Garble)

Whatever he was feeling, it was not what a dragon should feel, and for the second time in his life, Garble didn’t mind. What was it though? Garble had been spending more and more time with Dragon Lord Ember the past few weeks, at first only to teach her to write poetry.

She was good but needed to expand her horizons. He suggested some works from the enlightenment era, and some Shake Spear, a well-known pony poet, couldn’t hurt. Then they started to care less and less about poetry and began to talk about themselves and their personal lives. He didn’t know why, but he liked it.

“My dad was the worst,” she said one day. “He never let me out of his sight when I was young! It was like I was some fragile flower that needed guarding all the time.”

“That sucks, but I can’t say that I blame him. I was the same way with Smolder until recently. If anything, it just means we love you guys. We just have trouble showing in a way that isn’t being stupid.”

“I guess. Still annoying though,” Ember muttered, cheeks inflating as her brows knitted together.

Cute. It was the only word to describe her angry look, and he liked seeing her when she was cute. This was certainly not Dragon. This became apparent when Smolder roped the two of them into a tea party. His little sister always did have a love for tea and sweets.

Not to mention how she loved looking adorable. Smolder normally wore a sky-blue dress that he’d bought her for her most recent birthday. Ember wore a similar pink gown on some days, sometimes her purple one, or the backless yellow one, thinner and lighter than the other two. He could have sworn that his heart skipped a beat when he saw her for the first time.

There was just one question he had for when Ember wore such gaudy clothes; why did she need to look good in them? Worse, why did he seem to go stupid when she talked to him, looking at him with starry eyes? He could barely string together two words.

She seemed to even enjoy his company most of the time. Not to say that he didn’t have his slip ups. And she never let him off the hook when he slipped up. Just last week she was on the verge of beating him after he had a scuffle with his ‘friends’.

“Is it hard for you not to get into a fight!?” Ember shouted at him as she applied a healer’s medicine to his wounds. They had sliced him with their claws, leaving him bloodied, and he had done the same to them. The only difference was that he was still conscious after the encounter. “Three on one. Why did you think that was a good idea!?”

“It wasn’t, but I won the fight,” Garble murmured.

Ember glared at him, making him shrink. “Did it make you feel strong? Is that what you want to feel, like you can take on anything by yourself?”

“Yeah! Well, no, but they-”

Ember slapped a cut on his back causing him to yelp.

“I don’t care what they did, I care about what you did! What if something happens?” She asked, applying more of the medicine to the cuts on his arms. “You’re lucky these cuts are all you got! You could have smashed your head open against a rock, got crushed by a boulder, gotten hit in the wrong place and not know it’s a problem until it’s too late! In case you haven’t figured it out yet, if you keep acting like a tough loner, you could die!”

“You would care?” Garble asked, bitter that he was being chided. He was smacked again, harder this time. He let out a hiss and Ember continued tending to him.

“Of course I would care! I-” She paused and took a moment to calm herself. “You’re my friend. You just started being better. I can at least trust you not to torch a pony village if I look away for two minutes. Plus, I don’t want to think about having to help Smolder bury her brother.” She put her fingers back into the glass bottle for another scoop of the balm, only to it empty. “Of course, I run out now!” Out of frustration, Ember threw the bottle against the wall before sighing. “I have some fire balm back in my cave.” Her glare hardened as she turned his head towards him. “Stinging, burning, fire balm. I’ll be right back. Stupid dragon, fighting stupid fights,” she muttered, leaving him alone.

He felt bad about making her worry, but at the same time, he was happy that she worried about him. Was there something wrong with him? And why was there a heaviness in his chest whenever he thought about her?

There was only one person he could talk to about this. His sister. He trusted her with his most guarded secrets, and this was the same. He had written her a letter explaining his predicament and had received a less than verbose response. ‘Talk to her or ask her out. It’s called a crush.

It means you like her. Don’t be Garble about this, be Gar-Gar about it. XOXO, Smolder. P.S. If you need more help, just send me another letter, I’ll be there as soon as I can. P.P.S. I might come with Spike, Ember needs his help. If you can’t be nice to him, LEAVE. HIM. ALONE. P.P.P.S Ember told me about the fight you had recently. You and I are going to have a LONG talk.’

There was a lot to unpack there. Most of which being that A: He had a crush on his friend, his lord, and his former rival. This was a lot to take in. B: He needed to be the Garble, Ember seemed to like and finally C: He desperately needed to send another letter.

Things were not much better with the Dragon Lord. Ember slammed her fists against the side of her head in an attempt to rid her of thoughts, thoughts she was convinced she shouldn’t have, not about Garble anyway. Whatever she was feeling, it was not dragon, and for some reason, she didn’t want it to be. It started when she started spending more time with Garble. Originally, she was supposed to just learn poetry. And then she started to spend time with him outside of that. She loved it.

One of her jobs as Lord was watching hatchlings for busier dragons. Anytime she called, he responded without hesitation.

“You want to be gentle,” Garble told her as she first approached a small pit filled with a group of hatchlings. There was always a small group of mothers that watched as their young played, whimpering and chirping, and made sure that the Dragon Lord and her assistant could tend to the hatchlings adequately.

“Just get low, like you’re laying down. They’re going to pounce on you, just let them. They need to learn to fight. Once they start biting, nudge them a little, let them know that things fight back. Some will try and sneak attack, let them do it the first time. It boosts their confidence for the moment and makes them learn that they need to try harder when you catch them the second time.”

She tried her best, but Ember was terrible caring and playing with them. Not Garble though. Garble acted as if he’d been doing it for ages. He gently nudged them as they pounced on him, gave them a small nip when they began to get too rowdy, and showed them how to silently creep up on unsuspecting prey. The hatchlings seemed to adore him and he them. Many mothers had begun calling him the Nursery Nanny, not mocking him, but adoring him as he played with the little ones.

Then there came the hatchling’s nap time. He sung to them. He sung old Dragon songs of mighty drakes, charming and winning the hands of dragonesses, but the fact of the matter was, he sung. Garble the Dragon sung. Ember laughed to herself, who wouldn’t?

And he along with her.

He even recited his terrible poetry, which they seemed to enjoy more than the songs. There was something else she noticed. He was happy, smiling even. It was a real smile, a nice smile, one that made her heart flutter and her stomach feels as if she’d eaten a swarm of butterflies.

How was this Garble?

They even had tea parties together. She would normally hate that, but with Garble and Smolder asking her, how could she not join in the fun? Not to mention that Garble didn’t look bad in his suit nor she in a dress. They were even allowed a laugh, sometimes coming at the expense of Smolder.

“You should have seen her!” Garble said, snickering. “Barely able to speak, pulling things out of an old trunk, and she finds the most tattered dress in the world.”

Smolder turned red and put her face in her hands. “Gar-Gar,” She said, in a defeated groan.

“And-and-and-” Garble got control of his laughter, “she finds this rusted tiara, and puts it on. I don’t know how, but they fit like gloves. It was amazing! She runs into our cave and starts hopping up and down screaming, ‘Gar-Gar, Gar-Gar, look at it! Look it! I’m prettiful! I’m prettiful right?’ Now, I say yes, despite my knowing she shouldn’t want to be cute, but she was happy, I couldn’t help but encourage it. But that’s not the best part.”

“Shut your mouth, now!” Smolder said.

“As Dragon Lord, I order you to finish the story!” Ember said, barely able to control her laughter.

Garble smiled. “So, a week before her birthday, I steal her dress and tiara, and have a tailor and jeweler make her new ones. You should have seen her when she got to wear them!” He said laughing. “She was crying she was so happy!”

“Can we talk about anything else!?” Smolder finally shouted, turning a deep crimson as she glared at her brother.

While it was fun spending time with them, it was a lie to say Garble didn’t have his slip ups. Just a few days ago, he got into a fight with some of his friends, perhaps former friends. He’d lost many since he helped hatch the hatchlings, so it wasn’t abnormal for him to fight those that were once in his gang.

The times that he did fumble and fight, it was the worst part of their friendship. A few bruises were something she could ignore. A single cut? Tuesday for a dragon. A three on one (with him being the one), being lacerated several times, and those lacerations pouring out blood like a faucet? She nearly lost it. Fortunately, there was no lasting damage, and she was able to use fire balm, a stinging ointment to both heal and punish him. He, hopefully, learned his lesson.

She didn’t know why she was so upset, but this fight seemed to frighten her more than usual. Then, when he questioned if she would even care if he died, she shouted, “Of course I would care! I-” She silenced herself.

It was only through luck that she caught herself. What was she going to say? Why did thinking about him make her so queasy? She needed an emotional expert.

So, she contacted Spike, as Thorax was ‘having issues of his own, involving someone Great and Powerful’ according to his brother. Spike responded with a letter. “Ember,” the letter said, “I’ll be there soon to help. P.S. I’m glad you found someone! P.P.S. Smolder’s coming with me. Apparently, Garble’s been having some issues as well.”

Relief surged through her upon reading the letter. After sorting out her emotions, maybe Spike could talk some sense into Garble. She was worried about him getting hurt again. Not because she cared, but if he got hurt and never recovered, she’d lose out on someone that helped her with the hatchlings. She felt a knot in her stomach before growing annoyed.

Even if he was helpful, why did she care if that moron got hurt? And he was a moron, with a moron smirk, and his moron poetry, and his moron everything! So what if he was nice to his little sister? So what if he was great with the hatchlings? What did she care if he was actually kind of good looking and strong? An image popped into her head and she turned a deep red. Spike better get here soon.

Dry, the air was very dry. That was something that Spike never did get used to while in the Dragon Lands. Something else that Spike would never get used to? Hearing that Ember had a crush on someone. It sounded so strange. He looked ahead and saw Smolder, flying silently.

“So, is Garble having trouble with friends?”

“No,” Smolder said. “It’s more personal than that. He wouldn’t want me talking about it. So, what’s Ember’s problem?” Smolder asked.

“Oh, uh, don’t tell her I told you this, but she has a crush on somedragon. I don’t think she knows how to handle it. You guys don’t do emotion well.”

Smolder smiled. “Look who’s learning! There’s my stop, we’ll meet up with you later.” Smolder made a sudden dive towards a cave, likely Garble’s. Thinking about it logically, it was better to let her handle Garble alone for now. He could focus on Ember, and then they could reconvene while he was under the protection of both Smolder and Ember. He gave his wings a flap, and went towards the Nursery.

Smolder took a deep breath as she entered her brother’s cave. It still had that same old smell from her time in the Dragons Lands. Near the back sat Garble, preparing a kettle especially for her. She was going to have fun this if she could. Her brother was her brother, and Smolder could mock and tease him without fear of retribution. But before that, she gave her brother a short hug, before plopping herself on the ground. “How long has it been steeping?” She asked.

“Not too long, I think I only started it a minute ago.”

Smolder took a seat around the fire and they waited until the brew was ready. She poured herself some tea, took a long sip and smiled. “That’s some good. So, you have a crush on Ember.”

Garble’s eyes went wide and choked a bit on his drink. He began to stammer. “I-who-uh-How-?”

“I had a three tea parties with you two, just you two, she’s the only dragon that you seem to talk about, and your latest poem focused on a beautiful, sparkling sapphire. It’s kind of obvious.”

Garble starred in his own cup before letting out a sigh. “So what do you think I should do? This sounds like pony stuff, I’m not good with pony stuff!”

“It’s like I said in my letter, talk to her. She doesn’t hate you!”

“We fought in the gauntlet,” Garble quickly said, trying to make an excuse.

“So did mom and dad, they had you a few years later.”

“I opened my mouth.”

“And she’s still around!” Smolder said. “Thankfully, you didn’t do too much damage.”
“I got in a fight,” Garble said.

“Oh, right, I forgot about that!” Smiling, and putting her tea to the side, Smolder stood up, walked over to her brother, and whipped her hand across his muzzle. “What the hell were you thinking!?” Smolder shouted.

“I wasn’t.”

“Obviously! A three on one, against those idiots!?”

“I won.”

“You think I care?! I mean, the dragon in me wants to high five you,” Smolder said, off handedly. “But the sister in me wants to kick your ass!”

“I was fine,” Garble said. “And they learned their lesson!”

“You call needing fire balm fine!?” Smolder covered her eyes before dragging her fingers down her face. “What if something happened to you!?”

“I don’t know, I don’t think that far ahead! Gah, you sound like Ember,” he grumbled.

Smolder pinched the bridge of her nose. “So she cared enough to worry, probably heard you have a blatant disregard for your own safety, and she is still sticking around. Again, just talk to her.” She paused and glared at her brother. “Did you apologize for your stupidity?”

Garble let out a disappointed groan. “I should have, she looked-” Garble tried to recall the expression on her face after she’d patched him up. There came a sickening feeling in his stomach. “I don’t know. Worried? I felt bad.”

“You’re learning empathy. Dear Bahamut, you’re growing up.”

“The brave dragon spewed forth a torrent of fire, and incinerated the dastardly knight, reducing him and all of his vile equipment to ash. And then, the dragon and the beautiful pony princess, lived happily ever after, atop the gold he had so rightfully claimed. The End,” Ember said, reading a passage from her favorite story book. The snores of hatchlings could be heard throughout the nursery from their little hole in the ground.

They were above a lava lake so they were kept nice and warm and would be asleep for about an hour. Ember quietly picked herself up and found a small spot to sit and relax.

She leaned her head back, closed her eyes, and cursed the world that Garble was nowhere to be found. For the past five hours she’d been tending to, chasing down and entertaining the little monsters. If Hatchlings were weak, fragile little things, why did they tire her out so much?

“Ember!” A voice cried. Ember perked and stood, watching as Spike landed on the ground and rushed towards her. The little dragon gave her a hug, and Ember patted him on the head, as usual.

“Good to see you Spike, so about my problem, you said something weird in the letter about finding someone?”
“Yeah, you made it sound like you had a crush,” Spike said.

“I sometimes want to crush him, yes.” Garble was annoying like that sometimes. Crushing him was a very normal desire.

“No, no, it means that you like someone. It’s like you’re falling in love. It’s happened to me a few times. Just recently, I went on a date with-” Spike stopped himself. “That’s not important. But from your letter, I could tell that you liked, uh, whatever the dragon’s name is.”

A crush was liking someone, so that meant that Spike thought she liked Garble. “Look, it’s not a crush, it’s just, I have these weird feelings about my friend.”

“Like what?”

“Like-” Where could she begin? “-I think it’s cute when he plays with the hatchlings, and I kind of like watching him. He sometimes teaches me how to handle them. It’s fun. Then we sometimes go swimming in a lava pond, and that’s always nice.” Ember suddenly turned bitter. “But he’s annoying! He keeps getting into fights!”

“Isn’t that just being a dragon? I thought you got in fights sometimes.”

Ember blushed. “Well, no I challenge dragons to competitions! He fights, with claws and teeth! The worst part is that, sometimes, he gets hurt and I was-was-” She sneered. “- I was mad he was being stupid and getting hurt!”

“That happens when you really care about someone. It’s called being worried.”

“But that’s not all! Thinking about him, I feel my body heat up, my stomach feels weird, and I-I don’t know! Ugh, I hate this!”
Spike nodded his head, as if to signal he understood what she was going through. Maybe his kind was just emotionally stunted. Nothing he hadn’t dealt with before. “So, you like spending time with him, worry about him if he gets hurt, and you think it’s sweet that he’s good with kids.”

“Yeah, he’s sweet once you get to know him, and I get mad, not worried! If he listened, maybe he would stop with the tough guy loner crap! Thing is, he has a reputation around the nursery.” Ember began to rub the back of her neck. “The mother’s call him the Nursery Nanny.”

Spike cracked a smile and he began to snort a little. “You like someone with the nickname Nursery Nanny?” Spike began to chortle some, much to his shame. However, hearing that a dragon was called the Nursery Nanny was the funniest thing he’d heard all day. He regretted his amusement when a low, powerful voice spoke.

“What?!” It said. Spike froze and turned as a fully-grown dragoness slowly craned her head towards them. “Did I hear that right, Ember?” She asked. “You have a small attraction to the Nursery Nanny? No, no, no, this can’t be right.”

“Oh, do they know him?” Spike asked. He turned to the dragoness and waved. “I’m Spike by the way. Hi.”

“They do,” Ember said, clenching her eyes shut. “Please do not get into this. It’s a matter between us.”

The Dragoness began to shake her head. “I feel like I have to! Dear, think about this logically. Do you think he’s a good fit? He’s a bit of a brute if you ask me. I suggest you consider someone else. I hear Fizzle is looking for a mate, or Adonis! He’s strong, perfect for the Lord of Dragons.”

There came another dragoness, huffing and sneering at the one speaking with the two children.

“Don’t listen to her,” She said, giving her opponent the evil eye. “The only reason she wants you away from him, is so her daughter can drag him back to her hoard!”

“Too true,” A third said. She looked at the first dragoness. “You’ve always have tried to set your daughter up with potential mates, Amethyst, even when they’re out of her league.”

“Out of her league is an understatement,” A very large, brown dragon scoffed, “I’ve been trying to get my Clump to learn from the Nursery Nanny. He got in a fight with him, with his friends no less, and lost! That dragon is both strong and caring. A fine mate for any dragoness to choose, especially when Ember makes up for his impetuousness.”

Spike’s eyes widened as a smile formed across his face. Ember’s crush took on Garble’s gang, and possibly Garble, and won? That was amazing! “This guy sounds like a catch, Ember! What’s his name? I have to meet him!”

Ember felt a chill run down her spine. “Spike, I don’t think-”

“Oh, you won’t be able to meet with him just yet,” A fourth dragoness said. “I think he’s with his sister at the moment. Garble has always been overly fond of her.”

“A bit too protective, if I say so myself. But such is the habit of an older sibling.”

“I saw him sneaking after her during her first molt, years ago! Made sure she knew how to sneak about and find gems close to a cave. Poor dear was worried a Roc was going to carry her off!”

“He helped her cheat, essentially.” A dragoness rolled her eyes. “Still, he’s a fine drake, it’s just a bit disappointing knowing that.”

“Just fine? I’d say very fine. If my daughter had any sense in her, she’d dump her current prospect and pounce on Garble. But alas, she’s drawn to mediocrity.”

Spike’s wonder instantly faded, and all that was left was a confused dragon, standing with an awkward smile on his face. Perhaps he needed to have his ears cleaned. “I’m sorry, it sounded like you all just said that Garble was the Nursery Nanny,” He said, walking up to the dragonesses and smiling.

“That he is. He’s very charming, if I do say so myself. The hatchlings adore him. He’s a natural born father if there ever was one. He’s a lot like Torch the more I think about it. Good and bad, unfortunately.”

“So, that would mean that Ember has a crush on-on-” He let out a nervous laugh as his stomach twisted itself into a knot. “She likes-” he was unable to finish the sentence.

“Garble, his name is Garble,” a dragoness said. Her eyes focused on Ember. “Again, Ember, before someone else claims him, pounce. He’s a drake. He won’t say no to you.”

“He’d be a fool to say no,” a second claimed.

“An absolute moron,” a third added.

“If that’s the case, there’s a good chance he might say no,” One said with a chuckle, earning a small laugh from her friends.
“Someone, kill me now,” Ember sighed, putting her face in her claws.

“Well, if he does, she’s the Dragon Lord, she could just demand that he court her.”

“It would be the most pragmatic thing to do. Honestly, I think your little hatchlings would look adorable.”

Her cheeks flushed at that. Maybe there was a cliff she could jump off. She turned to Spike, who stood very still, staring out into space. “Spike are you-?”

“You like Garble. Huh. Ain’t that a fact,” Spike said, his head lightly bobbing up and down.

Sludge nestled into his pitiful hoard, unable to find a comfortable spot to sleep. He could use a long rest after a full day of doing nothing. If only he had something to listen to as he drifted off. But what could soothe his tired, bloated body and mind?

There was suddenly a loud cry of terror that, for some reason, lulled Sludge into a deep sleep.

Smolder heard Spike’s cry of anguish and glared at her brother.

“I was here the whole time,” Garble said. “You cannot blame me for that.”

Twilight head shot up from her desk, her test grading interrupted.

“What’s wrong?” Starlight asked.

“I don’t know,” Twilight said. “I thought I just heard Spike screaming.”

Perhaps it was only the wind.

Thorax heard the scream loud and clear. It was Spike, but it felt strange. “Huh,” He said thinking aloud, “he’s not in danger, but he is disturbed.” Thorax mulled over the options he had. It was probably nothing.

The sound of crying echoed through the nursery as the hatchlings woke from their naps. Few didn’t cry, but were grumpy and glared at Spike. If the drake had any good will with the mothers strewn about the mountains, it had now faded into oblivion. One dragoness, whose child had just been but down for a nap after crying and fussing for hours, voiced this in a very unique way.

“Dragon Lord, are we allowed to hurt this one?” She asked as she picked up her hatchling, rocking it gently as it wept. “I don’t think any of us enjoy our hatchlings being woken prematurely by screaming runts.”

“No, he’s an ambassador,” Ember quickly pointed out. “If you did that, that would start a war with the ponies!”

“You’re not making much of a case against crushing him,” A dragoness said.

Ember cursed to herself. “Well, he’s friends with Garble! Very good friends with Garble, he’d be in a rut for weeks if you killed him!”

“What?!” Spike said, loudly.

“Is he now?”

“A strange friend to have.”

“Perhaps he’s giving the lad guidance?”

“He certainly seems to need it!”

“I suppose the Nursery Nanny is a reason to spare him.” The mothers gave Spike a nasty look before tending to the hatchlings.

“This is a waking nightmare,” Spike said. He stumbled some and came to lean against a nearby wall.

“How?” Ember asked.

“Because being spared for knowing Garble feels wrong.”

“You said that when I dubbed him Hero of the Dragon Lands.”

“And it still sounds wrong!”

“More wrong than-”

“Yes, more wrong than knowing you like Gar-” Spike heaved as he tried to finish the sentence. He took a few deep breaths, counted to ten, and brought his emotions under control. “Okay, okay, I’m overreacting. Everyone here seems to like him, so, maybe he isn’t all that bad.” It still felt wrong to say. “So, you and Garble.”

“It’s not like that!” Ember said.

“Right, you just get worried about him, get excited when you’re about to spend time with him, and you like doing nothing together and just stargaze some nights while you snuggle for warmth!”

“He said he wouldn’t tell anyone about that!” Ember snapped.

“I was being facetious,” Spike said with a sigh. “Smolder better be having a better time than I am. Who am I kidding? Garble’s probably making her pull her spikes out.”

“Judging by that scream, I’d say Spike just found out about you and Ember.

“There’s an Ember and I?”

“She’s having love problems of her own, that’s likely you.” Smolder took a deep breath. “I get you both have this ‘it’s not like I like you or anything’ act going on, and it’s cute for five minutes. Five minutes is almost up, Bro, so get your crap together. I don’t want you dying alone. Just look at it like this, you like each other, and that’s good! You can ask her to dinner or something, and you can be sure she’ll say yes. Just go for it!”

“Maybe,” Garble grumbled.

“She makes you happy, right? And you’re done with fighting, right?”

“She does, but I need you to define ‘done with fighting’.”

“Barring that anyone comes at you first, you will not start crap because idiots mouth off.”

Garble thought back to his last fight. “Yeah, after the last one, I don’t think I can start another. Not that I don’t want to, I just don’t want to sc-disappoint her.”

“Good. How about I go with you and make sure you don’t get cold feet?”

“How are you going to do that?” Garble’s answer came in the form of another slap across the face.

The journey to the nursery felt like it took a lifetime. Mostly because Garble felt the urge to back out several times, only for Smolder to smack him. They landed and saw Spike and Ember talking. Judging by the way Ember was pacing, and the pace at which she was speaking, she was busy trying to explain to Spike that she did not like Garble, and judging by a mark on Spike’s forehead, he was slapping himself out of frustration.

Smolder picked up three pebbles. Two were sent flying, hitting Spike and Ember’s arm. The was an ‘ow!’ and both Dragons turned.

“Garble?” Ember asked, seeing Garble with Smolder, the latter tossing the third pebble into the air and catching it.

“Smolder!” Spike cried. He looked towards her brother and his expression fell flat. “Garble.”

“Spike,” Garble responded.

“Yeah, yeah, we all know each other,” Smolder grabbed Spike’s arm. “You’re coming with me.” She turned to Garble. “You, talk to her. You,” she pointed to Ember, “talk to him.”

“Did you know?” Spike asked as Smolder pulled him behind a large rock so they could eavesdrop.

“I knew before they did. You took it well,” She said.

“Yeah, I only found out my friend was dating the wors-” Spike caught himself as Smolder glared at him. “My rival.”

“They’re not dating yet. Give it a moment though. Please, Bahamut, get them to be honest,” Smolder said, looking towards the sky. “And keep my brother from talking too much.”

Garble rubbed the back of his head as he approached Ember. “Look, I wanted to say I’m sorry,” Garble said. “I know getting in that fight was stupid, I shouldn’t have done it, and I need to work on not getting pissed all the time. You know how it is. You raze a village over the title Honorary Yak.” That earned him a grumble. “Sorry. I’m also sorry that I worried you,” he said.

“I wasn’t worried, I was mad!” Ember shouted, stomping her foot on the ground.

“Mad he got hurt!” Spike said from afar.

“We don’t need the peanut gallery!” Garble and Ember said in unison.

“That doesn’t mean I’m wrong!”

Ember growled at the two dragons that hid behind a boulder. She looked at Garble and then towards the ground. “Okay, fine, maybe I was a little worried. You looked worse than usual,” she crossed her arms and turned away from him, her cheeks inflating as she grumbled to herself. “I-I got scared.”

She was trembling, very subtly, but Garble had learned to notice it. The worst part was the sniffle he heard. It was the second time he heard it, and it still made him feel like the biggest jackass in the land. The first time he heard it was after the fight he had. He couldn’t blame her for being scared for him. It was worse than usual. Normally his fights ended in a few bruises, never in bleeding and lacerations. Letting out a sigh, Garble got behind Ember, and gently wrapped his arms around her. “I’m so sorry.”

Ember leaned into the embrace. “You should be,” she sniffed. They lingered for a few moments, before Ember broke the silence. “If you hug me again after this, I’m going to clock you.”

“I know.”

The hug lasted for a moment longer, before Ember pulled away. “Anything else? Or can we do something that isn’t talking? I would like to do anything that isn't talking about feelings.”

There came a groan from behind the rock.

Garble would love to do anything that wasn’t talking about their stupid feelings. A slap from his sister would be worth keeping everything as it was. They could sleep this situation off like a hangover, he could meet up with Ember for poetry the next day, maybe swim in a lava pond, and play with hatchlings like usual. Absolutely nothing needed to change, and Garble would have to be a complete and utter moron to risk changing what they had.

“I like you” Garble, a complete and utter moron said. He was shocked. He was almost certain that saying those three words to Ember would bring about the apocalypse. Yet, the world kept spinning and the Sun kept shining.

Ember seemed taken aback for a moment as her mouth fell open and her cheeks flushed a tint of red. Silence ruled their little area, only to break when there came a loud cry of joy, followed by yet another shrill scream from behind the rock.
Garble took a deep breath, before continuing. “I know I can be an asshole sometimes, and a moron, and a reckless dick-”

“Positives, focus on the positives!”

Garble ignored the call.

“I’m sorry for not growing up sooner, and I know I still need to work on myself, but I don’t want to be stupid about this.” He paused for a moment. “Please say something. Every time I open my mouth, I eventually shove my foot down my throat.”

“I-I-” Ember began to breathe heavily. She was not expecting this today. “I-uh-”

“Ember, just be honest!” Spike cried. “Sweet Celestia, why did I say that?!”

“I sorta like you too,” She said, turning away from him once more. Her cheeks were almost has red as he was. There came another cry of joy from behind the rock.

“So, do you want to court?” Garble asked.

Ember continued to look at anything that wasn’t Garble.

“Look, this isn’t an ‘I love you’, far from it. Hell, I don’t even know if this will work long term!”

“Dammit, Bro!” Smolder groaned to herself as she peered behind the rock. “Shut it before you ruin it!”

“Please keep him talking,” Spike said, praying to any god willing to listen.

“But I’d like to see where we go,” Garble said.

“I wouldn’t mind that.” Ember finally turned to face him. She marched up to him until there was barely any space between them. “Do you promise that you’re going to cut the stupid crap?” She asked, pressing a finger against his chest.
Garble nodded.

“Good, because I will dump your ass if you don’t get it together!” She let out a huff. “We can court, but first, I need something from you.” She pushed him to the floor and against a wall, before draping her legs over his lap and resting her head on his shoulder.

“W-what are you doing?” Garble said gulping. He could feel his cheeks start to warm as she nestled into him.

“Taking a nap. I had to deal with crying and fussy hatchlings for most of the day. I’m tired, emotionally and physically. We can decide on a date after I get some rest,” Ember grumbled. She closed her eyes, and she snaked her tail to intertwine it with Garble’s.

Garble’s body seemed to stiffen and seize for a moment. With a trembling arm, and a silent prayer to Bahamut, he wrapped it around her, pulling her into his embrace. She mumbled, but he wasn’t clocked. So far so good. He listened to the sound of her gentle breaths as she slowly drifted off. Maybe she had the right idea. He could also use a rest. Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes, and sleep took them both.

“This still feels wrong,” Spike said, peering from behind the rock, watching as Ember and Garble slept.

“Says you!” Smolder laughed doing a small dance. “She makes him happy, so I’m happy. Plus, she’s not letting him get away with anything, and he might start thinking before he acts! This could be good for him.”

“You’re loyal to a fault, you know that?”

“Blood is thicker than water, Spike.”

“I guess.”

“But, I thank you for helping Gar-Gar out, so I think a reward is in order.”

“Gems?!” Spike asked, his eyes lighting up.

The response was Smolder grabbing the back of his head and pulling him into a deep kiss.

Spike was certain that dating Garble’s sister was going to bite him in the buns one day, but that day was not today.

They pulled apart and Smolder gave Spike two playful smacks on the cheek.

“Come on, I know a place that has a lava pond, and a great spot to dig for gems!”

“About that-”

Smolder groaned, “Garble, what did you do?”

“Wha-?”

“Sorry, force of habit. What did you do, Spike?” Smolder said in a much calmer tone.

“Do you know that scream I let out earlier today? Well I might have woken up a few hatchlings and now I need to watch them and try to put them down for a nap. Wanna help? Please?” Spike put his hands together and looked at her with wide pleading eyes.

“You’re lucky you’re cute. Let’s clean up your mess.” She walked past him, grumbling to herself.

Spike took one last look at the scene behind them. “So, where do you think it’ll go?”

“Eh, who knows? It’s not our business! Let them figure it out.”

“Yeah, might as well,” Spike said, following Smolder. Perhaps it would lead to nothing.

(Years Later)

Ember lay on her hoard having the best sleep of her life. The hatchlings had taken everything out of her, but, after finally putting them down to bed, she and her mate enjoyed a few hours of sleep. The screaming began as soon as the sun peeked out of the horizon.

“Dad!” A voice cried. It belonged to their eldest child, Flare, named for his bright red scales. “Dad, dad, dad wake up!” he said as he shook his father, who lay next to Ember. “DAD, DAD, DAD!” he began shouting.

“Mom!” A softer, feminine voice cried, jumping on Ember. It was their daughter, Violet Sapphire. She was named for her mixture of blues and purple coloring. Only she would be so aggressive as to actually attack Ember in the morning. There was a chorus of giggles as she began to hop on top of her. “Mom, wake up, it’s time to wake up!” She said.

“Gah!” A third voice babbled as he hit his tiny fists on her sides. Their newest hatchling, SJ, or Spike Junior, was the gentlest of the bunch by far. If left alone for a few moments, he would curl up in a ball between his parents and fall asleep. His name came from the fact that he was nearly a clone of Spike the Dragon, save for his slightly darker colored spines and scales, and golden eyes.

‘Little demons,’ Ember thought. ‘Probably want breakfast. Why does breakfast need to be in the morning?’ She began to move only for a red claw to gently force her back down.

“Go back to bed, I’ll handle the kids,” a deep, tired voice said. She got a peck on the cheek and she let out a held breath.

“I love you too, Garble,” Ember mumbled, slowly falling back to sleep while Garble carried off the children, their giggles and laughs echoing through their home.

Author's Note:

Requested by my editor, Hopecaster and also written and edited by him.

He had a ton of fun with this one so I hope you all enjoy, not a fan of the pairing personally but I don't judge.

Next up is Spike/Pinkie. Very excited for this one. Until next time.

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Mystic Sunrise

Mystic Sunrise #1 · Jan 24th, 2020 · 1 · 1 ·

Also not a fan of the pairing. Like, at all, and in any form. So I just skipped this chapter. But it is nice to see an update to the story.

Inferno demon Dash

Inferno demon Dash #2 · Jan 24th, 2020 · 1 · ·

10050332
I understand completely. Thanks for the review. Don't worry next chapter will be up soon.

Fury Assembly

Fury Assembly #3 · Jan 25th, 2020 · 1 · ·

This chapter was curious is not common to find garble / ember out there but giving the opportunity is good.
And on the spikepie finally one of my favorites.

Inferno demon Dash

Inferno demon Dash #4 · Jan 25th, 2020 · · ·

10051078
Nope it's not. A ton of fans hate Garble or normally pair Ember with Spike. I'm a huge fan of Ember/Thorax myself but that's just me. And yep. Excited to write this one tonight after work.

tinmanbrony