Dragon (Friendship is Magic)

Dragons are a species of magical reptilian beings who inhabit the Dragon Lands, though they have been seen in Equestria and other regions as well. They are ruled over by a Dragon Lord, who maintains supreme authority over them, and have historically been unfriendly to ponies, though this has changed in recent times.

Troublesome neighbors
Long, long ago, the dragons came into conflict with the yaks over the land that would eventually become known as Yakyakistan, with both species seeking to make it their home. Eventually, Prince Ulysses of the yaks and Dragon Lord Scintilla worked out a truce, with the pair taking a journey to find a land where the dragons could settle peacefully. They eventually found it on Dragon-Kirin island, bringing an end to the Dragon-Yak war period as both groups settled in peace. Scintilla was granted the title of honorary yak, which it was agreed would never be replicated. Unfortunately, due to the poor abilities of an ancient yak artist and the shorter lifespans of yaks compared with those of dragons, the yaks eventually forgot their connection to the dragons.

Scintilla and at least one Ancient Dragon Lord who came after him seem to have been benevolent rulers, though others-like Scales-seem to have been greedy and self-serving. The latter attitude seems to have become prevalent among dragons as a whole, as they would seek territory for themselves beyond the Dragon Lands with little regard for anycreature already living there. Dragons living in the Dragon Lands were also fiercely territorial, as seen when future Dragon Lord Torch and another adult dragon attacked a unit of the Cloudsdale Royal Legion who attempted to pass through the region. In Equestria, the native ponies were forced to don armor in order to contend with invading dragons.

Despite this, dragons had not become wholly evil or without reason, and resolving problems with them was often only a matter of some party coming in to mediate a conflict. Mage Meadowbrook, for example, was able to prevent a battle between a flock of dragons and the Royal Legion after learning that the dragons were seeking a cure for an illness and providing them with one Princess Luna was able to similarly bring peace between a group of dragons and a colony of Bat Ponies, with only one dragon proving so problematic that she had to deal with him individually. Some dragons even took up peaceful residence in Equestria, establishing communities such as Dragon Town in Fillydelphia, though lone adult dragons continued to pose a hazard.

Learning friendship
Changes in the way dragons behaved towards other creatures and each other were set in motion when a single dragon egg made its way into the hooves of Princess Celestia. This egg was later hatched by into, who became a part of her family and one of her closest friends. Despite this bond, Equestria's ponies-and Spike himself-still suffered in their dealings with some dragons, such as Razer, Gostir, and Garble's gang. However, Spike's bond with his pony family and friends would ultimately leave a mark on dragon culture when Dragon Lord Torch called for a Gauntlet of Fire to determine his successor.

Taking part in the gauntlet to insure that the next Dragon Lord would not lead their people against the ponies, Spike met and befriended Princess Ember, the daughter of Torch. Impressed by his bravery and selflessness in contrast to the attitudes of many other dragons, Ember helped him to become Dragon Lord, though he quickly passed the Bloodstone Scepter over to her. Ember thus became determined to establish better relations between dragons and other creatures, though it proved difficult to overcome the prejudices many ponies had developed based on negative dragon behavior. Ember's inexperience and struggles with her own upbringing later led to the second Dragon-Yak war, but fortunately Spike was on hand to mediate between the dragons on one side and the ponies and yaks on the other.

Through her relationship with Spike, Ember was able to bring the dragons into diplomatic and even friendly relations with various other species, including Changelings and Hippogriffs. Things did not always go smoothly, with war nearly breaking out regarding the issue of the School of Friendship and various non-pony students, including a dragon named Smolder. However, things ultimately resolved peacefully, and Smolder and Spike were able to help Ember bring about further change in the Dragon Lands by making it evident that differences were to be celebrated and not mocked. Later, many dragons came to Equestria to help stop the Legion of Doom, attended Twilight Sparkle's coronation as Equestria's new ruler, and years later would mingle easily with the ponies.

Characteristics
Dragons appear reptilian in appearance, often being covered with smooth or ridged scales, and lay eggs rather than giving birth to live young. These eggs must be exposed to intense heat in order to hatch, and are typically so fragile that they cannot be safely moved once they have been laid. Despite this, dragons are apparently warm-blooded, as they have demonstrated no need to regulate their body temperature through external means. Infant dragons are initially incapable of speech and must be cared for, and taught basic life skills. Due to the long lifespan of dragons, their "baby" status is lengthier than that of other species, with the name still applying even when they appear relatively mature like Spike.

The exact duration of dragon lifespans is unknown, but known to be lengthy, with a hundred-year sleep being considered a "nap" to a dragon. Infant dragons start out smaller than most adult ponies, while in their teenage phase they can be considerably larger than a pony. Adulthood seems to have more of a range, with the adult dragon Sludge being only somewhat larger than some teenage dragons, while other adults such as Torch are truly massive, with a typical adult pony being small enough to fit inside one of their eyeballs. Dragons have also been known to experience greed-induced bigness, a condition in which their hoarding tendencies grow out of control and they begin to rapidly increase in size the more objects they collect. In the case of Spike, this caused him to grow to the size of a giant adult dragon in the space of two days; the process is reversible however, as Spike was returned to normal when Rarity rekindled his memories of being generous to others.

At some point in their maturation, all dragons go through what is known as the molt, which is a fairly onerous process for the dragon affected. They develop stone scales, a type of blemish which is particularly sensitive and causes itching, and their voice will shift uncontrollably from barely audible whispers to loud shouts. Molting dragons also produce a powerful odor that, while repulsive to other dragons and ponies, draws predators such as hydras, tatzlwurms, and rocs. This smell typically prompts a young dragon's family to expel them, forcing them to start living on their own. Dragons going through the molt also lose control of their fire breath and begin burping large fireballs.

Most dragons have been seen with the ability to breathe fire, and their hides are also resistant to intense heat, allowing them to be immersed in lava without harm under most circumstance. Dragon fire also comes in a variety of colors, though yellow appears to be fairly common. When dragons are amused, their fire can intensify, changing color to purple and then blue the hotter it gets. Laughter also causes dragons to produce extremely hot tears which can be dangerous if handled incorrectly. Dragons also breathe fire when they sneeze, particularly if they are in close proximity to an allergy-aggravating Dragon sneeze tree or its flowers.

Most teenage or adult dragons are seen to possess wings, which-if Spike is typical-grow in after going through the molt. These wings vary in size, but seem to enable any dragon who possesses them to fly. In similar fashion, dragons have a wide range of differing physical features from individual to individual. Some dragons possess spines, others horns, some ear fronds, others horns, and some hair, or more often some combination of the five. Many dragons are bipedal, but others walk on four or more legs; tail size also varies between dragons, from being relatively short to long enough for a dragon to perch upon to being larger than the rest of the dragon's body.