The dragon roared. The dragon's scales were hard, but the blast was well placed. The crook took most of the blast and channeled the energy around, ripping the scales from the body. Blood streamed from all the cuts where the once protective scales shredded the flesh. The arm didn't work right as most of the connective tissues were destroyed. He screamed in pain and defiance.
“My arm! You stupid pony I'll-”
The ground trembled with steps behind the dragon. He turned around to look directly into his eye. For a moment he paused, the pain and anger forgotten by the impossibility of the situation. “What are you doin' with my face?”
“This,” answered Delta with a headbutt. The dragon reeled from the attack while Delta made huge, pinwheeling attacks with her new claws. Her eyes were wild with anger and madness. “What? You think you get to just push people around? You think that just because you've got the upper hand on somepony else you can just make them do your bidding? Are ponies really just playthings for you?” Claws found the wounded area and ripped huge chunks of flesh haphazardly. The dragon turned to flee. She grabbed Yards in her claws. He grunted then began to squirm as the pressure built.
“Somepony, pfft. And ponies wonder why nopony else likes them. Why else do we always invade or otherwise make trouble? I”ll give you a hint: It's because you keep saying nopony and somepony and anypony. Not all of us are ponies, yet your words invalidate our existence. You self centered, self serving wretches!” The screaming caught the attention of the other ponies who tentatively stuck their heads out of the cave. Delta continued: “But do you extend your vaunted tenants of love and tolerance to us? Oh no, we're not ponies, we don't matter. If we're not live stock, we're pets or...”she squeezed Yards harder, “test subjects.”
“Delta...”
“That's not my name! What is my name, huh?” She pulled Yards to her face. “All these months and you don't even know my real name, do you?” He looked away. It made it easier for what he had to do to her.
“No I don't. I'm sorry. De-please don't do this.”
“Sure you're sorry, it's easy to be sorry when your karma has come back to you.”
Yards felt his ribs splinter. The bones were working their way into his lungs soon it would be too late.
“No...Sorry for...for this, Zakabaum!” With that he closed his eyes and shot the detonation command into her necklace.
The necklaces were instruments of terror. They were designed to instantly disintegrate a head sized chunk out of any
form they may be in. A pony sized chunk out of a dragon sized body, still reached the vein. Blood poured from the missing hunk. Delta's eyes returned to normal as her lips mouthed a silent: “Wha?” Her body quickly reverted back to it's bug form before falling to the ground and not moving.
Yards also fell to the ground. His body was so badly mangled he didn't know what had just been damaged. It was the mares that got to her first. Little Rhu was crying.
“No, it an't fair. Mah, make it stop.”
“I,” her voice broke. “I can't, Dear.”
Yards could feel a stirring of magic, but the love of a little filly wasn't enough. He was going to need the help of all of them for this experiment to work. He dragged his broken body over to her. She looked at him with eyes of resignation. She mouthed a simple “Sorry,” before laying her head on the ground. Yards put a hoof down on the wound, staunching some of the flow.
“Girls, do you want to help?” His chest burned, his voice was breathy and ragged, bloody foam fell from his mouth. “I need your...friendship...We're friends, right?”
The girls nodded.
“She's ahwesome! She plays with me, and listens. She's the bestest friend aever.”
“I...need the...mares, too.”
“She's right.” Surprisingly it was Toffee. “It doesn't matter who's saying the truth. Princess Luna as Nightmare Moon terrorized Equestria twice, yet with an apology and a couple PR stops, enough ponies loved her that they betrayed Princess Celestria, yet no other enemy of Equestria is allowed off that easily. It's not right, she's not done anything wrong to deserve death.”
“She's...a pol...itical prisoner. The...Changelings gave...her to us to...carry out...her death sentence.”
“And what did she do?”
Yards shrugged. It hurt too much to talk.
“I don't know anything of Changeling law or her past, but I've not seen any display that would warrant a death sentence. I, I was hasty to blanket her with the revulsion of being a changeling, especially after the way I found out. If anypony deserves a chance to be my friend, it's her.” Her friendship churned the magic around him.
“She's saved the life of my filly, that alone gains her my friendship. That she's such a good friend to my daughter just
hows she's a pony worth befriending, even if she's not always a pony.” Apple placed a hoof next to his, to help with the gaping wound. Magic resonated all around him, begging for a focus for it's release, so he welcomed it into him. He could feel it's blazing heat warming him. He brought it forth and mixed it with his own fire as he brought up his feelings of friendship for Delta.
Pink flames danced along the ground, renewing the life of the plants around them. Delta's body began to tremble as the Fire of Friendship reinvigorated the life in her. She grunted and shook.
Yards found it increasingly difficult to see. The world faded into a bright pink blur. There was pressure on his hooves. Something he couldn't see was pushing it's way up, stronger than he could push down. The fires backwashed along his body, burning the tiny chips in his ribs and legs only to rebuild them into larger segments of the bones.
“Delta!” shouted Toffee.
Yards blinked, trying to contain the fires, but the fires scattered everywhere, spreading warmth all around. The girls shrieked and the connection was lost. Yards collapsed on the ground, tongue lolling out. Delta landed on the ground next to him. The two stared into each other's eyes. Slowly, she grinned at him. Through the pain he grinned back. They started to giggle. The other mares came to stand around their fallen friends. They looked down and joined in the laughter.
Yards bones were still broken, though no longer shattered, so the Apples went off to gather items for a stretcher to pull him home.
“So you brought grenades, but not a first aid kit?” asked Toffee.
“Grenades weigh less. First aid supplies are heavy. Kinda says something there.”
“Yards,” Delta whispered, “I'm sorry.” The Fire of Friendship had apparently saved her life, but she wasn't one hundred percent either.
He nodded. “You should have said something sooner. If you feel like somepony is taking advantage of you, speak up. You have the right to your dignity.”
She nodded.
The others built a stretcher and Yards rolled himself onto it with a scream of pain and no few tears. They hitched the litter to Apple Rhubarb so she could drag him back home.
“Delta, I would like to apologize again for how I treated you.”
The changeling nodded.
“So, what is your real name.”
Delta opened her mouth, but winced, grabbing at her throat. She shook her head.
“Well, may we call you Delta, for now?”
She nodded.
“Would you like to stay in the house? We've got rooms.” Apple asked.
Delta smiled. Yards winced.
“So, Spike,” Toffee turned to the young dragon walking along with them now, “where are you heading now?”
“Canterlot. I'll go say 'hi' to Rarity, then maybe see Twilight's family. Then, I don't know.”
“Well, you're always welcome to come live at the library. It was your home; it can be again.”
He seemed to consider it. “Maybe, I don't know. Somepony helped me realize I can't always live in the past.” He looked over at Delta who just looked away with a blush.
“Hey, Spike,” Yards added. “If you would, don't tell Sun Butt about her.”
Spike smiled, but Toffee snorted.
“Sorry, Princess Sun Butt.”
“I don't see where she needs to know.”