Worthy of the Legend
“Dammit, I mean- how the hell did I think that was a good idea?” Gilda griped, very slightly limping while she walked. Ember shrugged, shoving her hands in her pockets.
“Well, you’ve said Dash is an idiot before- I don’t know why you’d listen.”
“I was desperate, okay? You don’t KNOW how much cash I’ve been spending on razors ever since that nerd became some magic god thing.”
“Last I heard, she doesn’t really like being called that,” Ember said, “Honestly, I don’t get it- you save the whole universe, I would accept the respect that came with it.”
“Meh. Still wish this magic crap wouldn’t interfere with my aerodynamics.”
The two of them stopped in front of an only slightly dilapidated building, the rusted sign showing it to be “Griffonstone Heights Apartments”.
“Welp, see ya back in the slammer on Monday.” Gilda called, waving back at Ember as she went up the steps.
“It’s just school, you don’t have to be so melodramatic.”
“You don’t know my pain, Ember!”
Ember rolled her eyes as the door shut behind her, turning on her heel and continuing her walk home. There was a reason the inner city blocks of Crystal City were known as the Badlands- run down buildings, rough people and rougher attitudes- you had to be strong to make it. And the worst of the worst were on Flamecano street.
As Ember turned down that particular lane, she held her head up with pride- she was strong, and she knew it. Even for a night-pegasus, she was tougher than most. Her dad had immigrated here long ago from Hosstralia, bringing his talent for dealing with dangerous critters with him. There were only two rules on Flamecano street- don’t mess with the pet shop owner, and don’t mess with the pet shop owner’s daughter.
The moment she stepped inside her home, she had the gut feeling that someone wasn’t aware of these rules.
Ember’s first impression of the guy at the counter was “Total greaseball”- his gaudy red leather jacket and slicked blonde hair immediately put her off. She faintly remembered them from school- bunch of incompetent punks, and if the unifying new theme of leather and metal were anything to go off of, these guys were trying to muscle in on the gang scene.
Torch had seen the rise of many of these young punks before- and their almost immediate fall as well. He taught Ember well to not get involved with that kind of scum- the Torch family was too proud for that life.
“I’m done playing nice, old man,” The greaser said, leaning over the counter, “Our boss needs dogs, and we’ve offered WAY more than what’s fair for your mangy mutts! Why don’t you fork ‘em over and-”
Torch snorted once, grabbing him by the collar and hoisting him up to eye level.
“You think you can threaten me, you sorry excuse for a gangster? You pomp and preen around, but you ain’t got any spine in ya- and I don’t deal to scum like your boss. I’M the king around here, you get me?”
The young man staggered as he dropped to the ground, glaring as he dusted off his jacket.
“Alright, I’m done playing nice here-”
“Hey!”
Ember glared at the three greaseballs wasting space in her dad’s shop, bag slung over her shoulder and fire in her eyes.
“I believe my dad ordered you to leave, Garble. How about you scram before it gets ugly.”
Garble sneered, “Ember- what, you think I’m scared of some gir-”
He couldn’t even finish his sentence before Ember was across the shop, fist firmly embedded in his gut. Garble doubled over, before an elbow-drop knocked him to the ground. His two cronies winced as she leveled her glare at them.
“Anyone else?”
Grabbing Garble, the three of them high-tailed it out of there, while Ember snorted. Flawless victory.
“Ember.” Torch growled, glaring unimpressed. She rolled her eyes.
“Oh, come on! They weren’t gonna back down with you blowing hot air all over the place!”
“I had it handled.” He rumbled, leaning heavily on his cane as the mountain of a man walked around the counter.
“Yeah, you sure did. That’s why they were totally about to throw down with a geriatric.”
Torch growled out a sigh, “Always with the jumping into things you don’t belong in. I’ll never understand where you got your stubbornness from.”
“Gee, I wonder,” Ember said, dropping a plastic bag of takeout on the counter, “I brought dinner- Chineighse.”
“Did you remember the pot stickers?”
“Please, like I’d ever forget.”
Ember was sleeping peacefully, before a scuffling woke her up. The sound of glass crunching under heavy boots- her eyes flew open and she rushed out of bed.
"I've told you PUNKS BEFORE-"
Ember burst through the stairwell's exit, just in time to see her dad bash someone in the head with the red stone on the end of his cane, "I don't sell to WASTES OF SPACE!"
These people were different from Garble's gang from earlier- black masks, dark suits with little bling to grab onto. She caught a glimpse of metal reflecting the street light- guns. These people were armed.
With a roar, Ember charged forward and tackled the closest intruder she could- he collapsed under her, head cracking against the linoleum and gun sliding across the ground. Torch whacked another goon in the face, and he stumbled against a cage. One of the cockatoos squawked, pecking at his head through the bars.
Ember struggled with her opponent, trying to scramble across the floor to his gun as Ember grabbed him by one arm and twisted it back. He howled in pain, and Ember heard a faint "pop". She rolled off and into a standing position, before kicking him once in the face. The screaming stopped immediately, and just as Ember turned around she saw the last of them being battered about by her dad. He swung his cane, but the assailant dodged deftly left and right of it. They managed to plant a kick to Torch's gut, sending him stumbling backwards before-
BANG.
Smoke drifted off the gun's barrel, and Torch collapsed onto the floor. Ember froze.
Then, all at once, her world was wreathed in flames.
Ember groaned, feeling like her head was about to split from the pain. She couldn't remember a thing, panic quickly setting in as she looked around- white walls and the septic smell cluing her in immediately to where she was.
'A hospital. When did I get to a hospital?'
She tried to stand, a pain lancing through her as she immediately decided to stay seated. Whatever happened, it absolutely wrecked her, and she went back to looking around. A single nurse filed paperwork behind a counter, and her dad's cane was on the seat next to her.
'That'll have to do,'
She tried to stand again, leaning on the cane as she rode out the waves of pain. After a couple of moments, her breathing returned to normal and the pain was more of a dull ache. Grumbling, she semi-hobbled her way down the row of chairs to a front desk. The nurse on staff gave her a polite smile, "Ah, finally awake? You practically collapsed into that chair after the doctors took your father off in the stretcher."
Ember nodded, "Yeah- is he okay? I can't really remember much of what happened..."
The nurse nodded, flipping through some charts, "Yes, that's pretty common with high stress situations- I can only imagine what happened with that wound- but yes, your father has been out of surgery for a few hours now and is in stable condition."
"Oh, thank goodness," Ember breathed a sigh of relief, "Can I go see him?"
The nurse frowned, "Not yet, I'm afraid- he still needs a bit of care before he can safely see any visitors. If you want, I can set you up in a cot in the break room? We'll wake you when he's ready, you look like you could still use the rest."
She looked around the empty hospital, the blanket of night still covering the world outside.
"I... thank you."
Fire swirled around her, but it didn't burn. What had she done? What had she become?
"What you truly always were."
She twisted and turned- what was that voice? Where did it come from?
"I am a part of you- and you are a part of me. Two halves of the whole of Bahamut. Heiress to a lost empire."
She was confused. What did this voice mean? Heiress to what?
"A power stronger than you could ever know. You are the blood of Bahamut- they knocked you down tonight, but you will rise again stronger. That is our warrior way."
The voice was growing fainter. But she had so many more questions!
"There isn't much time. The Bloodstone will guide you- find the seven pearls and seek their wisdom. Then you will truly understand who you really are. Rest now, young warrior. Purpose will find you."
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So... Ember is Dr. Donald Blake and also a Dog? Neat :)
Woah. It's Torch and Ember! Woah.
I was wondering about Torch's Aspect, so... Was he a Unicorn Aspect from Tauros and got his gem cut out and then he put it on his cane?
Want to see her meet her Dragon Analogue, which might be done by Twilight for Scientific Comparisons, if she can go through...
Typos:
"now", I guess?
Do you mean a "stretcher", or as a contraction of a "stretch of time"?
7766177
Pegasi aspect actually- one of the batpony styled sub-aspects. And thanks for catching those!
7766138
That's definitely part of her inspiration- though the other bit will probably soon be obvious too (if it isn't already in hindsight)
Close, but not quite what I have in mind for Ember. You got the aspect right, but I intended her to be Torch's biological daughter. Royal privilege and all. Of course, I could've gotten that short out sooner.
7766277
Well hey I'm actually not entirely too happy with how this turned out to begin with, I can totally retcon it for a bit.
Ooh, liking this retcon. Obviously, the closest comic analogue is still classic Donald Blake/Thor, but with a bit of Hulk mixed in. Her transformation seems to be triggered by fury, and she doesn't remember the details of her rampage.
The seven pearls? It's the dragon balls!
7766177 Oh no no no, that's clearly the Bloodstone Scepter- the one from the end of the Gauntlet of Fire.
So Thorhulk is gonna go on a quest to find the Dragon Balls and... Er... Something, something, saving the world.