//------------------------------// // They Live In You // Story: The Legends of Magic: Enter the Dragons // by Phantom-Dragon //------------------------------// [Mashup: My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic + Spyro's Rap] After their recent triumph against Nightmare, and the restoration of the Tree of Harmony, the heroes were rewarded with a few gifts from the tree. Sparx was given the power of speech for most of his friends to hear him, Rarity's tail was restored, and Spyro reclaimed his firepower and flight. Now, the heroes have returned to Zecora's hut to celebrate. "Man you should've seen it, Zecora!" Pop Fizz said excitedly. "So there we were, at the Castle of the Two Sisters, when suddenly that storm beast jumped out at us, with a whole pack of baboons and dreadwings! She was all–" Pop Fizz went on to mimic blasts of lightnings and roars, "–and we were all, 'no way, we ain't going down without a fight!' And then, there was this tree! It was dying, but we saved it!" Double Trouble said something, as if to validate everything Pop Fizz said was true. "And the best part is, I can talk to every pony!" Sparx buzzed happily. "Oh, there're just so many stuff I wanted to say to you ponies!" "That's nothing," Spyro smirked. "The best thing is, I got my firepower back!" To prove it, Spyro inhaled a gust of air, before he lets out a small blast of ember from his maw. "Now I'm complete!" Spike and Twilight both smiled happily at their dragon friend, "Yeah, I'm happy for you, big brother!" Spike smiled. "Well done," Zecora took a dainty sip from her tea. "But your quest has only just begun." "Quest? What quest?" Applejack asked. "We've found the Elements of Harmony. We saved the Tree of Harmony. And we've beaten Nightmare, didn't we?" "You've saved the Tree of Harmony," Zecora began. "But you did not defeat Nightmare or the Dark Army. Even now, the Storm King is still on the march with the clear intent on fulfilling his tyranny's mark." As she explains this, Zecora once again waves her hoof over the cauldron, conjuring up another image. This time, it reveals the same fiendish, horned, ape creature from before, cackling maniacally with claps of thunder and lightning to add the ferocity of his appearance. "EEK!!" Fluttershy screamed, making a quick beeline for the cover of Zecora's bed and hiding under the covers. "So that's the Storm King," Rainbow Dash commented. “Ha! He doesn’t look so tough, now that we got to see him for real.” “You say that now, Dash!” Applejack cautions. “But remember who and what we’re dealing with. This is the guy that Red dragon works for!” “And controls a whole army of those brutes who ruined our home!” Rarity frowned. “And the monster who ordered Princess Celestia’s death,” Twilight hissed venomously. “And the coming days, I fear, gets worse and worse,” Zecora said, as she waves her hoof to change the image into another. “The Dark Army have just begun their curse. With every seeds of darkness they sowed, their forces will grow. And with Princess Luna as their prisoner in stone, the Night Of Eternal Darkness will come with the ultimate evil this world has ever known.” While she explains all this, the heroes looked into the cauldron and saw images of the Dark Army’s soldiers of baboons, gnorcs, and rhynocs, planting more dark gems into the ground. The gems cackled and burst with dark energy like no other, as they corrupted the land around them. To further the misery of the images, several ponies were shown in chain, enslaved to do the bidding of the Dark Army. “What are they doing to Equestria?” Twilight asked. “Whatever it is, it can’t be good! That’s what!” Rainbow Dash frowned. “Oh they’re so going to get it!” “Mother Of Celestia!” Applejack exclaimed. “I think some of those ponies are the Apples! Look! That’s Aunt and Uncle Orange! And that must be—No! It can’t be! They got Big Mac too!” “Oh dear!” Fluttershy whimpered, as she walked up slowly and hugged her friend for comfort. “I know I’ve said they’re the worst party crashes ever,” Pinkie Pie commented. “But this far beyond crashing a party!” “We can’t let them get away with this!” Looking up at the zebra, Spike anxiously asked, “Isn’t there anything we can do?” Initially pensive, Zecora looks up and answered, “Your recent triumph have proven your defiance and your reliance,” The zebra began. “You have found harmony, thus you are ready to assemble an army.” “Yeah, you said that before,” Rainbow replied. “But where are we going to get an army? Let alone build one? I mean, who would join us?!” “Do not let darkness win and blind you the value which lies within. Even in these dark hours, hope has not yet been soured. Hearts of resistance, are barely clinging onto existence. You must unite them all to stand tall.” “In other words, ‘United we stand!’” Pop Fizz added, with Double Trouble voicing his agreement. The heroes all turned to one another, exchanging looks, before Sparx buzzed, “Great. But where do we even begin?” With another sip of her tea, Zecora answered, “If you train with me, so good you'll be. I'll show you all the way to make sure they won't stay.” “You can train us?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Ya got a problem with that?” Pop Fizz asked. “No, no problem at all,” Rainbow waved her hoof, before she admitted. “Actually, it’s just that....no offense or anything, but you don’t look like the type who can train us. Back me up here AJ.” “Uh, I’m kinda with Dash on this one,” Applejack added. “I mean, what can you do to help us get.....y’know, ready?” “Whoa!” The heroes all exclaimed in awe. They were brought out to a clearing, where lanterns containing fireflies were held to light up the area, revealing an entire obstacle course populated with fighting dummies, ramps, bars, and all sorts of equipments that befits a fighter’s need to hone and sharpen their skills. “How long has this been here?” Spyro asked. “As long as before we were even born!” Pop Fizz answered. “Well what are we waiting for?” Rainbow asked, eagerly clapping her hooves together. “Let’s get this party started!” “Not so fast!” Zecora shouted. “The time to train has yet come to pass. First, you must clear the area of rubbish that made it worst.” “Which means, start cleaning!” Pop Fizz stated. “WHAT?!” “Cleaning?!” Rainbow Dash began to protest. “But—we—“ “Clean the training ground, then you may proceed with what you found!” Everyone all complied. Except for one, “As for you Twilight, you will come with me,” Zecora instructed. “Whether you will be alright, we shall see.” Harmony—Timbaland feat.Dalton Diehl “Ugh! Cleaning?!” Rainbow groaned, feeling undignified. “Why do we have to clean this place?” “Don’t take it the wrong way,” Pop Fizz replied. “Think about it. This could be another lesson for you guys.” “Oh yeah?” The pegasus scoffs. “What lesson might that be?” “It’s a lesson of commitment, or whatever.” Meanwhile, somewhere in the area, Spike was raking away some dead leaves and pulling out the weeds, when he noticed his brother was close by. Spike watched as Spyro breathed a bit of ember to burn away some of the weeds that had overgrown all over the fighting dummies and training equipments. The young dragon couldn't help but notice the bright smile on the older dragon's face, brighter than any smile he's ever seen of his brother. "Must be great to finally breathe fire again, huh?" Spike asked, wanting to strike up conversation. "Yeah, I feel like myself again," Spyro chuckled. "Check this out!" With that, Spyro opened his maw and released a strong burst of flame, burning away some vines that hung across a branch, then he rolled to the side and released another stream of fire, before with a loud roar he released a huge fireball that exploded upon impact with a rusty target. "Hey! You're suppose to clean the place! Not blow it up!" Pop Fizz sounded. "Yeah, yeah, I hear ya, I hear ya," Spyro grumbled. "Spoiled sport." Spike couldn't help but laugh at his brother's comment. He's never seen this side of him before. "I'm really happy for you, big brother," Spike smiled. "Remember before, whenever you needed something warmed up, I was right there and then to lend you my fire breath?" "How can I forget?" The older dragon smiled in nostalgia, while brushing some mosses off. "Back when it was just me, you, Sparx, and Twilight, you were the only one then who could breathe fire. During the winter, on Hearth's Warming Eve, you can heat up a cup of hot chocolate in mere seconds. Or whenever Twilight needed you to send messages to Princess Celestia, and back again, your fire breath was all they needed." "And what about that time when we went camping together, with Shining Armor and Twily?" Spike asked. "I was the one who started the campfire." "And then the whole camp was swarming with those bothersome Fly-der bugs," Spyro recalled. "They were drawn by the foods Twilight brought for the trip." "But thankfully, through the teamwork with me and Sparx," Spike added. "And our combined firepowers, we roasted them!" "And we enjoyed ourselves to some Fly-der barbecues." "Mmm-mmm!" The two brothers said together, sharing their equal delights in the memory of the cooked bug delicacy, much to the disgust of Twilight and Shining Armor's at the time. The little dragon's smile slowly turned sad as he continued, "I guess now you're not going to need me as your fire anymore, huh?" Spyro looked at his little brother, baffled, "What makes you say that?" He asked. "Well, now that you can breathe fire again, what do you need me for? I mean, look at you! You can fight! You can fly! But me?" Spike looked down sadly, and frowned. "I'm just a little baby dragon. I don't know how to fight, or even have wings." Seeing how discouraged Spike is, letting his brotherly instinct take over, Spyro walked over to his little brother's side and draped a wing over his shoulder, "Y'know Spike, just because I have my fire back, doesn't make you any less valuable," He began. "I might've gotten my flame back, but that doesn't replace something else I've gained over the last several years since we've been together." "Oh yeah? What's that?" "A brother. You." Spike looked up at Spyro, with his eyes widened in wonder. "You're the only family I have left, Spike. What's left of dad, and the others that is. I was just so downed because I thought, without my fire, then I'd be incapable of protecting you, like a brother would for his little brother." "That's not true, big brother!" Spike shouted. "Fire or no fire, you're still an awesome brother! You were so fast on your feet, you were brave against a whole pack of baboons and gnorcs, and you're literally headstrong! I couldn't have asked for a better brother!" Though touched at the little dragon's admiration towards him, Spyro was still weary as he recalls the tragedy, "Yeah, I know," The older dragon sighed. "But think of it this way, Spike. Now that I have my fire back, and I can fly again, all kinds of possibilities for us are opened up. I could even take you flying in the sky, like you've always dreamed of since you started walking on your two legs." "Still, I wished there was something I could do more for you, big brother," Spike sighed. "I mean, with Twilight, I get. All I had ever done for her was write some of her notes, fetch her books, and all that stuff of being a Number One Assistant. But there's got to be at least something I can do for you." Scratching his chin, Spyro pondered on what sort of role his little brother would befit in. "I'm sorry kid," Sparx buzzed, interrupting the moment between the two brothers. "But the position of this dragon's sidekick has already been filled!" Elsewhere, Twilight was out on a pond of water, levitating three large bubbles around here. “Ah, no noise, no sound, no din, no fuss must interfere with your focus. Unlearn what you have learned. Only then can victory be earned.” Twilight calmly and quietly inhaled and exhaled, while maintaining her focus on her magic. Her breathing was steady at first. Unfortunately, it was all short lived as memories of that awful Nightmare plagued her mind. The waters around Twilight churned and boiled uneasily, as if there was heat beneath them. Tears flowed from Twilight’s eyes, her breathing became intense, and the corners of her lips curved into snarl as Nightmare’s mocking laugh echoed in her mind, together with the image of Princess Celestia’s dead body fresh in her mind, before it flashes to the sight and smell of Celestia’s blood on the creature’s blade. Before Twilight knew it, she was submerged beneath the surface of the water. “There is much, much that I can teach, but the answer you need may still be out of reach.” With a familiar sting in her heart, Twilight sighed, “I'm sorry, Zecora. I'm trying my best, but... I can't stop thinking about Princess Celestia.” Twilight sniffled, trying to hold back her tears. “I can’t believe she’s gone!” [They Live In You – The Lion King Broadway] “Those whom we held close are still close,” Zecora lectured. “Princess Celestia is here, my dear.” “No,” Twilight sobbed. “She is not here!” “Look into the water if you need to be calmer,” Zecora instructed. “Now tell me. What do you see?” Twilight sighed, “What else? Just my reflection.” “No. Look harder in the water,” Zecora instructed, tapping the water slightly with the tip of her hoof. The surface ripples slightly, distorting Twilight’s mirror image to reveal another. “You see?” No longer was Twilight looking at herself. Instead, staring back at her is the gentle and loving eyes of violent she missed so dearly. “In you, she’ll be.” Twilight could hardly believe her eyes, and ear, when a mist rolled in, “Twilight.” “Princess Celestia?!” Twilight gasped, as the mist circled around herself, before they formed the shape of an alicorn. Princess Celestia. “Yes my faithful student. It is I.” The Princess spoke warmly. “And I have been watching over you and your friends.” “Princess Celestia.” Twilight sobbed, mixture of joy and sorrow. “Please, forgive me. I have failed you.” “Failed me? What are you talking about?” “I have failed to avenge you! I had found the Elements, like you wanted me to. But I couldn’t defeat Nightmare! She’s still at large! I’m so sorry!” “Twilight. All I asked was for you and your friends to find the Elements Of Harmony. Nothing more. And you did it, together with the friends you’ve made, and you have all used them to save the Tree Of Harmony. I could never be disappointed in you.” “But Nightmare is still out there! The darkness is spreading! All because I failed to stop her when I had the chance!” “You cannot blame yourself for the actions that are beyond your control. What matters is that you are still here. And now, it's time for you to decide where to go from here. It’s time to move on. The future depends on you.” “But I don’t know where to go! I’m not sure if I’ll even prevail! I need your help!” “No. You just need to believe in yourself. Believe in your friends. Believe in the magic of friendship. You had taken the first step. There is no going back now. Promise me, Twilight. Promise you will believe.” “I...I’ll try.” “Good. I’m very proud to have been your teacher. But now, you must continue your journey without me.” Twilight’s eyes watered at the last words. “We will meet again, Twilight.” Celestia said, as her whole body began to fade away. “We will meet again.” “No, wait! Princess please!” Twilight called out, desperately racing to climb out of the water. “Princess!” “You must believe...” Celestia’s fading voice echoed. “You must believe...” Feeling the warmth of Celestia washing away, Twilight looked down and lets the last of her tears trickle down her cheek, before she nodded. She Runs–Empire Syndicate "Whoa!" Spike quickly caught himself, when he nearly fell off the top of a pole. Luckily for him, his big brother was there to catch him. "What'd I tell ya, Spike?" Spyro smirked. "It's great to fly again." "Yeah, yeah," Spike replied, as he resumes brushing some mosses off. "Sooner or later, I'll be having wings. And then I'll get to fly with ya." "And when you do," Sparx began. "We'll be ready to welcome you to the flying club." Just then, the sound of hoof steps snapped the boys out of their conversation, as they turned to see Twilight walking into the area. "Twilight!" Spike exclaimed, as Spyro gently sets the little dragon to the ground. "So how did it go? Are you feeling alright?" He asked, noting the pinkish hue in Twilight's eyes, a dead giveaway she had been crying. In response, Twilight's horn glowed to life as she pulled Spike in a loving hug, together with Spyro, and Sparx. "Uh, Twilight?" Spike started, only to be shushed by Sparx. "Don't ruin it for her. Just go with it," The dragonfly advised. Turning his eyes to the right, Spike could see Spyro giving a shrug. Deciding no other way, the boys all returned the hug as they comforted Twilight, slowly washing away her aura with a newfound feeling of warmth and nostalgia. During the moment, the rest of their Ponyville friends arrived on the scene. Needless to say, the girls were all touched. "My friends," Twilight sobbed happily. "My family." Opening her eyes, Twilight looked up to see her pony friends all smiling and awing at the sight. "AW!" Pinkie and Fluttershy both cooed. "Blech!" Rainbow Dash faked a vomit, refusing to admit she too was moved by the heartwarming sight. With a giggle, Twilight waved a hoof for her friends to come over, and they all crowded around in a big group hug. "Okay, we got some–" Pop Fizz and Double Trouble just came back, with some more cleaning equipments, when they saw the friends together. "What's going on?" The blue gremlin asked, to which his tiki-masked friend responded with a shrug.