Emptiness. As far as the eyes could see, the dragon saw vast, vacant emptiness. Like an evening sky, devoid of the stars and the moon, no hint of twinkling pinpricks of light could show Spyro of what this location was. And yet for lacking any means of light, he could see his feet planted firmly on a small chunk of rock, gracefully drifting through this lifeless plane. While the place was foreign and unfamiliar, he was no stranger to this land. Buried deep in the farthest recesses of his mind, this particular spot housed a certain entity. An entity the dragon thought long buried with Malefore's end and the re-birth of Avalar. Spyro should have known better then to quickly jump to conclusions and guess its absence would be permanent.
"I am never truly gone, Spyro. You can not rid me no easier then give up the power of flight itself." A hollow voice rang out around him.
"Can you blame me? The risks you exposed me to, the dangers you brought against me."
"The power you gained, the abilities unlocked. Come now, must you really think so negative of these cast away talents?"
"Just tell me what you want and let me get on with my life. I've no desire to play your games, or amuse you to what ever fancies your interest." The dragon replied flatly.
A cold gust of wind, if such weather existed on this plane, cut through the scales and membranes. Spyro ignored the chill, feeling a presence behind him. He knew what it was, yet had no desire to look upon it. A dark shadowy silhouette came to stand beside the dragon its blank, empty eyes stared off listlessly into the horizon.
"They don't trust you, Spyro. After what your little tale of us, you think they will continue to let you prance about freely in their world? They'll bind you, lock you up, probably do far worse given our reputation. The fact that unicorn mare scribbled down every last detail. No doubt, she'll send it to her precious ruler and what then?"
Spyro dared to trade a quick glance to that dark being by his side,"What makes you think these ponies would attack me? You've seen through my eyes, they don't mean any true harm."
"Was this before or after you defended yourself? Open your eyes. Look what the sun goddess did to her own sister. Banished her to the moon for a millennia, then took over her responsibilities. Even after she was freed, this Luna's position was greatly reduced." The shadow snorted,"How long do you think you'll last before you snap and this Equestria bears witness to your dark intent?"
A dark growl was given before Spyro bore down upon the figure, eyes narrowed, teeth bared,"Spare me your little speech. Malefor tried and failed, your attempts are no different. I am no creature of destruction. Now leave me. This conversation is over."
The dark figure merely grinned and backed off, its visage starting to slowly wisp away,"Silly, silly dragon. I can never leave you no more then you can leave me. Only the sweet embrace of Death will give you this wish. Just don't say I never gave myself fair warning."
The dark entity was gone, the last of its words echoed in Spyro's mind as he turned to gaze upon the emptiness around him once more, left to chew over what his dark half parting words meant.
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Spyro had a feeling someone or something was watching him as he slept. he mmfed! under his breath before shuffling deeper under the covers in hopes that the gawker would leave him be in peace. Alas it was to no avail as a claw started to prod his side and a familiar voice rang in his ear.
"Spyro....Spyyyyrooooo. Hey..psst!...wakey wakey."
He groaned and muttered something under his breath before opening one eye at least, the blurry visage of Spike greeting him on the other side.
"Up an at em, Spyro. Breakfast is ready. Better hop to it before Sparx eats your share."
He grumbled some muffled words and finally managed to mumble,"Kay...okay, I'm coming."
Pleased with waking his fellow dragon up, Spike took the stairs back up to the ground level of the library. He took one last glance at Spyro, watching him groggily slip out from under the covers before exiting and joining the early birds to a fine meal. The purple dragon yawned, still partially asleep before rising on all four feet and shook himself awake. Casting the last tendrils of slumber from his body, he started to make his way up the stairs, when he gave pause.
They don't trust you, Spyro. Just don't say I gave myself fair warning.
Snorting with a bit of irritation, he gave his head a few shakes to clear his thoughts then quickly ascended the steps to join the others for their breakfast, lest the baby dragon pester him even further.
What Twilight lacked in quantity that Applejack took pride in when it came to breakfast, the lavender unicorn was more then capable of feeding both guest dragon and brother dragon just the same. Cinnamon apple waffles drizzled in a sweet apple syrup and topped with even more apples was more then enough to appeal to Spyro's growling stomach. Seeing Sparx mow through two of them already went to show their hostess was just as skilled behind the stove as the Apple family was. Taking a seat, Spyro glanced over to catch Spike finish off his second helping, downing the meal with a glass of orange juice on the side. Twilight finally joined them, looking as fresh and cheerful as the morning sunlight streaming from her windows.
"So how well did you sleep last night?" The mare asked her guest while levitating silverware to cut her portion up.
"I slept decent enough. Still getting used to the feeling of not having larger bodied dragons and their usual night symphonies of snores and occasional growls echo off stone walls." Spyro replied as he fumbled with his fork and knife.
Sparx finished off a third slice of apple, then glanced over and watched his friend for a minute or two,"You know you can eat with your paws, I don't think she would mind."
"I appreciate the thought, Sparx but I don't want to come off as being... well, wild and untamed with horrible manners to boot."
Twilight giggled softly, setting down her set before stabbing a few choice pieces of drizzled waffles bites,"Oh, its not a big problem, Spyro. After living with Spike for as long as I have, there isn't anything that phases me when it comes to poor eating habits."
BELCH!
"....Almost."
Spike grinned meekly,"Sorry."
He hiccuped again followed by another belch, green flame spewing from his parted jaws. A scroll appeared among the flames before it was enveloped in a soft violet aura as Twilight brought the scroll to her side of the table. Both dragons paused in the middle of their eating as the unicorn unrolled the parchment and started to read it's contents. Since her face was obscured by the letter, Spyro was unable to make out any facial responses to what was entailed in the scroll.
The pony rolled it up again setting the parchment on the table, then glanced over to Spyro.
"It was from Celestia and Luna. They mentioned making some progress with your dragon allies, but still no real solid results. As for your request, she's not made any reply to it, which is odd. Given that despite how busy she is, Princess Celestia manages to write some response. Perhaps later around lunch time or maybe before the day is done."
Spyro shook his head, pushing his plate away from his spot.
"It's not a problem, Twilight. Given how busy they must be between ruling Equestria and sparing free time to work with Volteer and the others, its understandable my request may not have been a priority. Still, I was kinda hoping for an answer."
Smiling, he gathered his items from the table and deposited the plate, along with the silverware into the nearby sink. Spike finished up the remains of his morning fiasco, discarded his plate into the sink then quickly followed his scaled brother into the main room of the library. Once the two were out of sight and ear shot, the unicorn unraveled the scroll once more, casting a light spell upon a blank section. When you're the protege for the ruler of Equestria, you learn a thing or two about "hidden" messages, fit for only the eyes they were intended for.
In the main room, Spyro found himself sitting on the couch near one corner of the library. It was placed away from any windows, which whose curtains were closed. This was to discourage any snooper or gawker from peering inside. He watched as Spike went through a long check list he carried with him as he went about his daily chores. It felt a little strange. The fellow dragon used to be so interested in Spyro. Now he seemed more focused on his work. Probably the normal or a daily rule Twilight had passed on. Work before conversation. Still the baby dragon did pull out a few books here and there, setting them on an oaken table in the center. When asked what they were, Spike mentioned they had a bit more in depth look into the nations of Draconis and Gryf.
While Spyro would not have a problem into reading these books himself, the language written on the pages were foreign and unfamiliar. Reading Equestrian was not easy to do. However, Spike was more then happy to read to his brother and fill him in on any details Twilight may have missed, though that was hard to come by with her vast knowledge. Twilight emerged from the kitchen a short while later, carrying the parchment with her as she retreated to her study room. The pony was oddly quiet today, a strange contrast to her usual behavior from days before.
"Oh don't worry about it, Spyro. Twilight tends to think four steps ahead of herself. Probably has some studying or research to do. She likes to keep herself occupied with one form or another. Or both. You get used to it after awhile. When she isn't working or writing we do town runs for supplies. Heh, should check out how many quills she goes through in a day."
Spyro glanced over to where the lavender unicorn was seated, head and shoulders hunched over her work desk.
"I believe you, Spike. Now, tell me again, just how big is the Dragon Queen again?"
The baby dragon glanced down at the book he was reading to Spyro, quickly glancing over the page before he found his spot once again.
"Says here, the Dragon Queen is so big, that her body alone could blot out Celestia's sun. That her wingspan is so great, she could create hurricane winds with but a few flaps. Course the book tends to exaggerate, as no pony explorer has actually seen the queen with their own eyes. Just that she is a powerful figurehead in her kingdom, much like Celestia is."
"Have you seen her?" Spyro asked, curious.
"Who me? Naw. I mean I've like to travel to Draconis, but being as I've lived here in Equestria all my life, I'd feel a little homesick. I'm sure I'll make the journey when I'm older. I've always wanted to see what it must be like in those lands."
Sparx chuckled,"Kid wants to travel to the lands of his birth. I like that. Has the spirit of adventure in him, even if he's small right now."
Spike said nothing, but there was a light hue of red on his scaled cheeks as he fidgeted in his spot earning a soft grin from Spyro, who said nothing on his friend's remark. A knock on the front door, drew every head to its direction, Spyro tensing up, unsure on whether to stay put or seek hiding in case it was a customer. A muffled, almost quiet voice murmured on the other side.
"H..hello? Twilight? It's me, Fluttershy. Can I come in please?"
Every pony and dragon breathed a sigh of relief as the butter cream pegasus entered. She shut the door almost quietly then trotted over to where the two dragons were. Twilight rose from her desk and intercepted Fluttershy as they reached the end of the room.
"What can I do for you today, Fluttershy?" She asked cheerfully.
"Oh, um I was wondering, if its alright with you that I borrow Spyro for the day. I mean, if your not busy with him or anything, I don't mind." The shy pegasus glanced over to where the two dragons sat.
Spyro and Spike trades glances, the dragon slipping from the couch with a light nod.
"I would not mind accompanying you this day, Fluttershy."
Spike sighed softly as he closed the book in his claws. Spyro turned around and ruffled his head scales lightly, causing the baby dragon to attempt to shoo his paw away.
"Don't worry Spike, I should be back tonight. I really would like you to finish telling me about Draconis. Then maybe tomorrow we can start on Gryf. How does that sound?"
Those green slitted eyes lit up as Spike's muzzle turned into a toothy grin,"You mean it?"
"Well seeing as you been reading to me, I would hate to halt this little history study session we've been having so soon."
"Dawwww, thanks Spyro."
Twilight looked between both dragons, then to Fluttershy. She just smiled with a light snicker,"Well Spyro's answered your question for me, Fluttershy. Just makes sure he wears his cloak."
"Oh, don't worry. I will." The pegasus mare softly replied, watching the purple dragon slip down into the basement. He emerged a few minutes later, carrying his enchanted cloak, Sparx fiddling with the strings around his neck as the dragon adorned the item. Once set Fluttershy made her goodbyes and exited the library, Spyro following the pegasus behind as they shut the door.
Silence descended once more, unicorn and dragon standing there. Spike sighed softly to himself as he went to shelve the books back in their places.
"Don't worry Spike, he'll be back this evening. I'm proud though. You've become quite the little scholar lately. All that hard work and reading has started to show."
"Dawwww. Thanks Twilight." He replied.
"Your welcome. With Spyro out for the day, we can go ahead and head into the market. I've got some errands to run and items to fetch before evening. Grab your things, Spike we're leaving shortly."
The dragon gave a quick salute then darted upstairs to fetch her saddle bags and his own, while Twilight jotted down the last few things on her list. The pair then packed up and left the library, making sure the door was locked before heading into the market for the day.
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The work at Fluttershy's college was relatively light. Spyro spent the time replacing lost shingles on the roof after the storm that had brought him here, had torn some of them off. Normally the pegasus would have taken care of this, however her concern for her animal friends and their stocks, barns and little huts outweighed her own. After a few practice swings with the hammer and avoiding cracking claws with misplaced aims, the purple dragon managed to nail the new shingles in place. It took him half the time any contractor pony would have done.
The resident of the cottege emerged from inside, balancing a tray on her back, wings outstretched to keep the contents from tumbling. She looked up to see Spyro flit off from the roof and land near the chicken coop, tool box in both forepaws.
"Thank you, Spyro. I would have done it sooner, but I was worried more for my friends here and their well being." The butter cream pony gestured with one hoof to the chickens, birds, squirrels, rabbits and other various local wild life that resided with her.
"It's not a problem. I probably would have gotten cave fever if I spend all day inside Twilight's library. Well, were it not for Spike reading to me about the two nations Equestria borders with."
Fluttershy smiled meekly as he joined her at a small table. Eyes glanced over as the tray she carried was pushed onto the surface. A plate topped with a couple of sandwiches and a pot with hot tea sat, two cups settled on saucers joined this little array. Spyro took his seat as Sparx emerged from near the edge of the forest, bearing what looked to be a bouquet of flowers.
"Ms. Fluttershy, I found those wild daisies you mentioned." The dragonfly remarked as he set them near the pegasus.
"Oh, thank you Sparx. I hope it wasn't too much trouble finding them. Ever Free forest can be quite scarey sometimes. I didn't want to risk you being hurt by accident,"
He waved a hand with a light chuckle before settling down onto the wooden table.
"It was no problem. I was in, I was out, I was fast. So your rabbits and other companions have their treat for the day."
"Sparx, the speed buggy." Spyro remarked with a snicker, drawing a soft chuckle from his friend while Fluttershy passed out the sandwiches.
The trio ate in silence until the dragon motioned with his head towards the dark edges of the fore mentioned forest.
"Why do you live so close to the forest, if it houses such danger in the first place, Fluttershy? I'd think you would be more comfortable in Ponyville near your fellow ponies, rather then live in the outskirts."
The shy pegasus paused midway to biting her sandwich, setting the meal down.
"Well if, if I did that, then I would not be able to keep watch over the animals. Or tend to them if they hurt themselves or fall ill. And um, well, the birds rely on my little bird homes too, since the forest is too dangerous for them to nest."
He glanced around him and watched as the animals gathered around her hooves. Fluttershy paused once more to pass out each daisy to a squirrel, rabbit or other small creature, each chittering or squeaking a thanks to the mare. She smiled softly, murmuring a few words of kindness before moving to the next. The last in line was a small white rabbit. This one was different from the others as it sat there, forearms folded across its chest and regarded the pegasus with a rather annoyed look.
"Oh, don't fret Angel. I have some for you too." The pony replied content and relaxed, passing down the last of them to the lapine. It snatched them from her muzzle and hopped off, the look of irritation showing in those beady eyes.
"That has got to be the most bad tempered rabbit I've ever laid eyes on. What am I saying that is the only one I've laid eyes on, whose looks alone could melt rock into magma." Sparx pointed out.
"Oh its nothing. Angel is just grumpy today. He didn't like his breakfast, even though I worked really hard to make it just right for him. So forgive him if he is just a teeny bit miffed with me."
"If you say so." The dragonfly replied, a bit unsure if what she said was true.
Spyro merely regarded the white rabbit as he mowed through the daisies like they were a light snack, then proceeded to roam around the grounds. While bunnies and rabbits were timid and avoided dragons or other creatures that were predatory, the dragon could see some difference with Angel compared to the others. His behavior towards Fluttershy for one and how he carried himself. His train of thought was interrupted as the sounds of wagon wheels could be heard rumbling down the road towards the cottage, their hostess's ears perking on full alert.
"Oh, d..dear. Its them. Follow me you two, we may as well greet them."
She rose and cleared the table, carrying the tray on her back once more. Spyro and Sparx traded glances before following Fluttershy up the path to the front door. Right on time too. The sound of what could come across as buzzing could be heard, all three looking over the small fence that bordered the front of the pegasus's home. Sure enough racing up the path towards the bridge was a trio of fillies whom both dragon and dragonfly had met on a couple of occasions in the past.
"Its them." Sparx ulped while Spyro just nodded,"Yeeup."
They braced themselves as the Cutie Mark Crusaders once more, made a flashy appearance. If by flashy that meant crashing while crossing the bridge and managing to wind up in the stream below.
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Night fall was upon Equestria by the time Spyro made it back to Twilight's library. Both dragon and dragonfly were sore and tired. Who knew just now much energy those three fillies possessed as Fluttershy watched over them that afternoon. Or surviving half the crazy stunts they pulled in their attempts to gain their cutie marks. Spyro was rather glad he was not a pony with a blank flank. Some of their ideas were on the borderline of just plain insane. Twilight was waiting for them as the pair wearily knocked on her front door, which opened with a soft hue of violet magic. Spike watched, hiding his muzzle to supress a giggling fit as they came in.
"Cutie Mark Crusaders?" The baby dragon casually asked, knowing full well the answer. The fellow dragon managed a nod.
"How is it possible, that three little filly ponies can cause so much mayhem in so little time?" Spyro groaned as he slumped at the foot of the couch.
"How is it possible that they can get their hooves on half the materials around this town. I mean... a catapult?!" gasped Sparx.
They bore witness to one of their ideas that afternoon. It involved a catapult and a rock's trajectory into the Ever Free forest. The details were fuzzy in the test phase, but somewhere along the lines the catapult was smashed and the forest lost a few acres to some rogue boulders.
"You two hungry?" The lavender librarian/resident asked the tired pair.
Spyro shook his head,"I think sleep sounds more appealing then food right now, Twilight. Thank you for the offer though."
Rising on his shaking limbs, both dragon and dragonfly made their way down into the basement, the door shutting behind the two. Both Twilight and Spike stood there, the unicorn pondering just what those three ponies did this afternoon that would exhaust the dragon so quickly. Spike yawned then stretched his limbs, scratching his side idly.
"Catapult. Thought they already tried that last week." Spike muttered to himself as he headed upstairs to catch a few ZZZ's himself.
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The dragon tossed and turned in his sleep. The dreams were garbled, mixed, unclear, making little sense if there was any sense to make of them. Each ending with a great pair of intense gold eyes bearing down upon him as he stood on some crumbling cliff before a sea of fire, unable to tear his gaze away from them.
"Spyro!"
"Guaah!!"
He awoke with a yelp and tumbled off the bed, landing with a soft thump. Grunting, Spyro hauled himself back up on the mattress, groggy eyes fixating on a familiar scaley face. Spike.
"Muhh. . . Spike? What are you doing down here? Is it morning already?" He asked with a deep yawn.
"No. You've only been out for a couple of hours. Listen, there is something you should know. About the letter from this morning."
"Hmm?" Sleepy eyes gazed upon green ones as the baby dragon fished out the scroll.
"Twilight left it on her desk before she went to bed. I spotted it when I came down for a drink of water. Turns out Celestia did reply to your request. Your not gonna like it though."
"Why is that?" He asked.
"Celestia has denied your request to be heard. Says here, your protection is far too great to risk any chance of being noticed by the ambassadors. She wants to keep it hush hush. I don't know why, but I can never really understand the Princess fully. Political Twilight says, what ever that means."
Denied. All for his own protection. Spyro exhaled noisily rubbing the bridge of his snout as his sleepy mind came to terms with this hidden answer.
"Was Twilight going to tell me?"
Spike shook his head,"I...I don't want to make it sound like she was hiding anything from you. But given what she quickly scratched down, it appears she was going to inform you after the ambassadors visit."
The day after tomorrow then.
"Why did you come tell me this? Won't you get in trouble for swiping the letter?"
"Probably. But you deserved an answer and Celestia is quick with responses. I don't know but, not telling you felt...wrong." The baby dragon glanced at his feet, shifting from foot to foot.
Spike meant well. Even if Twilight was just protecting him, Spyro was not a kid or some helpless infant. He faced dangers before and knew what would lay in store if his voice wasn't at least heard. As noble as Celestia's intentions were, keeping him in the dark would not help matters. His cover was blown, the truth of his presence was taken note of. What would the representatives do if Celestia denies Spyro's existence? For some reason, the dragon felt an unpleasant feeling brewing in his stomach.
They don't trust you.....
"Spike. You wouldn't happen to have directions on how to get to this Canterlot, would you?"
The dragon blinked as his eyes started to widen,"W..why? What are you going to do?"
Spyro's pale violet eyes intensified as he gazed to his fellow dragon,"I'm going to pay Princess Celestia a visit. Whether she likes it or not."