Prologue: Meet the Dragoons

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"Ugh, I swear. This is why I only travel by airship. How anypony can sleep with that clickity-clackity racket outside is beyond my comprehension."

Ivory Tusk grumbled to no one in particular as he stumbled into an empty dining car wearing a white robe and nightcap. He snorted with disgust when he realized that it was pitch black, with only the moon and stars outside illuminating the room. He could feel the hairs of his bushy white mustache bristle as he wrinkled his nose and sat down.

"If the kitchen is closed, I'm really going to be mad," he griped. His horn glowed with a gentle tan aura as he turned on the lantern above him with his magic. "I might even send a complaint. Well, I would if I ever planned on setting foot on one of these accursed locomotives ever again. Honestly, I'd rather listen to rocs screeching in my ear nonstop than endure another minute of this—"

"Howdy there. Mind if I join you?"

Ivory's musings were interrupted by a sharp yet smooth voice at the front of the car. He looked up and adjusted his monocle, only to recoil in bewilderment. Standing at the sliding door was a small yellow dragon with a mole on her left cheek. She was holding a silky white parasol and had a small brown bag strapped to her waist. Ivory's lips flapped absently as he tried to form a single thought to no avail. The dragon raised an eyebrow.

"What's up with you? You act like you never saw a dragon before," she said.

"W-well, I have," said Ivory, finally finding his voice. "Plenty of times, actually. I'm one of the few ponies who can claim that much. I-it's just that—"

"You never saw one takin' a train before," said the dragon, completing his thought.

"Y-yes, that," said Ivory.

The dragon sighed. "Well, dragons can take trains if they wanna, alright? It just so happens that there's someplace I wanna go."

"Oh, I-I see," said Ivory, clearing his throat. "W-well, please. H-have a seat."

"Thank you kindly, sir," said the dragon with a smile. She walked over to the seat and hopped on up before extending her claw. "I'm Needles, by the way. Pleasure to meetcha."

"I-Ivory Tusk. Likewise, I think," said Ivory, tentatively returning the gesture. "Um, if I may be so bold, where are you headed?"

Needles shrugged her shoulders and reached into the bag around her waist. "Dunno. I'm a bit of a drifter, y'see," she said absently. "Well, in a sense. It's a bit hard to talk about." She then pulled out a piece of topaz and popped it into her mouth before taking out another. "Want one?"

"Oh, uh, no thank you," said Ivory, shaking his head.

"Your loss," said Needles, munching away at the topaz as if it were popcorn. "So, what about you? Where're you headed?"

"Oh, er, back to Canterlot," said Ivory. "I was just out in Mustangia visiting a colleague of mine."

"I see," said Needles absently. As she spoke, she was glancing out the window. Curious, Ivory turned his head to see what she was looking at. However, all he could make out was a barren wasteland under a starry night sky. After a pause, Needles cleared her throat.

"Actually, now that I think about it, I think I might know you from someplace," she said, stroking her chin in thought.

Ivory's shock slowly dissipated as he puffed out his chest in pride. "Ah, so your kind has heard of me as well. I suppose it's not really that surprising. I am the most famous big game hunter in Equestria."

"Big game hunter, eh?" said Needles, leaning forward and arching an eyebrow. "Ain't that just a fancy word for, poacher?"

Ivory's face turned as white as his mustache. "O-oh dear. Faux pas. Um, I-I assure you, I haven't been hunting any dragons. In fact, I've never hunted a dragon in my entire life. Wh-why would I want to hurt such magnificent creatures? Eh heh heh..."

"But you just got through sayin' that you've seen plenty of 'em, given your profession," said Needles. "What exactly am I supposed to make of that, hmm?"

Sweat tricked down Ivory's brow. "Well, you see, i-it's my colleague! Yes, the colleague I was just telling you about. He happens to be interested in exotic animals as well."

"Hmm. Y'don't say," said Needles, staring out the window again. "And, what did you say your colleague's name was?"

Ivory looked out the window again. This time, he managed to catch sight of a dark silhouette against the moon. "I say. What could that b—"

A plume of hot amber smoke blasted into Ivory's cheek as Needles let out an angry snort.

"His name," she repeated coldly. "I want his name."

Ivory rubbed his singed cheek and gave Needles a dark look. "Now see here, you ruffian! What was that all about?!"

"Still not gettin' an answer to that question, pal," said Needles, tossing another piece of topaz into her mouth.

"Why in the wide, wide world of Equestria do you want to know?" Ivory snarled.

Needles scoffed. "Don't play dumb, Mr. Tusk. You've heard the stories. It's all over the Mild West."

"I'm afraid I don't follow."

Needles deadpanned. "I can't tell if you're playin' dumb or if you really are this dumb. You mean to tell me that you've heard nothin' 'bout the rash of dragon poachin' that's been goin' on for the past month? Not even from this colleague of yours?"

Ivory brushed the back of his head sheepishly. "W-well, maybe in passing, but I thought nothing of it. A-after all, it can't be anything but idle gossip. Even a prestigious hunter such as myself would think twice before trying to bag something as rare or as powerful as a dragon. N-now, a hydra is a different story. You see—"

"I ain't interested in that, y'varmint," Needles spat, cutting across Ivory before he could change the subject. "I've been entrusted to take these dragon poachers down, and I have no intention of disappointin' my employers."

Ivory blinked. "Wait, wait. Employers? What're you talking a—"

"I'm askin' the questions here, bucko," Needles snarled. "Now, you just told me that your colleague has seen some dragons himself. Are you gonna tell me who he is, or am I gonna have to mess you up?"

Ivory narrowed his eyes. "For your information, I was referring to a safari we went on last month just outside the Mewlun Mountains. We didn't hunt anything; we were just sightseeing."

"Likely story," said Needles, chomping down on another topaz.

Ivory bristled and snorted. "Now look here, madam. I will not be bullied in this manner. I know nothing about these dragon poachers, and I doubt my colleague does, either. I don't know how you managed to get on this train, but by thunder, I will throw you off personally if you don't stop pestering me about things I have no connection with."

Needles looked out the window again before giving Ivory a sideways glance. "Y'sure you wanna take that tone with me, partner?"

"Why shouldn't I?" Ivory huffed. "You may be a dragon, but I am a skilled hunter. A tyke such as yourself is simply outclassed. Especially since you intend on taking me on alone."

Needles smirked. "Who said I was alone?"

There was a long, awkward pause. The only sounds heard were the clicking and clacking of the train wheels. Ivory arched an eyebrow and scoffed. Needles let out a groan and turned towards the door.

"I said, who said I was alone?!" she repeated.

Another bout of silence. Needles's face flushed bright red as she turned back to Ivory.

"H-hold on a moment," she said. She hopped off her seat and marched over to the door, grumbling and growling all the while. "Dagnabbit, what's takin' 'em so long? They should be done with it by—"

Suddenly, a burst of vermillion flame flashed by the window on the sliding door. A few seconds later, the clacking of the train wheels appeared to slow down in tempo. Ivory dabbed the sweat off of his brow with his nightcap as he nervously looked around the room.

"U-um, what was that?" he inquired.

Before Needles could answer, two figures burst through the sliding door. One was a burly Diamond Dog with black fur and large, intimidating jowls. He wore a braided cloak with a zigzag design and a sombrero, and he had a miniature cannon strapped to his back. Perched upon his shoulder was small white dragon with eyes of sapphire, wringing his claws nervously.

"So sorry for the delay, Needles," said the dragon. "Turns out those couplers are a bit more durable than we thought. Ehheh..."

"Save the excuses for later, Trigger," Needles sighed, rolling her eyes.

"N-now wait just a minute!" Ivory bellowed. "What's all this about?!"

The Diamond Dog snorted and hefted up his miniature cannon. "We don't need to answer that, ese. Just tell us what we want to know about the dragon poachers."

"I already told your friend here that I don't know anything about these dragon poachers!" Ivory boomed. "Now, I demand an explanation for this!"

"Don't change the subject, potro," the Diamond Dog growled. "No one pulls a fast one on Toro the Bulldog."

"I suggest you listen to us, Mister Poacher, sir," said Trigger with a toothy grin. "You see, we just detached this car from the rest of the train. You're stuck with us until you give us the information we need. Ehheh... Ehheh..."

Ivory's eyes went wide. "Are you nuts?! There are probably dozens of other ponies on this train besides me! You're stranding them, too!"

Needles blanched. "Th-that ain't true. You're bluffin'. All the other passengers should be in the sleeper cars up ahead."

"Um, are you sure about that, Needles?" asked Trigger, tilting his head. "I always thought that the dining cars went before the sleeper cars."

Needles shot Trigger an angry look. "Well, if you thought that, why didn't you tell me before we set this up?!"

"I-I didn't want to question your judgement, my lovely little desert flower!" Trigger whimpered defensively. "I-I figured you'd know better than I would. Ehheh... Ehheh..."

Needles slapped her forehead. "Trigger, I know you have a brain in that thick skull of yours, and I really wish you'd use it every once in a while! Didn't we agree that we'd try not to drag other ponies into this mess?! You should've said somethin'!"

"I-I'm sorry, Needles," said Trigger, twiddling his fingers.

"It's too late for apologies, Señor Trigger," said Toro somberly. "Besides, Señor Flint and Señor Steel said it wouldn't matter anyway as long as we got what we came for."

"Which is exactly why I'm the brains of this outfit and not them," Needles spat. "Don't let 'em plant those ideas into your head, Toro. Remember, we're vigilantes, not criminals."

Toro scratched his head. "I was always under the impression that we were mercenaries, Señorita Needles."

"Th-that, too. Look, don't go confusin' me!" Needles sputtered. "We still have a job to do here!"

"Um, excuse me. Don't I get a say in this?" asked Ivory.

"You stay where you are, cazadore!" Toro barked, aiming his cannon at Ivory. "We have you surrounded, so it's in your best interest to cooperate."

Ivory blinked and turned around. Strangely, there was no one behind him. Needles pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Ugh, as if this couldn't get any worse," she groaned. "Trigger, go outside and find out what those boneheads are—"

She was interrupted by a sudden crash as the ceiling above caved in. When the dust settled, two teenage dragons appeared. One was a short fellow with eyes of silver and scaled that shined like obsidian. The other was a lanky fellow with grey scales. The taller fellow wore red war paint on his face and a headband with a feather in it, and for some inexplicable reason, he had a bow and a quiver full of arrows slung over his shoulder.

"Halt, villain!" the tall dragon roared, striking a heroic pose. "You are in the presence of the roughest toughest seekers of justice in all the Mild West! Bow before the might of the Dragoons!"

The short dragon covered his face with his hands. "Must you go through that same speech every single flipping time we're on a mission?"

The taller dragon pouted. "Flint, get it together," he hissed through gritted teeth. "You're ruining the moment."

"Moment's already been ruined, Steel," Needles sighed, folding her arms. "Turns out someone neglected to mention that the sleeper cars go before the dinin' car." She glared at Trigger as she stated this, to which Trigger shrugged sheepishly.

"Big deal," Flint scoffed. "You can't make a phoenix omelette without breaking a few eggs. So, what's going on here? We just roast this guy and collect our reward?"

Ivory snorted. "That does it! I am not going to tolerate this tomfoolery anymore! If you want dragon poachers, I'll gladly play the part!"

He fired a beam of magic straight at Flint and Steel, barely grazing Flint's horn. Flint sneered and cracked his knuckles.

"You really think you can hold a candle to the guys we've been tracking?" he said. "Peh, don't make me laugh. I'm gonna have so much fun taking you out."

"N-now, Flint. R-rember what we talked about," said Trigger. "N-no unnecessary roughness. That's the rule."

"Oh, trust me, short stuff. I find this very necessary," said Flint, leering at Ivory Tusk with hungry eyes. "So, how do you like to be cooked? Well done or overdone?"

"Hold there, comrade," said Steel, raising his claw. "Let me handle this. I know just how to fix this poacher's little red wagon."

He took up his bow and fitted an arrow to it. Flint arched an eyebrow.

"Seriously, Steel? You're seriously considering this?" he said.

Steel gave Flint a quizzical look. "What's wrong with it?"

"Remind me, Steel. You're a dragon, right?"

"Last I checked."

"You have razor sharp claws, you can fly, and you can breathe fire."

"Um, yeah. What's your point?"

"Why in the name of all that is sensible would you ever need a bow and arrow?!"

Steel sighed. "Are we seriously on this again? Look, this isn't an ordinary bow and arrow. These arrowheads are made out of charcoal. I use my fire breath to light them. They're fire arrows."

"Just forget the arrows and use your fire like a normal dragon!" Flint howled.

Steel crossed his arms. "Flint, if I did that, I'd just be doing the same thing you're doing. That isn't going to help the Dragoons any. I need to stand out somehow. Ms. Needles is our leader, Mr. Trigger is our tactician, Mr. The Bulldog is our strongman, and you fly around and burn stuff. I want to do something that only I can do."

"Steel, you're being ridiculous. Again," Flint growled. "You don't know the first thing about archery! There isn't a dragon alive who does! You know why? We have no use for it!"

Needles palmed her face. "Would you two idiots stop bickerin' and get it together before this varmint—"

She was cut off by a burst of tan energy erupting from Ivory's horn and smacking Flint square in the chest. Every muscle in his body seized up, and he fell to the ground with a thud.

"Oh my gosh!" Steel exclaimed. "Flint, speak to me, pal! Are you okay?!"

"Do I looch oka to ya?!" Flint snarled, his speech hampered by his paralyzed jaw.

An angry inferno ignited in Steel's eyes as he glared at Ivory. "Don't worry, Flint ole buddy ole pal! I'll avenge you!"

He slipped and arrow from his quiver and lit it on fire with his breath. He then fitted the arrow to the bow and struck a contemplative pose.

"Hmm. Now, how do I go about firing this thing with igniting the bow?" he pondered aloud. He fiddled around with his weapon, trying ever so carefully to keep the flames from touching the actual bow. Toro obscured his eyes with his sombrero. Needles palmed her face and shook her head. Ivory simply looked on in bemused contempt.

"H-hang on, hang on. I just want to get this right. I've never worked with this kind of thing before," said Steel. After a few seconds of stalling, he finally figured it out. "Alright, let's see if this works. Prepare to meet your—"

He was cut off by a magic blast hitting him in the chest. He fell besides Flint, his paralyzed claws still clutching his bow and arrow.

"Ipph you juch ushed your fire, thish wouldn't 'ave 'appened," Flint scolded.

"Oh, shut uuh," Steel moaned.

"Well, that's two down," said Ivory, turning to Needles. "And you're next."

Needles narrowed her eyes. "Bring it."

Ivory obliged, firing a fourth beam from his horn. Needles was about to sidestep it when a yell from above distracted her.

"Needles, look out!"

Something behind Needles tackled her to the ground, taking the brunt of the attack. When Needles got to her feet, she saw that it was Trigger, lying in a heap. Needles rolled her eyes.

"My hero," she said sardonically. "You know, I can do my own dodgin', Trigger."

"J-jusht, making sure you were oka, my lovely Needles," Trigger grunted. "Ehheh..."

Needles heaved a great sigh. "Sometimes, I worry about ya, Trigger," she said. She held up her claw, and a small bit of energy formed between her fingers. "Alright, I didn't want to do this, but it looks like my claws are tied."

"I can still take him out, Señorita Needles," said Toro.

"And blow half the train to kingdom come? I think we've done enough damage already," said Needles grimly. "Let's just put an end to this."

Without even looking behind her, she flung the bit of energy at Ivory. The star-shaped bolt hit him straight in the horn, causing a magic surge that knocked him out cold. Needles heaved another sigh.

"Hopefully, he won't remember me doin' that," she mumbled. "Toro, we'd best not stick around for the police to find us. Vamanos."

Toro nodded. He carried the three paralyzed dragons outside and dove underground, taking them with him. Needles looked back on the damage she and her friends caused and heaved one final sigh before following suit.

Why can't I do anythin' right? she thought.

***

By the time the Dragoons arrived back to their hideout, Flint, Steel, and Trigger had all recovered from their paralysis. Toro poked his head out to see if the coast was clear. Needles heard him swallow.

"Um, Señorita Needles? You might want to see this," he said.

Needles knew full well what that meant. With a groan, she climbed out of the hole Toro provided. Just as she thought, a familiar-looking buffalo stood outside of their hideout. And she was not happy.

"Guys, we need to talk," she said.

Needles sighed. "Strongheart, it's almost one in the mornin'. Can't this wait?"

Little Strongheart shook her head. "I'm afraid it can't, Needles. Now come out of there. All of you."

Needles sighed again. "You heard the lady, fellas."

One by one, each of the Dragoons crawled out of the hole, with Steel having to drag Flint.

"Can't you go one day without busting our chops, LS?" Flint groused. "I mean, you got what you paid for. You hired us to track down those poachers or whatever, and we're doing it."

"Last I checked, Needles was willing to do this for free," Little Strongheart said with a snort. "She only mentioned payment because she knew you two wouldn't do it otherwise."

"I would've done it," Steel piped up.

"Shut up, Steel," Flint snarled.

Needles took a deep breath. "Look, our plan had a few holes; I'll admit that."

"A few holes?" said Little Strongheart, arching an eyebrow. "You stranded dozens of ponies in the desert."

"We didn't mean to, Ms. Strongheart, ma'am," said Trigger nervously. "We were chasing a lead to finding the poachers' hideout. Honest."

Little Strongheart massaged the bridge of her nose with her hoof. "Guys, you were breaking the law."

"To catch the bad guys," Flint retorted.

"That doesn't make it okay, Flint," Needles growled through gritted teeth.

Flint cast his gaze upward. "Oh, sure. Lecture us again, o mighty Dragon Mage in training. Teach us your altruistic ways that make you such an annoying prude."

Needles's eye twitched. "I am not a prude!" she snarled. "And I'll thank you not to mock the Dragon Magi! I'm trying to live up to their legacy now!"

"S-see, that's why I didn't want to question you, Needles," said Trigger. "The Dragon Magi are supposed to have the answer for everyone who needs guidance. I-I didn't want to undermine that."

Needles took in a sharp breath. "Trigger, why do you think I ran away from the Dragon Magi in the first place? I'm not always right! I don't know how the Dragon Magi can claim to always be right! And just because I'm tryin' to figure that out and follow in their footsteps doesn't mean you have to lie to me every time I screw up!"

Trigger slunk away from Needles. "I-I'm sorry, my dear Needles. Really, I am. Ehheh..."

Little Strongheart sighed. "Guys, this has to stop. You said this Dragoon gang would do what's right, but even after all this time, you've been going about it the wrong way."

Toro shrugged. "I wasn't aware there was a right way, Señorita Strongheart. Honestly, right and wrong don't matter much as long as we get gems in the end. Nevertheless, I try my best to follow Señorita Needles's example."

Needles massaged her temples. "Do you see what I have to put up with, Strongheart? I'm tryin' to do the right thing, but that's not in our group interest. And I can't just leave these guys, either. Especially not Trigger; he'd follow me no matter where I go."

"Oh, Needles~! Why must your words be so harsh?" Trigger moaned melodramatically. "You act like that's a bad thing. Ehheh... Ehheh..."

Little Strongheart knitted her brow. "I understand how you feel, Needles. Flint and Steel are sharing their shelter with you—"

"Begrudgingly," Flint interjected.

Little Strongheart shot Flint a glare and continued. "And Toro and Trigger did promise that they'd help you figure out your true path. However, and I mean no disrespect, they don't know the path of the Dragon Magi. I'm not sure if they're helping you any."

Needles cast her eyes downward. "Yeah, well. I kinda wanna help them, too. Toro's been my partner ever since I left the Dragon Magi, and Trigger's, well, Trigger. I want 'em to have a better life than this. Heck, I want all of us to have a better life."

"I'll have a better life when you bandits get out of my house," Flint grumbled.

"Now now, Flint. Don't be such a sourpuss," chided Steel. "I think being a proud and noble dragon is a good thing. If nothing else, it means we stay in the buffalo tribe's good graces."

Little Strongheart deadpanned. "That's not noble, Steel. That's being a suck-up."

Steel blushed. "O-oh. Right. I'll, try not to do that. Heh heh..."

Flint palmed his face and shook his head. "Why me?"

Needles rolled her eyes and turned back to Little Strongheart. "Look, we'll pay for the damages when the sun comes up, and Toro will work on findin' a better lead. We'll catch them dragon poachers, I promise you."

Little Strongheart nodded. "I suppose that's the best I can get out of you guys. Just remember, I told you about the poachers not just out of duty for my tribe, but because I thought it would help you guys shape up."

"I know, I know," said Needles with a yawn. She then smiled. "And don't think I ain't grateful for that, even if my compadres aren't. C'mon, guys. Let's hit the hay. We've got a big day tomorrow. Seeya around, Strongheart."

With that, the Dragoons disappeared back underground as Toro dug a tunnel into their hideout. Little Strongheart sighed and shook her head.

Poor Needles. She really needs a better mentor if she's going to be noble and wise like the Dragon Magi, she thought. Hmm. Hang on. The Dragon Dance Festival is approaching. There's one dragon that I've never thought to invite to this sacred event. And I think he's just the dragon to set Needles and the Dragoons on the right path...

Reconnection and Roots

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"So, you had to go through all that just to deliver a wagon full of pies?!"

"Eeyup."

"Whoa. Dude, that takes some serious guts."

Big Macintosh gave Spike a modest shrug. "It ain't that big a deal."

"You always say that," Spike said, rolling his eyes.

Big Macintosh simply shrugged again and turned his attention to the window. For a time, the only sounds Spike could here were the clicking and clacking of the train wheels and the conversations of other passengers. Becoming restless, he took out the letter from Little Strongheart and read it over again.

"I still can't believe Little Strongheart is inviting me to this Dragon Dance Festival," he said. "I never even heard of it until just yesterday."

"Same here," said Big Macintosh, still looking out the window. "Accordin' to Braeburn, it's some kinda buffalo tradition."

"That sounds pretty neat," said Spike. "Heh, good thing Twilight gave me the week off to check it out. It's been a while since I've seen Chief Thunderhooves and his tribe. I'm actually kinda nervous."

Big Macintosh breathed out a short laugh. "You ain't the only one."

Spike looked up and raised an eyebrow. "What're you talking about, Big Mac? You never get nervous about anything."

Big Macintosh brushed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, I ain't as familiar with them buffalo folk as Cousin Braeburn is. I wouldn't know what to say to 'em."

Spike shrugged. "Well, just say what you always say to everypony. That always works for you, doesn't it?"

Big Macintosh snickered. "I don't think that's what Braeburn had in mind when he invited me out here, Spike."

"Whatever, man," said Spike with a wave of his claw. "All I know is that this sounds like something pretty special, and I can't think of a better way to spend my vacation."

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh concurred.

"Appleloosa station! Watch your step, everypony!"

"Whoop! That's us," said Spike. He quickly stashed the letter away and hopped off of his seat.

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh said simply, getting up from his own seat. The two of them quickly ventured onto the platform. As soon as they set foot off of the train, Braeburn bounded in and gave Big Macintosh a hug.

"Cousin Big Mac! Good to seeya, you ole sonnofa gun!" he cheered.

"Oof. N-nice to see ya too, Braeburn," Big Macintosh grunted, returning the embrace. "It's been too long."

"Sure has," said Braeburn, releasing Big Macintosh. "You all excited 'bout the Dragon Dance Festival? Little Strongheart says this is the first time anypony has been a part of it."

"Y'don't say," Big Macintosh mused, furrowing his brow. "In that case, I'm quite flattered that you decided to invite me."

"Aw, shoot. Don't mention it, Big Mac," said Braeburn with a tip of his hat. "It's like my pa used to say: What better way to make history than with family by your side? Besides, I figured you could use a break from all that singin' you've been doin' lately. Gotta say, I never took ya for the singin' type."

Big Macintosh did a double take. "Who told ya 'bout the Ponytones?"

"Granny Smith did in her last letter," said Braeburn with a smirk. "She's really proud of ya, y'know."

Big Macintosh brushed the back of his foreleg leg with his hoof. "I should've known. Ah well, it was bound to come out sometime."

"Ain't that the truth," Braeburn laughed. He then noticed Spike down by Big Macintosh's feet. "Oh, hey Spike! Didn't see ya for a minute there."

"Meh, I'm used to it," said Spike with a self-mocking chuckle. "How're things here in Appleloosa?"

"Couldn't be better," said Braeburn proudly. "And let me just say that you're in for a real treat tonight."

"Yeah, Little Strongheart already told me about the Dragon Dance Festival thing," said Spike, taking out the invitation. "Do you know what it's all about, Braeburn?"

"Perhaps it's best if I explain."

A familiar voice made its way into the conversation. Spike turned to see Little Strongheart trotting across the platform. He waved to her, and she bowed in return.

"It's an honor to have you take part in this year's Dragon Dance Festival, Spike," she said. "I honestly feel guilty about not inviting you before."

"It's just as well. I've been pretty busy myself," said Spike with a shrug. "So, this is supposed to be a big deal for the buffalo, yeah?"

"Indeed," said Little Strongheart. "The Dragon Dance Festival is a week-long celebration of our camaraderie with the dragons. It's been a buffalo tradition for generations, and Chief Thunderhooves has permitted outsiders to take part in it for the first time."

Spike tilted his head. "Wait, this is the first time he's doing this? But I thought you and the Appleloosans have been getting along for moons now. That's what you've told me in your letters."

"And it's true," said Little Strongheart with a nod. "However, we know that ponies don't understand dragons nearly as well as we do. We felt many aspects of the festival would be lost on them. That is, until a certain pony showed us that cultural differences didn't matter as long as everyone was having fun. I don't quite remember his name, though."

"Cheese Sandwich, I think it was," Braeburn mused.

"Mmm, that's probably it," Little Strongheart said thoughtfully. "Anyway, Chief Thunderhooves was moved by his words, and he decided that instead of keeping ponies away from our traditions, we can allow them to take part and teach them about our culture."

"Neat," said Spike. "So, why's it called the Dragon Dance Festival, exactly?"

"Why, that's very simple. The cornerstone of the festival is that we buffalo dance with the dragons."

"Ah, okay. That make se— WHAT?!"

Spike's jaw dropped to the floor. Big Macintosh raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Uh, do you mean metaphorically?" he inquired.

Little Strongheart giggled and shook her head. "Not at all. Apart from the Great Dragon Migration, the Dragon Dance Festival is the greatest gathering of dragons in the land. It's been that way ever since our ancestors started the tradition many moons ago."

Spike swallowed. "S-so, there are gonna be other dragons here?"

"Of course," said Little Strongheart.

Spike drew in a sharp breath through his teeth. "Hoo boy..."

Little Strongheart's face clouded with worry. "What's the matter, Spike?"

"Um, well, how do I put this?" said Spike, scratching his head. "I, don't talk to a lot of dragons all that much. And whenever I do, they turn out to be, uh, um, jerks. I mean, not that I think all dragons are jerks, seeing as I'm a dragon, but—"

Little Strongheart cut across Spike with a chuckle. "It's alright, Spike. I assure you, there's nothing for you to worry about. In fact, I have some dragon friends who're helping set things up. I'd love to introduce you to them."

"Well, I dunno," said Spike sheepishly. "I mean, I've spent my entire life around ponies. What if they don't like me?"

"Nonsense," said Little Strongheart with a shake of her head. "I happen to know these dragons quite well, and they're not going to care about that one bit."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Positive? 'Cause like I said, I've been burned by that kinda thing before."

"Trust me, they're very friendly," Little Strongheart insisted. "Come, I'll show you."

Spike tapped his chin with his claw and knitted his brow. After a pause, he shrugged his shoulders.

"Eh, I can't start this vacation with a bad attitude," he said. "Let's go meet your friends."

"That's the spirit," Little Strongheart cheered, lowering herself to her knees. "Climb on."

Spike obliged and turned to Big Macintosh. "I guess I'll be seeing you later then, huh?"

"Eeyup," said Big Macintosh with a nod. "Braeburn's gotta help me unpack and such."

"Plus, we've got some catchin' up to do," Braeburn added. "Don't worry, we'll see ya at the festival tonight."

"Alright, cool," said Spike. "Seeya at the festival."

With one final exchange of goodbyes, Little Strongheart took off like a shot. As she darted across the desert plains, butterflies manifested themselves within Spike's stomach.

I hope she's right about these dragons being friendly, he thought. Otherwise, this is not gonna be pretty...

***

In a matter of moments, Little Strongheart and Spike arrived at a familiar group of teepees just at the top of a mountain overlooking the town of Appleloosa. All of the buffalo were bustling about the camp, doing this that or the other. Some were carrying bowls overflowing with topaz while others balanced apple pies and other delicacies on their heads.

"Looks like preparations are in full swing," Spike observed.

"It's been that way since early this morning," said Little Strongheart. "You'll soon discover that we take the Dragon Dance Festival very seriously."

"Yeah, no kidding," said Spike, looking around the camp. "So, where are these dragon friends of yours?"

"Around and about," said Little Strongheart. "They're all doing different jobs. Ah, there are a couple of them now."

Spike looked to where Little Strongheart was pointing. A small yellow dragon with a mole on her cheek sat cross-legged on a rock with her eyes closed. Next to her, a white dragon with sapphire eyes was waving a fan in back of her, providing a cool breeze. He stopped when he noticed Little Strongheart approaching.

"O-oh! M-Ms. Strongheart!" he rasped, hiding the fan behind his back. "W-we were wondering where you were. We weren't slacking at all, honest! Ehheh... Ehheh..."

Little Strongheart rolled her eyes. "Save it, Trigger. Listen, do you think you could snap Needles out of her meditation? I want to introduce you two to someone."

Before Trigger could respond, Needles opened one eye. "Will this take long? I really want to be in the right state of mind for tonight."

"It'll just be a second," said Little Strongheart, lowering Spike to the ground. "Spike, these are Needles and Trigger; the dragon friends I've been telling you about. Needles, Trigger. This is Spike. He's from Ponyville."

"Uh, hey," said Spike with an awkward wave. "Wh-what's up?"

"Howdy," Needles said bluntly, closing her eyes again. "Now leave me alone."

"You heard her, Mr. Spike," said Trigger. "She wants to be alone."

Little Strongheart frowned. "Needles, don't be rude."

Needles sighed. "Strongheart, I'm a wee bit stressed out about tonight. I don't have time to be makin' acquaintances."

"Well, maybe Spike can help you take your mind off things," Little Strongheart suggested.

Needles paused for a moment and heaved another sigh. "Alright, fine. I can't concentrate with everyone runnin' about, anyway." She slid off the rock and waddled over to Spike, extending her claw. "Sorry 'bout before. I didn't mean to come across as crass."

Spike stared blankly at the outstretched claw for a moment. "Uh..."

Needles arched an eyebrow. "You alright there?"

"Um, yeah! Sure, totally," said Spike, finally accepting the handshake. "I just, spaced out there for a second."

Trigger narrowed his eyes. "Don't get any fancy ideas, Mr. Spike. Needles is taken."

Needles's cheeks turned a violent shade of red as she shot Trigger a glare. "Trigger! Why'd ya have to go and say something like that for?! We just met!"

"I-I'm just putting it out there, my dear desert butterfly," said Trigger, wringing his claws. "Ehheh... Ehheh..."

Needles rolled her eyes. "Good grief," she muttered before turning back to Spike. "You'll have to forgive Trigger. He's a bit, overprotective."

"G-got it," Spike stammered. "So, uh, I'm from Ponyville."

"Yeah, Strongheart just mentioned that," said Needles. She gave Spike a small smirk. "I've actually heard about you a while back. Bunch of fillies from Ponyville were singin' your praises. Don't ask me how I met 'em; it's a bit of a tale."

Spike blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "O-oh, really? Wh-what did they say about me?"

"Mostly that you were this noble fella who helps damsels in distress and all that jazz."

Spike's face became redder as he twiddled his fingers. "Aw, gee. I-I mean, I always try to be noble and stuff. I even created my own Noble Dragon Code."

Needles sniggered. "Yeah, apparently those fillies thought it was somethin' that all dragons had. I take it you're the only dragon they've ever really met before me."

"Heh heh, yeah," said Spike with a chuckle of his own. "So, um, do you live out here?"

"Sure do," said Needles with a nod. "I've been here all my life."

"Cool, cool. That's, cool," said Spike. "Um, sorry if this sounds weird, but you are honestly the nicest dragon I've ever met."

Needles laughed. "Aw, you flatterer you."

"N-no, I mean it," said Spike. "Every other dragon I've ever talked to was, um, well, kinda jerkish. I don't talk to a lot of dragons is what I'm trying to say."

"It's alright, guy. I ain't offended," said Needles, folding her arms. "In fact, I know exactly what you're talkin' about."

"C'mon, Chief! Give us a break! No one's gonna miss one or two pieces of topaz!"

"I've made this perfectly clear to you two. That topaz is for the festival."

Needles groaned and palmed her face. "Case in point."

Spike turned to where the commotion was brewing. He saw Chief Thunderhooves arguing with a pair of teenage dragons; a short black one, and a tall grey one. Little Strongheart let out a sigh of her own.

"I'd better go straighten this out," she said. "I'll be right back."

She galloped off towards the argument while Needles simply shook her head and clicked her tongue.

"Tch. Sometimes those two really get on my nerves," she groused.

"Friends of yours?" Spike asked.

"If you could call 'em that," said Needles. "Those two knuckleheads are Flint and Steel. Trigger and I are staying at their nest. It's our hideout."

Spike tilted his head. "Hideout?"

"Oh, forgot to mention," said Needles, clearing her throat. "We're actually part of this mercenary group out in the Mild West. We keep things orderly out in these parts, but we only work for gems. We call ourselves the Dragoons."

"Huh," said Spike, knitting his brow. "And here I thought I was the only dragon who didn't horde treasure and smash phoenix eggs."

"Yeah, dragons like us are a rare breed," said Needles with a sigh. She then looked up at Spike and smiled. "Y'know what, Spike? You're alright. It's nice to talk to someone who understands me like this."

"H-hey! I understand you!" Trigger protested. "You just won't give me a chance!"

Needles deadpanned. "Trigger, I cut you more slack than anyone else would. Don't go claimin' that I treat you unfairly."

Spike gulped. "Uh, look, Mr. Trigger, sir. I-I'm not trying to start anything."

Trigger leered at Spike. "I'm making sure you don't, buster. I won't let you take Needles from me."

Needles pinched the bridge of her nose. "Trigger, this better not become a thing. You're annoyin' enough without gettin' all jealous just 'cause I'm makin' small talk with some other guy."

"Hey guys, I'm back."

Little Strongheart reemerged with Flint and Steel in tow. Flint scowled and folded his arms while Steel twiddled his fingers sheepishly.

"You really are a killjoy; you know that, LS?" Flint snarled.

"To be fair, we were wrong to eat the topaz before the festival, Flint," said Steel.

"Oh, shut up," Flint spat.

Little Strongheart let out an exasperated sigh. "Guys, you promised me you'd be on your best behavior. This is the Dragon Dance Festival, after all."

"W-well, we were hungry," said Flint defensively. "Sometimes that happens." He then noticed Spike. "Hey, who's the shrimp?"

"Oh, uh, hi," said Spike, clearing his throat. "I'm Spike."

"He's visitn' from Ponyville," Needles explained.

"Oh! That's lovely," said Steel with a bow. "Some call me Steel, but you may call me, um, Steel."

"Oh, brother," Flint groaned.

"And Mr. Personality over here is Flint," said Needles, gesturing to Flint.

"Whatever," Flint grumbled.

"It's, uh, nice to meet you guys," said Spike.

"You as well," said Steel. "We heard that you're friends of Little Strongheart, and any friend of Little Strongheart is a friend of ours! Isn't that right, Flint?"

Flint's only response was a cold glare.

"Um, I'll take that as a 'maybe,'" said Steel with a nervous chuckle. "Please excuse him, Mr. Spike. Flint's a bit of a grump."

"I'm right here, y'know," Flint snarled.

Little Strongheart sighed. "Well, I guess I'd better help the Chief with the preparations. Spike, you just make yourself comfortable, and don't be afraid to holler if you need something. Flint, Steel. You two are coming with me."

"What?! Hey, I thought dragons didn't need to help with preparations!" Flint bellowed.

"I think we revoked that privilege when we ate that topaz, Flint," said Steel.

Flint palmed his face. "Can't I get a break? Can't I just get one lousy break?"

"Maybe if you actually got some manners, we'd consider it," said Needles bluntly. Something suddenly seemed to strike her. "Say, have you guys seen Toro yet?"

"Not since this morning," said Steel with a shrug.

Needles furrowed her brow. "What is takin' him so long?"

"Um, who's Toro? Another friend of yours?" asked Spike. "I can help you find him if you want."

"N-no no, that's-that's fine!" Trigger blurted out. "W-we don't need your help. Ehheh..."

"What Trigger's tryin' to say is that Toro has a habit of poppin' up when you least expect him," said Needles. "That bein' said, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to check and see if anyone saw him. It's been nice talkin' to you, Spike."

"Yeah, same here," said Spike with a nod. "I guess I'll see you guys later."

"Yeah, seeya," said Needles with a friendly wave. "C'mon, Trigger."

With that, she and Trigger waddled off, but not before Trigger gave Spike an "I'm watching you" gesture. Spike blinked.

"That Trigger guy's kinda weird," he said.

"You don't know the half of it, pal," Flint said with a snort.

"Guys? Time's wasting," said Little Strongheart firmly. "We should have all the supplies we need by sundown. Now let's get a move-on."

She then galloped off with Flint and Steel following at her heels, Flint grumbling the whole time. Spike took a moment to process the entire encounter.

Huh. That sure was something, he thought. That Needles girl was pretty cute. Not Rarity-level gorgeous, of course, but still cute. And those other dragons are alright, too. They're certainly better than other dragons I could mention; that's for sure.

He lay down on the rock Needles was meditating on and began basking in the sunlight. "Aah~. Just what the doctor ordered. I really deserved this break. Meeting some new friends; dancing the night away; eating topaz under the stars. I gotta feeling this is gonna be the best vacation I've ever had."

Unneeded Stress

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For the rest of the day, Spike took it easy. While part of him wanted to help prepare for the festival, he understood that working wasn't an ideal way to spend his vacation. Instead, he took a long, refreshing nap on his rock, basking in the midday sun and enjoying every minute of it. He didn't wake up until he felt a gentle hoof prod his belly.

"Enjoying yourself, Spike?"

Spike groggily opened his eyes and yawned. When his vision returned, he realized that the sky was bright crimson, and he could make out a few of the stars in the evening sky. Little Strongheart was standing before him with a content smile on her face, and Big Macintosh and Braeburn were right by her side. Spike smiled back.

"Oh, you know it," he said, folding his arms behind his head. "How's the festival coming along?"

"We're just about ready," said Little Strongheart. "We'll start as soon as our other guests arrive. They should be here soon enough."

She then turned to Big Macintosh and Braeburn. "Now, you two have to understand something. These dragons are not going to harm you unless you give them reason to. Don't show any fear. If one asks you to dance, just accept and follow their lead. Most of them probably haven't seen ponies before, so they might feel a bit nervous around you. Be sure to make them feel welcome."

"Don't you worry, Little Strongheart," said Braeburn with a tip of his hat. "Big Mac an' I will make sure your little shindig goes off without a hitch. Ain't that right, Big Mac?"

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh concurred.

"Good," Little Strongheart said with a nod. "I'm just making sure."

"Hey, Strongheart."

Spike sat up on his rock as he saw Needles and Trigger making their way into the conversation. Needles herself was now carrying a silky white parasol in her claws. Spike waved at Needles, and she waved back. Trigger, however, simply wrung his claws and gave Spike the evil eye.

"Hello, Needles," said Little Strongheart. "Have you managed to find Toro?"

"Nope," Needles sighed. "He's still out there, somewheres. At this rate, he's gonna miss the show." She then noticed Big Macintosh and Braeburn. "Oh. Looks like we've got some other guests tonight."

"Indeed," said Little Strongheart. "Big Macintosh, these here are Needles and Trigger. They're friends of mine. Needles, Trigger. This is Big Macintosh. And of course, you already know Braeburn."

"Big Mac here's my cousin," Braeburn added. "Pardon him if he's a bit shy."

Big Macintosh did a double take. "Wait, you know these guys?"

"Remember a ways back when Apple Bloom and her friends came to visit me?"

"Oh, that," said Big Macintosh, knitting his brow. "So, these are them bandits you mentioned then?"

"Ex-bandits, Mr. Macintosh," Trigger corrected. "We now work to preserve peace in the Mild West. For a modest fee, of course. Ehheh... Ehheh..."

"I see," said Big Macintosh with a nod. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet ya."

"Pleasure's all mine," said Needles with a bow. She then let out a sigh and looked up into the sky. "Hey, um, Strongheart?"

"Yes?"

"Have any of the other dragons arrived yet?"

Little Strongheart shook her head. "Not yet. They should be here soon. Why?"

"Just askin'," said Needles with a shrug. Although she tried to sound indifferent, her tone was stiff and automatic.

"Is something troubling you, my dear Needles?" asked Trigger. "If you want, I can give you a—"

"If you say a massage, I'm gonna bop you one," Needles warned, raising her parasol theateningly.

Trigger flinched. "N-never mind. Ehheh..."

Needles rolled her eyes. "You are so lucky I can muster up the strength to put up with ya."

"Trigger does have a point, Needles," said Little Strongheart, arching an eyebrow. "Something's on your mind."

Needles's face flushed red. "Y-you're just imaginin' things, Strongheart. I-I'm alright, really."

"Is this about your Toro friend not showing up?" asked Spike, scratching his head.

"That's none of your business," Trigger snarled, glaring at Spike.

"Hey, hey! Chill out, man!" Spike yelped defensively. "I was just wondering."

Needles gripped her parasol tightly. "Look, can we just drop this? There's nothin' botherin' me, really."

Just then, Flint and Steel flew into the picture. Both of them appeared to have been run ragged, and when they landed, they collapsed at Little Strongheart's feet.

"We're, finished," Flint panted. "Can we stop now, LS?"

Little Strongheart nodded. "Of course. Everything else is in order, anyway. Thank you two for your assistance."

"'Tis no trouble," said Steel with a bow. When he straightened up, he noticed Needles. "Oh, hey Ms. Needles. All ready for tonight?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Needles sighed.

Steel tilted his head. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Oh, don't you start!" Needles growled, pointing her parasol at Steel.

Little Strongheart shook her head. "Needles, we only ask because we care about you. I'm sure if you'll tell us what's wrong, you'll feel better."

After a brief pause, Needles let out an exasperated groan. "Alright, alright. I-it's my folks. I'm worried they'll show up."

"You mean your parents?" asked Spike. "What's so bad about that?"

Needles turned her back to everyone and closed her eyes. "I ran away from them when I was young. I was supposed to uphold this great legacy, and when I felt like I couldn't do it, I got scared. They're probably still disappointed in me."

Steel scratched his head. "Wait, Ms. Needles. I thought you said you were willing to embrace this whole Dragon Magi thing again. That's why we became the Dragoons in the first place. Why wouldn't your parents be proud of that?"

"Um, Dragon what-now?" asked Spike.

"It's an old buffalo legend that was proven true a few moons ago," Little Strongheart explained. "The Dragon Magi are said to be a wise clan of dragons who practice magic and grant guidance to those who seek it. Needles here just so happens to be a Dragon Mage in training."

"Yeah, and I'm not doin' a very good job of it," Needles muttered.

"That's not true, Needles," said Trigger. "Our good deeds have been noted."

"Yeah, but we carry 'em out in the wrong fashion ninety percent of the time," Needles retorted. "Face it, Trigger. The Dragoons are in a major rut right now, and I haven't been able to pull us out of it. My folks ain't gonna like that."

"Don't be discouraged, Needles," said Little Strongheart, placing a hoof on her shoulder. "I'm sure you'll find your true calling soon enough. In fact, maybe Spike here can give you some pointers."

Spike and Trigger did a double take simultaneously. "Wait, what?" they asked in unison.

Little Strongheart rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "In all honesty, there's another reason I invited Spike to take part in this year's Dragon Dance Festival. You guys need a noble dragon to steer you in the right direction, and I could think of no one better for the job than Spike. After all, he has his own Noble Dragon Code and everything."

"Um, Little Strongheart? I, didn't sign up for this," said Spike nervously. "I mean, I'm not really much of a dragon. I haven't really lived with dragons. I don't know anything about this Dragon Magi stuff."

"But you are a noble dragon, right?" said Big Macintosh, raising an eyebrow. "That's what Applejack tells me."

Spike blushed and twiddled her fingers. "W-well, yeah. But seriously, I-I don't know about this."

"Ms. Strongheart, I must protest!" Trigger proclaimed with a stomp of his foot. "We don't need this interloper's assistance with anything!"

"As crazy as this sounds, I'm with Trigger here," said Flint, folding his arms. "I'm not taking orders from some squirt."

"You take orders from Ms. Needles, though," said Steel.

Flint's only response was smacking Steel upside the head.

"Ow! What'd I say, what'd I say?!" Steel exclaimed, rubbing his forehead.

Needles sighed and shook her head. "Y'know, maybe havin' a noble dragon teachin' you fellas a few things ain't such a bad idea. It'll sure help to preserve my sanity."

"Needles, you can't mean that!" Trigger protested. "You can find your path just fine without this sneak! You don't need him when you already have us!"

Needles deadpanned. "Please tell me you're jokin'."

"Oh, I never joke about things like this, Needles," said Trigger firmly. "Why, I be that I have more nobility in my claw than that Spike fellow has in his entire body!"

Needles palmed her face. "Okay, we both know that's not true, Trigger. Just drop the act and admit that you're—"

"They're here, they're here!"

The conversation was interrupted by a call from the buffalo and several shadows flying in overhead. Spike looked up and saw an entire swarm of dragons soaring majestically through the sky. Their scales of varying hues shined and shimmered in the rays of the setting sun. One by one, they landed in various parts of the camp, stretching out their wings and letting out mighty roars that echoed all across the desert. When the last of the dragons had touched down, the sun had completely disappeared over the horizon, giving way to a starry night sky. Chief Thunderhooves walked up to an elderly dragon with bronze scales and bowed to him. The dragon bowed in turn and opened up his claw. Thunderhooves climbed onto the palm of the dragon's hand and was lifted into the air. He then cleared his throat to garner everyone's attention.

"Brothers, sisters, friends, and family!" he bellowed. "Once again, it is my proud honor to welcome you all to this year's Dragon Dance Festival! As you can plainly see, our bonds have never been stronger! And this week, we will show these majestic creatures the respect that we have shown them for many moons! Let the music play; let the topaz flow; let the dance begin!"

His proclamation was met with rousing cheers and roars. These cheers were drowned out by the pounding of drums and the whistle of flutes. Little Strongheart sighed.

"We'll save this discussion for later," she said. "For now, let's just enjoy the festival."

"Sounds like a plan I can get behind," said Spike, licking his lips.

"Indeed," said Trigger, turning to Needles. "Fair Needles, may I have this dance?"

Needles rolled her eyes. "Spare me, Trigger. I'm gonna go look for Toro."

With that, she walked off. Trigger frowned.

"Why must she be so harsh?" he lamented. "Ehheh... Ehheh..."

"Oh, for Pete's sake, Trigger," Flint growled. "When are you gonna get it through your thick head that she's never gonna go for you?"

"Well, I'm certainly not going to lose to the likes of him!" Trigger barked back, pointing at Spike.

"Uh, yeah. I'm just gonna look for some topaz," said Spike, hopping off his rock. "Y-you guys want—"

"Some topaz, sir?"

Spike was interrupted by a buffalo balancing a bowl of topaz on his head. Spike blinked in confusion before reaching out and grabbing a handful. "Uh, thanks. Gee, that was quick."

"Ah, I say. What do we have here?"

Spike was about to pop the topaz into his mouth when a massive shadow was cast over him. Looking up, he saw that it belonged to a large dragon with rusted pink scales. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Big Macintosh and Braeburn.

"Why, I've never seen creatures such as these before," she said, tapping her chin.

"Oh, howdy there, ma'am," said Braeburn, taking off his hat. "My cousin an' I were invited here. We're ponies, y'see. I'm Braeburn, and this is Big Macintosh."

"Eeyup," said Big Macintosh simply.

The dragon nodded. "Ponies, hmm? Yes, I've heard of such creatures, but I never thought I'd actually see one. Oh, forgive me. My name is Nova."

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms. Nova," said Braeburn with a bow. "Uh, anythin' we could do for you?"

"Oh, how delightful of you to ask," said Nova happily. "However, I must decline. My first dance has already been spoken for."

Braeburn and Big Macintosh shared a shrug. "Uh, not exactly what we had in mind, but if y'need anythin', just holler."

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh chimed in.

"Thank you," said Nova. "Actually, there is one little thing. My husband and I got separated. You wouldn't have happened to have seen him, would you?"

"I-I'm sure we'll be able to find him, ma'am," said Braeburn. "Just tell us what he looks like."

"Eeyup," said Big Macintosh.

Nova raised an eyebrow. "Your cousin doesn't seem to talk much, does he?"

"Ah, don't mind it none. He's always like that," Braeburn chuckled.

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh stated flatly.

Spike watched the conversation as he shoveled more and more topaz into his mouth. "This is just so weird," he mumbled between munches.

"Did you say something?" asked Steel.

"Uh, no! Nothing!" Spike said hastily.

Trigger raised an eyebrow at Spike, but said nothing else. Spike swallowed.

"It was just a question," Steel muttered as he helped himself to some topaz.

Just then, a black blur burst from the ground, sending Trigger flying. When the dust settled, a Diamond Dog with large jowls and a sombrero stood in everyone's midst, panting heavily.

"Wh-where's Señorita Needles?" he gasped. "I-I have to see her."

"She went looking for you," said Flint, crossing his arms.

"Hold on," said Nova, leering at the Diamond Dog. "Who are you, and how do you know my daughter's name?"

"I am her partner, Toro the Bulldog," the Diamond Dog stated bluntly. "And I need to see her. This is an emergency."

"Wait, you're Toro?!" Spike exclaimed, nearly choking on his topaz.

"Guys, let's not get distracted here," Little Strongheart said firmly. "Toro, what's wrong?"

"It's the cazadores. They're coming," Toro hissed.

Little Strongheart's eyes went wide. "What? Here?! I-impossible!"

"It's true," Toro said grimly. "I've been following their scent all day. They are aiming to strike this very night."

"Um, sorry, I'm a bit out of the loop," said Spike. "What are caza-thingies?"

"Cazadores," Little Strongheart corrected. "It's Spanish for—"

She was interrupted by a powerful tremor shaking the ground. Toro snorted and grabbed his miniature cannon from his back.

"Señor Trigger, aquí," he ordered. "They're upon us."

"Already?!" Steel squeaked. "B-but I didn't bring my bow and arrows!"

"As if you needed those things to begin with," Flint growled.

Before anyone could say anything else, several blasts of dirt erupted from the ground just outside the camp. From the dust, several tatzlwurms emerged. Each one was carrying a legion of Diamond Dogs and Rock Lobsters, and they all appeared to have harpoon cannons strapped to their backs.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Chief Thunderhooves boomed.

One of the tatzlwurms leaned forward. Standing upon its head was a black Diamond Dog wearing a braided vest and a small black hat. By her side was a red Rock Lobster with a small sombrero and coiling whiskers that resembled a mustache.

"Just like I thought. Quite a haul," said the Diamond Dog. "Alright, boys! Round 'em all up! And remember, aim for the best of the best!"

The tatzlwurms opened their jaws wide, and their tendril-like tongues shot out. Each one grabbed several dragons at once, dragging them down to the ground. Toro pointed his cannon at the head tatzlwurm.

"Isabelle, stop this!" he barked.

The Diamond Dog looked down at Toro and smiled. "Well, well. If it isn't my cowardly big brother. Looking good there, Toro."

"Wait, you two know each other?!" asked Flint. "Then why the heck have we been having such a hard time finding these guys?!"

Toro sighed. "I didn't know Isabelle was involved until today. She hid her scent quite well, associating with that seafood filth."

Flint palmed his face. "Then why didn't you follow the fish?!"

"Um, Flint? Maybe this isn't the best time for that," Steel murmured. "W-we should go find Ms. Needles, now!"

Before Flint could protest, Steel flew off. With a growl of frustration, Flint took off after him.

"Brothers! It is the dragon poachers!" Chief Thunderhooves roared. "Do not let them desecrate the festival! Charge!"

The buffalo ran towards the tatzlwurms in a full stampede, hollering war cries all the while. However, they were stopped short by several paws and pincers bursting from the ground and grabbing their legs. Isabelle laughed.

"Like taking rock candy from a pup," she snickered. "Ignore those teenagers, boys! We only want the big ones!"

"We won't let you get away with this!" Little Strongheart proclaimed with a loud snort. "Braeburn, Big Macintosh! Let's lend a hoof!"

"Right behind ya!" Braeburn yelled.

"Eeyup!" said Big Macintosh firmly.

The three of them charged for Isabelle's tatzlwurm. Nova closed her eyes and thrust out her palm. As Little Strongheart and her ponies companions charged, they managed to leap around the Diamond Dogs and Rock Lobsters trying to trap them from underground. It was as if some unseen force was causing them to run like the wind.

"We'll give you support, Señorita Strongheart!" Toro barked. "Señor Trigger!"

Trigger nodded and scampered up Toro's body and onto his arm. He blew his flame into the powder chamber of the cannon, and it fired. However, it missed Isabelle by a mile. Isabelle chortled.

"Tsk tsk tsk. You missed again, big brother," she chided with a wag of her finger. "You always miss when it comes to me. That is why you are a coward."

She then took up a weighted lariat and hefted it over her head. After swinging it a few times, she threw it at Toro, tying him up from head to toe. Toro fell to the ground with a thud.

"Just like old times," said Isabelle. She then stumbled a bit as Little Strongheart rammed her tatzlwurm headfirst. "Mmm. This could get annoying. Pepito, líbrese de ellos."

"Please, Isabelle. Say in English," said the Rock Lobster. "I learn better that way."

Isabelle raised an eyebrow. "Y'sure?"

"Sí, Señora."

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Alright. Pepito, get rid of them."

Pepito blinked. "¿Qué?"

Isabelle palmed her face. "¡Párelos de atacar nuestro tatzlwurm, crustáceo denso!"

"Oh, sí. I understand," said Pepito hastily. "R-right away. Sorry."

He reached under his sombrero and took out two metal prongs that looked like gigantic staples. With two mighty swings, he threw them at Big Macintosh and Braeburn, pinning them to the ground. Little Strongheart dodged the attack and doubled back for another charge.

"That one doesn't give up, does she?" Isabelle mused. "Ah well. There's not much she can do on her own. Let's just focus on that dragon there! Pepito, fire the harpoon!"

"¿Qué?"

Isabelle groaned. "Lance el arpón."

"No, no. Say in English," Pepito insisted. "I learn better. I swear."

Isabelle sighed. "Just fire the dang thing already."

"Sí, sí."

Pepito scuttled over to the harpoon cannon and pulled the lever. The harpoon shot forward at Nova, opening into a large claw. The claw wrapped around Nova's body and dug into her scales. Nova roared in pain and struggled to breathe her flame. Alas, the pincer's grip was too tight. Other harpoons fired from the other taztlwurms, catching many other dragons.

"Nice. Very nice," said Isabelle with a toothy grin. "I think that's good enough. Adios, big brother! Pray that our paths don't cross again. Because unlike you, I don't miss. ¡Vamanos, muchachos!"

The Diamond Dogs and Rock Lobsters let loose several hoots and hollers as they dragged their game down into their burrows. Spike could only stare in complete and utter shock.

"Wh-what just happened?" he asked no one in particular.

"Guys!"

Spike perked up and turned to see Needles running up to him with Flint and Steel by her side. She paused for a minute to catch her breath.

"I-I came as fast as I could," she panted. Her eyes widened as she saw Toro and Trigger tied together. "Toro! Wh-what happened?!"

"Th-they got away, Señorita Needles," Toro grunted. "I-I'm so sorry."

Slowly, the other buffalo began rising to their feet and licking their wounds. A few of them helped pry Braeburn and Big Macintosh from the staples. Needles gripped her parasol and bit her lip.

"Dang it. I-I should've been here," she muttered.

"I-it's not your fault, Needles," said Trigger. "Y-you didn't know. Ehheh..."

Spike scratched his head. "Um, could someone fill me in here? I mean, who were those guys?"

Needles's face darkened. "The worst kind of scum in the Mild West, Spike. Dragon poachers."

Spike gulped. Well, there goes my vacation, he thought.

Steel looked around and drew in a sharp breath through his teeth. "Sheesh, what a mess."

"No kiddin'," said Needles, hiding her face with her parasol. "I reckon it'll take some time for us to get back onto the saddle. In the meantime, let's see if we can't get everyone up to speed. Our Ponyville guests deserve more explanation, and I believe you've got some intel for me, Toro. That's what Steel told me."

"Um, yes," said Toro, clearing his throat. "J-just fair warning, Señorita Needles. You probably won't like it."

Needles sighed and cast her eyes downward. "I already don't."

Extra Cargo

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"Are you alright, dear?"

Little Strongheart awoke to a soothing voice. The ground below her felt soft and warm, almost as though she was sleeping next to a hearth. When she tried to move, she winced as every muscle in her body felt sore.

"Easy now," said the voice above her. "I still need to heal your wounds before they get back. You really must get some rest."

Little Strongheart's eyes fluttered open, revealing a blurry view of unfamiliar surroundings. When her vision fully recovered, she found that she was resting on the stomach of the great pink dragon, Nova. Nova breathed on her, causing a gentle heat to massage her aching joints.

"Wh-what's going on?" she mumbled. "Th-the last thing I remember is fighting those dragon poachers, and then—"

"Shh~! They're back! Hide behind me!"

Before Little Strongheart could ask any more questions, Nova scooped her up in her claws and hid her from sight. From this new vantage point, Little Strongheart discovered that they were in a cavern full of dragons. All of them wore crystalline chains on their wrists and ankles, and a few of them were wounded. None of them looked particularly happy.

"Here we are, Mr. Moschet. The finest haul we've ever bagged."

Little Strongheart's ear perked up as she heard a familiar voice. From behind the large dragon, she spotted the Diamond Dog poacher Isabelle and her Rock Lobster companion, Pepito. Behind them was a well-dressed griffon with beige fur and sharp blue eyes. He wore a tan vest and pith helmet, and a large knapsack strapped to his back. The knapsack had golden stitching that read "For my husband, Jacques."

"Fine work, fine work," said the griffon, looking over the dragons thoughtfully. "Now then, did anyone see you when you came back?"

"No, sir. You're the only one who knows these are here," said Isabelle. "Isn't that right, Pepito?"

Pepito blinked. "¿Qué?"

Isabelle raised an eyebrow. "¿Tú controló para cerciorarse de que nadie nos vio, hizo tú no?"

"Oh, sí, sí. Yes, I check," said Pepito with a vigorous nod.

"And?"

"I see nothing."

Isabelle smirked. "There you have it, Mr. Moschet. Your secret's safe with us."

"Good, good," said Jacques with a nod. "Now remember, not a word to the snapdragon, alright? I want this to be a surprise."

Pepito tilted his head. "Snap, dragon? These dragons no bite. Not if they know what good for 'em."

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Él hablando de su esposa, simulado."

"His wife a dragon?!" Peptio exclaimed, his eyes bugging out.

Jacques palmed his face. "Now why would I hire you to capture dragons if my wife herself was a dragon?!"

"B-but you say—"

"Never mind what I said! Honestly, do they not have sarcasm where you come from?! Is that some sort of alien concept to you?!"

Pepito tapped his chin with his pincer. "Sar-chasm? Oh, you mean like joke! You tell joke!"

"And the dim bulb finally brightens," said Jacques sardonically.

"Ah, sí. I understand now. Is only joke!" Pepito said with a laugh. His smile suddenly faded. "Wait. I no get it."

"Just drop it, Pepito," Isabelle sighed. "Look, don't worry, Mr. Moschet. She won't know a thing as long as we're properly compensated."

"Of course, of course," said Jacques, clearing his throat. "I haven't forgotten that part. I'll just pop on back to our camp, fetch my wife, and then we'll discuss—"

"Jacques! Jacques, are you down here?"

A shrill, raspy voice echoed throughout the corridor. Jacques's face lost all color, and he narrowed his eyes at Isabelle and Pepito.

"I thought you two said no one saw you," he hissed.

"Is true! I see nothing!" Pepito whimpered.

"Jacques, I expect an answer when I call for you!"

Little Strongheart tiptoed past a few dragons, stopping short at a towering row of crystal bars. Just beyond them, she saw a silhouette of some sort of creature wiggling its wave into the room. The silhouette gave way to what appeared to be a giant cobra with smooth, dainty arms. Her tan underbelly was a sharp contrast to her hot pink scales, and she wore what looked like golden earrings on each side of her hood. Her emerald green eyes glared daggers at Jacques, who swallowed.

"O-oh! Maggie! F-fancy seeing you here," he said nervously. "Wh-what are you doing up at this hour?"

"I could ask you the same question, Jacques," said the cobra, folding her arms.

"Ah, yes," said Jacques, wiping a bit of sweat from his brow. "You see, um, I was just, taking a leisurely midnight stroll. Nothing more than that."

"Mmm-hmm," said Maggie with a slow nod. "And for this stroll, you decided to come down here, why?"

"Um, because I felt like it. There's nothing like the smell of a cavern to get the blood flowing, y'know?"

Maggie deadpanned. "Sure, if you fancy getting asphyxiated."

"Uh, ha ha ha! G-good one, my lovely piranha!" Jacques laughed awkwardly. "Y-you never cease to amuse me."

Maggie didn't respond directly, but instead turned her attention to the cage of dragons. "And what are all these?"

"Oh, yes! Th-that was supposed to be a surprise," said Jacques, wringing his talons. "Remember how you said you wanted a pet dragon for our anniversary?"

"That was a week ago, Jacques," said Maggie. "And as I recall, you ended up getting me another wyvern instead, thinking that I wouldn't know the difference."

"They're practically the same thing!" Jacques cried.

"No, they're not," Maggie retorted bluntly. "You're the master hunter here; you should know that. And I don't appreciate you treating me like a fool."

"L-listen, my dear pufferfish, that's all in the past now," said Jacques. "As you can see, I've managed to capture tons of dragons, all for you! Pick whichever one you like best!"

Maggie's demeanor changed. "Y-you really caught these dragons all by yourself, Jacques?"

"But of course! Anything for you," said Jacques with a bow.

Maggie's eyes glistened. "Oh, Jacques. I knew you'd come through for me!" she cheered, hugging Jacques and flicking his cheek with her snake tongue. "Now don't you feel foolish trying to trick me with that wyvern? You could've caught a dragon all this time!"

"W-well, a man of my position doesn't like to brag," said Jacques, puffing out his chest. "So, do you see anything you like?"

"Oh, well. Let's see," Maggie mused. She slithered past Jacques and observed the dragons with a critical eye. She then noticed Isabelle and Pepito standing off to the side and pursed her lips. "Jacques, sweetie? What are these two doing here?"

"I know nothing!" Pepito blurted out.

Jacques blanched. "Wh-what an interesting question! What are they doing here?" he said, flying up to Isabelle. "I-I thought I told you hucksters that we didn't need your business! Did I not make myself clear?! Or are you simply too thick-headed to comprehend what I—"

"Jacques, give it up," Maggie said, rolling her eyes. "Did you honestly think I wouldn't notice you talking to those other poachers when we got to our Mustangia estate? You wasted our hard-earned money hiring these rapscallions to capture these dragons because you're too lazy to do it yourself, didn't you?"

"Wh-why Maggie, I'm appalled!" Jacques exclaimed. "I-I would never do something like that! Not to you!"

"I know nothing!" Pepito repeated.

"Oh, shut up!" Jacques roared.

Maggie palmed her face. "Jacques, you are a disgrace. Where's the proud hunter I married? We're not made of money, you know. It would've been much cheaper if you just went out and caught the dragon yourself, but nooooo~. You had to be all sneaky about it because apparently, catching dragons is too tall an order for an esteemed hunter such as yourself."

"Darling, you really don't understand," Jacques growled through gritted teeth. "Dragons are tricky! They're extremely rare!"

"I count at least ten here," said Maggie with a shrug.

"W-well, they're powerful, too! I'd be roasted alive trying to catch one on my own!"

"Funny. You don't seem to be afraid of a wyvern's toxic breath, or a manticore's stinger."

"Th-that's diff—"

"Or a cockatrice's stone gaze, or a cragodile's jaws, or a phoenix's fiery plumage, or..."

"Trust me, my little nest of vipers. A dragon is much more dangerous than any of those combined. I needed professional help from people who do this kind of thing for a living."

Isabelle cleared her throat. "Um, sorry to interrupt this lover's quarrel, but do you want these dragons or not?"

Maggie's mood did a sudden one-eighty once again. "O-oh, yes. Of course," she said. She surveyed the dragons with a critical eye and tapped her chin. "Hmm. How about that pink one?"

Little Strongheart's heart froze as she whipped her head around. Despite her precarious position, Nova seemed remarkably calm through all this.

"Ah, that one's a beauty, isn't she?" said Isabelle with a toothy grin. "I'm willing to bet she's the most powerful one here. She's quite mature, too. Two hundred and fifty years old, by my guess."

"Actually, I'm turning three hundred in a few days," Nova interjected. "Zin always said I looked young for my age."

Isabelle's eye twitched. "Did I say you could talk? Pepito, castigúela."

Pepito gulped. "S-sí, Señora."

He took out a weighted lasso and swung it around. Tossing it through the cage, he snagged Nova's neck and forced her head to the ground. Nova let out a sharp cough, but offered no other resistance. For Little Strongheart, this was the last straw. She leapt out through the bars and snorted angrily.

"Leave her alone!" she bellowed.

All eyes were on her for a moment, and a hush fell over the cave. Maggie was the first to speak.

"Jacques, who's that?" she inquired.

Jacques turned to Isabelle. "Ms. Isabelle, who's that?"

Isabelle turned to Pepito. "¿Pepito, quién es ése?"

Pepito blinked. "¿Qué?"

"You know full well what I just said!" Isabelle howled. "Who is that buffalo?!"

"I-I no know, Señora," said Pepito with a shrug. "Sh-she maybe get caught when we snag dragons."

Little Strongheart arched her back and pawed the ground. "I'll teach you to treat these dragons in such a disrespectful manner!"

She let out a war cry as she charged forward. Maggie sighed and raised her hand. A bright blue flash impaired Little Strongheart's vision for a brief second. When her sight returned, time around her seemed to be slowed down to a crawl. Before she could react to anything, a metal staple pinned her front legs to the ground, halting her charge. In that instant, time resumed normal speed.

"I can't trust you to do anything, can I Jacques?" Maggie scolded. "This wouldn't have happened if you just hunted the dragons yourself. Now on top of being a lazy husband, you're also a kidnapper!"

"I'm the kidnapper?!" Jacques exclaimed. "Excuse me, but they're the ones who messed up!"

"I don't appreciate being thrown under the bus, Mr. Moschet," Isabelle snarled, folding her arms. "She was trying to stop us and got caught in the crossfire. There's nothing we can do about it now."

Jacques leered at Isabelle. "So you were caught in the act!"

"Well, you wanted ten dragons by this time tonight, and the Dragon Dance Festival is the second-largest gathering of dragons in the land. How else were we gonna do what you paid us for?!" Isabelle barked back.

Maggie huffed. "I'm going back to bed. Jacques, I expect this matter to be cleared up by the time I wake up, or else."

"B-but dear—"

"Don't but dear me, Jacques. This discussion is over."

"But—"

"Over!"

Without another word, Maggie slithered off, batting Little Strongheart with her tail as she left. Little Strongheart grunted and growled, struggling to pry herself from the staple trap.

"Ugh, that's what I get for marrying a lamia," Jacques grumbled. He then looked down at Little Strongheart and scowled. "Well, we can't let her go; she'll lead her tribe right to us. In fact, they might be coming for us at this very moment."

Pepito gasped. "Señora, we can't let them find hideout! We lose everything!"

"Relax, Pepito," said Isabelle. "We have plenty of resources to deal with those buffalo."

Jacques snorted. "Oh, no. If that's going to cost extra, I'm not letting you do this. I'll have my own servants stall those natives."

Isabelle smiled coyly. "I thought you told us that money was no object as long as your wife was happy."

"That was before she chewed me out for hiring you," Jacques growled.

Isabelle's smile vanished. "You're not planning on stiffing us, are you?"

"N-not at all," said Jacques, hastily clearing his throat. "I'm a fair man. But you will only get what we agreed upon. Fifty thousand gems after my wife has picked out the dragon she wants, and not a second sooner."

"Alright, alright," said Isabelle, raising her paws. "You're the boss, Mr. Moschet."

"And don't you forget it," Jacques huffed. He then marched out after his wife. Isabelle sighed and shook her head.

"No estoy confiando en ese halcón para preservar la seguridad de nuestra guarida," she snarled. "Pepito, informa los hombres del oxbow para prepararse para el combate."

"Sí, Señora," said Pepito with a bow.

With that, he scuttled off into the cave. Isabelle walked over to Little Strongheart and smiled.

"You've got a lot of spunk, chica," she said, stepping down on the staple. "But I'm afraid there's nothing you can do. We worked hard to make this business venture what it is, and you will not be taking it away."

"Y-you won't get away with this," Little Strongheart snarled, fighting agains the pain. "Let me out of here and fight me with honor."

Isabelle scoffed. "Tempting, but I'm afraid it's a bit late. We girls need our beauty sleep, after all." She stepped away from Little Strongheart and yawned. "Good night, my little stowaway. Don't worry, we'll make sure you're well taken care of. You might find it refreshing that we don't believe in killing here. That being said, don't try to test us."

With that, she walked away. Nova sighed.

"I'm grateful that you care enough about us to put yourself at risk like this," she said.

"Any other buffalo would do the same, Ms. Nova," said Little Strongheart proudly. "Don't you worry. One way or another, you won't be sold into slavery. I promise you."

Nova smiled. "Considering how your friends fought to protect us at the festival, I believe you. For now, though, I should probably see to those wounds. Being attacked while under the influence of time-distorting magic must be quite, agonizing."

Little Strongheart's eyes went wide. "Wait, how are you able to heal me? And how did you know that was time-distorting magic?"

"Simple, young one. I am one of the Dragon Magi," said Nova with a wink. "But, don't go telling anyone. I don't want to spook our hosts and cause more trouble."

Little Strongheart took a moment to process this, remembering that Nova called Needles her daughter back at the festival. She then snickered despite herself.

Oh my goodness, she thought. These poachers have no idea what's in store for them...

Spike's Good Example

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"So, wait. Let me get this straight. Dragon poachers have been attacking the Mild West for how long now?"

"Little over a month, by my count."

"And the buffalo tribe here hired you Dragoon guys to track them down."

"That's pretty much the long and short of it."

Spike scoffed bitterly and turned to Big Macintosh. "I picked a great time to come out here on vacation, didn't I?" he said sardonically.

Needles sighed. "Look, this wasn't supposed to involve you folks, and I'm sorry you had to see all that. None of us counted on those guys stoopin' so low as to crash the Dragon Dance Festival."

"That much we gathered," said Braeburn, furrowing his brow. "But what I don't get is why did it take you guys an entire month to track these guys?"

"Mainly because we're bad at it," said Steel sheepishly, prompting and elbow jab from Flint.

"It's actually a bit more complicated than that," said Trigger. "Up until this point, no one has ever thought to hunt dragons in the Mild West. Such a thing is unheard of, especially considering that the buffalo hold us dragons in such high esteem. For the most part, we didn't really know where to look."

"That is until today," said Needles. "We got a rumor that someone was sellin' watch-dragons to the major Diamond Dog packs, so I sent Toro here to do some sniffin' around."

"Watch-dragons?" asked Spike.

"In the underground network, a Diamond Dog with enough gems to burn can hire a watch-dragon to guard the horde," explained Toro. "It's not all that common, as most packs cannot afford to keep up with a dragon's massive appetite. But these cazadores figure that if they can force watch-dragons to obey their employers without question, they can sell them for a massive profit."

"Now hang on just a dang minute!" Braeburn exclaimed. "That right there is slavery! There's no way Princess Celestia would allow that!"

Spike snorted. "I know firsthand that Diamond Dogs don't typically care about stuff like that."

"That is true, Señor Spike," said Toro somberly. "I make no excuses for my kind. I only look after myself and my partner."

"And your sister, apparently," said Flint, raising an eyebrow.

Toro sighed. "Yes, about that. I was shocked to find out that Isabelle was the ringleader of those cazadores."

"I'm just shocked that you even have a sister," said Needles. "When were you plannin' on tellin' me about this?"

"Isabelle and I had a falling out when I left the pack to make a name for myself," said Toro. "Before I met you and the others, she would constantly try to drag me back. I always escaped by the skin of my teeth because of one thing."

"And what's that?"

"When we fight, I always miss. It doesn't matter how we fight or what weapon I use; I can never bring myself to hit her. She usually mocks me for it."

Spike shrugged. "Well, she is your sister. I can kinda understand how you feel."

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh concurred.

"But that doesn't explain why she's with those Rock Lobsters enslaving us dragons," said Trigger, scratching his head.

"I'm afraid I don't have an answer for that, Señor Trigger," said Toro. "All I know is that she's changed somehow. She's not the same Isabelle I remember."

"But you still can't bring yourself to hit her," said Flint, rolling his eyes. "Pfft. Didn't know you were so soft, Toro."

"Knock it off, Flint," Needles growled. "We need to figure out what we're gonna do here. These guys just crashed the Dragon Dance Festival. Chief Thunderhooves is gonna want the entire tribe to trample their hideout into dust for this insult."

"That would be the case, if things weren't so bleak."

Everyone looked up as Chief Thunderhooves made his way into the conversation. Through his thick fur, Spike could see that he was still wounded from the attack. Nevertheless, he stood tall and was just as intimidating as ever, if not more so.

"What's the matter, Chief?" asked Steel.

Chief Thunderhooves's face darkened. "Those poachers are more crafty than we gave them credit for. We all need at least a day to recover, and even then, we wouldn't be strong enough to take on a force of their size. Plus, my men have just searched the entire camp. Little Strongheart is still missing, and she didn't leave any trail to follow. My best guess is that she's been taken along with the dragons."

"Uh, just so we're clear, that's bad news, right?" said Flint. "'Cause part of me still kinda resents LS for making me and Steel give our nest to these freeloaders."

"Flint, how could you be so insensitive?" Steel scolded. "Little Strongheart is our friend!"

"And she can be a bit of a jerk sometimes," Flint retorted with a shrug.

Needles folded her arms. "Well, maybe if you tried to behave yourself every once in a while, she wouldn't have to scold ya. Ever think of that?"

"So, what? You want me to be a suck-up like Steel here?"

"Hey!" Steel protested.

"Oh, don't pretend it's not true," Flint scoffed. "That's the only reason you're such a wimp."

"Well, at least I'm not obnoxious like you!"

"No, you're obnoxious in quite a different way," said Trigger, rolling his eyes.

"I heard that!" Steel roared, whipping around savagely.

"I-I didn't say anything," whimpered Trigger. "Ehheh..."

The dragons continued to argue and bicker. All the while, Spike looked on, his mind working furiously.

Little Strongheart really wanted me to be a role model for these guys? he thought. Can I even do that? I mean, I'm not really a typical dragon. I'm not big, strong, or nasty. I'm small, weak, and I wear frilly aprons. What am I supposed to teach them? How to be noble? How do I do that? And, what about those dragons that were captured? Are they noble? Would they appreciate someone like me coming to save them, even though I've lived with ponies my entire life? I mean, Needles seems to be nice, and that Nova woman was probably the most polite dragon I've ever met. But would she act the same around me if she knew what my story was? Wait, does that even matter?

As Spike debated with himself, the Dragoons continued to quarrel.

"Let's try to settle down here, fellas. There's no need for this."

"Oh, sure. Let's let Little Ms. Magic Pants preach to us. Again!"

"Hey, don't you dare talk about Needles like that!"

"She doesn't need you to defend her, Romeo!"

"You know what I think? I think—"

Finally, Spike couldn't take it anymore.

"That's enough!" he roared.

All eyes shifted to him as he stood tall and cleared his throat.

"I've made my decision," he proclaimed. "Those dragons might not approve of me or my lifestyle, or maybe they do. I don't know. What I do know is that I can't just sit here and listen to you guys yell at each other all day. On my honor as a noble dragon, I will find those dragons and Little Strongheart, and I will save them from whatever fate those poachers have in store for them!"

"Hear hear!" Braeburn exclaimed, getting to his feet. "Those poachers need to be taught a lesson. Count me in!"

"Eeyup," said Big Macintosh with a nod.

Trigger blinked. "We've been trying to track down their hideout for a month. What makes you think you can find them, Mr. Big Shot Noble Dragon who Knows Everything?"

Spike opened his mouth to respond, but stopped as Trigger's works sank in. He blushed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Uh, you kinda got me there," he admitted.

Trigger scoffed. "Heh. Not so high and mighty now, are you?"

"No, but he has the right idea," said Needles.

Trigger did a double take. "Wait, what?! No he doesn't! He was planning on going off into the desert on his own with no way of knowing how to find those poachers!"

"That's not what I saw," said Needles, getting to her feet and walking up to Spike. "I saw someone who saw injustice and was ready to kick its tail. Why ain't we doin' the same, huh?"

"She's right," said Steel. "We should follow Mr. Spike!"

"Or here's a better idea. How about we don't take orders from a funny-smelling runt?" Flint snarled.

"The way I see it, this 'funny-smellin' runt' is the only one talkin' sense," said Needles.

"I don't believe he is, Needles," said Trigger, giving Spike the evil eye. "He's not right for you."

Needles sighed. "Toro, we need a tiebreaker here. What do you think 'bout all this?"

Toro furrowed his brow and stroked his chin for a moment. Finally, he shrugged. "I'll follow your decision, Señorita Needles. You are my partner, after all."

Needles smirked. "Then it's settled. Spike, when do we leave?"

Spike's eyes went wide. "Um, what?"

"Well, you're the one in charge of this posse, ain't ya?"

"I-I am?"

"Sure, why not? The Dragoons are supposed to follow your example, after all. We want to be noble dragons like you."

"Speak for yourself," Flint muttered.

Spike's mind went blank. He tried to say something, but he found himself completely tongue-tied.

"Um, uh, well, y'see..." He nudged Big Macintosh's leg. Big Macintosh turned and tilted his head.

"Eeyup?" he asked.

"Help me out here!" Spike hissed.

Big Macintosh turned to Braeburn and cleared his throat. It didn't take long for Braeburn to piece together the situation.

"Well, uh, we probably should get some rest first," he said. "I reckon if we leave by first light, we can cover the most ground."

Trigger narrowed his eyes. "I don't like this, Needles."

"Only 'cause you're jealous," Needles retorted.

Trigger's face turned bright red. "I-I am not jealous! I know I'm better than he is! In fact, Ms. Strongheart is mistaken. I can teach you how to be a noble dragon, my dear Needles."

Needles arched an eyebrow. "Really? 'Cause the only thing you've done since I met ya is worship the ground I walk on."

Trigger wrung his claws. "W-well, only because you're so beautiful, Needles. Ehheh... Ehheh..."

Needles bopped Trigger on the head with her parasol and forced him to look her straight in the eye. "Spare me the sweet talk and get this through your noggin, Trigger. Spike here is helpin' us whether you like it or not, so you'd better get used to it." She then looked up at the other Dragoons and pointed her parasol at them. "And that goes for all of you. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Of course, Señorita Needles."

"Pfft. Whatever."

"Good. I'm holdin' all of you to that," Needles said firmly. She then turned to Spike and smiled. "I like your style, Spike. You're just the kind of mentor I need. Seeya in the mornin'. Toro, let's head back to our hideout. Vamanos."

Toro nodded and began digging underground. Needles dove in after him, followed by Flint. Trigger was next, but not before giving Spike an "I'm watching you" gesture. Steel flew up to Chief Thunderhooves and bowed.

"I am so sorry about Flint's comments," he said. "He's just been rather sore at Little Strongheart lately; he meant nothing by it. We'll save her as well, I promise."

Chief Thunderhooves snorted. "Don't apologize for him, Steel. Let him make amends on his own through his actions."

"Um, yessir. Of course, sir," said Steel with another bow. "Well, toodles!"

With that, he dove down the hole after his comrades. Chief Thunderhooves let out a heavy sigh.

"Perhaps you are the one to lead these dragons down the right path, young Spike," he said. "For their sake, I certainly hope that's the case."

He marched off back to his own teepee. Spike swallowed.

"Hey, Big Mac?"

"Eeyup?"

"I'm gonna be leading this rescue, right?"

"Eeyup."

"And everyone's counting on me to teach these guys how to be noble, even though I don't really identify with other dragons."

"Eeyup."

"There probably isn't a way for me to back out of this, is there?"

"Nope."

"I'm up a creek, aren't I?"

Big Macintosh shrugged his shoulders. "It ain't my place to say. Only you can decide that, Spike."

Spike sighed. "Well, I've made two decisions. I've decided that no matter what, I'm gonna stick by my Noble Dragon Code and help those dragons any way I can."

"And what's your other decision, Spike?" asked Braeburn.

Spike gulped. "That I've got a really bad feeling about all this..."

Anti-Hunting Hounds

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"Spike. Hey, Spike. Up an' at 'em."

Spike flinched as her felt a thick hoof press his stomach. With a dazed grumble, he turned over onto his stomach.

"Just five more minutes," he moaned.

"Spike, everyone's ready to go but you. I thought Little Strongheart wanted you to set a good example for those dragon bandits."

"Eeyup."

Spike opened one eye and saw Braeburn and Big Macintosh towering over him. Although he wanted to go back to sleep, he immediately saw Braeburn's point.

"You fight dirty," he growled, stretching himself out. "At least tell me we've got breakfast waiting."

"Don't worry, we've got a little somethin' prepared," said Braeburn. "We're just gonna have to eat it on the move is all. Now c'mon, shake a leg."

"I'm-a shaking, I'm-a shaking," Spike mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Sheesh, I can't even sleep in on what's supposed to be my vacation. I really can't catch a break, can I?"

Big Macintosh shrugged his shoulders. "That's life for ya, I guess."

"I guess," Spike sighed. He groggily shambled out of the teepee he was sleeping in, and sure enough, the Dragoons were all saddled up and ready to go.

"Why hello, Your Highness," said Trigger mockingly. "Did you have a nice nap? Do noble dragons usually sleep this long and keep others waiting? I didn't know that. Ehheh... Ehheh..."

"Yeah, yeah. Lay off," Spike groaned. "I'm not perfect, alright?"

"No, but you are supposed to be setting a good example for us," said Steel.

Big Macintosh furrowed his brow. "Admittin' that you're not perfect sounds like a pretty good example to me."

Steel's eyes widened for a moment. "Oh. Um, touché, Mr. Macintosh, sir."

"Oh, please. He's not that impressive," said Flint, rolling his eyes.

"Alright, let's try not to get sidetracked here," said Braeburn firmly. "What's our plan for findin' these guys?"

"We figure that those dragon poachers have pitched their camp underground, seein' as their leader's a Diamond Dog and all," said Needles. "The trail left by their tatzlwurms is still fresh."

"And reeks of shellfish," Toro added with disdain. "It won't be pleasant for me, but I can follow their trail through the underground tunnels."

Braeburn blinked. "Huh. Well, that doesn't sound so bad."

"I highly doubt those varmints are gonna make this easy for us," said Needles darkly. "Which is why we should be prepared for anythin' and everythin'."

"Ten steps ahead of you, Ms. Needles!" Steel chirped, brandishing his bow.

Flint deadpanned. "You just had to bring that stupid thing along, didn't you?"

"Hey, I think I should be allowed to use whatever weapon I want," said Steel, folding his arms.

"How many times do I have to tell you, you moron? You're a fire-breathing dragon! You don't need a bow and arrow!" Flint roared.

Spike turned to Needles. "Do they always fight like this?"

"More than you know," Needles sighed.

Spike let out a sigh of his own before straightening himself. "Alright, alright. We aren't gonna get anything done by arguing."

"Or by sleeping," Trigger said with a snicker.

Spike sighed again. "L-let's just get moving already."

"I'm all for that," said Needles with a firm nod. "Toro, vamanos."

Toro nodded and dove underground. One by one, each of the Dragoons followed him. Spike swallowed.

"Well, here goes nothing," he said, turning to Big Macintosh and Braeburn. "Wish me luck, guys."

"Best of luck, little fella," said Braeburn with a tip of his hat.

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh said simply.

With that, Spike took a deep breath and jumped in after the Dragoons with Braeburn and Big Macintosh at his heels.

***

It wasn't long before the posse stumbled upon the large, circular tunnels left by the tatzlwurms burrowing through the earth. Needles projected a golden aura that provided a small amount of illumination. Grooves ran through the ground, and parts of the walls and ceiling were singed.

"They must've been tryin' to fight back every step of the way," Needles said somberly. "Meanin' we've got ourselves a pretty solid trail to follow. Everyone stick close to me now. I'll take point."

"No need, my dear Needles," said Trigger with a bow. "Allow me to take point. It's the only noble thing to do."

He looked up at Spike and narrowed his eyes as he said that last part. Spike swallowed a large lump in his throat while Needles simply rolled her eyes.

"Stop embarrassin' yourself, Trigger," she said, walking right past him.

"Hey, I don't hear Mr. Dragon Code offering, do you?" Trigger snarled, shooting Spike another glare.

Spike's heart skipped a beat. "W-wait, what?"

"What do you mean by that?" said Trigger, making a beeline to Spike. "You're supposed to be the big shot noble dragon here, aren't you? So why didn't you offer to take point? I always thought being noble meant you would gladly risk your life to help another. I guess I was mistaken. Ehheh... Ehheh..."

It only took half a second for Trigger's insult to sink in. Spike immediately drew himself to full height and marched up right next to Needles.

"Keep the light on me," he said firmly. "I'll take the lead."

Trigger whipped around, his eyes bugging out. "Wh-what?! Oh no you don't! I'm taking the lead!"

Spike blinked. "Wait, but you just said—"

"I will not be bested by you, upstart!" Trigger roared. "I'm taking point, and that's final!"

"Well, why don't we both do it then?" said Spike with a shrug.

"D-don't take the high ground with me!" Trigger spat. "Your dirty tricks won't impress Needles!"

"I'm not trying to impress—"

"You can't lie to me! I know what you're after!"

With an exasperated groan, Needles bopped Trigger on the head with her parasol. "Trigger, shut up. Spike, thanks for the offer, but I'm our source of light here. I think it's best if I take point."

"Hey, don't I get a thank you?!" Trigger protested. "I offered first!"

Braeburn heaved a great sigh. "This is gonna be a loooong trek."

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh agreed.

Toro's ears suddenly perked up, and he held out his paw. "Listen. You hear that?"

The posse grew silent for a moment. Indeed, several muted footprints echoed throughout the tunnel.

"It's coming from up ahead," said Toro, slinging his cannon from his shoulder. "Stay on your guard."

"Right," said Steel, fitting an arrow to his bow. "Hmm, now how did I get this fire arrow thing to work again?"

"Guys, keep your voices down," Needles whispered, dimming her magic aura a bit. "We wanna catch whoever's in here by surprise, not the other way around."

Flint scoffed. "A bit late for that, don't you think?"

"Shhh~!" Trigger hissed.

Flint rolled his eyes. "Great. I'm getting scolded by the loudest guy here."

"All of you, shut your traps!" Needles rasped. "This bickerin' ain't movin' us forward, in case you haven't noticed!"

The posse continued through the catacomb in tense silence. All the while, the alien footsteps echoed around them. Occasionally, a bark or two was also heard.

"You think those are Diamond Dogs, Mr. The Bulldog?" asked Steel.

Toro frowned. "No. Diamond Dogs don't bark like that. These sounds are too, otherworldly."

"Any idea what they are?" inquired Spike.

"Hey, I thought we were supposed to be quiet!" Trigger scolded.

"I-I was just asking!" Spike whimpered.

"No, you were being careless!" Trigger said, raising his voice. "You think just because you have a fancy Noble Dragon Code that you're better than everyone else here?!"

"I-I never said tha—"

"Don't give me that nonsense! I'm onto you! Get this through your head, buddy! Needles doesn't need your help!"

"Where is this coming fr—?"

"I don't care that Ms. Strongheart thinks you're so great. I don't think that at all!"

"Um, maybe you should keep your voice dow—"

"And another thing! You keep interrupting me! Talk about r—"

A low growl interrupted Trigger's train of thought. Through the darkness ahead of them, several pairs of bright yellow eyes opened at once. Shimmering stars appeared to manifest themselves beneath each pair. When the shadows moved into Needles's light, they were revealed to be large dogs with long snouts and razor sharp teeth. Their fur was a direct representation of a night sky dyed a misty blue color. The dogs advanced towards the posse, sparkling drool dripping from their jaws.

Needles turned to Trigger and gave him a bemused look. "Nice goin', genius."

"I-it wasn't my fault," said Trigger. "I didn't think they would hear me. Ehheh..."

Spike gulped. "Okay, I don't know what those things are, but they do remind me of something we had to tackle back in Ponyville. If they're anything like that, we might be in trouble."

"Nonsense, Mr. Spike!" proclaimed Steel, drawing back his bow. "It'll take more than a bunch of mangey mutts to stop the—"

The dogs cut across Steel with a chorus of powerful howls. Needles snorted.

"Less talkin', more bashin'!" she ordered. "We're gonna have to fight our way through!"

With a flick of her wrist, a star-shaped shard of energy flew towards one of the dogs, hitting it square in its starry forehead. Flint flew in and let loose a steady stream of flame. Steel managed to light one of his arrows and let it fly, only for it to graze one of the dogs without so much as singeing its fur. Toro used his cannon as a blunt club, smacking the dogs away. The dogs themselves yipped and howled, gnashing their teeth and swiping their massive paws.

"Don't forget 'bout us!" Braeburn exclaimed. "C'mon, Big Mac! Let's show 'em how we do it back in Appleloosa!"

Taking an apple pie from his saddlebag, he tossed it into the fray. With pinpoint accuracy, he hit one of the starry dogs right in the eye. Big Macintosh charged in, delivering a powerful buck to the stunned dog's jaw. Meanwhile, Spike ducked and weaved around the enemies' attacks, occasionally blowing out his emerald flame or slashing with his claws. The battle dragged on and on, but no matter how hard they fought, the starry dogs would not back down. In fact, their numbers appeared to be growing by the minute.

"Is there any end to these things?!" Needles snarled, tossing several star-shaped bolts at once.

"If we keep fightin' 'em like this, we won't have enough strength to go after them poachers!" Braeburn hollered. "We need to get away!"

"On it!" said Toro, aiming his cannon at the ceiling. "Señor Trigger, aquí!"

Trigger nodded and climbed up onto Toro's shoulder. He blew his flame into the cannon's powder chamber, causing it to launch it projectile at the wall. With a loud blast, the ceiling gave way to sunlight. The starry dogs whimpered and howled in pain as the sun's rays beamed down upon them. One by one, they retreated into the tunnels.

"Nice thinkin', Toro," said Needles, taking a moment to catch her breath. "What were those things? They ain't native to the Mild West, I can say that much."

"I don't know, either," said Toro, knitting his brow. "I didn't even know they would flee from the light like that."

"Well, whatever they are, they're infestin' this here tunnel," said Braeburn with a snort. "Guess them poachers didn't want us followin' them."

Spike stroked his chin in thought. "Well, if we can't keep hunting them underground, maybe we'll have a better chance on the surface."

"But we'll lose the trail that way, won't we?" said Trigger. "Clearly, we should just press onward through those beasts."

"And go through that fight again? I only have so many arrows," said Steel. "Shouldn't we save some for the poachers themselves?"

"Oh, will you shut up about the arrows?" Flint groaned. "If I said it once, I said it a thousand times: You! Don't! Need! Them!"

"No, he has a point," said Needles contemplatively. "Takin' on those mutts will just slow us down. We'll have better luck goin' above ground."

"Yeah, I reckon that's our best course of action," said Braeburn. "They're probably expectin' us to come in through this way, anyway. We wanna get 'em by surprise."

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh concurred.

"Then it's settled," said Needles. "Toro, keep that nose of yours workin'. It's pretty much our only lead now."

"Of course, Señorita Needles," said Toro.

With that, he started digging up into the wall, forging a path back to the surface. Needles cast her gaze downward and sighed.

"I knew this wasn't gonna be easy," she muttered under her breath.

"Doesn't mean we should give up," said Spike.

Needles turned to Spike and smirked. "Never said we were. I'm just sayin' that this little encounter is probably just a taste of what's to come."

Trigger huffed and gave Spike the evil eye. Spike noticed this and swallowed.

"Yeah. I know what you mean," he said.

***

Jacques Moschet heard a series of footprints coming from the catacomb ahead. He turned and saw a large starry dog emerge with its tail between its legs.

"Well?" he asked.

The dog whimpered and held up its burnt paw. Jacques raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm. Those buffalo sure are tricky," he mused, tapping his beak. "Well, no matter. There aren't many things that can muscle their way through a pack of Caanus Minors. Heck, they're lucky I didn't send their mother after them. With my hunting dogs guarding the underground tunnels and my other pets keeping watch around the desert, my secret will remain safe. I just need to hold them off until Maggie makes her choice, and then we can leave. Shouldn't be too hard..."

Hit and Miss

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When they emerged from the underground tunnels, the posse realized that they were pretty far away from the buffalo tribe. Desert land stretched out as far as the eye could see, and even through some light clouds, the sun's rays were just as relentless as ever. Off in the distance, Spike could barely make out a small mountain range just over the horizon. Toro sniffed the air and scowled.

"It's faint, but the trail continues this way," he said, pointing towards the mountain range.

"How long do you think it'll take us to get to those mountains?" asked Spike.

Toro shrugged. "Hard to say, Señor Spike. I'm used to traveling underground. This is completely out of my element."

Needles squinted and shielded her eyes to get a better view. "Hmm. Doesn't look that far to me. If we hustle, we can get there before the sun really starts to beat down on us. Toro, take point. We need your nose to make sure we're goin' the right way."

"Sí, Señorita Needles," said Toro with a nod. He then bent down on all fours and started sniffing the ground intently while everyone else followed at his heels. All was silent for a time, save for the clip-clop of pony hooves, the flapping of dragon wings, and Toro's nose working overtime. Finally, Spike cleared his throat.

"Hey, uh, Needles?"

Needles turned her head. "Yeah? What's up?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Spike noticed Trigger was glaring daggers at him. Trying his best to ignore it, he kept his attention on Needles.

"I was just wondering about that Toro guy," he said. "He's a part of your gang, right?"

"Since I can remember," said Needles.

"So, do I have to teach him how to be noble, too?"

Needles almost laughed, but after a pause, she furrowed her brow. "Y'know, that's the funny thing about Toro. Ever since I've met him, I could never get a fix on where his priorities lie. He has all the makings of an outlaw, and that's actually how he got his start. But he's always loyal to the folks he cares about, and he makes it a point to get his fair share and not a gem more. I'd say he's noble in a different kinda way. Which is fine, but it ain't doin' me any favors."

Spike scratched his head. "I'm a bit lost."

Needles sighed. "The Dragon Magi are supposed to be wise and willin' to help anyone in need. Toro isn't really like that. Sure, he'll help if the price is right, but Dragon Magi don't see things that way. They help others 'cause it feels good."

Spike blinked. "So, why aren't all Dragon Magi as small as you are?"

"And just what do you mean by that?" Trigger snarled, scuttling between Spike and Needles. "You think there's something wrong with Needles? Huh? I'm pretty sure it's unbecoming of a noble dragon to ask such personal questions."

"I-I'm not saying that," Spike squeaked defensively, flailing his arms. "It's just that I've been told that dragons grow bigger depending on the size of their hoard, but if the Dragon Magi don't believe in that..."

"Oh, we still have hoards. We just prefer to earn our gems rather than steal 'em," said Needles. "At least I think. Sorry, there's a lot about the Dragon Magi that I really don't know. It's quite embarrassin', actual—"

She paused and slowly turned to Spike. "Wait a minute. What'd you say before?"

"Before when?"

"You asked me why aren't all Dragon Magi as small as me. How in tarnation did you meet another Dragon Mage? Was it at the festival?"

"Um, yes?" said Spike nervously.

Needles titled her head. "What're you so jumpy about? I'm just curious is all."

"W-well, how do I put this?" said Spike, twiddling his fingers. "M-maybe you should sit down."

"Just spit it out already," said Needles impatiently. "What's the matter?"

Spike drew in a deep breath, trying to put off the bad news for as long as he could. "Thedragonpoacherskidnappedyourmother!" he blurted out in one breath.

Needles gave Spike a quizzical look. "Wait, slow down. What?"

Spike gestured to Big Macintosh and Braeburn frantically. With a heavy sigh, Braeburn trotted up to them.

"At the festival, we met this dragon named Nova," said he. "When Toro came lookin' for ya, she let it slip that you were her daughter. Then the poachers arrived, and well, you know what happened after that."

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh said solemnly.

Needles's eyes went wide. "N-no. Th-that can't be right. Sh-she must've been able to use her magic to—"

"Actually, I think she did," said Braeburn. "I was chargin' in along with Big Mac and Little Strongheart to help, and it felt like someone was guidin' my movements and makin' me run faster than I ever have before. I can't really prove it, but that might've been—"

Needles's knuckles became white as she gripped the handle of her parasol. "You all knew about this?"

"I-in our defense, Flint and I didn't know she got captured," Steel interjected meekly.

"You really don't have a spine, do you?" Flint muttered, rolling his eyes.

"W-we didn't want to cause you any undue stress, Needles," said Trigger, wringing his claws. "We realize you don't like talking about your family all that much, so—"

Needles interrupted Trigger with a smack from her parasol. "Trigger, why don't you ever think these things through? Don't you reckon that I'd want to know somethin' like that?! It's my ma, for cryin' out loud!"

Spike sighed. "Sorry, Needles. I guess we were all too caught up in the moment to remember to tell you."

"Eeyup," said Big Macintosh sadly.

Needles became short of breath as she gripped her parasol tighter and tighter. Plumes of smoke billowed from her nostrils, and her chest gave off a warm amber glow.

"Needles! A-are you alright?" asked Trigger. "You seem very tense. I-I can help you with that if you want. Ehheh..."

Needles shot Trigger a glare. "Do I look alright to you?!" she bellowed. "If those poachers find out that they caught a dragon who can use magic, the Dragon Magi are gonna be hunted to extinction!"

The spines on Spike's back stood up on end. In a matter of seconds, his shocked expression changed to one of righteous indignation.

"Fear not, milady!" he proclaimed, bowing before Needles. "On my Noble Dragon Code, I swear that I will not let that happen!"

"N-nor will I!" Trigger blurted out, pushing Spike to the side. Spike said nothing, but instead gave Trigger an annoyed look as he got up and dusted himself off.

Flint scoffed. "I can't tell whether this is funny or just sad."

Steel folded his arms. "Must you act so heartless, Flint? Ms. Needles needs our support now more than ever!"

"Oh, stuff it. You don't care about this any more than I do. You're just worried about your standing with the buffalo."

"How can you say that?!"

"Because I know you, and I know how much of a wimp you are."

"Well, at least I'm not an obnoxious brute!"

"Well at least I'm honest about my intentions!"

The glowing light in Needles's chest began glowing hotter and brighter. Her breathing became erratic, and her eyes were scrunched tight. Before she could let loose any of the tension, Toro raised his paw.

"She's here," he said, sniffing the air.

Steel whipped his head around. "She? She who?"

"Hello again, big brother."

As if on cue, a familiar voice echoed from the mountain before them. Everyone looked up. There was Isabelle, standing on the cliffside with her arms folded and a smug grin plastered on her face.

"Isabelle," Toro growled, reaching for his cannon. "What are you doing out here?"

"Keeping watch," said Isabelle. "You see, I figured those buffalo would be mighty sore about our little raid last night, and I decided to create a little welcoming committee for them. However, I honestly didn't expect them to send you."

"Enough games!" roared Steel, pointing his bow at Isabelle. "Where are you keeping Little Strongheart and our brethren?!"

Isabelle giggled. "You really think I'd tell the likes of you and ruin everything?"

Toro shook his head. "This isn't you, Isabelle. You're no cazadore."

"I am now, big brother," said Isabelle with a twinkle in her eye. "Ever since trying to catch you, you've shown me the true thrill of the hunt. But because you always miss, I had to go for something more, challenging. So I figured if you can leave the pack and make a name for yourself, why can't I?"

"You really want to be known for hurting dragons?!" shouted an aghast Spike.

Isabelle shrugged. "That's none of your concern. And in the meantime, I can't let you find our hideout! No buffalo, Diamond Dog, or pony is going to take this away from me!"

She then put her fingers to her lips and whistled. From the nooks and crannies behind her, several oxen marched out with bowstrings fixated around their horns and quivers strapped to their backs. Needles bit her lip.

"Shoot. Another ambush," she muttered bitterly.

"Think we better start runnin'?" said Braeburn.

Steel scoffed. "No way. We can take 'em!"

Braeburn raised an eyebrow. "You really think you can take on an entire hoard of oxbow men with that little thing?"

Steel gave Braeburn a quizzical look. "What men?"

"Oxbow men."

Steel scratched his head. "What the heck's an oxbow?"

Braeburn deadpanned. "A bow used by an ox. What do you think it is?"

"Wait, isn't it some kinda lake?" asked Spike. "I think I read about it in a book Twilight gave me."

"Guys, can we save this discussion for after we get away from the trained marksmen ready to tan our hides?!" Needles yelled. "Let's move before—"

She was interrupted by a stray arrow buzzing past her cheek. Using their tails, the oxbow men drew the arrows from their quivers, fit them to their bows, and pulled the bowstring back all the way.

"That was just a warning shot," said Isabelle. "Next time, they won't miss."

Spike swallowed. Although his heart pounded something fierce, he stood his ground.

"Y-you can't scare us!" he proclaimed. "We won't rest until you pay for what you've done!"

"Is that so?" said Isabelle. "Well, suit yourselves. Oxbow men, make it rain!"

Sure enough, a flurry of arrows were launched from the mountainside. Spike and the others barely dodged the onslaught as they ran around the mountain, only to find more oxbow men waiting for them.

"We gotta find our way through those mountains!" Needles hollered. "She couldn't have hired that many oxbow men!"

"Don't worry, Ms. Needles!" said Steel, taking out an arrow and setting it alight. "I'll drive them off!"

As he fiddled with the flaming arrow, several bolts whizzed past him. Some of them embedded themselves in his thick scales, but they didn't penetrate deep enough for him to feel them.

"C-come on. I-I just want to make it so that my bow doesn't catch fire," Steel grumbled.

"Steel, hurry up, or we're gonna leave without you!" Flint snapped.

"Just a moment, just a moment!" Steel called back. "Almost... There! Alright, you oxbow guys! Take th— Yeow!"

A stray arrow hit Steel's claw, causing him to drop the fire arrow.

"Great, now will you get a move on?" Flint said. "We can't just stay in one place for too long, in case you haven't noticed!"

"C-coming," Steel whimpered, nursing the wound in his claw. "That was dirty."

Once Steel rejoined the group, the posse ran as fast as they could. At the first canyon they happened upon, they turned and ducked into it, hoping to give the oxbow men the slip. However, the canyon's cliffs were also being patrolled.

"I get the feelin' they really don't wanna be found!" Braeburn hollered.

"Eeyup!" Big Macintosh concurred.

Needles snorted. "C'mon! We gotta find some shelter, then we can worry 'bout the poachers!"

The posse ran clear across the valley, hiding behind every outcropping they could find. But no matter where they went, the arrows of the oxbow men were not far behind. Finally, Needles spotted a dark cave at the bottom of one of the cliffs.

"Guys, in there!" she yelled.

No one needed to be told twice. They all ducked into the cave, only to find that there wasn't solid footing inside. Into the darkness they fell, sliding down what felt like smooth, wet sand.

Spike opened a tentative eye, only to find darkness all around him. Needles's amber glow illuminated the area, showing everyone piled on top of one another in a heap.

"Everyone okay?" she inquired.

"Oh, my poor claw," Steel whined, still reeling from his arrow wound.

"Oh, suck it up, you big baby," Flint groaned.

"Well, nothing's broken," said Braeburn. "What about you, Big Mac? You doin' alright?"

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh said in a strained tone.

"I am thankful for my thick scales," Spike moaned.

"As long as you're well, Needles, I'll be fine," grunted Trigger.

"A few nicks and scratches, but I'm alright," said Toro, slowly getting to his feet.

"Good," said Needles. "Now, we can take a breather here while we wait for them oxbow men to leave. Flint? Would you go fly up and check if the coast is clear?"

"And why me?"

"'Cause you're not wounded."

Flint rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine." He flapped his wings, but didn't move an inch off the ground. "Uh, guys? I'm stuck."

Needles sighed. "Don't make excuses, Flint."

"No, really. I'm stuck," Flint insisted. "What is this stuff?"

Curious, Spike tried to move his leg. Much to his surprise, the ground held him fast. One by one, the others found that they had the same problem. Needles blanched.

"Uh-oh."

"What? What's wrong?" asked Spike.

Needles opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by a sleepy rasp coming from below. She swallowed.

"Spike, have you ever heard of an antlion before?"

Spike blinked. "It sounds kinda familiar. Might've been from one of Twilight's monster journals. I don't remember it off the top of my head, though."

"Well, picture a giant ant that eats whatever it wants, can fossilize you with its breath, and uses quicksand pits just like spiders use webs."

Spike gulped. "I-I don't like this picture very much. Wh-why are you bringing this up?"

"'Cause in my infinite Dragon Mage wisdom, I think I might've accidentally led us into an antlion's nest."

Another rasp echoed from below as something stirred in the shadows. At the bottom of the pit, it was just as Needles described. A gigantic ant with razor sharp teeth as well as threatening mandibles and a bushy mane was curled up like a cat in front of a hearth, snoring peacefully.

"Well, at least it's not awake," Spike said, dipping his voice. "If we can somehow get out of this quicksand, maybe we can sneak past it."

Trigger scoffed. "Oh, sure. Only a noble dragon would sneak away from conflict instead of—"

Needles interrupted him with a smack from her parasol. "We are not goin' through that again!" she hissed. "Now c'mon, y'all. Let's go."

Ever so carefully, the posse waded through the quicksand back up towards the cave entrance. Every so often, the antlion shuffled a bit in its sleep, causing everyone to freeze. But thankfully, the creature didn't even open one eye. After much struggling, they finally reached the top.

"Huh. That wasn't so bad," said Steel.

No sooner had he said that than the cave entrance exploded, sending large debris everywhere. Once the rubble was cleared, a larger creature towered over the group. This one appeared to be a gigantic crab with a horned mask and a single segmented claw with no pincer at the end. The crab swiped its claw and let out a screech, which prompted a grouchy rasp from below. Flint gave Steel a deadpan look.

"You just had to open your big mouth, didn't you?" he said, smacking Steel upside the head.

"I, don't suppose you know what that is, do you?" said Spike, pointing at the crab.

"Nope," said Needles. "But whatever it is, we're gonna have to fight it in order to get back on track."

"Okay. Any ideas?"

Needles bit her lip and trembled, as if the words she was trying to say were physically hurting her. "I-I-I d-d-d-don't kn-know."

Spike wasn't sure why Needles was acting this way, but he pushed that thought aside. "I guess that means we're improvising. C'mon, everyone! We've come too far to give up now!"

"Who died and made you boss?!" Trigger barked.

"This is not the time for petty arguments, Señor Trigger!" Toro hollered. "¡Aquí, pronto!"

As the others prepared for battle, Needles's mind raced furiously.

H-he's just gonna fight that thing without a plan? she wondered. Th-that's insane! He doesn't know how to fight that thing! None of us do! Dang it, why can't I figure out what to do?! I'm a Dragon Mage; I'm supposed to have all the answers! But I don't! I just, don't...

As these thoughts raced through her head, the warm glow in her chest returned. Ever so slowly, it built up more heat and became brighter and brighter, threatening to burst forth at any given moment...

Precarious Patience

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"Hhhhello. Hhhhhow are you today? My name Pepito. Wait, no. That wrong."

Pepito paced back and forth in front of the dragon cage, a small Spanish-English dictionary in his claw. While the other dragons were asleep or suffering, Nova simply watched him with interest. Little Strongheart, however, had other priorities.

"It's okay," she whispered to one of the other dragons. "We'll get out of here, I promise."

"You there!"

Little Strongheart gulped, fearing that Pepito noticed him. When she turned around, she was curious to see that his eyes were still glued to his dictionary.

"Yes, um, uh..." Pepito hemmed and hawed, flipping through the pages. "Ah, yes! Ahem. It is beautiful day today, do you not think?"

Little Strongheart narrowed her eyes. "Is that supposed to be funny?"

Pepito blinked and turned back to his dictionary. "Hmm. Is that joke? I no think it was. Wait, let me check..."

Little Strongheart sighed. "Never mind."

"No, no. I mind, I mind," Pepito insisted. "I want to learn so everyone no think I stupid."

"If it's any consolation, I don't find you to be unintelligent at all," said Nova warmly. "Anyone who pursues knowledge can easily avoid that distinction."

Pepito spun around and glared at Nova. "You no supposed to talk," he snapped, waving his free claw. "No talking, or I, uh..." He paused to sift through his dictionary again. "Punish! Yes, that it."

"She was paying you a compliment, you ingrate," Little Strongheart growled.

Pepito paused for a moment and flipped through his dictionary again. "Uh, what you call me again? I no know that word."

Little Strongheart groaned. "Look, all I'm saying is that you don't have to be so rude to her."

"But Señora Isabelle say merchandise no talk," said Pepito. "I no make rules. I, uh..." Once again, he paused to find the right word in his dictionary. "En-force. Is that how you say it?"

"Yes," Little Strongheart grumbled.

"Ah, good. See? I learn," said Pepito proudly.

Nova gave Pepito a round of applause, to which he gave her another disapproving look.

"I didn't say anything that time," said Nova with a shrug.

Pepito's glare intensified. "Don't try to pull fast one on Pepito. You spoke just now."

"Huh. So I did. I apologize," said Nova with a humble bow.

"Ah, see?! You do it again!" Pepito barked, reaching for his weighted lasso. "I warn you about this! Now you be punished!"

"Don't you dare!" Little Strongheart screamed. She was about to charge through the cage when Nova raised her claw.

"It's alright, young one," she said sagely. "I accept this punishment."

Pepito blinked in confusion. "You do?"

"Well, you did warn me not to talk," said Nova with a shrug.

Pepito tapped his chin. "Hmm. You not wrong. But at same time, you very strange. Other dragons no like being punished."

"Oh, I never said I liked this," Nova explained. "But then again, life is full of things I don't like."

"That true. That very true," Pepito mused. His eyes suddenly widened. "Wait! I no supposed to talk to you! I supposed to punish!"

"Then go ahead," said Nova simply.

Pepito swallowed and readied his lasso. Little Strongheart, meanwhile, could only watch in bewilderment. She stared at Pepito, then at Nova, and then back at Pepito again. Pepito's claw was trembling, and sweat formed on his brow as he hesitated. Nova, however, was just as calm and serene as ever. Before she could ask why, a familiar roar was heard from the bowels of the cavern.

"Ms. Isabelle!"

Pepito snapped to attention, breathing a partial sigh of relief for the interruption. In walked Jacques Moschet, looking more than a tad concerned. Before he could venture any farther, Pepito scuttled up to him and raised his claws.

"You no allowed to be here," he said firmly.

"One side, simpleton," Jacques snarled. "I'm trying to find your superior."

Pepito blinked. "¿Qué?"

"Your superior! Your superior!" Jacques repeated.

"Super, ear?" Pepito inquired, searching his dictionary for the answer. "My, uh, hearing not that great, Señor Moschet."

"Apparently not," Jacques muttered, rolling his eyes. "Listen, you dim-witted crustacean. I'm looking for Ms. Isabelle."

"Oh! Why you no say so?" Pepito said, his expression brightening. "She no here. Also, she say you not allowed to be here."

"Well, who can I talk to about this poaching operation?"

"I second-in-command."

Jacques did a double take. "You're joking."

"No."

"You are second-in-command."

"Sí, Señor."

"You."

"Sí. Why that so hard to believe?"

"I can think of a few reasons," Jacques murmured.

"¿Qué?"

"I-I said do you know when Ms. Isabelle will be back?"

Pepito shook his head. "I no supposed to say. Señora Isabelle say Moschet not supposed to be here for a while."

Jacques snorted. "Well, she couldn't have meant me. I'm her client!"

"We know, we know," said Pepito with a nod. "But that what she say. Moschet not allowed down here."

Jacques raised an eyebrow. "Wait. Did she mention which Moschet?"

Pepito tilted his head. "¿Qué?"

"Which Moschet was she talking about when she said Moschet wasn't allowed down here?"

"There another one of you?"

"No, there's not another one of me!"

"Then you are not allowed down here."

"That's preposterous! She couldn't have meant me!"

"But you just say there only one Moschet."

"No, I was talking about— ow!"

Jacques was cut off when he winced as though he was just slapped. Pepito blinked in confusion while Jacques's eyes widened in horror. Three seconds later, Maggie emerged from the shadows and slapped Jacques across the cheek, causing him to recoil in the exact same manner.

"You have some explaining to do, mister!" Maggie scolded.

Jacques deadpanned and turned to Pepito, who was still puzzled. He then took in a deep breath and pointed to Maggie.

"This, Mrs. Moschet." He then pointed to himself. "This, Mr. Moschet." He then raised his knuckle to Pepito's forehead. "This, smack on head."

He swiftly demonstrated his point, causing Pepito to stumble back slightly.

"Jacques, look at me when I'm talking to you," Maggie growled. "One of my handmaidens just woke me up saying that our pets have gone missing."

"D-did she now?" said Jacques, wiping some sweat from his brow. "My, how troublesome. Wh-what specifically?"

"Our entire pack of Caanus Minors, several owlbears, three wyverns, two deathstalkers, and our rare one-of-a-kind Shielded Thundercrab!"

"That many? Dear oh dear," muttered Jacques. "I must speak to our servants. Clearly, they've been slacking on the— ow, ow, ow~!"

Although Maggie did nothing, Jacques whipped around as if his tail was being pulled. Three seconds later, Maggie lunged forward and snatched Jacques's tail, giving it a good, hardy yank.

"Don't play innocent with me," Maggie admonished. "I know you let our pets free on purpose! The servants admitted as much!"

"Nngh! Curse them for being more afraid of you than me," Jacques grunted, prompting another tug from Maggie.

"Why, Jacques?! Why did you let our valuable animals loose?!" Maggie demanded.

"L-listen, my little desert cobra. I-I didn't want to make a big deal out of this," Jacques cried. "I-I needed to buy some time for you to pick your dragon so that the buffalo didn't— yeow!"

"Need I remind you that it's your fault the buffalo are after us in the first place!" Maggie spat. "If you just caught your own dragon, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

Little Strongheart gasped "Wait, you let foreign animals loose in the desert?! Do you have any regard for any wildlife at all?!"

"Oh, please," said Jacques. "D-deathstalkers thrive in the desert, and a Caanus Minor can live anywhere as long as it's kept in the dark."

"That doesn't excuse anything!" Little Strongheart roared. "You are threatening the natural balance of the Mild West's ecosystem just to keep my people from finding you! That's disgrace—"

Little Strongheart's entire body froze mid-sentance, as if she had spontaneously became a statue. Maggie slithered over to her and slapped her silly, although this prompted no response. In the blink of an eye, Little Strongheart regained consciousness, only to be smacked around by an invisible force.

"I'll handle my own husband, thankyouverymuch," Maggie stated coldly. "I don't need your treehugger preaching."

"L-look, I've taken the necessary precautions," said Jacques, brushing himself off. "My pets are trained to survive under any conditions."

"Our pets, Jacques. Our pets," Maggie corrected. "And I don't recall giving you permission to let them loose."

"I-it was all for you, my precious python," said Jacques. "I just want you to be happy."

Maggie stared down at Jacques and folded her arms. "Oh, you want me to be happy, do you?"

"More than anything, my love."

"Well, you can start by going out and getting our pets back. If they aren't at our estate by the time I finish freshening up, you're in big trouble."

"B-but the buffalo— ack!" Jacques recoiled and rubbed his cheek. "By the way, it's rather obnoxious of you to use your temporal magic just to— ouch!"

Jacques was interrupted by Maggie swiping his cheek with her tail.

"If you're so worried about those savages, I'll handle them when they get here," she said darkly.

Little Strongheart's fur bristled, and she snorted angrily. "We won't fall to the likes of— ow!"

She flinched as she felt a sharp tug on her ear, even though nothing was holding her. Three seconds later, Maggie slithered forward and yanked her ear.

"Listen well, girl," she hissed directly into Little Strongheart's ear. "I am a master of temporal magic. Time is always on my side, and as long as that's the case, nothing can hurt me. Your primitive little tribe will just have to learn that the hard way."

"I prefer to the term indigenous, but that's because I view knowledge in a very different way than you do," Nova chimed in.

Maggie scowled at Nova. "Did you just insult me?"

"Sh-she no supposed to talk," Pepito pipped up. "I-I punish. No worry."

He tossed the lariat around Nova's neck and forced her to the ground. Nova let out a sharp cough, but didn't offer any other resistance. Little Strongheart was once again baffled by this. Maggie simply scoffed and slithered out of the cavern. Once she was gone, Jacques turned angrily towards Pepito.

"Let your boss know that I'm willing to pay extra if your crew helps me get my pets back," he said.

Pepito rubbed his head. "I thought you say you no want to pay extra."

"That was before Maggie chewed me out for taking initiative," Jacques grumbled.

Pepito shook his head. "I very confused. I go find Señora Isabelle. She know what to do."

With that, he scuttled off into the darkness. Jacques simply rolled his eyes and flew off after his wife. Once Little Strongheart couldn't hear them anymore, she turned to Nova.

"How are you tolerating any of this?" she inquired. "They have no right to treat us in this abhorrent manner."

Nova sighed, letting out a bright fuchsia cloud as she exhaled. "You're right. They don't. But I have to control my temper. Otherwise, Akire will be unleashed, and that wouldn't be good for anyone."

Little Strongheart tilted her head. "Akire? Who's that?"

Nova looked over at Little Strongheart, and then turned her attention off into space. "Tell me, young buffalo. Do you know where the Dragon Magi derive their power from?"

"I'm, afraid not," Little Strongheart admitted. "The legends never went into detail about that."

"Well, it all started when chaos was the law of the land," explained Nova. "Back then, east and west were such arbitrary concepts that there was no distinction between us western dragons and our gentler, wiser cousins from the east. This confusion led to the eastern dragon Zheng Long marrying a western female by the name of Plume. When order returned to the land, Zheng Long decided to stay in the west and enlighten his brethren to his way of thinking. Most ignored him, but others, such as my grandmother, followed his teachings. We learned to utilize what he called chi to perform miraculous feats of wonder, and in his honor, we vowed to use our gifts for good.

"However, the nature of western dragons could not be erased by Zheng Long's eastern teachings. The early Dragon Magi were still prone to destructive tantrums and acts of greed. As a remedy, they learned how to summon spirits made entirely of fire using their breath. The intention was for these fire elementals to act as a guiding light to curb our darker desires. In spirit of this, it's customary for a Dragon Mage to conjure up a fire elemental within the body of their newly-hatched young, so that they would always have someone to watch over them no matter what happened.

"The fire elementals did fulfill their role for the most part, but not without a consequence. As it just so happens, our emotional states directly dictate how fiercely the fire elementals within us burn. If a Dragon Mage ever loses control of his or her emotions, their fire elemental will burst free and go on a blind rampage. Once, a quarrel between two siblings ended with an entire nest being immolated by their fire elementals. Since that time, the Dragon Magi have made a priority to keep our guides in check. We only awaken them from their hibernation when it's absolutely necessary, and we teach our young to do the same."

Little Strongheart gave Nova a blank stare as she tried to process all this information. "Wow. So that's why you're so calm about all this."

"Indeed," said Nova with a nod. "It is not time for Akire to awaken. In this situation, it would do more harm than good."

"I understand," said Little Strongheart. Just then, a thought struck her. "Wait, you said that you conjure up a fire elemental into each of your young, right?"

"Correct."

"Meaning Needles has one, too. But, I never saw her use it."

Nova arched an eyebrow. "You know of my daughter?"

"It's a long story," said Little Strongheart sheepishly. "For now, all you need to know is that she's probably coming to rescue us."

Nova furrowed her brow. "If that is so, then I fear more for her than for myself."

"Why's that?"

Nova's face darkened. "I'm actually surprised Needles managed to keep her fire elemental in check for this long; especially since she doesn't know of its existence. But considering the circumstances, it's only a matter of time before she loses control. And once that happens, there's no telling how or if she'll get it back before it's too late..."

Friendly Fire

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The crab beast made its first move, swiping at the posse with its large claw. The attack caused everyone to scatter in all directions, effectively surrounding the creature. The only one who didn't move was Needles. She was rooted to the spot by her panic.

"Ah-ha! Not so tough now, are you?!" Steel boasted. "Now, taste our wrath!"

He then took one of his arrows and set it alight. Flint rolled his eyes.

"Here we go again," he muttered.

Steel pouted. "Oh, quit being such a pessimist, Flint. I can easily take this guy out!" he proclaimed. He proceeded to fiddle with his bow, trying desperately to make sure it didn't catch fire. While he struggled, the crab placed its claw to its shielded faceplate, rubbing it and generating a great amount of static electricity. Azure sparks crackled from its armor at it turned to face Toro and Trigger.

"Wrong move, ese!" Toro barked. "Señor Trigger, let him have it!"

Trigger didn't need to be told twice. He breathed his flame into the powder chamber of Toro's cannon, and it fired. The blast hit the creature's faceplate, causing it to stumble back. Once it did so, it discharged the electricity it was building up into one large blast, which was hurtling right towards Flint and Steel.

"Steel, c'mon! Forget the stupid arrow!" Flint hollered, flying out of the way.

"Hang on, Flint! Just, give me a minute!" Steel shouted back, still fitting the arrow to his bow. "Ah-ha! Got it! Alright y— yikes!"

Steel tried to swerve out of the way, but he was a second too slow. The blast grazed his wounded claw, sending electric jolts through the arrow still embedded within it. Steel writhed about in midair as electricity shot through his entire body. Flint smacked his forehead.

"I tried to warn you," he sighed.

The crab creature flipped itself upright and let out a garbled screech, swiping its claw again. It then leapt straight up into the air, crashing down right in front of Trigger and Toro. The resulting tremor created by its landing caused Toro the stumble over, which in turn made Trigger fall from his perch. While the two of them struggled to get their bearings, the crab creature lifted up its faceplate, as if it were attempting to smash it into them. Just as it was about to bring the faceplate down, it tripped to the side. Toro looked over at the beast, noticing that Spike had singed the creature's leg with his own flame.

"That was too close," Toro panted. He then gave Spike a nod. "Muchas gracias, Señor Spike."

"Don't thank me yet!" Spike hollered back. "That thing's not going down yet!"

Sure enough, the crab leapt up, did a complete one-eighty in midair, and landed in front of Spike with a resounding thud. With an agitated screech, it lifted its faceplate again.

"One good turn deserves another, amigo!" Toro proclaimed, aiming his cannon. "Señor Trigger!"

Trigger wrung his claws nervously. "Um, do I have to?"

Before Toro could answer, the faceplate came down with a loud crunch. Luckily, Spike was scooped up by Big Macintosh and Braeburn at the last minute.

"Phew! Thanks for the save, guys!" said Spike.

"Thank us when this is over, Spike!" Braeburn responded. "C'mon, Big Mac! Let's show this varmint a real show!"

"Eeyup!" Big Macintosh replied.

The two ponies charged for the crab creature, bobbing and weaving through its legs as if they were barrels at a rodeo. Fuming, the crab hopped around, trying to corner the stallions. While it was distracted, Flint saw an opening.

"Heh! Now you're mine!" he bellowed. He went into a sharp dive, letting loose a steady stream of black flame towards the crab's backside. He was just in range when a blurred shadow came out of nowhere and blindsided him, forcing him into a tumble. He got up and shook his head violently.

"Alright, who's the wise guy?" he growled, rubbing his cheek. "I knew I couldn't trust—"

He stopped mid-sentence as he saw what hit him. Two gigantic scorpions stood over, snapping their claws and drawing back their tails. Toro noticed this and snorted.

"Deathstalkers," he growled. "They must've heard the commotion and came running."

"Um, they weren't the only ones," said Steel with a swallow. "Look."

The posse took a moment to check their surroundings. In the midst of their battle, several beasts of various shapes and sizes came out of the woodwork and completely surrounded them. Three black wyverns descended from above, while large creatures with the bodies of bears and the wings and heads of owls lumbered from behind the rocks, blocking every exit. To top everything off, the antlion had finally managed to venture out of its nest, its mandibles snapping as it let out a roar.

"This doesn't look good, fellas," said Braeburn, obscuring his eyes with his hat.

"Nope," Big Macintosh concurred.

"Any bright ideas, Mr. Noble Dragon?" asked Trigger.

Spike knitted his brow, racking his brain for answers and the creatures got closer and closer. Needles's chest heaved up and down, the glow within it becoming brighter by the second.

"Um, not to rush you or anything, but some of these guys look pretty hungry, Mr. Spike," Steel whimpered.

Those words caused a lightbulb to go off in Spike's brain. "Hungry? Wait, that's it! Braeburn, Needles said that antlion thing would eat just about anything, right?"

Braeburn blinked in confusion, but then gave Spike a wide smile. "Ten steps ahead of ya, buddy!"

He reached into his saddlebags, pulled out an apple pie, and threw it directly at the antlion's mouth. The antlion caught the pie in its jaws and munched it down, pie tin and all. After a short paused, it let out a satisfied rasp and clicked its mandibles.

"Looks like the critter likes it," Braeburn chuckled, taking out another pie. "Don't worry, y'all! There's more than enough to go aro— oof!"

He was interrupted by the crab creature, which knocked him over with one swipe of his claw. It then scuttled in closer, building up static in its faceplate once again. The other creatures closed in from all directions, each of them ready to attack.

"So much for your brilliant plan," Trigger scoffed.

"I don't see you offering any suggestions, wise guy," Flint snarled.

Needles's claws clenched into fists. Amber smoke billowed from her nostrils, and the heat in her chest was slowly becoming unbearable. The crab saw the smoke and turned towards her, ready to unleash its electric blast. Meanwhile, a deathstakler skittered over to the wounded Braeburn, drawing back its stinger and poising to strike.

Just then, a cloud of what appeared to be dust enveloped the deathstalker. When the dust died down, the deathstalker was completely petrified. Everyone looked up to see the antlion towering over them, letting out a loud rasp. It snarled and spat at the other creatures, snapping its mandibles at anyone who got too close to the posse. Trigger's jaw dropped.

"I-I don't believe it," he stated.

Braeburn sniggered weakly as Big Macintosh helped him to his feet. "That right there is the power of Appleloosa's apple pie. Ain't that right, Big Mac?"

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh said with a nod.

"Great, whatever," said Flint, rolling his eyes. "Now let's bail on these guys while they're—"

He was cut off by the crab discharging its electricity. The blast hit the antlion's body, causing it to roar in pain. Steel frowned.

"Flint, this poor creature's outnumbered," he said. "We can't just leave it here."

Flint shot Steel an annoyed look. "Oh, for crying out loud, Steel! Are you really suggesting we risk our hides for this stupid thing?!"

"Why not? It did the same for us."

"Just a few seconds ago, it was planning to eat us!"

"Well, it doesn't want to do that now, does it?"

"I'm actually with Mr. Flint here. We should probably leave," said Trigger, giving Spike a sideways glance. "Unless, of course, our noble hero wants to save this dumb animal."

"Why must you continue to put all this pressure on Mr. Spike?" Steel asked, folding his arms. "It's highly uncalled for."

"Oh, so now this is my fault?!"

"I never said that! I'm just saying—"

"Is this really the time to argue?" Toro growled. "I don't care what we do as long as we do it, and do it now!"

"Right, let's get going then!" said Flint.

"No, we have to stay and help!" Steel insisted. "Right, Mr. Spike?"

Spike was completely at a loss for an answer. "Uh, maybe?" he offered weakly.

"What kind of weak answer is that?!" Trigger chided. "And here I thought you were supposed to be noble. Ehheh... Ehheh..."

"Will you lay off?!" Braeburn yelled. "This ain't exactly an easy decision here!"

"Oh, so now the ponies are gonna preach to us," said Flint, rolling his eyes. "Terrific."

"Hey, I saw that!" Braeburn shouted.

As the posse continued to argue amongst themselves, the antlion did its best to fend off the other monsters. Big Macintosh and Needles were the only ones who remained silent. Needles's mind raced furiously, her heart began to pound, and the temperature within her chest skyrocketed.

What do I do? Why can't I figure out what to do? she thought. I-I can't take this anymore! I-it's too much! I-I just—

She tried to take in a deep breath to calm her nerves. Once her lungs reached maximum capacity, however, something inside her exploded. She let loose a stream of amber flame, catching the attention of the posse and the beasts. The flame spiraled up into the sky, growing longer and longer the more Needles exhaled. She tried to stop herself, but found that her muscles would not respond. The flame took shape, forming what appeared to be a large dragon with a slender snakelike body, a billowing mane, and twirly whiskers. Once the fiery dragon was fully formed, Needles doubled over and coughed, her lungs burning for oxygen. When she recovered, she could only stare at the thing in disbelief.

The fiery dragon let out a roar that shook the skies and dove down towards the monsters. It swooped and swerved around them, igniting anything it touched. Roars and rasps of pain echoed throughout the canyon. The crab was the only monster with enough stamina to fight back, but even this was a lost cause. With one pass, the dragon ripped off the crab's claw. With another, it shattered the faceplate into a million shards. The crab sputtered and spat, shooting bubbles of electricity through its now-exposed maw. Every shot missed its mark, although a few managed to slam into the antlion. In a matter of minutes, the creatures that were still conscious fled in all directions.

"Well, that's one way to do it, I guess," said Flint, rubbing his head.

"Yeah. Nice goin', Needles," said Braeburn. "You really saved our hides th—"

He was cut off by the fiery dragon flying over him, burning the tip of his hat. Needles gasped in horror.

"Wait, no!" she shrieked. "That's enough! Don't hurt them!"

But the dragon paid her no heed. It looped around again, aiming for the posse a second time.

"Needles, this isn't funny!" Flint roared. "Call that thing off!"

"I-I don't know how!" Needles cried, gripping her head and hyperventilating.

The fiery dragon roared and opened its claws. Suddenly, large fireballs rained from the sky. The posse scrambled this way and that, trying to avoid getting hit. One stray projectile struck the entrance to the antlion's nest, causing it to cave in. Needles curled up into a little ball and rocked back and forth.

"Please stop. Please stop," she muttered. "I-I don't want this. You're hurtin' them. Dang it, what do I have to do to turn you off?!"

As if in response to Needles's outburst, the fiery dragon roared in anger and continued its rampage. The flames that made up its body burned with the intensity of the sun itself, and even the canyon itself became charred black. Spike's heart and mind raced in unison as he held onto Big Macintosh's harness for dear life.

"Guys, we have to get to Needles!" he yelled. "She needs our help!"

Big Macintosh and Braeburn nodded, running towards Needles at full gallop. Toro dove underground and carried Trigger with him. Flint tried to fly elsewhere, but Steel grabbed him by the hand and dragged him across the sky. When Needles noticed that everyone was heading towards her, she shook her head.

"No! Stay back!" she wailed. "D-don't come any closer! I don't wanna hurt any of you!"

Her cries fell on deaf ears. Soon enough, everyone huddled around her.

"Okay. Now what?" inquired Flint.

Spike took a few short breaths before responding. "Okay, first thing first. Needles, you gotta pull yourself together."

"I-I can't!" Needles bawled. "I-I don't know what to do! I don't know what's goin' on! I don't know anything!"

Spike shrugged. "I don't know anything about this, either. That hasn't stopped me. And it shouldn't stop you, either."

"B-but—"

"No buts. Noble dragons don't give up, no matter what."

Needles paused and nodded. She then scrunched her eyes tightly and concentrated, trying to think of a spell to get rid of the fiery dragon that approached her. Sweat poured down her brow as she racked her brain. Just as the creature was upon her, a hoarse rasp echoed in her ears.

"What the—?"

She opened her eyes to see the antlion protecting the posse. Although heavily wounded, it stood its ground, clicking its mandibles and coughing. The fiery dragon was not deterred. With one swift slash, it flipped the antlion over onto its back. The beast wheezed in agony. Right then and there, Needles snapped.

"Aaaaaaaaaah~!"

She let out a shrill, harrowing wail that was accompanied by the dragon's roar. Once her cry stopped, exhaustion overtook her. As she slowly collapsed to the ground, the fiery dragon dissipated. All that was left of it was a small wisp of flame with tiny little eyes. The wisp yawned and floated down to Needles, slipping into her mouth. All was still for a time. Spike was the first to move as he reached out a claw to Needles.

"Hey, are you alri— ow!"

Before he could touch her, his claw was slapped away by Trigger.

"Back off!" Trigger snarled. His demeanor suddenly softened as he approached Needles. "Needles, my dear. It's going to be fine."

He leaned in close and pursed his lips. He was inches away from Needles's cheek when her eyes snapped open. In one swift motion, she sent Trigger flying with a forceful slap. She got up and turned savagely towards him, her cheeks flushed red.

"What is the matter with you?!" she screamed. "Here I am, feelin' the most vulnerable I've ever felt in my entire life, and you think that's an excuse to kiss me?!"

"I-I didn't mean anything by it!" Trigger protested. "I-I wanted you to feel better. Ehheh..."

"Well, it didn't make me feel better, you creep!" Needles snapped. "Nothin' you do ever makes me feel better! You know why? 'Cause you never use your freakin' brain!"

"Now come on, Needles. Y-you don't truly mean that, do you?" Trigger whimpered.

Needles pinched the bridge of her nose. "Trigger, I'm gonna put this as plainly as I can. Everythin' that you do annoys me, and I wish it didn't. Because I know why you do it. You want me to be happy. I'm your girl, and you would move mountains just to see me smile. Well, that's all fine and dandy. But guess what? Actin' like a lech and worshipin' the ground I walk on does not, and I'm gonna repeat that, not make me happy!"

Trigger blanched. "B-b-b-but—"

"No! No more excuses, Trigger!" Needles snapped. "I don't wanna hear any apologies or anythin' like that! I just want you to think! What about that is so hard?!"

"Now, that's simply uncalled for! I think!"

"Yeah, about me! Nonstop!"

"I, thought girls liked that. Ehheh... Ehheh..."

Needles's eye twitched. "Y'know what? I'm done. I've got more important things to worry about than a nuisance like you."

"W-well, I can help!" said Trigger, not backing down. "Don't you want me to—?"

"Trigger, a giant dragon made out of fire just shot out of me and nearly incinerated everyone! I'm even upset that it hurt that there antlion! I don't know why I'm upset about that, but I am! Can you help me figure that out?! Huh?! Can ya?!"

Trigger hemmed and hawed, struggling for a response. "Well, uh..."

"That's what I thought," Needles scoffed. "Now, I'm gonna go get myself sorted. If any of you try to follow, I'll make you regret it."

With that, she stomped off. Once she was gone, Trigger shot a glare at Spike.

"This is all your fault," he hissed.

"What? What did I do?" Spike asked.

"Don't give me that!" Trigger snarled. "You just had to waltz in here with your fancy-schmacy Dragon Code and make me look bad in front of Needles! You're trying to take her away from me!"

"Dude, no! J-just no!" said Spike. "That's not it at all! I'm just trying to—"

"What? Be a great and noble dragon? What rubbish!" Trigger spat, advancing towards Spike. "You just want Needles all for yourself! Well, you're not getting her!"

"Dude, I don't want her!" Spike cried.

Trigger snorted. "Oh, so she's not good enough for you, huh?!"

"N-no! Don't go putting words in my mouth!" said Spike. "I like Needles. She's one of the only dragons I've ever met who isn't a total jerk. She's nice, she's funny, and she cares about other people. And you know what? She's cute, too. There, I said it."

"Ah-ha! I knew it!" Trigger barked. "Now you'll pay!"

With that, he pounced for Spike and wrestled him to the ground. The two of them rolled and tumbled back and forth. Spike tried to pry Trigger off of him, but Trigger held him fast.

"Alright, that's enough," said Braeburn. He and Toro separated Spike and Trigger. While Spike paused to catch his breath, Trigger squirmed in Toro's grip.

"Let me at him!" Trigger yelled. "He admitted it! He admitted that he likes Needles!"

"Yeah. I like her," said Spike, giving Trigger a dirty look. "But what I was going to say before you tackled me is that I don't see her the way you do. Needles is a good friend to me; nothing more, nothing less."

"You liar!" Trigger squawked. "You can't trick me! You've been making me look bad since you first slithered into the Dragon Dance Festival!"

"And whose fault is that?" asked Toro, raising an eyebrow. "Señor Spike hasn't done anything wrong. You're just jealous of him."

Trigger huffed. "Oh, that's just outrageous. I'm not jealous of this runt."

"Um, you kinda are," said Steel meekly. "I mean, that's just the vibe I've been getting."

Spike sighed. "Look, man. Maybe Needles is right about you; maybe she's just not thinking straight. All l know is that she's going through some tough times right now, and a smooch isn't gonna cheer her up. I'm gonna go talk to her, as a friend."

"Oh, no you don't!" Trigger roared. "She needs me!"

"After she just chewed you out like she did, I highly doubt that," said Spike frankly.

"Oh, and I suppose you know how to help her."

"No, not really. I'll be honest, I don't know anything about this Dragon Magi stuff. But at least I'm gonna try."

"Not on my watch, buster! I won't have her falling for you!"

"Dude, what is your deal?! I already told you; I don't have a crush on Needles!"

"Liar!"

"I'm not, honest! There's even a girl back home that I really like!"

"Give me a break! You just said you don't get along with other dragons! Who is this girl, a pony?!"

Spike blushed. "Um, would you believe me if I said, yes?"

Trigger blinked, and then snickered. "Ehheh... Ehheh... You really expect me to buy that, don't you?"

"Well, at least I actually listen to Rarity! And she's not all I think about, either!"

"Oh, yes! Tell me more about this imaginary girlfriend of yours, o mighty noble dragon!"

"Oh, you did not just insult Rarity!"

"Enough."

Spike and Trigger stopped quarreling and turned towards a stern-looking Big Macintosh.

"This ain't gettin' us anywhere," he said firmly. "You two need to iron out this here problem, y'hear me?"

"But, there's still Needles," said Trigger. "We can't just leave her."

"We ain't," said Big Macintosh. "I'm gonna go talk to her."

The Dragoons all did a double take.

"Wait, you?!" Flint asked. "What makes you think you'll be able to help her, pony?"

Big Macintosh shrugged his shoulders. "I'm at least gonna try, instead of arguin' with everyone else."

"Yeah, that's a good point," said Spike sheepishly. "Alright, big guy. Go get 'em."

"Eeyup."

With that, Big Macintosh trotted off. Trigger scratched his head as Toro set him down.

"You sure you're okay with this?" he asked.

"Trust me, Big Macintosh has a way with words," said Spike. He then sighed and turned to Trigger. "Now then, what's say you and I have a bit of a chat, huh? I think you could use a lesson or two on how to be a noble dragon."

Before Trigger could protest, Spike waddled over, grabbed him by the tail, and dragged him off. Toro shook his head and sighed.

"I'd better keep an eye on those two," he said. "I may need your help, Señor Braeburn. That is, if you think Señor Macintosh will be okay."

"Oh, he'll be fine," said Braeburn. "It's like Spike said. He has a way with words."

With that, Toro and Braeburn went after Spike and Trigger. Steel stroked his chin in thought.

"Hey, Flint?"

Flint sighed. "What?"

"How come it's the prepubescent dragons that are involved in this romantic drama and not us?"

Flint deadpanned. "Because shut up. Now let's just bail before—"

"Uh uh uh! We're not abandoning the team!" Steel scolded.

"And why not?"

"Because we're supposed to be noble dragons, that's why not. Flint, for once in your life, just be reasonable, okay? If not for the others, then at least for me."

Flint pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright, fine. But only because I don't wanna miss out on my gem payment when all this is done. Also, you're a suck-up."

"Well, at least I'm not a jerk," Steel retorted, picking at his wounded claw. Unbeknownst to the two dragons, several hungry eyes were watching them from the shadows...

Cross My Heart-to-Heart

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"Stupid Trigger! Stupid magic! Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

Needles grumbled and muttered to herself as she wandered through the canyon aimlessly. Every once in a while, she would kick a pebble with all her might, sending up a cloud of sand that stung her teary eyes. Eventually, she simply crawled up onto a rock formation and buried her face into her arms, weeping softly.

"What do I do now?" she mumbled. "What can I do? What should I do? How should I do it? Darn it, I don't even know what I'm talkin' about anymore. I'm just so confused."

She suddenly perked up as the telltale clip-clopping of hooves could be heard. She snorted.

"I thought I told you not to come after me," she growled. "Don't you fellas have any respect for a girl's privacy?"

"Eeyup."

The simple response through Needles off-guard. She looked up and rubbed her eyes, only to see Big Macintosh standing before her. She let out a small sigh.

"Oh, it's just you," she said, looking behind him. "And only you, by the looks of it. Trigger didn't put you up to this, did he?"

"Nope," said Big Macintosh with a shake of his head.

"Then what're you doin' here? Ain't you afraid of me?"

"Nope," Big Macintosh repeated.

Needles heaved another sigh. "Well, that makes one of us," she said, looking down at her claws. "As for me, well, I don't know what happened. I didn't even know I had that kinda power. You saw me; I couldn't control that fire dragon or whatever it was. Th-that happened completely by accident, and I hurt some poor critter in the process. You understand that's pretty heavy for me, right?"

"Eeyup," said Big Macintosh.

"And that's another thing," said Needles, clenching her fists. "It's somethin' I never got about the Dragon Magi. Is this power really supposed to make me wise? I mean, I know a few spells. Wonderful! How exactly does that translate into knowin' the answer for every problem in the entire world, huh? 'Cause I don't see how it does. Maybe I'm just too stupid to understand."

"Nope."

Needles gave Big Macintosh a bemused look. "Oh, you don't think I'm stupid? Alright then. Why couldn't I control that fire dragon thing? I'm the one who apparently summoned it, right? So why did it almost kill you guys? You got an answer for that?"

"Nope."

"Well, neither do I!" Needles snapped, throwing up her claws. "None of this makes sense to me! None! How in tarnation am I supposed to guide others when I can't even guide myself?! I-it's just so frustratin', y'know?"

"Eeyup."

Needles sighed and slumped over again. "Many moons ago, I was a drifter. I didn't know what I wanted to do, so I just lived day to day. Then I met these fillies who helped me find my true callin'. I wanna do good. I wanna help others. I wanna show the Dragoons that there's a better path for us to take. But it feels like I never do things the right way. My intentions don't amount to a hill of beans if innocent lives get hurt. And what's worse is that whenever I screw up, no one's there to call me out on it. Flint and Steel don't care at all, Trigger thinks that I'm perfect, and Toro doesn't have all that many original ideas. Or if he does, he doesn't find it necessary to share 'em. I don't wanna give up, but if I keep fallin' on my face like this, then what's the point?"

She then turned to Big Macintosh and raised an eyebrow. "All this is probably flyin' over your head, isn't it? I mean, you're not a Dragon Mage. Heck, you ain't even a dragon. You have no idea what I'm goin' through, do ya?"

Big Macintosh shrugged. "Maybe."

Needles blinked. "Maybe? Whaddya mean maybe? You honestly think you understand what I need to do?"

"Eeyup."

Needles turned her entire body to face Big Macintosh, folding her arms. "Alright then. You've been pretty quiet this whole trip; I might as well find out what you're thinkin'. What do you think I should do?"

Big Macintosh furrowed his brow. "Well..."

***

"Alright, this seems look like a good spot."

After walking for a few minutes, Spike finally released Trigger's tail. Trigger snorted and dusted himself off.

"That was highly uncalled for," he snarled, cracking his knuckles. "So, shall we finish what we started, o mighty noble dragon?"

Spike frowned. "I'm not gonna fight you, if that's what you're thinking."

"Then how will you defend your honor, hmm?" Trigger asked with a sneer. "Or will you simply admit that you've been courting Needles this whole time and accept your punishment? Because I'm highly in favor of that latter option. Ehheh... Ehheh..."

Spike heaved a great sigh. "For the last time, I'm not going after Needles."

"Oh, really?" said Trigger. "Then why did you get all flustered when you first met her, huh?"

"'Cause she was the first nice dragon I've ever met," Spike replied plainly. "That's all there is to it."

Trigger scoffed. "And how am I supposed to believe that?"

"Do you know why I created my Noble Dragon Code in the first place?"

Trigger opened his mouth to reply, but found that he had none. "Um, eh..."

"It's because I didn't want to be seen as a jerk," Spike said frankly. "See, a long time ago, I took part in the Great Dragon Migration to find out who I really was. I met a bunch of teenage dragons, and it didn't take me long to figure out that I didn't belong with their crowd. They were nothing but bullies picking on creatures weaker than they were. That clearly wasn't me, so I created my Dragon Code. I've stuck by it ever since."

"Wait, wait, wait wait wait wait wait," said Trigger, holding out his claw. "If you take such great pains to not be like other dragons, who are you to tell us how to be noble?"

Spike shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno. I'm not even sure the dragons we're trying to save from the poachers are gonna appreciate my help."

"Then why are you on this quest to begin with?"

"Because a noble dragon never gives up on anything or anyone."

Trigger scratched his head. "So you don't know what you're doing, but you're gonna keep doing it anyway? That sounds stupid."

"Sometimes it is, but that's just how I roll," said Spike, rubbing the back of his head. "Besides, I think Needles would really appreciate it if you straightened up a bit."

Trigger crossed his arms and scowled. "I don't need your help with Needles."

Spike deadpanned. "Sure you don't. That's why she just blew up at you when you tried to kiss her."

Trigger blushed. "W-well, yes, but... Ehheh..."

Spike sighed and shook his head. "Face it, dude. You just don't understand ladies."

"Oh, and you do?"

"Dude, I often hang out with an entire herd of mares. I think I know a thing or two about talking to girls."

"Okay, name one thing I'm doing wrong."

"You don't listen to her."

Trigger flinched at how automatic and direct Spike's response was. "N-name two things."

"You try too hard to impress her."

"Alright, name three things!"

"You get on my case just for talking to her."

"Name four thi—"

"Yeah, I'm just gonna stop you right there," said Spike, cutting across Trigger by raising his claw. "Look, man. I get it. I have a crush, too. And I'd do anything for her. Heck, I'd even help her find her own true love, even if it isn't me. 'Cause at the end of the day, I just want her to be happy."

Trigger twiddled his fingers. "I want Needles to be happy," he murmured.

"I'm well aware of that, man," said Spike. "But you're going about it the wrong way."

"I can't help it," said Trigger, shaking his head. "Needles, does something to me. Her feisty attitude lights a fire in my own heart. She understands me in a way no one else ever has. And the thought of losing her to someone else drives me, mad. Ehheh... Ehheh..."

"Yeah, I got a full taste of that last one," said Spike, rolling his eyes. "Listen, you want Needles to like you, right?"

"Of course."

"Then you need to know how to talk to a lady," said Spike.

Trigger blinked. "And, you're gonna teach me how to do that?"

"Sure. After all, a noble dragon must be sensitive to a lady's needs."

Trigger scratched his head. "You really want to do this? Even after I treated you?"

"Little Strongheart wanted me to teach you guys how to be noble, right?" said Spike, placing an arm around Trigger. "I think this is a good place to start. So, first thing you need to know is..."

***

"So, you're sayin' that if I have the courage to jump, the parachute will open for me?"

"Eeyup."

Needles knitted her brow. "Wow. Never thought of it like that before. That makes a lot of sense, actually."

"Eeyup," said Big Macintosh.

Needles nodded and turned her attention to the sky. "Well, it's all fine and good. The problem is my parachute has a few holes in it. And one of the biggest ones is named Trigger."

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh repeated.

Needles breathed out a short laugh. "You noticed that too, huh? Look, I know it looks like I don't like the guy, but that just ain't the case. Trigger's not exactly the most charmin' fella out there; that much is a given. But he's really smart. Heck, he knows plenty of things I don't. And I know he can be a gentleman when he tries." She then sighed. "I just wish he'd try a bit more often, that's all."

"Eeyup," said Big Macintosh.

"It just make me so upset when he shelves his more endearin' qualities just to put on a show for me, y'know?" Needles continued. "He doesn't need to impress me. In fact, he'd impress me more if he didn't fawn over me like some kinda goddess. And does he really think I'm gonna go runnin' off with Spike? 'Cause Spike doesn't seem like the kinda fella who'd do that sort of thing to another guy. He's not, is he?"

"Nope."

"Figured," said Needles, heaving another sigh. "I wish I could tell Trigger all this in a way that he'd understand, but he never seems to get it. It's things like this that make me wonder if I'm really cut out for this guidance business."

She then gave Big Macintosh a wry smile. "Then again, maybe all I need is the courage to take that jump and have faith that my parachute will open."

"Eeyup," said Big Macintosh with a nod.

Needles jumped from her perch and gave Big Macintosh a wink. "Thanks for settin' me straight, big guy. I'm feelin' a lot better now."

"'Tweren't nothin'," said Big Macintosh with a shrug. "C'mon, let's head back."

Needles nodded and smiled. Suddenly, a shrill scream echoed across the canyon. Her eyes widened.

"That sounded like Steel!" she exclaimed.

Big Macintosh arched an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"You're better off not knowin' how I know that," said Needles. "C'mon, let's hurry!"

Big Macintosh didn't need to be told twice. He immediately tossed Needles onto his back and took off at full gallop. Needles too this moment to collect herself.

Alright, Needles. This is it, she thought. Today's the day you finally muster up the courage to jump.

***

"And that's basically what you need to do," Spike concluded.

Trigger scratched his head. "This all sounds rather complicated, Mr. Spike. Are you sure I can do it?"

"You won't know until you try," said Spike. "And that's all Needles can ask of you."

Trigger nodded and smirked. "Alright, I'll give it a shot. You really aren't as bad as I made you out to be, Mr. Spike."

"Heh, same to you," said Spike, patting Trigger on the back.

"Glad you two got that sorted out."

Spike and Trigger turned to see Toro and Braeburn emerged from behind some rocks. Trigger blushed profusely.

"Um, you didn't hear all that, did you?" he said. "Ehheh... Ehheh..."

"We were just keeping an eye on you to make sure you didn't hurt each other, ese," said Toro.

"Eeyup," Braeburn concurred. "And now that you have, we can head back to the others before somethin' else happens."

No sooner had he said that than a shrill scream was heard. Spike deadpanned.

"Maybe it's just me, but I think something else just happened," he said.

"Reckon you're right, partner," said Braeburn darkly. "Let's get a move-on! Everyone, climb aboard!"

Toro, Spike, and Trigger immediately climbed onto Braeburn's back. Once everyone was situated, Braeburn was off like a shot. Spike took in a deep breath.

Alright, feeling good about this one, he thought, a subtle flame igniting in his eyes. I've already proven myself to both Trigger and Needles. It's time to show everyone else how a noble dragon gets things done.

Help that Harms

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"Ow! Oooooow~! What the heck was that?!"

"Oh, stop being such a pansy, Steel!"

When the posse regrouped, the scene before them was like nothing any of them envisioned. Steel was curled up on the ground, rubbing his claw. Flint, meanwhile, was holding an arrow in his own claw and shaking it at Steel. Needles raised an eyebrow.

"Do I wanna know?" she asked.

"I think we can guess just by lookin'," said Braeburn.

Flint snorted. "C'mon! He was annoying me by picking at this darn thing. What was I supposed to do?!"

Toro sighed as he dismounted from Braeburn. "We all thought you were in serious danger, ese."

"Well, blame Steel for being such a wuss," said Flint with a pout.

Trigger smirked. "Ehheh... And here I thought you were the type who would just let him suffer. Perhaps there's more to you than you let on, Mr. Flint. Ehheh... Ehheh..."

"Wipe that smug grin off your face," Flint snarled. "It isn't like that at all. Dragons don't do charity."

"Noble dragons do," Spike stated frankly.

"H-he's got you there, Flint," whimpered Steel, still massaging his wounded claw.

Flint let out a deep-throated growl. "Steel, do me a big favor and grow a backbone, will you? Don't just agree with whatever this runt says. Don't just suck up to the buffalo. Think for yourself for once, if you can think at all."

Steel blinked. "But every time I do that, you criticize me or beat me up."

Flint smacked his forehead. "Thinking for yourself and being a complete moron are two completely different things, Steel."

Needles folded her arms. "Translation: Whenever Steel does somethin' you just so happen to disagree with, he's bein' stupid."

Flint clenched his claws into fists and drew in a sharp breath. "Well, I know better than he does!" he snapped. "He wouldn't get anywhere without me!"

"Is that why you stick with him all the time?" inquired Trigger, grinning from ear-to-ear.

Flint scoffed. "Oh, don't act like this is one of those 'gotcha' moments. It's called 'tough love' for a reason. Steel might get on my nerves, but I never said I hated the guy."

Needles snickered. "Well, I'll be. Looks like your mission to teach us all how to be noble just got a little easier, Spike."

"Y-yeah. I guess so," Spike agreed.

Flint sighed and massaged his temples. "Yeah yeah yeah. What a shock. I'm not completely heartless. Hilarious. Now can we please do something a bit more productive?"

"Señor Flint is right," said Toro, sniffing the air. "Isabelle might still be around with those oxbow men. We need to get out of this canyon and continue our search for their hideout."

Needles looked over at the wounded antlion, who was still unconscious on the ground. She frowned.

"Are we just gonna leave this fella?" she asked.

"Um, why not?" said Flint with a shrug. "It's none of our business."

Needles shook her head. "He got hurt because of me. I'd feel just plum awful if we left him here to die."

"Did you not hear Toro a minute ago? We gotta get a move-on!" Flint insisted, waving his arms frantically.

"I know, I know!" Needles said hastily. "I-I'm tryin' to think."

Steel's eyes suddenly darted around the canyon, and he swallowed a lump in his throat. "Um, Ms. Needles? You might wanna think quickly."

"Why's that?"

"I do believe we're being watched."

Needles took a quick look around. Sure enough, she spotted several glowing yellow eyes in the shadows. They quickly disappeared, but the split-second glance she got was enough to get her heart racing.

"Okay, okay. Think, think," she chanted to herself. "What to do, what to do?"

As she racked her brain, the glowing yellow flame within her chest returned. Steel's eyes went wide.

"Oh no! It's happening again!" he yelped, ducking to the ground. "Take cover!"

"Needles, relax," said Trigger, wringing his claws nervously. "Y-you're stressing yourself out. I-I can give you a— ow!"

Trigger was interrupted by a smack on the wrist from Spike, who shook his head in disapproval.

"Wh-what? I'm trying to help her think," Trigger protested. "Th-that's the noble thing to do, isn't it? Ehheh..."

Needles shot a glare at Trigger. "Trigger, you really don't want to test me right n— *hic*"

She cut herself off with a sharp hiccup, causing a small wisp of flame to erupt from her mouth. The wisp opened two beady yellow eyes and yawned.

"Mmm. How long have I been asleep?" the wisp murmured in a tiny voice.

Needles blinked. "Um, what?"

The wisp turned to face Needles. "You appear to be puzzled, young mage. Is this your first time summoning me?"

"I-I don't even know who you are," Needles answered truthfully.

"Hmm. That answers that question then," mused the wisp. "Well, I supposed I should introduce myself. My name is Ocard, and I have been entrusted to be your advisor. May I ask your name?"

"Hold on, back up," said Needles. "Th-this is very weird."

"It, honestly shouldn't be," said Ocard, sounding rather confused itself. "Leaping embers, I've been asleep for longer than I thought."

"Um, guys?" said Steel. "I hate to interrupt, but we've got company!"

Everyone turned to where Steel was pointing. Marching towards them was an irritable-looking griffon with beige fur and sharp blue eyes. He was decked out in a khaki vest and matching pith helmet, and he had a musket slung over his shoulder.

"Confound those stupid Caanus Minors," the griffon grumbled. "They aren't here, either." He then spotted the antlion and shrugged. "Ah well. At least I can have a bit of sport while I'm out."

"Hold on a minute, ya varmint!" Braeburn called out. "What're you plannin' to do in that getup?"

The griffon turned his head, and his eyes bugged out. "My word! Young dragons, here? Accompanied by Diamond Dogs and ponies of all things? Th-this is scientifically unheard of, but I could get back into Maggie's good graces if I catch these fellows."

Toro's face darkened. "You work for Isabelle, cazadore?"

The griffon blinked. "I'm sorry, what did you call me?"

"Cazadore," Toro repeated.

The griffon scowled. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were insulting me, good sir. Don't you know who I am?"

The posse looked amongst themselves before sharing a shrug. The griffon stared at them in disbelief.

"You're serious," he said. "You really don't know about me? Jacques Moschet, world-reknowned big game hunter? The only person to ever catch a Shielded Thundercrab in the wild? None of this ringing a bell to you?"

"All I see before me is a cazadore, ese," said Toro, hefting up his cannon. "And that's more than enough reason for me to take you down. Señor Trigger, aquí."

Trigger instantly clamored up Toro's back and perched himself on his shoulder. "I suggest you surrender now, Mr. Poacher. We have you completely outnumbered. Thus, it can only end badly for you. Ehheh... Ehheh..."

Jacques smirked. "That's where you're wrong, my friend." He then reached under his wing and took out several hunting horns strapped to a single necklace. "My pets just so happen to be running around the area in hopes of stalling some buffalo. Once I call them, they'll—"

"So you are working for that Diamond Dog Isabelle!" Spike proclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger.

Jacques flinched. "Wait, what?! No, you dim-witted creature! It's the other way around! Why would I work for a lowlife like her?"

"Hey hey hey! That's my sister you're talking about, cazadore!" Toro barked. "No one insults the family of Toro the Bulldog!"

"To be fair, she has been quite unpleasant," Steel interjected. "You know, with the kidnapping of the dragons and her sending her guys after us and all. I'm just saying."

"Guys, focus!" Braeburn snapped. "If Isabelle's workin' for this varmint, we can force him to tell us where the hideout is!"

"Oh, hey! That's right!" Steel exclaimed, taking out his bow. "Alright, poacher! Time for you to feel the full might of the Dragoons!"

Jacques scoffed. "Hmmph. Proud words for such easily-caught prey," he said with a sneer. "All I need to is call for my animals, and—"

"You mean these animals, Mr. Moschet?"

All eyes turned to the cliffs, where Isabelle and Pepito stood. Several oxen lined the cliffs, as well as a menagerie of wounded monsters. Jacques gasped.

"M-my pets!" he roared. "What have you done to them?!"

"We found 'em like this after catching sight of a bit of a light show," said Isabelle, tossing the charred remains of a deathstalker at Jacques's feet. "I was wondering what these foreign creatures were doing roaming the desert when Pepito here brought me up to speed."

Jacques groaned and palmed his face. "Confound it all. Maggie's going to kill me."

"Not until you pay what you owe us, Mr. Moschet," Isabelle countered. She then stared down at the posse. "Alright, big brother. This is your last warning. If you give up and go home right now, we won't hurt you. And don't think of fighting back. After all, as they say, when you miss the shots you take, you only turn yourself into a target."

Just then, several tatzlwurms sprung from the ground, blocking every conceivable exit. Needles's heart raced as she clenched her claws into fists.

If I use my magic, they'll know about the Dragon Magi and hunt us into extinction, she thought. If I don't, we're probably all done for. Dang it, no matter what I choose, it's wrong!

"Is it?"

Needles perked up as she noticed a distinct warmth next to her ear. Turning her head, she saw Ocard floating right next to it.

"H-how did you know what I was thinkin'?" she inquired.

"If you honestly don't know, we really need a serious talk when this is over," said Ocard. "Listen, you should not think of yourself. Think of others."

Needles tilted her head. "I am doin' that. I'm thinkin' of my friends and my family."

Ocard's eyes closed. "Then consider this, young mage. Which one is more important to you? Answer this, and you'll know what to do."

Needles paused for a moment, and then nodded. "Alright, I know what to do now. I'm makin' this jump, and by golly, my parachute will open!"

She threw her parasol to the ground, summoned a magic throwing star between her fingers, and tossed it at one of the tatzlwurms. The star hit its mark, causing the worm to stumble back. Isabelle's eyes went wide.

"Wh-what was that?!" she exclaimed.

Another star flew through the air, this time striking one of the oxbow men. Needles levitated in the air, bathed in an amber aura as she threw star after star at her opponents. Spike, Big Macintosh, and Braeburn simply stood in awe of Needles's wrath, unable to process what was happening. Isabelle was quick to notice this as well.

"I've never seen a dragon do that before," she said with a toothy grin. "It must be some kind of magic! She's worth a fortune! Pepito, get her!"

Pepito turned to Isabelle. "¿Qué?"

Isabelle deadpanned. "Seriously? Ugh, capture ese dragón mágico, langosta muda."

Pepito looked at Needles, and then back at Isabelle. "But, she so young. Too young. It not right."

Isabelle's eye twitched. "¿Tú está preguntando mis órdenes, Pepito?"

"No, no. Just being, uh..." Pepito reached under his sombrero and took out his dictionary. "Caw-ti-ous. Is that right?"

Isabelle snarled. "You're just as spineless as my big brother is what you are. Fine! I'll do it myself!"

Isabelle took out her weighted lasso and slid down the cliffside. Trigger noticed this and saw that she was aiming straight for Needles. He quickly tapped Toro on the shoulder.

"That way!" he yelled, pointing at Isabelle. "Needles is in trouble! We have to cover her!"

Toro turned to where Trigger was pointing, aiming his cannon at the oncoming threat. However, he realized it was Isabelle just as Trigger lit the fuse. The blast missed Isabelle entirely, instead slamming harmlessly into the cliffside behind her. With a twinkle in her eye, Isabelle leapt towards Needles and let her lasso fly.

"Watch out!"

Ocard flew into the path of the lariat, but found itself to be knocked out of the way instead of setting it ablaze. Needles turned towards the commotion a second too late, and she was easily snagged. She squirmed and struggled against the bonds, but after expending so much energy from her attack, she was driven to exhaustion and passed out.

"No! Needles~!" Trigger screamed, his wails echoing across the entire canyon.

As everyone turned their attention to Isabelle, Jacques found his own opportunity. He fired his musket just above Flint and Steel. Flint noticed this and tackled Steel out of the way. Behind them, a net exploded from the charge Jacques shot, ensnaring the antlion instead.

"Drat, missed," Jacques grumbled, loading another cartridge.

"Let her go, Isabelle!" Toro barked, aiming his cannon.

Isabelle laughed. "Or what? You'll miss again? Face it, big brother. I've won the biggest catch of my career. ¡Vamanos, muchachos! We're done here!"

She hopped onto a nearby tatzlwurm and disappeared underground. The rest of the gang followed suit, ending with Pepito. Before he left, he gave the posse an apologetic glance. Jacques blanched.

"Hey! You're taking my pets!" he bellowed, flying towards one of the tunnels. "Wait for me!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Braeburn barked, closing off his exit. "We ain't lettin' you leave until you tell us where that hideout is!"

"Eeyup!" said Big Macintosh.

Jacques snorted. "I honestly do not have the time to deal with this. Maggie will be checking on me soon, and trust me, she's far worse than any of you. I advise you all to turn back now, lest you wish to face her wrath. As a token of goodwill, you can have that antlion over there. Good day to you, gentlemen."

With that, he fired a net at Big Macintosh and Braeburn, ensnaring them both as he flew off into the distance. Trigger slashed Toro's cheek in frustration.

"You idiot!" he howled. "It's your fault that they got away with Needles!"

Toro hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Señor Trigger. I-I just can't bring myself to hit Isabelle. She's my own flesh and blood."

"Well, I guess now we really have to find that place," said Flint, helping Steel to his feet. "LS is gonna be mad if she finds out we let this happen without a fight."

"You're right, of course," said Trigger, pounding his fist into his palm. "If they harm one scale on Needles's gorgeous body, I'll make them sorry. Ehheh... Ehheh..."

Spike used his flame to free Braeburn, Big Macintosh, and the antlion before speaking up. "Well, that's good and all, but how do we get to them? The underground is still crawling with those dogs, and it'll take us forever to get there on foot."

Trigger arched an eyebrow. "That's quite a defeatist attitude, Mr. Spike."

"Hey, I never said we should give up. That's not how noble dragons roll," said Spike. "I just think we need an easier way."

"They might be closer than you think."

The posse perked up as they turned to Ocard, who was struggling to levitate itself back into the air.

"You alright there, buddy?" asked Braeburn.

"I shall persevere," said Ocard. "It'll take more than a smack from some fireproof rope to kill a fire elemental. Anyway, I know a way we can find my symbiotic partner."

"How's that?"

"She and I are linked through magic. This bond cannot be severed. As such, I am always drawn to her location. Wherever she goes, I follow."

Spike's expression brightened. "So all we have to do is follow you to find the hideout!"

"That is correct," said Ocard. "Though our swiftness may still be a concern. For that reason, I feel we need some sort of plan."

Trigger scratched his head and racked his brain. He looked over at the wounded antlion, then at Braeburn's saddlebag. He then shifted his attention to Toro, stroking his chin in thought. Finally, he scuttled over to the parasol that Needles discarded and took it up in his claw. After much deliberation, he nodded confidently.

"I have an idea," he said. "Mr. Braeburn, do we have enough medicine for that antlion?"

Braeburn stared at the antlion for a moment before turning back to Trigger. "Um, I dunno."

"Well, let's make do with what we have," said Trigger. "And make sure he's fed, too. He'll be our key to breaking into the hideout."

Flint raised an eyebrow. "Just a minute. A while ago, you were content with leaving this thing to rot. What changed?"

"The circumstances, Flint," Trigger answered, gripping Needles's parasol tightly. "Needles said I should use my brain more often, and that's just what I'm doing. It's high time I help Needles the right way and make those poachers regret crossing me. Ehheh... Ehheh..."

Spike swallowed. "Dude, I'm proud of you and all, but you're also creeping me out."

Trigger shrugged. "It's part of who I am, Mr. Spike. Pay it no mind. Now, let's prepare ourselves for battle. Before this day is done, justice will be served, and it'll be so very sweet. Ehheh... Ehheh..."

Done and Undone

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"Let me go! Let me go right now, or I'll make ya see stars!"

"You're in no position to be making that threat, I'm afraid. Stop squirming and accept your fate."

Nova opened one tentative eye as her meditation was disrupted by a sharp quarrel echoing throughout the cavern. Little Strongheart perked up as well, turning her attention to the source of the din.

"Hmm. It appears we may have some company," Nova mused. "Odd. I was sure it would be Mrs. Moschet that would disturb me."

Little Strongheart snorted indignantly. "These poachers truly have no shame. Ten dragons clearly wasn't enough for them."

"The word 'enough' is not in the vernacular of the greedy," Nova said solemnly. "Though I have to wonder."

"What?"

"With your people and my daughter coming to our rescue, do these poachers really have the resources to continue hunting?"

Little Strongheart rubbed the side of her head. "That's actually an interesting point. I dunno, maybe they just—"

"Just wait until I get loose, ya varmints! Then you'll be sorry!"

Little Strongheart's eyes went wide as a shocking revelation struck her. "Wait a minute. I know that voice!"

Nova raised an eyebrow. "You do?"

"Yes! B-but that's impossible!" Little Strongheart exclaimed. "Th-they couldn't have captured her. They simply—"

She was interrupted when Isabelle and Pepito marched into view. Isabelle had a content smile on her face as she had her lasso slung over her shoulder. Pepito, however, was giving his boss a dark look.

"Hey, dragons," Isabelle called out. "Want some company? Well, here you go!"

She tossed the lasso through the bars and into the cage. Little Strongheart reared back as a familiar baby dragon bound from the neck down landed at her feet. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"Needles?!"

Needles didn't even bother to look up. "Don't. Say. A word."

Isabelle laughed and patted Pepito on the back. "This is it, Pepito! This is our ticket to fame and fortune!"

Pepito folded his arms. "We agree no traping young, Señora Isabelle. You go against deal."

"Oh, quit your bellyaching," Isabelle scoffed.

Pepito blinked in confusion. "¿Qué? My belly fine."

"Not what I meant, you dope," Isabelle growled. "Look, we just caught a magical dragon, Pepito. The alphas of the underground network would pay top diamond for something like that!"

"I no agree to this, Isabelle," Pepito said sternly. "Is wrong."

Isabelle narrowed her eyes and towered over Pepito. "Who's the boss of this operation, Pepito? You or me?"

Pepito swallowed. "Y-you."

"Very good. And do you know what that means?"

"What you say goes."

"Right again. So I don't want to hear any more backtalk unless you think I should find a new second-in-command."

Pepito let out a defeated sigh. "Sí, Señora Isabelle. I sorry."

Nova looked down at the exchange, stroking her chin in thought. Little Strongheart, however, kept her attention focused on Needles, who barely even twitched since she was thrown into the cage.

"This had better be good, Jacques! After what happened today, you'd better make up for it!"

All eyes were drawn to another conversation coming from the opposite tunnel. Jacques and Maggie made their way towards the cage. Jacques appeared to have a black eye and several bandages as he cowered before his displeased wife.

"N-now now, Maggie. Everything has been sorted," Jacques said nervously.

Maggie raised an eyebrow. "Sorted? You mean how two of our deathstalkers are dead, our Shielded Thundercrab lost its claw and its faceplate, and the rest of the animals you let loose all have some kind of injury? Our veterinary costs were high enough already, Jacques!"

"I understand that there were some minor setbacks to this major operation, my delicate little scorpion," said Jacques. "But I assure you, once the day is done, it'll all be worth it."

Maggie huffed and crossed her arms. "I sure hope so, Jacques. For your sake."

Jacques let out a nervous chuckle and cleared his throat. "Now then, Ms. Isabelle. Are you ready to show my wife what you have on offer?"

Isabelle gave Jacques a toothy grin. "Am I ever," she said, turning to Maggie. "Mrs. Moschet, you are quite the lucky girl. We just got ourselves a catch that's right up your alley."

Maggie arched an eyebrow. "Oh? What might that be?"

"I'm glad you asked," said Isabelle, turning to Pepito. "Pepito, hace que el dragón mágico se levanta."

Pepito glared at Isabelle, but said nothing as he skittered over to the cage. He grabbed the rope that held Needles and gave it a quick yank, forcing her to sit upright. Maggie's eyes glistened.

"A-a baby? Why didn't you mention you had a baby in here?" she said, slithering up to Needles. "She's so cute~! Who's a cute little dragon? Oo's a cutie~? It's you~! It is~!"

Needles deadpanned. "Don't patronize me, lad— ow!"

She was cut off by a sharp pinch, even though Maggie didn't move. Three seconds later, Maggie actually did pinch Needles's cheeks and started playing with them.

"Ooh my. Someone has a naughty temper," she chided, a sharp barb hidden within her sweet voice.

"You injure, you buy," Pepito warned, prompting an elbow jab from Isabelle.

"Let our client have her fun, Pepito," she said. "Besides, she hasn't even heard the best part."

Maggie perked up. "There's more?"

"As a matter of fact, there is," said Isabelle. "This little tyke just so happens to know how to use magic. First of its kind, I believe."

Maggie's entire face lit up. "Even better! A cute pet who can do magic tricks! How much?"

Isabelle stroked her chin in thought. "Now that is a great question, Mrs. Moschet. Pepito, you mind crunching the numbers?"

Pepito stared blankly at Isabelle before stifling a chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Isabelle asked.

"Hee hee hee. Is not possible, Señora Isabelle. I-is not."

Isabelle folded her arms. "And just why isn't it possible?"

"Numbers no go crunch! Hee hee ha— yiii!"

He flinched as Isabelle grabbed him by the collar with both paws and hoisted him up.

"¡Calcule los costos para nuestros servicios, idiota!" she barked.

"Oh, sí! Yes, I understand now," said Pepito.

Isabelle released Pepito, allowing him to take out an abacus and shift a few beads around. After much hemming and hawing, he arrived at his figure.

"This dragon cost six hundred thousand gemstones," he concluded.

Jacques's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "Six hundred thousand?! How did you get to that number?!"

"Well, dragon is magic, yes?" said Pepito. "Plus, you no pay us yet for catching other dragons. Is part of bill."

Jacques turned to Maggie. "Um, why don't you try and find something a bit nicer, dear? I-I'm sure that pink one is just as fine."

Maggie deadpanned. "No, it's not, Jacques. I want the cute baby. She's worth every gem."

"Weren't you just on my back for wasting all our money?!" Jacques cried. "If we buy that, we'll have nothing le— ow!"

Jacques flinched as though he had just been slapped. Three seconds later, Maggie actually slapped him, causing him to double over in pain.

"Do you want me to get over the stupidity you've displayed these past few days, Jacques?" she inquired.

Jacques gulped. "O-of course, my precious rattlesnake."

"Then you'll buy me that dragon."

"Y-yes, dear," Jacques whimpered.

Isabelle flashed a toothy grin. "Excellent choice, madam. Now, we just need you to fill out some paperwork, and we'll be all set."

"Very well," said Maggie. "Jacques, be a dear and deal with that, will you? I need to make a home for our lovely new pet."

Jacques leered at Maggie. "It's your dragon. Why don't you fill out the paperwork?"

"Because you're the one who still owes these hooligans money, remember?" said Maggie. "Plus, unless I'm mistaken, this is your anniversary present to me, is it not?"

Jacques sighed. "Alright, alright. You win."

Maggie giggled. "Don't I always?" She turned to Needles and pinched her cheek again. "I'll see you later, you adorable little magician you. We're going to have so much fun together~!"

With that, she slithered away. Jacques let out a frustrated grunt.

"I wish that woman would make up her mind," he groused. "Okay, let's get this over with."

"Sure thing, Mr. Moschet," said Isabelle. "Pepito, protector del soporte mientras que tomo cuidado de nuestro cliente. Y no deje a nuestro amigo mágico escaparse, o bien."

"Sí, Señora Isabelle," Pepito said glumly.

Isabelle took Jacques by the arm and led her deeper into the cavern. Once they were out of earshot, Nova looked over at Needles.

"Are you alright, child?" she asked.

Needles looked up and deadpanned. "I just got sold into slavery. Do ya think I'm alright?"

"Needles, watch your tone," Little Strongheart scolded. "I know you're upset, and you have every right to be. But that's—"

Nova raised her claw and shook her head. "Let the child figure it out on her own, Ms. Strongheart. She's a smart girl."

"Figure what out?" asked Needles. "What in tarnation are you talkin' about?"

Nova frowned. "I suppose it's been too long. You may not recognize me, Needles, but I recognize you."

"Wait, how do you know my—?"

Needles answered her own question before she could finish it. Once she realized what was going on, her eyes welled up in tears.

"M-ma? I-is that you?"

Nova nodded. "It is, Needles."

Needles averted her gaze. "Alright then. Go ahead."

Nova tilted her head. "Go ahead and do what, child?"

"Yell at me. Scold me. Tell me that I screwed up everythin' and doomed us all," Needles said in a strained tone. "'Cause I know I have."

Little Strongheart reached out her hoof. "Needles, I—"

"Don't touch me!" Needles snapped, causing Little Strongheart to flinch. "This is just what I deserve! I'm no wise Dragon Mage, and I never will be! The one time in my life that I thought I could handle makin' a tough decision, and I chose wrong!"

"Chose wrong?" parroted Little Strongheart.

Needles nodded as she let out all of her frustrations in an endless stream. "I'm cursed, Strongheart. Cursed with this power that I don't understand and this responsibility I can never live up to. This fiery beast just erupted from my body, and I couldn't control it. Then I find out that thing is supposed to be my guide or somethin', but before I could figure that part out, we get ambushed. Then I'm forced to choose between usin' my magic to save us or keepin' the existence of the Dragon Magi a secret, and you can see for yourself how that turned out. Now those poachers are gonna hunt us all down, and it's all my fault!"

She concluded her tirade by hanging her head in shame, crying all the while. Nova closed her eyes and folded her arms, meditating on what she had just heard. Finally, she knelt down to Needles and draped a wing over her, holding her close.

"I understand, Needles. You're scared. You always were," she said soothingly. "That's why you ran away from me."

"B-but as soon as I mustered up the courage, I screwed it up," Needles sobbed. "How do I live with myself after that?"

"You can only ask that question once all is lost, child," said Nova. "And I don't believe that to be the case. Not yet."

Needles sniffled and looked up at Nova. "Wait, you ain't mad at me?"

"Now why would I be mad at you?"

"B-because I'm a failure to the Dragon Magi. N-no matter what, I can't follow the same path. I try and I try, but nothin' works. I'm just a huge disappointment."

Nova sighed. "Needles, you don't have to be afraid of me. I am disappointed in you for not living up to your potential, yes. But do I love you any less? Of course not. Besides, you've risked so much trying to come to our rescue. Any Dragon Mage worth their salt would do the same."

Needles blinked. "R-really? You're not just sayin' that?"

"I would not lie to my own daughter."

Needles's lip quivered. "Oh, ma!"

She buried her face into Nova's cheek, sobbing all the while. Nova smiled and petted her child with her wing.

"It's alright, Needles," she cooed. "You don't have to be scared. Everything will turn out fine."

Little Strongheart was distracted from the touching scene by an unfamiliar voice crying. Turning her head, she was astonished to see Pepito bringing a handkerchief to his eyes. After blowing his nose, he straightened up and turned to Little Strongheart.

"Psst, señorita," he whispered, skittering over to the cage.

Little Strongheart looked around before turning to Pepito. "Me?"

"Yes, you," said Pepito, dipping his voice. "You want out of here, yes? I help."

Little Strongheart did a double take. "What? Why?"

"I may be Rock Lobster, but I no made of stone," Pepito proclaimed. "Catching dragons, okay. Hurting dragons, fine. Catching buffalo by mistake, eh. Catching child and separating from mother? No más, señorita. I through with this. Finished. Kaput."

Nova looked over at Pepito. "That's very kind of you, good sir. But what do you propose? You can't just expect to sneak all of us out of here without anyone noticing."

Pepito furrowed his brow. "Mmm. You right. We need, distraction."

Just then, a loud clanging noise echoed all around the prison. Needles stopped crying.

"Wh-what the heck is that?" she asked.

Pepito winced. "That intruder alarm. Someone here." He then smiled and turned to Needles. "I think I know who someone is."

Needles's eyes widened. "N-no, that can't be. They couldn't have made it here this quickly!"

Pepito shrugged his shoulders. "Look, I no know. But if is them, I help."

"How?"

Pepito smiled. "This one of few times where I glad people think I stupid. Watch this."

A second later, he stopped one of the Diamond Dogs responding to the alarm.

"¡Fuego, fuego!" Pepito cried. "¡Hay un fuego en la guarida! ¡Debemos evacuar, pronto!"

The Diamond Dog scratched his head in confusion. "A fire? Señor Pepito, are you su—?"

"Is fire, is fire!" Pepito insisted. "Quick, tell Señora Isabelle!"

The Diamond Dog quickly nodded and ran back the way he came. A few minutes later, Isabelle and Jacques came storming in.

"Pepito, what's going on?!" Isabelle howled. "Everyone's heading for the hills! What's all this about a fire?!"

"Is fire, Señora Isabelle! Is fire!" Pepito cried, flailing his claws. "We must leave!"

Isabelle smacked Pepito with the back of her paw. "You moron! The hideout is fireproof! There's no way we could have a fire!"

"Not true, not true!" said Pepito. "I see smoke from dragons! They use fire to try and escape, so I sound alarm!"

Isabelle looked over at the cage and scowled. "They don't seem to be doing anything, Pepito."

"They faking!"

Isabelle sighed and turned back to Jacques. "I'm terribly sorry about this, Mr. Moschet. It appears Pepito is a bit excitable. Let's just go back to my office and continue negotiations."

"No! We must leave!" yelled Pepito. "Is fire!"

Isabelle spun around and glowered at Pepito. "Is not fire, you stupid lobster! Is only bell!"

"Is fire, is fire, is fire!" Pepito insisted, jumping up and down.

Little Strongheart stared in confusion at Pepito's distraction, but quickly shook herself.

"That's good enough for me," she said. "Needles, let's meet up with our intruders and see who it is. Then we can work together to finish this once and for all."

Needles looked up. "Huh what? Oh, uh, sure. Good idea."

Nova used her claw to cut Needles's bonds with a single slash. Needles then looked up and hugged Nova the best she could.

"I'll be back for ya, ma," she whispered. "And, thanks for not bein' mad."

Nova smiled. "Make me proud, Needles. I know you can."

Needles nodded and climbed onto Little Strongheart's back. Once she was safely onboard, Little Strongheart took off through the bars at full gallop. This did not go unnoticed by Isabelle.

"Hey! The buffalo's getting away!" she screamed. "Pepito, alert the guards!"

"¿Qué?"

"¡Alerte a los protectores, bobalicón!"

"But what about fire?!"

"There is no fi— oh, forget it!"

Isabelle stormed off while Pepito skittered after her. Jacques snorted.

"Peons, the lot of them," he grumbled. "I think it's high time my wife and I put an end to this charade."

He flew off while Nova watched with interest.

"Context truly makes the whole world fickle," she whispered, placing a claw to her chest and smiling. "Isn't that right, Akire?"

The Rescue of Reconciliation

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The alarm bell echoed throughout the caverns as Diamond Dogs, Rock Lobsters, and oxen scrambled every which way. Some were trying to find the intruders; others were evacuating because of the fire Pepito mentioned. This caused even more confusion, as no one had their story straight.

"That alarm is meant for intruders!" one ox said to a Rock Lobster. "We must find them quickly!"

"But Señor Pepito said that there was a fire!" the Rock Lobster argued. "We have to get to the tatzulwurms and escape while we still can!"

"Look around you, man! There's no fire here!"

"But Señor Pepito wouldn't lie about—"

"Screw Pepito! Are you going to believe him over your own—"

The argument was cut short by an explosion bursting through the wall. A small amber flame flew past both the guards.

"See, I told you there was a fire!" the Rock Lobster yelled, pointing frantically at the flame.

The ox snorted. "That doesn't mean anything! It could just be the intruders distracting us!"

"Hey, fellas!"

The guards spun around towards the wall, only to be met with two apple pies smacking them square in the face. As the dust settled, Braeburn and Big Macintosh trotted out of the hole. They were followed by the antlion and the rest of the posse.

"I still can't believe this plan is working so well," said Flint.

"Well, of course it is," said Trigger. "Thanks to our hungry friend here, no one has been giving us any trouble. Isn't that right, boy?"

The antlion rasped in responce as it grabbed the discarded apple pies with its mandibles.

"Alright, it can't be much farther now," said Spike, turning to Ocard. "Which way?"

Ocard's eyes closed for a second. "I feel my symbiotic partner's presence to the west of us," it said. Its flame then flickered. "Odd. I sense her presence getting, closer."

Toro chuckled. "That sounds like Señorita Needles alright. I knew she wouldn't take this lying down. She must've found a way to escape herself."

"Well, what're we waiting for?" said Steel, preparing his bow. "Let's go meet her and get the rest of those dragons free!"

"Eeyup!" Big Macintosh concurred.

Ocard flew deeper in the cavern with everyone else following its light. The antlion used its mighty mandibles to bore through the narrower passageways, and Toro assisted it with his own paws. Any opposition was quickly dispatched by the antlion's petrifying breath, Flint's claws, Toro's brute strength, or Braeburn's apple pies. It wasn't long before Ocard's flaming body began burning brighter and brighter. The sound of clambering hooves could also be heard just barely over the alarm bells.

"She's here!" Ocard exclaimed. "This way, hurry!"

Ocard darted out into the cavern faster than before, making it difficult for the posse to keep up. In its excitement, it didn't look where it was going and rammed into something.

"Needles!"

A concerned voice rang out as Ocard recovered its senses. When its vision came into focus, it found itself staring right at Needles, who has also just recovered. Both of them yelped and jumped back in shock.

"Wh-what the heck are you doin' here?!" Needles yelled.

Ocard blinked. "If I may answer a question with a question, why are you so surprised by this?" it inquired. "We are connected, you and I. Of course I would be drawn to you."

Needles massaged her temples. "In case you forgot, I have no idea who or what you are. Now unless you have some good news for me, I'd better be on my—"

"Hey, I think I can see Little Strongheart up ahead! Let's get movin', fellas! Yee-haw~!"

Needles looked up, and Little Strongheart stopped in her tracks and turned around. Sure enough, the entire posse had arrived. Needles's jaw dropped.

"I-I don't get it," she said. "H-how'd you get here so fast?"

"We dug our way here," answered Toro, dusting off his paws.

"But what about those hounds guardin' the underground tunnels?"

Trigger smirked. "It turns out it was in our best interest to help your antlion friend after all."

"Well, whatever the case, we're just glad you're here," said Little Strongheart. "These dragons have gone through enough suffering. Needles, we should go back and—"

"Whoa, whoa. Hang on. I'm tryin' to figure this out," said Needles, pinching the bridge of her nose. "So, you guys ended up savin' that critter, and it helped you get here?"

"It was all my idea, my dear Needles," said Trigger with a bow.

Needles's eyes went wide. "Your idea? You really thought this thing would help you after I accidentally summoned that fire dragon and hurt it?"

Tiny pink flames appeared on Ocard's cheeks. "Oh dear. I thought I had a harrowing nightmare just before I awoke."

Needles did a double take. "Wait, you were the giant fire dragon?!"

Ocard sighed. "I am still baffled that it took this long for you to summon me; more so that you don't know anything about who or what I'm supposed to be."

Little Strongheart furrowed her brow. "Needles, I think that's your fire elemental. Nova told me that all Dragon Magi are given one at birth so that they don't stray from their noble path."

Needles paused before glaring at Ocard. "Well, you certainly did a bang-up job of that, didn't ya? Thanks to your stupid advice, I managed to get captured!"

"I simply told you to focus on what was most important to you," Ocard countered. "I'm not omniscient."

"That makes two of us," Needles growled. "And why didn't you ever come out before when I needed ya, huh?"

"Is it my fault that you didn't know how to summon me?"

"W-well, no. I guess not. B-but why did you have to fly off the handle when I did summon ya?"

"The only reason for me to lose control of my flame is for you to lose control of your emotions."

"Oh, so it's my fault then?"

"Perhaps. Or maybe the fault is my own. Or it could be both of our faults. Or neither."

Needles folded her arms. "Okay, now you're not makin' any sense."

"The point I'm trying to make is that what's done is done, young mage. At this point, does it really matter who did what?"

"It matters to me," Needles snapped. "'Cause I still feel bad for what I did. Or, what you did. Or somethin', I don't know anymore."

Trigger frowned and walked up to Needles. "Needles, we cared for this creature and nursed it back to health. That's all the reason it needed to help us. You shouldn't fret over such things when they don't matter. Especially since we should really get going."

Needles blinked at Trigger. "H-huh? Trigger, I— What's gotten into you?"

"We can discuss that later," said Trigger, holding out Needles's parasol. "For now, you dropped this."

Needles stared blankly at the parasol, unable to process what was happening. Finally, she reached out and grabbed it.

"Thanks, Trigger," she said with a smile. "I owe you one."

"Like a kiss? Ehheh... Eh— ow!"

Needles rapped Trigger on the head with her parasol. "Don't push your luck," she scolded. "Now c'mon, we'd better get movin' before—"

"Hey, there they are!"

Needles was interrupted by guards swarming in from all sides. She groaned and palmed her face.

"Don't worry, Ms. Needles! We can handle these jokers!" said Steel, setting one of his arrows alight. He then started fiddling with his bow again as the poachers surrounded the posse. Suddenly, tatzulwurms burst from the ground and ceiling, further boxing them in.

"This really has to stop happenin' to us," said Braeburn, obscuring his eyes with his stetson.

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh agreed.

As the others launched into combat, Spike looked up at Steel and stroked his chin in thought. "Hey, Steel?"

"Kinda busy right now, Mr. Spike. C'mon, I just wanna make sure my bow doesn't—"

"Why do you use that bow, anyway?"

Steel blinked. "Why? Um, to contribute something to the team that only I can do."

"So, you're being different for the sake of being different?"

"Well, that's not exactly how I would put it, but—"

Spike sighed and shook his head. "Dude, you're trying too hard. If you wanna help out the Dragoons, do it in a way you know how. There's nothing wrong with just being yourself."

"But I'd just be doing the same thing as Flint," Steel complained. "There has to be something only I can do."

"That's really not a big deal," said Spike with a shrug. "If there can be more than one apple farmer and more than one party pony in the world, there can easily be more than one dragon who fights like you do."

Steel stroked his chin in thought. "Hmm. I never thought of it that way. Thanks, Mr. Spike."

With that, he took off his quiver and threw it and his bow to the ground. Flint's eyes went wide.

"What the heck, Steel?! I've been telling you to do that for ages!" he shouted.

"No, you've just been calling me an idiot," said Steel frankly. "There's a difference."

Flint sputtered a bit before sighing in exasperation. "Alright, you got me there. Maybe I should tell you what you're doing wrong instead of just saying that you're wrong. Now will you please help us get out of this mess?"

Steel smiled a toothy smile. "It'd be my pleasure."

With that, the two dragons flew towards the nearest tatzulwurm and bathed it with their flames. The tatzulwurm roared in pain and retreated back into the hole from whence it came. With the entire crew working in tandem, the guards were quickly dispatched.

"Hoo-wee! We never had a run this good before!" Needles hollered. "Now c'mon! We've got some dragons to save!"

The posse quickly made their way through the caverns until they happened upon a large, open room. The room had multiple doors marked with different signs. One of them said "Prison" in sharp letters.

"We're almost there, amigos," said Toro. "Let's get moving!"

"Not so fast, big brother!"

Isabelle charged out of the corridor with Pepito right behind her. She stood in front of the door with an angry scowl.

"Isabelle, we don't have to do this," said Toro, aiming his cannon. "You can wash your paws of this whole thing and let us through."

"Now why would I ever want to do that?" asked Isabelle. "Don't you realize how much fame and fortune I'd be giving up if I let you have your way? I don't want to be known as the stupid girl who chases her big brother all over the Mild West and never catches him."

"I'm finding it hard to believe that kidnapping dragons and forcing them into slavery is a better alternative," said Little Strongheart, glaring at Isabelle.

"If there's a choice between infamy and obscurity, I'll choose the former," said Isabelle bluntly. "That's what my brother did when he became an outlaw, after all."

Toro snorted. "I understand now, Isabelle. But this is not the right way."

"Was it 'right' of you to leave the pack?!" Isabelle snapped. "Was it 'right' of you to take on a life of crime for the sake of making a name for yourself?! If being 'right' means you fade into obscurity, then I'd rather be wrong! And now, I am going to end this! ¡Pepito, convoca a los tatzulwurms!"

Pepito shook his head. "No."

Isabelle's eye twitched. "Come again?"

"I no want to do this anymore, Señorita Isabelle," said Pepito frankly.

"¡Ésa es Señora a tú, imbécil!"

"Not anymore," said Pepito. "You say we no hurt young, old, or sick. You say we only get healthy and strong dragons. You lie. We should stop before we in even bigger trouble."

Isabelle let out an angry snort. "You spineless coward! You knew the risks when you took this job!"

"What, you lying to my face?"

Isabelle's cheeks began to burn. "That does it! Once I'm through with my big brother, you're next!"

She took out her weighted lasso and hefted it over her head, swinging it around and around. Toro narrowed his eyes and stared down the sight of his cannon. Trigger drew in a deep breath, ready to light the fuse. Isabelle noticed this and scoffed.

"Oh, isn't this precious. A big showdown between us," she said. "Just like old times. And speaking of which, you're probably going to miss. Again."

Toro smirked. "Not this time, little sister. Señor Trigger, fire!"

Trigger obeyed, and the cannon erupted. The blast didn't even come close to hitting Isabelle. Isabelle laughed.

"Ha! You see? Just like I told you!" she howled. "You missed again, big brother! Just like you always—"

She was interrupted by the sound of an explosion behind her. She spun around and gasped. The cannon blast had caused one of the other passageways to cave in. The passage in question was marked "Gemstone Horde."

"M-my gems!" she bellowed, turning savagely to Toro. "What have you done?!"

"I've taken away your ill-gotten gains, little sister," Toro proclaimed. "After all, they aren't your gems if you're not there to claim them."

Isabelle sputtered. "W-well fine! I'll just call my guards and—"

"You mean the ones who are unconscious, or the ones heading for the hills?" asked Flint.

Isabelle clenched her paws into fists. "Laugh while you can, big brother! I still won't let you pass! I'll start a new horde with the dragons I caught, and you can't stop me!"

"Why? Because I miss?" asked Toro. "Well, let's just see about that. Señor Trigger, if you would."

Trigger complied. Toro's shot once again missed Isabelle completely.

"See? You missed again!" Isabelle scoffed.

Toro smirked. "Or did I?"

Isabelle blinked. "Um, yes. You di—"

"Look over there."

Isabelle turned to where Toro was pointing, and her eyes bugged out. The cannon blast sailed right through a corridor marked "Weapons Cache." A split second later, there was a series of explosions coming from deep within the cavern. Isabelle's face flushed red as she stomped her feet in anger.

"I hate you, big brother!" she howled. She then leapt up onto the wall and began digging her way through. "You haven't heard the last of me!"

"I trust that I haven't," said Toro with a snicker. He then turned to Pepito. "Ay, muchacho."

Pepito titled his head. "¿Sí?"

"Ocúpese a mi hermana para mí. Todavía creo que hay algunos bueno en ella, apenas pues hay bueno en usted."

Pepito smiled and nodded. "Haré apenas eso, señor. Podemos nos encontramos otra vez bajo mejores circunstancias."

"Quisiera eso mucho," said Toro with a tip of his sombrero. "Hasta luego."

Pepito nodded and took out his staple traps. He then used them to create a makeshift ladder in the wall and climb after Isabelle.

"We haven't much time left, amigos," said Toro gruffly. "Vamanos."

The others nodded and ran towards the prison, all while the explosions echoed behind them.

***

Nova was shaken from her meditation by the sound of collapsing rubble and faint explosions. When she opened her eyes, she saw Needles and the others running towards her.

"And here they are," she said, turning to the other prisoners. "Brethren! Our saviors have arrived!"

The other dragons turned to the posse. Some of them raised skeptical eyebrows.

"Aren't these dragons just kids? What can they do?"

"That purple one doesn't smell much like a dragon, either."

"Well, I guess it's better than being cooped up in here."

As the older dragons muttered amongst themselves, Spike was a bit disheartened by their comments. Needles sighed.

"Look, we don't have time to worry about that," she said. "This whole place is comin' down, and we need to get y'all out of there."

"But how?" asked another dragon. "These bars are fireproof, and our limbs are shackled."

Needles smirked. "That can be easily solved."

She then gave a whistle, and the antlion charged forward. It grabbed two of the bars in its mandibles and snapped them both in half. After doing this two more times, there was a hole big enough for the dragons to walk out of. Flint and Steel flew to each of them, using their claws or what was left of Steel's arrows to unlock the shackles.

"Right, that's everyone," said Needles. "Now, let's burrow our way to the surface!"

The antlion roared and plowed through the cage. The posse and the dragons followed behind it as it cut its way through the earth with its mandibles. Finally, as the hideout collapsed behind them, they burst from the ground and to the surface.

"Yee-haw~! We did it!" Braeburn cheered.

"Yeah. We did, didn't we?" said Spike. "It was tough, but we managed to pull through. And the best part is we've got nothing else to worry about."

As soon as he said that, time appeared to freeze for everyone. When it resumed, they found themselves entangled in a series of heavy nets. The dragons roared in anger and pain.

"Wh-what's going on?" yelled Little Strongheart. "W-were they prepared for us?"

"Those ingrate poachers? No, they weren't. I, however, was."

All eyes turned to a sweet yet sinister voice before them. Sure enough, there stood Maggie and Jacques, surrounded by beasts of all shapes and sizes. Jacques had his rifle at the ready while Maggie just folded her arms and smiled a wicked smile.

Spike groaned and palmed his face. "Me and my big mouth."

Sharp Scales

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Maggie slithered up to the captured dragons, observing her prize with a twinkle in her eye. The dragons roared and gnashed their teeth, but no matter how much they struggled, the net only became tighter around them.

"You see, Jacques?" said Maggie, turning to her husband. "You didn't need those hooligans after all. You complained so much about how hard it is to capture one dragon by yourself, yet now we have fifteen. Now don't you feel silly?"

"Perhaps a bit," Jacques admitted. "But the important thing is that you're happy now, my dear cobra. Happy anniversary, dear."

Braeburn raised an eyebrow. "Wait, that's what this whole thing is all about? You just wanted to get your wife an anniversary present?"

Jacques shrugged. "What can I say? She has very, shall we say, exotic tastes."

"More like barbaric," Little Strongheart said with a snort. She then felt a sharp pain in her ear, followed by Maggie pinching it three seconds later.

"That is no way to address a proper lady, you uncouth desert child," Maggie hissed. "Insult me again, and I'll feed you to the owlbears."

"Hey, leave her alone, you big bully," said Spike, standing up as straight as he could.

Maggie turned her attention to Spike and smiled. "Oh, is one of my new pets getting uppity?" she cooed, pinching Spike's cheek.

The elder dragons took notice to this and began muttering to each other.

"Look at that. If he were a real dragon, he wouldn't let her do that."

"Did he really intend to save us? I can't decide whether to admire that child's bravery or pity his stupidity."

"Normally, I'd laugh at this, but considering the situation, I'm more mad at that upstart lamia."

Spike's cheeks flushed bright red in embarrassment. Maggie's humiliating actions combined with the dragon's doubts caused him to become more and more discouraged.

"Don't let 'em get to you, Spike," Big Macintosh whispered. "Remember, you've still got plenty of friends who believe in you."

Maggie arched an eyebrow. "Did you say something?"

"Nope," said Big Macintosh flatly.

Maggie crossed her arms. "You sure? Because it looked like you were telling that dragon something."

"Nope."

Maggie waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, whatever. It doesn't matter now. I have fifteen dragons to take home and pamper to my heart's content." She then noticed Needles within the crowd. "And oh, what's this? The magician dragon is here, too. Oh, I so look forward to teaching you new tricks, you little cutie! We're gonna be best fwiends foweva and eva!"

Needles pretended to gag. "In your dreams, lady. I don't plan on— ow!"

She felt a sharp pinch on her cheek, and Maggie followed up with an actual pinch three seconds later.

"It looks like you have a lot of obedience training to go through," she growled.

Flint snickered. "You think you can train her? Ha! That's a laugh! Heck, the only one of us I can picture you actually getting to obey you is Steel, and that's because he's spineless."

"Hey!" Steel protested. "I would not listen to anything that horrible woman says! I'm a free dragon, by golly!"

"Uh, I'd pick your words more carefully, ese," said Toro, obscuring his eyes with his sombrero.

Steel blushed. "Oh, right. Sorry. Forgot for a second."

Maggie laughed. "Oh, this is just priceless! You two are automatically going to be my comedy entertainment."

"I still don't think you grasp the situation."

Maggie shifted her attention over to Trigger, who was wringing his claws.

"Oh? And why's that?" she asked.

"You're making Needles quite mad," said Trigger. "And when Needles gets mad, Ocard gets upset. And when Ocard gets upset, well... You don't want to know what happens after that. Ehheh... Ehheh..."

Needles whipped her head around. "Trigger, what the heck are you doin'?" she hissed.

"Just warning our captor about what might happen, my dear Needles" said Trigger, giving Needles a wink.

Needles stared blankly at Trigger for a moment before finally connecting the dots. She flashed him a small smile in return and turned right back towards Maggie.

"He's right, y'know," Needles proclaimed. "I have a bit of a temper problem, and so does Ocard. If you don't let us go, there's gonna be big trouble."

"Oh, I'm shaking in my skin," Maggie said mockingly. "So, where is this Ocard, hmm?"

Needles took a quick look around, only to find that her fire elemental had disappeared without a trace. She turned back to Trigger, who winked at her again. She swallowed.

"Oh, well, uh... He's hidin' in the shadows," she said. "Y'know, waitin' for the right moment to strike and such. So I reckon you'd better let us go."

"Actually, fire elementals are asexual in nature," Nova interjected. "As such, I don't think 'he' is the correct term."

Maggie turned towards Nova. "Oh? And how do you know this, pray tell?"

Needles's eyes went wide. "H-hey, eyes on me, lady!"

"Now now. We can't have you hogging all the attention," Maggie chided, pinching Needles's cheek once again.

Flint snorted. "You've got a lot of guts to try and pull that on a dragon as powerful as she is, missy. If that's how you plan to treat all of us, I predict lots and lots of bandages in your future."

"That's right!" Steel added. "This is an injustice! No dragon worth their salt is going to take this lying down!"

Spike watched as the Dragoons resisted Maggie's patronizing ways. He was so used to them bickering amongst themselves that the sight of them standing together against a common threat was almost quite shocking. Then he thought back to all the times he talked to them on his adventure. Suddenly, a large surge of confidence raced through his veins.

"Actually, you have no claim on me," he said.

Maggie turned to Spike. "Come again?"

"Well, you don't really have a claim on anyone here. But that goes double for me," said Spike. "I already live with someone else. Her name is Twilight Sparkle."

Maggie blinked. "Twilight Sparkle? The newly-coronated princess of Equestria?"

"The very same," said Spike with a nod.

The elder dragons began mumbling again.

"I knew he smelled off."

"What kind of dragon lives with a namby-pamby pony princess?"

"Wait, if he lives with a pony, why does he care about us?"

Spike ignored these comments and continued. "I just so happen to be Twilight's number one assistant. And if she saw what you were doing to these dragons right now, she'd be so mad at you. In fact, I'm mad at you."

Maggie stifled a laugh. "I-is that right?"

"You bet," Spike proclaimed. "I may not be like other dragons, but I have my Noble Dragon Code. I came out here to help these dragons because it was the right thing to do. Sure, they may not appreciate it, but at this point, that doesn't matter. At least someone does." He turned and smiled at the Dragoons before turning back to Maggie. "Besides, I see injustice here. And as a noble dragon, I'm not gonna take it lying down!"

Maggie chortled. "Is that right? Well, that's a very impressive speech, young lad. But you forget one thing."

Once again, Spike felt a sharp pinch in his cheek, followed by Maggie pinching him three seconds later.

"I. Always. Get. What. I. Want," Maggie spat. "What's more, you can't even lay a finger on me. Thanks to my time magic, I am ahead of you by three seconds. No matter what you do—"

Spike snapped his jaws, only for Maggie to draw back her hand at the last minute.

"...I always see it coming. Like that, for instance," Maggie continued, as if nothing had happened.

"There's no use fighting it," said Jacques somberly. "Believe me, I've been trying for years. Best you just surrender now before you make her really angry."

Trigger sniggered. "Need I remind you about Ocard? We wouldn't want to make it angry, now would we? Ehheh..."

Jacques looked around and scoffed. "You're bluffing. I don't see anyone else here, and my pets certainly don't detect anything."

"I think he's onto us," Needles whispered to Trigger.

"I-I know, I know," Trigger hissed back. "Wh-where is that wisp, anyway? It clearly didn't get captured with us."

"I-I dunno," said Needles. "I don't even know how to call it."

"Perhaps I can help."

Nova shuffled around within the net, doing her best to shimmy over to Needles. Needles blanched.

"Ma, no. S-stop talkin'," she stammered. "Y-you're gonna get in trouble."

"The Dragon Magi strive for the greater good, Needles," said Nova. "My safety isn't as important as you living up to your potential."

"B-but it's important to me," Needles whimpered. "If that crazy lady finds out there are more Dragon Magi out here, she's gonna make all of us slaves!"

Nova smiled. "Not if you teach her a lesson she'll never forget, Needles. Now, to summon your fire elemental, you have to link your inner fire with its outer fire. To do that, you—"

"Hey, I see that," Maggie interrupted. "What are you planning?"

"Simply this," said Nova, closing her eyes. "Agniki, Akire!"

Her eyes suddenly shot open, and a plume of fuchsia flame burst from her mouth. From the flame, another fire elemental took shape.

"You summoned me, Lady No— Tartarus's bells, what have you gotten yourself into since I was asleep?" said the wisp.

"It's a long story, Akire," said Nova. "For now, I was simply demonstrating to my daughter how to summon her fire elemental."

"Oh, no you don't!" Maggie yelled.

She was about to ready a time spell when she suddenly reared back, dodging Spike's emerald flame. She tried again, only to swerve away from Steel's claws.

"Um, just a word of advice," said Flint. "Don't just outright tell the bad guys what you're trying to do."

Nova chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry. Force of habit."

Needles shrugged and closed her eyes. She racked her brain and concentrated with all her might, trying to establish a connection while Maggie was being distracted. She detected a bright flash through her closed eyes, followed by a sinister snicker.

"There. That's better," said Maggie. "And now for y—"

"Agniki, Ocard!"

Needles's eyes shot open as a dot of amber flame zoomed out from the sky, singeing a few wyverns as it passed.

"Finally. I was waiting for you to do that," said Ocard indignantly.

Needles scowled. "Well, I didn't know how until just now, okay? Now help us out!"

"You mean free you from this net?" asked Ocard.

Needles deadpanned. "No, I mean tell me the meanin' of life."

Ocard closed its eyes. "Well, that's actually a very complicated and subjective question..."

"I was bein' sarcastic."

"Oh, I understand that. I just didn't find it funny."

Needles rolled her eyes. "You never told me my spiritual guide would be such a wisenheimer, Ma."

Nova simply shrugged her shoulders. "You'd better help, too, Akire."

The two fire elementals set to work, flying around the net and burning through it. Instead of using her magic to stop them, Maggie turned to face her husband.

"You dunderhead!" she howled. "Why didn't you use the fireproof nets?!"

"Those are the fireproof nets!" Jacques roared back.

"They don't look very fireproof to me, Jacques! Did you get them from the blue crate?"

"Well, the crate was blue-ish, I suppose."

"Blue-ish?!"

"Look, I didn't have time to sift through all the crates, okay?"

"Jacques, I'm a time mage! We could've had all the time in the world!"

Jacques blushed profusely. "Oh. Um, sorry, dear."

Maggie palmed her face. "Jacques, you are treading on thin ice right now."

"I'd be more worried about yourself, pal."

Maggie spun around. The nets were reduced to charred tatters scattered all over the ground. Now she was confronted by several angry dragons as well as Spike's posse. She glowered.

"You haven't won yet!" she bellowed. "Pets! Seize them!"

The monsters all roared as the two sides charged for one another. The dragons let loose their flames, igniting the sky with myriad colors. The antlion snapped its mandibles and fossilized any owlbear or deathstalker that got too close with its breath. Braeburn tossed apple pie after apple pie at the oncoming monsters, which proved to be most effective when the creatures took a timeout from the fight to eat. The Shielded Thundercrab rasped as it let loose a barrage of electrically-charged bubbles into the fray. However, its aim was thrown off by Flint and Steel flying circles around it.

"Yeah, take that, evildoer!" Steel cheered.

Flint groaned. "Just lay off the quips, Steel. You sound lame. Plus, I'd rather not get electrocuted today, so keep your head in the game."

"Uh, sure! Got it, Flint!" Steel called out.

Little Strongheart noticed this and charged in while the crab was distracted. With a mighty war cry, she leapt up into the air and pounded her hooves against the creature's head. With a bubbly rasp, the Shielded Thundercrab collapsed unconscious.

"Sweet moves, LS!" Flint called out.

"Yeah, good one!" Steel concurred. "We'll help you with the next one, too!"

Flint was about to protest this, but thought better of it. Little Strongheart smirked.

"Nice to see you two finally get your acts together!" she said. "Now c'mon! We're not out of this just yet!"

She galloped off to her next target while Flint and Steel followed at her heels.

***

While all that was going on, Spike rode on Big Macintosh's back, making a beeline straight for Jacques. Jacques fired his rifle again and again, but Spike made quick work of the nets with his fire breath.

"N-no, wait! Stay back!" Jacques squawked, flying up into the air. "Get away from me!"

"Nope!" Big Macintosh hollered back. He then turned to Spike. "You ready?"

Spike licked his claw and held it up to test the wind before nodding. "Ready!"

Jacques's eyes sparkled as he took aim with his gun. "Ah-ha! Got—"

Just as he was about to fire, Big Macintosh bucked Spike clear into the sky. Spike did a somersault in midair and landed right on Jacques's back. He then grabbed the griffon by the tail and yanked with all his might.

"Ow-ooh! L-let go!" Jacques cried.

"Not until you promise to leave us alone!" Spike countered.

Jacques snorted. "N-n-n-never!"

Spike shrugged and pulled even harder. Jacques squawked and shrieked, flying around wildly to try and get rid of Spike. As he flailed about, he accidentally fired his rifle several times. The misfired nets landed directly on his own pets, rendering them useless in combat. One even landed right on Maggie's head. In retaliation, Maggie froze him in time.

"You're not winning a lot of points with me, Jacques!" she hollered. "Now get your act together and round up these dragons!"

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, lady."

Maggie spun around to find Needles fiddling with her parasol. Maggie scoffed.

"And just what do you plan to do about it?" she asked.

Needles shrugged. "Simple. I'm gonna fight ya."

Maggie nearly doubled over in laughter. "Y-you are going to fight me? Didn't I already mention that I'm invincible?! This battle is only delaying the inevitable! I always get what I want, and you're going to learn that the hard way!"

Needles smirked and tossed aside her parasol. "Y'know what? Maybe you are more powerful than I am. I admit, I have no idea how to beat ya. But that Spike fella had it right. I'm a noble Dragon Mage, and I ain't standin' for this injustice against my kind."

She summoned two magic throwing stars and held them between her claws. "So c'mon. Make my day."

Maggie scoffed. "Well isn't that cute? You really think some pathetic parlor tricks can stand up to a true time mage? I'll show you what true power is."

Needles suddenly noticed that time was slowing down around her. Instead of firing her weapons, she stood her ground, staring down Maggie. Maggie did the same, wearing a mocking grin.

"Go ahead. Make your move, pet," she said, her voice dripping with venom. "I can avoid whatever you throw at me and hurt you twice as hard."

Needles smiled back, but said nothing. As soon as she felt time return to normal, she threw her stars at Maggie. Maggie swerved to the side, but the stars arched back and flew at her again. To save herself, Maggie cast another time spell to freeze the stars in place.

"Clever," she said. "It seems this little pet already knows some tricks. But it's not enough. Now bow to your mistress!"

"I'll bow to you when I'm dead!" Needles spat, standing her ground.

Maggie chuckled. "Well then, we'll just have to hope it doesn't come to that."

Needles suddenly felt several impacts racking her body, almost causing her to fall to her knees. A split second later, Maggie rushed forward and slapped her around. Needles skidded back, trying her best to stand upright.

From not too far away, Trigger watched the battle from on top of Toro's shoulder. He clenched his claws into fists.

"Toro, we have to help her!" he said.

Toro turned to where Trigger was pointing and frowned. "The magic of that cazadore is unpredictable, Señor Trigger. I'm not sure if we can even hit her."

"Perhaps I can tip the scales in your favor."

Nova leaned down to Toro and Trigger, wearing a wry smile. She then raised her claw and closed her eyes. Suddenly, a fuchsia aura engulfed Toro's cannon.

"That should provide enough speed for you to catch her off-guard," she said. "It should have a bit more power to it as well."

Trigger nodded. "Th-thank you," he said. "Alright, Toro! Take aim!"

Toro did so. "Ready when you are, Señor Trigger!"

Trigger got up and took a deep breath. "This one's for you, Needles!" he called out.

He then lit the fuse with his fire breath. The cannon roared as it unleashed its payload. Maggie tried to rear up and dodge the blast, but it still managed to graze her.

"Rah! How dare you!" she boomed, turning towards Toro and Trigger. "Now I'm furious!"

She closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye and smacked Toro's jowls. As Toro flinched, Trigger leapt up onto Maggie's hood and dug in his claws. As Needles recovered, she noticed the struggle. Her eyes widened.

"Trigger! Hang on!" she called out, running towards the battle.

Just as she was within range, Maggie managed to throw Trigger off. Needles clenched her hand into a fist and looked up at Ocard.

"Hey, you think you can turn into that dragon thing again?" she asked.

Ocard blinked. "You actually want me to do that?"

Needles gave Ocard a smirk. "Let's just say I wanna make sure there's some truth behind Trigger's bluff. Y'know, just so these poachers know never to mess with us again."

Ocard's brow furrowed. "I highly advise against this, young mage. You can't control me when I'm in that state."

"First of all, my name is Needles," said Needles. "Secondly, I don't care. I just wanna make these guys pay and free these dragons once and for all."

Ocard sighed. "Very well. I will try. It should be easier, seeing as you appear to be in full control right now, but I make no promises."

Needles sighed. "Just get over here already. I have an idea that'll really burn this into their brains."

She summoned one last throwing star and held it to her chest, gripping it tightly between her fingers. Ocard nestled itself atop the star and heaved another sigh. Needles narrowed her eyes, watching Maggie's every move as she towered over Trigger.

"Bad boy," she scolded, raising her open palm. "I think someone needs some to be disciplined."

"Now, Ocard!"

Needles threw the star with all her might. As it flew towards Maggie, Ocard changed its shape. Right when it was upon her, it was a full-sized dragon constructed of flames. Before Maggie could even hope to react, it barreled through her, leaving a flaming trail in its wake. As her scorched body hit the ground, all of her time magic was undone. She let out a cough, sending black smoke into the air.

"Maggie! Sweetheart!" Jacques called out, flying down to her. He picked her up in her talons. "Maggie, we should leave. These dragons are more trouble than they're worth."

Maggie slowly opened her eyes and gave her husband a bemused look. "Really, Jacques? What happened to making me happy no matter what?"

"That's not going to matter much if you're dead!" Jacques snapped. "C'mon, you stubborn snake. We're leaving."

Maggie's lip quivered. "B-but my dragons..."

"Sorry, dear, but I'm afraid I'll have to put my foot down," said Jacques firmly. He raised his hunting horn and rallied all of his conscious animals to him. "Come along now. Let's get you all rested up. I'll even make you those chocolates you like."

"Oh, don't even bother," Maggie huffed. "Your chocolates taste terrible."

"Then I'll buy you chocolates."

"And spend more of our money? What about my hospital bill? And the veterinary bills for our pets?"

"Maybe I wouldn't spend so much money if you weren't so darn picky."

"Oh, so now this is my fault?"

"Yes! Yes it is!"

The two of them continued to bicker and argue as Jacques flew away with his animals following suit. Once they were gone, Needles let out a sigh and scooped up her parasol.

"Hoo-wee~. I thought that would never end," she said. "Hey, Ocard. You okay?"

Ocard circled back, reverting to its original state. "That, was very dangerous, young mage."

"I told you before; I have a name," said Needles, folding her arms. "If you're gonna scold me like that, I recommend you call me by it."

She then walked over to Trigger and reached out her claw. "Hey, Trigger. Need a hand?"

Trigger grunted and shook his head. "N-no. No, I'm fine," he said, struggling to his feet.

Needles let out a dry laugh. "Don't go macho on me, Trigger. It ain't your style." She then paused. "Hey, you actually came up with some pretty good ideas back there. Thanks."

"It's my pleasure, Needles," said Trigger. He then looked over to Spike, who came in riding on Big Macintosh. Spike gave him an okay sign and a wink. Trigger winked in return and turned to Needles.

"Hey, um, Needles?"

"What is it, Trigger?"

Trigger stretched out his arms and flexed his claws. "Is, this okay?"

Needles smiled. "Sure. C'mere."

She closed the gap between them and pulled him into a hug. Toro nodded solemnly while Steel blew his nose on Flint's wing. Flint snorted in annoyance and jerked it away. After a pause, Needles released Trigger and bopped him with her parasol.

"Slow down there, lover boy," she said darkly. "We're not up to that yet."

Trigger rubbed his head. "Oh, Needles~. Why must you tease me? Ehheh... Ehheh..."

Everyone joined Trigger in his laugh. Spike looked down at Big Macintosh and smiled.

"Well, they still have a few things to learn," he said. "But all things considered, I think I did a pretty good job of setting them straight. You agree, Big Mac?"

Big Macintosh nodded. "Eeyup."

Humility is Noble

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When the posse returned to the buffalo camp, the sun had just begun to set over the horizon. They were greeted by the loud cheers and stomping hooves of the buffalo. Little Strongheart immediately ran up to Chief Thunderhooves, and the two nuzzled each other.

"It is good to see you safe, Little Strongheart," said Chief Thunderhooves, looking over the freed dragons. "I take it the mission was a success."

"That ain't all, Chief," said Needles. "Them poachers are never gonna bother the Mild West ever again. We took 'em all down."

"Is that right?" said Chief Thundrhooves. "Well, I say this calls for celebration! Let the Dragon Dance Festival recommence!"

Cheers echoed throughout the desert as things started to get back on track.

"Hey, wait!" Flint roared, his voice drowned out by the din. "We still have to talk payment!"

Needles chuckled. "Let it go, Flint. We can have 'em settle the bill later."

"Um, question," said Steel, raising his claw. "What're we gonna do with the antlion thing?"

Needles looked over at the antlion, which stared back at her. She then cast her eyes downward and bit her lip.

"It's, kinda my fault that you're homeless, big fella," she said. "And I'm sorry."

Flint raised a single finger and glared at Needles. "I don't like where this is going."

Needles sighed. "Yeah, well. I don't care if you don't like it. I still feel responsible for hurtin' this fella, and I wanna make it up to him."

"To be honest, I don't think it was your fault, Needles," said Trigger. "Ocard is the one who hurt it, not you."

Needles shook her head. "No. It wouldn't be right of me to just blame Ocard. I was the one who lost control and woke that guy up. I need to take my lumps here."

She then turned to the antlion and smiled. "Which is why I think this guy should stay with us."

Flint palmed his face. "Yep, knew it."

"Oh, don't be so difficult," said Steel. "He actually turned out to be quite helpful, didn't he?"

"Yeah, only after we fed it apple pie," Flint huffed. "Still can't believe that worked, though."

Braeburn laughed. "I'm tellin' ya, there ain't a critter alive who can resist a good ole fashioned apple pie freshly baked in Appleloosa."

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh concurred.

Toro scratched his head. "I'm not against the idea, but how are we supposed to feed it, Señorita Needles?"

Needles shrugged. "As far as I know, antlions ain't that picky. He'll eat anythin' we set before him. Ain't that right, big guy?"

The antlion rasped and snapped its mandibles.

"He agrees and is thankful for your generosity."

Needles looked forward as she saw Ocard floating over to the group.

"You can actually understand him?" asked Steel.

"Well, no. I just wanted my symbiotic partner to know that she made the right decision," said Ocard.

"That's Needles to you, buddy," Needles growled.

Ocard sighed. "Fine. Needles. You know, most Dragon Magi have the common courtesy of introducing themselves when they first summon their fire elementals."

"Well, I ain't most Dragon Magi," said Needles plainly. "I was a coward and a drifter for a long time. I never knew you even existed until today because I didn't think I could live up to my responsibilities."

"And how do you feel now?" inquired Ocard.

Needles fiddled with the handle of her parasol. "Well, neutral, I guess. I know I can't let fear rule my life. I have the strength to stay on this path and finish my Dragon Mage trainin'. The problem is, well, I'm still kinda scared. There's a lot of stuff that I just don't know, and some decisions just feel too hard to make."

Ocard's eyes closed. "Fascinating. Your draconic nature doesn't seem to be your concern at all."

"Why would it be?" said Needles. "I like the feelin' I get when I help others. It ain't an easy path to walk, but I feel it's worthwhile."

Ocard nodded. "Well, I'm at a loss for words. I mean, my duty is to make sure you stay on this path, but you seem to be dedicated to that already."

"Yeah, but I don't know how to do it right," said Needles. "Which is why I'd appreciate it if you stuck around and became a Dragoon like us."

Ocard blinked. "You say that as if I have a choice in the matter, which I don't. I'm bound to you for life."

"And from what I can tell, you're not happy about it 'cause I'm just some rube who didn't figure out this stuff until today," said Needles, crossing her arms. "Well, you're gonna have to get used to it, Ocard. If you're gonna be my spirit guide, well, that's somethin' I really need right now."

Ocard sighed. "Again, I don't have a choice here. Nevertheless, I feel like we did get off on the wrong foot. I'd be honored to tutor you in the ways of the Dragon Mage, Lady Needles. Just, don't forget to summon me whenever you need to, alright?"

"Deal," said Needles with a smile. "Welcome to the team."

Ocard nodded and yawned. Without another word, it flew right into Needles's mouth and disappeared into her body.

"Gotta say, I'm impressed, Needles," said Spike. "You really are on the right path."

Needles turned around and smirked. "Couldn't have done it without you and Mr. Macintosh. It's time I started makin' decisions without bein' afraid of makin' a wrong choice." She then turned to the Dragoons. "Which is why I'm relyin' on each and every one of you to help me."

"Of course, Señorita Needles," said Toro. "Although I want to suggest something."

"Oh?"

"If we cross paths with Isabelle again, I don't want to just capture her and turn her in," said Toro somberly. "She won't learn that way. I want her to join us."

"What?! After she tried to kill us?!" Flint bellowed. "Are you out of your mind?!"

"Maybe," said Toro, sniffing the air. "But she's still my little sister, and I say we should set her straight."

Needles let out a short chuckle. "Nice to see you finally give your opinion for once, Toro."

The Dragoons all shared a laugh. As they continued to talk amongst themselves, Spike waddled off and found a rock to sit on. He watched as the other dragons danced with the buffalo by the light of roaring bonfires. He continued starring at the display for a good long while before a large shadow blotted out the setting sun.

"Is something troubling you, young one?"

Spike looked up to see that Nova had settled right beside him. He sighed.

"Eh, it's nothing," Spike said with a shrug. "I get it. I'm not like other dragons. I don't try to be greedy, I don't hurt people that don't deserve it, and I'm the number one assistant to a pony princess. I've come to terms with all that."

"But something else is on your mind," said Nova sagely.

Spike let out another sigh. "The least those guys could do is say 'thank you.' I mean, I didn't have to go on this big adventure to save them, but I did anyway 'cause it felt wrong not to go. And all I heard them do was doubt me. Don't get me wrong; it wasn't nearly as bad as the first time I tried to get along with other dragons. But it still kinda stings, y'know?"

Nova nodded. "I understand, young one. It's difficult not to be appreciated for your efforts. In fact, I've been in that position a few times myself. The important thing to remember is that gratitude and praise are not your end goals. Sometimes, you just have to do the right thing because you know it's right."

Spike chuckled. "Well, duh. I know that already. I wouldn't have gone on this whole adventure if I let stuff like that hold me back. Noble dragons don't give up so easily."

"I see," said Nova. She then knelt down and extended her claw. "Well, for what it's worth, I'm grateful for your help. Thank you, young one."

"Uh, no prob," said Spike, grabbing Nova's pinky with his hand. "Oh, and my name is Spike, by the way."

"Of course," said Nova. She then sighed. "It's funny. I've talked to many dragons, both within and outside of my clan. This is the first time that talking to a dragon outside of the Dragon Magi has been this, pleasant."

"Yeah, well. I wish all dragons were like you and Needles," said Spike. "Then I wouldn't have to feel like a stranger around my own kind."

"Believe me, I know the feeling," said Nova whimsically. "Well, I'd best get something to eat. You should enjoy the festival yourself, Spike. I feel that you've earned it."

With that, she flew off towards the other dragons. As Spike watched her go, he heard footsteps coming behind him.

"Way to go, Spike!"

Before Spike could turn around, Little Strongheart bound in and gave him a big hug.

"Wh-whoa!" Spike grunted. "Wh-what's up?"

"The Dragoons just told me everything," said Little Strongheart, beaming radiantly at Spike. "I knew it was a good idea to have you teach them your Noble Dragon Code. They seem so much happier now. Heck, even Flint has gotten some of his old charm back."

"Just FYI, LS, we still need to talk about our payment for getting rid of the poachers," said Flint.,

Little Strongheart rolled her eyes. "Emphasis on 'some.'"

Spike snickered. "Well, I think they still have a long way to go, but at least they're on the right track now."

"And we're very grateful for that," said Needles, extending her claw. "Spike, I can't thank you enough for what you've done for us. Not only did you set us straight, but even when we gave you a hard time, you never gave up."

Spike blushed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, that's because noble dragons never give up no matter what."

"Doesn't make us any less thankful," said Needles, taking her claw in Spike's and shaking it. "I'm really glad to have gotten to meet you, Spike. And I hope you enjoy the rest of the festival."

She then released Spike and turned to Trigger. "Speakin' of which, Trigger. Would you like to dance?"

Trigger did a double take. "Wh-what? Y-you want me to dance with you?"

"Sure, why not?" said Needles. "Don't you wanna dance with me?"

"Well, yes. O-of course, my dear sweet Needles," said Trigger, nervously wringing his claws. "I-I just was not p-prepared for this. Ehheh... Ehheh..."

Needles giggled. "Anyone ever tell ya that you get all cute when you get flustered?"

"Um, no. Ehheh..."

"Well, I'm tellin' you now."

Trigger's face flushed bright red. "Y-you really think I'm cute? You're not just teasing me? Oh my, this is simply remarkable! Needles actually likes me! Ehheh... Ehheh..."

"Hey, Romeo!" Spike called out. "It's not nice to keep a lady waiting."

"O-oh! Y-yes, of course."

Trigger then took his claw in Needles's, and the two moseyed off to the bonfires where the buffalo and dragons were dancing. Spike sniggered and looked over at Little Strongheart, Big Macintosh, and Braeburn.

"Y'know, it feels good to actually make a difference like this," said he.

"I'm sure it does, Spike," said Braeburn. "Though I have to say, I'm sorry your vacation was ruined by those poachers."

Spike smirked. "Eh, don't worry about it. I get into stuff like this all the time. Seeing as I hang out with the saviors of Equestria, it kinda comes with the territory."

"Even so, I do feel bad for inviting you out here just so that you could help the Dragoons," said Little Strongheart. "You probably didn't want to spend your vacation doing that."

"Don't sweat it, Little Strongheart," said Spike. "I'm glad I met dragons who actually respect me despite my background. And even if those other guys didn't appreciate what I sacrificed for them, at least the Dragoons do. Besides, this vacation ain't over yet."

Big Macintosh snickered. "That's just like you, Spike. Always the optimist."

"Hey, in my line of work, I have to be," said Spike, giving Big Macintosh a fist bump. "Now, I'm gonna go grab some grub and make the most of this festival."

"I'm all for that!" said Braeburn.

"Same here," Little Strongheart agreed.

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh concurred.

With that, the four of them joined the festivities. They saw a ring of dragons and buffalo standing in a circle and cheering. Once they made their way through the crowd, they saw Needles and Trigger in the center of the crowd, dancing beneath the stars. Trigger stumbled more than a few times, but Needles didn't seem to mind. Spike breathed out a laugh as he took a handful of topaz from a nearby bowl and watched the two go at it.

Those two really do look cute together, he thought. Man, I cannot wait to tell Twilight about all this when I get home. This might not be the most relaxing vacation I've ever had, but it sure has become something special. And for me, well, that's good enough.

The End

Trial by Kinship

by Metool Bard

Prologue: Meet the Dragoons

Reconnection and Roots

Unneeded Stress

Extra Cargo

Spike's Good Example

Anti-Hunting Hounds

Hit and Miss

Precarious Patience

Friendly Fire

Cross My Heart-to-Heart

Help that Harms

Done and Undone

The Rescue of Reconciliation

Sharp Scales

Humility is Noble