//------------------------------//
// How Good Is Your Fighting? 
// Story: The Fighting Dragon 
// by Phantom-Dragon 
//------------------------------//

"SPIKE LOOK OUT!!" Arizona shouted, stamping her front hooves down into the ground, just as the shadow of a large snake lunged out of the grass, snapping its jaws at both Spike and Arizona. "No way!" Arizona mooed, thrusting her front hoof out in a punch, sending the long snake flying a distance away.

However, the danger doesn't end there for the two young heroes. Both their ears perked up to the sound of snarls and growls, as they soon found themselves surrounded by a hungry pack of shadows of wolves.

The ghostly apparitions of wolves, plus the snake, surrounded the two, closing in, eager for a meal, or two.


[Them's Fightin' Herds - Sunset Prairie (Arizona)]


Arizona looked determined, getting into a fighting stance, while Spike clings to her strong legs for protection, "Arizona? What do we do?" He asked, quivering in fright.

"Like my Pa always says: 'Put 'em up!'" Arizona answered with confident. "I'll take the predators on the left. You take the ones on the right," Arizona replied, before she had an epiphany. "Wait, how good is your fighting?" She asked Spike with concerns.

"Um....on a scale of 0 to 10," Spike sweated, before he answered, "Not so good?"

"Well then, take cover!" One of the ghosts pounced at the two, only for Arizona to swiftly spin on her forelegs, aiming her hind legs, and bucked them hard at the wolf, knocking it out of the air. Meanwhile, Spike quickly dove behind a log, poking his head up from the side, watching the fight going on between calf and predators.

Despite being a young calf her size and age, Arizona was obviously exhibiting the stubbornness of a bull. From her father's side, from the looks of it. And his strength too, which she used to surprise the predators.

One wolf ghost leapt in the air as it comes back down for a bite, only for Arizona to make a quick backward slide, dodging the attack. Without hesitation, Arizona quickly charged her head forward, catching her opponent between her horns, shoving them in the air, launching the wolf, before she leapt up in the air.

Spike carefully watched to see Arizona thrusting her elbow into the wolf's side, before she flexibly thrusted her strong hind legs into a kick, and like an acrobatic, she tucked and roll before landing a strong downward kick, making a strong impact on her opponent's head as they come crashing back down to the ground.

Then, another wolf charged into the fray, ramming its head into the calf's side, knocking Arizona stumbling on her hooves. Before she could recover, the snake whipped its long tail, tripping the young calf of her hooves. Taking their chance, the wolves quickly swarmed over the calf for a feeding frenzy. Luckily, Arizona rolled out of harm's way, recovering herself back on her hooves to resume the fight.

"Y'all in for a tramplin'!" Arizona bellowed, lowering her horns, kicking the dirts off the ground, thrusting herself at a blinding speed that rivals Rainbow Dash's, straight into the packs of predators, knocking them to the sides as if they were bowling pins.

"Whoa," Spike gasped, marveling at such feat of strength and skills in a small, yet strong package.

But the fight was far from over. The wounded wolves retreated, as more appeared to fill their place. A larger wolf, with a scar over one of its eyes snarled hungrily at Arizona, before it lets out a long howl, signaling for its pack members to attack.





Off in the distance, Oleander and Fred were watching the whole struggle, via enhanced vision provided by the dark magics the dark unicorn had learned, "Figures," Oleander grumbled. "Obviously, when it comes to brawn, the cattle kinds are the total package. Pity, they lack the brains to even pick a proper champion to find the Prophet's Key! And of all the cattle they could pick, they sent a child to do grown up's work?!" The unicorn exclaimed in outrage. "How insulting!"



Fun Fact: Arizona is exactly one year old.



"What a mockery to determine the fate of Fœnum," Fred added. "And look at her. She hasn't even left the plains, and already she's being attacked by predators. No thanks to that little dragon who's with her!" He said, with the tone of his voice growing dark and demonic at the last part.

Oleander looked and sure enough, spotted the purple dragon she and Fred had been after, "I should've suspected this as much," Oleander frowned. "The predators can't just come en mass, due to their large size, so they sent a young one to scout our world, and to lure another childish ungulate into a trap!"

Fred scoffed in agreement, "Ain't that just like the predators," Turning to the unicorn, he asks, "So what are we going to do now? Surely, you're not going to let them get away with that. Are you?"

Oleander's horn pulsed with a dark aura, together with her hair waving menacingly in the air, "While I'm not interested in helping a champion who is unworthy of theProphet's Key," She began in a dark tone. "I'm going to have great pleasure in slaying a dragon."





Dance To The Death - Kingdom Hearts 2 Battle Music


Spike was watching the whole fighting take place, between Arizona and the wolves advancing upon her. The wolves were all snapping and clawing at her, while the stubborn and strong calf continues to fight them off, defiantly. However, it didn't stop the fact that tufts of her furs were flying everywhere, as well as crimson drops of blood.

Suddenly, the sound of a dreadful hissing was heard, from behind. Scales standing on end, Spike manages to summon enough nerves to turn his head, to see the huge snake towering itself over him, flicking its fork tongue, and glaring at him even hungrier than the wolves.

"Uh, easy now," Spike tried to reason with the snake, while slowly backing away. "Y-Y-You wouldn't want to eat me. Would you? I mean, I-I-I really don't taste good, I...YIPE!" Spike screamed as he quickly jumped to the side, narrowly evading a bite from the snake when it thrusted its head, before retracting. Realizing how serious the situation is, Spike tried to look tough, adjusting his hat, "Oh yeah! You want a piece of me? Come on! I can take you! In fact, TAKE THIS!!" Spike shouted, inhaling a gust of air, before he exhales, hoping to burn the snake with his fire breath. But nothing came out. Instead, all Spike managed to blow was a simple raspberry, and few drools.

The snake, in its own hissing way, laughed at the dragon's failed attempt, wriggling about in the grass, with its coils swaying all over the place. Feeling his face burning red with embarrassment, Spike tried to breath fire, "Come on, come on!" He grunted as he frustratedly continues to make several green sparks. Having enough, Spike picked up a rock, and lobbed it at the snake, conking it on the head.

This, however, made the snake angrier, letting out a bloodcurdling hiss, baring its large fangs at the little dragon, "AAAAAAHHH!!" Spike yelled at the top of his lungs, as he took off running, with the snake hot on his tail.

Speaking of hot, the field suddenly combusted into a blazing inferno around Spike, Arizona, and the predators.

"Spike?!" Arizona exclaimed.

"It wasn't me, I swear!" Spike said in his defense, while also trying to avoid getting eaten by the snake. "YIPE!!" Spike tripped on a rock, causing him to fall on his face, into the dirts. Taking its chance, the snake reared its head back, before it lunged toward's Spike, mouth wide open, and fangs unsheathed.

*CRUNCH*

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!" Spike screamed.

"SPIKE!!" Arizona shouted, throwing a wolf off her, before she ran over to knock the snake off, with her horns. "Spike! Are you okay?" She asked.

"It got me!" Spike whimpered. "It's got me on the back! How bad is it?"

Arizona took a look, before she mooed, "Uh...Spike? The snake only bit the book," She pointed to a few bite marks that are now on the cover of the spell book he was carrying.

"Oh, he he he," Spike chuckled sheepishly.

Arizona shook her head, incredulously at the dragon, before she wrapped her front hooves around his head, "Heads down!" She screamed, as a wolf came and nearly bit Spike's head off, before Arizona punched it away. "Protect yourself!" Arizona ordered, before she resumed fighting off some more ghostly wolves.

Spike was screaming wildly, as he aimlessly thrashed his claws in every directions, kicking his legs, and finally manages to spew some explosive fireballs, catching some of the wolves by surprise.

During the fight, Spike looked off into the distance and could see the silhouette of a tall dark figure of a horse-like being, glaring at him with piercing white eyes that looked as if they were staring into his soul. He didn't have time to ponder on it, when the bark of a wolf startled him into blasting a fireball, hitting Arizona by mistake.

"OW!!" Arizona mooed, before she turned to Spike. "Watch it, Spike!" Another wolf snapped its jaw at Arizona, who quickly dodged, and bucked it away, before she ran over to Spike's side.

"They just keep coming!" Spike frowned, before both he and Arizona started to cough from the rising smokes.

"And the air's getting a little too stuffy!" Arizona coughed. "Hold on tight, Spike! We're gettin' outta here!" Arizona mooed, as she broke into a fast run, with Spike riding on her back, bouncing up and down as he held onto her bandana tightly.

Looking back, Spike was horrified to see some of the wolves giving chase, burned and all, "Faster Arizona! Faster!" Spike shouted in fright.

Watching from the distance, Oleander was outraged at what she was seeing, "What's that dragon doing to that calf?" Breaking into a gallop, Oleander and Fred jumped into the fire to give chase, only to be confronted by the remaining wolves, blocking their path.

Taking notice of the newcomer, the wolves changed their priorities and set their sights on the unicorn, and book. Of course, with a crack of dark magic, Oleander refuses to go down, without fighting.

"I have trained years for this; you will not dissuade me!" Oleander declared.

"Go get 'em, Ollie," Fred cheered.


[End of Music]





After an hour of running, Spike and Arizona stopped at a running river to rest for a moment, "Oh, that was a close one," Spike panted. "Phew, I thought for sure we were done for that time." Spike looked over to the calf, who dipped her head into the water, taking long gulps, "You were awesome back there Arizona! The way you fought off those wolves, and that snake, it was amazing!"

Arizona rose her head up, turning to look at Spike, "You should be more happy that we're still alive, Spike," She said gravely. "If I hadn't learn how to fight, then we'd both be dinners to those varmints, and that would've sealed the fate of Fœnum as we know it. And all chances of getting you back home for that matter."

With that, all feelings of joy and relief quickly dissipated from Spike and were replaced with dreads, "Oh yeah, that too," He muttered, while realizing how close they were to death at that time. Spike gulped as he recalls the fire, the wolves, the snake, and how close they were to killing him that time. "Well, now that that's over, let's just keep going. Where to next?"

"Just a little further up north, there's a town of some nice horse folks," Arizona answered. "It's not Ponyville, but hopefully it's a nice place where I can leave ya."

"Okay then. Let's-wait, what?!" Spike turned to look at Arizona with wide eyes. "What did you say?"

"I'm just gonna leave ya with some horses Spike," Arizona replied. "Until I get back to pick ya up."

"But why?"

"Because it's too dangerous for a little fella like you!" Arizona began. "After what happened back in the field, how ya set the place on fire, and how ya nearly got eaten by them varmints. There's no possible way you'll survive if I let you come with me, wherever I'm going."

"Okay, first off, I didn't set that place on fire! Honest! It just happened all of a sudden! And I don't know how," He began. "And second of all, I need to get home, and fast! You said there are some unicorns out there who can get me home, and that's where we're going!"

Arizona frowned, while looking sternly at the dragon, "Do ya really want to get home?" She asked.

"Yes!"

Next thing he knew, Spike was knocked off his feet, when Arizona swept her leg, under him. The young cow quickly placed a strong hoof, pinning him down.

"Then listen good!" She mooed strongly. "You don't stand a chance in this world! If you come with me, you're risking yourself in greater dangers! And if a predator catches you, you're not going to last for more than a second! And then yer never getting home! I've got a prairie and a world to save, so I'm not always going to be there to protect ya, or bail ya out! Understand?" Frightened by her angry stares, Spike nodded his head, to which Arizona softened her gaze. 

Taking a deep breath, Arizona spoke in a calmer tone, " Look, I'm sorry it had to be this way, Spike. I like ya. Yer a good kid, even for a dragon. But once we get to town, that's where we say good-bye." With that, Arizona turned her back, and started off into the sunset. "And until this whole predator conflict is over. Then I'll come back to fetch ya, and then we can go to the Woodlands."

Arizona hadn't gone far, when Spike stopped her, "Wait!" He shouted. "Teach me, Arizona! Teach me to fight!" Arizona turned and looked at Spike, raising an eyebrow in confusion, "Think for a moment. Maybe if I learn how to protect myself, then maybe you don't have to worry about me all the time. And who knows, I could even help you find the Prophet's Key. That way, we'll both be helping each other reach our goals twice as fast, and better! What do you say?"

Arizona thought for a moment, before she spoke, "A calf like me, teaching a dragon like you how to fight?" She shook her head. "I don't know Spike. Something like that, it's just never been done before. And I just don't think it'll work."

"Please Arizona! I'm begging you!" Spike pleaded. "You're my only hope!"

Arizona heaved a heavy sigh, blowing a strand of her hair, 'I've gone from the Prairie's Champ’een to a dragon's babysitter, haven't I?' She asked, mentally.