//------------------------------// // Dragon Metamorphosis! Part 5: Exit the Nightmare. Enter the Dragon Hero // Story: Dragonfire 🐲 Enter The Dragon Hero 🐲 // by Phantom-Dragon //------------------------------// "Nightmare Moon?!" Twilight gasped, along with the girls, while the Shadowbolts all bowed their heads in respect. "In the dragon," the evil alicorn cackled, through the now possessed Spike. "No," Sunset gasped. "It can't be...." "Oh, but it is," Nightmare Moon sneered. "Somnambula's curse did more than robbing the young dragon of his memories, you see. It has also granted me full access to his mind. And with that, he is now under my control. Meaning the Dragonfire is now in my control." "No!" Twilight exclaimed. "Oh yes," Nightmare Moon replied. "You have all played into my plan, and for that, your fates are now sealed!" "How?!" Rainbow inquired. "You see," Nightmare Moon began. "Thousands of years ago, I had a dream of the Dragonfire, another force of magic that plays an instrumental role in my return. I knew this was no mere dream, but a premonition. I had to obtain it. But I've later learned that the Dragonfire is only half as powerful, unless it is united with its brothers and sisters, the Elements of Harmony." The girls' eyes widen upon the revelation, "Yes, my little ponies. You, the Bearers of the Elements, are the keys to unlocking the young dragon's full potential! And who should I thank, but you Twilight Sparkle? The device you had created to seek powerful magic, is also the instrument of that unity!" "No!" Twilight fell to the ground, trying to deny what she had heard, with Shining Armor rushing over for comfort. "And next, who else should I thank, but you foals?" Nightmare Moon sneered, directing her attention to the rest of the Bearers. "The ponies who were so quick as to turn their backs on Sunset Shimmer!! The pony whose anger would play an even essential role, in uniting the powers from the insolent foals, who drove her away!" With that, Nightmare Moon lets out a taunting laugh, that struck shames in the hearts of the ponies responsible. "You ponies were only the first steps to my plan. After I had been informed by Somnambula of the young Dragon Prince's time of metamorphosis, I knew it was time to put the unity in action. Initially, I planned on having the Dragonfire drained from the boy, in order to merge it together with the powers of the Elements of Harmony, contained. But nevertheless, it worked. Now that the Dragonfire's full potential is unlocked, and under my control, the time has come for my return to Equestria, where I shall have my revenge on Princess Celestia, and show the little ponies who is master! But first, I believe it's dinnertime for the Dragon Prince, and you little ponies are the main course! FOALS!!!" "No!" Pinkie Pie whimpered. "My worst nightmare has come true!!" "Yes, Pinkie Pie," Nightmare Moon laughed. "How tragic indeed. You little girls have come a long way for your precious Dragon Prince, but now he shall be your executioner! Now, prepare for your destruction!" [Nights Journey of Dreams Music: Nights vs Reala] With that, Spike's whole body was enveloped in a burst of black fire, before he stood before the girls, clad in a black suit of armor, with sharp blades on the shoulder pads, a helmet in the shape of a dragon's head, dark purple feathery wings on his back, and a long dragon tail. Upon the completion of the transformation, Spike lets out a wicked laugh, combined with Nightmare Moon's, echoed throughout Battery Park. "Spike," Twilight whimpered. "No!" The dragon looked at the girl, "Spike? What a pathetic name for a dragon," the possessed dragon sneered. "I'm now, MIDNIGHT DRAGON!!!" With that, the dragon lets out a burst of fire, in the air. With that, his hand glowed in a green fiery aura, projecting a sword. Midnight Dragon then lunged forward, slashing his sword at Twilight, before he sets his sight on Pinkie Pie, who quickly jumped out of the way, running for dear life, with the possessed dragon, behind her. Pinkie kept running, until she tripped on a rock, causing her to fall flat on her face, in a puddle of mud. As Pinkie got up, she was quickly grabbed by the hair, and was brought up to the dragon's face. Taking a sniff, Midnight Dragon licked his chops, "Cotton candy!" With that, he opened his mouth, preparing to devour the girl, only to be interfered with magic beams, projected by Sunset Shimmer, and Lyra Heartstrings, both girls in pony forms. Distracted, the dragon dropped Pinkie to the ground, who was rescued by Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Angered by the interference, Midnight Dragon charged after the two ponies, before the boys jumped on him. "Spike! No!" Button shouted, ducking as he nearly got his head chopped off. "Get out of my way!" the dragon roared, projecting a spear of light and tossed it at the nerd, who fortunately dodged it. "Spike! It's me! It's us!" the boy continued to reason. "Your brothers!" Unfortunately, the boy's words were met with deaf ears, as Midnight Dragon swatted the boys to the side. Before he could move on, however, Big Mac, Shining Armor, and Rainbow Blaze all threw lassos, made of chains, on the dragon, trying to restrain him. In retaliation, Spike turns himself into a Foo Dog, grabbing the the chains with his fangs, and thrashed the boys around, before he ran around the park, dragging the boys in tow. The boys couldn't hold on much longer, and were thrown off. Sunset soon came back, as she fired several fireballs at the mad Foo Dog, who opened his mouths wide, swallowing each and every last of the unicorn's projectiles. The giant dog ran up to the unicorn, who quickly disappeared in a flash of fire, escaping from the dog, before she reappeared in another flash of fire, inside a tree. "Believe me, Spike," Sunset said sadly. "This is going to hurt me more than it's going to hurt you." With that, her horn glowed in a light brilliant amber aura, as she fired a spell towards the boy turned dog. Unfortunately, Midnight Dragon stopped her before she had the chance. "Foolish pony," Midnight Dragon sneered, as he pounced after the unicorn. "You can't stop me! You can't stop the darkness within me! I AM THE DARKNESSS!! It is futile to stop me!" With that, Midnight Dragon's eyes glowed in a shimmering bright light, as he blasted Sunset Shimmer of her hooves. "I will destroy every remaining lights in existence, just as I will destroy the sun of this world, and later, the sun of Equestria!!" Sunset Shimmer shook the blow, as she looked at the Foo Dog, "Spike!" she called out. "I know you're in there! You have to fight her!" Sunset jumped, narrowly evading a blast of fire from the Foo Dog. "Please, Spike! I know you're in there!" "FOALS!!" Midnight Dragon roared. "Your prince is gone! Your magic of friendship is dead! I WILL DEVOUR YOU ALL! I SHALL DEVOUR EVERY LAST PONIES IN EQUESTRIA!! I WILL MAKE PRINCESS CELESTIA'S END MOST TRAGIC AS I FORCE HER BELOVED SON TO EAT HER PRECIOUS LIGHT, BEFORE HE CONSUMES HER WHOLE!!!" With that, the possessed dragon let out a wicked laugh. Spike's Mind Inside his head, a young, human Spike was all by himself, surrounded by darkness, with chains and shackles on his arms, legs, and on his collar. "I can't do it," the child whimpered. "Not alone! I just can't do it alone!" Just then, a beacon of light broke through, shining down on the boy. He looked up to see a white alicorn, with a rainbow flowing mane, singing to him in a familiar, haunting, motherly voice. [You Know Who You Are - Moana] The alicorn dispersed into the girls from his forgotten childhood, standing before him, all embracing him in a tender hug, "You know, who you are," the girls sang, before they surrounded him in multicolored auras, before they merged together into the orb from earlier. [Steve Jablonsky - Yeouijoo] The orb danced in the air, before it floated into his hands. Then, appearing in the orb, where the images of the ponies in Equestria. Spike watched, as the little fillies all played happily, and sharing the magic of friendships together, and with others, while singing a song of, "Healing the world." Spike watched, smiling as he watches harmony in effect. Then, appearing before him, was Princess Celestia, and himself. "It's so beautiful," Princess Celestia smiled. "Isn't it Spike?" "It sure is," Spike smiled, as the looked over the kingdom, from their balcony. "You are the best princess Equestria's ever had mommy." Princess Celestia smiled, before she turned solemn, "Perhaps," she began. "But no pony's perfect. Even me." The princess then turns to her son, as she explains, "There are many things in the world that even I alone can't handle. And that is why I'm counting on you to help me, Spike, to one day play the role, as a hero of Equestria, and preserve harmony." "Why me?" Young Spike asked. "Why couldn't it have been uncle? Or anyone else with powerful magic?" "Because it's your calling," Princess Celestia answered. "There's a reason as to why you are born with the Dragonfire. And creatures who are gifted with this magic all grew to become very important figures, in the worlds they served." "But why did it chose me?" Spike asked, worryingly. "Why couldn't it have chose you? And what if I make a mistake, and make things worse? I don't want to be like the dragons that once attacked you before." Princess Celestia smiled warmly, as she wrapped a comforting wing, and held the boy close, "Don't worry, Spike. You won't. I know you won't. Only the noble of spirits, and pure of hearts can wield the Dragonfire. And I know you'll make me proud." Young Spike, still nervous, hugged his mother, "Then I won't let you down, mom." Older Spike smiled, before his face shifted in determination, "I won't let you down, mom!" he repeated. Then, in a flash of light, the orb merged with Spike, before he stood, restored to the form of his current age, clad in a shimmering, crystal Samurai armor. Unsheathing a katana of light, Spike slashes his way, freeing himself from the dark chains that were holding him. The broken chains all formed together, into a fearsome winged serpent, hissing and flapping its wings. Spike slashed his sword, cutting off the snake’s wings, before cutting its head off. With that, the decapitated serpent exploded in a burst of light, and a huge stream of rainbow came flooding out of the snake, and into Spike’s head, as a series of memories flashed in his eyes. "I remember now!" Spike exclaimed. [Woman's vocalization] [Steve Jablonsky - Dragon War] In the real world, Spike was preparing for the kill, when his eyes flashed a rainbow aura, and cracks started to form on his darkened skin, with every thunderous beat of a drum. With a mighty yell, Spike broke free of Nightmare Moon's dark control. Furthermore, upon breaking free from his dark skins, a new Spike was revealed, with a large pair of green bat-like wings, two long curled green horns on the top of his head that resembled antlers, green fins on his elbow, and long green whiskers on his snout. “No! It can’t be!” Nightmare Moon exclaimed, before she was forced out of the dragon's mind, and into the physical world. “But it is,” Spike replied, turning his head to the alicorn. "I'm back! I remember! And I'm fired up!!" With that, Spike arched his head upward, letting out a piercing roar, and a burst of green flame from his mouth. The girls couldn't believe their eyes, along with the boys, who were all shocked to see their friend, as a new dragon, and overcoming the evil of Nightmare Moon. "Way to go, Spike!!" Sunset Shimmer cheered, along with Fleur, Lyra, and Bon Bon, who all gave the dragon a series of whoops and whistles. "Wow!" Rainbow gasped. "He's 20, no 100% cooler!!!" "I'll say!" Applejack smiled. "I never thought I'd see the day little Spike would grow wings!" "He's never ceased to amaze me!" Twilight gasped. "We've all been given a great honor to take part in this transformation," Scorpan said, appearing from the trees. "Let us hope it was not all in vain." Spike gave his wings some stretches, before he folds them, "Now," Spike began, looking directly at the alicorn. "What was that you said before?" Caught off guard, Nightmare Moon growled, "I said, good night!" With an angry neigh, Nightmare Moon galloped towards Spike, who did the same. Then, at the last second, Spike changes himself into a dog, sliding beneath the alicorn, narrowly dodging a blast of dark magic from her horn, before he came out the other end, jumped on Nightmare Moon's flank, and bit her. "AAAHHH!!!" Nightmare Moon screamed in agony, while Spike released her, and blew a raspberry. "Yuck! Ptooey!" Spike spitted, licking his tongue on the grass. "Tastes like blue cheese!" The little disgusted dog soon found himself enveloped in a dark blue aura, as he was levitated, face to face with an angry Nightmare Moon. "I'm going to eat you for that!" Nightmare Moon snarled. "Then I hope you like me extra crispy!" Spike replied, as a burst of fire exploded form his mouth, scorching the mad alicorn. Distracted Nightmare Moon released her hold on the dog, as he changes back into a human, did several flips, before he landed on the side of a tree, kicks off, launching himself, and landed a flying kick to Nightmare Moon's face. The mad alicorn shook her head, as she angrily pursue the boy, before he quickly transformed back into a dragon, flapping his new wings, and took flight. "Hey Moony!" Spike called. "Can you fly? Let's fly!" With that, the young dragon took off, with the mad alicorn giving chase. "C'mon! We have to help him!" Rainbow exclaimed, as she ran up to Sunset Shimmer. "Sunset! You still have magics! Give me wings!" "No!" Scorpan interjected. "This is his fight! He must do this alone!" Rainbow groaned in frustration, "I hate it when people say that." "I know," Applejack voiced her honest opinion. "But all we can do now, is hope our Spike can pull through." "We don't have to hope," Pinkie explain, as she got out the projector from earlier. "We can watch it for ourselves!" The girls quickly gathered around, watching anxiously as their friend fought the demonic alicorn. Spike and Nightmare Moon were both flying around Manhattan, blasting streams of green fire, and dark magics, at each other. Nightmare Moon's horn glowed, as she manipulated some clouds into thunderclouds, as she fired several bolts of lightnings at the dragon. Spike took the shots, as he redirected the blasts of electricity at the alicorn, through his mouth. But the alicorn was quick to shield herself, with her magic, and remained unscathed. "Scorpan's taught you well," Nightmare Moon sneered. "Too bad he didn't teach you what I know!" With that, Nightmare Moon's eyes glowed in a menacing aura, "Behold! My mastery of gravity!" With that, the water beneath the two churned uneasily, before a high tide was formed, behind Spike. "Spike!" Pinkie screamed. "Behind you!" "Can it, Pinkie!" Rainbow said. "He can't hear you!" Spike watched Nightmare Moon questionably, before his ears hear the sound of waters splashing behind him. He turned around, and his eyes widened in surprise, "BWAH!!" he screamed, before he was swallowed whole, by the water. "SPIIIIKE!!" the girls screamed. Nightmare Moon laughed triumphantly, as she used her magical hold on the water to hold the dragon down, "I shall drown you, before I flood your worlds!" Nightmare Moon lets out another evil laugh, before she noticed something. Spike, still in dragon form, was swimming in the water, 'Wow,' he thought. 'Who knew, I could breathe underwater?' The dragon was moving his body, in a slithering motion, as he continues to swim through the water, flapping his wings for extra momentum. "Yeah!" Rainbow cheered. "Flap those wings, Spike! Flap those wings!" the enthusiastic girl notice the looks she was receiving, before she cleared her throat, "I mean, nice move bud," she said, before blinking one eye opened, followed by a slight grin. Nightmare Moon's horn glowed, as she fired more dark spells at the dragon in the water. One of the spells struck him, forcing him in the form of a fish. "Aw!" Fluttershy squealed. "So cute and cuddly!" Sunny Flare, along with her posse looked at the girl in bewilderment, "She calls that cute and cuddly?" she asked, receiving some shrugs in response. "Oh man," Spike moaned, before he finds himself trapped in a bubble of water. "Well, as Dory would say. Just keep swimming!" With that, the little fish moved his tail fin, as he escapes the bubble, and back into the ocean, only to be swallowed by a whale, launched out of its blowhole, as a human, and straight onto Nightmare Moon. "Get off of me!" Nightmare Moon growled, trying to grab the boy with her magic. "Get your telekinesis grip off me!" Spike replied, while holding a firm grip on the alicorn's horn. Their constant struggle caused Nightmare Moon to fly out of control, as they flew through Times Square, crashing through buildings, tearing up traffics, destroying billboards, causing the civilians to scatter in fear. Eventually, the two crash-landed in the middle of the street. Spike got up, shaking the bruises off of him, while Nightmare Moon got up, charging her horn, as she angrily blasts her magic at the young dragon, trapped in human form. Spike recoiled in damage, with each hit. Still, he remains undeterred. "Bothersome brat!" Nightmare Moon growled, as she blasted a bolt of lightning. "Why won't you die already?! Why are you still standing? I've blocked your Dragonfire! What could you possibly have that keeps you going?!" Spike closed his eyes, as he thought his choice of words, before he calmly replies, "Friendship." "What?" Nightmare Moon inquired. "The magic of friendship," Spike replied. "Something Twilight and the girls have always been telling me about for the past few weeks of my recovery." Spike smiled, "You're right, my Dragonfire alone is only half as powerful, when it's by itself. Though, somehow, the girls knew about that and beat you to it, since I've been getting these strange feelings from them, before you even had the chance to make your move." "We did?" Pinkie asked. "I mean, we did!" she exclaimed. 'I guess,' she thought in confusion. "These last few weeks," Spike continued. "I was reminded for all the magical moments I've had with the girls, and all the little ponies back home. And I have mom to thank for that," the boy said in nostalgia, at the mention of the said alicorn. "I guess she too was onto something about me, making some friends. Perhaps she too saw some potential in my powers, and wanted me to unlock, through friendship. And what do you know? It actually works." Nightmare Moon growled in irritation, while the girls had an epiphany. "Friendship is amazing," Spike continued. "It may not always be easy, but like the girls, and all the ponies back in Equestria, it's without a doubt, something worth fighting for! And I'll gladly die fighting for them, for my people, for my mother, and for the magic of friendship!" The girls couldn't help but smile in admiration to the young boy's speech, along with Scorpan and Zecora, the two adults who smiled in respect, along with the Shadowbolts, some starting to have a change of heart. "INSOLENT FOAL!!" Nightmare Moon bellowed angrily. "I will destroy you ALL!!" "NO!!" Spike roared. "You will NOT!!" "AAAAAARRGGH!!" Nightmare Moon screamed, as her horn glowed in an aura of dark magic, and blasts of several magic beams were shot at the boy, who stood his ground, thrusting his hands out, feeling the intense heat from the magic. Suddenly, his hands glowed in a shimmering, gold aura, dispersing the dark magic. "WHAT TRICKERY IS THIS?!" Nightmare Moon asked. The alicorn looked, to see, on the boy's hand, an image of the sun, "Princess Celestia?!" the mad alicorn exclaimed. "How can it be?!" "I don't know," Spike replied, before he got into fighting stance. "But I'm going to use it to destroy you!" "BAAAHHH!!" Nightmare Moon roared, as she once more blasted beams of dark magics at Spike, who suddenly assumes the form of his dragon again. "Great!" Spike smirked. "At least my power's back!" After dodging another blast of darkness from Nightmare Moon, the young dragon flew around the city, before he returned, and scratched Nightmare Moon on the side. "AAAAAAAAAH!!" Nightmare Moon screamed in pain, as her skin burns away, before it was regenerated. Nightmare Moon soon transformed herself into a mist, as she gave chase, before she turned into a dragon, representing the constellation, Draco. In this form, Nightmare Moon snapped her jaws, trying in vain to eat the young dragon. "AAAAAAAAAARRRGHHH!!!" Nightmare Moon roared in frustration as she continues to fly around, chasing after the dragon. Nightmare Moon's eyes glowed in a shimmering aura of white light, as she altered the earth's gravity, causing more vehicles and some objects to float in mid-air. Spike, caught off guard, changed into a dog, as he leapt from one floating object to another, all the while, avoiding the maws of the angry alicorn. Soon, Nightmare Moon snapped her jaws, catching Spike, only for him to burn his way out of her maws, "AAAAAAAAHHHH!!!" Nightmare Moon screamed, before she once again became a mist, until she turned herself into a giant scorpion, representing Scorpius. "No matter what form you take, Nightmare Moon!" Spike declared. "You will never defeat the magic of friendship!" Nightmare Moon frowned, as she snapped her claws at the dragon, and flicked her stinger towards him. Spike swatted the claws away, while dodging the stinger, until he caught it, and burned it. Cringing in pain, Nightmare Moon became a mist, as she surrounds Spike, and tries to enter his mind again. Spike struggled, as his mind was once more plagued with nightmare visions of the ponies. "No!" Spike groaned, as he struggles to focus. 'C'mon Spike,' he said in his thoughts. 'They're just nightmares! They're not real. Not real.' With that, Spike started to grow calm, as the nightmares in his thoughts, started to disappear. In place, all he could think about, were his pals, his uncle, and best of all, for him, the girls, and their beautiful smiles, and...."Randori!" With that, Nightmare Moon was literally knocked out of the boy's mind. "NO!" Nightmare Moon neighed. "How?! HOW?!!" Spike, turning back into a human, kept his eyes closed, not moving as a statue. Nightmare Moon growled in frustrations, "No matter! If I can't have your powers, then I can still save face with your demise!!" With that, Nightmare Moon charges her magic, as she charged towards Spike, who remained standing. "Spike! What are you doing?!" Rainbow exclaimed. "MOVE!!" Nightmare Moon kept on running. "MOVE YOUR LEGS SPIKE!!" Nightmare Moon's eyes were darkened with the intent to kill. "SPIKEY-WIKEY!!" Rarity screamed. With a loud war cry, Nightmare Moon fired her attack, only for Spike to snap his eyes open, as he leapt into the air to evade the attack and shot streams of multicolored fires, from his mouth. The fires swirled into flaming serpentine dragons before they joined together to form a sword, which Spike quickly grasped his hands onto the hilt. Nightmare Moon watched in horror, as the fully restored Dragon Prince brought his sword down on her, cutting across her body. From there, the sword split itself into several multicolored little ponies, running around Nightmare Moon, before they struck her, on every sides of her body, forming cracks of light upon impact. "NNOOOOOOO!!!" Nightmare Moon wailed, as streams of dark magics leaked through the cracks. "YEEEEAAAH!!" the friends cheered. "Direct hit!" Pinkie cheered. "Your majesty!!" Somnambula shouted, watching as the dark alicorn became a puff of smoke, as she flew into the night sky, before she came crashing down in the waters of the East River. With the defeat of their top leader, the Shadowbolts watched as her magical hold on the animals were exorcised, gravity was restored, and the storm clouds dispersed. With that, the Shadowbolts all retreated. "STOP! Come back and fight, cowards!" Somnambula ordered, before she turned to the girls. "You! You insolent little ponies! You will all pay for this!" With that, Somnambula made a desperate lunged towards the girls, only for Scorpan to intervene, as he kicked Somnambula away. "This is not over yet!" With a tap of her staff, Somnambula disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Why that old-" Rainbow began, preparing to give chase. "Let her go, Sugarcube," Applejack said. "We'll get her next time." "Yeah! We gotta go and get Spike!" Pinkie said. "Oh, right," Rainbow said. "Where is he now?" "Look!" Applejack called, turning their attentions back to the screen. Arirang - Steve Jablonsky Satisfied with his victory, Spike, in dragon form, flew back to CHS, where he landed before the horse statue. In a flash of fire, the dragon turned himself back into a human, before he felt something coming up in his chest. With a loud burp of green fire, the orb appeared before him, floating in mid-air, before he held it close to his face. Spike looked deep within the orb, as the smiling faces of the girls appeared within the magic ball. "Thank you girls," he smiled. "I couldn't have done this without you." With a faint hum, and a pulse of flashing light, the orb glowed, as several multicolored auras were projected, and flew away from him. The auras flew into the sky, as the girls looked up, to see their magics returning. Once the task was done, the orb burned into a blazing green fire, as it re-enters Spike's body. Exhausted, Spike fell to the floor, his world was soon clouded out, but not before he saw Princess Celestia, through the glass base of the statue.