Disclaimer: Hey guys. Alright, small announcement here. I will be going camping for about a week starting on Sunday night, well it's more like Glamor camping, Glamping if you prefer, and might be gone for a little while. I'll try to upload another chapter as soon as possible after this one, otherwise, I'm looking forward to relaxing for a whole week. Also, it's getting close to the end of this long journey and might need some fresh character ideas, so if you'd like, you can put in your ideas for characters to add to the friend group of Spyro and the Mane 6, their names, species, if they're Force Sensitive or not, how they meet, or if they have a Keyblade or not, I'd like to hear some more ideas from you guys as some of you had a few great ideas for worlds and seem to like the story so far, so I'd like to do some more interactions with you guys. I do not own the rights to My Little Pony, Sonic the Hedgehog, The Legend of Spyro, Star Wars, or Kingdom Hearts, all rights are reserved to the original producers and companies, any use of names, items, places, or other kind of content belong to their original developers. Thank you all for your support, and hope you enjoy.
Chapter 125: Heart of the Beast Part 1: Meeting the Beast
On Mobius, the Overlord was walking around in the tower, reorganizing everything while building more of his Conquerers, heading for the cells that they had made earlier after taking over the tower, heading straight for a particular cell where Dr. Eggman was in while his assistants were in separate cells opposite of him.
"Enjoying your accommodations doctor?" The Overlord asked, this time talking more like a human than a machine.
"You mean my old workshop that you turned into a prison?" Eggman asked. "Heh, not bad. But once I'm out of here, you'll be sorry you ever crossed me!"
"On the contrary, I have nothing to be sorry about." The Overlord replied. "You see, when you ripped the fabric of reality to collect the remaining Heart Pieces, I needed to act."
"Why?" Decoe asked. "Why would you care?"
"I'm glad you asked." The Overlord replied. "You see, the World Barrier is what keeps the dark creatures, the Heartless, out. By destroying the barrier, you allowed the Heartless in and nearly pulled other worlds into this one, which would have resulted in an apocalyptic scenario destroying civilization in two worlds."
"Your point?" Eggman asked.
"My point is, I'm trying to save reality and the future." The Overlord replied. "By collecting the Heart Pieces, you were threatening the very existence of multiple dimensions and universes. So, by stopping you, I saved all of existence and now have the means to carry out my true mission."
"And what's that?" Bocoe asked.
"To protect the Heart Pieces." The Overlord replied. "And prevent the Prince from returning."
"Why would you want to prevent that?" Eggman asked.
"I'm not at liberty to answer your question at this time now doctor." The Overlord said, walking away. "In time, I might answer them. but for now, I must prepare for when the group collecting the Heart Pieces comes. I'm sure we're going to become great 'friends.'"
The Overlord walked away from the doctor, leaving the doctor and his little robotic assistants alone in their cells, leaving them alone as the doors closed.
"Well, this is a fine mess you got us into." Eggman said, addressing his robots.
"Us!?" Bocoe asked. "How is it our fault!?"
"Yeah, how is it our fault!?" Decoe asked. "All we did was bring you what we thought would help! You're the one who decided to try and collect more, causing this whole disaster!"
"Well this wouldn't have happened if you didn't find it in the first place!" Eggman shouted.
"Well pretty hard not to notice it as it fell from the sky!" Bocoe exclaimed. "It was radiating so much power, it felt like an atomic battery!"
"If the three of you are done arguing, I might be able to help you." A mysterious voice said.
Bocoe and Decoe looked to their left, looking out of their cells and leaning on the wall was a member of Organization XIII, a man with long black and grey hair, an eyes patch over his right eye, and a massive scar on his left cheek.
"Who the heck are you!?" Bocoe asked.
"I'm Xigbar." He replied. "And I'm your key to freedom."
"Xigbar?" Eggman asked. "Never heard of you. What game are you playing here?"
"No game." Xigbar replied. "You see, that metal warlord there is causing some serious problems for us and for this world. Not to mention he has something my leader wants, which I want."
"Which is?" Decoe asked.
"The Heart Piece of course." Xigbar replied. "The Heart Piece is what's giving that thing its powers, which makes it pretty difficult to beat, so I propose an alliance. Help me to get the Heart Piece, and I'll help you to get your tower back. So, do we have a deal, or do I leave you in there to rot?"
Eggman scratched his mustache, thinking it over when he got an idea, smiling to himself as he laughed, confusing Xigbar as the doctor laugh, watching him as he got up.
"My friend, you have yourself a deal!" Eggman said. "But I will need my two assistants to help me rebuild my robots and retake my tower!"
"That can be arranged." Xigbar replied. He called his weapons and pointed them at the control panel, firing on the panel and deactivating the barriers for the three cells. "Now, let us be off before they come around on their patrol."
"But they'll see us if we walk out the front door." Bocoe said.
"They will, if we go that way." Xigbar replied.
He then raised his hand on the opposite side of the room and a moment later, a Corridor of Darkness opened up, surprising them as their new ally walked through the corridor.
"Doctor, is it a good idea to trust this guy?" Decoe asked. "What if he's working with the Overlord?"
"What choice do we have." Eggman replied. "He's giving us a way out and we should take it. We should work with him. For now."
Eggman walked through the corridor after Xigbar, leaving Bocoe and Dec one alone and worried, looking at one another before following he doctor into the corridor and out of the tower to a random place, the corridor closing behind them and leaving no trace, except for the damaged control panels, of their escape and how they escaped. At the next world, the Harmony came out of Warp Space and flew towards the next world, a large forest surrounding a castle with a rose in a glass container.
"Here we are, Beast's Castle." Maya said.
"Wow, it's beautiful." Twilight said.
"Beautiful?" Rarity asked. "It's dazzling, ravishing, spectacular!"
"And it's also where the next Heart Piece is at." Shining Armor said.
"And I have an idea of where the Heart Piece is hidden at." Maya said. "Twilight, what does the book say?"
Twilight reached into her saddlebags and rummaged through it, pulling out the book, opening it as the next riddle appeared along with the image of the world.
"Wait, this is confusing." Twilight said. "Turned into a beast, no better at least. Help him to find love before the final petal will fall, to break the spell casted on all. Only when in deaths embrace, will they find love in this cursed place."
"Yeah, you lost me." Rainbow Dash said. "How does that make sense?"
"It makes a lot of sense to me." Maya replied, turning to them. "You see, a long time ago, the prince of this castle only cared about beauty and ruled with pride and with little love for anyone or anything. One stormy night, an old bigger woman came and asked for a room to stay for the night, presenting a beautiful rose as a gift for the room."
"Oh, that's nice of her." Fluttershy said. "I'm sure he gave her the room, right?"
"He didn't." Maya replied. "He turned the old woman away because she was ugly and hideous. The old woman warned not to judge something or someone by their looks and pled again for a room for the night, but he refused, thus bringing a curse upon himself and his castle."
"The old woman was a witch!?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"No, but a beautiful enchantress." Maya replied. "He pled with her to spare him, but because of his cold and darkened heart, she turned him into something more suitable for how he acted, a beast, a hideous monster. The spell extended to his castle and to everyone in it, changing them. Now he is known as Beast and the only way to reverse the spell is if he can love and be loved in return."
"Oh, poor thing." Fluttershy said.
"That's tragic." Cadence said.
"I know." Maya replied. "Thankfully, Beast is a good friend to myself and Spyro, so we should be able to enter his castle without any issue and get the Heart Piece. And since he's a good friend, I'll go down with you guys."
"Again?" Shining Armor asked. "Wow, usually you stay up here. What changed?"
"Well, I kinda got a pep talk about not being ashamed of myself and what I am." Maya replied. "And to not let the past take over my future. Now, I'm going to bring four of you down with me this time."
"I'll go down." Twilight said.
"Again?" Maya asked. "Twilight, you've gone to just about every world during this adventure. You sure you want to come along?"
"Of course I'm sure." Twilight replied. "I'm finding all these world fascinating to visit. They have some amazing magic, I want to see what kind of magic was used on this world too."
"Alright, looks like Twilight's coming along." Maya said. "Who else wants to go?"
"I'll go." Shining Armor said. "I want to spend a little time with my sister."
"I'll also go." Cadence said.
"And I'll go too." Rarity said.
"Very well then." Maya said. "Be ready. Beast has a bit of a temper, but he's a good guy deep down, so don't take anything he says or does personally."
Maya got up from her seat and walked to the middle of the room, Twilight, Cadence, Shining Armor, and Rarity moving next to her as she raised her Keyblade, engulfing them in light as they shot out of the cockpit and flew towards the world. A minute later, the light shot down to the ground in the middle of the forest, looking around and finding they were int he middle of nowhere.
"Well, this place seems rather dreary." Rarity said. "So, where's the castle?"
"I don't know." Maya replied. "When we visited this place, we always appeared at the front gate of the castle, not in the forest."
"Well, where ever we are, we got to find this place now." Shining Armor said, shivering. "It's cold out here. Why the heck is there snow here?"
"Oh, I forgot, this place is in the middle of winter." Maya said.
"What!?" Shining Armor shouted. "Why didn't you tell us before we came here!?"
"As I said, I forgot." Maya replied. "Don't worry, when we reach beasts castle, we'll-"
They then heard someone scream, looking in the direction of the scream and saw a woman in a blue dress with a cloak riding a horse and right behind her was some wolves, fleeing from them before she got thrown off her horse.
"On no, she's in trouble!" Cadence exclaimed.
"That's Belle!" Maya said. "Quickly, protect her!"
The group rushed in to protect the defenseless woman, who reached for a nearby branch and swung it around to get the wolves off of her, which one of them bit down on the branch and broke it, horrifying Belle as she got ready for her fate when something grabbed the wolf, roaring at it before tossing the wolf away, growling at the pack as Maya and her friends stopped.
"Wow, what is that thing!?" Shining Armor asked.
"It's Beast!" Maya replied. "Hurry, we need to help them!"
They ran up as the wolves started to swarm Beast, trying to overwhelm him and bring him down while Belle watched, another wolf moving around to bet her, leaping towards her, but a hot pink beam of magic hit the wolf, sending it flying while Belle ducked, looking to where the beam came from when she saw the three unicorns leap over her, getting in front and using their magic and Keyblades to keep the wolves at bay while Cadence used her own magic to divert the wolves away from Belle, helping the group as Maya used her power over water to turn the snow around them into water, bending it around and over a couple of wolves, freezing them instantly and getting Belles attention and looking to Maya.
"May!" Belle shouted, getting Beasts attention.
"May?" Beast asked.
A wolf then leaped on Beast's back and bit down on his shoulder hard, causing his to roar in pain, getting Maya's attention as she used her magic and blasted the wolf off his back, sending it into the tree and forcing the other wolves to retreat back into the woods, leaving the group alone as the remaining wolves remained frozen in ice, Maya waving her hand and freeing them, letting them flee with the rest of their pack.
"Glad Fluttershy wasn't here." Twilight said. "Otherwise, she'd be mad with us."
"Or she could have soothed them and save us the trouble of fighting them." Rarity said.
"May." Belle said, getting their attention.
"Hey Belle." Maya replied. "Long time no see."
Belle ran up to her friend and the two hugged, happy to see one another again before hearing the pained grunts from Beast, turning to see he was injured and collapsed, everyone running to the unconscious creature. Maya checked his pulse, relieved he was still alive and stood up.
"Belle, bring your horse around." Maya said. "We got to get him back to the castle."
Belle got her horse, Phillipe, and brought him over to Beast, Twilight and Shining Armor using their magic together to lift Beast up and onto Phillipe's back and they started walking in the direction of the castle.
"I can't believe you're alive." Belle said. "Spyro said you were lost."
"I was, until I found my way." Maya replied.
"And... who are they?" Belle asked.
"My friends." Maya answered. "Twilight Sparkle, her brother Shining Armor, Princess Cadence, and Rarity."
"Well, it's nice to meet you all." Belle said. "But... where's Spyro? I haven't seen him around and..." She then noticed the looks on their faces, determining the worse. "Is... is he..."
"Gone, sort of." Rarity replied. "He lost his heart and it's separated into twelve pieces, scattering to a few places. We've been traveling around collecting the pieces to bring him back."
"So, why did you run from Beast this time?" Maya asked. "Had another disagreement?"
"Another?" Twilight asked. "What is she talking about?"
"Well, Beast and I sometimes have disagreements." Belle replied. "In the beginning, he was rather... rude. But as we got to know one another, it helped to soften his heart, make him a nicer person."
"He's not exactly a person you know." Shining Armor said.
"Doesn't mean he doesn't have a heart." Belle replied. "Beast went across all the worlds to find me, risking everything to save me from Maleficent."
"Wait, you know about the other worlds?" Twilight asked.
"Of course I know about them." Belle replied. "Beast and I know about them and about the other Princesses of Heart. In fact, I'm one of them."
"You're a Princess!?" Rarity asked, her eyes sparkling.
"In a way, I guess I am." Belle replied. "Ah, we're here."
Everyone looked up at the gate and saw the entire castle, seeing the statues and the shape the castle was in as dark clouds rolled over, sensing a shiver down Rarity's spine.
"Oh, it's horrid." Rarity said.
"I thought the same when I came here." Belle replied. "But after being here for a while, I got use to it. Come on, let's get out of the cold before we freeze to death."
Everyone followed Belle to the steps of the castle, where Maya helped their friend down from Phillipe and took him to the study where a fire was already lite, setting Beast down in the chair while Belle went and got some hot water, leaving the ponies alone with Beast as he woke up, looking at them before setting his eyes on Maya, his eyes widening in surprise.
"May." Beast said. "You're alive."
"Takes more than a cave-in to take me down." Maya replied. "And you can stop calling me May. My actual name is Maya."
"Well, whoever you call yourself, it's good to see you again." Beast replied, looking around. "Where's Spyro? Usually you two are together."
"Wait, what do you mean together?" Twilight asked,
"We... were... close." Maya replied, a blush appearing on her face.
"Aww, you two were dating before he came to Equestria!?" Rarity asked. "Tell me, what was he like before he came to our home!?"
"Rarity!" Twilight exclaimed.
"Oh come on Twilight dear, it's not going to hurt anypony to know." Rarity replied. "Besides, Beats already knows about the other worlds, what harm is there in it?"
"Well..." Twilight began to say but couldn't find the right words.
"He was... well... fun." Maya replied, sitting down. "Mature for being a teenage boy, and... well... a Jedi."
"What does that mean?" Shining Armor asked.
"Jedi are peace keepers, protectors, and in some cases, monk-like." Maya replied. "He was calm and always kind to others, always practicing in the fields with the Holocrons, learning the ways of the light and dark side of the Force. He saw what the Jedi of old didn't see, that the Jedi were meant to be peacekeepers, not warriors."
"How did he see this?" Twilight asked, pulling out parchment and a quill.
"The Jedi Order got caught up in politics of the Galactic Republic." Maya answered. "The Jedi were good guys, great protectors before they began to worry more about the politics and their standing in the Republic, becoming the Republics emissaries and their generals during the Clone Wars, never seeing the true evil around them. Turning into warriors rather than protectors. Spyro however is different. Equal parts light and dark, finding the middle way, balance between both. Guess that's what I liked about him, and that he has a good heart."
"He also followed his own path, didn't he?" Shining Armor asked.
"He did." Maya replied. "He found the Star Wars universe three months after acquiring his Keyblade, about two months before the Jedi fell. They sensed the power he had and helped him to acquire his Kyber Crystal, two of them actually. That's how he forged his Lightsaber, making it from a rare black and gold alloy that's almost as indestructible as Beskar. He learned from them, learned all he could before returning to the Mysterious Tower, before the Jedi fell."
"How did they fall?" Cadence asked.
"Betrayed by their own soldiers, their friends, and one of their own." Maya replied. "Anakin Skywalker, the chosen one, turned to the dark side and killed the Jedi, masters and padawans. Even the young kings, who were no more than kids still training in the ways of the Force. When Spyro felt this, it crushed him, for he and Skywalker were friends. And the betrayal of a friend..."
"It's a stab in the back." Twilight said, finishing her sentence.
"Spyro knew that the Republic had its issues." Maya continued. "He saw the corruption within it and the greed within some of the senators, though he knew not all of them were like that, he knew that many only cared about their own self interests and their own needs rather than caring for the needs of their people. So, once he had what he needed, he left, thanking the Jedi for their help, and going on his way."
The room was silent for a while, the ponies surprised to have heard this revelation as Belle came in with a tea pot and a bowl, carrying rags as she set them down and poured the water into the bowl, steaming hot as Beast licked his wounds.
"This should help clean his wounds." Belle said, getting a rag.
"Allow me." Maya said. She waved her hand and the hot water floated into the air, moving it around to cool it off while remaining warm enough to help clean the wound as she walked up, putting the water on the wound while making Beast wince a bit, but soon it found it soothing as his wounds started to heal on their own with the aid of the water, closing up slowly as she held it on his wounds. "The healing power of water is a secret that only a few know of. Spyro knew how all the elements worked, their strengths and abilities. The power of water brings life, heals and cleans wounds, while also bringing destruction and devastation."
"Spyro knew a lot about the elements, didn't he?" Twilight asked.
"He was wiser than most people I have ever seen." May replied, continuing the healing. "His power was unmatched, his wisdom seemed endless, his courage, fierce. There is no one else like him. No one."
They were all silent as she was healing Beasts wounds, finishing up when Twilight looked to Belle, curious about something when Belle looked to her.
"Maya said you had a disagreement with Beast, right?" Twilight asked.
"Well, more like I got scared and ran away." Belle replied. "You see, I was in the West wing to check on Beast, make sure he was ok when I saw a strange light enter his rose, so I got curious and went to investigate."
"The rose must have the Heart Piece them!" Shining Armor exclaimed. "We need to go get it!"
"No Shining, we can't." Maya replied, standing up as she was finished. "The rose is special to Beast."
"Why?" Shining Armor asked. "It's just a flower. Isn't it?"
Maya didn't know how to reply, drying her hands off with one of the rags before looking to Beast, who seemed to be more relaxed as Belle went over to help him up.
"Beast, if it's alright with you, can I bring my friends to the West Wing and show them the rose?" Maya asked.
"Well, as long as you don't touch it, I suppose it's alright." Beast replied.
"Don't worry, we won't touch it." Maya replied. "Come guys, I'll show you the rose."
Maya started to walk out of the study, the ponies looking to each other before walking after her, walking right behind their friend as she took them up a few flights of stairs, passing by some of the armor, which turned their heads to stair at Maya, which she waved her hand and several water missiles shot out, hitting the helmets and forcing them to look away. They continued up the stairs until they reached a dark corridor, walking along it until they reached a room where the bed was damaged and there was a slashed picture, which had the prince's face on it and on the farthest of the room was a glowing rose, with a petal falling from it, approaching the magical plant.
"Amazing." Twilight said.
"This, my friends, is the rose." Maya said, everyone standing before it. "This is the very rose the Enchantress tried to give to Beast, testing him if he had a good heart. Now it's a symbol of his curse, a timer you could say.'
"A timer?" Cadence asked.
"The spell can be broken, but only if the Beast can love someone and receive love in return." Maya replied. "If he doesn't succeed, he will remain a beast forever, and everyone in this castle will share his fate."
"Which is something I don't want for my friends." Beast said, walking in. "I am responsible for my actions, they aren't."
"So, where are your friends?" Twilight asked.
"They are all around the castle." Beast replied. "But... they're changed. Like me, but they aren't beasts." Beast then walked over to the rose, placing his hand on the glass and looking sad, almost like he's lost hope before looking back to them. "You're welcome to stay as long as you need to. I'll have rooms prepared for you all in the East Wing."
"Thank you Beast." Maya said. "We'll return your kindness however we can."
"It might take some time to get your rooms ready." Beast pointed out. "Why don't you and your friends go down to the dinning room and I'll have Mrs. Potts and the others prepare some food for you and your friends."
"Thank you Beast." Maya said. "We are a little hungry."
Maya walked out of Beasts room and made her way back to the main foyer, followed by the four ponies, walking down the hallway and the stairs all the way to the main foyer, the ponies looking around to try and find where the dining room is.
"So, where the heck is the dining room?" Twilight asked.
"Why mademoiselle, it is just to your right of course." A voice said, the ponies looking around to understand where it came from.
"Who said that?" Shining Armor asked.
"Over here." The voice said, looking to the counter to find a candle holder with three candles and a clock.
"Ok, very funny pal." Shining Armor said, using his magic to pick the candle holder up. "Now seriously, where are you?"
He then felt something tap on his head, bringing the candle holder down and got the shock of his life when he saw a face on the candle.
"Hello." The candle said.
Shocked and scared, Shining Armor dropped the candle holder, extinguishing his flames and backing away, Cadence and Rarity also surprised, gut Twilight was fascinated by that.
"Amazing." Twilight said.
"Lumière, good to see you again." Maya said.
"May!" Lumière exclaimed. "Good to see you again mon chèri!"
"May?" Another voice said, looking over to see the clock come to life, hopping down and over to them. "May, it is you! Why when Spyro told us you were lost, we feared the worse!"
"Take's more than a few pebbles to keep me down Cogsworth." Maya replied.
"I should say it should." Cogsworth said. "After all, you... GAAAH!"
Cogsworth was picked up by Twilight using her magic, examining the cock in amazement.
"Is this what that Enchantresses magic did to you?" Twilight asked.
"Unhand me this instant you!" Cogsworth exclaimed.
Twilight then shook the poor clock, making Lumière laugh right as Twilight started turning the key on the back of the clocks head, making his yell in pain, causing Twilight to put him down.
"Oh, sorry Cogsworth." Twilight said. "It's just... I've never seen this kind of magic before. Something powerful enough to change an entire castle full of people into inanimate objects."
"Well this is the kind of magic you shouldn't know." Cogsworth replied. "And you're not the first to do that to me. Now May, who are they?"
"They're my friends." Maya replied. "Twilight Sparkle, Shining Armor, Princess Cadence, and Rarity."
"Well Mademoiselles and monsieur, welcome to our masters castle!" Lumière said. "No doubt, you helped to save Belle, for which we are grateful for. Despite your first interaction with our master, he's not so bad of a guy."
"Why thank you sir." Rarity said. "You're quite the gentlemen."
"Oh, mademoiselle, you make me blush." Lumière said. "Now, you must be hungry after your long journey, no? Come, let us serve you. It's been a while since we had a guest besides Belle. Come, follow me." Lumière led Maya don the ponies into the nearby room where a long table was set up and ready for them, everyone taking a seat, with Shining Armor sitting next to his fiancé and his sister while Rarity sat with Maya as Lumière hopped onto the table. "Ma chere Mademoiselle and monseiur, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you here tonight! And now we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair as the dining room proudly presents, your dinner!"
A moment later, a light came on and there were plates and trays of food ready to go as music started playing, a spot light appearing above Lumière as he got ready for the show.
[Lumiere]
Be... our... guest.
Be our guest,
Put our service to the test!
Tie your napkin round your neck, cherie,
And we provide the rest!
Soupe du jour,
Hot hors d'oeuvres,
Why, we only live to serve!
Try the grey stuff, it's delicious!
Don't believe me, ask the dishes!
They can sing,
They can dance!
After all, miss, this is France,
And a dinner here is never second best!
Go on, unfold your menu,
Take a glance and then,
You'll be our guest,
Oui, our guest,
Be our guest!
A moment later, the trays and platters full of food came around
[Castleware]
Beef ragout!
Cheese soufflé!
Pie and pudding en flambé!
[Lumiere]
We'll prepare and serve with flair,
A culinary cabaret!
You're alone,
And you're scared,
But the banquet's all prepared!
No one's gloomy or complaining,
While the flatware's entertaining!
We tell jokes,
I do tricks,
With my fellow candlesticks!
[Beer mugs]
But it's all in perfect taste, that you can bet!
[Castleware]
Come on and lift your glass,
You've won your own free pass,
To be our guest!
[Lumiere]
If you're stressed,
It's fine dining we suggest!
[Castleware]
Be our guest,
Be our guest,
Be our guest!
They then bounced off as the lights changed to a deep blue as salt shakers simulated snow, getting their attention as Lumière continued with his show.
[Lumiere]
Life is so unnerving,
For a servant who's not serving,
He's not whole without a soul to wait upon.
Ah, those good old days when we were useful,
Suddenly, those good old days are gone.
Ten years we've been rusting,
Needing so much more than dusting,
Needing exercise, a chance to use our skills.
Most days we just lay around the castle,
Flabby, fat and lazy,
You walked in and oops-a-daisy!
Suddenly a teapot bounced out and to the kitchen, getting everyone's attention as they figured it must be Mrs. Pots as she bounced around excitedly.
[Mrs. Potts]
It's a guest!
It's a guest!
Sakes alive, well, I'll be blessed!
Wine's been poured, and thank the lord,
I've had the napkins freshly pressed!
With dessert,
She'll want tea,
And, my dear, that's fine with me!
While the cups do their soft-shoeing,
I'll be bubbling, I'll be brewing!
I'll get warm,
Piping hot,
Heaven's sake, is that a spot?
Clean it up, we want the company impressed!
She then bounced onto a rolling tray table and rode it out and to the group as she poured tea for them.
We've got a lot to do,
Is it one lump or two?
For you, our guests!
[Castleware]
They're our guests!
[Mrs. Potts]
They're our guests!
[Castleware]
They're our guest!
Be our guest,
Be our guest,
Put our service to the test!
It's ten years since we've had anybody here,
And we're obsessed,
With your meal,
With your ease,
Yes, indeed, we aim to please!
While the candlelight's still glowing,
Let us help you, we'll keep going!
[Lumière]
Course by course!
One by one,
Till you shout, "Enough, I'm done!"
Then we'll sing you off to sleep as you digest!
[Lumière and Castleware]
Tonight you'll prop your feet up,
But for now, let's eat up!
Be our guests
Be our guests,
Be our guests,
Please... be... our... guests!
The bottles blew their corks as champagne and other kinds of wine shot out as the song finished, putting on a beautiful show as everyone clapped, enjoying the show.
"Lumière, you still got it." Maya said. "You never cease to amaze me."
"Why thank May." Lumière said, bowing to her. "You and Spyro were always so kind to us."
"Yeah, it was a great show!" Shining Armor said. "Hey cadence, think we can get some of our servants to do that?"
"Shining Armor!" Cadence replied, giggling as he nibbled on her ear as the food was being served.
Outside of the castle, at the entrance of the castle itself, a golden ball of light appeared at the entryway and it expanded for a little bit until it suddenly disappeared, revealing it was Tails, who was holding his head like he had a headache as he spun around a little bit, shaking it to clear his head a bit as he looked around.
"Where... am I?" Tails asked himself, looking around and getting up. "Ugh, kinda creepy. Wait, the wormhole, the glowing orbs..."
"Looks like you managed to get out of it without any issue." A voice said.
Tails turned around to see who was talking to him and saw Psyrox, breathing in a sigh of relief.
"Psyrox, it's just you." Tails said. "You kinda scared me there."
"Sorry about that." Psyrox replied. "And to answer your previous question, you're at Beasts Castle. This world is where one of the Heart Pieces you helped to liberate from that doctor came to hide."
"Well, how do I get back home then?" Tails asked.
"Well I can easily take you home myself." Psyrox replied. "But I think you might like to meet some friends of mine first."
"But I don't have time to meet them!" Tails replied. "I need to get home and help Sonic!"
"Did you forget?" Psyrox asked. "He got sucked into the wormhole with you, along with your friend Knuckles."
"Oh, yeah." Tails replied. "That's right."
"And my friends have already found one of your friends." Psyrox said, getting the two tailed foxes attention.
"Wait, they did!?" Tails asked. "Who!? Who did that find!?"
"I'm not sure." Psyrox replied. "How about we go and ask them who it is they found? They might even help you to find your friend Sonic."
They walked through the gate and continued onto towards the front door and stopping at it, which Psyrox took the knockers and lifted one of them up and slammed it down a few times, the door opening for them, allowing them to walk in. As they walked in, they looked around and found the entire castle was a bit dark, sending chills down Tails back, instantly regretting following Psyrox in as he could feel his adrenaline spiking.
"H-hello?" Tails asked, staying next to Psyrox. "Is anyone there?"
"Oui, I'm here." Lumière replied, spooking the fox. "And who might you be?"
"I-I-I'm Miles Tails Prower." Tails replied. "But, my friends call me Tails."
"And I'm Psyrox." Psyrox replied. "I'm a friend of-"
"Psyrox!" Twilight shouted. The four ponies ran out of the dining hall and straight towards Psyrox, Tails jumping as Twilight came running out and flew in the air, his tails spinning like a helicopter blade. "It's great to see you again. We haven't seen you since the Swamp of Frogs."
"Yeah, sorry about that." Psyrox said. "I kinda got a little side tract." He looked up as did everyone else and they saw tails, their eyes widening when they saw the flying two-tailed mammal. "It's ok Tails, they're my friends. You can come down now."
"O-ok." Tails replied.
He slowly descended down from the air and back onto the ground, standing there as he looked to the unicorns and the Alicorn, instantly finding them interesting.
"Girls, this is Tails." Psyrox said. "He got pulled out of his world and brought here by accident."
"Well it's nice to meet you all the same Tails." Twilight said. "I'm Twilight Sparkle. This is my brother Shining Armor, my soon to be sister-in-law, Princess Cadence, and this is my friend Rarity."
"Well, it's nice to meet you!" Tail replied. "Hey, are you a unicorn?"
"Yes I am!" Twilight replied. "All of us, minus Cadence are unicorns. Cadence here's an Alicorn, which means she can fly and has magic. But, may I ask, how can you fly?"
"Oh, I've always been able to fly." Tails replied. "I just spin my two tails as fast as I can and I can fly. Simple as that."
"Wow, Fluttershy is going to flip when she sees you!" Twilight said.
"And I think Knuckles will be happy to see you as well." Maya said, walking in.
"Wait, you know Knuckles!?" Tails asked.
"We sure do darling." Rarity replied. "We found him in another world and brought him with us. He's back on our ship right now. Safe and sound."
"Thanks goodness." Tails said. "And... what about Sonic?"
"Who's Sonic?" Shining Armor asked.
"Another one of Tails friends." Psyrox replied. "A blue hedgehog. And he's a key person in his world, which is now in trouble."
"A doctor by the name of Eggman has a glowing orb and used it to collect other orbs and is now making an army of robots to take over our home." Tails said.
"That's awful!" Rarity said.
"And it's not the worst part." Psyrox replied. "If Sonic isn't returned to his world, then it will collapse."
"What do you mean by... collapse?" Twilight asked.
Psyrox looked at the ponies and then to Tails, who seemed as equally as confused as the ponies when he took in a deep breath, sighing at the thought of telling them.
"It's best that we sit down and speak about this in private." Psyrox replied. "This is something not meant for residents of this world."
Psyrox walked towards them, walking past his friends as they followed behind him to hear what he had to say, the door to the dinning room closed after the last pony entered. In the village a ways away from the castle, the majority of the town was in the local tavern getting some beer and drinking to their good health, everyone having the time of their lives as usual when outside, a corridor opened and from it, Maleficent and Pete walked out, the oversized cat shivering as soon as he got out.
"Gee Willickers!" Pete said, rubbing his arms to warm himself up. "It's freezing here! Why did we come here again!?"
"Because you imbecile, one of the Prince's Heart Pieces is here." Maleficent replied. "I felt it's power come here and I know it's here. Now all we need to do is find it."
"Well let's hope we can find it quickly as possible." Pete said. "I think I'm starting to loose feeling in my finger already."
"Quit your complaining and start looking you buffoon!" Maleficent said. "We can't afford to-" She then heard laughter, getting curious as she walked closer to the tavern and immediately felt darkness coming from inside. "Well, seems we found something."
"The Heart Piece?" Pete asked.
"No, better than that." Maleficent replied, a dark smile on her face. "A darkening heart. One filled with anger and spite. One I think we can use."
She looked in as did Pete, looking to find there was a lot of people laughing and having a good time drinking beer, but near the fire, there was one guy, charming and good looking with black hair, a red shirt and brown pants, looking miserable and rejected.
"Who does that girl think she is?" The man asked. "She has tangle with the wrong man! No one says no to Gaston!"
"Heh, darn right." LeFou, Gastons little henchmen, said.
"Dismissed, rejected." Gaston said, taking two tankards of beer from LeFou. "Publicly humiliated! Why it's more than I can bear."
He then threw the tankards of beer into the fire, causing a small explosion that caused him to flinch.
"More Beer?" LeFou asked.
"What for?" Gaston asked, turning his chair away from him. "Nothing helps. I'm disgraced."
"Who you?" LeFou asked, Gaston turning away from him again, LeFou rushing over to face him. "Never! Gaston, you got to pull yourself together."
A moment later, music started to play as a song was about to start.
[LeFou]
Gosh, it disturbs me to see you, Gaston,
Looking so down in the dumps.
LeFou tried to make Gaston smile, but got punched, falling on a table as he turned around and away from him.
Every guy here'd love to be you, Gaston,
Even when taking your lumps.
There's no man in town as admired as you,
You're ev'ryone's favorite guy.
Ev'ryone's awed and inspired by you,
And it's not very hard to see why!
Some of the local girls started to try and get his attention, but he looked away, not interested in them as LeFou started to sing.
No... one's... slick as Gaston,
No one's quick as Gaston,
No one's neck's as incredibly thick as Gaston!
For there's no man in town half as manly!
Perfect, a pure paragon!
You can ask any Tom, Dick, or Stanley,
And they'll tell you whose team they prefer to be on!
As he sung that, he danced on a few of the men's heads, getting on their nerves and as he got off, they grabbed him and started to swing him around as he sung.
Crowd
No... one's... big like Gaston,
A king pin like Gaston!
[Lefou]
No one's got a swell cleft in his chin like Gaston!
[Gaston]
As a specimen, yes, I'm intimidating!
[Crowd]
My, what a guy, that Gaston
Give five "hurrahs!"
Give twelve "hip-hips!"
[Lefou]
Gaston is the best,
And the rest is all drips!
As he sung that, he accidentally splashed his drink into Gastons face, hiding the cup before getting punched into a crowd and starting a fight
Crowd
No... one... fights like Gaston!
Douses lights like Gaston!
In a wrestling match nobody bites like Gaston!
[Girls]
For there's no one as burly and brawny!
[Gaston]
As you see I've got biceps to spare!
[Lefou]
Not a bit of him's scraggly or scrawny!
[Gaston]
That's right! And ev'ry last inch of me's covered with hair!
[Crowd]
No one hits like Gaston,
Matches wits like Gaston!
[Lefou]
In a spitting match nobody spits like Gaston!
As he sung it, he bit into a belt and got ready to spit.
[Gaston]
I'm espcially good at expectorating -- Ptooey!
He then spat out the massive spit-wad, hitting the lantern.
[Crowd]
Ten points for Gaston!
He then brought over to the counter, where the entire crowd was watching him.
[Gaston]
When I was a lad, I ate four dozen eggs,
Ev'ry morning to help me get large!
And now that I'm grown, I eat five dozen eggs,
So I'm roughly the size of a barge!
He then got his gun out and loaded it, getting ready to fire the weapon.
[Crowd]
No... one... shoots like Gaston!
Makes those beauts like Gaston!
[Lefou]
Then goes tromping around wearing boots like Gaston!
[Gaston]
I use antlers in all of my decorating!
[Crowd]
My what a guy!
Gaston!
They picked up his chair and started to walk him along, but soon lost their strength, LeFou trying to run away, but they dropped Gaston's chair on top of Lefou, trapping him. A moment later while everyo9ne was laughing, an old man wearing inventor clothing burst in, frantic and trying to find help.
"Help, someone help me!" He shouted.
"Maurice!" The bartender asked.
"Please, I need your help!" Maurice said. "He got her! He's got her locked away in the dungeon!"
"Who?" One of the patrons asked.
"Belle!" Maurice replied. "We must go! Not a minute to loose!"
"Wow, slow down Maurice." Gaston said. "Who has Belle locked in a dungeon?"
"A beast!" Maurice exclaimed. "A horrible, monstrous beast!"
As soon as he said it, everyone in the tavern started laughing, thinking he was making a joke, but to Maleficent, she found it interesting, recognizing who he was talking about and getting the idea of where the Heart Piece was at.
"I believe I have an idea of where the Heart Piece is at." Maleficent said.
"You do?" Pete asked. "How?"
"The old man gave it to me." Maleficent replied. "He said a monstrous beast has his daughter, which can only be the Beast. The one who helped Sora and his little friends defeat me back at Hollow Bastion. If the Heart Pieces are hiding themselves, there's a chance one of them has hidden itself with Beast and Belle."
"Gee, that does make a lot of sense." Pete said. "Beast is pretty strong, so it makes sense to hide somewhere in his castle and have him protect it."
"Not just anywhere in the castle, but in his precious rose." Maleficent said. "But in his precious little rose." She then turned to him, catching him off guard and surprising him. "Go! Take some Heartless and storm the castle! Find the rose and bring it to me!"
"But what will you do in the mean time?" Pete asked.
A moment later, Maurice got thrown out of the tavern, some of the people laughing as Maleficent smiled, returning to the window and looking in.
"I'm going to get ourselves a new ally for the fight ahead." Maleficent replied, watching the tavern.
"Crazy old Maurice!" One of the patrons said. "He's always good for a laugh."
"Crazy old Maurice, hmm?" Bastion asked, an idea forming in his head. "Crazy old Maurice..."
[Gaston]
LeFou, I'm afraid I've been thinking.
[LeFou]
A dangerous past time...
[Gaston]
I know!
He then reach under and grabbed LeFou by the neck, pulling him out from underneath the chair.
But that wacky old coot is Belle's father,
But his sanity's only so-so!
Now the wheels in my head have been turning,
Since I looked at that looney old man!
Now I promised myself I'd be married to Belle,
And now I'm evolving a plan!
He picked Lefou up and started whispering into his ear, everyone else leaning in to try and listen, which LeFou seemed surprised and he looked to everyone before to Gaston.
"Would she..." Lefou asked.
"Guess." Gaston said.
"Now I get it!" Lefou said.
[Lefou and Gaston]
Let's go!
No... one... plots like Gaston!
[Gaston]
Takes cheap shots like Gaston!
[LeFou]
Plans to persecute harmless crackpots like Gaston
[Crowd]
His marriage we'll soon be celebrating,
My what a guy... GASTON!
Everyone was cheering, Gaston already prepared to carry out his plan when the door opened and Maleficent walked in, smiling at Gaston as everyone backed away as the lights behind her went out.
"My, that's quite the plan you have there Gaston." Maleficent said.
"And who might you be?" Gaston asked.
"My name is Maleficent." She replied. "And I'm here to help you get what you want. Belle's hand in marriage."
"And what's in it for you if we accept your help?" Lefou asked, Gaston pushing him down.
"Yes, what do you want in return?" Gaston asked.
"Oh, nothing much." Maleficent replied. "Just a little trinket from the nearby castle. A beautiful, glowing, rose."