S02:E21 - Dragon Quest

[FlutterShock 7]

He's not necessarily unappreciated. He's just doing the things he was meant to do.

It's not like ponies are degrading him.

[Twinight125 45]

He's not necessarily unappreciated. He's just doing the things he was meant to do.

It's not like ponies are degrading him.

 

Rainbow Dash openly mocks Spike's lack of masculinity and laughs in his face during the opening scenes of Dragon Quest.

[FlutterShock 7]

Rainbow Dash openly mocks Spike's lack of masculinity and laughs in his face during the opening scenes of Dragon Quest.

 

Well, I still don't see him as under appreciated. Also, that doesn't mean that he's respected any less.

[John H Rhodes JR 0]

just watching to first episode where twilight basically only care about herself. how many times has she slammed him into something while grabbing a book. I sometimes think ponies abuse him because they are scared of big dragons and since they have domesticated him they tend to push him around.

[Marra da poni 100]

I liked the different designs they had on the dragons, really good detailed but still made it simluar to the show style.

 

And fluttershy's scene is just amazing as usual

[XUNUSEDXXX 3,459]

Lol, I actually liked this episode. When Twilight agreed with Spike to let him go on his journey, I liked that part. The teenage dragons were pretty funny too!

[pinkiepiee 1]

OH MY CELESTIA I LOVE THAT EPISODE

and i cant help to think that derpy and that drangon are related somehow i hope they do another episode like that in seaosn 3 :3

[SBaby 660]

And while I do still feel that there was a bit of a wasted opportunity when it comes to the whole dragon issue, in truth there's nothing keeping them from exploring it further in future episodes. In this regard it's my fault for trying to ask a bit too much out of the world-building for this show when it is, ultimately, targeted at a young demographic. We may be massive, but we're still a periphery.

 

That's true. I could see them covering it in a later episode. Probably not in Season 3, but definitely at some point in the show's future.

Edited October 24, 2012 by SBaby

[XPrincessLunaX 3]

Poor Spike...can't fit in with the pony peoples and he goes of and tries to break a helpless bird egg...what a shame of those jerky dragons..

[Inactive Account 104]

Rarity: Ooh! That is a really nice gem you got there Spikey-Wikey. Now cough it up! lol

[Starlight Song 43]

Spike episodes are always a little weird, what can I say?

Those dragons were freaking jerks, I can't believe they were actually going to smash something that is completely defenseless and small.

If Fluttershy were there, shit would be going down.

[True Rarity 1,240]

That was awesome!

I wanted to beat those dragons up!

And I REALLY loved the phoenix and his mate!

 

Rarity: We're following him, right?

Twilight Sparkle: Of course.

[Batbrony 16,055]

The second Spike-centric episode of Season 2, "Dragon Quest" is a pretty normal, run-of-the-mill episode by the season's standards.  Besides trying to tackle a fairly serious topic, that being Spike's journey of self-identity (arguably the most serious topic of any Spike-centric episode to date, even if I think this particular episode is inferior to "Secret of My Excess"), along with having some cool additions to the MLP canon, there's nothing particularly groundbreaking about this episode.  So let's get started, shall we?

 

So good ol' Spike suffers a bit of an identity crisis after witnessing the Great Dragon Migration pass by Ponyville and realizing that he's about as far from being a fierce, ferocious, fire-breathing dragon as possible.  While he certainly doesn't want to be a terrifying monster or anything, he realizes he doesn't really know anymore about dragons, or what it means to be a dragon, as ponies themselves do, and this understandably deeply disturbs him as, well, he is a dragon.  I mean, this is a very understandable quandary and mature theme for this show, and one that plenty of ethnic groups that have immigrated to the U.S. or other nations themselves can sympathize with; throughout the U.S.'s history, for example, plenty of the members of immigrant communities have worried that they or their descendants are removed from or forget too much of their own or their ancestors cultural and ethnic heritage, have lost their very own identity even, or at least a significant part of it.  But anyways, back to Spike; in order to rectify this the little guy decides to join the Great Dragon Migration in the hopes that spending some time with other dragons will help him learn what it means to be a dragon and, by extension, himself.  In order to make sure he doesn't get in over his head too much, Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash understandably follow Spike in a dragon disguise put together by Rarity herself.

 

OK, that's pretty awesome. 

 

So as soon as Spike gets there he realizes that adult dragons are a little too far out of his league, and so attempts to join a group of adolescent dragons instead.  That's right, Spike doesn't meet just any dragons, he meets... TEENAGERS!!! 

 

 

Oh don't be such a drama queen Lily!  

 

Yes, teenage dragons, and boy oh boy there are lots of them!  Now, to be honest, my feelings are a little split on these guys: on the one hand, there's certainly nothing wrong or inaccurate about their characterization.  I mean, yeah, not all teenagers are that mean-spirited or obnoxious, but it does make sense that teenagers in dragon society would be, seeing as the species as depicted in MLP seems to be so aggressive and brutish.  But at the same time they're just, for lack of a better way of putting it, kind of annoying.  I mean, yeah, past secondary antagonists like Trixie or the Flim Flam Brothers were unlikable, but at the same time, most had had some sort of endearing quality about them, like a fun, over-the-top personality, etc.  Heck, even an antagonist like Gilda was likable if only in that she used to be Rainbow Dash's friend!  These douche-nozzle teenage dragons, however, are, I want to say, the most unlikable secondary protagonists since Dumb-Bell, Hoops, and Score in "Sonic Rainboom" in Season 1, and at least those pegasus jerks were not in that episode nearly as much as the dragons are in this one.  The only good thing I can say about the teenage dragons is that at the very least they have some pretty humorous moments, but really, that's about it.  They're jerks, but worst of all, they're very straight forward jerks, transparent, without much of a personality to speak of, and that makes them quite unlikable and not a very interesting element of this episode, which is a shame seeing as I kinda would've liked to learn some more interesting things about dragon society besides the fact that apparently their teenagers are douchebags who throw raves when they get together.

 

Crackle is best dragon!!!  

 

Now Spike, on the other hand, is pretty cool throughout this episode.  His Season 2 starring appearances are probably his most flattering to date seeing as they treat him and his problems so seriously, and that's very apparent here.  He's relentless in his quest to discover what it means to be a dragon, no matter what tortures that group of jerky dragons puts him through, but in the end he makes the obviously difficult decision that he'd rather be a good person than a good dragon with great resolve and courage.  Basically, this little guy, still a baby dragon, makes the conscientious decision to turn his back on his entire species because he'd rather do what he knows to be right than do that which'll allow him to fit into his own species!  That is simply commendable, and Spike's refusal to smash a phoenix egg is most definitely one of his great shining moments in the entire series!  The lesson he learns, that who he is is not the same as what he is, and that he doesn't have to look for a home among dragons when he already has one, and a family to boot, among Twilight and her friends in Ponyville, is really very touching and most definitely one of the best he's learned.

 

Spike: he's kind of a bad @$$! 

 

Besides Spike's shining moments, Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash prove themselves to be great friends in the lengths they go to in order to make sure Spike's alright and stays safe during his quest.  In addition, the humor of this episode, while certainly not the show's A-material, is pretty solid, and there are some comedic moments that definitely stand out.  The various settings and locales that we see throughout the episode are a nice and unique change of pace from the usual Ponyville setting and look quite cool if I do say so myself.  Other than that, there's not much else to say about this episode, good or bad; it's overall a pretty solid but still average episode by Season 2 standards, but I commend it for its serious treatment of Spike and especially exceptional lesson.  If you're looking for a solid Spike episode, in my opinion, it's his second-best starring role to date in the show (not counting his shining moments in "The Crystal Empire), so most definitely a must-watch for fans of Spike.

 

Some friendships literally last a lifetime.  It's well worth remembering, for those who may not have a high estimation of Spike, that he's really Twilight's oldest friend who still sees her on a regular basis.

[Stardancer01 0]

^{New background character wanted Season 4 or 5}

 

^{2 or 3 dragons in a pony suit}

^{1 with its wings poking out}

^{1 magic wand sticking out hole in top of head}

^{Abel to do fire ball spell in magic talent show}

^{All wearing buckets or hollowed out tree stumps to cover their clawed feet}

 

^{Saw the ponies do it to the dragons in a dragon suit}

^{Thought I would be funny if for a couple of episodes the tables were reversed}

^{Background character only}

[Rocky 68]

While I felt like there was a bit of wasted potential for the fans to learn more about Spike's origins and about dragons in general, I'm still a fan if this episode. As a Spike fan, I liked how he finally started to think about who he is and having difficulty finding answers. That's a problem we can all relate to. I think this episode shows that Spike isn't as big of a pushover than some fans put on. I mean to have the guts to follow a group of giant dragons and try to be part of their circle is pretty brave for someone the size of an 8 ball.

 

I also liked the part where he decided not to crush Peewee's egg, but I have an idea on hwo that could have been more suspenseful. I would have taken away one of those tests where Spike tries to prove himself and replace it with him spending more time with the teenage dragons. Make him feel a lot more at home with them. That way, him deciding whether or not to crush the egg is a much harder choice and more dramatic. For what it is though, it's a pretty strong moment for Spike's character to stand up for what he believes in.

 

Finally, coming into this episode I was skeptical about how much the mane six TRULY cared about Spike. Especially since they were ripping on him at the beginning of the episode. I do like how concerned they are about him doing something that dangerous on his own. At the same time, Twilight gets a few more points of respect from me for understand why Spike feels that he has to do this. That just goes to show how much they click as a duo. Of course that Crackle outfit was hilarious though I DO question Rarity's fashion sense on THAT one. I didn't see what was so "fabulous" about that thing. But I digress. It also touched my heart as a Spike fan when it looked like Spike was about to get his flank kicked, the three poines were willing to fight for him. And it also goes to show for Sparity fans. Don't mess with Spike on Rarity's watch. O_O That and Spike saying they were his family was a cute little scene at the end there.

[-Amethyst- 5]

When I first saw this episode I thought it would answer a lot of questions regaring Spike's origin...bad sadly, it wasn't the case. I hope Season4 dedicates an episode to further explaining more about him, where his egg came from, why is it that he can use magic and why doesn't he have wings, etc. I just feel he's a character with too much potential to let it all go to waste.

[StarSwirlTheBearded 356]

Dragon Quest was certainly, absolutely the worst episode of MLP.  On top of Spike being my least favorite character, the dragons were just stupid and acted childish.  It's clear that this episode was made to cater to the kids and not the bronies.

Edited April 13, 2014 by StarSwirlTheBearded

[Buttonmash1973 1,026]

One of the best S2 episodes. More phoenixes and dragons.

[Pastel 7,630]

This episode starts very well: Spike wondering where he comes from, the dragons flying in the sky, the great line "We're following him right? Of course." etc.

 

And then Spike meets the dragons, I was expecting real dragons, serious, strong... I was really disappointed by the actual dragons. (Garble...)

Yet, the little part with the phoenix family is good, and the end is decent.

Definitely one of the worst episodes of the season, but still enjoyable.

Edited April 24, 2014 by Blobulle

[More_Fluttershy 127]

I didn't like this episode. It had a really good idea for a premise, and maybe we'd learn more about dragons. Not the case at all. All it really was was dragons being complete jerks the whole time. 

[TheJLeeTeam 914]

Dragon Quest? A Dragon Quest crossover episode. No but it would've been cool.

 

Anyway this was easily my least favorite episode. Spike wants to be around dragons instead of ponies. This feels like an Anti-Pony video in disguise as an MLP episode. And the part where Twilight says they shouldn't disrespect Princess Celestia, that part is funny because because Celestia already has a lot of disrespect on the internet and much more respect for Luna.

 

Also Spike should have given the phoenix egg back to the parents. Instead he just steals it and keeps it. Also we haven't seen the baby phoenix since, besides some picture cameos.

 

Overall this episode was bad and feels out of place. 

[GrauWitz 1,010]

This is definitely one of my least favourite episodes. The Mane 6 in this episode are just horrible. They're complete dicks to Spike at the beginning of the episode. Seriously, they mock him for doing something feminine and the episode has the galls to put them in the right. And when Spike storms off, clearly upset, they continue to SMILE! Can you make the Mane 6 any more CALLOUS than that, Merriweather?

 

And the dragons themselves are the worst part of the episode. Not only are they the most unlikeable characters in the entire show, but they just freaking INSULT me with their blatant male teenage stereotypes. Loud, obnoxiois, belching contests, wrestling, picking on the smaller people and a complete & utter disregard for other lives. It's as if Merriweather Williams is convinced that all teenagers are like that.

 

Oh, and the ending. Ok, I commend Spike for refusing to smash the last Phoenix egg. But WHY didn't he return it to the parents?! Why did he STEAL that egg and keep the baby phoenix? You just kidnapped a baby from it's parents, you dumb shit!

 

So yeah, I hate this episode with a passion. It's the very reason why we'll never see dragons in MLP again

[JonasDarkmane 19,785]

I didn't like it, there were some bits that brought out a giggle, but I found the episode to be pretty predictable and boring :/. 

[Roughshod 719]

The Mane 6 in this episode are just horrible. They're complete dicks to Spike at the beginning of the episode. Seriously, they mock him for doing something feminine and the episode has the galls to put them in the right. And when Spike storms off, clearly upset, they continue to SMILE! Can you make the Mane 6 any more CALLOUS than that, Merriweather?

You're right, they were pretty mean weren't they? Odd for a show that supposedly likes to break down stereotypes. Granted, the only pony who's nature is related to kindness wasn't there so maybe Fluttershy would have acted differently. But still, a double standard about gender related behavior seems to have been set in this episode. Tsk tsk, Merriweather.

 

Look at that fiendish grin!

 

And the dragons themselves are the worst part of the episode. Not only are they the most unlikeable characters in the entire show, but they just freaking INSULT me with their blatant male teenage stereotypes. Loud, obnoxiois, belching contests, wrestling, picking on the smaller people and a complete & utter disregard for other lives. It's as if Merriweather Williams is convinced that all teenagers are like that.

I actually enjoyed the dragons for this exact reason, it was refreshing to see some male archetypes(albeit very shallow and somewhat stupid ones) act as a foil to the usually more feminine-friendly atmosphere of the show. I'm not saying the characters were good in the sense of being interesting or relatable but it was a little entertaining at least. Obviously not all male teenagers are like this but some definitely are, such as myself to some extent(and maybe still am lol). To accuse Williams of stereotyping all teenagers like this goes a bit far in my opinion, all we saw was one group of dragons acting a certain way in one episode so I think it presumptuous to claim that the writer was intending to portray anyone like them as only fitting that description. That sort of sounds like projection to me.

 

Oh, and the ending. Ok, I commend Spike for refusing to smash the last Phoenix egg. But WHY didn't he return it to the parents?! Why did he STEAL that egg and keep the baby phoenix? You just kidnapped a baby from it's parents, you dumb shit!

Because dragons are bad, greedy, rowdy beasts. Didn't you get the subtext of the episode? Spike didn't return the egg because 'finders keepers' bro. Dragons are known for hoarding things after all, including other living things such as princesses. Besides, Spike wasn't raised by his biological parents when he was young so he probably thought he was just following Twilight's example. It's not like she stopped him from taking it anyway. Blame her.

[big dan 7]

I hope we see more dragons in future episodes, to show that not all dragons jerks.