//------------------------------//
// Dragon Training - Day 1 
// Story: The Fighting Dragon 
// by Phantom-Dragon 
//------------------------------//

Previously, Spike and Arizona had just taken the first step on their adventure to find the legendary Prophet's Key and the way to send Spike home. They hadn't gone very far, when the two young adventurers were ambushed by a pack of predators. The two barely escaped with their lives, if hadn't been for Arizona and her fighting skills.

Fearing for Spike's safety, Arizona initially suggested that the young dragon be left behind in a local village. Spike, however, successfully persuade her to teach him how to fight, and to survive. And so it has come to pass, Spike became a pupil, and Arizona became his teacher.




Spike and Arizona were later in a canyon, close to the river they were washing at.

"Okay, Spike," Arizona began, while walking around the young dragon. "Show me, what kind of attacks you can do."

"Um, well," Spike scratched his head to ponder for a moment, before answering, "I can do this," With that, Spike threw several punches with his claws, "And some of this. Hi-yah!" Spike shouted, when he jumped and thrusted his leg out in a kick. "And some of these!" With that, Spike flicked his tail around, followed by a strong bite, and a burst of his green fire breath.

Arizona nodded, "Very nice," She mooed. "Now let's feel yer stomp."

Spike looked confused, "My stomp?" He asked.

To get her point across, Arizona stomped one hoof down into the ground, causing a light tremor that was enough to knock Spike off his feet, "That's a stomp," Arizona explained.

"Whoa! You're stronger than you look, you know that?" Spike complimented.

"Now you try it," Arizona beckoned, to which Spike did by stomping one of his foot down. Understandably, unlike Arizona's, it didn't create enough tremor. Arizona shook her head, "Then again, maybe stomping is more reserved to us bovines," Walking over to a huge rock, Arizona tapped her hoof on it, "By chance, can ya break this?" She asked, gesturing to the rock.

Spike recalled how he once had an adventure with Princess Celestia, and how they've once had an encounter with some very unfriendly creatures who refer themselves as "rock lobsters."



See Friends Forever Issue 3.



Spike remembered how he succeeded in frightening the lobsters by biting on the bar of their rock dungeons, "I've done it before," He answered.

"Well then, just do it."

With that, Spike walked up to the rock, 'Pretend it's a giant rock  candy,' Spike said to himself. Then, opening his mouth very wide, Spike clamped his jaws on the rock, tearing a chunk of it to dine on, which he quickly regretted, and much to Arizona's shock.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Arizona asked.

"Mmmm mmm," Spike answered in a mouthful.

"What?"

Spitting the chunks out, Spike answered, "Just breaking the rock. I mean, that's how I broke a rock once," Spike winced as he massaged his jaws a bit, 'And broke a few teeth now and there,' He thought painfully.

"Uh huh," Arizona looked unamused. "So if breaking rocks is yer definition of eating rocks, then I recommend ya break them into tiny bite size pieces first, with a punch. Like this," With that, Arizona throws a front hoof out in a punch, shattering the rocks to pieces. "Get the idea?" She asked.

"Uh huh," Spike nodded.

Arizona looked around, before spotting another rock, slightly smaller than the one she destroyed, "Now, you try and punch that one," She pointed.

Gulping a lump in his throat, Spike complied as he walks over to the rock, and with a loud roar, and threw a fist, making impact with the stone surface.

"Ow!" Spike winced from the recoil damage.

"We've got a long way to go," Arizona mooed.





Later, out in an open field, where dead trees reside, Spike was charging as fast as he could, before he leaped forward into a jump, sticking his foot out into a kick at one of the trees. But the tree's barks remained unscathed, while poor Spike was rubbing his sore foot with his claws, recoiling from the damage.

Watching the progress of his trainings, from the side, Arizona shook her head, 'You're really bad at this, Spike,' She said, mentally.

Spike charged furiously at the tree for the last time, before he dropped down to the ground, exhausted. Looking up at Arizona, panting heavily, Spike called out, "I've been stubbing my foot into this old tree for days now," He moaned. "When are you gonna teach me to fight?"

"You want to learn how to fight?" Arizona asked, to which Spike answered with a nod. In response, the young calf walked over to Spike. She looked down at him, with her back facing the tree. Then, as fast as lightning, Arizona thrust her hind leg into the tree, exerting so much force that the tree's wooden frames burst into a million splinters from the impact of Arizona's kick.

Spike watched as the whole tree collapsed to its side, clean off of the thick stump displaying where it once stood.

"That's called a kick," Arizona lectured. "Tomorrow, I'll teach how you to punch." Turning to another tree, Arizona directed Spike to the brittle old plant, ushering for Spike to resume his training. "Just remember, Spike," Arizona began, "This is only the first step to being a fighter. Woods don't hit back, ya know. And the predators are not woods, so they don't sit still and give ya a target to punch, kick, bite, or in your case, burn. So ya gotta be quicker than the winds, and stronger than the rocks if ya want to stay alive."

Arizona was right. In Equestria, Spike's always had his friends to support him, and vice versa, on their adventures. But now that Spike's in Fœnum, without his friends, and farther away from his home, his task has become increasingly more difficult. In order to become a strong fighter, Spike must train and fight every day. He learned every tactics, every means possible to win. Because in the end, that was all that mattered.

And when he learned that, he was taking one step closer into becoming a strong fighter, and waiting for the day when he can finally come home. A day has never passed that Spike didn't suffer the pain of his lessons. At times, Spike thought he was going to die. But he didn't.


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