Chapter 22: Bridal Gossip
The next Morning, Spyro woke up to feel his entire body ache, wincing as he moved when he got up and feeling his back ache worse than it did last night, hissing as he moved. He managed to get up and move to the stairs, taking it slow as he moved until he got to the library, finding Twilight coming out of the kitchen and seeing him come down the stairs.
"Morning Spyro." Twilight said.
"Morning Twilight." He responded, looking around to see if Applejack or Rarity was around, but didn't see them. "Where'd the girls go?"
"Oh, they just left a minute ago." Twilight responded. "They wanted to go make a reservation for you at the La Te Da Spa."
She then walked over and saw how sore he was, didn't attempt to even touch him, noting how slowly he was moving and at how he winced with every move. But when he sat down, that's when she saw the bruises all over his body that she didn't see last night, seeing a bunch of black and blue marks all over his body and across his forelegs. Before she could ask if he needed anything, someone knocked at her door and the two of them turned their attention to the door, watching as Spike came in and behind him was Rarity and Applejack, followed by Nurse Red heart with a first aid kit by her side, Spike looking very confused to what was going on until he saw Spyro, his eyes and Nurse Red Hearts wide with surprise.
"Geez Spyro, what happened to you?" Spike asked. "You look like you lost a fight with a Ursa Major."
"You should see the other guy." Spyro said, chuckling, but then wincing.
Nurse Red heart immediately walked over and placed the bag on the counter and started her examination, noting everything external as she jotted everything down, lifting his forelegs, which made him hiss a bit, then moved onto his back, but when she saw his back, she flinched at what she saw. She saw a massive bruise between his wings going down his back, looking to be purple and black, which made her worry for her patient as she looked him over, feeling every inch to get a response, which she did with him giving pained yelps from time to time, and then felt his back to check if his spine was damaged, which she felt nothing, but it did feel a little crooked to her. When she was about done, she walked around to face him, opening the back and putting the stethoscope around her neck, facing him.
"I'm surprised you even managed to walk around with how your back is right now." Nurse Red Heart said. "Usually after such a back injury, you'd barely be able to walk. How did you injure yourself?"
"Got hit with a loose branch and got thrown off." Spyro said, pointing to the wooden horse head statue. "Ended up landing on that."
"Huh, that explains the massive bruise on your back." She said, pressing the stethoscope against his chest, trying to hear his heart beat, despite the emeralds in his chest, then pulling away. "You're lucky you're still walking. And how did you get those other bruises? You look like you lost a fight with a friend."
"That just about happened." Spyro replied, shocking the nurse. "Let's just say, we ain't exactly friends now as she did try to kill me."
"Oh." The nurse said, putting the instrument away. "Well, I do recommend you don't lift heavy objects or do any strenuous work for quite a while. And if you do train, try to keep it light. Nothing heavy."
"Well there goes my work out routine." Spyro said. "Guess it's back to bench pressing a single cart of stone."
"Will you stop kidding around your majesty?" Nurse Red Heart asked.
"Who said I was joking?" Spyro replied, confusing the medical mare.
"Nurse Red Heart, is it ok for him to go to the La Ti Da Spa?" Rarity asked. "I think that will help him with the healing."
"Well, I think it's ok." The nurse replied. "The twins are usually very gentle and being in a hot tub with gentle massages does help with the body's natural healing." She then looked back to Spyro, noting how calm he was, not bothered by his injuries. "I suppose it's ok. But nothing extreme as it could make the injuries worse."
"Not a problem ma'am." Applejack replied. "We'll make sure he gets better real quick."
With her examination complete, Nurse Red heart picked up her bag and exited the library, returning to the hospital to continue her shift. Back with Spyro and his friends, they were escorting him to the nearby Spa for him to relax and heal, which he didn't understand as to how having a spa day would help him heal his bruises, but just went with it as his friends paid for it ad didn't wish to hurt their feelings. While Rarity and Applejack walked with him to the town spa, Twilight went out for a walk of the town and see if she could help with cleaning the branches off the ground. When the trio arrived at the Spa, everyone saw a pink earth pony with a blue mane at the counter, waiting for customers to come in.
"Welcome to the La-Ti-Da Hair and Spa." She said. "How may I help you today?"
"Good Morning Aloe Vera." Rarity said. "I believe I have made an appointment."
"Oh yes, Lotus told me you have set an appointment for this morning." Aloe replied. "The usual for you Rarity?"
"Oh no, it's not for me this time." She replied. "It's actually for him."
Rarity and Applejack got out of the way to let the spa pony see Spyro, but when she saw him, she almost ended up collapsing in surprise, getting out from behind the counter and bowing to him.
"Y-your highness!" Aloe exclaimed. "It is a honor to be in your presence."
"Oh, please rise miss." Spyro replied. "I'm here because Rarity said you guys were good with your hooves and could help me."
"Of course your majesty." Aloe replied. "I just didn't expect the appointment to be for you."
"Oh, I thought I told Lotus who it was for." Rarity said.
At that moment, Lotus Blossom, a light blue earth pony mare with a pink mane walked in carrying a tray of hair products from the store house and was walking to the salon portion of the spa when she saw the trio, almost dropping everything when she saw Spyro. She set the tray onto the counter and bowed, looking up to the three ponies as she stared at Spyro.
"Your majesty." She said. "What an honor for you to be in our spa."
"Please rise, you don't need to do that." Spyro said, looking between the two mares, stunned at how they looked alike. "Are you two sisters?"
"Oh yes, we are." Aloe replied. "We are twin sisters and co-owners of this day spa." She then looked to her sister, giving her a bit of a leer as she did. "I thought you said the appointment was for Rarity? It was actually for the prince."
"Well, she did make the appointment, but I guess I forgot to write down who it was for." Lotus replied, giving a nervous smile. "Anyway, how would you like for us to serve you today, your highness?"
"Oh, this is his first time here." Rarity said. "In fact, it's his first time in a spa period."
"Really?" The twins asked at the same time.
"Well, we'll give him the best we can." Aloe said, walking over to guide the prince, but froze when she saw all the bruises over his body and the massive purple and black spot on his back. "My goodness, what happened to you?"
"Almost lost a fight yesterday." Spyro replied, being calm and nonchalant about it. "And last night, fell on top of a wooden statue on my back."
"My goodness, you are beat up." Lotus said, walking over. "But don't worry, we have special oils and ointments that help with blood flow and healing. You'll feel like a new stallion when we're done."
Before he could say anything, Lotus nudged him on his side, guiding him into the salon while Aloe walked next to the mares, talking to them about some of the things that they can do to help him with his bruises and to help him relax. As the mares left, Aloe went into the salon to see if she could help her sister, but saw as she helped him into a hot bath tub, smiling as he started to relax in the warm water.
A couple of hours went by after entering the spa and Spyro was feeling more relaxed and energized than he would any time else as the twins brought over the ointments and oils they said would help him and even massaging the sore areas of his body, rubbing the liquids into his coat and over the bruises, being gentle as they went. They also brought him to one of their chairs and gave him a full manicure, mud mask, basically giving him the royal treatment during his visit. When everything was finished, Spyro walked to the front counter and examined himself, finding that most, if not, all the bruising was gone, his coat was clearer, even his entire being was more relaxed than it did before. The only bruise that seemed to be visible was the one on his back, but it was fading fast as his body healed itself at a rate that he didn't know was possible.
"You look much better than you did before." Lotus said, walking up to him. "If you ever get injuries like that again, you can come to us and we'll take very good care of you."
"I just might take you up on that offer." Spyro replied, examining his own body. "I feel much better than I did before I came here. I think you guys got yourself a repeat customer."
"We are please to hear you say that." Lotus replied. "Drop by anytime."
Spyro nodded his head and turned to leave, but found his jacket and bracers on the nearby coat rack, thinking it was either Rarity of Applejack who brought them over, he put them on and walked out of the spa, not noticing the look Lotus was giving him on his way out, but Aloe seemed to notice and shook her head, knowing her sister was a sucker for any stallion she liked. As Spyro was leaving, he ran into Twilight and Spike out on their walk heading towards the town hall, walking up to the pair to join them.
"Hey there Twilight, Spike." "Spyro called out, getting their attention.
"Oh, hey Spyro." Twilight replied, noticing how refreshed he looked. "Wow, you look great."
"You think?" Spyro asked. "The Lotus twins did an amazing job with the massages and treatments. I don't feel bruised or sore at all. I think I might keep going there just to feel refreshed if not injured."
The three of them enjoyed the walk into town, reminiscing about last night and about their journey through the Pride Lands, the kinds of animals they saw, what they could have seen if given more time, and the types of places they could have gone to. But as they were walking through the town, Spyro noticed how quiet it was, sensing an unusual amount of fear within the town, which put him on edge as he was about to call his Keyblade when he heard someone try to get their attention, looking to Sugarcube Corner to see Pinkie call them over, motioning them to come closer. The two ponies walked over, but were instantly yanked inside the darken room of the store, hiding from something.
"Pinkie, what's going on?" Spyro asked. "Why are you hiding in here alone in the dark?"
"I'm not alone in the dark." Pinkie replied, pulling back the curtains to show all their friends were in the room with them, even Apple Bloom.
"Ok then." Twilight said. "So what are all of you doing here in the dark?"
"We're hiding from her." Applejack replied, pulling the curtain back to show a stranger in a brown cloak digging at the ground.
Everyone watched as she was digging into the earth, trying to find something when she looked in their direction, everyone but himself and Twilight ducked in cover as if trying to hide from her gaze. Spyro saw that her eyes were glowing yellow and thought it was a Heartless, but through the Force, he couldn't sense any darkness in her, not a single bit of dark energy in her.
"Did ya see her guys?" Apple Bloom asked, hopping up onto Spikes head. "Did ya see, Zecora?"
"Apple Bloom, Ah told ya never to say her name!" Applejack snapped.
"Zecora?" Spyro asked. "That's her name?"
"Well, we did see her glance this way." Twilight replied.
"Glancing evilly this way." Pinkie said, stretching the word evilly as she talked.
"Why are you guys flipping out over her?" Spyro asked. "What's the reason for you guys to freak out over her?"
Everyone looked at each other for a moment, but then Applejack walked up first, putting her hoof on his shoulder.
"Spyro, she ain't from around here." Applejack replied.
"She's also mysterious." Fluttershy added.
"Sinister." Rainbow Dash said.
"And Spooooooky!" Pinkie said, ending the conversation.
He an Twilight looked at each other, not understanding why they were scared of her and looked out again, but their friends immediately started crowding behind them to look out as well, making them both grunt from their combined weight. A moment later, Zecora removed her hood, revealing she has a striped Mohawk, making everyone but Spyro and Twilight gasp in surprise.
"Wow, a Zebra." Spyro said.
"A WHAT!?" The rest of the girls asked in unison.
"You guys really don't know what a zebra is?" He asked, not believing his friends at the moment.
"Does it matter?" Rarity asked, looking back out. "Just look at those stripes, so ghastly."
"Rarity, it isn't a fashion statement." Twilight said. "She's born with them." As soon as Twilight mentioned that Zecora was born with the stripes, she passed out from the shock of learning the pony they are seeing is born with them. "And she isn't a pony. My books say that Zebras are from a far away land. But I've never seen her in town before. Spyro, have you seen her before?"
"No I haven't." Spyro replied. "Plus, Zebra's are only known to be found in savannah-like areas, so basically she's from someplace like that. But I wonder where she lives currently."
"That's just it." Applejack replied. "She lives somewhere in, the Everfree Forest!"
As soon as she said it, something that sounded like lightning went off and in the kitchen, everyone saw that it was Spike, who was grabbing some snacks as he dropped some pots and pans by accident, scaring everyone, but Spyro.
"And that evil, wicked enchantress is in there doing her evil... Stuff." Pinkie said. "She's so evil, I even wrote about her."
While Pinkie was singing her song, Spyro turned his attention back to the window, looking outside to watch Zecora walking to all the window shops, looking at everything, but leaving as soon as she got to the door, sensing her disappointment. He turned to talk to the girls, but saw Pinkie was out of breath, breathing heavily after her song, which Spyro missed.
"Girls, aren't you jumping to conclusions before you even get to know her?" Spyro asked. "I mean, what exactly did you see her do to make her out to be evil?"
"Well, um..." Rainbow Dash said, trying to come up with something, but couldn't find the words she needed.
"She lurks by the store windows." Rarity said, walking up. "Every month, she comes into town and lurks around the store windows."
"Really?" Spyro asked, disappointed with his friends. "That's what you consider evil? Might as well think everypony who looks into the store windows is evil."
"We're being serious Spyro." Rainbow Dash retorted. "She's not normal."
"And neither was I when I first came to town." Spyro replied. "Everyone was starring at me when I first walked in and they accepted me."
"Yeah, because ya'll ain't from the Everfree Forest." Applejack replied. "And ya'll were with me, so they knew they could trust ya."
"Yeah, and I'm grateful everyone in town gave me a chance to get to know me." Spyro said. "But I'm very disappointed in you guys for not doing the same for her. I mean, if she comes to town every month, she could just be wanting to do some shopping, you know, be friendly." He then turned to the window again and felt Zecora's depression, sensing how unhappy she was, leaving town. "Plus, I don't sense any darkness in her. Just... sadness."
Everyone was starring at their friend, not believing that he was defending someone who they believed was evil. Applejack pulled him to her smacking him a couple of times to make sure he wasn't under a spell until he grabbed her foreleg, stopping her smacking.
"What was that for AJ?" Spyro asked, letting go of her leg.
"Just making sure ya'll ain't under some spell." Applejack replied. "But Ah think that spa treatment might have dulled your Force senses."
"It has not." Spyro retorted, offended by his friend. "My senses haven't dulled. They are as sharp as ever."
As everyone was arguing about Zecora, Spyro noticed that Apple Bloom was sneaking out of the room, opening the door and going outside, which he can guess what she was planning on doing and he felt the same way. While everyone else was distracted, Spyro sneaked out of the room and followed Apple Bloom, catching up with her and walking next to her.
"Going to talk with Zecora?" Spyro asked.
"Ah just don't think she's evil like everypony says she is." Apple Bloom said, looking at her friend.
"I agree." Spyro replied, kneeling down to let the filly onto his back. "I think what everyone is saying about her is nothing more than a bunch of rumors that got it of hand. I'm going to talk with her and get to the bottom of who she is and hope to clear any suspicions about her."
As he walked to the Everfree, he stopped at the mouth of it and put Apple Bloom down, the two of them walking together as they went in to find Zecora. As they walked in, Spyro could feel the dark magic inside, feeling the anger and rage within the forest as if it was yearning for revenge against someone. A moment later, he could sense Zecora close by, following her feelings of sadness and depression as he walked, finding her walking around a patch of blue flowers. Zecora could hear hoof steps from behind her and turned her head, gasping in surprised to see him as he walked towards the flowers.
"Excuse me miss, sorry for surprising you." Spyro said, stopping just in front of the flowers. "I didn't mean to spook you."
"Why did you follow me into the Everfree?" She asked. "It is full of dangers, don't you see?"
He looked at Apple Bloom, surprised to see that she just rhymed, looking for an answer from the filly if she ever heard her talk before, but the filly just shrugged, not knowing she spoke in rhyme.
"Well, I just wanted to talk to you." Spyro said, about to walk through the flowers, but sense her anxiety spike when he was about to.
He looked down at the flowers, remembering that Zecora walked around them and he just leaped over them, shocking the zebra as she looked at where he landed and where he jumped from, not believing he jumped a massive patch of the plants she walked around without even using his wings.
"There have been a bunch of rumors going around Ponyville about you." Spyro answered, Apple Bloom running up to them. "But I for one don't think the rumors have an ounce of truth. Name's Spyro. And this little trouble maker here is Apple Bloom."
"Hey, ya'll also cause some trouble yourself!" Apple Bloom retorted, Spyro sticking his tongue out and bringing it back into his mouth.
"My, a stallion who acts like a little foal. Surely that's not your personality as a whole" Zecora said, chuckling at the pair.
"So you do speak in rhyme." Spyro replied. "Must be difficult to do so every time."
Zecora and Apple Bloom couldn't help but laugh at Spyro as he spoke his rhyme, opening the zebra's mind and heart a bit to solidify his belief. He could sense nothing but light in her heart, satisfying his thoughts.
"You are a strange pony my friend." Zecora said. "You don't seem afraid of me in the end."
"That's because I don't judge a book by its cover." Spyro replied. "I could sense there was no darkness, no malice, and nothing sinister in your heart. I can also see the light coming off of it, that alone is more than enough to convince me you're not evil like they say you are. So, I'd like to get to know the real you, if you don't mind?"
"You... wish to understand myself as a whole?" Zecora asked. "To know all about me and not listen to rumors that are half full?"
"Why not?" Spyro asked. "I am the only hybrid in town and I understand what it's like to stand out from everypony else, being stared at and everyone wondering if I'm something bad. But they got to know me better, and I can help you do the same."
He lifted his hoof, making Zecora look at him with hopeful eyes as she was about to take his hoof, reaching up to it, but a lasso suddenly wrapped around his hoof, spooking the both of them as he knew what was coming next.
"Oh poodoo." Spyro said, getting yanked away from Zecora and being dragged through the blue flowers all the way to Applejack, who looked very unhappy.
"Spyro, what were ya doing bringing Apple Bloom to the Everfree, let alone to Zecora!?" Applejack exclaimed, her sister running up to them.
"Hey, don't yell at me Applejack." Spyro replied, getting up and removing the lasso. "I followed Apple Bloom outside when she ran outside of the cafe. Plus, she and I both know Zecora is not evil."
"Beware, beware you pony folk!" Zecora said, fog rolling in behind her. "Those leaves of blue are not a joke!"
"Hey, back off you witch!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
As the fog got thicker and thicker, Zecora kept telling them to beware of the flowers, but no one listened as they kept shouting at her, telling her to get lost and not to come back along with a few other insults. Everyone then turned to Spyro, walking into the flowers to yell at him.
"What were you thinking going after her!?" She shouted. "She could have hexed both of ya."
"Yeah, just like I sung in my song." Pinkie said, getting ready to sing, but Spyro just used the Force to wrap a vine around her muzzle, preventing her from singing.
"Girls, she is not a witch or an evil enchantress." Spyro said, removing the vines from Pinkie's muzzle. "Apple Bloom and I were talking to her just fine until you all scared her off."
"No, we saved ya both from her." Applejack said, getting out of the flowers and hugging Apple Bloom."Who knows what she could have done to you both."
"Yeah, like clearing her name of these bogus rumors." Spyro retorted. "She's not an evil enchantress. There was no darkness or sinister intent in her heart at all. I could see light in her heart when we were talking."
"Wait, you see the light in ponies hearts?" Twilight asked.
"Yes, I can see the light and darkness in them if I want to." Spyro replied. "There was no darkness at all."
Everyone stared at him in silence, hearing he can see the light and darkness in ponies hearts, which seemed to calm a few of them down, but their anxiety was still high enough for them to still believe she was not a good pony.
"T-then what about the hex she spoke?" Fluttershy asked. "It sounded like a curse to me."
"Girls, there are no such things as curses." Twilight said, annoyed at her friend's ignorance. "They're artificial, fake magic made with potions and incantations. They aren't real."
"Then what about that story Spyro told us last night?" Applejack asked, making those who haven't heard the story look at her. "Ya know, about that cursed Aztec gold?"
She wanted to reply, but couldn't find the right words to retort as Spyro himself said he witnessed it, so she couldn't come up with a good counter, but he then walked up, getting in front of her and took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.
"Girls, that wasn't a hex." Spyro said. "She was warning us about the blue flowers we're standing in. I saw her walk around them to avoid whatever effect they have. And if I get a rash from this after having a good spa day, you are buying the ointment to get rid of it."
Everyone left the Everfree together and went about their daily tasks, everyone in Ponyville followed suit after they saw Zecora leave the town, resuming their busy day. As soon as night came, Spyro took off his jacket and took a shower, hoping to get the pollen off of him as he didn't know what kind of effect the plants pollen could have on him. After getting out of the shower and turning off the water, he suddenly felt nauseous and dizzy, possibly some kind of reaction form being exposed to that pollen for too long, but fought through it until he got to bed.
As soon as his head hit the pillow and his eyes shut, he suddenly felt felt a sharp pain in his body, feeling aches and pains, his body getting extremely hot as if he had caught some kind of virus. Pushing through it, he finally went to sleep, but in his dream he dreamt about Zecora and the blue flower, her shouting beware as his friends started to change right in front of him into some kind of terrible monsters, attacking him as he had no choice but to fight back.
The next morning, he heard the rooster crow, letting him know that morning had come and he woke up, groggy from whatever he contracted last night, but sat up, stretching a bit, but noticed something was wrong right away. The room looked bigger as did the furniture and his jacket, knowing something was wrong and tried to get up, but when he did, he tumbled down and fell off the bed. He was annoyed and got up, but found his limbs were much shorter and couldn't feel his powers anymore, but could still feel the Force around him. He tried to get up again, but fell down, about to cry out in frustration until he heard someone's hooves running to his room, bursting into it.
"Spyro!" Apple Bloom shouted, looking panicked. "We got a-" She looked around, trying to find where he was until she looked down onto the floor and her eyes widened in shock, frozen to the spot like she saw the most disturbing thing in her life. "Oh my gosh."
"What?" Applejack asked, but her voice sounding high and squeaky, jumping up to let him see she was tiny. "Spyro, where the heck are-"
She stopped talking when she looked down at him, her eyes also wide in surprise as if she saw him for the first time in her life.
"Ya gotta be kidding me!?" Applejack shouted. "Zecora cursed him too!?"
He was about to shout there wasn't;t a thing as curses, but when he did try to talk, it came out as an angry baby squeal like they were throwing a temper tantrum, which made him become quiet as he confusedly looked around until he looked into the full body mirror he had, revealing he was turned into a baby hybrid. He was about to loose his mind when Apple Bloom picked him up and cradled him like one, cooing at him as she laughed at him as well.
"You are so adorable!" Apple Bloom said, Applejack hoping down to his head.
"Spyro, is that really you?" Applejack asked in confusion. "Cause if it is, ya'll got cursed by Zecora. Do ya understand me?" He leered at the tiny farm pony, reaching up to grab her, but she jumped back onto Apple Blooms head, avoiding getting grabbed by the baby hybrid. "Ah'll take that as a maybe. Apple Bloom, we need to get to the others. Let's hope they aren't cursed as well."
Apple Bloom put baby Spyro on her back and ran out the door, Spyro holding onto the fillies back for dear life as she ran, though she was still a filly, she was a fast one. As they went through town, everyone was cooing at Spyro and even doing stupid faces to make him laugh, which he wasn't amused, but decided just to go along with it to make their day as they reached the library. Apple Bloom opened the door and it was complete chaos as everyone was there, but seemed to have their own problem. Pinkie's tongue was a bit bigger and was covered in spots, every time she tried to say something she'd be spitting everywhere while Rarity seemed to be having a bad hair day as her hair had grown out of control and tangled up. Rainbow Dash however had her wings attached to her stomach and Twilight's horn seemed to flop around everytime she moved her head, which was really, really disturbing to even watch. Fluttershy seemed to be just fine as there didn't seem to be anything wrong with her.
"Twilight, we got a serious problem!" Applejack said, all their eyes looking at the trio as they entered.
But as soon as they entered, they gasped at seeing Spyro as a Baby and almost immediately, everyone started to surround him, cooing and making funny noises as he tried to get out of the group, wanting to get away from the crazy mares.
"Oh my gosh!" Twilight exclaimed. "He's so adorable!"
"I must take it back, if this is a curse, let's not try and reverse it." Rarity said, taking Spyro off Apple Blooms back and cradling him. "This is the most cutest thing in my life right now."
"Hate to say it, but I agree." Rainbow Dash said, trying to reach for him. "He's adorable. You AJ, did you and Spyro have a baby in secret and didn't tell us?"
"Now you just hold on there missy!" Applejack shouted, blushing at Rainbow Dash's question. "That baby ain't mine and Spyro's! That is Spyro!"
Everyone gasped in unison, but Spyro instantly turned to Fluttershy as he heard her voice, sounding very deep and masculine despite her current figure, which freaked him out the most. A second later, he was surrounded by Twilight's aura and placed on her back as she walked over to Apple Bloom.
"Wait, so Spyro is also affected by what this is?" Twilight asked.
"That is for certain!" Applejack said, shouting so everyone in the room can hear her. "Ah told ya, Zecora put a curse on us!" A second later, Applejack was screaming when she was pulled to Spyro, who was using his hoof to grab Applejack with the force and leer at her, trying to tell her that it wasn't a curse, but her thoughts went somewhere else. "No! Bad baby Spyro! Put me down this instant! Ah ain't a pacifier!"
"Well, looks like he can still use the Force." Twilight said, picking Applejack up and putting her on Apple Blooms head again. "And AJ, this is not a curse. There has to be a reason why we are all like this."
"I think I found something." Spike said, bringing a green book over and showing it to Twilight.
"Supernaturals?" Twilight asked. "Spike, this book is about nothing more than ghosts, ghouls, zombies, and curses. This isn't helpful."
"Bth ith iths uh crthhss!" Pinkie said, or more like sprayed as spit rained everywhere.
"Pinkie, maybe you shouldn't try and talk right now." Twilight said, backing up. "Everything in that book is make belief. Nothing useful in it. Just put it back in the shelf."
Spike looked upset at what Twilight said, walking back to the shelves to put the book away while Spyro watched, but a second later, he saw something in the book, seeing the same blue flower with eight petals, four already expanded outward while the rest were pointing up. Spyro extended his hoof out to grab the book just as Spike closed it and was about to put it up, but the book jerked towards Spyro, jerking his arm as he flew with the book, screaming as he flew past the ponies and into the wall as he let go of the book, sliding down the wall onto the floor. Twilight looked back to see him open the book and flip through the pages, not believing he was listening to this.
"And now you got Spyro believing it." Twilight said, turning her head to look at her friends. "Spyro, as I told Spike, that book is useless. We need to... OW!" Spyro had pulled her hair hard to get her attention, which worked as she turned her head to yell at him for doing that, but saw he was holding up the book and had it opened to the pages with the flower they were standing in yesterday, which made her take the book and read it. "Wait, I think he found something. Poison Joke, a peculiar flower that is used by pranksters from time to time to cause abnormalities to happen to the victim based on the pony. While it isn't dangerous, it is worth avoiding as it will hit you with its own version of a practical joke."
"Wait, ya'll sayin' the flowers we ran through did this to us?" Applejack asked. "But why isn't Apple Bloom affected by the plant?"
"Because I didn't go through them." Apple Bloom replied. "Spyro jumped over them when he saw Zecora look at them nervously. That meant they might be dangerous, so I went around them."
"It would seem we are all victims of a practical joke." Twilight said, turning to look at Spyro. "Good catch. But next time, tap me on the shoulder or something to get my attention. Don't yank my hair." A second later, he hugged the back of her neck with a smile, his version of saying sorry while stuck as a baby, which seemed to melt her heart as she just smiled. "Oh, who can stay mad at you with such an adorable face wittle face like that?"
"Well, we now know the cause, but is there a cure?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Twilight skimmed through the book quickly, but shook her head, not finding anything yet. Everyone groaning that she can't find one, but Spyro looked to the section marked Z and looked for a book on zebra's. He found one and with reaching out with the Force, pulled it towards them and made it float towards the group, opening it to where it showed what a zebra looked like to give them a clue to what he was thinking.
"A Zebra?" Twilight asked, getting what he was trying to say. "Oh, you mean Zecora. You're trying to tell us that she might know a cure?"
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Applejack shouted. "Let's get that witch and make her tell us how to-"
Before she could finish, she was pulled towards Spyro again and landed on Twilight's back, placing his hoof down on her tail, which made her yelp and look at the ticked off baby, letting her know to keep quiet.
"I think he's telling you to stop calling Zecora a witch or an evil enchantress." Twilight said. "Which, I might agree with him. Let's go see her and see if she can help us."
Everyone, but Spike left the library, going back to the Everfree to pick up her trail, taking care to avoid the Poison Joke flowers as they didn't know what would happen to them if they touched it a second time. Following Spyro's directions as he felt through the Force, they soon arrived at a tree with what looked like tribal masks outside and above the door.
"Seems this is it." Twilight said, leading everyone to the door.
She then knocked on the door and a moment later, Zecora opened it and saw everyone in front of her, trying hard not to laugh at their current dilemma as she stared.
"My, you six look ridiculous." Zecora said. "But for all of you to be in the Everfree is mysterious."
"Well, we didn't have any other option." Twilight said, Spyro poking out from behind her head, which made Zecora go crazy.
"Oh my goodness, you have a little colt on your back! He's so adorable, cuteness he doesn't lack!" Zecora said, coming out to see the little baby pony, but when she got a closer look, her eyes widened as she recognized the horns on his head. "Wait, I recognize this baby though. It cannot be, is it Spyro!?"
"You guessed correctly." Twilight said, her friends slowly inching closer. "He's the one you guided us to you because he thinks you might know a cure for this Poison Joke."
"Ah, so you know the effects of the flora blue? That's very good of you." Zecora said, beckoning them into her home, which had more masks and a lot of candles, flasks being hung in the air and being stored on the shelves.
"Actually, we only figured it out thanks to Spyro." Twilight said, the little guy hopping off her back and onto Zecora's.
"My, though he has the appearance of a baby foal, he still mind however is still whole." Zecora said, cooing at the baby. "Indeed, I know a way to reverse the flora's joking will, but there are some ingredients I'm missing from Ponyville."
"Really?" Twilight asked. "Is there a book that has the cure and the recipe for it?"
"There is indeed a book that has a recipe for the cure." Zecora said, pulling out a familiar green book. "'Supernaturals' has the recipe for sure. It's a shame you do not have this book particularly, for it would be a perfect addition in your library."
"Actually, I do have this book." Twilight said. "It's how he showed us it was an ailment from a flower."
Zecora then giggled a bit before turning to look at Spyro, still adoring the baby hybrid on her back as she found him adorable.
"Maybe next time, you'll take a second look. And not judge the cover of the book." Zecora said. "Like your friend here who did not assume and judge. And luckily for you, I do not hold a grudge."
"Yeah, sorry for assuming you were evil Zecora." Applejack said. "But let us make it up to you by helping you to make this cure. What do we need?"
The group entered Ponyville, but upon arrival, everyone ran away and back into their homes or to find any place to hide from Zecora, but thanks to the girls, who told everyone what had really happened and explained everything about Zecora, they then started to trust her as they got to know her a bit better. At the Spa, Rarity and Applejack took Zecora there as the cure wasn't a potion, but a herbal bath, so they talked to the Lotus twins and they agreed to help, but when they saw baby Spyro, they lost focus on their goal and started to coo and play with him while everyone else was busy making the herbal bath. Once it was finished, everyone got into the bath and the cure took instantly, everyone cured of their affliction.
However, Applejack and Spyro needed smaller tubs due to their size and when Applejack returned to her normal size, the bucket she was soaking in broke under her weight, which made everyone laugh while the Twins took their time putting Spyro in his tub as they wanted to hold him a little longer before putting him in. When they did, he submerged himself in the small tub and grew back into a teen-adult hybrid, getting out of the tub and pulling it off his rear when he was done.
"Man, I thought I'd never get back to normal." Spyro said, stretching his legs. "Being stuck as a baby was not fun."
"Aw, but you were so cute." Fluttershy said, her voice back to normal. "Wish I had gotten a picture before you turned back."
"Hey, let's get more of that Poison joke and rub it on him!" Pinkie suggested. "Then we'd get to play with him all the time."
"NOOOOO THANK YOU!" Spyro shouted. "I am not turning back into an infant again!"
Everyone laughed at his reaction, to which he also joined in on the laughter, finding his own reaction kind of hilarious. As everyone was leaving the spa, they started to hang out and escorted Zecora back to the Everfree, but were stopped by a set of peculiar footsteps. They were massive and shaped like a chameleon had just left the forest, which made everyone shiver at the thought of it when Spyro sensed something behind him, spinning in time as he summoned his Keyblade to deflect something and know whatever attacked him down, the invisible attacker's cloak to reveal a massive lizard with yellow eyes that shot in different directions and a dark heart with a red X going through it.
"Stealth Sneak!" Spyro shouted, deflecting another attack. "Spread out!"
Without being told twice, the girls ran in different directions, getting to cover while he dodged its attacks and struck it, but his movements were slow and his reaction time was off as he kept getting knocked around like it was his first fight.
"What's wrong with him?" Twilight asked, running with Zecora. "It's like he lost his strength or something."
"Seems the effects of the flora weakened his form. It seems to have weakened him as he perform." Zecora said, both of them hiding behind a rock. "But this creature I have never seen. What is it and what does this mean?"
"It's a Heartless." Twilight responded. "Spyro fights these things to protect us. They seem to hate him more than anything else, so if they see him, they ignore everything else around them."
"But if the Poison Joke weakened him, then he's a goner." Applejack said, running up to them as Spyro got knocked into a rock as it disappeared. "This critter can go invisible. That's not fair."
"He needs a power boost." Twilight said, looking over to Spyro. "Spyro, use a Drive! It might revitalize you!"
"Good call!" Spyro said, getting up as a dome of light surrounded him.
Everyone watched as he was changing, but a moment later, Applejack got surrounded by the same light, freaking Zecora out as she didn't understand what was going on.
"What manor of magic is this? Is there something that I did miss?" Zecora asked, but a moment later, she got surrounded by the same light and all three domes shattered.
The purple dragon shooting into the air as usual, but an Orange ethereal earth pony was running circles beside him along a black and white striped zebra, the three of them running up higher and higher, the girls surprised at what they saw until they collided as usual. When Spyro appeared this time, he didn't;t have his jacket on, but his coat had completely changed as he was purple with orange stripes across his body while his mane grew long like Applejacks, but it too was stripes with golden blonde and royal purple, and tri-colored eyes with the colors purple, emerald green, and turquoise. A moment later, Applejacks hat flew up to them and he caught it with his hoof, placing it on his head as he landed in front of the Stealth Sneak, even though it was still cloaked.
As it tried to attack him head on, Spyro called a new Keyblade, a thin curved blade with a tribal mask as the teeth, the bottom of the mask pointing to the guard of the blade that had a cauldron where the body of the blade was connected to, poison Joke flowers for the guard with her mark at the bottom of the guard, a emerald keychain connected to it. He swung the blade and left a large gash on its head, making it recoil as it came out of its stealth mode. A moment later, he called his Ultima Keyblade and another new blade, it looked to be medium sized with an orange body and wide with three apples for the teeth, two apple trees for the guard and the Element of Honesty at the bottom of the guard with a red apple keychain connected to it.
"You can't hide from me now." Spyro said, their voices united.
A moment later, the Stealth Sneak tried to use its stealth again, but it was interrupted by a blue powder that remained on its head, messing with its abilities. It then charged to tackle him, but Spyro just leapt into the air and landed on top of the Stealth Sneak, riding it like it was an angry bull at a rodeo until it tossed him into the air, hoping to devour him, but he just tossed three apples at the massive lizard, all three landing on top its back as they exploded, growing a massive Apple tree that pinned it to the ground as he turned around and dove straight at it, using all three blades to split the tree into four as the Stealth Sneak screeched in pain as the blade went through it, making it release a massive heart that disappeared a second later, destroying the Heartless.
"Too easy." Spyro said, everyone crowding around him.
"That was awesome!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "But, why did you fuse with Zecora?"
"That's what Ah wanna know!" Applejack exclaimed, his eyes turning emerald green. "Ah thought these drives of yours are limited to those who have your Prince's Light?"
"I thought the same thing." Spyro responded, his eyes turning purple. "Seems like I was wrong."
A moment later, his eyes turned turquoise as Zecora took over, looking over the body she inhabited and spun around, panicking taking over as she screamed bloody murder.
"What kind of magic did you do me!? My eyes show, but I do not believe what they see!" Zecora said, going into a ball.
"It's ok Zecora, don't panic." Twilight said, helping them up. "Rarity, Fluttershy and I went through the same thing. It's just his drive fussing you three together so he can borrow your power."
"But I am a Zebra and have no magic! Please tell me this wears off or else things are going to get tragic." Zecora said, her heart rate increasing.
"Calm down Zecora, all we need to do is dismiss it together and we'll separate." Spyro said, closing their eyes as he glowed, the three of them separating.
"Well, guess that means we got a new member right?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"I'm not sure." Spyro responded. "But-"
As he was about to finish what he was going to say, he spotted Zecora running back into the Everfree as fast as she could, getting as far away from them as possible. Knowing this was a lot to process, he told the girls he'll be back and followed her, following her fear and confusion as he ran through the Everfree forest, finding her on the cliff side over looking the forest and the town. She turned to see him walk over, but didn't run, letting him sit next to her so they could talk.
"Sorry that happened to you." Spyro said, sensing her anxiety. "Didn't think you'd be able to fuse with my drive."
"Is that part of some kind of power you possess? Cause of so, that's something I need to process." Zecora said, looking down at the forest.
"Yes, that is part of my power." Spyro responded. "I can call upon my friends to help e by asking to borrow their strengths and abilities, mixing them with mine to unlock new powers and magics. Guess your heart answered the call to help me." He could sense that she was still in shock, not believing what she went through, so he wrapped his wing around her, hoping to calm her down, but she flinched, retracting his wing. "When fused, I can use the power that I am given from the two friends I fuse with. And though we become one being, we are still separate individuals and when it's done, we return to who we were."
"Such magic is not of this land. Such chaos could get out of hand." She said, trembling. "How is it your friends are ok with this kind of magic? How do they not find it invasive and tragic?"
"Beats me." Spyro replied, confusing the rhyming zebra. "Guess it's because, when I fight, they feel safer knowing I am protecting them. We are a herd after all, so it's my job to protect them." Zecora looked at him, surprised to hear he and the six girls were a herd as it wasn't something that was common and only the princess could grant. "When the princess made us a herd, I was completely against it, but I guess when she saw us fuse, she saw something. A kind of unity between us that allowed for such magic to work and thought all of us together as one, a powerful bond of friendship like nothing else, could help me become stronger."
He could then sense that Zecora was calming down, listening to everything he was saying with intent, no longer freaking out, but now interested in what he was saying.
"And since you managed to be apart of the fusion, guess that means we have a powerful bond." Spyro continued. "How I do not know, but destiny, and the Force, move in mysterious ways some times."
"So, does this mean I am going to be in your herd? Yes or no is the answer, just a single word." Zecora said, waiting for an answer.
"That's up to you to decide." Spyro replied, confusing her. "If I add a mare to the herd, I want it to be of their own free will, not because they can fuse with me. I don't see them as inanimate objects that I can take when I can, but rather and ponies with a choice." He then turned to look at the zebra, seeing joy and relief in her eyes as he talked, slowly moving his hoof to take hers, which she didn't reject. "The choice is yours if you wish to join or not. And no, you don't have to live in a single house with us as we live in separate homes. But if you make a decision, you can reach me at Sweet Apple Acres or I can come and find you if you want. Just think long and hard about this as it is a big decision and shouldn't be taken lightly. Just follow your heart and it will guide you to what you truly want."
With that, he turned around and walked away, leaving Zecora at the cliff, watching as he walked back to the mouth of the Everfree, thinking about what he said and about the decision, wondering if she'll make the right choice. However, in the nearby bushes, Maleficent and Pete were watching everything, noting how he changed and how he acted when he used that drive of his.
"That was some show there." Pete said, his jaw still sore from that punching glove. "He seems to have a new drive."
"Yes, and it seems to involve his pitiful friends." Maleficent replied. "Seems when he call upon them to use the drive, as he said, they fuse into something else. Like Sora's but unlike his, these drives are more powerful than I imagined."
"So, what do we do?" Pete asked. "He's obviously not going to let those girls out of his sight, including that zebra."
"We'll need to find some other kind of power to counter this." Maleficent replied. "We're going to need to find those books before he does. If we find them, we can study their magic and use them against him."
"But what if he finds them all first?" Pete asked. "He obviously won't let us get them all as he already got the one we were after."
"Don't you start groveling about that you fool." Maleficent replied. "We'll find them. And when we do, nothing will stop us. Not even those drives. For now, let's see what we can do about that zebra and how we can use her against him."