In the Light Kingdom, Spike was walking with his marefriend, Sweetie Belle, who had come with her sister and niece to visit their friends. He was showing the Sweetie Belle the sighs, while talking about recent events, because, due to their respective work, they didn't have as much time for each other as they expected. They then reached the Golden Waterfall.
"Wow, this is beautiful!" Sweetie exclaimed, watching the waterfall. "I never thought I'd see a golden waterfall."
"Yes, it's very unique" Spike said. "This is where Star completed a phase of one of his spells."
"It is also a good place to be with the one we love" Sweetie Belle added in a sleek way.
Realizing what she meant, Spike smiled and said:
"Indeed."
The two prepared to kiss when a bright light hit Sweetie Belle’s eyes.
"Spike, your light is blinding me!"
"That’s not me!" he replied, while he saw his own body releasing more light than anything else in the Light Kingdom. "I don't know what's going on."
At that time, in addition to his brighter than usual scales, an immense itch struck him, forcing him to scratch as much as he could.
"But whatever it is, it's giving me a lot of itching!"
"Maybe we should go to Twilight" Sweetie Belle said. "She must know what's going on."
Spike agreed and the two started heading to the Castle.
In the castle, Twilight was having tea with Rarity in the dining room.
"I’m glad you could make it, Rarity" Twilight said. "You don't know how good is sharing a good time with a good friend. Furthermore, the twins are quite happy to be able to play with Silver Wind."
"Now, Twilight, darling, I could never miss an opportunity to visit you and the Light Kingdom” Rarity replied, while taking little swallows of tea.
"Tell me, how are our friends?" Twilight asked. "What news do you bring from Ponyville?"
"Well, where do I start?" Rarity asked, looking thoughtful. "There are so many things... For example, Fluttershy is elated to have Moonlight back."
"Yes, I was quite happy when I heard the news" Twilight said. "And even more to know that it was Star who brought her back. I'm very proud of my son."
"Any mother would be, darling" Rarity said. "And Star is a sweet. By the way, you should see what Pinkie Pie did for the party she hosted to celebrate Moonlight’s return."
"Knowing Pinkie Pie as we know her, I bet it must have been something that nopony would ever think about."
"You're absolutely right. You won't believe it. Pinkie Pie…”
But before Rarity could say anything else, the dining room doors opened at burst and Spike and Sweetie Belle entered, with the latter saying:
"Twilight, we need your help!"
"Sweetie Belle, it is rude to get in that way and interrupting our conversation" Rarity scolded her younger sister.
"Sorry, Rarity, but this is an emergency!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "It's Spike!"
She motioned to the teenage Dragon who couldn't stop scratching, while her light was still quite strong.
"Spike, what's wrong with you?" Twilight asked, while she and Rarity approached.
"I don't know!" he exclaimed, as he itched like crazy. "This just came up. My light has become stronger and my scales have become... burning."
"I'm sure there's something wrong with him" Rarity said. "Twilight, you have to find out what it is."
"I know, but my knowledge on dragon biology is very limited" Twilight said. "But I know a pony that can help us."
They went to the throne room where Twilight called Mirror Coat. After he observed Spike, Twilight asked:
"So, Mirror Coat, what's wrong with him?"
“You don’t have to worry about this” Mirror Coat answered. “Although little is known by ponies about the dragon culture, this is a phenomenon that is easily identified. It is the call of the Dragon Lord.
“The Dragon Lord?” Twilight asked. “Like the Dragon King?”
“But I thought that, inside of his cage in Tartarus, the Dragon King cannot reach the dragons” Rarity said.
“When I say the Dragon Lord, I’m not referring to the Dragon King” Mirror Coat said. “In the dragon culture, the Dragon Lord acts as the second-in-command to the Dragon King. Basically, he or she is the one that rule over dragons in the absence of their king and deals with more insignificant issues regarding their kind. This Dragon Lord is the one that took control over dragons when we imprisoned the Dragon King.”
“Impressive!” Twilight said. “I didn’t know that dragons had some kind of hierarchy beyond having a king. That is fascinating!”
“Twilight, I believe we have a situation on our hooves” Sweetie Belle said, motioning to Spike.
“Oh, right…” she replied, blushing a little bit.
“That is great and all that, but… how do I make it stop?!” Spike asked, while scratching.
“The only way to end the summons is to answer it” Mirror Coat replied. “You must journey to the Dragon Lands and see what is expected of you.”
“B-B-But the Dragon Lands are full of… dragons!” Rarity exclaimed. “And they’re ghastly creatures!”
That made everypony look at her and Rarity who, realizing that she was also including Spike in that category, said to him:
“Not you, of course, Spikey-wikey. But remember that rotten Garble?”
Garble was a teenage dragon that, when Spike migrated once with the other dragons, made him pass a hard time due to having been raise by ponies.
“How could I forget?” he said. “He would have burn us to a crisp if you weren’t there.”
“Yes, Spike, but that was before” Sweetie Belle said. “Now you’re also a teenage dragon like him. That may put you as equals.”
“Dragons do in fact age slower than ponies” Mirror Coat said. “But years have passed since the last time you saw that Garble. He may have grown a little bit.”
“If you want, Spike, we can go with you to the Dragon Lands” Twilight said. “Oh, that would be like a dream come true! Finally, I’ll be able to see with my own eyes how the dragon culture works. I may even write an article about a first-pony experience. This could be my chance to make a great contribution to the knowledge of the ponykind!”
She then noticed the others looking to her in the same way they did to Rarity before and Twilight said, awkwardly:
“And be there for you, Spike, of course.”
“I don’t think that is a good idea, Your Highness” Mirror Coat said. “The Dragon Lands are particularly dangerous for ponies. Beyond the fact dragons don’t hold ponies in great regard after what happened with the Dragon King.”
“Mirror Coat is right” Spike said. “If anything happened to you while we were there, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.”
“But, Spike, what if you need help?” Sweetie Belle asked. “If the Dragon Lord did indeed summon all the dragons, that also includes that Garble.”
“Don’t worry, Sweetie, I won’t be alone” Spike ensured. “Like you said, the Dragon Lord did summon all the dragons.”
After saying goodbye to his friends and marefriend, Spike took flight from the Light Kingdom and headed to the place where they were the only dragons he trusted. The Blazing Palisades appeared in his vision field. It was a rocky island full of rock formations in the shape of a chimney that threw fires and smoke able to weaken any creature that wasn’t a dragon.
Spike landed and was soon approached by his five brothers, whose scales were also glowing, though not as intensely as his.
"Big brother, something strange is happening to us!" Flambeau said.
"Yes, our scales began to glow suddenly" Nitelite continued.
"Apart from that, we have a lot of an irritating itch" Smokewing said, as he itched.
"And that's worse for Toothy" Hardscale said, pointing to their youngest brother. "Isn’t that right, Toothy?"
The dragon with a deadpan face nodded, as he scratched slowly.
"I know that, I also have the same symptoms as you" Spike said. "But I know how to stop them. We just need to go to a certain place."
And so, the six dragon brothers went to the Dragon Lands, which were practically devoid of plant life, being a place made primarily of volcanic rocks. There were some mountains along the land, and some of them were volcanoes. Black smoke covered the sky, covering the sun and preventing it from show itself.
The dragon brothers landed in a place where other dragons, also with their scales glowing, were, as if they were gathering around a huge rock formation in the shape of a throne. They were all young dragons, practically in adolescence, just like Spike and his brothers, and they were all waiting, looking for the stone throne.
"Wow, it seems that the Dragon Lord called a lot of dragons” Nitelite noted.
"And they're all teenage dragons" Smokewing said. "What will happen?"
"Don't worry about it" Spike said. "We will soon find out. The most important thing was to answer the call so we could have our normal scales back."
“Hey, look who he is, guys” a voice said.
Spike would recognize that voice anywhere. He and his brothers turned around and saw Garble, who was with some of his dragon friends. Garble was a teenage dragon with moderate red scales with a pale, light grayish gold underbelly and light amber wings. He had vivid gamboge spikes and pale, light grayish olive eyes with dark purple pupils. Like Mirror Coat had said, Gargle was slightly bigger with his spikes also sharper.
“Ah, it’s you…” Spike said, grumpily.
“Well, well, who’d guess we would reunite with our old friend Sparkle-warkle” Garble mocked.
“It’s Spike” Spike replied.
“Are you sure your pony friends didn’t give you a pony name?” Garble asked, always in a mocking tone.
That made Spike’s brothers starting to become angered, but Spike made a look to them as if saying he would take care of Garble.
“It’s nice to see you too, Garble” Spike said, sarcastically.
“I didn’t say it was nice to see you” Garble replied. “It’s not. I don’t like you. Was I not clear about that?”
“Obviously sarcasm is a word that doesn’t exist in your dictionary” Spike said.
That made his brothers give a little laugh, what upset Garble.
“You must think just because you grew up a bit and got wings and a bunch of bodyguards that you are better than me.”
“Hey, don’t talk to our big brother like that, your jerk!” Flambeau exclaimed.
“Never mind, Flambeau” Spike said. “He doesn’t deserve your insults.”
Before anyone else could do or say anything else, a giant shadow covered all the young dragons and they all turned around. Sitting on the stone throne was a giant dragon. He was almost as big as the Dragon King, being only slightly smaller, and equally intimidating. His scales were grayish arctic blue and his eyes were moderate vermilion. From his head, he had big pale, light grayish gold-to-moderate vermilion horns that descended and curved, with one of them having a golden ring, a dark grey chest armor covered his chest with shoulder armor covering the shoulders, and a crown of red crystals was laying on his head. And so he spoke, doing it very loudly:
“Dragons of the Pony World, hear me! I have been Dragon Lord for longer than many of you can remember, ruling you after our king was imprisoned for abusing his power over us, and my reign has been extraordinary!”
He made a pause, as if expecting something, and then he shout:
“AGREE WITH ME!
Before that, all of the other dragons started to cheer the Dragon Lord, calling him by his name: Torch. He lifted his front claw, making the dragons to stop cheering. Spike was impressed. He never saw dragons being very obedient, as they were always so reckless, except when it was the Dragon King who was giving the orders. Of course he had the control over dragons, what it was very different with Torch, who imposed respect just with his presence.
It was then that Spike noticed someone hovering beside Torch. It was a female teen dragon with brilliant cyan scales that had a luminous glow due to the call of the Dragon Lord, with pale turquoise underbelly and wing membrane gradient of moderate indigo to light cobalt blue, moderate phthalo blue spikes and brilliant red eyes. She also had light apple greenish gray horns that, like Torch’s, descended and curved.
“Who is that?” Spike asked.
“It’s Dragon Lord Torch, dummy” Garble replied coldly. “And you call yourself a dragon.”
“No, next to him” Spike said.
When he saw who he was referring to, Garble replied:
“That’s his daughter, Princess Ember.”
“Wow, she is really amazing!” Flambeau exclaimed, infatuated.
“I wouldn’t even look at her if I were you, unless you want Torch to eat you” Garble mocked.
But it seemed Flambeau wasn’t listening Garble, continuing to look amazed to Ember.
Torched proceeded to say:
“Unfortunately, according to the Lord of Order, the only one to ever believe in our kind, the one who saved us from being enslaved by our king, decreed it was time for me to step down. Sad, I know.”
He did another pause and then shouted:
“BE SAD!”
Immediately, the dragons started to cry that stopped when Torch continued:
“This is why I have summoned you: to compete for the throne in the Gauntlet of Fire!”
The dragons started to cheer.
“As Dragon Lord, my resign means that we will get to know who will be the next Dragon King who will get the power over our kind” Torch proceeded. “The new ruler will also have to choose the new Dragon Lord to help him or her… and also for the case of the king loses it just like our previous ruler.”
Another pause and Torch exclaimed:
“This was a joke! BE AMUSED!”
And the dragons dropped a fake laugh. Spike noticed that Hardscale and Smokewing had found Torch’s joke amusing.
“STOP LAUGHING!” Torch ordered.
And they did so. Torch continued, showing then a scepter with a blood-red stone on the tip with the size perfect for a teenage dragon:
“Whomever has the strength and fortitude to retrieve this bloodstone scepter from the heart of the flame-cano will be crowned King of the Dragons!”
He then flicked his fingers and the scepter was thrown to the inside of a volcano with a wry form, which immediately deflagrated. That released a red wave that, reaching the teenage dragons, made them stop glowing.
“The Gauntlet is dangerous, for I designed it myself! It can be compared with the Gauntlet I participated before becoming Dragon Lord. Only dragons with my ferocity, strength and determination will be able to finish. We will gather at the cliff when the sun is at its peak!”
And the dragons cheered again.
Spike turned to his brothers and said:
“Well, I don’t want to be Dragon King, Dragon Lord or dragon toast, just like any of you, I hope, and we stopped glowing, so let’s sneak out of here.”
“Oh, can we just stay to see the competition?” Nitelite asked.
“Yeah, I want to know who will be our next king” Hardscale said.
“Us too, right, Toothy?” Smokewing seconded, while Toothy waved with his head.
“Believe me, you won’t want to be next to this next king” Spike said. “I already got to know our current king and he made me steal the prison-book for the Lord of Chaos.”
“But there are other things much more interesting here…” Flambeau said, still looking infatuated to Ember.
“Okay, Flambeau, stop gazing the princess like that” Spike said. “Unless you want to burn before we start to go home.”
It was then that the words of an argument between Ember and her father was caught by the six brothers. Apparently, she was trying to go to the cliff but her father stopped her.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, catching her with his claw.
“To prepare for the Gauntlet” Ember answered.
“No, you’re not” Torch replied. “You’re not much bigger than a runt!”
“But I’m smarter than most of these boulderheads and you know it!” Ember protested, while flying to be at her father’s eye level.
“Being smart won’t help you win this Gauntlet. It was designed for a big, strong dragon to win, because it takes a big, strong dragon to lead! Besides, I SAID NO!
The last words were said so loudly that Ember was pushed away a few hooves, stopping with the aid of her wings, and then showed a very upset face, saying:
“I hate when he does that!”
And she moved away.
“Oh, poor Princess Ember” Flambeau said. “I personally think she would be a great queen to our kind.”
“That’s nice, but I think we should go now” Spike said.
But before any of them could take off, Spike overheard a few dragons talking between each other.
“When I become Dragon Queen, I will make burps an official greeting” a female pale, light grayish purple dragon with small horns and long ears and legs said.
“Ah, you?” a male moderate vermilion dragon said, in a disbelief tone. “Please! When I win, I will pillage Equestria for all their pillows. Why should these ponies be comfortable while we sleep on rocks?”
“That’s nothing” Garble said, getting in the conversation, all arrogant. “When I’m in charge, the first thing I’ll do is get revenge on those puny ponies. All of them! They’ll regret they ever crossed Garble. We’ll take whatever we want from Equestria and all the other kingdoms and burn the rest!”
“Oh no, did you heard that?” Spike asked to his brothers.
“Yeah, I just hope that burping dragon wins” Smokewing said.
“None of them can win!” Spike exclaimed. “All Pony World is in big trouble if any of them are in charge!”
“But what can we do?” Flambeau asked.
“Although I know Twilight and the Generals of Order can take care of them, we cannot let any of them win” Spike said. “We are already in danger with the Lord of Chaos wanting to revive Ten-Tails. Have an army of dragons causing troubles will not do any good. I can only do one thing: win the Gauntlet of Fire!”
“Really?!” Spike’s brothers, except for Toothy, said.
“It’s the only way to protect the Pony World from the dragons. You heard them. They have horrible plans for ponies if they win. So somehow, I have to do it!
The other brothers exchange looks between each other, agreeing, and then Flambeau said to their older brother:
“You mean we have to do it.”
Spike became surprised by what Flambeau said and asked:
“Really? But it’s too dangerous. As your older brother, I wouldn’t feel in peace if any of you got hurted just to win a stupid tournament.”
“You’re our brother, Spike, and we would do anything for you” Flambeau said. “Furthermore, ponies are also our friends and we will do anything to protect them.”
The others also agreed. Spike smiled, feeling himself so proud of having brothers like them. Then, he adopted a more serious look and said:
“Okay, let’s do it, but only I, Flambeau and Smokewing. We are the better flyers between us six.”
At the cliff, Torch was with the contestants of the Gauntlet of Fire who were ready to start, some with armors. Spike, Flambeau and Smokewing joined them and Garble, seeing them, said:
“I can’t believe you’ll actually compete. You don’t stand a chance against any of us.”
“We’ll see that, Garble” Spike replied.
“Now, listen, everyone!” Torch exclaimed. “Flying to Flame-cano Island is the first of many challenges you will face in your quest to find the bloodstone scepter.”
And, having said that, he roared, while releasing an intense blast of fire that started to tournament. All the dragons took off, all going to the island. Spike, Flambeau and Smokewing prepared to took off, but Garble passed through them rudely, saying:
“Get out of my way, suckers!”
And he took off. Although annoyed, the three brothers took off, starting the race as well. While they were all going towards the island, huge see worms appeared, roaring, and launched huge geysers of water that started to hit the contesters. Some were able to dodge, but others not. Gargle was hit slightly, being pushed back, but he hit one of the dragons in armor, preventing him from falling and allowing him to continue. However, the armored dragon wasn’t that lucky and fell in the water, starting to sink. Seeing that, Spike said:
“Guys, help me!”
And he went to save the dragon and Flambeau and Smokewing followed him. Spike and Flambeau drove and were able to rescue the dragon.
“I’ll help get to the island” Smokewing said.
And the three brothers flew to the island, with Smokewing watching over the see worms and Spike and Flambeau taking the mysterious dragon. They soon arrived to the shores, where they laid the dragon, who started to wake up.
“Hey, are you okay?” Spike asked.
The dragon started to spit water and Spike took off the helmet so ease things up. For his and the his brothers’ surprise, the mysterious dragon was none other than…
“Princess Ember?” the brothers said at the same time.
Flambeau didn’t lost time to approach her and saying, while extending his claw:
“Allow me, princess.”
But she ignored him and get up by herself, asking to the brothers:
“What are you doing?”
“Ah, saving you, I think” Smokewing answered.
“It was the right thing to do” Spike said.
“Wow, you just sounded like a pony” Ember said.
“Yeah, that may be because we have pony friends” Spike answered.
“Friends?” Ember asked, disbelieving. “Dragons don’t do friends.”
“Well, we do” Spike said, proudly.
“Whatever” Ember said, taking her helmet back from Spike. “I don’t care as long as none of you get in my way. I have a Gauntled to win.”
“But I thought your father said that…” Spike started.
“I don’t care what my father said!” Ember exclaimed. “I’ll show him and every dragon who thinks I’m just a little princess that there are better things than being big and strong.”
“Wow, isn’t she great?” Flambeau whispered to his brothers, amazed.
It was then they heard grunts and turned, seeing slingtails throwing boulders to the dragons who were approaching the island. One of them hit Garble who started to fell, hitting the ground close by with the boulder over him. He tried to get it off him, but it was too heavy.
Ember was quick to put on her helmet, so she wouldn’t be recognized. Garble then spot them and said, with a distressful look:
“Don’t leave me here, Spike!”
Although Garble didn’t deserve it, Spike couldn’t just leave him there, so he went there and pulled the boulder out of Garble. After doing that, Garble just swept Spike aside and get up saying:
“Ah, I knew you’d do it. Your pony friends made you soft.”
“You know, it was not like as I was at the edge of letting you under that boulder or something, so you’re welcome” Spike said sarcastically.
“For what?” Garble asked, arrogantly. “I didn’t say thank you.”
It was then that Garble smelled something and sniffed Spike, saying then:
“Wow, your breath even smell like ponies. I didn’t even know that was possible. I wonder why…”
Although Garble’s opinion wasn’t important, Spike really didn’t want him to know that he was dating a pony. It was then that Ember said, disguising her voice:
“That’s not him, but me. I robbed some ponies on my way over here and I bit one.
Garble seemed to have believed that, because he said, a little impressed:
“Uh, I like your style. Have I met you before? You kind look like…”
“Our old neighbor!” Spike exclaimed, approaching, looking around to find a cover name. “Sandy… Rockbeach! Isn’t that right, guys? She lives next to our island.
“Yeah, that’s right” Flambeau and Smokewing said beckoning with their heads.
Before Garble could have time to swallow the lie, his attention went to the slingtails who continued to throw boulders to the approaching dragons.
“Stupid slingtails knocked me down” Garble said. “But I’ve wasted enough time making small talk.”
And he took flight. After that, Ember took her helmet off and asked the three brothers:
“Why did you three cover for me? You could’ve had one less competitor.”
“I could ask you the same thing. You could’ve told Garble that I have a marefriend. I know you figured that out.”
That conversation ended when they heard the dragons dodging the boulders the slingtails were throwing. Seeing how much difficult the task would be, Ember said:
“Yikes… That looks rough. But that’s what makes it a chalange.”
“Wow, such courage…” Flambeau admired.
“Are you kidding?” Smokewing asked. “Those boulders are huge!”
“My brother is right” Spike said. “Why don’t we work together? Smokewing is a great spotter. He can look out for boulders, but a new set of eyes would help us a lot. What do you think?”
“For me, sounds great” Flambeau said, happy that his older thought in something like that.
“Me too” Smokewing agreed.
Ember thought for a moment and then said:
“Well, I have to admit. Your plan makes sense. Let’s do it.”
“Really?” Spike asked, surprised that her would agree. “Great! It’s a deal.”
He extended his claw and Ember shook it.
“Just for you know, this doesn’t mean we’re gonna pick flowers or exchange neckless or whatever pony friends do” she said.
And, having said that, she took off. Spike prepared to do the same, but Flambeau grabbed his claw, saying while looking at it:
“I can’t believe you touched Princess Ember, brother. Promise me you won’t wash out your claw for me.”
“Ah…” Spike said, before his brother’s amazement for Princess Ember. “I’ll think about that. But first let’s win this Gauntlet.”
And so, the four dragons flight through the boulders the slingtails were throwing, dodging them the best they could. Smokewing was being of great help warning them about the boulders, but they would eventually warn each other. Marble, who as leading, noticed the brothers on his tail and flapped his wings fast, getting in the flame-cano. Spike and Ember landed at the entrance and then Flambeau and Smokewing landed. Spike then turned to Ember and asked:
“So what do we do now?”
“I think we go through there” she replied.
She pointed to the entrance of the flame-cano, where two dragons were getting in, only for being flamed by a torrent of flames, forcing them to retreat.
The four dragons shared a nervous look and then Ember said to Spike:
“Listen, Spike. I wouldn’t have made it this far without you and your brothers. So I guess, if you three want to, we could keep working together. I mean, just until we get through that tunnel.”
“Yes!” Flambeau exclaimed, very happily.
“What he said, but without all the excitement” Spike said to Ember.
The four dragons got in, running, stopping where two other dragons were. They were not being able to continued, because both the stalactite and stalagmite where moving up and down, like they were the teeth of a giant beast. They started to cross and were able to do it. Unfortunately for Garble, who was also trying to pass, he got stuck between two stalagmites right at the end and saw, frustrated, how the others advanced. This made him so furious that he pulled himself the hardest he could until he got freed, falling to the ground. But he soon got up and continued.
Next, Spike, his brothers and Ember faced moving giant crystal traps. Flambeau then saw one of the crystals moving towards Ember and so pull her out of danger. He then extended his claw to her and, this time, she accepted, much to Flambeau’s delight who helped her got up. Garble was also passing through the crystals, passing over the crystals that had already attacked Spike and the others, only to be caught by one that hadn’t been activated.
The group of four got to the end of the tunnel, arriving to a great amount of lava pools that seemed very hot, even for dragons.
“I thought we wouldn’t make it” Spike said.
“Me too…” Flambeau said, before seeing Ember looking at him, what made him to say. “I mean, that tunnel was cake!”
He made a fake smile, but it was then that a tremble happened and Smokewing started to loss balance, starting to go to the edge. Seeing that, Spike and Flambeau exclaimed:
“Smokewing!”
And the two brothers were able to pull their younger brother off danger, as a explosion of lava was about to hit him.
“Thanks, brothers!” Smokewing thanked, hugging Spike and Flambeau.
“It was nothing, bro” Spike answered, finishing the hug.
“Nothing?” Ember asked, openmouthed. “You just risked everything to save him! Even if you’re brothers, that’s not something that a dragon would do for another.”
“Well, we’re more than just brothers” Spike said. “We’re friends.”
“Yeah, I mean, we and the others may not have grew up with Spike at the first years of our childhood, but when we meet him for the first time, we were happy for having someone to take care of us the way Spike did” Flambeau said.
“Even before that, we took care of each other” Smokewing.
“Don’t you have anyone who looks out for you?” Spike asked.
“Not really” Ember said, a little gloomily. “Unless I count you three.”
And then she adopted a more determinate tone and said:
“Which I don’t! Because we were only helping each other get through the tunnel, and now we’re through the tunnel, so that’s it.”
“Wait, what do you mean?” Spike asked.
“Well, there’s only one winner, one scepter and one Dragon King” Ember replied. “So, I don’t know about you three, but, through my perspective, it’s every dragon for themselves.”
“Oh, so we aren’t really friends?” Flambeau asked, a little saddened.
“Maybe if we were in Ponyland, but like I said, dragons don’t do friendship” Ember answered.
And she took flight, moving away. Spike was a little disappointed, but Flambeau was even more. While they were traveling through the set of caves by foot, Flambeau said, depressed:
“I can’t believe Ember ditched me… I mean, us.”
“Well, she was just only looking out for herself, brother” Smokewing said. “She’s just like all the other dragons who are not like us.”
“But she’s not” Flambeau said. “I know it. She helped us, even when she didn’t have to.”
“I agree with you, Flambeau” Spike said. “Ember is not like the other dragons, but she has her own pride as well. Don’t worry about her, we have other things to think about.”
They walked for a little while and then Smokewing said:
“Is it just me, or have we seen this crevasse three times already?”
“It’s kinda hard to tell” Spike said, looking around. “They all look the same.”
But then he saw something and said:
“Except for this one! Look!”
Spike took flight and Flambeau and Smokewing followed him. It was then they arrived to a chamber were there was a stone island with a big amount of reddish crystals, where the scepter was, with a stone bridge road linking it to where they were.
“We made it!” Spike exclaimed. “I can’t believe we’re the only dragons to make it this far!”
“You’re not!” a voice said.
They turned and saw Garble at the entrance, with a very upset face.
“I’m not losing to a bunch of puny pony-loving dragons like you!” he said, while approaching.
But before he could do anything, Ember flight coming from nowhere and hit Garble, throwing him hard against a wall.
“Ember!” the three brothers exclaimed.
“I knew you’d come for us!” Flambeau said.
“But I thought you said it was every dragon for themselves” Spike said. “Why did you help us?”
“That’s what friends do” she said. “And I am… I mean, we are… I never should have left you back there. Agh, please don’t make me talk about my feelings!”
“Enough!” Garble’s voice said, while he got up. “You’re gonna pay for this.”
“Spike, get scepter!” Ember exclaimed.
“Yes, bro, we handle him” Flambeau said.
“Go!” Smokewing said.
And the three dragons started to fight Garble, while Spike flight to the scepter. He really didn’t like the idea of having his friends fighting while he would get the scepter, but he had to have faith in them.
After Flambeau and Smokewing had tail whipped Garble, making lose his balance, Ember used her force to pin him against the wall. When he saw Spike going towards the scepter, he tried to released himself from Ember, but then Flambeau and Smokewing appeared and grabbed his claws. But Garble was able to release himself and tried to go after Spike, but the other three grabbed his tail and pulled. Using all his strength, Garble was able to take down Flambeau and Smokewing and then pin Ember against the floor, where they started a battle of resistence.
“I’m sick and tired of you helping each other! Dragons don’t do helping!”
“These dragons do!” Ember exclaimed.
And, using her feets, she threw Garble off her and then Flambeau gave him a blow taking, him out. It was then that they heard other dragons approaching and they turned to Spike, who arrived to the crystals and grabbed the scepter, becoming amazed by its beauty. The crystal shone and that grow passed to Spike and he released a blast of red light that made all dragons to stare. After that, Spike started to feel a pain coming from his skull and then two pairs of curved horns appeared, growing and becoming just like the ones the Dragon King had.
Everyone was so amaze by Spike’s transformation that they didn’t notice Garble trying to sneak out to Ember to attack her. But Spike saw him and exclaimed:
“LEAVE HER ALONE!”
His voice echoed without even echoing through the chamber. That made Garble look at Spike and, seeing just like the Dragon King, said, not wanting to believe:
“What?! You?! You have the scepter?! But that means you are…”
“The Dragon King” Ember completed with a smile. “Dragon King Spike.”
And she, Flambeau and Smokewing made a bow immediately. The other dragons that were also present also bowed. Garble groaned and, without any option, bowed before Spike saying:
“Dragon… King… Spike.”
“That’s right” Spike said to Garble, thinking the best way to punish him for his actions. “Now, go start your long journey home, giving an hug to every dragon you see on the way, without telling them why.”
“Awww, but that will be super embaracing!” Garble protested like a little child.
“I command you to do it” Spike said, smiling, pointing the scepter. “Unless, of course, you want me to force with telepathy.”
Without any option, Garble turned around and started walking away, giving the first dragon he faced a hug, always groaning to himself. Spike landed at the edge of his brothers and Ember, saying:
“I was bluffing about that. I don’t think and I can use telepathy right know. Too much headache with the horns growing and everything else.”
“Dragon King Spike” Ember said. “Uh, it has a nice ring to it.”
“And so it does Dragon Lord Ember” Spike said.
“What?!” she asked, totally surprised. “You want me to be Dragon Lord?”
“To be honest, I just wanted to win the Gauntlet to save my friends from a war with the dragons” Spike confessed. “My home is in the Light Kingdom and, don’t get me wrong, I’ll still be around to honor my duty, but I will need the help of someone like you, someone that can make sure dragons are not too… dragonish. Furthermore, beyond my brothers, you’re the only dragon I know and I trust and I don’t really want to choose between any of them. So, what do you say? Do you want to serve me as Dragon Lord and help me lead the dragons?”
Ember didn’t know what to say, as she wasn’t expect such honor. She looked around to the other dragons, who were waiting expectant for her decision, including Flambeau and Smokewing. And so she smiled and said:
“It will be an honor.”
And so she kneeled before Spike who touched with the scepter on her shoulder, making her glow with an brief red glow.
“Rise up, Dragon Lord Ember.”
And she did so, while the dragons cheered their new Dragon King and Dragon Lord. It was then that Flambeau, without being able to stop himself, hugged Ember.
“Ah, what is he doing?” Ember asked to Spike.
“It’s called a hug” Spike answered, smiling. “He’s just too happy that you’re the Dragon Lord.”
“I don’t know if I like it, but… okay” she said, letting Flambeau hugging her.
Back to the main land, Torch was waiting on his throne. Nitelite, Hardscale and Toothy were also waiting, a little nervous. It was then that the glow of the scepter appeared from the clouds and Spike flight down with the other dragons. Seeing that his brother had become the new Dragon King, they started to cheer. But Torch was more focused on Ember, who was flying alongside Spike.
“Ember?” he asked. “What is the meaning of this?”
“I participated in the Gauntlet of Fire, even without your permission, dad” she said. “I know you think I couldn’t do it…
“Because I expressly told you to not participate, because you’re not…” Torch started.
“Because I’m not big and strong” Ember completed. “I know. But I participated anywhere and I did it well. I may not have become a Dragon Queen, but I became the new Dragon Lord, so I think that counts for anything.”
“You what?!” Torch exclaimed.
Spike advanced and said:
“Lord Torch, please, hear me. My name is Spike and I understand that you may be upset with Ember because she disobeyed you. But she only did that to prove herself to you. To prove you that size and strength are not the only things that counts to be a good leader, but also smartness, courage and loyalty, something Ember just showed during the Gauntlet. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be able to get the scepter and become Dragon King and that was the reason why I nominated her Dragon Lord. And if you don’t approve, too bad, because there’s no turning back on this decision.”
There was a pause, where every dragon observed Torch to see his reaction to Spike’s words, but it was then that he said:
“It seems we got finally a king worth of the crown he uses.”
Hearing that, Spike saw that he got the respect of Lord Torch, what was a relief to him.
“I just hope you honor your title and don’t abuse of your new powers over our kind” Torch told Spike.
“You have my word of honor” Spike said, bowing slightly his head as sign of respect.
Torch turned to the other dragons and shouted:
“WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! ACCLAIM YOUR NEW KING!”
And so all the dragons started to cheer Spike, not because they were being forced to, but because they wanted to. After that, Torch turned to Ember and said to her:
“I was wrong, Ember. You might not be big, but you are strong and smart, and perhaps that counts than I thought. And you and our new king will surely be excellent leaders to our kind.”
“Thanks, dad” Ember thanked, landing on his nose, turning then to the dragons. “AGREE WITH HIM!”
That made the dragons share a few looks and then Ember said, with a smile:
“Just kidding. That’s not gonna be my thing.”
“Mine nether” Spike said, hovering close by. “I don’t thing my vocal cords would appreciate.”
That made Torch laugh and then he proclaimed:
“Dragons, hear me! I present to you our new Dragon King, Spike, and our new Dragon Lord, Ember!”
And the dragons started to cheer once more. Spike and Ember, who took flight to put herself beside him, waved to their subjects.
It was then that, at that moment, Garble passed by and, not having other option than obeying Spike’s order, hugged Torch’s noise.
“What is the meaning of this?!” he asked to Garble, not very happy by that.
“I can’t tell you!” Garble answered in dismay.
Spike and Ember shared a few chuckles before that scene.
Shortly after, Spike was leaving with his brothers and was saying goodbye to Ember.
"You've to go now?" she asked. "We don't celebrate our nominating."
"Well, I'd like to go see the rest of my family" Spike said. "I just hope that you and the other dragons don't mind."
"Hey, you're the king, now" Ember replied. "And even if they do, they will have no choice but to agree."
"I will come back to see how things are" promised Spike.
"And I promise I won't let you down, Spike" Ember said.
"I know" he replied. "Well, see you around."
But before he and his brothers could take flight, Flambeau approached Ember and told her:
"Princess Ember... or Dragon Lord Ember."
"You can call me Ember, Flambeau" she said. "I don't care."
"Okay, Ember..." he said, a little nervous. "I was thinking that, if you're, by chance, around the Blazing Palisades... "
"Yes, I don't mind to go visit you."
"Yes!" Flambeau exclaimed, victorious.
Spike made a chuckle and rolled his eyes. After that, the six brother dragons took off and started to go home.
After separating from his brothers when they were near the Blazing Palisades, Spike went to the Light Kingdom. When he got there, he went to the throne room, where there were Twilight, Blue, Rarity and Sweetie Belle. Everypony gasped when they saw Spike coming in with two pairs of horns and holding a scepter.
"What the..." Blue said.
“Spike, you have…” Twilight started.
“Yes, I know” Spike answered. “Isn’t it cool?”
“Well…” Rarity said. “I guess that, when we get used to them, they may actually suit you very well, Spikey-wikey”
Sweetie Belle rushed to Spike to hug him and then asked:
“But what happened to you?”
“Let’s just say it is a very long story” he anwered.