Really enjoyed the positive feedback I’m getting so far and now that I've pretty much taken care of all the background stuff; we can get into the real plot of the story. Hope you all enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 11: After the Battle
With their ogre gone and the timely arrival of the Royal Guards, the remaining Grublins had no choice but to retreat back to the forest that they came from. Despite their earlier judgment; Spyro and Cynder were actually quite impressed by the speed, skill, and precision that the guards displayed when they dealt with what was most likely a suicide squad who kept them busy long enough for their comrades to escape. That force was wiped out with only a few guards sustaining any real injuries. The tow dragons would have been more than happy to help out with routing out the rest of the army but they had another more pressing issue to deal with.
The issue involving the six mares that were still standing where they were at since this whole thing started; their eyes still glued onto the two dragons with a mixture of disbelief, confusion, and shock written all over there faces. Now, due to some silent agreement that was made, the six ponies decided to head back to Twilight’s library. Spyro and Cynder, not really feeling like sleeping outdoors and hoping to try and alleviate whatever kind of fear they must be feeling, decided to follow them.
As the group was walking, Spyro and Cynder both noticed how Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity were at the head of the group or more than likely as far away from the two dragons as possible. Applejack and Pinkie Pie were at a step behind them; no doubt giving them some sense of privacy. Meanwhile, the cyan pegasus was hovering lazily in the air above the two earth ponies for a spell before drifting back to float next to Spyro. Without missing a beat or reducing his pace; Spyro asked in his best calm and collected voice, “I don’t recall seeing you around Ponyville the last time we were here.”
The cyan pegasus replied in a more casual tone “Yeah I was off practicing some new tricks so I was a little busy.” She paused for a moment before saying “The name’s Rainbow Dash by the way.”
Spyro nodded his head in understanding and introduced himself as well as Sparx and Cynder before returning his attention back to the three ponies that were out in front and asked “Do you know what’s bugging them?”
Rainbow Dash glanced in the direction that Spyro was gesturing at and replied “Don’t really know to be honest with ya. I guess they must be in a sour mood or something.”
“I have a strange feeling that ‘sour mood’ might have been caused by us.” Spyro mused mostly to himself but was still loud enough for Dash to hear.
She flew in front of the purple dragon and said “What makes you say that?” in a tone that sound questioning but had an undertone of demanding backing it up. Spyro, more wanting to diffuse the situation then having to deal with what was starting to act like a pony version of Sparx; gave a quick overrun of the events that had happened while they were in town earlier including the existence of their disguise cloaks. When he was done with his explanation, Spyro noticed that Dash still had a serious look on her face but it did soften a bit. Without saying a word, she glided towards the front of the group no doubt to let those three know what they were talking about. Spyro felt a little worried about what their reactions could be but decided that in all reality it shouldn't matter what they thought of him anyway. All that was on his mind right now was why the Dark Master’s Army was here and where he could find Spike.
Eventually, the group made their way to the library and after making sure that everyone was inside, Twilight made some kind of gesture and the six mares made their way up a flight a stairs. After watching them disappear from sight, Spyro gave a tired sigh and said “It’s getting late; we might as well turn in for the night. Once morning comes we head out and find Spike.” Cynder and Sparx nodded in agreement and they each found a comfortable spot on the library floor before settling down for the night.
However, before Cynder was able to drift off into her dreams; her mind quickly brought up a point that needed to be answered. Before Spyro had a chance to fall completely asleep, Cynder said in a hushed tone “So how many did you kill?”
Without opening his eyes, Spyro replied in a muffled tone “I don’t know…about maybe five hundred front the initial blast and another fifty or so in the aftermath.”
Spyro couldn't see it but he could feel the triumphant smirk on Cynder’s face as she replied “Six hundred. You owe me dinner purple boy.” Too tired to bother with any kind of remark, Spyro just grunted in agreement and went back to sleep with a victorious Cynder following soon after.
When morning came to the town, the residents woke up to find their town was currently the host to several squads of Celestia’s Royal Guards. Although curious to find out the reason behind their appearance in their town, their questions were met with either silence or being told to continue on with their day. Somewhat dejected by not knowing what was going on coupled with some ponies’ claiming they felt a large earthquake last night left the town in a state not unlike what they felt when Zecora first appeared in Ponyville.
It was the kind of town that Big Mac, older brother of Applejack and Applebloom, discovered while making his way towards the library. Normally such visits were rare for the stallion as he had already read most if not all the books in the library that involved farming techniques or managing a business. He knew her sister wouldn't say it out right but if it wasn't for his ‘fancy mathematics’ they would find themselves having a harder time with keeping up with finances.
However, his visit to the library wasn't a social call or the prospect of a new book but rather he was making sure that Spike got back to his caretaker unharmed. The dragon was staying over at Sweet Apple Aces last night due to being completely exhausted from helping out his litter sister and her friends find their cutie marks. Currently the young dragon was in front of him, conversing with those said cutie mark crusaders who the large stallion had no doubt they were talking about new ways to try and find their special talents. They seem so absorb in their conversation that they didn't seem to notice the sudden increase of guards who were patrolling the streets or standing in certain spots like statues.
It wasn't until the five reached the library where they heard a loud crash coming from inside followed by a voice shouted “Sparx! Come down here right now.” Now Big Mac may not appeared to be as social as his sisters were but he knew the voices of just about every stallion in Ponyville and this voice wasn't one he was familiar with. The unknown voice also managed to distract the four young ones from talks about special talents and was now trying to figure out whom or what made that voice.
Suddenly there was the sound of something hitting a solid object followed by a cascade of something hitting the floor. Then there was a rather high pitch laughter coming from inside the library followed by the same voice shouting a little louder “By my Ancestors Sparx, if you don’t get down here right now; I’m going to find a jar and use you as a lantern.”
Officially curious as to the source of the voice and somewhat concerned about the state of the library, Big Mac got in front of the three fillies and Spike before giving them a look that told them to wait outside for a moment. Getting four nods in response, the farm stallion took a deep breath to calm him down before opening the door.
What he saw was both a mixture of shock and disbelief. The main library floor appeared to have been hit by a mini tornado with books littering the floor with tables and cushions scattered about. However, that wasn't the main shock. The main shock came from the fact that there were two dragons and what appeared to be a kind of dragonfly present in the room. The dragonfly was hovering above one of the bookshelves holding a quill that appeared to still have some ink on it. One of the dragons, the purple one, was giving the dragonfly a very dangerous glare. Although it was hard to see, Big Mac was able to spot the ink markings that were on the dragon’s face which would explain the reason why it was looking at the dragonfly with such an intense glare. The other dragon, who had black scales, was still sitting on the couch obviously trying to contain another fit of laughter.
Earlier that day, Twilight was slowing waking up to find that the rest of her friends were sleeping in the same room as here although they were spread out between the floor and the guest bed. Slightly confused as to why they were here, it took the purple unicorn a moment before memories of last night returned to her mind. As much as she wanted to deny it, it was painfully obvious that Spyro and Cynder had deceived them and didn't seem at all upset about the act. In fact it almost seemed like their actions were justified which, given the current morning state that she was in, made no sense to Twilight at all. It was then that she remembered that Spyro and Cynder must have met with the Princesses which meant they should have some answers. Since Spike had a sleepover at Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight had no choice but to use her only other method for contacting her mentor.
Passing by her now groaning and half asleep friends; Twilight made her way to her vanity mirror before casting the necessary spell. The surface of the mirror started to ripple like it was in water as well as fogging over like mist before clearing up to reveal the bedchambers of one Princess Celestia. Currently the Princess was bushing her mane and appeared to be completely ignorant of the fact that her number one student was looking at her through the mirror. Of course that was merely a ruse and it didn't take more than a few minutes before Celestia lowered her bush and said in a calm voice “Yes Twilight? Is there something I could help you with?”
Twilight nodded her head before asking “Yes Princess. I was wondering if you might have known what happen to Spyro and Cynder?”
Celestia tilted her head in slight confusion and replied “Are they not in Ponyville. I was informed by your brother that both of them were present when the guards arrived.”
Twilight shook her head and responded with “I meant Spyro the stallion and Cynder the mare.”
Celestia paused for a moment before letting out a small sigh and whispered to herself “I should have expected this…” before returning her attention back onto Twilight and said “Twilight, you must understand that there was no stallion named Spyro or a mare named Cynder; or rather the two dragons named Spyro and Cynder and the two ponies named Spyro and Cynder are one and the same.”
It was at this point that the rest of Twilight’s friends were awake and they all notice the mirror that Twilight was talking to and it took them a brief moment before they recognize the image of Celestia on the mirror. Walking over to crowd Twilight’s space so they could get a look at the solar Princess and by extension let her know that they were present; it only took a few moments before everypony settled down before Rarity asked “But surely there was no need for such a ruse right?”
Celestia shook her head slightly in disagreement before saying “If I recall from Spyro brief explanation on how they reached Canterlot; the first pony they encountered was you Fluttershy, correct?” Fluttershy, who was slightly surprised by the Princess directly asking her a question and she could only respond with a meek nod of her head. Celestia nodded back before asking “Tell me Fluttershy, would you have offered them directions if you knew they were in fact dragons.”
This of course was the big eye opener for everypony present. They knew that Fluttershy’s biggest fear were adult dragons and if Spyro and Cynder had approached her in their true forms; she would have most likely been too afraid to offer them help and there was even a chance she would have perceived them as a threat and warn her friends; thereby possibly causing their first meeting to end up with the six ponies in very bad shape; if their skills in destroying that army were any indication.
Celestia saw the understanding that was appearing on their faces and decided that it was the moment to nail in the final point. Taking a small breath, she responded “I had to admit that I never perceived that kind of situation and I was fortunate that the dragon I talked to was able to perceive such a situation and develop a method that would allow them to blend in long enough to reach Luna and me.”
The six ponies were nodding their heads in agreement and now that the morning haze was gone from them; they understood that such an underhoof method was needed in order to prevent the entire population was going hostile. Since they had meet and gain the trust of both Princesses; there wasn't any real reason to keep up appearances. However, a question quickly formed in Twilight’s mind and she returned her attention to Celestia and asked “But what are Spyro…”
CRASH
The six ponies were startled by the unexpected noise that was coming from downstairs. The noise was quickly followed by another crash before the deep voice of Spyro yelled, “Get back here you oversized firefly!” Without even bothering to say goodbye to Celestia and her question gone from her mind, Twilight raced towards the steps that lead to the main floor of the library. Nopony notice the faint smile that was on Celestia’s face before the mirror shimmered and returned to its normal reflective self. Upon reaching the top of the steps, the six ponies saw a sight that was both scary and somewhat humorous at the same time.
Spyro was not having the best of mornings. Waking up to his brother’s laugh only to take one look at a nearby mirror before losing his composure and chasing after his adoptive brother in order to get some revenge. However, Sparx proved once again that he can be very slippery to catch when he needs to be and what could have ended with nothing more than a stern talking and some form of an apology now became an almost unnatural desire to stuff his brother in the smallest container he could find and keep him in there until his wings got stiff.
Of course the racket that he was causing was more than enough to wake the other seven occupants that were still sleeping and their reaction to what they saw occurring on the main floor of the library ranged from either confusion to going into an uncontrollable fir of laughter. It wasn't until Spyro heard the sound of the main door opening that he realized not only how much noise he was making but also the state of the library floor. Feeling a large amount of humiliation, Spyro covered both of his eyes with his front paws and said in a mumbling tone “Well…there goes whatever sense of decency I had here.”
Cynder, now managing to get over her fit of giggles decided to offer Spyro an olive branch as it were. With nothing more than a flick of her tail; she sent a small gust of wind to buffer Sparx long enough that he ended up tumbling onto the wooden floor. The laughter was renewed and now directed as the dizzy dragonfly as he tried to stop the imaginary butterflies that were flying around his head.
While Sparx was trying to stop his brain from spinning, Spyro took this moment to quickly use his ice element to cover his face before heating the ice so it could melt. With the ice now turned into water, Cynder went ahead and started to scrub out the ink marking that were on his scales using the sponge that was in her bag. Once all the ink was gone, Spyro gave a quiet thanks to Cynder before returning his attention to Twilight and saying “I apologize for the mess and all the noise Twilight. Usually I don’t wake up in such a fashion.” Twilight knew that he was being sincere here and was quick to accept his apology.
However, before Spyro or Cynder could have a chance or even offer to help clean up, a rather young female voice shout “Oh wow are those dragons?!” The two dragons turned their attention to the source of the voice which seemed to be coming from the front door. Currently standing there was another pony that was about as tall as Spyro with a build that placed him as a stallion. However, quickly passing the stallion were three ponies that were much smaller in both size and age. Clearly fillies they consisted of an earth filly with a red bow and a coat that reminded the dragons of Applejack, a unicorn that had a similar coat to Rarity but had a mane that was of two different colors and a pegasus with wings that were buzzing in clear excitement. The one thing that was similar to them was the lack of a Cutie Mark that was visible on everypony they had seen so far.
Without so much as a warning, the three fillies landed on the floor before shouting at the top of their lungs “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS DRAGON TAMERS YAY!”
Spyro and Cynder both took a step back from the force of the noise before Cynder said to Spyro “And I thought my Siren Scream was loud.”
The three fillies gasp and the yellow filly said in an accent that once again reminded the dragons of Applejack “You all can talk?”
Cynder was slightly confused by that statement and asked “Dragons don’t talk here?”
The white unicorn filly replied “Well we don’t know that many dragons to begin with…except for Spike of course.”
The moment the name ‘Spike’ escape the lips of the white unicorn; Spyro and Cynder let out a quiet gasp of surprise before facing each other. They each knew what the other was thinking and Spyro didn't waste a moment before returning his attention back to the fillies and said “You know Spike? Where is he? Can you show us?”
The orange filly answered “He’s outside actually.” Without waiting for a response, the filly turned her head to the door and shouted “Hay Spike come inside and see these two awesome-but-still-less-awesome-than-Rainbow Dash dragons.”
Spyro and Cynder, first choosing to ignore the comment the filly made, turned their attention to the front door where what they saw coming out from behind the red stallion was the dragon known as Spike.
What they saw left much to be desire. Spike’s overall build still appeared to be young and underdeveloped especially considering that he chose to walk on his hind legs. They saw no clear visible signs of wings or horns or even claws. His smile, which he gave only for the sake of politeness, still had a majority of his baby teeth including his egg tooth. In fact, it even looked like this dragon didn't even know how to summon his element or even how to hunt. To add salt on the wound, there was a small but clear bulge around his stomach area which gave the impression of a dragon that spent most of his time eating and sleeping.
All pretense and hope that Spyro had about this being a simple assignment been burned up Spike approached the two other dragons and said “H…hello my…na…name’s Spike, personal assistant to Twilight Sparkle.”
Spyro tried very hard to not have his face be introduced to his paw for the second time in the morning and thought to himself “My Ancestors must really hate my guts right now.”
At long last Spyro and Cynder are now meeting Ponyville’s resident dragon and their first impression is…well…I think it’s pretty obvious. Hope you enjoy the chapter.