Legend of Spyro - Four Pillars of Aether Book I

by Blazcowitz43

Twelve years after the Temple raid, the four survivors of that dreadful night live a happy, carefree existence. They are Spyro, Cynder, Flame and Ember; the four who lived. Spyro is a rare purple dragon who has been taught his whole life that great things await him, but as darkness approaches can he and his friends truly stand up to the evil that threatens the world? Book II soon.

21. Chapter 20: Swamp Sweet Home

Chapter 20: Swamp Sweet Home

The first thing Spyro felt after he died was a wet chill along his neck as he felt water washing over it like it was being poured onto him in handfuls by an angel he couldn't yet see. He felt his heart beating again as the sense of touch returned to his body, feeling himself laying on the ground as he had died, but with something soft pushed under his chin that lifted his head off the ground. He felt another refreshing handful of water pouring onto his head this time, drops of the sweet nectar streaking over his eyes and face, making him gently shuffle his head but his eyes remained shut, holding onto the anticipation of what he would see when heaven was finally revealed. He felt what seemed like tiny hands brushing against a spot on the back of his neck, scrubbing away any physical impurities before he would wake up and join the spirits of the afterlife. Maybe Cynder, Flame and Ember would be there, Ignitus too. Perhaps also he would be greeted by a dragon couple who he did not recognize, but who knew him as their son who they had not lived to see hatch. He wondered who else might be there, and who else would be joining them soon now that he was no longer able to fulfill the prophecy and defeat Malefor.

Maybe the purple dragon meant for that was yet to be born now that Spyro knew it could not be him. He rocked his head gently from side to side as he started to hear voices now; they were muffled and incoherent, but it sounded like there was three of them close by. As the voices became clearer, he noticed that one of them sounded familiar to him as he tried to cobble his thoughts together as his senses became stronger. Suddenly he felt something he didn't expect; pain, pain in his left foreleg, the one that had been broken when he was alive and aches began to pop up all over his body, aches he thought he had left behind.

"He's waking up! Look, look!" a voice shouted clearly that he now recognized; it was Sparx! But of that was true, that could only mean one thing; Spyro was still alive! The realization of this was surprisingly not as relieving as he might have thought.

"Give him some space, son. He's going to be disorientated," said a second, older male voice that was new to him. Just after that was that was the third voice, that of a female that sounded like it was right in front of his eyes.

"It's okay, sweetheart, you've got nothing to worry about it," she said, Spyro feeling a tiny, caressing hand touching the top of his left eyebrow. This acted as a trigger as he groaned exhaustedly and finally began to lift his eyelids. His vision was still hazy, but he made out a glistening ball of green light with a light brown figure in its center hovering just before his eyes. As his vision adjusted, he saw it was still night as Sparx continued to call his name off to his side, the yellow dragonfly soon appearing next to what he deduced was another dragonfly with the green glow and brown figure.

"Ha-hey! There he is!" Sparx laughed triumphantly as Spyro's vison finally became clear, "I thought you were a goner for a second there, buddy!"

"Sparx?" the purple dragon asked groggily, lifting his head up as he battled a fearsome headache, "Where am I?"

"Home, Spyro. We made it!" the yellow dragonfly answered happily as another dragonfly drifted in next to him, a slightly larger blue dragonfly with stout, roughly rectangular head with two antennas atop and yellow eyes. His forearms and chest were broad compared to that of Sparx, but above his square jaw was a warm face as he took a hold of the yellow dragonfly's arm and gently pulled him back away from the purple dragon. Spyro assumed the blue dragonfly must be Sparx's father.

"Let's not crowd him, Nina. Give him a moment to right himself," the blue dragonfly said to the female who remained close to Spyro's face, gazing fondly into his dazed eyes. Nina, as she had been called, was surely then Sparx's mother.

"It will be fine, dear. I think he will be, too," she replied cheerfully, her green eyes rich in kindness. Spyro thought she had a stronger resemblance to Sparx then he did to his father, the female dragonfly's head was a light chocolate brown and was more rounded with two long and two short antennas atop her forehead. Her thorax and abdomen were green and consisted of a slenderer shape than that of her son or husband. Dangling behind near her abdomen were two tail like flaps draping down like the tails of a coat, her shoulder sand forearms were green, almost looking like amour plates while the rest of her arms and back were the same brown as her head.

"Uh, hello," Spyro greeted weakly, his mouth hanging open as he remembered how thirsty he was, his tongue trying to catch the few drops still hanging on his face.

"Oh, you poor thing!" Nina exclaimed urgently, "Lets get some more water for him to drink. Sparx, Flash, help me," she said, beckoning the other two dragonflies to come over.

"Please," Spyro croaked as his dry mouth felt like it was cracking from dehydration, the three dragonflies heading off to the side to get something he couldn't see. He looked down and saw that the top of a large toadstool had been placed down in front of him and had been the soft object his chin had been resting on. He gently rocked his neck left and right, his eyes rolling with his head as he took a causal look at his surroundings and quickly realized that he was not in the same spot that he had collapsed in however long ago that was. The biggest indicator was the glowing light above his head that he saw as he looked up.

Hanging down from beneath a tall, moss-covered mushroom was a large round hive that looked something like a hut, its roof covered in moss and grass with tiny window like holes from which bright yellow light shone outwards. It hung down from the mushroom like a lantern, the outside appeared to be made up of roots that had grown into each other to form a rough ball like shape. On one side of the roof was a small door or window held open by a twig pressed against the edge of the roof, Spyro quickly surmising it to be the dragonfly family's home. While it was far too small for him, he imagined it was just right and cozy for them.

He felt the numb stinging on the back of his neck that had seemingly been responsible for him passing out, reaching back and touching it carefully with his right paw as he craned his head over his shoulder. He felt what he assumed was water across his neck, but a glance at his paw revealed an unknown green substance that was smeared on it. Spyro looked over his shoulder as he heard the dragonflies returning, seeing a pair of small clay bowls about the size of his two paws, one filled with the mystery green liquid that it seemed the dragonflies had treated him with. He only then he realized that it was also smeared along his left foreleg, numbing the pain in it like it was for the blotch on his neck. As he looked back up, the three dragonflies were hovering just in front of him, holding between them a large yellow cup shaped flower head filled with water that he eyed almost madly.

"Thanks, I…" Spyro began, expecting to take the flower cup off them, but to his surprise they slowly bought it up to him, tipping it over towards him to save him the trouble. Without only a minor pause, Spyro opened his mouth and leaned back, letting them tip the water slowly into his mouth which he swallowed gratefully.

"Drink up, dear," Nina said with a warm smile, "I'm sorry we used what we had while we were treating you."

After swallowing the last mouthful, Spyro looked at her modestly, "No need to apologize. I'm very thankful. But if you don't mind me asking, what's that green stuff over there?" he asked as he beckoned towards the pot off to his side. After they set the flower down, Nina replied to him with,

"It's a natural remedy for the poison that had made you sick. We've been applying it to that spot on your neck and to your injured leg. It should help to make you feel much better."

"Well, it seems to be working, thank you," he nodded warmly, "But forgive me as I have to ask something else; how did I get here?"

Flash, the blue dragonfly, took his turn to answer the purple dragon, "Well, Spyro, Sparx came and found us, then woke us up and told us what happened. We had no idea he was missing until then. He bought us to you and then we carried you here."

"Carried me?" Spyro repeated in disbelief, "Really?"

"Of course," Flash said with a smile, "We may be small, but we dragonflies are much stronger than you might think."

"Yeah, but it wasn't easy," Sparx added, "You were a lot of weight to carry around. Maybe you could try going on a diet or something next time."

"Sparx!" Nina scolded with a frown, "That's no way to talk to our guest, especially after he saved your life! I'm so sorry, Spyro, he can be a little hot headed sometimes."

"It's okay," Spyro said unflustered, "I shouldn't have misjudged you. And as for Sparx, well, it was nothing, really."

Although he was outwardly being cordial and happy in the presence of the dragonflies, in truth his smile was hollow as Spyro was anything but happy about where he was. It's not that he was ungrateful for their hospitality and care, but he had wanted to avoid his presence being learned by anyone else. He had wanted Sparx to just go home and say nothing about him, making up whatever story he wanted while he slipped away into the night, but now he was among his whole family, and the fact they had merely seen, let alone treated him could put them in serious danger. Spyro also felt sure that Sparx in his excitement would have blabbered about all the amazing powers he had seen him use, only making the situation worse.

"Nothing?" Sparx repeated incredulously, "Nothing?! You call fighting off swarms of Toadweeds, giant log monsters and armies of bats nothing? Lap it up, hero, this is your time to shine!"

"I must admit, what he told us was quite extraordinary," Flash said with a questioning scratch of his chin, "Is it really true what Sparx told us? You faced all of that and made it through in one piece?"

Spyro froze for a moment as his eyes shot over towards the golden dragonfly and back to Flash as he went over all that he might have been told.

"What did he say about it?" the purple dragon asked nervously, trying to not look suspicious.

"Well," Nina interjected, "Sparx told us that he found you while he was wandering lost in the Ancient Grove and that you two decided to stick together. He said you offered to help our son find his way home."

Spyro nodded cautiously, "Yeah, well, I guess we were lucky to find each other," he said with an unassuming shrug.

"And don't forget you saved me from getting eaten by those Toadweeds," Sparx added pointedly, moving quickly to Spyro's side.

"Indeed," Flash agreed heartily as he drifted up closer to Spyro's face, "Not only that, but you helped him escape a terrible golem and a swarm of bats! Its truly an incredible story!"

Still waiting for them to ask about his powers, the purple dragon replied lowly, "Well, it wasn't much fun, but I'm glad I could be of help," he said meekly.

Flash chuckled, "You are far too modest, Spyro. Especially after accomplishing so much."

"He is, isn't he?" Nina remarked in an adoring voice, drifting up close to their guest as he stared back at her with a look of discomfort. Her eyes were brimming with motherly emotion as he stumbled his words with,

"It really was…"

Before he could say 'nothing' once more, something unexpected and remarkable happened. The little green she-dragonfly drifted up to his face, placed her hands on the sides of his snout and kissed him on the forehead. Spyro was frozen and wide eyed as this all happened, the tiny touch of Nina's lips had the effect of making him feel warm and relaxed, for a moment forgetting all his anxiety and grief. When she pulled away and smiled so sweetly at him, he felt compelled to answer with, "Something. It was really something," as his face went red.

"You bet it was!" Sparx jeered as he swept over beside his mother, "How about one of those for me too, huh, Mum?" he said as he turned his head and poked his left cheek out. Nina giggled as he leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, Sparx wringing his hands together as he smiled and flushed with embarrassment as Flash laughed and moved up on his son's right, putting his arm around Sparx's back. The three of them together, Spyro thought, would have made an adorable portrait.

"But let's not forget I saved your life too, Spyro!" Sparx burst out triumphantly as he pointed his finger towards the purple dragon, "Can't let you have all the credit!" Flash and Nina both looked at their son in bemusement as he suddenly flew around in front of Spyro's face and began to dramatically recall, "When that wooden golem thing was chasing us, it grabbed Spyro in its giant hand like this," he said as he held his clench fist in front of him, "It was gonna'crush him like an ant, but then I swung into action! I said, 'Hey! Put the dragon down you overgrown piece of firewood! I know a lot of termites that would love a piece of you!' Then I gave him a good uppercut just like that!" Sparx boasted as he swung his fist around as he allegedly had done so, "Then he let Spyro go and we got the heck out of there!" The yellow dragonfly turned around and looked at Spyro, asking, "That's what happened, right?" as he winked.

With a short chuckle, the purple dragon decided to let him have his moment and nodded, "Yeah, you sure did. That's really how it happened."

As Sparx gave him two thumbs up in thanks, Flash and Nina looked at each other as if they didn't quite believe the story, but they said nothing to that effect as the hovered over to him and Spyro.

"You've both been very brave, tonight," Flash said as he patted Sparx's shoulder before turning his eyes back to Spyro. He scratched his chin puzzlingly again as Nina gave her son a hug. "So, you are a dragon then, Spyro?" the blue dragonfly asked curiously, "I must admit I have never met a dragon before, but I've heard many stories about them."

Spyro smiled meekly, "I hope I didn't disappoint, Mr Sparx," he said formally.

"Call me Flash, please, Mr Sparx was my father!" he laughed in reply just before a question came to mind, "But I thought dragons were supposed to have magical abilities, like breathing fire among other things. Sparx didn't mention anything about that regarding you."

"He didn't?" Spyro exclaimed absentmindedly, suddenly remembering himself as he calmly settled down and answered, "That's correct, but… I'm not really like other dragons," he said nervously. He locked eyes with Sparx who simply looked at him grinning, giving nothing away that he had in fact kept his secret when he was sure he would have included those fantastic details to the stories of their adventure that night.

"Oh? Why is that?" asked Nina with concern as her motherly intuition told her that their guest was keeping something from them. Spyro seemed to have sensed this too as he looked between the three sets of eyes that were all focused on him, torn between coming clean to them and keeping truth to himself that might only endanger them. But what difference did it make now that they knew his name and that he was a dragon? If the apes did happen upon this place and interrogated them about him, they knew just enough to put their lives at risk, whether they chose to tell them or not.

The answer he gave them was foolhardy and made on the spot, his mouth seeming to speak without his consent, but for whatever reason he said, "I… I don't have any powers. I can't breathe fire or do any of that. I'm… kind of a freak back home."

He asked himself why he had lied to them, why he had come out with something so completely opposite to the truth. It had not even been a half lie or a half truth. He had just bluntly told them he had no powers at all. He looked at Sparx who again made no move to say what he knew was the real truth, Spyro at that point deciding he would carry on with his false claim, as wrong as it felt to lie to those who had been so generous and caring to him.

"Freak?" gasped Nina in horror, "What an awful thing to say!"

Spyro turned his eyes to Flash, who it seemed was about to speak up, presumably to ask him about the subject of his home, when a hungry grumble from the purple dragon's stomach drew everyone's attention.

"Oh dear, what terrible hosts we've been!" Nina remarked in dismay, "The poor child is starving!"

"A little bit," Spyro confessed as he sat up and tapped his rumbling stomach, "But I don't want to impose…"

"Not at all!" Flash declared brightly, shifting over beside his wife, "We'll get you something to eat. Sparx, keep our guest company. We'll be right back," he said as the two adult dragonflies flew away through the great mushroom stalks and out of view.

"Sure thing, Dad!" Sparx agreed readily as they disappeared. The yellow dragonfly let out a loud yawn as the long night took its toll on him, Spyro watching him silently as he waited for the expected question of why he had lied. Sparx seemed to be putting on an act as he slowly floated in front of the purple dragon, humming to himself as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and closely inspected his nonexistent fingernails. Just as he was on the brink of asking what he was doing, Sparx suddenly turned to him and crossed his arms over his chest.

"So what's been happening with you?" he asked, putting on the air of some tough guy enforcer, Spyro eyeing him strangely as he replied tersely, "You didn't say anything about what you saw me do."

The dragonfly shrugged, "It seemed important to you to keep that under wraps. I figured if you wanted them to know, you'd tell 'em yourself. But now you're going with the angle of being a songbird with no song?" he asked bewilderedly.

Spyro sighed heavily, "It just came out like that. I wasn't really thinking straight. But I guess I have to stick to that now," he said gloomily.

Sparx sighed as he rubbed the back of his head, "Well, I won't say anything either, but I'm trusting you've got good reasons to keep secrets from good folks like that," he said as he beckoned to where his parents had gone. Spyro swallowed hard as he looked away from the dragonfly, thinking to himself what he might feel if a stranger came into his life suddenly and acted the same. Then he realized that he had; the Chronicler. He had only seemed to understand half of what the mysterious voice had told him, yet he always seemed to stop short of giving Spyro any real answers. Perhaps it was rubbing off on him and he was doing the same with the dragonflies.

"You know," Spyro remarked uneasily, "Your parents haven't even asked me why I'm here, how I got here or where I've come from. They haven't asked anything like that…"

"Like I said, their good folks," Sparx replied with a proud smirk, "They looked at you and saw somebody who needed help. They couldn't give a rat's where you're from."

"But don't you want to know?" Spyro asked anxiously.

"Sure," the yellow dragonfly nodded, "Just like I want to know all your secrets. But if you ain't gonna; spill 'em, well, you ain;t gonna spill 'em."

"You could always tell them I lied," Spyro suggested cautiously.

"Yeah, but I've seen what you can do and I don't want to take the chance!" Sparx chuckled grimly. Spyro could not help but share in the laugh, finding himself touched by the trust of the yellow dragonfly who it seemed was taking quite a friendly shine to him. A rustling nearby drew his attention as Flash and Nina returned, each of them carrying a strange orange and green fruit in their hands. He eyed the fruits curiously as the two adult dragonflies carried them towards him; the fruits were shaped similar to lemons but were colored green with numerous small lumps over their bodies while two spike like appendages grew out from the bottom of them. They were only slightly larger than his paws and from the lumpy tops of the fruits were five tall, extraneous leaves with orange tips flailing as they were finally bought before the purple dragon.

"I'm not too certain what dragons eat," Flash said apologetically as they placed the fruits near his front paws, "But I suspect you wouldn't find our diet of butterflies too appetizing."

"Oh, I don't mind," Spyro replied quickly, "I'm very thankful to you. I won't complain, right now I feel I could eat anything!"

"Well, help yourself," Nina invited warmly, Spyro smiling to them as he pulled the first fruit into his chest. Under usual circumstances he would have considered the food for longer, but so depleted was he that he dived into the meal without considering removing the leaves first. He sank his teeth eagerly into the fruit, crunching the leaves as he did, quickly finding them unappetizing as he spat the leaves away. The fruit itself, however, had an unusual cucumber like inside and the outer skin added a faintly sweet taste. He munched away at the fruit as he savored the moistness of it in his mouth, feeling himself calming as the simple pleasure of eating took a hold of him.

"You like it, Spyro?" Nina asked eagerly.

"Mmmm, yeah," he said with a nod and a full mouth, tucking straight back in as he pulled the second fruit in as he nearly finished the first. Flash smiled gladly as he waved his hand for Sparx to come over to him,

"Lets get a few more of these for him. I'd say he's quite famished."

"Sure thing, Pop," Sparx agreed as he flashed a cheerful smile to Spyro before he and his father went off in search of more fruit for him. Spyro watched them go as his mouth dripped with the juice of the fruit, Nina snickering at the mess he had made as she drifted back up to him.

"And I'll get some more water. Even if you aren't thirsty, I think you'll need it to clean up!" she laughed whimsically as she pinched Spyro's left cheek, stopping him in his chewing for a moment before she picked up the second bowl next to the one with the green liquid they had used on his injuries. Spyro hastily swallowed his food to allow himself to bid to her clearly, "Thank you," before she took off into the forest to seek out water.

For the first time since he had woken up, Spyro was now alone in the dragonfly family's humble abode. He looked up at the little hut hanging just above him, then around at the open space surrounding the particular mushroom that it dangled from. Without their cheerfulness to distract him, his underlying somberness started to fester again. He looked up at the sky, seeing the dazzling stars that continued to shine brightly even as the world they looked over was poised to descend into a new age of darkness. He swept the remains of the first fruit to the side as he slowly grasped the other in his right paw, pushing it under the claws of his left paw as he began to pull away the extraneous leaves with his teeth, deep in thought.

'Seems like I'm just stumbling around with no choice of what happens to me,' he said mentally, once again reflecting that he had not wanted to let his presence become known to anyone other than Sparx. But it was his own curiosity that had led to him meeting the golden dragonfly in the first place, having to find out who or what the buzzing orb of light was that he had spotted through the trees. Had he not, he probably would still be wandering lost around the grove and Sparx would likely have not escaped with his life. He did not regret saving him, but his plan, or rather hope, of simply returning the dragonfly to his home territory and bidding him goodbye was in tatters. Even if he wanted to, Spyro was in no state to keep going on, at least until he was well enough. The dragonfly family were perhaps his best hope of achieving that, and they seemed more than happy to help him.

'Sparx didn't even know what a dragon was,' he reflected mentally, 'And his father seems only vaguely aware of what I am. They have no idea what's going on outside of here. Wherever I am, it must be far beyond civilization. Did the Chronicler want me to find this place? He said I had to remain hidden, not remain alone. This might actually be the best place to be.'

Spyro sat still with the fruit held under his paw, the leaves stripped from it as he stared ahead unblinking at nothing as he collected his thoughts. He still carried the fear of what his association to the dragonflies could mean if he were discovered, but he accepted now that there was no avoiding them. He couldn't leave even if he wanted to, not if he wanted to recover so that he would be ready for whenever the Chronicler choose to summon him. When would that be? A week? A month? A year? Spyro wondered where he might even be that long from now, if he would even still be alive by then. And what of the dragonfly family? What would they think of him if he told them even half the truth of why he was there and where he had come from? Did they have to know? He finally blinked as his eyes began to dry out, the purple dragon turning his eyes up towards the little hut glowing above him as he heard the joyful voices of the three dragonflies as they approached from somewhere off behind the mushrooms. In that moment, still exhausted physically and emotionally, Spyro decided on his answer.

A short time later, Sparx, Nina and Flash appeared from behind the stalks of the mushroom forest, each of them with their hands full with what they had set out for. Sparx and Flash carried more fruit and Nina had filled her bowl with more water for their guest. They were still laughing and talking about something or another; how glad they were that Sparx had been returned to them and at the novelty of having a visitor to their remote part of the swamp they called home. As the three of them came into view of the little hut where they had left their guest, Nina's eyes suddenly bulged as she quickly uttered; "Shush!" to her husband and son. Sparx and Flash promptly did as she instructed as they came to a halt and looked ahead at what she had seen.

"Well, I guess this was a waste of time and effort then," Sparx remarked as he dropped the fruit onto the ground lazily.

"Sparx, pick that up!" Flash scowled crossly.

"Why? He's asleep now!" Sparx protested.

"He might want it when he wakes up," Nina replied pointedly, "Now do as your father says." The golden dragonfly sighed vexingly as he floated down to the discarded fruit and struggled to lift it into his arms as Flash and Nina flew on.

Laying of his right side beneath the hut below the mushroom was Spyro, the second fruit uneaten fruit by the right side of his head as he was apparently fast asleep. Nina and Flash with Sparx trailing behind quietly approached him as the purple dragon did not stir as the sound of their fluttering wings gently dissipated around the swamp. That is until Sparx finally joined them, his heavy panting from the load he was carrying disturbing the otherwise picturesque scene.

"Sparx, please be quiet," Nina told him softly, "You'll wake him." Sparx only let out a helpless whimper as his parents hovered in front of him and eyed their guest adoringly.

"Poor fellow must have been through quite a bit," Flash observed thoughtfully as his son struggled to keep a hold of the fruit in his arms.

"Hey, I was there too!" he protested as his face began to redden from straining. Flash and Nina both looked over their shoulders at him and upon seeing his face, promptly moved towards the sleeping dragon to the relief of their son. The blue and brown dragonflies placed the water pot and fruit in front of Spyro with Sparx struggling but finally succeeding in placing the fruit next to the other, wiping his brow as he rejoined his parents.

"You know, I hope he appreciates all this," he remarked sardonically as he looked over the offerings they had placed at the feet of their guest. Flash snorted humorously,

"Now, now, son," he said as he put his hand on his shoulder, "This dragon saved your life. And judging by the looks of him, that was a very lucky thing indeed. This is the least we can do for him."

Sparx puffed his cheeks up as he blushed, "Yeah, I know, I'm just razzing him," he smiled, "And yeah, I guess it was pretty lucky."

Nina crossed her arms as she looked upon their guest curiously, "I know the poor dear has been through a lot, but I would really like to know how he came to be so far out here. I can't remember ever hearing about dragons being around here all my life, much less in the Ancient Grove." She and Flash turned their eyes towards Sparx as he looked back at them and swallowed anxiously.

"Son," Nina began, "Did he tell you anything of why he was there? You wound up there by accident, but it seems so strange for such a young dragon to be wandering in such a dangerous place, especially at night!"

The young dragonfly looked between the two sets of eyes as they awaited an answer. He held his hands behind his back as he clenched them together tensely while he tried to form an answer. It had been hard enough for him to keep his mouth shut when he heard Spyro lie about having no powers, but now he was afraid he might let it slip while trying to answer their question. The purple dragon had been tight lipped about who he was, where he had come from and why. Sparx was afraid that they might not believe that he had been given only vague answers himself.

"Uh, not much," he replied truthfully, "All he said was that things were bad where he came from, wherever that is, and that he had to get away. Something about bad people doing bad things."

"Bad things?" asked Flash with a sense of shock, "You mean like a war?"

Sparx held out his hands and shrugged, "I dunno. He didn't want to talk much about it, but I'll say this," Sparx said as he pointed at the sleeping dragon in question, glancing at his broken leg and external injuries, "The Toadweeds didn't do all that to him. All they did was poison him, the other stuff he already had when he found me."

Flash and Nina looked at each other in shock, Sparx gritting his teeth nervously as his parents clutched each other closely as the looked back towards Spyro, who lay without making a peep. The three dragonflies all hovered closer until they were almost on top of him, staring down at the numerous bruises and scratches all over his body and the swollen leg and neck blotch they had applied their homemade remedy to. Though he was much larger than them, the sight of someone so young in such a state was unconscionable to them. The two adult dragonflies dared not think what their own son would look like in a similar state.

Nina carefully pulled away from her husband and slowly drifted down to the purple dragon, his breathing steady but tuned with lingering tenseness. His head stirred for a moment, his face cringing at whatever horrors were still on his mind as he tried to sleep. Nina gasped for a moment, her hands instinctively reaching towards him as though to try and pull those horrors from his mind, as readily as though he were her own child.

"You okay, Mum?" Sparx asked cautiously as he observed her behavior from behind. Nina rubbed her hands together anxiously as she slowly turned around and flew back up to her family, her face low with sadness.

"What in the world has he been through?" she asked despondently.

Flash drifted over and gently took a hold of her hands, "I have no idea, darling. But whatever it was, the poor fellow is clearly too upset to talk with us about it. He needs time to get to recover and come to grips with it."

"But should we be worried?" asked Sparx as he slotted in beside his father, "What if whatever he escaped from is coming our way? What if there are other dragons but they're not friendly like him?"

"We don't know, Sparx," Flash replied grimly, "We know so little about what's happening in the world beyond our swamp. He might be the last dragon there is for all we know."

"How awful…" Nina remarked solemnly, "I don't even want to imagine…"

Flash sighed heavily, "Well, let's not bother the little fellow now. It's very late, we should all try and get some sleep."

"Little fellow?" Sparx repeated sarcastically, "Dad, you can see how big he is, right?"

"Everything is big to us, Sparx," his father reminded him sharply, "But he is somewhere he has never been before and has left everything and probably everyone he knows behind in wherever he came from. I can't imagine I'd be very talkative either."

Sparx nodded gravely, "Yeah, that's the impression he gave me."

"Come along then," Nina beckoned towards the hut dangling over them, "Maybe he'll feel up to telling us once he's had a chance to rest. But right now, he is our guest and the most important thing is we help him to get better, whether he wants to tell us or what happened or not."

Flash nodded in agreement, "That's right. Now, let's all get some sleep."

With that, the three dragonflies drifted up towards the little hut, Nina passing through the largest of the open windows first, followed by her husband with Sparx at the rear. As his father passed through, the golden dragonfly paused outside the hut with his right hand against the outside wall, looking down at the purple dragon. Sparx spent a few moments watching him thoughtfully, his mind struggling to process how unreal the events of the last few hours had been. He had been awoken by an empty stomach, only to disturb a nest of bats that had chased him far from home to the place he dreaded the most. He had nearly become a meal himself, were it not for the intervention of the strange purple dragon he had initially taken as another monster roaming the Grove in search of prey. He owed his life to him, but his secrecy still left him unsure how to feel about this new face named Spyro. With a gentle sigh, Sparx wished in a quiet voice,

"Goodnight, Spyro. Thanks again for saving me."

With the sleeping dragon giving no reply, Sparx yawned and slowly passed through into the hut, the glow inside the hut beginning fade after a few moments, slowly dying down like a candle burning out as the little hut finally turned dark, joining in the rest of the swamp. All became settled as the night in the swamp lacked the frightening cries and calls that had pervaded the Ancient Grove, but the peace was of little comfort to someone who appeared to have already gone to sleep. Spyro opened his eyes a minute or so after he had heard what Sparx had said, the purple dragon having only pretended to sleep in order to lull the dragonflies into doing the same. He slowly turned his head up to look at the hut hanging above him, his heart beating a guilty beat for he had only feigned being asleep so that he could avoid the very questions he had heard them discussing. It felt almost cowardly, alongside the lies he had told them already, but he was too exhausted to care right now. He looked back down at the fruits and water they had left him, reaching out and grasping the bowl carefully before pulling it over to himself, lapping at the water like a dog until it was empty. Still hungry, he pulled one of the fruits over and began to delicately chew on it, hoping to not awaken the dragonfly family.

'What are you going to do?' he asked himself mentally, 'You really think you can keep them in the dark about everything?'

He didn't know. Perhaps that was most frightening of all to Spyro, that and that he had no one whom he could go to for advice. Ignitus could always be counted on for guidance, he and all the other Guardians could. He had always been able to count on his friends for support and guidance, but more than likely now they had gone to the temple to await him, only to fall into a trap laid by the forces of Gaul and been killed. The Chronicler had said as much, and even if they hadn't, what chance did they have without him or the Guardians for support? Were they wandering lost like he had been? Had they found refuge like he had? Or had they died after all?

Spyro did not finish the fruit, instead simply brushing it away half eaten as he dropped his head down on the ground and wallowed in his thoughts. He was actually surprised at the level of trust that Sparx had shown him, keeping his word to not say anything about the powers he had seen him wielding. But Spyro had been nervous, laying there and listening, expecting that the dragonfly would lose his nerve and say more than he wanted. The little guy must have been quite taken with him, he thought, still reeling from his near-death experience. But beneath his willingness to trust him, Spyro suspected that Sparx had the expectation that he would eventually come clean to them all about what he was hiding from them. He wondered then if the dragonfly's trust in him on that issue was misplaced. Settling down, he lay staring at the dark mushroom forest ahead of him, his mind shifting away from the dragonfly family and back to all that had happened to bring him here, wherever here was. After however long it was, Spyro's eyes eventually closed over again, sniffling quietly as he saw the faces of all those he had left behind in his mind; their names repeating over and over as if to torment him for his failings.

'Ignitus….Volteer….Cyril….Terrador….Mason….Doxantha….Flame….Ember….Cynder...'

He knew he must have been asleep, but Spyro was sure he could hear what sounded like thunderclouds rumbling in the distance. He hadn't taken much notice of the sky before he had nodded off, so he may have missed their approach on the swamp. He thought that would mean he would soon be awoken by the cold sting of raindrops landing on him as he lay in the open, but the anticipated downpour didn't seem to be coming, even as the rumbling grew louder. Spyro could see nothing, only the black inside of his eyelids as he felt himself stirring, as if trying to awake to get himself clear of the impending storm. Perhaps the noise would awaken the dragonfly family and they in turn would wake him up, assuming they were not especially sound sleepers. The thunder was now exploding above him, making Spyro whimper and shiver even as his eyes remained closed to all of it. He could feel his heart pounding, his mind screaming for him to wake up, but sleep had become a prison and not a refuge, his body held hostage by his mind.

Spyro felt himself roll over on the dirt, his paws reaching out as if to grab something, but what he didn't know. But then the sensation of the ground seemed to disappear, like the earth was vaporing beneath him, yet he didn't feel that he was falling. He was trying to yell now, hoping someone would see whatever was happening and help him, fearful tears now streaking from behind his shuttered eyes. As the thunder and lighting bellowed around him, Spyro could now feel the swell of the raging storm around him, wind blasting by as he felt like he was floating. No, he wasn't floating, he was flying! And then, that's was when he heard the voices calling out for him.

"Spyro!" shouted a voice that he instantly recognized, somewhere through the storm he couldn't see. It was Cynder! As he gasped in fear and disbelief, his eyes miraculously opened and in that instant a flash of white lightning ripped across the sky in front of him. Sky? Yes, it was the sky! Spyro suddenly became fully conscious of his new surroundings; he wasn't under the little hut in the swamp anymore, he was soaring through a blackened sky riddled with clouds as dark as ash. The shock of his new environment died down faster than expected, his senses tuned as sharply as a knife's edge as he flew on through the clouds and the lightning, knowing where he was headed. He heard more voices echoing through the clouds, each one desperately shouting his name and each voice was unmistakable. It was Cynder, Ember and Flame, all calling to him, begging for their deliverance.

"Where are you, Spyro?!" Ember's voice rang.

"Spyro! Help us!" Flame's voice wailed in terror.

"Spyro, don't leave us!" Cynder's voice shrieked chillingly.

"I'm coming!" Spyro shouted back through the blinding black clouds and stunning webs of crackling lightning, "Hold on, I'm coming!"

In a flash he had forgotten about the swamp, forgotten about the dragonflies, forgotten about the Chronicler's warning, forgotten about his awaking on the edge of the Ancient Grove. Spyro's mind had but one thought hovering within it; to find the others at the temple, like he had said he would. To save them like he knew he could and would. As another lightning bolt slashed the sky in front of him, Spyro sped onwards, his wings beating like mad as the black clouds seemed to be trying to smother him, stop him from reaching his goal. The voices continued to assault him, swarming all around him, begging for him to come as he soared through the sky. There was another lightning flash that dazzled him, but he did not slow down, blasting out through the black clouds as they way ahead suddenly cleared, his heart freezing at what his eyes beheld.

'WHERE ARE YOU, SPYRO?!' Cynder's voice screamed as though she was right beside him as he saw the Dragon temple ahead, the mighty structure engulfed in a storm of fire as was the mushroom forest surrounding it. He let out a cry of horror as he watched the flames rising from out of the great dome, the roof collapsing in on itself as he squeezed out every fiber of speed he could as he looked desperately for any signs of his friends.

"I'm here!" he cried out desperately as he approached the end of the ravaged balcony, "I'm here! Where are you?"

Spyro landed on the end of the balcony, halting for a terrible moment as he helplessly stared at the raging inferno that consumed the once magnificent temple. A great wall of fire had now engulfed seemingly all the towering mushrooms surrounding the temple, the flames billowing higher than the temple itself as the sky was lit up in a monstrous cloud of smoke and rising embers. The purple dragon gazed about in despair as the voices he had heard so clearly had now gone silent, filling his heart with dread. Spyro rushed towards the inferno in spite of all sense, thinking maybe his Ice powers could save the temple.

"Cynder? Ember? Flame?" he yelled as loud as he could, the roaring flames all but drowning out his voice as he heard the impending crackle of collapsing stone, skidding to a halt as the front of the temple broke apart into numerous odd pieces of stone, falling like a an avalanche in front of the rounded doorway as the whole balcony trembled from the force of the impact, threatening to shatter itself apart. Spyro ducked behind his wings as a cloud of dust and debris swept over him, forcing him to step back as the dust stung his eyes and throat. Spyro coughed hoarsely as the blast of dust finally swept past him, opening his eyes to see the pile of rubble it had left in his path as flames continued to flourish inside the shattered temple. The sight ripped his heart to pieces as the purple dragon's mouth was open in despair as he watched the place he called home erupting like a volcano.

"Guys? Where are you?" he called out, still backing up towards the balcony as he searched for any signs of life, the roaring of the inferno being his only reply, "Ember? Cynder? Flame?"

There was a sudden crash of lighting that slammed into the ground not far in front of him, Spyro jumping back as he now stood on the beginning of the circular balcony, the black clouds having caught up to him and drifting overhead with a speed that seemed unnatural. He looked up at the pitch black canopy as more webs of lightning crackled and shimmered across the sky, followed by a howling wind that sounded frightfully like a the growl of some unseen beast hidden on the other side of it. To Spyro, it seemed like the entire world was erupting into chaos while he was helpless to do anything about it.

"What's going on?" he asked himself aloud, "Why is this happening?"

"Because of you!" snarled a distorted voice that suddenly came from behind, making Spyro freeze as he became aware of the presence of someone or something behind him. He didn't turn around straight away, a terrified chill ran through his body as he detected something familiar in the warped, female voice.

"You left us!" snapped another female voice, warped and venomous, yet once more familiar.

"You killed us!" said a third, unmistakably male voice, but filtered with a cold demonic tone. With a sharp breath, Spyro spun himself around, readying for a fight but finding what greeted him like nothing he could ever have imagined. His whole body became cold as if he had fallen into an icy lake, his fear paralyzing him as he found himself unable to even gasp at what his eyes were seeing.

There were three shapes in front of him, each one covered in a ghostly black aura that shimmered almost like water and each one as familiar to him as the sun and the moon. Three pairs of soulless, glowing white eyes that lacked pupils scowled at him as Spyro finally found a weak voice to react to the black shapes that glared at him.

"No… it can't be you…" The three shapes had the outward appearance of Flame, Cynder, and Ember in that order, each of them clouded in the shimmering darkness and staring with eyes that were not their own. The one that looked like Cynder stepped forward, rasping in the first distorted voice that he had heard,

"Why did you leave us?! Why did you let us die?!"

"No…" Spyro's voice quivered hopelessly, "This can't be real!"

Without hesitation, the dark shape of Cynder spun around, flailing her scythe like tail blade across his thorax, Spyro crying out as he clutched at the slash that immediately began to pour blood. In shock and despair, he fell on his left side, breathing erratically as blood pooled around him and the dark shapes began to circle him like wolves. The shape that looked like Flame stepped in front of his eyes, hissing at him in a distorted version of his own voice, "We trusted you!" as he stepped around and the shape of Ember took his place.

"We believed in you!" she snapped, her sweetly voice ravaged by the dark aura that consumed her.

"Please…" Spyro whimpered, feeling his strength draining as his blood filled the space the three shapes were now encircling him on. The dark Cynder like shape appeared in front of him again, her white eyes narrowed fiercely as she paused and leaned closer to him, snarling,

"You abandoned us! You left us to die!"

"No!" Spyro choked, "I was coming to save you!"

"You can't save anyone!" snapped the dark shape of Flame as he pounced into view beside that shape of Cynder,

"This all your fault!"

"I tried!" screamed the purple dragon, panting and gasping desperately as the dark shapes of his three friends, his family, continued to circle and taunt him as he continued to bleed.

"You're no hero!" snarled the Dark Cynder, "You're a failure!"

"Traitor!" scorned Dark Ember.

"Liar!" yelled Dark Flame.

"Backstabber!"

"Murderer!"

"Useless!"

"Weak!"

"Disgrace!"

"Stop it!" Spyro wailed as he crumpled into a ball, shutting his eyes, holding his paws over his ears and letting his wound bleed freely for that was preferable to the voices that were clawing into his soul, "Make it stop!"

Another flash of lightning lit up the sky and shook the balcony, the barrage of insults suddenly coming to a stop. Spyro opened his eyes frightfully as he looked up and saw that the three shapes had vanished, but now there was a new presence that had appeared just as quickly and inexplicably as they had vanished. He gasped at the glowing green eye of Gaul as he stood towering over the purple dragon, chuckling coldly as he stepped into the pool of blood on the floor. Spyro was too frightened to act, letting out a choking gasp of terror as Gaul lunged forward and grasped him in his right hand, grabbing him around his chest and neck before lifting him up. Another lightning flash danced across the sky as Spyro, feeling he was just moments from bleeding out, tried to summon something within to fight off the Ape King, but nothing came from his mouth but weak whimpers of fear as he gazed forlornly into the monstrous ape's face. Gaul snarled as he tightened his grasp, seemingly about to choke the remaining life out of his nemesis; the only obstacle between him and the resurrection of his master and the demise of the dragon realms. This Spyro knew for certain, more so that he would not be able to stop him, certain he would fail his destiny.

A spine chilling roar filled the air that dwarfed the chorus of thunder raging around the sky as Spyro's pupils shrank at the sight of a giant shadow that swept up behind Gaul from below the temple balcony. The distinctive silhouette of a great dragon perched on the edge of the balcony as its gigantic wings fanned out across the sky, it head adorned with a row of five pointed horns like a demonic crown. The dragon was utterly featureless, a black shadow with but one thing that stood out from it; its pair of yellow reptilian eyes, eyes that he had seen in the visions conjured by Roaraya of the Night of Burning Tears.

"Malefor?" Spyro asked faintly, just before Gaul swung around to face the yellow eyes, holding the purple dragon in his hands towards them as suddenly a mouth appeared on the shadow, the shape of rows of jagged fangs appeared in the glowing mouth as Spyro closed his eyes and screamed, hoping he would bleed out first….

"Spyro!" a voice cried, making the purple dragon open his eyes and suck in a sharp breath as he saw a glowing yellow face hovering just over him and a pair of worry filled blue eyes.

"You okay? Having a nightmare, huh?" Sparx asked gently as the purple dragon stared blankly at him before his eyes shifted around to see where he was. His heart was still racing as he looked up and saw the little dragonfly hut hanging above him rather than those beastly yellow eyes and the quiet, peaceful surroundings of the swamp and not the flame ravaged temple. He looked up at the clear night sky as the stars gently twinkled back to him and not the lightning spewing black clouds that he had watched consume the sky. To his enormous relief, it had been a dream after all.

"Yeah…" Spyro replied nodded slowly, finally calming his breath as he felt across his chest with relief that there was no gushing slash across it. Sparx hovered a little lower close to the ground as he turned his head thoughtfully sideways.

"Guess it got something to do with what bought you here, right?" he asked bluntly. Spyro nodded again before cautiously looking up at the hut and seeing that there was no one else around beside Sparx. Levelling his eyes to him, he asked, "Did I wake you up?"

"Kinda'," Sparx replied with a shrug, "But I wasn't sleeping much anyway. I guess I was thinking too much to sleep, and believe me, thinking's not something I like to overdo."

"Sorry," Spyro said meekly, finding it funny that the dragonfly seemed not to notice how silly a thing it was he had said.

"No problem," Sparx said casually, letting out a long yawn as he twirled his neck around in a clockwise direction, the purple dragon sighing wearily as he carefully laid his head back down on the ground, his eyes staring blankly ahead at nothing. Sparx drifted down close to his face, drawing his eyes up to him as the dragonfly's exhausted eyes considered him curiously.

"So, errr…." he began through another yawn, "What do you think you're gonna do from here? I know you said you were gonna go when I was safe, but then you fainted and well… Oh. I guess I kind messed up your plans, right?"

Spyro shook his head lightly, "You did the right thing, Sparx. I wouldn't have made it far like this. This thing on my neck probably would have killed me without your parents help."

The dragonfly's eyes suddenly widened as he peered over at Spyro's neck and then, a few moments later, a cunning smirk appeared across his face as he moved over directly in front of the young dragon's eyes. "So, doesn't that mean I saved your life twice then?" he asked eagerly. His excitement was unavoidably infectious, causing Spyro to make a mild chuckle in response.

"Well, I guess so," he answered calmly. The response he then received from the golden dragonfly caught him off guard. He threw his clenched fists into the air triumphantly and laughed boastfully.

"Yeah, I knew it!" he cried only just quiet enough to not risk waking up his parents, "That means I'm one up on you! And here I was thinking I needed to wait on you hand and foot for just saving my life the one time!"

Spyro lifted his head and eyed the dragonfly incredulously, "Just the one time?" he repeated sarcastically.

"Yeah, one. Two is bigger than one, Spyro!" Sparx bragged as he held up two fingers on one and one on the other, "See?"

Spyro groaned irritably as he eyed the little dragonfly with a newfound sense of confusion and disappointment at his sudden burst of self-approval.

"I'm just kidding!" Sparx laughed with a swipe of his hand before levelling a pointed finger at him, "But seriously though Spyro, you owe me." Spyro rolled his eyes and laughed at the act, a laugh shared by his dragonfly companion. It had a mellowing effect on him almost like music to calm his nerve wracked body that was still reeling from the horrors of the nightmare he had been thankfully awoken from.

"I guess I'll have to come up with a way to make it up to you," Spyro offered plainly. Sparx held up his hand and looked at his fingernails thoughtfully as he remarked,

"Well, I guess I can give you until tomorrow to come up with something."

"Only tomorrow?" Spyro asked sarcastically as he placed his head down again.

Sparx looked up and grinned, "Yeah, and it gives me time to think of something if you don't come up with something yourself."

"I'll sleep on it," Spyro said, his mouth opening wide as he caught one of Sparx's previous yawns and tried to make himself comfortable. It seemed that the dragonfly took this as his cue to leave and looked up and drifted towards the hut, but he stopped after only a short flight and looked back at the purple dragon. Though he looked to have settled down and was better to be left alone, Sparx couldn't contain his curiosity about the purple stranger. He slowly turned and drifted back as Spyro closed his eyes, the dragonfly almost blurting out,

"Hey, err, just one thing…"

Spyro sighed and opened his eyes, slowly rolling them up at his curious observer, "What is it, Sparx?"

The dragonfly dropped down by his head again, crossing his arms anxiously as he said, "I know you didn't want to talk about it, but there's one thing I've got to ask."

"What is it?" Spyro asked cautiously. Sparx rubbed the back of his head, eyeing him hesitantly as he said, "I don't know if you've guessed, but we don't really get many visitors around here, and we don't see the outside world too often. In fact, we've never lived anywhere else, like ever. But we still hear things through the grapevine, about the world outside."

"Like what?" Spyro queried as he lifted his head up again. "Like that there are giant cities that stretch as far as you can see, and they have towers that reach up into the clouds! That there are giant ships that fly through the air and people eat gold for breakfast! Is that really true?"

The remark about gold might have made Spyro laugh if it didn't instead bring back the very things he had been trying to forget. Laying his head down moodily, he replied dully, "Don't know where you got the idea we eat gold, but the other stuff was pretty close."

"Wow!" exclaimed Sparx, "Did you live in a castle? A giant palace made of gold? Man, I'll bet you had all the ladies with all that stuff you can shoot out of your mouth…"

Spyro's head shot up as he glared at the dragonfly, making him shut up abruptly, "Sparx!" the purple dragon hissed, "Don't ever talk about that, okay? Did you forget what I told your parents? I don't want you to say anything ever again about what you saw me do!"

Sparx gulped, "My bad! My bad! I'm sorry, I sometimes talk more than I should."

"Uh-huh," Spyro agreed grumpily, "Sparx, I'd really like to try and get some sleep now. You should too."

The dragonfly nodded apologetically, "You're right, you're right," he said hastily, "I'm sorry its just… Well, its just that I…"

"What?" Spyro snapped, lifting his head yet again.

"It's just that, if things are like that where you come from, then this place must kind of be a dump to you. I mean, I don't blame you, if I used to live in a palace…"

"I didn't," Spyro shook his head dismissively, "Not everyone lives like that outside of here. And this is your home, Sparx, you shouldn't be ashamed of it."

The golden dragonfly shrugged lightly, "I'm not, but sometimes I wonder what the outside is like. Not that I'm willing to brave whatever is out there to find out, mind you. To be honest, I'm kind of a coward," he said sheepishly. Spyro's expression changed solemnly when he heard him use that word, prompting him to lift himself up to his feet and stare at the dragonfly heavily.

"That's not a word you should ever use to describe yourself, Sparx. You are not a coward," he said stoutly but calmly.

"Come on, I'm still scared of the dark," Sparx replied tersely, "Look at what you did. Fought off everything that scares me to death and wants to eat me, not to mention that giant wooden golem thing!"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" the purple dragon asked with a sly smile, "Didn't you go one on one fisticuffs with that thing when he had me in his hand? Socked him right on the chin, didn't you? At least, that's what you told your parents."

Sparx blushed as he indeed recalled his exaggerated account of their encounter with the great golem, but nonetheless, also the truth of how his brazen distraction of the creature gave Spyro the chance to summon the burst of flame that allowed them to escape. Sparx grinned with embarrassment, "Well, I guess a little white lie never hurt anybody, right?"

Spyro snorted but in good humor. He and the dragonfly exchanged glances for a few moments before he said, "What you did was very brave, Sparx. I wouldn't have got away if you didn't do that. That's not what a coward does."

Sparx covered his mouth with his hand, uttering an exaggerated cough as if to mask some other emotion that was suddenly sweeping him, shifting his gaze away as he replied, "Yeah, well, uh… thanks pal."

"Don't mention it," Spyro answered humbly, carefully laying back down on his side as he sighed readily, settling himself in for what he hoped was the final time. He lifted his eyes up to Sparx who remained hovering where he was, seemingly staring off into nothing. Hoping that he finally had the little chatterbox pacified, the purple dragon closed his eyes to try and get himself to sleep. Several quiet moments past, making him think he had been successful as he let out a loud exhale.

"Nobody has ever called me brave before, except you, you know," Sparx remarked warmly. Spyro opened his eyes reluctantly and stared back at him, but the dragonfly's almost childish, pouting expression prevented any frustration rearing its head.

"There's a first time for everything," Spyro smiled at him, giving him a playful wink. Sparx grinned widely as he nodded appreciably, rubbing his hands together anxiously.

"Well, goodnight, Spyro," he wished as he turned his eyes up to the hut.

"Goodnight, Sparx," the purple dragon wished equally, sighing gently with relief that he was now actually going to get a chance to get some sleep. He felt so exhausted that he was prepared to risk returning to the nightmare he had been awoken out of if it meant his body would get some relief. Several glorious moments of silence drifted by with not a peep from the golden dragonfly or the swamp itself. And then…

"Spyro?"

Drawing a deep, frustrated breath, Spyro opened his eyes yet again to see that his glowing companion had not ventured back to the hut as expected, but was once more hovering just over him with a puzzling expression.

"Sparx?" he replied with barely contained annoyance.

"You, er, wouldn't mind some company, would you? I mean, just looking out for you, is all. I know you've been through a lot of crap and all that, so… maybe you're feeling lonely or something…"

"Sparx…" Spyro groaned irritably, promptly quieting the dragonfly as he was eyed tensely, "This your home. You are supposed to tell me where to sleep."

"I know, I know, just didn't want to cramp your style is all…" the dragonfly replied apologetically.

With a defeated sigh, the purple dragon returned with, "If I say yes, will you go to sleep and not say another word?"

"Yes!" Sparx exclaimed brightly, followed by a stammering, "I mean, no. I mean… I'll be quiet now…"

"Appreciate it," Spyro mumbled as he clamped his eyes closed, not waiting to see what the dragonfly was doing. He heard his wings fluttering close as he assumed he was choosing where to bed down, not caring as long as he did it. He was touched by the sincerity if not by the awkwardness of the dragonfly's concerns for him, but so exhausted was he that he hadn't the patience to show his appreciation the way he knew he should. The fluttering moved past his head and lingered somewhere above him, Spyro clearing out his lungs with a deep breath as he tried to ignore the fluttering that still rang in his ears. A slight ticklish sensation by his belly made his eyes open as the fluttering promptly ended and Sparx let out a relaxed sigh. Feeling the movement continue against his belly, Spyro lifted his head and peeked over to the golden glow he could see coming from under his belly. His eyes widened as he saw Sparx had settled down right beside him, leaning back against the purple dragon's yellow underbelly just behind his forelegs. Sparx crossed his arms over as he sleepily smacked his lips and leaned his head back into Spyro's soft underbelly, his lips pouting outwards as he began snoring almost straight away. The young dragon blinked his tired eyes to be sure they were not deceiving him, but sure enough the dragonfly was still there, leaning against him like he was a giant pillow and not a hint of fear of what might happen to him.

Spyro could not help but smile, if only mildly as he carefully placed his head back down, careful not to move and disturb his new companion. But just as quickly his heart began to beat to the tone of uncertainty that hovered over him like an overcast sky ready to burst into rain. The little chatterbox had taken to him like a duck to water, but the thought of making a new friend in the wake of losing all the ones he'd had all his life just felt too soon, especially since he knew he would only stay as long as he needed to recover and then he would leave the dragonfly family, likely never to see them again. Letting them get under his scales was the last thing he needed. So he told himself.

'I didn't want this,' he reminded himself bitterly, 'But it can't be helped now. I'm here until I feel better. I'd better get used to them until then. I'll decide what to do when that time comes.'

Listening to Sparx's blissful snoring, Spyro closed his eyes and let his heart settle down as his body began to swell with exhaustion, the presence of the little dragonfly helping to settle him as Spyro felt his mind beginning to melt into dreams. Some part of his brain remained awake, gazing into his mind like it was a lookout on a ship peering through a sea of fog for any dangers. Even as the rest of his mind began to sleep, the lone part that stayed awake was anxiously awaiting to hear the Chronicler's voice start to ring and guide him to the next phase of whatever he had planned for him. Perhaps his stay would be especially short lived; perhaps the 'right time' that he spoke off was just a sleep away and Spyro would be on his way to redeem himself. Or perhaps it would be tomorrow or the night after, who knew…

As Spyro slept, visions or words of the Chronicler were not forthcoming and most thankfully neither was a return to the nightmare vision he had endured before being awoken by Sparx. From the grey mist of his mind came a vision of green loveliness lit up by a glistening sun as he saw the familiar surroundings of Avalar swirl like a living painting and fill his tortured mind. The sound of the rushing rivers were ecstatic as the picture came into view, clear but with a strange white haze, as if being seen through eyes stung by a cloud of incense. He at once recognized where exactly it was; he was seeing the path near the Hermits hideaway they had found, looking up the river towards the main valley where the Cheetah village lay. The image hovered, bobbed slowly like he was staring through a pair of eyes rather than simply recollecting a memory. Spyro then heard the sound of laughter; joyous, uplifting laughter from voices he knew so well. Suddenly the eyes looked up and he saw two red and pink shapes sweep into view from above.

It was Flame and Ember, living and laughing right before him! The eyes in his dream followed them as they flew above the ground, circling and chasing each other, laughing and playing as he heard another voice join in the merriment. It was his own voice, Spyro realizing the dream was from his own point of view, unusual as his dreams had the peculiar habit of being from a third person perspective, like he was watching himself rather than through his own eyes. Flame and Ember then took off, flying up the river towards the main valley as Spyro saw himself giving chase to them. His dream self didn't take flight, but ran along the ground after them, he fresh grass brushing over and under his feet as he ran, the smells of the valley and the cooling breeze as real to him as if he was there right now. He felt so elated, so overcome with blissful joy to see himself and his friends that he didn't even question why he had not seen Cynder yet.

Flame and Ember disappeared around the corner as his dream self ran to catch up, coming around the bend back into the valley proper with his lush trees and tiny island like mounds surrounded by the temperate waters flowing from the great waterfalls that dotted the valley. There was nothing, not a sign of distress, not a hint of danger that distracted from the carefree fun of every moment he experienced. No war. No apes. No prophecy looming over him like a heavy storm cloud. It was a perfect snapshot of what life had been to them just a few days earlier. Spyro caught sight of Flame and Ember still frolicking in the air as he ran down the valley, seeing the rooftops and palisades of the Cheetah village in the distance where no doubt Hunter and perhaps Cynder were waiting from them.

Spyro's dream self pranced along the edge of the river, seemingly lost in the majesty of his two friends playing in the sky. They looped and circled around each other with a close-knit cooperation he could never remember seeing, like nothing in the world was more important than what they were doing together. Suddenly the broke away from each, looping around and diving towards the river, Spyro's dream self coming to a quick halt as he watched their display. They flew down in an angle like the two sides of a triangle getting further away as they dived, seemingly intent on crashing straight into the river. But at the very last moment, the both pulled sharply up and looped over themselves in an excruciating tight ball, their tails flicking against the water as the looped over and zoomed at each other at breakneck speed.

Spyro watched the intricate display in a state of awe as they performed it so effortlessly, sweeping water with their paws ate ach other as they soared past each other, laughing and cheering as they swopped back up together in a wide curve, perfectly synchronized as they swept up and rolled so their bellies were facing the ground as they each made a hill like hump in the air, the intention seeming to be to perform a heart shape with their aerial display. Spyro gasped in his dream, watching with bated breath as Flame and Ember came to a halt right in front of each other, hovering together in the sky with eyes on nothing but each other. Ember then slowly lifted her right paw, placing it over the middle of Flame's chest as he did the same for her. And then, again with well-practiced ease, the red dragon and pink dragoness held up their left paws to each other faces, holding each other tenderly as they pulled their muzzles together into a loving kiss.

Spyro and the dream version of himself whose eyes he looked through, stared in complete but pleasant surprise at the romantic moment that he had always wondered and even hoped might one day come true. In this dream at least, Flame had finally mustered the courage to tell Ember how he felt and she had reciprocated his affection! Spyro could not imagine anything that would make the red dragon happier, and to a certain extent himself, for it would mean he would no longer have to put up with her childish worship of him and her acting as though they were already a couple! He continued to watch as they finally pulled their muzzles away, Flame saying something to her that he couldn't make out before they looked down in his direction and waved cheerfully. Spyro watched his dream self wave back to them as they took of once more, presumably to have some time alone, hence why he did not follow them. As they became just tiny specks flying off into the sky, a new sound rang in his ears that made his heart flutter.

"Spyro?"

The dream suddenly took a new personal level as Spyro instantly recognized the soft, almost alluring voice of Cynder somewhere off to the left. His dream self swung his head around to follow and sure enough, there was the black dragoness on the other side of the river, sitting contently beneath a tree on one of the little islands in the valley. Spyro could feel his heartrate increasing as he saw her in his fantasy, a fantasy that so far was ticking off all thing things he could ever want in life for himself and his friends. His dream self began to walk towards her briskly as she looked at him with eyes that made his body temperature rise, but in a way that was exciting. He jumped and glided effortlessly across the stretch of water, fluttering his wings and placing his feet gently on the grass a short distance from her. Cynder rose to her feet and strolled slowly towards him, her emerald eyes more striking then he could ever remember them being. A swarm of butterflies suddenly appeared and flew in-between and around them, filling the air with their bright colors as the sky seem to change to dusk in an instant. Through the eyes of his dream self, Spyro watched as he walked up close to Cynder, her expression warm and inviting and her physical appearance more comely than it had ever been to him.

"Cynder," he heard his own voice say warmly.

The two were now face to face, their front claws almost interlocking as they carefully sat down while facing each other, her smile widening as Spyro watched his dreamself begin to lean in closer as she did the same, the dream haze suddenly darkening as the eyes closed just as it seemed their snouts were on the brink of contact… Somehow, he remained asleep even after that, perhaps it was just that he was too exhausted to let himself be awoken preemptively again, but Spyro spent the rest of the nigh wanting the dream to come back to that exact moment. It never did, his mind remained nothing but an empty black space for the rest of the time he was asleep, not so much as a glimmer or faint recollection of that dream returning as though it had vanished from his mind.

But still he thought it over while he slept, all that he had seen, even if no mental images came with it, all that he had felt and wanted. He dwelled on what they had been on the brink of doing, what he had felt for her in that moment that he had not felt at any point in his life for her… until the night he had awoken in the temple after the escape from the mountain and seen she was missing. When Spyro had found the black dragoness by the statue in the garden and had comforted her, when she had spilled the deepest fears in her heart to him and given him a kiss on the cheek as a thanks. When the two of them had gone to sleep together and that had replaced the memory of his first flight as the happiest he had ever been…

Now Cynder was gone. And Spyro now realized how he really felt about her. And he never told her.

At some point he became aware that daylight had come, the total darkness of his eyelids gave way to a mild dull orange as the daylight shone down on him, but he did not allow himself to wake up, the physical and emotional toll he had suffered making him lethargic. He thought he heard the voices of Sparx, as well as Flash and Nina, but never really made out anything they were saying, and evidently they did not feel the need to wake him. He was glad they hadn't, hoping that he might be allowed to sleep the whole day and perhaps get to finish the dream that had so cruelly cut short on him. But as the hours ticked by, the dream never resurfaced, nor did anything like it, his mind nothing but a grey mist of dull, tired dreary. His plans for a movement free day were further hampered by the inevitable grumble from his belly, reminding him that he must eat. Spyro, however, refused to indulge himself, simply rolling over on his other side as he tried to ignore the basic instinct to eat.

As he remained in a state if being half asleep, Spyro heard mumming voices nearby that he at first dismissed as just those of the dragonfly family, but as he slowly lost the battle to stay asleep, he began to notice they were new voices and that there were many of them.

"I've never seen one in the flesh!" said one male voice somewhere behind him.

"He could be dangerous!" said another female voice.

"How long did you think you could hide this from us?!" said another, angrier male voice. As Spyro began to slowly open his eyes, he heard the voices of Flash and Nina as they seemed to be defending him from the other voices.

"That's far enough!" Flash said sternly, "He doesn't need you all gawking at him!"

"He is sick and needs to rest!" declared Nina. The other voices all began to grow in number and volume as Spyro groggily lifted his head and batted his eyes, rubbing them with his paw.

"He's waking up!" a female voice shrieked, followed by what sounded like a collective gasp from all the other voices.

"Now everyone, settle down!" he heard Sparx say in an effort to quell them, "He's no danger to you, believe me!" Spyro, though still dazed and sleepy, quickly made out the warm sunlight draping over the heads of the orange mushrooms all around him. He looked up and saw the little hut before he looked over his shoulder to where all the commotion seemed to be. In a split second, his drowsiness evaporated as he beheld a sea of eyes only ten feet away from him.

"What…?" he muttered slowly as he pulled himself up and turned to face them, wincing at his injured foreleg. He sat and stared deliriously at the more than a dozen sets of eyes that regarded him with a mix of fear and cautious amazement. Fluttering before the purple dragon was a large group of dragonflies of every color he could imagine and with a surprisingly diverse range of body types. Some were thinner and some fatter, some taller and some shorter, much like any species he supposed. At the front of the gathering were Flash and Nina as well as Sparx, all trying to keep them from getting any nearer to him. Sparx turned around and fixed eyes with Spyro, the golden dragonfly giving a short apologetic wave as he chuckled nervously.

"Er, good morning, big guy," he said sheepishly. Spyro moved his eyes back and forth between him and the massed gathering of other dragonflies that had taken him completely by surprise. He had assumed that Sparx and his parents were the only dragonflies who lived in the swamp, not dozens. 'Great!' he thought dejectedly as he scanned across the colorful mass of insect faces that were all glued to him,

'More faces to remember me!'

The dragonflies were all muttering to each other, some held each other closely while others pointed at him as though he were some kind of sideshow attraction. Sparx hovered over and stopped in front of Spyro's eyes, glancing back over his shoulder at them before saying, "Yeah, I guess this is kind of a surprise, huh?"

Spyro scoffed, "You didn't tell me there was so many of you here!"

Overhearing his indignation, Nina left her husbands side and drifted over next to Sparx as she saw the frown on the purple dragon's face.

"I'm sorry, Spyro, we didn't mean for it to happen like this," she explained sincerely, "We didn't want to overwhelm you last night. We'd hoped to give you a day or so before we introduced you, but unfortunately, somebody started talking…" she said as she put her hands on her hips and glared at Sparx.

The yellow dragonfly buried his face in his hands with embarrassment, "I'm sorry, alright? I slipped up!"

"Sparx…" Spyro groaned irritably as he shook his head.

"We couldn't keep you a secret forever, you understand," Nina said plainly, "But I'm afraid it has made the situation somewhat more difficult."

Sparx lifted his head and gritted his teeth uneasily, "Yeah, 'cause now you've got the attention of Red."

Spyro raised his eyebrows queerly, "Red? Who's Red?"

The answer soon presented itself as the sound of arguing drew the attention of the three of them. As Sparx and Nina turned around, Spyro looked past them to see Flash and another dragonfly moving towards them, the pair in a heated verbal joust. The other dragonfly was a bright tomato red with glowing orange wings as well as a well bult orange colored chest and abdomen. The top of his head looked almost flawlessly rounded like a ball with his antenna angled like an extra set of scowling eyebrows and his face was hard as stone as he argued with Flash aggressively. As they did, Spyro recognized the voice of 'Red'as one of the voices he had heard earlier. The rest of the dragonflies kept their distance, seemingly more concerned with the red dragonfly than the stranger they had come to ogle.

As they approached, Sparx, quickly swung in beside Spyro's ear, whispering hastily, "His real name is Firmin, but everyone calls him Red. He hates it!"

"You don't say," Spyro replied sarcastically, eyeing the cantankerous dragonfly meekly as he found himself meeting his steely gaze. The purple dragon very seriously wondered if Firmin was naturally red or if it was a consequence of his very clearly exhibited anger. As they stopped next to Nina, Flash continued his attempts to calm Firmin.

"For heaven's sake, Red…"

"I told you not to call me that!" snapped Firmin, or Red as Spyro decided he would only think of him as the crimson dragonfly turned his gaze back towards the purple dragon. Flash slapped his hand across his face exhaustedly as Red folded his arms and dragged his eyes up and down the young dragon. The mob of dragonflies all went silent as they waited to hear what he had to say to the stranger in their swamp.

"So, you're the troublemaker who was brought uninvited into our swamp," Red accused virulently, gazing across Sparx and his family.

"Troublemaker?" Spyro repeated bewilderedly, "Sir, I haven't been trying to cause trouble…"

"Oh, no? Stirring up the inhabitants of the Ancient Grove and running the risk of bringing them here? I call that making trouble!"

Before Spyro could retort, Sparx butted in, moving himself in front of the young dragon, "Excuse me, Red…I mean, Mr Firmin," he said dully, seemingly having dealt with the red dragonfly on previous occasions, "But I think maybe you should cut Spyro here a break."

"Spyro?" Red repeated scornfully, "So that rapscallion has a name!"

"Rapscallion?" Spyro said in disbelief, though he cast a questioning glance at Sparx to see if he knew what the term meant, but evidently, he did not either.

"Firmin, please!" Nina scolded as she floated up to Red, "This poor dragon is no rapscallion. In fact, I'd say he's a hero! He saved my son!"

"Yes, so I've heard," Red responded gruffly, "Your husband was quite quick to point that out when he tried to stop me from coming to see what's what."

"I was merely trying to stop you from making a scene," Flash retorted quickly, "I had wanted you to be the first to know about our guest."

Red chuckled derisively, "Oh, indeed! But you're blabbermouthed son let the secret out, didn't he? No wonder he keeps getting himself into trouble! If he was more levelheaded then this dragon wouldn't have needed to save him!"

"I was hungry, alright?" Sparx cried angrily, "I didn't mean to end up there! But if it hadn't been for Spyro, I wouldn't have made it back!"

"Maybe you should learn to control your appetite!" Red snapped bitterly, Sparx recoiling back, his face sullen at his harshness, causing Spyro's heart to hurt for him.

"Excuse me, sir," he said, doing his best to seem nonthreatening to the red dragonfly, "I met Sparx here by chance. He was lost and…"

"Yes, I've been told," Red cut him off impatiently, "And apparently the two of you had a fantastic, death-defying adventure together. Ha! I don't believe even half of it is true!"

At the moment, Flash crossly grabbed Red's shoulder and pulled him around to face him, the blue dragonfly scowling furiously.

"Be that as it may, my son is telling the truth and so is young Spyro here. Instead of chastising him, you should be thanking him for saving one of us from almost certain death!"

"Indeed!" Nina nodded firmly as she shuffled up next to her husband, the two of them staring down Red with fearsome gazes. Spyro and Sparx both looked at each other in surprise as Red's arms began quivering in anger while the crowd of dragonflies all gasped in shock and anticipation. Some of the crowd dared to inch closer as Flash and Nina, figuratively, since they lacked legs, stood their ground against the boiling pot that was Firmin as Spyro anxiously leaned back, expecting he would explode. After a few tense moments, Red drew a deep breath and closed his eyes as his arms began to settle. He slowly opened his eyes, lifting his right hand and sticking out his finger towards Sparx's parents.

"You two should have informed me the moment you became aware this outsider was in our territory. Instead, you bought him right into our midst, not knowing what danger he might bring to all of us!"

"I can assure you, Firmin, he is no danger to any of us," Flash answered flatly. Nina clutched her husband's hand tightly as she gave her own answer, "And when we found him he was out cold; sick from poison! He needed out help right away and we gave it to him. It was obvious to us that the poor dear had been through a great deal of pain and trauma, even before he saved our son. We did not want to overwhelm him by making him feel like he was trespassing!"

"Yeah!" Sparx said out loudly, impulsively, immediately drawing the fuming eyes of Red towards him, resulting in the yellow dragonfly clapping his hand over his mouth regretfully. Spyro poorly tried to hide his own smirk of admiration to the support Sparx had shown him and his parents, avoiding Red's gaze like his life depended on it.

"Have you forgotten about the dangers that exist out there?" Firmin raved on to Flash and Nina, gesturing out towards the mushroom forest, "We've been living here for centuries because it's the only place we could build a community where it was safe and where we were not at the mercy of every other living creature out there!"

"This swamp is not always safe, either, Firmin," Flash said pointedly, "Don't forget that."

"It's still safer than out there!" the crimson dragonfly cried angrily, "But now it may not be since you invited this outsider into our home!"

"His name is Spyro," Nina's voice snapped like a whip, "And from what Sparx has told us, he is trying to escape those very dangers himself, not bring them here."

Spyro froze as all eyes turned to him, most dangerous of all being those of Red who's seemingly permanent scowl was directed at him. Of course, Nina had only been referring to the little Spyro had told Sparx about where and why he had arrived in their part of the realm, though he then realized that Sparx may have also told them about the conversation they'd had when he had awoken from his nightmare last night. He looked over at the golden dragonfly as if to ask, but all he got in return was an equally uneasy gaze as they both shared in the discomfort of being the center of attention.

Red hovered over closer to the purple dragon, Spyro gulping frightfully as he endured his steely gaze, Flash and Nina following close behind him as if ready to intervene.

"So, I suppose I need to hear your side of the story then, Spyro," Red said reluctantly, drawing out his name like it left a foul taste in his mouth, crossing his arms impatiently,

"Just why exactly have you come here?" Spyro buried his frustration at the dragonfly's hostility, shifting his eyes between Sparx and his parents who all did their best to give their support if only through their expressions.

"Well, sir," he began tepidly, "It's just like they said. Where I come from, a lot of terrible things have happened recently and I was just trying to get away from it."

"Get away from what?" a voice from the crowd asked cautiously. As Red looked over his shoulder in the direction it came from, Spyro replied grievously,

"There is a war; a terrible war that has gripped our land. Our enemies, the Apes, have attacked our cities and decimated our home…"

"Who are the apes?" asked another concerned voice, "What are they?"

"Oh, I guess you don't know," Spyro replied in surprise, "Well, er, they are like monkeys…ummm… do you guys know what monkeys are?"

"Are you calling us stupid?" Red growled furiously.

"No, no, of course not," the purple dragon stammered, "I just trying to…Ah!" he cried out suddenly, making the crowd of dragonflies, including Red, all jump back in fear as Spyro fell forward. Sparx, Nina and Flash rushed over to him immediately.

"Spyro, what's wrong?" Sparx asked hastily as the purple dragon ducked his head low, trying to reach up to the sore on his neck that had become inflamed again.

"My neck… it burns…" he groaned painfully. Flash and Nina hovered around the back of his neck, staring grimly at the blotchy spot where the Toadweed had done its work on him.

"Its flaring up again," Nina said despondently, "And we don't have anything left to treat him with."

"What the matter with him?" Red demanded in a voice that barely hid his newfound fear, "What's he doing?"

"It's called being sick!" Sparx snapped viciously, "Maybe you should try it sometime, Red!"

"Sparx, don't make him angrier, please," Spyro said weakly, struggling to keep his head up as many of the dragonflies gasped in abject horror at Sparx's retort to the crimson dragonfly. Firmin for his part was either too enraged or shocked to offer anything back, his arms quaking again as Flash, as quick as his name, buzzed up to him.

"Spyro was poisoned last night by a Toadweed he saved my son from," he said gravely, "We treated him the best we could, but he needs more treatment. Let us take him to the village where we can give it to him."

Red snorted, "He's not going anywhere until he gives me the answers I want!" Nina looked up from Spyro's neck, her eyes blazing like fire as she zipped over beside her husband, leaving Sparx alone with the ailing purple dragon.

"For heaven's sake, Firmin!" she rasped, "The poor dear has been poisoned! Are you really going to let him suffer like this?"

"If it means it spares any suffering amongst us…" Red began, but was swiftly cut off by Flash.

"What do you hope to learn from him in this state? He can barely move as it is! He's suffered a terrible trauma even before he found our Sparx! Let us help him to the village. When he is well, he can answer all the questions that you want."

Spyro looked up, his wings drooping weakly as he stared up at the dragonflies with sickly eyes, drawing a pained breath as he hoped for a resolution. Red looked over Flash's shoulder at him, his glare all but confirming to Spyro that he was not going to relent. With a defeated sigh, desperate for relief of the pain that was shredding his nerves, he prepared to answer anything and everything Red wanted if it would help him.

"Hey, just hang in there, buddy," Sparx said cheerfully, patting him on the shoulder. Spyro turned to look at him, his head wobbling as he struggled to keep it upright.

"I thought you said this poison wouldn't kill me," he said grimly.

Sparx chuckled nervously, "Well, I've been wrong before," he admitted frankly.

The murmurs amongst the crowd of dragonflies began to grow louder as they discussed the poor state of the young dragon, some of whom saw him as a guest while others shared Red's sentiments and saw him as an intruder. The crowd's murmurs soon became loud and argumentized as Flash made a his final appeal to Firmin's heart, assuming he had one.

"Please, Firmin. That dragon saved our son," he said as he tugged Nina close under his arm, Red's hard scowl beginning to shudder as if some other emotion was trying desperately to make itself known to him, something other than anger. Spyro watched him as the dragonfly's arms quivered in a final protest to this new emotion as his steely eyes rolled over grudgingly.

"Fine," he replied stuffily, snapping his finger up in a warning, "But I'm holding you personally responsible if he does anything dangerous!"

"Very well," Flash said tiredly, unconcerned with the threat. Spyro felt his heart move in surprise, Sparx letting out a triumphant laugh as he patted the purple dragon's head. He looked up and smiled back before turning his eyes to meet Flash and Nina as they hovered over.

"Good news, sweetheart," Nina beamed proudly as she gently stroked the right side of his snout, "We're taking you to the village so we can get you more treatment."

"All it took was a little haggling," Flash chuckled modestly. Their pleasantness unfortunately did not rub off on Spyro as he gazed behind them and watched as Red began talking with the crowd of dragonflies. Several of them zipped over to him with angry looks, clearly displeased that he was granting access to the purple dragon. As the arguing descended into indistinguishable rabbling, Spyro looked back to Sparx's parents and despite his pain and discomfort asked,

"Thank you, but is it really a good idea? Seems like some of your neighbors take exception."

"Hey, they'll come around," Sparx assured him, "After all, I did!" he said as he grinned broadly and held out his palms out to his sides as though he had just performed an amazing trick. Spyro let out a coughing laugh before he inhaled deeply and pushed himself onto all four feet. Flash and Nina quickly took a place on either side of his head as he rocked it sideways, trying to clear his mind as the pain numbed his thought process.

"Its not too far. You'll be feeling better soon," Nina told him warmly as Spyro nodded slowly in reply. He gave a quick glance at them both before nodding to Sparx who gave him a cheery thumbs up in reply.

"Okay," Spyro sighed readily, "Let's go, I guess."

It was hard to ignore the canopy of eyes that hovered above the purple dragon the whole time he walked slowly through the winding path from the Sparx family home towards what he had been told was a village. His steps were heavy as his body felt lethargic from the effects of the poison, the herbal remedy waring off far soon than he had expected. A number of the dragonflies continued to voice their grievances to Red, who by now was barely acknowledging them, even if his face showed that he agreed with them. Most of the other dragonflies kept their distance, but there were those who showed a more genuine interest in Spyro, some of them evidently intrigued and sympathetic to him for what they had heard he had done for Sparx. Some of the younger ones, that being younger than Sparx, were either crazed with excitement or clutching their parents in fear of the large, purple creature that had entered their domain.

Spyro hated to see the fear and animosity that some of the dragonflies eyed him with, sad that his mere presence provoked that reaction from them. Red's behavior towards him had not been entirely different from Chief Prowlus, Spyro sarcastically wondering if the two might somehow be long lost relatives. Like Prowlus though, he tried not to think too harshly of the crimson dragonfly, reasoning his fear and distrust came from some unfortunate past. At least that's what he wanted to believe, just like when Hunter told him that Prowlus acted the way he did because 'That's just how he is'.

The walk had only lasted five or ten minutes, but to Spyro it felt like half an hour as he slowly trudged on with his head hung low. Above him the dragonflies kept arguing amongst themselves while Sparx stayed hovering above his head between his horns while Flash and Nina led him along the dirt path through the mushroom forest. Spyro began to hear the sound of rustling water somewhere ahead as tried to keep his eyes up, his mouth feeling dry.

"Is that water I hear?" he asked hopefully, checking that his sense of hearing wasn't impaired.

"Yeah, we're almost there, buddy," Sparx said cheerily. The purple dragon's stomach grumbled as he lamented the fact he hadn't eaten anything that morning.

"I didn't even have breakfast this morning," he groaned weakly, a soft chuckle came from Flash who answered him,

"It's a little late for that, I'm afraid, Spyro," he smiled humorously, "You might just be in time for lunch though."

"Huh?" Spyro asked wearily, struggling to keep his eyes open.

Nina tapped the side of his face gently, "You were so exhausted we didn't wake you for breakfast. We were just going to wait until you woke up before we fed you. But then everyone showed up and well…"

Spyro looked at her and shook his head, "Never mind, I'll live. Probably."

"Oh, here we are!" Sparx announced brightly as Spyro turned his head forward and gazed ahead. The path came around a slight left-hand curve as the tall mushrooms gave way to a new, wide-open area of the swamp. Spyro stopped right on the edge of a few feet high drop where the path ended and the new area began, staring at the new sights before his eyes as the dragonflies above began to move away and into the new area, though the arguing still continued.

Just below the short drop, Spyro looked out into a wide expanse of murky shallow water a few hundred feet in diameter where the crowd of dragonflies began to congregate. The area of roughly circular with several clumps of mushrooms sprouting out from the water, forming a network of towers from which numerous examples of the small dragonfly huts he had seen before were hanging from. Standing out, much to his surprise amongst the huts were numerous Spirit Gem stalks that it seemed had been plucked from the ground and then hung from the roots and mushrooms by vines, seemingly just for decoration as he doubted the dragonflies had any ability to use magic. In the center of the of the mushroom towers was the tallest one, a three headed mushroom stalk growing out from a nest of roots that twisted and zigzagged some forty or so feet into the air, a large, vaguely hexagonal hut hung down above the rest. Sparx hovered down from Spyro's head and floated in front of him, gesturing out to the scene with,

"Welcome to Dragonfly Falls, Spyro."

End of Chapter 20

Next Chapter: A New Beginning

Note from the author:

So here we are, the last chapter of the year. Like I said, it wasn't quite how I wanted to end the year. This and the next chapter were originally supposed to be one huge chapter but I ended up splitting them. At this point I'm not sure if I will post the next chapter next month or if I will put it off until I have got ahead a bit in my writing. However long that is, I hope those of you who enjoy the story will stick around with me for that.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year!