Chapter 40: Tomorrow's Date

Feeling her darkness go, Cynder gave wide eyes, turning around even to face the Guardians Building against the small mountain. Spyro! His racing heart scared her, but to hear his heart beating was at least a good sign. Turning back around to give the good news, her smile went from hope, to fear upon seeing Flair's body. Rather standing by, her fins sharpened to their max, her teeth clenched, and her claws dug to the pavement below, showing claw marks to where she scrapped them back. Though, for some reason, the entirety of her body suddenly eased. Her teeth hid, her fins eased, and her claws flattened back out. Swallowing hard, Cynder wasn't the only one afraid of what she was thinking, "F... Flair... Are you..." Rather answer, she walked away from the group to everyone's surprise, "Flair! Wait! Where are you going?! Spyro will be here soon! He just contacted me!" Her words didn't faze Flair as she continued her walk straight to the dragons, "Flair!"

Watching as Flair slowly approached him, Carter gave a smile, chuckling even as he joked with his friends, "Hehe, hey guys, look, it's Cyril's girlfriend," Grabbing the shard of ice within Cyril's stomach and sliding him out of the way, feeling the shard cut and move within his body made Cyril cry out in pain, "Hey, bitch, unless you're looking to know your place in society, hehe, I suggest you go fuc-UGH!"

Everyone watched in shock and horror as Flair showed no mercy to the dragon. Because of the stretching she had done with her body previously, she felt free to do as she pleased. Her fins suddenly popped to their max as her blade dug to his throat. His muscles within his throat kept the blade from going through, but that didn't stop her from easing back and sending it forward as hard as she could. Yanking her blade from his neck, his body went limp, but with the help of her claws, she dug them within the side of his neck. Standing to her back two paws to hold up his body for almost all to see, her blade rested to the side of her face. Knowing it wouldn't do enough damage, her right paw was all she needed. To make sure of this dragon's death, her paw shot straight to Carter's heart with a gushy explosion. While Carter was surely dead at this point, Flair didn't let up. With the claw through and to the other side of his body, she grabbed his horn and threw his body down onto the ground, easily sliding her paw out from his body, using his blood like a lubricant. As his head crashed to the ground, it bounced up, and using this momentum, Flair flung herself back down onto all fours, though her left claw landed back within the brain and skill of Carter. The sound of the crack, and the sudden, final chill from Carter's body made the other five that remained back away in horror for what she had done so easily, so fluidly. Flair's paw placed to his chest in help to dislodge herself from his brain. Many heard the crackling and popping that his skull made from the wiggling of her paw. With one quick, powerful yank, her paw was free, as was the same for the blood that erupted outwards from the massive hole in his head. Completely covered in blood, she didn't mind it at all, and now with Carter dead, Flair moved on. The five all backed from her. Luckily for them, they weren't a target to her, and her focus was solely to Cyril. Walking up to the side of his body and sitting down, her paw eased to his stomach, and with an almost dead sounding voice, she sighed, "How many times do I have to tell you. You're my prey, remember?"

"I... couldn't let... that hatchling be harmed," Struggling as every movement moved his guts, he still tried to angle himself up, and seeing the brutally destroyed body of Carter, Cyril shot stiff, "F... Flair... did you... did you kill him...?"

Knowing this was to be brought up, she scuffed, "I told you, I will kill if need be. If you have a problem, and you're finally understanding that I'm serious when it comes to killing, then go ahead and leave me now, because I will not hesitate to do such a thing again."

"No, I just... That... could've been me... the first day we met... UGH!"

"Sorry," Flair apologized, having not even bothered to warn him that she was removing the ice shard in his stomach, and as a replacement, she eased her smooth blade back into the wound, causing another slight growl from him, "Until Spyro gets here, I'm going to keep my blade in the wound and use my heat to slowly heal you up and keep you warm. But for now, don't go passing out on me."

"Hehe..." Cyril saw this as a joke, "Please... I've been through much-ugh...! Okay... I think I'm just gonna... save my breath..." Before that was all said and done though, he needed to give her a smile, "Thank... you... for this..." She tried to keep a show of teeth, and yet his words turned some of those red scales for her into bright red blushes to her cheeks, "Usually it's Ignitus... helping me... But having you here... I'm... thankful..."

The crowd and familiar faces in the family were all still in disgust for what had happened, same for the now only five group members of dragons. Because of this, the hatchling around the tail of Felix was able to loosen herself up and get free. Jumping out from his tail and making a mad dash back over to anyone close, Flynn took a second to notice it himself until hearing the clicking of claws, "What the... Felix! The hatchling!" Because Flynn had another hatchling in his arms, he couldn't do anything to stop the little one from running, "Cyrus! Run away hatchling is no good! Please deal with it."

"Yes sir," Cyrus obeyed, opening his mouth and shooting a rather fast shard of ice at the hatchling.

"NO!" The mother of the little one cried, unable to do anything as she was being held back by others out of safety.

The hatchling turned to see if it was being followed, but the only thing it saw was a shard of ice. Closing it's eyes as it awaited it's fate, the ground below and it's feeling suddenly shifted. Same for the air and what felt like it's surroundings. Now feeling scales and what sounded like a thumping heart beat to a chest, the hatchling opened its eyes. Her eyes opened wide now to see that she was nowhere near the other five, but rather very far across from them. Seeing what was happening, she noticed purple scales to the neck of the dragon, and her body laid to its back in the arms of this someone. As she looked up, Malefor looked down onto the little one and smiled, "Don't worry... you're safe now..." While not knowing who Malefor was, the little one still waged its tail to see a friendly face, "If you want to watch those meanie weenie dragons get their butts kicked, you can watch with comfort as Spyro will take them on. Or... would you like to play around some? I can make a slide out of ice."

"You can?!" The female hatchling smiled.

"Hehe, don't worry about a thing. Spyro will take over, and once everything's done, you can reunite with your mother. But for now," Easing the hatchling down to the ground, he did as he said he would, "Let's make that slide. Would you want it high, so, about, up to my neck? Or low, which would be around the height of my stomach?"

"High! I want to go fast!"

"Hehe, as the queen requests."

Flair hadn't noticed it yet as she still faced to where the hatchling had been but now was mysteriously gone. Noticing someone approaching at the corner of her eye, she was quick to get defensive, trying to block Cyril with her wings in protection. The one who approached was Spyro, and this helped her ease the wings she had formed around Cyril to give a clear view of the damage that was done to him. Rather seeing support in his eyes though, she saw anger, teeth even as he looked to her with an ill temper, "Do you always lie through your teeth? You said things were better between the two of you, and yet you're trying to kill him?"

"What?!" Flair gave more of a growl while Cyril gave a cry, and he followed up, trying to sit up as he did so, "No, Spyro, it wasn't-ugh!"

The feeling as he sat up shifted his insides, forcing the pain from within to attack him. Laying back down and giving a small growl, Cyril couldn't say anything in defense, having a feeling of blood leaking into other parts of his body. Unable to believe what she was hearing, this was viewed as a trick by her, "Don't get bitchy with me. If I really was to kill Cyril, you really think I'd take my time? After all the times I've said I hated hearing his voice?" Spyro still didn't seem to budge by her words, "But if you're really going to act like this, maybe I should just kill Cyril."

The two looked to one another in their souls for what was being discussed. Maybe getting Cynder to dumb this shithead will get it through his thick skull, Flair thought with rage. However, the tension didn't last much longer as Spyro finally gave a laugh, confusing the two at first, but he was sure to smile, "Hehe, you got me there. Though, I feel like you'd give the ones you love a slow death, don't you think?"

"WH...?!" Flair blushed.

"Hehe... score," Cyril chuckled to hear.

"My blade is still in your guts, Cyril! So you better watch what you say."

"Fair point..."

"You know, Flair, that was really smart of you," Crouching down by Cyril's side, Spyro was ready to handle things, "Putting your blade in the wound to keep it from spilling out, and using it as a heat source to close it gently without burning it shut is quick thinking. Kinda surprised you didn't tell him to suck it up while you burned the wound at max heat," She grumbled; avoiding the real reason to why she didn't do such a thing, "You can remove your blade now. I can heal his wounds," With a paw placed to Cyril's side, Flair inspected her blade for some reason, making extra sure the pain was as easy to handle, and Spyro commented on that, "Thank you for your help, Flair. I'm glad even you see Cyril's been through enough pain in a lifetime."

"Can you just focus!" Getting fed up with her exposure to her feelings for Cyril, Flair showed teeth.

"Oh yeah," With the tap of a claw to Cyril's body, his darkness, in almost a wave like motion moved throughout his entire body, cleaning up the blood and wounds he had taken on, "Speaking of," Standing back up, a shard of ice flew for his face, but before it could connect to Spyro's forehead, he turned to face it before it hung in midair without the stopping power of anything, "And who may you girls be?" Addressing the five in the middle that held hostages, to grow his intimation, Spyro grabbed the ice that stayed suspended in the air and snapped it to ash, "Hand back over the hatchlings to their loved ones: same goes for the father. You wanted me, and so, here I am."

"No... No no no, see, we have something different planned, Spyro," Moving out of the way, Flynn showed a hatchling that rested to the arms of the yellow dragon, Levi, and to it's neck was a small black circle that Spyro had to squint his eyes to see, "That, my friend, is a what we like to call a Fused Sticky Landmine. Our supplies are limited, so we could only attach it to one of the six hatchlings," The fear in the hatchlings eyes as Flynn spoke on it made Spyro's teeth grind, "With the powers of an electric welding dragon, and the powers of the darkness, when this landmine goes off, it destroys all contact from the heart to the brain, and the darkness acts like a shield to prevent any help from a user of say, the darkness as well? And even if you were to use your little time power, you'd have to use it at least twice to destroy it. Which means, sooner or later, you'll run out of power faster then we will, and in turn, we'll win in stamina."

"How about you take that landmine off from the hatchling and just simply use it on me?" In the process of him speaking, this gave Cyril and Flair enough time to get back with the others.

"What?!" Cynder cried.

"Hehe, don't be so quick to jump to your death, Spyro. We have something special for you. But for now, why don't we have a demonstration on how this landmine works?" Seeing Spyro shift in his movements, Flynn gave him a warning, "Whoa, careful there, hopper. If even one of us goes down, we each have the ability to detonate that landmine. So I don't know what you plan on doing, but if you wish for the hatchling to die sooner, then... I guess you're succeeding," Unfortunately for Spyro, he couldn't move as it was serious enough for him to have to think on it, "Now, there is a way you can save these hatchlings, and the father, which, you have my word on," Walking up to Spyro, he made sure to keep the conversation going as he approached him, "If you stand here and take your death like a man, I can assure their safety."

"Oh really?" Spyro questioned to see if he was telling the truth.

"Oh but of course," The hatchling that was held against its will thanks to Flynn's paws fell to the ground once he released it, "Just as a show of good faith," Spyro watched the hatchling and others with close eyes, making sure it safety made it back to its mother, and thankfully, it had: taking a massive leap into her arms, "See? Now, to save the other three, and the father, all you need to do, is die. Or, you can show the crowed how much of a monster you are by letting that hatchling lose its life."

"Malefor, go help him!" Flair wasn't the only one who was thinking this, but she was the first one to growl against him for the lack of help.

"Awwww... but the hatchling..." Malefor whimpered while the hatchling happily cried its way down the ice slide he had made her.

"You could have one with Carith if you weren't such a pussy! Now go help him!"

"Whoa! Language. There's a hatchling here."

"Malefor, quit screwing around!" Terrador showed his anger as well, "Does Spyro have a plan or not?!"

A massive sounding slap filled the area, changing the focus of the group forward, all wanting to know what had happened. The back steps of Spyro, and Flynn's fist being out, they pieced together the sound as a punch. Now all watched with increased breaths and beats to their hearts. Spitting some blood to the ground, with a small wipe to his lips, Spyro noticed some blood, and looking back to Flynn with a chuckle, he bashed him, "Hehe, who taught you how to hit? Your boyfriend?"

Malefor let in a huge breath, "Guys! Guys guys guys! That was my line! He used my line!"

"Hehe, no, actually, it was an ape who I had to fight off when I was six because my parents abandoned me at a young age. But hey, there's not enough room in this world for 'boohoo' back stories. I've killed enough to know I'll go to hell either way," Flynn saw this as a joke as well, "But hey, I have a question. Did you notice a, 'sting', when I punched you?"

"A sting?" Spyro raised a brow.

"Wanted to talk a bit to get your adrenaline down. Needles tend to sting more when you notice them."

"Needle?"

Now actually talking about it, Spyro felt a small pain to the side of his neck, and once inspecting it with his paws, he growled as he touched something. Grabbing a hold of whatever it was, he brought it to the view of his vision. Inspecting what it was, the object was very thin with a silver shine of color. To the back, it seemed rather flat, like a piece you'd hold onto or put something in. The front was very thin, showing a pointed tip that trickled a black looking liquid. What the... As he inspected it, the needle started to wiggle, but so did his paws. Why is the world... spinning? Facing ahead now, everything shifted and moved in ways his body couldn't handle. Shaking even himself, Spyro looked to the sky as to keep his balance, but just the same as everything else, it wiggled, and so did he. Aw hell... Falling down flat to his side, the group cried with gaps. Flynn himself gave a smile to see he was already out and down for the count, "Not surprised. That dose of poison to which we tested before getting here killed apes in mere seconds. You're strong, Spyro, and I can admit that, but..." Raising his blade in the shape of a sword that showed as a true weapon, this fight was already over, "Your childish way of acting was the death of you."

"NO!" Cynder cried, trying to run as quickly as she could to stop Flynn, but Malefor was quicker and stopped her with the blocking of his wing, "What the... Malefor!"

"Cynder, he's fine, I promise," Malefor assured her, "I mean, he did have a plan. Though, I don't think he took into account hidden blade. But I'm sure he's fine either way."

"Malefor, stop screwing around! This isn't a game! Those hatchlings could die; Spyro, could die, if we don't do something!"

"And us rushing in, they will see, and immediately execute someone. Rather then that happening, we need to stay calm and let Spyro handle this."

"And how's he going to handle it if he's...!"

"Standing...?" Ersa questioned, watching in awe with the others as they noticed Spyro stood back to his paws.

Flynn's jaw dropped as well to see this, but seeing this as a trick, he still made his advancement. Rushing forward with a powerful growl, his blade swung at blinking speed. Everyone gasped with wide eyes to hear the clank and show of sparks between the two. Spyro's blade blocked Flynn's blade perfectly, fighting against the strength that the red dragon was putting into his attack. Flynn wasn't to give up easily, attempting another blinking strike with his tail blade. Predicted once again, a small side step from Spyro was all that was needed. Behind his opponent now; wrapping his tail around his neck, a tug down to the ground was where Flynn's body went. The force was mainly felt to his head and neck thanks to the powerful crash to the concrete below. Though, since Spyro was much stronger than the average dragon, the pull down to the ground was felt to Flynn's back as well, causing a forceful cough. All who watched were in awe to see this turn around, and even for Flynn who at this point already lost, wanted to know the answer, "No... way... How... are you even... standing right now... that poison should've neutralized you... it should've neutralized your darkness..."

"Hehe, well, it kinda did," Spyro, even being blinded, weakened, and dizzy, was still able to laugh with an advantage, "Funniest part, Cynder always says she owes her life to me, in which I always say I owe my life to her, and this is an example of that. Hehehehe, your poison is like, last decades worth of poison Cynder's given me. It had its kick, I'd admit, but I ain't a lightweight," Cynder cried with a happy smile and tears to hear that she had been benefiting him in ways that she both loved to do, and play with, "Of course, that doesn't mean it still didn't have an effect. My darkness of course was unusable for the time, and my vision completely impaired, forcing me to close my eyes or else I'd pass out, so I just went with the next best thing: my own twist on echolocation."

"Oh yeah?" Flynn smirked as he viewed this as a challenge, "Well let's see if that, echolocation, that you supposedly have can keep up!"

To the power that was similar to Spyro, the darkness helped Flynn gain a major player in the battle. The darkness carried most of the weight, helping him shiver out from the ground below and readjust himself back on all fours. Now with the information he was given, a chance was still to be had for Flynn, So, all I need to do is be easy with my steps, and my breaths. His speed was unseen to those with untrained eyes. The citizens of Warfang had a hard time following, but the group didn't. The battle was a sight even for those of the group of five. This helped Kettu and Xvar in their sneaking attempts to save those that had been taken hostage. Right from out and under their noses, the Father, and the remaining three hatchlings were all saved and placed near Malefor. Thanks to their speed, the two were easily able to hide in shadow to grab someone, head back, and grab another. The landmine that once stuck to the hatchling's neck was easily turned to ash at the clench of Kettu's paw. At how well distracted the battle got to many, still the other four hadn't taken notice to their lost leverage. That was until Doom noticed something was missing, "What the..." Looking to his other four group members, he asked them in a fit of rage, "What happened to the hostages?!"

The other four looked all around and had taken notice to the missing pieces to their plan. Hearing this mid-battle, Flynn showed teeth, "Are your fricken' UGH... kidding me?!"

While the battle continued, many still watched I'm awe. For Malefor, he didn't much care to pay any attention to the fight, wishing to focus on the hatchlings above, behind, and in front of him. After having seen the fun that the little hatchling was having on the slide, a couple others joined. It took some time from the remaining three that were saved to warm up to the others, but thanks to the help of the blue female, she made the others feel right at home. The hatchlings all spread out around in the enjoyment of Malefor's childish behavior, only adding to the help of comfort and ease that they needed. One rested to the top of his head, belly flat and between his horns. Another used Malefor sitting down as a way of play, climbing up his wings to later slide down his back. To the back of him danced a hatchling as it attacked his tail, to which Malefor was able to play along with, flipping his tail up and down as the little one played with it like a cat. To his front remained the final three, one playing on the slide while the other two play fought from seeing Spyro's show. Carith rather enjoyed watching as the hatchlings felt so safe around Malefor, and to see how well and happy he was with the six around made her hopeful, If only the Dark Master wasn't a threat... I'd go for it... I truly would... and I can't lie and say that I can wait because... I can't. Approaching from Malefor's right, a women of green color smiled to him, to which he smiled back, "Hmmmm. Let's see; beautiful smile, gentle looks, and a sweet innocence... matches the hatchling at my tail, doesn't it?"

"Oh, Hehe," The green female blushed to hear his complements, "Good eye... But, hey, do I know you?"

"I don't... think so."

"It's just... sorry, I know this sounds weird but... are you... the evil dragon, Malefor?" Malefor shot stiff to hear her say, just now realising that ever since he came back, no one really knew of who he was, "I'm only asking because, for a while now, we haven't seen that monster, and I remember he was a purple dragon. I... apologize if I offend you, and you really do look nothing like him. I rushed over out of fear but... with how well you're working with these young ones, you don't seem like Malefor," Sweat started to drip profusely as he knew what she was to ask next, and unfortunately, his fears came to fruition, "I hope it wouldn't be too much to ask for the the name of such a sweet gentlemen."

"I... I... I..."

"Baby!" To his luck, running across the front of the group, a female of red color ran over to the man who had been held as a hostage.

"My love," Taking only a step, the female hugged him the minute he moved, arms and wings going across his back as soon as she was able.

Wiping sweat from his forehead, Malefor took a sigh of relief to see he didn't have to reveal his name, Sooner or later though, I'll have to say something to someone. The crowd around them only grew larger as the parents for their hatchlings each made their way over in hopes of reuniting with loved ones. All while this was happening, the fight Flynn and Spyro had continued. Even as handicapped as Spyro was, Flynn's movements weren't doing him any favors. Trying his best to disappear and reappear, only using the tips of his claws to touch the ground, Spyro was easily able to side step, jump, or even knick some damage in with a small slash with his tail blade. Knowing this wasn't working, Flynn came out from his speed, sliding to the ground and yelling for assistance, "Since you all screwed up our hostage situation, how about not sitting on your last assets and helping me!" The four nodded, making their way over to help, "Idiots!"

"Now now, there's no reason to name call," Spyro mocked him, "It's okay to admit that, just like a baby, you need help. Help to fight a blind dragon, too."

"Shut up!"

Now with help all around, Spyro was now dealing with five dragons instead of one. As the attacks persisted, something felt off to Spyro. Wait a minute... The fun was cut short as he noticed someone was missing. One attack from behind, to the left, front, right, and an attempt above... The Dark Master said there was six dragons... did I miss one?! Extending his wings outwards with a powerful gust, the five were sent flying, some doing back flips to land, while others either simply landed or fell on their face. Now that he had some room to breathe, it was a long shot to ask, but Spyro still wanted to make sure, "Wait a minute... aren't there supposed to be six of you? Why am I only sensing five?"

"Is that supposed to be a joke?!" Flynn couldn't tell if he was honestly asking or not, "Your little bitch of a friend killed our sixth."

"What?!"

After hearing this, the games between the five ended. Spyro's eyes opened wide to get a view of his surroundings, and with a quick look to the floor off to his left, he saw the dead body. No no no no no. Rushing over to the body as quickly as he could, even sliding with the help of ice to his knees, Spyro made quick repairs using his darkness. A single tap to his scales healed the wounds and blood from the body, but not much else. Checking to make sure anything was working, there was no breath to his paw, no beat from his heart, and no real movement from anything within Carter's body to signify a sign of life. Taking a sigh to see this had happened, it was obvious to know who had done it. That must've been why Flair was over here. She was healing Cyril's wound and more then likely killed the dragon for causing it... I was so focused on the hostages that I didn't even realize his body in the open. Now with all the fun gone, Spyro wished for things to get wrapped up, "Alright, listen," Now with a more serious tone in his voice, Flynn, and the other four readied themselves, "I'm sorry for the loss of your partner, and to ensure no one else here gets hurt, please take your friend and leave. I won't stop you."

"What?!" A couple in the group asked.

"You're really going to let murderers roam free to kill someone else one day?!" Flair hated to hear that this was what his words meant.

"Says the one who killed our friend and still stands there like nothing happened," Flynn called her out for being the exact same.

"This will be a warning!" Spyro didn't wish for any back and forth, "If I see you five again making trouble, I will personally put an end to your suffering upon others. Now, please just... leave. You've already failed with your poison, you failed to kill anyone, and to make life easier for all, let's all just go home happy to know we still have our lives."

"So, what I'm hearing is: Plan B?" Felix suggested.

"Don't," Hearing they had another plan to cause trouble, Spyro showed an attacking position as his darkness raged, "Everyone's already safe and sound, you've already lost a member, and I'm trying to be as kind as I possibly can right now."

The remaining five smiled, not saying whether or not they were agreeing with what Spyro had to say. But since the four had turned their backs with only Flynn facing him, it seemed like they were to leave, "Alright, fine, you made your point, Spyro," Not noticing one of them had picked up the needle that was once used against him, Spyro faced Flynn dead into his eyes, seeing his lie, "I guess there really isn't a reason for us to stay. After all, we did run our little test, so it's fine," Turning the same to face the giant doors of Warfang, the five opened their wings, but with a quick jump and a loud voice to which Spyro was only ready for an attack, he couldn't stop him from saying, "ISN'T THAT MALEFOR OVER THERE!" Spyro wasn't the only one to gasp as nearly the entire population of Warfang did to see the purple dragon, "YOU ALL REMEMBER?! THE ONE WHO KILLED MILLIONS?!"

Shit, Spyro cursed in his thoughts, looking over to see if something would happen to Malefor, and it didn't help that Flynn wouldn't shut up for his calling out, "QUICK! EVERYONE, SAVE YOUR LOVED ONES BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!"

Unknowing to Malefor himself and the surrounding parents, he freely spoke with a smile to the parents, "So, I know this is more of me needing to have experience, and no parent can be perfect for their family... unfortunately... But I was hoping maybe you girls would know any tricks I could use to better myself as a future parent," The parents, mainly the females, thought on it themselves to give him some good advice, "I want to be the best role model I can be for my hatchling; something for he or she to look up to, not look down on."

"From the sounds of how you speak, how you act, and how you provide comfort and care to others, I would have to say, just keep being you," The green parent female smiled to him, and the other female next to her smiled as well as she believed the same, "Parenting isn't easy, and I'm glad you already know that, so you'll be much more prepared then..." Mid-conversation, a wing blocked to her chest, feeling a tug in a way, and noticing it was her husband with a fear shot face, she asked out of concern, "Whoa, my love... what's wrong?"

"He... H-h-h-he's, t-t-t-the..." Swallowing hard in a pool of sweat, the father feared for everyone's lives, "He's the Dark Master..."

"What?" The two females asked, not understanding how that could be the case, and the green female followed up, "My love, even if he is purple and maybe named Malefor, that doesn't make him evil," Just to prove a point, she wished to step closer in the hopes that a face to face would make her husband see Malefor wasn't a threat, but he still held her back, "Where did this even come from? Why are you all the sudden so afraid of him?"

"Malefor..." Being so close and so low, Cynder looked up to Malefor while he looked down, "They know who you are... everyone..."

Raising his head now to see the reactions from everyone, his face now turned dark and fearful, similar to how the father's face showed. The crowd of citizens now turned closely to a mob, many readying an attack or a defense, some blocking loved ones while others purposefully hid out of safety. His shakes and shivers only further proved who he was, not denying or saying anything in defense over who he was or what he did. Not even thoughts came to mind on what was next for him, knowing any move could start a fire. Because nothing was to be done, Malefor's body turned cold, wishing to ball up and close himself off from the world as he knew it. The hatchlings that stayed around him still played as normal, seeing no danger that they were supposedly in. Trying his best to duck his head low while still taking into consideration the hatchling on his head, even as his wings itched to close, one of the hatchlings were still using him as a way to climb up and slide down, so they made him vulnerable. Trying to stay calm in hope he could protect his family, the father begged in a small, scared, gentle cry for his hatchling to make it home safely, "Cyrex... we need to leave... now..." The blue hatchling that played by Malefor's tail stopped and looked to his father in confusion, "That isn't a man you want to play with... that's... The Dark Master..."

It was unfortunate to see the turn around that had taken place from being loved by many to hated by all. The Family of Cynder, Carith, the Guardians, and their females also watched in sadness, though preparation as well in case Malefor needed support. Carith wasn't one to sit by, and made herself well known by standing to the front of the group and taking hidden steps over to her lover. The hatchling, having been on the other side of Malefor's tail, jumped over to get a more clear view of his father, "What are you talking about, dad? He's not the Dark Master," The parents looked to see his downed figure, but with an almost black like darkness to his face, they couldn't make out his real emotions, "You've told me the story a hundred times now about what the Dark Master was. He was evil, and super duper ugly, about as ugly as he was evil. And you said he's done nothing but destroy and cause pain that's damaging to others... But the only time I felt that was the case was with those meanie dragons over there," Cyrex pointed to the five dragons in the middle, "Thank you for worrying about me, dad, but I... I'm not scared... in fact, I'm rather happy right now. Hehe, training with you is fun and all, but his tail feels rock solid, and I can really punch into it!"

From the words of the hatchling, everyone was at a standstill on what to do, mainly from fears of what Malefor, the Dark Master, could do if provoked. The main thing that both helped and doomed him were the hatchlings around him. For some, they saw this as another hostage situation with him using this little one to show himself out to be something he wasn't. Others saw this as a genuine show of change: a big enough one to warrant ease and a free feeling from anxiety to those they love not being in danger. Sighing as he knew this were to come out sooner or later, Spyro took a deep breath in, before having to let a heavy one out, "LISTEN UP!" His voice scared many, but they all faced him in hopes their savoir would be able to handle this situation, "I want you all to believe in the hearts that we all have: the one that beats every second, and for you to understand, and trust, that what I'm about to tell you is the truth of a story you all were lied to many years ago!"

"Um, Flynn, shouldn't we stop him from speaking the truth? Or even make an attempt to cause a crowd panic?" Levi suggested an actual plan.

"Hehe, no no no," Flynn seemed very confident in Spyro's failure, "Everyone looks up to Spyro, do they not? If he fails to make a good point, or fails to actually rally the troops to an understanding, they'll lose trust in him, and believe he's defending the Dark Master's slaughters. Either he disagrees with what the Dark Master did, and they turn on Malefor. Or, he agrees, and they all turn on both of the two. Mob mentality at its finest."

"You all know the story, right?!" Spyro made sure to keep his voice firm, collected, and smooth to show no lie or stutter to what he had to say, "Malefor grew aggressive in his attempts to find power, so those above, the Ancestors, kicked him out for his constant abuse! He would later turn evil; turn against his own kind because of his beliefs in what the meaning of the purple dragon was! Tell me this: do you all feel sympathy for such a man?!" No one responded, and while many believed his words would've been in support, it seemed more for Malefor being a villain, "Of course, no one would. He's a monster, so why would you bother saving him? Why would you bother feeling the need to help someone when they ruined their own life? And that's the whole point of the story: it's made out to show Malefor as a false villain while making others feel noble in their efforts to keep you all safe!"

"Ignitus, since you know most of all about this, shouldn't you be the one to tell everyone the truth?" Claire silently whispered as to not attract attention to herself.

"Spyro's more of a leader than I am right now. I have been there for Malefor's turn around, but so has Spyro. He knows about his past, seen his fears, understands his dreams, and knows above all else he isn't a monster," Ignitus believed within all his heart that his son would be able to get the job done, "I believe in you, Spyro."

"Now, tell me this!" Keeping the same voice he had, to add more of a sad tone, Spyro showed more of a shiver, like he was feeling the pain of the truth, "Would you all feel sympathy if you knew that his friend, whom he looked up to, trusted, and believed in above all else, betrayed him, got his lover killed, could've ended this war before it started; and Malefor himself was even corrupted by an unstable connection with the darkness! And on top of all that, he lost his parents due to the violent acts of the apes..." Some wavered to Spyro's words while others still held strong to their beliefs of the truth, but there was still more to be said, "This friend knew of a power to heal anyone of any wound: even near death. But what he didn't explain was what else it could do. This power forced his lover into a death-like state, and the only ones who could've known she was alive was this supposed friend, and Malefor himself. But the friend never told him the truth, and after the darkness took a hold of his mind, he was forced against his friends, against his loved ones, and even against me... I know what's it's like to lose someone to the Dark Master... I lost my parents too... and I could've lost so much more... we all could be died right now..." Picking his voice back up, he returned to his rally, "But now that the supposed friend is died, Malefor purified of the corruption, and his female having been ruined with him, he's been the greatest friend, brother even, that anyone could ever ask for," Malefor picked his head up to hear this, almost as though Spyro was admitting his friendship right then and there, "He saved my life after my battle against the Dark Master, he kept me and my family safe on our trips outside of Warfang, and he saved everyone's life on earth when that attack was made against Warfang almost a full week ago! If it wasn't for him, Warfang would've been overrun, the Destroyer would've blown up this planet and everyone on it had it not been for his help!"

"Oh yeah, I remember now," Many dragons started to whisper among themselves as they started recalling the various times they had seen Malefor, "He's was the one defending that one side all by himself."

"I've seen him countless times walking around Warfang with a smile. If he was the Dark Master, wouldn't he be frowning, or at least looking to kill someone?"

"We haven't even see the Dark Master really ever since that one day almost a month ago. Maybe he really is clean?"

"And it's the Dark Master. Why would he care who he's with? He would've killed those hatchlings as soon as he got his paws on one and flew away."

"Come to think of it too, I'm guessing that blue female over there might be his lover."

The support being heard more and more by many dragons made the five show their teeth to see it was actually working as a rally. The green dragoness next to Malefor also gave her concerns, pushing past her husband's wing with enough force to have him drop it, and even though she approached him, he was the one to shiver out of fear. Others all watched with a close eye to see what the interaction between the two would be, listening closely to hear if what Spyro had said was really true. Approaching him enough to rest a paw on his shoulder, his shiver once again showed, but she wasn't afraid, "Malefor, is that... really true...? Did someone you consider your own flesh and blood betray you?"

Malefor was a little scared to answer at first, making sure what she was asking was genuine concerns. And from the looks to her eyes from the sound in her voice, he sighed on what he had to bring up, "I had known him for five plus years. I traveled long ways to see him, enjoying time, laughing, playing, and it was... a great escape from the first group of Guardians. This is... hard to believe but... he knew... he knew my lover was to die that day... so he called me over, tried to keep me from seeing her, I overpowered him, tried to save Carith, and I thought... I had failed... The darkness took my sadness, it took my anger and frustration, and for the time I was the Dark Master... all I saw was blackness... with occasional shines of red... and the long lasting sounds of screams..." These tears showed as he dropped some of his own, but he still tried to hold his composure, "The Dark Master wanted to keep me from any sense of love, so I'd never have a chance of escaping his grasp. He killed my lover's parents, killed Volteer and Cyril's... and as a way to turn others against one another, he used Cynder's corruption so she'd kill Spyro's parents, and her own..." This helped many more feel sympathy for what he had gone through even if it still pained them in the losses they had endured, "All I want now is to fix what he's done: to make up for the lives lost by helping those fortunate enough to have survived, thrive... and with the future me Spyro have planned, there shouldn't be a need to frown."

"And what's this future?" She wondered, which was another question all wanted answered.

"I found a new friend, a new brother that I can lean on in the time of need. As we work together to better ourselves, keeping everyone in Warfang safe day by day, we have plans to one day bring the world to peace: to be able to tear down the walls of Warfang so all may roam free without fear. It may take months, or maybe even years, but as a promise to you all and your families... we will do everything in our power, and beyond, to make the future of our generation, and the young, as bright as the sun," Closing off with a smile, the green dragoness gave one as well, showing her support by standing by him and against the five.

Almost all now had shown their support in Malefor, trusting him enough to at least give him a second chance, and while the pains still burned for many, Spyro gave his voice to help even one more dragon, "You all know who Malefor is now! And you should know that what he speaks is the truth, when it comes to your safety, and future! He's learned to control the darkness to be powerful enough to support his family, and yours! But now that you all know about his corruption, let's find out who the real villain is!" First, because he already faced Malefor, decided to speak on him, "Is it the man who protected your hatchlings and loved ones even in the face of death and fear?! Or...!" Turning to the five with a smirk and stood up body to show his strength and win, Spyro gave his final words, "The men who used the darkness to apprehend your family, to attempt the murders on your hatchlings, and to incite fear and chaos with the minds of all?!"

It was clear at this point who all believed in, and because of Spyro's use on such powerful terms, all believed in what he had said, not focusing on Malefor anymore but rather the five. Backed into a corner now and with nothing to say or do, while the other four growled in the ready for a battle, Flynn gave a smile, "Having you on our side would make for such great fun. You've actually given them all hope, and they believe in their savior. Which makes me wonder what would happen if they no longer had you," Opening his wings, a small goodbye was to be had, "You win this one, Spyro. But just know, there's more to war then what you understand, and from what we've seen, you obviously know nothing."

Flying up to the air, the other four followed close behind, leaving with the needle but not with their friend's dead body. Sighing as to understand this, Spyro asked for some assistance, Hey, Kettu, Xvar. Could you two help dispose of the body? Only a second after, they were quick to respond, and first was Kettu, "I'll handle the body. Xvar, you should... talk with, Spyro." This made him raise a brow, Talk with me about what...? I tried my best not to make you all look out to be bad guys. Surprising Xvar, this was exactly what he wanted to talk about, "That's... actually what we wanted to... thank... you... for... We heard you were trying your best to make it sound like a bad connection in a way, and you didn't call us out directly by saying anything about the Dark Dragons. The only one mentioned was the Dark Master, but you keep the information clean enough so others would understand without needing to think too much on it." Spyro gave a nice sigh to this, I'm glad I was able to help. Done with his work there and already noticing that the body was gone, Spyro faced to see if everything was going alright with Malefor, and with raised eyes from surprise, a crowd had formed around him.

"We're sorry to hear what happened, Malefor," One female looked to him with lustful eyes.

"If you ever need a way to relax and, release, after such a traumatic event, we girls are here for you," Many showed off their chests to him which Malefor blushed for, not knowing what to say.

"Alright-alright-alright, back it up!" Carith showed teeth to see this flirting, and with the blocking of both her wings, she stood to Malefor's front, "His lover's alive, remember? That being me. So I suggested you girls all go home because he's taken."

"He is? Then where's the hatchling?" One of the girls asked, getting Carith to blush, but the others to raise a brow.

"Oh, so he's still a virgin?" A red female was happy to hear, "For such an aged adult who hasn't had sex yet, you must be begging for... help, are you not?"

"He doesn't need the help from any of you!" Carith's anger and embarrassment only grew.

"But you two aren't mates, are you?"

"We...! I...! Not yet we aren't!"

"So then, he's still free? And even if he isn't, I don't see a problem with maybe... a threesome?"

"What?!" Every word spoken by the females around boiled Carith's blood.

"Threesome?! And where are we girls in this?!" One, if not many of the females around who were single and ready to mingle wanted a piece of Malefor.

"I get him first!" A blue female wished for her chance.

"Uh, more like last. I'll go first to test the dragon's stamina," Another blue female grew thirsty.

This is such bullshit! Carith despised all those that crowded around in hopes for a taste of what Malefor had to offer. Many around Warfang now crowded around the group, wishing to talk with the legends at hand, and to see if what had been spoken on was really true. While a crowd did form to Malefor, many wished to also approach Spyro because of his display of power and skill. However, he didn't pay much attention to them as he was dead centered on Flair. Stood to her front, the two locked eyes, and Spyro asked with a sigh, "Was that you who killed the dragon?"

Flair scuffed, "Obviously. What's your point? I had my reasons of many. He called me a bitch, he used Cyril as bait, attempted an attack that threatened his life, and was a smug piece of shit," Once again, Spyro sighed to hear this, and while he would've wished to teach her a lesson from this, he didn't see a way of getting her to change these ways of hers, "How many times do I have to say that I will never change how I feel and believe? He's dead, and nothing you say will make me feel sympathy."

"Just... be careful... You never know who you'd piss off."

"I'll try not to remember, but I'll take it into consideration."

With this out of the way, or at least to the best of what he could get things to, seeing the crowd that now surrounded him helped Spyro give the call, "You all should head back up to the Chambers," Even from the voices of all of those around, they all were able to pay some kind of attention to him, "I'm going to go around and make sure everyone's safe around Warfang. You all have already had to deal with enough today, and as such, I feel like I should take over for things while you all are away."

"Spyro, do you not remember what just happened in the Training Room? Who we spoke to, and what happened?" Malefor was confused by Spyro's volunteering, "Are you sure you should be the one to continue?"

"There's some things I'd like to take care of," His answer was vague, "I will try not to take too long. I promise."

The others looked at one another in confusion, and even for Cynder, she wished to find the answer herself, "Spyro, if you want to talk about it, you could head out later once things have died down."

"Hehe, my love, I'm fine. I promise," Opening his wings, those that crowded around backed to give him some space, "Once you all are back, just signal with your darkness so I know you all are safe"

Flying up and to the air, his body acted rather quick, so much so that he disappeared from the use of his darkness. Now hidden from sight and reappearing into a dark ally between two buildings, a wall was to his back, with the only way of being seen was from the two roofs to the sides, or the exit out in front of him. Kettu and Xvar walked out and ahead of him before both turning to face him. Now that the two blocked him, he knew anyone passing by wouldn't notice the three. Being cloaked in the darkness, Spyro gave out his plan to the other two, "Sorry to bring you two out already at such a short notice, but... about what you said yesterday, how dragons are watching me. Do you think there's anyway we can catch one off guard? Walking up to Flair, I had seen one, but he ducked rather low and is probably gone at this point."

"Are you scared about them? They seem rather harmless," Kettu didn't really see it as a problem.

"I'm scared of what they'll do with the information they have... That hatchling being stuck with a bomb was already way too close for comfort, and if they find out they could use that as a weapon, there will be a point in time... where I'll fail... and I need to make sure that day never comes... I'm sure if I use my earth powers, I can keep them high enough off the ground to keep them from phasing through the earth or the concrete."

"I was going to suggest that," Xvar had an idea of how to deal with the shadow power, but Spyro already called it out.

"Then, our jobs are to find one that isn't paying too much attention. Once we find him, or her, we can take the necessary action. Don't act until I'm there if you find someone first, understood?" The two nodded to him as they understood his orders, "Stay low if at all possible. We can still move fast enough to disappear from their sights, but from how skittish that first one looked, they must be on high alert, and so should we."

One again understanding what needed to be done, the two disappeared out of sight, showing a small streak of darkness to where they had gone. Spyro had an idea of what best he could do to help benefit the two in their search. I need to get them out in the open, so if I'm not, neither would they. Which means... Walking to the exit of the alleyway, the plan was put into action, I need to expose myself. Exiting both his darkened purple form and the alleyway, a quick look left, and another right showed only a small amount of dragons roaming the streets. Looking above him and a little ahead in the sky, he noticed as the Guardians and the others all flew above, making their way up to the Guardians Building on the mountain. Cynder's going to kill me for not telling her what I'm trying to do. Walking out to the street and casually walking down and away from the back of Warfang, the thought continued. She probably thinks I'm trying to cheat on her. Not noticing it, the more he walked, the more dragons of female gender started to show from behind and in front, mainly on rooftops to look down and ponder their love with him. I'm going to need to give her the biggest I love you kiss to show her that's not the case, and hopefully she'll believe me.


"Cynder, believe me, he isn't cheating on you," Ersa walked ahead in the Guardians Building's halls, followed close behind by the others after Malefor was last to walk in with the doors closing behind him, "Look, if it makes you feel any better, I scoped out the competition for you and can assure: you were the most beautiful one out there for your age. I mean, hell, you're not even an adult yet. If Spyro finds you attractive now, which he most definitely does, just imagine how much more he'd love you once you've fully grown into an adult."

"And what if I don't look as good as I could as an adult?" Cynder didn't waver on what she believed, "What if Spyro looks better as an adult and realises I'm not good enough? I know I keep constantly going back to what Spyro could do without me, but that's because... I mean... just look at who he is. Why wouldn't I be afraid? He hasn't given me a reason not to trust him, and I know that, I just... I don't know... I don't even know why I worry when I know that, if he finds someone better, there's nothing I could say or do... and then I'd just be left all alone... just like the past..."

"Cynder, lighten up," Flair made a much more powerful approach to the situation, "Spyro may piss me off, but one thing I've always appreciated from him was his love for you. He actually listened to you when you defended me, he focused an entire day and devoted himself to training to such a high level to use his purple flames just to help you. And most of all, think about what happened this morning; you believed you caused him pain that was equivalent to an actual attack, but he still defended you, even using your words that you were right in using for you."

"But that's another problem... what if, because I hurt him, he's taking this opportunity to finally dump me...?"

"You men are all so untrustworthy," Carith sighed, wanting to believe in what the men had to say, but couldn't actually find it in her heart to do so.

"What?! How?!" Malefor cried, "I turned down a quadsome with those females out there because I love you!"

"And how am I not to believe you won't go back after them? How do I know I could actually trust that you love me enough?"

"Carith... sexy, I tried to destroy the world for you! I gave you a throne in your own sand castle, and broke free from the Dark Master's control because I love you so deeply!" Malefor whimpered as he thought he had done quiet a lot for the love of his life, "OH SHIT, WAIT! GUYS!" Everyone stopped dead to hear Malefor's sudden burst of a yell, and what caught everyone's eye was his sweat and shivers that suddenly appeared so quickly, "I... I..." Through chattering teeth, worry showed to everyone as it seemed like he was forgetting something, something that could be rather dangerous if forgotten about, "I... I can't have sex!"

The others took a moment to process what he had just said, but all the same they asked, "What?"

"Think about it!" Malefor seemed very into the conversation and points he was making, "The Dark Master would literally be watching the entire time!"

"You can't be this stupid," Flair sighed to hear this was even something to be talked about.

"No no no! Think about it!"

"I'd rather not."

"All I'm saying is, what if it's a turn off?! Like, what I'm saying sounds sexy, but then he relays it back to me and I feel... dirty! And it would feel uncomfortable knowing I'm not the only one in the room-BUT WAIT! That also means that the Dark Master would also know of my... stature... you know, like... size! And what if he takes control and tells you all how like... small I am or something!" Everyone sighed, some blushing and others growling to hear what he had to say, "But what if it also makes this alliance a little wired because he's seen my stuff?" Taking a deep breath in as he realized something else, no one was quick enough or even had a thought to say against his words, "What if he takes advantage of the afterglow?! What if Carith is so damn good that, while my legs don't work, his will! He'd kill someone!"

"So... you're quick to admit that I 'would' be the one you'd mate with?" Carith heard how easily he made it sound out to be if he were to mate with someone.

"You all are saddening," Ersa sighed, still seeing that the others were on to one another but didn't have the guts to say something.

"I do feel terrible that you all still worry about being betray or cheated on," Volteer followed up on his mates words, "Just be mates, understand the fun and love, and you'll never have to worry again. Kinda like how Flair pointed out to you girls. If your man says you'll be together forever, why fear asking to be his mate if you know he won't turn away from you? Of course, there is the pain of a no, but 'no' doesn't mean forever in some cases, it just means then."

"You really think I'm afraid of being cheated on?" Flair snickered, making her point very clear by cuffing her blade around Cyril's neck, "I already know who my mate is, and I already know who's in charge. I know for you all, it's scary to admit how you feel, but it's also a way to better latch your male onto you," The girls, and even the guys wondered what she meant, "Think about it. Men want sex. You guarantee that, and they'll stay with you. It's also a good way to test their patience. Use this to see how aggressive or desperate they will be the longer you make them wait. If they play it cool, then you should be fine, but if they show signs of wavering to another female, then dump him... or in my case, kill."

"Hehe, just, making sure... Have I been a good boy?" Cyril's chuckle was complete and utter nervousness.

"You spooned me. What do you think?"

"Oh yeah... fair point..."

"Let's talk more on this once we get up to the Chambers," Claire suggested as she knew there was a lot to discuss, "Oh, and, Cynder, have you told Spyro you were okay yet?"

"Oh, yeah," Having been brought up, Cynder used the trickle amount of darkness.


Well this should definitely draw them out. Now backed to a house, Spyro watched from all sides to see his surroundings of nothing but females from even above. They all cried his name, some showing of their chests while others gave blushes and smiles to see how close they were to him. I guess for now, I should play it cool. Noticing a shadow dragon across the building from where he was at, it was the perfect opportunity to show a sign of weakness. From what Kettu and Xvar said, they're writing down my weaknesses, which means, I should show one that I don't have. Purposefully raising his heart levels as to draw out his sweat and blushes, he gave a smile and a chuckle to all the women around him, "Whoa whoa whoa, easy girls. Hehe... I'm not use to talking to so many all at once."

"So does that mean you're not use to, 'taking', so many, all at once?" A green female asked.

"Do you love Cynder cause she's a bad girl? Because we could role play that if you wish," Another female of yellow coloring asked.

"There's always been talks that you'd like to help the citizens of Warfang. What better way then to have your way with us?" Just as the first, a green female showed a smile.

"Cynder may be cute, but I bet she's not hot both outside, and in," Showing the sides of her body, a red female made work of her flames.

Her mouth would beg to differ. Spyro defended Cynder in his own way through his thoughts. "Spyro, we found one who seems distracted on what he's writing. Something about a female." Having heard the voice, he noticed it was Kettu's, followed along by Xvar, "He looks to be trailing off and writing down a love letter. He's across from you, four buildings straight and one down on the left." Now with the information needed, a quick plan was put into action, "Hey, girls. Thank you for stopping by, but is it okay if I go talk to someone real quick? It's rather important and you all would be doing me a massive favor," They all rubbed a paw to their chest to hear they could help Spyro out, and how nice and gentle he was to them made many raise paws as to fan themselves, "I don't wish to be rude and vanish off without giving a quick bye, so I hope to see you girls soon."

"Soon!" The girls all happily cried as they now believed his thoughts would be focused on them, "Absolutely!"

"Thank you," He nodded before using his darkness to zip out of sight.


What should I put? Sitting above the roof of a building all by his lonesome, a shadow dragon rested to his stomach, elbow in the building below as to hold a pencil in one paw, and a small notebook in his other. Let me read it again... 'This gem that I had picked out made me think of you; one of a kind, a diamond that shined as bright as the sun. And as white and pure as your eyes show in excellence; this gem that I have before you I wish to always see on you. I wish... to be your, one of a kind... your diamond... and your mate'. Reading back through what he had written, a sigh escaped him as he wished to do better. Come on... You could do better than that... and yet... maybe... maybe by compiling my notes, I should be able to come up with something... She's put in so much time and effort into the life we have, and I feel like I've never done enough... this is my chance... my one and only... just like her. Shedding a tear on what to do, to keep his book from getting wet, he raised his arms just slightly out and away from his face. As he did so, a sudden prison grew over his body made of earth. Holding him down in place, it encased him in a mountain-like shape, with sharp edges sticking out at the top, and even the fronts as to hold his arms in place. Struggling with all he could to move, even attempting to use his shadow to escape, nothing worked, "What the hell?!" Noticing something at the corner of his eye, he was quick to snap at who ever it was, "Who do you think you...!" Noticing a dark dragon to his left, his heart sunk, and to look off to his right just to see if someone was there, another dark dragon showed, "N... No... No no no! Wait! Please! I didn't...! Please don't kill me!"

"Relax... they're not going to harm you..." Walking up to the right side of the dragon, he noticed a purple dragon, "However, I might if you don't answer my questions," Grabbing a hold of the notebook and just gently tapping the prison, the entirety of it slid from the edge, and as it came to a stop, it rested near the middle of the building, "So, let's see what we have here."

"Wait! Don't!"

"Ah, here we go... 'We've taken notice of many weak points from within Warfang capable of an ambush; possible sedation tactics for take over or dispersal may very. Recommended use for citizens should be the following: knock out gas, tasers on anything aside from earth and electric, chloroform, needles of select poisons, the use of a strong dragons to cause a distraction, or the use of power sedation gems. However, be advised, all such things are shown not to effect the purple dragon known as Spyro very well. He's shown to be much more then an average dragon, and as such, much more desperate measures are to be used in case of subduing."

"No no no! I wasn't trying...!"

"Using shadow abilities to suffocate him into unconsciousness. The use of skilled wind dragon users to make hidden attacks with the use of their power. Poison on the scale of nearly ten times that of what was used on both the Gladiator champion and King the Barbarian. Physiologic effects could very from the use of fear, such as the loss of a loved one..." Gripping the book with a little more force, the next sentence or so made his blood boil, and at the worst time too: now having felt and listened to Cynder's heartbeat over their connection, "He seems deeply in love with a dark colored female known as Cynder. In need of transfer of being his mate, Cynder is to be dealt with by heavy means such as... death... Her past has shown she's a force to be wrecked with, and as such should be put down immediately after Spyro has been deemed the mate to our queen. Her psychological state has shown to be rather poor, showing only healthy when around others, but specifically Spyro. Read next page for possible... disposal..."

Processing all that had been read, thoughts of which he never wanted to think on came to mind; many of such focusing on how they were to kill her, how they were to manipulate her, or how they could turn one another against each other. Not letting his darkness keep down, the purple scales were quick to disappear, only now showing darkened ones. The same went for his secondary colors, and what followed along was his voice, "Disposal...?" The growl alone, not even accounting for the fear that this dragon already had for Spyro's darkened figure gave him a feeling of panic, understanding now what it felt like to have your soul leave its body, "Heavy means such as death...?" Past all the strength and anger he had, even for Spyro, he gave shivers of his own, not knowing what he might be capable of, "And there I was upset that Flair had killed someone... but it looks like I'm going to have to get my claws dirty too..." Throwing the book off to his side for Kettu to catch, with one paw open and another balled to a fist, a massive crack, followed by an explosion erupted from his paws as he slammed his fist inward, "Burn the book, Kettu. And Xvar. I need help hiding another body."

"No-no-no-no-no-no-no! W-w-w-w-wait! P-p-please! I can explain!" The shadow dragon, past all his fears, tremors, and terrors was able to give out a voice, "My name is, Silas! I work in the Armed Forces Division but specialize in Military Intelligence because of my powers!"

"Cool, but I didn't ask," Spyro cared zero for who the dragon was or what his name could be, "You see, I'm not a fan of killing, but my friends here would be more than happy to keep you alive... while their chewing on your insides and licking the blood from your bones. And I'll make sure you experience every bit of pain."

"I know why you're upset! It's because of Cynder, right?! The love of your life! And your family!"

"Then you should understand why you're not walking out of here without a broken bone or two."

"That wasn't my information!" Silas was quick to defend his own actions and writing, "But I... I can't... I can't give out confidential information! I'll be fired! The others will surely snitch me out as they believe I'm more kind hearted than the rest...! I've always believed in peaceful group ups, and I knew talking to you directly would've given us better information then just us hiding behind your back."

"The information in that book still posses a threat. No matter what you say, no matter what you do, I wil not allow my family to be put in danger because of your mission. If you want the information from me so badly, you come back and talk to me, as you said, which would be more beneficial to both parties. And since you won't spill any information," Raising a paw to snap his fingers, the order was ready to be given, "Then I'll just spill the information from that book into molten lava..."

"WAIT!" Silas watched as Spyro's fingers went to move, but because his voice was loud enough, and the desperation and cry was there, he heard him out, "That book doesn't just have information on you and your family...! It... it has my thoughts... my dreams... and my nightmares plastered onto it..." His head hung a little low, but not by much as the prison kept him from moving, "I only took this job because it paid extremely well. There's a diamond I've had my eye on for months; an engagement ring that I've wanted to buy from this store owner so badly. He's held off as long as he could to keep it so only I could buy it. But unfortunately, he does still need business, which I understand. If I don't complete this job and get the money that I need, he'll have to put it back on the shelves, and his already told me there's another couple looking to buy it."

"Wa-wa-wa-wait. What do you mean money? And also, what do you mean by store owner?"

"Warfang seems much more different then that of where we live. The City Of Prosperity is much bigger then that of yours. We have shops, houses to buy, jobs to go on, business to uphold, militaries to protect us, prisons to keep the bad from the good, stores to buy food, restaurants, and different subsections that help keep our economy together. We use our money to give us reasons to buy things, in which they can later use to pay things like shop mortgages and the tools to work on what they're building or searching for."

Spyro was blown away to hear all that he was missing from what he believed to be false, "That's... no, that's... unbelievable... If this city of yours is supposedly so huge, why have I never seen it before? Yes, of course, I don't travel often, but what about when the war was taking place? What about when the Destroyer was tearing the planet apart? Why haven't I seen your help from this city before?"

"Because your Guardians didn't wish to be affiliated with us."

"Ignitus and Terrador?"

"No, the first pair. They believed to have everything under control and wished us not to get involved. When we did go against their orders, our group was placed at the front lines of many battles, to which thousands were lost, but for your four colors, many only suffered scraps and bruises. So, we backed away from the war. The Dark Master once visited our thriving city and wished to burn it to the ground. But because of our military power, he went against it, and rather tried to use us to take down your city for what it had done. Our higher ups refused, and in exchange, we stayed out of the war and he wouldn't attack us."

"How did you deal with the earth spilling apart?"

"The ground we have our city built on was heavily connected from all around and deep with the earth's crust. So, while islands were splitting away from us, we weren't affected, so our city has had many years to build in peace. We had seen the Destroyer once again been resurrected, and scouts saw the attack on Warfang and decided to help some to smooth out the attack, just in case you were wondering why it didn't take that long. We didn't see the other pair of Guardians, noticed your incredible power, and so our queen requested for us to research if you were mate material for her."

"Why does she want me as her mate?" Because the conversation showed promise in all sorts of information, Spyro eased out to show back his purple colors of primary, and orange with gold for secondary.

"She's looking for a king, and so far, no one has really caught her eye. Once she found out about all your achievements in life, she's been solely focused on you. She's willing to do whatever it takes to have you aside her, going as far as wanting to expand our resources and supplies to better show our alliance and friendships comapred to the decades prior. She's even offered the spilt of military power as she knows your value on life. While you spend the rest of your days up in her room as her mate, our military will keep peace so you'll have nothing to worry about. Your family will even get a luxury house to stay in with a butler."

"A... butler?"

"He or she goes around and makes sure you're comfortable in your stay. They work on cleaning, reorganizing: basically anything you'd do, but they do it for you so you don't have to. It seems cruel, but don't worry. There's a lot that goes into being a butler, and the pay is rather high. But if you're nice enough, rather sending the butler home, you could allow them to stay at your house. Many in the luxury life don't like this idea though as they believe them to be stuffy and messy because they clean and do their dirty work all day."

"That sounds horrible."

"I don't like the idea either..." With all the talking of back and forth, Silas now felt like he'd be able to communicate with Spyro one man to another, "Spyro... I'm sorry for what you had to read, but I wasn't the one with that information or idea. Others around here take their jobs a lot more seriously than I do... I know it was stupid of me, but for a while now, I've woken up in tears not being with the love of my life... To help coup with myself, I wrote down rather long paragraphs of how I feel about her... how much I love her... and I hope that with what I have, I can nail the perfect line, the perfect moment, and the perfect diamond for her... I just... I..."

"Silas... I'm sorry... but that book is getting burnt no matter what you say."

"Spyro please..." Struggling to move as he was desperate to know his voice was being heard, Silas didn't give up, "I'm not the one with that information. Me, and a couple of others also have that exactly written down word for word... It's a meeting we have to share and collect all the information we have in case of also capture... One of the things I'm supposed to do is spit a hidden needle from my mouth that we hide inside our cheek thanks to our shadow powers..." Just to prove a point, Spyro watched as Silas opened his maw, and to the left inside of his mouth, the needle poked out through the skin from within, "But..." He closed his mouth and eased the needle back in, "I've seen how you operate, Spyro... You're more human then ninety-nine percent of this world... So... just... please... there has to be a way we can work something out... I will beg and plead if that's what you wish..."

It took a moment for Spyro to really think and believe in what this dragon had to say, and after what he had read, it was unfortunate to know this problem wouldn't go away by a simple burn of one book. Who ever this queen is, she seems open to the idea of negotiation... It's just really unfortunate this has to happen while I'm also trying to deal with the Dark Master and the Dark Dragon's past. Rolling his claws in a row as he thought about it, a singular plan came to mind. The sooner I get them on my side, the better the world could be. If they have a strong force like he's said, then maybe world peace is closer than I thought. Having his mind made up on the situation, the prison around Silas moved downwards and back to the roof below. He gave wide eyes to this and watched as Spyro grabbed the book from Kettu's paw. Not understanding what was going on at first, some confusion was cleared up once Spyro approached him, "You want this notebook? Then you'll have to answer some questions that you couldn't have before."

"Spyro, I can't..."

"She wants me to be her mate, right? Then she'd also feel tickled to know I want to meet her. So, answer my questions, I'll write my name in your book and give you my word. Tell her she can visit me tomorrow so we can talk. I'll also write down and request that you get paid extra for making contact in a well and gentle manner. Does that sound like a deal?" Silas's eye went wide, as did his smile to hear such support and a caring attitude from Spyro now, and he was quick to nod his head in agreement, "Alright, first question. How many of you are in Warfang?"

"Seven. Two to the left side, two to the right side, and three in the middle," Silas was quick to answer.

"Are any of you on order to harm me or my family?"

"No. Such action would result in life in prison, demotion, or death. We are not to act unless acted upon or given the order by our queen."

"How powerful is your military."

"Powerful enough to scare even the Dark Master."

"Then I guess for now... final question..." Silas was scared to know what it could be, but Spyro's smile alone made him feel confident and comfortable, "Can I see your pencil?"

"Oh! Sure!"

"I expect to see you again, alright?" Spyro smirked to him, "I'm here by making your mission complete. Please go back and tell your queen I wish for a meeting," Writing down what he needed to in the book without paying close attention to what was written for many reasons, he kept talking a little longer as to give some conversation, "I expect a ring to be on your finger and hers next time I see you. Just whatever you do, stay calm, take a deep breath, and understand she has a heart just like you. You'll do fine."

"Hehe... Thanks... Spyro... For hearing me out and what not... usually this would've ended badly or in a fight but... you're a great guy."

"I try to be," Handing back over the pencil and notebook, Silas looked and read with a smile to see he had held up his end of the deal, "Do you need my friends here to escort you, or are you safe to head home alone?"

"I'll be safe. The path we take is secure, and in case I do get attacked, I can always dip down into the shadows."

"Fair enough."

Opening his wings wide with all the energy in the world, Silas gave his thanks and goodbyes, "Thank you, Spyro! I really do hope to see you again!" Flying up and into the air, he made him a promise, "I'll make you proud!"

Waving him off with a paw, Spyro kept his smile and wave for quite little bit before knowing Silas was out of range of being seen. Once he was gone, a heavy sigh escaped his lips: plopping himself down and to his backside with sweat. Rubbing two claws to the side of his forehead, having something else to worry about made him feel overwhelmed, "So... I have the Dark Master to deal with, a secondary dark master, that group that attacked Warfang out of nowhere, a queen who wishes me to be her mate for world peace, and the past of the Dark Dragons which I need all the information on to keep such a thing from ever happening again..." To his luck, clouds started to form in the sky, blocking the sun and giving him a chance to cool off for a second, "Ugh... I'm willing to do almost anything for world peace... but I feel like I'm not getting anywhere... it feels like there's more enemies than there are friends... and I know it's one step at a time and things need time to come together but... uuuuuuugggggghhhhhh... I don't know..."

"Spyro..." A surprising yet very helpful hand came from Kettu, "While you may feel like you're not going anywhere, what you've done for me and Xvar has been overwhelming generous. I know it's not easy for a sixteen-year-old to shoulder so much weight, but with the start you have, you're destined for great things. It's just up to mainly us to steer you in the right direction."

"Maybe it'd be best to get back to Cynder," Xvar wanted to help the same, "There's things that even our darkness can't do, and right now, you need her scales. If it makes you feel any better to help you relax, you have our trust. There were ups and downs, but one thing that's stayed consistent was your values of treating us as something. Even when you grew upset because of your parents, you apologized later, same for Cynder... You're bright... just as your scales... and use that as a way to shine like a sun and bring hope."

"I completely forget about my parents too..." Spyro sighed, "Is that bad...? Or is it because I knew they weren't real... I knew I was being messed with... by now I have to wonder: who was messing with me and why...? Why did they only know what Malefor knew...?" Standing up now, he wanted to take the advice of Kettu, "You guys are right... after this information dump, and having to deal with a mate hungry queen here soon, it's really going to test my relationship with Cynder... and maybe even my family... but if this queen will only give world peace if I become her mate... what do I do about Cynder?"

"Maybe you should talk to her about it," Kettu suggested.

"She'll probably get upset... maybe even sacred if I were to talk with her about becoming someone else's supposed mate..."

"So then, you know Cynder wants you as her mate?" Xvar questioned.

"One thing at a time... but right now... let's just head home."


"I kinda wonder which one I am," Sat down in the Chambers in usual fashion with the Guardians in the back with Carith to his left, Cynder across, and the other girls next to the other four, Malefor spoke as he normally did, "I don't know if I'm a player or a gamer. Players get chicks, gamers get bullied. So in all honesty, I feel like I'm a player outside of this building, but inside, I'm a gamer."

"You... want us to follow up or...?" Volteer didn't know what to say to this.

"Hehe, helllll naw! Honestly, I want to go far back to the beginning of the day and ask: what was going on during that spooning session Flair and Cyril were having!"

"Of course you'd want to," Cyril growled the same as Flair.

"Awwww. Flair's upset because she liked it."

"Piss off!" Flair nipped.

"So Cyril. Did you like, slap her ass or something?"

"You act like I'd still be alive if I did something like that," Cyril knew of the consequence.

"And yet you still grab another paw full of my fat ass," Flair called him out for what he had done.

"It's not fat, it's perfect: just like you."

"Cyril..." Her voice grumbled to a show of a blush.

"Look, my guy, it wasn't intentional. We just happened to end up in that position and things just kinda went from there."

"If anything though, that should be a good sign though, right?" Trish already knew of the good that could come from this, "Flair, you're always worried that Cyril doesn't trust you, or that he hates you and doesn't wish to show it. By him laying in such a position, you should've felt his heartbeat even when knowing that your fins could all sharpen in a way that would rip him in two. Heck, you even have one near your upper backside if he were to do something, so does that count for something?"

"Unfortunately... it does..." She was women enough to admit it, "I hate beyond belief that this dragon his seduced me the way he has, but... even with the constant threats I made, they only furthered his ability to ease... I told him to back off, threatening death if he didn't... but then he started licking my neck and things just went down hill from there..." Feeling Cyril's wing rub her side, almost like a sign of how much he enjoyed it and in hopes she did too, Flair didn't wish to spend too much time on this, "Enough about me!" It was rather easy to get focus on Cynder since her body laid to its stomach in a rather weak and depressed fashion, "Cynder... are you... okay...?"

Her head raised to hear Flair's voice and concern over her mental state, but Cynder still tried to smile, hoping this would fool the others, "Me...? Oh, yeah, I'm... I'm fine... Just... laying here... waiting for... Spyro to get back..."

Flair and the others easily saw past this emotional drain of hers, "Cynder... please talk to us... what's going through your mind...?"

Seconds went by before her voice picked up well enough to be heard, wanting to have mainly stayed to herself, but she needed help, "Do you all think... me and Spyro are... drifting apart?"

"What?!" Everyone was quick to ask.

"No no no, I don't mean that I'm losing my love for him, I just... I feel like he's losing his love for me..." Sitting up now to be heard more clearly, Cynder frowned the entire time, "I've always had fears when it came to Spyro leaving me for someone else, but now it feels like there's so much that's he taking on or doing that could drift us apart... Hell, I almost chocked him while we were playing around with my shadow powers... It doesn't help that the more I see how amazing Spyro is, the more I realize that he's... a hero... he's... more than an average dragon... I feel like there's going to be a point similar to what happened with the Destroyer where he'll have to give up his life to save everyone... and I... being the useless lover that I am... will just watch... and... and... I guess... give up..."

"Cynder... where's all this coming from...?"

"I was thinking about the Dark Master and Spyro's hopes to bridge the gap between the two sides, but he already has enough to deal with as it is. Would me being his lover get in the way of things? Would he be better off with someone else who could actually value his wants and needs?" No one really knew what to say on the situation: knowing what they had would be either ineffective or useless, "Yesterday was amazing... seeing Spyro smile... seeing him laugh... seeing him be so carefree... It wasn't me who caused that joy... it was Kettu and Xvar for their help in not going against him to help the Dark Master... Spyro could've had fun with anyone... he... probably would've had more fun sledding with you, Ignitus... someone... he loves... someone who's a father to him."

"So... you honestly believe that you've never helped my son before a day in your life?" Ignitus murmured, not use to Cynder being so down, and this feeling made the entirety of the Chambers feel muggy and sad.

"I know that I'm not doing what I could... but maybe... someone else out there could..."

This is bad. Keeping to himself, Ignitus knew of the repercussions that could come from the thoughts and feelings Cynder had. If Cynder really is feeling this way, there's a chance she'll break up with Spyro, giving the queen an opportunity to come by tomorrow and make Spyro her mate. Then from here on out, there's no telling what the future could hold... So... do I tell her she shouldn't? Ignitus shuck his head. No... because then she'll believe it's destiny for those two to be together knowing of what the queen could do for Spyro. At this point... it's all up to what my son can do for her. While things seemed bad, Carith showed her support as the girls always had, "Cynder, in times like these, do you think Spyro's really in the position to dump you?" Cynder rasied her head, "In a difficult time like this, Spyro needs the support of others as a way to shoulder the weight that he has. You've always been there for him on massively difficult decisions, and in the end, he trusted you: used your love as a way to help calm himself during difficult times. You know Spyro loves you, more than anything in the world. If you want that dragon to love you, tell him."

"And add more stress because he thinks he's not doing a good enough job at keeping me happy?" Cynder didn't see this to be a good idea, "I don't know... maybe I'm just... needy... after all, Me and Spyro haven't really had the chance to do anything today... The morning started with me in tears... he left to deal with the Dark Master, showed up to stop those five, didn't say what was going on, and then left again to go do whatever it is he wanted... and I guess with my last experience... I'm... scared... Scared that the day will come sooner than ever expected that I will give my final words to Spyro... and then... I'll never see him again..."

Her body slid back down, low enough to the ground that all her weight rested to the floor below. The girls and even the guys looked to one another in hopes of ideas or suggestions on what to do. All by her lonesome, and having to deal with the thoughts and imagery she had given herself, Cynder shed a tear, spacing out in attempts to rid herself of these negative effects. Thankfully to all, Spyro had finally returned from his absence, showing to the left side of the Chambers once having walked into the entrance. He stopped to see Cynder looked so downed, and since she still hadn't seen him, he looked to the others for information. They all faced him the same, frowning to show just how bad things were. An idea came to Malefor's mind, and to show what he knew would make things better, he got both his paws to raise. Using a claw with one paw, and making a circle with his other, Malefor proceeded to insert his claw into the circle over and over again, winking at Spyro in hopes he knew what he meant. Many growled for this, while others such as Spyro, blushed. Trying his best to ignore him, Spyro proceeded how he saw best. Making his way over to Cynder's right side, he looped around in a circle, sitting down beside her and easing himself onto his back. His rear end now faced the wall, stomach showing to the ceiling and his head next to Cynder's. Laid now to his back, his head moved forward some, and almost nose to cheek with her, he let his wet tongue lick the side of her face. This sudden feeling made her jump in a shiver, causing a quick look to see who it was. Noticing it was Spyro laying rather romantically for her, she blushed, and gave a very weak sounding voice, "Hey... Spyro..."

He frowned to hear this and knew of his mistakes right away, "Hey... I'm sorry about today..." She faced him, mainly looking deep within his purple eyes to see the truth, "I'm not upset about the shadow incident and never will be. I wanted to gain at least some information from the two and get the Dark Master at least somewhat on our side before he just went full on rage mode and killed someone, and I didn't want to tell you all what I was doing once I left because I didn't want to be suspicious in what I wanted to do."

"Spyro... if you have someone else you're seeing... you can tell me..."

"The only one I'm seeing right now is a beautiful, heartwarming woman who's proven time and time again that her heart is just as sweat, and just as gentle, as her voice. Hehe, and just so you know I'm not talking about anyone else, even though you're the only one who fits that description... it's you, Cynder... you're the love of my life," She tried her hardest to fight back the smile that wanted to form, but it was a losing battle, and so she sighed to try and cover it up, "You remember how Kettu and Xvar told me I was being watched...?"

"Vaguely."

"I wanted to meet up with one of them and have a little talk. I didn't appreciative who ever these dragons were knowing of my weak spots or weaknesses around Warfang. I met up with a shadow dragon named, Silas. The notebook he had was... enlightening... but more frustrating than anything else... It had detailed plans on how to deal with me, but not just me... all of you, too... especially you, Cynder, as you pose the biggest threat for them."

"How...? Is it because of my years being that... monster?"

"It could be a number of different reasons," Facing up to the ceiling, Spyro continued on about his troubles; meetings and inevitable meet ups, but thanks to the smoothness in his voice, everyone enjoyed listening to the chill talk session, "One of the biggest is the fact that me and you are lovers. They know of your... mental state... they know that, if they were to make an attempt to separate us, you might go insane, so they'd need to deal with you to insure a safe... transfer, I guess you could say..."

"Oh... yeah..."

"Which is weird though," To pass the time for him, a ball of fire formed to his paws, giving him something to play with: constantly having it roll up and off his paws to throw upwards before catching it again, "I never considered myself to be in a good mental state either. Not like, an insane person, but just like... traumatic memories that I know would cause me to stir. Hell, I was thrown into a war at age ten, learned about the Guardians, the Terror of The Skies, the Dark Master, the Chronicler, saved the world from a big ass monster, watched my brother almost die; same for you, and even Volteer... Then I just lay here and realize, the amount that we've been through has just been nonstop with no end in sight. Which makes me wonder if this is that chance... but... maybe... it's not..."

"Damn, Spyro... what's with the deep stuff?" Malefor questioned, never having seen him in such a state before, "You're usually much more... enthusiastic... maybe even confident, or pissed, but you always believed you'd be able to do it."

"That's because, at this point... I don't know what to do..." Looking to the ball of fire in his paws, to up it in a small way to train, the red flame within Spyro's paw grew to a blue one now, so he continued with his throws, "See, here's the thing; I have a way out of all of this. The War, the Dark Master as a threat, the protection and peace within the world... but why does it seem, the only way for me to ever achieve something like that, is for me and Cynder to not be together?"

Cynder's shiver was heavy enough for Spyro to sense the pain within her, but even if he hadn't noticed that, her pained and low voice was enough, "Why... do you say that...?"

"Because..." Grabbing the ball of blue fire, using his left paw, he showed two claws, "I've been given chances by two dragons. One: the queen. And second: the Dark Master. The queen wants nothing more then for me to be her mate apparently, and apparently, by me becoming her mate, she will give me full access to her military."

"Wait!" Malefor cried, "You mean... the queen of that... city... name that I... shit! Why can't I remember!"

"The City of Prosperity," Ignitus knew the name, same for the other Guardians.

"Oh, yeah! Dude, Spyro! Don't worry. She's like, super hot. I'm sure you two would make a pair."

"Malefor!" Nearly all yelled at him aside from Spyro who spaced off, and Cynder who frowned, but the follow up was Carith, "Oh, she's hot, is she? Then what the hell am I to you? Or, are you wishing to cheat if she comes after you?"

"No no no! Carith, babe, love of my life; I know you've been scared so much from today, but if anything, you being afraid has actually made me quite... happy... secure in a way."

"Secure?"

"Well, I mean... You were very protective of me when it came to those girls, which must mean you're scared of your future plans with me being compromised, are you not?" Carith blushed slightly hearing that he had caught on to her, and to make sure she knew he was serious, Malefor wished to bring up something that made him sweat, "I was... serious... about what we've talked about, Carith... Once I know the Dark Master won't be able to hurt you... I hope... when a word that has to do with our future together for us being... parents... comes up... you won't say no..." Now Carith's face turned bright red to hear him open up, and it was even more romantic for her knowing why he was doing so, "I love you, Carith... And while I can't show all that I can now... I hope a kiss will suffice for now."

Carith took a heavy sigh to hear he was trying his best, and so, she gave it to him, "Maybe later... But... thank you... I... trust you..." He smiled to hear her say, "But on like, a scale of one to ten, how does she look?"

"To give you more of an idea, I can answer that," Ignitus blushed some just even thinking about the queen, "She's a wind dragoness, and her name, is Amara. Though she has many different names that have been gifted to her over the years: The Queen of Men, White Diamond, The Goddess of The Dragoness, and of course, as many men have said... the perfect hatchling maker. There's no man she hasn't been able to seduce just from her looks alone, aside from the first pair of Guardians. We didn't see much of her, but her voice alone made us all interested in her."

"Hehe, yeah, but... she's not... that hot... right...? Hehe... right...?" Claire, same for the other girls who weren't mates with their males yet, began to sweat.

"You asked me, out of all the dragons in the world, why did I choose you. Amara is actually a... very close... second," Claire and even some others gasped to hear Ignitus admit this, "She was actually someone I had my eyes on, and being the Chronicler, I hoped with the power I had, maybe she'd go for me. But after I found you, my mind was made up... Though, to answer the whole, one to ten thing, Carith... she wouldn't qualify to be treated in a numbers game like that. Let's just say, she'd be the one to have created that number system for others so she'd be in a league of her own... which she is..."

Claire gave a rather devilish and evil giggle, and before anyone could ask, her blade connected to Ignitus's neck. Ignitus, same for the others, gave wide eyes to see her threat, both in tone, and movement, "I'm not leaving you, and you aren't leaving me, so unless you'd like to give our son something else to worry about, I suggest you keep your mouth shut, your eyes on me, and your paws either on, or in me, I couldn't care either way."

So much was to process just from that sentence alone, and because of the sudden surprise in her words, Ignitus showed a blush, "Our... son...?"

"You want his paws in you?" Malefor questioned the other part, "You aren't talking about like... a fist going..."

"Malefor!" The other three Guardians and their females stopped him from continuing.

"I didn't want to think about it either!" He cried, understanding their pain.

"So then, this will be a true test to your supposed love of me," Flair saw this as a good thing between her and Cyril, "If we ever do see her, and she's as good looking as everyone's making her out to be, then if you could keep yourself under control, then maybe I'll feel much more inclined to call you someone close enough to my heart to use such a word as love. Understood," Cyril smiled wide to hear, and while he knew it would be a challenge, he was prepared to do anything and everything to show he cared about her, "But since we might never see her, hopefully that'll never happen."

"It's actually happening tomorrow," Spyro gave this information to the others, throwing his ball of fire up to the air.

This sudden news made everyone blink for a couple of seconds before they all, aside from Cynder and Ignitus, blurted out, "SHE'S, WHAT?!"

"What do you mean she's coming here?! And how do you know it's tomorrow?!" Malefor cried in his ask.

"That's bullshit!" Flair saw through what she believed false information, "You're just saying that so we females can test our males devotion to us."

"I'm being completely serious, which is another reason why I'm struggling to deal with what's going on right now," Spyro stayed clam compared to the others.

"Because you want to be her mate?" Cynder murmured as the more this went on, the more all hope seemed gone for her.

"Hopefully not... I'm like Terrador; it's great that someone looks nice and all, but being treated like shit is something I don't really care for. Granted, I don't know of her personality, but..." Sighing, even stopping his ball throwing for a second to rub his forehead, Spyro gave the remainder of his dilemma, "Here's where I'm torn... Silas could've been lying, but if what he says is true, by me becoming her mate, the world, and the safety of all of you would be guaranteed. She'd move her military, or at least some of it, to Warfang to keep things safe here. I'm sure with her being queen, I'd have access to all of this city. You all would live in luxury homes with butlers and whatnot so you all could live out your days in comfort and ease. And... to make matters... better... the Dark Master made me a deal..."

"Spyro, he's lying about that and you know it," Malefor growled before Spyro was even able to speak.

"Malefor, I'm just putting this all out and in the open to see what everyone else has to say," Spyro tried to stay calm on the situation, "I don't want anyone else jumping on the fact that he's the Dark Master... But going back... He made me a deal... He said I don't deserve a life, and I don't deserve love either. So, if I break up with Cynder, and never fall in love ever again, then history won't repeat itself," Cynder couldn't hold her head up anymore for this, knowing at this point in time, being together with Spyro may be something she'd have to give up, "The thing is, he wouldn't know if I was secretly having a relationship with Amara, but he would for Cynder, so does that mean it still works out either way?"

"Tell him, I'll allow it," The Dark Master gave a rather evil chuckle that Malefor knew was accompanied by a grin. Since it came from his mind, Malefor didn't know what the Dark Master was up to in terms of his movements. What the hell are you planning? The Dark Master didn't respond. Knowing a response wasn't going to be given either way, Malefor gave a heavy sigh, "Um... Spyro..." He didn't wish to give out this information, however, he knew Spyro would've wanted to know, "The... Dark Master spoke in my thoughts while you were speaking... He said... he'd... allow it..."

"Of course he would..." This only made Spyro's sigh grow much more painful the more information came out, "But what if their military isn't even all that powerful? I mean... what if I'm being baited into a false sense of security? Silas told me that the Dark Master once tried to ally with them into attacking Warfang, but when they refused, he couldn't do anything because their military was already so powerful. Is that... true...?"

"It... unfortunately is..." Rubbing his arm, more information was given, only danming the separation between Spyro and Cynder, "He did try, but as an agreement, he wouldn't attack them if they didn't get involved in the war. They already had such a massively large infrastructure that I'm sure they've only built more on. After all, they've had fifteen years to increase where they were to stand before, so I wouldn't be surprised if they did have the army to govern the earth."

All signs pointed to Spyro parting ways with Cynder which everyone wanted to hear his thoughts on. He didn't mean to have the others hold their breaths, it was just bad timing as Spyro spaced out looking up to the ceiling. He continued to throw his ball, continued to breathe, and continued the movement of his eyes. Other then that, he was unresponsive. Almost as though this was going to be the final kiss they'd ever share, Cynder wanted it to be the easiest, heartwarming kiss she's ever given him. I don't want Spyro to feel trapped on this decision... I've already caused him enough trouble in my life time to consider myself loved... Amara sounds like she could be everything Spyro's always wanted... and he deserves that... Raising her head, to the corner of Spyro's eye, he noticed her. Grabbing the ball of fire within his paws, he stopped to see what it was she was going to do. Moving her head around the back of his arm to line up with his chest, so did her lips to his. Doing what she wanted and hoped for, her lips connected to his with a gentle press, followed by a gentle push forward to gain more of the experience. For the two who closed their eyes, Spyro didn't see what was truly happening on the outside. For the others, they watched Cynder struggling, shedding a tear after everyone second or third lip smack. Now rather than anything being thought about on the days to come, all thoughts and feelings were focused on Cynder for Spyro. Maybe... that's what I need... maybe... that's what I've been missing... I've been so caught up doing other things in life that I've... forgotten how to live myself. With no reason given as to why, to Cynder's dismay and sunken hopes, Spyro pulled back from the kiss, almost as to signify he was done with her. She couldn't even look at him. Her eyes stayed closed while her head fell down and rested to his chest. The feeling of his lips she tried desperately to focus on: to keep as long as possible before they went away for good. Wanting to stay like this forever, something started to poke her side. Feeling the shift and movement coming from Spyro, Cynder raised her head in wonder now for what it could be. Looking down on her side, her eyes opened to see it was his wing. Facing back at him, eyes covered in tears, she didn't know what he was asking at this point. Smiling to her confusion, Spyro knew this to be the perfect time for a turn around, "You know... there's a saying that's always made me shed tears too... 'I'm so glad that I live a life where saying goodbye is so difficult... because I know that the someone I have loves me just as much as I love them'... And through all my thinking about what I should do when it comes to all that's going on in the world... I could never stop thinking... about you..." Now feeling her heart beat again to his words, the hope and love he gave back to her was immensely appreciated, "I've grown powerful for reasons such as these. I don't need a military because I have Kettu and Xvar. I don't need a luxurious way of living when I'm already home and comfortable. I don't need to listen to the Dark Master... After all, Kettu and Xvar have shown me so much. I've felt their shivers, I've seen their fears, and I've experienced their joy... The Dark Master will come around some day... hehe... but as long as he's around, I'll always have someone's ass to kick."

Cynder giggled happily to hear Spyro dawn a chuckle of his own. Some followed too while others gave smiles. Just as she was to wipe the tears from her eyes, Spyro caught on before her. Crushing the ball of fire from within his paw, it gave his claws easy access to her tears: grabbing a hold of them from the bottom rim of her eye lid before being flicked off and away. Now back to where she's wanted to be for what's felt like forever, the good news for her didn't stop there, "My love..." Resting a paw to her right cheek, he smiled, causing a smile from her as well, and giving a place for her to rest her head, "I promise... Spyro Promise... that tomorrow, even with the showing of Amara... I will not leave your sight... I might have to get up at some point just in case they might be hostile, but other then that... I want you to experience the life I should be giving you... No Dark Master... No War... Just me... and you..."

"But... what if he does try to show...?" Cynder feared since it was said out loud.

"He's scared of that army, is he not? And even still," Laying his head back to get a clear eye to eye connection with Malefor, Spyro hoped the Dark Master would be listening, "If you are listening, Dark Master, I'm excited to learn more about the past if you'd be so kind as to speak with me. However, don't think those talks are free. One day, we'll fight again. And boy is it going to be funny seeing the Dark Master cry uncle while his heads in the dirt."

"Please don't antagonize him," Malefor whimpered, lips quivering in a wave for fear of what would happen.

"So, anyway," Resting his head back up to fully face Cynder: he was ready for her, "I can see the desperation in your eyes to lay to my chest. How about we call things a night, and I'll even be nice enough to have a little fun with our darkness?" Cynder's lips watered to know what he was talking about, and just to make sure she knew, and unfortunately even the others, Spyro used the darkness to move her paw up from the ground and on to his neck, "Whoa there, my little tiger... Which one you more after? My neck, or my tail?"

"Oh please," Cynder smirked, wishing to have her own fun, "Where's the fun in using my paw for such things? Wouldn't you like it dangerous?" Moving her blade just above Spyro's open hind legs, he dropped sweat, "It'd be a shame if the constant motion caused you a little cut. You sure you're still, 'up', for it?"

"I mean... when you put it like that, I'm kinda all for it!"

"She's talking about using her tail blade, or rather, the close part of her blade to rub..."

"Yep..." Carith shuck her head for Malefor having asked, but she was glad to see the two were getting romantic again.

"So... do they both 'know' they're talking about sexual activities?"

"Um... yes?"

"Then why aren't they mates yet?"

"Malefor... I knew you were cute but... come on..."

"What? What I do, honey muffin?"

"For starters, you still haven't declared a mate yet," Volteer stood to the front of Carith and Malefor, and with a quick glance around, the two noticed everyone was heading off for the night, "Come on, Malefor. To give you more of an idea, even though it should be blatantly obvious at this point, your teasing pissed Carith off rather badly, especially since she knows that you know that she wants to be your..."

"Privacy, Volteer! Privacy!" Carith didn't let him reveal the truth.

"Carith," Ersa smirked to her, "You gotta do something. I know it's eating at you that you can't have that little extra fun."

"Ersa... I'm trying... But I can promise you, that if we aren't that... word! By the end of the week, you won't be the only one who has a mate around here."

"Um... Malefor... did you hear that?" Volteer knew exactly what they were talking about, and he knew surely Malefor would've know too, however, he wasn't even paying attention and was faced to the Sleeping Chambers door, "Malefor... dumbass, what are you doing?"

"Did no one else see Ignitus cuff Claire's ass like a fresh baked potato?"

"What?"

"Man... Carith's gonna hate me with the amount of sex we'd have..."

"What?!" Carith definitely heard Malefor.

"OH!" His head snapped back over in an attempt to quickly cover his tracks, "I-I-I-I-I just mean, if we were mates, you'd be upset because I'd never give you a break is all... After all, unfortunately, Flair's right, and with the fact that Volteer has a good sex life, I've just been sweating, you know...?" This didn't serve to help Malefor all too much, making Carith sweat some with desperation over having him as her mate, "Actually, now that I'm thinking about it: Ersa or Volteer, is a lot of sex good or no?"

"We are not having this conversation this late at night," Volteer sighed, walking off to bed with Ersa.

"Oh, come on...! Volteer...! Talk to me...!"

"Malefor," Carith shivered, wanting to reveal this information discreetly, and through her shivers, sweats, and blushes, she had to say it, "Don't get a women excited like that... A lot of sex is a guarantee on a lot of things. A happy mate, a happy life, a perfect life! Especially with someone like you, I mean, come on, you're..." Swallowing hard, her vulnerability made Malefor smile, only making things worse for Carith as she had no way out, "W-w-w-what...? What's that smile for...?"

"All because we're not mates doesn't mean I can't show you the goods," Malefor purposefully stood right to the front of Carith, allowing her to see all of his purple body, but mainly his underneath, "You can determine if my... size, is to your liking..." Carith once again gave a hard swallow, which was perfect fuel to the flame for Malefor, making things even more sexual with the use of his back claw to her cheek, "Don't swallow yet... I still have more to giv-OWOWOWOWOWOWO! HOLY BITCHEN-ASS, BATMAN!"

Holding down on the top right of Malefor's shoulder, digging into a pressure point in his shoulder with her fingers, Flair showed teeth to his acts and words, "Women don't like being taken advantage of when they feel vulnerable," Carith broke from the moment to see Flair now as Malefor fell to his knees in pain for her action, "Now... apologize for being such a disgusting male pig!"

"No no no! Flair, it's fine!" Carith cried, desperately wishing to save her lover from the pain, "I was fine with it, I swear!"

It took her a bit as Flair wished to read whether or not she was being truthful, but with nothing else being said from either of the two, she backed off. The weight of her fingers disappearing from his shoulder made Malefor sigh in heavy release. As if this show wasn't scary enough, her teeth now directed to Cyril who simply stood there in the middle of the room, "Cyril! My room, right now! If I'm in there before you, you're dead, and if you're in there before me, I count that as abandonment, which will result in your death!"

"WH...?!" Cyril didn't know what to do, "Then what do I...?!"

"MOVE!"

"AH!"

The remaining four in the Chambers watched with widened eyes to see Cyril being bossed around by Flair. Though she wasn't that close to the two, Spyro was quick to roll back to a sitting position, giving him and Cynder a way to back their heads and bodies. Now that everyone had split up, the day was called for Spyro the same, "I'm definitely going to need the sleep tonight, too," Knowing of what was coming up, same as the others, that didn't stop Spyro from talking about it once having stood up with the others to head off to their house, "I feel like tomorrow's not going to go as smooth as I'm hoping for."

"I actually had a thought about something though, Spyro," Turned out of the Chambers, Malefor walked ahead with Spyro, and for the two girls, they chilled out in the back, "So, you know how we're all afraid of the Dark Master and what he could do, right?" Spyro paid close attention to what he would have to say, hoping that some kind of good would come from his help, "Doesn't that mean, tomorrow is really the only day you have to worry about? Because if you could get a hold over their military, then we'd never have to fear for what the Dark Master could do. He'd never come out because he'd be too scared, and he'd know his only plan at conquering the world wouldn't work."

"That's not what I want things to come to," Spyro had already planned for something like this, "I had thought about it, but I don't want to hold others down or back from what they want: unless it's evil, of course. I don't want the Dark Master to be afraid, to feel like he can't do things that would better help him understand us as friends. I know his idea of bonding is manipulation, death, and isolation but... Malefor... we... talked to him... for the first time in almost a month, and for many others, years... we are making a difference; slowly, but surely."

"And what makes you think he won't just stab us in the back once he pretends to be friendly with us?"

"The only reason for me giving him a chance is because of Kettu and Xvar."

"And what makes you think they aren't using you too?"

"I..." A deep sigh came from Spyro's lips, "I... I don't know..."


"Get up on the bed!" Commanding Cyril once having entered the room herself, Flair slammed the door behind herself, seeming more and more aggressive for some reason.

Cyril did exactly as he was told, not knowing what she was planning or even if this was her being serious or not. Flair's expression and movements made him believe in her actions and words, watching as she walked almost as straight as a pencil, with a face of wrinkles made from her anger. Making matters worse for him, she didn't say a word even on her approach to the bed, same for her climb up it. Trying to back away towards the left wall behind him, a little afraid of what she might do, he had hopes a small chuckle and some words would calm her. But he didn't possess the same speed she had. In an instant, her stance stood straight to her feet. Grabbing his top left horn, using her other paw to place to his heart, and cuffing her blade around his neck, Flair scooped Cyril off his bottom, flinging him backwards and crashing him down onto his back. Now stood above him, just to add on to the intimidation, her teeth showed, hoping all that she was doing would scare him. Unfortunately for her however, her right paw didn't sense a hint of fear within him: still feeling as it held steady even after what she had done. This pissed her off to know her actions were for nothing, and her blood burned to see Cyril smiling, "Flair, are you trying to scare me?" She didn't answer, only tensing to hear him teasing, "I know this should be scary and all but... I kinda like it."

"YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO LIKE IT!" Flair boomed with her voice.

"Hehe, well... My friend down between my hind legs begs to differ," Cyril watched as fire grew within her mouth, and this made him sweat, knowing she would kill him for saying this, "I'm joking-I'm joking-I'm joking! You can even look for yourself! I'm not actually... that happy... though if this is a little kinky for you, I could oblige. But I'm sure for someone like you, I don't know if you'd like looking at me during, so what do you have to say about reverse cowgirl?"

"I WANT THE TRUTH!" Now Cyril was able to figure out why she was doing all that she had, "After today, I wanted to know if you were afraid of me for what I had done..." Resting her waist down onto his stomach, the paw around his horn and the blade around his neck both backed, "I killed that dragon right in front of you... You saw just how dangerous I can be... So I did all this just to see if you were afraid of me after what I had done... seeing the monster I truly am... but... why..." Shedding a couple of tears, unable to understand it even for herself, she wanted answers, "Why does your heart still beat so calmly...? Why do you still flirt, care, and sit by me even when you know what I could do... knowing I could change on you at any minute...?"

Cyril smiled to hear her opening up to him, and he knew he shouldn't disappoint, "I could to you the same, and yet... you trust me just as much..." Laying his head back to get comfortable, he continued, "For one, he called you a... yeah... so I knew there'd be no calming you after that... And honestly, where you thought I'd see you as a monster... I... saw you as a parent..." Looking her in the eyes with a smirk, she looked to him with surprise, "You knew he would've killed me, but you protected me. You knew what he was capable of, and even though you knew you could've gotten hurt, you rushed in to save me... That's... something that a parent does... When they see someone they love in pain, sitting by and watching or waiting for help is almost never an option... After what I saw... after what you did for me... I'm... so happy to know that one day, we'll be mates... and I look forward to the day when I can call you more then a friend... don't you...?"

Flair didn't want to believe what she was hearing was true, and she tried her best to call him out on it, "Stop... lying... to me..."

Without power to really fight back, the strength left Flair, not allowing her to stand, and once again repeating history for herself. It didn't take much for him to get to her, but it was enough, so much so that her mind thought back to the nights before. Laid to his chest now, the connection she had with her past self and present came together. And here I was... thinking I'd make a breakthrough... Thinking about all that she had done, said, or caused confused her, while also in a way, soothed her. Nothing I've ever said or done has turned him against me... Thoughts of Cyril pushed her into making a decision on her movements. Rather then trying to keep to herself; rather then trying to protect herself from a potential threat, her paw dropped from his chest, both now resting to the bed and over his shoulders, almost like a hug. Resting her head down to its side onto his strong feeling chest that gave her a feeling of protection, Flair faced the door, spacing off into her thoughts. I tried killing him... I tried scaring him... I even basically betrayed him... and that was just yesterday... and yet... Just as she had one thought, another came through, feeling Cyril stroke and pet the back of her fins from head to the bottom down of her neck. There he is... keeping me sane... keeping me... happy... With no one in sight, a rare sight and side of Flair decided to surface, "Alright," Raising her head up to face him, his paw moved from her back neck, "What's with the kissing-up?"

"Hehe, what do you mean? I've pet your fins plenty of times before," Cyril wasn't foiling her.

"Cyril," She still tried to keep a smile, "Do you think lying to me is a good idea?"

"Oh... hehe... when you put it like that..." He smiled at first, but rested down to more of a neutral face, "I guess I'm just... scared for tomorrow is all. I don't want you to think I'd cheat or go after someone else... It's just... if I do show a blush or sweat at Amara's showing... please know my heart belongs to you... I don't ever want to go through what we did yesterday... and I... I want to be open and honest with you about my fears."

"Is she really that beautiful?" Flair kept easy on him for now.

"There's been almost no dragon she couldn't manipulate with her beauty, especially single males. There's been a couple of times we had to deal with dead dragons because of her and her... games..." He was open and honest with the information he had, "There were times where we discussed trying our luck, but went against it out of fear that she'd turn us against the other. Now that we're all with females that we care for though, things should be much different, and we should hopefully be able to... resist her looks, I guess you could say."

"And who would you say is most likely to go after her even if they had a female? Ignitus was talking about what would happen if he 'didn't' have Claire, but what about the others."

"I... don't want you to be afraid but... ugh... I think I'd be that someone..."

"What?!" This sort of opening up scared her to hear.

"I mean... if the female I was with made sure to show me my place by her side, I'm sure that could most definitely change," Cyril's smirk and words helped her give a heavy sigh, seeing that of what he was trying to do, "So, what do you say, Flair? Are you going to... threaten me...? Maybe even cuff that blade of yours around my neck one more time?"

Showing a sigh for his words, she shuck her head to him, "I'm not going to force you to stay with me if you don't want to... In fact... maybe... her showing tomorrow is actually... a good thing..." Cyril rasied a brow to her, "Cyril... you deserve better... and after what I've done..."

"No no no no no," This was not something he wanted her to actually feel pain on, "Hehe, Flair, it's a joke: just me wanting to have a little fun with you," He saw past her eyes and understood that deep down, she was afraid the same, "I've made enough mistakes in my life... I've failed enough to understand that you are my last hope of ever being anything more then I ever was... And no one, not even the queen of all dragonesses will take me away from you..." Flair smiled to hear him protecting their future together, but with a show of a blush, she feared for what he had next, "But I mean... If you want to make sure my hormones are in check, and I don't do something out of a hormonal impulse... what are the odds we have a little fun tonight...?" With a heavy sigh, the fins all across Flair's head to tail sharpened in the blink of an eye, "It's totally understandable if you say no! After all, I've gone this long with sex!"

"Ugh... you and me both..."

"You want to... change that...?"

"CYRIL!"

"Sorry!"

"But... then again..." Cyril swallowed hard to hear her say this, now having absolutely no clue what she could be planning, "I'll... make you... a... deal..." He watched her body struggle on the decision she was about to make: seeing the tension and shivers that clenched her scales and shuck the bed, "If she is as... beautiful, as you all are making her out to be... and you control yourself in a show of true dedication to our future together... then... maybe... maybe-maybe-maybe-MAYBE!" His eyes showed wide to her quivering lips, watching so close to even see her trying to hide her lip bite, Flair gave out her promise, "I will... allow your lips... to touch mine... in a once-in-a-lifetime-never-happening-again-as-I'd-rather-die... kiss..."

Cyril's heart kicked to almost double his normal beat. It didn't help that the way she had said it, and the seductive look she gave once having bit her lip made his body warm like fire. She could feel and see the excitement within him, watching sweat drip from all sides of his body, and feeling his pulsing heart shake his body from within. Not able to quite contain himself, he gave a groan of pleasure and excitement, making Flair blush to hear, "Why did you have to look and sound so sexy when you said that...?!" To add fuel to the flames, she giggled; blushing and smiling to see his energy, only making him act more out in the open, "You're giggling now... but don't surprised if our kiss makes my tongue wish to visit you as well..."

"Speaking of..." Standing above him, almost pushing him to his limits of sanity, Flair wished to test him, "Let's see if you can contain yourself once I start getting a taste of that neck."

"What?!" He knew that would push him past a point of no return, "Flair...! You... you wouldn't dare...! I'm already riled up!"

"Just another test to see just how well you can keep yourself under control," Moving her lips down, but not to his neck, Cyril's claws nearly dug into the bed as his lips quivered to her hot breath, "Make me proud, Cyril... After all, I'm feeling really... good, right now, and I think it's about time that I actually reward you for your hard work," Not much was able to be spoken from Cyril, and even as close as he was to making a move to grab her ass, she eased some, "Hey... Cyril..." This helped him calm to hear she was speaking more in a thanking tone, "You've... done a lot for me... and you've shown that what you say and mean is truthful... which means you do trust me... you do care about me... and... you're serious about engaging on our future together... That... means a lot to me... But nothing even comes close to how much you mean to me..."

Flair herself felt tickled with joy to see the effect her words had on Cyril, watching him smile wide, chuckling even with a slight show of a blush. To show that her words had more weight to them, he murmured gently to her, "Sounds like we're the same... Spoken like a true mother, might I add..." Everything for the two felt right, nearly perfect, showing this moment meant everything to the two, "Let's make a bet. My bet is that, later on in the night, you'll be passed out before me from pleasure, laying on your back and allowing me the view of your body."

"Ooooooooh," The way Cyril phrased it made her heart pump, "You're on. But just know, if I win, your chances of that kiss will dip."

"Hehe, is it weird that I do hope I win? Because then it'd show more trust by me not doing anything to your body while you're passed out..."

"You seriously think I don't trust you?" Cyril shot wide eyes to this, enjoying such an open, honest, and what seemed like a very loving version of Flair, "My body is yours in do time. But the more you behave, the sooner you'll come close in time to having your fun... And just think, maybe tomorrow, the kiss will be so good, I might end up letting you have another, or maybe even another..." Feeling as though he had died and went to the afterlife, every moment and word he cherished deep within his heart and soul, "But first, let's see how you fair against my attempts."

"I can't believe I'm even saying this right now, but... do your worst."


Sat down in his room, Spyro's back faced the other three that sat along the top of the bed with him. Closest to his back sat Cynder. Down to her right sat Kettu, and close by him sat Xvar. Wanting to speak to the two directly, his body looped back around to face the three. Making matters a little smoother for him, because of the gain in clouds earlier on in the day, rain started to pelt the windows above the bed. Slight thunder grew to the sounds of the storm, periodically showing from time to time, just nothing too big. Now in a darkly lit room, it gave way to many possibilities that Spyro knew could be taken advantage of by the other two, "Kettu... Xvar... you two have been more help on my sanity than I believe even you two know..." He stopped: collecting himself and his words, "When it came time to learn about the past and what its done, I only further understood why your kind attacks ours... To make matters worse for our side, Ignitus only spoke in defense of what they did back in the day, not what the Ancestors had done... and this only furthers my suspicions on who's really telling the truth..." Bringing that up made him sigh, "I... only wanted me and Malefor to speak about what's happened for many reasons; to keep Cynder and the others safe, to hold down the many questions that would've been asked or disrupted the flow, and also to just... try and keep things as simple as possible, and you two stood by that... stood by me, even knowing the Dark Master had a grip on Malefor... You two have never done anything wrong... but I have..." Spyro's head ducked low, "You two have shown that I should trust you both, but I haven't done the same for you two. How can I show you, or make up for what I've done to keep you two by my side? This is one step closer to peace, and I want you... all of you, and your kind, to be there when the sun rises on a peaceful land."

All the information and words that Spyro had given out, some time was needed for the two to figure out what they would say or do. They kept to themselves, looking at each other from time to time, almost like they were discussing amongst themselves as they had once before. Cynder felt a little caught in between the two sides, feeling down to know there was no way of helping, making her feel useless to Spyro, Why am I thinking so hard on this now? Back in the day, I was afraid of him leaving me for someone else, but I wanted to burn that bridge so badly to show him that I trust and love him. Telling him I'm scared of him leaving or harming me has just... it's only made things worse for him! I can't believe I even said what I did to him! Every step of the way, I've been on his ass questioning things, and yesterday was one of the best examples of how terrible my trust issues are. Wanting something to be done about it, the words she wanted came together and collected to form what she thought as the perfect turnaround, I know exactly what I need to say to him! Gathering her courage, love, and determination, with a fist to her chest to show her held emotions, Cynder's lips smacked open, "Spyro..."

"There's nothing you could honestly do," In an utter and complete destruction to Cynder's thoughts, her voice had spoken too low, not being heard by either of the three, and allowing Kettu the voice in this conversation, "We like... who you've been as of late, Spyro. Sure there were some bumps in the road, but... you turned around and understood where you were wrong."

"Being apart of you, we know when you're lying. And when you've spoken on wanting to help us: saying that you trust us... your heart never skipped a beat," Xvar was just as thankful, "We're on your side through and through, and after helping save your life the first day we met, me and my friend basically doomed ourselves to die if we were sent back to our home anyway."

"So it's up to me to keep you two safe?" Spyro smiled, seeing this as a double sided friendship, "I would never dream of a day where I'd reject you two. After hearing this, that basically means that we three lean on each other for different reasons. For me, I lean on you two for trust on the Dark Dragons, knowledge of the past, and I'd be lying if i didn't say the power either. You two lean on me for trust on the purple dragons, being able to live the life and feel things never felt to your scales before, and the chance to have a second life away from it all... Which... now that I'm thinking about it... how did you two enjoy that free day to roam around in the snow?"

"Oh... well... we were actually... quite overwhelmed..." Kettu remembered back to what the two did, "Rather enjoy our day in the snow, we went to the beach. It was the first time we felt sand wriggle its way between our digits. It was the first time we saw wild life, like crabs, fish, and turtles... Something about seeing the blue water... listening to the ocean waves... and letting the sun hit your back in the cold weather we had was... I... Its..."

"We never expected anything to happen the way it has..." Xvar helped his stuttering friend, "After all, being helped by the one thing that nearly destroyed our kind and dimension was very confusing... And if it makes you feel any better on whether or not we're telling the truth about our story, Spyro... you've... made us question it... We weren't there when things happened, only told... You have our backing if you ever need help to turn the Dark Dragons in your favor."

"So then... from here on out, every step is a step in the right direction...?" Spyro smiled to hear the progress that was being made with the two, so much so that he hadn't realized his movements forward, and because he stood so close to them, his paw raised and opened, "From here on out, as it should've been the day I meant you two, the purple dragon shall ally and become friends with the Dark Dragons... from now and forever..."

Kettu and Xvar didn't immediately give a response. But with a good enough, Kettu, being the closest to Cynder's side, raised his paw and joined it with Spyro's. Both gave a firm handshake, signify now that their alliance had only grown from one another. This helped boost Spyro's moral, causing a random chuckle once their paws had backed, "Thank you... both of you..." Backing away some now, there wasn't much else that needed to be discussed, "Now all that's left is the Dark Master, which I'm sure can be saved for another time. For now, I would like to talk with Cynder for the rest of the night. Unless you two have something else you wish to say?"

The two looked at one another, and surprisingly, they did have one another thing to say, "We can still hurt Malefor though, right?"

"Pfffft. Hell yeah! Go nuts. I don't care."

"Poor Malefor," Cynder murmured.

Now done with their talks, the two returned to Spyro's body, becoming smoke and blending in with the night. Now returned and back to normal, that just left the two all alone with one another. Now lost in the train of thought, completely forgetting about her amazing come back to shift the side of what felt like a losing battle, Cynder had no idea how she'd turn things around and keep Spyro interested in her. Spyro on the other hand already had a plan thought out on what he had to say, "Soooooo... 'Amara'... when were you going to tell me about your other life?"

Cynder didn't catch on at first, "Wh... what...?"

"Come on, Cynder, I know Amara is secretly your double life. The Queen of Men? White Diamond? The Goddess of The Dragoness? While I may not know how you're changing your scale color, I do know that you fit into the category of all those nicknames," Now a blush formed, understanding that he was trying his best to help out a bad situation, "Those men might not know, and I don't either when it comes to the whole, perfect hatchling maker part, but if this is your way of trying to get me to become your mate, you could always just ask."

Cynder couldn't understand why her body was doing what it was. On one hand, she blushed; smiled even to hear his support, and to hear him speak with ease, accompanied by a smile felt amazing to her. But for the other part of her, singular tears came out from her eyes minutes apart, showing that, on the inside, she was struggling: using her smile and blush in a means to hide her pain. Spyro saw through all of what she was dealing with, knowing full well why she wasn't at her best. Keeping to the theme of a gentle nature, his body angled and moved to Cynder's left side. With the use of his wing to her back, the paw to her own, and his tail rested over hers, Spyro hit the perfect level on everything, "I know you're scared... Cynder... I know you're afraid of me leaving you for her. But... remember my promise to you. I've been distant because of my constant needing to do other things, such as training or keeping peace between two sides. Tomorrow, I wish to test myself. To see if I can provide for you while also being able to the same for the world... It won't be easy, I'm sure, but... Nothing's ever been easy... that was... until I met you..." His words nearly melted her into his own scales, rubbing up and almost falling completely to his support, and he made sure to stay firm, knowing his words and actions were taking a heavy toll on her, "You're the reason I'm even here in the first place... you're the reason I've been given a second chance... another chance to save the world... another chance to bring peace... So... I want you to know, that every life I safe is thanks to you. I didn't stop the Destroy, you did. I didn't save those hatchlings today... you did... and for all the times before and into the future, I hope you sleep well knowing of what you've done to help so many..." Gently, just as gently as his voice, Spyro wiped a tear that rain down her eye lid, "And it's all thanks to you."

After these beyond kind words, Cynder didn't know what to do aside from sitting there in what felt like a pool of her own tears. Instead of her body falling to its left, it feel to it's right, to which Spyro had to react to, catching her with both his wings. He didn't need to save her from hitting the bed since it was cushioned, but his body just acted to her falling. Laid down to her back with Spyro above her, for once, she didn't mind: not even bothering to turn this into a game. She didn't have the words, the voice, or the time to think about what she wished to say to him. All that came to her was a murmur, "I... love... you..."

Seeing his smile shine down onto her like a ray of hope, Spyro whispered the same, "I love you, too..."