FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Well, sorry for the long delay guys but it's not gonna get any better...with work, college, home life, and looking after my new little pet, time is scarce. However, it'll be compensated; most of the remaining chapters have large sections already written out, all I need to do is join the segments.

I apologize if this seems rushed/incosistent/whatever...I was tempted to send it to my "editors" but I don't really have the time or focus anymore to go back and think things through...sorry if the story suffers, but school before pleasantries I'm afraid...*sigh*

If you're under 18, gtfo NAO.

CHAPTER 16

"Mmmmmph...oh Alex...harder..."

"Chrissy, you're so tight..."

Alex grabbed her hips more firmly and pushed himself hard into her, earning a pleasured squeal from his fiancée. Christine was propped up on a low-lying mushroom, and as Alex gyrated his hips against hers she looked down under herself and watched his member enter her repeatedly. Alex moaned as she squealed again and clenched around his cock, and a few thrusts later he roared and hilted himself completely inside her, his wings twitching as they stretched. Christine fell onto the mushroom, out of breath as Alex filled her warm tunnel, and he fell onto her back and they just lay there as they recovered. Finally Alex pulled out of her and she rolled over, grabbed his arm, and pulled him down on top of her again. He smirked and kissed her, and they played with each others' tongues for a bit. At length Christine sighed and flopped back on the mushroom, staring at the sky above. "I've never felt so happy before..."

"Me neither..." Christine giggled as he ran his arms behind her back and pressed his face against her chest, and he laughed as she teasingly pressed her breasts against his face. He lifted his head and she giggled again as he lightly nibbled her scaly breasts, making his way up her neck before rolling to the side to look at the sky. "We still need to find a way to get out of here though."

"I know. But I have a feeling we're still needed here...can't you feel that?"

"I've been feeling that for a while now...he's got a plan." Christine rolled over on top of Alex and curled up on him as he wrapped his arms around her. "Christine...remember what the shadow told us last time?"

"Yeah?"

"What did he mean? 'Gather all together if the plan fails'?"

Christine sighed. "I don't know...but whatever it was, he's been defeated, so we need to keep our eyes open for whatever he's planning." They stayed there just enjoying each other until Christine suddenly remembered something and sat up on Alex. "What was that thing you were looking for a few days ago? You said it was green?"

"Oh right..." Alex thought back, trying to jog his memory. "It was green...and hard..."

"Like this?" she asked slyly, running her fingers over his growing erection. Alex laughed and shook his head.

"No. It was a rock, I think, or some kind of gemstone, but whatever it was it was huge."

"Like this?" she asked again, and he pulled her hand off his cock with another laugh.

"Come on, stop it already, do you wanna get pregnant?"

"Okay okay, I'll stop," she giggled, spreading her wings over both of them and lying down on him. "Where was it?"

"I don't remember, but I do remember the trail Spyro and I were following before I branched off to look for mages. I got lost though, so it's in unfamiliar territory."

"What is?" came a voice, and the two anthro dragons froze in shock as Flare appeared nearby. Her eyes widened when she saw Christine's wings tented over Alex, and she looked away. "Ack, I'm sorry, I heard voices over here..."

Christine and Alex quickly tossed on their remaining clothes, and Christine winced as the seams on her bra ripped slightly. "Shit..."

"Hey hey, no bad language," Alex said, holding her muzzle shut jokingly. "Flare, something wrong or were you just on a walk?"

"I was looking for you guys, actually, Ignitus wants to speak with you."

"Are Spyro and Cynder back?"

"Yeah, they just got back. Solar and I are going someplace today, he won't tell me where, but Ignitus wants you guys to help look after the kids with Spyro and Cynder while we're gone."

"That's it?"

"After he's done talking to you, yeah. Did I...happen to interrupt anything?"

"No, no, we were just...getting some alone time," Christine said a bit nervously. They followed Flare back to the caves, and Ignitus took them to the side privately.

"Alex, Christine, soon we may need you two to go check on the temple. I have a feeling whatever Solar felt there has become corporeal; there's a powerful evil ebb coming from the temple and I sense that it's planning to bring the Dark Master into this world."

"That shadow?"

"No...in my visions I've seen that the shadow has taken residency in the otherworld, leaving his minions here to wander aimlessly. I don't understand, but I don't like it nonetheless. He obviously has a plan."

"When do we head for the temple?"

"Not now, but soon. I want you two to locate whatever Alex was searching for earlier."

In the cave, Cynder hummed happily to herself, her mind wandering as she fed Flash and Kira. Aleron nestled against her side and she hugged him closer with her wing. Solar smirked as he again played the walking game with Aurora. "You're in a good mood, Cynder."

She sighed with a smile and looked out of the cave. "I feel a lot better now after last night, I'm surprised I can still walk."

Solar laughed and stopped himself as Flare came into the cave. "What's so funny?"

"Nothin'...you ready to go?"

"Where's Spyro?"

"He went fishing," Cynder said as she ran her claw lightly along Flash's belly as he snoozed. "He'll be back soon, you guys just go." She carefully put her sleeping children in their little mushroom cap and they curled up with each other as she stood up and stretched. "Colnasis and Inigena are asleep?"

"Yep," Solar said, setting Aurora down. "Aurora should nap soon." He brought Inigena and Colnasis closer to Cynder's kids and Cynder giggled as she picked up Aurora.

"Hey there cutie," she whispered, watching Aurora's big ice-blue eyes study her. Solar walked over to Flare, and she giggled and licked his wing as he brushed against her and nibbled at her tail.

"You wanna get going?"

"Yeah let's go, I'm dying with all this suspense." They walked off and flew away, and Cynder smirked and shook her head. Flare was in for one hell of a good time if Solar was anything like Spyro last night. Christine came inside and knelt down by Cynder, grinning as Aurora turned to her.

"Ignitus wants us to go check out the temple after we find what Alex was looking for." Christine ran her finger under Aurora's chin. "Awww...mind if I play with her for a bit?" Cynder gave her a wary look. "Look, Cynder, I'm sorry we had to pull that stunt with your eggs, but it was just an act and now we have the upper hand against the Shadow."

"You're staying in the cave, right?"

"It's too cold out there for the little ones."

"Okay..." She watched as Christine tenderly picked up the tiny ice dragoness and began gently raising her and lowering her with accompanying sound effects.

"Wheeeeup...wheeeeUp...wheeeeeUp...aw she's smiling, wheeeeUp..."

Spyro came back to find Christine singing softly to Flare's children, while Cynder sleepily rocked her little ones gently in their cap. She yawned and smiled happily when he came up and licked her on the cheek. "Hey, how's it going?" he whispered, sitting down next to her, and she sighed and leaned against him.

"I feel a lot better now...still full of your 'love'," she whispered, and she chuckled and kissed her.

"If you wanna have another go just tell me," he said, wrapping his tail around hers. "I take it Alex is still searching?"

"Yes," Christine said, running her hand over Colnasis's face. "Ignitus wanted him to go find it, he feels it's important."

"How long do these guys nap?" Spyro asked, looking at Aleron as the little yellow/white dragonling yawned with a cute squeak.

"They'll be out for a while now, they had a big lunch," Cynder said, slowly standing up and stretching. "Let's get those fish ready for tonight." She kissed Spyro and he returned it with a grin, and they headed over to the small pile of fish he'd brought back.

Later that night, Solar came back carrying a very thoroughly exhausted and contented Flare, who immediately fell asleep next to him as they curled up around their little ones. Cynder smirked---Flare's belly was a tad bit rounder, but definitely not with a new clutch, it was too soon for that. Spyro felt what she was thinking and gave her a playful nibble on the shoulder, and she swatted him with her tail and gave him a returning nibble on the wing.

"Should we?" she whispered.

"Yeah, I'll get Alex and Christine." Spyro walked outside and Cynder just barely heard him as he conversed with them. "Guys, Cynder and I wanna go for a walk, think you could monitor our kids for us while we're gone?"

"Sure!" Christine said, jumping down. Alex laughed and followed her into the cave, and Spyro stood outside the cave, beckoning Cynder with inviting flicks of his tail. She followed him outside and they quietly walked to the river, eyeing each other playfully. When they were in sight of the water Spyro tagged her and raced off with a grin, and she followed him and bit his tail. He whipped around and grabbed her and they both burst out laughing as they tussled on the ground trying to tickle each other. Finally Spyro pinned Cynder to the ground and locked her in a passionate kiss that she gladly returned as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She grinned as she felt his tail wagging over hers rapidly in his excitement, and she surprised him as she kicked him to the side and pinned him down with a very lustful expression on her face.

"Cynder?"

"You're not serving me this time, Spyro; I'll do the honors." She felt him about to protest and cocked her eyebrow at him warningly yet playfully, and he gave up and laughed, lying back and closing his eyes.

"All right, fine, you got me."

Cynder grinned and bent down, nibbling on Spyro's neck while brushing her tailbase over his. He tried not to move, but her teeth were tickling his scales, her sweet breath was maddening, and the pleasure of her side-to-side motion against his sheath was eating at his will. She started kneading his scales with her paws and Spyro just melted under her---she knew all his best spots. Soon enough Spyro decided to give her what she wanted, and felt his dragonhood harden as his pulse began quickening. To his surprise, instead of mounting him like he'd expected she would, she only started caressing and nibbling him harder, her soft folds teasing his length as she pressed her hips against his. He shivered as his nerves pulsed with pleasure when she breathed fire over him between her teeth and he felt his member straining against her with his arousal. He suddenly felt a strange chill flow down his back and his euphoria briefly heightened, and he looked up to see Cynder radiating fear energy. She sat up on him with a grin and pressed her paws in circles around his shoulders, and he shivered and fell back again as he felt the tension leave his muscles. It all felt so good, but at the same time he was almost going insane with desire; he wanted her to mate him so badly! He felt her teeth against his throat and she lightly grazed on his scales; it felt like someone scratching an annoying itch, leaving behind a sense of pure relief. Finally she made her way up to his mouth, and he grinned and lifted his head for her so she could kiss him. Her tongue pushed into his mouth and he wrapped his tongue around hers, and they both murred as Cynder brushed herself against his throbbing member before settling her netherlips over it and thrusting lightly along its underside. She giggled as she saw his face and felt his burning lust. "Am I turning you on?" she whispered teasingly, and licked his cheek.

"You're evil," he said with a smirk.

"I still have a few dark ways, just for you," she retorted with an equal smirk, and reached under herself with one paw to press his cock against her vagina, spreading her lips over it as she continued to masturbate both herself and him.

"Well every day needs its darkness I guess," he whispered, and she smiled with lidded eyes. Spyro felt her fluids begin to run down his shaft and around his legs, and finally Cynder pulled herself forward and eased herself slowly onto his dragonhood. Spyro was being tortured; she was so wonderfully tight and warm, and every second of restraining his urge to thrust into her was sheer torture amid the intense pleasure. The whole time she pushed his length into herself she was also massaging his chest...poor Spyro was helpless against her and she was loving it. Spyro finally stopped resisting and just went limp under her, absorbing her care and love until she was finally sitting on him with his full length inside her warm tunnel.

"Spyro, are you getting longer?" she giggled, shifting her hips on him and making his rock-solid cock move around inside her. "Sure feels like it..." She wrapped her tail tightly around his, still teasing with her sideways motions. Spyro moaned and thrust off the ground into her, and moaned even louder as she started rapidly impaling herself on him. She gradually slowed down, slowly pulling and down along his length as she teased him by clenching her muscles, and she gasped as Spyro roared loudly and arched his back off the ground. Spyro thrust off the ground repeatedly as his cock spasmed, jetting thick ropes of his cum into Cynder's eager tunnel. He heard Cynder murr as she felt him filling her, but even as his orgasm faded she kept riding him, prolonging his afterglow. She'd been focusing so much on pleasuring him that she hadn't noticed how it was affecting her, but as she stopped and bent down to nibble on his neck again every slight motion of his dragonhood sent powerful twinges of ecstasy through her, making her gasp and moan every time it throbbed with his heartbeat. They were so turned on that Cynder didn't have to wait long before he roared again, but to her surprise he grabbed her and started thrusting hard off the ground into her as he filled her even more. She reached her climax and roared as well, bathing his tailbase in her love-juices as they relaxed in their afterglow. Spyro was still holding her and after he'd calmed down he hugged her softly and nuzzled her.

"You weren't expecting that were you?" he whispered, and she grinned and nipped him lightly on the nose.

"You were supposed to be subservient this time you dork," she whispered, and curled up on his chest. "But that last part was so good..."

They stayed there for a while longer before Cynder stood up on him, wriggling her toes against his scales with a playful grin. He laughed to himself. "You're really light, you know that?"

"Either that or you're really strong," she retorted, running her paw along his chest. "I bet Aleron's gonna be like you."

Spyro ran his paw along her belly and smirked. "You just wanted me to fill you didn't you?"

She grinned naughtily but shook her head. "One motive, yes...but I just wanted some more time with you."

"We'll hafta get the temple cleared soon so we can get our bed back," he said, putting his paws over hers. "Heh...in this light you look cute."

She grinned and flicked her tail over his. "We'd better get back to them, long day tomorrow."

"Huh?"

"Don't you remember?"

"...No?"

"We're going searching with Alex and Christine tomorrow?"

"Oh right...yeah, if something turns up we need the rest." She got off of him and rubbed against him when he stood up, and he smirked and draped his wing over her back. On an unspoken whim they did the "six-legged" walk, keeping their closest feet together and using each other for support as they walked in perfect coordination.

Morning dawned cold and gray in more than one sense. Ignitus didn't like the way the air sat, heavy and thick. Something was up, but what it was, he couldn't tell. "The children of two, born at once...*sigh* I can't figure it out...whatever it is, it's really important it seems." Nearby Spyro yawned and stretched, rolling onto his back with a groan. "Spyro?"

Spyro yawned again. "Whu..."

"It might be best if you and the others get going...something doesn't feel right, and the sooner you go the sooner any problems will be solved."

The purple dragon groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Cynder..."

"Mmm?" she murmured, cracking an eyelid. "Wuzzit..."

"Ignitus says we should start soon..."

"Alex and Christine are already outside, they said they'd return if they found anything."

Cynder growled and hid her face in her wings. "Dammit Ignitus, how can we get started if we're waiting for them? Could've gotten some more sleep..."

"Get food and make sure the little ones are settled so you can leave as soon as possible when they arrive."

An hour later Alex and Christine returned, looking a little anxious. They were nervous about the feeling in the air, but they'd found the path that Alex had stumbled onto...and more importantly, what he'd found initially. "It's a big green statue made entirely of crystal," Christine told Ignitus.

"Wait...crystal dragon statue? In the swamp?" Spyro asked, his eyes wide.

"Yeah, c'mon!" Alex led the way and the four dragons headed into the swamp after making sure Solar and Flare were awake and Ignitus was situated with the kids. As they walked, Spyro felt something...hot. It felt like hot air blowing over him from their destination, but the air was completely still around him. "Something in the otherworld is present here...I don't like this," he said, but the others didn't hear him. They pushed on through the dense growth until they came to the place Alex had left them nine days ago...come to think of it, where had all the mages gone? And the shadows and apes? Spyro shook his head; something was terribly wrong here. Eventually Alex sighed.

"Here it is, finally..."

"Something doesn't feel right here..." Spyro said, looking around warily. He felt a powerful presence waiting for them, watching them and growing ever more proud and malicious as they drew closer. Alex pushed back some tall grass and they stepped into a tiny clearing. In the center of the open area was a large creation of emerald, carved in the likeness of a dragoness lying on her back, looking at the sky.

"So this is what you guys were talking about?" Cynder asked, looking it over. The crystal looked like a jewellery rendition of Cynder...but life-sized. It was clear towards the outside, but grew progressively more opaque towards the center. "Looks kinda like me..."

"Did your slaves make this as tribute or something?" Alex asked, but Cynder shook her head.

"No, no one ever made a statue or anything for me because Gaul prohibited it. He said our time for tributes would arrive in due time..." Cynder wanted to touch it...something was telling her to touch it, but at the same time something in her was also telling her not to. At the same time Alex was also being tempted, and all at once they timidly touched the green stone.

Bad mistake. Everyone was flung backwards and Spyro watched almost in slow-motion as Cynder was slammed into a tree. Dark streams of power were swirling around them, and the air suddenly ripped open and Spyro roared in pain as fire shot through every cell in his body. Out of the rift stepped a huge black dragon with glowing green eyes, and all at once everything fell quiet as a controlling, evil sensation throbbed all around them, forcing even their pained breathing to follow an order. The huge dragon looked around with a proud smirk as the ground began cracking around him. "Good to finally be back in this realm," he said, and with a deep laugh he vanished. The repressive power on the others faded with him and Spyro shot up with a loud roar of anger.

"DAMMIT!!" he shouted. "He broke through the barrier I worked so hard to create!!"

"Spyro," Cynder whispered, looking at the sky. A huge hand-shaped cloud was stretching across the sky.

"He's not far from here," Alex growled, his eyes glowing. "This statue was his link; he can't stray far from it."

Spyro helped Cynder up and she whimpered as her back throbbed. "Spyro...he's back..."

"I know, I saw it too."

"No, not Malefor..."

Spyro's eyes widened. "THE TEMPLE, QUICK!!!" They swiftly flew off towards the Dragon Temple, and as they flew Spyro growled---he could feel it. They landed on the balcony, and darkness swiftly fell all around the temple as they raced up to the dojo. No one was there, but Spyro saw a transparent figure moving around on the opposite side of the room. Cynder bristled and hissed as a green crystal became visible. A deep, slightly raspy laugh echoed across the room and the walls faded to reveal the Convexity Portal that Spyro had faced Cynder on years ago. The portal in the center had been decimated in the destruction to little more than a pile of rubble. On that pile stood a materializing figure that Spyro dreaded and hated, and he crouched when the one crystal eye gleamed brightly with evil power. Now everything made sense...

That power the Shadow was fusing with...

That presence he'd faced in the netherrealm...

That malicious energy he'd felt watching them in the temple palace...

The menace from the Well of Souls.

"So...the purple dragon and the black traitor have returned."

"We meet again...Gaul."

Spyro leapt over Gaul's sword swing and the resulting ground blast, which caught Christine before she could react. Cynder leapt at Gaul with a yell, but he disappeared and warped to the other side of the platform. Spyro shook himself and growled. "What the hell do you want Gaul?! I killed you before and I'll kill you again!"

Gaul laughed and they all found themselves paralyzed with dark magic. "Your final Convexity blasts energized me that night, Spyro. Thanks to you, I didn't become one of those other wandering souls. It was I whom you faced in the netherworld, and so far my master and I have waited for this chance. Now with my power, He has returned! You're too late, little whelps! With my power, I have given him a physical body, and it's only a matter of time before he claims this temple as his own and darkness covers the skies again!"

Cynder roared and broke free of her bonds, and Gaul was almost sent off the edge of the arena when she blasted him with a beam of poison energy. He warped himself by her and grabbed her by the neck. Spyro freed himself and tackled Gaul, the two of them skidding along the ground and tearing at each other. Spyro yelled and fell back as Gaul's crystal eye shone and a laser shot him away. Alex flashed behind Gaul and the huge ape roared in pain as Alex stuck him twice with a sword. Gaul teleported away and quickly healed himself, grabbing Christine's hand as she punched at him. He smirked and she screamed in rage as he tore off her remaining clothing and flung her aside into Alex's flying tackle. "YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!!" she screamed as she flipped up off the floor, and Alex stood in front of her nude body protectively as Gaul turned to advance on them.

"Hahaha...you think you can stop me from getting what I want?" He threw Alex to the side with dark energy and Christine screamed in rage as she was paralyzed and forced to stand there. Gaul smirked but then roared in pain as Cynder leapt onto his head and tore out his crystal eye, flipping off his face to the floor.

"You won't win against us, Gaul!" Cynder roared in anger. He levitated his eye quickly and fixed it back into place with a quick crude blast of magic, and drew his swords and swung at her, but she rolled to the side and the blades stuck into the rock and held fast as Spyro combined his earth and fire powers to melt the metal and bind it to the rock. Gaul roared and tried to pull them free.

"NOW!" Spyro roared, and the four dragons all assaulted Gaul viciously. All at once he again teleported away, and as soon as he reappeared they were sent flying as he blasted them with dark magic.

"You interrupted my integration with the Shadow, Spyro, but I have his power and he has mine; you cannot defeat me this time!" With that he pulled them back to the platform and paralyzed them, charging himself with dark power.

NO!!! Spyro thought, his eyes widening as he realized what Gaul was doing. He was creating new weapons, and there was no way they could survive the weapons here if they'd hurt him so badly in the otherworld! With a loud roar and a sudden blast Spyro shifted to the otherworld.

"You can't hide, purple ru-GUUH..." Gaul yelled and froze as a beam of light shot straight through his chest from behind. He fell back and Spyro appeared over him.

"I learned my lesson, Gaul...I charged you with dark energy that night, now I strip your power with LIGHT!!" With that Spyro blasted the ape lord's dying form with light, and the resulting explosion shook the whole realm and shifted them all back into the temple. Cynder shivered as she saw Gaul's ghost appear, laughing maniacally.

"You foolish little dragon...my power is..." He stopped as he realized he was dissipating. "No...NO!!" His deep voice echoed through the room as he disappeared. Spyro snorted.

"Your trap for me just took you, Gaul."

Cynder edged up to him, scared. "Is...is he...gone?"

"For now, yes, but I hope his own trap banished him permanently. It couldn't affect me because I'm still alive when I go to the otherworld." He hugged her with his wing and ran his tongue over her cheek. "He can't touch us again, we're safe from him."

"But Malefor, he's in the swamp," she whispered, shivering, and her eyes flew open. "OUR KIDS!!!" Without further prompting they shot off from the temple and back to the swamp. Halfway there, though, a huge dark blob appeared out of nowhere and zapped Spyro. "Spyro!" Cynder shouted, and caught him as he fell.

"Spyro, Cynder, get back to the swamp, we'll deal with this bastard," Christine said, and she and Alex suddenly blurred and flashed, turning into blue and green streaks that shot through the shadowy attacker. Cynder carried Spyro back to the cave, but to their surprise everyone was fine. Solar stood up immediately when he saw Cynder carrying a dazed Spyro.

"What happened out there?"

"Guys, the temple is clear now but the swamp isn't! Move the kids to the temple now!" Cynder said, running over to her kids. The guardians stood up quickly.

"What's going on?"

"Gaul was in the temple and the shadow's fighting with Alex and Christine and Malefor's in the swamp!" She spoke so quickly they didn't get it all, but all it took was "Malefor" and "swamp" and they were off with the kids. Flash, Kira, Colnasis, and Inigena started crying, picking up on the fear they felt from their parents. Solar carried Spyro, feeling him shiver and twist as the purple dragon felt something going on somewhere. Cynder glanced back as Spyro held tight to Aleron, and despite her fear and panic she calmed down and smiled when she saw Aleron nuzzling and licking Spyro in a comforting manner.

Cynder curled up with her children on the bed, humming softly to them as they explored the soft fabric of the covers. She grinned and chuckled as Kira pawed at the fabric curiously, while Aleron and Flash tried to pull themselves along it. They were still too weak to move themselves but they were learning more quickly than the guardians or Solar had anticipated. All of the kids were growing stronger at an unusual rate, but Cynder didn't notice because this was her first time ever seeing dragonlings, much less observing or raising them. She strained her ears a bit as Spyro discussed the battle against Gaul with Ignitus and the others.

"He can't be gone that easily, Spyro," Terrador grunted. "He came from the spirit world and, if previous experiences hold true, was corporeal through dark matter. Even your light power may not have been powerful enough to banish such a powerful spirit."

"But...I felt him fall into the trap he laid for me in the otherworld!"

"He may have fallen into it, but Gaul was clever, Spyro," Cyril replied. "I'm fairly certain he set up some sort of escape in the event of his failure. And the fact that he was attempting to fuse with the Shadow...it may be easier to accomplish that now."

"The Dark Master may even be roaming the swamp this very minute," Volteer groaned. "I'm positive his mutual tie to the crystalline structure has rendered his territory minimal, albeit temporarily. Given time in this world he might gain enough power to wander further."

"His recent arrival does render him weak," Ignitus said. "Even as the Dark Master, no spirit can return from that long a solitude and still be fit to take on the burdens that reality brings on them. Now is the perfect time to strike him; he may be strong, but as you said yourself from your dark-matter encounters, it will take him time to adapt and adjust to his new form and its limitations."

Solar growled. "I'm coming with you, Spyro; my strength and immunity may be needed."

Cynder smiled faintly to herself. "And I'm coming with you too," she whispered, running her paw softly along her daughter's back. Kira looked up at her and struggled to sit up, and Cynder giggled and gently grabbed her by the shoulders and sat her up. "You guys are so cute...whoops!" She laughed as Kira flopped to the side, her little limbs sprawled in surprise. "Aww poor baby...don't worry, you'll get it soon enough. Here, try again."

Spyro came in later to find her snoozing with them, and he laughed to himself and jumped up onto the bed. Aleron sleepily looked up at him and Spyro gently ran a claw across his cheek. "Hey buddy...what's up? You tired?" Aleron yawned with his usual cute squeak and Spyro chuckled. "Awww..."

"Spyro?" Cynder mumbled, then yawned and looked up at him with a grin. "Awww, someone likes his daddy...it was cute how he was trying to comfort you earlier."

Spyro tickled Aleron's chin and watched as the little electric/wind dragon curled up on his mom and fell back to sleep. Spyro lay down by her, entwining his tail with hers. "Good to be back finally...I'm so glad this room wasn't touched."

"Yeah..." Cynder hugged the three little dragons sleeping on her. "Awwww...I love you guys so much...and now we have our home back."

"We should get them their own beds."

"Yeah, but they can sleep here tonight."

They heard claws on the floor and looked up to see Solar walk in. "Hey Solar, something up?"

"Flare and I were just wondering if the kids could sleep on the bed while we try to find something more suitable for them than stone floor."

While Cynder napped with the six little dragons Spyro helped Solar and Flare find some bed materials for their kids. Flare sighed as she gathered some very soft moss. "Solar, we'll have to take them back to the north soon here. I like the temple and all, but...I feel crowded in there."

"I know...but how will the kids handle the cold climate?"

"We did, but we may have to find a warmer spot in the mountains."

Spyro sighed. "You guys really have to go?"

"Yeah...it's been fun with you and Cynder, but our plans initially were to stop in for a little while and then head back...that kinda changed with the Shadow and all but when this is over with we really need to spread out. I mean, think about it; the Shadow's still here, right? Alex and Christine are fighting it. The last thing we need is to be grouped together so he can kill all of us at once. I know you and Cynder like it here but for your safety it might be best to find your own dwelling as well. Not saying it's mandatory, it's your choice, but it's a point to consider."

They finished getting the stuff and headed back to the temple to find two small stone "bowls" in the dojo, similar to the beds Spyro and Cynder had been using for the longest time before their mateship. They set the bedding materials in the little beds and carefully transferred the little dragons to their new beds. Cynder woke up as Solar gently lifted Flash and Kira off her. "Solar?"

"They have their own beds now, best to get them used to the beds now."

Cynder nodded and stretched. Spyro jumped up next to her and she leaned against him, still tired. "Spyro...tomorrow's gonna be a huge day..."

"What makes you say that?"

"I don't know...it's just a really strong feeling."

"Well tomorrow we should really head to the swamp and confront Malefor now while we have a chance against him. I don't want him finding my family...either one of them." She glanced at him oddly. "I mean this one with you, and Sparx and my 'parents'. There's no other dragons around, anyway..."

The next morning was very quiet and apprehensive; there was a foreboding, ominous feel to the air, one of impending battle as Solar, Cynder, and Spyro ate and prepared for the inevitable fight. Flare and the guardians were to look after the little ones and wait to see if Alex and Christine would return. As the three flew off the balcony and sped towards the swamp, Spyro suddenly faded and Solar and Cynder stopped.

"Spyro? AAAH!!!" Cynder screamed. The world around them faded into fog and they felt themselves being moved at a tremendous pace. All around them they felt an oppressive force hammering at them, and despite her efforts Cynder felt a familiar warmth creep into her mind...a warmth of anger and hatred, of viciousness...The world around them began to shimmer and fade in and out as Spyro too was being tempted, but the shock was all Cynder needed to regain her senses. "SPYRO!!!" The world snapped back into fog and their progress continued, and she grinned as she felt an ethereal tongue on her cheek. Solar growled and his eyes started to visibly glow with rage, and Cynder heard Spyro's echoing voice around them.

"Solar, chill, we're almost there."

"He dares to tempt me and you...he'll pay for this..."

They landed atop a large mushroom, and not too far away they saw a black cloud moving among the mushrooms towards them. That controlling feeling was surrounding them...Cynder's thoughts flew back to her children. Please, great ancestors...I don't want my babies to lack parents...I don't want them to go through what I did...please, help us!

"Cynder?" Solar asked, and she looked around and gasped; webs of light were fading into the air, streaming from her and holding back the dark wave sloshing at them from the approaching cloud. She didn't have time to explain, however; up from the cloud came a huge black form, its wings folded around itself...exactly the same way Spyro did for a Fury attack!

"MOVE!!" Spyro shouted, flying at it and glowing with icy power. Solar grabbed Cynder and rolled to the side. There was a deep roar and a powerful dark blast as Malefor threw his wings apart and decimated the mushrooms and plants nearby with a powerful Dark Fury.

"Spyro..." Cynder whimpered; Spyro had thrown himself into the blast head-on. A mere split-second later, however, they heard another roar, one of pain and rage, and the dust quickly settled to show Spyro encased in a ball of ice, stuck to Malefor's chest. Tendrils of icy energy were stretching around Malefor from the shell, restraining him as he clawed fiercely at Spyro's defense. Spyro suddely faded and blurred, and reappeared behind Malefor and tailwhipped him to the ground below. Solar took the chance and with a roar of fury he rushed in and slide-tackled Malefor, locking his hind legs around the dark dragon's throat. Malefor punched him in the gut and Solar yelled, his grip weakening, and Malefor pulled free and shattered the icy cage that was still growing around him. During Solar's attack Spyro had been charging a light blast, but to his surprise a huge paw of shadow suddenly grappled him and he lost his charge as its quick grip winded him. Cynder was cloaked in dark power, sneaking among the mushrooms and eyeing the fight. She saw a rope of dark energy shoot from Malefor and strangle Spyro and she froze.

"Come out, Cynder," Malefor growled, and grabbed Solar by the neck with his tail. "You can end this peacefully and I'll only break their necks."

"If the peaceful terms are mine to choose, I declare a chase!" she shouted. The three males froze in surprise and Malefor let them go...a chase? "Malefor chases me, no dark powers. A fair fight."

"Cynder, wh-" Spyro shut up when she glared at him. All at once, as if a flash over their odd link, he knew what she was planning.

"I'll tear you apart and make you mine," Malefor growled, and Cynder screamed as he lunged at her. The two tore off through the swamp and Spyro and Solar flew after them.

"Spyro, what the hell is going on?!?" Solar asked.

"I don't know, but she's got a plan."

Malefor swiped at Cynder and she screamed as his claw scratched her leg. Being smaller, she was able to use the mushrooms for cover, but he tore right through them in his rage. I've gotta get him close to that emerald statue! she said to herself, and ducked as he swiped at her again.

"He's linked to it somehow," Spyro said to himself, thinking back to the Chronicler and Malefor's book. Cynder screamed and Spyro gritted his teeth in anger.

"That's it, I'm killing him," Solar growled, but Spyro flew into his path and stopped him.

"No, Cynder's got a trap planned; Solar, charge me with light!"

Cynder shrieked and a tear escaped her eye as she slipped and skidded into the clearing, sliding right into the emerald dragoness statue. Malefor roared triumphantly and picked her up by the neck, the five large spikes jutting out of his forehead glittering with dark energy. "You traitor," he growled, his eyes glowing an evil red. "You're pathetic even for a mother. You will be mine again!"

"HOW DARE YOU!!!" She suddenly blasted him with a Poison Fury, and even though it didn't affect him much, it loosened his grip enough for her to pull free. She flew behind Malefor and bit his neck hard, lashing his back with her hind claws and tailblade as she hung on with her foreclaws and jaw. Malefor yelled in pain and thrashed around madly, trying to shake her off, but her rage fueled her strength and she held on with a deathgrip.

"Malefor!" Spyro shouted angrily, and Malefor snarled and whipped around. Spyro was glowing as he charged a Light Fury, right over the crystal statue. "Your power comes from this doesn't it? How about I blow it up?"

Malefor froze and his eyes widened in sheer panic and fear. "NOOOO!!!" He threw himself at the statue and Spyro unleashed his Light Fury. A blinding pillar of light shot down through the clouds and hit Malefor dead-on; it wasn't much, but the air throbbed with the intensity of the attack and a fierce wind almost blew Cynder away. When it died down Spyro glided over to her and she stood up, tipping over onto him as her left arm gave out. Malefore slumped off the statue, darkness rising off him like steam. He struggled to get up, but Spyro raced over and blasted him with a fireball, knocking him back a bit more.

"Just as Ignitus said...you're weaker after you transition to this world." Cynder limped over to Spyro, who stood over the Dark Master's hideous form. The evil dragon glared at them...but Spyro saw something more behind that look. Pain...

"Shall I finish this bastard off?" Cynder hissed. Spyro shook his head and pushed her back gently.

"Malefor...what caused you to give up light?"

"...It's none of your business."

"Yes it is. You keep looking at Cynder with more than malice...you're attached to her, not just by darkness."

Malefor looked at them, and to their surprise his face softened. "No one's asked me questions without the intent of harming me..."

"We just want answers. You can still do good, Malefor...you just need to give up your darkness."

Malefor lay there, panting slightly with the injury in his side from Clynder's lashing. "Cynder...I had Gaul steal whatever egg survived his attack, but I was least expecting a dragoness...much less one like Cynder..."

"Whaddaya mean?" Cynder growled.

"All I needed was your power...I was planning to use you and then send you to your doom. But I couldn't...you reminded me so much of her..."

"Of who?" Solar asked.

Malefor paused. "Craga...such a beautiful earth dragoness...oh Cynder, you looked so much like her as a child..."

"So you used me as a memoir?!"

"Yes...I had Gaul transform you into my memory of Craga."

"But what happened that made you fall?" Spyro asked, a little frustrated that the discussion was digressing. He also wanted to help Malefor before the Shadow returned.

"Craga..."

Spyro and Cynder looked at each other. "How did she hurt you so badly?"

"She didn't. We were...well..." He coughed nervously and glanced away. "We...uhhh..."

"What mates do best?" Spyro asked with a sly grin, sideglancing at Cynder.

"We weren't mates, but yes...Craga and I would sneak away and have so much fun together after she trained my earth powers...it's because of her that my earth was so strong I was able to fashion the Well of Souls. But...while we were...mating...she simply died. Died with a smile on her face...it tore me to pieces and I went mad trying to find a way to bring her back. I thought she had passed out...she had that problem, she'd sometimes pass out for no reason...but I couldn't feel her breath...her heart... The guardians helped me with my powers, and I used that knowledge to try to find a way to bring back her spirit so we could be together again. I crystallized her body with my power, preserving it for when I found the means to revive her. But...I never found a way...I was so angry at the world for taking away my one love..."

"Ahhhh...you were led away from your goal in your search for power," Solar said. Malefor sighed again.

"Yes, that must be it..."

"That must be why Cynder touching the crystal form brought you back...your energy in her and Alex, combined with your connection to Craga, must have opened a pathway for you to return."

"Yes, that was my goal since my last defeat. I deceived the apes, the mages, the shadows, all of them, into fighting over my crystals and forcing you out of the temple. From there it was an easy manipulation with the mages to draw you out here. I wanted to influence Cynder directly...now I know why I haven't been able to touch her. Or you, Spyro."

"Why's that?"

"'The children of two, born at once, are purest protection from evil's searching mind.' The children of two couples...you four...somehow, they protected you from my influence." Spyro, Cynder, and Solar looked at each other with wide eyes...so there was a reason their children were all born at the same time! Malefor looked away with a heavy groan. "We wanted a family so badly..."

Cynder slowly crept over to his head and ran her paw along one of his horns. "Malefor...I'm curious and it's kind of embarrassing...were you thinking of having me as a mate before Spyro freed me?"

"Not at that point...but when you and Spyro first defeated me, it brought a few of my memories back...I was jealous of Spyro after that. I wanted to bring you back as a possible partner...but then again, I was a mere ghost, it wouldn't have worked anyway..." He coughed violently and shivered. "I'm not long for this world again..."

Spyro walked up by Cynder and Malefor turned to face him. "You can still live...the darkness is pulling at you. You can give it up."

"It's all I've ever known for years, Spyro...and what do I have to live for?"

"Maybe not much...but if you redeem yourself, if you live and can help us, you may get to see Craga again."

"But how? I can't bring her back!"

"You brought yourself back, and I brought Spyro back," Cynder said, but Malefor weakly coughed and shook his head.

"Spyro and I are purple dragons, Cynder. I've been connected to this world through means only I can achieve...Spyro could too if he were to become dark. But you wrenched Spyro back from death with your love for him, and I don't think he'd be able to return if he were to die again."

"Oh..." Spyro put his wing over her and she leaned against him.

"What do we do about the shadow?"

"I don't know...if I had the strength I'd go after him for manipulating me into seeking more and more power..."

"That would help us a lot; I don't know how long Alex and Christine can hold it off."

Malefor shivered again. "I can't..."

"I'm sure if you just try, you can relieve yourself of the torment of darkness."

He just turned away, shivering. Eventually Spyro and Cynder left him to his thoughts and Solar followed them. Cynder sighed and leaned on Spyro, and he put his head on hers. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I feel so sorry for him...but I still hate him...I don't know what to think."

"Solar...was he lying to us? I mean...I was expecting more of a verbal fight but he was so open..."

Solar sighed in frustration. "I don't think so...Spyro, you drained his dark powers with that Light Fury. He couldn't move himself...but I think the fact that you wanted to help him may have broken his dark habits. Or maybe Alex and Christine distracting the Shadow weakened its influence enough that he was able to see your mercy. Who knows? But I was watching him while he talked...from what I could tell, his emotions were genuine."

"If he was trying to bring her back..." Spyro said to himself, thinking.

"Spyro?" Cynder looked up at him.

"If he was looking into methods of bringing her back...did he delve into dark matter and energy? Is that why the Shadow is using it? Did he use Malefor to get the idea?"

"It's possible," Solar replied. "I'm curious as to how he intended to bring her physical body back, though...corundum is a very sturdy material, but how did he plan to bring back the cells? Unless...crystalline stasis, maybe? Chronos Crystal procedure? He must've used a time power to preserve her in the crystalline state..." Behind them, Malefor watched them through tears, his mind slowly gearing down. Gradually he closed his eyes.

They walked away and Spyro suddenly shivered and fell to the ground. Cynder shrieked. "Not again!!!"

A rift opened up overhead and out flew a dark streak, followed by a green and then a blue streak. The three shot off through the sky. Cynder leapt up into the air and watched them, and Solar picked Spyro up and they headed after the Shadow and its pursuers. They traced them to Concurrent Skies, and when they landed Cynder looked around and shivered. Solar hovered, still carrying the unconscious purple dragon. "Cynder?"

"This used to be my base...it's empty now but...the memories..." She shook her head and rubbed her face. "I feel so horrible now...I should've had this place torn down but now it's the Shadow's realm..."

"Where would they go?"

"The highest tower probably; that was my favorite haunt. But there's so many open places here...c'mon, they'll probably find us before we find them." They flew towards the dark castle, Solar feeling his way around with his sense for evil. Gradually Spyro woke up, and Solar set him down while he and Cynder rested briefly.

"Why're we back here?" Spyro asked, struggling to sit up.

"The Shadow flew here and we're hunting him down. Alex and Christine are fighting him again..."

"Not anymore," came a deep, echoing voice, and they all jumped up, only to be smashed against the ground by a crushing power. Evil laughter echoed all around them as they gasped for air. "This is far too easy..." The force pinning them down vanished and they slowly sat up, sore all over from the dark pressure. Cynder shrieked and Spyro's jaw dropped...Alex was hovering over them, brimming with dark energy. Christine was floating nearby, looking like she was unconscious. "You interrupted my integration with your worst enemy, Spyro, but you should have at least tried to help your friend. Not that it matters anymore, though...they both belong to me now."

"We just killed Gaul you bastard!" Cynder screamed, and shrieked as she was hit to the side. Spyro briefly froze with rage as he saw her skid along the ground.

"You're wrong, little whelpling!" came Gaul's voice and the Shadow's voice at the same time. "Spyro killing me the second time allowed the Shadow to absorb me!"

"Gaul, I killed you once, I killed you twice, I'll beat you down even harder this time around!" he shouted. Something strove to hit him, but he fought back and finally shoved the dark power to the side. Spyro charged his light breath, and the shadow shot him with a ray of dark power, holding Spyro still in a field of evil energy.

"You'll never win this time, Spyro; I controlled the Dark Master, and now I am almost entirely energized with your enemy's powers!" the Shadow laughed, Alex's body contorting in hideous laughter.

"Pride before a fall!!" Cynder screamed, and Alex looked at her, his free hand charged. He was too late---Cynder's beams of light shot him and there was a terrific blast as the Shadow was torn from both Alex and Christine. They fell to the ground and lay there, unconscious. Cynder screamed as she focused on her attack, but finally had to breathe and suddenly felt incredibly dizzy. The shadow roared, shaking everything with its deep voice, and flew up to the tower looming over them and started cracking its walls.

"NO!!" Solar shouted, but as he spread his wings something knocked him over the head and he almost passed out. With another almighty roar the Shadow tore off the tower and held it over them, flying higher into the sky. Spyro tried to move but the dark attack he'd just suffered had left him weakened, and as he looked up he passed out.

"I should have done this from the start!" the Shadow bellowed, and flung the tower at them.

Out of nowhere a powerful beam of energy tore through the Shadow, and before it could recover, two different beams tore through it as well. Cynder looked up to see the tower falling at them, and she closed her eyes. "Please, great ancestors, look after our children...they need protection..." There was a loud roar and she glanced up sharply to see a huge black dragon throw itself at the falling construction and decimate it with a Dark Fury. Up above, a portal opened on the wall, and the Shadow quickly flew in followed by the blue and green streaks. "Wait wha?!" The black dragon fell to the ground nearby, and a large brick hit him over the head and he roared in pain. It was Malefor! As he fell back to the ground, Alex and Christine's unconscious forms suddenly faded...Cynder was thoroughly confused.

Solar forced himself up, his legs shaking. "What...just happened here?"

Malefor made himself stand up, but shook violently and suddenly shrank in size to roughly Solar's height. He fell to the ground with a weary moan, promptly passing out. Now that his scales weren't laced with dark magic, Cynder glanced back and forth between Spyro and Malefor as they lay unconscious on the ground. Malefor was a tiny bit more on the blue side of purple, but his overall build and shape were similar but not quite the same as Spyro's. Malefor and Spyro both had two large horns, but Malefor's curled out away from his head like two large fangs instead of the jagged style of Spyro's, and the scales atop his head extended in a half-circle of five sharp but broad spines. They both had somewhat the same fin on their tails, but Malefor's was more jagged and had purple "veins". Malefor also had a thin-lined yellow pattern on his shoulders, back, hips, and tail, curling in small circles and stretching out among his scales like ivy vines. As Cynder looked him over, Malefor looked a lot like the statue in the Dragon Temple...

"Solar...we gotta get them outta here..."

Solar groaned, flexing his wings and prepping himself. He grabbed both Spyro and Malefor, and with a low roar of energy he leapt off the floor and gave a huge shove of his wings. Cynder painfully followed him, looking back at the portal. Would they ever see Christine and Alex?

________________________________________________________________

Malefor groaned and opened his eyes slowly, looking around as his vision came into focus. "The...Dragon Temple? What'm...ow..."

"Quiet and don't move," came a female voice, and in his blurry sight he saw...

"C-Craga...?"

"No, I'm Cynder." He blinked and the dragoness standing by his bed turned into Cynder. A green light nearby reflected on her scales, and Malefor heard a strange but somewhat familiar humming sound. "Spyro's adding earth power to your medicine at Solar's bidding."

The purple dragon fell against the moss-padded bed, his head throbbing. "What'm I doing here...I should be dead..."

"Should be? How do you figure that?" came another voice.

"Pyrasos?"

"Pyrasos was before me; I am Ignitus," replied the voice, coming nearer. Malefor's eyes shot open again and he sat up in alarm. Ignitus came up to the bed and shook his head as Malefor scooted away nervously. "No, Malefor, you're not in trouble now...though you have a lot of reparation to do. A LOT of reparation."

"Why'd you bring me here?!" he snarled.

"Just as Cynder gave up her darkness, so have you, and we wanted to help you as we helped her. I'm not terribly thrilled about you being here, but the fact remains that your darkness has been broken."

"All you need is recovery," Cynder said, but she was glaring at him. Malefor sighed and buried his face in his paws.

"I don't wanna be alive...why couldn't you just let me die?!"

"I may hate you more than anything else," Cynder growled, standing up by the bedside, "but you remind me too much of myself. Now shut up and drop it; you're here, we're not letting you go, and you can recover."

"Cynder, if you want you can leave," Spyro said, stirring the medicine with his claw.

"Gladly." With a snort she walked out of the room. Malefor fell back on the bed, tears running down his face.

"I don't wanna be here; this world hates me..."

"You can atone for that, Malefor," Ignitus replied.

"No I can't! I can't make up for everyone I've killed and the places I've destroyed!!"

"Here's the medicine," Spyro said, handing him the bowl, but Malefor growled and knocked it away. Spyro glanced at the flying liquid and it hung motionless in the air, and he quickly collected the floating globs and drops. "Okay nevermind." He put the bowl by the bed and walked off.

"Just leave me alone!!!" Malefor yelled at Ignitus, and threw himself on the bed. Ignitus quietly walked out as well while Malefor wept in his misery. After a while he calmed down somewhat, but what upset him now was the mess of memory fragments rampaging in his mind...his early days before his fall, his old friends...the false promise from the Shadow...his first consultation with the apes...but none of it seemed to fit together. He felt broken, useless...alone.

"Awww, try again honey! Yay! there you go, yaaaaay!!" Cynder's voice cut through his depression and caught his attention.

"Whoops, c'mon Aler, you can do it!"

Malefor slowly slid off the bed and crept to the doorway, his wings sagging and his tail dragging on the floor. He peeked around the doorway and watched as Spyro and Cynder played with their kids, helping them learn to stand up. Cynder laughed as Kira fell over onto her waiting paw, and she set the little ice-blue dragoness upright again. Spyro had his paw under Aleron's belly and was gently letting go of him repeatedly, holding him just above the floor and slowly setting him down until the little electric/wind dragon was standing on his tiny wobbling legs. Aleron fell down again and Spyro chuckled and lifted him up, and the little one squealed with laughter as Spyro started tickling him. Spyro and Cynder laughed and Cynder leaned her head on Spyro's shoulder. Malefor felt something on his muzzle and blinked, and surprised himself as a torrent of tears ran down the sides of his face from their pool in front of his eyes. A sharp pain shot through his chest and brought him to the floor as he started crying in longing. "C-Craga...I want you back..." He forced himself away from the door and sat in the corner, covering his ears to drown out Spyro and Cynder. It hurt too much...Cynder was so much like Craga...Malefor eventually passed out as he drained himself of tears.

Days turned to watchful weeks as Spyro began sensing something growing. It was faint, but he was cautious nonetheless. Malefor's depression didn't abate but after a week to himself in the tunnels under the temple he finally dared a journey into the garden. Everywhere he went, painful memories kept stabbing him, and at least once a day they'd find him out cold somewhere in the garden. Spyro felt sorry for him and wanted to help him, but Malefor shoved away any attempt at aid. Cynder was torn in two; on one side, she felt very sorry for him, but on the other, she hated him so much it made her body heat up. She tried her best not to show it, but they all knew what she had on her mind when he was around. Solar, too, was unforgiving, but he tried to help Malefor by way of medicines to help ease the pain of the heartache he was experiencing. Flare was the most helpful, and also the only one Malefor didn't growl at or lash out at. Many times it was her soft voice that calmed him down enough that he would eat a small amount of food.

The kids were now strong enough to walk a bit, but they mostly crawled if they wanted to move. Cynder would often lie down with them and let all of them play with her tail; it was very cat-like, how she flicked her tail and they would "pounce" at it and watch it intently. When she was outside with them she often felt like she was being watched, and several times she caught Malefor watching her...the poor dragon was torn between memories and reality as his mind tried to piece itself back together.

One day Cynder woke up from a nap outside to find that Aleron had somehow clambered over the rock ring around them---he wasn't there with his brother and sister. She shot up in a panic and looked around frantically. "ALERON!!!!" she screamed, and edged away from the "nest" but stayed within range. Her heart was racing madly and she was scared to death, where had he gone?! "Oh no oh no oh no...Aleron where are you?!?"

"C-Cynder!!" came a stuttering voice not too far away. Cynder froze; that was Malefor's voice.

"What do you want?!" she growled. "Find Aleron if you're worth anything!"

"I, uh, he...uhhh...he kinda found me," Malefor called back nervously. Curious, Cynder gently picked up Flash and Kira and tucked them between her wings and her body, and crept over to where Malefor's voice had come from. Aleron was batting at Malefor's tail and crawling around trying to get it, and Malefor was nervously trying to edge away from him. "I wa...I was watching you and uh, he, he crept away and I stopped him..."

Cynder sat there and watched Aleron playing with the reluctant purple dragon, her mind racing...finally she sighed and stood up, picking up Aleron and sitting down by Malefor. "I'm sorry," she whispered as she cuddled Aleron against her cheek. Malefor hung his head. "I was talking to you."

"...Wha?"

"I'm sorry for the way I've been acting...I've been angry at the old you, the one that tortured me all those years..."

"B-but, I thought you hated me..."

"I do...but you at least stopped a helpless dragonling from wandering off....you've still got some good in you like I did when Spyro freed me." Malefor was at a loss for words as Cynder put Aleron back down on the ground and glanced under her folded wings at Flash and Kira still napping against her. "Malefor, was it you who corrupted me, or was it the Shadow working through you?"

Malefor's head went to the ground and his wings sagged. "Both...I used you for my memory of Craga, but the Shadow used your skill and power through me..." His paws went over his eyes and started crying again. "I'm so sorry..."

"Awba..." Cynder's eyes widened and she looked down to see Aleron nuzzling Malefor, running his little tongue along the purple dragon's forearm.

Awww he's so much like his dad...concerned for others... she thought to herself. Malefor stood up to walk away. "Wait..."

"What?" he asked, not looking up at her. Aleron rubbed his cheek against Malefor's paw, and Malefor jumped when he felt something across his back. He looked up to see Cynder hugging him with her wing, Kira and Flash cuddled against her chest with one foreleg.

"I'm sorry for the way I've treated you and addressed you," she whispered. Malefor choked. Not too long afterwards Spyro came by quietly and found Cynder crying quietly to herself as she comforted a confused but greatly relieved Malefor.

"Well, that's a load off our shoulders," Spyro said to himself, not knowing what else to say. Indeed, it was a huge load lifted; Malefor became far more open in the following days, even going so far as to help babysit when Spyro and Solar flew off for their usual scouting of the area. One morning, though, he went missing and Flare finally located him sitting on the temple roof, staring out towards the swamp.

"Something wrong?"

He sighed and looked down. "I miss my old friends...I want my girlfriend back..."

"She was in the swamp?"

"Still is...I've failed her; I went mad trying to find a way to bring her back to life..." A tear rolled down his cheek. "All that effort, all those experiments...Solar and other Paralos soldiers, Cynder's corruption, the experiments with dark matter...all I did was help the enemy instead of Craga..."

Flare fell silent for a few minutes as the purple dragon stared forlornly at the swamp again. "You wanna go see her?" she asked softly.

"More than anything right now..."

Flare flew down into the temple, and in a matter of minutes five dragons flew off towards the swamp. Ignitus grinned to himself as he lay down by the beds, watching the kids batting at each other. They turned their large eyes to him attentively and crawled over to the bed edges closer to him, and he chuckled. "So I'm being volunteered for storytime again? Well let's see here...there was the story of the Avalar lord and how a young dragon saved him from his own corruption..."

Spyro led the way back into the swamp, and Malefor followed, his head down as memories of Craga kept flowing through his mind. They passed by a few flowers and Malefor quickly bit a few off and carried them by the stems in his mouth, his eyes watering...Craga's favorite flowers... "You okay?" Cynder whispered, walking next to him. He couldn't respond; his throat was tense as he tried to choke back his tears.

"I don't think so," he finally whispered back. He watched as Solar pushed back the shrubs blocking their path, and they entered the small clearing. It was still flattened and trampled after their brawl. They watched sadly as the purple dragon lay the flowers on the crystalline form stuck in the ground. He lay his paws on it, and the dirt and humus and moss and vines on it slid off and it rose up out of the ground, the flowers turning into crystal at the same time. He stared at the blank, faceted face, and slumped onto the chest, crying in longing. Cynder cuddled against Spyro, tears in her eyes, and Spyro wrapped his wing over her. Solar did likewise with Flare while Malefor grieved his lost friend. With a sigh Spyro let go of the light jewel he carried, watching it hover in front of him.

"I think this would be a good memorial marker for her," he said, and the crystal floated over to Craga's crystal body and hovered over it.

"This too..." Cynder let hers go and it joined Spyro's.

"Three's a nice round number," Solar said, and his light jewel hovered by the others.

Malefor glanced up at the jewels hovering over Craga's form, and wiped his nose on his paw. "I wanna see her...once more..." Concentrating his power, the green emerald crystal of Craga's body suddenly became opaque, and in a dim flash she was flesh and scales instead of solid crystal. "I'm so sorry, Craga...I miss you so much..." More tears ran down his face, and be bent over her and kissed her gently. "I love you..."

The air suddenly shimmered brightly and they all jumped. The three light crystals quickly pulsed and began to rotate around each other. Out of thin air, streams of light ran like miniature waterfalls and splashed over Craga's body, flowing into her and covering her in a golden sheen. The crystals flashed brightly and poured a blinding light into her, and Malefor looked down in surprise to see a similar light flowing from his chest---from his heart.

"It...it can't be!" Solar gasped as they watched. "Unless..."

The light swirled around Craga's body faster and faster, then suddenly contracted into her and let off a blinding flash. Malefor opened his eyes and watched as the crystals, depleted of energy, fell to the ground around her. Sparkles still rolled off her body, and Malefor gently ran his paw along her face. "Craga..."

She suddenly coughed violently and they all yelled in surprise as she gasped for air, the crystallized flowers slipping off her to the ground. Spyro and Malefor both stood by her and poured fresh air into her lungs with their wind breath until she was stable enough to talk. "Oh damn..." she gasped, rolling onto her side, Spyro stepping away to give her room. "Oh Caligin, I'm so sorry, it happened again!" She slowly opened her eyes, and stopped when she saw Spyro and Malefor standing nearby. "Cal, who's this?"

"Who's Cal?" Spyro asked, but Malefor suddenly broke down and flung himself onto her.

"Oh thank the ancestors!" he shouted, holding her tightly. "I missed you so much!!"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" She shoved him off and slowly sat up. "What the hell is going on here? You're acting like it's been years or something."

"Oh if you only knew..."

She eyed Spyro. "Who's this clown? I thought there was only one purple dragon."

"It's a long story..."

"What is this, we're making out like never before, I pass out, and suddenly there's two of you and there's this whole big story?"

Malefor froze. "Wait...you passed out?"

"Yeah, dummy! Cal, I swear, you need some sense hammered into you; it's happened before, remember? It saved our lives in the Temple Battle two months ago?"

"But you...you didn't...you weren't breathing...no heartbeat, nothing..."

Solar cleared his throat. "I've seen this before, come to think of it...it's a rare kind of seizure where the body suddenly shuts down in a hibernative state."

"Whatever he said, makes more sense than what I know of it."

After some more arguing between the two, Malefor, or Caligin now as Craga brought up his old name, introduced her to the others. He then asked for some solitude with her while he found her some food, and the others headed back to the temple after re-collecting their light crystals. Ignitus was waiting for them, and looked at them curiously when he saw one missing. "Where's Malefor?"

"Caligin now, that's his name," Cynder said, walking past the old fire dragon. "Aler! Flash! Kiri! Mommy's back!" Ignitus glanced at Solar, confused, but Solar shook his head with a grin.

"There's gonna be some surprises for sure here. He's got some...catching-up to help with."

"Help with? What went on out there?"

"It'd be better to see than to hear about." They heard giggling going on in the tunnel, and a little laughing episode broke out and they went in to find Spyro and Cynder tickling the little ones.

"Oh my gosh their laughter is sooooooo CUTE!!!" Cynder squealed. "Whoopwhoopwhoopwhoop!" she said rapidly, whooping with each flick of her claws, and Aleron squealed with laughter and batted at her paws. She turned to Aurora and Inigena, and played peek-a-boo with her wing, getting more giggling from them. Spyro was with Flash, Kira, and Colnasis, poking the fin of his tail out from behind his wing. It was a very simple move, but it captivated the three laughing dragonlings. When Solar and Flare came up Spyro went over with Cynder and they entertained their kids until all six of them went down for their midday nap.

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