Spike and Crystal Hoof moved through the marketplace while ducking nearby changeling patrols, as the dragon inquired.
"How long have you and your family lived in the Crystal Empire?"
CH bit his lip before replying, "One could say we moved here pretty recently."
Spike sighed, "Sure must be nice to have a family and know who you are… I never knew my real parents so I have no idea who I am…"
Thorax was surprise to hear that, this dragon had no clue of who he was. Now that Thorax thought about it, he didn't know if he belonged with the rest of the swarm. He always felt so different from them. He told Spike, "Well, my family and I aren't exactly close. In fact, I feel out of place whenever I'm with them."
That intrigued Spike, "Really?"
CH nodded, "I know where I come from but I'm not sure if I really fit in."
"You know, I don't think I properly introduce myself, I'm Spike."
"Spike? That's a nice name."
"Thanks, my adopted father named me."
"And is he a dragon like you?"
"Nope. He's actually a draconequus."
"A draco- what?"
He slightly chuckled, "It's hard to get it the first time but it's easier to say as time goes on."
"Just how did this draco- drat- whatever-he-is raise you?"
"That's actually a mystery. I know he found me on his doorstep and I understand why he took me in but how I ended up on his doorstep in the first place is still unknown."
"Gosh…" CH uttered.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for having a father that cared enough to raise me but I can't help but wonder what my life would have been like had I had actual parents to take care of me instead…"
"I feel the same way…" Crystal Hoof admitted.
"Really? Why?"
"Well… The closest I have to parents is a mother but she doesn't really act like a mother to me or to anyone else in my family…"
Spike gave a sympathetic look, "I'm sorry to hear that."
CH shook his head, "Don't be. It's just how it is."
"But if she doesn't treat you right, why don't you just leave?"
He sighed, "I wish I could but then I would be labeled a traitor."
"That's awful. I'm usually one for loyalty, but in this case you shouldn't have to put up with that."
Crystal Hoof's eyes widen in interest, "You think so?"
"I know so." Spike replied proudly before he continued, "And as you are my friend I'm going to help you get away from your home life once my friends and I get the Empire back."
The disguised changeling gaped from the dragon's words and faintly inquired, "Am I… really your friend?"
Spike nodded with a smile.
Thorax felt touched by the whole thing that suddenly he felt the love of their newfound friendship between them and he didn't even have to drain it to get it! That's when Thorax realized…
We don't have to feed on love! We can just share the love we have with the beings we befriend!
"Hey… You okay?"
Crystal Hoof looked at Spike's confused face as the dragon explain, "You were staring off for a moment there, everything okay?"
"Yeah… in fact, everything's great!" CH exclaimed excitedly.
"Whoa, okay, any reason why that is?"
"Just you offering your friendship means so much to me."
"Wow… I'm pleased to hear that." Spike beamed before he gotten serious, "But we'll have to wait until this is over for us to hang out, right now there's changelings still around and my friends are still out there." he muttered under his breath, "Hopefully…"
Crystal Hoof slowly said, "Oh… yeah… right…" momentarily forgetting that Spike didn't know his true form and that he would risk losing his friendship if he did knew.
Spike and CH continued with the search until Spike heard a familiar voice.
"Now see here you brutes! We will not let you keep control of the Empire! You may have us cornered but won't you will never keep us from our mission!"
The dragon could see Rarity and Fluttershy were stuck in a dead end of an alley with a small group of changelings slowly making their way to them. Looking around he spotted an unhitched cart and thinking quickly, he told CH, "I have an idea, you with me?"
Crystal Hoof nodded.
Fluttershy and Rarity held each other as the changelings inched closer and closer to them… when suddenly a cart making a U-turn whacked the changelings away, to the girls' surprise they saw the Dragon Warrior driving with a young crystal pony pulling the cart. He told them, "Get in, quick!" They didn't waste a moment as they piled in. Spike gave the pony the go-ahead and the colt ran on.
Spike looked back and asked, "You guys okay?"
Rarity exclaimed, "We are now, thanks to you, Spikey!"
CH inquired, "Spikey?"
The dragon blushed, "It's a nickname I have."
Rarity pointed, "As a term of endearment of course, before it was Spikey-Wikey, remember that, darling?"
Spike rolled his eyes, "Do I ever, it was cute at first but then it got embarrassing as I got older." then he went back to business, "Have you seen the others? Applejack and I got separate when the changelings took her!"
Fluttershy gasped, "Oh no!"
Rarity went grim, "That is terrible… and no, we haven't seen the others."
Spike sighed sadly, "I sure hope they haven't got capture as well…"
Fluttershy motioned, "You haven't told us who your friend is."
"Oh, right! Guys, this is Crystal Hoof, he helped me get away from the changelings."
CH looked back with a timid smile, "Hi…"
Rarity and Fluttershy smiled back with the unicorn saying, "A pleasure to meet to you."
The pegasus agreed, "Oh, yes. It's very nice to meet you."
Rarity mentioned, "I just wish it was under better circumstances."
Spike said, "So do I…"
They kept on driving at a fast pace when a voice said, "Incoming!"
Ahead they spotted a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane flying while carrying a pink mare with a poofy hair. They smacked right into the group with them landing right into the cart.
"Ow! Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie! Can't you have made a softer landing without crushing the rest of us?!" Rarity demanded.
Rainbow retorted, "Well when you've been chased around the Empire by bugs you don't really stop to think to be courteous!"
Fluttershy said, "I'm just glad you're both okay…"
Pinkie noticed, "Hey, who's the new guy? And where's Cadence, Shining Armor, Flurry, and Applejack?"
Spike answered, "This is Crystal Hoof, he's my friend. We don't know where Cadence, Shining, and Flurry are, and Applejack…" he went somber, "she was taken by the changelings…
RD exclaimed in fury, "AJ was taken by the changelings?!" she pound her hooves together, "We got to help her!"
Rarity calmed her friend down, "And we will, darling, but we can't just rush to the rescue without a plan."
Suddenly, out of nowhere two princesses, a prince, and one orange earth pony wearing a Stetson hat teleported into the cart.
The girls and Spike gasped happily with Applejack saying, "Why in tarnation are we in a cart?!"
Spike exclaimed with joy, "Applejack! I saw the changelings carrying you away! How did you escape?!"
Flurry excitedly said, "I helped her!"
AJ chuckled and rubbed the filly's head, "That she did. The squirt really knows how to pack a punch with her magic."
Cadence explained, "We had just fought off the changelings that came after us when we spotted Applejack getting taken…"
Shining added, "Then Flurry quickly flew in to blast them and once they dropped Applejack, Cadence flew up to catch her. We've been searching for the rest of you since."
Cady mentioned, "Until Flurry decided to teleport us to you."
The young alicorn cheered, "And it worked!"
Everyone laughed. Then in moments, the others explained how they got away and Spike introduced Crystal Hoof to the four newcomers. But as much as they were happy to be reunited, the moment was short-lived when Crystal Hoof noticed how there were spilled vegetables over the street and told the group.
"Um, guys… there's a problem on the street…"
They looked and Pinkie went, "Oopsie… Dashie, I think you and I forgot to clean that up while the changelings were chasing us…"
Dash smacked her forehead.
CH cried out, "What do I do?!"
Spike shouted, "You have to stop!"
Applejack looked behind the wagon and called out, "He can't stop! There's changelings coming from behind us!"
Spike gulped knowing he had to think fast, if CH ran into the veggies, he would be liable to trip and hurt himself. There was only one thing to do… He pulled CH up and unattached him from the cart.
"What are you doing?!" Crystal Hoof shouted in concern.
"Just trust me!" the dragon set him down beside him.
"But now no one's driving the wagon!" Rainbow pointed.
"That's the idea!" Spike yelled back.
Fear etched onto the passengers' faces as the wagon drove through the vegetables and onto the clear streets. The cart kept moving on it's own and when ponies would come into view, Pinkie would shriek out, "RUNAWAY CART! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"
The ponies didn't need to be told twice as they got out of the cart's way in time. The wagon had no way of stopping making everyone scream in terror. Just then they spotted a flock of ewes in the street causing Fluttershy to panic.
"Spike! Do something!"
The dragon fretted and quickly looked around until he saw a lamppost and he told them, "Hang on, everyone!" He grabbed the post and with all his might he turned them into a different direction away from the ewes, much to Fluttershy's relief.
In the midst of the turning, Spike's claws had caught on fire, Flurry was the only one to have noticed and shrieked, "Fire! Fire!"
Pinkie chimed in, "I've got this!" she managed to pull a water bucket from a stand and splashed it at Spike. But as much as the water got on his burning claws it also landed on Rainbow and Rarity much to their annoyance. "Oops…" Pinkie blushed, "sorry…"
"Look out!" Applejack cried and they saw that an unattended cart was in the middle of the street.
Everyone screamed and braced themselves as much as they could when the cart hit the other cart causing Spike and Crystal Hoof to go flying across the Empire. They screeched at the top of their lungs. Thorax knew then he had no choice but to reveal himself. In a flash of green flames he turned back to his true form. Spike had seen the whole thing much to his shock but what was even more shocking that the changelings grabbed hold of him and gently began to float him close to the palace.
Once they were on the ground, Spike told him, "Crystal Hoof! You were a changeling this whole time?!"
Thorax sadly nodded his head, "Yes, and my name is not Crystal Hoof, it's Thorax…"