Skylanders Academy: Song of the Hunt

by andresponceb2002

After deafeating Omen, Spyro and the Skylanders can see their lives slowly return to normal. However, six sleeping dragons lay in the Academy and unlike them, evil dosen't rest. When a twisted foe from a dark past that refuses to stay buried, returns to torment the Skylanders, Spyro and his freinds will need a helping hand. New allies and enemies await in this brand new adventure!

10. Chapter 10

Skylanders Academy: Song of the Hunt

by andresponceb2002

Chapter 10) If the Stars Align

The impact was sudden, like landing from a jump.

Krall felt his body materialize and as it did, he began to get a grip of his senses. He felt some of his arms around what he guessed was Tarrare's neck and as he panned his head around, Krall was able to see that he and his friend were in a new location.

They were in a medium sized island, that had a couple of shoddy, abandoned-looking wooden houses here and there.

After a moment though, Krall began feeling a foreign sensation on his back. It made him let go of his hold on his friend and stand on the ground.

"Dummen drachen," Krall grumbled. "Dummen Sternenfeuer." He added as he took one of his hands and began poking at the spot on his back on which one of his arms used to be.

When he did this, Krall winced. He pulled his hand back, dissuaded form probing his injury by a sudden spike in the peculiar sensation. It was strange, like a hot, stinging feeling. Unpleasant, unfading and annoying. Very annoying.

"Ahhhh," Krall let out, his glowing yellow eye widening in realization. "I remember now."

It was pain. Krall was feeling pain. A hundred years of numbness in the Outlands had made him forget the feeling, but, the sensation was particularly easy to remember.

"The lizards have Feuétoile," Tarrare began speaking, making Krall focus. "That is quite the complication." He stated as he looked at his wounded arms, examining the petrified patches on his forearms.

Tarrare then slammed his forearms onto each other. This caused the elf to let out strained, hissing grunts but it also caused the larger pieces of petrified flesh to break off, revealing the black, tar-like thing that now runned through their veins.

"Yeah," Krall agreed. "And the purple brat brothers aren't going to be fun to deal with either." He stated, remembering the exhausted-looking indigo dragon and his whiny brother.

Then, following Tarrare's example, Krall balled up his right fist and, after tensing up his arm and stretching it out to his side, he swung it backwards and slammed his fist onto his back.

Krall heard a chunky crack, followed by a sudden discharge of intense pain that caused him to growl and punch a rock on the ground nearby repeatedly, cracking and then shattering it into little pieces.

His breathing had gotten a bit heavier, as it did when he felt pain. The thing about pain though, was that it didn't hurt Krall, it annoyed him, made him angry it made him lose focus and start growling and he hated that.

"Yes, the purple brats will be a problem," Tarrare agreed with a low sigh, making Krall focus on him and calm down slightly. "We will need to get back into shape if we are to defeat them now." He stated.

"Ja, in der tat," Krall replied. "But, to be fair, you weren't going all out." He declared, pointing at Tarrare.

"Oh? Really?" Tarrare asked in an innocent tone.

"Come on, mein freund," Krall began. "We both know there is a huge cleaver that's supposed to go at the end of that chain." He stated, gesturing at the rolled-up winch his friend was carrying.

At that, Tarrare just let out a short laugh, which made his mandible jaws kind of spasm strangely, causing a bit of the black tar dripping from his tongue to sprinkel out a little bit.

However, after this short moment of amusement, Tarrare composed himself, grimacing. "This hunt might be more tedious than we realized." He stated. "We might need help." He concluded, a reasonable proposition for Krall.

"You two, need help?" A new voice sounded suddenly, making Krall tense up and get on guard. "The Outlands must have left you rusty." The voice chuckled.

"Diese stimme…" Krall whispered under his breath. There was something oddly familiar about that voice. After focusing by closing his eye for a moment, and racking his memory, Krall recalled his old friend's voice. "Vixen!"

At that, Krall turned around, to where the voice had come from it was when he saw her. Standing a few meters away, her long, pale hair covering her right eye, a wide, fanged grin on her face, stood Vixen Reynald.

"Hello, boys" Vixen greeted. "It has been a very long time." She said with a nostalgic sigh.

"Far too long, my friend" Tarrare spoke up, taking a step forward before giving Vixen a cordial bow. "We've missed you."

Vixen returned the courtesy as she spoke. "A hundred years to be exact. How did the Outlands treat you?" She asked sneeringly. "Better than me I hope."

"They were a little dull," Krall spoke up, walking closer to his friend. "It's not very exiting after you've killed all the vermin." He sighed, recalling the disappointing fights with the denizens of the Outlands. "And let me tell you, killing Fire Vipers is not as entertaining as slaying dragons." He stated, pointing at Vixen with the arm on his back, while placing the other two at his sides.

"Huh, tell me about it." Vixen chuckled as she rolled her eyes.

As the conversation continued, something clicked into place in Krall's mind, making his expression light up beneath his mask. "Oh, Vixen!" He called. "I have something for you!" He stated, causing her to look down at him.

Krall then drove one of his hands onto his pouch, and he felt the familiar sensation of dipping his hand into a vast empty void, filled with currents of air and pressure. After a moment, he felt the item he desired scrape against his open palm. He then closed his hand around the item and pulled it out.

"Here!" Krall said proudly as he stretched his hand out to Vixen and showed her his work.

In his palm, was a necklace, made of seven teeth, the culmination of years of searching. Each tooth was painted in homage the color of the element of the dragon it belonged to. There were also a couple of decorations, like black and red feathers Krall had collected.

"Aww, thank you my friend!" Vixen said in a happy tone, as she leaned closer to Krall and gently picked up his necklace, a small, curious smile on her face as she inspected her new gift. "I will treasure this, dearly." She promised as she moved to take the necklace to a pocket in the back of her belt.

But then, something snapped in Krall's mind. "Wait!" He yelled, holding all three of his arms out a t Vixen. "I just remembered, it's not finished yet!" He explained.

Quickly, Krall drove his hand back into his pouch and caught the small object his masterpiece was missing. "A-ha!" He exclaimed as he pulled out a tooth, still covered in fresh blood. "Here it is, the tooth of an Undead dragon!" He declared as he held it out for Vixen to take. "It was the hardest to find! I just got it today!" He stated proudly as Vixen picked up the item from his palm.

Vixen then put the tooth and the necklace on her back pocket and let out a pleased sigh.

After this however, Vixen leaned in again and narrowed her eye as he glanced between her two companions. She seemed to noticed the patches of petrified skin on Krall and Tarrare's bodies. She then leaned in a bit closer and sniffed the air like a bloodhound, her ears standing on point after this.

"You fought them, didn't you?" She asked, sounding a bit severe. "The purple brothers and their tagalong circus." She hissed.

"You know them?" Krall guessed, tilting his head. "They survived a fight with you?" He asked, astounded.

"The infernus boy caught me by surprise," She explained, crossing her arms. "But it doesn't matter," She added in a bitter tone. "We can't slay them anyway."

For a moment, Krall was paralyzed. He was almost certain he had heard Vixen say something about not slayinging dragons.

"What do you mean we can't slay them?" Tarrare inquired.

"A lot has changed in a hundred years," Vixen began, a frown growing on her face. "The truth has been forgotten." She spat. "Their crimes have been forgiven." She muttered in a spiteful tone.

"W-What are you saying?" Krall stammered, worried about what his friend's words could mean. "They still remember, right?" He asked, stepping closer to Vixen. "They still remember all the burned homes, all the screaming, all we did for them… right?" He asked, almost pleadingly.

Vixen looked down at Krall. She closed her eyes and looked to the side, an expression of sad, resentful rage in her face. "They think the lizards are heroes." She said, in a simple honest tone. "The murderers are heroes now." She muttered to herself in a lower tone.

"N-No," Krall whispered, his hands shaking. "No, that… that can't be. All the things the lizards did… the world can't just forget about them..." He said, trying to convince himself that such a horrible thing couldn't be possible. But he knew better, he knew Vixen was no liar.

"What!?" Tarrare exclaimed, completely losing his composure. "The lizards, are heroes!? How!?" He demanded angrily as he ranted, his mandible jaw snapping violently. "How did the memories of dragon fire fade from the minds of all those-" Tarrare's voice suddenly trailed off.

The elf's expresion froze, and drak saliva drooled slowly out of his mandible jaws. His eyes were round, unfocused as if his mind suddenly wondered elsewhere. But then, Tarrare's expresion hardened, his eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed, his mangled mouth twitched into a grim frown.

"Eon…" He hissed, pure, unbridled hatred pouring out as he entonated the name.

At that, Krall's eye went round in realization. "Ahhhh, so the Blue Liar did his work did he?" He spat, clenching his fists and jaw.

"I'm afraid he did," Vixen confirmed. "We can't just enjoy a simple hunt nowadays, it's considered a crime." She grumbled as she rolled her eye.

"Seit wann ist schädlingsbekämpfung ein verbrechen?" Krall mumbled bitterly, tightening his already balled up fists, to a point where he could feel his claws cut his flesh.

"But," Vixen added suddenly. "I believe there is a way we can fix this." She stated.

"Is that so?" Tarrare asked, intrigued. He stepped closer and listened in.

"Well," Krall spoke up. "You're the only one of us who died with her brain intact." He joked with a small chuckle. "What's the plan?"

Vixen took a moment, holding her chin and narrowing her eyes as she focused. "It will be difficult," She stated in a mildly obvious tone. "And we'll need a great many things," She added, in a slightly lower tone "Things we will need to split up to get in time." She began muttering, faster and lower. "And there will be a bit of really dirty work."

Krall was practically unable to discern what his friend was saying, but luckily, his other friend intervened.

"Vixen, darling," Tarrare began, speaking in a polite tone. "Could you speak up please?" He asked.

"Of course, sorry," She apologised, composing herself. "In any case, what I was going to say is that I've been here a bit longer than you two," She stated. "And I have picked up on a good deal of little details that can help us." She said, a wry smile tugging at her lips.

"Really?" Krall asked, listening eagerly. "What kind of details are we talking about?" Krall wandered as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. Vixen's plans were always extremely fun.

"Well, listen closely my dragon slayer brothers," Vixen began, flashing a fanged grin. "Here's the plan."

---

Everything was dark. A faint ringing could be heard in the distance, nearly imperceptible. Cyrus could feel the side of his body pressed against an uneven surface.

The indigo dragon let out a long, strained groan as he slowly opened his eyes and got himself on his feet. "Where am I?" He asked out loud as he looked around him.

Cyrus was in a plain, ash-covered isle in the middle of nowhere. The sky above him was sunless and grey. That, coupled with the pale ash beneath his paws, made Cyrus realize with dread, where he was. He was in the Outlands.

"No, this isn't right." Cyrus began, his heartbeat slowly rising, quickening in fear of something.

Then, Cyrus heard a voice, a voice that sounded like metal being broken, like rusty gears grinding through a dulled microphone. "Hey, boy." The voice called. "It's been a while."

Cyrus began breathing heavily. He stood still, refusing to look behind him, perhaps out of an idea that maybe, if he didn't see who was behind him, they wound simply go away. But deep down, beneath any semblance of hope he felt, Cyrus knew that they weren't leaving, not until they had what they wanted.

And then, Cyrus felt them get closer to him, close enough for Cyrus to hear their joints creaking. Cyrus then flinched, his body tensing up against his will when he felt something touch one of his shoulders.

He felt a single finger tap his scales, followed by another, and then another, only to rest a heavy, wooden hand. He then felt another set of fingers tap on his other shoulder, one after the other to let another heavy hand rest.

Despite his efforts to keep his composure, Cyrus started shaking, a frail, weak tremor that was soon mabe company by low whimpers when the splintery wooden fingers on his shoulders started taping rhythmically, to the beat of a symphony Cyrus couldn't hear.

"I've missed you, boy," The horrible, familiar voice said, it's sourceless, agonizing resonance making Cyrus want to cover his ears and close his eyes, to shut it all out. "Did you miss me?" The voice asked with a tone that sounded both merry and dangerous.

Cyrus swallowed hard, he tried composing his uneven, frightened breath. "This… isn't happening," He began, with more certainty than he felt, almost as if to convince himself. "You aren't here… not anymore. This is just a dream." He stated.

At that, there was silence. No wind blew, no animals in the distance howled and no hideous, metallic double voice came. And then, Cyrus felt the two wooden hands holding his shoulders, slowly slide off, relieving him of their dreadful pressure and causing him to let out a shaky sigh before evening his breath.

"You're right," The voice said in a low tone, almost as if had been defeated somehow.

After hearing that, for a second, Cyrus felt a glimmer of hope, he felt like he was safe. His lips slowly started curving upward, in a tiny hopeful smile.

"Of course," The voice picked up, now speaking in a joyous, laid back tone. "That doesn't mean this isn't going to hurt." He finished with a sinister chuckle.

Cyrus then started shaking again. He bent over, covering his face in his paws as he let out shaky, uneven breaths. His heart was racing, hammering against his chest. Then, Cyrus heart the being behind him move their arm in a swift motion, raising it over their head, causing Cyrus to shut his eyelids tighter

Shortly afterwards, Cyrus felt his whole body be set on fire.

---

Cyrus woke up with a short, agonized scream, which quickly receded into shaky sobbing. He hugged his knees and hid his face behind his wings.

He was awake, he knew how it felt to be awake. He could tell because his body was heavy and his eyes stung. And because he could feel it in his skin, hundreds of thousands of freshly removed needle pricks, itching and tingling with wanning intensity.

His breaths were shaky and heavy and he had a hard time evening them out thanks to the ringing headache he was feeling.

A minute passed, and the headache slowly went away, Cyrus head cleared up a bit and he was able to focus. He inhaled for a few seconds, held and then exhaled for a few seconds. He repeated the process a couple of times until he was able to breathe normally.

After that, Cyrus slowly lowered his wings, and let go of his knees as he let out a long, low sigh and opened his eyes. Now that he was more relaxed, Cyrus was able to get a grip on his surroundings. He was in a strange room, he never recalled being in before. He also noticed he was laying in a circular bed, surrounded by a metal frame.

The room was roughly circular, had a couple of circular windows, a brown wooden door and quite a few decorations. A wide variety of posters, colored banners of the many elements were the most noticeable items hanging from the walls. There were a couple of small desks and nightstands here and there, as well as what seemed like a video game console of some kind sitting on top of a wooden desk near a window on the edge of the room.

There also was a large, tall mirror, which oddly, was facing the wall, preventing Cyrus from seeing his reflection. And as odd as he found this, he didn't focus on it for long.

Through the room's window, Cyrus could see the light of the sun shining through, meaning it was probably somewhere around noon, wherever he was.

"I should find out where I am." Cyrus told himself as he got on his feet and moved to get off the bed.

However, when he stepped off the metal rim, Cyrus felt his joints buckle. He let out a pained grunt as he shakily got his ballance back. He concluded he was more drained than he had realized and took a moment to stand up properly, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head, only to let it hang a bit low.

But then, a strange sound reached Cyrus' ears and made him tense up. It was the sound of a door opening, of its hinges turing and squeaking lightly. This caused Cyrus to look behind his shoulder, to where the sound was coming from.

There, Cyrus saw a familiar outline, staring at him in silence. Her peculiar cyan fur signaled who she was. She had part of her left wing covered in white bandages, but otherwise, she looked fine.

Whirlwind kept her eyes on Cyrus and Cyrus kept his eyes on her. There was a strange silence, a sort of peace neither dragon was willing to disturb. Cyrus held Whirlwind's gaze, and he noticed that there was a small light in her ocean blue eyes. There was a calm in them, a shimmering sensation Cyrus didn't quite recognize.

However, he noticed that her expression light up suddenly and her ears shot up for a moment, as if she remembered what she was here for. She looked to her side, covering her face partly with her healthy wing. This in turn made Cyrus react as well, glancing away and looking down at his paws.

"H-Hey." Whirlwind began in a nervous tone.

"Hey." Cyrus repeated, fixing his posture a bit.

"How long ago did you wake up?" Whirlwind asked.

"A couple of minutes ago," Cyrus responded. The indigo dragon then shifted focus to a more pressing concern of his. "The others," He picked up, in a more urgent tone. "Spyro, are they all alright?" He asked.

Whirlwind took a moment to answer, she looked at Cyrus in a strange way, with slightly narrowed eyes and with her head tilted a little, expressing curiosity. However, she quickly shook her head and composed herself.

"Everyone's alright," Whirlwind said in a mellow tone, "They're pretty beaten up, some more than others, but no one is in too much trouble. I helped to heal them so they should be somewhere in the Academy," She stated, confirming Cyrus' suspicions as to where they were. "Other than Sunburn and Drobot, you're actually the last one up, so, I thought I'd check up on you." She explained.

At that, Cyrus closed his eyes for a moment and felt his lips curl slightly upward. He felt a huge wave of relief wash over him and felt his whole body relax as a result.

"A-Also," Whirlwind picked up, a little shakily. "Spyro and Cynder told us what happened, after we all got knocked out." She stated, calling Cyrus' attention. "Spyro told us that, you and Camo helped him beat the dragon slayers, that he and Camo were able to breathe a really strange and powerful fire that scared them away." She said.

"A strange fire?" Cyrus asked, confused. "I… I don't think I was awake when that happened." He said, scratching his neck.

"No, you weren't," Whirlwind confirmed. "Spyro said you were knocked out." She explained, slightly ashamed. "But, uh… that's not everything they said about you." She added.

Cyrus was a little confused by this, but he listened in patiently.

"Cynder told me that," She picked up, looking down at her paws. "That when Tarrare was about to drop me off the island, you… you were the one who saved me," She said. Whirlwind then lifted her gaze and looked over to Cyrus once again, a small smiled on her lips. "I just, wanted to thank you for that." She said in a soft tone.

After hearing that, Cyrus' eyes went round. He felt a strange sensation root itself in his being. He felt warmer, lighter, as if he had just woken up from a really pleasant sleep, something he wasn't used to feeling.

He started feeling an odd urge that manifested itself by heating up his cheeks. He figured he wanted to smile, genuinely. However before he could even curl his lips up, Cyrus felt something go wrong. Another, much more familiar sensation, started throbbing, reminding Cyrus of a grim truth. He shuddered as his left eye twitched while he lowered his head and took a paw to his forehead, to his itching red mark.

He closed his eyes as he spoke. "It was nothing," He said dryly. "It was the least I could do after what I did to you to you." He finished, tightening his grip on his mark as he slowly opened his eyes, avoiding Whirlwind's gaze.

The dragoness stayed silent for a moment. Cyrus heard her take a step forward and draw breath, as if she wanted to speak. However, he heard her step back and after a brief pause, she spoke in a down tone. "Right, I… I don't know what I was thinking." She said. "Spyro is talking to Master Eon and Kaossandra, he said they wanted to talk to all of us." She stated.

"Alright then," Cyrus spoke up. "I'll meet you all there." He said quietly.

After this, there was a small stretch of hesitant silence, a chance for something to be said. A chance not taken.

Cyrus heard Whirlwind walk away, closing the door behind her and leaving Cyrus by himself once again. The indigo dragon waited a few moments, looking empily at the floor. The only thing he felt now, was an itch, incessant and distracting. He took his paw over to his forehead and started scratching, slowly, steadily.

After he managed to push the sensation to the back of his consciousness, Cyrus began walking over to the door. Shortly after leaving the room, Cyrus made his way down some stairs, to a spacious living room. From here, Cyrus had passage to several corridors to what he guessed where other rooms around the house. However, he was drawn more potently to the large door he guessed led outside.

Cyrus walked over and opened the door. He winced slightly as the light of the day flashed suddenly over his eyes, but he composed himself quickly. Out on the isle the house was built upon, Cyrus saw a rather surprising sight.

He saw Whirlwind, standing near a bridge that connected the island to a path toward the main Academy. However, Cyrus noticed that the cyan dragoness was not on her own. He saw a few other familiar faces. Camo and Bash had arrived and seemed to be speaking with Whirlwind. Looking at the crowd, Cyrus noticed a couple of things.

Firstly, Camo was finally out of his bandages. His wing seemed to have healed and the little green dragon seemed even more lively than before, something that raised Cyrus' spirits. Secondly, He noticed that it was now Bash's tail, that was covered partly in bandages and a cast. He also had a dark bruise over his right eye. Cyrus deduced this must have been damage from the brown dragon's fight with the two new dragon slayers.

All three dragons were apparently unaware of his presence, since they were focused on talking to each other. Looking at the crowd for

Cyrus was grateful for this, he didn't want to bother the dragons, or interrupt their conversation. So, walking silently, he headed closer to the island's edge, about to fly away.

However, Cyrus was compelled to stop when a familiar voice called his name. "Hey, Cyrus!" Camo's squeaky little voice shouted. "Where are you going, buddy?" He asked cheerfully.

At that, Cyrus turned around, trying to put on a smile for his friend. However, when he did turn around his smile vanished instantly, replaced by a frightened, wide-eyed expression.

Cyrus was only able to see a flash of earthy brown scales and yellow horns before he felt what he imagined being hit by a battering ram felt like. Cyrus was sent sprawling back, landing roungly on the very edge of the isle. He quickly picked himself up and backed away from the edge.

"Bash, what are you doing!?" Camo demanded in a horrified tone.

At that, Cyrus turned around to face the brown dragon. Already, Bash was charging at Cyrus, his head low, aiming to ram him again.

In response to this, Cyrus tensed up. He stood on his hind legs and stretched out his paws, as if to catch something. "This is going to hurt." He said to himself as he braced for impact.

And, just as predicted, the sensation of catching a hulking dragon's tackle was in no way pleasant for Cyrus. The impact knocked the air out of him and pushed him back, almost to the edge of the isle once again.

However, once there, Cyrus already had a tight grip on Bash's horns and was holding him in place. "I don't want… to hurt you," He said, his voice strained from the effort of keeping Bash still.

Bash didn't seem to care for Cyrus' words. He kept pushing, trying intently to push Cyrus off the isle. This made Cyrus realize, he had to do something, even if it meant taking more violent measures.

And so, even if it was with a heavy heart, Cyrus channeled his magic, causing his paws to glow blood red. When he did this, Cyrus began feeling a rush of vitality and energy course through his body. He felt stronger, less tired. He also noticed Bash started shaking, struggling to keep himself on his feet.

The brown dragon tried shaking Cyrus' grip off, but he held on tight and pushed his weakened opponent back, putting space between the both of them and the island's edge. Cyrus then deactivated his magic for a moment, and looked behind him. He then let out a relieved sigh, for he had managed to get the struggle away from the edge of the island.

Soon however, Cyrus found his relief being turned to a very unpleasant sensation of surprise that made his eye go round.

Cyrus felt Bash suddenly dash backwards and jerking his head violently which, coupled with Cyrus' momentary distraction, allowed the brown dragon to get himself free from Cyrus' grip. After this, Bash stepped back and got into a defensive stance keeping a very focused, narrow eyed glare on Cyrus.

At that, Cyrus glared back, holding Bash's gaze. The indigo dragon must have let a bit of his old loathing seep into his eyes, because he saw Bash flinch when he met his gaze, taking a step back from Cyrus and looking a bit uneasy.

"Guys!" Whirlwind called, causing Cyrus to glance over to her for a second, but quickly refocusing on Bash. "You can't fight each other! Bash, you're wounded if you keep this up you're only going to make the damage worse!"

"Yeah, what she said!" Camo stepped in. "Come on guys, just calm down!"

But the words spoken were not enough to put a stop to the conflict. Cyrus watched Bash lower his head again and start charging at him at full speed. Cyrus was quick to react and with a quick burst of speed from his wings, he dashed to the side, making Bash miss him completely.

After this, Cyrus dashed backwards, puting distance between himself and Bash. "He's slower. Probably thanks to me." He thought to himself. "And with his tail damaged, he is more predictable." He analyzed. As he saw Bash turn around and start lowering his head once again, Cyrus felt himself frown as his resolve cemented. "I have to put an end to this." He concluded tensing up and getting ready.

A few moments after this, Bash charged at Cyrus once again, aiming to ram him. In response to this, Cyrus stayed still and held his arms out and waited.

When Bash crashed his weight onto him, Cyrus could notice the impact was significantly weaker than last time, a good sign for the indigo dragon. So, not wasting time, Cyrus got a grip on Bash's horns and channeled his magic, once again making his his paws glow red. At this, Bash let out a cold, shaky gasp before he crumbled to his knees. The brown dragon tried getting up but Cyrus kept his grip steady and pulled Bash down by the head, causing him to close his eyes and fall to the ground, knocked out.

At that, Cyrus silenced his magic and slowly placed Bash's head on the floor before letting go of his horns.

After this, there was a pause. No one moved an inch or said a word. Cyrus looked down at Bash's fallen figure, speechless. His heart was heavy, it ached in his chest. Cyrus had promised himself, had made Spyro promise as well, that no harm would come to these dragons, not after all he had done to them. And now here he was, looking down at one of them, freshly knocked out by his own paws.

Cyrus then looked at his paws, they were shaking, badly. He winced as the itch started crawling back into his forehead, writhing beneath his scales. Cyrus took a paw to his forehead and started scratching, slowly at first, but, as he realized what he had done meant, he started scratching faster.

"What will the others think of this?" Cyrus asked himself, his mind racing just as fast as his heart. "What will Spyro think of this?" He wondered, his eyes widening as his pupils dilated. "Will… will he hate me for this?" He asked, horrified at the idea, his breath becoming uneven as he covered his face with his free paw.

But then, a strange sound reached Cyrus' ears, making him freeze. He heard something that sounded like a short fit of coughs, but there was something off about them, a rhythm of sorts. Then, Cyrus heard the same fit of coughs, only louder, more energetic.

Cyrus looked down, to where the strange sounds were coming from. There, he saw Bash, eyes still closed, still on the ground, but smiling. A weak, mildly-strained smile tried sementing itself on the bron dragon's face, as another round of coughs, which were sounding more and more like chuckles, began emanating from his throat.

"That…" Bash began in a drowsy, stuned voice. "Was awesome." He said with a small chuckle.

At that, Cyrus reacted. "W-What?" He blurted, confused.

"That was… a good fight." Bash continued as Cyrus slowly lowered his paws. "We should… do that again some time." He suggested, opening one eye and looking up at Cyrus.

"For the love of the Ancients!" Whirlwind exclaimed, sounding both concerned and frustrated as she began rushing over to Bash. "That was your idea of a joke!?" She demanded as she kneeled down beside him and took a deep breath.

Soon after, the white horn on her head began glowing with bright white light. Then, from the horn, a small stream of multicoloured light began descending, gently connecting with Bash's body. As the stream of light kept coming, Bash let out a relieved sigh and slowly started trying to get on his feet. He groaned loudly as he did, but soon enough he managed to stand, cueing Whirlwind to stop her healing.

"Now guys," Camo spoke up as he walked over. "That was a cool fight and all, but… what was it about?" He asked, tentatively.

Cyrus looked over to Bash, also wanting answers. The brown dragon stared back, waiting a moment before responding. However, he spoke soon enough. "I trust you remember the day you went to capture me." He asked with serious tone.

At that, Cyrus' began seeing flashes of days past, causing him to furrow his brow and glance away. Of course he did remember that day, how could he forget?

"That day, you were not alone," Bash picked up. "You had two other pitch-black dragons to help you out in abducting me." He recalled. "That day, I watched you let someone else do your dirty work for you, and I ended up with me being enslaved by some mad man. Ever since that day I've thought of you as a coward and a selfish monster."

Cyrus tried keeping his composure. He kept a string face, but he was starting to suffer. Again, he wasn't being attacked, he wasn't bleeding, but he was hurting. The itch was back, his paws were shaking, his left eye was very, very subtly twitching.

"But then," Bash added suddenly. "I hear from one of the people I've come to respect most," He continued, making Cyrus wonder who he meant. "Tells me that you, of all people, helped save someone and fought to protect people who loathed you, well, my whole view on who you were, was flipped on its head." He sighed.

"You know," Bash picked up. "There was something my old man used to say… You never really know someone until you fight them." He quoted. "He said that, when people fight, they let their true colors shine. The way they fight, how they try to win, even when they hold back or don't fight to their fullest, it says something about them. After what Spyro told me about you, I just had to find out for myself." He explained.

After this, Bash took a long hard look at Cyrus. He then let out one last sigh and spoke. "No one should be left without a chance to fix their mistakes," He began. "So, I for one, forgive you."

There was a brief pause, where Cyrus was unable to say or do anything. He just looked at Bash in stunned silence. The indigo dragon's heart stopped for a moment, and his eyes went wide. Cyrus' mind struggled to put together an adequate response to what he had just heard, and from the face Bash was making, it was starting to get a bit creepy.

"Th-Thanks." Was all the indigo dragon was able to blurt out.

Bash responded by giving him a firm nod and a polite smile.

"Sooo," Camo began, glancing between Bash and Cyrus. "Does that mean you guys are friends now?" He asked innocently.

"No, we're not quite there yet," Bash stated bluntly as he turned around and started walking away, leaving Cyrus and the others behind.

"Yeah, I guess that's fair," Camo conceded in a down tone. But then, Camo's face lit up and he quickly turned over to Bash. "Hey wait! Where are you going!?" He asked.

"To the Common room." Bash responded simply as he kept walking away.

"Ohhh right!" Camo exclaimed suddenly. "Guys, Spyro said Master Eon wanted to see everyone!" He stated.

"Really?" Whirlwind asked. "Did he say what it was about?" She questioned.

"Nop, just said it was important." Camo answered.

"Well, we shouldn't keep them waiting." Cyrus suggested. "I think I noticed something important about our enemies." He said, grimacing slightly, remembering the dreadful realization that had come to him during his fight with the dragon slayers.

"Really?" Camo asked, sounding intrigued. "What did you notice?" He asked, curious.

"I think it's best I tell Master Eon first," Cyrus stated. "So, again, we should get going now." He insisted as he began following the path Bash had taken.

"Alright," Camo began, running after Cyrus and cueing Whirlwind to follow. "Now I'm just curious."

The three dragons quickly took flight and headed over to the Academy courtyard. They flew over Bash and quickly got ahead of him, something Cyrus managed to notice made the brown dragon pick up speed as a frown built up on his face.

Soon enough, Cyrus flew over and touched down on the Courtyard beside his two companions, with the entrance to the common room a short distance ahead. He saw a few Skylanders walking around, heading elsewhere and not really minding him.

Cyrus then started walking toward the blue gates, however, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, for he heard his name called. "Hey, Cyrus!" A voice shouted.

When Cyrus turned around to see who had spoken, he saw a familiar deep blue dragon looking expectantly at him. Zap must have had arrived a few moments ago, since Cyrus hadn't seen him when he got here. The blue dragon had a nasty looking bruise near his chest, and a couple of band aids here and there.

And speaking of recent arrivals, Cyrus saw that Bash had also made his way to the courtyard. The brow dragon seemed to be interested in what was about to happen between Zap and Cyrus, since he kept his distance but looked quite attentive.

Cyrus was rather curious about the blue dragon's intentions as well, so, he focused on him and spoke. "Yes, Zap?" He began, speaking in a polite tone.

The blue dragon kept his eyes on Cyrus for a moment, he then swallowed hard and puffed out his chest. "I want to say something." He stated simply, pausing.

Cyrus felt his eyelids droop as his eyebrows rose and an almost instinctive urge to satisfy a cruel habit swelled up within him. "You just did." Cyrus said sarcastically.

The cutting response, seemed to take Zap by surprise. The blue dragon opened his mouth and raised a paw, as if he wanted to argue, however, he stopped himself before he could say anything.

Then, Zap cleared his throat and seemed to rethink his words. "I mean, I need to speak to you about something." He corrected himself, glancing to his sides nervously.

At that, Cyrus stayed quiet and listened in more eagerly as Zap resumed. "I heard how you helped Spyro fight those two psychos," He began, scratching the back of his neck. "That was… a pretty decent thing to do." He said, in reluctant praise. "For an ex-villian." He added quickly.

Cyrus wasn't really sure of how to interpret what Zap had just said. The indigo dragon was more confused than moved, so he just spoke casually. "Thank you?"

Cyrus must have spoken in a more mocking tone than he meant, because Zap pursed his lips and seemed to get annoyed. "You know," He began, sounding pouty. "You should drop the sarcasm man, it's not going to get you anywhere." He stated as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Cyrus acted by reflex, his mind already stringing up a derisive comeback. "Are you sure about that?" Cyrus began, unable to stop himself. "Because it did get me to the Skylands Sarcasm Championship of 2012." He stated.

At that, Zap's eyes went round and his eyebrows shot up. He stared silently at Cyrus for a moment as he let his arms fall to his sides. "Are… a-are you serious?" He asked, in an astounded tone.

"No." Cyrus replied with a perfectly straight face.

After this, Cyrus felt a guilty urge to laugh. The speed at which Zap's expresion changed from good-natured surprise to frustrated embarrassment was priceless.

And then, Cyrus heard a sound he didn't exactly expect to hear. He head laughter, a low, happy chuckle coming from none other than Bash. The brown dragon was chuckling to himself, very

"Alright, alright," Bash began after he caught his breath and lifted his head, looking at Cyrus. "Now we're friends." He said with another, smaller chuckle.

At that, Cyrus smiled, not a spiteful derisive smile like the one he was holding back from giving Zap, but a small, happy one. He was very glad he made another friend. The idea was still foreign to him, so Cyrus was unable to keep his usual composure.

"Aw come on!" Zap groaned. "All it took for him to become your friend was dragging on me!?" He demanded as he turned around and looked at Bash.

"That's the minimum requirement to be my friend." Bash responded with a smug smirk.

"Really?" Camo began, holding his chin. "So, if I make a snarky comment about Zap, you and I can be friends?" He asked Bash.

"Yeah, pretty much." Bash responded.

"Dude!" Zap exclaimed, undignified. "We shared a bunk bed! I thought we were friends!"

"Guys," Whirlwind interjected suddenly, making everyone snap into focus. "I think we had something important to do," She stated as she gestured at the Academy building.

"Right, of course." Cyrus said as he cleared his throat. "We've wasted enough time, this is probably urgent." He assumed.

"Yeah, alright," Zap sighed as he began walking over to the blue doors. "I actually have a couple of… concerns I'd like to have put at ease." "He said, scratching the back of his head.

After this, Cyrus and the others walked up to the blue doors and pushed them open. Once the five dragons were inside the spacious common room, they were faced with a somber scene.

Cyrus saw Kaossandra sitting behind her desk, her hands on her temples and leaning over her desk. He saw Master Eon's faintly glowing figure floating beside her, with his hands behind his back and his eyes closed, his head hung down slightly. Cyrus also saw Cynder sitting on her hind legs in front of Kaossandra's desk, looking down an her paws.

And finally, Cyrus saw his brother. Spyro was sitting on his hind legs looking up at the two portal masters in front of him. Cyrus noticed that his brother's eyes were drooped, that his usual, wide smile was gone and that his wings were hanging at his sides. Cyrus felt heavier just by laying eyes on his brother, because he felt like he was looking at a mirror.

However, Spyro slowly turned his head over to the side. At that, Cyrus managed to meet Spyro's eyes, and he noticed that they lit up, alongside his expression. "Cyrus?" He called his brother's name.

After this, Spyro got up and walked over to Cyrus. The purple dragon then threw his arms around Cyrus' body, encasing him in a hug. Cyrus let out a small gasp and stiffened when this happened. The sudden contact was like an assault on his senses, his nerves were telling him this was uncomfortable, painful. It made his breathing become shaky.

Spyro seemed to sense this however, because it took only a moment for the purple dragon to loosen up the embrace, decreasing the pressure. Then, slowly, Cyrus' body began to realize that he wasn't in pain, that the contact he was receiving wasn't harmful, but kind, relieved. And so, Cyrus began to relax and breath normally. And after this, Cyrus moved his arms putting them on Spyro's back, finally returning the hug.

"I'm happy you're alright." Spyro said in a soft tone as he slowly pulled away from the hug and looked at his brother.

"It takes more than that to kill me," Cyrus replied with a small smirk. "You should know that by now." He sneered.

At that, Spyro rolled his eyes and nudged Cyrus on the shoulder. "Well, it's a good thing you are all here," Spyro stated, turning his head to the others. "We have a lot to talk about." He said in a more serious tone.

"Guys," Cynder spoke up, drawing Cyrus' attention to her. "Master Eon and Kaossandra have some insight on the two dragon slayers," She stated. "We should hear them out."

"Yes please," Zap interjected, walking over to the two portal masters. "I would really like to know more about those two." He said as he sat on his hind legs and waited for his answers.

"But wait," Camo spoke up. "Where are Sunburn and Drobot? Don't they need to hear about this too?"

"Drobot and Sunburn got the worse out of the fight with the dragon slayers," Whirlwind stated in a low tone. "They were hurt pretty bad and had to stay on the infirmary, probably for at least another day." She explained, looking down at her paws.

"Oh," Camo began, sounding surprised. The little green dragon then looked down and darkened slightly. "Oh." He repeated, in a much more somber tone.

There was a brief pause after that, where everyone stayed silent. Cyrus realized the sheer amount of luck they all must have had to get out of that fight with no one dying. He was grateful, beyond what words could express, but it was also a very rough wake up call. These people, these monsters weren't playing around and there was no telling what was going to happen next time.

"Well, we should probably get started now," Spyro picked up, snapping everyone into focus and turning over ot the two portal masters. "So, Master Eon, Kaossandra, what do you guys need to know?" He asked.

At that, Kaossandra let out a long sigh as she composed herself and lifted her gaze at the dragons. "According to the description Spyro and Cynder gave us," She began, glancing between all dragons present. "We can be certain that the two villains you fought were indeed dragon slayers, and just the ones they claimed to be." She confirmed.

"They were always a sort of dynamic duo," Master Eon interjected. "Back in the Coven's glory days, their teamwork made them capable of handling very powerful dragons."

"Including purple dragons, apparently." Spyro muttered under his breath, an edge of spite in his voice.

"Yes," Master Eon confirmed, a sorrowfull look on his face. "Even purple dragons, a feat not every dragon slayer back then was able to pull off, and that functions as a testament of the threat those two pose when they work together." He added.

"They kept talking about how we tasted," Cynder spoke suddenly. "And how they wanted our teeth." She added, in a shakier voice as she grabbed one of her cheeks, and rubbed it softly, her body shaking subtly.

Cyrus noticed that Spyro edged closer to Cynder, covering her partly with one of his wings, something that seemed to soothe the dragoness a little bit.

"Yes, Krall and Tarrare were some of the more sadistic dragon slayers of their time," Master Eon began explaining. "Tarrare on one hand, was recognized among his peers, as an extraordinary cook, capable of cooking meals worthy of kings," He quoted the last words with disgust. "His specialty, aligned perfectly with his line of work. Dragon meat Bourguignon."

"Krall on the other hand," The portal master picked up. "Was more of a collector. He had a hobby of collecting rare and useful trinkets and materials." He explained. "After he joined the Coven, he also acquired an interest for dragon body parts, especially the teeth. A cruel, irrational obsession of his."

"Why do they hate us so much!?" Whirlwind asked in a frightened voice, stepping forward, almost beside Cyrus. "What did we ever do to them?" She asked, shaking slightly, similarly to Cynder, even hanging her head a bit.

When Cyrus noticed this, he felt a strange sensation. He remembered what Spyro had done to Cynder when she started shaking like that. "Maybe…" He thought, as he began to slowly stretch one of his wings. However, before he could even stretch his wing halfway, Cyrus stopped himself. "N-No... it wouldn't be right." Cyrus told himself as he pulled his wing back, feeling a peculiar mix of stupidity and confusion as to why he acted that way..

"You have done nothing wrong, young dragoness," Master Eon assured Whirlwind. "I've told you before that you are not to blame. These monsters bear a hatred too intense to be rational."

"It was practically a miracle you all survived that battle," Kaossandra stepped in, calling everyone's attention. "And I'm not entirely sure I understand what that miracle was." She said, pausing for a moment. Cyrus also noticed that the sorceress focused on Spyro before she resumed talking. "You said you fired a stream of, bright, multi colored flames," She entonated with narrow eyes, as if she wanted to get confirmation from Spyro. "That were able to deal real damage to the dragon slayers?"

"Not just me though," Spyro began. "Camo was able to do the same thing!" He said, pointing at the green dragon.

"He's right!" Camo exclaimed, taking a step forward. "And our chests started glowing too!" He stated. "And also, I think one of them called those flames something," He stated, intriguing Cyrus. "I think it was, Sternenfeuer," He said the strange word. "I think it means something like, starfire," He translated.

"Starfire?" Master Eon repeated, stroking his bread. "I don't believe I've heard of something like that."

"I have." Cyrus stated simply, his memory suddenly jogged by his new friend.

"You have!?" Master Eon, Camo, Kaossandra asked in surprised unison. "Well, could you enlighten us please?" The elder portal master asked eagerly, leaning closer to Cyrus.

Cyrus was a little reluctant to speak, since there were a few implications and other, darker memories that were attached to the information he was about to tell everyone. However, looking at the importance of the mater, Cyrus took a deep breath and spoke steadily.

"It's an old kind of magic," Cyrus began. "It's actually… the same kind that…" His voice trailed off, an uncomfortable itch manifesting in his forehead.

"What is it, man?" Spyro asked in a mellow tone, stepping closer to Cyrus.

The indigo dragon looked at his brother, and a stab of guilt settled in his heart as he mustered the will to speak. "It's the same kind of magic Omen was planning on using you all for." He declared, closing his eyes for a moment.

There was a pause, a moment for the weight of his words to settle. After this pause, Cyrus opened his eyes and continued. "Just like the spell he wanted to use, this Starfire requires a dragon of each one of the essential elements to cast. It's supposed to be extremely powerful, and could explain why you were able to hurt them."

"But wait," Cynder suddenly spoke up, drawing Cyrus' attention. "Why does it take magic super-fire to hurt these guys? What are they even supposed to be?" She asked, fear vaguely resonating in her tone.

Cyrus began thinking of how to explain. He pursed his lips and looked away, absentmindedly scratching the side of his chest as he thought for a moment. Then, with his words rehearsed, he replied.

"When I met Vixen," He began, recalling the pale, fox-like dragon slayer form the Outskirts. "I had a suspicion, but I wasn't able to confirm it until I fought these new guys." He explained. "The signs are all there, on all three of them." He stated.

"W-What signs?" Whirlwind asked from behind Cyrus.

"Black tar for blood," Cyrus began. "A cruel cold presence, no signs of pain or fatigue and the ability to live for a hundred years." He listed. "All three dragon slayers had these traits," He said. "And there is only one kind of creature that has those traits." He stated.

"W-What creature?" Zap asked in a nervous tone.

Cyrus took a moment to answer. Even saying their name made him get cold chills. "When a person dies," He began. "Their soul goes to a diferent place. No one really knows what this place is, since everyone has a diferent name for it." He continued explaining. "But, there are some people that, when their time comes, refuse to leave this world. They are too angry, too wounded to let whatever happened to them slide. So, they force themselves back into their bodies, force themselves back to life."

Cyrus paused for a moment, he had started shaking, very lightly but he had built up an urge to swallow and the chills were getting worse. "When they do this, this perversion of life and death, those people, stop being people." He continued. "They turn into these… creatures, that don't need to eat, don't need to drink and don't need to sleep. They run on nothing but rage and hatred and don't ever stop until they get what they mangled their souls to get." He said, his voice smeared with fear.

"They are called, Draugr," Cyrus stated, shuddering as he did. "And I'm not entirely sure they can even be killed."

"What?" Spyro exclaimed suddenly, stepping closer to Cyrus. "What do you mean they can't be killed?" He asked desperately.

"Ohhh, but they can be!" A new voice, which Cyrus found squeaky and annoying, echoed through the room.

The voice had come from the balcony overlooking the common room. Cyrus looked up to see a small, green figure with a huge dark green afro, looking down at him from behind the golden railing on the balcony.

"Broccoli Guy," Spyro hissed at the green creature. "Do you have something to say?" He demanded.

"Yes, actually," Broccoli Guy confirmed as he vaulted over the gold railing and floated down to level with the dragons and portla masters. "I was about to tell you guys that there is a way to deal with draugr." He stated, smiling strangely as he did.

"Really?" Master Eon asked. "What would that be?"

"Well, the Starfire, duh!" Broccoli Guy responded jokingly, chuckleing nasally.

"Hey, vegetable," Spyro called in a dangerous tone. "Watch your tone." He growled.

"Right, right, I apologise," Broccoli Guy apologised, in a suspiciously unconvincing tone. "But anyways, draugr have a very short list of weaknesses," He began explaining. "Buuuut, they are vulnerable to the pure, elemental awesomeness of Starfire." He stated with enthusiasm.

"I mean," Camo spoke up suddenly. "When Spyro and I hit them with it, they started turning to stone." He stated. "Maybe it is their weakness."

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying!" Broccoli Guy said merrily. "Thank you, I'm gonna stand beside you now." He said as he floated over to Camo, making the little dragon slide away in discomfort before he started speaking again. "So, I think that if you guys-" Broccoli Guy gestured at the many dragons. "-Use this Starfire-thing you can beat those broccoli-eating creeps!" He said cheerfully.

"But how do we even activate this thing?" Zap asked. "Other than you and Mister Eyebags over here-" He said, gesturing at Cyrus. "-None of us even knew what it was to begin with!"

"Hmmmm." Broccoli guy entonated as he looked up and began tapping his chin. "Hmmmm." He entonated again, louder. "Hmmmm."

"Oh come on!" Spyro suddenly exclaimed. "Do you know how it works or not!?"

"Geez, someone's cranky," Broccoli Guy said defensively, backing away slowly from Spyro. "Okay, so I don't really know how this whole thing works," Broccoli Guy admitted. "But-" He entonated loudly, pointing staring at Spyro. "-I do know that it's for real. If you are able to pull this thing off again, I'm almost sure you can win." He promised. "The problem's gonna be finding out what triggers it, and from what I can tell-" He paused, putting his stubby hands on his chest. "-You guys can't exactly go and do test runs on the dragon slayers, right?"

"No kidding," Spyro snaped. "But now that you told us all of this, I think it's time we sent you back to where you belong." He said, walking over to Broccoli Guy.

"Yeah, you've got an appointment at Cloudcracker prison," Cynder stepped in. "I'm sure you Doom Raider buddies are missing you."

"W-wait, hold your horses now," Broccoli Guy started up nervously. "You still need me, your friends are still pretty beaten up, I can heal them." He offered.

"You're not the only one with healing magic," Whirlwind interjected. "I can take-"

The cyan dragoness was cut off by the low, ascending sound of laughter. This sudden burst of obnoxious giggles and snickering was coming from Broccoli Guy, who was bent over laughing.

"W-What's so funny!?" Whirlwind demanded angrily.

At that, Broccoli began to compose himself, wiping away tears of laughter from his eyes. "Oh, dear, that was funny. So, let me get this straight, you think you-" He gestured at Whirlwind. "-Can do a better job at healing your friends than me, a professional-" He said, gesturing at himself dramatically. "-With that stupid horn of yours?" He pointed accusingly at Whirlwind's white horn.

At that, Whirlwind visibly lost her composure. She stepped back from Broccoli Guy and looked away, covering her horn with one of her wings. Cyrus had seen her do that before, like a reflex, a sign she was hurt.

"Hey!" Zap yelled at Broccoli Guy. "Take that back!"

"Oh come on!" Broccoli Guy snapped back. "Don't even pretend to care. There hasn't been a dragon since the dawn of time that's been willing to stick their neck out for a unicorn!" He argued.

At that, Zap looked a little taken back he stammered and glanced away. "Y-You don't know what you're-"

"Aw please, I thought good guys were supposed to be honest!" Broccoli Guy said with more energy. "You don't care about her! None of you do!" He stated, pointing at the other dragons in the room.

"Broccoli Guy!" Kaossandra roared suddenly, immediately silencing the green Doom Raider. "As painful as it is to admit, your healing skills are necessary to help heal our new recruits," She spoke, with tangible distaste. "So, you will stay in the Academy for now." She said.

"What!?" Spyro exclaimed. "Kaossandra, you can't-"

"That's final, Spyro!" The sorceress declared, silencing Spyro as well. "Now, you-" She hissed at Broccoli guy. "-Get out of my sight and make yourself useful." She barked, making the Doom Raider slowly back away, floating past the dragons and over to the blue gates.

"And Broccoli Guy," Kaossandra called just as Broccoli Guy was about to exit the common room, causing him to stop and look back for a moment. "If you ever talk to one of my students like that again, I'll send you to Cloudcracker prison, covered in colored wrapping as Wolfgang's chew toy." She threatened.

At that, Broccoli Guy swallowed and spoke shakily. "Y-Yes ma'am." With that, the Doom Raider exited the room, heading over to the infirmary.

Other than the sound of Kaossandra letting out a low, tired sigh as she leaned back into her chair, there was silence.

Cyrus was tense, agitated. He felt like he wanted to punch something, or well, not just something. He had a very particular face in mind. "Can I kill him?" He whispered to Spyro,.

"Later." Spyro whispered back in a frustrated tone.

"H-He," Camo spoke in a low tone. "He was wrong Whirlwind, we- we do care about you." He promised.

Whirlwind didn't respond to the small dragon's words, she just looked down at her paws, still partly hiding her face with her wings.

"I think Whirlwind needs some time alone, Camo," Kaossandra said in a sad tone. "It's alright dear," She added, addressing Whirlwind. "You can go if you want to." She said in a kind tone.

At that, Whirlwind moved to leave, turning around and walking toward the exit. She didn't say a word as she pushed the doors open and let them close behind her, disappearing from the scene.

"Well," Zap began in a low tone. "I feel like trash." He said selfloathingly.

"Like really stinky trash." Camo added, wiping imaginary filth off his shoulders.

"Same." Bash agreed, his head low.

"What was all of that even about!?" Spyro asked, sounding angry. "What did Broccoli Guy mean by Don't pretend to care?" He demanded, a question Cyrus was also very interested on having answered. Both dragons looked expectantly at Eon and Kaossandra, waiting for their answer.

"Spyro," Master Eon spoke. "The bitter rivalry between Unicorns and Dragons, is an ancestral one, dating back to times far before the Great War." He narrated.

"Ever since then," Kaossandra continued. "Both races have hated each other. They pass down that disdain to their children, and then, they do the same to their children, fostering a generational loop of envy and despise." She explained, rubbing her temples and closing her eyes.

"I've never even heard of this, rivalry," Cyrus stated. "What does it even have to do with Whirlwind?" He asked eagerly.

"From what I can tell," Kaossandra began. "Whirlwind is half-dragon-half-unicorn, hybrid, quite possibly the first of her kind." She explained. "This has most likely caused her quite a bit of trouble in regards to fitting in with either of her parent's species." She stated, giving Cyrus an answer, even if it was an unplesant one.

"When I found Spyro," Eon picked up. "I raised him far away from any grudges his ancestry might weigh on him." He explained. "I did my best to groom him to be a hero who looked past the petty prejudice his kind fostered." He added, looking over to Spyro, giving him a small, proud smile. "And, from what I can tell-" He resumed, turning over to Cyrus, a look of pity in his face. "-Even if he treated you like a tool more so than a child, Omen kept you away from this prejudice as well."

Cyrus frowned at that commentary. "Well, I suppose being raised by a phycopath does have its perks after all." He snapped.

"Cyrus," Spyro called, putting a paw on Cyrus' shoulder. "That's not what he meant." He said softly.

Cyrus looked over at his brother, then back at Master Eon. He knew the portal master didn't mean what Cyrus' mind had twisted his words into meaning. It just hurt, and ever since Cyrus could remember, when something hurt, he just reacted.

"I'm sorry," Cyrus apologised, taking a low bow before Master Eon. "I mean no offence." He said, keeping his head low.

"I know young dragon," Master Eon sain in a patient tone. "I should have known better than to try vouching for any of Omen's deeds. The intent behind them was far from benevolent either way." He added with his spite for Omen clear in his tone.

"In any case," Master Eon picked up. "Being part unicorn part dragon in probably a most unpleasant predicament, yet, it is one beyond Whirlwind's power to do anything about." He stated. "I believe that it would help, not only her, but yourselves, if you could all put this ancient grudge behind you and try to help Whirlwind, in any manner you find yourselves capable of." He suggested.

At hearing those words, an idea clicked into place in Cyrus' mind. He raised an eyebrow as he thought it through in his head. He refrained from smiling, for he feared it might reveal the malignity behind his thoughts. Soon however, Cyrus' attention was drawn to the sound of voices other than his those in his thoughts.

"Of course," Bash spoke up to Master Eon's request, sounding honest in his intent. "I'll try to do better."

"We all will." Zap added, sounding just as sincere.

"Yeah!" Camo promised enthusiastically.

"That's good to hear," Kaossandra began with a small smile. "But don't go hunt her down and overwhelm her just yet," She warned. "These kinds of things take a bit of time." She stated.

"And speaking of taking some time," Master Eon picked up. "I believe you all have some recovering to do." He said, looking over to the bruised and bandaged dragons.

"Yeah, we do don't we?" Zap said nervously, absentmindedly picking at a loosened band-aid on his cheek.

"Well alright," Spyro spoke up suddenly. "I suppose the Skylands still need protecting." He said with partially risen spirits.

"That they do," Kaossandra spoke up. "So, get moving people, the faster you all heal the faster we can move to handle these new dragon slayers." She stated.

After this, Cyrus and the others began moving to head out of the common room. When the many dragons left the room, Cyrus could see that Zap and Bash started heading off to the infirmary, indeed planning on getting better faster. Cyrus also noticed that Camo tagged along, running after the two larger dragons with a wide smile on his face.

Meanwhile, Cyrus saw Spyro stand beside Cynder, the two talking to each other. The duo were a bit far away, so he couldn't really understand what they were saying, however, he did managed to catch Cynder saying something like: "We need to talk, please."

The dragoness looked at Spyro with a concerned expression when she said those words, something that made Spyro nod at her understandingly. However, before the purple dragon left off, he turned around, facing Cyrus.

"Hey, man." He called, a small, warm smile on his face.

"Hey." Cyrus replied, smiling back.

"I have to talk with Cynder for a moment," Spyro explained, looking back at the violet dragoness for a moment. "What are you going to do?" He asked as he looked back at Cyrus.

Cyrus though his answer through for a moment. "I'll go take a walk." He lied, in part, convincingly enough to avoid his brother's suspicions anyways.

"Well, in that case," Spyro picked up, patting Cyrus gently on the shoulder. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah," Cyrus agreed, his smile growing just a little bit. "See you later."

With that, Spyro backed away from his brother, waving him goodby before walking over to Cynder, who also waved goodby to Cyrus. As Cyrus returned the courtesy and watched the two dragons take flight to a more private location, he decided to get moving himself.

Cyrus had a rather personal task to tend to, one that would need someone he didn't quite like to do something a bit, humiliating. Hee smiled, a smirk that might have betrayed the questionable morality of what he planned on doing, had someone see him.

However, Cyrus wasn't stressed about his little task, he knew himself to be quite persuasive.

---

Spyro was flying beside Cynder over the Academy grounds. The two dragons headed over to Spyro's house, which quickly appeared in the horizon after they had flown far enough. Once the two were close enough, Spyro and Cynder touched down, one after the other.

They looked to be alone in the island, something they were both grateful for.

After scanning the area, Spyro let out a low sigh and turned to face Cynder. "Well, what did you want to talk about?" He asked tentatively, taking a few steps closer to his friend.

Cynder looked a little uneasy. She wasn't meeting Spyro's eyes and fidgeting with her paws.

"Cynder," Spyro called softly. "You can tell me." He said.

At that, the violet dragoness finally looked up at him. Spyro noticed there was a worried look on her eyes, something that concerned him. However, after taking a small breath, Cynder spoke.

"Spyro," She began. "I remember you told me, that these dragon slayers, weren't like the other villains we fought." She said. "That no one else had scared you like them."

Spyro reluctantly called forth awful memories of Vixen and the dragon slayers ha had fought recently. "It's…" Spyro stammered, the image of Vixen's dead, red eye burning itself onto his subconscious. "It's difficult to explain. Anything I feel when I'm around them, feels, diferent," He struggled. "More, more-"

"Intense," Cynder finished for him. "Less watered down. It's almost like you just know what to feel." She described, almost exactly what Spyro was trying to express. "And it's just really unsettling that what you know you should feel is fear," She entonated, hugging herself. "How are we supposed to fight something we can't help but be afraid of, Spyro?" She asked, her voice shaky.

"You can't" A dark voice in the back of Spyro's head spat. "You know you can't." The voice added spitefully.

Spyro shook his head and focused, shutting the voice out.

He then opened his eyes and looked at Cynder. She was shaking, very subtly, but enough for Spyro to notice, and enough for him to resolve to do something about it. So, he took a step forward and sat on his hind legs in front of Cynder. He then slowly grabed Cynder's paws, squeezing them gently. He heard Cynder let out a small gasp when he did this, but Spyro kept his eyes on Cynder's paws, he liked how they fit in his own.

"I am afraid of them," Spyro confessed. "They want to hurt a lot of people that I care about," He said, holding Cynder's paws just a little tighter. "And I wasn't able to stop them from doing it before. But, I think I learned something." He said, cracking a small smile.

"W-What's that?" Cynder asked softly.

At that, Spyro lifted his head and faced Cynder. Looking into her wide, cerulean blue eyes only cemented what he was about to say. "I have to much to protect to not do anything to stop them," He stated in a steady tone. "I have to protect them," He said, pictureing his new friends. "I have to protect my brother," He stated, pictureing Cyrus. "And… I have to protect you." He finished, giving Cynder a warm smile.

At that, Cynder smiled back and Spyro could feel her tighten her hold on his paws. "I have to protect you too silly," She said as she nuzzled the tip of his snout. "You're too brave for your own good." She said.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Spyro replied with a smirk, causing Cynder to let out a small giggle.

Afterwards, the two of them stayed quiet for a moment, gazing at each other. Spyro could feel his heart beat a little faster as he held Cynder's gaze.

"Are we done here?" The voice suddenly complained, irritating Spyro to the point of accidentaly frowning at Cynder.

"Oh, sorry," Spyro spoke quickly. "Something got inside my nose." He lied simply, letting go of one of Cynder's paws to pick his nose for effect.

"It's alright," Cynder replied calmly. "I actually just remembered something!" She stated, her eyes going round. "Undead Book club!" She exclaimed, leting go of Spyro and taking her paws to her head. "Hex asked me to get the book for tomorrow's session!" She explained.

"Oh, well then you should go get it!" Spyro stated. "Skull will never stop sulking about it if you don't." He said, remembering the familiar's irritable demeanor. "Besides…" Spyro added, darkening slightly. "I have someone to talk to." He said, looking to the side, a frown returning to his face.

"W-Well," Cynder began a little shakily. "You go do that, and I'll… I'll see you later, okay" She proposed mellowly.

"Yeah, of course," Spyro replied, turning his frown into a smile for his friend. "See you later." She promised, just a few moments before, with a powerful beat of her wings, she flew off, leaving Spyro alone… with his thoughts.

Spyro didn't plan on stalling. The purple dragon quickly made his way to his house, walking in a brisk pace. When he was faced with his door, he swung it open and crossed through.

"Someone's in a bad mood." The voice sneered, making the frown on Spyro's face grow more pronounced.

"Shut up." Spyro snapped, his voice echoing slightly throughout his home's empty living room.

The purple dragon made his way up his house stairs, up to his room. There, as he was sliding his door open, the voice spoke again. "Did I step in at a bad time?" It asked with mock-concern as Spyro stepped into his room. "Cuz, you have to admit, that looked pretty cheesy, or it did to me at least." It said with a cruel chuckle.

"Shut up!" Spyro shouted, as he swung his room's door shut. Resting his weight against it.

Spyro had a headache, his ears were ringing and his body was tensed up. "What do you think you're you doing?" He asked, in a low, serious tone.

"Ohhh no," The voice began. "If you want to talk to me, you have to do it to my face." It stated.

"I don't want to talk to you." Spyro snapped as he turned around, and started walking toward the mirror on the opposite side of the room, the one he'd turned against the wall.

"Maybe not," The voice began, just as Spyro placed his paws on the tall mirror. "But you're gonna." The voice finished maliciously, causing Spyro to freeze for a moment.

Spyro clutched the metal frame of his mirror tightly. He could feel the cold. smooth surface of the crystal on the tips of his claws. He knew what was going to happen, he knew who was waiting for him on the flip side of this mirror. There was no point in delaying it.

And so, taking a deep breath to steady himself, eyes closed, Spyro pulled the mirror, flipping it over, aiming the crystal surface to himself. He then stepped back, taking another deep breath. As he let out a long exhale, Spyro opened his eyes and faced the image in front of him head on.

It was his reflection, sitting on its hind legs, just like him, on an empty room, just like him. The image had his same body, his same face and his same fiery red eyes, staring back at him.

But there was something off. There was a malevolent glint in those eyes, something that betrayed the fact the image in the mirror wasn't really Spyro. Well, that and the fact the reflection had pale silver horns and jet black scales.

"So," Dark Spyro began, a mocking smirk on his face. "Didya miss me?" He asked, stretching out his arms and puffing out his chest.

"I don't think I can tell you how much I haven't missed you," Spyro replied dryly.

"Ouch, harsh." Dark Spyro replied in a mock-hurt tone.

"What do you want?" Spyro asked, sounding irritated.

At that, Dark Spyro seemed to simmer down. His arrogant smile faded and he composed himself a bit. He looked at Spyro for a moment, his red eyes scanning the purple dragon.

He then took a deep breath and put his paws together. "How do I put this?" Dark Spyro began. "Lets see, ever since you had that great moment of, heroic revelation-" He entonated derisively. "-To shove me back into that scrawny little body of yours instead of finishing the job," He paused. "You've put me in a very uncomfortable situation." He stated.

"Oh, so you would have liked me to kill you back then? Is that it?" Spyro demanded angrily.

He had no reason to have spared his dark doppelganger's the day his friends broke him free of his control and the implication that was a mistake pissed Spyro off more than he thought it would.

"Noooo, of course not," Dark Spyro assured. "I just looove being trapped in someone else's head. Yours has a whole lot of empty space! It's quite comfy!" He joked cruelly, making Spyro clench his jaw.

"Look," Dark Spyro picked up in a very serious tone, "What I am trying to say is: If you die-" He pointed at Spyro through the mirror's glass. "I die." He gestured at himself. "And the way you keep testing these dragon slayer psychos," He entonated. "That's bound to happen sooner or later."

At that, Spyro realized something. Faint memories in the back of his mind began piecing themselves together into a realization. "It was you," Spyro began, a small smile pulling at his lips. "You were that little voice in my head telling me to run away all along, weren't you?" Spyro asked.

At that, Dark Spyro just frowned and crossed his arms.

"Huh," Spyro began. "I didn't know you were a coward." He said with a smug smirk.

Dark Spyro didn't seem to like that. He growled and bared his teeth, and spoke in an impatient tone. "You are going to get yourself killed," He hissed. "And I don't plan on letting you drag me down with you." He declared.

"Oh really?" Spyro began, crossing his arms over his chest. "And how are you going to do that?" He asked daringly, feeling confident.

As Spyro held his dark counterpart's gaze, he felt his confidence drain slowly. He saw Dark Spyro's expression change insidiously, from an irritated frown, to a thin, cruel grin.

"It doesn't matter how," He stated simply. "We both know I'm going to do it," He said calmly, making Spyro flinch. "And you know, I've noticed you've made a whole lot of new friends," He said dangerously. "I'd love to get to know them."

"Watch it." Spyro snapped, unnerved at the idea his counterpart was implying.

"I would also really like get to know our new brother!" Dark Spyro said with malicious excitement. "He looks like the kind of guy I'd get along with."

"Shut. Up." Spyro commanded, clenching his fists, his body shaking, fire burning in his chest.

"Oh and Cynder," Dark Spyro added with fake-sounding delight. "I know I sounded a bit unenthusiastic before but, she looks great!" He said, licking his lips maliciously.

"Shut up!" Spyro roared as his body moved by itself out of rage.

The purple dragon slammed his fist against the smooth crystal of the mirror, creating a large, winding web of cracks and breaks throughout its surface.

Pain pulsed through Spyro's fist. He could feel the cold, sharp edges of the glass shards pressing against his scales, his paw throbbing from the impact. His breathing had quickened, and gotten heavier. He was looking at the wooden floor beneath him, where he could see his other paw, balled up into a fist so tightly his whole arm was shaking.

"I won't let you hurt them," Spyro said steadily. "I promise you, if you try…" He paused as he lifted his head and stared at the image of his counterpart through the cracked glass. "You won't have to worry about being trapped in my head." He threatened with a stern frown.

At this, Dark Spyro remained silent, for a moment. "We'll see." He said, a thin smile spreading through the shattered image of his face. "We'll see." He repeated as the image of his dark visaige shimmering under the fragile shards of the shattered mirror.

The the image cleared up, Spyro found himself staring back at himself, at his own face. His scales were purple his horns were golden and his expression was that of exhaustion.

Spyro then let out a low sigh as he lowered his fist. "We'll see." He whispered in a defeated tone.

---

Broccoli Guy was floating through the isles on Skylander Academy grounds. The small green Doom Raider had a grumpy little frown and muttered under his breath as he made his way to the Academy Infirmary.

"Stupid dragons," He grumbled. "Stupid Whirlwind, stupid Kaossandra. They can't just ship me back to Cloudcracker Prison like some crate of bad vegetables!" He told himself as he passed by a row of shadowy trees.

"I'll show them," He said as he stepped over the shadow the leaves above him cast. "I'll show them all!" He promised, waving his green arm in the air.

"Show them what?" A quiet, slightly raspy voice sounded suddenly, coming from behind Broccoli Guy.

At that, Broccoli Guy turned around, and opened his eyes wide, looking for whoever had spoken. However, he saw no one, nothing other than the trunks of the trees nearby. Whoever had spoken was not there anymore. Even so, Broccoli Guy could feel a tiny drop of sweat trailing down his temple. So, as he wiped the sweat off, Broccoli Guy turned back around.

When he did this, Broccoli Guy let out a shrill, high-pitched scream as he jumped back in fright.

Now standing in front of him, was a dark purple dragon. Broccoli Guy had heard not the sound of steps or wingbeats, this dragon might as well have appeared out of thin air. That, coupled with the fact the indigo dragon was glaring at him with a pair of venomous, snake-like, green eyes, while he kept a perfectly expressionless face, was more than enough to make Broccoli Guy's teeth clatter.

"Y-You're Spyro's brother," Broccoli Guy stammered. "C-C-Cyrus, was it?" He tried sounding friendly.

"I'll cut to the chase," Cyrus began, stepping closer to Broccoli Guy, not paying any mind to his words and causing him to float backwards, toward one of the trees nearby. "I want you to apologise." He stated simply.

"A-Apologise?" Broccoli Guy asked just as he felt his back touch the rough bark of the tree behind him. "Apologise for what?"

"Not for what," Cyrus started as he loomed over Broccoli Guy. "But to whom." He corrected.

At that, Broccoli Guy's eyes went round. "Ohhhh, really!?" He exclaimed. "You can't be serious, this is about the half unicorn girl?" He asked. "Come on man, we both know you don't really care about what happens to-"

"I'm going to give you a chance to apologise for your behaviour," Cyrus interrupted, speaking in a severe tone, all while keeping his toxic green eyes fixated on Broccoli Guy, sending little waves of chills down his back whenever the Doom Raider met them. "As I've learned that even people like me need it from time to time." He added, finally showing a flinch in his expression. If only a tiny one, in the form of his left eye, twitching, very, very subtly.

Broccoli Guy was a little unsure of what to do next. The only person he would ever allow himself to grovel to, was Golden Queen, not some emo purple dragon. "What happens if I don't want to apologise?" He asked daringly as he crossed his arms over his chest and put on a pouty frown.

Cyrus didn't seem very angered by this, he just stared at Broccoli Guy for a moment, a moment Broccoli Guy spent holding his breath. Then, out of nowhere, Cyrus just held his paw out to Broccoli Guy, as if he were expecting a handshake.

Broccoli Guy was confused about this at first, but as he lifted his gaze form Cyrus's paw to his face, he noticed that the indigo dragon was smiling, a small strange smile.

The Doom Raider didn't really know what this was all about, but the dragon's smile seemed genuine enough. So, in good spirits, Broccoli Guy stretched out his own hand and let Cyrus take a hold of it.

The dragon did not squeeze hard enough for Broccoli Guy to feel pain. It was just a handshake, which made Broccoli Guy sigh with relief.

"Wow," Cyrus began in a calm tone. "I am getting better at it after all." He said simply.

Broccoli Guy didn't really understand what Cyrus meant by that, until he saw the indigo dragon's smile fade and felt his grip tighten considerably. Then, Broccoli Guy looked down at Cyrus' paw and saw that it started glowing a bloody red light. At that, Broccoli Guy felt like Cyrus' hand transformed into a block of arctic ice.

He felt his blood freeze in his veins and his lungs shrink. Broccoli Guy suddenly was having a really hard time breathing and he swore he was getting the cutting, intense pain of frostbite on his hand.

"Now," Cyrus picked up. "About that apology." He said in a cold tone as he tightened his grip on Broccoli Guy's hand.

"Y-You can't… do this!" Broccoli Guy tired saying. "Skylanders are…. s-supposed to b-b-be all… he-heroic!" He stammered.

Cyrus just leaned closer to Broccoli Guy, to eye level with him, so he cold stare right at Broccoli Guy with his poisoned gaze. Then, Broccoli guy saw as Cyrus smiled again, a different smile, one Broccoli Guy was sure was genuine. The cruel simplicity was unfakeable.

"Who said I was a Skylander?" Cyrus asked, his smile widening.

Broccoli Guy let out a small, frightened squeal as she shrank in fear. He guessed he could grovel to this guy too.

---

Whirlwind was walking through the Academy grounds, back to her new house.

She walked with her head low throughout bridges and little isles with green grass and bushes. She was feeling really tired for some reason, her whole body felt heavy and her spirits were low, partly the reason why she didn't want to just fly over to her home.

All she could think about was what had happened back in the common room. All those things Broccoli Guy had said, they hurt, because Whirlwind always felt, somewhere deep inside that they were true, she just didn't think it would hurt this much to be faced with them.

She didn't blame her companions though, she knew they didn't want to think all those things, even if they did.

Whirlwind then stepped into a large isle with a couple of bushes near its edges. She was getting close to her house, a small relife by itself. So, Whirlwind continued her little walk and made her way to the middle of the island. However, that was as far as she got, for she was faced with a troubling sight.

She saw one of the bushes in front of her come to life. It's green foliage moving unnaturally, as if the plant were standing up. That's when Whirlwind realized, it wasn't a bush at all, it was none other than Broccoli Guy. The cyan dragoness' fell flat on her head and she took a step back as the green Doom Raider began approaching her with an irritated look on his face.

"W-What do you want?" Whirlwind demanded defensively, taking another step back.

Broccoli Guy just stared at her in silence. He looked more and more irritated by the moment and was emitting a low-pitch groan. Then, he closed his eyes as he let out a long, stressed sigh.

"Hello there," Broccoli Guy began, doing a roboting-looking wave. "I would like to apologise for all the mean and stupid things I said." He stated, in a way that made it sound like he was reading the word off a scrip, a script he didn't really like.

"Uhhh, okay?" Whirlwind replied, slightly weirded out, but partly intrigued.

"I want to say," Broccoli Guy picked up, groaning. "That I don't think your horn is stupid, and that it's much better than my lame, eat-your-greens healing powers." He declared, rolling his eyes in annoyment.

At that, Whirlwind let out a little giggle. "Gee, Broccoli Guy, thanks." She sneered.

The small Doom Raider groaned and glared at Whirlwind, but for some reason, he kept himself in place. "And," He continued, speaking from his little script. "To show you that I am truly sorry," He paused, his expression softening from one of irritation into one of embarrassment. "I… I've…" He stammered.

"Yes?" Whirlwind asked wryly, eager to see where this was going.

At that, Broccoli Guy just let out a final defeated sigh and looked up at Whirlwind. "I've prepared an apology dance." He said in a deflated tone as he let his arms slump down.

Then, Whirlwind saw Broccoli Guy raise one of his hands over his head and place the other on his hip. After this, the Doom Raider started humming a little song Whirlwind couldn't recognise as he started swaying his hips from side to side, while he spun slowly in place and waved his hand above his head.

Whirlwind covered her mouth with her paws, in an attempt to muffle the laughter she was unable to hold at the sight of the little green creature's fittingly little dance.

But it wasn't over yet. After a few more moments of spinning and humming, Broccoli Guy stopped turning and after a brief pause, faced Whirlwind, backed up a few feet and then slid forward through the ground, fashing an unenergetic pair of jazz hands as a finale to his little dance.

Whirlwind was bending over laughing, her paws no longer covering the joyous outburst coming from her mouth. Instead, the dragoness clutched her sides, which were starting to ache from laughing so hard. She cold feel tiny tears stream out of her eyes, tears she wiped away as she slowly composed herself and straightened her posture.

Whirlwind let out one last chuckle as she finished rubbing her eyes and catching her breath. She then looked down at Broccoli Guy, who had a huge, humiliated blush on his face.

He looked quite upset, but even now, he did nothing to cause unrest. In fact he spoke some more of his scripted lines. "I hope that my dance was entertaining."

"Oh, it was." Whirlwind declared proudly with a small snicker.

Broccoli Guy laughed mirthlessly at the commentary before resuming. "I also hope you can accept my humble apology," He stated. "And rest assured I won't ever disrespect you again." He promised sound unconvinced at his own words.

"Apology accepted," Whirlwind said with a small joke-bow. "And I'll keep you to that promise." She added.

At that, Broccoli Guy just grunted something that sounded like "Whatever," And proceeded to float past Whirlwind, his head low, grumbling to himself as he left the isle and the cyan dragoness behind, heading to what Whirlwind guessed was the Academy Infirmary.

Once she saw Broccoli Guy's figure grow smaller and smaller with the growing distance, Whirlwind felt at ease to think for a moment. However, it took Whirlwind a moment to focus, because she realized she was smiling, and that she hadn't stopped smiling since Broccoli Guy put on his peculiar display.

After clearing her head, the dragoness concluded there was no way the Doom Raider had had a change of heart, especially not that fast. She began pondering who could have been the one who set up such a bizarre little show for her, and who was intimidating enough to convincing Broccoli guy into humiliating himself like that.

After she looked at it for a moment, Whirlwind's eyes went round, and her ears shot up. She figured it out, and smiled wryly at the realization. Afterwards, the cyan dragoness endeavored to face the person who had set up this little show.

And so, Whirlwind turned back around and started running, heading toward the main Academy building.

She had quite a bit of ground to cover, since the building was a fair distance away and the many islands in between were split apart by gaps and bridges. Some of the isles were dotted by shadowy trees.

Whirlwind could feel the light of the sun on her back, so she decided to walk toward the Academy down a path with a little more shade. And so, she walked through an isle which had a short row of trees.

The shade the green leaves above her cast down, allowed Whirlwind to let out a relieved sigh and walk a little slower. As she did this, Whirlwind started to take a moment to think what she wanted to say, she hadn't really thought about it.

"Whirlwind?" A voice breathed down her neck.

Whirlwind let out a small frightened yelp and jump, as she turned around to see who had snuck up on her.

When she did this, the cyan dragoness' eyes went round for a moment, for she hadn't expected the person she wanted to find, actually finding her.

"Cyrus!" She called the indigo dragon's name as she composed herself. "I uh, didn't see you there," She said. "Or hear you." She added, a little unnerved by how stealthy he could be.

"Yes, I seem to just, do that," He said awkwardly, scratching the side of his chest. "In any case, I'll let you to your business." He stated with a polite nod before he moved to turn around and leave.

"No wait!" Whirlwind exclaimed, making Cyrus freeze in place. "I actually wanted to talk to you about something." She stated as Cyrus turned back to face her.

"What do you want to talk about?" He asked casually.

Whirlwind then smirked wryly, something she noticed made Cyrus get a little nervous, since he started glancing away. "I wanted to thank you," She said, still smirking.

"F-For what?" Cyrus asked a little shakily as he tried keeping his cool.

"For what you made Broccoli Guy do," She answered, making Cyrus' eyes go round. "It was really funny." She said with a small chuckle as she remembered the little Doom Raider wiggling around.

At that, Whirlwind saw Cyrus relax for a moment, let a shadow of a smile grow on his face. However, the indigo dragon soon composed himself and looked away. "How do you know it was me?" He asked. "Anyone could have made him dance like that."

"Well, lets see," Whirlwind began with a joking tone. "Sunburn and Drobot are stuck in the infirmary for now," She began. "Camo and Zap are not really scary enough to make a Doom Raider humiliate himself like that," She added. "And while I did think Spyro, Cynder or Bash could have put something like this together, I'm now sure it was you." She stated, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at Cyrus with an expectant smile and raised brow.

Cyrus was sweating now,only a few drops, but he was. "W-Why is that?" He asked.

"I didn't tell you Broccoli did a dance," She stated, making Cyrus' close his eyes shut tightly and face palmed, as if he realized he made a mistake. "You could only have known that if you told him to do so." She explained, presenting the final piece of evidence.

Cyrus then took his paw of his face and took a deep breath. "Yes, fine, I told Broccoli Guy to apologise to you." He admitted in a defeated, mildly embarrassed tone.

She had already figured it out, but Whirlwind felt good hearing it from him. "Thank you for that," She said in a mellow tone. "No one's ever done something like that for me before." She stated, truthfully.

This was the first time she remembered anyone doing so much just to make her feel better.

Cyrus didn't seem to know how to respond, he just stared at Whirlwind in silence before he spoke in a low voice, averting Whirlwind's eyes. "You're welcome, I just… wanted to…" He paused, thinking about his words. After a small sigh, he spoke. "I noticed you were hurt by what he said," He began. "I… I didn't want it to get to you, that's all." He explained dodgingly.

Hearing that made Whirlwind's smile waver. She saw Cyrus frown with regret, his eyes unfocused. "Why does he keep doing that?" She asked herself, not outloud for Cyrus to hear. She felt strange, unsure of what to think. She looked down at her paws, a sense of unfulfillment, weighing heavily on her.

"W-Well… I should go home," Whirlwind picked up suddenly. "I need to get some sleep." She made up cheaply. After this, Whirlwind began to move to leave the scene. "Goodbye, Cyrus-"

"Wait!" The indigo dragon exclaimed suddenly, taking Whirlwind by surprise.

"Y-Yes?" She asked nervously.

Cyrus pursed his lips and took a moment, scratching his neck as he did. "You are going to your new house here, right?" He asked awkwardly.

"Yes?" Whirlwind replied in a similar tone.

"Well, I could- I would-" Cyrus stammered and corrected himself. "I-I could walk with you until you get there," He suggested. "I-If you'll have me!" He added rapidly, a tiny drop of sweat trailing down his temple.

Whirlwind smiled at the idea. "A-Alright." She agreed, noticing Cyrus relax slightly. "After all, there's no way of telling what Broccoli Guy is going to do now, is there?" She asked with raised eyebrow and a small giggle.

Cyrus let out an amused scoff at her commentary, but stepped to his side and gestured for Whirlwind to head toward the road back to her home. "After you," He said with a little bow. "I don't know where you live." He added with an embarrassed smile.

Whirlwind just smiled as she walked forward, stepping past Cyrus and heading on her way back home. Whirlwind walked with a little concern at first, because at times she felt like Cyrus just vanished. She looked behind her, as if to make sure he was still there, only to make herself feel stupid when she saw him walking calmly behind her, a zen expression on his face that turned into one of mild curiosity whenever he caught Whirlwind glancing back at him.

The indigo dragon was an extremely silent walker, Whirlwind never heard the sound of a step come from his paws through the distance the two covered. However, after a while, Whirlwind began to relax, ease into the fact that, Cyrus had followed her this far, and he would follow her this last stretch of the way.

And so, Whirlwind sighed as she relaxed and kept walking without looking back. She decided to put a little bit of trust on Cyrus, even if she wasn't completely sure on the reason why.

But then, something made Whirlwind let out a quiet gasp and made her ears stand on point. She heard a peculiar sound, not random, but consistent and distinct. She realized it was humming, a calm, serene little melody.

Whirlwind's eyes then went round when she realized who was the one humming. She never took Cyrus to like music, but the quiet, almost polite humming had a noticeable rhythm.

The sound was quiet and soothing, and had the added bonus of confirming that Cyrus was indeed still there, something that put Whirlwind at ease, for the remaining duration of her trip home.

It wasn't long before the two dragons arrived at Whirlwind's new home, both of them standing beneath the looming shadow it cast. The indigo dragon was sitting on his hind legs to Whirlwind's left, looking at her house with careful detail.

"Well," Cyrus began, standing up. "Here we are," He said, gesturing at the large house. "So… I guess this is where I leave you."

"Y-Yeah, this is it." Whirlwind agreed, fidgeting with her paws, looking to her right.

"I… guess I'll leave then," Cyrus stated in a slightly deflated tone. "See you later." He said as he began walking away.

Whirlwind was disheartened by the indigo dragon's dry exit. She hung her head down as her eyes drooped.

"Hey," Cyrus' voice called suddenly.

Whirlwind then lifted her head and looked over to Cyrus with curious eyes. She saw the indigo dragon, a few meters away, looking at her with a thin smile on his face.

"W-What's your favorite color?" He asked simply, keeping his eyes on Whirlwind.

She needed to take a moment to process the question. No one had asked her that before, no one seemed to care, other that the indigo dragon in front of her, patiently waiting for the answer.

Whirlwind then looked up at the sky above her with wide eyes. She felt herself smile and a strange sensation of warmth spread through her body as she remembered the answer, her favorite color.

"White," Whirlwind answered as she looked at the passing clouds above her. "My favorite color is white." She repeated as she lowered her head and smiled at Cyrus.

This in turn, made Cyrus smile wider and nod his head, as if he just learned and understood a whole new subject. "That's good to know." He said warmly.

After this, Cyrus turned around and proceeded to walk away, leaving Whirlwind alone with her thoughts. Speaking of her thoughts, Whirlwind had a huge stream of questions and pieces of thoughts that were trying to piece themselves together. It made her incapable of focusing.

She was only sure of one thing; that, that little experience she had just had with Cyrus, was the first of its kind in her life, it made her opinion of the indigo dragon became hazy. The back of her mind kept reminding her of the things Cyrus had done in the past, of the things he did to her and to the others. But, she also remembered all that had happened recently, and all the things Spyro had said about him, that he never even meant to do all those terrible things.

But, could she be sure? Whirlwind decided that only time was going to be able to tell. In the meantime, Whirlwind had her mind set on a pleasant, head-clearing nap. So, without further delay, Whirlwind began walking toward her house.

However, before Whirlwind could get close, to her door, she heard her name be called by a distant voice. Whirlwind found this voice familiar, she could tell it was the voice of a friend. And when she turned around and saw the outline of a violet dragoness flying down to meet her, Whirlwind knew she had guessed right.

"Cynder!" Whirlwind called as her friend landed a few feet away. "What are you doing here?" She asked in a curious tone when she noticed Cynder was breathing abit hard, as if she was catching her breath.

"Oh, I was just on my way to my house," Cynder began. "I'm supposed to have something delivered there I want to make sure is ready for tomorrow." She explained.

"Really? What are you having delivered?" Whirlwind asked with intrigue.

"Oh just a book for me and some friends to read," Cynder replied. "See, we're part of this Book Club, and every week one of us is supposed to bring a book to read. As it so happens, it's my turn." She stated.

"Oh, that sounds like fun!" Whirlwind said with excitement.

"It is, Hex always brings the best books, but me and Roller Brawl bring in the occasional literary jewel." Cynder joked, getting a little giggle out of Whirlwind. However, Cynder suddenly fixed her eyes on Whirlwind, and fell silent for a moment. "Actually Whirlwind," She picked up, a smile growing on her face. "How would you like joining us tomorrow?" She asked.

Whirlwind's ears then shot upward as her eyes went round when she heard those words. She wasn't really expecting them. "What? You want me to join you?" She asked, dumbfounded.

"Yeah, it'd be nice to have a new girl in the club," Cynder said in a casual tone. "Besides, we're friends already, aren't we?" She asked, nudging Whirlwind gently on the shoulder.

Whirlwind felt a wave of warmth spread through her after this. She had hoped to become friends with Cynder at some point, she had no idea the violet dragoness already considered her as one. "Y-Yeah, of course we're friends." Whirlwind agreed in a shaky voice.

"Great!" Cynder exclaimed in a happy tone. "Then I'll see you tomorrow! The Club gathers at noon in the Academy courtyard," She stated. "Don't miss it!" She said as she began to take flight and head to her home. "Bye, Whirlwind!" She shouted as she flew off.

"Bye Cynder!" Whirlwind shouted as she waved her friend goodbye.

As she saw Cynder's figure shrink, and eventually vanish in the distance, Whirlwind felt joy swell up within her heart because of one, simple, yet worldchanging realization. She had friends, something she had searched for and had yearned to have for the longest time, it made her smile widely and fell a peculiar tightness in her chest.

So, Whirlwind turned around, and opened the door to her home. She was eager to go sleep, not because she was tired, the weight of sorrow had left her entirely.

She wanted to sleep because she was eager for tomorrow.

---

Unulus was looking at the ceiling on his cell. The glowing golden sheen that surrounded the entirety of his cell made it difficult for him to sleep. The shimmering of the gilded walls stung his eye whenever he focused too much. So, he let out a groan and closed his eye shut.

But that didn't help either. Despite the fact the prison was on Lights Out and that the criminals on the cells in the same hallway as his were asleep, hence, not making any noise, it only caused Unulus to be left alone with his thoughts, and those weren't exactly pleasant company.

Unulus couldn't stop thinking about what had happened with his brethren. What would their fate be under Muno's lead. He had hoped his companion could lead his people to greatness, or at the very least, to safety.

But perhaps it was meant to be, the undoing of the cyclops forever, they were few of them now, fewer who wanted to work together, fewer still who kept the old ways in high regard. Perhaps it was a losing battle at the end of the day, and the thought did nothing but anger Unulus.

However, Unulus found his anger skyrocket, when out of nowhere, he felt the prick of a needle sting him in the neck, delivering a sharp whisper of pain. The pain was accompanied by a sudden wave of cold that covered every inch of Unulus' body.

Unulus hissed at the pain and placed a hand over the area from where the pain had come from. He was used to cruel cold, but this was diferent and it made him wary. He then got on his feet and scanned his cell for whoever or what ever had pricked him.

But then, when Unulus focused his eye on a small, hunchback creature with a dragon skull for a head, all of Unulus' bravery couldn't stop him from letting out a small yelp.

After quickly composing himself however, Unulus noticed the creature had a needle in one of his hands, a needle that was tinted slightly red. So, putting two and two together, Unulus narrowed his eye and spoke.

"Did you really come all this way to die, hunchback?" Unulus asked dangerously, clenching his sharp gauntlets.

"No," The creature replied in a croaky voice. "I came her to ask for your help." He stated as he took his free hand and drove it into a black pouch he had on his belt.

Unulus then saw the creature pull out a single, fiery red feather from his pouch. Then, the creature took the feather and used it to clean Unulus' blood off the needle. After this, the creature began muttering something that sounded like gibberish. Unulus guessed it was witchcraft of some kind, because as the creature muttered, the feather it was holding, began to glow, like a bright torch.

After this, the creature tossed the feather at the ground before him. Then, the feather began spewing flames and sparks upward, like a bonfire. However, as Unulus watched silently, captivated by the display, he started noticing a few strange things.

Firstly, he noticed the flames were taking from, creating an outline of a shape. The fire created a faint sensation of heat in Unulus' body, stopping some of the cold that had crept into the air around him. Then, Unulus noticed the flames began to dull down, and create shadows, diferent colors and far more defined shapes.

And then, when the creature's work had finally taken shape, Unulus shuddered and took a step back. He was looking at himself, a mirror image, except for the fact, there was no mirror.

"What sorcery is this?" Unulus demanded as he tore his gaze from his brand new doppleganger to the creature that created it.

"Ahhh, phoenix feathers are so useful," The creature sighed as he looked from Unulus' doppleganger to the real deal. "This little fella will keep up the ilusion you're still trapped here. It'll buy us a whole lot of time." He stated.

The doppelganger then moved, in a natural, convincing manner and proceeded to lay down on the bed Unulus himself had just gotten up from. All of this made Unulus feel like the doppelganger was indeed quite the convincing facade, he just wondered why it was needed.

"Time for what?" Unulus demanded, confused by the situation.

At that, Unulus saw the maroon creature look up at him, fixating it's single yellow eye on him. Then, the creature just extended his hand out to Unulus, as if he wanted him to take it.

"For people to remember." The creature said simply, holding his hand out insistently.

Unulus narrowed his eye. "Remember what?" he asked skeptically.

"The truth," The creature answered. "The truth about dragons." He added with a bitter tone.

At that, Unulus' eye went round. He had no idea what this creature intended, for he had just met them. But, there was a part of him, that was starting to be drawn to this creature, almost as if there was a voice in his head telling him there was something about this creature, something that meant it understood, just as well as him, what dragonfire is really all about.

In any case, this creature had snuck into this supposedly high security prison completely unnoticed, so Unulus concluded it could also get him out.

And so, taking a deep breath, and clearing his mind of doubts for the time being, Unulus stretched his arm down and grasped the creature's hand. It was cold as death, and Unulus could feel it through his gauntlet.

After this, the creature's glowing eye curved upwards, making Unulus feel like it was smiling under it's grimm mask. And then, Unulus felt gravity lose it's pull on his body. He felt his flesh turn to smoke and his consciousness be whisked away, to a completely diferent place.

---

Author's notes

Heya guys. I am so sorry this took so long, I just had way too much stuff on my plate. I tryed getinf time on my scheduel but it didn't really work out. However, the chapter is here, as promised, and there are Definitely more coming!

Speaking of this chapter, I know the new "guest" might seem a bit conveniently placed, seeing as a lot of you guys wanted him to show up, however, I had plans to add Dark Spyro a long time ago. I liked him quite a bit in the show and since we didn't really get to see what actually happened to him, I thought I could put him here. I hope you guys like how he turns out :)

- I still don't own Sklanders Academy

- And then there were three... what will the newly reunited dragon slayers do next?