Chapter 127: Heart of the Beast Part 3: The Fall of Gaston
At Belles house, Maya was using her abilities to create some warm steam to help warm Belles father up, helping with the hyperthermia he got while outside trying to find Beasts castle while Belle used warm rags to help warm him up, which he started to come to, Maya dismissing the warm steam as he opened his eyes.
"B-belle." Maurice said, which his daughter used the rag to wipe his forehead.
"Shh, it's alright papa, I'm home." Belle replied.
"I-I thought I'd never see you again." Maurice said, hugging Belle and seeing Maya. "And who's this?"
"This is my friend Maya." Belle replied. "She helped me look for you. Oh Papa, I missed you so much."
"But the Beast." Maurice said. "How did you escape?"
"I didn't papa." Belle replied. "He let me go."
"That horrible monster!?" Maurice asked.
"He's not a monster anymore papa." Belle replied. "He's... changed."
"Your daughter speak the truth sir." Maya replied. "Though Beast has a temper, he really did change thanks to Belle here. He's much gentler now. And... he loves Belle."
However, before they could go further into the Beaat and Belles relationship, they heard something moving around in Belle's bag, tipping over and falling down to reveal Beast's mirror and Chip, who had stowed away in Belle's bag, falling out and spinning on the mirror for a bit before stopping, looking up at them.
"Hi!" Chip said, bouncing to them.
"Heh, a stow away." Belle said.
"Well, hello there little fella." Maurice said. "Didn't think I'd see you again."
"Belle, why'd you go away?" Chip asked, turning to Belle. "Don't you like us anymore?"
"Oh Chip, of course I do." Belle replied. "It's just that-"
They then heard someone knocking at Belles door, curious about who it was, Belle went to the door and there stood the doctor from the Asylum, sending chills down their spines.
"Ugh, where did you come from?" Maya asked. "Creep town? Or did you make a wrong turn trying to get to Halloween town?"
"Dang it Maya, I wanted to say that!" Spyro exclaimed, Belle and maya hearing the voice.
"May I help you?" Belle asked.
"I've come to collect your father." The man replied.
"My father?" Belle asked.
"Don't worry Mademoiselle." The doctor said, revealing the Asylum wagon. "We'll take very good care of him."
Both Maya and Belle were in complete shock, causing Belle to become furious about what the doctor was suggesting.
"My father's not crazy!" Belle exclaimed angrily.
"He was raving like a lunatic!" LeFou said, stirring the crowd. "We all heard him didn't we!?"
The crowd all yelled in agreement with LeFou, all shouting as a couple of men came out to take Maurice away, which Maya got in the way to keep them back while Gaston just smiled, his sights set on Belle as she came out.
"No, I won't let you!" Belle said.
"Neither will I." Maya said, calling her Keyblade. "You'll need to go through me first to get to Maurice."
"Speaking of which, Maurice, tell us again old man." LeFou said. "Just how big was the Beast?"
"He... I-I mean... he was enormous!" Maurice replied. "I-I-I'd say at least eight, maybe ten feet tall!"
The crowd was all laughing at him, thinking he was crazy as LeFou raddled the crowd again.
"Don't get much crazier than that, do ya?" LeFou asked, making everyone laugh.
"It's true I tell you!" Maurice said, pushing past Maya, which the two men from the wagon grabbed him and started to drag him away.
"Maurice, no!" Maya said, which Gaston got in the way.
"You can't do this.' Belle said, pleading with the doctor, which Gaston smiled and walked to her as soon as the orderlies were with the crowd.
"Poor Belle." Gaston said. "Such a shame about your father."
"You know he's not crazy." Belle said.
"I believe he knows more than he's letting on." Maya said, sensing something wrong with him.
"Hmm, i might be able to clear up this little misunderstanding, if..." Gaston said, Maya knowing something was wrong.
"If?" Belle asked.
"If you marry me." Gaston said, horrifying Belle. "One little word Belle, that's all it takes."
"Never!" Belle exclaimed, pushing Gaston away.
"Have it your way." Gaston said.
The two of them watched at Maurice was being pulled closer to the wagon, everyone cheering for them when the ground beneath them turned to ice, causing the three of them to fall down as Maya ran over and helped Maurice up, pulling him away from the two men as they approached, but the Keyblade warrior called her blade again and swung, knocking them both to the ground as the crowd decided to gang up on her, wanting to put them both into the wagon when Belle came running out.
"My father's not crazy and I can prove it!" Belle said, holding the mirror.
"Belle, don't!" Maya shouted.
"Show me the Beast." Belle said.
As she said it, the mirrors power activated and revealed an image of the Beast, Belle showing them that the beast her father was talking about was real, everyone gasping in horror as they saw him, even Gaston was surprised to see that, now seeing that his plan fell apart.
"Is he dangerous!?" Someone shouted.
"No, no, he wouldn't hurt anyone." Belle replied, approaching the crowd. "Please, I know he looks vicious, but he's really kind and gentle." Belle looked down at the mirror, her heart beating as she saw him, which Gaston noticed and felt his blood boil, clenching his fist as dark mist escaped it, which Maya noticed and knew her gut was right. "He's my friend."
"You know Belle, if I didn't know ay better, I'd think you have feelings for this monster." Gaston said.
"Heh, funny coming from the guy who's willing to throw an innocent man into an asylum for no reason at all just to marry a girl he's obsessed with." Maya replied. "Or one who'd willingly open his heart to use dark magic."
"She's right Gaston, he's not the monster, you are!" Belle replied, angering the man.
"They're as crazy as the old man!" Gaston replied, taking the mirror from Belle. "The beast will make off with your children! He'll come after them in the night!"
"No!" Belle said, seeing the terror in their eyes.
"We're not safe until his head is mounted on my wall!" Gaston continued. "I say we kill the Beast!"
The crowd all shouted in anger, all riled up due to Gaston and his lies, Maya rushing forward and slashing him on the shoulder, injuring him as the people grabbed her and held her down, the dark magic in Gaston healing his wound, which Maya knew no one saw, but had to be sure, now knowing that he was corrupted, the darkness now circulating through him as he walked around, the music beginning to play as the people panicked.
[Villager 1]
We're not safe until he's dead!
[Villager 2]
He'll come stalking us at night!
[Village woman]
Set to sacrifice our children,
To his monstrous appetite!
[Villager 3]
He'll wreak havoc on our village if we let him wander free!
[Gaston]
So it's time to take some action, boys,
It's time to follow me!
Gaston took a torch and threw it into a pile of hay, setting a fire a lit and the shadows started dancing, creating images as the Beast roamed around, making the people fear rise.
Through the mist, through the woods,
Through the darkness and the shadows,
It's a nightmare, but it's one exciting ride!
Say a prayer, then we're there,
At the drawbridge of a castle,
And there's something truly terrible inside!
He took out the mirror and looked at the beast, LeFou looking at it before being smacked away.
It's a beast!
He's got fangs, razor-sharp ones!
Massive paws, killer claws for the feast,
Hear him roar, see him foam!
But we're not coming home 'til he's dead!
Good and dead! Kill the Beast!
"No!" Belle said, trying to stop Gaston. "I won't let you do this!"
"If you're not with us, you're against us!" Gaston replied. "Bring the old man!"
"Get your hands off me!" Maurice shouted, being thrown into the cellar along with Maya after she was tied up.
"We can't have them running off to warn the creature!" Gaston said, throwing Belle in and locking the door.
"Let us out!" Belle shouted, trying to break the door down.
"We'll rid the village of this Beast!" Gaston shouted, riling up the crowd even more. "Who's with me!?"
"I am!" Some of the villagers shouted. "I am! I am!"
[Angry Mob]
Light your torch,
Mount your horse!
[Gaston]
Screw your courage to the sticking place!
[Angry Mob]
We're counting on Gaston to lead the way!
Through a mist, through a wood,
Where within a haunted castle,
Something's lurking that you don't see every day!
It's a beast!
One as tall as a mountain!
We won't rest 'til he's good and deceased
Sally forth!
Tally-ho!
Grab your sword!
Grab your bow!
Praise the Lord and here we go!
[Gaston]
We'll lay siege to the castle and bring back his head!
"I have to warn the Beast." Belle said, trying to break the lock as Maurice got Maya free. 'This is all my fault! Oh, Papa, what are we going to do?"
"Now, now, we'll think of something." Maurice replied.
"Stand back, I got an idea." Maya said, sitting down and concentration. "There's a lot of snow outside, so if I focus, I can summon a large wave of water and bust the door down."
As they waited, Chip was looking in the direction of the castle, trying to figure out what to do to free them when they saw Maurices wood chopping gadget, getting an idea as he bounced towards the machine.
[Angry Mob]
We don't like what we don't understand!
In fact, it scares us,
And this monster is mysterious at least!
They then chopped down a tree and chopped off the branches and lifted it up, making a makeshift battering ram.
Bring your guns, bring your knives,
Save your children and your wives,
We'll save our village and our lives!
We'll kill the Beast!
"I knew it!" Cogsworth said. "I knew it was foolish to get our hopes up!"
"Maybe it would have been better if she had never come at all!" Lumière said. A moment later, the foot stool, which was actually a dog, started barking, getting their attention. "Could it be?"
"Is it she?" Mrs. Pots asked.
They all waddled and hopped along to the window, jumping up and seeing the army of angry villagers approaching them.
"Sacré bleu!" LUmière said. "Invaders!"
"Encroachers!" Cogsworth said.
"And they have the mirror!" Mrs. Pots said.
"This isn't good." Cadence said. "What will we do?"
"Warn the Master!" Cogsworth said, which Mrs. Pots went to do. "If it's a fight they want, we'll be ready for them! Who's with me?"
They slammed the door and he yelled, scaring him as he looked to the door before looking around for anything to fight with.
"Take whatever booty you can find!" Gaston said. "But remember, the Beast is mine!"
[Castle ware and Furniture]
Hearts ablaze,
Banners high!
We go marching into battle,
Unafraid although the danger just increased!
[Angry Mob]
Raise your flag,
Sing the song!
Here we come, we're 50 strong,
And 50 Frenchmen can't be wrong!
Let's kill the Beast!
They then hit the door, causing it to shudder and shake, spooking everyone there to prevent them from coming in as Mrs. Pots arrived at Beasts room to inform him of what is happening.
"Pardon me, Master." Mrs. Pots said.
"Leave me in peace." Beast said.
"But sir, the castle is under attack!" Mrs. Pots said.
[Angry Mob]
Kill the Beast!
Kill the Beast!
They kept on hitting the door, everyone on the door trying to keep them out, which they were loosing strength.
"This isn't working!" Lumière said.
"Oh Lumiere, we must do something!" A duster said, fear rising in her.
"Wait, I know!" Lumière said.
Everyone turned to see who was talking, all shocked to see Spyro was standing there, smiling at them as he wanted in on some of the action.
[Angry Mob]
Kill the Beast!
Kill the Beast!
"What shall we do, Master?" Mrs. Pots asked.
"It doesn't matter now." Beast replied. "Just let them come." He looked down at the rose, thinking about Belle as he awaited his fate, looking back outside. "I saw Spyro. I saw him in front of me when Belle looked in the mirror, seeing her father very ill and he nodded, letting me know it was the right decision to let her go and save her father. I hope she lives a happy life and I hope, deep in my heart, that her father is alright."
Mrs. Pots was confused for a moment, looking to the rose and then saw it flicker, seeing a wave of light pass over the case and she saw in the reflection was Spyro, consoling Beast even though he couldn't be seen or felt, looking to Mrs. Pots.
"Spyro... if you can hear me, we need your help." Mrs. Pots said. "The castle is under attack, the master is heart broken, please, help us.
She saw Spyro nod his head, turning around and walking out the reflection of the door, heading out to see what he could do to help out.
[Angry Mob]
Kill the Beast!
Kill the Beast!
Kill the Beast!
They finally managed to break the door down and all they saw was furniture lined up, giving some of the people the chills as they walked in, swords, pitchforks, and clubs ready to fight as they gingerly entered, waiting for something to happen as LeFou reached for Lumière, who was ready to give the signal. The ponies got ready to fight as well, Twilight and Rarity getting their Keyblade shout ready to go when Twilight felt a hand on her shoulder, looking up and seeing a dark figure next to her, becoming spooked.
"I got this." The figure said, Twilight recognizing the voice.
She backed away and allowed the figure to walk down the stairs, which was when Gaston raised his hand, stopping everyone as he saw someone walking down the stairs, the darkness covering him as he got his bow and notched an arrow, pulling back to take aim.
"Put that down little man." The figure said, continuing to walk down the steps. "You're going to waste an arrow." Gaston released the arrow, watching it sail towards the figure, but he quickly grabbed it, still walking down the steps as the arrow went up in flames, a purple flame burning the arrow as it turned to ash, shocking everyone as he walked down. "I told you. You'd waste a perfectly good arrow."
"Who... are you?" Gaston asked.
"A friend of the Beast." He replied, walking down the steps while using the guard railing to walk down, but as he walked, the candles ignited, emitting a purple flame that seemed to be unsettling to the villagers as he approached, Gaston notching another arrow and pulling it, but then remembered the man's reflexes and saved it for the Beast.
"Smart move." The man replied, the light finally showing it was Spyro who stood in his way. "Now how about you and your little mob here turn around and walk away before things get nasty."
"Not until we kill the Beast!" One villager shouted. "He won't eat our children!"
"Eat your children?" Spyro asked, laughing at the nonsense. "Who fed you these lies?"
"Gaston said so!" Another replied.
"Gaston?" Spyro asked, looking at their leader and walking around him. "Well, look at you. Big strong man, inciting a riot. Oh, I know everything about you Gaston."
"Everything?" Gaston asked.
"Oh yes." Spyro replied, walking away from him and back to the stairs. "I know about the little deal you made with a certain witch, Maleficent, to get Belle all to yourself."
"What?" A villager asked, looking to Gaston. "Is this true?"
"Of course it isn't." Gaston replied.
"Did you see how fast he managed to heal himself?" Spyro asked, turning to the people. "How Maya, the blue haired girl, slashed him and there it is, his shirt cut at the shoulder, and, a scar." They all walked up and saw the wound, matching the cut on Gastons shirt as it faded,m the people all shocked by this. "What did she promise you big boy? Belles hand in marriage? Typical. Brutes like you don't respect a woman or her feelings or even their interests. All you do is strut around, thinking you're the king of the world, taking whoever you want and whatever you want. Speaking of, did your friend Maleficent tell you how she kidnapped Belle one time, taking her Heart to open a doorway into a realm of pure darkness?"
"What?" Gaston asked, the people now questioning Gaston as they lowered their weapons.
"Belle is a Princess of Heart." Spyro continued. "Meaning she is one of seven special women who can open the door into a realm of pure light. one in which darkness is continuously trying to get into. And you... you want to marry the princess while also trying to take the life of the being who saved her and save this world from blinking out of existence. Care to take a guess who it is?" The people looked at one another, wondering who it was and looking to Gaston, who looked equally as confused. "Give up? The Beast, that's who!" As he shouted, the torches and the stone columns roared to life with fire, lighting the entire room. "And you want to ransack and destroy everything here? You're basically committing mass murder if you do."
"Mass murder?" LeFou asked.
"Look around you small fry." Spyro replied. "The furniture, they're people. An enchantress put a spell on them, turning them into inanimate objects because of their master's cruelty, but now he's changed, better than what he was before. He's no longer the monster here ladies and gentlemen. the monster here is Gaston, who sold his heart and possibly his soul, to a witch just to get a girl."
"Enough!" Gaston shouted, dark clouds escaping him as voids opened up and several Soldiers, Hook Bats, and some of the Gargoyle Statues came to life, ready for a fight as everyone backed away, seeing the darkness in Gaston come out. "Move out of the way or I will destroy you and this castle you pathetic little weakling. With this power, I will-"
"What do you know about power Gaston!?" Spyro asked, appearing in front of him, which he didn't seem phased. "All anyone wants is power! Power to become stronger, not to feel helpless! Power to take revenge! Power to feel like somebody important!" As he talked, the flames turned red, giving the room a blood red color as the people felt scared, not knowing what to do and looking to the Heartless before looking to Gaston, now seeing him for what he has become. "I ain't no weakling! I ain't no ghost! And your heart, is no longer in the light!" He raised his hand and the flames jumped to it, all streaming to it as Spyro smiled. "Welcome to your doom, MOTHERBUCKER!" He threw his hand down and unleashed a torrent of red flames, the people all jumping out of the way as the flames washed over the Heartless destroying them while the people were focusing on not getting fried. "Girls, Lumière, everyone, Nows your chance!"
"NOW!" Lumière shouted.
As Lumière gave the signal, the entire castle came to life, furniture and some of the armor came to life, attacking the villagers and giving them the wet works while the ponies came out of their hiding spots and engaged the Heartless, Twilight and Rarity focusing on the Heartless while Cadence flew in the air, firing bolts of magic into the crowd, causing them to slip and fall or destroy the Heartless while Shining Armor found the nearest weapon he could get, picking up a sword that one of the villagers dropped before getting into the crowd, disarming as many villagers as possible, not noticing Gaston was making his way up the stairs, darkness covering him as he was on a mission to destroy the Beast. Back at Belles house, Chip managed to get the machine running, blowing on the coals to bring them to life before pulling the cord and activating the machine, riding it to the door into the cellar.
"What the devil?" Maurice asked, seeing the machine coming to them. "Belle, look out!"
Maya wondered what it was they were freaking out about, opening her eyes as she had just gotten the spell she needed when the chopping machine bust through the door, turning herself into water and into a puddle as the machine crashed into the cellar, Maya changing back to her human for and looked at the carnage, seeing the messed up room as Chip was hanging onto a spring, bouncing around and laughing.
"You guys gotta try this thing." Chip said.
"Later perhaps." Maya said, getting Chip down. "We need to get back to the castle before it's too late!"
The group ran out of the cellar and onto the land, Belle getting onto Phillipe and getting her father on the horse while Maya conjured a massive wave, riding it as she followed Belle and her father, holding onto Chip. Back at the castle, it was complete madness as there was ruined books and furniture everywhere, some people lying unconscious while Twilight and Rarity fought against the Heartless, striking down all that appeared from the void while also using some of their spells to mess with the villagers, but not seriously injure them, chasing them out one by one. Meanwhile, Gaston was going from room to room to find the Beast, his anger towards him soaring as the darkness inside him grew, walking down the hall as more Heartless appeared from the void, walking beside him as he searched.
Meanwhile, back in the main foyer, everyone was fighting for their lives and the life of their master, knocking around and smacking about any and all villagers that came, one of them accidentally getting pulled into a wardrobe, which he was forced into some random clothing, running away, while LeFou was moving a torch close to Lumière, causing him to melt, but before too much damage could be done, Cogsworth came out of no where and rode down the railings of the stairs, his scissors ready to go as he rode down and nailing the poor guy in the rear, making him jump sky high after being hit, saving his friends life. Back with Maya and Belle, they were moving as fast as they could through the forest to get back to the castle, Maya having to deal with some of the Heartless along the way, praying they weren't too late to save their friend. At the castle, one guy was ripping feathers out of one of the feather dusters, which Lumière wasn't having it, so he hopped over and blew a massive ball of fire up, setting the mans butt on fire and making him yell in pain, dropping the duster, which he caught her and held her in a romantic manner, showing he had feelings for her.
A little while later, the remaining villagers were chasing the foot stool dog about, chasing it all the way to the kitchen, growling at them as LeFou and his allies approached the stool, ready to smash it, but the drawers shot open and dozens of knives and every sharp utensil in there popped up, the cook igniting his oven and burner to make the flames shoot up, freaking them out and making them run away along with every villager still in there, running down the stairs and out of the castle, running as far away as they could, everyone cheering having defeated them.
"And stay out!" Cogsworth shouted.
"Yeah, and if you come back, we'll whip ya again!" Shining Armor shouted, which Cadence laughed and kissed her husband to be, smiling at him.
"Wait, we're one short." Twilight said.
"What do you mean darling?" Rarity asked.
"I mean they came in with their leader, but didn't flee with him." Twilight replied, everyone looking to her. "Where's Gaston?"
With Gaston, he finally managed to find Beasts room, opening the door slowly and looking in, finding the Beast, so he took aim and notched his arrow, the Beast looking to him and at the arrow, but he didn't do anything, looking back to the rose as Gaston released the arrow, hitting him in the shoulder and making Beast roar in pain before being pushed out of the window, Gaston laughing as Beast got back up, only to be kicked over the railing and down the roof, falling on the ledge as Gaston landed near him.
"Get up!" Gaston said, kicking the Beast. "Get up!" He approached Beast, who refused to fight back. "What's the matter Beast? Too kind and gentle to fight back!?"
Beast looked upset, refusing to fight as he felt love sick as he looked down, Gaston taking a nearby statue from the side, ripping it out and approaching Beast, dark flames appearing on the makeshift club as he approached, Beast looking down to the ground.
"No!" Belle shouted.
Beast opened his eyes and looked down, seeing Belle and Maya witch Maurice, his heart soaring as he saw her.
"Belle." Beast said.
"No, Gaston, don't!" Belle shouted.
Gaston raised the club, ready to finish Beast off, but a beam of pink magic hit the club, extinguishing the flames as Gaston swung, giving Beast the chance to grab it, getting up and towering over a horrified Gaston. Beast looked to his right and saw Twilight was there along with Cadence and Shining Armor, each unleashing a few spells at Gaston to throw him off, forcing him to back away and growl at them, multiple Air Soldiers appearing and surrounding them as they attacked, which Twilight fought to keep her brother safe as Cadence flew around, avoiding them as much as possible. With Beast and Gaston, the two were going back and forth, Gaston swinging his cloud, but Beast grabbed it, disarming him and causing the hunter to slip, only catching himself last minute before Beast pounced, causing the two of them to fall onto the rim of the roof where a bunch of statues were, Gaston kicking Beast off ands into the darkness. Gaston got back up and grabbed the club, dark flames appearing on it again and swung, hitting a statue thinking it was Beast as thunder cracked across the sky, looking around for his target.
"Come out and fight!" Gaston shouted, walking into the row of statues. "Were you in love with her Beast!? Did you honestly think she'd want you, when she has someone like me!?" This angered Beast, who was blending in with the statues and snuck up behind Gaston, but he knew the Beast was coming up behind him and spun around, swinging and forcing Beast back, avoiding the dark flames as the rain came down, almost killing Beast as the lightning cracked across the sky, Gaston's eyes turning dark as the darkness began to consume him.
A moment later, a magic beam shot out and knocked the club out of Gastons hands, shocking him as he suddenly saw Twilight rush towards him, slashing upward and knocking Gaston back as he covered his wound, surprised by the sudden attack as Beast looked to his friend, who was breathing heavily.
"Beast, now!" Twilight shouted.
Without hesitating, Beast backhanded Gaston into the roof, dazing him before grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and holding him over the side of the castle, horrifying Twilight as she saw her friend about to drop Gaston.
"Let me go!" Gaston pleaded. "Let me go! Please, don't hurt me! I'll do anything! Anything!"
"Beast, don't!" Twilight shouted, Beast looking to her. "If you let him go, you only prove to him that you're really a monster that needs to be destroyed! Please, don't prove him right. Think about Belle."
Beast paused for a moment, looking to Gaston and seeing the fear on his face, remembering the night Belle arrived and remembered how she would do anything to save her father, remembering the old him as he would do terrible and cruel things to everyone, looking to Gaston, he growled at him and pulled him in, glaring at him as he only had two things to say to him.
"Get out." Beast said, tossing Gaston onto the ledge.
"Beast!" Belle exclaimed, getting their attention.
"Belle." Beast said. He then picked twilight up and started climbing up the roof, reaching Belle and putting Twilight onto the veranda that Belle and everyone else was on, putting his paw on her face and smiling at her. "You came back."
Belle held Beasts paw, her heart bouncing for joy as she held it, the ponies along with Maya all smiling at the two as they were reunited, but a moment later, Beast roared in pain, everyone shocked when they saw Gaston pull out a knife, covered in Beasts blood, which Twilight was furious as she rushed forward and slashed his arm, causing him to let the knife go before slashing him across the face, making him fall backwards as he screamed, falling down the chasm as Belle and Maya pulled Beast onto the Veranda, Lumière and the others coming up and seeing their master was in bad shape, watching as Maya and Belle landed him onto the ground, seeing he was injured badly as Maya checked the wound.
"Beast?" Belle asked.
"Belle..." Beast said, though he sounded weak. "You came back."
"Of course I came back." Belle replied. "I couldn't let them... oh, this is all my fault. If only I got here sooner."
"This isn't good." Maya said. "Gaston got him in the spleen. He's bleeding a lot. If it's not taken care of, he'll die."
"Maybe... maybe it's better this way." Beast said.
"No, don't talk like that." Belle said. "You're going to be alright. We're together now. Everything's going to be fine, you'll see. Maya, can you heal him?"
"Wounds pretty deep, but I've healed worse." Maya replied. "Luckily for us, I've still got some mana left after making a couple of trips between here and Belles house."
Maya called the power of water again, a small orb of water appearing in her hand as she reached for the wound, the ponies watching worriedly, wounding what they could do to help when Twilight looked up, seeing someone had climbed over the railing and taking a bow, notching an arrow and pointing it at Maya as dark flames appeared on the tip of the arrow.
"Look out!" Twilight shouted.
She pushed Maya out of the line of fire as the mystery figure released the arrow, which it hit Twilight in the side, making her gasp in pain as she fell to the ground, slipping along the ground before stopping just short of the ledge, not moving as she heard her own heart beating as the edge around her eyes started to grow dark, the figure walking over and putting his foot on the dying pony, which it was revealed to be Gaston, a massive gash across his face with his right eye missing, growling and glaring daggers at her as she gasped for breath.
"You!" Gaston said, pressing his foot down on her. "You ruined my face! My beautiful face you dumb animal!"
"Heh, the least I could do after you nearly killed my friend." Twilight said, which Gaston pushed down harder on her chest, breaking a couple of her ribs.
"Oh, think you're funny huh?" Shining Armor asked. "Well little pony, let's see how you like falling down a chasm to your death!"
"TWILEY!" Shining Armor asked.
Gaston then pushed the dying unicorn off the ledge of the castle, Shining Armor running to the ledge as Cadence took off, but Gaston notched another arrow and released it, hitting Cadence on her left wing as maya got up, summoning her Keyblade as she charged towards him. He reached to his side and pulled out a sword made out of black fire, blocking Maya's attack as he laughed at her, holding his own as Shining Armor looked down the ledge in pure horror.
"Guess with all your power, you couldn't save your friend." Gaston said, literally laughing at her. "And now you will loose two friends today, maybe more."
"You monster!" Shining Armor shouted.
He took out the sword he took from one of the villagers, getting into a fight while Maya and Rarity rushed to Cadence, checking on her as the princess and Rarity looked to the ledge where Twilight was pushed from, Cadence reaching out to it as if twilight was still there.
"Twilight." Cadence said, choking on her words as she started to cry.
For Twilight, she felt time slow down for her, watching as everything seemed to slow down, her entire life passing in front of her eyes from her birth, to her time as the princesses student, all the way to when she met her friends and Spyro, a tear rolling up her cheek as she fell, closing her eyes as she fell, awaiting her fate.
"Oh my goodness, Twilight!" Spyro exclaimed.
She then opened her eyes and looked around, finding she was in a place that was dark, looking down and finding she was on a stain glass pillar with an image of her with the Element of Harmony on her head, reading a book while in a library, her friends images on book covers with Spyro next to her, reading with her as they laid down together. She looked over and then saw Spyro, who had pulled the arrow out of her side and was healing her, her heart leaping for joy.
"Spyro." Twilight said, wanting to get up, but the pain kept her from moving.
"Hold still little bookworm." Spyro said, healing her. "Geez, what did you do to yourself? That arrow went into your lung and knocked your heart. You could have died."
"Heh, well, I sorta did what you would do." Twilight replied, trying to laugh, but whined in pain.
"Well I can heal myself in a matter of seconds, you can't." Spyro replied. "Had it been another inch to the right and you'd have been dead in a matter of seconds. What were you thinking?"
"I just wanted to protect Maya from getting hit by Gaston's arrow." Twilight replied, getting up as soon as Spyro was done.
"Ugh, Gaston." Spyro said. "That guy is a real prick. Respects no one, but himself."
"We sorta figured that." Twilight said. "And now he's going to kill Beast. We need to help them."
"Then you're going to need some extra firepower." Spyro said, getting her attention. "I can lend you my power, which should be enough of take him down. But..."
"But?" Twilight asked.
"There's something you need to know." Spyro said, sitting down. "You see, when we fuse, it's usually you girls that lend your power to me. But this time, it'll be me lending my power to you. And when I share my power with you, you share in my burdens and my curse."
"Your... curse?" Twilight asked.
"Immortality." Spyro replied, surprising her. "You remember when we were helping Stephen back at the World of Marvels? How Kaecilius spilled the beans how I am immortal?"
"Wait, you mean I'll live forever?" Twilight asked.
"Exactly." Spyro replied. "Every Prince of Light and Darkness is immortal, spending thousands of years protecting Kingdom Hearts until they find a worthy heir to take their place as the new prince. Sometimes, it'll take a few months, but most of the time it'll be thousands if not tens of thousands of years until a worthy heir is found. This means if you accept, you'll live forever. Living past your friends and families times, watching as they age without you, watching them pass away before your eyes. Twilight, is this what you want?"
Twilight was in complete shock, walking to the edge of the platform, looking out to the darkness as she processed what she heard, coming to terms that she may watch her friends pass away in front of her, watching her family pas away and being unable to do anything about it. A moment later, she turn to Spyro, who was about to get up and ran to him, hugging him as she did.
"All I want is to bring you back home." Twilight said. "For the longest time, I only focused on my studies, never making friends and not finding any pony that I could love. But when I met you, how you protected me, guided me, all the adventures you took us on, even going as far as protecting a pony who I really care about. I'd do anything to bring you back, no matter how long it takes. I... I love you Spyro. I want you home. Please... come home."
Spyro smiled, touched by what Twilight said as he hugged her back, the platform shining as it released a large amount of light, engulfing them as it shined forth into the darkness. In the real world, Shining Armor and Rarity, who got over her shock, were engaged with Gaston, who used a large amount of dark magic to try and overwhelm them, throwing them off and into the wall while Maya finished up healing Cadence, calling her Keyblade and charging, locking her blade with Gaston's.
"You don't get it, do you?" Gaston asked, grabbing Maya's arm and throwing her to the ledge, which she managed to grab last second as Gaston walked over, plunging his sword into her hand, making her scream in agony. "This fight is over. BELLE IS MINE!"
As he shouted that, a pillar of lavender light shot out, blinding Gaston and making him stagger backwards as Maya got back up, taking the sword out of her hand and looking to the pillar along with everyone else to see a shadowy figure appear, the pillar disappearing with a large explosion as two rings of magic appeared, a royal purple ring underneath him and a lavender one above, a purple dragon shooting out and roaring as it circled the bottom ring, a magical pattern appearing in the ring while a lavender unicorn appeared, neighing out and running around the top ring, moving his arms around to bring the rings to his left and right side. The royal purple ring moving to his left, passing over him as a dragons head appeared on his left shoulder while creating a magicians jacket with the pattern of the elements: Air, Water, Earth, and Fire, royal purple with gold armor on it while the right on the right moved, passing over him as the unicorn head appeared on his right shoulder, adding a starry pattern to the jacket and filling in the armor with a Lavender color, a large star in his chest as he called the combined Keyblades, both of them purple but the one on his left was the usual one from the dragon side while the other was ore lavender in color with the teeth of it Hot pink at the top and turning to a dark indigo as it moved down, spinning the blades as a pair of dragon wings appeared, raising his Keyblade to Gaston as he smiled.
"Showtime." Spyro said, his voice used with Twilights.
"Who the devil are you!?" Gaston asked.
"Spyro!" Belle said, getting Gaston's attention.
"I'm your worse nightmare pal." Spyro replied, appearing behind the dark hunter. "You nearly killed one of the girls I love."
Gaston got spooked, turning to attack, but Spyro blocked the attack and opened his mouth, releasing a chilling breath of ice into his eyes and blinding him, making him yell in pain before he was lifted into the air, being thrown up as dozens of hot pink stars appeared, releasing a barrage of fireballs and thunder bolts, nailing Gaston as he fell to the ground, getting round house kicked into the roof as Spyro tackled him. As he tackled him, he flew through the roof, diving down and making Gaston hit his head on every post in the tower, flying out of the window and using his Comet Dash attack to bash him into he ground. Gaston got up, staggering as he looked for his enemy, but two tethers made from magical energy restrained him, looking up to see Spyro spinning both blades, pointing one into the air and the other at Gaston, looking up to see a massive meteor fall towards him, panicking as he broke free and surrounded his fist in dark energy, punching the massive chunk of rock, but he ended up fracturing his fist, yelling in agony as he saw the deformed hand, looking up but Spyro was already walking to him, so Gaston shook his fist, healing it as he got his bow again and notched an arrow, releasing one, which turned to hundreds as they sailed towards the young prince, but Spyro just smiled, spinning around as two cylinders appeared, the arrows going into the one on the right and going out the one on the left, making Gaston panic, but unable to do anything as the earth beneath him turned to mud, making him sink before solidifying, keeping him from moving as the arrows hit him, turning him into a pin cushion before Spyro appeared again, slashing through him and making him fall to the ground, freed from the earth.
Gaston got up, although shakily as he used his sword for support, his skin cracking as dark smoke poured out and a large purple light came form his chest, the gash mark being the source of that light as Gaston glared at Spyro.
"You... will not get... inbetween me... and Belle." Gaston said. "She'll... be... mine!"
"You see, that's your downfall." Spyro replied, turning to face Gaston. "You obsession for Belle lead you to a path where you tried to throw an innocent man into the asylum, bribed people, hit, maimed, even tried to blackmail Belle to something she didn't want to do. You even made a deal with Maleficent, which was not a good move pal." Spyro then brought the blades together, a golden light appearing in the blades openings as he held it like the way Obi-wan did when he struck down Maul. "When you don;t respect someone and their choices, if you continue to obsess over something, you will destroy yourself."
"I.. will... HAVE HER!" Gaston shouted.
He released a storm of dark energy, hoping to overwhelm Spyro, but he just spun the blade and slashed upward, redirecting the attack to the air before a star appeared behind Gaston, causing the hunter to turn and defend himself, but it was his last mistake, Spyro zipping forward and slicing hi in the chest, causing the hunter to gasp and collapse to the ground, yelling in agony as darkness escaped his mouth, falling to the ground as the darkness disappeared, Spyro standing in front of the hunter and kneeling to him as he propped himself up.
"You lost." Spyro said plainly.
"No... I... I can't... I couldn't loose." Gaston said, looking to Spyro as his face was covered in burns and his right was missing, fear eminent on his face. "I'm... Gaston. The... greatest man... in all... of... Paris."
"A great man doesn't stoop to the level of evil." Spyro replied. "He doesn't blackmail or harm people. And he certainly doesn't try to force women to do what he wants them to do. A great man respects people, gives them love and trust and above all, he has a good heart. All of which you don't have. It's true what the people say. There's no one like Gaston, which I'm glad because one of you is bad enough, we don't need two."
Gaston tried to laugh, pain going through his body as his heart escaped his chest, flying into the air before it shattered into thousands of pieces, Gaston disappearing as he faded from existence, Spyro getting up and looking to the castle.
"That's the second time I saw a heart shatter like that." Twilight said, speaking through Spyro. "Does that mean..."
"Yes Twilight, he's gone." Spyro replied. "His Heartless and Nobody will never be and he will never return. At least, not as he was."
"Come again?" Twilight asked.
"When a heart shatters, there is a chance the pieces will find someone to stay with." Spyro answered. "When someone willingly shares their heart with someone, whether they're good or bad, they old their existence in their heart. Darkness is in all of us Twilight, but those pieces become part of that persons heart until it is restored. And should those pieces be with someone who's good, they will come back as someone good as well."
"Really?" Twilight asked. "How?"
"I don't know." Spyro answered. "It's something I read in my library. Something one of my predecessors discovered."
His wings extended, flapping them and flying back to the tower where everyone was, Shining Armor looking to Spyro and both he and Cadence ran to him, nothing hugging the fused Keyblade warriors, happy to see them.
"Twiley!" Shining Armor said, a tear rolling down his cheek. "I'm so glad you're safe!"
"We thought we lost you." Cadence said, both ending the hug as Spyro knelt to them to let Twilight talk.
"Don't worry brother, I'm alright." Twilight replied. "Thanks to Spyro."
"What can I say, nobody hurts my mare friends and gets away with it." Spyro said.
"And Gaston?" Belle asked.
"Gone." Spyro replied. "He won't be bothering you ever again Belle."
"Guys..." maya said, getting their attention. "I'm sorry."
"What do you mean?" Belle asked.
"The damage is too much." Maya replied. "There's... nothing I can do."
"No, no there has to be a way!" Belle said, kneeling down to Beast. "Don't worry Beast, we'll find a way! You're going to be alright."
"Belle." Beast said, putting his paw on her cheek, Belle holding it. "At least... I got to see you again... one last time."
Belle's eyes were filled with tears, everyone feeling her pain as Beast passed, Belle crying for him as he closed his eyes and his body went limp.
"No, no." Belle said, holding his shirt. "Please, please, please don't leave me." She then started to cry harder, tears rolling down her face as she heard his heart beat faded away. "I love you."
Everyone's eyes were tearing up, even Spyro's as Twilight cried, Spyro wiping them away as he looked to the rose, seeing the final petal fall and seeing that hope was lost for the friends, believing they were destined to remain as inanimate objects. Spyro however smiled, walking up to Belle and Beast, placing his hand on the girls shoulder as he put his other hand on Beast, Belle looking up to him.
"Death is not the end Belle." Spyro said. "For Beasts time is up." Belle kept crying, putting her head back on her loves chest, mourning his death. "But the time of the prince has come once more." Belle looked up to Spyro, confused about what he meant as he got up, walking to the railing as he looked up. For only when one can learn to love another and receive that love in return shall the spell be broken and all will return to the way it was before."
"We're are you going with this?" Shining Armor asked.
"As I said Captain Armor." Spyro replied, turning to Shining Armor. "The time of the Beast is over, but the time of the prince has returned."
They tried to figure out what he meant by that when they saw a light shoot down form the sky, hitting the Veranda, followed by another, and another before it started to rain down magic, everyone backing away from Beasts body as it levitated into the air, everyone shocked by what they were witnessing as the cape wrapped around Beasts body before his arm started to glow, an outline of his skeleton turning back to human as his paw did the same, light shooting out of the tips of his fingers before his legs changed back to human, light shooting out of his toes before the light itself covered Beasts body, changing him back into a human and gently putting him back down onto the ground, the human moving and looking at himself as he stood up, not believing what he was seeing before turning around, showing he was human to everyone and shocking them.
"Belle... it's me." Beast said.
Belle looked at the Beast as he was now, seeing he was human before looking into his eyes, seeing they were the same eyes as what she saw before, her heart leaping for joy.
"It is you." Belle said.
"I don't believe it." Shining Armor said. "But... how? He... he was dead!"
"Death is not the end Shining Armor." Spyro said. "When Belle's love for Beast was true and pure, the spell was broken as the last petal fell, turning Beast back into a human and bringing him back to life."
"It's... it's just hard to understand." Twilight said.
"What's there to understand little star light?" Spyro asked. "Love is the most powerful form of magic. Right next to memory, nothing can beat love."
They all looked out Belle and Beast, watching as the two moved closer and closer until they kissed, a magical vortex swirling around as it shot into the air, releasing magical fireworks as they turned into tiny sparks, hitting the top of the castle as the clouds disappeared, letting the day come and turning the castle back to normal. A moment later, Lumière, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Pots came out, Lumière turning back to human first and surprising them.
"Lumière." Beast said, Cogsworth turning back to human next. "Cogsworth!" A moment later, Mrs. Pots turned back to human, everyone surprised and filled with joy. "Mrs. Pots! Look at us!"
A second later, Chip came up riding the stool, which it turned into a dog first as Chip turned back to a human boy, Mrs. Pots picking him up and laughing as they all cheered and hugged one another, happy to be back. A moment later, they heard a dragon roaring and looked to the sky, seeing the Symbol in the air and the triangle spinning, Spyro turning back to the others.
"Times up." Spyro said.
A moment later, he started to glow as he separated from Twilight, the Lavender Unicorn collapsing to the ground from exhaustion as Shining Armor, Cadence, and Rarity ran over, helping her up as Maya walked to Spyro.
"Three more to go." Maya said, looking to Spyro.
"Yes, three more to go." Spyro replied, looking to the Symbol. "The remaining Heart Pieces will not be easy to get. The last one will require the combined strength of everyone to fight against the darkness."
"You mean the robot?" Tails asked, he and Psyrox walking to them.
"Tail, Psyrox!" Twilight exclaimed. "Where have you two been?"
"Looking for Sonic." Tails replied.
"It was imperative we find him as soon as possible." Psyrox said. "Their world is already collapsing. I fear that it will soon be lost."
"Don't worry, we'll find him." Maya said.
"I can no longer take Tails with me through the Corridors." Psyrox said. "Transporting him through dozens of worlds has exhausted me. You will need to take him with you."
"But how will you find us?" Tails asked. "What if you find Sonic, but can't find us?"
"I have been to your world before Tails." Psyrox replied. "If I find Sonic, I'll take him to your world immediately. For now, go with them and see if you can help them get the last three Heart Pieces. I'll catch up."
Psyrox opened another corridor, walking through it and away from everyone else, the corridor closing as soon as the triangle stopped, stopping on the unicorn head, which twilight's Keyblade appeared. She spun her Keyblade around, releasing a few magical spells before pointing it to the Keyhole of the dragons head, releasing a pink and purple stream of light and hitting the Keyhole, the dragons eyes glowing purple before opening it's mouth, roaring out and releasing a golden orb, flying towards the group as Twilight took the book out and held it up using her magic, the orb flying into the dragons head on the cover and making the eyes glow purple as the rose symbol glowed, turning red and green as they collected the ninth Heart Piece.
"Nine down." Twilight said. "We're getting closer."
"Once you have all the Heart Pieces Twilight, you will need to follow the instructions that comes with the spell needed to bring me back." Spyro said. "It will require a few more things to be complete."
"Well, what do we need?" Rarity asked. "Please tell us, what do we need?"
"You already have the Rare." Spyro replied, confusing her as he flew away. "You always had them."
"Wait, that doesn't make sense!" Twilight shouted.
"It will in time." Spyro answered, fading away. "It will make sense... in time."
Tye all looked to the sky, wondering what other pieces they needed to bring him back as they looked to Maya, who had her Keyblade out, letting them know it was time to go.
"Well, guess it's time for us to go." Shining Armor said.
"You're leaving?" Belle asked. "So soon?"
"I wish we could stay darling, but we have to go." Rarity said. "We're almost done with our quest and we need to keep moving. Otherwise, Maleficent or the Organization will get them before us."
"Well, if you need a place to stay and rest, my castle is always open to you all." Beast said. "Don't be strangers now, alright?"
"Don't worry, we'll come and visit, someday." Twilight said.
They all waved their hands and hooves, wishing them good luck as Maya raised her Keyblade, encasing them in light and flying into the air, heading back to their ship to move onto the next world. Back on Mobius, Dr. Eggman was walking through an old forest, guiding everyone to a location he believed would work for them as Decko and Bocko kept up, Xigbar walking behind them, but looked annoyed.
"How much further to your secret base?" Xigbar asked. "And how will it help us get the Heart Piece?"
"Trust me my friend, this is no ordinary base." Eggman replied.
They soon came to an empty field, Xigbar looking around, but found nothing as he clapped, earning a confused look from them.
"Wow, amazing stuff." Xigbar said. "Your secret base. An empty field of GRASS!"
"Heh, you miss the simplicity of it all Xigbar." Eggman said, smiling at him. "Decko, Bocko, activate the beacon!"
"Yes Dr. Eggman!" The two robots said.
They then combined into an antenna tower, letting out a signal to inform something they had arrived and a second later, the ground started to shake, knocking Xigbar down as the ground itself split in half, revealing an entire hanger beneath them as a Flying Fortress flew out of the ground, revealing it was the Egg Carrier, surprising Xigbar as he watched it fly into the air.
"What do you think now Xigbar?" Eggman asked.
"Doctor, I should never have underestimated you." Xigbar said, getting up. "With this, we'lol overwhelm the Conquerers and get the HEart Piece, claiming the ones from those ponies and then, Organization XIII will claim Kingdom Hearts!"
He then started laughing maniacally as the Flying Fortress rose, his laughter echoing as his Nobodies arrived, ready to crew the ship and to bring war to all of Mobius.