The door slammed shut behind Spike, propelled by a thrust hoof that just as quickly wrapped around him as the smith lead him further into the room. "You are surrounded by faces... How do you put up with it?"
"They're my friends," he noted with a little smile. "I like having them around."
"Suit yourself." She shoved him forward and trotted away. "Your sword is ready, but you aren't."
"I know how to use a sword," Spike defensively insisted, recoiling a little at the accusation.
"A sword, maybe, but this sword?" She returned from the gloom, a short something wrapped in cloth held in her snout. "Go on, take it. It's yours."
It was too small to be a proper sword, even sized for Spike's small stature. More of a dagger if anything else. Spike reached for it with growing uncertainty, wrapping his fingers around the hilt he found in the cloth and drawing it free ot the mare's mouth. He brought in his other hand to brush the cloth away, revealing a small blade. "This really looks like a knife."
"Dagger," corrected the smith. "But it has tricks, or have you forgotten? Hold it like a sword, and move as if it were a sword."
"As if it were a sword..." He held it firmly in two hands, his hands not really fitting on the hilt. He blushed a little, imagining he looked rather absurd. Still, he did as he was told, starting to practice a few stances with it. He stepped forward and brought it down in a slice that would have been a cruel hack with a sword, but looked odd with the little dagger.
Or it should have, the weapon growing in size just at the critical moment and cleaving the air. When it condensed, the hilt remained elongated to fit his hands, giving a far more natural gripping point for him to continue. "Woah, that was... kind of neat."
"It gets better," noted the smith with a smug smile. "You can surprise an enemy, since that can grow as long as needed, provided you have the magic to fuel it. Dragons have plenty of magic, don't worry about that."
"We do?" He thrust the dagger forward, imagining jabbing something far away. The blade's tip grew out into a deadly point just as far as he had envisioned it just at the point of the apex of his motion. "I am liking this more and more."
"Where do you think the fire comes from?" She lifted her shoulders softly. "How do you imagine dragons with comically tiny wings manage to bring themselves aloft? This is Equestria, we all have magic." She raised a hoof at him. "Don't believe me? Than you are more foolish than you look. I'm not a unicorn and I made that sword."
"Hey, hey, I wasn't arguing." Out loud at least. "This sword, can I... make it be a sword when I'm not swinging it?"
Her eyes rolled. "If you really want, though you're giving up an element of surprise. Just place it in a sheath of the size you want and it will fill it. Get one sized properly for you and you should be fine." She pointed to the door. "If you're satisfied, you can go now."
He tucked the dagger just inside his belt, his actual sheath occupied with his wooden sword. "Thank you so much!" Suddenly he was on her, giving her a firm hug around the neck. "You're amazing!"
The mare took a single step back, only carrying him along, her entire body tense. "You can thank me by letting me go. Now."
"Sorry." He hopped back, giving her space. "Seriously, this is great! Thank you."
"Use it responsibly... and away from here." She pointed to the door. "Tell Sweetie I'll be sending a bill."
"Sweetie?"
The smith hissed softly. "Just a little term of endearment. I mean Bon Bon."
"Oh! Like sugarcube, got it." He gave an emphatic thumbs up as he began moving towards the door. "Can't wait to show them."
He grabbed the handle of the door and swung it wide, letting light spill in even as he swaggered out with a newly confident smile. She was on it in an instant, closing the door firmly enough to swat his bottom and send Spike staggering forward a few steps.
Laud's eyes fell to his sheath, but there was only a wooden sword there. "Well? Was she not ready?"
"That's new," chimed Lyra, pointing even as her magic plucked Spike's dagger out of his beltline. "Looks sharp!"
Spike snatched it free of her magic. "Hey! Touching a knight's blade without permission is a big insult."
Laud nodded with certainty. "He is not yet a true knight, but this remains true." He examined the little dagger with a frown. "That looks small, even for you. You looked quite confident in it as you were coming out. What is the secret?"
Spike drew his wooden sword first. "Is there a proper way to hand this off? Just dropping it seems... wrong."
Laud hesitated a moment before reaching to clap Spike on the shoulder. "In this, you have surpassed me. I tossed my wooden sword aside when my first blade was presented to me. But you are right. A wooden sword is still valuable in a spar, and as a memento of these times. I will take that for now." He held out his hand and soon a wooden sword was placed on it. "Now about your new... dagger?"
Spike shoved the dagger into the open sheath. "I don't know how long this will--nevermind!" He could feel it expanding, the sheath jiggling a bit as it became full of sword. He pulled it free as he had been taught, taking up a proper stance with the new blade. "Ta da!"
Laud recoiled just an inch at the display of naked magic. An ensorceled blade... "I admit to not knowing how to feel about that. Does it weigh proper in your hands?"
"Perfectly." Spike made test swings at the air away from his friends. "Oh, Bon Bon, she said she'd send a bill?"
Bon Bon nodded at that. "Of course. She did good work, she deserves to get paid. Does it do more than match the sheath you put it in?"
"Can it become other weapons?!" gushed Lyra, bouncing in place. "Can it change colors?! Show us!"
Spike turned slowly before spotting an apple some pony had left there. "Littering? Not on my--" He thrust his sword forward towards it, the tip extending with the motion until it lanced the apple on a spear-like projection of metal, just to collapse back into its sword shape, the apple split in half as the metal inside of it expanded to its resting shape. "--watch."
Lyra casually picked up the two halves of apple and tossed them into the nearest bin. "That was great!" Her lyre played a little happy tune over her head. "What about the color thing?"
"I... don't know if it does colors." He tilted the sword left and right. "How about... purple, like Twilight." He imagined the pelt of his adopted sister, bright and bold. Nothing seemed to happen, so he turned his thoughts, specifically imagining the sword was that purple as he swung it in place.
Between one swing and the next, its shine changed, becoming stained purple as if it had been made of some purple metal instead of bright clear steel. "Wow."
Lyra burst into giggles. "Yes! I bet you can make it be whatever you want it to be."
"I wouldn't be surprised," agreed Bon Bon. "So long as whatever you want it to be is at least slightly sword shaped and made of metal. Now, Laud." She turned towards her husband fully. "We have business to handle, do we not?"
"We do." Laud righted himself properly. "Let's fetch Snips and Starlight, then we have a demon to capture. I did not expect those words in my youth. Demons are for slaying, not capturing." Despite that, he began back towards the castle, ready to do his duty.
"You have done neither," noted Bon Bon as she walked along with him. "Let's change that."
Lyra walked next to Spike, her eyes on his new sword even as he sheathed it. "So, you're a fighter now, official and everything. That has to be exciting."
"It... is," he said, his voice not full of confidence. "It's a responsibility, you know? Not... a prize. Having this means I can really hurt somecreature. If I do it right, we can avoid that."
"You are so grown up!" Lyra leaned over and smooched Spike on the cheek. "My hero! Don't tell my husband I called you that."
Spike snorted at that, knowing Laud was right there, close enough to hear them. "I can't keep a secret from my knight anyway, he's my master, and teaching me. I owe him a lot. Besides, I already have a lady I want to win the hoof of. Sorry, Lyra, but it isn't you."
Lyra gasped dramatically, her lyre vanishing with a puff. "Not me?! I thought we had something special!" She burst into merry laughter, throwing an arm around Spike, hoof dangling. "I'm messing with you. Big congratulations! This is a huge step forward. Spike, brave dragon knight!"
He laughed at that, steps becoming more of a proud swagger. "That's me. But, seriously--" His walk ebbed into a more standard plodding. "This is going to be dangerous. Chrysalis is a real threat. If she catches wind of what we're up to, she could be trouble with a capital T."
"And I'm not invited." Lyra rolled her eyes. "I know how to handle a dangerous thing, really." She leaned in close to Spike. "Keep an eye on Bonnie, alright?"
"Of course!" He sharply saluted even as Lyra backed off into her own space. "I'll do my best, to keep everycreature safe. Except Chrysalis."
Bon Bon's left ear swiveled back towards him. "No hurting her past capturing her. We need to subdue her, then bring her in. If we can talk some sense into her, grand, otherwise, I nominate we offer her trussed up to the merchants and let them decide what they want to do with her."
"My wicked wife," spoke Laud in a proud tone. "Politically expedient, and it washes our hands of making that decision. First we have to capture her." He seemed more confident than he had been just moments before, holding the door open for the others to enter the castle. "Snips, Starlight?"
Starlight appeared with a flash. "Hey! Huh, when did you get into wooden swords."
It was then that Laud remembered he was holding a wooden practice blade. He reached around the door to tuck it against the wall. "I'll put that away when I get back. Is Snips ready?"
Snips came trotting into the room with ears erect. "So you have that sword now?" He didn't see anything different on Spike, looking over the dragon curiously. "Where is it?"
Spike padded his sheath softly. "I won't be taking it out unless I'm using it," he declared in complete defiance of his showing off of it not that long before. "Now let's go find ourselves a deposed changeling queen, and maybe a changeling or two as bonuses."
"About that..." Laud was ready, already moving to go. "Do we have any idea how many underlings she still has in her employ?"
Bon Bon shook her head, moving to follow. "If you'd asked a few days ago, I would have said zero. That clearly has changed to 'at least one.' And if we have one, we could have more." She suddenly smiled. "If you're unsure, say something in Human. I doubt she bothered to learn that, or her cronies."
Starlight inclined her head faintly. "Clever. (A quick word) should be enough to weed out copycats. Let's try to keep each other in line of sight at all times so we don't have to wonder."
Off they went, hoping to do a little entomology.