//------------------------------// // 83. Dragon Quest - Part 1 // Story: Blaze the Pony Tale // by Wolven5 //------------------------------// The guys were hard at work digging a trench. Or at least Midnight, Thunderlane, and Soarin were. “Where are Mac and Blue?” Thunderlane complained as he wiped his brow of sweat. “They should be here helping us!” “Big Mac went with Twilight and Rainbow to try and get Fluttershy to come,” Midnight informed them as he levitated a large pile of dirt away. “But I doubt they’ll succeed. Fluttershy still has quite a hard case of dracophobia.” “And I saw Blueblood head over to Rarity’s,” Soarin added as he hefted a big rock out of the trench. “Ergh! Well what about AJ or Pinkie?! Thunderlane complained. “They and Spike are packing a lunch for everypony,” Midnight assured him. “After all, what good’s a show like the dragon migration without some eats?” “Nnope!” *BUCK* “…AAAAAAAAUUUUGGGGGHHHH!!!!” The guys looked up and saw Rainbow Dash come crashing down, luckily, into a large pile of dirt they’d set up, which unfortunately caused some of it to spill back into the trench, much to their chagrin. As they crowded around her, with irked expressions, Rainbow’s was derp-eyed as she mumbled, “I guess I’ll let her off the hook this time…” “Well, we’re not letting you off the hook for messing up our hard work!” Midnight snapped. “What just happened to you anyway?” “Ugh! Fluttershy absolutely refused to come watch the migration with us,” Rainbow scoffed in irritation as she stood up and shook the dirt from her wings. “So I tried to force her through the door but Big Mac forced me off of her, and then bucked me skyward!” “Was that his ‘nnope’ we heard earlier?” Soarin asked the million-bit question. “Forget the nnope!” Thunderlane snapped before giving Rainbow the stink eye. “You can finish digging the trench while we take a break. Come on, guys!” “Aw, come on, Thunder!” Rainbow protested but a murderous pure-white glare from Midnight’s eyes made her ‘eep’ and she dug as though her very life depended on it. Before long, everypony else, minus Rarity, Blueblood, and Big Mac, had arrived in the trench. Rarity and Blueblood had yet to arrive while Big Mac had elected to stay with Fluttershy to keep her company at her cottage. To be on the safe side, Twilight had brought camo-wear for everypony so the dragons would be less likely to spot them. Once they were all fitted, they all took their binoculars and started watching out for the firebreathers. “Not a dragon or even a cloud in sight,” Midnight whisper-announced. “Shouldn’t be any of the latter,” Thunderlane whisper-replied. “I busted my primaries clearing the sky today in time for this!” “You don’t think we missed them, do you?” Rainbow asked fearfully. “No, I don’t think so,” Twilight replied. “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 attention to ourselves.” “Yoo-hoo!” They all startled and looked to see a red carpet roll straight to the makeshift stairs into their trench. And who else would be walking that red carpet but Rarity, and of course garbed in camo-wear as effective as hiding an elephant among a flock of sheep. Blueblood was wearing more sensible gear and just followed his fillyfriend, indifferent to her idiosyncrasies. “Well, what do you think?” Rarity asked as she posed. “Aren’t I the toast of the trench or what?” “You’ll be toast alright, when the dragons see ya paradin’ around in tha’ getup!” Applejack hissed to her. “Rarity, for the sake of your well-being and a lesson about your utter lack of common sense…” Midnight cast a spell and Rarity was engulfed in light. When it dimmed, she gasped in horror that he’d turned her outlandish-ly colored camo-wear to a more sensible color-scheme. “Augh! Midnight! How dare you ruin my fabulous camouflage?!” “With respect, love,” Blueblood interjected dryly, “I agree with Midnight’s action.” Before Rarity could proceed with her hissy, Pinkie announced, “Ahoy mateys, dragons roam!” And sure enough, the sky was filled with a storm of dragons! They came in all shapes and sizes and colors, the ponies below ‘ooh’ing and ‘aah’ing as they watched through their binoculars (except for Rarity, who watched through her opera-glasses). One yellow dragon dived and did a quick loop de’ loop before rising back up to join his brothers. “Amazing!” Twilight wowed while Rainbow blew the move a raspberry. “Pretty lame move. Is that all they got?” At that moment, one dragon bumped into another, that one blowing fire in rage, the ponies all ducking in time while Rainbow wasn’t as punctual. “You were saying, Dashie?” Soarin chuckled as he looked at her slightly singed face. “I… stand corrected,” Rainbow meeked. “I retract the word lame and substitute fierce.” “And formidable!” Rarity agreed “And super-duper-scary!” Pinkie squeaked. “Yeah, us dragons are definitely a force to be reckoned with!” Spike boasted as he handed out the vittles. But his smirk fell as Rainbow laughed, “Yeah, Spike, that’s one of the scariest aprons I’ve ever seen!” The girls laughed along with her while the guys stifled their chuckles. “What’s wrong with wearing an apron?!” Spike protested indignantly. “You won’t be laughing when you spill blueberries all over your scales!” – His eyes widened in realization before he corrected himself – “Feathers… That’s one tough stain!” “One tough stain against one lame dragon,” giggled Rainbow. “Okay, I think we’ve had our fill of laughing at Spike’s expense,” Soarin spoke up. “Indeed! Spike’s style is unique,” Rarity spoke up, wanting to aid in Spike’s defense. “He doesn’t have to look like other dragons.” “Or act like them,” Twilight added. “Our little Spikey-Wikey is perfect the way he is,” said Rarity while ruffling Spike’s spines “I don’t… act like other dragons?” Spike sounded like he was getting upset. “Oh not even close!” Pinkie answered him, even though he hadn’t actually been asking anypony. “But why would’ja want to, Spike?” Applejack asked. “Okay, I think you girls can stop now,” Midnight feared where this might be going. “You’ve something those dreadfully fierce dragons could never dream of having,” Rarity hadn’t heard Midnight. “What’s that?” Spike asked, only to get his cheeks smooshed as Rarity unknowingly rubbed him the wrong way. “Your cutest wittle chubby cheeks, ooh!” she answered in a slight baby voice. “Cute?! Dragons aren’t supposed to be cute!” Spike said in horror as he blushed in embarrassment. “It’s no big deal, Spike!” Thunderlane said with a nervous smile but Rarity continued to tickle the sleeping dragon, so to speak. “Oh, sweetie, you are turning the most delightful shade of red, it is most becoming!” “ERRRRGGGHH!” Spike stormed off, humiliated, as the ponies watched. “Spike, come back!” Midnight groaned and gave the girls the stink-eye, “How can you air-headed females be so insensitive?!” “Air-headed females?!” Twilight repeated indignantly. “Insensitive, moi?!” Rarity agreed. “Wha’s got you all saddle-sore about?” Applejack demanded. “Girls, don’t you realize what you all just did?” Soarin asked. “What? We were only complimenting our sweet little Spikey-Wikey!” Rarity pouted. “Rarity,” Blueblood spoke up, “you emasculated Spike!” “”What?!” the girls all uttered in confusion. “You all hurt Spike’s feelings by comparing and contrasting him to those dragons up there,” Thunderlane explained. “You all injured his pride, as a dragon and as a guy!” The mares finally got it through their feminine heads as they all looked to Spike as he disappeared into Ponyville. “Oh Spike…” Twilight muttered regretfully.