Deep within the caves of Equestria.
Rarity is currently on her traditional hunt for gems. Joined by Spike, who held a basket of gems, eager to eat them, a single Leavanny just in case any Rock or Ground-Types try and attack and a helmet. Just to be safe.
"The last time I was here, I woke them and ended up with a mane full of bats!" Rarity sighed. "Thanks for being my basket holder, Spike."
"Basket holder? I thought I was your bodyguard." Spike raised an eyebrow.
"What? Oh, heh, yes, yes, that of course, too. Oh, for once I wish unicorn magic wasn't so... luminescent!" Just then, a light coming from Spike emanated to a point that it had reached high enough to alert the bats, awakening them from their slumber. "Spike! You'll wake the bats! Turn that off!"
"Ugh! I can't" Spike groaned as he was squirming on the ground. Whatever was happening to him was brand new territory for him and Rarity.
Moving over to Canterlot, at the moment, Twilight is spending some quality time with Celestia and Luna. Just for fun. Their Pokemon had joined in the fun as well as always.
"Espeon?" Eve spoke to Passion.
"Kirlia!" The Emotion Pokemon raised her arms up at her fellow Psychic-Type. Whatever they were talking about, it must be something serious judging by how Minccy's eyes are shifting across the room, looking at the two. Darkrai being Darkrai as always was lurking in the corner, blending in with the shadows as he let out a never-ending stare.
"Arcanine." Celestia's newest and second Pokemon, Arcanine had interacted with the group, showing how affectionate he can be. The Legendary Pokemon had given Passion and Eve a lick, showing his courage love.
"Es..." Eve felt like she was about to throw up.
"Kir..." Passion shuddered.
"I'm so glad you two could come!" Twilight smiled.
"Of course. We so rarely get a chance to relax and just visit." Luna replied.
"There's usually some crisis we have to deal with." Celestia picked up Passion. "Somepony always needs our help. But today—"
A shriek of unparalleled horror interrupted Celestia. And who else can scream like that but Rarity, who came bursting through the doors with Spike on her back.
"Twilight! There's something wrong with Spike!" Rarity bellowed, placing Spike on the table. The young dragon was scratching himself as if he had an unremovable itch on him.
"What's wrong?" Twilight asked her assistant.
"I don't know! Nngh! All of a sudden, my scales just started glowing and... burning!" Spike grunted.
" Little is known about dragon culture, but this is a phenomenon we've seen before. It is the call of the Dragon Lord." Luna commented.
"Dragons glow whenever the Dragon Lord has need of them in the Dragon Lands." Celestia explained.
"Great... H-How do I make it stop?!" Spike scratched his head.
"The only way to end the summons is to answer it. You must journey to the Dragon Lands and see what is expected of you." Luna stepped forward.
" B-B-But the Dragon Lands are full of... dragons! And they're ghastly creatures!" Rarity winced. "Oh, oh, not you, of course, Spikey-wikey. But remember that rotten Garble?"
"How could I forget?" Spike gulped. "He would have burnt us to a crisp if you weren't there. If I have to go to the Dragon Lands, would you two come with me?"
"Ooh! Oh my goodness, I'd love to!" Twilight squeed. "We are sadly lacking any information on dragon culture and customs. All I have are these Dragon-Type lore books." Twilight took out some books that had information on most of the Dragon-Type Pokemon. "I could research them – maybe even write an article! This could be my chance to make a great contribution to the knowledge of Equestria!" She took a moment to realize that the others were looking at her with lowered eyes. "And be there for Spike, heh, of course."
"Be very careful. The Dragon Lands are particularly dangerous for ponies. It would be wise to be discreet. But as long as you have your Pokemon with you, that won't be a problem, right?" Celestia said.
"Not at all." Twilight shook her head.
"Ooh! I'm sure I still have the dragon costume we used the last time we snuck into the Dragon Lands!" Rarity clapped her hooves together.
"I think we might want something a little more practical this time," Twilight responded, having something in mind.
Although, it wasn't as comfortable as the dragon costume. If anything it was a bit hard to move around in. A huge rock. That was the disguise. Sitting atop it was Spike. Still glowing. Still itchy.
"Hmmm... Well, it may be practical, but this disguise isn't flattering in the slightest!" Rarity said in silence.
"It's not supposed to be flattering. It's supposed to blend in!" Twilight whispered back at her.
"Sssh!" Spike hushed them as a dragon flew by. This dragon was glowing as well along with every other dragon here. They had all been summoned to this exact spot. One dragon, in particular, had spotted Spike. The one he hoped that they wouldn't come across.
"Hey-hey, look! It's our old friend Sparkle-warkle." That dragon was Garble, along with two other dragons.
"It's Spike." The baby dragon replied.
"Are you sure your pony friends didn't give you a pony name?"
"It's nice to see you too, Garble." Spike sighed, crossing his arms at the teenage dragon.
"I didn't say it was nice to see you. It's not. I don't like you. Was I not clear about that?" Garble knocked Spike off the fake rock, hopping on it instead. A grunt came from Twilight, Rarity and Eve, but a silent one.
"Hey! That's my rock!"
"Oh, really? Then why aren't you sitting on it?" Garble laughed.
Their laughing was ceased when Torch, the big dragon in charge came along. More than just being in charge, he was the biggest dragon here. His shadow loomed over every dragon here, causing Twilight and Rarity to raise their eyes up to gaze upon the sheer size of this guy. Everything about him was intimidating. Horns, wings, tail, everything. They outclassed every other dragon in size and scale.
"Dragons of Equestria, hear me!" The gigantic dragon spoke with a booming voice. "I have been Dragon Lord for longer than many of you can remember, and my reign has been extraordinary!" He took a moment to realize that there wasn't any response from the dragons. "Agree with me!" And so they did. His aggressive voice got them all to make general agreeing noises. They all seemed to scream his name "Torch" over and over again.
"Who is that?" Spike pointed up.
"It's Dragon Lord Torch, dummy," Garble replied.
"No, next to him." Spike was referring to the smaller blue dragon flapping right next to Torch.
"That's his daughter, Princess Ember. I wouldn't even look at her if I were you unless you want Torch to eat you!"
"This is fascinating! Dragons are notoriously reckless, but they do whatever the Dragon Lord says!" Twilight spoke. "I wonder if the same logic applies to Pokemon?"
"Unfortunately, according to dragon law, it is time for me to step down. Sad, I know." Torch said, noticing that yet again, no one was affected by that. "Be sad!" He forced them to feel distraught and saddened by this reveal. "This is why I have summoned you – to compete for the throne in the Gauntlet of Fire" Now that got them to give a genuine reaction of cheering. "Whomever has the strength and fortitude to retrieve this bloodstone scepter from the heart of the flame-cano will be crowned Lord of the Dragons!" Torch held up a scepter that paled in comparison to his overwhelming size. But that didn't matter since the scepter packed heaps of power behind it.
He tossed the scepter into the distance, causing it to fall straight into an active volcano cave. Getting a scepter in that would require a dragon honestly. Once the scepter went inside the volcano, a burst of lava rose up. A red light emanated afterwards, causing the glow to vanish from the dragons.
"When the scepter disappeared, the dragons stopped glowing! We are learning so much!" Twilight squeed, getting out a quill and notebook. She started scribbling down some information, however, the quill was reaching Rarity's nose, causing the unicorn to reach the verge of sneezing.
However, Minccy had blocked her nose using Aqua Tail to do so.
High above the Dragon lands. Or at least, right next to the tallest mountain there was, the two cosmic duo of Sienna and Lucien made their appearances once more. Wherever there's a major event, they'll be there.
"Look at all those dragons..." Sienna gawked.
"Weird. All of this yet not a single Dragon-Type in sight. Ain't that weird." Lucien chuckled.
"Weird is an understatement. Just feels out of place. You'd think there'd be at least one right?"
"Well...what about that Bagon over there?" Lucien pointed at the only Dragon-Type that was here. A Bagon. Just minding its own business, looking into the sky.
This Bagon had been undetected by the dragons here, mostly due to it being a bit of an individual Pokemon Bagon is usually a Pokemon that dreams of being able to fly. As a result, it's constantly frustrated, smashing its rocky head on anything that it spots. On the bright side, because of its single-minded pursuit of flight, it appears to be genetically motivated. Bagon for the past months has been destroying rocks in the Dragon Lands out of frustration. But the dragons found it adorable.
"Just the one Bagon?" Sienna twirled her drill hair.
"Looks like it. Check out how it stares into the sky."
"Ba..." The Rock Head Pokemon wouldn't take its eyes off the crimson skies of the Dragon Lands. How it wishes it could fly.
"It's kind of impressive that their final evolution Salamance just gains the ability to fly because it wished super hard." Sienna turned to Lucien.
"Mhm. Having a super strong desire to fly and just gaining wings when you finally reach that point. That really is impressive..." Lucien thought for a bit, sparking up an idea. He looked over at Bagon, then to the flame-cano. Then to Bagon and back to the cave. "I got an idea..."
"What? What did you get?"
"Check this out. We're gonna grant this Bagon's wish in a heartbeat. Bam!" Lucien pointed directly at Bagon, shooting the Rock Head Pokemon with a bolt of cosmic lights.
In just a split second, Bagon's wish had come true out of nowhere. Its body began morphing, skipping past its second evolution, Shelgon and right to its final evolution.
Salamence.
"SALA!" The Dragon Pokemon let out a resounding roar.
"Oooh...Nice!" Sienna clapped. "But uh...I don't get what this is gonna achieve."
"Isn't it obvious? Salamance is an unusual Pokemon species. These guys get a little bit too rowdy sometimes. So rowdy that they lose all sense of themselves, destroying everything around them. They get like this because they're so happy to gain wings, they end up destroying entire field and mountains. So here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna have this Salamance head in there and start doing what it does best. Go wild."
"Oooh...That just sounds like everyday natural dragon stuff to me." Sienna was unimpressed.
"It's gonna be cool! Watch!"
"The Gauntlet is dangerous, for I designed it myself!" Torch continued speaking. "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!"
The dragons cheered, but Spike wasn't up for this at all. "I don't want to be Dragon Lord or dragon toast, and I stopped glowing, so let's sneak out of here!" He pushed the rock, preparing to high-tail it out of here.
"Ah! Where do you think you're going, little dragon?!" Torch spotted Spike, unfortunately.
"Oh, uh, hi, your Lordship. Uh, I was just going home!" Spike squeed.
"You don't get to leave unless I say you can!"
"Dad, look at him. He's just a runt. Besides, he doesn't even wanna compete. Let him go." Ember suddenly spoke, flying down towards the baby dragon, patting him on the head.
"He is rather tiny, heh-heh. I could squish him with my pinky claw." Torch said, causing Spike to chuckle nervously. "That wasn't a joke. It was a fact. When I want you to laugh, I will say 'be amused!'"
"Of course, your Lordship! I, uh, guess I don't understand dragon customs. Another reason why I shouldn't compete."
"Hm. Very well then, little dragon. I release you."
"Thank you!" Spike grinned nervously as he then turned to Ember. And thank you." Both went their separate ways with Spike pushing the rock and Ember flying off.
The teenage dragon, however, seemed to be heading in a different direction at high speeds, but her father caught her.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"To prepare for the Gauntlet." Ember looked up, replying to her father.
"No, you're not. You're not much bigger than that runt I just sent home!" The Dragon Lord shook his head.
"But I'm smarter than most of these boulderheads and you know it!" She flew up, pointing directly at him.
"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!" His yell caused her to fly back away from his vicinity.
"I hate when he does that!" Ember growled, flying off.
Many dragons were already discussing what they'd do if they became Dragon Lord. One had said that they would allow burping to be a greeting, another just wanted soft pillows but Garble had something much more aggressive in mind.
"That's nothing! When I'm in charge, the first thing I'll do is get revenge on those puny ponies! They'll regret they ever crossed Garble! We'll take whatever we want from Equestria and burn the rest!" Clearly, his was the more forceful and rough route.
"Oh, my gosh!" Twilight was rightfully worried.
"Ooh, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I hope that burping dragon wins!" Rarity shook her head.
"None of them can win! Equestria's in big trouble if any of them are in charge!" Spike replied.
"But what can we do?" Twilight wondered.
"There's only one thing to do, and only I can do it! I have to win the Gauntlet of Fire!" Spike put his hands together.
"Oh..." Both said.
"Huh?" Rarity had taken the rock costume off. "What do you mean you have to win the Gauntlet?"
"It's the only way to protect Equestria from the dragons. You heard them! They have horrible plans for ponies if they win! So somehow, I have to do it!"
"There has to be another way. It's too dangerous. Besides, if you win, you'd have to stay here! We have Pokemon on our side! We can just defend ourselves with them!" The young alicorn exclaimed.
"I know, but with how many of them there are, there's no other way to keep my friends safe." His words were a bit moving to them. They were very sincere and honest with a lot of love packed behind them.
"Well, if you're staying to compete, then we're staying to cheer you on!" Twilight replied.
"Espeon."
"Minccino!"
The Gauntlet of Fire was about to begin with a large majority of the dragons, who also had some armour on here and there, gathered up in one spot with Torch looking over them. He noticed that Spike came along running, joining his fellow dragons.
"I thought I released you, tiny one!"
"I decided to compete. I am a dragon, after all."
"Are you sure? You can't even fly!" Garble pointed out his non-existent wings.
"All dragons are welcome to compete, but they do so at their own peril! Flying to Flame-cano Island is the first of many challenges you will face in your quest to find the bloodstone scepter!" Torch breathed fire, indicating that it was time to begin. All of them took off flying, heading straight for the island.
All except Spike, who couldn't fly.
"Good luck! Just kidding. I hope you lose." Garble knocked Spike off, flying towards the island with the others. He fell straight into the sea, falling behind every one there.
"Thanks, Garble! I was planning on swimming anyway!" Swimming was his best source of travel at the moment. Behind him, two seaweeds came towards him. Those seaweeds were revealed to be Twilight and Rarity, giving their support in secret.
"You can do it, Spike!" Rarity cheered him on.
From the large sea, a sea worm emerged, roaring as a wave of water hit any dragons that passed by, knocking them out of the sky as if they were flies. And it was more than just one of them, that's for sure.
One dragon in particular, who was covered in armour had been knocked out of the sky, falling into the sea with the others. But this fall was worse. Instead of just falling and flying back up like the others, this dragon had ended up sinking further down into the sea, right next to Spike.
"He's gonna drown!" Spike gasped, heading down to save the armoured dragon.
"Spike!" Twilight squealed, seeing Spike head deep into the sea. But thankfully, he saved the dragon much quicker than expected, bringing them back up. He brought the unidentified dragon to shore, saving their life instead of carrying on with the gauntlet.
"Hey, are you okay?" Spike noticed that the dragon was waking up with its eyes slowly opening . The dragon was coughing whilst still having the helmet on, causing Spike to take the helmet off. Once he did, it was revealed that this dragon was Ember. "Princess Ember!"
"What do you think you're doing?" Ember stood up, rubbing her head.
"Only saving your ungrateful scales!" Rarity snapped at her whilst still disguised via seaweed.
"Did that seaweed just talk?" Ember narrowed her eyes, walking straight towards the disguised ponies. She removed the disguise, causing Twilight, Rarity, Eve and Minccy to be visible. "Ponies?! What are they doing here?! And what are those things?!" She then pointed towards the two Pokemon.
"They're my friends!" Spike ran up to her, standing in between the girls.
"Friends? Dragons don't do friends."
"Well, this dragon does."
"Whatever. I don't care as long as none of you gets in my way. I have a Gauntlet to win." Ember took the helmet off of Spike's claws.
"But I thought your dad said that—" Spike chattered, attempting to finish his sentence.
"I don't care what my dad said! I'll show him and every dragon who thinks I'm just a little princess there are better things than being big and strong!"
Atop a hill, a Slingtail had sent a boulder right towards Garble's direction, forcing him to bounce off some crystals, crashing to the ground whist the boulder laid on his body. Twilight and Rarity quickly went back into their seaweed disguise before they get noticed by him.
Garble turned his eye to the corner, noticing Spike hiding behind the seaweed. "Don't leave me here, Spike!" Spike, being the good soul he was, rushed over to Garble, pushing the boulder off with all of his strength. Garble looked at this, finding it pathetic. " Ha-ha! Knew you'd do it. Your pony friends made you soft."
"Uh-huh. You're welcome."
"For what? I didn't say thank you." He kicked some dirt at Spike, burying him in it. "Wow, you even smell like ponies." His draconic nose started acting up, picking up the scent of ponies. "Or is it coming from over there?" He continued sniffing for ponies. A dragon's nose is unusually good, especially if they're older. He went over to the seaweed, tracking the scent all the way here. Twilight and Rarity closed their eyes, praying that they weren't caught.
"Uh, that's just me. I, uh, robbed some ponies on my way over here." Ember put up a gruff voice, preventing the ponies from being spotted.
"Huh, I like your style. Have I met you before?" Garble examined the scales and wings of Ember. "You kind of look like—"
"My, uh, old neighbour! Uh, Sandy... Rockbeach!" Spike interrupted. Atop that same hill from before, the slingtail continued tossing boulders to any dragon that passed by.
"Stupid slingtails knocked me down! But I've wasted enough time making small talk. Get it? Ha-ha! Because you're too small to win this! I'm funny." Garble flew off.
"Why did you cover for me? You could've had one less competitor." Ember turned to Spike.
"I could ask you the same thing. You could've told Garble about my friends."
Ember turned her attention to the skies, seeing more and more dragons getting taken out via boulders and occasionally the water.
"Yikes... That looks rough. But that's what makes it a challenge." She spoke.
"Are you kidding? Those boulders are huge!" Spike exclaimed. However, a thought had circled his mind. One that could work out. "Hey, what if we worked together? You fly me up there, and I'll help look out for boulders, like a second set of eyes!"
Although, by the way Ember looked at him, she found the idea to be a bit unusual. Spike went over to the seaweed, expecting to see Twilight and Rarity there. However, once he made contact with it, it dropped down, spreading water on the ground. In truth, they had swapped disguises, now appearing to be in the same rock disguise from before.
"Pssst!" Rarity called for him. "Spike! Are you sure it's a good idea to team up with Ember? You don't know her too well."
"I do know she could've told Garble about you, but she didn't. I think we can trust her."
"Her behaviour does seem contradictory to everything I've noted about dragons so far." Twilight nodded, writing down new notes.
"Hey, you, little fella!" Ember raised her voice at him. "I've thought about it, and your plan makes sense. Let's do it."
"Really? Great! It's a deal!" Spike rushed over, putting his arm out for a clawshake. Ember grabbed a single claw of his, shaking it.
"Just so you know, this doesn't mean we're gonna pick flowers or exchange necklaces or whatever pony friends do."
"Good luck. We'll meet you at the top." Twilight exclaimed, hiding back inside the disguise.
Deep within the flame-cano, Salamance was currently present within there. Lucien had placed the Dragon Pokemon at the right spot for the other dragons to encounter it.
"Sala!" The Dragon Pokemon let out a mighty roar. One so mighty that it even shook the island, causing its voice to echo outside. The dragons had never heard a roar like that before. They wondered if something was in there. Or maybe a dragon has already found the scepter. And as it's commonly known for, the Dragon-Flying-Type, so overjoyed with its wings started exhibiting great amounts of power. A single stomp had caused the entire island to tremble, even forcing some flames to rise up.
It decided to give its new wings a try by flying into the air. The Dragon Pokemon flew around the cave, overjoyed to the fullest. However, it was so overjoyed that it barely noticed its surroundings. All its excessive flying was not only destroying bits of the island, but a sharp crystal had even stabbed into its skin, sticking there.
Salamance are already ferocious Pokemon with a bad temper. But this crystal made it worse. Lucien didn't plan for that part to happen, but he was eager to see how it would play out with an even more aggravated and frustrated that normal Salamance. Which was already bad enough.
Outside, Spike and Ember's team-up seemed to be a success. With Ember's flying as navigation and Spike's eyes being the overseer who could see any danger coming their way. And danger was coming their way in the form of a slingtail tossing a boulder their way.
"Pull up! There's one on your tail!"
Ember yelped, flying directly over the boulder. But more were sent, hitting other dragons out of the sky with ease.
"Go left!"
Ember had evaded one that came from the left, evading more and more boulders that were chucked, moving at a brisk enough pace that she and Spike had gone ahead of most of them. They came across their designated area being the island, landing down safely on solid ground without even a single scratch on them. Not a bad combination.
"So what do we do now?" Spike asked.
"I think we go through there." Ember pointed directly at the cave. One where Garble flew through. Once two other dragons passed through, a roar of flames hit the two, forcing them to head out of the cave.
"Oh, that looks scary!" Rarity yelped. "I mean, you can do it!"
"Listen, Spike. I wouldn't have made it this far without you. So I guess, if you want to, we could keep working together. I mean, just until we get through that tunnel."
"Okay!" Spike was all for it as the two made their way towards the inside of the cave, preparing for the worst.
"We'll be right behind you!" Twilight said.
"Minccino!"
Inside the island cave, the challenge was only going to get harder from here on. Especially with what awaits them at the island. Right now, most of the dragons, including Spike and Ember came across rocks that were moving as if they were teeth. They crunched up and down, trapping some dragons between their rocky gaps.
Spike hopped on Ember's back, planning to use the same strategy they utilized back outside. Ember flew through the gnawing rocks, soaring through their rapid movements with ease. She had some exceptional flying skills. Garble, however, had gotten himself trapped between the teeth, falling behind the two.
It got worse. Further inside the island cave, moving crystals moved in and out of holes, having the potential to crush anyone that they made contact with. But as a plus, at least there were some Pokemon inside here. But only the ones you'd expect, such as Sableye and Carbink. Spike had saved Ember from an incoming crystal that almost hit its mark, nearly crushing the dragon princess. Garble wasn't as lucky. He had been slammed into the walls via an incoming crystal, leaving him a bit dazed.
Now for something harder. Lava. Deep within this were stacked pools of lava with Macargo's sitting about in them. They seemed to enjoy the free bath as they were all stacked within them. Twilight and Rarity were here, now in separate rock disguises. They managed to get here via the help of their Pokemon.
"Oh, you made it! Oh, we were so worried!" Rarity sighed.
"About us? Spike scoffed. "That tunnel was cake!" It clearly wasn't since he groaned, falling down afterwards.
"Wait. How did you two get through?" Ember wondered. Abruptly, the entire cave began rumbling, causing Rarity to almost fall into a pool of lava.
"Rarity!" Spike yelled, grabbing the rock with all his might. And that might was enough. A nice and quick simple save as Rarity was pulled back.
"Oh, thanks, Spike!" Rarity thanked him.
"It was nothing." Spike sighed.
"Nothing?" said Ember. "You just risked everything to save her! And they're putting themselves in danger just to support you!"
"Well, that's just what friends do. Don't you have anyone who looks out for you?" Spike asked.
"Not really. Unless I count you. 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?"
"Well, there's only one winner, one scepter, and one Dragon Lord. So I guess it's every dragon for themselves."
"Oh. So we aren't really friends?" Spike lowered his head.
"Maybe if we were in Ponyland, but like I said, dragons don't do friendship." Ember flew off, leaving a pretty heavy impact on Spike emotionally. Spike, feeling doleful, continued the challenge, but not out of enthusiasm this time.
"I can't believe Ember ditched me."
"Oh, you're better off. She was only looking out for herself. She's just like all the other dragons." Rarity replied.
"She's not, though. I know it. She saved me, even when she didn't have to. I don't care what she says. That makes us friends."
"SALA!" The sounds of Salamace boomed throughout the cano. A devastating Dragon Pulse broke through the walls, revealing the Dragon Pokemon to them. There it was. Enraged due to the crystal that had been stabbed into its back. But next to Salamance, was the scepter. Sitting right there atop a throne of crystals.
"There's the scepter! But it's right next to....what is that?" Twilight went into her saddlebag, taking out her own Pokedex.
"Salamance. The Dragon Pokemon. Salamence came about as a result of a strong, long-held dream of growing wings. It is said that this powerful desire triggered a sudden mutation in this Pokémon’s cells, causing it to sprout its magnificent wings. To express its joy, it flies and wheels all over the sky while spouting flames from its mouth that even burn fields and mountains. When angered, it loses all sense of itself and destroys everything around it. The destruction will continue until Salamence has tired itself out."
"SALAMENCE!" The Dragon Pokemon bashed its head against the wall, causing a small earthquake.
"I have to get the scepter...past that?!" Spike gulped.
"You can't! But I sure can!" Along came Garble, completely unaware of what stood in front of him and everyone else.
"Wait, don't get too close to i-" Twilight attempted to warn the overconfident dragon. But it was too late. Garble flew forward, thinking he could just simply knock Salamence out of the way and grab the Blood Scepter. How wrong he was. The Dragon Pokemon set its sights on Garble, delivering a devastating Flamethrower his way. Garble's eyes widened as he was pushed back by the flames, hitting the wall as a result.
"MENCE!" Salamance found another target. Spike. The Dragon Pokemon growled at the smaller dragon, attempting to absolutely demolish him.
"N-Nice Pokemon...W-We're both dragons here, right?" Spike backed up against the wall, gulping.
"We have to do something!" Rarity yelped, holding out one of her Pokeballs.
"Look!" Suddenly, Twilight noticed something coming their way. Or someone. Along came Ember, swooping down towards the Dragon Pokemon in order to save Spike. She gave it her best effort of attempting to tackle it, She managed to force Salamence back a bit with all her might, but the recoil was worse on her due to Salamance's body weight, forcing her to tumble on the ground.
"SALA!"
"Ember! I thought it was every dragon for themselves! Why did you save me?!"
"That's what friends do! 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!" Now wasn't the best time to talk about anything. Salamence got back up in a few seconds, obviously even more enraged than it already was now that it's been attacked.
The Dragon Pokemon, out of sheer rage, creating powerful shockwaves with just its roar. The shockwaves were so intense that they broke Twilight and Rarity's disguises, revealing them to Garble.
"What the?!" Garble gasped. But this seemed like a good opportunity. He could take out some ponies and maybe get the scepter as well.
"Esp!" Eve jumped in front of Garble along with Minccino, snarling at the teenage dragon in order to protect their trainer and her friend. However, Garble is the last dragon they have to worry about. Salamence was the real problem. The Dragon Pokemon had flown towards Spike and Ember, planning to obliterate them both.
"Not good! Quick Attack! Both of you!" Twilight decided to forget about Garble, focusing all her attention on Salamance. Both of her Pokemon had moved at blinding speeds, bolting towards the Dragon Pokemon. Salamence's tail had been struck by the two, grabbing the attention of the Dragon-Flying-Type.
"Salamence!" Salamence responded by smacking both Pokemon away with Dragon Tail, causing them to hit the walls in the process.
"Spike! Get the scepter!" Ember commanded. Salamence continued its rampage, unleashing Flamethrower upon the cave. Twilight conjured up a defensive barrier to protect her friends, blocking out Flamethrower. However, the flames tore apart the ceiling, forcing it to slowly come apart. Huge chunks of the top fell from above with some falling on Garble and the barrier.
Ember flew forward, tackling Salamance again, but this time, Salamance didn't even budge. In response, Salamence undertook a bite, preparing to tear Ember into shreds with its fangs. The dragon princess had evaded the bite, but barely. Salamence's fangs tore off bits of her armour, causing them to shatter into pieces. Salamence didn't stop to catch its breath at all. It used Dragon Tail to hit the ground, forcing a tremor that caused Spike to trip, halting his progress.
The Dragon Pokemon went towards Spike, platforming itself in front of him, making it harder to reach the scepter. The moment it landed down, it destroyed the rock bridge behind it, creating a huge gap that Spike couldn't jump over.
"There's no other choice but to stop this thing." Rarity tossed out two Pokeballs, sending out a single Leavanny and her Mareep.
"Leavanny!"
"Mareep!"
"Both of you! Energy Ball! Electro Ball!" In unison, both the Wool and Leaf Wrapped Pokemon called upon electric and nature energy, tossing the powered up spheres towards the direction of the Dragon Pokemon.
Both attacks struck Salamence's face, causing it to be pushed back. Salamance in response gave out a discharge of draconic flames that Spike thankfully ducked from. However, the flames were headed towards the other and they had grown in size, so there was no way you could just duck from them now.
Ember got in the way, taking the hit for them. Her body had felt the impact and burn of Salamence's Dragonbreath, forcing her to fall to the ground.
"Eve! Psybeam! Minccy Aqua Tail!"
"Minccino!" The Chinchilla Pokemon swung her tail with a veil of water as if it was a vicious raging storm, slapping Salamence's face. Following up, a beam of psychic energy had poured on the Dragon Pokemon, dealing a good amount of damage in the process.
"Now! Leavanny! X-Scissor!"
"Vanny!" The Leaf Wrapped Pokemon crossed its arms together as if they were a pair of scissors. Its now sharpened arms cut Salamence's wings, more than once even. A flurry of X-Scissors had been unleashed on the Dragon Pokemon was being given a barrage of slashes by Rarity's single Leavanny.
"Salamence!" Despite this, Salamence was still standing strong. The Dragon Pokemon had learned the devastating move, Hyper Beam, out of pure desperation. Twilight gasped, knowing what move this was. That same destructive beam that has constantly shown its overwhelming might came out of Salamence's mouth with terror behind it.
Spike looked back to see Salamence tearing the place apart by moving the Hyper Beam across the room. He couldn't get the scepter since his friends came first. But instead of rushing to protect them, he noticed something that caught his eye. A crystal, deep inside Salamence's skin. It took a moment to process through his mind, but it was clear that the crystal was the reason for Salamence's rampage. And the fact that it usually attacks out of frustration but mostly the crystal.
"Ccino!" Minccino had been knocked out by Dragon Tail, falling to Twilight's side.
"Minccy! Eve! Dash around with Quick Attack!"
"Espeon!" The Sun Pokemon did just that. Moving around as if she was a tornado, the Psychic Eeveelution befuddled Salamence with all its rapid movements. And taking inspiration from Cobalion and Virizion, Eve had struck Salamence each time she got close with Quick Attack.
Salamence attempted hitting Eve with Dragon Tail, but Quick Attack was too fast for it to catch up. "Sala!" So a better option was to blast the ground. And so it did. With Hyper Beam, Salamence caused a mighty burst of explosive hyper energy, forcing Eve to lose her balance.
Thankfully, the Hyper Beam only pushed Eve back, not knocking her out. She was still up and ready to go. Rarity's Leavanny had gone for another X-Scissor, but Salamence saw it coming this time, biting onto Leavanny's arms. Mareep had assisted with Electro Ball, which was a good choice. Leavanny's resistance to Electric-Type attacks meant that Electro Ball would only affect one of them.
Salamence in response, unleashed Flamethrower on Leavanny whilst still holding on to its arms. It was super-effective, taking Leavanny out in one single hit.
"Van!" Leavanny had been knocked back, fainting from the devastating Flamethrower as its trainer ran to its side.
"Sala!" Salamence continued its assault with a series of attacks. It smacked an incoming Ember away with Dragon Tail, destroying the rest of her armour. It then got into a beam struggle with Eve's Psybeam, using Hyper Beam to fight back. Mareep joined in, tossing an Electro Ball from behind whilst Salamence was busy trying to win against Psybeam.
"Wait!" Spike exclaimed, running over to them.
"SALAMENCE!" Salamence blew them all back with a body exertion, causing a tremendous shockwave. The shockwave destroyed the Psybeam and even its own Hyper Beam, showing how overwhelming its own strength was.
"Espeon..." Eve shook her head as she and Mareep were the only two Pokemon left standing to take Salamence on. Albeit, fairly exhausted.
"Wait! Salamence!" Spike called out to Salamence, grabbing the Dragon Pokemon's attention.
"Sal?!" Salamence growled at Spike, ready to either smack him with Dragon Tail or obliterate him with Hyper Beam or Flamethrower. One of the two will work.
"Easy there Salamence...Not gonna hurt you." Spike instead, was trying to calm it down. Salamence pulled back, confused at Spike's actions. "Just gonna...do this." Spike carefully walked around the Dragon Pokemon, who kept its eyes on him. Salamence was prepared to strike at any moment if it spotted Spike trying to pull something funny.
"Spike! Get away from it!" Rarity exclaimed.
"Wait! Look..." Twilight had stopped Rarity from trying to attack, noticing what Spike was up to.
"I'm gonna take this out...right here!" Spike jumped up, grabbing the crystal that had been dug inside Salamence's skin, ripping it out with ease. It was a small crystal after all but it was insanely sharp.
"Mence?! Sala!" Salamence winced at the pain, letting out a cry. But instead of a cry of rage, it was a cry of joy. The Dragon Pokemon fell on the ground, breathing in and out. "Salamence..."
"There! All better." Spike grinned, taking a bite out of the crystal afterwards. "Now to get that scepter." Spike ran over, resuming the challenge. But he just remembered there was a gap there. And he can't fly. Oops. But, he wasn't alone. He had help from Ember, who carried him over.
Spike, with haste, ran towards the throne, seeing the scepter lying there. He climbed up, gazing at its dazzling glory. The way it outshined every other crystal on this entire island. The baby dragon finally got a hold of it, and the result? A stream of red magical flames emanated from the gem, flowing through Spike's face as well. He held the scepter up as it shot out a beam of flames, racing high up into the skies with lightning speeds. What a sight it was.
"What?" Garble gasped, getting back up. "You?! You have the scepter?! But that means that you're..."
"The Dragon Lord. Dragon Lord Spike." Ember said as she bowed down to him. Not only that but some other dragons, who finally made it here, showed their respects by bowing to the new lord. How kind.
"Urgh...Dragon... Lord... Spike..." Garble reluctantly said as he bowed down.
"That's right! Uh... Now, go start your long journey home. And give every dragon you see on the way a hug. Don't tell them why." Spike ordered him.
"Awww! But that'll be super embarrassing!"
"I command you to do it!" He pointed the scepter at Garble.
"I can't believe this..." Garble gave a dragon hug before flying off to hug even more, unfortunately for him.
"Dragon Lord Spike. Hm, has a nice ring to it." Ember nodded.
"Dragon Lord Ember sounds a lot better." Spike, unexpectedly, gave the scepter over to Ember instead.
"What? No. You're the Dragon Lord now."
"The Dragon Lord is whoever brings the scepter back to your father! Besides, you'll make a great leader. I was just doing this to protect the ponies. But I know you'll protect them just as well as I would have." Spike grinned.
"You sure about this?" Ember was unsure.
"Absolutely. My home is in Equestria with my friends."
"Well, you'll have at least one friend here too," Ember replied as Spike suddenly hugged her. "What are you doing?"
"It's called a hug!"
"Oh. I don't know if I like it. But... okay." Ember blushed, giving him a pat on the head.
"Aww..." Twilight and Rarity gushed at it.
"Salamence..." Look who's up. The Dragon Pokemon. Feeling all better. Its shadow loomed over Twilight and Rarity, causing them to gulp. But there was no reason to be afraid this time. Salamence flew over to Spike, with a smile on its face instead of a snarl or frown. "Sala."
"Hey, Salamence. Feeling better?" Spike asked.
"Salamence." The Dragon Pokemon nodded.
"Great. Glad it all worked out in the end. Now let's get out of here. This place is still coming apart." Spike walked off, feeling all chummy and jolly. But it didn't end there. Salamence had nudged Spike's back, grabbing his attention. "Hm? What is it?"
"Mence. Salamence."
"Sal..." Salamence gazed at Spike with eyes that, for most of the time, meant only one thing. Salamence even gave a bow, acting like the others dragons as it recognized Spike as Dragon Lord. But Spike also gained Salamence's respect, being able to confront a Pokemon as overwhelming as it. The two took a moment looking at each as Spike's eyes widened.
"...Salamence...Do you...wanna come with me."
"Mence." Salamence gave a simple nod to Spike's words.
"Oh...OH! Yes!!" Spike raised his arms up in joy. "Oh, wait! I don't have a Pokeball with me!"
"Got you covered." Twilight carried a spare Pokeball, lending it to him.
"Thanks. Now, Pokeball go!" He launched the ball at the Dragon Pokemon, sending it inside with that same red light. Now for the sake and outcome.
1...2...3...GOTCHA! Salamence was caught!
"Yes! I caught a Salamence!" Spike picked up the Pokeball, raising it up in a victory pose. What a joyful experience it's been.
Returning back outside, Torch noticed the light of the scepter emanating. But the one carrying it was Ember.
"Ember? You?!"
"I know you didn't think I could do it, but I did."
"I expressly told you not to do it, because you're not—!"
" I'm not big and strong. I know. But you know what? I won anyway. So maybe it takes more than just being big and strong to be a good Dragon Lord!" She snapped back at him. Torch took a moment to think about it. She did head in there and succeed in getting scepter. Even though there was much more to the story of how she got it, but Torch didn't need to know that. Through his own mind, he came to a conclusion. One he would have to accept.
"I was wrong, Ember. You might not be big, but you are strong and smart, and perhaps that counts for more than I thought. And you will make an excellent leader."
"Thanks, dad." Ember landed on his nose as she turned to the dragons. Agree with him!" Like her father, she went for those same words, but as a joke. "Just kidding! That's not gonna be my thing."
"Bahahaha! Dragons, hear me! I present to you our new Dragon Lord, Ember!" Torch introduced. Resounding cheers went across the Dragon lands over the new ruler. Along came Garble, doing what Spike ordered him, hugging Torch's face. "Hm? What is the meaning of this?!"
"I can't tell you!" Garble wailed whilst Ember giggled.
As for Spike, he, Twilight and Rarity were returning with high spirits in them. Alongside that, they were riding on the back of Salamence for a quicker ride.
"Sala!"
"You did well, Spike." Twilight commented. "With Ember as Dragon Lord, the ponies will be safe and you've gained us a powerful ally. Well...two powerful allies." She gave Salamence a pat on the back.
"And a new friend! Well...two new friends." Spike did the same for Salamence.
"Plus, Ember said I could write to her anytime I had questions about dragon culture! With this much information, I'll be able to write a whole book on dragons!" Twilight squeed.
"And I gained tons of ideas for a new line of camouflage clothing! I think I'll call it 'Camo-Maud'!" Rarity sparked up an idea which caused them all to laugh. Salamence let out a roar that echoed throughout the skies, flying off into the sunset as a result.
What a day. With Ember as Dragon Lord, Spike's newest Pokemon which further develops his status as Dragon Trainer, the days that come next are unpredictable in both worlds as the journey continues!
Chapter 196 End!