Hey everyone! I just want to say thank you all again for the continued support and reviews. What can I say? It feels great!

Without further ado...

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Spyro characters or games. They belong to their respective owners. I do own the characters Matt and Selema. They are mine and mine alone.


The next thing Matt knew, he heard a familiar voice calling out to him.

"Matt! Wake up!"

"Huh?..." He opened his eyes slowly and to find a certain black dragoness standing over him.

"Cynder?" he asked. "Oh man am I glad to see you. What's going on?" The young human tried to lift himself up from his sitting position.

"Take it easy," Cynder said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Matt grunted, a feeling of soreness all over him. He looked around to find that the two of them were lying on the same beach from where the group had spent the previous night. A small fire was burning right beside them. His memory then kicked him back to the events of before.

"Wait! Where's Selema?" He asked.

"Selema?" Cynder asked. "The dragoness? Is that her name?"

"Yeah, that's her! Where is she? Where's Spyro?"

"Calm down," she replied. "Spyro and Sparx are with her now. They're taking her back to Warfang."

"Cynder, is she going to be alright?"

Cynder's eyes lowered to the ground. She bit her lower lip. "I…I don't know."

Matt's heart stopped. "What do you mean you don't know? What's wrong?"

"Matt…," she said softly. "She was barely breathing when we found you both. I felt her forehead and she was burning up. Spyro and I knew she didn't have much time..."

"And…?" Matt's gazed anxiously for Cynder to reply.

"After checking to make sure you were alright, Spyro and I decided that he and Sparx would fly her back to Warfang without stopping. He can make it there faster than I can thanks to his time power. We didn't want to leave you behind, so I decided to stay here to make sure you were ok."

Matt sighed a heavy sigh. Ignoring the aches and pains, he slowly got to his feet. "What are we waiting for then? Let's go!" He put out his hand and summoned out his Dragon's Fury blade.

"What are you doing?" Cynder protested. "Now way you're going to fly now! You need to rest!"

"No, we need to catch up with Spyro."

Cynder glared at him. "Sparx told us what happened, Matt. It sounded like you used up most of your energy in a short amount of time. Your body needs a little more time to recover."

"I already told you that I feel fine." He started to walk forward before a sharp pain in side made him grunt in agony, making him go to his knees.

Cynder rushed to his side. "Now will you listen to me?"

"But…but…" Matt whispered between winces of pain.

"I know you want to help Selema, but there's nothing more you can do for her now, Matt! She's in Spyro's hands now! We have to believe he'll make it to the Guardians in time! Now please lie down and rest!"

Matt sighed in defeat. As much as he wanted to make sure that Selema was ok, Cynder was right. He reluctantly nodded his head in defeat. "Ok…you win."

Cynder sighed and shook her head. "I swear…it's like you're just as stubborn as Spyro." She led her friend back over to the fire.

After Matt was lied down, Cynder then reached over and grabbed something. "Here…drink this." It was his canteen of fresh water. She and Spyro must have found his pack from where he'd left it before. He quickly unscrewed the cap and took several long swigs of the clear liquid, which tasted better than ever.

"Thanks…," he whispered. Matt then felt his stomach begin to growl. "Is there any food left in my bag?"

"Yeah," Cynder replied. "Uh…here you go." She presented him with a small package of cheese crackers, which she stared at for a few seconds.

Matt thanked her again before wolfing down the much needed food. "If you want something out of there, go ahead," he exclaimed.

"I'm fine," she replied, her face cringing a little at the thought of exotic food. "Sparx told us his version of what happened today. What about yours?"

Matt took a deep breath and sat up. He then explained to Cynder everything that had occurred from the moment he and Sparx had found the camp. He decided leave out the part about giving the pink dragoness mouth-to-mouth in order to bring her back.

"Was Spyro angry?" Matt asked when he was finished. "I know we were supposed to call if something came up."

"He was a little upset," Cynder replied. "But he didn't really put much thought into it with the situation at hand."

"Well, I'm sorry that I didn't call any sooner. I took a huge risk and Sparx and Selema almost paid the price." He buried his head in his arms.

"Don't worry about it. What matters is that everything worked out in the end," Cynder exclaimed. "You and Sparx are ok, and Selema still has a chance. For what it's worth, you did great today Matt." She put up a small smile.

Matt noticed and nodded in respose. "Ok…"

"Can I ask you one more thing?"

"Sure."

Cynder narrowed her eyes. "Sparx said that Selema had been underwater for at least five minutes before you jumped in after her. Dragons can't hold their breath very long…how did she survive?"

Matt froze. His eyes darted from side to side. "I don't know…," he lied. "I guess she was lucky…"

Cynder looked at him suspiciously, but shrugged it off. "Look…I just want to say thanks, Matt."

"For what?"

"For everything you've done…and for coming along even though you didn't have to…"

"C'mon, Cynder, it's no big deal…"

"No, I mean it. We finally found another dragon thanks to you. It's not a whole lot, but now maybe we'll be able to find more."

"I know…," he said back. "I just hope that Selema will be alright."

Cynder rested a paw on Matt's shoulder. "I have a feeling she will be. She couldn't be in better hands. Now why don't we get some rest and we'll go back to Warfang tomorrow?"

Matt reluctantly accepted. He still felt a little winded from earlier before, and decided that some sleep would be much needed…


The next morning came very quickly for Matt, having only been able to gather a few hours sleep.

"Hey," Cynder said within minutes. "Are you feeling any better?"

"I feel great," he replied with honestly. "What are we waiting for?" He summoned out his Dragon's Fury Keyblade once more, instantly feeling himself become as light as a feather.

Cynder sighed, then nodded her head. "Ok, I'm ready too. Let's go!" With that, she flapped her wings and rose into the air. Matt did the same and the two took off immediately in the direction of Warfang.

The flight was going slower than Matt wanted it to. Normally, he felt the cold air blast in his face and hear the wind rush past his ears. However, the only thing in his thoughts were of the fate of Selema. Had Spyro made it back in time? Had they been too late? Had he gone to all the efforts for nothing…?

Matt narrowed his eyes. I need to believe… he thought. He shot a look at Cynder, who also had a look of determination on her face as she flew.

Neither spoke a word as the hours dragged on…but by mid-afternoon, the city came within view. Matt and Cynder quickened their pace until they had passed over the main gates.

"This way!" Cynder yelled. "They're at the Temple!" She quickly rolled in that direction with Matt hot on her tail. They were so focused on getting there as soon as possible, that neither of them heard the oohs and awes of the citizens below.

"Hey! I didn't know humans could fly!"

"Go figure!"

Within mintues, Matt and Cynder both landed softly on the balcony of the Temple. Without skipping a beat, they each hurried into the inner chambers.

"Spyro!" Cynder yelled. "We're back!"

"Hey! Anybody home?" Matt added.

Suddenly, a figure sprinted up to both of them. "Cynder! Matt! You made it!"

"Spyro!" Cynder quickly hurried towards her soulmate. She wrapped her front legs around his neck and squeezed him as hard as she could. "I'm so glad you're ok! I kept thinking you wouldn't make it back in time!"

"It's alright, Cynder…" He put his head next to hers. "I'm fine. I'm so glad you're ok too…"

Matt bent forward to catch his breath, letting the dragon couple have their moment.

"Spyro…," he exclaimed. "Is…Is Selema alright? Is she going to make it?"

"Yeah," Cynder added. "Did you make it back in time?"

Spyro looked at both Cynder and Matt for a few seconds. "I…I honestly don't know. As soon as I got back, the Guardians rushed her to another chamber. They've been working on her ever since." He paused. "She was in really bad shape. She was drifting in and out of it while Sparx and I flew. I went as fast as I could…but I'm not sure if it was enough." The purple dragon put his head down.

"Hey," Cynder exclaimed. "You did the best you could. I'm sure the Guardians will come through."

"Yeah…I hope so." Spyro turned back to his human companion. "Matt…Sparx told me what happened…"

"Spyro…," Matt moaned. He lowered his head. "I know I shouldn't have…"

The purple dragon interrupted by putting up a paw. "There's no need to explain yourself, Matt. You did what you thought was right. Thank you…for everything." Spyro curled his lips into a smile.

Matt felt his spirit's lift up slightly. "No problem," he replied back.

The three friends waited for a few minutes in silence outside the chamber as they continued to wait for word of Selema's condition. Spyro and Cynder stayed as close together as they could, trying their best to comfort each other in the time of anxiety.

Matt sighed. He then remembered something that he had only thought for a brief second while he was rescuing Selema.

The dragoness lifted up her head. She looked at him for a moment, then slowly moved her lips. "S…S…Sel…ema." Her voice sounded weak and cracked…and vaugely familiar.

Matt froze for a moment before continuing to work. It couldn't be…

"Hey, you guys," the young human exclaimed as he broke the silence. Spyro and Cynder quickly looked back at him. "There's…there's something I have to tell you." Slowly, he explained about all the strange dreams he had been having as of late. They always ended with someone calling out for help...

"Why are you telling us this now, Matt?" Spyro asked.

"Because…," Matt said slowly. "…I think…Selema was the one who called out to me."

The two dragons both shot a look of great interest his way, before turning to each other. "Is that even possible?" Cynder asked.

"After what we've been through," Spyro added. "Anything is possible. How are you so sure, Matt?"

Matt closed his eyes. "Her voice and the voice in my dreams were almost exactly alike. She sounded so sad…so alone…I wanted to help her…but for some reason I couldn't."

"Ok…," Cynder said. "But how could she call out to you if she's never even met you before…?" She then gasped. "Wait a minute…"

"I remember too," Spyro spoke up. "We both had dreams about Matt before he came to help us."

Matt nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, that sure was a surprise." He then paused for a second. "Now that you mention it, I need to tell you both something else. When Stitch, Pikachu, and I first came to this world, I had a dream just like these dreams…except that two voices were calling out to me instead of one."

The three friends stared at each other for a few moments, taking in everything that had just been said.

"This is getting really weird," Spyro said while breaking the silence. "Even for our standards…"

"No kidding," Matt added.

The next thing they knew, the door to the chamber finally opened. Spyro, Cynder, and Matt all flew to their feet and anxiously awaited the Guardians to step out…but it wasn't them. It was an old friend…

"Hunter!" Spyro and Cynder said simultaneously.

"It's good to see you both again young dragons," the cheetah warrior said. "And it's also a good surprise to see you again, Matt."

"Yeah," the Keyblader replied. "Long time no see."

"When did you get here?" Spyro asked.

"The Guardians sent for me when you returned with the dragoness," Hunter replied. "They needed an extra healer."

Matt walked up to the cheetah. "Hunter…her name is Selema. How is she? Is she going to make it?"

Hunter looked at each of them before he opened his mouth to speak. "She's going to be ok. It looks as though Spyro managed to get her back here just in time. If we had waited any sooner, she would have been lost for sure."

Matt, Spyro, and Cynder all breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Thank the Ancestors," Cynder said.

Just then, the three elder Guardians themselves joined the group in the hallway. Matt asked on how was doing Selema again.

"Fear not, young human," Terrador replied. "She is in a stable condition and resting for now."

"Thank you," Matt replied. "She was in really bad shape when I found her in that camp."

"Those cursed apes," Cyril spoke up. "They never do know when to quit to they."

"Monstrosities!" Volteer added. "Scoundrels! Vile filth of the Earth!"

"Calm down, Volteer," Terrador said again. "You will wake the young dragoness if you continue ranting."

Matt smiled. "What exactly did Selema have, Hunter? Cynder said she had a fever."

"Well," Hunter began. "For one thing, I could tell that she was extremely dehydrated and had some signs of starvation. I've never seen a dragon so weak and thin. I also noticed that she had an infection from one of the many wounds on her body. It took some time, but we managed to reduce her fever to a safe point. Right now, Selema needs to rest and get plenty of fluids. She's in for a long recovery."

"Very well, then," Terrador said. He turned to the entire group. "Thank you…all of you…for your heroic acts. A young dragon's life was saved today…hopefully now we can move on and do the same for any of those who may still be out there waiting."

"I'm sure we will," Spyro exclaimed.

"In the mean time, I suggest that we all take Selema's lead and get some much deserved rest. It's been a long day."

"I second that," Cyril added.

"Agreed," Volteer said.

"No arguments here," Spyro spoke up. "I barely got any sleep when I got back here." He turned to Cynder. "It wasn't the same without you there next to me."

"I felt the same way," she replied. The two lovers nuzzled each other affectionately.

Matt yawned. It really had been a long day flying.

"Young warrior," Volteer spoke. "We have prepared a room for you to stay if you wish to stay here at the Temple for tonight."

"Well…," Matt pondered over whether or not to accept the invitation. He didn't want to intrude, but it was a really long walk back to his ship…

"As I said before," Terrador added. "You may stay here as long as you wish. From what we've heard, you've played a big part at saving the young Selema's life."

"C'mon Matt," Spyro added. "It's the least we can do."

The young human decided quickly. "Alright…I accept your offer. Thank you very much." He bowed in respect for the Guardians.

"Your room is a few doors down from Spyro and Cynder," Cyril commented. "We hope it's to your liking."

After bidding the Guardians and Hunter good night, Matt followed Spyro and Cynder towards their room. When they arrived, the two dragons stood at the door.

"Have a good night, Matt," Spyro said.

"I will. Good night, you guys."

"Sweet dreams," Cynder added before they both shut the door behind them.

Matt walked a few doors down until he reached one that had his name on it. He looked at it with admiration before opening the door and entering.

Inside was a large king-sized bed with two pillows and white sheets. There was also a dresser with a pitcher of water on the top and a window that looked over the entire city. Matt flung off his bag and plopped down on the bed.

"Oh yeah…," he sighed. It was very soft and made him feel warm instantly. "I could get used to this." He quickly took off his shoes and laid down on his back, his arms resting behind his head.

The young human stared at the window for a few mintues. Even though he knew now that Selema was here in the safest place imaginable, that still wasn't enough to stop worrying about her.

"Thank you…," Matt whispered. He slowly closed his eyes and let the exhaustion wash all over him…


Yes, everyone is safe and sound...for now. What else lies ahead for the heroes? Find out next chapter!

Peace out,

Biz