“You got the job!!”

Ember bounded and nocked into Ash in her usual fashion seeking to rub her side against him which resulted with a clang.

“Ow… Ember… Your wearing armor” Ash groaned…

Ember winced, “Sorry Ash! I’m just super duper happy for you to get out of that dusty old school!”

She looked closer at him and grew concerned. He already looked exhausted.

“You… doing okay Ash?”

“Huh? Oh, I’m fine Ember. Just… tired…” Ash mumbled.

Concern welled up within Ember.

“You sure you want to come? There’s going to be a lot of dragons…”

There was an extended hesitation from Ash.

“Of course! We have been planning this for a while. I’m not going to let you down.”

Embers concern was dampened but not put out.

“If you say so… and if you ever get overwhelmed just let me know”

Ash looked up to her and smiled with gratitude. “I really appreciate that.”

They continued onto the site of the wedding itself.

It was a relatively large reception. The groom was very well known throughout the Rain Kingdom for pies and pasteries. As the ceremony was performed and she saw the pair clasp their claws togeather… and a length of vine was tied around one of their clasped talons and press their snouts togeather. Officiating their bond. Seeing them togeather reopened a sore wound within Ember. The massive applause and cheers from the dragons around her were drowned out in her self pity and her desire. She wanted what they had. So, so badly. She wanted someone who could truly understand her. Who she could hold and never worry about hurting or having to let go. The feeling swelled up in her chest overpowering her until she could hardly breathe. A familiar shape wrapped around her tail and even through the armor she knew who it was.

”Hey? You okay” Ash asked.

“Yup” Ember croaked through her emotions. “Just feeling lonely, but I’ll be okay as long as I got you.”

She pulled Ash closer… hugging him… wishing her wing was free to wrap around him. Finding comfort in his presence.

Afterwards was the after-ceremony party. Ember managed to get Ash to participate after a bit of convincing. He loved the food, he always had a sweet tooth and the strawberry pastries were almost infinite. Ash even started talking to some dragons! Unprompted!!! Truly unprecedented behavior from her brother. She made sure to keep tabs on Ash and when he started getting overstimulated she would take him aside if he needed a break. One time, as they waited for Ash to recover, Ash told her about how the traditional nightwing ceremony had changed over history and particularly how it was changing now. With the influence of Rainwing culture being particularly evident.

She didn't really understand, but she found it funny to hear stuff he was passionate about.

The celebration of the happy couple went on until midnight. Then everyone either went home or passed out drunk in the trees or undergrowth. As midnight approached, Ember could feel that her armor was getting difficult to move in for some reason. She just dismissed it was fatigue or the humidity at first but it was starting to become concerning.

Eventually she decided to take a second for a visual check of the armors integrity.

Ah… there's the problem…The joints were melting…

Oh F*** The armor is melting.

Panic seized Ember. As she debated on what she needed to do. She couldn’t make it to the outer edge of the forest before it melted off and started a forest fire.

She ran over to Ash, who was busy finishing off the pastries.

“Ash! ASH! The armor is melting!” She said in a panic.

“What!” Ash said through choking on a pastry, “but you said it wouldn’t even get too hot”

”I know!, I don’t know why it isn’t working as long as I thought” She replied. ”Help me take it off before the molten bits start a forest fire.

Ash tried to tug the pieces off, but with no success.“Its stuck, I can’t separate the pieces. What do we do?” His tail swung back and forth nervously.

“I can’t fly out of the canopy, my wings are trapped” Ember muttered trying not to panic. “I'm sure to set something on fire if we just walk out of here… dripping molten metal. I don’t know what to do! This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

Ember nervously paced back and forth, some droplets of molten metal were starting to head around the armor. Each one could spark a devastating fire if it hit any undergrowth.

How is it melting? I thought you said you did the math? Ash inquired.

Ember wracked her brain for anything that she could have forgotten...

"HUMIDITY! I forgot to account for the humidity" She smacked her forehead denting the softened metal.

“Wait, I have an idea! We can use the volcano! Ash exclaimed.

I bet we can use the lava to weaken the armor enough to free your wings at least. Then we can just fly directly south to the skywing kingdom! Easy peasy! Probably even faster than going North from the Rainwing kingdom.

Ember deliberated for a bit… Her options didn’t look good, and the volcano was buy-n-large the best option to avoid being permanently banned from the Rainwing kingdom for setting a forest fire.

“Ok… Let's go there” Ember concluded.

They managed to convince the nightwing guard to allow them through, and went into the tunnel… Ember had heard stories about how horribly disorienting the tunnel was but they didn’t do it justice. The impossibly smooth tunnel walls and pitch black lighting were horribly disconcerting. It felt like all the proportions of everything were off and the red hot glow from her armor didn’t help with the mood. It didn’t take that much walking to smell the sulfur in the air. The volcano was active, but not erupting right now. She could still see where half the mountain had been blown off, the sinister red glow of lava illuminating the fumes pouring into the night sky. A morbid sight to behold… She could hardly believe the nightwings had actually lived there once.

She could hear Ash breathing deeply…

“Ash… are you ok?” She asked, her voice muffled as the jaw plate had fused to the rest of the helmet at this point.

“Holy moons…” Ash muttered reverently.

“I breathe through both my nostrils”

The absurdity of what he said made Ember snort with amusement.

“Excuse me what?” She asked.

“I… I always have one that's plugged up and usually its both.. It's horrible but… this place is INCREDIBLE! Oh I feel ALIVE!!!” He exclaimed.

“It's so warm! And the smell makes me… Wow! Why did I never think to come here before! This place is literally PERFECT. Oh when winter comes I am absolutely staying here rather than freezing my tail off on the mainland!!!”

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He was bounding around with excitement. Ember hadn’t seen Ash move as much as this since they were Dragonets.

”I can imagine why you like it here. This place is just one massive oven to keep you toasty huh?”

Ash jumped over to her, “So… are we just going to wait for your armor to melt or…”

Ember snorted, “Help me find some lava to help me to get it off you lug”

They walked until they found a lava flow… which Ember dipped into until the metal was as soft as clay for Ash to peel off of Ember in chunks. They were both tired and once the slow process of stripping the semi molten metal from Embers scales was complete. Ember stretched her cramped wing thankful to be able to move and scratch herself again. Ash curled up right next to a lava flow yawning sleepily and Ember curled up next to him. Using his fluffy body like a pillow.

Ember fell asleep feeling the happiest she had been in a long, long time

----------------------------------------

Ash woke up and he felt great. The usual soreness in his back and knees was gone, and he felt wide awake.

He looked over to see that Ember was about as awake as a bear in the winter. To be fair, dawn was only just breaking. Ash looked out and saw the ruby red sunrise. Today was going to be a good day! Ash gathered up the cooled clump of mishapen armor pile of armor, which was essentially 1 solid piece and dragged all the way up and out to the entrance of the rainforest. He paid some nightwing to make sure that it was delivered back to her workshop in the skywing kingdom. He also got some fruit for breakfast of some fruits He carried it back to the volcano for to her sister to eat together.

He was able to make his way back to Ember just as she was waking up.

”Oh! There you are…” Ember breathed a sigh of relief. “Normally I have to wake you up at this hour... I was wondering where you had gone..."

Ash walked over and set down the fruit. “You don't gotta wake me up this time. I'm feeling great.” he smiled.

They both ate together and looked at the sunrise for a while while Ash filled Ember in on what he did with with her armor. .

After a while, Ash felt prompted to speak,

“Ember… Can I tell you something” Ash asked solemnly.

“I dunno Ash, can you” Ember jeered in reply.

This prompted a sharp glare. “Ember may I kill you”

That provoked a snorting laugh out of Ember which then infected Ash.

Eventually the 2 of them calmed down enough to speak again.

“Yesterday was the absolute best day of my life, Ember. I’m going to go see the latest in excavations of the ancient home of the tribe who wrote down EVERYTHING, well besides Seawings but they didn’t invent underwater ink until 2000 years after the scorching. I might even find some stuff about other dragons like us! Could you imagine?! and the party was great too!

Ash looked sheepish.

"I just wanted to say thank you for bringing me along. I'm not great at going out and doing these things myself”

Ember pulled Ash in with her wing for a hugand Ash embraced it wholeheartedly.

“Of course Ash. As your sister, it is my responicibility to make sure you don't lock yourself in a cave and never come out... and I missed doing things like this with you"

“Yeah," Ash concurred, "Thats why I’ve decided I’m going with you back to at least the skywing kingdom. Then I’ll head back to Jade mountain to finish up my contract."

Wait? You mean flying with me…. Over the ocean?! I thought you were planning on going throught the mainland?

There wouldn't be anything but water below us. You won’t be able to rest.” Ember said concernedly.

“It will be fine! Look! The sky is clear and the sun is out. There isn’t a better time to fly and besides, you shouldn’t go alone…” Ash reasoned,

“And frankly if I don’t burn off all this energy I feel like I’m going to explode.” He bounced around wanting to show Ember he felt energized.

“Ok, but this was your idea if you get tired and start complaining.” Ember replied.

After they finished and disposed of the food waste and got ready for a long flight, they took off.

Ember was impressed with Ash being able to fully keep pace with her. They raced and flew for hours.

Until a horrid sound split the sky.

Thunder.

Clouds, dark with malevolent intent, slowly barreled towards them. A slow but constant pace.

The sea below them grew troubled, and Ash and Ember were forced to fly at a lower altitude to avoid the worst of the winds. Dangerously close to the angry sea. They were beyond the halfway point to the coast. They couldn't go back. So they pressed forward. Soon it began to rain… at first a trickle but then a flood poured down from the heavens. Soon Ash was stripped of his coat by the cruel winds and the violent rains. He quickly ran out of coal in his pouch, which was half full at the beginning of the journey. He wouldn't be able to generate his own body heat anymore.

Ember was scared, but Ash was determined. He knew he could make it. He told Ember that he was okay every time she asked Ash if she needed to carry him... but soon they couldn’t stick together though the winds, they were unpredictable and malicious and seemed to actively try to keep them apart. Ash no longer had his sister's warmth, but once they were on the other side they would be together again and she can wrap herself around him to Dry and warm him.

It started slowly, the cold insidiously creeping in through his scales.

The rain and the wind assaulted his scales, stealing away his precious fluff or soaking it making it useless, but it wasn’t as bad as he imagined… he could make it.

His arms and wings grew numb, but he could still push forward against the air. He didn’t care to wipe the blood coughed up from his mouth and nose anymore. He needed every scrap of energy and the rain washed it off of his face anyways.

He could see it now! The coast! It was distant but it was there! He was going to make it! He imagined how he and Ember would talk about this adventure for years. How they survived a freak thunderstorm while crossing the sea between the volcano and the Sky kingdom.. He felt quite warm now, he didn’t even feel cold. The chill was gone.

He was just very... tired… He could hardly keep his eyes open. Maybe once they got to the shore Ash could sleep for a bit. He was having trouble staying awake.

Ember was yelling about something, he… couldn’t make sense of the words. They sounded like gibberish. Why was she so worried? He was fine! She was pointing? Where? The water?

He knew where the ocean was.. His sister was so silly.

He gave her a smile of reasurance... but... why was she screaming?

Whoa… That’s a big wave

Lucidity crashed into him as hard as the wave. The water pulled maliciously on him and he went under. Ash panicked and tried to force his legs to push himself forward, but they wouldn’t move, the way he wanted. They quickly grew stiff.

This is just like the fountain… Ember will save me... just like last time

But the water above him grew darker and darker, until he saw nothing but black.

He slowly floated up, until he broke the surface…

It was dark, nothing but stars in the sky. The water below him had become strangely solid. He tried to struggle to his feet. He felt strangely light but it was hard to move. It was as if the air was syrup. There was some sort of pale collection of rocks pale lodged into the ground. The only landmark other than the blinding pillar. He tried to push himself towards it.

His steps felt strange... like he was pulled more than he pushed against the ground. He saw the pale rocks were like a dragon skeleton.. or what was left of one. Some sort of Dark fluid leaked morbidly from the eye sockets. He felt a chill run down his spine.

It was cold… Very, very cold. There was no warmth, none at all... He needed Ember.

“Hello?” He shouted out into the darkness.

“Help!” The sound felt hollow. And it carried no echo.

“Anybody?” Ash whimpered, growing more and more terrified at where he found himself.

"Ember?" He finally whispered... realizing he was alone. His sister was nowhere to be seen.

A slow creaking began behind him,

The skeleton was moving.

It hauled itself off of the dark water, seeming to struggle under its own weight. It wasn’t much bigger than Ember though but it sounded like it could barely stand. Its bones were cracked, dark tendrils of flame wrapped themselves around the cracks of the charred bones. It didn’t even bother to lift their back legs. Only holding themselves up by their forelimbs.

A bright shining orb of… Fire? Light? Whatever it was it resided within its chest, and its eyes glowed a brilliant cyan blue. Its jawbone hung limply agape and did not move.

“Wuh... WHAT ARE YOU!” Ash screamed at the monster.

A small, still voice spoke its reply hardly a whisper. Its jaw was unmoving.

"I was once known as Pitch."

Ash stammered still trying to process how a skeleton was moving on its own.

“W-where am I?!” He asked... scared to know the answer.

The jawbone snapped shut, making the skull look like it was grinning.

You, my friend, are dead... just like me.