Written By: Christina Rice
Artist: Agnes Garbowska
Cover Art: Agnes Garbowska, Sara Richard, Mary Bellamy
Colorist: Heather Breckel
Lettering: Neil Uyetake
Published By: IDW Publishing
The Dragon’s and Yaks are about to go to War. As Twilight spends an entire night going through the Ancient Scrolls depicting Yak history & culture, Spike ventures out to speak with the Dragon Lord – Ember. He must choose which side he wants to fight with – the ponies or dragons. Can Spike uncover the sacred bond that was broken between the Dragons and Yaks before the break of dawn?!
We have the final chapter in this two part story, which sees the Dragon’s and Yaks about to go to war. As Ember and her clan of dragons descends onto Yakyakistan in a reign of fire, she declares war against the Yaks after they break a sacred bond between the two clans. Unfortunately the Yaks have no idea what they have done wrong, as Twilight spends hours going through scrolls for some clue, Spike takes it into his own claws to go and seek out the truth.
Spike is biologically a dragon, but has been hand reared by ponies ever since he hatched. Having lived amongst ponies his entire life, everyone considers him to be part of the equine family. However, his ties with the ponies has distanced him from dragons who see him only as a pony due to his size, temper and lack of fighting spirit. So there is in fact racism present even amongst this colorful universe. Even more so when you see how both the Yaks and Ponies view the Dragons. They see them only as creatures of destruction, due to only having a small handful of interactions with the kind. Thankfully though Spike is more than capable of solving this tricky situation.
This was sure to be a devastating battle between the Yaks and Dragons, with some of our pony friends also getting caught in the middle. With the Dragons after already destroying the Yak village, some considerable damage was already done. Although with two young leaders in both clans, they were able to see, accept and apologise for their mistakes. Finding a peaceful solution and even working alongside each other to repair Yakyakistan.
This issue can once again be bought in three variant cover arts. With this story’s artist Agnes Garbowska designing the Cover A image at the top. The same art style is used throughout the issue. On the cover, Spike stands on top of a large dragon, in the midst of many others as the Dragon Lord Ember flies behind him. Cover B is by Sara Richard, which certainly shows Ember’s ferocious attitude. Ready for battle, covered in armor and surrounded by scorching flames, a very intimidating image that is sure to stand out amongst the other comics. Lastly we have Cover RI by Mary Bellamy. A cheerful image that stands far apart from the others, with its cheerful depiction of the Mane Six and Starlight Glimmer all on top of stars in a blue sky.
Although a bit of a dissatisfying end to the story, as there was a great build up for a battle, it was a positive outcome for all involved. We get to see how brave Spike can be, how he can take charge of a situation and how even in the World of Unicorns, Dragons & Yaks there can still be some racism. All was handled rather well, as those involved owned up to their behaviour. Looking forward to seeing what the next MLP Friendship is Magic story will be next time.
Overall: 8/10
