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The Best Laid Plans
May. 8th, 2016 11:43 pmI had everything planned out. I had a selection of teas and my best tea service was on the table in the small reception hall, along with some delicious custards ordered for the occasion from Sugar Cube Corner. Spike had left to spend the day helping Rarity, I had mapped out a route for our walking tour of the castle, with another tea service and cookies waiting for us at the last stop, in the library. Then something came up. Rarity rushed in on us just as we had started tea, an oddly glowing Spike right behind her. Long story short, Spike was getting summoned to the Dragon Lands by the Dragon Lord.
This was the first time I'd heard of a Dragon Lord, let alone of any dragon getting summoned anywhere. The summoning looked hard to ignore. Spike was scratching like he had a bad case of hives but he was worried about answering this summons alone. Rarity was worried about Spike's safety as well, so when Spike asked us if we could go with him, we both agreed. I just had to find out what this was all about, and we both wanted to give Spike whatever protection we could. That meant the morning tea, tour and the chat with the princesses was cut short. I proposed we try again later, perhaps a dinner. Spike's summoning couldn't wait.
Since we were pretty sure that ponies attending this summoning would not be well received, Rarity and I wore camouflage. We went disguised as a rock. That worked pretty well. When we got to the Dragon Lands, we found out that several dozen small dragons had also turned up. Apart from the Dragon Lord, there were no full sized dragons. Either full sized dragons can shrug off a summoning, or they weren't summoned at all. Probably the latter. This summoning was to select a new Dragon Lord, and apparently a Dragon Lord remains a Dragon Lord for a very long time. Thus the importance that the candidates be young dragons. Spike was probably the youngest dragon to get called. At least he was the smallest.
The selection process consisted of a race through an obstacle course and maze to find the Bloodstone Scepter, and thus become the new Dragon Lord. Simple but dangerous.
Once that was announced, the summoning spell was cancelled and Spike stopped glowing. He was going leave the competition and go back to Equestria, but we overheard quite a bit of anti-pony sentiment from the other candidates and Spike decided he was going to go for the crown after all, to protect Equestria. That's easier said than done.
Fortunately for Spike, he got lucky and convinced another dragon to team up with him. This dragon, named Ember, didn't have a strong anti-pony bias, which was lucky for us too when she found out we were tailing Spike. Together the two of them out-flew, out-dodged and outsmarted all the other competitors and thus Spike convinced her that friendship is beneficial, not a hindrance. Spike ended up being the first dragon to reach the Bloodstone Scepter.
Since Spike didn't really want to be the Dragon Lord, he passed the scepter to Ember, allowing her to be confirmed as Dragon Lord. No dragons complained about that. Spike told her that he felt she, as Dragon Lord, would protect Equestria, and I agree. Dragon Lord Ember even agreed to answer questions about dragon culture that I plan on mailing to her. We've opened diplomatic ties with the Dragon Lord herself!
This was the first time I'd heard of a Dragon Lord, let alone of any dragon getting summoned anywhere. The summoning looked hard to ignore. Spike was scratching like he had a bad case of hives but he was worried about answering this summons alone. Rarity was worried about Spike's safety as well, so when Spike asked us if we could go with him, we both agreed. I just had to find out what this was all about, and we both wanted to give Spike whatever protection we could. That meant the morning tea, tour and the chat with the princesses was cut short. I proposed we try again later, perhaps a dinner. Spike's summoning couldn't wait.
Since we were pretty sure that ponies attending this summoning would not be well received, Rarity and I wore camouflage. We went disguised as a rock. That worked pretty well. When we got to the Dragon Lands, we found out that several dozen small dragons had also turned up. Apart from the Dragon Lord, there were no full sized dragons. Either full sized dragons can shrug off a summoning, or they weren't summoned at all. Probably the latter. This summoning was to select a new Dragon Lord, and apparently a Dragon Lord remains a Dragon Lord for a very long time. Thus the importance that the candidates be young dragons. Spike was probably the youngest dragon to get called. At least he was the smallest.
The selection process consisted of a race through an obstacle course and maze to find the Bloodstone Scepter, and thus become the new Dragon Lord. Simple but dangerous.
Once that was announced, the summoning spell was cancelled and Spike stopped glowing. He was going leave the competition and go back to Equestria, but we overheard quite a bit of anti-pony sentiment from the other candidates and Spike decided he was going to go for the crown after all, to protect Equestria. That's easier said than done.
Fortunately for Spike, he got lucky and convinced another dragon to team up with him. This dragon, named Ember, didn't have a strong anti-pony bias, which was lucky for us too when she found out we were tailing Spike. Together the two of them out-flew, out-dodged and outsmarted all the other competitors and thus Spike convinced her that friendship is beneficial, not a hindrance. Spike ended up being the first dragon to reach the Bloodstone Scepter.
Since Spike didn't really want to be the Dragon Lord, he passed the scepter to Ember, allowing her to be confirmed as Dragon Lord. No dragons complained about that. Spike told her that he felt she, as Dragon Lord, would protect Equestria, and I agree. Dragon Lord Ember even agreed to answer questions about dragon culture that I plan on mailing to her. We've opened diplomatic ties with the Dragon Lord herself!
