Chapter 52: The Tunnel

The next morning, Starflight led Link, Cynder, Tsunami, and Sunny to the hole. Before leaving, Cynder asked some RainWings to look after the eggs. When they arrived, Glory's wings were speckled gray. As soon as they landed, Sunny jumped up to hug Clay's neck as soon as she saw him.

"How's Webs?" Clay asked.

Tsunami snorted. "I don't think these 'healers' have seen anything worse than a sprained wing or a stubbed claw for dragons before," she stated. "Though one of them does assume human form to deal with injured animals and people at a human village nearby, she isn't doing anything. They're just peering at the scratch and muttering."

"But I'm sure he'll be fine," Sunny said. "The RainWings are trying their best." She turned and caught Tsunami rolling her eyes behind her back. "They are."

"Sunny, you think everyone's always doing their best," Tsunami pointed out.

The SandWing-NightWing hybrid huffed a small snort of flame. "So?" she stated. "Everyone is! Why wouldn't they be?"

"Will you please shut your mouth, Tsunami," Cynder ordered. "If you can't say anything nice, say nothing at all."

Tsunami quieted down.

"Hallooooooooo!" a voice exclaimed as a bright pink comet streaked through the trees and thudded down beside Cynder. Glory jumped back and flared her ruff at Jambu as he bowed to all of them, grinning.

"What are you doing here?" Glory asked him.

"I heard him," he pointed at Starflight, "tell these two," he pointed at Cynder and Link, "what you were up to, and it sounded like fun. So I took the day off to see if I could help. Brother and sister, working as a team! Awesome, right?" He craned his neck to see the hole behind her. "Oh, freaky thing! No wonder it feels so weird in this part of Faron. Aside from the tunnel to the kokiri village in the Lost Woods, of course. Most of the RainWings avoid coming anywhere near this pond. But no one's ever reported a mystery hole before, I don't think. So what's the plan?"

"The plan is I go in," Glory stated firmly. "And everyone else waits here."

Absolutely nobody liked that plan. Cynder wanted to go first in her ghostly state, leaving the others to guard her unconscious body; Tsunami wanted to go first; Clay wanted everyone to go together; Starflight wanted to stay as far from the hole as possible. Even Jambu started whining about not wanting to be left behind.

Link noticed that Glory had folded her tail over her talons in annoyance.

"Maybe we should compromise," Sunny suggested. Maybe you could take Spyro with you. He has recently got his fire powers back. He would be helpful with the darkness in there."

The Hero of Time smiled. "That is a good point, Sunny," he commented. "It is dark down there. It isn't very useful bumbling around in the dark.

"All right!" Glory shouted, silencing the others. "All right, fine, different plan. Clay and I go in first and see what's in there. Cynder can come along in her spirit form."

Cynder shook her head. "If Spyro disappears like the missing RainWings, Sparx would think I killed him," she commented. "I'll stay here."

Sunny looked disappointed. Link realized that she wanted to go with Glory.

"What about me?" Tsunami asked, bristling.

"You hold the other end of the vines," Clay said. "If we yank on them three times, it means we're in trouble, so either pull us out or, if you can't, come in and get us."

"Midna can hide in your shadow," Link proposed.

Glory obviously didn't like the idea of having a vine tied around her shoulders, but she was outvoted. As Starflight tightened the knots, Glory untangled her sloth, Silver, and passed it to Sunny. She asked for sunny to look after it for her.

"Aww," Sunny cooed. "Pretty name."

Link obviously knew Glory didn't mean to say the sloth's name out loud as Glory replied, "Well, you can call it whatever you want."

"Hrrrrgle," the sloth disagreed, but it flopped around Sunny's back with a blissful expression.

She gave Link a sultry look. "You know what this hole is, don't you, Spyro?" she asked.

Link smirked. "I do know where it leads to as well," he replied. "This hole was made by an animus dragon." He looked directly at Sunny. "Your father, Sunny."

Sunny's eyes widened in joy. "My father?" she asked.

Link nodded.

"But why would a SandWing build a cave in Faron?" Glory asked.

"Who said that he was a SandWing?" Cynder retorted. "Maybe Sunny is half NightWing or something. That can explain her lack of a SandWing stinger."

Sunny looked at Cynder for a moment. Before looking at Link. "Can that be true, Spyro?" She asked, hopefully.

"I'm sorry to tell you that I cannot tell you," Link replied. "I never met your father in my era, Sunny. He died decades before I was born. All I knew about him was his name, Stonemover."

Sunny frowned, obviously disappointed.

Just as Clay and Glory began to walk into the tunnel, there came an animalistic screech. They looked up to see a giant bird dive at Cynder, talons outstretched.

Jambu quickly pulled out his blow gun and shot a dart at the bird. The tranquilizer caused the bird to topple right on top of Cynder. Link and Cynder promptly ripped the bird to shreds.

"Ganondorf knows Cynder is here," Link commented. "Go through the tunnel and come back. If more monsters turn up, like an army of them, we are goners."

Link watched as Clay and Glory disappear into the tunnel.

They came out of the tunnel a few hours later. "The tunnel leads to what Hylians refer to as the Gerudo Desert," Glory stated. "In the shadow of Burn's fortress."

"But that is completely impossible," Starflight stated. "The Gerudo Desert is miles away, on the other side of the mountains and past a giant labyrinth, for Din's sake. You couldn't have walked there down a tunnel in Faron."

"Tell that to the tunnel to the Lost Woods," Link retorted. "I used that tunnel to get to the Four Sword Sanctuary."

Starflight gave Link a look. "That is impossible as well," he stated. "The Lost Woods are up near Death Mountain, correct? How do you do that as well?"

"Go look for yourself," Glory snapped. "It's for real. Stonemover built a secret passage between here and the desert." She dipped her tail in the stream, most likely glad to be back in the rainforest.

"But why?" Tsunami asked. "What is the point?"

"Do you think SandWings are kidnapping the RainWings and keeping them holed up in Burn's collection of oddities?" Sunny asked hesitantly. "Maybe it was a SandWing that killed those MudWings from before."

"I doubt Burn would kidnap RainWings," Tsunami stated. "If they used the tunnel to attack MudWings, however, it seems like a roundabout way of doing things. If the SandWings have an animus, they could create a tunnel straight into MudWing territory or something more useful.

Just then, a RainWing came flying down. His face was panic stricken.

"What's wrong?" Link asked her.

"It's one of your eggs," he stated. "The red egg has disappeared with my sister! She was caring for the egg for you while she was doing her duties for the tribe. She planned to fly around the village with Grandeur at around high noon, but she never turned up."

"And the others?" Link asked, worried. Tears began to well up in Cynder's eyes.

"They have been moved to be in the care of Grandeur," the RainWing replied. "She hardly ever leaves the village due to her age."

Glory thought for a minute. "The plot thickens..." she contemplated as Cynder started to cry into Link's shoulder.

Link looked at the group. "Cynder and I need to leave you five for a while," he admitted. "Cynder needs some cheering up."

Glory nodded in understanding as the purple dragon lead his mate through the rainforest. They trudged through mud and underbrush.

Moonwatcher, Link thought. Can you hear me.

Just as he thought those words, a NightWing dragonet popped up in front of the pair.

"Who are you?" she asked. "How do you know my name?"

"Calm down, Moon," Link replied. "I am from the future." As he said those words, memories flooded his thoughts. Moon gasped as the future flashed before her eyes as memory.

"I can't believe the pain that you suffered, sir," she stated.

"The past is in the past," Link stated. "Or the future in my situation."

Moon looked at Cynder before her eyes glazed over as if she was having a vision. When her eyes focused on Cynder again, she was smiling.

"What did you see?" Link asked.

Moon gave him a curious look. "How do you..." she stopped herself, remembering that he was from the future. "I saw her swarmed with hatchlings. At least six. Most of them were purple like their father. Only one of them had red scales. All of them were around the same age."

Cynder smiled and looked at Link. "Is this your way of promising that we'll find our missing egg, Spyro?" she asked.

Link nodded. "It is, Cyn," he admitted. He looked at Moon. "Thank you for the information, Moon. We'll keep your secret safe."

Moon smiled. "Thank you," she replied. "I hope to see you again in the future."

"You will," Link muttered to himself as he and Cynder walked away.

They returned to the tunnel to find the others still waiting. The third RainWing was gone, obviously back at the village.

"What did you talk about?" Glory asked.

"I told Cynder that we'll find the egg," he replied. "Even if it's locked up in Burn's fortress if we have to..."

Cynder chuckled. "Burn is most likely still terrified of me," she replied.

"That is the determination of a true parent," Glory acknowledged. "Anyway-"

Suddenly something thudded down from the tree behind Starflight. The NightWing yelped and leaped out of the way as a bright green dragon galloped past him and dove into the tunnel.

"Hey!" Glory shouted.

"That was Mangrove," Jambu cried. "What is he doing?"

"Looking for Orchid, no doubt," Link stated. Glory quickly tucked Silver into the nearest tree.

"Wait here," she ordered the sloth. She folded her wings and dove after Mangrove.

"Glory! Wait!" Cynder exclaimed, giving chase. Link followed quickly behind.

"Mangrove!" they heard Glory call. Due to their higher agility and smaller size than Glory, Link and Cynder charged past her and saw Mangrove's tail whisk around a corner. "Come back! We're making a plan!"

They shot around the last corner just in time to see him disappear into the scorching desert sunshine. By the time they burst out behind him and their eyes adjusted to the light. He was a green blur in the sky, flying away as fast as he could. A few moments later, his scales shifted color to match the blue of the sky.

Glory finally caught up to them as she flapped her wings in frustration and sat down beside Link and Cynder.

One by one, the other dragonets emerged from the tunnel.

"Oh, Luna's moons," Tsunami exclaimed as the heat hit her scales. "It's horrible here.

Sunny stretched her wings wide and tilted her head towards the sun. "Wow," she whispered.

Starflight blinked and looked around. "You're right," he stated to Glory. "I can't believe it. This is really the Gerudo Desert."

Jambu tumbled out the tunnel behind them. "Where's Mangrove?" he asked.

"Did he head to Burn's stronghold?" Starflight guessed, shading his eyes to look in the direction of the faraway palace.

Link shook his head and pointed north. "He didn't," he stated. "I don't think he noticed it. Better wrap up in something warm. Looks like we're headed to the regions north of the Rito Village and Hebra, IceWing territory. We might have to reach Snowpeak..."