Chapter Seven: Hydras and Changelings and Dragons, Oh My!

Lyra Heartstrings was a pony of simple needs. She had her home, her dear marefriend, her music, food, and that lucky horseshoe she’d won in a drinking contest against Minuette three years ago.

She rarely worried about things like money, and, having grown up in the home of a minor noble family in Canterlot, she knew firsthoof what it could do to a pony. While there were plenty of ponies belonging to Equestrian nobility and high-class society that were of good character, she had also seen plenty of bad ones too. Wealth was a double-edged sword; it gave you the ability to acquire many things, but it also made it feel as though you never had enough.

She had realized that after living in such a household for years as a young filly, and after voicing those concerns to her mother and father… well… it had been quite a while since she had spoken to them.

Still, regardless of her philosophy on wealth and the psychoses it could breed, Lyra enjoyed the occasional luxury when it presented itself. If she had a few bits saved up, she would get a new musical instrument to add to her small collection, or some new strings for her lyre. Sometimes she would spot a nice looking gem on display at a jewelery store, and get it for Spike, or a new tool for Scootaloo’s ever-growing toolbox. If she felt particularly bold, she’d get a nice looking saddle to wear when she and Bonbon had a bit of time alone… maybe a bottle of wine or some of those fancy chocolates that Bonbon liked that were imported from the Capricorn Tropics. Then she’d wait for Bonbon to get home, and Bonbon would make a cute little gasp when she laid eyes upon Lyra wearing a little number from the backroom of Rarity’s boutique—

Heheh… Bonbon, you naughty filly...

“Miss Heartstrings?”

Oho, and what are you wearing that skimpy little apron for, my little sweet-toothed Bonbon?

“Miss Heartstrings!”

“Huh—what?” Lyra replied intelligently, her mind returning to the present.

Sitting before Lyra was a bespectacled mare behind a desk within the Ponyville Bank.

“You were asking about a withdrawal. I’ve been trying to get your attention for the past minute,” the mare said in an exhausted tone.

“Oh!” Lyra flashed the mare a grin that was a just a tad forced, and laughed. “Yes, a withdrawal! That is precisely what I was thinking about doing just now!” She cleared her throat and slid a withdrawal slip across the polished wooden surface. “Two hundred bits, please. You can put the balance on the slip, too, please.”

The clerk sighed and shook her head, but made no comment. She pulled out a money bag and began to count out rolls of twenty bits. A minute later she had a sizeable bag of bits sitting on the desk between her and Lyra.

“There you go. Two hundred bits, Miss Heartstrings.”

The clerk filled out the slip for the withdrawal and wrote down the new balance after crunching the numbers by hoof. As she handed the slip back to Lyra, a small grin cracked the bankmare’s lips. “Another night working the clubs, I take it?”

Lyra gave a shrug. “Maybe, maybe not. It all depends on how everyone’s feeling after work. Might be a busy night for me, or I might just play a song or two and saddle up to the nearest bar stool.”

“I suppose that comes with the territory of working a gig, huh?” the mare adjusted the glasses resting on her muzzle. “Is there anything else I can do for you this afternoon?

“Nope, that’ll do!” Lyra grinned.

“Alright, then. Have a wonderful day, Miss Heartstrings.”

Lyra bid farewell to the clerk and made her way out of the bank with a spring in her step. She put the bag of bits in her saddlebag and pulled the strap on the bag’s cover tight.

“Alright, let’s see… if I were a gig, where would I hide…?” She mulled it over as she made her way down the street. “Sugarcube Corner? No, if Pinkie’s there, she’ll bring out her one-mare band contraption and… then it just gets to be too much. Maybe… hm… Barnyard Bargains? No, too crowded.”

It took her another minute or so of walking before the answer came to her. “Wait… the Everfree House, of course!” She bounced in place and giggled. “Spike said they have a bar, and if they have a bar, that means patrons!” She paused for a second. “Surely they’d have a stage for performances, right? They gotta. Eh, no biggie. Play it by ear!” She resisted the urge to do a victory dance and reminded herself that she had yet to make any deals regarding work. “Okay, head to the bordello first, negotiate, then victory dance.”

She heard a raised voice ahead as she made her way down the road that eventually would lead towards the Everfree Forest.

“Are you certain?”

“Yes! We wouldn’t come to you if we weren’t serious! Please, I don’t know how far it is!”

Lyra stopped at the local Royal Guard station and noticed two changelings speaking to a stallion clad in the traditional golden armor.

“Of course, we’ll round up a few of our experienced soldiers to help,” the stallion said to the female drone. He turned around and called into the station, “Scrap! Ironclad! We’ve got an emergency in Everfree! Hydra on the warpath!”

Lyra approached the two changelings, recognizing one as the owner of the bordello.

“Colea?”

The changeling turned around, and her eyes lit up in recognition. “Ah! Miss Lyra! Hello!” She sighed. “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I don’t have time for pleasantries. We’ve got an emergency at the bordello, and the sooner we get it taken care of, the safer everyone will be.”

“An emergency?” Lyra repeated, her ears perking up for a second and then folding back with worry. “What’s wrong?”

Colea looked to the changeling beside her. The other changeling scratched her large dorsal fin, and gave Colea a shrug. “You might as well tell her. She does live with Spike.”

Colea exhaled slowly and nodded. She turned back to Lyra. “There’s a hydra approaching the Everfree House. Our more... experienced staff, and Spike, are trying to hold it off until the Royal Guard comes to help.”

“Oh.” Lyra didn’t even bat an eyelash as she continued. “Does it have a large gash across one of the middle heads? Muddy brown scales?”

Colea quirked an eyebrow. “Yes, actually, it does. Spike asked something similar… why?”

Lyra rolled her eyes and frowned. “Ugh, that’s old Soggybottoms.” Upon receiving perplexed looks from both changelings, she elaborated. “He’s an old male hydra, probably two hundred years old. Apparently Spike’s had a run-in with the beast like… three times, I think? The thing almost ate Princess Twilight once back when she was still a unicorn from what Spike told me.”

“Really?” the other changeling asked. “Is it that dangerous?”

“Well, any hydra is dangerous,” Lyra said, as though speaking to a child. “Soggybottoms is just a jerk. A dangerous, carnivorous, pony-eating jerk, but… still just a jerk. He’s got a vendetta of sorts against Spike in particular, I guess.”

“What could Spike have done to have a hydra hold some kind of grudge against him?” Colea asked.

About four years earlier...

It was a rather sunny spring day, as was to be expected for the Pony Days Festival.

Spike and Twilight Sparkle had decided to pay their second hometown a visit just for the annual celebration. Currently they found themselves perusing the local wares and delicacies set up along the appropriately nicknamed ‘Vendor Alley’.

“Still no gems on the menu…” Spike sighed. “Next year, Spike. There’s always next year…”

“Oh, Spike, stop,” Twilight said with an amused smile. “It’s not like we can’t go get you some if you really want them.”

Spike grumbled something under his breath, but Twilight chose to ignore it. Instead, she approached a booth with an array of postcards, wrapping paper, and stationery. A single pegasus was running the booth, her familiar face bringing a smile to Twilight.

“Hello, Derpy!” Twilight said cheerily. “Glad to see you got the stand up this year!”

Derpy Hooves looked up from a box of postcards she had been shuffling through. “Oh, hi, Twi—” She cleared her throat. “Hello, Princess Twilight!” She gave a quick bow before Twilight could make any protest. “Looking for a postcard to send someone? All of them have images of authentic Ponyville landmarks! I would know, since I took all the pictures for the cards!”

Twilight hummed in thought as she levitated a postcard of the Town Hall, the Sugarcube Corner, and expansive greenery of Sweet Apple Acres. “Oh, wow, Derpy, these are beautiful! I didn’t know you were such a talented photographer!”

“Heh, well, I dabble. Still an amateur at best, but Dinky got me this great camera for my birthday last year and I’ve been dying to try it out. So I figured making postcards to sell at the post office was a good enough reason to use it.”

Twilight eventually settled on a postcard of Golden Oaks Library, post-Discord reconstruction after the Tirek fiasco. After placing a few bits on the counter for Derpy, Twilight sighed. “You know… I’m glad Discord was nice enough to bring back the library after Tirek destroyed it… but it’s just never felt the same to me.”

Derpy smiled sympathetically. “New homes always take time to get used to… especially when the home was ash and cinder moments before.” She laughed a little, though it quickly faded as she cleared her throat and gave Twilight an apologetic smile. “S-sorry, I… erm… so, how’s it like being back in Canterlot?”

“It’s odd. I… honestly, Derpy, I miss Ponyville. ” She smiled, a small, genuine one. “Still, I have my duties to perform. I’m just glad Canterlot isn't too far. I can fly here within a day’s time if I really want to.”

“I don’t know if the Equestrian Airship Legion would be happy with such a dangerous force of nature flying through the skies of Canterlot,” Spike quipped. “Are you even allowed to use those things anymore after your last trip to Cloudsdale?”

“Spike!” Twilight hissed.

“I’m just saying, you caused almost five hundred thousand bits in property damage alone when you… right, shutting up, sorry,” Spike mumbled the last part, shrinking under the death glare that Twilight had leveled at him.

A laugh from Derpy, however, drove away Twilight’s anger. “Don’t worry, Princess. I’m the last one to judge anypony’s ability to fly.” She cast a wary look at the distant Town Hall and coughed into a hoof. “Live and learn, right?”

Twilight relaxed upon hearing that. “Thanks, Derpy. I’m getting better at flying, but I’ve got a long way to go, yet. I appreciate your support and kindness, unlike a particular dragon I know.”

Spike looked to the alicorn, a smug look crossing his face.

“Don’t you smirk at me, young drake! Keep up that attitude and I’ll have you doing note-taking for me at the next meeting of the Department of Urban Development.”

Spike just grinned wider. “With or without me notarizing the notes afterwards?”

Despite her best attempts at remaining miffed towards the dragon, however, Twilight couldn’t fight down the smile. “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood, today.”

Spike winked. “That’s why I’m pushing my luck.”

Derpy snorted. “Spike… you haven’t changed a bit.”

Spike frowned. “Hey, I have, too!” He lifted an arm and flexed, a healthy amount of muscle bulging as he did so. “I’m almost as tall as Big Macintosh, now! Maybe even taller!”

The distant sound of the clock tower bell signaled one o’clock. Derpy frowned, then looked to the crowd. “Okay… where is she?”

Twilight noticed the worry creeping into Derpy’s expression. “Something wrong?”

Derpy sighed. “Oh, it’s Dinky. I told her to be back by noon, and that was an hour ago. I’m usually pretty lenient with her. She’s a teenager; I like to let her have a bit of freedom, but…”

“Do you know where she went?” Spike asked.

Derpy looked to the drake. “She was going to help Fluttershy with some rabbits. She’s been thinking of getting a pet bunny, so she wanted to talk with Fluttershy about it first.” She looked to a clock in the center of the plaza and frowned. “I know it’s safe there, but… the Everfree Forest is so close…”

“If you want, I could go and check and see if she’s there or not and let her know you’re waiting for her,” Spike offered.

“Oh, no, I can’t have you doing that,” Derpy argued. “I’m sure she just lost track of the time, the silly filly.”

Spike shook his head. “I don’t mind, Derpy, really. I was hoping to stop by later and say hi to Fluttershy anyway.”

Derpy’s worry melted away to a grateful smile. “Thanks, Spike. Let her know to get back here ASAP, okay?”

Spike looked to Twilight. “You going to stick around here, then?”

Twilight nodded. “I need to visit a few ponies here and then prepare for my little speech in the town square.” She placed a hoof on Spike’s arm. “I’ll see you later, okay? If you can’t find me, meet me at Rarity’s. We’ll be staying there for the night.”

“You got it,” Spike said with a quick salute.

With that, he made his way down the road leading out of the plaza and towards the less densely populated areas of Ponyville. Soon the road gave way to a small neighborhood street, and eventually a simple hoof-beaten trail. Spike hummed to himself as he made his way south towards the Everfree Forest and Fluttershy’s cottage.

He was sure Dinky, if she was there, had simply lost track of time, just as Derpy had said. It wasn’t hard to while you visited Fluttershy. There were so many animals there. Most of the smaller critters shied away from Spike these days, though.

All except Angel Bunny, who by now was sporting faint lines of gray hair on his coat and was probably one of the few animals that held no trepidation towards the young dragon. If anything, Spike was usually little wary around Angel.

That rabbit still had a pretty strong kick for his age.

Within a few minutes, he could see the cottage in the distance. As he neared the humble abode of Fluttershy, though, he could sense something was off. Namely, the fact that Harry the bear was running towards him on his hindlegs, gesticulating wildly towards the cottage as he did so. A few songbirds were twittering rapidly as Spike neared the bear.

“Uh, what’s up, Harry?” Spike asked. The old brown bear just flailed its arms and continued pointing in a panicked manner towards the cottage… or, upon further study, the forest beyond.

Spike frowned, and looked past the bear towards the woods. “Is Fluttershy in the Everfree Forest?”

A nod from Harry.

“Is Dinky Doo with her?”

Another nod.

“This is something bad, isn’t it?”

The bear hesitated, poking its claws together, and then nodded.

“Of course it is. All my friends are trouble magnets. Luna forbid I could have safe, easygoing friends…” He sighed, “Probably just a timberwolf or a cockatrice running around causing trouble again. No problem, I’ll just—”

It was at that moment that a bone-rattling roar decided to make itself known, shaking the Everfree Forest to its roots. Now, unlike Fluttershy, Spike wasn’t an expert on Equestrian fauna, but he was pretty sure he could recognize the roar of an Equestrian Bog Hydra when he heard it.

“Oh, Tartarus…” Spike said. Puffing out his chest and steeling himself, he ran towards the forest, praying to whatever divine force cared to listen that he make it out alive.

Fortunately—or unfortunately, perhaps—Spike only had to go a little ways into the forest before coming to an abrupt stop. There was a small creek ahead of him, and he immediately noticed three things: Fluttershy walking backwards through the water, an unconscious Dinky Doo draped across her back, and a very angry Hydra bearing down on them.

“Fluttershy!” Spike called out.

The terrified mare let out a yelp, only to let a brief look of relief flash across her face upon seeing the young dragon running towards her.

“S-Spike?! Oh, thank goodness you’re— I-I mean, no! Spike, you need to get out of here!” She turned back towards the hydra. “I-I… Dinky and I were just watching over some bunnies when she saw one wandering towards the forest. We followed after it, but…we didn’t expect to run into a hydra!”

Spike craned his neck up to meet the gaze of the hydra. It snarled at him, all four heads glaring down at him. “I’m surprised it hasn’t caused any damage here…”

“I-I think it’s just looking for a new spot to nest.” Fluttershy took a step back. “Bog Hydras usually stick to deeper parts of forests, though. Though… I think we’ve run into this one before.”

Spike studied the hydra for several long seconds, and a flash of recognition crossed his features. “Oh, yeah! That was the same one that we ran into in Froggy Bottom Bogg! Heh, Twilight totally duped him by… oh… oh dear, I think it recognizes us…”

The hydra snorted, glaring daggers at the young, upstart drake.

Spike flexed his claws and snorted out green embers.

The hydra let out a murderous growl.

Spike grit his teeth and growled in turn.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy let out a quiet whimper.

One of the heads lunged, and without thinking, Spike cocked back a fist and socked the hydra in the side of the head. Blindsided, the head made impact with a large tree, leaving an impression in the bark.

“S-Spike…?” Fluttershy whimpered as she saw the other three heads snarl in anger as the fourth hung limply in a daze.

“Fluttershy, go,” Spike replied in a determined voice. “Get Twilight. She’ll know what to do.”

“But, Spike… the hydra could—”

“Go!” Spike roared.

The hydra, deciding it’d had enough of Spike, charged the drake. Spike jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the far left head’s powerful jaws.

Spike looked back to see Fluttershy still standing where she had been, petrified with fear.

“Fluttershy! Go! I’ll be fine, but you’ve got Dinky to take care of! Now run!”

That seemed to snap Fluttershy out of her terrified stupor. She bolted towards the edge of the forest, and Spike let out a sigh of relief as she vanished from sight.

Then the hydra took notice. With the fourth head having finally regained its bearings, the massive beast began to give chase to the pegasus.

“Oh no you don’t!” Spike inhaled deeply, his chest puffing out several inches. When he exhaled, he let loose a fireball roughly the size of a beach ball. The blazing orb of green flame connected with the back of the same hydra head that he had punched moments prior. The beast roared in pain while the other heads let out a frustrated hiss and turned towards him.

“You’re a long way from Froggy Bottom, aren’t you?” Spike asked the hydra, the hint of a challenge in his words. “What are you doing out in my neck of the woods?”

The hydra replied with all four heads bellowing out a roar and charging towards Spike.

Spike felt his heart hammer in his chest, adrenaline flowing through his veins. He didn’t even notice the slight growth in his muscles as he leaped away from two of the heads snapping at him. As a third head twisted about to flank him, he leapt up and landed on the scaled neck of the beast. He grappled with the beast, holding onto it by the scaled fringes on its nape.

It didn’t take long for the beast to fling him off with a few good thrashes of its head, and Spike landed on a rotten log that split beneath his weight.

The drake groaned, shaking his head slowly. The back of his head pounded from the impact and his vision was spinning. He managed to regain his bearings in time to see a set of massive jaws hovering over his body, dripping with thick globules of saliva.

“Crap!”

Spike raised his clawed hands up and grabbed the bottom jaw while his feet pushed against the upper jaw. He struggled against the force of the hydra’s jaws as they attempted to crush him, knowing full well that he was as good as dead if he failed.

“You’re… not… going to… eat… me!”

Spike’s adrenal glands were in overdrive now, thanks to the chemical cocktail running through his bloodstream. His muscles bulged even more beneath his scales, and with a mighty heave, he pushed the jaws open fully. With a final roar and a kick with one leg, Spike freed himself from the hydra, ripping an incisor from the beast’s mouth to boot. He landed on the dirt, the massive creature near him letting out a yowl of pain as blood poured from its mouth.

Spike let out a shaky breath, tremors running through his body as he steadied himself against the ground. He had yet to even notice the cuts along his body from where the hydra’s sharp teeth had managed to graze him.

“Okay… not going to let that happen again.” He stood up fully, and let out a snort. “Yeah, and there’s more where that came from, too!”

The hydra’s three healthy heads focused on him and let out snarls. Spike’s muscles tensed as it stomped towards him. He had expected the beast to lunge. He hadn’t expected for two of the heads to snap up two large trees, pulling them up by the roots.

“What—?” Spike’s words were cut off as the two heads swung at him with surprising speed, their makeshift weapons hitting him from either side, the drake barely managing to raise his hands before he was squashed between the trees.

When the hydra pulled the two trees apart, there stood Spike, rightfully staggered. A dragon-sized dent could be seen on either tree’s trunk now, but the young dragon had taken the brunt of the damage.

“That’s… some real dirty pool, jerk…” Spike grunted, then flopped face first into the dirt.

The hydra let out a satisfied snort, and one of the middle heads picked the dragon up by the tip of his tail. The head furthest to the right attempted to snap up the dragon into its jaws, but was denied with a headbutt from one of the other heads.

Spike opened his eyes, faintly aware that he was still in Everfree Forest. After a moment of taking in his topsy-turvied surroundings, he quickly realized he was dangling by his tail, which was firmly held in the jaws of a hydra.

“Oh come on!” Spike growled out.

Another of middle heads tried snapping at Spike, but the drake reacted with a swipe of his claws. Instead of meeting air or teeth, however, Spike’s claws sunk into flesh.

The offending head let out an angry, pained cry, partially blinded from the blood dripping into its eyes. The injured hydra head collided with the one holding Spike, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Spike scrambled back to his feet and scurried back a few dozen feet as the hydra stumbled about in confused agony.

“SPIKE!!!”

Spike spun around at the sound of his name. He gasped as a massive purple paw smashed through the trees, and he found himself looking up at the imposing figure of an Ursa Major.

The hydra noticed, too, for it had immediately ceased its rampage. It let out a whimper before turning tail and running back into the depths of the forest, leaving Spike alone with an even more dangerous creature.

The Ursa Major unleashed a deafening roar and watched the hydra vanish into the darkness of the Everfree, only turning to the young drake when it finally lost sight of the beast.

Spike just flashed the astral bear a sheepish grin.

“What in the name of Starswirl were you thinking?” the bear growled.

As Spike watched, the Ursa shrank rapidly in size, and he was able to make out the faint outline of the pony within the the mass of nebula-like patterns across its celestial body. Within a minute, the bear was gone, replaced with none other than Twilight Sparkle, looking none too pleased with the drake.

“Um… I had a moment of poor judgment?” Spike offered. “On the bright side, I think I’ve burned off all the calories from those gems I snacked on.”

Twilight was in front of Spike now, and pulled him down by an ear frill with her magic. Letting out a yelp, Spike found himself face to face with the alicorn.

“Don’t you ever, ever”—she wrapped both hooves around Spike’s neck, pulling him into a fierce hug—“ever, ever scare me like that again!”

“But, Twilight, Fluttershy and Dinky were—”

“I know. Fluttershy found me, and told me.” She sighed. “Still! You could have ran! Hydra’s aren’t fast creatures! Heck, bringing it closer to town wouldn’t have been the worst thing, Spike. I would have known before it got too close. I could have taken care of it…” She let out a shaky breath. “You’re too young to be facing off against a hydra.”

“But having a princess do it for me is okay?”

“Spike, I fought Tirek, and I probably could have defeated him if things had been different and he hadn’t found you and the girls,” Twilight replied in a serious tone. “I’m not some delicate little filly, alright? You know that.”

Spike mumbled what may have qualified as an apology, returning the hug. Twilight returned the hug with yet another one, nuzzling his cheek a little and then fussing over the scrapes he had gained from his tussle with the hydra.

“Still…” Now that the scolding had been given, she couldn’t help but smile. “I am proud of you, Spike, even if that was completely idiotic. Just promise me you won’t go and pull another stunt like that when it can be avoided.”

“No promises, but I’ll try,” Spike answered.

“You big dummy…” Twilight chuckled, wiping away some tears. “What am I going to do with you?”

Present day…

“Honestly, though, I’m not sure on the details. Fluttershy told me what she saw, but Spike’s pretty tight-lipped about the whole thing. I mean, he took on a freakin’ hydra, but you’d think he’d been caught on stage in a frilly pink tutu with how he avoids talking about the whole deal. Fluttershy told me—”

“Could it wait?” Colea asked with a hint of urgency to her words. “We still have that gigantic beast making its way towards us.”

“Oh, right!” Lyra waved a hoof while smiling in embarrassment. “Sorry, sorry, heheh, um, another time, I guess!”

“You say Spike’s run into this hydra at least three times?” Colea asked the mare.

“Mm, yeah. He ran into the big guy just south of Fluttershy’s cottage the third time. The confrontation was a lot less dramatic than when he fought it by himself though. Something about Bulk Biceps, Cranky Doodle, Pinkie’s party cannon, Snails and a marble bust of Princess Luna, but that’s about all I know.”

Colea and Daze blinked.

“We’ve had a lot of large-scale incidents in the past decade…” Lyra added with a grin.

“I do like this town,” Daze said with a smirk, laughing quietly as her fellow changeling sighed with a slow shake of her head.

“You ponies are crazy, I swear…” Colea said, not without a hint of mirth in her words. “Right, well, hopefully things won’t be that bad.” She gave a meaningful look to three Royal Guards standing behind her.

“Ma’am, we’re willing to help, but you have to understand that the Everfree Forest is not within the boundaries of Equestria proper. If we went into the forest without due cause, there’s a good chance we’ll find our collective tails pinned to some politician’s wall—”

Daze piped in. “But there are Equestrian civilians who could be in danger if the hydra isn’t dealt with.”

The three stallions looked to each other. The apparent commanding officer of the station smirked a little. “That should suffice for a loophole, then.” He cleared his throat, and said with some shame in his tone, “It’s a lot more ‘proactive than sitting on our hindquarters and watching from the edge of town.” He stood a little taller, and looked to Colea. “Has everyone at your establishment evacuated already?”

“Yes, it’s standard procedure for the staff to escort all guests out and head here. We haven’t seen anyone, yet, but one of my employees informed me that they already got everyone out of the building and surrounding area.”

“That takes care of that problem, then,” the officer said with a hint of relief. “Very well, let’s go deal with this hydra.”

“Did someone say something about a hydra?”

The group turned to see Rainbow Dash flapping in place only a few feet away from them.

“Oh, hey, Dash! Yeah, Soggybottoms is back, I guess.”

“Again?” Dash replied with a snort. “That guy’s a glutton for punishment. Spike know about it?”

“He’s actually already gone off to take care of it. Him and a few other staff members from the Everfree House,” Lyra explained.

The pegasus went silent for a moment, then nodded. “I’m in.”

“Huh?” Colea quirked an eyebrow. “Seriously? We’re dealing with a hydra.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Hey, I’m bored. Girl needs to keep herself busy, y’know?”

The changeling looked to Lyra, and the unicorn just grinned. “Just go with it. She’s dealt with worse.”

“Point taken,” Colea conceded. “You are a Wonderbolt, after all. That makes you a part of the Equestrian military, correct?”

“Para-military, actually,” corrected one of the guards, earning a frown from the pegasus mare. “Er… no offense, Lieutenant Dash…”

Dash let out a snort and returned her attention to the changelings and Lyra. “Whatever. Anyway, like I said, count me in. Old Soggybottoms and I’ve never been acquainted, and that doesn’t sit right with me.” She began to jab at the open air with her hooves, a smirk spreading across her lips. “Nopony messes with my friends and gets away with it!”

Colea’s frown deepened, and she exhaled through her nose. “Right. Let’s get going before something really bad happens.”

“Okay, Spike…” the drake murmured to himself under his breath, taking in a few gulps of air as he hid behind a large tree. “He’s fighting smart, he’s not lunging at you like a mindless idiot, and he’s gotten better at chucking trees.” Spike glanced at a rerooted pine a good twenty or so yards from his spot, stabbed upside down into the ground courtesy of Soggybottoms’ brute strength.

“Look on the bright side, Spike. At least he can’t fly or breathe fire like you,” a voice chimed in from behind a nearby moss-covered boulder

Spike shot Raxis an annoyed scowl.

“Oi, don’t give me that look. I’m just being optimistic. Yeesh, no need to get all pissy about it,” the changeling grumbled.

“He almost ate me. Twice!” Spike hissed. “Tell me, what there is to be happy about right now?”

“Well, you didn’t get eaten.”

Spike groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. Raxis apparently suffered from an acute case of chronic smartass. That or the changeling’s sarcasm was a coping mechanism for dangerous situations. Spike dared not admit to himself how similar the two were in that regard.

“You see Colm at all?” Spike asked, chancing a peek around his hiding spot.

“No, but knowing him, he’s probably got something cooked up.” Raxis poked his head up from his own hiding place. “So, what’s that hydra’s problem with you? He was ten kinds of angry when we first ran into him, but he was roaring bloody murder when you and Double Take arrived.”

“Long story,” Spike replied, narrowing his eyes at the hydra.

Soggybottoms was currently occupied with attempting to snap at the forms of Double Take and Fade, who were buzzing around his head and zapping him with green bolts of magic. Wisp, disguised as a large timberwolf now, was harassing the hydra’s legs with vicious snaps, doing everything in her power to keep the hydra distracted so he wouldn’t leave the forest.

Spike exhaled deeply and looked to Raxis. “Okay, I think I can get a clear shot at him. All the heads are too busy with the girls to notice us.”

“What’re you thinking?” Raxis asked, a frown forming on his lips.

“I can shoot a fireball at him. If I put enough force behind it, I could probably knock out one or two of the heads.”

Raxis’s eyes widened. “You could do that?”

“It’s compressed fire, so it’s not solid, but the heat rush would probably be enough. Dragon flame has magic in it, too, mine especially.” Spike took in a breath and exhaled. “I’m going to need to bulk up, though.”

“Uh… well, I don’t think this is really the time to put in a few sets of bench presses and squats, but—”

“No, no, it’s a dragon thing. Just… you might want to put some distance between us.” He remained focused on the hydra, one of his fists clenching and grinding his teeth. “Once I attack him, Soggybottoms is going to make a beeline right for me.”

Raxis’s frown deepened, but he nodded. “I got your back, Spike.”

“Thanks. I might need the help…” Spike took in another breath and exhaled, wisps of smoke leaking out of his mouth and nostrils. He waited until he heard the distinct buzz of Raxis’s wings as the changeling drone took off.

Satisfied that no one was close enough to get caught up in whatever mess he might create, Spike stepped out from behind the tree. Soggybottoms had yet to notice him, which was fine. All the more time to prepare himself for the inevitable.

The drake inhaled deeply through his nostrils, holding the breath for several seconds before exhaling.

“Okay, Spike. You can do this… it’s been a while, but it’s like second nature…” He swallowed hard. “Just… painful.”

Spike called forth the innate magic running through his body, and began to feel the power flowing through his bloodstream awaken. Glands in his brain started pumping out adrenaline and a cocktail of other hormones, prepping his body for what it perceived to be a classic case of ‘fight or flight.’

He hissed as he felt his shoulder and pectoral muscles expand suddenly, his wings twitching and flaring out as they adjusted to the added musculature. His arms and legs trembled for a few seconds, then bulged out, and he let out an involuntary cry of pain from the sudden transformation.

Unlike greed growth, ‘battle transformations’ for dragons caused sporadic muscle mass to develop while the overall size of the body remained unchanged. The result was a sudden growth of new scales to meet the demand of keeping his expanded body from bursting out of his skin while his nerves were pressed and shifted without adequate time for adjustment. Not to mention his bones had to adapt to the sudden weight.

That and Spike was probably a good twenty years too young for such transformations.

“Gah, Tartarus pits, that hurts!” He winced as a bicep twitched, and he grit his teeth as he struggled to keep himself standing.

After a minute had passed, Spike now stood a head or two higher than he had before while on all fours. Every movement he made, even taking in a simple breath, caused his body to ripple with power.

He stood back up on his hind legs and looked towards the hydra. Double Take, Fade, and now Wisp, back to her true form, were in the air above Soggybottoms.

Good. No need to worry about them getting caught in the blaze.

Spike took in a deep breath, deeper than what his lungs and diaphragm would have been capable of a minute ago. The fire in his chest ignited, and he let out a roar that shook the surrounding trees as a cloud of fire poured out from his open maw, only for a massive fireball to punch through it a second later.

One of Soggybottoms’ heads whipped around at the sound of the beastial roar, only to be flooded in a swath of emerald flames.

“What in the Hive Mother—?!” cried Double Take as she, Wisp, and Fade were knocked back by an explosion of green flames that swallowed the hydra. Unharmed and only jarred by the explosion, she stared down at the inferno of emerald fire. “What was that?!”

“I think that was Spike!” Fade pointed down to a large, purple figure standing not too far from the bonfire. “Does… does he look a bit off to you?”

The three changelings were given no time to mull over Spike’s new physique as a quartet of infuriated roars filled their ears.

“It’s still alive?” Wisp muttered. “How could anything survive that?!”

“Hydra scales are strong. Not as resistant to flame as dragon’s, but still strong.”

The trio spun around to see none other than Colm, hovering behind them.

“Colm? Where the hay were you?!” Wisp shouted. “We could’ve used your help back when…” She ended her scolding upon noticing a massive, iron longbow strapped across his waist, as well as a large quiver between his wings. The bow was at least a good foot or so longer than he was tall, and the bowstring had to be at least a quarter inch thick. “That’s… a very big bow you got there.”

“Griffon warriors trained in the use of the greatbow are capable of taking down a bull hydra, and even an Ursa Minor, if they have good enough aim.” He reached for his bow and gave the string an experimental tug. It barely gave, but he seemed satisfied. “If I can get a clean shot at it, I might be able to slay the beast without anyone getting injured…” He looked around, noticing a large oak tree towering over its neighbors. “That should suffice.”

Without another word, Colm dove down to the oak tree.

“Uh…” Double Take blinked. “I… okay, that’s cool, I guess.” She turned to her fellow changelings and let out a groan. “So, what do we do, stand here and look pretty while Spike and Colm take out the big, bad hydra?”

“You kidding me?” Wisp said, a smirk forming on her lips. “This just got more exciting!”

“Wisp…” Fade said, her voice taking on a concerned tone.

Wisp turned to her sister, and her smirk vanished. “I… Don’t worry, Fade. I’ll be okay.”

Fade’s eyes remained locked with her younger sister’s.

“I promise,” Wisp added.

Fade sighed, but gave a relenting nod. “Just don’t be reckless. We talked about this before—”

“I know, I know, and I said I promise, okay?” She fluttered closer to Fade and grabbed one her hooves in her own. “C’mon, sis… you know I’m not like that anymore.”

Fade, for her part, managed to look guilty. “I… Sorry.”

“Um, girls?” Double Take began, cutting the two off from further conversation. “ I enjoy heart-to-heart talks as much as the next changeling, we really should be focusing on the pissed off angry hydra down there.”

“Right.” Wisp shook her head and watched as the hydra began charging towards Spike. “Let’s see if there’re any more boulders for that behemoth.”

“Come on and get some, you bloated lizard!”

“Spike, that’s a little unfair coming from you.”

“Not now, Raxis!” Spike shouted, leaping into the air and flapping his wings to avoid a swing of Soggybottoms’ tail.

He banked hard to the right, avoiding the snapping jaws of one head. After putting a bit of distance between himself and the hydra, he landed once more and groaned, rolling his shoulders and stretching his arms; flying with his increased weight was taxing for his wings, so he couldn’t afford to stay airborne for too long.

Soggybottoms continued pursuing, all four heads now concerned fully with the upstart dragon. The hydra spun around, going for another swing of its tail. When it felt it connect with the dragon, the heads couldn’t help but smirk… only to immediately frown when they noticed the dragon was still standing and not smashing into a nearby tree.

“Heheh…” Spike chuckled, both arms grappling with the tail while his feet slid a bit. He managed to keep his feet planted in the soil, only sliding back a few yards. He glanced up at the beast and grinned ferally. “That’s right, buddy. Somedragon got stronger since you last fought them!”

With a grunt of effort and a might heave, Spike lifted the beast over his shoulder. The hydra cried out in shock as it was lifted off the ground and tossed into a nearby thicket of pine. Soggybottoms rolled head over heels once, landing on its stomach and facing towards the drake, its heads dazed and confused from the impact.

“Holy Hive Mother!” Raxis cried out, landing beside Spike. “Damn, Spike, that was crazy! How’d you even do that?” He looked away from Soggybottoms and smiled at Spike, levity quickly vanishing when he saw how heavily Spike was breathing. “Hey, you alright?”

Spike nodded. “Y-yeah… just…” He stumbled forward, but managed to catch himself. “Crap… okay, we should end this quick. Already feeling fatigued here from bulking up and throwing a few tons over my shoulder…”

Raxis’s expression grew serious, and he was engulfed in flames. When the magic flickered out, Spike stood beside a male chimera consisting of a ram and lion’s heads and a viper for a tail. The body was half feline and half goat. It’s voice, however, was still that of the changeling.

“Whoa, okay… that’s weird…” Raxis’s lion head murmured. “Okay… okay… just getting used to seeing three different angles at…” The lion took in a breath, and exhaled. “Got it. Got it… good…” The goat and snake heads were suddenly as alert as the lion head, all three speaking in unison. “I can hold this form for at least a few minutes, maybe… Let’s finish this chump and then get something to eat. I’m hungry enough to eat a horse…” He got a worried look from Spike, then laughed. “Er, joking. That’d be gross.”

“Okay, I get the picture,” Spike said with a shake of his head. “Can you breathe fire as a chimera?”

Raxis blinked and took in a breath from his goat and lion heads. His cheeks puffed out, and a plume of orange flames shot out of their mouths. “Sweet! Yeah, I’m good.”

“Great, let’s roast this guy. Maybe he’ll finally get the hint and get out of here, then. He doesn’t usually stick around once things get too hairy for him.”

Spike and Raxis each walked towards the still recovering hydra, stopping a good couple of paces away from the beast.

“On my mark,” Spike held up a hand. “Breathe…”

Both dragon and changeling-turned-chimera took in deep breaths. Neither noticed that one of the heads had both its eyes open, nor did they hear the distinct gurgle from the beast’s massive stomach.

Spike held up his claws, and began ticking down from four to one. Both planted their feet firmly when Spike’s countdown reached zero, and opened their mouths, expelling a wave of flames towards the beast.

At the same time, the alerted head belched out a dense, gassy cloud that quickly billowed forward. The heads all turned away and braced themselves.

Spike and Raxis only had a second to register what the hydra had done, as both were still blasting out fire from their mouths. The faint, but unmistakable odor of rotten eggs wafting into their nostrils.

Spike’s eyes widened as he ceased breathing flames, watching in horror and realizing it was too late. “Raxis, get down!”

Both were thrown back as the toxic cloud ignited, tossing the two like ragdolls.

Rainbow Dash, along with Daze, Colea, and three of the local Royal Guards, had been making their way towards the Everfree House when the explosion shook the very air around them. The group came to an immediate halt, watching as a cloud of flame burst into the air before quickly dissipating to leave behind only a telltale plume of smoke.

“Oh no…” Colea whispered.

“Scrap, Ironclad, follow me! Double time!” shouted the guards’ commanding officer before the three flew toward the fires without hesitation.

Rainbow Dash grit her teeth and watched the fire spread.

“That’s not good! If there’s a fire in the Everfree, it’ll reach Ponyville next!” She cursed under her breath. “Damn it! I… Daze, Colea, I need to get the weather ponies here in case that becomes a real wildfire.” She bit her lip, and continued, her voice now carrying a hint of desperation in it. “Please, when… when you find Spike…”

“He’ll be okay,” Daze said, her own voice firm and confident. “Don’t worry, Rainbow Dash. He’s a dragon; they’re built of tougher stuff.”

Dash nodded. “Y-yeah. It’s just…”

“We understand. We have friends there too,” Colea said with a nod. “Now please, if you need the weather team, then you need to hurry.” She looked back to the forest, and sure enough, fire was already spreading across the nearby trees.

The pegasus gave a final nod and was gone, heading back to Ponyville with only a rainbow-colored contrail and the crack of a sonic boom left in her wake.

Daze and Colea returned their attention to the forest, gasping as they saw four hydra heads poke out of the canopy.

“That must be Soggybottoms,” Colea noted with a grimace. “He’s definitely a big one.”

“No kidding, Lyra was…” Daze’s voice faded, and her eyes widened. “Oh no!”

“What-gah!” Colea flitted back in shock as Daze vanished in a burst of flame. “Teleportation? Since when could…” Colea’s frills suddenly went rigid.

She recognized that faint magical resonance left from Daze’s sudden spell. How couldn’t she?

Any changeling that had served in the military would recognize it. It was a magical resonance they were trained to notice at the drop of a hat.

“No,” Colea whispered. “It can’t be her…”

Fear and anger welling up in her chest in equal parts, Colea zoomed towards the chaos within the forest, intent on saving her friends, not just from a hydra, but also from a much more dangerous creature, it seemed.

Spike moaned in pain as he sat up, stars dancing in his vision as he opened his eyes. His head throbbed with pain.

Scratch that, his whole body throbbed in pain.

“Raxis…” Spike mumbled, looking around. He spotted a small, black form crumpled a little ways from him. He squinted and could make out the unconscious changeling leaning against a tree, likely the one he was thrown into. Spike stumbled towards the changeling, and checked him over. He was breathing, thankfully, but he was out cold.

“Hang on, Raxis, I’ll get you…” Spike’s words died on his lips as he noticed a shadow spreading across the ground before him. He slowly turned around to see Soggybottoms glaring down at him.

“Clever. Didn’t think hydra’s could store that stuff in their bodies like that…” Spike spread his wings, despite his body’s protests, and placed himself between Raxis and the hydra.

Soggybottoms responded by simply lifting up a foot and bringing it down on Spike in a bid to crush the life from him.

The dragon cursed aloud and braced himself. He grabbed the massive foot, crying out in pain as his body almost buckled under the weight.

“Damn it… damn… it…” Spike growled. “Why… won’t… you just… leave?!”

Spike slowly pushed against the hydra’s foot, eventually gaining enough leverage to heave it, causing the hydra to stumble back. Spike wasted no time and forced himself forward. As the hydra backpedaled awkwardly, the dragon leaped into the air crashed into the hydra’s stomach with a solid body check.

The beast let out a pained roar and fell onto its back. Spike landed on all fours and crumpled.

His right shoulder was screaming in pain.

“That… wasn’t supposed to hurt so much…” Spike groaned. He tried to push himself up from the ground, but his muscles spasmed and he could only hiss in pain as his body rebelled.

And just as luck would have it, though, Soggybottoms was able to get back up again. All four heads looked down at Spike with something akin to amusement, lowering to meet his gaze. When Spike was at eye level, the heads growled a huffing, staccato growl that almost sounded like laughter.

“Screw you…” Spike wheezed.

One of the heads, the one that had taken the fireball to the face earlier, opened its jaws and Spike was hit with its nauseating stench.

Great. Death by hydra…

Spike closed his eyes, too weak and hurt to attempt any movement.

But just as the jaws of the hydra were about to snap shut on Spike, he heard the particular sound of pierced flesh reach his ears alongside a cry of alarm and pain from Soggybottoms.

Spike opened his eyes and saw a giant metal spear with an incredibly large tip sticking out between the two middle heads of the hydra.

“What the…?” Spike watched as Soggybottoms stood up and looked around, his eyes eventually settling on something far in the distance.

The hydra took a few lumbering steps, but stopped as its eyes widened in clear alarm. A second projectile pierced the beast’s scaled body, this time through its left side.

The beast was given no rest, however, as a massive rock slammed into its back, causing it to stumble forward. Two heads whipped toward the sky, glaring at something Spike was unable to see.

“Plenty more where that came from, sweetie!” cried out a voice that Spike immediately identified as Wisp.

One of the heads glared at the boulder, then clamped down on it with its jaws. It picked it up, and with surprising skill, threw the boulder back in the direction it came from.

“Whoa, duck!” cried out a second voice, this time Double Take.

A second head looked back in the direction that the metal spears had come. It bit down on a healthy-sized tree, snapping it at the trunk and whipping it towards whatever had attacked it. Then, all four heads looked down towards Spike.

“Attack!”

Three, much smaller spears flew down from the sky, sticking into the hydra’s backside. Three winged blurs shot by overhead, and Spike could make out the golden glimmer of Royal Guard armor as they flew past. The hydra’s heads ducked and hissed at the new nuisances, and once more a head snapped down on a tree to heft it up in his mouth. It kept a sturdy grip on the mighty tree with its jaws, and swung at the pegasi as they came in for a second pass. They scattered as the tree swiped past them, disrupting whatever plan of attack they’d had. Luckily for the winged guards, they managed to evade the wild swings of the beast.

While one head kept the Royal Guards at bay with its improvised weapon, another yanked out the offending spears, hissing in pain when it managed to remove them. Three of the heads returned their attention to Spike.

“Would it make any difference if I said dragons give you horrible indigestion?”

The hydra just growled while the three unoccupied heads grinned maliciously at him.

“Yeah, didn’t think so…”

The heads reared back, mouths opened wide to devour the dragon, and lunged forward as Spike could only brace himself.

The pain, crunching of bones, and gnashing of teeth, never came. Spike hesitantly opened his eyes, shocked when he saw a small figure standing before him. It took him a moment to recognize the changeling, whose horn was lit and casting a massive wall of flames around them. The hydra’s took a step back, glancing down in bewilderment at the newcomer.

“Chrys…” Spike paused, his mind experiencing a moment of clarity. “I… Daze?”

The changeling looked back to Spike, a small smirk touching her lips. “Kept you waiting, huh?”

“I…” Spike frowned.

“I’ll take that as a ‘thank you’, then.” She turned back to the hydra, and her smirk vanished. “Alright, Saggy… whatever your name is…” Her voice rang loudly in Spike’s ears, amplified now by magic so that the hydra could hear her. “I’m sure you can at least understand my intent, so I’m giving you one chance. Retreat, or I’ll make you retreat.”

Soggybottoms’ heads let out snorts, clearly unimpressed. The head holding the tree in its jaws decided to take action first, swinging down in a vertical arc, intent on smashing the newcomer into a bloody pulp.

With a spark of her horn, the tree was engulfed in green before it crumbled into ash. The heads all paused and stared at their disintegrated weapon, then back at Chrysalis.

“Yes, that was me,” was all Chrysalis said in reply.

“Attack pattern Cirrus, go!”

Soggybottoms looked to its left, all of its heads ducking a moment later as the three Royal Guards zipped past him. Had the hydra reacted a moment later, it would’ve likely been seeing stars.

It was at that moment that a decent sized rock covered in a suspiciously green light decided to smack into the side of one of the heads. Whipping around to face the direction the rock had come from, the heads once more were facing down the disguised queen, who was currently studying a hoof with disinterest.

“I hate being ignored. Not to mention it’s just bad manners on your part,” Chrysalis said with a bored look.

The heads roared and lifted up a foot to stomp on her. She replied by catching the foot in her telekinetic grip before encasing the entire creature in her magic. The creature lifted off the ground, and, realizing too late its error, let out a pathetic whimper.

Chrysalis smirked. “Bye-bye, now.”

The creature howled as it was sent flying deep into the Everfree, so far that not even the guards or changelings flying overhead could make out where it had landed.

“Did… did you just toss a full-grown hydra with your magic?” Spike asked, more than a little baffled.

Sure, he had grown up with Twilight Sparkle, so he wasn’t too surprised to see things of that magnitude… but this wasn’t Twilight Sparkle.

Admittedly, he didn’t know the extent of Chrysalis’s magical powers, but a full-grown hydra?

“I have my moments,” she replied.

A moment later, the three Royal Guards, Colea, Double Take, Fade, Wisp, and Colm all landed beside her and Spike.

“Spike, are you alright?” Double Take asked, both she and Wisp running towards him while Fade and Colea went to check on Raxis.

“I’m fine… all things considered,” Spike said weakly. “Thanks for the help back there. I would’ve thought that boulder would have him. Soggybottoms is definitely a sturdy one.”

“Well, hopefully he won’t be bothering these parts again,” Wisp said, looking wary as she turned towards Daze. “Uh, that was pretty cool, by the way. I don’t think I’d be able to toss a hydra on even my best day.”

“I’ve been storing love for a long time.” Daze shrugged. “It helped.”

“So it did,” came Colea’s voice as she made her way towards Daze. “I have to admit, I don’t think I’ve ever seen any changeling pull something like that.”

“Like I said to Spike, I have my moments,” Daze said with a smile. “I’m actually rather exhausted right now. I could use a nap.”

“Uh huh…” Colea looked to the three guards. “Rainbow Dash went back to get the weather team so they could put out that fire before it got worse. They should be here soon.”

“Good,” replied the commanding officer, who was now looking towards the pillar of smoke rising into the sky. “They should have no problem putting the fire out with a good rain shower, but we should still get out of the forest in case it spreads this way.” He looked to Raxis. “Is he alright?”

“Just unconscious. My magic doesn’t sense any major injuries,” Colea answered as a glow faded from her horn. “Thanks for the help, captain.”

“Just doing our duty, ma’am.” He gave her a nod. “We’ll gladly escort you back to the Everfree House, but unless you require anything else, we’ll be headed back to the station to report this. I’m sure the Equestrian Rangers will be increasing patrols in Everfree to keep an eye out for any more hydras.”

With Colea and Wisp’s help, Spike was walked out of the forest while Colm had volunteered to carry Raxis. As they made their way, Spike explained the explosion to the group, and the guards made note to make sure the information was passed along to their peers in the other branches of the Equestrian military. Within a few minutes’ time, they were out of the forest.

They could already see a herd of pegasus flying towards the forest, heavy, rain-laden clouds in tow.

After the guards had left, Colea looked to the group.

“Well done, all of you. I know only Wisp, Colm, and I are formally trained for situations like what we experienced, but that was impressive work.” She looked to the tom-griffon of their group and smiled. “I don’t recall you being so skilled with the greatbow, Colm.”

“I have some skill, but not enough it would seem. I should have been able to take down the hydra with those two great arrows. My aim was lacking.” He gave Colea a quick nod, then one to the others. He paused a moment to look at Spike before lifting off to fly back to the house, bow and quiver strapped to his back once more.

Colea turned to Double Take and Fade. “You two as well, great job. That was dangerous work, but I’m sure that everyone at the bordello and in Ponyville appreciates what you’ve done.”

“Ahem.”

“Yes, Wisp, I’m proud of you, too. This isn’t the first time you’ve dealt with beasties, though. That and you’re former military; I expect this of you.”

Wisp rolled her eyes, but her grin never wavered. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m going to have a nice bubble bath.” She looked to Spike, and grinned. “You’re welcome to join me.”

Spike, despite his exhaustion, couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ll pass, I think.”

Fade shook her head. “Sorry, Spike. It seems my sister doesn’t know when to turn it off.”

“Hey, fighting gets me excited!” Wisp argued as she, Double Take, and Fade wandered back towards the house, Double Take sparing a moment to turn around and wave to Spike.

As soon as the trio was out of sight, Colea turned to Raxis with a sigh. “I’ll have to put him in a healing pod for a few hours. I see a few burns on his carapace.”

“He helped a lot back there,” Spike said, lifting his head up to look at the unconscious drone. “He’s going to be okay, right?”

“He’ll be fine. A little rest, a nice meal, and he should be back on his hooves in no time.”

“Good,” Spike said upon hearing Colea’s response. “That’s good… we got lucky.”

“Yes, you did,” Colea said with a heavy sigh. She walked closer to Spike, and placed a hoof on his shoulder.

He winced a bit, his body still sensitive from the rapid muscle growth, and she withdrew her hoof.

“Sorry. And… thanks, Spike. I know it’s painful for dragons to gain all that muscle the way you did.”

“You know about that, huh?” Spike asked.

“I’ve dealt with dragons before,” she answered. “Needless to say, I think you’re the first one I’ve seen that bulked up to protect changelings.”

“Ponyville is my home. The Everfree House is a part of my home too now…” Spike said quietly.

“Still, what you did was brave. Incredibly stupid, but brave.” She chuckled. “I’m sure Scootaloo won’t be happy when she finds out about this, though, am I right?”

“Oh, I’m more or less a dead dragon,” Spike mumbled. “She flipped out last time Soggybottoms and I had a go-round, and that wasn’t nearly as bad as the first time.”

“I see. Well, tell you what, head back to the bordello and take a nice long rest in the gardens. I’ll make sure to let everyone know that you’re back there. Think we’ll be closed for the rest of the day to recover from this anyway.”

Spike gave her a grateful nod. “Want me to take him, too?” He looked down to Raxis, who was still out like a light.

“Please,” Colea said with a smile. “If you’re able, that is.”

“I’m good enough,” Spike replied.

“Thanks, Spike. Just tell Fade or one of the girls that he needs to be placed in one of the healing pods. They’ll take care of him from there.”

“Okay,” Spike said. He slowly lifted Raxis up and placed him gently on his back. “Thanks, Colea… and uh… thanks, Daze.”

Daze, who had remained quiet the whole time, gave Spike a soft smile. “I’m just happy you’re safe. Take care.”

Spike looked between Colea and Daze, noticing a scowl forming across Colea’s lips as she turned to her fellow changeling. When Spike looked back to Daze, a questioning look on his face, she merely nodded her head towards the bordello. He said nothing further, and made his way to the Everfree House.

Once the two were alone, Colea broke the silence between them. “Drop the disguise.”

Daze raised an eyebrow. After a moment, she smiled. But it wasn’t a happy one. It almost seemed… pained. “You always were a bright little girl.”

Colea bristled. “Do not talk about me that way.”

“Colea…”

“No! You don’t have that right! You don’t deserve—”

Daze took a step forward, offering a hoof. “Please, Colea, I know you’re upset, but—”

“Don’t touch me!” Colea growled, taking a step back and flaring out her wings. She hissed involuntarily, but quickly schooled herself. “Y-you… how dare you show your face here.” She paused, then shook her head. “No. You can’t even show your true face. You’re a coward.”

“Yes,” Daze said sadly. “Yes, I am.”

“Why are you here?”

Daze looked up to meet Colea’s gaze. But she lasted only a moment before quickly looking away. “I wanted to find you.”

Colea’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

Daze seemed to deflate, and forced herself to look the smaller changeling in the eyes. “I felt that if I was going to start figuring out where I’ve gone wrong in life… I should start with the most important thing in my life.”

Colea took a step back. Then another. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not.” Daze rubbed her eyes and blinked rapidly. “Colea… I have always loved y—”

“Stop it! Just…” Colea sucked in a breath through gritted teeth. “No. You can’t just… fix everything with pretty words!”

“I realize that, but I want you to know!”

“You say you love me? Well, you’ve done a damned good job of it!” Colea stepped forward. “I studied everything there was to know on the government when I was a youngling in school. I trained and built up my strength, hoping I could be as powerful as I thought you wanted. I joined the damnable military, and became the Lieutenant General of the Changeling Army for you!”

By now, Colea was trembling. Tears threatened to fall, but she wouldn’t let them. Certainly not in front of her!

“I told you how I wanted to make you proud, every day I could. I told you that you were amazing, and that I wanted to grow up to be just like you!” Colea stomped a hoof on the ground, and all but shouted, “I said ‘I love you’ every day, every night, and any time that I could!”

Daze was having a hard time swallowing the lump in her throat. “I-I-I know, Colea. I know.”

“And now… now, after all this time, you want to tell me you love me?! No!” Colea turned away from the changeling before. “You lost that right the moment you stopped being my mother.”

Daze sniffled. “Colea, please, just give me a chance…”

Colea looked over her shoulder, her eyes widening at the sight. Daze had her forehead pressed to the ground, body wracked by sobs.

Her mother never bowed. Not for anyone or anything.

“What are you—?”

“I’m sorry, Colea,” Daze managed to say, her voice heavy with grief. “I’ve been a stupid, selfish wretch. I have done so many horrible things in the past years…” She shuddered. “Oh, who am I kidding? I’ve decades of problems on my shoulders…” She looked up, her eyes flickering for a brief moment from solid blue to slitted green irises. “But you… and all of your brothers and sisters… you were the few treasures that I managed to bring into this world in what’s been forever…”

Colea turned away from her. “H-how do you know that… when I’m the only one still alive…?”

Daze let a smile creep onto her lips. “Because… they all live on within you, Colea.”

Colea let a single sob escape her lips, “You told me to ‘get out of your sight’ when I voiced my thoughts against invading Canterlot! How is it showing your child care if you can’t even listen to her?!”

“It was cruel of me, I know! I’m still trying to understand why I was the way I was those days,” Chrysalis replied in a strained voice. “My mind was a storm of emotions, Colea, and not all my own! I have no doubt more than a few of the changelings in the Supreme Council wanted a slice of Equestrian pie for themselves to lord over. I had convinced myself that, if we just gained control of Equestria, our famine problems would be over!” She shook her head. “Trust me, when that… that Princess and her husband shot me through the skies with my troops, it was a wake-up call. They used love to defeat me!” She looked to her daughter and swallowed hard. “I should have listened to the very changeling that I cared for most. I… I should have had you come with me to Canterlot in peace. You have always been more level-headed in stressful situations than I…”

“Well, you were wrong about conquest. Getting defeated by love itself was fitting. Empathic connections or not, letting yourself get carried away like that and running off of thoughts that aren’t your own was reckless and infinitely stupid,” Colea sweeped a hoof towards Ponyville, stopping at the bordello. “As you can see, the vast majority of Equestria is more than happy to help.”

“Just goes to show that wisdom doesn’t always come with age,” the queen said with weak nod of understanding.

Colea’s tone gained a hard edge. “I’m not about to let you cause another incident like you did in Canterlot, Mother. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t be halfway to Ponyville to let the authorities know you’re here.”

Daze rose up and chanced a step forward. Then another. She didn’t bother to conceal her emotions from the changeling before her. “Colea, not a day goes by that I don’t feel proud to be your mother. I’ve always felt nothing but pride in knowing that you were my daughter. My only regret is that I never told you that, and how much you truly mean to me.”

Colea let out a wry chuckle, “Well, congratulations. You did it. Guess you can ponder on how much I mean to you while rotting behind prison bars.” She flexed her wings and prepared to take off.

“Wait.”

Colea paused, and when the sound of flames crackling reached her ears, she looked to see the queen of all changelings standing before her.

Chrysalis reached for the crown resting upon her head. She glared at it for a long moment, then threw it to the ground and stomped on it, breaking it into pieces.

“What was that supposed to accomplish?” Colea asked. “You gave up your title years ago.”

Chrysalis sighed. “That thing… I haven’t deserved to wear that, or bear the title that comes with it for a long time.” She slumped forward, and Colea couldn’t help but notice how weak she looked. “I won’t ask for your forgiveness, Colea. You deserved better than me as a mother…”

In response, Colea just snorted derisively. “Too little, too late.”

“You’re sure of that?” Chrysalis asked.

Colea said nothing at first. Her wings buzzed in agitation, but when she finally did speak, her words were not full of the venom she had previously held, but instead with something Chrysalis couldn’t place.

It didn’t help that Colea was keeping a tight lid on her emotions; it was nigh impossible to read her aside from the anger she was giving off.

“This… this place is my home now. Even so… I still worry for the others back in the Changeling Nation.” She sniffled. “What do you plan to do about them?”

Chrysalis frowned. “I’m not sure… That’s why I came to Equestria. To learn.”

Colea surprised her by simply nodding. “Perhaps… Maybe there is some chance you’re being sincere.” She cleared her throat. “Does anyone else know?”

“Spike knows who I am. No one else as far as I can tell.”

Colea was quiet after that. Chrysalis kept her senses open, just in case someone approached. She wanted to be open and honest with her daughter, but she couldn’t risk things getting worse.

“I shouldn’t trust you. I should just be done with you.” She sighed, her wings sagging at her sides. “One chance, mother. I’m going to give you one chance. If… if you really mean to better yourself… to change who you are… then I want to believe you.” She looked over her shoulder as Chrysalis’s face brightened. “Don’t think this means I forgive you. I’m giving you a chance, but I’m still keeping my eye on you.”

“Spike said about the same thing,” Chrysalis replied. “I understand.”

“Good. I’ll need to have a word with him.”

“Don’t be angry with him. He… he’s a good dragon. I think he wants things to improve for changelings… no, not just changelings, but everyone.” She smiled fondly. “I want to see him succeed, too.”

“If I find out you’ve hurt him, or anyone… or if I find out you’ve been stealing love…”

“I haven’t, I swear.” She flexed her dull wings uncomfortably. “I haven’t taken more than what’s been given to me as ‘Daze’. It’s enough, but…” She gave a weak laugh. “She’s not the most sociable of disguises I’ve ever had.” Chrysalis smile settled to a grimace. “I’m not stealing love; I promise you that.”

“Fine. Keep it that way,” Colea stood up straight. “I’ll let you keep working, but I’m not going to let you live here. But I’m guessing that’s why you’re renting anyway.”

“I figured it was for the best.”

Colea gave a curt nod. “Councilor Orthopaes has been having talks with the princesses about aiding the changelings back in the Changeling Nation. If you can find some way to help her, that’d be a start.”

Chrysalis let a smile dance across her lips at the mention of Orthopaes. While the she and the former councilor had butted heads on policy and legislation, she could never find it in herself to hate the oft-hardheaded changeling.

“Perhaps that would be a good idea.”

Colea began making her way towards the bordello, only to pause. “If you wish to continue working here, then you’ll need to work better on concealing yourself. I don’t want our business being targeted by the Equestrian military for harboring an enemy of the state.”

“Colea, if it will put your mind to ease, I will find work elsewhere.”

“No, I’d rather keep a close eye on you.” She looked over her shoulder to meet Chrysalis’ gaze. “I know how you can be when you’re overwhelmed by emotions.”

Chrysalis opened her mouth to argue, but closed it with a soft click of her teeth. “Fair point.”

“I need to check on the others, and make sure everyone who evacuated the bordello is alright. They probably ran to Ponyville as soon as they found out about the hydra.” She turned back to the Everfree House. “We’ll talk later about your position here. I’m not sure if I like the idea of you being a servicer. Take the rest of the day off.”

“Very well, Colea.” Chrysalis said. With a glow of her horn, she was engulfed in green flames once more, and the changeling Daze stood in her place.

“Try not to cause any trouble until then,” Colea said, and continued walking.

Daze smiled. “Me? Trouble?” She saw Colea stop, and raised a hoof. “Sorry, I was just joking.”

“Hmph.” With that, Colea stretched her wings and flitted into the air.

Chrysalis watched her daughter a few moments longer. The smile on her lips fell as Colea’s retreating form disappeared from view, and the disguised former queen sagged a bit as she turned back towards Ponyville.

Chrysalis had always striven to be a strong, logical ruler. Sadly, being the queen, and a powerful empath as a result, she found it hard to not be swayed by the numerous individuals she ruled over.

Mental barriers could only hold so long against the onslaught of emotions.

Perhaps it was because of that drive to be strong that she’d never shown her daughter much in the way of affection, aside from the occasional word of approval. It wasn’t that she’d held no feelings for her only daughter; far from it, in fact.

Shaking her head and steering herself away from the dark thoughts that would follow, she instead focused on what Colea had said.

Helping the changelings in Equestria with relief efforts for those still in the Changeling Nation wasn’t a half-bad idea. Not to mention, she still had a responsibility to maintain. Queen or not, Chrysalis was by far the oldest changeling alive. Even if she didn’t directly rule over them anymore, she felt the need to help.

I wonder if this is how Luna and Celestia feel… she pondered as she lifted into the air with a buzz of her wings.

After a short nap in the peaceful gardens outside of the Everfree House, Spike had bid the others at the bordello goodbye, and made his way back home. He’d originally planned on continuing to work, but Colea had insisted rather strongly that he head home, stating that Scootaloo and his friends in town were no doubt worried about him.

Though, there was something that had bothered him about his brief talk with Colea before he left.

So… she and I know about Chrysalis now. He let out a deep sigh through his nostrils. At least she didn’t seem too angry with me. If anything she seemed sad… not sure why, though.

Spike shrugged it off for now, chalking it up to everyone having had a rather stress-filled day.

A small part of his mind told him that Chrysalis was in town, and not in a dungeon, but… honestly, he couldn’t bring himself to worry too much about it. She had said it herself, after all: if she were to try taking over Equestria, let alone Ponyville, she would have a lot of ponies and changelings to deal with. Even Celestia and Luna, for all their power, weren’t capable of stopping an entire nation by themselves…

...well, save for using their celestial charges to alter the land by causing massive tidal waves, bringing drought or an unseasonal cooling of the land… but he knew that neither of them would truly go that far.

And so, with the rest of the day off, and his concerns for a former changeling queen pushed aside for now, Spike made his way through the Ponyville. The walk had helped loosen his body back up, and his muscles had burned away most of their excess mass, much to his relief.

There was one thing that he felt he was forgetting about, though…

“Spike T. Dragon!”

Spike flinched at the voice of a very upset Bonbon calling his name.

Oh, yeah… that.

Spike put on his best grin and waved to the mares outside his home. Scootaloo stood at the front, and near her were Bonbon, Princess Luna, and Lyra. Said unicorn of the group was waving back jovially while the rest had unreadable expressions on their faces.

“Uhm… hey, girls,” Spike greeted. “Sooo, what’s up?”

“Lyra told us that you were off fighting a hydra today,” Scootaloo said in an eerily calm tone.

“Now, see, when you put it that way, you make it sound like I started the whole fiasco,” Spike said with a weak chuckle.” I was actually protecting the Everfree House and everyone who—”

“We heard the explosion from here, Spike,” Bonbon said, cutting him off. “Why didn’t you wait for the Royal Guard?”

Spike bit back a retort about the guards not helping much other than distracting the hydra.

Not really their fault, though; there were usually only a half-dozen guards at best stationed in a small town like Ponyville, and most only helped with law enforcement work alongside the local police force.

Battling hydras was more along the lines of work for the Equestrian Rangers and Royal Guards stationed in the major military outposts throughout the land.

“I… figured they’d catch up!” Spike replied with a toothy grin.

“You have to admit, he has a point,” Lyra said with a nod of agreement. “I mean, he’s a big dragon, they’re pegasi. They shouldn’t have a hard time catching up to him.”

“Lyra, hush” Bonbon said, attempting to keep her stern look.

Lyra, for her part, gave Spike an apologetic grin before schooling her features into a disappointed frown that she directed towards the dragon before her.

Traitor…

“I thought you said you weren’t going to fight Soggybottoms again,” Scootaloo said, her voice quavering.

“He was making his way towards the bordello, Scoots. I couldn’t just let him trash the place. He could have hurt somepony, or even moved towards Ponyville.”

“You could have asked for my help,” Luna retorted. “I could have easily dispatched of a hydra.” She rubbed a temple with her hoof, and then added, “Though, my Night Guards failed to know of the hydra until after the problem had been solved. This was a mistake on their parts as well as mine.”

“The bordello staff acted quickly, Princess. I’m sure you and the guards would have been aware of the hydra if it had gotten any closer, but we stopped it before that could happen.”

“Speaking of which,” Luna continued. “How did you stop the hydra?”

“Er, well, I didn’t, actually,” Spike said, hoping his nervousness would be mistaken for embarrassment.

The Princess of the Night would be far from amused if she learned about Chrysalis living in town.

“One of the changelings had been storing up love for a long time in her magical reserves, I guess. She was able to launch Soggybottoms into the air. Wouldn’t be surprised if he landed on the other side of the Everfree, actually.”

“That is rather impressive… and a bit alarming,” Luna remarked while the other three mares nodded in agreement. “The forest easily covers a fifth of Equestria.”

“Yeah, that would explain why she was so drained afterwards, I guess…” Spike said, hoping that would end the conversation.

Scootaloo decided to spare him further interrogation. She closed the distance between herself and him with a flutter of her wings and wrapped her forelegs around his neck in a hug.

“Please don’t ever do that to me again.”

Spike frowned. “I can’t promise that, but I’ll avoid it if I can.” Upon receiving a worried look from the mare, he continued, “Scoots, I’m a dragon. I can breathe fire, I can do things ponies can’t, and let’s face it, I’m a little hardier than the average pony is. If a big, scary beast of some sort decides it wants to cause trouble while I’m in town, I’m going to try and stop it.”

“Spike…”

“This is my home as much as it is yours or anypony else’s. It’s how I protect it…” He nuzzled her gently as she let out a defeated sigh. “But… in the future I’ll try to be more careful who I pick fights with, okay?

“Fine,” Scootaloo said, returning his nuzzle with a kiss on the snout. “So, you done with work?”

“Mmhm,” Spike replied with a nod. “Colea decided I’d earned the rest of the day off after that whole ordeal with Soggybottoms.”

She grinned a little. “Cool. Rainbow Dash wanted to stop by later, but I think she might be a while. She said she was going to help the weather team put out the fire in the Everfree Forest when we saw her flying into town.”

“Am I going to get an earful from her, too?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t doubt it,” Scootaloo laughed, then gave her drakefriend a gentle jab with a hoof. “Come on, let’s go inside and have some dinner. The girls are going to get together and hit the bars tonight. You should come.”

“First rounds are on me!” Lyra chimed in.

“I suppose I’ll join in as well. Someone has to help keep you girls in line,” Bonbon added with a lopsided smile while shaking her head at her marefriend’s antics.

“So, wait, Princess Luna is going to the bars too?” Scootaloo nodded. “We’re doomed.”

“I heard that!”

Meanwhile…

A few days north of Ponyville, in the region of the great Frozen North that housed the Crystal Empire, Princess Cadance read through a letter. She’d received it only minutes before, the dark blue seal complete with a crescent moon clearly indicating its origin.

“Good news, I hope?” called Shining Armor as he walked into Cadance’s personal office.

She had been in there for the better part of the day, looking over proposals on what to do with a lot of land south of the newly opened Crystal College.

“Mm,” Cadance said as she scanned over the letter. “Auntie Luna is visiting Ponyville for a while.”

“Oh yeah?” He grinned. “How long?”

“Long enough that she wants us to finally make that visit we had planned to make under the guise of a junket to central Equestria.”

“Huh,” Shining chuckled. “Should I be packing?”

Cadance smiled and rolled up the letter in her magic. She got up from her chair and gave her husband a loving nuzzle.

“I think we’ve earned a vacation, don’t you? The Crystal Council should be more than capable of caring for the kingdom while we’re out for a bit.”

Shining gave a nod of agreement. “We did plan on seeing Spike in Ponyville.” His smile fell a bit. “Twily would probably like to see us, too. She’s been asking if we’ve heard from Spike lately.”

Cadance’s own smile fell as well. “Aunt Luna told me that he’s still not talking to her, and their dragonfire connection is still severed.” She lifted a fresh roll of parchment, her smile returning a little. “Though, I understand that he and Scootaloo are still together if his letters are any indication.”

“Heh, Scootaloo. I have to admit, I never would have pictured Spike with a filly like that.”

“What do you mean?” Cadance asked with a giggle. “They’re perfect for each other.”

“I know, that’s the thing: Spike’s always been a laid back guy. Kind of a nerd, too.”

“Look who’s talking,” Cadance remarked with a chuckle.

“Hey, his comic book collection is the largest one I’ve ever seen. I’m not joking about that, either.”

“So, how does that play into them surprising you?”

Shining just shook his head and smiled while lifting up one hoof. “Scootaloo’s all about action, being the first to take on a challenge. You could see that in her even when she was a flower filly at our wedding. She’s never struck me as the kind of girl who would be interested in a serious relationship from what I’ve heard Rainbow Dash say.” He shifted hooves. “Now, Spike… Spike on the other hoof is more laid back, not nearly as outgoing. He’s also a romantic at heart even if he’ll deny it until he’s blue in the face. I just… well, I never could picture him with such an outgoing, free-spirited mare like Scootaloo. I always pictured him leaning more towards someone who was mellow in nature, sorta like him.” Both hooves dropped to the floor as he gave a shrug. “I’m not bothered by them being together; Scootaloo’s a fantastic filly, and I don’t think anyone’s ever made Spike so happy. I just worry, that’s all.”

“Well, love is blind, isn’t it Shiny?” she cooed, giving him a peck on the cheek. “Let’s get our bags packed for a week-long stay. I’ll send Spike a letter in the morning to let him know we’ll be visiting.”

Shining could sense the mischief creeping into his wife’s words, and raised an eyebrow. “You’re not going to bring that huge photo album with all those embarrassing pictures of Spike, are you?”

She paused in midstep, looking over her shoulder to face him with a meek smile. “... Nooo…?”

Shining Armor gave his wife what he hoped was a severely disapproving look. “Cadance…”

Cadance pouted. “Aw, come on, let me have this! Scootaloo, Lyra, and Bonbon would love it!”

Shining Armor exhaled slowly through his nose.

He may’ve been a strong stallion, but even he had his limits. Cadance’s adorable pouting was definitely chief among things that pushed him past said limits.

Sorry, Spike, I tried…

“Alright, Cady, but don’t go overboard. He’s got his pride, you know. Keep the baby photos to a minimum, if you could.”

“But he was so cute as a baby dragon!”

“Yes, and now he’s a proud, young drake with a fragile ego that adorable pictures could easily stomp into itty-bitty pieces.”

Let it be forever known that Shining Armor took his role as a reliable older brother seriously.

“I won’t go overboard, promise,” she said in a voice that he didn’t believe was entirely genuine, but far from malicious.

Cadance had always loved to pamper Spike when he was a hatchling. Shining could recall many a time when she would be seen in the castle’s nursery back in Canterlot, playing games with a young Spike still learning how to walk.

While she was a grown mare, Shining believed a part of Cadance would always remain that youthful, spry teenaged filly who just wanted to have fun and spread joy and love to everyone around her.

Oh, heck, he might not like it at first, but Spike’s a sucker for Cadance’s coddling, too… Shining thought with a smile. He probably loves all the attention, anyway.

With that in mind, Shining gave his wife a loving peck on the cheek and made his way to his room to pack a bag for their impromptu vacation.

He knew full well it’d be a wonderful—if slightly dreadful—surprise for Spike.

Author's Notes:

One thousand baby chimera were sacrificed during the making of this chapter, so I hope all of you are happy! It's the main reason it took a long time to get published for all of you. Chimeras apparently have this thing against their young being stolen. Eh, ends justify means, right?

Anyway, this chapter was looked over by the ever-amazing (and diligent) littlerobotbird. He's a gent of few words, most of them are quirky and meaningful. Were it not for him, this would have taken longer to update.

Well, hope you enjoyed the chapter. For those of you who might remember back when I was giving away a few clues on future events/things in this story, this blog post was indicating towards the event that took place between Colea and a certain changeling queen. If you remember that blog, and guessed somewhere in the ballpark, good on ya!

Alrighty, that's all for now! Until next time, keep on keeping on!