The Greatest Weapon: Vindication

Previously on The Greatest Weapon:

Morning blew through the curtained window and gently aroused Spyro from a peaceful sleep. Cynder beside him remained in her state of slumber, as Spyro looked at her. In the pale light her scales were ever so beautiful.

In the days that followed the 'Dawn of the Dragon' the couple was unable to get down to business. Something was keeping them from being together. Invisible walls seamed to keep the two from getting too close. As though they were not meant to be, as though they were not even supposed to know one another.

Spyro finally arrived at the Dinning Hall and leaned down to the ordering window. "Good morning, Walter" he said to the mole at the counter waking him from a shallow sleep.

He opened his eyes and blinked them a few times "Hey good morning Spyro! Where is 'zee dragoness?"

"She is still asleep this morning."

"Worn out and in need of her beauty sleep from a long night with you sir, eh?"

Spyro chuckled "Not quite,"

"What's the matter with you? Give the girl what z'ee wants! Don't you see it?"

Walter considered Spyro for a moment "You know what's going to happen don't you Spyro?"

"No, what do you mean?" Spyro asked shocked.

"With Cynder,"

"What about her?"

"Well, once these new comers get here you will suddenly faced with competition. Right now you are the only male in her life, she has no other options. She has no option but to stay with you, but if you do not come forward and show here something soon enough she will be walking right away from you and into somebody else's arms"

"I...I"

"Yes you make your excuses now, but don't you ever say that you didn't see it coming."

"Spyro, I want you to understand that some of those that will be returning may not harbor the best of feelings for you. Though their feelings will be concealed in light of your recent actions I must ask you to keep your special abilities condemned. Should you be too head-strong with your powers then problems may arise. I'm sure that you understand." Terrador explained to Spyro.

Spyro saw this as another opportunity to say something cute. To say something that would pull them closer together, and now that the parties had began to arrive it was ever more desperate. "You know, ever since I woke back-up I have been slowly reliving those final moments… and… and well, I really don't know how to say this…"

"Say what?"

"It's just that… I feel the same way."

"Oh, Spyro!" she exclaimed as she clasped a hold of him and pecked him on the cheek. "I was only hoping that you would say this sooner!" she pulled back from him "I love you"

"I love you too, Cyn."

The sight of another dragon his age sparked off Spyro's nervousness. Though he did not show it he was rather nervous. He stared at them. Or at least he thought that it was them. Or was it just him? Or just her? He traced his eyes and he could not tell for sure.

"Hello,"

"Hey," Cynder said with a little emphasis.

"Hello" Spyro said almost dutifully.

"I am Beacon" he said proudly.

"My name is Cynder" she announced.

"I'm Spyro" Spyro replied.

Spyro noticed that Beacon's tail sloshed back and fourth in the air silently. Just that same way that Cynder's did at that moment. The same way that it had when he told her that he had felt the same way as she did only a few minutes earlier.

"Yes, yes, I know this. I have heard much about the both of you from my parents and grandmother. They speak highly of both of you."

"Do they?" Cynder asked in surprise.

"Oh yes, very much indeed."

"Wow." Cynder replied nearly flattered. "They may be the only ones though. Seems like every where that we go we are hindered by those who do not think so much."

Spyro turned back to Cynder and found her eyes resting upon Beacon. He quickly turned back around, but Beacon followed his gaze and found the same thing. "Whoa, Cynder. What are you looking at?"

"Well, you I guess" she said blushing. Spyro, suddenly feeling uncomfortable, did so too.

"I wouldn't have minded that if you had asked me you know?" Beacon said jokingly.

"Oh," Cynder said laughing, "can I then?"

"Yeah, as much as you want"

"Hello," Spyro said landing a few yards away from the scarlet colored dragoness "I am Spyro," he said "The guardians are currently consulting with other's. They should be back any time now"

"Oh, good" she said turning towards him. "I'm sorry where are my manners? I'm Shandra. So, they are all alright?"

"All, but Ignitus. We lost him to the cause. I am sorry"

"Oh, Ignitus? No! How exactly was he lost?"

"Well, it was…" Spyro began but he soon found himself tearing up "I'm sorry… I don't think I can recount the experience… It is…too fresh in my mind. We are having a meeting to cover all of this at five o'clock tonight… I'm sure they will have a recount of all that has happened there."

"Oh, Spyro! Please, you must tell me now! I must know!"

"I am sorry… It… It's just too painful for me right now"

"How do you think I feel!? To be his mate!?"

"You want to help me give Beacon a tour of Warfang?"

"Oh, well…" Spyro knew what his duty was as the savior of his race, but he couldn't allow that to take hold of his entire life. He had his own freedom. But then again, he felt that he somehow owed this to his race. "…you know that I'd love too, but I don't think that I can. The guardians want me to meet the arrivals as they come in. I guess I owe them this much to them at least."

"Oh," Cynder said dropping her head in disappointment. "So, I'll see you later tonight?"

"Yeah," Spyro replied to her with a slight smile.

Cynder and Beacon still sat at the table hours after they had finished their meals. The Evening had set in on the room and now they were accompanied by a few elders who sat at other tables.

"Can I see your quarters?" Beacon asked Cynder casually.

Cynder thought it over for a moment. So far she had not hindered his movements, he had become all too comfortable with her. He took her as a push over! She knew all to well what the bedroom meant to relationships.

"No, I'd rather not to be honest with you." Cynder replied.

A life size apparition of a familiar friend manifested it's self in the center of the room. "Ignitus?" Shandra asked.

"Yes, it is" Shandra got up from the bed and grasped the apparition as it materialized into an object. Ignitus rested his head affectionately upon her shoulder as she cried into his.

They dismembered their embrace and stood feet apart. Spyro walked up close to the former Fire Guardian. "I am sorry that it has had to turn out this way. Long had I dreamed of these days. Not being able to be there for the both of you eats at my skin."

Spyro stood with his jaw open. Of all of the things that could have happened when he decided to visit his chamber's one last time, this was not on the list.

"I, I, don't know what to say, Ignitus"

"Watch over Spyro and Cynder for me. Do not allow anything to happen to them. They are still in danger in more ways than what you may know, Shandra. Do not underestimate any threat. Now seeing only some of what they had to endure I'm sure you could not let anything further to happen to them. They are heros. In every sense of the word."

"You seem to be a little happier than most mornings. That and, you have a red mark upon the beginning of your tail. Don't think I don't know what you have been doing. Walter has his ways to find out everything. Z'ee should know that by now."

"What? There's a red mark?" she asked trying to turn around and get a look for herself. The attempt was pointless however.

"Yes, there is. Not obvious, but from seeing you everyday for the last few weeks any differences are more noticeable to z'ee trained eyes of mine. That Beacon guy got under the covers with you didn't he?"

Cynder laughed at the question "No, I think you have gotten the wrong dragon!"

"Oh? So Spyro has finally cut to the chase and knocked you up!? A thousand congratulations to you and him. I was wondering if it would ever happen. This could be the greatest day in the whole history of your race!"

Cynder blushed at the publicity of such matters. She could feel the eyes upon them. "Please keep it down." Cynder asked of Walter.

"Hey, Cynder!" she heard a familiar male voice burst out from behind her. She turned around and found Beacon pulling out the chair beside her and sitting down.

"Oh, hey" she said startled. "How you liking the city?" she asked conversationally.

"It's pretty nice. Getting to see all kinds of new people. It's pretty exciting really."

"Yeah, I haven't really gotten to go around the town very much since everybody has arrived." Cynder said.

"Oh, it's too bad. There are a lot of new and interesting people around here." Beacon commented. "But you are the most interesting of them all" he said with a wink.

There was something about him that she just could not put her finger on. He intrigued her beyond anything ever had done to her before. What ever this feeling was it had allowed her to completely forget all that had happened between them the previous day.

Maybe what he had intended by that question the day before was completely harmless anyhow, but she had to admit that he was really sexy.

Shandra just smiled back at him as a reply. "Well, I guess you could follow me half way there if you'd like," She said with a smile. "but I'm sure that you'd rather stay here and get some more time with Cynder wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, I couldn't leave her here."

Shandra unfolded her wings and stretched out her tail. "Well, Spyro. I guess I had better be going the sun is setting all ready."

"Tell Ignitus 'hi' for me"

"I will, and until again, Spyro, may the ancestors be with you."

Spyro stepped straight up to the ordering counter and found Walter. "Hey! There z'ee is! Spyro himself. Officially now the mate of Cynder!"

"What? How the heck did you know that?"

"I have my sources." He said with a wink.

Spyro could feel the eyes upon him from behind. Everybody in the room had to be looking at him. He was different from all of the rest of them, why wouldn't they look at him a little differently at first?

"Hey!" someone said from behind. "Hey you evil beast!"

Spyro turned towards the yelling and found that it came not from a younger dragon, but from an older adult dragon. "Yeah you! What the hell are you doing living amongst the rest of us? Shouldn't you go and aid those apes and goblins of yours against us? Or are you just spying on us for now and seeing how we would react?"

"You don't want to do this." Spyro discouraged. "I don't want to have to do this."

"That's because you have to get out of here and lead an attack against us!" he yelled back.

Spyro opened his mouth to speak, but was not supplied the time as his opposition swung his tail spikes around at Spyro. Spyro did not anticipate an attack, but briefly engaged dragon time and escaped the blow by mere inches.

Spyro stood where he had stopped and caught his breath momentarily. "Why do you do this?"

"For our entire race. To prevent the monstrosities that you will create."

"Whoa. What are z'ey doing!?" Walter exclaimed from his counter having just returned. "Cut it out, cut it out!" he pleaded.

"No! this has to happen!" the enemy proclaimed rearing back on his hind legs and threatening Spyro with his talons. Then dropped down upon Spyro before he knew what had hit him. Pain surrounded Spyro's body as it yearned for him to free himself. Spyro attempted to wriggle out but found it to be a futile effort. There was only one option left.

Spyro launched an ice shard through his adversary's skull. His body going instantly limp and allowing him to go free.

All of those in the room stared at the scene in dismay. Where had this all come from? Did Spyro do something wrong? Now what would become of this.

"Quick Spyro" Walter yelled at him hurriedly "Go next door and stay in the top level until somebody comes to get you before something else happens!"

It was silent within the halls of the apartment building. After all it was supposed to be empty with the exception of the bottom floors where the earliest of the arrivals were supposed to be staying.

Spyro sat there oblivious to the world as he soaked up the recent events of the day. The world had betrayed him. Just once he thought he had everything in his life headed in the right direction he had found a way to destroy that. Things were looking worse now than what they ever had been.

Somehow the world had backed him into a corner that he was not going to be able to get himself out of. His life had essentially just ended. The blood within his veins ran cold though laced with adrenaline. Destiny had taken him hostage. His life close at hand.

There was no escape from here.

There was nobody coming up the stairs, but there was an unexpected noise. The squeak of a mattress. Undeniably unique as the sound was it was unmistakable. Spyro slowly got up and made his way to the door of the room that he had expected it to be in. He placed his head to the door and listened to the noise as it squeaked at even intervals of a few seconds.

"Wow," a female voice said from behind the door. It sounded all so familiar.

"You, really like this don't you?" a male voice asked panting.

"Oh…" the female said again in a long abbreviated sigh.

Spyro burst down the door in anger and threw himself at the couple disturbing their sensual session. Spyro threw Cynder off of Beacon and onto the floor cracking the floor planks and nearly putting Cynder clear through them.

"What do you think you are doing!?" Spyro demanded glaring into Beacon's glowing fearful eyes.

"We, we."

"Exactly" Spyro screamed grabbing him by the horns and winging him across the room like a rag doll.

He hit the stone wall and slid to the ground.

"I'm… Sorry." Beacon chocked out through the pain as Spyro moved in on him once more.

"No you aren't! You knew EXACTLY what you were doing!"

Spyro grappled him by the member that was still deployed and attempted to throw him across the room once more only to have it break off in his hand in a bloody explosion. Beacon shrieked out in pain. "I guess you won't be needing that anymore anyhow!"

"Stop this Spyro!" she pleaded.

"There is nothing that can be done now!" Spyro proclaimed as his skin began to glow a dark black. His eyes glowing a bright light.

"You can't do this" Cynder pleaded only to find her self thrown onto the body of Beacon head first. The horns upon her head delved deep into Beacon allowing blood to spew from the large gashes in his body.

"You should have thought!" Spyro proclaimed moving ever closer to the two nearly motionless bodies that looked up at him in horror.

"You will pay for this dearly!" Spyro announced as a bright red began to emanate from his body and consume all that was around. Cynder tried to inch farther away from it, but her trauma's prevented her from escaping it.

"Spyro." she asked softly. "You don't have to do this. It doesn't have to end this way."

"I'm afraid you have left me no other option." Spyro provided.

The lifeless body of Beacon burst into flames as the heat devoured Beacon's body. Cynder found herself back up against the wall in avoidance.

"Spyro, I love you" she whispered as the fire began to engulf her entire body. Flames consumed all in sight.

"Spyro?!" Came a voice as it rounded the building and came over to him.

"Spyro, what has z'ee done?" Walter asked

"She had cheated on me, Walter. I… I just lost control of myself."

Walter whipped a tear from his face. "You mean that they are…?"

"Yes." Spyro uttered breifely closing his eyes in reflection

"How could z'ee ancestor's despi'ze us so?" Walter asked.

Spyro broke down upon Walter's furry shoulder. The final image of Cynder imprinted upon him mind. Cynder's final words of desperation echoing though his thoughts.

"Spyro, I love you"

We now return to The Greatest Weapon
_____________________________

Chapter 1
The Weapon Within

Spyro's blood turned to ice as he rotted away in the cage that they called prison. The massive nine-inch-thick bars that surrounded him on all sides blocked his ability to see anything outside in the city. In such a situation, most would have thought of escape, but Spyro refused. He knew that it wasn't possible anyhow; the ancestral bonds that held the cage together had been strengthened once every week by the most powerful of their race. It wouldn't be quite right to do that anyhow after what he had done, anything that was given to him he probably deserved. To take the life of the one who had loved him so, nothing could bring her back; nothing could reverse what he had done. The darkness that had given him the power to save the entire race, had also allowed him to destroy all.

The night moon hung high overhead and barely light up the cage enough to see his scorched toe nails. The soot that covered his entire body made his body a darker purple than what he normally was. It seemed symbolic to the way he was viewed by the city dwellers. He had gone from the great pedestal of a savior, to the deep cavern of murderer. In the matter of minutes, everything had been transformed.

Spyro looked into the sky and admitted all that he had done. Quietly he begged for the end to come upon him.

Ignitus whipped a tear away from his cheek before it could reach the book before him. "Come now dear," he comforted through his stifled outburst of emotion.

The ghost of Cynder eased into the room, her face marked red with a sum of emotion as the two met the other's glance and looked away in appreciation for the other's privacy.

Unanswered questions hung just inches from the surface. Ignitus had the answers, but there were not immediately fourth coming. "I wish that there was something more that I could have done, Cynder." He attempted to comfort her. She turned her face back towards his openly "Everything that I had ever hoped for had finally come to be!" she exasperated in self-frustration. ", and I was still wanting something more,"

"You were still young, Cynder, you weren't prepared for such decisions. Adolescence is supposed to be a turbulent time in your life, but events previous to your life had allowed such problems to escalate into what it did. There is nobody to blame. Nothing could have been done to prevent this, Cynder."

"I didn't have to have sex with Beacon!" she opposed.

"If, it would comfort you any, technically you did." Cynder squinted at him questioningly. "He had somehow found the ability to harness a strong telepathic influence upon those around him, though it wasn't able to stop Spyro in his mad rage, it was able to influence other decisions."

It all began to make sense now. She had always felt that her thoughts were just a little different when she was around him, and this new information justified this. "Why didn't you just tell me about this? I could have resisted!" she asked out of false anger.

"You would not have believed me. You were head over heels about him ever since you had first met. You think that if I told you Spyro had influenced your mind into loving him that you would believe me?"

"NO! All right? Quit it! This is too soon! I can't go through this right now! It's too hard for me! I CAN'T do this now!"

Ignitus whispered something to himself then spoke to Cynder. "You must move onto the spiritual world sometime soon. Until you do that you are free to observe the natural world." Ignitus replied turning away painfully. Such a young soul cast into this chasm of death alone, after such a glorious life, it didn't seem right.

Terrador stood atop of the temple and looked down upon the city central where Spyro had been locked up. The burnt building in the background and the horrible stench that filled the air told all that needed to be told. The Greatest Weapon's small mark on the city as a whole said everything that it needed to. The cage reminded them all what The Greatest Weapon was. For most, it stood for exactly what it was: Spyro murdering two innocent dragons. For Terrador, however, it served as a great lesson, a constant reminder of the Weapon's power. The power that was stored within them all, the power that was about to be released once again.

A/N: I'd like to thank you all who have stuck to this story line through the tough and highly controversial ending to The Greatest Weapon. I kept to my promise of "To Be Continued" and I hope that you enjoy this one as much as you did the last one. Also guys please let me know what you think about the summery of the original entry. Once again I'd like to thank you all for writing, reading, and reviewing and making this site what it is. I'd like to especially thank YOU for reading this author's note at the very least. I can not explain how much you guys mean to me.

Thank you,
Cornys

(1 Whole Year of Cornys!)

(Text Re-edited 1-17-10)