Cynder ran round a corner, slipping on some rubbish before scrambling back to her claws, the few raiders with her firing as they ran, before a green blast turned one of them into similarly-colored goop "I should have invested in better armor," she growled to herself.

She scrambled on as another blast turned two more raiders into dust, Cynder yelling at the last few raiders to attack her pursuers, before she was tossed off her feet as a wall exploded outwards, a black power armored figure blasting her boys.

"Good help is so hard to find these days, isn't it, Subject Beta?" taunted the figure.

Cynder glared at that, growling, "That's not my name." before lunging with a roar, only to be backhanded into an old fuse box.

Now one would expect, in the apocalypse, for electricity to be a thing of the past, especially in the old mall Cynder and her pursuers were in, but the US had installed fusion generators in almost all public buildings, and most were still online, which meant the fuse box was live. As a result, Cynder screamed as electricity arced over her before she slumped down, the power armored trooper grumbling as his team surrounded her. "Omega, bad news, Beta's a barbeque," he said.

"Is she charred to a crisp?" asked Omega over the comm.

"A little hard to tell. She was already black," said the armored trooper.

"If she hasn't been dried out, she still has useful genetic material," said Omega.

"You got it...one finger coming up," said the trooper, turning in time to see Cynder's scales fade to a dark purple and magenta.

"Ok, that's not what dead bodies are supposed to be colored," said the trooper.

Cynder's eyes shot open at that, before a wave of energy shot out...and the screaming started

Spike opened his eyes before sitting up before stretching and sighing. Another day in a new world. He had to admit, there were some advantages to this world compared to Canterlot High. For one thing, he wasn't a dog and people could take him seriously. Not to mention he had a bigger and stronger body. Of course, that's where the positives started to end.

This world's humans had managed to somehow blow up the world and turn into something from one of his comics back home. The city he'd seen on the way in with Alex had been...a wreck. This small piece of society he was currently living in may have established itself about over a hundred years ago, but the entire city hadn't been restored. There wasn't enough electricity to keep the entire city powered, not to mention all the damage to the infrastructure. Also, there were no working vehicles as far as Spike had been able to see.

Spike made his way to the kitchen area. "Morning," said Alex as Spike walked in, "How are the elbows today?"

"Still sore," said Spike, rubbing his right elbow.

"I bet, what with growing bone spikes," said Alex conversationally, turning several rashers of meat.

"Oddly, losing them hurts worse than gaining them," said Spike.

"I bet. I can only imagine. Bacon?" said Alex.

"If I can ask, where did this bacon come from? I haven't seen any pigs around here," said Spike.

"Brahmin...2-headed cows," said Alex, using a knife to flick some meat onto a brownish plate, passing it to Spike.

"But doesn't bacon come from-" started Spike.

"Look, if you want pork, you're free to go out and hunt a feral pig," said Alex, "That is if you can handle it."

Spike paused before trying to beef rashers. They weren't bad. "So, what's on the agenda today?" asked Spike.

"Oh, the usual; scavenge, look for raiders, keep the mutants away," said Alex. Alex paused before adding, "Oh yeah...run to Goodneighbor. They lost a scav team across the river so they want me to check it out."

"How far is Goodneighbor?" asked Spike.

"About an hour's walk west in the main ruins," said Alex, munching on his brahmin bacon.

"So towns aren't too far from each other here," said Spike.

"They used to be much farther," said Alex, "But that's back when we had transportation like cars and horses."

"No horses?" said Spike in a small voice.

Alex shrugged, "I hear there's some out east but I'm not so sure."

Spike was about to ask more before he stopped himself. The horses probably weren't anything more than animals, as hard as that was to imagine.

"First things first. We get you outfitted and teach you how to shoot. No offense but if you were given any training by raiders then you'll have trouble hitting a barn while inside it," said Alex calmly.

"Er..." started Spike.

"And maybe you can breathe fire, but I bet there's a limited range to that," said Alex. Spike was about to say something when Alex said, "A good sniper could ventilate you before you knew if it was bum or breakfast time from a thousand meters away. A mine could take your arm off. I dunno what sort of weapons you and yours use but gun trumps claws."

"Well, we had archery back where I came from," said Spike.

"Hmm...seen a few people use bows. Those bomb arrows can be nasty, but give me a machine gun any day," said Alex to himself.

"But-" started Spike.

"Do you even know how to use a bow?" asked Alex.

"Well-" started Spike.

"That requires a lot of muscle-training. Meanwhile, anyone can just pick up a gun and fire it," said Alex, "Ok, first I'm gonna show you how to use a gun and get you a decent one."

Alex looked at Spike's hand. It was thicker than his own and only had four fingers. That was going to keep him from using the smaller guns. "Or maybe a rifle," he finished.

Then he looked back up at Spike and said, "Also, we need to get you some new clothes. Something that's doesn't say 'raider' so much."

Spike looked down, Mrs. Fallion looked up before she said confidently, "Alex was right. Yer a big one alright. I can see why he didn't go to crazy myrna with yer." She looked at Spike's folded wings and the tail behind and said, "Turn around and let me see the back of you."

Spike paused before slowly turning, Fallion pulling out an old tape measure. "Can't say I've seen your type in Boston before," she said conversationally.

"I'm from a very different land," said Spike.

"Canadian, eh? I heard a few stories from traders who made it there and back," sad Fallon, walking over to a cupboard, pulling out a old button shirt before shaking her head and taking out a second, larger one.

"I've never been to Canadia," said Spike.

"Urgh...guess you call it something different now. Try this," she said, passing a large black button shirt. Spike pulled the shirt on. The sleeves were longer than his arms, but the back was baggy enough to have room for his wings.

"Hmm...that won't work," said Fallion, walking over to the cupboard again. She took out a pair of scissors and asked casually, "So, those things on your back work or are they vestigial?"

"They usually work," said Spike a little offended, hearing scissors behind him before Fallion walked back into view, holding up the brown leather jacket she'd taken, two neat cuts in the back.

"Try this on," said Fallion.

Spike nodded, gently slipping it on and spreading his wings comfortably. "Er...thanks," he said.

"Not sure what I can do with that tail though," said Fallion, looking at Spike's tail.

Spike sighed. The pants he'd gotten with the raiders were at least ok. "I'll be ok with what I got," he said politely.

Fallion nodded, "2000 caps."

"Uh...you can put it on Alex's tab," said Spike.

Fallion frowned at that before Alex walked in, "It's fine, Mrs. Fallion. I got him covered." He was carrying a large sachel.

Spike looked at the sachel and said, "That seems to be a rather inconvenient way of paying."

"Sorry, I don't take credit cards," said Fallion dryly.

Alex shoved the satchel into Spike's claws, "Go wait for me back at home plate."

As it turned out, Alex wasn't referring to Spike getting new casual clothes. He had something else for Spike to wear for more serious occasions. He looked at the chest plate, made of welded together scrap metal, though he'd seen shining repairing his own guard armor to spot where someone had recently repaired several holes. Similar gloves and leg armor was seen inside, as well as a metal helmet.

"It might need to be let out in the back," said Alex, "And obviously we're going to need to fashion some armor for your tail. No sense in leaving it exposed." He fished into the bottom, pulling out a bulky-looking assault rifle. "Gun runner traders from the west passed through...meet the bozar," said Alex cheerfully.

"Bozar?" asked Spike.

"You don't get to rename it until you've done something reputable with it. Now then, I know a place to test your shooting," said Alex with an evil grin.

"Uh..." said Spike.

The ''location' was an alley, a 10 minute walk from the city but close enough that raiders and the more sentient creatures kept clear. Alex finished balancing an empty Nuka bottle alongside a row of them before walking back to Spike who was holding the rifle uncertainly "Ok...take aim...shoot the bottles," Alex said calmly.

"Oh, is that all?" asked Spike, "This isn't rigged, is it?"

"No...something like this could save your life. Just be careful cause the bozar rifle's an automa-" began Alex.

Spike was already pulling the trigger and ended up shaking in place as the rifle went off repeatedly. Alex yelped as Spike dropped the gun before looking to see the holes in the bricks behind the bottles, which were all intact before he picked the rifle up, pointing out a switch on the side before clicking it. "Now try...single shot," he said in a semi-calm voice.

"Uh, right," said Spike a little shakily.

"Just a sec," said Alex, "I need a little distance." He took a few steps away from Spike and said, "Ok."

Spike growled to himself before concentrating, aiming and firing, the shot missing again, though this time he was ready for it. "It's fine...it's fine. It takes practise," said Alex.

"This isn't an easy thing to use!" snapped Spike. "That so?" asked Alex before taking the bozar. He turned and in the space of a few seconds had fired a shot into each bottle, before looking at Spike. "Practise makes perfect," he said. He handed the rifle back to Spike and said, "Let's try and adjust your grip."

Spike looked at the gun before saying, "I'm still not comfortable with them..."

Alex looked at him, before finally nodding, "I've worked with melee'ers before."

Goodnieghbor was certainly not Diamond City, consisting of walls, several blocked off streets, a building having been opened up into two side-by-side shops. That said, Spike was only focussing on one thing...the ghoul.

There was no doubt he was a ghoul. The sunken face, the triangular hole where the nose should have been, the shriveled skin that looked like old leather. He also stood out for wearing a tricorn hat and a red jacket.

"Alex...yer never call, yer never right." the ghoul said in a gravelly voice.

Alex grinned. "John, sorry, duty never takes a rest, man," he said, shaking the ghoul's hand, who turned to look at Spike, as if sizing him up.

"This is the ex-raider? Weird mutie," said John.

Spike just took two steps back. "Spike, don't be rude," reproved Alex.

"What, the kid never saw a ghoul before?" asked John jokingly.

"I have, I saw a hoard of them tear people apart," said Spike darkly.

"Ah...ferals. Not the best first impression to my condition," said John sympathetically.

"You don't have to worry about John," said Alex, "He's as trustworthy as a person can get."

"Ah, don't put me down. I'm as trustworthy as anyone here. That said, you're welcome in Goodneighbor," said John cheerfully.

"So, anything new going on around here?" asked Alex.

"Trouble across the river. Some kinda new freaks moved into the mall. Raiders ran scared and Bunker Hill lost some scavenger teams there," said John.

Alex said to Spike, "Go see Kl-e-0. She can get you set up with a good weapon." pointing to the left store

"Cleo?" asked Spike.

"Kl-e-0," said Alex, "She's particular about that."

A sultry female voice from the store said, "And don't you forget it."

Spike turned. From the voice, Spike was half-expecting a human version of Sassy Saddles. He was surprised (and oddly disappointed) to see a robot behind the counter. However, the robot had an oddly feminine build to her frame.

"What's wrong, scaly? Never seen a woman before?" said the bot smugly.

"Uh, not your kind of, er, woman," said Spike.

"Maybe I can be your kind of woman," said the bot suggestively.

Spike stared and took a step back before Alex glared, saying in a warning tone, "Kl-e-0...leave the kid alone and dial it back."

"Oh, can't a girl have some fun?" asked Kl-e-0.

"I can and will install a dial if I have to," said Alex.

"Fine...come on, lizard. Let's get you kitted for murder," said Kl-e-0.

"Spike's got a different set of hands than the rest of us," said Alex, "He'll be needing a different grip and trigger."

Kl-e-0's featureless optic seemed to look closer at Spike before she said in a business-like voice, "I have something I can modify. I'm guessing with claws like those you've never actually fired a gun."

"We don't have guns where I come from," said Spike.

"Urgh...a tribalist. Let me show you some selections," said Kl-e-0.

Alex said, "You'll be fine, Spike. I gotta go talk to Hancock." before he and John walked off.

"So then, any particular kind of gun strikes your fancy?" asked Kl-e-0.

"What kind of guns are there?" asked Spike. Kl-e-0 gave him a look that Spike was pretty sure was contempt.

"Perhaps I could offer you a slingshot," she said sarcastically.

Spike glared before Kl-e-0 showed a rack of rifles, ranging from pipe rifles like raiders preferred to more sophisticated ones, Kl-e-0 lifting a boxy rifle off the rack and passing it over to Spike. "Don't worry, it's unloaded," said Kl-e-0, "Just see how it feels in your hand."

Spike held the rifle, finding it light enough, looking down its barrel like he'd seen lex and the raiders aim. "That a good fit for your hand?" asked Kl-e-0.

Spike nodded before Kl-e-0 passed him a yellow cylinder battery. "Now load it and see if it still feels right," she said.

"Load it where?" asked Spike.

Kl-e-0 pointed a claw to an empty spot in the barrel, before taking the rifle and clicking the battery in, the rifle humming. "About 30 shots per cell but they're small and easy to store," Kl-e-0 explained.

"What kind of gun is this?" asked Spike.

"AER-9 Laser rifle." said Kl-e-0.

"Er, you sure about giving me a laser rifle?" asked Spike, "I'm not a very good shot."

Kl-e-0 said calmly, "I'm never wrong about my weapons. It's you."

Spike carefully picked up the rifle before aiming it at the barrel. "Just not in-" began Kl-e-0 before a red beam lanced out briefly, burning a hole in the far wall. Unlike Alex's gun though, there was hardly any recoil.

"Ok, that's a little better," said Spike.

"Alex has a tab so this is technically on the house," said Kl-e-0, aiming her optic creepily at Spike, repeating "Technically."

"How bad?" asked Alex.

Hancock said "Bad, bud. Bunker Hill is our main trading partner and they think we're responsible for that trouble at the mall. It needs cleaning up but if I send my boys..."

Alex finished, "It'll look to Bunker Hill like you're removing evidence."

"Right, but you're trusted in Bunker Hill. I think they'll see you as an unbiased ally," said Hancock.

"Great...it never rains but it pours," said Alex glumly.

"Oh, you've handled worse," said Hancock amiably.

"Yeah...like what nearly killed with Piper," said Alex glumly.

Hancock sighed, "Hey...what happened wasn't your fault."

Alex holding up a hand. "I do this...I'll need a special order of metal armor," he said, taking out a holotape, a copy of Spike's profile from his Pipboy, "To these specs."

Hancock looked it up and down. "Not many folks around here with tails," he commented.

"Just do what you can," said Alex, "Even if you have to use a deathclaw for reference."

"Uh, that was a joke, wasn't it?" asked Hancock.

Alex grinned before saying, "I'll try and get it done. Get a message to Bunker Hill while I'm gone. I'll bring the proof to them no matter what when I've dealt with the mall troubles."

"You know what you're getting into?" asked Hancock.

"If I stopped to worry about that, I wouldn't have left my Vault in the first place," said Alex.

Spike gulped, backing up from Kl-e-0. "I really don't want grenades," he said nervously.

"There are some things that can't shot down fast enough with bullets or lasers," said Kl-e-0, "You'll need something that can get through thick armor."

"Stop trying to make Spike explode when he sits down," called Alex, walking into view.

"I'm just trying to properly outfit him," said Kl-e-0.

"And drain me dry of caps," said Alex.

"A girl's gotta run her business," said Kl-e-0.

"There are cheaper ways of blowing things up. Spike, do you want grenades?" asked Alex in an annoyed tone, glaring at the bot, her expressionless face somehow giving off an air of smug.

"Well..." started Spike.

"And yes, you do need some kind of weapon," said Alex.

"I think I'll just take the laser rifle for now," said Spike finally.

Kl-e-0 pausing before she said, "Fine...on your tab, alex?"

Alex sighed and said, "Fine, just make sure you give him one he can wrap his fingers around."

Once Spike had been outfitted, the two headed east, towards the river. "Ok, so we're headed to an old mall. Usually it's a good little trading post between Bunker Hill and Goodneighbor...but teams have been vanishing," Alex explained.

"Does anyone know why?" asked Spike.

"No, because they've been vanishing," said Alex, a little condescendingly.

"So I assume there's a plan?" said Spike a little sarcastically.

Alex said, "Yeah...probably a nest of something or other. We go in, kill it dead, and go home for Nuka-Colas."

"That sounds...fun," said Spike, thinking more about the Nuka-Colas.

The two turned a corner to face a large bridge, several holes chipped into it. "Ok, stay alert, gang likes to demand tolls here," said Alex. Spike hesitated at the bridge's edge. "What's the matter? Think there are trolls here?" asked Alex jokingly.

"Can't you smell the blood?" asked Spike.

Alex frowned, before clicking his rifle's safety off as they went past a primitive barricade...and found a massacre. A dozen or so dead raiders were slumped or in bits, casings everywhere. Spike winced back at that. "Yeah, not a good sign," said Alex before looking around. There didn't seem to be any footprints.

Spike was more than a bit concerned, Alex finally finding some footprints that seemed to go into the water. "We'll check this later. Grab their ammo and stimpacks," he said.

"Wait, what?" asked Spike.

"Look, it's not going to do them any good anymore," said Alex meaningfully, "We might as well use them." Spike frowned as Alex checked a body, taking out a revolver and pocketing it before checking its pockets, before Alex said, "Hey...don't just stand there. Get looting."

"But-" started Spike.

"Look, someone else will be looting them eventually. No one's just going to leave their pockets unchecked. You have to be pragmatic out here," said Alex.

"And I suppose we'll be taking their clothes then," said Spike scornfully.

"Of course not. Their armor's crap and their clothes would stink," said Alex.

Spike realized something at that, noticing that Alex's armor had what looked like a patch that might have covered a bullethole at one point. "Of course, their armor could be recyclable, but it's too heavy to lug around," added Alex.

Spike gulped before he checked one of the bodies, finding a handful of bullets, presumably for the rifle weapon the raider had in his hands, and a couple of ammo capsules for his laser rifles. The last one was some sort of grenade, marked with green lines. "Is this some kind of special grenade?" asked Spike.

Alex walked up, taking the grenade and examining it. "Plasma grenade...wonder how this joker got one?" he muttered, passing it back, saying, "Green and blue buttons there...press em and then throw it at whatever you want to make vanish."

"Uh..." started Spike.

"Kl-e-0 was right about one thing: some things take a lot more than a rifle to put down. A grenade will save your life if you're up against a monster that can tank rifle shots," said Alex, "Though you don't have to use expensive grenades all the time."

"So...where's this mall?" asked Spike, trying to ignore the mind's image of the sort of things that would be gun proof.

"Just up the road. We'll sweep the place. If we can't find anything, we'll at least find proof so Bunker Hill knows Goodneighbor has nothing to do with their teams vanishing."

Spike nodded. He just hoped they wouldn't end up vanishing too.

The mall must have been nice once. The windows had long since lost their glass, but there were still various posters, advertising sales for products Spike didn't know. It was also cooler inside than Spike expected. Being out of the sun was nice, but it was a fair bit cooler than it should have been.

He walked forward, pausing as he saw a backpack of some sort on the floor. "Alex!" he called.

Alex walked up. "Hmm...Bunker Hill's scavs," he muttered before both of them heard a faint beeping coming from Alex's own backpack.

"What's that?" asked Spike.

Alex opened his backpack, taking out a small handheld device, an arrow flickering. "Trouble...might also explain what's going on," he said.

Just then, they felt a wind, or at least a rather strong air flow. And it was chillingly cold as well. It felt like it was either pushing them forward or pulling them in.

"We're leaving," said Alex, looking at the device, to Spike's surprise, turning to head back down the atrium they'd entered by.

"Just like that? We're not even gonna start?" asked Spike.

"We're too under-equipped for something like this and you don't nearly have enough experience," said Alex.

"What's going on? Alex!" snapped Spike, running after Alex only to find him staring at a brick wall where the door had certainly been before.

"Shit." muttered Alex.

"How is that possible?" asked Spike. He had seen such things before, liking that moving door in Sombra's castle. But this world didn't seem like it would have that kind of magic.

"Trouble," said Alex darkly, a click making them turn to see a wooden door, Alex's device going insane, the beeps so fast it was an almost constant noise.

"Was that door there a second ago? I wasn't paying attention," said Spike.

"No..." said Alex carefully, walking carefully towards the door.

"Uh, you sure you want to open that?" asked Spike.

"I think it's going to get opened one way or another," said Alex.

Spike gulped before nodding, walking up and opening the door...and frowning. On the other side was a dark wooded area...definitely not one from the local area.

Alex peered past him. "Yeah...I think we can assume this is where the scavengers went," he said sarcastically.

Spike sniffed the air. This forest...he could smell magic here. He couldn't really say why it smelled like magic. But it was more like Equestria than Alex's world.

There was a click behind them, turning in time to see the door fade away. "Aw crap," muttered Alex.

Spike ran over to the tree that was there and desperately felt over the trunk. Nothing so much as hinted at a door, not even a knothole which could be a doorknob. How were they going to get back? Were they trapped here?

He turned back to see Alex frowning. "That didn't happen...tell me that didn't happen," Spike exclaimed.

Alex snapped, "Calm down, we're not stuffed yet."

"But there's no way back!" snapped Spike.

"True, but there's a way forward," said Alex, "Rifts like these always come in pairs: an entrance and an exit."

Spike paused, "How the heck would you know that?"

Alex said, "Some things are better left unanswered, trust me. Come on, I can see lights over there."

The small hamlet had seen better days, attempts at barricades blocking the streets and discarded weapons seen. There was an inn just off the square, its doors shattered. Whatever had happened had clearly not happened long ago, embers seen in the fireplace.

"You sure this place is safe?" asked Spike.

"Not completely," said Alex, "But it's as safe as anything we're going to find."

"I'm just a little concerned of staying the night at the site of a massacre," said Spike.

"Oh, there wasn't any massacre," said Alex, "Have you seen any bloodstains? Any human remains? Well, any kind of remains?" asked Alex, "Either the predators are unusually tidy or the people were able to escape."

"Or they were carried off to be eaten later," said Spike with worry.

"Sounds like the plot of an old comic," muttered Alex, vaulting over the bar and taking out two bottles, the language on the labels unknown. "Might as well," he said, popping the corks out and offering a bottle.

"Uh, do you even know what's in that?" asked Spike.

Alex sniffed the neck and said, "It's liquor, probably some type of wine."

He peered through the door behind, some sort of kitchen. A cooking pot sat over a stone, whatever was in it having long burnt away from the smell. There was however a loaf of bread, still pretty fresh. He grabbed it and walked back to Spike who was trying the bottle. "Bread, it'll do. I saw some waterskins too. This world musn't be pretty advanced," he said, before a thud was heard below them.

Spike and Alex exchanged a look. "I've read enough comics that it's usually a really stupid idea to look in the basement," said Spike.

"Yes, but it might not stay in the basement," said Alex.

The two exchanged looks before walking into the kitchen, stairs at the back going down into the dark, a flickering light seen.

"This has got to be the worst idea I had since challenging Pinkie to a cupcake-eating contest," muttered Spike, the two turning the corner, rifles ready to see a figure, crouched at the far end, muttering something about monsters in a mad tone.

"I think we can relax now," said Alex.

"No...no...get away." gibbered the figure, twitching and making jerking motions...was he getting bigger?

"You sure about that?" asked Spike.

"Well, I've been proven wrong before," said Alex.

The thing that lunged out of the shadows wasn't human, though it was wearing human clothing. It resembled what someone would call a werewolf, sans tail...it was also pretty intent on disembowelling Alex as it pinned him, Alex using his rifle to hold it back. "Spike...shoot it!" He rasped.

Spike's hand shook as he aimed. But his finger seemed to freeze on the trigger. "Spike! This is no time to lose your nerve!" snapped Alex.

Spike stared as the creature raised its head to snarl at him, before stepping on Alex to lunge, Spike firing on reflex.

His rifle spat a red beam that went through the wolfman's chest, the wolf collapsing and sliding to a halt at his feet.

"Well...that was a little too close for comfort, but at least you got him," said Alex.

"I...I..." said Spike faintly.

Alex said softly, "Easy...if you hadn't that thing would have torn you apart."

"What...was it?" asked Spike.

Alex kicked the creature over to look at it, checking the belongings and only finding a few copper coins and a dagger. "I'd say it was a lycan but I've never seen this breed," he said calmly, before a chorus of howls was heard, running footsteps heard. "And he may not be the only one around here," said Alex.

The two aimed at the doorway before someone they didn't expect ran into view. Cynder, wearing a weird mix of leather and pauldrons, yes but still, Cynder.

The guns didn't lower though. "Well, well, look what we have here," said Alex.

Cynder gave them a look of disbelief. "How did you get here? No, wait, let me guess, you found a magic door in the mall," she said.

"Er...yeah," said Spike in confusion.

Cynder sighed, "Please tell me you jammed it open. I've been stuck here for months."

"Months? We last saw you days ago," said Spike.

"I've been all over this damn continent. It;s a mess. Those wolf things almost grabbed me a dozen times," snapped Cynder.

"What?" asked Spike.

"Spike, we're clearly in another world, right?" asked Alex.

"Yeah," agreed Spike.

"Then it shouldn't be much of a surprise to you that time appears to pass faster here than on Earth," said Alex.

"Oh, yeah, now I get it," said Spike. There was a pause before Spike said "Don't want to know?"

Alex nodded. "Don't want to know. How'd you end up here and why shouldn't I blow a hole in you?" he snapped, aiming Cynder.

Cynder sighed "Well..."

Cynder was dizzy with pain, focused on her neck. But she had to keep moving. That agent wasn't going to leave without her, dead or alive.

Agent Omega...she'd done this...woke up her dark side and turned it loose on Boston for some sick reason...now she wanted to drag Cynder back to that den of horrors… She needed to escape, she needed to go home, she needed to find...find...

Spyro...she needed to find Spyro. She could almost put a name to face, the two of them fighting to stay together...something else Omega had taken from her.

"Oh Subject Beeetaaaa...this'll be better if you come quietly. Subject Alpha's waiting for you. He misses you," taunted Omega's voice, echoing off the street walls. Cynder turned a corner and ducked back. Two of Omega's troopers, power armor and all, could be seen at the far end of the street, gatling lasers at the ready.

Cynder glanced upwards briefly. But she knew better than to try and fly. She'd just be an easier target. However, across the street was a mall of some sort, one of the doors open. It was already getting dark...she could hide there. She inched out and was halfway across before a hail of laserfire shot past her, one of the troopers firing its gatling laser.

"Crap!" yelped Cynder before diving for cover. She peered out before realizing she was behind a car, a rising whine heard before she ran for the mall, making it in just as the car went up in a miniature mushroom cloud

"Gotta hide, gotta hide," she muttered, looking around the abandoned mall.

She could hear Omega ordering the power armor troopers to sweep the area. Surprised voices were heard, probably scavengers, which were cut off by gatling laserfire.

The heavy clunks of power armor could be heard getting closer...closer. She looked around before seeing a surprisingly-clean wooden door. She glanced around. None of the other doors matched this one at all, the few that were still there.

That said it was the only door to take. She threw the door open and ran through, a few laser bolts narrowly missing her before she slammed it...and the door vanished.

It was then that Cynder noticed she was most definitely not in the mall anymore...or anywhere like the part of Earth she was at. This forest seemed a whole greener and cleaner than that. She paused for a minute before saying "Oh bugger."

"I ran into the wolves during my first scavenge. Looks like they overran the entire continent apart from a couple of fortified towns past a jungle to our east. Too hot for them."

"No other people?" asked Spike.

"No, I'm pretty sure they've turned all the other people into more of their kind," said Cynder.

"Interesting story, if a word of that was true," said Alex.

"Hey, I usually avoided deserted towns. I headed here cause apparently this place was a hold out. Guess I missed the party," snapped Cynder.

"Yeah, not really trusting anyone who tried to attack my town with raiders and monsters," said Alex.

"That wasn't me," napped Cynder angrily.

"Then it must have been your evil twin," said Alex dryly.

"Look, they forced me to do that," snapped Cynder, "They put something in my neck to make me act that way. Check it yourself if you don't believe me."

Alex frowned, before Spike walked forward, looking at the back of Cynder's neck to see a small silver chip there, a scorch indicating it had been burnt out.

Spike frowned. He had seen chips like that before. He touched the side of it only for Cynder to jump. "Please...don't touch that," she said, "It's sensitive."

Alex took a look too, frowning. "Fine...but you so much as look at me funny..." he said.

Cynder sighed and said, "Look, I know you two don't trust me and you have plenty of reason not to. I have a lot to make up for, but I need the chance to do it."

"Fine...did you see anything...unusual on your travels? It'd be small things, places where time seemed to go faster, or where the sky seemed red," said Alex.

"I'm assuming you don't mean sunrise and sunset," said Cynder.

"No..." said Alex.

Cynder looked thoughtful, and took out a notebook. "I kept notes...but I think I might know somewhere," she said, before howls were heard and she said, "I have a hiding place. It's safe."

"Can we fly there?" asked Spike.

"Hey! Not all of us have wings!" snapped Alex.

"We could carry you," said Spike.

"Yeah, I don't trust her enough not to drop me," said Alex.

"And he's probably too heavy to lift anyways," said Cynder.

There were more howls, sounding closer. "Fine, let's just go!" snapped Alex.

The 'camp' was an old farmhouse, this one apparently alot more ruined then the other areas. Cynder had clearly lived here a while, a sleeping roll in the corner as well as a campfire and several bags of food.

"There's plenty of men's clothes here," said Cynder, "Feel free to change into something clean."

"I'll keep my armor," said Alex, Spike sighed and chewed on some cooked meat.

"Look, they don't come near here. After I deep fried the few that tried. We can at least get some sleep," Cynder said.

"Fine, but we're taking shifts," said Alex.

"I'll take first." said Cynder, adding, "I gotta prove myself somehow."

After Cynder walked out, Spike said, "I think she is trying to make amends."

"I'm sure you'd believe anyone if they said they were doing that," said Alex dryly.

"Back home, second chances count," said Spike.

Alex glaring at Cynder before he said "Well, that level of naivety won't last you long here."

"I'm not stupid. I can tell when someone obviously doesn't intend to reform," said Spike, "But Cynder is trying."

"Well here, I've been stabbed in the back too many times, sometimes literally. She didn't tell us everything, just how she got here. There's 6 months missing from her timeline," snapped Alex.

"You think it'll take us that long to get back?" asked Spike.

"No...maybe she couldn't find the rift? But you saw that thing...a world of those and she's unharmed, or didn't fly overseas?" snapped Alex.

Spike sighed, "Look...you gotta have faith."

Alex sighed and laid down. "I take next shift," he said, setting an alarm on his Pipboy to wake him up.

Both of them shot upright as a deafening boom was heard. "The fuck? That was one of the mines!" Alex snapped, another boom heard. The two jumped up, Alex tossing Spike his laser rifle.

"Wait...where's Cynder?" Spike said.

"I think I can guess," said Alex darkly.

They both headed out and soon spotted Cynder, holding a large rock in her hands. She tossed it out several feet away, only for the rock to explode. "What the hell are you doing?" snapped Alex, raising his rifle to aim at her. Cynder turned to look at them with a wide grin before the boys noticed the wolfmen and women coming out of the treeline. "Ok...ok...clearly you've had a funny turn...walk towards us," Alex added carefully.

Cynder grinning wider before stepping back towards the wolves, who parted, before she started to...shift Cynder's scales softened before they changed into hairs. Her wings dwindled before disappearing into her back. The blade at the end of her tail seemed to slide back in as her tail became bushy. The horns on her head shrank into her scalp as a pair of pointed ears grew out. Her muzzle shifted, her nostrils becoming more obvious as the area around them became black and moist. When Cynder finished shifting, she still looked a lot like herself but was clearly one of the wolves, even if she had a tail while the others did not.

"See? I told Alpha someone would come. It's not who I intended, but they'll do," she sneered in a sultry voice.

"Ok, I'll admit I'm a little surprised," said Alex, "Not by your sudden and inevitable betrayal, but the fact that you became one of them."

"They spotted me when I slept, months ago, helped me see Alpha's truth," said Cynder with a mad grin.

"Is this alpha present?" asked Alex, looking around at the wolves to see if any of them looked likely to be the leader.

"He's around. You'll see him soon," said Cynder, nodding to the wolves, "You have your orders. Alpha wants any newcomers alive...especially if they know where the rift is."

"Cynder, I'm just assuming right now that this alpha is controlling you," called Spike.

"Spike, stop being chivalrous and shoot the damn bitch!" snapped Alex.

The wolves howled and charged, some with armor and weapons...that said, it was swords to a gunfight. "Back up!" yelled Alex, shooting a mine Cynder had missed, throwing a cluster into the air.

Spike responded by breathing out some fire, making a wall of green flames that gave the wolves some pause. Alex frowned, seeing the wolves prowling, before Spike grabbed him.

"Spike, what are you doing?!" snapped Alex.

"Hang on!" yelled Spike before flapping his wings. He did manage to get them about six feet off the ground, but that's as high as they went. "Cynder's...right...you're...heavy..." said Spike through gritted teeth.

The fire was already dying down. Alex fired a shot at a wolf that tried to leap over, causing it to flip in the air before he pressed a few buttons, Spike's Pipboy saying "Program downloaded."

Alex said, "Listen...that thing'll help you find the rift. You need to go...now." before firing another burst.

"I...can't...leave...you..." strained Spike.

"Either you let me go or they get us both," said Alex. Spike looked at Alex, who snapped "I SAID GO!" pushing Spike back, Spike reluctantly taking off. He readied another fireball, only to see the wolves charging Alex, too close to burn before he flew off.

Alex glared as he was held down, two of the wolves using their knees to pin him, one holding his arms. Cynder was looking down at him. "You know, if you'd arrived a few months ago, I really would have helped...but then Alpha helped me," she said happily.

"Yeah, yeah, all I'm hearing is that you handed your leash to somebody else," said Alex.

"Oh, you're trying to get me angry. Maybe get one of us to kill you. You know what we are, don't you?" Cynder smirked.

Alex growled, "Bunch of fleabag lycanthropes."

"Hey, we do not have fleas!" snapped one of the wolves.

"Speak for yourself," said one glumly, causing the other wolves to step away from him.

"Maybe what you need is a change of perspective?" sneered Cynder before a deep cultured voice said "I certainly hope you're not overstepping your bounds."

Cynder had a terrified look as the wolves parted to let a larger one, a scythe of some sort in his hands as he walked forward.

Alex rolled his eyes. All this big one was lacking was a crown and a cape. "Let me guess, you're the alpha of this pack?" asked Alex.

"I am the alpha of all packs," said the big wolf, "I am Alpha Prime."

"Tell your mutts to get off of me," snapped Alex.

One of his captors said, "He has strange weapons, alpha. It would surely not be wise."

Alpha smirked, "Let him up. I want to see if he's worthy."

Alex was a little surprised that this overgrown spaniel would be so sporting. But then again, he's dealt with plenty of overconfident egomaniacs before. His captors backed off as he got up. "So you're this world's big bad."

Alpha smirked. "I spread a gift, nothing more."

"Yeah, I'm sure people like their white elephants," said Alex. Alpha gave him a confused look. "You don't have elephants here? You look like you could easily eat one," said Alex.

"You're proud...a predator. I can respect that," Alpha said calmly, circling Alex. "That said, if you can kill me you may simply wa-" before Alex drew his sidearm and fired. It was a perfect shot...and the bullet stopped at an energy field.

"Really? You think I wouldn't prepare for weapons? And yes, we do have guns here," said Alpha. He closed the gap between him and Alex in a blur, biting Alex's shoulder before throwing him back, Cynder giggling.

Alex winced before saying, "Ok, Round 1 goes to you. I've still got plenty of fight left."

"I'm sure you do," said Alpha, "But there are no more rounds necessary."

Alex clicked at that, looking at his bit shoulder. "Oh shit," he muttered before he felt like someone had kicked him in the chest.

What took only a few seconds felt a lot more drawn out and protracted. Alex cried out in pain as it felt like his skeleton was trying to burst out of his body. His muscles soon felt too big for his skin, but he could feel his skin stretching to cover his growing frame. His gloves were the first casualty as his darker, sharper fingernails poked through the tips before the rest were shredded as his hands became thicker, pads appearing on his palms. His boots didn't last much longer as his feet became much too large for them to contain. They split asunder as they stretched fully into digitigrade feet. If it weren't for the fact that Alex preferred keeping his gear a little loose, he'd have lost a lot more clothing than that.

He felt his skin burn as dark gray fur sprouted all over, his ears pointing and growing before his skull felt like it was shattering. The screaming mouth was pulled further away from his face as his teeth grew sharper, his nose becoming more sensitive as it darkened. The human screams were replaced with the roaring of something more primal. The worst was feeling...something clawing at the back of his mind.

Alex fell forward onto his hands and knees. In his dazed state, he was still dimly aware that his hands looked like he was wearing very realistic wolfman gloves and his legs stretched out a lot further behind him than they used to. He could also see the muzzle just below his eyes.

He could also feel how...great he felt. He felt stronger than he ever had. He also felt like he was back in his prime. The old armor fit him like a glove. He felt like he could run a marathon. He could also feel a bit of hunger gnawing at his stomach. He hadn't had breakfast yet. He could really use some meat...

"Get him some food," said Alpha, offering a hand.

Alex growled at the hand, baring his new fangs. Alpha frowned before holding up his scythe. The blade gleamed like the crescent moon. Its silver light had an oddly soothing effect on the other wolves.

Alex blinked as he was helped up, another offering a chunk of cooked meat, which he devoured. No...Alex didn't seem a suitable name...riplash...perfect. Riplash spared a glare at Cynder who smirked. "Scalepaw, my old name's kinda pathetic," she sneered.

"Only because you're all soot and no sizzle," sneered a female wolf. Scalepaw growled at her.

yes, even female werewolves can be catty with each other

Riplash smirked. "I don't know. She brought me in, didn't she?" the other females glaring at Cynder/Scalepaw.

"That she did," said Alpha, "I think Scalepaw has earned the first shot with our newest recruit."

Riplash blinked before smirking at Scalepaw who yanked him away. Alpha smirked before he glared at the others, "Find that dracthyr...NOW!"

Spike kept flying forward, putting some distance between him and the pack. Only when he thought he was far enough away did he stop and look at his Pipboy. There was a new app marked 'gravity scanner', the words 'property of D-31' seen before it showed a compass, a red dot flashing in the east part.

Spike looked in that direction. He didn't see anything obvious, but it probably wouldn't be until he got close. He was tempted to fly over there, but he couldn't leave Alex. He didn't like the idea of leaving Cynder either. A more cynical part of his mind said that she deserves being left here. Though Spike wasn't a particularly cynical guy. Not to mention even Alex had thought she was under some sort of mind control

Spike needed to stop and think this out. Not to mention he had a pretty big strain in his back from when he tried to lift Alex. "Not to self: exercise wings more," he said.

He glided down to land, looking around, before something tackled him. He heard his rifle clatter away before a metal barrel was pressed to his head. "Don't move," snarled a voice in his ear.

"Could you please not press on my back?" asked Spike, "I have sore muscles there."

"Vertox, get off him before he deep fries you. He's a bloody dracthyr," snapped a female voice.

"But Loona, he's-" started Vertox.

"You dimwit, I'm stopping you from self-incineration," snapped the female voice.

Vertox got off of Spike, who stood up unsteadily to see two wolf beings, one a male, the other a female in...well if it was armor it wasn't gonna defend much, a staff in her hand.

"My eyes are up here," said Loona in annoyance.

Spike frowned...his eyes had been. He also noticed they seemed...young. "Er...thanks...I'm a little lost."

"Gee, you don't say," said Vertox flatly.

"I thought all you dracthyr were up defending the dragon homeland. They all ran there when Alpha infected that black dragoness who was wandering around," said Vertox.

"Ah, yes, I actually know her," said Spike.

"Great...your girlfriend gave Alpha an excuse to turn the eastern kingdoms into his own little fiefdom," snapped Loona with a glare.

Spike held up his hands, "Hey...I just got here...wait, how come you aren't following him?"

"Because we're too cool to run with the rest of the pack," said Vertox.

"Cause we didn't listen. We tried to defend Duskwood against his goons but his second-in-command, Scalepaw, sneaked some worgen in," said Loona, rolling her eyes.

"Let me guess, the former dragon?" asked Spike.

"Yup," said Vertox cheerfully.

"I'm pretty sure this isn't how she naturally would behave," said Spike.

"She's a crafty one, that's for sure." said Vertox.

Loona got a brief tic before walking towards Spike. "So then, dracthyr..." she started.

"It's Spike," said Spike.

"You know...up close, you're-" she began, sultry before a waterskin exploded on her.

Vertox called "You're welcome." before Loona yelled "YOU'RE DEAD!"

Spike sweatdropped as the two started fighting. Spike knew they weren't seasoned adults. They couldn't be more obvious teenagers if they wanted to hang out at the mall and look at their phones all day. Something Spike never could understand when he was in Canterlot High.

"Look, I need to find my friend. The Alpha guy probably caught him..." he began.

Loona and Vertox looking at one another before Loona said, "Then he's probably a toady. That scythe thing Alpha has does a number on any worgen."

"Except us, of course," said Vertox.

"I can't just leave him!" snapped Spike.

Loona sighed, "Look, if Alpha says so, your friend'll tear you to bits and eat what's left if you're lucky. If you're unlucky, he'll just bite you."

Spike thought it over. If Cynder was turned, it's likely he'd be turned too. Of course, he had much tougher scales, but Spike wasn't willing to gamble on that.

"I'd say run...er, can we come too?" asked Vertox.

"Do you think Alpha is going to stop here?" asked Spike.

"They can't swim too well. Trust us, we tried," said Loona.

"And you're saying they can't build boats?" asked Spike.

"The army destroyed all of the docks before they were wiped out," said Vertox.

Spike sighed, "Look, I can't leave him here. If I do, he could let Alpha spread."

"He's just one man. Well, was one just one man," said Loona.

"And he's a very smart man," said Spike, "He could create more destructive weapons for him and build efficient vehicles."

"A mage always theorized if we could separate him from that scythe..." said Loona thoughtfully, adding, "That said he might be able to control us if we're that close..."

"But not me," said Spike.

"Uh, did we not mention the 'tear you to bits' part?" asked Vertox.

"I've faced worse," said Spike confidently, remembering Sombra, Tirek, all the monsters he'd met. He just hoped Alex was ok.

Riplash climbed out of the river and shook himself off. He really needed that dip. It made things a little clearer for him. He went over to where he left his clothes. Hopefully, he can put them back on without tearing them apart. He was lucky he could get them off.

"Aren't you coming back in?" Riplash looked behind him. Scalepaw was floating in the river, just high enough in the water to keep the top of her chest out of it. He paused, Scalepaw smirking. "Aw...are you shy?" she teased in a sultry voice.

"We have...things to work on," said Riplash.

Scalepaw smirked, swimming over and walking out of the water, naked. "Aw...are you sure?" she said, walking towards him, hips swaying.

"We've wasted enough...time as it is," said Riplash. The way Scalepaw's wet fur clung to her was rather distracting.

"The Alpha said we could take as much time as we wanted," Scalepaw smirked, putting her arms around Riplash's neck.

"The Alpha also said that you had the first shot at him, and you're squandering it with this stupid flirting." Scalepaw turned with a snarl at three other female wolves.

"Ladies, a little privacy, please?" asked Riplash as he struggled to get his pants on.

Scalepaw turned back to Riplash. "Well, you heard them. I'd best not waste this," she said in a low, sultry voice before pulling him into a kiss. The other wolves growled and Scalepaw snapped, "The line starts behind me, wait your turn!"

She turned back to Riplash, smirking as the others left. "Now then," she smirked, pulling him down into the grass, saying breathlessly, "Where were we?"

Meanwhile, Spike was doing his best to devise a strategy. The main goal was getting the scythe away from Alpha Prime. But that was not going to be easy. Especially if Alpha is always at the center of the pack.

"This is a dumb plan," said Loona flatly, having heard Spike's latest plan, "Pretending to surrender won't work. He sees people who surrender as food."

"Well, surely something can lure him away from the pack," said Spike.

"The pack will follow anyways," said Vertox.

"Unless...Alpha Prime's talked about invading other worlds, looking for ways to open the old dark portal..." Loona said thoughtfully.

"Let me guess, he'd want to be first through the portal?" asked Spike.

"No, he likes to play the world like chess," said Vertox darkly.

"So he sends the pawns first," said Spike. Finally, watching Twilight play all those chess games was going to pay off.

"What's your plan?" asked Loona.

Spike grinned, "Ok, here's my plan, but it has to go off perfectly."

Scalepaw was rather annoyed with the Alpha summoning them back so soon. Not that she'd ever actually object to him in person. She'd at least had her moment with Riplash, and he'd certainly enjoyed it. She'd made sure of that.

The two walked into the clearing, Alpha Prime smirking at the two, "I hope you two are rested. I have a task for you."

"What would that be?" asked Scalepaw, keeping her tone civil.

"Riplash's companion escaped...find him," Alpha ordered, looking at them closer, adding, "Or maybe Riplash deserves a more competent mate?"

"He does have wings," pointed out Scalepaw.

"So do you," said Alpha.

"But the longer I stay in that form-" protested Scalepaw.

"Nonsense...unless you're questioning me," warned Alpha

Scalepaw growled a little before hunching over. Her back bulged before dragon wings started growing from them. If only she could stop at that, but the rest of her body had to follow. Quite soon, silky fur was replaced by dry scales again. 'Cynder' stretched her wings and looked at herself with disdain.

Riplash nuzzled her, whispering comfortingly to her, "You're still my beautiful Scalepaw..."

Alpha narrowed his eyes. "Go with her. If she fails, kill her," he ordered. Riplash paused. "The proper response is 'Yes, my alpha'," said Alpha impatiently.

"Surely he'd be more useful as part of the pack..." began Riplash before he and Scalepaw gripped their heads as the scythe;s blade glowed.

"I'm the one who decides who joins the pack," snarled Alpha, "I'm the one who makes the plans. Your roles are just to follow." He glared before snarling, "I can reduce you to nothing to beasts. Is that what you want?"

Scalepaw managed, "No...my...alpha..."

Riplash glared defiantly at Alpha. The scythe's blade glowed brighter before Riplash was forced to say, "We...shall...obey..."

The glow vanished, before Alpha smirked. "Good...now go," he said, walking off.

Riplash growled at that, snapping to Scalepaw, "Drop that form. Spike will already know you're one of us so hiding as. That will do nothing."

Scalepaw shook herself, her dragon features disappearing as she resumed her true form. "Much better," said Scalepaw, "I was starting to feel the claws in the back of my head again."

"You never told me how Alpha found you," Riplash said as they headed for the treeline.

"It was...a few months ago..." said Scalepaw, "I...I remember better in my other form."

3 months ago...

Cynder was not in the best of moods. She'd been trapped in this dump of a world for 3 months now and her mood had not improved. Most towns she'd found had been flattened or were deserted.

It was hard to say if this was better or worse than the wasteland she had left behind. On one hand, food and water weren't as hard to find here, even if the food was mostly berries and what she could catch. And she learned quickly which berries cause digestive problems. On the other hand, in the wasteland, there were tools that she could scavenge for her use. There wasn't much of that here.

There was also the fact she still had her blaster and armor. The few people who'd tried to rob her had been easily scared off. Sadly, at the moment, it was pissing it down. Cynder shivered, feeling the coldness seep into her bones. It was times like this she wished she could actually breathe fire. The closest she could get were shadow flames and that didn't provide any real heat.

A light could be seen ahead, a campfire of some sort. Hunger and cold overrode her caution and she headed for it. She wondered how she would explain her appearance to whoever was at the campfire. But then, maybe dragons like her weren't out of place in this world.

A hooded figure was sat by the fire, roasting what smelled like...like...mutton. Cynder's stomach gave a fierce growl, loud enough for the figure to notice.

"Come...sit by the fire," said the figure in a low gravelly voice.

"I hope you won't mind," said Cynder, walking closer to the fire.

"Of course not. It is unusual to see a dracthyr so far from the islands," said the figure, Cynder noticing a scythe leaning on the log he was sitting on.

"Uh, sure, too many tourists," said Cynder.

"Hmm...I am Alpha. These are my small lands...and you are?" asked the figure.

"Cynder," said Cynder, "And as you can guess, I'm from a far, far away place."

"You seem...lonely," Alpha said, taking out a small dagger and cutting some mutton off the roasting meat and passing it over.

"Yeah, I lost someone...close to me some time ago and I haven't been able to find him," said Cynder.

"Hmm...maybe you need a new family?" said Alpha.

Cynder gave a mirthless laugh and said, "Unless there are a lot of dragons like me here, that doesn't seem likely."

"Hmm...not dragons," said Alpha, lowering his hood as rows of yellow eyes lit up the surrounding trees.

Cynder stopped eating as she looked around. "Don't tell me I'm the second course," she said.

"Not exactly," sneered Alpha, his claws flashing out and scratching her arm. Cynder hissed in pain as she clutched her arm. "I'll have to admit, I've never tried to change a dragon before," said Alpha, "I may require some extra effort to make sure the gift works on you." He held up his scythe which started glowing.

Cynder glared before she felt a pleasurable tingle in her scratched arm, which began to spread. She looked down to see that the scales on her arm were changing into hairs. "What is...what..." started Cynder, but the tingle was starting to get numbing.

"You're becoming something better. You asked for this, don't you remember?" said Alpha's voice, which seemed to echo into her head.

"I..." Cynder's head swam. It felt like something was massaging her brain, making it harder to think. The fact that her horns were being replaced with wolf ears didn't register to her.

Alpha, a large wolf...man walked towards her, cupping her snout in his hand as fur began to cover it. "Hmm...you're actually resisting," he said, impressed.

"Not...wolf..." said Cynder numbly. She tried to spread her wings, but Alpha put a hand on her back.

"Useful as those might be, I think they're a little too distracting for you," he said. He squeezed the wings into her back, which soon started to melt in.

"N...no..." she began, gasping as the pleasure spread across her, Alpha pulling her up as her tail covered in fur.

"And things became hazy after a while. But I've been in a good position in the pack since then," said Scalepaw. It was only then that she noticed that Riplash had been silently snarling.

"And he calls himself our alpha, taking advantage of you. At least we chose our coupling," he snapped, a smaller part, of his human side, demanding he rip the alpha apart.

"He has taken care of the pack," said Scalepaw.

"And how many other women did he coerce while they were still changing? That's not the act of a hunter, that's merely a predator," growled Riplash.

"What's the difference?" asked Scalepaw.

"A hunter at least gives his quarry a sporting chance to get away," growled Riplash.

"Then what were we?" said Scalepaw.

Riplash kissed her cheek and said, "Willing."

The lack of willingness also bothered a small part of Riplash. The wolf wasn't too concerned about how new members were added to the pack. But his persistent human side didn't like how Alpha was forcing them to join without so much as offering a choice.

"You're worried. Please tell me you aren't going to challenge him. The last one who did was reduced to a wolfhound," she warned.

"Don't you think I would be a better alpha?" asked Riplash.

"Hmm...maybe you should show me your...qualifications," said Scalepaw seductively.

The two leaned in, reaching for one another's clothing before they heard a polite coughing and a click, the two turning to see their quarry, aiming a laser rifle, with two young worgen behind him. "Oh smeg," muttered Riplash.

"This really isn't necessary," said Riplash, Spike having known him from his Pipboy. He and Scalepaw were tied to a tree.

"Better safe than sorry," said Spike. He might have been a little gruffer than necessary, especially with the two of them tied at opposite sides of the tree. There was a small part of him that felt hurt by what he had seen. He told himself that the two weren't acting like they normally would and it wasn't like he and Cynder were a couple anyways. So why was he feeling so jealous? Or was it envy?

"You couldn't have waited 10 minutes?" snapped Scalepaw.

Riplash nodded before he shook his head, "Look...why are you even here? I told you to find the rift."

"Oh, so you remember that?" asked Spike dryly.

"Of course," snarled Riplash.

"I can see that you were trying to head home as soon as you could," said Spike meanly.

"Of course not. Why would I give this up?" snapped Riplash.

Spike sighed. He could almost smell the mental soap. "Ok, you two obviously aren't in control of yourselves," said Spike, "But we're going to get that fixed. And then we'll get Alpha fixed."

"Could you please not say 'fixed'?" asked Riplash.

There was an awkward pause at that, Spike looking to see Vertox also say "Seconded." Loona and Scalepaw giggled.

"Look, I'm sure at some level, you don't want Alpha pushing his 'ideals' on any more people," said Spike.

"No, worgen are meant to be free, not ruled by some despot," snapped Riplash.

Loona nodded, "At least not all of you kiss Alpha's paws."

"Though as long as he's holding that scythe, it won't make a difference," said Vertox.

"Yes...wait, why were you headed for him?" said Riplash, stretching, the ropes holding him and Scalepaw snapping as he stood up, before politely helping Scalepaw to her feet, kissing her hand briefly.

Spike suppressed a twinge of irrational jealousy and said, "To free you, of course. And Cynder as well. Even she doesn't deserve being with him."

"Scalepaw told me her story. She never asked for this," snarled Riplash, towering over Spike angrily.

"I figured as much," said Spike, trying to keep his voice steady, "And that's still more reason to take Alpha's stick."

"Yes...without that scythe, they'll all turn on him," sneered Scalepaw, before leaning into riplash, "Then Riplash can take over." Riplash rolled his eyes.

"Let's...see if we can get that far first," said Spike, "But taking away that scythe won't be easy."

"Of course not. He can drain our minds with it till we're just feral beasts," snapped Scalepaw.

"But he wants more than just wolves for his pack, right?" asked Spike.

"He uses it as a punishment," said Scalepaw.

Riplash nodded, "We felt it. The only one who could get close is someone who isn't a worgen."

"And I'd rather not have to fight my way through the whole pack to get to him," said Spike.

"We work together then," said Scalepaw cheerfully.

Spike gave a frustrated sigh and said, "I'm glad we all agree on working together. Now how about figuring out how I can actually get to Alpha in one piece?"

"Easy enough. He was asking directly for you," said Riplash with a grin.

Spike paused. "I'm guessing he's not asking me over for tea," he said nervously.

"Nope," said Scalepaw with a grin.

"You guys do have tea here, right?" asked Riplash, "I haven't had a good cuppa in...probably don't want to calculate how long."

"What's tea?" whispered Scalepaw.

Alpha Prime meanwhile was thinking. Riplash wasn't the first worgen he'd turned to show too much...independent thinking… That was the problem with finding good betas. Most of them start thinking they should be alphas. Female betas were at least easier to keep submissive.

Scalepaw was a problem though. Two of his betas that had challenged him in the last three months were, he suspected, inspired by her. He was kind of hoping Riplash and Scalepaw had eloped somewhere before one of his guards ran up. "My alpha, Scalepaw and Riplash are back," he panted.

"Do they have anything worth reporting?" asked Alpha.

"They brought that other dragon," said the guard.

Alpha's eyebrows rose. "Well, that was fast," he said.

He grabbed the scythe and walked out to see Riplash and Scalepaw looking smug, two sullen-looking young worgen seen as well as the purple dracthyr, tied up. "There we are, my alpha," said riplash smugly.

"Well, well, you two have been productive," said Alpha.

Scalepaw bowed, saying, "You did order us to capture him."

"And you manage to capture a pair of rogues as well," said Alpha, "I'm sure there's an interesting story behind that."

"I'd say bite me but one of your buddies already did," snapped Vertox.

"Ah, headstrong youth. I remember being like that...a few hundred years ago," said Alpha wistfully. He walked towards Vertox at that. "However, I don't like it here," he said, tapping Vertox on the head with the scythe.

Vertox screaming as his form cracked and shifted into a feral wolf with a surprised expression. "I still remember how to cast polymorph," he sneered, walking towards the shocked and horrified Loona. "Are you going to be like your brother?" he sneered.

"Leave them alone!" snapped Spike.

"My, my, such altruism for someone not even your own species," said Alpha with mock admiration.

"I know a bully when I see it," growled Spike, Alpha's eyes narrowing.

"I am a liberator. I free people from the trappings of civilization that separate them from the natural world," said Alpha.

"You can't have freedom without free will," said Spike, "And you're not even giving them a choice."

"They thank me later, as will you...and the land you came from..." sneered Alpha.

"There's no justification for conquest," said Spike defiantly.

"It's for their own good and yours. Scalepaw, turn him," Alpha ordered.

Scalepaw took a step forward and hesitated. "Uh...are you sure I have the power?" asked Scalepaw.

"You and he were of the same kind, were you not?" asked Alpha, "Now BITE HIM!"

Scalepaw didn't move. "I...I won't," she said in a scared voice.

Alpha glared and snapped, "That was an order!"

"No!" snapped Scalepaw before screaming as the scythe burst to life

"I am the Alpha Prime! I am the originator and leader of all packs! You will obey my commands!" snapped Alpha. The other wolves were forced down to their knees. However, Spike slipped out of his ropes, which weren't as tightly bound as they appeared. With one swipe, he knocked the scythe out of Alpha's hands, sending it flying until it landed blade-first in a tree.

"No more toys!" snapped Spike, "If you're a real leader, lead them yourself!"

Alpha spun, grabbing Spike by the throat, effortlessly lifting him off his feet. "How dare you," he said in a low voice.

"What's the matter? Don't have the charisma to lead without a remote control?" asked Spike.

Alpha glared before heard growled and mutters, his 'faithful' worgen glaring or looking like they were waking up from a trance.

Alpha hesitated a moment before suddenly dropping Spike and leaping towards the fallen scythe. However, Riplash was faster. He grabbed the scythe and yelled, "You heard the dragon. No more toys!" With that, he threw the scythe back to Spike. Instead of catching it, Spike breathed out green flames that engulfed the scythe. There was a green flash and the scythe was gone.

"What? How? You don't have the power to destroy the scythe!" snapped Alpha.

"Maybe I don't, but I didn't destroy it," said Spike, "I just sent it somewhere you'll never find it."

A few realities away...

Princess Luna said calmly, "Wherever Spike is, he's definitely having an interesting time."

Celestia stared numbly at the large scythe embedded in the back of her throne, an inch from her head.

"Well, I rather like the design of this one. I think I may keep it," said Loona.

Celestia blinked out of her shock, "And what makes you think you can claim this weapon?"

"Because I call dibs," said Loona.

"I- ooh, cursed sister code," grumbled Celestia.

The rest of the worgen were advancing angrily on Alpha, several of his more loyal members deciding to seek employment elsewhere.

"Don't even try to challenge me," snarled Alpha, "I'm sure still stronger than any one of you curs."

"Maybe, but are you stronger than all of us together?" asked Riplash.

Alpha growled, as the worgen group advanced and they started jumping. Spike winced as he managed to knock down a couple before the sheer numbers dragged him down. This time, Spike turned away. He didn't want to watch the pack as they tore Alpha to bits, nor see what they did with those bits.

It was later...and according to Loona the entire country was going to put itself back together. There was talk about finding old allies in the mountains. For the gang though, Riplash had quickly found the rift, a small clearing near a destroyed bridge, overgrown farmlands seen in the distance...and a strange...ripple in the air, one of several around a large one which Riplash said was the one. Vertox had thrown a few apples into a smaller one before a rock had been thrown back and knocked him out, a note on it saying 'stop throwing apples into our dimension'.

"Are you sure you don't wish to stay?" asked Loona, "You could easily be a better alpha than the last one and you won't need the scythe to have their loyalty."

"Well, I'm not a worgen," said Spike

Loona said jokingly, "Easily solved."

Spike gulped, before looking at Riplash and Scalepaw...no...no they were Alex and Cynder dammit. Even if they were still a bit nuts. He couldn't leave them here. It was bad enough Alex's rifle was somewhere in that damn forest, forgotten. Not to mention, the two of them flirting was really making him feel uncomfortable. Not in an envious way, as he kept telling himself.

Loona was already leaving, dragging her unconscious brother along before he looked at the two. "Are you sure you wanna stay?" he said carefully

"We could do so much good here," said Riplash, "We can help rebuild their society, make it a better one than before."

"It'll be a much better place to raise our pups," said Scalepaw.

Spike sighed. If this failed, he'd probably end up part of this brave new world… "I dunno...maybe if there were some cats?" he said, hoping that some cliches were multiversal, and was rewarded with death glares from the two worgen

"Why would you say that?" asked Riplash in a stern tone.

"Oh, you know how much smarter cats are than dogs," said Spike.

Scalepaw snarled, "Riplash, dear, I vote we show him firsthand why we're best."

Riplash grinned toothily, "Oh, I heartily agree."

"Uh, you are going to give me a headstart, right?" asked Spike.

The two smirked, saying in unison, "Nope!" Spike flew for the rift with them in pursuit...

...and all three falling out in a heap in the mall, Riplash and Scalepaw writhing as they rapidly shifted back. Alex blinked. "I had the weirdest dream," he said in a dazed voice.

"Yeah, I bet it was," said Spike.

Alex sat and looked about. Then he looked down and asked, "What happened to my boots?"

Cynder blinked, sitting up, wincing, before she frowned...dragon minds are far more capable of keeping memories...and the cinema of embarrassment was replaying the last day or so as Scalepaw...and her little...flirtation

Cynder blushed so much her face almost went totally red. That was worse when she was General Cynder with Spike and...and... Now her face was completely red. In fact, her whole head was turning red.

Spike was walking towards her...now what? She winced before seeing him offering a hand. "You coulda doomed me, and Alex, but you didn't," he said with a smile.

"Uh, you're welcome?" squeaked Cynder.

"No, I mean it," said Spike, helping her up.

Alex blinked. "Yeah...yeah...I think I remember that," he said a little dizzily.

"It was nothing," said Cynder weakly.

Spike meanwhile was looking at Alex who finally snapped, "Fine, I won't shoot her...clear she's turned over a new leaf."

The blush drained from Cynder's face. "You mean it?" she asked.

"Would you rather be on parole?" asked Alex.

"Parole?" asked Cynder.

Alex nodded. "An idea from Bunker Hill: we tie you to a pole and roll you down a hill into the river."

"Uh...that's a joke, right?" asked Cynder.

"Not from what I heard. Come on, I need to buy some new boots from Bunker Hill," said Alex.

Cynder sighed as she followed...pausing as she looked at her reflection in an old mirror, a smirking Scalepaw giving her a mock salute. Cynder blinked and rubbed her eyes, seeing her normal reflection.

"Uh, Alex, about what happened back there..." started Cynder.

"It stays back there," said Alex firmly, "We got a bonding experience out of it. As in, we came closer as companions. Platonic companions."

"What he said," said Spike.

"Yeah, of course," said Cynder. There was definitely nothing between her and Alex. Though she wondered how handsome Alex would be as a dragon. No, she pushed that thought to the back of her mind with the others. She still needed to find Spyro. She wanted to face him with as clean a conscience as possible.

Author's Note

There's the next chapter just in time for Halloween. This is where things start taking strange turns. Such as this short crossover into World of Warcraft. Of course, this is not the same timeline as the main game. This is an alternate timeline in which Alpha Prime, aka Ralaar Fangfire, was able to dominate the continent. An interesting note is that this chapter is partly derived from me and my co-authors' multiple attempts to write a WoW story. Though the problem with writing one featuring worgen is that there is very little to work with as Gilneas ceases to be of any importance after the opening arc.

Anyways, there are many changes that are the result of this chapter, not the least of which being that Cynder joins the heroes. Though if you've played the Legend of Spyro games, you'd know it was inevitable. Things are still going to be sporadic for a while, but the next chapter will come eventually. Keep an eye out for it and please review.