Line #172 Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E21DragonQuest


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7	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mlp_s2e21_dragonquest_9515.jpg]]
8	[[caption-width-right:350:[[Franchise/DragonQuest A SPIKE draws near! Command?]]]]
9
10	->'''Spike:''' I'm going on a quest of self-discovery! I'm going to learn what it means to be a dragon! And the only way I'm gonna do that is to join the Dragon Migration!
11
12	-> Written by Merriwether Williams
13
14	On the outskirts of Ponyville, the Mane Six are preparing a spot to watch the once-in-a-generation Great Dragon Migration (except Fluttershy, who still hasn't gotten over her fear of dragons and refuses to join the others). Spike is on hand (in a pink apron) to serve them tea and muffins, and Rainbow Dash can't help but poke fun at him for not being as intimidating as the full-grown dragons. The other girls chime in with their own thoughts on how Spike isn't big, tough and scary like the other dragons, and their remarks fill Spike with self-doubt.
15
16	That night, Spike is still sad and restless from realizing he doesn't know where he came from. Twilight apologetically tells him she never knew where his egg came from, but offers to do research to help him find out his history. They go through the entire library, but come up with nothing; dragons are too reclusive (and scary) for ponies to learn much about them. When Rainbow Dash and Rarity show up to invite them to breakfast, Twilight accepts, but Spike announces that he's going to undertake a quest to find out who he is -- by ''joining the dragon migration.'' Rarity and Rainbow Dash protest, but Twilight supports Spike's decision and encourages him to tell her everything when he returns. The girls wave Spike off with smiles on their faces, but as soon as he's out of earshot...
17
18	->'''Rarity:''' We're following him, right?\
19	'''Twilight Sparkle:''' Of course.
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21	Spike follows the dragon migration, crossing snowy peaks and deep dark forests to find the dragons roosting in the caldera of a volcano. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity (in a hastily-constructed dragon costume) arrive shortly thereafter. The only dragons who deign to notice Spike are a group of adolescents, who immediately set to teasing Spike for not having wings and for being raised by ponies. They challenge him to prove his worth as a dragon through a belching contest, tail wrestling (which Spike wins because his opponent was the costumed ponies), King of the Hoard, and finally a lava cannonball contest. Spike does a belly-flop instead of a cannonball, but the older dragons are sufficiently impressed to declare him an official "rookie dragon". Then they take him along to raid a phoenix nest.
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23	As the rookie, Spike's task is to distract the phoenix parents while the other dragons steal the eggs. Prompted by the other dragons, he provokes the phoenixes into giving chase and leading them away from the nest. The adolescent dragons move in but the phoenix chicks, already hatched, fly circles around them. Their cries attract the phoenix parents, who return and drive the invaders away. Only Spike has any success in the raid; finding a single unhatched egg on the ground.
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25	The phoenix family flies off after scaring away the teen dragons; the teens, in turn, find Spike and his egg, then goad him to prove himself by smashing it. After a moment's hesitation, Spike refuses to bow to peer pressure, and when the gang turn on him, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity arrive to defend their friend. Before a fight can begin, Spike makes a run for it, and the ponies follow. After a brief chase, Twilight teleports them to safety.
26
27	Happily back in Ponyville, Spike writes a letter to Princess Celestia, explaining that he's learned that his real family are the ones who love and care for him. He also hatches the abandoned phoenix egg, and welcomes "Peewee" into their family.
28	----
29	!!Tropes:
30	* AdultsAreUseless: The adult dragons don't bother monitoring the teen dragons' antics. [[TruthInTelevision Then again, very few real world reptiles are involved in their children's lives,]] and how many things could ''hurt'' a dragon anyway, even a teen one? Apparently, phoenixes, whose flames can burn them despite their lava cannonball contest.
31	* AnAesop: What you are isn't the same as ''who'' you are.
32	* AffectionateGestureToTheHead:
33	** Rarity to Spike several times because he's just precious!
34	** Garble also gives Spike a noogie on becoming a dragon newbie, but this is far from affectionate. It probably didn't hurt that much considering how tough dragons are.
35	* AllThereInTheScript: The name of the red, leading dragon is Garble, as reported by Nayuki, one of the show's layout artists. Outside of Crackle, none of the other dragons are given names.
36	* {{Anticlimax}}: Fluttershy tackles Rainbow Dash, stomps on her stomach, and makes a run for her back window to get away from joining the others to watch the Great Dragon Migration. She looks ready to smash through it, but instead, pauses, carefully opens the windows, and then jumps out.
37	* AppropriatedAppellation: PlayedWith. One of the dragons insults Spike, saying he looks more like a "Peewee". Spike gives the baby phoenix that name.
38	* ArtisticLicenseBiology:
39	** One of the tubbier dragon teens has a [[ExposedAnimalBellybutton belly button]]. Despite the fact that dragons are born from eggs and naturally would lack this. It was likely done for RuleOfFunny, as there's something abnormal about heftier characters lacking this feature.
40	** The same could be said of Spike's thumbsucking -- reptiles don't have a nursing reflex.
41	* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: Garble, the red teenage dragon who seems to be TheLeader of them, is also the strongest of the group, as shown when he [[CurbstompBattle beats all the others easily]] in the King of the Hoard game.
42	* AssKicksYou: Rarity tells Rainbow Dash she can't believe her plan to throw the tail-wrestling match with Spike worked. Rainbow Dash reacts by shoving Rarity with her butt.
43	* BabyTalk: Rarity's insistence on referring to Spike as "Spikey-Wikey" and talking about his cuteness and chubby cheeks only makes his distress worse.
44	* BerserkButton: It's not a good idea say no to Garble:
45	-->'''Garble:''' ''No-one'' says no to me.
46	* BigNo: Fluttershy's response to Rainbow Dash in the cold open, complete with PunctuatedForEmphasis.
47	* BigWhat: Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash have this reaction when Spike announces he's going to join the dragon migration.
48	* BindleStick: Used by Spike during his trek.
49	* BinocularShot: Including Pinkie looking through the wrong end when looking at Rainbow Dash, making her appear small in the shot.
50	* BlingOfWar: Although not used for combat, the outfit Rarity comes up with to watch the dragon migration still qualifies.
51	-->'''Rarity:''' Who says camouflage has to be drab?
52	* BullyingADragon: Literally and metaphorically; first with the dragons and the phoenix and later with ponies and the dragons.
53	* CallBack:
54	** Fluttershy's [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E7Dragonshy fear of adult dragons]] is brought up again, and is the main reason she's absent from the episode. Also, she's awfully [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E19PuttingYourHoofDown assertive]] about her fear. Her escape from her house even mimics Iron Will's attempt to break into it in that episode.
55	** [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E22ABirdInTheHoof Phoenixes are seen again]] and they're still mischievous and powerful tricksters, apparently from the moment they hatch...
56	* TheCameo:
57	** [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E18AFriendInDeed Cranky Doodle Donkey]] has a brief appearance (though this could be a case of Flash-based PropRecycling).
58	** The dragons from "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E7Dragonshy Dragonshy]]" and "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E24OwlsWellThatEndsWell Owl's Well That Ends Well]]" also return.
59	* CategoryTraitor: The other dragons consider Spike, who is biologically a dragon but culturally a pony, to be this. It becomes [[InternalizedCategorism internalized]] by the end of the episode, as he self identifies as a pony and has a rather low opinion of dragon culture.
60	* ChekhovsGunman: In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it scene, the mother and father phoenix can be spotted on Spike's journey.
61	* CirclingBirdies: After Fluttershy tackles Rainbow Dash to escape, knocking her out in the process, Dash has circling butterflies around her head, adequately.
62	* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Rarity's camo outfit. Purple and magenta aren't good colors for hiding in greenery. "Who says camouflage has to be drab?" Answer: People who know what camouflage is for.
63	* ContinuityNod:
64	** Rarity calls out Spike's nickname from "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E24OwlsWellThatEndsWell Owl's Well That Ends Well]]", which she previously used in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E10SecretOfMyExcess Secret of My Excess]]".
65	** Instead of binoculars, Rarity watches the migration through [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E9SweetAndElite opera glasses.]]
66	** [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E24OwlsWellThatEndsWell Spike's bindle stick makes a return.]]
67	** Spike owns pictures that show events from his life, including one of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E23TheCutieMarkChronicles him as a newborn with Twilight]], one of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed him and Twilight in their Nightmare Night costumes]], and one of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E15TheSuperSpeedyCiderSqueezy6000 him, Twilight, and Rainbow drinking cider]] as well as a photo where he inserts himself into what appears to be [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E9SweetAndElite Twilight's birthday.]]
68	** When Spike is packing his things to go you can see the [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E10SecretOfMyExcess blanket he really liked to get from Applejack.]]
69	** Fluttershy's [[Recap.MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E19PuttingYourHoofDown assertiveness lessons]] are still in effect.
70	** Spike suffers no damage after belly-flopping on a pool made of ''lava''; not even after he accidentally gets a mouthful of it. His immunity to fire damage was already mentioned during "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E5GriffonTheBrushOff Griffon the Brush Off]]".
71	** Among the adult dragons, one can spot the red one from "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E7Dragonshy Dragonshy]]" and the green one from "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E24OwlsWellThatEndsWell Owl's Well That Ends Well]]"... or at least dragons that ''look'' like them.
72	** On his way up the mountain, Spike gets a sheep to carry him. [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E5SisterhoovesSocial Guess he just asked.]]
73	* ContrivedCoincidence: Rarity just happens to make a dragon costume identical to a real dragon, enabling the ponies to pass off as his cousin.
74	* ConvectionSchmonvection: All that lava and fire sitting right next to everyone and no one gets burned. Not even the ponies. Justified for the dragons, who are established as being extremely resistant to heat (They could ''bathe'' in the lava with no ill effects). As for the ponies... [[HandWave Maybe Twilight cast a spell that protected them from the heat?]]
75	* CulturalPersonalityMakeover: Spike at first embraces some of his dragon heritage, but ends up going back to his previous ways when he realizes the dragons that he is hanging out with are a bunch of bullies.
76	* CurbStompBattle: ''Fluttershy'' delivers a brief one to ''Rainbow Dash'' in order to get out of watching the dragons.
77	* ADayInTheLimelight: The episode focuses primarily on Spike, with the otherwise main characters in secondary roles.
78	* DisappointingHeritageReveal: Spike, a dragon raised among ponies, realizes that he knows very little about dragons and has no connection to that part of his heritage. As such, he decides to join the Great Dragon Migration in order to meet other dragons and find out who he is. Once he finally meets up with actual dragons, however, they turn out to be a bunch of unpleasant, thuggish and cruel frat boy stereotypes who spend most of the remaining screentime bullying and belittling him. By the end of the episode, Spike decides he wants nothing to do with them, and happily embraces pony culture.
79	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything:
80	** Spike joining the teenage dragons is very much like a child falling in with the wrong crowd. There is also random college fraternity similarity, with Spike having undergone their hazing process. All in all, the teenage dragons are disturbingly similar to real bullies in the way that their emotional and physical abuse is portrayed.
81	** The episode can be seen as Spike trying to act more like a stereotypical boy, because the episode starts with him wearing a stereotypically feminine pink apron and having teas and crumpets. The word "pony" is even thrown around by the teen dragons in the same way a boy might use "girly". He's a boy but he hangs out with and is raised by females. He isn't overly masculine so he hangs out with more guys to try to blend in better with them after being teased that he isn't "manly" enough, but in the end is comfortable just being himself, not what society says he has to be based on his biology. Rephrase it as such: A dragon who likes to hang out with ponies, hardly identifying as a dragon despite being biologically a dragon due to attention being drawn to the fact that he doesn't fit the stereotypes of a dragon, thinking he isn't enough of a dragon and goes off to hang out with dragons to be like dragons but in the end deciding he isn't really a "dragon" in the common sense.
82	* TheDragAlong: Defied by Fluttershy. The episode starts with Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash trying to force Fluttershy to come to the Great Dragon Migration with them; Rainbow Dash tries to literally drag her there. Fluttershy is so adamant in her dislike of dragons that she's willing to [[SuperWindowJump jump out a window]] to avoid going. The girls decide to let her off the hook after that.
83	* DragonHoard: "King of the Hoard" requires dragons to fight one another over a pile of treasure.
84	* DudeWheresMyRespect: Calling Princess Celestia, an alicorn royal with the godlike power to raise the sun, a "namby-pamby princess pony"? Justified: the teen dragons have a "don't know; don't care" attitude to anything not directly affecting them.
85	* EggMacGuffin: An egg falls out from a phoenix nest and is separated from its parents. Spike decides to adopt it because it reminded him of his own origin.
86	* EpicFail: Spike's belly-flop in the lava cannonball challenge. He fails to produce any splash at all, but the other dragons find the impact so cringe-worthy that they accept him as one of their own.
87	* FailedAttemptAtDrama: {{Exploited\|Trope}} by Rarity:
88	-->'''Rarity''': Aw, isn't he adorable when he waddles off in anger?\
89	'''Spike''': WADDLE!? ''(growls)''
90	* FantasticRacism: Dragons don't think much of ponies. They call ''Princess Celestia'' a "namby-pamby pony princess". Interestingly, the ponies don't have a high opinion of dragons, either.
91	* FeatherFingers: Rainbow Dash's wings twitch almost like the fingers on a hand after Fluttershy runs over her.
92	%%* FearIsTheAppropriateResponse:%%Quotes aren't context.
93	%%-->'''Spike:''' If you don't back off, you'll see what us ''ponies'' do when confronted by a huge group of jerky dragons!\
94	%%'''Garble:''' Oh yeah? ''[snort]'' What's that?\
95	%%'''Spike:''' RUN AWAY!
96	* FishOutOfWater: Compared to his usual OnlySaneMan role in Ponyville, Spike understandably acts like a kid with the dragons.
97	* {{Foreshadowing}}:
98	** The cold open has Fluttershy firmly saying "No" to something she was being pressured to do. In the episode's climax, Spike does the same thing to the bully dragons.
99	** Spike passes a phoenix nest after leaving Ponyville. It's the same nest the teenage dragons use when they plan on raiding eggs.
100	** At one point, Garble calls Spike "Peewee". That's the same name he gives his pet phoenix at the end.
101	* GangOfBullies: The teenage dragons with Garble as the leader; a rather disturbingly realistic version at that...
102	* GeneHunting: What Spike hopes to do. He never accomplishes this. The teenage dragons don't know any dragon like him -- and they know one that looks like the ponies' bad dragon costume. While one of them '''does''' have similar coloring and fire color to him and another one is wingless like him, it's never implied they're related.
103	* GoodOldFisticuffs: Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash put up their dukes to fight off the teen dragons, but they soon decide it's a better idea to make a run for it. Considering that even the athletic and tough Rainbow Dash was unable to make a dent in one [[Recap.MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E7Dragonshy the last time they attacked a dragon]], it was a good idea. Those dragons may not have been fully grown but they were more than capable of frying them.
104	* GroinAttack: Spike pushes Garble off the hoard by headbutting him in the groin area, though it doesn't seem to cause him the pain usually associated with this trope and merely make him lose balance.
105	* GuysAreSlobs: The all-male dragons, as compared to the mostly-female ponies.
106	* HighClassGlass: While the other ponies watch the dragon migration with binoculars, Rarity uses opera glasses.
107	* HighDiveHijinks: The cannonball-into-lava contest. Spike manages to finally impress the dragon boys with a fail that ends up as a major belly flop. Even the other dragons wince in sympathy.
108	* IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten: The teenage dragons demand that Spike smash the phoenix egg in order to prove that he really belongs with them.
109	* InnocentlyInsensitive: This time it's Rarity, who despite ''knowing'' about Spike's crush on her, insists on talking to and about him in BabyTalk, seemingly unaware it's upsetting him this time rather than something he tolerates as a term of endearment.
110	* ItsAllMyFault: Rainbow Dash and Twilight beat themselves up over Spike deciding to stay with the dragons forever, simply because they didn't stop him from leaving on his quest when they had the chance (Twilight more so since she outright ''encouraged'' him to go).
111	* {{Jerkass}}: The whole gang of teen dragons are like human bullies. They smash phoniex eggs for ''fun''.
112	* JerkassHasAPoint: Fluttershy's violent stand up to Rainbow Dash, as impressive as it is, comes off as harsh considering, as the latter points out, that she made Dash join her in watching the Butterfly Migration in a very similar circumstance beforehand (a group event Dash visibly didn't enjoy either). On the other hand, Rainbow Dash probably doesn't have a crippling phobia of butterflies.
113	* JerkJock: The teenage dragons, ''especially'' Garble. They mock Spike's inability to roughhouse or compete in their sports.
114	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Although she mocks Spike for being a lame dragon, Rainbow Dash clearly shows concern for him when he announces that he'll be joining the other dragons on the Great Dragon Migration and follows Twilight and Rarity.
115	* LavaIsBoilingKoolAid: Done by Spike; when he belly-flops into the lava pool, he makes a solid impact on its surface before slowly sinking in. Played straight by the other dragons, who are presumably heavy enough to displace it like it was water.
116	* LavaPit: A pool of lava is used as a swimming pool for dragons.
117	* LawOfChromaticSuperiority: Obviously, TheLeader of the dragons must be red.
118	* LeftHanging: We still don't find out about exactly where Spike came from but it fits in with [[AnAesop the aesop]].
119	* LightEmUp: The father phoenix uses his fire powers to shine a bright aura in the teen dragons' faces.
120	* LoudGulp: Repeatedly, as the bigger dragons keep bullying Spike and encouraging him to try their games, for which he is obviously too small.
121	* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: Rarity's response to Rainbow Dash giving her a strong hip-check is a simple "Ow".
122	* MamaBear
123	** When Spike's in trouble, Twilight, Rainbow, and Rarity are willing to fight the dragons much bigger than them. There's also the fact that they followed him in the first place, and did their best to keep him from getting hurt.
124	** The phoenixes too. Birds made of fire that can leave scorch marks on a dragon (to put that in context, ''lava'' is a swimming pool to dragons) and can summon a blinding light source out of nowhere. No wonder the teenage dragons needed someone to lure the parents away before raiding the nest.
125	* ManlyTears: Played with. Spike is upset to tears about not knowing anything about his dragon heritage, and then wipes them away because he has the idea dragons are too tough to cry.
126	* MonogenderMonsters: Despite the number of dragons that show up, there's not one apparent female, with the possible exception of Crackle. This is TruthInTelevision: Reptiles don't have the sexual dimorphism of many other animals, so it would be difficult to tell a male dragon from a female at a glance. Also, even if dragons have some sexual dimorphism, it's common that migratory animals from the same species travel in gender-separate groups; very often, the males will arrive the first to the nesting/mating area to wait there for the females.
127	* MoodMotif: The Strings of Suspense when Spike hovers on going through with the bigger dragons' insistence that he smash the phoenix egg he rescued.
128	* MundaneUtility: Spike's tail, which has been shown strong enough to [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E19ADogAndPonyShow dig up gems from the ground in the past]], can't even move the limp "tail" of the ponies' dragon disguise.
129	* MythologyGag: ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends'' had an episode, "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyAndFriendsE55SpikesSearch Spike's Search]]", about ''their'' baby dragon named Spike trying to get in touch with his own kind and leaving the ponies to try living among other dragons, only to discover that dragons are immense jerks and that he really belongs among the ponies, which have become his "real" family.
130	* NurtureOverNature: While Spike never meets his biological parents, he does decide that "who [he is] is not the same as what [he is.]"
131	* NegatedMomentOfAwesome: Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity are all ready to fight the teenage dragons, but Spike figures they should flee instead.
132	* NoNameGiven: The teenage dragons aren't named in the show, although the red one has a name [[AllThereInTheScript in the script]] (Garble).
133	* NonStandardCharacterDesign: Crackle. The other teen dragons also qualify to various degrees, especially compared to Spike's teen form in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E10SecretOfMyExcess Secret of My Excess]]".
134	* OhCrap: Twilight gets one as she sees Fluttershy escape her cottage and run off to parts unknown.
135	* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Andrea Libman slips from her Pinkie voice into her Fluttershy voice when the former says "Ahoy, maties! Dragons, ho!"
136	* OptOut:
137	** The ponies know better than to try the Lava Cannonball.
138	** Taking on a group of teenage dragons that outmass them and have the same numbers (four on four) is dangerous enough that running away ''is'' a reasonable option, even for [[MagicKnight Twilight Sparkle]] and [[ActionGirl Rainbow Dash]] and especially since they were intruding in ''dragon'' territory, with the adults not far away. Besides, they'd already gotten Spike back, so there was nothing to gain by fighting even if they won.
139	* OutsideInsideSlur: Because Spike has lived with ponies all his life, the teen dragons initially insist that while he's a dragon on the outside, he's a pony on the inside. [[InsultBackfire Spike later takes it as a point of pride]], because he sees that the adolescent dragons are complete jerks.
140	* PaperThinDisguise: Rarity, Twilight, and Rainbow follow Spike dressed in a laughably slapdash dragon costume. [[RuleOfFunny It works]], because there's a dragon named Crackle [[NonStandardCharacterDesign who looks exactly like their costume]].
141	* PunctuatedForEmphasis:
142	-->'''Rainbow Dash:''' Look, Fluttershy, I watched that boring butterfly migration with you, so now it's your turn to watch the dragon migration with me! YouOweMe!\
143	'''Fluttershy:''' I... said... NO! ''[jumps on Rainbow Dash and leaps out the window]''
144	* ARealManIsAKiller: Part of the point of the nest raid, and it is made very explicit when they urge Spike to smash the egg.
145	%%* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Phoenix chicks!
146	* RiteOfPassage: Spike has to go through a series of tasks in order to prove he's a "real" dragon, including: a fire-belching contest, defeating another dragon in a round of "tail wrestling", playing "king of the hoard", and ''jumping into a lava pool''.
147	* RollOutTheRedCarpet: Literally -- Rarity does this along with a bit of confetti flourish to announce her arrival at the trench to watch the dragon migration and show off her new "camo" outfit.
148	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere:
149	** After their attempt to stand up to the teen dragons goes nowhere, Spike, Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Rarity take off. They run for a bit before Twilight safely teleports the four of them out of harm's way.
150	** Fluttershy runs away when the others try to bring her to the dragon migration and is not seen again.
151	* SecondPlaceIsForWinners: The other dragons aren't won over by Spike having the largest lava cannonball splash, but instead by the fact he slams into the lava belly-first. The fail is so epic as to both impress them and earn their sympathy.
152	%% If someone can find a better version of the linked video below where the phoenix isn't completely covered up, that would be appreciated.
153	* SeriesContinuityError: The first of Spike's photos is young Twilight with Spike as a baby after he hatched during her entrance exam. In this episode, Twilight appears to be her present age in the photo, despite her being a filly when Spike hatched. Also, the background is that of the library, when that was ''long'' before she moved to Ponyville.
154	* ShoutOut:
155	** The basic plot is a shout-out to G1 ''My Little Pony'', where Spike goes on a quest to discover what its like to be a real dragon, and hangs out with a group of bullies who want him to pass an initiation. Sound familiar?
156	** The episode title, to the ''Franchise/DragonQuest'' series, of all things!
157	** Even funnier, the baby phoenixes are nearly identical to ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'''s Chocobos, especially the ''FF Tactics'' and ''FFIX designs''. ''Dragon Quest'' and ''Final Fantasy'' were rivals before Creator/SquareEnix merged.
158	** The phoenix's flash attack that blinds the dragons is almost identical in appearance to the Phoenix summon from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh6y9iJyJaQ Take a look.]]
159	** One of the dragon delinquents bears a distinct resemblance to a [[WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon Gronckle]].
160	** Spike, during his travel montage, is seen riding a river raft with Cranky Doodle Donkey à la ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfHuckleberryFinn''.
161	** Spike, on a quest, traveling across a variety of backgrounds in a montage? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygI-2F8ApUM Cue the music...]]
162	** Spike's pathetic roar is very similar to [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 young Simba's]].
163	* SplitScreenReaction: Twilight, Rarity and Rainbow Dash when Spike says he will stay with the teenage dragons forever.
164	* SuperToughness: Spike is praised for suffering no damage after belly-flopping into lava from a cliff. The other dragons fly into a tree with enough force to punch through it and make it fall (falling face-first with the whole weight of the tree) twice, and aren't bruised. This might explain why Twilight decided to run from them despite being ready to fight Cerberus [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E20ItsAboutTime in the previous episode]]. This isn't new information, as it's been stated before that dragons have very tough scales.
165	* SuperWindowJump: Downplayed by Fluttershy at the start of the episode, where she looks all ready to do this just to get away from Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash, only to stop at the last moment and gently open the window before completing her jump.
166	* TeaserOnlyCharacter:
167	** Fluttershy. She's the only mane character who does not join the other characters to observe the dragon migration, let alone her fear of them.
168	** AJ and Pinkie are also only present for the migration scene and are thus the only ones among with Fluttershy who don't journey north with Twilight, Rainbow, and Rarity.
169	* TeensAreMonsters: The older dragons take joy in pushing Spike around. They'd SMASH a bunch of phoenix eggs!
170	* TertiarySexualCharacteristics
171	** That pink ribbon on the crummy dragon costume seems to be an attempt, but the dragons assume that the disguise is male anyway.
172	** The phoenixes avert this with realistic sexual dimorphism, assuming you know a bit about raptors.
173	* ThrowingTheMatch: When Spike is unable to prevail in tail-wrestling with the limp tail of Twilight/Rarity/Rainbow's dragon outfit, the girls collectively agree to throw the fight. Unfortunately, this leads to Spike getting overconfident and challenging a dragon who turns out to have a much bigger, stronger tail.
174	* TwoMenOneDress: The girls' dragon disguise is big enough for all of them. This also counts as a TotemPoleTrench since Twilight is standing on Dash's shoulders in the disguise.
175	* VerySpecialEpisode: Kids, don't join gangs!
176	* VileVillainSaccharineShow: With the rather brutal (and disturbingly realistic) bullying they inflict on Spike and their attempt to smash phoenix eggs, the older dragons.
177	* WatchOutForThatTree: The dragon trio smashes into a tree, once after getting blinded by the father phoenix and again while chasing Spike and his pony friends.
178	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse:
179	** The letter from Princess Celestia that Spike belched up is never brought up again. Part of that may be due to the fact that Garble tossed it into the nearest lava pit, and it visibly burnt up.
180	** Fluttershy never seems to come back from wherever she ran off to...
181	* WholePlotReference: A baby dragon raised amongst ponies goes in search of his roots and finds cruel dragons more interested in causing havoc. This is the basic plot of the Generation 1 ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends'' episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyAndFriendsE55SpikesSearch Spike's Search]]". It even had a baby bird in Weston the eagle.
182	* WithFriendsLikeThese: The ColdOpening. Twilight and Rainbow (mostly the latter) try to ''literally drag Fluttershy into coming to the Dragon Migration''. Fluttershy responds just as well as you'd expect, by knocking down Rainbow and ''stomping on her ribs'' before making an unintentionally comedic exit out a window.
183	* WouldHurtAChild: The delinquent dragons have absolutely no qualms hurting poor Spike even though he's a baby dragon. They top themselves by trying to ''smash'' Phoenix eggs.
184	* WreathedInFlames: The phoenixes charge at Spike in this form.
185	* YouAreACreditToYourRace: Rarity, Rainbow, and Pinkie compliment Spike on being not like the other dragons. This sets him off because up until then he hadn't known he was different from other dragons, other than the events of "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E10SecretOfMyExcess Secret of My Excess]]".
186	* YouOweMe: Rainbow Dash tries to collect on Fluttershy for joining her for the Great Butterfly Migration, by making her come to the Great Dragon Migration. [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes It doesn't work.]]

Context Recap / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E21DragonQuest