//------------------------------// // Dragonfly: The Ceremony // Story: Spyro: The Dragon Trio of Avalar // by Blackdrag-rose //------------------------------// Spyro, Cynder, Spike, and Ember found that the days leading up to their fourteenth birthday, which was also going to be the day the hatchlings finally received their dragonflies at long last, were a little hectic and that most of their focus was on helping Nestor and the others move items over to the portal that would take them to the area that they would be holding the Dragonfly Ceremony in, since it appeared that the adults didn't want to ruin the surprise for all of them and their friends, as none of them were allowed to go through the portal, at least for now. Spyro, Cynder, and Ember were just fine with that, since they could turn their attention to making sure everything was quickly moved over to the portal that the adults were using, meaning they would be able to get whatever they were working on done without ruining the surprise for the group or the rest of the hatchlings that were wandering around the Artisans homeworld, even though Spike knew that there were some enchantments on the portal to keep the young ones safe and sound on this side. Of course, at the same time, Spike also had the feeling that Nestor and the other Leaders might have discovered something new, a brand new island of some kind, and that they wanted to surprise the group with its existence when the ceremony happened, where he was hoping he was right about the matter and that there was a new island for them to explore, once the hatchlings were pared up with their dragonflies and the ceremony was over. They weren't alone in helping the adults move items between parts of the Artisans homeworld and the area the portal rested in, as Hunter, Bianca, Elora, Sol, and even Amelia joined them and gave them a helping hand, meaning they could wrap up what they were doing and simply relax until they were needed again, as there was a chance that someone might need their help with something again and they wanted to be ready for when that happened. Of course there were a few days where the group stopped what they were going and trained with Malefor, that much didn't change even though they were getting close to the day of the Dragonfly Ceremony, though Spike was interested in what the first purple dragon had to teach them, just like his siblings and Cynder were eager for what else he might have to show them, so they could keep their minds off the ceremony and their thoughts on whether or not they would have yet another villain to deal with when their next birthday happened. "So, out of curiosity, what's supposed to happen during the ceremony?" Bianca asked, as she waited for a time when the group wasn't doing anything, as in they were resting between helping the adults and training with Malefor, to ask the question that had been on her mind since she learned about the rather important ceremony that the dragons held after the Year of the Dragon Festival, even though this time it appeared that it was happening two years after the eggs had hatched, which might be different from what usually happened. "To be perfectly honest, not much actually happens during this event," Spike replied, as he was the one with all the knowledge on the matter, even though Spyro, Cynder, and Ember had learned a little about it since learning what Nestor and the others were doing right now, hence the reason he took a moment to think about what to tell Bianca as they rested for a time, "basically, think of it as a massive birthday party for the hatchlings, with cake, presents, and everything else that a party has, and during the party the magic that's in the air will allow the dragonflies to find their partners, allowing the bond between them to form." "Did you guys go through this when you got your dragonflies?" Cynder asked, because she had no idea what Spyro and his siblings had done when they gained Sparx, Talon, and Cinder with an 'I' all those years ago, either due to all three of them keeping it secret or nothing major happened during that time period, though right now, thanks to Bianca asking the first question, she figured that this was the perfect time for her to see if the siblings went through the ceremony that was going to be held in the near future. "No, we didn't have a grand ceremony when we met our dragonflies," Spyro answered, due to the fact that he recalled what happened that day rather well, even though he could see that Spike wasn't annoyed by him jumping in during his explanation of what was going on and what they had done in the past, before he considered what to tell Cynder and the others, since none of them really knew how the three of them first met their dragonflies, "I think, since there were only the three of us fourteen years ago, that there was no need to hold such a massive ceremony, so Nestor and the others just brought our dragonflies to the area we were in and after some time our bonds were formed, even though we did have to learn how to trust our partners thanks to some of Nestor's training." "So it all depends on how many hatchlings there are," Elora commented, because from what she and the others had discovered, and they were no longer surprised by this information, Spyro, Spike, and Ember were the only dragons that had hatched during their Year of the Dragon Festival, so that meant the massive festival they had witnessed, which Cynder only heard about thanks to the stories everyone told her about, didn't happen either, allowing her, Hunter, and Bianca, at the very least, to understand something about the dragons of the Dragon Realms, that the number of hatchlings had an effect on the various celebrations that occurred in their lands. "That's correct, and with one hundred and fifty-one hatchlings being there, well, a grand party will be held before all of them are paired up with their partners," Spike stated, showing everyone that Elora was correct and that they actually understood what he and the others were telling them at the moment, but even as he thought about that he knew that something was going to happen when the ceremony started, if what they had seen during their last couple of birthdays was anything to go by, even if the others were hoping for nothing happening this time around, before he shrugged for a moment as he pulled out a new journal and tapped it, "also, just remember that this ceremony will be record breaking as well, since the last Year of the Dragon Festival shattered our records on how many eggs can be delivered at one time, so I'll be ready for whatever happens when the ceremony starts." That statement made the rest of the group chuckle for a few moments, as they knew that Spike would be eager to see what happened during the ceremony so he could write it down for the later generations, while at the same time he had his journal ready in case he was right and another adventure started at some point during the party, something the rest of the group could do without since they'd like one year without having to run off and save the day, even though they would no doubt spring into action if something happened, before they went back to what they were doing, as in the four dragons training with Malefor while the others watched and observed everything they did. In addition to all of that the group also showed their friends the house that they had been living in since the day Nestor informed them that it was complete, as they knew that Hunter, Elora, and Bianca were interested in whether or not they would have moved into an actual house at some point and decided that it was time for them to sate their curiosity on the matter, even though they would have to do the same thing with the rest of their friends from Avilion at some point as well. Sure enough everyone was surprised by what they were seeing, or at least everything that wasn't Spike's room or the library, as they expected those to be part of the house in the first place, though Cynder's hobby, just like what happened when the group explored the house on their own, was the biggest surprise, no doubt due to the fact that she was Malefor's daughter, though at this point Spyro and his siblings were fine with it and the others didn't make a big deal about it, which put a smile on Cynder's face. Of course that was the time that they noticed that there weren't any guest beds, which made sense due to the fact that the four lands of their world were connected by portals and if they did happen to have any guests over they could head home by using one of the portals, so a guest space was unnecessary, something that didn't bother their friends at all, because it gave them the option of sleeping on the ground or heading back to their own homes. One thing they did had to do was tend to the hatchlings that were in the Artisans lands, who knew that their second birthday was coming up and that Nestor had something big planned for all of them, not to mention all of the other young dragons that called the Dragon Realms home, though for the most part it appeared that they were willing to listen to what Spyro, Cynder, Spike, and Ember had to say, allowing them to calm them down and get them ready for the big day, due to the fact that bonding with a dragonfly was important for all of them, though everyone had the feeling that once things got started there would be no calming the hatchlings down. That gave Nestor and the other adults the time they needed to get certain things delivered to whatever was on the other side of the portal they were using, where the group knew they had to be the presents that would be given out to the hatchlings once they were bonded with their dragonflies, since this was also a birthday party in a sense, though by keeping the young ones distracted Spyro, Cynder, Spike, and Ember were able to keep them distracted and make them guess what sort of gifts they might get. As far as they knew none of the hatchlings had shown any signs of what Artisans skill they were the most interested in, like being scholars, painters, sculptors, and everything else the siblings had seen over the years, though Cynder realized that it was only a matter of time until those skills rose to the surface and the hatchlings started their training in whatever field called for them, just like what the rest of the clans would be doing in the near future. Seeing how excited the hatchlings were did make the siblings wonder if they would have acted the same way, had there been more than just the three of them since the moment they hatched, but it was impossible to tell at this point in time and that lead to them making sure the young ones stayed calm as they waited for the day of the ceremony to being, which would be when they were set free to have fun, talk with their friends from the other lands of the Dragon Realms, and do whatever they wanted before the dragonflies were brought out. Another thing they discovered was that Hunter, Amelia, Elora, and Bianca, at the very least, would be joining them so they could witness the ceremony for themselves, due to the fact that this was the first time that anyone that wasn't from the Dragon Realms could witness such a thing and have it written down so the future generations could know what they had seen when the party started, where Spyro, Cynder, Spike, Ember, and the rest of the dragons were happy to have them join them and witness what was going to happen when the big day arrived at last. When the day of the ceremony arrived Spyro, Cynder, Spike, and Ember rose as soon as the sun did, made sure everyone had everything they needed, with Spike leaving Akilesh behind since he could summon it in seconds if he needed it, and then headed out for the central hub area for the Artisans homeworld, where they would be meeting Nestor, the rest of the Artisans dragons, and the hatchlings that lived in this land, along with their friends, who had been told what time to arrive the last time they had seen them, which was yesterday afternoon. With it being their fourteenth birthday, where none of them were actually expecting gifts since today was all about the hatchlings and their dragonflies, the group set aside the thoughts on what they had planned for the rest of the day, as once the ceremony was over they wanted to head back to Dragon Shores and relax for a few hours, and came to a stop the moment they reached the area that Nestor and the rest of their group happened to be waiting in, where it was easy to see all of the excited hatchlings that were waiting to leave the Artisans homeworld and head to wherever the ceremony would be happening. Sure enough Hunter, Amelia, Elora, and Bianca were waiting nearby as well, showing that they had listened to what Nestor had told them, got a decent amount of sleep, and arrived before the hatchlings would be ready to leave for the area that they would be spending the rest of the day in, hence the reason that the group walked over to where the others were standing and came to a stop, even though they knew they would be moving soon enough. Nestor didn't have much to say, which was a first even though the group knew that trying to speak to twenty-six excited hatchlings at the same time, as they were the lucky ones that got the twins that had been rescued from Morrigan's treasury, when the siblings confronted her for the second time, was impossible, so what he ended up doing was turning towards the area the rest of the portals rested in and beckoned for the hatchlings to follow after him, where the group helped the rest of the adult dragons make sure the hatchlings followed Nestor as they wondered what was on the other side of the portal they were heading towards. After they walked through the portal in question, however, the group found themselves in a marble hallway that made all of them think that they had been moved to another part of the Artisans lands, since none of the siblings recognized the area that happened to be around them, though Nestor kept moving and revealed that they were in a large castle, because of the large atrium that he lead the group to not even a few moments later, though it was around that time that he opened a large wooden door, much like the one that rested in the Artisans homeworld, and revealed the area that the ceremony was going to be held in. It appeared that they were in an area that was mostly flat, with some steps cut into the stone walls that surrounded the part of the realm Nestor had lead them to, which just so happened to have a lush green field off to their left and some of it was even in front of them, while to their right seemed to be a hill that lead to another part of the new realm they had discovered, though it was the area that was in front of them that held their attention, due to all of the stone tables that were scattered around the front of the castle, where it was easy to see that each of them had party items and whole cakes resting on them, and that was just the start of everything. There were presents scattered around the area they were in, six sets based on the different wrapping that each clan used whenever they wrapped gifts, there was a lone waterfall off to their right, one that seemed to end in a pond that probably fed back into wherever the water was coming from, and they could see a few dragons standing around the edge of the area, readying fireworks so that when the rest of the group arrived they could set them off and celebrate the special day that had arrived at long last. It was in that moment that they discovered that there were a number of balloons, like the type that someone would normally see when a parade moved through an area, or at least that was what Elora told them about some of the couple of celebrations that Avalar had in the past, resting in the air and the dragons had done a grand job of replicating some of the individuals the siblings had seen in the past, either as allies or their enemies, as there was one for Agent 9, Sgt. Byrd, Sheila, Bentley, Sol, and a few small ones that looked like real life replicas of the Guardians of Warfang, while the enemies happened to be the villains, a decent sized Gnasty Gnorc, a small Ripto, a less menacing Gaul so they didn't scare the hatchlings, even if the Ape's likeness was almost lifelike, and a large one that happened to look like Morrigan. "All right Morrigan," Hunter stated, where the siblings had to resist the urge to chuckle at what happened next, as it looked like their friend was totally fooled by the balloon version of the third villain they had taken care of, due to the fact that he had whipped out his bow and knocked an arrow in a matter of seconds, one that was pointed right at the balloon he was focused on at the moment, "I don't know how in the world you freed yourself from that crystalline statue Spike put you in, without any of us noticing until now, but put your arms up and don't move!" "Hunter, you do know that what you're aiming at is just a balloon made in her likeness, right?" Bianca asked, because while it was funny to see Hunter immediately aim at the magic user that tried to steal the dragon eggs and use them as a way to empower herself so she could take out Malefor, something she knew to be impossible based on what happened during the first purple dragon's training sessions with the siblings and Cynder, she was a little worried that he might start jumping at shadows or anything that had Morrigan's likeness. "Well... maybe?" Hunter remarked, where he pulled his arrow back and put his weaponry away, something that was followed by him rubbing the back of his head for a moment, to show that he was embarrassed by what he had done and wondered how the hatchlings would react to his actions, especially since they were Artisans and were the most peaceful dragons in the entire world, before he faced Bianca again, "You know, I have to admit something, the dragons did a great job replicating her likeness, as I was totally fooled the moment I laid eyes on it." "I'll give you points for being honest, Hunter." Bianca said, though at the same time she smiled for a moment as she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips, because it was nice to see that, even though he had been fooled by the likeness of the balloon he had focused on, he was willing to face the one that had ruined her life and the lives of those that lived in Avilion, even though she was locked away inside the crystalline statue Spike had created and there was little chance of her being saved from her well deserved fate. Spyro, Cynder, Spike, Ember, Elora, and Amelia chuckled for a few seconds, while at the same time the hatchlings that were behind them cheered for Hunter like he was someone they wanted to learn more about or something, which most of the group knew was possible thanks to what Spike had recorded in the past, though as that happened Nestor moved them out of the passage that they were standing in and directed them to the tables that were scattered around the area that was in front of the castle. While they did that, and it was easy to see that the Peace Keepers and the rest of the clans were making their way through the large castle, which seemed to be in the middle of the entire realm that Nestor had brought all of them to, Spike finally noticed that Elora chose not to wear her armor this time around, rather she was wearing the suit she had worn under the metallic armor and carried a case with her, one that made him and the others wonder what was so special about it. "I'm not wearing my armor since this is a special day and we're not anticipating anything happening," Elora said, which showed the group that she noticed what was going on and that she spotted the glances that were being sent her way as the rest of the dragons and the hatchlings joined the Artisans, before she held out the case she was carrying, due to the fact that she knew that all of them would be interested in what she was holding, "though the Professor made a new set of armor for me, the Mark V to be exact, and he's been experimenting on new ways for me to put them on, as this version rests inside a briefcase and will come out when I need it." That interested the group, because they weren't expecting Elora to have something like that or the Professor to even make such a suit of armor, even though it proved that he was continuing his research into the types of metal that were in their world and was no doubt working his way towards tungsten, one of the strongest base metals in their world, meaning there would be no end to what sort of armors he might produce in the future, which would allow Elora, and those that might follow in her hooves when she decided to retire, to withstand everything that their enemies sent at them, before they turned their attention to what was going on at the moment. It wasn't long before the rest of the dragon clans arrived in the area in front of the castle and the Leaders stood near each other for a moment as they got things started, where the hatchlings burst into action and started playing with the provided items that had been brought to the party, showing the siblings, Cynder, and their friends that they had learned some useful things from watching the siblings over the years and were applying those lessons to the next generation of hatchlings. Not only was it interesting to see the hatchlings playing with each other, as in the fact that they were having fun and running around with the various toys that had been brought to this area, where it was clear many of them were starting to form friendships as they had fun, though their excitement rose when the presents were passed out, one per hatchling to be exact, where the group found that there were wooden weapons, small magical orbs, books containing magical knowledge or just plain reading material, wrenches and other tools, and a number of other things that belonged to the dragon clans, though none of the items that the group saw were the type that would force someone to follow the path they normally represented. That was due to the fact that none of the Leaders wanted to force the hatchlings to chose a path in life right now, as that usually happened when they were older, like around four years old for example, though it was clear that none of the hatchlings were even thinking about that as they enjoyed themselves and the various items that had been gifted to them, including what the others got, but it was rather nice to see one hundred and fifty-one hatchlings enjoying themselves and playing games with what the adults had set up ahead of time. Of course Hunter, Amelia, Elora, and Bianca joined the hatchlings and showed them how to play some of the games that had been set up, while the siblings and Cynder focused on making sure everyone was safe and enjoyed their special day, though that was before some of the young ones roped the four of them into the celebration, wanting to include their idols in what was going on and not make them spend the rest of the day just standing there, doing nothing while they and the rest of the hatchlings enjoyed their day, to which they sighed and joined in on the fun. There was apple bobbing, some dart spitting games, a few games where one could grab a plastic ring and toss it towards some bottles that had been set up in a triangle formation, much like bowling, and a few other games that the hatchlings seemed to be having fun with, something that brought a smile to the faces of the Leaders and the rest of the adult dragons, who had put a lot of time and effort into making this possible. Of course there were a few hatchlings that asked who some of the balloons were, not that such a thing bothered the siblings since the young ones didn't know much about their friends and what happened over the last couple of years, so the group took turns telling the next generations about the villains they had faced, or at least just their names and who they were, since going into detail for some of them would have ruined the mood, but as that happened Cosmos walked over to where Spike was standing and handed him a tome, a new Guidebook that went to the island that they were currently visiting and the realms that were connected to it, meaning their earlier assumptions on what this place was were actually incorrect for once. It was then that Spike learned that this island was known as Castle Hills, it was located to the north of the Artisans homeworld, two hours by flight based on what was inside the book, so that meant that there could be a seventh homeworld for the dragons to call home, before discovering that there were eight realms for them to explore at some point in the future, once the Dragonfly Ceremony was over anyway, where the book said that the realms were called Dragonfly Dojo, Crop Circle Country, Luau Island, Cloud 9, Monkey Monastery, Honey Marsh, Thieves Den, and Jurassic Jungle, all of which interested him and the rest of the group when he showed them what was inside the new Guidebook. It wasn't long before the main event happened, where Nestor and the other Leaders stood to the side for a moment and a swarm of dragonflies, one hundred and fifty-one to be exact, emerged from the castle that would take them back to the rest of the Dragon Realms, where Spyro, Spike, Ember, and the rest of their group moved to the side for a moment and watched as the vast number of dragonflies took to the air and flew around the area that they were in, though not a few seconds later the swarm started to break apart, where the group and the adults raised their eyebrows for a moment as the first hatchlings to receive their dragonfly partners were the twins, Yin and Yang. That told the group that the twins were likely destined for some sort of greatness, or at least that was their assumption based on what was happening, but even as that happened the rest of the swarm of dragonflies dispersed and followed the bits of magic that were in the air, where they were able to find the hatchlings that would be their partner and friend for the foreseeable future, something that brought a smile to the faces of the young dragons. The dragonflies themselves seemed happy as well, as most of them settled on top of the heads of their new friends, sort of like what Sparx, Talon, and Cinder did over the years, which showed the group that everyone seemed to be enjoying the day and was followed by Alvar stepping out and cutting the various cakes into slices for the young dragons, while at the same time the adults held cups so they could cheer for what was going on at the moment, as this was a successful Dragonfly Ceremony and they deserved some time off, especially the group that had saved the lands of the world from harm. Spyro, Spike, and Ember, at the very least, were happy for a day off and happened to be enjoying what was going on at the moment, especially since it appeared that Sparx, Talon, and Cinder were the idols of the rest of the dragonflies, given the fact that it appeared that some of them were in the middle of asking their seniors what they did to protect their dragon companions, which caused the group to chuckle as they turned their attention to the rest of the ceremony and the celebration that would be going on for another hour or two, before the adults decided that it was time to send everyone back to the lands they called home. Around thirty minutes later, however, Spike pulled himself out of the new book he was reading as he felt a surge of magic in the air, one that was somewhat familiar to them and wasn't any of the dragons from Warfang or the islands that rested near Doxantha, which was when Cosmos noticed what he was doing and called for everyone to lower their voices for a few seconds, something that was followed by a flare of magical energies as a circular metallic portal opened up in the flat plains area that was a level below where they were celebrating... though a few seconds later, when the portal finally stabilized, Ripto, in all his glory, appeared in the center and stepped out, followed by Crush and Gulp, where the dinosaurs seemed to be wearing black metallic collars around their necks and seemed rather docile, while Ripto himself had a brand new scepter to cast his magic with. "So we meet again, Ripto," Spyro commented, where he, Cynder, Spike, Ember, Hunter, Amelia, Elora, and Bianca took a moment to separate themselves from the rest of the group so they could stand at the edge of the area the party was currently being held in, putting themselves between the villain that had shown up and the hatchlings that were standing behind them, who happened to be interested in what was going on and had to be watched over by the adults, allowing the group to give Ripto their full attention, "What do you want this time, to conquer the Dragon Realms, or maybe one of the other lands that make up our world? And how in the world did you find this island in the first place?" "How I got here is not important," Ripto stated, where he immediately climbed up on Gulp, just like he had done the last time the majority of the group had seen this individual, though Spike and Bianca glanced at each other for a second or two, as they knew that Ripto might have found the coordinates for the Dragon Realms, much like how Morrigan did when she tried to steal the dragon eggs two years ago, before they focused on the returning villain that was in front of them and the minions he was mind controlling, since those were what the collars had to be, "rather, what is important is the fact that I'm here to get my revenge on you, your siblings, and the dra..." As Ripto was about to utter the word 'dragons', and show that he still didn't like them, he froze as soon as he saw the two hundred dragons that were gathered in front of the castle, which was counting all of the hatchlings, the group, and the adults in that number, which was perfectly fine with the group, as they knew Ripto had trouble with just three of them, so adding Cynder meant that it would be impossible for him to outright beat them, especially with all the training they had done since the end of their last adventure. "Wh... Where in the world did you get so many dragons? And who are you?" Ripto asked, the first question meant that he had no idea about the Year of the Dragon Festival and the fact that the dragon eggs hatched during that time period, to bring new life into the world, while the second was directed towards Cynder by the looks he was giving off, which did make some sense due to the fact that this was the first time he had seen her and had no idea who she was, though it was also clear that he might be rethinking his plans for revenge, given the number of dragons that were in front of him, and that wasn't counting Elora and the others, who were standing next to the heroes of the four lands. "The Year of the Dragon Festival happened two years ago, which was when the eggs hatched," Cynder replied, though while it was interesting for her to be meeting Ripto, especially after all the stories she had heard about him and what he had done to the residents of Avalar, she had to admit that he didn't seem anywhere near as dangerous as Gaul and all of his allies were, so she had the feeling that they would be able to take him down once they faced him, before she took a moment to consider the second question the villain had asked, "and I am Cynder, a former resident of Doxantha, where the majority of the dragons moved to after they were banished from their home land, a land called Avilion that Spyro, his siblings, and their friends liberated from Morrigan, who titled herself as 'the Sorceress'." "And by 'fiends' I'm assuming that you're referring to the scaredy-cat and the useless faun that are standing next to you at the moment?" Ripto inquired, though at the same time he chuckled for a moment, almost as if he found something funny about what he had said, no doubt thinking about what happened when he was accidentally brought to Avalar and bombed the area that Elora, Hunter, and the Professor had been in so he could get the crystal that would have been put inside the portal they were working on, where his chuckling had to come from the fact that they sighed away from him and let the siblings deal with him. "Yeah, she's referring to us, and you'll find that this 'scaredy-cat' isn't afraid of you anymore," Hunter stated, where he drew his blades and held them at the ready, showing that he had matured since the last time Ripto had seen him and that he was no longer the wuss he had been, someone who was to scared to raise his hand towards someone like Ripto and the other villains they had faced in the past, rather he was a warrior that was ready for battle and he was hoping the small villain came down to where they were standing so he could lash out at him. "And I'm far from 'useless' these days," Elora added, though that was when one of the Machinists dragons, who she had entrusted the briefcase she had been carrying earlier to, slid the case over to where they were standing and she took a moment to use her hooves to stop it, before stepping onto part of it to open it up and reveal two gloves waiting for her as the rest of it resembled a chest piece of some kind, where she gripped the inside of the gauntlets and brought the rest of it up to her chest, which was when she pulled her arms apart and the chest piece expanded until her arms, legs, body, and head were covered in the familiar suit of armor that she wore, only this version was designed to be carried in a small container and unfold whenever she needed it, something that was followed by her assuming a battle stance as she stared at Ripto once everything was said and done. "So, you were ready for something to happen," Ripto growled, showing that he was annoyed by what he was seeing at the moment as he waved his scepter for a moment, where he was either thinking about what he was going to do next or he was readying it for whatever spell he had in mind to get things started, something that Spike focused on since he knew their foe was going to do something in the next few moments, before he faced all of them again, "still, I figured out a very interesting weakness since the last time we fought... say goodbye to your dragonflies!" In that moment Spike and Bianca, sensing that something was coming their way, quickly threw up a wall of magic that covered them, the adults, the hatchlings, and the dragonflies from what Ripto was doing, though that was followed by the returning villain laughing for a moment as he and his minions returned to the portal, where they traveled through it and left the area that the others were in, though when the magic was done the pair lowered their barrier and glanced around the area they were in, something that was followed by Spyro jumping into actions. "Nestor, you and the others need to tend to the hatchlings and make sure everyone is accounted for," Spyro stated, as he was used to taking the leadership role the moment something like this happened, just like what occurred when they had to defend the world from Gaul and his dark alliance, before he glanced at the rest of the group for a few seconds, due to the fact that they all knew a new adventure had started on their birthday, "Let's make sure everything is alright before we do anything else, especially since Ripto was targeting the dragonflies and no one else." The rest of the group nodded for a moment as they branched out to see what the damage was, even though some of the hatchlings were excited by what had happened and were eager to witness everything that happened next, though he hoped that none of the dragonflies had been displaced by the spell and that they could just break open the portal Ripto had used so they could track him down and then beat him once and for all, despite the fact that he had the feeling that nothing would change and that they would have to assist the realms that were connected to Castle Hills before they were able to challenge Ripto, but he would have to wait and see what the others said when they regrouped in the next couple of minutes, before discovering what they needed to do for this new adventure.