It was another beautiful day in Ponyville and at the School of Friendship, Flash, Fluttershy and Twilight were in the teachers lounge. Heart and Soul were also there, having been asked there by Flash and Twilight. Soul was doing a test Twilight had made for her to decide how far Soul's magical teachings had come recently. At the same time, Flash and Heart were sitting at another table with a bunch of cards.
The game they were playing was called Dueling Creatures, a battle game where they had to summon monsters, use magic and other items to defeat the other. Based on the counters both players had, Flash had a thousand or so more life points than his apprentice.
"I summon Javelin Dragon," Heart placed a card on the table. "Then I attack your Huge Fighter of Rock."
"I activate my Ambush Card," he flipped one over, "Now, you take damage equal to your creature's Offense points." Heart groaned, seeing that bring his health down to zero. "Not bad, but you're still not using the cards you get to your best advantage."
Heart nodded back before Spike flew into the room, the drake spotting the pair collecting their cards to play another game. "Dueling Creatures?" He asked, "Why are you playing that?"
"It's a great way to help somepony learn strategy and deal with the unexpected," Flash replied as Spike scratched his head.
"Wouldn't chess be better for that?"
"We've played that game," Heart responded, "And after I beat Flash several times, he switched it up to this." Spike laughed as Flash rolled his eyes as the pair started drawing their cards.
"Chess is a good way of teaching strategy, but every move is predetermined." He placed a card face down. "A good player can move a piece and see every way their opponent can counter." He put a monster on the field, then another face down. "It's good for teaching somepony how to look ahead and predict what'll happen next, but in a real battle, you might not be able to do that."
Heart drew his card and smirked before placing it on the table, revealing an enchantment that destroyed Flash's face downs. Flash smiled as his cards were destroyed. "In a real battle, a million different possibilities could happen. The environment could affect the fight, or a freak accident could tip the scales in your favor. Chess doesn't have accidents." He then showed Heart one of the cards that were destroyed, revealing an ambush card that prevented him from attacking when it was sent to the graveyard. "This game teaches you to react and shift strategies to better suit the situation."
"Oh..." Spike nodded, "I get it." The dragon turned to Soul next, the filly finishing her test.
"How'd I do?" She asked Twilight, the alicorn taking the paper in her magic.
A moment later, Twilight nodded, "Really good. A ninety-two percent. You must have really been studying hard." Soul smiled at this as she took the test back and checked what she had missed. And as this happened, a knock at the door happened.
"Uh, Headmare Twilight?" All but Twilight turned to see Smolder step into the room. "Sorry to bug you in the Teachers' Lounge." She flew over to Twilight at this, "Is it okay if I miss class?"
"Mm-hmm," Twilight nodded, "You can make it up tomorrow." This made Smolder flinch, making her rub the back of her neck.
"Actually...I'll be gone for a week." That got everypony's attention, Twilight most of all.
"A week?!" She looked up from her work. "In the middle of the semester?"
"Oh," Fluttershy sat up, "Is everything alright, Smolder?"
This made Smolder grimace, the drake looking away, "Not exactly." She let out a sigh, "My brother's been having a hard time since I left for school. I want to go home and check on him. He's a really sweet guy, and the other dragons can be kind of rough."
This made them all go wide-eyed, Spike asking, "Did you say sweet guy and dragon in the same sentence?"
Smolder chuckled at this before punching his arm, "Yeah. He's sort of like you, Spike."
"Awww..." Spike blushed as Twilight stood up.
"I'm sorry to hear about your brother, Smolder. But the Dragon Lands are really far for you to go by yourself. And I'm not sure about you missing so much class."
Smolder frowned at this, only for Spike to fly in front of her, "Hey! What if she got a school credit for it? Kind of like a...a kindness field trip?" He hugged Smolder, "I'll go with her." Smolder smiled, liking the idea as she patted his shoulder.
"Thanks!" She nodded, "The Dragon Lord is way too busy for personal problems when it's baby dragon hatching season."
Those four worlds caused Fluttershy's head to pop up. "Baby...dragon...hatching season?!" She gasped, looking like she would just exploded with excitement. "All those cute little snouts poking out of those adorable little shells?! Teeny, tiny, twitchy tails?!" She turned to Twilight, "Can I go too?!" She gave Twilight the best puppy dog eyes she could manage.
Twilight leaned back for a bit before replying, "Well, you are the perfect pony to lead a kindness field trip." Heart and Soul then appeared beside them as well, "Why do you two wanna go?"
"Why not?" Heart responded, "It's been a while since I got to go to the Dragon Lands, and this time I won't have to hide in a box most of the time."
Twilight raised an eyebrow before turning to Soul, "What? I wanna go see the dragon hatching season too. The more I learn about dragon anatomy, the easier it'll be for me to treat them in the future. Imagine if I met a dragon in the future that was really sick and because I couldn't heal it, the alliance between the dragons and ponies ends."
Flash laughed at this as he watched Twilight look between the five and then glanced at him, Flash nodding back with a giant grin. The sight alone made her sigh, "Fine." She turned to walk away, "But I'm gonna expect a full report when you get back."
"How many pages?" Smolder grumbled, crossing her arms.
"I was talking to Fluttershy. Hatching season sounds fascinating!" This made them all share a look before bursting out laughing, the five quickly rushing off to get everything they would need for the trip. Twilight and Flash then stared at each other, "Would it kill you not to spoil them so much?"
"Oh, like you were gonna say no even if I wasn't here." Twilight rolled her eyes at this, "And I'm not spoiling them. I'm sure they'll all learn a lot from this trip. And if not, at least they'll have some good memories." Twilight nodded and got back to work while Flash started collecting the cards.
The Dragon Lands...
Within the mighty realm of the dragons, Flicker the Chronicler was busy with one of his many books. He was currently writing about the upcoming hatching season, this being the first time he got to experience it as a chronicler. He would be sure to write down every detail so that future dragons could learn about it should it be needed. But as he was in the middle of writing, a bright light caught his attention, one that belonged to the Rune Gate that was located outside.
He ran out of his cave home and saw the pillar of light shoot down from the sky, five individuals now appearing, "Spike!" He exclaimed, "Smolder! Heart and Soul too. Well, isn't this a fun little reunion?"
"Hey Flicker," Spike replied, "Having fun as the chronicler?"
"Of course. So, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you all be in school?" He raised an eyebrow, not liking the idea that they might have all cut class, only to now see Fluttershy with them.
"We're on a kindness field trip," Soul responded, "Smolder came back because her brother's been having some issues, so we've come to cheer him up."
Flicker went wide-eyed, the dragon turning to give Spike a surprised expression. "Never thought you'd come to help Smolder's brother."
"Why wouldn't I?" Spike asked while tilting his head before turning to the main dragon area. "Come on everyone. If we wanna find Smolder's brother, we're gonna have to search high and low for him." They all nodded and started walking off, Smolder at the back until Flicker grabbed her by the tail.
"You've never been with both Spike and your brother at the same time, have you?"
Smolder raised an eyebrow, "Why would I? They've never met."
"Oh yes they have. I was there the last time they met, and things did not turn out well between them. Mainly due to the fact that if it hadn't been for Spike, your brother would have probably been the Dragon Lord!"
This made Smolder burst out laughing. "Yeah, right." She pulled her tail out of his claws, "Like my brother would ever try and earn the Dragon Lord title. Nice joke Flicker!"
"But-" Smolder flew off before he could add anything, making him sigh, "Well, this is certainly going to be an interesting day." He quickly ran back into the cave and headed back out with a book. "Need to focus. Can't let the drama distract me from my duties." He took to the air, "I hope Spike doesn't take the surprise too badly."
The group of five all made their way over to the main dragon area as Spike took out a list he had made. "Okay," he chuckled, "I made a list of what cheers me up when I'm down, so if your brother's like me, he's gonna love it! What should we do first? The Smile Song? The sharing circle? Or friendship bracelet weaving?"
Smolder shook her head at this, "I'm not sure those are the kind of things my brother's gonna be into."
"Well," Fluttershy asked, "What would make your brother happy?"
Smolder put a claw to her chin, "Just having Spike and me accept him for who he is will make a huge difference." She placed her claws over her heart, "Dragons who appreciate his more sensitive side."
Heart and Soul were still having a hard time believing a dragon other than Spike could be sensitive. And as they thought about that, Spike gasped, "I got it! Show tunes!" He gave them the jazz hands, Heart and Soul laughing as Smolder shook her head again.
"Yeah, no, but good try." Spike slumped as they entered an area full of lava pools and volcanic vents. As they did this, Fluttershy accidently took in a whiff and quickly covered her nose.
"Oh! Uh..." She spoke through her plugged nose. "That's an interesting smell." Soul quickly cast a spell she had learned on the three ponies, a bubble of air appearing around them that blocked the smell before becoming invisible.
Smolder took a deep breath, inhaling the fumes before sighing in relief. "The stink of sulfur. Sharp rocks under my claws." She sighed again, "It's good to be home."
Heart flew up and stared down at one of the lava pools, making him hum as Soul flew up next to him. "What are you thinking?"
"I'm fireproof," he pointed out. "Just like a dragon."
"Just like a kirin," Soul corrected, only to go wide-eyed as she realized what he was meaning, "No way. No. Not gonna happen. You are not dive bombing into a pool of lava!"
"Aw," Heart slumped, "Why not?"
"It's lava!" Soul yelled, "I don't care if you are fireproof, I'm not gonna let you test to see if you're also lava-proof. Imagine how I would explain you melting to Twilight and Flash!"
Heart huffed, crossing his hooves as they flew back down. As this happened, Spike flew beside Smolder as he said, "I can't wait to meet your brother, Smolder. We're gonna be best buddies. I just know it."
"He usually hangs out near here. I'll go try and find him." She took off and left the four as Spike climbed onto a rock. He took out a half-finished pink blanket covered in hearts as Fluttershy walked up to him.
"Spike, do you mind if I take a peek at the cute little baby eggs?"
"No problem," Spike nodded, "I'll stay here and finish this comfort blanket." He hugged it close to his body, "it'll be like a hug every time Smolder's brother wraps it around himself."
"Awww," Fluttershy giggled, "I'm sure he'll love it, Spike."
With that, she flew off and Soul raced after her. "Wait up!" She cried, disappearing behind a rock with Fluttershy. Heart saw this and smirked before looking back at the lava pit. That is, till Soul's head poked out from behind the rock. "And don't even think about it!" She disappeared again with Heart groaning.
Fluttershy and Soul made their way through the Dragon Lands, soon coming across a large canyon that made Fluttershy gasp. "Oh...my...goodness!" The place was full of eggs, all inside a bunch of small craters. There were hundreds, maybe thousands, all waiting to hatch and join the rest of the world. The pair flew down and began to inspect to eggs, both having huge eyes that were full of joy.
"So cute!" Soul squealed, "Is this what Spike looked like before he hatched?"
Fluttershy began to gently stroke one of the eggs. "Good morning, little one. I've come a long way to meet you. Did you know there's a whole wide world out here waiting to say hello? Did you? Oh, did you, boo?"
"It can't answer you." The pair jumped at a voice, turning to see the Dragon Lord herself, smiling at the pair. "It's an egg."
"Ah," Fluttershy stood up and bowed, "Dragon Lord Ember. How nice to see you." Soul also bowed at this.
"Nice to see you too..." Ember frowned, scratching her head. "Uh...which one are you again? The party one? Apple Dash! Or was that the country one?"
"Fluttershy," the pegasus picked up an egg and hugged it. "The one who loves creatures. And this is Shining Soul," the filly waved as Fluttershy glanced back at the eggs, "Are...all these yours?"
That question made Ember's eyes go wide before blushing, "What?!" She shook her head, "No! None of them are! Watching over eggs is just part of the glamorous life of a Dragon Lord."
"Cool," Soul chimed in, "I guess it would make sense. The most powerful dragon usually becomes the Dragon Lord, so its smart to have the most powerful dragon also protect the eggs from anything that might try and hurt them."
"Exactly," Ember nodded, "Though there's not really anything around that needs me to fight against it."
Fluttershy smiled as she put the egg back down., "I think it sounds wonderful."
"Yeah?" Ember asked, "Then maybe you can help."
This made Fluttershy gasp with joy. "I'd love to! Just tell me what to do!"
Ember frowned again, rubbing her arm. "I don't know." She turned to the eggs, "It's my first time being in charge. Dad wasn't big on sharing Dragon Lord details. It's kind of a burn or be burned job."
"Doesn't Flicker know anything?" Soul asked, "He's as knowledgeable about this stuff as Twilight is about magic."
"I already asked him," Ember shrugged, "But he didn't have any advice that I didn't already know about. Keep the eggs warm and free from danger."
Fluttershy giggled at this, "Well, I'm sure you're doing great."
"Not really," Ember shook her head again, "The eggs should've hatched by now, but none of them have even cracked."
"Really?" Soul asked as Fluttershy turned back to the eggs.
"Oh, dear." She looked back at Ember, "Maybe they're lonely?" Ember shrugged again, Fluttershy tutting as she went back to the eggs, "Don't you worry, Auntie Fluttershy's here. And the Dragon Lord and I are gonna do everything we can to welcome you into this world."
"Really?" Ember added as she walked up to the pegasi, "How?"
Fluttershy put a hoof to her chin, "Um...I have no idea."
Ember grimaced at this, Soul then adding, "It's too bad Twilight didn't come with us. She was able to hatch Spike's egg, even if it was by accident." They all frowned at this, gulping at the new thoughts going in their heads.
Meanwhile...
Heart was still trying to figure out if he was lava-proof or not as Spike finished his blanket, "Now, that's a thing of beauty." But as he said that, the sun was suddenly blocked out, making him glance up and see something flying down, "Whoa!" He leapt back, barely avoiding getting stomped on, only to frown as he saw who it was.
Garble smirked as he appeared with several other dragons, "Well, if it isn't our little pony friend Spike."
Spike glared back at him, "That's Equestria's official friendship ambassador to the Dragon Lands to you!" He spun around, "And I'm not little!" He showed off his wings, "I had the molt. See?"
But as he said that, the dragons started laughing at him, "Oh-ho-ho," Garble cackled, "Runt's got wings. I'm soooo impressed." It was then that he caught sight of Spike's blanket, "What's that supposed to be?"
"Nothing," Spike held the blanket behind his back. Garble tried to grab it, but Spike quickly spat fire into his hand before thrusting it.
"Whoa!" Garble yelped, now seeing a wall of fire in front of him. "What the heck? What is this?"
"What, you didn't hear?" Spike changed the shape of his fire to a claw, "I'm actually a rare breed of dragon. One that can do magic. It's how I was able to beat Malafear."
The minute he said that name, the dragons all went wide-eyed at this, most shivering at this as Garble growled, "Yeah right! There's no way you have magic!" He charged at the drake at this, Spike bringing his flame claw down and grabbing the red dragon before lifting him up, "Hey! Put me down!"
"I will," Spike dropped him. "But only because, unlike you, I don't use my power to bully others." Spike extinguished the flames at this and spun around, putting his completed blanket into his backpack. This was when Garble charged again, intending to tackle Spike before he could do anything.
"Spike, look out!" Heart shot over and pushed Spike out of the way, getting body checked himself.
"Heart!" Spike yelped as the little pony was thrown toward a lava pit. But before he could hit it, Heart managed to spread his wings and stopped himself before he actually fell in, though the tip of his tail ended up going in. "You okay?"
"Yeah." Heart sighed before noticing his tail was in the lava. "Huh." He pulled it out and as the lava dripped off, he found the hairs weren't even singed. "Guess I am lava proof." He was about to dive in, only to now remember his hoodie wasn't immune.
"What's your problem?!" Spike yelled at Garble.
"My problem is you," Garble poked him, "Ever since you showed up in my life, things have gone from great to boring. You ruined my phoenix hunt, had that pony friend of yours attack me, and stopped me from being Dragon Lord! And now, thanks to you, dragons have to be nice to ponies! It's not natural!"
Spike shook his head, "It's called evolution. The dragons are becoming better. Just because you can't change, doesn't mean it's unnatural." Garble growled and charged at him again, Spike quickly taking to the air as he spat out a string of fire that hit the end of Garble's tail.
He then threw the other end at a rock that created a long chain, Garble now taking to the air to grab Spike. But as he did this, the fire string stopped stretching, instantly bouncing the dragon back. It slammed him into the rock from before, the dragons around them laughing at the sight. And as they did thius, they started breathing fire that started orange but suddenly turned purple before becoming blue.
"What's happening?" Heart asked as he landed beside Spike, the dragon crossing his arms.
"If a dragon laughs hard enough, it makes their fire burn hotter. It's something I had to learn to control when I was little so I didn't burn down the house every time I laughed."
Garble pushed himself back to his feet at this, his eyes going bloodshot as he glared at Spike before a voice rang out, "Garble!" They all turned to see Smolder running up to the group.
"Smolder?!" He yelped before running up to her, "What are you doing here?" The pair high fived and did a number of different motions, the others dragons smirking at Smolder.
Spike quickly ran over and pushed Smolder away from the bully dragon. "We'd better get out of here before your brother shows up," he told her in a whisper. "Garble isn't very nice to sensitive dragons."
"But Garble is my brother." Smolder replied, making Spike go wide-eyed.
"Your brother?!" Garble grabbed him by the head and turned him around at this, glaring right into his eyes.
"Got a problem with that, pony-boy?"
Spike gulped, "Oh, brother." The two glared at one another, Smolder seeing the pair clearly had some kind of history. Then she remembered what Flicker had told her.
"Did Garble really try for Dragon Lord?" She shook her head and pushed past Spike. "I've missed you, bro. We got a lot of fun to catch up on. There's no lava diving at school."
"Good luck gettin' Garble to do anything," one of his friends chimed in.
"Heh," another nodded, "Yeah. He's gotten so weird since you left. Hiding and moping around..."
"I have not!" Garble barked back.
"Have so!"
Smolder sighed and walked in between them, "Easy, everydragon. I learned at Twilight's school ganging up on each other isn't half as cool as you think."
"Awww," one laughed. "Pony school made you soft." But before he could laugh, Smolder grabbed him by the chin and pulled him down to by eye-level with her.
"Want to try me and find out?" Smolder hissed, the dragon gulping at the sudden change from the dragon.
"M-Maybe later."
"That's what I thought."
"So," Spike spoke up, "Uh, let's get lava diving. What do you say?"
"I'm in!" Heart chimed in, reminding the dragons that he was here. "I just found out I'm lava-proof, so I wanna give it a try."
The dragons all laughed again. "You're lava-proof?" One of the dragons asked, "How?" Heart's body exploded into flames, surprising all but Smolder, Spike and Garble. "What the-how are you doing that?"
"I'm full of surprises," Heart chuckled.
"But how do you know you're lava-proof?" Smolder asked, "Didn't Soul tell you to not try it?"
"I didn't," Heart replied, "Someone tried to throw me in."
Smolder gave Garble a questioning look while the other dragons laughed again. "I don't think lava diving's your scene," one of the dragons spoke up, "Maybe you'd prefer we have a tea party or make friendship bracelets." The dragons laughed again, the fire bursting out of their mouths now turning blue.
"Let the wimps tag along," Garble responded by punching the back of Spike's head. "Then we'll have some-dragon to dunk!" He smacked him on the back next, making Spike stagger forward as the dragons laughed.
"Hmph," Smolder flew in front of Spike before glaring at her brother. "Only gonna warn you once. Spike's my friend. You mess with him, you mess with me. Besides, he came here to hang out with you, Garble."
Garble went wide-eyed at this, only for his friends to start laughing at him again. "Awww...how sweet! Ha!"
"Let's go do dragon stuff," one of them took off. "Garble can have fun with his new friend." Blue flames flew out of their mouths at this before flying off, Garble trying to run after them.
"But I'm not having fun! And he's not my friend!" He yelled as Smolder shrugged at the sight.
"Eh, just ignore them, Gar-Gar."
"Smolder!" Garble screeched, "Not in public!" He pointed at the two outsiders, Spike smiling.
"Oh, it's okay to have a nickname. Sometimes I'm called Spikey-Wikey."
"Seriously?" Garble slammed his claw into his face, "You're admitting this?" He turned to Smolder, "I am not hanging out with him."
"Scared he'll whoop your butt again?" Heart asked, snickering under his breath while Garble growled at him next.
Smolder placed a claw on his shoulder. "Give him a chance, Garble. You two have a lot in common."
Garble groaned, "Fine. Race you to the lava pit." He flew off and Smolder went to chase after him, only for Spike to jump in front of her.
"Wait. I thought you said your brother was sweet."
Smolder nodded, "All the tough guy stuff is just an act. He's a big marshmallow."
Heart and Spike shared a glance, Spike then frowning at Smolder. "Yeah, not seein' it."
"Forgive me for not believing a dragon that wanted to start a war is nice," Heart added as Smolder turned to him, "You do know that if he had become Dragon Lord, he would have started a war with the ponies, right?"
"Wait..." Smolder slowly replied, "He actually tried to become Dragon Lord?!"
"Yes," they both responded before Spike continued, "And he almost killed me and Ember to win it! And if he had won, the ponies and dragons would have been at war right now!"
"Although," Heart spoke up, "I doubt the dragons would have stood much of a chance against the Royal Knights, Elements of Harmony, Alicorn Princesses and the royal guard." Smolder glared at him, "No offense."
Smolder sighed and shook her head, "Okay, maybe he's a burnt marshmallow. Smoky on the outside, but squishy on the inside." Spike tipped an eyebrow, "He just needs friends who can appreciate that part. Like you. You're not changing your mind about helping me cheer him up, are you?"
"Me?" Spike shook his head, "'Course not!" Smolder smiled and flew away, making Spike sigh.
"This didn't turn out like you thought it would, did it?" Spike glared as Heart, who just shrugged. "Come on. Time to go lava-diving."
"What?!" They both turned to another voice, now seeing Soul flying up to them, "What did I say about jumping into lava?!"
"But I'm lava-proof," Heart smirked, "I dipped my tail into the lava and nothing happened. So I can swim in lava!"
"Your outsides are lava-proof, but what about your insides?" Soul asked, making Heart raise an eyebrow. "Whenever you go swimming, you get water up your nose, in your ears and sometimes in your mouth. What'll happen if you do that and your insides aren't fireproof." Heart suddenly imagined himself inside a pool of lava, only for his body to start deflating as his internal organs and bones were melted.
"Uh...yeah." He shuddered, "Good point." Soul nodded as he turned to Spike, "Sorry bud. Looks like I'm not lava diving."
"That's fine," Spike replied, "Why don't you go check out the eggs? Maybe Soul will get her own dragon assistant."
"I doubt it," Soul stated as Spike flew off. "Besides, there's something wrong with the eggs." Hearing this, Heart sat down as Soul began to explain the situation.
Over at a lava pool, Smolder had caught up to Garble and decided to ask him about what her friends had said. "Were you really gonna start a war with the ponies?" Smolder asked, surprising Garble as she gave him a glare. "Heart and Spike said you tried to kill them and Ember to become Dragon Lord. And that if you did, you would have started a war with the ponies!"
"So what?" Garble asked, "I would have been allowed to. I would have been Dragon Lord after all."
"We wouldn't have stood a chance!" Smolder exclaimed, "I've seen how strong those ponies are and they would have blasted us all into oblivion if we even tried to attack. You would have been the Dragon Lord that got our species wiped out!"
Garble glanced away at this, "Whatever. It didn't happen, so can we just drop it? I wanted to be Dragon Lord so no-dragon could make fun of me. But that's not gonna happen." As he said that, Spike flew down, "Can we just drop it?!"
"Okay!" Smolder nodded as she stepped up to the lava pool, "Lava jumping!" She elbowed Garble in the side, "just like old times, huh, Gar-Gar?"
"Yeah..." Garble sighed, "Just like old times." He then shot Spike a glare, "Except for one little annoying thing." Spike glared back at him as Smolder ran to the edge of the pool.
"Scales away!" She dived in, splashing through the lava as she swam around and surfaced a moment later. "Come on in! The lava's fine!" Garble stared at the pool, Spike smiling at him.
"You know, whenever I'm feeling a little down, it always helps if I do something with a friend." He offered his claws, "How about we jump together?" Garble stared at the claw, then swung his tail into Spike's back. "Aah!" He fell into the pool, splashing face and stomach first into the lava.
"Ooh," Smolder winced as Spike began to sink beneath the pool. "Spike? You okay?" Spike's head shot out of the pool, the dragon gasping as he realized something was up his nose.
"Uh," he pinched his nose, "I know there must be something worse than lava up your nose." He suddenly started breathing in before sneezing, the lava exploding out of his nasal passage. "I just don't know what it is."
"CANNONBALL!" They suddenly heard Garble yell, the pair looking up to see him up on the highest rock above the pool. He then leapt into the air and fell at high speed, Spike spitting on his claws and thrusting the flames out to form a wall through the lava.
And when Garble slammed down into the lava, it caused a wave to wash towards them, only for the fire wall that Spike made to stop it, Garble's head poking out in time to see this.
"Whoa," Smolder commented, "Your magic's gotten really good."
"Thanks," Spike dispelled the flames. "But I never would have been this good if my dad hadn't left me that spellbook. And Starswirl helped me learn to understand some of the magic as well."
Garble glared at him, only for Smolder to chime in, "Watch where you're cannonballing. Spike doesn't have enough experience to ride something like that out."
"It was an accident," he lied before backstroking around the pool, Spike not believing that for a second.
Back at the hatching grounds, Fluttershy had a book she was currently reading to the eggs. "And then they all lived happily ever after," she closed the book and smiled down at the eggs. "Time to come out, little ones." She started making baby noises at them, but the eggs remained unhatched, "Maybe you'd like a song?" She was about to sing, but Ember spoke up at this.
"I think you might be encouraging them to stay in. Dragons aren't much for touchy-feely stuff."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Flicker chimed in as he walked up to the two, "I mean, Spike seems to like that stuff. So being averse to being cute and cuddly is clearly something learned." He then saw that none of the eggs were hatching. "We really have a problem here."
"Come on, Flicker." Ember turned to him, "There's gotta be something we're missing."
"I'm sorry Ember," Flicker sighed, "But hatching dragon eggs is supposed to be simple. Keep them surrounded by their element and protect them from danger. As long as the hatching grounds are hot, they should have hatched."
But as he said that, the eggs suddenly started shaking and rattling. Fluttershy gasped at this, "Goodness. Why are the eggs shaking?" She quickly got excited, "Are they finally hatching?"
"I wish," Ember shook her head, "They've been doing that for days. I'm sure it means something, but it's probably not good."
As she said that, Heart and Soul arrived. "Whoa," Heart commented, "What's with the egg dance party?"
"We don't know," Flicker replied as he wrote 'shaking=' in his book, "We need to think of what could be causing them to not hatch. What's different about this hatching season as opposed to all the other?"
Ember sighed at this, "Maybe it's me. Maybe Fluttershy's right about them being scared. Scared that the dragon lord won't be able to lead the dragons well."
"Don't say that," Fluttershy replied, "You're a great Dragon Lord and these eggs are lucky to have you protecting them." She glanced back at the eggs, "There has to be something else that's keeping them from being hatching."
"Well, if you have another idea, I'd love to hear it. Because if we don't figure out what's wrong with them soon, I'm worried the dragon babies are gonna shake themselves scrambled."
They watched as the eggs kept shaking, Fluttershy spreading her wings at this, "I'll go get Spike. He's good at thinking outside the box. You just keep working on making sure the eggs don't get hurt." She flew off and Soul went with her, Heart and the others looking down at the dragon eggs and making sure to keep them from shaking into one another.
The two mares searched the entire area around the hatching grounds, hoping to find Spike and his friends. But the three had left the last spot Soul had been and were now nowhere in sight, resulting in the pair searching high and low, soon finding themselves unable to keep track of what they had already searched due to everything looking so similiar.
"See anything?" Fluttershy asked.
"Nothing," Soul responded before hearing a voice cry out in excitement, the filly turning to see some dragons at a nearby lava lake. "Over there!"
They flew down and saw Spike, Smolder and the other dragons. Garble grabbed a surfboard-shaped rock off the side of the river and used it to skate down it, Smolder following behind while Spike sat on the edge of the river, glaring at the sight. "Spike!" Fluttershy exclaimed, "There you are!"
"Hey, Fluttershy." The pegasus smiled as she landed beside him.
"You know, for a land that's all rocks, this place is surprisingly easy to get lost in."
"You okay?" Soul asked as she landed as well, "You look a little bummed out."
"I'm fine," he lied before turning to Fluttershy. "How are the baby dragons doing?"
This made Fluttershy frown, "The eggs won't hatch. They just keep shaking. I'm starting to think the dragons are too scared to come out. I was hoping you could help, if you're not too busy cheering up Smolder's brother."
"Not a chance," Spike sighed, "Smolder's brother is Garble." Fluttershy gasped while Soul flinched as he added, "The only thing that cheers him up is to make me miserable."
"Hey, Spike!" They turned to see Garble and his friends, the red dragon reaching into the lava below him. "Want to play lavaball?" He threw the ball at him, but Soul acted faster as she made a magical U-shaped tube. The lava ball flew in one end and shot back out the other, heading straight for Garble.
"HEY!" Garble ducked to avoid it.
"Excuse me, but that's not a very nice game!"
Garble just growled back and fired another lava-ball, his friends doing the same, only for Soul to put up a shield to block them all, making the dragons hiss at the sight. "Quit hiding behind your magic!" Garble yelled, "Real dragons don't need magic to defend themselves!"
"Even though it was Spike's magic that saved you all from Malafear," Soul pointed out. The dragons growled at this and kept throwing lava, Fluttershy sighing before she closed her eyes. The next thing they all knew, Fluttershy had grown to the size of an elephant.
"ENOUGH!" She roared loud enough to make even a large dragon feel inferior, the teenagers all dropping heir lava balls. Fluttershy quickly cleared her throat, reverting back to normal size. "I mean, leave my friend alone please." The dragons all glared at her, "Spike came all this way to cheer up Garble, which was a very kind thing to do."
Garble blushed at this as one of his friends said, "Awwww, do you need cheering up?"
"What's wrong, Garble?" Another asked, "Did somedwagon hurt your wittle feelings?"
"No!" Garble shoved him away, "I-I don't know what she's talking about! Spike's the one who's gonna cry!"
And as he got up to stomp over to Spike, Smolder suddenly yelled, "Hey!" They all turned to the dragon, "Are we lava surfing or what?"
"Uh, yeah, yeah!" Garble let out a nervous laugh, "Let's go hang with a real dragon, not a pony wannabe!" The others laughed as they flew away, Spike slumping over as Soul lowered the forcefield.
"See? It's no use." He sighed, "Why don't I see what I can do about the eggs and you cheer up Garble? At least he listens to you."
He flew away at this, Soul crossing her hooves at the sight, "That Garble...he doesn't deserve all the help Spike's been trying to give him."
"Maybe," Fluttershy nodded, "But that doesn't mean he's not getting help." She put a hoof to her chest, "Just you wait, Garble. You're dealing with Fluttershy now, and she's packin' a whole lifetime of kindness!" Soul stared up at her, only to feel a little intimidated.
"Come on," Heart told one of the eggs. "You gotta hatch. Please." He picked one up to stop it rattling against another, "Just come out already." He felt himself start to heat up at this, the warmth spreading to the egg. "Huh?" He noticed it stopped shaking, which caused him to start to cool down. "Hey, it's stopped shaking." But then the egg started again as Ember and Flicker moved over to him. "Well, it was."
"GUYS!" They looked up to see Spike flying over to them.
"Spike!" Ember smiled as the young dragon landed and ran up to her.
"Hi, Ember!" He hugged her as Ember patted him on the head, Flicker smiling at the sight.
"Shouldn't you be doing whatever it is you do at Twilight's school?" Spike frowned at this as he pulled away and slumped over.
"I wish," he sighed, "It's a long story." He turned to the eggs, only to see what Fluttershy had been talking about. "Wow. These eggs really do look scared."
"This one stopped shaking," Heart chimed in, "But it was only for a moment." Spike stared at the egg, then at Heart as he tried to put the pieces together.
"What were you doing before it stopped shaking?"
"I was just holding it," Heart replied, "And kinda getting annoyed that it wasn't hatching."
Spike blinked at this, only for a bulb to go off in his head, "And when you get annoyed, you heat up." He looked down at the egg, remembering what he had learned from his father's memories. "A fire dragon needs heat to hatch. Flame up!" Heart blinked at this, but did as he was told.
He ignited his body and held the egg close, causing the egg to stop shaking. "Hey...it worked."
Spike smiled at the sight walking over to the other eggs and placing his claw on the ground. "What the-aren't the hatching grounds supposed to be hot?" He asked Ember, who nodded.
"Of course. There's a lake of molten lava under them. That's why the eggs are laid here. The heat makes them hatch."
"Then something's wrong," he replied, "I don't think the eggs are shaking because they're afraid. I think it's because they're cold."
Flicker and Ember placed their claws on the ground, only to go wide-eyed. The rocks were ice cold. "You're right!" Ember cried as Flicker smacked his face for not realizing. "But what happened to the lava?"
Spike put a claw to his chin, only for another bulb to go off. "I might have an idea about that."
Fluttershy and Soul had been searching for the dragons for a while after they flew away, only to find nothing. "Garble!" She called out, "Smolder! Is any-dragon there?" But there was no sign of them, only to suddenly hear a sound. A rhythmic beating sound she recognized. "Oh my. Are those...bongo drums?"
"What are bongos doing in the Dragon Lands?" Soul asked as they followed the sound. After a few minutes of following the noise, they started hearing a voice they recognized as Garble.
"Fire, dragon. Wig and waggin'. Feelin' like I be saggin'." They turned a corner and Fluttershy gasped at a new sight.
Garble and Smolder were sitting together, Garble beating the drums while dressed in a white and blue striped jumper and a black bureau.
"Oh, yeah." Smolder snapped her fingers and bobbed her head to the music, "I dig."
"Ragin' lava," Garble sang. "Balaclava."
"What am I looking at right now?" Soul asked, causing the dragons to gasp as the pair walked up to them. Garble quickly threw his hat and sweater off of himself, but it was too late. Soul and Fluttershy had seen everything.
"What do you think you're doing sneaking around here, pony?!" Garble put his bongos down with a snarl, looking like he was ready to gobble the pair up. But after what the two had just seen, they didn't show a hint of fear.
"Sneaking?" Fluttershy asked, "Looks to me like the only one sneaking around is you, Garble. Why didn't you tell me you were a poet?"
Garble blushed at this before yelling, "I'm not!"
"Right...sure you're not." Soul remarked as Fluttershy grabbed the bongos and started playing them.
"Words. Rhythm. Sometimes rhyme. Weird punctu...ation. Sure sounds like poetry to me."
Garble huffed at this, only for Smolder to place her claws on his shoulders. "It's okay, Gar-Gar. Soul and Fluttershy won't think you're soft for being a poet. And neither would any-dragon who was your real friend."
Garble sighed at this before glancing away, "Kay...fine. But I'm not a flowery, namby-pamby poet! I'm a beat poet. Dig?"
"I totally feel you," Fluttershy smiled as Soul tried to make a hoof motion she had seen a jazz pony do once.
"Word."
Garble then glared at them both, "and you better not tell my friends about it!"
"But why not?" Fluttershy asked, "If I was a poet, I'd want to share my creations with everypony."
"Really?" Soul asked, "How long did it take you to start singing with the ponytones in front of everypony?"
Fluttershy blushed at this, now twiddling her hooves before Smolder chimed in, "I'm the only one Garble will perform for. He hasn't written any poetry since I left. That's why he's been so sad."
Garble grumbled at this, "I need to create...but if the other dragons ever found out I like this junk, they'd make fun of me forever."
Fluttershy hummed as she put the pieces together. "Is that why you pick on Spike? To make your friends think you're tough?"
Garble slowly nodded, only for Smolder to grab his collar, "What?! You've been picking on Spike?"
"Uh..." Garble muttered out, "Only when you're not looking." Smolder growled at him, only for Garble to glance away, "But if I didn't pick on Spike, they'd just pick on me! And he is kind of a weakling."
"Weakling?!" Soul yelped, "Spike could probably turn you inside out if he wanted to. But he doesn't, because he understands the power he has isn't meant to make others feel bad."
"Yeah right," Garble rolled his eyes.
But as he said that, Fluttershy then grabbed him by the snout while doubling her size, making her look rather intimidating as Smolder let go of her brother. "I'll have you know Spike is stronger than you are any day!"
"Yeah, right!" Garble pushed her away, "That little cupcake-making, blanket-cuddling pony-dragon?" He laughed, "Give me a break!" This statement made Fluttershy gasp, Soul gulping since she knew Garble had it coming to him now.
"First of all, there's nothing wrong with being a pony!" She reverted back to normal size. "Second, Spike isn't afraid to be who he is, no matter what you or anyone thinks! That's real strength! Not like some dragon I know." The siblings stared at the usually timid pony in shock.
Smolder smirked at this, "For a pony without a horn, she's sure got a point."
Soul nodded. "Spike might be small, but he's got a mountain sized heart. He had the courage to compete in the Gauntlet of Fire, even if he couldn't fly or protect himself." She pointed at Garble, "And I don't remember you willing to sacrifice your life to seal Malafear away."
Garble growled back at her, only for another voice to suddenly yell at them, "Everyone!" They all turned to see Spike fling over, "There you all are! We need your help! Hurry!" They all shared a glance at this, only for Spike to land and tell them the situation.
Turns out, Garble's friends had been removing lava from the underground lake in order to keep their lava pool super warm and make waves for them to ride when surfing. Due to this, the lake of lava had shrunk and the hatching grounds had gone cold. With the eggs too fragile to move, their only option was to use dragon fire to warm them up. Well...not just dragon fire.
"RAAAAAAAAAAH!" Heart roared, as he ignited his entire body and launched flames from his hooves. The fire flew around them and heated the eggs, but his fire and the fire of the other dragons wasn't enough to warm the eggs up beyond just keeping them from shaking. Heart panted as he tried to keep the fire alive, Soul and the others arriving as his sister saw he was straining himself.
"I've ordered every-dragon to warm up the eggs," Ember chimed in, "But they still won't hatch. I don't know what else we can try."
"We can't give up!" Spike added, "There's got to be something we can do!" He spat his flames into his claws and spread them outward. Each claw had a strand of fire that had a flaming claw on the end of it, which he covered an egg crater with, but it still wasn't enough.
"Careful Spike," Flicker commented, "Don't forget that your magic is fueled by your spiritual energy. Use too much at once and you could kill yourself."
"I have to do something," Spike yelped, "If my magic can help these eggs hatch, I'll use it." But he could already feel himself beginning to strain. The magic he had used to protect himself from Garble earlier had been a lot, but nothing compared to making multiple fire claws burn extra hot. "There has to be a way to heat them up more."
One of the teenage dragons heard this and laughed, "How about we wrap the eggs in a bunch of baby bwankets?" He laughed again, shooting out fire at the same time.
"Yeah!" The other dragon cackled, "The wimp can knit 'em up quick-like!" They all laughed as their fire turned purple, all flying straight for Spike.
"Hey!" Spike leapt up, having to cancel his magic and leap away from the flames, "Watch it! That laugh fire could burn somepony!"
Garble saw this and looked between the fire and the eggs that were now starting to smoke. "Burn," he whispered, "Good idea, Spikey-Wikey!" He ran behind a rock, confusing the young dragon. He then returned and Spike raised an eyebrow as he saw Garble dressed in his poet's getup.
"What the-" Heart tried to say only for Garble to sit down and start playing his bongos.
"Eggs, come. Burst into that light. Break through shells that bind." The dragons watched him, unable to believe what they were seeing, "Break free, explore. Stuck!" He snapped his fingers, "Between rock and...hard place." The dragons started laughing at this, Garble slightly blushing. And as this happened, the dragons started breathing fire as they laughed. The flames turned purple, all turning the flames onto the eggs.
"Freedom, come!" Garble continued, "Don't be shy! Look those others in the eye!" They more Garble played his bongos and performed, the harder the dragons laughed. Their purple flames then changed to blue while Spike watched the sight with wide eyes, "Stake your claim! Don't stop! Just do! Be the one and only...you!"
The eggs had completely stopped shaking and as Fluttershy got in close, she heard a crack. "Spike, look!"
Spike turned to see the cracks appearing on all the eggs, the little dragon gasping as he now realized what Garble was trying to do. "Their laugh fire's so hot that it's hatching the eggs!" He cheered and quickly used his magic, placing the fire hands over the craters so the heat wouldn't escape.
"Come to light! Proud to be! Open up! Bam! Be...free!" The dragons laughed harder than ever, resulting in even hotter flames. And one by one, the top of the shells broke apart and little heads started popping out. The dragons kept laughing as more and more of the eggs started to hatch, Garble continuing to play until the very last dragon was born. Only then did he stop as the dragons began to calm down.
"You did it, Gar-Gar!" Smolder exclaimed, "You performed in front of other dragons!" Garble smiled at this, only to frown when one of his friends started laughing.
"And it was super lame!" He yelled, "What kind of weakling writes poetry?" He turned to high-five another dragon, only for Ember to fly up and glare down at them with the Fire Ruby Scepter in hand.
"The hero of the Dragon Lands!" She roared, "That's who!"
"Yeah!" Smolder added, "Garble saved our eggs because he was strong enough to be who he is, whether you liked it or not." She turned to smile at Spike, "I grew up thinking it was okay to make fun of differences. But my friends have taught me to celebrate them."
The rest of the dragons shared a glance, only to nod. Their strength and power hadn't saved the eggs, instead putting them in danger. Maybe being different was a good thing after all.
Ember smiled as she called out to the dragons. "And from now on, in my kingdom, that's exactly what we will do." She then turned to Garble. "Now, if you don't mind, can you teach me how to write poetry like that? It's pretty cool."
"Uh..." Garble muttered out, "Yeah, sure. No problem!"
"Yeah!" the dragon that made fun of him stepped up, "Me, too!"
"I want to learn!" Another cried out, all soon getting in line.
Spike laughed at this as he got between them and Garble. "Take a number, guys." They then heard giggling and turned to Fluttershy, who was hugging the many baby dragons and looking like she could die of cuteness overload.
"I'll take them all!" Ember then flew up next to her.
"You do realize they all have parents, right?"
"Oh," Fluttershy blushed, "Sorry." She looked down at them, "But where are the parents? Shouldn't they be here?"
"They will. After the eggs are laid, they go off to gather enough food to feed them all until they can gather it themselves. They'll be back to collect them soon." Fluttershy nodded and continued to hug and snuggle the dragon hatchling as much as she could.
And as this happened, Flicker started chronicling this day in his journal, making sure to get every detail. Luckily, he assured everyone that the lake would refill in time for next year as long as the rocks were replaced and nobody tried to empty it out again. He suggested to Ember that maybe any event involving lava around the hatching grounds should be banned during the hatching season. Ember liked that idea, though many of the dragons were upset that their favorite sports were gonna be stopped during this time of year.
The sun began to set next as Garble's first beat poetry class came to an end, a bunch of the larger dragons now flying down. They all watched as the parents flew down and saw the dragon babies were hatched. Apparently, dragon parents memorize the smell of their babies when they're still in the egg, meaning they could find the baby dragons and take them home.
"There they go," Ember commented when the last baby dragon was taken away by its parent. "Off into the big wide world."
"Maybe there's a future Dragon Lord amongst them," Flicker joked, the others smiling at the thought as Garble turned to Spike.
"Hey, listen." Spike raised an eyebrow, "I'm sorry." Spike leaned back at this, "I picked on you so the other dragons wouldn't pick on me. But I get that that was wrong."
"Well, I'm glad you understand that." He held up his claw, "I know we'll probably never be friends, but let's try and put the past behind us and focus on the future. Deal?" Garble looked hesitant for a moment, then nodded and took his claw to shake.
"Deal." Smolder smiled at this, happy the two had made up. However, the second everyone looked away, Garble pulled Spike in to whisper into his ear. "But if you ever try anything with my sister, I'll tie you up and feed you to the biggest tatzlwurm I can find. Got it?"
Spike gulped, "Got it." Garble let him go as everyone else turned back, Fluttershy smiling at Spike and her students.
"Well, I think this kindness fieldtrip went splendidly. Now, let's get home. I'm sure Twilight's itching to hear about everything that happened."
They all chuckled at this, Smolder giving her brother one last hug before they all headed for the Rune Gate. It had been an interesting excursion to the Dragon Lands and with Spike, Smolder and even Garble acting as an example, it looked like things were once again gonna change there for the better. The future was looking bright for the dragons, especially for the next generation that would grow up in a land that accepted the differences of the world.