Bloodstone

by Drag Orion

The Nature of Dragons

“Heheh, careful now,” warmed Hammerhead with an amused look on his face as he watched Spark trying to lift up a mace that was longer than he was tall. “Don’t hurt yourself.”

“I g-got it,” the young dragon grunted, attempting to lift up the blunt weapon that was meant for a dragon more than twice his size to wield. He could hardly get his tiny claws to properly grip the handle. “I… got… it…” Despite his words, he could barely budge the heavy spiked ball end over his waist before dropping it onto the ground, creating new cracks in the cave floor. “I, uh, don’t got it,” Spark giggled before trying again.

“Any idea when your brother is going to be back?” the burly dragon asked. “It’s already been quite a while since he left.”

“He went to go after whoever swiped his backpack,” Spark replied happily despite what he was saying. “I can’t wait to hear how he gets it back.”

“You sure he’ll be able to?” wondered Hammerhead as he plucked up the mace with one hand like it was nothing. He carried it back to the notches on the wall where he had taken it down from and returned it. Then with his feather duster, he cleaned the dirt off of it. “I mean, he looks scrappy, but he’s still fairly young and small. Even if he could catch up with the thief, could he really do anything to get it back?”

“You clearly don’t know Spike,” Spark countered with a look like he was attempting to defend Spike’s honor. “He might be small, but he can do anything. One time, he found a heart of crystal to save an empire from an monster of shadows. Then he saved it again from a giant cloud of ice. Spike was also able to make friends with a change thing.”

“He made friends with a change thing?” Hammerhead scratched his head as he listened to Spark go on and on about his hero. “That’s really something. Uh, what exactly is a change thing?”

“I’m not sure,” admitted Spark. “But everyone else was very scared of it. I think it might be a living weapon cause its name is Thor’s Axe.”

“A living weapon, eh?” chuckled Hammerhead. “I never knew a weapon could be alive, let alone for anyone to become friends with them, though I’ve been known to chat it up with my hammer when I’m in the smithing zone.”

“Spark? I’m back!” called Spike as he made his way back over to where he left him.

“Spike! You’re back!” he cheered and hurried over to see him. “You managed to bring back your backpack, right?”

“That wasn’t the only thing I retrieved,” he added as he had Garble walking beside him, doing his best to smile, though it was clear he was trying too hard to look friendly and instead wore a sharp-toothed creepy expression.

“Big bro!” gasped Spark seeing the two of them. “What are you doing here? I thought you didn’t want to come.”

“Well, I changed my mind, of course,” he answered trying to sound upbeat, but was just coming out more awkward than anything. “And now we can all enjoy the festival together… the three of us… yay…”

“Then today is gonna get even better,” smiled Spark happily.

“See, I told you he’d be happy to see you,” whispered Spike.

“I can’t wait to see how happy he’ll be when he sees the thrashing I give you,” smirked Garble.

“That’s, uh, just typical dragon trash talking… right?” worried Spike, his fears he managed to suppress on the flight back over to the armory, quickly resurfacing from that one comment.

“Well, if you aren’t a sight for sore eyes,” commented Hammerhead as he approached Garble and gave him a slap on the back that had enough force to knock him to the floor. “Been a while since I saw you around here, Shiny Silver.”

“Shiny what now?” asked Spike, not certain where he’d get such a nickname.”

“I never forget a dragon once I fit them into some armor,” he explained. “This one here got geared up in one of my finest pieces with a nice silver finish.”

“Is it all ready to go?” asked Garble. “We’re going to have a little fight.”

“Polished and everything,” Hammerhead answered as he flew up towards where it was hung up without even needing to search around for it. Grabbing the suit from the wall, he flew it back to the ground and offered the teen dragon the pieces as he started to put them on. Hammerhead then looked at Spike, still in his rusted suit. “I guess you changed your mind, but are you sure you don’t wanna take on someone a bit more in your weight class?”

“I’ll be fine,” Spike replied not sounding so confident. “How bad can a little fight be?”

“Bad,” gulped Spike as he found himself standing upon the arena’s battlefield, a large slab of stone suspended over a pool of lava by heavy chains attached at the corners. With him and Garble standing at opposite ends, the platform leaned more downward on Garble’s side and rocked whenever a large bubble of lava burst beneath them and forced a gush of hot air upwards.

All around the perimeter of the pool of lava was the gallery where spectators could watch and cheer for the dueling dragons. For their fight, a few dozen dragons had gathered with more showing up, drawn to the commotion from the pre duel excitement. Beyond the rudimentary cheering, many were making bets over who would win. Spike didn’t need to eavesdrop on their conversations to know that the clear favorite was Garble by an overwhelming margin.

“Guess I can’t blame them for the lack of faith in me,” Spike thought. “If I wasn’t already prepared to lose I wouldn’t bet for me either.”

“Go get him, Garble!” cheered Fume from the audience alongside Clump. There was a ton of snacks surrounding them where they sat, around them. Garble couldn’t even look at them, knowing they needlessly spent all his gems on them. “Show that shrimp what you’re made of!”

“Kick his scaley butt!” shouted Clump, attempting to be heard over the roar of all the other dragons.

“Good luck both of you!” called out Spark one of very few actually cheering him on. “And remember to have fun!”

“Fun… right,” sweated Spike as that was the most encouraging thing he could hear from the crowd. Everything else was cheers for Garble and about crushing his opponent.”

As Spike stood upon the arena, he couldn’t shake the unease as the ground kept moving around, forcing him to constantly adjust his balance and step carefully to prevent the platform from shifting about even more haphazardly than it currently was. Garble, on the other hand seemed perfectly fine. Even worse, he looked very eager to start.

Wearing his silver armor, it shielded his body just as well as Spike’s did, though with the extra material needed to cover over his larger frame, it only widened the difference in their overall weight and added to Garble’s already overwhelming advantage.

In his arms, he held a long, metal staff as long as his body and about half an inch thick. Spike had a similar weapon at his disposal, though his was adjusted as long as his body, making it a proper size for him, but lacked the range that Garble’s staff granted him. Seeing Garble hold his in one hand like a sword, Spike did the same, and gave it a few practice swings as he attempted to warm up for the fight.

“Attention!” called out Hammerhead as he quieted the crowd to get the battle started. “A duel between dragons is about to begin. On one side, you probably know him well. Adorning his silver armor is a regular participant in dragon duels. I present to you, Garble!”

“Yeah! Woo hoo!” his two friends cheered along with the rest of the crowd.

“On the other side, we have someone very new to the arena. His skills might be as unpolished as his armor currently is, but who knows what potential might be hidden underneath. Let’s hear it for, Spike!”

There was an applause given to the young purple dragon, but it was clearly half-hearted compared to what Garble had gotten. Fume and Clump booed and jeered at him, even laughing, causing a number of the other dragons to stare at them, not certain what, if anything going on, was worth laughing at. At least, Spark did his best to cheer on Spike, his applause the most energetic against all the others who already saw this as a quick win for the larger, more powerful dragon.

“I guess dragons aren’t very interested in underdogs,” thought Spike as he saw Hammerhead wave them both to the center of the arena and facing one another.

The referee held the other end of their staves and positioned them to cross against one another and then kept them in place as he continued to talk. “The rules are simple,” he instructed. “The battle will commence once you tap your staff against your opponent’s three times. After that, you can battle freely. The limits of the battlefield are the arena and the air above it and the lava pit. Touching the lava or reaching to where the audience seats are is out of bounds and will result in your immediate defeat. Other than that, you are only defeated when you surrender. Is that understood?”

“Yes,” Spike and Garble answered in unison. Hammerhead let go of their weapons and flew a fair distance overhead to watch without being in their way.

Spike did his best to keep calm, but his nerves were starting to get the best of him. Garble moved first, lifted his staff up to clang with into Spike’s with a good deal of strength. If Spike hadn’t been gripping his weapon as hard as he was, it might have got knocked from his claws from the force of the impact and the vibrations that went along with it.

As Garble got ready to swing it again, Spike, more ready to act, did the same, and metal against metal sounded throughout the arena as everyone around them watched deathly quiet. Then the final swing came and the clang sounded louder than ever. The match had finally begun.

Immediately, Garble made the first move, taking a leap back on the platform, forcing the end he landed on to quickly tilt down while the end Spike was on shot up and catapulted him up into the air. Not wasting a second, Garble swung his staff like a bat at Spike, striking him in his protected side. To his relief, his armor took the brunt of the attack just as well as it did when Spark had been testing it out, making the attack hardly even painful. However, the true problem caused by the attack wasn’t the damage, that it knocked him across the arena and right off the edge.

“No! No! No! No! No!” cried Spike as he opened his wings to catch the air as he flailed about in an attempt to stop himself. Just barely still in bounds, Spike regained control and flew back to the arena where Garble patiently waited for him.

“That was almost my easiest win ever,” laughed Garble, sounding back to his cocky self.

“I’m surprised you’d wanna beat me that way,” commented Spike. “With how eager you were to get back at me, I didn’t expect you to try to win so quickly.”

“Maybe I was feeling generous enough to give you an easy out,” he suggested as he swung his staff, single-handed at Spike once more who held onto both ends of his to block it. While Spike managed to fend off the attack, Garble didn’t let up. His barrage of strikes were slowly overpowering the much smaller dragon, pushing him back, one small step at a tim. There was no time to for Spike to fight back. “But now, I get to destroy you.”

As the next swing came from Garble, this time, Spike did a quick hop back to avoid it, rather than block it. Not expecting Spike to dodge, Garble was still in mid swing as the small dragon rushed forward as he swung back and made contact with Garble’s armored side. Despite getting hit, Garble was no worse hit than when Spike got hit by him. It didn’t even have enough of an impact to budge him an inch. Meanwhile, Spike’s claws were starting to get numb as his metal staff wouldn’t stop vibrating with each time it made contact with something. Despite the grips on it, it was becoming harder and harder for him to hold onto it.

“I’m a bit impressed you had the guts to go on the offensive,” admitted Garble looking rather amused at being attacked. “But was that the best you could do?” With his free hand, he grabbed the other end of Spike’s staff and moved it off his armor with ease. Spike struggled to pull it free, but other than hold on, he couldn’t wrest it free from the stronger dragon’s grip. Seeing this, Garble smirked and started to walk around the arena leading his opponent along with him.

“What are you doing?” cried Spike as fumbled behind Garble at first, till he regained his balance and walked normally.

“Just giving our audience a little show,” he chuckled as he started to move faster, forcing Spike to do the same. The audience couldn’t help laugh as Garble led Spike around in circles, moving from a walk to a jog and finally sprinting. Spike was staggering about, trying to keep up, but Garble was far too fast and his stride far greater than the short-legged dragon’s own.

“Can’t we go back to regular fighting?” Spike breathed as he grew short of breath.

“Who says we weren’t?” questioned Garble as he came to a stop without warning, causing Spike to crash into him and fall to the ground. “I was just tiring you out. Now for the end.”

“I’m not giving up yet,” argued Spike before Garble sat down right on top of him, pinning the small dragon to the ground.

“I wasn’t talking about your end,” he chuckled, getting more laughs from the audience. “Heh, I’m funny.”

“Ha… ha,” groaned Spike, unable to move anything but his arms and head. He didn’t have the strength to force Garble off of him, but stuck as he was, he wasn’t out of options. First, he undid the chin strip beneath his helmet, allowing him to remove it. Then, grabbing Garble’s tail, he brought it to his now exposed maw and sunk his fangs into it, making the big bully jump up in pain.

“Yeow!” he cried and ran around in circles, moving his fastest yet as Spike continued to cling to his tail by his teeth. The audience was laughing their hardest yet as they saw easily the most bizarre battle the arena ever held.

“The kid sure is scrappy,” Hammerhead couldn’t help chuckle as he watched everything from his vantage point.

Eventually, Spike opened his mouth and released Garble’s tail, much to the bigger dragon’s relief as he came to a stop to rub it where Spike’s fangs had dug in. “What was that?”

“You didn’t leave me much choice at that point,” spat Spike, trying to get the taste of scales of his mouth as he recovered his staff that Garble dropped in his panicked run. “Trust me, I wasn’t a fan of that either.”

“Well, no more messing around,” decided Garble as he picked up his own staff and held it with both arms this time. “I’d say we entertained everyone more than enough. Time for your crushing defeat!”

“Um, bring it on,” gulped Spike, already easily overpowered when Garble attacked with one arm.

Rushing at Spike, Garbe swung at Spike’s side with more power in his strike than ever. Spike guarded, but even though he was successful, the sheer force of the attack sent him tumbling to the side. Without his helmet on, Spike was quick to shield his head with his arms to protect it.

“Gah! Oof! Ow!” the small dragon cried as he rolled across the arena, the damage mitigated for the most part thanks to his armor, but Spike still felt it very well. He barely had time to get back to his feet and steady himself, after that dizzying attack, before Garble was already on top of him and attacking again. Being quick, Spike dodged his next attack by jumping back and then leapt forward to counter just as he had done before, but Garble didn’t come to a stop as he reached the end of his swing. This time, instead, he kept on going, turning his body to allow his tail to swing around and wallop Spike while he attempted to attack, sending him crashing into the ground once more.

“Did you think I’d just try to brute force my way to victory?” asked Garble as he approached Spike once more as he struggled to get up. “I probably could, but I’ve fought plenty of battles and this is your first? There’s no way you could ever hope to beat me.”

“That was pretty obvious from before this whole thing started,” groaned Spike, sore, but found himself more exhausted than hurt from the battle. Rather than trying to get onto his feet just to get knocked down again, he just remained kneeling. “I actually had more fun than I thought I would getting my tail kicked.”

“You did better than I expected,” Garble told him, a bit of praise in his tone. “Maybe you are more dragon than I gave you credit for.”

“Wow, you guys did awesome!” cheered Spark as he jumped for joy and then carefully hurried over one of the chains to the platform. “That was a great fight.”

“I was great, wasn’t I?” boasted Garble as he awaited his brother to run over to him and look up proudly at his big brother.

“You did great against my big brother, Spike,” Spark continued as made his way over to help Spike up, instead going to see his brother. “I bet if you try even harder, you could even win next time.”

“I don’t know about that,” chuckled Spike. “He’s a lot stronger than I am. It wasn’t even a close battle.”

“But you fought on, even though you are smaller and weaker than him,” Spark pointed out. “That you always try so hard despite being the underdragon, that’s why you’re my hero.”

“His hero,” fumed Garble, something inside him snapping as he watched his brother praising Spike rather than himself. His body trembled and his fists clenched his staff more tightly. His eyes locked onto Spike’s happy face, stoking his anger and hatred of the small dragon anew. “HIS HERO!”

“G-Garble?” asked Spike as he heard him rage and turned to see him lift up his staff, ready to swing it down at him with all his might. With Spark right beside him, he was in the path of Garble’s wrath as well. “Stop!”

CLANG!!!

It all happened in an instant, as Spike quickly rose to his feet once more, defending them both against the attack with his own staff, the sheer force of it enough to dent Spike’s weapons and crack the platform beneath his feet as he dug his claws in to hold his ground. As a result of the attack, the platform tilted down at Spike’s end and then back the other way. With his feet properly rooted, he didn’t budge as the ground swayed, but Garble, already off kilter mentally, lost his balance. He flailed his arms trying to get steady, leaving him open as Spike swung at his legs, knocking him off is feet and onto the ground with a mighty THUD!

“Ugh, ow,” groaned Garble as the fall appeared to knock some sense back into him. As he tried to get up, Spike pinned him to the ground with his staff, a very displeased look on his face. Close behind him, Spark trembled fearfully as he looked upon his brother. He had the same terrified look he had on when his father was on his last rampage. “Sp-Spark?”

“Stay down,” Spike spoke sternly as he glared at Garble angrily. “No more.”

“But, I-” he panted and looked around, all the dragons in the audience in just as much shock over what they had witnessed. “What happened? What did I do?”

“You’ve done enough,” answered Spike as he tossed his staff to the side and turned to carry Spark out of the arena and away from Garble. Watching them fly off, his brother held onto Spike tightly for comfort, his body still unable to keep from trembling.

“That was, uh, quite a battle,” Hammerhead tried to say as he met up with Spike and Spark back in the armory. “You did quite well for your first duel.”

“Thanks,” he answered, not very enthusiastically as he removed his armor and returned it to its proper place on the wall.

“I’ll make sure your armor is cleaned up and properly polished before the next time you need it,” he promised as he gave it a look over. “I’ll make the adjustments for it too so it’ll fit better.”

“You can if you want,” sighed Spike as he put his backpack back on, took Spark by the hand, and started to leave. “But I don’t feel much like fighting anymore. Not after that.”

“Well, just on the off chance you do,” he replied. “The next time you lays eye on it, it’ll look good as new.”

“What do I do now?” wondered Spike as he looked at Spark, holding his hand tightly, cutting off the circulation in his claws. Their fun day had been undone from that one horrible moment and nothing could have salvaged what was left of it now. Looking around at all the remaining festival activities, Spike found himself lost of the motivation to check them out and Spark didn’t seem all too eager himself. “I can’t make him forget what happened and try to enjoy himself and I definitely can’t just take him home either. Maybe I should try to find Ember. I did want to talk to her about Spark anyway and sooner will definitely be better than later.” Recalling earlier, Spike could easily find her merely by sending her a letter and chasing after the smoke trail it left behind. He attempted to free his hand from Spark’s to reach some scroll paper in his backpack, but the depressed dragon refused to let go.

“Sp-Spike,” sniffled Spark when he finally found his voice. “Promise you’ll stay with me. Please.”

“I… I promise,” Spike answered with a comforting hug. “I’ll stay with you as long as you need me. Just let me find my friend, Ember. She can probably help you even more than I can.”

“No!” he sobbed. “I want you to take care of me, Spike. I want you to be my big brother.” Spark hugged him back as his eyes began to leak tears down his cheeks and into Spike’s shoulder. “Please!”

Unable to reason with him while he was so upset, Spike had no other option than to smile and rub his head till he calmed down enough to stop crying. Then, getting on his knees to allow Spark to wrap is arms around his neck, Spike gave Spark a piggyback ride as they continued on their way. “Come on now, little bro. Let’s find you something to eat. I’m sure you must be starved by now.” His own gut gurgled with hunger. “Heh, I know I am.” The small, yellow dragon chuckled a little through his sorrow. That small, happy noise was a relief to the bigger purple one’s ears.

“Dude, what happened?” asked Fume as he and clump went down to see their friend, Garble, lying on the arena floor with no motivation to even get up. “You went all kinds of nuts out there.”

“I know,” grumbled Garble, not in the mood to hear this from them.

“You almost bashed your kid brother in the head,” added Clump further to Garble’s chagrin.

“I know,” he growled as he grew angry again.

“And you sounded just like your dad,” finished Fume, this getting Garble to his feet burning with annoyance at them.

“I KNOW AND I HATE THAT!” he snapped at them. “And you telling me all this stuff I already know isn’t helping! Just- Just leave me alone!” Taking two the sky, Garble flew away to find some place to be alone and those two didn’t follow after him.

“Anyone home?” called Ember as she returned to her cave, in the middle of the evening.

“Ember, I’m glad you have returned,” spoke Torch, awake once more. “How have things been going today?”

“As fine as I could hope,” she explained. “Some slingtails that were getting a bit too close to the festival grounds so I had to get them driven off before they’d decide to start tossing boulders on everyone. Other than that, everything seemed to go smoothly. I met with our archivist, Blacktip, to look at the figures for far from the festival. Needless to say, this appears to be one of our most successful events in decades, with quite a lot of positive feedback from even some of the elder dragons who were hesitant over a lot of the changes I made. They enjoyed themselves, if you can believe it.”

“First time I heard those fossils say anything was fun beyond pillaging villages and guarding gems,” commented Torch. “Seems you are doing quite well for yourself to get them to have fun without asserting your authority as Dragon Lord. There will be quite a lot expected of you after this, especially for next year’s festival.”

“And it’s fortunate this year went so well, for all dragons involved,” she added. “A lot of the vendors and the dragons in charge of the demonstrations are eager to get booked for next year. Not to mention, the several dozen other dragons wishing to do the same. I’ll have no trouble getting all that ready by then.” Her smile then started to fade as a more worried look appeared. “But I’ve also been asked about my other goals beyond just this festival. I can’t even fit in time to enjoy the festival myself, let alone take the time to think about what’s next till this is over.”

“It sounds as though you’ve become quite a popular Dragon Lord in such a remarkably short time in your reign,” chuckled Torch, seeing his daughter rant about all the new expectations her efforts were putting on her.

“I promised to better our relations with the other inhabitants in Equestria and that’s what I’m going to do,” she continued, a look of pride in her expression as she said that. “And it’s not just with the ponies either. Queen Novo wants to open up trade with us for some of our volcanic soil in exchange for some rare, underwater gemstones.”

“Rare gems never before tasted by dragon kind for some worthless, hot dirt?” spoke Torch in an amused tone. “I have never heard someone wish the trade gems for the dirt they are buried in before.”

“From what they told me,” she explained. “That soil is actually full of nutrients, making it a great agricultural resource. So, to them, it might be just as valuable as the gems buried in it.”

“To each their own, I suppose.”

“Then there’s Thorax who is preparing to throw a gala at the Changeling hive and is inviting everyone he can to attend,” she moved on. “He is doing his best to show the world that the Changelings are no longer the plague of a swarm they once were. It’s just like what I’m trying to do for us and that’s kind of how we became friends. Now, he really wants me to come so we can square dance together, but, the things is, I’ve never square danced before. I’ve never done any kind of dance before, period.”

“You appeared rather flustered by all this,” observed Torch. “Do you not wish to attend?”

Her face blushed pink as she went on. “No. I’m actually thrilled,” she admitted, before sneezing out a flame. “It’s great that the other creatures are willing to be so open with us in spite of our violent past. It feels almost too good to be true that they can be so kind and generous to a bunch of greedy lizards like us. A while ago, I didn’t care about becoming friends with them or other dragons. But ever since I became the Dragon Lord, ever since I met Spike, it makes me happy that we are being accepted. I just hope, at least, some of our fellow dragons will be able to understand and feel what I’m feeling as well.”

“Not many dragons are so bold to provoke so much change, if any at all, while the title is still so new,” he stated, only making her blush more. “You should be proud of all you have achieved, my daughter. I know that I am.”

“Thanks, dad,” Ember smiled as she flew up to the table. “I’m doing my best to bring honor to you and all the Dragon Lords who came before us. I’ll keep trying to make you proud.”

“But, do you know what would make me really proud?” he asked her.

“Find the zebras,” sighd Ember rolling her eyes.

“Find the ze- uh, yes,” he nodded. “But not just finding them, but to confront them in battle and show them the might of the dragons so you can be sworn in as a member just as I have with the Buffalo. Why, I remember it like it was yesterday. I had just become Dragon Lord and I-”

“Uh, hey, dad, is Spike back yet?” questioned Ember as she hoped to steer the conversation before she got stuck hearing him talk on and on for hours.

“No. I haven’t seen him since before I woke up,” he answered. “I assume he is probably still out enjoying the festival.”

“Probably,” agreed Ember. “Though, he should be finishing up and returning Spark home, to his father, by now, since it’ll be getting dark soon.”

“EMBER!” roared an all too familiar voice that echoed through the cave. “Where is he? Where is Spark?”

“I guess he got tired of waiting,” she sighed as the angry dragon stormed the cave. Flying down to meet him, she took a deep breath to prepare herself. “Hello, Crag.”

“Well, if it isn’t ole Craggy,” chuckled Torch taking this meeting the best of the three.

“Where is my son?” he asked again, containing his anger as he awaited how she would respond.

Torch started to move, preparing to defend his daughter from the aggressive beast, but Ember held a hand up, signaling him to remain where he sat. “For a dragon who claims to have plenty of patience, you are showing very little. Spike is probably returning your son home, even as we speak,” she answered. “So, perhaps, you should return, there yourself, to wait for him.”

Snorting flames to blow off some steam, Crag responded. “Very well, but he best return soon, for his sake. I let him have his way out of respect for him showing some backbone. He’d be wise not to cross me. Spark is very important to me and my plans for the future of dragon kind.”

“Still as ambitious as ever, I see,” spoke Torch. “You should hear about all the things that Ember is up to. She’s in the middle of trading dirt for gems with the Hippogriffs for starters.”

“Why?” asked Crag simply as he raised an eyebrow.

“Because they see value in our volcano soil, even if you might not,” Ember replied.

“No. why bother trading?” he specified. “If there is something we want, we should just take it. That is how we have always done things.”

“Not anymore,” the Dragon Lord reminded him. “We are going to show the world there is more to us than how we have presented ourselves for countless centuries.”

“It all sounds like a meaningless effort to me, but if that is how you choose to spend your time as Dragon Lord, I cannot stop you,” he told her. “I am sure that the next Dragon Lord will not make such follies. I’ll see to that myself.” With that, he turned to leave. “Oh, and if by some chance my son is not returned to me soon, please let that small dragon friend of yours know that he’d best dig the biggest hole he can and hide in it, because not even you will be able to spare him from my unbridled wrath.” With a grin from thinking about what he’d do to Spike, he continued walking away. “Farewell, for now, Dragonlord.”

“A walking migraine if ever there was one,” groaned Ember once he left. “Even if his intentions were good ones, why did Spike have to get involved with a dragon like that?”

“Yeah, Craggy still has a temper that’d make the flamecano’s eruption seem like a modest belch by comparison,” joked Torch, taking what transpired extremely lightly. “Seems even age won’t dull his edge.”

“Sounds like you know him quite well,” commented Ember.

“We do have a bit of a history,” he admitted. “I bet he still hates my guts from back then too. Oh, what a time that was.”

“Would you care to tell me about it?” Ember asked with real curiosity on the matter.

“I suppose if you really want to,” he replied. “I guess to start, the Dragon Lord at the time was, perhaps, a bit too laid back in his job of keeping order amongst the dragons. Because of it, dragons were constantly causing trouble all over Equestria. However, none were as determined than Crag. Time and time again, he’d fight to the limits of his strength against the ponies of Equestria, growing bolder with every attempt till he was even willing to attack the capital city of Canterlot itself and provoke the wrath of the alicorn princess who resided there.”

“He actually went up against the Pony Princess, Celestia?” commented Ember as she listened. “I’m surprised he wasn’t banished or imprisoned for doing that. The idea of even daring to pick a fight against Celestia is like declaring war against all of Equestria. Was he insane?”

“More like young and out to prove something,” he answered her. “But probably a fair bit insane as well. As for how he had managed to avoid being sent somewhere like Tartarus, Crag was plenty clever too. He knew that even if he could occupy a city in Equestria, it would only be a matter of time till it was taken back from him, by the Ponies in force. Instead, he fought to cause as much damage as he could and retreated before he suffered more injuries than he could fly off with. Upon returning to the Dragon Lands, he’d take the time to rest and recover. Once he was back at full strength he’d go back out again to attack anew. I doubt there exists a dragon who has been proven as battle hungry as him, but that was only part of the reason he went through the trouble despite never truly making any progress.”

“I would assume it was so he could brag about it,” figured Ember. “The ones that roar the loudest are always the ones who crave the most attention.”

“And what a mighty roarer he was,” laughed Torch as he went on. “He’d go on about his battles and show off his scars like they were badges of honor. I don’t think I’ve even a dragon who could stretch a simple story into a lengthy narrative that’d span hours at a time, like how he could.”

“I can think of one,” thought Ember as she looked at her father as he continued to speak.

“He inspired other dragons to join him as he continued to pillage Equestria. In the past, dragons had engaged in battle against the Ponies and other creatures for territory or one of a number of other reasons, but never before had we been rallied behind one as if he was the Dragon Lord himself, commanding us like a general into combat.”

“And you were a part of this too?” questioned Ember.

“No,” Torch shook his head. “I was plenty big and strong and I didn’t need to constantly clash in battle to prove it. Not to say, I didn’t enjoy chasing the occasional Pegasus from time to time, for the fun of it. However, Crag wasn’t doing this to have fun. He was a firm believer in Brutus’s ideals.”

“You don’t have to tell me that,” she sighed. “He’s been talking to me about it plenty when we happen to cross paths. Still, to be so singularly obsessing over something for thousands of years like that, I can’t even imagine.”

“That might be in part my fault,” admitted Torch. “In time, he had amassed a following nearly large enough to achieve his goal, but at this point, even the current Dragon Lord could not sit on his laurels while he started a seig across all of Equestria. He stopped him there, but it was only a temporary delay as the Dragon Lord was preparing to select his successor. This was the very thing Crag had been waiting for, his entire life. With the power of the Bloodstone Scepter, he could fully amass every dragon and coordinate them to attack all of Equestria at once. When the day of the trial arrived, we discovered it to be a simple battle of strength and skill in one-on-one battles.”

“So, it was another test to decide who was the biggest and strongest and let them become the newest Dragon Lord,” Ember stated bluntly.

“What better way to pick the best dragon for the job than that?” questioned Torch. “It’s not like you have a reason to complain about it, considering you were the winner of my trial.”

“Can’t argue with you there,” chuckled Ember. “But, anyway, you were the one who won in the end.”

“I wouldn’t have been Dragon Lord if I hadn’t,” he stated proudly as he rubbed his chin and recalled that time back then. “It was quite a battle as we each faced one another in the arena. Crag was supported by all those who he inspired. The way he looked and smiled, as they cheered him on, I doubt he could have been any more jubilant. By the time we finally faced off against one another he already looked completely enthralled, like he had already become the Dragon Lord. Heh, but that happiness of his didn’t last very long once we started to fight and I began to overpower him. Fighting back, for whatever good that did him, it only prolonged his humiliation as I kicked his tail all over the battle arena, right in front of every dragon there. Even so, he stubbornly refused to yield, not caring how battered and bruised he became or how clearly outmatched and futile his struggles were.”

“He was very proud and ambitious,” said Ember. “I almost feel sorry for him to get so close to his goal only to fail.”

“That’s what is to be expected with the trial to become Dragon Lord,” he stated. “There is no prize for second place. Not unless you count those bitter feelings one gets as they’re forced to see all that glory given to another. On the ground, with barely even the strength to remain conscious, he got to see as I was handed the Bloodstone Scepter and coronated as the new Dragon Lord. I still remember glancing over at him, the look of pure hatred and jealousy in his eyes looked like it could have burned a hole right through me. Ha! It made my victory all the more satisfying than it already was.”

“And what happened to Crag after that?” she wondered. “I can’t imagine he’d just leave things like that and give up.”

“Hardly,” chuckled Torch. “He attempted to convince me to be the one to lead the dragons on a conquest of Equestria. To Crag, he had mostly hoped to unite all dragons to this cause even if he wasn’t at the helm. He was actually even more content to be a part of the muscle of the force than the general watching from afar. However, I refused his request no matter how many times he asked me.”

“So, you were actually protecting Equestria from him?” asked Ember astonished.

“Eh? Well, I suppose that’s a way to look at it,” he admitted just realizing that perspective himself. “As I said before, I don’t see the need to continually flaunt our strength like we have something to prove. If anything, I told Crag his efforts only showed how weak he truly was, fighting and surviving, only to return with stories of the new scars he had received, like he had actually accomplished anything at all. Hearing me say that caused many of the dragons still following him to give up on his cause. Many already had after he lost to me during the trial. Desperate to salvage himself, he began to challenge me for the title of Dragon Lord. Gladly, I accepted and just as before I defeated him. But even that did not make him give up. Day after day he came back to challenge me and every time he ended up defeated again. Whatever remained of the dragons following him soon became reduced to just him again. He was no longer seen as a powerful dragon who carried the pride of our kind on his back as he soared through the sky. Now he was seen as a joke, a dragon with a desire that was forever beyond his capability to reach no matter how much effort he put into it.”

“That’s different than how he is now,” commented Ember as she recalled their previous encounter. “I gave him the chance to battle against me and he turned me down saying it wasn’t the right time.”

“Eventually, he stopped coming to challenge me,” Torch added. “I grew worried that something terrible might have happened to him, but found that he realized it simply was not the right time for his aspirations. After that, he didn’t go out to battle against myself, other dragons, or even the Ponies. Rather, he stepped down to allow time to bury his humiliation in the past. In time, he settled down with a dragoness. I think he even started a family.”

“He did,” confirmed Ember. “And had two sons.”

“Well, at least Craggy seems to be doing well,” smiled Torch. “So things didn’t end up totally terrible for him, in the end.”

“I don’t think he sees it that way,” retorted Ember. “I doubt he considers it over at all. Now, I’m really worried. I should really go out and make sure Spike is okay before he runs into Crag.” Turning to head back out, she did so just as a trail of smoke drifted in and up to her. Embers then appeared, out of the smoke that formed together into a scroll that dropped to her feet. “Spike,” said as she picked up the paper and unrolled it to see what was written on it.

Dear Ember,

It’s Spike. I don’t have a lot of time to right now to go into much detail, but I won’t be back tonight. Don’t worry, I’m fine and so is Spark. But, tomorrow there is something important I need to discuss with you, regarding his well being. I know this is probably very dumb of me to ask this of you, but, for now, just trust in me and wait till tomorrow.
See you then,
Spike

“Ugh, that idiot,” grumbled Ember as she finished reading his letter to her. “He has no idea what he’s getting himself into, at all.”

“Something wrong?” Torch asked Ember.

“Spike is getting in over his head,” she answered as she rolled up the scroll. “Now I’m really worried. I have to find him before something bad happens.”

“Just make him come to you,” he suggested. “It will be a lot faster than searching around blindly for him. Heh, plus the burning sensation that comes with it will serve him right for causing you to worry.”

“That would be for the best,” she agreed. “I don’t know what he’s thinking, but this is just the sort of thing that’ll escalate if it isn’t handled right away.” Holding out the Bloodstone Scepter, the gemstone on it glowed with a brilliant shade of red. “Spike-” she began to say, but her words were cut off as she recalled the words in his letter, “just trust in me.” Gritting her teeth, she lowered the scepter and the glow faded.

“Hmm?” wondered Torch. “Is something the matter?”

“Yeah,” she said, lowering her head, as she placed the scepter onto the massive table she stood upon and sat down. “I’m going to believe he knows what he’s doing and wait like he wants. I just hope that things won’t get any worse before I see him again.”

“Perhaps a good story will help you to keep your mind off of it,” Torch suggested. “And I have the perfect one in mind.”

“...Go ahead,” Ember told him certain that if nothing else, it’d help her fall asleep.

“And done,” whispered Spike as he finished rereading the letter he wrote for Ember and burned it with a breath of green flame. As he did this, Spark was distracted, munching on a meal of gems.

“Spike, aren’t you going to eat too?” he asked as he turned to Spike.

“Uh, y-yeah,” stuttered Spike as he swatted away the ashes of the scroll as they turned to smoke and flew away in the breeze. “I was just letting you have your fill first. A big brother has to take care of his younger sibling before himself after all.”

“Well, my belly’s full,” he smiled. “You can have the rest.”

“Thanks,” replied Spike as he rested the bowl of gems on his lap and grabbed a clutch in his claws. Bringing them to his maw, he munched them up and swallowed them into his empty belly. They tasted delicious on an empty belly, but, at the same time, they tasted bitter at what they cost him.

“Can’t you spare me even a few gems,” pleaded Spike to one of the vendors.

“Sorry, kid,” he answered. “No gems, no food. Those are the rules.”

“But gems are food,” groaned Spike, his hungry stomach aching his whole body and made it hard to keep calm. “You don’t have to fry them or anything. Please, if not for me, then for Spark.”

“Well, I suppose if you don’t have gems we could try trading for something else,” he offered and scratched his head as he tried to think of what he wanted.

“Let me see,” replied Spike as he opened his backpack to look, but found it was lightly packed as when he had left the castle. But, reaching in, he pulled out a few copies of his Power Pony comics and offered them. “How many gems can I get with these?”

“Let’s see,” he answered as he took them and flipped through the pages of one and then returned to the cover and began to read through the pages more closely. Spike looked at his eyes as he read and could see he, at least, showed interest in it. After he felt content with what Spike had to offer, he closed the comic and scooped up a bowl of gems, placing them beside the comics. “I think this will be more than a fair trade,” he told Spike. “So, these gems for your comics.”

Looking at his comics, Spike couldn’t help feel like his heart was being squeezed in his chest at what he was doing, but in spite of this, he had to follow through. “Deal…”

“Mmm, these really hit the spot,” Spike mumbled as he ate and showed the happiest face he could manage.

“I was wondering,” commented Spark as he watched Spike eat his fill. “What did you give the vendor for these gems? And didn’t you bring your own gems?”

“Turns out I didn’t have as many gems as I thought,” he lied, not wishing to bring up that Garble had taken them. “As for what I traded with the vendor, it was nothing important.” Spike continued to eat, chomping down on another mawful of gems, hoping Spark would be satisfied with that and not try to pry deeper.

“I’m sorry,” Spark told Spike sadly. “I’m just a whole lot of trouble for you, aren’t I? If you stay with me you’ll only get in more trouble. My dad is probably already raging up a storm wondering where I am. If he finds us… I’m afraid of what he might try to do to you.”

“And what’ll he do to you if I just let you go back to him,” Spike retorted. “I’m not going to let that happen. I promised to take care of you and I will.”

“Even… though…” worried Spark before he let out a yawn and stretched. “My dad is… so big and… strong?”

“Looks like it’s time for little dragons to get some sleep,” commented Spike as he rubbed Spark’s head. “Heh, now I’m starting to sound like Twilight telling me it was my bedtime.”

“But… But…” protested Spark as he tried to stay awake only to end up yawning even bigger. “I’m not ready for bed.”

“And now, you sound just like I did when I was around your age,” Spike chuckled as he pulled out his pillow. “Well, you can stay awake as late as you want. But why not make yourself comfy while you do so. Lay down on this.”

“What’s that?” wondered Spark as Spike placed the big, fluffy pillow on the ground. Pressing his claws on it, he saw how soft and plush it felt. “It’s like a cloud.”

“It’s a pillow and I’d say this one is just as soft as a cloud,” he told his little brother. “Go ahead and lay on it.”

“Mmm, it is soft,” the little yellow dragon nodded as he hugged and rested his head upon it. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything this soft in the Dragon Lands before.”

“Well, soft things and fire don’t usually mix too well,” Spike stated before he heard some snoozing and saw Spark was already out cold. “Heh, worked like a charm.”

“Ugh, stupid dragons, stupid friends,” came a voice from not too far away. “Stupid, stupid stupid.”

“That voice,” thought Spike as he listened more intently for it. “Is that… Smoulder?” Taking a look at Spark, snoring quite loudly for a dragon of his size, he then looked around to make sure there wasn’t anyone around and then proceeded to follow Smoulder’s voice.

“Why’d I even bother to come here?” she asked herself as she walked around, aimlessly while she griped out her frustrations. In her arms, she carefully carried her folded up dress and kept it pressed against her chest. “Stupid me. I just don’t belong here anymore.”

“Smoulder,” Spike called out. “Is that you?”

“Sp-Spike?” she gasped turning to see him. “Oh, uh, hey. What are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be back with Ember? It’s getting late and it’s dangerous for a young dragon to be out here on their own.”

“What about you?” he questioned her. “Why are you here and where are your friends?”

“I ditched them or they ditched me,” she answered. “I don’t even know at this point. I was just so upset with them and now I just want to be alone.”

“But you just said that it’s dangerous for a young dragon to be out here alone,” the purple scaled dragon reminded his orange-hued friend.

“I’m plenty old enough to be able to take care of myself,” she argued before her stomach betrayed her with a grumble.

“Far be it from me to argue with you,” replied Spike with a grin. “But, I do have some extra gems lying around. So, if you’re hungry, you’re welcome to have all you want.”

“No, I’m fine,” she attempted to refuse, but her stomach just growled again. “Though, if you are offering, I might as well take you up on it.”

Walking back to where Spike had left Spark and the gems, Smoulder didn’t waste any time, scarfing down the rest and patting her gut contently. “Oh, guess I was hungrier than I thought,” she commented as she looked at the bowl, empty now save for some sparkling gem dust. Rubbing a claw along the bowl, she gathered up all the dust she could and licked it off her finger. “Sorry.”

“I already had my fill earlier,” he told her as he took a seat beside his friend.

“So, who’s the kid?” she asked turning to look at Spark, sleeping like a baby as he hugged the pillow.

“Mmmm… ma… ma… mommy,” he mumbled, smiling a bit.

“That’s Spark,” he explained. “He’s Garble’s younger brother.”

“Garble,” Smoulder recalled from earlier. “You mean that big dragon that breathed fire at you when we first arrived? Why are you here with his kid brother?”

“It’s a bit of a story,” he admitted.

“I’ve got nothing better to do right now,” she told him.

Recalling all the events that transpired since the two of them parted ways the day prior, Spike told Smoulder about Crag, how Spark saw him as his hero, his battle against Garble, and everything else between then and now.

“So much for a fun festival,” she sighed and reclined onto her back to stare up at the stars.

“Things haven’t gone as I imagined they’d be when we were packing up to come, but once I bring Spark to Ember tomorrow, things should get better,” he explained. “She’ll be able to keep Spark safer than anyone else here in the Dragonlands and ensure his father can’t lay a claw on him.”

“What about Garble?” she asked.

“Him too,” sighed Spike. “For a while, I thought he had a caring side, at least, for his brother. But if he can lose himself in his anger like that then Spark is probably better off without him.”

“Dragons usually enjoy depressing stories,” admitted Smoulder as she let out a sigh. “But that is too sad, even for me.”

“So, what happened between you and your friends?” wondered Spike. “Did you have a falling out with them?”

“Spike, I’d like to apologize to you on behalf of all dragons,” she told him.

“Uh, apology accepted, but for what?” he asked her.

“I’m sure you’ve been ridiculed and looked down upon because you were raised by ponies and act so differently than other dragons,” she continued.

“Mostly by Garble,” he replied. “But go on.”

“For a while, when I first arrived in Ponyville, I didn’t think much of you and the whole idea for a school to teach friendship sounded… well, lame,” she explained. “However, as I made friends with Ocellus, Silverstream, and everyone else, I realized how lucky you were to live in such a place with others willing to accept you as you are, to be able to accept yourself for who you are.”

“I don’t think another dragon has ever thought I was lucky for being raised by ponies,” admitted Spike. “Till more recently I’ve just been seen as nothing more than the runt all the other dragons could make fun of and hardly even considered a real dragon by the ponies I lived among, for not acting all fierce and aggressive. For so long, I couldn’t stop wondering just who I was supposed to be.”

“At least you had the freedom to find out,” she pointed out. “Dragons always act fierce, tough, and even rude, but that’s always been a front so we can hide our vulnerabilities. You might have been saddened by what you weren’t, but we were frightened of what we were. Looking back now, I might have actually envied you.”

“I suppose the grass is always greener on the other side,” commented Spike.

“Especially when you live in a place that doesn’t have any,” Smoulder added. “At the school, I was finally able to be myself, and not just a dragon. It was the most freedom I’ve ever felt and… well, look at this.” Standing up, she showed off her dress to Spike. “I had Rarity make this for me.”

“Your dress,” he replied, not the least bit surprised. “I didn’t know Rarity finished it for you.”

“You knew?” she asked surprised.

“Well, Rarity doesn’t have a dragon-shaped model to use so she asked me to wear it as she made adjustments,” he explained.

“That’s why I admire you, Spike,” she told him. “You don’t let yourself become shackled by what others expect you to be. You’re your own dragon and that’s probably more than most dragons can say. You don’t let meaningless pride hold you back.”

“The same is true for you too,” Spike replied. “Ember picked you because she believed in you and look how far you’ve come since you first attended Twilight’s school.”

“Is that what you think?” she asked. “That Ember picked me for some special reason, like she saw potential in me or something?”

“Well, there had to be a reason she picked you out of plenty of other dragons she could have sent to the school,” Spike pointed out. “Why else would you be the one she sent?”

“And Ember had to practically drag me there in the first place,” she added. “I’m not sure if you remember, but I wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea of the school, at first.”

“Yeah, but I’m sure any dragon would have felt the same,” countered Spike. “Occellus was nervous to attend and Gallus disliked the school probably as much as you did.”

“Ok, but did either of them get sent as a punishment?” Smoulder told Spike.

“A punishment?” he asked, this news to him. “What did you do?”

“Along with my friends, we tried to steal the Bloodstone Scepter from Ember,” she answered, not eager to admit that by the tone of her voice.

“You did?” spoke Spike, shocked that this was never mentioned till now. “Why? How?”

“Well, it all began like this…”

Inside the cave Smoulder and her friends hung out, they were all lounging about, doing what they usually did when they had nothing better to do. Ax was on back, exhaling rings of smoke that floated up to the ceiling and bit by bit blackened it. Gorge was enjoying a snack of gems, working up his appetite before dinner. Xena, or, rather, Ashe as had decided to call herself at that point in time was digging a claw into the wall, as she carved designs and images into it wherever there was still unused space to do so. Lastly, Smoulder was in a daze, as she drifted between asleep and awake. She was trapped in a lethargic state, bored from doing nothing for longer than she could remember, but unmotivated enough to not want to get up on her own. It wasn’t clear how long they had been lazing about like this, or if it was day or night out currently, nor did they care for that matter. It was merely how they enjoyed spending their time till something happened to shake things up, if for just a brief time.

It was Ax who finally broke their monotony as he finally spoke and said,” I’m bored.”

Those words drew the attention of the others to stop what they were doing and they each awaited the next dragon to speak. It was Smoulder as she casually suggested, “Uh, why don’t we try to steal the Dragon Lord’s scepter?”

“Yeah, sure.” “Alright.” “Sounds like that could be fun,” her friends agreed and getting up, they made their way out to do just that.

“Hey, it’s already dark out,” commented Ax. “That means we don’t gotta wait for night time to do this.”

“Seriously?” asked Spike after hearing all that. “You were bored and that was the first thing to come to mind?”

“That was just how we did things,” Smoulder explained. “We were bored so we did whatever stupid things we could think of and typically ended up in trouble for it. Only, this time, we were headed straight for really big trouble.”

The cave of the Dragon Lord trembled as if a volcano in the vicinity was on the verge of erupting. However, it was only her Ember’s father, Torch, already asleep and snoring. Covering her ears, Ember, with the Bloodstone Scepter in one hand and a scroll in the other, made her way to the far end of the cave to her usual sleeping spot when her father was this unbearably loud.

Letting out a big yawn, she stopped along the way, at an old metal chest. She opened the lid to place the scepter within it and then affixed a lock to keep it safe while she slumbed. In the keyhole, the key rested with a long string running through the back end so one could wear it like a necklace. Ember placed it over her head and then continued, on her way, to a quieter spot in back of the cave, to rest. Before dozing off, she looked in the scroll, one more time, to read the message, that was sent to her.

Dear Ember,

Princess Twilight Sparkle is formally announcing that she is opening a school in Equestria for the purpose of spreading the teachings of friendship far and wide. With the hope that you will assist in this effort, the Princess of Friendship requests that you cooperate by selecting a candidate to represent the dragons and be the first of hopefully many to attend and help spread the magic of friendship far and wide. Enrollment will start at the end of the month, so please respond asap with the name of the dragon you have chosen.
Your friend,
Twilight Sparkle

“The end of the month is three days away and I still have no clue who to send,” she sighed as she had been struggling to pick her candidate since the start of the month with little luck. “A young dragon would be more open to this, but I doubt their parents would be keen on them going far away to a school run and populated mostly by ponies. An older dragon would probably be too close-minded and likely burn the place to the ground. A dragon somewhere in the middle of that age range would be best, but I haven’t found the one that has that special… something.” Letting out another yawn, weariness was making it hard for her to think. “I’ll have to try again… after I get a little rest.”

“So this is where all that racket comes from,” commented Gorge as they heard Torch let out another thunderous snore.

“Guess we don’t need to be quiet,” chuckled Ax. “If they can sleep through all this racket.”

“That’s assuming Dragon Lord Ember is a heavy sleeper,” pointed out Smoulder. “For all we know, she could still be awake, unable to get any rest. In which case, we’d end up busted the second she saw us.”

“Then maybe we should wait for when her father isn’t keeping all of Equestria up,” suggested Gorge nervously. “Who knows what she might do to punish us.”

“It’s what makes this all the more exciting,” smiled Smoulder as they ventured further into the cave, getting closer to Ember and the Bloodstone Scepter.

“But I’m so scared that I can’t even eat,” he cried as he munched on some gems.

“Uh, you are eating,” pointed out Ashe.

“I eat when I’m nervous and that overrides my fear,” he explained as he crunched some gems with his powerful teeth.

“Hey, look over here,” Ax said to the others as he noticed the metal chest. “You think it the Bloodstone Scepter is in here?”

“It could definitely fit,” agreed Smoulder as she got a closer look at the metallic box. Holding the lock in her claws, she took a deep breath and attempted to melt it with fire. After several seconds of unleashing her hottest flames, she closed her maw to catch her breath and saw that while the lock was burning hot, it hadn’t even warped a little and the same was true for the chest.

“A metal that even dragon fire cannot melt,” noted Ashe. “That’s definitely gotta be it, but how do we get it open?”

“We find the key,” answered Smoulder. “And odds are, Ember has it somewhere close to her person.” She continued to lead the way as they resumed their infiltration of the Dragon Lord’s home. Smoulder’s heart was pounding as this setback only added to the adrenaline-inducing thrill. “Now things are getting exciting.”

“Zzzzzz,” snoozed Ember as she slept far more soundly than her father, the key around her neck, as she rested with her back against the cave wall.

“Good, she’s fast asleep,” said Gorge with relief as he kept the most distance from her.

“Then why are you staying all the way back there?” asked Ax.

“I want to be as far away as possible in the event we wake her up,” he admitted. “She definitely won’t be happy if we wake her up and that’s before she even realizes what we came here to do. I don’t even wanna think about how furious she’ll be then.”

“Whatever, ya big, scaredy dragon,” teased Ashe.

“Well, which one of you big, brave dragons is going to try and take the key off her neck?” asked Gorge.

“Uh… well,” hesitated Ax.

“Ax should since he was the one who said he was bored,” pointed out Ashe.

“But this was Smoulder’s idea,” he argued. “She should be the one to-”

“Get this,” Smoulder finished his sentence and held up the key.

“When did you…” they tried to say, in disbelief that she had retrieved it so easily.

“While you three were bickering,” she explained. “Now, come on you three scaredy dragons, let’s go grab the scepter.”

“Smoulder you are just too awesome,” praised Ax. “You aren’t afraid of anything and tough as nails.”

“I don’t know about that, but do go on,” she chuckled as they returned to the room with the metal chest.

“What should we use the scepter for first?” wondered Ashe. “I mean, we can make all the other dragons do anything we want with it, right?”

“How about we have them guzzle down a barrel of sulfur seltzer and let out a big fire belch at the same time,” suggested Ax.

“Or we can have them bring us all their gems,” salivated Gorge at the thought. “Heheh, we would never go hungry again.”

“Well, maybe five minutes for you,” teased Smoulder as she put the key into the lock and turned it, but it didn’t open. “Huh? It isn’t working?”

“Did you put the key in right?” wondered Ax as he moved in closer to look and saw she did.

“Yeah, but it’s not working,” she groaned as she kept trying to no avail. “I don’t understand.”

“Maybe it’s the wrong key.”

“But then where is the right key?” she asked.

“Why not just ask me?”

“Ask you?” questioned Smoulder as she turned to look and saw Ember smirking at her from behind her friends. Her friends also turned to look and immediately freaked out. They all screamed as they made a run for the entrance of the cave, running by Ember as she gave them a few seconds head start before chasing after them.

“We’re dead!” cried Gorge as his belly bounced with each step he ran. “We are so dead!”

“I doubt she’d do anything that bad to us,” Ashe told him.

“Not her,” he panted. “All this running. My thighs are chafing! Can’t someone just carry me?”

“When things get serious it’s every dragon for themself!” stated Ax as they widened the gap between them and Gorge.

“Take it easy,” Smoulder assured Gorge. “We’ll all get outside and vanish into the night. After that, we’ll lay low in our hangout till this all blows over.”

“Huff! Huff!” wheezed Gorge, his out-of-shape body reaching its limit as he was already soaked in perspiration from that short of a run. In his exhausted state, he tripped over his own feet and dropped to the ground. “Owie…”

“Gorge is down,” commented Ashe looking back to see, but not stopping to help him up.

“Poor guy, but he knows the rule,” Ax replied. “Every dragon for themself.” As he said that, Smoulder rushed past them and back towards Gorge. They looked back quickly to see, but didn’t stop fleeing themselves.

Smoulder offered him a hand to help him up. “Smoulder?” he asked. “Why did you come back?”

“Don’t worry about that,” she groaned and tried to get him on his feet. “Just get up quick before Ember catches us.”

“Too late,” Ember said walking up to them with her arms crossed. “It’s not often that I have thieves invade my home. You bunch are either very brave or very foolish. Whatever the case, you will have to face the consequences of your actions.”

“Yeargh!” cried Gorge as he found the strength to get up and flee, leaving Smoulder behind as he did. “No! I don’t wanna diet! You can’t make me!” Smoulder and Ember just watched him struggle to get away, pausing every few feet to catch his breath and then run some more. The two female dragons just stared at him as he ran out of sight, remaining in awkward silence.

“That wasn’t the punishment I had in mind, but he probably would really benefit from it,” commented Ember.

“Well, he does love his gems,” stated Smoulder as she started to walk away. “Well, that was a hoot and a half. Let’s do this again some other time.”

“Whoa there,” smirked Ember as she grabbed Smoulder by the tail and pulled her back over. “You think you can try to steal my scepter and then leave without any consequences?”

“I didn’t plan to do anything bad with it,” she told Ember, like that made the idea of stealing it any better. “It was just for a little fun.”

“Well, you are in trouble regardless of your reason,” explained Ember.

“That is typically how our fun ends too,” Smoulder added. “Well, what’s my punishment?”

“I have some ideas,” she answered. “But, first, why did you come back for your friend? You didn’t have to and all it did was put you in trouble of getting caught.”

“I don’t know,” Smoulder admitted. “He fell and I rushed back to help him without thinking. Probably just a momentary lapse in good judgment.”

“Maybe, but that isn’t something most dragons would do if it wouldn’t benefit them or especially if it would put you at risk,” she admitted. “It actually reminds me of him.”

“Who?” asked Smoulder.

“Nevermind,” Ember replied. “I’ll go easy on you this time, provided you don’t ever try something like this again.”

“Deal,” Smoulder agreed, ready to rush off, but Ember didn’t let her go you.

“And,” she added. “You attend this new school Princess Twilight is opening.”

“Princess Twilight?” asked Smoulder trying to think of who that was. “Isn’t she a pony? Why would I want to go to school there?”

“I could give you a different punishment,” Ember offered her. “But this is a one time offer. Are you really sure you want to pass it up for something far worse?”

“Um,” worried Smoulder as she swallowed hard and answered weakly. “Yay, school.”

“Good,” smiled Ember as she patted Smoulder on the head. Internally, she sighed with relief, that she didn’t attempt to call her bluff. “So, are you curious as to where I hide the real key?”

“Uh, I guess so,” nodded Smoulder as her tail was released.

“Here’s a hint,” she said before Torch let out another monstrous snore. After that, Ember didn’t say anything.

“What’s the hint?” asked Smoulder.

“That was the hint,” she chuckled. “Now, go on back with your friends and enjoy the time you have left cause in three days you’ll be off and learning all about friendship.”

“I can hardly wait,” Smoulder grumbled as she made her way home.

“And that’s how I ended up going to the school,” she sighed. “Not because I was different from other dragons, but because I happened to go back for my friend on a whim. Out of a hundred times that probably would have been the only time I’d have actually gone back to help.”

“Are you sure about that?” asked Spike. “I mean, how many times have you ever been in a situation like that before?”

“Well… never,” she admitted as she thought back. “I haven’t really ended up in a scary situation like that before. Come to think of it, the Dragonlands aren’t particularly dangerous, for dragons anyway. Even molting was more embarrassing than dangerous. But, ever since I came to the school, my life has been in quite a lot of danger, on a fairly regular basis.” She began to count out the times on her claws. “There were the pukwudgies… the time Applejack and Rainbow led a field trip… the spellvenger hunt… that time the Tree of Harmony tested us under the school… and when Cozy Glow made the magical vortex to suck away all the magic in Equestria. Come to think of it, life has been a lot more dangerous since I left the Dragonlands.”

“Uh, anyway, during all those times, did you ever even think to yourself, ‘every creature for themself?’” asked Spike.

“No, I guess I didn’t,” she answered after recalling all those times.

“Ember did see something in you,” Spike told her. “You don’t abandon your friends when times are tough. If that isn’t loyalty then I don’t know what is.”

“Thanks, Spike,” she smiled. “Looking back at all that, I think I’m feeling a bit better.”

“Any time,” he smiled back. “Happy to help.”

“And, I guess I should go back and see my friends again,” she added. “If I’m loyal I probably shouldn’t let a little turmoil make me give up on them. I should go back and talk to them” She let out a yawn. “Tomorrow though. Right now, I need a little shut eye.”

Laying back on the ground, Smoulder folder her hands over her chest and closed her eyes. A few big yawns later, she was fast asleep. Doing the same, Spike attempted to get some shut eye too, but even after laying still on the ground for ten minutes, he opened his eyes and stretched. Looking over at Spark still resting comfortably on his pillow, the purple dragon let out a sigh. “Nope, I just can’t sleep without pillows.”

“Ugh, what is wrong with me?” groaned Garble as he stared up at the night sky, though his mind was too cluttered with thoughts to sleep. “Why couldn’t I control my temper? Why’d I have to be like that? Be like dad? What’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing at all,” came a voice from the dark.

“Huh?” wondered Garble sitting up and looking around, but he couldn’t see anything but darkness all around him. “Did I hear something or was that just my imagination?” After waiting and listening to only the sounds of insects chirping, he decided upon the later option and began to lay back down.

“You aren’t wrong at all,” the voice said once more, prompting Garble to his feet, certain that it wasn’t in his head. “It was that other dragon, that little, purple grub that’s been filling your head with self doubt.”

“Who are you?” shouted Garble, looking all around him, but there was nothing in sight no matter where he looked. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t you believe me? Just look at what he’s done. He’s taken everything from you. Your pride… your destiny… your brother… everything. He might try to play it off as unintended consequences, but he’s poisoned the minds of all the dragons around him, turned them over to his way of thinking and as a result he’s become a hero in their eyes and left you the outcast.”

“Sh-Shut up!” snapped Garble. “Leave me alone!”

“What’s the matter? Don’t you want to hear the truth or are you afraid to admit that even you were starting to fall for his ruse? You trusted in him and all that accomplished was making you the villain and him an even greater hero.”

“No, it wasn’t supposed to be that way… I just…”

“Acted in the true nature of a dragon. You are an unstoppable force of rage and power, something that stands above all others creatures. How can you just stand idly by while he changes how things work around here and let him trick you into believing there is no way to change it all back to how things should be?”

“How do you know all this?” cried Garble. “Have you been spying on me? Why do you even care?”

“I heard about this Festival of the Dragon Lord and decided to check it out. I didn’t know what I would find, but lo and behold, I found you, someone who has quite a bit in common with myself. You see, I too have become an outcast from my home too, indirectly by that very same gnat, in fact. All I long for, now, is a new home to call my own and revenge on all those who have wronged and betrayed me. I believe that by working together we can both get what we want, so what do you say?”

Hearing those words cut deep into Garble, opening old wounds and helped bring back the ache that he had managed to mostly recover from in his time alone. Breathing heavily, he struggled to decide what to believe. Then in the darkness, he saw a pair of green eyes peer at him as someone… something approached. “Who- Who are you?” he asked staring back at the eyes.

“Someone who can truly help you. Now, shall we fix everything he has broken and make this world right again?”

Author's Note:

Next chapter: Change

Comments

[Scyphi]

"Spike was also able to make friends with a change thing.”

“He made friends with a change thing?” Hammerhead scratched his head as he listened to Spark go on and on about his hero. “That’s really something. Uh, what exactly is a change thing?”

“I’m not sure,” admitted Spark. “But everyone else was very scared of it. I think it might be a living weapon cause its name is Thor’s Axe.”

Wonder what Thorax would think of this...

Kinda figured that duel between Garble and Spike wouldn't go the way Garble wanted, and that he'd get...carried away. Doesn't mean it was satisfying to see him face that, but...

Mysterious, evil, and presumably powerful guy that likes darkness, has green eyes, and has a grudge against Spike already? Gotta be Sombra.