Chapter 133: Heart of the Land Part 3: Drums of War
That night in the glade, Pocahontas and Rainbow Dash reached Grandmother Willow first, getting onto the stump as Grandmother Willow appeared again as they got onto the stump.
"The Earth is trembling child." Grandmother Willow said. "What's happening?"
"The warriors are here!" Pocahontas replied.
"Pocahontas." John said.
"John!" Pocahontas replied, the two holding each other's hands.
"Listen to me, my men are preparing to attack your people." John said. "You've got to warn them."
"Maybe it's not too late to stop this." Pocahontas said. "You need to come with me and talk with my father."
"Talking isn't going to work." John replied., "I tried talking to my men, but everything about this land has them spooked."
"Not to mention Ratcliffe is filling their heads with the idea that the Indians are trying to harm them." Fluttershy said.
They then heard something make a sound, looking to where the sound came from and they saw a hollowed out tree trunk walking around, Fluttershy screaming in fear before falling down like a goat again, Rainbow Dash backed away a bit, but didn't flee.
"That's the strangest creature I've ever seen." Grandmother Willow said.
"Wait, is that... a dog?" Rainbow Dash asked.
A second later, the strange creature fell down and started rolling down the hill before flying in the air and getting caught in a branch, throwing the dog out of the trunk and John catching him.
"Percy." John said.
"Wait, you know this mutt?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Yes, he's the Governors dog." John replied. "But what's he doing out here?" The dog looked around and then saw Meeko, which it growled and started barking, going after Meeko. "Easy, come here Percy."
"Meeko come back! Pocahontas exclaimed.
"See what I mean?" John asked. "Once two sides want to fight, nothing can stop them."
"Come here, both of you!" Pocahontas exclaimed.
"It's alright, he's a friend!" John said, trying to catch Percy. "Bad, Bad dog! Sit!"
Percy kept on barking, Meeko using Flit as a sword, but tossed him away to climb away with Percy climbing a vine, but Fluttershy had enough, flying over to Percy, who started to bark at her, but she then used the Stare on him, which he immediately stopped barking and felt cold all of a sudden, wanting to bark, but not having the will to do it.
"Well, looks like he's had enough." Grandmother Willow said, Percy looking back and seeing her, freezing all together and falling off the stump and into the water, which Grandmother Willow picked him up and put him back on the stump. "That barking was enough to make your sap boil. Now then, there is something I'd like to show you. Look."
She used her vines to touch the water, creating ripples in the water, but they were glowing when the water rippled, captivating everyone.
"The ripples." Pocahontas said.
"What about them?" John asked.
"Look how small they start, but see how they grow." Grandmother Willow replied. "But someone has to start them."
"What does that mean?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"It means that some small action or a few words can have a larger impact." Spyro replied, appearing out from behind Grandmother Willow.
"Spyro!" Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
Both flew to him wanting to hug him, but they passed through him, Fluttershy stopping, but Rainbow Dash accidentally crashed into a tree, groaning as she pulled her head out.
"Uh, why does he have to be a ghost still?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Who are you?" John asked.
"Wait, that voice." Pocahontas said. "You're the one from my dream. Telling me to find a piece of someone's heart."
"Yes, the piece of my heart that is hidden." Spyro replied. "And it's hidden in plain sight, but you shouldn't focus on that right now. John, you should go with Pocahontas and talk to the chief."
"They're never going to listen." John said.
"Young man, sometimes the right path isn't always the easiest one." Grandmother Willow said, lifting her roots and making him slide down in front of Pocahotnas. "Don't you see? Only wine the fighting stops can you be together."
"And to stop the fighting, you need to talk to the opposition." Spyro added. "The chief is a reasonable man who wants nothing more than to protect his people. Only if people can talk everything out can there no longer be conflict. However, it's people like Ratcliffe that causes a majority of the issues in the world and not just in this one, but in many others too. For only a few small words from you could prevent a war from starting."
The two lovebirds starred into one another's eyes, music playing as their hearts yearned to be with one another, smiling.
"Alright, let's go talk to your father." John said.
Pocahontas was thrilled to hear that, hugging John as she was beyond happy to hear that, which Grandmother Willow smiled, moving her vines to give them some privacy as the two of them shared a kiss, their love blooming as purple mist appeared from the water, encircling them. However, in the distance, Thomas had found john and moved some of the plants out of the way to see the two of them kiss, shocked beyond words, but more surprised to see the mist circling them, rising up and making a dragon, which moved it's wings as if protecting them from any harm. But Thomas wasn't;t the only one who saw them kissing as Cocoum, Maya and Twilight were there as well, Cocoum's heart breaking when he saw this.
"I'm sorry Cocoum." Maya said. "Seems her heart lead her to someone she truly loved." She then looked up and saw he was breathing heavily, trying his best not to cry as Maya put her hand on his shoulder to support him. "Don't feel bad my friend. You'll find someone else who'll love you."
Twilight however knew something was about to happen, looking to Cocoum and then to John, remembering Yoda's warning.
"Tonight, the war shall begin." Yoda said, his voice echoing in her mind. "Take over, anger and hate will, and suffer, many will."
As if on cue, Cocoum yelled out a battle cry and charged, catching everyone off guard as he tackled John to the ground, shocking everyone.
"Cocoum, no!" Pocahontas exclaimed, trying to get them to stop fighting.
"Hey, get off him!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
She charged to stop the fight, but John flipped Cocoum over him, making Rainbow Dash miss again and hit a tree near Maya and Twilight, who ran out to help them stop the fight, but As Cocoum got up, dozens of Flood and Shadows appeared, shocking John, but Cocoum didn't notice as he took a knife out and started fighting John again, Flood and Shadows swiftly approaching them, but the ponies and Maya called their Keyblades and engaged the dark creatures, Thomas coming out of hiding and loading his musket and aiming it at Cocoum as Pocahontas tried to help John. However, as Cocoum was about to plunge the knife into John's neck, the left side of his neck started to glow, catching him off guard as he saw a glowing purple light before the Symbol appeared on his neck, the eyes glowing as the same purple mist appeared around John's arms, giving him inhuman like strength as he pushed back, getting himself free, but before he could push Cocoum off, they heard a shot go out, hitting Cocoum in the chest and as he fell, he grabbed Pocahontas's necklace and broke it as he fell into the water, going limp right there as.
Everyone looked to Thomas, who seemed shocked and as they looked, the Flood and the Shadows disappeared, acting like once Cocoum was killed, they died away, only just disappearing and returning to their true masters. Maya and Twilight ran out of the bushes and straight to Cocoum, Maya examining him as Thomas came out of hiding and to them.
"Thomas!" John said, shocked to see him.
"Is he...?" Thomas asked.
"He's dead." Maya said, closing Cocoums eyes.
"You killed him." Pocahontas said, looking to Thomas.
"I thought that..." Thomas said before Pocahontas charged him, but John caught her to keep her from doing anymore harm.
"Get away from him!" Pocahontas exclaimed.
"Pocahontas, don't!" John said. "It won't;t do any good. He was only..."
"He killed him!" Pocahontas exclaimed
A moment later, they heard Native warriors coming towards them, everyone freezing as they heard them coming, having heard the musket shot.
"Thomas, get out of here!" John ordered, Thomas looking to him. "Get out of here!"
Without waiting to be told a third time, Thomas ran away before the Natives could see him, leaving John alone with Pocahontas and Maya along with the ponies, the warriors all capturing him at the same time. They then started to take him away as some warriors walked over to Cocoum's body, picking him up and walking after the warriors who captured as Pocahontas and Maya walked after them, leaving the ponies alone in the glade, shocked by what had just happened.
"Cocoum... he..." Fluttershy said, tears rolling down her face.
"He died to protect Pocahontas, even though she wasn't in any danger." Rainbow Dash said. She then looked down at her ring, feeling her heart ache as a tear rolled down her cheek, wiping it away quickly so no one saw it. "Just like how Spyro protected us from every kind of danger."
"Yoda was right." Twilight said, getting them both to look at her with curiosity. "His fear led to anger towards John, leading to hatred, hate enough of kill and his death led to suffering. Now both sides will go to war. We failed."
"We haven't failed yet!" Rainbow Dash said. "There's still time! If we move quickly and explain, then-"
"Don't you get it Rainbow Dash, it's over!" Twilight said, sitting down. "We failed. The Heart Piece is lost."
"No Twilight, we still have a chance!" Rainbow Dash replied.
"She's right Twilight." Fluttershy said. "Remember the riddle? At dawn of light when a war is about to commence, spoken words from one he loves will end the war, breaking through one's hate that is dense. We still have until the sun rises tomorrow to prevent the war from happening."
However, their words didn't get through to her, Twilight looking into the water as she moped, her friends fearing for her as she sat there.
"Come on Fluttershy, we better get back to the village before anything happens." Rainbow Dash said. "Catch up to us when you can Twilight."
Rainbow Dash then flew off after the Indians with Fluttershy close behind, but she looked back to twilight and saw how upset she was, but then went after Rainbow Dash to help plead John's case and hopefully save him from a terrible fate. Twilight however was beyond depressed, looking into the water as a tear rolled down her face, hitting the water and making ripples, having given up already.
"Giving up, are we? Hmmmm?" Yoda asked, the lights reappearing in front of her.
"What's the point?" Twilight asked. "We failed to prevent a war and now it's going to begin as you said."
"Yes, begin, the war will, but also end, it will." Yoda replied. "Giving up too soon little pony, you are. Too soon. Hmmmmmm. Correct, your friend is. Still time for you to end the war, there is."
"But... how?" Twilight asked.
"Much wisdom in words and in those who speak them, there is." Yoda replied. "Always listen to his child, a father will. Lost, you must help the daughter to reason with her father before more lives are. Herh herh herh."
"But how can I get him to listen to Pocahontas?" Twilight asked. "Her father is blinded by rage and anger. He won't listen to her."
"Ah, but where you are wrong, that is." Yoda replied. "Listen to her if she intervenes, the chief will. Yes, hmmm."
"Intervenes?" Twilight asked.
"Don't loose hope yet little pony." Yoda said. "Many more challenges, face, you will. Soon, you'll meet your destiny and your friends, by your side, will be. Let go, you must. Hmmmmmm."
"Let go?" Twilight asked. "Let go of what?"
There wasn't an answer, leaving her with more questions than answers, wondering if anything Yoda said was helpful to her, but didn't have time to think as she turned and left, not realizing that Grandmother Willow and Spyro were watching her, Spyro coming out from behind the old tree as they both watched her.
"You really think she's one as well?" Grandmother Willow asked. "Seems rather unlikely to me she'd be something like you."
"She still has a lot to learn, but I believe in time, she'll unlock her true potential." Spyro replied, smiling at the pony. "She just needs time. And with time, she'll soon understand her true potential and when she does, I'll be there to help her."
He then disappeared, leaving Grandmother Willow as she went back to sleep and to await for Pocahontas to return. Back in the village, the entire tribe was outside and were in complete shock when they saw their strongest warrior was dead, Powhatan enraged by this as he looked out to his people.
"Who did this?" Powhatan asked.
"Pocahontas was out in the woods and Cocoum went looking for her." One of the warriors replied. "And this white man attacked them."
The entire crowd gasped as Maya approached, wanting to plead his innocence, but the Chief raised his hand, dismissing her as he approached John.
"Your weapons are strong." Powhatan said. "But now our anger is stronger. At sun rise, he will be the first to die!"
"But father..." Pocahontas said, which he glared at her, pure anger in his eyes, making her stop as the two Pegasi arrived.
"I told you to stay in the village!" Powhatan said. "You disobeyed me! You've shamed your father!"
"Hey, back up chief!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "She was trying to help end the conflict before it got out of control!"
"And because of her foolishness, Cocoum is dead!" Powhatan replied. "Take him away!"
The crowd left with the chief, a couple of the guards taking John to a separate hut while Pocahontas knelt down, her heart breaking that she may never see John again. The two Pegasi walked up to her as Twilight finally caught up, seeing how depressed Pocahontas was and knew it was too late, walking up and putting her hoof on her shoulder as Nakoma approached them, seeing how upset her friend was and regretting her actions.
"Cocoum was just trying to protect me." Pocahontas said.
"Pocahontas... I sent Cocoum." Nakoma said.
"You what!?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, shooting up into the air. "Why the heck did you do that!?"
"I was worried about her." Nakoma replied. "I thought I was doing the right thing. on Pocahontas, I'm so sorry."
"All of this happened because of me." Pocahontas said, a tear rolling down her face. "And now I'll never see John Smith again."
Nakoma felt like all of this was her fault, that if she didn't get Cocoum involved then he would still be alive and Pocahontas would still be happy, so she wanted to making this right.
"Come with me." Nakoma said. She took Pocahontas's hands and took her back into the village, the ponies wanting to follow, but Maya raised her hand, stopping them from following and shook her head, letting them know that this was a personal matter for her and they needed to stay back. A moment later, Nakoma brought Pocahontas to the hut that John Smith was being held in and approached the guards, who were keeping john from escaping. "Pocahontas would like to look into the eyes of the man who killed Cocoum."
The guards looked at one another, knowing it might be a bad idea, but decided to grant her the request.
"Make it quick." One of the guards said.
The guards looked around to make sure no one was watching when they pulled back the cover over the entryway, Pocahontas walking in and saw John tied up to a post, her heart breaking at the sight as she walked over and knelt down, lifting his head up to see Pocahontas there starring at her.
"Pocahontas." John said, which she hugged him as she cried.
"I'm so sorry." She said.
"For what?" John asked. "This? I've gotten out of worse scrapes than this. Can't think of any right now."
"None of this would have happened if we hadn't met." Pocahontas said.
"Pocahontas, look at me." John said, Pocahontas looking at him. "I'd rather die tomorrow than live a hundred years not knowing you."
They sat there, enjoying one another's company as they allowed the momentary silence to give them some happiness before she looked at him, hugging him again.
"I can't leave you like this." Pocahontas said.
"Don't worry about me." John said. "I'll always be with you. Forever."
Not wanting to leave him, she hugged him one last time before getting up, leaving the hut, but as she left, another tear rolled down her face and she ran to the river, Maya and the ponies watching right as Sonic caught up, having heard what had happened and chased after her as did the others, wanting to comfort her. At the camp, Thomas was running through the woods, shouting for help and getting the entire camp to wake up, running to the walls to see what was going on.
"Easy lad!" Lon said.
"What is it?" Ben asked.
"It's Smith, they got him!" Thomas replied.
"Who got him?" Ben asked.
"The Savages!" Thomas replied, the entire camp shocked by the report. "They dragged him off!"
"Where'd they take him!?" Ben asked.
"They headed north!" Thomas replied.
"How many were there?" Another settler asked.
"I don't know, at least a dozen, maybe more." Thomas replied. "And they had these strange monsters with them! Creatures with yellow and red eyes! They came from the shadows!"
"This is perfect my friends." Ratcliffe said. "The plan worked to perfection. The gold is as good as mine!"
"And the Heart Piece is as good as ours." Vanitas said.
"Now all we got to do is make sure these dummies go to war and the Heart Piece will have no choice but to intervene!" Pete said.
"Better get out there Ratcliffe and stir the crowd some more before they get cold feet." Vanitas said.
"We've got to save him!" Thomas said. "He'd do the same for any of us!"
"Thomas is right!" Ben said. "We've got to do something!"
"And so we shall." Ratcliffe said, walking out of his tent with Pete and Vanitas right behind him. "I told you those savages couldn't be trusted, right? But Smith tried to befriend them and look what they've done to him!" A second later, music started to play as a red light appeared. "But now I say it's time we rescue our courageous comrade! At daybreak, we attack!"
The crowd cheered as Ratcliffe walked to a makeshift stage were Wiggins was waiting for him with his armor.
[Ratcliffe'
What can you expect from filthy little heathens?
Their whole disgusting race is like a curse!
Their skin's a hellish red,
They're only good when dead,
They're vermin, as I said, and worse!
[Settlers]
They're savages, savages!
[Ratcliffe]
Barely even human!
[Settlers]
Savages, savages!
[Ratcliffe]
Drive them from our shore!
They're not like you and me,
Which means they must be evil!
We must sound the drums of war!
[Settlers]
They're savages, savages,
Dirty shrieking devils!
[Ratcliffe, Settlers]
Now we sound the drums of war!
They then pushed some of their extra cannons to the edge of the camp, getting them ready for the fight while in the Native village, the entire village was in front of a funeral fire, burning Cocoum's body so he could be with the spirits again, honoring their fallen friend while enraging the whole village.
[Powhatan]
This is what we feared,
The paleface is a demon,
The only thing they feel at all is greed!
[Kekata]
Beneath that milky hide,
There's emptiness inside!
[Natives]
I wonder if they even bleed!
They're savages, savages!
[Powhatan]
Barely even human!
[Natives]
Savages, savages!
[Powhatan]
Killers at the core!
[Kekata]
They're different from us,
Which means they can't be trusted!
[Powhatan]
We must sound the drums of war!
[Natives]
They're savages, savages!
First, we deal with this one,
Then we sound the drums of war!
[Settlers]
Savages, savages!
[Ben]
Let's go get a few, men!
[Natives]
Savages, savages!
[Ratcliffe]
Now it's up to you, men!
[Natives, Settlers]
Savages, savages,
Barely even human!
Now we sound the drums... of... war!
As they sung, the smoke from their fires rose high in the sky and shadows of both Natives and Settlers were seen in the clouds, moving towards one another and when they connected, the smoke released a bolt of lightning, that lightning hitting the ground in the middle of an open field and from it, a sapling grew, growing from the ground with purple leaves and grayish-blue bard as dark laughter echoed around it. In the Glade, Pocahontas was sitting in front of Grandmother Willow with everyone around her, all feeling defeated as they failed to prevent the war.
"They're going to kill him at sunrise Grandmother Willow." Pocahontas said.
"You have to stop them." Grandmother Willow said.
"I can't." Pocahontas replied.
"Well we can't let them kill the guy for something he didn't do!" Sonic said. "We need to do something!"
"Sonic is right child." Grandmother Willow said. "Remember your dream!"
"I was wrong Grandmother Willow!" Pocahontas said. "I followed the wrong path. I feel so lost."
"The right path is never the easiest one." Spyro said, reappearing before them.
"What do you mean?" Sonic asked.
"The right path is riddles with challenges and many difficulties." Spyro said. "You just need to stay true to it."
A second later, Meeko came down from a hole in Grandmother Willows bark carrying the compass, giving it to Pocahontas.
"The compass." Pocahontas said, spinning it around and the arrow started to spin as she turned it. "The spinning arrow."
"It's the arrow from your dream!" Grandmother Willow said.
"I was right!" Pocahontas said. "It was pointing me to him!" The wind started to pick up as the arrow was spinning faster and faster as the sun rose, making Pocahontas turn to it. "Sunrise!"
"It's not too late to child!" Grandmother Willow said. "Let the spirits of the Earth guide you!" The arrow kept spinning as the wind picked up, almost creating a tornado, but the arrow then stopped, pointing towards the sun as it was rising, showing it was the way for her to go. "You know your way child, now follow it!"
Without waiting, the entire group ran in the direction the wind and leaves were flying in, following the path that was laid out for them as they moved to prevent a war. However, both sides were already mobilized as Ratcliffe walked onto the top of a hill, walking ahead of his men as he drew his sword.
[Ratcliffe]
This will be the day!
Let's go, men!
He started walking and his men pushed some of the cannons forward, moving them to attack the Indians.
[Powhatan]
This will be the morning!
Bring out the prisoner!
They then pulled John out of the hut, two men pinning his arms behind his back with one holding a rope that was tied around his neck.
[Natives]
We will see them dying in the dust!
[Pocahontas]
I don't know what I can do,
Still, I know I've got to try!
[Ratcliffe, Settlers]
Now, we make them pay!
[Pocahontas]
Eagle, help my feet to fly!
[Natives]
Now, without a warning!
[Pocahontas]
Mountain, help my heart be great!
[Natives]
Now we leave 'em blood and bone and rust!
[Pocahontas]
Spirits of the Earth and Sky ([Settlers] It's them or us!)
Please, don't let it be too late ([Settlers, Natives] They're just a bunch of filthy, stinking...)
[Natives]
Savages!
[Settlers]
Savages!
[Natives]
Demons!
[Settlers]
Devils!
[Ratcliffe]
Kill them!
[Natives]
Savages!
[Settlers]
Savages!
[Ratcliffe]
What are we waiting for?
[Rattcliffe, Settlers, and Natives]
Destroy their evil race,
Until there's not a trace left!
We will sound the drums of war! ([Pocahontas] How loud are the drums of war?)
Now we see what comes,
Of trying to be chums!
[Pocahontas]
Is the death of all I love ([Settlers, Natives] Now we sound drums of)
Carried in the drumming of
[Settlers, Natives]
War!
"No!" Pocahontas shouted, protecting John from her fathers attack, shocking him, Maya and the others catching up and seeing what she was doing, surprised by the action. "If you kill him, you have to kill me too."
"Daughter, stand back!" Powhatan said.
"I won't!" Pocahontas replied. "I love him father." His eyes widened in surprise, shocked to hear that his daughter was in love with John, which the settlers were equally as surprised, wondering what was going on. "Look around you! This is where the path of hatred brought us!" She then looked down at John, still hugging him as she protected him. "This is the path I choose father, one of love and peace, what will your path be?"
Powhatan was surprised by his daughters attitude, looking at the settlers as they had their Muskets trained on his men, looking to his warriors who had their bows ready and felt conflict rise inside of himself, wondering what to do when the wind blowed on him, hearing the voices of the spirits and the voice of his wife, taking the staff in both hands and raising it into the air, indicating he didn't wish to fight anymore as everyone looked to him.
"My daughter speaks with the wisdom beyond her years." Powhatan said. "We have all come here with anger in our hearts. But she comes here with courage and understanding! From this day forward, if there is to be more killing, it will not start with me." Everyone was relieved, happy that the war was prevented, succeeding where they believed they had failed. "Release him!"
One of the warriors walked over and took his knife out, cutting the bonds and setting john free, which he immediately hugged Pocahontas, who hugged him back and as they did, everyone lowered their weapons, no longer wishing to fight and as they did, John started to glow, catching them by surprise as he had a purple aura around him, turning to gold before a golden light shot out of his chest, flying into the sky and turning into the symbol with the triangle spinning around, the ponies cheering for their success. However, when Vanitas and Pete saw the symbol, they smiled, seeing their goal in their sights as they looked to one another.
"Governor, now's your chance." Vanitas said. "Take them while they have their weapons down."
"He's right!" Ratcliffe said. "Now's our chance, fire!"
"No!" Thomas replied.
"What?" Ratcliffe asked, completely shocked.
"They let him go." Thomas said.
"They don't want to fight." Ben said.
"It's a trick you idiots!" Ratcliffe replied. His anger reaching a boiling point. "Fire!" None of the men listened, all lowering their weapons as a few were tossing them onto the ground, infuriating him as he took a rifle himself. "Fine, I'll do it myself!"
He aimed the rifle at Powhatan, putting his finger on the trigger, which john noticed and looked to where he was aiming, seeing the target was the chief, jumping in front of the shot and taking the bullet as Ratcliffe pulled the trigger, clutching his gut as Pocahontas screamed for him everyone in disbelief of what happened.
"John!" Thomas shouted, John hitting the ground and then looked to Ratcliffe, who was scared as he looked to his men. "You shot him!"
"He... stepped into it!" Ratcliffe said, trying to defend himself. "It's his own fault!"
"Smith was right!" Lon said. "We should have never listened to you!"
"Get the gun!" Ben shouted.
Everyone then started running to capture Ratcliffe, trying to take the gun away, but a bolt of lightning shot out and hit the ground next to all of them, everyone letting go and backing away, but Ratcliffe got up and looked up to see what happened. Everyone looked to the sky and saw the symbol had turned from gold to blood red, roaring in anger as the triangle spun faster and faster before it started to descend. Everyone followed it's trail to see where it was going when they saw the strangely colored tree, mist of darkness coming off the tree before it's branches shot out, reaching for the symbol as it turned into a red crystal and it wrapped itself around the crystal, pulling it down into the tree before it shot out, growing rapidly as it bellowed in anger, forming limbs and parts of a body, but as it was forming, massive columns of gold shot out of the ground, growing larger and larger as they rose from the ground, Ratcliffe, kneeling and laughing as he finally found his gold, but a moment later, it melted, turning into liquid before rushing along the ground towards the frame of the tree, moving up it's roots and over the branches until half of it's body was gold with veins of red and dark purple coursing through the gold while the other half was pure wood and nature, leaves turning purple and red as it raised it's head, opening it's eyes to reveal them to be pure red as it roared in anger, leaves appearing across the branches of the wood and making everyone back away, looking around and seeing the natives and the settlers, it's eyes fixed on Ratcliffe as he got up.
"This creature is made of gold." Ratcliffe said excitedly, slowly approaching it.
"Uh, I wouldn't do that if I were you governor." Pete said, backing away. "It looks awfully nasty and angry."
"You're beautiful." Ratcliffe said, reloading his musket. "I must have it!"
He raised his rifle again and took aim, firing it at the beasts head, which it deflected off the gold and hit the governors hat, making it fall off his head and making him duck for cover, but the massive hybrid titan only laughed, finding it amusing as Ratcliffe got up.
"You want gold..." The titan said, picking Ratcliffe up, who tried to break free from its grasp. "I'll give you gold."
A second later, the purple veins on the golden arm started to glow, Ratcliffe trying to break free, but then felt something change, looking at his hand to see he was turning into gold, screaming in fear as he tried to break free, continuing to scream in fear as he turned into gold, reaching into the air as a last ditch effort to ask for help, but none came as he turned into a golden statue, the titan letting go and dropping the golden statue of Ratcliffe and the massive golden statue hitting the ground, planting itself into the ground and making the settlers back away, those who dropped their weapons picking them up again as the titan looked around at them, roaring in rage as he swiped his arm, turning it into a wooden whip and knocking them back into the forest, some lucky enough to avoid being hit and lifting the cannons, hitting the titans wooden leg to axe it drop, but the wood continuously regrew itself, making the titan laugh as he took in a deep breath and released a cloud of dust and gas, some of the settlers turning into gold and screaming in fear as they too turned to gold.
The natives then got involved, firing their arrows into the beast and yelling their battle cries to distract the massive Titan, which it turned and stomped it's foot, creating a shockwave and knocking them down before unleashing a breath of gold, turning them into as well.
"What manner of demon is this?" Powhatan asked, Maya working on healing John.
"This is new to us." Rainbow Dash said. "Spyro said the Heart Pieces will defend themselves if threatened, but this one seems... angry."
"It is the result of when the vessel is harmed." Psyrox said.
"Psyrox!" Twilight said.
"The Heart Piece sensed the dark desire of Ratcliffe." Psyrox continued, walking to the edge. "When John was injured before the Heart Piece could be collected, it felt threatened and found a new body to defend itself in and it shall wreak havoc on any and all unfortunate enough to be in it's path."
"How do we stop it?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"It needs to be destroyed." Psyrox replied. "The crystal the Heart Piece is in is the only weak spot it has. And judging by its body, it's protected by all the gold that was used to make the body."
"So we got nothing?" Rainbow Dash asked, crossing her forelegs. "Great, just great."
"We need to do something." Twilight said, calling her Keyblade. "We need to get that thing to not focus on the settlers or on the natives! Come on!"
Twilight ran ahead of everyone, Rainbow Dash following close behind to help while Fluttershy stayed back, Psyrox looking at her and at Maya, who was busy trying to heal John.
"Go help them!" Maya said. "I'm busy right now."
Psyrox nodded his head and summoned his blades, running over the edge and sliding down like he was riding a surfboard and running after them, his blades raised and ready for a fight while Fluttershy was hesitant to join the fight, looking at John and how much pain he was in before looking to the Titan, knowing she was going to regret her decision, but flew after the titan as it continued it's rampage. The Titan continued to move through the forest, settlers and natives joining forces to fight it, but their weapons were doing nothing, only annoying the beast even more as it roared in anger, it's arm turning into a cannon and firing massive balls of leaves, vines, and flowers at them, exploding and making them fly everywhere. As it readied another attack, Rainbow Dash arrived quickly and slashed it over the head, causing some actual damage to it as it looked up and glared at Rainbow Dash, getting ready to attack her, but Twilight unleashed a multitude of spells at it, making it cover itself with it's arms before it unfurled it's leaves, blocking the spells as they came.
"Dang, this thing's tough!" Rainbow Dash said.
"But not tough enough!" Psyrox said.
He ran underneath it's legs and hit the kneecaps, taking the massive titan down and making it get up with a struggle as he leapt and slashed it's head, making it howl in anger as it backhanded him, making him fly into another tree and fell unconscious, the titan getting up as Fluttershy arrived to help, seeing Psyrox was unconscious and flew over. The Titan got ready to turn him into gold, but Fluttershy called her blade and threw it, hitting the titan and forcing it to look at her as she charged, recalling her blade, but as she was about to hit it, the titan opened it's mouth and unleashed a large storm of golden dust, catching the mare by surprise and turning her into gold, hitting the ground with a thud and horrifying Twilight and Rainbow Dash as they saw their friend was now gold.
"FLUTTERSHY!" Twilight shouted.
"Hey, that was our friend!" Rainbow Dash shouted, charging and hitting the titan hard, knocking it to the ground as she climbed to get some altitude to hit it again.
Elsewhere, Fluttershy felt like her entire body was frozen, unable to move or even shake, the silence deafening to her and making her feel more nervous than she usually was, wondering if she was going to be ok once the titan was destroyed.
"Geez Fluttershy, you trying to memorialize yourself or something?" Spyro asked.
Fluttershy then opened her eyes and found herself surrounded by darkness, looking down to see a stain glass platform underneath her and saw it was an image of herself, sitting with a bunch of her animal friends with her actual friends images in the clouds, all in a field of flowers and enjoying the day. A moment later, she soon found Spyro sitting on a tree stump, using his magic to make a flower fly before looking at her, giving her a smile, which she feared up instantly and ran over, almost knocking him off the stump as she hugged him, tears flowing down her face.
"Oh Spyro!" She said, her breathing shaky as she cried. "I... I'm so sorry!"
"For what little butterfly?" Spyro asked.
"I... I didn't make it, did I?" She asked. "That thing turned me to gold!"
"It didn't, but you're not exactly dead Fluttershy." Spyro replied.
"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked.
"As a gold statue, you're basically dead to everyone else." Spyro replied, ending the hug. "But the amount of gold dust you were exposed to means the transformation is temporary, so it will wear off."
"It will?" She asked. "Then... does that mean..."
"It means the Natives and the settlers hit with the dust will return to normal once it's washed off." Spyro replied. "Kind of like what King Midas did when he had the Golden Touch. He bathed in a river and the rivers water took away the Golden touch and broke the spell on his daughter when he accidentally turned her to gold."
"But... where am I?" Fluttershy asked.
"This is your heart." Spyro replied, confusing her. "You're in your heart."
"How did I get here?" Fluttershy asked.
"I called you here." Spyro replied. "I couldn't sit by and watch one of my girls get hurt. Now I want to help."
"How?" Fluttershy asked. "How can you help me?"
"By lending you my power." Spyro replied, surprising her. "I can lend you my power, giving you the extra strength you need to defeat the walking golden idol. But..."
"But?" Flutteryshy asked..
"Before you agree, you should know, what will happen if you accept." Spyro said, turning to her. "When I share my power with you, you share in both my strengths and magic, but also my curse."
"Twilight told me." Fluttershy said, walking up to him. "As well as Rarity that you were immortal and age would never affect you." She then walked out o him, Spyro kneeling down, but Fluttershy put her head on his shoulder, wrapping her wings around him as she hugged him. "But I don't care. When I first met you, when you saved me from being hurt from Rainbow Dash's accident, my heart was fluttering, racing so fast that I thought it was going to explode. I would do anything to bring you back, even if it means bearing this curse for as long as it takes to bring you back."
"You sure Fluttershy?" Spyro asked. "Because once you accept, there's no going back. It's permanent and I don't think I can reverse it."
"I'm sure." She said, looking at him. "I'm more than sure."
Spyro smiled and hugged her back, light shining from the platform before they ended the hug, but a moment later, they shared a kiss, the light shining over them as the entire room lit up like the sun. Outside, Rainbow Dash and Twilight were giving it all they got, doing some damage to the massive Titan as Psyrox finally stirring, seeing Fluttershy was now a golden statue and felt like something was ripped out of his chest, though he was a Nobody and didn't have feelings, something inside him roared out in anger. He got up and called his blades to attack, but then heard something crack, looking to the statue and saw a crack appear across the surface, a yellow light shining out from it as the crack started to spread, surprising him as he backed away. A second later, the golden shell exploded and from it came a yellow light, a purple dragon roaring out and making everyone stop fighting and looking to the pillar, watching the dragon circle the pillar upward as a yellow Pegasus appeared, circling the pillar as well, both going upward before the collided, releasing yellow and purple lights as the pillar continued to shine, but at the base of the pillar, a stem was growing from the ground and a bunch of petals started to grow, covering the pillar as it grew and created a massive bud as the dragon came rushing down with the Pegasus, flying around the bud as it opened up to reveal a human figure with armor, but it was grayed out before music started playing.
[Unknown chorus]
Oh-oh, woah!
The Shining Dragon!
The Darkest Dragon!
The Kindest Pegasi!
Emotional Dragon!
The bud bloomed to be a beautiful flower and the dragon flew around the human figure first, purple particles appearing around him as some of the armor turned purple, the dragon flying through the figure and created a dragon's head on his left shoulder as the yellow Pegasus flew around him, yellow particles flying around him, making the remaining sections of yellow turn yellow with butterflies and plant patterns across the entire suit of armor, long pink and purple hair shooting out as a pair of Pegasi wings shot out, the tips of the feathers purple with the helmet taking the form of a Pegasi head, looking up as he reached his arms out, calling the combined Keyblades again, the same purple one from his dragon half, and the other one was yellow, same design as the others, but the teeth of the blade was different shades of pink from hot pink to light pink, holding them in a battle stance.
Mystical Creatures Unite!
These feelings are overflowing!
"Nature remembers your deeds." Spyro said, his voice mixed with Fluttershy's. "Now you shall answer for them."
The Titan roared out and charged towards him, raising it's golden arm to smite them, But Spyro used both blades nad blocked the attack, pushing back as the titan tried to turn him to gold, but he then slashed the blades across it's fist, making it roar in pain as it held his hand, but a moment later, he leapt into the air and used his wings to fly around the titan, he trees and roots of nature coming to life as they reached out and grabbed hold of the massive chunk of gold and nature, pinning it as it tried to break free, but couldn't shake off the trees as it fought to free itself, giving Spyro the chance to attack as he dove down and encased himself in a shell of wind and leaves, slashing it's wooden arm off and making it howl in pain and rage, glaring at him and released a storm of golden dust to turn him into a statue, but the wind surrounding him blew the dust away, spinning one of the Keyblades and sending it back to the titan, hitting it and turning some of it's own body into gold, making it difficult for it to move around.
Spyro flew higher and higher into the air until he was in front of the sun, combining the two Keyblades and pointing it at the Titan, the massive behemoth trying to move again as a beam of light shot from the tip of the blade, hitting the Titan's chest before he threw the blade and it hit the chest, making vines, roots and other plants of nature shoot out from the chest, pinning it to the spot before he flew down, his wings glowing gold before passing through the chest, hitting it and making it freeze, skidding across the ground to stop before it roared out, exploding from the hit and releasing the Heart Piece, the red symbol turning blue as a storm arrived, raining on the land and turning the victims back to normal, Spyro standing straight up and turning to where the titan was and then to the Settlers and Natives, everyone cheering as they had a victory.
"Aw yeah, down goes a massive monster!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Way to go Spyro!"
"Thanks RD." Spyro replied, kneeling down and hugging her and Twilight. He then looked up and saw Psyrox walking over, ending the hug and standing up to meet him. "And you must be Psyrox."
"It is an honor to meet you at last Spyro." Psyrox said.
"And It's good to meet you too." Spyro said. "Thanks for helping my friends. You're a good friend."
"I do what I must to protect the Heart Pieces." Psyrox replied. "Though I failed to keep one from falling into the hands of a mad man."
"Don't beat yourself up about it." Spyro said. "You did what you could. All that matters now is getting the remaining pieces." He then looked down to his friends, smiling at them. "I'm so proud of you girls. You've come a long way from when you first got your Keyblades. Keep going girls. You're nearly there."
He then started glowing and a second later, Fluttershy appeared before them, looking to her friends and smiling as they hugged, but then they looked to the Heart Piece and it stopped on the Pegasus head, Fluttershy getting her Keyblade out and pointing it at the Symbol. However, before she could get the Heart Piece, the sky above them started to crack, shocking them and a moment later, it shattered, shadowy Tentacles shot down and wrapped around the Heart Piece, pulling it into the darkness, horrifying them.
"NO!" Rainbow Dash screamed. She flew towards the crack in the sky to get the Heart Piece, but the tentacles pulled it into the darkness, the crack sealing itself before Rainbow Dash could reach it, the cyan mare stopping in mid air, starring at the spot where the crack was at. "No."
"The Heart Piece!" Twilight said. "It's gone."
"Something took it." Psyrox said, walking up. "Something powerful enough to shatter the barrier."
"We need to get it back!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, flying back down to them. "Psyrox, can't you open those corridor things?"
"I can, but unfortunately I don't know where the Heart Piece is." Psyrox said. "But I think I know what might."
A moment later, the book in Twilight's saddle bags started to glow, Twilight reaching in and pulling it out to see that the Indian Headdress symbol was glowing red, a page glowing, so she opened it and then the next chapter appeared, the title appearing for her.
"Chapter twelve: The Journey's End." Twilight read."
"Journey's end?" Fluttershy asked. "But, what about the Heart Piece?"
"Hold on, the riddle is coming." Twilight said, looking at the book. "Taken from victory, but not out of reach, go to the world that has a breach. Fading from existence and shattering from darkness, you must be quick to collect with finesse."
"What world is it talking about?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Mobius." Psyrox replied, looking to them. "The world it's talking about... it Mobius."
In the realm between worlds, the tentacles were dragging the Heart Piece through darkness, many Heartless attracted to it and rushing to claim it, but it passed through another barrier, blocking them from coming in while in the core of the planet Mobius, the tentacles moved it up to where it could be seen, Dark Gaia moving closer to have a look at it as he laughed at the prize he now had in his possession. Back in Pocahontas's world, everyone was gathered at the shore where the ship was at, the Natives bringing food for the settlers so they can maker the journey home, loading up the gold statue of Ratcliffe into the boat.
"Be careful with that thing lads!" Ben exclaimed. "It is the 'Governor' after all."
They then started laughing, pushing the boat out as the next one was getting ready to load John up to get him back home.
"Does he really need to go back?" Fluttershy asked. "Couldn't Maya heal him?"
"I wish." Maya replied, walking up. "The bullet hit him in the stomach. He's lucky it missed his intestines, and I mean really lucky as missing those is a one in a million shot."
"And if we don't get him back to a doctor soon, he'll die." Thomas said. "Don't worry, he's in good hands."
"Will you be back?" Pocahontas asked John, holding his hand.
"Someday, maybe." John replied. "I'll be back. You'll see."
The two of them then kissed one another, everyone smiling for their good fortune, however it was then interrupted a moment later when another earthquake hit, making everyone fall to the ground then the earth itself split, large cracks forming as more bits of earth collapsed, creating massive chasms and making some of the settlers and natives fall into the massive chasms, as they fell, tendrils of dark power wrapping around them before they turned into spheres of purple light, being sent into the sky as the sky started to crack, shattering into pieces as seven glowing green eyes looked through, a mouth opening as the lights shot into the sky, being engulfed by the beast.
"What the heck is that!?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Everyone, with me!" Maya shouted.
The ponies all ran to Maya, who managed to stand back up as the ground shook again, Maya calling her Keyblade and raising it up into the sky and surrounding them in light as more tendrils came out of the chasms and cracks, wrapping around those who they could reach and being turned into light. On the ship, the golden orb shot away from the world as more cracks appeared on it, splitting the world into multiple pieces as everyone saw it beginning to crack, the golden orb reaching the cockpit, much to their relief.
"You're alright!" Apple Bloom exclaimed excitedly.
"When we saw the cracks appearing, we feared the worse." Rarity said.
"Heh, you kidding!?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Nothing we couldn't handle! We weren't even scared!"
"I don't know, you seemed pretty freaked out to me." Sonic said, walking out from Behind Maya.
"Sonic!" Tails shouted, running up to him as Knuckles walked in.
"Tails, Knuckles!" Sonic said excitedly. "You're both alright!"
"Look, the world!" Luna said.
They all looked out the window to see what was going on, seeing that the cracks in the Land of Savages was glowing brighter and brighter before the world itself broke apart, shocking everyone as millions of lights flew out of the destroyed world, going in a single direction as the entire group watched.
"What... just... happened?" Shining Armor asked.
"The world has been destroyed." Psyrox said, walking out of the shadows. "Dark Gaia is waking up. And gathering strength."
"But... he never did this before." Sonic said, looking to the floating chunks of the destroyed planet. "How is he able to do this now?"
"Because he now has a Heart Piece." Psyrox replied.
"Wait, you didn't get it?" Shining Armor asked, looking to Twilight. "How?"
"He caught us by surprise." Twilight replied. "He took it as we were recovering from the fight and before we could acquire it."
"And now he has a direct link to all the worlds." Psyrox replied.
"All of them!?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Well, the ones that had a Heart Piece in them, yes." Psyrox replied. "Every world that housed a Heart Piece is connected due to the pieces, all of them hiding in worlds that are separated, but still connected to one another." He then pulled up a map of the worlds and there were ten more that were blinking purple, indicating they were in trouble. "Dark Gaia is using this connection to open rifts inside of the worlds, drain them of their life force to give himself all the strength he could ever need. And since he destroyed one already, it won't be long before he goes for another one."
"Then we need to stop him now!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, hitting her hooves together. "He's already made the biggest mistake of his life hurting our friends!"
"You said it Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie said, putting on an army helmet. "Let's get this mean old planet gobbler! It ain't going to gobble, gobble, gobble and more planets on our watch!"
"Then we're off to Mobius." Maya said, taking the pilots seat. "What are the coordinates?"
"No need." Psyrox replied, walking up. "I can get us there."
He raised his hand and a moment later, a massive Corridor of Darkness opened, the ship flying through the massive rift as they made their way to Mobius, praying they can get there before it was too late. On Mobius, Celestial Dawn was on her way to Angel island, the ship she was on moving as fast as it can given the shape the world was in as tendrils of darkness waved across the land, feeling the pull from them as they sung to her.
"Come to me, my friend." Dark Gaia said. "Become part of me."
She shook her head, getting the voice out of her mind before continuing on her way to the floating island to get the Master Emerald. Meanwhile in Eggman City, Metal Overlord was engaged with the Dragonic Overlord, both sides exchanging attacks and energy blasts, dealing however ugh damage they could to their opposition, not caring about the world around them until they locked their claws, growling at one another when they heard someone scream, looking down to see a Mobian running from the tendrils, but one in front of her wrapped around her, turning her into a purple ball of light before descending into the earth itself, shocking Eggman and Metal Overlord.
"Now you see what your meddling has done?" Overlord asked, breaking the lock. "Dark Gaia is waking and absorbing the life essence of everyone around us. If we continue to fight one another, then all we're doing is giving him more time to gather his strength and rise up from the core of the planet, destroying us all."
Eggman was looking around, watching as the tendrils tore his city apart, pulling cities skyscrapers into the ground while the people all screamed, looking down to see the Conquerers fighting the tendrils, but from the darkness, dozens of Nightmares appeared, attacking the machines and destroying them before they could do too much damage, realizing that the Overlord was right.
"So what do you propose?" Eggman asked.
"A temporary truce." The Overlord said. "We combine what remains of our resources and slow down Dark Gaia's awakening. I detect that Sonic and his friends are on his way and will be here shortly. Once they are here, we acquire the Master Emerald and summon the Chaos Emeralds, giving us enough power to put Dark Gaia back to his slumber until the next awakening."
The Overlord reached out a miniature version of his hand to shake Dr. Eggmans hand, who was hesitant at first, but reached his hand out, shaking on the terms of the truce, joining forces to fight Dark Gaia.