Chapter 1
Rainbow Dash felt the sun shining brightly down over wings as she soared over Ponyville, carried by a light breeze. It was all she could do not to simply close her eyes and let the wind carry her around all morning, but she had a job to do.
Queen Celestia had written to Rainbow asking her to investigate a series of intermittent clouds of black smoke rising from one of the mountains west of Ponyville. Naturally, Rainbow wasn’t about to refuse her teacher anything.
Well, anything that didn’t involve fancy dinner parties.
She circled around the general area, not seeing any signs of anything unusual. After a few hours of fruitless searching, Rainbow let out a groan as her stomach lodged a loud protest about its neglect. “That’s it, break time.” Spotting a particularly soft-looking cloud, Rainbow set down so she could start rifling through her saddlebags for lunch. She had packed everything: a nice sandwich, a fresh muffin from Sugarcube Corner (the rare one she’d managed to snag before Derpy could), Sweet Apple cider, and the most recent Daring Do book. If she was going to be out here for a while, why not make it fun?
She’d just settled in and was about to take a bite out of her sandwich when she spotted something out of the corner of her eye: a trickle of black smoke leaking upwards from the top of a nearby mountain. She sighed. “Of course, right as I was about to start eating.” Setting her food down, Rainbow dove off the cloud and headed for the source of the smoke. Hopefully this wouldn’t take long to sort out.
The smoke was coming from the peak of a tall mountain. She frowned. Rainbow was no rockologist, but she was pretty sure there wasn’t a random volcano located smack dab in the middle of Equestria. It was one of those things that likely would’ve come up at some point in conversation,somewhere in between “It’s a lovely smokey morning” and “Oh it looks like it’s going to be a fiery evening, better pack my flame-proof umbrella.”
Since she didn’t fancy flying straight down through the smoke, Rainbow opted to check out any other potential openings to get inside the mountain for a better look. It didn’t take her long to spot a large cave near the peak. Bingo.
She flew inside, slowing her pace slightly—both to give her eyes a chance to adjust to the darkness and to make sure her face didn’t have a personal encounter with a stalactite. The smell of smoke was immediate, but she couldn’t feel any heat or see light further in, so she doubted she was dealing with somepony who flunked their fire-safety classes or a very lost buffalo trying to smoke-signal for directions.
Something glittered in the darkness, catching the rays of sunlight outside. Rainbow hovered closer, spotting a shiny gold bit. Nor was it alone: just beyond it lay an impressive mound of coins and jewels easily the size of one of Applejack’s hay piles.
The smoke was rising up from out of the mound.
That about clinched it for Rainbow. Let’s see, smoke plus cave plus pile of treasure? Yeah, gee, big mystery what this is all about … I mean, it could be anything! Yeah, if there isn’t a dragon under all that, then I’m a seapony.
The question was: what now? On one hoof, Rainbow had her answer: she could leave, write to Celestia to tell her it was a dragon causing the smoke, and let her sort it out while she went back to her lunch. No down off her feathers.
Of course, on the other hoof, finding out what the problem was only to leave it for others to fix really wasn’t Rainbow’s way. But then on the third hoof, that begged the question of what to actually do. Even somepony as famously direct as Rainbow had read enough tales about waking up dragons to remember the crucial takeaway from all of them: don’t.
But then on the fourth hoof, what was left for her to do? Just stand around all day and do nothing while waiting for the dragon to wake up on its own? That wasn’t exactly her speed. Nor was paralyzing herself by deliberating endlessly. She needed to pick something to do and then do it.
Before she was even fully aware she was doing it, Rainbow reached down and picked up a stray coin that had gotten separated from the pile. She was about to flick it back onto it when a loud voice boomed from behind her, making her leap up into the air. “Dragon Lord! I’m here to challenge you!”
Whirling in midair, Rainbow Dash saw a short dragon standing at the mouth of the cave. He had reared up and spread his wings, conveying a sense of being an imposing challenger–or at least of trying to be one. Frankly, Rainbow found little imposing about a pudgy, doughy-looking dragon the color of snot. Especially when he was trying his best not to wheeze, clearly having taxed himself just to get himself up here.
Before either of them could react to the other’s presence, an annoyed snarl filled the cave in a growing crescendo. Stray bits of stone and dust shook loose from the ceiling and the treasure pile began to shake and move. Rainbow stood, transfixed as a shape rose out of the pile, coins and jewels spilling off. It was a dragon, one as tall and lithe as the other was squat and ungainly. Her scales were vibrant shades of blue and teal, not too far off from Rainbow’s own coat. Curled horns bracketed her face and she was also growling, trickles of black smoke leaking from her nostrils and wearing an expression that made clear she was fresh out of bucks to give. “I could not have made it any more clear, Sludge. I would only accept further challenges back in the Dragon Lands.”
“Yeah, but you’re really only the Dragon Lord in the Dragon Lands, know what I’m saying?” Sludge snorted, pounding his stomach. “So since we aren’t there…”
The other dragon narrowed her eyes. “You want to fight me? Fine! I’m going to kick your tail a little extra hard for waking me up. I accept your challenge!” The echoes in the cave turned an already impressive roar into a deafening bellow. Sludge roared back, but it felt more like the groan of somepony trying to lift themselves from off a couch after a nap.
Rainbow instinctively pressed her hooves against her ears. She didn’t know what was going on, but knew enough that she did not want to be in between two dragons looking to throw down with each other. Normally, she would’ve been offended at being ignored for so long, but given the circumstances…
The Dragon Lord surged out of the pile, lunging at Sludge with her claws outstretched. Sludge could move surprisingly fast for his physique, at least when properly motivated. He hopped back, using his wings to give him some more distance while he breathed a gout of fire right at her. With the litheness of a snake, the other coiled herself around the flame. Her claws lashed out when she was in range, one raking at Sludge’s wing and the other curling around his neck. Her claws weren’t long enough–or else his neck was too fat–for her to completely cut off his breathing, so she settled for a different tactic: the dragoness planted her feet on the ground and braced herself, using her leverage to pick Sludge up and bodily toss him against a wall.
Even as he was groaning and picking himself up, the Dragon Lord was stomping over, snarling. “Do you have any idea how many challengers I’ve waded through?! Did you really think I’d be beaten by a dragon like you?!”
Groaning, Sludge picked himself up and leaned against the wall. “Yeah, I know. They got you all nice and softened up for me.”
“Keep dreaming.” She rushed at him again, Sludge scrambling away and desperately trying to keep his distance. From her place next to the treasure pile, Rainbow Dash watched with twitching wings. As much as she wanted to leap into the fray, she didn’t know on whose side to take, or even if there was a side she should be on.
With all the fire breath being tossed around, the cave was starting to get smoky. She wafted it away with her wings, trying to keep an eye on the developing fight. Luckily, most of the smoke seemed to be rising through an aperture at the top. Now she at least knew what was causing the smoke sightings.
How to stop it was another matter.
The she-dragon grunted and staggered back after being swatted by Sludge’s beefy tail. He tried to hit her again, but she instead grabbed his tail, digging her claws in. With straining and a roar of frustration, she twisted herself around and slammed Sludge’s body into the ground by his tail. Then she heaved and did it again. And again.
“Urg…” Sludge wheezed. “No more…”
The Dragon Lord, panting herself, grabbed the tenderized bag of scales and dragged him out of the cave. “Now. Get OUT!” Applying her clawed foot to his backside, she kicked him off the ledge. Sludge let out a panicked, elongated shriek as he fell. Then it abruptly ended.
Rainbow Dash winced.
With the fight over, the victorious dragon stalked back to the treasure pile. Her eyes flickered over to Rainbow, but she didn’t even seem to think it worth turning her head. “Get lost, pony. Be grateful I took my anger out on him or else I’d show you what I do to would-be thieves.”
“I’m no thief!” Rainbow bristled, darting in front of her. “My name’s Rainbow Dash and I came here to see what was causing all the smoke that’s hanging over my town!”
“Now you know. Congratulations. Beat it.”
Rainbow could almost admire how much ‘I don’t give a buck’ energy she could imbue in so few words. She tried thinking how Queen Celestia would want her to handle this. This was a dragon—hay, not just any dragon, the Dragon Lord stewing right outside Ponyville. This called for diplomacy.
Rainbow suddenly wished she hadn’t napped through all those lessons. “Look, we’re just trying to–”
The Dragon Lord whirled around to face her. “Get OUT!” she roared, looming over her with fangs and claws exposed. She clearly expected that any pony confronted with an angry, bellowing dragon would whinny and flee on pure instinct.
Unfortunately for her, Rainbow’s instincts ran along a different path. She immediately spun on her front hooves and lashed out, bucking the dragon square in the gut with both hindlegs as hard as she could. The roar became a choked-off grunt.
So much for diplomacy.
Yeah, probably not what Celestia would’ve wanted me to do, Rainbow recognized a half-second too late.
“Uh, sorry?” The burst of fire that nearly scorched her ears off showed what her apology was worth. “Okay then, less sorry now!” Before Rainbow could gain any altitude, the dragon was already on her. Her wiry-looking limbs wrapped around Rainbow’s barrel with the strength of steel.
Rainbow struggled, wincing as she felt the air being pressed out of her lungs. She drove her head back sharply, smacking into the dragon’s snout. She heard an angry grunt and was worried she’d get a chunk of her head bitten off for her troubles. But she jerked her head back once, twice more. She was about to brace her increasingly sore noggin for another blow when she felt the dragon’s grip slacken. Not a lot, but it was enough. She squirmed free and put some distance between herself and the dragon. “Can we get a do-over here?” Rainbow rubbed her head. “I didn’t come here for a fight–”
“But that’s what you’ll get!” The dragon’s eyes blazed with a fire hotter than any flame. “I just wanted a day—one lousy day—to rest between challenges, but nooo, I couldn’t get that! I’ve been fighting my way through challengers for weeks and then you went and led that fool right to me!”
She swung at Rainbow, a clumsy move that only underscored just how tired she sounded. Rainbow easily avoided it. “I mean, all the smoke you were puffing out was probably a bit more of a clue than–”
“Shut up!” The dragoness slammed her fists down where Rainbow had been a split-second before.
Celestia makes diplomacy look so easy…
“Look, we’re gonna talk this out—” Rainbow gritted her teeth. “Even if I have to tie you down and beat some sense into your thick skull first!” She bolted up, bracing herself against a stalactite and propelling herself forward. Her hoof connected solidly with the dragon’s forehead. Rainbow winced. Turned out she was pretty thick-skulled. That hurt her hoof something fierce.
The dragon didn’t seem to appreciate that, snarling and raking her claws at Rainbow Dash. A stinging pain caused Rainbow to leap back. Her left eye was forced shut, sweat dripping down from her forehead. She brought up a hoof to wipe it away only to find it stained red afterwards. Terrific.
She took another look around the cave, trying to weigh her options. A prolonged fight with a dragon, especially in the confines of its own cave, was definitely not in her favor. She needed more space and her opponent knew it. That’s why she’d planted herself right at the entrance of the cave. The only way out was through her.
If that’s how she wanted to play it, then who was Rainbow to disappoint her? Her hoof nudged a stray chunk of rock. Deciding not to waste it, she picked it up and tossed it between her hooves. It had a good heft to it, perfect for a projectile. Just as she was preparing her next course of attack, Rainbow spotted movement behind the Dragon Lord. She narrowed her eyes. It was Sludge, the other dragon! What was he doing?
Sludge picked up a broken-off stalactite, hefting it like a club. He slowly crept up behind Rainbow’s opponent, her focus still on Rainbow herself. All she had to do was keep her attention on her for another moment and then Sludge would get the drop on her and she could get away.
But something about that didn’t sit right. The Dragon Lord was violent, loud, abrasive … so why should Rainbow care if she got taken down?
Because she didn’t skulk around and attack from behind, Rainbow’s mind answered. Because she fought him, then you, one-on-one. This guy’s just using you as a distraction. Plus, you threw the first buck that started this fight, idiot.
Hey, who’re you calling an idiot?!
The pony who kicked a dragon, first thing. How did you expect that to go?
Oh whatever.
Still, that was something that nagged at her. If this other dragon was the Dragon Lord, and Sludge came to challenge her in some kinda honorable combat thing, then what did that say about him creeping up on her while she was busy fighting Rainbow? Was that the kind of dragon she wanted to see end up in charge of all the other dragons? Did she want to be partly responsible for letting him win?
The enemy of my enemy, some other part of mind reminded her. He didn’t come here to fight you. All he’s here for is the Dragon Lord and she’s the one who threatened you, not him. She’s the one whose smoke is causing all the problems. Just let him take care of her, he goes back to the Dragon Lands, problem solved.
Be smart, she heard her brain yell at her. You know what to do here!
She did. Rainbow narrowed her eyes and threw the rock with all her might.
It sailed right past the Dragon Lord’s head, so close that she instinctively turned to watch it–just in time to see it firmly clock Sludge right between the eyes. He swayed on his feet, his eyes rolling up as he fell flat on his back.
Rainbow tensed, waiting to see what her remaining opponent would do. The she-dragon turned to her, blinking in confusion. “You—you did that on purpose?”
“Uh, yeah? Duh?” Rainbow flapped her wings, lifting herself up. “It’s not like I could miss him. In any sense of the word.”
She was startled by the dragon laughing. “Sludge has that effect. Interesting to know that even ponies can see it.”
Rainbow Dash was willing to let that ‘even ponies’ comment pass since it seems like they were having a potential breakthrough. And all it required was her beaning a dragon with a rock. Go diplomacy. “Heh, right? Can’t see him beating you in a fight. Not unless they found a way to base it around a pie-eating contest or something. Uh, by the way, I don’t think I caught your name.”
A dangerous-looking gleam entered the dragon’s eye. “I am Ember!” She drew herself up to her full height, spreading her wings. “Wielder of the Bloodstone Scepter, winner of the Gauntlet of Fire, and Lord of all the Dragon Lands!” She roared and exhaled a pillar of fire at the roof.
So she wanted to do it like that? Alright then, Rainbow rolled her shoulders. “Oh yeah? I’m Rainbow Dash! Ace flier extraordinaire, performer of sonic rainbooms, protege of Queen Celestia, and kicker of flanks!”
Ember actually looked thoughtful, as if seeing Rainbow Dash for the first time. “Not bad as far as titles go. I wouldn’t have thought a pony would recognize their importance.”
“You only get one shot at an introduction,” Rainbow reasoned. “So you might as well make it an awesome one.”
She was rewarded for her insight with a deep chuckle. “Well said,” Ember absently patted the spot where Rainbow had kicked her. “You made more of an impression than most. Tell me,” she flicked her tail at the dazed Sludge. “Why’d you attack him instead?”
Good question, why had she? “Because–” Rainbow thought about it. “He was supposed to face you, one-on-one, right? But sneaking up on you while you were fighting me—that’s being scummy and cheating. I don’t know much about either of you, but I don’t think a dragon who got the top job that way would be a good one. And I didn’t want to help someone like that, even accidentally.” She shrugged. “Plus, y’know, he probably wouldn’t want me going around telling anypony that he couldn’t beat you on his own and stuff. Which probably meant he’d need to get rid of me after he was finished with you.”
Ember simply nodded.
Clearing her throat, Rainbow broached the reason that brought her out here in the first place. “So, look, I don’t know a lot about Dragon Lords or anything except that your retirement options seem to suck. But camping out here is smoking up our town and attracting trouble like him,” she jerked her head at Sludge. “Can’t you just settle this in the Dragon Lands?”
That earned her a sour look. Ember trudged off, grabbing Sludge by the tail and dragging him out of the cave, muttering to herself. Rainbow hurried after her, arriving in time to see her chucking Sludge off the side of the mountain. Again.
Note to self: try not to tick her off.
Again.
Her mood only somewhat improved by throwing her rivals off cliffs, Ember grunted as she came back inside. “Dragons should know to keep dragon business in our lands. But apparently some of us have thicker heads than most.”
Given the height of the fall, Rainbow thought Sludge would be grateful for a thick skull right about now. “Sooo,” she said slowly. “What brings you out here anyway?”
Ember looked around the cave. “Good rock formation, decent-sized mountain, nice location. It seemed like a good spot for a vacation cave. So I claimed it.”
Great.
Rainbow coughed. “Um, you know this is the middle of Equestria, right?”
“And I should be concerned, because?” Ember arched her brow. “Last time I checked, ponies didn’t live in caves.”
“Well, no,” Rainbow admitted, “but the smoke is kind of an issue.”
Ember stopped short, her tone getting low and dangerous. “Are you accusing the Dragon Lord of snoring?”
Horseapples. She looked at Ember, trying to judge her expression. How should she play this? When Rainbow Dash answered she kept her own tone light, even a touch dry. “I never said anything about you snoring smoke.”
There was a dead silence that seemed to stretch out for several long heartbeats. Just as Rainbow was beginning to think she’d really stepped in it, Ember threw back her head and laughed loudly. “Haha! I like you, you’re trouble.”
Rainbow positively beamed at that. “Thank you! I hear that a lot—both parts, really, but usually not in the same sentence.”
Chuckling a bit more, Ember shrugged. “Yes, I’m fully aware that dragons snore smoke, that isn’t something that managed to escape my notice. But I’m hardly looking to settle in for a century-long nap, so you ponies can relax.” While her words were hardly hostile, her tone suggested that pones had better relax about it.
Before Rainbow could object, Ember casually tossed out another little bombshell. “Yeah, sure, challengers are supposed to wait until I’m back in the Dragon Lands but if any more come back I’ll kick their tails too. Probably won’t cause anything worse than a few rockslides.”
Rainbow was drawn up short. “More challengers? How many are we talking about here?”
Ember made a face, but quickly tried to pretend like she hadn’t. She shrugged. “I’ve already had twenty, thirty since I became Dragon Lord last week. You know how it is,” she added, despite Rainbow clearly not. “When you become the new Dragon Lord, every overly ambitious dragon wants to test to see if it wasn’t a fluke that I got the Bloodstone Scepter. After the first three or four months, the number of challenges tends to drop significantly. Maybe sooner depending on how many bodies I drop in that time.” Ember walked back to her treasure pile, flicking her tail towards the exit. “You can go.”
Again, it didn’t sound like a suggestion.
Feeling like she’d more than tapped out her reservoir of luck for the day, Rainbow decided not to press her further right now. She was puzzled enough as it was. Something wasn’t adding up. If Ember was tough enough to beat the old Dragon Lord, a monstrous giant of a dragon from what Rainbow remembered, then how could a coward like Sludge think he ever stood a chance of beating her, regardless of how tired she was? But if she was vulnerable enough to be challenged, how many more dragons would show up in Equestria looking for her?
Either way, Rainbow realized she had to get a letter to Celestia, fast. She had to let her know she found out what was causing all the smoke–and that they had an even bigger problem.
But first, she had to swing by that cloud and grab her book and lunch. She had worked up one hay of an appetite!