Lockheart

In the time after obtaining the first Element of Discord, Tamati spent it with his children, creatures born of the sperm of a dragon and the egg of a Changeling. While it wasn’t an impossible mix of genetics, it was certainly one that was rare, or, possibly, even something that had never happened before. To both sides of the gene pool, it was something they were all interested in seeing develop as the newborns matured in a week to finally molt out of their larva skin and develop into their child state.

As expected of the mix of DNA, they had obtained traits of both parent species. Taking the parts of their father included his long tail, claws, and spikes running down his down his back. From their mother they got their eyes, horns, fangs, and transparent, insect-type wings.

Their bodies remained midnight black (a trait common for both parents) and compared to the children of Changelings before, they lacked any trace of holes in their bodies. Such a thing had never happened before with newborn Changelings, and it wasn’t isolated to one clutch of eggs, but to that entire generation. After giving them all a checkup, Cid got together with Tamati, Chrysalis, and all the other mothers to discuss the occurrence.

“Please, tell us, Cid,” Chrysalis spoke to him. “What is the matter with our children?”

“Nothing at all,” he assured them. “They are all in perfect health, just more draconic than we are used to from our offspring.”

“What about their holes?” questioned Abby. “They don’t have any. I know there have been Changelings on occasion born without very few, but how come none of our children have even one?”

“The holes, or rather, the lack of them is nothing to be concerned with either,” he answered with a calm tone to ensure everyone else remained at ease. “They never have and I assume it is more a genetic trait that has been overridden thanks to their papa over here.”

“Don’t throw me under the roc now, buddy,” stated Tamati as all eyes suddenly went on the black dragon. For once, he appeared a bit intimidated to have all the members of his harem focused on him at once.

“Again, there is nothing bad about this,” the doctor added on to return focus on him. “I don’t recall any Changelings ever mating with a dragon before, but it is clear to see that dragons have a number of dominant traits that have allowed the newborns to develop significantly different than other Changelings before them. Typically, a pony, donkey, or even a griffin has been used for mating, all showing little to no alteration to how Changelings develop. How they will develop in terms physically, mentally, and, especially, magically is completely new grounds so far. Have any of you observed anything that you’d care to share with me about them?”

“Many of my children have started to learn to transform,” commented Honey.

“Mine too,” nodded another and all the others chimed in to attest to that fact.

“This is about the time they should learn how to shapeshift,” said Cid as he took a mental note of that. “Anything else? Have their slime membranes fully developed?”

“And they’ve been making a mess of their room ever since,” joked Abby, getting a chuckle from the others. “Seriously, that goo is for ensnaring victims to consume the love they hold within, not to see who can stick the the ceiling the longest.”

“Kids,” another snickered. “But we all enjoyed messing around like that too at our age.”

“My child breathes fire,” spoke one of the mothers, this one noticeably larger in bulk than the other females. Compared to Chrysalis she wasn’t as tall, but she was closest to her height among the others. Across her face, she had some aged scars across her cheek. Her eyes were a silvery gray that remained unflinching even after making such a statement.

“Breathe fire?” asked Tamati quite intrigued upon hearing this. “Just like their old man. Isn’t that great news.”

“Well, I think that might have been a more important issue to discuss than holes,” worried Cid. “Uh, you’re Elytra, right?” She responded with a nod. “Why didn’t you speak up about this sooner?”

“I prefer to remain in silence and let my actions do the talking for me,” Elytra explained. “But since none of the others were willing to say anything, it was left to me.”

“We were all worried about it,” explained Abby. “Either our children can spit slime like normal Changelings or breath fire like a dragon. We’re not as prepared to deal with the later and it is a bit worrying. If I recall, you only laid one egg, correct?”

“Yes,” Elytra nodded. “My one and only, my precious Sting. I can already tell he’ll grow to being a fine warrior someday, blessed with the flames of his father.”

“Those flames are a lot more dangerous than sticky slime,” stated Chrysalis. “It can be a useful asset, but as young as they are, it can be quite dangerous for themselves and the other children. Do we even know if their hides are resistant to flame like a dragon’s is?”

“Please, everyone,” interjected Tamati, sensing the tension growing in the room. “I can understand the concern about breathing fire. It will take some getting used to, but we will manage and you’ll see that this is a good thing. Cid, we’ll do another examination to check their resilience to fire to find out if they are or not. We’ll go over any other concerns you have as well. I’d just like to thank you all for voicing your concerns and thank you, Elytra, for bringing up about the fire breathing. Heh, I believe it’s the first time I’ve even heard you speak. I could barely even get a moan out of you during sex.”

“A warrior has to be focused,” she explained. “Even during the passions of the flesh, one must not lower their guard.”

“Elytra has been a proud warrior of the hive,” explained Chrysalis. “One on a long line of warriors. I believe this was even her first time giving birth too.”

“I was concerned my life would be snuffed out before I encountered a suitable mate, but, master, you have arrived and granted me the greatest of joys in my child. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

“And I thank you, all of you for birthing my children,” he smiled. “They are all very dear to my heart just as all of you are. They are my beloved, Draglings.”

“Uh, ‘Draglins?’” asked Cid upon hearing that.

“Changelings plus dragon equals Draglins,” he explained. “Dragonfly didn’t sound cool enough, Dragonhorse just sounded lame, and Kirin was already taken so I settled on that.”

“Uh, if you say so,” replied Cid, not seeing any point in arguing what they called the new generation. “You are the king after all.”

“Today’s the day,” smirked Tamati as he sat alone in his quarters. His heart pounded with excitement as he stared in a mirror, making sure not a single scale was out of place. “I have to look my best for the invasion. Mine is the first face the enemy will see and I want it to fill them with nothing less than absolute dread the moment they lay eyes upon me.”

After a few minutes, making sure he looked positively fierce, Tamati approached his desk and picked up the last scroll Spike had sent over to read it once again. It covered everything he deciphered from the second section of the Elements of Discord, including its whereabouts. There was also a section detailing the events of what was currently going on during his return to Twilight’s after their mission together.

“I’ve had quite a profound effect on him,”chuckled Tamati as he murred at the kinkier details Spike had included, as he obviously enjoyed bragging about it. “I’ve turned him into a real dragon and I couldn’t be prouder. I’ll have to pick him up something extra special from the upcoming attack as a reward. I’m sure I can find something or someone he’ll enjoy.”

Smirking deviously, Tamati adjusted the Lockheart and the the one Element of Discord in his possession on his neck and then proceeded out of his room. He headed towards the roof of the hive where his troops were already preparing to assemble, just as eager for the mission as much as Tamati was. They were his children after all and this was their chance to make their father proud.

“This is it, big guy,” Tamati spoke to himself as he walked one step ahead of the other. “Everything before has allowed me to remain fairly covert. This time, however, it’ll be all but impossible to prevent all of Equestria from knowing who you are. Might as well give them a perfect reason to fear you. Introducing them to my progeny should do that quite nicely.”

“I still wish I could convince you to stay here,” spoke Chrysalis as she pleaded with her eldest daughter who was still in the midst of preparing for the battle. Tamati stopped to peek in, unable to resist being a fly on the wall.

“Mother, I am not going to change my mind after all the work I put in to getting ready,” she argued. “Besides, when you were in charge you didn’t hesitate to put yourself in the middle of the battlefield. You were the one who impersonated Princess Cadence and then went one-on-one with Celestia and defeated her. I doubt there’s anything I could do that could possibly top that.”

“Not that it’ll stop you from trying, Zircon,” smiled Chrysalis as she took a comb and ran it through her emerald green hair to straighten it. The former queen then began to braid her daughter’s hair, doing so like it was second nature to her. As Tamati watched, he couldn’t help reminisce.

“Ugh! Ow!” cried Zircon one month prior. “Mom! That hurts!”

“You have to sit still,” Chrysalis told her as she tried to braid her hair, though it just looked like a tangled mess after a half an hour of trial and error. “I’ve never done this sort of thing before.”

“I am,” she groaned. “You’re just pulling my hair.”

“I said this is new to me,” she hissed. “You should just let your hair flow freely like mine.”

“I don’t want it to get in my way,” she explained. “Not when I’m in the middle of battle. I don’t want it to get into my face or anything.”

“Battle?” cried Chrysalis. “I’ve already told you a thousand times and your father has told you a thousands times too, you are not going to set foot on a battlefield, ever.”

“But all my brothers and sisters are in the army and you haven’t said one word against it,” stated Zircon angrily. “What makes them so special?”

“It is because you are my first born,” Chrysalis explained. “Should anything happen to your father and I, you would be the next in line to rule over the hive.”

“I’m only older by like twenty seconds and even then, why should that matter in the slightest? What kind of ruler has to listen to orders?” she questioned her mother. “Why can’t I do what I want and be a soldier?”

“So, you want to disobey your mother’s orders so you can follow orders as a soldier?” questioned Tamati as he stood by the doorway. “Not hard to see that you’re both cut from the same cloth.”

“Daddy,” pleaded Zircon. “Can’t I please join the army?”

“I’m sorry, dear, but everyone here has a role to play and this is yours,” he stated in a caring, fatherly tone. “It is just the role you are best suited for.”

“Then you don’t think I could make it in the army?” she posed a loaded question at Tamati.

“Never have I faced a more daunting opponent than my own flesh and blood,” thought Tamati as he scratched a nail against his temple, trying to navigate this minefield of a dilemma so as to avoid upsetting his daughter, Chrysalis of his harem, or himself in the process. He couldn’t come up with any magic words to which he could defuse the situation, but a more unique, albeit risky solution did. “If you believe you would make a good soldier, than as a supportive father, I should give you a chance-”

“You really mean it?” gasped Zircon with delight.

“You really mean it?” asked Chrysalis with a look that said he couldn’t expect to get any action from her for quite some time (Lockheart or not) if whatever he had in mind didn’t work out the way he wanted it to.

“I’ll give you a test, and if you can pass it then you can join your brothers and sisters when we will begin our attack on… well, we won’t know where the next Element of Discord is till Spike finishes his research, but rest assured that our wrath will be suffered by many.”

“I can’t wait to wrath at them,” giggled Zircon like it was a game they were playing. “So, daddy, what is the test you have in mind for me?”

“The test,” he explained with his usual smirk when he knew he had his opponent cornered. Even against his daughter, the desire to come out on top was just a part of his makeup and something he hoped he shared with his offspring. “The test is one you must come up with. It has to be something you can challenge another at. It can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be so long as the players on both sides have a chance to win. Then you will play this game against me and if you can win then you can join the army.”

“A challenge against you?” she asked surprised. “One where I can decide how we play? I don’t know. It feels strange. Doing it like this gives me the advantage to make it something I could easily defeat you at.”

“You could,” he agreed. “And as invaders we attack in ways to give ourselves the greatest advantage. So, you can see why the test will be this way. Just, don’t think I’m giving you an easy win. More often than not, the ponies have proven capable of fending off an invasion and I am hardly as soft and namby pamby as they are. You’d best take this seriously if you hope to pass.”

“Is that so,” she pondered, already considering what just what kind of challenge she wanted to propose. “In that case, how about a game of hide and seek?”

“Hide and seek, huh,” smiled Tamati. “I haven’t played a good game of hide and seek with you and all your brothers and sisters in… about two weeks. I assume you want to challenge me to find you?”

“That’s right,” she nodded, sounding quite sure of herself.

“Need I remind you that I’ve yet to lose at the game,” he said in a cocky bragging tone. “I can find you just by scent. Even when you transform you cannot change that. Are you certain that is the game you wish to play with me?”

“I understand I could be giving up my only chance to join my brothers and sisters, but I want to do it knowing that you believe I can too. That’s why I want to do this. I want to be the first to beat you. If I can do that then there’s nothing that I can’t accomplish.”

“A fine way to look at this,” smirked Tamati. “Very well, I accept your challenge. Take all the time you need prepare.”

“Give me an hour and meet me in the badlands,” she told him. “I’ll be all set by then.”

“Already got a plan,” he surmised. “Very well. I look forward to what you have up your sleeve.”

“I won’t disappoint,” she promised and ran off, quickly opening her wings and switching seamlessly to flight.

“You never do,” he answered quietly, not wanting to offer her praise when they were currently opponents.

“Daddy always has to be the fun one,” commented Chrysalis, as she walked around him sexally, tracing a finger from his right cheek around his waist and to his belly. She then rubbed her palms against his belly and chest before nuzzling against him. “But I trust that you know what you are doing, dear.”

“Just count on me,” he answered and leaned in to kiss her. “So, I still have an hour to kill before things get started.”

“There he comes,” observed Zircon as she sat upon a stone in the badlands awaiting Tamati. She waved to him as he flew down and then quickly jumped into his arms to hug him. “You’re ten minutes late,” she told him. “I said I only needed an hour.”

Calling the badlands “bad” didn’t do them justice with how decrepit they truly were. All plant life for as far as the eye could see was dry and dead, the magic, the very life of the earth had been gobbled up by the Changelings and now it stood as a reminder to the rest of Equestria what those winged, black bugs were capable of. They were a swarm only capable of consuming everything around them and now they were at the command of Tamati.

“Sorry, but your mother needed more time than that,” he replied, thinking that might be a bit much to tell to his daughter and quickly changed the subject. “Uh, but I take it you made all the preparations you needed?” He scanned the area, curious to see just what she had done, but as far as he could see, nothing appeared out of place or to stand out from the norm. Taking a look at his daughter, he could see she had been busy. She was sweating and her scent was quite strong. His powerful sense of smell was able to pick her up practically back from the hive and in a game of hide and seek, it’d be like he was watching her the entire time he was counting.

“I’m all set,” she nodded. “Just stand by that tree, close your eyes, and count to one hundred. Then you can go looking for me. You have a time limit of one half hour.”

“Thirty minutes?” questioned Tamati surprised. “Isn’t that a bit much? The badlands aren’t exactly known for having lots of hiding spots.”

“I know what I’m doing,” she assured him with a smirk and a boop to his nose. “You’ll be the one wishing you had more time. Oh, and here’s a pocketwatch you can use to keep track of time.” He reached into her pocket and handed the gadget to her father. Compared to his large hand, it seemed miniscule, as it rested on the center of his palm, but he could clearly see the time on it as it ticked. He watched it carefully, making sure it kept time properly, observing it for a full minute to ensure this wasn’t a trick. Once he felt satisfied, he carefully affixed it to the chain that the Lockheart and Element of Discord hung from for safe keeping.

“Well, if you’re ready to start then so am I,” smiled Tamati as he placed her down and turned to rest his head against a withered tree with his claws over his face. “1… 2… 3…” he counted, able to hear her run off in the direction his back was facing. He could hear he flee for quite a while and then the sound of quiet flapping could be heard as she took to the air to gain more speed and increase the distance between them while she still had time. Her flight soon became too quiet for his ears to track, but his nose could still clearly smell scent. He knew exactly where she was and despite being his daughter, he didn’t plan to go easy on her.

“98… 99… 100!” he announced at last. “The hunt is on!”

Turning around swiftly, Tamati took a few sniffs to pick up her scent and verify where the trail went. In his mind’s eye, he could already tell where she was and hurried over, charging like a stampede of one across the badlands. The ground shook in his haste and went silent as he stopped dead in his tracks before a rock. He then took a seat and patted the rock with a smirk on his face.

“It was a nice try, but I’m afraid that you made a very poor choice in the game you chose,” he spoke to the rough, gray stone. “I don’t know what you planned, but I’m afraid it was all wasted effort on your part. Now, I hope you will have no more qualms about remaining at home as your mother and I wish.”

Zircon didn’t answer. She just remained a rock.

“Are you planning to remain a rock till the time is up?” he asked. “That is clever, but even a Changeling cannot hold a transformation indefinitely. Even if you are Chrysalis’s daughter, I doubt you could even stay like this for half an hour.”

Tamati waited beside the rock, keeping it in his sight till she’d return to her true form, but after five minutes passed, his patience started to grow thin. While he was not one to act out in haste, Tamati did not do well with boredom and rocksitting was quickly becoming the most boring thing he could think of. He pondered how he could get Zircon to return to normal and snickered as he attempted to tickle her.

“Gootchie, gootchie, goo,” he chortled as he gently ran his claws over the rock, attempting to break his daughter’s focus and force her to return to her original form. A minute of that yielded nothing and so he attempted a more drastic approach. Taking the rock, he tossed it straight up into the air and watched it. “She’ll have to turn back now.” The rock reached its zenith and still remained a rock. It dropped to the ground and still didn’t change. In the nick of time, Tamati caught it and was trembling with fear.

“Does she intend to go this far just to win at hide and seek?” he worried, but quickly steeled his resolve. “Well, I’m not one to pull my punches either.”

Tossing the rock up even higher, he felt completely certain that she wouldn’t be able to stay transformed this time. As she plummeted back to the ground with the force of a meteorite, Tamati waited and watched for her to revert to her flight-capable self before she’d end up a pancake on the ground, yet still nothing.

“She isn’t turning back?” he wondered. “It’s almost as if-” He paused from speaking and sniffed the air. His eyes widened as a faint suspicion suddenly became confirmed. “So that’s what she did. My daughter is quite clever after all. Turning away, he let the rock hit the ground and shatter into pieces. He didn’t even look back at it. He was too busy glaring around at other rocks, dead trees, and bushes that all also had the scent of his daughter on them.

“Very clever indeed,” he praised her and peeked at the time to see how much he had left. “She knew my sense of smell would be the biggest obstacle to overcome so instead she used it against me and covered the area with her scent to confuse me. She even got close to me from the start so I wouldn’t pick up on this. It’ll be a lot harder to find her and I’ve already wasted almost ten minutes on one rock. Seems she was right about time not being on my side. I’d best hurry.”

With time ticking, Tamati took on a more hastened approach to finding his daughter. While her scent was everywhere, she couldn’t mask her own and so he went from one spot to another in his attempt to find her, tossing up rocks and knocking over trees to try to force her out of her transformation. He was worried he might be acting too rough, but after another five minutes of no luck his desire to win only grew stronger.

A number of Changelings and Draglings actually took notice of Tamati as he thrashed about the badlands seemingly aimlessly and couldn’t help chuckle at the sight. “I’ve never seen him so flustered like this,” Biggs commented. “He’s normally calm and composed, sometimes in a scary way, but it looks like he’s actually working up a sweat.”

“What’s he even doing?” asked Wedge as he hugged Biggs tightly with worry. “And where should we hide in case he doesn’t find whatever it is he’s looking for.”

“He’s playing hide and seek with Zircon, a rather chubby dragling explained. “She actually stopped to see me earlier. She wanted to make sure she was at her best for this.”

“You’re Media, right?” asked Biggs, looking at the yellow-eyed Dragon-Changeling hybrid. “Guess that makes sense. Anyone going against Tamati would want to be at their best if they are going to have any hope of winning. I’m just worried what Tamati might try to do to win. I can’t imagine he’s got much time left the way he’s racing around like that.”

“Only five minutes left,” sweated Tamati as looked all around him and could only see the vastness of the badlands and a million potential places Zircon could be hiding. With such little time left he couldn’t keep randomly searching for her. “Think, Tamati, think. There has to be something you can do. If you can’t find her… maybe you can get her to come to you. Yeah, like with Daring Do. There must be a way I can do that, but I don’t exactly have another house I can bring down on top of us. That wouldn’t work though. She’s half dragon so a little falling debris wouldn’t scare her.” After saying that, Tamati rubbed his chin and as an idea formed. “Half a dragon and half a bug horse. I think I might know what I need to do.”

Turning to the nearest tree, Tamati quickly exhaled a burst of flames upon it and easily set the dry, withered wood aflame. In no time at all, it became a bonfire with black smoke rising into the clear, blue sky. As it burned, Tamati made certain to contain the flame so it wouldn’t start spreading throughout the badlands.

“That was clever of him,” admitted Biggs as he averted his eyes from the fire. “Ugh, but that stupid flame.”

“That wonderful flame,” swooned Wedge as he and all the other Changelings around started to swarm towards it. The same was true for the Draglings, their insect instincts drawn towards the warm, bright light of it.

“Get back, all of you,” cried Biggs as he desperately flew in their way and tried to knock some sense into them. “Stop looking at the flame!”

“But it’s dancing so invitingly for me,” replied Wedge with a dreamy look on his face and the flame flickering in his eyes. “It would be rude of me to just ignore it.”

“Need I remind you of the time you made out with a candle and got third degree burns on your lips?” Biggs hissed.

That seemed to knock some sense into his chubby friend as he hugged onto Biggs tightly, his added weight almost enough to cause the two to plummet straight to the ground. “Oh, that’s right,” he whimpered sadly. “I remember! My lips were sore for practically a month! It was so painful and embarrassing. Everyone called me names like ‘hot lips’ and ‘sizzling smoocher.’ How can I ever thank you, Biggs?”

“Maybe by not making us plummet to our doom,” he suggested as he struggled to keep them both airborne.

“Oh, right,” realized Wedge as he started to fly once more.

“Good,” sighed Biggs with relief as he looked at a number of others still flying towards the massive flame. “Now let’s go save the others before we have a bug barbecue on our hands.”

While Biggs, Wedge, and a few of the other Changelings and Draglings who managed to also come back to their senses flew to rescue the others from a fiery fate, Tamati was searching around for Zircon as the time was ticking down on the last couple of minutes. He had his senses on full alert for her when the familiar noise of magical transformation caught his ear and he turned to see a nearby bush transformed back into his daughter.

“So… So pretty,” she gawked as she moved her hand towards the flame. The addition of dragon genetics into her makeup allowed her to be more flame proof than a typical regular Changeling, but Tamati remained cautious for his daughter and snatched her hand before it reached too close. Doing this helped snap her out of the flame’s enchantment.

“Gotcha,” he spoke in his typical tone he used when playing hide and seek.

“Huh? Wha?” she wondered as she came back to her senses and saw the situation around her. When the pocket watch reached the end of its time, it sounded and verified what she dreaded had happened. She was caught before time had run out. “I… I lost…”

“Still, it was a mighty fine game,” he praised her. “You had me fooled for a good while and had I not thought to attract you with a flame then I would have never stood a chance. There is no reason you should feel anything but proud of all the effort you put into this challenge.”

“Yeah,” she nodded and smiled as she hugged her father. “Maybe I’ll be able to defeat you before the next invasion. I hope I’ve at least earned another chance to prove myself to you.”

“I suppose if that’s what you want, but I’d say you more than earned the right to join,” he told her.

“I-I did,” she gasped looking up into her papa’s eyes.

“You have proven yourself quite resourceful and clever,” he explained. “I have no doubt that you would be perfect as an infiltrator and be able to sneak your way right into the heart of enemy territory. I’m sure you know the story of how your mother replaced a princess and once came an ‘I do’ away from conquering the capital of Equestria with the rest likely to follow it soon after. Do you think you could do better?”

“With all my might and the might of the rest of the swarm,” she nodded with determination in her eyes that faded as a smidge of concern entered it. “But what about mother? She was adamant against me joining.”

“And I can see I was wrong,” came a voice from another nearby rock. The two watched as it transformed and took on the shape of Chrysalis. “It has been many moons since the first time I was able to experience the thrill of an invasion. The sight of those pitiful ponies as fear filled their eyes before we drained away every ounce of love they possessed. Since then, I have experienced many defeats and I’m afraid that and the feeling of recent losses in our ranks have started to turn me soft like those pony princesses. Keeping you safe and hidden would only be a sign of fear and weakness on our part. As princess of the Draglings, you should be there among the invasion to etch out your own legacy and show them that they have something grander to fear than even I, your mother before you.” She gave her a little smile and added, “Still, I am your mother and that doesn’t mean I won’t stop worrying for your safety. What can I say, it comes with the territory.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear from you for so long,” sniffled Zircon with tears of happiness. She embraced her mother in a hug over. “I promise to make you proud.”

“I know you will, my little love bug,” she cooed to her. The former queen of the Changelings might have been a heartless monster, but, even if that was still true, she now also possessed the heart of a mother.

“All done,” smiled Chrysalis as she ran her fingers down the length of Zircon’s green hair wrapped in a very intricately weaved ponytail. “How is that?”

“You’ve gotten really good at this since I first asked you to braid my hair, mother,” she smiled and looked at it in the mirror. “I’m all set to go into battle.”

“Do you remember your role in the infiltration?” asked Chrysalis.

“Of course,” she nodded. “I have a target pony to find and take out. I’ve already memorized everything I need to from Uncle Spike’s reports. I’m ready for this.”

“I know you are, dear,” she agreed and gave her daughter a hug and kiss on her cheek.

“Nothing quite like the love of a mother and daughter bonding over the affairs of battle,” thought Tamati as he silently made his way onward, not wishing to spoil their moment. Further ahead, he reached the kitchen wing of the hive. Sniffing the air, he could smell the numerous succulent dishes that Honey was preparing for him and the rest of the army. Beside her was her daughter, Media, hard at work helping to make the meals and pack them into boxes that were then piled onto carts to be brought up the to roof where the majority of the invasion force was already waiting.

“Remember, Media,” Honey stated as she sampled a zesty sauce for taste and texture by dipping a finger into it and bringing it to her lips. Smiling, she poured it onto several thick steaks and with a brush gently glazed them while they were still sizzling on the stove. “An army marches on its stomach so proper, nutritious meals are essential.”

“And wonderfully tasting ones too,” Media added.

“Indeed,” smiled Honey, pleased beyond words how well her daughter embodied her philosophies of cooking.”

“Mmm, it’s almost maddening how good it always smells in here,” drool Tamati, his powerful sense of smell forcing him to embrace every iota of delicious aroma the room contained. It aggravated his hunger, making him reflexively rub his stomach before it let out an audible growl.

“That sounds like my pappy Tamtam’s tummy,” giggled Media as she turned and saw Tamati. “It is! It is!” Rushing over, she eagerly cuddled with her daddy, getting the stains from the pink apron she was wearing onto his black scales. It was a slight annoyance to him after all the time he spent getting ready to greet the troops, but not one that would take much effort to fix.

“What brings you here?” asked Honey, greeting her master while she continued to cook. “Got the munchies before the invasion?”

“I’m always hungry for your cooking,” he answered. “And I’m happy you get to cook with you daughter. It makes it all the more delicious.”

“Cooking was something I unintentionally grew fond of while in disguise,” she admitted. “Most Changelings have little interest in being anything other than a warrior. Most of our little Draglings were no different, wanting to conquer Equestria and bring back tons of ponies for the rest of the hive to feast upon their love. But my little Media preferred spatulas and whisks to swords and shields.”

“I remember,” chuckled Tamati. “And back then we thought that was a bad thing.”

“You call that running!” barked Commander Pincer as he blew on his whistle while all the Dragling recruits were being pushed to their limits to run laps around the training grounds in the lower depths of the hive. He was a battle-hardened veteran Changeling, long since retired due to the loss of one eye that he had covered over with an eye patch that blended perfectly with his black hue. Along with the countless scars all across his body from his lifetime service to the Changeling army and his chipped horn, he was frightfully intimidating even by Changeling standards. “I wanna see you all sweat! Ten more laps to go!”

“We are! We are!” cried the Draglings, the number of laps they’ve already run lost to them and likely the same was true for their drill sergeant barking the same orders he had been giving them over and over again for the last half hour and they had completed about three times that many laps in that time. Most of the new soldiers were so exhausted that they couldn’t find the strength to move anymore. They merely slowed to a stop and dropped to their hands and knees if they were lucky, otherwise they ended up face down on the ground slumped over.

Before long, less than a dozen of the Draglings managed to keep going, most among them struggling to move beyond a weary trudge, though, two did manage to lead the pack from the very start and retain their place even now. They were Abby’s son, Nat in second, trailing just short of Elytra’s son, Sting, by a slowly widening gap.

Nat was the smallest of all the Draglings, almost a full head shorter than others and quite slender that he’d have been considered sickly-looking if he was a full dragon instead of just half. The hue of his eyes was a much deeper blue than the typical shade that was a dominant trait among both the Changelings and Draglings. His wings also possessed this same vibrant blue that helped him stand out as well.

Sting, on the other hand, was easily the strongest built of all the Draglings, a head over the rest of the ground and practically towering over Nat in comparison. His eyes were fixated on the path ahead of him, their coloration, a bloody crimson that was very similar to the color of his father, Tamati’s, eyes. His wings shared the same color as his eyes, making him like a red blur as he zoomed by.

“I know this guy is supposed to be a legend,” wheezed Nat as the fatigue was starting to get to him. “But it’d be nice if he learned to count. Then he might know just how many ten is and we can finally stop running.”

“When we go into battle we may be forced to run without end,” replied Sting, his tone completely serious. “We must temper our endurance with this training to better ready ourselves.”

“Yeah, but if we’re being forced to run doesn’t that mean we’ve lost and this training wasn’t enough, after all?”

“Hmm, you make a good point,” stated Sting to Nat’s surprise. “We do this training in order to not use it. Commander Pincer’s years of wisdom are truly an amazing thing to behold.”

“I don’t think you actually understood what I was saying,” commented Nat. “And I don’t think that was the point of Commander Pincer’s training.”

“Thank you, Nat. You’ve helped motivate me to try even harder,” he said before dashing off with renewed vigor, leaving Nat behind in the dust.

“How did my discouraging words actually encourage him to run more?” pondered Nat as he watched the born warrior tear up the track like he hadn’t already ran himself to near exhaustion.

“How are things going?” Tamati asked Pincer as he entered the training grounds to see how the Draglings were doing. “How are my progeny doing?”

“I’m sure you are aware of the young soldier, Pharynx,” Pincer answered. “He was the top soldier in his brood and upon my request earned the rank of captain.”

“I know him,” nodded Tamati. “Purple eyes, red shell cover over his wings, and fiercely loyal to the hive. While most of the other Changelings had been out gathering love, he’s been taking charge of our defenses, essentially patrolling the grounds on his own around the clock.”

“That’s him,” nodded Pincer. “I had always thought that if we had more Changelings with the drive he possesses in our swarm we’d be an unstoppable force. Looking at this new generation I’m seeing many proving every bit as capable. Sting in particular is showing astounding results, but that is no surprise as his mother was the personal guard for the former queen as were the generations before them. Sting also possesses your blood within him so I can only imagine what he’ll be capable of as he matures as a soldier.”

“Then it sound like things are running smoothly,” smiled Tamati.

“Hardly,” scoffed Pincer. “Day after day it is a disaster. Every day I have to keep making them run laps till they collapse as disciplinary action.”

“But, I don’t understand,” stated Tamati. “What have they done wrong?”

“It is none of them,” he explained. “It is the one who has repeatedly shirked off her training time and again, Media.”

“Media?” asked the dark dragon. “I never pictured her as the type to play hookey.”

“She doesn’t do it intentionally,” he explained. “From what I’ve gathered, she merely, loses track of time while cooking.”

“Well, why do you punish the others if she is the problem?” he wondered.

“It is important for all of them to understand this as well,” he continued. “When one fails to do their part, we all suffer. One’s actions or, rather, inactions can be the difference between victory and defeat. I believe this concept has sunk in quite well with the others, but Media continues to disappoint.”

“I’m coming! I’m coming!” cried the unmistakable voice of the Dragling in question as she hurried into the training room to see she was far too late.

“Gotta keep… going,” groaned Sting, even his endurance was finally at an end, nearly lapping Nat as he attempted to claw his way forward to no avail.

“You just don’t know when to quit,” commented Nat as he managed to recover enough strength to sit up and watch watch with relative amusement at Sting’s stubborn refusal to stop moving. He turned to Pincer and called out to him. “Can we call it a day? I don’t think any of us are going to have the energy to move for a week after this.”

“I suppose I don’t have much of a choice,” he sighed upon seeing the Draglings too exhausted that most could not even budge an inch and many were out cold. “But, tell me, Media, do you see what you have done?”

“Yes,” she nodded meekly.

“I can hardly believe that with how I have asked you this question time and again and still you fail to show up for training,” he told her. “These laps they run could be them fleeing from battle because you failed to do your job. The enemy could be chasing them down till they are completely exhausted and helpless. As their strength finally fails them, they can only watch as their enemies finally move in to finish them off. Do you want that to happen?”

“N-No,” she sobbed.

“What he’s trying to say,” Tamati tried to explain more delicately. “Is that you have a responsibility to do and you can’t let yourself get distracted with cooking. You have to put that aside and focus on what we need you to do.”

“You are too soft on her,” argued Pincer. “Cooking was just something her mother picked up while in disguise. We Changelings have never needed more than love to sustain ourselves. All that is merely superficial to our needs. If she can’t give it up for the betterment of the hive then a dishonorable discharge is all I can do for her. I have half a mind to do so right now, but we’ve barely got the numbers for a decent strike force as is. Which is why I am willing to give her one final chance to change my opinion of her.”

“Which is?” wondered Tamati as he gently patted Media’s head to help comfort her. He doubted Pincer was happy to see him continue to coddle his daughter like that, but the father in him couldn’t help come to the aid of her while she was in distress.

“A survival trek in Froggy Bottom Bog,” he explained. “They’ll head into the swamplands and make up camp there in an attempt to survive with the limited supplied provided for them. They will have to live there for at least a week’s time and then return to the hive. At the very least it will keep Media out of the kitchen so she should be able to better focus on her real job.”

“That is a rather dangerous place to stay in for a week,” commented Tamati, fully away of the creatures like hydra’s that dwelled in such a place. “But if you are there to lead them then there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“I won’t be going on this exercise,” he explained. “It is vital for them to learn how to survive with their wits and unity,” Pincer explained. “But I’ll still need a proxy to give me an impartial report on their progress. Someone who won’t be of any real help to them in survival.”

“You don’t mean-”

“I can’t believe I get to lead the field trip,” cheered Wedge happily as he waved a flag and marched in place.

“Now, remember,” instructed Pincer to Wedge. “You take them into the swamp and wherever you place the flag is where the group will make up camp. After that, you will remain there till you are out of supplies and have to return to the hive. Do you understand?”

“Crystal, sir,” he answered and saluted, hitting his head with the flag. “Ow.”

“This… does not seem like the best idea,” commented Biggs. “Can we really trust Wedge to lead the Draglings?”

“I think the point is we needed someone who couldn’t lead to go with them,” Cid pointed out.

“Well, we’ll just have to focus on the positives for right now,” stated Biggs.

“Which are?”

“I don’t have to give him any hugs till he gets back,” Biggs smiled before getting a surprise hug from Wedge.

“Oh, I’m gonna miss you guys,” cried Wedge.

“Uh, yeah, me too,” replied Biggs, unable to deny he would miss not seeing his buddy around the hive.

Like a plague of locusts flying off from the hive, the Dragling swarm flew across the badlands. Led by Wedge, they headed straight for Froggy Bottom Bog for their survival training. Despite knowing the seriousness of the exercise, most of them couldn’t help feeling excited to finally go beyond the badlands and the territory of the Changeling Kingdom and see more of the world.

As they came upon the boundaries, they could see the edge of a forest, seeing the lush, green plant life that was a stark contrast to the shriveled up husks around where they lived. Along with that, they were able to spy a variety of wildlife like squirrels, birds, and rabbits below them. For many, it was the first time seeing these creatures.

Continuing further, they spotted a stream of water going through the forest along their path. They watched in amazement as it winded through the forest till it, at last, reached a large lake that sparkled in the sunlight. Seeing so many amazing sights, a lot of the Draglings were tempted to break off from the group to check it out, but there were enough still focused to keep them from going awol and after an hour in the air they reached their destination.

Compared to the forest or the badlands, Froggy Bottom Bog was a different creature altogether. The bog was swarming with overgrowth as the grass came up to their knees and the ground hidden beneath it was soft and muggy. A number of the Draglings quickly found their feet stuck in the mud and struggled to pull themselves free. There were a number of bodies of water in the area too, though compared to the pristine water from the lake that was a crystal blue, this water was a gross, brownish green that reeked from the microorganisms living within it. Worst of all, however, was the insects, particularly the mosquitos that saw their group as an all-you-can-eat blood buffet.

“We couldn’t have made up camp near that lake instead?” one Dragling asked. “It looked so nice and this place… it stinks.”

“Can I get a little help,” another called out. “I can’t get my feet out and I think I’m sinking.”

“Ugh! All these bugs!” snapped a third as he swatted at the pests that were as relentless as they were numerous. “Such annoying little bloodsuckers.”

“You know,” another pointed out. “Others might think the same about us.”

“Touche.”

“Okay, everyone,” announced Wedge as he held the flag up. “It looks like we have some solid ground over here to make up camp. I am not supposed to offer you any support from this point on, so remember your training and refer to the guides that was provided for you in regards to this outing.”

“Like it was such a thrilling read the first time,” groaned Nat as he took out the half inch thick book that didn’t look like it had been opened more than once before. “I barely had the attention to skim through it.”

“You are taking this too lightly,” commented Sting as he was already quick at work setting up his tent while most of the others hadn’t managed to even put down their backpacks yet. “We are in a strange environment and we need to be ready for anything that might come our way.”

“If you are talking about the dangerous creatures that live around here,” replied Nat. “The only thing ranked five stars in terms of danger was a hydra and there don’t seem to be any around so I think we’re safe for now.”

“We need to survive out here for one week,” Wedge instructed the group. “From the moment I plant this flag in the ground. Starting… now!” With a swift downward thrust, he planted the flag into the ground and got a panicked squeak as a small creature with orange quills popped out of a hole that had been hidden in the grass in that very same spot. He squeaked angrily as he looked at Wedge.

“What is that?” asked Nat as everyone gathered around to look at the angry critter.

“Looks like a pukwudgie,” answered Sting. “You’d know that if you actually read the whole guide.”

“Let me see,” he grumbled flipping through the bestiary section, to the creature in question. “A pukwudgie, huh. It’s only one star. Hardly anything to worry about.”

“Keep reading,” Sting told him.

“While normally gentle creatures,” read Nat. “When angered, pukwudgies can be quite dangerous, upgrading them to a three-star ranking.”

“E-Easy there,” Wedge attempted to calm the snarling, hissing creature. “I didn’t mean you any harm.” That didn’t seem to work as it turned around and started firing quills from its back at the chubby Changeling.

“That is a little worrying,” Nat admitted. “But an overgrown pincushion is hardly a threat to us.” Upon saying that, the pukwudgie let out a cry and soon more emerged from the tall grass. In a matter of seconds, they outnumbered the Draglings two-to-one and the odds were quickly getting worse.

“Keep reading,” Sting told him, already at the ready for the battle about to take place.

“Pukwudgies are known to live in communities and should one be angered then they will all become enraged. When that happens their ranking goes all the way up to five, thus it is best to treat them like that in the first place should you encounter any at all.” Rolling his eyes, Nat snapped the book shut. “Two minutes here and we’re already screwed,” he sighed before some quills flew at him. Fortunately, he was able to defend himself with the guidebook.

“We just got here,” stated Sting as he tried to rally everyone. “We cannot be driven off so easily! Everyone, to arms! We fight!”

“Yeah!” his fellow Draglings cheered and grabbed whatever was in reach to defend themselves. After that, they stared down their enemies and saw the odds were looking to be four-to-one. It almost appeared like there was truly no end to the beasts as more kept popping their heads out of the tall grass, looking adorable before they let out their first snarl.

“Attack!” ordered Sting as he led the charge and all the Draglings followed behind him. In retaliation, the pukwudgies started to fire their quills at them, some sending them straight at the black scaled warriors while others sent them into the air so they could drop down like a rain of needles. It was impossible to avoid getting covered in the needles, but with their thick scales they were able to rush forward without hesitation.

Cries, snarls, and roars echoed through the bog for hours. The sun had already begun to set when things finally quieted down. The campsite that had yet to be set up and quills were scattered everywhere, many of which were hidden in the tall grass for anyone to step on. The supplies the Draglings had brought with them hadn’t fared much better. A lot of it had found its ways into the dirty bog and got ruined. More of the supplies found its way into the hands of pukwudgies who carried it off as they retreated once the Draglings proved the more powerful force. In the end, the Draglings won, but it came with the cost of exhaustion, hunger, and injury. They had yet to really begin surviving the bog and already they were faced with huge setbacks.

“How’s our numbers look?” asked Sting, a number of bandages on his body where the quills managed to pierce through his scales and flesh. Compared to most of the others, his wounds were light.

“About thirty-six, but I think I still have a few more quills in the hard to reach spots on my backside,” answered Nat. “Think you can give him a hand with them?”

“I meant with the food rations?” he specified as he helped pluck out a few remaining quills that Nat had and applied bandages where he was punctured bad enough.

“Well, considering we came here with a force of thirty,” he answered. “We only have enough for a day, maybe two if we don’t mind going hungry.”

“Then we’ll need to scavenge for more food,” Sting stated.

“With who?” asked Nat. “Two thirds of our group got so many quills stuck into them they could have passed for pukwudgies themselves. They can’t do much until they heal and the few still able to move have to defend the camp. As things are going, we might have to send someone back to the hive for help.”

“If we do that then we fail,” stated Sting.

“So what?” questioned Nat. “We didn’t even have a chance with those stupid porcupines causing trouble. I’d say that is cause for a do over.”

“When we’re really in battle we won’t get do overs,” Sting reminded him. “All we can do is try to make due by whatever means are available to us.”

“You know, I hate it when you’re right,” Nat grumbled as he looked at his guidebook. “We can use this to see what food we can eat around here, but we’re part Changeling too and we need love to survive. We’ve already burned up a lot of what we had in the fight. We need more now to help us recover from our injuries, but considering the warm welcome we got here I doubt we’ll find much around.”

“There were thirty of us when we set out, right?” asked Sting as he looked over everyone in the campsite and counted them.

“Yeah,” nodded Nat as he looked around and counted too, reaching thirty as he did. “And everyone is accounted for.”

“But you counted Wedge, didn’t you?” the red Dragling pointed out as he looked at the sole Changeling, still trying to dequill himself after being an overly fired upon target.

“That’s right,” realized Nat. “He’d be number thirty-one then. Meaning we’re missing someone.” Looking around as he scratched his head, he tried to figure out just who was missing. “Let’s see, who isn’t here. Who-”

“Media,” answered Sting.

“Huh? Media?” replied Nat as he turned back to Sting. “She’s missing? Was she captured by those spiny creatures?”

“Pukwudgies,” corrected Sting. “And no, she was gone before the battle even started.”

“How do you know that?” asked Nat in disbelief.

“When we encountered the first pukwudgie I had already counted everyone in our group and saw we were one short compared to when I counted us on our arrival. I didn’t have time to figure out who was missing at the time.”

“I can’t believe you were keeping track of each of us the entire time,” commented Nat still surprised. “You really are incredible.”

“I only do what is for the betterment of the group,” stated Sting. “And right now, we should find Media. She’ll have to be reprimanded for going awol, but we need all the help we can get to care for the others.”

“Just leave it to me,” Nat told him. “As you said, we’re short on able bodies as is and I doubt we’d be able to spare more than one for a search mission. And endurance tests aside, I’m the fastest in the group.”

“That was to be my suggestion,” nodded the red Dragling. “It is the logical thing to do in this situation.”

“Is there nothing you haven’t thought of?” grumbled the blue Dragling. “Why don’t you just chill till I get back?”

“An odd suggestion, but okay,” nodded Sting as he focused and his body became enveloped in a ring of green magic starting at his feet and rose up to his head. When it faded, Sting’s body was now transparent as he turned into ice, or at least appeared to be thanks to a very convincing transformation. “Is this what you meant?”

“Uh, sure,” he answered, trying not to laugh.

“Hmm, it does make me feel cooler,” he stated happily. “Thanks, I feel better now.”

“Heh, me too,” chuckled Nat as he flew off in search of Media.

Flying over the bog, it didn’t take Nat long to spot his fellow Dragling a short distance away. Fortunately for her, the pukwudgies hasn’t retreated in her direction and she didn’t seem to be in any trouble either, though she seemed preoccupied doing something by a lake. “There she is,” said Nat as he flew down to her. “Hey! Hey, Media!”

“Huh? Oh, Nat, what are you doing here?” she waved to him.

“I should be asking you the same thing,” he told her with his arms crossed. “You went awol again and then the pukwudgies attacked and now everything’s a big mess.”

“Oh, I had never imagined something like this would have happened if I left,” she cried.

“Well, that wasn’t your fault,” he told her. “You were lucky enough to avoid getting covered in quills, but now most of the others are injured and we’re low on supplies, including food and love. We need to focus now on doing what we can to recover from all this and that means you no longer doing… uh, what are you doing out here?”

“Since we’ve come a long way,” she explained. “I thought I’d try and prepare a meal for the group. I know I’m not supposed to be focused on doing that, but since this is a survival test we do need to keep up our strength.”

“Actually, that is what we need to focus on,” admitted Nat. “Did you find anything good?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “I used the guidebook we were given to see what things around here were safe to eat. With some supplies I had with me and them, I started to make some soup.”

“Soup?” wondered Nat as he looked at the pot she had upon a makeshift campfire. “Where would you even get clear water from in a dirty bog like this?”

“There is a way to use the water here,” she explained. “So I heated the water to turn it to steam and separate it from the bogginess. That was in the book too.”

“I really should have read it,” he sighed. “Well, how did your soup turn out?”

“Have a taste yourself,” she smiled and offered him a spoonful. “I made it with plenty of love. Mom said that it is the most important ingredient and ponies apparently put it in all their dishes.”

“If that were the case,” chuckled Nat as he opened his maw for the spoonful of soup. “Then we’d have nothing to worry about.” As the broth his his tongue, a blissful smile spread across it. He savored the flavor before he swallowed and rubbed his belly. Then his eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped a bit.

“Nat?” asked Media unsure why he was making such a face. “Is there something wrong with the soup?”

“This.. This soup is…”

“Still not back,” worried Biggs as he paced back and forth at the top of the Changeling Hive, taking a look into the horizon every five minutes. “Ugh! Where are they already?”

“It’s only been nine days,” Cid commented. “Remember, they are supposed to stay out there for as long as they can before coming back here.”

“And they should have been back in seven,” cried Biggs. “That was the goal. They had no reason to stay out there any longer. Oh, we should go to look for them. Something must have happened.”

“I agree that I thought they’d be back by now too,” stated Cid. “But I never expected you to be so concerned that you’d out here almost every minute since they left to wait for them.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” he replied. “Wedge was traumatized by cake and whatever diabolical mind games that yellow pony did to him. “There’s no way he could survive anything involving survival.”

“I was referring to the whole group and not just Wedge,” Cid pointed out. “I guess you care about that huggy bug more than you care to admit.”

“I, uh,” blushed Biggs as he tried to wiggle out of his own words. “Well, it goes without say that they’ll all be coming back. Knowing Wedge, he’d probably end up setting up camp atop a hydra’s back or something ridiculous like that. But that begs the question of why they aren’t back yet!”

Unable to wait any longer, Biggs ran back into the hive and straight to Tamati’s chambers. Cid gave chase after him to try and quell his hastiness. “What do you think you’re doing?” he cried.

“I’m going to get Tamati so we can rescue Biggs… and everyone else from whatever danger he’s gotten them into,” he explained.

“But Tamati has ordered us not to disturb him while he has some one-on-one time with each member of his harem,” Cid reminded him.

“So, he’s been doing that since the second the group left,” he reminded Cid.

“Surely you’ll incur his wrath if you disturb him.”

“Burn me to cinders or gobble me up,” shouted Biggs as he burst through his chamber doors. “I don’t care! Tamati, we need to talk!”

Biggs was greeted by a monstrous roar unlike any he could have imagined any creature in his world or any other possessing. It brought Biggs to his knees and he couldn’t stop trembling. Cid hid on the other side of the door, the effects just as powerful over there.

“What in the world has happened to Tamati?” wondered Cid, unable to see anything by his feet at the end of his large bed, his toes curling on occasion and flames bursting forth from his maw as he bellowed beastly noises.

“He is in need of rest,” the harem member, Elytra answered as she stood atop his bed before fluttering down. “The master has exhausted his vitality for the time being and requires time to recover.”

“He’s asleep?” asked Biggs, unable to believe he could still be so scary while unconcious. Flying up to take a look, he did indeed see he was out cold, half covered in a blanket, his sex-reeking cock exposed and covered in warm, sticky mess. Slowly, it was softening up to its rarely seen limp state. Clutched in his arms was the largest plush teddy bear that Biggs had ever seen. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so out of it.”

“He’s been really pushing himself these last few days,” commented Elytra. “Attempting to impregnate each of us once more with his draconic essence and bring forth the next generation of his conquering army. He’s even gone through the trouble to give us each his undivided attention at this time.”

“Uh, but if he only has to have sex with each of you once and he’s done that plenty of times,” noted Biggs. “Just how much sex has he been having this last week?”

“The lust of a God has no limits, but Tamati is still a creature of flesh and blood. Nonetheless, I’d say he is the creature of this realm the nearest to such a worthy goal,” she explained to give them a vague idea that it was a lot. “Look at him, he’s had so much sex he’s worked his dick down to the boner.”

“Heh, never thought you’d be one to crack a joke,” snickered Cid as he found his courage to enter.

“He asked me to tell it should anyone dare trespass in his domain,” she explained. “Now what is it you have come in here for?”

“Wedge, uh, that is to say, the group he’s taken to the bog still haven’t returned and I’m worried something bad might have happened to them,” he explained. “I think we should send out a search party to find them.”

“Do you lack faith in their abilities to survive?” she asked them with a look that could kill. “Do you believe master’s progeny to be weak?”

“O-Of course not,” he sweated. “But I was thinking they’ve been gone long enough, don’t you think? We have to do something.”

“Yeah,” yawned Tamati as he rose up and rubbed his eyes. “I think so too. We should…” He stretched and let out another big yawn. “We should get on it immediately.”

“Tamati, you’re awake,” gasped Biggs with surprise.

“Master, your recovery speed is quite amazing,” praised Elytra.

“Yeah,” he nodded and stretched. “Uh, now what was the question again? I kind of woke up in the middle of you saying something.”

“I was just saying that we should go to check on the group of Draglings we sent out,” he explained.

“But why?” asked Tamati as he turned to sit on the edge of his bed. “They’ve only been gone for… what’s it been, three days? Four?”

“It’s been nine,” corrected Biggs.

“Whoa,” replied the dark dragon in awe as he heard this and got up, almost collapsing to the ground as he did. “That explains why my body is so stiff. Heh, well, most of me is anyway.”

“Do you need some help with that, Master?” asked Elytra as she flew over to lock lips with him. All at once, Tamati’s joints cracked as he began to loosen up while his cock, on the other hand, started to stand erect once more, rising out of its sheath like a cannon about to open fire.

“Oh, yeah,” murred the horny again beast as he cracked his neck a bit to finish loosening that up and then flopped backward onto bed as he positioned his current mate to receive his dick once more. “I’m feeling much better now.”

“Uh, what about, checking on that group of Draglings?!?” shouted Biggs.

“Just give me five minutes to three hours and then we’ll go look,” answered Tamati before he felt the wonderful bliss of vagina slipping onto dick like an erotic one-fingered glove. “Actually, tomorrow will probably be best. Yes, let’s do tomorrow.”

Three days later…

“Don’t worry!” cried Biggs as he and the others finally made their way to Froggy Bottom Bog to check on the condition of their allies. After so much time, with no word from any of them, he couldn’t help fear the worst. Tamati, Cid, and the others, who went along with them, were admittedly worried too that almost two weeks had gone by and there was still no word from them.

As they neared the bog, thoughts of attacks by hydras, manticores and crazed ponies with confetti cannons filled their heads as they imagined everyone’s fate, but as they arrived they found something none of them expected, all the Draglings were completely fine. Even more than that, they appeared to be thriving as their camp was in order and they all appeared active and healthy.

“This is… unexpected,” admitted Biggs as they flew down to get a better look.

“Well, we did tell them not to return till they needed to,” pointed out Cid. “Guess this is why. They were kicking ass at survival.”

“What else can you expect from my offspring,” bragged Tamati. “Though I am curious where that awesome smell is coming from.”

“Now that you mention it,” agreed Cid. “Something does smell wonderful. Is someone cooking?”

“Cooking?” pondered Tamati. “Then that would mean, Media, right?”

“Soup’s up!” Media called and like a swarm of locusts, every Dragling, as well as Wedge, gathered around Media and her big black pot as she began doling out generous portions of soup into bowls. One-by-one each got their meal and then found a place to sit down and eat.

“Mmm, the mushrooms are my favorite,” one said as they munched one up.

“The soup stock is just so flavorful,” another stated after chugging some down. “How does she do it?”

“This meal is quite beneficial to us,” observed Sting. “It has great nutritional purposes allowing us to be at our best. I doubt we’d be as productive as we are without it.”

“Can’t you just say that this the best freaking thing you’ve ever eaten?” asked Nat.

“Isn’t that what I just said?” he asked.

“Well, what do we have here?” asked Tamati and he and the others waited for their turn in line to see what all the fuss was about.

“F-Father! Everyone,” she gasped. “What are all of you doing here?”

“Do any of you realize how long you’ve been out here?” he asked her.

“I think at least seven days,” she answered. “Sting was keeping track, but we were supposed to stay here as long as possible so the number didn’t doesn’t matter as much. That’s what he said anyway.”

“And you certainly blew expectations,” admitted Tamati. “But you’re cooking. I thought we agreed that you would take time off of cooking to focus on being a soldier.”

“I know, but I can’t help it,” she sighed. “Cooking is in my blood. It’s what I live for and everyone here really seems to like it.”

“It is really good,” admitted Biggs as he tried some. Cid did the same, his eyes opened wide as he marveled at how good it truly was.

“The best,” agreed Wedge patting his belly contently. “It’s so wonderfully delicious. Plus, it even saved this little camping trip of ours.”

“It did?” asked Cid curiously. “How?”

“It was horrible,” he cried as he thought back to that horrible first day. We were attacked by an army of pukwudgies!”

“Uh, pukwhaties?” asked Tamati before he was given a guide to see for himself. He read through the section, not reacting much beyond opening his eyes a bit wider in surprise. He then took a look around the campsite and noticed a number of quills gathered into bundles to keep them out of the way since there wasn’t any other means to dispose of them at the moment. “Ok, so that happened. But, how did cooking save you?”

“Most everyone was injured after the battle,” Media explained. “We were low on supplies too and it looked like things were over before we began, but I made this soup and it helped heal everyone’s injuries and get us back on track.”

“There is definitely something unique about this,” agreed Tamati as he took another taste. “It brings memories of my mama’s beef and gemstone stew she used to make me while I was growing up. Heh, she always used to say her secret ingredient that made it so delicious was-”

“Love,” finished Media. “That’s what mom always said the secret ingredient was when she cooked, though I never did see her put anything else in when she cooked. I didn’t realize what she truly meant, not till I was told I couldn’t cook anymore. Ever since then I realized how much I enjoyed doing it and making others happy with what I made. I think that was what my mom meant when she said she cooked with love. So, when I tried cooking one last time I suddenly found that when the others ate my food it helped them to recover as if they had suddenly just feasted upon the nourishing love of ponies.”

“That’s certainly new,” commented Cid. “I never knew something like that could feed us more than in our bellies.”

“I know, right,” agreed Wedge as he chuckled. “I ate so much I almost became sick from all the love.”

“I think that was more your stomach getting overly full, you dork,” sighed Biggs with a smile on his face.

“After that, I used my cooking to help everyone recover and we ended up being as prosperous as we are now,” she finished. “I’m sorry if I disobeyed, but this was all I could do to help us out.”

“And you most certainly did help,” agreed Wedge. “Now, mind if I help another helping?”

“Have all you want,” she nodded. “As this’ll be the last time I’ll be able to cook. I can’t allow it to distract me any more from my duties to our forces. I’m just glad it was able to help us, at least this once, but now I need to act like a soldier.”

“I’m afraid that will not do,” Tamati told her. “You were given specific orders not to cook and you did just that. As a result, you will not be allowed to join the others as a soldier.”

“I… understand,” she sighed. “Good intentions or not, orders are orders and I never had the right to defy them.”

“Instead, you will be in charge of the medical unit,” he continued. “I’m sure Cid can help teach you what he knows about tending to injuries, but your cooking skills will prove valuable too if they can help out our forces when they grow weary.”

“Pappy Tamtam, d-do you really mean that?” she asked with awe and delight.

“I do,” he nodded. “Now how about we get everything packed up here and head home. Your mother certainly does miss having you around in the kitchen and I’m hankering for some of those little dishes you always cooked for me.”

“Right away!” she cheered and gave her father a loving hug.

Walking on with a box of donuts now in his possession, Tamati made his way forward as he munched on one. “I’m certainly glad we never made her stop cooking,” he thought to himself as he delighted in the confection. He finished it in a few bites and then felt tempted to reach for another, but as he did, a quick, blue, blur flew by and snatched it from his mits. “Huh? Where’d they go?”

“Looking for these, pops?” asked Nat as he helped himself to a donut.

“Someone appears to be in high spirits today,” commented the dark dragon as he felt a headache coming on.

“I’m just itching to fly circles around all those ponies today,” bragged the smallest of the Draglings. “Just wait till we get going and I’ll show you what I’m made of. That is, if you can even see me.”

“We’ll see,” answered Tamati as he recalled this young one’s own challenges from a short while back.

“And the winner is, Mandible,” announced Instructor Pincer as he refereed the battle between the two Draglings, Nat and Mandible. The battle had only lasted a few minutes between them as they clashed swords, but almost immediately, it became clear that Mandible’s greater size and strength gave him the advantage. With a series of heavy attacks, he managed to knock Nat’s sword from his hands to disarm him and forced him to drop to his knees and submit. All around, the other Draglings cheered for Mandible as he stood looking quite proud of himself. “Now, shake hands you two,” Pincer continued as Nat got to his feet.

The two reached out to shake hands and right away, Mandible made a weird face as he felt something gross and slimy in his claws. Looking down, he saw Nat had covered his own hand in his goo while he was on the ground in defeat. “Hey, man,” Mandible cried trying to get that sticky stuff off his hand. As he did, Nat spat out a few more globs of goo on him, sticking his feet the the ground and making him fall on his butt. “What’s your problem?”

“You let your guard down,” he answered. “Just because Pincer said it was over doesn’t mean I was done.”

“Nat!” snapped Pincer. “These are sparring matches and nothing more. They end when I say they do and treachery like that won’t be tolerated.”

“Whatever,” he retorted and left. “I don’t see the point of any of this when we’re a part of the Changeling Hive. Isn’t deception how we’re supposed to win?”

“We’re also part dragon,” Sting reminded him. “Tamati wants us to learn to have pride in our strength and be a formidable force in as many ways as possible.”

“That seems like more work than we should have to bother with,” argued Nat. “We should just focus on what we’re best at.”

“We’re all plenty good at fighting like this,” commented Mandible. “Well, save for you.” His words got him another goo ball in the face as Nat took his leave.

“I did not dismiss you,” snapped Pincer looking extra irate at the insubordination. Nat didn’t reply and continued to walk off, leaving the training room.

“Are you okay?” Sting asked as he and a few of the others helped Mandible get free from the floor.

“I’m fine,” he answered. “That little bug just caught me off guard. Ruined my latest victory.”

“This makes three times in a row,” praised one of the Draglings watching. “Heh, not too shabby.”

“It’s to be expected,” another commented. “He was fighting Nat. Who could lose to him in a fight? He‘s the shrimpiest of us all.”

“Not to mention the brattiest,” added Mandible. “He can’t stand losing so he just causes us all trouble.”

“I doubt he likes being seen as small and shrimpy,” pointed out Sting. “I doubt he enjoys losing every time either.”

“You win some, you lose some,” Mandible pointed out. “Some just lose a lot more than others. He’s gotta learn to deal with that.”

“Then, I don’t suppose you wanna take me on?” wondered Sting.

“Um, maybe some other time,” Mandible replied sounding not very enthusiastic about the idea.

“It’s every day with him, now,” groaned Instructor Pincer as he talked to Tamati and Nat’s mother, Abby. “Every flipping day he’s causing trouble. Between him and Media I’m just beside myself. Oh, why do the younguns always have to give me such grief? Why can’t they act like seasoned soldiers?”

“Maybe because that’s your job to make them seasoned soldiers,” Tamati answered him. “Uh, but could you give us a few minutes? We were in the middle of sex when you barged in.”

“Don’t mind me,” he replied. “We’re all guys here, after all.”

“I’m not,” Abby reminded him.

“I mean we’re all Changelings here,” he tried to amend what he said, but came up with the same problem, this time with Tamati. “Nevermind. I’ll be back in five minutes.”

“We’re gonna need more time than that just to get back in the mood,” Tamati told him. “But I get the idea. Just leave it to me.”

Thank you, sir,” bowed Pincer. “Um, as you were.” Quickly, he left Tamati’s room to allow them their privacy once more.”

“Now, where were we?” murred Tamati as he attempted to put all but his dirtiest, kinkiest thoughts to the back of his mind in the hopes of bringing back his lust as quickly as possible. With a small smile on his lips, the large dragon gave Abby a couple kisses upon her neck and to make her purr like a kitten and then gave her one more on her lips. “There. Feeling horny already.”

“Tamati,” spoke Abby as she wore a look that was the most dreadful Tamati could imagine or even conceive. He didn’t want to believe it, but she then spoke the words he dreaded to hear most. “I’m not in the mood.”

“Seriously?” the large, muscular dragon groaned in almost a whining tone. “But we were about to have such wonderful sex.”

“I’m sorry, but hearing Instructor Pincer talk about Nat like that makes me worries me,” she told him. “He’s our child and we need to figure out what we’re going to do about him.”

“Well, the issue seems to be due to him doing poorly in combat training,” stated Tamati. He could see there was no way they were going to finish their love making and decided his time was now better spent talking to solve this problem. “It is hardly unheard of. The dragons with the most bark are typically the ones who lack the most strength. Typically, it is due to them being the youngest in the group, though, weren’t all the Draglings born at essentially the same time?”

“Actually,” Abby informed Tamati. “Nat was a late hatcher. A whole week passed and I almost gave up hope that he’d ever hatch. Since then, I’ve been worried if something might be wrong with him. He hasn’t developed like any of the others. Relatively speaking, he is smaller and lighter. Being born a week apart shouldn’t have caused this big of a gap. It should have shrank by now, not widened.”

“Then you think his growth might be stunted?” assumed Tamati, though Abby looked fearful to even consider that possibility. “Well, whatever it is, I’ll talk to Cid about it later. He might have some thoughts on the matter. Now, we should discuss another pressing issue.”

“What would that be?” questioned Abby.

“Don’t get me wrong,” the dark dragon made sure to say right from the start. “I love the kids, all of them, yours, Chrysalis’s, Honey’s, Elytra’s, everyone’s, but it seems to have become a constant that I cannot enjoy my time with you or any others in my harem without some problem coming up. I’m happy to help, but I can hardly focus on pumping out the next generation of Draglings because of it.”

“That is a problem,” she agreed, a bit miffed herself for losing her lust once Pincer barged in. “Any ideas?”

“Maybe sending a bunch of the kids off on a training exercise,” he pondered scratching at his chin. “Maybe a campout of some sort and while they’re away I’ll make up for some lost time with all the lovely members of my harem. How’s that sound?”

“Mmm, good enough to wet my pussy,” she murred, looking aroused once again. “So, how about we get back to where we left off?”

“My dick’s been dying to do just that,” he smirked as his junk began to stand at attention much to both of their delights.

“Hello? Tamati?” called Wedge as he waddled into his room to interrupt them once more. “Have you seen Biggs?”

“Can’t you see we’re in the middle of fucking?” spoke Tamati in a murderous tone.

“Oh, sorry,” he apologized, but didn’t leave. “Anyway, have you seen him? I need a hug.”

“No, I haven’t,” he answered glaring down at the chubby little Changeling, but he didn’t seem to reach “regret all the decisions in his life that led to this moment” levels of scared.

“Then I’ll go search elsewheres,” he replied and hurried off, not aware how terribly close he was to having his life come to an end very brutally.

“I have to do something about the Changelings too,” he added. “I don’t seem to strike fear into them like I did at first. They’ve grown too complacent around me, far too comfortable, like I’ve lost my edge.”

“Well, you have spent most of your time in bed rather than reminding them why you are in charge,” Abby pointed out.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “I’m afraid all this waiting is doing me no good. Living my days like slice of life episodes is making me appear… approachable. I need to do something more epic. Something extreme to remind them that I’m not someone you wish to cross even if your life depended on it.” Pondering this idea for a moment, Tamati decided to do the simplest thing he could think of. “I’ll just need to thrash something in the most ferocious I can think to do. That’ll stoke their fear of me once more. Hopefully I can seize the opportunity before I must head out on a mission once more. I’d like the remind everyone of the pecking order before then.”

“One can only hope,” agreed Abby as she wished to resume their sex, but saw, to her despair, Tamati emerged from the bed, no longer in the mood for love making.

“Sorry, but now I’ve lost the lust,” he sighed with a mix of frustration and disappointment in his voice. “I’ll take care of this matter with Nat now.”

“That’s right,” nodded Cid as he recalled the hatching of the Draglings. “I did a checkup on each of your spawn after they hatched to make sure they were alive and healthy.”

“And what of Nat?” asked Tamati. “Do you recall his examination?”

“Of course,” he nodded. “He was the last to hatch, a whole week after the others. Birth is a very complex bit of nature. So many variables and x-factors that you can hardly tell what’ll be the result. I certainly didn’t expect some of the Draglings to possess the ability to breath fire instead of the usual slime spewing capabilities Changelings have.”

“But what about his growth,” continued Tamati attempting to push the conversation towards the heart of the matter. “He isn’t developing as fast as the others.”

“Well, nothing is wrong with him physically from what I can tell,” Cid explained. “He’s simply the runt of the litter and to see that gap between him and the others is just too discouraging for him to try and overcome.”

“Then he acts out simply because he sees no point in trying,” concluded Tamati. “I can only imagine the frustration he must be feeling. Is there nothing we can do?”

“He needs a push in the right direction,” answered Cid. “No pity about what he might never be able to achieve or love of his parents that he’s perfect just the way he is. He needs a different outlook and I know just the Changeling who can help him with that.”

“Please tell me it’s not Wedge,” hoped Tamati.

“It’s not,” promised Cid.

“Why do I gotta go with you?” groaned Nat as he was led by the arm by Biggs through the hive to an area he had never been before.

“Because I was ordered to take you,” answered Biggs not looking all too eager. “I’ve already gotta deal with babysitting Wedge most of the time. Now, on top that I gotta take care of you, all the while helping out with maintaining the hive while most everyone else is going around collecting love. I’m barely left with any time for myself or my own projects.”

“Well, then don’t let me keep you,” suggested Nat as he tried to break free, but he couldn’t get away from the Changeling’s grip.

“Unfortunately, I’m not the type to just shirk the duties I’m given so I won’t just let you go,” he explained. “If you wanna get away then you’re just gonna have to overpower me.”

“Ugh, power,” grumbled Nat. “That’s all everyone cares about. Being the biggest, strongest whatever around. Well, I’m just a weak runt that can’t do anything. I’m not good so why even bother with me at this point?”

“Is that how you really feel?” asked Biggs as he stopped walking. “That you can’t do anything at all because you’re a runt?”

“Duh,” he answered.

“You dumbass!” shouted Biggs as he punched Nat right in the face with all his strength. “Don’t you call runts worthless. That pisses me off more than anything!”

“Ugh! Why do you care?” groaned Nat on the ground and rubbed his cheek.

“Cause I was a runt myself and trust me when I say you don’t got it half as bad as I had it,” he snapped.

“You, a runt?” questioned Nat as he looked Biggs over. True, he was skinnier than most Changelings, but he was hardly what one would consider a runt.

“Over time I did manage to finally start catching up,” he explained. “I’m still considered a runt, but I’ve managed to get past that and let me tell you, it wasn’t easy. You complain about wanting us to just give up on you, thinking that’d be for the best. That’s what I got growing up. The weakest of the weak. A lost cause that was better cut off before I dragged everyone else down. I didn’t have anyone to look out for me and it was a lonely as hell life, but I managed to find a place for myself.”

“How did you do that?” wondered Nat as he listened earnestly to Biggs who took a seat beside him on the ground.

“Well, my wings grew faster than the rest of me,” he began. “They were able to carry my small body quite swiftly through the air, faster than anybody else. I had speed on my side and I could win practically any race of flight against the others.”

“I’m pretty quick too,” admitted Nat. “I can beat anyone in a race, well, save for Sting, but he’s… well, Sting.”

“Yeah, his mother was quite a monster herself too,” snickered Biggs. “I could never beat her either, but neither could anyone else. Anyway, while that did make me feel a bit better, when it came to fighting, I wasn’t much good for being more than a meatshield. That’s at least what everyone thought, but then I found out something I was good at and could do to be strong. In fact, that became my new job.”

“Which is?” wondered Nat quickly growing curious by all this.

“If you wanna find out, then just come with me,” he offered and started to walk towards it. He barely made it three steps before Nat flew past him.

“Race ya!” shouted Nat as he zipped off.

“Hey! No fair!” cried Biggs as he opened his own wings and took off after him. “I’m not the runt I used to be!”

The two zoomed through the hive, taking quite a number of detours all over the place as they had fun just racing around and tiring themselves out before actually making it to the section of the hive they had set out for on the onset.

“I… won…” panted Biggs out of breath and about ready to collapse.

“Only cause… you knew… where we were supposed… to go,” wheezed Nat just as exhausted.

“You were the one… who wanted to race… without knowing… where the finish line was,” pointed out Biggs as he tried to muster the energy to walk forward with Nat doing the same.

Going inside, their exhaustion soon faded as they came upon a room filled with crossbows of all kinds. In awe, Nat found new energy as he went to check them out, finding them to be uniquely handcrafted marvels. Some were simple, made for close range spread shot while others appeared to be more suitable at a far greater distance, even coming equipped with a scope to help aim at a target. One thing in particular that Nat noticed about these crossbows was that there wasn’t any place to put arrows into it. Rather, it had more of a sling one would fit a stone or metal ball in, but the room didn’t have any sort of ammo in it.

“You make crossbows?” asked Nat with intrigue. “I thought Changelings only fought long distance with their slime.”

“We do,” answered Biggs as he picked up one of his crossbows and oozed a big gooey ball of slime into the sling. “It’s made with a nonstick material and can be used far more accurately than just hacking loogies. While arrows or some other, blunt projectiles might be more effective, as Changelings that need to feed on the love of others, we typically need to restrain ourselves to keep our enemies alive for as long as possible. A powerful, ranged weapon is typically not good for us since we can’t exactly guaranteed we might not hit a vital and there’s always the risk of friendly fire. So, for a long time, we stuck to deception till we could get in close enough for a swarm attack.”

“But you invented these so you could help fight at a distance?” figured Nat.

“I’d like to say, ‘yes,’” he replied. “But two things got in my way that prevented it,” he admitted. “The first was the slime we produce is hardly something we can create infinitely. By myself I’d hardly have been able to create a large enough stock and this stuff does solidify as it dries so I couldn’t stock up on it till we got into battle. The other thing was that when I finally started to grow and no longer could be seen as a runt there was no need for me to find a means to prove myself.”

“Then what was the point of all this?” asked Nat. “Why show me something useless?”

“You didn’t think it was useless when you first saw it and I never said it was,” he chuckled. “It’s still a passion of mine to get it to work and perhaps, together we can finally do just that. What do you say? Care to show everyone your strength as a warrior… no, better yet, your skill as a ranger?”

“Hmm?” pondered Nat as he revealed a devious smirk on his face.

“Anyone see Nat today?” wondered one of the Draglings as they were doing pushups under Instructor Pincer’s watch.

“No idea,” another replied. “He’s a pest, but he’s never been late before. Do you think he just finally decided to call it quits?”

“Nat is strong,” commented Sting. “He won’t give up so easily.”

“You serious?” they snickered. “In what way is Nat strong? He can’t beat any of us in a fight.” As they continued to laugh, their chortles came to a sudden stop as green slime suddenly struck the group.

“Ugh, what the? Slime?”

“Is this Nat’s doing?”

“I don’t see him?” one comment looking around. “Where did these even come from?”

“Based on trajectory of where he hit us,” commented Sting as he looked around. “It should have been from over there, but I don’t see him. He must have quickly moved before we could spot him.”

“A hit and run tactic,” grumbled the others looking around. “What does he think he’s doing?”

“Beating us with his own strength,” answered Sting as he cautiously looked around.

“What is going on?” questioned Pincer. “Why aren’t you doing pushups?”

“It’s Nat,” one of the Draglings explained. “He’s causing trouble again.”

“Well, where is he?” asked Pincer looking around, before another onslaught of slime hit him and most of the others, Sting was quick to spot the attack and narrowly get out of the way.

“Over there!” they cried, but looking, they saw nothing by the typical terrain of their training arena. “He’s using the cover to sneak up on us, but all he’s done is pissed us off. We’ll find him and put an end to his pranking once and for all.” At once, the small group of Draglings hurried over to find Nat, leaving Pincer and Sting behind.

“Aren’t you going with them?” asked Pincer to Sting as his expression didn’t say much either way how he felt about what was going on.”

“If Nat is challenging them to a fight then it is not my place to interfere,” he explained. “I don’t feel I need to participate either since I know he’s strong already even if his strengths vary from my own. What about you? He is disrupting training after all.”

“As you said, this is a fight between them,” Pincer stated. “It isn’t my place to interfere and the way I see it, this might be good training for them as well.”

Flying over to where they were certain Nat had been hiding, the Draglings couldn’t find him, but saw traces of slime, a clear indication that he had used this as his sniping spot. “He’s close. Let’s split up and find him. Keep an eye out for him and the goo he fires. If we can get in close we can put an end to this once and for all.”

Nodding, they all began to take different paths as they searched for the one little Dragling causing them trouble. From what they had already seen, they knew he couldn’t do more than fire small bit of slime that did little more than annoy them. It was an impressive feet to be able to do so from such a great distance, but hardly one he could pull off with them all so close. At least, that’s what they thought before they heard a wet SPLAT! along with one of them crying out.

“Ewe! This stuff is nasty!”

Quickly, the others hurried over to see just what had happened and they discovered the one who cried out was stuck, but good, to a wall by a massive wad of green Changeling slime. As much as he struggled to get free, he was unable to muster up the strength.

“How the heck did he fire this stuff?” one of them asked as he approached his trapped ally.

“Don’t touch it,” the stuck one warned, but it was too late. He got his claws in it and suddenly found it a messy struggle to get them out. In fact, the more he tried the more he accidentally worsened his situation.

“I can’t get out!” he cried and the others quickly backed away to avoid the same fate.

“Did Nat make that? I know he likes slime balls, but that is a bit much even for him.”

“He must be out of slime then,” they figured. “He used a few small ones to draw us in and then tried to get us out with a big one, but he only ended up getting two of us. Now he’ll be running scared!”

“Yeah!” the others shouted only to notice a shadow as another massive goo ball came down right on top of them and got another three.

“What in the?!?” the last one cried. “This one was even bigger?!? It’s even bigger than Nat! How’s that possible?”

“A curiosity, isn’t it?” chuckled Nat as he fluttered down before the last of the Draglings he was up against. “Truth be told, it was quite a head scratcher as I tried to figure out how I could solve create enough ammo with the limited amount of slime I had to work with. Obviously, if conventional methods couldn’t work, I’d have to think outside the box, so I took a page from our old man’s book and sunk my claws into some dark magic.”

“Dark magic?” he asked. “What do you-” He paused as he saw a relic attached onto the crossbow he was wielding. “What is that thing?”

“The Pendant of Sizemore,” he explained. “It is capable of increasing an object’s size by simply concentrating on it. The longer the concentration the bigger it can get.”

“Where did you get that?”

“It was a part of Chrysalis’s stash of dark artifacts?” Nat explained. “It was the one thing that could have allowed Biggs to have been a ranger, but it seems the former queen was not keen on letting others borrow her toys. Luckily, I have someone more willing to share.”

“Share, my ass,” spoke Zircon as she fluttered down beside him. “You better make good on your end of the deal. Backrubs and manicures for a month.”

“I remember,” he sighed knowing the cost of this victory was a high one indeed.

“So, you did all this just to beat us?” mocked the Dragling, Mandible. “You couldn’t beat us in a regular fight so you decided to cheat and do this?”

“Not so high and mighty when you are the one at a disadvantage,” commented Nat as he fired the current ball of goo in the crossbow at him. As it left the sling it started to grow, quickly doubling in size and then doubling again growing big enough to hit his arm and stick it but good to the wall. As he struggled to get it freed, Nat created another goo ball and dropped it into his sling to get it ready to attack again. “A few more shots and I win.”

“So, have you finished paying off your debt to Zircon, yet?” asked Tamati as he finished recalling things for the moment.

“She wants to wait till after our mission today is done with,” he answered. “Why bring up such a random thing, now, anyway?”

“No reason,” he chuckled. “Just thinking back to everyone’s training days.”

“Heheh, that was really a great day,” he chuckled and beamed proudly as he recalled it too. “I gooed half a dozen of the others to a wall and got praised for it. I even get to use that Sizemore pendant thing when I’m in battle. That thing’s awesome!”

“Just remember two things,” Tamati told him. “First, you’re fighting for real this time and not against your fellow Draglings.”

“I know that,” he scoffed. “You think I’d get trigger happy and just start firing at whoever I felt like? Well… maybe if I have any ammo left over once we’ve finished up.”

“Fair enough,” chuckled Tamati as he walked away as he munched on his donuts once more.

“Huh?” questioned Nat as he noticed the box of donuts was no longer in his possession. “When did? How did?”

“Your old man is still penty quick,” the dark dragon chuckled as he went on his way. “Oh, and the other thing is not to let your guard down. Never know who might take advantage of that.”

Continuing on, Tamati knew there was one more stop he had to make before reaching the top of the hive. He made his way over to Elytra and Sting’s home and peeked in, seeing the former helping the later prepare himself for the battle ahead.

“Does it burn?” Elytra ask as she rubbed Sting’s forehead on his right temple. He had a scar going from there down over his shut eye, the light robbed from it forever. The pained look in Elytra’s eyes showed how she struggled to decide if she should have been talking to Sting as a fellow warrior or as his mother.

“Only when I’m angry,” he answered and clenched his fists and teeth tightly. The rage he had in his eyes was one that Tamati imaginged must have rivaled how fierce his own could be. “So, it never stops burning.”

“Anger might be the greatest weapon a warrior has in battle,” reminded his mother. “But you must control it. If you let it control you then everything in your path will be indiscriminately destroyed, both friend and foe and even yourself in the end. You must keep this in mind more than anyone else. You are to lead the attack, after all.”

“The hive deserves better than me,” he sighed. “Because of me-”

“It wasn’t yours or anyone else’s fault,” his mother told him. “What happened happened and you only did what you believed to be the best. Now, you can choose to either wallow in self pity or continue on for his sake and your own.” As she said this, tears ran down her eyes. “We both have to.”

“Right,” he sighed and turned to an old set of Changeling armor that had countless scratches from ages of battle. “Are you sure it is okay for me to wear this?”

“He would want you to,” smiled Elytra as she helped him put it on piece by piece from the bottom up. “And we’ve already done a fitting and adjusted everything to your size. It’s your armor now and just as he took up the burden to lead, so must you now.”

“I understand,” nodded Sting as he worked with his mother to equip the armor.

First he slipped his feet into the steep boots and tightened the laces on them so they fit snugly on his feet. Next came the lower half of the body armor that was made up of two pieces with one end on each hinged together. After Sting’s mother adjusted it onto his waist, he held it still as she locked the latch into place to ensure it was securely on his body. Next was the upper half of the armor, a breastplate made out of black steel with chainmail where the sleeves would go. It slipped on like an ordinary shirt, save for the couple dozen more pounds of weight this possessed.

“Now for the gloves,” continued Elytra as she held out some leather, fingerless gloves for Sting to try on. They were the only thing that was brand new. The smooth yet rough material was perfect to help the wearer maintain a grip on a weapon. “And the helmet.” Kneeling down, with his head tilted, Sting remained still as his mother carefully slipped his helmet with a face shield that had two narrow slits for the wearer’s eyes and couple dozen tiny opening around the mouth for breathing and speaking. With it on, Elytra adjusted the head piece to ensure it did not get in the way of his already limited vision. Once they were both content with it’s positioning, Elytra tightened the chin strap to keep it in place and helped Sting stand up once more now that he was all set.

“How do you feel?” she asked him.

“Proud,” he answered. “Proud to be leading this mission. Proud to be the son of mighty warriors, my father Tamati and my mother Elytra. And I’m proud to have been recognized by my teacher who helped make me into the warrior I am today, may his soul watch out for all of us as we march on our enemies today. I just wish he could have been here with us today to see us off.”

Tamati silently wiped a tear from his eye, the events of the terrible incident only a few days old and still fresh in his mind. As he thought back, similar feelings of guilt that Sting was feeling, he felt as well. “If only I could have gotten there sooner,” he thought to himself.

“Excellent work,” praised Pincer as he did his rounds to see all the Draglings in pairs sparring with one another. His focus wasn’t on who was winning or losing, but purely on their skills that had been greatly honed since they first were placed under his tutelage and trained to become soldiers.

As he observed them, he took note of their battle stances and how they were quickly to change from an offense to defense and visa-versa as the tide of the battle shifted. After tons of practice, adjusting their bodies to those forms had become second nature to them and with how naturally they moved about, it was evident it had settled into muscle memory.

As they attacked, they slashed and stabbed with swiftly with their swords, slicing through the air with both speed and accuracy as they aimed for their opponent’s vulnerable areas without hesitation. When they were defending themselves, they were just as quick to intercept any attacks coming at them with either their sword in one hand or their shield in the other. Whether on offense or defense, there was no hesitation in their actions as they exchanged blows and filled the lower chambers with the noise of steel clashing against steel.

Another thing that Pincer observed was the limits of their endurance. He had been keeping track of the time that had passed since their sparring began an already, nearly two hours had gone by and even the weariest among them were still going strong and continued to fight with the same vigor they started with.

“I must say,” he announced to all of them as they completed two full hours of non-stop fighting and he felt they deserved a breather. “I have helped train a vast number of soldiers in this hive, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a group with as much potential as the ones standing before me today. In just this short time you’ve all exceeded the expectations I had for you. You all possess power and ability that has come from your parents and I have helped you all to hone it. But in the end, all that you possess is yours and yours alone. How well you end up using that is up to you as we move forward and prepare for the mission that is just on the horizon. As we finish up this training session today, you will all receive a break period to rest and recover and do whatever you like till then. It is your reward for all the hard work you’ve put in and you should all be proud of yourselves.”

Among the Draglings, there were some eager whispers of what they’d wanna do the second they got that break period. Others couldn’t help but smile at the praise for all the hard work they put into their training and for it to come from their instructor no less.

“As a final announcement,” he continued. “I needed to decide among all of you who would take up the role of Captain and lead you all into battle. While there are many among you who would be a great fit for the role, one among you has stood out and showed not only the exemplary strength and fortitude you all do, but an even greater conviction to the group as a whole. I am, of course, referring to Sting. Congratulations.”

All around him, Sting received a small applause from his fellow Draglings as he approached Pincer, remaining as calm as ever even in spite of this great achievement. “Thank you, sir, for choosing me,” he told him. “I promise that I will not let you down.”

“You’ve got a really bright future ahead of you,” smiled Pincer. “You all do and I-” The ground started to shake and tremble. Caught off guard, a few of the Draglings stumbled to the ground while others were quick to open their wings and and flutter in the air.

“An earthquake?” wondered Sting as he managed to keep his balance in spite of the tremors.

“No, this isn’t an earthquake,” replied PIncer as a dreaded look appeared on his face. The shaking only seemed to get worse. “It’s coming right towards us!”

“What is?” asked Sting as the ground nearby started to crack and a massive purple mole emerged with a large pair of buck teeth, long claws and a star-shaped nose. It let out a beastly roar and swung one of its arms, smashing through a chunk of the hive like a hammer against cardboard. “What is that thing?”

“A maulwurf,” answered Pincer as the creature spotted them and snarled viciously. “We had been fortunate enough to avoid an invasion from any dangerous creatures for quite some time. Pharanx has done a great job keeping watch, but this fellow must have tunneled the whole way here. I suppose our luck was bound to run out at some point, but for it manage to reach the lower depths of the hive is the absolute worse. If could take cause the whole place to collapse if nothing is done about it.”

“It’s just another training exercise for us,” stated Sting as he readied his sword. “Everyone, to arms!”

“No, you haven’t been trained to take on this sort of opponent,” warned Pincer, but his words were drowned out by the cheering of all the Draglins as they grabbed their weapons and flew into battle.

“Team One attack it’s legs,” instructed Sting, already ready with a plan and giving out orders. “Team Two with me as we attack it’s head.”

Flying at the huge monster, it was almost as large as their father was, but that was still far bigger than they were. As it swung it’s arms wildly, a few of the Draglings were swatted, caught off guard by both the speed and raw power it possessed, but the rest managed to get through to attack. With all the might each could muster, they hacked and slashed at its body, but their blades failed to pierce its thick hide. Their efforts only served to further aggravate it to lash out more, by belly flopping onto the unsuspecting warriors and flailing about.

“Everyone back away!” warned Sting as he tried to keep a cool head for the battle so the others could as well, but even he was feeling how tense the situation was. Those that were able to avoid the beast dropping down on them managed to put a safe distance from the maulwurf, as well as a few that narrowly avoided the full impact, but many ended up facing the full wrath of it’s wild flailing that caused the whole hive to shake.

“Darn it,” Sting gritted his teeth and tried to think. “There must be a way we can stop it. Nat, would you be able to trap it with a goo ball?”

“It’d take too long to grow a goo ball big enough to do that,” he figured. “And it looks too strong to be stalled for very long if I tried to just focus on an arm or leg.”

“Then what can we do?” sweated Sting. “We never had training against something like this, so what are we supposed to do?”

“Flee. Fighting it is too dangerous,” stated Pincer as he flew to Sting’s side. “Everyone is already tired from sparring and the maulwurf’s attacks could very well level the entire hive at this rate. We should have all escaped while we had the chance, but now we’ve got a number hurt or possibly worse.”

“I’m sorry,” apologized Sting. “I was just put in charge and made a wrong call.”

“Don’t blame yourself,” Pincer replied. “We never know if the decision to fight will be the correct one, but what’s important is how we react. So, listen up. Nat, you’re the fastest. Get Tamati down here as quickly as possible. I don’t care if he has to break through every floor from the roof to get here. He’s the only one who can stand up to this thing.”

“I’m already gone,” he nodded and zoomed out of sight in the blink of an eye.

“Good, now where’s Media?” asked Pincer looking around.

“Over here,” she announced nervously as the maulfurf was up once more and spotted the Draglins it hadn’t defeated yet. Hissing at them it made its way over.

“We’re going to need your special cooking asap,” he instructed her. “How much have you prepared?”

“There is a fair amount in the pantry,” she explained. “It was for the attack we were preparing for.”

“There won’t be an attack if we get wiped out now,” Pincer stated. “Bring a group and gather it up. Meanwhile, Sting, help carry as many wounded out of here as you can. Make sure nobody is left behind.”

“How can we do that while the maulwurf is still around?” he questioned Pincer’s orders.

“Don’t you worry about that grub gnawer,” he answered. “I’ll keep his distracted.”

“By yourself?” cried Sting. “Let me do it. I’m the commander of this group. I should be the one to do this.”

“And if you should become injured who will lead your troops then?” he retorted.

“But,” Sting started to say, but he knew his instructor was right and restrained himself from speaking out more. “Yes, sir.”

“Good,” he smiled. “Now, don’t start worrying about me. I might not be the spry Changeling I once was, but I’ve got more experience than the lot of you combined. I won’t be bested by some dumb mole so easily.”

Flying at the maulwurf, Pincer quickly flew circles around the brute. It did its best to follow him while swinging its claws, but Pincer proved he was still quite agile in spite of his age. He maneuvered around the beast, striking it with his sword just to draw its agro to him and lead it away from the Draglings out cold on the ground.

“Now’s our chance,” instructed Sting as he led the other Draglings to the wounded and helped carry them away. All the while, he couldn’t help turning back to Pincer as he fought to distract the maulwurf. So far, he managed to slip around its attacks, but only narrowly and each miss only served to anger the beast into lashing out more fiercely. Ignoring it as best he could, he kept his focus on his own job carried his fellow Draglings to safety.

After several trips, they managed to carry the last few to safety. Media and her group were ready with the food as well as some med kits. “Okay, we did what we could,” noted Sting. “How’s everyone look, Media?”

“They’re hurt, but the worst appears to be a few broken bones,” she answered. “If we didn’t have dragon genetics I don’t think know if any of them would have made it through that.”

“That’s a relief,” he breathed. “Now, if dad can get down here he should be able to take care of that maulwurf.” He took a peek over to where Pincer was still holding it off. It let out a another roar of anger. Just seeing it still on the rampage while he was unable to stop it made Sting’s muscles tighten with frustration. “Where is he already? Instructor Pincer can’t distract him forever.”

“Is that all you’ve got?” wheezed the veteran Changeling, his breathing heavy as he was running low on stamina. “I have a bigger workout just climbing out of bed in the morning!”

Spittle shot out of its maw as it snarled and lashed out once more. Dodging out of the way again, it was becoming more and more obvious that Pincer was moving slower as his wings ached just trying to keep him airborne. He flew out of the way of another swipe of its claws and attempted to put some more distance between them. Stealing a look over to see how all the Draglings were faring, he was relieved that they were all moved, lifting a great weight off his chest. “Good, they managed to get away.”

“Watch out!” cried Sting as that quick glance away from the beast left Pincer unprepared as the maulwurf struck again. Hearing, Sting, Pincer turned to see the claw come at him. He tried to dodge out of the way, but his left wing got hit and the monster’s claws shredded it apart. Letting out a pained cry, the instructor dropped out of the sky and crashed to the ground as the maulwurf howled like it was celebrating before moving in for the kill.

“No!” shouted Sting as he took off like a rocket to rescue Pincer. He flew forward with all his might, but even at full speed he couldn’t get there fast enough. All that served to do was to give him a better view as the maulwurf’s hand slammed down onto the wounded Changeling followed by a sickening crunching noise that shook Sting to the core and seemed to quiet everything else right after.

“This can’t be happening,” trembled Sting, his calm demeanor lost amidst all the chaos. As the hand rose up to uncover Pincer, Sting couldn’t bare to look, but at the same time he couldn’t turn away. He gazed upon his instructor’s broken body and, just as Media mentioned before, the damage inflicted on him was vastly more significant. His chest was crushed as his limbs were bent in directions they should never be in. And that was only what was observable from outside of his body. The damage beneath his skin was undoubtedly far more extensive. Yet, a low, pained groan still managed to escape his lips and gave Sting a faint hope that he could still pull through.

“He’s alive,” he gasped as the maulwurf was setting up to bring down his other hand and finish what he started. Close enough to do something, this time, Sting flew at the enemy like an angry hornet, his sword at the ready as combined all his speed and strength into the force of a stab. His sword succeeded in cutting through the mole’s thick skin, piercing it’s chest and causing it to howling in pain.

“Take that, you bastard,” swore the commander Dragling as he relished this small satisfaction of wounding the beast, but it was short lived as the overall impact did nothing to stop the beast. It only served to trap his weapon in the beast’s hide and turn its agro on him as it slammed its hand down on him and smacked him down beside Pincer. Sting also felt one of it’s claws glide across his head, going from his forehead and down across his cheek, cutting through his eye in between.

“Gah!” he cried as he hit his head upon getting slammed into the ground. The pain was terrible beyond anything he had ever experienced before. He kept his injured eye shut as half his face became soaked in his own blood. His other eye started to close too as he began to pass out, everything around him going dark.

The last thing he could see was the maulwurf looking down at him, but the last thing he heard was a primal roar that made the maulwurf’s cries sound like a rodent’s squeak in comparison. This demonic noise, however, didn’t scare Sting. Rather, it comforted him enough to smile while some slight consciousness still remained in him. “Dad…”

The maulwurf didn’t feel at ease upon hearing Tamati’s rage. Its whole demeanor changed as it acted meeker, even trembling now as it looked around in anticipation for whatever direction he would arrive by. Overhead, there was the booming sounds of pounding, accompanied by fragments of rock starting to rain down from above. The beast looked up to see a section of the ceiling was cracked and only got worse as the sounds of pounding continued before the entire chunk came crashing down a few yards away and along with it, the dark dragon himself.

“Who, did it?” he snarled, his black body concealed in the dust from all the rubble surrounding him, save for his glowing red eyes that seemed even brighter and deadly as he spoke with rage that was on the verge of exploding like a sun about to go supernova and swallow up half the solar system in the process. As the dust settled and his body came into view, the sight was even more terrifying to see the body that was connected to such hate-filled eyes. “WHO THE FUCK RAISED A CLAW TO MY FAMILY?!?!?!?!?”

Despite being unable to speak, the maulwurf squeaked something in response. It was impossibly to determine how it responded, but it didn’t matter in the least to Tamati who was already determined to brutalize the beast. Launching himself forward with his powerful leg muscles, he opened his wings to glide him forward and straight towards his foe, grappling the massive mole, claws locked against claw.

As they tangled, Tamati restrained himself, measuring the strength of the maulwurf against his own. Trying its hardest to overpower its dragon opponent, it impressed the dark dragon with its raw strength that managed to slowly push him back even with his claws digging into the ground.

“I can see why my children had trouble with you,” he told it. “As strong as they are, they still have quite a ways to go in their development. Till then, I will handle dangers such as yourself and sadly, for you, I have been looking for a means to remind everyone here what a terror I am.” Tamati began to draw upon more of his strength, tightening his grip on the maulwurf’s claws as he pushed back and managed to regain all the ground he lost and then some, like his enemy wasn’t even trying. As the mole attempted to struggle against Tamati with all its might and realized how outmatched it was, it struggled desperately to escape, but found its claws clenched too tightly to do so. Seeing it squirm in terror, the dark dragon grinned and slowly clenched his claws even tighter still, feeling the monster cry out in pain as its hands were crushed to the point the bones in them were starting to crack.

With one final attempt, it rammed the crown of its head into Tamati’s jaw, attempting to break free, but even this proved ineffective at making the dragon so much as flinch. He merely looked down at the creature who looked far from the monster it started out as. It trembled in fear and looked on the verge of tears. If it didn’t understand the concept of regretting one’s own actions before, it did now.

“If you are worried that your life is about to come to an end, don’t be,” Tamati informed it. “Death is too good for a piece of shit like you. But trust me when I say, you’ll be begging for that sweet release by the time I’m through with you.”

Still gripping the maulwurf’s claws, he clamped his arms around the mole’s sides and lifted it up off its feet. Then taking one step forward after another, Tamati began to walk forward, picking up speed with each step, like a locomotive leaving the station. As they moved faster, in a straight line, the mole couldn’t help already dreading his punishment to come as they were quickly nearling a chunk of the hive while approaching a running speed. Tamati wasn’t showing any sign of slowing down or changing direction and it was coming into close proximity.

There was nothing the maulwurf could do about it either, save wait as they came right at it and, as the monster feared, Tamati ran right into it, smashing right through the chunk of the hive with the maulwurf’s own body as a battering ram and still they kept going, purposefully headed towards something else to crash into. Again and again, Tamati smashed the maulwurf through everything in their path, its rough-skinned body strong, but far from invincible against such unmitigated might. Before long, its body was broken and consciousness had faded, but till his rage could finally be worked off, Tamati didn’t stop running till he finally smashed through a wall and slowed to a stop, dropping the crippled creature at his feet, still alive.

Glaring down at it, Tamati was tempted to keep brutalizing it till death, but with all his restraint, he held back, refusing to let it get off so easy. “Your punishment has only just begun,” he promised.

“Son… Hey, son, are you alright?” Sting heard the familiar words of his father and started to awaken.

“D-Dad?” he groaned as he opened his eyes and saw Tamati sitting beside him, with one hand cradling his head.

“How are you feeling?” he asked. “Are you alright?”

“A bit sore, but I’m fine,” he admitted though the fact that he was only able to see anything through just his one undamaged eye was something they both seemed aware of by the pained look his father couldn’t help making. Sitting up, he looked around and saw their training grounds had been demolished and all that remained was rubble. “That maulwurf made such an awful mess of things.”

“Actually, that was more me than it,” commented Tamati. “I got really angry and, well, by the time I realized what I had done, this had happened. But it’s fine. This hive is but another stepping stone in our conquest of Equestria.”

“What about Pincer?” worried Sting as he looked around. “What happened to him? Is he-”

“I’m sorry,” said Tamati solemnly, a pained look on his face. “After I had dealt with the maulwurf he was still alive, but his body was too broken for him to be saved. If only I was able to have gotten here a little faster.”

“It isn’t your fault,” cried Sting. “It’s mine. If I had been able to be a better leader or been able to be stronger, then I could have managed to save him or battle against the maulwurf in his stead. I should have been the one to be the distraction. There was no point in him doing so.”

“He thought there was a very good point to it,” stated Tamati. “He told me so with his dying words.”

“H-He did?” asked Sting, looking up at his father, his eyes showing not the usual focus of a soldier, but the teary eyes of a child full of sorrow. “What did he say?”

“I have done all I could to teach them how to be strong. But beyond that, there is more that cannot simply be taught, but experienced with their body and soul on the battlefield. One such thing is the pain of loss, to learn that it is not something that should cripple their ability to fight, but, rather motivate them to carry the will of the fallen with them as they move forward and add it to their strength. If my death can help any of them in even the slightest then I can leave this world without regrets, knowing that I have given my life to the hive even down to my last breath.”

“He really said all that?” sniffled Sting. “To get stronger from his death?”

“To carry on his will and fight for the hive and for all of us,” nodded Tamati. “We must never look at it like he just threw his life away, but that he did what he could for the hive, for each and every one of us, for you.”

“For me…” repeated Sting as he wiped his face dry. “Do you think it’ll be okay if, for the attack I could wear his armor? I know we were working to make new sets for our group, but if I could make one request, it would be that.”

“Consider it done,” smiled, Tamati. “I’m sure he would have wanted it that way. He practically raised you, taught you how to be a soldier to lead your forces.”

“And I’m grateful for that,” nodded Sting. “But if I could make another request… we have time before the attack, and while we have the time to rest, I would like it if I could use the time for more training. So, could you also teach me to fight like a dragon, like you?”

“Like me?” chuckled Tamati with a little smile.

“I thought I was strong, but clearly I have a long way to go,” he explained. “I need to push myself harder, so that the next time something like this happens I won’t just be a liability. Please, dad. Help me become stronger.”

“You got it, kiddo,” he nodded.

“You look quite well in his old armor,” smiled Elytra as she made a few minor adjustments to Sting’s armor as she made certain everything fit him comfortably. “You’ll be a monster on the battlefield, I just know it.”

“I’ll do my best,” he nodded. “I have to, being the Captain of the Draglings.”

“It’s your first mission,” she reminded him. “Fight hard, but know your limits. Overconfidence on the battlefield can be the greatest danger a soldier can face and has spelled doom for many a new soldier.”

“I know my limits,” he admitted. “I am far from unstoppable. I won’t ever delude myself into thinking such a thing. And mom, thanks, for everything.” He hugged his mother tightly and she embraced him back. As they let go, they knew it was time for him to be off and he hurried out, nearly bumping into Tamati as he did.

“D-Dad?” he replied a bit startled.

“Are you all set?” asked Tamati.

“Just about,” he breathed as he focused and flipped the switch in his mind. Looking into his eyes, Tamati could see the steely resolve of a soldier now reflected in them. “I am ready to go, my king.”

“Then let us be off, Captain,” nodded Tamati as they finished heading up to the roof of the hive. There, all the other Draglings were waiting, along with the Changelings, both the males and the expecting females who were eager to see them off for the battle ahead.

“I never thought we’d be able to lead another large-scale attack so soon after our humiliating defeat in Ponyville,” admitted Chrysalis. “But, are you certain we want to attack a place as big as the Crystal Empire with such a small force, powerful as they may be?”

“This is more than an invasion for love,” Tamati told her. “Another Element of Discord awaits me there and I need it for my collection. This will also be our chance to let the world witness out might. Best to deal a huge blow to our enemies while we do so.”

“Well, give them hell,” agreed Cid. “We’ll manage the homefront while you are all away.”

“Very good,” nodded Tamati. “Oh, and what of the maulwurf? How does that damn thing, fare?”

“Probably begging for death even now,” answered Biggs. “But we’ve restrained it so that won’t happen. I’m just cringing at the thought of what you and Sting have been doing to it all this time.”

“The beast is a good practice dummy,” he replied. “And using it to make us stronger should be just as much an honor as a punishment for the creature. So long as we are able to make use of it, we will force it to keep on living.”

“You are truly the most horrific monster to ever exist,” commented Cid.

“I won’t settle for being anything less,” chuckled the dark dragon, glad to see the Changelings once more had that look of intimidation in their eyes just from standing in his presence.

“Everyone is ready, my king,” Sting told his father. “On your word, we can depart for the Crystal Empire.”

“Then I shall,” Tamati started to say, but looking at Sting, then Nat, Zircon, Media, and all the other Draglings, he paused to think for a moment. “Actually, why don’t you lead the charge? I will follow along from the back.”

“But we are your troops and this is your big moment as you begin your conquest of Equestria,” Sting reminded Tamati.

“That is true, but, even more important than that, they are your soldiers to command,” Tamati told him. “And this should really be the time for the Draglings to shine rather than mine. I may have given you life to be my force and conquer this world, but you are all infinitely precious to me. Never forget that.”

“Thank you,” nodded Sting before he turned to all his dozens of brothers and sisters, all armed and ready for the fight ahead. “Today is our day. We fight for the hive! We fight for glory and love! We fight for our brothers in arms! We fight for ourselves! We are the Draglings! Let us show the world our might!”

The swarm erupted into a roar of cheers and followed Sting’s lead as he opened his wings and started to take off into the sky, doing a couple laps around the hive before making his way north. They all followed behind and Tamati took off behind them, eager to begin the next phase of world domination.

—————

“This is for your own good,” lectured Twilight as she used her magic to affix a steel collar around Spike’s neck that was chained to the wall of his room. Along with that, he had chains cuffing his arms and legs. Even his tail was taken into account to ensure every appendage was restrained. “If you misbehave then you have to be punished. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” he nodded slightly, finding the limited movement of the chains very uncomfortable. As it was, he could barely do more than stand or sit. Whether or not he possessed the strength to break his bonds had to wait till he was alone to try. Until then, he had to endure conversing with his warden.

Looking around his room, he had been deprived of pretty much every comfort he possessed. His soft bed with a mattress, plush blanket, and downe-filled, fluffy pillow was switched with a pile of hay. It was too far to reach from where Spike was restrained from, but Twilight informed him that during bed time the chains would extend enough so he could sleep properly.

As bad as that change was, it was at least a downgrade. Meanwhile, all his comic books, toys, and practically anything else he had in his room to entertain himself was taken out. The only thing she hadn’t touched was his desk and the quills and parchment that were in it, in case he needed to get in touch with her during his grounding. It also contained all her research on the Elements of Discord, but to his great fortune, she hadn’t found where he had hidden it.

Taking his redecorated room in, it only further confirmed what Spike, now, truly believed about his relationship with Twilight. He really was nothing more than an experiment to her. While he was blindly loyal and behaved like a good underling he was given stuff to fool him into thinking he was her equal. Now that he was showing disobedience and acting on his own, he was getting the stick and being reminded of where he truly belonged in her eyes, in the eyes of these ponies. To them, he was just some dangerous beast that they were trying to make into a mindlessly loyal slave. Just seeing the situation he was in made his blood boil and anger rise, but he kept control, knowing his work for Tamati took priority over everything else.

“I was very worried when you just up and vanished on me, going to Celestia knows where and doing Celestia knows what,” she continued. “Now, if you can just be honest with me, then I’ll reduce your grounding to a week and decide how we’ll proceed from there. But… if you continue to keep such secrets from me, I’m afraid I will have to take more extreme measures.”

“Like what?” wondered Spike, not sure what could be more extreme than this.

“A tracking spell,” she answered. “I’ll know where you are at all times and what you are doing too. There won’t be any more secrets you can hide from me then.”

“But such spells are illegal,” stated Spike. “Celestia herself banned the use of them on anyone no matter the circumstances.”

“It’s illegal on ponies,” she corrected him. “You are not a pony, so there is no law protecting you from it. Now do you understand why all this has to stop? Can’t you see what is happening to you?”

“I’m maturing?” answered Spike, playing dumb about how drastically bigger he had grown in such a short amount of time.

“You are giving in to your draconic cravings,” she told him. He only listened, curious to see what kind of tale she would weave to try and convince him that everything he had done was wrong. “If you do that, then you’ll be no better than those big brutes of dragons in the Dragonlands. Remember how they bullied you and all the trouble they have caused in Equestria? You have been raised to be more intelligent and peaceful than them. After coming this far, you must understand why you were so much better as you were. I mean, have you looked in a mirror and seen what you look like now?”

“For hours,” chuckled Spike in his mind, loving his bulk far more than his old, shrimpy self, but he continued to say what he needed to in order to satisfy Twilight. “No, I didn’t. I guess I hadn’t realized what I had been doing.”

“Well, luckily, you seem to have come to your senses,” she smiled. “With a proper diet we should be able to help you lose some of that girth and I’m sure a reduction spell could help return you to proper size if need be. Just behave yourself and do as I say and everything will be able to go back to the way things were. But, remember, I still need the truth about where you were and what you did too. If not, then you will be given a tracker. Now, are you willing to tell me now?”

“I already told you, I was just wandering around because I didn’t want to be lectured by you,” he lied rather convincingly. “But I got homesick and came back, not thinking you’d be even more upset at me running away like that.”

Twilight just sighed and turned to leave. “Enjoy your stay, Spike,” she told him. “I’m afraid you are going to be lonely for a very long time.” She closed the door behind her and locked it magically.

“She suspects I’m up to something, but doesn’t know what,” figured Spike as he tugged at his chains to test them out. “So, at the very least, she isn’t aware of Tamati’s plans, but I’ll become a liability if she does put a tracking spell on me.” With all the might he gained from Bulk Biceps, Spike attempted to break the chains, but they remained unyielding to him. He attempted to heat them with fire, but they didn’t even get hot.

“Twilight made certain that I’d not be able to escape,” he groaned and felt his wrists and ankles ache after his attempt at getting free. He then took a peek at the hole he used to escape his room and saw it had been sealed up too, showing just how thorough Twilight had been to ensure he couldn’t get out or anyone else get in. As things looked, Spike was completely without options.

“I figured Twilight would seal my escape hole, but I didn’t think she’d chain me up to further hinder my movement,” he thought. “It’ll make things more difficult, but I can still mange, especially since I had the forethought to make a quick stop before coming back here.”

As if on cue, in the same place where Twilight had sealed the hole to Spike’s escape route, cracks began to appear until it was opened up once more and revealed Pinkie Pie on the other side. “I’m here!” she announced.

“Not so loud,” hushed Spike. “We don’t want Twilight to hear you.”

“Oh, right,” she spoke more quietly.

“Did you bring it?” he asked her as a rumble came from his stomach.

“Oh, I most certainly did,” she nodded and began bringing up tons of boxes with the Sugarcube Corner label on them. The smell of warm, fresh baked deliciousness seeped out of them and invaded Spike’s nostrils. It reminded him that it had been some time since he last had any of her baking fresh from the oven and it started to make him salivate with even more hunger. He moved forward, barely able to resist starting on them right away, but the chains, binding him, held fast and instinctively he let out a beast roar and snarl, spewing some flames as he did so.

“I’ve never seen you act this before,” commented Pinkie as Spike quickly returned to his senses.

“Well, I have been going through some changes lately,” he admitted. “Like the slumbering dragon within me is finally awakening and trying to break free. Twilight might thinking chaining me up will somehow restrain it, but treating me like a beast is only helping it grow stronger. Perhaps I should thank her… and you, if you’d care to help me out some more.”

“Oh, I’d love to,” she nodded and approached Spike, rubbing her hands on his thick beefy thigh, getting a murr to slip from his muzzle. She moved her hands to his gut, admiring his soft, scaly belly and then proceeded to its underside where his speedo was tightly clenched around his glutes and crotch. It didn’t leave anything to the imagination, so it was easy for Pinkie to see and admire his thick dragon cock bulging against the elastic with clear arousal. “And I know just how you can thank me, you big, stud muffin.”

“Sounds like something we’ll both enjoy,” he grinned. “These chains will loosen when it’s time for me to get into bed. It’ll be easier for me to show my gratitude then, but for now…”

“I feed the pour, hungry beast,” she finished as she opened a box of cookies as she took a seat on his lap. Grabbing handfuls, she started to stuff them into his awaiting maw, filling his face till his cheeks were crammed full. Pinkie then watched him eat while she nuzzled his soft gut, eager to help add more padding onto his figure.

“Gulp!” swallowed Spike as he downed his first mawful. It was a bit uncomfortable when it pressed against the restraint on his neck, but only for a second. With that first helping down, Spike’s hunger only rumbled louder, eager for more. “I won’t be able to get much exercise while I’m stuck like this, but at least I can still eat my fill.”

“And knowing Twilight, you will probably be stuck here for quite a while,” she added, though in a voice that sounded like it was a good thing. “But lucky for you, I can make sure you get all the goodies you could ever want.”

“Sounds delicious to me,” he agreed before opening his maw for the rest of the box of cookies as she fed him handful after handful then hurried to grab a box with a cake in it to feed him that next. After swallowing the cookies, he barely had time to breath before she forced every last crumb and bit of frosting through his lips. Before he could even swallow, she already had cupcakes in hand and pushed them in to his mouth too.

“Come on, Spikey,” she teased him. “Show me just how much of a dragon you really are.”

Her words of encouragement were responded to with a nod from Spike as he eased his consciousness back to allow instinct to take hold. Letting out a low growl deep in his throat, he proceeded to swallow this next mawful and opened up eager for the next. Pinkie was all set with some brownies and gems, stuffing his maw before watching him munch them up and swallow, all hesitation he had at the start already gone.

“More,” he ordered her, lifting his tail up some and slapping it against the ground, making the chains connected to it clatter.

“That’s more like it,” she told him as she rubbed her crotch, the scent of lust leaking from it as she was turned on by the beast before her. Spike could smell her pussy juices and they mixed together with all the scents of her confections. Hitting his sinuses together, it was as if they were all one and it sent a pulse of pleasure through his body and made his cock throb as it grew eager for a vagina to penetrate even when it was still a ways off from bed time. Luckily, he didn’t have to worry about his urges fading before then as there was still tons more to eat and the more she fed him, the hornier Pinkie seemed to become as the scent of her sex juices kept growing ever more pungent as she groped and fingered herself when she had a moment to spare.

“More!” demanded Spike every time he finished one box of treats and Pinkie was doing anything except getting the next cookie or cake pushed through his scaly lips.

“More for the greedy draggy,” she giggled, as she rubbed his gut, feeling how it slowly felt firmer the more it was filled it up. “I have to admit, I always imagined dragons more like this, big, greedy, ravenous, and sexy. Don’t get me wrong. The old you was cute, but you were more like a pony covered in scales. Now, you finally have the presence of a real dragon and, quite honestly, like this, you are a lot more fun.”

“I’m having a lot more fun this way too,” he agreed. “For the first time in my life, I am finally able to embrace being a real dragon and look at me. I’m far from the puny shrimp I was before. Finally, I can grow and be what I was truly meant to be.”

“Well, I can’t wait to see what you’ll look like then,” she cheered and stuffed more cake in his face. “Now, keep eating! You’ve got lots of growing to do.”

Smirking, Spike ate the cake and licked his lips before demanding, “More!”

“Uuurrraaap!” belched Spike a couple hours later as he packed away everything that Pinkie Pie had fed him. His gut was stuffed tighter than he ever imagined possible. At least an hour back he felt full, but in spite of that he kept eating, his dragon greed forcing him to push past his limits and take everything and to him, it felt wonderful to embrace this long neglected side of his. “Now that was a meal fit for a dragon,” he moaned with delight. “I’d eat like that every day if I could.”

“And I’ll make sure you do,” Pinkie told him. “It’s a Pinkie Promise!”

“Then I have nothing to worry about,” he smirked as he felt the chains binding him to the wall became loose and he was able to move around more freely. Getting up, he found himself able to walk a short distance before the chains grew tight again, but it was far preferable to what he had before. Taking the chance, he stretched his muscles and cracked his joints. Letting out a big yawn he followed it up by letting out a blast of fire into the air. “Damn, that’s a hell of a lot better. And, now that I can move about more easily~”

“Way ahead of you,” Pinkie told him as she was already undressed save for a blue and white bra and painties that Spike could tell right away weren’t made of fabric, but fruit-flavored candy.

“Looks like I didn’t eat all the snacks you bought for me, after all,” he chuckled.

“I thought you might like these,” she giggled as he knelt down and drooled.

“Oh, I do, very much,” he said as his long tongue licked over her breasts, making her murr. He then gently plucked the candy bra from her chest and swallowed it down into his already overstuffed belly.

“I invented these a while back, but Mr. and Mrs. Cake didn’t want something so lewd associated with their work. So, instead I sell them at night to anyone in need of them for a fun, kinky night.”

“Just like we’re having now,” chuckled Spike as he moved down to tear off her candy panties and ate them too. He could taste her lust that had leaked from her pussy onto them and proceeded to stick his tongue into her hole and get at her sweet nectar from the source.

“Ooooohoooh!” she moaned with bliss as she felt his long tongue reach deep into her and press against the sweet spot, forcing a wail of bliss to burst out of her. “Oh, fuck, yes!”

“Cakes and cookies are a nice treat,” Spike told her upon removing his tongue from her pussy and slipped it back into his maw. “But nothing can top the pure ecstacy of sex and I’m starved for some right now.”

“Then let’s both have our fill,” she begged and reclined onto his bed of straw with her legs wide open. Seeing her saliva-covered hole begging for more, Spike pulled down his speedo to reveal Spike Jr. throbbing hard and leaking pre as it was eager for some fun too. Gripping her arms with his claws, he restrained her as he pushed his thick meat log into her. At his current thickness he barely was able to get halfway in before he needed to slow hump her and stretch her insides to take his entire length.

“Oh! So big!” she cried as Spike humped her, a mix of pain and pleasure filling her.

“Like that?” smirked Spike as he kept going, increasing the force of his humps the deeper he penetrated her till he could fit his entire length in and was slamming his crotch into hers.

“More!” she told him, sounding just like he did while he was eating. “More!”

“Sounds like someone’s greedy for my cock,” he cackled and kept going. “Well, who am I to deny one who helped give me everything I wanted. I’ll fill you up as much as you can take and more!”

“Ugh, please do!” Pinkie moaned, clenching fistfuls of hay in her hand hands as she could feel all of Spike’s weight and strength forced upon her at one point. Finally, Spike felt a climax coming on and pulled out just before he blew his load, causing a geyser of seman to burst out and splatter them both and the area around them. The two then panted as Pinkie rubbed at her crotch while her own climax oozed out too.”

“Was it what you hoped it’d be?” he asked her.

“Even better,” she nodded. “I can’t wait to come back tomorrow for more.”

“Heheh, neither can I,” he nodded and the two proceeded to clean up the mess they made and ensure Twilight would be none the wiser. “And maybe you can bring Sweetie Belle with you then too and see if her friends would be interested as well. After all, a party is more fun with a big guest list and I’d like to start increasing the size of my horde.”

“A big Spike feeding frenzy sex party sounds like a great idea,” agreed Pinkie with her typical jubilant vigor. I’ll get right on it and by tomorrow you’ll have an even bigger feast of treats to enjoy.”

“I’ll need it if I’m gonna fuck each one of you,” he nodded before yawning. “Well, I’ve got a bit of work still to do before I hit the literal hay. So, for now, we’ll have to call it a night.”

“It’s a shame that we have to be so sneaky about all this,” she sighed. “If only Twilight could understand.”

“Someone does,” answered Spike as he retrieved the book on the Elements of Discord and got to work deciphering Twilight’s notes. He let out another yawn and rubbed his eyes before continuing to work. “Someone really awesome.”

“Oh, is he anyone I know?” wondered Pinkie Pie curiously.

“Not yet,” he told her as he scratched something down onto paper with a quill. “But, pretty soon, everyone will.”