Twilight returns to the group with Ember. She takes her place on the couch next to Arc as Ember stands before the other princesses. Celestia smiles at her warmly.
āHello again, Ember. Or should I call you Dragon Lord?ā
Ember glares at Celestia as she raises her voice. āYou shouldā¦!ā
Arc leans forward, takes her arm, and sighs. āLetās try to keep this civil please.ā
Ember grits her teeth as she pulls her arm free. āFine.ā
Turning back to the princesses, she narrows her eyes.
āLetās get this over with.ā
Celestia nods as she gestures to Arc. āWe were just told about the events leading up to Twilight banishingā¦ her friend here.ā
Cadance looks to Ember. āWould you please tell us how exactly he conducted himself in Tartarus?ā
Ember rolls her eyes. āThereās a lot to unpack there.ā
Luna smiles at her. āPerhaps you should start at the beginning then.ā
āFine.ā
Clearing her throat, Ember collects her thoughts for a few moments before speaking.
āYou see, I was a citizen of a town full of ponies whom had rescued me from certain death. After fighting a group of demons I was badly injured. They took me in.ā
Celestia nods approvingly. āCommendable. Or did they do so out of a desire to exploit the Dragonās Code?ā
Ember shakes her head. āThey didnāt know anything about it. After I was somewhat recovered, I decided to repay them by helping with some chores around the town.ā
Luna raises an eyebrow. āWhat did you do?ā
āProcess beetles mostly.ā
Twilight appears confsued. āProcess?ā
Arc sighs. āRemove the organs and separate the contents of the stomach. Among other things.ā
Luna grimaces. āFor sustenance?ā
Ember nods. āYes. However as we were finishing up one day there was a commotion outside. Everyone ran to the gates where a wagon was just entering. Several stallions helped the heavily wounded driver down from the seat and carried them to the Town Hall. Thatās where injured ponies were taken as the mayor, Mythic Honor, was also our doctor.ā
Cadance gasps. āDid he recover?ā
Ember shakes her head. āNo. He died on the way there.ā
Luna nods soberly. āA loss to the community.ā
Ember groans. āThe problem was that he was their best warrior. Thatās why he went out every day. I decided I would help fill up their supply house in his place before departing.ā
Arc chuckles. āAnd on one such supply run you met me.ā
āRight.ā
Celestia frowns. āDid he attack you, Ember?ā
āQuite the opposite. You see, the demons had put quite a price on my head for causing them so much trouble and even sent out trained beasts out to search for me. During one of their attacks I was surrounded and cornered. I thought it was all over for me until Arc came charging in to help.ā
Twilight nods approvingly. āThat was very brave of him.ā
Ember scoffs. āMore like foolish. He didnāt hardly know which end of the spear to hold.ā
Arc sighs. āI just kinda acted without thinking there.ā
āDarn right! I thought your technique was pretty strange back then. At the time I just figured it was something to throw off opponents.ā
āKinda was.ā
āWhat?!ā
āHey, I got better!ā
āThanks to me!ā
āRight.ā
Luna clears her throat loudly. āSo Ember trained you, Arc?ā
āYeah. Proper form, weight distribution, spear stance, the works.ā
Ember rolls her eyes. āTook longer than I thought it would.ā
āWell, you were dealing with a total amateur.ā
āEventually he got good enough to actually go outside and help me hunt beetles. Theyāre pretty much harmless.ā
Celestia narrows her eyes. āAnd you used them to get Arc used to killing?ā
Arc turns to Ember. āDid you?ā
Ember shrugs. āYeah. So what?ā
āMakes sense. I did the same for my squad if you recall.ā
Ember grins smugly. āAnd you thought you were being original.ā
āKinda did.ā
āAnywaysā¦ at one point we needed some supplies that couldnāt be foraged for. So Arc and I snuck into the capital city to deal with a demon vendor.ā
Luna smirks. āVery daring!ā
Cadance āDisguises?ā
āKinda. After all, we needed to blend in with the locals.ā
āHow did you do it?ā
Ember groans. āMythic Honorā¦ put a magic leash on me. He told Arc to pretend I was his lover.ā
Twilight gasps. āWHAT?!ā
Arc shrugs. āIt worked!ā
Ember blushes slightly. āYeah. And he did take really good care of me when I was under his control.ā
āMostly because you would have whooped me when the twenty-four hours was up.ā
āAnd all this time I thought you were being a gentleman.ā
āI was!ā
Ember grins. āThat you were.ā
She turns back to Celestia before continuing.
āSometime later when we were out foraging, Iā¦ fell ill.ā
Celestia raises an eyebrow. āI wasnāt aware that such a thing was possible given dragon biology.ā
āIt generally isnāt. But Arc took me back to town and had me looked at.ā
Arc sighs. āSome kind of weird disease had taken ahold of her.ā
āMythic Honor said another dragon that lived there years ago had it too.ā
Cadance smiles. āAnd you were treated as he was?ā
āNah. He died.ā
Arc nods soberly. āThatās when I went out to find Hydra Humor.ā
Twilight raises an eyebrow. āYou went to find an extinctā¦ THE MARQUIS!ā
Arc puts a hand over Twilightās mouth as Ember glares at her.
āTwilight!ā
Celestia gasps. āThereās still a living hydra?!ā
Arc sighs. āYes.ā
Luna frowns. āMight we ask where?ā
Ember grits her teeth. āNO!ā
Cadance holds her hooves out. āAlright, alright. Letās all just stay calm.ā
Ember points a claw at Celestia. āYou want to know where they are, fine! In the Dragon Lands!ā
Celestia smirks. āThey?ā
Ember blushes and covers her mouth with both claws as Arc shakes his head.
āDragon Lord Torch granted them amnesty a long time ago to hide them from those whom sought their humor.ā
Ember clenches a fist. āAnd youād better not set one HOOF over there if you know whatās good for you!ā
Celestia sighs. āVery well, Ember. I promise that I wonāt go to the Dragon Lands in search of the hydra.ā
āOr send anyone else?!ā
āYou have my word.ā
āGood! You just rememberā¦!ā
Twilight interrupts her. āEmber, pleaseā¦ the topic at hoof.ā
Arc nods. āYes. Letās let this one go.ā
āFine.ā
Grunting, she again speaks.
āArc found the hydra, defeated him, befriended him, and was given the humor as a gift.ā
āThat and he donated the scales used to make my original armor.ā
Celestia raises an eyebrow. āOriginal armor?ā
Ember grits her teeth. āThe armor that YOU destroyed when YOU tried to kill Arc!ā
āEmber, let that go.ā
āI will not! She almostā¦!ā
āEMBER!ā
Taken aback by Arcās tone, Ember sits there stunned for a few moments as Arc speaks.
āThereās quite a few things in the past that Iād like to leave there. Please respect that.ā
Ember grimaces. āIāll try.ā
āContinue.ā
āMythic Honor made a cure out of the humor Arc brought back. I was on my feet in no time. But Arc wasnāt so lucky.ā
Twilight gasps. āWere you injured?!ā
Arc puts a hand to his forehead. āExhaustion mostly. I remember getting back to Emberās side. The rest is kinda hazy though.ā
āThat night I helped Mythic Honor created Eidolonās Ward. The signature armor of his that YOUā¦!ā
Twilight cuts her off. āEmber, please!ā
Arc frowns. āContinue the story.ā
Ember groans. āFine. But you KNOW some parts trigger me!ā
āKeep going.ā
āAs per the Dragonās Code, I couldnāt be indebted to Arc for saving my life.ā
Celestia frowns. āOh?ā
āIt wouldnāt do to have the Dragon Lord beholden to someone, after all.ā
Luna shrugs. āMakes sense.ā
Cadance appears apprehensive. āSo what was done instead?ā
āI challenged Arc to one-on-one combat.ā
Twilight shudders. āWas he okay?!ā
Arc chuckles. āJust bruised mostly. Ember was exhausted too.ā
Cadance grins. āWho won?ā
Arc raises an hand. āI did.ā
Celestia narrows her eyes. āWhatā¦ does that mean?ā
āThat he was worthy of becoming my mate.ā
āAnd the next Dragon Lord?ā
āSupposedly.ā
Luna looks to Arc. āWas there a problem?ā
āAge.ā
Twilight turns to her friend. āYou were too young, Arc?ā
Ember sighs. āNo, I was.ā
Luna looks Ember up and down. āBut you appear to be an adult.ā
āFor egg laying.ā
āOh. I see.ā
Ember puts a claw on her belly and sighs. āMy body just wasnāt ready for it and still isnāt. That and Arc wonāt live long enough for me to reach sexual maturity.ā
Celestia puts a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. āThat sounds like quite the issue. You couldnāt take a mate that wouldnāt live long enough to help you produce the next Dragon Lord, after all.ā
āAunt Celestia?ā
āI know a bit about dragon customs, Cadance.ā
She turns back to Ember soberly.
āCan I assume youāve spoken to your father about this matter?ā
Ember nods. āYes. He deemed the situation impossible as it stood and ordered me to take another as a mate.ā
āGood.ā
āAnd then Arc beat them all up.ā
Luna gasps. āIām sorry, what?ā
Arc frowns. āEmber didnāt appear to like any of them. So I defeated her suitors in order to disqualify them from being worthy to marry her.ā
Cadance raises an eyebrow. āExcuse me, Arc. But wouldnāt that just make you appear more worthy than before?ā
āI hadnāt thought about that. Fortunately I was already ineligible.ā
Celestia sighs. āSo where does the matter stand as of now?ā
Arc grimaces. Thatāsā¦ complicated.
Ember points a claw at Celestia. āAnd not an Equestrian matter!ā
āUnderstood. We wonāt try to interfere with whom you marry, Ember.ā
āGood!ā
Luna clears her throat loudly. āGoing back to the Tartarus affair, Iām still a bit hazy on the rest of the story though.ā
Cadance grimaces. āI arrived with my forces just in time to help hold the demons back.ā
Celestia frowns. āHow did the barrier fall though?ā
Twilight raises a hoof. āThat one I can answer.ā
She takes a deep breath before continuing.
āUnable to find a solution on how to enter Tartarus, my friends and I returned to Ponyville to tell Derpy of our failure. However when we did so, time seemed to slow down.ā
Celestia lowers her voice. āWhat do you mean?ā
āThat it literally moved slower. Until it stopped completely, that is.ā
āThen the light started to fade?ā
Twilight gasps. āHow did you know that?!ā
Celestia sighs. āKronos.ā
Arc clenches a fist. āWeāve met.ā
Celestia turns to Twilight. āThey helped you enter Tartarus?ā
āYes.ā
āHow so?ā
āBy giving us a gem that, once channeled, could temporarily dispel the barrier.ā
āAnd where is this gem now?ā
āGone. It disintegrated after one use, as Kronos told us it would.ā
Luna sighs. āArc told us of this creature some time ago.ā
Cadance looks to Celestia. āWhat exactly is Kronos anyways?ā
āThe Keeper of Time. Itās their job to alter the timeline in a manner that allows, theoretically, the best outcome for the largest number of individuals.ā
Twilight gasps. āSo youāve met them before?!ā
āSeveral times over the centuries, yes. However they only came to me when the need was great or the situation dire.ā
She looks Arc up and down for a few moments before continuing.
āI canāt imagine them intervening for a single individual though.ā
āDo you know anything else of this creature, Aunt Celestia?ā
āNothing more other than they have always acted in the best interest of Equestria.ā
Luna puts a hoof to her chin. āA matter for deeper discussion later perhaps.ā
Ember points a thumb behind her at Arc. āYeah. Letās keep going with Arcās story.ā
āAs you can see, I was able to escape Tartarus along with the innocent ponies of that town.ā
Celestia scoffs. āHow certain are you that they are not mere criminals?ā
Ember yells angrily as she points an accusatory claw at Celestia. āTheyāre just the descendants of the mares and stallions that YOU swept under the rug!ā
Arc nods. āRight. None of them deserved to be there, and have done nothing but live peacefully since coming to Equestria.ā
Luna turns to Celestia. āAt Cadanceās suggestion I authorized the construction of a town for them, sister.ā
āWhatās done is done, I suppose.ā
Ember seethes. āIn any case, I followed Arc through to Equestria and have been by his side ever since. At least until YOUā¦!ā
Arc groans. āEmber, enough.ā
Luna sighs. āI think we now understand what exactly happened back then.ā
āAgreed. Did you have anything to ask, Aunt Celestia?ā
Celestia shakes her head. āNot at this time, no.ā
She turns to Ember before continuing.
āBefore we close this interview, was there anything youād like to add?
Ember nods, clearly furious. āYes, I would! First of all, as Iāve made clear, Iām STILL MAD about what you did to Arc!ā
Arc leans forward. āEmberā¦ā
āNo, Arc! This is MY time to make a statement, and Iām making one!ā
She sneers as she looks to Celestia and continues.
āI just want you to know that every fiber of my being wants to do nothing less than fly every dragon over here and dethrone you!ā
Celestia sighs. āPerhaps I deserve that. But what I donāt understand is this. If you were so intent of my removal why you were so insistent on a treaty before.ā
Ember points to Arc. āBecause of HIM!ā
Cadance appears surprised. āArc?ā
Lunaās eyes grow wide. āWhat did heā¦?ā
āSereb and I vowed to protect Equestria to honor Arcās memory at his funeral! We didnāt want the land he loved to EVER be overrun by its enemies! Foreign OR domestic! But when I learned that YOU were the ENTIRE reason he was gone, I prepared to fly here and deal with youā¦ personally!ā
Luna gasps. āWhat stopped you?ā
Celestia nods soberly. āCertainly not the treaty.ā
āMy father!ā
Twilight raises an eyebrow. āDragon Lord Torch?ā
āHe told me that I had to abide by the treaty I had signed! As much as I wanted to burn it to ash, I was forbidden from doing so.ā
She points a claw at Arc before continuing yet again.
āI even offered to help him ASSASSINATE you when he came back!ā
Twilight chimes in quickly. āArc talked her out of it though!ā
Arc frowns as he turns to Celestia. āYouāre welcome by the way.ā
Ember clenches a fist, clearly furious. āRather than take me up on my offer to help take YOU out, he CHOOSE to voluntarily leave Equestria to return to Earth! That meant he had to leave behind pretty much EVERYONE he cared about here!ā
Twilight bows her head. āDerpy and their filly Dinky went with him though. Couldnāt break up their family.ā
āHe left and I returned to the Dragon Lands! And no it was not a happy time for me! Knowing that the one I loved was in EXILE for doing NOTHING less than his duty to this land, its citizens, AND the monarchy! Knowing that he might NEVER be allowed to come back! And knowing that thanks to YOU, nearly EVERYTHING he did for Equestria was pretty much tossed out the window one day along with HIM!"
Ember points a claw at Celestia before continuing with her tirade.
āYouā¦! You donāt deserve to sit on that throne! Arc was and is TWICE the ruler you ever were! And do you want to know why?! Because, unlike you, he actually LISTENED to those around him! Because he actually CARED about this land! And because he actually WANTED to find a happy resolution! You didnāt even TRY, you didnāt even ATTEMPT to hear him out before doing your very best to MURDER HIM IN COLD BLOOD... YOU PASTEL-MANED, STUCK-UP, POMPOUS CUNT!ā
Turning on her heels, Ember storms toward the door. Putting a claw on it she stops and looks over her shoulder.
āDo yourself and Equestria a favor and leave the ruling to those whom actually WANT to do the job... PROPERLY!ā
Without waiting for a response Ember leaves the room, slamming the door behind her. For a time no one speaks. Eventually Celestia breaks the silence.
āTwilight?ā
āYes, Princess Celestia?ā
āHas she always been like that?ā
āLike what?ā
āSo angry.ā
āNot really, no.ā
Arc frowns. āJust when you get her mad."
Luna smiles slyly at Arc. āAnd you were going to marry her?ā
āI didnāt want to at the time, no.ā
Cadance raises an eyebrow. āAnd now?ā
āThings haveā¦ changed.ā
Celestia narrows her eyes. āSo you would entertain the idea?ā
āYeah.ā
āPerhaps youāre braver than I thought."
She looks to the now closed door and sighs.
āOr perhaps youāre just a glutton for punishment.ā
Arc shrugs. āItās complicated.ā
Twilight clears her throat. āPerhaps we should move on to what happened next.ā
Luna nods. āA good idea, yes.ā
Arc chuckles. āMy promotion to Hero of Light?ā
Twilight sighs. āThat was certainlyā¦ interesting.ā
āThe former Heroes of Light came to Equestria during another attack by the Ursa Minor AND itās mother.ā
Cadance gasps. āAn Ursa Major?!ā
Twilight nods approvingly. āHe was able to drive both off without doing permanent damage to either.ā
āYes. After which they publicly announced their retirement and asked me to give their insignias to Luna.ā
āI was told that āthe torch has been passedā.ā
āLuna and I agreed and offered Arc the job, which he took.ā
Twilight smiles. āMy friends and I witnessed the ceremony in the Mausoleum of the Hero of Light together as well as meeting his newly appointed squad of Lunar Defenders later that evening at dinner.ā
Arc grins. āWe went on a camping trip together after that. Living off the land, hunting, fishing, sleeping in tents.ā
Cadance raises an eyebrow. āFor what purpose?ā
āLike Ember said earlier, to teach them how to kill to survive. Lessons we would all need in the months to come.ā
He clenches a fist before continuing.
āThatās when they told me about the New Beginnings Orphanage and Matron Tempest.ā
Celestia frowns. āA very decorated mare looking after the landās future.ā
Twilight grits her teeth. āShe did so very poorly.ā
āOh?ā
Arc grits his teeth. āMy squad told me of the abuse they had received as foals. So I went to investigate... personally.ā
Twilight interjects. āPerhaps we should hear the thoughts of the current matron though.ā
Luna nods. āAgreed. Twilight, send for her.ā
Cadance raises an eyebrow. āBut isnāt she in Abyssinia right now?ā
Arc turns to Twilight. āTell her Iāll get her here with a portal.ā
āAlright. Colonel Flash Sentry can make that call.ā
Sliding off the couch she heads for the door. Celestia looks to Luna.
āThis story just keeps growing.ā
āThat it does.ā
āIām finding it very hard to believe or even accept.ā
āDo try to keep an open mind, Aunt Celestia.ā
āOh, I will. If nothing else, for Twilightās sake.ā
Meanwhile, Brightwing returns to her room with the moss. Trying to stuff it into the potion bottle she finds it too large to fit. Laying a piece on the desk, she claws at it for a time to break it up. Smiling, she picks up a clawful and carefully drops it in. Grabbing a nearby stick she puts it into the flask and begins stirring.
great chapter
Celestia has cut herself off from those who love to talk with her but she has spent all her time on the throne that nobody can talk with her about their problems and she doesn't want to face that arc is a better leader than her because he treats everyone the same and tries to be there for everyone.
wow fianlly ember could let some steam out and tel the bitch whats what. its amasing it absolutly did not face her
fucking really bitch
Brightwing is going to end up putting Poison Joke in that mix?
As long as they dont use it in order to invert the behaviour of the Dragon Sneeze Tree Pollen?
Not gonna lie, Ember telling Celestia off was soooooooo the highlight of this chapter, and kind of a turn on^^
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Glad you liked it.
Only a few more chapters left of this inquisition.
11372975
Ember's never been much for verbal filters.
Questioning that which is presented is a normal and healthy part of life. However, denying the truth in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary is idiocy.
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Fortunately for Equestria Brightwing does not know about the existence of Poison Joke.
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I pictured Ember with her wings spread, fist clenched, and a single claw pointing at Celestia as she screamed at her.