Back in Canterlots Royal Research and Development building, Solid Gear had the runt strapped and restrained to a table that had multiple gadgets and tools close by.

"Day 3 of Wardog testing," Solid Gear spoke into a handheld recording device. "Upon further study of the Dire Wolf Runt - now known as Subject Alpha - I have discovered that along with the changes to its appearance, its strength and senses have increased immensely."

The unicorn turned to see the Dire Wolf growling and snarling at him.

"Hmm... Update from Day 2's tests. Despite being fed rotten and spoiled meat, Subject Alpha hasn't shown a single sign of illness or weakness." Solid began writing some notes on his reports to the princess as he continued speaking. "And regarding the fire ants I left in its cage... they refused to get within a foot of the subject."

The dire-wolf snapped at him, but the unicorn merely rolled his eyes.

"Beginning next test: subject durability against various levels of electricity." Solid Gear set down the recording device as his hand hovered over a red dial. "Let's start with a low voltage, shall we?"

The unicorn spun the dial until it hit one thousand volts. In seconds, the area that had the restrained wolf was covered in arcs of electricity. Much to his surprise, the Dire wolf didn't flinch; it's hardened glare set on the unicorn.

"You're a resilient little runt, aren't you?" The unicorn smiled as he increased the voltage to 100k. "Let's see how resilient you really are."

The Dire Wolf shut its eyes in a pained grimace. Solid Gear grinned as he cranked up the voltage to 230k. The Dire Wolf's body started to spasm as the wolf finally let out an agony-filled howl.

The unicorn wrote down the effect the test had on the runt as it collapsed to the table. Satisfied with his test, the unicorn shut off the electricity and hastily picked up his recorder.

"Subject Alpha appears to have a resistance to electricity up to a high voltage of 230k volts," Solid said as the Dire Wolf struggled to get back on its paws. "Should War Dogs need to be stopped, I recommend the use of high-level lightning magic." the unicorn briefly frowned, sad that his colleague was missing all the fun. "Day 4 testing on Project Wardog will include Testing Alpha's resistance to fire." Solid Gear grinned as he turned on the electricity which earned another pained howl from the Dire Wolf.

Jacob, Sam, and Spike sat around a fire, several large lizards roasting nearby.

"I hope these are just really big lizards and not someone's dragon babies," Sam nervously said as she took one of the roasted reptiles.

"You don't need to worry," Spike said, biting into his lizard. "These are Wyverns; they are known for growing quite large." Spike swallowed the head of his roasted prey. "And other than gems, they're also known to be a huge part of a dragon's diet." Spike stopped midbite when he noticed both Sam and Ash staring at him. "What?!"

"You're actually pretty smart," Sam said, dumbfounded at the dragon's level of knowledge.

"Of course I am!" Spike protested indignantly. "I've been Twilight's aid since we were kids! What, you thought I was just some stupid dunderhead with no brains?!"

"Honestly?" Ash admitted. "Yeah. No brains and a boner for older white mares."

Spike snorted and bit into his wyvern again. "You guys suck."

"Hey I'm just speaking the truth," Ash said biting into his food before showing a disgusted expression. "Damn...what I wouldn't give for some seasonings."

"Oh, you poor non-dragon," Spike said smugly.

Sam however looked away from the bickering pair. As she stared off into the distance, she saw many columns of fire across the horizon. The fire geysers were less than half a day's hike from their current location.

"3 days..." Sam said feeling uneasy. "And Torch will send his dragons in 11 days."

"I know that look," Ash said. "You had that same look when we fought against Melania."

"Sorry, but Torch's deadline worries me."

"Relax Sam," Ash said to his half-deadite friend. "We just need to get the dragons out, and kick some changeling butt."

"Are you sure it'll be that simple?" Spike asked the human.

Ash started to speak... but then frowned. "No, I don't," he admitted. He rose to his feet before putting out the fire. "With how shitty my luck is, I wholeheartedly believe something bad will happen once we storm the hive."

"Are you suggesting the Snart Maneuver?" Samantha asked with a grin.

"The Snart Maneuver?" Spike tilted his head. "What's that?"

"It's a tactic Jacob and I used whenever we played video games back home," Sam held up four fingers. "Four steps..."

"...Make the Plan..." Jacob said with a smile.

"...Execute the Plan..." Sam said matching his grin

"...Expect the plan to go off the rails..." The human said with a shrug.

"...Throw away the plan..." Sam said nonchalantly.

"And that's usually when shit hits the fan," Ash concluded.

Spike was about to argue with the two but stopped, remembering the nutjobs he was talking to. "You know what?" Spike said rubbing his temples. "Let's just get this over with."

Sam stared at the young dragon. "What's your problem?"

"Besides the headache the two of you are giving me?" Spike said bluntly. "I'm not exactly thrilled about encountering Garble again."

"Bad history?" Ash asked.

"That's a major understatement," Spike grumbled. "He an unbearable bully. The fact that he protected his sister just baffles me."

Immediately the dragon received a hard smack upside the head from both Jacob and Samantha.

"OW, what the heck?!" The young dragon held the back of his head as both humans glared at him.

"Smolder's brother did what any older brother should do!" Sam snapped.

"He protected his little sister even at the cost of his life!" Ash shouted with the same anger in his voice. "Don't ever let me hear you say something like that again!"

"Geez, fine! Sorry!" Spike grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. He didn't speak up again as he followed behind the pair toward the Fire Geysers.

The moment the trio passed the first couple of geysers, the changeling hive appeared thirty feet away.

Sam punched her palm. "Time to squash some bugs."

However, before they could take so much as a single step, the surrounding rocks and plant life was engulfed in the familiar demonic green flames of the changelings.

The demons pounced on the trio without hesitation or mercy. Immediately Ash noticed that these changelings had more of a draconic appearance than the others. However, he wasted no time in summoning his Susanoo, considering he forgot to get his chainsaw out of the Delta.

It didn't take long for the changelings to surround and restrain both Sam and Spike.

Jacob on the other hand proved harder to capture thanks to his Susanoo.

The Changelings kept their distance from the human and the giant Skeleton surrounding him. Unlike the older changelings this breed had yet to take on Jacob's Susanoo.

"Unless you fuckers want to be sent to your queen in a mop bucket" Jacob threatened as his Susanoo matched his movements and cracked its knuckles. "Then I'd suggest letting them...."

Before Jacob could finish, he felt cold claws digging into his neck.

"Williams..." the Changeling Maverick grinned as his claws started to draw blood.

"Maverick!" Ash growled as the changeling became visible. "I thought I killed every single one of you back in the other Equestria!"

"You came close," Maverick said coldly. "I'm the only survivor of that battle." The changeling started dragging his claws against Jacob's flesh. "Where is she, Williams?"

"Sorry," Jacob grinned as his hands clasped the Faust idol hanging from his neck. "I made sure to keep her away from you lot."

"I can smell the tainted princess," the changeling grinned madly.

"That's just me." Ash smiled as Sam looked at him irritated. "Heat season was a few weeks ago."

"Be silent!" The Maverick shouted in anger, turning to the surrounding area. "Come on out now, Princess! Otherwise, I'll spill your pets blood!"

Ash was about to retaliate against the changeling maverick... only to freeze when he heard a familiar voice.

One that made his heart drop.

"No! Stop!" Twilight screamed out in a panic as she appeared in a magical haze.

The changeling maverick smiled as it withdrew his claws from Jacob's throat. "A wise choice, Princess."

With the Maverick distracted, Ash took the opportunity to retaliate. The human slammed his Faust idol against the Maverick's face. The changeling let out a shriek as his metallic flesh burned and melted.

"Twilight Midnight Sparkle!" Ash shouted at the alicorn as the changeling dropped to the ground in screaming agony. "We are going to have a serious talk about this later!"

Ash turned his attention from the princess to the changelings, who were moving to restrain either him or her. The human raised his balled-up hand up as his Susanoo matched his movements before bringing them down and killing two changelings.

Seeing the death of their comrades sparked rage in the other changelings, as they all hissed and charged forward. Unintimidated, Ash raised his arm to swat them away.

Unfortunately, their size and speed allowed them to avoid the massive arm. They fired their magic at Ash - multiple balls of explosive magical energy - but his skeletal rib cages protected him.

Though he was protected, the impact rattled Ash enough that one changeling thought he could capitalize. He tried to fly straight through Ash, but the human quickly grabbed his boomstick and fired... at nothing.

The changeling had vanished.

A dumbfounded Ash looking around only to be shot in the back by the other changelings, his boomstick thrown from his grip and landing at the princess' feet.

"Oh, you bitch!" Ash shouted in rage. He swiped at the changeling responsible with his metal fist, but the changeling smirked as it flew around like an annoying fly.

The others similarly flew circles around Ash, firing more and more balls of magical energy at him. His Susanoo held but it wouldn't last forever.

Getting frustrated, Ash slammed his hands together, creating a shockwave that spread through the air. The shockwave knocked everyone in the area to the ground, but those attacks the changelings inflicted had done more damage than Ash would care to admit. The human dropped to his knees as his Susanoo began to fade.

Seeing him weakened, the changelings recovered quickly and took the opportunity to attack. The demons tackled him to the ground, the Maverick changeling approached the human with a burning glare as one of his hands clenched his burned face.

As the demons hoisted Ash up, the maverick raised his claws before bringing them down across Jacob's chest. The maverick grinned as Ash let out a pained scream.

"Jacob!" Sam and Spike called out as they ran to help their friend only to be tackled to the ground by the same changelings that captured them.

"Ashley!" Twilight called out, snatching up his boomstick.

"We'll get to you once we're done," Maverick said as he continued to mercilessly slash deeper into Ash's chest.

Twilight jumped to her feet before pointing the shotgun in the air and firing off a single shot. All eyes turn to the princess as she points the gun at the changelings. "Let him go!" she snarled.

The maverick let out a hard laugh as he stabbed his claws into Ash's shoulder. The human let out a pained groan as the changeling grinned at the alicorn.

"You shot us, you'll shoot him," the changeling mocked as he twisted his claws.

Twilight started to panic. As she watched Ash blood start flowing down his body, she took a deep breath... and placed both barrels against her chin.

"TWILIGHT!? Sam shouted, as the changelings panicked as well.

"You wouldn't!" one yelled.

"You need me!" Twilight shouted as her thumb pressed against the trigger. "Leave him alone, or figure out how you'll explain to Chrysalis why you let her new book die."

"Sir, we need her!" one of the changelings barked.

"If she dies the queen will have our head!" another insisted.

"Even if we collect her body," a third noted, "We won't have her face for the cover and her blood will be gone before we make it halfway."

The maverick seethed, glaring at Ash... but retracted his claws.

"Fine," the Maverick growled, turning to Twilight. "Start walking."

"You first," Twilight ordered with a glare.

One by one the changelings started to move towards the hive. Meanwhile Twilight and the changeling maverick held their glare off as Ash slowly got to his feet.

His cloaked dagger in his hand.

Using the last bit of his fading strength, Jacob pounced on the maverick and plunged his dagger into the changeling's chest.

"Ragh!" the Maverick roared. He elbowed the human before swiftly pulling the dagger out and stabbing Jacob in his thigh.

Ash didn't even have time to scream as he was blasted by a powerful beam of magic that sent him flying.

"ASH..." Twilight tried to shout before Maverick blasted her with the same spell. The force of the spell not only knocked the gun from Twilight's grip but knocked her unconscious.

Maverick let out pained breaths as he clasped a hand over his chest.

"Surge?" one of the changelings called out.

"I'm fine!" he barked.

Spike looked at the changelings in anger when a glint of metal hit his eyes. The dragon's eyes drifted to the ground and spotted the Faust idol that Ash used to harm the changeling. Thinking quickly, Spike spewed green dragon fire in the face of the changeling holding him. The Changeling let him go in shock, allowing Spike to make a run for it.

Surge moved like lightning as he intercepted the dragon and delivered a hard punch to his stomach. Spike gasped out as all the air left his body, and he fell to the ground with a thud.

Recovering from the fire, the changelings picked him up and carried him towards the changeling hive. Spike grinned weakly as looked at the idol, only to find the idol's broken chain.

Sam looked at the dragon with worry, but her worry faded when she noticed his grin revealed metal behind his teeth.

"What about him?" one of the changelings pointed in the direction where Ash was sent flying.

"Leave him for the buzzards," Surge growled as he dragged the princess by her ankle.

Ash let out a pained groan as he struggled to open his eyes. Pain flared throughout his entire body and even his weakened breath cause severe pain for the human. Ash opened his eyes completely before he glanced around and found himself in what looked like the inside of a cave.

In the cave Jacob only saw a burning fire and a dragon's tail in said fire while a pile of bones rested beside it. Ash then noticed he was standing straight up with his arms outstretched.

"What the hell?" Jacob groaned as he tried to move only to find himself restrained to the cave wall by a familiar greenish-black material. "Oh, no..." Despite the pain in his body, the human struggled to free himself.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice called out of the darkness.

Ash froze, looking for the source of the voice.

"You'll reopen your wounds," the voice noted. "And healing magic isn't exactly in my wheelhouse of abilities."

"Who's there?" Ash demanded.

"A hopeless fool..." the voice said with a heavy sigh. "A fool who wishes to pull his siblings back into the light."

"Are we allies?" Jacob asked. "Enemies?"

"....."

"... You got a name at least?"

"....."

"Anything? Uh... Bob?"

"...."

"Jesus, come on, man! Give me something!"

".... Hi."

Ash rolled his eyes. ".... And I thought Fluttershy was a shy speaker." He tried to locate the owner of the voice. "Just... who are you?"

"I'm Nobody," the voice's owner finally stepped into the light of the fire.

The figure was cloaked in crudely sewn-together rags. From what Ash saw, not a single part of the figure wasn't covered in rags. If Ash was being honest, this figure looked like a dirtier version of the merchant.

The figure sat down in front of the fire before it started to pick at the roasting dragon's tail. Immediately, Ash took notice of the black-skinned claw that pulled off a piece of dragon meat.

"You're a changeling!" Ash realized.

The cloaked creature froze.

Now desperate, Ash started to struggle again. He just managed to pull his right arm free... only for the changeling to pull down his mask and spit a glob of resin.

Ash's arm was covered again, and worse than before.

"Great..." Ash sighed before looking back the changeling, who was adjusting the rag that covered his face. "You're going to kill me, aren't you?"

"If I wanted you dead..." the changeling noted. "I would have left you to bleed out."

Ash tilted his head. Each and every changeling he'd come in contact with wanted him dead. "Who are you?"

"I already told you, I'm nobody," the changeling said, as he picked up the roasted tail.

"Don't give me that crap," Ash growled. "You're different from the other changelings, so I'll ask again: Who. Are. You? Really?"

The changeling sighed, pulled down his hood and lowered its makeshift mask.

He had the black skin of the changelings. But he also had an unkempt mane of forest green hair, and dark orange eyes. A long jagged horn similar to the queens rested on his forehead.

"I am Thorax," The changeling admitted. "The last of the True Changelings."

Author's Note

Wait...WHAT!?!?

What'd he just say?!

I have finally managed to introduce Thorax the Changeling, honestly I have been excited for his arrival for several chapters now. what kind of changeling will Thorax be, will be an ally to our beloved Ash Williams or will he soon find himself with another enemy. the answer to these questions and more may or may not be answered in the next chapter