The Would Be Dragonslayer

The Would Be Dragonslayer
Generation 1 | Season 1 | Episode 40
My Little Pony 'n Friends
Original Airdate(s)	November 7, 1986
Writer(s)	Caria Joseph Conway and Gerry Conway
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The Would Be Dragonslayer episode is 10 minutes long and it was the fourteenth story in the first series of My Little Pony 'n Friends. This aired in the US on the 7th November 1986

Synopsis

The Earth Pony Jumping Finals are interrupted when Spike the baby dragon runs onto the field shouting for help. A young boy (Alonzo) riding a camel (Panza) is chasing the little dragon, wildly swinging a sword at him. Whizzer shoves Alonzo off the camel but he continues chasing Spike on foot until Masquerade knocks his sword out of his hand and Megan slams her foot down on it. The ponies and Megan demand to know why he is trying to hurt their friend Spike.

The boy explains that he was trying to slay Spike "to do a good deed" because "everyone knows" dragons are evil. When Megan, the ponies, and especially Spike object to this, Alonzo apologizes. He explains that he has been trying to do a good deed for a long time in order to become a knight, but his attempts always backfire ("To Be a Knight").

Megan, Spike, and the ponies agree to help him with his quest. Soon they discover a castle behind a wall of briars. Alonzo chops down the briars, but instead of finding a damsel in distress, he finds a wedding in progress. Princess Aline is marrying Sir Hugonaut. Aline's fairy godmother, Emelita, conjured up the briars for safety. Sir Hugonaut tends to attract trouble, being the bravest knight ever, but he is giving up his quests and has asked the court wizard, Mothert, to choose a replacement knight. Alonzo desperately wants to talk to the wizard, but Emelita pointedly shooes him and the ponies out of the castle.

As the group heads home, Alonzo comes across a large, overturned turtle. He stops to help it, but is frustrated when he doesn't have the strength to push it over. After the turtle calls him a quitter, Alonzo gets the idea of using a large stick as a lever to turn over the turtle.

By this time the ponies have noticed that Alonzo is not with their group and have turned back to look for him. They find him just as the turtle magically transforms into the wizard Mothert. He was testing Alonzo as a replacement for Sir Hugonaut and is impressed with the boy's determination and perseverance. At last Alonzo becomes a knight. He thanks the ponies for their help and encouragement and promises to remember Spike's parting message: "Remember . . . be nice to dragons."

Releases

VHS

The Would Be Dragonslayer

Running time apporx 20 minutes

• 1988 MSD Video
• 1988 Hasbro Inc
• 1988 Sunbow Productions Inc

Songs

• All I want is to be a knight

All I want is to be a knight
Fighting evil and doing right
But it seems my chance is slight
Everything I try always goes awry
I start fighting an evil witch
Should have managed without a hitch
But her pets made me sneeze and itch
Everything I do always goes askew
Once I tried my best to rid a town of rats
I was so depressed - all I did was frighten off the cats
Damsels call me when in distress
I show up but it ends up a mess
Never once have I known success
Still my wish is strong to be
Don't tell me it's wrong to be
Oh, how I long to be a knight

Cast

Baby Lickety Split, Magic Star, Baby Sundance, Galaxy, Sweet Stuff, Cherries Jubilee, Gusty, Posey, Megan, Gingerbread, Shady, Cupcake, Wind Whistler, Buttons, Baby Heart Throb, Paradise, Ribbon, Surprise, Spike, Whizzer, North Star, Masquerade, Alonzo

Crew and Credits

Cast and Crew

Written by Michael Reaves George Arthur Bloom David Wise Michael Charles Hill Carla Conway Gerry Conway Tracy Mann Hill Gordon Kent Barbara Petty Rebecca Parr Martin Pasko Linda Woolverton Creative director(s) Jay Bacal Voices of Bettina Bush Scott Menville Keri Houlihan Susan Blu Katie Leigh Sherry Lynn Nancy Cartwright Ellen Gerstell Composer(s) Robert J. Walsh Executive producer(s) Joe Bacal David H. DePatie (Rescue at Midnight Castle) Margaret Loesch (Escape from Catrina, Series 1 and 2) Tom Griffin Producer(s) Mike Joens Jeff Hall Production company(s) Marvel Productions Disney–ABC Domestic Television Sunbow Productions Sony Pictures Television Distributor Claster Television

Errors

• Right at the very start Baby Lickety Splits body flashes on and off between Magic Stars front legs.
• After Shady jumps the rope Wind Whistler and Buttons are holding, you can see Cherries Jubilee has been drawn sitting down but looking huge compared to the other ponies. After that when they zoom out to watch Gingerbread run by, Posey has gone up a level and Surprise is in her spot returning to normal next screen.
• When they set off to help the knight, Galaxy’s body isn’t painted in for a frame and the Knight’s clothes change from a light shade of red to a dark.
• After the wizard points at the knight for the first time, the screen opens out to see everyone and Galaxy is missing her horn.
• When the wizard says “not everyone” while standing next to spike, his shoe gets coloured the same as his green robe.
• After Spike says “remember be nice to dragons” Masquerades fringe hasn’t been drawn in properly.

External Links

• "The Would Be Dragonslayer" on Youtube