Hybrid

Initial Symptoms

Being knocked unconscious was a new feeling for Spike. Sure, he was kind of klutzy, and being Twilight’s assistant, he had to regularly help with dangerous stuff. In the past, he’d fallen, been tossed around, gotten blasted, had things land on him, and all in all, been subjected to more punishment than most ponies would be able to withstand.

Fortunately, Spike wasn't a pony.

Dragons were easily the most resilient of the mortal races. They could survive indefinitely in extreme temperatures, were resistant to most of forms of magic, flat-out immune to disease, could see in the dark, sense vibrations in the earth, live for thousands of years, possessed incredible healing capability, eat just about anything… the list went on, and on. True, actual documentation on dragons (at least by ponies) was embarrassingly lacking, but that mystery was quickly being solved thanks to recent peaceful negotiations.

Spike groaned as the world came into focus. He blinked several times, his eyes feeling dry and scratchy, with his mouth much the same. He was in a room with soft, blue walls, rust-red floors, and tall, wide windows. He was currently alone, lying on a plush, pony-sized bed, and from the light coming in from the window, he guessed it was either sunrise, or sundown.

“Urgh.” He rubbed his eyes, picking out the bits of sand. He felt woozy... drained, almost. Getting out of bed wasn’t on the to-do list right now. He did manage to sit up, though, and when he did, he noticed that the strange, cool feeling still remained, sunken deeper into his scaly skin. It wasn’t uncomfortable or painful, mind you, just… weird.

He put a claw to his head. “What happened…?”

“Spike!”

Twilight rushed in from the hallway, her mane and coat damp, wisps of steam billowing in her wake. “I knew it… I knew you’d wake up while I was in the shower!”

At Twilight’s entrance, Spike felt a pleasant shiver run through him. His thin, forked tongue flicked out, registering the warmth wafting off her, the lavender soap she’d used, the electric aura she emanated, and something else, as well—a sweetness of sorts, pouring off of her and funneling into him...

Spike fidgeted, the chill in his scales easing away. “Heh… isn’t that always how it goes?”

Twilight immediately began fussing over him, propping him up on a pillow while giving him a glass of water. “How do you feel? What’s the last thing you remember?”

After gulping down the water, Spike leaned back and searched his thoughts. “Riding Starlight, chasing Chrysalis underground, you and the others surrounding her... uhhhh...”

Twilight took his arm and felt his pulse. “She fired a potshot at you and Starlight before we could pin her down. She missed, but you both got knocked into a pool of water. Neither of you would wake up afterwards.”

Slowly, memories and sensations emerged from the fog: Frigid, tainted water, rushing down his throat. Terrible, searingpain, tearing and ripping into him, but stopped by light, blessed light, leaving only the strange coolness behind...

“Yeesh.” Spike looked out the window, realizing with a start that they were still in the Crystal Empire. “How long was I out?”

“About a day,” Twilight replied. She produced an enchanted thermometer and put it in Spike’s mouth. “Cadance and I have been taking turns watching over you, with Luna keeping vigil in the Dreamscape. She messaged me just now, saying you were going to wake up soon. Thought I’d have time to clean up, but…”

Spike wasn’t feeling so woozy anymore. There was now a warm glow inside him, making him placid and drowsy. On reflex, he leaned into Twilight’s fuzzy chest, closing his eyes with a sigh. “Honestly, I feel like I could sleep some more.”

Twilight put a hoof around him, nuzzling and hugging him tight. “Hey, if that’s what you feel like doing, go right ahead. You deserve it after all that.”

“Mmm.” Spike yawned, his eyelids fluttering closed. “Starlight okay?”

Twilight hesitated. “She’s… still in the infirmary. Her body’s not as tough as yours, remember.”

Spike pursed his lips. That news didn’t exactly surprise him, but still. “Can we visit her later?”

“Of course.” Twilight hugged him tighter. “We’ll go first thing in the morning, okay?”

Spike didn’t reply. His breathing had already become deep and slow, his little body slumped against her.

Twilight kissed his brow and laid him back down, watching him for a while before stepping out. She left orders with the guards, then shut the door and went to speak with Shining and Cadance.

It was a shame she didn’t stay longer, because if she had, she would’ve noticed the glow now emanating from Spike’s form, steady getting brighter, and brighter...

***

Being knocked unconscious was not a new feeling for Starlight. Sure, she’d always had a knack for magic, but impatience and a short temper didn’t always combine well with complex spellcasting. Over the years, she’d suffered bumps, bruises, burns, backlashes, blackouts, and even a concussion or two. Thankfully, those incidents had become less frequent with her redemption, but even still, as she groggily opened her eyes to behold the blank, rectangular ceiling tiles, a single thought nevertheless crossed her mind.

Oh. This again.

It was the dead of night. Three in the morning, according to the clock on the stand beside her. She was in a hospital bed, the dull, magical glow of a heart monitor the only light in the room. There was a plaster-like coating on her horn—a cast, she realized, and electrical sensors were on her chest and head.

Starlight winced. She looked around for the call button, but couldn’t find it anywhere… ah, it was on the wall beside her. She moved over to push it, but when she did, a pleasant burst of heat swept through her, making her stop dead.

Starlight jolted from the feeling, her eyes going wide. Fast, frantic memories returned—the standoff, the fall, the water, the energy ripping through her and Spike. A cleansing light had chased the pain away, but not a bizarre heat had formed inside her, smoldering beneath her skin, further kindled by the dust that’d covered her...

“Oh...” Starlight fell back against the pillows. Theheat was rising, racing through her veins like liquid fire. Her body began to glow with prismatic light, faint at first, but getting brighter by the second. The sensation was delightfully invigorating, newfound vigor pouring into her, and abruptly her body felt tense, coiled like a spring. She was filled with the itch to stretch her legs, and she did so with a pleasant hum, casually brushing off the electrical sensors.

Curious, Starlight inspected her glowing limbs. The strange warmth was still building, a veritable furnace burning away her pain, weakness, and fatigue. She lay there in silence, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts, a part of her enjoying the cozy sensations as the… healing magic… she guessed… ran its course. She pushed away the blankets and relaxed, staring up at the tiles and letting her gaze unfocus, thinking back to what’d happened in the cavern.

She’d seen what’d happened to Chrysalis. It saddened her, but… well, also wasn’t all that surprising. Ironically, it’d been Discord who’d taken her aside after the assault on the Changeling Kingdom, saying plainly,“Don’t pull punches the next time you see her, my dear. You’ve taken everything from her, and let me tell you—there’s nothing more dangerous than a foe with nothing to lose. Find her fast, and stop her fast, because if you don’t… you may need to endher, fast.”

Starlight closed her eyes with a yawn, reaching up to rub her scratchy eyes. “I guess he was—huh?”

Upon opening her eyes, she’d realized somepony had turned on the lights.

Starlight frowned. She hadn’t heard anypony come in. She looked over at the doorway, expecting to see a nurse, but the door was still closed. There weren’t any shadows moving beneath, either, and the light switch was still flicked down…

“What the…” Starlight glanced back up at the ceiling. The light fixtures weren’t any brighter, so where was the light coming from? The only thing seemingly giving off any sort of light was her, but she wasn’t that bright. Nevertheless, though, for whatever reason, the room was clear as day to her. She could see the bits of dust in the far corners, the spot on the ceiling the painters had missed, examine the threads of the window curtains, read the doctor’s chicken scratch on the clipboard mounted to the door—

Wait.

Starlight rubbed her eyes again. That scratchy feeling was still there, insistent, now accompanied by the heat. It was now building behind her muzzle, seeping into the rest of her senses. She blinked once, twice, thrice, each time her vision getting sharper, more detailed. Her muzzle began to itch, her nostrils flaring of their own accord, and each sniff now reported scents she hadn’t picked up on at first. The lemony floor cleaner, the clean, fresh blankets, the slightly stale air, heavy with disinfectant soap, the chemical odor of plastic.

The pulsing warmth next pressed into her mouth, and her teeth abruptly felt tingly, her jaw muscles following suit. Intrigued, Starlight pressed her tongue against her frontmost teeth, realizing that they were no longer flat, but growing pointed, becoming sharper and deadlier by the second—

Starlight leapt out of bed and dashed to the bathroom, beholding her glowing reflection in the mirror.

“What in Equestria…”

The shape and structure of her eyes had changed. Her irises retained their color, but the pupils had morphed into vertical slits. Furthermore (and perhaps more alarming), upon looking closer, A second iris and pupil had formed in each eye, able to be moved independently from the outer set. And as for her teeth, it was her incisors that’d changed most, becoming gleaming, dagger-like fangs, but her back teeth were changing, too—still the ideal shape for chewing and grinding, but now feeling heavier, stronger in her mouth. Her jaw and throat muscles were awash in the deep, burning sensation now, and as she looked on, they rippled and reformed beneath her skin, becoming less like a pony’s, and more like… something else.

Starlight knew her way around magic, and she could tell right away that that this wasn’t a spell of some kind—this was a transformation. And if there was one thing every spellcaster knew, you did NOT stop a transformation halfway. That was just Metamorphic Magic 101. Even still, though, the smart thing to do was to call for help. Any sane, rational pony would do no less. Starlight's best bet was to try to find Twilight and the others, as they’d been down in the cavern with her, and most knowledgeable about ancient magic. If anypony could figure out what was happening, it’d be them.

Yes, that was definitely the correct course of action. Starlight should ignore the addictive heat sinking into her mind, and try to find them, posthaste. She shouldn’t even be thinking about this—not when her body was changing before her very eyes! No! Stop it! The sensation of power building inside her was NOT enjoyable! She was NOT getting excited by this raw, primal energy, adding to her own considerable reserves! What, was she gonna lay back and admire herself while this happened? Did she really want to just watch these changes occur, like some vain, egotistical megalomaniac?

The answer came unbidden from her lips.

"Oh, fuck the hell, yes."

Tail swishing, Starlight grinned and pulled the cast off her horn, not surprised to find it fully healed. She detached the screws holding the mirror in place, bringing it back with her to the bed, laying down spread-eagle as she attached it to the ceiling.

Starlight took in her colorful form, revelling in the heat as she flashed herself a fanged smile. “Come on, then. Let’s see what you can do.”

The fiery sensation now moved into her ears. They twitched errantly, their shape turning angular, with tufts of fur becoming prominent along the edges. A sudden, incessant ringing sounded, but faded just as quickly, and when it did, it was like emerging from underwater. Starlight could now hear the hum of the monitor, low and buzzing in a monotone. Beyond the door and down the west hall, two sets of heavy hoofsteps climbed a stairway, their movements accompanied by jangling of metal. Down the east hall, a trio of mares, talked in hushed tones, the nurse’s station, she guessed.

All this Starlight heard and more, and if it weren’t for the heat still blazing in her mind, it might’ve been sensory overload.

Starlight played with her new ears, swivelling them back and forth. She ran her hooves over each one, fascinated by their new contours, and fluffy fur. As she was exploring, though she discovered a curious pair of bumps behind her ears, each one hard as bone. As if on queue, the heat in her mind increased threefold, the warmth now throbbing inside her head, pounding in her ears like a second heartbeat. It was all-encompassing (but thankfully not painful), and Starlight let her limbs fall limp with a groan, her thoughts going fuzzy as she panted for breath.

It felt like the heat was massaging her brain. It pressed in on her psyche, kneading it, molding it like putty. The bumps behind her ears grew more prominent, thickening as they formed, lengthening in an elegant arc. The skin covering them became hard and shiny, forming thin, spiral-like grooves along the edge, each one finishing off in a blunt, tapered point. Meanwhile, Starlight’s unicorn horn began to shrink, going numb as it melted into a featureless mass, its magic ebbing away, flowing instead to their two new conduits.

“Ah!” Starlight twitched like she’d been shocked. Her magic—such a huge, massive portion of who she was, had always felt cool, relaxing, almost like the sensation of menthol. But now, it was hot, deliciously hot, like a glowing hot coal in her soul. It allowed her to become accustomed to the heat swirling through her mind, leaving Starlight to focus on her reflection in the mirror.

She saw that her unicorn horn was completely gone, replaced instead by a pair of strange, curved ones that swept back behind her ears. Starlight tried levitating a few things to see if anything had changed, including herself. Her new horns glowed while channeling, their color of her magic surprisingly the same. Fascinated, Starlight poked at her now-bare forehead, running her hoof along the center, feeling the smooth, unblemished skin. She touched each of her new horns in turn, moving her neck back and forth, getting a feel for the redistribution of weight.

Starlight stretched a second time, again feeling that tenseness in her limbs. But this time, she felt the heat flare in her hooves, probing deep inside. There was a creepy-crawly sensation as her leg bones changed, muscles separated and reformed, and nerve endings grew with a maddening itch, the back portion of each hoof ‘softening’, forming into a padded heel. In the front portion, a pair of creases appeared, splitting the remains of each hoof into thirds, pulling them apart like they’d merely been glued together. The front portion retained their hoof qualities, but now they had a greater sensation of feeling, as well as an impressive range of motion...

Starlight stared. The creases had gone quite deep, splitting her hooves up to the fetlock. She had some degree of control over them, able to wiggle them back and forth, but she was also able to extend and retract them, pushing them out so they jutted out like claws, or pull them back in so they resembled hooves. She wasn’t really sure what to call these strange new appendages, but as the seconds ticked by, trivial things like names seemed less and less important.

Yes... what mattered was that they worked. What mattered was that they were useful.

Starlight chuckled as a fresh wave of heat pulsed through her. She was quite the exotic beauty, wasn’t she? She’d been attractive before, of course, but now, she doubted there was a stallion or mare who’d turn her down! Why the hay had she never bothered to flaunt her looks over the years, anyway? She could’ve had any pony she wanted back in that village she’d created. Maybe if she hadn’t been so convinced that love and friendship only led to pain—

Ah. Right.

The reminder of her past blunders was sobering. She’d told Twilight how it’d started once—losing Sunburst when he’d gone off to school—but that’d been only the tip of the iceberg. By the time she’d come of age and gotten away from everything, her repeated bad experiences had led to a warped perception of harmony, and she’d somehow come to the conclusion that cutie marks were evil.

Starlight held her pseudo-claws before her eyes, clicking them together with a snikt. She knew what friendship was capable of now, of course. Her experiences as Twilight’s pupil had demonstrated it in spades. Granted, Starlight still knew little about love, but considering there was a princess dedicated to it, an entirerace that used to feed on it, and a holy artifact that used it as a power source, she wasn’t under any delusions.

Starlight put a claw to her chin, running it along her jawline. But perhaps it was time to fill that gap in her knowledge. She’d come a long way in learning friendship, but… love was powerful stuff, and she didn’t like being ignorant about such things. Who to seek out as a teacher, though? Cadance and Shining Armor were the immediate first thoughts, but… no. Their lives were too busy with the Empire, and now with little Flurry. Twilight might know a thing or two, but… eh. Starlight didn’t want classroom instruction on this. She wanted something more involved, something more engaging...

Something more... intimate.

She wasn’t sure why HE sprang up in her mind. Maybe it was because he’d been kind to her, maybe because she knew he was a genuinely nice guy, maybe because they’d been through alot together. Or maybe it was because this strange magic changing her was subtly leading her towards him! She didn’t freaking know! All she did know was that for whatever reason, HE seemed like the best option for what she wanted, and she saw no reason to disagree.

“Nor any reason to wait,” Starlight murmured.

She cast a quick tracking spell. A simple one, of course, nothing too fancy. She doubted she’d need anything robust to find him—ah, there he was. About five floors above her, alone in a little room. Easy enough.

Starlight sat up and rolled off the bed. She stretched again as she stood, her claws clacking lightly against the floor. As she rose to her full height, she realized for the first time that her room was actually rather small—almost cramped, really. Heck, now that she was really looking at it, even her bed was on the tiny side! She hadn’t noticed it at first with everything else going on, but now…

Starlight rolled her eyes. Typical, she gets injured in the line of duty trying to save the damn world, and they can’t even bother to put her in a nice hospital room. She’d be having words with somepony about that.

Starlight teleported away with a blue flash.