LoS AOH BkIII epilogue

Epilogue


"Spyro..." The gentle voice called to the purple dragon from the darkness. "Spyro."
The purple dragon's senses tingled as he felt the warm presence draw closer. "Wh... where am I?" He whispered in his mind.
A paw tickled his cheek and he opened his eyes. The figure before him was blurred but quickly focused. Standing before him was a long, sleek, slender-bodied dragoness. Her horns arched gracefully around her head and her eyes were the color of a fiery sunset. Spines lined her back down to the base of her tail before disappearing, though showing an uncanny resemblance to Spyro's. Her tail was tipped with an ordinary spade and Spyro noticed the many scars that crisscrossed her beautiful hide.
"Welcome home, Spyro." The dragoness smiled seeing that he was awake.
"Home?" Spyro looked around to see the vast reaches of space and stars surrounding him. Beautiful luminous galaxies and solar systems spun and danced around them and in the distance, displaying every possible shape and color of the spectrum. "Where am I? Who are you? Wh-what's going on?"
Spyro's mind was getting flustered and the dragoness stroked his cheek. "It's all right Spyro; you don't have to worry about a thing. Your days of fighting have come to an end."
"So... we defeated Malefor? For good?" The dragoness nodded and Spyro sighed with relief. But a deep emptiness filled his heart as he looked around the universal expanse surrounding him. "But at such a price."
"The loss of the guardians of your world was indeed unfortunate." The dragoness sighed sadly. "But it was just their time."
"I should have been there to save them."
"Spyro." The silver dragoness cupped his face in her paws and brought her nose to his. "You can't blame yourself for things beyond your control. You were only mortal."
"So what am I now?" Spyro asked, raising an inquisitive brow. The dragoness released him and stepped back. Spyro's eyes narrowed as he stared at her. "Who are you?"
The dragoness smiled gently and gazed out at the space around them. "I am the guardian of the worlds," She murmured in a tone that seemed to chime like soft music. "I am a celestial dragon, given the task of watching over all the realms and the creatures that reside within them; draconic and non draconic." She turned and walked back to Spyro. "And you, Spyro, have been chosen to become the next Celestial. To become the next overseer of the realms. The divine power that protects all who wish to live their lives in peace." The dragoness extended her paw towards him. "Are you ready?"
Spyro looked down at her paw and numbness began to sweep over him. "I..." He began to raise his paw to place it in hers. He felt warm and tingly all over. He was going to be the overseer of hundreds, maybe thousands of worlds. He would be watching over the lives being born and passing as the ages went on. He could watch over the ones he loved. An image of Cynder and the guardians standing over him flashed before his eyes and he jolted.
"Are you alright?" The celestial dragoness asked, mildly worried at his sudden reaction.
"I..." Spyro looked at her then to her outstretched paw. "I..." He swallowed hard and set his paw down on emptiness. "I can't," Spyro replied, hanging his head. "I'm not ready."
"Spyro, I mentioned to you that you've proven yourself to be a divine being. You are ready."
"I know." Spyro nodded and looked up into her eyes. "But I'm not ready to leave yet. I still have a full life ahead of me. A life with Cynder and the others." He shook his head. "I'm just not ready to leave that all behind just yet."
The dragoness was definitely surprised by his answer, yet she smiled lovingly none the less. "Oh Spyro, you've matured so much over the years. Are you sure this is what you want?"
The purple dragon nodded. "More than anything else right now. I can't watch over the lives of others if I haven't lived myself."
"Ignitus has taught you well. You're wise beyond your years and still so young." The celestial nodded understandingly. "Very well Spyro. After all you've done, and been through; it's the least you deserve. But when the time comes and you are ready, I'll still be here waiting for you."
"Thank you." Spyro bowed his head. "You have no idea how much this means to me."
"Then let's not keep your loved ones waiting." The dragoness stood up on her hind legs and opened her broad, expansive wings. The colors of the universe reflected off her silver scales and Spyro found himself blinded for a moment.
"Before we go," Spyro interrupted. "I have one request."

Cynder sat beneath the open sky, tears streaming down her face. She held Sparx close to her heart, being careful not to aggravate his broken arm. The guardians all huddled around one another, crying into each others shoulders. Their salty tears stung their open wounds but the pain in their hearts superseded any physical ailments they were bearing.
Slowly the other dragons approached them. Infernus cautiously crept up to Stella and nuzzled her slightly. The lightning guardian stared at him with wet, puffy eyes before sobbing into his chest. Infernus cringed against the pain of his recovering wound but draped his wings around her, hoping that the small gesture would help console her.
Max walked up to Cynder and rested a clawed hand on her shoulder. "Cynder... I.... I'm sorry..." He choked, unsure of what else to say.
"It's not fair," Cynder wept. "Spyro didn't deserve this. He never did anything wrong. He was a good dragon! He was a hero to everyone and an amazing friend! He didn't deserve to die!"
"I know he didn't, Cynder..."
"Then why!" She wailed, staring up at him with her fierce green eyes. "Why?"
Max was dumbstruck as his mouth fell open. After a long silent moment he hung his head. "I don't have that answer Cynder... I don't have an answer that will make you happy."
"Max," Cynder bawled into his chest. Max grunted as his sides throbbed but embraced Cynder none the less. The other dragons and warriors of the city all glanced at each other in mournful silence. The moles and manweersmalls removed their helmets and the cheetah warriors knelt down on one knee bowing in sorrowful respect.
The sound of thunder had vanished but no one seemed to notice.
Cynder was still crying when she felt a warm tingle against her back.
"Cynder..."
The dragoness paused and lifted her head to look around. "S-Spyro?" Every head turned to look at her as she glanced around uncertainly.
"Cynder." Spyro's voice echoed in the destroyed chamber; this time everyone could hear it. The black dragoness's mouth hung open at a loss for words.
The sun slowly began to force its way through the dark clouds above, opening a single hole and shining its warm radiance down onto the spot where Spyro had been minutes before. The guardians’ eyes widened and they stepped back cautiously. The other warriors poised themselves; ready for combat should a new enemy emerge. From out of the rays of sun a single orb of light appeared; and then another, and another. The orbs grew in number and size until at last a silver dragoness manifested from the energy. She blinked a couple times and looked around the mass of faces staring at her in awe.
On instinct, Max stepped in front of Cynder to protect her and Infernus held Stella close to him.
"Do not be alarmed." The celestial dragoness smiled warmly at them. "I mean you no harm."
"Who... who are you?" Cynder sniffled and stepped out from behind Max, holding Sparx close to her with her wing.
"A friend," The dragoness replied, genuinely happy at finally being able to meet the black dragoness face to face. "I've come to return someone that I think belongs to you."
Cynder's heart skipped a beat. The silver dragoness lifted her right wing and the light that shone from underneath temporarily blinded those in the chamber. As the light died down, Cynder and Sparx peeked out from behind her wing. Everyone's eyes grew wide as the purple dragon stepped out from under the dragoness's wing. Spyro smiled at his dragoness when he saw the tears swell up in her eyes again.
"Hey Cynder."
"Spyro!" Cynder and Sparx cried and leaped for him, throwing their arms around him and crying tears of joy onto him.
"You're back, buddy!" Sparx sobbed.
"We thought we'd lost you!" Cynder looked into his amethyst eyes.
"It's okay now, Cynder," Spyro whispered and hugged them both back with his wings. "Everything is going to be fine now. I promise."
The black dragoness squeezed her eyes shut and squeezed the last of her tears out.
The guardians, dragons and warriors looked at each other and smiled with relief. But one heart still remained broken and the celestial glanced down at Candice. "And to you young dragoness," she started, grabbing the guardian's attention. "The guardians of this world would not be complete without the full set." Another blinding light came from under her other wing and illuminated the room. Candice held her breath until she saw the figure emerge from the light. Tremor blinked several times before letting his eyes fall upon her.
"Oh Candy! I'm home!" He called in his usual goofy tone.
Candice shook her head with a smile spread across her face and tears freezing upon her cheeks. She bolted forward, her icy armor shattering across the floor. The ice guardian tackled Tremor and immediately locked her lips with his in the most passionate kiss she could muster. Tremor wrapped his arms and wings around her, pulling her closer to him.
"Tremor, you big lug!" Candice sobbed when she broke away from his lips. "I love you! I love you so much! I love you more than anything in the world!"
Tremor smiled and licked her chin. "And words don't describe how much I love you Candy. But I can tell you this much." He brought his mouth closer to hers and whispered. "I'm not going anywhere until I've had a full, happy life with you." Candice felt her heart rate speed up and her cheeks flush; but she didn't care. She had just gotten her most precious treasure back.
"I can see all is well with you young guardians then." The celestial dragoness smiled, looking down at the young couples before her. "I should be taking my leave now."
"Thank you for everything." Spyro bowed graciously and the others immediately followed his example. "You have no idea how much this means to us all."
The dragoness only continued to smile at them. "As I said before, my dear Spyro, it's the least you deserve." She brought her head down to Spyro, Cynder and Sparx. "Take care of one another and may you live happily together until the end of your days." She glanced at Spyro. "I'll still be waiting for you then." The celestial looked up at Magnitus and nodded respectfully. "Farewell." She bowed slightly. The orbs of light began to break from her body and ascend into the heavens. Just before she was gone she looked at Spyro again with a motherly smile. "I'm proud of you Spyro. And I know your father would have been too."
The purple dragon's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Wait, what?" He looked at Cynder with a look of astonishment on his face. The dragoness only smiled and laid her head on his shoulder.
Behind them Tyrannica leaned towards Magnitus. "Was that..."
Magnitus only smiled and nodded as he looked up at the sky. "A friend from a very long time ago."


10 Years Later

"Spyro!" Cynder called as she lumbered down the halls of Warfang. The adult dragoness stuck her head into their living quarters and looked around to see her mate standing before a reflecting stone leaning against the wall. He was busy looking at himself and eyeing the silver stripe that ran down his spine. It glistened beautifully against his purple scales and the various colors of stained glass tiles that their roof was now comprised of. The black dragoness chuckled. "After all these years you still haven't gotten used to it."
"It's not that," Spyro replied, stopping and coming over to nuzzle his life mate. "I'm just wondering when the day will come that I have to become the next celestial guardian."
Cynder gazed at him flirtatiously. "Well I think that you should forget about that for now and enjoy your life with me." She brought her tail blade up under his chin and turned his head towards her. Spyro smiled and pressed his lips to hers.
"I love you, Cynder."
"And I'll never stop loving you, Spyro," Cynder growled lovingly.
"Hey you, Spyro, Cynder!" Max came dashing down the hallway and poked his head in to see the two dragons in a loving embrace. "Oh... uh! Oops! He cringed and pulled his head back into the corridor.
"It's okay Max," Cynder called and released Spyro from her grasp. "What is it?"
The black raptor dragon poked his head back in and this time another head appeared alongside him. The dragoness Fierra smiled politely as she rubbed affectionately against her mate's side. "We were just coming to get you. It's almost time."
"Okay, well be there shortly." Cynder waved. Max and his dragoness ducked back into the hallway. Cynder waited until the sounds of their footsteps and gentle laughter disappeared before turning back to Spyro. "Shall we?"
"I suppose it would be rude to keep everyone waiting." The two dragons moved towards the balcony and stepped into the warm sunlight. Spyro looked at his dragoness and smiled at her beauty. She was free of the bracelets that she had worn for so many years and now donned the elegant breast plate Spyro had designed so many years ago. The platinum metal was almost blinding in the midday sun. The sapphire gem in the center blended well with the color of Cynder's eyes as well as her brightly colored breast scales.
The black dragoness seemed to notice his eyes on her and blushed slightly. "Come on, stud. Let's go." She spread her great wings and leaped gracefully into the air. Spyro smiled and followed after her. The two dragons flew towards the upper levels of the city where a crowd of creatures had massed. Manweersmalls, moles, cheetahs, dragons from all the outlying cities, even the Atlawa had made an appearance. The stairs and upper levels of the city were packed to capacity and a roar went up from the crowd as Spyro and Cynder soared over their heads. The dragons headed towards the newly rebuilt temple of the guardians. The temple was no longer a cluster of pavilions and chambers in one but a combination of the first temple design along with the Tower of Enlightenment in Certrona. It had taken the dragons almost ten years to rebuild the entire city; and it was on this day that they also celebrated the end of the war against the Dark Master. Standing at the base of the temple tower stood the other guardians. Flame alongside Ember, Candice beside Tremor and Stella with Infernus shying away from the crowd slightly. The friends all nodded to one another as Spyro and Cynder set down on the platform.
"Are you ready to do this?" Tremor asked with a smile as the guardians stepped forward to stand proudly at the edge of the platform.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Spyro nodded and turned to address the audience. "Thank you all for coming!" His voice belted out across the city like a great, thundering horn. "As you know, it has taken us all a long time to recover from the long war with the Dark Master! But that was many years ago, and we've all been able to work together and thrive in this new age of peace! But we cannot forget those we fought with to get to this point in history! Those who sacrificed everything they had! Those who lost their lives for the greater good of the world!" A pang of sadness struck the hearts of everyone as they remembered the losses of their previous guardians and their brothers in arms. Spyro turned slightly and gestured a wing towards the tower behind him. "This new temple is a symbol of what we've fought for and who fought alongside us in the past! It's a symbol for future generations who look up and see what their ancestors have left for them! A world where our offspring can run free without worries! A world where we can all live happily with one another and achieve any dream we set our mind to!" The crowd began to cheer again. "This temple is a memorial to those who have fought for us! And they will not be forgotten." The crowd quieted down and bowed their heads for a moment of silence.
As Cynder stared at the crowd bellow she caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see a pair of dragons sitting on the top of a pavilion nearby. The male was black with grey chest scales, an attractive looking male in his prime. The female beside him was a white dragoness with grey spots peppering along her slender body. Her eyes were as blue as the sky and her horns and talons were as dark as onyx. She wore a golden ring around her left horn and tail as well as a golden breast plate over her dark scales. The designs on them reminded Cynder of those Ignitus had as the chronicler.
Both dragons smiled politely and Cynder smiled back. The male seemed oddly familiar to her, yet she had never seen him before in her life. Their eyes locked for a long, tense moment before the male broke his attention. He turned his head and arched his neck back towards his spine. It was then Cynder saw the pair of dragon hatchlings no more than a few months old yawn and curl themselves around each other in the crook of their father's back. The female smiled and licked the male on the cheek before they shared a short kiss. Cynder smiled and recalled the warm and tender moments she and Spyro had shared so many of.
The couple turned and looked at Cynder one last time before spreading their great wings and gliding off towards the lower levels of the city and disappearing from view.
"Good luck," Cynder whispered with a gentle motherly smile. "Whoever you are."
The sound of footsteps grabbed Cynder’s attention and she turned to see an aged Magnitus and Tyrannica coming up the steps before stopping and bowing respectfully to the guardians.
"Well done, all of you." The elder smiled. "I know your teachers would be most proud of you."
"We know they are." Candice smiled, nuzzling her cheek against Tremor's neck. The dragons all shared a mild chuckle.  Spyro looked back down at the crowd.
"We thank you all for coming! So without any further delay, let the celebrations begin!" Another uproar came from the city as fireworks shot into the air. The guardians moved out of the way as several of the guests approached the temple for a closer look. Spyro found himself admiring the carvings engraved into the stone. All the way up the tower he could see the story being told of how the guardians had fought the Dark Master and how when things looked most bleak the forces of good had triumphed in the end by coming together for a righteous cause: peace.
"You okay?" Cynder asked nudging him slightly.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Spyro nodded and wiped a tear from his eye.
"You're amazing, Spyro," Cynder whispered softly as she rested her head on his shoulder. "You're nothing less than a living miracle and a beacon of hope to us all."
"Thanks, Cynder." The purple dragon sighed and licked her cheek.
Just then the sound of shouts grabbed the guardians’ attention.
"Get away from me!" A young lightning dragon shouted irritatedly. He was only five years old but his flight skills were well developed for his age. Behind him a pair of dragonesses chased after him giggling like the little girls that they were.
"Come on Zappy! Just one!" The ice dragoness pleaded playfully.
"Yeah! It won't kill you! Just one!" The earth dragoness added.
"No! Never! And don't call me Zappy!"
"You kids get back here!" Sparx hollered. Behind him a purple dragoness and young male fire dragon beat their wings hard to keep up with him. The little dragons hit the platform running. Zap ran around the maze of legs with the two girls chasing after him.
Sparx flew over to his brother and gasped for breath. "Spyro, man, I'm getting too old for this." Spyro and Cynder laughed as the dragonfly flopped down across Spyro's snout.
"Okay you kids, that's enough," Tremor ordered, placing a paw between his two daughters and Zap, who took cover behind Stella's leg. The lightning guardian laughed and nuzzled him affectionately. Infernus smiled and rubbed his son's side with his snout as well.
"So what are you little fire crackers doing?" Tremor asked, leaning his head down towards the twins.
"They were trying to give him a kiss." Zealous answered as she and Torch toddled up to their parents.
Candice snickered and looked down at her offspring. "Girls, what have I told you about running around trying to kiss boys?"
"But we just wanted to give him one little one," Tundra protested, trying to put on a pouty look for her mother.
"Yeah." Sierra nodded. "It was just a kiss on the cheek."
"Girls..." Candice raised a brow and tilted her head to the side. The young dragons hung their head in defeat.
"Don't kiss the boys unless they ask for it." The twins recited in unison. The guardians laughed but Zap didn't seem to take the joke too kindly. He glared at the twins who continued to eye him playfully and ducked behind his father's front legs before sticking his tongue out in defiance.
Instead of being discouraged by the gesture, the girls only giggled more playfully, their tails wagging excitedly back and forth. Tremor laughed as well and leaned down towards his daughters and lowered his voice, trying to keep Candice from hearing.
"You know, it's best to wait it out and then strike when he's not expecting it," He murmured and the twin's eyes grew wide with excitement.
"Tremor, stop encouraging them," Candice scolded, only to cause her mate to laugh. The twins bounded back to Torch and Zealous who were busy wrestling with each other in front of their parents.

In the silence of his chamber, Ignitus smiled at the picture before him; Spyro, Cynder and the guardians all standing around, smiling and laughing together with their children. "Well done, young dragons." He nodded approvingly. "Well done all of you." He closed the book and moved to set it on the shelf as a white, grey-spotted dragoness and male black dragon entered the chamber.
"How is everything, Ignitus?" She asked, gently picking up one of her babies from her mate's back.
"It's absolutely magnificent, my dear Crona." The former fire guardian smiled. "It certainly has been an age of heroes."

Back at Warfang the guardians continued to laugh and chat with their guests as they ascended the long staircase to the temple. Tremor glanced to the side and smirked at what he saw. Stella and Infernus were engaging in a conversation with Hunter and Chief Prowlus while their son Zap sat quietly beside them. The little lightning dragon didn't even notice the two girls stealthily creeping up on him until it was too late.
"Mmmmwah!" Sierra and Tundra pressed their lips on either side of Zap's cheeks, giving him a loud smacking kiss.
The lightning dragon's eyes widened and his face burned deep red, more from embarrassment than irritation, and he shrieked.
"Eeeeeewwww!"


Fin!