I didn’t change anything for “On Your Marks.” Some ponies need to learn on their own sometimes, and I couldn’t think of anything to change.
Rarity and I were deep in the caves collecting gems.
“Thank you so much for helping me, Spike,” Rarity whispered as she picked some gems from the wall.
“No worries, Rarity,” I mumbled back as I collected them in the basket. “Okay, this looks like enough, let’s leave before we wake the bats up.”
Rarity nodded as we made our way out of the caverns.
“I’m so glad I have you as my bodyguard, Spike,” she said in a normal volume.
“Thanks,” I replied. “At least we don’t have to worry about any diamond dogs showing up.”
“Oh, that reminds me. I don’t know if you've heard this, but rumor has it that Moondancer…Spike, you’re glowing.”
“I’m flattered, Rarity, but I’m still in a relationship with Fluttershy.”
“No, I mean you’re glowing as in you’re illuminating light!”
I looked at my hands, and they indeed glowed a bright light. Suddenly, my whole body felt like I had one immense sunburn.
“Ah! Why does it hurt so much?!” I cried.
“We better find Twilight!” Rarity picked me up. “She might know something about this!”
As Rarity carried me, I knew this was when the “Gauntlet of Fire” episode happened. In the show, Spike would get called by the Dragon Lord to participate in a trial for the title of the next Dragon Lord.
There was nothing major to change for this episode. Although, it was going to be a challenge to befriend Ember and to stay on positive terms with Garble.
Rarity burst through the double doors of the castle's dining room. Twilight was having tea with Celestia and Luna.
“Twilight! There's something wrong with Spike!” Rarity cried as she placed me on the table.
Twilight got up from her seat. “What's wrong?!”
“My scales are glowing and burning!” I retorted. “I think it's a dragon thing, but Smolder never mentioned this!”
“Little is known about dragon culture, but this is a phenomenon we've seen before,” Luna said. “It is the call of the Dragon Lord.”
“Dragons glow whenever the Dragon Lord has need of them in the Dragon Lands,” Celestia added.
“Okay, so I guess I have to see what Dragon Lord Torch wants,” I said.
“How are you aware of his name?”
“I’ve heard it from Smolder and Garble.” I also saw the show, which Luna and I both knew but were keeping private.
“B-B-But the Dragon Lands are full of...dragons!” Rarity pleaded. “And they're ghastly creatures!”
“Hey, I’m right here, you know.” I glared at her.
“Oh, oh, not you, of course, Spikey-wikey. Or Smolder…or Garble if his brutish attitude really is a facade.”
“You two are welcome to come with me if you want.”
Twilight’s face lit up. “Oh my goodness, I'd love to! We’ve only got so much information about dragon culture and customs. I could do more research on them, maybe even write an article! This could be my chance to make a great contribution to the knowledge of Equestria! A-and be there for Spike, of course.”
“Be very careful,” Celestia warned. “The Dragon Lands are particularly dangerous for ponies. It would be wise to be discreet.”
“Ooh!” Rarity clapped her hooves. “I'm sure I still have the dragon costume we used the last time we snuck into the Dragon Lands!”
“I think we might want something a little more practical this time,” Twilight suggested.
“What if you two transformed into dragons yourselves?” I offered. “Twilight, remember when you had that spell that turned the girls and I into Breezies?”
“As a matter of fact, I do! Rarity and I could transform into dragons and draw less suspicion that way.”
Twilight, Rarity, and I took a train as far down to the southwest as it could. When it reached the end of the line, we made the rest of the journey on foot. Once we got to the Dragon Lands’ borders, Twilight quickly stopped us.
“Alright, Rarity, before we go any further, I’ll need to cast the spell,” Twilight said.
“Very well.” Rarity took a deep breath. “I’m ready. Just out of curiosity, will we have the same abilities as the other dragons?”
“Yeah, pretty much. We’ll be lava-proof and have the ability to breathe fire, but we’ll still cast magic like our pony selves. Oh, and you’ll be given a set of wings, too. I hope you’re not too out of practice.”
“That is fine. I still have flight experience from when we were Breezies…and when I had those butterfly wings.”
Twilight lit up her horn as she and Rarity were encased in a white aura. One blinding flash later, the two ponies were no longer ponies.
Both Rarity and Twilight were now bipedal and more than twice my height. They both had wings and two dragon-shaped horns coming out of their heads. Their color schemes were pretty much the same to their pony counterparts, and their head scales matched their manes to a T. The differences were that Twilight had a six-pointed star on her chest, and Rarity had a curvier figure than Twilight.
I bet the old Spike would be practically drooling if he saw Rarity like this.
“Looks like it worked,” Twilight said. “We’re dragons now!”
Rarity pulled out a mirror and looked at her reflection. “Oh, my. This is impressive. I kept my expectations low, but you would’ve still surpassed them regardless, Twilight.”
“Don’t get too attached, Rarity. Remember, this is a temporary form until we return to Ponyville.”
“Yes, yes. I’m aware of that.”
I hopped on Twilight’s back as we entered the Dragon Lands. Rarity initially had a difficult time flying, but she got used to it quickly.
And to think it took Twilight all of Season 4 to perfect her flying.
“Hang on, I know this spot,” I said. “Twilight, land somewhere.”
“What about the Dragon Lord?” Twilight asked.
“I’m sure he can wait.”
Twilight shrugged and landed in front of a cave. Rarity landed after, but stumbled a bit.
“These dragons make it look so easy,” Rarity said. “Why are we here again?”
“I want to meet with an old friend first,” I replied. “And there he is!”
Garble came out of the cave. Just like me, he was glowing from head to toe.
“Hey, Garble! Over here!” I called out.
“Oh, hey, Spike,” Garble said. “Guess the Dragon Lord called you as well?”
“Pretty much.”
That’s when Garble saw Twilight and Rarity. He straightened his posture, and I swore I saw a pink tint on his cheeks.
“Uh, hi,” He said. “Did I meet you two from somewhere?”
“I’m just going to be blunt, Garble. We’re ponies that turned into dragons,” Twilight pointed out.
“Oh, okay,” Garble slouched a bit as his blushing dissipated. “Good to know.”
“Just don’t tell anyone else about this.”
“Hold on, where is Smolder?” Rarity asked. “Did her scales not glow, too?”
“No, it was just me for some reason,” Garble replied. “I don’t know what Dragon Lord Torch wants, but it's gotta be something important if he went as far as to call for you, Spike.”
“Then we better not keep him waiting,” I said. “Where is he?”
“There’s a spot near one of the coasts where he usually talks to his subjects. I can take you three there.”
“Lead the way.”
Garble escorted us to a massive area covered in strange shaped rocks. There were a lot of other glowing dragons around as well.
“Wow, there's so many dragons here!” Twilight exclaimed.
“Sure looks like it,” Garble said as he looked around. “And they're all glowing as well.”
“Then Rarity and I better make ourselves glow as well so we don't stand out.”
Twilight's double horns illuminated before she and Rarity lit up.
“Let’s quickly find a spot,” Garble said, “before my friends see me.”
The four of us got to an empty spot.
Garble looked around. “I don’t know how long until my friends show up, so I’ll tell you this now. I'm gonna be acting tough near them, so please don’t take any insults I say personally.”
“Got it,” I replied.
I suddenly saw a couple of teenage dragons approaching. I pointed to them, and Garble took note.
“Uh...you best stay out of my way, shrimp!” Garble barked at me. “You got it?”
“C-clearly,” I said, pretending to quiver my knees.
“You tell him, Garble!” A charcoal-colored dragon called out.
“Yeah!” Added a chubby purple dragon.
“Baff! Vex! Glad to see you two made it for once,” Garble said.
That’s when Vex noticed Twilight and Rarity. Especially Rarity.
“Ooh, now who’s this blue-eyed white dragon?” Vex asked. “She yours, Garble?”
“N-no!” Garble denied. “I…haven’t met her before.”
“Your loss.” Vex held out a hand towards Rarity. “Hey babe, wanna hang out at my cave after this?”
“Come any closer, and I shall break your wings off!” Rarity threatened as she took a step back.
“Oh, I love females with fire!”
Even Garble cringed when he heard that. It’s nice to know even in his jerky attitude, he has some standards.
“Look!” Twilight announced.
From the distant mountains came the largest dragon I’ve seen so far. Dragon Lord Torch landed on the tallest perch, still donning the same armor as when he led the migration. What followed was his daughter, Princess Ember, who was also glowing.
Ember was around the same height as dragonified Twilight and Rarity. She had light blue scales, red eyes, and white horns. I remembered when she first appeared in the show, she took the entire fandom by storm. Seriously, if I had a dollar for every Ember fanart I’d seen since the episode’s debut, I would’ve bought a good portion of Papertinc’s stocks.
“Dragons of Equestria, hear me!” Torch bellowed. “I have been Dragon Lord for longer than many of you can remember, and my reign has been extraordinary! AGREE WITH ME!!”
The dragons around us chanted Torch’s name. Rarity, Twilight, and I awkwardly joined in.
“This is fascinating,” Twilight whispered under her breath. “Dragons are notoriously reckless, but they do whatever the Dragon Lord says.”
“Unfortunately, according to dragon law, it is time for me to step down. Sad, I know. BE SAD!!”
The dragons cried, but not as much as Rarity, who was fitting in a little too well.
“You don’t have to go that far, you drama dragon queen,” Twilight pointed out.
“He said to be sad,” Rarity said calmly as she instantly pulled herself together.
“This is why I have summoned you,” Torch continued. “To compete for the throne in the Gauntlet of Fire!”
The dragons cheered without having to receive orders from him.
Torch got out a tiny, dark-purple staff with a big red jewel. “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!”
He then flicked the scepter towards the nearby volcano like a toothpick. The mountainous structure sent a shockwave across the land, relieving the dragons of their glowing coating. Twilight quickly used her horns to get rid of hers and Rarity’s.
“Whew! Feels cooler now,” I sighed.
“When the scepter disappeared, the dragons stopped glowing,” Twilight whispered as she scribbled on a piece of parchment. “We are learning so much.”
“Darling, this isn’t the time,” Rarity hissed.
“What? They’re both fireproof.”
“The Gauntlet is dangerous, for I designed it myself!” Torch bellowed. “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 crowd cheered and dispersed. I could see Ember and her father arguing about her joining the Gauntlet. Ember may have been smart, but Torch explained it would take more than that to compete.
“Let’s head back now,” Rarity whispered. “What’s one…er, three less dragons competing?”
“Right. Come on, Spike.” Twilight put her writing materials away.
“No, I want to compete,” I objected.
“Spike, are you crazy?! You’ve heard what Torch said! Even if you were in your greed-zilla form, you won’t last long out there!”
“Look, I have to try, Twilight.”
Right after I said that, we picked up a nearby conversation. Garble was chatting with some other dragons.
“When I become Dragon Lord, I will make burps an official greeting!” A purple female dragon announced.
“Ugh…” Rarity muttered with a wrinkled nose.
“Ha! You?” A brown dragon chuckled. “Please! When I win, I will pillage Equestria for all their pillows. Why should these ponies be comfortable while we sleep on rocks?”
“Oh, dear,” Twilight mumbled.
“Uh, that's nothing!” Garble declared. “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!”
Twilight and Rarity covered their mouths in shock.
“I like your thinking, Garble,” the purple female dragon said. “Let’s get suited up before the Gauntlet starts.”
The teenage dragons departed, leaving Garble, Twilight, Rarity, and me by ourselves. Garble hung his head.
“Really, Garble?” Twilight asked. “Talk about peer pressure.”
“Now you see why I wanted to compete?” I asked.
“Spike, you can’t win this Gauntlet,” Garble said, “and that’s not my rude side talking. You could get seriously hurt out there. I didn’t mean anything I said to my friends, so why not let me win? Or have these two win, better yet?”
“Because if you win but don’t fulfill your promise, the dragons won’t trust you. Rarity or Twilight could win, but if the Dragon Lands find out they’re ponies in disguise, it could cause a nationwide outcry. We’re barely on decent terms as it is.”
Garble pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Later on, Twilight, Rarity, and I arrived at the edge of the cliff with the other dragons. The majority of them were wearing armor.
“If we’re going to participate, then we can’t use our magic,” Twilight whispered.
“Then what was the point of keeping mine?” Rarity asked.
We joined in with the group when Torch noticed me.
“Who are you, little dragon?” Torch growled.
“My name is Spike,” I replied. “Silly as it sounds, I wish to participate.”
Some of the other dragons guffawed.
“All dragons are welcome to compete, but they do so at their own peril!” Torch pointed out. “Flying to Flame-cano Island is the first of many challenges you will face in your quest to find the bloodstone scepter!”
Torch erupted a giant fireblast, signaling the start of the trial. Every dragon took off into the sky. I took a deep breath and looked over the cliff.
Remember to keep your legs straight when you hit the water, Spike.
I gave a big inhale and leaped off the ledge. I crossed my arms and legs and grabbed my nose as the air rushed past me.
Ker-splash!
Despite the fact I hit the water at terminal velocity, the only impact I felt was from my feet, and even then it felt less painful then stomping a tiled floor with my bare feet.
Once I emerged to the surface, Twilight and Rarity flew down.
“You know, you could just hitch a ride on either of us,” Twilight said.
“Just trust me,” I said as I swam to the island. “I have a feeling that this will be easier than flying.”
At that exact moment, we saw bubbling nearby. Out of nowhere, a massive serpent shot water straight into the sky. Its buddies appeared and copied it, knocking any unfortunate flying dragon into the water.
The scene played out like in the show. Garble dodged one of the geysers at the last minute, but accidentally bumped into a green dragon in yellow armor. The dragon fell from the sky and plunged into the water.
With quick thinking, I dove in and grabbed the unconscious body before they sunk too low. Once I swam to shore with Rarity and Twilight following me, I slipped the dragon's helmet off to reveal…
“Princess Ember?!” Twilight exclaimed.
Ember immediately regained consciousness, which was good since I didn’t need nor preferred to give mouth-to-mouth.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Ember asked as she got up.
“Only saving your ungrateful scales!” Rarity retorted.
“You keep your nose out of this!” Ember stomped over to her.
“G-get away!” Rarity’s horns glowed out of instinct as well as her fingers.
“Rarity!” Twilight grabbed her own head in exasperation.
“Glowing horns?” Ember gasped as she put two and two together. “You’re both ponies in disguise! What are you doing here?!”
“Ember, wait!” I got between the two female dragons. “They're my friends!”
“Friends? Dragons don't do friends with ponies.”
“I do.”
“Whatever.” Ember swiped her helmet off my hands. “I don't care as long as none of you get in my way. I have a Gauntlet to win.”
Rarity said, “I thought your father forbade—”
“I don't care what my dad said!” Ember shoved her helmet back on. “I'll show him and every dragon who thinks I'm just a little princess there are better things than being big and strong!”
That’s when I noticed a slingtail flinging rocks at some of the dragons. One of the rocks smacked Garble, who careened straight to the ground with the giant boulder.
Without anyone asking, I dashed over and pushed the boulder off. Garble was about to thank me when he saw the trio of female dragons.
“Knew you'd do it,” Garble teased. “Your pony friends made you soft.”
“You're welcome.” I played along.
“For what? I didn't say thank you. But I've wasted enough time making small talk.”
Garble took off into the sky.
“Why did you help him?” Ember asked as she and the other two dragons approached. “You could've had one less competitor.”
“Because what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t help out?” I answered with a question. “Besides, you didn’t tell Garble about my friends’ disguises even though you could’ve.”
Even though he already knows.
I looked up at the sky, and Ember followed suit. Dozens of slingtails had already appeared, littering the sky with giant boulders like car-sized hailstones.
“Yikes, that looks rough,” Ember removed her helmet. “But that's what makes it a challenge.”
“An impossible challenge, maybe,” I said. “Why don’t we work together? I can ride on your back and give you a fresh set of eyes so that you could avoid the boulders.”
Twilight ran up. “Ahhh, excuse us for a second.”
Twilight pushed me to Rarity and had us huddle close together.
“Spike, are you sure it's a good idea to team up with Ember?” Rarity whispered. “You don't know her too well.”
“I know we can trust her,” I replied. “She didn’t give away your disguises.”
“That is true,” Twilight said. “Same can’t be said for Rarity.”
Rarity glared. “Can you blame me? I was preparing to defend myself.”
“Hey, you, little fella!” Ember called out. “I've thought about it, and your plan makes sense. Let's do it.”
“Oh, great!” I exclaimed.
“Just so you know, this doesn't mean we're gonna pick flowers or exchange necklaces or whatever pony friends do.”
Twilight feigned a disappointed pout.
“Let’s fly!” I announced as I hopped on Ember’s back.
“Good luck,” Twilight said. “We'll meet you at the top.”
Ember launched into the air, and we were on our way up.
Words could not describe my ride with Ember. With so many rocks and slingtails to avoid, riding with her made Twilight’s first flight feel like a kiddie ride. At least Ember was able to dodge every boulder thanks to my warnings.
By the time we made it to the summit, some of the participating dragons entered a large cave.
“I think we go through there,” Ember said.
All of a sudden, a colossal ball of fire blasted out of the cave, causing a few dragons to leave the cave covered in ashes.
“Whoever’s in there can have the scepter!” One of the dragons groaned as he brushed the soot off himself. “I don’t care if I get teased! At least I know when to fold them!”
“I hear ya,” the other dragon said. “That may not have hurt, but it’s still not worth becoming the Dragon Lord if we have to endure that!”
“Oh, that looks scary!” Rarity’s voice called out.
Ember and I turned to see Rarity and Twilight approaching us.
“I mean, you can do it!” Rarity corrected herself.
“Hang on, where were you two?” Ember asked. “I didn’t see you in the sky.”
“We were climbing the mountainside,” Twilight replied. “Slingtails wouldn’t dare to throw rocks at anydragon near the cliffs and cause an avalanche.”
“Why didn’t we think of that?”
“I thought it was against the rules,” I replied.
“Torch said fly to the island,” Twilight pointed out. “He never specified that we still had to when we got here.”
Ember looked into the cave.
“Listen, Spike. I wouldn't have made it this far without you,” Ember said. “So I guess, if you want to, we could keep working together. I mean, just until we get through that tunnel.”
“That’s fine,” I said.
“We'll be right behind you!” Twilight called out.
Ember and I entered the caves just to encounter an assortment of smashing stalactites and stalagmites. I got on Ember’s back again and we flew past them. Thankfully, the ride was easier to handle, as the sedimentary stones were slower and more foreseen than the ones thrown by the slingtails.
The next obstacle was the protruding crystals. Dodging them was tricky, but thankfully, I knew a thing or two about vaulting over and sliding under obstacles.
“Wow, you’re pretty agile for a small dragon,” Ember pointed out.
“Thanks. I’ve been taking parkour lessons,” I said. “I wanted to learn it before I molt, and in case there comes a scenario where my wings are disabled. LOOK OUT!!”
I shoved Ember out of the way just as a crystal slammed into the ground. I quickly helped Ember back up before the two of us got out of that crystal obstacle course. Once we exited, we encountered numerous pools of lava, and a mountainous cave system with tons of rocky bridges.
“Oh, you made it!” Rarity exclaimed as she and Twilight followed us. “Oh, we were so worried!”
“At least we made it through.” I sat down to rest. “That was tough, though.”
“Wait. How did you two get through?” Ember asked.
“I did various aerodynamic calculations and physics equations to ensure us both a safe flight path from all those obstructions,” Twilight replied.
“Er, what Twilight said,” Rarity added.
Without warning, a loud rumble shook the caves. Rarity lost her balance and teetered on the edge.
“Rarity!” I ran up to her and pulled her arms. We got away just before a pillar of lava shot up. Rarity collapsed right on top of me.
Rarity panted and got up. “Thank you, Spike.”
“You do realize that you’re both lava-proof, right?” Twilight asked.
“Even so, with the magma rushing up that fast, it would still hurt,” Spike said.
“I don’t believe it!” Ember exclaimed with amazement. “You just risked everything to save her! And they're putting themselves in danger just to support you!”
“That’s what friends do. Don’t you have anyone who looks after you besides your father?”
“Not really. Unless I count you.” Ember rapidly shook her head. “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, you’re just going to leave us like that?” Twilight asked.
“There's only one winner, one scepter, and one Dragon Lord.” Ember looked away. “So I guess it's every dragon for themselves.”
Ember flew off, leaving the three of us alone. We followed the path down to the caves and crossed one of the many bridges.
“Spike, listen,” Twilight said. “I’m sorry that Ember ditched you like that.”
“Don’t be,” I replied nonchalantly. “I’m sure Ember didn’t mean it.”
“If she did, she would’ve come back,” Rarity responded. “In all honesty, you're better off. She was only looking out for herself. She's just like all the other dragons...e-excluding Garble, Smolder, and us two, of course.”
“But she’s not like the other dragons. She let me help and not once did she reveal that you two were in disguise. Any other dragon would’ve refused my assistance and immediately informed Dragon Lord Torch of your camouflage. Even though Ember might deny it, she’s still a friend to me.”
“If you say so.” Twilight looked up at the caverns. “Boy, is this place a maze!”
I looked around. It didn’t take long to see one of the caves emitting a different light.
“Let's try that one!” I called out.
We entered the cave just to see the Bloodstone Scepter resting on a crystal structure.
“I have to admit for someone as monumental as Torch,” Rarity said, “he’s fairly accurate with a scepter the size of his pinkie finger.”
“Spike?” A voice called out.
I looked behind to see Garble entering from the shadows.
Garble bit his lip. “Oh, why did it have to be him?”
I swallowed and raised my fists. “I’m sorry, Garble, but I need to win this gauntlet. I’m not afraid to fight you.”
Garble squeezed his eyes shut. “I’m sorry too, but there's only one winner. I can rebuild the dragons’ trust after one lie.”
He unfurled his wings and flew straight to the scepter. I quickly chased after him.
In the nick of time, Ember came out of nowhere and nabbed Garble. I rolled out of the way as the two crashed to the ground. But when I stood up, something slipped.
“Woah! Woah! Woah!” I gyrated my arms to regain my balance, but my lost footing made it clear that my attempts were futile. Gravity took control and sent me falling.
“HELP!!”
“Spike!” Ember and Garble shouted in unison.
In a matter of seconds, Ember swooped in and grabbed me. She flew up and got me back on stable ground.
“Thanks for saving me,” I said after breathing normally.
“That's what friends do,” Ember replied. “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!”
Garble stood in silence. He looked away in regret.
“Not to ruin the moment, but could somedragon get the scepter already?!” Rarity shouted. “I think I hear the other dragons coming!”
“Spike! Get the scepter!” Ember commanded.
I dashed up the path and scaled the crystals. Ember grabbed hold of Garble again and pinned him to the ground.
“You don’t have to do this!” Garble pleaded at Ember.
“I won’t let you take the scepter!” Ember retorted. “I’m letting Spike win!”
“Then that makes two of us now.”
“Wait, what?”
The second I gripped the staff, a red magic flame emerged from it and spread throughout my body. The tingling I felt was like being pierced by a thousand heated needles. The scepter blasted out a massive tower of red flames as a shockwave of the same color spread throughout the caves.
Ember released Garble. The other dragons appeared, gasping at the end of the trial and its victor.
“Spike has the scepter now,” Garble said. “That means he’s...”
“The Dragon Lord.” Ember bowed. “Dragon Lord Spike.”
The other dragons bowed, including Twilight, Rarity, and Garble who pretended to do it reluctantly.
“Dragon...Lord...Spike...” Garble grumbled.
“Th-that’s right,” I said. “My first order: I want you, Garble, to head home and hug every dragon along the way without telling them why. Excluding the three female dragons before you.”
“Wha…seriously?” The way Garble asked that was less of “But it's so embarrassing!” and more of “You picked that as your first order?”
“Do it,” I said sternly, “Dragon Lord’s orders.”
Garble sighed. “Fine.”
He hugged a blue dragon with big teeth, who showed delight in the hug. Garble also hugged a white dragon with pink spines, who blushed profusely for some reason.
“Dragon Lord Spike. Hm, has a nice ring to it,” said Ember as I got down from the crystal structure.
I looked at the scepter. It would be interesting to see what would happen if Spike kept his title as the Dragon Lord, but I would miss too many important episodes back home if that were the case.
“Yeah, but Dragon Lord Ember sounds better.” I gave Ember the staff, and she experienced the same flames as I did, but they were less intense.
“What? No.” Ember held the staff out. “You're the Dragon Lord now.”
“Torch said that whoever returns the scepter is the Dragon Lord. I know that you’ll be a great leader. I only did it to protect the other nations, and I’m sure you’ll do the same.”
“You sure about this?”
“I’m positive. I would do whatever I can to help my friends.”
“Well, you'll have at least one more friend here too.”
I quickly hugged Ember, who tensed up immediately.
“W-what are you doing?” She asked.
“It’s called a ‘hug,’” I replied.
“Oh. I don't know if I like it. But...okay…” She patted me on the head.
Ember flew back with the rest of the dragons trailing her. I rode on Twilight while she and Rarity kept close to Ember.
“Say, Spike, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Ember said. “Was…there some sort of history between you and Garble? He seemed to want you to win at the last minute.”
“We’ve met sometime after the dragon migration,” I replied. “We’ve been hitting it off rather well.”
“I didn’t think he would like you so much to let you win the Gauntlet.”
“There’s something that’s been bothering me.” Rarity scratched her chin. “Why is the event called the ‘Gauntlet of Fire’? A gauntlet is supposed to be a type of glove.”
“I don’t know the exact details, but I think one of the early events to decide the Dragon Lord involved retrieving a gauntlet, and the name stuck afterwards.”
I looked back at the other dragons.
“You know, I can’t help wondering,” I said. “How come when Torch called for us, he only called for those who were only twice my height? Why didn’t he call any of the big dragons?”
“I asked him about that. He told me it was dragon law for the next Dragon Lord to not be a fully grown dragon yet, at least for this trial. It was also by law to call only one dragon per family if they have kids, and it’s usually the oldest child.”
“I guess that makes sense. Now I can rule out the fact I have an older sibling somewhere.”
“Wait, then why did he call for you if he prohibited you from competing?” Twilight asked.
“That’s…a good question.” Ember pondered.
We returned to where we started the gauntlet. Torch was still resting on the perch. When he noticed us, his eyes dilated at seeing Ember with the scepter.
“Ember? You?!” Torch exclaimed.
“I know you didn't think I could do it, but I did!” Ember declared.
“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!”
Like being smart and lucky...and having a friend willing to pass leadership.
Torch slouched down. “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.”
“Boy, he gave in too easily,” Twilight said as she and Rarity landed.
“Thanks, dad.” Ember turned to the other dragons. “AGREE WITH HIM!”
The other dragons raised their eyebrows.
“Just kidding!” Ember teased. “That's not gonna be my thing.”
Rarity sighed with relief.
“Dragons, hear me!” Torch announced. “I present to you our new Dragon Lord, Ember!”
We all cheered at full volume after hearing that. Garble came in and hugged Torch on the snout.
“What is the meaning of this?!” Torch shouted.
“I…can’t tell you,” Garble replied.
I could see Ember stifling a laugh.
Later that day, Twilight, Rarity, and I met with Garble and Smolder back at their cave.
“I’m sorry you didn’t win, Garble,” I said.
“No, it’s fine, Spike,” Garble said. “I should’ve let you win in the first place. At least I won’t have to worry about fulfilling that promise.”
“That makes three of us,” Rarity said.
“Have you decided what your first new rule would be for the Dragon Lands?” Smolder asked me. “It wouldn’t happen to be mandatory hugging, would it? Because I didn’t expect Garble to hug me out of nowhere, and he hasn’t hugged me since his first stone scale.”
“Oh, I’m not the Dragon Lord anymore,” I said. “I gave the staff to Ember.”
“Why would you do that?”
“I’m only thirteen,” I replied. “I don’t have enough leadership skills to rule an entire land, even with a couple of right-hand dragons. I figured since Ember has been with her dad a lot, she would pick up a few tips. Besides, there were no rules saying I couldn’t pass the staff onto someone else.”
“That makes sense.”
“Plus, with Ember as the new Dragon Lord, the ponies would be safe and gain an additional ally,” Twilight pointed out. “She also said I could write to her anytime I had additional questions about dragon culture.”
“Why don’t you ask us?” Garble questioned. “We might have some answers.”
“One question off the top of my head is…what kind of dragon magic do you guys have besides the Gauntlet? Maybe you can do something special with your fire breath?”
“Nah, dragon fire isn't that magical,” Smolder replied. “The only thing I can think of is when you laugh and breathe fire at the same time, the flames would get significantly hotter.”
Right, the laughing fire. Wished Hasbro foreshadowed and explained it better.
As Twilight, Rarity, and I bid adieu to Garble and Smolder, I was relieved about the outcome of this episode. I made a new dragon friend while also staying on Garble’s good side.
“Say, Twilight,” Rarity said. “Is it possible to keep this form a little while longer? I gained tons of ideas for a new line of fashion for dragons.”
“Sorry, Rarity, but like I said before, we’re ditching the dragon disguises once we get to Ponyville,” Twilight responded. “Besides, I don't think there's dragon here that would want to wear a dress.”
“AH-CHOO!!” A sneeze rang from behind us.
“Woah, bless you, Smolder,” Garble replied.