The three friends flew together in silence for hours, all of them lost in thought, just as the company that had come to the island had been.

Spyro, of course, was thinking about Ignitus, and how he'd gotten him back when he thought he was gone, only to lose him again so quickly. He thought about all that Ignitus had done for him, all the things they had said to one another. He also thought back to Thomas's story, in which Thomas had described Ignitus as the closest thing to a dragon father that Spyro had ever had, and Spyro pondered how perfectly true that had been.

Cynder was thinking about Ignitus, too, and how he'd been so nice to her, even after what she'd done to him and the other Guardians. He'd taken her under his wing, done his best to be like a father to her, even after she almost killed him and his comrades, and she had rewarded him by causing all kinds of terrible things by running away. She knew that she was doing the right thing now by leaving him behind, but a large part of her shared Spyro's frustration that there had been nothing that any of them could have done to save him.

Sparx's thoughts were all over the place. He thought about his cool new power, and how his best friend was married, and how Malefor was like a rash that just wouldn't go away. He thought about Ignitus, too, and how he'd always been so rude to the old man, and how Ignitus had given him his new power anyway. He thought about how all the other dragonflies were so unlucky not to be him, having to live without arms and hands, and how he didn't have to take hits for Spyro anymore. He thought about how he could shift his magical bond to others, and wondered if he should do that or if he should just be special. He thought about everyone back home, and how he had been so different from his old self in his recent life. He thought about dragons' fire breath coming from Ignitus, and how the dragons in the world weren't really dragons but magical imitations of them, and how Spyro and Cynder were supposed to bring real dragons back into the world, and how somehow dragons with some of the power of the old days were sometimes born of dud eggs. He thought about how he'd have to accept that Cynder was trustworthy since she was his best friend's wife, and how he'd unreasonably feared her for so long. He thought about Red, and how the strange dragon had thought that Cynder was so beautiful even though she looked strange compared to all the other dragons in the world, and how Red had wanted to save the world even though he was the reincarnation of the dragon that had wanted to destroy it. He thought about the overall madness of life in general, past, present, and future, and how he was always right by the side of the guy who was always right in the middle of things. In short, Sparx thought about everything.

They flew all through the night, well into the next day, and it was late afternoon by the time they reached the mainland. Cynder had never seen the new mainland before, and, without any sort of familiar landmark, she didn't recognize the land at all.

"That's the mainland?" she exclaimed. "It looks nothing like it used to!"

"Like we said, the whole world's changed," Sparx replied.

"I didn't know you meant the land, too," she said.

"Yeah, well, good thing you're with us, or you'd never find anything," Sparx commented.

"Yeah…" she trailed off, amazed by just how different everything in the world had become. It's like a whole new world entirely, she thought.

It wasn't long, compared to the rest of their journey, before they came in sight of the Great Plain. When they got there, they saw that the Chronicler had spoken the truth: every single person who had originally been present two days earlier was still there, waiting for them. Someone in the crowd must have seen them, because they were barely over the southern edge of the plain before the entire crowd cheered so loudly that Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx were glad they were so high up.

"That's everyone in the world?" Cynder asked, amazed. She had never seen so many different creatures that weren't enemies gathered together in one place, and the plain was so huge that she couldn't see all the way across it, even as high up as the three comrades were.

"Yeah," Sparx said, "and trust me, they're all really, really weird."

It took them several more minutes to fly all the way across the entire expanse of the plain, and everyone below stared in awe at the black dragon flying overhead; the three companions were so high up that Spyro's changes and Sparx weren't discernible. Finally, the three came down from on high to stand (or in Sparx's case, hover) directly before the Elders.

For several minutes, everyone gazed at Cynder, marveling at her appearance, which was so different from that of modern dragons. Eventually, however, the audience noticed Sparx, and how different he looked, and this drew new gasps of awe from the assembly. Spyro's relatively small changes in appearance were noticed a few minutes later still, and though it wasn't enough to elicit more awed exclamations, the attendants stared nonetheless.

"Can they all see us?" Cynder whispered to Spyro.

"Yeah," Spyro replied quietly, "Red and I set up a projection spell; everyone in the entire plain can both see and hear us easily."

"Great," Cynder mumbled; she hadn't been the center of so much attention since her days as Malefor's errand girl.

When the onlookers finally had their fill of beholding the wondrous new arrivals, Elder Thomas stepped forward grandly and spoke, addressing Cynder.

"Noble dragon, it is a pleasure, and an honor, to behold your coming, and to stand in your presence," he said grandly with a bow.

"Uh…thanks," Cynder said self-consciously.

Sparx took the attention off of Cynder by drawing it to himself.

"Hey, how come you didn't tell me before that I was the reincarnation of me?" Sparx demanded of Thomas.

"Master Sparx," Thomas answered, surprised, "I was unaware of such a thing! Is it truly you?"

"Yes, it's me," Sparx answered grandly. "I am the mighty Sparx, negotiator of the ancient pact between dragons and dragonflies, and under-appreciated brother of the famous big purple thing, Spyro."

"Welcome back," Thomas said, bowing also to Sparx. "I was completely unaware that you were to return as well."

"Yeah, well, you got some other things wrong, too," Sparx said matter-of-factly. "You know, like how you forgot to mention that Spyro and Cynder were only able to get away from that giant lava thing because Hunter shot it in the eye? Or how you said that Spyro went through all of the Skavangers' ships before finding a map? And Cyril didn't confirm Volteer's theory at all - he didn't know anything new. There were other mistakes in your story, too."

"Forgive me," Thomas replied; "some details are lost in the retelling of the stories of history. Now, if I may ask, where's Red?" Thomas asked Spyro, still clearly excited by the return of the dragons of old.

"Rofelam is gone," Spyro said, somewhat sternly.

A gasp ran through the crowd.

"How in the world did you know-"

"That Rofelam was Red's real name?" Spyro finished for Elder Titan. Not giving anyone time to reply, he answered, "Because Ignitus told me. He told me everything."

"Ignitus?" queried Magnus.

"Yeah, Ignitus became the new Chronicler after Spyro used up all his power to save the world," Sparx said by way of explanation. "The old man told us some stories while we were gone, like how Red was the reincarnation of Malefor."

"What?" gasped Thomas as everyone in the plain exclaimed at this piece of news.

"You didn't know?" Sparx asked. "Yeah, that's why Red said he remembered stuff from the old days, and why he turned on dragons so quickly."

"Ignitus told us that Rofelam has managed to separate himself from Malefor, and that he's his own dragon now," Spyro continued, emphasizing Red's real name. "The bad news is, Malefor's back; Rofelam's gone to join the Ancestors, and the Dark Master is here for revenge…on the three of us."

A murmur ran through the crowd as everyone present shared feelings of surprise and varying levels of fear with one another.

"So…where is he?" Bianca asked after a minute.

"Ignitus managed to buy us some time, but we don't know how long we have before he arrives here," answered Cynder, knowing it wasn't time yet for introductions. "But when he comes, he'll be destroying everything, and everyone, he sees, so…" She turned to face the entire crowd. "Those of you who can't or won't fight him, which I understand is most of you, need to get far away from here. Go north, or east, or underground; get out of any potential line of fire. He'll be arriving on the southwestern border of the mainland, and that's where we're going to meet him, so if you won't or can't join us, get far away."

The murmur rose in volume as everyone turned to each other, asking if they had heard right; surely Cynder, the great black dragon of old, hadn't asked for their help? Hunter was the one who finally asked her what was on everyone's mind.

"Excuse me, but…" He cleared his throat. "Are you saying you want our help fighting him?"

"We would appreciate it, yes," Cynder replied, trying to be firm but polite.

"But why, though?" asked the Professor. "Surely you and Spyro can defeat him yourselves; you've done it before."

"This time's different," Spyro told his friend. "This time, Malefor knows he's mortal, and he'll be fighting much, much harder because of that."

"Plus, he'll be mad as hell in all senses of the word, which won't help," Sparx added.

"We know that you all have a lot of questions, and we're sorry that we can't answer them right now, but Malefor could be here any minute, so we need to be ready," Cynder said. "Again, anyone who can't or won't fight needs to get out of the open and away from the southwestern border quickly. Anyone who thinks they can help us, we would appreciate your coming with us to meet him."

Some of the more timid species, such as the unbound dragonflies and the armadillos, needed no further encouragement, and immediately left the Great Plain for their homes far away. The Gnorcs, Riptocs, Rhynocs, and such creatures ran back to their kind to tell the others what was happening. Most of the intermediate species, being such in both strength and bravery, discussed among themselves what they should do; they were too shocked by everything that had happened in the past few days to bother questioning the news. The stronger races, such as the dragons, also discussed among themselves what to do, and which of them should or should not join Spyro, Sparx, and Cynder in this final battle.

Most of the attendants decided to leave, even most of the spellcasters. Those who stayed were mostly individuals: Hunter, Bianca, Sheila, Sgt. Byrd, Bentley, Agent 9, and, after some debate with his uncle, Blink. The Professor agreed to join them to help in the preparations, but made it clear that he was leaving as soon as Malefor arrived. The groups that joined as a species were the fairies, dragons, wizards, and a few small clusters of some other species. Of course, of both the dragons and the fairies, some stayed out of it. Of the fairies, a few of the most powerless ones, excluding Zoe, left for their home; most, however, stayed, as the fairies were somewhat capable of hive-mind force, where they added one another's powers together. Of the dragons, the Artisans, Beast Makers, and Dream Weavers left, as well as all the elderly, female, and underage dragons (Spyro and Cynder excluded, of course); meanwhile, the Peace Keepers, the Magic Crafters, and most of the rest of the dragons got together with their dragonfly partners in preparation, many of whom hadn't seen one another since the dragons of the partnerships had come of age.

The small army followed Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx wordlessly, all of them still trying to come to grips with what was happening. After about an hour, they all arrived at the beach on which Spyro's quest against the Sorcerer had begun.

"We can't set up here," one of the dragons protested. "This is a village!"

"This is also approximately where Malefor will arrive at the mainland," Cynder answered.

"Perhaps we should find a better location nearby," Thomas advised sagely.

"Do you have something in mind?" Sparx asked.

"A few miles up the shoreline, there's an expanse of rocky cliffs that, in places, act like natural stone tiers, each with significant standing room," Thomas answered readily. "Also, it's quite close to the Temple, which will be helpful, as there are some artifacts stored there which I believe may be useful."

"Why didn't you say that fifteen minutes ago?" Sparx muttered to no one in particular as he rolled his eyes, annoyed. He received no answer, and the group turned around to head to the place that Thomas had suggested.

~o~

The Chronicler focused on holding time still, praying that Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx had gotten away safely. He drew power from the crystal around his neck, which he had prepared for this very occasion. Though he, too, was frozen in time, he was conscious of every passing moment, much as Cynder had been in her own time freeze, and he focused all his energy on maintaining the time freeze that he now powered. He lasted about half a day before his control started to slip. He struggled to hold on, and managed to hold out for about an hour longer, but finally, he released the spell.

Time moving once again, the Chronicler was quickly tackled to the ground by Malefor, who was unaware of what had happened. The force of the blow sent them both sliding several feet backward, Malefor on top, with the Chronicler being mercilessly ground into the earth beneath him. When they reached a standstill, Malefor raised one terrible claw to begin ripping the Chronicler to shreds, when he saw the satisfaction in the Chronicler's eyes. Malefor paused, still holding the Chronicler down, and looked around to see that Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx were gone.

Enraged, he picked up the Chronicler in both his hands and threw the helpless ancient dragon halfway across the courtyard.

"Where are they?!" the Dark Master demanded, walking toward the badly injured form on the ground.

"They are long gone," the Chronicler answered, gasping from the force of the blows he had suffered, trying in vain to rise to his feet. "They have more than half a day on you, and by now they've probably reached the mainland."

His rage rising beyond anything the ancient purple dragon had felt before, the Dark Master wordlessly grabbed the Chronicler by the back of the neck in his jaws and threw the Chronicler bodily against the wall of the citadel; it was a mortal blow. The Dark Master took a minute to glare at the crippled form of the Keeper of Time. Then, with a roar, he flew up into the sky and headed, full speed, for the mainland.

For several minutes, the Chronicler lay still where he had fallen, trying to gather his strength. When little came, he forced himself to roll onto his stomach regardless, then started dragging himself back inside the citadel. It was a long and painful struggle that took him over two hours, but finally, he managed to reenter his great library and close the doors behind him.

When the doors closed, some of his strength returned, though he knew it was because his room, when sealed off, was a place somewhat in between the world of the living and the afterlife. He pulled himself over to his great hourglass and touched the crystal around his neck to its surface. A light bloomed inside the glass structure, which took on a shape and stepped out of the great hourglass in the form of Red himself.

"Rofelam," the Chronicler gasped, still lying on the ground.

"Who are you?" asked Red, looking around, confused. "Where am I? How do you know my name?"

"For the past five million years, I have been master of this hall, as the Keeper of Time," the Chronicler answered, his breath coming hard. "Before that, I was the dragon known as Ignitus, Master of Fire. My time has come to an end, and now, I wish to pass on my duties to you."

"You're the Chronicler?" asked Red.

"Yes," the Chronicler confirmed.

"And you were also Ignitus, Master of Fire, and mentor to Spyro in the days of old?" Red questioned the ancient dragon again.

"Indeed," the Chronicler answered.

"It is an honor to meet you," said Red, bowing.

"Please, Rofelam, do not bow to me," the Chronicler told him wearily. "I have chosen you as my successor, and thus, we are equals."

"I don't think I deserve such an honor," replied Red; "not after everything I've done."

"What you have done, Rofelam, is admirable and unprecedented," the Chronicler replied, his breath still coming hard. "You have made for yourself a separate consciousness, and split yourself from a soul that was evil by nature. Whatever crimes you committed in the past were not your fault, but rather, your destiny. You are a paradox, my friend; you were born a reincarnation of the Dark Master, but you have produced your own self from nothing. This accomplishment should not have been possible, and may the Ancestors be praised that things turned out as they did."

"Who has done this to you?" asked Red, realizing that the ancient white dragon was dying.

"The same monster from whom you yourself came," the Chronicler answered. "Do not feel as though this is your fault; it is thanks to your strength of spirit that Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx managed to get into this citadel before Malefor completely overtook you. But please, time is running out; my duty as Keeper of Time is hereby passed on to you, Rofelam."

Glowing, the Chronicler faded away. As he did, a similar glow surrounded Red, though much gentler than last time. Red lightly got on all fours as the bequeathment of the ancient dragon's power filled his body, changing it to be that of one of the dragons of old. When the glow faded, Red was a mottled black-and-white dragon with the same form as one of the ancient dragons, and was wearing the same tattered blue cloak and Time Crystal that were the the badges of the Chronicler's duty. He would never know it, but ironically, with his curvy horns and small snout, he somewhat resembled the Chronicler who had passed his job down to Ignitus.

~o~

It took the small army about fifteen minutes to get to the spot Elder Thomas had described, and Cynder had to admit, it was a good battleground, especially for a single assault from the air. Some would argue that the people on the tiers and slopes of stone would be pinned against the rocks if Malefor dove, but the ocean had made the rocks porous in the times when it had covered the cliff, and the traction on them was perfect beyond any place Cynder had ever seen. Also, the tiers made it possible for different fighters to be on different levels, allowing spellcasters' spells, archers' arrows, and other launched combustible and non-combustible projectiles to be released simultaneously with little danger of friendly fire. She explained as much to Spyro, Sparx, and everyone else, and as she had been raised on the battlefields, fighting for the Dark Master, everyone took her word for it.

The Professor asked the stronger dragons - namely, the Peace Keepers - to bring specific materials to build cannons, which he intended to have situated on the top levels of the cliffs, after some discussion with Cynder that had occurred on the way over. Spyro and Cynder, meanwhile, asked the Magic Crafters, mainly because they were the only dragons with no other assignments, to go and get a bunch of green gems so that the two could restore their magic. Those dragons that were called on flew away to do as they were told, the Elders returned to the Temple to gather the artifacts Thomas had mentioned, and Spyro and Sparx officially introduced Cynder to everyone.

"Cynder, this is Hunter," he began. He didn't bother telling Hunter Cynder's name; she needed no introduction.

"Hunter?" she repeated, surprised.

"Yeah, I heard you knew my great-great-great-great-great-several-hundred-thou sand-times-great grandfather," Hunter said. "I was named after him, you know."

"Wow," Cynder said with a smile. "I hope you're as good with that bow as your ancestor was."

"He is," Spyro assured her.

"Awesome," she said. "It's nice to meet you, Hunter."

"It's nice to meet you, too," Hunter answered.

"Hey, where are the archers you've been training?" asked Spyro.

"None of them are good enough to fight a legendary dragon of old," answered Hunter.

Spyro just looked at him.

"Okay, they're not bad," Hunter conceded, "but they're too scared to be here; Malefor's a bigger deal than the Sorcerer."

"Who is this Sorcerer everyone keeps going on about?!" Cynder demanded.

"A big, scary, freakish dragon that trapped everyone in the Shadow Realm a few months back," Sparx answered. "And I don't know about Malefor being a bigger deal than him."

"Sparx!" Spyro exclaimed. "Malefor is a much bigger deal! The Sorcerer wouldn't have been a match for the dragons of old, but Malefor laid waste to the dragon race when we were at our strongest!"

"Yeah, but he didn't mess with the Shadow Realm!" Sparx argued.

"He didn't need to!" Spyro retorted. "That's the thing! He was - is - powerful enough to wreak havoc without dealing with the Shadow Realm!"

"Sorry I asked," Cynder muttered.

"It's okay," said Bianca. "The Sorcerer was the most powerful foe to have appeared in the worlds in this era. It's understandable that the Calamity he caused is comparable to what Malefor did."

"Cynder, this is Bianca," Spyro continued, quick to resume introductions. "She's a sorceress in training. She used to be a bad guy, too, but she changed sides when she realized that her teacher, the Sorceress, wanted to slaughter an entire year's worth of baby dragons."

"Well, that's as good a reason to switch sides as any," Cynder said.

"I'm really happy to meet you, Cynder," Bianca said to her.

"Yeah, she feels bad for you because you didn't have a choice when you were with the Dark Master," Hunter added.

"Hunter!" Bianca exclaimed at him.

"What?" Hunter asked. "It's true."

"How long have you two been dating?" Cynder asked them slyly after observing the pair for a moment.

"Eight years," Bianca answered. "How'd you guess?"

"It's obvious," Cynder answered. "Wow. A cheetah dating a rabbit. That's funny. It's nice to meet both of you," she said.

"This is the Professor," Spyro went on. "Yes," he added, seeing her questioning look, "that's actually his name."

"Okay," Cynder said with some uncertainty. "It's nice to meet you, Professor."

"It's good to meet you, too, especially since we're going to be working on cannons together," the Professor replied. "Do you, by chance, remember my ancestor, Mole-Yair?"

"Cynder never met him," Spyro told the Professor.

"Oh," the Professor said, disappointed.

"Chin up, little guy," Sparx said; "Spyro and I will tell you all about him if we're still alive this time tomorrow."

"Sparx!" Spyro scolded his friend.

Sparx shrugged.

"This is the Professor's nephew, Blink," Spyro continued after a minute. "Blink has fresh-air-a-phobia."

"Fresh-air-a-phobia?" Cynder repeated, raising a metaphorical eyebrow.

"Yeah, I actually like being trapped underground," Blink explained. "I kinda wish we had stayed on the beach."

"You should stay on one of the lower levels of these cliffs and back yourself into a corner," Cynder suggested. "Then, when Malefor comes, pretend he's an avalanche."

"Yeah, only try to kill it," Sparx commented.

"I might try that," Blink said, thinking. "Thanks!"

"No problem!" Cynder replied. "Happy to help!"

"This is Sheila," Spyro went on. "I'm not…really…sure…why she's here."

"Well, dragons can feel a good kick, too," Sheila pointed out. "I doubt we'll be able to shoot this beast out of the air. When he lands, I'll lend a foot. Anyway, nice to meet ya, mate," Sheila said to Cynder.

"Nice to meet you," Cynder replied.

"This is Sergeant Byrd," Spyro continued.

"A penguin with rocket launchers," Cynder observed.

"He can fly, too," Spyro said, feeling the need to mention this, as Sgt. Byrd was a penguin.

"Really?" she asked.

"Affirmative," Sgt. Byrd replied, "although having a jet-pack makes things much easier. I am fully trained in all forms of arial combat, and am eager to begin fighting the good fight."

"Ten-HUT!" Cynder said, taking on the tone and stance of a drill sergeant. Sgt. Byrd immediately stood to attention.

"Have you ever faced a dragon in combat before, in the air or on the ground?" she demanded.

"Ma'am, no, ma'am!" Sgt. Byrd answered dutifully.

"Have you ever actually been on the front lines in a real war?"

"Ma'am, no, ma'am!"

"Have you ever even faced real danger?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"Malefor is more powerful than anything you could ever imagine! Are you brave enough to face him?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"Do you think you're strong enough to be of any help in this battle?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

"Good! One more question, soldier!"

"Yes ma'am?"

She relaxed and chuckled. "Why couldn't the Apes have been even half as cooperative as you?" she asked almost wistfully.

"Ma'am?"

Spyro and Sparx gave her a look.

"They didn't work well in groups," she explained. "It was half the battle for me just to keep them moderately organized. At ease, soldier!" she added to Sgt. Byrd, who was still standing at attention. He immediately saluted, then complied, and everyone present laughed; watching Cynder drill him had been very entertaining.

Spyro and Sparx continued to look at Cynder oddly.

"What?" she said defensively. "So, I learned a few things about war when I was the Dark Master's puppet. Is that a crime?"

"No…" Spyro said slowly.

"On the contrary," said Bentley, stepping forward; "it's quite gratifying to be made aware of the fact that we have someone proficient in the official procedures of war among us ere the impending battle."

"Oh, Cynder, this is Bentley," Spyro said, quick once again to resume the introductions.

"Hello Bentley," Cynder said warmly.

"It is an honor to become acquainted with such a distinguished historical figure as yourself," Bentley said to her with a bow. "I'm told you're an exemplary member of your species in both brawn and wit."

"Uh…thanks," Cynder said, somewhat put off by the yeti's formality.

"Don't mind him, he always talks like that," Spyro told her.

"Yeah, he's like Volteer, only not as talkative," Sparx said.

"It's nice to meet you, Bentley," Cynder said as sincerely as possible.

"This is Agent 9," Spyro continued quickly. Then, he leaned over and whispered in Cynder's ear, "I think he's one of the Professor's experiments gone wrong."

"Wahoo! Nice ta meet ya!" Agent 9 said to her with far too much enthusiasm, jumping in the air as he spoke.

"Uh, nice to meet you, too," Cynder replied hesitantly.

"And this is Zoe," Spyro moved on before Agent 9 could start his incessant, high-speed chattering.

"Hi, Cynder!" Zoe said affably. "It's nice to meet you!"

"Hello Zoe," Cynder replied, heartened by the fairy's relative normalcy. "It's nice to meet you, too."

"Zoe and I used to date," Sparx said.

So much for normalcy, thought Cynder.

"We didn't really date," Zoe said.

"Are you kidding?" asked Sparx with a laugh. "You and Ami couldn't get enough of me! And that was before I could even talk!"

"Alright, that's enough," said Spyro. "Moving on. This is…Elora?" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm not fighting," Elora answered. "I just wanted to see you now that you're back to being one of the dragons of old. And to meet Cynder, of course," she added, turning to the black dragon. "It's nice to meet you, Cynder," she said.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you, too," Cynder replied. "Not much of a fighter, huh?"

"No, I'm no good with that kind of thing," Elora replied with a smile.

"It's Cynder, isn't it? Very nice to meet you," Moneybags said a little too warmly, barging in.

"You too, huh?" Spyro remarked. "Cynder, this is Moneybags, the cheapskate - er, I mean, bear."

"Moneybags, huh?" Cynder repeated thoughtfully.

"It's nice to meet a new customer from a time when riches were everywhere." Moneybags said the word 'riches' with a little wriggle of joy at the mere word.

"Uh, Moneybags, gems weren't money back in our day," Spyro reminded him. "They're our energy. We absorb them."

"But surely, those days are long gone," Moneybags said with a laugh.

"Actually…they're back," Spyro told him. "If you want to keep your precious gems, you should keep them away from us from now on."

"But you've always been my best customer!" exclaimed Moneybags, surprised and distraught by this news. "How will I ever be able to get too much money for my products? You're the only one who overpays for them!"

"Sorry, Moneybags; you'll have to find a new gig," Spyro said. "Maybe you should go back home to Avalar and stop bothering the Dragon Kingdoms."

"But dragons have all the money!" Moneybags whined.

"Okay, Moneybags, I think it's time for us to go," Elora said, leading the distraught cheapskate away. "It was nice meeting you, Cynder!" she called behind her.

"Yeah, thanks for coming to meet Spyro's wife!" Sparx called after her.

Spyro closed his eyes.

"Wife?!" exclaimed Elora, turning around.

A bunch of similar comments came from the other onlookers.

"What?!"

"His wife?!"

"You're married?!"

"Yeah," Spyro said uncomfortably in response to his friends' exclamations, "Ignitus married us before we left, since he was the only one who could do it for us."

For a moment, there was an amazed silence.

"Well…um…congratulations," Elora said finally.

"Thanks," Spyro replied just as awkwardly.

"This is awkward," Sparx commented.

Spyro turned to glare at his lives-long friend. "You're the one who had to make the announcement!" he snapped.

"Oh, yeah," Sparx said, not in the least bit sheepish. "Sorry about that. Just thought I'd get it out there. You know, since you were gonna have to tell everyone eventually. I mean, come on; you two are wearing wedding rings. Someone was gonna ask sooner or later. Besides, Elora needs to know that what was between you two is gone now."

"What?" asked Cynder, narrowing her eyes.

"Elora and Spyro used to date, too," Sparx told Cynder.

"Yeah, for, like, a day!" Spyro exclaimed defensively. "Elora and I have been over with for almost ten years!"

Mercifully, it was at that exact moment that the dragons that had been out getting things for the battle returned. Amazingly, both the Elders and the dragons that the Professor and Spyro had sent out returned in the same instant.

The Magic Crafters came back with a bunch of green gems and gave them to Cynder and Spyro. Spyro hadn't actually been one hundred percent sure that the cut, collected gems of modern days would still hold the dragons' life force, but the two absorbed them easily. Moneybags actually started crying when he saw this, and Elora led him away with a gentle hand on his shoulder as he cried for the fate of the world's gems.

The Peace Keepers, who had gone out for the Professor and Cynder, were carrying everything from electrical wiring to rocks; Cynder and the Professor had decided to work together on the cannons' construction, as Cynder had had some experience with the construction of the Apes' cannons, which had been effective. The Professor immediately went to receive the Peace Keepers, and Cynder was about to follow when she saw what the Elders were carrying.

In the days leading up to their final battle with Malefor, Spyro and Cynder had come across several sets of armor that had fit them perfectly, which had been around because at the time, Spyro and Cynder had about reached the age when the dragons of old would normally begin training. These were what the Elders were carrying; the others were carrying armor for the other dragons. Sadly, there was no armor for any of the other attending species, but Bianca suggested that she, Spyro, the Magic Crafters, and the Elders work together on making armor out of pure magic. This seemed like a good idea, and after Spyro and Cynder had chosen their armor - Spyro chose his silver set, which added extra power to any physical strike he made; and Cynder chose her gold set, which had various convenient side effects - everyone went their separate ways preparing for battle.

The Professor and Cynder oversaw the construction of the cannons on the highest tiers of the cliffs. These required rock, metal, and magic, as well as a few wood parts, but Cynder was a great help in making things go smoothly.

Bentley lent his club to smashing the boulders and such into smaller pieces, so that Cynder and the Professor could work with the materials.

Hunter set about making arrows from the scraps of the cannons' construction materials.

Spyro, Bianca, the Magic Crafters, and the Elders worked together on ward spells that would cover those who were under-protected. Afterwards, Bianca, the Magic Crafters, and the Elders, as well as other spellcasters, practiced their spells, while Spyro decided to be the lookout.

Zoe and the other fairies worked together to practice combining their powers. This was slow going, but very much worth it.

Blink and Agent 9 spent a little time working together on their lasers, making sure they were in good working order, and then Blink went to find a spot like Cynder had described, while Agent 9 started jumping around, trying and failing not to be too annoying.

Sheila practiced kicking on a rock face near the water line, and was able to punch a small cove in the cliff face, for which Blink was grateful.

Sparx practiced his new power and discovered that, over time, he could charge orbs of light to significant strength depending on the time he took on each one; meanwhile, the other dragonflies watched in amazement.

Sgt. Byrd did some maintenance on his equipment, then strategized his own battle plan in the air.

Later, when the cannons were done - amazingly, they had had time to complete them to a satisfactory working condition - some people changed activities. The Professor left, being unable to help in any sort of battle condition. Bianca and some of the other spellcasters set about lending their magic to their comrades, adding their own force to Sgt. Byrd's missiles, Hunter's arrows, Bentley's club, Blink and Agent 9's lasers, and Sheila's legs, while also putting into place the new ward spells that Spyro, Bianca, the Magic Crafters, and the Elders had constructed. Cynder became the overseer for all the various battle preparations, organizing everyone on the cliffs to optimize the usefulness of everyone's various abilities, and flew around the entire cliff area, giving instructions here and there. Hunter, after using the last of the useful scraps from the cannons' construction, began target practice on a soft target that he made, from which he could retrieve his arrows without damaging them. Bentley gathered medium-sized rocks which he could launch with his club's secondary use as a deflective shield. Sgt. Byrd landed in the position Cynder suggested to him. Sheila tried to control Agent 9, and Agent 9, getting bored, started forcing various people to play dodge-the-laser, especially Sheila.

All the while, Spyro looked out to the horizon from his position in the air, waiting for Malefor to arrive.

This is for Ignitus, he thought.