Spyro: Return of Darkness, Chaper 25 -- So Too Does Day Brighten

Story by FrostDragon on SoFurry

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#24 of Spyro: Return of Darkness


If you're under 18, gtfo. NOW.

Chapter 25 -- So Too Does Day Brighten

"SPYYYYYROOOOOO!!!!!"

Cynder's roar of despair and sorrow and agony shook the entire cavern as she wept bitterly, in total disbelief of what had just happened as she held Spyro in her arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Solar, completely stunned, limped slowly over to her as she wailed, and lay his paw on Spyro. She snorted back her tears in vain and looked up at him, torrents pouring down her face, and he hung his head almost to the ground, his paw slipping off Spyro's lifeless head and hitting the stone floor. Solar stepped back and flopped on the floor, tears forming in his eyes. Cynder shook her head desperately.

"No...No, p-please...don't leave me Spyro! PLEASE!!"

But he made no response.

As she held him head in her arms and wept, memories of their times together flooded through her mind...that heart-stopping moment he'd admitted his love...that beautiful night they'd become one...him somehow helping her learn light...

Her eyes shot open. Suddenly, something clicked.

That night they'd found each other again: "...I will do everything in my power to keep him from harming you. You are my light, without you darkness would take me eventually."

The last time they'd mated: "I love you far more than my own life, because now you are my life."

A mere day ago, when she confessed her fears to him: "...love is a powerful force...I have a feeling that it may help us in the conflict."

And that time he'd healed her with light in the forest, his secret: "Love."

Light.

They both had the power of light.

Life.

Their lives were one and the same as lovers, as soulmates.

Love.

That constructive bond that had brought her out of her darkness into the light of life.

It all fit. Life, light, love...he'd known this whole time and had given her the clues she now realized. She grinned sadly at him, her tears falling onto his face. He had known this whole time...ever since that night of the visions...

"Oh Spyro...I sure hope you're right," she chokingly whispered, and Solar watched as she held him closer and closed her eyes.

The whole room seemed to shiver with the warmth of Cynder's love for Spyro...a warm, peaceful, powerful, life-giving energy that sent a victorious chill down Solar's spine in sheer awe. Cynder glowed brightly, pouring all her endless love for her purple dragon into his limp body, streams and rivers of light flowing from her, from the room around them, from even Solar himself as he thought of his friendship with Spyro; everything flowing into the valiant purple dragon as he lay lifeless in his love's arms. As if by cue, the three light crystals floated from the three dragons and hovered over Spyro, a bright ring of light around them, feeding the sheer power flowing through the room from Cynder. Her bracelet seemed to be on fire as it glittered madly with the light of her love--that small gift Spyro had given her as a bond of their relationship now fueled the light of the room. The sheer life energy pulsing in the room seemed to be that of a heartbeat--the love pulsing through Cynder's heart. Cynder opened her eyes, thinking only of Spyro and her undying love for him...

"Spyro...I love you," she said with every fiber of her being, and kissed him.

She was his light.

She was his life.

She was his love.

The whole room shook, the air itself vibrating as the three light crystals poured light into Spyro as he lay in Cynder's arms. He began to glow brightly, Cynder's lips still bonded to his. A single tear fell from her eye onto him, and it glittered and spread over his entire body, absorbing the light and love and sinking into Spyro. Solar thought he felt a second pulsation mix in with the energy of the room, like a second heartbeat pulsing with similar love and falling into synchronization with Cynder's. With one final rush, all the life-filled energy in the room flowed into Spyro's body in a torrential shower of light, and as if from far away, they heard a despairing wail that quickly faded as the cavern settled down again. The light crystals returned to their owners and faded.

Cynder's paw brushed Spyro's cheek, and another tear fell from her eye as the glow around her faded. It fell onto Spyro's eye, and he moaned ever so softly and his eyelid twitched. She held him tight, and heard one word, barely audible but definitely real and echoing with love:

"Cynder..."

Her happiness overwhelmed her grief and she shouted with joy, stroking his neck and head lightly as she held his head against her. Solar sniffed, tears of joy running down his face as he stood there watching, still trying to maintain some of his nonchalant military attitude but slowly losing. Cynder finally released her embrace on Spyro and held him so she could look at him. He groaned and opened his eyes slowly, and when he saw her he smiled.

"Cynder...you...you saved me from his final snare..."

She leaned down and kissed him passionately, overjoyed that he was alive. Solar couldn't believe what had just happened, but he couldn't help but believe it as Spyro slowly sat up and hugged Cynder, tears falling from his eyes.

"Oh Spyro...I thought I asked you not to leave me..."

"Cynder...I love you too much to ever leave you of my own doing...he almost had me, but love held me in there and you brought me back..."

"I thought y-you were dead...y-you weren't breathing..." She cried again, and he hugged her tight, shushing her gently as he caressed her.

"I WAS dead...but love obviously had other plans for me," he said, pushing her back so he could see her emerald eyes. "The Dark Master and I struggled against each other, but your love for me shattered his power and let me return."

"Spyro..." Solar said faintly, and Spyro turned his head and smiled at Solar.

"You helped as well...the crystal you had, and your friendship...I felt it calling me back. How could I leave my two best friends?"

Cynder shuddered and clutched Spyro again in her sheer joy that he was hers again, and they didn't remember how afterwards but Solar was soon in the tight loving wrap of arms, crying in joy with them.

As they sat there, joy flowing between them, a sudden tremor shook them out of their happiness, and Spyro shoved Cynder back and caught a small slab of ceiling as it fell on him. He grunted and tossed it to the side.

"Let's get outta here and celebrate later," he said, and they all agreed without hesitation. Spyro took Cynder, put her on his back, and he and Solar bolted off as fast as they could as a huge hole got blasted in the cavern side and gave them access to the outside as the wall-shards dissipated. All around them the air pulsated with evil energy gone haywire as the Dark Master's control rapidly deteriorated. Cynder shivered as she felt his waning malice reach for them from some alternate plane, but his icy grip passed right over her as his defeat took its toll on him and cast him to who knows where. Left and right, gravity portals opened, and Spyro counteracted them with earth blasts. The land around them began to fracture with violent cracks and explosions, and began flying at them as a huge rift opened up from the chamber behind them.

"SPYRO!!" Solar shouted, and grabbed Spyro and barrel-rolled to the side as two huge rocks flew at them. Solar held Spyro and Cynder secure against his ice-blue underbelly as he flew faster than he'd ever flown before, dodging flying pieces of rock with superb accuracy, blasting icy holes through chunks that were on a direct course with his flight path.

To their surprise, a gigantic slab of ground rose up before them--it was the spiny patch they'd encountered earlier. They were going too fast to avoid a direct collision.

"LOOK OUT!!" Cynder screamed. Spyro wrenched himself free from Solar's grasp, and both Solar and Cynder were caught in his time-warp as Spyro stopped time and charged his Earth Shot. With a powerful roar he decimated a portion of the slab of ground, and re-engaged time as Solar caught him and carried them both through the gaping hole Spyro had blasted.

Up ahead, they saw the portal appear but begin to fail, rapidly pulsing in and out, and Solar beat his wings furiously against the disappearing air as everything was consumed in the rift opening up behind them.

"We're not gonna make it!" he roared, slowing down as there was nothing left for him to fly against. Cynder's lungs suddenly went ice-cold and felt like they'd been slashed open as the air around them disappeared. With one final effort, Spyro unleashed a time-blast that completely stopped time around them, and Solar suddenly shot forward through the portal as Spyro's power gave out and everything snapped behind them. They had just barely made it out, and Solar came crashing to the ground in the midst of the battle raging across the land around the Dragon Temple. It was utter chaos: without the Dark Master's control, his minions were helpless, and they were killing themselves in their sheer terror; some were still fighting but were rapidly failing. The darkness covering the land suddenly flashed brightly, glowing and fading as the Dark Master's waning thoughts struggled desperately to maintain some kind of control.

"The darkness cannot prevail now!" Spyro roared triumphantly, standing up. With that he unleashed a powerful blast of light from his mouth straight up into the sky. There was a blinding flash and a deafening roar as the sheer power of his light mixed with Cynder's powerful love still vibrant in him suddenly tore the skies, tearing the shadows apart and slaying every last foe standing on the battlefield around him and healing everyone fighting against the waning shadow. Next to him, Cynder opened her mouth, and multi-colored beams shot forth and banished every last hint of shadow power above the Temple, bringing color and beauty back where there had beforehand been darkness and corruption.

When the blast died and the small dragon-realm army could see again, the land around them had been healed from the scars of battle, and the sky was back to normal. All the fires and rage had stopped, and everyone looked to see Spyro and Cynder standing there surveying the scene. There was an overwhelming sense of peace now with the evil malice gone, and Spyro took Cynder in his arms and kissed her. She offered no resistance and lay there in his arms, overjoyed that everything was back to normal and she had her precious purple dragon back. Then the energy expense of their final contribution to the Dark Master's fall knocked them both out where they stood.

* * * *

"Oh yes, he'll be back," Ignitus said, shaking his head, but he couldn't help smiling. "But Spyro...your selfless sacrifice put his power far beyond his reach now. And that final attack on the shadow...you and Cynder both possess far more power than I'd ever imagined."

"I still can't believe you died!!" Sparx said in shock.

Spyro looked at the floor with a sheepish grin. "Yes...apparently I saved more than just Cynder with that..."

"I really must take the time to--"

"Volteer...I think the matter is best left alone," Cyril said, shutting Volteer up. "I don't think you'll gain more answers than questions by delving into how it happened."

"But that's all what science is! Unanswered queries and hypotheses, the eternal quest for knowledge behind life's mysteries and phenomena--"

"Please, Volteer," Ignitus grunted. He turned back to Spyro and Cynder with a shake of his head. "Spyro, Cynder, no one can ever thank you enough for what you've done. I know now I was wrong to ever think that we were too late..."

"And for a while that was all you'd ever say to us," Sparx said, his arms crossed. "Not even a 'go ahead and try', just 'oh it's too late for anything', 'all hope is lost'. I'm still surprised Spyro didn't take your word for it."

Cynder glanced at Spyro. "Ignitus, we had no way of knowing what would happen in the end...there is one thing that we did know of, though."

"And what is that?"

"The power of love and light," Spyro said, finishing her idea with the very words she was thinking of. Sparx gagged but no one paid attention. "Two things the Dark Master could never survive against in his darkness and corruption."

"And now his power has failed yet again. If he ever returns, he may be more underhanded, but I think Spyro and Cynder will be more than ready for him," Solar said, grinning from ear to ear. Cynder leaned against Spyro and Spyro kissed her on the forehead.

"Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse," Sparx groaned, and they laughed.

"Oh, we can get worse, just for you, Sparx," Cynder laughed at him, and Spyro knew what she was thinking and kissed her full on the mouth. Sparx shuddered and turned away, hiding his face in his hands.

"Why me? Why do I have such a big mouth?" he asked, and they all laughed.

The next morning, Spyro was relaxing on top of a mushroom tree, basking in the clean sunlight, when he heard wings nearby and smelled that familiar sweet scent of his mate. He grinned as he felt her creep over to him and plant her lips on his, and he slowly opened his eyes to see Cynder looking down at him with a warm smile.

"How are you today?" she asked, lying down next to him.

"Even better now that the real sun has risen," he said, sneaking his foreleg under her neck and around her shoulders. She giggled and rolled onto her side, her black arm over his golden chest. She nestled her head between his chest and chin and he held her close with that powerful arm, and she sighed with pure happiness and contentment. His claw suddenly wriggled against her scales and she laughed, shaking it away. He persisted, his other paw slowly edging towards her.

"Spyro! Stop it!" she laughed, and his paws were suddenly all over her as he assaulted her nerves and sensitive spots with a tickling frenzy. "AACK!! Spha-Spha-Spyr-o! Sto-Stop it!" she shrieked amid her laughter. Her sides hurt from laughing but she didn't want him to stop even as she tried to roll away from him. He eventually did stop, however, and she tackled him off the mushroom without even pausing to catch her breath. He laughed and darted away, Cynder close behind as she chased him. Several times she almost had him, but he rolled out of the way with a laugh. They chased each other through the air around the temple, the peace and calm in the air seeming to give them energy as the unshadowed sun warmed the ground and air. As Spyro rounded the temple again, he stopped--he didn't hear her wings anymore, and he looked around, suspecting an ambush. He tried to sense her, but she was blocking him, and with a startled yell his hover turned into a plummet as she dive-bombed and tackled him out of the air, pulling out of the dive and shooting through the forest as she clutched him. With a laugh she passed over the river and dumped him into it before plunging in herself. He spluttered and laughed, and tried to outswim her as she chased him, but somehow she caught him and paid him back as she tickled him.

Finally, worn out but still laughing, they dragged themselves out of the river and lay in the sunbeams passing through the mushroom trees. Spyro turned his head and caught her lips with his, and they lay there as they caught their breath, lost in bliss and joy and love. Spyro finally forced himself up and wandered off, coming back with some food for them. Cynder smiled wide as she tasted the berries--he's frozen them for her, just the way she liked it. They lovingly fed each other and then washed each other in the cool water of the river before Cynder yawned and smiled at him sleepily.

"I'm gonna go take a nap...you coming?"

"Nah...I just feel like thinking right now."

"About what?"

"I dunno...stuff."

She giggled and kissed him before yawning again and flying off back to the temple. He watched her disappear from sight, and then trotted off through the forest to their favorite spot by the river. Along the way he paused and gazed at the mushrooms, thinking back to what Solar had said about the beauty of this realm. Now that he had time, Spyro did see a world of beauty in everything...As he sat down by the river and listened to the water's soothing voice, he closed his eyes, reflecting back on everything that had happened since that night on the balcony that Cynder had been upset by the memory of the Dark Master's words to her. He smiled to himself, knowing he'd saved her--not just her; everyone--from the Master's clutches with his death. He didn't understand how Cynder had brought him back, but he didn't dare try to guess...Solar's words from long ago rang in his mind and he looked up and said to himself: "The past is behind us and can't be changed, and since I'm still here, well, what does the past matter? Love works in mysterious ways..." His mind thought back to that night he and Cynder had become one, and his words to her seemed to summarize it all perfectly. "Love makes anything possible."

He took a deep breath and smiled to himself.

The sun was beginning to set, and Spyro stood up and stretched and took a long draw from the river, clearing his mind of all the thinking he'd passed the last few hours with. As he finished, however, he yelled in surprise as something forced him into the river and held him underwater. He struggled, but when he tasted that sweet kiss he went limp until his need for air overcame him. He resurfaced and saw Cynder waiting for him with a smile.

"Well, that was unexpected..."

"I love this stretch of river," she said, paddling on her back through the warm water.

"I can see why," Spyro laughed, indicating her swollen tail-base.

"You know you want some," she grinned with half-closed eyes as she swam around him.

"YOU know it too," he said, catching her suddenly and planting his lips on hers as they floated in the river. She broke away eventually with a heated gasp, and crawled out of the river, lifting her tail lustfully and looking back at him, shaking her hips enticingly. He smirked and emerged from the river, and she grunted--he wasn't exposed and ready for her like she'd expected. He was teasing her, but she wanted him so badly that she tackled him and began rubbing her swollen lips on his sheath as she sat on him. He reached up and massaged her shoulders and wings, and she shuddered and groaned, pushing her hips down harder in her desperation. She bent down and growled playfully at him, and he smirked again and reached his head up and began nibbling the scales of her neck. She shrieked as pleasure shot through her body, and she stretched her neck to him, giving him every one of her scales. He made his way up to her mouth and kissed her as his paws rubbed her neck and shoulders. She whimpered with pleasure and frustration, wanting him inside her so badly it almost hurt. She knew she wasn't in heat, but it was killing her nonetheless--she HAD to have him. She put her paws on his chest and dug her claws into his scales a bit, making him groan from the new sensation. He was weakening and she knew it. She grinned at him, her love and lust flowing through her like never before, and she pressed her mouth into his. Her sweet taste excited him so much he lost his control and she felt his dragonhood twitch against her belly. She moved her lower body forwards, the lips of her desire-swollen slit resting on his aching member, and she teasingly slid herself forward until she felt his tip poke at her entrance. They locked eyes, pleading to each other, and her desire for him finally overcame her vengeance for his teasing and she slowly backed up onto him, sitting up as she did until she had him halfway in her as she sat back on her hind legs, her paws on his chest. They both moaned as she pleasurably adjusted to his girth, and yelled as he grabbed her hips and slowly pushed her down onto himself. She shuddered, and after a few long, pleasure-saturated seconds she slowly pushed back off until just the tip of his dragonhood was inside her. Before she could slide him back in again, however, he pushed her down by the hips and she yelled as pleasure shot through her. Spyro moaned as he tried to keep himself from going too hard, and she was trying to make this last as long as possible, but before long they were lost in a deep, all-out kiss as she thrust herself madly against him, shoving her paws onto his solid golden chest for leverage as she hilted him as deep inside her as she could. Every time their lips came apart, white-hot jets of fire shot forth, and they quickly clamped together again, breathing fire back and forth in their excitement. Cynder slowed as her hips began to fail her, and she sat back up, smoke trailing from her mouth from the white-hot flames they were sharing. Spyro grabbed her sides, and surprised her with his strength as he began moving her on his shaft. She threw her head back, almost screaming with the intensity of the feeling building up in her as she gladly let him dominate. He loved seeing her so fulfilled, but he knew she wasn't completely satisfied yet as she looked into his eyes, desperately wanting more.

"AAAAHHH!!! Oh, SPYRO!!" she shrieked as he buried himself in her. She felt her lust fuel her with an intense desire, and she leaned forward to pump on him again with her passion-increased energy. They joined lips once again, their fire breath melding into a blue-hot inferno in their mouths as she rode him. He had been desperately trying to hold back, but as he felt her warm depths clench around his rock-solid cock as she tried to hold herself back, he lost all control and began thrusting wildly with her. She broke away, clenching her eyes shut as she gasped for air, each thrust almost numbing her mind with the sheer intensity of the pleasure coursing through them.

"AAHH...Sp-Spyro...I'm...oohh..."

"Don't...speak..." he moaned back, and she locked his lips with hers in a craving steel grip as he pushed as hard into her as he could. The inferno of their bond swiftly built back up as the pressure inside them rose, the air shimmering around them with their heat and love. She pulled almost all the way off of him, and with a powerful shove buried him deep inside her. The intense flame of their passion burst from their mouths and exploded over their heads as they roared, shuddering violently as their bodies finally released in a powerful flood. Cynder hungrily accommodated the intense flood that Spyro unleashed in her, her fluids washing over his tail-base and hind legs as her powerful orgasm spurted onto him. The feeling of her hot juices around his shaft and blasting out onto him was too much, and he somehow climaxed again with a loud groan, still thrusting into her as he thought only of her and the pleasure he was giving her. She gasped and shuddered as his seed filled her up far more than it had ever before. She fell onto him and they lay there, panting and basking in the mixture of the sun's rays and their heavenly afterglow.

Spyro wasn't done yet, though, and Cynder knew it; he hadn't given everything he had to her just yet as his rock-solid cock still twitched in her. She was tired, but she wanted him satisfied as much as possible, and began rocking her hips back and forth, feeling that heavenly meat of his sliding around slightly inside her, sending warm thrills along her body. He lay there under her, letting her have her way with him. He tilted his head up and caught her lips, and she moaned into his mouth, her sweet breath nearly sending him over the edge again. She caught hold of his shoulders and pressed against his mouth desperately, still meagerly burying him inside herself with her hips, and he responded by running his paws down her neck and back, massaging her scales and sending waves of sheer ecstasy through her black-and-red frame. She clenched herself as tight as she could around him, feeling her body tense up again, and as she thrust herself back onto him she was hurtled into a mind-numbing orgasmic high.

"SPYRO!!!"

"CYNDER!!!"

They roared each others' names at once with jets of flame as they both sailed over the edge again into a realm of bliss as Spyro finally emptied himself fully into her in a third wave. Cynder groaned happily as she felt his powerful dragonhood blasting her with the last of his heavenly cum.

Spyro gradually pulled out of her as his member softened, and she felt his inundation flow out of her as he unplugged her. Gasping, she lifted her head up and kissed him, and he caressed her neck and back as they lay there, lip- and love-locked for quite some time, simply enjoying each other.

Cynder finally pulled away with a warm smile, and a spark of pure love seemed to ripple between their eyes as they looked at each other.

"Oh Spyro...I love you so much...it's so good having you back."

"Back? You make it sound like I was gone for months!"

"Love apparently doesn't follow time very well," she said, bringing her paw along his neck down to his arm. He took her paw and squeezed it as he kissed her.

"Well, then, it's good to be back to the world."

"Which world?"

"The one lying on top of me that saved me from darkness."

She laughed and hugged him, and he smiled and closed his eyes as they lay there, the sun setting and painting the sky over the two embracing mates whose love for each other seemed to course from them like a river of light, purifying the air they breathed and cleansing the ground they lay on.

"I love you, my purple day," she whispered in his ear.

"I love you, Cynder, my black night, and nothing will ever change that."

They had each other, now and forever, and nothing will ever change that, Spyro mentally repeated happily to himself.

Neither night nor day, for they had the light of their love, far brighter than any star.

Nor the Dark Master or any evil, for their light was far stronger than any shadow.

Not even death itself.

No one.

Nothing.

The next day, Cynder woke up and found she was the only one in the bed. A bit hurt, she slipped out of bed and went to find Ignitus. He was sitting on the balcony chatting with Solar, but they both stopped as Cynder approached.

"It's about Spyro, right?" Solar asked. Cynder nodded.

"He said he had something he needed to do and that he'd be back about midday," Ignitus said. Cynder sighed and nodded, walking back into the temple and wondering where the heck Spyro could have gone.

About midday, like he'd said, Spyro returned, but no one saw him as he swept into his room through the open window. When he came out of the bedroom with a sly look on his face, Cynder rushed to him and hugged him.

"What's with this?" he asked as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Just felt like giving you a proper good-morning greeting," she said.

"Well, the rest of the day is free," Spyro said with a warm smile, and Cynder guessed what he was thinking and they both walked out to the balcony and flew off to the river. The rest of the day they spent there, cuddling and perfectly content just to be with each other.

As the sun set, Solar stood out on the balcony, surrounded by the guardians as Spyro and Cynder flew back. Solar turned to them with a sad smile, a small tear in his eye.

"You leaving, Solar?" Spyro asked, choking as he finished.

"Yeah...now that everything's safer and far more peaceful, it's time I made good on my word and showed you I won't give up searching for Flare."

Cynder sniffed. "We'll miss you, Solar..."

He rolled his eyes and waved his paw dismissively, though they could tell he was trying to avert emotion like his old self. "Ah pffft, I'll be back again. The portals to Paralos were decommissioned again, so Flare and I really don't have anywhere to go back. Besides, I told her I'd find her a place where we can settle down without being harrassed...you see any Paralos soldiers hunting us here?"

Spyro looked around and smiled. "Naaah..." He sighed and grinned at Solar. "You and Flare should do well here."

"Tell you what," Solar said, stepping closer to them. "How about this: I don't return except under one of three conditions: one, I find Flare and bring her here for a visit; two, I can't find her and need help; or three, serious danger is rising again and you need to know."

"Sounds good," Cynder said. "But do you know where Flare is?"

"Well, I think I do...she can't tell me directly, but I remember the name." He smiled and sighed, looking at the sky. "I'm gonna miss you two...we've had fun. But I'll be back eventually, don't you worry." He looked around. "Hey, where's Sparx?"

"He flew back to the swamp to his parents," Terrador said, shaking his head. "He said he didn't want to be around for the goodbyes and emotional stuff." They could tell he was relieved and they laughed.

"But why?" Spyro asked, looking back at Solar.

"He still owes me thanks for saving his life from that draining force."

Spyro rolled his eyes. "Solar, he's Sparx. You're more likely to get a sarcastic comment than actual thanks."

"Guess I'll settle for that," Solar said with a shrug.

Cynder hugged him, and he hugged her back. "Say hi to Flare for me," she said, and he smiled and nodded and she stepped back next to Spyro.

Solar flexed his wings and took a deep breath. "Well, enough chit-chat, my mate needs me. She's been waiting long enough and we have a new life to begin here."

"OH WAIT!!" Spyro said hurriedly, and Solar and the others watched in confusion as Spyro rushed off to his room. Solar looked at Cynder but she shrugged, equally confused. Spyro came running back, and took a large, beautiful gold chain from around his neck and handed it to Solar with a huge grin. Solar gaped and slowly took it, smiling as he ran his white fingers along the shimmering links. "A gift for you and Flare from Munitions Forge."

"So that's where you were," Cynder said, giving him a sly side-glance, and he grinned at her.

Solar stood there, running his paw along the metal, and finally looked at Spyro with tear-filled eyes. "Thank you so much..." Spyro nodded and Solar played a bit with the clasp of the chain before shaking his head with a sad snort. "Okay, I'm getting too emotional. I should really leave. Flare needs me now."

He leapt off the balcony and swept off gracefully into the air, their yells of goodbye carrying in his slipstream and echoing in his ears. Spyro and Cynder watched him circle overhead twice before shooting off northward.

"I sure hope he finds Flare..." Spyro said, a tear in his eye. "I'm glad we were able to help him in some small way at least..."

Cynder kissed him on the cheek. "Well, he's got the name to find her, right?"

"Aurora...I kinda like that name, actually...it'll go well with their child no matter what element it is," Spyro said, staring off into the northern sky. The four elders silently left them with each other as they stared into the sky after Solar.

"He'll be okay. Peace is here again," Cynder said, nuzzling against Spyro.

"Yes...he'll be okay. He's a dragon in love."

"And I think it's time my dragon-in-love joined me in bed," she said, nudging him. He laughed and wrapped his wing over her, and they both walked into the bedroom and hopped up onto the bed. She meshed her ruby underbelly against his golden one and he wrapped his arms and legs around her, twisting his tail around hers as she put her red wing over him. They lay there, smiling at each other, amethyst and emerald gemstone eyes gazing into each other and blazing with love.

"Good night, my black evening," he said as he tucked her head between his chin and chest.

"See you in the new morning, my purple sunrise," she sighed happily, and they both fell asleep, the peaceful air washing over them and plunging them into blissful dreams of each other, their heartbeats perfectly aligned and pulsing with pure, undeniable, eternal love for one another.

In the quiet night air, Solar looked up at the sky to the north, and smiled triumphantly as he saw a faint green shimmer. The gold chain clinked with a beautiful music in his paw in the slipstream as he flew.

"Flare...it won't be long now." And nearby he heard her sigh with happiness, feeling her ethereal kiss as she once again made her nightly presence by him. He sighed happily and sped northward with an excited whoop that echoed back at him in the moonlit air, eager to see her again and finally have her by his side to start a new life in this realm.

_________________________________________

The End of Spyro: Return of Darkness.

:') *sigh*...'tis over now...

I'm considering writing a short sequel-series tossing both Solar and Flare into the mix...maybe in one or two years (story-wise lol) when Spyro and Cynder are...let's just say, able to think of having a family ;) oughta make ya happy, Lady_Shandi. Thanks for bringing that to my view.

can't really top an ending like this, though, at least I don't think I can. But I think I've got a storyline planned out. I dunno, should I?

Thank you all for reading this!