Lockheart

“Lots to do… Lots to do…” mumbled Tamati as he hurried around his throne room, looking through one set of notes after another. “So little time… Not nearly enough time at all.” Cid, Biggs, Wedge, and Sunburst watched the big, buff, black-scaled dragon run around them in such a complete frenzy. None of them had ever seen him so panic stricken and to see him like this now, they couldn’t help but be concerned by whatever was at the root of all this.

“Uh, does he normally freak out so much when he’s going through documents?” asked Sunburst. “I mean, I find doing that very therapeutic, but I know others who can’t stand it. Still, this is the first time I’ve seen anyone look as worried as Tamati does right now.”

“This is a first for us too,” Cid shook his head. “A first to see him this frantic as well as a first to see him so absorbed into paperwork that doesn’t involve the Elements of Discord in any way.”

“But why’s he even bothering with…” Wedge started to say, pausing to look through some of what Tamati had been reading. “The inventories of our warehouses? He’s been looking at the inventory count for all our tools, weapons, armor, and, well, everything we have here. Why would he be sweating over something like this?”

“No doubt, many of my mates will be well along with their second clutch of eggs by then so that’s fewer hands to carry with and will encourage that we act sooner rather than later.”

“Isn’t it obvious what he’s doing?” questioned Biggs as he looked at his fellow Changelings and Sunburst, but they all stared at him, totally clueless. “Okay, maybe it’s not so obvious.”

“Well, if one desires knowledge,” commented Sunburst. “Then one simply needs to seek it out.”

“What?” asked Wedge, tilting his head, not sure what Sunburst had said.

“He means we should just ask Tamati about it,” translated Cid, but none of them were quick to be the one to interrupt their leader’s concentration.

“I want this all done in one go,” muttered Tamati as he placed the papers down and put a claw to his chin. “Perhaps now I should decide the best means to go about this. A warning ahead of time might make things easier, but it could backfire and make things worse. Going unannounced would allow us to avoid any problems till we arrive and I know things will get very ugly. I could send someone ahead to announce our arrival, but the odds of them facing a fate worse than death is, without a doubt, guaranteed.”

The contemplating dragon paused from talking to himself to draw in a big breath through his nostrils. He then let out a blast of smoky air out through puckered lips. “Then there’s always the option of me being the one to go ahead to announce us.” Immediately after saying that, a pained look appeared on his face. “Hell, if I’m going to throw myself into the proverbial lion’s den. “I should just figure out who’s the most expendable in the hive.”

Upon hearing all that, Cid and the others broke out in a cold sweat. “Just what could be so terrible that it has even a dragon this ungodly powerful so frightened?” wondered Cid.

“Sounds like he’s planning another big battle like with the Crystal Empire,” noted Biggs. “But I don’t get why we’d need to announce ourselves when going by surprise would be more advantageous to us.”

“He makes it sound like going unannounced could be worse,” contemplated Sunburst. “And does it have to do with all our inventory… all our belongings… and everybody here.” As Sunburst said all of this, he attempted to connect the dots in a way that made sense and, as he did, his fearful complexion only grew paler. “N-No way. He couldn’t mean to… I mean, it is possible, considering what we’ve already done, but does he have…”

“Whatever you’re going on about,” Biggs chimed in. “Care to share it with the rest of the class?”

“It’s just a hypothesis,” he admitted. “I can’t say for certain till we hear it from the dragon’s mouth, but if he’s anything like me, I’m sure he’d rather face down a hundred Ursa Majors than do what I think he is planning on doing. But if he is considering this, then for what reason? My guess to that would be in response to our conquest of the Crystal Empire.”

“And what could be worse than having to fight a hundred Ursa Majors?” asked Cid, prompting Sunburst to wave them into a huddle to whisper what he dared not speak aloud. When he finished, Cid just cocked an eyebrow. “Seriously? That’s what you think has him so panicked?”

“From how the Changeling Society functions, it is easy to see why you wouldn’t understand this, but as a Pony who has to deal with such an issue two or three times a year, yeah, this can be pure Hell, especially if the duration is going to be long, maybe even indefinite, if my theory is correct.”

“But if it’s something he has to do then why drag the rest of us into this mess?” questioned Biggs. “I mean, his kids and wives, sure, but we’re just his minions, unless he wants to bring his entire kingdom to show them off.”

“He could, but that hardly seems necessary,” added Sunburst. “This just adds water to my theory that he had intended to do this for some time. Possibly even before the invasion of the Crystal Empire.”

“Well, why not just ask Tamati to find out for sure?” suggested Wedge. “How else are we going to know if Sunburst is right or just spewing more crazy ideas like he was doing during all that make believe stuff?”

“Someone say my name?” asked the dragon, turning to his four minions. To their relief, he actually looked happy to be derailed from his current train of thought.

“Well, sir,” Sunburst said, taking a few cautious steps forward. “We were just wondering what all this was for. You had us bring in all these papers and then you’ve been pacing about and mumbling to yourself for the last twenty minutes. Maybe you should take a break and spend a little time with some members of your harem to unwind.”

“Sorry, but I’m not currently in the mood for that,” he responded, getting a flabbergasted gasp from each of them. “Oh, come on. It’s not like all I do is fuck around with my ladies at every given moment. Besides, I had plenty of fun with our O & O game a little while earlier and I got a decent amount of rest earlier. Now I have to work and get us ready for our next move.”

“Which is?” questioned Cid, trying to get more info past their leader’s scaly lips.

“Some place I hoped I’d never have to see,” he sighed. “At least not for another half a century at least. Unfortunately, from the day I first arrived here, to begin my conquest of this world, I already knew we would eventually have to venture forth to that great, stone castle.”

“A stone castle?” pondered Sunburst. “I know of many great castles made of stone. Which one are you referring to?”

“None that would likely be in any of the books you have read,” he admitted. “And it’s not all that great, if memory serves, but it will do fine for our needs and, right now, we need it.”

“But why don’t you seem at all eager to go?” noticed Wedge.

“Nobody would want to go through what we will have to endure if there was another option, any other option at all,” Tamati sighed. “But I… we will get through it.”

“Mind telling us what ‘it’ is,” stated Biggs. “Sunburst seems to think you’re frightened of your-”

“Hush!” shushed Sunburst, cutting him off. “Don’t even say it out loud. Those words can be like a curse to invoke their worst wrath.”

“I get the feeling this terror is one we share,” commented Tamati, smiling down at Sunburst, glad another knew of his anguish.

“Well, care to share with the rest of the class?” asked Cid, getting annoyed to be left in the dark about this. “Was Sunburst right about you being afraid to go-” A sharp glare from both Sunburst and Tamati made him pause mid sentence. From Sunburst, Cid took little stock in such an outlandish warning, but that Tamati appeared equally adamant about saying anything aloud, he felt he’d be in better health to err on the side of caution. “To do that thing Sunburst won’t let us say aloud for some reason. I mean, I don’t really see what the big deal is, do you guys?” Turning the Biggs and Wedge, they shook their heads unable to understand what had Tamati and Sunburst so stressed out.

“Given how Changeling society functions, such a fear probably doesn’t even exist,” explained Sunburst. “And trust me, you are much better off not knowing what it can be like.”

“Guess we’ll have to take your word on it,” replied Biggs.

“Regardless,” Sunburst continued. “We should do all we can to ensure both Tamati and all of us can meet this challenge head on. So, for starters, what preparations have you figured out so far, your Excellency?”

“Mostly just the inventory, so far,” he told him. “From the way things look, we’ll have to prioritize the essentials first and foremost and then decide what else we want to take with us. I’d like to get this done before the next clutch of Draglings are born too or else we could be delayed further. Needless to say, we’ll need all hands for this.”

“You’ve had us on your side since you took over,” Wedge reminded him. “So I don’t see why we wouldn’t help you out. Heck, I don’t think we’ve been this successful since we infiltrated that Pegasus castle in a giant wooden pony. I still can’t believe it worked.”

“So, what else needs to be done to get ready?” asked Cid. “What can we do to help?”

“For starters, we’ll have to inform the whole hive about this operation,” he explained. “If you all could spread the word, that’d be a big help. Then they’ll be less explaining needed for when we actually head out. Oh, but please leave out that part about my… you know what.”

“They are going to find out about… that, eventually,” Biggs pointed out. “Is it really that big of a deal if they find out sooner rather than later?”

“Ohohoh, you have no idea,” replied Sunburst. “The last time I dealt with this kind of an issue, I was with Starlight and that only made things twice as worse. To be confined to Tartarus for eternity would have been preferable.”

“No kidding,” agreed Tamati, chuckling a bit. “If that’s taken care of, then I suppose now would be a good time to take a break. Other than beginning packing preparations, all that’s left is to inform Spike of the situation so that he understands what’s going on too.”

“Isn’t that merely just writing him a note and burning it?” questioned Cid.

“Yes, but we’ve had to be cautious about doing so,” he went on. “He’s upset Twilight Sparkle with his lengthy absences and refusal to explain what he’s been up to. Since then, he’s had to send letters to me first so I know when he is free to communicate. Normally, he’d send me notifications like that on a regular basis, but lately he hasn’t sent me anything.”

“You think something might have happened to him?” suggested Biggs.

“It is possible,” nodded Tamati. “Either his lack of obedience has forced a harsher punishment on him or they could have discovered what he has been up to.”

“Could he have confessed and betrayed us?” Cid considered.

“Even that possibility exists, but I doubt that,” answered Tamati. “He’s well aware of where he sits in Pony society now. He’d be lucky if they even allowed him a trial for show before they locked him up and threw away the key.”

“Then what will we do about Spike?” wondered Cid. “If he is in trouble then no doubt they’ll pry any information they can from him and that’ll lead them right to us.”

“For now, we can only focus on this operation,” sighed Tamati, frustrated by not knowing what was going on with his scaly, purple ally. “I can’t risk contacting him while the Ponies are likely on high alert over our conquest of the Crystal Empire. If need be, I’ll have to send a unit out to find him. So, unless he gets in touch with us, he’s on his own. All we can do is hope and pray for the best.”

“Wow, you really weren’t kidding about being big,” commented Gabby as she marveled at Spike’s size as the effects of the shrink potion had almost completely dissipated from his system. “Now I really can’t wait to see you in action.”

“I’m afraid that’ll have to wait for now,” apologized Spike as he peered through some trees to see the entrance to Griffinstone. After enjoying their lustful endeavors in the forest, the two had walked the rest of the way to the once great kingdom of the Griffins. “Did you find anything I could wear to conceal myself?”

“There wasn’t much,” she confessed as she reached into her mail pouch and removed what appeared to be a very large sheet of burlap fabric. “Griffins don’t get nearly that big. Luckily, I was able to have this Yak-sized cloak made. I didn’t want to say Dragon-sized, just to be on the safe side, but I think it should still fit you.” Reaching into her bag again, she pulled out a stick-on mustache as well. “Oh, I also got you this.”

“A fake mustache?” replied Spike as he took the faux facial hair in his claws and looked at it for a moment. A smile then spread across his face as he attached it over his lip. “This probably won’t do anything to disguise me, but I bet this makes me look even sexier.”

“I’ll say,” agreed Gabby cheerfully. “Now, try the cloak on. I just hope it fits.”

“One way to find out,” said Spike as he started to slip into it. He was able to cover over his torso and most of his body, but his hands, feet, and tail still stuck out.

“Oh, it’s too small,” groaned Gabby sadly. “I can still tell that you’re a Dragon.”

“That’d probably be the case no matter what, if I stood up like normal,” commented Spike as he crouched down to shorten his height a bit and help cover up his limbs. All the extra bulk he had put on recently proved particularly helpful here as it gave his covered body a large appearance. He then maneuvered his tail, wrapping it around his waist like a belt to ensure it remained hidden. “And now if I just open my wings to manipulate my shape a bit, that should complete the illusion. Do I look more Yak-like now?”

“Sort of… I think,” she considered as she looked over Spike’s disguise. “You have a big, bulky shape like a Yak, but you do look bizarrely lumpy. Fortunately, I doubt most Griffins would care enough to take notice of you, so long as you don’t do anything to draw too much attention to yourself.”

“Then let’s go,” Spike told Gabby in a gruffer-sounding voice. “Yak ready to go to Griffinstone.”

“Wow, that was a pretty good Yak impression,” praised Gabby. “We can go right now, but how long do you think you can keep up this disguise? Keeping your wings opened like that has got to get tiring after a while, not to mention remembering to speak like that.”

“No worries,” Spike assured her, taking a few steps forward. “Spike can walk like this all day and talking like Yak is actually pretty fun.” Despite how confident he tried to pretend he was, the disguised Dragon didn’t know how long he could remain in character. Regardless, he had no choice if he was going to search for another Element of Discord. “Now, let’s go!”

Making their way towards the kingdom, the walk took a while due to the hunched over way Spike had to move, but eventually they did reach the entrance where a couple guards were stationed to inspect anybody coming into the city. Under different circumstances this would have been the end of the line for Spike attempting to go incognito, but that was hardly the case here. The two guards were lazily lounging about, their helmets off and their spears leaning on a nearby wall. In their hands, they had magazines that their eyes were glued too. One was reading an issue of Nest Fancy while the other was lewdly smirking as he gazed upon the images of the magazine, Naughty Birb. When Spike and Gabby approached them, they merely glanced over at them for all of half a second before they went back to their reading material.

“Well, that’s Griffinstone’s finest in action,” chuckled Gabby. “Now we can go over the gate.”

“Over the gate?” asked Spike as he looked at the broken wall before them and then down at a rusted metal that was once the gate. “Oh, that gate.”

“Yeah, we have to get that fixed some day,” commented Gabby as they headed into the kingdom. Looking around, she let out a sad sigh before adding. “That and a lot of other things too.”

“Hey, wanna trade yet?” asked the Griffin guard reaching Nest Fancy.

“Give me five more minutes,” the other one said as he licked his finger to help him turn the page.

“We’ve made it in the city,” Gabby told Spike, speaking to him discreetly as they walked down the central road up the big tree Griffinstone was built upon. “So, what’s the plan from here?”

“We find the Element and get out of here as quickly as possible,” answered Spike as he looked around the city, being cautious to keep his head hidden. All the Griffins they passed had the same uncaring look about them. Even with how much Spike’s disguise made him stand out, the most he received was an apathetic gaze before they went on their way without so much as a second look. Still, despite their seeming lack of interest, Spike didn’t want to illusion himself into thinking that meant he was safe.

Turning his attention away from the grumpy populace, Spike instead focused on the kingdom itself. Just like the poorly maintained gate at the front, the rest of the city was in equally decrepit condition. Most of the buildings were falling apart. The stone walls were covered with cracks and missing chunks in several places while the straw roofs had numerous gaps in them and pieces of the house-covering were littered the ground all over the place. There were signs of patchwork jobs done to ensure the buildings were maintained enough to keep them stable enough to live in, but the places that were vacant had been left to decay into complete ruins.

While Griffinstone was a far cry from the size of Canterlot, it was still a much vaster place than Ponyville was, even with the condition it had been neglected into becoming. From what Spike could recall from helping Twilight research kingdoms through the ages, Griffinstone had been established well before the reign of Princess Celestia and her sister Luna. Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, their kingdom was quick to decay over the years. During the rule of King Grover, the Griffins managed to rekindle their pride and a sense of unity. As a result, Griffinstone had managed to recover and regain its former luster for a time. However, circumstances once more interfered and the kingdom fell right back into ruin. Looking at the place now, it didn’t seem likely that much of anything could breathe new life into it for a third time. Save for the fact that Griffins still lived here, the place seemed just like any other long forgotten ruins waiting for time to erase it completely.

“So, you really live here, Gabby?” Spike asked her quietly. “Uh, not that there’s anything wrong with-”

“Don’t worry,” she assured him with a smile on her beak and a pat on his back. “I know this place is more of a landfill than our actual dump. It’s hardly a secret. But, I suppose you’re wondering why anybody bothers to still live here even when Equestria has so many cities and towns that would be a million times better than this. Well, the truth is, most Griffins would jump at the chance to live some place better than Griffinstone, but for a Griffin to take up permanent residence in a pony-controlled city, there is an exorbitant immigration fee that very few can afford for themselves, let alone those in their family as well. That is partially why Griffins are so eager to make a quick bit here and there, just so they can save up enough to finally ditch this dead tree and have a better life for themselves.”

“Is that why you’re a postal worker?” commented Spike. “To save up enough to leave here?”

“No,” she shook her head. “I do that because I love to travel and meet all sorts of creatures wherever I go. The job pays enough to leave me well off, but it’s nowhere near the kind of scratch one would require to move out of here. Anyway, Griffinstone is my home and I wouldn’t feel right about abandoning it.”

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!” snapped a large, auburn-hued Griffin as he rudely shoved his way past Gabby.

“Sorry,” apologized Gabby. “My bad.”

“Are you blind or just stupid?” he kept up the demeaning insults. “Don’t you have enough sense to get outta my way?”

“Sorry,” Gabby apologized again.

“No offense, but I’d hardly consider a place like this a home,” growled Spike, his muscles tightening as he felt ready to unleash his wrath upon that rude Griffin for his transgressions.

“Don’t worry about him,” Gabby said, trying to calm Spike down. “He’s just another grumpy Griffin is all. It’s something you get used to while living here. So, don’t worry about him.”

“It’s not him I’m worried about,” he told her. “I’m worried about y-y-ACHOO!!!” Spike let out a very peculiar-sounding sneeze that unleashed a quick blast of green flames as well that happened to fly right at that auburn Griffin’s backside and set it ablaze. Immediately, he squawked like a turkey and started to run with the pants he was wearing blazing upon his rear. The sight of him freaking out managed to bring the first crowd of smiling Griffins Spike had ever seen and the first chorus of laughter by the kittyhawks that the Dragon had ever heard as well.

“Sorry. My bad,” the sniffling Dragon apologized as he rubbed his nose. “I sneezed. Well, at least I know my flames are back.”

“That wasn’t necessary,” Gabby told Spike, seeing through his veiled attempt to defend her honor. “But, I appreciate that you did it for me.”

“You deserve better than all this,” Spike told her. “And since you are a part of my harem now, I will make sure you will. I promise that I’ll take you to some place better than this. We just need to take care of our business here first.”

“Oh, Spike,” gushed Gabby as hushed as possible. “You’re such a sweetie. Your heart is as big as your ass. Mmm~ and what an ass that is.”

“It certainly is,” blushed Spike as he felt the Griffin give one of his cheeks a squeeze.

“So, Gabby,” asked Spike, trying to return their focus to their search now that they continued to venture to the zenith of the ancient tree the kingdom rested upon. “Where are the cursed, dark, and, most importantly, powerful magical artifacts hidden? They’re in the castle, right? Or is there a vault or something where they are kept locked up safe and sound?”

“They’re in the castle,” she replied as she led Spike towards the largest and oldest structure in all of Griffinstone that rested upon the tree’s summit. Like the rest of the place, it had fallen on hard times with the statues covered in overgrowth and cracked. More of the steps leading to the entrance were broken rather than not and the archway leading to where a pair of large wooden doors once were was on the ground in pieces. archway. The walls of the castle were covered all over in a tapestry of graffiti and not just on the outside of the building either. Even the walls inside weren’t spared and the Griffins on supposed patrols didn’t look the least bit interested or caring about actually doing their job of protecting the castle.

“However,” Grabby continued as they proceeded down the hall of the castle. “When you see where the treasures are, it probably won’t be what you expect.”

“Just from looking at this,” replied Spike as the inside looked almost as bad as the outside. The dimly lit corridors did help conceal a majority of the damage. “I’d imagine this place was stripped of everything of value that wasn’t bolted to the floor. If the Element of Discord was here, then it’s probably long gone by now.”

“That might be the case, but it wouldn’t hurt to browse around for it,” suggested Gabby as they reached an archway with a tarp in front of it. On the other side, they could hear a noisy commotion.

“Browse for it?” asked Spike as he pushed aside the curtain and saw what appeared to be the Griffinstone equivalent to Canterlot Castle’s banquet hall, a vast room meant for large gatherings like dances, festivals, and other huge celebrations. It was still a dirty, dingy mess, but it was filled with the most lively bunch of Griffins other than Gabby that Spike had ever seen. They were busy trying to get the attention of other Griffins as well as a number of other creatures like Ponies, Hippogriffs, Dragons, and even Yaks, like Spike was pretending to be, as they tried to push the goods on the tables all around them.

One section sold fruits and vegetables with varying degrees of freshness. Some stands even had ones that had already rotted and had flies buzzing around, though their price remained the unchanged. Another section sold real jewelry and antiques, at least that’s what the Griffin peddlers claimed and wrote on their signs. Though Spike was far from an expert to judge the age and authenticity of such items, as a lover of gemstones, he did have an eye for which ones were truly high quality, which were not, and which were glass imitations. From what he could see, most appeared to be worthless pieces of junk, though a few did appear to be the real deal.

“You were right,” Spike told Gabby as he went to take a closer look at some of the jewels being sold to see if one of them might be the Element of Discord he was searching for. “I certainly didn’t imagine something like this when we came in here. It certainly is an interesting development, different from how the other two were obtained.”

“Oh, how did you get those ones?” she inquired curiously.

“Well, one was found in a far off ruins deep in a jungle,” he told her. “And the second one was…” Spike cut himself off part way through telling Gabby, realizing that admitting he was instrumental in the downfall of the Crystal Empire was not something he should admit to in such a casual conversation. He also knew it was even worse to do so with so many ears around that could easily overhear him. Just thinking of the trouble he’d invoke if he hadn’t restrained his big mouth when he did left Spike sweating bullets.

“And where was it?” asked Gabby, returning Spike’s attention back to her. “The second element. Where was it found?”

“I’ll… tell you later,” Spike told her. “For now, let’s just find the element, if it’s even here. Of course, if even the ancient, dark artifacts were just being sold as if they were any other overpriced trinkets, they were probably all sold long ago.”

“Ancient and dark artifacts for sale!” announced one of the Griffins, close enough to have overheard Spike’s conversation with Gabby, making the Dragon even more relieved that he hadn’t blabbed about his part in helping a swarm of half-Changeling half-Dragons conquer one of the most important and populous places in all of Equestria and turn it into their personal love buffet. “If you want the power to rule Equestria with an iron hoof or claw or whatever’s attached to your limbs, then step right up. Our prices are fair and negotiable. So, don’t be shy and start bending the wills of a nation to your every whim today.”

After hearing all that, Spike and Gabby couldn’t help but turn to look at both the Griffin and the stand he was tending to. He was a Griffin with blue feathers for his bird half and blue hair for his feline half with some cream colored fur and feathers upon his muzzle, chest and belly. Some of the feathers on his head had a yellow gradient at their tips and stood up like they were callicks. He had deep blue eyes, and a cobalt hue on the feathers of his wings and on the tuft of fur at the end of his long tail. At his size, he appeared to be around the same age as Gabby. He was also very slender, though just seeing how bony his body was this was more a result of him being underweight. He was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a plaid red shirt, both of which were covered over in a number of tears and a few poorly done patch jobs. Despite his appearance, he kept up an energetic and charismatic sales pitch as he attempted to lure in Gabby and her cloaked friend for a sale.

“You sir,” he pointed at Spike to urge him closer. “I can only imagine what kind of mighty, villainous evildoer is hidden beneath that wrap. Well, if you are in the market for artifacts most powerful and forbidden then you need look no further than Gallus’s Bargain Bin, the place for all your world-conquering needs.”

“Other than you, I didn’t think Griffin’s could act that peppy,” admitted Spike.

“If bits are on the line,” explained Gabby. “A Griffin would charm a fish to walk on land. So, should we go take a look at what he’s got?”

“It wouldn’t hurt to at least take a look,” replied Spike. “We’re going to have to go through this whole place with a fine-toothed comb anyway to make certain if it’s here or not.”

“What does this element thingy look like?” inquired Gabby as she scanned from one end of the table to another.

“Well, I only saw the first one, but it was a dark gemstone filled with a great power that could send chills to your core just from touching it. I’m sure that probably doesn’t narrow it down when it comes to such chaotic and dark magic, but that’s about the best I do to describe it. Just tell me if you see anything that might be it.”

“Like this?” asked Gabby as she picked up a glass case that was housing a black gemstone inside of it.

“Yeah, just like that,” nodded Spike as he leaned in closer to take a look. “Then I’ll take a look at it and say- Holy guacamole! That’s it!”

“Oh, wow!” she laughed at his outburst that caught the attention of everyone else at the bazaar. “Okay, now just leave it to me,” she said, rolling up her sleeves in preparation to search. “I’ll find you that element in no time.”

“You certainly did,” Spike told her, shaking a bit under his disguise from how surprised he was. “This is it. You found it. You found the Element of Discord.”

“I did?!?” she gasped happily. “Heheh, wow that was easy!”

“Y-Yeah,” sweated Spike as he saw the glint in Gallus’s eye. He had a front row seat to their reaction of finding exactly what they came in search for and could tell just how badly they needed it and how much they were not at his mercy. “But I have a feeling the hard part has yet to come.”

“Uh, are you sure it’s a good idea to use twittermites like this?” asked a worried Zircon as she eyed the glass bottle containing a small swarm of tiny, blue insects. They resembled fireflies with how the lower section of their body glowed bright enough to shine in the dark, however, that small illumination was accompanied by a painful-looking jolt of electricity. Anybody who knew just how much it hurt to get zapped by a lone twittermite was not foolish enough to obtain the insect’s ire especially when the rest of the swarm was close by and willing to join in on the zap. “They are quite dangerous insects,” she added. “And this is coming from a bug that’s half Changeling and half Dragon, so that’s saying something.”

“Don’t worry,” Media assured her confidently. “I’ve done this with mom before and she’s done this countless times before then too. So long as we keep them properly insulated they are harmless and actually very useful.”

“Yeah,” nodded Honey as she mixed some batter in a very large bowl a few more times to make sure to make sure it was a proper smooth consistency before proceeding to use the bugs for what she needed them to do. “The Pony who realized these bugs could be seen as more than mere pests was truly a genius. These bugs then became a power source that doesn’t rely on possessing either Unicorn magic or costly and rare magic-infused gemstones. None of Equestria’s biggest cities would even be possible without the harnessed power of such tiny creatures.”

“I still don’t like them,” admitted Zircon as she looked down at one that seemed to be staring back at her. The princess Dragling slowly leaned in closer with curiosity, only for that bug to buzz with electricity and startle her into stumbling backwards and onto her keister. “Ugh… Correction. I hate them and declare I shall seek vengeance on all their kind!”

“Trying to sound like your mother?” asked Media upon hearing that declaration of revenge.

“What do you think?” she asked. “Was that Chrysalis levels of revenge ranting?”

“Not enough wrath in your tone and venom on your words,” critiqued Honey. “But not too shabby. By the time we find someone you truly wish to suffer a fate worse than death for whatever reason they cross you, you will undoubtedly be seen as an utterly vile monster worthy of being the spawn of your mother.”

Hearing Honey say that, the three girls couldn’t help laughing at the silly conversation they had. After a minute of snickering and giggling, Media spoke up to return their focus to the task at hand. “So, is the batter ready?”

“It should be,” answered her mother as she stirred it a couple more times to make certain. “There. Now the donut batter is ready to be cooked. Time to get the frier ready.”

Honey attached a plug into the glass container where two narrow slits were. They were too small and narrow for the twittermites to escape from, but when they saw something metal that they could send their voltage through, the insects swarmed around it and began to discharge electricity. As they did this, the electricity went through an insulated cord attached to the plug that led to a 4-by-4 square, fryer. It contained about an inch and a half depth of oil that started to quickly go from warm to hot as the electricity was converted into heat upon the metal cooking device.

“Careful,” warned Honey as she handed the two girls a donut dipper, a cooking tool that had a donut shaped mold at one end and a handle on the other connected by a long, angled rod. “The oil is very hot and will start to bubble a lot once we start cooking the donuts. I know high temperatures don’t harm your scales, but, regardless of what can and can’t harm you, the number one rule in the kitchen is always safety first. Got it?”

“You know I do,” smiled Media, speaking with confidence from all her past experience.

“I’ll be careful,” promised Zircon. “Mother did mention one of her favorite revenge tortures was boiling her foes in oil. Trust me, it’s not a pretty picture I care to recreate.”

“Then let’s begin,” announced Honey as she took a ladle and started to carefully pour the donut batter into Zircon’s donut mold before doing the same for Media and then finally herself. Then, lifting up their holders, they carefully dipped them in the oil and watched the liquid start to bubble wildly.

“So, how long do we keep them in for?” asked Zircon.

“And flip,” instructed Honey a few seconds later and she and Media lifted their donut molds out of the oil and squeezed a trigger on their handles to make their donuts smoothly do a one-eighty before they dipped them back into the oil. Zircon then did the same, her movements a little shaky, but she still managed.

“Maybe a little more warning next time,” the princess bug said. “I didn’t know-”

“And done,” said Honey as she and Media took their donuts out of the oil, and carefully released them so that they fell onto a cooling rack. Theirs were a perfect shade of golden brown that were radiating deliciousness as excess oil dripped onto a tray through the gaps in the rack.

“I didn’t know they cook this fast,” Zircon said quickly to avoid getting cut off again. She followed their lead and placed her freshly made donut on the rack beside theirs. Hers was slightly darker from being left to cook a few extra seconds too long, but it still looked just as good as the other two with their warm, fresh scent that was incredibly mouth watering at first sniff. “But, I have to admit, they sure do smell delicious.”

“Wait till you see how they taste,” giggled Media as she looked eager to gobble up all three donuts herself.

“Hold on, dear,” her mother told her, seeing her intention and stopping her before she could give in to her hunger. “We didn’t make all this batter just for you, now. It’s for the whole swarm to celebrate your first great victory. Now, let’s finish these three up and then we can work on making the rest.”

“I know,” she replied, trying to hide a disappointing sigh of how badly she wanted to horde all those baked goods for herself.

“So, what do we do next?” asked Zircon, being proactive in learning what they needed to do to avoid fumbling about like she had while they were cooking the donuts in oil.

“Next, we just add the chocolate and the glaze on top,” explained Media as they demonstrated. Taking a spatula, Honey and Media scooped up some of the melted chocolate from a second bowl and spread it around the top of their donuts. After that, they moved onto a third bowl filled with a pearly white gloopy glaze. Once the melted chocolate started to harden on the donuts, they took ladles of the glaze and drizzled it all over their donuts, letting it cover over as much of it as they could and then carefully turned their donuts around so that they could coat the underside next.

“And done,” announced Honey once she and Media were satisfied with their donuts. The Changeling’s donut looked picture perfect with how it was made from baking to being glazed. Media’s was really nicely done too, though there was a lot of extra chocolate on hers that was clumped all over, though that lip-smacking look of joy on the Dragling’s face showed that was intentional on her part.

“How are you doing?” Media asked Zircon to see how she was faring. Just one look and she had to stifle a snicker. Zircon was still trying to spread the chocolate onto the top of her donut. While Media and Honey succeeded without getting chocolate on anything beside theirs, Zircon had chocolate on her fingers and even some on her muzzle and right cheek, when she scratched at an itch. She brought her fingers to her forehead to scratch at another one and added another smear of the melted goodness up there.

“I’m doing fine… kinda,” she answered as she placed her donut back down, the chocolate on it very uneven and even more clumpy than it was with Media’s donuts. Hers also had a few bald spots on it too. However, even if it was far from perfect, Zircon looked at her first ever donut with pride as she started to drizzle the glaze on it and started to make a mess of the donut, her workstation, and herself as she tried to properly coat it.

“Let me give you a bit of help,” Honey offered Zircon before she wasted too much of the glaze and didn’t leave enough for all the others they had to make.

“Thanks,” smiled Zircon as she helped guide her hands and allow her to get a feel for how it was done and soon had a nicely glazed donut completed as well.

“This was pretty fun,” commented Zircon as she gazed at her confection. “And a donut is like the perfect pastry for Changelings since Changelings are full of holes and a donut has a hole too.”

“I never actually thought of it like that, but you do make a good point,” giggled Honey. “Well, that’s three donuts down and several dozen more to go. We’d best get back to work.”

“I’m not sure this is that much fun,” admitted Zircon, figuring with the time it took them to make one donut each, they’d be making donuts for well over an hour to simply make one for everyone in the hive. “Isn’t there a faster way to make donuts?”

“There is,” answered Honey. “But it requires a donut-making machine that we unfortunately don’t have. It’s a shame, but one of those is simply much too big to carry all the way to the hive, not to mention there’s no way we could fit it through the doors here. So, we have to use the tools available to us.”

“That’s a shame,” sighed Zircon, trying to stay positive. “Well, let’s get baking. We’ve got lots more to make.”

It took some time, but Zircon and the others managed to make all the donuts they needed, not only for all the Draglings, but for all the Changelings too and the few others that also resided in the hive now too. “And now we just need to clean up,” Honey said, taking a deep, long breath after all the hard work the three of them put into baking. She then turned to Zircon who had only ended up an even bigger mess with every donut she helped make. “Zircon, why don’t you focus on getting yourself cleaned up.”

“Sounds like a tasty idea to me,” she replied, sucking the chocolate off her fingers.

“Something sure smells good in here,” stated Nat as he entered Honey’s kitchen with Flurryheart riding on his shoulders. “Can I take it that the baking is coming along nicely?”

“It’s all done,” answered Media. “We’re just cleaning up now.”

“No thanks to you,” added Zircon.

“I never volunteered to help,” he reminded her. “Besides, somebody had to watch Lil Flurry here.”

“Lil Flurry?” asked Zircon with a raised eyebrow.

“This lil sweet pea over here,” answered Nat as he rubbed Flurryheart’s head, causing her to giggle happily.

“I’m surprised she’s as carefree as she is,” commented Media. “I would think she’d be in tears from being in such a scary place as the Changeling Hive and to be separated from her parents too.”

“She definitely would, if this was the old hive,” agreed Honey. “But ever since Tamati took over around here, the whole place has felt quite different. Normally, most of the time, we’d be spending our days either patrolling the grounds outside the hive or doing so inside, at least till we were giving an assignment for collecting love.”

“I never got that sort of impression,” stated Media. “Yeah, we had lots of training to do, but we’ve always had time to have fun and cook like we did now.”

“I rarely got the chance to cook in the hive,” continued Honey. “Chrysalis didn’t want us to be distracted with useless and frivolous Pony things, but now, we can be as frivolous as we want to be so long as we complete our work.”

“Well, if being frivolous is anything like being allowed to goof off,” commented Nat. “Then I’m happy to be as frivolous as I can be. Now, if we can just have our donut thingies, I’m gonna see if I can bring Lil Flurry here to see her mom and her, uh, dad mom. I’m sure she’d love to see them and they are probably worried about her too.”

“Here ya go,” Honey said as she offered him a pair of donuts, still freshly warm from the fryer. “But only one for each of you. We still have to give one to everyone else too.”

“That’s fine,” replied Nat before taking a bite of the baked good, causing his eyes to widen. “Uh, but if anyone doesn’t want theirs…”

“Sorry, but to qualify to get any not wants you have to actually help with making them,” Media told him before trying one herself and Zircon did the same.

“But let’s be honest,” added the princess Dragling after getting a taste of hers and a look of pure bliss spread across her face. “Nobody would be crazy enough to turn something this heavenly down.”

“Guess I can’t argue with you there,” admitted Nat as he brought Flurry’s donut to her muzzle. Happily, she took as big a bite as she could manage and happily nommed upon the chocolate and glaze-covered pastry. “Awe,” gushed Nat as he watched her eat. “Like your yummy lil donut, my pretty lil ali princess?” With some maw-filled babbling, she answered him in a happy tone. “Heheh. I’ll take that as a yes. Come on now, let’s go see your mommies. They probably aren’t too tired from, uh… their business meeting with my old man.”

“Well, that’s two down and several dozen more donuts left to pass out,” commented Zircon after Nat left the room.

“Four actually,” corrected Media as she finished her donut. “We also got you and me.”

“Don’t forget your mother,” smiled Honey as she took a donut to eat as well. “Mmm~ We really did a great job making these. They’re the perfect treat after a successful conquest.”

“Indeed,” nodded Media as she took one donut and wrapped it up to keep it warm as she started to leave.

“I hope you aren’t planning on taking the donuts to everyone one at a time,” commented Zircon as she finished her own up.

“Actually, can you two go hand out the donuts without me?” Media requested. “I want to go take Sting his donut.”

“Oh, yeah,” recalled Zircon. “He never did come to bed after he parted ways to visit Pincer’s grave, did he?”

“Yeah, and I’m worried about him,” she admitted. “I mean, he tries to act like he’s fine, but… I don’t know. Being our leader can’t be easy, especially after a battle like the one we just went through and while a donut might be tasty, I think Sting might need something more than that.”

“Well, I don’t know if there’s much I can do to help, but if you need me, I’ll be going through the hive from top to bottom giving out the donuts,” Zircon told her.

“Thanks,” smiled Media as she started to leave. “I’m not sure what I can do to help him either, but hopefully I’ll have some sort of idea once I find him. Hopefully, he got plenty of rest to help put him at ease, but knowing him, he’s probably off doing some training to prepare for wherever father needs us to go next.”

“If he’s training,” commented Zircon while Media was still within earshot. “Then there’s only one place he could be right now.”

“I know,” answered Media as she ventured lower in the hive, discontent in her voice.

Making her way to the lower floors of the hive, the all too familiar snarls of the maulwurf echoed through the cavernous structure. It cried out in a mixture of rage and pain that scared the appetite right out of the food-loving Dragling before she even caught sight of it. “Looks like we were right as to where Sting was,” worried Media as she peeked her head into the room where the maulwurf was chained up enough to restrain its movements, however, the length of the chains had been increased to allow it move freedom to roam about from the wall and even be able to attack freely. There, she also saw the red Dragling, Sting, sword in hand and a fierce gaze in his eyes. “Though I wish we weren’t.”

“Is that the best you can do?” barked Sting as he taunted the beast. He stood before the overgrown mole, dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He had a tear over his left sleeve that also went from his shoulder down to his elbow. Brandishing his sword, trails of blood were running down from the blade to the hilt. “Before you were more than our entire swarm could handle and now I can face you on my own? What happened to that terrifying monster that killed Pincer? Where did it go?!?”

Snarling at Sting, the maulwurf appeared even more frightful than it had been when Media first laid eyes upon it. After spending days jailed in the lower catacombs of the Changeling hive it was a lot worse for wear. It’s hide was scrawnier and its fur a mangled mess. Its body was also covered over in scars, thick ones from the claws of their father Tamati and narrow ones from the blades of swords. There were also a number of fresh cuts on its arm and torso that were trickling blood onto the ground.

“Yeah,” breathed Sting, squeezing the grip of his sword tightly. “Come at me with all that savage fury so that I can cut right through it!”

Raising its arms up fast, the maulwurf then brought them down even faster in an attempt to squash Sting under them. Reacting to the attack, Sting leapt up and took flight. Moving quickly, he avoided the mole’s arms by going right in between them. Following this up, Sting sliced his sword into the maulwurf’s torso, attempting to give it another cut, but the blade merely slid across its hide without piercing its flesh.

“Ugh, no good,” grumbled Sting as he put distance between him and his foe as the mole retaliated with its sharp nails. When another opening in its defenses became visible, Sting flew in to strike again with more strength and hate behind his strike. This time, he managed a shallow cut into its flesh that made the beast reel back in pain. “That was better, but still not good enough!”

“Oh, Sting,” worried Media as she watched him continue to battle the maulwurf. Again and again Sting continued to fight against the huge monster mole, the brawl exhausting even from a spectator’s point of view. With how heavy Sting was breathing, he looked well beyond the point he should have been able to effectively fight, but he charged in again like a man possessed. The maulwurf, more sluggishly raised its arms to ready itself for Sting’s next attack, the beast doing all it could to defend itself while it was being mercilessly assaulted. “You definitely need much more than what a donut can fix.”

“Sooo…” began the blue-feathered Griffin as he looked at Gabby and the disguised Spike. “I take it that you’ve got your eye on this little trinket over here.”

“Uh, yes. I would like to-” Spike started to say, but recalled how he was attempting to give the impression that he was a Yak and quickly corrected himself, faking a cough to start over, this time deepening the sound of his voice and adjusting his speech patterns. “Um, Yak mean, yes. Yak want shiny stone. Think make good paper weight to… uh, weigh papers with. Yak give ten bits for it.”

“First off,” Gallus retorted with a look that could cut right through any bullshitting. “This is not a paper weight. It’s apparently supposed to be some ancient and dark artifact that apparently can’t do anything from as far as I can tell and everyone else here for that matter. It’s been unsold in this bazaar for so long it’s kinda become a tradition to give the worthless piece of junk to the newest Griffin opening up shop here and happens to currently be me.”

“Oh, well, congratulations blue birdy,” Spike replied, sensing that he was losing negotiations for the Element as Gallus clearly wasn’t considering his lowball offer. “Looks like tradition ends with you cause Yak want to buy useless artifact of evil. Yak still think make for good paper weight. How does twenty- no, thirty bits sound?”

“Secondly,” Gallus went on. “Just because this stone doesn’t seem to be able to do much of anything, doesn’t mean it’s worth nothing or those pathetic excuses you call offers to try to get me enticed enough to sell it. No. That just tells me that you are someone who does know what this is and how to use it, meaning it's worth a hell of a lot more bits than a lousy thirty.”

“Then make Yak an offer!” snapped Spike, annoyed to be at the complete mercy of this salesgriffin.

“Give me ten thousand bits and I’ll even gift wrap it for you, no charge,” he told Spike bluntly. “And I’ll even throw in a little something extra, just to be nice.”

“T-Ten thousand bits!” cried Spike, his outburst of such a huge amount causing everyone in the bazaar to turn their eyes and ears back to them for a second time. Now that there was a very intriguing price on what he wanted to purchase, they all were investing in seeing just how the exchange would end. Turning to look at all that unwanted attention on them, Spike found an even greater urgency in getting out of there as quickly as possible.

“Yup, that’s the price,” confirmed Gallus, remaining calm and composed, acting like Spike’s outburst was merely him confirming that he had heard the Griffin correctly and not that he was freaking out at the insane cost of the gemstone.

“Uh, can you give us a minute while we talk it over?” asked Spike, forgetting to act like a Yak while he was distracted by everything else.

“Take all the time you need,” Gallus nodded and reclined back, not certain if he could make a sale, but was at least finding some entertainment from Spike’s haggling.

Turning around and huddling close, Spike and Gabby started to discuss and plan just what their next move was in this sale. “Do you even have that much?” Gabby asked Spike in a hushed voice. “I don’t think I’ve even seen half that much money in my life.”

“Me neither,” admitted Spike. “Nobody in Ponyville carries that kind of coin around with them regularly. That’s more akin to their life savings. Meanwhile, I brought mine with me, a lackluster 136 bits.”

“That’s all you’ve got?” questioned Gabby.

“It was basically my allowance,” he explained. “And before my life took an unexpected turn I didn’t put much thought into saving up. By the time I had to take my leave from Ponyville, it was already much too late to worry about funds, not that I even knew we’d end up in a situation like this.”

“Then, what are you going to do?” wondered Gabby, pausing for a minute before an idea came to mind. “Steal it?”

“Can’t deny I’m not tempted to do that,” Spike admitted. “That Griffin is playing this sale like he’s got my nuts squished in a vice.”

“Ouch,” commented Gabby, not enjoying such a mental image. Meanwhile, countless miles away, Tamati paused from the middle of his inventory count. He shuddered like a chill had gotten through his thick layers to scales to chill him to his core. He reached down to rub as his sac and let out a relieved sigh before getting back to work.

“My thoughts exactly,” sighed Spike. “There’s no two ways about it. We need the Element, however, I am not going to steal it. Dragons already have a bad rep for stealing treasure, princesses, and the last piece of pie someone was saving for a post study session snack.”

“Dragons steal pie under those circumstances?” asked Gabby.

“Well, I have… many times before,” he admitted. “But only because pie is so good and Twilight saying I can’t have any only makes me want it more. Anyway, back on topic, not only do I not want to give Dragons a bad name, but stealing the Element would only make things worse. I’m already on the run and not only would a theft with all these witnesses reveal where I am, those pursuing me would also find out that I was an Element of Discord and that’d just make things worse for those I’m working with too. No. We have to get the Element while causing as little commotion as possible.” Peeking around his shoulder, Spike saw everyone was still staring at them. “Which we are failing at, miserably, so far.”

“That means we have to pay Gallus ten thousand bits,” commented Gabby, the weight or rather the lack of weight on her wallets suddenly very apparent to her. “But nobody could afford that unless they were filthy rich.”

“I don’t even think he carries that much around with him,” replied Spike. “That amount is more akin to Canterlot nobels level of wealth than Ponyville business tycoon levels.”

“Hey, mind if I say one more thing that might help move this business transaction along,” Gallus chimed in.

“Are you lowering the price knowing you’ll never move that gemstone with a crazy asking price like that?” asked Spike, doubting that was why he invaded their discussion huddle from the confident look on his face.

“No, but I did want to tell you the third thing about this sale that I wanted to make clear to you, mister…” Gallus paused as he spoke to sniff the air around them. “Mr. Dragon I take it?”

“D-Dragon?” stuttered Spike, sensing his cover was blown. “But me Yak.”

“Yeah, you’re not fooling anyone with that terrible impression and cloak. The fake mustache is a nice touch, but it doesn’t really help with your disguise either,” the blue business Griffin pointed out. “Also, you stink of lizard perspiration too.”

“Is it that bad?” worried Spike as he lifted an arm to sniff his pit.

“Yeah, but honestly,” confessed Gallus. “I don’t really know if there is even a difference between one creature’s sweat and the next. It all just reeks awful to me. I just wanted to see how you’d react. With your size and faking being a Yak, I figured you had to be a Dragon. This just proves I’m right.”

“Okay, so I’m a Dragon,” admitted Spike, wishing he had been on the front lines with Tamati in the Crystal Empire rather than dealing with this annoyingly tricky kittyhawk. “What of it?”

“The question now is ‘why the facade?’” continued Gallus. “If you want to hide who you are then there has to be a reason. You clearly don’t want your identity revealed so you have to be fairly well known. Maybe not here, but Equestria is a big place and if there’s a bit reward involved with finding you then all the more reason to not let anyone know who you are.”

“That’s not why I disguised myself at all,” lied Spike. “I just don’t like to cause a fuss whenever I go into a town is all.”

“To buy potentially dangerous, dark artifacts,” added Gallus, causing Spike to perspire even more as he was further backed into a corner. “Hmm… Dragon sweat has more of a plain, wet smell,” noted Gallus curious to find out the difference after using it to bluff. “Probably because it doesn’t get soaked into any hair, fur, or feathers to cause that mildewy effect.”

“So, do you plan to turn me in?” sighed Spike, sensing he might have to steal the Element and run like Hell in the next sixty seconds.

“Remember that bonus I promised to throw in with that ‘paperweight’ you wanted so badly?” asked Gallus, getting a nod from Spike. “That’s my silence. I don’t give a flipping feather if you plan to plunge this whole world into darkness. I just want to get enough bits to finally get out of this dump and if it means I have to crush a Dragon’s balls in my talons to make it happen then give them here.”

“Ugh!” shivered Tamati again as he looked around the room. “Is there a draft in here or something?”

“So Spike has to buy the Element or you’re gonna turn him in,” worried Gabby. “That’s some ruthless business you’re running.”

“Hey, I was practically born an orphan,” Gallus lamented with a pitable look in his eyes. “I lived in an orphanage till I was five and went through foster homes till I learned to fly. After that, I was on my own with only the clothes on my back and bills of rent I had to pay off from everywhere I had lived at. If I didn’t learn to become a cutthroat salesbird, I’d be dead in some gutter somewhere, probably with all my down plucked off to be used as pillow stuffing. If you want to help me avoid such an awful fate, I am accepting donations.” As Gallus said that last part, he shook a tin can that clattered with a bunch of bits inside it.

“Let’s focus on this purchase before we consider just giving you money, okay?” retorted Spike as he placed a hand on Gabby’s talons. Her eyes were watering after listening to his sob story and she was about to open her heart and wallet to her fellow Griffin. “Now, let’s be real. Nobody carries ten thousand bits with them.”

“I know, but if you’re a Dragon then you are bound to have a horde of treasure somewhere,” Gallus concluded. “Even a Dragon of your proportions must have one worth a measly ten g’s hidden somewhere.”

“About that,” replied Spike, certain Gallus was not going to be happy about what he was about to tell him. “I don’t have a horde of any kind, not unless you count my collection of comic books.” A glazed, uncaring look appeared upon Gallus’s face said that he didn’t and that he was that much closer to turning the penniless Dragon in for a possible reward. “You see, I was born an orphan too and raised by Ponies that were grooming me to be a servant to them. Now, because I am growing up and want to be more independent, they plan to send me away to become a slave in a gem cave for the rest of my life like some beast of burden. That’s why I am on the run, to avoid a fate far worse than death. So, as you can see, we’ve both had tough lives.”

“Oh, wow,” said Gallus, the uncaring look gone after Spike confided all that with him. “I never would have guessed.” Spike breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought you might have just been a garden variety pillaging and plundering Dragon, but it sounds like you’re a lot more valuable than that, aren’t you?” That relief flew right back into Spike’s big mouth. “Oh, the bounty on your head is probably huge!” So overly excited at what a find he made, Gallus took a big, content whiff. “Now you just smell like money to me.”

Looking at one another, both Gabby and Spike were well beyond worried with a touch of creeped out added in. “So, we grab the Element and get the heck out of here?” Gabby whispered into Spike’s ear.

“You read my mind,” Spike silently answered back. “Just follow my lead. I have a plan.”

Bringing Gallus back into the conversation, Spike returned to their negotiations. “So, you won’t turn me in if I buy that ‘paperweight,’” asked Spike, wanting to be certain that part of the deal didn’t change.

“Assuming you can cough up twenty thousand bits for it,” nodded Gallus.

“Twenty?!?” cried Spike. “What happened to ten?”

“Hey, don’t blame me,” he remarked cockily. “Blame the Princess of Economics.”

“Leaving Princess Pretty Penny aside, for now,” continued Spike. “How do I know that even is really what I’m looking for?”

“What do you mean?” questioned Gallus as he raised a skeptical brow.

“I could have been mistaken or it might have been a fake,” he explained. “Let me take another look at it… just to make certain.”

“...Fine,” Gallus slowly replied, a suspicious squint on his face now. The three got up and returned to their original positions at Gallus’s stand. The crowd was still watching, totally absorbed into their business transaction, even though they had no idea what was discussed in their huddle.

“It’s right there,” Gallus told Spike, permitting him to pick up the Element despite sensing foul play in the air.

“This will just take a second,” promised Spike as he picked up the Element and took a calming breath.

“NOW WE RUN!!!” shouted Spike as he turned to flee. He didn’t even care that his body was exposed as he did so, focused entirely on getting out of Griffinstone without delay. However, after three heavy footsteps, Spike felt something tug at his tail. Turning to look, it was a rope that was tied to a pillar. With it holding him back, his next step slipped and he came crashing to the ground.

“When did…” his mind raced, but the answer was obvious before he even started to ask himself. “Gallus…” Unable to do anything, Spike collided with the ground with such force it shook the castle and scattered all the dust on the ground into the air around him.

“Where did that rope come from?” questioned Gabby as she looked down at her downed Dragon master.

“I set that up before I joined your little huddle,” admitted Gallus. “And it looks like I was right to do so. Now, even the laziest of guards here won’t be able to ignore a quake like that. Your Dragon friend will be captured and I just have to wait to use all the info he so kindly provided me with for my profit.”

“Oh, Spike,” worried Gabby, not sure how they could get out of this mess.

“Ugh, when I get my claws on that Griffin,” grumbed Spike as he got himself back onto his knees after his fall. “I’m going to- to-” With all that dust swirling around him, Spike couldn’t help but inhale some unintentionally right up his snout and now found a powerful sneeze coming on. “Ah! Ahhh!!! AAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!” Desperately, the Dragon attempted to resist the urge to let it out, well aware a blast of flames would burst free from his maw. With Gabby nearby, he didn’t want to risk harming her or anyone else for that matter when he was already certain he was in enough trouble as is.

Unfortunately for Spike, he couldn’t seem to shake that sneeze as it kept on trying to come out. When he felt on the verge of unleashing it, Spike did the only thing he could think to do. Facing the ground, he covered his muzzle with his claws and aimed to contain his flames with his own body. When he felt ready, he just relaxed his body and let the sneeze out. “ACHOOOOO!!!” Green flames erupted from his throat and burst through his claws like a dam bursting and as a flood of water forced its way through.

“Spike?” worried Gabby as she approached him, only to back off as his whole body got covered in his own emerald flames. Everyone stared in awe, not sure what had just happened and only grew more surprised as the cloaked figure arose from the fires of his own creation in his cloak that was also a flame before it was reduced to ashes, along with his now burning stache. Shortly after, the materials were put out as they were reduced to ashes, leaving Spike standing before everyone completely in the buff. The only exception was his flameproof backpack that remained unscorched.

“It’s just like my recurring nightmare,” whimpered Spike in complete embarrassment. Slipping his backpack off, he used it to cover his crotch. “Except I’m not taking a math test that I didn’t study for.”

“Spike, are you okay?” asked Gabby as she cautiously approached him. “You aren’t hurt are you?”

“I’m fine,” he assured her with a smile and gestured to her that he was safe to approach. “Fire, even a Dragon’s own flames won’t harm them. Twilight also enchanted my backpack to be fire resistant too. Sadly, the same can’t be said for my cloak. Sorry, Gabby, but it’s ashes now.”

“That’s okay,” she smiled big for him. “So long as you are okay. Also, you are much more handsome when all of you is out on display.”

“Awe,” he blushed at such praise. “I’m not all that hunky.”

“Not all that hunky?” argued Gallus as he got a look at Spike’s full body for the first time. “Look at you. All those muscles all over your body along with a good amount of pudge to curve your figure in all the right places. Just… wow! And those arms of yours… and that chest… it’s simply whizz boom bang and don’t even get me started on that rock hard, scaley rear of yours. You’re a damn beefcake!”

“Uh, thank you for noticing, I guess,” replied Spike to Gallus, not sure what to make of this Griffin when he was prepared to turn him in for money mere moments ago. “Unfortunately, you’re not my type.”

“You’re not mine either,” Gallus admitted as he looked past Spike and focused his gaze at all the Griffins and other creatures sizing Spike up with their eyes like he was a tall drink that they wanted to quench their thirst with. “But it looks like you’re theirs.”

“He is one big, strong, sexy Dragon,” Gabby chimed in, hugging one of Spike’s arms and nuzzling against his bicep.

“Not to mention, profitable,” added Gallus with a grin on his beak.

“Uh, do I even want to know what you mean by that?” asked a worried Spike, already getting an idea of just what he had in mind.

Approaching Spike, he gestured for him to come lower so that he could whisper what he had to say without anyone else overhearing. Gabby put her ear close so that she could hear what he said too. “Not unless you want me to turn you in right now,” he blackmailed him. “But, if you do a little job for me and earn a poultry thirty thousand bits for me, I’ll let you go without doing a thing to hinder you.”

“You just added another ten-” Gabby started to complain, but Spike raised a hand to cut her off. The look he gave her was sad at first knowing that they had no choice but to play by his rules. He then curled his scaly lips into a small smile to reassure her that it wasn’t going to be a problem.

“Does this mean we have a deal?” Gallus asked the big, hulking, purple, lizard.

Just then, a half dozen Griffin soldiers made their way into the room. About five minutes had passed between Spike falling to the ground and them arriving. It was a downright terrible response time for the defenders of the kingdom to reach a section of the castle when they were stationed only a short walk away.

“Is there something going on in here?” asked one of a half dozen Griffin guards as they entered the bazaar. She spoke in a dull uncaring voice as she looked around to see what had forced them off their duffs to do their jobs. When her eyes came to see Spike, huge, muscular, and completely nude. Spike watched her walk over to him, an entranced look on her face that showed that she too really liked what she saw.

“Hey, sexy,” she spoke to Spike in a flirty manner. “I must say, I like what I see, but nudity in a public place is a violation. I’m afraid you are going to have to come with me for a little chat. After that, I’m still gonna have to file an official report over this incident, but it probably won’t be any big deal so long as you keep your pants on a little more often.”

“We do send out reports to the other kingdoms,” Gallus mentioned to Spike. “To see if we have any of their most wanted in our custody. As she said, it’s not a big deal… unless you’re trying not to be found.”

“We have a deal,” nodded Spike, already ready to agree before this untimely interruption. “And let’s get this in writing before you raise that price again.”

“Took you long enough to show some business sense,” he chuckled before approaching the female guard to fix this issue for Spike.

“I’m terribly sorry, mam,” Gallus apologized to her. “My client here took a little fumble when he was advertising.”

“Advertising?” she questioned Gallus, raising an eyebrow. “What was he advertising?”

“Himself,” he continued, lying through his beak without any stutters or even a glint of falsehood in his expression. “He ended up slipping, sneezing, and burning off his cloak just before you all arrived in such a timely fashion and, for that, we apologize. We’ll pay off the indecent exposure fee, of course, but we truly didn’t mean you any harm.”

“I don’t know,” she pondered, staring skeptically at Gallus before turning to Spike and gazing dreamily at the muscular hunk. “What exactly was he advertising himself for?”

“For the Roost,” Gallus told her, getting her eyes to widen and beak to drop. She was even blushing while her heart pounded and she looked at Spike more eagerly now. “He’s going to be there?”

“Tonight only for a special show!” announced Gallus, loudly so everyone could hear. “The great and sexy, uh, Dragdonis is going to appear there on center stage. If you don’t want to miss a once in a lifetime event, you better be there!”

“Oh, well, we’re sorry for jumping to conclusions,” the female guard apologized along with the other guards who were nodding in agreement as they kept eyeing Spike all over. “J-Just get some pants on right away and we’ll drop the whole thing. Is that okay?”

“Uh, that’s fair,” Spike agreed, glad that Gallus took care of the trouble he was in, but as he watched everyone leaving the bazaar as they chatted amongst themselves and stole glances back at his physique, the Dragon had a feeling he was only getting into even hotter water as a result.

“Then carry one,” she said as she and the other guards hurried away too. “Oh, and we’ll look forward to seeing you tonight, Dragdonis.” She licked her beak eagerly as she hurried out. “I gotta go find something to wear tonight.”

“Dragdonis? The Roost?” asked Spike Gallus once only the three of them were left in the bazaar. “What was that all about?”

“Well, that’s gonna be your stage name,” Gallus answered him, feeling up the muscles on his arm as he continued to look him over. “And the Roost, that’s the hottest club in Griffinstone. It’s about the only building in this whole crappy kingdom that’s well-maintained and tonight you’re gonna be a star there.”

“I am?” questioned Spike. “Wasn’t that all just a bluff to get them to leave me alone?”

“No,” he shook his head. “If you want this Element, you are going to do it. I just used those guards running in here to help spread the word. Now, the Roost is going to be jam packed to see two hundred pounds of Dragon beefcake tonight.”

“But you just made that up so how am I supposed to appear there?” wondered Spike, though the confidence in Gallus’s expression convinced him he already had everything figured that out too. “Just leave all that to me. You two just go relax for the rest of the day somewhere you won’t attract any attention. Also, let me see the money you’ve got on claw right now, Dragdonis.”

“My name’s Spike,” Spike reminded him as he reached into his backpack to retrieve his pouch of bits.

“I know, but you’re in hiding right?” he remarked as he swiped the pouch and proceeded down the empty tables at the bazaar, making his way to the stands selling clothes. He found a secondhand pair of torn black jeans that he picked up while dropping a few of Spike’s bits in their place. “So we can’t use your real name if word starts to spread.” Moving onto another table, he got Spike some underwear too that looked his size and then returned to the Dragon. “Here, put these on.”

“Uh, thanks for buying me clothes with my own money,” replied Spike hesitantly, though slipping them on he found they were a decent-sized fit. Spike then reached to take back his money pouch, but Gallus was quick to swing it out of reach.

“Consider this your downpayment for me getting you set up at the Roost as well as to get you everything you’ll need for the show,” he told Spike as he took his leave, making sure to snatch of the Element of Discord as he went and pocketed it for safekeeping. “Anyway, see you tonight.”

“What have I just got myself into?” sighed Spike as he watched Gallus depart, leaving him and Gabby alone.

“Well, if it’s any consolation,” giggled Gabby. “I can’t wait to see you in action.”

“Great, but exactly what kind of action am I supposed to be taking?” asked Spike as they started to leave too. Gabby giggled some more, further worrying Spike at what was to come.

“Tamati better appreciate what I’m doing for him,” thought Spike.

“Ha! Yeargh! Ta!” cried Sting as he fought fiercely against the maulwurf, hacking and slashing its body with his blade. Media was holding her breath as she watched him recklessly fight, throwing caution to the wind as he risked getting swatted by the mole’s large, powerful arms. The red Dragling, in spite of exhaustion, continued to be nimble enough to avoid most of the beast’s attacks, but some did manage to connect and he got swatted to the ground.

“Gah!” he coughed upon impact before he quickly reorientated himself to where he was compared to the maulwurf. Getting it back in his sight, Sting saw that now that he was on the ground again, it was now attempting to crush him underfoot. Acting even quicker than his adversary, Sting rolled away as the maulwurf snarled fiercely as it stomped down with a resounding THUD! that left no doubt in his mind that taking an attack like that would have truly crushed him like a bug.

Instead of that brutal fate, Sting found the beast wide open for another attack. With his blade out, he stabbed it into the side of the mole, unleashing a fierce battle cry as he did. Following through with his attack then, the Dragling proceeded to drag his sword upward and sliced across the mole’s body all the way up to its neck. The maulwurf cried out in pain as it stammered backwards and retreated into the corner to lick at its wounds.

“Had enough already?” wheezed Sting, aching and exhausted himself. He was barely able to remain on his feet, defying fatigue with willpower. Swinging his sword, let droplets of the mole’s blood fling off of it. “Too bad. You only stop when I say you can.”

“Oh, Sting,” cried Media, not willing to see this go on anymore and now she finally saw her chance to talk some sense into him before he started at the beast again. As he lumbered forward, she rushed to his side to hold him back. “Please stop! That’s enough.”

Feeling someone hug him from behind while he was still so tense, Sting reflexively pushed Media off him and to the ground. Turning around, he held his sword high, ready to swing it down on her. Fortunately, he held his hand long enough to see who he was about to attack. Gazing at Media, fear and tears in her eyes, he froze in place and let his sword slip free of his grip and clang onto the ground behind him.

“M-Media,” he stuttered as his ability to remain on his feet left with his will to fight. “I didn’t mean to- When did you get here?”

“A little earlier,” she confessed, being quick to catch him, though with how heavy he was, they both ended up on the ground. “I saw you were… what were you even doing in here?”

“I was… training,” he panted, only able to sit upright while Media supported him.

“I can see that,” she replied. “But why? We were given this time to rest and recover, but you… you didn’t even rest after visiting Pincer’s grave, did you?”

“I did get some sleep,” he replied to Media who didn’t look convinced as she gazed at the bags under his eyes. “And as I slept all I could see was everyone getting slaughtered because I wasn’t strong enough. We lost a few of us during our siege of the Crystal Empire and we lost Pincer against this beast.”

“Should we tell papa that the burden of being our leader is too much of an unfair burden for you to take on?” she suggested.

“No,” he shook his head. “I would only feel worse to pass this job onto another. I just need to get stronger.”

“You’re the strongest of us all,” she reminded him. “I heard what a terror you were to the Pony soldiers as you plowed right through them. And now, you were taking on this beast all on your own after we needed papa to save us. You are truly incredible as a warrior, but what you need cannot be found on the battlefield.”

“Like what?” he asked, lowering his head sadly.

“This might not help much,” said Media as she offered him the donut she brought him. “But I’m sure you must be starved.”

Bringing a hand to his stomach, it growled with emptiness. Seeing the donut, he couldn’t help but feel his mouth water at the sight of the treat. Reaching for it, he suddenly winced and clenched his left arm by his shoulder. Gritting with teeth, Media could see him seething in pain now that his adrenaline was wearing off.

“Oh, you’re really hurt,” she realized, looking his body over and saw just how many cuts and bruises he had on him. “You need medical attention.” Taking his donut, she helped him to eat it, hoping the love it was infused with would help with all the numerous injuries he had. “You’ll need more than this and some first aid too.” Carefully she placed him onto his back. “Just wait here. I’ll get you some more food and help. And then, we’ll figure out some way to help you heal what food or medicine can’t. We’ll… we’ll get you a counselor.”

“A what?” asked Sting. “What’s a counselor?”

“Someone who helps others deal with mental and emotional problems,” Media explained. “My mother told me about them while she was disguised as a Pony chef in Manehatten. Despite how happy and cheerful Ponies are supposed to be, celebrating something every other day and breaking into song at random, plenty of them need therapy to deal with their issues. Apparently, it works really well.”

“That’s great and all, but we don’t have a therapist in the hive,” Sting reminded Media.

“All that means is we just need to find one and bring them here,” she told Sting. “I’m sure there’s one out there that can help you. We just need to find out where.”

“I’m here!” announced Starlight Glimmer as she appeared in the Castle of Friendship in a flash of magic. This time, it was the real one and not Zircon in disguise. Frantically, she raced through the castle in search of Twilight. “I heard the news about what happened at the Crystal Empire! What’s the plan? How are we going to save it?” Despite all her shouting, she didn’t hear any response. “Twilight!?! Where are you?”

“Huh?” mumbled the Princess of Friendship as she pulled her face from her copy of Daring Do and the Curse of the Sapphire Statue. “Starlight? Is that you?” Getting up off her comfy chair, Twilight made her way out into the hall to meet with her friend.

“Twilight!” she shouted again, the anxiety in her voice not waning.

“I’m over here,” Twilight told her, getting Starlight to turn and hurry over to her. “I was reading in my library.”

“Oh, I should have known you were in there,” panted Starlight, catching her breath once she had finally reached her fellow purple Pony. “No doubt, you are already deep into research to find a way to get in.”

“Find a way to get into where?” questioned Twilight. “What are you talking about?”

“You mean you don’t know?” she gasped. “But if anyone should be aware of this catastrophe, it should be you. You and your friends are typically the ones who deal with end of Equestria level dangers after all.”

“End of Equestria?!?” cried Twilight. “What in Tartarus has happened?”

“The Crystal Empire was attacked by Changelings,” she told her.

“Changelings?” repeated Twilight. “But Chrysalis tried to attack Ponyville with her swarm not too long ago and we repelled them. Sure, it wasn’t easy, but with the force she had at her disposal there’s no way they should have been even a remote threat for the Crystal Empire.”

“Apparently there was something different about the swarm that attacked. From what little info could be obtained, it was like they were part Changeling and part Dragon as well.”

“That sounds like a terrifying combination,” remarked Twilight, the mention of Dragons bringing her thoughts back to Spike on the run.

“It is,” she nodded. “The Empire was captured and the barrier protecting the city has somehow been reversed to ensure nobody can get in.”

“Then all the Ponies in there are trapped,” worried Twilight. “That includes Cadance, my big brother, little Flurryheart, and Sunburst.”

“Apparently all the children from the Empire were put to sleep and transported by a train to Canterlot and by some of the creatures from attack, if you can believe it.”

“I can’t believe it,” Twilight shook her head, all of this news was so surreal to her. Adding this on top of her trouble with Spike and she desperately wanted to pinch herself with the hope that it might wake her from this nightmare.

“I can’t believe that you were completely unaware of this,” commented Starlight. “From what I heard, Celestria and Luna are preparing to mount an assault on the Changeling Hive.”

“I was actually speaking with Princess Celestia not too long ago,” Twilight told Starlight. “But she didn’t mention anything about it. But, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. After my royal screwup she probably thinks I’ll just get in the way. That’s why she told me that she’d handle finding Spike.”

“Finding Spike?” questioned Starlight, now the one out of the loop. “What happened to Spike?”

Twilight went over everything Starlight had missed while she was out in Los Pegasus with Trixie, starting from Spike’s sudden spurt of maturity to his disappearances and defiant behavior to him managing to escape when she was supposed to take him back to Canterlot. Starlight’s mouth slowly dropped further to the floor with every statement topping the prior one in shock value. “And that’s all that happened,” finished Twilight.

“And Trixie promised me the world wasn’t going to end while I was away,” she joked. “I knew her promises can be flimsy at times, but this just takes the cake.”

“Starlight,” cried Twilight. “This is serious!”

“I know it is,” she assured Twilight. “And that is why you can’t waste time feeling bad about what happened. You’ve got to buck up and find Spike.”

“But Celestia said,” Twilight started to say.

“Forget Celestia,” Starlight told her. “Her decision to take Spike away was wrong and you were wrong to listen to Mrs. Sunbutt when you should have listened to your friends.”

“Starlight, do you know what you’re saying?” whispered Twilight in a hushed voice, wanting Starlight to not say such things so loudly despite the fact the two of them were all alone.

“Yes, I do,” she countered. “You and Spike have been through far too much together to let some growing pains and that blind admiration to Celestia of yours ruin all that. You need to find Spike and make things right, before Celestia finds him and erases his memory. If that happens, then you’ll regret this for the rest of your life.”

“Thanks, Starlight,” sniffled Twilight as she wiped some tears from her eyes. “I’m really glad you came back early. Sorry it’s not under more pleasant circumstances.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” she said, patting Twilight on the back. “Now, we can put saving the Crystal Empire on hold for the moment. Compared to searching every corner of Equestria for one, small, chubby dragon, Celestia will put the vast majority of her efforts into finding a way to rescue the Ponies trapped inside.”

“Technically, chubby and little don’t really describe Spike anymore,” Twilight corrected her. “Since you last saw him he’s gotten taller than Big Mac and probably even more muscular too. Also, he’s piled on a bunch of girth too to add some thickness to his figure. And, you’ll love this the most, the only thing he’s taken to wearing regularly now is a tiny, red speedo that leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination.”

Starlight was silent after hearing this updated description of Spike. Her cheeks turned a bright shade of red that only became rosier the more she thought about it. Then, under her breath, she muttered, “Damn it, Trixie,” before returning to the point she had been trying to make. “Anyway, with a far bigger crisis on her hands, that should give us plenty more time to figure out where to look for Spike. So, any ideas where he would go?”

“Considering that I told him he’d be enslaved to dig gems from the Canterlot mines if he was captured,” pondered Twilight. “I doubt he’d go anywhere I’d think to look for him and he’d stay as far away from Canterlot as possible.”

“He’d be cautious of any town really,” added Starlight. “Since it would be easy to identify him from a wanted poster, especially if he’s as much of a stud muffin as you make him out to be. However, with his love of bubble baths, comfy pillows, and sweets, I can’t imagine him being capable of living away from civilization for too long. In which case, he’ll likely head to or, at the very least, camp out near a town where Celestia’s influence wouldn’t be as powerful. Maybe one of the towns on the border.”

“By now, the magic on his wings should have worn off so flying to such a place would be very possible for him,” stated Twilight. “In which case, it could take weeks to find him.”

“Only if you go at it alone,” Starlight said. “You’ve got your other friends to help you search. If you all split up in six different directions then you’d have a lot better chance at finding him.”

“That is true,” Twilight considered. “But, what about you? Aren’t you going to help look too?”

“Someone should stay behind,” she continued. “In the event Spike is still close by. If he overhears that you aren’t here, then he might even be tempted to return to the castle and that could give me the chance to, uh…” Starlight’s thoughts trailed off for a bit as she started to imagine Spike’s sexy bod once more, only now while he was embracing her undressed self in a passionate kiss before the real fun would begin. “To reason with him.”

“Thanks, Starlight,” Twilight replied with a smile and a hug for her. “I’m feeling a whole lot better now. I’ll go get the girls and together we’ll search every corner of Equestria and beyond to find and bring our Spike back to us. I just hope he hasn’t gotten himself in any trouble in the meantime.”

“In the situation he’s in right now,” Starlight reminded Twilight. “Where he’s keeping a low profile and doing everything possible to not stand out, what trouble could he possibly get into?”

It was late in the evening in Griffinstone. Backstage of the Roost, Spike was getting ready for the show he had found himself taking part in. On the other side of a scarlet red curtain, he could hear the murmurs of countless creatures chatting amongst themselves. Looking at some nearby couches, Spike saw a number of scantily-dressed, big-bosomed and even bigger boobed Griffins the Dragon had ever laid eyes on, taking a seat on them after they made their way offstage upon finishing their performance. They were slouched over in their seats, panting and exhausted. In their claws they were clutching fistfulls of bits and hand plenty more in their bras and panties, enough that the additional weight was making them sag and nearly fall off their bodies.

A stage hand then approached the Griffin girls with a hefty sack full of bits and placed it down beside them. “Here’s the rest,” he told them. “Looks like you three got quite a haul today.”

“It’s easy when it’s a packed house,” one of them commented. “I’d like to say they came here for us, but it looks like we’ve got that tall glass of water to thank.” She gave Spike a wink to which he blushed awkwardly and tried to play it cool and act like he hadn’t noticed. The blush on his cheeks said otherwise, however, and seeing the awkward expression on his face made their giggle at him in a flirty tone.

“Yeah, he’s certainly causing a stir,” the stage hand agreed. “I never heard of him till today and now he’s all everyone’s been going on about.”

“It’s easy to see why,” another stated, wiggling her claws at him in a greeting gesture. “He’s eye candy just standing there. I can’t wait to see him when he gets going.”

“Me too,” the third agreed. “But just looking at him I wonder if he can do anything. Having a money-maker like that is one thing, but knowing how to shake it is another thing entirely.”

“Looks like it’s almost time to see if he’s worth all the hype,” The stage hand stated as he approached Spike. “Excuse me, Mr. Dragdonis.”

“Who?” asked Spike, forgetting his stage name.

“That’s you,” Gallus reminded him.

“Oh, right,” the purple Dragon nodded. “Yes?”

“You’re on in five minutes,” he informed him. “So, finish any final preparations and we’ll signal you to head out.” After saying that, he headed to the corner of the curtain to peek out into the audience.

“I seriously can’t believe I’m doing this,” sweated Spike as he pulled a green speedo up his legs and around his waist. Compared to the red one he always wore, this one was even tighter on his figure. It also had a hole lined with a golden ring in the front to let his cock poke out of. Taking a big breath to calm his nerves, Spike slipped his dick through the hole and then adjusted the rubber underpants to make them as comfortable as possible. Looking at his front, his big balls weren’t even half covered by the elastic and looked like they’d slip out with too much movement. Using a mirror to check out his rear, barely more than his butt crack was covered and it only made his rear appear bigger by comparison. Spike’s efforts to adjust it more only caused more of it to slip into his butt crack and leave his figure even more exposed, if that was even possible.

“Oh, you’re doing this if you want that Element,” Gallus reminded Spike as he shook a spray bottle a few times and aimed it at the dragon’s chest. “Now, hold still. This’ll be a bit cold and it might tickle some too.”

“I feel ridiculous,” blushed Spike, looking down at his dick as it hardened to attention from how kinky he felt as he dressed up for his debut performance. As Gallus pressed down on the nozzle of the spray can, an icy mist hit Spike’s chest, also urging a few snickers that he managed to stifle. When Gallus finished coating his chest, Spike looked down to see his scales had some extra sparkle with glitter now covering them.

“But you’re looking great,” Gallus encouraged Spike as he sprayed more glitter all over the dragon’s body including his arms, legs, rear, tail, and naturally, his crotch. “Okay, not put these on.” He handed Spike a couple of black armbands with spikes going around them. He also gave Spike a matching choker while the Griffin took a few more to put onto Spike’s legs and tail himself.

“Is that everything?” asked Spike as he gazed at the spiked bands on his arm and smiled a little, actually liking those accessories.

“Depends,” replied Gallus as he held up a small, golden ring. “How about a piercing?”

“You put a hole in my ear and I will roast you alive and eat you,” threatened Spike, even surprising himself at how serious he was being when he said that.

“I never said this was for your ear,” Gallus pointed out, though hearing that only caused Spike to snort some smoke and tighten the muscles in his arm. Gallus remained calm as he saw the line Spike had drawn. “Yeah, you’re right. Leave them wanting more next time.”

“This is a one time thing,” Spike stated adamantly. “Once I get the thirty thousand bits for the Element of Discord I am never doing this again and we shall never speak of this ever again either.”

“Yeah, yeah,” mumbled Gallus. “It’s all in the contract we signed. Now, go out there and shake your money maker. Even if it’s a packed house, earning thirty thousand bits is going to take quite a lot of effort on your part.”

“I know. I know,” grumbled Spike as he walked up to the curtain. Turning to the stage hand, he peeked out into the crowd once more then gave Spike a count to three and then signaled him to go out. Taking a deep breath, Spike pushed through the curtain and onto the stage.

The first thing that caught Spike’s attention was the bright spotlight that was shining down right on his face. Squinting and shielding his eyes with his arm, he stepped forward onto the stage, almost walking right into the metal pole in the center of it that went straight up into the ceiling. Some laughter erupted from the audience at his little klutzy act, drawing Spike’s attention to the countless Griffins, Ponies, and many other creatures that had come to the Roost for a good time, in particular, Spike’s performance.

“And now!” announced Gallus from the loudspeakers, as he gave Spike his introduction. “Time for the main event. We have a very special guest with us tonight. He’s a Dragon of Legend, whose flames burn hotter than the Sun. He wrestles chimeras, bugbears, and even hydras with only his bare claws, just for fun, and, when he’s feeling hot, he’ll jump into the blazing pits of Tartarus for a refreshing dip. With a grip strong enough to crush coal into diamonds and an ass and dick that not only never quit, but also work overtime, he’s the alpha and the omega of all your greatest sexual fantasies. Now he’s here, tonight, to make them all come true! Let’s hear it for the indomitable, Dragdonis!!!”

Immediately, the crowd burst into applause as the excitement was overflowing to see what Spike was made of. “Dragdonis! Dragdonis!” everyone chanted so loud that it consumed all other noises in the area.

“I’m dancing in a strip club to obtain an ancient artifact of unimaginable power,” sweated Spike as he worked up the courage to start moving and grooving about in as sexy a manner as he could. “I feel like I’m in one of Twilight’s erotic fanfictions that she wouldn’t let me read but I did anyway.” Sighing, Spike cracked his knuckles as he prepared himself.

“Good luck, Dragdonis,” cheered Gabby, holding onto the edge of the stage as she gazed up at her master, even more eager than everyone else to see him strut his stuff.

Smiling at her, Spike stepped forward. “Well,” he thought. “Here goes nothing.”

“It doesn’t look like Chrissy’s attempt worked well, at all,” commented Shiny as she, Dominazer, and Elly watched her get dragged to the kitchen by the Changeling, Honey, in the form of a scary, hulking dragon. “Does anyone want to listen to me now?”

“So much for that high and mighty witch,” cackled Dominazer, still ignoring Shiny’s words. “Serves her right for thinking she could simply waltz out of here without paying. Doesn’t she know this place is protected by a magical sealing circle?”

“I do now!” she snapped as she was taken to wash dishes.

“So, if you’ll lend me your ear for a minute,” Shiny continued, but Dominazer and Elly got up to tackle this dilemma in their own ways.

“I see someone at the bar with a nice sack of gold,” smirked Dominazer as she made her way over. “I’m sure I could convince him to part with a few of them.”

“But that’s not necess-” Shiny attempted to say, but Dominazer walked on, still unable to hear her while she was still suffering under the Mule status.

“Mega Steak Challenge?” questioned Elly as she read a sign posted on the wall. “Complete this challenge and your meal is free.” As a waiter passed by her to deliver food to a nearby table, the healer class character used one of her beefy arms to pluck him off the ground.

“Uh, can I help you miss?” he asked, nervously while his feet didn’t touch the ground.

“Tell me about this Mega Steak challenge,” she said to him in an unintentionally demanding tone. “What do I have to do to win a free meal?”

“I-It’s a special promotion we’re doing to drum up business,” he answered, nervously. “You have thirty minutes to eat a twenty pound steak. Honestly, it’s an impossible challenge for most. I mean, unless you’re a large creature like a dragon or an ogre you wouldn’t be able to manage to stomach so much meat in one sitting.”

“Are you calling me weak or something?” she questioned him sternly as her grip on the collar of his shirt tightened.

“N-No, he wheezed as she was starting to unintentionally choke him. “I’m sure you could do it if you wanted, but didn’t you already eat a large meal already?”

“I want to do that challenge,” she demanded, her grip getting tighter, making the waiter’s face turn red as oxygen was getting scarce in his lungs. “Bring me the meat, now!”

“C-Coming right up,” he managed to squeeze out of his throat. “Now, please let go of me.”

Loosening her grip, Elly let the waiter drop to the ground. “Thank you,” she told him as she returned to her seat. “Bring it to me as soon as you can. Medium-rare, please.”

“Uh, excellent choice, mam,” he panted. “It will just be a moment.”

“You know you don’t have to eat all that to pay your bill,” Shiny attempted with Elly once more. “If you’d just-”

“If I cannot even pay my bar bill then what good am I on this quest of ours?” Elly stated coolly. “I will take on this challenge and I will succeed.”

“Why do I even bother?” she sighed and turned to watch Dominazer as she flirted with the guy at the bar.

“Heheheh,” snorted the smelly, fat pig-faced man that the dominatrix was sitting beside. With a perverted and intoxicated look on his greasy visage, he was ogling at Dominazer’s scantily dressed figure. “So, what brings a sexy broad like yourself over here? Looking for a man? If you are, you came to the right place.”

“Maybe,” she giggled, acting all bubbly and flirty with him as she rubbed his chins, making the booze-reeking bore blush and grunt hoggishly. “But I want more than a big, strong, sexy man like yourself to take care of me.”

“Oh?” he asked her, wrapping his arm around her. The man was utterly repulsive and, under normal circumstances, Dominazer would have made him her bitch in the process of breaking several of his bones, but, due to her need of coin and taking a hint from Chrissy’s failings, she didn’t want to make a scene and gain the aggro of the bouncer. Instead, she was opting to be more sneaky and subtle with her actions. “Well, what more does a lovely lady like yourself need?”

“A little fun and excitement,” she whispered into his ear seductively. “Perhaps for starters we could have a little drink.”

“Oh, okay,” he nodded in agreement. “Hey, barkeep, bring the lady over here a drink and keep ‘em coming.”

“Such a gentleman too,” she praised him. “You seem like you’re almost the full package.”

“Almost?” he asked her, taking the bait she was laying out like a rat being lured into a trap. “What else am I missing?”

“I like a risk taker,” she told him. “Someone with the balls to take on a challenge no matter how high the stakes.”

“Yeah, that’s me,” he grunted and patted his crotch. “I’ve got plenty of balls, three in fact. So, if there’s a challenge with a good enough prize then I’ll go all in for it.”

“Oh, well, how does this sound?” she asked, placing the final bit of cheese right on the trap’s trigger. “We have a little drinking game. We keep taking shots till one of us passes out and then the other person wins. If I win, I get what’s in that sack.”

“Heheheh, he snickered dirtily at her. “Okay.”

“I mean the one on the table you silly billy,” she replied, trying to keep up her cute act, but she was getting sorely tempted to kick him in the nuts, once for each of them.

“And, uh, what if I win?” he asked. “What’s in it for me?”

“If you win,” she answered him, striking a sexy pose to tug on his primal urges. “You get me. Full access to whatever you want~”

“Fuck yeah!” he snorted. “Let’s do this!”

“Yay!” she cheered in a bubbly tone externally while internally she imagined his neck getting broken as the trap snapped down on his head.

“Well, it looks like Dominazer’s plan is going well, I think,” noted Shiny as she watched her work on the unsuspecting lug as they both downed their first shot glasses. Dominazer handled hers with incredible ease while the boar, already beyond buzzed, looked already halfway beaten before their game even began. “I haven’t known her very long, but I get the feeling Dominazer can probably hold her liquor better than that big lug can, even if he wasn’t half wasted. Still, I’m not sure if her plan will actually work.”

Shiny then saw three waiters make their way over to the table hse had been sitting at with her group, and was now the one Elly was patiently waiting for her big meat challenge. She watched them carefully bring the massive twenty pound steak down on the table, taking up half the area of it. Even with how large Elly was, for her to eat something that large in one sitting really did seem impossible, even if she hadn’t finished a meal mere minutes earlier.

“Time to eat!” Elly declared as she grabbed her axe, raised it up, and brought it down to cut the meat in one swing. She succeeded, but also managed to cut the table in half too, and even break through the wooden floor below.
Everyone just stared at her, complete shock and disbelief at what she had done. Shiny just lowered her head, shaking it in disbelief. “Why can’t they just listen to me?” grumbled Shiny, pinching the bridge of her nose.