Once Elora was ready to depart from the area that Ripto's portal had lead them to, and they had fought their foe in, Spike gathered his magic and let it wrap around the area he, his siblings, and the others were standing in, and that included both Crush and Gulp, since they had been taken from the part of Avalar they had called home and forced to do Ripto's bidding in his bid to take out the dragonflies, even though that plan had been doomed to failure since the moment he put it in motion, especially given what the group had done in the past. From what the group knew the two large dinosaurs would be taken back to the areas of Avalar that they had been in before Ripto showed up, no doubt returning to whatever they had been doing before they had been kidnapped, something none of them really wanted to think about since they knew it should be hard for even one of the dinosaurs to be taken against their will and meant that the collars must have been applied before Ripto had them follow him out of the realms he had taken them from, and it seemed like Crush and Gulp were excited to be heading back home. In addition to all of that Spike made sure to wrap his magic around the jade statue that was resting nearby, while at the same time making sure to avoid applying too much magic to Ripto's prison, because he knew what had happened to Moneybags and the damage that had been caused to his mind, so it was better to avoid repeating that, in the off chance that one of the adult dragons wanted to interrogate Ripto and figure out if there was anything else he might have to share with them about how he discovered Castle Hills and how he learned about the celebration he had interrupted, due to the fact that Cynder wasn't convinced that what he had told them was the truth and that there was more he could tell them after some questioning.
The moment Spike knew everyone was ready, especially Elora given what had happened to be, he cast the spell he had been preparing and teleported all of them out of the volcanic area that they had faced Ripto in, as in they disappeared from the platform and the rock wall they had been standing on and quickly reappeared near the portal that let them head to the realm Ripto had prepared for his battle with them, where Crush and Gulp blinked as they stared at the area that was around them, showing that they were somewhat confused by what was going on, before Ripto's statue appeared near the group, who focused on walking over to the castle. Based on what the group could see it appeared that Spike's spell had worked, not that they were expecting anything less given everything he had done in the past, as everything that had been inside the volcanic area had been transported to this part of Castle Hills, or at least everyone that had been in the small realm in question, so they didn't have to worry about leaving anyone behind as they left the pair of dinosaurs, who seemed confused as to what the two of them were supposed to do next. After making sure the dinosaurs were fine the group carefully walked towards the castle that was in front of them, mostly due to the fact that Spike was supporting Elora to the best of his ability while the others gave him some aid every now and then, which was because Elora was getting used to walking with dragon claws and not her hooves, especially with the weight of her new tail and her wings, since it really threw off her balance, though none of them were going to complain about helping her out. As they approached the castle, however, Nestor and the others noticed the five of them coming and raised to meet them, especially after seeing that Crush and Gulp had been brought back with Ripto's statue, though that was when Hunter and Bianca paused as they noticed what had happened to Elora, something that caused them to run over to where the group was walking and helped Spike out, by taking Elora's arms and putting them around their necks.
It was clear that, while everyone was pleased by Ripto's defeat and the fact that they could resume the celebration that had been interrupted, all of them were shocked by what had happened to Elora, meaning all of the adults would be waiting for the group to tell them what had occurred during their fight with their uninvited guest, even though the majority of what happened during this adventure would be learned when they read the new book that Spike had to be working on, just like what happened in the past, despite the fact that he would tell them about the final battle they had with Ripto, so he could explain what happened with Elora.
"Guys, what happened?" Bianca asked, though she made sure to ask the question when they reached the front of the main castle and let Elora sit down on the step that lead inside the structure, but what was interesting was that all of the hatchlings were having a blast as the majority of the adult dragons escorted them out into the area so they could resume having fun, almost like Ripto's arrival was a thing of the past, which was good for them, before she focused on what she had asked and was hoping the group could tell her, Hunter, and the Leaders what had happened.
"We fought Ripto in a volcanic realm, one that seemed more like he created it than it being a real place that exists in our world, somewhere," Spike replied, informing the others as to his thoughts on the area that they had faced Ripto in and why he felt that way, even if this was mostly to give Nestor and the Leaders some context as to what happened after they headed through the portal Bianca and the others had breached, even though he was focused on studying the magic that had hit Elora and changed her form, while also drawing out the scepter he had taken from their foe, just so Cosmos and the others could see it, "though while we were doing that we forced Ripto into a corner and he used the power that rests inside this scepter to turn himself into a caveman version of himself, who stood as tall as Crush and seemed to have some of Gulp's armor, even though he also turned his intelligence into sheer magical power, so much so that his magic became more wild and unrefined... something that has me convinced that this is the Scepter of Unnatural Power, one of the lost scepters that the archives speak of. The collision of his wild magic and my refined magic caused the arena to shake, crack, and even caused spikes to erupt from the lava, where I had to focus all of my attention on keeping the collisions between our magic to a minimum before I even attempted to draw out his power and return him to his original form, and while I did that Ripto took the opportunity to hit Elora with a few desperate spells... I'm sure he had no idea which spells he was using when he was in his transformed state."
"The Scepter of Unnatural Power, also called the Scepter of Gigantification for its power to turn individuals, regardless of who they are, into larger versions of themselves," Cosmos commented, showing the rest of the group that he did know what Spike was talking about, which made sense considering that he had read the same material that Spike had looked at over the years, though as he said that he used his magic to lift the scepter up and studied it, no doubt trying to figure out something about the magical artifact, something that would have to wait as he glanced at the group and focused on Elora again, "in terms of all the scepters that are out there in the world, those that we know about, its a dual-edged blade, as its both beneficial and damaging to the user since it turns one's intelligence into pure power, which can be physical, magical, or even both if the user is skilled enough, and, based on what you've said, it seems like Ripto was willing to sacrifice all of his intelligence to destroy you."
"Well, he certainly tried to break us," Ember remarked, recalling what they had seen during the battle with Ripto, both in the early stages of the battle and when he gambled on the full power of the scepter, though she had to admit that it was a good thing that the scepter was in their claws, since it would allow the magic users to better understand it, provided this sort of thing didn't happen again, before she glanced over to Elora, who had been silent since they got back to the castle and let her sit down for a time, "but I'm not entirely sure how the scepter fits into what happened to Elora... meaning I either missed something, or you need to explain it in simpler terms."
"The scepter turned Ripto's normally refined magic into a vast amount of wild magic, almost chaotic when one thinks about the modifications," Spike stated, as he had been expecting someone to say something about this before they got back to the celebration and he had been thinking about it since the moment the change had happened, even though he had to admit that what he knew might not calm Elora, "from what I can tell, while Ripto had no idea what spell he cast or what it could do, which is a consequence of the scepter in question, the magic that struck Elora and changed her body into its new hybrid state left a small trace of the magic behind. Now, based on all the magical knowledge I have gained over the years, I can tell that there are three outcomes in the next couple of days: the first being that the magic will wear off in due time and return your body to what it used to be, even if it will be somewhat painful in the event that this happens, while the second outcome will be that you will be stuck in this hybrid state for the rest of your life..."
Spyro and Ember, who were more familiar with Spike and his mannerisms, especially when he talked about a subject that he was interested in, realized that he had paused when coming to the third outcome and that he either needed some time to come up with something to say or he didn't want to talk about what it could be, something they knew had to be bothering Elora, especially since it was her body that they were currently talking about, though before either of them could say anything, or before Cynder or the others could speak up, Elora shifted for a moment.
"Spike... what's the third outcome?" Elora asked, though as she said that she had the feeling that she knew what it was without being told, especially since the first was to return to her original faun appearance and the second was to remain in her new hybrid form, but hearing Spike say it would confirm it for her and the others, even though there was the chance that she might be wrong and the final outcome was something totally different from what she was thinking, even though she knew Spike well enough to have a good idea of what he had to be thinking about.
"The third outcome is that the magic doesn't fade away and the changes continue, only stopping when the spell runs its course and you're more like Nestor and the others, an adult dragon," Spike replied, where he noticed that Hunter was shocked by what he was hearing and that the rest of the group seemed to be silent as they thought about what he had just said, though he sighed as he sat near Elora and draped his right wing over her back, which was a little harder due to the fact that she had wings now, before he thought about something else he needed to say, "however, we won't be seeing any additional changes for a few days, so we'll be able to monitor the magic that affected your body and see what it might be doing in the near future. Also, Hunter, its going to be rather difficult for any of us to reverse the changes on our own, due to the fact that the only one who could reverse the spell, despite having no idea that he even cast it, is Ripto, and even if I undid part of his prison so we could talk to him, mostly the head and part of his neck, I'm certain that the only way he'd even agree to 'aid' us is so he could get his hands on his scepter and try to smash us while our guard is down, so we'll have to wait and see what the future has for us."
"Can't you use your Sage's Vision to peer into the future and see what it has to throw at us?" Cynder inquired, mostly due to the fact that she was curious if Spike could peer into what was going to happen in the next couple of days and see if he might be able to learn which of the outcomes would be the one Elora would be chasing, since that would give him an idea of what to expect and possibly overrule one of the terrible outcomes he and Elora would rather avoid, since she knew he'd tell Elora whatever he discovered, just to put her mind at ease or get her opinion on something.
"I'm afraid that I don't have your father's skill with this power," Spike admitted, which was the truth, despite the fact that he had been attempting to improve his ability to peer into the future and obtain a level of power that Malefor had, but at the same time he was mostly fine with that since it meant things didn't come easy to him, even though the same wasn't true for some of the other things he learned about, before he focused on what everyone was thinking about as he turned to face Elora again "however, based on everything that I know, I would have to say that there's a three percent chance of the third outcome even happening, while the other two have a near equal chance of happening, so I don't think we have to worry about any additional changes happening."
"I trust you Spike, and I'll let you and the others do the checkups you're thinking about." Elora said, showing that she did trust him, especially when she considered the fact that the other magic users looked up to the young Archmage, so if he said something they would likely bow their heads and go with it, before she pressed her new clawed legs against the ground and forced herself to stand, where she had to wave her arms for a few seconds to maintain her balance, which did trigger her tail to move as well, showing that Elora, despite the metallic versions of the limbs she now possessed, had no real control over things and that it would take her some time to get the hang of things.
"Don't worry, we'll help you get the hang of walking and, if we're able, flying like a true dragon." Titan declared, which showed them that he was willing to lend Elora some assistance in getting used to her new form, though as he said that he titled his head for a moment as the rest of the adult dragons escorted the hatchlings and dragonflies out into the area that was in front of the castle, something the group knew would be followed by the celebration resuming at long last, despite the fact that there was more for them to do before they could relax.
From that point forward the hatchlings and the dragonflies resumed what they had been doing before Ripto and both of his mind controlled minions had appeared nearby, where the adults picked up where they had been in letting the new pairings be formed between the dragonflies and the hatchlings that they would be guarding for the foreseeable future, just like how Spyro, Spike, and Ember had been paired with Sparx, Talon, and Cinder, though as that happened the group walked over to where the statue containing their uninvited guest rested. Spyro quickly came to a decision on what they should do with Ripto, as he felt that transporting him to where the other statues rested should be their priority, so Ripto could join Gnasty Gnorc and Morrigan in the area their statues were being kept in, though once that was decided he and the others turned towards the pair of dinosaurs that were resting near the portal that lead to the volcanic realm they had fought Ripto in, where Crush and Gulp seemed confused on what they were supposed to do, but before he could say what was on his mind Elora walked over to where they were standing, even if it was more like she stumbled forward while she headed for the area they were standing in. Fortunately Hunter walked beside her while Bianca stayed near them, so it was hard for her to actually fall on her face or anything given the support that Hunter was giving her, meaning that the three of them were able to walk over to the area that the group of dragons had walked over to, even though they had been trying to give Elora some space to get used to her changes, something that meant she was going to learn about her new changes while she did what she had done since they helped Avalar by taking down Ripto, though her focus was on Crush and Gulp, which did interest the group a tiny bit. The reason her focus was on the dinosaurs was because she had something that she needed to share with the group, that while Crush needed someone to boss him around, just like how they saw when he was following Ripto, Gulp was actually more intelligent and was someone that she and the others talked to, all so they could learn more about how he came to be in Ripto's service, something that interested Spike and made him question what she wanted to do with the pair, where they learned that she wanted to return them to the part of Avalar that they called home, before their former boss kidnapped them for this venture.
That seemed to excite Gulp, meaning that it likely did the same thing for Crush, so Spyro decided to let Elora do what she felt was best and walked over to where the others were standing, which was where she had Elora modify the circular portal that had taken them to Ripto's realm, though as she did that Spike joined her and manipulated the structure so that it was no longer resting on the ground, where someone could trip and fall into it, and put it against the nearby wall, while at the same time opening the way to the area that Elora was thinking about. Of course that meant Elora had to tell them about the area that she had mentioned and where in Avalar they might be able to find the realm in question, though as they did that Spike made sure to remember the magical coordinates of Ripto's arena, something he was tempted to call Volcanic Crater and, more importantly, see if he could find out where in the world it was located, since it might give them some information on who could have hired Ripto to attack their lands, if they believed what Cynder said. Truth be told he was of the opinion that Ripto, while being smart enough to get both of his minions back, obtain a new scepter, and stage an attack on the Dragon Realms, hadn't allied himself with someone who gave him the resources to stage the invasion that they had toppled over the last couple of hours, and he had the feeling that Ember, at the very least, had the same opinion on the matter, while Spyro was likely agreeing with Cynder, no doubt due to the fact that he knew her more than they did, thanks to the previous life they shared. One thing he was sure that all of them agreed on, and that was counting Hunter and even Bianca, who only learned about Ripto after joining their group, was that even if Ripto had been hired by another to attack them at this time he was likely the sort of person who wouldn't sell out whoever his partner was, nor would he tell any dragon or their allies about who his partner might be, so if someone wanted to weaken the Dragon Realms that individual was safe for the foreseeable future, until they figured out what was going on.
In the end Spike was able to open the portal back to the realm of Avalar that Elora had informed them about, even if he was assisting Bianca in what she was doing, and made sure it was large enough for Crush and Gulp to walk through, so they didn't have to duck at all, which was when Elora nodded her head and the pair of dinosaurs walked through it without wasting a second, leaving the group behind so they could return to what they had been doing before Ripto showed up and put those mind control collars around their necks.
"Ripto is captured, Crush and Gulp are no longer being mind controlled, the realms of Castle Hills have been saved from the forces that were bothering them, and the dragonflies have been saved," Nestor remarked, as he had walked over to the area Spyro and the others were standing in, as they were more focused on helping Bianca make sure the dinosaurs were sent back to the part of Avalar that they apparently called home, before he smiled as he glanced back at the area the celebration was being held in, "all of you are the greatest heroes of our world, and every adventure that you tackle just reinforces that idea in my mind. So tell me, what are you going to do once this celebration is over?"
"Well, we'll likely return to our training with Malefor," Spyro commented, as that seemed to be a wise thing to do, as it was probably all the skills they had developed or improved upon while they were facing the first purple dragon that had allowed them to tackle the challenges of this adventure, though while he said that Spike glanced at his satchel for a couple of seconds before returning his attention to the others, something that both reminded him of what else they needed to do and made him wonder if Spike had collected an item that he and the others had missed, "in addition to that I'm sure Spike will be studying the globe that's inside the Arcanaeum, since we found Doxantha and Warfang by discovering the Aether icon, though we'll all be helping Elora get used to her new form, when she's not busy with Titan and the Peace Keepers, but other than that I can't say what else we might do from this point forward. I mean at this point, after what we've seen since our first adventure and the defeat of Gnasty Gnorc, I'm almost convinced that another adventure will spring itself on us in one years time, when we turn fifteen and become adults at long last, despite the fact that I have no idea where we would even go for such a thing."
"Give me some time with the globe and I might be able to figure that out for you." Spike stated, because if his brother wanted another adventure in the future, which was likely going to happen around the time they turned fifteen, like how all of the others started around their previous birthdays, he was sure that he could find a way to make the time to study the globe that rested inside the Arcanaeum, especially since there was a chance that he could ask Malefor as to what else was on the surface of the magical globe the first purple dragon had created over a thousand years ago, though his statement caused the others to laugh for a few seconds, as they knew he'd do it in a heartbeat.
"If you do find another landmass to explore, like how you found Doxantha and the islands that we assisted, you can count on me coming to help you out," Hunter said, where Bianca nodded her head as well, showing the four dragons that they were more than willing to stop whatever they were doing and would rush to their side to overcome whatever evil or danger they encountered in the future, even though they had sat this adventure out so they could help Nestor and the other dragons with the hatchlings, not to mention breaching the magic of Ripto's portal, before Hunter noticed something that Spyro had noticed, "Oh, did you guys find anything else while you were exploring the realms of Castle Hills? I'm only asking due to the fact that Spike glanced at his satchel a few times."
"I, um, located something in the Thieves Den, when we were assisting the Thieves," Spike replied, though while he had been planning on telling the others about this at some point, after beating Ripto anyway, he wasn't expecting Hunter to notice that he was glancing at his satchel every now and then, before he pulled it open and used his magic to carefully draw out the sheathed blade he had discovered, something that caused the others to raise their eyebrows as they looked at the weapon he had found, "its a runeblade, the missing ninth blade that Malefor was said to have created, yet we didn't find it inside the Arcanaeum, despite the number of times that we investigated the chambers that are inside it, and based on what one of the Thieves said it was given to them for safekeeping, no doubt by the first purple dragon before Avilion was assaulted by Morrigan, where they let me take it with their gratitude. I think, based on the stories and legends, that this might be Almos, a weapon that is known as the Sword of Power, the Seeker of Dreams, and the Blade of Creation and Destruction, as in it represents the dual nature of the Aether, the power to create and destroy, but the only way to verify that this is the blade in question is to present it to Malefor and see what he has to say."
"I'm willing to bet its the weapon you're thinking about, given your knowledge," Bianca stated, because at this point in time she knew that there was a rather high chance that this was Almos, which was an odd name for a blade, even though she had gotten over the name Akilesh after spending some time with Spike and his group, so that meant she would get used to the name of this weapon in due time, but her statement informed them that if Spike felt that this blade was called Almos, and had a few titles that he named in rapid succession, then she trusted his judgement and there was no reason for them to second guess what he was saying.
"The Thieves likely let you take the weapon so that it might be returned to the one that gave it to them," Nestor said, as he had been silent as he listened to the group talk, speaking only when he felt like he had something to add to their conversation, though at the same time he was thinking about the whole 'adventure' part of their discussion and it made him wonder what had caused this one to happen in the first place, something that the group was no doubt thinking about at this very moment, before he focused on what else he had to say, "I'm sure Malefor will make the time to talk with you, if you asked him about it, or you can wait until your next training session before showing him the blade that you recovered... though before you do that there is something else you guys should worry about first."
"Vacation!" Elora nearly exclaimed, because she remembered what Spyro, Spike, and Ember had told her and Hunter, and later Bianca and Cynder, what they did whenever they finished an adventure, by taking down the villain and collecting all of the stolen gems that were scattered around the realms, and that counted recovering whatever else they happened to be looking for, like the Orbs or the dragonflies, meaning that Nestor was saying that it was time for the group to head back to Dragon Shores and take some time off, a day at the very least, before they went back to their daily lives and waited for the next adventure to show itself.
"Indeed, all of you deserve a day or two off, before you get back to your training or studies," Nestor said, even though he knew that the siblings, at the very least, had grasped what he had been saying, long before Elora had said the word that gave the others a clue as to what he had been referring to, and he knew that while this adventure wasn't as tedious as the others they had been on, based on what Spike had written in his journals and published in his books, the group deserved a short break before they got back to their normal lives, even though he wouldn't call their lives normal after everything they had been through and what they were currently doing, training with Malefor, of all dragons.
The group said nothing to that, because most of them were excited by the idea of spending some time relaxing at the beach of Dragon Shores, and possibly the amusement park that was on another part of the island, something that caused Nestor to nod his head and return to where all of the other Leaders were standing, so he could rejoin the celebration that was happening at the moment, which was followed by all of the floats and whatnot returning to the area that was in front of the castle, making it look like nothing had happened to the area and that they hadn't been interrupted. While all of that happened the group noticed that the adult dragons, hatchlings, and dragonflies weren't the only ones that resumed the celebration, as they watched as some of the residents of the realms they had assisted emerged from the areas the portals to their realms rested in and mingled with everyone else, as Monkey Monks, Rat Professors, and several others came out to have some fun, even if one of the Rat Professors, the one that Spike had struck earlier, glared at them from afar, which they mostly ignored. What surprised the group was who joined the celebration a few moments later, as Moneybags, now wearing the attire of someone who spent their days meditating and not much else, a monk to be exact, joined the party and actually looked like he was having some fun, where some of the dragons were a little surprised and glanced over to where the group was standing, where Spyro motioned for them to roll with it, since they were still coming to terms with the fact that Moneybags was no longer the bear that they remembered, to which the dragons in question nodded their heads as they returned to the celebration. While all of that happened Spike pulled out his journal and wrote down what he and the others had seen since they engaged Ripto, since that was the only thing he hadn't written yet and this would allow him to make sure everything was up to date before he started the process of transforming what was inside this journal into the next book in the series of their adventurers, which many dragons would be interested in reading, even if both of his siblings and Cynder weren't among their number.
"You know, I don't think I'll ever get used to the fact that Moneybags is no longer the bear that we imprisoned after Ripto's assault on Avalar," Elora commented, as she and Hunter were staring at the bear in question, while Bianca did the same thing a few moments later, though the siblings and Cynder turned their attention away from him and focused on all of the other residents that were joining Nestor and the other dragons, before something came to mind and she figured that she could ask it before she ended up forgetting about it, "Spike, do you think he'll ever return to what he was before Ripto used his magic to break him out of the jade statue he was imprisoned in, or are we stuck with the new Moneybags for the rest of our lives?"
"Based on everything, I don't think we'll be seeing the old Moneybags ever again," Spike replied, though even as he said that he paused what he was doing and glanced at the bear that seemed to be having fun, which was odd when they considered everything that they had seen in the past, during their second and third adventures to be exact, before he took a moment to think about the spell that trapped Moneybags inside the crystalline statue, which he had used on some of the other villains they had faced, "not unless we discover some sort of magic that messes with the mind, more in the sense of restoring what had been lost, so I wouldn't count on the old money grubbing, war inducing Moneybags to return, not after what Ripto did to him."
"I may not like him all that much, given that he displaced my parents all those years ago, but at least the new version of Moneybags seems likeable," Hunter remarked, because while he was one of the few individuals, and not groups, that had a bone to pick with the bear he realized that his quarrel was with the old Moneybags and not the new one, where he could see that the new one seemed more bearable than what he had been before Ripto showed up, though with all of the skills he had picked up he knew that if the old Moneybags reappeared he and Elora, not to mention all of their friends and allies, would be able to overcome anything that he threw at them, "though we'll have to wait and see what he does, to see if he remains true to the new persona he's created for himself or if this is a ploy and that he'll return to his old life... but, even as I think about that, I don't think the latter will be happening, given his fear of Ember and the beatings that she gave him in the past, so I would have to agree with Spike, in the sense that we're stuck with the new Moneybags."
The rest of the group glanced at each other for a moment and eventually came to the conclusion that Spike was right and that all they could do was get used to the fact that Moneybags was no longer the bear that they knew, to which they returned to what all of them had been doing since they returned to the castle, as in they stopped resting near Ripto's new prison statue and returned to the celebration that was going on, as today, despite Ripto's arrival and assault, was about the hatchlings and the dragonflies that would be paired with them, where Spyro, Cynder, Spike, Ember and the others could hold their own celebration in a day or two, when something important wasn't happening around them, to which all of them focused on the party and stopped worrying about what they had discovered during this adventure, as there would be time for that in the future.