> Dragon of Steel
>  by SuperPinkBrony12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The End of A Species
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

                (100 years ago)

In the land of the dragons, all was not well. Conflict had errupted between two species of dragons, conflict that threatened to escalate into civil war.

It had all begun, with the arrest of three teenage dragons. Their names were, Grunt (a purple skinned dragon with yellow hair), Groan (a white skinned dragon with light purple hair), and their leader Garble (a red skinned dragon with orange spikes for hair). Some dragons claimed they had tried to conspire against King Drake V, in an effort to demolish the Creed of Noble Dragons. Others claimed that the three were innocent, and had been unfairly framed by dragons who still believed King Drake V was the rightful ruler, even though there were rumors that he had illegally snatched the throne away from Prince Drax.

In the hopes of settling the conflict, before war could break out, a series of elder dragons were appointed to conduct a public trial. The elders were to remain netural, and weigh the evidence for and against Garble's crime. It was hoped that a fair and just verdict would satisfy both sides, and put an end to the ugly stain of dividence that had swept through the kingdom.



  

The trial was held inside the crater of an active volcano, that had been converted into a courtroom. Dragons of all sizes and colors packed the stands, as they waited for the verdict to be handed down. Already, passionate cries of "Destruction to All Traitors!" and "Down with Drake's Code!" rang out like bells.

Garble, Grunt, and Groan stood in the center of the courtroom. All three of them had their wings and claws chained down with fire proof gemstones, preventing them from escaping.

In front of them, resting on piles of gems, were the elder dragons. All of them looked down at the three teenage dragons with disappointment and disapproval. Behind them, stood King Drake V in all his glory. His forest green skin and gold scales contrasted sharply, with the plain black and white skin and scales respectively of his guards.

Approaching the trio of teenage dragons, was a light purple skinned dragon, with fire red scales. His blue eyes reflecting back a look of unhappiness, but also a faint sense of relief. Clearing his throat, he announced to the gathered crowd "After careful consideration of the evidence and facts presented to us, we elder dragons have agreed upon on a verdict," A tense hush fell over the crowd, as they awaited the declaration. The purple skinned dragon then continued with his statement, as he said "Garble, Grunt, and Groan, this court finds the three of you.... guilty on charges of conspiraing against the crown, with intent to remove King Drake V from the throne. And on charges of attempt to dismantle the Creed of Noble Dragons, which has guided our civilization for centuries."

Various cheers and jeers for the verdict echoed through the courtroom like wildfire. Garble and his two followers simply looked at the elder dragons and King Drake V with looks of discontent. "So, that's how it is," Garble said to himself "They brand us traitors, simply because we try to do what is best for the kingdom. King Drake V is a phony, and has no right to sit on that royal throne."

"What's gonna happen to us now, Garble?" Groan asked.

"Are we going to die?" Grunt added nervously.

"Whatever 'punishment' they inflict on us, we'll take it with a smile," Garble explained "We will be martyrs for our cause!"

Then, the elder dragons all spoke at once "Garble, Grunt, and Groan, as punishment for your actions, the three of you are hereby banished to the Realm of No Return! Should any of you return to this land ever again, you shall be put to death!" And with that, there was a roar of wind that enveloped the three teenage dragons, lifting them up, and causing them to vanish in a flash of light.





With the trial now over, all of the dragons in the courtroom left to return to their lives. And for the purple skinned dragon that handed down the verdict, he was no exception.

Upon arriving back at his humble cave, lined with crystals of every color but green, he was greeted with the sight of his lovely wife. A crimson red skinned dragon with green scales, her green eyes sparkling brightly, as she guarded a light purple egg with dark purple spots.

"Oh, Brimstone, I'm glad you've returned," the red skinned dragon said cheerfully "Now that the trail is over, perhaps we can settle down, and hatch our egg in peace?"

But Brimstone shook his head "I'm afraid that reality may not come to pass, my darling Samantha." he said glumly.

"Whatever do you mean?" Samantha asked anxiously. She had hoped that the end of the trial would finally bring back the peace that had been lost to the dragons for so long.

Brimstone frowned, and looked his wife in the eyes "For a long time now, I have recieved visions. Visions of a future, that I fear, will come true. We noble dragons have diminished in numbers over the past few decades. And with the banishment of Garble and two of his followers, I fear it is only a matter of time until we become enemies of the empire. An offense punishable by death!"

If Samantha was worried, she tried her best not to show it, as she put a claw around her husband and told him "You need to have fate in the crown. King Drake V is one of the noblest dragons in existence, and our kind has stood by his side from the day he was crowned our leader. He would not allow such petty differences to drive us all apart. In time, dragons will forget they ever took offense with the code, and life will return to normal. In the meantime, we shall rise our child. Something tells me, that he is destined for great things in life."





But as it turned out, Samantha was wrong. Two uneasy months ticked by, and the noble dragons could only watch in horror, as Garble's supporters rallied to his cause. One by one, the noble dragons were thrust out of power. The elder dragons, who had previously maintained the peace, could not stem back the tide of rebellion.

Then, one faithful day, King Drake V was betrayed by his palace guards. He was never heard from again, and all that remained of him, was the multil jeweled crown that had always rested atop his forehead.

Drake's successor to the throne, the black skinned, grey scaled, Drax, gave the order that the noble dragons had long feared. "All dragons abiding by the Noble Dragon Code of King Drake IV, are enemies of the new Dragon Empire, and must be destroyed!" he commanded. And his guards did not hesitate to carry out his orders.

Inside their cave on the outskirts of the kingdom, Brimstone and Samantha knew that their time was short. Even if they could fly away from Drax's guards, there was nowhere for them to go. And they knew, that Drax would not rest, until they were captured or killed. Thus, they turned all their attention to the egg that they would never get to see hatch.





"The guards will be here any second!" Samantha said nervously.

"I'm almost done with the preparations," Brimstone replied, as he finished hastily writing a letter and attaching it to the egg "The mare who recieves this will know what to do."

"Are you really sure she's the best candidate to rise our child? You know how much her subjects fear dragons." Samantha spoke up, moving closer to her husband, and the egg.

"They won't think to look for him in that kingdom, he'll be safe there. And when he's old enough, she will tell him everything," Brimstone said somberly, as he placed a fire ruby near the note "This enchanted gem will contain a portion of our souls. We will be able to guide him periodically, but it will be up to whoever hatches him, to teach him right from wrong." And with that, Brimstone gave the egg to his wife's trusted pet phoneix, Philomena.

"Go right to the mare that lent you to us, and do no return! Make sure the egg arrives safely, and with our note and the fire ruby entact." Samantha instructed.

Philomena obeyed, and flew off like a rocket. Her destination, the land of Equestria, and her original master, Princess Celestia.

Brimstone and Samantha held each other tightly, as Drax's guards burst into their cave. "By the power invested in us through King Drax I, you are coming with us!" they said, slapping a pair of cuffs onto the two elder dragons, and leading them to the palace to meet their fate.
> What is Justice?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

               (The Present Day)

Spike awoke with the rays of Celestia's sun shining down on his face. As he yawned, and got out of bed, he had no reason to suspect today was going to be any different from the countless other days of his life.

And for a while, that was the case. Spike enjoyed a peaceful pancake breakfast with Twilight, the very mare who had hatched and raised him. All the while, the two discussed local events of interest.

"It sure feels nice to be back in Ponyville, after all that time spent in Canterlot helping to promote Rarity's new business," Twilight sighed happily "Who would've thought that smiling and waving could be so exhausting?"

"I'm just glad that Rarity got the chance to live out her dream, and didn't have to close up shop," Spike commented "Still not too sure if I'd have kept Sassy Saddles around if I were her."

"Spike, Sassy learned her lesson, and apologized for her behavior! Rarity was being the bigger mare, by not making an issue out of it." Twilight scolded.

"I'm sorry. I know Sassy Saddles meant well, but it just burns me up how she got off the hook for almost ruining Rarity's dream," Spike told Twilight, a rare hint of anger reflected in his eyes "I mean, when Suri Polomare took advantage of Rarity's generosity, she was punished. And when I let my greed get the best of me, karma made sure I got what I deserved. So the fact that somepony like Sassy could do so many bad things, and get off with a slap on the wrist, it really makes me angry! I know the world as I know it isn't perfect, but I always thought that ponies were inherently good. And that they stroved to punish those who did bad things. If ponies like Sassy and The Flim Flam Brothers can get away with bad behavior, then why does Equestria even have laws?"

Twilight was quite surprised by Spike's sudden outburst, and for a moment, she just stood there with a shocked look on her face. Her eyes darted every which way, as she racked her brain for an answer that would please Spike. But, just as she was about to give up, and admit that she didn't have a good answer for that question, inspiration struck her. "It's specifically because most ponies are still good, and the rules are there to prevent ponies like Sassy or The Flim Flam Brothers from becoming a majority. They also exisit, so that if ponies do bad things, they can hopefully feel regret for them, and come back to the light. Just like what happeend with Sassy Saddles."

"Guess that makes sense," Spike said with a shrug "And I'm sorry about the outburst. I'm not really sure what came over me back there, but it felt like something inside me just snapped."

"This isn't the first time this has happened to you, Spike," Twilight said with concern "You were constantly one of the biggest arguers against Discord's redemption, until he proved himself. And you got really mad when I told you about Starlight Glimmer, you specifically said I shouldn't have been so merciful towards her. You said I should've captured her and brought her to Celestia to face proper justice."

"Like I said, it just really makes me angry how so many ponies, and even non ponies, can get away with wrong doing. Part of why I like those comic books so much, is because in the end, I know that the good guys always win. And that the bad guys always face consequences for their actions," Spike replied "I'm not sure why it is that I feel so strongly about these sort of things. I just do."

"Well, I think we've discussed the idea of justice, and right and wrong, quite enough," Twilight said with a light chuckle, before changing the subject "Let's just enjoy this delicious pancake breakfast. Then we can go see how Rarity is doing."





Twilight and Spike ate the rest of their breakfast in silence, neither one of them saying or discussing anything more about good and bad.

But just after Spike had helped Twilight to put the dishes away, it happened!

With a familiar belch, Spike shot out a scroll. Twilight picked it up with her magic, unfolded it, and read it out loud:

Dear Spike,

I know this may seem sudden, but I require your presence, and the presence of Twilight, in Canterlot at once!

There is something I wish to share with you. Something that will shed light on your past.

Please make arrangements to visit me as soon as possible! What I have to share with you, is something that may very well change your life forever!

Sincerely, 

Princess Celestia

P.S. I apologize for the vaugness of this letter. But what I intend to share with you, is something that I have not shared with anyone else. I will explain everything when you arrive.

Almost as soon as Twilight had finished reading, a sense of excitement and also nervousness shot through Spike like never before. Princess Celestia wanted to see HIM, and the information she wanted to share sounded extremely important. Perhaps even life changing!

"Could it be releated to my past, and why even Twilight didn't know where I came from?" Spike thought to himself, as he and Twilight began to make preparations to travel to Canterlot.
> A Confession in Canterlot
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

                Twilight and Spike quickly packed up their things, and made their way to Canterlot. As they did so, Spike couldn't help but wonder just what it was that Princess Celestia wanted to share with him.

Almost before Spike realized it, he and Twilight had arrived in Canterlot, and were on their way to the royal palace.

If Twilight was nervous, she tried her best not to show it, as she and Spike made their way past the royal guards, and into the throne room. Upon entering, there stood Princess Celestia, who seemed to project an auroa of seriousness. As was evidenced by the noticeable slant to her eyebrows, and the lack of a smile that was as bright as the sun she raised.

"Ah, you have arrived. Good," Princess Celestia greeted with a somber tone of voice "Once again, I apologize for the vaugeness of my letter, but this information is something that I fear, could be used against us if it were to fall into unfriendly hoofs, claws, or talons."

"You said it had something to do with my past," Spike replied, trying his best not to show how worried he was. "Does it have to do with where I came from? And why not even Twilight knows why she was given my egg as a filly?"

Princess Celestia nodded "I have known for some time now, that you have questions about your past, Spike," she explained "Questions that not even Twilight has been able to answer. And that is because, the information you were looking for, was kept secret."

"But why would it be kept secret?" Twilight asked "And why didn't you tell me about it when I hatched Spike? Surely, if I was going to raise him, and make him my assistant, I would've had a right to know about his past."

"You know, Twilight's right," Spike frowned "Why would the truth about who I am, and where I came from, be kept a secret? It's not like I wasn't already a fish out of water, being a dragon living amongst ponies and all."

"I assure you, that were it not for the circumstances in which your egg was obtained, I would've told Twilight everything about you from the day you were hatched," Princess Celestia said seriously, her eyes reflecting an odd mix of regret and concern. She then sighed "Alas, your birth parents insisted that I swear to secrecy. They said, that if anypony knew who you really were, it would defeat their entire reason for sending you to me in the first place."

Spike was shocked at such a statement, this was the first time he'd ever heard his birth parents be mentioned. But rather than answer the questions he had, this information only left Spike feeling like he knew even less than he did before. "What do you mean? My parents had to be dragons, so why would they want you to not tell anypony about who I really was? It's not like they had some kind of secret to hide."

Much to the surprise of both Spike, and Twilight, Princess Celestia responded with "Yes. They specifically sent you here, so that you would be safe," she then pulled out a fire ruby "But I think it's best if you heard it from them, and not from me."

"But how would that be possible? If they sent me here to keep me safe, how would they be able to contact me?" Spike wondered out loud.

"Follow me, and all will be explained." Princess Celestia replied, and motioned for Spike and Twilight to accompany her out of the throne room.





Princess Celestia led Spike and Twilight through the castle, and down into the crystal caverns below. Twilight recognized them as the save caverns that Queen Chrysalis had banished her to, and where said queen had imprisoned Princess Cadence during the royal wedding. Even if that had been a long time ago, the memories of such events were enough to make Twilight shiver uncomfortably. "Why couldn't Princess Celestia have just told us everything in the throne room? I don't understand why we have to come down to these cold, dark, caverns." she thought to herself, not daring to say it outloud. She almost never questioned Princess Celestia's judgement.

After several minutes of navigating through the caverns, Princess Celestia came to a halt before the very spot where Twilight had been tormented by projections of Queen Chrysalis, disguised as Princess Cadence. Beneath the large, mirror like crystal walls, rested a small stand with a hole that was just big enough for the fire ruby to fit.

Spike and Twilight watched, as Princess Celestia inserted the fire ruby into the hole in the stand. Suddenly, a bright red glow began to spread from the ruby, down through the stand, and into the crystal themselves. Several small mounds of red crystals began to appear, and then, on the walls, an image began to take shape. It was blurry at first, but it gradually became more clear as the seconds passed.

The image turned out to be a light purple skinned male dragon with fire red scales, and a crimson red skinned female dragon with green scales. The male had eyes majestic blue in color, and the female eyes the most vibrant green.

Spike and Twilight gasped, but Princess Celestia did not seem to be shocked at all. In fact, judging by the expression on her face, one would've concluded that the two dragons displayed in the image were old acquaintances of hers.

Princess Celestia nudged Spike forward "The time has come for you to know the truth," she encouraged with a motherly smile "You needn't be afraid, the two dragons you see, are your parents."

"You mean, Mom and Dad?" Spike replied, his mouth hanging open in shock.

Princess Celestia nodded "Their names are Brimstone and Samantha, and this image contains a small portion of their souls. How they were able to do so, I have no idea. But they insisted that they speak to you through this image, when they decided you were old enough. And it would seem, that today is the day."

Spike nervously walked forward, and gazed up at the two dragons. He could see where he'd gotten his looks from, but part of him still felt uneasy. "Hello?" he greeted nervously.

"Ah, my son. So, this is what you look like," Brimstone commented with a smile "You have become a fine young dragon."

"Princess Celestia has told us everything about what has happened to you," Samantha added "We know about Twilight, and we couldn't be more proud of her for raising you so well."

"It was nothing, but I'm glad you approve." Twilight said, trying her best not to look too nervous.

"Why did you wait all this time to see me?! I had so many questions about my past, and you could've answered them!" Spike said angrily, clenching his claws into fists "Instead, you had Princess Celestia swear to secrecy!"

"Son, you must understand," Brimstone spoke up "Your mother and I sent to this world for a very important reason."

"What reason could possibly justify all of this?!" Spike replied furiously.

"The safety of your life," Samantha told Spike "While you were still an egg, a conflict arose in the Dragon Kingdom. A conflict that tore apart the peace and unity we had enjoyed since our founding."

Spike suddenly felt his anger be replaced by a new emotion, worry. "What kind of conflict could possibly do that? I mean, I've seen ponies and other species get into arguements, but things have always worked out for the best in the end."

"A conflict over a code, that seperated us into noble dragons, and self serving dragons," Brimstone explained "A trio of teenage dragons tried to remove our leader, King Drake V from the throne. And as we learned too late, most dragons believed that King Drake V had illegally snatched the throne away from Prince Drax."

"When King Drake IV passed away, the noble dragon code he had founded was in danger of being ripped up," Samantha added "And when Prince Drax proclaimed himself the rightful heir, we feared the code's days were limited."

"Fortunately, in the end, the elders determined that Drax's claims were illegal, and under King Drake V, we thought the reign of noble dragons would continue," Brimstone finished, before his shook his head "If only we'd realized how foolish we were."

"What was so wrong with thinking that the code could stay?" Spike asked "I mean, I once whipped up a noble dragon code of my own, and based it off the one I'd learned about from books."

"King Drake V was unpopular, he lacked the influence and power that made the dragons a feared race. Especially us noble dragons, who created the code as a way to prevent ourselves from giving into our natural greed," Brimstone explained "For it is that greed, which made so many of our own grow so big and so powerful years before they reached their physical maturity."

"By attempting to keep King Drake V in power, we lost sight of what the code truly meant, and tried to force its influence onto the whole kingdom," Samanta chimed in somberly "But we realized this mistake too late to prevent the outcome. We noble dragons were hunted down, and exterminated for treason. Even your father and I could not escape this fate."

"But if you're dead, then how can you talk to me right now? And how could you have talked with Princess Celestia for all these years?" Spike asked, nervously backing away. He didn't like the idea of talking to zombies.

"It is through the magic of this enchanted fire ruby that we obtained from Princess Celestia, as a gift for our hard work in maintaining peace between Equestria's citizens, and the Dragon Kingdom," Brimstone answered "We sealed a portion of our souls into it, thus allowing us to communicate with you, periodically."

"Periodically?" Spike replied, he didn't like the sound of that.

"Yes," Samantha said glumly "It requires a lot of magic to make this fire ruby work, and part of its magic is to be used for a greater purpose. A purpose, that you must determine for yourself."

"But we sent you here with the ruby, to keep you safe from our enemies. And because we could sense, that Equestria would benefit from a savior such as yourself," Brimstone told Spike "Now, take this ruby, and hold it tight. You will soon discover, that its magic can be used for things no one has ever thought possible. But you must use it wisely, or you are likely to become a monster far worse than the one you became on your birthday." And with that, the displayed image faded away, and the fire ruby was ejected from the stand it resided in, landing firmly in Spike's clutches.
> First Flight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

                Within seconds of obtaining the enchanted fire ruby, Spike was overcome with a completely new sensation. A sensation he hadn't experienced ever before. To him at least, it suddenly felt as if he were as light as a feather, and could fly as fast almost any pegasus pony.

Looking down at the ground, Spike could see that his feet weren't touching the cavern floors. He was hovering just a few inches off the ground!

"Am I... flying?" he asked outloud, the reality of the situation taking a moment to set in. But once it did, he couldn't contain his enthusiasm. He began to fly all around the caverns, while shouting "I can fly! I can fly! This is the greatest day of my life!"

Princess Celestia smiled, but Twilight seemed extremely worried. "Spike, slow down before you hurt yourself!" she shouted. She would've taken off into the air to catch him, but she had never tried to fly inside the caverns before, and didn't want to risk crashing into something.

"Slow down?! Never! This is the most amazing thing I've ever felt!" Spike shouted back, flying overhead. The fire ruby remained clutched firmly in his claws, and he refused to let go.

Suddenly, Twilight gasped! Spike was flying straight towards a massive tower of rocks! "Spike, look out! Turn around, quickly!" she shouted, and prepared to flap her wings to catch up to him. But before she could do so, there was a thunderous crash, as Spike plowed head on into the rocks. Twilight was horrified! But much to her surprise, Spike emerged just seconds later, as if he hadn't been hurt at all. 

With his claws spread out, Spike began to smash through more piles of rocks, amazed at how effortlessly he destroyed them. It was as if they were made of gravel. "This fire ruby is amazing! It's given me super powers!" he thought to himself "Where has it been all my life?!"

But the fun came to an end much sooner than Spike would've liked, as the fire ruby was suddenly snatched out of his claws, courtesy of the magic from Twilight. Without the fire ruby in his claws, it took only a few seconds for Spike to hit the ground with a thud. 

"Why did you take away that fire ruby?!" Spike angrily asked, as he stormed over to Twilight "You saw what it could do!"

"Indeed I did, and that's exactly why I'm holding onto it for now!" Twilight replied, firmly holding the fire ruby out of Spike's grasp "I don't know what kind of magic is powering this thing, and it could be too dangerous to use!"

"Too dangerous my foot!" Spike complained "That fire ruby turned me into a superhero, just imagine how much good I could do with it! You agree with me, right, Princess Celestia?!"

Much to Spike's surprise, Princess Celestia responded with a harsh glare, as she said "I'm afraid I must side with Twilight on this matter, Spike. I was only able to study the fire ruby sparingly, other matters took priority," she then added "I doubt the magic powering it is dangerous, but you need to think carefully about how you want to use it. Its powers are not to be taken lightly, so I leave you with this warning. Exercise discretion if you decide to use that gem. The power it contains could be a huge benefit to my kingdom, but if used improperly, somepony could get hurt!"

"All the more reason why I think I'll hold onto it, for now." Twilight said seriously, and continued to hold it aloft with her magic, as she and Spike were guided out of the caverns.



 

After Twilight obtained a case to store the fire ruby, she and Spike quickly left for home. The journey back to Ponyville passed in silence. Spike was still mad with Twilight for taking away the fire ruby, so he said nothing.

Spike continued to say nothing, even after he and Twilight returned to the castle, and Twilight set to work on trying to determine whether or not the magical energies inside the fire ruby made it too dangerous for anyone to use.

Minutes ticked by without progress, and Spike quickly became bored. He occupied himself, by reading some of his Power Ponies comics, and as he did so, Princess Celestia's words of warning danced in his mind.

At first, Spike tried to brush them off, assuming that he was thinking too much. But the words wouldn't go away, and it wasn't long before they were at the center of his mind. "Princess Celestia is right," he realized "With the power of that fire ruby, I could literally move mountains! And that same power could easily crumple buildings as if they were made of paper. There's no telling how many ponies I would hurt if I got careless! But maybe, there's a way for me to use enough of my power to make a difference, without putting others in danger. Assuming, that Twilight doesn't find out something about the fire ruby's magic."





Finally, after about an hour and a half of waiting for news, Spike's patience was rewarded.

Walking into the lab at the end of the hallway, Spike saw Twilight standing next to one of the tables. The fire ruby had been taken out of its case, and currently rested inside of a necklace on the same table Twilight was standing next to. The rays of Celestia's sun reflecting off of the necklace, was enough to give it a slight glisten.

"Well?" Spike asked, barely able to contain his hope and concern.

Twilight cleared her throat, and took a deep breath. Then, she looked at Spike and told him "After careful analysis of the fire ruby, I have determined that its magical properties, though a bit unusual by Equestrian standards, are not harmful even if used on a frequent or daily basis. It should be safe to use, as long as it remains inside that necklace."

"Ah, so that's what it's for," Spike realized "I thought it was just a fashion statement."

"Speaking of fashion, if you're going to go running around with that necklace, I suggest you start thinking about a costume," Twilight suggested seriously "There's no telling who might be willing to get their hooves, claws, or talons on the fire ruby if word gets out. If you could adopt some sort of superhero alter ego, the source of your tremendous powers could be kept a secret."

"I'll think about it." Spike replied with a nod, as he eyed the necklace on the table.





Suddenly, from outside there came a chorus of horrified gasps and screams, as if another ancient evil had come to terrorize Ponyville.

Looking out of one of the lab's windows, Spike and Twilight quickly discovered the source of the frightened cries. High above Ponyville, a massive airship had caught fire! The fire was burning at an alarming rate, and the airship seemed to be struggling to stay afloat, its engines looked ready to give out at any moment!

Some pegasi were already on the scene, doing everything they could to get the fire under control, and save the struggling aircraft. But they were fighting a losing battle, the fire was spreading faster than the rain clouds could extinguish the flames! If someone didn't do something soon, the airship was likely to plummet to the ground in a firey crash! The results of which would spell certain doom for everypony still onboard!

Without a moment's hesitation, Spike grabbed the necklace, and quickly put it on! Already, he could feel the fire ruby's magical powers coursing through his veins, making him more powerful, and allowing him to fly!

"Spike!" Twilight shouted frantically.

"Those ponies are in danger, and I may be their only chance at survival!" Spike insisted "Don't try to talk me out of it, Twilight! I've got to help them!"

"That's not what I'm worried about, I know there's no point in trying to convince you not to try and help!" Twilight explained "But you need a disguise, you need something that will hide your identity!"

"Unless you know a spell that can magically make clothes appear, you're out of luck!" Spike replied. But much to his surprise, Twilight quickly lit up her horn, and with a blinding violet red flash, he found himself wearing the same outfit he had worn when he'd become Humdrum in that enchanted comic. Only this time, the red collar around his neck had been replaced by the fire ruby necklace.

"It's only temporary, but it should last long enough for you to help those ponies!" Twilight told Spike "Now go, before it's too late!"

Without hestiation, Spike flew out of the window, and headed for the distressed airship!





"Keep piling on the rain clouds, we've got to put out that fire!" Rainbow Dash shouted to the other pegasi, as she continued to bounce from cloud to cloud to try and increase the rate of downpour on the airship. The fire was threatening to burn out of control!

"It's impossible, we've used all the rain clouds we have on hoof! We'll have to make more!" Sunny Showers shouted back, and began barking out orders to Clear Skies and Open Skies to lead teams to collect water from the reservior.

"No, this can't be the best we can do! Ponies lives are at stake!" Rainbow Dash said frantically, as she bounced even harder, and more frequently.

"We're doing the best we can, we've already got pegasi rescue teams working to get everypony to safety!" Thunderlane replied "How are things going, Bulk Biceps?!"

"We're going as fast as possible, but this ship's packed to capcity!" Bulk Biceps shouted, as he, Derpy Hooves, and Flitter were carrying some of the non pegasi passengers off the airship (the pegasi passengers had managed to fly off the moment the ship caught fire, but most had stayed to help with the resuce efforts) "We've still got a lot of ponies left on deck! I don't think we're going to get them all off in time!"

But just when all hope seemed lost, out of the blue Cloudchaser shouted "Look, over there!" And in the distance appeared a rapidly approaching figure that nopony had ever seen before.

"It's a bird! A really big bird!" 8-Bit shouted.

"It's a plane! Canterlot has sent another airship to help us!" Raindrops insisted. But both she and 8-Bit were wrong, the approaching figure was neither of those things.

In a blurr of speed, the figure wooshed past the pegasi, flying straight towards the flames. Everypony was shocked.

"Whoever that mysterious figure is, they must be crazy! There's no way they'll survive in there!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.



 

Spike worked his way through the burning airship, grabbing several fire extinguishers along the way, and spraying them at the flames as he flew past. The foam, in combination with the rain water, quickly dousing the flames.

From outside the airship, the pegasi continued to pour on as much rain water as they could. But they were surprised to see the flames begin to suddenly retreat, as if something had cut off their supply. 

At last, the fire was out! Spike breathed a sigh of relief. "That was close," he thought to himself "Just a few more seconds, and the whole ship would've been ablaze!'

But the sigh of relief turned out to be premature, as the airship's engines began to groan. Apparently, the fire had damaged them too badly, and they could hold out no longer.

Almost before Spike realized it, the airship began to drop out of the sky, with ponies still onboard!

Knowing that he had to act fast to prevent what could be a very nasty accident, Spike flew back and got in front of the airship as it began to descend at a frightening speed!

Grabbing the ship's hull with his claws, Spike began to push hard. "I don't know if I can completely stop it from crashing, but I think I can at least slow it down!" he thought to himself, as he put every ounce of strength he could into halting the airship's descent.

Ponies on the ground, who had been watching the horrific events unfold, quickly realized what was going on. And when they did, they screamed, and ran for cover, as the shadow of the air ship began to grow larger and larger over the center of town.

Even as the ship continued to descend, Spike refused to loosen his grip. In fact, he only pushed harder and harder as precious seconds ticked by! Time seemed to slow to a crawl, as some pegasi tried bravely to rescue a few more passengers, but most realized that there was nothing more they could do. It was all up to the mysterious figure that was holding onto the airship. Whoever he or she was, they were the only one left who could control the outcome of the inevitable crash.





At last, despite Spike's best efforts, the bottom of the airship began to make contact with the ground. With a sickening thud and an awful scrapping sound, the airship began to grind a path into the dirt, as it moved through the center of town. Frantic ponies ran every which way to get out of its path, until the airship finally came to a halt just inches before it would've struck the fountain.

When the dust settled, the ponies still onboard opened their eyes, and realized that they were alive and well. They had been saved by an unknown hero!

Much to the passengers surprise, their unknown savior did not stay unknown for long. For he suddenly appeared before them, standing on the deck of the grounded ship with a smile wider than any smile they had ever seen before. He then spoke to them and said "Well, I do hope that this frightening expereince hasn't made any of you want to suddenly swear off flying by airship. Satistically speaking, it's still the safest way to travel, and it's more efficent than taking the train." And with that, he took off once again.

"Who was that mysterious hero who saved us?" one passenger wondered outloud, as they carefully disembarked from the wrecked aircraft "He looked strangely familiar, but I can't put my hoof on it."

"Whoever it was, they were unbelieveable!" another passenger exclaimed "I've never known any creature that could fly faster than a speeding pegasi, or was more powerful than a raging hurricane!"

"Don't forget being able to leap tall buildings in a single bond, because I'm pretty he could do that too, if he wanted to." a third passenger chimed in.

It wouldn't be long, before all of Equestria would be left wondering just who this mysterious new hero was, and where he would show up next.
> Super Dragon's First Appearance!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

                It didn't take long for word of the miracle above Ponyville to spread like wildfire. The surviors, though they had no definitive answer as to who had saved them, wouldn't stop talking about it.

Within days of the rescue, papers all across Equestria were printing off wild stories and mass speculations about Equestria's mysterious new protector.

But no one knew who (or what) was responsible for the heroic deed, so it was of little surprise when papers began to put out advertisements promising to pay huge sums of money to anyone who could get a good picture of the unknown superhero.





"I can't keep doing this, Spike," Twilight panted, as she lit up her horn to once again make the costume disappear "I only have so much magic."

"But I need to have some sort of costume to hide my identity," Spike insisted "You said it yourself, that fire ruby could be dangerous in the wrong hooves, claws, or talons."

"There's got to be a more efficent solution to that problem," Twilight pondered, as she wearily sat down to regain her strength "If this keeps up, I'm not going to be able to maintain the costume at all, and then we'll really be in trouble," she then let out a sigh "If only there was a way to order a new costume, without drawing attention to yourself."

Spike pondered that dilemma for a little bit, and put a claw to his chin. He'd gone to great lengths to keep his identity a secret from everyone, not even Pinkie Pie or Applejack suspected the mysterious superhero was him, and they were usually good at detecting hidden secrets. 

At last, a light bulb went off inside Spike's mind, as an idea came to him "Of course, that's it!" he thought to himself "Why didn't I think of it before?"

"I'm sure Rarity could easily design a new costume for me," Spike told Twilight "And as luck would have it, I already have a terrific idea in mind for one."

"But what about your secret, Spike?" Twilight asked "If you place an order, Rarity is sure to put two and two together, and find out who you are."

"Not if I place the order anonymously," Spike replied, and explained "I'll use an alias to mail the design to Rarity, and put down instructions on where she can send it once it's complete. Then, you can just head to the desginated location and pick it up. Nopony except you will know it was me who placed the order."

"Are you sure that will work, Spike?" Twilight asked nervously, she did not like the idea of lying to one of her friends "Couldn't you just meet Rarity in secret and ask her not to tell anyone who you are? I'm sure she wouldn't blab."

"Maybe, but I'd rather not take the chance," Spike said seriously "The fewer ponies that have to know about my secret, the better. I still don't know who or what my parents were trying to hide me from, but the more ponies who know about my secret identity, the greater the chance becomes of that information reaching someone who will hurt them just to get to me. And if that happens, I'd never forgive myself."

"But Spike-" Twilight pleaded.

"No buts, my decision has been made!" Spike insisted "Maybe, once I have a better understanding of why my parents sent me here, and I know who to watch out for, I'll tell Rarity. But for right now, it's best if she doesn't know. The attention she'd recieve if word got out would put the whole town, and possibly even all of Equestria at risk."

Twilight just sighed, try as she might, she couldn't convince Spike to change his mind. And so, reluctantly, she agreed to help out with his new costume order.





About a week passed before Spike obtained his new costume. And when he did, he could hardly contain his excitement. His new costume was radically different from the one he'd been wearing thanks to Twilight's spell. 

Spike still had a red cape, but this one was not quite as long. This would ensure that he wouldn't accidentally trip over it at any point. As for the rest of his costume, he now wore a skin tight suit that was dark blue in color, the fire ruby necklace hung in pretty much the same place it had resided in his previous costume. Just below the necklace, was a diamond shape logo that had a yellow background, and printed in dark red inside of said background was an upper case "D". The only other thing he had kept from his old costume, was the mask for his face.

"I've got to give props to Rarity," Spike said, as he admired himself in the mirror "This costume turned out even better than I could've ever imagined. And it's given me the perfect idea for a superhero name."

"Really? And what would that be?" Twilight asked, out of curiousity and concern.

"Super Dragon of course!" Spike declared boldly "And now, I think it's time all of Equestria got to meet him."

"What?! I thought you said you didn't want ponies to find out about your secret?!" Twilight gasped in confusion "And now you're telling me, that you want to go and announce to all of Equestria who you are?!"

"No, not like that," Spike explained, calming Twilight down "I'm not going to just reveal my secret to the whole town. I'm simply going to visit one of the papers, and see if they can spare a reporter for a one on one interview."





Sweetie Belle sighed, as she sat on one of the benches outside of Ponyville Elementary. A stack of balled up pieces of note paper rested off to her left side, and a pencil off to her right.

"I never would've thought Featherweight could as demanding as Diamond Tiara," Sweetie Belle complained with a sigh "It's not my fault there's nothing to report on! All anypony talks about is that mysterious superhero who rescued that airship about two and a half weeks ago, and who he, she, or it might be. Other than that, nothing really exciting has been happening around here, and it's not as if a story is just going to drop out of the sky!"

But Sweetie Belle had no sooner said those words, when a story did come dropping out of the sky. Descending right in front of Sweetie Belle, was a somewhat tall figure dressed in what appeared to be a red cape, and a dark blue suit. As the figure got closer, Sweetie Belle could spot a necklace hanging around said figure's neck, as well as a yellow diamond logo with a red capital "D" printed into the center.

"Hello," the figure greeted, his voice sounding oddly familiar to Sweetie Belle "I understand you're looking for a news story."

Sweetie Belle took one look at the figure, and quickly realized who it was. "What's Spike doing dressed up like that?" she thought to herself "Could he really be the same superhero that everypony in town has been talking about?"

Deciding to humor Spike, Sweetie Belle did not address him by name. She simply said "Yes. And you are?"

The figure that Sweetie Belle assumed was Spike cleared his throat and said "You can call me Super Dragon, or The Dragon of Steel if you think that sounds better."

"I like Super Dragon better," Sweetie Belle replied, and retrieved her notepad and pencil "So, would you be interested in sticking around, while I ask you a couple of questions?"

Super Dragon nodded, and responded with "Of course, go right ahead. May I ask what the name of the paper you're writing for is?"

"It's called The Foal Free Press," Sweetie Belle explained "We used to be run by a filly called Diamond Tiara, but after a particularly nasty gossip incident involving a colum with 'Gabby Gums', she was replaced by Featherweight. He's been running the paper ever since."

"I see," Super Dragon said, apparently sounding surprised (though Sweetie Belle suspected it was just an act) "The Foal Free Press sounds like a wonderful paper. So, go ahead and ask me any questions you want. But I'll warn you in advance, there may be some questions I don't feel like answering."

"Why not?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Because there might be those out there, who wish to do me harm," Super Dragon explained "And I don't want to give them any sort of advantages, by exposing any sort of weaknesses, or things or ponies that I care about."

"Fair enough, you make a good point," Sweetie Belle smiled, turning her attention to the necklace that hung around Super Dragon's neck "Say, why do you wear that thing? Can I look at it?" she asked, reaching a hoof out to try and touch it.

Much to Sweetie Belle's surprise, Super Dragon gently reached a claw out and stopped her. He quickly apologized, and explained "That necklace is very important to me, and I'd rather you not touch it."

"And why is that?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"If I tell you, you have to promise you not to say a word to anyone else, and that you won't publish it in the paper!" Super Dragon insisted "Because what I'm about to tell you, is something that could very easily be exploited by my enemies, if they found out about it!"

"Don't worry, I'm good at keeping secrets," Sweetie Belle insisted, smiling innocently "So, tell me. Why is that necklace so important to you?"

Super Dragon carefully looked all around to make sure that no one could overhear his conversation with Sweetie Belle. When he was convinced that the cost was clear, he carefully leaned towards Sweetie Belle, and whispered into her ear "That necklace is the source of my powers. Without it, I couldn't do the things I did when I was rescuing that distressed airship."

"Oh, I see," Sweetie Belle replied, a bit louder than Super Dragon would've liked "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Now, about that interview."
> Matters of Intellect
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

                As word spread that The Foal Free Press had managed to sang an interview with Equestria's newest savior (who called himself Super Dragon) ponies raced to scoop up a copy. The edition containing the interview sold like hot cakes, and it wasn't long before every major newstands in Ponyville was selling it.

Some began to speculate, that word of the interview would spread to all of Equestria, and demands would be made for copies of the interview transcripts to be published in major newspapers, such as Manehattan Times and The Los Pegasus Journal.

But for one pony, other matters took priority. Urgent business matters concerning recent finanical transcations.





Filthy Rich was attending an annual meeting of stock brokers and investors of his company, Barnyard Bargains. Usually, meetings such as these ran smoothly. But today was different, the stock brokers and investors were angry with Filthy Rich. And they let him know in no unclear terms.

"So, you took some of the money we've invested in your company, and used it to pay for new playground equipment at Ponyville Elementary?" The chief stock broker, Jet Set asked.

"Please, you must understand! My wife convinced the school board to not foot the bill for the equipment!" Filthy Rich pleaded "When I found out what was happenin', I knew I had to do somethin'!"

"You didn't have to use the money we lent you to as investments," Upper Crust said in a snooty voice, she was one of the highest contributing investors "If your wife and the school board didn't want to pay for the equipment, you should've demanded they reconsider, and started exploring other options. Maybe they saw the writing on the wall, and knew that the equipment was too expensive."

"If I had done nothin', my little Diamond Tiara would've hated me for the rest of my life!" Filthy Rich insisted "I couldn't just let my wife and the school board crush the dreams of all the colts and fillies. Please, I can pay you all back, I promise!"

"You're on borrowed time, Filthy Rich! You can't just make idle promises and expect us to believe them," Jet Set threatened ominously "If this keeps up, you'll leave us no choice but to withdraw our finanical support. You'll be on your own. And don't expect anymore support from Mayor Mare, you know how she feels about sending out loans to companies unlikely to pay them off."

"I'm enterin' into an exclusive contract with some new clients, they've promsied me huge amounts of money if I give them what they want," Filthy Rich told the stock brokers and investors "Just give me a little more time, I'll get all the money back and then some!"

"Very well, you have two weeks to come up with the money, or you can consider yourself without our support!" Upper Crust warned, and the meeting was adjourned without further ado.





Filthy Rich angrily returned to his home and retreated to his office. He slammed his hooves down on his desk and angrily shouted to himself "I turned this company into an empire with my bare hooves, how dare they threaten to back out on me! It's my wife and the school board they should be angry with, not me! Well, they'll all see it my way soon enough!"

Realizing how much he was getting worked up, Filthy Rich took some deep breaths, and sank into his chair. "Take it easy, Filthy Rich," he thought to himself "Remember what the doctor said about your blood pressure."

Then, Filthy Rich spotted something out of the corner of his eye. Rising from his desk, he trotted over to where he had spotted the object, and picked it up. It was a copy of The Foal Free Press, and on the front page was a picture of a tall figure (who seemed rather dragon like in appearance) dressed in a dark blue suit, with a red cape. In the chest area of the suit was a yellow diamond logo with the capital letter "R" printed in the center in red. Around the figure's neck, hung a necklace that seemed to house some sort of gemstone. The headline read "Exclusive Interview with Super Dragon: Equestria's Newest and Greatest Superhero!"

Filthy Rich took one look at the picture, and immediately felt his anger rising once again. In fact, he got so mad, that he could feel his face turning red.  "Diamond Dazzle Tiara! Get in here, now!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

Reluctantly, Diamond Tiara entered her father's office, despite looking like her body was ready to leap out of her coat in fright. "Y-yes Daddy?" she stuttered. In her mind, she was wondering just what she had done to make her father so unhappy. It was bad enough her mom was always yelling at her, she really didn't want to get on her father's bad side as well.

"What is this?!" Filthy Rich demanded, slamming the newspaper on the floor.

Diamond Tiara picked it up, silently read the headline, and reluctantly said "It's a copy of the latest edition of The Foal Free Press. It's become a big seller, everypony who's anypony is reading it. I brought this copy home so that you and Mother wouldn't be out of the loop."

Regaining his composure a little, Filthy Rich smiled and said to Diamond Tiara "Oh, is that all? Well in that case, you may go. Sorry if I yelled at you."

"That's alright, Daddy. But please don't do that again." Diamond Tiara pleaded, and left the study as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Oh, and would you mind tellin' Randolph to meet me here?" Filthy Rich asked "There's a little somethin' I need to discuss with him."

"Okay Daddy, will do." Diamond Tiara nodded.





Randolph was usually quite stoic. After all, it was a butler's job to do whatever his master and/or mistress requested of him. And that creed had served him faithfully in the Tiara family household for many years.

But considering what Diamond Tiara had just told him about Filthy Rich's behavior, he couldn't help but worry about why he'd been called into his master's office on such short notice.

Clearing his throat, Randolph tried his best to put on a smile as he asked Filthy Rich "You wished to speak with me, sir?"

"Indeed I did, Randolph. Please, have a seat if you don't mind," Filthy Rich instructed cheerfully. Randolph did so, and that was when Filthy Rich's behavior changed "Do you mind tellin' me what's all this I'm hearin' about a hero called Super Dragon?"

"Oh, so you've heard the news?" Randolph asked "I must say, I'm quite surprised that there's someone out there, besides Princess Twilight and her friends, who's interested in protecting Equestria."

"Well, it's an abomination if you ask me!" Filthy Rich complained "Already, ponies are fawnin' over him like he's the greatest thing since sliced bread! And do you wanna know why that's so wrong?"

Randolph reluctantly nodded his head, he was too afraid to speak.

"It's because they're gonna start dependin' on him to come and save them whenever they get into trouble," Filthy Rich explained "You all saw how helpless everypony was in that shared dream, until Princess Twilight told them they could do anythin' in a dream."

"Forgive me if I sound rude," Randolph interrupted "But where exactly are you going with this, Master Rich?"

"Super Dragon weilds nothin' but raw muscle and power," Filthy Rich explained "And that's what ponies are goin' to think they'll need to solve their problems. Unfortunately, that logic is doomed to failure. Brain triumphs over brawn, and the average citizen doesn't need superheroes like this runnin' around and confusin' the issue. With brain, anythin' becomes possible. Brawn may get you somewhere at first, but eventually it just leaves you stuck in a rut with no way out."

"What are you proposing to do about this 'problem'?" Randolph reluctantly asked Filthy Rich.

"I'm very glad you asked me, Randolph," Filthy Rich smiled, as he went over to one of the bookshelves in his office "I intend to arrange a meetin' with this so called Super Dragon, and expose him for the public meance that he really is. All I have to do, is discover a weakness, and then I can use that weakness to my advantage."

"But Super Dragon doesn't have any weaknesses, he's invincible!" Randolph protested.

Filthy Rich simply shook his head "Nonsense, everyone's gotta have a weakness. Some have more noticeable weaknesses than others, but no one is ever invincible. I know this all too well."

"And how do you intend to discover Super Dragon's weakness, assuming he has one?" Randolph asked.

"Oh, that's easy. My brain will find a way," Filthy Rich smirked "It's like I always say, some ponies could read all of Starswirl The Bearded's master spells, and think they're just great pieces of literature. Whereas others could read the ingredients for chewin' gum, and unlock the answers to life's great mysteries. It all comes down to intellect. And coincidentally, my super sharp brain has already come up with the perfect solution to my problem."

"Dare I ask what you are planning to do, master?" Randolph asked nervously.

"It says here, that the pony responsible for this interview, was none other than Sweetie Belle," Filthy Rich told Randolph, holding up the paper "And I know for a fact, that Sweetie Belle frequently visits her sister at Carousel Boutique. I already know who that so called 'Super Dragon' is, and I know for a fact, that he has a huge crush on Rarity."

"Are you proposing we abduct Miss. Rarity and hold her hostage?" Randolph exclaimed, horrified at such a possibility.

"Only if she refuses to co-operate, and tell us everythin' she knows about 'Super Dragon' and his secret identity." Filthy Rich explained.
> Unexpected Company
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

                Spike had no idea what Filthy Rich was planning to do, and even if he did, he wouldn't have cared. Right now, he was enjoying his new super powers so much, that he felt like nothing could stop him.

After all this time, he'd finally gained recognition and attention for doing good things, instead of always being remembered for his mistakes.

Some of his closest friends still knew about his secret identity, but it didn't take much to convince them to keep quiet. Spike still had no clue who or what his parents had tried to hide him from, and he had no intention of making his identity known to all of Equestria just yet.





"My goodness, Spike, this is becoming a very bad habit," Rarity frowned, as she observed the damaged state of Spike's suit and cape, levitating them off him with her magic "You simply must try to take better care of yourself, or one of these days you could end up in real trouble."

"Sorry about that, Rarity," Spike apologized "But you try saving ponies from burning buildings, or rescuing ponies trapped by rising flood waters, and keep the suit from getting torn or burnt."

Rarity brought the cape and suit over to her sewing machine, and after adjusting her red sewing glasses, she set to work on trying to make them as good as new again. "Spike, darling, don't take this the wrong way, but maybe you should stop constantly putting yourself into danger. Those powers are impressive, but that doesn't mean you can throw caution to the wind."

"Rarity, this is the best thing that's ever happened in my life," Spike said eagerly "I'm a major force for good, and ponies are cheering for me! I don't see any reason to give up the superhero gig."

"I'm just trying to remind you of this simple fact, Spike," Rarity replied "Even with your new powers, you are not infailable. You can still make mistakes. No one, be they pony or dragon, is ever perfect."

"I know that, but I'm as close to perfection as anyone could ever get!" Spike boasted.

"Just promise me, you'll try to be careful," Rarity insisted, as she turned her attention back to her sewing "Your powers are impressive, but you have to be able to use them wisely. If you don't, it could end very badly."

"I'll keep that in mind while I'm out saving Equestria." Spike said half heartedly. He knew Rarity had a point, but he really didn't want to have to admit it to himself.



 

After what felt like forever, Spike recieved his mended suit and cape, and quickly put them back on. It didn't take long for him to hear a cry for help, coming all the way from Los Pegasus.

"Take care, Spike. And remember what I said." Rarity reminded, as she saw Spike put his mask back on.

"I'll try my best, but no promises! My help is always needed!" Spike replied, and with a cry of "Up, up, and away!" he took off.

Rarity was left alone in Carousel Boutique, but she didn't mind. "At least now I can turn my attention to the orders Sassy sent me," she thought to herself "At the rate this is going, I may have to start looking into a third boutique just to keep up with the workload. Maybe Coco Pommel would be interested in going into business with me." And she retreated to her workshop without hesitiation.

However, just after she managed to put the finishing touches on the first of many dresses, the doorbell rang. With a small sigh, Rarity put down her sewing needle, and took off her sewing glasses, taking great care to put them down gently on the table and away from the sewing machine.

"I wasn't expecting company," Rarity thought, as she went to answer the door "Who could it be on such short notice?"

Her question was answered as soon as she opened the door. Standing before her was none other than Filthy Rich, and his butler, Randolph.

"Oh, Mr. Rich, what an.... unexpected surprise," Rarity greeted, trying her best to maintain her composure "What brings you and Randolph to my humble abode?"

Filthy Rich quickly replied by saying "Nothing major, Miss. Rarity. Let's just say, I've got a problem, and I think you're the only one who has what I need to solve it."

"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this, master?" Randolph asked nervously. This was enough to have Rarity suspect something was up, Randolph usually did as he was told and never questioned orders. To see him doing so was most unusual, and rather unsettling.

"Of course I'm sure, Randolph. And from now on, when I want your opinion, I'll gladly ask for it," Filthy Rich replied in a half kind, half nasty tone of voice. He then turned to Rarity and said "Please excuse my 'outburst', I've been runnin' into some 'finanical difficulties' and it's been affectin' my temper. Randolph has been tryin' to encourage me to keep it under control."

"Perfectly understandable, Mr. Rich," Rarity nodded "Please, step right this way, and I'll see what I can do for you." And with that polite gesture, she ushered Filthy Rich and Randolph inside.





Once inside, Rarity immediately turned to Filthy Rich and asked "What exactly do you need my help with? I don't see any sort of dress or suit, so I don't supsect it's some kind of fashion emergency. Or am I mistaken?"

"You know me all too well, Miss. Rarity," Filthy Rich chuckled, before he cleared his throat "What I need your help with isn't a fashion or even finanical emergency. It has something to do with this new superhero that everypony keeps talkin' about, I'm sure you know I'm talkin' about."

"Super Dragon?" Rarity asked "How is he a problem?"

"It's not anythin' you need to know about," Filthy Rich insisted "But he and I need to have a little talk, face to face, about the way he's goin' around and savin' lives."

"And what's so wrong about that?!" Rarity asked furiously. She rarely let herself get so worked up in front of others, but this was one situation that she considered an exception "As far as I'm concerned, he's doing Equestria a public service by saving others, regardless of who or what they may be! Are you really so greedy that you want him to work for you?!"

"Money's not the problem," Filthy Rich explained seriously "As far as I'm concerned, I don't need him workin' for me, I want him gone! Equestria doesn't need superheroes like him!"

"So you say! But it sounds to me like you are just jealous of the fact, that he doesn't care about money when it comes to saving lives. Which is more than I can say for you!" Rarity said angrily "So why don't you and your butler kindly get out of my boutique?! I will not help you in whatever sort of evil scheme you wish to enact against Super Dragon!"

"Rarity, you can drop the act, I know who he really is," Filthy Rich smirked "That mask doesn't fool me! It's really Spike who's the big hero, and Super Dragon is just an alias he adopted to keep himself out of the public eye! Unfortunately for him, my sharp brain saw through his disguise in an instant!"

Assuming that Filthy Rich was bluffing, and deciding not to call him on it, Rarity simply replied with "I won't ask again, Mr. Rich! Either you and Randolph leave now, or I will have no choice but to make you leave by force!" To demonstrate her point, Rarity performed a series of rapid punches and kicks that gracefully swiped the air.

But Filthy Rich was far from intimidated, he merely chuckled. "So, you know martial arts? Well, that doesn't surprise me. Fortunately, I've prepared for exactly this sort of situation. Randolph!"

"Yes master?" Randolph asked, even though he knew what was going to be asked of him.

"Why don't you spar with Miss. Rarity, and show her what real martial arts looks like?" Filthy Rich instructed "Or would you rather be fired on the spot?!"

"N-no, sir, I'll get right on it!" Randolph said nervously, and leaped forward to challenge Miss. Rarity "Sorry, madam, but I've got orders. Let's do this!" he shouted.

"Don't go easy on me, just because I'm a lady!" Rarity threatened, and the two proceeded to spar. Reluctantly, Rarity had to divert her attention completely to Randolph, and thus could not focus on what Filthy Rich would do.





Filthy Rich smirked with triumph, as he searched through Canterlot Boutique. "Everything is going just as I predicted. Soon, I'll show all of Equestria, that brain inevitably triumphs over brawn!" he thought to himself.

He searched high and low, hoping that the answers he was seeking were around. At first, he found nothing, and his anger grew stronger and stronger as the seconds ticked by without results.

But at last, just as he was about to give up, he noticed something sticking out of the top of a trash can. Filthy Rich raced over to it, and yanked out a crumbled up piece of paper "What do we have here?" he thought to himself, and began to eagerly read what was written.

Meanwhile, Rarity and Randolph continued to spar. And Rarity proved to be more than a match for Randolph, easily thwarting his attacks with little effort.

"Please tell me this isn't your best, I would've expected you to be a better opponent than this," Rarity said to Randolph, as a well timed sweeping kick brought him to the ground "It would seem I went and wasted a perfectly good hooficure for nothing. But hopefully, this will teach you and that disgrace of a stallion a thing or two about hurting my dear Spikey-Wikey!"

"Well, if I didn't already know the truth about Super Dragon's identity, that would've been all the confirmation I needed," a familiar gloating voice said with a sneer "Fortunately, it would seem, that Randolph served his purpose wonderfully. I have all the information I need to bring Spike down!"

"Whatever do you mean?" Rarity asked "I haven't said anything about any of his weaknesses."

"You didn't have to," Filthy Rich explained, emerging from upstairs "This piece of paper here saved me the trouble of havin' to force it out of ya. It says here, that accordin' to an interview your little sister had with Spike, he has one weakness. He's weak to green gems, or at least, the ones that glow. With just a hoofful of them at my disposal, I can make him bow to my every will! And as luck would have it, it seems that you dug up a few just recently." And he showed off the collection of the appropritely colored gems, which he had managed to get his hooves on.

"Put them away, those gems are not for sale!" Rarity protested.

"Sorry, but I need these as an insurance policy, in case my current plan doesn't work out," Filthy Rich said with a smirk "And it all revolves around you!"

"What do you mean?" Rarity asked, suddenly wishing she were anywhere but her own boutique.

"Randolph, grab her!" Filthy Rich instructed, as he stuffed the gems into his collar, just beneath his tie.

Randolph suddenly sprang up, and grabbed Rarity before she had a chance to realize what was going on. "Stop struggling, madam! Come along quiety, and you'll make this easier on both of us!" Randolph pleaded, as Rarity zapped him with her magic to try and force him to let her go. But Randolph refused to loosen his grip, regardless of the pain he had to endure in the process "Hurry up, master! I can't take much more of this!" he shouted.

"Just keep that grip on tight, Randolph!" Filthy Rich instructed "I'm just leaving behind a note for our fine dragon friend here.

"Super Dragon, wherever you are, help me!" Rarity shouted at the top of her lungs, as she continued to struggle in vain. Despite how hard she kicked and zapped Randolph, the stallion refused to let go.





Spike had just finished saving a group of tourists in Los Pegasus from an out of control carriage, when a familiar cry for help reached his ears. He realized at once who the cry belonged to. "Rarity!" he exclaimed, and took off for Carousel Boutique as fast as he could.

"Hang on, Rarity! Help is on the way!" Spike thought to himself, as he flew faster than he had ever flown before. Unfortunately, when he reached  Carousel Boutique, he discovered (to his horror) that he was too late. Rarity was gone!
> Face to Face: Part 1 (Mind over Muscle)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

                Spike was furious with himself, and was barely able to keep himself from smashing up everything in his anger. "I could've saved her! I should've been able to save her!" he thought to himself, as he searched for clues that would tell him who was responsible for taking Rarity away. Whoever it was, he was going to have a few choice words for him.

Spike searched for a couple of minutes, but he failed to find anything. However, just as he was about to give up and admit defeat, he spotted a note laying on the ground near the scene of a struggle. Ever the curious one, Spike bent down to pick it up, and read the note out loud to himself:

Dear Super Dragon,

I know who you are, and I have the pony you care about more than anything in my possesssion.

If you wish to see her again, come to the back of Barnyard Bargains. And come alone.

I'll be waiting for you, and I hope you will not leave me waiting.

Sincerely,

Filthy Rich, CEO of Barnyard Bargains

Spike crumpled up the letter with his claws, barely able to contain his anger. "Filthy Rich is going to pay big time for this!" he thought to himself "He's messing with the wrong dragon!" And he set off for Barnyard Bargains at once.





Rarity was anything but cooperative with Filthy Rich and Randolph, even as they dragged her kicking and screaming into Filthy Rich's office. Once inside, Randolph left Rarity and Filthy Rich alone.

"Why are you doing this? Spike's never done anything to you!" Rarity snapped.

"It's not what he's done to me, it's who he is," Filthy Rich replied, as he tied Rarity to a chair "Equestria doesn't need superheroes like him. The longer he hangs around, the more ponies are goin' to look to him to solve their problems. They'll become lazy, and incompetent, never willin' to use their brain to figure things out for themselves. And because of that, Super Dragon has got to go!"

"And you think that ponynapping me just to get to him is going to work?" Rarity asked "If that's your whole plan, you're in for a very rude awakening. Super Dragon will come, he'll stop you! And you won't have anything to smile about!"

"That little pipsqueak of a dragon doesn't scare me. Not when I have the love of his life, and his greatest weakness by my side," Filthy Rich smirked "Besides, I've got a huge surprise for him."

"What are you talking about?" Rarity asked furiously, as she tried (to no avail) to break free of the rope holding her to the chair.

"Did you really think I would be dumb enough as to issue a challenge to Super Dragon without some way of being able to overpower him?" Filthy Rich asked, and he pointed a hoof to an egg shaped suit of armor resting in a corner of the office "This is just a little somethin' I obtained solely to deal with that super powered pest!" Filthy Rich explained, as he walked over to the suit and climbed into it. He then opened up the chest compartment, and placed the green gems inside, before the compartment was sealed shut "When he comes lookin' for me, this suit will protect me. And once the green glowing gems have brought him to his knees, I will defeat him once and for all! Now come on, let me hear you say it. You know you wanna."

"You're a mad stallion, and a horrible ruffian," Rarity said with a smirk "If you think you can beat Super Dragon with that suit, you must be crazy."

"No!" Filthy Rich complained, shaking his head, and pounding his desk with one of the suit's arms "Not that, the other thing."

Rarity quickly realized what Filthy Rich was talking about "Super Dragon will-" she began.

"WRONG!" Filthy Rich interrupted "Just sit back and relax, because you have a front seat to Super Dragon's destruction. And once I'm done beatin' the livin' tar out of him, you're goin' to write an article for The Pony Express, tellin' everyone how I did it!"





Spike wasted no time in making his way to Barnyard Bargains, he was determined to make Filthy Rich pay for hurting Rarity. "Just hold on, Rarity," he thought to himself, as he neared the back of the building "It won't be long before I come bargining in, teach Filthy Rich a lesson he'll never forget, and rescue you!"

Without a moment's hestiation, Spike lightly tapped his claw against the wall, expecting a reply or some sort of secret door or wall. But nothing happened.

Spike waited patiently for a few minutes, but still nothing happened. At last, he lost patience, as he realized what was going on. "Filthy Rich is playing me for a sap! Well, I'm not going to let him get away with it!" And Spike proceeded to clench his claw into a fist, and punch the wall with it. It hurt slightly, but with his enhanced strength, he was able to break on through to the other side.

Sure enough, Rarity and Filthy Rich were there, waiting for him.

"Spike!" Rarity shouted.

"Don't worry, Rarity! I'll get you out of this mess, just as soon as I teach Mr. Snails for Brains here a thing or two about hurting an innocent lady," Spike said heroically, and turned his attention to Filthy Rich "Didn't your mother ever tell you it's not nice to pick on girls?" he teased.

"Joke all you like, Super Dragon, you're no match for the power of my incredible I.Q.!" Filthy Rich boasted, but he didn't move.

"That's a nice suit you got there," Spike commented, noticing the blackish green tint and the egg like shape "It's just too bad it won't protect you from my wrath! Say your prayers!"

"Spike, watch out!" Rarity shouted, as Spike rushed forward and prepared to hit Filthy Rich's suit with one of his fists. Unfortunately, her warning came too late. 

"You fool!" Filthy Rich replied, and quickly pressed a button on his suit. The chest compartment opened up, and a series of glowing green gems greeted Spike's eyes.

Spike suddenly felt his strength failing, and his punch failed to even dent the suit. "How did you-" he said weakly.

"You didn't really think telling Sweetie Belle to throw out that note about your weakness would protect you, did you?" Filthy Rich asked "Maybe now you'll think twice before you raise at your voice at me."

"Why are you doing this? I'm trying to help Equestria!" Spike exclaimed weakly, as he tried (and failed) to snatch the gems away "We don't have to be enemies!"

"It's nothin' personal, I just can't let someone like you hang around," Filthy Rich explained "As a kid, I used to admire superheroes, and I wanted nothin' more than to be like them. But you wanna know what happened, I grew up and realized that superheroes are nonsense. If they existed, we'd never learn anythin'! Our lives would have no meanin'! And all because we'd come to depend on raw muscle, instead of our sharp minds, to solve our problems! You are exactly the kind of superhero that thousands will flock to, thinkin' that you can protect them all. But what will you do when you can't do that? What will you do when you have to choose who to save, and who to let suffer? You'll crack under the pressure, and Equestrians will realize they're better off without superheroes like you!"

"Is that all?" Spike asked, and shook his head "You're pathetic!"

"So you say, but I'm the one who's holdin' all the keys now!" Filthy Rich said furiously, and proceeded to bring both his arms down onto Spike. Spike groaned, as he felt the heavy metal arms pound his scales.

"Spike, no!" Rarity shouted, as Filthy Rich laughed and proceeded to punch and kick Spike over and over again. "I've got to help him!" Rarity thought to herself. Then, she eyed the chest compartment of Filthy Rich's suit, and an idea came to her mind. "Please, Spikey-Wikey, hold on! I'll save you, I hope." And she began to light up her horn.





"Any final words?!" Filthy Rich asked, as a badly battered and bruised Spike lay on the ground, breathing heavily.

"You won't get away with this!" Spike said defiantly.

Filthy Rich just laughed "What a waste of breath. Oh well, maybe this will help you learn your place!"

But just as Filthy Rich was about to bring down his left front hoof, and deliver the final blow, he felt the glowing green gems being yanked away from him in a glow of light cornflower blue magic! He quickly realized who said magic belonged to.

"Give me back those gems!" Filthy Rich demanded, as Spike rose to his feet.

"Sorry, but after the way you treated me, I think I'll hang onto them for safe keeping!" Rarity taunted, and stuck her tongue out at Filthy Rich. Ordinarily, she would find such behavior rude and impolite. But under the current circumstances, she was willing to make an exception.

Filthy Rich barely had time to realize how trouble he was in, before an angry Spike approached him. 

"This is for stealing those gems just to weaken me!" Spike said angrily, throwing a punch that made a noticeable dent in the armor. "This is for giving all stallions and ponies a bad name!" Spike added, as he threw another punch to Filthy Rich. "And THIS is for hurting and ponynapping Rarity to get to me!" Spike finished, as he threw one more punch that was enough to knock Filthy Rich into a nearby bookcase.

Filthy Rich groaned, as he tried to regain his footing. The armor was barely holding up.

"Now, what do you have to say for yourself?!" Spike asked, as he approached Filthy Rich.

Filthy Rich frantically began to search for a way out of his current predicament. And then, suddenly, he remembered something. He quickly pressed a button, causing the bookcase he was leaning against to rise, and revealing what appeared to be some sort of portal. Randolph was standing by the counsel that would turn it on and off.

"Catch me if you can, Super Whimp!" Filthy Rich smirked, as he quickly ran towards the portal "Randolph, activate the portal, now!" he instructed. Randolph reluctantly did so.

Just before he disappeared into the portal, Filthy Rich turned to Spike and said "You'll never find me in this virtual world! But chase me after if you insist! It's your funeral!"
> Face to Face: Part 2 (Virtual Terror)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

                Rarity quickly dropped the glowing green gems on the ground, watching as they shattered into pieces. Ordinarily, she would've hated to waste gems of any sort, but this was one time that she was willing to make an exception.

Spike, meanwhile, was eying the portal that Filthy Rich had disappeared through. He wasn't certain where it would lead, but he knew he couldn't just allow Filthy Rich to escape after everything he'd done.

"Spike, don't go in! It's obviously a trap!" Rarity pleaded "Filthy Rich can't hide in there forver, he'll have to come out eventually."

"I can't wait that long, Filthy Rich needs to be brought to justice for what he's done!" Spike said seriously, as he turned his attention to Rarity "And I'm just the dragon to do it!"

"There's no way to talk you out of this, is there?" Rarity asked Spike, who shook his head in response. Rarity sighed. She was still tied to the chair, so there was nothing she could do to stop Spike from chasing after Filthy Rich. But, just as he was about to enter the portal, Rarity called out to him and said "Please, be careful, Spikey-Wikey."

"Thanks for your concern, Rarity," Spike smiled "Now, it's time Filthy Rich finally got what was coming to him!" And with that, he entered the portal, and disappeared into the same virtual world that Filthy Rich currently resided in.

Randolph shut down the portal a moment later. "That portal is going to stay closed until I'm given the order to open it again. If stays open for too long, it could burn out its power source, and shut down forever."

"Please hurry, Spike," Rarity thought anxiously to herself "Filthy Rich is the only one who can bring you both home. And something tells me, he won't go down without a fight."





Spike quickly discovered that the virtual world he was in, was not unlike the real life world of Ponyville. Except for one key detail, every time he touched something or someone, he passed right through as if he were non existant.

"Alright, Filthy Rich, I know you're here somewhere!" Spike shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing in every direction "Hiding won't save you, come out and face me, or I'll comb every inch of this virtual world until I find you! And trust me when I say, you won't like that at all!"

"Oh, I've no intention of hidin' from you, Super Runt!" Filthy Rich taunted from afar "I'll lead you right to my location. But first, I want to make sure that this virtual world hasn't weakened you at all. It wouldn't be any fun beatin' up someone when there's no challenge involved."

"Whatever you throw at me, I can handle it!" Spike proclaimed. Just a few seconds later, a series of rings appeared before him.

"Just fly through those rings, and they'll lead you right to me," Filthy Rich instructed "But you better be quick, they won't last forever. And I ain't givin' you anymore hints."

Spike wasted no time in flying through all of the rings without any difficulty. Even when the rings required him to loop around buildings, or fly over or under obstacles, he made it through.

By the time he had flown through the last ring, he was eager to settle things with Filthy Rich once and for all. "I hope your idea of a challenge is more than just having me fly through rings. That wouldn't even pass for a fun game." Spike taunted.

"Those rings were merely a warm up, now we can get down to the real fight!" Filthy Rich said, as he walked out onto the street of the virtual world, still clad in his egg shaped suit of armor "Let's see whether mind triumphs over muscle, or brawn beats brain!"

"Arrogant as ever," Spike said with a sigh "You can't beat me."

"Shows what you know, now allow me to make the first move!" Filthy Rich shouted, and rushed forward with his suit, hoping to use what little energy he had obtained from the glowing green gems to his advantage.

But much to Filthy Rich's surprise, the power boost made little difference, and the punch he delivered barely did anything.

"Not bad, now let me show you what a punch is suppose to feel like, hope that armor holds up!" Spike declared, before he threw a punch that Filthy Rich was certain would've knocked the wind right out of him, if he weren't wearing the suit.

Filthy Rich recovered, and tried to kick Spike in the chest, but Spike flew up and easily dodged it. Spike then came back down, and delivered a punch that knocked Filthy Rich to the ground.

This process repeated itself for about a minute or two, and in the process, Filthy Rich's suit of armor racked up more and more dents, to the point it where seemed ready to fall apart at any second.

"How are you doin' this? You shouldn't be this powerful!" Filthy Rich groaned, as he rose to his hooves "Unless, you've been holdin' back!"

"Guilty as charged," Spike admitted "When I first discovered my powers, I was amazed at what I could do. I could literally move mountains with no effort at all. Practically nothing could hurt me. I felt like I was king of all of Equestria. But I soon realized that my powers were too strong. With my new found powers, it was like I was living in a world made of nothing but foals art supplies. If I used my full power, innocents could be hurt or killed, buildings could crumble to dust. But in this virtual world, I finally have the chance to do what I've never been able to do before. I have this rare opportunity to cut loose, and use all of my powers against your suit. Because I know you can take it, and I know that no one else is in danger."

Filthy Rich didn't reply with words, he just growled like a wild animal, and charged at Spike once again.

Spike shook his head "You never learn, do you?" he said with a shake of his head "Oh well, guess I'll have no choice but to reduce that suit to scrap metal!"





Rarity was waiting anxiously for the portal to turn back on, and Spike to emerge with Filthy Rich beaten and humiliated, ready for jail. In the meantime, she occupied herself with trying to break free from the chair she was tied to.

Suddenly, Rarity felt the ropes holding her in place being loosened. She turned to look, and saw that the one doing so was none other than Diamond Tiara, who had recently become one of Sweetie Belle's friends.

"Sorry about my daddy, I don't know why he's doing stuff like this," Diamond Tiara apologized, as she continued to undo the ropes "I know him, and I know that he wouldn't hurt a fly if he didn't have to."

"I find that hard to believe." Rarity said in a deadpan tone.

"Please, you must understand, Daddy isn't acting like himself," Diamond Tiara pleaded "I overheard him talking with these suspicious figures about how he needs money to silence the higher ups."

"So you're saying, that Filthy Rich is acting the way he is, because of pressure from someone or something else?" Rarity asked, as the last of the ropes holding her prisoner were freed.

Diamond Tiara nodded "And that's exactly why I'm doing this, I'm trying to save my daddy from himself, before he becomes something he's feared he'd end up becoming."

"Well, don't you worry," Rarity smiled, as she got up from the chair, relieved to finally be free "Super Dragon will make sure that your father gets what he deserves, and hopefully some quality jail time will make your father see sense."





Spike decided that enough was enough, he wanted to end this and return to the real world as soon as possible. With that goal in mind, he delivered a punch that was powerful enough to knock Filthy Rich into the air, suit and all.

Spike then flew up, grabbing Filthy Rich while he was still in mid air. "Virtual world or not, a fall from this height would probably kill you," Spike explained, as he carefully flew down towards the ground, controlling his descent "Once I'm low enough, I'll let you fall, and hopefully you'll realize that you can't win. Because I'm getting tired of fighting you, I can sense your heart isn't into this."

"You know nothin', little dragon!" Filthy Rich shouted, even as he was let go, and made an egg shaped crater in the road of the virtual world. Filthy Rich rose a few seconds later, his suit barely holding together. At that point, he took one look at Spike, and realized that he was beaten. "Fine, you win!" he said furiously "I'll tell Randolph to open the portal, but I won't like it!"

"I appreciate that you know when to give up," Spike said with a smile "Maybe I can put in a good word for you at your sentencing, so you'll get a reduced time behind bars," Then, Spike noticed a flashing red button on the chest of Filthy Rich's suit "What is the meaning of this?!" he asked furiously.

Filthy Rich smirked, as he said to Spike "Oh, I suppose it slipped my mind earlier, but this suit is linked to the controls for a set of missiles. One will go to Manehattan, and the other to Los Pegasus. When you were poundin' away at my suit earlier, my hooves might have slipped and started the countdown. Think you can fly fast enough to stop both of them before they impact?"

"You won't get away with this!" Spike vowed "Now hurry up and tell Randolph to open the portal so we can go home!"
> Race Against The Clock!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

                "Go on, say it! I won't ask again!" Spike demanding, tightening his grip on Filthy Rich's suit of armor.

Realizing he was beaten, Filthy Rich pressed a button on his suit and gave the order "Randolph, open the portal." A few seconds later, a noticeable green swirling circle appeared in the sky above the virtual world.

Spike refused to let his grip on Filthy Rich loosen, as he dragged the stallion through the portal and back into the real world.





Rarity, Diamond Tiara, and Randolph, were all waiting anxiously by the portal's entrance. The former two were worried for Spike's well being, and the latter was worried about what had become of his master.

In a blinding flash of light, Spike and Filthy Rich emerged from the portal. Spike looked like he hadn't been harmed at all, while Filthy Rich's suit looked like it was ready to fall apart, and indeed it did.

"Tie him up, and make sure he can't get away!" Spike instructed to Rarity, who did just that.

"Why did you do this, Daddy?" Diamond Tiara asked "I'd expect this from mother, but not from you."

"You wouldn't understand what I'm goin' through," Filthy Rich growled "I'm doin' this for your well bein'. I'm sorry it had to come to this, but you can't make an omlet without breakin' a couple of eggs."

"I'm sure the citizens of Manehattan and Los Pegasus would beg to differ!" Spike said angrily, as he put a piece of tape over Filthy Rich's mouth "You can just stay there, while I clean up your mess! And then I'll come back for you!"

"I can handle that on my own," Rarity insisted "Filthy Rich will pay for what he did to me, and to you."

"Did you just mention Manehattan?!" Diamond Tiara asked Spike.

"Unfortunately, yes," Spike said glumly "It seems your father is more of a sore loser than I expected, he's launched two missiles! One bound for Manehattan, and the other for Los Pegasus! I'll have to fly fast to stop them before they impact!"

"You've got to stop the missile for Manehattan first," Diamond Tiara pleaded "One of my friend's cousins lives there!"

"Not to mention my good friend, Coco Pommel!" Rarity added.

"Well, I'll do my best, but I'm not a miracle worker!" Spike vowed, and prepared to take off.

Just before he did so, Rarity called out to Spike and said "I know I've said this before, but I really mean it this time. Please be careful. We're talking about missiles here, you could get hurt, or even killed!"

"I know that, Rarity. But innocent ponies could be killed if I don't do something! I'll come back, I promise!" Spike declared, and with that, he was off.

Rarity turned her attention to Filthy Rich, who still had his mouth taped shut "Spike had better be able to stop those missiles and come back in one piece, for your sake!"

While that was going on, Diamond Tiara was talking angrily to Randolph "Why did you keep all this secret from me?! Did you really think I wouldn't find out about it?!"

"I'm sorry, mistress Diamond," Randolph apologized, sighing considerably "I thought that, as a butler, it wasn't my place to question my master's orders. It seems, I was wrong."

"I'll say," Diamond Tiara snorted "You'll be lucky if you don't end up like Daddy. Because I don't want to put up with mother on my own, I've had enough of her behavior for one life time."





Spike flew out towards Manehattan, and quickly overtook the missile bound for it. He got out ahead of it, grabbed it with his claws, and with a mighty heave, chucked it upward into the sky, where it exploded without much fanfare (though the blast was so powerful and so bright, that Spike had to shield his eyes with his cape).

The citizens of Manehattan clapped and cheered. "Hooray for Super Dragon!" they shouted happily, relieved to have been saved from a terrible fate.

Rather than stay and bask in their applause, however, Spike quickly turned around and flew towards Los Pegasus. He knew it was going to be close. "Come on," he thought to himself, as Los Pegasus drew closer and closer, as did the missile "Gotta beat the clock!"

But much to his horror, Spike soon realized, that even at the incredibly fast rate he was flying (he had actually managed to break the sound barrier), there was no way he would have enough time to grab the missile and safely redirect it before it made contact with the ground.

Which just left one option, and it was one he dreaded. He would have to fly straight into the missile, and destroy it from the inside. In the process, he was sure to get caught in the resulting blast. That meant he had a high chance of getting badly injured, or even killed by the resulting explosion.

But the alternative would be allowing the missile to detonate, and Spike wasn't about to let that happen!

"Oh, I'm really going to hate myself in the morning for this!" Spike thought to himself, as he extended his left claw out in front of his face, and clenched it into a fist. Just before his fist made contact with the missile, Spike shut his eyes!





The citizens of Los Pegasus could only look on in horror, as they saw Spike fly right into the missile. A few seconds later, there was a deafening boom, a blinding flash of light, and a resulting shockwave that shattered glass and knocked ponies and non ponies alike to the ground.

When the shockwave and flash had faded, the question on everyone's mind was "What happened to Super Dragon?". Had he somehow survived his terrible fate, or had he scarificed his life to save the city?

For a few tense moments, no one knew the answer. The citizens of Los Pegasus kept their eyes to the sky, looking for any clues to the fate of the so called "Dragon of Steel".

At last, just when it seemed that Super Dragon had indeed perished, and all traces of his existence had been wiped out by the explosion, a familiar dragon like figure appeared in the sky.

Spike's suit had been badly ripped and torn, and several parts of it displayed black singe marks. His face was covered in scratches and bruises, though they were hard to spot consider the black singe marks that coated most of his face, and parts of his body. His cape seemed like it had shot by a multitude of arrows, as several larges holes could be seen in it. But the most noticeable signs of injury, were his mask and necklace. His mask was practically non existant, having been destroyed by the explosion. As for his necklace, it and the fire ruby incased it remained intact, but a noticeable crack ran down the center.

But he was still alive, and that was all the citizens of Los Pegasus needed to know to start bursting in thunderous applause.

"For being almost indestructable, you'd be pretty surprised what you can live through, given the circumstances," Spike thought to himself "I'm going to have to a serious talk with Filthy Rich about those missiles! He had to have gotten them from somewhere!"
> A Set Up
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

                At this point, Spike no longer cared how he looked. He could care less if ponies saw him and recognized him. All he could think about was Filthy Rich. And the more he thought about it, the more he suspected that something was going on.

Filthy Rich hardly struck Spike as the kind of pony who would kill millions of innocent lives, just to prove a point. And neither did he seem like the kind of pony who would ponynap someone with a high social profile like Rarity.

"Filthy Rich must be taking orders from someone, or at least facing pressure from someone," Spike thought to himself, as he neared Ponyville "One way or another, I'll get the answers out of Filthy Rich! He can't hide anything from me!"

Upon landing in Ponyville, and reaching Barnyard Bargains, Spike's resolve was hardened. But when he reached the same back entrance that Filthy Rich had lured him to not too long ago he was surprised to see that Filthy Rich was nowhere in sight.

Even after Spike walked through the door, and into Filthy Rich's office, there was still no sign of the stallion, or the egg shaped suit of armor he'd been wearing.

"What are you doing here?" Diamond Tiara asked Spike, even though she could already guess what the answer was.

"I'm looking for Filthy Rich, where is he?!" Spike demanded "There's something I need to discuss with him!"

"Daddy's been carted off to jail, and I know Mother's not going to bother paying the bail money," Diamond Tiara explained, and sighed "They took Randolph as well, so it looks like I'm stuck trying to put up with my mother's behavior, until the trial at least."

"But don't you have friends?" Spike asked "Couldn't one of their families take you in for the time being?"

"Don't you think I've already tried that?!" Diamond Tiara complained "From the moment they took Father away, I've been trying to find a place to stay where I can be safe from Mother. Unfortunately, none of them can help me. Mother is quite insistent on keeping me here."

"Well, tell you what, if you tell me where I can find your father, I'll see if I can find a way to convince Spoiled Rich to let you stay with somepony else's family for the time being." Spike offered.

"Really? You'd do that for me?" Diamond Tiara asked. Spike nodded. "Thank you, Sp... I mean, Super Dragon." Diamond Tiara smiled, and proceeded to tell Spike the information he needed to know.





Filthy Rich was feeling rather sorry for himself, as he sulked in his prison cell. "So much for trying to please the higher ups," he thought to himself "It'll take a miracle to save my company's reputation at this point."

Just then, there was a thunderous crash, and a noticeable dragon shaped hole appeared in the rear prison wall.

Since he was no longer in his suit, Filthy Rich jumped and moved carefully away from the disturbance, as Super Dragon swooped in.

"Leave me alone! Can't you see I'm humilated enough without you around?!" Filthy Rich complained.

Spike was not intimidated by Filthy Rich's words, he merely flew forward, and grabbed Filthy Rich by the neck. "Talk!" he demanded.

"I beg your pardon?" Filthy Rich asked nervously.

"I said talk!" Spike demanded, tightening his grip on Filthy Rich "Drop the act, I know you're not the mastermind! Those missiles were never intended to be loaded, were they?!"

"Please, you must believe me, I never would've launched them if I'd know," Filthy Rich pleaded "The whole intent was to use empty missiles to humilate you, and make everypony question their trust in you! They weren't supposed to be filled with explosives!"

"Who gave you the missiles?!" Spike demanded "I want answers! So tell me, unless you'd like to spend the rest of your days growing back all of your hair!"

"I don't know, honest," Filthy Rich insisted "We never met face to face!"

"Why should I believe that's true?! Give me one good reason why I should take your word for it!" Spike said angrily.

"What could I possibly stand to gain by lyin' to you?" Filthy Rick asked "I swear, I never met the clients directly. They just communicated with me through scrolls. They sent me instructions to follow, and promised me huge sums of money if I agreed to do as they said without question."

"What are their names?!" Spike asked.

"They never said." Filthy Rich said nervously.

"What?!" Spike exclaimed "Do you honestly expect to believe that?!"

"It's true, I swear!" Filthy Rich pleaded desperately "Their names were never given, even on the scrolls. I even sent a scroll asking for their names, and they said I didn't need to know. Then they threatened to back out on me, unless I agreed not to ask questions."

"Is there anything about those scrolls that could indicate who they are, or where they came from?" Spike asked Filthy Rich, finally loosening his grip a little "Any leads would be a big help."

"Well, there is one thing," Filthy Rich replied, and pondered for a moment "I seem to recall their scrolls containing the seal of the Dragon Empire, but I could've sworn I was seein' things when I saw it. But they appeared on every scroll, includin' the one that came with the request to build a portal."

"Ah, that explains why you had such a thing in your office," Spike realized "Anything else?"

"That's all I can remember, I swear!" Filthy Rich insisted.

"You better hope it is, for your sake!" Spike threatened, and shot a laser beam at the mirror in Filthy Rich's cell, shattering it "Consider that a warning. If I find you lied to me, that mirror won't be the only thing that breaks." And he disappeared back through the hole he had made.





"So, Filthy Rich has failed?" Garble asked, as he read the news "Well, that doesn't surprise me." He and his friends, Grunt and Groan, were currently resting atop a pile of jewels and stollen goods inside of their own isolated cave.

"I knew it was a mistake to trust a namby pamby pony." Grunt complained.

"Guess that means it's up to us to finish the job, huh?" Groan asked Garble.

"That's right," Garble said with a fiendish smile "I don't know who that Spike thinks he is, running around playing superhero, but his fantasy is about to come crashing down!"

"But how are we supposed to hurt him? He has no weaknesses, except for glowing green gems, and there's no way we can get our claws on those." Grunt asked Garble.

"There's more than one way to skin a cat, boys." Garble explained.

"You saying he's got another weakness?" Groan asked.

Garble nodded "That namby pamby pony known as Rarity. He's clealry smitten with her."

"So you're saying, we hurt her to get to him?" Grunt asked.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Groan smirked "I'm all for hurting ponies."

"Patience, boys," Garble said, silencing the two of them "We've got to wait, and plan this out. We need to make sure we strike when the time is right."