Chapter 86: Doctor of Magic Part 1: Arriving at Kamar-Taj
Everyone had just left the World of Marvels and were at the Mysterious Tower, where Master Yen Sid was using his magic to examine Spyro to see what was wrong with him, why he couldn't use his magic, call his Keyblade, or even use the Force, the ponies being made to wait outside and worry for their friend. Rainbow Dash was hovering in the air, trying to keep a cool head, but she looked anxious, her leg shaking as she was growing more and more anxious about her friend. Fluttershy and Pinkie were playing a few games of Tic-Tac-Toe to keep themselves busy, which Pinkie won every game, but they kept playing while they waited, Rarity with her sketch pad to make designs for some new dresses, masking her own anxiety as they waited to hear from Master Yen Sid about what was wrong with their friend. Applejack, Rosy and Twilight were the most nervous out of the whole group, Twilight pacing back and forth, starting to make a hole in the floor as she walked while Applejack just sat their, her leg shaking like Rainbow Dash's, nervous about what was going on while Rosy just meditated, letting her anxiety go, but was still nervous. As they waited, Sore, Riku, and Kairi came into the hall they were waiting in, sensing their anxiety even without the Force, they could see they were nervous, fearing for their friend as they waited.
"Hey everyone." Kairi said, getting their attention. "Don't worry, Spyro's in good hands."
"Yeah, let's hope." Twilight replied. "Whatever May did to him, it really messed with him."
"Don't worry, Spyro's a lot tougher than you give him credit for." Sora replied, reaching his hands behind his head. "He'll bounce back, he always does."
A moment later, the door into Yen Sid's study opened, everyone looking to the doorway as Yen Sid approached them, not giving a hint of what was going on as he approached them as Spyro came out from behind him.
"Spyro!" They shouted, rushing to him, but saw how upset he was.
"What's wrong sugarcube?" Applejack asked. "Why so gloomy?"
"I have come to a conclusion about what is wrong with his powers." Yen Sid said. "The powder that May used on his was made from ground up Dark Aether Crystals. They entered his bloodstream and are absorbing all of his magic, rendering him powerless."
"Wait, as in completely powerless?" Twilight asked. "How?"
"Dark Aether absorbs magic, allowing it to be the perfect counter to any magical creature." Yen Sid replied. "While the crystals are in his blood, there is nothing we can do to help him."
"So, what will happen to him?" Fluttershy asked, walking up to Spyro.
"Well, the Chaos Emeralds still have power in them, which is a blessing." Yen Sid replied. "The emeralds power seems to be working on removing the crystals, but the process is very slow. It will be some time before he is back to full strength again."
As he said it, Spyro sat down on the ground, looking distraught as he lost his powers. Pinkie then went over to him and nudged his head with her nose, making the young prince look to her and pat her head, giving her a light smile as he scratched her behind the ears.
"There has to be a way we can help him." Twilight said. "Please sir, there has to be a way to speed up his recovery."
"I have thought of that Twilight Sparkle and know of one way." Master Yen Sid replied. Spyro got up and everyone followed him into his study, where a book flew out of the shelf and floated towards them, opening to a page as the master sorcerer took the book in his hands. "There is a place where he can hasten his recovery. However, it will require him to be away from Equestria for quite a while."
"How long will he need to be away?" Rarity asked.
"It depends on how quickly his body can recover." Yen Sid replied. "His healing abilities are, unusual, but I predict he'll make a full recovery in a few weeks, maybe sooner. But, it will require him to return to the World of Marvels and to go to Tibet."
"Tibet?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Why go there?"
"Kamar-Taj." Spyro answered, looking hopeful. "The Sorcerer Supreme."
"I have made a few arrangements with the Sorcerer Supreme, though it was not easy to get in contact with her." Yen Sid said. "She has agreed to take him in to help him recover his powers and two others to keep an eye on him, help him in his recovery, no more than that."
"I'll go." Twilight said, volunteering to go with him as she stepped forward.
"As shall I." Rarity said, stepping up.
"Very well." Yen Sid said. "Twilight Sparkle and Rarity will keep an eye on Spyro."
"Rare, no." Spyro said, surprising them. "What about Sweetie Belle? You can't just leave her on her own."
"That's why I'm asking Rosy to keep her company." Rarity replied, catching Rosy by surprise. "This way, Sweetie Belle won't get into any trouble while I'm away. Besides, I don't have any big orders to fill, so I am more than willing to do this."
"But-" Spyro tired to say but was cut off.
"No 'buts' Spyro dear." Rarity said. "We're going with you."
Spyro tried to think of a good reason for them not to come with him, but he saw how determined the two unicorns were in wanting to help him, so he had no choice but nodded his head, agreeing to take them with him.
"Sora, take the rest of his friends back to Equestria." Yen Sid ordered. "They will need to inform everyone of what has happened and that Spyro and the two unicorns will be away from a while. Including Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle."
"Yes master." Sora replied, bowing his head.
"Come home safe sugarcube." Applejack said. "We'll be waiting for you."
"Come home as quickly as you can." Fluttershy said, hugging Spyro.
"And be sure you have ALL your powers back." Rainbow Dash ordered, glaring at him.
"Don't worry girls, I'll be home before you know it." Spyro replied.
After being dismissed by Yen Sid, the ponies went with Sora, followed closely by Twilight and Rarity to the landing platform where their ships were waiting for them. The girls all hugged their friends good bye, knowing it was going to be a while before they returned home, but Rosy walked up to Spyro, tears seemingly rolling down her face as she rushed over and hugged him, knowing they wouldn't see each other for a while.
"Dad, I should be going with you, not Rarity." Rosy said. "She has a sister she needs to care for, and she leaves her in my care? What about her shop? I can't sew."
"Rosy, relax." Spyro said, pulling her off him. "Your main goal is taking care of Sweetie Belle. If someone wants a dress, use the Force to guide you to make one. Just relax and don't let it get to you, ok?"
Rosy sniffled a bit, but hugged Spyro again, giving him one more hug before rushing to the rest of their friends at Sora's ship, getting onboard as the three of them watched the Highwind are off and flying for Equestria. After they left, Spyro, Rarity, and Twilight walked on board the Dragon's Crest and took their seats in the cockpit, activating the engines as they warped back to the World of Marvels, arriving above the worlds atmosphere and teleporting down to the surface and into the small village of Tibet, looking around at some of the old buildings and finding a lot of vendors trying to sell him stuff or trying to buy Twilight or Rarity, having to keep them close so no one tried to kidnap them as he didn't have the means to keep them safe. As they walked along the streets, he noticed in a reflection that someone was following them, seeing someone in a yellow monk like outfit following them, so he motioned for the girls to look behind them, noticing their stalker and got ready to fight, turning to face the one who was following them, but their new friend was not there. Confused, they looked around to see where their new friend went, but found nothing, so they turned around to see if they could find Kamar-Taj, but their stalker was in front of them, standing in the open and forcing them to back away in surprise.
"You're a long way from home, Keyblade bearers." The woman said, surprising them.
"How do you know about the Keyblade?" Spyro asked.
"Because your master told me." The woman replied, removing her hood to reveal she had no hair, but looked calm and gentle. "Your master told me that you and your friends would arrive before long, I just didn't expect you to be here so soon."
"Who are you?" Spyro asked.
"I am known as the Ancient One." She relied. "I am the Sorcerer Supreme." She looked around and saw some of the people were eyeing them, particularly the ponies as she knew there would be trouble. "We better get to someplace safer than the streets. Animals, especially your friends, tend to be stolen more often than you know."
The Ancient One turned around and walked in the direction they had already went, following her while Spyro kept his hands on his friend's heads, holding onto them to make sure they weren't taken by someone wanting to make a quick buck. After a little while, they reached a very old building that looked to be in good condition, the Sorcerer Supreme walking through the door and closely followed by Spyro and his friends, finding themselves in Kamar-Taj, an ancient temple that houses mystics and sorcerers of all kinds from all across the world, the three of them taken aback by the look, but when Twilight saw some of them training, using their magic, she was immediately speechless, her thrust for knowledge and magic taking over as she walked over to the training area to watch.
"Welcome to Kamar-Taj." The Ancient One said. "Here, you will reacquire your powers, and acquire new ones."
"New ones?" Spyro asked. "Ma'am, I'm only here to heal and get my powers back, not learn new ones."
"And to heal, you must learn." The Ancient One replied, walking past the training area, leaving Twilight behind to watch and take notes of the magic. "This is a place of learning, a place for those who hold the gift of magic to learn and expand their knowledge beyond what they know, awakening their third eye."
They continued to walk through corridors, but then Rarity got lost as they passed some monks, the gears in her head turning as she saw some of the robes and cloaks on some of the students and masters, taking out her sketch pad and making some designs.
"Ok, so how would I be able to learn without my magic or my Force abilities?" Spyro asked.
"You limit yourself to your original abilities." The Ancient One replied, turning to face him. "The only way to heal is to let go. Forget everything you originally knew and open your eye."
"My eye?" Spyro asked.
"Yes." She replied, walking over to a table and sitting down, Spyro following her as did Rarity, though she walked past them as she was busy with her sketches and he tried to reach out to her, but was stopped. "Let her go. It's you and I who need to talk." She then pour some tea for them, handing a glad to Spyro as he graciously took it, taking a sip. "Now, your master says that there is a kind of crystal in your blood that's preventing you from using your abilities."
"Yes, Dark Aether Crystals." Spyro answered. "I can use Pure Aether to cleanse them, but my connection to the Aether is also blocked. I'm basically powerless."
"What if I were to tell you, you can reacquire your powers, without your powers?" The Ancient one asked, confusing him.
"I'd say you're out of your mind lady." Spyro answered. "The Chaos Emeralds are already trying to cleanse the crystals out of me and-"
"And it will take time, yes." She replied, drinking from her glass. "But you have only scratched the surface of your true power. These crystals are but a hurdle you must overcome. Your Keyblade is very powerful, but it is only a weapon you can use. Your true power comes from your heart."
"Yes, I already know this." Spyro replied. "I can't believe this, why am I here in the first place? I should have gone back home, let my body heal where I know-"
"Know what?" She asked.
Before he could even reply, she punched him in the chest and immediately he felt like he was ripped out of his body, looking at himself in surprise and then down to his hands, finding he was ethereal as another sorcerer came in and caught him as he was falling, being pulled back as he returned into his body, gasping in surprise when he was back, getting up and putting distance between him and her.
"What did you do to me?" Spyro asked.
"I separated your astral form from your body." She replied, getting up. "Putting you into the astral dimension where the soul exists beyond the physical body."
"How...?" Spyro asked, weary of the sorcerer. "Why?"
"To show you how much you still have to learn." She replied. "All you need to do is open your eye."
She then placed her thumb on his head and felt like he was flying in the air again, this time he couldn't control himself as he yelled out in horror, falling out of the world atmosphere and passing through a tunnel of colors and light like he was tripping, not believing what he was seeing as he fell through the passages of colors, going through different dimensions from ones that had tendrils of colors to ones that had stone and hands growing all over him, freaking him out as he passed through them.
"You think you know everything about the world?" The Sorcerer Supreme asked. "About yourself and about all the worlds? That this material universe is all there is? What do you consider real? What mysteries lie beyond the reach of your senses? Where the root of existence, mind and matter, meet. Thoughts, shape, reality." As the hands and arms grew over his body, making his head, he flew into his own eye, trying to hold on as he fell through it a corridor of light and glass. "This universe is one of an infinite number. Worlds without end. Some are benevolent and full of life, like some of the worlds you visit, others are filled with malice and hunger. Dark places where powers older than time, ravenous, and waiting." As she said that, he flew through a dimension filled with darkness where he saw a face, staring at him hungrily as he yelled out, passing through multiples of himself until he was floating in a dark space filled with dim colors, feeling as if he was loosing himself. "Who are you in this vast multiverse, your highness?"
He then flew out of the dimension he was in, feeling like he was going to be sick as he flew back to the World of Marvels, yelling as he fell before falling out of the chair he was in, shaking from everything he has experience before looking up at the sorcerer, seeing that his friends were next to her and looked concerned as he got up, shaking a bit, but his eyes wide in surprise.
"Please, teach me." Spyro asked.
"Thought that would get your attention." She said, turning to the sorcerer next to her, who had dark hair with streaks of white on the side and was wearing blue robes. "Stephen, take our guests to their room. Help them to feel comfortable. Spyro, meet me here in one hour, from there, we will begin."
The sorcerer nodded his head and the three friends followed him down the hall, passing by many other followers and initiates on their way to their room, noticing that none of them were paying any attention to them.
"Why aren't they staring at us?" Rarity asked. "Not that don't mind, but still, why aren't they curious about a couple of talking unicorns?"
"Because you aren't the strangest thing we've encountered while training." Stephen replied. "When I first came here, I didn't believe in magic or the possibilities of different dimensions. Before coming here, I was a surgeon who specialized in nerve reconstruction, believing that this was nothing more than nonsense and thought it was nothing more than parlor tricks. But now, now I'm a student here at Kamar-Taj, learning everything about magic."
"And, you're sure this will help him to recover his powers?" Twilight asked.
"Nothing is for certain little pony." Stephen replied. "What I know is that if she can help convince the mind that nothing is wrong with the body, help a paralyzed man to walk again, and even help me with my hands, then your friend can recover his powers." They then reached a room, which he opened for them to reveal there were three beds inside with a window and a station for them to put their stuff on. "And this is your room."
Spyro, Twilight, and Rarity walked into the room, looking around and saw it was a little dull, but it was comfortable for them. As Spyro set his bag down on the bed, Stephen handed him a car with had a single word on it, 'Shambala.'
"What is this?" Spyro asked. "A botched fortune or something?"
"It's the Wi-Fi password." Stephen replied. "We aren't savages."
He then left the three of them alone in the room, heading back outside to continue his training for the day while Twilight and Rarity looked around the room, but Spyro just sat on the bed, pulling out a tome from his library and looking at it, sighing in defeat as he put it back into his bag, waiting for when he was asked to head back to the room they were taken to. At Malefor's floating castle, May had just returned to her master, limping as she was still very much injured from the fight she had with Spyro, approaching the statue as it came to life.
"Master, I failed to get the Mind Stone." May said. "But I used the powder on Spyro."
"Well at least you did one thing I needed you to do." Malefor said. "That powder will make him powerless."
"Then, I shall go after him once I'm fully healed." May said, looking eager for payback. "I will make sure he draws his last breath."
"In time my servant, you will." Malefor replied. "For now, rest. You shall have your chance for revenge later."
May nodded her head and walked into the next door room to heal herself up while Malefor chuckled to himself, his statue going dark as his plan was already in motion. At Kamar-Taj, Spyro was in the training yard with a bunch of other initiates, practicing the magics that was being taught, however he was having difficulty doing such as he was trying to make a symbol appear before trying to make a portal appear in front of him, only to make sparks appear, but nothing seemed to be happening, frustrating him as his friends watched, both seemingly worried for him as they looked on, unable to help him except to support him.
"Oh, I hate watching him struggle." Twilight said. "He's always been good at using magic, but now..."
"Twilight dear, it's going to be alright." Rarity said. "Yen Sid said this place will help him to recover and we should trust his judgement."
"Rarity, I'm not so sure it will." Twilight replied. "With those crystals in his blood, he won't be able to use his magic. Having him do these exercises is useless if he can't use his magic."
"The concept of limitations does not exist here." The Ancient One said, surprising the two mares. "He thinks he needs his magic to be able to do magic. But all he needs to do is surrender control to gain control."
"Surrender control to gain control?" Twilight asked. "That doesn't make any sense."
"Nothing in this world does." The Ancient One replied. "Your friend's recovery will only work if he surrenders control. Not everything is about his magic."
"Yeah right." Spyro responded, walking to them. "How am I supposed to surrender control to be able to use my magic?"
"Come with me and I will show you how." The Ancient one replied, opening a portal to some random location.
Spyro looked to his friends, wondering if it was a good idea for him to follow her, which they shrugged their shoulders, so he turned around and followed her through the portal to the top of a mountain, freezing temperatures hit him as he started to shiver, feeling the cold hit him like a cannon ball. He tried to keep himself warm as he looked out and saw the view, which was beautiful to look at, but way too cold.
"Mount. Everest." The Ancient One said. "What a lovely view, don't you think?"
"Yeah, beautiful." Spyro replied. "But, why are we here in the first place?"
"Simple, for you to learn." The Ancient One replied, walking to the portal. "Surrender control young prince."
The portal closed behind him as he rushed to get through, yelling out in anger at the Ancient One for abandoning him at the coldest mountain top on the planet, trying to figure out how to get back to Kamar-Taj. Back at Kamar-Taj, the Ancient One was waiting with the ponies and with Stephen Strange, after hearing what she had done, the girls were ready to pulverize the sorcerer, but just waited for him to come back, both of the ponies pacing back and forth waiting for their friend to come back while the two sorcerers were calm and collected.
"Oh, we need to go find him." Twilight said. "He could be hurt, or dying, or...!"
"Be patient little ponies." The Ancient one said. "He'll be back. He just needed a little push."
"A little push!?" Twilight shouted. "You call stranding him at the peak of a mountain, freezing cold without any kind of winter gear a little push!? That's it, I'm going to find him!"
"Me too." Rarity replied. "And there isn't anything you can do to stop us."
As she said it, the world around them started to move on its own as if it came to life, the entire place turning on it's side as Twilight and Rarity tumbled into the wall, the Sorcerer Supreme leaping over and landing on the wall without any issue as everything moved around like they were in a kaleidoscope while Stephen strange didn't seem to be affected.
"If you think you can help him, you need to prove it." The Ancient One said. "Defeat me and you can go get him."
Not waiting to be told twice, both of the ponies called their Keyblades and charged towards the Ancient one, taking a swing at her, but she just dodged them effortlessly, the ponies holding the blades with their magic and attacking, her, but the Ancient one just dodged their flurry of attacks, conjuring magical fans and blocking their attacks while also using whips to get them by their hooves, throwing them around like they were rag dolls. When they got up, they started casting Fire and Blizzard to get her, but the sorcerer used protection spells to block the incoming attacks and casted her own spells, knocking them back as she made the room turn again, this time the girls fell onto the roof, which was a narrow platform for them, but they kept to Spyro's training, dodging and swinging in unison, working together to attack her, but she just blocked their attacks, dodging and leaping out of the way until she sent a gust of air at them, knocking them into the open as the world spun again until it was back to normal, falling to the ground with a loud thud as The Ancient One walked towards them, Stephen confused about where they came from, but understood quickly what was going on.
"Your loyalty to your friend is admirable, but he needs to reacquire his powers on his own." The Sorcerer Supreme said.
"But abandoning him on the peak of a mountain is not helping him." Twilight said, getting up. "He'll freeze to death without his magic!"
"Give him a chance." Stephen said. "She did the same thing to me and I managed to return. He just needs to visualize his goal."
The two ponies were very upset and angry with the two sorcerers as they got up, Twilight looking to the spot where the portal was supposed to be as, worrying for her friend. After a couple more minutes, they soon began to worry, even Stephen started to panic as he probably believed he froze to death and was about to go after him when they noticed a couple of orange sparks appear in the air, their eyes widening as they knew their friend was trying to open the portal, a spark of hope going off in their chests. On the peak of Mount Everest, Spyro was still trying to open the portal, having the strange ring like item that helps him to open it when he needed to, but wasn't having luck as he could only conjure a few sparks, but not a whole portal, falling to his knees as exhaustion kicked in, feeling the cold air bite into him as she shivered to stay warm, ready to give up. However, he refused to do so as he promised he'd return to Equestria as soon as he got his powers back, not wanting to break that promise, he got back up again despite the cold and tried again, this time what the Ancient one said and surrendered control, allowing the power inside of him flow and allow it to take control. A second later, there were orange sparks that appeared and started to spin around, but he still felt weak from the cold, but pushed through it, concentrating on Kamar-Taj and his friends, putting everything he had into it until the rift finally opened up, seeing everyone there as he rushed through the rift and into the courtyard, freezing, but grateful to be off that freezing peak.
The ponies rushed over to him, Twilight conjuring a blanket out of thin air and wrapped it around Spyro, who quickly took hold of it and held it tightly around him as she continued to shiver even after escaping the frozen wasteland.
"D-d-d-d-d-d-don't ever do that again." Spyro said to the Ancient one.
"Apologies, but I needed to give you a reason to succeed." The Ancient One. "You deemed it impossible to succeed, gave up too easily. But your mind and your heart, they are what give you your strength." She walked over and extended her hand out to him, though he was hesitant to take it, he took her hand and she lifted him up, smiling at him as he stood. "Stephen will help you to continue your training and your healing. The two of you both have something in common."
"And what's that?" Spyro asked, curious about his new teacher.
"You're both seeking a way to fix yourselves." She replied. "With Stephen, he lost his ability to steadily hold items, shaking all the time."
"Sounds like nerve damage." Spyro said.
"That's... pretty accurate." Stephen said. "I was in a crash that disabled me, severe nerve damage to the hands, making it impossible for me to fully recover. Come with me, I'll help you to get started."
Stephen then walked out of the courtyard, which Spyro followed close behind as did the unicorns as they went down a couple of halls, following him all the way to a set of stairs, walking down the stairs and reaching what appeared to be a library, which they instantly lost Twilight as she saw the racks full of books, chained to the racks as if to keep them from flying away or releasing something. Down there were two men, one in black and green robes, dark skin and a bright smile while the other was wearing red robes, shorter than the other sorcerer, and looked like he could kill a guy if you did him dirty.
"Master Mordo, Wong." Stephen said, approaching them. "We got a new student."
"Ah, so this it the Prince of Light and Darkness." Mordo said, looking to the two unicorns and smiling brightly. "The Ancient one said he'd have some interesting friends. Didn't expect hem to be unicorns."
"Well, there are more of us." Rarity replied, instantly like him. "But Spyro was only allowed to bring two of his friends, so he brought us."
"And I suppose you're here to learn about our magics?" Wong asked, approaching them.
"Well, got nothing else to do while I'm here." Spyro replied.
Wong eyed him like he was going to do something to him, but then turned around, walking to the racks that acted like shelves as did Stephan, both reaching up to books they believed he could benefit from, getting some of the beginner stuff out and bringing them to him.
"You will start with Maxim's primer." Wong said. "And a few of these as well."
"Here's something he could try." Stephen said, pulling a book with the two dragons heads out, surprising him.
"Hey, that's from my library." Spyro said, surprising them.
"What makes you say that?" Wong asked.
Spyro then reached into his bag and pulled out a random tome, revealing the same symbol, but with a gold flower on it.
"The prince's of old always made different tomes and magical books, each of them having the same dragon heads on the cover, indicating they belonged in the library." Spyro answered.
"There's a whole rack full of them." Stephen said. "No one has been able to use the spells as they're deemed too dangerous."
"Except to me." Spyro said, taking one the book and opening it. "Hm, this one is full of ice spells and water magic. Oh, here's one to make a Tsunami."
"If this belongs in your library, what's it doing out of it?" Stephen asked.
"Well, the princes of old scatters tomes that were filled with some dangerous spells across all the worlds." Spyro replied, closing the tomes. "In case the prince is killed, the more dangerous tomes are scattered through out all the worlds to prevent them from falling into anyone's hands."
"The Ancient One has traveled throughout the Multiverse, finding them throughout multiple dimensions." Mordo said. "If they are of your library, they should return there." He then walked past them and to the stairs, turning his head to talk to them as he walked. "I shall speak with her and ask her if we can return those tomes to you, make sure they aren't taken by another traitor."
"Traitor?" Spyro asked, turning to Wong and Stephen. "What's he talking about?"
"Close to a year ago before you came to us, a master broke into the library and stole pages from the Book of Time." Wong replied. "His name was Kaecilius. He and a group of zealots betrayed the order and killed the previous librarian, relieving him of his head."
"Well, that's one way to cure a migraine." Spyro said, trying to make a joke of it, but no one was laughing. "Right, bad joke."
"So, what happened to him?" Twilight asked.
"He fled." Wong replied. "And he took with him the zealots that swore their loyalty to him. Now we need all the help we can get."
"Which is imperative we get your powers back." The Ancient One said, walking down to them. "Mordo said the book is from the Prince's library. Not surprised there as those spells are ones we steer clear of, not wanting to try them. If you want, you can have them back, as long as you practice some of our magic before trying to train with yours."
"I think I can do that." Spyro said, taking the books Wong got for him. "Well, guess I better head back to my room now."
"Before you go, I'd like for you to meet me in the training yard later this evening." Mordo said. "I want to see how well you can fight."
Before he could get an answer, Mordo walked away form everyone, heading out to get ready for the fight, leaving Spyro with his friends and the Sorcerer Supreme, wondering if it was going to be a good idea to even go and take Mordo up on his offer for a fight, even if it was just to gauge his power. Elsewhere, Kaecilius was busy preparing the ritual to allow them the power to use the magics from the Dark Dimension, placing the page in the center of the room as he created the symbol of the Dark Dimension, the group chanting the spell as the power of darkness entered their bodies and they felt the power of the creature from the Dark Dimension, Dormammu, enter their bodies, granting them the power they requested and tested it out in the room, bending it to their will as he shifted it, amazed by the power that he could finally wield.
My, isn't this interesting." Maleficent said, making the group turn to face her.
"Who are you?" Kaecilius asked.
"My name is Maleficent." She replied. "And I'm here to help you get what you want."
"Oh, and what is it we want?" Kaecilius asked.
"Revenge against the one who betrayed you." She replied. "You have the power, yes, but your old master has a new student, the Prince of Light and Darkness."
As she said that, the zealots looked at one another, trying to see if one of them had any idea what she was talking about, but the renegade master knew what she was talking about.
"The prince is nothing more than a myth." He replied. "Nothing more than a fairytale."
"Believe me, I thought the same as you do now." Maleficent replied. "That a Keyblade warrior, who hold the power of three different worlds from different dimensions, was nothing more than a myth, an old urban legend meant to keep us from practicing the dark arts. But he is very much real, and he is here in this world. And I can give you the means to fight him as he is powerful enough to the point where not even your newly acquired magics could best him." To make her point, she waved her staff and immediately, voids opened and out of them, dozens of Heartless came out, intriguing the dark master as he looked to them, wondering what they were. "The Heartless will aid you in destroying the prince and his pathetic little friends. But, there's a catch, as I want something in return."
"And what is it you request of us?" Kaecilius asked, now curious about his new ally and her minions.
"Nothing much really." Maleficent replied. "All I want in return is a special, little amulet that the Sorcerer Supreme has, the Eye of Agamotto."
Later in the evening, as the sun was setting, Spyro walked out of his room and immediately went to the training yard, where Mordo was waiting for him with his training gear on and looked ready to throw down and fight, getting up and walking to the weapons stand and pulling out a staff.
"Guess that isn't a normal staff, is it?" Spyro asked.
"You presume correctly." Mordo replied. "This, my friend, is a relic. Some magics are too great for us to use, so we contain them into objects. Like this, the Staff of the Living Tribunal. And the Vaulting Boots of Valtorr."
"Talk about tongue twisters." Spyro said.
"Now, conjure your weapon." Mordo said.
Spyro was hesitant at first, concentrating and hoping to call his Keyblade again, but he still couldn't feel it, so he waved his hands and immediately blades made from orange sparks appeared, taking one in each hand as he looked up, pleased with his accomplishment, but then blocked an incoming attack from Mordo, pushing him away and engaging him as well. The two went back and forth, striking and hitting one another, both proving to be excellent fighters, Spyro slashing and swiping, using his Jedi training to try and hit him, but Mordo blocked the attacks, pushing him back as he used his boots to hop along in the air, coming down and smacking Spyro in the head, knocking him down as he saw stars in front of his eyes as his blades disappeared.
"It seems your powers are pretty weak." Mordo said. "Didn't you study those books?"
"I did, all of them." Spyro replied. "But how are these spells going to help me get my powers back?" Spyro then sat up, looking like he was about to break down as he felt completely helpless. "Even with the spells I learn here at Kamar-Taj, how is this going to help me get my powers back?"
"Healing takes time young prince." Mordo replied, walking over and extending his hand. "You just need to be patient and let everything take its course." Spyro then took his hand and Mordo pulled him up, helping him to stand up. "If I may, how did you first learn how to use your powers?"
"Well, I guess they came to me on their own." Spyro replied, walking to the edge of the training yard and leaning on the railing. "My elements came to me over time while the Force and Chaos Control came to me instantly. It took a long time for me to get the hang of my new found abilities, even longer for me to understand my Dragonic magic and abilities. It started off with fire, then electricity, followed by ice, then earth. But, now that I lost my connection to all my powers, I don't know. I want to protect my friends, those I love as they mean everything to me. But how do I do that without my magic?"
Mordo could see how upset he was and put the staff back into the weapons rack and walked over to him, leaning on the same rail and looking out to Kamar-Taj like Spyro was.
"Well, if your Force abilities and your chaos powers came to you instantly, maybe you can still access both." Mordo suggested, confusing Spyro. "Tell me, how did you first learn to wield the Force?"
"Through meditation." Spyro replied. "By meditating, I first discovered my ability to use the Force after I had meditated."
"Then, maybe meditating can help you in this instance." Mordo suggested, earning a confused look from Spyro. "You have nothing else to loose, give it a try."
Spyro through it over for a minute, wondering if doing such would help him restore his ability to use the Force and decided to give it a go, walking to the middle of the training yard and sat down, crossing his legs and sitting up straight, his arms resting against his knees and closed his eyes, trying to reach out with the Force, but felt nothing, growing frustrated, but calmed himself down, letting go of his anger and frustrations as he surrendered control like the Ancient One suggested. He remained like that for a few minutes and felt nothing change, giving up on it, he opened his eyes and saw a satisfied look on Mordo, wondering what he looked pleased about when he looked down to get up, but found he was in the air, still sitting as he did and floating above the ground, stones floating around him, but fell a second later as he uncrossed his legs and touched his feet tot he ground.
"See, you still have the Force in you." Mordo said.
"But, how?" Spyro asked. He then reached his hand below his waist and slowly brought them up, picking up three massive rocks from the ground with the Force as if he never lost. "I couldn't use the Force before, how come I can now?"
"Because you let go." Mordo replied. "You allowed yourself to become frustrated after that dust hit you. The crystals fed off of your negative energy, negating your ability to use it. But once you let go, let go of all the negative energy that held you back, you can accomplish anything. Now go and rest. Tomorrow is another day."
Still in shock that he had his Force abilities back already, he returned to his room, thinking about what happened at that Monet as he thought about what he could learn, but as he left, the Ancient One came out from behind the pillar, walking over to Mordo and standing next to him, both watching as he went back to his room.
"It seems his recovery is quicker than anticipated." Mordo said. "He has already reacquire his connection to the Force."
"Indeed he did." The Ancient One replied. "His connection was never lost, but blocked by the crystals. The more he trains here, the quicker he will regain his powers. I think we should grant him full access to the libraries books, let him train with whatever he can before he leaves."
"As you wish ma'am." Mordo said, bowing to her.
In his room, Spyro was busy rereading the tomes he was given, studying them to understand what he could do and what kind of magic he could wield, taking a break from time to time to check on his friends, who were asleep in the spare bed that he requested for them and saw the two ponies sleeping peacefully. He smiled to himself and marked his place in the tomes and got up to get some sleep, but stopped himself and turned to his friends, sensing how worried they were and walked over, giving them a peck on the head before pulling the covers up to make sure they didn't get cold before going over to his bed and lying down to sleep for the night, reaching out with the Force to turn the lights off to allow them to have a peaceful night's sleep. Meanwhile, back at the floating palace, Malefor's statue was glowing a bright red as his anger grew, May rushing out to see what was wrong and saw the statue was red, knowing her master was furious and knelt before him.
"May, the prince... he has already recovered his connection to the Force!" Malefor said, angered by what he felt.
"But that's impossible." May replied. "I used a large amount of the powder on him, it should have rendered him powerless."
"Well it wasn't enough!" Malefor shouted. "He is recovering his powers at a faster rate than I anticipated!"
"It must be his Chaos Emeralds." May said. "They have the power to heal the controller and those he wishes to heal, they must be cleansing his blood."
"If so, we must make our move now." Malefor said. "The prince must die before he recovers."
"If he does, I'll use a larger dose of the powder and weaken him, permanently." May said.
"I pray you do my servant." Malefor said. "For your sake, I pray you do. Return to the World of Marvels and finish the job."
She bowed her head and slowly backed away from the statue as the light in it disappeared, standing up and walking out of the palace as three dark figures appeared in front of her, all three with red eyes as they awaited for orders.
"The Prince is recovering his powers at an alarming rate." May said. "Locate him and let me know immediately. And find me an ally that at least knows what he's doing and not a hunk of junk like Ultron. That's what I get for putting my faith in a machine."
The three figures bowed to her and disappeared into the darkness, three dark clouds shooting out into the sky as she watched them fly, smiling to herself as she watched them, but behind her was a figure covered in white light approaching her, May unaware of the figure approaching as it walked up behind her, stopping right behind her as it stood there. May then turned around, sensing the figure was behind her, but saw nothing as she felt her heart rate accelerate, putting her hand over her heart, but as she did, white and blue tendrils of light escaped her hand, fighting dark tendrils and caused her to freak out, rushing back into the castle to suppress whatever was happening to her.