Seven Devils

I woke up, strangely enough, lying on Twilight's floor. Confused I opened my eyes a little- but then they shot open. The room was a mix of blues and purples, except for the bed where Twilight lay. That was green, with a yellow, orange and red shape which I could compare to the shape of Twilight's body. That was it, then- I was somehow seeing with heat vision. I got up slowly and looked down at myself and to my horror my body was all blue.

How, could I, a fire-breathing dragon, be so cold? But as I stood up, my crest nearly brushed the ceiling. I had grown a lot, and for a moment I panicked, thinking I was becoming a greedy hoarder like I had a little while ago, when I kidnapped Rarity and smashed up the town. But I hadn't been collecting things like last time, so I couldn't see how that could be happening.

But then the possibilities this growth opened up started to creep into my mind. Rarity had rejected me before because I was too young, but now I would easily tower over her. I wondered whether she would treat me differently now I was presumably older. But something still seemed wrong, other than my size, so I trailed over to the lights and lit them with a quick breath.

Candlelight flickered over my tall frame, and for some reason I began to see normally again, but before I could get a look at myself in the mirror Twilight moaned and turned over. A bit of her tail stuck out from under the covers and to my confusion it appeared to be scaly. I marched over and prodded the bump under the duvet. Twilight groaned and sat up, but as the covers fell away from her face I instinctively stepped back. Her face was blue, scaly, as she yawned I could see fangs, her horn had disappeared, her ears were more like webbed fins, and when she opened her eyes they were golden, with slitted pupils.

Just as I opened my mouth to cry out, she opened hers and with a strange strangled hiss scrabbled backwards off the bed, her eyes fixed on me. For the first time I looked down at myself to see to my chagrin that my scales had turned grey and silver, before melting off into what looked like fur on my legs. I strode over to the mirror, ignoring Twilight as she felt at her face with her hooves, a somewhat horrified expression on her alien features.

In the mirror was... I don't know.

I supposed that my form was like a minotaur's, but my top half was a dragon, a grey and silver one with blood-red eyes, but then the scales melted away into medium-length grey fur from my waist down. My legs ended in blunt stubs, which after a minute I recognised as hooves. I didn't know how I hadn't noticed that I had no toes before now. Examining my tail, I saw that it was bristling with barbs along its scaly length, with a tip shaped like an arrow head. I twisted my head around almost hopefully, but I was disappointed; still no wings.

Now I turned my attention back to Twilight. She was up, pacing towards me on unsteady hooves. The scales covered her from  head to tail, as her tail was now muscle rather than hair. A crescent tail fin tipped it. A fin-like crest flopped over her neck where her mane had been. However her starry cutie mark was still present on her flank.

"Spike?" she said in a voice that sounded like she was gargling. I detected clicking on the floorboards and suddenly noticed long, disjointed claws, four on each of Twilight's hooves. They appeared to be webbed, and I wondered how Twilight had been transformed into this seemingly aquatic creature.

"Yes." I answered, my voice scraping and deep.

"Oh, good." said Twilight. "It's you. But I have no idea what in Equestria has happened."

She padded unsteadily over to the mirror and stood staring in horrified silence. For a few minutes, we stood staring in the mirror, until an awful, earth-shattering screech shook the windows and rattled the doors. Even under the panic,and strange growling which the scream tailed off into, I recognised the scream.

"Rarity." I said. Twilight looked at me with those unnerving, unblinking golden eyes and nodded.

Ten minutes later, after two minutes of hammering on the boutique door, I smashed through it and came face to face with a terrified-looking Sweetie Belle. Hearing the screaming continue upstairs, I gently shoved her aside and ascended the stairs.

I had to smash Rarity's bedroom door too, and it was then that I saw her.

She was facing away, but I could see all was not well with my love. A long black scorpion's tail swished in aggravation, and then Rarity turned to look at me, and then opened her mouth for another scream, her long canines glistening. From what I could see, Rarity's body was that of a female manticore, except with deep blue eyes and a pony's hindquarters. She stepped back, half-heartedly raising a clawed lion's paw to defend herself. But then she placed it back down, closed her mouth and looked down.

Her head, front legs and half of her body were those of a jet black lioness, her hindquarters were a white pony's with her diamond cutie mark still emblazoned on each flank, and a segmented black scorpion tail reared above her. She sat down on her haunches and wailed, "Just kill me! I'm finished anyway!"

"Rarity, I'm not going to kill you. It's me, Spike."

Rarity looked up at me with her familiar heart-melting blue gaze. "Spikey-Wikey?" Her voice started as her usual dignified speech, before tailing off into a growly low pitch.

"The one and only." I said, using the phrase I'd heard from Rainbow so many times. "Anyway, Twilight's.... changed... too, and she went to find the other four. We've to meet them in the library."

Rarity looked about to agree, but then she hunched up. "No, Spike. I cannot be seen like this!"

I sighed. "Rarity, it's dark. No one will see you." I didn't add that her white flank would stand out. I didn't think that information would be helpful.

Rarity just stayed where she was, lifting her black paws to cover her eyes.

I poked her. "Come on, Rarity. Twilight can't help you get back to normal if you don't go."

Rarity just let out a growly sob.

Unable to think of anything else to do, I began to shove her towards the door. She turned on me, growling and snarling,even raising a clawed paw to strike me, but then blinked and stopped. I sensed that she had somehow lost consciousness of what she was doing, as now she followed me down the stairs without complaint.

Sweetie Belle was still cowering downstairs, but when Rarity moved towards her she screamed and fled out of the door. I followed her out to see a white shape tearing away in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.

I led a shivering Rarity to the library and stopped outside. I had to psyche myself up for what might await me inside. When I was ready, I shoved the door open.

Four pairs of eyes swivelled to gaze at me.