The shards were curved and were clearly a part of a greater whole once upon a time, and they sparkled as the light touched them and rebounded off to light up the rest of the cavern. Piles of gold were stacked carefully in boxes and chests rather than haphazardly strewn as Spike had seen other dragons do with their hordes. Precious gems and stones, on the other hand, were treated with less care, placed in neat piles, some as tall as him. Spike could not tell which were for eating and which were for keeping. Other treasures covered the floor and walls as far as he could see: bars of worked silver ingots on pallets of wrought iron, stamped with the seals of long dead kingdoms. Suits of armour for ponies, griffons, dragons, diamond dogs, and as many races as Spike could name were mounted on stands everywhere. None of them looked very modern, but all of them had the tell-tale traces of gold, silver, or other decorations indicating worth and merit. Just as many had rents or tears where their previous owners met their end.