The mighty Dragon Lord Ember slips away for an hour, to meet up with her secret mate.
Contains: two newly-installed world leaders who don't really know what they're doing, and some wistful escapist cuddling.
Chosen for the Royal Canterlot Library, April 2019
Honorable Mention, CategoricalGrant's CuddleFic Contest 2018-19!
Featured on Equestria Daily, 14th July 2019
One of Equestria Daily's 35 Fanfics to Read for Dragon Day, July 2020
Reviews
Recommended, PresentPerfect Fic Recs
4* (Recommended), Louder Yay
9/10, My Little Reviews & Feedback
9.5/10 (Headpat Worthy), Nailah's Reviewer Mansion
Chapters (1)
one that was a good story and you yes ember would kill you if you said that
I haven't read much yet, but it seems sweet and cute. This would be a good entry into Categorical Grant's cuddlefic contest ending soon! XD
9458740
Thanks! Um... I may have to edit it very slightly to meet one of the criteria though!
(edit: Aaand... I did that. Thanks, again.)
9458743
Sorry, and I was hoping it would only be minor edits, LOL and you're welcome!
For some reason, when you mentioned the 'kids,' I had the crazy idea that Smolder and Ocellus were Thorax and Ember's children. But that's preposterous, of course, right?
Right?
Awwwwwwww this was a cute read!
9459727
Aw, thank you!
9459405
Oh, wow, did I not clear that up? Silly me!
What's that? I still haven't cleared it up? Huh, how about that!
9459837
Well, I hope they know that, because after reading semillon's work I find the pairing of Smolder and Ocellus adorable, and...well...
9459844
:) Actually, when I first read the story back (I wrote it in, like, an hour, as a kind of speedfic challenge, from a prompt in the Shipping group), that was something that jumped out at me as potentially being ambiguous, but I thought I'd leave it, because I deliberately wanted the physical nature - and duration - of their relationship to be ambiguous; it was always more about the two of them meeting up to get away from their responsibilities and just enjoy being close to each other, if only for an hour, than an in-depth look at their relationship dynamic.
So if people want to see them as meeting up here following several years, having had children in secret while still not going public with their ongoing clandestine affair, that's fine; if people want to see this as only their third or fourth "date", with them both still needing for someone to just support them when they themselves can't show any weakness while acting the role of Big Strong Leader, that works too. I'm not going to say which one of those I originally had in mind.
Honestly, I just really like them as a couple; the rest of it is up to you, readers!
This is great and I wish stories like these would actually go on and develop more.
9460566
Thank you, I really appreciate it :)
I only wrote this as a quick little thing, but I'm kind of loving this world and having a lot of ideas as to what could happen - I'm really quite tempted to write a much longer continuation, if people would be interested in reading it.
I really enjoyed that.
I think these two are cute together and theres totally not enough stories about them. You did them justice and I would totally read a continuation of this story that explores how this might develop further.
9460972
Aw, well, thank you very much. Glad you liked it!
That's lovely. All the details about the watch make it seem like the weird stuff that actually happens rather than a Writer Wrote Things This Way.
Typo Pack's Scouting Report:
Bloodstone
"That's my boy," she said,
9464218
Oops, thank you! I don't know if it's against the contest rules to fix typos after the closing bell, but I'll get those fixed when I'm allowed :)
And thanks for the kind words, I am still super new at this, so it's always especially appreciated when someone takes the time to say they liked my writing!
9460608
I'd like that.
9466219
Thank you for letting me know, it's appreciated!
I might be slightly biased because Embrax is the universe's best ship, but this was good even by Embrax standards. We get to see Ember hauling dragon society kicking and screaming into a new age, and little details like the watch really add depth to her character. This really centers the contrast in character which makes the ship so dynamic — as well as the ways that they make each other better.
I love it. Thank you!
9468150
Glad you liked it, and thank you for letting me know what you thought!
I read this a few days ago already, but I didn’t have the time to write my thoughts on it then. So here we go:
First off, I applaud you for writing another embrax fanfic. They’re my MLP otp, so I’m always happy to see things like this.
Second, I love your writing style so much! It flows fairly well, and the characters were real. Ember was affectionate with Thorax, which isn’t something we see Ember do very often, but I got the implication that they had been together for long enough that she was able to be comfortable with him.
The situation between them, in that their kingdoms are completely different, and that they’re not sure if they can be together because of it, is something I actually think about a lot. You wrote it very clearly, and it was definitely done well.
This was an awesome read! Thanks so much for sharing!
9476827
Aw, thank you very much for saying so (and for taking the time to post a detailed response, which I really appreciate too). I'm still very new to storywriting, so any feedback is gratefully received... but especially when it's nice
>Ember was affectionate with Thorax, which isn’t something we see Ember do very often, but I got the implication that they had been together for long enough that she was able to be comfortable with him.
Yes, that was absolutely what I was trying for - the idea that she's reached the point where she can let her guard down around him, and only him, to "switch off" having to be the toughest dragon around, even if it's just for an hour. Anyone else, and she'd always have to have one eye open, her natural toughness, her upbringing, and just her innate dragon... -ness wouldn't let her completely relax, because that's how dragons end up dead. So, her putting her complete trust in Thorax is meant to be a big deal, just like for him to sit around with her in his natural form - knowing that if they were caught it would not only be incredibly dangerous, but also likely to cause an international incident - is also a big deal. Well, that's what I was going for, anyway.
Glad you liked it!
9476848
Honestly, I love the way you said that. I love the vulnerability of that part of the story. It’s beautiful and innocent in its own way.
I haven't read any deep dives into Ember's character before, and I think you did especially well with that. You might've even convinced me they could work as a couple. :)
9480224
Thank you so much for saying so!
I honestly could've done with more of Ember dragging dragonkind kicking and screaming into some kind of actual civilization, but this was still a sweet look at the person holding the scepter. Thank you for it.
9494696
Thank you!
There was a lot more I could have done with Ember's modernisation drive, but here, I really wanted to just give a flavour of what she was trying to do, turning that ship around - to show the size of her task, and that she was definitely the right dragon for the job, appeasing the traditionalists while dragging society into the 14th Century. Maybe if I ever get around to writing more of this world I'll dig deeper into what she's doing...!
I personally LOVED this part, it really gives emphasis and continuation from Ember's first Lesson for Thorax when they first met.
How you wrote this was absolutely marvelous and I loved every bit of it, without a doubt. It holds that charm that always gives people that warm fuzzy feeling inside. Your description and detail was spot on, not really seeing any issues whatsoever as all the parts of the plot come together very well. From Emebr's dominance, to her plans and point of view from being the Dragon Lord, to her feelings on Thorax, even the detail on how "Scout Bloodwing" just grunts for responses since it would clearly giveaway that he was the King of the Changelings should he talk.
It was a treat to read that I'd recommend to most since it hits all the right buttons for me, especially how you delivered Ember and Thorax, perfect. I do hope you continue and expand the story for these two since I'll definitely comeback for them no doubt, since I'm a fan of love and romance and this is my favorite, seeing your strong, independent, dominant girl paired up with a soft, gentle, and sensitive boy. The perfect ship and your story delivered that! Keep writing!
-Psycho
9516330
Aw, what a lovely comment - thank you very much!
I was a bit unsure about whether Thorax should talk while he was in dragon form, as we've seen he and the other changelings can mimic voices, but I decided against it, mostly because while I love him to bits, I wouldn't necessarily trust him not to say something suspiciously un-"dragonlike", and so I imagined Ember had told him just to grunt and look scary as the safest option.
And the bit you quoted was my favourite part writing it, too, so thanks for that! I wanted to show how far they've both come; I know it's quite an unusual ship for some readers to accept and so I thought it was a nice example of how they'd each continue to help the other to grow after Triple Threat.
Anyway, thank you for the kind words, both here and on your user page, they are very much appreciated.
This story deserves all the likes and favorites. I wish it was more popular because it’s basically everything I’ve wanted from the brony fandom.
You've been reviewed.
https://www.fimfiction.net/group/213901/my-little-reviews-feedback/thread/397444/review-dragon-lord-ember-skips-work-for-an-hour
9534399
Wow, thank you! I'm highly flattered.
9534420
Np.
9532151
Thank you so much for saying so. This is actually going to be the next story featured in the Royal Canterlot Library (eep!), which is a really humbling honour for such a new writer - you said you wished it were more popular, but I honestly didn't expect so many people to have taken this one to their hearts, and I'm really grateful so many of you all apparently did!
I usually dont pay any attention to the Royal Canterlot Library, but I'm glad I did this time, because I never would have found this wonderful little story if I hadn't. Embrax is one of those ships that I've always liked, but never really given much thought. I think this story changed that.
9562481
Aw, well, thank you! It's a more common ship than I realised at the time I wrote the story, but it definitely makes sense to me now. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
One day
9564195
Like I said in the RCL interview, I'd really like to think so!
This story was fantastic and surprisingly realistic. I'd be all for a sequel, one where Ember and Thorax share their relationship with the world. That, or your interpretation of Thorax meeting Torch for the first time.
Hello there, I saw the report about your story awhile back but I just got to reading it. I think it was a good story and I liked the emotion that you showed here. This is one of my favorite ships so it makes me happy for a story like this to have gotten as much attention as yours has. To give some constructive criticism, I'd say you could use some work on grammar and your over use of commas. But over all the content of your writing was good. I'll be looking forward to checking for more writing from you.
9587943
Thank you! I'm still very new at this, so hopefully I'll continue to improve, and you'll like my future stories too.
9566567
Aw, thanks very much for saying so. With all the positive feedback, and the Royal Canterlot Library feature (which I still feel amazed is a thing that actually happened), I'm definitely thinking about writing some more about this timeline. I like the "Dad, meet Thorax" idea...!
Found this because of that interview. I really like it!
9614666
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, it's always appreciated.
Everyone needs to be able to let their guard down once in awhile, even Ember. Very nice story,
9621461
Thanks, glad you liked it!
9659498
Aw, thank you very much for that. Glad you enjoyed it!
I didn’t ever think too much about just how new to rulership both Ember and Thorax are, probably because I never say them thrown together in a story that bothered to address the issue with both of them like you did here.
Seeing something else in continuity with this could be something neat to look out for, because I’d really want to see more of how you write these two.
9691637
A couple of people have suggested an idea that I really like, involving Ember introducing Thorax to former Dragon Lord Torch - but it's almost the same concept as another story I've been sketching about Yona taking Sandbar to Yakyakistan to meet her family, and I don't think I could do both. Hnmmm.
9691681
Haha, a ‘meet the dad’ story with Torch would be something, but I was wondering about how Ember and Thorax might use their relationship to help guide each other among more experienced leader characters. Twilight has put together something of an alliance of newer leaders, but Equestria already had a lot of diplomatic allies and relationships, many of which are bound to be older than those with Thorax and Ember.