As Celestia and I left the infirmary and headed down the hall towards the front entrance to the castle, I realized something: I'd forgotten about an important detail. Where was Fuego? In all the excitement, I kicked myself for forgetting such an important part of the Fae plot. When Celestia and I reached one of the main halls, I spotted a few Fae tending to other fallen comrades, so I stepped aside and approached them. One of them, a Fae with long very dark red hair and a night sky blue chitin, saw me and winced when I strode over with purpose. "You. What's your name?" I asked.

"M-Maxilla, sir," the female Fae said nervously.

I took a deep breath to calm down, then said in a calmer tone, "Miss Maxilla, do you or anyone else here know where the Dragon Fuego is?"

Maxilla nodded. "Our queen drained him of all his love and locked him in some caves near the castle," she said a bit shakily.

"Can you lead some of our guards there to retrieve him?" I asked, "because we're going to need him soon."

"Of course," she squeaked.

I turned and pointed to two nearby Lunar guards. "You two, come over here," I commanded. They were by my side in an instant, saluting. "What are your names?"

"Privates Midnight Dusk and Akai Eventide, sir," one of them, a dark crimson Pegasus stallion with a purple mane and tail said in greeting. His accent sounded somewhat Asiatic, so I guessed his name was Akai.

I pointed to Maxilla. "Privates Dusk and Eventide, this Fae here is going to lead you to a Dragon traitor. I want you to retrieve him and place him in the castle dungeon, but as far away from Chrysalis' cell as possible. You are then to keep a watch on him."

The other soldier, a dark blue Unicorn mare with white spots on her fur as well as a slightly golden white mane and tail, saluted. "At once, sir!"

"Use caution," I said. "These Dragons are not to be underestimated. Use your best judgement. Try not to use lethal force unless absolutely necessary, got it?"

Both nodded, looking a bit uneasy at the mention of lethal force for a brief moment before their professional manner returned. "Yes sir!" they said simultaneously.

"Good. Now, dismissed!"

As Maxilla led them away, Gemini and Mica both came up to me. Gemini saluted, and for the first time I thought I saw just a modicum of respect in her eyes. Mica saluted as well. "Jethro, what should we do now?" she asked.

I looked at them carefully. They both looked tired, but still determined. "You two should try and get some sleep," I said, "you've both been a great help already-"

"Fuck that shit," Mica said, startling me and Gemini both. I'd never once heard him swear before, but the look in his eyes told me all I needed to. "You look like you're about to go to war again. What's going on, sir?"

I sighed. "Fine…follow us. We're about to confront the Dragon Lord and his invading army and try and talk them down. Your presence might just help dissuade them."

Gemini and Mica saluted, then flanked me protectively as we all headed down the hall. I rejoined Celestia, who had been watching the exchange with a somewhat surprised expression. When we continued walking, she said, "And you think you're not a good leader."

"I don't quite think I'm up to your level," I admitted.

"I didn't see any hesitation in your eyes or sense anything like it in your tone," Celestia said.

I moved away from my bodyguards, leaned in and whispered so only she could hear, "Bravado and acting. I'm not as respected as you are yet, but if you want respect, give respect. That's why I ask for names now."

"A wise precaution," Celestia said, putting a warm wing on my back. "I'll make a prince out of you, yet."

I decided to try and tease her to ease some of her own rising tension, and mine. "Why, Princess, was that a proposal? How scandalous!" I put a hand to my forehead. "Imagine the scandal! The horror, the horror!" I pretended to faint like the three flower mares I'd seen in the show and in real life.

The four Pegasi guards around us and Mica could only chuckle a bit as a blush appeared on Celestia's cheeks before she smirked. Gemini just rolled her eyes and snorted derisively as Celestia said, "Don't go pushing your luck, my knight."

I switched to Middle Ponish. "I never knew that was your kink." As soon as the words escaped my mouth, I facepalmed. "I've been hanging out with Scarlet way too long if she's beginning to influence me like this."

Celestia could only giggle as she said, "By Harmony, how much in heat are you?"

"Oh God…" I spread my wings and covered myself up in embarrassment as she, Mica and her guards, who probably didn't understand the words but could hear the teasing, all chuckled. "Not you too."

She tittered and pulled me closer, whispering, "You've been a bad influence on me, my knight. Take responsibility."

I stopped, spread my wings wide and bowed low. "As you command, my Liege Lady."

She smiled for a bit, then her expression became serious. "But another time. We have work to do."

I joined her side again. "I can take care of this, Princess," I said. "You've only just recovered."

"So have you," she said. "And you died."

"…Touché," I said, "but you still look exhausted. Are you sure you're up to this?"

She stood straighter, almost proudly once again. "I do not wish for this Hearth's Warming season to be marred by a war," she said. "It's my duty as the Princess of Equestria to attempt negotiations."

"I really hope it goes well," I said as I reached out and opened the front gates with my magic and the two of us stepped out into the early morning air. I turned to Gemini and Mica. "We're about to fly. Can you keep up with us as we go through the Everfree?"

Celestia lowered herself. "One of you can sit on my back if you wish," she began.

However, one of the Pegasi guards stepped forward. "Your Highness, I can't allow that. Let two of us handle it."

Celestia slowly stood back up, then nodded. "Very well."

Mica approached the Pegasus guard, looking sheepishly at him. "Sorry about this, sir," he said apologetically.

The guard looked a bit surprised at the apology, but smiled slightly. "Don't worry about it. I've carried heavier."

As Mica climbed carefully onto the Pegasus' back, Gemini scowled and shook her head. "Yeah…I'm not about to let myself be carried around by a bunch of prancing Pegasi."

I spread my wings behind me. "Then you'll have to do with me. Grab a hold."

Sighing, Gemini approached, then wrapped her arms around me from behind. I was a bit surprised at how warm she actually was despite the weather, but put that to the back of my mind as I turned back to her. "Legs too. I don't want you falling."

She groaned, but wrapped her legs around me. "I used to command a large guard…now I'm reduced to hanging onto somewolf's back like some stupid pup," I heard her grumble in Lycan.

"I feel safer with you around," I confessed to her back in Lycan. "You and Mica. You both can defeat me easily still."

Gemini frowned. "Almost forgot you speak our language. And don't tell anyone else this, but…you're becoming harder to beat."

"Well…I appreciate the sentiment, but now's not the time." I turned back to Mica. "Hold on tight, because we're about to become airborne!" And with that, Celestia, myself, and the guards all launched ourselves into the air.

Now, I'd always known that Rainbow Dash was a fast mare, that was never in doubt. Just seeing her Sonic Rainboom episode and seeing it in real life had been enough for me. However, when Celestia and I flew out into the early morning air and I saw her and the weather team busily stamping on clouds to create rain to douse the Everfree fire, which had gotten worse since I last saw it, I was impressed. I saw many different Pegasi working tirelessly to create rain and drag in clouds.

As Celestia, myself, and four Pegasi guards flew past them, Rainbow and Fluttershy, who were both in the midst of the fray, spotted me and both flew up to us. Rainbow saluted. "I got as many as I could, Jethro," she said. "But I don't know if it'll be enough."

"Alright, just do your best," I said before turning to Celestia. "Celestia, you can hear the animals down there like I can, right?"

Celestia nodded, a pained expression on her face. Turning to Rainbow, she said, "Go back into the castle and gather a few of my Unicorn guards. Tell them they're to go through the forest and evacuate as many of the animals to the castle as possible."

"On it!" Rainbow said, turning to the castle and zooming down.

Turning to Fluttershy next, Celestia added, "You'll be in charge of directing the guards, since you know better than most and can hear them."

Fluttershy looked slightly nervous, but nodded and, to my surprise, brought her hoof to her chest in a soldier's salute. "Yes, your highness."

"The castle has a massive unused stable," I added. "Far west corner, two massive double doors. It's bare right now, but it can be used as a shelter for the animals until we can get this fire situation sorted. Lead them there, okay?"

She saluted to me once more. "Understood."

"And be careful," I said. "Smoke inhalation is a dangerous thing."

She held up a damp cloth. "I'll be careful," she said before approaching me. "And you'd better be careful, too. You still owe me a date, after all." She grabbed me, planted a rather powerful kiss on my lips, then pulled away blushing before tying the damp cloth around her muzzle before she flew back down towards the fire.

I rejoined Celestia and her guards and we resumed flying towards. After a few seconds, Celestia asked, "A date with Fluttershy?"

"I'm giving the herd thing a chance," I said.

She nodded and smiled. "Does that include my sister?"

"Oh definitely," I said.

Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Wow, no hesitation. Impressive."

"Hey, I just came back from the dead," I said, "and that tends to leave a lasting impression on someone."

"I'm surprised you're not having a meltdown," Celestia said.

"I'll have one later," I said, waving my hand dismissively.

From out of nowhere, Philomena appeared on Celestia's left and Eve appeared on my right. Philomena said, "The effects of a Rebirth will last for a while. And by that I mean the mental fortitude."

"And the wings and understanding the animals part?" I asked.

Philomena smiled a bit. "Those? Those are permanent. And the same with my friend here," she said, indicating Celestia.

"Yay! Now I can talk to you all I want!" Eve said from beside me, looking really happy now.

"How the hell can I understand animals now, anyway?" I asked.

"All animals speak Phoenix," Eve said in an authoritative and matter-of-fact tone. "We taught them thousands of years ago!"

"What's this 'we' you speak of, my young daughter?" Philomena asked with a smug grin.

Eve looked a bit chagrined. "Sorry, mom."

"As fascinating as this is, we need to focus on the task at hand," I said, pointing ahead.

We turned and saw a massive Dragon approaching us. In the dark, it was hard to tell who it was, but if I had to guess, it was the Dragon Lord himself. Besides him I saw a dragon flying in front, but faced away from us and making frantic gestures with their claws. Behind the massive Dragon the night sky was covered with darkened figures, all Dragons, and all following Torch.

Philomena turned to me. "Friend, listen to me carefully. You have not only the wings of a Pony Princess, but the wings of a Phoenix. Dragons respect us even if we can't communicate like you and I can."

"And our wings can do some pretty cool stuff!" Eve said, spreading her wings which burst into flames, staying that way for a few seconds before returning to normal.

I looked back at my wings briefly, only to see the normal Phoenix flames briefly bursting forth from them every few flaps. I turned back and faced the Dragons. "If things go well here, I'd love to learn that little trick."

"We're almost near them," Celestia said. "Be on your guard."

I cleared my throat, letting the smile drop from my face as I became serious. When the smaller Dragon in front of Torch saw us, they waved frantically, speeding towards us. When they reached us, I saw it was Ember, only now she was dressed in some familiar fierce looking armor. Without any preamble, she said, "I told Dad everything about what happened, and he's pissed. He's gonna demand Chrysalis' head. And Fuego's."

"We will…discuss that," Celestia said.

I looked at Ember, nodding at her. "Nice armor. Looks good on you."

She frowned at me, but didn't comment. "And he'll probably demand something along the lines of an arranged marriage between me and…you," she said, shuddering.

"Again, we'll discuss that," I added. "Is he open to talking?"

"He seems a bit calmer than he did before," Ember said, "but I don't know."

"We'll be cautious," Celestia said.

Then, a few seconds later we were all hovering in front of the Dragon Lord himself. To say Torch was an imposing Dragon would be an understatement. His little pinkie finger could more than likely squash Celestia in one fell swoop. His wings, whenever they moved, created a hot and dry wind that blew against the trees below. His fiery orange eyes glowered down at us, silently judging the Ponies and human in front of him. On his head, I saw a large crystal crown which glowed a fiery red which illuminated his face. He wore dark chest and shoulder armor and in his front claw I saw a dangerous looking spear made out of the same glowing red crystal which illuminated the rest of him. He looked at the guards, then Celestia, then his eyes locked onto me. Lowering his face to look closer, I could smell the meat on his breath as he looked me up and down. "So," his deep and gravelly voice said with what sounded like disdain, "this is the so-called human that we saw Eris display. What is your name, weakling?!" he demanded.

I spread my wings wide, allowing the flames to burst from them. "I am Jethro Bethridge, Lord Torch," I said, using the most respectful tone I could muster.

"Respectful, and you properly addressed me. Good. Maybe these Ponies haven't been a poor influence on you yet." He looked me up and down again, then looked over at Celestia. "So…he is the being you would choose as a Knight of your kingdom, Princess?"

Celestia spread her own wings as well, letting a burst of flames spread from them too. "He is," she said.

He looked between me and her for a bit, before throwing his head back and roaring in laughter. "What a weak looking male!"

"Dad! He managed to defeat the Scalechanger leader! And he and Princess Celestia are both friends of the Phoenixes!" Ember said in a surprising attempt to defend me, although I immediately realized she was saying this more to keep a war from breaking out.

Torch looked me over with renewed interest, finally looking at my wings. A good few seconds later, he looked at the Phoenixes who were with us. "I haven't seen anycreature who has been granted the Phoenix Blessing in many generations," he said. "Very well! My daughter informs me you wish to talk and to invite me to this Council of Equestria? Then we will talk. But here and now." He pointed to a small clearing in the forest below. "I will speak with you, Princess Celestia and Jethro the human. Alone."

He turned to glare at his daughter, but she flew up to him. "No way, Dad! I'm coming too!"

"Oh no, you're not!" Torch yelled, "This is a discussion between leaders!"

"Dad, you know what Mom said about your temper!" Ember said.

Torch stiffened. "Don't bring her up again!" he bellowed.

"You know I'm right," Ember shouted back defiantly. "Besides, I know you're going to discuss that stupid betrothal idea of yours!"

I looked at Celestia, who gave me a sideways look, then shook her head before she turned back to Torch. "We won't mind if she's included in these talks," she said.

Torch growled angrily, but finally nodded. "Oh…alright! But you will be silent, Ember!"

Ember didn't respond, but joined me as Torch and Celestia flew on ahead towards the clearing after I handed Gemini over to one of the other Pegasi guards. Afterwards, I flew up and joined Ember. "You know, you're a lot smarter than that other Dragon I met a few months ago," I said. "That guy was a boulderhead."

Ember scoffed. "I'm smarter than most of the Dragons in the Dragon Lands anyway," she said dismissively.

"From what I've seen of you on the show, I can wholeheartedly agree," I said.

She turned on me, looking at me curiously. "So…Eris wasn't lying about that either, huh? Equestria is really just some children's entertainment where you're from?"

"That's the short version of it, yes," I said. "If the Fae hadn't tricked you into not showing up, you'd have been there when I explained, but I'll tell you about it later."

"So…I showed up?" she asked uncertainly.

"A few times, yeah," I replied. "I admired how you stood up to your father in the show, and I admired how you did it now. You're a Dragon I can definitely respect."

"Yeah, well don't count on getting it back," she scoffed. "Dragons don't do friends."

"Who said anything about friends?" I asked. "I know you guys don't do that, but there's nothing that says we can't be something else. And no, I don't mean married. I mean allies."

Ember frowned a bit, then sighed and nodded. "Yeah…let's hope that Dad can be convinced."

When we landed, I folded my wings and walked over to stand next to Celestia, who sat on the ground. I put my hands behind my back and faced the Dragon Lord and his daughter who sat opposite us. Torch grabbed a nearby tree, crushed it in his claw, then set it down on the ground before breathing a large burst of fire onto it, catching it ablaze and illuminating the glade surrounding us. With a mighty crash, he sat on the ground, causing a few trees behind him to fall as his tail fell over them. Ember stood as well, almost mirroring my own stance. We all looked at each other, myself standing straighter to hide my nervousness.

Torch looked down at Celestia, then finally cleared his throat. "You want to talk, Pony Princess? Very well. My daughter told me that the Scalechangers have invaded your lands and wanted to start a war against us."

"That is what my Knight here reported to me," she said. "I was, unfortunately, taken by their queen and drained of almost all the love I had."

"Almost all?" Torch looked unconvinced. "I know Scalechangers, Princess, and they would never leave any love within their victims."

"Well…I've kept that particular love hidden, even from myself," Celestia admitted, and I was a bit confused to see a small blush form on her neutral face. "But if you want more of a report, I suggest you ask my Knight. He was the one who led the counterstrike."

Torch turned sharply to me, looking at me. "You? You lead a strike against the Scalechangers?"

I nodded. "With your daughter and my friends by my side, yes," I said. "She was instrumental in helping us defeat them."

Torch looked down at Ember with renewed interest. "Did she now? And just how did she come to be in Equestria in the first place?"

"I used my magic to teleport her here when I realized we had an imposter," I replied. "I needed proof that the Fae impersonating your daughter was fake. But then again, she was doing a piss poor job of it."

"And how did she fool you for so long?" Torch asked suspiciously.

"Dad! You know how they can trick minds," Ember blurted out.

"I said to be quiet!" Torch shouted before turning back to me. "But she is right. Scalechangers are able to partially hypnotize their victims into blindly accepting what they see."

I rubbed the bridge of my nose. "Yeah…I can see that."

"Now tell me what happened," Torch demanded loudly. "And leave out nothing!"

And so I told him. I went into as much detail as I had with Celestia, telling him about the attempt to rescue Celestia, how I did it (which elicited another blush from the Solar Princess), the confrontation between the Fae and the Ponies, my fight with Chrysalis and how we eventually won. When I mentioned Fuego's name, however, Torch's expression darkened. "That traitor! He would join forces with Scalechangers, of all creatures?! That murderer! I'll have his head and the head of the Queen!"

"We will gladly hand Fuego over to you," Celestia said, "but as for the Queen, I'm afraid I cannot allow her extradition to your lands. She attacked on our soil and will face Equestrian justice."

"And what about these so-called reformed Scalechangers?" Torch growled. "Are they going to be as unpunished as their Queen? You Ponies are soft!"

"Would you rather we put them on a spit and slowly roast them alive, their insides boiling until their innards coat the ground around them with their putrid green blood and guts?" I asked nonchalantly.

Celestia looked absolutely sick at the image I depicted while Ember and Torch both looked at me in stunned silence. Torch glared at me after a few moments. "Hmm…maybe you're not as soft as you look."

"They will not go unpunished for their crimes against Equestria, I can assure you of that," Celestia said after recovering.

"I couldn't care less about the Scalechanger drones," Torch said, waving a claw dismissively. "They don't have a mind of their own anyway. But I insist on that Queen being turned over to me!"

Shit, here we go, I thought as I straightened more, body tensing up. Celestia, to her credit, remained calm as she kept her gaze on Torch. "May I ask why?" she asked.

"Her kind invaded our lands centuries ago and tried to wipe us out!" Torch growled angrily, "and as long as one of her type exists they'll try again! Turn her over to us. That's not something we can negotiate."

"She's in no position to be moved anywhere," Celestia said calmly. "She was nearly killed in the battle and if she's transported, she'll most likely die in transit."

"Not. My. Problem," Torch said callously. "She's a danger to everydragon and needs to be dealt with! She might have attacked your kingdom, but she was our enemy first!"

"Dad, please calm down!" Ember said.

Torch glared at his daughter, then, to my horror, he quickly reached down and backhanded her away like she was nothing. She was sent sprawling, and finally impacted one of the trees, sliding down in a daze. "I said…be silent my wayward daughter!"

Without even thinking, I rushed over to her side. Ember was spitting up crimson colored blood when I reached her. I carefully lifted her up. "Hang on, I've got you," I said reassuringly.

Ember tried to push me away, glaring up at me. "I'll be fine!" she hissed. "It happens all the time!"

I looked horrified at the notion, then glared up at Torch, but held back my anger. Torch, meanwhile, was ignoring me as he looked back down at Celestia. "I assume I've made my point clear, Pony?"

Celestia, who looked twice as shocked as I felt, quickly cleared her throat and turned back to face Torch, regaining her neutral expression. "Chrysalis attacked on Equestrian soil, so she is our responsibility," she said stoically. "We'll gladly give you Fuego, but we won't be giving up the Changeling Queen."

"I know you Ponies won't punish her as she deserves!" Torch growled. "You're too soft hearted!"

Celestia's eyes twitched a bit, but that was all the reaction I saw. I lifted Ember up bridal style and carried her back to our side of the fire. I wanted to shout at Torch for hurting his daughter, but I bit my tongue to keep from ruining any of these negotiations. Ember looked embarrassed, glaring up at me, but I looked back down at her. "Are you hurt anywhere?" I asked softly as I placed her down against a tree.

"Why does it matter to you?" she asked.

"Because I'm worried," I asked. "You're coughing blood, for Christ's sake! You could have a punctured lung or something!"

She waved a claw dismissively. "Us Dragons are tougher than that. I'll be fine in a few days."

I frowned. "I don't care. I'm concerned about your wellbeing."

"Because I'm royalty, right?" she said dismissively.

I gaped at her. "Because you're a living, breathing being," I said quickly. "I'd be worried even if you were some random Dragon, Pony, or Lycan! You just got smacked by your father! That's not okay!"

"What do you know about Dragons, huh?" Ember asked, almost sounding defensive now.

"Not much, but I do know about what makes a good parent," I retorted angrily, "and that wasn't it!"

She stared at me, stunned by my words. She tilted her head at me curiously, then finally said, "You humans are a weird bunch, aren't you?"

"That's one way of putting it," I said.

I turned back to where Celestia and Torch were still talking. Torch looked more and more angry now while Celestia kept her cool. Torch was saying something, and I caught the bare end of it. "…needs to be properly punished for her crimes!"

"And she will be," Celestia said as calmly as she could, "but under our laws. She did invade our kingdom."

"Anything less than the death penalty will be unacceptable!" Torch bellowed angrily.

"What would it take for you to accept us punishing Chrysalis?" Celestia asked.

Torch shook his head. "There's nothing you could offer me, Pony. Not even if you were to challenge me to a Volrif'nel and won!"

I closed my eyes, trying to find the section of my brain that could understand a Dragon's official language. Words and letters flowed into my mind's eye, as did a certain phrase. I slowly opened my eyes and frowned at the translation I received. The Fire Nation would be proud. I looked up at Torch and said, "Why, because we can't do a Fire Fight?"

He turned to me, raising an eyebrow. "And how do you know what a Volrif'nel is, human?"

Mentally, I switched to Old Draconic. "I know the Language of the Ancestors," I said. I spread my wings which burst immediately into hot yellow flames. "And who says I can't participate in a Fire Fight. Me or my Princess? You forget, we have the blessings of the Phoenixes."

Torch looked at me with an astonished expression, but he wasn't the only one. Celestia's eyes were also wide, as were Ember's. Torch lowered himself down towards me, frowning. "I have been around for many centuries, and I never thought I would hear the language of the Dragons spoken ever again. Not even I can speak it fluently, and I'm the oldest among us."

I crossed my arms. "How is this relevant? So I speak the Language of the Ancestors, so what?"

Torch's anger began to vanish, and he leaned back, thinking apparently. Something told me I wouldn't like what he was about to say. Finally, he looked back down at me. "You don't want war with us mighty Dragons, correct?"

"Correct," I said.

"Well, since you're the only being who can fluently speak our old language, I have a proposition for you," he said with a worrying grin. However, before I could ask, he added, "Have you ever heard of the Ruins of Dormog?"