The Legend Of Spyro: Love And War Book 2

by Spyro and Cynder lover

Continuation Of Book One! With Malefor returned to normal, Spyro and Cynder in love, and everyone now back to their normal lives, another threat; Flint, the new Dark Master, will put everyone and friendships to the test, mixing lies and threats against one another. Death is around every corner, lives at risk, and sometimes, not even being dead means you're forgotten.

52. Chapter 52: The Rebels Vs Prosperity

Chapter 52: The Rebels Vs Prosperity

"Come on, mom! Are you just letting me win at this point, or...?"

Flying near sky high where possibilities were limitless, Ava zipped, circled, and twirled throughout the sky at high speeds. Her wings flapped, her smile extended from laughter, and the energy she felt within seemed limitless. The mother on the other hand was nearly the opposite of how her daughter was acting. Serena seemed worried, annoyed, and quite afraid. The poisonous female tired to play it off, joining in on the laughter by poking fun at her daughter, "Says the wind dragoness. You're lucky you got your father's abilities and not my own, or else I would've smoked you by now."

"Yeah yeah," The wind dragoness giggled, flying to the left side of her mother to better have a conversation with her, "Let me guess... you would've flown to the top of the Guardians' building and sat in wait for me hours after you had landed with my powers, am I right?" Serena laughed to this, seeing that her child knew her so well, "Jokes aside, why do you look so worried? Your voice didn't do you any favors either, and ever since we started our trip back to Warfang, you seem so tensed. Why is that?"

"What?! Me?! Afraid?! Hehe, why would I be afraid?" Serena wasn't a very good liar.

"Mom. Come on," Ava raised a brow to her, wanting the truth behind it all, "Before we left home, I asked if you were excited to see dad again. Where I jumped for joy, you sat there, cautiously optimistic. Which I mean, yeah, that's a good thing but, what do you honestly have to worry about?" Such a question was something Serena didn't want her young one to have the weighted answer of, but Ava was persistent, "I know you're trying to stay strong, and I know you're trying to protect me: Spyro's words got to me too. But not telling me what to be worried about or what to look out for will only makes things worse for you."

Unfortunately for Serena, Ava was right. Holding back the truth was more painful to her than actually admitting where her mind was at. The fake smile was quick to disappear, never really having a foundation to stay up anyways. Now her face was filled with dread, the idea of what this day could bring hung her down heavily in despair: her voice making these displeasures known, "I could die today... Ava. You... could die today. There's no guarantee in anything that's about to happen, but all I know is... I don't have a child-like outlook on what's about to happen. Who knows if Amara will execute your father on the spot, who knows if Spyro's been planning behind our backs to take us all down. He has us in the palm of his paw. I don't like the idea of being powerless; having to rely on someone else when we don't even know their true motives, it's... ...it's worrying," The pace within her wing flaps slowed, her energy to move forward draining at all these ideas, "Spyro seems like such a great guy. He's got passion, heart, a drive to do what's right... ...but what is it that makes him different? Negative in a way. What within him thinks that being a villain is a good thing, and that all of this now is pointless," Laying down some heavy fire with these thoughts and horrific futures, Serena sighed, apologizing even to her daughter, "I'm sorry... ...I don't want to kill your hopes or excitement, it's just..."

"Mom... do you trust me?"

"What?" The mother rasied her head, "Ava, sweetheart, of course I do. I love you to the moon and back, and I'm thankful to your father for allowing me to have you."

"I've heard this story a thousand times mom," Ava waved her paw and rolled her eyes, still smiling however as she didn't want to come across as rude, "My dad never wanted to have a hatchling because he hated the idea of birth. You being in pain and him without anything to do to help was agonizing to him."

"Hehehe, okay - okay, you got me. I'm sorry," A laugh helped little, but their time together was more than helpful.

"I asked if you trusted me because... ...well... in many ways, I... really don't see the need to fear," To help aid her mother, and guide her away from these burdens, the dragoness gave her views, "I'm beyond excited to meet everyone again. Maybe not the males, but... Flair, Claire, Carith, Ersa, Trish... hell... even, Cynder."

"You... actually trust her?"

"When she had pinned me to the wall while Spyro held your head down, I lost it from head to toe. I, and all of my senses, believed she would've killed me right than and there. I was frightened to all hell, on the verge of a panic attack, and felt my heart beating to a point of an explosion. It felt as though I was seconds away from a heart attack, and I just... I couldn't take it," The pain was felt back to her, the phantom feelings of tears, pressure, and blood-rush were all there, "But when Cynder spoke to me... when she understood me... and gave me a chance to breathe, to relax, and to not be held down like some useless doll... ...I was never able to thank her for that," Remembering the banter that Cynder and Spyro had made once again brought upon a laugh, "Hearing those two go at it was pretty funny. 'A snake? No. I'd say you're more like my lover. Cynder's really cute. Always so submissive'," She mimicked Spyro's voice, "'Because you cheat! Stop grabbing my hips and warming your tongue before you grab me, then maybe I'd stand a chance!'" Ava then mimicked Cynder's voice before going back to Spyro's, "'That's something else Cynder seems to have so much of: weakness'. Hehehe."

"Hehe, yeah. To be honest, when Spyro said he declined Amara's offer, I truly didn't believe him. But after seeing the chemistry between those two, there's no doubt in my mind that those two will make time for a hatchling after turning eighteen."

"Which is something I'm confused about. At the age of sixteen, you can have a hatchling, at least, for some that I've talked to in Prosperity. Though him not rushing things is a real rare type of male nature. It's weird to hear a guy know that he has the power to do anything but chooses such a human specific route. Still find it disturbing that you tried to bang him though."

"I didn't try to bang him, for the final time," Serena was visibly and audibly angry when it came to her daughter bringing something like this up, especially since it wasn't her first or second time saying this, "I said that to protect you. Worst case scenario, he agrees, I set up the meet and we stay on the run for the rest of our lives. Best case which we surprisingly got, he'd disagree, and we'd find out more on the man that he truly is."

"I don't know mom. That, 'I love you', seemed 'pre-tty', sincere to me."

"Well, I've had plenty of practice lying with such words. Take some of the times from you when I said I loved you."

"WHA...?! MOM!"

"Hehehehe," Serena got a real kick out of that one, "I'm joking, you little goofball."

"Uh-huh," Ava was on high alert after that joke, "Anyways, maybe he only said that cause Cynder was there. Or maybe because he's sixteen and you're in your forties."

"Amara's in her early thirties, yet looks like a young twenty. If he declined Amara's offer, then he would've never agreed with my offer. And thankfully, because he declined, that means that he told the truth when it came to having displeasure over Amara's appearance and attitude," The more they talked, the closer and closer they got to Warfang: a deep pit of despair forcing the poisonous female into a uncomfortable position, "Ava..." The daughter looked and heard the clearly distraught mother, "Are you sure you're okay with this? I know it was a unanimous decision to go without backup or armor to show Spyro we aren't a threat, but what stops anything at all from happening? Something... that could cost you your life."

"Uuuuggggghhhhh," The rush of air, the clear blue skies that brought light into both her eyes, and the unrestricted feeling of her once held down disabilities were simply a memory to her, "For the final time," The daughter took a page out of her mother's book, "I don't really fear anyone there. Kayla's dominance over Spyro, Cynder's more loving dominance, and the family that's all around him doesn't scare me at all. I get to see dad again! I get to see Trish again! And I get to feel free, fly high, and experience a part of my life that those whom wished to harm me took! Spyro isn't mindless, and it's obvious he wants to do the right thing. Even when he doesn't, you saw what happened. Trish protected you, Cynder protected you, Kayla and the other three were scared but warmed up to Spyro after awhile."

"So then... you're not afraid at all?"

"Hehe, hellll no. I definitely have my fears and worries, but that's because it's just me and you. Once dad is back around, we're under the roof of that building and we get to see and hear familiar voices again, I'll definitely feel a lot better. And, to be honest, I wouldn't mind saying some shit to Spyro. Something like, 'Big muscles for a small brain'."

"AVA!" Her mother had another reason to fear, "He'll kill you if you antagonize him like that!"

"No... he won't... and that's the best part," Ava felt so free saying that: for once knowing that someone else was out there that she could trust, "I owe Spyro my life for what all he's doing, for what he's already done, and yet he's still trying his best to make things even better. To know that I'm healed, that you're healed, and that our family will once again reunite, only now we have so many friendly faces to look forward to seeing, it's..." A tear dropped from her eye, and from their speed in the air, it flew back behind her and off her face, "I want to see everyone again so badly."

Hearing her daughter's joy, feeling her words touch her heart; Serena felt many different emotions after their talk. Fear for what was to come; Joy for what was next and their return to a complete family; Hate for knowing her daughter had to cheer her up when she should've been the one to comfort her child; and anguish, thinking about all that could go wrong in all the worse ways. Her mind felt clear to think on futures; the wind in her face and the rush of adrenaline giving her hope for what was next, If I can feel free, fly with my daughter again, and see a smile that was locked away for so, so long... I can only imagine what our second visit would do for her: for me, too. Ava's right. Once we get there, once we're under Spyro's wing in a sense... I'd feel much, much safer. The mother had it all figured out, and even as Warfang came into view, the butterflies that filled her stomach didn't cause such heavy weighted and unnecessary discomfort, but instead subsided slightly, her daughter doing more good for her mother without even realizing it. Their discussion had lead her deep into her own thoughts, remembering back to their confrontation with Spyro and what he had said.

There was more he wished to speak on, but his other points he wanted to surface; surely they would've been brought up sooner or later, "One last thing that absolutely pissed me off about you," Spyro was serious on this one, letting his darkness manipulate his voice just to chill everyone's fears and spines, "You said you're a relic, missed the chance to be anything at all, and have failed everyone you've known. 'I'm nothing', is what you said. How dare you say that. How dare you say that IN FRONT OF YOUR CHILD!" She ducked her head low, and where Cynder would've done something, all agreed in some way, including the mother, "You're not a relic, YOU'RE A MOTHER! You have your chance as a parent! Your hatchling is still alive, and so is your husband, and you're wanting to give up?! To throw your life away when YOU STILL HAVE SOMETHING TO PROTECT?!"

A tear dropped from her eye, upset and frustrated at herself for letting such weakness be shown to her daughter. She knew how much her actions, and reactions, affected those that she loved, and at all costs wanted to make up for it, "Ava... I'm... I'm sorry for what, and who, I've been, since your father was captured," The white wind female looked to her mother, and though she had tears, her smile helped her understand the point she was trying to make in this message, "You're still so young. Still have so much life, love, and memories to make and give. Yet here I was giving up. I dropped you into this heartless, corrupted, and confused world all on your own. You knew even with the Rebels that we had, the supposed family we've made up; there was never a feeling of satisfaction, or sanctuary, that you felt, unless you were with me," The mother giggled some, "By showing you my pain, I made things worse on you. Instead of protecting you, like a parent should to her child, from the real world... I brought it all to you... and even when you wanted to escape it... I ran to you... like a hatchling myself..."

Ava's feelings of dread slowly started to creep up on her again. She had almost completely forgotten what it was like to feel such pain, such a loss of hope that drained her of everything she could muster. Though her mother kept a smile, and a sense of comfort and love like the warmth of a wing, it was clear that her daughter's emotions seemed to turn bitter from the emergence of such horrific thoughts and memories, "Mom, it's fine. What's happened is thankfully behind us. And I..."

"Was right all along," Her mother knew her daughter well: what she had said didn't help at all, but that didn't mean she couldn't make things right, "You... have nothing to worry about, my sweet little girl..."

"Hehe, Mom, I'm like twenty years old. You don't have to call me little anymore."

"Oh no no no. In my eyes, you'll always be my baby. Even your father would agree."

"Of course he would. I remember when I was hiding someplace dark, and I got Dad to lure you over to where I was only to have you jump scare me from behind cause he snitched me out. He's always agreed with you just to stay on your good side, cause he knows how scary your bad side can be."

"Hehe, yeah. It's funny how obedient he is when I'm angry, but then when it came to Spyro, I got put in my place real fast," Serena laughed from the memory, whereas Ava giggled, still feeling the effects of how horrible that moment was, but at the very least she knew how well it ended, "But... the reason I'm saying you have nothing to worry about is because... ...I don't want you to worry about the adult stuff. While me, Spyro, and the others are discussing matters and terms, I want you to be that social little birdie you've always wanted to be. I... deeply, trust, Trish. As well as the Guardians. And for what threats I've made, their company and kind words made it clear that my toxic nature wasn't what I needed. All it did was put your life at risk... and... ...I'm sorry for that."

"You do remember the long, looooong conversation we had and how hard it was to convince you that I should go? Besides, nothing happened to us anyways. Cynder was nice enough and calm enough to bring me down, let me breathe, and have somewhat of a voice in the matter. Spyro not busting your head into the floor and making any outrageous or otherwise life ending requests helped a ton too."

"Hehe, Ancestors above, do I miss that dragon..." It wasn't just Spyro that was on her mind though: everyone from the family and their words ate at her darkest thoughts, hope emerging victorious as they were near seconds from flying over the walls of Warfang, "This is where I want you to be... what I've wanted and fought for for so long. My husband, my daughter, friends and family that I can actually trust... that I can laugh, cry, feel weak, powerful, anything at all! To know it doesn't matter because we're free! We're... we're safe and alive!" The final wing flap sent the two over the walls of Warfang: Serena smiling wide and laughing into the skies to know they were where they felt truly at home, "Hahahaha! Ah-hahaha! Ugh..."

"Mom?!" She heard her mother's grunt of pain, and seeing her grab a hold over her right wing, she knew what was wrong, "It's been so long since we've flown, your wings must be out of shape."

"Ye... yeah... Really wishing I was born ah... a wind dragon right about now..." She struggled to maintain her altitude, slowly dropping more and more to a point she was almost on level with the roofs of buildings.

"It's okay," Ava flew down with her mother slowly and carefully, "We're already in Warfang. We can settle down and rest for a bit. If need be, we can take the stairs up to the Guardians' Building."

Their decent below and to the rocky streets of Warfang was a graceful one, even with the exhausted and clearly underutilized wings of the mother. Upon landing in the wide open, they were shocked, pleased, and in some ways afraid of those that walked, roamed, or flew around them: the same emotions being felt in the mother and daughter's heart. Dragons hopped along the roofs of buildings, hatchlings ran through the streets, friends and family sat with one another; discussions, voices, smiles, and laughs were heard from all around. To where they had landed, a large sized fountain of water made up a hub area of sorts: paths crossing in all different directions to different places within Warfang. The fountain was constructed in a tough, refined, and well crafted way. The material used seemed similar to marble, ironed out and smoothed all around. The base below collected the water that dropped from above on a smaller circle. This smaller circle held highly the four Guardians, each sitting tall, upright, and powerful in stature. The fountain's base was rather large, so even with the smaller second story, it gave room for the four. In the middle of the four was a smallish structure that made looks of a volcano: the water moving up and over the wings of the Guardians that stood to one another's side. This caught the eyes of the two to see such a powerful looking statue. The Guardians all had their backs to one another, each facing different directions. Volteer faced east, Terrador west, Cyril south, and Ignitus north. Ava somewhat gasped in a smile, having an idea for their positioning, "Mom! Look! I feel like the fountain is a representation of the land!" Ava knew her in and outs: miles of land having been explored by her and her mother, "Cyril faces south towards the Guardians' Building. Back there is stretches of water, and further out is a land of ice! Terrador, west, due to the harsh nature and terrain, such as the Minacious Ruins of Old, the Nightmare Forest, and smoldering sands of Blistering Ash. You'd need strength, will, and a mindset of grit, determination, and steadiness to truly overcome those locations and their secrets," Serena smiled to see her daughter's tail wagging at the information she was able to share so carefree and out in the open without a care or fear in the world, "Volteer faces east due to high traffic of thunderstorms, and mysterious places like: Blackout Gulch, dark ravines and caverns which some say hold many mysteries and history to our kind! And considering the Lightning Guardian's smarts, it makes sense he'd face that direction due to his nature of mapping out secrets, hidden areas, and paths no one would even think of! And as for Ignitus, the leader. He faces forward, north, the direction to which the war started, the path to a volcano, and most if not all of the inhabitants that live on this planet!"

The mother sat with her arms crossed, impressed, but also somewhat gleeful with Ava's knowledge and emotions, "Hehehe," Her mother stood up to stand by her daughter's side, sitting back down once having done so, "I remember you were going on and on about how impressive the Guardians were, the strength they possessed, and the trial and tribulations of their many battles recorded within dragon history. And yet, there we were, at the forefront, threatening not only them, but the purple dragon whom we believed to have destroyed this world, and... The purple dragon who had saved it," Her laugh was contagious; Ava unable to help herself, joining in on the laugh too as they reminisced about how terrible their plan really was, "Any one else and we would've been caught dead, maybe even left with more scars then when we arrived. But no... ...Instead, that purple son of a bitch healed us to new... gave us hope... and in many ways... he saved our lives."

"Hehe. And I never would've expected the Guardians to be such sweethearts," Each had their own good things to say about the group; smiles and laughter being something they didn't do often, but they didn't even realise how good of a time they were having, "Terrador's the biggest example I could thing of. When you get down to it, the big guy just wants someone to love him, and I'm glad that someone was Trish. She's... definitely been a big help to not only him, but clearly to others as well, such as with Spyro, and even me."

"It's weird considering the stories that we were told. Ignitus was a grizzled veteran, Terrador was an indestructible body guard, Volteer knew the ins and outs of someone's mind, body, and soul just by looking at them, and Cyril was a king in his own mind: thinking so highly of himself, believing to be a ruler of his own kingdom," Serena's excitement and laughter was cut short upon thinking of what the Guardians could truly be: these intrusive thoughts and shivers kicking her back to reality, "I..." Ava heard the fear in her mother's voice, and her face clearly wasn't hiding anything either, "I need to talk to them some more, get to understand their hopes and goals. Stories have a reason to exist, and it makes me wonder whether or not they were true, or manipulated in some way."

"Well, that was during the war, and since then, they've all found females of their own to love and have control be taken away. I mean, hell, hehehe, Flair scares the absolute hell out of me, but in many ways, that... actually excites me to talk to her one-on-one!" Her words brought upon a raised brow from her mother; Ava obviously laughing to see her intentions did seem a little off and unknown, "If Cyril really did see himself as a king, it makes me wonder what Flair would do to such a stuck up nature. Why did he change? What did she do to him? What about their relationship works so well that keeps them together? Unless it's one of those, your mom is actually abusive but they act all nice and sweet when guests are over, but then once they leave, she whips your ass for saying something she laughed at previously because she actually found it inappropriate but didn't want the guests to see her real side."

Serena blinked a couple of times, wondering and fearing for another reason now, "I've... never spanked you..." Her head ducked, and her voice grew painful, "Am I... a bad mom...?"

"What?! Oh my gosh, mom, that wasn't towards you," The daughter hit her rear against her mother's, smiling as she did so, "Just something my friends told me about, which is why I'm glad I have you," Serena needed relief: her paw holding her chest back as she took a deep exhale was exactly what she needed, "In any case, the names alone bring up thoughts, conversations, hope and excitement for the future! And by future, I mean in about five minutes when we walk up there and see them again. I'm sure they'll be rallied up in the Chambers from what Spyro's said."

"I... do hope we don't catch them at a bad time. I want to see what it's like... being on their good side. Had I been more thoughtful on my approach, and less defensive with those guards and armor we had... maybe our experience would've been better... maybe... it would've been more of a jump start to a new chapter in our lives," The mother started to down herself, but just from the touch of her daughter's paw alone to her shoulder, the poison dragoness got back on her feet, "But we're here now and that's what matters!" She stood tall just like the Guardians, "We're gonna go up there, we're gonna smile, we're gonna have a good time, and I'm gonna slap that purple dragon in the face for... for... ...because DAMNIT I CAN!"

"Malefor or Spyro?"

"Hehehe, oh definitely Malefor. Spyro... hmmmm... maybe later. Kayla got a nice slap in on him already, and I bet that felt fantastic."

"You sure? I'm pretty sure slapping him would be like slapping reinforced steel... that was reinforced with more steel... on top of a steel planet."

"I have plenty of time to think about how I'm gonna beat that purple dragon's ass on the way up."

"That's all we needed to hear," A voice caught the attention of the two, one that sent goosebumps, fears, and a near fight-or-flight panic within them.

As their bodies turned towards the voice, Serena turned with her wing extending out to protect her daughter, and for the right reasons. Stood near feet away from the two was an all too familiar wind dragoness; one with a stuck-up nature, a clear goal into what she wanted, and a scarf of particular and carefully crafted stitching. Sweat dripped from the pores of the mother, though rather act out in such a fashion that would've otherwise caused a panic, especially to those closest to her, she stayed calm, "A-A-Amara..." The female smiled upon being noticed, sitting down off to a certain dragon's right and waving a paw in an obviously disgusted manner, "And... C-C-Celina..." Unfortunately for the mother, the sight of Celina alone was life and death, and with the way she sat, to her crossed armed attitude, Serena knew what she was capable of, "To what do I owe the pleasure of you two being here? Especially you... Celina."

"Oooh, nothing, Just caught scent of a little birdie. Something that just told me I had to be here," Amara wanted to put on a good show: acting as though she was the only true female around, waving her scarf and rubbing her scales and arms together to puff out her chest, "I actually had a wonderful talk with that absolutely, godlike, look, and nature, of that purple dragon a few days ago. He told me he could deal with you as a solution to our problem, and I would've never expected him to work so well. What we couldn't accomplish in nearly five years time, he accomplished in a few short days. Never would've expected us to be meeting face-to-face like this either, considering all the other times we've tried ended in died bodies on both sides."

"A-Amara... please, listen to me..." Serena didn't have the strength to fly if need be: her protection over her daughter stretched and strained her wing more-so, leaving her unable to flee if need be, "We came here unarmed and without anyone backing us up. What we see, hear, and experience from here on out will be the truth and only that. No resource gathering, theft, lies, or bodies coming back from either side to continue this back and forth."

"Oh? You didn't bring back-up? And no armor or weapons?" The wind female couldn't believe what she was seeing and hearing, "How nice of you to give yourself to us on a nice, neat, cleaned platter. Celina, apprehend the two."

"What?!" Ava cried, backing away with her mother following.

"Please don't make a scene. I absolutely despise the sides of loud cries in my ear drums," Celina made an attempt to move, "I woke up with a blistering headache, and though your cries would annoy me, you're nothing like my assassination targets. Those pussies could scream for hours, and the best part of their song is the blood filling their lungs. Nothing quite as enjoyable as an ending."

"Celina, please, WAIT!" Serena in many ways knew, if anyone could be reasoned with, it was her, "I know Amara won't trust us for what happened to Axel! She loves him, and so I understand where her rage is coming from! But, please, you have to believe me when I say we're innocent in all of this!" Celina raised a brow, rolling her eyes and sitting up to stand on all fours, "You're smart enough to know that we used to have wounds!" This bought her some time: the shadow female clearly interested in what she had to say, "You two don't know this, but we met with Spyro yesterday. When we had learned that you all had gotten to him first, we thought all was lost. We... ...I... ..." Shaking off the tears from her eyes, and the fear that nearly stunned her words, the desperation in her voice was there, "I... don't... want... ...I don't want this war to continue... ...I'm tired of waking up and wondering, who will die today... who's family will I have to speak to, and give my condolences to... ...it's... ...it's gone on long enough."

"And it took you nearly five years to figure this out because...?"

"We've tried to end this war plenty of times before! And do you honestly think we'd just walk back into Prosperity without a peace treaty?! You all made it very clear what would've happened had we returned! You would've jailed us for life! Sentenced many of us to death! Would've stripped away any hopes of us seeing the sun's light again! You... ...YOU ALL ARE MONSTERS!" The poisonous mother had more information than the two thought, "One of my men escaped your hell and told us all about what you did to some of my men you captured. You electrocute them... use them as test subjects... lock them away in a dark box of blank sounds... use them as realistic targets in training, but put collars on them to stun their bodies if they fight back!"

"All actions were considered, documented, and taken based on one's charges against our City. Terrorism, murder, manslaughter: these are all very serious chargers, and as such, they will be treated in a way that they cleared 'want' to be treated. You put a bag over a man's head to suffocate him? Black box, so the mind suffocates itself. How do we protect our people without hurting them? A terrorist with no future or benefit to our world and plenty of combat experience for the most likely results due to their high possibility of surviving such experiments," Amara made everything sound like it had a reason to it, and that malicious natures weren't going on behind-the-scenes, "A.D.O. is another story. That dragon they have on their side, one to which they call The Father, isn't someone we wish to piss off. So, we cut them a deal, do slight justice, and release them later on."

"So you pick on us because we're weak?!"

"We do not choose sides. We simply do what's best for our citizens and the rest of Prosperity. Where your numbers shrink by the day, ours rise steadily, leaving us with plenty of man power to do as we please."

"You say that like the lives of those who've fallen, and those who live with permanent injuries are expendable!"

"There is no war without casualties, I've simply accepted that rule in life. Those who survive their war efforts are compensated, as are the family that lost loved ones. We have a wide range of programs to deal with terrorist, extremists, and otherwise large scale life threatening organisms. On top of that, our selection of hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and suicide prevention hotlines and doctors our always available twenty-four seven. Had you not spilt from Prosperity for your own goals, none of this would've ever happened."

"Own goals...?" Had it not been for the strength of her shinny white teeth, they surely would've snapped from the way she grinded them: although the ground below wasn't so fortunate as her claws dug through the pavement below, "You purposefully made the lower class so they either had to be forced into horrific situations such as evictions or forced military deployment! You separated the less fortunate with those more powerful and caged them off like animals! You increase living prices every six months, and those who can't pay it, you either make them pay by force, or blood! THE MOST CORRUPTED FORM OF EXTORTION!"

"What?!" For some reason, Amara seemed taken aback by this information, "No we do not! I've spoken to those in all areas, and they've all respected me as I walk by, no matter the area! I've spoken to families, business owners, up-and-coming artists, designers, engineers, scientists, military branches, and those within our government, and they've all given us nothing but high praise for what we're doing and what we've accomplished! The lower class chose their location, those in the lower, middle, and higher are free to go wherever they please, though obviously not on private or government owned property. And we haven't had an increase in living for the past six years. Those increases before were due in no small part to our war efforts against the Dark Master had he ever tried to attack us."

"Of course someone who sits up high wouldn't see what's really going on. And where's your father in all this? The man upstairs."

"He's off being a dick like always."

"And did he ever happen to stumble upon the locations that you went to? How far in advance did you know where you were going to go? Because from what we've gathered, you're booked weeks in advanced, giving your father plenty of time to sort out the location he's going to, whether that be correcting the dysfunctional and disorderly, or the weak, deprived, and desperate citizens who want to change but know their voices would fall on deaf ears, or taken out forcefully by paws to keep order in this so could city of prosperity."

"It's honestly amusing to me knowing what all goes down while you all are just so shit-faced about it all," While the two seemed to be having their long awaited talk, Celina couldn't help but laugh at their information, "Doesn't matter to me since I live the high life, but damn. Looking around and down on all the others below me, it's crazy to think the same shit has been happening for years now. I've already been invited to three different rebellious groups, each with their own goals to overthrow the corrupt government you all have. A simple Coup d'état. Well... not simple with three different groups."

"What?!" It was surprising to Serena and Ava to see Amara so shocked for once: a far cry and a very different personality compared to her usual self, "Why haven't you told me any of this?!"

"Uuh, because, why the F would it matter to me? Prosperity burns to the ground, so what? I fly my ass on over here to Warfang, take a break till the leaderboards are back up and running, and then I can get back to doing what I do best. If you and Axel were to die in the meltdown, at least that gives me less to worry about. And besides, it'd be funny to think of the war Spyro would have to get into. Unlike with those Dark Creatures, he'll really have to spill blood from those of his own kind. And I wonder what kind of man he'll become after taking his first life."

"You... ...wouldn't care if I died?" Once again, the two gave wide eyes to Amara's newly defeated voice, liking her more when her emotions showed than before.

"I'm doing this cause the payout for protecting you is huge. Hehe, you're not much of anything, Amara. I'm on the side with the most cash, and if Serena and Ava here had more bang for the buck, I'd turn against you in a heartbeat," Amara seemed deeply broken up about what she had said; Celina's words clearly hit close to home, and for the time they had spent together, the wind dragoness thought that something more would come of this, "I'm just along for the ride. War breaks out in Prosperity, the Rebels would join out of spite, the three sides would clash, Spyro would join... hehehe, hell, if that Father guy joined too, the amount of blood and bodies would stack miles high. Less competition, more money for me, and hopefully at the end of it all, Atlas will get caught in the middle, and I can sit high for the rest of me meaningless life."

Amara was at a lost for words. Her snarky comebacks and meeting with the leader of the Rebels wasn't going in any direction that she had originally planned. Celina was clearly mission focused, paying no attention to the frown on the face of that to whom sat next to her. With no order being given, and the other three at a stand still, the impatience got to Celina, "Sooo, we doing this or not? Want to make sure what ever you're asking me to do gives me the biggest payout. We could kill the two and use their corpses like parade balloons. Or, we throw them in cells like every other piece of garbage."

No answer was given. Though Celina had taken looks to Amara here and there, it was obvious she didn't care, and would've rather been anywhere else at this point had it not been for the money. It worked in Serena's favor however, and she took a big risk moving herself forward, exposing her daughter in doing so. Celina showed no remorse, so instead, Serena reached out her paw metaphorically in hopes that this was the start of the end for this conflict, "Amara... ...are you... ...okay?" To no surprise, she didn't answer, but that didn't stop her from taking another step closer, "This... may seem like a bad thing, but at least we know now that there's something else going on that we don't understand. And in other good news, you heard this information straight from the horses mouth," The dragoness tried to get Amara to laugh, giggling at her own joke and knowing what the wind female might've been thinking, "Get it? Cause I'm sure you thought about how you'd bash me cause I resemble a horse in some way? Hehe... ...hehe... ...heh..."

"But I mean! You hang out with me, don't you?" Amara seemed torn about their relationship now, using all she could to disprove what Celina was saying even as the supposed enemy was near feet away from them, "You showed up to my room early morning just to hang out with me. I gave you clear clearance to come up to my room any time you needed to talk! We even discussed likes and dislikes for a good couple hours till Axel arrived with that package!" She was nearly hysterical, "Come on, Celina. Surely you just don't want to admit our friendship just because others are around - hehehe, right...? ... Right...?"

"Amara, I'm gonna give it to you straight," Celina turned to face her directly, giving her eye contact and facts, "I hang out with you so others think I'm in bed with basically the president, just not in that way. I want others to fear me more than they already do, and hanging out with you only furthers my needs. A guard knows almost all you know, and could gossip about it in your palace. A certain item of interest could be around that I'd very much like to steal, and without you, I would've never gotten close to get my paws on. And hanging out with you in your room means easy living for me considering its like a double queen sized bed with memory foam and wool picked from the finest of animals," Celina didn't stutter, nor hesitate on anything she had to say: it was clear Amara was nothing more than a tool to her, "I live on a box spring. I live and move on the run, constantly awaiting death at every corner. Nothing will change, and you'll forever live without any friends. Axel's not really a friend considering he's your lover, though with Spyro around, I feel as though the term friend-zone may apply here soon."

"I have plenty of friends!" Amara snapped back.

Celina waited for her to say something, anything to pile on what she had stated. But it was clear from her tears and teeth, she really had no one. Her father wasn't one to love her, her mother was amiss, and the only real person who visits her daily was Axel. No one else aside from Celina truly lived, spoke, and made things any more lively. Her mansion echoed in a sense, and how could it not without people or items to occupy the empty space. Amara growled, jerking her head away in anger and sadness, feeling a sense of betrayal and use. Serena wanted at all possible to keep their only hope and chance at peace calm, at least until they were safe and under a roof, "Who's to say we can't be friends, Amara?" The mother wouldn't allow her own spiteful thoughts and experiences take over, not while her daughter was in harm's way, "I guess until all is said and done, the term, frenemies, applies here."

"And why the hell would I be friends with the one bitch that took away my love's family?!" Emotions acted out for Amara: her teeth displayed and anger being used as fuel to her flames.

Serena sighed, knowing this moment in time would be brought up to no end unless she gave the truth to the matter. Taking a deep breath, and knowing what she was about to say would have consequences; drastic, life changing ones, maybe even life ending ones, the truth was revealed, "Two miles to your borders, the left most tower that covers the locations such as the Lipsy Tipsy Bar, and the gem store known as the Connected Gold, we... ...discovered a hole in your borders."

"Excuse me?!"

"We were somewhat in a Cold War for about two and a half years. Neither side did much of anything, yet we knew the existence of one another, and you all knew the creation of the Rebels that were forming. Though we weren't always known as the Rebels."

"Cold War? What Cold War? We were never in a such a state!"

"If Axel's team died when he was twenty-one, and he's been with you for six years, yet the war we've been in has only been a total of five, how the hell could we have been the cause of his brothers deaths?!"

"Because you...! ...I..."

"We were already established before the war even started. I thought you would've known about all this, but clearly I've underestimated your understanding of it all, or rather the information you have on our war," Amara took Serena's words with malice, thinking this was more of a way to bash her than to make her understand, "We stole supplies, scoped out entry and exit points, and compiled hundreds of thousands of others who weren't fond of Prosperity's government. We were ready to rally and to protest peacefully, though we'd use what we had to make a defense against your armies. However, one by one, events transpired that caused the ignition of the war we know of today, one of those unfortunate flames being Axel's squad."

"You attacked us first!"

"LISTEN TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY!" With a clap of her teeth and a slap of her blade to the ground below, Serena grew on the offense, whereas Amara grew defensive: ducking back with her wings slightly extended and her blade to her side, "We never knew how to distinguish who we were against other people considering we'd all wear the same armor! Making a brand would've made us look like outlaws; bandits, and having someone steal our armor with those brands on would've made us a target to anyone who wanted war!" Celina wasn't fazed in the slightest by Serena's stance, and although Amara had her doubts, she was listening, "The deaths that were caused we were almost never near. Why the hell would I gather thousands of lives simply to have them go to war when Malefor was already a worldwide disaster that caked the world's green in red! My little Ava is twenty-years-old, about to turn twenty-one in a couple of days. If that's the case, then seven years ago, she would've been thirteen, about fourteen years at the time of Axel's heartbreaking and soul shattering loss..."

Serena backed down from the stance she had, holding a paw close and closing it up to her chest. She held the scales that protected her heart: the mother reminiscing on her time when her young one truly was just that, "I... never... should've put myself in a position of power... a position as a leader... when I had a family to take care of. But in many ways, I had hoped that what we were doing wouldn't end in bloodshed. So... I kept a smile. Taught my little Ava some advanced mathematics, literature, ability uses: how to fight, fly, and defend herself, and it... ...it was a time I thought would've lasted forever... ...And here soon, we would be living the good life. Our rebellion would make your government believe within their hearts that change was needed. Seeing all of us there would've proved that this wasn't a small issue," Her paw fell from her chest, as did her head to her neck as she looked low to the ground, "But when reports came in one after another that we Rebels were attacking Prosperity's military... and even civilians... ..." Serena sat there: the flood of horrific, terrifying, and near paralyzing emotions flooded within her as her past came back to haunt her, "My life... ...the life that I thought would've been made from green and gold: the colors of every dragon around... ...turned as red and dark as the day the Destroy rose and fell into that Volcano."

Amara no longer took a defensive stance. Instead, she left herself wide open. Her body relaxed, her mind at ease, and she even went so far as to lean just a smidge forward. For once, something within Amara felt pain; a sense of dread, loss, anger and confusion taking over. It was all so much, but for all the years prior, it was difficult for her to really grasp what the truth was or to whom she should really believe. Serena made it difficult for her to understand the truth: her tears dripping to the floor seeming genuine, and her pleas coming straight from the heart, "Amara... ...please... ...I beg of you... ...Let this war end... ...Let those who have lost their lives rest easy... ...Don't allow anymore to fall where thousands of others have laid down their lives..." The poisonous colored scales on her paws clenched the ground: her stance resembling a bow, "I will do anything..."

In any other case, Amara would've simply scoffed: maybe even kicked the dragoness before her to the floor for what she's heard and for what Serena and the Rebels supposedly did to Axel and his brothers. However, even with all this hate and rage having built up to this moment: a time unlike any other that she craved to have happen, to gut the very female in front of her for what all has happened; and yet, even as her blood boiled, her claws sharpened, and the completed feeling rising within, to know that this is where it would all end, she couldn't go through with it. Amara was too confused, upset in her own right to see that this is what their enemy was: nothing more than a scared little hatchling, and it enraged her to see things this way, "Years I've waited for this moment... and while I know Axel's waited and endured so much more than I ever could've thought possible... ...there's no way in hell you're this pathetic!" A vein pulsed from her head, clenching a raised paw, unable to decide whether she should hit her or not, "The leader of the Rebels. The most nastiest, vicious, horrendous being known to our City and miles wide, is nothing more than some... some kind of... desperate and needy child?!"

"Spyro has malice to his name too," Ava was afraid to approach for all the right reasons, but by her mother's right side, she felt safe enough to speak her mind, "Do you believe in the stories made up by him, too? Clearly not since you approached him with such a small force. Some have said Spyro's powers control and manipulate people to his liking. Cynder's never loved him, and the only reason she's with him is because she's leashed like a dog to him, forced to love the man that he is since he knows many would kill to have her as their lover," Rather stand, she sat, explaining her experiences and stories with a smile, knowing now the truth of the matter, "Hehe... But I'm sure even you two experienced and saw the true passion and love the two have from one soul to the other."

"Unfortunately..." Amara grumbled, regrettably having to rethink about Spyro having fun with any other female that wasn't her.

"And what about the stories of the Guardians? Even we heard stories and rumours, hundreds in fact about the ruthless and brute-like nature of the Guardians," Ava had herself a laugh, "But those guys are nothing but a bunch of sweethearts looking for a nice reward after all they've done. Thankfully, they received it, and it's all they could've ever asked for. I... ...kinda envy them... but in a way... also see hope in our situation."

Serena knew exactly where her daughter was going with this, and rather her be rasied up by her daughter once again, the mother took initiative, "They've already proven that a war can end... that love can be had, and that light can shine at the end of the tunnel," Now raised highly and without weakness, the mother took over the conversation that should've been for the two older adults, "Look at what the world used to fear, and look at it now. Dark Creatures are a semi-threat, apes are nothing but cannon footer, and the only real threat resides within the unknown nature of those out there. So if they can end a war with everyone still alive and coming home to those that they love, why can't we?" Amara was still very hesitant to trust what Serena was saying, and the poisonous female knew it wouldn't be smooth sailing, "Hehe. Don't worry. I'm not forcing you to make a decision on the spot, or even to feel pressured into doing something you feel as though you'll regret. I know that you know, being up there under the wing of a certain purple dragon would make us all feel a whole hell of a lot better than simply talking amongst what we believe to be as enemies."

A point to the Guardian's Building made everyone feel that certain warmth and familiarity to it, aside from Celina, "Speak for yourself."

"Wait, so... you all have already met, Spyro?" Amara wondered what all they had discussed in secret.

"Hehe, oh yeah. Long story short, don't threaten his family. We made that mistake thinking it would've made him fear us so he'd listen to us rather than attack. But it only took a few seconds for us to realize just how screwed we were," A difficult time for her was turned into nothing more than a source of laughter for Serena, "Spyro told us what you said, about what we are and what we've done. I never would've imagined that he'd actually give us the chance to explain ourselves. Somehow and... someway... rather us leaving with more wounds than we had, he... never actually hurt us, but rather... healed us..." Instead of looking to herself, Serena looked to her daughter: Ava giving a wide smile with her bright white scales that looked so clean and pure; the happiness within the mother skyrocketing, "We had plentiful scars. Our ability to fly was taken, our right eyes were too scarred to work after we were betrayed, and our bodies ached in agony over the lack of sleep to heal, or those that were ripped back open due to those who wished to harm us..."

"For those who were never in war, you sure took quite a beating," Making sure all her facts were straight, Amara wanted answers.

"Well, the scars on our eyes as I said was from someone we knew. As for everything else, life was... rather harsh on us. For the battles we went in to, whether that be for supplies or hopes at edging closer to a treaty for this war, I stood at the front of it all. My husband too. We took quite the beating but thankfully had those backing. Which is another reason why I can say for certainty that it wasn't us that killed Axel's squadmates. Why would we indulge ourselves in what we wanted to rid the City of?"

"The City Of Prosperity doesn't kill innocent people."

"Oh really? How do you explain the death of Lance? You publicly executed him based off of what others had said, and not straight facts. His own lover stabbed him in the back, lying to everyone about where she was and who she was with because she knew, had she told the truth from the start, she would've been the one to die. But because the court took her word for it, he's now dead and she's on the run, doing Ancestors only knows what to more people. Executions should be made on hard evidence, not from the word of mouth."

"Okay, so like, one time..."

"Lora? Anova? Tontro? Vitorus? Do these names and many more not ring a bell to you at all?!" Amara was aware of the many mistakes that her City and its government had made, and before she got the chance to give any kind of bright side, Serena had her choice words, "You let criminals go free to kill others, yet they get a few years in prison to do the same. You release them and are surprised when they do something wrong again. You kill innocents based off the word of mouth and not facts. Those that are innocent, and those that are mentally deranged don't belong in the same place! Case in point, MY HUSBAND!" With him being brought up now, the lack of his presence made her question, "Which, where the hell is he? The note clearly stated that you were to bring him here, to lure us out!"

"Wait..." It all made sense to Amara now, "Soooo... the cat's out of the bag," She stood a little more tall now, knowing exactly what this was, "So the letter 'was' forged. It was never sent by Spyro at all but rather one of your lackeys. We knew something about it was off. You Rebels are sloppy, incoherent, and destructive, just like the writing of that letter. How dare you butcher Spyro's perfect handwriting! How dare you write in such a way that makes you seem innocent! You're nothing like him!"

"AND I KNOW THAT!" It was unfortunate for Serena to see, but it looked as though Amara was turning back to her original self: stuck-up and self centered, "I wanted my husband out of there as soon as possible! He's suffered for too long, and for other people's mistakes that aren't his own!" Tears started to form in her eyes: pain and guilt taking over as she had hoped Amara would understand her, "You really don't care if you kill innocent people, do you?"

"Excuse me?" Amara was disgusted to hear, "You're one to talk. You act like the deaths of those that were innocent were my doing. Axel tell me what all happens during the day and excuses himself during the night. I don't handle executions."

"BUT YOU HAVE THE POWER TO! Or, at the very least, Axel does!" It was good to hear that Amara had some humanity: all it would take now is for Serena to grab hold of it and yank it from the wind female's dark abyss of a heart, "I know you'll find this hard to believe but... ...we've never killed. And even if you wanted to execute us based on lies, what in your right mind makes you think killing my Ava is justified?!"

"She's been an asset to you. Interrogations while brutal are what saves the lives of those in our City. We get the information we need, use those who oppose us as an example, and win what ever bloody war we're fighting with as little bloodshed as possible on our side. If you didn't want her to be a target for execution or an example, you should've left her out of it."

"YOU'RE LYING THROUGH YOUR TEETH!" Serena was seconds away from snapping, "You would've used my daughter as a weapon to get to me EVEN IF SHE WASN'T INVOLVED! The night my husband was captured, he was tending to YOUR WOUNDED!" Her tears dripped to her chin, and her claws scratched the ground below, "It's sickening to know how easily you throw away the lives of others when it's not your own! You sit up in a castle while everyone else suffers: while your pets do your dirty work! You say you're not like your father, but if everyone in the City Of Prosperity is your children, then what makes you any more different than your father!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW MY FATHER!"

"Manipulative, abusive, shows little care in what he does to others, could care less whether you died tomorrow or not because he sees you as a burden to him ever since your mother left!" Amara was shocked to hear all the information she had on her and her father, and Serena wasn't quiet about where she got this information from, "Axel didn't always work for you. You had plenty of henchman servicing you, each unable to deal with the stress, liability, and harassment that everyone gave to these individuals. The fact that Axel's worked with you for so long is astonishing, since by now anyone with a soul would've put a gun in their mouth and pulled the trigger."

"That's because Axel loves me!" Amara now had tears of her own, unable to think of anything else: anyone else to not feel so alone.

"If you know what love is, then I beg of you...!" This felt like a once in a lifetime chance to make things right, and Serena nearly bowed her head in a plea, "Please... ...don't hurt my family... ...Don't let this war continue... ...please, Amara... I'm begging you..." Amara's heart raced to see the defeated female in front of her: confusion and anger taking hold, unable to figure out what it is she wanted to believe, "You're the only one who's never had say in this war... Either Axel took command, your government and military leaders attacked without remorse, or your father whom walked to the front lines just to kill many more of our forces, it's... ..." Serena's voice faded: a breath needing to be taken in order to rejuvenate her loss of strength, "We talked to Spyro... you've, talked, to Spyro," Her head raised in hope, and though her vision was blurred due to tears in her eyes, she wiped them away and stayed strong, "We've tried many times to talk before, only for hundreds more to die: tension becoming too tight to bear on either side. I'm afraid if we go on any longer, the lives we will lose soon will be all for nothing. However... unlike the previous times, we've successfully made contact with one another," Surprisingly, the mother smiled to her enemies in hopes that she wouldn't have to consider them that anymore, "And... we have, Spyro. At the end of the day, what ever happens, I believe it will be for the betterment of all dragon-kind. Which... while I may see it that way, I have to wonder. What's your opinion on Spyro, Amara?"

"He should've died when Malefor attacked the temple," Celina wasn't asked, but she had her own input to give, a clear distaste and displeasure towards the purple dragon.

Amara thought otherwise however. She gave it some thought, actually considering what it was Serena was saying, and unfortunately thinking about Axel's condition made her correct a glaring issue. Her choices would've been wrong had someone else been talking to her, but being able to look on the bright side instead of the doom and glum helped her lighten up a little, "Axel has had a drinking problem ever since he started working for me. I've tried... countless times to do anything and everything in my power to keep him happy, safe, and content but... nothing seems to be working... and I... ...I don't know what to do..."

"Has he moved in with you?" Serena suggested.

"Unfortunately... no. My father wasn't happy in the slightest when I told him about my and Axel's plans... the love that we now openly admitted to one another. It's... made me somewhat afraid to go back home," Thinking about the situation now weighed her down: being in Warfang and facing Serena the way she was had made her forget of what really held her down, "I don't trust my father... not after my mother left. I'm afraid of what he might do to Axel, how he might demote him, or send him on a suicide mission. Hell, what if he puts too much pressure on Axel and finally gets him to quit?"

"What would happen if you stood up to him? I'm assuming nothing good, but he wouldn't kill you. Would he?"

"I don't have the guts to challenge my father, and I wouldn't trust the guards to back me, or even my own selected soldiers. If I were to try and make a statement against him, I know I'd be alone in doing so. What my father would do afterwards is... well... probably nothing good. Worst case, I end up in prison for the rest of my life. Best case, I walk out with a permanent scar in my scales as a memory to never stand up against him ever again."

"And you want to live like that?!"

"What the hell do you expect me to do?!" Amara was infuriated by Serena's words: the poisonous female making everything sound so simple burned her blood, "I just said that I'd have no one backing me! That I have no one to trust! I wouldn't put Axel's life at risk to overthrow, or even simply talk to my father! And I can't ask Spyro to take him on because...! I... ...I wasn't exactly the nicest person to him when we first met. I acted high, I acted mighty, and at the end of the day, both the words became opposites. Spyro's just... he's... he's..."

"NOTHING BUT A MAN!" Celina couldn't handle this praise over the purple dragon, believing to her core that it was unnecessary and completely useless, "You all put your trust in him because, what?! He smiled at you?! He healed you?! He agreed to... help, one of you?!" She didn't play favourites, pointing out the flawed logic in both Serena and Amara, "What makes Spyro any different than a parent?! They smile too, don't they?! They act like they love you, that they care about you and that they want to cherish you with all their hearts, and yet... DEEP DOWN, ANYONE AND EVERYONE HAS THE POWER AND POTENTIAL TO STAB SOMEONE IN THE BACK!"

What Celina was speaking on was from experience, not an outside source or a glass looking in. Hearing the praise Spyro was getting beyond infuriated her. A male getting more attention than a female, and the loose guards that everyone had towards someone so powerful. Serena knew where this was coming from, and she called the angered female out on it, "Of course you'd know what stabbing someone in the back is like," The shadow female nearly snapped upon hearing this, already having a clue of what she meant and where this was going, "You kill your friends, family, and loved one, and yet you try to call Spyro a monster simply because he isn't unstable like you? How hypocritical."

"If Spyro was really a man - he'd go out there and die for us all - but instead he sits up there doing jack shit while we all suffer!"

"So him being ten years old at the time of war, taking on the Dark Master, dealing with the Destroyer, saving the world a number of times now from world ending threats; it's wrong of him to want some rest and relaxation? Because he's not dealing with 'your' problems on 'your' time you think that makes him a villain?" Serena spat, disgusted by her very way of thought, "If you know you can't live on your own than why bother existing? You spit in Spyro's face because everything he's done wasn't what you wanted? And it isn't in the way you would've done? No wonder you're a loner."

"GET YOUR HEAD OUT YOUR ASS!" The shouting had drawn quite a crowd, many listening in and sticking their noses in the conversation, "You've seen what he is now... what he can do! And the power that he possesses. We're suffering because he wants to live the good life. You really think he'd come to your aid over Cynder's?! Or the rest of his family?!" She tried throughout the entirety of their argument to hold back tears, but with one falling through, so did many others, "If you can't learn to live on your own than you're already a deadman. You praise him for healing wounds you never should've had in the first place if you were strong..." Her claws dug to the ground below, a fight sure to ensue, "I fought for where I am... ...my struggles were my own... my failures weren't something I could go to anyone for..." The clenching of her eyes dropped the load of tears from her lids, allowing more to take place, "Yet you're telling me you just walked in - had your body healed of years worth of scars and pain - and just walked out without him asking for anything in return...?"

Serena nodded in a smile, laughing even as she couldn't believe it herself either, "And that was even after I threatened him," Her laugh was like nails to a chalkboard for Celina: this situation in its entirety was no laughing matter for her, "He... gave me a second chance. After all, I... failed, to do my duty as a mother, and protect my child. He gave me strength, will, and a new purpose. If I'm to fail now, that's on me, not Spyro. I don't care how powerful someone is. If I can't protect my own family, my own little, Ava... then I never should've had her. Because it's a parent's duty, just as it is a duty to a soldier, to protect and serve... only as a parent, we must also love, cherish, and build memories with our loved ones," The poisonous female noticed Celina's stance: she was out for blood after what was said, "Hehe, you know, if you ever have fears or doubts, maybe... maybe talking with Spyro one-on-one would be a good idea. Although, I don't know how Cynder would feel about another female having alone time with her man."

The mother laughed her beautiful tone, imagining the scenarios of Cynder's jealousy, Spyro's laughter, the families own inputs: it brought nothing but joy and happiness to her soul. Serena had hoped that her positive attitude would've been enough to dieter the rage that had reached a near boiling point within whom she was speaking to. However, it seemed as though Celina had enough, taking matters into her own paws and letting the truth be known. Her tears subsided, her head hung slightly low, and her eyes seemed darkened to a point of an near un-viewable nature, "Your voice is like a hissing cockroach, and your just as ugly as one, too," Neither of the three expected her to say that at all, but this was only the start, "If what you're saying about Spyro is true... then let's see you hold up that promise."

"Wh... what...?" The mother backed away, holding her right wing outbound and to her daughter's chest, "What are you talking about?"

"We knew that letter was forged from the start. The only reason Axel and the others aren't here is simply because your husband got loose and ran into the woods. I'm sure by now they've already got him locked back up and knocked out. But, hey, a dead body still counts as him being present, doesn't it?"

Serena gasped in despair: their conversation of what seemed like progress was all for nothing, "NO!" She couldn't believe it, she wouldn't believe it, "Even if you knew it was forged - you would've still kept him alive in case it was real! IT WAS SPYRO'S WORDS THAT WE WROTE DOWN!" Her breathing raced to no rest: the mother looking to Amara now in a plea, "Please... please - Amara - please tell me he isn't dead!"

Ava had tears of her own, cowering behind her mother without anything to do aside from think on the way her next visit with her father will be nothing more than his lifeless corpse. Amara bit her lip on the truth, not even so sure herself, "I... told Axel we needed him alive... but he seemed indecisive about the decision... saying that it really didn't matter as the letter didn't specify if the father had to be alive or not..."

Serena's heart nearly bursted, as did her tear ducts from hearing such news. The thoughts that raced within her mind: her husbands lifeless body, being dragged around like disrespected baggage; no remorse being shown towards his life or humanity, and the once loving father meeting his end so soon. Ava felt all the same, and while it would've been Serena's job to comfort her, the two were at a loss: the loss being felt through one's soul, knowing that their loved one could be no more. Amara couldn't understand how she felt in this situation. A part of her thought she'd enjoy this. Knowing her lover's killers were put to tears, that their lives were close to an end, as too the war with the Rebels. But she couldn't bring herself to smile. To her, these were victims. A mother and a daughter wanting to reunite with their loved one, not some grizzled war veterans bent on letting loose hell and destruction. Seeing Celina get a kick out of what was happening, Amara made her decision on where she stood for the time being, "But that obviously isn't true!" Ava's head hung low and lifeless, Serena's eyes were to her paws, and because of their tears and cries, they didn't hear any of this, "SERENA!"

"AMARA!"

Unable to get to her in time, Axel flew in from the sky above; Amara and Celina turning their backs on the two Rebels to see the dragon rapidly approaching. Even with their states representing death, the pain and misery didn't stop for them. Axel had a few troops with him, a total of five landing down with him. One landed close to Serena's side, and another to Ava's right. Decked from head to tail in armor, they used their trident-like weapons to act forcefully and aggressively. Ava was grabbed by her shoulder and tossed off to the side. The shadow dragon whom had done so wasn't easy either. His claws dug to her scales, giving him a grip and something to hold onto to exert more force. The white female cried out in pain before feeling that rush of wind. Serena heard clear as day the cry her daughter gave, but by the time she had looked up, her daughter had already hit the ground: blood dripping down her shoulder. Her instincts kicked in: Serena's wings flicking out fast enough to erupt wind from them. Her teeth were white and sharp, same for her talons. Ready to take flight, she was stopped short by a massively sharp pain that went through her back, and unfortunately, her front as well. The wind dragon behind her stabbed clear through her back, the force pinning her to the ground: the trident's tips digging to the ground below. Her forceful plunge to the floor below caused her chin to slap the cemented ground, the mother now crying out in her own amount of pain. Ava looked to her left to see her mother pinned by the wind dragon. He jumped atop her, one arm on the handle to his weapon and the other to her head. Ignoring her surroundings the same way her mother did, Ava recklessly tried to stand and run to her mother's aid, "MOM!"

Meeting the same fate as her mother, the shadow dragon next to her spun himself around and stabbed Ava through her shoulders. It was clear that these soldiers meant business, showing no remorse in their actions and acting out on a life-or-die fashion. Their attacks were brutal: each developed in the full weight and strength of the dragon welding such a weapon. As such, the weapon didn't simply pierce through one shoulder, but the other as well. Ava met the same fate as her mother. Hitting the ground with a very violent smash, the wind female's head hit the ground after her body: blood traveling out from her wounds before coming back down on her. Roaring out in pain, her head couldn't stay high for long as the dragon gripped his weapon with his left paw, and his right being used to keep her head against the floor. Ava's cries were out of pure panic. She wanted so desperately to cry out in horror, or to move in any such way. But with the trident's blades dug firmly in both arms, and the male clearly possessing more power over her, she couldn't help but be helpless in the situation. Watching her daughter cry tears, to see the blood spilling from her shoulders, and some even from her head as the contact to the ground wasn't gentle, Serena let her voice be heard, "NOOOOOO!" Fight or flight kicked in quick, though for her, it was clear that it was time for her to prove herself as a mother and make herself the target in hopes her daughter would make it out of this alive, "Please! Please, LET HER GO! It's me you're after, NOT HER!"

"Shut your goddamn mouth," Axel nearly spat, the dragon's eyelids seeming dark, like he had been possessed by a dark dragon and forced into a malicious mood.

"Axel... ...please... ...don't..."

Another voice was present around them, one to which it had been so long since she had heard it that she didn't believe it was really what she was hearing. Instead of believing in ghosts and letting her mind drift, Serena looked to her far left. At the end of the three that stood before her, past Celina, past Amara, and past Axel, a dragon of white stood weakly, dried, and dead within. Chains holding him together tightly from head to tail, a choker around his neck, arms, legs, and tail. His wings were clamped shut by metal, and his claws had been clipped to a near flattening look. His blade was unviewable as a large square covered over it. He was chained, stripped of his freedom, and shriveled to the bone. His ribs showed, his eyes quivered, and his scars were brightly lit by the sun. The mother nearly had a complete mental breakdown, seeing many of these scars weren't even that. They were fresh wounds, blood still dripping from them, and knowing many more could be covered by those chains and chokers horrified her. The only saving grace for her was that he was alive, and that was what sparked real hope within, and the drive to protect her daughter and husband from anymore harm, "Syrus..." Even with the position that they were in, after having not seen her husband for what felt like years, a smile crept across her face, "SYRUS!"

"DAD!" Ava was unfortunately somewhat the opposite: her wounds unable to be ignored as the pain and tears felt blurred her mind and emotions.

"Ava..." It was hard to tell who this white dragon was with all the weighted metal around him, but his voice, tears, and movements were one of a father's, "Serena..."

This was the movement she had been waiting for. Everything they had done all led up to this, and the last thing she wanted to do was to fail her family now. Serena swallowed her pride, took a calm enough breath to ignore the pain and hole within and through her back, and begged for her enemies to hear her out, "Amara, Axel, please, you two have to believe me!" She didn't squirm in her words, nor her movements, knowing either-or would cause pain or even death, "I can give it to you all! Everything! Our plans, our secrets, our weapons - resources - base of operations, everything! We can end this war here and now!"

"YOU HAD YOUR CHANCE!" Axel seemed unhinged, lashing out without any remorse as to what was happening or what he was doing: something within him acting out in a villainous way, "You say this now, yet for the years that this confrontation has happened, you've sat your ass in the back while other's suffered, fought, and bled for a cause that you were too much of a pathetic bitch to do it yourself!"

To the top part of his right leg rested some sort of strap that wrapped around the front and back portion of his thigh. The nylon case had a strap to the top of it: a pointed edge at the bottom with a base resembling a beam. Put together, the case seemed to hold some sort of blade. Once having opened the strap from the top, Axel reached to grip the handle of his weapon, un-sheathing the blade from the pouch. Raising the blade up to chest level, Serena inspected the knife well. The base of the blade seemed sturdy, firm, and nearly unbreakable. The edges on one side were curved, and smoothed, while the other side was slightly spiked to rip, shred, and cut through nearly anything and everything with ease. The handle was covered in a type of cloth, and though she couldn't see it, names were written on the fabric. The brown handle worked well in keeping the design while the main blade shined of stainless steel. There was an engraving on the front of the blade, lettering that she once again couldn't quite read. However, as Axel inspected it with his claw tip to the blade's tip, he read off what it said, "'Honor, Respect, Discipline'. There's no such thing as victory in war, because at the end of the day, it's disrespectful to celebrate your luck over one others," Standing up with his knife in one hand, he approached Serena methodically, savoring this moment that was handed to him, "You want to know one of the hardest parts about losing someone you care about? A friend? Adoptive siblings almost? It's knowing that, even with the amount of pain you're in now, even though you know it's time to man up and make it out alive, you'll learn very quickly just how much pain weighs you down... ...just... ...how much, you have to live with... who you have to live without now..."

Standing directly in front of Serena now, Axel's words brought upon locked away memories, or rather ones he tried to hold down, having believed that they were already dealt with. His tears formed within his eyes lids. The white shines reflected from the sun, the droplets edging down his cheeks and to his chin, falling down and to the pavement below him. The way he gripped his knife, the intense nature of his stance and shivers: no amount of words could describe the fear within Serena. Axel's unstable nature made him unpredictable, and even with a small spurt of her voice, it set him off, "Axel... please..."

"I HAD TO TELL EVERYONE WHAT HAPPENED!"

His knife swung downwards, directly to Serena's paw below. Her scales were like butter, and his knife a nearly unbreakable knife. It cut through her skin and scales, clanking with sparks from the ground below though her paw covered such a show. With a massive amount of pain already surging through her back, this newer more shaper experience to a softer part of her body felt like hell, and he wasn't gentle about it either. Twisting the blade for a few seconds within her flesh, allowing her screams and cries to be heard for miles, he yanked it out full force, blood splashing out and up from the wound that now opened her paw.

"I WANTED TO FORGET! I WANTED TO SAY MY PEACE AND TRY MY BEST TO MOVE ON!" His chest was pounding, his heart was racing, and the heat from the sun set on a massive headache: his rage and anger doing little to help these emotions, "But then the parents asked... their friends asked, their siblings asked, my psychiatrist asked my psychologist asked... ...NO ONE WOULD SHUT UP ABOUT IT!" A crowd had formed from all the commotion, and after what Axel had done, many weren't too pleased and took on fighting stances, "I had to look each... and everyone one of them in the eyes," A crack in his voice broke his own heart: talking about the situation again felt like relieving it, "Do you know... how hard it was... to look at someone's younger sister or brother... and tell them that they need to know, and understand, and grow up... without a sibling...?" The beats of his heart felt twisted: his opened paw resting and clenching at the pain, "To look a mother and a father in the eyes, and to tell them that their son died a horrific death... do you know what that's like..." His voice gave on his final words; his eyes looking to Serena's soul, and though she saw and in many ways felt what he was going through, Axel saw nothing but a monster within her, "Do you know what it's like... ...to be told by those same people... ...that it should've been me and not them...?"

He couldn't muster anymore words, having a complete mental breakdown at such horrific thoughts and memories: all intrusive and destructive to his mental state and mind. Serena herself couldn't sympathize with him. For what all she's been through, for those that she's lost too, nothing was as tragic as what all Axel was describing. She still had her husband, and her daughter, and many of her friends were still alive to this day. All she could do now was try to understand him, "I'm... ...so... ...so, sorry."

This seemed to worsen the situation as a whole. Rather calm him, it broke him.

"IF YOU'RE SO SORRY, THEN YOU'LL ROT IN HELL FOR YOUR ACTIONS!"

He stomped over towards Syrus, the white dragon unable to move or do much of anything at this point. Instead, he was only able to stand there and take what was next. Walking up and past the white dragon's left side, Axel held his knife in his left paw, jamming it through Syrus' side. The pain was extraordinary, and unfortunately for the captive dragon, the blade wasn't to stop there. Instead, with the opening he made, going so far as to lift his chained up wings, Axel made sure to cut clean across the entirety of Syrus' left side. From the back of his shoulder to the front of his leg, the gash within his body poured blood to his side and onto the floor. Reaching the end of his intended target, the shadow dragon ripped through the last of his skin and scales. Unable to put pressure on his wounds, all that the father could do now was yell out in a booming roar of pain. The weight of his chains became too heavy for him now. Where he was already weak, deprived of sun and fresh air, and beaten from head to toe; scarred in wounds this attack finally put him down for good. His collapse wasn't gentle either. His body came down first, followed by his neck and head, each either landing on the mental chains and bonds that held him, or the solid ground below him. Serena and Ava's reactions were both very similar. Their pupils shrunk, their bodies forgetting the pain of the blades within them entirely, and without much else to do, they cried in a plea for his life, "SYRUS!" "DAAAAD!"

"YOU'LL EXPERIENCE THE SAME PAIN THAT I HAD TOO! THE EXPERIENCE OF HAVING SOMEONE YOU LOVE BLEED OUT IN FRONT OF YOUR VERY EYES!" Axel turned towards her now, knowing full well what his next move would be and how pleasing it would be to finally have that sweet feeling of revenge, "Only you won't get to have him die in your arms, oh no. You don't deserve that. You don't even deserve these last few minutes of air! But I won't pass on the many, many years of a wait that I needed to endure to finally have this moment!"

"Let her go you monster!"

Axel stopped halfway through his path, hearing an unfamiliar voice speak to him. However, it wasn't just one that yelled, but hundreds that threw up their arms in defense of Serena.

"Who the hell do you think you are!"

"You'd really kill a mother and father in front of their own child?!"

"People like you belong in hell!"

"Get away from her!"

"Someone get the Guardians!"

"No! I want to see Spyro kick his ass!"

"He needs help now!"

"Then let's not waste our time and do something!"

A couple of dragons took liberty in rushing in to help those that were wounded or injured. Out of the five guards from Prosperity that had landed, two were occupied: one was guarding Syrus, and the other two were their only line of defense. Axel however had other plans. Pressing a button to the small base of his rounded mic in the back and small oval to the front for actual communication, he gave the order, "Control this situation... NOW!"

Out from the roof tops and from the crowd itself, five more soldiers dawned in armor and weapons joined the commotion. Even with the thirty total dragons that rushed in for support, the seven guards made easy work of them. Their blades slashed at their legs, arms, shoulders, and parts of their heads. Some were punched, kicked, or head butted to the ground. The thirty dropped to fifteen, but only minutes later did the fifteen drop to zero. The remaining five tried their best, throwing punches, dodging well, and even getting a few hits in. But with the armor present on their bodies, nothing could effect them. Fire was used but the armor didn't melt. Lightning simply bounced off, and the powers of earth and ice hit the armor but broke afterwards. It was clear that the area around them was on lock down, and unfortunately for many, other dragons in this same armor took the position of where these previous dragons were, showing what seemed to be an army ready and waiting at this exact location. They stood tall, ready, and kept others in line when they needed to be shown their place. The ten soldiers doubled to twenty now: law and order seemingly being put in place. The yells, cries, and groans from these dragons that now laid to the floor made Axel smile, knowing he had all the military strength needed to get the job down. Although where he saw success, Amara saw different, "AXEL! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

He turned to her with cold, dead eyes, understanding little to her distress, "Why are you acting like a bitch all the sudden?"

"ARE YOU TRYING TO START ANOTHER WAR?!"

"What are you talking about?"

"These aren't our citizens! And even if they were, you can't just commit Martial Law all on your own! This land doesn't belong to us! How do you think Spyro's going to respond with us taking blood from his people! These citizens are basically family to him!"

"Who gives a shit if I die or not!" He put his paw down against her, "What happens next isn't my problem! If I die today than I'll die with the thought and feeling still in my claws to know that I killed my brothers' murderers!"

"They weren't even the ones that killed your family!"

"IT'S BECAUSE OF THEM THAT IT HAPPENED!"

"IT'S BECAUSE OF 'ME' THAT IT HAPPENED!"

"What are you on about now?!"

"Serena told me what my father's been doing: about how he's been covering up what's really been going on around Prosperity. I thought I was prefect, I thought everyone loved me, and I thought that there was no reason to fear or change who I was or help those that I was meeting. But that was always a lie, and I wouldn't be surprised if my father lashed each and every individual that I met in our neighborhoods to keep on this false sense of security."

"How does what happened make it your fault?"

"Because had I known about this rebellion sooner, I could've taken action. After all, as soon as I turned eighteen, my father gave me this position to basically be my own government. What I say and do will have almost an immediate impact on everyone around me, as long as said impact isn't major, such as changes to our economy, military, rules and laws. What happened to you happened when you were twenty-one, which would've given me more than enough time to see, hear, or even glimpse at the very dragons that were wanting to rebel."

"I'm not going to blame you for something you didn't know! And either way, that makes your father look even more like a corrupt piece of shit!" Axel's mind was set on what he wanted to do, and he was stopping at nothing to get the job done, "If mistakes were made now then we'll learn from them, but to make sure we learn from our history, and to keep those who might repeat it from doing so again..." His attention was back to Serena: his blade twitching from the shaking in her arm, desperate to kill this female, "We need to make an example of those who chose to be evil."

"YOU'RE A HYPOCRITE!"

Even as scared and weak as Ava might've been in that moment, she couldn't sit by and have something so petty go unnoticed. Axel's rage peaked to hear someone such as a child tell him his pros and cons: his teeth shinning white with a growl having now looked her in the eyes, "What did you just say?"

"You're corrupt! Psychotic! Completely unstable!" Her squirms and heavy weighted words dropped quite a lot of air from her lungs: the constant hyperventilating doing little to aid her in a clear mind, but she went with it, "How can you attack us knowing we're innocent yet wish death upon those that killed your squad-mates?! You think we're the villains for believing in something different than you, and yet because they died by one of our soldiers, MAYBE NOT EVEN ONE since we don't even know and clearly you don't either, you sentence us to death?!" Serena and her father were surprised to see an almost adult-like conversation she was striving to have with someone such as Axel, and at such a horrible point in her life, but she stood her ground, "WHY?! Because from where I'm standing, you only want us died because the feelings and emotions that have been weighing you down since their deaths are killing you to the bone, and you want any type of comfort: anything at all to tell you that it's over and that you can finally sleep easy knowing you avenged your brothers!"

"SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH!"

"YOU SHOULD'VE BEEN THE ONE TO DIE, NOT YOUR BROTHERS!" Axel felt something within snap after hearing what he's told himself for so long now, but having someone else say such a thing without having gone through what he's been through finally broke him, "How dare you try and avenge them by becoming EXACTLY what those monsters were when they killed the ones you loved! If you think killing innocent people will make you feel better, all while taking the lives of loved ones from others, THEN SHOULDN'T YOU KILL YOURSELF TOO SINCE YOU'RE NOW MAKING YOURSELF THE PROBLEM?! You've become the same type of monster that took your family away!"

Axel had enough of her speech, sheathing his weapon and stomping head on and straight to the wounded white female. The Father couldn't do much but grown and beg in a defeated voice for the dragon to calm, but he was already too far off the beaten path: his sanity to a point that was unhealthy and unstable, exactly what Ava had stated and saw within him. Serena still had a good enough voice to try and calm the enraged dragon, but it was clear that her words went in one ear hole, and out the other, "AXEL, PLEASE! She's just a child!"

Reaching to the dragon that stood above her, Axel's paw slid down the shoulder-pad of the dragon's armor. Falling out and down onto his paw was some sort of small, strap-like object. To the front, it was completely closed off aside from a small rounded shape to two corners, almost like it was meant for a dragon's nose to go through. Near the sides were two long straps, one going overhead as well. Serena, Ava, Amara, and Celina all knew exactly what it was. It was a muzzle that nearly blocked all manners and forms of mouth movement: the nose holes acting as the only form for someone to breath. Seeing this now and knowing exactly what it was made Ava panic at the worst time. She was unable to control her breathing, and with that meant less air control and storage that would've kept her with a nice supply of oxygen. Her fears turned to tears, her squirming causing the trident within her to cut her scales even more. The loss of blood made her dizzy, the screaming she had done added to that, and now with a lack of oxygen to her lungs, she was on the verge of passing out, "Wa-wa-wa-wa-wait - Axel... AXEL, PLEASE! PLEASE, I'll... I'll be quiet, I swear! I SWEAR! AXEL...!"

"You should've kept your mouth shut beforehand than."

He didn't yell, but instead vented all his frustration out with his actions. He jerked and yanked her head, slamming the muzzle against the front part of her nose. All Ava could do was cry in pain before having her face slammed to the ground to keep her mouth closed. He was vicious and vile in his actions, pulling the straps around the back of her head with no regards to the strain he was putting on her neck. She kicked, cried, and screamed, but it was all muffled. Ava was powerless to even say her own name, let alone beg for her life. Serena couldn't move to help, but at this point, even if she killed herself, saving her own daughter was her top priority, "AVA!"

Turning her head quickly to give her the best opening possible, the mother spit poison from her mouth and directly into the eyes of the dragon above her. He yelled out in pain, letting go of the trident and her head. Even with the weapon in the floor and within her skin, she used her tail to wrap the handle, and with the poison she had within her body, she melted the top and bottom of the weopn. After a few seconds, the metal fell to the floor, and the stick that was once held by the dragon slid to the side of her body before melting down and beside the metallic piece below. With holes within her body and nothing to keep the blood from dripping out now, Serena knew she was on borrowed time. Standing felt like a feat in its own right, but knowing her surroundings and keeping focus on what was important kept her going. Syrus helped all the same too. They had heard the dragon yell out from the poison that Serena had used, but to cause another distraction, the wind father rolled from one side to the other. It took all the strength he had with the weighted chains, deprived energy, and ripped-shown body. But, with the effort he was able to give, his mouth lined up with the paw of his dragon guard. From there, he moved his head down and clamped his teeth to the dragon's paw. The guard's yell brought many eyes as well, now all wondering what this guard was screaming about. However, unlike with Serena's attack, the guard was able to retaliate almost immediately. He looked down on the dragon that was biting him and rounded up his paw in the air. It was powerful, decisive, and with a blow to the side of his head, Syrus was unable to keep his eyes open. The attack knocked him out cold, the guard's attack had enough force behind it that the father's head on the other side hit and broke pavement. Amara didn't know what to focus on. Even with the guards around her, nothing about what was happening was safe or under control. Blood was scattered everywhere, Serena's advancements weren't one of a monster, and Axel himself acted in a similar fashion to what many saw within the Dark Master himself.

Serena made it halfway before giving out her cry of war towards Axel, "YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!"

Her mouth grouped poison in her cheeks, and with a clear shot, the poison exploded outwards from her mouth. As it traveled towards Axel, by the time the shadow dragon looked to see the running female, a guard landed to his side, taking the hit of the poison to his armor. Serena gasped and was already at full speed, and with no way of stopping her assault, she rammed her head directly into the dragon's armor. Although her head went back and her body went up, this new guard grabbed her by the horn and yanked her down to the floor. Her chin hit the ground before her bottom half, and once again, a trident cut through and back to the insides of her scales. The pain felt nearly killed her. This guard took liberty in putting his blade within the holes that were already made within her back, only he missed be a few inches and only ended up making more of a blood bath. The trident pushed blood from the holes already within her, and with these newer found wounds, she couldn't barely keep her eyes open, let alone breath. The guard sat to her right side, left paw on the trident's handle and allowing her a view of her daughter. Serena's pupils shrunk to see her daughter's body now after the rampage she attempted to have. Ava didn't move. Her eyes were closed, her body limp, and any sign of life was all but gone. The mother's heart sank to see her failures, knowing she could've done something, anything at all to prevent this from happening. But now with no feeling in her arms and legs; her eyes heavier than a boulder, the poisonous female couldn't fathom what was happening, "No... ..." Her voice broke, but without a heart or soul to drive her it was like her mind gave up too, trying to hide herself from what she was feeling before the emotions killed her, "Ava... ..Ava... ..." Instinctively, her arms and legs moved, though this was from pure emotion and not her own doing, "Ava... ...Ava, please... ...talk to me... ...please, just... ...just talk to me... " Her body wanted to crawl, her wings wanted to hold, but with death near seconds away, she could only look on from her failures, "Ava..."

She had lost everything at this point. Her husband was broken, her daughter lifeless, and without strength within or the blood to keep her going, all she could think about now was how she failed. How just minutes ago, they were safe and alive. The daughter's smile, her hope for what was next, the excitement she had to see her father again: It was all a distant memory now. She had failed. That thought circled her mind over and over and over again. Every tear she had shed was another point within her dying breath in hopes this was all a dream, "Ava..."

Axel stood from where he was, dusting off his paws like it was another day at the job. He wasn't fazed by anything that had happened, feeling no remorse for what he had done. Dragons from all around cried out, rallying to a point of thousands, many requesting for the Guardians to show and end this nightmare. Axel heard no of this. He was overjoyed at the prospect of finally feeling free from his own past, and getting his revenge once and for all.

"That's enough..." Though he didn't hear the dragons of Warfang, he heard Amara's voice clear as day, though he didn't dare acknowledge her, "Axel... ...get away from her," Still, he chose not to acknowledge her: taking aim on his knife that rested within his pouch, "If you so much as lay one more claw on her, I will have you demoted!" The shadow dragon unbuttoned his pouch, reaching in and grabbed the handle of his blade, "You will be locked up, and thrown in prison for the rest of your life! I WILL MAKE SURE OF IT!" With his blade out and in the open now, his eyes directed down on the head of Serena, "AFTER EVERYTHING WE'VE BEEN THROUGH, YOU'D IGNORE ME?!"

Amara at this point knew she couldn't talk to him, so instead of sitting back and allowing this to happen, she grew strength. Clenching her teeth and shaking her head to clear her vision of tears, Axel allowed only a few steps before he stopped her, "If you loved me, than you want this for me," He tried to twist her words, and from this line alone, she stopped with a kick in her heart, "This is what I've always wanted. This moment I've dreamed about for years. And to think it's all coming to fruition right before my very eyes... hehe... I couldn't be happier."

"Happier...?" Amara was disgusted to hear this, "You taking the life of someone's daughter right in front of their very eyes, allowing blood to be spilled on both sides and starting a war between us and Warfang makes you feel joy?" She struggled to even think about this, and saying it out loud made her break down to understand now what kind of a man Axel really was, "No... ...no, you're... ...YOU'RE NOT THE MAN I FELL IN LOVE WITH!"

"BECAUSE I'M NOT SPYRO, IS THAT IT?!" Finally now, he turned to her, everyone else in what felt like the world keeping quiet as they watched on, "From the moment you knew Spyro existed, you've kept eyes on him! From the moment you knew that that time crystal aged him further, it excited you to know you'd be compatible sooner! From the moment he wrote you that letter, you forgot your duties and acted like a child to him! And in the process, you forgot about EVERYTHING! And EVERYONE ELSE! That got you to that point!"

Amara was disgusted. After all she had done for him and he only saw one side of the story, "YOU UNGRATEFUL PRICK!" Her paw slapped the ground below, her tears easing the hissing pain upon the slap as they formed a puddle below her, "I paid for your housing, medical bills, pills, doctor's appointment, travel expenses, food and utility uses, and pay others to watch out for you twenty-four seven when I can't because of my twisted ass father AND THAT MAKES ME UNGRATEFUL?!" Her breathing kicked up, unable to process nor believe this was coming from his mouth, "MY FATHER HIT ME BECAUSE I WENT BEHIND HIS BACK TO HELP YOU! And when he asked who I was helping, I COVERED FOR YOU! AND HE PUNCHED ME FOR THAT!" Axel was still unbelieving of her, although something within was clearly taking her words with a heavy hand, "You never would've gotten this job by my side had it not been for my words! I rigged your profile so you'd be at my side! I cleared your criminal history so you'd be at my side!"

Axel was stunned to hear this, always having wondered how someone like him was ever to be at the side of someone as perfect as Amara herself, "You're... ...You're lying! That... ...I made it because...! I...!"

"I saw it all, Axel! You were a drunk, a deadbeat, living on the run like every other criminal! You hurt people, a lot of people, but at the end of the day, the reasons you got caught was because you couldn't finish the job! You knew what you were doing was wrong. When you were at your lowest, you did things, but never killed because it reminded you of your brothers. You knew how dishonest it would be to them, how hurtful it was on your soul. Every job you did to rob or harm, you felt like you were spitting on their graves!"

"You don't know anything!"

"I'VE READ ALL YOUR DOCTOR'S NOTES!" Amara had otherwise to say, "I've read the notes on your psychologists, your psychiatrists, your hospital visits your doctor's visits, I know them all! And that's because I paid thousands into getting these professionals strictly to ensure you had the best Medicare possible!" He was ready to refute her statement, but she was quick to counter him, "YES, AXEL! All six thousand notes from every doctor's visits from the day I met you up until now! Three hundred thousand plus words and I've read it all because I love you, you... STUBBORN BASTARD!"

Taking a breather with quick inhales and exhales, Amara hoped he'd understand her now, especially since this wasn't even all the information she had on him. But where push came to shove, Axel's words shoved harder than a push, and his stubborn nature showed, "And yet you asked your, top scientists, to figure out a way to make a love potion for Spyro so you two could be together forever."

"That's not...!"

"SHUT IT!" He had enough of her words, "How dare you sit there and tell me how I'm making bad decisions when I tried to convince you not to turn Spyro against Cynder yet you did it anyway! All I've ever wanted in life is right here in front of me, to kill this female for what she's done, and the years of war, pain, and pressure she's put on millions in Prosperity!"

"So you'd kill her without the full story?! You really would kill her in cold blood after everything we've learned and just how confusing this whole situation is? You're so blinded by rage that you'd really rather kill someone whom may be innocent just so they can't escape again...? ...So after all those years, after everything we've been through, it's meant nothing to you?"

"It's never meant anything to you since you're so far up Spyro's ass!"

"I made that mistake and I owned up to it. I love Spyro to death because of who he is and his sense of justice. I saw that within you, same as Spyro. But I will never love a man that reminds me of the Dark Master or my father."

"DON'T YOU DARE COMPARE ME TO EITHER OF THOSE TWO!"

"Then I'm begging you... please... put down the knife, and walk away. This could all end in a perfect example of what is right and what is wrong, and I hope that even in an alternate reality, you make the right decision..." Amara showed her tears, weakness, love, and support over Axel the best she could even with her flaws on display, but she hoped that he'd look past these flaws and make the right decision, "Please, Axel... ...I want the father of my kids to know that their parents, while having made mistakes along the way, never strayed away from the light. And together, we can show them the path to greatness, and keep them from making the same mistakes we did."

Her words tore at him: at his every being. He fought with himself; within himself, to make the right decision. One side spoke out of rage and revenge, whereas another wanted peace, and for the screams to end before they continued. It would all end here and now depending on his choice or select choices within this moment. Amara's words made things far more difficult on him than it should've been. This alternate reality to which the female had spoken on got him thinking on what path was the right one, or the most destructive one. His heart said one thing, and his mind another. One thought flopped the two, the heart in rage and the mind at ease, or the mind in tears and the heart in fear. It was all too much for him to deal with, but at the end of the day, he knew only one thing was for certain. When he looked Serena in her eyes, seeing hope that he'd make the right decision; the thought of jamming his blade into her head, his mind and heart both came to an agreement on. He had come too far and thought too hard on this situation to lose this now. His actions invoked an apology, his paw gripping the handle of his weapon, "I'm sorry, Amara..."

In that moment, she knew she had failed. Axel's paw geared up and over his head, and though she cried out for him, he didn't allow this momentum to halt, "AXEL!"

Serena watched in what felt like slow motion. The blade neared the middle of her eyes, and from the failures that accumulated in her mind, and the blood she had lost, this was to be her end. Her eyes lids gave in. The weight she had once felt disappeared. Her body felt weightless. The pain was gone, her memories drifted, and with a final tear, she gave her final thought, I... ...failed. Though she didn't feel the knife enter her scales, the last bit of pain she felt within was to her heart. The memories of her husband and daughter flashed before her, and with her daughter's laugher, and her husband's laugh echoing in her mind, the end for her was filled with nothing but regret. Her regret made her bounce back for a second, having a memory of the most recent time she felt safe, and alive.

---

Spyro had this trouble too, "It's not easy... and I'm glad you understand you're not perfect," This caught Serena's eye, "No one should be. Being perfect means you can never improve. Every day is a learning experience. Every day entails a new way to learn and grow. This is especially for parents. Your child is different from many others, so where one thing may work for them, that doesn't mean it'd work for yours. But... hey..." Showing a true smile that all felt warmth from, Serena widened her eyes to truly see; Spyro was the definition of the light in the dark, "That's where being a parent gives your life meaning. Even after you've grown, your child relies on you to teach them, to protect them, and to love them. You may think your life is over, but there's always a second life worth living out there. I tried to throw my life away because I believed I was meant to die saving the world. But... what does it mean to save the world if your death hurts the ones you love?"

"But then what do I do?!" Serena jumped up, desperate for the answer, "I'd trade my life for my daughter to live! But if in doing so, that makes her feel the pain of death too then, what do I do?!"

"Unfortunately... I... don't have the answer yet. Being a parent, or having someone you love: your body just reacts when they're in danger. The biggest thing to remember is, try not to always find the easy way out. If you have the time to think, think. Though I know there's situations where you must act without thought. In those situations... it's hard to wrap your head around fight or flight. Trading your life to save another close to you isn't easy... but... we... love... who we have... It's hard to make that decision because... you know you can't live without that someone... but... that someone can't live without you either... so... then..."

"Stop thinking on life before you kill yourself over it," Flair knew the path he was going down by thinking about such a thing.

"It's always a pain to think about the 'what if' in life," Cynder didn't want him to continue thinking on this either, "But we're wasting time thinking about horrible thoughts when we should be focusing on making memories. Death is scary, but nothing's a scary as me if you slip up and let your mind drift off, giving me easy access to your body," This helped Spyro chuckle; her smile being such a warm welcome back to reality for him, "You once saved Volteer over your life without a second thought. You could've died, but you didn't. And that's because you weren't alone. There's no reason to fear when thinking of a family. I mean, look at how big this family is, and how wide and varied our skill sets are. Do we really need to fear for the future when our family's around?"

---

Ava looked to Spyro at a loss for words; through the skies in what he could do, "S... Spyro... Y... You... you healed... my eye? But... I... I never..."

"Everyone deserves second chances, Ava," A warm purple smile brought light in the eyes of the white wind female, "Tell me... would you like to fly again someday?"

"YES!" She jumped on the idea rather quickly, "But! Wait!" She backed away, not understanding his ways of thinking, "What do you want? What are you looking for in us? Are you healing me and my mom up to then later dump us out to tell us to go and deal with our own problems?" Serena feared the same but didn't show it, though the thought now was unsettling to them, "Spyro, please, we can't...!"

"Whoa, easy there, Ava," His laughed was so joyful, unlike anything they had seen before, "You know, you two confuse me. You say I'm making these miracles by healing your eyes and yet, I don't see anything wrong with the beauty you two have in the first place," Serena and Ava both blushed to what he was saying, understanding it a little sooner than most; getting smiles from Ignitus, and Cynder, "You two don't owe me anything. If I have the power to do something for free; to help those in need, I'm not going to force people to pay something to me. If you two really are dead-set on wanting to give back, then... I expect smiles from you two."

---

The poison female showed what little tears she had left, same went for Ava. Compared to before, this was everything they could've ever wanted and more. The remaining outsiders took notice, and where Kayla would've liked to find something wrong about Spyro, or even the lies he was sure to make; nothing was seen past what he truly showed: a smile, a warm heart, and brightened purple eyes to the future, "Now... you should feel free to fly, feel free of fear that weighs you down because of limitations; you should feel a sense of achievement, knowing now, when it rains, you can protect, Ava. You can hold her close, you can laugh out loud as you fall from the sky to feel a rush of wind before opening your wings last second. These boundaries that have once bound you are now gone, but you need to understand something," Serena was at all ears, same as anyone else, "Losing one of your fives senses; the ability to walk, the ability to fly, the ability to do anything on your own... ...giving up at the idea of loss is never the answer. You stayed strong when all was lost. You felt like nothing more would come your way aside from a brick wall. Understand that... no matter how far down you may find yourself, no matter how awful things are or seem... there's always someone looking out for you. Your husband to you, you to your husband, and... Ava... to you. You all have each others backs. And from my word to you, you have my backing as well."

---

A very dim light of hope was given to the family. Their only hope, their only way to make it out of this alive, rested on Spyro's shoulders. Energy surged through her body, and though she wanted to jump up and scream to the heavens in hopes her voice would be heard, the last bit of her strength was put to her lips, "Spyro... ...please... ...save us..." Surprisingly to her, the anger and hope within brought light to her soul: a sudden jolt of energy, like all that had happen faded, gave her the chance to be saved, "Spyro!" The feeling in her arms grew; purpose driving her legs forward, hope raising her figure, and with Spyro's words echoing in her mind, the mother stood somehow.

---

"You all have each others backs. And from my word to you, you have my backing as well."

---

"SPYRO!"

This felt like her limit; her body going limp and surely on a crash course to the ground below. However, where her legs gave way and her body fell forward, something caught her. Her chest was suddenly given warmth, her wounds no longer pressured her to sit still, and while she knew the sun could aid in the passing of energy, every second she felt more and more powerful. Serena no longer trembled, the wound within her paw seemed to have disappeared: the strength within energized and allowed her to make a fist with both paws. The power made her ready, willing, and bloodthirsty towards Axel. Now with all this new found strength, drive, and power, her eyes felt weightless. It felt as though she could run, dance, fly, or do anything twice the speed or with twice the amount of power and effort than ever before. With her eyes flicking open, and an intense breath inwards, reality hit her in the face: her body coming back from the brink of death.

"Whoa whoa whoa, easy there, Serena, easy."

The voice was all too familiar, one that she recognised and considered sanctuary. Her eyes were to the floor, but the tail color and blade was enough for her to know of her savior. The golden leaf-blade wasn't something she feared, but rather grew tears of hope for seeing. The blade connected to scales, purple ones that seemed so vibrant and colorful: lively thanks to the sun and its efforts. Her eyes slowly made way up the scales and the side of the dragon. New colors were on display thanks to his wings of red and gold, same to his underbelly and neck. Serena held his shoulders, desperately pushing back but not away, needing his comfort now more than ever. Comfort she most surely obtained, but this feeling was nothing she could've ever thought possible from a stranger. Looking to his purple eyes of hope and heroics, the purple dragon smiled, and chuckled to see her shock-and-awe look. Her heart and soul mentally exploded with passion and love: her near-death experience giving life an even crazier amount of detail and meaning to her.

"I know things probably weren't very tamed around here, but I'm gonna have to ask you to not yell my name," He made sure his intentions and words were pure: his smile and laughter being used so no hard feeling were felt, "After that 'I love you' that you gave to me, Cynder's been on high alert, and if she hears you yelling my name with this type of look in your eyes, she'll kill me for sure. Hehehe."

His laughter was enough to send her over the end, and even though she heard his angel-like voice clear and crisp as a newly formed summer day, she couldn't contain her emotions. Her arms moved, as did her wings. They both wrapped around his figure: her wings to his back and her arms to the back of his neck. Her head dug to his shoulders, and with tears and cries unable to be held back, she went against the purple dragon's words, "Spyro!"