The Drake Six

by JNKing

Episode 66: The Really Dirty Dozen - Part One

Author's Note:

Thank you again, AstralFlare42, for your contribution of the character Lord Shade Fang.

Sombra watched from the shadows as Jackknife stuck with the hippogriff guards.

“Why aren’t they taking him away?” a voice growled behind him. Sombra turned to regard ‘Mean Jackknife’, who hissed as he watched the hippogriffs listening to some sort of statement Jackknife was giving. “He’s been blamed for the crime. Why aren’t they taking him?”

“Use your head, boy!” Sombra growled back. “He has eyewitnesses that saw him leave. And more importantly…” he pointed at a scratch down Mean Jackknife’s side. “He doesn’t have any signs of the battle you had with the students.”

“Poor Jackknife,” Mean Fluttershy sneered. “Too incompetent to properly get rid of your own counterpart.”

Mean Jackknife whirled on the dark yellow pegasus. “I’ll get rid o’ yer mouth if ya don’t shut it…!”

“Quiet your love-making,” an ominous voice growled, as the shadows were briefly chased away by an ominous glowing light. “We all know this only part of the plan our ‘Illustrious Lords’ have concocted.” Red eyes glared down at Sombra and Shade. “Isn’t that right?”

Shade looked up at the source of the fire. “It’s a shame your counterpart isn’t as bold as you are.”

“Bold and correct,” Sombra replied. “You may have none of your counterpart’s scars, but you also don’t have her treasure. At least… not yet.” He turned to Mean Diamondback. “What is your progress on that?”

Mean Diamondback tossed her head with a grin. “The Diamond Dogs are so easy to manipulate,” she replied with a cruel tone to her voice. “Merely praise them and love them, and they’re like putty in your hands.”

Mean Fluttershy gagged. “Why not just kick them into submission?”

“Oh yeah, that’d totally convince em she’s the real Diamondback, wouldn’t it?” Mean Applejack sneered.

“You may be compelled to lie, pony, but for once, you see truth,” Mean Diamondback agreed. “The real Diamondback treats them the same way, only she has a heart of plush. Once I claim her horde for myself, her power will be gone.”

“And when we have her power,” Mean Star Wing asked, stepping up. “Does that mean we’ll go to the Dragon Lands?” Her eyes glittered dangerously. “I’m looking forward to breaking that so-called Dragon Lord’s mind.”

“Yes,” Shade agreed. “We will defeat her, and I can lead them to conquer the other nations.”

“All in good time, everyone, all in good time,” Sombra replied. “But before we claim victory, we must ensure that your counterparts are well and truly out of the way. And having the better version of Jackknife show what he can do is only the first step to that plan.” He looked back out towards the forest, and saw a familiar filly rushing towards them. He nodded to Mean Diamondback. “Go. Claim what is rightfully yours.”

Mean Diamondback gave a low bow, and started off, as a pair of red eyes glared at her from the flames still battling shadows.

Cozy Glow reached the group. “The bait worked,” she reported. “The Drake Five approach.”

##

“Alright, guys,” Spike said, looking around at Star Wing, Diamondback, Phoenix and Swift. “According to Smolder, whoever this ‘Evil Jackknife’ was, he fled into these woods. Which means that Diamondback, the real Jackknife and I just passed by him on our way home. We’ve got to find him and bring him back to Queen Novo so that Jackknife’s name can be cleared.”

“I still don’t see why they had to keep Jack under guard,” Phoenix muttered. “Everyone noted how weird he was acting.”

“You know how some people can be,” Star replied with a tired tone. “They want to have even the illusion of safety. Keeping him there will at least placate them from thinking he’ll try to betray us or something.”

“Either way, we’ll need to act fast,” Swift agreed. “I don’t know the specifics behind this blood-bending thing, but from the way Queen Novo was glaring at Jack… I don’t want them to think he used that stuff for any longer than necessary.”

“I’m a little worried for Smolder too,” Star Wing noted. “She and Gallus seemed really torn up about that stuff working on them.”

“Don’t worry,” Phoenix assured them. “Twilight’s with her. If anyone can help them with taking losses like that, it’s her.”

“Let’s hope so,” Spike said. “If we can’t find this blood-bender, Twilight and her friends will have to deal with it.”

Diamondback grimaced. “I really don’t like the idea of us going after this creature if he’s capable of such talents. At least not unprepared.”

Phoenix glanced at her. “I don’t suppose you have some kind of… enchanted armor that can repel magic.”

Swift gasped. “I think… I think that armor my dad had… the one I had Aunt Hawke retrieve… I’m pretty sure it had magical repellants.”

Diamondback turned and struck the ground. “Shiva, dear?” she called. “Shiva!”

Shiva’s head poked out of the ground, but she looked confused. “Diamondback?”

“Do you have Swift’s family armor?” Diamondback asked. “I need it, right away.”

“But…” Shiva looked down and then at Diamondback. “Hang on, how are there two of you?”

All of the dragons stared at the ground. “What?”

“There’s another Diamondback,” Shiva explained, indicating down her hole. “She’s at your treasure horde right now.”

Diamondback’s eyes went to slits of panic. She turned to the others. “Wait here; I’ll be right back.” Then, with a swan dive that somehow managed to remain elegant, Diamondback dove after Shiva into the hole, somehow squeezing through despite her size.

Spike knelt at the hole. “Should we go after her?”

“Wait!” Star stammered. “I’ve seen this in plays before: the group of heroes split up, and it allows the bad guys to pick them off one by one!”

“But if we all go after Diamondback,” Swift pointed out, “Then that leaves this blood-bending guy free to go after the Academy.”

“Then we split up, but keep it to groups,” Spike decided. “Star, Swift; you two keep looking for the blood-bender. Phoenix, you’re with me.”

Nodding, Phoenix jumped into the hole, with Spike right behind her.

Star reluctantly turned back to the forest, but for once, her confidence was fading fast.

“Oh, I don’t like this, Swift,” she noted. “I don’t like this one bit.”

Swift himself was shivering, but as he noticed how terrified Star sounded, he took a deep breath. “A-At least we’re together,” he noted. “C-C’mon! He’s gotta be around here somewhere.”

##

As the two set off to search, they were unaware of Sombra and Shade watching.

Sombra chuckled, watching Star with a greedy eye. “You have no idea how right you are, my dear.”

“Soon we shall have our revenge,” Shade promised, turning his gaze to town, where Astral and Aurora were setting up defenses. “Me… and my apprentice.”

##

Part of Spike had wondered what Diamondback had done with her treasure horde. Having learned that treasure made dragons stronger and tougher, he knew that Diamondback could never be far from her collection of gems, jewels, enchanted items and even scrolls. But he had never considered that she was hiding them right under their noses.

As it turned out, it didn’t take them very long to reach a massive underground cavern, inside of which was all the treasures Diamondback had collected over her long life, carefully handled and managed by a pack of loyal diamond dogs.

But now the diamond dogs stood grouped around a massive throne. They all looked at Diamondback in confusion… before turning their gazes to a second Diamondback lounging on the throne.

Immediately, Spike could feel something off about the other Diamondback. Her scales didn’t shine the same way his Diamondback’s did. Her blue eyes were more like ice than lapis. And though Spike had always thought Diamondback beautiful, her counterpart’s sneer twisted any beauty to the point that she would’ve looked better as an old hag.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Diamondback growled, her voice also sounding far more monstrous than she usually sounded. “Get away from my horde.”

“‘Your’ horde?” Mean Diamondback chortled. “Now why would I give up my hard-earned treasure for an imposter such as yourself?”

Diamondback drew a rapier. “I am no imposter!” She looked to her dogs. “Shiva! Celine! You know it’s me!”

Shiva gave her a worried look. “I-I’m sorry,” she said. “But I just don’t know who to believe!”

“Are you crazy?” Spike demanded. “Look at them!” He indicated the two Diamondbacks. “Surely you can spot the differences.”

The wolves looked between them.

“I mean… I kind of can,” the youngest, Celine, admitted. “But…”

“Haven’t you noticed her treating you oddly?” Diamondback insisted. “Being cruel or mean?”

“Cruel or mean?!” Mean Diamondback laughed out loud, before gently picking up one of the dogs and stroking them carefully. “Now why would I do such a thing to my ‘beloved’ dogs? They suffered enough already, having to deal with that loathsome Blaze.”

Phoenix flinched and stepped back, but Spike gripped her shoulder.

“Don’t,” he promised. “You’re not that dragon anymore.”

“No, it’s not that,” Phoenix said. “Does she know all of Diamondback’s memories?”

Mean Diamondback smirked. “I know that you personally carved poor Myst’s face up for scuffing one of your precious gemstones.” She indicated the scarred diamond dog that Spike remembered Phoenix having so much trouble earning forgiveness from. “I know that Luke has a preference for opals and round gems.” He produced one such opal and tossed it, with the biggest dog racing after it with glee. “While dear Lizzie prefers something more… chewable.” She produced a stick and tossed it to a diamond dog with cinnamon brown fur, who gleefully caught it and began gnawing on it.

“Knowing and caring are two different things,” Diamondback growled. “And I can see it in your eyes: you don’t actually care about my dogs. You’re just using what they like to earn their trust.”

“And you haven’t done the same thing?” Mean Diamondback refuted. “Darling, you and I both know the power of the Greed.” She rose off her throne, an ominous energy swirling around her. “Money? Friends? All of them give power!”

Diamondback stood tall. “And what will you do with that power?” she asked. “Cut me down in cold blood?”

Mean Diamondback shrugged. “You’re trying to take my horde,” she replied, drawing her own rapier. “It’s only right that a dragon protects what’s hers.”

Spike and Phoenix stepped up to Diamondback’s side, only for something else to catch his eye. His jaw dropped as a second Spike walked out.

“Now-now, ‘Sir Spike’,” Mean Spike declared, stepping between him and the Diamondbacks. “Didn’t any of your mothers teach you how rude it is to hit a lady?”

Spike and Phoenix backed up, as Diamondback and Mean Diamondback began to duel, rapiers clashing in a shower of sparks.

“You…” Spike stared at his darker scale color; the cruel pond-scum color of his counterpart’s eyes. “How is this possible? If you’re not changelings…!”

“Sh,” Mean Spike hushed, before drawing a sword and shield. “A proper knight never betrays his lord.”

“Lord?” Phoenix muttered, before gasping. “Lord Shade! You’re working for him?”

Several of the dogs turned, watching Mean Spike with intrigue. Mean Spike himself grimaced, like he was at a loss for words.

Spike smirked. “A proper knight fights for his lord and only for his lord,” he noted. “Who’s your lord?”

Mean Spike seethed, before roaring a battle cry and rushing the two. However, several diamond dogs - realizing the trick - rushed Mean Spike as well. And with the dogs behind him and Spike and Phoenix before him, it didn’t take long for them to leave Mean Spike on the ground, pinned.

“Please tell me I wasn’t this weak,” Spike noted with worry.

Phoenix chuckled and handed him Mean Spike’s sword. “Not any weaker than me, buddy.”

Smiling at her support, Spike’s grin faded as he pointed the sword at Mean Spike’s throat. “Now,” he said. “Who is your Lord?”

Mean Spike growled, but with the dogs holding him down, he was unable to break free. He finally relented. “Fine. It’s Lord Shade Fang, alright? He created me.” He glanced over at Diamondback. “Created… us.”

Spike almost argued for Diamondback’s innocence, but Phoenix stopped him by stepping on Mean Spike’s chest. “For what purpose?”

Mean Spike laughed. “What do you think?” he replied. “To give the Dragon Lands and the Dragon Kingdom a proper ruler.”

Right on cue, Diamondback cried out in pain.

The group looked up as Mean Diamondback pinned her to the wall with her rapier, twisting the blade around the stab wound in Diamondback’s shoulder.

“DB!” shouted Spike, Phoenix… and even Mean Spike.

“W-huh?” the dogs and Spike stammered.

“No!” Mean Spike cried out. “Not my partner! She was supposed to take the treasure horde. You’ve foiled our plans.”

“Wait, no!” Spike stammered. “No, that’s not true.” He pointed to the pinned Diamondback’s brighter scales. “She’s the good one. She’s the one that needs to win.”

“Don’t delude yourself,” Mean Spike insisted. “She was my partner! My friend!” He put a hand over his head. “Oh, woe is me, how could we have failed so horribly.”

“No!” Spike insisted. But despite his protests, he saw Diamondback grow smaller, while Mean Diamondback grew bigger.

“Your protests matter as much as your size, little ones,” Mean Diamondback purred, her icy blue eyes glaring into Diamondback’s lapis. “This horde is MINE!”

Diamondback tried to pull herself free, but the stab had rendered her sword arm useless.

Spike and Phoenix rushed to help… but someone else got there first.

With a blinding flash of fire, a new dragon lunged over Spike and Phoenix, and drove Mean Diamondback into Good Diamondback. Both dragons were left embedded in the wall.

“No,” the new dragon growled, in a voice that caused every diamond dog’s fur to stand on end, and whimpers of fear to escape even the bravest of them.

The new dragon turned; a beast of pure fire. Scales the color of the sun itself. Eyes like rubies, burning with a demonic hatred.

And a face - a face so eerily familiar that Spike didn’t even want to look at Phoenix to confirm.

“It’s her,” the diamond dog Myst whimpered, backing up.

“No…” Spike mumbled.

“Yes, Spike,” Phoenix whispered, her own voice cracking in horror and sadness. “It’s me.”

“And this horde,” Mean Phoenix declared, as the power of the Greed swirled around her. “Is MINE!”

Mean Spike got up with a chuckle and dusted himself off. He grinned at Spike. “You better start running, boy.”

Normally, Spike didn’t take orders from evil versions of himself. But when Mean Phoenix let loose with fire that nearly blinded him and scorched his scales from the heat, he wasn’t left with much choice.

With Phoenix grabbing his hand, and the diamond dogs straight up bolting while yelping in sheer fear, Spike was only able to follow their lead, fleeing for his life as fire filled the caverns and Mean Phoenix let out a roar of victory.

##

Spike and Phoenix didn’t stop running until they had popped back out above ground.

Only then did Spike realize…

“We left Diamondback down there!” he screamed, turning back only for Phoenix to grab him.

“And there’s nothing we can do for her now!” Phoenix said. “That was me at my prime!”

“But…”

“No!” Phoenix made Spike look at her. “You have no idea what I was like before I tried turning my life around. You CAN’T fight that version of me. Not without help.”

Spike looked to the diamond dogs, but all of them were huddled in heaps of charred fur, whimpering or crying in shame and fear.

“How could I have not seen,” Shiva was sobbing. “W-Why couldn’t I tell them apart?”

“It’s not your fault, Mom,” her daughter Celine tried to say. “None of us saw the difference.”

“Who cares about the difference,” Myst stammered. “That was Blaze! Back when she was…” she cast a look Phoenix’s way, and lowered her head. “I-I never should have been so cruel to you. I never should have risked that coming back!”

Phoenix hesitantly pat Myst’s head. “It wasn’t your fault,” she assured. “But we’re going to need a lot of help if we want a chance of taking her down again.”

At that moment, they heard a rustling. Spike caught a flash of feathers.

“Swift?” he raced over. “Wing!”

He threw the brush apart, and was rewarded with the sight of Swift and Star.

“Thank Celestia,” he sighed, hugging them close.

“Whoa, okay, buddy,” Star said with a grin.

“What is it?” Swift asked. “What happened?”

“Lord Shade is back,” Phoenix reported. “He somehow made evil clones of Spike, Diamondback and myself. And I’ll bet anything that blood-bender was his doing as well.”

“So, what? This blood-bender’s an evil clone of Jack?” Star asked. “Cuz he sure ain’t as loud as Jack usually is. We haven’t been able to find him!”

Spike’s breath hitched. “Wait…” He glared pointedly at Star and Swift, but splashes of light were still flashing in his eyes from witnessing Mean Phoenix’s flames. Were Star’s eyes duller than they usually were, or was that just the aftereffects from Mean Phoenix’s flames. Same for Swift’s feathers; were they dull because he was an evil clone, or just because Spike’s eyes were still adjusting?

Myst’s words didn’t give him time to adjust his vision either: “And worse still, Phoenix’s evil clone is her before she got crippled. At the height of her power!”

Swift’s gasp sounded just like the Swift Spike knew. “W-We gotta get the others!” he stammered. “W-We need the Elements of Harmony!”

“My thoughts exactly,” Star agreed. “With Jackknife out of the running, we won’t be able to summon them ourselves.”

Spike blinked frantically, trying to get his eyes to readjust, but Phoenix grabbed his shoulder. “She’s right, Spike. Come on, there’s no time to waste!”

Indeed, an ominous drum beat sounded, and the hole they had come out of began to glow with Mean Phoenix’s flames again.

Spike cursed but nodded. “Alright,” he said. “Back to the Academy, people! Move!”

And so, with his heart rampaging in his chest - fear for Diamondback, suspicion of Star and Swift, and hope that Twilight could help - Spike led his group back for the Academy.

Unaware of Shade and Sombra watching from the shadows.

Comments

[Comickook]

REALLY good job on the dialogue, characterizations, action and future chapter set-up. Really appreciated the bits like how nasty some of the clones' arguments got, the lead-off to the investigation to clear Swift Wing, the encounter with Diamondback's clone and the clashes with Spike and Phoenix's clones before they headed off to alert the others.

REALLY looking forward to more of this.

[nightshroud96]

Things are gonna be crazy when all 6 clones show up together

[Comickook]

11888601
TWELVE clones, actually. All of the Mane Six AND all of the DRAKE Six.

But, yes, it IS going to get crazy.

[JNKing]

11888570
Really happy you're enjoying.

And yeah, things are gonna get even crazier going forward. They've already got to deal with an evil clone of Phoenix that's back in her prime, though Mean Phoenix betraying Mean Diamondback is going to have some interesting consequences in the future.

I'm definitely looking forward to sharing more of this soon. Until then, thanks for reading. 👍

[JNKing]

11888601
11888691

But, yes, it IS going to get crazy.

Couldn't have said it better myself. 👍

[nightshroud96]

11888781
Looking forward on how the Smolder situation looks too

[JNKing]

11888789
Oh yeah, Smolder and the Young Six are going to have a really epic moment.

I don't want to spoil just what'll happen, but I'm hoping it'll be fun to read about.