"Dad, you're gonna wear a hole in the floor with all that pacing," Spike told me a few hours later.

I sighed, then walked over and took a seat next to him. We were in Canterlot Palace's medical wing, more specifically in a waiting room near the small hospital proper. The others were there with me as well, which included the Mane Six, Sunset, Scarlet, Zecora, and Ember. As this concerned her as the future second in command, I had to tell her about the Sirens, and since I trusted her a bit more, I revealed just where these lost Princesses had been for the past thousand years.

To say she'd been startled had been an understatement. She'd been completely blind sighted that a portal to another world existed now in my literal backyard. However, I insisted that we focus more on the Sirens themselves and why the Stargate had spat them back out in the strange winged humanoid forms. Ember had told me then about an old story about the Sirens, how her mother had sung songs about them as being a race that had passed beyond the veil to meet the old gods of their race. That, and Tales of the Three Lost Princesses, which involved the Dazzlings personally. Both stories did indeed depict the Siren race as being the fairest of all the Dragonkin.

"Sorry, Spike," I said, "it's just bugging me. They should have changed into something completely different. So what happened?"

Twilight, who was sitting nearby, was reading the book about the Stargate with more concentration than I'd ever seen in her before. Despite that, she quickly looked up at me. "I'll find out, Jethro. I promise!"

Sunset, who was sitting next to Twilight, was also looking over the book. She looked up and me and nodded. "I have a feeling we're almost there," she added reassuringly.

"Take a few deep breaths there," Applejack said. "It won't do yah any good tah git yerself all riled up."

I exhaled slowly and nodded. "I know, I know…but can you blame me? They're in the hospital and if they were human, I'd have said they had lost a lot of blood."

"You looked like that when you first got your wings," Rarity said somberly.

"You think it's the same thing?" Fluttershy asked, giving a sideways glance to Ember.

Ember raised an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me?"

Taking a guess as to what Fluttershy might be getting at, I said, "When Dragons molt and get their wings, what exactly happens afterwards?"

Ember frowned, then a look of realization came into her eyes. "Well…after a normal Dragon molts, they sleep for at least a day," Ember explained. "I don't know how Sirens work, though."

"That's probably the reason for their fainting," Rainbow Dash said, "but those pictures you showed us earlier look nothing like them," she added, looking over at me.

I nodded. "I probably should have suspected something was wrong when the other humans came through the second time looking like a mixture of human and Pony."

"Don't blame yourself for that," Zecora said, putting one hoof on my back reassuringly, "you were recovering from Eris' actions."

"And you had other stuff on your mind," Rainbow added in an unusual example of sympathy from her.

I shook my head and smiled. "You guys are all the best, you know that?"

"Of course, we're awesome!" Rainbow said with a smirk, jumping out of her chair and hovering around the room.

With that, my mood improved a bit, but the worry was still there. I turned back to Ember. "Ember, do you know if there are any other Sirens still around? Is there a story or something involving them? I don't wanna have them wake up only to learn they're the last of their race."

Ember concentrated, scratching the back of her head thoughtfully. Finally, she shook her head. "All I know is Tales of the Three Lost Princesses. The one I told you about earlier. That, and Last Song of the Singing Dragons."

I pursed my lips and looked at the closed double doors where the Sirens were being looked at by the best physicians that Equestria had to offer. I couldn't hear anything thanks to the soundproof doors and room beyond. I was just grateful that when I'd told the Princesses about what had happened, they'd immediately had the Sirens taken to Canterlot to be examined by the same doctors who'd looked after me after the incident with Eris. "Damn it…they told me that when they left, their race was dying off. If they really are the last ones, Sonata's gonna have a major freak out. She was so convinced I was going to force the three of them into a marriage with me."

"Whatever would give her that horrid impression?" Rarity asked, aghast.

"Dormog had proposed a political marriage with the three of them before the Fall of Aelyssia," I explained. "It's the reason they left their kingdoms, to get away from all of that."

"That's awful," Fluttershy said, sounding equally as horrified as Rarity albeit with a quieter tone.

"That's how things worked during the last days of the Empire," Ember said dismissively. "Political marriages between high lords and ladies to help strengthen houses and merge properties between them was kind of the norm. That's not gonna be the norm again, is it?" Ember asked.

"Hell no!" I said, "although that does answer a question I had about Aelyssia's stance on political marriage back in the day…"

"What do you mean?" Scarlet asked.

"Oh, it came up in conversation with someone a while back," I said. "Honestly, political marriages just seem destined to fail. Well, most of the time."

"Why most of the time?" Spike asked. "What is a political marriage, anyway?"

"Hmm, how to best explain it…?" I said thoughtfully. "Well, let me give you an example. Remember how during one of our movie nights I showed you all Sleeping Beauty? Well, that's an idealized version of one. See, King Hubert and King Stephan both had kingdoms which they wanted to unite and to do that, they betrothed the children so they could rule the combined kingdom together. Back in earlier centuries back on Earth it was common for arranged marriages to exist. Like Ember was saying, it was a common practice to help strengthen ties between houses or even kingdoms."

"It might look romantic enough on paper," Sunset said, "but it's a terrible practice in person."

"That's why I said most of the time," I said. "I don't know much about the history of Europe back in those days, and even less about the history of Aelyssia, but since the latter lasted for so long, there had to have been a few successful marriages like that."

"None that I know of," Ember said, "but then again, I'm no history expert myself."

Just then, a Unicorn doctor came out of the room. I recognized him as one of the ones who'd looked after me only less than a month ago. Sterling Silver was his name, and he had a stethoscope for a cutie mark. He was silver with a dark gray mane and tail and had dark green eyes and was wearing a doctor's coat fashioned to fit his form. Upon seeing me, he walked over. I stood and faced him, anxiously waiting to hear the news. When he was standing before me, he said, "We've done what we can, but we don't know their anatomy any more than we did yours."

"I'm sure you did your best," I said, "but are they gonna be okay?"

"From what we could determine, they're just suffering from insufficient amounts of blood," Dr. Silver said. "Their new wings look pretty weak, and they barely have any magic inside them. We don't want to risk fresh blood infusions since we don't know if it'll do damage. All we can really do is watch them and wait for them to wake up."

"Can I at least see them for a little bit?" I asked. "They're Sirens, and since they were once Princesses of one of the Aelyssian Dukedoms, I'd like to make sure they're okay."

Dr. Silver sighed. "Fine, but only you. I'd normally say no since they need rest, but as long as you're quiet, you can see them. But five minutes."

I frowned. Five minutes wasn't much time, but I knew better than to question a medical professional. I nodded. "That's fine. Thanks, doctor."

"I wouldn't be doing it if you weren't their ruler," he said as he turned and led me through the doors.

"I appreciate it," I said as the doors closed behind us. I followed the doctor down a short well lit corridor with rooms on either side. However, he took me to a larger set of doors on the other side of the hall and opened them, leading me into a large room with three pristine looking white beds, a window overlooking the city, lamps on the walls which illuminate what the sunlight didn't, endtables next to each bed, and a table on the opposite side of the three beds filled with medical instruments, some which I recognized and others which I didn't. There was a Pony nurse sitting nearby, watching them carefully.

"It's alright, nurse," the doctor said when she stood upon seeing me enter, "he's with me. We won't be here long."

She nodded silently than sat back on the couch near the window, watching us. I then turned to the Sirens, taking out my phone and turned on the flashlight, illuminating them with its own light. Starting with Sonata, I went down the line, looking at Adagio and Aria in turn after her. When I put away my phone and reached out to touch them to check their body temperature, Dr. Silver stepped in. "They're cold to the touch."

"To you, maybe," I said, "but Ponies have higher body temperature than humans, and for all intents and purposes, they're human."

Dr. Silver nodded. "True. Just be gentle. We stabilized them as best we could, but without proper reference, I don't know if they're sick or just unconscious."

I nodded in understanding then went back to Sonata. I placed my palm on her forehead. She was cool to the touch, and when I checked her pulse, it was there, but it felt faint. Her wings were spread out slightly beside her, covered by a blanket. I reached down and pulled a portion of a blanket away to get a better look. Sonata's wings were a bright shade of purple and unlike my wings or even the wings of a normal Dragon, hers were thinner and somewhat see-through. They were about the same size as mine were, but they looked too thin for flight. They looked more like wing shaped fins than anything. Then again, I'd been proven wrong by Pegasus wings, which somehow allowed them to fly despite their size being physically impossible to lift their weight normally.

I covered Sonata's wings again, then looked quickly at the others. Adagio's wings were a bright yellow, a bit lighter, while Aria's were a light green. With my time almost up, I quickly felt for a pulse on the remaining two and found them to be there, but almost as weak as Sonata's. I stood and turned to the doctor. "How long do you think they'll be unconscious?" I asked.

"I don't know for sure," he said. "I read the reports from Ponyville Hospital when you first got your wings, but I don't know if it's the same with these three. Your wings are different. And their ears aren't like yours, either."

"They're more like Pony ears, yes I noticed," I said, looking back at them. "Okay, I've seen enough. Thanks, doctor."

As we left, Dr. Sterling looked up at me. "Look, sir, I'll be honest. Those three are far out of my league. I'm a Pony doctor, dammit, not a human one."

"They're not humans," I quickly corrected.

"Well, whatever they are, I don't know what I'm doing," he admitted. "It was touch and go with them. All we can do is make them comfortable and watch them."

"I understand that," I said.

"Last time, we had to bring in veterinarians to look at you," he admitted.

I stopped in the hallway just a few steps shy of the door. He stopped, too, and turned to me, a bit of worry in his eyes, as if he felt like I would be angry. However, I just said, "You're a doctor. It's in your nature to save lives. You did what you could with what you had. I can't fault you for that."

He looked a bit relieved by that. "Thank you," he said gratefully. "Should I call in the same veterinarians we called in for you?" he asked.

"Yes," I said. "Right now, they are closer to human than Dragon. I doubt even the Aelyssian healers could do much to help more." I turned back to the door. "Thanks once again, doc."

"Just doing my job, sir," he said as he turned and walked into the room with me.

As he walked towards another door that led to a larger corridor, the others in the waiting room with me looked at me expectantly. Even Twilight and Sunset both looked up with curiosity. "How are they?" Ember asked.

"Unconscious, but stable," I said. "Then again, I'm not a doctor and I don't know that anyone here could treat them any better since they're human-like."

"We're still looking into that," Twilight said, pointing to the book.

"I know you are, Twi," I said gratefully, "and I appreciate it. But I'm more concerned about them. No matter what they did in the past, they don't deserve death because of insufficient medical treatment."

"Well, what can yah do about it?" Applejack asked.

I sighed. "Leave it in their capable hooves," I said. "It's not like we know anyone who knows human biology any better."

"What about that Malcom?" Spike asked. "He helped you back on Earth when…" he trailed off as the memory came back to him. His face darkened and he finished, "when you were shot."

That put a damper on the mood. Sunset's ears flattened and she looked down at the floor, the other girls went silent. Spike clenched his fists and looked down, trying to contain his emotions and failing. Acting fast, I strode over and knelt in front of him. "Look at me, Spike," I said. When he slowly lifted his green eyes to face me, I continued, "I know you still feel bad about what happened, but it's not your fault." I hugged him for a bit, then stood. "As for getting Malcom, that's not really an option. He was just a medical student and he's been out of practice. In the meantime, you all can go home." I shrugged. "Honestly, I'm fine here. You all didn't really need to come."

"We wanted to," Rarity said quickly.

"Ah ain't got much tah do at home now that Apple Season is over," Applejack said.

"I'll be fine here, really," I insisted. "You all don't have to drop everything just to come help me with every problem I face. It's appreciated and means a lot to me, but you have lives too."

"Don't be so silly," Pinkie said, popping up suddenly behind me with a chocolate covered banana in her hooves, which she proceeded to lick. She sat on my lap and looked up at me. "You're worth it, Jethy!"

"Do we need to say it every time?" Rainbow Dash asked, hovering nearby and crossing her forelegs as if they were arms.

"You say it so much, I'm hearing it in my sleep," I said jokingly, "and since I don't dream, that's saying something. But alright, stay if you want. But I don't know what we can do here, other than wait. I highly doubt Celestia will allow me to wander around without an escort of her guards."

"Now why would you think that?" Celestia's deep melodious voice asked from the entrance to the hospital.

Startled, I turned, seeing her and a couple of her guards standing in the doorway, looking at me with a bemused expression. I waved, unable to stand thanks to Pinkie having planted her butt on my lap. "Howdy there, Celestia," I said, "and I just meant that since I'm a foreign monarch and the business that brings me to Canterlot has to do with that would mean I'm not a knight right now."

"My dear Emperor," Celestia said, walking over towards me with a kindly and quite attractive smile, "You've displayed to me that you can separate your Aelyssian duties and duties as my knight. But that's not why I came here." She held up a dirty looking scroll. "A message came for you from Aelyssia. The Dragon named Lahar brought it and another Dragon with him. An older female Dragon named Phlogiston."

I took the scroll, broke the seal, and when I read what was on that scroll, my eyes widened. "Oh my God…"

"What is wrong, my dearest?" Zecora asked.

"That Dragon egg we found in Torch's hoard? They brought it here."

Celestia led me towards another section of the palace, the others following me without a word. Through the palace windows, I could see that the afternoon was cold and overcast, with some light sprinkling of rain falling down. The streets in the city were decorated with garlands, strings of lights, holly, mistletoe, and decorated pine trees. But I wasn't noticing these things like I normally would have. I was more focused on how angry I was with Phlogiston for bringing a Dragon egg all the way here. "What was she thinking?!" I was muttering to myself.

Ember, who was actually running by my side as I stormed down the hallway, quickly said, "Hey, I know Phlogiston. She's the one who helped hatch me. She's one of, if not the very best Hatchery Healers we have. She takes her job very seriously. If she brought the egg here, then perhaps it's for a good reason."

"It had better be," I said. "If she put that egg in danger for no reason, I will punish her." I then went silent and sped up, leaving Ember behind me.

Celestia then slowed down, having apparently heard the conversation. She walked up beside me and put one wing on my back. "Do calm down, my knight," she said softly. "Phlogiston seems like she knows what she's doing."

I grit my teeth. "There's an episode of the show in the last season where I learned that Dragon eggs need to be very hot in order to hatch. It's fucking winter, Celestia. If they flew here in the freezing weather, it might already be too late!"

"Right now, they are guests of Equestria, with all the protection that I can provide them," Celestia said firmly, "I must ask that you curb your anger while they are here."

I took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Yeah…you're right. You're right. You know how I feel about child abuse. I don't want that happening in my Empire."

"Neither do I want that for my little Ponies," Celestia said. "Remember what I told you about Sunset? I was so sickened that I couldn't eat cake for a week."

"Wow…that serious, huh?" I asked without a shred of sarcasm. I knew of Celestia's legendary love for cake, and this was only the second time I knew of where her comfort food provided little comfort. I glanced back at Sunset, who was deep in conversation with Twilight about something, then I turned back to Celestia. "What are your plans on how to punish Sunset for what she's done?"

"Is this Sir Jethro, Emperor Jethro, or Jethro Edward Bethridge I'm talking to right now?" Celestia asked. "Either way, it wouldn't matter. I am going to order her to go to Aelyssia and help in the reconstruction when you go back. Once she has completed that task, she will be free to return to Equestria."

I nodded. "A fair punishment. I'm trying to think how all three of me should react to this. On the one hand, as Jethro, I feel like she's suffered more than enough, but on the other hand, as your Knight, she should face Equestrian justice. But…as Aelyssian Emperor? I feel like her actions merit a harsher punishment."

"What harsher punishment could I come up with than being under your thumb?" Celestia said in a teasing tone.

I rolled my eyes and smirked. "Trollestia…damn it, Sunbutt. Fine, fine. I'm planning on going back to the Dragon Lands after the first of the year anyway. I wanna at least be able to celebrate Christmas with my friends."

She squeezed my back with her wing before releasing me. "You deserve it. You have a lot on your plate for the near future. Take the time to relax and take a break."

"I totally plan on doing that," I said. "I am planning on binge watching so many old Christmas movies. Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, The Santa Clause, White Christmas, It's A Wonderful Life, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, all those amazing movies."

"I do hope you're going to allow my sister and I to watch these movies," Celestia asked hopefully.

"Well, do you have a place where I can project the screen here?" I asked as we walked up the stairs to the palace beside her.

She chuckled. "I can arrange something. I must admit, I've enjoyed the few films I've seen. I would very much like to see more. But for now, business trumps pleasure." She stopped in front of the doors to the throne room. Two Unicorn guards bowed to Celestia, then saluted me before raising their heads and opening the doors with their magic.

Standing near the throne, I saw Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor, Lahar and a creamy white Dragon female with curved curly horns, warm orange eyes, wings that looked old and tough. In her arms, I could see the egg I'd found in Torch's hoard room. She was breathing a hot blue fire onto it every few seconds. When the doors opened and they saw us, I saw the two Dragons bend the knee towards me. Looking up at Celestia, she nodded down at me, then motioned me forward. Turning towards the Dragons, I stood taller, walking towards the two Dragons with speed and purpose. Once I was within earshot of them, I cleared my throat and said, "Rise, Lahar and Phlogiston." They did so, facing me with stoic faces. I directed my attention to Phlogiston. "I assume you have a very good reason for bringing the Dragon egg here."

"I do, Your Grace," Phlogiston said. She might have been an old Dragon, but she still had a somehow younger sounding voice. But her eyes were full of age, wisdom, and most importantly compassion, which she directed at the egg in her arms. "The egg is fine, but it's refusing to hatch for reasons I can't explain. I've given it plenty of heat, doused it in a hot brew to help soothe the hatchling within, but he or she won't come out. I brought the egg here hoping that you could speak to the Ponies about helping. I had heard that there was a Dragon living among them, and if he was born here, then perhaps there's something here that they know that I don't."

I walked up and examined the egg. It was a pale white with pink swirling dots all over it, except for one spot where a pink crown image had formed. I could feel the heat radiating off of it from Phlogiston's constant tending. Reaching out, I quickly touched it. It was hot, but not burningly so. "Well, that Dragon wasn't hatched the traditional way," I said. "Spike was hatched by magic as a test devised by Ponies. A practice I sincerely hope will be banned in the near future," I added, turning back to Celestia with a slight glare.

"I'm working on it," Celestia said honestly.

"Lemme guess: Chancellor Neighsay," I growled.

Her ears flattened, as did those of Luna, Cadance and Shining Armor. Celestia sighed. "He's very resistant to change," she said.

"Don't be diplomatic with me, Princess," I said, "I've seen that racist fuck on the show. He was the biggest speciest I've seen in the show, and that's saying something for a children's show."

She nodded solemnly. "I can only imagine…"

"But that's a discussion for another time," I said, turning back to the egg. "Magic might be able to help this egg hatch, but I don't know how to do that. I wasn't here when it happened. Twilight Sparkle, however, was. She's the one who hatched Spike."

Immediately, Twilight was by my side, looking carefully at the Dragon egg. She waved her hoof carefully over it and brought it back, wincing at the heat it emanated. "Um…how long can the egg remain at room temperature?" she asked finally.

"Not for very long without doing some permanent damage," Phlogiston said. "If an egg is too cold, the hatchling could have developmental issues. They might not grow as fast as normal Dragons, they could become mentally retarded, worst-case scenario they end up stillborn."

Twilight's eyes went wide. "Oh no…how long can they be at room temperature?"

"Twenty to thirty minutes, at the most," she said. "What are you thinking, little Pony?"

She turned to Spike. "When I hatched Spike, his egg was at room temperature. I can remember the feeling and the spell I used when I hatched him, but I didn't want to risk doing it while the egg was still hot."

"That's an impressive accomplishment," Phlogiston said, clearly impressed. "But it will take at least until tomorrow before dawn for the egg to fully cool to room temperature. And even then, it should be a warm room temperature."

"Would you recommend that we try?" I asked. "If this Dragon isn't gonna hatch by normal means, then would it be a good idea to use magic to hatch this egg?"

Phlogiston frowned. "I'm a nurse, Your Grace. Even if I am a Dragon with all the stereotypes attached to that name, I don't want to do anything that could do potential harm to the hatchling. But…on the other claw, I just can't see any other options. Honestly, I'm at a loss, here."

I turned and looked at Ember, hoping that she might have an idea, but she looked more lost than I was. When I turned to Celestia, the alabaster Alicorn shook her head. "I can't make this decision for you, Your Grace," she said. "This is a Dragon affair."

"Goddamn it," I said, grumbling. "Damned if I do nothing, and possibly damned if I try this and it kills the hatchling." I put my hands behind my back and began slowly pacing the room, my footsteps echoing throughout the massive chamber. I knew Twilight had hatched Spike before, but he was a Wyvern. It was possible his egg was somehow different than a normal Dragon egg. But was the risk worth it. Up until now, I had been somewhat sure of my choices ever since becoming Emperor. It had been the right call to promise them their old city. It had been the right call to ask for assistance from other nations. But now? The risks seemed so much higher than before. A child's life hung in the balance, and I did not want to make the wrong choice.

I was surprised when Rainbow Dash came flying over to me before I could turn back towards them a third time. "Dude, calm down, you're stressing me out," she said.

"It's a very hard choice," I said. "I can't just make a decision like that…a life is in the balance. If I make the wrong decisions, that Dragon dies."

Rainbow Dash's eyes looked deep into mine. "I know, Jethro," she said. "Believe me, I know. But don't let it stop you. Do what you think is the right thing. Nopony will think less of you. What is it Scarlet says? You're only human."

I smiled, put a hand on her back and patted it. "I do tend to get caught up in decisions, don't I?"

"It just means you care," Celestia said.

I nodded, inhaled, then turned to Phlogiston. "Are you absolutely sure the egg doesn't just need more time? You said at most two weeks."

"There should have been changes even by now," Phlogiston said. "I'm at a loss here."

I swallowed, trying to bring moisture back into my suddenly dry throat. I exhaled, then stood taller. "Twilight, if you're willing, I'd like to try hatching this egg with magic, but after it's cooled down."

"Like I said, it will take until at least before morning to cool down," Phlogiston said, "and when that happens, there won't be much time before it needs to be heated up again."

"We've already prepared a warm room for you both," Luna said. "Captain Armor can escort you there."

"I appreciate that, Your Highnesses," Phlogiston said.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Lahar added, bowing respectfully.

"Follow me, please," Shining said politely to both Dragons as he headed to the door. As I watched them go, I let out a sigh. This was going to be a long night.

I spent most of the time waiting with the others. Since there wasn't much we could do other than wait for either the Sirens to wake or the egg to cool to a warmer room temperature, Twilight, Sunset and I kept busy by reading over the mirror's instruction manual. We couldn't exactly find out what exactly made the thing tick, but then again, the book used words I couldn't exactly comprehend. Words and phrases that Twilight and Sunset both seemed to understand implicitly. Not feeling like I was going to be of any help, I decided that I would go sleep until nighttime, then try my best to stay up until just before dawn the next morning. Celestia gave me a very familiar room where I could sleep, and I was joined by Zecora. Scarlet and Spike decided to go Hearth's Warming shopping with the other Ponies before they headed back to the palace. Ember asked to stay the night there, and was given permission.

I woke at around nine that night, had a quick meal, and found that Sunset and Twilight were still looking over the book. When I asked to borrow the door to the Dragon library I'd given to Twilight, she pulled it from her saddlebag and hoofed it to me. I put it on a nearby wall. I entered with Zecora close to me. Zecora grabbed one book and I went to the history section, grabbed a tall stack and walked over to the fireplace, sat on the couch and began to read. And I finally got a more comprehensive story about Sol Invictus, or Helios, the father of Dormog.

What I learned matched up fairly well with what the two Phoenixes had told me. He and his mate, Luna Invicta, were instrumental in forging the Sunsword and Moonsword, placing much of their own magical power into both. They both knew that war was inevitable, and wanted to have a safeguard in place so that if either of them fell, there would be enough power to move the sun and moon. However, the two Phoenixes were a bit mistaken in that Torch wasn't Helios' second cousin, but more of a nephew, since after the two Dragon rulers handed the throne over to the last Dragon Emperor Dormog and gave him the knowledge to move the heavens, the downfall of the Empire was all but inevitable. Dormog was recorded as being not only the last Emperor before me, but was one of insatiable appetites. He craved food, females, and gold among other things. I did find mention of the proposed marriage between the Siren princesses as Dormog, but it was only in passing.

There were other histories I read as well. Stories about a bloody civil was that took place three thousand years after the Empire was formed. The Dragon Lord Houses, under the command of a Dragon named Agnus, rebelled against the House of the Emperor since he felt that as they shared blood with their ancient ancestor Ignu that they should have claims to the throne as well. In short, it was a power struggle that involved many smaller houses belonging to the overarching Dragon Lord's house versus the main house and offshoot houses of the Dragon Emperor with the hopeful prize being the Crimson Throne. It involved more political movements and battles than I could possibly ever remember despite my ever increasingly good memory, but in the end, the Imperial House won and executed many different traitors, including Agnus. In the end, to appease the Dragon Lord Houses, the Emperor at the time, a young Dragon named Aed, promised to marry a young Dragon lady of the Dragon Lord house, but one far away from the main Dragon Lord House branch family.

I read much more about the history of the empire as recorded by multiple Imperial historians as well as from independent authors from the five Dragon races. Most of it was painfully boring, but I forced myself to read it and comprehend all of the wars, politics, land grabs, treaties and more. Something that caught my attention was a brief mention of a northern land which one Dragon Emperor had some contact with. Nothing much was said. In fact, it was just a footnote in one book. There wasn't even a name for this land. I decided that it would be a good idea to look into it later.

I wasn't sure how it happened, but when I looked at the clock for the first time since sitting down and opening my first book, it was nearly six o'clock the next morning. Zecora was reading one book and busily taking notes. I laughed. "Found something you like, dear?"

She looked up. "Ah, yes I did. A recipe book that apparently came from ancient Zebrica."

"Wow…I didn't realize they had that, too," I said. "Maybe we can try cooking some together sometime. But it's almost time. Let's go check on the egg, shall we?"

When I left, I grabbed the door and folded the wood turned fabric in my arms. The bench where the two Unicorns had been sitting was now empty, so I assumed that they'd gone to bed. I'd been told where the two Dragons were staying and Zecora and I made our way there. Ironically enough, they'd been taken to Twilight's old room. Which was where I found not only the two Dragons but all the other Ponies and Spike, all lying on small Pony sized beds all around the main level. The three Dragons, Lahar, Ember and Phlogiston, were all sitting in large chairs. Lahar and Ember had their eyes closed and were both breathing evenly.

Phlogiston was the only one awake, but it was clear she was fighting sleep. When she heard us enter, she stood and bowed. "Your Grace, I was told you'd be here before the morning sun rose," she whispered.

"Raise your head, Phlogiston," I whispered back.

She did so and looked down at a large bundle in front of the large window. I approached and reached out my hand to touch it. The egg was still surprisingly warm, but not as much as it had been before. "It's nearly at room temperature, Your Grace," she said. "It just needs about another half hour."

"May I hold it for a bit?" I asked.

"Of course," she said.

I reached down, lifted the warm egg into my arms, and cradled it lovingly. I smiled down at it, wondering just what the Dragon that hatched would look like. "Hey there, little cutie," I whispered in a soft tone as I took a seat in a nearby empty chair, "you're giving us quite a scare, you know. You be a good little hatchling and come out, okay?"

"That's about as lame as someone going coochie coochie coo," Ember's voice said from her chair as she slowly sat up and pulled the blanket off of her.

"Oh, if only you knew," I said with a small smile as I rocked the egg back and forth in my arms. "Phlogiston, can you tell if the hatchling is gonna be a boy or girl?"

"Not precisely," the older Dragon said. "I'm about…more than half sure it's a female based off of the color and shape of the egg itself, but I've seen males come from eggs like this."

"I've got to learn more about Dragon biology," I admitted.

"There are many healers who can teach you, Your Grace," Phlogiston said.

"When I lead you all back to Virynth Atheos, I'll ask a few to help teach me," I said. "Thanks for the suggestion."

"Not at all," she said with a warm motherly smile.

I looked back down at the egg. In that moment, I felt a warmth wash through me. I felt, not for the first time, like a father holding his child in his arms. I'd felt this warmth before whenever I had some of my recent interactions with Spike, but holding this egg in my arms, it made me feel like I was holding a newborn baby. I smiled wider. "Come on out, little prince or princess. The world is waiting to say hello," I said invitingly. "You have so many new friends to meet."

"Dragons don't do…oh never mind," Ember said, dismissing her thoughts.

I chuckled and stroked the egg gently. A familiar feeling came over me, one I hadn't felt since the dance I had with Pinkie at the Gala. I opened my mouth and began to sing softly and with a slower tempo than I would normally sing the song.

"Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la, la la la la. 'Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la, la la la la. Don we now our gay apparel, fa la la, la la la, la la la. Troll the ancient Yuletide carol, fa la la la la, la la la la."

Just as I began singing the next verse, a lovely female voice belonging to a certain phoenix colored Unicorn rose up and joined me as the owner of said voice sat up and walked over to join us. "See the blazing yule before us, fa la la la la, la la la la. Strike the harp and join the chorus, fa la la la la, la la la la. Follow me in merry measure, fa la la, la la la, la la la, While I tell of Yuletide treasure, fa la la la la, la la la la."

Next, a higher voice belonging to a certain dark gray Pegasus mare started singing with me and Sunset, joining the two of us as well, "Fast away, the old year passes, fa la la la la, la la la la. Hail the new, ye lads and lasses, fa la la la la, la la la la. Sing we joyous all together, fa la la, la la la, la la la. Heedless of the wind and weather, fa la la la la, la la la la."

By this time, everyone else in the room was awake and had been listening to the three of us singing. Even Spike was blinking sleep out of his eyes. There was silence as me, Sunset and Scarlet all stared with warm loving smiles at the egg. The spell was broken by Applejack saying, "That was a mighty fine song there, sugarcube. Ah've never heard it before."

"It's a Christmas song from Earth," I said. "It's Christmastime back there, and I wanted the kid to feel the same excitement I felt whenever I heard those songs."

"Can you sing some more?" Fluttershy asked. "If that's okay, that is."

I was about to reply, when I heard something cracking. Quickly, I looked towards the source, which was right in my arms. The egg had a small deformity in it. A small piece had been cracked open from the inside. I could feel movement from inside as the Dragon hatchling finally came to life. Phlogiston was by my side immediately, looking down at the egg. "I need more light," she said. Twilight cast a Candlelight spell, illuminating the egg in my arms.

"What do I do?" I asked. "Do you take it?"

"No, don't move, Your Grace," Phlogiston said. "Stay as still as you can."

I did as she said, standing still as I held the egg in my arms. "I thought it wasn't gonna happen," I said after a while as the hole at the top of the egg continued being pushed open.

"I don't know either," Phlogiston admitted.

"Can't we pull it open and help the little guy or girl?" Rainbow asked.

"No," Phlogiston said. "If the egg gets help during this stage, it could hinder their further development."

As the egg continued to slowly hatch, there was a knock at the door. "Pardon us, may we enter?" Luna's voice called out from behind the door.

"It's about time for us to raise the sun and lower the moon," Celestia's voice said.

"Can they come in?" Twilight asked Phlogiston.

"Just as long as they don't move around too much," Phlogiston said.

The Princesses stepped in, both looking tired but with kindly smiles on their faces. When they saw me holding the hatching egg, they slowly made their way over. "It's hatching already?" Luna asked.

"Did you cast the spell, Twilight?" Celestia asked.

The young Unicorn shook her head. "No, I didn't," she said.

"Then what could have caused it?" Celestia asked, turning to Phlogiston.

"I'm at a loss, Your Highness," the older Dragon said. "I've never seen this happen before."

"Do we just wait?" Luna asked.

"The hatchling inside seems strong enough," Phlogiston said, "so let's just keep an eye on it."

We all watched in stunned silence as the egg shell continued to crack open in my arms. The light from Twilight's spell illuminated a blonde claw for a few seconds before it retreated. As the minutes passed, the cracking started to slow down. I looked at Phlogiston in alarm, but she just held up her claw. "That's normal," she said, "it's just getting ready to use the remainder of its strength to push through."

No sooner had she said this than the entire egg shattered, revealing a small blonde dragon with rose red spines and a light pink underbelly. The Dragon's eyes were a lovely sky blue and its horns were nearly identical to how Ember's looked, colored white and curved downwards. At the end of its tail the spike that was there was the exact same color as its spines. The baby was covered in a clear fluid and was stretching. It looked around briefly before locking eyes with me. It had a curious expression on its face before a childlike innocent smile formed. It held out its arms to me. "Gah!"

I couldn't help myself. My heart melted and I wrapped the baby Dragon in my arms, ignoring the sticky liquid that clung to my clothes. "Hello there, little one," I said, tears of joy forming in my eyes. "Welcome to the world."

Phlogiston slowly approached, looking over the little Dragon in my arms. She grabbed her blanket and began cleaning the fluid off. "Normally, I'd bathe this hatchling in the magma chambers back home, but we don't have that here," she said.

I slowly pulled the baby away, giving the old nurse more access to the hatchling's underbelly. She carefully cleaned it until finally the baby was completely clean. All the while, the baby looked around curiously at the Ponies and Dragons who were watching. Fluttershy was especially excited. "It's soooo adooorable," she cooed softly.

"I've gotta plan a Welcome to The World party!" Pinkie said excitedly.

"She," Phlogiston said, "this hatchling is a female."

"Yeah, she's alright, I guess," Rainbow said, clearly trying to hide how cute she found the baby Dragon.

"She's quite adorable," Rarity said, "I wonder how she would look in a cute dress. Oh my, so many ideas!"

"Don't get carried away, Rares," I chuckled.

"She's a lot like yah, Princess Ember," Applejack said, not bothering to hide her smile.

Ember inspected her new half sister for a while. The little baby looked back at Ember, then cooed, giggled and reached out, grabbing at Ember's cheeks and lips. Ember moved away instinctively, eyes wide. "Whoa there," she said, "Don't do that."

The baby frowned and looked like she was about to cry, but some instinct I never knew I had kicked in and I turned the baby towards me, smiling widely. "Don't cry, little one," I said, pulling her closer to me.

"What will you name her, Your Grace?" Phlogiston asked just then.

Turning to Phlogiston, I asked, "I get to name her?"

"You were the first being she saw," Phlogiston explained. "And you are our Emperor. Did you not adopt this child?"

I was a bit stunned by this, but when I looked down at the baby, those wide eyes full of twinkling eagerness melted my heart again. How could I not keep this child safe? "I guess…I guess I did adopt her in a sense," I said, "but I have no idea how to raise a Dragon." Turning to Phlogiston, I said, "When you and Lahar go back to the Dragon Lands, could you ask the females I saved who the mother might be? I'd like them to know that their baby hatched. If possible, I want them transported here."

Lahar, who had been standing nearby, saluted. "It shall be done, Your Grace."

"If you want, I can stay here for a little while until the mother can come here," Phlogiston said. "I helped raise the Princess alongside her mother, and if she's any example, she will be a clawful."

"I'd appreciate that, but aren't you in charge of the hatching fields?" I asked.

"I'm not the only watcher there, Your Grace," she said. "The others can keep an eye on things while I'm gone. There aren't many eggs since it isn't Dragon Hatching Season yet."

"Then I'll gladly find a place for you in my house until the mother can come," I said.

At that moment, the baby reached out and clung to my clothes, babbling incoherent nonsense as her smile slowly returned. "Bah! Gah geeh," she said innocently.

The same instinct I felt only strengthened as I automatically spread my wings and wrapped them around her, keeping her warm with them. My cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling so much. "You know," I said after a while, looking at the others with a teary eyed smile, "despite all the stuff that's happened in the past half year, the fights, the councils, all of it, this is one of the happiest moments of my life since coming here."

Celestia moved forward, looking down at the baby Dragon with a motherly expression. The baby looked up curiously at the tall Alicorn, babbling a bit. "I remember when Spike was hatched," she said, "and I remember thinking just how cute he was back then. This baby's just as cute." She reached out her hoof and smiled wider as the baby Dragon grabbed onto her golden shoes and ran her claws along them. Celestia's gaze was warm, but I noticed some sadness in there. Something barely restrained.

"Sister, I don't mean to interrupt, but it's time to raise the sun," Luna said, walking up next to Celestia.

Celestia broke out of her reverie, then cleared her throat and nodded. "Right, apologies, dear Luna."

When she pulled back her hoof, the girl made a sound of alarm, but I stroked her spines gently. "Hey, don't worry. Auntie Cellie will be right back. She and Aunt Lulu just needs to do something. Come on, let's go watch."

We all walked over to the window, where the sunlight was just beginning to light the sky. The night was almost overcast, however on the eastern horizon, I could see a glimmer of light where the clouds broke. The baby looked out at the world with wide eyes full of wonder and curiosity. Those eyes only widened when the two Princesses raised their heads and began casting their magic. The sky began to brighten faster, the night banished with the light of the sun. In my arms, the baby laughed and clapped her claws together, clearly amused and happy with what she saw.

In that moment, the perfect name came to my mind. Scales the color of sunshine gold, and spines red as the rose. And her fascination with the dawn only clinched it. "I have the perfect name for her," I said.

Having completed their morning rituals, Celestia and Luna both turned to me as did all of the others. "What name?" Ember asked, sounding a bit worried.

I smiled, held the baby girl close to my chest, then looked down at her. Holding out my finger, I let her play with it. Five words. Five words were all I had to say. And I did so with utter surety.

"Hail to the Princess Aurora."