âCanterlotâs under attack!â Spike cried out as they re-entered Diamondbackâs den.
âYou shouldâve seen the place, guys,â Night Fire stammered. âIt was like one of those nobles kicked over a hornetâs nest - only the hornets got frisky with ponies. So now these hornet-pony hybrids are all over them!â
Diamondback gasped. âChangelingsâŚâ she muttered.
Jackknife growled. âChangelingsâŚâ he copied her mutter, before glancing at Spike. âWhat the heck are those?â
Diamondback swept into her library, and withdrew a scroll. She unfurled the scroll, displaying some of the strange insectoid ponies they had seen.
âAlso known as aufs or oafs, as I like to call them,â Diamondback read, âThey are succubi-like creatures that feed off the love of others. To that end, theyâve adapted to be able to change their appearances to match that of the ones you love.â
âAh, hence the name,â Jackknife noted.
âB-But why are they looking like insects?â Swift asked. âShouldnât they be trying to make themselves look like whatever the ponies in Canterlot love?â
âIf thatâs the case, then they should make themselves look like gold,â Night Fire grumbled. âThat or the nobleâs own rear ends.â
Spike gave her a surprised look, but didnât have time to ponder it, as Phoenix limped up.
âIt must be a dominance display,â Phoenix noted. âThe changelings are letting every other species know that Canterlot belongs to them now. They canât do that in disguise.â
âBut it doesnât belong to them,â Spike insisted. âIt belongs to the princesses.â
Diamondback gave him a look that Spike found very ominous. âWhat are you talking about, Spike? You lived there; were you the only dragon that Celestia hatched?â
Spike blinked. âI, uh⌠I think so.â
âWell, then the answer is obvious.â Diamondbackâs grin widened. âCanterlot belongs to you. Not the princesses, and certainly not the changelings.â
Spike blinked in shock at her claim. He then felt fire bubbling inside of him. A very familiar fire.
âOh, noâŚâ Spike mumbled. âThe GreedâŚâ He clutched his chest as his muscles started to expand. âI-I canât think like that! IâŚâ
âSpike?â Night Fire whispered, holding him close. âDonât focus on it! Youâre not ready for the Greed.â
âIndeed heâs not,â Diamondback agreed. âBut thatâs why you became my friend.â
Spike barely managed to focus through the rush of emotions the Greed was causing him. âW-What are you talking about?â
âSince youâre one of my treasures,â Diamondback noted, the others stepping back as she started to grow. âThen your treasures are mine by default. And that means Canterlot is mine too.â Before Spike could protest, she gave him a disturbing grin. âThus, by trying to lay claim, the changelings are stealing from me.â
Even the diamond dogs backed up at the vicious tone that had entered Diamondbackâs voice.
âAnd I will not let them take what is mine.â Diamondback turned to her dogs. âPrepare for combat, my friends. The changelings wish to lay claim upon my land? They will see just what kind of hornetâs nest theyâre dealing with.â
##
Spike didnât know what to do.
On the one hand, Canterlot and Equestria had been his home for several years. Alongside Twilight and Shining Armor, he had been raised there. Twilight Velvet, Night Light and Celestia had worked together to give him and his siblings a home, an education, delicious gems and a purpose in life.
And now was he about to pay them back by letting a dragon lay claim to their land?
Granted, Diamondback didnât seem like a bad sort of dragon. She had welcomed him into her home; taught him about his race. Given him friends and a home as well. And the Diamond Dogs who already worked for her seemed to like her well enough.
But then he remembered how Rarity had gotten along with Diamond Dogs. Could he count on such rivalries being quelled by Diamondback? And what if Celestia opposed the idea of Diamondback ruling? What if in trying to help his old home, Spike only brought more conflict and maybe even ruin to it?
None of his pondering was helped by the Inner Greed. He could feel the monster he had become, churning inside him at the thought of owning all of Canterlot.
âAll of Equestria,â The monster grumbled. âAll mine! Diamondback deserves none of it. She will take it all for herself! She is a threat! She must be fought!â
But Spike would not lose himself. He had caused enough destruction by giving into his greed once. He could not do that again.
As he writhed and struggled, Night Fire, Phoenix, Jackknife and Swift watched over him. Though all of them were similarly stumped on what the right decision was.
âMaybe itâs for the best,â Night Fire noted. âI mean, from what Iâve heard, Celestia doesnât do much to curb the behavior of some of the nobles of Canterlot. Maybe Diamondback can whip them back into shape.â
âIt doesnât feel right though,â Swift noted. âDragonâs Greed is a very addictive feeling. Can we trust Diamondback to handle having an entire nation?â
âI saw the look in her eyes,â Jackknife growled. âThat kind of powerâs gonna drive her mad. We canât let her go through with it.â
âIf we do nothing,â Phoenix noted, âThe changelings will take Canterlot. They wouldnât be showing their true forms if they werenât certain that they could stake a claim.â
âNoâŚâ Spike moaned. âC-Canât let themâŚâ
The others immediately went to his side.
âSpike, stay with us,â Night Fire warned.
âIf you let the Greed take control,â Swift noted, âYou and Diamondback will come to blows. You canât save Canterlot by fighting each other.â
âBut if he doesnât fight,â Jackknife noted. âDiamondback will assume heâs giving Canterlot over to her. Not even she can handle the kind of Greed thatâll produce.â
âI can⌠barely handle it⌠myselfâŚâ Spike moaned.
Night winced, tending to Spike⌠only for the sound of paws to draw their attention.
The group turned as the diamond dogs - led by the silvery wolf Kodo - came to them. Axes in hand.
âWhatâs the meaning of this?â Phoenix asked.
âDiamondbackâs orders,â Kodo replied. âShe doesnât trust Spike to handle the Greed. She wants him chained up so he canât get in the way.â
Jackknife rose threateningly. âYou mean so he canât push his claim to Canterlot and Equestria.â
Kodo tightened his grip on his ax. âDonât make this difficult, man,â he warned. âDiamondbackâs been good to my family. I canât risk angering her right now.â
Swift reluctantly stepped up to Jackknifeâs side. âAnd we canât risk Diamondback becoming just as bad as Sunny.â
The dogs growled at the comparison, leading to Night Fire jumping between them.
âWhoa-whoa-guys, come on,â she said with a practiced laugh. âMaybe thereâs a way we can⌠work this out so everybody wins.â
âI ainât seeing that happening, Night,â Jackknife noted.
âMe neither,â Kodo growled.
As Night Fire tried to hold the group at bay, Phoenix pulled Spike to her chest. âTrust me,â Phoenix whispered.
Spike groaned, his Inner Greed struggling to push past his willpower. âDonât⌠have a lot of⌠choicesâŚâ
Before Phoenix could respond, chaos broke loose.
âJack-KODO NO!â Night Fire screamed.
But Jackknife and Kodo launched at each other, the diamond dogs attacking the dragons. Swift leaped backward, grabbing stones and chucking them like a professional buckball player.
âSorry-sorry-sorry,â Swift stammered as he dented helmets and knocked dogs to the ground.
Night Fire, meanwhile, was stuck in a three-way fight with Jackknife and Kodo, as the two brawled each other out.
With Swift providing cover fire and the leader occupied, Phoenix was barely able to sneak her way out of the den, Spike in tow.
âOkay, Spike, weâve gotta set some ground rules with Diamondback,â Phoenix said. âThis is getting out of hand.â
âItâll⌠get out of handâŚâ Spike whimpered, as his inner Greed threatened to break loose. â...anywayâŚâ
Phoenix gazed ahead, as she saw Darius getting thrown into a cell by Shiva.
âAll I said was that I hope Diamondback knows what sheâs doing!â Darius protested.
âWe have to have faith in her,â Shiva said. âOtherwise weâll be joining you.â
Phoenix winced and limped away from the dogs. But then Spikeâs Inner Greed gave a particularly bad lurch, and he cried out in pain.
âPhoenix?â Shiva asked. âHEY, PHOENIX!â
Phoenix broke into a run, but she was still a very battered, old dragon. And it wasnât long before the dogs started to close in on her.
As they reached the library, Phoenix groaned and threw Spike into the library.
âThink of something, Spike,â Phoenix yelled as she gripped the edges of the cavern. âYouâre smart. Focus on your brain! I know you can think of something!â
âPhoenixâŚ!â Spike pleaded, reaching out for her.
But with strength that looked like it was agony to utilize, Phoenix pulled down the cave opening, caving it in and trapping herself with the dogs.
Spike was alone. With a mountain of knowledge behind him.
âA mountain of knowledge thatâs MINE!â His Inner Greed roared. âALL MINE!â
âNOOOO!â Spike screamed, stumbling over to the books as his form bubbled and swelled, growing in size⌠and strength.
He could feel his mind fading into the Greed. He wasnât going to win this! As his form swelled from a tiny hatchling to a full grown dragon, a stomping sound drew his attention, as Diamondback entered.
She had changed as well; she was bigger and more muscular. An insane light shined brightly in her eyes.
âI knew it,â she snarled. âYouâre going to take whatâs rightfully mine, arenât you?â
Spike snarled, his mind slipping as the Inner Greed took over. âEquestria is MINE!â He indicated the library. âALL OF THIS IS NOW MINE!â
Diamondback sneered, crouching into a feral combat pose. âProve it!â
Spike roared and charged her, the two slamming their heads with a BOOM that shook the cavern.
Spike recalled the destruction he had caused to Ponyville. He viciously beat at the inside of his mind, even as his body pummeled Diamondbackâs.
But the dragoness wasnât called Diamondback for nothing. And though Spikeâs fists had destroyed buildings of Ponyville, they didnât even dent Diamondbackâs scales.
âIs that the best you can do?â Diamondback mocked, before biting at his neck.
Spike roared in agony as his spikes broke under her teeth.
âPathetic.â Diamondback threw him at her treasure trove, sending coins and scrolls flying into the air. âEquestria canât be yours. Youâd lose it in a fortnight!â
âNo!â Spikeâs no-longer-inner beast roar. âNO! I WONâT LOSE!â
âLose⌠lose?â In the depths of his mind, Spike recalled.
Reading over the scrolls with Diamondback. In the very cave they now fought in. They had come across the history of dragons.
Spike had been ecstatic. âDiamondback, is this true?â He showed her a picture of dragons standing protectively over towns. âDragons used⌠to be guardians?â
Diamondback had taken the scroll, eyes filled with pride. âIndeed we did,â she noted. âWe were the protectors of the realm. Naturally inclined to protect that which we cared about, we safeguarded the nations from any threat.â Her eyes grew sad. âUnfortunately, what we considered âunder our protectionâ mutated into us thinking it was ours by right. âProtectivenessâ was lost to âGreed,â and Greed corrupted our kind.â
Spike blinked, returning to the fight, as Diamondback straddled his Greed form and beat at his face with brutal hammer fists. âThis isnât right,â he realized. âWe werenât meant to be greedy tyrants. We were meant to beâŚâ
âGuardians!â He lifted his arms and blocked Diamondbackâs next blow, guarding his face.
âI need to guard my body!â Spike realized, catching Diamondbackâs head before she could headbutt him. âI need to guard my friends!â He felt his mind syncing with his Greed, as he forced Diamondback off him. âI need to guard my home!â
With both his mind and his Greed in sync, he forced Diamondback to the ground, straddling her as she once straddled him.
âDiamondback,â he called out. âI know youâre still in there.â
Diamondback snarled and writhed under him, but he kept her in check.
âYou said that as dragons, it was our duty to protect, not just claim.â
âStop talking!â she roared, blasting fire at his face. But he countered with flames of his own.
âEquestria is mine to protect!â he said. He shut his eyes. âBut I canât do it alone.â
Diamondback paused, staring up at him. Spike felt his Inner Greed start to fall out of sync. But he spoke fast.
âHelp me,â he pleaded with Diamondback. âHelp me save Equestria. Not so that you can own it, but because it needs your protection. Just like I needed your protection. Just like Swift did. You told us once that not all treasure was in silver and gold. And that treasure needs to be taken care of.â
Diamondback started to shrink, as did Spike. The voice of the Inner Greed grew quieter. Emboldened, he kept going.
âYou canât âtake careâ of Equestria by ruling it,â Spike insisted. âWe just need to protect it. Let the Princesses worry about ruling. As long as itâs protected, itâll be okay.â He smiled. âBecause thatâs what dragons do. We protect what we care about.â
The light of Diamondbackâs soul returned to her eyes. She had shrunk back down to her normal form. âS-SpikeâŚâ she mumbled. âI⌠youâre right.â Her head looked down in shame. âHow could I have let myself become so blinded? IâŚâ Her eyes widened. âWhat⌠happened to you?â
âHuh?â
Spike looked down. Though he had shrunk from his original monster form, he wasnât back to being a hatchling anymore. He stood at least as tall as Princess Celestia, with broad shoulders and honed pecs.
This is what Iâm supposed to be, Spike realized. A guardian. A protector.
At that moment, Jackknife and Night Fire ran in.
âAlright, DB, enough with theâŚâ Jackknife paused, staring at Spike in shock. âWhoa!â
âSpike!â Night Fire stammered. âWhen did you get a growth spurt?â She looked between him and DB and turned pale. âTell me you didnâtâŚ?â
âGet your filthy mind out of the gutter!â Diamondback sneered at Night Fire, pulling herself up and brushing herself off⌠before sighing and sinking into a bow. âI let myself go,â she admitted. âSpike brought me back. He reminded me of what I had always hoped: that dragons were more than just greedy tyrants.â
Jackknife and Night Fire exchanged a look with each other, as Swift and Phoenix flew in. âSoâŚâ Jackknife asked. âDoes that meanâŚâ
âWeâre going to Canterlot,â Spike said, stepping up. âAnd weâre going to save the ponies. Not so that theyâll belong to us⌠but because itâs the right thing to do.â He smiled. âItâs what dragons do: we protect what we care about.â
Jackknife grinned while Swift gave Spike a thumbs up. Phoenix and Diamondback exchanged grins, while Night Fire shook her head with a grin of her own.
âAlright then,â Night Fire noted. âLetâs get ready to kick some changeling plot.â
##
Twilight and Princess Celestia,
We saw the changelings begin their invasion. Hopefully, by the time this letter reaches you, weâll have helped you repel them.
Iâm sorry it took so long for us to get there; we had an incident where the Greed got away from us: tried to convince me and especially Diamondback that we deserved a very hefty reward for saving you. A reward beyond what I feel youâd be comfortable with giving.
After all, not all rewards are in the material gains. Sometimes, the mere act of being generous can be reward enough. Especially when it reminds you of who you really are.
Because dragons were never meant to be just greedy hoarders. We were meant to be Guardians.
Protectors of the Realm.
And weâre going to prove that.
See you soon.
Your best friend and guardian,
Spike
This was a grand chapter! And seeing some history on Dragon's passion was truly amazing.
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Thank you. Really happy you enjoyed. đ
Thanks immensely for getting this next chapter up. Really liked the work that went into the exchanges, action, characterizations and future chapter set-up. Really appreciated the show of how difficult it was to control the Dragon Greed, but Spike didn't just manage it by focusing the instincts on protection rather than claiming, but also by calming Diamondback down and reminding his new friends about that protection AND helping them learn a little more about pony culture. One of the other dragons knowing about Changelings already was another great touch.
Definitely looking forward to more of this.
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All is good, can't wait for the next chapter.
WHOOOOOOOOO!!!! CHANGELINGS BETTER WATCH OUT!!! THE DRAKE SIX ARE ON THEIR WAY!!!
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Glad you enjoyed, especially with the build up to the ending part.
Very excited to share more soon.
Until then, thanks for reading. đ
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Darn right they are.