The Legend of Spike: Legacy

by DiabloGuapo


Wrath

Queen Chrysalis was excitedly awaiting for the arrival of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. In just a few hours, the Elements of Harmony would be in the clutches of her hole filled hooves. The Changeling Queen giggled like an excited schoolfilly in anticipation. She would finally have her revenge on the pony that has foiled her plans one too many times and her pathetic friends that follow her with sickening devotion. Those ponies will be just more obedient slaves to her power and then their children will join them. Chrysalis couldn't wait to see the look on Celestia's face when she sees her loyal attack dogs and her precious pupil after they have been transformed into changeling drones. Vengeance will finally be hers and it will taste so delicious!

Chrysalis and Narcissus stood at a balcony overlooking the Macintosh Hills. As they peered out over the rugged terrain, Chrysalis indulged in a chortle of evil laughter. Seeing her laugh in sinister delight, Narcissus couldn't help but to grin at her excitement for he shared her sentiments. After he would helped her conquer Equestria, he was going to be a king. Though his subjects would be mindless masses enchanted by Chrysalis's power whose only purpose was to be slave labor and to feed the changelings, he didn't care. If being the king of a nation of mind controlled ponies was to be the price of his crown, he would pay it gladly. Besides, they were already mindlessly following Celestia. They would just be exchanging one master for another. In the end, it didn't really mattered what happened to them. They were just peasants whose only purpose was to serve their betters, such as himself.

Chrysalis looked over to her cohort. Yesterday, after they had made their demands, one of their prisoners tried to dissuade him helping her. However, she wasn't concerned. He wouldn't betray her; she was offering him a throne. Besides, she had him wrapped around her hoof, and she didn't even need to use her mesmerizing powers on him either. Although, it did make her think about that reptilian pony. During their scheming, Narcissus had briefly described the children of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Being a member of the Royal Family, he knew all about Princess Midnight and Princess Amethyst. Being from a prideful line of nobles, he looked down upon all members of the “pretender royals,” especially the hybrid freak.

As far as Chrysalis knew, the lizard/pony called herself a “kirin.” She knew her mother was the seamstress from the wedding years ago and had become a princess. The white Unicorn had supposedly married a dragon which they claimed was Twilight Sparkle's son. Chrysalis vaguely remembered seeing a little purple and green lizard at the wedding, though she didn't pay too much attention to it. It wasn't a threat to her or important to her plan at the time. According to Narcissus, he had grown and was pony-sized now. Even though she wasn't a pony herself, she found the idea of a pony marrying a dragon and having a child together to be ridiculous. In the end, what only mattered was that Amethyst was the child of one of the Elements of Harmony and the grandchild of the wretched Twilight Sparkle. They were only a means to an end. Soon enough, she...

There was a rumble like thunder. It broke Chrysalis's concentration and she looked around, wondering if she had only imagined it. When all appeared to be well, she went back to gazing over the balcony. Then she heard it again. Another rumble, one that she could feel this time, slightly shook the castle. Narcissus looked around in confusion.

“What was that?” he asked. The changelings all stopped what they were doing and listened. Again, there was another tremor, stronger than the first two. It seemed to be originating from beneath them. Chrysalis then thought of her hostages.

“Quick, check on the prisoners!” she ordered a changeling, which then buzzed off to the dungeons. When it descended down the flight of stairs to the holding cells, it found that the cell door was opened and that the ponies were nowhere to be found. It then saw the unconscious forms of the two guards that were supposed to be watching them on the stone floor. It rushed to its fellow changelings and shook them until they woke up. The two guards groaned as they shook their heads and slowly got back up.

The third changeling was about to ask what happened, but then there was another tremor. In the dungeon, the sound was deafening and the entire room vibrated from the impact. All three looked over to the wall on the far side of the dungeon and saw that it was cracked and pieces of stone brick had been knocked loose, revealing a dark passageway on the other side. Before they could react, they saw a burning green eye peer at them through the cracks and then the wall burst open, sending stone chunks flying towards them. They shielded themselves from the flying debris and coughed as dust filled the air. As the dust settled, the saw the shadow of something large headed towards them. Before they could even react, they were consumed in a searing flash of green light.

Chrysalis and Narcissus had heard the commotion coming from the dungeons and had moved to a terrace overlooking the central hall of the fortress, the one that was directly over the dungeons. They looked down at the floor beneath them along with the rest of the hive, waiting to see what happened. They saw a green flash coming from the stairwell that led downstairs and heard the screams of the changelings that were down there. They all froze with dread as thoughts of what possibly could have happened ran through their heads.

Then there was another impact and the floor in the center of the great hall cracked. The force of the impact shook them and they lost their balance. The changelings chattered and squirmed about in confusion.

“What was that?” Narcissus asked again. Chrysalis shook her head, indicating that she didn't know. A thought then came to her. Was it the ponies? Could Celestia have sent a rescue team though some secret passage to infiltrate the castle?

“Hurry! Take defensive positions!” the Changeling Queen ordered. Before the changelings could respond to her order, the floor ruptured and its remains showered down upon the surrounding changelings as a purple and green dragon came roaring through the floor. The changelings stood starring up at the dragon before them. The dragon looked up to the terrace and glared at Chrysalis.

“You,” the dragon said in a low, gravelly voice, drawing the word out with as much hatred as he could.

“You dare invade my castle? You insolent reptile!” Chrysalis yelled down at the dragon. “Who are you!?”

“I am Spike, Dragon Prince of Equestria,” the dragon answered. “The father of the child you took prisoner.”

You're Spike?” Chrysalis asked. She then sneered down at him. “Ah yes, I remember you. You were that little lizard from the wedding; Sparkle's pet. My, how you have grown. But, as you can see, I'm in the middle of something and you are interrupting. I suggest you leave now or...” The changelings surrounding him started to buzz angrily. “I'll have my friends show you the way out.”

“You will pay for kidnapping my daughter, my sister, my brother, and my friends!” Spike vowed.

“No. You will pay,” she countered. “I'll make sure your freak of a daughter will suffer. I'll take everything you love and destroy it!”

“You will take nothing from me, changeling,” Spike snarled. “I have faced the Spirits of Fear and Chaos. I have defeated the undead. I have done battle with the forces of darkness. You are nothing to me!” A deep rumbling sound filled the room as the back of Spike's throat began to glow green. “You...Will...BURN!

Spike reared his head back and then thrust it down at the changelings that stood before him, unleashing a green inferno. The changelings nearest to the dragon could only watch as the wall of flames rushed towards them, too stunned to even move. Unfortunate for them, this hesitation would prove disastrous as they were consumed by the blaze.

The dragon panned his long neck and head to the sides, bathing the hall in his infernal breath. The changelings furthest from him were able to react in time and flew away. However, those closest to the dragon were burnt to a crisp in only a matter of seconds. Chrysalis watched in horrified silence as her subjects, her children, were turned into ash before her very eyes. Changeling hives were eusocial, like ant colonies or beehives, meaning that most if not all of the current members of the hive were either spawned or converted by Chrysalis herself.

“No!” she screamed after finally finding her voice. Her enraged cries caught the dragon's attention and he looked up to her with loathing in his eyes. “You will pay for this! Kill him!”

The hive took flight and buzzed around the dragon like an angry swarm of bees. The dragon snarled at the circling insect-like creatures. The hall was filled with the roaring buzz of their wings and they started to shoot bright green bursts of offensive magic against his scales as they flew pass him. Dragon's had a natural resistance to magic and their thick scales protected them from most damage, but the annoying stings of their attacks were starting to irritate him. To retaliate, he spread his large wings and began to flap them. With each beat of his green wings, a gust of wind would blow through the hall. Chrysalis and Narcissus cringed in discomfort. With each flap, their clenched teeth would rattle and their bodies would be struck by a strong blast of air.

As for the changelings assaulting the dragon, the disturbance in the air disrupted their flight and they started to loose control. They would careen off course and hit each other or run into a pillar or a wall. Unable to remain airborne, they landed and tried to reorient themselves. However, the dragon wouldn't relent. He kept flapping his wings and the changelings were knocked back with each beat. Knocked senseless, they could only watch helplessly as the dragon started to take in another deep breath. They knew what was coming, but they were powerless to stop it.

Chrysalis and Narcissus could feel the heat from the flames on their hindquarters as they fled the great hall. As they sought safety within the recesses of the fortress, the rest of the hive swarmed pass them in order to confront the invading dragon. From the various corridors that fed into the great hall, seemingly countless changelings poured in and surrounded the dragon. However, he paid little attention to them, even as the annoying sting of their attacks hit his scaly hide. His target, the ones responsible for threatening his family, had fled like cowards. Growling, he stormed after them. He scaled up the wall to the terrace, his claws digging into the stone and wood. He climbed over the railing and looked down the hallway that Chrysalis and the traitor had ran down. All he could see were more black hided changelings and their blank blue eyes glaring back at him. Their magic stung his face and the ones behind him even tried clinging to him to slow him down. They grasped onto his legs, body, wings, neck, and tail, weighing him down.

Frustrated, he tried to ignore them and continue to the hallway, but they were hindering his progress. Summoning his dragon magic, Spike built up energy within himself and unleashed it as an electrical charge that electrocuted the changelings that clung to him like an overgrown bug zapper. The creatures fell off him and convulsed on the ground. Those that weren't immediately killed twitched uncontrollably as their nervous system was disrupted by the surge. One paralyzed changeling laid on its back and stared up as the dragon made his way pass it. Unable to move, it watched as the dragon's clawed paw came down on it. There was a satisfying crunch accompanied by a squishing sound. The dragon crouched down and crawled through the doorway in pursuit of its prey.

Within a chamber in the stronghold, Chrysalis and Narcissus listened to the sounds of their minions battling the dragon. Surely they could stop one dragon. They had him outnumbered hundreds to one. They could hear the changelings' blasts of magic ringing throughout the halls and the dragon roaring in pain. There was a silence and the sounds of combat ceased. Chrysalis smirked in triumph as she thought the dragon problem was taken care of, but she was disappointed when she heard another roar coming from the corridors along with a loud crash.

Chrysalis seethed with rage. This dragon was ruining everything! The Elements of Harmony would be there at any moment and they needed to be ready for them. If they arrived while the dragon was still there, it might give them the opportunity to rescue their children if they hadn't already escaped! Growling in fury, she turned to a changeling wearing a green helmet and breastplate.

“You! Rally the rest of the soldiers and kill that dragon!” she commanded the soldier changeling. Obviously the drone caste wasn't enough to stop their fire-breathing intruder. Maybe her elite soldier caste could.

“Yes, my Queen,” it saluted before leading a squadron of more armored changelings to confront the dragon. The soldiers flew in formation down the corridors, more of them joining the flight as they continued. Soon, they were over a hundred strong. However, they couldn't find the dragon. Searching high and low, they checked every hallway and chamber they came across, but the only thing they kept finding were the remains of the drones. Some were incinerated and others crushed, but they couldn't locate the dragon. They couldn't understand it. How could something that size just disappear like that?

They then heard a magical blast ringing through the air coming from down the corridor and immediately rushed to a large chamber. As soon as they entered the room, they were met by the sight of more dead changeling drones. More importantly, there was large purple body in front of them with its back turned to them. In the dragon's jaws was a drone that pounded against the side of his face and frantically kicked in hopes of escaping. Then the dragon's jaws came down and the drone stopped moving, its eyes rolling lifelessly in their sockets. The dragon then spat the changeling onto the stone floor with a disgusted sound and wiped his mouth. Spike then cocked his head to the side to look at the newcomers, yellow blood still dripping down his fangs.

With a battle cry, the soldier changelings rushed the dragon. Spike took in a breath, but the soldiers were expecting that and diverted to the sides, flanking him. The emerald flames roared harmlessly pass the advancing changelings and they began to retaliate. Unlike their drone brethren, the soldiers' blasts were stronger. The dragon winced in pain as multiple shots struck his sides. He took a step back and they surrounded him. He was about to open his wings to blow them all back, but a dozen changelings soon latched onto each wing. The dragon roared as more and more soldier changelings jumped onto him and dragged him down to the floor, all the while they continued to blast away at his scales. Spike hissed and snarled at them and their confidence built. They were actually doing it! They were besting the dragon! Their Queen will be so pleased with them.

However, their thoughts of victory became thoughts of panic when the dragon rose back up in spite of their combined efforts to pin him down and threw them off. They greatly underestimated the legendary strength of the dragons and were thrown against the walls of the chamber as though they were nothing. The soldiers that recovered first tried to pin the dragon down again and leaped at his back, but they were intercepted by his trashing tail. The spaded tip cut through their chitinous hides and they fell in pieces onto the stone floor, their yellow blood oozing from their wounds. Before the remaining soldiers could react, the dragon opened his jaws. Instead of green flames, a bluish-white mist filled the chamber. Some of the soldiers were able to flee, but the majority of them were caught in a chilling mist. When the arctic fog cleared, the furniture and the changelings were covered in a layer of frost. Spike gazed down at the frozen changelings and then spun around, his tail shattering their frozen bodies. As he left the room, the frozen remains of the soldiers crunched beneath his feet.

The purple dragon lurked down the hallways of the fortress, searching for the Changeling Queen. His nostrils flared and his tongue flicked out, tasting the air. He would find her and she would pay.

*****

Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Flash Sentry came to a rise. From the top, they could see the old fortress. Twilight looked up to the sun and saw that it was growing late in the morning. Noon was approaching and the deadline would expire soon. Flash Sentry had met up with last night and explained that he had come to help them come up with a plan. With little time to prepare, the best they came up with was that Flash Sentry would try to sneak in while they would try to stall Chrysalis. Hopefully, Flash could find the children and get them out of harm's way before they would have to surrender themselves to the changelings.

It wasn't the best of plans and they were certain that Chrysalis had something planned for them. Rainbow Dash grumbled and Twilight sighed. They were pressed for time and it was now or never. They started to continue down the road to the main gate of the castle, but then heard the sound of hooves running towards them. Anticipating a surprise attack from the changelings, the seven parents prepared to fight, but were surprised when they saw their children running up from the canyon towards them.

“Mom! Dad!” Midnight shouted as she ran towards her parents.

“Surprise!” Pinkie Pie shouted with glee when she saw her daughter.

“Posey!” Fluttershy cried with tears of joy running down her face. As her child ran toward her, she held out her fore legs invitingly. Before the teenagers could run to the awaiting embraces of their parents, Twilight jumped in front of them with her horn glowing magenta.

“Freeze!” the Alicorn commanded. The teenagers skidded to a stop when they saw the threatening glare of the Princess.

“Twilight! What in tarnation are ya doin'!?” Applejack demanded. She tried to move pass her friend, but Twilight blocked her.

“Stay back!” She then turned back to face their children. “What is the name of the phoenix that Spike took care of until he was returned to his parents?”

“M-Mom...It's us,” Midnight said, shaken by her mother's reaction. She tried to take a step close, but Twilight's horn glowed brighter.

“Answer the question!”

“Peewee! It's Peewee!” Midnight answered. As soon as she said the correct answer, she and Evening Star were caught in the magenta aura of Twilight's magic and pulled into their mother's embrace. With their identities confirmed, the children rushed towards their parents. Fluttershy and Posey sobbed as they held one another and even Rainbow Dash allowed a few tears of relief to run down her face as she hugged Thunderbolt. Amethyst was practically smothered by Rarity as the Unicorn mother frantically searched the kirin for any sign of injury. Sour Apple quietly rested his head on top of Applejack's as she wrapped her hooves around his chest. She looked up to the old hat atop his head and knew it was no fake. Pinkie Pie and Surprise happily cried as they hugged, tears spurting out of their eyes like fountains. As Twilight and Flash held their children, Flash realized that Evening Star must have defied his orders and went after them on his own.

“Evening Star, I told you to stay with the troops,” he told his son. He gave his son a look that was a mixture of surprise, anger, and even a little bit of pride. “You defied your orders.”

Evening Star smiled at his father and said, “Technically, I am the commanding officer of the troops and a Prince of Equestria. Since you are a Prince Consort to a reigning Princess of Equestria, it makes us the same rank, meaning that in a military operation, I don't have to follow your orders.”

“Yes, but I am still your father,” Flash Sentry reminded him before pulling him into a tighter hug. “But I am glad you did.”

“How did you find them?” Twilight asked her son. “And how did you escape?”

“I used the hidden escape tunnel,” he explained. “It leads directly to the dungeons. I figured that the changelings would probably keep them there, so I sneaked in, knocked out the guards, and helped them escape.”

“It won't be long before they realize that you're missing from your cells,” Twilight said with a frown. “We have to get out here before they come looking for us.”

“Wait. What about Dad?” Amethyst asked.

“What do you mean, dearest?” Rarity asked her daughter.

“We found him on our way out. His lair is underneath the castle,” she explained.

“He woke up when we stumbled upon his lair,” Midnight added. “He told us to keep going and get out.”

“Where is he now?” Rarity asked as she scanned the surrounding area for him, excited by the thought of being reunited with her husband. The seven teenager then all pointed to the castle. From within its fortified walls, they heard a fearsome roar and saw the glow of green flames flickering from the windows.

*****

Spike's thunderous footsteps echoed throughout the castle. As he searched for the ones responsible for his rage, the changelings kept on coming. Drones and soldiers alike rushed the dragon, but they all fell to his wrath. Standing over the charred remains of the latest wave of changelings, Spike roared as he lost his patience.

“Where are you?” he sinisterly growled to himself as he continued his search. Sniffing the air, he caught a scent. His vertical pupils contracted and he snarled in predatory delight as he rushed in the direction the scent was originating from. He rounded the corner of a corridor and saw more soldier changelings standing guard in front of a door. With a roar, Spike charged them with his teeth bared. After a few screams and roars later, Spike burst through the door, ready to take on any that got in his way.

“Stop!” a voice called out. Spike froze mid-step and looked down in surprise at what he saw. Before him was Rarity, Amethyst, Twilight, Midnight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Posey, Sour Apple, Thunderbolt, and Surpise. Spike looked from one face to the next. Twilight came up to him and spoke to him in calming voice. “It's us.”

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“We came to take you home.”

“Home?”

“That's right. Home,” Twilight told him. Spike looked to Rarity and Amethyst, who smiled and nodded at him. He then looked back down to his mother.

“What about the changelings? What about Chrysalis and Narcissus?”

“It's okay. They're gone now. It's over.” The rest of the ponies surrounded him. “You can relax now.”

Rarity then came up to him a nuzzled against his side. Spike closed his eyes and lowered his head to return the affectionate nuzzle. As he nuzzled his wife, his nostrils flared and his eyes shot open. Bellowing in outrage, Spike swiped his claw and smacked his wife across the room. She hit the wall with a sickening thud and fell lifelessly to the floor.

“What are you doing!?” Twilight screamed, but then she and her friends jumped away as he brought his teeth down in the place where they had been standing. “Are you insane!? We're your...”

You think you can deceive me, changeling?!” the dragon roared, causing them back away from him.

“What are you talking about? It's us!” Twilight claimed.

“I know the scent of my family, no one better!” he declared. “Your stench fills the air. No matter where you hide, I will find you...Chrysalis!”

Having been found out, the image of the ponies disappeared in a flash of changeling magic and Queen Chrysalis stood in front of more soldier changelings. Off to the side, the changeling that had been imitating Rarity had long since reverted back to its natural form, its illusion dying along with it. In another corner of the room, Prince Narcissus was hiding behind a chair. Chrysalis cast him a glance and then looked back up at the enraged dragon.

“Kill him!” she screeched and the soldiers hissed as they sprung at the dragon. Chrysalis knew they stood no chance against him, but they could buy her time to escape. It pained her to send them to their demise, but for the survival of the hive, sacrifices had to be made. As Spike made quick work of the soldier changelings, Chrysalis grabbed Narcissus and they fled the room. Spike saw them run and he unleashed another roar as he went after them.

As Chrysalis and Narcissus ran down the halls, she used her magic to create circular rings of green, fire-like magic that allowed them pass through the stone walls. She closed the portals behind them, and Spike began to bash against the stone walls in order to break them down. The pair panted as they came to a stop in a room. Chrysalis knew she couldn't take the dragon by herself. She wasn't even powerful enough to defeat Celestia or even Twilight Sparkle when she was still a Unicorn. She had only managed to best Celestia because she had fed on the unwavering love that Shining Armor felt for Princess Cadance.

Wait, that's it! she thought triumphantly to herself. She then turned to Narcissus and said, “I have a plan.”

“Well, what is it?” he asked out of breath. She then grabbed the pompous pony prince by the sides of his head and turned it so that it faced her. She covered his mouth with hers and then pulled back, inhaling a green mist that she sucked out of him. His eyes rolled back and his knees began to wobble. He made weak moaning sounds and fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes when she released him.

“We...We were supposed to rule together...” he rasped, his strength completely drained. He feebly tried to reach up with a trembling hoof. “I...I thought...I thought you loved...me...”

“I do love you, dear,” she said down to him. “But I'll need all the power I can get. It will take me years to rebuild the hive and I need nourishment in order to feed the next generation.”

“Chrysalis...” he wheezed as she started to leave. She looked at him with a pitying expression.

“Don't feel bad, my Prince. Your sacrifice will ensure my survival. You will be remembered as a hero when I finally take Equestria for myself.” And with that, she flew off, abandoning him.

*****

Twilight Sparkle, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and their children ran into the great hall of the old fort. They were met with a grizzly scene; smoldering carcasses of changelings were littered about the room among the rubble created from a gaping hole in the floor and the woodwork was burning with green flames. The wooden support beams and railing crackled and popped as they burned and pieces of the ceiling had fallen to the floor.

“Kids, it's too dangerous here! Turn back and wait outside!” Twilight ordered.

“We're not going anywhere!” Midnight shouted over the roar of the flames. “We're going to help you find Spike!”

“This isn't the time to argue!” Twilight said to her daughter. “This place could collapse any second now and I...”

Before she could finish the sentence, the wall across the burning room burst forth and the large body of Spike came crashing in. They backed way from the dragon as to avoid the bits of masonry that had been blasted towards them. Spike looked around, in search of the Changeling Queen, but found more figures that resembled his family. Thinking they were more imposters, he glowered at them and began to build up the flame in his chest.

“Spike?” the one that looked like Rarity nervously asked. He was about to unleash his breath weapon upon them, but then a scent caught his attention. He inhaled through his nostrils, taking it in and recognized it.

“Rarity?” he asked, his slitted pupils widening as he eased down.

“Yes, it's me, darling.” She stepped closer to him and he looked at the faces of his dear ones. As she drew closer to him, they heard a creaking sound and looked up in time to see a burning rafter falling from the ceiling. Rarity screamed, closed her eyes, and covered her head with her hooves, bracing for imminent impact. There was a loud crashing noise, but she didn't feel any pain. She cautiously opened her eyes and looked around her to see the green membranous webbing of wings surrounding her. She then looked up to see Spike's face looking down at her. He had shielded her with his own body. He then stood up and shook the splintered beam off of his back. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you, my lady.” She almost swooned at his heroic and romantic gesture, but the sound of more crumbling beams shook her out of her daze.

“Let's get out of here before we get squashed!” Rainbow Dash hollered. Following the blue Pegasus's lead, they fled the castle as it crumbled behind them. They stood on the rise opposite of the fortress and watched as the flames consumed it. The battlements and towers crumbled and collapsed. The sight of the burning fortress rendered them speechless. It was a testament to what power Spike possessed.

“Spike...You've...demolished it...” Twilight said, barely above a whisper.

“I guess I got cared away,” Spike responded, in awe himself of what he had done. He was angry and he unleashed that rage upon the entire hive of changelings. He had used his rage to fuel himself before and he had slain enemies as well, but never to this extent. He didn't quite know how to feel.

He looked from the ruins to his friends, who looked back up to him. They were studying his body and how much he had grown in the past few days, especially Rarity. Over the years, Spike had grown from the baby dragon that used to ride around on Twilight's back to the imposing figure that they now saw before them. His wingspan was easily twice the length of his body from snout to tail and his body was covered in toned muscles. Rarity could see the muscles in his shoulders, arms, and legs ripple under the scales as he sat on the ground. His body was much larger than it previously had been. Before this latest growth spurt, he was just larger than Princess Celestia. Now, the solar Alicorn wouldn't even come up to his shoulder! If his body was larger, then that also must have meant that...

“Oh my!” Rarity exclaimed as she fanned herself, her face flushing a deep red.

“What is it? Is something wrong?” Spike asked, concerned by her outburst.

“Oh nothing! Nothing's wrong. Everything is just fine!” she covered. Then she smirked and raised a brow as she said under her breath, “Very fine, indeed.”

Disregarding his wife comment for the moment, he turned to his mother and asked, “How long was I asleep?”

“Five days,” Twilight answered. “It's Monday.”

“Monday,” he repeated. “That means...”

“Look!” Fluttershy shouted as she pointed across the drawbridge. Crawling out of the burning remains of the fortress was a pony-shaped figure. As it made its way towards them, they recognized the soot covered white coat and blue mane of the treasonous Prince.

“Narcissus,” Thunderbolt spat venomously. The stallion coughed and looked up to the ponies that he had betrayed, but was then immediately grasped by the gray Pegasus. Thunderbolt pulled back his hoof and was about to pound Narcissus's face in, but something caught his fore leg. He looked back to see that Posey had caught his hoof and was preventing him from pummeling the Prince. “What are you doing, Posey? Let me go!”

“No. Please don't,” she begged. “He's defenseless. He can't hurt anypony anymore.”

“But what about what he's done!? He handed us over to be bug food! He was going to enslave everypony!”

“We know, and he will answer for what he has done,” Sour Apple reassured him. Thunderbolt turned back to the broken stallion in his grip and growled in rage and frustration. He was about to ignore them, but then a sky blue hoof rested on his shoulder.

“Thunderbolt,” Rainbow Dash said to her son. “I know you're angry. Heck, I want to beat him to a pulp myself, but they're right. He will stand trial for what he's done.”

Thunderbolt looked at his mother and then sighed. He let go of Narcissus and backed away. “Fine, have it your way. But what about Chrysalis? Did you get her?”

Spike was about to answer in the negative, but then he heard a faint buzzing sound with his alert predatory hearing. He looked up to the sky and snarled. The others noticed his reaction and followed his gaze upward. They saw the Changeling Queen hovering above them, starring down with pure hatred. She saw the lavender Alicorn and glowered at her.

“This isn't the end of this, Sparkle!” Chrysalis swore. “I will be back! Even if it takes me another twenty-five years, I will be back! I'll rebuild my hive and you will all pay for this! I will have my revenge!”

She cackled with malicious laughter and started to fly away. Rainbow Dash, Flash Sentry, Evening Star, and Thunderbolt unfurled their wings and were about to go after her.

“Let her go,” Twilight stopped them. “She's defeated.”

“But she'll be back! We've gotta go after her!” Thunderbolt argued.

“No. We've won and she knows it. Her minions have been decimated and her plan has been foiled. We won't be seeing her again anytime soon.”

The Pegasus relaxed and folded their wings as they watched their defeated enemy fly away. However, as Spike watched her retreat, he felt the familiar feeling of rage build back up inside of him again. She may not be back tomorrow, or the next day, the next year, or the next decade, but he knew she would be back. She was spiteful and proved time after time that she could hold a grudge. Eventually, she would back to threaten Equestria and payback the ponies that had stopped her again and again. She wouldn't rest until she ended the lines of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. She would come back to threaten his family again. His family! His! Changelings were a plague that blighted Equestria for too long. Alone, a single changeling would cause great sorrow and turmoil in the lives of the ponies they impersonated and fed on. Under Chrysalis's direction, they posed a threat to all ponies everywhere.

Spike's pupils contracted again and he growled, “No...”

Hearing him, his friends looked up to him and Rarity asked, “What was that, darling?”

“No. This ends now!” Before anypony could say anything, Spike flapped his mighty wings and took off to the sky. The force of his wings nearly knocked everyone over and they shielded themselves as dust was kicked up. They coughed and looked up to see the dragon flying after his prey like a bat out of Tartarus.

“Wait! Spike!” Twilight tried to call after him, but he was already out of hearing range.

As Chrysalis flew away, she was already scheming up a new plan. She would have to lay low for awhile and wait until the ponies stopped looking for her. Thankfully, she could easily hide, even in plain sight. She then would have to breed more changelings. She would disguise herself as a mare and seduce a lonely stallion. It would take some time to generate enough minions to invade Equestria again, but changelings were patient. They were the masters of the long game. They could spend years in an assumed identity and feed off their unwitting victims.

She then heard a noise coming from behind her. She looked back in time to avoid being hit by a fireball that soared pass her. After evading the fireball, she looked over her shoulder to see that the dragon was hot on her tail. She growled in anger and turn to shoot a powerful stream of magic at him. The blast struck Spike in the chest and he grunted as he was knocked back. The love she drained from Narcissus had boosted her strength and managed to make her strong enough to push the dragon back. Spike hissed in pain and clutched the green scales of his underbelly. Chrysalis smirked in sanctification when she saw the dragon wince. Perhaps the love she received from Narcissus was enough to defeat the dragon, but then she saw him glare back at her. The attack only served as a momentary distraction for the dragon and he soon resumed chasing her.

Chrysalis frowned and shot another blast that could kill a pony at the dragon, but Spike was ready this time. Bracing himself, he absorbed the blow and continued to chase after the Changeling Queen. Seeing the dragon relentlessly pursuing her, she doubled her efforts on getting away. She started to panic as fireball after fireball sailed by her, each one coming closer than the previous. In an attempt to shake the dragon, she darted to and fro. She flew in irregular patterns, waiting for the moment when the dragon couldn't keep track of her and then would seek refuge in the hills below. From below, the two figures resembled a bat chasing a moth.

Lunging forward, Spike snapped at Chrysalis's cerulean tail, but missed by inches. Taking advantage of the near miss, Chrysalis ducked under Spike's wing and speed towards the hills below. Just as she thought she was about to get away, a purple and green wall of scales flew in front of her. She didn't have time to react. Spike unleashed a roar that was charged with his overwhelming dragon magic. The air rippled with energy and the shock wave hit her chitinous body. The concussive blast of sonic energy was enough to knock her down, but Spike's magic had infused it with a paralyzing spell. She spun uncontrollably as she plummeted to the earth below.

The Changeling Queen struck the rocky ground with a loud thud. Thanks to her durable hide, she could survive a fall such as this one, but it still hurt immensely. She tried to move, but the dragon's hex had her limbs completely locked up. A dragon's magic may not have been as precise as a Unicorn's, but it made up for it with it sheer, raw power. To compare the two, wielding Unicorn magic was like using a key to open a door. Dragon magic was like using a sledgehammer to bash it open. They both got the job done, but had two very different ways of going about it.

Then there was the sound of something heavy landing over Chrysalis. She looked up and saw Spike gazing down at her. He wasn't snarling at her. Instead, he looked down at her with a cold, resolute stare. Chrysalis wasn't scared anymore. She was beyond fear now. She couldn't escape and she knew by the cold look in the dragon's eyes that it was all over. They stared into one another's eyes for what felt like an awful eternity for Chrysalis. Spike then reared his head back as he took in a deep breath and then opened his fang-filled jaws, a green light illuminating the back of his throat.

In the distance, Twilight and the others saw Spike standing over a dark figure as they ran towards him. Before they could reach him, he opened his mouth and unleashed his fiery breath upon the thing beneath him. They froze as they watched Spike finish his enemy. There was a high pitched shriek of agony mingled in the roar of the flames, and then there was silence. Spike stood over the smoking remains of the evil Changeling Queen for a moment, and then took off and flew over to the ponies waiting for him. He landed and looked at their faces. He saw a mixture of shock, fear, queasiness, and concern. Above all, he saw relief. They could all rest easy now that one of Equestria's greatest threats have been permanently dealt with. Spike had annihilated the entire hive.

“Spike...” Twilight slowly said.

“It is finished,” he solemnly told him. Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it and she and everypony else nodded.

“C'mon y'all. Let's go home,” Applejack said. They all agreed and made their way down the trail. Spike picked up an unconscious Narcissus in his claw and sneered. The others froze for a moment, fearing for a moment that Spike might eat him, but he threw the stallion onto his back and continued to walk down the path.

They were silent for a moment, but then Spike remembered something. He looked down at the white kirin with a purple mane at his side. He snaked his long neck down to her and caressed the side of her face with his long snout. He then kissed the top of her head and whispered in her ear, “Happy birthday, Amethyst.”

“I love you, Daddy,” she whispered back. His baby girl had been in danger and he made sure that the ones responsible would never threaten her again. Though the ordeal had her shaken, along with everypony else, she knew she was safe now. Headed towards the northwest through the hills, they made their way back home.