Gauntlet of Fire (event)

The Gauntlet of Fire was an event in which s competed for the honor of serving as Dragon Lord, ruler of their kind and the Dragon Lands. It's purpose seems to have been in part to test the fitness of candidates to serve in this position.

History
Dragon Lord Torch organized a Gauntlet of Fire when Dragon law dictated that the time had come for him to retire from his position. Choosing an environment that, he believed, could only be successfully traversed by dragons of particular size that he associated with strength and ferocity, he placed the Bloodstone Scepter within a Flame-cano. Perhaps due in part to his bias, he allowed to opt out of competing in the Gauntlet, before forbidding his daughter  to do so despite her eagerness. However, when Spike changed his mind, Torch voiced no objections, though he noted that any dragon who took part in the gauntlet did so at their own risk.

The first stage of the gauntlet involved traveling to Flame-cano Island, which involved flying over or swimming across a stretch of water filled with geyser-shooting sea creatures. One such blast knocked Garble into another competitor, who was knocked unconscious and sent plummeting into the water below. Spike, who had been forced to swim, rescued the dragon, who proved to be Ember using a disguise to take part in the gauntlet against her father's wishes. The next obstacle faced by the competitors proved to be Slingtails, with Garble becoming pinned by a boulder hurled by one of the creatures.

Garble convinced Spike to free him, later mocking him for this act of kindness; Ember, resuming her disguise, proved more grateful and helped Spike conceal the presence of and, who had accompanied him to the Dragon Lands. Faced with the challenge of the Slingtails, Ember agreed to work together with Spike for the time being. With him riding on her back and watching their rear, she successfully flew through the barrage of Slingtail-thrown boulders to enter the Flame-cano. The pair then worked together to get through a number of shifting stalactites and stalagmites and giant crystals.

After seeing Spike help his two pony friends, Ember became utterly baffled, unused to seeing such kindness and friendship among dragons. Uncomfortable with this different way of doing things, she parted ways from Spike to proceed alone, leaving him to make his way to the chamber where the Bloodstone Scepter lay. Garble also found it and attacked Spike, only for Ember to fly in to rescue her newfound friend and apologize for leaving him in the first place. When Garble discovered Rarity and Twilight, Ember engaged him in battle, urging Spike to runt to the Scepter.

Spike initially followed Ember's instruction, but seeing her overpowered by Garble leaped to her aid; though quickly thrown off, his intervention allowed Ember to reenter the battle on better footing. She then helped Spike up from where he had fallen and allowed him to reach the scepter, thus allowing him to assume the mantle of Dragon Lord. However, after ordering Garble to leave peaceably, Spike surrendered the scepter to Ember, allowing her to be the one to bring it back to her father and thus officially claim the title of Dragon Lord.

Behind the scenes
The Gauntlet of Fire is implied to be the traditional means by which one Dragon assumes the position of Dragon Lord. However, there is at least one recorded instance in which the position was usurped from its previous holder, with the Bloodstone Scepter recognizing the usurper as Dragon Lord despite no gauntlet being called. The gauntlet is thus presumably ceremonial in purpose, or may have been instituted after the incident in question.