"Cynder!!" Spyro cried with surprise, "What are you doing here?"
Cynder grinned that mysterious yet alluring grin of hers, "Did you think you'd be able to sneak away from me without me noticing?"
"It wasn't that hard to find you either, after traveling with you this long, I should know your scent by now."
Spyro couldn't help but blush, and for a moment, the two young dragons absorbed themselves in each other's gazes.
However, the moment was interrupted when something twinged against his mind.
Hello there young ones...
Spyro nearly jumped out of his scales in shock, before gathering his wits and frantically gazing around for where the voice had come from.
"Spyro look!! That dragon statue!! Its alive!!" cried Cynder.
Spyro switched his gaze back toward the dragon statue he had observed earlier. It had emerged from its perch, resembling the dragon statue back at the temple, looking proud, ancient and powerful, its eyes glowing golden. He figured that he shouldn't be too surprised; if the statue could already change its form to resemble any dragon, then he supposed that it being able to speak telepathically and move. He wondered what he should say to it....
"I...umm.... sorry if we intruded here unannounced," apologized Spyro, shifting his gaze downwards, remembering how he had originally intended to go treasure hunting, "We didn't mean to disturb you or anything."
On the contrary, I am glad that you two came. In fact, this city would not be here today were it not for your efforts... responded the statue.
"Oh wow... it really wasn't anything really..." answered Spyro, feeling a bit awkward at the gushing praise.
"What is this place anyhow?" asked Cynder.
The statue rounded its gaze on Cynder, and its golden gaze seemed to darken for a moment, before it seemed to shift away its gaze.
Why, this was once the great city of Vanguard!! Unmatched in its power, its legacy and wisdom. I was the Protector of Vanguard, watching over countless generations of dragons throughout its glorious history!! said the statue, in fond remembrance. A vision flashed in Spyro's mind, as he imagined it filled with dragons and bustling with activity, however, he knew there was a darker part of the story.
"But I never knew about such a place until now. What happened to Vanguard and all the dragons that lived here?" asked Spyro.
The Protector's gaze grew dark for moment. It was destroyed, its existance sundered to another dimension, its people likewise exiled... Not only Vanguard but other lands and countless peoples throughout the Dragon Realms during those dark times
Spyro feared it would be something like that, "Was it the Dark Master?"
Yes... said the Protector, However, the individual who brought forth its destruction is the dragoness standing right next to you...
Spyro blanched, instinctively switching her gaze toward Cynder, who looked ready to implode with shock and despair. "I...I..." she stammered, as if trying to quash a horrifying nightmare.
"She wasn't responsible for what she did back then!! You've definitely have to know that!! She was being controlled by Malefor!!" he shot back, wings unfurled. Holy Protector or not, he wasn't going to let anyone make these kind of accusations about Cynder. However, he didn't want to unnecearrily anger the Protector either, so he took a deep breath to calm himself down.
"If it wasn't for Cynder, I'd never would have been able to defeat the Dark Master... and..."
"Spyro..." said Cynder, holding out a wing, and then stepping forward to confront the Protector.
"I won't shirk my responsibility toward what happened to Vanguard, or all the pain and agony I have caused in those days. Nothing can change what has happened, and if the Ancestors decide I should never be forgiven for what I have done and that my name should be cursed for all eternity, so be it. Even so, I shall put for my best effort to atone for what I have done, even if in the end, it proves to be futile, but I have accepting this about myself, and bear it willingly..."
Spyro stood there gaping with awe at Cynder's resolve. Before, such an accusation would have tormented her and crushed her spiritually, yet now it seemed as if she had accepted who she was and what she had been.
Is that so then Cynder? I admire your determination, and see that you are sincere in your sentiments.
"You said earlier, how all the dragons were exiled, just like Vanguard was. Well, the city is back but its inhabitants aren't? Where are they?" asked Spyro.
When the Dark Master's forces came, The Guardians used the City's Portal to transport its inhabitants to another dimension, away from harms way. Though many still died, a good number of the original inhabitants managed to escape through the City's Portal, and afterwards the Guardians sealed them to prevent the Dark Master's forces from following. Thus, the dragons of Vanguard have remained relatively safe, but while the city itself has returned the portal itself remains closed.
Spyro nodded. The fate of the dragons had question that had been bugging Spyro for a long time, and the Protector's explanation of the portals was as credible a circumstance as any. He had feared that they had all been killed, as the only dragons Spyro had known in his life had been the Guardians and Cynder, and that having so few dragons in the world would have been fairly lonely. So of course, there was only one thing that could be done.
"So, you want us to reactivate the portal is that right?" said Spyro.
That is correct. I would go so far as to say that you two are the only ones who can... Yet I warn you, it will not be an easy task, and there will be many obstacles and challenges standing before you. said the Protector.
He thought about the sudden propostion put forth by the Protector. So soon after defeating the Dark Master, he and Cynder were called upon to save the Dragon Realms. After thinking it through for a while, he decided