• Published 8th Mar 2012
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Little Dragon in a Strange New World - Zeryurijin

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Fashionable Party

"I can't believe you did that. Applejack I am astounded that you, of all ponies would know better. Do you have any idea the sort of problems that could very well arise out of this? We are trying to hide Spyro, not wave him about like a flag."

A dirty Spyro and equally dirty Applejack sat on a old worn out, but still durable couch inside her home. Rarity was upstairs making good use out of their showers, though her continued rantings of the harm done to her appearance by the "ruffian" and the "dirt chucking brute," still waged on behind closed doors. To make matters worse, Twilight was not far behind the white unicorn. So when she felt the thrums of strange earthen magic gathering in the field, the lavender pony put two and two together, surmising it was Spyro's doing. Twilight never would have guessed that Applejack had put him up to it.

Now the dirty duo sat there while Twilight lectured them both, none daring to blink an eye or so much as flick a tail. Once she was finished, did Applejack carefully respond.

"He jes wanted ta help, Twilight. Sittin around in the barn twiddlin his claws. Ah can't just let him stay cooped up. Sides that dragonfly, Sparx pleaded after ah politely declined his request. Ah dinna know the dragon could pack that sort of punch. Ah thought Rainbow Dash was pullin ma leg."

"Couldn't you have picked a smaller boulder to test your theory on? Did it have to be that buried bohemoth in those fields your family purchased last fall?"

The shower room door slammed open, hooves stomped heavily across the hallway upstairs. Three heads turned to the stair well as a damp Rarity made her way down, her mane and tail still bound in towels.

"It would not have mattered which plot of land you picked. You deliberately set that beast upon me with every intention of getting me soiled, Applejack."

The pony sighed and rubbed her muzzle,"Rarity, ah did no such thing. Ah am mindful of how ya get when so much a speck of dust tarnishes your coat. Ah knew Twilight mentioned ya was coming, she jes never inclined as to the time of yer arrival."

Rarity huffed a little more, before finally settling by Twilight,"Intentional or not, do you realize how long it takes? I mean my mane, my wonderful beautiful mane."

She fretted and fussed over the damp hair while her eyes fixated on Spyro,"As for YOU, I will not touch your muddied scales until after you bathe. To the shower with you!" she commanded with a hoof pointing to the stair well.

Sparx hopped of his head and buzzed in front of Rarity,"Who dropped the bucket and named you Spyro's sitter? He looks perfectly content covered in muck." he added with a grin.

"Listen, you flying piece of future accessory, unless you want to join my summer collection I will have that brute washed. Whether you want to or not!" Rarity shot back with eyes glaring like daggers.

Sparx had not felt a twinge of fear from these ponies at all since his arrival. The unicorn had the look that foresaw his untimely demise and future prospect of a brooch most promising. Scooting back, the pair reluctantly headed upstairs into the awaiting shower room and shut the door. Rarity followed them, making sure they wouldn't get any crazy ideas and shirk the task she had given them.

As they showered upstairs, Twilight motioned Applejack to follow her outside in front. Once the two were alone on the porch, the unicorn turned to look upon her friend.

"So...what exactly did he do?" A well gifted student in the arts of magic, opportunities like this was something she could not just simply pass up and ignore. Even if the stunt they pulled was a risk factor on revealing Spyro's presence, this was just another chance to learn about different magics from beings of different worlds.

Applejack sat there, rubbing her forehead a little before pulling back on her Stetson.

"Well. Ah told him the problem that hunk of rock had been causin us. So even after Sparx complained about me givin him too big ah task, the dragon decided he'll do it. He circles the boulder, takin note of what we tried to do to make it budge and move. Then he sits there for a few minutes or so, eyes closed, like he was concentratin. Sparx later comes to join us, as he feels the soil beneath his claws. And then."


Applejack removed her hat,"Ahm sure ya felt it as ya said ya did. It...it was like the ground was alive. An bein an earth pony we have that connection to the earth. To feel it move beneath my hooves and watch it gather around him, like he was wrapping himself up innit. Then, it dies down as quickly as he called it forth. Next thing ah know, he spits this green orb. It comes at the boulder like some pony tossed it. An...well ahm sure ya heard that loud ka-boom. Whole upper top of the boulder gone! Reduced to gravel, dirt clods and pebbles rainin down on us. Brother had to pull me down, case there was big chunks that could hurt us. But we was okay."

"Then he digs his forepaws into the ground and moves the dirt...moves it like water over a ocean. It acts like a geyser only, with dirt. Powerful enough to move the remains of the boulder out the trench we dug around it and leaves it there. Then the earth retreats back into the gap and fills the whole. He spits another one of those green orbs, but its smaller. It cracks what is left of that rock into smaller chunks. And that's it. Twilight. Ah never felt anythin like it but. That's some strong mojo he be carryin with him."

Twilight was sitting there, quiet and listening as her friend retold the day's events in the field. She brought parchment and quill, jotting down everything the orange pony had said. When she finished, the unicorn rolled up the scroll, sealed it, then set it back in her saddlebags.

"Thank you Applejack. While I admit, that earth spells and such require learning the words and recalling the symbols. What Spyro possesses sounds new. And not just earth. Ice? Fire? What other elements does he know? And how does he process this magical force within himself to be able to use each of them without getting hurt? I know he's a dragon and they have that magical resistance, but he's no bigger then we are. And dragons don't have that sort of talent in them, most actually until they are at least five hundred years old and have the dedication to learn them."

The orange pony looked around, then back to Twilight a little puzzled.

"Say Twilight, where is Spike? Usually he's with you all the time."

"Oh, I sent him to Fluttershy's place. I didn't want him pestering Spyro, he did enough of that yesterday." The pony replied.

Applejack laughed softly,"Can ya blame him? How often does that little fella run into other dragons, even outsider ones? Pretty rare doncha think?"

The unicorn cast a glance into the living room from where they sat, her eyes fixated on Spyro as they overheard Rarity start to fuss with his measurements. He looked cleaner, the shine of his scales seem to cast the rays of the sun off him. Twilight gazed at him for a moment, trying to sense that magical force Applejack had mentioned. It wasn't easy, given his heritage. Most dragons were immune to unicorn magic by the time they are nearly full adults. Spike was different, given magic from an aspiring little filly had caused his hatching. Hence his ability to send letters via fire. Spyro was different. It would take her at least a week to figure out half of him, and even then she felt she would not have all the answers.

A pink face with puffy pink mane and blue eyes popped up with a huge grinning face,"Heya Twilight!"

The unicorn eeked and jumped into Applejack's forelegs, who managed to catch her friend before she landed on her purple posterior.

"Pinkie Pie!!! Don't do that!" The mare said, panting as her hoof lay over her chest. The spazztic beatings of her heart hammered away at her sternum, threatening to make a jail break at any moment. Always Pinkie Pie and her profound sense of popping up anywhere.

The pink mare just giggled and bounced, drawing both fashion designer and a surprised dragon to her location.

"Where did she come from? And how come we didn't see her enter?" Sparx asked, confused by the pony's sudden, random appearance.

"Oh that's Pinkie Pie, Ponyville's resident party pony. Be forwarned, since you two are new, she's going to throw you a welcoming party." Rarity muttered under her breath as she took down Sypro's wing span.

"You betcha Rarity!" The mare pipped in. She oogled at the two new faces, the dragon feeling a tad uncomfortable with being stared at.

"So your the crazy wazey dragon that went all raaaaawr and whoosh! at the factory yesterday huh?" She inquired.

"Umm, no. It's been a huge misunderstanding, Pinkie Pie. I crashed into the factory after being dragged here through the storm." Spyro replied.

"Well Duuuh! How else did you get here? Broke the fourth wall? I mean, that's totally impossible for many, many people." She said happily, ruffling his scales atop his head,"But that's ok! Your safe and sound along with your buzzy bug friend! Saaaaaaaay since you did arrive here, I haven't thrown you a super, duper welcoming party! We could totally invite every pony in Ponyville!!"

The white unicorn erred and shook her head,"Ummm, Pinkie Pie, I don't think that is such a good idea. Given the circumstances from the factory, throwing a welcoming party for our...guests will draw unwanted attention. The ponies know Spike and how he's just a baby in all."

"Present."

Came a familiar voice behind the trio. Rarity jumped as Spyro whirled around to see said dragon sitting on a couch, with a couple of gems in both paws,"Hiya again, Spyro." he waved before chomping down on a blue gem.

Rarity cleared her throat,"...where as Spyro is new, bigger then he is and will most likely be viewed as a threat. Even if he is harmless. No offense."

"Spike!! What are you doing here?" Twilight heard him from outside. She barged in and cornered the baby dragon, who scooted back into a corner, gulping softly,"I...I finished helping Fluttershy at her cottage. She said to find you here and gave me some gems to munch on. Please don't send me back, I want to see Spyro again."

The lavender pony groaned while face hoofing,"Fine. Just...don't get to comfortable. We're leaving as soon as Rarity finishes up."

He huffed, folding his arms but nodded looking back at the love of his life. He sighed and held a drunken smile as he watched the girl of his dreams measure Spyro's tail and horns. Once Rarity was finished, she jotted down a few notes, then packed up her bags.

"Well Twilight I think I have what I need to get started on those cloaks you mentioned. Now, about this spell to conceal Spyro here. How will that effect the fabrics I'm going to use?"

While Twilight discussed the spell she had in mind, Pinkie Pie hmmed and tapped her chin before nodding energetically.

"Well ok! We can just have a small party, just the nine of us! Sparx, Spyro, Spike, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash! It will be totally caketacular! Oh my gosh! I better get started! I want to have everything totally ready by tonight! See you later!!"

She waved and zipped out the door, leaving Applejack to cough on her dust as the pony hopped...that's right hopped down the path. Spyro and Sparx watched until she disappeared over the hump, casting a glance to the country pony.

"Ummm. Is...she always like that?"

"Yah. Ya get used to it after awhile. She's a great friend, Pinkie Pie." Applejack ahemed softly,"So long as ya don't break a Pinkie Pie promise." The mare shifted a little uncomfortable as Sparx approached her.

"Umm, come to think of it, those three fillies had mentioned a Pinkie Pie Promise before we came out of hiding. What happens if you break it?" The dragonfly asked, piqued.

A pink head popped out of nowhere from above, startling both Spyro and Sparx. The two leaped back, hitting the wall of the house as Pinkie Pie grinned most...unpleasantly.

"Breaking a Pinkie Pie promise is the quickest way to lose your friends. Foreeeeeeeeeeveeeeeeeeeeeeeer."

She slowly sunk back up disappearing entirely, leaving two frazzled outsiders gawking at the spot where the pony emerged.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Rarity promised to return with the fabrics on hand by early afternoon. And since Pinkie Pie was going to throw him a welcoming party anyway, the Apple family set to work on setting up the barn for the umpteenth time to house a celebration. Twilight remained for the sake of keeping tabs on the dragon as Spike followed him around the farm.

"So Spyro I was overhearing that you can use earthen magic. So fire, ice earth. What else can you do?" The smaller dragon asked, chewing on a ruby.

The bigger dragon hmmed,"Well I can use and shoot lightning." There was a pause as Spyro stopped to see Spike look at him in amazement.

"Really? Wow. Lightning is a tricky element to want to handle. I don't think any dragon can pull that off. I don't even think Celestia or Twilight could manage that."

"Say Spike, maybe you can answer a question or two for me." The small dragon grinned and nodded vigorously,"Of course! What do you want to know?"

"Well you and your sister Twilight keep referring to this Princess Celestia. Who is she? Your matriarch?"

Spike shuffled his feet slightly, blushing as he referred to Twilight as "sister." Not that he found anything wrong with it of course.

"Princess Celestia rules over Equestria along with her sister Princess Luna. She's an alicorn. Which is a pegasus and a unicorn put together. Before you ask, no they are not as common as the unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies you see here. They're extremely rare from what I've heard from Twilight, whenever she studies hard at night."

Spyro seated himself, absorbing this bit of info as he nodded,"Go on. What makes them so, I guess unique would be the word I'm looking for."

Spike settled by him and pointed at the afternoon sun slowly setting over the horizon,"Celestia has the power to control the sun, raising and lowering it each day. She's a sun goddess as ponies have known her as. But she doesn't like to think herself as some powerful being. Just a humble ruler looking out for her ponies. Princess Luna is the opposite. She raises and lowers the moon and the night sky. Not as powerful as her sister, but still a great alicorn herself."

"Sisters you say? Sounds like a huge job they got going. Running Equestria, making sure every pony gets along." the purple winged dragon mused.

"Well its not as bad as you sound. Celestia runs the day courts and activities. Her sister runs the night courts and evening activities. From what I heard ever since Luna returned, its been a huge help to Celestia." Spyro looked at the dragon,"Returned? Did Luna go somewhere? Was she ill one night, causing Celestia to take over her duties or something?"

"It's deeper then what you think, Spyro." Twilight's voice came from behind the pair, causing their heads to gaze upon the unicorn as she approached them,"Spike, would you mind if I spoke with our scaled friend alone for a moment or two? You can come back when I'm finished, promise."

Spike rose and nodded. He turned to leave, then paused and handed Spyro a ruby,"Don't know if you like em or not, but I brought one just the same. Catch you later."

The dragon trotted off, leaving his taller friend to eye the gem in his paw, unsure what to make of the gift. Twilight let a small smile grace her muzzle before giving a light nod,"Care for a small walk. Not sure if you eat gems like the dragons here, it was a gift Spike wanted to give you."

"Ah." Spyro tucked it under his wing, making a mental note to look into the item later. Pony and dragon took a path into the orchards, both keeping silent until the dragon spoke,"So, about Celestia and Luna. What happened between them? Care to give me a little history lesson?"

"How much do you live the night? How much do you enjoy the day, Spyro?" The mare asked him.

"Well, I enjoy the day as long as it lasts. The nights have been decent. Course, I don't stay up late. Other wise the elders worry I won't get enough sleep. That is until recent. Being restless I found myself staring at the starry night sky, admiring the moon. I couldn't sleep and had no idea what to do. So I just sat there at the temple, upon the balcony. Why do you ask?"

"Luna would have taken comfort in knowing that if she saw long ago. Centuries earlier, not many ponies stayed up at night. They slept until morning as usual for every living creature save for the nocturnal ones. For most night was a scary time, as such creatures were scary and foreboding, no pony wanting to be caught out in the open. This saddened Luna, that while every pony would rise to greet Celestia's sun, they would shun and hide from her moon and night sky. Over time this sadness became a bitter jealously and it slowly ate away at Luna. One fateful night Celestia encountered her sister and asked her to lower the moon. She refused. Luna went on to claim that if no pony want to enjoy her night, that they would never again see the light of day. She turned into a dark monster known as Nightmare Moon and decreed that night shall last eternal. Celestia had tried to reason with her, but to no avail. So with a heavy heart, she gathered the Elements of Harmony and defeated her sister. Once done, she banished her to the moon, locking her away for there was no other way she could find to release her from this dark force that had taken hold."

Twilight glanced over to Spyro who remained utterly quiet. Even Sparx who had joined them during their walk remained speechless.

"She remained imprisoned on the moon for a thousand years. I later discovered that a prophecy would come to pass. That the stars would create a gate for Nightmare Moon and she would be free once again to plunge the world into darkness once more. I did not know it at the time, but Celestia knew her sister would return. Alas the power of the Elements would no longer work, for she had lost the attunement to them. So, being wise and clever as a princess was, she sent me unaware of what would develop, into Ponyville. In overseeing preparations for the Summer Sun festival, I met Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. As foreseen upon the evening of the Summer Sun, Nightmare Moon escaped and once more cast Eternal Night. With our combined help and knowledge, my friends and I discovered the power of the Elements and with it, used it to once more defeat Nightmare Moon. In doing so we freed Luna from the dark power, setting her free. It turned out ok for Celestia. She got Luna back, free from the corruption that had tainted her. We became the new Bearers of Harmony and Equestria was saved."

Looking over with a soft smile, the unicorn gave a light nod,"You can only imagine what it must have been like for Celestia. Living all those years alone without her sister. Being helpless as some dark force took her away, replacing her with a monster. Could you Spyro?"

He said nothing for a moment, but rose to his feet, having rested beneath an apple tree,"I can't. But I know someone could relate to what Princess Luna had to suffer through. I think they would have gotten along pretty well." Looking to see her puzzled expression, he laughed softly then shook his head.

"Seems Equestria is known for their prophecies. Avalar also had one. About a purple dragon being born once a millenia and that he would free the world from a dark master's control. His servants knew of this and sought to find the egg. My..mentor Ignitus knew this. When the temple came under attack, he stowed away my egg for safe keeping. The others were lost, save for another egg. The dark master's minions whisked it away. In time a dragoness was hatched and through the dark master's corruption became a fearsome beast. Cynder... her name was worked for him. She hunted the other Elders down, imprisoning them, for her master knew that his followers had failed on finding the egg. I was born a short time later along with Sparx. Little did I realize the role I would play in the worlds' protection."

Looking over his shoulder, he drew out a soft exhale,"I found my way back to the temple and it was there I learned from Ignitus, about my role. So with new found resolve, I flew out to free my fellow dragon elders and bring them back. Cynder was stealing their elemental power as a means to open a portal. Her master was trapped in a Shadow realm and had no means of returning to Avalar. But with her dark powers, his influence and the Elder's essences, she was very close. In the end, she got to Ignitus, knocked me senseless and would have finished me off, were it not for...something that paused her actions. I lived, shockingly. That didn't stop me. I confronted her in the plane to the shadow realm and we fought. Using all the knowledge and power I gained, I freed Cynder from the dark master's grasp, releasing her from his will. It...it was pretty close for the both of us. She was no bigger them me and rather then leave her to a terrible fate, I rescued her and managed to escape."

The dragon looked to the sun as it dipped lower along the mountains, a sign the night was coming,"There's more to my story, but. I can see what you mean. Dark times were upon our worlds and we, the unseen hero and heroine met and embraced our destinies even if we didn't know it at the time and felt it too great for us to handle."

A faint voice, Applejack was calling the two. Rarity had returned and Pinkie Pie had arrived as well, along with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Dragon and pony looked to each other then nodded silently and took the path back to the farm.

"So what became of Cynder, Spyro?"

"She lives at the temple with the rest of us. Helps out with rebuilding and we leave peacefully. There are quite a few colonies of inhabitants all over Avalar, but no ruling kingdoms. Just leaders or tribesmen who lead their people. They come to us for knowledge sometimes and we dragons, do our best to give sound advice."

The two traded idle chit chat until they reached the barn, where surprisingly it was prepared so quickly for the dragon and his friend's welcoming.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Spyro had to admit, these ponies knew how to party. Or rather, Pinkie Pie knew how to throw one heck of a party. Every pony he had met was there, minus Granny Smith for safety reasons of course. The trio of fillies, the shy Fluttershy, the rambunctious Rainbow Dash, the fashion designer Rarity, the down to home country pony Applejack and Twilight along with Spike. Sparx and his dragon brother partied like never before. And the food. Wow. Again Applejack and her family had outdone themselves. But with Pinkie Pie adding to the contributions, they felt they were going to be so stuffed, they would burst at the sides. Many strange games were played which they both enjoyed greatly. Stories were shared between pony and dragon, competitions arose between Applejack and Rainbow Dash (which, Spyro learned was normal for these two as they had a competitive streak between them.) And of course there was Spike. No matter what Spyro seemed to be doing or how occupied he was, the dragon found time to strike up conversations with the little guy.

Twilight had watched them with interest and this amazed her, that despite how different they were in upbringing, they seemed to share a common bond with one another. The party ended well after midnight. Despite how tired the pair was, Spyro and Sparx helped take down the decorations and cleaned up. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were in bed long ago, thus only the lavender pony and her friends were still up, cleaning.

"So what did you two think of the party huh? Bet its better then the ones back home huh?" A cheery Pinkie Pie asked.

"Well to be honest, Pinkie. This would have to be the first big party we've ever attended." Spyro replied.

Her eyes grew rather large, utterly shocked that Spyro never had any parties on his world,"Never?!"

"Nope. This would have to be our first, major party ever."

"Oh this certainly wont do! I must work even harder to make sure you both get more parties in before you go home!!" the pink pony bounced energetically before putting away all her decorative items into a cannon.

Her "Party Cannon" as they learned from Applejack, had the power to instantly decorate any large building in under ten seconds. Course the thought of being shot with confetti, streamers, balloons and what not, sounded a little dangerous. Sparx was glad this was aimed at building and not some unfortunate spectator. By one, every pony was saying their goodbyes, Rarity and Fluttershy needed to head home for sleep before their work began the following day.

Before she left, Rarity had given Twilight a stylish cloak that would conceal Spyro, should she feel the need to move him. Once the spells were inlaid and he tried the garment on, she was happy to report he would blend in well. The effects of the spell was to cast an illusion that he was just a purple pegasus with a yellow mane and red wings. A little odd for the colors, but she couldn't change his normal colors to blend in more. It would have to do.

Spyro didn't mind, so long as he was able to "hide" from other ponies and not stir any trouble, that was all that mattered. He made his farewells to a very tired Spike, watching him and Twilight leave, the dragon fast asleep on her back. Rainbow Dash was staying for the evening, deciding to bunk up with the dragon, which was a bit of a surprise for him, given the slight tension built between them.

"You know, your not a bad hoof wrestler for a dragon." The cyan pony mentioned from her self made cloud bed.

Spyro chuckled as he rotated his wrist. She sure had one heck of an foreleg on her that was for sure. And he arm wrestled both her and Applejack. For small ponies, they were no pushover if push came to shove.

"Strong grip yourself there, Rainbow Dash." he commented on his bed,"Hows your wings by the way?"

Yawning, she waved a hoof idly,"They're doing well. What ever you did, it worked like a charm."

Silence stretched across the empty barn space, the sounds of the evening was heard all around them.

"Say Spyro...how good of a flyer are you?"

"Ehh, I fly fairly well. I don't do wild crazy stunts as your friends have mentioned you do many occasions. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, nothing. Just curious was all. Good night." The sound of soft snoring followed a few minutes later.

Not one to bug her, the dragon murmured a good night before shifting over in his bed. In time he too succumbed to sleep as did Sparx and a sense of calm and peace descended upon the apple farm.

High above hidden among clouds, a shadowy figure was keeping watch over the ponies on the farm. At the sight of Spyro, quill and parchment scribbled down words and notes, before wings were spread and with a few hardy wing beats, the feathered figure flew off into the night, heading east. In the woods nearby, another figure spotted the dragon and notes were also taken before strong leathery wings unfurled. These beat down a few times, bending trees and tearing away small shrubs. The figure also flew into the night, west was it's destination as the sound of great wing flaps filled the air. And no pony was awake to see their presence.