Chapter 8: Secret of Aura
I was, in a word, surprised.
Ember, however, was so far beyond that.
“Wh-what the heck, Star?!” Ember shouted. “Are you telling me you have freaky powers like Luke and never once did you think to tell me?”
“Like Luke?” Star guffawed. “Hardly. I can’t do much with it, I’m afraid. You’ve just seen almost the full extent of my ability to actually use Aura. Even that much is not easy for me.”
“Still, that would have been something I might have wanted to know,” Ember said, crossing her arms in a huff. “Maybe I would have wanted to learn it. Did you ever think about that?”
“I did, in fact,” Star declared. “Do you remember when we used to play that game where I’d blindfold you and tell you to find me?”
Ember thought for a moment before replying, “Yeah, I remember?”
“That was to see if you had any gift for Aura. I’m sorry to say, you don’t.”
“So, are there dragons that can use the same powers I have?” I asked, finally getting over my surprise.
“Not for over a thousand years,” Star replied.
“What happened to them?” Ember asked.
“Let’s not concern ourselves with such things,” Star said, though I could see, for the briefest moments, a glint of sorrow in her eye. “Instead, why don’t we take a look at your friend, here. Show me what you can do.”
And so, I gave her a demonstration of what I could do. I ran sprints, jumped as high as I could (Both of which I swore were faster and higher than before), I punched a rock and broke it in half, then I fired off my... I’m going to just call it aura sphere. I’m pretty sure that’s what it was called in Smash, and even if it’s not it sounds better than aura ball. Finally, I ended with bone rush, smashing another boulder to pieces.
Star watched me the whole time, her face serious. By the look in her eyes, I was quite sure she was watching more than just what one could see. She was watching my Aura.
“Very good,” Star said. “And you say this ‘bone rush’ ability is something you just figured out how to do?” I nodded. “I see. I believe I may know what your gift is, but I’m not certain. Even then, I can’t help but feel it’s only part of it.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“She may have given you some kind of instinctive knowledge of your abilities,” Star explained. “Of course, this meant her gift would be little more than a shortcut. I can’t help but feel there’s more to it than that.”
“What do you think it might be?” I asked.
Star chuckled at that. “Child, it’s nothing more than a gut feeling. I can’t even so much as speculate what it could be.
“Regardless, you may have been granted knowledge, but you still need to learn how to actually use what you know. That, unfortunately, isn’t really something I can teach.”
I nodded. “I understand. Thank you. You’ve been more than helpful.” I looked over at my lunch. “You want some boar?”
Star laughed. “I think if I did, there wouldn’t be enough left for you. I saw some rather fat looking deer in the forest yesterday. Keep your kill. Maybe share it with Ember? I’m sure she’d love to dine with you.”
“Star,” Ember groaned, rubbing her snout in frustration.
“Fine, fine,” Star relented. “I’ll be going and giving you two some privacy. Have fun.”
With that, she spread her wings and took to the sky, circling toward the forest.
“Well... she’s an interesting one,” I observed.
Ember sighed. “She’s a pain in the scales... but yeah, she’s cool.”
“So, you want some boar?” I asked. “I doubt I can eat the whole thing.”
“Yeah, sure,” Ember replied.
And so, we both made our way back inside, pig in tow.
The next day saw the two of us on top of the mountain, trying to get a handle on our powers. Mostly, it was Ember, seeing as I already knew the basics of mine.
“Alright,” Ember began. “I can do this.”
Ember held out her hands, face scrunched up in concentration. Slowly, like an old neon light, they started to flicker. Eventually, the glowing stabilized and she had a lovely red glow.
She held it for several seconds before focusing on a nice sized boulder about the size of my head.
“Good, now, will the rock to fly into the lava,” Star instructed.
Slowly, the same red light started to envelop the boulder. It was unstable, but it was holding. Then, she willed it to fly...
And instead it melted.
“Dang it!” Ember shouted. “I had it! It was this close to doing what I wanted.”
“Hey, don’t feel down,” I said. “You melted it. That at least means your magic is working on it.”
“He’s right,” Star said. “The fact that you’ve come so far as to already be able to channel your magic and affect objects hints that either you’re a natural or Aurora gave you knowledge, too.”
Suddenly, I had an idea. “Try it again. I want to see what this really looks like.”
Ember understood the moment I closed my eyes and my dreadlocks started twitching.
She repeated the process and summoned up her magic, willing another boulder to throw itself into the lava.
Instead, there was a loud crack and the boulder split in two.
“Ah, I think I see the problem,” I said. “You’re coming at it too aggressively. Strong doesn’t mean forceful. You need to be strong, but gentle.”
“‘Strong but gentle’? What the heck does that even mean?” Ember asked.
I smirked. “So glad you asked.”
I walked over to an area that was clear from debris and created my staff. With it, I carved two parallel lines, about ten feet long and five feet apart, and stood at one end.
“Come here,” I requested. “I want to show you something.”
Ember gave me a suspicious look as she slowly approached.
“Try to get past me.”
Her expression was deadpanned as she replied, “Do what?”
“Without crossing these lines, I want you to get past me. You can use whatever means you can, save your magic or fire breath. You can punch me, kick me, claw me, whatever you want. I, meanwhile, can’t strike you at all. I can only gently move and push you.”
Ember burst out laughing. “What? Really?! Alright. This’ll be easy.”
As I expected, she charged me, intent on running me down.
I just used my body to turn her momentum around and she stumbled back the way she came.
“Wh-what? What the heck just happened?” Ember asked.
“Certainly not you getting past me,” I taunted.
“Oh, you got jokes, huh,” she snarled. “Joke this!”
She came at me again, this time with her fist drawn back. Once again, she found herself twisted around and off balance. A light push between the wings sent her stumbling right back where she started.
She got her feet back under her and turned to glare at me. “Alright, how the heck are you doing that?”
“I’m being powerfully gentle,” I answered.
“I’ll claw your eyes out in your sleep.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, fine. It’s like a warrior philosopher from my world once said, ‘Be like water.’”
“Water?” Ember asked, confused.
I waved her over as I began explaining. “Water is the most destructive element. It tears down mountains and pulverized boulders into sand, yet it’s also gentle. It doesn’t crush those boulders through force, but with a gentle caress.
“When you tried moving that boulder, you slammed your will into it, trying to move it through brute force. Instead, try moving it the way I moved you.”
“The way you moved me...”
Ember turned to face another boulder and closed her eyes. I ‘saw’ her power flow, not in a rushing torrent of power, but a gentle river. It didn’t strike the boulder head on, but swirled around it.
The boulder started wobbling, faster and faster until it launched through the air and splashed down into the lava.
"Yes!," Ember cheered. "I did it!"
"That you did," I gave her a little applause. "I knew you were a bad ass."
She looked away, trying to hide a blush. "Well, I am, but you helped... a little."
That warmed my heart, a little, to be honest.
"So, who was that warrior philosopher you mentioned, anyway?" Ember asked.
I smiled as I let myself fall back on nostalgia. "Bruce Lee. He was a master of martial arts and a philosopher. His style of Jeet Kune Do is one of the styles I learned."
"He sounds like he would have made a great dragon." Ember said.
"Well, I mean, that was one of his titles..." it was then I realized something. "Where's Star?"
"Ember!" a thunderous voice boomed.
Ember's face dropped. "Oh no. Act cool! Be tough! Don't-"
She was cut off as the biggest dragon I ever imagined landed behind her with enough force to shake the mountain.
Ember turned back to face the mountain of a dragon and forced a smile. "Hi dad, it's good to see you."
My jaw dropped. I suddenly found myself wishing I could disappear.
"Where have you been?!" Ember's father demanded. "You have been missing for weeks." Then his eyes locked onto me, and it took every ounce of willpower not to show fear. "And what is that?"
Ember's demeanor shifted to a firm protectiveness. "'That' is Luke, and he saved my life. I was attacked by a dingonek. Luke killed it and treated my wounds."
The enormous death lizard actually looked worried the moment Ember mentioned the monster.
He looked at me and asked. "You expect me to believe this tiny mammal vanquished a creature that hunts dragons?"
"I threw it down a chasm in the forest," I stated.
He looked at me in disgust. "Do not do that! Speak like a normal creature!"
"He can't," Ember came to my defense. "He can only speak with Aura."
"Then he will not speak!"
"Hey!" Ember roared. "I'd be dead if not for him! You will show him respect!"
I could only look at Ember as if she had lost her mind. It was an expression mirrored on her father.
"I see..." her father said in a much calmer tone. "Very well." He turned to me. "Strike me."
"Wh-what?!"
"My daughter says you defeated a dingonek. I find this hard to believe," he said plainly. "Show me this strength she claims you have. Strike me as hard as you can."
I looked to Ember who just nodded.
I just sighed and dropped into a fighting stance. I focused my Aura into my first and struck him as hard as I could with a loud crash.
His head shifted away so he could look down at me in surprise.
"Do that again!"
I looked to Ember again, but she was struck dumb.
Without much other options, I did as I was asked and hit him again.
Then he started laughing.
"I can't believe it," he said as tried to catch his breath. "I actually felt a tiny bit of pain from that!"
He stood back up to his full, imposing height. "I approve."
With that, he turned around and flew off, still laughing.
"What the hell just happened?" I asked.
Ember's only answer was was a groan.
"And just where did you run off to?" Ember demanded when she finally found Star near the bottom of the mountain.
"What? I wasn't going anywhere near that," Star defended. "I wouldn't have been able to help, anyway. "
"So you just disappear. A little heads up at least would have been appreciated," Ember admonished.
"But if I did that, I wouldn't have gotten such a fantastic show."
Ember faceclawed. "Of course you were watching."
"From a safe distance, of course. So..." Star's expression shifted to her snarky smirk. "Your father approves."
Ember growled. "I told you, it's not like that!"
"Hmm, that's a shame," Star pretended to study her claws. "Garble would be more likely to leave you be if you already had a mate."
Star gave one last smirk as she took off.
Ember skulked away, her thoughts storming.
"Darn it, Star," she growled as she squeezed into a little cave hidden away in the shadows. "Why can't she just drop it."
Ember found her way to the back of the little cave where she leaned her back to the stone. "It's not like it could work, anyway. He's going home the first chance he gets."
She slid to the ground, holding her knees to her chest, eyes shimmering with held back tears.
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So Ember is being a tsundere
9789612
she always was, even in cannon, but with Lukes guidance, she now takes the first step to also being Jedi
The plot thickens
9789657
But which side would she chose the light, the dark, something inbetween
9789795
hmmn, difficult to see...always in motion is the future...
9789844
The truth you speak
9789612
Dragons are tsundere by nature.
9789721
Yeah, Celestia got into the cake again.
9789932
I told her she was gaining weight, but she didn't listen
I rather want to see Gable getting owned by Luke. Should be hilarious.
Luke, you luck cur. Do you know how hard it is to get the girl's father's approval?! Put a fricking ring on that as soon as you can, boy!
I think you mean "our".
Wrong tense here. You want "carved".
I can understand cutting words out for dialogue, so this one is more of a nitpick. I really think Ember would add "about" here.
"Into it".
To face.
Not sure if there is a word missing, or if you have extra words here. Either way, you need to look at it.
Oh boy. We have a ship, folks!
9790311
It would indeed.
9789861
9789844
Indeed.
The story had progressively bettered as the plot marches on. This chapter has left me hungering for more- Good work on this!
Good luck writing,
-Melodiac
aw so Ember does care.
this story is showing to be a grate story.
I love your story
Sadness! Emotional pain! Crying emojis!
...Love it!
First they stumble on one another, then they stumble on a way to get saved, then they stumble on the dragon empress, then they stumble out through chance, then stumble home and find out that the only being left, possibly on the entire planet, lives just upstairs of Ember.
These characters have all the agency of a pair of socks and the amount of coincidences borders on the silly. Your writing may be good, but your story structure is very poor. Hopefully that turns around soon as this story is interesting.
9819677
They didn't really stumble upon the ruins or the old empress, they were led there. Other than that, destiny is a very real and powerful force in Equestria.
OK in the main eeveelution story dragons react to fariy type moves like how the dragon type would I feel sorry of any dragons that come up against a Kommo-O considering their fire is basically useless against the dragon type and seeing as they react to typing that means that they would be hurt by dragon type moves...I honestly wonder how they would react to the move dragon breath being somehow different to their flames
9790966
Set sail and lets drive deep into unknow deepth
9819677
Im pretty fine with that since we all kinda random run into life changing events. Some call it good luck some chance other DESTINY
Wish it was so simpel impressing ones mate parents...
Always a drag no matter what you try... 
Either “That is” or “That’s”.
10066559
It's actually in single quotes.
Oh just buck up and rut each other's brains out, for cryin' out loud!
agressive shippers be like:
YOU HEARD THE MAN FOLKS. HE APPROVES
NOW LET'S GET THIS MARRIAGE STARTED
Looks like Luke has his Blessing we are ago everyone. I can't wait to see his true gift.
Meanwhile in Equestiean a certain Pink Pony it looking at her shipping map with glee
11029882
More like confusion. "Wait, they aren't in love? But they're... That's not how it works, though!"