Authors Note: This chapter has been nagging me for so long! It wasn't well written, it was rushed, and most of all, it was a HORRIBLE way to introduce this epic story.(Yes, it will get epic, just you wait! :) Enjoy this not so crappy chapter improvement!

A Light Shines in the Darkness…

Spyro fell back, overwhelmed by the awesome strength of Malefor. The larger dragon laughed at the figure before him.

"Is that all you've got? I expected more from the purple dragon!"

Spurred on by his words, Spyro charged forward, horns first, hoping to drive Malefor into a retreat, but instead, the larger dragon rolled to the side, and at the same time striking Spyro on his back with his tail. Spyro yelled in pain, and flew forward, falling onto the ground with a thud.

Malefor laughed. Spyro rolled onto his back, to see Malefor advancing. He shot a stream of ice onto him, but it merely melted as the Dark Master blew fire onto it. Spyro felt helpless at his predicament. Nothing he did could stop Malefor. He laughed again.

"You have failed to fulfill your destiny. Now you will die!"

Spyro could only watch as Malefor jumped into the air and dived down, horns first, straight at Spyros' belly, driving his horns into his heart.

"Aaaaaaaggghhh!"

Spyro awoke from his nightmare, and quickly sat up, gasping for air. His eyes grew wide as he relived his nightmare in his head, paranoid. Where was Malefor?

"Spyro?"

Startled, he slowly turned his head, and saw Cynder lying next to him, looking at him worriedly. He breathed a sigh of relief. It was only a dream.

"What was that?" she asked. "Is something wrong? Did you have a dream?"

Spyro exhaled deeply, a look of relief on his face at the sight of Cynder in front of him. "Yes," he said, "It was only a dream."

Cynder snorted. "Huh, more like a nightmare, the way you were screaming. What was in your dream? It must have been pretty awful, to make you yell out like that. I could have heard you a mile away from here!"

Spyro shook his head wearily. "No, I'd rather not talk about it. It was… so real…" Spyro shuddered, picturing Malefor in his head. "It was him. I dreamed of Malefor. It all ended with him diving down like a hawk right at me." He shuddered. "It was frightening."

Cynder sat up, giving him a peck on the cheek. She smiled, trying to comfort him. "It was just a dream, Spyro. Not reality. We've already defeated Malefor, despite how real it may seem. Your probably still lingering on the same fears you had before his defeat. There's nothing to worry about. Go back to sleep, Spyro."

Spyro turned to face Cynder, comforted by her words. He smiled at her. "Thanks, Cynder. I will."

They both fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The sun rose into the sky, awakening the world from its long slumber. The sun's mighty summer rays fell upon Spyro, who was still sleeping deeply in the middle of the wide field. He awoke, feeling the sun glaring down on him, its beams of light filling his body with warmth and energy. Spyro shielded his eyes from the sun with his hand, and got up slowly, stretching his wings and back legs. He peered down at Cynder, and saw that her eyes were still closed, and she was breathing softly. He took a note that he should be more quiet, seeing she was still asleep, and turned his back on her.

Spyro was startled as he heard her voice behind him. "I'm awake now, you know. I have been for a long time." she stated flatly. He whipped his head around behind him, to see her eyes wide open, looking straight at him.

"Oh." He said sort of dumbly. "Sorry."

Spyro was dumbfounded as Cynder began laughing. "Sorry? For what?"

Spyro thought about this for a moment. He shrugged his shoulders groggily. "I don't know."

This only made Cynder laugh more. Spyro blushed a little bit, feeling stupid. However, he found it impossible to suppress a smile, and pretty soon after he was laughing with her. The joke enlightened them to the start of the day more quickly, and after the laughter had died down, they set off to the south, flying like a pair of hang gliders over the valley surface.

Cynder called over to Spyro as they flew. "When will we get to see the Guardians?" she asked him. He nodded his head in front of him.

"In about two days. The dragon temple in the swamp isn't too far off from here."

Cynder gave a small nod of recognition back to him, and faced forward.

Spyro looked back at her, thinking about his past occurrences with her at his side. He thought back to all of the times he had been with her, all of the times she had fought with him against evil. She had grown a bond to him, and that bond was unbreakable. He had grown feelings for her, but was it the same for her, too? What if…

Then he remembered. Right before he had pieced together the world, he had heard a voice.

"I love you."

That's when he knew. There was no doubting it. He rehearsed what he was going to say to her in his head, then hesitated. Should he ask her now? What if…

Spyro decided. It could no longer wait. It was time.

"Hey, Cynder?" he called over to her.

Cynder turned her head to Spyro. "What?"

"I want to tell you something. Something important. Can we land?"

Cynder nodded her head. Spyro and Cynder descended, landing on a grassy meadow. Cynder looked at him inquisitively.

"What is it, Spyro?" she inquired. "Is it about what happened last night?"

"No, no it's not." He responded.

Spyro began to tell her what he had rehearsed alone, finding it difficult to say in front of her now that the moment had come. "Well um…" He began, "Ever since the day of Malefor's defeat, things have been different between us." He said to her. A subconscious thought popped into his head. There was no going back now.

"Yes? Go on." said Cynder.

"Well, it's just, um…" He began again. "I was wondering, um…" He couldn't quite get the words out right. "Will you marry me?" he blurted out, most unrehearsed. A thought plunged into his head.

Stupid! What was that?

Cynder was silent for a moment. Spyro began to wonder if she'd refuse. His mind began to sink.

"Yes!" She said, also abruptly.

Spyro was taken aback at the sudden response. Before he knew what hit him, Cynder was hugging him tightly. She looked Spyro in the eyes, tears welling up and falling freely down her cheeks.

"I thought you would never ask!"

Spyro felt himself carried forward toward Cynder. At this, they embraced, kissing, overwhelmed with joy. They were going to be married!

After they broke, they began flying once more, back to the dragon temple, filled with happiness.

Long had the ring of fire been quenched after Malefor's defeat, and the land had begun to heal itself from the burned and scorched landscape. The volcanic soil had already begun to grow plants in its fertile embrace, attracting insects and small mammals to move into the healing land as well. When Malefor had been in control there, the land was turned into a wasteland of fire and ash by his own corrupt powers. Now, the fields and trees were coming back. Grass was growing, the lava and fire was receding. All was beginning to mend…

Out of the blue, where the ring of fire once was, a flame appeared on a tuft of grass. Nobody had lighted it. It had randomly appeared.

Steadily, the fire spread, and worked its way to another tuft. At the same time, the lava slowly inched its way forward, back to where it once was. The fire was growing back…