Dragon Quest
Pony's Log Number 221: Sometimes it take a journey of self-discovery to realize that our friends are the best family you could ever have...
Just outside of Ponyville, Applejack and Pinkie were hard at work creating a large trench of some sort. A major event was going to happen today and Mario and Twilight were busy rounding everypony up so they could watch it together. However, their plans to get everypony to participate came to a halt when they found that Fluttershy didn't want to go.
"C'mon Fluttershy," said Twilight as she, Mario, and Rainbow were at her house, "it'll be fun!"
"There's nothing fun about dragons!" said Fluttershy as Rainbow tried to pull her out of the house by her tail, "Scary, yes. Fun, no!"
"But Fluttershy, the great dragon migration happens only once in a generation," said Twilight as she and Mario watched Fluttershy get her tail loose from Rainbow's grip and tried to run off, but Rainbow overtook her and started pushing her from behind, "Do you really want to pass up a chance like this?" Mario and Twilight gave the yellow Pegasus an encouraging smile.
"Now that you put it that way," said Fluttershy as she extended all four of her legs against the edges of her door as Rainbow tried to push her out, "Yes!" Mario and Twilight then teleported outside as Fluttershy gritted her teeth from all the pushing.
"Aw, Fluttershy," said Twilight gently, "We just don't want you to miss out."
"She's right, Flutters," Mario added, "I'll admit I'm scared myself but I'll be around all my friends..."
"And your date!" Twilight blurted out as Mario, Fluttershy, and Rainbow looked at her in surprise.
"You...didn't say you wanted Mario to be your date for this," said Rainbow as Twilight's eyes widened and she bit her lip. All she could was chuckle nervously as her checks turned bright pink.
"Do you want me to be your date?" Mario asked kindly. Twilight could barely look at Mario as she gave him a shy nod and a smile.
"Okay, so I'll have my cute date and friends to be there for me when I get scared, Flutters," said Mario, "So you'll be okay. I'd hate to see you miss out on this."
"Miss out on what?" Fluttershy spluttered, "Big, scaly, fire-breathing Dragons?"
"Well...yeah!" said Twilight.
"We should be safe enough in the trench Applejack and Pinkie are digging up so they won't bother us," Mario added, "you'll be perfectly safe."
"Thanks, but...no thanks," said Fluttershy firmly.
"Alright," said Mario, "We won't force you to go. Rainbow you can...Rainbow! Stop pushing Fluttershy and leave her alone! She said she doesn't want to go!" But Rainbow wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Look, Fluttershy," said Rainbow sternly as she showed a picture of herself and the yellow Pegasus watching a large collection of butterflies, "I watched that boring butterfly migration with you, so now it's your turn to watch the dragon migration with me! You owe me!" Fluttershy breathed a bit deeply as a stern look appeared on her face.
"I...said...NO!" Fluttershy replied before shouting and roughly tackling Rainbow to her back. Fluttershy then stomped Rainbow's stomach with her hind hooves, making Twilight gasp in shock as Mario winced. Fluttershy gave high pitched growl as she made a mad dash for her window and raised her fore-hooves to throw it open. Instead she gently opened the window and timidly jumped out of it. Mario and Twilight watched as Fluttershy ran into the forest and out of site before looking at Rainbow and cringing. Rainbow was left dazed with butterflies circling her head as one of her hind legs twitched and her right wing looks rather crumpled up.
"Okay, I guess I'll let you off the hook this time," Rainbow remarked as she slightly recovered a bit. Mario just sighed to himself.
"Honestly, with how you treat her sometimes," said Mario as he leaned into her face, "I'm surprised she hasn't trounced you sooner." Mario wasn't going to add to the fact that Fluttershy had been confiding with him over her resentment toward Rainbow. While he was glad Fluttershy did stand up for herself, he would agree that knocking Rainbow down was a bit harsh. Fortunately, Rainbow seemed to get the message without this added information.
"I...I guess I have been...kind of rough and bossy with her sometimes," Rainbow admitted feebly, "remind me to apologize and have a Pegasus to Pegasus talk with her later. From what you told me about what Fluttershy learned about being assertive, I don't think I wanna face an angry Fluttershy."
"That would be a very smart idea," said Mario with a smile as he helped Rainbow to her hooves before the three ponies headed out of the cottage together.
(main theme)
By the time, the three ponies had returned, the bunker had been completed. Size wise it was very spacious and shaped like a letter T with a shallow stair case leading down into it. Twilight then peeked out of the bunker wearing a camouflage dome hat and holding a pair of binoculars with her fore-hooves. Mario was right behind her wearing a full on camo-shirt and pants, and his specially made camo-helmet that had built-in binoculars on them that used his magic to zoom in and out.
"I don't see any dragons," said Twilight as she looked around in a hushed tone.
"Me neither," said Applejack in the same tone, wearing a camo-top with a hoodie, as she looked through her own set of binoculars.
"Me neither-neither," said Pinkie as she looked through her own binoculars...from the wrong end, which annoyed Applejack. Pinkie then looked at Rainbow sat behind her from a distance.
"Shoot!" said Rainbow, wearing a camo-shirt and cap hat and revealing that she was sitting directly behind Pinkie, "You don't think we missed them, do you?"
"No, I don't think so," said Twilight as she scans the rather empty area," We're just a little early and I'm glad we are. This way, we can watch every moment of the migration without bringing any unwanted attention to ourselves!"
"True, the dragon migration patterns say this is the best location," said Mario, "so they should be on their way soon and we'll get the best vantage point a pony could ask for." Mario then tapped his hat so his built in binoculars covered his eyes as he scoped around.
"Where'd you get the hi-tech specs there, Mario?" Rainbow asked, "They look really cool."
"More importantly, why don't I have any?" Twilight asked annoyingly. Mario glared as he lifted his "specs" as Rainbow called them and taped her hat to show that she had them the whole time.
"I installed them this morning," said Mario bluntly, "Weren't you listening when I told you?"
"No, she was too busy thinking about how cute you look," Rainbow teased.
"Oh shush!" Twilight snapped and turned away as Applejack and Pinkie snickered.
"It must be true," Pinkie added, "After all, you asked him to be your date for this event." Twilight groaned as the other girls snickered again.
"That's enough girls," said Mario, "I'm just glad Twilight likes me back and enjoys dating me."
"Love is the better word," Twilight muttered in a very quiet tone so nopony could hear her.
"Anyway," said Mario, "As long as we keep incognito, we should be just fine."
"Yoo-hoo!" called a voice, "Well?" Her loud tone startled the five ponies inside the bunker as they looked back to see Rarity. While she had worn camo-style clothes, much to her style, she had made more of a dress with a cone shaped hat and had altered the colors into more of shades of red, orange, and yellow. She had also created herself a red carpet to walk on, which blew some squeaky part horns once it fully unraveled and a huge explosion of confetti surrounded her.
"What do you think?" said Rarity proudly, "Am I the toast of the trench or what?"
"You'll be toast alright," said Applejack annoyingly, "when the dragons see you parading around in that getup." The others made worried looks as Twilight and Mario cringed. Nopony wanted to see that happen to the marshmallow pony.
"You look very nice, Rarity," said Twilight as Rarity gracefully made her way into the trench and Twilight used her magic to capture and make all the confetti disappear, "but could you look nice down here in the trench with us?"
"Nice in an understatement," Rarity exclaimed, "I look fabulous! Who says camouflage has to be drab?"
"Ahoy, maties!" said Pinkie as she lifted up her binoculars, "Dragons ho!" It was then a large shadow appeared above them and then a large collection of dragons of all shapes and sizes appeared in the sky.
"Oooh...Ahhh!" All the ponies said in amazement as they used their binoculars to watch all the dragons flying high in the sky. One dragon even flew low and performed a loop-de-loop for the group. This made them all smile.
"Wow, amazing," said Twilight.
"Nice move!" said Mario impressed, but then Rainbow rolled her eyes and blew a raspberry.
"Pfft, pretty lame move," Rainbow remarked indignantly, "Is that all they got?" As Rainbow waved her fore-hoof dismissively and Applejack rolled her eyes at the blue Pegasus, another dragon flew above them and unleashed a massive flame at them. Everypony minus Rainbow managed to duck to avoid the blast, leaving Rainbow's mane and face slightly cooked.
"What do ya think of that "move", Rainbow Dash?" Applejack asked smugly in a hushed tone, "Still think they're lame?"
"Uh, not so much," said Rainbow in the same tone and looking rather frazzled, "The word "fierce" comes to mind."
"And "formidable"," said Rarity.
"Not to mention "intimidating"," Mario added.
"And "super duper scary"," said Pinkie, shaking a bit as she crouched low to the ground. Mario help her sit up a bit and gave her a hug.
"You're okay, little sis," said Mario gently, "you've got your friends with you." Pinkie smiled and returned his hug, feeling much better. Twilight glared and Rarity took noticed.
"You know, darling. We've all noticed that you've been getting more and more jealous and possessive over Mario recently," Rarity pointed out quietly so only Twilight could hear, "care to talk about it?" Twilight blinked before giving Rarity a dirty look, but then instantly softened.
"You know don't you?" Twilight whispered softly to the marshmallow pony so nopony else could hear. Rarity just smiled.
"I know when a mare is in love if that's what you're saying," Rarity remarked as Twilight whimpered.
"Please don't say anything!" Twilight pleaded, "I'm not ready to..." Twilight was then cut off Rarity smiled and put a hoof over her mouth.
"I won't," said Rarity, "Just remember that he's been waiting for you." Twilight nodded to herself as she looked to see Spike had arrived wearing an apron and rolling a cart filled with various treats.
"Yeah, Us dragons are definitely a force to be reckoned with," said Spike as he put a cupcake in Pinkie's fore-hoof and then handed Applejack and Mario each a cookie. Rainbow just looked at Spike before she fell onto her back and laughed.
"Yeah, right, Spike," said Rainbow as she sat up and the others enjoyed their treats, "That's one of the scariest aprons I've ever seen!" Applejack and Pinkie laughed with her as Mario just glared.
"What's wrong with wearing an apron?" Spike objected, "You won't be laughing when you spill blueberries all over your scales. Feathers. That's one tough stain!" Spike soon blinked when he realized he was complaining about scale stains.
"One tough stain against one lame dragon!" Rainbow shot back, wiping a tear from her eyes from laughing so hard.
"Rainbow! That's harsh!" Mario said sternly.
"You leave him alone, Rainbow Dash!" said Rarity sternly as she got into the blue Pegasus's face, "Spike's style is unique. He doesn't have to look like other dragons!"
"Or act like them," Twilight added.
"My little Spikey-wikey is perfect the way he is," said Rarity as she poked the top scale on his head.
"I don't act like other dragons?" said Spike in shock.
"Oh, not even close!" said Pinkie.
"But why would you want to, Spike?" said Applejack.
"Most dragons we've dealt with are very brash, rude, violent, and downright selfish," said Mario, "You remember what happened when you bumped into a dragon that time you ran away. He didn't even care you were kin! All he wanted to do was take you out!"
"Don't remind me," said Spike wearily.
"Yes, Mario is quite right about that," said Rarity, "You've got something those dreadfully fierce dragons can only dream of?"
"What's that?" Spike asked hopefully.
"The cutest widdle chubby cheeks! Ooooo!" Rarity cooed as she gave Spike's cheeks a playful squeeze, making Spike's face turn a shade of red.
"Cute?!" Spike spluttered, "Dragons aren't supposed to be cute! Right?"
"Oh, sweetie, you are turning the most delightful shade of red," said Rarity, "it is most becoming." The other ponies started staring at him as well with smiles on their faces. Spike began to feel rather uncomfortable and embarassed. He usually enjoyed Rarity's coos, but seeing everyone else watching just seemed to ruin it for him.
"Rrrgh!" Spike grunted as he stomped away and exited the trench with a huff.
"Don't be so sensitive about the cooing, Spike," Mario called out to him, "They do it to me all the time and you always got a laugh out of it!" The rest of the girls just smiled as they watched Spike walk away.
"Oh, isn't he adorable when he waddles off in anger?" said Rarity to the others.
"Waddle?!" Spike blurted out, "Rrrrrggggh!"
"Spike doesn't waddle," Mario protested.
"No, but you do when you get mad," said Pinkie with a smirk.
"And isn't Mario the cutest thing when he's mad?" Rarity added.
"Just plum adorable," Applejack added.
"Not to mention very handsome," Rainbow added and even batted her eyelashes at him. Mario felt his face turn bright red in embarassment.
"Ooooh, red is so your color," Twilight said in a charming tone, "talk about super cute!"
"AAAAAAAAAUGH!" Mario cried out and stomped out of the trench with her head low to hide his face.
"And there he goes waddling away!" Pinkie said to the others.
"I'M NOT WADDLING!" Mario shouted, but the others just snickered to each other. Later that night, Spike was wide awake as he rested comfortably in his basket. The little dragon was finding it very hard to sleep.
"What am I? Where am I from? Who am I supposed to be?" Spike asked out loud to himself. Or at least that was the intention, but the fact he said his questions out loud was preventing Twilight from sleeping as she stuffed her head under her pillow.
"Uuugh! I don't know!" Twilight said in exasperation as she removed her pillow and turned around to face the baby dragon, "For the last time, Spike, you were given to me and Mario as an egg. I don't know who found you or where they found you."
"Seriously? That's all you know?" said Spike, clearly upset as he turned away from Twilight in his basket.
"I'm sorry, Spike," said Twilight quietly as Spike got out of his bed and looked at himself in the mirror.
"That doesn't tell me anything about who I am!" said Spike, "I feel like I'm...I'm looking at a complete stranger. Oh!" Spike felt tears appear in his eyes and kept looking at himself before he sat down in the middle of the floor and began to cry.
"Oh, Spike," said Twilight quietly as she walked up to him, "You and Mario have something in common."
"How?" Spike asked.
"Remember Spike that Mario is an orphan, taken in by the Princess after his own family left him under a burnt down building," said Twilight, "Mario spent alot of time trying to find answers about who he is and what happened to his family. His efforts were fruitless and he lost heart to keep trying. He was so heart-broken about it...and still is to this day."
"I remember," said Spike as he sniffled, "He started crying when he said he had given up. I hugged and cried with him, even though I was too young to understand. At least...maybe I did, but I never understood how until I thought about it right now." Twilight looked at him sadly until she got an idea.
"Why don't we do some late-night research?" said Twilight, "See what we can find out."
"Really?" said Spike, feeling a bit more hopeful, "You'd do that?"
"Of course!" said Twilight, "I'm sure we can find something. I can even see if Mario can come help us out." Spike just smirked.
"You just want an excuse for him to be with you," Spike remarked. Twilight blushed before she quickly left the library to go get him. Despite feeling rather sleepy, Mario was more than willing to help and the three were soon hard at work. But by morning, their efforts had proven little to no results. The books were all off the shelves and stacked in large piles about the floor.
"Nothing," said Twilight in exhaustion as she quickly skimmed through another book with her magic and set it aside, "Nothing in this one either!"
"Nothing at all about dragons?" said Spike as he searched through some books himself and tossed them aside, "This is getting ridiculous!"
"I know! It's hard to believe," said Twilight, "but ponies know next to nothing about dragons. Apparently they're too rare and too scary to try and talk to or study!"
"You would think somepony after all these years would have had the courage to study them," said Mario as he read a letter Spike had burped a few minutes ago, "but even Mom says that the Canterlot archives don't have anything either! Even during all her years of reign and all the meetings with other rulers, the dragons have never sent a representative to any of them!" Spike just squatted down, looking very upset.
"I wonder if dragons cry..." said Spike as his eyes watered, "now I do know how Mario felt when all his efforts to find his family reached a dead end..." Mario and Twilight both looked at Spike sympathetically.
"Aw, Spike," said Twilight gently as she and Mario walked up to him. Twilight offered Spike a handkerchief so he could dry his eyes.
"It's okay, Twilight and Mario," said Spike as he sternly pushed the handkerchief away and wiped his eyes with his fore-arm, "I'm gonna discover who I am if it's the last thing I do!" Spike had walked away and turned around to make a determined pose as he said that.
"Yoo-hoo!"
"Hey, guys!" someponies called out as they barged inside the library.
"Waugh!" said Spike startled as he dived into a large pile of books. Apparently, Rarity and Rainbow had arrived to see Twilight and Mario. They knew he was usually here studying or helping Twilight early in the morning.
"Good morning!" said Rarity.
"Ya wanna join us for breakfast?" Rainbow asked.
"That sounds great," said Twilight, "I'm famished. What about you Mario?"
"I'm starving," Mario answered.
"Count me out," said Spike as he poked his head out of the book pile and removed an open book sitting on his head, "I've gotta get an early start!"
"An early start?" said Rarity puzzled as Spike stood outside and everypony else looked at him.
"Yes! I'm going on a quest of self-discovery!" said Spike boldly, "I need to learn what it means to be a dragon! And the only way I'm gonna do that is join the dragon migration!"
"What?!" All four ponies exclaimed at once. Before any of the ponies could recover, Spike spread out a red and white checkered cloth onto a table and a stick on the side.
"Spike, that's nonsense talk!" said Rainbow once she recovered and watched as Spike made his way toward the refrigerator and picked up a blanket, a sandwich, and some other cloth on top of it, "I know that you're a dragon, but those dragons mean business! They're big, and tough, and scary..."
"And I'm small, and meek..." Spike finished for her indignantly, especially when he found he had collected his pink apron and tossed it away, "and I like to wear aprons. See? This is exactly why I need to spend time with them."
"All I'm saying is that you could get hurt," said Rainbow, openly showing that she was worried.
"She's right," Mario added, "Dragons show no loyalty to each other. It's pretty much survival of the strongest. They won't hold back bullying you because you're still a baby dragon. In fact, that will give more of a reason to pick on you!"
"Darling, this time I really do have to agree with Rainbow Dash, and Mario does bring up a very good point," said Rarity as she walked up to Spike as he continued to pack, "I don't want those big, ugly, nasty dragons to hurt one little scale on your cutesy-wutesy head!" Rarity rubbed his head to emphasize her point, only for Spike to swat her hoof away and grab his sack on stick.
"I'm sorry, but I've made up my mind," said Spike as he made his way towards the front door.
"Oh, uh, quick, do something!" Rarity said in a panic as she sat down, "Stop him before it's too late!" Rainbow wasted little time rushing at Spike and grabbing his sack with her mouth to keep him from leaving.
"Ngh! Hey! Give it back!" Spike protested as he and Rainbow played tug of war with his sack on a stick. It wasn't long before Twilight teleported between Spike and Rainbow and then used her teleportation magic to pull them apart.
"Whoa!"
"Aaagh!" Spike and Rainbow yelped as they both tumbled onto their backs as Twilight held Spike's sack with her magic. She then handed it to Spike.
"Really?" said Spike with an excited smile on his face.
"Don't tell me you think he should go?" said Rainbow, "Mario, you seriously can't simply agree with Twilight just cause you love her!"
"I never had a say in the decision," said Mario.
"Well, don't you think he should go?" Twilight asked. Mario pondered for a second.
"If I were Spike and it meant finding some answers to my questions," said Mario, "Yes...I think he should go, too."
"You do?" said Spike excitedly.
"Yes, Spike," said Twilight, "Mario and I couldn't answer your questions. My books couldn't either. I understand why you want to look elsewhere. I truly believe you need to go on this quest. And we have no right to stop you." Twilight gave Rarity and Rainbow a glare.
"I suppose not," Rarity conceded quietly but with a smile.
"I still say you're nutty," said Rainbow, "but hey, I've done lots of nutty things."
"We know," said Rarity, Spike, Twilight, and Mario at once in a deadpan tone.
"Rrgh," Rainbow growled under her breath as she looked away.
"Well then, I guess this is goodbye, Spike," said Twilight as she gave him a hug, "We can't wait to hear about it when you return."
"Take care of yourself, little buddy," said Mario as he gave him a hug as well.
"Yeah, we hope your trip-" said Rainbow.
"Quest," Twilight corrected.
"-your quest answers some of your pesky "who am I?" questions," Rainbow finished.
"Thanks, everypony," said Spike, "I know it will." Spike then headed out as the four ponies waved him goodbye with large smiles on their faces.
"Goodbye, Spikey-wikey," said Rarity.
"Go get 'em, big guy!" said Rainbow.
"We have faith in you!" said Twilight.
"You show 'em what you can do, Spike!" said Mario. Rarity waited until Spike was far enough away until she leaned towards Twilight.
"We're following him, right?" Rarity asked through her grin.
"Of course," Twilight added through her own grin.
As the dragon herd flew high in the sky, Spike followed them on foot. With a brave smile and a sweaty brow, he continued to venture forward, pushing through strong winds and heavy rain. Spike then took a break for some tea as he sat on his blanket. He noticed two dragons bumped into each other and started to fight from above. Spike then looked at his tea cup.
"Ugh!" Spike grunted as he tossed the teacup away and then continued on his way up a hill through some cold snowy weather. He then hitch-hiked a nearby black sheep and got a ride up the hill. Once he started making his way downward, the sun was scorching, causing him to sweat as he felt the toil of his long journey. He then reached a river, where a donkey steering a raft offered him a ride and a chance to rest. As he made his way through a forest, Spike, with a black beard?!, ventured down a path where two phoenix birds were sitting in a nest nearby. Spike then looked up at the dragons flying above when he saw that they were settling down to rest on some nearby mountain tops. Spike smiled excitedly as he zoomed away, leaving his black beard behind. He quickly ran up the side of the mountain, but then tripped and slid back down. Spike quickly recovered as he tried again. Spike struggled to get to the top of the mountain, but when he finally reached the top, he saw several dragons settling down in various places about the mountains. An adult dragon saw Spike and launched a large flame at him.
"Nngh..." Spike yelped as he ducked behind a large rock to avoid being barbequed. The rock was still glowing from being burnt when Spike came out of his hiding spot. Spike gulped as he noticed in the distance five medium sized dragons.
"Alright, teenage dragons!" said Spike, "Now that's more my speed. And size." Spike then headed over to them. A few seconds later a strange looking dragon arrived on top of the mountain with eight legs and goofy looking eyes. This wasn't a real dragon. It was Twilight, Rainbow, and Rarity in disguise. Rarity and Mario had created the costume so they could go undercover to watch over Spike. Twilight was the head, Rainbow the wings, and Rarity handled the rear.
"I'm telling you, we'll never pass for a real dragon!" Rainbow protested.
"Oh, pish-posh!" said Rarity, "This costume is fabulous, one of my finer creations."
"Shh!" said Twilight in a hushed voice, "We'll never pass if they hear three voices coming out of one dragon!"
"I think we're far enough away to be safe for the moment," said Mario as he appeared right next to them.
"What are you doing?" said Twilight, "You're supposed to be hiding! If the dragons see you..."
"Oh, I've got that all covered," said Mario, "Spike's gonna need somepony to watch out for him. So I managed to learn a transformation spell with these!" Mario showed them a rather nerdy set of glasses.
"Transformation spell?" said Twilight skeptically, "That only changed your voice and fur colors!"
"That was a disguise spell, Twilight," said Mario, "These glasses will trigger a "transformation" spell." Mario then made the glasses glow as he set them on his nose. A large collection of sparkles appeared around him. Twilight watched with shock and then smiled excitedly once Mario had transformed...into a teenage dragon with tan colored skin, with orange scales and horns.
"Now I can blend in with the others," said Mario, "and if anypony asks...my name is Koopa."
"Koopa? Like Koopa Stoopa?" Rainbow teased as Mario glared and bent toward the hole in the costume she used to see.
"Rainbow, sweetie," said Mario gently until he belched a large cyan blue flame in her view. Rainbow yelped and backed into Rarity's fearfully.
"Wanna say that again?" Mario (Koopa) challenged her.
"No..." Rainbow said meekly.
"Quit teasing her, M-Koopa," said Twilight, "Now come on, let's go!" Mario used his new dragon wings to gently hover down as Rainbow stepped forward so the three ponies could simply slide down the slope. As Spike approached the teenage dragons, they were just cheering as two of their own were busy wrestling with each other.
"Um, excuse me?" Spike interrupted shyly, "Uh, hi. I'm Spike." The two dragons that were wrestling each other just stared at Spike. The red dragon ended up dropping the other as a purple dragon got in front of them.
"You sure your name is Spike," said the purple dragon, whose name was Fume, "and not Shrimp?!" The other dragons began to laugh.
"No, it's Spike!" the baby dragon stuttered, "I'm not, I mean, I'm sure about that..."
"You look more like Peewee to me," said a white dragon by the name of Clump as he poked Spike and the rest of the dragons laughed again.
"Hey guys, c'mon, seriously," said the red dragon whose name was Garble, "Leave him alone or he might fly away. That is, uh, if he had any wings!" Garble laughed as he picked Spike up by the tail and dropped him so he was in the middle of the laughing teenage dragons.
"You fly on your mommy's back during the migration?" Clump teased.
"Not exactly..." said Spike timidly.
"No, no, can't you see baby Spike just hatched?" said Fume as he wrapped an arm around Clump, "I bet he still sucks his claw at night!"
"No, I haven't sucked my claw in months!" Spike protested, but the dragons just laughed. This made Spike suck his claw on impulse, but he quickly stopped himself.
"Hey! Will you losers quit teasing my little brother!" somepony shouted as the teenage dragons looked and there stood Mario as he gave them a glare and a loud snort before flying over to them with the three ponies watching from a distance with interest. Spike instantly recognized who it was.
"I've never seen you before," Garble remarked.
"Well we're newcomers to the migration," Mario answered, "Spike's my little brother. The name's Koopa."
"Koopa? Seriously?" Spike remarked indignantly.
"Yeah, seriously," Mario remarked with a glare and then whispered, "Somepony's gotta watch your back after all." Spike rolled his eyes.
"Well, if you weren't just hatched, how come we haven't seen you or your brother around before?" Garble asked with a smirk as he got into Spike's face.
"Oh, well, y'see, we live in Ponyville, and-" Spike was cut off when Garble took a step back and laughed heartily.
"Ponyville?" he exclaimed, "That explains it! I knew there was something vaguely pony-ish about you two. If I didn't know better, I'd say you two were part pony!" Mario flinched a bit at hearing that, but managed to keep himself composed, even when Garble backed poor Spike into a small rock. Mario knew it was far too early for him to blow cover just yet.
"Who, us?" Spike protested, "We're not part pony! We're all dragon, see?" Spike gave a very childish roar as Mario face-hoofed...er...face-palmed himself and shook his head. Garble flinched but then recomposed himself.
"Or maybe you're a pony in a dragon costume," Garble suggested as the rest of the dragons laughed. Even Rainbow and Rarity were laughing from inside their disguise as Twilight looked rather uneasy at Mario, who just rolled his eyes at the surrounding dragons.
"A pony in a dragon costume..." Fume chuckled as he wrapped an arm around...ironically three ponies inside a dragon costume.
"Aheh...yeah...hilarious," said Twilight nervously as she deepened her voice to sound like a boy.
"Nnn, I am a real dragon!" said Spike sternly tired of all the laughing.
"Oh, yeah?" said Garble, "Prove it!"
"Well...how?" Spike asked curiously.
"By acting like one! Even your loser brother Stoopa can prove himself too," said Garble as Rainbow snickered, but Twilight jabbed her back with her hind leg to make Rainbow stop.
"The name is Koopa," Mario said stern and low tone.
"Who's up for a little belching contest?" Garble called out. The rest of the dragons cheered as two adult dragons lounging nearby flinched. A white dragon named Fizzle went first, producing a large sized light green flame from his mouth and crossed his arms. Fume then did his belch, producing a much larger orange flame that headed right for the ponies in disguise. Twilight ducked to avoid the blast coming at her head. While their costume was fire-resistant for the most part, but the eyelashes burnt off from the heat. Spike trembled nervously as Clump took his turn, giving a small hiccup when he finished.
"You're turn, Koopa," said Garble and then added, "Don't forget your manners!" The others snickered as Mario approached, tapped his chest and raised a claw before reeling his head back.
"BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURP!"
Mario belch produced a cyan blue flame that was twice the size of any of the others and was so loud that the ground shook, startling the three ponies and Spike, as the sound echoed throughout the area. All the dragons minus Garble cheered.
"Not bad..." he remarked before turning to Spike, "You think you can beat that, Peewee?" Spike just gulped and went up to take his turn as Mario gave him a claws up for good luck. Spike only managed to belch a small green flame which turned into a scroll.
"Huh?" said all the dragons minus Mario in shock.
"Uh-oh," Mario muttered as Garble grabbed the scroll and went to open it, "From the desk of Princess Celestia. Dear Spike, please te-" Garble didn't finish the letter as Spike trembled nervously, "Ha! Get this, guys! Spike's pen-pals with a namby-pampy pony princess!" Spike cringed as the other dragons laughed. Mario shook his head in annoyance. Garble crumbled up the letter and tossed into a nearby pool of lava. Twilight gasped.
"How can he just throw that away?!" said Twilight angrily, "That letter could be something important."
"We can't worry about that now, Twilight," said Rainbow, "We're here to help, Spike!"
"I know, I know!" said Twilight before she smashed the back of her head into Rainbow's face. Rainbow couldn't help but make strained noises due to the lack of air.
"There's no reason to disrespect Princess Celestia that way!" said Twilight.
"These dragons are not too bright," Mario remarked as he stood beside them, "I'd give my wings to see Princess Celestia show them whose boss."
"Well, you may be undercover as a dragon...Koopa," said Rarity, "But please try to remember your manners." Mario chuckled nervously.
"Um...excuse me?" Mario replied.
"Much better," Rarity said in satisfaction.
"Never mind," said Rainbow, "that belch was awesome! We should totally have a burping contest."
"Oh brother," said Twilight annoyingly.
"You could join us ,Twilight," said Mario, "You do have a killer belch the last time we had an ice-cream soda date." Twilight blushed from embarrassment as Rainbow snickered.
"Just get back to the dragons...Koopa!" Twilight snapped as she jabbed Rainbow with her hind leg again. Mario chuckled as went back to the group as Garble got another idea.
"Maybe tail wrestling is more your speed," he suggested as Mario arrived.
"Uh..." said Spike with a fearful look on his face.
"Yeah!" the other dragons cheered. It wasn't long before a grape colored dragon named Vex and a grey colored dragon named Baff locked tails.
"Ready...go!" said Garble as Vex and Baff began to exert themselves in what appeared to be some sort of deadlock. Finally Vex was able to overtake Baff and the dragons cheered. Spike nervously hugged his tail, dreading what might happen when it was his turn.
"The winner!" Garble announce as Vex gave a victory pose and Baff held his now sore tail as the dragons continued to cheer.
"You're up, Koopa," said Garble as he locked tails with Clump.
"Ready...go!" said Garble, when just one second later.
THUD!
Mario took down Clump easily and the others cheered and oohed since Clump walked away dazed.
"Good old tail wrestling..." said Spike wearily. The three ponies looked worried.
"We can't let little Spikey-wikey wrestle one of them!" said Rarity, "He'll get clobbered."
"I don't understand why Mario didn't volunteer to tail wrestle with Spike," said Twilight.
"Cause that other dragon paired him up with somepony else," said Rainbow as a matter of fact.
"Let's go," said Twilight as they ventured forward to the group.
"I challenge Spike to a tail wrestle!" said Twilight in her deep voice.
"Who's this weirdo?" Garble asked with his arm around Vex.
"I think he's Crackle's cousin," said Fume. The three dragon looked to see a dragon that looked exactly like Rarity's costume.
"BWAAGH!" Crackle replied.
"Oh that would explain it," said Garble. Mario blinked.
"Who knew that costume Rarity and I designed would be so spot on?" he remarked to himself as the three ponies struggled to lock their tails with Spike's, who looked rather annoyed.
"Ready? Go!" said Garble as Spike began to grunt and exert himself to try and tail wrestle with the three ponies. The other dragons enjoyed watching Spike struggle as Mario just rolled his eyes and shook his head. Rarity and Rainbow exchanged looks and nods before they made their costume plop to the ground to make it seem like Spike has overpowered them.
"Spike's the winner!" said Garble as he grabbed Spike by the tail and dangled him in the air as the other dragon's cheered. Garble didn't wait long before dropping Spike either.
"Nice going, little Spike!" said Garble, as he flicked Spike's chin, "Maybe you are a dragon after all!"
"Yeah!" said Spike with a smile, "Maybe I am!" The three ponies then walked away back to their original watching spot.
"Rainbow Dash, I can't believe your silly plan actually worked," said Rarity. Rainbow Dash then gave Rarity a light buck in reply.
"Ow," said Rarity plainly. Meanwhile Spike was feeling confident.
"Alright, who's next?" Spike challenged.
"Getting a little cocky, huh?" said Garble, "I like that. So how about you wrestle...him!" Garble then pointed toward a meek looking turquoise dragon. Spike looked at the dragon smugly...until the others walked away and show that this "meek" looking dragon has a very, large tail covered in sharp spines.
"Oh, Spike, you walked into that one," said Mario wearily.
"Go!" said Garble and in the same amount of time Mario took out Clomp, Spike was sent flying into the air.
"Whooooooooooa!" Spike yelled before he smacked face-first into a wall and then slid down it. Mario cringed.
"That's gonna leave a bruise," Mario said to himself. Later on Garble had carried Spike up to a large mountain of gems. Mario glared from a distance as he stood on guard for anything suspicious.
"So, Spike, you haven't exactly proven yourself," said Garble.
"But...I get an A for effort?" Spike asked.
"Huh, maybe," said Garble, "Let's see how you do in this next contest." Garble then tossed Spike off the gem pile.
"Whaaaaa! Oof! Wha! Oah! Oof!" Spike grunted as he painfully tumbled down the mountain with a faceplant to the ground. The other dragons laughed as Mario helped Spike to his feet.
"King of the Hoard!" Garble called out as the rest of the dragons cheered before they all charged the mountain. Clomp was the first to reach the top, but Garble easily threw him off the mountain as Spike and Mario slowly made their move toward Garble.
"This is my chance!" said Spike.
"Go on, Spike," said Mario, "I've got your back!" Spike continued to venture forward with Mario close behind. Fume then chuckled to himself as he followed them. Once he was close enough, he grabbed Mario by the leg.
"Wah!" Mario yelped as he was dragged away from Spike and off the mountain. Fume continued to close in on the baby dragon.
"Not so fast!" Rainbow called out as the three ponies lunged at Fume.
"Oof!" said Twilight as they collided with Fume and knocked him away from Spike. As Garble and Clomp were wrestling with each other, Spike poked his head from under Gargle's lower belly, poking the red dragon with his head scales.
"Whoa!" said Clump and Garble as they both tumbled off the mountain and Spike found that he was now standing at the top of the mountain.
"Way to go little brother!" Mario called out.
"King of the ho-whoa! Oof! Uh! Nuh! Oof!" Spike's moment of victory was cut short when he slipped and tumbled off the mountain.
"Look like this is another fail for you, little Spike!" said Garble smugly, "Can't wait to see you fail at lava cannonball, too."
"Sore loser!" Mario muttered as he now sat on top of the mountain. Fume tried again to sneak up on Mario, only for Mario to punch him off the hill without even looking at the dragon. Spike just gulped before he found himself at the edge of a cliff overlooking a decently sized lava pool.
"Whoever makes the biggest lava splash is the ultimate dragon!" said Garble, "Geronimo!" Garble then dived into the lava, creating a rather large splash.
"Nuh!" said Spike as he flinched away from the splashing lava. Some bits of lava splashed near the three ponies, making Rainbow back away before some lava could hit her hooves.
"Spike's on his own this time," said Twilight as Rainbow and Rarity backed away.
"Should Mario be okay diving into the lava?" Rainbow asked worried.
"He's a dragon now!" said Twilight, "of course...he'll be fine!" But deep down, Twilight wasn't 100% sure.
"Twilight," said Rarity quietly, "maybe you should...in case he doesn't make it..."
"He's gonna make it!" Twilight hissed sternly, not wanting to think about the possibility or the fact Twilight just didn't have the courage to speak up. It was then dragon after dragon dived into the lava, trying to create the biggest splash they could.
"Cannonball!" Clump shouted as he dived in, creating the largest splash yet. Spike then looked over the edge of the cliff nervously and suddenly felt a slight case of vertigo.
"Guh!" said Spike as he backed away in fright as Mario looked at him worried.
"What's wrong, Spike and Koopa?" Garble taunted, "You afraid the lava will hurt your soft pony hide?" The other dragons laugh.
"If that was true," said Mario with a smug look, "would I do this?" Despite his dragon form, Mario was still able to jump high into the air.
"Oh no, not that!" said Spike fearfully.
"POINT OF IMPACT!" Mario called out as he slammed into the lava with a splashdown attack, creating a massive geyser of lava that rose high into the air. Spike and the others just watched in fear and awe as the lava tumbled back down. The other dragons groaned as Mario surfaced, completely alright.
"What do you think you're doing, Koopa?" Garble complained.
"You trying to wipe us out or something?" Fume added angrily.
"Is it my fault you can't handle a massive lava splash?" said Mario casually as the others glared and then laughed. Spike just breathed a sigh of relief. Rarity and Rainbow did the same. But then Rainbow felt something wet hit her nose.
"Uh, Twilight...are you crying?" Rainbow asked annoyingly.
"No," Twilight retorted despite having tear stained cheeks, "Just remind me to beat Mario up when this is over." Rarity and Rainbow just exchanged unamused looks. As for Spike, he was still hesitant to take the jump.
"C'mon little brother!" said Mario, "The lava feels great!" Spike then looked over the cliff nervously before summoning up some courage. With a gulp, Spike then screamed as he dived into the lava...and belly-flopped with a hard thwack.
"Oooh..." All the dragons, including Mario, groaned as Spike slowly sank into the lava. It wasn't long before Spike resurfaced and spat some lava from his mouth.
"Ugh...Was I...that bad?" Spike asked worried.
"No, dude," said Garble as he grabbed Spike by his head scale and let him sink into the lava, "that was awesome! No pony could live through a belly flop like that! You and your brother are tough dragons!" The other dragon agreed. It was later that Baff snorted like a kazoo as the other dragons raised their tail into the air to make A shape arches. Spike and Mario watched with interest before they walked through the arches and stood before Garble.
"Spike, by belly flopping so hard, you have proven yourself worthy," said Garble before adding quickly, "and your brother, Koopa, is okay too," then looked at Spike as he used his tail to knight the baby dragon, "I hereby dub you "rookie dragon", and will now perform the initiation ritual. Rrrrgh." He then grabbed Spike and gave him a hard noogie on the head and chuckled as he set Spike down. He didn't bother to do the ritual for Mario.
"Now let's party dragon style!" Garble announced as the dragons cheered and began to devour gems by the handful. It was later that day when dragons, along with Spike and Mario, were just laying on their backs with full bellies.
"Man, was that a great party," said Spike as he rubbed his stomach.
"I'll say," said Mario, "Who knew...migration gems...would be so tasty?" It still amazed Mario that he was able to actually consume gems and he had to admit that he found them rather tasty.
"Great? Huh, maybe by Ponyville standards," said Garble, "Stick with us, Spike and Koopa. We still got plenty to teach you about being a dragon." Garble gave Spike a playful shoulder jab.
"I'm not going anywhere," said Spike contently, "The way I feel right now, I could hang out with you guys forever." Mario thought his dragon heart had skipped the beat. The three ponies, who had been keeping to themselves and had stayed hidden behind a rock, were in complete shock.
"Forever?!" they all exclaimed in surprise. All went quiet as Spike just sighed contently as the other dragons were just taking naps. Mario was just tapping his foot with worry next to the three ponies.
"Spikey-wikey is going to say with these awful dragons? Forever?" said Rarity.
"Oh no, this is terrible!" said Twilight.
"I should've stopped him back at the library when I had the chance," said Rainbow.
"No, Rainbow Dash, this is all my fault!" said Twilight sadly, "I encouraged him to go!"
"Don't blame yourself too much, Twilight," said Mario, "I thought he should go to! I could try to convince him to come home..."
"No, not yet," said Twilight, "Just keep playing it cool for now." Mario nodded as he made his way back to the group as Spike and some of the other dragons were getting up and stretching from their little nap.
"Y'know, Spike," said Garble, "I think you just might be ready for a real dragon raid." The other dragons cheered and Spike was excited. Mario felt a little worried.
"What kind of raid do ya have in mind, Garble?" Mario asked with his arm crossed.
"Well, Koopa, there's a nest full of phoenix eggs nearby," the red dragon explained, "and we're gonna swipe 'em!" That made Spike's smile flip upside down instantly and Mario blinked, but kept most of his shock to himself.
"Aren't you totally psyched to go on this raid?" Clump asked as he gave Spike a hard slap on the back, causing the baby dragon to face-plant the ground.
"Oh, yeah, I'm excited," said Spike as he recovered and tried to save face, "I mean, I'm psyched."
"Alright then," said Garble, "Let's fly!" Garble, Fume, and Clomp then took to the skies. Spike then remembered that he doesn't have wings.
"Uh, sorry, guys!" Spike called out from below, "I guess I'll meet you back here at the crater! After the whole raid thing is over? We'll totally hang then! Whoahoa!" Spike was then taken by surprise when Clomp scooped up Spike in his arms and carried him away.
"Oh no, they took Spike!" said Rainbow.
"Spike!" Mario called out but was then pinned down on his arms by Vex and Baff, "Hey, get off of me ya big pile of scales!"
"You're not going anywhere, Koopa!" Vex sneered.
"Your little bro's gotta handle this raid without you," said Baff, "if he can survive being the distraction...or live bait! Hahaha!" Mario's eyes shrank as he angrily gritted his teeth as he struggled to get out of their grasp.
"We've gotta go after them!" said Rainbow as she tried to use her wings to lift them into the sky, but it was no good. Rarity screamed as Rainbow was literally dragging the entire costume towards a nearby lava pool.
"Rainbow Dash, stop!" Twilight yelped as Rainbow finally stopped trying to flap her wings and move, "We can't fly!"
"And you're ruining my fabulous costume!" Rarity added indignantly.
"I'm sorry, but we gotta help Spike!" said Rainbow hastily.
"Well' we're just gonna have to hoof it!" said Twilight as they watched the four dragon fly away.
"Wait! Where's Mario...I...I mean Koopa?" Rainbow asked.
POW! POW!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
THUD!
Mario had finally gotten free of Vex and Baff and slugged them away into some nearby rock walls and leaving them knocked out. Mario clapped his hands together in satisfaction.
"It'sa go time!" said Mario, "Rarity, Twilight, hold on to Rainbow! We're outta here!" Mario then opened his dragon wings and then grabbed hold of Rarity's costume as they took off into the sky. Rarity and Twilight screamed as they struggled to hold on Rainbow for dear life.
"Relax girls, I got ya!" said Mario as he flapped his dragon wings to pick up the pace, "And I can see why Rainbow loves flying so much. Being up in the sky is...so...awesome!"
"Do tell!" Rainbow strained sarcastically as a frightened Rarity and Twilight clung to her so tightly that she could barely breathe.
It wasn't much longer before the four dragons landed nearby where two phoenix birds were resting comfortably in their nest. The four dragons quickly hid behind a bush to spy on the bird's nest.
"Alright, Spike," Garble instructed as he closed the hole in the bush, "Since you're our rookie dragon, you get to lure the parent away from the nest!"
"Heh...Lucky me..." said Spike nervously.
"Well, go on, then!" said Garble as he shoved Spike out into the open.
"Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Phoenix!" Spike called out timidly, "I was hoping I could have a word with you? Um, I'd, um, like to ask you a few questions actually..." The two phoenix birds just looked at Spike quickly before turning away.
"We haven't got all day, Spike!" Garble snapped as he peeked out of the bush and ducked back in as he handed Spike a rock.
"Hey, you bird brains!" Spike taunted, "Come and get me!" Spike then threw the rock, which nailed one of the phoenix birds on the head. Both birds cawed as Spike yelped and ran for his life with the two phoenix birds in hot pursuit. The other three dragons smirked before they flew up toward the nest to collect the eggs.
"What the..." said Garble as they saw several phoenix chicks chirping inside the nest.
"The eggs have hatched," said Fume.
"What do we do now?" Clump asked.
"We take the hatchlings, of course," said Garble with a devious look on his face, but just as he went to snatch a phoenix chicks, they all shrieked and scattered. They begin to taunt Garble as one appeared behind his neck, then on his arm, and then flew between his legs to avoid his claws. They even appeared behind his head, taunting him as he tried to grab one chick with his teeth and missed. Fume and Clump were stunned when Garble's limbs were all tangled up.
"Get 'em!" Garble shouted as he struggled to untangle himself. The phoenix chicks gave the dragons a raspberry before flying off. Once Garble untangled his limbs, he stomped the nest before taking off, knocking a lone phoenix egg out of it. The egg managed to safely bounce its way down to the ground unharmed, but none of the dragons noticed it.
Meanwhile, Spike was still yelping for his life as the two parent phoenixes were coming after him. Just as one phoenix was within range of biting Spike. They heard the screech of their baby chicks, which caused them to abandon following Spike and rejoin with their chicks just as Spike face-planted the dirt. Once he recovered, he saw that the two phoenix birds were flying away from him.
The three dragons were still pursuing the phoenix chicks when a huge flame appeared and charred their faces as the chicks were swept away from the dragons. Garble looked stunned until he saw the giant wave of fire up ahead.
"Ohh...Get them!" Garble shouted as the three dragons wasted no time catching up to the phoenix family. Garble was in range of grabbing one of the parents wings, chuckling to himself. Then one of the parent phoenix birds flew up and screeched loudly as it generated a bright light in front of the three dragons.
"Nnnghh..." the three dragons groaned since they couldn't see where they were going until...
CRASH!
"Ugh!" The three dragons groaned as they crashed head first into a tree and got their heads stuck in the tree trunk.
"Nnngh, they got away!" Garble complained, "I hate that!" It was then the tree they were stuck in fell over with a loud crash.
"Oof!" The three dragons all groaned.
As the phoenix family flew out of sight, Spike arrived to see that the nest had been destroyed and also caught sight of the abandoned egg.
"Huh, what have we got here?" said Spike as he picked up the egg. It was then the other three dragons returned, looking very angry.
"What happened?" Spike asked.
"They got away!" said Garble angrily, but then blinked when he saw Spike holding the phoenix egg.
"Hey! You stole an egg?" said Garble in surprise.
"Uh..." Spike stuttered.
"Well, I guess the raid wasn't a total waste after all," said Garble. Fume and Clump cheered as Garble gave Spike a hard slap on the back, nearly making the baby dragon drop the egg.
"Nice going, Spike," said Garble impressed. Spike just smiled.
"Well, what are you waiting for, Spike?" said Clump, "Smash it!"
"Smash the egg?" said Spike in surprise.
"Yeah!" said Clump.
"Yeah, throw it on the ground as hard as you can!" said Fume.
"Yeah! Smash it! Smash it! Smash it! Smash it! Smash it!" the three dragons cheered. Spike put on assertive looking face as he raised the raised the egg into the air to slam it down on the ground. Spike hesitated for a moment as the other dragons smirk at him to do it. Spike began to sweat and grit his teeth. His arms shook as some tears left his eyes before making an important decision.
"No!" said Spike as he lowered the egg and held it close, "It's just a defenseless egg, like I was! And I'm not gonna let you hurt it!" The other dragons were shocked.
"What did you say?" Garble asked sternly.
"I said no," said Spike in the same tone.
"No one says no to me," Garble growled as he approached Spike. Spike backed up...right into Mario and the three ponies still inside the dragon costume. The time had come as Mario closed his eyes and returned back to normal with his glasses on his fore-hoof. The other ponies tossed their disguise away and stood on their hind legs with their fore-hooves raised in a fighting stance. Of course Rainbow chose to hover as she did her stance.
"Nopony's gonna lay a claw on him!" said Rainbow firmly.
"That's right!" Twilight added as she rotated her fore-hooves.
"Fighting's not really my thing, I'm more into fashion," said Rarity casually before saying in a threatening tone, "but I'll rip you to pieces if you touch one scale on his cute little head!" The three dragons just blinked in surprise, especially at seeing that Mario, or Koopa to them, was a pony in disguise. Then they all just laughed at the now four ponies.
"Ooh, scary, hehe!" Garble sneered, "Spike, are these namby-pamby ponies your friends and your big brother?" Spike just glared back.
"Yes, they are," said Spike, "And they're better friends than you could ever be. Now, if you don't back off, you'll see what us ponies can do when confronted by a huge group of jerky dragons!"
"Oh, yeah?" Gargle snorted as he towered over Spike, "What's that?" Spike smirked.
"Mario now!" Spike called out.
"Wait...who's...Mario?" said Garble as he noticed the unicorn glowing his horn to initiate a turn battle.
"Let's do this!" said Twilight.
"Aw yeah!" said Rainbow.
"Let's get to it!" said Rarity.
(Cue RPG battle music)
Mario and Spike watched as Twilight, Rainbow, and Rarity would battle it out against Garble, Fume, and Clomp. Garble laughed.
"A turn battle? Seriously?" said Garble, "Hope you're all ready to get toasted!"
"Not if we give you a good smack-down," said Rainbow, "You girls ready to take the skies?"
"As long as Mario isn't doing the flying!" said Twilight as Rarity nodded in agreement.
"I heard that!" Mario called from the sidelines. Rainbow then pulled out the giant cardboard hammer. The three ponies took the handle as they slammed the hammer on the dragons.
"AAH!" the three dragons screamed before they became paper pictures that slowly floated down a long cylinder. Each pony stood on a cloud before Rarity held onto Twilight's hind legs by the forelegs. Twilight held onto Rainbow in the same manner, and Rainbow opened her fore-legs and wings outward as they spun their way down like a helicopter. As they descended downward, Rarity used her hind horseshoes to collect all three pictures of the dragons, Rainbow then controlled the direction of their descent so they could pass through some rainbow rings to increase their falling speed. Just as they reached a series of floating platforms, the three ponies quickly drilled through them. Once they landed, they drilled into the three pictures to deal lots of damage to the three dragons.
"Aw yeah!" Rainbow, Twilight, and Rarity cheered before they returned to the battle field. The three dragons groaned as Garble snarled.
"Nopony drills us unless we say so!" he shouted as he belched a long trail of fire so that it moved from right to left and back again. The three ponies each jumped over the passing trail of fire to avoid damage. It was Twilight's turn.
"Rarity, do you know the Pony attacks?" Twilight asked.
"Indeed," said Rarity, "Mario even taught me those new "elemental" attacks that only unicorns can do!"
"Then let's do the Fire Ponies!" said Twilight as she turned her back to the dragons and used her horn to produce several small fireballs. The fireballs began to merge with each other in the air, making a very large fire ball that descended towards Rarity. Rarity waited until the last moment to use her hammer to smack the fireball at the dragons.
"Rain of fire!" Rarity shouted as the fire ball split up into several fireball that came raining down on the dragons. Since dragons have a high tolerance to fire, the damage was probably minimal, but seeing the three dragons look dumbly at the ponies and slightly cooked was worth it.
"Now it's my turn!" said Rarity with a fierce look on her face, "Thunder Ponies!" Rarity and Twilight got into the same position as before, but this time, Rarity used her horn to create a large ball of electrified magic. She then jumped into Twilight's back. Twilight bucked her into the air above the dragons. When Rarity was directly above, she unleashed her electrical magic ball, shocking and damaging them all at once, leaving them cooked and dumbfounded once more.
"Okay, enough joking around!" Garble shouted. It was then Clomp raised his head and launched several fireballs into the air. Each fireball began to descend towards the three ponies, but they were ready. Using their hammers, they managed to knock the fireballs away...and doing counter-damage to Clomp. Fume then backed away before making a charge at one of the ponies. He also tried to change directions often to catch his target off guard, but Rainbow easily jumped and stomped his head as he tried to run her over.
Rainbow then went for the same Trio attack to damage the three dragons at once. Garble then tried to launch several small but fast moving fireballs at the ponies, but then jumped over them easily, except for Rainbow, who jumped too early on the last fireball and got her hooves burnt a bit. Twilight and Rarity then used Splash Ponies to knock out Fume. Then used Bounce Ponies to knock out Clomp. Garble was the only dragon remaining.
"I'm gonna destroy you ponies!" Garble threatened, "and you're little squirt too!"
"Yeah, right!" said Rainbow as she used her multi-hammer attack. Using her speed to create five after images of herself, Each image raised their hammer one at a time, until Rainbow then raised her hammer, making it glow and they all slammed their hammers on Garble, making him dizzy.
"I think a normal hammer should work," said Twilight as she walked up, raised her hammer behind her. Once her hammer glowed, she brought it down on Garble, making him POOF and ending the battle.
(Battle victory!)
"Alright we did it!" said Twilight as she, Rainbow, and Rarity shared a group hug.
"Great job you guys," Spike added impressed.
"I see all that training has paid off," said Mario.
"Ya think so?" said Garble as he and Clomp, and Fume had already recovered and were furious.
"He really is a sore loser isn't he?" said Rarity nervously as the three dragons glared at them.
"You can say that again," said Twilight as they all cowered back.
"So what's plan B?" Mario asked. There was a two second moment of silence.
"RUN AWAY-AY-AY!" Spike shouted as he took off at high speed, leaving the three dragons shocked. The four ponies just smiled.
"Sounds good to me," said Mario quickly before they all took off for their lives. The four ponies and Spike ran as fast as they could, but the dragons used their ability to fly to catch up to them quickly and tried to attack them from above.
"Get away!" Mario shouted as he jumped high into the air and used his homing attack to knock them away. Twilight could tell all Mario did was buy them some time. She quickly made her horn glow to produce orbs of magic around each of them, but the dragons were gaining fast.
"Nyuh!" Twilight groaned as she used her magic to teleport their group away just in time...for the dragons to crash into another tree and get their big heads stuck in the tree trunk. And then the tree fell over while they were still stuck in it.
It was a few moments later they all yelped as they arrived just outside the Everfree forest. Twilight tumbled into her stomach as Rarity, Spike, Mario, and Rainbow slowed down.
"Phew, that was a close one," said Spike, "Thank, you guys." Twilight just sat up slowly since her spell had tired her out a bit. Mario gently helped Twilight back onto her hooves.
"Of course," said Twilight, "What are friends for?"
"You're more than friends," said Spike as his eyes watered, "You're my family." Rarity gave a happy squeak as they all embraced him into a group hug.
"Hey Mario?" Spike asked once they pulled away.
"Yeah, Spike?" said Mario.
"Did you...mean it back there?" said Spike, "that I'm like your...little brother." Mario blinked.
"I'm surprised you hadn't figured that out, little buddy," said Mario, "Of course you are. Now give me a bro hug." Spike and him shared a combination high five/hoof before pulling in for a hug. Spike then pulled away puzzled.
"What' wrong Spike?" Mario asked.
"Guess I was waiting for a noogie or a slap on the back or something," said Spike honestly. Mario chuckled.
"Not all big brothers have be rough with each other to show that they care," said Mario, "but if really want me to...come here you!" Mario then grabbed Spike and firmly rubbed his head with a fore-hoof.
"Nnnnrrrgh," Spike grunted, "Okay, I take it back! I take it back! The hug was fine!" The others just laughed as Mario let Spike go as they shared a hearty laugh together.
"Dear Princess Celestia," Spike recited as he wrote his letter inside the library,
"Seeing the great dragon migration made me wonder what it meant to be a dragon. But now I realize that who I am is not the same as what I am. I may have been born a dragon, but Equestria is my home and my pony friends have taught me how to be kind, loyal, and true! I'm proud to call Ponyville my home, and to have my pony friends as my family.
Yours truly,
Spike."
As Spike wrote his letter, several pictures are seen. The first was when Twilight and Mario became his caretakers. Other pictures included nightmare night when Twilight wore her Star Swirl Costume and Mario was a cat, the three of them joining Rainbow for cider, and final picture of the entire group with Spike taped into the corner to show he was part of the family. As he finished his letter, the phoenix egg that Spike had saved and stored inside the library hatched into a little phoenix chick.
"Aww," said Spike with a chuckle as the chick hopped into Spike's hand and nuzzled him, "Hey, welcome to the family, Peewee! Stick with me. I've got plenty to teach you about being a pony." The phoenix chick just smiled, but Spike did forget one important thing:
Would Twilight even allow him to keep a Phoenix bird for a pet?
One thing that always bothered me about the episode was when Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow were ready to fight, but all they ended up doing was retreating when Spike took off. We all know these girls can fight, so that's why I added the turn battle before they ended up running away.
Interestingly enough, only the Friendship is Magic comics ever address what happened to Spike's phoenix chick and the issue was declared non-canon. The main series never addresses what happened to it after this so I might leave the issue at that and move on.
Get the tissues again, if you've read Putting your Hoof Down, then you know things are gonna be dramatic again.
Peace Pony Fans!