Chapter 1
Spike, Ponyville’s local baby dragon and assistant to Twilight Sparkle, waited under the town’s park gazebo. Twilight was away, doing something with Celestia and the other princesses, and nothing serious was happening. He invited two of his friends to the gazebo, both of whom hadn't meet each other; Princess Ember, the newly made Dragonlord, and Thorax, the lone Changeling who wants to share love rather than take it. Both of them were from kinds that aren't seen as the friendliest of Equestria’s residents, but both were affected by the drake in a positive way. He just hoped that they'd get along and, hopefully, become friends with each other, something Twilight would definitely be proud of.
Walking in the distance, following the path, was a sky-blue earth pony colt with a darker mane and a vase for his Cutie Mark. Almost everypony wouldn't give him any doubt, believing him to be just an average colt that must be good with pottery. Spike, however, saw that this colt, Crystal Hoof, as he called him, was actually Thorax in disguise. Never in a million years would anypony believe that there was a nice changeling, let alone, one that wanted to know friendship. Thorax approached to Spike with a nervous look on his face.
“Uh, hey, Spike,” The disguised Changeling spoke “I-I don't want to be negative here… but is this a good idea?”
“Of course it is, Thorax.” Spike answered, placing his arm over his shoulder. “It's just the three of us with nopony to bother us.”
“B-but what if she… you know… burns everything down?”
“Please, there's no need to worry about her doing that. I trust you on not hissing at her for love, right?”
“... I suppose you're right. I had a large meal before I left. It should last for a while.” The sky darkened for a bit and they looked up, seeing the silhouette of something reminiscent to an angel.
“Looks like she's here.” Spike waved his arms around and approached the gazebo. “Hey! Ember! Down here!”
The figure in the sky heard Spike and fell down like a hawk after it's prey. Before it crashed onto the floor, it's wings opened with a flap, stopping it's free fall. It landed on it's feet, looking similar to that of a Superhero, as Thorax remembered from reading some of Spike’s comic books. Thorax could tell the figure was a dragon by the wings and, under it's near Gold armor, was sky-blue scales and claws. In it's left claw was a crystal scepter with a bright red diamond on top. The dragon took it's helmet off, revealing a feminine looking dragon with twin horns coming out of the sides of its head and a dark blue spines traveling to the back of its head.
“Sorry I'm a bit late, Spike.” She spoke,opening her red eyes that seemed to burn like fire. “I don't travel that much.”
“It's alright, Ember.” Spike replied. Ember gave a curious look to the disguised Changeling.
“Who is that?”
“Oh, this is Crystal Hoof...or that's what he calls himself for now. You can let it go.” Thorax nervously swallowed and released his spell. To Ember, the pony bursted into green fire, but changed into a black, bug-pony looking thing with two fangs popping out of it's upper lips and large blue eyes. This surprised Ember, but not enough to make her want to crush it, much as she would've liked to do before meeting Spike.
“What… is that?” She asked.
“Ember, Meet Thorax.” Spike introduced them to each other. “He's a Changeling. Thorax, meet Ember. She's the Dragon Lord.”
“Uh...it's a pleasure to meet you.” Thorax introduced himself, not wanting to make things ugly.
“... Same thing here.” Ember introduced herself as well, not wanting to frighten the weird creature.
“Why don't you both sit down and get to know each other.” Spike suggested. Pointing to the set up chairs and table. “I brought in some gems, cupcakes, and… oh shoot! The tea! Uh… I'll be right back.” Spike ran away. Ember and Thorax stood in the opening, unsure on what to do next. Ember twiddled her thumbs while Thorax tried to whistle.
“... You wanna sit down?” Ember asked.
“... Sure.” Thorax replied. They both simultaneously took their seat, right in front of each other. With the occasional bird chirping and wind blow, the two were dead silent, observing each other. One had to break the silence soon enough. Ember cleared her throat before speaking again.
“So… you're a changeling?”
“... Yes.” Thorax answered.
“... What's it like being one?”
“... Do you want the short version or long version? Because I'm not like the others.”
“... I've got plenty of time.”
“Oh...ok… well, my mother is Queen Chrysalis, who is the ruler of our hive. On the first day I was hatched, I knew I was different from the rest of my siblings. They'd go around, hissing at each other, and it didn't help the fact that we needed to feed off of love to survive. Of course, you may have heard, but I was one of the many invaders during the royal wedding.”
“I don't know what that is.” Thorax tilted his head
“You haven't heard of the royal Canterlot wedding?”
“I don't much about pony history. For all of my life, I've been in the Dragon lands,under the watch of my father.”
“... That… doesn't sound too bad.”
“My father was the Dragon Lord.”
“... That's interesting. I'd like to meet him.”
“If you were to meet him, he'd see you as nothing more but a snack.”
“... A snack? How-”
“About the size of the castle I saw, perhaps bigger.”
“...oh… that's… not good. Um… is it alright if you tell me your past?”
“... You're not going to go all mushy on me, right?”
“No. I'm quite interested, actually.”
“Hm… didn't expect that. Alright, well, I guess a bit similar to you I too was hatched by an egg laid by my mother. The difference is that I didn't have any siblings and both of my parents could squish me with nothing but their pinky. Or… my father, really. I don't know what happened to my mom.”
“... Have you asked your father?”
“Oh, I did. He just told me ‘It was for the best.’. Who knows, maybe it was; I grew up to be tough and got into many fights. You?”
“I tried to avoid conflict. Of course, my mother knew about it and threw me into our training sessions. Everyone enjoyed it, even if it was painful, but I didn't. Well, I'm kinda glad I got separated from my hive at the royal canterlot wedding, even if I was alone.”
“I still don't know what that is.”
“It's the marriage between Shining Armor and Cadence, both of whom I meet later in life… with the help of Spike.”
“...Spike helped you?”
“Yeah! I was starving after the wedding, and the royal Crystalling brought me in; there was so much love, I couldn't control myself!... And ponies aren't too fond of Changelings, so when they saw me, it became a hunt. I didn't want to hurt anypony, but they were scared, and so was I. It's hard to say who was more scared of who.”
“Knowing ponies first hand, I say it's them.”
“... You really think so?”
“If they don't have any books regarding any other creature’s culture, I think the latter wins. And I can't necessarily blame them for it; you've pretty much said that your kind requires to fully follow the Queen with no hesitation to feed off of love. Is that true?”
“... In a short term, yeah… that's how it's like. And I've only heard it in my hive, but do Dragons burn everything in sight and live in solitude with only their treasures?”
“Only the elder ones. Most of our lives are about fighting each other and figuring who's the strongest, with the champion taking all the treasure with them before living in solitude. Of course, the Dragonlord is different, since whoever holds the Bloodstone scepter rules all of the dragons.” Thorax gazed at her scepter.
“So… you control all dragons?” She chuckled.
“Not like that. My word is law law, and none are allowed to opose it. I'm still thankful for Spike to make me Dragonlord, even if he did seem like a good ruler himself.”
“Spike was the Dragonlord!?”
“Only for a minute or two.”
“... I have to hear about this! Spike only told me that you were friends before he meet me.”
“... Alright, but you have to tell me how you meet afterwards, deal?” She extended her claw to him. He took it with his hoof.
“Deal!” Thorax leaned in, listening to what she said.
“Ok, while yes, it is true that the Dragonlord’s word is law and none can oppose it, but, we can't be one forever. The Call of the Dragonlord happens once in a millennium, and all young dragons, including myself, are summoned to answer the call. Basically, we'll keep on glowing until we arrive. When I first saw Spike I only thought ‘Wow… that runt’s never gonna make it’. It wasn't helped that Garble, the most popular young dragon, was summoned for the Gauntlet of Fire.”
“The Gauntlet of Fire?”
“It's an obstacle course with a series of challenges to see who's worthy enough to become the Dragonlord. Even though I was summoned, my father forbade me from entering because I wasn't as big and strong as the other dragons… though he allowed Spike to enter.”
“How did you enter?”
“The armor and helmet you saw me wearing, and a lot of moss to make my scales look green. It fooled my father, and I entered… only to be hit by a blast of water from the sea serpents below and knocked down by Garble. I would've drowned had Spike not saved me. It was weird to be saved from someone else, let alone, a small dragon followed by a unicorn and a princess.”
“Spike brought his friends?”
“Yeah. Princess Twilight Sparkle and Rarity, as I remember. They were both wearing disguises that fooled us all. Too bad they couldn't hide their smell.”
“Smell?”
“I wasn't sure what came over me; an eye for an eye or something, but I helped Spike’s friends avoid Garble’s wrath when he got their scent. Again, Spike helped, saying I was his old Neighbor, Sandy Rockbeach.” Thorax snorted, trying to hold in his laughter. “I know, and Garble fell for it.”
“It's not just that. Spike did the same thing for me!”
“... I'm interested on what he called you. But, I agreed to be his partner, just as long as he didn't do what I assume most ponies do as friends. As it turns out, we make a pretty good team; he was my eyes as I was his ride, and we had each other's back. Up until we were near the scepter. My greed got the best of me and I left him to find the scepter. Turns out, his actions touched me deeper than I thought, and I had to find him.”
“Did you?”
“Yeah, along with Garbled and Spike’s friends. It was a hassle to keep him away from Spike and the others, but the little guy got the scepter, momentarily becoming Dragonlord Spike.”
“Then he gave it to you?”
“Not exactly. He made Garble go home and give every dragon a hug without answering why he did it. That's when he gave me the Bloodstone Scepter and made me Dragonlord, trusting me as leader of the Dragons. And it felt good to prove my dad that you don't have to be the biggest and strongest dragon to be a good leader. Ever since then, I've been answering various questions from Twilight and keeping in touch with Spike. It's going to take a while, but I'm sure Dragons and ponies will get along.”
“... I didn't think you'd be an optimist.”
“I'm not… but I think this can work. If Spike can show me Friendship then… you know… I'd share it with everyone else.”
“That's what I wanted to do!” Ember tilted her head in curiosity.
“Really?... Well, since we agreed, it's your turn.”
“Gotcha… let's see here… ah! It was a few days after I accidentally exposed myself. Everypony kept their eyes open, looking to see if I was one of them in disguise. Spike was the city's hero, and the guards wanted him to help them find me, as a morale booster. He accidentally found where I was hiding and I disguised myself as him.”
“Wait! You turned into him?”
“Yes… something wrong?”
“I thought Changelings turned only into ponies.”
“No, we can turn into anything. And it's not just looks.” He burst into green flames and was a perfect copy of Ember. “But also their voices.” His voice turned into hers before changing back. Ember could only blink at the sight.
“... So… you could be living with my kind and we wouldn't notice?”
“Yes, but Chrysalis didn't think it'd be a good idea; you're all violent and don't share much love. Uh… no offense.”
“None taken. As you were saying?”
“Right. I mimicked his moves to get him away, thinking it was a reflection. As you can tell, it failed and he freaked out, nearly falling into a nearby abyss. I didn't want Spike to get hurt, so I saved him and told him why I did it.”
“Because you're different.”
“Yeah. He was the hero of the city, so he tried to persuade the guards to be friendly. It didn't work, and I had to be disguised.” He turned into Crystal Hoof again. “And, the name he quickly gave me, was Crystal Hoof.”
“Crystal Hoof?... Hm. I guess this is how ponies name their kids; see the first two things and name their kid after that.”
“I'm not sure about that. But it was so fun just going around the Empire and making new friends!... Up until I meet the baby, Flurry Heart.”
“Baby?”
“Princess Cadence’s and Prince Shining Armor’s daughter. A pure born Alicorn. Oh, the baby had so much love that I… that I…” he dropped the disguise and hissed at Ember. Ember jumped back and lifted her scepter, readying herself to whack the changeling. Thorax shook himself back in control. “Sorry! I'm so sorry! Th-that’s the first time that's happened in the week.”
“... Do that again, and I'll burn you.” Ember warned, sitting back down.
“Yeah… that happened, and Spike didn't help me. He came back to my cave to apologize for what he did, and I was so upset, I actually wanted him to fall down the abyss.”
“Did you?”
“No, I saved him again. He made it up by actually taking me to the throne room, undisguised, and stood up for everyone, saying I was his friend and nice.”
“Did they follow you?”
“No, not really. He sang a song to get them to listen.” Ember groaned.
“What is up with ponies and singing? And Spike singing… I like the little guy, but he doesn't have the talent to sing.”
“I'd say the same, but I'm just glad that it worked and I was accepted into the Crystal Empire. Without him, I would've either starved or be in the dungeon for eternity.”
“Yeah, I can see that… and I guess without Spike, not only would I have drowned, but Garble would've destroyed all of Equestria. And where is he?” As she said that, Spike huffed his way back, holding a tray with a teapot and various cups. He set the tray on the table and took deep breaths.
“... You okay?” Thorax asked.
“Tea… boiled…” Spike wheezed. “Hurry… fast.” He grabbed one of the cupcakes and stuffed it into his mouth, nearly swallowing it whole. The baby dragon immediately relaxed. “Ahh~... That hit the spot. So! How was everything?”
“...We were just talking about how we meet you.” Ember answered, patting his head.
“Oh, sweet! Thorax! You've got to hear this! I-”
“She already told me about it.” Thorax interrupted.
“... Oh… uh… Ember! You've got to hear how I meet Thorax! I-”
“He told me everything.” Ember interrupted. Spike blinked, looking at his friends.
“... You got along while I was gone?” Without saying anything, both Thorax and Ember nodded. “Huh… not what I planned, but that's cool.”
“It was.” Ember spoke, turning to Thorax. “And you know, funny as it is, I think we're not too different.”
“W-what!?” Thorax stuttered a bit. “But I'm a Changeling, and you're a dragon.”
“That doesn't mean a lot to me. We're both from not-too-fond species, had a rough past, went a bit rebellious against our parents, and were both saved and befriended by Spike himself.” Spike blushed at the compliment.
“Aww… I just wanted to do what's write.” He said.
“I… guess you're right.” Thorax replied. “But you're a Dragonlord, and I'm nothing but a drone.”
“I wasn't big and strong as the other dragons,” Ember replied. “Heh, I wouldn't be surprised if the next time we'd meet, you be a king.” Thorax chuckled a bit.
“That's not going to be for a while. And what will a Changeling King look like?”
“... Perhaps like a deer?” They both laughed at the joke. Spike scratched his head.
“I guess we're going to do this again.” He said, pulling out a notepad and quill
“How does next month sound?”
“I'm open for that.” Thorax answered.
“Anything to get away from my home.” Ember added.
“Alright, next month it is.” Spike spoke while writing it down. “And would any of you be interested to play Ogres and Oubliettes?”
“...What’s that?” Ember and Thorax asked