-1Disclaimer: I don't own Spyro the Dragon, or any assorted characters, or concepts, except for the ideas exclusive to this fic.

Epilogue

The dragons gathered in the site that would have been Cynder's funeral pyre were staring intently at the sky. Even the remaining three elders were too fixated to worry about anything else.

Pyris however had crept carefully over to Hunter and asked him if he knew what was happening. The cat had replied that he hadn't a clue.

Finally, the portal in the sky reopened and Ignitus descended from it, carrying an unconscious Spyro, Cynder, and Crystalis on his back. The weight made his flight clumsy, but he set down without a problem. The crowd gathered around the fire guardian and the three elders pushed their way to the front. The small yellow dragonfly hovering nearby was ignored completely.

Ignitus glanced down at the quiet crowd. "You know why I am here?"

"Yes," Vulcanos replied. "You want us to return to the islands…"

Ignitus glanced around at the crowd again. "And what do you say to this?"

"We can't go back!" A small fidgety earth dragon called. "The Dark Master rules there now."

Ignitus nodded. "That's true. The Dark Master still rules much of the islands, but he has lost his general…" He shrugged his shoulders indicating the unconscious Cynder. "And we have the purple dragon of the prophecy."

"And me!" Sparx added.

"He's still just a child!" A female ice dragon called from the back of the crowd.

"So you would rather cower in fear in this dark place, instead of fighting for the islands that rightly belong to you?" Ignitus asked, raising his voice. "If this young one can defy the Dark Master twice, then why can't we?"

An excited murmur swept through the crowd. Near the back, Hunter yawned. The speech remained him of those that Elora made.

Vulcanos bowed his head respectfully to the fire guardian. "We shall return to the islands with you."

The crowd of dragons roared in agreement. Ignitus nodded thankfully and then set the three youngsters he had on his back down on the ground.

"Crystalis needs medical attention," Ignitus said.

Vulcanos nodded and gestured for one of the healers to come forward. The dragon did and quickly looked over Crystalis's ice covered body and then carefully lifted him up by the scruff of the neck and carried him away.

Ignitus looked up and addressed the dragons present. "Prepare yourselves for the journey back, we leave in the morning."

The crowd dispersed chattering as they started back toward their individual huts. Ignitus set the other two youngsters down. The movement caused Cynder to open her eyes and then raised her head. She ached from the fight with Feron. She tried to stand, but immediately collapsed and settled for sitting on her stomach. She glanced over and saw the unconscious Spyro.

"Is he going to be okay?" Cynder asked, her mind was still half-asleep.

Ignitus nodded. "He'll be fine. He might be tired for a couple of days, but he'll recover eventually. But you should rest too."

"Okay…"

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"So that's what happened?" Terrador asked.

It was several hours, after Ignitus had returned with the realms inhabitants. Spyro and Crystalis were resting in the temple, Sparx and Cynder both keeping an eye on him, while the elders went for a walk to discuss what had happened.

"Yes," Ignitus replied. He looked back at the temple and the large crowd of dragons gathered around the sacred structure. Soon they'd be splitting up to renew the fight with the Dark Master and hopefully take back their home.

"Can't believe that an ice dragon of all things would alley with that beast," Cyril growled. "But then again he was not born in the Year of the Dragon."

Ignitus halted and the other three turned back to look at him. "Do you think that it was the traditions of our ancestors that caused Feron to turn on us? He should not have been persecuted just because he was not born in a certain year."

The other three guardians looked thoughtful at this. None of them could refute that it was true that some dragons were ostracized by the ancient laws.

Finally it was Cyril who broke the silence. "You know, I grew up alongside Feron. He was always blaming me whenever he broke one of his toys, or got in trouble if he could and he was rather spoiled. I'm not exactly sure that his reasons for betraying us weren't just to fulfill his own desires for power and his being born in a different year was just an excuse for him to justify his own actions."

"Come on," Volteer said. "We must return and arm our forces for the epic clash that lies ahead."

The four guardians turned and headed back toward the temple.

"One thing does bother me," Terrador said. "Why didn't the Dark Master attempt to attack us, while you were out looking for the other dragons?"

"Perhaps he was busy with other things," Ignitus mused.

"Things more important then us?" Cyril huffed.

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"I wish Hunter would've come with us," Spyro sighed. He was laying on his stomach in his room. Cynder was standing a few feet away.

"He said he'd come visit sometime," Cynder reminded him. Sparx had left because he'd found their conversation boring, but then Sparx had never been much of a conversationalists.

Spyro lied his head down on his front legs. He really felt horrible after using so much of his energy to fight off the Dark Master's attempt to control him and then to close the portal to the prison. He felt worse now then he had after fighting Cynder.

He looked up when he felt Cynder sit down next to him. Her side comfortably pressed against his. Her wing resting on his shoulder. Spyro raised his head and looked into her dark green eyes.

For the first time since he had gotten back he forgot all about his weariness and even his worries about the Dark Master. His tail reached over and wrapped around Cynder's.