> Lagging Dragon
>  by PonyPixel
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Drake and the Diamond
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The dragon lands, one of the hottest places in Equestria.  The dragons living here were far from pushovers, in fact, they're kind of violent.  Some prefer to be called bullies but they are incredibly dangerous.  As if fire breath isn't bad enough, they also have short tempers, and this doesn't blend well with their strength and pride.

Dragon Lord Ember has acknowledged this and tried asking Spike for some advice about friendship.  When the School of Friendship she had Smolder enrolled.  And after Garble helped save the newborn dragons when there was a lack of lava, he was rewarded for his actions.  She was making sure to build better with the other creatures.

Even though some dragons were happy to join with others were heavily against this.  They said it made them weak, but Ember just simply ignored them, but only some.

"Explain how it makes us look weak," Ember said to some complaining dragons.

"You're teaming us up with the ponies," a green dragon complained.

"And that's a problem, why?  If we're ever in need of assistance in a battle I think they might have a spell that could stop them.  Or they could just levitate them."

"Well...  I..."

"Try to actually think before you complain to me."  Ember flew off with the scepter in her claw.  She heard a bit of taunting around the lava pools and found some dragons picking on another one.  This would just be a normal fight but Ember noticed the dragon's design.  He was lanky, tall, and green.  His horns were orange and his chest was partly purple just like some sort of creature she knew.

"So, you going to jump or want?" a bulky dragon asked.

"Look, I don't feel like swimming," the green lanky dragon said feeling very unconfident.

"Aww, does someone need his mommy to put on his floaties?" a tubby dragon asked.

"How about you leave him alone," Ember said grabbing their attention.

"Oh, Dragon Lord Ember," the bulky dragon said nervously.  "We were...  Just leaving."  The dragons flew off leaving the lanky one and Ember alone.

"Thank you," he said, "Dragon Lor..."

"Thorax, I know it's you."

The "dragon" sigh as he changed back into a changeling.  "I knew I should've gone with yellow," he sighed.

"Yeah, plus your loincloth is a different design."  She wasn't wrong, the changeling's loincloth was colored violet to match his wings while the other loincloths, like Ember's, were simple brown.  "What are you even doing here?"

"Well, my brother Pharynx has...  Been wanting to know more about the dragon lands but he was needed elsewhere."  The changeling gave a nervous chuckle and saw that the dragoness wasn't buying it.  "Okay, I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"That's nice and all but I'm fine.  Who's watching your kingdom?"

"My brother.  He does that when I'm needed elsewhere."

"I think you should head back home.  It's nothing personal, it's just he's like a dragon.  Violent with a short fuse."

"Right, maybe we could meet up later and check on how the students we enrolled at Twilight's school are doing."

Ember just gave a shrug.  "Maybe."  Thorax sighed in response.  "Look, I know you mean well, and I'm sure your powers come in handy."

"They really do.  Like when you need to defend your friends."

"Like Spike?"  The changeling gave a nervous chuckle.  "Yeah, I don't think that was his best day."

"He did help me in the past."

"How so?"

"Well, before I was king, I was just a simple changeling.  We were all hungry and hunted for love.  Still, we were pretty hungry until Spike helped me befriend the Crystal Empire."

"Crystal Empire?"

"Yeah, it's a place where the buildings are made of crystals."  The Dragon Lord's mouth started watering.  "So, how did Spike help you."

"Oh, the Gauntlet of Fire.  It's a challenge to see who will be the next Dragon Lord.  I don't think I would've won if it wasn't for Spike.  He's been helpful even before he got his wings."

"Yeah, he said that was from molting.  What's that?"

"It's sort of dragon pub...  Don't you have a kingdom to keep in order."

"I know, I just want to visit with some of my friends.  I guess that's something you need to sacrifice when you're in charge.  See you, Ember."  The changeling king flew off leaving the Dragon Lord to pick up her scepter.

"Not to mention a lot of problems you have to deal with."

"Hey, Ember," Garble said walking up to her, "There are some more dragons who want to whine about us being pushovers."  He put some air quotes at the end of his sentence.

"I just got done with another pest.  Tell them I don't have time for them."

"Should I tell them what you told me to tell them?"

"Yep.  You want to try poetry later?"

"You know it."  They both gave a thumbs up as the Dragon Lord flew off.  Garble walked off as he found one of the complaining dragons he met earlier.  This dragon, in particular, was a rusted orange with golden horns with a garnet red chest and wings and was half a foot taller than Garble.  "Look, she said..."

"I want to hear what she says," the dragon said obviously not happy.

"Look, she told me..."

"I said I want to hear what she says."

"Look, dude, if you want to talk to her, go find her.  Hopefully, I'll find someone who isn't a pain."  Garble walked off as the dragon flew away.

The dragon flew over to see some more pacifistic dragons.  Some sharing gems with others, others hugging, and even some drakes giving their special dragonesses a kiss.  "They know nothing about dragons' pride.  We'd never act like this in the old days.  This is the Dragon Lord's fault."  Speaking of which, he could see Ember flying above one of the lava pools to get a better look of the land.  "Hey, you!"

"Oh gosh," Ember groaned.  "Look, I've dealt with..."

"I actually have a reason to complain.  You're making a whole generation of the strongest creatures in Equestria into nothing but..."

"Pushovers?  I've heard this before and I don't care anymore.  Huh, I guess Garble's poetry is growing on me."

"You're giving up being a true dragon just to play on some drums and writing rhymes?"

"Yes, I am.  In fact, I think I'm going to get started now.  I'll show you what've I've got."  With a smug look on her face, the dragoness flew away.  The drake gritted his teeth and flew in the opposite direction.

"There's no talking to her.  There's no use in the dragons' pride."  He landed outside of a cave and punched a part of wall in frustration, making it crack a bit.  "She doesn't deserve the title.  She only won because of the little purple kid. He didn't even have wings.  I'm the one who should the leader.  The king."

Suddenly, he saw a glow coming from inside the cave.  Out of curiosity, he walked inside and found a diamond stuck in the wall.  He felt a bit better knowing he would a nice snack but when the drake reached to pull the diamond out of the wall he was taken by surprise as it just shot into his chest.

There wasn't any blood but still the drake tried to pull it out.  The diamond wouldn't budge though.  He ran outside to see if he could find something that could help him break it.  He grabbed a rock tried smashing it on his chest but it only caused him some pain.

"What the heck are you doing?" asked an olive green dragoness.  "Is that a diamond?"

"No, it's a birthmark," the drake said sarcastically.  "Of course it's a diamond.  It's stuck in my chest."  He tried to pull it out again but again, it only caused him pain.

"Maybe I could try eating it."

"Don't touch it."  The drake pushed the dragoness when the diamond in his chest suddenly glowed.  They dragoness's eye turned completely blue as she stumbled back a bit.

"Wha...  What happened.  How did I get here?"

"Excuse me?"

"Who the heck are you?  Where's Ethi?"  The drake was confused before he looked down at the diamond in his chest.

"Frisa," called an orange dragoness landing behind her.

"Ethi, thank goodness.  I literally forgot what just happened.  Where were..."  She stopped talking as the drake walked over to them.  "Do you mind, I was talk..."  She could finish as she and her friend had the drake place his claw on each other their foreheads.  Their eyes turned completely blue and after a few seconds, the drake released them.  "Wha...  What happened?"

"Who are you?" both dragonesses asked each other.

"Girls, it's okay," the drake said.  "You just bumped your heads.  I'll help catch you up.  My name is Pyrite and you're both my girls."  He looked at the green and orange dragonesses and then thought of their names.  "You're name is Emma, and you'res is Garnet. (respectively)"  He wrapped his wings around them and they both felt much more comfortable.  Pyrite thought for a moment as he got an idea for another dragoness.





Ember was taking a little break and was thinking about taking a dip in lava when she saw the drake from before flying towards her with his "girlfriends" flying beside him.  "You again?" Ember asked.  "Do you have a good reason to talk?"

"Indeed I do," the drake said.  "Emma, Garnet, could you leave us alone?"

"Okay, sweetie," both said.  They walked away with an exaggerated swing in her hips as their "boyfriend" and the Dragon Lord flew off.

"Where are we going?" Ember asked as she held the scepter close to her.

"I just want to have a little privacy with you," Pyrite said.

"I was just about to have my break.  Just tell me what you want and we can get this over with."  The drake kept quiet until he saw they were flying over a river.  "Hey, are you listening?"

"Of course.  Let me tell you about myself.  My name is Pyrite and I'm the one who deserves the throne.  You only got to be the Dragon Lord thanks to a friend of yours.  The other dragons and I had to do the gauntlet singlehanded.  Don't you think that's a little unfair?"

"I thought that's how most dragons fight."

"So, like this?"  He lunged forward and struck Ember right in the nose.

"Seriously?  If you wanted to fight, I would've broken your back in seconds.  You've already got me mad."  The dragoness tried to smack the drake to the ground by Pyrite grabbed her by the claw.  Ember headbutted him sending back and tried breathing fire at him.

"Yawn."  Pyrite avoided her attack and kicked Ember in the head.  She managed to recover tried to ram into him but her head was grabbed by the drake's claw.  Ember's anger suddenly plummeted as she started getting lightheaded.

"Wha...  How did I get here?"

"I'll take this."  The drake snatched the scepter out of Ember's claw.

"Give that back!"  Ember was only given a claw to the head as she started getting another lightheaded feeling.  "What...?  Are you...?  Doing?"

"I don't feel like I need to explain.  You'll forget everything in about a minute."  Ember tried to fight back but she was forgetting everything in seconds.  Losing some much of her memory caused her to pass out.  Figuring out she wouldn't remember anything about being Dragon Lord, Pyrate dropped her into the river.  After seeing her splash into the water he looked at the scepter.  "It's time for the new Dragon Lord."

He flew back to the Dragon Lands as an unconscious Ember floated down the river.  She floated for a couple of miles until something flew over her then scooped her up.





At the changeling hive, Pharynx, who was disguised as Thorax, was sitting on the throne trying to keep up his brother's attitude.  "Come on, where is he?" he thought.

"Psst."  The pretend king looked to see the real one hiding behind some bushes and rocks.  Pharynx quickly flew towards him and he changed back to his normal form.

"Finally.  Do how hard I've tried to act like you while you were gone?"

"Sorry, Pharynx," Thorax said as he walked over to his throne.  "I just had to take of business."

"What kind of business?"

The changeling stopped and blushed.  "...Uh, I was...  Checking on Ocellus."

The king's brother wasn't so easily fooled.  "Did she shapeshift into any particular dragons?  Particularly one that's a Dragonlord?"

"Shut up."  The king's face was as red as a rose as he sat down.  "Just...  You can do your normal thing."

"Alright."  Pharynx laughed to himself as he walked away.  Thorax sighed as he knew his brother was just joking.  He could hear some thunder and could see some dark clouds forming in the sky.

"Oh, dear.  Everyone, get inside."  The changelings listened to the king and flew inside to avoid the rain.  A few minutes later, a changeling duo flew into the hive, completely soaked.  "Where were you?"

"You said to double check to see if there weren't any wild animals that could bring danger to the hive," one of the changelings said.

Thorax knew this must've been his brother's order.  "Did you find anything?"

"Well, we found a dragon," said another changeling.  "She was blue and was out cold."  A third changeling flew in carrying Ember, who was still out cold.

"Oh my.  She doesn't look so good."  The changelings lied Ember down on some soft pillow-like bushes as Thorax bent down next to the unconscious dragon.  "Ember, can you hear me?"  He nudged the dragoness's shoulder as she let out a groan.  Ember slowly opened her eyes and saw the changeling king beside her.  "Oh, thank goodness."  Ember looked around.  She was quite weirded out by all the plants growing all over the place the various changelings.  "I'm glad you're awake.  This isn't how I wanted to show you the hive."  The dragoness kept looking around confused and a little scared.  "Can you speak?"

"Y... Ye... Yeah," she stuttered.  "Where am I?"

"The changeling hive.  Are you feeling okay?"

"I don't know.  I...  I don't remember I came or even myself.  Who am I?"  Thorax was nearly as worried as the dragoness.

"Look, you just need to calm down.  My name is Thorax, I'm the king of the changelings after the last one's defeat.  You are Dragon Lord Ember."

"That's a long name."

"You can just be called Ember.  I'm not sure how you got here."

"She was just floating in the river," said one of the changelings who had also brought a loincloth and bra.  The dragoness's loincloth and bra were pretty worn from floating down the river.  The new said was as white as snow.

"We can give you a moment alone to change."

"Why?" Ember asked.

"It's just...  Awkward, just let us know when you've put your new clothes on."  They left the room Ember was in as the changelings looked at their king.

"It just seems to be amnesia," said one.

"It does but what could've caused it.  Dragons are built tough and that doesn't explain why you found her in the river."

"So, what do we do?" asked another.

"I'll take Ember back to the dragon lands tomorrow morning.  Hopefully, someone could jog her memory."

"But what about the rest of the hive?"

"I'm sure Pharynx can look over here until I get back."

"I've done it before," Pharynx said.  The changelings looked at each other before staring at the king, who gave a nervous chuckle.

"Hey, Thorax," Ember called.  "You can come back in now."  The changeling walked back to see Ember in her new bra and loincloth.  "This feels pretty comfy."

"Thanks," Thorax said.  "We've managed to make those and others out of some leaves."

"That's nice.  I wonder where I got my clothes."

"Probably an animal.  Ember, the first thing tomorrow I'm going to help you get your memories back."

"You'd do that for me?"

"Trust me, you and I know each other pretty well."  He gave his friend a hug before he walked away.  Ember didn't know what to think.  She just lied down on the bush and thought about what her life was like.  Who was she?  She kept thinking these questions until she fell asleep.
> Which Way is Memory Lane?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the sun shined down over the hive, waking up several of its inhabitants including the king.  Thorax yawn and stretched before walking to where his guest was resting.  To his surprise, Ember was tossing and turning while panting.

"Someone," she cried as she reached for her leg.  "Let me go."

"Ember," Thorax cried as he ran over to the dragoness.  "Ember, wake up."

"Let me go!"

"Ember."

"Help me!"

"Wake up!"  The dragoness shot awake and banged her head on the king's head.  This felt like a pat to Ember while Thorax held his head in pain.

"Oh...  Sorry.  Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."  He cringed a bit while touching his bruise.  "What did you dream of?"

"I'm not sure.  I was sinking in some water as some sea creature dragged me down with its tongue."

"It sounds horrible but it's just a dream.  We were unable to find some gems for you, but we do have some sushi."  Thorax left for a minute and soon returned with some leftover sushi.

"Thanks...  I guess."  The dragoness started eating the sushi that was given but she had questions.  "What do you mean I'm a...  Dragon Lord?"

"You're basically in charge of all the Dragon Lands.  Without you, everything there will be in chaos."

"That sounds bad."

"It probably is.  Let me know when you're finished eating."  Thorax walked off for a minute to leave his friend to her breakfast.

Ember thought as hard as she could but could recall anything about other dragons.  That would explain what creature she was.  Her claws were pretty sharp and her scales and wings didn't look anything like changelings.  She suddenly got a tickle in her throat and she let out a cough and also a bit of pink fire.  She didn't burn anything but she was still shocked.  She just breathed fire.  Is that what dragons did?  Whatever they did, she just at the sushi that she was given.

After a while, Thorax came back.  "Okay, I've gotten everything taken care of here," he said.  "Are you ready to go?"

"I think so," Ember replied.  Both walked outside and Thorax took flight but Ember just stood there.  The changeling flew back to see what was wrong.  "Well, I don't remember how to fly.  I honestly forgot what a dragon is."

"It's okay.  Just flap your wings."  The dragoness did so, but she was showing to have a hard time keeping control.  "Don't panic."  Thorax grabbed onto Ember's claw and helped her gain control.  "Hopefully this will help."  The two slowly flew off towards the Dragon Lands.  Ember felt very nervous about being so high off the ground and held Thorax's hand tight.  "It's okay, Ember.  We'll be there soon."

It took a little while for the two to get to the Dragon Lands.  Once they got there, Thorax changed into his dragon form.  This startled the dragoness but the disguised changeling reassured her.  "It's okay," he said, "This is completely normal for changelings.  Let's just find someone that you know and hopefully, they'll jog your memory."

When they walked around, the didn't see that many dragons around.  Those that were around were fighting other various things, like gems, space, or dragonesses that they wanted the heart of.  "Are they normally like this?" Ember asked.

"I think this is what happens when the Dragon Lord isn't around."

"Oh, they're just fine," called a voice.  The two look and saw golden horned drake land behind with his "girlfriends" beside him.  He held the bloodstone scepter in his claw as he narrowed his eyes at Ember.  "What are you doing here?"

"Me?" Ember asked.  "I thought this is where I live."

"What's wrong with her?" Emma asked.

"Well, she's the one who caused this diamond to get stuck in my chest."  He pointed his claw where the diamond was.

"Maybe we could just pull it out," Thorax said as he reached for the diamond but when it looked like he touched it, Pyrite appeared to wince in pain.

"Don't touch it you idiot!" the drake ordered.  "I don't know what'll happen if this diamond is removed but I don't want to find out."  He tried to grab the fake dragon's head but Thorax moved back and avoided the claw.  "Hey, stay still!"

"I was just trying to help."

"Dragons don't need any help.  Especially kings."

"King?"  Thorax took finally noticed the scepter in Pyrite's claws.  "That's not yours."

"But he won the Gauntlet of Fire," Garnet stated.

"That's not true.  Ember did."

"What gauntlet?" Ember asked.

"These are all lies," Pyrite protested pointing the scepter at the changeling and true Dragon Lord.  "Seize them!"  By the sound of his voice, several drakes came flying towards the unwanted guests.

"Let's get out of here," Thorax cried.  He and Ember took off but the drakes were closing in.

"What do we do?" Ember asked.

"I'm not looking for a fight.  Just fly faster."  A breath of fire just missed the two.  "Don't panic, let's just try and loose them."  The pair swooped down with the army following close behind.  With their increased speed, they quickly turned a corner and behind some boulders and the army just flew past them.  "Okay, I think we're in the clear."

The two flew out of their hiding spot.  "Thorax, what do we...  GAH!"  Ember was interrupted by being tackled to the ground by familiar red and orange drake.  "Let me go."

"Not a chance," Garble said.

Thorax didn't want to fight, but still, he flew into the air, turned into a falcon, and dived bombed at the drake.  Just inches before he hit him the falcon turned into a minotaur and punched Garble several feet back while also breaking his nose.

"How the heck...?"

"Stay from her," Thorax demanded.  "She's innocent.  Why are you listening to him?"

"The Dragon Lord said to capture the blue dragon because of what she did to him."  The rest of the drakes were closing in fast.  Thorax turned back into a dragon, helped Ember up and they took off.

"How can we get away?" Ember asked.

The changeling looked around until he saw a cave nearby.  "Follow me," he said.  The soared towards the cave with the other hot on their tails.  They got closer and closer, they dodged the army's fire breath, and they soared into the cave.  There was a bright flash of light and Thorax had turned into an Ursa Major.  With one swing, he swatted all the dragons away.

"Retreat!" one of the drake's cried.  They all flew away as Thorax changed back to his normal form.

"Are you okay?" he asked Ember.

"I think so," she replied.  "What do we do now?  All of the dragons hate me and they don't remember me ever being the Dragon Lord.  Are you sure that drake wasn't the real one?"

"Of course not.  I remember you tell me about having trouble leading all the dragons.  You even gave me advice on taking charge of the changeling kingdom.  I think you forgetting everything and the diamond chested dragon taking control can't be coincidences.  Maybe Twilight will have something that can help us."

"Who's Twilight?"

"I'll explain on the way."  The two took off with the changeling leading towards Ponyville.

Meanwhile, Pyrite was about to take a dip within the lava pool as the army came flying back.  The false king was very annoyed to see that they didn't have the dragoness or drake he wanted.  "Where are they?" he asked.

"We tried to catch them," one drake said.  "We were thrown off because of an Ursa Major."

"Those creatures don't live anywhere near here."

"I know where it came from," Garble said.  He stepped forward as Pyrite listened.  "I saw the green one turn into a minotaur.  I think he was the Ursa Major."

"Hmm, alright.  So, do you think he went?"

"I don't know.  But I have a good idea where they are."

"I'm listening."





In Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle was in her office.  The School of Friendship had kept her busy as well as her friends.  The six mares and Spike met up in the teacher's lounge.  "So, how are students?" Twilight asked.

"Doing great," Rarity said.

"That may be for you," Applejack said.  "Some of m'ah students aren't up for the hard work thing."

"Ditto," Rainbow Dash said.  "How can you be good at PE if you don't get off your flank?  Aw, crud."

"What's wrong?" Spike asked.

"I accidentally left the buckball equipment in the field."

"Don't worry, I'm on it."  Spike left the lounge and walked outside and found a ball rack beside the setup goals.  He about to bring them inside until he saw green and blue blurs flying towards him.  After waiting for them to get closer he could see it was two of his friends.

"Look, there's Spike," Thorax said.  He and Ember landed in front of the purple drake who quickly hugged the dragoness.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself."  Spike looked at Ember's face who seemed to be more confused than annoyed.  "Is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure," Ember replied.  "Thorax said you helped me in a gauntlet."

"The Gauntlet of Fire.  How could you forget?"

"It's a long story Spike," Thorax said.  After letting them inside and they explained the situation, Twilight, Spike, and the other mares were in shock.

"How can a dragon make everyone forget about a major event?" Applejack asked.

"I think it had something to do with the diamond in his chest.  I'm not sure if it actually caused him pain but he's using it to control all the dragons."

"Why can't we just go up to him and whoop his butt?" Dash asked.

"Because he has an army on his side."

"Plus, dragons are very tough," Fluttershy said.  "There's no way we could stand up to them."

Ember looked over to Twilight, who had a very worried look on her face.  "Is something wrong?" the dragoness asked.

"Oh, not...  Not really," the alicorn replied.

"So, how on earth do we get her memories back?" Applejack asked.

"Maybe we can still try it like it's normal amnesia," Spike said.  Dash just simply looked him with doubt.  "I'm just trying everything.  Ember, you enrolled Smolder as one of the students here.  I can show her to you."

"Okay," Ember said feeling a little nervous.  The two dragons left the teacher lounge as Twilight grabbed Thorax's attention.

"Thorax, this situation is more urgent than you think," she said.

"What do you mean?" Thorax asked.

"A friend of mine had a similar problem.  Someone was erasing the memories of her friends but she managed to get them back.  However, if these two stones work in the same way, then on the third night from when the memories were erased...  They'll be gone forever."

The king's eye widened.  "Then...  We can't tell Ember about this."

"Are you crazy?" Rainbow asked.

"She's already freaking out about remembering nothing.  If she finds out about she'll never remember who she is, she'll lose her mind."

"But she wouldn't remember," Pinkie said.  The changeling and mares looked at the pink pony looked at her pretty angry.  "It sounds confusing on how he said it."

"Just don't tell her about this."

"Alright, Thorax," Twilight said.  "We'll try and figure out what to do."  He gave a thumbs-up before walking off to catch up with the dragons.

In the school courtyard, Smolder was hanging out with Ocellus.  "So, do different gems have different flavors?" Ocellus asked.

"Well, some stones are harder than others," Smolder explained.  "Emeralds taste kind of bitter to me..."

"Hey, Smolder," Spike called walking towards her with Ember, "Could you help us with something?"

"Us?"  She then noticed the Dragon Lord walking next to him.  "Oh, Dragon Lord Ember, what are you doing here?"

"I think it's to remember you again," Ember said.

"What are you talking about?"

"Some magic diamond made her forget who she is," Spike explained.

"Seriously?"

"I'm trying to treat it like it's amnesia.  Just tell her how you picked for this school."

"Alright.  So, Ember, do you remember me refusing to come here?"

"No," the dragoness replied.

"Or my brother saving the dragon eggs?"

"Not really."

"What about Chancellor Neighsay?  He insulted you and the other species."

"Who is he?"

"...Welp, I tried."

"Thanks anyway," Spike sighed.

"How can diamond make someone forget everything?" Ocellus asked.

"I have no idea."

"Are you a changeling?" Ember asked.

"Um, yes," Ocellus replied.  She demonstrated this by transforming into a pony and a dragon.  "I would show you more, but I don't want to ruin my uniform."

"Yeah, it is one of the drawbacks," Thorax said as he caught up with them.  "Hi, Ocellus.  Are your classes going good?"  The young changeling nodded.

"I kind of like their uniforms," Ember commented.  Smolder and Ocellus both white button shirts that were under a dark purple jacket with a violet pleated skirt.

"It's okay I guess," Smolder said.

"I would like something more than just what I have on now."  Ember's bra and loincloth were partly burned to the dragon breath that nearly hit her and Thorax.

"I thought you would never say that," Rarity said as she showed up with clothing rack behind her.  "After the last time you and Thorax visited Ponyville I decided to make some clothes for you."  She showed them two sets of clothing.  One was a black t-shirt with a dark blue jacket with ripped sleeves and short-shorts.  The other was an emerald green button shirt with some blue jeans.

"Wow, Rarity, these look nice," Thorax commented.

"If you follow me I can show you where you can change."  After a few minutes, Ember and Thorax had changed into the clothes that Rarity had made for them.

"That's for clothes.  These are really nice."

"Thank you.  Ember, what do you think?"

The dragoness took a look at her jacket.  "Are all of these jackets like this?" she asked.

"Well, I thought it would suit a dragon's behavior.  You know, all rough and tough and all that."

"They acted more violent."

"Oh, right."

"That's not all true," Smolder said.  "My brother's actually nice when you get to know him."

"It's not the case right now," Thorax stated.  "All of the dragons tried to capture us."

"And why?"

"Because the diamond that was used is controlled by a power-hungry dragon," Spike said.

"I think he has to grab onto someone's head to do that," Thorax said.  "It would explain why he went for my head of all places."  He could see Ember looked a little upset.  "Ember, we're safe here.  They won't find us here."

"It's not that," she replied holding her stomach.  "The sushi you gave me didn't fill me up all that much.  I'm getting hungry again."

"I think I know someplace that could fill you up," Rarity said.

Rarity and Spike led the visitors to the cave where they found gems for dress designs.  "Wow," Ember gasped.  "These look amazing."

"Yes.  Somepony told me about these gems being...  Common.  Have as many as you want."  Ember didn't have to be told twice.  She quickly started breaking the gemstones out of the walls.  Thorax decided to help out by turning into a Maulwurf and started digging some of the stones lose.  The others were surprised by his new form.

"Our hive had a problem with one of these creatures," Thorax explained.

"Looks kind of weird," Ember said.

"They're actually kind of dangerous.  They can resistance being hit with magical spells and are way bigger than this."

"That's scary," Spike said.

"You should try fighting them head-on."  He saw Ember was trying to keep up a smile but she was struggling to do so.  "Is something wrong?"

"It's just the other dragons," she replied.  "I don't think I can keep up with them.

The Maulwurf turned back into a changeling.  "Don't talk like that.  You just need to remember your combat skills.  Just, try giving me a punch."

"What?"

"Just punch my arm."  Ember didn't quite understand but just lightly tapped the changeling's arm.   "No, harder than that."  Ember smacked the arm making Thorax cringe a bit.  "I'm fine.  It's not too bad."

"Thorax, I'm not sure about this."

"I'm just trying to help you.  Think about something that makes you mad."  The dragoness scratched her for a minute.  "Oh, right, no memories of something that can get you mad.  Maybe you could..."

"Okay, Thorax," Spike interrupted, "I appreciate your enthusiasm but I think we should try something different."

"Come this way, Ember," Rarity said.  "I think there are some big gems this way."  The dragoness followed the mare leaving Spike and Thorax.  The changeling king made his horns glow due to the fact they didn't have Rarity's light.

"What were you doing?"

"I'm just trying to help Ember about," Thorax explained.  "But I've been feeling nervous when I talk...  Personal stuff.  Changelings share love but when I talk with Ember I feel like I get too much of it."

"Oh, I know how you feel.  When I first saw Rarity, I got everything related to a crush.  Butterflies in the stomach, lovestruck eyes, and all that stuff."

"How do I tell Ember about this."

"My guess, take it slow."

"You sure?"

"I don't know, I think might a little different.  She doesn't remember much, and her old self doesn't seem...  To be...  Your type.  I had no idea how to say that without hurting your feelings."

"...I understand."

Later, Ember and Rarity had collected a huge backpack filled with gemstones.  Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and loads more.  "Oh, this is going to fill me up," Ember chuckled.

"I'm glad I could help, darling," Rarity said.

"I thought my name was Ember."

"It's something ponies say," Spike said.  "Especially fancy ones."

The mare rolled her eyes and tried to pick up the backpack but found it was heavier than expected.  "Here, let me help you," Ember said.  She picked up the bag as if it weighed nothing.  "Wow, this is lighter than I thought."

"Dragons are stronger than ponies," Rarity informed.

"Yeah, check out these muscles," Spike bragged flexing his arm.

"It doesn't look like much," Thorax said.  Spike didn't take any notice and just picked up the other backpack he put his gems into.  It didn't have much as Ember but he still seemed to struggle to carry it.  They walked out of the cave and the dragoness decided to ask some questions.

"So, Thorax said something about a Gauntlet of Fire," she said.  "What's that?"

"I can answer that," Spike said while struggling to carry his bag.  "It's a competition to decide who the next Dragon Lord would be.  I only volunteered to help protect my friends.  You and I teamed up together and we got the scepter."

"Oh, thanks for that."  Suddenly, she held her head as she got lightheaded.

"Ember, are you okay?"

"I think so.  I remember, dodging boulders, avoiding moving walls, and...  You pushed to avoid getting hit by a crystal twice my size."

"That was part of the gauntlet."  The two dragons smiled at each other while Thorax looked at them and just frowned.

"Something wrong, Thorax?" Rarity asked.

"Oh, no it's nothing," the king replied.  "I think Spike...  Since he's known Ember longer than me, he could help out."

"I think that can work," Spike agreed, overhearing what Thorax said.  "Ember, I think we can help you with more of your memories if we get back to the school as soon as possible."

"Then let's go," Ember said as she picked up the pace.

"It's kind of odd to see her act like this," Rarity said.  Spike and Thorax nodded as they tried to catch up.

"Ember, slow down," Spike cried.

"I thought you said you wanted to get back..." Ember wasn't looking where she was going and accidentally ran into the pond.

"Are you alright?" Rarity asked using her magic to help the dragoness out of the water.  She was surprised to see Ember flapping her wings frantically to get out.

"I'm...  Alright," she replied panting.  She looked to see her backpack had opened up and half of her gems were gone.  "Aw."

"It's okay," Thorax said, "We'll try and fish them out later."

The dragoness looked confused.  "Why can't we get them out now."

"I don't think you have the proper clothes for swimming."

"I'm afraid he's right," Rarity said.  "Wet clothes can be quite a nuisance."

"Does that mean uncomfortable?" Ember asked.  She pulled at the front of her shirt which was sticking to her scales.

"Yes.  You get to Twilight's castle, I'm going to run to my boutique real quick."  The unicorn ran off as Thorax and the dragons walked the other way.

"Is that what that thing was next to the school?"

"Yeah, there's an interesting story to that," Spike said.





Ember had put her bra and loincloth back on as her soaked clothes were hung out to dry.  "I could've ask to borrow a shirt from Twilight," Thorax said.

"No, I don't want to bother her," Ember said.  "I honestly don't know which one she is."

"She's the purple one with a horn and wings."

"Like you?"

"No, she's an alicorn.  Alicorn have the magic of all different types of ponies, the strength of an earth pony, pegasi flight, and unicorn magic.  Starlight told me about that."  Ember looked confused.  "She and I teamed up along with her friends to save Equestria."

"Wow, really?"

"That's how I became the new changeling king."

"Cool.  I think I'm getting a better idea of how I became Dragon Lord, but...  The details are still a little fuzzy."

"We can work on that," Spike said as he walked in.  "You said you wanted some advice on how to be nicer to dragons."

"Why would I do that?"

"They were...  A little...  Tiny bit...  You saw potential in them."

"If you say so."  Ember rubbed her head but she couldn't remember her and Spike talking about that subject.

Just then, Rarity showed up.  "Oh, Ember," the mare said, "I'm glad you found something to wear.  I think I may have something that isn't burnt, however."  She showed two different sets of swimwear, one was a one-piece colored purple with a few bits of red gemstone paterns on it.  The other was a dark blue two-piece with white on each side.

"What are those?"

"Swimsuits.  Your other clothes were for causal and everyday activates.  These are for swimming."

"Like in that bit of water, we passed a few minutes ago?"

"Exactly.  Now, which one do you like better?  I couldn't decide which one would suit your personality better."

"I don't understand that, but I like the darker one."

"Oh good, this was the first one I made you."  She gave the dragoness the two-piece and the boys left the room for Ember to change.  "So, how're the memories recovering coming?"

"Not so easy," Thorax sighed.

"Yeah, I thought I'd get through to her," Spike said.

"I know you two are trying," Rarity said, "And I'm sure you'll break through to her eventually."  They suddenly heard a boom and looked towards the school where there were smoke and the smell of burned bread.

"Un oh.  Gotta go."  Spike quickly flew down to the school to see what was the matter.

"What was that noise," Ember asked walking out in her new swimsuit.  Thorax blushed.

"That looks great on you," the changeling commented.

"Thanks.  It's pretty comfy.  What's with all that smoke?"

"I don't know," Rarity replied.  They walked down to the school to find Spike helping Pinkie clean up some batter that was somehow partly burnt.  "What happened in here?"

"I might have given some of my students too much yeast," Pinkie replied.  "Hey, Ember, nice swimsuit."

The dragoness smiled at the pink pony's compliment.  "So, Spike, you want to go help get my gems back?"

"Sorry, Ember," Spike replied struggling to get his mop free from the batter.  "I need to help clean up this mess.  This wasn't my best idea."

"I can go with you," Thorax said.  "I just need..."  He suddenly noticed Rarity was holding a pair of magenta swim trunk with a purple band.

"Way ahead of you darling," Rarity said.

After changing into his new swim outfit, Thorax and Ember traveled to the pond.  The changeling could see his friend was looking nervous.  "Ember, your dream isn't real."

"How did you know I was thinking that?" Ember asked.

"I can see your face.  There's no way a creature that could grab you with its tongue could fit into this pond."  The dragoness shuttered just hearing that.  "I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, you're right.  Let's just get the gems back."  She slowly stepped into the water with her friend following behind.  "This water feels kind of cold."

"Y-yeah.  Changelings don't do well in cold temperatures.  You think you can use your fire breath?"

"I think so."  The dragoness let out some breaths of air but no fire.

"Hang on, let me try."  Thorax changed into a dragon and breathed fire onto the lake to warm it up.

"How do you do that?"

"It took me a bit of practice but I figured out how to do it.  First, tilt your head back."  Both dragons did this.  "Take a deep breath and let it out."  Both bent their heads forward and they both let out breaths of fire.

"Oh my gosh, I did it."

"Plus, the water's way warmer than before."  The changeling changed back to his normal form and swam around for a bit.  Once they got their bearings, they dived down to get the gem.  Ember couldn't help herself and took bites of the gems which made her loose some air so she had to swim back up, Thorax followed just to make sure she was alright.

"I'm fine.  Just need some air.  I've got some gems."  She showed him the bits she got.  "You should try one."

"I'm not sure about that."

"Just turn into a dragon, they're delicious."  Thorax shrugged and did as his friend said took a bite of one of the gems she got.  "So, what do you think?"

"It's...  Interesting.  Kind of feels like gravel."

"It kind of does.  But they taste great."  The changeling gave a nervous smile but couldn't help but shrug.  Suddenly, the dragoness rubbed her head as she felt some pain.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine.  I remember...  I threw a boulder and blew it up with my fire."

"That's when we first talked.  Remember when I said I was having trouble to get the changelings under control and even when I tried asking nice..."  Ember placed her claw on her friend's mouth making him stop.

"Stop talking."  Both let out a chuckle as Ember thought of something.  "Thorax was I...  A jerk like the other dragon?"

The changeling's eyes widened.  "No...  Not really.  I mean, you were assertive but you were just giving me advice.  I'm sure you wanted to keep up part of that dragon pride.  I...  I...  Why do you even ask?"

"Because I remember acting rude and...  I don't want to act like him."

"Who?"

"That drake who had the scepter."

"Ember, you're nothing like him.  You're a strong leader."

"But...  I can't remember taking charge."

"It's okay, we'll get through this."  He decided to give his friend a hug to try and comfort her.  The dragoness smiled and hugged him back.

"Thanks, Thorax."





Meanwhile, Garble, as well as two other drakes, were flying towards Ponyville.  "Why would they go here of all places?" the bulky drake asked.

"Because, this is one of the places with ponies," Garble explained.  "That purple pipsqueak should be here also.  I want to talk to him, personally."

"The king said to get the green and blue one first," said the tubby drake.

"Look, we're almost here.  Just spread out and find them."  The three flew in different directions looking for their targets.
> The Dragon Attack
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Garble scanned everything in his direction.  Many of the ponies were confused to see an armored dragon flying over them, some of them kind of scared.  At the school, Twilight was trying to find if there a slim chance there was a book about magical gems.  She couldn't find anything about diamonds.

"Hmm," she pondered.  "Maybe I should double-check Canterlot's secret library."

"Hey, principle Twilight," Smolder said as she walked in.  "You know any other ways of getting memories back?"

"I'm working at that.  Just continue with your classes."  The dragoness just shrugged as she walked back into the hall.

"What Smolder doing?" Yona asked as she walked up to her friend.

"Dragon Lord Ember lost her memories," Smolder explained.  "I can't think of other ideas from another bonk on the head.  Though, Spike said it was some magical gem."

"So, normal ways won't work."  The dragoness nodded.  The two walked down the hall and talked until the yak noticed something red move by the window.  They went get a closer look and saw it was Garble.

"Gar-Gar, what are you doing here?"

The drake didn't say anything, he just climbed through the window so he could get a closer looked at Smolder and Yona's uniforms.  "What are you wearing?" he asked.

"It's a school uniform.  I think the skirts could be a little longer and I kind of wish I could have pants the boys' uniform..."

"Take it off."

"Now?"  Her answer came from her brother reaching for her skirt.  "Garble, stop it."

"It's a disgrace to the Dragon Lands."

"Wha...?  What about your poetry?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Dragons need to calm down," Yona said as she was getting nervous.  Garble grabbed the yak's horns and tossed her down the hall.

"Yona!" Smolder cried.  "Garble, what is wrong with you?"

"Smolder!" Spike gasped as he flew around the corner.

Garble looked towards the purple drake.  "Oh, so little pipsqueak finally got some wings," scoffed.

"Pipsqueak?"  Then Spike remembered what Thorax told him.  "Oh no."  The second he saw Garble fly towards him, Spike made a run for it.  The purple drake hid in the shower room where some of the students wear showering.  "Sorry."  The door behind him suddenly burned away to reveal Garble.

Spike and the students raced out of the showers as the red drake chased the purple one down.  Starlight and Rainbow Dash were walking down the hall when they saw the two dragons heading towards them.  "Is that Smolder's brother?" Dash asked.

"Yes.  Help me!" Spike cried.

The dragon hid behind the unicorn as the pegasus stood in Garble's way.  "What are you doing here?"

"Move out of the way," Garble ordered.  Rainbow refused.  "So, are you going to fight this time?"  Dash cracked her knuckles and tried to punch the drake who just blocked her.  As the pony and dragon fought Starlight and Spike hid behind the corner.

"Why is Garble acting like this?" the unicorn asked.

"It's the diamond," Spike said.  "Thorax said the other dragons' memories were affected."

Starlight looked towards Garble and promptly shot a beam at him that trapped the drake in a large crystal, except for his head.  "What is this?" he asked.

"Something to keep you in place until we can get answers."

"Whatever, the other two will find me."

"There are others?" Spike asked with Garble nodding.  "Oh boy."

Elsewhere, the tubby and bulky dragons were looking over the town.  "Where the heck is she?" the tubby one asked.

"I don't think she'll hear us," the bulky one said.

"You think?  Look, I don't want to tell the king we lost her."

"What about that green dragon?  He can change his shape.  What if the blue one can do the same?"

"Shut up.  Why are even with me?  He told us to split up."

"I couldn't find them my way."  The two kept flying around until they could hear some laughter.  They looked and saw Ember and Thorax swimming around in the pond.  "Found the..."

"Shh."  The two drakes hid behind a hill before the dragoness and changeling saw them, though they were unaware of them.

"Are you having fun?" Thorax asked.

"Yeah," Ember said.  She dived under and swam behind the changeling and gave him a surprise hug.

"Uh, how can she call herself Dragon Lord if she acts like this?" the tubby drake asked.

"I don't know," the bulky one said.  "Maybe it's a way to crush her enemies."

"Like that, no way.  Let's just capture them and find the drake."

Ember looked like she was getting excited.  "Can you change into other creatures?" she asked.  The changeling nodded before turning into a stallion, seapony, griffon, and even an anthropomorphic bat.  With his new form, his ears twitched as he overheard the drakes whispering to each other from over the hill.

"Ember, I don't think we're alone," he said.  The bat turned back into a changeling and walked over to where he heard the drakes.  Once the drakes noticed that they were caught, they both tackled Thorax to the ground.  The changeling turned into a minotaur and tossed the drakes off of him but they only went a few feet.

While the bulky one fought the changeling the tubby one saw Ember trying to sneak away.  Seeing the grin on his face, she tried to breathe fire at him but the drake breathed harder.  The fire sent the dragoness falling on her back.  She saw the drake about to tackle her and Ember quickly flew off.  "Get back here!" the tubby dragon ordered.

"Thorax, help!" she cried.

The changeling tried to fly after his friend, but the bulky drake punched him to the ground.  Ember fled from the tubby dragon chasing her down.  Thorax couldn't get the bulky drake away from him.  "Get out of my way," Thorax ordered.

"Oh, what are you going to do?" the bulky one asked.  The changeling replied by turning into a manticore and charging at the drake.

Rainbow Dash and Spike flew nearby and the fighting creatures didn't notice them.  "Okay, let's end this," Dash preparing to charge.

"Hold it," Spike said holding Dash back by her tail.  "The cave isn't far from here."  He saw some gemstone lying by the pond and got an idea.

The manticore Thorax keep slashing at the bulky dragon until he broke through his armor.  The dragon tried breathing fire but the manticore turned into a griffon and flew up to dodge.  The drake was about to give chase until he was hit in the head with something.  He looked saw an emerald lying on the ground so he ate it.

Then he saw a trail of gems stone.  Not questioning where they came from, he followed the trail and ate every gemstone he came across.  Spike tapped Thorax's shoulder and the griffon turned back into a changeling.  "Follow me," the purple dragon said.  "I have a plan."

They flew ahead of the eating dragon and met Dash at the cave.  Thorax helped move two large boulders into place as the bulky drake got closer.  They hid and when he was in the cave, they pushed the boulders and trapped him inside.  "Uh oh," the dragon sighed.

"Alright, that takes care of him.  But where's Ember?"

Ember was trying her best to lose the dragon that was chasing her.  She flew threw the streets of Ponyville surprising several of unlucky ponies that got in the way.  "You can fly forever," the drake said as he closed in on her.

"Somebody help me," the dragoness begged.  Many of the ponies just got out of the way not wanting to get hurt from one of the dragons.  Eventually, the drake grabbed Ember by her wing and they crashed the ground.

"Finally."

"Please, don't hurt me."

The drake just laughed.  "I can't believe your friend said that you were the Dragon Lord."  He raised his claw into the air but before he could punch the frightened dragoness his fist got a blue glow around it.  It suddenly smacked him before a beam trapped him in a giant crystal.

"How dare you try and hit a lady," Rarity cried as she and Starlight walked over to them.  Starlight levitated the trapped drake as the fashion pony look down at Ember before reaching out to her.  "Are you alright, darling?"

"I think so," Ember said as Rarity helped her up.  "Where's Thorax."

"My best guess," Starlight said, "He helped Dash and Spike help him capture the other dragon.  Come on, let's just get you to Twilight's castle."  And he teleported the unicorn, dragoness, and trapped drake away.





Ember was in the throne room with Twilight, Rarity, and the two trapped drakes.  Garble glared at them making the dragoness a little nervous.  "It's okay, Ember," Twilight said, "They're not going to get out with some powerful magic."

Starlight teleported back with Rainbow Dash, Spike, and the bulky dragon, who she trapped in a crystal prison.  "I could've handled him," Dash said annoyed.

"We're not risking it," Starlight stated placing the drake with the others.

"Thorax," Ember cried flying up to the changeling.  "I was worried about you."

"Same to you," the changeling replied.  "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"Just my wing."  She unfolded her injured wing, making her cringe a bit.

"Whoa, easy," Spike said as he forced Ember to close her wing.  "You'll just make things worse.  You try lying down in the guest room and I'll get you some bandages.  Spike and Ember left the throne room as Thorax turned to Twilight.

"We'll see if we can get some information from them," the alicorn said.  "You make sure that Ember is okay."

"Right," he replied.  He walked down the hall and into the guest room to find Ember lying on one of the beds with her back facing up.  "You feeling better?"

"Not really," she replied.  The changeling sat next to her.

"How bad does your wing hurt?"

"It's...  Not too bad."  She unfolded her wing wincing a bit.

"Don't move it.  I think Spike was right."  The dragoness did as she was told and sighed.  "I'm sure you'll be able to fly again soon."

"No, it's not my wing it was that drake that was chasing me.  He said I was a coward and...  He's right.  You said dragons are proud and strong creatures but...  I was scared."

"Ember, don't talk like that."

"But it's true.  How can I be called a Dragon Lord if I just run away from a drake that's only a foot taller than me?  Maybe that king was right."

"Don't say that.  Ember, you are the true Dragon Lord and you're going to remember it."  The dragoness didn't seem too confident.

"I'm back," Spike said walking in with a first aid kit.  "Let's take a look at the wing."  The purple dragon took out a wing brace to make sure the dragoness's wing was fine.  Thorax stood up so he could change into some different clothes.  He looked towards Spike and started feeling unenthusiastic about him.

After a few minutes, Ember's injured wing was secure so it wouldn't move.  "Thanks, Spike," she said.

"Not a problem.  It just seemed to be a sprain so your wing should be better in no time.  I'll leave you alone so you can change."

"But I don't have any other clothes."

"I'm back," Dash said carrying some clothes.  "Rarity said she had some other clothes for you since you didn't like your old ones."

"Thanks, Dash," Spike said.  The pegasus and drake left so the dragoness could change into her new clothes.  Spike noticed the changeling king, who had changed into the clothes Rarity gave him, and he was looking kind of glum.  "Something wrong, buddy."

"Oh, uh..." Thorax was a bit startled from his friend.  He didn't know what to say.  "So, you said you had a crush on Rarity, right?"

"Yeah, why do you bring that up?"

"Well, have you ever seen other stallions she's been attracted..."

"Are you saying you're jealous of me and Ember?"  The changeling started sweating as his eyes darted.

"I didn't mean it like that, its...  I feel frustrated...  I've been wanting...  I can't help but feel..."  The changeling didn't know what to say.  He kept stuttering until Spike covered his mouth.

"Listen, I know what you're saying.  I don't the actual Ember is interested in me."

"So..."

"It's okay.  I think she prefers me as a friend."  Spike walked off as Thorax decided to check on the three drakes were doing.

When he walked in, he could see Starlight had freed their heads but they didn't get much out of them.  "Hello, Thorax," Rarity said.  "How is Ember doing?"

"She's doing alright," the changeling answered.  "Rainbow gave her the new clothes you made for her."

"Oh, I hope she enjoys them."

"Ugh, would you shut up about your fashion?" Garble groaned.

"Only if you tell us about your king," Twilight said.

"He'll burn you to a crisp, that's something."

"How much progress have you made?" Thorax whispered to Starlight.

"Not much," the unicorn replied.  "They keep saying how might their king is.  Other than that, we're pretty much talking to a brick wall."

"Oh, you want to know something new?" Garble asked.  "Your friend who you say is the Dragon Lord is a coward."

"Yeah, she just ran away from me," the tubby one added.  "How can she be one if runs from every battle."

"Hey, shut it," Thorax ordered surprising the ponies.

"Oh, the buggy pony's acting big and tough" the bulky dragon mocked.

"She's not the strongest but she can make up for it by not being enormous jerks like you."

"And what are you going to do about?" the tubby dragon asked.

The changeling was about to step forward but Twilight stopped him.  "We'll handle them," she said.  "You just make sure that she is okay."

"Right."  He left the room and could see an unfamiliar pony.  "Can I help you?"

The pony suddenly turned into a changeling.  "Thorax, the hive needs you," the changeling said.  "Where have you been?"

"Uh, Ember and I had a setback.  We're trying to figure out why the other dragons don't remember her."

"But Pharynx is losing his patients.  You need to come back now."

The king sighed.  "Alright.  Just let me tell my friends where I'm going."  He walked down the hall to find Ember walk around in her new white puff-sleeved blouse and indigo broom skirt.

"There you are," the dragoness said.  "I was hoping Spike could show us around this town."  She could see her friend didn't look happy.  "What's wrong?"

Thorax sighed again.  "I have to go back to the changeling hive."  This seemed to upset Ember.  "It's okay.  I'm sure I can come back tomorrow.  Hopefully."

"But what if more dragons come to get me?"

"I think Spike and his friends can help protect you.  The hive needs me, I can't leave them."  This didn't cheer her up.  "It'll be okay.  You'll get your memories back."

"You'll come back too, will you."

Thorax placed his hand on Ember's shoulder.  "I promise."  The dragoness hugged him before the other changeling got the king's attention.  The two changelings left the castle with the dragoness reaching out before hanging her head.

Spike walked up to Ember.  "I heard what he said," he told.  "Rarity said she can show you some more clothes at her shop.  Would you like that?"

"I guess."  The two dragons left heading towards the boutique.





"It's a shame that Thorax had to leave," Rarity said as she picked two skirts off the racks at her shop.

"I don't blame him," Ember said as she looked at some t-shirts.  "So many changelings rely on him.  And I think several dragons rely on me.  I don't know if can keep the Dragon Lands under control."

"You can do it," Spike said trying to cheer his friend up.  "Don't let those other dragons talk you down.  Remember when Garble save the newborn dragons?"

"Not really."

"Maybe Smolder could help you.  She's his sister."

"Which one is Garble?"

"The red one with orange spines."

"He was one of the drakes that Starlight had to trap."

"He's not himself right now."

"How about you try and calm down while trying this one," Rarity said showing the dragoness a nice purple sheath dress.  Ember walked into the changing room as Smolder walked into the boutique.

"Can you please tell me how my brother is doing?" the orange dragoness asked.  "Princess Twilight won't let me into the castle."

"Sorry, Smoler," Spike said.  "Twilight and Starlight are trying to figure out what's wrong.  Garble doesn't remember any about Ember or me.  He still remembers me from our first meeting and nothing else."

"And this is all because of a diamond?"

"It's what we were told," Rarity said.

"What do you think of this?" Ember asked as she showed off the dress she was now wearing.

"Marvelous, darling."

"I think it would look better with some gloves," Smolder commented much to Spike and Rarity's surprised.  "What?  I thought white gloves would go with her horns."

The unicorn thought for a moment.  "They would look nice on her.  Though, I will have to modify them to fit Ember's claws."  She walked upstairs to get to work.  "Feel free to some other things on and try not to ruin anything."

"Can do," Spike said giving a thumbs up.  Smolder was very interested in the large variety of clothing.  Though, many of them were made for ponies so it was unlikely that any of the shoes, socks, or especial the gloves would fit them.  The only clothes that looked that would fit would the ones for pegasi.  Even then the pants and skirts with holes would barely fit dragon tails without stretching.

"What else do you think will look good?" Ember asked.

"Let me try a couple of things," Smolder said.  While she didn't like to admit it, she and Ember had fun trying on several different clothes.  Smolder did try on tomboyish clothes she enjoyed the more feminine ones, like the matching ballgowns she and Ember wore.

"This is so much fun.  I wish we could do this more often."

"I sure hope so," Rarity said as she walked down with Ember's new gloves.  "I didn't think you would still be dressing up."

"How long were doing this?"

"Well, it took me about an hour for each glove."

"We were here for two hours?" Smolder questioned in surprise.  This would explain why Spike had fallen asleep.

"It happens to everypony at one point."  She handed the gloves to Ember who didn't seem happy to look at them.  "Did I do something wrong?  I could change the color."

"No, the color's fine," Ember said, "It just...  Reminds me of Thorax.  The clothes I was wearing when we met weren't really good, so he got me a pair that was white like these gloves.  He's really nice."  The dragoness started blushing as she sighed.

"You already miss him, do you?"

"Yeah.  I can't stop thinking about him."

Spike rubbed his eyes and walked over to her.  "Look, Ember, it's getting late," he said.  "I think we should head back to the castle."

"Okay, I'll go just put my normal clothes back on."

After a few minutes, Ember had changed and followed Spike and Smolder back to the school and castle.  "I didn't think she would be into dressing up like that," Smolder said.

"Same to you," Spike said.  "Since when were you into dresses?"

"Uh..."  She had no idea what to say.

"I don't see what's wrong with it," Ember said.  "It was fun."

"I don't think it was in your old behavior.  I think..."

"Where is she?" came a gruff voice.  The three saw some large drakes flying around.  Spike quickly pulled Ember and Smolder behind a corner before they could see them.

"Who are they?" Ember asked.

"I don't know," Spike said.  "I'm pretty sure they're looking for you."

"Then do we do?"

"There's...  No way we're going to beat them in a fight," Smolder said looking at the drake.  Eyeballing their size to the windows they flew by they looked to be eight feet tall.  "You think we could distract them?"

"Brains and brawns don't mix," Spike said, "No offense, Ember."

"I don't see where I'm supposed to be offended," the blue dragoness replied.

The two flying drakes landed to stop and think.  "They didn't come back," the gray drake said.

"Yeah, I know that," said the yellow drake.  "You know what else?  Lava is hot."

"I'm not an idiot.  Look, what if that blue girl managed to fight back?"

"She and that green drake fled the first time.  Did you see how much muscle those guys have?  My tail has more muscles than those two combined."

"Wanna test that?" Smolder asked grabbing their attention.

The two drakes were confused to see the orange dragoness in a school uniform.  "Kid, what the heck are you wearing?" the gray one asked.

"Oh, do you like it?  I've also got a ballgown and maybe a tutu."  As she kept talking, Spike and Ember snuck behind the houses so the drakes didn't see them.

"You think she'll be okay?" Ember asked quietly.

"Smolder's done this before," Spike whispered.  He looked towards the dragon student who stood her ground, even though she was being hung in the air by her shirt's collar.

"Honestly, do you think you can just take over Equestria?" Smolder asked.  "I mean, the princess' security is as good as a house of cards."

"I think any defense won't stand up against us," came a voice which came from a familiar rusted orange dragon with golden horns.

"Who are you?"

"The new Dragon Lord."  Pyrite showed her the bloodstone scepter in his claw.  The gray and yellow drakes held Smolder by her arms as the fake Dragon Lord place his claw on her forehead.  As the diamond in his chest glowed Smolder's got lightheaded as she swiftly forgot everything about Ember.  Spike saw this and quickly hid before the drakes could see him.

"What's happening to her?" Ember asked.

"I think that's what Thorax was talking about," Spike whispered.  "That's the drake that can make dragons forget everything."

Pyrite took his claw off the dragoness's head.  Smolder looked around confused before she saw her clothing.  "What am I wearing?" she asked.

"Don't threat," Pyrite said.  "We'll get you into something less disgraceful."

"Thank you, Dragon Lord Pyrite."

"Wait, I thought he only erase memories," Spike said to himself.  "Ember, let's get back to the castle."  The two raced off but their former ally saw them.

"Sir, somebody saw us," Smolder said pointing towards the fleeing dragons.

Pyrite pointed the scepter towards where they were going.  "Get them," he ordered and the fooled dragons flew after them.

"Spike, what do we do?" Ember asked as they got to the castle.

"I don't know," he replied opening the door, "Get inside."  She did so and Spike locked the door.  "I'm going to see if Twilight or Starlight can use a memory spell."  They ran down the hall to Starlight's room to find the unicorn was knocked out with some drakes surrounding her.  "Not there."

He closed the door and ran to Twilight's room.  "How many are there?"  There were more in Twilight's room as the princess tried to fight them off.  Ember tried to use her fire breath to attack but while she managed to get one of drake, there were four more.  "Crud."

"Run!"  They were about to go back the way they came but Smolder and the other drakes blocked their path.

"Going somewhere?" Pyrite asked as he flew closer to them.

"Stay back," Ember cried trying to sound brave.

"You really think you stand a chance?  Hold them down."  Before they could get caught, Spike created some smoke to block the dragons' sight.

"Ember, get out of here now," he said.  "Create some smoke to confuse them."

"What about you."

"Just get to Thorax.  Go.  Now!"  Ember raced pasted the blinded dragons while making more smoke and found a window.  She melted it with her fire breath and flew off.  Spike wasn't so lucky.  Pyrite grabbed him by his head and not just erased his memories, but replaced them.

When he let go, Pyrite looked the lightheaded drake.  "So, what do you remember," the gold horned drake asked.

"You gave me orders to get the blue dragoness," Spike replied.  "Where is she?"

"She escaped," Garble answered as he and the formerly trapped drakes.  "Thanks for breaking me out so late.  It's not like I was getting cramped."

"Let me go," Twilight ordered as she struggled against the dragons holding her down.  Garble smacked her on the side of her head, knocking her out cold.

"Okay, now I feel better."

"I will feel better when you get her," Pyrite said getting irritated.

"You mean the blue dragoness?" Spike asked.

The rusted orange drake stomped his foot on the ground.  "Who else?!  Go get here!  NOW!"

"Yes, sir."  Spike and the rest of the dragons flew off to catch Ember.  Some stayed behind with Twilight and Starlight in their grips.

"What should we do with these two?" the yellow drake asked.

"I'll take care of them," Pyrite said.  With a smirk on his face, he reached out to grab the ponies' heads.





Ember's wing was still a little sore so she couldn't fly very fast.  Some of the dragons were starting to catch up with her.  Despite her effort, she got smacked to the ground.  She barely pulled up before crashing on the ground and into some shrubs.  The dragoness look and saw a dragon trio surrounding her.  Before anyone could do anything there was a loud roar.

Stepping towards them was a large purple spider creature.  It growled at the dragons surrounded the dragoness before letting out another roar.  The dragons tried to fight it but a manticore and maulwurf grab two of them leaving one for the spider.  The creatures didn't put up much of a fight, though that might've been from the dragons retreated.

"Cowards!" cried the spider much to Ember's confusion.  The spider turned into a changeling, specifically Pharynx.  The manticore nad maulwurf also turned out to be changelings in disguise.  "Thorax told us to keep an eye out for any unwanted dragons besides you and Spike."

"C-c-can you take me to Thorax?" Ember asked.

"Of course," said one of the other changelings.  "Follow us.  The hive isn't so far."  The dragoness and changeling flew off towards the hive.

Thorax was stepping off his throne as he was getting ready to sleep but he stopped when he saw the changeling bring Ember towards him.  "Emb..." Thorax couldn't finish as she just hugged him.  The king looked at his friend's worried face.  "What happened?"

"It's...  That fake king," Ember stuttered.  "He got Spike and Twilight."  The changeling king gasped.  "I tried to fight back but there were too many dragons.  I know you said that dragons are supposed to be tough and...  And brave...  but...  I'm scared.  I try but I'm just scared."

Thorax looked at the weeping dragon.  "I can't believe he did this," he thought.  "He made the mighty Dragon Lord who is also my friend, into a someone too scared to stand up for herself."  He wiped Ember's tears away and placed his hand on her shoulder.  "Ember, I know you're stronger than this.  Try thinking about everything you care about."

"You mean like...  You?  And Spike?  And the ponies that were trying to help me?"

"Yes, all of those.  I don't know what that jerk's going to do but I'm sure it's not going to be good.  We can't let him get away with it.  The first thing in the morning we're going to head to the Dragon Lands and take down the self-proclaimed king."

"But, what if we can't beat him?"

"We will.  Ember, I know you can be brave.  Let's just get some rest before we set off."  He took his friend inside the hive to where she stayed the night before.

"Where will you sleep?"

"I won't be too far away.  The changelings made mine a bit fancier."  Thorax was about to walk away but he could see there was some extra space for someone pretty tall.  Ember just got comfy as the changeling lay down on the soft bushes next to her.  "I think I could help keep you company."

A smile crossed the dragoness's face.  "Thanks, Thorax."  She left out  a yawn

The changeling smiled as he stared up at the ceiling.  "Hey, Ember...  I kind of want to tell you something."  He turned to look at her but was surprised to see she was already asleep.  "I guess I'll just tell her in the morning."  He slowly closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
> Taking Back a Title
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun shined over Equestria, including the changeling hive.  King Thorax slowly woke up and he noticed that Ember was still fast asleep.  She looked to be peaceful so the changeling king walked off to find something for her to eat.  He only came back with a bra and loincloth similar to the one the dragoness wore before.  Ember was awake by this point and she saw that Thorax didn't look happy.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I'm afraid I can't find anything for you to eat," Thorax replied.  "And we used your gems to trap one of the dragons."

"So, what do we do?"

"I guess we'll have to look around the Dragon Lands."

"But...  We could get caught."

"If that happens.  I'll protect you."

After Ember had change wardrobe, Thorax explained the plan to the other changelings.  "You are not leaving again," Pharynx cried extremely furious.

"Pharynx, if we don't stop this Equestria could be at war.  I don't come back before sundown, send out a search party for me, and don't use your base forms."  Apart from Pharynx, everyone understood the situation.  Thorax and Ember took towards the Dragon Lands.

"What do you think they're going to do to Twilight and the others?" Ember asked.

"I don't know.  But I'm a bit scared to find out."





The moment they got to the Dragon Lands, something was not right.  Thorax had changed into a drake, a yellow on this time, to help blend in but he could see some of the dragons were acting differently.  He'd only been here three times at best, not including this time, but he didn't remember the dragon lining up for...  Something.

They each seemed to be carrying some gemstones, one of them looked towards the disguised changeling.  "What are you doing?" the drake asked, "The king needs his gems."

"Uh, right," Thorax said.  The line moved on and the fake drake looked around to see where his friend went.  Ember had hidden under some cliffs, where Thorax found her.  "Oh, thank goodness.  Just...  Stay there."

"Got it," Ember replied.  The fake drake walked towards a cave, where some dragons were walking out of.  Thorax walked into the cave to find Twilight, Starlight, and Rarity mining gems while the mind-controlled Spike and Smolder.

Rarity was panting from the hard work she was doing, let alone so early.  "Did we ask you to stop?" Smolder asked cracking her knuckles.

"Smolder, please," the white unicorn said, "You're not..."

"Did we ask you to talk?" Spike asked.  Rarity knew she couldn't break through to them without getting hurt so she just kept digging.

Thorax could see the gem pile next to Starlight so he walked over to her.  "Starlight," he whispered so Spike and Smolder didn't hear, "It's me, Thorax.  I'm here to help you."

"Where's Ember?" Starlight asked quietly.

"Hiding.  Look, I'll try and think of a plan.  Just hang tight."  The fake drake picked up some of the gems and left the cave.  The unicorn had a little bit of hope, but even she couldn't stand up to so many dragons.

Thorax looked around to see no one was looking and he ran to Ember's hiding spot.  He gave the dragoness the gem and started eating.  While she did this, he explained where the ponies were.  "So, where's the fake Dragon Lord?" Ember asked.

"I don't know, but I think if I follow the line of dragons I'll find him.  Stay out of sight until I come back."  Ember gave thumbs up as her friend left.

When Thorax came back to the cave, Smolder was confused.  "Didn't you just leave with some gems?" she asked.

"Another dragon overslept and..."

"Look, I don't care.  Just give the king his gems."  Without question, Thorax picked some more gems, gave a secret wink to the ponies, and walked off.  After following some other dragons, he found Pyrite sitting on a large throne with the bloodstone scepter in his claw and Emma and Garnet sitting beside him.

"Keep it coming," the golden horned drake ordered as the dragons placed the gems into a pile in front of his throne.

"Come on, Pyry," Emma said placing the tip of her claw on the fake king's cheek.  "You'll feel better when you eat."  Garnet picked a gem from the pile and gave it to Pyrite.

"Thank you, girls.  This makes me love royal life."

"A life you didn't earn," Thorax groaned under his breath.

"Hey, you.  Don't just stand there.  Get me more gems."

"But..."

"Did you just backtalk him?" Garnet asked.  The fake drake didn't reply.

"I'll get more."  He flew off but Pyrite wasn't so easily fooled.

"Why his loincloth look different from the others?" Emma asked.

"I think I know why," Pyrite said.

"Okay," Thorax said to himself once he was alone, "How can I fight someone of his power?  He can erase and rewrite the memories of anyone he touches, he has a large army on their side, and he has some of my friends captive.  What do I do?"

"Don't move!" came a voice.  A large drake nearly tackled Thorax to the ground before he flew off.

"Why did you shout?" Garble asked.

"He's getting away."  The fake drake tried to get away but more dragons blocked his path.

"Going somewhere?" Pyrite asked as he stepped towards Thorax, who was quickly grabbed by some dragons.  The disguised changeling tried to slip out but he wasn't strong enough.  He could see the fake Dragon Lord was reaching for his head and quickly Thorax turned into a breeze to slip out of the dragon's grip.

Many of them were confused but saw some a loincloth being dragged away behind a corner.  Some went in to catch him, but the breezie became a minotaur and threw them back.  He then changed into a griffon to fly off to Ember's hiding spot but he was smacked to the ground.

"Cute," Pyrite commented before reaching for the griffon's head.  In the blink of an eye, the griffon became a manticore which bit down on the drake's arm.  While Pyrite stepped back in pain, Thorax knocked him back with his large paws, sending the gold horned dragon into a wall.  "Who...  What are you?"

"I'm someone who needs to put you in your place," Thorax replied.  He tried to hit the diamond in Pyrite's chest, but the manticore was grabbed by his tail and thrown into the air.  Quickly, he turned into a bugbear, who cracked all four knuckles.

"No mercy."  The dragons all charged towards the bugbear, who prepared for the worst.

Ember was still in her hiding spot.  She could hear the fight and peaked her to see it.  She saw a bugbear get piled on by several dragons before turning into an Ursa Major.  Ember only knew one creature who could do that.  Even with his enormous size, Thorax was struggling again the ludicrous amount of dragons.  He eventually fell on his back, smashing parts of the land before Pyrite flew onto his head.

"You'll be very handy," Pyrite said before reaching his claw out.

Time seemed to stop for Ember at that moment.  Her friend was going to lose his memories and even worse, he was going be control by one who erased hers.  Something inside of Ember started building up.  She would be afraid about losing something but now, she felt enraged.  She charged towards Pyrite and rammed him off the Ursa Major's head.

Before the dragons could question what happened, Thorax changed into a minotaur again to throw some boulders he knocked loose.  While he kept the dragons busy, Ember smashed Pyrite into a wall and then dragged him against it.

"Where...  Did you...  Come from?" Pyrite question as he was dragged.  He only got answered by a kick to the ground.

"You've messed with everyone's minds," Ember said landing on the ground.

"Including yours.  You should even remember how to fight."

"The memories I got back are little fuzzy but I don't care.  It's one thing to mess mine, but it's another to mess with my friends."  Pyrite raced forwards as he and Ember promptly got into a fistfight.  The drake sent the dragoness into the air via uppercut.  Once he did that, he breathed fire at her but Ember countered it with hers.  The two were in a deadlock for a bit before the drake flew up to the dragoness who caught his punch.

Ember headbutted Pyrite before punching him in the chest.  This caused a large amount of pain to the drake just before he got a roundhouse kick to the shoulder.  He blocked some of Ember's punches before grabbing her by the tail and swinging her around and tossing the dragoness upwards.

"I'm already tired of this," he groaned before flying up to deliver some punches to Ember.  "Dragons are creatures that need a leader that knows how to dominate."

"You're not a leader," Ember said as she tried to block some punches.  "You don't care about anything other than yourself.  I would never be able to get here without the creatures I call friends.  You won't get here without forcing memories into the dragons' heads."  She punched Pyrite in chest cracking the diamond slightly.  A bit of light glowed from it.

"No."  Before he could react, Ember kicked away before flying into him at top speed and delivered a hard punch right in his diamond.

The gem in his chest shattered as beams of light started flying out of it.  One of the beams flew into Ember's forehead.  All of her memories started to return.  It wasn't just Ember this would happen to, all of the dragons' memories started to return.  This luckily managed to stop the fight between them and Thorax.

Once the lights faded, Pyrite fell towards the ground where Ember caught him at the last second.  The drake now had a large scar on his chest where the diamond used to be.  "You," he groaned as he got back on his feet.

"Yes," Ember said.  "That's something I was going to say too.  I remember everything, including how you erased my memories.  And I think they do as well."  She pointed towards the dragons that were closing in on Pyrite.

The drake was in a panic as he looked around until he saw the orange and green dragonesses.  "Emma, Garnet, help me out here."

"That's not our names," the orange dragoness said.

"I can't believe you made us think you were our boyfriend," the green one said.

"Wait...  You remember that?" Pyrite asked with shiver traveling down his spine.

"Everything," Garble said.

The drake had no idea what to do.  "Okay," Ember said, "Why don't you let out some aggression while I find my scepter?"  As she flew off, all the other dragons stepped towards Pyrite and beat the snot out of him.  The Dragon Lord looked around until she found the bloodstone scepter lying on the ground.  "Oh, there it is."

"Ember," Thorax called flying towards her.  "Are you okay.  I fled once the lights went the dragons' heads."

"Thorax, those were their memories.  I would know."

"Wait, you got your memories back?"  The dragoness nodded and quickly received a hug from the changeling.

"Easy."

"Sorry, I thought you were more into hugs now."

"Well, kind of.  At least more than dress shopping."

"You remember that?" Smolder asked as she, Spike, and the three formerly trapped ponies walked towards them.

"Unfortunately.  I feel so humiliated."

"It's okay," Spike said, "You weren't really yourself."

"Though, it was still fun," Smolder said.  "Where's that jerk that changed our memories?"

"Over there," Ember said pointing to where the living punch bag was getting beat up.

"Sweet.  I'm going to join in."  Smolder flew off with Spike shrugging and following behind.

"I'll think we'll go and watch," Starlight said as she walked off.  "I'll teleport Spike and Smolder back.  You go ahead."

"Thanks for the help guys," Twilight said to Thorax and Ember.  "I'm glad this is over."

"Me too," Rarity agreed.  "Let's get home.  I want to take a shower to help with all this sweat."  The alicorn teleported herself and her friend back to Ponyville as the Dragon Lord and Changeling King looked at each other.

"So, you remember everything while we tried to get your memories back?" Thorax asked.

"Yep," Ember confirmed.

"Including the time we spent together."

"Yes.  And I kind of...  Remember the fuzzy feeling while you were gone."

"You had fuzzy feelings?"

"I hate to admit it, but yeah.

"But I thought you said you were allergic to feeling?"  The two shared a laugh.

"Thorax, I kind of want to give you something."

"What would that be?"  The dragoness took a deep breath before kissing the changeling's cheek, making him blush as red as a ruby.

"Thank you.  I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."

Thorax stared for a minute before speaking.  "Bu...  Du... Du... Dudu."

"So, since you share love, are you full?"

The changeling gave a nervous chuckle.  "In a way.  I wish I could stay longer but the changelings are going to get worried about me being gone for so long."

"Well, I hope we can meet up again."  The king turned around a waved before getting one last hug from the dragoness.  When she let go, Thoax took off.  He and Ember waved at each other until the changeling was out of sight.  Taking a deep breath, Ember walked off and got back to business.