look. "I'm sure it'll be fine." She recalled that there probably weren't many books on pony culture in an active volcano.
"I'm sure you're both tired from the trip; There'll be time for talking tomorrow," Ember said. "Your rooms are down this hall," she said.
As they walked, Ember stopped Twilight. "Princess, do you think I could talk to you now for a second?"
She stopped, looking back at Spike, who had turned to wait on her. "Go ahead and get settled in, Spike, I'll be there in a moment."
He glanced at the two of them suspiciously, but shrugged. "Sure thing, Twilight."
After he'd disappeared Ember sighed.
"What was it you wanted to talk about?" Twilight asked.
Ember looked at the scepter, and back to Twilight. She hesitated. Dragons didn't talk about their feelings. It was still a daunting task for her to admit anything to anyone, even her father. And now, she was going to just open up to someone she'd only met once before? A weight fell into her stomach. Everything she'd been taught told her that dragons were rocks, islands of power that needed nothing and no one but their treasure. But with that, came a competing sense. As though she had this burden inside her she had to share with someone. She ruled an entire species now, she and she alone was responsible for the survival of her race! How could she entrust herself to a pony?
She steeled herself, but Twilight broke the silence.
"I know you may not be comfortable sharing your feelings. My kind doesn't know much about dragons that grew up in the traditional way, but I don't want to push you to do something you aren't ready for."
Ember met Twilight's eyes. There was something in them that she'd never sensed from any of the dragons she'd ever come across. She couldn't place it, but if she had to guess, it seemed like... compassion.
"Take your time. You invited us here. We can talk whenever you feel ready." Twilight turned to head down the hallway. Ember watched her go. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Writing letters was far easier than speaking in person about something so foreign. Plucking up all her courage, she forced her words to come.
"I don't think I can do this."
Twilight paused, turning back to her hostess with a raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Do what?"
"I... I don't think I can be the Dragon Lord."
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Wow, so many fics created around this one episode since it's airing. And as long as they continue to be of this quality, who's complaining? Have a fave and a like.
Not Bad for a beginning but shouldnt you ad a Spike tag ?
Even if he isnt a main focus of the story he is still in some way Embers first friend and a little bit closer to her because he is a Dragon.
For slice of life tag i dont know we have to see if it is the right thing
pbs.twimg.com/media/CLLIpTdWUAA3hRk.jpg:large
Here we go! Ember is my new favorite so this looks like it might be fun
7135249 whoops! fixed that, thanks for reading!
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/563
rlv.zcache.co.uk/what_would_machiavelli_do_bumper_sticker-r32cda0c7d1d24219bd85f677636d5d6c_v9wht_8byvr_324.jpg
Hmm, some interesting setup here, sir. What did Torch tell Ember about her mother? I love the way you portray Twilight and Spike. You always manage to capture Spike's "Little Boy-ness."
Can't wait to see where this goes.
Hard to judge at only the first chapter, but the writing is fine, I'll gladly wait to see where this is going.
On an unrelated note, could you please add the author of the picture to your description? Merit where is due.
7136623 I knew there was something I forgot to do. Credited, thanks for reading!
s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/fa/fa/c2/fafac2ecad7a3976fb6e95ee24392170.jpg
Sorry, saw your avatar and had to post that.
As for the story. Interesting first chapter.
An excellent start. I'll be waiting for more. Tracked and upthumbed, we'll see about the fave.
Great story! I am excited to see where this all goes!
So Ember was like Twilight when she first started out in her first days as Princess.
7137065 similar, definitely. But she'll have a few different problems, as well as some familiar ones.
Lingering questions from the episode...
Why did the summons only bring the immature dragons?
How did Celestia and Luna know what the glowing meant, unless they have more knowledge about dragons than they let on?
Who made the armor for the young dragons? It's clearly custom-made, and that takes skill.
The dragon lord specifically said 'Dragons of Equestria', which implies that this was not set in the dragon lands across the sea. So we still haven't really left Equestria.
I would have liked to get a bigger feel for the previous dragon lord and his relationship to Equestria. Was he solely responsible for the relative peace between dragons and ponies? If so, how did he reach an accord with Celestia?
This episode would be great as a starting point for developing the dragons... but I fear that, like Griffinstone, it'll end up being a one-shot set-piece and STILL not tell us anything about the world outside Equestria, since the Griffon Kingdom was also within Equestria's continental boundary.
7137466
My guesses about the summons are that either the Bloodstone Sceptre doesn't have power over elder dragons, or that he only summoned young dragons because only young dragons can be Dragonlord. That would explain why Torch was being forced to step down, as he'd become too old for the position.
7137466 I don't know if this is a place to discuss it (somewhat related story) or whether you are interested in opinions of all people or just the author. But here is my opinion and if it's unwanted I'll delete.
Maybe the dragon lord summon only the young because he wanted his successor to be equivalent of human in his 20s. Someone young and vital. Maybe that's how dragons do it. The scepter seems to be made for much smaller dragon too.
Celestia and Luna sometimes act like McGuffin in the show and just tell the protagonist what needs to be done. Maybe they know more and maybe this glowing thing was the only thing they knew.
The armor, I have no clue. Maybe dragons craft stuff. Dragon lord was wearing jewelry and the scepter is a created thing.
Dragons of Equestria. OK this might be wrong and contradict the comic but I suspect that the entire place is called Equestria. Like everything that exists is Equestria. The dragons in the episode refer to a place they call pony lands and suggest that ponies live there. So this might be one of those weird name conundrums like with England, Great Britain or United Kingdom. Or like when one country in America is called America.
7137568
A lot of people think Equestria is the name of the planet they live on but I disagree
1) The current cannon Equestrian map has unmarked land simply known as undiscovered, so the fact that the map is titled Equestria means the Locations on the map itself is known as Equestria not the things outside of the map.
2) The map we have is not indicative of a full temperate planet
3) Celestia rules Equestria but frequently meets and greets "foreign" ambassador's from nations she doesn't control. Which contradicts her being the ruler of the world of Equestria
4) Also that specific phrase "the magical LAND of Equestria" rather than world
5) But most importantly Equestria was founded when ponies migrated from a far away land and was only named Equestria when all three races came together. This means it didn't even exist as a name Pre-Windegos time
7137466
Well seeing as his character believe that Strength rules above all else my guess is that Celestia made him her little bitch
7137551
Really good point, I agree.
7137638 Ok I know where are you coming from but consider this. The country Celestia rules is called Equestria and the continent it sits on is also called Equestria.
To put it in perspective. On Earth we have USA sometimes abbreviated as America and it sits on the continent that is also called America (North America in western culture). So when Celestia visits lets say Crystal Empire it is equivalent of American president visiting Canada. He left country America but stayed on continent America. I know it is confusing but word doesn't have to be simple. So when ponies refer to Equestria they sometimes refer to the country and sometimes to the entire world.
7137727 That would imply when Columbus sailed the ocean blue they rename the entire world North America. I understand where you're coming from but that's back to point 1, 2, and 5 The World itself can't be Equestria. It is possible that it's the continent that makes up what we see on the map.
4.bp.blogspot.com/-uj5l0C_W9Ps/Vh9gxWnaXKI/AAAAAAAAA98/kYLCGxpkHmI/s1600/eq_map.jpg
This may be Equestria but this isn't a world map it's a continental map. We know from the Hearths Warming stories the the top of the map labeled "into the unknown" is most likely the lands where ponies originated as they were escaping the Windegos (which freeze everything in their path making their northern ice cap larger than our planets) Considering a planet's climate there needs to be a southern ice cap on their planet that's not even remotely hinted at on this map. Also taking into account Celestia controls the suns path and Pegasi control the weather it's reasonable to assume the sun simply travels straight around their planet over the equator. Which is most likely somewhere in between The Macintosh Hills and somewhere off the map to the south. Basically I'm pretty sure this is close to only 25% of their world on this map. (Sorry for the rant I'm really into mapping things out and the fact that the map leaves so much out really annoys me.)
But all the evidence points to this being a continental map rather than a world map thus meaning the map name is a continent name not a world name and it would be impossible for a race to settle a new land and change the name of the world to their new lands name.
Interesting
An Ember story by maximus?
Commence read!
Hmm, wonder what Ember's father told her. Garble hardly seems smart enough to stage a coup unless he's thinking Ember will be really unpopular and the other dragons will all gang up on her or something after her father dies, I don't know? I'm intrigued,i'll follow along and see where this goes.
A solid start. A few typos in the first couple paragraphs, but otherwise I like what I'm reading. Definitely looking forward to seeing where this goes. Tracking.
It appears Dear Garble has something up his metaphorical sleeve.
Interesting story. Ember is unsure about her position, and there seems to be a plot afoot. I'm definitely going to follow.
However, I strongly suggest that you get an editor. There are some errors that crept through:
coming week's tasks
Punctuation errors. It should read thus:
Capitalization errors. "Scepter" should be capitalized; "Dad" shouldn't.
That comma should be either a semicolon or a period.
Multiple errors. It should read thus:
That first comma should be a period or a semicolon.
First, that comma should be a semicolon. Second, I believe you meant to type, "there'll be more time"
Comma needed between "Spike" and "who".
Punctuation errors. Consider one of these fixes:
I liked it.
The flow of the chapter was really nice. I felt it could have benefitted from being a bit longer at some points, maybe flesh out a bit more details. Still, as it stands I feel it's a pretty solid start.