Garble glided high above the clouds. He had never liked to fly fast and low like some daredevil dragons; he preferred to watch the entire landscape below him. On the hunt, sure, he had to fly fast, but out here, when it was just him the air, he liked to slow it down a bit.
He spotted a glint on the horizon. That must be the crystal castle of the Princess of Equestria, he thought.
Dragons didn't generally think about Equestria, but after hearing news of a castle made of crystal, it had become a common comedy topic. The Dragon Lord himself had said he would build a crystal castle, but he'd eat it within a week.
Garble was thinking of Equestria for a different reason, however. Recently him and a group of other teenagers had discovered a dragon whelp who lived in Equestria. This dragon, 'Spike', had actually befriended ponies. This was unheard of among dragons, which was why Garble took a special interest in him. Like all teenagers, Garble rebelled against the teachings of his elders. They said ponies were weak and spineless, which was true, from what Garble had heard of Equestria. But he also heard the they wielded great power, and great justice.
And he was sure Spike could show dragons this power, this magic......of friendship.
XXXX
Six mares and one dragon sat on a hill within Ponyville. It had become somewhat of a tradition to have a weekly picnic to reinforce their friendship.
"Oh, these cupcakes are simply divine, Spike," said Rarity as she levitated another cupcake from the basket.
"Well," said Spike, blushing, "You gotta thank Pinkie too; she helped invent the recipe."
"That's right!" said Pinkie, "I baked all day Sunday, and then Spike came over and added some dragon flare to my cupcakes! So BOOM! Super amazing delicious pastries!" Pinkie devoured a cupcake after saying this.
"Say, what d'yah reckon that there thing on th' horizon is?" Applejack gestured to a red object approaching from they sky.
Rainbow Dash stood up and squinted at it, "I'm not sure, but I don't think it's a pegasi. Too high up."
The thing grew closer, until it was visible, and then it landed near the gathering of friends.
Everypony gasped at the figure. It was red dragon, a young one, slightly more mature than Spike. Strangely familiar too....
"Garble?!" exclaimed Spike, "You're that dragon from when I went on the Migration!"
Garble bowed his slightly at recognition, "If you would allow me to explain-"
"Why in th' hay would we do that?" Applejack deadpanned.
Garble raised his head, a solemn expression on his face, "Our behavior during that Migration incident was repulsive, but it's not what you think."
"Really?" asked Rainbow, "Cuz I think you were a bunch of assholes."
"You were intended to think that," said Garble.
The mares were confused by his statements thus far. His voice was different from when they had first met him, and he seemed knowledgeable and.....dignified. Wise, like he knew exactly what to do and say.
Garble cleared his throat, then asked, "May I speak to Spike, alone please?"
Rarity gasped, "No! You are an agressiv-"
"Yeah, sure," said Spike. He turned to his shocked friends, "He just wants to talk guys. No lava jumping or anything."
Spike and Garble walked over to a tree down the hill.
"So, uh, Spike," Garble raised his head at the young one, "Its like the blue one said, eh? We were a bunch assholes?"
Spike scratched his head and look at the ground, "Well, yeah. You were all just......just horrible really."
Garble sighed and turned his head away, "I know we were. You probably think all dragons are beastly now, huh?" Garble turned back to Spike, "But what if I told you I was trying to help?"
Spike looked at him, a little pissed, "Help?! Help me what? Be a total bastard?!"
Garble chuckled, "No. To not be one," Garble leaned forward, "You see Spike, dragons have this....Code of sorts. We always try to help each other out. Help each other grow up."
Spike nodded, "Yeah I know about the Code. Is your code to kick around little dragons like me?"
Garble shook his head, "No, never Spike. Unfortunately, there are some dragons who do want to do that."
"Some dragons, you see, are just beasts. They follow basic instincts, and are almost impossible to reason with. You have to know a bit about the life of a dragon to understand this. You see, a dragon's physical growth is always consistent with their psychological growth. Their growth as an individual. If a dragon follows his base feelings, like greed, he'll become aggressive. His body will follow this and turn him into a monster. But if a dragon can overcome those feelings, well, they have a chance to grow into a wiser, more honourable dragon."
Garble put his arm on Spike's shoulder, "That's why we pressured you into doing stupid stuff. To see if you would do the right thing."
Spike's expression had grown softer as Garble told his tale, "So...it was like a test? The whole egg-breaking thing?"
Garble smiled, "Sure was. And you passed! Too bad ya left after that, but you were totally justified in doing that. But if you had stayed, we would've taught you about the Dragon Code. About nobility and courage, and morality. About protecting the things you love. That's what a dragon does."
Spike nodded, "Just......you can tell me now, can't you? I've always wanted to know what it means to be a dragon!"
Garble chuckled again, smiling, "Well, first and foremost, all dragons hoard. Simple fact, dragons hoard," Garble leaned in closer, speaking very melodramatically, "But not all treasure is silver and gold, mate."
"Greed for your hoard is different from love for it. When you hoard jewels and such, enough is never enough. You'll never satisfy your hunger. You'll become cowardly, hiding in a cave for years, growing increasingly paranoid of someone stealing it."
"Dragons like these are quick to anger, and very dangerous. Idiots, too," Garble smiled and looked at Spike, "But the other type of hoarding, that one will not fill your desires, but fulfill them. Your hoard could be, say, your child. If you have a child, you would love it more than anything in the world. You'd be willing to die to protect it. That's the difference, right there. You don't want it, you need it. You love it."
"There are few things that mean much to a dragon. But when you do find something, a lover perhaps, or a small reminder of an old friend, then these things are priceless. You can always have gold, but memories? We must cherish those. Your family, your friends, and all the time you spend with them, that is your true hoard."
As Garble finished his speech, Spike was staring in space, deep in his thoughts. When he came to, he asked, "Why-Why are you telling me this?"
Garble sighed, "Many dragons have forgotten the meaning of love and friendship. But you- you, Spike, have grown amongst ponies. You know friendship better than any dragon alive. And you can help others learn it too. That's what I came here for, I wanted to tell you that not all dragons are beasts. There's good in us, which YOU embody. Which you can unlock."
Spike swallowed, surprised at this proposal, "So....your saying I should return to the dragons? Teach them the way to harmony?"
"One day Spike. Hopefully you'll do that one day." Garble prepared to leave when Spike said another thing.
"Wait, Garble, " Spike grabbed his arm, "H-how did you grow up? What's in your hoard?"
Garble smiled, "That's, well," he smiled wider still, "Maybe I'll tell you one day. When we cross paths, I'll ell ya my story."
Spike stepped back, "Yeah, and hopefully, I'll be able to tell you mine."