//------------------------------// // Meanwhile, back in Equestria // Story: The Fighting Dragon // by Phantom-Dragon //------------------------------// In the library of the Castle of Friendship, Starlight and Trixie were rummaging through the pages of every spell books and scrolls they could find, including the ones Starlight had recovered from the ruined library of the Castle of the Two Sisters, desperately searching for an answer to find Spike and bring him back home. "Come on, come on!" Starlight grimaced, turning the pages of a book she was reading. "It's just got to be in here!" "Ooh!" Trixie exclaimed when she looked through some of Starswirl the Bearded's lost notes. "Here's an idea! Let's use this old spell on mirrors and use it to find Spike! I mean, Star Swirl has used it before when it comes to multiverse travels!" See the Legends of Magic Annual 2018. Starlight turned to Trixie, "Sounds like a good idea, Trixie," Starlight began, in an unamused tone. "If you know the spell on getting a firm lock on the world Spike's trapped in!" With a frustrated sigh, Starlight resumes looking back through the books. "Geez, calm down, Starlight," Trixie frowned. "We'll find Spike." "Calm down?!" Starlight began. "Calm down?! HOW CAN I BE CALM?!" Starlight began, with her eyes twitching, and red smokes billowing from her horn. "It's been three days since we lost Spike. Thorax is breathing down our necks. Spike's probably in another world where dragons could be a delicacy, and we're still not making any progress on finding an answer to bring him home, Twilight could be back home at any time now, and HERE you are acting all cool and casual about it?! HOW CAN I BE CALM?!!" Frightened beyond any reasons, Trixie conjured up a teacup, with tea in it, "Tea?" She smiled, while sweating a storm. Before Starlight was about to blow her top, the door opened up, and there stood Big Mac, with Discord, "Why hello ladies," Discord greeted. "So sorry for dropping by unannounced. We just came here to see if the Spike-man's up for a guy's night." "Eeyup," Big Mac agreed. "Hope he's feeling alright. We haven't seen him for awhile now, and it almost felt like he just up and left." Starlight and Trixie were sweating together, knowing how on the money Big Mac was, unknowingly, "Really?" Starlight smiled sheepishly. "You don't say," She chuckled nervously, sounding and looking almost like Twilight at the moment. "Yeah, that's absurd," Trixie joined. "What makes you say that? Surely, the Great and Powerful Trixie would've known if the little dragon's gone, or something." The boys exchanged looks of confusions, bewildered at the girls' strange behavior. Rather than asking about it, the boys shrugged their shoulders, "Uh huh, so where's the S-Dragon?" Discord asked, turning his head a full 360°. "Oh, him," Starlight thought, before she grabbed Trixie. "We'll go and get him! Be right back!" With that, the two unicorns disappeared in a burst of lights, leaving the two boys confused. Trixie and Starlight reappeared, within the Changeling kingdom. After an escort from the guards and their commander, Pharynx, the girls were left alone in the throne room, with Thorax. "So, what's the word?" Thorax asked. "Is Spike back? Did you find him?" The girls looked to each other, saddened, before dipping their heads in answer. "Guess not," Thorax frowned, slumping back in his throne. "What do you want now? Do I have to pose as a model for Rarity, again? Do I need to go to the Dragons' Land again and get my flank roasted, again?" Thorax frowned, while showing the spot where he got scorched. "Or do you want me to go to the Rumble Rocky Range and dig up gems like Spike does, which by the way I'm not doing it again! I still got some bite marks from the Diamond Dogs to show for it!!" "Relax, Thorax," Starlight replied. "Nothing like that. We just need you to fill in for Spike, in his Guy's Night with Discord and Big Mac." "Yeah, you know them, don't you?" Trixie asked. "How can I not?" Thorax grumbled. "Discord helped us rescue our friends and defeated Chrysalis. And Big Mac is that red earth pony who's always saying 'yup' and 'nope' to everything." Then, Thorax had an epiphany, "Wait! That's it! Why don't we get Discord to help?! Surely, he can get Spike back!" "Absolutely not!" Trixie frowned. "What? Why not?" Thorax and Starlight asked. "Reformed or not, he's still Discord!" Trixie grumbled. "He can be unpredictable! Who knows what kind of tricks he'd pull on us, or what he'll do to us if we explain to him about our predicament! Besides, I'm still suffering from some shameful scars he's inflicted on me from my last show!" "Well, what choices do we have?" Thorax frowned. "We can't keep this bottled between us any longer! We need his help if we're going to get Spike back!" "I hate to say this, Trixie," Starlight began. "But Thorax's right. Discord's got all the powers. And hopefully, they'll be enough to get Spike back." Trixie pouted, miffed that she was passed over by her best friend, and their changeling friend. Later "So let me get this straight," Discord began, as he and Big Mac were sitting around the Friendship Map, together with Thorax, Starlight, and Trixie. "The Self-Absorbed and Below Average Trixie has done screwed up another magic trick, and she literally made my buddy Spike disappear out of thin air, and you've been keeping this to yourselves from the public for three days now?" Discord shook his head while clicking his tongue repeatedly, with Big Mac shaking his head in agreement. "For shame, for shame. It's bad girls like you two who make friendship a witchcraft." "Eeyup." "Oh I'll show you witchcraft, Dip-cord!" Trixie growled, irritated from the mocking nickname the draconequus had given her. Before a fight could break out, Starlight kept Trixie at bay, "Well, now that the cat's out of the bag. Can you please make yourself useful and get Spike back?" Starlight asked. "Well of course I'll get Spike back!" Discord answered. "Really?" "You bet. Just as soon as I write a letter to Twilight and Celly, and then we'll have Spike home in a heartbeat," Discord said, conjuring a quill and a piece of paper. "Wait! NO!" Starlight screamed, as she and Trixie desperately tackled the draconequus. "Hey! Gettin' a little too close for comfort there!" Discord grumbled, snapping the girls off of him. "Please, I'm begging you Discord!" Starlight frowned. "Don't tell Twilight! Because if she finds out what a mess we've made, she'll bury me alive, and dance on my grave! Or worse, she could talk to Princess Celestia and send me to the moon! I'm not exaggerating!" She declared dramatically, before she paused for a moment, "Well, technically, I am. But still, just don't tell Twilight, Celestia, or anyone else what happened! And that goes double for you Big Mac!" "What?!" Big Mac exclaimed, appalled. "I don't know," Discord replied. "I kinda want to see you gettin' blasted to the moon. I mean, you haven't become an alicorn yet and almost half the bronies wanted to see that. And then some," He stared at Trixie, who blew a raspberry in defiance. "Can we please get back into getting my buddy back?" Thorax asked, growing impatient and frustrated from all the tension that was going on around him. "The sooner we get him back, the happier we'll be!" Looking back to each other, Starlight and Discord nodded, before they exchanged a hoof and paw shake. "Do you promise?" Starlight asked. "I promise," Discord replied, holding a claw up. "Just as long as you promise we'll get Spike back, safe and sound!" "I don't know how I can uphold that kind of promise," Starlight grumbled. "But as long as you don't mess around, then yes!" "Then it's a Pinkie Promise. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Discord recited the chant. "Because break a promise copyrighted by Pinkie Pie, better kiss your flank good-bye." Trixie and Starlight looked horrified at the last part, while Discord cracked his knuckles, "Hold on, Spike!" With a snap of his fingers, the draconequus opened up a dimensional doorway. "Here we come!" Donning up a super hero costume, while blowing a bugle, sounding a dramatic super hero theme, Discord revved his feet up like wheels as he dove into the portal, only for the portal to close up before his whole body can enter. "Uh, Discord?" Thorax asked. "Are you okay?" There was no reply. Why do you ask? Well it's hard for a draconequus like Discord to answer, when...... "HIS HEAD IS MISSING!!!" Thorax screamed.