Hey everyone! Well, a lot of you having been waiting patiently...and this chapter is your reward. It's time for some plot twists heading your way. Think you can handle it? ;) If so, enjoy!

P.S. Please don't flame too bad if you don't like what you see.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Spyro characters or games. They belong to their respective owners. I do however own Matt, Selema, and Mia.

The night had finally arrived.

Matt looked up and finished buttoning up the white polo that he now wore over his gray sleeveless shirt. The day had gone faster than he could have ever imagined, having been spent mainly getting ready for the dance that evening. Though he was only meant to act as a chaperone for the evening, the Keyblader found himself more anxious that he thought he would be. Perhaps it was because of all that had happened in the last few days, or maybe it was because deep down he had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that just wouldn't go away.

The polo and a pair of khaki pants were the best articles of clothing that Matt could rustle up from his limited wardrobe at this short of notice. He felt slightly ashamed that could've done better, but seeing as how this was a dance for the dragons of the city, Matt figured that no one would really notice too badly. Nonetheless, he spent extra time washing himself and made sure to use a good amount of deodorant as if he was taking a date…

Matt couldn't help but let his thoughts wonder towards a certain pink dragoness once again. It was true that he'd told Selema that he was alright with another dragon taking her to the dance, but that didn't stop him from thinking about what the night would've been like if he'd found the courage to ask her instead. Ever since Saffron had broke the news to him, Matt had began to question why he hadn't done so over and over again in his mind. Was it because he just wanted to keep an eye on her, especially with an oracle dragon constantly whispering in his ear about Selema being in danger? Or was it something else…?

Matt shook his head. The last thing he wanted was for Selema to feel insecure again. Not only did he want her to be happy, but Matt wanted Selema to feel that she could do things on her own without him always looking over her shoulder. It was the least he could do after all…

Matt looked out the window, finding the sun had finally begun to set in the western sky, his clock reading a few minutes to four thirty. He took a long sigh and stepped outside of his ship, securing it from any and all intrusions. He then began the long trek to the Temple once more, wanting to arrive early. He looked up to the sky and said a silent prayer as he did.

Please…He thought. Please let everything go alright tonight. She deserves this night…

Not too far away, that certain pink dragoness was also preparing herself for the evening. She was currently sitting in front of a small mirror, checking herself thoroughly to make sure that not one scale on her body wasn't blemished. She'd spent hours bathing herself as well as polishing her claws and horns, all it anticipation for what she hoped would be a night she'd never forget…

Once Selema deemed herself ready, she looked down below the mirror for the finishing touch. Her blue eyes sparkled at the sight of a beautifully crafted white mask. It was coated with several white gems on the outer and inner, making it sparkle in the daylight around her.

Selema was hesitant to wear it though, even though it had been given to her only hours before. She'd been surprised when Saffron's mother, Mia, had arrived on her doorstep during the afternoon. Selema was anticipating a harsh lecture, but instead was given something entirely different.

"This is for you, Selema," Mia exclaimed as she handed Selema the glimmering mask, making the pink dragoness gasp in surprise. "I thought it would look good on you for tonight."

"Oh, Mia," Selema replied. "It's so beautiful." She then looked up with a look of worry in her eyes. "But…why are you giving this to me? I don't understand."

Mia sighed and placed a paw on Selema's shoulder. "Listen, sweetheart, I'll admit I wasn't pleased when Saffron told me about what happened yesterday."

Selema frowned. "I…I didn't mean to hurt her…"

"I know, Selema. You care too much about Saffron to do such a thing. As much as I hate to see her get hurt, I'm at least glad that Saffron will learn a valuable lesson about males."

"Then…why the mask? Why give it to me at all? I don't deserve it…"

Mia hummed to herself and smiled. "Because dear…this may be a chance for you to finally move on with your life." Selema looked up. "Your parents would want you to be happy about going to a dance with a nice dragon like Flame. And to do that, why not give you something that will only make you even more beautiful than you already are."

Selema grinned widely. "Thank you, Mia. I promise I'll have the best night I can."

Mia nuzzled the pink dragoness gently. "I know you will sweetheart…I know you will…"

Selema's thoughts were broken by a knock at the door, causing her to flinch. Was it time already for her to go? Cursing to herself, Selema then gently grasped the white mask and secured it on her face, finding it to be a snug fit to her surprise. Taking a deep breath, she then walked to the door and opened it.

There was Flame standing at her doorstep, decked out in several plates of ruby coated armor around his upper and lower body. "Hi, Selema."

"Hi…," the pink dragoness replied as her eyes quickly scanned her date's figure. She had to admit, he did look quite handsome.

Flame then walked up and took one of her paws in his own, giving it a soft kiss. "My, my…you look lovely tonight."

Selema blushed furiously. "Oh…thank you, Flame. You look really great too. Where'd you get all that armor anyways?"

"Oh, these?" Flame asked as he puffed out his chest and turned. "Some are family heirlooms while others I managed to win through competitions and stuff like that. How about that mask though? It looks great on you."

Selema giggled. "Thank you."

"Well, we'd better get going. Are you ready?"

Selema nodded. "Yes…I am." As she then closed her door and began the trek to the Temple with her date, the pink dragoness found herself relaxing. Maybe…maybe everything would turn out alright tonight…

To put it simply, it was nothing like Matt expected it to be. When he arrived, the Keyblader had already found a number of couples had already arrived. They included mostly dragon couples, but there were also several mixed couples of the other inhabitant species of Warfang.

All the work that he had helped to set up the Temple Hall for the event had not gone in vain either. Several crystals lined the walls, radiating different colors at with every second and reminding Matt of a disco ball-like setting. There was also several long tables filled with every type of food and drink that he had seen throughout the Festival and then some.

What surprised Matt the most, however, was when he'd found that there was actually live music being played as well. Spyro had mentioned something about a group of local mole performers putting on a show, and boy did they deliver. Their instruments and style were like what Matt would equate to classical music, with the small creatures blowing several horns and beating drums to their hearts content.

The party really got started the moment Terrador led the entire crowd with a toast to Spyro and Cynder's success, as well as paying respects to their fallen comrade Ignitus. As Matt took a sip from his glass, he couldn't help but look up and shake his head softly, knowing that very dragon had been watching that very moment from an island far, far away.

Matt's eyes then watched as several of the older couples took the dance floor, instantly gaining his attention. He watched as the pair both bowed to one another before moving in nearly perfect rhythm to their partner, mainly circling on their legs and tapping tails on more than one occasion. Matt couldn't help but watch Spyro escort Cynder to the floor, the black dragoness shining from hours of preparation. Matt managed to suppress a laugh as he watched Spyro's face screw anxiously, probably since it the first time the couple had ever shared a moment like this before. The purple dragon's movements were awkward compared to graceful steps of Cynder's. The black dragoness smiled and whispered something into Spyro's ear, causing him to grin at her back. Within seconds, the two were matching each other step for step.

A sudden voice in his right ear shot Matt from his daze momentarily. "Heeeyy! What's up kid?" Matt turned to find a certain golden dragonfly staring at him. Matt rose an eyebrow at the small bowtie that Sparx was currently wearing, wondering how the dragonfly managed to procure such an item. "I don't know about you, but these dragons sure know how to parrrrrtaayyy!"

Matt chuckled. "Yeah, they sure do."

Sparx sighed and shook his head, his eyes watching his brother twist and twirl around his partner. "Wow, I'm surprised Spyro can move like that with all that weight on him. How does he do it?"

Matt shrugged his shoulders. "You got me, Sparx."

"He sure looks happy, huh?"

Matt nodded. "They both do...and no one deserves this more than those two after all they've been through."

"What's that supposed to mean, huh kid?" Sparx then asked. "You know how much I helped them along the way! You don't see old Sparx getting any credit…noooo…not little old Sparx."

The Keyblader shook his head. "C'mon, Sparx. We all know how important you are…I should know. You've helped me on more than one occasion too, remember."

Sparx's grin got wider. "Yeah…I did didn't I? I helped you open that…portal thingy…in order to get those two back here in the first place. If I didn't have to care about Spyro so much, they'd still be stuck there!"

Matt nodded. "Not only that, who was the one who helped me save Selema?"

Sparx puffed out his chest and nodded. "Yes sir!" Sparx then paused and looked around. "Speaking of pinky, where's she at? I haven't seen her all night."

Matt flinched slightly at the sound of Selema's name, his eyes darting to the floor. "Oh…I don't know. She should be coming if she's not here already."

Sparx crossed his arms and huffed. "Ahh…gotcha." The dragonfly then chuckled. "It's funny…I thought for sure that you'd be the one bringing her here instead of that Flame guy."

Matt's eyes fluttered. "Oh…well…I guess it just didn't work out I guess."

"You were going to ask her though, right?"

"I…I don't know…maybe…"

Sparx sighed. "Wow…and I thought Spyro was scared of the ladies."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Sparx put up his arms. "Whoa! Whoa, kid! Just messin…geez. I just figured after you going and saving her and all that it would be a good fit."

"Sparx…it's not like that between me and Selema. We're just friends…that's all."

"Whatever you say, kid. Whatever you say..."

Suddenly, the song that had been playing finally stopped momentarily, earning the clap from the audience. Matt turned to see Spyro and Cynder leaving the dance floor, both panting slightly with large grins on their faces. Cynder leaned in and nuzzled Spyro, who gladly returned the favor.

Sparx just sighed and leaned leaned on the side of Matt's head. "Man…you just wait, kid. I'm probably going to be the one to tell Mom and Dad about Spyro's girlfriend back home. I can just see it now…Mom'll be all googly eyed…and Dad will have that big ole' grin on his face…"

Matt continued to listen to Sparx speak half-heartedly before he suddenly turned towards the main entrance and found himself widening his eyes. Walking in to a large applause was Flame, the champion of the Festival's Battle Tournament. The red dragon puffed out his chest in pride, bowing several times towards the loving faithful. However, Flame wasn't who Matt had his eyes on…

It was the dragoness that was accompanying him into the Temple Hall. There was Selema, her scales now shining even brighter than usual. Her horns and claws also shone from across the room. The white mask she wore made her look even more adorable, making her blue eyes sparkling behind from behind it.

Whoa…Matt found himself thinking. She looks…great…really great. Matt's eyes tracked her every move as she glided alongside Flame, her nervousness very evident as she greeted several people with a courteous nod. Matt then noticed her wristband glowing brighter than he'd ever seen it before, his own glowing just as bright on his right wrist.

By now, Sparx had noticed that the young man had stopped listening to him. The dragonfly immediately tracked Matt's gaze. He then started snapping his fingers to gain his attention. "Hey, kid! Earth to kid!"

Matt shook his head. "Wha…oh sorry, what were you saying?"

Sparx sighed again and shook his head. "Nothing, kid. Nothing. Say, I'm going to go check out more of the buffet! I'll see you in a little bit."

Matt nodded. "Oh…ok. Sounds good." He actually did find himself a little thirsty.

As the Keyblader then walked towards the drinks, Sparx was heading in another direction. The dragonfly immediately hurried and found himself between a certain young couple.

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" Sparx asked nonchalantly.

Cynder quickly shot him a half-dirty glance before Spyro spoke up. "What is it, Sparx?"

"Just makin sure that blackie over here doesn't mess up all your fun, bro!" Sparx then quickly turned to the Cynder. "Though I gotta admit she actually looks half decent tonight! Nice one, girl!"

Cynder gave a small grin. "Wow, Sparx. I'm surprised you even noticed."

"You aren't causing any trouble, are you Sparx?" Spyro then asked.

"What? Me? No! C'mon, Spyro! I don't think even I could crash a party of this magnitude. Just check it out!" The golden dragonfly motioned to the crowd around them. There was not a frown to be seen.

"Yeah…we did do a good job didn't we?" Spyro exclaimed, giving Cynder another quick nuzzle on the cheek.

"There is one thing that caught my eye though," Sparx said. "You shoulda seen the kid's eyes when Selema and Flame walked in a little bit ago."

"You mean Matt?" Cynder asked curiously.

"No, the other kid running around with a magic key," Sparx replied sarcastically. "Anyway, he couldn't take his eyes off the girl if he tried."

"Oh…"

"Well, anways! I'll leave you two to yourselves before I let loose my lunch. Speaking of which, I need to go chow down before it's all gone!" With that, the dragonfly was gone in a with a trail of sparks.

"Spyro…?" Cynder then exclaimed.

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember what we talked about earlier? About Matt and Selema?"

Spyro raised a brow, curious to what the black dragoness was thinking. "What about it?"

Cynder then turned to him and narrowed her eyes deviously. "Why don't we put our little theory to the test?"

The pink dragoness sighed and took a small sip from her goblet of water. So far, the night had going alright. She'd met and greeted several different strangers who complimented her on her appearance, as well as being fortunate enough to be escorted by the tournament champion. Selema felt humbled by it all to say the least, making sure she gave thanks in return.

At the moment, Selema remained seated at a lone table as she watched Flame return from the dance floor, the fire drake having just accepted a dance from an ice dragoness. "You sure you don't want to share a quick dance, Selema?" Flame asked curiously.

Selema flinched. It wasn't that she didn't want to…it was that she didn't really know how to do it. "Uh…maybe in a little while."

Flame sighed. "Well, if you're sure…" Suddenly, one of the moles who was carrying a stack of drinks next to Flame suddenly tripped, sending the contents all over Flame's scales and armor. The red dragon cursed before glaring at the mole, baring his teeth in frustration.

"Oh…oh my!" the waiter stammered. "I deeply apologize sir. I must've lost my footing by mistake. Oh, dear!"

Flame sighed before Selema stepped in. "It's alright, really," she said softly. "Just please be more careful."

"I will, maam! Thank you!" Another waiter then came and helped clean up the floor around their table before hurrying off.

Flame cursed again silently. "I'm going to go find something to dry myself. Do you mind…?"

"I'll be ok," Selema replied.

"Sorry about this," Flame replied before weaving his way through the crowd towards the latrines. Selema then sighed deeply as she waited for him to return. Little did she know, a certain black dragoness had reappeared with a soft wisp from the other side of the dance floor, a large grin plastered on her face.

Cynder felt bad that she had to trip a poor mole, but it was necessary in order for her scheme to work. "Your turn, Spyro," she whispered to herself.

After about five minutes of drying both his red scales and armor of the various drinks that stained them, Flame exited from the latrines before venturing to head back to Selema. However, a certain purple dragon stepped in front of him.

"Flame!" Spyro exclaimed. "I thought I saw you around here. I never got to congratulate you in person for your victory the other day." He extended his paw, which Flame took and shook.

"Oh, thanks a lot Spyro!" Flame replied. "It's an honor coming from a dragon like you."

"Don't mention it," Spyro stated. "Say, I was wanting to talk about how you managed to get through those rounds the other day."

"I'd love to, but I…"

"Please, Flame. I insist. This won't take too long, I promise."

Flame sighed. "Well…alright."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Matt was busy leaning against the corner. The young man's mind was lost in thought when a familiar voice interrupted him. "Hey, Matt!"

Matt blinked his eyes before smilng. "Hey there, Cynder. What's up?"

"Oh, not much. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

Matt shrugged. "I'm good, I guess. Not too much going on right now. You and Spyro looked great on the dance floor earlier."

Cynder giggled. "Thank you. By the way, there was someone here looking for you earlier. He said it was important."

Matt raised a brow. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, it was that one other human who wore those strange glasses."

Matt gasped. "Neo? He's here!"

"Yeah, that's the one!" Cynder replied. "He was over by the main balcony last time I saw him. Maybe he's still over there."

Matt cursed before shuffling over in that direction. "Thanks, Cynder! Gotta go!"

Once he was far enough away, Cynder couldn't help but laugh to herself. "That was almost too easy!"

Matt hurried through the crowd as quickly as he could, wondering why Neo would arrive here on such short notice. It just wasn't like Neo to do such a thing, with Matt having heard a lecture or two on that very subject. Still, Matt quickly pulled aside the curtains to the balcony. "Hey Ne…oh…"

Selema turned and found the Keyblader staring her right in the eye, his jaw slightly agape. The pink dragoness felt her face become warm at the sight of her closest friend, a wide smile creeping across her face. She couldn't help but think about how she'd never seen him in those clothes before.

The two were silent for a few moments before Matt broke the tension. "Hey…," he exclaimed.

"Hey," Selema replied back.

Matt's mind pondered over how Cynder had duped him into this situation momentarily before returning to the task at hand. "So…uh…are you having a good time?"

Selema nodded softly. "Yeah…it's been fun so far."

Matt then began to relax and walk slowly towards the railing next to Selema. "Then may I ask why you're standing all alone out here?"

Selema sighed. "Oh, one of those poor moles accidently spilled a drink on Flame. He went back to clean up and hasn't been back since. I guess he got caught up by some more fans or something."

"That's too bad," Matt replied before leaning over onto the stone railing. "It's not very polite to keep a lady waiting."

Selema giggled at her friend's comment. "No…I suppose not." She then turned to him. "Speaking of which, aren't you on a date with someone?"

Matt shook his head no. "I'm just here to help chaperone. So far so good, I guess."

"Oh…I see."

It was silent for several moments, with neither Matt nor Selema thinking of something to say to one another. Suddenly, both of their ears picked up a change in the music. A slow, soft tune was flowing throughout the Temple walls now, causing the constant buzz of the partygoers to dramatically falter. There was no doubt what the song was intended to do…

Matt felt himself begin to perspire even more rapidly, trying to gather the courage he needed to execute what his mind (and heart) had in mind. Swallowing hard, he slowly turned towards his dragoness friend and placed his right hand behind his back while offering his left hand to her. Selema's eyes widened slightly, wondering what he was trying to do. Taking a deep breath, Matt asked her. "May I…have this dance?"

Selema felt the heat on her face reach on all time high at this point. "Oh, Matt…I'd love to…but..." She staggered on for a second before composing herself. "I…don't know how."

Matt couldn't help but smile. "I can show you how…if you'd like to."

Selema's eyes narrowed slightly. Deciding to take the plunge, she took Matt's hand with one of her paws before letting him walk her through it.

First, Matt asked her to lift herself up to him on her hind paws and rest her fore paws on his shoulders. Though it was obviously awkward for her to do so, Selema decided to go for it not to disappoint her friend and mentor, curious to learn how he did it. Once she was on his shoulders, it enabled the two to look at each other at head level, causing them both to chuckle softly.

"Is this alright?" Selema whispered.

Matt nodded softly. "It's just fine. You're already there really." He then took a deep breath as he slowly placed his hands on Selema's hips, causing her to flinch slightly at the contact in surprise. "Now all you have to do…is move with me." With that, he slowly moved his right foot in that directions, with Selema moving her left foot in time with his. "Good…that's all you have to do."

"Really? That's it?" Selema asked.

"That's it…," Matt replied.

Slowly, but surely, Matt led Selema in their soft dance. Selema's tail swayed to and fro with their movements as well, though neither one could really care. It was silent between the two for several more moments, as Selema rest her head softly on Matt's left shoulder. The Keyblader's heart skipped a beat at the move, though he quickly relaxed and eased into it with her. Little by little, their bodies drew closer and closer to one another. Finally, Selema's chest was pressed up comfortably against Matt's own, though both were mainly unaware of it.

"Hey, Matt," Selema then whispered into his ear.

"Hmm…?"

"This is nice…really, really nice. I can see now why you dance this way where you come from."

Matt smiled. "I'm glad you like it, Selema."

Selema sighed deeply. For some reason, everything about this moment felt so right to her. With that in mind, she squeezed Matt even closer to her. "Matt…thank you so much," she whispered.

"For what?" Matt replied softly.

Selema then pulled back and looked at him admirably. "For everything." She couldn't have explained it all better with those two words.

Matt's grin widened considerably. He then reached up and stroked her cheek softly. "Selema…," he exclaimed. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

A spark flashed between the two, causing both Matt and Selema to look deeper than they had ever dared at their partner. However, before either could find what they had hoped to see, their moment was interrupted by the last thing neither one of them wanted to hear.

A scream of terror…

Both Matt and Selema pulled back and gasped in surprise, looking to each other before sprinting back into the Temple. The two were horrified at what they found.

Several high pitched shriek rattled the air as several skeletons danced along the tables, each issuing a green glow and carrying long spears and swords. Several of them also wore fragments of armor along their bodies. Matt quickly looked to the far side of the room to also see a gaping hole in the wall, where several short, ugly creatures were beginning to pour inside of the Temple Hall branding short ended spears.

What the…? Undead apes…grublins…what is going on here? Matt wondered. This can't be happening…

Matt could hear several cries of pain from below, as well as several loud roars accompanying them. Soon after, the whizzes of magical energy began to fire around the room. Several tables were quickly overthrown, sending food and drink in every which direction. All in all, it was absolute chaos.

"Wh…what's going on?" Selema asked, looking to Matt in confusion. The Keyblader didn't hesitate, quickly summoning his Keyblade. "Matt?"

"C'mon! We've got to get out of here now!" He shouted. Matt then began to move quickly towards the doors, where a large crowd was gathering. All he could think about at this moment was getting Selema out of here as quickly as possible, having played out this scenario multiple times in his brain.

"What about the others?" Selema asked.

"They can handle themselves," Matt replied. From what he could hear, several of the male dragons and a handful of females had found themselves on the front lines, trying to hold off the waves of apes and grublins so that others could escape. Matt wondered if Spyro or Cynder were among them, but he couldn't worry about them now.

Matt and Selema tried their best to weave their way through the crowd, both being pushed around by larger dragons. Soon, thought the two were finding themselves being separated from one another against their will.

"Matt!" Selema called out desperately.

"Selema!" Matt called back, unable to see above or around any of the other dragons. He cursed his luck as he pushed towards the sound of her voice.

"I'm here, I'm here!" Selema cried before she felt herself being yanked by an unknown person that carried her forwards and through the crowd. "Matt!"

"Selema!" Matt cried in desperation, quickly losing the pink dragoness in a sea of colors. He found himself being forced to a complete other side, a stray tail even knocking the wind out of him at one point that sent him to his needs. No...he thought. Now what do I do?

Selema struggled against her 'savior' as she was pulled out into the streets of Warfang and being ducked into a lone house. The pink dragoness then sighed when she found the dragon's identity.

"Flame?" she asked. "Where did you come from?"

The red dragon's eyes were fixed in concentration. "That doesn't matter now, what does matter is that we need to get you out of here, Selema."

Selema's eyes widened. "What? No! I can't! Matt is back there!"

"He can take care of himself, Selema! But right now, you and I have to go!"

Selema was taken aback by Flame's assertiveness. "But…he's looking for me right now! I can't just leave him back there!"

Flame's eyes narrowed. "NO!" he yelled, causing Selema to flinch. "Listen, it's dangerous back there. You're just going to have to trust me on this one."

Selema's jaw gaped at Flame, unable to believe what he'd just told her. Narrowing her brow, Selema quickly made up her mind. "Sorry, Flame, but I'm not going anywhere with you right now. I won't leave Matt behind." She then turned to leave. Selema's paw reached for the door before she felt a powerful blow to the back of her head, causing her to fall forward slightly before falling unconscious. The force was enough for the white mask to pop off her face and fall to the wooden floor.

Flame looked down at her and shook her head. "This could've been a whole lot easier, Selema, but I can't just let you go now when I have you exactly where I want you." He then slowly eased himself under the pink dragoness, taking her body unto his own. Flame then snuck out the back door and took to the skies hastily. Very few saw the fire dragon escape into the night with Selema in tow. As he flew, Flame grinned widely to himself.

Everything was going according to plan.

And so the plot REALLY thickens...Was it anything you expected? Oh, I can't wait to hear your thoughts. :)

What does Flame plan to do with Selema? Will Matt be able to help her? Find out...next time!

Peace out,

Biz