Peace Porridge Hot

by Metool Bard

Draconian Defiance

Princess Celestia looked over the grand hall with her usual serene smile. All the tables were set, the cooking staff was ready on standby, and all of the guests she invited had arrived. The only thing left to do was call them in.

"Are you ready to see history in the making, Kibitz?" she asked.

Kibitz sighed. "It constantly amazes me how you're so calm when so many things can go utterly wrong, Your Highness."

"You can thank years of practice for that," Celestia said with a wink. "Send in the delegates!"

The royal trumpets blared as the doors to the grand hall opened. The steward pony unfurled the scroll containing all the names and cleared his throat.

"Representing the yaks of Yakyakistan, Prince Rutherford!"

The mighty yak prince marched in, flanked by his usual entourage. He and Celestia exchanged bows before he found his seat.

"Representing the Diamond Dogs of the underground network, Sykes Silvervest of the Silvervest pack!"

Kibitz gulped as one of the more troublesome diplomats made himself known. He was a large fellow, even by Diamond Dog standards. As his name implied, he wore a sparkling silver vest, and his face was decorated with scars of all shapes and sizes. But instead of starting any trouble, he bowed to Celestia and made his way to his seat.

"Let's hope he doesn't mind sitting next to a neko," Kibitz muttered under his breath.

"I heard that," Celestia noted. "Kibitz, you worry too much."

"One might say you worry too little," Kibitz grumbled.

"Representing the changeling migrants, Grand Marshal White Lie!"

"You honestly think I'm not worried?" Celestia said, raising an eyebrow. "Kibitz, I of all ponies know what can go wrong in delicate procedures like this. But there's no point in acknowledging them if they haven't happened yet. Planning ahead is fine, but one gets much more out of life if they live in the moment."

"That may be your philosophy, Your Highness, but it's not a perfect one," Kibitz criticized.

"What not perfect?!" Prince Rutherford boomed. "Yaks get mad when things not perfect!"

Kibitz flinched and ducked behind Celestia. Celestia, however, barely batted an eyelid.

"It's nothing, Prince Rutherford," she said. "Just a disagreement over life philosophies."

Kibitz grumbled something unintelligible under his breath. Celestia sighed and shook her head.

"Kibitz, relax. Everything's under control," she said. "Besides, do you honestly think you're the only one who's worried?"

"W-well, no," Kibitz admitted. "But I feel someone who's actually in charge of this event has to be."

***

"Representing the nekos of the Neko Shogunate, Ambassador Mojo!"

Gilda couldn't help but stare as four bipedal cats walked past her, carrying a regal-looking cat creature dressed in the finest silk on a soft pillow. She scoffed.

"What's the matter with him? Do his legs not work?" she muttered.

Her snide remark was met with a slash from her grandfather's talon.

"None of that, young lady," Gruff scolded. "Remember, you're an ambassador now, not some low-brow punk."

"All the more reason why I shouldn't be doing this," Gilda snarled. "I don't know how many times I have to say it, Grandpa! I'm not ambassador material! Honor Bound made a mistake."

"Nervous?"

Gilda flinched as a small buffalo walked up to her, flashing a gentle smile. She quickly cleared her throat.

"Um, no! No, no. O-of course not. Griffons don't get nervous," she said.

The buffalo giggled. "There's no need to lie to me." She extended her hoof. "Little Strongheart, representative of the buffalo."

"Yeah, whatev— ow!"

Gilda was about to brush Little Strongheart off when she got slashed by her grandfather again. She let out a long groan.

"Ambassador Gilda of the Griffon Kingdom. Nice to meet you," she said in a strained tone.

Little Strongheart arched an eyebrow. "I get the sense you don't want to be here."

"Gee, I can't imagine where you ever got that idea," said Gilda sardonically. "Seriously, just because I help rebuild my town and become some national hero, that automatically qualifies me for being ambassador. I have no idea what I'm doing!"

"Representing the minotaurs of the Minos Colonies, President Io!"

Little Strongheart gave Gilda a coy smile as she heard the precession continue behind her. "You wish to hear a secret?"

"What?"

"You're not the only one. In fact, I'm sure there's at least one delegate here who's more nervous than you."

Gilda blinked. "You serious?"

"Indeed," said Little Strongheart. "In fact, I think you two would get along. I'll introduce you once the conference gets in full swing. It would certainly make her feel better."

Gilda rubbed the back of her head, trying to think of what to say. "Um, uh... Cool. Th-that's pretty cool of you. So, um, you nervous?"

Little Strongheart shrugged. "Maybe a little. But I've been bridging gaps and playing peacemaker for many a moon now. This sort of comes natural to me."

"Representing the buffalo tribes of the Mild West, Little Strongheart!"

"Whoop, that's me!" said Little Strongheart, bowing to Gilda. "Best of luck, ambassador."

She trotted into the great hall, bowing to Celestia and making her way to her seat. Gilda sighed.

"I am so jealous of her," she muttered. "She really makes this stuff look easy."

"Someday, that'll be you, Gilda," said Gruff. "It just takes a bit of practice."

"Representing the griffons of the Griffon Kingdom, Ambassador Gilda!"

Gilda swallowed. "Showtime."

Gruff smiled and patted Gilda on the shoulder. "You're going to be fine, Gilda. I believe in you."

***

"Representing the beasts of the Everfree Forest, Steven Magnet!"

Ember poked her head through the door as the precession continued. One by one, each delegate marched in, bowed to Celestia, and found their seat. She fiddled nervously with her Bloodstone Scepter.

"Hope you ain't having second thoughts, Your Lordship."

Ember turned to see Needles and her posse coming in. She smiled.

"Not at all," she said with a shake of her head. "Dragons don't back down. Um, normally."

"It's fine. I ain't offended," said Needles, holding up her claw. "Just be professional, like I told ya."

Ember took in a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. I can do this."

"We'll be right behind ya," said Needles, giving Ember a thumbs up.

"And lastly, representing the dragons of the Dragonlands, Dragon Lord Ember!"

There was a collective gasp from the delegates as Ember flew in. All eyes were glued to her, and some of them were muttering amongst themselves.

"A dragon? Has Princess Celestia gone mad?"

"Yaks hear Dragon Lord powerful. This Dragon Lord no look powerful."

"Interesting choice on the part of Her Highnyess. The Great Kohryu would nyo doubt wish to knyow about this once I return home."

Ember continued flying forward, smiling awkwardly and waving. "Everyone's staring at me," she whispered to Needles through gritted teeth.

"Remember, professional," Needles whispered back. "Don't let 'em get to ya."

Ember gulped and bowed before Celestia. Celestia did so in return and gestured to the last empty seat. Ember nodded and took her spot next to Little Strongheart. Little Strongheart blinked as she noticed who was accompanying her.

"You guys decided to stick around?" she asked. "I thought for sure you'd go home once the Dragon Lord released you."

"We thought it'd be better if she wasn't the only dragon around," said Flint with a shrug. "Can't blame us for being charitable, LS."

Little Strongheart arched an eyebrow. "Charitable? Are you feeling okay, Flint?"

Flint groaned. "Lay off, LS. This is the Dragon Lord we're talking about here."

"I take it this is the delegate you told me about."

Ember looked past Little Strongheart to see Gilda, who was seated right next to her. Little Strongheart cleared her throat.

"Um, yes," she said. "Your Lordship, I'd like you to meet Ambassador Gilda of the Griffon Kingdom."

"Um, hi," said Ember, giving Gilda a small wave.

Gilda gave Ember a blank stare before stifling a laugh. "W-wow. Little Strongheart wasn't kidding; you really are nervous."

Ember blushed and snorted. "H-hey, you try setting a new standard for your entire species! It's not that easy!"

Gilda suddenly stopped laughing. "Oh. Uh, jeez. Sorry. I didn't mean to make fun of you. Actually, I know where you're coming from."

Ember blinked. "Wait, you do?"

"You probably haven't heard, but the city of Griffonstone is going through something of a rebirth thanks to me," Gilda explained. "Well, partially thanks to me. It was a couple of ponies that got the ball rolling, kinda. The point is, our previous ambassador saw this and thought it was a good idea to step down and give his position to me. But I'm really not cut out for this. I mean, sure, we've changed our ways, but I'm still me. And to be honest, I'm not fit for this line of work."

Ember gave Gilda a perplexed look. "Huh. And here I thought I was the only one. Spike's right; there's a lot to like about this friendship thing."

"I hear that," Gilda said with a laugh. "So, what's your story, sister?"

"Hey hey hey! That Your Lordship to you," growled Steel.

"Easy, guys. It's okay. I'm not that kind of Dragon Lord," said Ember firmly. "Please excuse them, ambassador. Dragons aren't really known for their manners."

"Noble dragons are," Trigger corrected, wringing his claws. "Though calling Flint and Steel 'noble' is a bit of a stretch. Ehheh... Ehheh..."

Flint scowled. "You are so lucky we're in the presence of the Dragon Lord right now."

"Creatures of Equestria and beyond! May I have your attention, please!"

The chatter soon stopped as Princess Celestia stood up from her seat and raised a glass with her magic.

"First and foremost, I thank each and every one of you for attending this year's Inter-Species Conference. Though Equestria is home to primarily equines, it is important that we acknowledge our neighbors, no matter what shape or size they might be. With that in mind, we have a few special guests here today."

She gestured over to Prince Rutherford. "Thanks to the efforts of Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends, our borders have been opened to the great nation of Yakyakistan. We are truly honored to have them attend this year's conference."

"Yaks and ponies friends for a thousand moons!" Rutherford cheered. "Yaks hope to open boarders to other nations, too!"

"Indeed," said Celestia, gesturing to the nekos. "Speaking of which, we have another potential alliance. Although negotiations are still being made between myself and the Grand Shoguns, we are confident that the Neko Shogunate will soon open their borders to us."

"Overconfidence is the greatest enyemy, Your Highnyess," Mojo warned. "But if all goes well, this conference may sway our opinion."

He then turned to Sykes Silvervest and smiled coyly. "And if I may add something, I feel it is most interesting that you have placed me alongside one of our greatest foes, the Diamond Dogs. Truly, you ponyies must value the power of friendship very highly. I'm sure Sykes Silvervest and I will have quite an experience putting your philosophies to the test."

Sykes gave a small grunt of acknowledgment, but he seemed otherwise distracted. He sniffed the air, a concerned scowl on his face. This did not go unnoticed by Needles.

"Something's not right," she mused. "I've seen Toro get that look before. Boys, be on your guard."

Steel gulped. "Um, is it just me, or did the room suddenly get colder?"

"Now that you mention it, I kinda feel that way, too," Flint admitted.

Trigger nervously wrung his claws. "Probably best that you leave this to us, Your Lordship. W-we're professionals at this kind of thing."

Before Ember could respond, Princess Celestia gestured to Gilda.

"I would next like to recognize the Griffon Kingdom's newest ambassador, Gilda of Griffonstone. It is due to her efforts that the legendary city of Griffonstone has started to regain its former glory."

Gilda's face turned bright red. "Well, uh, it wasn't just me, Your Highness. But, still. Happy to be here! Yeah! Um... Yeah."

Celestia smiled sweetly. "I understand that you're nervous, ambassador. We all are. And those that aren't have been where you are right now. Which brings me to our last guest of note."

Out of the corner of her eye, Needles saw a black shadow streak past her. With a scowl, she summoned a magical throwing star and kept it hidden under the table.

"I'd personally like to welcome Dragon Lord Ember as the first Dragon Lord to attend the Inter-Species Conference," Celestia announced. "Though dragons have had something of a reputation in the past, the same can be said for a lot of creatures here. In that sense, Ember is no different from any of us. And I applaud her for taking this first step towards extending the olive branch between dragons, ponies, and everyone else here."

"Of course you would applaud her, Princess Celestia. You value softness, just as she does. But there's no such thing as a soft dragon."

A sinister voice echoed throughout the grand hall, causing the delegates to mutter in confusion. Ember snorted and raised her scepter.

"I will not stand for this insult!" she bellowed. "Show yourself!"

"As you wish, Your Lordship. But be warned, this is the only time I will obey you."

There was a suddenly eruption of black flame in the middle of the hall. From it, a large black dragon emerged. His wings appeared to be frayed, marking him as being quite old. But even with his advanced age, he exuded an oppressive aura that made Ember shiver ever so slightly. His piercing red eyes started at her, and he grinned.

"Allow me to introduce myself," he said. "I am Seth, the Black Dragon of the Desert. And I am here to claim what is rightfully mine."

"Rightfully yours?! You didn't even appear at the Gauntlet of Fire!" Ember roared. "I've never met you before in my life!"

Seth cackled. "That antiquated challenge? Since when has that proven anything about a dragon's might? And you won that challenge through a fluke! You didn't earn that power; a pony-raised runt gave it to you out of 'kindness!' Dragons are not kind, Princess Ember!"

"Some dragons are!" Ember retorted, holding her staff aloft. "You will leave this conference right now!"

Seth laughed again and wagged his finger. "Naughty naughty. Remember what I told you, Your Lordship? I said I would only obey you once by revealing myself. You have no power over me."

Ember blanched. "Wh-what? B-but, I hold the Bloodstone Scepter! That means you have to do what I say!"

"This dragon does not bow before someone as weak as you!" said Seth, raising his claws. "Now, witness what true power really feels like!"

A strange gateway opened over Ember's head. From it, several stars rained down upon the delegates. Celestia's guards quickly casted shields over anyone nearby, but a strange force repelled them from Ember.

"Hang on, Your Lordship! We got this!"

Flint and Steel flew in front of Ember, shielding her with their own bodies. Meanwhile, Needles was stunned by the display.

"Th-that's impossible," she mumbled. "Agniki, Ocard!"

She coughed a plume of flame, which soon formed into her spirit guide.

"Why have you summoned me, young—? Oh." Ocard was equally dumbfounded by Seth's power. "O-oh my word. Th-this can't be."

"You'd better not say what I think you're gonna say," said Needles.

Ocard sighed. "I'm afraid your fears are correct, young Needles. That right there is indeed a Dragon Mage."

Needles snorted and tossed away her parasol. "Well then, I guess I should lay my cards on the table."

"Needles, wait. You're not nearly at his level. This is a very bad i—"

"Hey, ugly!"

Seth turned his attention to Needles, who threw a star at him. Seth grinned and caught the star between his own claws.

"My my my. Methinks the false Dragon Lord has predicted my arrival," he said. "Why else would she call upon a Dragon Mage to challenge me?"

"She ain't a false Dragon Lord!" Needles barked, throwing more stars at him. Each one was caught between Seth's fingers.

"So even you are blind. Pity," Seth growled. "Then again, you Dragon Magi have always misused the immense power granted to you. It's no wonder you'd take her side. But I will say it again for good measure. Dragons aren't soft. Dragons aren't kind! Dragons will never be friends with others! And no weak-scaled Dragon Lord is going to change that!"

He launched Needles's stars back at her in a powerful ball of light. The attack sent Needles flying into the wall.

"Needles!" Trigger cried out, running to her side. "My dear sweet Needles. A-are you okay?"

Needles let out a groan, her body singed and charred. "If Ocard says 'I told you so,' you have my permission to bop it one."

"I believe I've made my intentions plain," said Seth. "Princess Ember, I challenge you for the Bloodstone Scepter. If you accept, meet me in the desert due west. If you do not answer my challenge by the next sunset, I will track you down and take it by force. Either way, your reign is at its end. And now everyone here knows to never trust a dragon."

He rose into the air and cackled, his body vanishing before everyone's eyes. When he disappeared entirely, Ember felt all eyes boring into her soul.

"Dragon Lord's rule not perfect?! Yaks see no reason to respect dragons!"

"I knew something smelled off. Almost makes me wonder if she planned this."

"Your Highness, I hope you don't find me ungrateful, but I cannot entrust the safety of the migrants to such beasts."

Ember gripped her scepter tightly, tears welling up in her eyes. She flew up into the air and let out a roar.

"Shut up! J-just shut up, all of you!" she screamed. "I-I don't know what happened! Th-this is not my fault! Anyone who says it is will... Will..."

"Will what? Have to fight you?" asked Mojo, stroking his whiskers. "That will only prove the black dragon's point that your kind is nyot to be trusted. But if you don't protect your honyor, you are just as weak as the black dragon says you are. I'm afraid there's nyothing you can do."

"Hey, back off, furball," Gilda snarled, marching up to the neko ambassador. "She's got a lot to deal with right now, and she doesn't need you to tell her the stakes."

"Nor does she require the Griffon Kingdom to speak for her," said President Io. "Or do all treasure-hoarding creatures look after their own?"

Gilda whipped around, her eyes narrowing. "You wanna say that again? 'Cause I think that was an invitation for me to tear you limb from limb!"

"You do so, and the Minos Colonies will launch their full armada against the griffons!" Io warned. "Your precious city of Griffonstone will never recover once we reduce it to rubble!"

"I'd like to see you try, bovine brain!"

"That insult doesn't even make sense, ungrateful pheasant!"

Little Strongheart stood between Gilda and Io. "Alright, everyone. Let's try and settle down here."

"Oh, so now the buffalo is going to preach to us," said Sykes. "We already know we can't trust you. Your traditional respect for dragons is already well-known. There's no way you'd say anything bad about the Dragon Lord."

"Nyow, that's nyot exactly fair," huffed Mojo. "The nyekos respect dragons as well, and I condemn this barbarism as much as anyone else in this room."

Sykes snorted. "As if you know anything that goes on outside your home, you pretentious feline."

"At least I'm nyot an arrogant canyine," Mojo hissed.

Kibitz gulped. "Um, what were you saying before about me worrying too much, Your Highness?"

Celestia didn't dignify that. Instead she raised her hoof.

"SILENCE, ALL OF YOU!"

All of the delegates winced, rendered powerless by the might of the Royal Canterlot Voice. Celestia sighed.

"As host of this conference, I will get to the bottom of this," she said firmly. "Lord Ember, please meet me in my throne room. The rest of you, I suggest you cool your heads and try to remember what this conference is supposed to symbolize. Come along, Kibitz."

She marched out of the grand hall with Kibitz following right behind her. Gilda palmed her face.

"Way to go, dummy," she muttered. "Somehow, I knew I'd mess this up."

"Sun princess speaks much wisdom," said Rutherford somberly. "Yaks ashamed of how they acted."

"But it still begs the question of what all that mess was about," White Lie mused.

"Oh, yeah! Don't mind us! We're totally fine!"

Everyone turned to look at Flint and Steel, who were both badly injured. Little Strongheart sighed and went to attend to them.

"So, what now?" asked Trigger, wringing his claws.

Needles picked herself up and dusted herself off. "I'll tell you what now. Now's the time when Lord Ember needs us most."

Ember hung her head. "I couldn't ask that of you, Dragon Mage Needles. This is my responsibility."

"Yeah, well. It's mine, too," said Needles. "That there fella was wielding my kind of magic."

"But I thought the Dragon Magi were peaceful," said Ember, raising an eyebrow. "Why would one attack me?"

Needles sighed and shook her head. "Remember before when I said I don't have the answer to everything?"

"Um, yes?"

"Will, this here is one of those times. I have no flippin' idea what that darn psycho's thinkin'." Needles then stared off into the distance and sighed. "All I know is that I've got a really bad feeling about this..."

Comments

[OmniFox]

And we know just the dragon for the task.

[redmar]

In the end this will end very badly for Seth when he's learned not to abuse his power in the very painfull way.

[Crazy the Clone]

This will probably end in either humiliation or death for Seth. Hopefully it's the former.

[Dragon of Shadows]

That right there is indeed a Dragon Mage.

WELL FUCK!!!

"SILENCE, ALL OF YOU!"