Three years had passed since Heathspike Ironscale had been adopted by his parents, and already he was growing to be a fine dragon. He was quick and curious, though a bit weaker than most whelps his age. However, what he lacked for in strength, he made up for with a tenacity not seen for millennia in the Dragon Lands. Though, it was this tenacity that often landed him in some sort of trouble, like his daily frays with his brother.
Spike bit his lower lip to keep from giggling as he slowly approached Garble from behind. The two of them, and Smolder, had an agreement. If he or his sister could beat him, Garble had to take them to the quarry where he and his friends played and dug for gems. Garble had explained that the quarry was for big dragons, and now that Spike was three, and no longer sucking his thumb while he slept, Spike was sure that he was big enough. He was going win a fight one of these days, and today felt like a good day, because he had a plan. A secret plan. The most awesome secret plan that ever existed.
Spike saw Garble curled up on the floor, seemingly unaware of his surroundings, but most importantly, unaware of Spike. Spike was about as stealthy as any three-year old could be, which was not very stealthy. He slowly approached, the smile on his face growing as he wagged his little tail, got down low and pounced, letting loose a yelp. Garble quickly pivoted and bore his fangs at Spike, readying himself for the impact. The dragons became a wriggling, tumbling ball as they fought, nipping at each other. It lasted for but a few moments, as Spike was soon forced to the ground by a powerful claw. The drake slammed his tail and flailed his limbs vainly, desperate to break his brother’s hold, but Garble’s grasp was topo strong.
“You shouldn’t have yelled,” Garble said. He had Spike firmly pinned on his stomach. All that was needed was a single bite, and he’d win their little skirmish yet again. However, being a good big brother, he knew Spike needed to learn from his mistakes, and that meant critiquing him. “You also need to watch out for small rocks, they gave you away before the scream did.” He thought for a moment. “What were you thinking when you planned this?”
“I would tackle you and then bite you and then win,” Spike explained, struggling under his brother’s iron grip. “If that didn’t work-”
“If? It’s never gonna work! I’m too big, Spike. I thought Smolder would have helped you fight me.”
“She is helping! That’s why if my plan didn’t work, I’d be the distraction.”
“Distra-” Smolder suddenly slammed into Garble, sending him tumbling off Spike. When he regained his footing, he saw his little sister on all fours, baring her fangs and growling. Part of him was impressed, Smolder was completely silent, or maybe he was so focused on Spike, he never noticed Smolder despite any mistakes she made. The rest of him was annoyed, borderline peeved.
“Cheater,” Garble sneered, unwilling to admit that his siblings had outsmarted him.
Smolder remained low to the ground, growling at Garble. “We. Are going. To your digging spot,” She said as threateningly has she could. Unfortunately, she looked cuter than she did frightening. While she glared menacingly, she had inflated her cheeks and scrunched her little nose. Had any seen her, ponies would be calling her adorable.
Garble lunged at his sister to grab her, however, Smolder proved too fast for him and dodged to the side. She smacked her brother across his muzzle with her tail, dazing him for a moment. She went for a second strike, but Garble recovered, and caught the tail with his teeth, throwing her what seemed like across the cave, but in actuality was maybe a yard or two. Getting up, Smolder began to run forward, when her foot hit an uneven portion of cave, and she tripped. She fell flat on her stomach with an oof.
It was a chance to take his sister down. Garble began to charge forward, but then he felt a tug on his tail and lost his balance. As he fell, he looked back and saw Spike with his tail in his mouth, pulling it towards him with all the strength that he could muster.
Seeing her brother on the ground, stunned, Smolder didn’t wait for him to recover. She slammed herself on top of Garble, earning her a grunt of pain. Spike wasted no time in flinging himself on top of the pile. The world was spinning, his ears were burning, and there was a haze around him that made him think that this was all a dream. Almost without thinking, he delivered a powerful bite to the back of his brother’s neck. Garble let out a gasp and the cave went silent.
Spike released Garble and lifted his head, along with Smolder, seeing what they had done, but not quite believing it. Garble lay motionless and wide-eyed, but most importantly defeated. A smile began to spread across their faces before the younger dragons erupted into cheering as they bounced on top of their defeated brother, hugging each other and laughing.
“We did it!” They cried out repeatedly, their voices echoing through the cave, alerting their mother that something wonderful had happened to her youngest children.
Spike was the first to get off Garble. “So, can we go now? I wanna find a big gem!”
“Yeah, I wanna see what you and your friends do!” Smolder added. “All my friends want to do is carry around rocks like they’re eggs, and play defend the nest; I hate that game! I have to be the pony half the time.”
Garble lifted himself off the ground and looked between his siblings. He snorted out a small cloud of smoke before grumbling an okay. A dragon wasn’t a dragon if he didn’t keep his promises to those he cared about. If they were dragons he hated, it’d be a different story; he could break the promise, and no one would care. Alas, here sat his siblings, two of the few dragons that did matter to him. Hopefully, his friends wouldn’t mind him bringing them. Who was he kidding? They were going to be furious.
“Follow me,” he grumbled. Spike and Smolder giggled as they followed their brother. As they made their way towards the mouth of the cave, their mother’s large, yellow tail slid in front of the children, cutting them off from the exit.
“Garble, where do you think you’re going with your siblings?” Amber asked, creating a circle with her body, surrounding her children.
“Gar-Gar’s showing us a place to dig for gems!” Spike said. “I’m gonna find a sapphire! Oh, oh, or a ruby! I wanna find a ruby instead!”
“You want to go dig for gems? Oh, Spike.” Amber saw how her son’s eyes seemed to shimmer the wider they grew. His excitement was plain to see, and she was sure that his siblings could teach him the basics of digging for gems rather easily. However, there was the matter of his size and the size of Garble’s friends. Letting out a sigh, she said, “Heathspike, I don’t think you’re ready to go out on your own just yet. Outside in the fields, other dragons can be a bit more intense than your brother is in the cave.”
“But Garble said that if me and Smolder ever beat him, it meant we were ready to play with his friends.”
“Did he now?” Her gaze fell on her oldest son. She was not looking happy. Garble merely bent his head down in embarrassment. “And have you beaten him in a fight?”
“Yeah, we just did!” Smolder said. “Spike did this thing where he pulled his tail when he was about to pounce, and then me and him jumped on Garble, and Spike bit him.”
Garble shrank further as his mother lifted a brow.
“So, can we go with him, please?” Spike begged.
She would have put her foot down then and there, but she made one unfortunate mistake: She looked her youngest son in the eyes. They were wide, innocent, and excited, so very excited. She could already see what was going on in his mind. He was going to grow up, just a little bit. For one afternoon, he would have no mother to baby him or look over his shoulder like how she did when she and the other mothers brought their whelps together to play and dig for small gems that they had buried the day prior. It would just be him and his siblings out in the world, having an adventure digging for gems amongst the big kids.
“Very well,” Amber said with a sigh. “If you’re siblings stay by you, you can go. But, if something happens, you’re not going out again like this until you’re at least Smolder’s age, understood?”
“Okay!” Spike said, giving his mother’s snout an affectionate hug.
“Garbuncle, keep an eye on both of them,” Amber said. “Smolder, keep an eye on your little brother.”
“I will,” Garble said.
“Okay,” Smolder added, coming to Spike’s side.
Their mother’s tail lifted, and Garble led his siblings out of the cave.
The walk was only thirty minutes, but to Garble it felt as if hours had rolled by. He constantly looked back at his siblings, wondering what kind of trouble they would find themselves in. Garble had been silent the entire time, not that Spike noticed, he had been talking the entire time, asking questions without bothering to listen for answers. Garble didn’t even find him all that annoying. No, the annoying one was Smolder.
“You shouldn’t be so grumpy just because we beat you,” Smolder teased, still filled with pride. Her smirk was wide, and her posture was reminiscent of Dragon Lord Torch himself.
Garble groaned, clenching his fists. His sister’s teasing was starting to grate his nerves, it was only tempered by the knowledge that Spike’s joy and laughter was from a place of excitement and not malice. “Just be quiet,” he muttered. Smolder and Spike giggled to themselves. They never liked to admit when they were beaten either. The trio came to the ridge that overlooked a small pit that had several laughing whelps running about, fighting each other and digging for gems. Some wagered their gems on fights with other dragons, others attacked and hoped for the best. The winners went home happy, the losers went home to lick their wounds.
“Let me do the talking. The last thing we need is a fight, Smolder,” Garble said looking at his sister.
“Jewel was being a jerk! She deserved that punch.”
“Smolder, I had to fight her brother!” Garble said, recalling how Inferno Rockfist lived up to his family’s name.
“I heard you won that fight.”
“It still hurt! When we get there, you don’t talk to anyone, you to, Spike,” Garble ordered.
“What? But I wanna play with you and your friends-”
“Heathspike, just look for gems,” Garble growled.
“Fine,” Spike mumbled as they walked down a path into the quarry.
It didn’t take long for most of the drakes to take notice of Garble approaching. Five drakes scampered towards him and collectively tackled him to the ground. They were Clump, Fume, Fizzle, Spear, and Charcoal. There was a small tussle between them, a few nips and a tail attack every so often, but all of it was mostly harmless.
Not that Spike saw it that way. Seeing what he perceived to be his brother in danger, he very nearly jumped into the fray to assist him. It was only thanks to Smolder, who firmly held the tip of his tail, that kept him from making a mess of things, and likely getting hurt. For Smolder, the display was an average greeting.
“I thought you were never going to come!” Fizzle said, as Garble finally pried himself away from his friends. Fizzle had lost three gems to Garble in a fight the other day and was determined to replace them. He looked behind Garble, and his eyes narrowed. “Who are the pipsqueaks? You weren’t followed, were you?”
“No, I had to bring them, this is Spike and Smolder,” Garble explained.
“Wait, Spike? Why did you bring your baby brother?” Clump glared at Garble, then at Spike.
“I’m not a baby,” Spike argued, “I’m already learning to fight!”
“Garble why did you bring your sister, to?” Fume gestured towards the small orange dragon. “This is supposed to be a boy only digging spot! No girls allowed!”
“I don’t see a sign that says I can’t be here!” Smolder growled, coming up behind Spike.
“That’s enough!” Garble said, groaning, effortlessly holding his siblings back from further engaging with the drakes. There was nothing Spike hated more than being called a baby, and Smolder despised when a drake said, ‘no girls allowed’. Already this was shaping up to be a lovely afternoon that everyone would enjoy. “Look, I promised to bring them if they ever beat me in a fight.” Garble sighed and looked downward. “Which they did.”
“They beat you?! How did your baby brother beat you?!”
“With my sister,” Spike said, mimicking Smolder’s prideful grin.
“That means we could beat you guys up,” Smolder said, sticking her tongue out at the drakes.
“Smolder, Spike, just go dig for gems!” Garble gave them a shove towards an undisturbed part of the pit. They shot the older drakes one last look before doing as they were told. “Look, we normally fight until someone gets nipped on the back of the neck. Smolder sent Spike and distracted me, then they got lucky. After tomorrow, they won’t be coming back, just let them dig for now, so I don’t get in trouble.”
“Why should we? You’re the one that made that promise.”
“It’s either they get to dig, or I let Arrow know what really happened to his Breeze Emerald.”
Their mouths fell open, and their eyes went wide. Silence fell over the group before Charcoal manage to say, “You wouldn’t.”
“Try me.”
Arrow Firefang was the biggest, meanest, toughest dragon their age. Together, Garble’s friends had eaten a Breeze Emerald that he had dropped. Garble was the only drake that had seen them take it. However, because they didn’t win it in a fight or a contest, Garble didn’t want a piece. When Arrow had come looking for his gem, everyone kept quiet, but they all knew that he knew that they had eaten it. Without proof, say a witness, he couldn’t attack and take retribution, not without getting in trouble. Tomorrow Arrow may very well have a witness.
“Fine, just keep them away from our spots,” Spear sneered. “I don’t want them stinking up any gems we find.”
Garble let out a relieved sigh as he watched his friends leave. With them taken care of, he went to join Spike and Smolder. It was time that his little brother had a real lesson in digging.
Garble quickly went through the basics, with Smolder adding little tips and tricks that their mother had been teaching her since she turned six. “Right here,” Garble said, showing Spike a solid piece of land. “Always make sure that the ground you start on is firm and not squishy, otherwise there might be a cave in when you dig. You don’t have to worry about any big rocks falling down, we already got rid of them.”
“Can I start digging?” Spike asked.
“Not yet. Stay away from my friends, especially if you have any gems. If you find one, eat it as soon as you get it. And remember, go slow. If you try and go fast, and don’t find anything, you’ll be tired and hungry. That feeling stinks. Trust me.”
With that, Spike and Smolder quickly went to work, while Garble retreated to his own digging spot. His pace was slower than normal, taking care to keep an eye on Spike and Smolder, and another on his friends.
“Do you think we’ll find anything?” Spike asked his sister, in a near whisper.
“Garble always does. I hope it’s like his!” She licked her lips at the thought of finding her very own gem. A large topaz she could bring home and show her parents and enjoy before bed. Spike had a similar fantasy, only he desired a ruby, a delicious ruby. Hours passed and the two found small gem bits, but nothing truly amazing or worthwhile. Garble had managed to find three large gems, one of which he ate the moment he found it. Spike himself was starting to get discouraged. It seemed that everyone, save for him and Smolder were finding decent sized gems.
Suddenly, there came a squeal of joy from his sister. He turned his head and saw her holding a decently sized, garnet. Not a topaz, but it was something and she enjoyed eating it. With that, Spike decided that he was going to find a ginormous gem, even if it killed him. Spike began to speed up just a bit until, finally, his claw hit something hard. Clearing away the dirt, his eyes went wide, and a smile broke out on his face.
“A Fire Ruby,” Spike said in a soft whisper, taking the gem out of the hole. His first real find, and it was one of the rarest gems in the world, and his favorite. He had to show Garble.
Smolder heard his snickering and saw the prize in his hands. “Lucky,” she pouted. Maybe she could find one just as good if she kept at it.
Unfortunately, Smolder was not the only one to see the gem Spike found. Charcoal Shadowhide, a near black dragon with two horns sprouting from the top of his head and a tuft of sickly green hair, caught the faintest, but unmistakable shimmer of the Fire Ruby. His luck had been plagued today, with him finding only a measly amber and a small crumb sized emerald. Upon seeing Spike’s find, his stomach growled, reminding him how hungry he was.
A thought, a very foolish, immature, but all-around average thought for a whelp in his position crept into his head. Little Spike wanted to play with the big drakes, so it was only fair that Charcoal showed him everything that they did firsthand. He crept into the shadows of the quarry, and nearly vanished. Like most dragons, his clan name was used to describe certain attributes of his family. Being a Shadowhide, his scales allowed him to blend into the shadows, letting him to sneak up on unsuspecting prey with ease. Prey like Heathspike Ironscale.
Spike was halfway towards his brother when Charcoal made his move. The little drake nearly leapt out of his skin the moment that Charcoal appeared out of nowhere.
“Heathspike, right?” Charcoal said, creeping closer to the little hatchling.
Spike clenched the gem close to his chest, taking a few steps back from Charcoal. His instincts were telling him that something was off. The air around the dragon put him on edge and he could already feel himself shaking, as if his body was debating if he should run away or start attacking. Before either could make a sudden move, Smolder slid in front of Spike, already in a fighting stance. “What do you want?!” She said with a growl, glaring daggers at the bigger dragon.
Charcoal rolled his eyes. Of course, he’d need to deal with Garble’s bratty sister. Still, she was smaller than he was, easy pickings for a dragon as strong as him. “I just wanted to say hi, tell him about how things are run. Like the games we play, King of the Hoard, Pony Hunt, tail wrestling, and what happens when someone really wants the gem you have.”
The tail lash seemed to come out of nowhere, and Spike was knocked to the ground. However, he managed to retain a grip on his gem. Smolder let out a small roar as she leapt at Charcoal, only for the dragon to deliver a headbutt to her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. As he expected, easy pickings. Charcoal licked his lips as he walked closer to Spike, who whimpered as he shifted to lift himself off the ground. However, any plans Charcoal had to take the ruby were dashed the moment he was forcefully turned and punched.
The high cry of pain caught Spike’s attention, and through watery eyes he saw his brother standing above Charcoal. He was not happy.
Charcoal had to demand his body not to shiver or shrink as Garble’s glare tore through him. He quickly stood, got on all fours and huffed out a small burst of fire. “I’m taking that gem, Garble,” he said, managing to swallow a growing lump in his throat.
Garble got on all fours, slamming his tail against the floor like he’d seen his father and uncle do when they fought, though his lacked the sound of cracking thunder. “You’ll have to go through me.”
Garble’s statement was scarcely above a whisper, but there was not a drake in the quarry that didn’t hear the challenge. Soon, the two were surrounded by several drakes. Wagers of gems were made, and sides were taken. They cheered on the combatants as the two drakes began to circle each other, emulating their parents by baring their fangs, striking the ground with their tails, and roaring as loud as they could, spewing fire as they did. If there was an older pony present, the soft, frankly adorable roars would have had all mares fawning over them.
The fins along Charcoal’s neck and tail twitched, as did his ears. He was looking for an opening. He thought he saw one, and he rushed Garble, who dodged to the left. Charcoal swung his fist only for Garble to evade and then tackle his friend. Garble managed to get in one good punch before being kicked off. Charcoal tried to follow up with a counterattack, but Garble was too swift, dodging easily and managed to strike him thrice before Charcoal, finally, managed to punch him once. Garble quickly retaliated and knocked Charcoal to the ground. With that, Charcoal began to grow desperate.
As Spike and Smolder watched the fight, they had a creeping dread rising in their bellies about the fight they had this morning with Garble. Whoever it was that was fighting Charcoal, he was not the drake that they routinely roughhoused with. No, the dragon in front of them was a monster, an absolute brute, and they were mesmerized.
Charcoal struck Garble twice, once across the face, the second hitting his shoulder. Garble seemed unfazed and spat a burst of fire into his opponent’s face, blinding Charcoal for a moment and sending him into a frenzy. He began to swing wildly, claws open. On his first swing, Garble evaded easily, on the second, he managed to parry and strike back, pushing Charcoal back into a small group of drakes, acting as the ring’s border. He was promptly shoved back towards Garble, and at that moment Charcoal made his third swing, and his claw raked across the side of Garble’s face.
The crowd collectively gasped and went silent. Seeing Garble’s head turned, his hand covering the cheek that he had scratched, Charcoal froze as reality slowly dawned on him. He’d used his claws, and claws were never to be used. There was a strict difference between whelps fighting and nipping at one another and whelps using their claws.
“I-I didn’t- I thought you’d- That- You should have just given me the gem!” Charcoal cried, unable to think of anything else to say. He felt his mouth go dry as he thought about the trouble he was in when his parents heard about this. “I-I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he finally whimpered.
“You didn’t,” Garble sneered, moving his hand. There wasn’t a scratch on him. The group of drakes erupted into cheers and calls to continue, all while Charcoal’s mind seemed to fry. He’d used his claws, things he used to clean and skin animals, that his parents used to defend their hoards from other dragons and rend steel like it was cheap plaster, and they did absolutely nothing. Garble swung and clocked Charcoal in the side of the face, sending him stumbling, and another swing sent him to the ground. He heard Charcoal fumble for words, but anything he managed to force out was gibberish. Seeing his friend had lost the will to continue, Garble won.
“You leave my little brother alone, got it!?” Garble shouted, grabbing Charcoal by the arm and jerking him upwards. Charcoal nodded furiously. Dropping him, Garble turned to face the rest of his group. “That goes for the rest of you!” The crowd went silent. Better yet they seemed hesitant to respond. Satisfied, Garble pushed past the spectators and then helped his siblings to their feet. “We’re leaving,” he said. Smolder and Spike did not argue.
The moment they returned home, and their mother saw the bruise on her youngest child, they were forced to tell their parents everything while Spike was tended to. Though she hated that it happened, Amber was thankful that a single tail attack was all that had happened. Some whelps weren’t as lucky to only get a bruise, and none lucky enough to keep a Fire Ruby on their first outing. As their story neared its end, and Garble told his father about his fight, Flare let out a loud laugh.
“That brat uses his claws and still loses! I expect no less from my boy. Garble, you make this old lizard proud!” He turned to his youngest son. “And Spike, first time digging, and you find a Fire Ruby! Luck is an admirable attribute to have, is it not?”
“I guess, it didn’t feel too good when Charcoal attacked me for it,” Spike said, his grip on the gem tightening.
“You better hurry and eat it,” Flare said teasingly. “you never know if someone might get hungry in the middle of the night.”
Spike looked at the ruby in his claw and let out a saddened sigh. He suddenly winced when his sister placed a moist cloth against his bruised cheek and tried to swat her away.
“Stop that, she’s just trying to help the swelling go down,” his mother chided.
“Okay. Mama, I don’t think I’m ready to play with Garble’s friends.”
“Unfortunately, Spike. I’m sorry for letting you go, but I think it’s an important lesson to learn. Don’t let that fight discourage you. You’ll grow and get bigger and stronger. Besides, you know what it’s going to be like when you’re Garble’s age and have a group of your own, so you’ll be ready when the time comes, just like your big brother.”
His big brother. Spike looked at Garble, then the ruby, and began to reflect on the fight he had with Charcoal. Yeah, he was going to be just like his big brother. He winced in pain again when Smolder moved the cloth, and glanced at Garble, who was completely fine. “Papa, why didn’t Garble get hurt?” Spike asked. “Mama always says that we shouldn’t use our claws when we’re playing because we could hurt each other, but Garble was fine.”
“Your brother is an Ironscale, Spike. Our clan has thick, tough scales and thicker hides, natural armor! Nothing short of a Steelspine can pierce our hides!” His father said with no small amount of pride.
“Does that mean we can use claws when we fight in the cave?!” Spike asked.
“No!” Amber said, rather loudly. She saw her son flinch and calmed herself, while still keeping a firm tone. “Heathspike, I forbid you from using your claws anywhere in this cave. That goes double for the both of you,” she said looking between Smolder and Garble.
“Yes, mama,” the children said in unison.
That night, when all was quiet and the family was fast asleep, Garble felt someone nudge his side once, twice, thrice, before he was shaken awake. He opened his eyes and there beside him sat Spike.
“Spike, what is it?” There came a clatter, as half of the Fire Ruby landed Infront of Garble. He squinted and saw that Spike held about a fourth of the original Ruby. “What’s this for?”
“You had to make sure I got to keep it, you deserve it, at least some of it.” Spike lifted what remained of his gem and took a bite. “I gave some to Smolder before bed.”
That explained why she looked so happy when she and Spike snuggled. His brother was almost too nice. “Of course I made sure you got to keep it,” Garble said, picking up his piece. He wasn’t about to say no to a Fire Ruby of all things. “You’re my little brother, I’m always going to have your back, especially if someone bigger tries to mess with you.” He saw that his brother had lost his fire from earlier this morning. “Are you okay?”
“When me and Smolder beat you this morning, you weren’t really fighting us, were you?” There was a short silence.
“So what?” Garble said. “You and Smolder are still small. I don’t want to hurt you guys.” Spike grumbled and fell to his stomach. “I wouldn’t let that fight with Charcoal make you feel bad. I used to lose all the time to bigger drakes, then I trained and got tougher, now I can kick all their butts! We just have to toughen you up. Then, when you get in a real fight, you’re going to win.”
“How long will that take?”
“Years, but you’ll have me, and dad, and Uncle Smog, and even Smolder to help you. You’re going to be one of the strongest dragons there are when you’re bigger!”
“And then I’ll be able to beat up the bigger dragons like you? I really wanna learn how punch and dodge like you did!” Spike began to grow louder the more excited he became, until a glowing yellow eye pierced through the darkness. There came a low rumbling, and the eye narrowed. Their mother was giving them a silent warning, and failure to abide by it would be a fate worse than death, no desert for a whole week. Spike’s training could wait for a day or two. For now, it was time for bed. Garble was left in his spot, while Spike went and snuggled close to his big sister. Once again, the cave was silent.