Chapter 34: The Stare Master
Several hours later the ship came out of warp space, flying towards Equestria where he felt relief that they were almost home, pulling put the mic to announce their arrival when he heard something behind him, turning to find a very drowsy Scootaloo coming into the cockpit, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. When she looked up, she saw Equestria, running up to her brother and trying to jump up to get a better look, but was having difficulty trying to jump up to look, so Spyro reached down and picked her up, putting her in his lap so she can look at her home, sparkles in her eyes to see her world.
"We're home." She said, happily looking to him.
"Yes Scoots, we're home." Spyro responded, taking the mic and turning it on. "Attention passengers, this is your captain speaking. We will soon be arriving in Equestrian air space and would like to thank you again for flying Air Dragon Crest. Be sure to turn off all electronic devices, put your tray tables in an upright position, and to deactivate any of the rooms you are currently in and come to the cockpit, we will so begin landing procedures. Thank you and do be sure to tip your flight attendant on your way out."
He turned the mic off and put it down, pushing a few buttons to begin landing procedures as the girls came in, walking to their seats and buckling in to prepare for the landing as Spyro held onto Scootaloo as they entered the planets atmosphere, going through the clouds as he could feel his body shift back to being the hybrid form, seeing Sweet Apple Acres in sight. His ship flew over the town as the sun was setting, eveyrone looking up to see his ship and dropping everything they were doing to see the prince, following it all the way to Sweet Apple Acres as he landed the vessel into the Gummi garage.
The Apple Family came running out of the house when they heard the ship coming in, running out to see it land in the garage through the roof, running to the front of the garage to see the ships boarding ramp lower down, watching as the mares walked down the ramp with their saddle bags and looking tired, but happy. The princess also saw that the ship had returned and had arrived at the garage to see her start pupil and her friends come down the ramp, but everyone held their breath, waiting for the prince to come down the ramp and as he did, by his side was Scootaloo who was dirty, but was unharmed, everyone cheering as they saw the filly had return home. Her friends pushed through the crowd and ran up to the young Pegasus filly, the three of them hugging as the crowd ran up to welcome her home, though she wasn't use to crowds, she was just glad to come home and to not be in that damp dark ship again.
"Welcome home my little ponies." The princess said, everyone bowing to her. "I can see that your mission was a success."
"More than you think princess." Spyro responded. "Not only did we rescue Scootaloo, we foiled her foal nappers plan and claimed two prizes. A chest full of tomes and books that belong to previous Prince's of Light and Darkness, and a chest of gold coins she was after."
"Really?" She asked. "Why gold coins?"
"Best you see for yourself." Spyro replied, seeing Luna walking up. "Hey princess Luna, haven't seen you in a while."
"Well, I have been busy with my nightly duties." She responded, smiling at him.
"Too busy to visit little nightlight?" Spyro asked, Luna blushing from the nickname, while her sister chuckled.
"Anyway, why is it you took a chest of gold from your sister's foal napper?" Princess Celestia asked.
"It's best you and your sister see it personally." Spyro replied, turning to Applejack. "AJ, can you take Scoots in and get her something to eat? I thinks she's hungry after the flight here."
"Ya got it Spyro." Applejack asked, taking Scootaloo into the house followed by her other family.
As they went in, everypony left to get home for some sleep as the sisters finished lowering the sun and raising the moon, watching as Spyro brought out the chest of cursed gold to the entrance of the Gummi garage, but when he removed the lid, the sisters can smell something foul coming from the chest, gagging from the stench as they covered their noses to try and block the smell out.
"Spyro, what's that smell?" Celestia asked. "Smells like something died."
"Please tell us there is not a body in there." Luna said, trying not to puke.
"Don't worry." He replied. "It's full of gold."
He took out a piece of the cursed gold and tossed it into the air and holding it, the two of them looking at him in confusion and then to each other, wondering why he'd bring a chest full of gold back to Equestria.
"Well, we are flattered you brought treasure back." Princess Celestia said. "But I don't think we can add it to our currency."
"That's ok, I wasn't going to ask." Spyro replied, watching as the moonlight came out. "And here's why."
He took a few steps out of the ship, the moonlight washing over him as he turned into a skeleton version of his hybrid form, bare bones and his jacket shredded as his horns looked cracked while his eyes were still in his skull. When the princess's saw him change into a skeleton, they both panicked, rearing up as they whinnied and whined out of fear, Princess Celestia calling her spear and stabbing it through Spyro's chest, which he gave her a disappointed and irritated look about how she just tried to kill him.
"Really?" Spyro asked, the princess removing her weapon, but both their eyes wide in surprise.
"S-S-Spyro?" Luna asked, shaking in fear as she approached. "What...?"
"Cursed Aztec Gold." Spyro replied. "Whoever takes a piece from the stone chest will be cursed with undeath. Food turns to ash, drink won't satisfy your thirst, and you cannot feel the warmth of a woman's touch. This is what May was after, to make her army unkillable and attack this world again."
"So, you took it to keep her from getting it?" Celestia said. "Such a thing cannot be possible."
"Oh, it's possible." Spyro responded. "And the only way to lift the curse is to return the gold to the chest, with a little something extra."
"Extra?" Luna asked.
"Yeah, extra." Spyro replied, walking back to the chest and looking for something sharp. "You guys got a knife or something?"
"I got a dagger." Luna replied, handing it to him. "But why do you need it?"
He didn't answer as he raised his hoof up and cut it open, the princesses gasping as he did it then using his magic to lift the curse gold piece into the bloody hoof, putting some of his blood on it and tossed it back into the chest, healing instantly. He walked out of the garage and back into the light, the princesses expecting him to change into a skeleton again, but he didn't change as he walked up, surprising the sisters.
"Here's your dagger back." Spyro said. "Why you are carrying one, I don't know, but good to have some protection."
"Wait, the extra you were talking about... was... blood?" Luna asked, her cheeks turning green.
"Yep, that's the price." Spyro replied. "To lift the curse, you must return the gold piece you took with your blood on it."
Both the sisters faces turned green as he explained how to lift the curse, but it was princess Celestia that ran to the nearest bucket and puked her guts out, making her sisters about to do the same, but she swallowed it, shaking in disgust as she looked at him.
"We are not keeping that in the castle." Celestia said, her face still green. "I know it's my duty to keep such items safe, but that, that crosses the line of what I'm willing to take in."
"That's alright, I can keep it in the Gummi garage." Spyro said. "I have a lot of spare room, so I can convert a section to store magical items from other worlds here where they can't be reached."
"Do that." Celestia ordered, about to puke again. "And... and..."
Her cheeks blew up again as she ran for the bucket again, puking again as Luna just sat down, taking in some deep breaths to calm herself down, but it was Spyro who helped her, changing his hoof into a dragon paw and tapping her forehead, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as her feelings of nausea was gone.
"How'd you do that?" She asked.
"When you study and practice with the Force long enough, you learn a few things." Spyro said, seeing Princess Celestia was walking over to them, shaking, but ok. "Anyway, the curse gold is out of Mays reach, and I also found a chest full of tomes and books, full of knowledge from my predecessors. All and all, it was a good day."
"Well, I am pleased you are happy Spyro." Princess Celestia said, trying to keep her composure. "And I'm glad Scootaloo is back home where she belongs. You all deserve a long rest."
"You can say that again." Spyro replied. "I think I'll ask Master Yen Sid for a week of vacation, get some serious rest in."
"That you might." Luna said. "If it's alright by you, I think I'd like to keep an eye of Scootaloo as a traumatic event like this will come with some nightmares."
"I'd really appreciate that princess, thank you." Spyro replied. "Now if you excuse me, I better get this chest put away and get some sleep. I'm exhausted."
He went back into the Gummi garage and with the hover pad, moved the chest back to the ship as the elevator started to lower down to store the ship, putting the chest back on in the ships containment unit to store until he got the room he needed finished in the garage. After locking it up, he went back to the farm house and checked on Scootaloo, seeing that she was sleeping peacefully at the moment and went to his room, taking his jacket off and resting his head on his pillow as he drifted off to sleep.
After a few days of nothing happening, everything being peaceful and calm, everything was getting back to normal, the girls were relaxed, Rarity had made a new line of pirate themed dresses and suit, which were a big hit with some of her clients and with some of the clients in Canterlot as they made lots of orders for her. Pinkie Pie was making some desserts as usual and Rainbow Dash was practicing her stunts and tricks for the Wonderbolts, Fluttershy was taking care of her animals after Spike tried to care for them, the poor little dragon had a terrible time trying to care for them and Twilight was writing down everything that happened in their adventure in the Caribbean, though he did need to make sure she didn't put too much detail into her writing as he didn't;t want to disrupt the order more than it has already been. As for Applejack, she remained a hard worker and kept up with her work, but she did try to sneak into his garage a couple of times to watch some of the shows Spyro gets in his theater room, so he put in a lock to his ships, much to her disappointment and annoyance.
The weekend was coming up and all the foals had just gotten out of school, laughing and screaming with excitement while Spyro went to pick the girls up from the school, he saw Scootaloo and Apple Bloom hop down the stairs and laughing, pleased to see that her foal napping hadn't left any kind of permanent trauma and was laughing. When they got back home, they got to work on their chores before the weekend while Spyro finished up the his Vault room where he would store everything he takes from other worlds that were too dangerous to keep in the open, using his hover pad to move the chest in there and using his strength to lift the chest, putting it at the far end of the room. As he got it stored, he sealed the vault and walked back out, finding the fillies weren't anywhere in sight and got scared, but then saw them running to town, his heart relaxing.
"Ya'll ok there Spyro?" Applejack asked, seeing his panic. "Ya look like yer gonna have a panic attack."
"Sorry, sorry." He replied. "Got scared that the fillies got foal napped again."
"Seems like somepony is still traumatized, and it ain't Scootaloo." Applejack pointed out. "Do ya need to see somepony?"
"No, no I'll be ok." Spyro responded. "I just... I need a vacation. Destress myself after what had happened. Maybe go to a tropical island and relax for a while. Or, maybe home where I can relax a while."
"Where ever ya go, ya'll need some time to relax and destress." Applejack said. "After all, ya'll were in a frenzy to find Scootaloo, yer stress levels must have been through the roof."
He was glad he had Applejack with him as he could count on her to be ready to help him calm down when he needed it. A while later, he walked into town to get a few things for the farm when he noticed Fluttershy carrying a basket, sensing there was something alive in it, but knew she cares for animals, so it wasn't something to be curious about. However, he did become curious when he watched her approach the Carousel Boutique, which his curiosity peaked as he knew she didn't come to shop for a new dress, so he walked to her to see what she was doing.
"Hey Fluttershy." Spyro called out, the yellow mare looking to him.
"Oh, hello Spyro." She said, putting the basket down. "What are you doing here?"
"Just came to town to get some things for the farm." He replied. "What's in the basket?"
"Oh it's Opalescence, Rarity's pet cat." She replied. "Rarity asked me to do some grooming as she was busy with her dresses."
'Really?" He asked, looking up to the boutique and sensing anxiety. "Seems I'm not the only one in need of a vacation. I can sense Rarity's anxiety."
They entered and the bell rang out, the two of them hearing Rarity exclaim something as the two of them walked up the stairs to see her at her work station, stressed out of her mind when she looked back to see the two of them.
"What now!?" She said, looking annoyed, but calmed down when she saw them.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Fluttershy said. "The sign said it was open, so I thought you were open. I'm sorry if-"
"Oh, Fluttershy, I'm so sorry." Rarity said, walking to them. "I was so busy getting this order finished, I completely forgot about you were bringing Opalescence back from her grooming."
"Oh, no worries Rarity." Fluttershy replied. "I left her in the basket right there."
A second later, the white cat jumped out of the basket and stretched, her fur was sparkling as she stretched and walked up to Fluttershy, rubbing against her forelegs.
"Wow, she looks great." Spyro said. "You did a great job."
"T-thanks." Fluttershy replied, blushing at the comment.
"I must agree." Rarity said. "She looks beautiful. I don't understand how you do it. I can;t get near her without getting a swipe from her claws." As she said it, she lowered her head to the cat, but the feline swiped at her, hissing. "Did you use... the stare?"
"The what?" Spyro asked.
"Oh no, I couldn't!" Fluttershy answered, completely flustered. "I wouldn't! Besides, I don't have any control over when it happens. It just happens. Besides, I'm just really good with animals. It is my special talent after all."
"Well, you should have a picture of Opal instead of those butterflies." Rarity suggested.
"Oh, oh, oh, maybe I might be good with animals too." Sweetie Belle said, running up to Opal, who just used her claws and cut a large chunk of her mane off. "Or not."
The three of them laughed as the young filly ran away from Opal, who was smiling mischievously and walked put to Spyro, rubbing her head again his forelegs the same way as she did with Fluttershy.
"And she seems to like you too." Rarity said. "You sure you aren't secretly good with animals too?"
"Maybe." Spyro replied. "Anyway, what are you stressed about Rarity? I could sense your anxiety outside."
"Oh my, I do apologize." She said, walking back to her work station. "I've bitten off more than I can chew with this order and it's causing me a lot of stress."
"But you aren't eating anything." Sweetie Belle said.
"Oh no Sweetie." Rarity said. "It's a figure of speech. it means I've taken on more responsibility than I can handle on my own. I got Twenty special orders for new robes and they are due in Trotting Ham tomorrow morning." She then took out a sheet of cloth and it was sparkling like gold as it looked like it was made of gold, making everyone stare at it. "I've lined the robes in this special gold silk. It took so long to make, but I do believe it adds the right amount of touch, don't you?"
"It's amazing." Spyro replied. "But twenty of them, that seems a bit much."
"How will you get them all done?" Fluttershy asked.
"Oh, oh, oh, maybe I could..." Sweetie Belle was about to say, but Rarity leered at her, which made her stop. "Just, stand over here and watch."
Spyro could tell the filly wanted to help, but Rarity just seemed to be annoyed with her sister getting underfoot and distracting her when all she wants to do is help her finish the order. As Fluttershy was leaving, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo came rushing in, saying hi to both him and to Fluttershy before running past Rarity to Sweetie Belle.
"Hey Sweetie Belle." The fillies exclaimed at the same time.
"Apple Bloom! Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed happily.
"You ready for tonight?" Scootaloo asked.
"You bet!" She replied. "Cutie mark finding session is a go!"
"Tonight is the night we each find our own special talent!" Apple Bloom said.
"Even if it takes us all night!" Scootaloo said.
"Ah'm ready!" Apple Bloom said. "You ready?"
"Oh yeah." She replied.
"Cutie Mark Crusaders sleep over at Rarity's!" They all shouted together, everyone grimacing as they shouted.
Spyro had covered his ears when they shouted, but when they were finished, he uncovered his ears, but saw Sweetie Belle pulled out a few capes with a dark red color with a blue patch that had a filly with a cape on it.
"And I made these." She said.
"Not bad." Spyro said, admiring the work.
"What does that patch on the cape mean?" Fluttershy asked.
"The Cutie Mark Crusaders!" The three screamed excitedly, making Fluttershy fold her ears while Spyro covered his.
"We're on a crusade." Scootaloo said.
"To find our Cutie Marks." Apple Bloom said.
"Exactly. And look." Sweetie Belle said, showing the inside of the cape was gold lining. "And look, I lined them with this special gold silk. It took so long to make, but I think it adds the right touch, don't you think?"
Spyro looked at the inner layer of the cape and it was the gold lining that Rarity had made, which he could sense Rarity's anxiety flare up again as she ran to the golden silk, finding three cape shaped holes in them, which he knew she was going to loose her mind.
"Sweetie Belle, what have you done!?" She exclaimed, the little filly giving a nervous smile. "That was the last of the gold silk. Now I'll have to make more, I hope I can make more. I'll need to stay up all night." She looked over to the fillies, looking unhappy. "I'm sorry girls, but I'm afraid the Crusaders sleep over is canceled."
"What!?" Sweetie Belle screamed. "But-"
"Sorry Sweetie, but with having to make more silk and having to finish the robes, I won't have enough time to watch you girls." Rarity said. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid there is no other option."
The fillies lowered their heads, depressed that their sleep over would have to be canceled because Rarity needed to make more silk, but he just walked overt to the silk Sweetie Belle cut holes in and used the Force to lift it. Fluttershy saw him lift the silk up, which everyone else looked over to see what he was doing. He sat back and turned his hooves into dragon paws, closing his eyes and he called upon the Aethers power, his forelegs glowing in the purple aura his arms did back in the Caribbean as his horns turned purple at the same time. He put one paw over the silk while the other was under it, the FOrce holding it in place as purple light touched the silk, filling in the holes made by the little filly, everyone's jaws dropping as the glowing purple light disappeared.
"There you go, all fixed." Spyro said, sending it over to Rarity as she took it in her aura.
"How did you do that?" She asked. "Did you use the Aether?"
"The what?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"But, I thought you become weaker if you use it." Fluttershy said.
"If I use too much of it, then I will get weaker." Spyro replied. "The Aether is the full power of the Purple Dragon, but when they use a lot of its energy, it will strain the body. But I learned that if you use a small amount, like what I did with the silk, to repair simple stuff, then there is no strain."
Everyone was starring at him, trying to process what he just did, but the fillies were excited as the sleep over was back on, but Rarity immediately got to work to finish the order and to make more silk, which the fillies were disappointed again, but Fluttershy walked up.
"Well, I can watch them for the night." She said, the fillies getting excited again.
"Are you sure Fluttershy darling?" Rarity asked. "I don't want you to be put in a situation like this."
"Oh, it's no problem Rarity." Fluttershy replied. "I can handle it."
"Have you met our sisters and Apple Bloom?" Spyro asked. "They get into all sorts of trouble all the time. Heck, even she and Big Mac pulled a prank on me last night."
"Really?" Rarity asked. "What'd they do?"
"Put his hoof in warm water." Scootaloo replied. "A classic."
"Yeah, wait til April fools pipsqueak." Spyro replied. "You don't mess with the master of pranks. Anyway, you sure you can handle three fillies Fluttershy? I did some baby sitting and handling three is never easy."
"Can I handle Opal?" She asked. "These three won't be an issue for me."
Spyro and Rarity exchanged looks, knowing Fluttershy was getting in over her head as the two of them know the three little trouble makers all to well.
"Yeah, maybe I should help out." Spyro insisted. "Having a second set of hooves might be better than one in this case."
"Oh, no need to worry." She replied. "I can handle these three little angels."
As she said it, three halos appeared over the three fillies and the three fillies ran out of the boutique and towards Fluttershy's cottage, the yellow Pegasus flying after them to catch up. The two ponies remained in the room for a bit before Rarity got back to work.
"Maybe you should help her Spyro." Rarity said. "We both know those fillies are more than a handful."
"Yeah, maybe I'll check by later." Spyro replied. "Give her an idea of what we mean. For now, I got a bit of shopping to do for dinner tonight."
"Wait, don't you eat apples at the family farm?" Rarity asked.
"Well, after eating apples all the time, it starts to get dull." Spyro replied. "So, we came to a reasonable compromise and every other day, we switch up the menu. On some days Granny Smith cooks, and I cook on the other days."
"Hmm. Seems reasonable." Rarity replied. "Anyway, I'd love to chat, but I got a lot of work ahead of me and I need to focus."
"Sure, no problem." Spyro replied. "Just, don't stress yourself out Rare. After all, you do need some rest."
He walked out of the boutique and hit some f the vendors, collecting the necessary ingredients before heading back to the farm when he spotted the fillies running around, giggling and having fun as they ran around town having fun, Fluttershy flying just behind them talking about some of the fun they were going to have. They then ran past Twilight, making her spin around until she got dizzy, but did manage to stay on her legs and look at the fillies having fun, smiling that everything was back to normal, turning to keep walking when she saw Spyro and Fluttershy together.
"Oh, hello guys." Twilight said.
"Hello Twilight." Fluttershy said. "Where are you heading off to?"
"I'm going to Zecora's." She replied. "I'm going to get some of my favorite tea."
"T-t-the Everfree forest?" Fluttershy asked nervously. "Y-you will be careful, right?"
"Oh don't worry, I'll be fine." She replied. "Anyway, what are you to doing?"
"Rarity has a large order she needs to finish." Fluttershy replied. "So I volunteered to let the girls come over to my cottage for a sleep over."
"And I'm busy getting ingredients to make dinner for tonight." Spyro said. "Needed to get a few things for tonight. Making my world famous Lasagna."
"Lasagna!?" Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shouted in unison, their eyes twinkling when they heard the dishes name.
"I didn't know you could cook." Twilight said.
"Well, when I first started out, I wasn't very good." Spyro replied. "But Granny Smith has been giving me pointers to help me improve myself. Now I can make some of the dishes from my home world, while altering the recipe to where it's perfect for ponies."
"Wow, everypony seems busy tonight." Twilight said. "You sure you can handle three fillies on your own? Maybe Spyro could help you."
"Oh, I don't think it will be a problem." Fluttershy replied. "I mean, how much trouble can these three little angels be?"
"Right, well, hope it works out." Spyro said. "I'll be by later to check on the girls and see if you need help. And I'll bring over a tray of Lasagna if they're hungry."
"Oh, thanks Spyro." Fluttershy replied. "But I don't think that will be necessary. I got this."
The four of them walked towards Fluttershy's cottage to get ready for the night while Twilight walked in the direction of the Everfree, which he had a bad feeling about her going on her own. When he got back to the farm, he pulled out a couple of trays and got the pasta out, layering the trays with sauce first, followed by the uncooked pasta, more sauce and then cheese, repeating the order as the ovens preheated to the needed temperature. When the oven was hot enough, he put both trays into the oven and allowed them to cook while he went to the living room to read some of the new books he got from the chest, looking through them to see what he could learn, but found that the spells in them could reanimate the dead, create monsters from regular objects, potions for both healing and destroying, even some information on certain creatures in other worlds.
A while later, he could smell that the food was almost done as the sun was setting, Applejack and Big Mac coming in first, which they caught a whiff of what he was cooking and it was drool central as Big Mac's mouth and tongue were out, saliva rolling out of his mouth as Spyro walked in and pulled out the trays, his horns heating up, but since he was half dragon the heat doesn't bother him. He set the first tray on the table, Granny Smith coming in talking about something from her time while Spyro put aluminum foil over the second, putting it on his back as he went to the door.
"Ya'll ain't going to join us for dinner?" Granny Smith asked.
"Sorry Granny Smith, I need to check n the girls." Spyro replied. "Plus, they were excited to hear I was making Lasagna tonight and want to take them some."
"And ya wanna keep an eye on Scootaloo." Applejack said, cutting the Lasagna.
"And that as well." Spyro replied. "Still, I kinda think Fluttershy bit off more than she could chew when volunteering to keep an eye on the three troublemakers."
"Ok, ya gotta point there." Applejack said. "Ya'll take care of them. And of Fluttershy too."
"Trust me AJ, she's probably starting to get anxious by now." Spyro said, walking out and leaving the Apple Family to enjoy dinner.
As he walked to Fluttershy's cottage, he was enjoying the night sky, looking at all the different shining stars twinkling in the night as he caught a shooting star every so often flying by. After a little bit, he reached Fluttershy's cottage, which he could sense her anxiety from clear outside so he was sure he came at the right time, but a second later, he heard something break and ran to the door, looking out to see that Sweetie Belle had just broken a table while Fluttershy was sweating, sensing how nervous she was and a bit of frustration, but he just knocked and got their attention, walking in and sensing how happy Fluttershy was.
"Spyro!" The fillies shouted, running up to him.
"Spyro, what are you doing here?" She asked, clearly happy he was there.
"Well, I came by to drop off a tray of my famous Lasagna when I heard something break." Spyro replied, the fillies smiling nervously.
"Heh, sorry Fluttershy." Sweetie Belle said.
"Yeah, sorry." Scootaloo said.
"Guess we ain't cut out to be creature catchers." Apple Bloom said. "But maybe we can be carpenters!"
As she said it, the fillies got some tools, where he didn't know but was worried as they also wore some kind of doctors outfit, getting busy trying to fix the destroyed table as they made more noise with a few hammers and some power tools, which he didn't know where they got them, but was going to have a serious conversation with them. When they finished, it was nothing like a table as it looked more like some kind of art sculpture someone scrapped after it didn't take shape.
"That does not look like a table." Sweetie Belle said.
"We were making a table?" Scootaloo asked.
"Oh boy." Spyro said. "Here, let me handle it."
He lifted his forelegs and closed his eyes, reaching out with the Force as the wooden monstrosity was pulled apart and the nails were straightened out, everything floating in the air as the pieces came together, nails going into the wooden table and repairing itself as Spyro concentrated. When it was fixed, he slowly put it down, the fillies amazed by the sight and he walked over, putting the food on the table and pulling five seats, plates, and silverware, everyone taking a seat as he passed out the food. As they ate, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo savored the taste, but when Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle took a bite, both their eyes lit up, their taste buds dancing from the savory flavor from the food as they just devoured the food itself, everyone fighting to get seconds, which he was glad he managed to cut it up so everyone can get seconds and thirds.
"Man, that was great." Scootaloo said, rubbing her stomach.
"You said it." Apple Bloom said, agreeing with her friend
"Oh man, I never tasted anything that good before!" Sweetie Belle said.
"I also agree." Fluttershy said. "Even I couldn't resist wanting more."
"You think that's good, wait until Thanksgiving." Spyro said. "Then you'll really be fighting each other to get more."
"Hey, I know something we can try!" Sweetie Belle said. "Cutie Mark Crusaders Dishwashers!"
The fillies immediately took the dishes away and threw them in the air to get them into the sink, much to Fluttershy's dismay, but Spyro used the Force and grabbed the dishes as they were falling, gently levitating them to the sink and making Fluttershy take a breathe of relief.
"Maybe you better let me handle the dishes." Spyro said.
"Man." Scootaloo said.
"Ah know!" She said, the fillies running up the chimney, much to his discomfort when the fillies popped back out, covering in soot. "Cutie Mark Crusaders Coalminers!"
"NO!" Fluttershy shouted, surprising Spyro, but making the fillies come out and shake the soot off themselves. "I mean, it's time for bed, don't you think? Won't you be happy to be in your snuggly wuggly beds?"
"Snuggly-wuggly?" Apple Bloom asked. "But we got more crusading to do."
"We got plans." Scootaloo said.
"And capes!" Sweetie Belle added, pulling out three different capes.
"You got all weekend to find your talent girls." Spyro said. "For now, you need your sleep."
"Yes, and you can do your crusading, in the morning, where it is light out." Fluttershy said, taking the fillies up to bed.
He smiled at the fillies, being very eager to find their talent, but knew they needed to sleep as they were still very young. He got to work cleaning the dishes, getting half way through when he heard someone singing upstairs, the voice was gentle, but it was captivating to him, sounding like an angel as he stopped doing he dishes, looking to the stairs as he heard what sounded like a lullaby, but he was captivated by the voice, not paying attention to what he was doing. The singing stopped for a second, which he was disappointed in and went back to the dishes when he heard another voice singing, startling him as, even though it was melodious, the singing was loud and the chickens got startled outside, looking out and finding the girls were outside trying to round the chickens up. He was going to go outside and help out, but Fluttershy came out, trying to get everything under control, but the girls were out of control, chasing the chickens and causing one of them to land on Fluttershy's head, sensing her frustration reach its peak, he was going to come out and help, but stopped.
"GIRLS!" Fluttershy exclaimed, surprising the fillies and Spyro as she was always mild tempered and calm, making the fillies stop.
A moment later, she made some kind of noise, getting the chicken off her head and moving them back to the chicken house with easy. He couldn't hep but watch the timid mare easily herd the chickens back to the chicken house, but they turned around and refused to go back into the house, even after Fluttershy asked them nicely. He was about to reach out with the Force to get them to move, but Fluttershy's eyes got intense, the chickens freezing and shaking before backing up on the ramp and back into the chicken coup, but he couldn't help but feel a shiver go down his spine, sensing that the stare she gave was extremely intense and had some kind of power behind it as even he felt nervous when she did it. She turned to the girls to get them back inside, but she looked up at Spyro, seeing that he saw the whole thing and hid behind her mane, leading the girls back to the cottage and back up the stairs, letting him finish the dishes.
After a couple more minutes, he put the last of the dishes on the drying rack and turned to see Fluttershy coming down the stairs and sit on the couch, sighing in relief.
"Looks like you bit off more than you could chew." Spyro said, sitting next to her.
"I think you might be right." She replied, looking at him. "I did bite off more than I could chew. I'm glad you stopped by when you did. I'm at my wits end."
"And that's why I volunteered to help you." He said, wrapping his wing around her. "These three fillies are more of a handful than what everypony else thinks."
She could feel her heart beat against her chest, her face completely red as she felt his wing around her, not knowing if she should just get up and find somewhere else to sit or to just lean in and rest her head against his neck. But as she thought about that, she found she had subconsciously leaned into him, feeling like her heart was about to explode until he got up, the love struck mare falling onto the couch and looking to Spyro as he walked to the front door.
"Well, I better get back to the farm." Spyro said. "Don't want them to worry."
"W-wait." She said, getting his attention as her face was still red. "M-maybe you can stay for the night. Y-you know, in case something happens."
He could tell she was wanting him to stay as her emotions were betraying her true feelings, her heart was wanting him to snuggle with her for the night as she was still a little anxious, but mostly wanting to be with him. He smiled at how easily her emotions made her mind vulnerable, walking over and lifting his hoof up, making her face meet his as she face got brighter when their eyes met.
"Who could say no to you, Mon petit papillon." Spyro said, making her face turn bright red.
"Y-y-y-you know French?" She asked, her heart racing.
"Comes with the job." He replied, lying down next to her on the couch as she moved to let him on the opposite side of her. "I know many different languages. French, German, Mandarin, Italian, even some Spanish. Though I loose or misinterpret some things, making conversations get real interesting.
Fluttershy couldn't believe he was lying next to her, his wing wrapping over her to keep her warm before he wrapped his forelegs around her barrel, making her feel warm and feel safe as she just closed her eyes, smiled, and pushed her back up against him, lying up next to him.
"Who knew trying to foal sit three fillies was so difficult." Fluttershy said, letting herself drift to sleep.
"Trust me, it's not easy." He replied, lying his head next to hers. "But you handled it very well little butterfly. Very well. Heck, I even heard you sing from down here. You have the voice of an angel. If I ever went berserk, I think your voice would be more than enough to calm me down. All in all, you did well with the girls."
"Yeah, I guess so." She said. "Guess I'm good with animals, and with kids."
As the two ponies relaxed on the couch, the three fillies looked over through rail, hearing everything and moving quietly as they reached the back door, going out the door and towards the Everfree forest. After a while, the two love birds were about to drift off to sleep, feeling very relaxed as Spyro breathed on Fluttershy's ear, the mare giggling a bit as it felt ticklish to her and she rested her forelegs on his, enjoying the moment as she wanted to reach her head back and kiss him.
"Oh Spyro." She said, enjoying the moment. "I'm actually liking this. The two of us lying on the couch together, staying warm and toasty, enjoying the peace and quiet."
"Yeah, nice and quiet." Spyro said, relaxed and happy until his eyes shot open and his head shot up. "Too quiet. Way too quiet."
As he said it, the mares eyes shot open, realizing he was right and the two of them flew up the stairs, hoping they were still in bed, but found the bed was completely empty, Spyro's heart sinking into his stomach as panic settled in his mind, thinking she has been foal napped again. The two of them flew outside, panic in their hearts as they looked around, but Fluttershy found one of her chickens was also missing, the two of them finding tracks in the mud and followed them to the fencing where they found three sets of filly tracks and a torn off piece of a cape.
"Oh dear, the girls must have went after my missing chicken!" She exclaimed, scared.
"And the tracks lead to the Everfree." Spyro said, his heart stopping. "We need to find them."
"Oh, they really did it this time." She said, Spyro taking the piece of fabric off the fence post. "They really bit off more than they could chew." She then looked down, realizing that she also did the same thing. "Like me."
"Don't blame yourself little butterfly." Spyro said. "I also failed to keep an eye on them. Right now, we need to track them and get them home."
"But how?" She asked, the two walking to the Everfree as the tracks disappeared. "Their tracks end at the mouth of the Everfree."
"By their smell." Spyro responded, weirding out Fluttershy.
He took the cape, his head turning into a dragons head with the snout, and sniffed it a couple of times, smelling the air and his eyes started to glow, seeing a tendril of orange smoke, which was the scent of his little sister as the piece of torn cape belonged to her.
"I have the scent." He said. "Come on."
The two ponies ran into the Everfree, following Spyro's nose as they ran the route the fillies took to find the chicken, stopping in the fork in the road as the scent disappeared. Not giving up, he felt the ground, pressing his ear against it and then sniffing the air again to see if he could get the scent back, but unfortunately, he didn't get it.
"Now what?" Fluttershy asked, nervous and shaking.
"When you loose the scent, check the environment." He replied, the yellow mare wondering what he meant. "Smell and sight are only two ways a tracker finds its prey. Sometimes your eyes will follow tracks, but the tracks are lost, and the scent will fade. But disturbances in the environment will always give away where they went."
"How do you know this?" Fluttershy asked, curious of Spyro's tracking knowledge.
"Learned all this while I was in the Pride Lands." He replied. "Spent a month in the Pride Lands to learn how to track Heartless, Simba teaching me everything I needed to know."
Fluttershy was amazed by his knowledge of how to track ponies, smiling as a slight blush appeared on her face as she watched him look around, finding something, he ran to the right, Fluttershy following right behind him when he stopped, the mare running into him.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Sh." He said, closing his eyes.
His ears swiveled around as he head heard something, being patient as the surroundings around him faded, hearing the sounds of the forest, the wind, blowing leaves, the creaking branches, even Fluttershy's uneven breathing as she was scared until he heard something.
"SCOOTALOO!" Apple Bloom shouted, his ears turning to in front of him. "SCOOT, SCOOTALOO!"
"Dead ahead." Spyro said, is eyes opening, Fluttershy yelping. "We're on the right track."
The two of them ran ahead, running past multiple animals and trees that scared Fluttershy while he sniffed the air to see if he could get the scent again or feel them through the Force, but the forest was filled with darkness, so he couldn't feel anything and the wind was blowing the scent away. But the more they ran, the more he saw broken twigs, scattered leaves not disturbed by the wind, and a lock of hair from a certain white coated filly whose mane was sliced by a cat. As they ran, they saw something familiar up ahead, a certain unicorn mare standing in the middle of an open field, which Fluttershy ran up to her, but Spyro slowed down, sensing that something was wrong, the mare wasn't moving and from what he could see in the darkness, she looked a little more grey. As Fluttershy tried to talk to her, the clouds parted and the moonlight shined through, revealing Twilight was petrified, meaning she was turned to stone, making his stomach crawl and his heart freeze as there was something in the forest that can turn ponies into stone.
"Oh no, Twilight." Fluttershy said. "She's been turned to stone." She then looked to Spyro, who was walking up and knelt down to examine the petrified pony. "Can you turn her back?"
"I'll try." He replied, trying to call the Aether again, but the light flickered in his forelegs, but didn't stay, panting as he felt exhausted. "Sorry, still weak from using the Aether at the Caribbean."
"But, you used it in Rarity's boutique." She said. "Why can't you use it now?"
"Because to reverse this, I'd need the full strength of the Aether." He replied. "But the strain on my body is still strong. Still need time to recover." A moment later, he heard Apple Bloom and Scootaloo arguing and it was very close by. "The girls, they're nearby. Hurry!"
The two of them took off, following the sound of the two fillies arguing until they both spotted them below, finding them following the tracks of the chicken. The two of them dove down, calling out their names and getting the fillies attention, landing in front of them, relieved they were ok.
"Girls, you're safe." Spyro said, smiling. "Thank goodness."
"Spyro, Fluttershy!" Apple Bloom said, nervous at seeing them. "What-?"
"No time." Fluttershy said. "We need to go, now. The forest is not safe."
"But, we haven't found the chicken yet." Sweetie Belle said.
"Forget the chicken." Fluttershy said, surprising them. "There's a cockatrice on the loose in the Everfree."
"A what?" Spyro and Apple Bloom said in unison.
"A cockatrice." She repeated. "It's a frightening creature with the head of a chicken with the body of a snake. We need to go now."
"Pfft. A head of a chicken and the body of a snake?" Sweetie Belle asked, the fillies walking past them.
"That doesn't sound scary, that's silly." Scootaloo said.
"Why if Ah saw one of those Cockatrice's, Ah'd laugh at how silly it is."
"No, you won't." Spyro replied, appearing in front of the fillies.
"He's right, you shouldn't look one in the eye." Fluttershy said, the chicken running out of the bushes nearby. "If you do, you'll-"
"The Chicken!" Apple Bloom shouted, the three fillies running past them.
"Ah Karabast." Spyro said.
The two of them ran after the fillies, the three little chicken rescuer wannabe's calling out to the chickens to get it back, but the five of them heard something growl in the bushes, making fillies stop along with Fluttershy and Spyro, the mare hiding behind him as he felt with he Force where it was, finding that it was to their right. A moment later, they saw the chicken, but at the same time, a second chicken head popped out, Spyro's Force ability finally letting him know that danger was here and the one on the right was bad news.
"Girls, RUN!" Spyro shouted.
As he shouted, the chicken got spooked and ran to them, but the other chicken rose above the bushes, revealing it's snake like body, wyvern like wings, and the legs of a chicken came out, the creature screeching out as it looked to the chickens eyes, turning it to stone.
"Oh poodoo!" Spyro said. "Now I remember! Cockatrice's turns whoever looks into their eyes into stone!"
The girls screamed and ran to them, running past Fluttershy and Spyro, the young prince closing his eyes and called his Keyblade as it charged, slashing at the creature while using the Force to tell him where to strike.
"Fluttershy, get them out of here." He said. "I'll keep tall, green, and ugly busy."
As he said it, the Cockatrice's smacked him away, sending him into a nearby tree, knocking him out. Fluttershy took the girls and ran away from from the cockatrice, but the fillies tripped over each other as Scootaloo fell from tripping on a rock, the three fillies finding Twilight in her petrified state and screamed, waking Spyro up from his unconscious state and flew to them, the fillies behind Fluttershy, who had closed her eyes and was covering them. He landed in front of them, keeping his eyes closed but used the Force to see it, but could feel the fear off the fillies and from Fluttershy, that fear reaching out as other beasts of the Everfree and calling to them as there was an easy meal, so to keep them safe, he reached out with the force and drew that fear into him, his body absorbing the negative energy into his body, but felt like something had just unlocked in him, looking inside, he saw something he wished never to see again, smiling at him.
"No." She said, his body shaking. "No, you... you perished."
"Darkness cannot die." It replied. "It will always come back."
Fluttershy opened her eyes, trying to find out what was going on as she heard him mumble, but what she saw shocked her, a kind of red mist was surrounding him, watching him shake and shiver as the mist entered him. The fillies then opened their eyes, watching the same red mist enter him, even the Cockatrice's and a few manticores that were nearby approached, but backed away when they saw the mist. When he opened his eyes, they weren't purple anymore but blood red and the whites were completely black, roared out like a dragon as the sections of orange turning blood red and the yellow and gold turning a sickly green. He attacked the Cockatrice, upper cutting it before bitting down on its tail, slamming it a few times into the ground before throwing it into the tree. The manticores then charged, eager to get a piece of the action, but soon regretted it when Spyro leapt into the air and screeched out, a visible red aura surrounded the sound waves he was using and hitting the manticores, slamming them into the ground as the same red mist surrounded them, looking up and running away the first moment they saw him.
"Wow, what was that?" Scootaloo asked.
"I don't know." Fluttershy replied, watching as her friend chased the three manticores, tackling the nearest one. "This is a side of him I've never seen before. It's more... scary. More... dangerous." She then looked over to the Cockatrice, seeing it getting back up, but dazed, but she didn't;t feel any fear, more angry than fearful. "And you! Who do you think you are turning others into stone." The Cockatrice tried to turn her into stone, but the process was slow and her stare was intense. "You know, you oughta be ashamed of yourself, I have a good mind to tell your mother what you have been doing tonight." The Cockatrice got scared and tried to finish what it started, intensifying its own ability, but Fluttershy's stare was stronger as she broke the monsters concentration. "Now you go back, turn Elisabeth and my friend Twilight back, and don't ever let me catch you doing this again!"
The Cockatrice nodded its head, the stone shattering off Fluttershy's flank and the Cockatrice ran over to turn Twilight back to normal.
"Are you girls ok?" She asked,d looking to the fillies.
"We are, thanks to your stare." Sweetie Belle.
A moment later, Twilight walked over, a killer headache affecting her, but a moment later, they heard Spyro roar out, looking to the direction it came from and two Manticores flew out of the tree lines, the third fighting off Spyro, but his attacks were very savage, green smoke coming off his paws as he unleashed a green flame, pushing the Manticores back while also making it weaker, pushing it back with its friends, who looked beat up and scratched up from the fighting.
"Is that Spyro?" Twilight asked. "What's wrong with him? It's like he's..."
"Berserk." Fluttershy finished. "He's gone berserk."
"But how?" Twilight asked. "How did it happen?"
"I don't know." She replied. "There was this red mist going into him and then... this."
"Well it can't be rage." Twilight said. "He doesn't get angry all that much."
"But he was scared." Fluttershy said. "Scared for our safety like usual. And we were scared as well." That's when it clicked in their minds, realizing what that red mist was. "Fear. That mist was Fear. But, it's not an element, it's an emotion."
"Not quite." Twilight replied, walking up. "As there is the Aether, the pillar elements for the purple dragon to use it is Fire, Electricity, Ice, and Earth, there is a darker version of it, Dark Aether."
"How do you know this?" Fluttershy asked.
"His books." She replied. "Back on the ship, he had a book that talked about the elements and the Aether. Dark Aether is the opposite of regular Aether, Dark Aether destroys and corrupts. The pillar elements for it is Poison, Wind, Fear, and Shadow. And since he already can use wind, and now can use poison and fear, that leaves..."
"Shadow." Fluttershy replied.
"But, how do we get him to stop?" Scootaloo asked.
"Maybe the opposite of fear, courage." Twilight suggested. "But, courage isn't an element. Oh, if only we had a way to calm him down."
Fluttershy couldn't stand to see the Manticores get hurt, watching as her friend was trying to hurt them badly, so she charged forward to stop him, not having a plan as the fillies and Twilight shouted for her to come back. She didn't care if she was running into danger, she wanted to save the Manticores and her friend. When she got to the fight, Berserk Spyro looked over, roaring at her, but she didn't budge and did the stare on him, her friend flying down to the ground, giving the Manticores a chance to run while she got his attention, but when he roared again, it broke her concentration and she blinked, fear filling her as she backed up.
"Oh, why did I do that?" She asked, poison dripping from Spyro's mouth. "How do I get the old Spyro back? What do I do?"
"I even heard you sing from down here." Spyro said, Fluttershy hearing his words in her mind. "You have the voice of an angel. If I ever went berserk, I think your voice would be more than enough to calm me down."
She then got a crazy idea after remembering what Spyro said, standing her ground as she gave him the stare again, Berserk Spyro roaring again to scare her, but instead of being afraid, her stare went away and she smiled, confusing the berserking hybrid as he couldn't feel fear in her anymore, but happiness, love, and joy as she took in a deep breath, a soft and gentle tune being played somewhere nearby, gentle and calm as he looked to Fluttershy.
[Fluttershy]
'Hush now, quiet now,
It's time to lay your sleepy head.
Hush now, quiet now,
It's time to go to bed.
Driftin' (Driftin') off to sleep,
The exciting day behind you.
Driftin' (Driftin') off to sleep,
Let the joy of dream land find you.
Hush now, quiet now,
Lay your sleepy head.
Said hush now, quiet now
It's time to go to bed.'
As she was singing, Spyro's eyes were getting heavy as the lullaby was kicking in, feeling drowsy all of a sudden, but shook his head, trying to wake up and roared at her in the middle of the song, hoping to get her to stop singing, but it failed as she felt no fear, but joy as her song was working. At the same time, he tried to leap at her, trying to hurt her to stop singing, but a white flash appeared, blocking his claws and trying to pull away, but the flash of light revealed it was Spyro, shaking his head while holding onto himself to keep him from hurting Fluttershy. The berserk Spyro was still fighting to free himself, but Spyro just let him go, Fluttershy repeating the song as his berserker form was growing even drowsier, his eyes turning back to normal as he looked to the yellow Pegasus, a smile on her face as he yawned, lying down on his stomach, his head on the ground as she approached him, kneeling down and rubbing her nose on his, a smile forming on his face as the blood red mist reappeared, but vanished later, screams coming from the mist growing softer as they faded, Fluttershy stretching the word bed at the end as she finished her song.
Everyone else approached the sleeping prince, finding him to be happily sleeping as the red and green turned back to orange and yellow/gold, snoring peacefully as if nothing happened.
"He was right." Fluttershy said. "My singing was enough to calm him down."
"That mist..." Twilight said. "It was Fear. The collective Fear of you girls. But how did it get into him?"
"Let's not worry about that." Fluttershy replied, picking him up on her back. "Let's get him back to my cottage. We could all use the rest."
As they walked back out the forest, Spyro was still snoring away, peacefully as they walked through the forest until they reached her cottage, Fluttershy putting him on the couch as gently as she could as to not wake him. Twilight had gone back home to get some sleep while the fillies apologized for going after the chicken and getting themselves into danger, promising to listen to her from now on, which she forgave them and warned hem to behave or else she'd give them the stare. The fillies laughed and went back upstairs to bed, Fluttershy contemplating if she wanted to get the guest bed out to sleep on it, or to sleep with Spyro as she wanted to be near incase he needed another lullaby. Her heart told her what she needed to do and lied down next to Spyro, her back against his chest as her head touched the pillow, closing her eyes, but she then felt her forelegs wrap around her and his wing wrapping around, smiling as he did and opened her eyes to look at him.
However, when she opened her eyes, she saw the outline of a human figure in her living room, her head shooting up in shock as she stared at the human being, though she didn't realize it, it was the same human who had helped him save Applejack and give him advice in the past, resulting in some of his victories. She saw that he was smiling at her and he waived his hand, a small blue box materializing on her coffee table with a silver ribbon on top, looking at it and then to the human, Fluttershy wanted to know what he at her, but he was gone, looking around to find him, but saw nothing.
"Thank you." A voice said, spooking her.
She laid her head back down, wondering who that person was and what he as doing in her home, looking to the blue box and wondering what was inside, closing her eyes and allowing herself to drift off to sleep.