The episode begins with Spike and the baby ponies playing a game of volleyball, but the pastime is interrupted when Spike starts sneezing gouts of fire. Spike's concern over this aspect of dragon puberty leads him to become concerned over the fact that he doesn't know any other dragons and has no one to teach him how to be a dragon himself. Danny tries to comfort the despondent Spike, and the two decide that the best thing to do is to find other dragons for Spike to learn from.
The two set off, but only find a baby eagle named Weston who can't fly yet and who was separated from his parents. Spike and Weston sing a song about wanting to have someone to look up to, and Weston joins the party.
After some more searching, the group comes across a trio of adult dragons lounging around a campfire. Spike assures the two that he's got the situation in hand, and Danny and Weston depart while Spike goes off to introduce himself and — after a few false starts — ask to join the group. Unfortunately, these particular dragons turn out to be a bunch of louts who shake down other people for food, and coerce Spike into helping them sack a nearby town. Danny, having kept an eye on the proceedings from afar, decides to head back to Paradise Estate to warn the others.
Spike tries to convince the dragons to adopt a more peaceful way of life, like his pony friends have. He fails miserably, and in the process lets the dragons know that there's quality food at Paradise Estate. Consequently, the gang decides to pay the ponies a... friendly visit.
Unfortunately for the dragons, Megan had decided to send one of the pegasi to scout for Spike and the ponies are aware of the dragons' plans. When the dragons get to the estate, they find a table piled high with goodies, which they greedily devour, and which distracts them for long enough for the ponies to spring an ambush involving a water gate and a garden hose, sending them off while grumbling about people with no sense of humor. Weston, having been absent since he and Danny left Spike earlier on, reenters the story in time to reunite with his folks and leave.
As the episode ends, Spike is very morose over his poor first meeting with his kind and isn't too cheerful about the prospect of being a dragon if that also means being a bully. Danny assures him that, given how varied ponies are, surely there are all kinds of dragons as well and he'll find better role models eventually. Spike cheers up at this, and decides that for the time being he's happy staying where he is at the estate.
This episode contains examples of:
- Animesque: The only episode in the G1 TV series to be animated by Toei.
- Broken Pedestal: Spike is initially very eager to meet new dragons and to learn from them, and is extremely disappointed when he learns that they're selfish, cruel jerks.
- Disappointing Heritage Reveal: Spike sets out to search for dragons to learn from once he realizes that he has nobody to guide him in growing up as a dragon. He comes across a group of wandering dragons and is initially very eager to meet and to learn from them, and is extremely disappointed when he learns that they're selfish, cruel jerks. At the end, however, Danny assures him that surely there must be more to dragons than what that lot was like and he'll find better role models eventually.
- Protection Racket: The dragons are implied to be running these for the villages around Dream Valley, demanding donations of food and burning down towns that are slow in complying.Dragon leader: We generously offer to protect the citizens of a nearby village for a token consideration — a selection of their best foodstuffs, and delicacies. But the townspeople... have been slow to respond to our magnanimous offer, so a little visit is in order.
- Villainous Glutton: The dragons are chiefly motivated by gluttony, which drives their actions and also serves as their main weakness. They burn down towns to steal their food, decide to attack Paradise Estate when they hear there's good food there, and start greedily gorging themselves on the treats they find there — gorging so greedily, in fact, that they completely fail to notice the trap the ponies are springing on them.
