Rizenby Madgod VatuuChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Rizen chapter 6Rizen Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 1Author's Note Thank you Zuruppi for the beautiful art. Link to their DeviantArt is here https://www.deviantart.com/nozomi180 Also thank you The Fan Without A Face for the edit! Chapter 1 Chapter 1 “Your curiosity is your growth point. Always.” — Danielle LaPorte As the early morning rose above Equestria, Celestia's rose above the small town of Ponyville. The sun rose above the Golden Oaks Library. The sun's light beam went through the window curtain, hitting a sleeping baby dragon named Spike the dragon in the face. The dragon groan from the sunlight, he didn't like to be awake this way. His claws reached for his pillow covering his face. "Spike." A voice cried out to him which continues to make him groan even more. "5 more minutes," He groaned only to have the pillow pulled off of him. Spike open to see Twilight who looked at him with a big smile. "Spike it's morning, you know it's bad for you to sleep longer." Spike groan while his body rose up from his basket, his claws gently rubbing his eyes. The small dragon yawned again while continue to be lazy. -Minutes later Spike simultaneously clean the library while continue to speak to Twilight, even though they been doing the same exact thing for months. Twilight hummed a tune which made Spike relax. He couldn't think of a better life than this, while they were finishing their chores, the doorbell rang with a large silhouette on top of him. The little dragon let out some blinks thinking he was still tired or dreaming yet the moment he turned around was the princess of the day and night. "Princesses!" Spike shouted with the company of Twilight who gasped. "She's her-argh!" Twight who was organizing the ladder fell off only to have her fall interrupted with a golden aura around her body. Celestia chuckled as she placed Twilight next to Spike. "Twilight I warn you many times to pay attention to your surroundings, you had a similar incident with my own studies when you were just a foal." The little dragon snicker with the lavender unicorn blushing from embarrassment. "Princess! You promise you won't tell anypony!" Twilight shouted at Celestia in the company of Luna who let out a snicker as well. holding in to what could be a big laugh. Twilight sank onto the floor almost acting like a foal, until now something landed onto her face which caught her attention. It was a scroll. "What is this?" Twilight used her magic to levitate the scroll immediately her eyes widened. The princesses smiled seeing Twilight already excited while Spike on the other hoof looked confused. "What's going on? Twilight?" Spike observes them letting his voice be heard. Twilight faced the confused dragon revealing the news. "Spike! The princess just informed me that they found a temple here near Ponyville!" She just squealed from what knowledge she could learn. Spike let out a smile excited for the news but something felt odd. "Wait, if you had the scroll why didn't you send it to me? I could have given Twilight the scroll earlier." Spike realized since it could have been easier. "Wouldn't thou ruin the surprise if thou informed her dear Spike?" Luna spoke with Celestia horn began to light up. Spike one the other hoof was confused for what Luna said. It's been months since Luna returned yet He still doesn't understand her. "I will teleport us to the temple. My researchers will arrive soon, they won't seem to mind if we observe it without them." Celestia teleported all of them to the location. The temple on the outside was massive enough for it's size, it was even larger than Ponyville. The temple was inside the deeper parts of the dangerous Everfree Forest. Twilight and Spike took one step awwed by the temple. "This looks so cool!" The dragon said. "This temple is massive! How was this just found!" Twilight said with everypony and dragon heading inside. Inside the temple had a suit of armor stand which was covered by moss yet remained almost pristine yet was covered in dust. Spike ran to the armor stand, He gazed at the armor which looked so cool in his eyes, afterwards his attention was turned to the sword. It was large and bulking Spike reached out to it only to get levitated away from the stand. "Whoa Spike! That looks dangerous to touch." Twilight scolded him while the princesses observe the armor. The stand was odd. The mannequin on the stand stood on its two legs yet its entire body was fully covered. The princess looked at the armor while Twilight and Spike continued to see their surroundings. Everything was so intriguing, Twilight noticed that the temple writings were strange and unreadable not by the decay, it was an entirely new language to her. "This is an amazing discovery princess. I-" Twilight looked back seeing Princesses, their faces told another story. Twilight realized they looked worried. She refrains from asking more questions already worried about the princesses. They seem to be on edge as if something in this temple was bothering them. "Princess?" Twilight muttered as she paced back. Seeing their lighthearted attitudes change, "Twilight, I must ask you and Spike to leave, I don't think this is a safe space for the both of you." "B-but we just got here? Princess what is-" Celestia teeth grinded from Twilight's response. "Just do as I tell you Twilight!" Celestia rose her voice at her which frightened Twilight, she had never seen this side of Celestia before. "Sister!" Luna clamor back at Celestia from her outburst. Just when she was about to apologize for her sister's outburst, Twilight realized that Luna's eyes darted around her. "Where is young Spike?" She stated which immediately got her attention. She turned around to see that a certain dragon was missing. "What? Spike? Spike!" She cries out to the baby dragon. Luna stepped forward as the unicorn started to panic. "Twilight, thou shall search for the young Spike!" She stated while Celestia glared at Luna for the idea. "Luna, are you insane! You don't know what the temple has? They may have guardians!" Celestia beckon with her sister, Twilight scratching her head for what Celestia said. "Guardians? Princess, what are you talking about?" Twilight answered back at her." You know what's going on? If so,why keep this a secret?" Luna took one look at Twilight then to her sister. "Explain everything to her, thou can't keep it a secret anymore." Celestia nodded as the princess of the night opened her wings as she flew deeper inside the temple looking for the small dragon. ********* Spike explored the temple as he continued to inspect the armor stands. "This is so cool." Spike observed the area till a strange humming was heard. "What is that?" The dragon curiously dash to the humming, he was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. The dragon continues to follow the room. Spike took notice of his surroundings, He didn't notice that the statues in the temple began to shake, Spike entered a lone room by the corner. He sat on the pedestal. He couldn't believe that something so beautiful was still inside after all these years. Without any hesitation the dragon reached for it with his claws. Spike looked at the gem on the medallion, feeling a bit hungry he stuck his tongue out for a taste, immediately his tongue felt the gem his eyes open spitting out the taste from his mouth. It was revolting, disgusting. "That was disgusting!" The dragon kept shivering. He wanted to put it back however another thought came into his mind. "Maybe Rarity would love this! I better keep it safe then!" Spike put on the medallion until he felt something strange. He struggled to breathe. It felt like something was sucking his air. "Ugh! What's happening!" He felt his chest getting heavier with his heart pounding, he wasn't sure if he was imagining it, on the contrary it felt like chest beat around the same time his heart pounded. He wanted to cry out for help feeling so much pain. To his shock the top of his spike came off and landed right in front of him on the floor. ****** Luna flew past each pillar, realizing that the statue was awaking. The statues had a lion's body but a face of a pony, The princess of the night gasp just as the statue steps out of its pillar becoming unpetrified. "They must be drawn by Young Spike's presence!" Luna became more worried with the guardians now glaring at her, their white eyes turning red while letting out a hostile roar. Luna flapped her wings ready to fly past while the guardian charged at her, with massive size Luna was shocked for how fast it was. She launched herself towards the guardian raising its paw up ready to strike her. Luna quickly dash forward in her flight, nearly avoiding the attack. she felt the attack behind her gasping for how close it was. "The guardians are active, if they are awakened on this side of the temple then we must worry, young Spike must be in danger!" Luna rushed further to the temple, getting away from the guardian who was catching up behind her. Luna heard a loud groan coming in one of the temple door frames except that another guardian was near it. "We may make a promise to our sister and Twilight! Thou won't harm young Spike!" She shouted as she used her magic to launch a flash spell at the guardians blinding them. While the guardians were blinded Luna was already on the other side. "That was close! Thou must be a fool to go against them." She shuddered at the thought until she heard a loud groaning coming from the room. "Young Spike?" She flew towards the room seeing Spike on the ground. He looked in pain. She rushed towards him with so much worry, Just when she approached him a cage appeared out of nowhere locking her inside. She lights up her horn launching a powerful spell at the cage yet the spell did nothing to even crack or dent. "What is-" She turns to see Spike who seems to have blood around his head. Luna was now more frightened and concerned for the baby. Spike started to scream more as the side of his head began to push off by themself. Luna just stood there frightened with the sight of ears popping out,they looked floppy and had fur on them. Spike continued to cry beside Luna, with the only thing she could do was watch the dragon in pain. Seeing the ears never occurred to her knowledge as it was something she had never seen before. Her eyes widen until the princess observes another change to his body. Purple fur surrounded his body which made the dragon shriek from his surprising transformation that was happening to his eyes. "L-Luna?" The creature shakily groan towards the princess who looked frightened unaware that a mane was growing at the top of his head, a spot where his spike resided. The princess of the night body hardened, unable to move just for seeing his new appearance. Just then out of the blue the guardians crashed into the doorframe. Spike looked at them with his only response was a massive yell which was strong enough to shake the entire temple, even breaking a part of Luna's cage. The young dragon was in so much pain that he passed out from the amount of energy that screamed. His eyes closed to see what happened next. "Young Spike!" As the moment he passed out, Her voice was the only thing he heard until everything turned black a quiet. Chapter 2Chapter 2 “Change is the only constant in life. One’s ability to adapt to those changes will determine your success in life.” -Benjamin Franklin The dragon’s eyes opened as he let out a groan feeling in pain. “Argh, Twilight wh-huh?!” Spike slowly stood, eyes gradually adjusting after his momentary nap. However, once his sight returned, he was left stunned and afraid at what he saw. He saw his claw which was almost like a paw, his scales were now purple fur and his claws were replaced with fingers. “This…this can’t be real. Just gotta wake myself up.” He quickly shook his head as hard as he could, hoping to jolt himself awake. As he shook something fell into his face. It felt, oddly soft..almost like a mane.. Spike started to breathe heavily as he noticed a mirror on top of a nearby dresser. His body immediately sprinted and climbed up the tall piece of furniture until his upper body was lifted above the top. A single glance was all he needed before gasping and nearly losing his grip. In place of his normal green spikes, he had long mane that reached to his back. Where once he had almost armored scales, now his body was covered in soft fur matching his previous color scheme. Oddly enough his face remained more or less unchanged, though that in turn caused him to briefly glance at the medallion hanging around his neck. “What even am I?” Spike muttered while returning back down, staring again at his transformed…paws, hands, what was he even supposed to call them now? He shook his head, already beginning to panic. Looking for some kind of a distraction, he finally became aware of his surroundings. He wasn’t in the Golden Oaks Library or even Ponyville for that matter, however he did know exactly where he was regardless.. Somehow, he was currently in one of Canterlot Castle’s guest rooms. “Canterlot? How did I get here? Why am I here? And where’s Twilight!?” He said as he took one step hearing a loud crack. The young dragon barely looked down at his feet before the floor collapsed. All Spike could do was scream as he fell for several seconds before landing hard on some of the fallen debris. Though the fall stung a bit, Spike was unharmed..physically anyway. The child’s eyes were darting in every direction with his heart pounding with each step he took. At the rate things were going, he was liable to have a panic attack. Thankfully, fate decided to be merciful as something seemed to grab his attention with the torches in the area being lit for some reason. Maybe somepony was here who could help him? “H-hello?” Spike called out with his voice cracking, as he slowly walked forward. With each pace the room started to grow brighter. The startled dragon carry on into the dark room, proceeding deeper till nearly ever square inch of the room was bathed in light. Spike froze, seeing the small room had a stand to what looked like a black tunic with white baggy pants. The boots, glove,and hat were placed beneath it. Looking closer, Spike also found an array of weapons from swords, axes and even crossbows in racks on the nearby walls. “What is this place?” Spike muttered. He advanced forward, eyeing a crystal in front of him. Spike’s stomach immediately growled upon seeing it. Part of him wanted to simply ignore it, all the comics he’d read screamed not to touch it. Yet, his growling stomach outmatched his mind and reached out. However, as his hand was about to touch it, Spike let out a scream falling back at the sight of a stranger appearing from the crystal. The strange figure seemingly manifested from the crystal’s light. Spike’s eyes widened as the image became gradually clearer until finally he could make it out. It was…like him. He had fur, fingers and a mane, though his color scheme was different, being more a mixture of orange and blue. Thankfully for Spike he didn’t seem hostile. “Hello, my name is Alistar Wilhelm. If you are seeing this….” WIlhelm froze for a bit until looking straight again. “It means that your realm is in danger. The gear and clothing you found were once mine, though sadly I am no longer here to use them. These are the only things that can save your realm from the coming disaster. Please, take them and use them to protect the world that I had come to love as much as I know you do now.” The crystal’s light vanished, leaving Spike with more than a few questions. What was that creature? Was that some kind of warning? How long ago was it made? Those and other questions were put aside as he looked to the aforementioned gear. “Okay, this whole situation is getting way out of hand. I should just find Twilight and hopefully she can figure this out.” However, his feet refused to move as he took another glance at the crystal. “But, he said the world was in danger and this stuff was the only way to save it.” He debated again, feeling his head start to hurt as he mentally weighed his options. “I mean, it won’t hurt if I try it on right?” Deciding to take the chance, Spike quickly put on the armor, surprisingly finding no issue despite what should’ve been a noticeable size difference.. Spike gazed at himself from the broken mirror from within. He felt…odd wearing it. Who was that creature,This Alistar Wilhelm. The name certainly didn’t sound like any he’d heard before. Was Spike like him now? This was all too much for him to deal with. The sound of voices in the distance broke his concentration, prompting him to hide behind a nearby chest and peak out enough to see. Two large figures stepped into the room, revealing them to be the princesses. “It’s Princess Celestia and Luna!” Spike jumped in joy, running towards them at the moment. However, his movement was halted as his body was lifted from the ground, coated in the familiar aura of Celestia’s magic, before he found himself slammed against a nearby wall. “Who are you and how did you get into this castle,” Celestia belt out, eyes glaring dangerously at the transformed dragon. “Sister stop!” Luna galloped towards her shoving her back which broke her concentration. She quickly flew towards Spike, eyeing him cautiously. Luna took one look at Spike’s attire during the time she gazed at his clothes. “Where did you get this?” She asked Spike who was petrified from Celestia’s outburst. Luna’s eyes softened somewhat as she saw his fear. “I-I’m sorry to frighten you young Spike. Your appearance caught us by surprise and that attire belonged to a good friend of ours.” Spike’s eyes again drifted to the crystal and the pieces started to fit together. “You mean Alistar WIlhelm?” Luna’s eyes widened when he said his name. “How did you know that name, dear Spike?” Luna questions him while Spike moved towards the crystal and touched it again. The figure appeared again as both Princesses gasp. “Alistar?” Luna's voice cracked as she approached the figure. Her eyes scanned Alistar with tears dripping down her face. It means that your realm is in danger. This gear and clothing you found were once mine, though sadly I am no longer here to use them. These are the only things that can save your realm from the coming disaster. Please, take them and use them to protect the world that I had come to love as much as I know you do now. While Alistar vanished Luna looked at Celestia. “Tia, He never had that many scars when I last saw him. How long ago was that image?” Celestia stepped forward as she clears her throat clearly out what tears that she choking on. “W-with the way he was dressed,and looked. That was about maybe 200 years ago. Exactly the last time I saw him.” “A time after my banishment.” That answered one question, but left them with another issue. Namely the confused child standing just next to them. “Princess, what am I? I have fur and a mane like your friend. Dragon’s don’t have that!” Spike started to panic, unable to calm down. “Spike.” “What will the girls think? What will Ponyvile think! Even the Crystal Empire wouldn’t think I’m me!” Quickly, Luna draped her wings around him, calming him down. “Spike, I understand your confusion. We will do our best to answer your questions.” “Then what am I?” Celestia finally decided to speak again and answer the question. “You are a kobold.” Spike’s ears perk up. “A what?” “A kobold, Spike, your current race is not native to Equestria. WIlhelm told us that your race is from another world called Obelisk. A land that cannot be reached, even through our magical means.” Spike reached his pocket pulling out a small paper revealing the dragon code he had. “So I wasn’t a dragon?” Spike said, tearing it up. “Spike.” Luna felt sorry for the child. “So what am I now? Spike the Kobold? I’m just supposed to accept this and move on?” Spike said, unable to hold in his tears. “Before we can do anything we must inform Twilight.” Spike’s eyes widen from the mere mention of her name. “N-no! Anypony but her!” “Spike, she's been worried ever since you arrived in Canterlot.” Celestia noted Spike who looked more afraid. “I know! Twilight gets super protective of me! I even get nightmares.” Spike’s eyes again turned to his reflection, flinching at the stranger that looked back. “But I just can’t let her see me like this, not yet.” Celestia looked at Luna who nodded. “The young dragon speaks the truth dear sister. Perhaps if thou brings him to the cause of this mishap, we may uncover more.” “Luna, you wish for Spike to return to the temple?” “Yes dear sister. If thou give us permission to?” Spike waited as he realized that WIlhelm’s sword was near the clothing. He quickly bolted to the stand at the moment Luna turned around, watching him closely. “Spike, given the situation we will allow you to hold onto those weapons. However, please be careful and only use it in an emergency. It is very dangerous.” “Right!” Spike placed the strap sheath on with the sword within it. He quickly followed with the crossbow, mounting it on his back. Though as he went to grab it, he noticed the strange metal pipes on the front of the weapon. “What are these?” Celestia gasped as she levitated Spike to Luna’s back, who in turn wrapped her own aura around the weapon. “Do not touch those Spike! Those weapons are beyond dangerous!” Celestia warned him with even Luna shocked from her outburst. “Do not touch them unless it is absolutely necessary understand?” Spike could only nod slowly, terrified of setting off the Princess again. “Then we should be off!” Luna took off to the air not wanting this to be even more awkward. leaving Celestia alone. “Why? Why must this monstrous instrument be here!” She showed her disdain for them as she and her sister took off. ******* In Ponyville Twilight was on the balcony in the Golden Oaks Library. Unable to calm down upon hearing that Spike was hurt. “Spike please be safe.” Twilight muttered while watching the castle from afar, unaware of the events that had already been set in motion. Chapter 3Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 4A stone column stood just beyond the temple, adorned with a sizable stone ring. Yet, the heart of this circular stone formation commenced emitting a resounding hum. In a matter of moments, a portal crackled into existence, unveiling Sapphire's graceful entrance into the realm of Equestria. Her gaze swept across the woodland, cautiously surveying her surroundings. "Ah, ze presence of a Cullis Gate 'ere, let alone a functional one, still manages to surprise me," Sapphire remarked, her words accompanied by a low growl that caught her attention. Emerging from the underbrush nearby, at least three Timberwolves manifested before her, assuming aggressive stances. "I don't 'ave time for you," she uttered as the Timberwolves were poised to lunge at her. With the incoming creatures leaping into the air, she displayed no concern, opting to close her eyes. Suddenly, the Timberwolves were obliterated by an immense force that seemingly materialized out of thin air, leaving behind a heap of splintered wood and fragments. Sapphire let out a yawn as she casually walked outside. The female kobold strolled over to the entrance of the temple, where a conspicuous large hole now adorned the floor. "Fascinating, no? Perhaps they are in th—" Sapphire's words were interrupted as she sensed another presence. Two subtle magical auras lingered nearby. Taking a few steps closer to the hole, she peered downward, discovering that the guardians remained alert. The sight prompted her to emit a sharp whistle instinctively. Almost instantly, the guardian reacted, whirling around and began charging at her in an instant. Once again despite the danger advancing on her, Sapphire was utterly unfazed, waiting for them to get close. Their claws were mere inches from slashing her body, only for them to suddenly drop to the ground, cut off at the forearm by some unknown force.. Sapphire just stared blankly at them as they fell close to her. The now disarmed guardians took a step back, unable to fight and only growl in frustration as Sapphire casually walked past them and into the room with the Princesses, who immediately became aware of her presence.. “Celestia! There’s another one of them!” Luna said, only to receive no response from Celestia. Sapphire, unbothered by Luna’s announcement, calmly approached the unconscious Celestia before flipping her to her back with ease. “Do not lay a hoof on her!” Even without looking Sapphire could feel Luna’s hostility as she opened her coat to pull out a small vial. Quickly uncorking the top, she placed the vial in her mouth helping Celestia drink it, much to the still staring at Luna's rage. However, the Princess of the Night’s eyes widened upon seeing Celestia’s wounds healing before her eyes. Sapphire, once making sure Celestia’s wounds were healed and her breathing steadied, she gently placed the ruler’s head down before pulling out another vial that she held out to Luna. Still stunned and confused, all Luna could do was watch the female Kobold momentarily turn away from them as she was already leaving. “Wait? Why art thou helping us?” Sapphire didn’t reply, leaving the pair behind. As she walked out the way she came she noted, that the Guardian’s arms were beginning to reform, yet made no attempt to quicken her pace. With casual ease, she walked towards the hole in the floor, before jumping straight down. ***** Twilight and Spike kept running, evading large magical projectiles that soared toward their position. The fearful pony and the transformed kobold sought refuge behind a row of pillars. "What in is that?" Twilight whispered, her voice barely audible, while Spike cautiously peeked out. “Th-that is the one who attacked the princesses.” Spike gasped, barely able to process this information as another hostile kobold appeared out of the sky, landing directly atop the pillar. “And now he’s on top of us!” Twilight exclaimed as the kobold opened his palm ready to kill both of them. With zero hesitation, the kobold charged an orb of magic energy in his palm before hurling it at the frightened pair. As the impending blast drew near, Twilight and Spike involuntarily let out startled screams. However, before the collision could occur, something deflected the blast, causing it to veer off course. The redirected energy struck another pillar with immense force, obliterating it completely. The duo stood in stunned silence, their expressions reflecting a mix of astonishment and shock. "That could have been us?" They muttered in fear. The eyes turn their attention to seeing another kobold in front of them. The stranger looked at the male kobold as she removed her coat and hat. She pulled out something from her pocket as she began to tie a bow to her hair. "Mutig." Sapphire said to the kobold which seemed to get his attention. The creature growled from the mention of the strange word, immediately charging at her with his fist reeled back. Sapphire raised her paw up grabbing his punch which seems to create a large collision causing the cave to rumble from the unforeseen force. "Whoa!" Spike's eyes widened as Sapphire confronted them, and he couldn't help but acknowledge her incredible strength. Now that he had a chance to observe her more closely, he found himself struck by her beauty as well. A crimson blush tinged his cheeks, and he found it difficult to divert his gaze from her. "Wux jiil rigluin ekess jaseve jaka!" She shouted at them with the same language the male spoke. Spike looked utterly bewildered by her words, clearly not understanding their meaning. "Go…now." A strange voice spoke as Spike didn't think twice. "Come on Twilight, we need to go!" Spike shouted as he grabbed her hoof leading her away from the fight. Sapphire smiled as she launched a kick at the kobold, apparently named Mutig, which launched him to another pillar. Mutig's mask begins to shatter, which he quickly tore it off, revealing an orange fur covered face. His green eyes glared at Sapphire. Even as he was running Spike looked back as he saw them unleashing powerful spells at each other. He didn’t know why he kept staring. The way the fight made his blood boil for some unkown reason. “Spike! Come on, we need to go!” Spike didn’t reply as he continued to gaze almost like he was stuck in a trance. "Spike! Spike!" Twilight's cries persisted as Mutig took a forceful kick to the face, sending him hurtling backward against the wall. Mutig's frustration grew as he found himself consistently overpowered by Sapphire. In a surge of anger, the determined soldier's expression twisted into a grimace. His attention snapped towards Spike and Twilight, and an unsettling grin formed across his face. His mouth stretched wide open as he revealed a disturbing display. Suddenly, the ground itself began to tremble, shuddering under the weight of an impending force. A foreboding dark aura enveloped Mutig, intensifying the air of danger around him. “What!?” Sapphire saw a blast headed towards them at quick speed. The former dragon shook his head seeing the bright light. Spike let out a frightening scream with the blast nearly missing them. As the ground beneath them started to crumble, Spike and Twilight found themselves on a collapsing floor. Reacting swiftly, Spike managed to seize hold of the ledge, using one arm to support Twilight as she dangled precariously beside him. “Spike!?” Twilight shouted as he let out some grunts from the weight. He felt his arms shaking, unable to hang on for much longer. He tried to fling Twilight up to safety but couldn’t. He could feel his strength quickly draining. “Twilight I can’t hang on much longer!” Spike shouted, not wanting to look down. All Twilight could do was watch Spike desperately try to save them both by holding on for dear life. Twilight horn lit up, attempting to use her magic to help, only to look horrified as the magic quickly dispersed. The small part of the temple Spike was holding on begins to crack. Sapphire just watched seeing the two desperately clinging to life. Before she did anything she remembers the words. “If you fail this objective you will be on the watchlist for life. That's enough incentive for you?” Sapphire observed the dire situation, drawing in a deep breath as she assessed the unfolding events. Meanwhile, Mutig's attention was locked onto the female Kobold. Charging forward with a blade gripped tightly, he raised his arms, poised for a lethal strike. However, Sapphire's eyes began to emit a radiant glow as a rune materialized beneath her. A clock-like symbol took form, and her gaze remained fixed on Mutig. As the blade neared her face, her only response was unwavering glare, causing the blade to halt just inches from her skin. “Twilight I ca-” Spike's eyes widened as he lost his grip with the two letting out a panicked scream, only for them to soon realize that neither moved a single inch. Their fall was halted as Sapphire reached Mutig’s pocket grabbing what looked like a coin-like medallion. She kept holding her breath as she jumped towards both Spike and Twilight, grabbing them both with her tail before lifting them to a safety. She exhales as the two screamed while they landed on the floor. Sapphire begins to pant while the two looked confused. “What the? How are we even here?” Twilight said as Spike approached Sapphire. “Did you-” “Argh!” They all looked at Mutig who struck the ground. He searched around until saw Sapphire who was waving the coin with a smirk right before flipping it in the air, catching it in her paw. “Svabol!?” He angrily responded, seeing Sapphire. His arms shook as his anger continued to grow. “Si geou xurwk wux xikin! si geou amid wux shio!” Mutig looked at the ground they were on. He noticed the water behind them as he let out a laugh as the water rose up and became two large water bubbles. “Jaka trian di wux xikin mrith dout tobor!" Sapphire’s eyes widened as the bubbled collided with her as she was unable to remove the bubble. Spike froze seeing the bubble rushing towards him. “Spike!” Twilight galloped towards him pushing him away as the bubble wrapped around her. “No! Twilight!” Spike begins to panic while they were lifted up from Mutig’s magic. All Spike could do was watch as they were suspended in the air. Spike's heart pounded unsure what to do. “Do something.” “What?” Spike heard the voice again as he saw Twilight began to drown struggling in the water. “Do it or she will die Kobold!” Spike didn’t know what the voice said as he saw that metal crossbow again, likely belonging to the female kobold. He noticed that it fired what looked like an explosive. Spike rushed to grab it remembering how he held it, yet its considerable weight made it unwieldy. Sapphire could see he was struggling with it as she used some part of her magic to lift it up forcing his claws to press the trigger. Mutig’s eyes widened, unable to react, seeing the metal projectile fly towards his chest before colliding. Twilight and Sapphire’s bubbles popped instantly. Mutig stumbled backwards grabbing at his chest in tremendous pain. Spike, still stunned by what happened, only looked on with wide eyes as the kobold glared at him. “You…you!” He opened his palm as he blasted a large wind spell at Spike launching him back to the wall hitting head first. “Spike!” Twilight cried out as Spike's body fell to the ground blacking out. “Hehehe you will do.” The voice said to Spike before falling unconscious. Mutig reached for his headset, turning it on as he was smirking at them. Sapphire walked towards him as she pulled out a small metal crossbow, she aimed it at Mutig. “He he he. Go ahead and do it.” Sapphire heard him as he panted loudly. "Yeur a traitor." Sapphire explained to him which made the kobold laugh. “Traitor? Me? The one who’s gonna die is you. I didn’t betray anyone. I…..I found what they were looking for.” Twilight just watched, unable to know what they were saying. They were speaking another language. “My captain has been hearing everything. Have you noticed the headset I am wearing? Hehehe!” Sapphire's eyes widened as she saw it. “You and this realm are as good as de-” A loud bang was heard causing Twilight to jump. Sapphire threw the crossbow, feeling used. She reached for her pocket pulling out the Coin. Elsewhere…. In a land far away two figures sat in a campfire as they waited for a result. A kobold who was almost the same height as the princess looked about a few years older than Spike, he growled from the result. He had brown fur with darker brown hair. He glared at fire with his blue eyes. “Damn that Mutig! Got him himself killed.” “Serves him right. Pathetic. If he can’t even handle one mercenary.” Beside him was a smaller Kobold wearing a uniform, unlike the kobolds. He looked the same age as Spike. With black mid-length hair with beige fur. He even seems to have frightening red eyes, which almost seemed to shine as he took a bite from his ration while sitting on a stump. “So what now? Do we put this extermination on hold and head towards that realm?” The small kobold chewed on his ration again as he threw the box onto the floor. “That we should, but we got a job to do. It’s gonna be another boring job. But something caught my attention.” The teenage kobold eyebrows rose up. “What is it? Did that mercenary catch your eye Lyon?” The small kobold who’s name was Lyon stood up, took some small steps and stared at the sky. “The one kobold, what was his name? Spyke? He looked to have lived there all his life. We can use him just to find the rest of the temple Stein.Woudn’t you say that is worth a little trip?” Stein gave it some thought as he closed his fist giving a sadistic smile. “Yeah I like it! Count me in! Hahaha!” Author's Note Thank you for the works of the artist and editors. Zuruppi-Nozomi180 - Hobbyist, Digital Artist | DeviantArt Carmillprinn-Carmillprinn User Profile | DeviantArt Also thank you The Fan Without A Face for the edit! Chapter 5Spike groaned, feeling arguably the worst headache he’d ever experienced threatening to knock him back out. Giving himself a few seconds for the pain to subside, he was able to open his eyes and finally look around. “Wha? Wha happened?” Spike moaned as he sat up, seeing a castle immediately in front of him. His vision was still a tad blurry so he couldn’t make out all the details. Also didn’t help that there were numerous wisps of smoke drifting around it. The former drake barely had a moment to question the sight before the door shot open as a black figure bolted out, charging at him. “No! No-no-no! Get away from me!” He shouted, finally jolted awake by the sudden attack, only to headbutt a nearby Twilight. “Ow!” They both cried out in pain while rubbing their heads, Twilight especially as Spike had collided with her horn, while Sapphire just watched in confusion. “"I mi filiikir nomeno gewjle luh di dout nesim?” Spike and Twilight quickly turn to her with confused looks. “What?” Spike eyebrows rose for what she said, briefly wondering if he was concussed from the impact. “I jahus yentair ui nomeno luh di dout nesimi persvek nomeno grikor?" She spoke again in the same foreign language, and by that point could see the confusion on their faces. “Uh, Twilight, did you understand a word of that? Cause I honestly think I have a concussion.” Spike asked, while rubbing his still sore head and fearing his mental state. “No Spike, I’m hearing it the same as you, unless I’m concussed too.” Twilight quickly did a quick check of all her mental facilities and quickly determined everything was working fine. “Okay, well good news is neither one of us are hearing things. Seems most likely she’s speaking in a language neither of us has heard before.” With the problem now identified, her mind immediately tried to cross reference the sounds spoken with various other languages she’d studied in her life…which was a lot. However, right as she was going over the fifth version of Ancient Ponish, the sound of something being pushed repeatedly got her attention. Her head quickly turned to Spike, not busy trying and failing to push the long mane of hair he now found in his face . “Seriously, how do you mares get around with this much hair? It keeps getting in my eyes.” Twilight almost sputtered out laughing at the sight, her prior train of thought momentarily derailed. “Well your hair looks longer Spike, if we have to we can have it cut later. Still…” Both of their eyes drifted to Mutig on the floor, and also Sapphire standing before them. “We need to figure out what exactly we’re gonna do with him…which hopefully our other friend here can explain, once we figure out what she’s trying to say to us.” Twilight’s mind quickly returned back to trying to decipher the stranger’s unusual language, while Spike opted to try and gleam something from their captive. Taking a few cautious steps forward, he quickly gasped when he got close. He saw Mutig’s eyes were blank, with red liquid dripping from his mouth. Immediately his body started to shake as he recalled a similar looking liquid coming out of his body not too long ago. “Red water? What….what is this?” Spike asked out loud, causing Twilight to look in his direction and Sapphire to finally try speaking again. "Bloohd." Spike and Twilight eyes widen hearing Sapphire speak. “Eet's called bloohd. We all 'ave eet.” Everything was quiet when Twilight broke the silence. “Wait, you can speak our language?” Twilight spoke aloud, needing her brain a moment to reboot, before focusing on the more pressing issue. “Who are you? What was that…creature try-” “We are called Kobolds.” Sapphire interrupted them. “Zat kobold was named Mutig. I was ‘ired to find and keel him. Apparently he was informed of anuzzer objective. He was waiting for me to do zee same. In zee end I was ‘unted for zee Draxich Di Ileisgar.” As she explained Spike and Twilight were confused again as she groaned. “How do you not know about this? You're a Kobold too!” She said to Spike, who simply just sighed and dragged his hand down his face.. “Well, looks like the princesses were right. I am a kobold.” Spike eyes widen for finally remembering something. “Oh my goodness the princesses! I completely forgot about them!” At the mention of the royals, Twilight seemed to come to the same realization and let out a scream. Both quickly forgot about the stranger in front of them and quickly turned and ran in the last known direction of the princesses, leaving Sapphire alone. The mercenary just stood in silence for a minute, seemingly waiting to see if perhaps either would return. When that clearly wasn’t going to happen, she turned her attention back to the dead body in the room. “Whelp, wonder if you have anything useful now that I'm stuck here.” She said as she grabbed the body, her cheeks puffing out and turning red with exertion as she started to drag the body. “What in 'ell do zey feed zese soldiers?” Sapphire shouted as she dragged the body to the surface. Further into the temple, Spike and Twilight ran past the guardians, barely a hint of concern present in either of them as they neared the entrance. “Twilight is that you!?” They heard Princess Celestia’s voice in the entrance way, causing the pair to quickly pick up speed.. “Princess!” Twilight shouted, feeling a sense of relief as she quickly spotted her mentor trying to wave them over. However, as they started to slow down, Celestia’s expression turned grim and her horn immediately lit up. Both Twilight and Spike were encased in her golden aura and pulled quickly to her side, the Princess glaring angrily in the direction they came from. Twilight and Spike were finally able to turn around and saw it was Sapphire she was leering at, the creature in question still dragging Mutig’s body. Once both Twilight and Spike were behind her, Celestia released her hold and quickly began charging up an attack. However, Luna quickly used her wing to block her sister’s line of fire. “Sister, don't! Remember she was the reason why we were saved!” Luna spoke firmly, trying to talk her sister down. Celestia continued to stare at her then looked at the body she saw, which only caused her still glowing horn to shine brighter. Seeing her sister wouldn’t lower her guard, Luna opted to be the mediator. “Tell me, did you defeat him?” Luna asked Sapphire while Celestia continued to give her a hostile aura. Sapphire remained quiet as she dropped the body. With Mutig more visible to the others, Celestia was able to get a good look at him and looked perplexed. “This is different. Their clothing and weapons don’t match anything I’ve seen before.” She said while inspecting the emblem on his armor. It was the only one that didn’t change. “Sister?” Celestia shifted her attention to Luna who had a look of concern. “Have you encountered this before?” Luna asked while Celestia looked away, finally depowering her spell, allowing Sapphire to let loose a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. The sight of Celestia suddenly going quiet left both Spike and Twilight more than a little concerned, while Luna looked more curious and suspicious. As all this was going on, Sapphire simply watched, curious to see how things played out, only to be put on alert when she felt something. Quickly, she pulled out her metal crossbow which was smaller as she began to fire at the trees just outside the temple entrance. The sudden shooting quickly jostled the others, with Celestia and Luna being on guard while Twilight stood protectively in front of Spike. After a minute or two Sapphire stopped firing, only to have her weapon immediately slapped out of her hands by Celestia, looking positively livid at the Kobold. “Are you mad! What was the point of firing near us!” Sapphire, unfazed by the sudden strike, looked at the alicorn as she slowly picked up her weapon. A sudden sensation coursed through Spike’s body as he looked to the trees. Listening closely, he could hear a faint rustling causing his eyes to widen. Immediately he pointed in the direction of the sound. “Look out, they’re in the trees!” Spike shouted, causing Sapphire to immediately point in the direction indicated and open fire. Everypony and Spike covered their ears ready to hear the bang only to hear a click, followed by what sounded like fleeing feet. Sapphire quickly reloaded her weapon and pointed again, awaiting some sign of movement or attack. When none came, she finally lowered her weapon with a sigh. "Guess zat was zee scout. Turned tail and ran zee second zings got bad." Sapphire mused and placed her weapon into her pouch. The others looked grateful for the assist and signal that things were calm for the moment, however, one pony was left with another quandary. "Spike, how did you know somepony was there?" Twilight asked, with the transformed kobloid scratching his head in confusion. "I don't know. It just felt..I-I- I felt them." Spike thought as his stomach growled loudly. A chain reaction seemed to start as Celestia, Luna and Twilight made similar noises. “Perhaps a temporary retreat is in order. I doubt we’d accomplish much while starving.” Luna posed, trying not to blush at her loud stomach. “Agreed, we’ll reconvene at Canterlot, go over what we know and hopefully formulate a better plan.” Celestia nodded, mind briefly visualizing some cake she’d enjoy biting into. "Canterlot? Princess,what about Spike?" There was a pause among the group, the elephant now on full display. That being Spike’s new appearance and the potential impact it could cause. Even Celestia seemed to realize this, eyeing Spike somewhat apprehensively, which Luna quicked up on. "Sister." Luna's voice got Celestia's attention. "It isn't wise to keep him away from his friends. I'm sure they can watch them both." Celestia's eyes widened. "Both?! Even her?" Celestia all but pointed in the direction of the other kobold in the room. Sapphire remained quiet, unfazed from her voice or accusatory tone. "Sister, did you forget she helped us? If not for her we’d likely have perished in that temple. It is in our best judgment that we should thank her. The least we can do is offer her some level of trust" "Princess Celestia, she’s right." Twilight stepped forward defending the group’s savior. "Spike and I wouldn’t have made it out without her help." Spike nodded in agreement which made the kobold smirk, while Celestial resigned in defeat. "Very well, but she will be in your care Twilight. I don't like what is happening but we can’t deny one thing. The Iron Claws have arrived in Equestria." While this revelation was met with looks of confusion from Twilight and Spike, Sapphire’s eyebrows rose. "So they have arrived here before?" She asked Celestia, whose expression said all that was needed. "It's best we talked about this later." They decided to leave their location and quickly made for the exit. However, Spike halted when he felt something tapping his shoulder. Specifically it was Sapphire’s tail, and he quickly found a familiar looking weapon held out to him. "I'm guessing zis was yours." Spike almost instantly grabbed the sword with relief. "My sword!" Spike smiled, holding the weapon close for only a moment, before Twilight immediately ripped it out of his hands with her magic. "What, no, Spike this is-" She didn't realize that the sword had some weight, letting out a scream before faceplanting to the grassy ground. Spike had to bite back a laugh at Twilight’s impression of an ostrich, her head literally buried under the ground. “Uh, Twilight. Are you, okay?” With a couple of yanks, Twilight finally pulled her head free of the dirt, coughing up quite a bit, with Spike again fighting back a laugh at a small patch currently stuck to her horn. "Spike! How can you even….” Twilight paused a Spike pointed at her head, with her looking up and quickly removing the bit of soil stuck to her before resuming her question. “How can you pick this up! It’s so heavy!!!!" She cried out, trying to lift the sword with her magic to no success. Spike, confused, grabbed the sword and lifted it off the ground, holding it up as though it were a simple kitchen knife. "Uh, Twilight, it's not heavy." Spike replied, with his surrogate sister’s jaw dropping to the dirt while Sapphire laughed. "No surprise you can’t lift it. It's a very old blade. Think they were last issued 30 years ago." Luna’s ears perk up from the news. She turned her head towards Celestia. "30 years? You told me…" "We should be going, dear Twilight!" Celestia cut off Luna as she immediately teleported away from them. Twilight and Spike just looked confused while Sapphire just shook her head. "Seems she 'as secrets of 'er own." Despite wanting answers, the two just stayed quiet for the moment as they walked. Though the silence quickly proved maddening and Spike mustered the courage to speak. "You never told us your name. My name is Spike and this is Twilight. The two you met were Princess Celestia and Luna." Sapphire just looked at him only for her to hug him which caught him off guard. “So adorable!!! I never knew zee person who saved me was zis cute!!!!" She said as Spike let out a gag, unable to breathe from her deceptively strong grip. Mercifully it was brief, as she finally let him go, causing him to drop to the ground like a sack of potatoes. "My name is Sapphire Lapis Lazuli. But you may just call me Sapphire.” Her eyes seemed to scan over the smaller Kobold with curiosity. “Spike... never 'eard a name like zat before. I'm guessing you must be a Duster." "Wait, what's a Du-" Spike only got half way through asking before his stomach sounded off again. "Uh, maybe first can we get something to eat!" Spike blushed rather vibrantly and quickly picked up the pace, his hunger overpowering his curiosity. "Spike! Wait, you don't even know where you’re going!!" Twilight ran behind him as Sapphire just laughed at the situation she was in, following behind them while continuing to observe her surroundings. “Oh Sapphire, what did you get yourself into?” She muttered to herself as she followed them. The group proceeded on for a bit, walking in relative silence save for the occasional conversation here and there. Eventually they arrived in Ponyville, with Spike quickly hiding behind a tree. “I can’t believe I forgot, I can’t just walk into town! What will everypony think of me!” Spike shouted as Sapphire just chuckled seeing his reaction. “Spike it’s alright, I’m sure the girls will accept your new appearance, even the town ponies too. We have dealt with this kind of situation before.” Twilight smiled, mind drifting back to the group's less than friendly response to a certain zebra way back when. Spike just groans. Things had been a little awkward when he first showed up and was the only dragon in town. Granted, everypony treated him more like a fun curiosity than a monster. Now however, he had to deal with being something completely different. It was gonna be painfully awkward. And he immediately proved to be right. As the pair stepped forward they quickly attracted several stares from various ponies. Again they weren’t hostile or even scared glances, more akin to surprise, confusion and intrigue. However, this didn’t help Spike much, feeling so many eyes on him. Thus he quickly picked up speed towards Twilight’s castle, with the rest of the group. He quickly shut the doors and relaxed a little. Wordlessly he walked over to a nearby cupboard and pulled out a gem inside of it. “At least you don’t judge me.” Spike took a big bite only for his eyes to widen. Spike spat out the gem, while holding his jaw. “Waa!? Why can’t I bite into this?” Spike shouted as he continued to spat out. “Umm, Kobolds don’t eat gems, Spyke. Your jaws aren’t strong enough to break it.” Sapphire explained, with Spike looking utterly devastated as the gem slipped from his grasp. He began to breathe heavily, falling to his knees and placing his hands on his head. “This keeps getting worse! I can't even eat my favorite food, I used to be a dragon! What else can go wrong?” And as if Fate decided to play devil’s advocate, the front door opened. “Twilight!” He heard Rainbow’s voice along with multiple hoof steps. A series of gasps caused Spike to immediately turn around, all to the wide eyes of the remaining members of Twilight’s friend group, all looking at him in shock. Almost immediately, his eyes rolled back as fell to the ground. “SPIKE!?” -Hours later- Spike awoke as he felt something touching his head. He awoke, being immediately greeted by the blue eyes ofPinkie Pie. The transformed kobold almost immediately let out a shriek before leaping backwards into the wall. “Spike, darling, please calm down.” Spike heard Rarity's voice as he grabbed his hat to hide his face, mentally hoping the girls were simply a dream. “Spike, please look at us.” He felt a hoof touching his arms and pushing the hat up, causing him to finally look at the mares. His heart pounded seeing them up close. “Spike, it's okay. Please don’t cry.” Rarity said as she reached towards Spike's head stroking his hair. Rarity halted the first time as she felt his new grown hair. Momentarily getting over the shock, she found the strength to comfort the dra-the kobold. Spike felt calm from the touch as his ears folded up. “So Twilight, why does Spike look like that? And who is she?” Rainbow decided to ask the question on every pony’s mind while doing so in the least tactful manner. They looked at Sapphire who was by the wall unpacking some things. Twilight let out a sigh as she fully explained everything. The girls listened and gasped from what they heard. That Spike was a Kobold, both princesses being defeated and Sapphire saving them along with news of the ‘Iron Claws.’ “So we got new bad guys. Hmph! Well, we can take them on, right girls.” Rainbow Dash boasted as Twilight shook her head at her friend’s rather bold confidence. “Sapphire what was that device that kobold was using. You seem to have it as well.” Sapphire looked back as she pulled out the pipe crossbow. "Zis is called a firearm. Eet was an invention for warfare, of which zere are all kinds of variations." She quickly pulled out her other weapon, this one noticeably smaller than the crossbow. "Zis is called a pistol, small and compact. Eet fires small metal projectiles called bullets at 'igh speeds." The girls listen along with Spike who remembered the loud bang it caused. “So they were firing those bullets at us? That was the bang?” Sapphire nodded. As she removed the cartridge showing her the bullet. “Bullets are small, typically cylindrical and pointed, and contain a small amount of a compound that explodes when struck. Each bullet 'as different sizes and looks, depending on zee weapon itself." At the mention of that, Spike recalled the outburst from Celestia when he tried to touch it in Wilhelm’s cave. “Do not touch those Spike! Those weapons are beyond dangerous!” “She dealt with this before.” Spike shouted loudly. “Wilhelm wanted me to stop this!” Drawing the eyes of the others, Spike slowly started to piece together everything and once he could see the scope of what laid before him…felt his heart start to race. The girls quickly began to worry about Spike as they saw sweat start to form on his face and his hand reaching for his chest. Tears also started to form in his eyes and some of the group started to move to offer some comfort. However, before any could reach him, and Spike looked about ready to have a panic attack, the former drake felt a calm embrace. Looking up and blinking the tears from his eyes, he saw it was Sapphire who was hugging him as everypony was watching, while Rarity's eyes twitched. "Calm down. I know zings look bad. But you need to 'ave more confidence in yourself." Spike just looked at her feeling touched by what she said, feeling his heart rate start to slow again. The mood was ruined as Spike’s stomach growled loudly. “....So, what exactly does a kobold eat?” He asked her while she arose carrying him in her arms like a doll, the ponies in the room quickly following after. She placed him down as she took out a large box with a Iron Claws symbol. “Why do y-” Rarity stated asking only for Sapphire to cut her off. “It’s Mutig’s ration and besides he won’t be using this anymore.” Rarity looked positively repulsed at the idea, a sentiment shared by some. “That is barbaric! Stealing from a fallen individual is positively vile.” Sapphire ignores Rairty’s words as she begins to open the ration box. The box let out a loud hiss, opening revealing a large amount of food inside. “These are rations?!” Twilight shouted with shock seeing how much food was inside. The ration had a lot of layers of food, looking to have around thirty different types at a glance. Spike himself let out a gasp seeing a candy inside. “Oh, sweet chocolate.” Spike said, ripping the wrapper, which Twilight quickly grabbed. A quick glance showed it to be covered in some unknown language. Like with when Sapphire spoke initially, the language was completely foreign to Twilight, unable to decipher even a single symbol. As Twilight continued to try and make sense of the text, Spike was positively demolishing the rations, the pack not even lasting a few five minutes before it was empty. Spike let out a relaxed chuckle feeling satisfied from the eating with their friends who were shocked seeing the small kobold eat everything in a second. “Well, hot damn Spike. You just ate about 2 months worth of preserved food in five minutes.” Applejack said with amazement. Spike blushed a little, even he was shocked by how much he’d consumed, while Sapphire watched, unphased by the sight. “We kobolds are a warrior species. Our metabolism is quite fast.” Sapphire explained with Spike lifted himself up touching his hair. “Hey Rarity?” The white unicorn looked at Spike who was touching his hair. “Would it be okay if you cut my hair? Having it this long kinda makes walking difficult.” Rarity almost immediately let out a very loud squeal. “Of course darling, it would be my pleasure to give you your first haircut.” This made Spike smile as he took off his robe. “Don’t worry Spike, I can hold on to your robes.” Spike handed Twilight the robes as the moment her hoof touched them she instantly fell to the ground with a scream, her face again kissing the floor. “Twilight!” Spike quickly grabs the robe and pulls it away from Twilight, who was able to stand and now rubbing her visible sore nose. “Spike that robe is as heavy as your sword!” She all but shouted with disbelief. Applejack, curious, grabbed the robe, though due to her Earth Pony strength, was able to handle the weight without falling. Still, it was noticeable, even grabbing his hat felt as heavy as a full barrel of apples. . “Well ah be. She’s right! And yall never felt this sugarcube?” Spike just shook his head unaware of the weight of his attire or weaponry. Seemed like it was another quirk of being a Kobold. Putting that in the back of his mind for the moment, Spike sat on the ground while Rarity pulled out a pair of scissors. Sapphire just watches knowing what’s going to happen next. The scissor levitated above Spike’s head. Once the blades collided with Spike’s hair, the blades completely shattered, shocking everypony. Sapphire chuckled, pulling out a scissor of her own. She gently pushed Rarity away from Spike, the fashionista glared at her, noting how her scissors were bright and jeweled. “Probably goes without saying, but we Kobolds are a pretty tough species. We are built for battle, so our bodies are a lot stronger than you ponies, which includes our hair.” Shockingly, Sapphire’s scissor actually cut the hair, surprising all those watching. Sapphire continued to cut until she set it down and showed the small kobold a mirror as he looked at her with an approving look. “It’s amazing! Thank you!” Rarity’s heart sank, wanting the praise herself. Sapphire smiled as she hugged Spike again, unable to resist how cute he was. Rarity silently growls not to trust her. Rizen chapter 6Author's Note Hello everyone. Thank you for waiting for the new chapter. Thank you to the talented Zuruppi and carmilprinn for their wonderful art. Rizen chapter 6 In the morning of Ponyville, a loud yell echoed through the town. Near Twilight’s library, Spike was outside with the others, charging at Sapphire with his sword, which the Kobold easily deflected with a pair of wrist mounted claws. In spite of the setback, Spike continued to slash her while the girls just watched, to varying reactions. “Um Twi? Are y’all sure this is okay?” Applejack asked Twilight, who was more than a little visibly nervous at the pair currently sparring, wincing every time Spike was knocked down. “Honestly Applejack, no I’m not okay with this at all. But Princess Luna suggested we have Spike train with Sapphire, if only to teach him how to defend himself in his new body. And after everything that happened, I couldn’t say no, especially after Sapphire agreed .” That insight gave the pair little comfort as Spike was again knocked back, panting loudly as he struggled to breath. Yet even then, he persisted in spite of the situation. “How long have they been at this?” The farm pony asked only to hear Spike panting loudly as he fell to his knees tired. “For about 2 hours. Oddly enough, Sapphire doesn't seem to be tired.” Twilight looked on in amazement at the other Kobold before turning to Spike who was down on one knee and struggling to stand back up. “C-can we stop?” Spike begged as he dropped his sword, needing his hands to keep himself off the ground. Sapphire had the decency to pause and looked at his shoes, noticing that it looked worn out. The robes and the clothing, even the hat survived the test of time, however the shoes looked to be on the edge of collapsing. She even noticed that the way he moves must have been uncomfortable for him. “Yeah, I guess a break is in order, if only to swap out those worn out shoes for some new ones.” Sapphire said while Spike fell to the ground removing his shoes. He begins to rub his furry feet, unused to the sore feeling since he’d previously had sturdy scales in place of soft pads. “Hey!” Spike turned to Sapphire as a pair of socks and boots fell near him, immediately catching his attention. Spike reached out to them only to pause. “Hey, didn’t that Iron Claw guy wear this?” Spike questioned hesitantly as he slowly put them on. “Yeah, he did.” Spike and the others looked horrified at the detail, yet Sapphire didn’t even bat an eye. “No point in crying about it, those boots and socks are new. They’ll serve you better.” “Better!?” Twilight shouted, looking about ready to get in Sapphire’s face.”You just gave Spike clothes from a dead creature! That’s basically grave robbing” Twilight shouted loudly, making her disapproval known to all within a 100 yard radius. Sapphire herself simply shrugged at the idea. “It’d have been wasteful to just leave them behind, and it’s not like Iron Claw is gonna need them anyway.” Her logic did little to not unsettle the ponies, Spike himself hardly thrilled about the idea either. Sadly one glance at his utterly ruined boots made it clear he didn’t have an option. So he hesitantly slid one of the socks on and the boot quickly after, finding that they surprisingly fit perfectly. This was in spite of the fact the aforementioned soldier being larger than him, even the boots fit. Now fully equipped he stood up, and was again surprised to find how comfortable they felt, as if he wasn’t wearing anything at all. Quickly going through a few standard stretches to test it out, the feeling didn’t change, and his face broke out into a smile. “Wow, this feels amazing!” Spike hopped in place, feeling a bit more energetic now that he could at least stand up properly. Obviously his muscles still hurt like crazy, but the sudden shift helped him ignore that for the moment. “Spike.” Twilight was stunned by Spike’s determination in spite of how he’d be acting just a few moments prior. Sapphire chuckled as she saw it in his eyes. “Good, then perhaps we can resume for a bit longer.” Sapphire quickly unsheathed her sword, with Spike, seemingly coming down from the brief adrenaline rush, now waslooking a little unsure.Yet, he still picked his own weapon up, knowing arguing wasn’t an option. Both of them resumed their stances, unaware that a crowd had formed to observe them all. Or rather, they didn’t notice for a few moments before the increased noise finally got their attention. Spike turned his head seeing the crowd and slowly started gaining confidence. However, his eyes caught something else. In the crowd was a dark figure, one from his dream. Just as he was about to say something, his eyes blinked and the dark figure disappeared. “Spike?” His trance was broken with Sapphire waiting. ”Are you sure you're ready for this?” She told Spike who entered a stance. Sapphire realized what stance he used but decided to keep to herself. “I'm ready!” Spike shouted with excitement charging at Sapphire. -Hours later. “Ow!” Spike groaned while Twilight tended his wounds, applying some disinfectant to the various small knicks and cuts across his body. Yet in spite of his injuries and the sting, which was considerable, he seemed to be smiling the entire time. “Uh, Spike, most ponies aren’t this happy after getting beat up for several hours. Are you okay?” Twilight asked, causing Spike to chuckle which only worried her further. “Sure, I’m great Twilight. It was actually a lot of fun” His grin quickly shrank when Twilight sighed in exhaustion at his answer. “What’s the matter?” “I don’t like you doing this Spike. I don’t like the idea of using a sword or getting into danger.” Twilight spoke firmly, again applying some more medicine to the former drake’s wounds, causing him to wince. “And watching you today, what would’ve happened if you’d gotten more than some scratches and bruises?” Spike just groaned, not liking how she treats him like a baby. Obviously he knew she meant well, but it was still embarrassing. Slowly, he stood up, putting on his robes. “Come on Twilight, is it anything different from you or the girls? You guys are fighting monsters, changelings, and villains all the time. Compared to that, a little friendly sparring is nothing to worry about,” Spike complained at her rather narrow perspective. Heck, it wasn’t that long ago he saved the Crystal Empire. Twilight however, didn’t seem to relent, reaching out to the drake. “Spike..” “I'm gonna go to Zecora for a bit. Maybe she can help me with these nightmares and headaches I’ve been having.” He started to head for the door, Twilight quickly getting to her hooves. “Wait! If you're going to Zecora then I'm coming too. I’m not leaving you alone.” Spike just groans feeling annoyed from Twilight’s repeating concernment. Again he knew she cared but this was getting ridiculous. “Twilight, it’s fine I can just go with Sapphir-” “I’m not letting me be alone with her again! We just met her.” Twilight took a step forward, looking almost like she was pleading with him. “I’m grateful she saved our lives, but you’re putting way too much trust into somepony we just met.” “Twi? Come on, she’s a friend. Yeah, we don’t know her that well, but you felt the same way about Zecora when we met her.” Spike’s eyes seemed to narrow and his tone grew a bit more harsh. “Or maybe this has less to do with her as a friend and more because she’s not a pony.” Twilight looked as though she’d been slapped across the face, horrified at the accusation. “Spike, how can you think that?! You know I will nev-” Spike held up his hand immediately cutting her off mid sentence. “I know you wouldn’t but it just feels like it. Heck, I’m still scared about how everypony is gonna treat me now that I look like this. Even Mom and Dad, Shiny and Cadence.” Spike let out a sniff from the thought until Twilight hugged him close. “Oh Spike, I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable,” Twilight sobbed lightly as the pair hugged in silence for a moment, only to be disturbed by the sound of the doorknob turning. Once the door opened, it was revealed to be Rarity entering the house. “Hello Darlings, am I interrupting something?” They both clear their throat trying to speak as they quickly separated from their embrace.. “Oh, nothing Rarity we were just having a talk is all.” Spike clears his throat and puts on his sheathe. “Anyway, I need to go speak with Sapphire. Sorry we can’t chat right now Rarity, I’ll see you in a bit.” In mere seconds Spike was out the door before Rarity could get a word in, the fashionista only finally speaking once he was long gone. Her voice almost immediately broke into a shriek as she got up into Twilight’s face, looking positively livid. “TWILIGHT? Why in Celestia’s name is Spike going out to meet with that….delinquent? Aren’t you the least bit concerned?” Despite Rarity’s rather bombastic response, Twilight was quick to straighten herself out and speak calmly to her rather…loud friend. “Well, Spike was planning to go to Zecora’s hut and wants Sapphire to come along. Apparently, he’s been having some…bad nightmares and headaches. He’s hoping Zecora might have some kind of treatment available.” Rarity seemed to simmer down somewhat, though still didn’t look satisfied. “Well, surely he could do that without having her along. I mean really, why is he acting so attached to her.” Seeing she’d need to provide more context, Twilight quickly added the concerns Spike had revealed to her and Rarity reacted as one would expect her to. “Oh dear poor Spikey-Wikey. To think he’d fear such a thing happening…and perhaps on some level my own hostility didn’t paint the best picture.” Rarity almost looked ashamed and Twilight wondered if she’d bring out her signature fainting couch, but the alabaster unicorn refrained. “Well, then I feel it only prudent that I accompany you as well, to reassure Spike that he has no reason to believe our feelings towards him have changed.” That got Twilight to perk up a little, happy that her friend was so quick to adjust her mindset if it meant helping Spike. Now all they really needed to focus on was approaching Zecora and hopefully resolving the issues with Spike’s headaches. -Elsewhere- At a lonely road across, a carriage with no mounts roamed the sandy planes of the badlands. Inside were Lyon and Stein who remained quiet as their driver guided them to their location. As they continued to ride on, both individuals twitched, with Stein turning ever so slightly to the front of the carriage. “Sir, I think we have company.” Pulling back the curtain in the carriage, revealed multiple changelings ahead of them, already aiming their horns, looking utterly ravenous and ready for a fight. Lyon merely let out a bored sight and waved the matter off without a care. “Stein…take care of them.” Stein let out a big grin ready to step out of the window. “But don’t kill them.” Stein let out a groan from the orders before he stepped out of the carriage. Once outside his grin returned in full as he cracked his knuckles. “You better give me a good fight!” The horde hissed and charged forward, intent on goring him with their horns. Stein smirked however, grabbing the nearest one by its horn before reeling back and punching it square in the face. The poor bug flew backwards at high speed, crashing into several more before slamming into the ground, bits of green blood dripping from his lips. That attack managed to stop about five changelings, leaving around ten or so remaining, of whom appeared hesitant to attack him, all to Stein’s annoyance. “Really, all that and you back off already. Geez, you really are a bunch of cowardly bugs aren’t you? Then again what should I expect from a bunch of sentient cockroaches.” That seemed to rile them up some, with them quickly changing tactics. Immediately they started changing into several larger creatures including a Cragadile, a Manticore, and various other beasts. Stein’s grin returned, looking more excited than before. “Oh, now we’re talking. Finally getting serious I see. Perfect.” The Kobold looked ready to start, only for a voice in the carriage to stop him. “Stein, we have a schedule to keep, stop dragging this out and end it already.” Lyon’s demand made Stein groan again as his fun was spoiled. “Well damn, guess I need to cut this short. Too bad.” With little warning or prompt, he opened his mouth wide and to the shock of the various changelings, magic started to form and condense in his mouth, growing brighter and louder with each nanosecond. None of the changelings had time to react before the beam was fired, crashing into the lot of them. In a single flash, the small horde had reverted back to their original forms, bodies charred even blacker than before. All around various groans and cries of pain were the only indication they were still alive. Stein, seeing his work finished, exhaled a stream of smoke from his mouth, still looking more than a little miffed. “Well, that was disappointing, but guess you can’t expect too much from a bunch of bugs.” Shrugging his shoulders he started to head back to the carriage, only for a loud burst of fire to get him to turn around. “You dare trespass into my lands.” Stein looked at the flames with interest and excitement as a larger female changeling walked out of the flames. “You’re certainly a reckless reprobate, but now, not only have you trespassed, but have also attacked my subordinates. I can’t allow that to stand.” With this new opponent Stein looked eager to fight, only for a paw on his shoulder to get him to back off, Lyon having appeared behind him before approaching the changeling. “I suppose some apologies are in order, though there is something of interest in your lands and I’m afraid I must insist on us acquiring it,” He said showing no interest to the attacker. “Whether or not we have your consent is, I’m afraid, not really a concern of ours.” The attacker grinded her teeth angry at the disrespect. “You dare insult me! I am Queen Chrysalis, ruler of all Changelings and sovereign of these lands! You will pay for your insolence!” Behind the queen a massive swarm of changelings appeared before them, surrounding them. Chrysalis quickly started to laugh, thinking she had claimed victory. However, her laughing quickly halted when she looked upon her targets. Shockingly, despite the now massive horde before him, Lyon didn’t look worried, instead he looked up towards the sky. Amidst the dark clouds with a single snowflake fell, depositing itself on the arid landscape, all of which was unnoticed by the Queen. “Now! I wi-” Her words were stopped cold…literally as in a single flash of an instant, her entire army was encased in ice. The Queen of the Changelings looked on with shock and horror as the entire area that had once been little more than rock and sand, was now completely blanketed in snow, whilst her many warriors and subordinates were trapped in massive prisons of ice. Equally shocking, her own hooves were frozen to the ground along with her wings, preventing her from escaping. Thankfully at least her head and torso were still free, though that was of little consequence given the display she’d just witnessed. Her eyes could barely contain her shock as they shifted to the two strangers before her. . “What…what is this?” No answer came to her, at least not a verbal one. Instead, the sound of footsteps drew her and the others eyes to a small creature approaching. Lyon himself smirked as he saw the creature step forward, revealing a pure white, female kobold. Her eyes were almost the color of ice, matched by her equally cold expression. She wore a uniform with the Iron Claws logo. “So you finally arrived, Dima!” Lyon said to her. The aforementioned Dima responded with a small yawn, barely acknowledging the question. “You!” She turned her attention to a very angry Chrysalis. “You dare insult me in this battle! I will take y-” She was interrupted by a punch to the head, knocking her out, leaving her head hanging limply as she stood literally frozen in place. Another female kobold was in front of them as she had beige fur with brown hair. She wore the same uniform as Dima. “Captain.” She saluted Lyon who grinned at the result. “Lieutenant Swift. He said acknowledging the kobold. We got a job to do…now let's go and bag that wanker.” As Chrysalis's eyes managed to open as witnessing her frozen kingdom, she stared at the four Kobolds wondering what monsters arrived to Equestria. Rizen Chapter 7Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 8Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 1Author's Note Thank you Zuruppi for the beautiful art. Link to their DeviantArt is here https://www.deviantart.com/nozomi180 Also thank you The Fan Without A Face for the edit! Chapter 1 Chapter 1 “Your curiosity is your growth point. Always.” — Danielle LaPorte As the early morning rose above Equestria, Celestia's rose above the small town of Ponyville. The sun rose above the Golden Oaks Library. The sun's light beam went through the window curtain, hitting a sleeping baby dragon named Spike the dragon in the face. The dragon groan from the sunlight, he didn't like to be awake this way. His claws reached for his pillow covering his face. "Spike." A voice cried out to him which continues to make him groan even more. "5 more minutes," He groaned only to have the pillow pulled off of him. Spike open to see Twilight who looked at him with a big smile. "Spike it's morning, you know it's bad for you to sleep longer." Spike groan while his body rose up from his basket, his claws gently rubbing his eyes. The small dragon yawned again while continue to be lazy. -Minutes later Spike simultaneously clean the library while continue to speak to Twilight, even though they been doing the same exact thing for months. Twilight hummed a tune which made Spike relax. He couldn't think of a better life than this, while they were finishing their chores, the doorbell rang with a large silhouette on top of him. The little dragon let out some blinks thinking he was still tired or dreaming yet the moment he turned around was the princess of the day and night. "Princesses!" Spike shouted with the company of Twilight who gasped. "She's her-argh!" Twight who was organizing the ladder fell off only to have her fall interrupted with a golden aura around her body. Celestia chuckled as she placed Twilight next to Spike. "Twilight I warn you many times to pay attention to your surroundings, you had a similar incident with my own studies when you were just a foal." The little dragon snicker with the lavender unicorn blushing from embarrassment. "Princess! You promise you won't tell anypony!" Twilight shouted at Celestia in the company of Luna who let out a snicker as well. holding in to what could be a big laugh. Twilight sank onto the floor almost acting like a foal, until now something landed onto her face which caught her attention. It was a scroll. "What is this?" Twilight used her magic to levitate the scroll immediately her eyes widened. The princesses smiled seeing Twilight already excited while Spike on the other hoof looked confused. "What's going on? Twilight?" Spike observes them letting his voice be heard. Twilight faced the confused dragon revealing the news. "Spike! The princess just informed me that they found a temple here near Ponyville!" She just squealed from what knowledge she could learn. Spike let out a smile excited for the news but something felt odd. "Wait, if you had the scroll why didn't you send it to me? I could have given Twilight the scroll earlier." Spike realized since it could have been easier. "Wouldn't thou ruin the surprise if thou informed her dear Spike?" Luna spoke with Celestia horn began to light up. Spike one the other hoof was confused for what Luna said. It's been months since Luna returned yet He still doesn't understand her. "I will teleport us to the temple. My researchers will arrive soon, they won't seem to mind if we observe it without them." Celestia teleported all of them to the location. The temple on the outside was massive enough for it's size, it was even larger than Ponyville. The temple was inside the deeper parts of the dangerous Everfree Forest. Twilight and Spike took one step awwed by the temple. "This looks so cool!" The dragon said. "This temple is massive! How was this just found!" Twilight said with everypony and dragon heading inside. Inside the temple had a suit of armor stand which was covered by moss yet remained almost pristine yet was covered in dust. Spike ran to the armor stand, He gazed at the armor which looked so cool in his eyes, afterwards his attention was turned to the sword. It was large and bulking Spike reached out to it only to get levitated away from the stand. "Whoa Spike! That looks dangerous to touch." Twilight scolded him while the princesses observe the armor. The stand was odd. The mannequin on the stand stood on its two legs yet its entire body was fully covered. The princess looked at the armor while Twilight and Spike continued to see their surroundings. Everything was so intriguing, Twilight noticed that the temple writings were strange and unreadable not by the decay, it was an entirely new language to her. "This is an amazing discovery princess. I-" Twilight looked back seeing Princesses, their faces told another story. Twilight realized they looked worried. She refrains from asking more questions already worried about the princesses. They seem to be on edge as if something in this temple was bothering them. "Princess?" Twilight muttered as she paced back. Seeing their lighthearted attitudes change, "Twilight, I must ask you and Spike to leave, I don't think this is a safe space for the both of you." "B-but we just got here? Princess what is-" Celestia teeth grinded from Twilight's response. "Just do as I tell you Twilight!" Celestia rose her voice at her which frightened Twilight, she had never seen this side of Celestia before. "Sister!" Luna clamor back at Celestia from her outburst. Just when she was about to apologize for her sister's outburst, Twilight realized that Luna's eyes darted around her. "Where is young Spike?" She stated which immediately got her attention. She turned around to see that a certain dragon was missing. "What? Spike? Spike!" She cries out to the baby dragon. Luna stepped forward as the unicorn started to panic. "Twilight, thou shall search for the young Spike!" She stated while Celestia glared at Luna for the idea. "Luna, are you insane! You don't know what the temple has? They may have guardians!" Celestia beckon with her sister, Twilight scratching her head for what Celestia said. "Guardians? Princess, what are you talking about?" Twilight answered back at her." You know what's going on? If so,why keep this a secret?" Luna took one look at Twilight then to her sister. "Explain everything to her, thou can't keep it a secret anymore." Celestia nodded as the princess of the night opened her wings as she flew deeper inside the temple looking for the small dragon. ********* Spike explored the temple as he continued to inspect the armor stands. "This is so cool." Spike observed the area till a strange humming was heard. "What is that?" The dragon curiously dash to the humming, he was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. The dragon continues to follow the room. Spike took notice of his surroundings, He didn't notice that the statues in the temple began to shake, Spike entered a lone room by the corner. He sat on the pedestal. He couldn't believe that something so beautiful was still inside after all these years. Without any hesitation the dragon reached for it with his claws. Spike looked at the gem on the medallion, feeling a bit hungry he stuck his tongue out for a taste, immediately his tongue felt the gem his eyes open spitting out the taste from his mouth. It was revolting, disgusting. "That was disgusting!" The dragon kept shivering. He wanted to put it back however another thought came into his mind. "Maybe Rarity would love this! I better keep it safe then!" Spike put on the medallion until he felt something strange. He struggled to breathe. It felt like something was sucking his air. "Ugh! What's happening!" He felt his chest getting heavier with his heart pounding, he wasn't sure if he was imagining it, on the contrary it felt like chest beat around the same time his heart pounded. He wanted to cry out for help feeling so much pain. To his shock the top of his spike came off and landed right in front of him on the floor. ****** Luna flew past each pillar, realizing that the statue was awaking. The statues had a lion's body but a face of a pony, The princess of the night gasp just as the statue steps out of its pillar becoming unpetrified. "They must be drawn by Young Spike's presence!" Luna became more worried with the guardians now glaring at her, their white eyes turning red while letting out a hostile roar. Luna flapped her wings ready to fly past while the guardian charged at her, with massive size Luna was shocked for how fast it was. She launched herself towards the guardian raising its paw up ready to strike her. Luna quickly dash forward in her flight, nearly avoiding the attack. she felt the attack behind her gasping for how close it was. "The guardians are active, if they are awakened on this side of the temple then we must worry, young Spike must be in danger!" Luna rushed further to the temple, getting away from the guardian who was catching up behind her. Luna heard a loud groan coming in one of the temple door frames except that another guardian was near it. "We may make a promise to our sister and Twilight! Thou won't harm young Spike!" She shouted as she used her magic to launch a flash spell at the guardians blinding them. While the guardians were blinded Luna was already on the other side. "That was close! Thou must be a fool to go against them." She shuddered at the thought until she heard a loud groaning coming from the room. "Young Spike?" She flew towards the room seeing Spike on the ground. He looked in pain. She rushed towards him with so much worry, Just when she approached him a cage appeared out of nowhere locking her inside. She lights up her horn launching a powerful spell at the cage yet the spell did nothing to even crack or dent. "What is-" She turns to see Spike who seems to have blood around his head. Luna was now more frightened and concerned for the baby. Spike started to scream more as the side of his head began to push off by themself. Luna just stood there frightened with the sight of ears popping out,they looked floppy and had fur on them. Spike continued to cry beside Luna, with the only thing she could do was watch the dragon in pain. Seeing the ears never occurred to her knowledge as it was something she had never seen before. Her eyes widen until the princess observes another change to his body. Purple fur surrounded his body which made the dragon shriek from his surprising transformation that was happening to his eyes. "L-Luna?" The creature shakily groan towards the princess who looked frightened unaware that a mane was growing at the top of his head, a spot where his spike resided. The princess of the night body hardened, unable to move just for seeing his new appearance. Just then out of the blue the guardians crashed into the doorframe. Spike looked at them with his only response was a massive yell which was strong enough to shake the entire temple, even breaking a part of Luna's cage. The young dragon was in so much pain that he passed out from the amount of energy that screamed. His eyes closed to see what happened next. "Young Spike!" As the moment he passed out, Her voice was the only thing he heard until everything turned black a quiet.
Chapter 2Chapter 2 “Change is the only constant in life. One’s ability to adapt to those changes will determine your success in life.” -Benjamin Franklin The dragon’s eyes opened as he let out a groan feeling in pain. “Argh, Twilight wh-huh?!” Spike slowly stood, eyes gradually adjusting after his momentary nap. However, once his sight returned, he was left stunned and afraid at what he saw. He saw his claw which was almost like a paw, his scales were now purple fur and his claws were replaced with fingers. “This…this can’t be real. Just gotta wake myself up.” He quickly shook his head as hard as he could, hoping to jolt himself awake. As he shook something fell into his face. It felt, oddly soft..almost like a mane.. Spike started to breathe heavily as he noticed a mirror on top of a nearby dresser. His body immediately sprinted and climbed up the tall piece of furniture until his upper body was lifted above the top. A single glance was all he needed before gasping and nearly losing his grip. In place of his normal green spikes, he had long mane that reached to his back. Where once he had almost armored scales, now his body was covered in soft fur matching his previous color scheme. Oddly enough his face remained more or less unchanged, though that in turn caused him to briefly glance at the medallion hanging around his neck. “What even am I?” Spike muttered while returning back down, staring again at his transformed…paws, hands, what was he even supposed to call them now? He shook his head, already beginning to panic. Looking for some kind of a distraction, he finally became aware of his surroundings. He wasn’t in the Golden Oaks Library or even Ponyville for that matter, however he did know exactly where he was regardless.. Somehow, he was currently in one of Canterlot Castle’s guest rooms. “Canterlot? How did I get here? Why am I here? And where’s Twilight!?” He said as he took one step hearing a loud crack. The young dragon barely looked down at his feet before the floor collapsed. All Spike could do was scream as he fell for several seconds before landing hard on some of the fallen debris. Though the fall stung a bit, Spike was unharmed..physically anyway. The child’s eyes were darting in every direction with his heart pounding with each step he took. At the rate things were going, he was liable to have a panic attack. Thankfully, fate decided to be merciful as something seemed to grab his attention with the torches in the area being lit for some reason. Maybe somepony was here who could help him? “H-hello?” Spike called out with his voice cracking, as he slowly walked forward. With each pace the room started to grow brighter. The startled dragon carry on into the dark room, proceeding deeper till nearly ever square inch of the room was bathed in light. Spike froze, seeing the small room had a stand to what looked like a black tunic with white baggy pants. The boots, glove,and hat were placed beneath it. Looking closer, Spike also found an array of weapons from swords, axes and even crossbows in racks on the nearby walls. “What is this place?” Spike muttered. He advanced forward, eyeing a crystal in front of him. Spike’s stomach immediately growled upon seeing it. Part of him wanted to simply ignore it, all the comics he’d read screamed not to touch it. Yet, his growling stomach outmatched his mind and reached out. However, as his hand was about to touch it, Spike let out a scream falling back at the sight of a stranger appearing from the crystal. The strange figure seemingly manifested from the crystal’s light. Spike’s eyes widened as the image became gradually clearer until finally he could make it out. It was…like him. He had fur, fingers and a mane, though his color scheme was different, being more a mixture of orange and blue. Thankfully for Spike he didn’t seem hostile. “Hello, my name is Alistar Wilhelm. If you are seeing this….” WIlhelm froze for a bit until looking straight again. “It means that your realm is in danger. The gear and clothing you found were once mine, though sadly I am no longer here to use them. These are the only things that can save your realm from the coming disaster. Please, take them and use them to protect the world that I had come to love as much as I know you do now.” The crystal’s light vanished, leaving Spike with more than a few questions. What was that creature? Was that some kind of warning? How long ago was it made? Those and other questions were put aside as he looked to the aforementioned gear. “Okay, this whole situation is getting way out of hand. I should just find Twilight and hopefully she can figure this out.” However, his feet refused to move as he took another glance at the crystal. “But, he said the world was in danger and this stuff was the only way to save it.” He debated again, feeling his head start to hurt as he mentally weighed his options. “I mean, it won’t hurt if I try it on right?” Deciding to take the chance, Spike quickly put on the armor, surprisingly finding no issue despite what should’ve been a noticeable size difference.. Spike gazed at himself from the broken mirror from within. He felt…odd wearing it. Who was that creature,This Alistar Wilhelm. The name certainly didn’t sound like any he’d heard before. Was Spike like him now? This was all too much for him to deal with. The sound of voices in the distance broke his concentration, prompting him to hide behind a nearby chest and peak out enough to see. Two large figures stepped into the room, revealing them to be the princesses. “It’s Princess Celestia and Luna!” Spike jumped in joy, running towards them at the moment. However, his movement was halted as his body was lifted from the ground, coated in the familiar aura of Celestia’s magic, before he found himself slammed against a nearby wall. “Who are you and how did you get into this castle,” Celestia belt out, eyes glaring dangerously at the transformed dragon. “Sister stop!” Luna galloped towards her shoving her back which broke her concentration. She quickly flew towards Spike, eyeing him cautiously. Luna took one look at Spike’s attire during the time she gazed at his clothes. “Where did you get this?” She asked Spike who was petrified from Celestia’s outburst. Luna’s eyes softened somewhat as she saw his fear. “I-I’m sorry to frighten you young Spike. Your appearance caught us by surprise and that attire belonged to a good friend of ours.” Spike’s eyes again drifted to the crystal and the pieces started to fit together. “You mean Alistar WIlhelm?” Luna’s eyes widened when he said his name. “How did you know that name, dear Spike?” Luna questions him while Spike moved towards the crystal and touched it again. The figure appeared again as both Princesses gasp. “Alistar?” Luna's voice cracked as she approached the figure. Her eyes scanned Alistar with tears dripping down her face. It means that your realm is in danger. This gear and clothing you found were once mine, though sadly I am no longer here to use them. These are the only things that can save your realm from the coming disaster. Please, take them and use them to protect the world that I had come to love as much as I know you do now. While Alistar vanished Luna looked at Celestia. “Tia, He never had that many scars when I last saw him. How long ago was that image?” Celestia stepped forward as she clears her throat clearly out what tears that she choking on. “W-with the way he was dressed,and looked. That was about maybe 200 years ago. Exactly the last time I saw him.” “A time after my banishment.” That answered one question, but left them with another issue. Namely the confused child standing just next to them. “Princess, what am I? I have fur and a mane like your friend. Dragon’s don’t have that!” Spike started to panic, unable to calm down. “Spike.” “What will the girls think? What will Ponyvile think! Even the Crystal Empire wouldn’t think I’m me!” Quickly, Luna draped her wings around him, calming him down. “Spike, I understand your confusion. We will do our best to answer your questions.” “Then what am I?” Celestia finally decided to speak again and answer the question. “You are a kobold.” Spike’s ears perk up. “A what?” “A kobold, Spike, your current race is not native to Equestria. WIlhelm told us that your race is from another world called Obelisk. A land that cannot be reached, even through our magical means.” Spike reached his pocket pulling out a small paper revealing the dragon code he had. “So I wasn’t a dragon?” Spike said, tearing it up. “Spike.” Luna felt sorry for the child. “So what am I now? Spike the Kobold? I’m just supposed to accept this and move on?” Spike said, unable to hold in his tears. “Before we can do anything we must inform Twilight.” Spike’s eyes widen from the mere mention of her name. “N-no! Anypony but her!” “Spike, she's been worried ever since you arrived in Canterlot.” Celestia noted Spike who looked more afraid. “I know! Twilight gets super protective of me! I even get nightmares.” Spike’s eyes again turned to his reflection, flinching at the stranger that looked back. “But I just can’t let her see me like this, not yet.” Celestia looked at Luna who nodded. “The young dragon speaks the truth dear sister. Perhaps if thou brings him to the cause of this mishap, we may uncover more.” “Luna, you wish for Spike to return to the temple?” “Yes dear sister. If thou give us permission to?” Spike waited as he realized that WIlhelm’s sword was near the clothing. He quickly bolted to the stand at the moment Luna turned around, watching him closely. “Spike, given the situation we will allow you to hold onto those weapons. However, please be careful and only use it in an emergency. It is very dangerous.” “Right!” Spike placed the strap sheath on with the sword within it. He quickly followed with the crossbow, mounting it on his back. Though as he went to grab it, he noticed the strange metal pipes on the front of the weapon. “What are these?” Celestia gasped as she levitated Spike to Luna’s back, who in turn wrapped her own aura around the weapon. “Do not touch those Spike! Those weapons are beyond dangerous!” Celestia warned him with even Luna shocked from her outburst. “Do not touch them unless it is absolutely necessary understand?” Spike could only nod slowly, terrified of setting off the Princess again. “Then we should be off!” Luna took off to the air not wanting this to be even more awkward. leaving Celestia alone. “Why? Why must this monstrous instrument be here!” She showed her disdain for them as she and her sister took off. ******* In Ponyville Twilight was on the balcony in the Golden Oaks Library. Unable to calm down upon hearing that Spike was hurt. “Spike please be safe.” Twilight muttered while watching the castle from afar, unaware of the events that had already been set in motion.
Chapter 4A stone column stood just beyond the temple, adorned with a sizable stone ring. Yet, the heart of this circular stone formation commenced emitting a resounding hum. In a matter of moments, a portal crackled into existence, unveiling Sapphire's graceful entrance into the realm of Equestria. Her gaze swept across the woodland, cautiously surveying her surroundings. "Ah, ze presence of a Cullis Gate 'ere, let alone a functional one, still manages to surprise me," Sapphire remarked, her words accompanied by a low growl that caught her attention. Emerging from the underbrush nearby, at least three Timberwolves manifested before her, assuming aggressive stances. "I don't 'ave time for you," she uttered as the Timberwolves were poised to lunge at her. With the incoming creatures leaping into the air, she displayed no concern, opting to close her eyes. Suddenly, the Timberwolves were obliterated by an immense force that seemingly materialized out of thin air, leaving behind a heap of splintered wood and fragments. Sapphire let out a yawn as she casually walked outside. The female kobold strolled over to the entrance of the temple, where a conspicuous large hole now adorned the floor. "Fascinating, no? Perhaps they are in th—" Sapphire's words were interrupted as she sensed another presence. Two subtle magical auras lingered nearby. Taking a few steps closer to the hole, she peered downward, discovering that the guardians remained alert. The sight prompted her to emit a sharp whistle instinctively. Almost instantly, the guardian reacted, whirling around and began charging at her in an instant. Once again despite the danger advancing on her, Sapphire was utterly unfazed, waiting for them to get close. Their claws were mere inches from slashing her body, only for them to suddenly drop to the ground, cut off at the forearm by some unknown force.. Sapphire just stared blankly at them as they fell close to her. The now disarmed guardians took a step back, unable to fight and only growl in frustration as Sapphire casually walked past them and into the room with the Princesses, who immediately became aware of her presence.. “Celestia! There’s another one of them!” Luna said, only to receive no response from Celestia. Sapphire, unbothered by Luna’s announcement, calmly approached the unconscious Celestia before flipping her to her back with ease. “Do not lay a hoof on her!” Even without looking Sapphire could feel Luna’s hostility as she opened her coat to pull out a small vial. Quickly uncorking the top, she placed the vial in her mouth helping Celestia drink it, much to the still staring at Luna's rage. However, the Princess of the Night’s eyes widened upon seeing Celestia’s wounds healing before her eyes. Sapphire, once making sure Celestia’s wounds were healed and her breathing steadied, she gently placed the ruler’s head down before pulling out another vial that she held out to Luna. Still stunned and confused, all Luna could do was watch the female Kobold momentarily turn away from them as she was already leaving. “Wait? Why art thou helping us?” Sapphire didn’t reply, leaving the pair behind. As she walked out the way she came she noted, that the Guardian’s arms were beginning to reform, yet made no attempt to quicken her pace. With casual ease, she walked towards the hole in the floor, before jumping straight down. ***** Twilight and Spike kept running, evading large magical projectiles that soared toward their position. The fearful pony and the transformed kobold sought refuge behind a row of pillars. "What in is that?" Twilight whispered, her voice barely audible, while Spike cautiously peeked out. “Th-that is the one who attacked the princesses.” Spike gasped, barely able to process this information as another hostile kobold appeared out of the sky, landing directly atop the pillar. “And now he’s on top of us!” Twilight exclaimed as the kobold opened his palm ready to kill both of them. With zero hesitation, the kobold charged an orb of magic energy in his palm before hurling it at the frightened pair. As the impending blast drew near, Twilight and Spike involuntarily let out startled screams. However, before the collision could occur, something deflected the blast, causing it to veer off course. The redirected energy struck another pillar with immense force, obliterating it completely. The duo stood in stunned silence, their expressions reflecting a mix of astonishment and shock. "That could have been us?" They muttered in fear. The eyes turn their attention to seeing another kobold in front of them. The stranger looked at the male kobold as she removed her coat and hat. She pulled out something from her pocket as she began to tie a bow to her hair. "Mutig." Sapphire said to the kobold which seemed to get his attention. The creature growled from the mention of the strange word, immediately charging at her with his fist reeled back. Sapphire raised her paw up grabbing his punch which seems to create a large collision causing the cave to rumble from the unforeseen force. "Whoa!" Spike's eyes widened as Sapphire confronted them, and he couldn't help but acknowledge her incredible strength. Now that he had a chance to observe her more closely, he found himself struck by her beauty as well. A crimson blush tinged his cheeks, and he found it difficult to divert his gaze from her. "Wux jiil rigluin ekess jaseve jaka!" She shouted at them with the same language the male spoke. Spike looked utterly bewildered by her words, clearly not understanding their meaning. "Go…now." A strange voice spoke as Spike didn't think twice. "Come on Twilight, we need to go!" Spike shouted as he grabbed her hoof leading her away from the fight. Sapphire smiled as she launched a kick at the kobold, apparently named Mutig, which launched him to another pillar. Mutig's mask begins to shatter, which he quickly tore it off, revealing an orange fur covered face. His green eyes glared at Sapphire. Even as he was running Spike looked back as he saw them unleashing powerful spells at each other. He didn’t know why he kept staring. The way the fight made his blood boil for some unkown reason. “Spike! Come on, we need to go!” Spike didn’t reply as he continued to gaze almost like he was stuck in a trance. "Spike! Spike!" Twilight's cries persisted as Mutig took a forceful kick to the face, sending him hurtling backward against the wall. Mutig's frustration grew as he found himself consistently overpowered by Sapphire. In a surge of anger, the determined soldier's expression twisted into a grimace. His attention snapped towards Spike and Twilight, and an unsettling grin formed across his face. His mouth stretched wide open as he revealed a disturbing display. Suddenly, the ground itself began to tremble, shuddering under the weight of an impending force. A foreboding dark aura enveloped Mutig, intensifying the air of danger around him. “What!?” Sapphire saw a blast headed towards them at quick speed. The former dragon shook his head seeing the bright light. Spike let out a frightening scream with the blast nearly missing them. As the ground beneath them started to crumble, Spike and Twilight found themselves on a collapsing floor. Reacting swiftly, Spike managed to seize hold of the ledge, using one arm to support Twilight as she dangled precariously beside him. “Spike!?” Twilight shouted as he let out some grunts from the weight. He felt his arms shaking, unable to hang on for much longer. He tried to fling Twilight up to safety but couldn’t. He could feel his strength quickly draining. “Twilight I can’t hang on much longer!” Spike shouted, not wanting to look down. All Twilight could do was watch Spike desperately try to save them both by holding on for dear life. Twilight horn lit up, attempting to use her magic to help, only to look horrified as the magic quickly dispersed. The small part of the temple Spike was holding on begins to crack. Sapphire just watched seeing the two desperately clinging to life. Before she did anything she remembers the words. “If you fail this objective you will be on the watchlist for life. That's enough incentive for you?” Sapphire observed the dire situation, drawing in a deep breath as she assessed the unfolding events. Meanwhile, Mutig's attention was locked onto the female Kobold. Charging forward with a blade gripped tightly, he raised his arms, poised for a lethal strike. However, Sapphire's eyes began to emit a radiant glow as a rune materialized beneath her. A clock-like symbol took form, and her gaze remained fixed on Mutig. As the blade neared her face, her only response was unwavering glare, causing the blade to halt just inches from her skin. “Twilight I ca-” Spike's eyes widened as he lost his grip with the two letting out a panicked scream, only for them to soon realize that neither moved a single inch. Their fall was halted as Sapphire reached Mutig’s pocket grabbing what looked like a coin-like medallion. She kept holding her breath as she jumped towards both Spike and Twilight, grabbing them both with her tail before lifting them to a safety. She exhales as the two screamed while they landed on the floor. Sapphire begins to pant while the two looked confused. “What the? How are we even here?” Twilight said as Spike approached Sapphire. “Did you-” “Argh!” They all looked at Mutig who struck the ground. He searched around until saw Sapphire who was waving the coin with a smirk right before flipping it in the air, catching it in her paw. “Svabol!?” He angrily responded, seeing Sapphire. His arms shook as his anger continued to grow. “Si geou xurwk wux xikin! si geou amid wux shio!” Mutig looked at the ground they were on. He noticed the water behind them as he let out a laugh as the water rose up and became two large water bubbles. “Jaka trian di wux xikin mrith dout tobor!" Sapphire’s eyes widened as the bubbled collided with her as she was unable to remove the bubble. Spike froze seeing the bubble rushing towards him. “Spike!” Twilight galloped towards him pushing him away as the bubble wrapped around her. “No! Twilight!” Spike begins to panic while they were lifted up from Mutig’s magic. All Spike could do was watch as they were suspended in the air. Spike's heart pounded unsure what to do. “Do something.” “What?” Spike heard the voice again as he saw Twilight began to drown struggling in the water. “Do it or she will die Kobold!” Spike didn’t know what the voice said as he saw that metal crossbow again, likely belonging to the female kobold. He noticed that it fired what looked like an explosive. Spike rushed to grab it remembering how he held it, yet its considerable weight made it unwieldy. Sapphire could see he was struggling with it as she used some part of her magic to lift it up forcing his claws to press the trigger. Mutig’s eyes widened, unable to react, seeing the metal projectile fly towards his chest before colliding. Twilight and Sapphire’s bubbles popped instantly. Mutig stumbled backwards grabbing at his chest in tremendous pain. Spike, still stunned by what happened, only looked on with wide eyes as the kobold glared at him. “You…you!” He opened his palm as he blasted a large wind spell at Spike launching him back to the wall hitting head first. “Spike!” Twilight cried out as Spike's body fell to the ground blacking out. “Hehehe you will do.” The voice said to Spike before falling unconscious. Mutig reached for his headset, turning it on as he was smirking at them. Sapphire walked towards him as she pulled out a small metal crossbow, she aimed it at Mutig. “He he he. Go ahead and do it.” Sapphire heard him as he panted loudly. "Yeur a traitor." Sapphire explained to him which made the kobold laugh. “Traitor? Me? The one who’s gonna die is you. I didn’t betray anyone. I…..I found what they were looking for.” Twilight just watched, unable to know what they were saying. They were speaking another language. “My captain has been hearing everything. Have you noticed the headset I am wearing? Hehehe!” Sapphire's eyes widened as she saw it. “You and this realm are as good as de-” A loud bang was heard causing Twilight to jump. Sapphire threw the crossbow, feeling used. She reached for her pocket pulling out the Coin. Elsewhere…. In a land far away two figures sat in a campfire as they waited for a result. A kobold who was almost the same height as the princess looked about a few years older than Spike, he growled from the result. He had brown fur with darker brown hair. He glared at fire with his blue eyes. “Damn that Mutig! Got him himself killed.” “Serves him right. Pathetic. If he can’t even handle one mercenary.” Beside him was a smaller Kobold wearing a uniform, unlike the kobolds. He looked the same age as Spike. With black mid-length hair with beige fur. He even seems to have frightening red eyes, which almost seemed to shine as he took a bite from his ration while sitting on a stump. “So what now? Do we put this extermination on hold and head towards that realm?” The small kobold chewed on his ration again as he threw the box onto the floor. “That we should, but we got a job to do. It’s gonna be another boring job. But something caught my attention.” The teenage kobold eyebrows rose up. “What is it? Did that mercenary catch your eye Lyon?” The small kobold who’s name was Lyon stood up, took some small steps and stared at the sky. “The one kobold, what was his name? Spyke? He looked to have lived there all his life. We can use him just to find the rest of the temple Stein.Woudn’t you say that is worth a little trip?” Stein gave it some thought as he closed his fist giving a sadistic smile. “Yeah I like it! Count me in! Hahaha!” Author's Note Thank you for the works of the artist and editors. Zuruppi-Nozomi180 - Hobbyist, Digital Artist | DeviantArt Carmillprinn-Carmillprinn User Profile | DeviantArt Also thank you The Fan Without A Face for the edit!
Chapter 5Spike groaned, feeling arguably the worst headache he’d ever experienced threatening to knock him back out. Giving himself a few seconds for the pain to subside, he was able to open his eyes and finally look around. “Wha? Wha happened?” Spike moaned as he sat up, seeing a castle immediately in front of him. His vision was still a tad blurry so he couldn’t make out all the details. Also didn’t help that there were numerous wisps of smoke drifting around it. The former drake barely had a moment to question the sight before the door shot open as a black figure bolted out, charging at him. “No! No-no-no! Get away from me!” He shouted, finally jolted awake by the sudden attack, only to headbutt a nearby Twilight. “Ow!” They both cried out in pain while rubbing their heads, Twilight especially as Spike had collided with her horn, while Sapphire just watched in confusion. “"I mi filiikir nomeno gewjle luh di dout nesim?” Spike and Twilight quickly turn to her with confused looks. “What?” Spike eyebrows rose for what she said, briefly wondering if he was concussed from the impact. “I jahus yentair ui nomeno luh di dout nesimi persvek nomeno grikor?" She spoke again in the same foreign language, and by that point could see the confusion on their faces. “Uh, Twilight, did you understand a word of that? Cause I honestly think I have a concussion.” Spike asked, while rubbing his still sore head and fearing his mental state. “No Spike, I’m hearing it the same as you, unless I’m concussed too.” Twilight quickly did a quick check of all her mental facilities and quickly determined everything was working fine. “Okay, well good news is neither one of us are hearing things. Seems most likely she’s speaking in a language neither of us has heard before.” With the problem now identified, her mind immediately tried to cross reference the sounds spoken with various other languages she’d studied in her life…which was a lot. However, right as she was going over the fifth version of Ancient Ponish, the sound of something being pushed repeatedly got her attention. Her head quickly turned to Spike, not busy trying and failing to push the long mane of hair he now found in his face . “Seriously, how do you mares get around with this much hair? It keeps getting in my eyes.” Twilight almost sputtered out laughing at the sight, her prior train of thought momentarily derailed. “Well your hair looks longer Spike, if we have to we can have it cut later. Still…” Both of their eyes drifted to Mutig on the floor, and also Sapphire standing before them. “We need to figure out what exactly we’re gonna do with him…which hopefully our other friend here can explain, once we figure out what she’s trying to say to us.” Twilight’s mind quickly returned back to trying to decipher the stranger’s unusual language, while Spike opted to try and gleam something from their captive. Taking a few cautious steps forward, he quickly gasped when he got close. He saw Mutig’s eyes were blank, with red liquid dripping from his mouth. Immediately his body started to shake as he recalled a similar looking liquid coming out of his body not too long ago. “Red water? What….what is this?” Spike asked out loud, causing Twilight to look in his direction and Sapphire to finally try speaking again. "Bloohd." Spike and Twilight eyes widen hearing Sapphire speak. “Eet's called bloohd. We all 'ave eet.” Everything was quiet when Twilight broke the silence. “Wait, you can speak our language?” Twilight spoke aloud, needing her brain a moment to reboot, before focusing on the more pressing issue. “Who are you? What was that…creature try-” “We are called Kobolds.” Sapphire interrupted them. “Zat kobold was named Mutig. I was ‘ired to find and keel him. Apparently he was informed of anuzzer objective. He was waiting for me to do zee same. In zee end I was ‘unted for zee Draxich Di Ileisgar.” As she explained Spike and Twilight were confused again as she groaned. “How do you not know about this? You're a Kobold too!” She said to Spike, who simply just sighed and dragged his hand down his face.. “Well, looks like the princesses were right. I am a kobold.” Spike eyes widen for finally remembering something. “Oh my goodness the princesses! I completely forgot about them!” At the mention of the royals, Twilight seemed to come to the same realization and let out a scream. Both quickly forgot about the stranger in front of them and quickly turned and ran in the last known direction of the princesses, leaving Sapphire alone. The mercenary just stood in silence for a minute, seemingly waiting to see if perhaps either would return. When that clearly wasn’t going to happen, she turned her attention back to the dead body in the room. “Whelp, wonder if you have anything useful now that I'm stuck here.” She said as she grabbed the body, her cheeks puffing out and turning red with exertion as she started to drag the body. “What in 'ell do zey feed zese soldiers?” Sapphire shouted as she dragged the body to the surface. Further into the temple, Spike and Twilight ran past the guardians, barely a hint of concern present in either of them as they neared the entrance. “Twilight is that you!?” They heard Princess Celestia’s voice in the entrance way, causing the pair to quickly pick up speed.. “Princess!” Twilight shouted, feeling a sense of relief as she quickly spotted her mentor trying to wave them over. However, as they started to slow down, Celestia’s expression turned grim and her horn immediately lit up. Both Twilight and Spike were encased in her golden aura and pulled quickly to her side, the Princess glaring angrily in the direction they came from. Twilight and Spike were finally able to turn around and saw it was Sapphire she was leering at, the creature in question still dragging Mutig’s body. Once both Twilight and Spike were behind her, Celestia released her hold and quickly began charging up an attack. However, Luna quickly used her wing to block her sister’s line of fire. “Sister, don't! Remember she was the reason why we were saved!” Luna spoke firmly, trying to talk her sister down. Celestia continued to stare at her then looked at the body she saw, which only caused her still glowing horn to shine brighter. Seeing her sister wouldn’t lower her guard, Luna opted to be the mediator. “Tell me, did you defeat him?” Luna asked Sapphire while Celestia continued to give her a hostile aura. Sapphire remained quiet as she dropped the body. With Mutig more visible to the others, Celestia was able to get a good look at him and looked perplexed. “This is different. Their clothing and weapons don’t match anything I’ve seen before.” She said while inspecting the emblem on his armor. It was the only one that didn’t change. “Sister?” Celestia shifted her attention to Luna who had a look of concern. “Have you encountered this before?” Luna asked while Celestia looked away, finally depowering her spell, allowing Sapphire to let loose a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. The sight of Celestia suddenly going quiet left both Spike and Twilight more than a little concerned, while Luna looked more curious and suspicious. As all this was going on, Sapphire simply watched, curious to see how things played out, only to be put on alert when she felt something. Quickly, she pulled out her metal crossbow which was smaller as she began to fire at the trees just outside the temple entrance. The sudden shooting quickly jostled the others, with Celestia and Luna being on guard while Twilight stood protectively in front of Spike. After a minute or two Sapphire stopped firing, only to have her weapon immediately slapped out of her hands by Celestia, looking positively livid at the Kobold. “Are you mad! What was the point of firing near us!” Sapphire, unfazed by the sudden strike, looked at the alicorn as she slowly picked up her weapon. A sudden sensation coursed through Spike’s body as he looked to the trees. Listening closely, he could hear a faint rustling causing his eyes to widen. Immediately he pointed in the direction of the sound. “Look out, they’re in the trees!” Spike shouted, causing Sapphire to immediately point in the direction indicated and open fire. Everypony and Spike covered their ears ready to hear the bang only to hear a click, followed by what sounded like fleeing feet. Sapphire quickly reloaded her weapon and pointed again, awaiting some sign of movement or attack. When none came, she finally lowered her weapon with a sigh. "Guess zat was zee scout. Turned tail and ran zee second zings got bad." Sapphire mused and placed her weapon into her pouch. The others looked grateful for the assist and signal that things were calm for the moment, however, one pony was left with another quandary. "Spike, how did you know somepony was there?" Twilight asked, with the transformed kobloid scratching his head in confusion. "I don't know. It just felt..I-I- I felt them." Spike thought as his stomach growled loudly. A chain reaction seemed to start as Celestia, Luna and Twilight made similar noises. “Perhaps a temporary retreat is in order. I doubt we’d accomplish much while starving.” Luna posed, trying not to blush at her loud stomach. “Agreed, we’ll reconvene at Canterlot, go over what we know and hopefully formulate a better plan.” Celestia nodded, mind briefly visualizing some cake she’d enjoy biting into. "Canterlot? Princess,what about Spike?" There was a pause among the group, the elephant now on full display. That being Spike’s new appearance and the potential impact it could cause. Even Celestia seemed to realize this, eyeing Spike somewhat apprehensively, which Luna quicked up on. "Sister." Luna's voice got Celestia's attention. "It isn't wise to keep him away from his friends. I'm sure they can watch them both." Celestia's eyes widened. "Both?! Even her?" Celestia all but pointed in the direction of the other kobold in the room. Sapphire remained quiet, unfazed from her voice or accusatory tone. "Sister, did you forget she helped us? If not for her we’d likely have perished in that temple. It is in our best judgment that we should thank her. The least we can do is offer her some level of trust" "Princess Celestia, she’s right." Twilight stepped forward defending the group’s savior. "Spike and I wouldn’t have made it out without her help." Spike nodded in agreement which made the kobold smirk, while Celestial resigned in defeat. "Very well, but she will be in your care Twilight. I don't like what is happening but we can’t deny one thing. The Iron Claws have arrived in Equestria." While this revelation was met with looks of confusion from Twilight and Spike, Sapphire’s eyebrows rose. "So they have arrived here before?" She asked Celestia, whose expression said all that was needed. "It's best we talked about this later." They decided to leave their location and quickly made for the exit. However, Spike halted when he felt something tapping his shoulder. Specifically it was Sapphire’s tail, and he quickly found a familiar looking weapon held out to him. "I'm guessing zis was yours." Spike almost instantly grabbed the sword with relief. "My sword!" Spike smiled, holding the weapon close for only a moment, before Twilight immediately ripped it out of his hands with her magic. "What, no, Spike this is-" She didn't realize that the sword had some weight, letting out a scream before faceplanting to the grassy ground. Spike had to bite back a laugh at Twilight’s impression of an ostrich, her head literally buried under the ground. “Uh, Twilight. Are you, okay?” With a couple of yanks, Twilight finally pulled her head free of the dirt, coughing up quite a bit, with Spike again fighting back a laugh at a small patch currently stuck to her horn. "Spike! How can you even….” Twilight paused a Spike pointed at her head, with her looking up and quickly removing the bit of soil stuck to her before resuming her question. “How can you pick this up! It’s so heavy!!!!" She cried out, trying to lift the sword with her magic to no success. Spike, confused, grabbed the sword and lifted it off the ground, holding it up as though it were a simple kitchen knife. "Uh, Twilight, it's not heavy." Spike replied, with his surrogate sister’s jaw dropping to the dirt while Sapphire laughed. "No surprise you can’t lift it. It's a very old blade. Think they were last issued 30 years ago." Luna’s ears perk up from the news. She turned her head towards Celestia. "30 years? You told me…" "We should be going, dear Twilight!" Celestia cut off Luna as she immediately teleported away from them. Twilight and Spike just looked confused while Sapphire just shook her head. "Seems she 'as secrets of 'er own." Despite wanting answers, the two just stayed quiet for the moment as they walked. Though the silence quickly proved maddening and Spike mustered the courage to speak. "You never told us your name. My name is Spike and this is Twilight. The two you met were Princess Celestia and Luna." Sapphire just looked at him only for her to hug him which caught him off guard. “So adorable!!! I never knew zee person who saved me was zis cute!!!!" She said as Spike let out a gag, unable to breathe from her deceptively strong grip. Mercifully it was brief, as she finally let him go, causing him to drop to the ground like a sack of potatoes. "My name is Sapphire Lapis Lazuli. But you may just call me Sapphire.” Her eyes seemed to scan over the smaller Kobold with curiosity. “Spike... never 'eard a name like zat before. I'm guessing you must be a Duster." "Wait, what's a Du-" Spike only got half way through asking before his stomach sounded off again. "Uh, maybe first can we get something to eat!" Spike blushed rather vibrantly and quickly picked up the pace, his hunger overpowering his curiosity. "Spike! Wait, you don't even know where you’re going!!" Twilight ran behind him as Sapphire just laughed at the situation she was in, following behind them while continuing to observe her surroundings. “Oh Sapphire, what did you get yourself into?” She muttered to herself as she followed them. The group proceeded on for a bit, walking in relative silence save for the occasional conversation here and there. Eventually they arrived in Ponyville, with Spike quickly hiding behind a tree. “I can’t believe I forgot, I can’t just walk into town! What will everypony think of me!” Spike shouted as Sapphire just chuckled seeing his reaction. “Spike it’s alright, I’m sure the girls will accept your new appearance, even the town ponies too. We have dealt with this kind of situation before.” Twilight smiled, mind drifting back to the group's less than friendly response to a certain zebra way back when. Spike just groans. Things had been a little awkward when he first showed up and was the only dragon in town. Granted, everypony treated him more like a fun curiosity than a monster. Now however, he had to deal with being something completely different. It was gonna be painfully awkward. And he immediately proved to be right. As the pair stepped forward they quickly attracted several stares from various ponies. Again they weren’t hostile or even scared glances, more akin to surprise, confusion and intrigue. However, this didn’t help Spike much, feeling so many eyes on him. Thus he quickly picked up speed towards Twilight’s castle, with the rest of the group. He quickly shut the doors and relaxed a little. Wordlessly he walked over to a nearby cupboard and pulled out a gem inside of it. “At least you don’t judge me.” Spike took a big bite only for his eyes to widen. Spike spat out the gem, while holding his jaw. “Waa!? Why can’t I bite into this?” Spike shouted as he continued to spat out. “Umm, Kobolds don’t eat gems, Spyke. Your jaws aren’t strong enough to break it.” Sapphire explained, with Spike looking utterly devastated as the gem slipped from his grasp. He began to breathe heavily, falling to his knees and placing his hands on his head. “This keeps getting worse! I can't even eat my favorite food, I used to be a dragon! What else can go wrong?” And as if Fate decided to play devil’s advocate, the front door opened. “Twilight!” He heard Rainbow’s voice along with multiple hoof steps. A series of gasps caused Spike to immediately turn around, all to the wide eyes of the remaining members of Twilight’s friend group, all looking at him in shock. Almost immediately, his eyes rolled back as fell to the ground. “SPIKE!?” -Hours later- Spike awoke as he felt something touching his head. He awoke, being immediately greeted by the blue eyes ofPinkie Pie. The transformed kobold almost immediately let out a shriek before leaping backwards into the wall. “Spike, darling, please calm down.” Spike heard Rarity's voice as he grabbed his hat to hide his face, mentally hoping the girls were simply a dream. “Spike, please look at us.” He felt a hoof touching his arms and pushing the hat up, causing him to finally look at the mares. His heart pounded seeing them up close. “Spike, it's okay. Please don’t cry.” Rarity said as she reached towards Spike's head stroking his hair. Rarity halted the first time as she felt his new grown hair. Momentarily getting over the shock, she found the strength to comfort the dra-the kobold. Spike felt calm from the touch as his ears folded up. “So Twilight, why does Spike look like that? And who is she?” Rainbow decided to ask the question on every pony’s mind while doing so in the least tactful manner. They looked at Sapphire who was by the wall unpacking some things. Twilight let out a sigh as she fully explained everything. The girls listened and gasped from what they heard. That Spike was a Kobold, both princesses being defeated and Sapphire saving them along with news of the ‘Iron Claws.’ “So we got new bad guys. Hmph! Well, we can take them on, right girls.” Rainbow Dash boasted as Twilight shook her head at her friend’s rather bold confidence. “Sapphire what was that device that kobold was using. You seem to have it as well.” Sapphire looked back as she pulled out the pipe crossbow. "Zis is called a firearm. Eet was an invention for warfare, of which zere are all kinds of variations." She quickly pulled out her other weapon, this one noticeably smaller than the crossbow. "Zis is called a pistol, small and compact. Eet fires small metal projectiles called bullets at 'igh speeds." The girls listen along with Spike who remembered the loud bang it caused. “So they were firing those bullets at us? That was the bang?” Sapphire nodded. As she removed the cartridge showing her the bullet. “Bullets are small, typically cylindrical and pointed, and contain a small amount of a compound that explodes when struck. Each bullet 'as different sizes and looks, depending on zee weapon itself." At the mention of that, Spike recalled the outburst from Celestia when he tried to touch it in Wilhelm’s cave. “Do not touch those Spike! Those weapons are beyond dangerous!” “She dealt with this before.” Spike shouted loudly. “Wilhelm wanted me to stop this!” Drawing the eyes of the others, Spike slowly started to piece together everything and once he could see the scope of what laid before him…felt his heart start to race. The girls quickly began to worry about Spike as they saw sweat start to form on his face and his hand reaching for his chest. Tears also started to form in his eyes and some of the group started to move to offer some comfort. However, before any could reach him, and Spike looked about ready to have a panic attack, the former drake felt a calm embrace. Looking up and blinking the tears from his eyes, he saw it was Sapphire who was hugging him as everypony was watching, while Rarity's eyes twitched. "Calm down. I know zings look bad. But you need to 'ave more confidence in yourself." Spike just looked at her feeling touched by what she said, feeling his heart rate start to slow again. The mood was ruined as Spike’s stomach growled loudly. “....So, what exactly does a kobold eat?” He asked her while she arose carrying him in her arms like a doll, the ponies in the room quickly following after. She placed him down as she took out a large box with a Iron Claws symbol. “Why do y-” Rarity stated asking only for Sapphire to cut her off. “It’s Mutig’s ration and besides he won’t be using this anymore.” Rarity looked positively repulsed at the idea, a sentiment shared by some. “That is barbaric! Stealing from a fallen individual is positively vile.” Sapphire ignores Rairty’s words as she begins to open the ration box. The box let out a loud hiss, opening revealing a large amount of food inside. “These are rations?!” Twilight shouted with shock seeing how much food was inside. The ration had a lot of layers of food, looking to have around thirty different types at a glance. Spike himself let out a gasp seeing a candy inside. “Oh, sweet chocolate.” Spike said, ripping the wrapper, which Twilight quickly grabbed. A quick glance showed it to be covered in some unknown language. Like with when Sapphire spoke initially, the language was completely foreign to Twilight, unable to decipher even a single symbol. As Twilight continued to try and make sense of the text, Spike was positively demolishing the rations, the pack not even lasting a few five minutes before it was empty. Spike let out a relaxed chuckle feeling satisfied from the eating with their friends who were shocked seeing the small kobold eat everything in a second. “Well, hot damn Spike. You just ate about 2 months worth of preserved food in five minutes.” Applejack said with amazement. Spike blushed a little, even he was shocked by how much he’d consumed, while Sapphire watched, unphased by the sight. “We kobolds are a warrior species. Our metabolism is quite fast.” Sapphire explained with Spike lifted himself up touching his hair. “Hey Rarity?” The white unicorn looked at Spike who was touching his hair. “Would it be okay if you cut my hair? Having it this long kinda makes walking difficult.” Rarity almost immediately let out a very loud squeal. “Of course darling, it would be my pleasure to give you your first haircut.” This made Spike smile as he took off his robe. “Don’t worry Spike, I can hold on to your robes.” Spike handed Twilight the robes as the moment her hoof touched them she instantly fell to the ground with a scream, her face again kissing the floor. “Twilight!” Spike quickly grabs the robe and pulls it away from Twilight, who was able to stand and now rubbing her visible sore nose. “Spike that robe is as heavy as your sword!” She all but shouted with disbelief. Applejack, curious, grabbed the robe, though due to her Earth Pony strength, was able to handle the weight without falling. Still, it was noticeable, even grabbing his hat felt as heavy as a full barrel of apples. . “Well ah be. She’s right! And yall never felt this sugarcube?” Spike just shook his head unaware of the weight of his attire or weaponry. Seemed like it was another quirk of being a Kobold. Putting that in the back of his mind for the moment, Spike sat on the ground while Rarity pulled out a pair of scissors. Sapphire just watches knowing what’s going to happen next. The scissor levitated above Spike’s head. Once the blades collided with Spike’s hair, the blades completely shattered, shocking everypony. Sapphire chuckled, pulling out a scissor of her own. She gently pushed Rarity away from Spike, the fashionista glared at her, noting how her scissors were bright and jeweled. “Probably goes without saying, but we Kobolds are a pretty tough species. We are built for battle, so our bodies are a lot stronger than you ponies, which includes our hair.” Shockingly, Sapphire’s scissor actually cut the hair, surprising all those watching. Sapphire continued to cut until she set it down and showed the small kobold a mirror as he looked at her with an approving look. “It’s amazing! Thank you!” Rarity’s heart sank, wanting the praise herself. Sapphire smiled as she hugged Spike again, unable to resist how cute he was. Rarity silently growls not to trust her.
Rizen chapter 6Author's Note Hello everyone. Thank you for waiting for the new chapter. Thank you to the talented Zuruppi and carmilprinn for their wonderful art. Rizen chapter 6 In the morning of Ponyville, a loud yell echoed through the town. Near Twilight’s library, Spike was outside with the others, charging at Sapphire with his sword, which the Kobold easily deflected with a pair of wrist mounted claws. In spite of the setback, Spike continued to slash her while the girls just watched, to varying reactions. “Um Twi? Are y’all sure this is okay?” Applejack asked Twilight, who was more than a little visibly nervous at the pair currently sparring, wincing every time Spike was knocked down. “Honestly Applejack, no I’m not okay with this at all. But Princess Luna suggested we have Spike train with Sapphire, if only to teach him how to defend himself in his new body. And after everything that happened, I couldn’t say no, especially after Sapphire agreed .” That insight gave the pair little comfort as Spike was again knocked back, panting loudly as he struggled to breath. Yet even then, he persisted in spite of the situation. “How long have they been at this?” The farm pony asked only to hear Spike panting loudly as he fell to his knees tired. “For about 2 hours. Oddly enough, Sapphire doesn't seem to be tired.” Twilight looked on in amazement at the other Kobold before turning to Spike who was down on one knee and struggling to stand back up. “C-can we stop?” Spike begged as he dropped his sword, needing his hands to keep himself off the ground. Sapphire had the decency to pause and looked at his shoes, noticing that it looked worn out. The robes and the clothing, even the hat survived the test of time, however the shoes looked to be on the edge of collapsing. She even noticed that the way he moves must have been uncomfortable for him. “Yeah, I guess a break is in order, if only to swap out those worn out shoes for some new ones.” Sapphire said while Spike fell to the ground removing his shoes. He begins to rub his furry feet, unused to the sore feeling since he’d previously had sturdy scales in place of soft pads. “Hey!” Spike turned to Sapphire as a pair of socks and boots fell near him, immediately catching his attention. Spike reached out to them only to pause. “Hey, didn’t that Iron Claw guy wear this?” Spike questioned hesitantly as he slowly put them on. “Yeah, he did.” Spike and the others looked horrified at the detail, yet Sapphire didn’t even bat an eye. “No point in crying about it, those boots and socks are new. They’ll serve you better.” “Better!?” Twilight shouted, looking about ready to get in Sapphire’s face.”You just gave Spike clothes from a dead creature! That’s basically grave robbing” Twilight shouted loudly, making her disapproval known to all within a 100 yard radius. Sapphire herself simply shrugged at the idea. “It’d have been wasteful to just leave them behind, and it’s not like Iron Claw is gonna need them anyway.” Her logic did little to not unsettle the ponies, Spike himself hardly thrilled about the idea either. Sadly one glance at his utterly ruined boots made it clear he didn’t have an option. So he hesitantly slid one of the socks on and the boot quickly after, finding that they surprisingly fit perfectly. This was in spite of the fact the aforementioned soldier being larger than him, even the boots fit. Now fully equipped he stood up, and was again surprised to find how comfortable they felt, as if he wasn’t wearing anything at all. Quickly going through a few standard stretches to test it out, the feeling didn’t change, and his face broke out into a smile. “Wow, this feels amazing!” Spike hopped in place, feeling a bit more energetic now that he could at least stand up properly. Obviously his muscles still hurt like crazy, but the sudden shift helped him ignore that for the moment. “Spike.” Twilight was stunned by Spike’s determination in spite of how he’d be acting just a few moments prior. Sapphire chuckled as she saw it in his eyes. “Good, then perhaps we can resume for a bit longer.” Sapphire quickly unsheathed her sword, with Spike, seemingly coming down from the brief adrenaline rush, now waslooking a little unsure.Yet, he still picked his own weapon up, knowing arguing wasn’t an option. Both of them resumed their stances, unaware that a crowd had formed to observe them all. Or rather, they didn’t notice for a few moments before the increased noise finally got their attention. Spike turned his head seeing the crowd and slowly started gaining confidence. However, his eyes caught something else. In the crowd was a dark figure, one from his dream. Just as he was about to say something, his eyes blinked and the dark figure disappeared. “Spike?” His trance was broken with Sapphire waiting. ”Are you sure you're ready for this?” She told Spike who entered a stance. Sapphire realized what stance he used but decided to keep to herself. “I'm ready!” Spike shouted with excitement charging at Sapphire. -Hours later. “Ow!” Spike groaned while Twilight tended his wounds, applying some disinfectant to the various small knicks and cuts across his body. Yet in spite of his injuries and the sting, which was considerable, he seemed to be smiling the entire time. “Uh, Spike, most ponies aren’t this happy after getting beat up for several hours. Are you okay?” Twilight asked, causing Spike to chuckle which only worried her further. “Sure, I’m great Twilight. It was actually a lot of fun” His grin quickly shrank when Twilight sighed in exhaustion at his answer. “What’s the matter?” “I don’t like you doing this Spike. I don’t like the idea of using a sword or getting into danger.” Twilight spoke firmly, again applying some more medicine to the former drake’s wounds, causing him to wince. “And watching you today, what would’ve happened if you’d gotten more than some scratches and bruises?” Spike just groaned, not liking how she treats him like a baby. Obviously he knew she meant well, but it was still embarrassing. Slowly, he stood up, putting on his robes. “Come on Twilight, is it anything different from you or the girls? You guys are fighting monsters, changelings, and villains all the time. Compared to that, a little friendly sparring is nothing to worry about,” Spike complained at her rather narrow perspective. Heck, it wasn’t that long ago he saved the Crystal Empire. Twilight however, didn’t seem to relent, reaching out to the drake. “Spike..” “I'm gonna go to Zecora for a bit. Maybe she can help me with these nightmares and headaches I’ve been having.” He started to head for the door, Twilight quickly getting to her hooves. “Wait! If you're going to Zecora then I'm coming too. I’m not leaving you alone.” Spike just groans feeling annoyed from Twilight’s repeating concernment. Again he knew she cared but this was getting ridiculous. “Twilight, it’s fine I can just go with Sapphir-” “I’m not letting me be alone with her again! We just met her.” Twilight took a step forward, looking almost like she was pleading with him. “I’m grateful she saved our lives, but you’re putting way too much trust into somepony we just met.” “Twi? Come on, she’s a friend. Yeah, we don’t know her that well, but you felt the same way about Zecora when we met her.” Spike’s eyes seemed to narrow and his tone grew a bit more harsh. “Or maybe this has less to do with her as a friend and more because she’s not a pony.” Twilight looked as though she’d been slapped across the face, horrified at the accusation. “Spike, how can you think that?! You know I will nev-” Spike held up his hand immediately cutting her off mid sentence. “I know you wouldn’t but it just feels like it. Heck, I’m still scared about how everypony is gonna treat me now that I look like this. Even Mom and Dad, Shiny and Cadence.” Spike let out a sniff from the thought until Twilight hugged him close. “Oh Spike, I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable,” Twilight sobbed lightly as the pair hugged in silence for a moment, only to be disturbed by the sound of the doorknob turning. Once the door opened, it was revealed to be Rarity entering the house. “Hello Darlings, am I interrupting something?” They both clear their throat trying to speak as they quickly separated from their embrace.. “Oh, nothing Rarity we were just having a talk is all.” Spike clears his throat and puts on his sheathe. “Anyway, I need to go speak with Sapphire. Sorry we can’t chat right now Rarity, I’ll see you in a bit.” In mere seconds Spike was out the door before Rarity could get a word in, the fashionista only finally speaking once he was long gone. Her voice almost immediately broke into a shriek as she got up into Twilight’s face, looking positively livid. “TWILIGHT? Why in Celestia’s name is Spike going out to meet with that….delinquent? Aren’t you the least bit concerned?” Despite Rarity’s rather bombastic response, Twilight was quick to straighten herself out and speak calmly to her rather…loud friend. “Well, Spike was planning to go to Zecora’s hut and wants Sapphire to come along. Apparently, he’s been having some…bad nightmares and headaches. He’s hoping Zecora might have some kind of treatment available.” Rarity seemed to simmer down somewhat, though still didn’t look satisfied. “Well, surely he could do that without having her along. I mean really, why is he acting so attached to her.” Seeing she’d need to provide more context, Twilight quickly added the concerns Spike had revealed to her and Rarity reacted as one would expect her to. “Oh dear poor Spikey-Wikey. To think he’d fear such a thing happening…and perhaps on some level my own hostility didn’t paint the best picture.” Rarity almost looked ashamed and Twilight wondered if she’d bring out her signature fainting couch, but the alabaster unicorn refrained. “Well, then I feel it only prudent that I accompany you as well, to reassure Spike that he has no reason to believe our feelings towards him have changed.” That got Twilight to perk up a little, happy that her friend was so quick to adjust her mindset if it meant helping Spike. Now all they really needed to focus on was approaching Zecora and hopefully resolving the issues with Spike’s headaches. -Elsewhere- At a lonely road across, a carriage with no mounts roamed the sandy planes of the badlands. Inside were Lyon and Stein who remained quiet as their driver guided them to their location. As they continued to ride on, both individuals twitched, with Stein turning ever so slightly to the front of the carriage. “Sir, I think we have company.” Pulling back the curtain in the carriage, revealed multiple changelings ahead of them, already aiming their horns, looking utterly ravenous and ready for a fight. Lyon merely let out a bored sight and waved the matter off without a care. “Stein…take care of them.” Stein let out a big grin ready to step out of the window. “But don’t kill them.” Stein let out a groan from the orders before he stepped out of the carriage. Once outside his grin returned in full as he cracked his knuckles. “You better give me a good fight!” The horde hissed and charged forward, intent on goring him with their horns. Stein smirked however, grabbing the nearest one by its horn before reeling back and punching it square in the face. The poor bug flew backwards at high speed, crashing into several more before slamming into the ground, bits of green blood dripping from his lips. That attack managed to stop about five changelings, leaving around ten or so remaining, of whom appeared hesitant to attack him, all to Stein’s annoyance. “Really, all that and you back off already. Geez, you really are a bunch of cowardly bugs aren’t you? Then again what should I expect from a bunch of sentient cockroaches.” That seemed to rile them up some, with them quickly changing tactics. Immediately they started changing into several larger creatures including a Cragadile, a Manticore, and various other beasts. Stein’s grin returned, looking more excited than before. “Oh, now we’re talking. Finally getting serious I see. Perfect.” The Kobold looked ready to start, only for a voice in the carriage to stop him. “Stein, we have a schedule to keep, stop dragging this out and end it already.” Lyon’s demand made Stein groan again as his fun was spoiled. “Well damn, guess I need to cut this short. Too bad.” With little warning or prompt, he opened his mouth wide and to the shock of the various changelings, magic started to form and condense in his mouth, growing brighter and louder with each nanosecond. None of the changelings had time to react before the beam was fired, crashing into the lot of them. In a single flash, the small horde had reverted back to their original forms, bodies charred even blacker than before. All around various groans and cries of pain were the only indication they were still alive. Stein, seeing his work finished, exhaled a stream of smoke from his mouth, still looking more than a little miffed. “Well, that was disappointing, but guess you can’t expect too much from a bunch of bugs.” Shrugging his shoulders he started to head back to the carriage, only for a loud burst of fire to get him to turn around. “You dare trespass into my lands.” Stein looked at the flames with interest and excitement as a larger female changeling walked out of the flames. “You’re certainly a reckless reprobate, but now, not only have you trespassed, but have also attacked my subordinates. I can’t allow that to stand.” With this new opponent Stein looked eager to fight, only for a paw on his shoulder to get him to back off, Lyon having appeared behind him before approaching the changeling. “I suppose some apologies are in order, though there is something of interest in your lands and I’m afraid I must insist on us acquiring it,” He said showing no interest to the attacker. “Whether or not we have your consent is, I’m afraid, not really a concern of ours.” The attacker grinded her teeth angry at the disrespect. “You dare insult me! I am Queen Chrysalis, ruler of all Changelings and sovereign of these lands! You will pay for your insolence!” Behind the queen a massive swarm of changelings appeared before them, surrounding them. Chrysalis quickly started to laugh, thinking she had claimed victory. However, her laughing quickly halted when she looked upon her targets. Shockingly, despite the now massive horde before him, Lyon didn’t look worried, instead he looked up towards the sky. Amidst the dark clouds with a single snowflake fell, depositing itself on the arid landscape, all of which was unnoticed by the Queen. “Now! I wi-” Her words were stopped cold…literally as in a single flash of an instant, her entire army was encased in ice. The Queen of the Changelings looked on with shock and horror as the entire area that had once been little more than rock and sand, was now completely blanketed in snow, whilst her many warriors and subordinates were trapped in massive prisons of ice. Equally shocking, her own hooves were frozen to the ground along with her wings, preventing her from escaping. Thankfully at least her head and torso were still free, though that was of little consequence given the display she’d just witnessed. Her eyes could barely contain her shock as they shifted to the two strangers before her. . “What…what is this?” No answer came to her, at least not a verbal one. Instead, the sound of footsteps drew her and the others eyes to a small creature approaching. Lyon himself smirked as he saw the creature step forward, revealing a pure white, female kobold. Her eyes were almost the color of ice, matched by her equally cold expression. She wore a uniform with the Iron Claws logo. “So you finally arrived, Dima!” Lyon said to her. The aforementioned Dima responded with a small yawn, barely acknowledging the question. “You!” She turned her attention to a very angry Chrysalis. “You dare insult me in this battle! I will take y-” She was interrupted by a punch to the head, knocking her out, leaving her head hanging limply as she stood literally frozen in place. Another female kobold was in front of them as she had beige fur with brown hair. She wore the same uniform as Dima. “Captain.” She saluted Lyon who grinned at the result. “Lieutenant Swift. He said acknowledging the kobold. We got a job to do…now let's go and bag that wanker.” As Chrysalis's eyes managed to open as witnessing her frozen kingdom, she stared at the four Kobolds wondering what monsters arrived to Equestria.
