“Would ya care to tell us what you did?”

Amber Magma crossed her arms defiantly under the her father’s gaze. “Coal and Basalt were bein’ assholes, Dad! They said I throw rocks like a girl and I had to prove ‘em wrong!” She groaned. “Are we done yet?”

She made to run away before Inferno picked her up and held her at his eye level. “No we’re not. What you did was very, very bad.” But he struggled to keep a straight face as he scolded her because honestly, he would’ve done the same thing.

“Come on! They weren’t hurt that bad!” She protested.

“Coal got a concussion, Maggie,” Emerald Beetle interjected. “Besides, you are a girl. I’m sure they didn’t mean what you think they meant.”

“I know what they meant!” Maggie turned to Inferno. “How would YOU like it if a buncha buttfaces called you weak? Wouldn’t you beat ‘em up too?”

“Well,” Inferno shifted his gaze, “Y’know, I would-“

“Inferno,” Emerald caught his eye and mouthed, “Be a role model.” But he, too, was fighting a proud smirk.

“I would WANT TO, I mean,” the dragon corrected himself. “But I wouldn’t, because I uh, know better and stuff. Beating up other dragons is bad and you should never do it, deal?”

Maggie squinted at him suspiciously. “I dunno Dad, you’d totally knock those suckers out! You can’t lie to me!”

“I ain’t lyin’!” Inferno insisted. “Now go to your cave and think about what ya did, alright?”

“Sure Dad, I’ll think about it,” Maggie laughed as she bounded off without a care.

Inferno and Emerald watched her go with a strange mix of pride and disappointment.

“She totally gets that from you.”

“I know,” Inferno smiled proudly.

“Yeah,” Emerald chuckled. “But seriously, we can’t let her do that.”