//------------------------------// // Dragon Quest // Story: Flash Sentry, Defender of the Peace S2 // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// Today's adventure begins at Flash and Iron's training ground, where we find the young pegasus sitting down with his eyes closed. Flash was doing his theta state training, meditating to try and clear his mind. However, as he closed his eyes and tried to relax, a buzzing sound began to buzz around him. Cracking his eye open, he saw the culprit: a fly. "Shoo fly," he said as he flapped his wings, only for the insect to just float there. "I said buzz off!" He flapped his wings again, this time making the fly go away. Flash sighed in relief before closing his eyes again. "Hoo! Hoo!" Flash's eyes cracked open again, causing him to look up in a tree and see an owl. "Shouldn't you be asleep?" He asked the owl, who just stared down at him. "Either fly away or be quiet!" "Hoo! Hoo!" Flash let out a hiss, grabbing a nearby stick and throwing at the bird. The stick almost hit the owl, causing it to leap out of the tree and fly away. "Finally!" Flash moaned as he closed his eyes again. "Maybe now I can get some peace and-" "Sentry!" "OH COME ON!" Flash yelled, wildly waving his front hooves. He turned to the new voice's owner, only to see Iron Core. "What!? I'm trying to meditate!" The earth pony frowned at him. "Don't you yell at me feather-brain. Not my fault you can't relax." "You have got to be-Iron! I've told you about this!" Flash exclaimed, his hooves slamming into the ground in frustration. "I'm supposed to do it for three hours a week to clear my head! So far I've only been able to do it for...two hours and forty one minutes. Whatever you need, can it not wait nineteen minutes?!" "Oh, it can." Iron said as he turned to walk away. "I just hope the dragon migration takes longer than that." Suddenly, an orange gust of wind shot by him, on his way to the area outside Fluttershy's cottage. "Typical, you stupid feather-brain." A little later, the two defenders arrived in the area they had agreed to meet the others in for the migration, where a large trench-like pit had been dug. Inside, they spotted Twilight, Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Springer, who looked up at them. "Well, look who it is," Rainbow grumbled with a frown. "Deciding to show up after the pits been dug. Maybe we shouldn't even let you in it." Twilight gave her a glare. "By that logic, you and me shouldn't be allowed in it either." Rainbow gave her a nervous chuckle. "Er....yeah. Nevermind! Come on in!" Flash and Iron leapt into the trench, waiting for the main event to begin. As they settled in, Flash started looking around, blinking as he noticed somepony missing, "Where's Fluttershy?" "Oh uh..." Rainbow commented as she rubbed her stomach. "She...declined our offer." "That's saying something," Twilight chuckled as she put a pair of binoculars over her eyes. "I don't see any dragons." "Me neither," Applejack added as she looked through her binoculars. "Me neither either," Pinkie finished as she looked through hers, only they were the wrong way around. "Shoot!" Rainbow called out as she looked up at the sky. "You don't think we missed them, do you?" Twilight shook her head. "No, I don't think so. We're just a little early, and I'm glad we are. This way, we can watch every moment of the migration without bringing any unwanted attention to ourselves." Flash leaned back, putting his hooves behind his head. "Yeah, that sounds good to me. Having fought against a dragon myself, I would like to keep as much distance as I can from them." "Wait...you fought a dragon?" Iron asked, a skeptical look on his face. "Yeah. We had to-" Flash started to say. "Yoo-hoo!" interrupted a new voice. They all spun around to see Rarity walking up to them, wearing a camouflage suit that swapped green and brown for purple, yellow and violet. She magically unfurled a red carpet up to the trench, which caused an explosion of confetti as it did. "Well?" she asked as she posed. "What do you think? Am I the toast of the trench or what?" Applejack giggled. "You'll be toast alright. Especially when the dragons see you parading around in that getup." "Yeah," Flash added. "You'll go from looking good to looking like a roasted marshmallow." "You look very nice Rarity," Twilight explained as she teleported the carpet and confetti away. "But could you maybe look nice down here in the trench with us?" "Nice is an understatement," Rarity replied to her as she walked down the stairs and into the trench. "I look fabulous! Who says camouflage has to be drab?" "Anypony with any actual survival training," Iron said with a roll of the eyes. "If you could actually hide yourself in that and not be found by me, I'd eat Piecemaker." Rarity was about to reply, but in that moment, Pinkie called out. "Ahoy maties! Dragons ho!" Everypony looked up, their eyes quickly seeing a giant winged reptile flying through the sky. Seconds later, another dragon flew by, then another and another until finally the sky was filled with them. "Oooh!" They all said as they watched them move through the sky. "Aaaaah!" "Those things are awesome!" Springer exclaimed as they watched a dragon fly low. "Amazing..." Twilight agreed. Rainbow, who had also agreed but wanted to look cool, blew a raspberry at put on a bored expression. "Pfft, pretty lame moves. Is that all they've got?" "You wanna go up there and tell that to their face?" Flash asked her, only for her answer to be interrupted as a dragon bumped into another and caused it to breath fire towards them. Almost everypony managed to duck in time, but Rainbow was not so lucky, and was almost hit by it. Once it was over, the ponies and jakhowl brought their heads back up. "What do ya think of that move Rainbow Dash?" Applejack asked the slightly singed pegasus. "Still think they're lame?" Rainbow, whose mane and face were now covered in soot, was staring at where the dragon had just been. "Uh, not so much. The word 'fierce' comes to mind." "And formidable," Rarity said as she watched the dragons fly by. Pinkie was crouching down, "And super super scary." "Yeah!" Everypony turned to see a dragon they all knew walk up to them, wearing an apron and pushing a tea trolley. "Us dragons are definitely a force to be reckoned with," Spike said as he handed Pinkie a cupcake and Applejack a cookie. Rainbow saw what he was wearing and chuckled, soon breaking out in laughter. "Yeah right Spike. That's one of the scariest aprons I've ever seen!" Flash, Pinkie, Springer and Applejack laughed too, causing Spike to frown. "What's wrong with wearing an apron?" He growled as he looked down at his pink frilly kitchen wear. "You won't be laughing when you spill blueberries all over your scales...feathers. That's one tough stain!" "One tough stain against one lame dragon," Rainbow replied, causing the others to double their laughter. Spike glared at Rainbow, until he heard Rarity come to his defence. "You leave him alone Rainbow Dash! Spike's style is unique. He doesn't have to look like other dragons." "Or act like them," Twilight cut in. "Or be scary and dangerous in anyway," Iron chuckled. This caused Spike's eyes to go wide. Rarity nodded before moving over to the baby dragon. "My little Spikey-wikey is perfect the way he is," she said as she patted him on the head. "I don't act like other dragons?" Spike asked, a tinge of despair in his voice. "Well..." Flash pointed up into the sky, where a large group of dragons had gotten into a tussle and were biting and scratching at one another. "Have you ever done something like that?" "Yeah," Pinkie said as she hopped up to the dragon, nodding. "You're not even close to acting like a real dragon." "But why would you want to Spike?" Applejack asked. "Yes darling, I agree." Rarity added, patting the dragon on the head. "Besides, you've got something those dreadfully fierce dragons can only dream of." "Really?!" Spike asked in amazement, loving any praise he could get from Rarity. "What's that?!" To answer him, Rarity grabbed him by the cheeks. "The cutest widdle chubby cheeks! Ooooo!" Spike did not like the sound of this. "Cute?!" He asked in horror. "Dragons aren't supposed to be cute! Right?" "Oh sweetie," Rarity replied with a smile, waving her hoof. "You are turning the most delightful shade of red. It is most becoming." Spike groaned at this. "Relax bud," Flash assured the drake. "Pretty much everything is cute when they're young, even dragons. Once you hit your growth spurts, you'll look super fierce." "You think?" "Yeah. I mean, you're only ten so..." Flash looked a bit confused, turning to Twilight for answers. "What is that in dragon years?" Twilight just shrugged, not sure how to respond. Seeing this made Spike sigh. "So what your saying is, I'm gonna be like this for years." He turned and began to walk out of the trench. "Oh come on Spike," Rainbow called after him. "Don't be such a baby." Obviously confusing what the pegasus meant, Spike growled as he continued to leave. "I hope he's okay," Springer said as he watched his friend disappear into the distance. "Oh, he'll be fine." Rainbow added as she turned her attention back to the dragons. The rest of the day was spent watching the migration. Once the last of the dragons flew into the horizon, the group split up to return home. Flash, Twilight, Springer and Rarity headed to Sweet Apple Acres with Applejack so they could pick up Sweetie and Scootaloo, who had been watching the migration from their club house. "You enjoy the migration Scootaloo?" Twilight asked the filly as they almost finished their trip home. "Yeah!" Scootaloo nodded. "Dragons are so awesome! I wish there were more in town so we can learn about them." "Don't let Spike hear you say that," Springer added as he opened the door. "He's only just realised he's not very dragonoid in nature." "Really?" Scootaloo asked as she walked in first. "I always thought he knew." "Well I didn't!" They all turned to see Spike, who was sitting on the staircase, despair covering his face. This made them all glance at each other before Flash spoke up, "Hey uh...you okay there buddy?" "No!" Spike yelled, a mix of sadness and anger in his eyes. "I've been thinking about what the others said. I don't act like a dragon, do I?" "Hoo?" Twilight's pet owl Owlicious asked. "Me!" Spike told him, pointing at his own chest. "I don't act like a dragon!" "Is that a bad thing?" Twilight asked him. "Not acting like a dragon, that is?" "How would I know?!" Spike exclaimed, raising his claws into the air. "I've spent my entire life around ponies! I don't know what it means to be a dragon! I...I don't have a choice about how I should act..." "That's not true," Flash told him as he went up and patted the drake with his wing. "What you are doesn't determine who you are. I mean, look at the bad ponies we've fought. Big Score and cronies, Shake Shocker, Lightning Blitz...they were all ponies, but they acted bad because they wanted to." "Maybe..." Spike let out a long sigh. "But I still don't know anything about what dragons do. Like this migration. I don't know why they do it." "He's got a point," Scootaloo agreed. "Yeah," Springer added, scratching his chin with his paw. "Like, think if you weren't born in Equestria. Think of all the traditions you wouldn't know about." "I know. Heck, I don't even know where I came from," Spike pouted. "I've told you before Spike," Twilight said as she walked in front of the drake. "You were given to me as an egg." "But where did the ponies who gave you that egg get him?" Springer asked. "I asked Celestia that," Flash replied, a slight grimace on his face. "She said the egg had been confiscated off a bunch of poachers who stole it to sell to criminal nobles as exotic pets. She tried everything she could to get them to tell her where they stole it from, but they wouldn't talk. With no way to safely return the egg to its home, she had no choice but to keep it until it was given to Twilight." "That doesn't tell me anything about who I am," Spike said as he got up and moved over to a nearby mirror. Tears began to form in his eyes as he continued, "I need answers. I feel like...like I'm looking at a complete stranger." The rest of the group saw this, quickly sharing a look and nodding. "Don't worry Spike," Scootaloo assured him. "We'll help you find out who you are." "Yeah," Springer agreed as he patted his friend on the back. "We're here for you." "We'll look in every book we have until we find the answers you need." Twilight told him, pointing at the books around them. Spike smiled at this. "Thanks guys." The Next Morning... Flash yawned as he continued to read the book he had randomly picked up, looking for any signs of dragon behaviors and customs. As he did, the sound of flickering pages and light snoring filled his ears, causing him to look up and see the conditions of everyone else. Scootaloo, no matter how hard she tried to stay awake, conked out near midnight. Springer had fallen asleep thirty minutes later, but had woken up three hours later and continued the search with renewed eyes. Twilight looked exhausted, having read through almost every book in the library. "Nothing," she said as she sped through another book and threw it away. "Nothing in this one either!" "Nothing at all about dragons?" Spike asked before throwing the book he was reading away. "This is getting ridiculous!" "What?!" Scootaloo cried as Spike's outburst woke her up. "I know!" Twilight exclaimed, looking absolutely defeated. "It's hard to believe, but ponies know next to nothing about dragons! Apparently they're too rare and too scary to try to talk to or study!" She then heard the sound of forced back tears and turned to see Spike. "I wonder if dragons cry," he said, sinking into the floor. Springer sighed at seeing this, picking up another book and continuing his reading. He knew how Spike was feeling. He didn't know a thing about his species despite what he had been told by the princess. Granted, he didn't wish to know about his species as much as Spike did, but he still understood Spike's feelings. "It's okay Twilight," he then heard Spike reply to something Twilight had told him. "I'm gonna discover who I am if it's the last thing I do!" Suddenly the doors opened, with Rainbow and Rarity trotting inside. "Yoo-hoo!" Rarity cried, shocking Spike into jumping inside a pile of books. "Hey everypony!" Rainbow added as they walked in. "Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo said as she rushed over to her, a huge grin on her face. "What's up squirt?" Rainbow patted her fan's head as she turned to the others. "Ya wanna join us for breakfast?" "Sounds great!" Twilight replied as she got up. "I'm famished." Flash nodded. "I could eat a horse...why'd I say that?" "You've been awake too long," Springer told him. "That or those past three days with Pinkie and the..." Springer shivered in place at the next two words. "'Noodle incident.'" "Count me out," Spike said as he jumped out of the book pile. "I've gotta get an early start." "An early start?" Rarity asked in confusion. "Yes!" Spike replied as he took a heroic pose. "I'm going on a quest of self-discovery! I need to learn what it means to be a dragon, and the only way I'm gonna do that is to join the dragon migration!" "WHAT?!" The five ponies and jakhowl cried. Spike pulled out a stick and spotted a red blanket from out of nowhere and laid in on the table. As he did this, Rainbow moved over to him. "Spike, that's nonsense talk!" She told him indigently as she watched him move over to the fridge. "I know that you're a dragon, but those dragons mean business! They're big, and tough, and scary..." Spike took out a load of food and placed it in the blanket. "And I'm small, and meek...and I like to wear aprons." He threw the apron he was carrying away, which landed on Springer's head. "See?! This is exactly why I need to spend time with them!" Rainbow rolled her eyes. "All I'm saying is that you could get hurt." "Darling," Rarity jumped in. "This time I really do have to agree with Rainbow Dash. I don't want those big, ugly, nasty dragons to hurt one little scale on your cutesy-wutesy head!" She rubbed his head, but the little dragon flicked her hoof away and headed towards the door. "I'm sorry, but I've made up my mind." As he reached the door, Springer jumped in front of him. "You gonna try and stop me too?" "Nope," the jakhowl pup shook his head. "In fact...I wanna come along." "WHAT?!" The others yelled once again. "Not you too Springer," Scootaloo cried, feeling some tears start to appear in her eyes. "Don't do this..." Springer then walked in front of everypony else, a determined look on his face. "I wanna help Spike find out who he is." Springer explained as he pointed at the drake. "Besides, we know that my species isn't in Equestria, but I had to have come from somewhere. Maybe on this journey, I'll learn who I am too." He turned to Spike while shining a grin. "So...fancy a travel buddy?" Spike stared at him for a moment, only for a smirk to follow. "Go get what you need. We leave in ten minutes." "NO!" Rarity cried out. "Flash!" Scootaloo yelled at her brother. "Do something! You too Twilight!" Flash and Twilight, who had been strangely quiet for most of this conversation, both shared a glance. As if having a mental conversation, the two nodded before turning to their non-pony companions. "Don't tell me you think they should go!" Rainbow exclaimed before they could say anything. "Yes," Twilight said with a nod. She then turned to her faithful assistant. "Spike, I couldn't answer your questions and my books couldn't either. So...I understand why you want to look elsewhere." she gave the drake a valiant nod. "Therefore, I also believe you need to go on this quest." Flash nodded as well, joining in as he patted Springer's shoulder. "And Springer, I've always known that one day you would want to learn more about who you are. I can't stop you from going." Flash let out a small chuckle. "I mean, come on, I'm your partner, not your parent. I don't have any right to stop you." "None of us do," Twilight finished, turning to the others. "And you all need to agree as well." Rarity blinked at the statement, only for her ears to slightly droop down as she said, "I...I suppose you're right." "I still say you're nutty," Rainbow grumbled, crossing her hooves before giving a 'meh' expression on her face. "But hey, I've done lots of nutty things." "We know!" The others told her. "Thanks you guys," Spike said. A few minutes later, the two were all set to begin their journey. Springer had filled his backpack with everything he and Spike might need on their long voyage. With that, the two headed to the door. As they both stood in front of it, Twilight spoke up, "Well then you two, I guess this is goodbye. We can't wait to hear about it when you both return." "Keep each other safe," Flash instructed them as he gave Springer one last pat on the head. "Remember your training bud." "I will." Springer nodded. "Yeah," Rainbow said. "We hope your trip–" "Quest!" Twilight corrected her. "Quest," Rainbow rephrased, "answers some of your pesky 'Who am I?' questions." "Thanks everypony. I know it will." "We'll see you soon," Springer said to the rest of them. "Hopefully with some answers that is." "Good luck," Scootaloo said before giving Springer a hug. After returning it, the duo left the library and began their long hike away. The ponies watched the two walk out into the distance, slowly leaving the town on foot. "Goodbye dearies!" Rarity cried, still waving at the slowly disappearing duo. "Go get 'em!" Rainbow yelled. "We have faith in you!" Twilight exclaimed, waving at her leaving assistant. "Remember to be careful." Then...time began to pass. The duo were gone as they disappeared into the distance. It was here that Rarity leaned over to Twilight and asked, "We're following him right?" Twilight replied with a nod. "Of course." "WHAT?!" Flash hopped in place before glaring at the two. "Seriously?!" "Oh come on Flash! You can't say you're not at least a little worried about them." Twilight barked back. "Yeah, I am." Flash replied before crossing his hooves. "But I trust them. I know they'll be alright. Sides, Spike's got Springer with him. He'll take care of him." "Sorry to say, but I'm not taking that chance." She looked back towards the two retreating figures. "We're going after them." Flash rolled his eyes, facehoofing. "Oh boy..." And so, the adventurous baby dragon and his trusty jakhowl traveling buddy began their journey after the migrating dragons, both hoping to find the answers they seeked. The journey was long and full of peril. They boldly passed through a fire lake of flying fireballs. Mightily tracked through the forest of pain. Stopped for a picnic lunch at the jagged cliffs of insanity. Plowed through the fields of cherry blossoms, (Which would have been a much better place for lunch) and leapt through the trees that grew in the swamp of lost souls. After this, it was three mile hike through the land of a thousand and two needles, (The worst place for lunch) and trudged through the domain of the ogre, Townbreaker. (Who was thankfully asleep at the time) Eventually, the two arrived at their destination. The border of Equestria, and the entrance into the land of dragons. Here, they find their first part of the new land, a deep lush forest. "I think we're getting closer," Springer said as he cut through some bushes with his Bone Breaker. "How can ya tell?" Spike, who was wearing a fake beard that was keeping his face warm, asked. "The dragons are flying lower," the jakhowl replied, pointing up and the few dragons they had seen before. "I can also feel a large amount of different auras nearby." "Perfect," Spike said as he began to rush forward. Springer followed him, noticing a nest of phoenixes as he did. Soon, they found themselves at the end of the forest and came in sight of a mountain range. There, a multitude of dragons were conglomerating at the top. Seeing this, Spike pulled off his fake beard and began to rush up to the top with Springer on his tail. It didn't take long till they were at the top, as the slope was relatively smooth. As they hit the peak, they both looked down and saw a multitude of dragons of veering shapes, sizes and colors. "Incredible," Springer said as he looked at them with wide eyes. Unfortunately, their admiration was short lived when a red dragon unleashed a burst of fire that almost cooked them. "Whoa!" Spike yelled as he and Springer dodged the fireball. "Wait...aren't you fire proof?" Springer asked him after they both hit the dirt. "Oh yeah," Spike replied before getting up. He then looked down into the crater and saw a group of dragons, all around a age Spike could agree with. He took a deep breath as he watched them walk around the crater. "Alright...teenage dragons. That's more my speed." With that, Spike rushed down into the crater, with Springer in hot pursuit. As Springer was ran down into the rock bowl-like wall, he suddenly stopped when he got the unusual feeling of being watched. His ears flared, making him start looking around. He blinked as he kept looking, trying to see if any of the dragons were staring at him. However, the dragons seemed to have no interest in him. That is, till he caught a glimpse of a dragon that seemed to be smiling at him. Springer blinked at the drake, who was almost entirely black-skinned with the exception of black scales with red tips. The sight made Springer feel off, and when he blinked again, the dragon was gone. "What...was that?" Springer asked himself, shaking his head a second later. "Spike...need to stay with Spike." With that, Springer returned his gaze to Spike and the teenage dragons, where he soon followed. Up on the crater top, Springer made his way there, his eyes still scanning around as he saw Spike hop down into the crater. There, he saw the dragon from earlier, this time laying down beside a rock wall. Springer opened his mouth for a second as he tilted his head at the sight, only for another dragon, a blue skinned one with green spikes, flew down and landed next to the dragon. It growled at it, obviously seeing the area the dragon was laying on was it's. However, before the blue dragon could do anything, the black dragon turned and made a smile. The grin alone made both the new dragon and Springer shiver in response. A second later, the blue dragon apologized to him and flew off, making Springer just blink at the sight as he watched the drake fly away. After that, Springer didn't look back at the dragon. Instead, he decided to go back to his friend. As Springer finally reached the teenage dragons, he noticed a medium sized red dragon spot him. The dragon snorted as he watched the jakhowl approach them. "Well, what do we have here?" He asked as he moved over to Springer, glaring down at him. "Looks like a little furball showed up." "That's Springer. He's my friend." Spike explained, pointing at the jakhowl. The dragon just snickered. "You keep weird friends half pint. To dragons, something like this isn't a friend...it's food." With that, he unleashed a fireball from his mouth. "NO!" Spike cried as he watched the flames fly at Springer with blinding speed. "Bone Breaker!" Springer yelled as he created an energy bone, deflecting the attack with a single strike. The dragons were all amazed at this. "How'd he do that?" A purple dragon with yellow hair that covered his eyes asked. "I'm a jakhowl," Springer explained as the bone dissolved. "I can create weapons made out of aura." The dragons all looked confused, blinking at the jakhowl. For a second, it seemed like time had stopped, only for sudden cheers to erupt. "YEAH!" "THAT'S COOL!" They cheered. The red dragon looked at the little wolf creature with a raised eyebrow. "Alright, I won't deep fry you...yet." He then turned to Spike. "As for you, you're gonna need to show us that you're a real dragon like me, Garble." "How?" Spike asked, tilting his head. "By acting like one," he replied before turning to the rest of the dragons. "Who's up for a little belching contest!?" The dragons all cheered, all of them stepping up one by one, unleashing rays of fire. It wasn't long till it was Spike's turn, which Garble turned to with a big cocky grin. "Think you can beat that peewee?" Spike gulped before walking forwards. "You got this Spike!" Springer called out. Spike nodded at him and took a deep breath, trying to do his best belch. It was in that moment that the green fire shot out of his mouth, only for the smoke to transform into a scroll. "What's this?" Garble asked as he took the scroll and read it, laughing as he did. "Ha! Get this, guys! Spike's pen-pals with a namby-pamby pony princess!" The dragons all laughed as Garble scrunch up the paper and toss the scroll away. "Ooh," Springer said as he watched him destroy the paper. "Really hope she never finds out about that." "Or what?" Garble asked him as he got right in his face. "What's the 'princess' gonna do to me?" "Dude, she moves the sun." Springer deadpanned, "She once banished another pony to the moon for a thousand years. If she wanted to, she could sneeze and you'd be inside out." He then flicked the dragon's nose, causing him to move back and growl. Garble leaned down back at Springer, growling. "Alright smart guy, let's see what you got." "I can't breath fire," Springer told him, his eyes gazing around. He then spotted a nearby rock, making him smirk. "But I can do this!" He formed an Aura Blast and tossed it at the rock, shattering it into dust. "How's that?" The dragons were all amazed by this again while Garble simply growled under his breath. He turned back to Spike. "Maybe tail wrestling is more your speed." "Err..." Spike was not sure how to respond to that. The dragons all cheered again, making Springer notice just how easy it was to impress these creatures. A few seconds later, all the dragons began teaming up with each other, all locking tails. Garble then walked in between two of the dragons and raised his claw. "Ready?" He asked them before slashing his claw down, "GO!" The two dragons began pulling at one another, a full test of strength following. This lasted for a few seconds until one of them before one of them pulled the other off its feet. "THE WINNER!" Garble cried while holding up the winners tail, the dragons all cheering again. Spike looked down at his tail, trembling as he did so. "You don't have to do this you know," Springer told him as he patted the purple drake's shoulder. "I have to," Spike replied, slightly gulping. "If I don't, they'll never see me as one of them." Springer wanted to reply back, only for a new dragon to walk up to them. It was long, green and covered in gems. It also had a long pink tongue sticking out of its mouth and its expression was one of pure obliviousness. That is, till it spoke up in an odd tone. "I challenge Spike to a tail wrestle." "Who's this weirdo?" Garble asked, only to be answered by a nearby purple dragon. "Crackle's cousin." They all looked up at a dragon that was almost identical to the new one, only he looked a little...special. "That would explain it," Garble commented, snorting. It was obvious that explaining its features wasn't worth it. As such, Spike and the dragon locked tails. Garble cricked his neck and slammed his claw down again. "GO!" Spike began pulling, but was not having much luck. That is, till the new dragon just seemed to collapse, as if he had given up. No dragons had ever given up tail wrestling before, making the dragons cheer again. "Spike's the winner!" Garble cheered, lifting him up by the tail. Springer meanwhile, moved over to where the new dragon lay. "Hey Twilight," he whispered with a cocky grin. "Who?" The new dragon asked. "Don't play dumb," he replied, rolling his eyes. "Your costume might fool them, but I knew it was you the second you appeared. You can't hide your aura from me." "Oh," Twilight replied as the 'dragon' slowly got up. Springer chuckled as he watched the fake neck roll around. "Hey Rainbow, hey Rarity." "Hey," the two ponies inside the suit replied. "What are you girls doing here?" "We were worried about you and Spike, so we decided to come." "And where's Flash?" "Back in Ponyville. He said he trusted you to stay out of trouble." Springer smirked at this, happy to see his partner believed in him so much. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." "Thanks," Twilight replied as they turned back towards Spike. "Alright," the little dragon called out. "Who's next?" "Getting a little cocky, huh?" Garble asked before his eyes suddenly went wide. His body stiffened like a board, only to then shine a big dark smile. "I like that. So how about you wrestle...him!" He pointed to a dragon that looked about the same size as Spike, though most of his body was hidden by other dragons. "I don't like where this is going," Springer said to himself. Unfortunately, Spike had agreed to the contest and the rest of the dragons moved. There, they revealed his true opponent, who was actually the biggest out of all the teen dragons. His tail was about twenty feet long and had retractable spines. "I knew it!" Springer growled as he rushed towards Spike. But before he could get close to him, Garble picked him up by the back of his neck. "Don't get in the way furball," he said as he held him. "GO!" They watched as Spike was thrown into the crater wall with a loud wail and thud. The dragons all laughed as Garble dropped Springer into the dirt. "Hey!" Springer cried as he picked himself up. "What!?" Garble asked menacingly. Springer frowned at the dragon, but his attention was quickly diverted to something behind Garble. It was the dragon with black dragon again, standing right behind Garble. It gave the jakhowl a menacing grin before walking off, leaving Springer with a confused look. Garble, mistaking Springer's confusion for fear, smirked. "That's what I thought," he said before walking away. "You okay Springer?" Twilight asked as she moved up to him. "Yeah," Springer replied as he brushed himself off. "There's something weird about that dragon." "Garble?" Rarity asked. "No, not him. I mean..." Springer replied as he tried to find the dragon and point him out, only for him to disappear again. "Weird." A little while later, after Spike managed to recover from his wrestle, Garble grabbed him and climbed to the top of a pile of gems. "So Spike, you haven't exactly proven yourself as a dragon yet," He dropped the little dragon on the pile. "Have you?" As Spike picked himself up, he looked up at Garble. "But, I get an A for effort?" "Maybe...but let's see how you do in this next contest." Then he knocked Spike off the pile, causing him to go crashing all the way to the ground. "KING OF THE HOARD!" As Springer helped Spike up, they saw the teenage dragons begin to climb up the pile. "Come on!" Spike said as he rushed towards it, Springer in hot pursuit. "I'll clear the way," Springer said as he leapt up to the top. There, he saw Garble wrestling another dragon. The sight made Springer smirk, creating a Bone Breaker soon after, which he pointed at Garble. "Surprise!" He cried as he used it to sweep the dragons legs, causing him and the one he was wrestling to go tumbling down the pile. He then saw Spike make it to the top. "Need a paw?" "I got this," Spike said as he managed to pull himself up. Once at the top, he smirked as he looked down at the beaten dragons. "King of the hoard!" He cried before high fiving Springer, only for the force of the jakhowl's paw to knock him back, causing him to go rolling down the pile. Garble stepped up and stared down at him. "Looks like this is another fail for you little Spike," he said before looking up at Springer. "The fact that you needed that furball to help you proves how undragonly you are." "It's called teamwork," Springer barked as he leapt off the pile and landed next to Spike. "Dragons don't do teamwork. We do things ourselves, or not at all. The strong stand alone, but only the weak stick together." Garble turned back to Spike, fumes blasting out of his nostrils. "You got one last chance to prove you're a dragon peewee. Its time for lava cannonball!" Spike gulped at the sound of this. A few minutes later, Springer and Spike found themselves standing over a pool of steaming, bubbling lava. The sight made both of them glance at each other, gulping. Garble then stepped up and announced, "Whoever makes the biggest splash is the ultimate dragon!" Springer looked down again, gulping once more. "Looks...toasty." Garble just frowned at him, only for his eyes to suddenly went wide. Then, a malicious smile appeared on his face. "I'm sure it's nothing to a great jakhowl like you. So let's see you swim furball!" He used his tail and knocked Springer over the cliff, causing him to go flying off and fall towards the lava. "SPRINGER!" Spike cried. "OH NO!" Twilight and the girls yelped as they watched from the sidelines. "We have to save-" "Aura Blast!" Springer yelled as he threw a ball of energy towards the lava pit. He then threw a second sphere, which struck the first. An explosion followed, knocking the jakhowl back up to cliff. As he landed on the rough dirt, he began to cough as he turned to Garble. "ARE YOU CRAZY?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!" "What's the matter?" Garble chuckled. "Not fire proof?" "Of course not!" Springer yelled, blue aura now pouring out of his paws. "Do I look like I'm-" "Whatever wimp," Garble said as he pushed him aside and moved over to the edge of the cliff. "GERONIMO!" He leapt of the cliff, diving into the lava as if it was nothing but water. The rest of the dragons followed, all jumping off the cliff until only Spike and Springer were left. "You sure you're okay?" Spike asked his friend, patting him on the back. "Yeah," Springer said while shaking his head in frustration. "I'll be fine..." the jakhowl gave the drake a cocky smile. "Go show them how we do it in Ponyville." Spike nodded and moved over to the edge, looking down again at the tremendous drop. He then moved back out of fear before hearing Garble call out. "What wrong Spike? You afraid the lava will hurt your soft pony hide?" He and the other dragons laughed, causing Spike to frown and walk back over to the edge. Taking a deep breath, he leapt off the edge...only to start spinning in midair until he struck the lava face and stomach first. SMACK! "OOH!" The dragons all flinched. "Ouch," Springer cringed, quickly racing down the cliff as he yelled out, "Spike, you okay bud?!" Spike's head broke the surface, spitting out a mouthful of lava as he turned to the rest of the dragons. "Was I...that bad?" Garble shook his head. "No dude. That was awesome! No pony could live through a belly flop like that!" He let out a chuckle. "You're one tough little dragon." The rest of the dragons also voiced their approval before climbing out of the lava pool. They then stood in two lines of three, spinning around and raising their tail's eye. Garble stood at one side of them, while Spike and Springer stood on the other side. Spike nervously walked through the dragon tunnel, arriving at Garble's feet. "Spike, by belly flopping so hard, you have proven yourself worthy." He spun around and used his tail the same way Flash had told Springer that Celestia would knight ponies with a sword. "I hereby dub you 'rookie dragon', and will now perform the initiation ritual." He picked up the little dragon and gave him a noogie. "Now let's party dragon style!" The other dragons cheered, only to then stuff their faces with gems. Seeing this, Springer moved over to where his backpack was and pulled out some food. As he ate, he saw his pony friends were watching and moved over to them. "Looks like Spike's learned everything he needs." "Maybe...but I'm worried though." Twilight replied, sighing. "What's the matter?" Rainbow asked. "Spike's been accepted and he's not hurt." "But what if being around these dragons causes him to change?" Twilight barked back. The others thought about it. The mental image of Spike acting like Garble popped into their heads, making them all shiver. "What a horrid thought," Rarity commented. "I sure hope that doesn't happen." Springer rolled his eyes, waving his paw at the ponies. "Don't worry, Spike isn't like that. There's no way he'll just start acting like them." "I hope you're right," Twilight muttered. "I hope you're right..." A few hours later... The party had lasted a long time. Springer was surprised at just how much the dragons could party, and was also glad Pinkie wasn't here due to just how long it was going. Then, something new happened as Spike spoke up, "That...was that a great party." "Great, Huh?" Garble said before scoffing. "Maybe by Ponyville standards." He lazily punched Spike in the arm. "Stick with us, Spike. We still got plenty to teach you about being a dragon." "I'm not going anywhere," Spike replied contently. "The way I feel right now, I could hang out with you guys forever." Springer's eyes went wide, as he heard the others whisper in shock. "Forever?" "Spikey-wikey is going to stay with these awful dragons?" Rarity asked in horror. "Forever?" "Oh no...this is terrible!" Twilight squeaked. "I should've stopped him back at the library when I had the chance," Rainbow growled, cricking her neck. "I'll go get him." "No Rainbow Dash," Twilight replied, glaring at the pegasus. "This is all my fault! I encouraged him to go. Let me save him." "But-" "Y'know Spike," Garble spoke up, causing the ponies to go quiet again. "I think you just might be ready for a real dragon raid." The rest of the dragons cheered at this. "There's a nest full of phoenix eggs nearby, and we're gonna swipe 'em!" "And then do...what?" Springer asked, walking up to the dragon. They turned to see the jakhowl, causing Garble to frown. "What we do with them isn't your concern." Springer frowned. "If you're gonna harm them, then it is my concern!" Garble turned back to Spike, pointing at the jakhowl. "You see this Spike? This is what weak little ponies do. They make those they come in contact with weak." He turned back to Springer. "In this world, it's take or get taked!" "It's 'taken'," Springer corrected him. "And I think I've seen enough of dragon culture." He turned to Spike. "I'm not gonna stop you from going, but think about this before you do. If you do this, then you'll be going against everything you once stood for. Don't let all the good things you've learned about dragons make you forget about all the good things you've learned about ponies." He moved over to where his backpack lay and put it on. "Springer? Where are you going?" Spike asked in a fearful, innocent tone. "Home," Springer replied. "Where my-our family is waiting." With that, he turned and began to walk away. Garble crossed his claws in anger, only to for his eyes to go wide. He let out a low growl and grabbed a rock. "I've had it with you!" He called out as he threw it at Springer. Hearing this, the jakhowl glanced back, only to see the flying rubble. Instincts kicked in, causing him to create a quick Aura Blast, which destroyed the gravel. However, the force of the explosion knocked him to the ground his body now rolling. He quickly hoped back up, only to see Garble flying straight at him. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough this time, as the dragon's tail smacked him into a rock. "AUGH!" Springer yelped in pain, his aura diminishing as pain surged in his body. As he tried to fight the pain, Garble grabbed the jakhowl by the neck, slamming him back into the rock. "Time to fry, furball!" "STOP!" Garble spun around to see Spike, fear covering his face. "Don't hurt him...please." Garble stared at the little dragon, gritting his fangs. He then looked back at Springer. "If I ever see you around here again, I won't stop. I'll fry you to a crisp." He let the jakhowl go, who then slid down the rock in a slump. Spike wanted to run over to him, only for Garble to pick up the drake and fly away. As Springer felt his consciousness begin to fade, he looked back up one more time, trying to see Spike. But there, he saw nothing. Nothing but a black figure and it's wicked, malicious smile. "Springer!" He then heard Twilight call out as she and the others rushed over to him. "Are you alright deary?" Rarity asked. "Yeah," Springer replied as he tried to get up, only to hit the dirt a second later. "Ugh..." "You're not," Twilight replied as she looked around. None of the dragons were looking at them, so she sparked her horn and levitated Springer into the dragon costume. "We've gotta go after them," Rainbow said as she tried to fly the costume upward, but the weight of the costume and its occupants were too much for her. "Rainbow, stop. You're not going to be able to get us airborne." "But we gotta help Spike!" Rainbow barked back. "Then we'll just have to hoof it. Come on." The ponies quickly tried to make their way to where the dragons had flown off too, only to soon realize running wasn't enough when it came to chasing something that was flying. As they tried to tail the dragons, they saw them fly into a forest, making them grimace as this would make tracking the dragons harder. That is, till a still weak jakhowl spoke up, pointing at a certain direction. "That way." "How do you know?" Rainbow asked. "They said they were going after phoenix eggs. They must have been the ones I saw when we arrived here earlier." "Lead the way," Twilight said. They followed Springer's guidance for several minutes, until they saw a certain clue for what they were looking for. It was a brilliant burst of light, almost like a mini sun, shining in the distance. They all realized it must have been caused by a phoenix, making the four of them rush towards it as the light started to die down. That is, till they came up to the tree, where they saw Spike and the teen dragons. Then, they saw Spike holding a phoenix egg. "Hey!" They heard Garble say. "You stole an egg?" "Errr..." was all Spike replied with. Garble smirked. "Well, I guess the raid wasn't a total waste after all." The rest of the dragons all cheered at this. "Nice going Spike," Garble said as he smacked Spike on the back, almost making him drop the egg. "Well," a brown dragon with blue horns said next, "what are you waiting for Spike?! Smash it!" "Smash the egg?" Spike asked in shock. "Yeah!" a purple dragon exclaimed. "Throw it on the ground as hard as you can!" This caused Spike's friends to gasp, causing all of them to comment on the situation. "Spike?! Smash that poor defenseless egg?! Why he-" "No way he'd do that," Rainbow finished for her. "I hope you're right," Springer replied, but got ready to leap out and stop him just in case. They watched as Spike raised the egg above his head, while the other dragons chanted 'smash it', and held it there for several seconds. Finally, Spike showed his true self. "NO!" He cried as he protectively held the egg. "It's just a defenseless egg, like I was, and I'm not gonna let you hurt it!" The dragons did not like this response. "What did you just say?" Garble asked. "I said...NO!" Spike replied firmly. Garble growled. "No one says no to me!" He unfurled his claws, ready to take the egg by force. Spike stepped backwards, until he walked right into something. Looking around, he saw it was Twilight and his friends in dragon costume. Then, the costume was pulled off, revealing the ponies and jakhowl within. "Nopony's gonna lay a claw on him!" Rainbow yelled. "That's right," Twilight added. "So back off!" Springer cried as he created a Bone Breaker. "Fighting's not really my thing," Rarity muttered before taking a fighting stance. "I'm more into fashion...BUT I'LL RIP YOU TO PIECES IF YOU TOUCH ONE SCALE ON HIS CUTE LITTLE HEAD!" The dragons saw this, only to start laughing their heads off. "Ohhhh, so scary..." Garble guffawed before turning to the baby dragon. "Spike, are these namby-pamby ponies your friends?" "Yes, they are!" Spike said proudly, "And they're better friends than you could ever be." He stepped forward and poked Garble in the stomach. "Now, if you don't back off, you'll see what us ponies do when confronted by a huge group of jerky dragons!" "Oh yeah," Garble leaned down, smoke pouring out of his nostrils. "What's that?" Spike then yelled at the top of his lungs. "RUN AWAY!" With that, he shot off, Springer and the ponies following. Garble let out a hiss before ordering the other dragons to go after them. As the flunkies prepared to take flight- "FLASH CUTTER!" An energy wave shot through the air and struck the ground in front of the dragons, causing them and the ponies to come to a stop. "What the heck?!" Garble yelped, hopping in place. "What was that?!" "Was that what I think it was?" Spike asked. "Oh yeah!" Springer replied, feeling the presence. Suddenly from out of the trees shot a orange blur, which landed between the two groups and revealed itself to be Flash Sentry. "Flash!" Twilight cried in joy. "Thought you guys could use a hoof," Flash told her before turning back to the dragons and raising his sword. "Look flame for brains, I'm in a forgiving mood, so I'm giving you this one chance. Leave my friends alone and return to where you came from...or become rust on my blade." The dragons growled at this. "You don't scare me pony," Garble told him as he and two other dragons charged forward. "I'll use that sword as a back scratcher!" Flash sighed, shaking his head as he chuckled to himself. Flash spun his blade in his hoof, glaring at the attacking trio. Following with a smirk and in the blink of an eye, he was suddenly on the other side of the dragons, who had completely stopped moving. Seconds later, the three let out moans of pain as they fell forward. "I warned you," Flash said as he flew back over them towards their friends. "Let's get out of here." The others nodded as Twilight's horn began to spark. In a flash of light, the six of them were on back the outskirts of Ponyville. "There we go...good to be home." "I'll say," Spike sighed before turning to the others. "Thanks for the help everyone." Twilight shined a small smile, nodding. "Of course! What are friends for?" "You're more than friends," Spike said as his eyes began to tear up. "You're my family." With that, the group all pulled each other into a hug. Once they were out of their hug, Twilight turned to Flash with a smirk, cocking an eyebrow. "So...I guess you were worried after all." "Of course," Flash replied as Springer jumped on his back and he started walking away. "I knew it," Twilight grinned, crossing her hooves. "I had a feeling you would-" "I was worried that you three would get yourselves into trouble," Flash continued without looking at them. "So, I decided to keep an eye on you." "WHAT?!" Twilight exclaimed, anger appearing in her eyes. "You were worried about US?! Not Springer?!" Flash turned and stuck his tongue out. "Like I said, I trust Springer to stay out of trouble." "AND NOT US?!" Twilight screamed as she raced after him. Flash just laughed and ran away, with the others in hot pursuit. "COME BACK HERE, YOU MEATHEAD!" With that, they all ran back into town. As they did, a big grin appeared on Spike's face. He and Springer were back with their family. That alone was enough. Meanwhile... Back in the dragon lands, Garble and his cronies were still reeling from their 'fight' with Flash. Garble himself let out a long groan as they walked back to the crater. "Ugh...what was that?! How did that pony do that?!" he muttered to himself. As he rubbed his temples as he continued to walk, his ears suddenly picked up a voice. "Hee hee hee..." giggled the voice, causing them to all look in front of them. There, the black and red dragon from before walked out of some bushes, standing in front of them as it continued to chuckle. "Hee hee hee..." "What are you laughing at?!" However, the dragon only gave a large sinister smile in response. That, and another set of chuckles. "Hee hee hee..." That alone was enough for the black and red dragon as he remembered everything that had happened today. Earlier today... The black dragon silently moved through the other dragons, shifting through them like a blade of grass. A grin barely shined on his face as made his way behind Garble. "Getting a little cocky, huh?" Garble asked Spike. Here, the black dragon placed his claw on Garble's back, causing the red dragon's eyes to go wide for a few seconds. Then, a large smile appeared on Garble's face. "I like that. So how about you wrestle...him!" Garble pointed to the large dragon. The other dragon and Spike began to prepare to wrestle, only for Springer to rush up to Spike. As he did, the black dragon tapped Garble's back again. A second later, Garble bent down and grabbed the jakhowl. "Don't get in the way furball!" he yelled as he held him. "GO!" Later, the dragon silently moved with the others as they headed up to the cliff overlooking the lava pool. There, Garble yelled at the other dragons. "Whoever makes the biggest splash is the ultimate dragon!" Springer looked down at the red and orange muck, a shiver going down his spine as he did. "Looks...toasty." The dragon reached over and touched Garble's back again, causing his eyes to go wide once more. One second later, Garble was in front of Springer with a grin. "I'm sure it's nothing to a great jakhowl like you. So let's see you swim furball!" Only a moment later, Garble's tail swung and knocked Springer over the cliff, his body now plummeting toward the heated-death pool. "Home," the black dragon heard Springer tell Spike. "Where my-our family is waiting." With that, he turned and began to walk away. Once again, the dragon reached over and touched Garble, causing his eyes to expand. When they returned to normal, Garble growled before grabbing a rock. "I've had it with you!" He called out, the piece of rubble soon flying into the air at a certain jakhowl. The Present... "I said...what are you laughing at?!" Garble screamed, fire brimming from his mouth's fangs. "Hee hee hee..." was all the dragon responded, it's claws over his mouth as he continued to laugh. "Hee hee hee..." As the laughing continued, Garble's eye twitched. Topped with his day already going bad, Garble let out one last growl before saying, "What...are you...laughing at?! STOP LAUGHING!!!" However, this time, the dragon stopped laughing. Instead, he shined one last grin, one three times bigger than the last. The dragon then waved its claws, turning around as it let out one last chuckle. "Hee..." "I SAID STOP IT!" Garble yelled, his body now rushing over to the black and red dragon. He then reached out his claw, ready to grab the dragon's shoulder. "COME HERE YOU-" BLAM! The sight made the other two dragons stop dead in their tracks. They weren't sure about what just happened. In fact, it made little sense to their tiny brains. One second, Garble was about to grab the laughing dragon. The next, Garble's body was behind them, his body covered in purplish-blackish fog as he was now laying inside a torn-up tree. The pillar of lumber had been destroyed thanks to his body slamming into it from the sudden blow. "Whoa..." one of them said, "Uh...you okay Garble?" "Uggggghhhhh...." was all he could moan at the two other dragons. The duo glanced at each other before turning back to the laughing dragon. "Hey, what the heck are...you?" the other tried to ask, only to notice the laughing dragon was now gone. All that remained was the forest and nothing else. The two looked at each other in pure confusion. "What the-where did he go?" Just a little ways away from the three... The black dragon continued to walk through the forest, it's giggle fest now reborn. "Hee hee hee...hee hee hee..." Then, the dragon cricked its neck and expanded it's wings. As it did, it assumed a pose only regular dragons would use to take flight. But as it did, the dragon hopped into the air, only for a purple aura to encase its body. A shining light illuminated the forest's darkness for a second in that light, only to immediately dissipate. There, the dragon was gone. Instead, a new, smaller creature with the same familiar sinister grin stood. Its red eyes shined in the darkness as it started giggling again. That, and words began to come out as well. "Hee hee hee...to think staying with those dumb dragons would give me what I was looking for! HA! And considering that he was with those ponies, he must be staying in Equestria!" the creature guffawed as it covered its mouth, its grin widening again. "Springer, was it? Interesting...very interesting...to think that I would meet a jakhowl out here with these stupid scale-brains! And I was so sure that the jakhowls were all gone for good!" Then, a small shimmer, an almost blood red glow, shined in the creature's eyes. "Hee hee hee...Looks like I'm going back to Equestria. This should be fun..."