Spike had been at the Dragon Caves for two days and he already hated it. When he arrived, he found out that they weren’t lying on the ‘Caves’ part. The entire place was an endless amounts of caverns and caves… so many caves. And the entire place was packed with dragons, more than you could ever see in a lifetime.

When Garble showed Spike to the Elder Dragons, they took one look at him and immediately sent him to where all the other dragons in training were being kept. He was currently in the bottom of a huge chasm, of which a few of the tunnels were connected to.

Only now was he beginning to regret his decision, as another teenage dragon was kicking him in the ribs. He was now being taught how to fight, and sadly, the merciless drill instructor believed in learning on the job.

Spike was supposed to be fighting another teenage dragon. This one in particular a dark grey and white muscular Dragon, with a height ranging to about seven feet.

Spike was Green, purple and chubby with a height of two-and-a-half feet… The odds were not exactly in his favour.

After the dragon stopped kicking him, he slowly and painfully got to his feet, but the much larger drill instructor grabbed him by his neck and lifted him up to eye level.

“A dragon that hasn’t even hatched could fight better than you!” The drill instructor shouted in Spikes face.

Spike wanted to scream he wasn’t a dragon and he wanted to see his real friends again… But he couldn’t.

The truth is that he was trapped here; they said they won’t let him leave. Spike had been given one chance to have the life he wanted… And he had chosen wrong.

The drill instructor put Spike down.

“Again…” He said viciously, pointing towards the dragon he was supposed to fight.

Spike groaned while looking himself over. He was covered in cuts and bruises. One of his ribs was in agonizing pain. He didn’t think it was a break, only bruised but still enough to cause notice. He knew only more was to come. He looked towards the other teenage dragon that was already ready to fight some more.’

Spike fought back the pain and looked at the other dragon. He found out the dragons name was Talon Spire. Did any of them know Spike’s name? No, to them names weren’t important, You had to earn your name here…

Then the fight began again...

Talon Spire grinned and ran at Spike with full force. Spike saw this coming and dived to his right, landing on the stone ground and narrowly missing him. Talon Spire whirled around, already able to charge at Spike again.

Spike scrambled to his feet, but Spire was already in front of him and aiming a kick. He raised his claws in protection, but it was useless.

The scaled kick connected with Spikes stomach, crashing down on his stomach, winding Spike of breath and sending him flying back and hitting a large rock. The agonizing pain left Spike lying his back against the rock. The pain hurt more than anything. He clenched his teeth, he would not scream, that’s what they all wanted… to break him. They wanted him to quit and submit. That wasn’t an option. Apparently, if a dragon submits that he can’t take any more of the life of a dragon, they would kill it. Spike couldn’t let that happen.

Talon Spire and the rest of the dragons laughed at Spike.

“How weak can you get?” Talon Spire taunted.

Spikes eyes fell upon a rather sharp shard of rock lying next to him. He knew it wasn’t the best idea, but he didn’t have much other choice. He picked up the rock and threw it as hard as he could. It caught Talon Spire off and guard and hit him right in the eye.

Talon Spire yelped and fell backwards. He had his eye covered, but as far as Spike could see, it was bleeding. He slowly got to his feet and looked into Spikes eyes with pure hatred. The entire crevice of dragons was silent.

“I’ll kill you for that!” He yelled before clenching his teeth.

He ran at, eye still bleeding, and put Spike in a chokehold against the rock.

Circulation was cut off from Spikes body. His lungs pounded against his chest. He looked to the drill instructor that looked like he had no intention of stopping the scene.

Spike struggled, kicked and flailed his arms, but the pure strength of Talon Spire was too much. He closed his eyes and accepted his fate as his vision started to blur. His last thoughts Spike ever had were of his friends in Ponyville: Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, all of them…

But Spike’s last thoughts were not today.

The grip on Spike’s neck was suddenly stopped. Spike gulped in as much air as possible. When he opened his eyes he saw two dragons brawling. One was white and light grey, obviously talon Spire. The other dragon was red with a sandy colour underside.

‘Garple’ Spike whispered.

Garble was late to training, as usual. He had just walked in when he saw Spike being strangled against a large rock. Garble knew the little dragon had a lot to learn, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t help the little guy. Besides, Garble hated Talon Spire anyway.

Garble’s fist slammed into Talon Spires jaw with the force of a jackhammer. It sent Talon reeling back and he didn’t have time to ready himself when Garble came at him again, this time with a kick right to the ribs. All the air in talons lungs shot out and he fell to his knees, trying to recover.

“Had enough?” Garble said with a snarl on his face.

Talon Spire shook his head. “You wish.” He jumped to his feet and punched Garble right in the chest, knocking him back and making him stumble. Spire ran at him with full force, his talons ready for a kill strike. Garble was already one step ahead. He spun around, letting his tail smack Talon right in the snout, sending him onto the floor. He weakly got to his feet, only to be uppercut by Garble, sending him back onto the ground.

That was when the Drill instructor let out a roar that could shatter glass.

“EEEEENOOOOUGH!”

Birds in nearby forests scattered, bears hid in their caves, inside the chasm, every dragon stopped what they were doing and looked at the drill instructor in fear.

The much larger drill instructor looked at Garble.

“What. Are. You. Doing?” The Drill instructor growled, showing his razor sharp teeth.

Garble only returned the growl.

“You’re suppose to train dragons, not kill them!”

The Instructor laughed and said, “You call that!” He pointed a claw over to a roughed up, beaten Spike, “A Dragon?!”

Garble was silent. The Drill Instructor’s snout went so close to Garble’s they could feel each other’s breathing.

“I will not Train him.” The Drill instructor said.

After a few minutes of death glares from Garble and the Instructor, Garble huffed, grabbed Spike and left. Spike looked up from being dragged along by garble and the last thing he saw from all the dragons was Talon Spire making a cut-throat motion to him.

“I’m sick of this!” Spike said to himself, kicking a stone at the wall.

Spike was now in a small cave by himself. No other dragon came this way so it was a good place for him to sleep.

This place truly was a nightmare. Spike didn’t want this, he wanted to be a real dragon, not get beaten to a pulp until he was dead.

“You gotta’ to stand up for yourself,” Garble’s words went through his head “,dig your claws in his ribs!”

Spike didn’t even think he could even jump high enough to stick his claws in any dragon’s ribs, let alone his claws actually being sharp enough to do that.

That’s why he was leaving tonight. He didn’t care what was beyond the caves and mountains… but it had to be better than here.

It took Spike an hour to navigate his way through the everlasting twists and turns to an entrance.

He was able to climb through a small hole in the wall and instantly collapsed onto the first patch of grass he saw. It was so good to breathe again. The entire cave system smelled of was smoke and some things spike couldn’t identify. After a complete minutes of this, Spike got to his feet and looked around. The landscape seemed to be cliffs of grass and stone. He started to navigate through the cliff-sides and rocks… he barely made it an eighth of a mile…

“Going somewhere, young dragon?”

Spike spun around, and there, on one of the rock he just past was a huge, old, grey dragon.

His scales looked withered, his teeth and talons had blunted and over the years, and a few of his scales were jagged and out of place. His scales were old, they looked as though they were about as old as Equestria.

Spike was completely silent…

The dragon merely moved his position to a more comfortable one on top of the rock.

“So why is such a small dragon leaving the dragon caves?” He spoke in a deep voice. “Is it because he is seeking his own adventure? Or is he running to a calling he doesn’t even know? In my speculation, both plans are idiotic.”

“W-Wha” Came out Spikes stuttering voice. But the dragon lifted a great talon and spoke.

“As for your first question, I am out here because there is so much more to look at up here,” He said, gazing off towards the sunset. “As for your second question, which was most likely going to be, “Who are you?”, does not matter, I am myself, and that’s all you need to know. The more important question is: Who are you?”

Spike stopped stuttering and took a moment to gather his words.

“I-I’m Spike-” He was immediately cut off.

“Ponies,” the dragon interrupted. “You were raised by ponies. Dragons have a bit more of an S in their words, and ponies are the only other creatures who speak this tongue so it seems you were not born here, You would have grown a bit larger by now if you were, so you were raised by ponies… That’s my prediction of course”

Spike’s mouth went agape. He barely said two words and this old dragon figured out something about him already!

“I assume I was right?” The dragon asked.

“Y-Yeah, you were right… But how did you?”

The dragon kept looking at Spike expressionless.

“Young dragon, How old do you think I am?”

Spike was didn’t answer.

“Go on, your best guess” The dragon assured.

Spike thought, looking over the dragons features again.

“Um… eighty-nine?” Spike asked sheepishly.

For the first time the dragon smirked

“I am 6,429 years old… When you’ve lived as long as I have, you’d have more wits than you have scales”

“Wow…” was all Spike could say.

“Now” The old dragon said “Why don’t you explain your problems to me in detail."

“Problem? I haven’t got a problem. I was just… ummm, catching some air”

The old dragon looked at him with a knowing look. Spike sighed and explained his story. He told where he came from, what happened in the caves with Talon Spire and about Ponyville. The dragon just sat and listened, not showing any emotion.

After Spike finished, the dragon was silent… For a few moments, Spike thought he was dead, but then the he spoke.

“I understand your pain… but you can’t leave,” he said solemnly.

Spike wasn’t really sure how to reply. In the end all he could say was, “Why? Why can’t I leave?”

“For a dragon like you it would be impossible. Walking the vast landscape, you would make it back to Ponyville within three weeks. If you don’t starve to death first, the cold, animals and the dragons hunting you will. And that I can’t help you with.”

Spike collapsed, fighting back his tears with all his strength. He curled into a little ball and tried imagine himself back home. The old dragon only watched him… his face forever expressionless.

After a few minutes Spike looked up at the dragon who had moved his head down to Spikes eye level.

“I’m dead…” Spike said “either way I’ll die…”

“Not necessarily, young dragon."

Spike looked up at the dragon with a confused look on his face.

“I can teach you how to be a dragon… in a safer manner for you, that is…”

Author's Note

I wonder if anyone is keeping a tally on how many times this story says "Dragons"

I might leave this story for awhile to try a few other Ideas, I'm not sure yet. I hope you like the story, I love to read feedback from you guys.

Have a good day.