The Light Within Us

by theOwtcast

High Society

“Are you done already?” Pharynx asked, poking his head into my bedchamber. “The Gala starts in two hours and we’re still in the hive!”

“Just a moment, Pharynx! I’m still not sure what to wear!”

“Thorax, you have twenty tuxedos. One of them should be good enough!”

“They are, and that’s the problem! I want to look presentable but I’m not sure which one would best fit the occasion! If only Rarity hadn’t made so many… Why did she have to get a surge of creativity for my coronation? Now I have enough clothes for three lifetimes!”

He groaned. “You’re probably immortal now, you’ll use them up eventually.”

“That’s not helping. Okay, the one I actually wore at the coronation is probably a bit too elaborate, and this one may not be formal enough, and this one seems a bit too heavy for summer… oh, and this one is from before I ascended… but that still leaves too many to choose from! If only she’d made just one or two-” I randomly took my eyes off the wardrobe and glanced in Pharynx’s direction. “I thought you were going too?”

“I am.”

“Then why are you dressed in full battle armor?”

“It’s ceremonial armor, not battle armor, and it’s hardly full if I had to shift the helmet onto myself thanks to these stupid antlers that won’t let me put on a real one.”

I facehoofed. “You’re not going to the Gala dressed like that, are you?”

“Why not? I’m a soldier, the ceremonial armor is appropriate-”

“Except we’re not headed for a military ceremony! The Gala is a civilian event - a high-society one but civilian nevertheless - and in Canterlot of all places! Do you have any idea how offensive and prone to misinterpretation that would be even though we’re allies?”

“...ugh, fine.” He marched off into his bedchamber; I heard clanking of armor plates and a buzz of transformation magic, and he reappeared with a bow tie so tightly-fitting around his neck that it could only be part of him.

“What?” he retorted to my snickering. “You’re not expecting me to show up in a frilly gown, are you?”

“Well, unless you really want to…”

He rolled his eyes.

“And you put on a disguise just for the bow tie?”

“It was quicker and easier than trying to tie one. Now will you finally get ready? I got ready twice waiting for you!”

“...I’m still not sure which tuxedo would be best…”

“...ugh, just grab one at random and let’s get going!”

I stopped rummaging through my wardrobe momentarily to glare at him. “Since when are you so eager to go?”

“Only because I don’t want to listen to you whine about showing up late for the next two months! And it’ll give me time to scout the area for threats.”

“I’m sure the Royal Guards would have done that already-”

“Didn’t they fail to notice the entire swarm around that city-wide shield bubble until it collapsed and everyling was right in their faces?”

“...they probably learned their lesson?” I smiled sheepishly.

“Doubt it.” He grabbed one of the tuxedos and flung it at me. “Now get dressed, and I hope you’ve learned a lesson to plan your outfits ahead next time!”

The one he’d chosen was very similar to the first one Rarity had made for me, while I’d still lived in the Crystal Empire, only bigger to fit my new size and with elytra sleeves in addition to the wing holes, and with a clip-on bow tie since I couldn’t figure out how to properly tie one from scratch even with illustrated instructions, and when I saw myself in the mirror, I was pretty satisfied with Pharynx’s choice. Maybe he had a knack for fashion that none of us knew about! Then again, these were all Rarity’s designs, so it was highly unlikely that he could go wrong.

I grabbed the tickets and pocketed them. “Ready?”

“Are you sure you’ve got this teleportation thing figured out?”

“I think so, why?”

“There’s still time to send a note to Starlight to fetch us if you’re having doubts.”

“Are you afraid I’ll mess it up?”

“I’m cautious. This is the most complex spell you’ve ever tried and you’ve only been practicing for a couple of days. I’d rather arrive at our destination in one piece.”

“We will! Just don’t startle me while I focus, okay?”

“Well that sounds encouraging,” he groaned. “Fine, go ahead.”

I focused and cast the spell on the two of us.

“What is this?!” he spat as we popped back into existence.

“Um… the spell worked?”

“Then why are we in the jungle?!”

“Because my range is limited! Starlight may be able to teleport directly from Ponyville to the hive, but she’s one of the most powerful magic wielders in the world and has been using that spell for years! Maybe I’ll get there eventually but I didn’t expect to land us in Canterlot in a single jump today!”

“You couldn’t have said that before?”

“I thought you knew… or at least guessed…”

He rubbed his forehead. “...right… should have guessed… Just don’t mess up the next steps, okay?”

“That’s the plan!”

ZAP!

“...on the path of our ancestors- What is the meaning of this?!”

“Oh, sorry, Chief Thunderhooves, we’re just passing through! Carry on!”

ZAP!

ROAR!

“Uh-oh…”

“Thorax, hide! I’ll-”

ZAP!

“-deal with… uh…”

“Sorry!”

“What the heck, Thorax?! Why’d you take us straight to a timberwolves’ den?!”

“I didn’t know it was there! I was just going for the maximum distance in the intended direction!”

“We need to plan this out better next time… Where are we, anyway?”

“This looks like one of the hallways in Twilight’s castle…”

“Ponyville? Nevermind, let’s just fly the rest of the way. We’re close enough and it’s probably safer.”

“Sorry…”

We found the exit and took to the air towards the mountainside city in the distance. Pharynx didn’t say a single word throughout the flight and I dared not probe him. His aura wasn’t particularly red-hot, but it was strung up, and I was probably to blame. Could his sour mood have been avoided if we’d opted to fly the whole way, even if it would have taken much longer? But I’d been so sure I could handle teleportation! I had handled it pretty well when we’d needed it most - I’d aimed for a safe location when zapping away from the timberwolves, and Twilight’s castle had to qualify - but what could I have done to not end up in that den at all? What promise did I have that covering shorter distances in a single jump would have kept us away from wild beasts? For all I knew, that would have only exhausted me faster and left us stranded in a place we couldn’t teleport away from!

Was Pharynx’s magic strong enough to teleport things? He hadn’t tried as far as I knew, but it would be a useful spell for him to add to his repertoire… Maybe I could convince him to learn it so we wouldn’t have to depend on my magic alone!

“Okay, we’re close,” he said as we flew over the Canterlot buildings and gardens and steered toward the castle. “Hmmm… quite a crowd down there…”

“Looks like we’re not late after all! Are all these ponies waiting in line for the Gala?”

“Probably; they don’t look like commoners. Let’s get in line.”

The wait was shorter than I’d anticipated, given the size of the crowd. Some of the ponies formed small groups and conversed while waiting for their turn to enter, and others stood by themselves. Pharynx and I ended up among the latter, as nopony in sight was familiar to us and nopony cared to approach, even as more guests arrived.

Eventually it was our turn and I presented the tickets to the pony at the entrance.

“King Thorax of the Changelings and First Commander Pharynx of the Changeling Defense Forces,” he announced as stated on our tickets, and we entered.

“Couldn’t you have shortened that a little?” I asked Pharynx as we trod down the staircase. “It was quite a mouthful…”

“It’s what I am and I prefer that over Prince Pharynx or whatever other hoity-toity title you had in mind,” he retorted.

It was a moot point; the ponies already in the ballroom only paid us a cursory glance before going back to whatever they’d been doing, be it conversing, sipping a drink, or admiring sculptures. I imagined some might be offended by failing to become the instant center of attention, but I was glad; it meant the ponies had grown past their fears enough to not even complain about us being invited! And to think they’d rioted against my visit to the city not that long ago!

One pony did notice us, however, and beckoned to approach her.

“Thorax, Pharynx, welcome!” she said. “So glad you could make it!”

“We’re honored, Princess!” I said, bowing a little. “I still can’t believe we got invited!”

“You are the one who brought peace to our kinds; it is only fitting that we maintain that peace.”

I gave a nudge to Pharynx, whose aura and facial expression were beginning to sour again.

“What?” he snapped. “If you want to suck up to Celestia, fine, but leave me out of it!”

I cringed. “Sorry, Princess…”

“That’s quite alright, Thorax,” she chuckled. “I appreciate individuals who speak their minds. It’s a refreshing change from, er, sucking up to me, as Pharynx called it, and often allows easier and honest conversations.”

“Maybe so, but there’s speaking one’s mind and then there’s just plain being rude!”

“I’m outta here,” Pharynx snorted, trotting off somewhere.

Uh-oh… “Do you mind if I…?”

“Not at all, go right ahead. And Thorax? Do allow yourself to stop worrying for one night!”

“...I’ll try.” Somehow, I wasn’t convinced the attempt would succeed.

I trotted down the hallway I’d seen Pharynx enter and caught up with him in another ballroom, where he stood awkwardly between groups of ponies who paid little attention to him.

“What was that about?” I asked him.

“C’mon, Thorax, you know better than to expect me to act like an over-enthusiastic fanfilly unless an infiltration assignment demands it!”

“Would it kill you to pretend to be an at least mildly-enthusiastic fancolt for five minutes? It’s called ‘manners’ and it’s really not that hard!”

“We both know they’d never fall for me actually meaning it!”

“But they’d feel better around you! On the other hoof, if all you do is grumble, they won’t like being around you and will stop inviting you to things and-”

“You know what? That sounds like a good idea; let’s try that for a change!”

I facehoofed. “And you’ll miss out on all that delicious love…”

“Whatever. You’ve got enough to sustain me, and if that stops, I can always steal some.”

Several nearby ponies stopped their conversations and turned around to stare at him, some wide-eyed, some frowning. I groaned to myself.

“Uh, he doesn’t mean it, guys,” I said quickly. “It was, uh, an attempt at humor? Heh… Carry on…”

They did so hesitantly, and I shot Pharynx a look. “Quit alarming people,” I hissed. “Are you trying to start a mass panic?”

He rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to retort, only for his eyes to fix on something behind me and sprout a scowl accompanied with an ice-hotness of his aura that could have easily been palpable even to non-changelings and the growling that not only stopped all nearby conversations but also sent the ponies making them into a retreating frenzy.

“Now what?” I moaned, turning to see what had caused the sudden outburst. I noticed it right away: in the doorway, uncomfortable by the sudden change in collective emotional state or maybe by the sight of one particular guest, stood Cadance and Shining Armor. “Pharynx, please behave yourself…”

He stopped growling but did absolutely nothing to soften his battle-ready stance or dissolve the severity of his aura. Mercifully, he didn’t pounce the newcomers or blast them with torture spells, either. Well, it was better than the last time, but not by much… At least for now! Think, Thorax, think! You have to do something to ease the tension!

I teleported to them, careful to position myself to block Pharynx from their line of sight as much as possible, and spread my wings for the same purpose even though, translucent as they were, they could do little to contribute to my intentions.

“Hi!” I said with a smile that couldn’t have been more over-exaggerated if my life depended on it. “I didn’t see you in the waiting line in front of the castle! When did you arrive? Were you here before us- I mean, before me? Heheh… having a great time, are we? I was just-”

Pharynx shoved me aside and pushed my wing out of his way. “Cut the nonsense, you’re not fooling anypony that I’m not here!”

“I, uh… sorry…” I squeaked; my eyes darted wildly from Pharynx to the Royal couple and back. “I just don’t want you to hurt them-”

“-so you’d rather make a fool of yourself with that pathetic attempt at distraction? At least try to make an effort next time; you’re making it way too obvious that I failed to teach you the important stuff! I have a reputation to maintain, if you haven’t noticed!”

“I know… but there are other ways to maintain that reputation… you don’t have to beat up an allied prince in public for it…”

“Who says I’m gonna beat him up?”

“...you’re not?”

“Contrary to popular belief, Thorax, I can control my impulses. Those anger management lessons you had me endure weren’t necessary; I had a grip on myself even before, and I would have beaten up Shining Armor with or without them. He deserved it and I’m not sorry.”

“Can’t you at least pretend?”

“I could but I won’t. It would imply that he deserves better than what he got, when he actually deserves worse.”

“You broke his legs!”

“Well he’s clearly walking, so I didn’t break them thoroughly enough!”

“You did,” Shining interjected. “I am walking, but only just. I’m held together with spells and bandages to allow me to last the evening, but even with that, I can only limp. Dancing with Cady is unfortunately off the menu this time.”

“It’s alright, dear,” she said. “I’m perfectly content to just sit at a table with you!”

“What a tragedy,” Pharynx retorted. “My brother could have been dead if you’d had your way!”

“Pharynx, cut it out! You’ve made your point plenty enough times already!”

“Or what? You’ll relegate me to flower-planting duty for punishment?”

“I thought this kind of behavior was inappropriate for this kind of event?” said a voice behind us.

“Ember? What are you doing here?”

“I was invited, obviously!”

“Why can she wear armor?!” Pharynx protested.

“Because dragons weren’t at war with ponies-”

“Yes they were! The last of their wars began in 714 CE and lasted three years! The changelings were starving so much during that time due to how much misery there was in Equestria that Chrysalis thought we’d become extinct! And that’s just wars; I’m not even counting the many sporadic dragon attacks on ponies that have been happening all the way up to the end of Torch’s reign!”

“Why do you know my species’ history better than me?”

“I was the First Commander to Chrysalis; I was supposed to know that stuff. But that doesn’t matter right now. Thorax, if I get roped into going to the Gala with you again next year, I’m wearing the armor and nothing you say will stop me!”

“Don’t you think you’re scaring everypony away a little too much even without armor?”

“Pfft. Cowards.”

“Please calm down…”

“Oh, I am calm! Did you forget what it looks like when I go on a rampage?”

“You don’t look calm,” Ember interjected. “Not even by dragon definition. Did something happen?”

“You bet something happened,” he snorted. “The prissy pony prince tried to kill my brother, is what happened!”

A collective gasp echoed through the ballroom, accompanied by an abrupt chilling of everypony’s auras. I cringed and facehoofed.

“That was over a year ago,” I moaned. “I’d only just started living in the Crystal Empire and hadn’t had enough time to prove my good intentions!”

“You did,” Shining interjected. “I just didn’t want to see it!”

“See?” Pharynx pointed at the stallion. “He refused to see it and refused to hold back! Thorax could have been dead now, you ponies wouldn’t have gotten your precious peace, and it would have been his fault!”

“He apologized and served his punishment!” I insisted. “And I forgave him! Quit attacking him already!”

“You may have forgiven him, but I can’t, ever! He deserves the worst!”

“Don’t…”

“I won’t,” he growled. “I punished him already and I won’t do it again no matter how hard I’m itching to skin him alive and hang him by his own intestines. I made a conscious decision not to touch him again because I want to prove I’m better than him. What does it feel like, Shining Armor? What’s it like to be spared by the most infamous savage in the room?”

“Yeah, that’s not gonna work,” Ember said to me. “That hatred and pent-up rage is so thick that even I’m suffocating, and rage is a dragon’s default setting!”

“I know,” I said back, “but what should I do? I’m out of ideas!”

“How about letting the grumblebug let off some steam?” Discord said, sliding in between Ember and me and wrapping his paw and claw around our necks.

I barely flinched at his sudden arrival, but Ember shoved herself away with a roar and a breath of flames that Discord caught and rolled up and knit into a sweater.

“Wha-a-a-at?” she gasped.

“What’s your ugly mutt doing here?” Pharynx demanded.

“I was invited, of course! Whatever made you think otherwise?”

“Maybe I should clear out before something else shows up claiming to have been invited…” he muttered through gritted teeth.

“Fine, pah, it’s not like we need you anyway,” Discord snorted.

The reply came in the form of a scowl so pronounced that Pharynx must have set his new personal record, and that was a feat in itself!

“Ooh, did I touch a nerve?” Discord continued in his characteristic jovial fashion that I knew would only win him a higher rank on my brother’s hate list, which could easily have been the draconequus’ intention. “I’m so sorry! It must be hard to always live in someone’s shadow!”

“What do you want?”

“Like I said, I only wanted to help, First Commander Prince, Sir.” A bunch of puppy-sized Discords sprouted from the ground and started running around Pharynx, saluting as they went, but he swatted them away. “You do seem to be under a lot of pressure lately, and I came to see if I can do something about it!”

“You? What?”

“Why, help you let off some steam, of course!” He reached out and twisted Pharynx’s ears as if they were valves, and actual steam started to blow out of them, doubling in intensity when he realized what was happening.

“What did you do?” Pharynx growled. “Cut it out or else!”

“Such ungratefulness! But pray tell, what does a puny mortal such as yourself expect to do to an omnipotent being thinking it would work as a threat?”

That earned him an epic hiss, and the steam jets from Pharynx’s ears intensified even more, up to the point of seriously reducing visibility in the room.

I’d had enough. “Shall we ask Fluttershy how she feels about this?”

“Eh, she doesn’t like steam anyway,” Discord shrugged, snapping his claw; Pharynx’s ears returned to normal and the steam cleared. “Says it ruins her manestyle. I don’t see what the big deal is if you ask me…”

“Did you seriously think that would help?” Ember interjected. “If anything, it ticked him off even more…”

“That’s where you come in, my dear!”

“Me?!”

“You think I didn’t notice that you’re pretty ticked off as well? All these high-society manners are no more your cup of tea than they are soldier-boy’s here, only you hide it better for the sake of maintaining friendly relations, but you’re as itching for a good fight as he is!”

“So you thought, what, exactly? That he and I fight right here, right now?”

“Well, you don’t have to if you don’t want to… Just say you’re not interested and I’ll let you go right back to chewing on that gem sculpture!”

“What gem sculpture?” Cadance asked, then facehoofed. “Not the Citizen of Equestria Statue…”

“Is that what it’s called?” Discord gasped. “Oh my… that does sound important… What will those who built it say?”

“Hey, if you’re trying to make a point, do it already!” Pharynx demanded. “We don’t have all night!”

“Oh? I thought you wanted to get out of this, what did you call it, namby-pamby freakshow? Are you starting to enjoy it, maybe?” Suddenly dressed in a fancy coat similar to the ones I’d seen waiters wear, Discord offered him a platter of some bite-sized food - what were they called, again? - and a glass of bubbly liquid.

Pharynx, unsurprisingly, swatted the tray away. “Enough! What’s your agenda?”

“Uh, Pharynx…”

“What?!”

“You might want to apologize to the sandwich thingies…”

He glared at me as if I was crazy, and in reply, I pointed to the scattered sandwiches that had rapidly come to life and sprouted fangs and claws and were beginning to hiss and screech and reposition themselves as if aiming to surround him. Some even fashioned spears out of the toothpicks that had held them together!

Ember didn’t waste a moment, and neither did Shining; they blasted the tiny food monsters with their respective spells and firebreath, but to little avail, as each sandwich monster would only turn into a grilled sandwich monster and resume its attack after a moment of disorientation. Pharynx joining the team effort to blast and stomp the living food helped, and after the other two adapted their tactics, the ballroom was soon filled with moaning and groaning food all over the floor, and the temporarily-ignored glass of drink decided to pile them onto their original tray and drag them out of sight.

“Congratulations!” Discord exclaimed, spraying confetti out of his paw and claw onto Ember and Pharynx in such a way that the confetti clouds condensed around the two to create matching frilly, pink dresses.

“What is this?!” Ember barked.

“That does it!” Pharynx growled. “I won’t be made fun of!”

They tore up their dresses and went at Discord with all the force and bloodthirstiness of experienced warriors. They punched and kicked, and unleashed spells and breathed fire, and even matched their tactics on the fly to gain some advantage; I had no doubt they would have succeeded against any other opponent, but nothing they did was enough to counter the endless stream of chaos coming from this trickster who only laughed louder with every new idea that defied reality. A downpour of rubber ducks? Of course! An exploding pineapple? Coming right up! Voices replaced with random sounds? Why didn’t you say so, it seemed to say!

“Is there any way to stop this?” I asked Cadance as an area of randomized gravity spun Pharynx into losing his battle disguise and flung Ember into setting an ice sculpture on fire, which then galloped away screaming.

“I don’t think so,” she said, “but as nasty as it may look, I don’t think he means harm. Either he’s bored, or he genuinely thinks he’s helping them with their grievances.”

“Or maybe this is just his normal way of interacting with people,” Shining added. “Whichever it is, it’s no use trying to get him to stop until-”

“Discord!” a warning reverberated through the room with all the intensity of a curse, and everything stopped.

“...then again, it helps to be Fluttershy,” Shining concluded.

“What do you think you’re doing, mister?” the timid pony continued roasting her friend. “I thought we discussed this at home! You promised you’d leave the other guests alone this time, didn’t you?”

All the color from Discord oozed onto the floor and he shrunk to the size of a pencil. “I, uh, er…”

“I know you like to have fun, but you’ve got your entire domain and my cottage for that! These ponies just want to have a nice, quiet, relaxing time with their friends and acquaintances! Didn’t you learn your lesson the last time? I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Princess Celestia stopped inviting you after harassing her guests over and over again! Is that what you want?”

“I, um… no, of course not… um…”

“Then what do you have to say for yourself?”

“...can’t I have just a little chaos for myself here?” he pleaded.

Her glare was all the answer he needed.

“Oh, fine, I guess I went just a little bit overboard this time-”

“Just a little?!” one of the noblemares still in the room protested. “This is a warzone!”

Discord opened his mouth to say something, reconsidered, and took a moment to really look around.

“Huh…” he mused, staring at the overturned tables and the singed-and-seething ice sculpture and the rubber ducks milling around eating the exploded food, and at Ember straightening out the dents in her armor and Pharynx standing there calm and aloof… wait, what?! Pharynx, calm? Now I truly had seen the impossible…

Was Discord pulling some twisted mind-control trick on my brother?

“...fine, I get it,” Discord finally said; a snap of his claw returned the room to its pristine state. “I’m, uh, sorry.”

With that, he walked away. Fluttershy followed, but not before casting a once-again shy, nervous glance at everypony. Cadance and Shining breathed a sigh of relief before finding a table to sit at and Ember shrugged and went back to devouring decorations.

“Thank goodness Celestia didn’t find out what-” I muttered to myself, only to be interrupted by a chuckle. I turned around to find the alicorn herself standing at one of the entrances, stifling a laugh and dancing at the brink of failing miserably.

“Princess?”

“Oh, don’t mind me, Thorax! I was just enjoying myself!”

“But they ruined the Gala! Aren’t you upset?” She wasn’t if her aura was anything to go by, but how?

“When you’ve seen as many high-society gatherings as I have,” she explained, “they all tend to blend together into an endless stream of displays of good manners for the sake of displaying good manners. Mind you, I am not against manners, but I find that they overstay their welcome when they become their own purpose. The nobility lives for these kinds of events so I couldn’t put an end to them without an uproar and a very good reason, however, but it’s always refreshing to receive guests who have it in themselves to add a touch of uniqueness and excitement into the mix.”

“...I see…”

“I know this is new to you, but whatever expectations you have of the Gala, try not to hold onto them too tightly. You might find the experience much more enjoyable if you allow yourself to relax and embrace any unexpected turn of events to unfold before you.”

A wink of her eye, and she was on her way, presumably to make an appearance in the other sections of the castle designated for the Gala. In the meantime, Pharynx had gotten himself involved in a conversation with a Royal Guard and a Wonderbolt, and seemed to be genuinely invested in the matter at hoof, whatever it was. I watched him from the other end of the room for a while, not wanting to break the spell by barging into the conversation, and savoring the sight of the rare brightness of his aura surfacing above the usual red-hot bitterness and the relentless discipline.

Then I noticed Spike had wandered into the room and went to join him.

---

“Had a good time, Pharynx?” I asked him as we were leaving the castle after the Gala was over.

“Mmmmh.” His aura, though less bright that just after the ordeal with Discord, was still unusually tranquil.

“Looking forward to next year’s invitation?” I nudged him.

“Eh, whatever.”

“Let’s hope we won’t run into any problems, then…”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Shining Armor. You promised to hate him forever, and although you claim to have it under control, you lost it after enough prodding from Discord. Shining is pretty much guaranteed to be invited next year again, so if you’re coming too, how do I know you’ll refrain from attacking him?”

He was silent for a while, but unexpectedly, lost in thought rather than pouting.

“Pharynx?”

“I don’t think I hate him as much as I did,” he mused. “I mean, I still do, but it kind of… dulled down after that showdown with Discord. I can’t explain it. If that was his intention all along…” He shook his head. “Maybe he really was trying to help in that annoying, sideways way he’s so infamous for? It was… well, Chrysalis had us ready to expect anything from him if we ever had to fight him, but I never realized to what extent that ‘anything’ went… He had me questioning every sliver of the fabric of reality and second-guessing my decisions and thought process the entire time… it’s hard to describe to someone who’s never experienced it before… At one point during the ordeal, my eyes met Shining’s for a split second and I just… understood, for the lack of a better word. You know, like what I was going through with Discord somehow paralleled what he was going through with you? The uncertainty, the doubts, the need to sort it out somehow even at the risk of doing the wrong thing…”

“So that’s why you were so unlike yourself immediately afterwards!”

“I guess. I’m not entirely over it, just to be clear. I still hate him for wanting to risk doing the wrong thing, but I think I’m beginning to realize how hard it was for him to figure out what the right thing was.”

“Enough to leave him alone?”

“Yeah, I guess. Enough to leave him alone.”

I nodded as an intense wave of relief washed over me. If he really meant it…

“But right now,” he continued, “I’m drained and just wanna sleep.”

I lit up my horn with the budding spark of a teleportation spell. “Me too. Let’s go home!”

Comments

[CorporateColonel]

I lit up my horn with the budding spark of a teleportation spell. “Me too. Let’s go home!”

Hopefully not into the Timberwolf den again...

[RandomCommentor]

“It was quicker and easier than trying to tie one. Now will you finally get ready? I got ready twice waiting for you!”

Mood.

[redmar]

Also an answer to Pharynx' question about Ember is that dragons don't have clothes that aren't armor. Spike is an exception and so is Smolder later on.