Dragon Quest

Night's POV

Today was the Dragon Migration and while Applejack and Pinkie were digging out the trench they would be using to watch from, he, Twilight, and Rainbow were trying to get Fluttershy to join them. "C'mon, Fluttershy, it'll be fun!" Twilight encouraged.

"There's nothing fun about dragons! Scary, yes! Fun, no!" Fluttershy said as Rainbow tried to drag her out.

"But Fluttershy, the great dragon migration happens only once in a generation! Do you really wanna pass up a chance like that?" Twilight asked.

"Now that you put it that way, yes!" Fluttershy answered from the doorway, with Rainbow trying to push her out. Twilight then teleported over.

"Aw, Fluttershy, we just don't want you to miss out," Twilight told her.

"Miss out on what? Dragons? Big, scaly, fire-breathing dragons?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well... yeah!" Twilight answered.

"Thanks, but... no thanks!" Fluttershy said.

"Look, Fluttershy, I watched that boring butterfly migration with you, so now it's your turn to watch the dragon migration with me! You owe me!" Rainbow explained.

"You don't have to worry Fluttershy, we'll all be there with you," Night said.

"I… said… no!" Fluttershy shouted, suddenly overpowering Rainbow and slamming her on the ground and sprinted toward the window. She held her hoofs up to smash it but gently opened it before sprinting out. Night and Twilight then checked up on Rainbow.

"Okay, I guess I'll let you off the hook this time," Rainbow said to the no-longer-around Fluttershy as she recovered.

"I didn't know she had that in her," Night pointed out.

"Neither did I," Twilight added.

The three then headed over to the trench Applejack and Pinkie had dug out and put on camo to hide better from the dragons. Speaking in hushed voices, Twilight realized something, "I don't see any dragons," she said after looking for a while with her binoculars.

"Me neither," Applejack added.

"Me neither neither," Pinkie said, holding her binoculars the wrong way.

"Shoot! You don't think we missed them, do you?" Rainbow asked.

"They also might not be here yet," Night pointed out.

"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!" Twilight stated.

"Yoo-hoo! Well? What do you think? Am I the toast of the trench or what?" Rarity asked, appearing in a fancy and easy to spot dress with a red carpet going right up to the trench.

"I think you just gave away the trench," Night told her.

"And you'll be toast alright, when the dragons see you parading around in that getup," Applejack added.

"You look very nice, Rarity, but could you maybe look nice down here in the trench with us?" Twilight asked as she got rid of the red carpet. Rarity obliged and climbed down.

"Nice is an understatement. I look fabulous! Who says camouflage has to be drab?" Rarity asked.

"Ahoy, maties! Dragons ho!" Pinkie said as a dragon flew over the trench. Soon, the rest of the dragons flew over and one of them flew closer to the ground and did a backflip in the air.

"Wow, amazing!" Twilight commented.

"Pfft, pretty lame move. Is that all they've got?" Rainbow asked. As if they heard her, two dragons started fighting and one shot a plume a fire toward the ground.

"What do ya think of that 'move', Rainbow Dash? Still think they're lame?" Applejack asked.

"Uh, not so much. The word 'fierce' comes to mind" Rainbow answered.

"And 'formidable'," Rarity added.

"And 'super-duper scary'!" Pinkie finished. Spike then headed her a cupcake.

"Yeah. Us dragons are definitely a force to be reckoned with," he told her. Rainbow then started laughing.

"Yeah, right, Spike. That's one of the scariest aprons I've ever seen!" Rainbow teased. Applejack and Pinkie joined in laughing and Night saw Spike was wearing his normal apron. He had teased him about it at first, but he doesn't bother anymore.

"What's wrong with wearing an apron? You won't be laughing when you spill blueberries all over your scales. Feathers. That's one tough stain!" Spike told her.

"One tough stain against one lame dragon," Rainbow said as she started laughing again.

"Enough of that Rainbow," Night said.

"Spike's style is unique. He doesn't have to look like other dragons," Rarity added.

"Or act like them," Twilight added.

"My little Spikey-wikey is perfect the way he is," Rarity told Spike.

"I don't act like other dragons?" Spike asked.

"Oh, not even close!" Pinkie answered.

"But why would you want to, Spike?" Applejack asked.

"Yes. You've got something those dreadfully fierce dragons can only dream of," Rarity told him.

"What's that?" Spike asked excitedly.

"The cutest widdle chubby cheeks!" Rarity answered as she put her hoofs on said cheeks. Spike's face turned red, clearly not expecting that answer.

"Cute?! Dragons aren't supposed to be cute! Right?" Spike asked.

"Oh, sweetie, you are turning the most delightful shade of red. It is most becoming," Rarity commented. This seemed to fuel Spike's rage though.

"Rrrgh!" Spike growled as he climbed out of the trench and stormed off.

"Oh, isn't he adorable when he waddles off in anger?" Rarity asked the rest of the group.

"Waddle?! Rrrrrggggh!" Spike growled again.

"Wow, nice work," Night said sarcastically.

The group finished watching the dragon migration and headed back to their homes. As he was falling asleep, Night heard something happening in the library. Heading down, Night discovered that Twilight and Spike were looking through all the books. "What's going on?" Night asked.

"I want to learn more about dragons," Spike answered.

"In the middle of the night?" Night asked.

"I need answers! Please Night, can you help?" Spike asked.

"Alright, I'll see if we can find anything," Night said as he joined in. It was morning by the time they had gotten through all the books.

"Nothing at all about dragons? This is getting ridiculous!" Spike said angrily.

"I know! It's hard to believe, but ponies know next to nothing about dragons. Apparently they're too rare and too scary to try to talk to or study!" Twilight said.

"I wonder if dragons cry…" Spike started.

"Aw, Spike," Twilight said, going to clear Spike's tears, but Night stopped her and shook his head.

"It's okay, Twilight. I'm gonna discover who I am if it's the last thing I do!" Spike vowed.

Just then, Rarity and Rainbow came through the door. "Good morning!" Rarity said.

"Ya wanna join us for breakfast?" Rainbow asked.

"That sounds great. I'm famished," Twilight answered.

"Sure, I'll come," Night added.

"Count me out. I've gotta get an early start!" Spike told them.

"'An early start'?" Rarity asked.

"Yes! I'm going on a quest of self-discovery! I need to learn what it means to be a dragon! And the only way I'm gonna do that is to join the dragon migration!" Spike told them.

"What?!" the girls asked in shook as Spike started packing.

"Spike, that's nonsense talk! I know that you're a dragon, but those dragons mean business! They're big, and tough, and scary…" Rainbow started.

"And I'm small, and meek... and I like to wear aprons. See? This is exactly why I need to spend time with them," Spike said.

"All I'm saying is that you could get hurt," Rainbow pointed out.

"Darling, this time I really do have to agree with Rainbow Dash. I don't want those big, ugly, nasty dragons to hurt one little scale on your cutesy-wootesy head!" Rarity said. Spike shrugged them both off and started to head toward the door.

"I'm sorry, but I've made up my mind," Spike said.

"Oh, uh, quick, do something! Stop him before it's too late!" Rarity told Rainbow. Rainbow flew toward Spike but Night got between them.

"What? You going to try to stop me too?" Spike asked Night.

"Actually, I think this is the best thing for you," Night answered.

"What!?" Rarity and Rainbow asked.

"Tell me, what would you do in his shoes? You're the only one like yourself, with no idea about who you were and where you came from. The only one here who has felt that is me," Night told them. "If Spike thinks that being with his own kind will give him the answers he seeks, then why should we stop him?" Night asked.

"Night's right. We shouldn't stop him," Twilight said.

Night then turned to Spike. "Good luck out there Spike. Just… remember that you will always have a place here," Night said. Spike hugged Night and he turned to leave.

"Thanks, Night," Spike said as he left.

"Goodbye, Spikey-wikey!" Rarity called after him.

"Go get 'em, big guy!" Rainbow said.

"We have faith in you!" Twilight added.

"We're following him, right?" Rarity asked Twilight.

"No! Terrible idea," Night said.

"Spike could get into trouble Night," Twilight told him.

"And if we interfere he'll think we're trying to set him up. I know you're worried he won't come back, but that's a risk we have to take," Night countered.

Spike's POV

Spike had been traveling for a few days following the dragons when they finally landed on an active volcano. When he reached the top he looked around to see where he could go as a full-grown dragon shot a plume of fire at him. Spike avoided it and saw a group of teenage dragons at the bottom of the volcano. "Alright, teenage dragons! Now that's more my speed. And size," Spike said to himself as he headed down where two dragons were having a brawl. "Um, excuse me? Uh, hi. I'm Spike," he greeted.

"You sure your name is Spike and not Shrimp?!" a purple dragon with yellow spikes asked and they started laughing.

"No, it's Spike! I'm not, I mean, I'm sure about that…" Spike started, not sure how to respond.

"You look more like Peewee to me," a large brown dragon said. The others started laughing again.

"Hey guys, c'mon, seriously. Leave him alone or he might fly away," a third, red and orange said. Spike felt a flicker of hope. But it was short-lived. "That is, uh, if he had any wings!" he said and they started laughing again.

"You fly in on your mommy's back during the migration?" the brown dragon asked.

"Not exactly…" Spike started.

"No, no, can't you see baby Spike just hatched? I bet he still sucks his claw at night!" the purple dragon said.

"No, I haven't sucked my claw in months!" Spike countered but the other dragons couldn't hear him over their laughter.

"Well, if you weren't just hatched, how come we haven't seen you around before?" the red dragon asked.

"Oh, well, y'see, I live in Ponyville and–" Spike started.

"Hahaha! Ponyville? That explains it! I knew there was something vaguely pony-ish about you! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were part pony!" he accused.

"Who, me? I'm not part pony! I'm all dragon, see? Raar!" Spike roared but it came out as a growl.

"Or maybe you're a pony in a dragon costume," the red dragon said which sparked more laughter.

"Nnh, I am a real dragon!" Spike told him.

"Oh, yeah? Prove it," he said.

"Well... how?" Spike asked.

"By acting like one! Who's up for a little belching contest?" he asked the group.

They cheered with excitement as a few of the adults turned to watch. Three dragons let out plumes of flame but the third's was so big that it covered them up. "You think you can beat that, Peewee?" the dragon from earlier asked. Spike gulped nervously and tried to summon his fire. When it came out, however, it revealed a letter from Princess Celestia. The dragons looked at each other confused as the red dragon picked up the letter and started to read it.

From the desk of Princess Celestia. Dear Spike, please te- he started as it turned to laughter.

"Ha! Get this, guys! Spike's pen-pals with a namby-pamby pony princess!" he teased as he threw the letter into the lava. "Maybe tail wrestling is more your speed."

"Uh…" Spike started as the others cheered.

A dark purple dragon and a black-gray dragon twine their tails together. "Ready... go!" the red dragon says and the two started wrestling. Eventually, the purple one proved to be better as he pulled the black one's tail. "The winner!" the red one shouted, holding the tail up.

"Good old tail wrestling…" Spike said, nervously looking at his own tail.

"I challenge Spike to a tail wrestle!" a green dragon said with what looked like multiple gems embedded into his scales.

The two twine their tails and the red dragon starts the match. "Ready? Go!" Spike pulls with all his might and finds it's unsuccessful. Suddenly, his opponent collapsed. "Spike's the winner!" the red dragon says, holding Spike by the tail. He then drops him and looks at him. "Nice going, little Spike! Maybe you are a dragon after all!"

"Yeah! Maybe I am!" Spike realized. "Alright, who's next?" Spike asked.

"Getting a little cocky, huh? I like that. So how about you wrestle... him!" the red one said, pointing toward a small green dragon. Spike smiled confidently as other dragons moved out of the way to reveal his massive tail. The fight was over in two seconds as Spike ended up in the wall.

"So, Spike, you haven't exactly proven yourself as a dragon yet, have you?" The red dragon said as he carried him up to the top of a pile of gems.

"But... I get an A for effort?" Spike asked.

"Huh, maybe. Let's see how you do in this next contest," he said as he kicked Spike down the pile. "King of the hoard!" he shouted from the top as the other dragons started climbing up.

Spike started climbing and noticed that the red dragon was struggling to get rid of the brown dragon from earlier but wasn't budging either. "This is my chance," Spike realized. He got to the top and stood up as tall as he could. It proved to be enough as both dragons fell to the bottom. "King of the ho-" Spike started when he slipped and fell to the bottom.

"Looks like this is another fail for you, little Spike. Can't wait to watch you fail at lava cannonball, too," the red dragon said.

The dragons headed for a rock that was high above a lava pit as they prepared to jump. "Whoever makes the biggest lava splash is the ultimate dragon!" the red dragon said as he jumped in. The other dragons followed suit with the brown one making the biggest splash. Spike looked down nervously and he ran back. "What's wrong, Spike? You afraid the lava will hurt your soft pony hide?"

Spike gulped and jumped as hard as he could and face planted into the lava. Spike popped back up and spit out some lava in his throat. "Ugh... Was I... that bad?" Spike asked.

"No, dude. That was awesome! No pony could live through a belly flop like that! You're one tough little dragon," the red dragon told him.

Later, the dragons stood like an honor guard with their tails held high. Spike walked between them and stepped up to the red dragon at the end. "Spike, by belly-flopping so hard, you have proven yourself worthy. I hereby dub you 'rookie dragon', and will now perform the initiation ritual," he said as he gave Spike a noogie. "Now let's party dragon style!" The rest of the dragon's cheered and they started partying.

"Man, was that a great party," Spike said.

"Great? Huh, maybe by Ponyville standards. Stick with us, Spike. We still got plenty to teach you about being a dragon," the red dragon who Spike found out to be named Garble said.

"I'm not going anywhere. The way I feel right now, I could hang out with you guys forever," Spike told him.

"Y'know, Spike, I think you just might be ready for a real dragon raid," Garble said as the dragon's around them cheered. "There's a nest full of phoenix eggs nearby, and we're gonna swipe 'em!" Spike felt a sense of dread fall upon him.

"Aren't you totally psyched to go on this raid?" the brown dragon, Clump, asked.

"Oh yeah, I'm excited. I mean, I'm psyched," Spike lied.

"Alright then. Let's fly!" Garble said as he, Clump, and a purple dragon named Fume flew off. Spike then remembered that he didn't have wings.

"Uh, sorry, guys! I guess I'll meet you back here at the crater! After the whole raid thing's over? We'll totally hang then!" Spike said as Clump came back and picked up Spike.

The three dragons took him close to the phoenix nest where the two adults were standing. "Alright, Spike. Since you're our rookie dragon, you get to lure the parents away from the nest," Garble told Spike.

"Heh… Lucky me…" Spike said.

"Well go on, then!" Garble said as he pushed him into the open.

"Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Phoenix! I was hoping I could have a word with you? Um, I'd, um, like to ask you some questions actually…" Spike started but saw that the phoenixes weren't listening.

"We haven't got all day, Spike!" Garble told him as he gave Spike a rock.

"Hey, you bird brains! Come and get me!" Spike shouted as he threw it toward the nest. The phoenixes responded immediately and turned toward Spike. He ran as fast as he could, feeling the birds hot on his tail. Something then swooped over Spike and he heard multiple bird cries and thunder. When he turned around, the phoenixes were gone and whatever saved him. Spike ran back toward the nest and found a red and gold egg sitting on the ground not far from the nest. "Huh, what have we got here?" Spike asked himself when Garble and the others returned. "What happened?" Spike asked them.

"They got away! Hey! You stole an egg?" Garble asked, noticing the egg Spike held. "Well, I guess the raid wasn't a total waste after all. Nice going, Spike."

"Well, what are you waiting for, Spike? Smash it!" Clump said.

"Smash the egg?" Spike asked in shock.

"Yeah!" Clump said.

"Yeah, throw it on the ground as hard as you can!" Fume encouraged.

"Yeah! Smash it! Smash it! Smash it! Smash it! Smash it!" the three dragons chanted.

"No! It's just a defenseless egg, like I was! And I'm not gonna let you hurt it!" Spike told them.

"What did you say?" Garble asked.

"I said 'no'," Spike answered.

"No one says no to me," Garble said as he growled. Spike started backing up when he bumped into the green dragon from earlier and it threw off its body to reveal Twilight, Rainbow, and Rarity.

"Nopony's gonna lay a claw on him!" Rainbow shouted.

"That's right!" Twilight added.

"Fighting's not really my thing, I'm more into fashion, but I'll rip you to pieces if you touch one scale on his cute little head!" Rarity threatened.

The three dragons responded by laughing like it was the best joke they ever heard. "Ooh, scary, hehe! Spike, are these namby-pamby ponies your friends?" Garble asked.

"I seem to think so," a familiar voice said as a blue beam of magic slammed Garble in the chest, forcing him back to the other dragons. The voice revealed himself as Night and he stood between Spike and the other dragon. Zera then flew overhead and landed on Night's back. Spike then pieced something together.

"You saved me from the phoenixes earlier, didn't you Zera?" Spike asked. Zera looked at Spike and nodded before turning to the dragons and taking to the air.

"You think a single pony can stand against three dragons?" Garble asked.

"I think so," Night answered. The three dragons responded by sending plumes of fire Night's way but he put up a shield that stopped the fire cold. Night then focused the magic into his horn as he as Zera directed lightning to it. Night fired the beam and it hit both dragons so hard that they were flown into the trees with scorch marks on their chests.

"Let's go!" Spike shouted, seeing the chance to escape. Everypony followed him and they found a safe spot to hide out for a bit. "Phew, that was a close one. Thanks, you guys," Spike said.

"Of course. What are friends for?" Twilight asked.

"You're more than friends. You're my family," Spike said. The four ponies and Zera hugged Spike in response.

"So, Night. I thought you said you weren't going to stop Spike?" Twilight asked him when they broke apart.

"I wasn't. I was going to stop you three from doing something stupid. And I think facing an equal number of dragons counts," Night told them.

A few days later, they returned to Ponyvill and Spike started to write a letter to Princess Celestia,

Dear Princess Celestia,

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 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

Spike then heard the phoenix egg cracking and he saw the baby phoenix in the area he set up. Zera swooped down in curiosity to look at it. "Hey, welcome to the family, Peewee! Stick with me. I've got plenty to teach you about being a pony," Spike told him.