The weeks flew by, and before long, Solid Gear and Sky Drifter once again went over the numbers of recent births and deaths of the Dire Wolves.

Sky Drifter stopped as he looked into a solitary cage that held a single sickly Dire Wolf.

"How's the runt fairing, Sky?" Solid Gear asked as he pushed up his red glasses. "Another failure?"

The pegasus opened the cage, taking the pup out and examining it. "From what I can see he's already got a foot through death's door and looks far worse than he did prior," the pegasus said. "However, he's still breathing...barely."

"So long as it's alive," the unicorn said, using his magic to pluck other pups away from their mothers. "That means we can get started on Project War Dog."

"What about the runt?" The pegasus asked, holding said the runt up.

"Who cares?" Solid Gear replied coldly, already preparing the formula for each wolf. "It'll die anyway. We'll probably just use it to test out the mutts’ combat prowess.”

"Tough break, Runt," Sky said, tossing the wolf back into its cage.

As Drifter left to assist the unicorn, he failed to notice the changes that were happening to the small wolf:

Its eyes changed from a deep forest green to a poisonous purple, and the pup's fur shifted from snow white to charcoal as its body grew to the size of a full-grown foxhound. The wolf bared its fangs, hearing the whines of its siblings in the distance. It let out a growl, it’s ears flicking as the voices of the ponies grew louder and louder.

“I'm glad we finally got a working formula.”

“Don't get excited just yet. Remember what happened last time you had expectations that high?”

“In my defense the wolves all showed signs of becoming War Dogs.”

“But it drove them insane and we had to put them down.”

As they spoke, the pup rose to its paws. Feeling newfound strength coursing through its veins, it slammed into the door of its cage.

“You hear that?”

“Go check it out.”

The Pegasus quickly rushed out of the lab, and found the runt trying to break out. The pegasus’ eyes widened, taking in the changes the dire wolf has undergone.

"Hey, Solid!" Sky Drifter called out with a grin. "Come here and take a look…"

The door on the cage burst open, and the Dire Wolf leaped onto the pegasus. Sky Drifter screamed in pain as his ear was ripped off his head. His scream was drowned out by the wolf’s roar of rage as he went for another bite.

Before Sky Drifter’s face could be similarly torn from his head, a bolt of magical lightning blasted the dire wolf away. The Dire Wolf let out a pained yelp as its body convulsed and twitched on the ground. Sky Drifter pulled himself up, clutching the bleeding wound where his ear had been before giving the dire wolf a look of hate.

" You little bastard!" the pegasus shouted as he gave the paralyzed wolf a hard kick.

"Wait!" Solid Gear shouted, grabbing the pegasus before he could kick him again.

"It bit my ear off!"

"And it broke out of a cage designed to restrain monsters," Solid Gear said, pulling Drifter away. "This requires further study"

"It. Bit. MY FUCKING EAR OFF!"

"THEN GO TO THE INFIRMARY!" Solid shouted right back. "While you recover, I'll run some tests on the runt."

Sky Drifter gave the wolf one more loathsome glare before turning to the infirmary. “Make it painful,” he spat before leaving.

Solid grinned ominously. “Oh, I will,” he promised as he turned to the wolf again. “I will.”

Ash and company continued their drive to the Dragon Lands as the Scorpions ‘Rock You Like a Hurricane’ played in the background.

“Eyes up,” the Dragon Princess informed the group, “We’re well beyond the Dragon Land borders now.”

Samantha sat in between the two dragons, completely bored out of her mind. She glared at Ash, but he just grinned. He knew full well that Sam hated long road trips; she had bounds of energy but she hated sitting still for long periods of time.

"So, Twilight" Samantha said, hoping a conversation would alleviate her boredom. "You mind if I ask you a question?"

"Not at all," Twilight said turning to the Half-deadite curiously.

"Why don't you have any servants?" Sam asked.

The alicorn tilted her head. “Excuse me?”

“Your brother and Cadance had servants, so why don't you?"

"Honestly...” Twilight looked away with an uneasy grimace. “I just don't feel comfortable ordering others around.”

"Why?" Sam asked rather forcibly. "Servants make life easier. They'd cook, clean, maintain, and protect the castle.”

"But again,” Twilight insisted. “I don’t like ordering them around.”

“Seriously?” Sam demanded.

"Sam..." Ash hissed out, but Sam ignored him.

"I mean can you honestly say you're fine maintaining such a large castle…”

"Samantha!"

The half-deadite looked at her friend and saw he was glaring at her with his Sharingan active. She shrunk back in her seat.

"S-Sorry Ash" Sam apologized.

He still glared at her, before something else drew his attention: Spike's and Ember's scales ceased their glowing.

"We've arrived at the Dragon Meeting," Ember said as she leaned forward and pointed ahead. "Behold Dragon Lord Torch.”

In the distance was a large blue dragon that sat on a mountain like it was a throne.

"Holy… Shit!" Ash gasped out as he gazed at Ember's father. "That's one giant dragon!”

"Not even the dragons in Elden Ring compare!" Sam admitted.

Pushing past his shock, Ash drove toward the Dragon Lord's meeting. However, they soon found their route blocked by a horde of dragons.

"We'll have to walk from here," Ember said, undoing her seatbelt.

"Couldn't you guys fly up to speak to your father?" Samantha asked.

"If you want to get barbecued," Ember said with a humorless chuckle. "My father has enforced that none shall fly when the Dragon Lord speaks.”

"But my car!" Ash moaned, giving the dragons a suspicious glare.

"I'll take care of it," Twilight reassured with a smile.

Ash was still hesitant, but he trusted Twilight more than anyone in this world. All five removed themselves from the Delta before the princess covered it in her magic. The Delta shrank down to the size of a Hot Wheels toy. The alicorn took the shrunken vehicle in hand before once again covering it in her magic. The Delta disappeared in a familiar yet different golden light.

"You used that same spell on the Necronomicon when we first met," Ash noted. "What is it exactly?"

"Well, this is a modified spell" Twilight explained. "The original spell is a storage space spell that could be accessed by either myself or the other princesses.”

"Twilight modified the spell so that only the caster can retrieve whatever they stored within," Spike explained with confidence.

"Wait… what about the book?" Samantha asked.

"I left it in the Delta," Twilight answered with a serious expression. "I figured it’d be safer this way.”

"But don't you need the book to banish them?" Sam asked the princess.

"Only because I still need to translate the book," Twilight responded, looking down with shame. "Translating the Necronomicon is more difficult than I anticipated." The princess looked on the verge of tears as she continued. "It took me more than six months just to translate one page and summon a single demon."

Sam gasped. "You summoned a demon?!"

"Later, Sam" Ash said, moving through the dragon horde.

"My dragons!" Dragon Lord Torch bellowed as the dragons listened to their lord. "You have been summoned to your homeland to answer the call of your Dragon Lord. As of late, many of your brothers and sisters have been taken by bug-like creatures who possess the strength of giants."

The dragons grumbled and muttered among themselves.

"But I swear as Dragon Lord, this wrong will not go unavenged!" Torch spoke in a commanding tone as Ash and the others got closer to the Dragon Lord. "We will go to the changeling Hive! we will take back our kin! AND WE WILL BURN THEIR HOME TO THE GROUND!!"

The dragons roared in agreement.

"LET THE GRUDGE BE SETTLED!!"

"I'd advise against that!" Ash shouted causing the surrounding dragons to fearfully stare at the human.

"Why are they staring?" Sam asked, looking around nervously. "They're looking at you like you just fucked the king's daughter.”

"Daughter..." Dragon Lord Torch said, spotting his daughter amongst the crowd. "Care to explain why you've brought these creatures to your homeland?"

Ember stood tall. "I've brought them to help combat the changelings."

Torch huffed, lowering his head towards the group.

"Them?" the Dragon Lord laughed. "These weak, frail, pathetic fools couldn't even beat a dragon!”

Ash grinned and flashed his Mangekyou Sharingan. "Susanoo!"

The dragons backed away as the crimson skeleton formed around the human. Torch's eyes widened as Susanoo's skeletal hand gripped his left horn.

"We've fought them before," Ash said smugly as he tightened his grip on the Dragon Lords' horn. "We know their weaknesses and quite frankly the only thing you and these dragons will be doing is becoming their food.”

Despite having his horn grabbed Torch managed a sneer, smoke leaving his mouth as he spoke. "You've got stones talking to me like that,"

"Please Dragon Lord!" a loud worried-filled voice called out.

The others turned as a young orange dragoness pushed her way through the crowd.

"Please,” she said. “They can help bring my brother back"

"Smolder?" Ember asked.

"If they can help find and bring him back,” the orange dragoness – Smolder – said, “Then I beg you to let them help!" Smolder got on her knees. “Please…”

Ember knelt down to comfort the crying dragon. Meanwhile, Ash let go of Torch before kneeling to look the dragoness in her eyes.

"Tell me what happened, kid?" Ash asked

"Me… Garble…"

"Garble?!" Spike demanded, only to be smacked into silence by Samantha.

"...and a few of his friends were swimming in some of the Lava pools" Smolder recalled as her tears continue to flood from her eyes. "Then… I felt someone hold me underneath the lava.”

Ash hummed, but motioned for her to continue.

"Once I surfaced,” Smolder said, “I saw changelings taking my brother and his friends away.” Her breath quickened in fear. "I saw several coming after me, so I dove into the lava and stayed there for as long as I could. A-And when I surfaced…”

"You survived," Ash said patting the dragon's back. "That's the important thing, and I'm sure your brother is glad you weren't taken.”

"Do you know which way they went?" Ember asked.

I think they were heading west... maybe southwest?" Smolder said. "Towards the Fire Geysers.”

Ash grimaced, but she grabbed hold of his arm.

"Please I beg you," Smolder pleaded. "He's been gone for weeks! You need to find him!”

"The Fire Geysers?" Ash muttered, turning to the dragon princess. "How far are they from here?"

"About a day's flight," Ember said before glancing at Ash’s wingless back. “In your case… maybe a three to four day hike south from here.”

"Hmm...." Ash looked around before exhaling deeply. "Yeah ,the terrain from here looks too much for the Delta.”

The Human looked to his leg, more importantly, the Kandarian dagger strapped to his thigh. Ash felt a sinking feeling in his gut as he gripped the demonic weapon. The human turned to the alicorn, before drawing the weapon and holding it out to Twilight.

"Think you could use an illusion spell on this?" Ash asked.

Twilight took the dagger. "Can I ask why?"

"I'm currently having a bad feeling," Ash admitted, scratching at the back of his neck. "They need that to turn your flesh into a new book.”

Twilight paled, but nodded. “I understand.” With a flash from her horn, the dagger changed.

One moment it was Kandarian, the next it was something different.

"Cool..." Ash said, admiring the dagger's new look before sheathing it.

"So what's the plan, Ash?" Spike asked.

"Pretty cut and dry," Ash said, turning to the purple dragon. "Find the Hive and kick out the squatters.”

"Two weeks," Torch added.

Ash glared at the Dragon Lord. "Pardon?"

"You have two weeks to return with my dragons," Torch said, matching the human's glare. "Otherwise me and my dragons will continue with our raid.”

"A deadline?” Ash rolled his eyes. “Sure. No pressure there, right?"

With a sigh, Ash and his group started to move south. However, Ash stopped when he saw Twilight following them.

“Uh-uh, not happening,” Ash said, turning the alicorn back towards Ember. "You're not coming with us.”

Twilight spun back to him indignant. "Why not?!"

"Because I want to keep you safe," Ash said, standing his ground. "And while I don't trust these dragons to keep you safe…” he indicated Ember. “I can at least trust her to keep you here.”

"She'll be safe with me and my horde," Ember said with a nod before looking at the alicorn. "Just don't take any of it.”

"Now stay here and let me work," Ash concluded, walking away.

"Ashley..." Twilight pleaded, causing the human to stop. "This is just like the asylum again. I can’t just sit here not knowing whether you'll return alive or wind up dead.”

Ash turned and grinned at her. "Have some faith in me, Sweetheart."

"Gag." Sam muttered, making a puking sound.

But Ash turned fully back to Twilight with a smile. “It’ll take a lot to kill me.”

Twilight wanted to argue with the man. However, she remembered that same man took down a small army of deadites single-handedly. She sighed in defeat.

"Okay..." she said. "Just please… come back alive."

Ash bowed. "As you wish, my princess."

With that, Ash, Spike and Sam headed out to rescue Garble and the other dragons.

Another Chapter has bit the dust and so has the Sky Drifters ear.

A little update will be told. I'll be putting more energy into this fic and only work on The Mummy and Kung-Fu Equestria when I get stuck

Jacob and Company have been given a deadline, will they succeed or will they fail and bring the extinction to the dragon race, all questions answered and more on the next chapter of My Name is Ash