They were lucky, oh, so very lucky. It was just moments before Animak's breakdown that the princesses had paid a visit to the library to apply a spell known as Mind Guard they found that had the potential of preventing further degradation of their personalities. So Luna applied it the moment they found Animak going through what might have been the point of no return, the Spiral Power ceased, and Animak relaxed. Now though; it seemed they were now partially fused together, referring to themselves in plural, and responding to both Kamina and Animak.

Even saying to call them Kaminak.

Wisely, everyone refused, only referring to them as Animak or Kamina; to assert to them that they were still separate beings. Animak didn't mind it, it was nice to be told that the voice speaking back to him in his head was a whole other person and not just a piece of himself. Kamina in the meantime, was becoming complacent with his place in the back seat of their body, amused at it all somehow, as if it was beneath him to be worried by it.

Also more disconcerting was the fact that some of the plumage of Animak's head shed to reveal Kamina's golden tan fur beneath. That meant that they were ultimately fusing together to becoming an alicorn hippogriff, especially when they found the nub of a horn under his plumage on his forehead. The princesses were scrambling, they were desperate to help them, and so for the meantime DEMANDED that Animak be under closer watch, and brought him back to Canterlot to be kept under observation and actively examined by the brightest unicorns Equestria had to offer.

Twilight and Trixie aside.

“Your Majesties, I think it would be best if you let this run it's course.” Headmaster Think Tank advised the two distraught diarchs as Animak batted a talon at a giant cat toy off to the side. Think Tank was an old green unicorn stallion with gray-streaked brown hair, held in a clean ponytail style, wearing the blue robes of his station, his orange eyes dull from years of being hardened against the cruelties and nuances of magic. He had fully examined all the data, Animak/Kamina themselves, and all the variables, and concluded that trying to stop it would only do more harm than good. “At the rate things are going; they won't be themselves soon enough. It would have been fine if they'd just gotten it over with, but this; it's just unhealthy for them. They need closure on this matter.”

“But...my son....” Celestia was heartbroken to hear this. Millennia old she may be, but not even she was as good a mage as her Archmages: the Headmasters of the Academy. If he said it couldn't be done; it couldn't be done. Those mages learned and knew more in their short lives than Celestia would have imagined, so she knew better than to deny his words completely. But Kamina was her son....

“He will still be your son, just different. Look; tell me that's a healthy stallion or king, tell me that is a good thing.” Think gestured to the purring and childish behavior of Animak playing with the giant catnip toys that were supplied as a psyche test, to see if he had any resistance from his reemerging pony genes. Of course, he became high as a fucking kite from the catnip, which only worked on felines, of which griffins and hippogriffs share lineage with. “A normal griffin would only do that with a little enthusiasm; but he's behaving like a little colt or cub. They need to finish this. Lift the Mind Guard so they may finish.”

“Luna I...I can't...I can't do it.” Celestia turned to her sister with pleading eyes. “I can't do this to my son. I know it's so much to ask-.”

“I'll do it sister.” Luna confirmed as she put a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. “He's my nephew, and unlike you I am able to do what is right; even if it is not what somepony wants. You haven't changed in a thousand years Tia; still so soft-hearted.” Luna said this, but it killed her inside. She had to be strong where her sister was weak; it was how a diarchy worked. But right now, she didn't need to be strong for Tia; she needed to be strong for Kamina, and Animak. She approached the inebriated king, and lowered her head towards his as he stared at her totally glazed. “I'm sorry.”

Luna lifted the Mind Guard, and instantly the Spiral Power leaped at the opening, lighting up their stripes and stub of a horn like neon signs. They screeched, writhing as Animak's head began to reshape into a familiar face. Kamina's face returned from the neck up, only he now looked like a masculine version of Celestia. All that remained of his new father's genes was the coloration of his fur, eyes, and mane-like plumage of feathers that jutted out in his naturally spiky style. They gasped, and grit their still sharp canines, as their sharp molars became flatter, but still ridged. Finally, they collapsed. The only thing of Kamina's head that wasn't there before, aside from the canines, was that his left eye was now a vibrant sky blue; an intense contrast to his ruby red right eye.

“Nephew...are you alright? Who am I speaking to?” Luna was socked across the face by a clenched talon, shocking everypony as the new alicorn hippogriff got up, and scowled at them.

“I'm not. Happy. At all! Really? Yes. Now. Revenge.” They focused on Think Tank, their eyes glowing as their horn charged a familiar spell he'd invented. “Drill.” A massive Telekinetic Drill launched at Think Tank, who leaped to the side in a masterful sidestep, and witnessed the spell pierce clean through ten feet of Shire Stone behind him.

“Son! What are you-?!” Celestia had to dodge as a barrage of telekinetic lances speared at her in a scattershot, she barely avoided impalement only to be met by a pissed hippogriff teleporting in front of her, and socking her good in the chest with such a powerful punch, were she a lesser pony; she'd have had her sternum broken. She fell to the floor coughing, and cringing as she held her chest.

“You made. Us. One. We didn't want. This.” Kaminak leered at them with his mismatched eyes. “We were capable of so much, but now, we only have the path ahead.” Their stripes and horn began to glow.

“Nephew! Stop!” Luna jumped and hugged him, startling Kaminak out of his spell charge. “We're sorry. But we couldn't just leave you in such a divided state. You were naturally fusing together, and Think Tank told us that it was only right to let you finish your transformation.”

“So? Animak is practically dead!” Kaminak surprised them; they'd concluded that they would have been equal in the fusion, considering how powerful Animak was, and that Kamina was the original. “He's pretty much gone. I don't hear his voice; it's just me, all me. He's there; I can feel him, but he's me now.” Kamina sighed, and lowered his head with his ears wilted in sadness. “I absorbed him, because he didn't want me to die. Evolution demands that the stronger one prevail, and so because he gave up; I'm the stronger one.” Kaminak opened his wings and looked at them forlornly, before doing the same with his talons. “My griffin body is all that remains of him.”

“I'm sorry.” Think Tank supplied as he approached cautiously. “I simply gave my best reasoning and made my decision based on said concepts.” Think Tank bowed in a kneel of prostration. “I am sorry Prince Kamina the Great.”

“I'm not great...not anymore.” Kamina bemoaned. “I'm not so great, if I can't even protect my brother.” Kamina wasn't just talking about Animak. He meant Simon too. He might have got him started, set the groundwork, inspired him to become what he had. But Kamina wasn't there for it. Kamina wasn't there to help him, like he should have. He died too soon, and his brother paid for it with the mistakes he'd made. Sure, they weren't many, but they were still things he could have helped him through. “Why do I always fail them in the end?” 'I can only hope I don't ultimately fail Spike too....'

“I'm sorry son. But I had to do something.” Celestia stood up, wincing in pain at the lingering damage he'd dealt her ribcage. “Wow, you're definitely stronger.”

“As a unicorn; my Spiral Power focused on empowering my magic. As a griffin; it focused on empowering Animak's strength.” Kamina licked his new teeth with his large pony tongue. “I'm omnivorous now. I get it; my Spiral Power sought to take the best traits from the griffins; using Gilda as a sample. It felt I'd reached my peak potential as a pony by becoming an alicorn; but saw further potential in being a hippogriff, but needed a trial period as a griffin. It threw everything out of balance with my alicorn aspect, and boom; clusterfuckery all around.”

“So what now? How do we explain the Prince's new form? We already had a full story planned out using Keen Sentry as his sire from a fling you had with him during the Cycle 19 years ago when he had lost track of the time and was on your door as usual when you jumped him. He was kept secret to ensure nothing would happen to him, and he was brought to the public eye when you felt he was strong enough to resist any manipulations.” Think Tank went into depth as he paced. “But now; he's a hippogriff. We didn't have any griffin kings in the castle at the time of potential conception, and his head is still too much like Keen Sentry to write it off.”

“Not to mention I've been in the public eye for nearly a year now.” Kamina added, and shrugged. “Meh, just roll with it. Tell the truth. I ascended into alicornhood, but I was also turned into a hippogriff due to my aspect of Will demanding I reach my full potential.” Kamina looked at himself again and sighed. “To think; back in my world, I was all for combining to become something more.” {We still can.} Kamina gasped, and beamed in joy. 'Animak! I thought you were gone!' {Hah! As if! We're just closer; you and I. I'll happily play about in this empty space you call a head.} 'But what about being out here? Can I give you control?' {Maybe? But probably only if we both want it, or if you get knocked out. I'm sort of a...backup. I can take over if you need me to. Consider this another biological advantage.} “He's still here! Just...not a complete individual.”

“Oh, well that's good.” Luna commented with a smile; glad he didn't lose Animak entirely.

“Hm...yes, that will work. We just need to release the news to the public before we reveal you.” Think Tank stated before a scroll appeared in a small swathe of green fire in front of Celestia.

She quickly opened it, and groaned. “Another situation, so soon? Kamina; Rarity's in danger.” This instantly had his full attention. “She's been kidnapped by diamond dogs in the barren plains northeast of Ponyville, next to the Everfree.” Kamina teleported away without a word.

===//////>

Kamina reappeared over Ponyville, and flew towards the plains. The ground there was notoriously infertile due to it's heavy clay composition, which also made it prime for gems to grow. Yeah; grow, like plants. The only reason gem or rock farms hadn't been put there was because it was known diamond dog territory. The only reason Rarity could hunt gems there before was because in small enough amounts; the dogs didn't care if somepony took some small wagons of gems.

So why now? Why did they suddenly decide to attack his friend? Whatever the reason was; it had better be good, because if not they were not living through this day. Kamina blinked in surprise at his morbid thoughts. 'Where did that come from?' {Sorry. I'm much more violent than you are, and that's saying something.} 'Okay, well let's just tone that down to...potential dismemberment.' {Can we get a taste?} Kamina pondered a moment. 'Maybe.'

Kamina dove down towards the only intact hole on the surface of the barren dirt plain, and had to pull up at the last second upon realizing he was way too big to fit through it. “Damn, what now?” {If we had the type of claws that the dogs did, we'd be able to just dig down ourselves.} Kamina's horn and stripes began to glow; the thought of a new evolutionary advancement sparking his Spiral Power. {Hm, we can't do it unless we come in contact with a dog, like how Gilda nudging you awake a week ago let me come into being.} 'Then we've just got to get one to come to us.'

Kamina stomped his hind paws, but sneered at how the pads of his paws made the action nearly silent. “Damn it. I need hooves to-*gasp*.” Kamina gasped in pain as suddenly his hind legs cracked, shifted, and recolored into his old flanks with his flank marks returned, as his paws turned back into hooves, and a small tuft of his old blue tail sprouted from the tip of his tiger tail. “What the hell?!” {Hey! We can change our body into whatever we've got in our genes! We've got unicorn, alicorn, griffin...can we add more?} Their spirals ignited and seemed to actually cause rending tears into their body, while not actually hurting them. “I'll take that as a yes....” Kamina gawked at just how powerful he'd become; to change into whatever he needed, whenever he needed.

{But we need a sample to go off of.} Kamina's face steeled itself as his Spiral Power calmed, and then he raised his rear into the air before bucking the ground with all his strength, actually cracking and pitting the ground. 'If that doesn't get at least one dog's attention; I'll eat my thumbs.' {Doesn't mean much if they can just grow back.} Kamina blinked in surprise. 'I can do that?' {Alicorns have regeneration; why do you think they're ageless? Their cells constantly restore to a static state of well-being.} 'You know this how?' {Uh...hm...I guess I'm sort of a directory, or guidance system for our abilities. I just...know, you know?} 'I can accept that.'

“What make quake?” Kamina spun and pounced on the unsuspecting armored diamond dog like the predator he was, grabbing him before he could retreat, and biting off the tip of his exposed ear, making him yelp in pain before he surprisingly broke free of the pin, and dove back into the ground.

'Got it?' {Got it.} Kamina hissed as his talons split open like cocoons, and then bulged as a heavy mass of muscle and sinew crawled up his bones over the talons as they were absorbed, and then his forelegs finished forming into gray-furred diamond dog forelegs, complete with the claws, which when he examined; unsheathed into inch-long knife-like blades from the tips of his furry fingers. “...That is awesome.” {Totally.} Kamina then looked at the ground, and let his new set of instincts take over as he plowed into the ground like it was a pool of mud rather than solid clay-dirt.

===//////>

A hole opened up in the ceiling of a large tunnel, and Kamina poked his head through like a groundhog in reverse, and looked around to find nothing, but when he sniffed at the air on impulse, he could “see” scent trails of his friends, who he knew intimately by scent. Kamina blinked in surprise again. {Dog nose in your snout; since it's stronger than any of our previous ones.} 'Great, better watch out for nasty smells then.'

Kamina dropped down from the fairly high ceiling, and landed with a loud clop when his hooves hit the floor, making him wince and shift his ears around. His hearing seemed improved too; probably from the dog genes as well. He didn't hear anyone incoming, so he relaxed. 'Okay, pony legs are great and all, but I don't need them to be loud right now, but I don't want to have to go all the way back to tiger-gah!' Kamina withheld a shout of pain as his hind legs changed again; becoming striped with blue, and with more pronounced muscles like a zebra's legs instead of a pony's but keeping his coloration and flank mark. The hooves remained, but instead the frog inside his hooves bulged until they became pads that were level with his hooves. This meant that he could move silently should he need; but strike with the hard hit of hooves too. 'What the hell? What now?'

{Oh~! Zebra! Forgot we were in regular “contact” with Zecora too~.} 'What did our body do now?' {Basically; hello zebra legs. But with the frog bulged into a tiger pad flush with our hooves to muffle our steps.} 'Sweet.' Kamina looked at his new rear with some appraisal, and blushed. 'Damn...scary to think this of myself; but nice plot.' {Mares thought we were sexy before? Well I've seen our mares ogling pictures of zebra stallions in those “educational” magazines. They like their flanks.} Kamina smirked deviously as he started following the scent trail of his friends. 'Good to know.'

Kamina sniffed at the air regularly to keep tabs on where his friends went, but this became useless when it seemed they had gotten lost and their scents went everywhere, at least until he registered new smells among them. 'The dogs got them!' {Hm...scent won't work...do we...ha! I need to remember all the things we get into.} Kamina grit his teeth and slammed his eyes shut when they began to burn. He grunted as his teeth became even sharper up front, his lips became scaly, and his eyelids too. When his eyes opened, they were still red and blue, but slitted like a certain baby dragon. {Hello dragon~! Try the thermal vision. It should let us track them down by their heat signatures.} 'Animak, you're a lifesaver.'

With his new eyes, Kamina was easily able to see where their warm bodies had once been, and followed them immediately. Soon, he heard the sounds of a scuffle. “I'm coming!” Kamina ran as fast as he could, which thanks to his zebra legs was much faster than before, but he stopped dead in surprise at the sight he came upon. “Whoa....”

“GET YOUR DAMN DIRTY PAWS OFF THEM!” Spike was...Spike was...awesome! It was like his chest, arms, tail, and head decided to become an adult, while his lower body dangled uselessly while being held up by his massive tail. He was swatting the attacking diamond dogs around like they were gnats, forcing their larger groups away with dragonfire. He looked and saw what set Spike's Greed Growth off; everypony, including Gilda, was caught and shackled.

Not even the unicorns could do anything, as somehow it seemed these dogs had the know-how to make limiters. Everyone looked on as Spike viciously tore into their kidnappers for them threatening his Hoard; his friends. “THEY'RE MINE! YOU WON'T TAKE WHAT BELONGS TO ME!”

“Kinda creepy, but kinda awesome.” {But touching.} “True.” Spike roared in pain as one of the guard dogs stabbed Spike's left forearm with a spear, and this got Kamina pissed. “NOBODY HURTS MY LITTLE BROTHER!” Kamina jumped into the fray, took a deep breath, and let fly a swathe of purple dragonfire to his own surprise. 'I can breath fire!' {Duh? Dragon?} Kamina ignored Animak's sarcastic remark as he followed up his burst of fire by trying to grapple with a dog, only to surprisingly find himself overpowered. 'What?! How is he stronger?!' {Hold on!} Kamina was able to ignore the pain as his forelegs shifted back into griffin talons to the opposing dog's shock, and suddenly the tables turned.

Kamina was able to lock his talons, so his grip was assured, and then the strength came as an afterthought as he swung the armored dog around like a club into his compatriots. {Griffin talons can lock, so their grip is like iron. I kept the strength of the diamond dog legs, and added the retracting claws to your talons so we can still dig; just not as well as pure diamond dog legs.} 'That's fine, so long as I can keep fighting!' Kamina punched another dog in the face when his ears perked, and he flew into the air to narrowly avoid a massive plume of emerald flame that swept forward and scorched a whole wave of dogs.

“Retreat! Ponies not worth such danger!” The dogs began fleeing into the tunnels, dragging their injured with them. Spike roared in triumph and literally dragged himself over to their shocked friends, where he ripped their bindings off, and he freed Rarity last.

There was a tense moment, where the beast looked down upon the beauty, who looked back at him in awe, and he gently raised a massive claw to her chin. “Are you okay my lady?”

Rarity's eyes sparkled, and her lips quivered. “Oh~ Spiky Wikey~!” She jumped at his face, and started kissing his jaw to everyone's surprise. “You glorious dragon in shining scales! You saved us!” This jolted Spike back into his normal size, and he fell to his tail as Rarity landed on her hooves, he blinked in confusion for a moment before she picked him up by his cheeks with her hooves. “Kiss me you fool!” Rarity passionately mashed her lips into Spike's surprising everyone, and Spike's eyes rolled back as he moaned and kissed back.

Kamina was about to approach, but Spike began growing again, only...different. As Rarity kissed him, his body changed. His head became more mature, but shaped more like a pony, horns grew out of his temples, angled forward and to the side. His claws became hooves, that stretched down to meet the floor, and his body grew longer until he was proportionately a pony. Wings grew from his back as his tail grew longer, and finally, he grew until he was easily bigger than her, and he returned the steamy kiss with more fervor, making her moan.

Everyone looked on in shock and amazement until they broke apart, their eyes still closed as they panted. “Wow....” Rarity breathed out as she opened her eyes, which flew open in surprise at the handsome face which met hers.

“Yeah...wow....” Spike opened his eyes, which while still the same, seemed more mature. “Rarity...do you...?”

Rarity quickly gathered herself, and decided; buck it. “Yes. Yes I do! I love you!” Rarity hugged him and nuzzled his neck, which finally got Spike to notice his new body, but he didn't care, he didn't have the capacity to care. He was just told the mare he'd been pining for nearly a year now loved him, and something was...right.

Spike began crying, tears running from his eyes as he felt something click, something he didn't know was missing was suddenly gained. “R-Rarity...I love you too.” He hugged her back, smiling a sharp draconic grin in utter bliss at discovering something so wonderful. “I feel...what is this? I didn't notice but it was like-.”

“There was a hole.” Everyone suddenly noticed Kamina as he approached, and went on the defensive. “Dragons have a gaping hole in their metaphysical heart, that they try in vain to fill with treasures; a hoard. You've filled it with love. I think that's what the idol Cor gave you was for; so you could actually gain fulfillment from what a dragon truly desires; love.” Kamina paused in his approach at seeing how defensive everyone was being. “Why're you acting like that?”

“Who are you?” Twilight demanded, not recognizing him. This...hurt Kamina. It hurt him so much he felt as if a spike of agony just pierced his heart.

“T-Twilight?” Kamina felt like he broke a little, did she not recognize him? {We've changed a lot Kamina, and remember; we're part dragon too....} “I-it's me...Kamina!” They all looked at him oddly, and suddenly he forced himself to transform fully into his pony form; the grotesque and brutal way his body transformed made them back away as he desperately reached out for them. “Please...please....”

“...Is it really him?” Trixie asked in fear, feeling honestly scared of the shapeshifter.

“He must be, for if he were not; he would have approached in this form at first.” Zecora was the bravest of them to approach him first, and she ran a hoof on his jaw, noting everything about him. He was now, in all forms; as big as Celestia, and he had reached his full maturity, proven by his fully defined jaw that was clearly reminiscent of the royal sisters. [Are you my beloved?]

[If you'll still have me....] Kamina replied desperately, and he held her hoof with both forehooves in desperation.

[Return to your truest form, I wish to see you as you truly are now.] At Zecora's demand, Kamina shifted back into his new amalgamated form, looking back into her eyes with his pleading draconic orbs. “My dear.” Zecora kissed him gently, and he teared up as the hole in his chest filled back in a bit as she pulled away. “I am sorry for our initial fear, for we thought you merely imitated the one we hold dear...damn.”

Kamina chuckled a little at her rhyme. “Still having trouble with that?” He looked over to the others who had approached upon seeing Zecora open up to him, all looking guilty. “It's me everyone.”

Twilight and Trixie jumped at him, and hugged him from both sides, apologizing profusely, and thanking Faust he was alright. Kamina let them do so, feeling his aching heart return to normal. 'I can't take it if that happens again...I think I know why Rarity was so scared of hurting Spike now....' {We'll find a way, we have the power.} 'Yes...we do.'

===//////>

Everyone returned to the library afterwards to get their information together, and while Kamina informed them of his new abilities, they informed him of the events leading up to Rarity's and their own, capture. Rarity and Spike were gem hunting when the dogs decided they found Rarity's skill at so quickly rooting out gems to be too valuable to ignore. Spike struggled to head to town and get help, he said it was like trying to rip his heart out of his chest to not dive right in after her.

When they got there, they managed to track down where they had Rarity muzzled and finding gems for them to dig, only for them to be ambushed, and expertly subdued. Save Spike.

Spike, so infuriated at having his friends, who he realized was his hoard, being claimed as theirs just lost it, and went berserk in his rage to save them. That was where Kamina came in to find Spike laying a royal smackdown on the kidnappers.

Due to how severe and serious the situation was, they messaged the princesses that the dogs in the plains had become dangerous, and were messaged back that they would be rooted out immediately to be deported to their homeland of Gem Fido to the northwest. Usually what they did was worth a much more severe punishment than exile, but the girls wanted to be a bit lenient, considering that it seemed the dogs were literally starving here from not getting enough gems or meat. Equestria might be a great place for gems, but Gem Fido is named for such a reason; one can't trip without landing on a precious stone.

So, after it was all settled, Kamina was snuggled in bed with all three of his mares next to him. Spike was “spending the night” at Rarity's. “So you don't mind?” Kamina was asking his mares if they were disgusted by his chimeric body, only to get grins in return.

“Are you kidding?” Twilight asked as she leaned her head back to leer at his new hindquarters with a lecherous grin. “Dat plot.”

“Them claws.” Trixie added as she rubbed one of his talons, and Kamina shivered as he felt Zecora run a hoof on the underside of his wing.

'Those wings.” They all leaned in and kissed his cheeks, making him blush. “Trust us; you are unbelievably sexy dear.”

“You seem to have all the best parts of...well...a lot of things.” Twilight looked at him with hooded eyes. “And we're going to be taking advantage of it.”

Kamina gulped as Animak laughed in his head. {Have fun playcolt! I get to relax and you have to work.} 'Yeah, but it's work that's worth it.' Kamina replied as his mares all pounced on him at once, and he was wildly kissing Twilight as the other two took their positions. {Too true.}

Author's Notes:

So, Kamina and Animak's body troubles are over.

Or ARE they?!

After all; he's got the sexiness and swag of so many species, he's going to have to literally beat the lecherous women off with a stick.