Dawn of a New Age

by GTthe4th

Chapter 4: When Worlds Collide

---

(Farasi, near Hakoda, several days ago)

Three pairs of eyes popped up over the rock their white-furred, blue-maned owners lay behind, peering down over the sandy dune to a large encampment lit by torches. The darkness of night had given the three Dusk Watchers all the cover they needed for their mission, and despite what all their comrades back in Ponyville thought, they were going to complete it this time, with flying colors!

Or flying something, anyway. Body parts, most likely. Theirs, definitely.

Corporal Plucky Guess lifted up a pair of binoculars and watched the camp with a frown, and then passed them over to the stallion next to him. “So, this is the place, huh?” he muttered.

Private Samwise Tater lifted up the binoculars to his eyes and let out a low whistle. “That’s a lot of bad guys...”

Ignoring him, Plucky turned the third Pony that rounded out their little group. He stared at her for a moment, not believing what he was seeing. She was already asleep, the lazy twit! “Prism?”

Private Prism Rain, of course, didn’t bother to respond with anything less than a snore, which really spoke volumes about her personality in Plucky’s eyes.

With a roll of his eyes, he grabbed the spear at his side and jabbed her in the side with it, glaring harshly at her. “Prism!”

Prism jumped at the touch of the spear, blinking furiously at the light from the torches below. “Gah, damn it, who the bu--oh...it’s you.”

“Me.”

“I’m going to kill you.”

Plucky made a cutesy face. “Aww, that’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me...thanks!” His mock smile vanished, and he pointed to the camp. “Now, is this the place?”

Prism’s eyes drooped. “The place for--” At that moment, as if the universe had it out for her (and Plucky), she was overtaken by one of her most hated bodily functions. She covered her mouth with a hoof as she yawned. And yawned. And yawned some more.

Plucky, as patient as ever, looked down at his fetlock and checked his watch, counting the seconds.

“Seriously, there’s like a dozen to one...” Samwise murmured, although nopony heard him.

Blessedly, the yawn was over after a few moments and Prism smacked her lips and finished her sentence. “Place for what?”

“Luna’s left flank, that’s a new record...” Plucky muttered, and then cleared his throat. “Is this, or is this not the place for the Farasian bandit camp? You’re our navigator.”

“Oh...that. Yeah, that’s the camp,” Prism replied, closing her eyes and resting her chin on the rock. “Well, my job’s done. Wake me when we win...”

“Oooooh, no you don’t, up you get,” Plucky growled, slapping her upside the back of her head to wake her. “You’re one third of our force, you nit. You’re supposed to be charging down there with us when we go to attack. Right Sam?”

Samwise lowered his binoculars and glanced Plucky’s way. “Uh, by ‘charge down there to attack’, do you mean leaving this spot? Where we’re safe and secure? And hidden? And...safe?”

Plucky rolled his eyes skyward, sent out a desperate prayer for deliverance from whatever hell he had been thrust into upon being born, and then smiled at Samwise. “Nooo, I meant that we invite the nasty, bloodthirsty, cutthroat bandits over here for a cup of earl grey tea and biscuits so that we can lecture them on right and wrong and offer them a hoof in friendship, and then they’ll cast aside their weapons and begin happily pronking about like Pinkie Pie on a sugar rush and promising to never slay another innocent again and to give out pillows and blankets for all the little homeless Ponies out there in the world. A happy ending! Is that what you had in mind? Brilliant idea, Samwise Tater, I’m so glad I could count on you. Princess Twilight would be so proud.”

Samwise chuckled at the thought of the Princess smiling at him in pride and satisfaction, and nodded his head eagerly. “She would, wouldn’t she? It’s precisely what she would’ve...” His voice trailed off, and he frowned. “Wait, you’re doing it again, aren’t you?”

Plucky’s grin grew wider, and if it were possible, a little halo seemed to appear over his head. “Doing what?”

“Being overly sarcastic.”

“Wow, you noticed? Great job!” Plucky said, clapping his front hooves. “When I’m dead from this ‘brilliant’ idea of yours, I’ll notify your parents from the spirit realm that their son may not have been the sharpest spear in the armory, but booooy, did he have the perception skills of a second-rate rogue in Ogres and Oubliettes if he could detect sarcasm like mine!”

“I’m an orphan.”

Plucky snorted. “Really? Cool, that’ll make my job of notifying them a little easier. Prism, up!” He once again poked her with the tip of his spear.

Prism flopped off from the rock and bonked her snout on the ground. Rubbing it as she sat up, she growled, “Ugh, who died and made you our leader? Again?” She glanced at the camp, noticing that there was a commotion going on in the center, then shook her head and glared back at Plucky.

“My pride, and Captain Silver Moon, respectively,” Plucky replied. “Now, if we’re done bantering, it’s time we get moving. Pick your little white butts off the ground, grab your spears, and follow me.”

“Hey, I thought I was the planner here?” Samwise protested. An arrow whizzed past his ear but he didn’t notice, nor did the other two Ponies.

“Please, what do you think this discussion was for?” Plucky retorted as Prism slipped back into dreamland. “I was buying you time to think of a plan of attack, because Celestia knows I’m not the planner, and Prism...UP!” He jabbed her again with the spear, and she hissed like a cat and swung her hoof in the air at him. Ignoring her, he continued, “Prism’s so tired that she would struggle to pour water out of a boot if the instructions on how to do so were written on the bottom. However, since you clearly tried to rub the two brain cells in your head together and haven’t yet produced a spark of imagination, I’m improvising. Ergo, follow me.”

“Oh wow, improvisation this early into the mission? That’s a new low,” said Samwise.

“We’re all gonna die,” Prism deadpanned as she once again glanced at the camp. Just what was going on down there? Why was one of the tents on fire?

“Oh please, as if I’d purposefully lead us into a trap simply so that our already miserable existences would be unceremoniously cut short and we’d be set free from this mortal coil. Perish the thought!” Plucky exclaimed.

Samwise and Prism stared at him unblinkingly.

Plucky coughed. “...You know, on second thought, that does sound tempting.”

“I’m with Prism, we’re all gonna die.”

“Nah, all jokes aside guys, I’ve got a plan,” Plucky said, this time actually meaning it. “I won’t let you guys die, not while I still breathe.”

“But if you have a plan, why’d you say you were improvising?” Samwise interjected, raising a hoof. “I thought you weren’t a planner?”

Plucky facehooved and regretted every life choice he made up to this point. “Oh Faust above, shut up...”

Meanwhile, Prism had gone back to staring at the camp, and was now wondering how it was physically possible for somepony to use a ladle in the way she was seeing it being used, or if it was even socially acceptable. “Uh, guys?” she said over her shoulder.

“Seriously, which is it?” Samwise asked, ignoring her. “Either we improvise or we have a plan. By definition we can’t do both, or we’re not working as a team!”

“I hate you,” Plucky muttered, pinching the bridge of his snout. “Especially when you’re correct.”

“Guys?” Prism said a little louder and more urgently. Down below, a Zebra tripped over a sword and dropped her torch, lighting a fuse.

“You’d hate me anyway even if I was wrong,” Samwise countered with a smirk.

Plucky groaned and hid his face in his hooves. “That’s the second time I’m agreeing with you. Kill me, I weep for my own future.”

“GUYS!” Prism screamed.

“WHAT?!” Plucky roared. “Are you trying to give away our position?!”

The camp exploded in a shower of wood, sand, and metal, sending tent pieces flying overhead and landing all around them, as well as a charred, unidentifiable body, which slammed head-first into their rock with a crunch.

Prism pointed at the carnage as it calmed down. “The bandits are dead, guys.”

Plucky and Samwise stared at the burning remnants of the camp below them in silence, and Samwise raised the binoculars again. “They...they killed each other. Based on what’s left of the camp, as well as the positions of the bodies, I’d say they fought over who gets what loot.”

“And it got explosive,” Prism finished.

“...Huh. Let it never be said that greed can’t solve a problem for others,” said Plucky.

The three of them sat around their rock for several moments in deep thought over this latest development. Their mission was over, for better or for worse, but for once they didn’t know quite what to feel about it. Meanwhile, the fires slowly began to die out, and the remaining debris settled down into the sand once more.

Finally, Samwise cleared his throat and asked, “Soooo, our contractual obligations as Dusk Watchers kinda demand to ask: what exactly did we learn about friendship on this mission? Because I got nothing.”

Plucky put a hoof to his chin. “Uh...that even when equally surrounded by idiots and even though we’re the worst of the worst, we can take solace in the fact that we’re fine with that as long as it keeps us friends and keeps our sanity intact, and that we shouldn’t change ourselves on others’ behalf if it isn’t who we are?”

Prism raised an eyebrow. “...What did he say?”

“That even though we’re idiots and hate each other equally, we respect each other enough to not change who we are, and so keep our bonds of teamwork and friendship as strong as ever. Even if nopony else understands it, as long as we do, who cares what others think?” Samwise translated.

Prism yawned and shrugged. “Meh, good enough.”

Samwise nodded. “Yeah, sure, I’d buy it. But would Captain Silver Moon?”

Plucky pointed to the camp. “Hey, the bandits aren’t a problem anymore, we’ve saved Farasi from more extortion by doing absolutely nothing, and we learned you’re an orphan, thus making our friendship just a little bit closer from spilling a secret to those you trust, and Prism and I now have more dark jokes for our repertoire. We’re not dead, the Zebras are happy, Captain Silver will be happy, everypony wins!”

“Except the bandits,” Samwise noted.

“Yeah, except them, but buck ‘em,” Plucky snickered. “Well, mission accomplished, let’s head home. Now, which direction is Hakoda again?” He glanced at the team’s navigator, who was fast asleep. He poked her again the spear. “Prism, up!”

Prism let out a roar and sent Plucky flying up and over the rock and into the dunes with a powerful uppercut. “I’m awake, damn it!” she bellowed.

Plucky, who was now half-buried in the sand, made a rude gesture with his hind legs while Samwise failed to hold back his laughter.

---

(Twilight’s castle, Silver’s office, present day)

“And that’s how we saved Farasi!” Plucky finished with a grin, kicking his left hind leg. “Although, still got sand up there somewhere. Gotta get that checked out.”

Silver, who had been listening to the Triplets recount their adventure-slash-mission as he sat down at his desk, rubbed the tip of his snout and let out a long, tired breath. He opened his eyes and stared incredulously at the three rookie Dusk Watchers in front of him, all standing in a neat little row (with Prism fast asleep on her hooves). Plucky was grinning as if he had just won the lottery, and Samwise was standing so straight and stiff Silver almost mistook him for a cardboard cutout.

Finally, after his mind processed all of what he had heard, he let out the only word her could think of. “What?”

“Are you proud of us?” Samwise asked.

“Not particularly, no...” Silver sighed, letting his hoof fall to his desk as he shuffled some reports around. “That being said, the bandits were taken care of, so I guess I can’t say the mission wasn’t a success. Although, next time, I would appreciate it if you could take care of the bandits before they blow a crater in the desert. Farasi has enough on its plate without dealing with more idiocy.”

“That’s what the Farasians said to us when you sent us there,” Plucky said.

“Celestia’s mane...” Silver muttered. “Alright, fine, you three want something from me? You’ll have it: bravo zulu, well done, and all that crud, now get back to work. We have some rather unique guests over, and I want you three to stand guard over them until the Princess returns.”

Plucky and Samwise groaned, as did Prism, who was now inexplicably awake (the red welt that had formed on her head in the last three seconds told him all he needed to know). “Babysitting duty, sir?” Plucky grumbled (not whined). “Why us?”

“Because you’re the ones closest to me, and you’re not busy,” Silver answered with a smug expression. “Any problem with that?”

Plucky straightened up and shook his head. “No sir!”

“Good, now off you go. Floor above us, guest room five. Box Cutter and Trail Blaze are waiting to be relieved.”

The Triplets nodded and left the room, their ears flattened out of distaste for their new duty. It wasn’t that they didn’t like their job, it sure beat whatever it was they had before (especially the Outpost-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named), but all they did every day was stand around and talk. Even during their missions, they could never escape it. They had accepted it as the new normal long ago, and made the best of it, but they were lying to themselves if they said that it never bothered them.

None of them said anything as they went upstairs and entered a new hallway, and only nodded to the two Dusk Watchers standing guard over the fifth door on the left. The two burly Pegasi smirked knowingly to each other and winked at the Triplets before walking away, snickering.

Plucky and Samwise watched them go, while Prism leaned against the wall and fell asleep again, her head drooping to her chest. Plucky raised an eyebrow and muttered, “What was that about?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t like it,” Samwise replied with a gulp. “Whenever the other guys do stuff like that I feel like we’re the butt of some joke somewhere.”

“Dude, we’re us, we’re always a joke to everypony except us,” Plucky said, stepping to the left side of the door and standing at ease. “Well, whatever the reason, we’re here now. Best get it over with.”

“Get what over with?” Samwise asked, standing next to Prism on the right side of the door.

“Ask whatever’s on your mind, of course,” Plucky replied, inwardly already preparing for the next round of insanity, as well as his response to it.

“Oh, um...who are we guarding?” Samwise asked.

Plucky blinked, and his mind froze and then rebooted after a moment of silence. Something wasn’t computing here, and it had ruined every response he was going to give. He slowly turned his head to face Samwise, incredulity on his face. “That...is a good question. That’s actually a very good, legitimate, genuine, honest, reasonable question. Prism, wake up, a Changeling’s replaced Samwise for some reason that boggles my mind.”

“Ha. Ha. Ha...” Prism droned as she snored.

“Took the words out of my mouth, Prism,” Samwise grumbled. “Seriously dude, not everything I say is a joke or a question about the intricacies and mundanities of life.”

“I wasn’t joking either, it was actually a good question,” Plucky admitted, looking at the door. “And it’s been a while since we’ve had an honest-to-Faust guest in the castle.”

Samwise followed his gaze and the two of them stared at the door for a moment before Samwise said, “Should we?”

“Should we what?”

“Knock.”

Plucky’s eyes widened. “Are you insane?”

“Yes,” Samwise answered without hesitation. “Although, considering that it’s coming from you of all Ponies, I’m also terrified.”

“Oh, fuh-nny...” Plucky mumbled. “No, absolutely not. We were told to guard them, not disturb them. What if they’re asleep, or diplomats, or naked?”

“Dude, we’re Ponies. Most of us walk around naked anyway.”

“Exactly, we’re Ponies,” Plucky pressed on, pointing at the door. “What if they aren’t? I heard Minotaur females don’t want folks to see what lies beneath.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, just open the door, guys!” a feminine voice called from within the room. “We can hear you arguing about it, you know.”

The Triplets all froze, and even Prism’s ears perked up at the sound and brought her full, undivided attention to the door.

“We don’t bite!” added a youthful, friendly male voice.

Plucky shook his head rapidly. “Nope. They had me, and then they lost me.”

“Wuss,” Samwise smirked as he went for the door.

“I’m back in,” Plucky amended immediately, pushing him aside and grasping the door handle in his hoof. He opened the door, peeked inside, yelped, closed the door, stood on his hind legs, and braced his back against the door while hyperventilating, all in the span of three seconds.

“That bad, huh?” Prism deadpanned.

“Dragons!” Plucky wheezed. “I haaaaate Dragons...”

“What did they ever do to you?” Samwise asked.

“Every time I see a Dragon my butt always catches on fire somehow! If I had a bit for every time it’s happened, I’d have five bits, which isn’t enough to make me rich, but it’s certainly enough for me to cash in for a ‘NOPE’ ticket right outta this place. I’ll hand in my resignation papers, just give me five minutes.”

“I’ll douse Spyro with water if you want me to!” said the female voice.

“She would, too,” the male voice spoke, with a hint of resignation. “She’s vicious that way.”

“Come on, Pluck, we’ll be fine,” Samwise said, pushing Plucky aside and opening the door. “Permission to en--whoa!”

“What is it?” Prism asked with a yawn.

“A black Dragon! Haven’t seen one of you guys in a thousand years or so,” Samwise answered.

“Yeah, we’re kinda rare where we come from too,” Cynder said, waving a claw. “Come on in, we’re not doing much while we wait here for that Princess What’s-Her-Name to arrive.”

“Twilight,” Plucky filled in, reluctantly following Prism and Samwise into the room and closing the door.

“Yeah, her,” Spyro said with a smile. “No need to be so uptight, guys. Like I said, we don’t bite.”

“Well, you’re certainly friendlier than most Dragons I’ve met,” Samwise said, leaning his spear against the wall and pulling off his helmet. “Granted, I’ve only met a few, and Spike has ya beat there still, but it’s still cool.”

“I’m Spyro, this is Cynder,” Spyro said, pointing to Cynder with a wing.

“Corporal Plucky Guess, this moron is Private Samwise Tater, and...” Plucky paused and looked around, noticing that Prism had curled up like a cat in a corner of the room despite the armor she wore, and was dozing softly again. He rolled his eyes and continued, “And the other moron over there is Private Prism Rain.”

Cynder raised an eyebrow at the unusual introduction but smiled nonetheless. “Well, you Ponies are certainly a unique and unusual bunch. Although, I couldn’t help but notice that some of you have wings and horns?”

Samwise tilted his head in confusion. “Yeeeah? Those are the Pegasi and Unicorns. You’ve never seen them before?”

Spyro and Cynder shook their heads. “Nope,” Spyro said. “We’re kinda new around here. You could even say otherworldly.”

It was Plucky’s turn to raise an eyebrow. Both of them. “Otherworldly, you mean...outer space?”

Cynder’s face scrunched up. “I wouldn’t say that, but we are from another world, apparently.”

“Apparently?” Samwise echoed.

“All the evidence points to it,” Spyro said, his smile fading slightly. “We honestly don’t know where we are, or if any of our friends survived...”

There was silence after that, save for the soft snores coming from Prism. Samwise shifted uncomfortably on his hooves and Plucky grimaced. After a moment, he cleared his throat and said, “Well, while I can’t say I’m an expert in these things, you can have our assurances that Princess Twilight will help you guys out. She’s done this sort of thing before, and she has friends of her own. I know she’ll know how you feel, and will definitely get you back on track, I promise.” Samwise nodded in agreement with him.

“Really?” Spyro asked.

Plucky nodded, and for once, a genuine smile adorned his face. “’Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye’, as the town’s party planner would say.” As he spoke, he pantomimed the motions, which included sticking his hoof in his eye, which only made him blink rapidly and rear his head back in irritation and pain.

Spyro’s smile returned, although it was more from bemusement at Plucky’s self-inflicted distress. Samwise, on the other hand, looked incredulous. “Dude, and you thought I was the one who got replaced by a Changeling. What did you eat this morning, a heart?”

“Oh please, I’m insufferable, not heartless,” Plucky said, waving him off.

“Nah, pretty sure you proved that you were both when we were at Outpost--”

Plucky’s eyes widened and he threw himself at Samwise, planting his hoof in Samwise’s mouth and looking around warily. “Ah-da-da-da-da-da, don’t ever utter that cursed name. You never know who might be listening...”

After a moment, he let Samwise go, and the stallion sucked in a breath and glared at him. “Dude, ew! Do you have any idea where that hoof’s been? Hell, do I have any idea where it’s been?”

“I’d be concerned if you didn’t, considering that we’ve been stuck together for over a year,” Plucky replied evenly.

“Hooves breed germs!”

“Your face has germs,” Plucky snorted.

“You’re not wrong, especially since you stuck a hoof in it!”

And so the argument continued. The two stallions pressed their foreheads against one another and began trading insults, barbs, jokes, and snark involving one another’s parentage (or lack thereof in Samwise’s case). All while in the corner Prism rolled onto her back, arched it (again, like a cat), smiled in her sleep, and muttered something involving someone named “Rarity” and vanilla ice cream.

Cynder hid her mouth behind a claw and giggled, and then leaned over to Spyro and whispered, “I like these goofballs, Spyro, let’s keep ‘em.”

“The motion is carried,” Spyro replied with a smirk, just as Samwise put Plucky in a headlock while Plucky began lightly punching Samwise in the ribs.

---

(Warfang Temple, Council Chambers)

Sparx didn’t know quite what to expect when he entered the Council Chambers of the Temple again. All he know was what he was told by the Mole messenger that the Guardians had sent to him, and that was precious little at best. All he managed to get out of the poor squeaker was “Guardians”, “Council Chambers”, “urgent”, and “Spyro”.

It wasn’t enough to make a complete sentence, but it was enough to send Sparx into a frenzied mad dash towards the Temple. He didn’t stop for any Mole, Dragon, Cheetah, or even butterfly that called out to him. Whatever the Guardians had called him for, it better had to be what Sparx was thinking of, or so help him, he would throttle them in their sleep. Somehow. Life would find a way.

He slipped in through the doors to the chamber and called out, “Did you guys find him?! Please tell me you did?!”

The three massive Dragons turned to him and Terrador bowed his head as he entered. “Thank you for coming, Sparx.”

“We are currently discussing a positive prospect that should enable the morale of the city to increase in a substantial manner, as well as yours in particular,” Volteer added with a grin.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, you two, just tell the poor boy already,” Cyril said with a roll of his eyes.

“Tell me what?” Sparx asked, zipping up in-between the three of them.

“The Pool of Visions has spoken to me, Sparx,” Terrador answered. “I now know where Spyro and Cynder are, and they are alive.”

Sparx’s shoulders sagged, and, sensing déjà vu coming up, Volteer reached out and caught him out of the air again. Sparx looked up at him and raised an eyebrow before turning back to Terrador. “Where?” he said, his voice oddly deep and serious.

“That’s where the bad news comes in,” Cyril said.

“Possibly bad news, Cyril, old friend,” Volteer interjected, setting Sparx down on a pedestal.

“The vision showed me that Spyro and Cynder are in captivity,” Terrador explained to the Dragonfly. “Strange equine creatures of many colors are holding them in a fortress of crystal, on the outskirts of a town across the ocean. The equines holding them are armed and presumably dangerous, and the fact that they were able to subdue Spyro and Cynder shows they either must have some power, or that the two of them have become weakened from their battle with Malefor so they couldn’t fight back.”

“Either way, now that we know where they are, we can mount a rescue operation at last,” Cyril announced with pride.

“I still wonder if this is the wisest course of action, my friends,” Volteer objected. “We know nothing of these equine creatures. We are making presumptions and assumptions that they will be undoubtedly, assuredly, doubtlessly, truthfully, unquestionably hostile. How do we know that something else isn’t at work?”

“I know what I saw,” Terrador protested with a growl. “I saw Spyro and Cynder flanked by armed guards and being led up into the fortress. They both looked miserable, and Ignitus was not among them.”

“I understand that, Terrador, but we mustn’t be hasty or presumptuous in our actions,” the Electricity Guardian advised. “I suspect that we are missing crucial information on this situation.”

“Then what do you propose, that we wait?” Cyril scoffed.

Volteer shook his head. “Hardly. I agree that we must send out a team to locate them, but we need to choose the right one. Too many armed soldiers will send the wrong message, I believe. A smaller team with exceptional skill could provide a suitable rescue for our young friends, while also remaining ‘under the radar’, as the Moles say.”

Terrador nodded. “You’re right, of course.”

“So what are we waiting for, then?” Sparx cried. “Pick a team and let’s go get ‘em!”

“I believe we already have a team in mind, old chap,” Cyril said with a smirk, looking at his fellow Guardians. “Are you two pondering what I’m pondering?”

“I believe we are, Cyril,” Terrador replied. He lumbered towards the Earth Element door and craned his neck out into the hallway, muttering a few words to the Cheetah guard outside. The Cheetah nodded and saluted before running off down the hallway as fast as his two legs could carry him. Terrador turned back to the other Guardians and said, “I’ve sent for the Rangers. They will suit our needs just fine, I’d wager.”

“Precisely my choice as well,” Volteer said.

“I concur,” Cyril nodded. “An excellent choice.”

“Uh, care to fill me in, guys?” Sparx asked, buzzing up to Terrador’s face.

Terrador chuckled. “Of course. The Rangers are some of our finest fighters, each trained from birth in a variety of skills, all for war and peace. There are six in total, but they are more than enough to deal with an entire army together if they must.”

Sparx whistled. “They sound nasty.”

“On the contrary,” Volteer snickered. “They are rather...eccentric, even by my standards. You see, we took a less traditional route in their training, because these six are very nontraditional Dragons. Rare breeds, hybrids, magical creatures, one and all, as you shall soon see.”

A knock on the door interrupted their discussion, and the four of them turned to see the a Mole poke her head into the room. “Sirs, the Rangers are here, as ordered,” she reported.

“That was fast,” Sparx remarked as Terrador waved the guard away.

Cyril chuckled. “As we said, nontraditional Dragons.”

The doors opened, and Sparx braced himself to meet the new Dragons. His mind conjured up massive, muscled Dragons bristling with plate armor and weapons aplenty, each one with a bold, confident expression and great wings. He pictured sharp fangs, long claws, and--

“BLADES, I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!”

“Worth it!”

...And certainly not this.

A cyan blur flew into the Council Chamber, followed quickly by sparkling white and blue blur. Both blurs then revealed themselves to be Dragons about Spyro or Cynder’s size, one male and one female. The cyan male was armored head to claw in blue and silver plate armor, and, to Sparx’s astonishment, was also covered in blades and sharp edges all over. Heck, even his tail was a sword blade, and his wing ridges had smooth, curved blades on them. Clearly this guy was a little bit crazy, but Sparx had to admit, he also had the spunk and style to pull it off with flying colors. He also seemed rather young, even younger than Spyro.

The Dragoness, on the other hand, was quite possibly the strangest Dragon Sparx had ever seen. She had white scales (blue for her belly), and seemed to be covered in an assortment of amethyst gemstones and crystals. Even her wings looked more like crystalline sheets with sharp points rather than leathery flesh. In a word, she looked flawless --- every gem was polished to perfection, every scale individually shined, every talon sharpened to a fine point, and even her brilliantly blue eyes sparkled like the gems that adorned her.

At the moment, both Dragons were flapping about the room, the female with an enraged expression and the male with an excited laugh on his lips. She clearly had it out for him, and he was enjoying every second of it. The Guardians, meanwhile, merely rolled their eyes at their antics, while Sparx stared at the sight with unblinking, disbelieving eyes.

“Flashwing, Blades, STAND TO!!” bellowed a deep, bassy voice that could’ve given Terrador a run for his money.

Sparx turned to the door and watched as four more Dragons walked in, each of them similarly sized to the firs two. These ones, however, had a more professional air about them. Well, three of them did, anyway.

The two younger Dragons, Flashwing and Blades, immediately abandoned their impromptu (and in Flashwing’s case, rage-fueled) game of tag and flew down to join their companions, forming a perfect line in front of the Guardians where they stood at attention. This gave Sparx an opportunity to examine the other newcomers more thoroughly.

The eldest of the bunch by far, as well as the one who yelled, was a thin, bony black Dragon that reminded Sparx of Cynder to an extent. The two of them were clearly the same type of Dragon, being of the Shadow Element. However, unlike Cynder, he had glowing white eyes and a long, sharpened horn at the tip of his snout like a rhinoceros, and although he was about the same size as her, he had more muscle on his limbs. His black scales also had a slightly greenish tint to them, and he seemed more “shadowy” than Cynder, for lack of a better phrase. He bore a gruff expression on his face, and was staring straight ahead unflinchingly, waiting for orders like a good soldier.

Standing next to him was another Dragoness, and in stark contrast, she was pure white with almost no other color on her save for a few golden “holes” in her tail and wings and a golden sun symbol imprinted on her forehead. Her scales gave off an almost reflective, metallic sheen, which almost never happened for a Dragon. She looked almost...giddy, and seemed to be just holding herself back from bouncing around the room as if she was on a sugar high. Sparx could see that she had a lot of energy in her, and he knew instantly that he was going to like her in particular.

The third newcomer was another female, and Sparx realized that Volteer was referring to her when he mentioned hybrids. She looked like a seahorse and an Ice Dragon had a baby, with thick, segmented, bony plates peppered with even harder scales covering her entire blue body, even her head. Unlike the others, who were either professional or excited at the prospect of being summoned to the Guardians, she seemed more irritated and apathetic than anything. Sparx wondered what was up with her, but he didn’t dwell on it. It probably wasn’t his business anyway.

The last Dragon was probably the only normal one of the bunch, with greenish scales and wings like Terrador’s. His eyes were purple like Spyro’s, and unlike the others, he wasn’t looking at the Guardians, but was more concerned with his surroundings, staring at everything with wide-eyed curiosity. Sparks of electricity crackled along his spiraling horns and claws, and two satchels were slung over his back --- one with a large journal, and the other with several maps and scrolls piled inside, with a compass hanging off the side.

Once all six of them had settled down, Terrador turned to Sparx and lifted a wing towards them. “Sparx, allow me to introduce the Rangers. Their captain, Blackout--” The black Dragon nodded once. “His lieutenant and mate, Spotlight--” The white Dragon giggled and waved a claw, a beaming smile on her face. “Combat specialist Echo--” The seahorse Dragon gave a two-taloned salute. “Sprocket, Volteer’s lab assistant and the team’s navigator--” The electric Dragon blinked and looked at Sparx for the first time with a twinkle in his eyes, giving an exuberant nod. “Flashwing, Warfang’s shield specialist--” Flashwing lifted up her chin haughtily and grinned, showing off her bright scales and spreading her wings wide. “And--”

“Blades!” the young, cyan Dragon exclaimed, waving a wing excitedly. His accent reminded Sparx of Cyril somewhat, having a strange, hard lilt to it. “Well, Lucky, actually, but my friends just call me Blades. Pleased as punch to meet ya, Sparx! Big fan of your brother’s work, I am.”

“Blades!” Blackout growled.

“Right, right, sorry, regs and all that,” Blades muttered in response.

Blackout turned back to the Guardians. “Rangers assembled and ready, sir. What do you need from us?”

Terrador approached them and sat down on his haunches. “We have a very delicate mission for you, captain. Warfang’s heroes, Spyro and Cynder, have been located across the ocean in a town to the northwest, near a massive forest. They are presumably being held against their will by an unknown race of equine creatures, and as such, you six will be the extraction team. They are being held in a fortress shaped like a large crystal tree, and the creatures are armed and presumably dangerous.”

“Presumably, sir?” Echo asked, sounding muffled, almost as if she was underwater.

“Yes,” Volteer replied, stepping forward. “We do not know exactly what happened, all we know is what Terrador saw in his vision, which was precious little. As such, you are to proceed not only with caution, but also with vigilance and wisdom. You may not even need to raise your weapons against them, and that would be the preferable option if it is possible.” He looked down at Sprocket with a smirk. “I’m entrusting this task to you, young Sprocket. I know you can keep these degenerate rogues out of trouble.”

Sprocket stood up straighter and lifted a wing in a salute. “Understood,” he replied, in an oddly monotone voice despite his smile.

“Don’t trust us to be diplomatic, eh?” asked Spotlight, only she was now standing on Terrador’s shoulder and leaning backwards over his head, smiling as her upside-down eyes stared into his. Sparx blinked in surprise; he didn’t even see her move.

Terrador rolled his eyes and plucked her off his head with a grunt, plopping her on the floor beside Blackout. “Captain,” he rumbled, ignoring her. “We don’t know everything that’s going on around us, and we certainly don’t need a war on our hands right now, not after finishing up the last one only days ago. If this can be handled without bloodshed or weapons drawn, then do so.”

Blackout nodded. “Don’t worry, sir. We’ll get to the bottom of this, and rescue Spyro and Cynder.”

Volteer nodded and looked back at Sprocket. “Do you have all the information you need to navigate to your destination, my boy?”

Sprocket nodded. “Affirmative. Direction: northwest. Across the ocean. Location: crystal tree fortress, at the edge of town, near large forest. Inhabitants: equine creatures. Analysis conclusion: information adequate for navigation.”

Volteer grinned. “Still talking like that, eh? Very well then, Sprocket, lead them well.”

“We look forward to your safe return with Spyro and Cynder. Rangers, dismissed!” Terrador ordered, lifting both of his wings into the air.

As one, the team saluted and spun around to leave through the same door they entered. As they began to shuffle or flutter out, Sparx chewed on his lip and looked up at Terrador. The large Earth Guardian had turned to his fellow Guardians and was about to move onto the next point of discussion, so Sparx flew up to him and held up a hand to interrupt. “Terrador,” he said, catching the Dragon’s attention. “Let me go with them, please.”

Terrador looked him over. “It’s too danger--” He paused, seeing Sparx’s hurt and lost expression. Then he sighed and nodded. Who was he to separate Sparx from his brother a second time, after all? And there wasn’t any ring of fire this time, so even if Sparx was denied, he would probably just follow the Rangers anyway. “You may go, but for stars’ sake, be careful, Sparx,” Terrador murmured. “The Rangers might be flying into danger, and I cannot guarantee your safety.”

“Hey, Spyro and I have been flying into danger since this whole thing started,” Sparx replied, his antennae drooping slightly. “Even before Ignitus found us in the Swamp, we were always getting into trouble. Spyro was usually the one bailing me out of it. I just...I just wanna return the favor for once.”

Terrador smiled and bowed his head. “Then do your brother proud, and may the Ancestors guide you home.” Cyril and Volteer nodded in agreement and swept their wings behind them out of respect.

Sparx grinned and puffed out his chest. “Finally, some respect. Thanks guys, I won’t forget this.” With that, he flew after the Rangers, screaming as loud as he could for them to wait for him.

Cyril glanced at Terrador and raised an eyebrow. “Was that wise?”

“Probably not,” Terrador replied with a shrug. “But I don’t think even Malefor could keep them separated for long.”

---

(Eastern Dragon Lair)

Ember had barely left her spot on top of the cliff overlooking Halflinger Grove for several days, and it was starting to annoy Garble to no end. It was bad enough that an entire city of these new Dragons were encroaching on his family’s cave, and it certainly didn’t help that Miss Dragon Lord decided to make his roof her command post. He never got any sleep at night, he couldn’t practice his beat poetry with all these other lamer Dragons lazing about, and he couldn’t take one step or wingbeat outside without first checking with Ember’s guards to see if it was okay to do so, because someone in the city could see him.

No, it wouldn’t do at all. Today would be the day he would ask her to move. One cave down was where Rhodes lived, he would send her there. Rhodes sucked anyway, he kept eating Garble’s rocks.

As Garble puffed up his chest and made his move towards Ember, Ember noticed him and waved him forward, pointing to the city below. “They’re up to something again,” she said.

“Ember, it’s time that you shove--huh?” Garble stopped mid-tirade and peered over the cliff, seeing six dots in the air above the city. “Are those...kids?”

Ember shook her head and handed him a spyglass. “Judging by the armor a few of them are wearing, I don’t think so.”

“Scouting party?”

“Possibly,” Ember shrugged. “It’s been a while since they sent the first ones out. Anyway, what were you gonna say?”

Garble said nothing, but his jaw was slowly dropping as he stared at the six Dragons in the sky.

Ember sent him a quizzical glance. “What’s up?”

Grable passed the spyglass over to her and simply pointed. Ember lifted it up to her eye and peered through. Like Garble before her, her jaw dropped at what she saw.

All six Dragons were flying northwest, but at speeds most Dragons in the Eastern Lair could only dream of achieving. Even Zephyr would be a snail compared to these six as they blazed across the sky. One of them, a cyan one in plate armor, was even flying backwards and upside-down. While having his front claws clasped behind his head with his eyes closed, no less! Another male almost looked like he had transformed into a living shadow, and another looked like she was somehow swimming through the air on a stream of floating water.

All six of them covered the massive distance between their city and the ocean in less than twenty minutes, when it would’ve taken Zephyr five hours minimum.

Ember lowered her spyglass and gulped. If these Dragons made her own look like chumps, how would they ever be able to contain them if they were hostile?

---

(Friendship Express, VIP car)

“Aww, forget the Wonderbolts show, this is way too awesome to pass up!” Rainbow cried, pumping her hooves into the air. “I mean, come on, an entire CITY of Dragons?! And not just any Dragons, but possibly ones from another world! What’s not to love?”

Rarity chuckled as she wiggled back in her seat. “I would have never taken you to be this excited about meeting creatures from another world, darling,” she said. “Wouldn’t it be, as you say, too ‘egghead-y’?”

Rainbow waved her off with a laugh. “Ha, please, Twilight can do all the studying, I’ll be exploring the place. Besides, they’re Dragons! Dragons are awesome!”

“Thanks!” Spike piped up with a smile, earning a head pat from Pinkie.

“And s-scary...” Fluttershy added in a murmur, hiding her face behind her mane.

Twilight pulled her in for a hug. “Don’t worry, Fluttershy, I’m sure they won’t be that bad. Besides, who could resist your kindness, or Pinkie’s laughter, or heck, Spike’s, um, spikes?”

Spike groaned and looked up at her. “Twilight, please never make that pun again.”

“Sorry!” she squeaked. “I’m just so excited about all this! I mean, we all know about the Human realm through the Mirror, but this is a completely different world entirely, instead of just a parallel! This proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that a multiverse exists. Sooooo many papers and theories have just been proven right, including a couple of my own. The possibilities are endless!”

“So what you’re saying is that somewhere out there there’s possibly a universe with another me that may actually understand whatever it is you’re talking about whenever you launch into one of your egghead sessions?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight nodded rapidly, her grin growing wider. “Yes!”

Starlight couldn’t resist the opening, and smirked. “Well, maybe. There are some universal constants, after all.”

Everypony else in the cabin winced and giggled as Rainbow crossed her hooves and made an exaggerated pouting face in her seat. Applejack punched her lightly in the shoulder. “Aw, c’mon Dash, admit it, she got ya good.”

Rainbow smirked and chuckled along with them. “Yeah, yeah, I know.”

At that moment, mid-laugh, Spike’s cheeks bulged and his eyes widened. He turned to the side and belched out a green flame, which then transformed into a scroll. Before it could fall to the floor he reached out and grabbed it. After glancing at the seal, he handed it to Twilight. “It’s from Silver,” he muttered, his voice sounding sore. “Yeowch, whoever sent that sent it in a hurry, my throat’s gonna feel that for a few hours...”

Twilight sent him a sympathetic look before breaking open the seal and reading the message. The entire car was suddenly rocked with the sounds of her excited squeals of delight as she read even further into the message, literally sticking her entire face into the scroll and making an imprint on the other end.

“Good news, I take it?” Rarity quipped, sipping at the train’s complimentary tea.

“Two of the extradimensional Dragons are in Ponyville!” Twilight exclaimed in a bubbly voice.

Rarity blew tea from her nose and hacked, causing Fluttershy to strike her back a few times. Upon her recovery, Rarity cleared her throat and asked, “Care to repeat that, darling?”

“Two Dragons showed up in town not that long ago today, and caused quite a stir in the outskirts,” Twilight explained, showing them the scroll. “They introduced themselves as ‘Spi-row’ and ‘Cinder’, and explained that they might actually be from another world, and that they were lost. Silver put them in the castle while he’s waiting for us to return.”

“Well, good thing we were already on the way, then,” Starlight said. “Does it say anything else?”

“Only that he wants us to come as soon as possible,” Twilight replied, rolling the scroll up again. “They’re quite eager to meet with us, it seems.”

“Oh Twiiiiilight?” Pinkie asked sweetly, moving closer to the Princess’s ear. “Can I, please? Can I, can I, can I?!”

Twilight rolled her eyes and giggled. “Yes, Pinkie, you can throw them a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party, IF they don’t mind.”

“Well, actually I was going to throw them a ‘Welcome to Equus’ party first and then get to the ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party, but you’ve just given me the best idea ever of combining the two into one BIG party! Eeeee, it’s genius! You’re my Best Princess and Best Pony, Twilight!” The hyperactive party planner threw her hooves around Twilight’s neck in a large, oddly squishy hug.

Twilight blinked. “Uh, what?”

“Nothing!”

---

(Ponyville, Castle of Friendship)

Silver checked the watch on his fetlock and blew air past his lips idly, making them flap for a moment. Word had come from some of the guards that the Friendship Express had pulled into the station, meaning that Twilight was probably already on her way if she had received the message he sent her. She seemed to be running late though, which was odd. Knowing her as well as he did, she would have never missed this chance even if Tirek himself were to stand between her and the opportunity.

And so he waited at the front door, tapping a hoof on the crystal steps. Finally, the sounds of galloping hooves could be heard in the distance, and he looked up to see the Element Bearers returning. Straightening himself up to attention, he waited until they were within speaking distance and called out, “Welcome home, Princess!”

Twilight skidded to a stop in front of him, followed shortly by the rest of her friends. Pinkie somehow managed to trip over a rock and roll her way up the stairs and into the castle, knocking over Rarity and Applejack like bowling pins. When the dust cleared, Twilight shook the cobwebs out of her head and replied, “Thanks Silver, sorry for keeping you waiting, everypony at the station kept mobbing us, asking for answers about these two Dragons.”

“Wouldn’t even give us a mite’s worth of space...” Applejack muttered, picking her hat off the ground and placing it atop her head, giving Pinkie a scowl. Pinkie poked her head out from inside the castle and sent both her and Rarity a wide, apologetic grin.

“Well, it’s good that you’re here now, in any case,” said Silver, motioning to the door. “We have them on the fourth floor, in guest room five. The Triplets are guarding them.”

“The Triplets?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight giggled. “Oh, them. I’ll tell you girls later. Ahem, lead the way, Silver.”

Silver nodded and led them into the castle, crossing the foyer and moving up several flights of stairs until they reached the fourth floor. To Silver’s outrage, the Triplets were nowhere in sight, and he stormed over to the guest room in question. Muffled voices could be heard on the other side, including laughter and jeering. Glancing at Twilight apologetically, he knocked on the door. Instantly the voices quieted down, and then Plucky called out, “Who’s there?”

“The Pony who’s going to arrange your funeral if you don’t get out here in five seconds, corporal,” Silver hissed.

There was a terrified yelp, followed by the shuffling of hooves. The door flew open and out raced Plucky and Samwise, dragging a still-sleeping Prism behind them. The two stallions let her drop to the floor and saluted their captain and Princess, their eyes wide with terror. Prism’s snores grew louder until Plucky lightly kicked her in the stomach. She awoke with a start, realized who was staring down at her, and then leapt into the air five feet, her eyes bulging out of her sockets as she tried (and failed miserably) to come to attention.

Silver rolled his eyes. “Why were you not at your posts?” he seethed.

“Sir! You told us to guard our guests, which we were doing, sir!” Plucky all but shouted.

“And just how are you going to guard them if you’re inside the room?”

“With our lives, sir! Although we’d rather it not come to that, I rather like my life, sir!” Samwise answered. Prism kicked him in the heel, making him wince.

Silver groaned. “What the hell am I going to do with you three...?”

“Actually captain, let me handle this,” Twilight said, stepping forward with a stern expression. The three Earth Ponies gulped hard.

Silver nodded. “By all means.”

Twilight looked at all three of them in turn, frowning. Then she stared directly into Plucky’s eyes, making him sweat. “Captain Silver Moon gave you an order to watch over our guests, didn’t he?”

“Yes, Your Highness!” Plucky replied.

“And did you?”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“How?”

“We...we went inside, Your Highness.”

“Why? You were told to stand guard, not enter the room.”

“They invited us in,” Plucky explained. “We were curious, you see. We didn’t know they were Dragons at first, we just got back from a mission, so we didn’t know who it was we were even guarding. They invited us in, and, well...”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “And what, corporal?”

“We made friends!” Plucky blurted out.

Silence dominated the hall, and Starlight smirked while the rest of the Mane Six beamed at his answer. Twilight’s eyes instantly softened and she grew a wide, joyful smile as she gazed back at Silver. “Captain, give these three the day off, I think they’ve earned it.”

Silver sighed but nodded nonetheless. “As you wish, Twilight.”

Plucky fainted on the spot, falling next to Prism, who had already slipped back into sleep. Samwise stared at the Princess, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. She giggled at him. “Oh come on, Samwise, you three know me. I’m not about to punish one of my Dusk Watchers for not only doing what I would’ve done, but for also making me proud. Besides, you were still guarding our guests, just more closely, so no orders were disobeyed.”

Samwise nodded, giving her a dopey grin and a salute. He had made his Princess proud! “Y-yes, Your Highness!” He bowed to her, then bowed to the rest of her friends, and nudged Prism awake. Together, they managed to drag Plucky’s unconscious body out of the hallway and down the stairs.

Once they disappeared, Rainbow and Pinkie couldn’t hold it in any longer and howled with laughter, holding onto each other for support. Even Rarity barely managed to hold back a titter as she asked, “The Triplets, I presume?”

“Yep, that’s them,” Starlight replied with a shake of her head. “The only Earth Ponies in the Dusk Watch. They mean well, and they’re good at what they do when they somehow manage to get around to doing it, but they’re also idiots. Lovable idiots.”

“I like ‘em!” Rainbow let out in-between catching her breath. “They remind me of my buddies in the Wonderbolts. Same energy.”

“We like them too,” said Cynder, poking her head out of the room and grinning at all the mares.

This, of course, had the (entirely intended) effect of scaring the living daylights out of everypony except Silver, and they all took several steps back from the Shadow Dragoness as she laughed at their reactions. “Oh, you Ponies are too much! Come on in.”

“Cynder, that wasn’t nice,” Spyro chided, whacking the back of her head with a wing.

“Oh, you’re no fun,” the Dragoness huffed, stepping back into the room.

Silver motioned with a hoof to the open door. “Allow me to introduce our guests, Spyro and Cynder.”

Spyro waved a wing and smiled. “Hi!”

Twilight, still hyperventilating slightly from being startled, gave a weak wave of her own wing, before moving towards the door. Behind her, the rest of the mares followed suit, although Fluttershy had to be pulled in by the tail by both Rainbow and Applejack. Only Pinkie had seemingly recovered from the ordeal completely, and was happily bouncing about while humming a tune.

Once all the mares made it into the room, Silver told Twilight that he would be downstairs if she needed him, and then turned around, leaving the Element Bearers to get acquainted with the two Dragons.

Twilight took a deep breath and then stepped forward, offering a hoof towards Spyro with a smile on her face. “Hello there, my name is Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship.”

Spyro took her hoof in his claw and shook it. “My name’s Spyro, and this is Cynder.” Cynder nodded towards Twilight.

“Are you really from another world?” Spike asked, appearing out from behind Twilight and looking up at Spyro with wide eyes.

Spyro’s eyes landed on Spike, and he gasped, taking a step back. “A...another Purple Dragon?!”

Spike raised an eyebrow, and looked down at his scales in confusion. “Um, yeah?”

Spyro looked between Twilight, Cynder, and Spike and then cleared his throat. “Ahem, uh, y-yeah, we’re from another world, I guess you could say. Sorry, I’m just not used to seeing another one of my kind...without them trying to kill me, that is.”

Twilight raised her own eyebrow at that, but decided to save it for later. “Well then, in that case, as a Princess of Equestria, it’s my honor to welcome you to the world of Equus.” She motioned to the other mares behind her, who waved both hooves and wings at the pair. “And these are my friends: Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Starlight Glimmer. And of course, you’ve already met Spike here.”

Spyro and Cynder nodded to the rest of the Ponies, and then turned to Twilight when a pile of scrolls and a quill suddenly appeared next to her in the air, hovering in some kind of magenta aura. Spyro tilted his head in curiosity and Cynder’s eyes narrowed. Twilight giggled at their reactions and explained, “It’s a simple levi--”

“Levitation spell,” Spyro finished for her, nodding. “Magic, in other words. Ignitus taught me about the various forms of it when I was studying under him in the old Temple.”

“And I learned through...other means,” Cynder added, flinching a little. “Still, it’s interesting you know it. Magic on our world is quite rare.”

Twilight squee’d and did a rapid tippy-tap dance on her hooves for a moment, as if she had just won the lottery. “Confirmed otherworldly forms of magic! Oh, this is so exciting!”

“Settle down there, sugarcube,” Applejack chuckled, putting a hoof on her back.

“Right, right...” Twilight muttered. “Spyro, Cynder, I know you just got here, and I don’t mean to impose, but I...really want to ask you some questions about your world. I’ve got so many things going through my mind right now I-I-I-I don’t think I can hold it in!”

“Spike, get ready to catch her,” Rainbow warned jokingly, only to get a glare from both Rarity and Fluttershy. “Whaaat?”

Spyro nodded to Twilight. “Ask away.”

“What’s your world called?”

“Technically, it never really had an official name,” Cynder replied. “Each race called it something different. For us Dragons, it was ‘the Realm’. For the Cheetahs, it was ‘Avalar’, not to be confused with the valley of the same name. For the Moles and Manweersmalls, it was Sapphiris. I’m not too sure about the rest.”

“The Atlawa called it ‘Garneva’,” Spyro supplied.

“Oh, what does that mean?” Cynder asked, turning to him. Spyro shrugged.

“Gar...nev...a!” Twilight said, writing it all down. “Excellent, next question--”

“Wait a tick, Twi,” Applejack said. “Maybe ya should hold off on the Trivia Trot for a bit.”

Twilight’s ears flicked. “Huh?”

“All Ah’m sayin’ is that instead of grillin’ these two on tiny details before they’ve even gotten acquainted with us, we should let ‘em tell us their story. Ah’m sure that way most of your questions will be answered in less time.”

Rarity nodded in agreement. “I agree with Applejack, darling. I must confess, I’m more curious about how they arrived here in the first place. We can learn more about their world later.”

Twilight’s ears flopped slightly, and she sighed. “I suppose you’re right...”

“Hey,” Spyro called, winking at her. “It’s no problem. We can make it up to you later.”

Twilight smile returned, and she set aside her scrolls and quill. “I’d like that very much, thanks.”

Spyro hopped up onto the guest bed and laid down, supporting his head with a claw. “Soooo...how we got here...where to begin?”

“Start at the beginning,” Pinkie said, bouncing in the air. “And when you come to the end...stop.”

Cynder chuckled. “That’s one way to put it, I suppose. But which beginning?”

“Maybe your beginnings?” Starlight suggested.

Spyro and Cynder looked to each other and shrugged. “Sure, why not?” Spyro replied.

“Yay!” Fluttershy squeaked silently, lying down on the floor as everypony else got comfortable. By the time they were done, they had all settled into a semicircle around the bed, where Spyro and Cynder sat. All of them were looking at the two Dragons with eager expressions, and Twilight grabbed one scroll again and her quill, and waited patiently for them to begin.

Spyro took a breath, smiling as fond memories rushed into his mind, and spoke: “It all began in the Year of the Dragon, with the Guardian of Fire, Ignitus...”

And so it was that the mares learned about the prophecy of the Legendary Purple Dragon, the evils of the Dark Master, the destruction of the Dragon Temple, Spyro’s life in the Swamp with Sparx, and their eventual adventure spanning much of the world to stop Cynder from freeing the Dark Master from his prison.

The mares were understandably confused at that part of the story, but then Cynder took over from there. She told them that her egg had been stolen from the Temple by the Dark Master’s forces, and she had been corrupted and raised by him to do his bidding like a slave. Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity had all been horrified, Applejack and Rainbow grew enraged, and Starlight looked away in shame, being reminded of her own mistakes in the past.

The story continued with Spyro, and the mares all breathed sighs of relief when he revealed that he and Sparx freed Cynder from her corruption, returning her to her normal self again. After that, both Dragons told the tale of the Eternal Night, and how they stopped the wicked Ape leader Gaul from freeing the Dark Master again, only to be frozen in time for three years. They told them of waking up to a world at war, they told them about Hunter and the Cheetahs, of Warfang, of the siege, and of the Destroyer. The mares held onto every word, cheering when they learned of the Destroyer’s destruction, weeping when Ignitus gave his life for Spyro and Cynder, and being mesmerized at the descriptions of their battle with Malefor and the aftermath.

Finally, as the last words of the story left Spyro’s lips, ending with how they found themselves wandering into Ponyville today, the room fell into silence, as all of the Ponies took time to process all that they had just been told. It was an incredible, epic story, full of hope and fear, love and loss, war and peace, and the limitless bonds of friendships that were formed along the way. It spoke to them, and reminded them of their own friendships with one another, and their own struggles to make the world a better place.

Twilight had long ago filled her scroll, and had moved onto three more before she abandoned them completely, simply listening to the story and the wonders therein. It seemed that even across worlds and universes, the concepts of friendship and Harmony remained intact, and that simple fact moved her to the very core of her being. The true scope of Spyro and Cynder’s struggle hit her like a freight train, and she found herself standing up, walking over to the two Dragons, and embracing them within her wings as she shed tears (whether out of great joy for them surviving or of great sorrow for them losing so much, she couldn’t guess). The other Ponies soon followed suit, never saying a word, only letting their actions speak for themselves.

Spyro and Cynder didn’t shy away, and instead wrapped the Ponies up in their own embrace with their wings. Spyro squeezed his eyes shut as the hug continued, and sniffed as a tear fell from his eye. The true weight of the loss of both Ignitus and the world reached him, and he couldn’t contain it any longer.

He knew his mentor would’ve been proud, but that only made the pain in his heart grow. Ignitus hadn’t just been a mentor, he had been a father figure, a foundation for him to build off of. And now that foundation was gone, and so was the world they had fought and bled for...that Ignitus died for.

He felt a claw touch his shoulder, and, thinking it was Cynder, he turned towards her, only to stop when he saw that the claw was purple. He looked down and saw Spike looking up at him with a sympathetic gaze. Spyro recognized it immediately: it was the same one he had for many years, not knowing what your true place was in the world when not among your own kind. The little Dragon had felt that same burning desire Spyro once had, to find a purpose in life. Spyro smiled down at him, rubbing Spike’s head with a claw as Spike smiled back.

The Ponies finally pulled away, allowing Spyro and Cynder some space. Once the tears were dried and the minds were calmed down, Twilight looked up at the clock on the wall and noticed that several hours had passed since they started their discussion. She coughed a couple times and then said, “Why don’t we take a break? It’s lunch time, and I’m sure you’re hungry.”

“Famished,” Cynder replied.

“Um, Twilight?” Fluttershy said, nodding away from the Dragons. After pulling Twilight aside, Fluttershy whispered, “They’re carnivores, Twilight.”

Twilight blinked. “Yeah, and? Griffons are carnivores too, and so are a lot of your animals. It’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “That’s not what I mean. Ponies are herbivores, aside from Pegasi, but Ponyville isn’t a Pegasi town. We don’t have much meat in town.”

Twilight nodded, finally understanding what Fluttershy was saying. “What about fish?”

“It could work, but--”

“It’s okay, girls,” Cynder spoke up, causing the two mares to face her. “We Dragons love a good barbecue now and then, but we can eat fruits and vegetables too. We’re more omnivorous than you might think.”

Fluttershy sighed with relief. “Oh good, I was worried we wouldn’t be able to feed you properly.”

“Well, thanks for the kindness, but we’re good,” Spyro remarked.

“That’s our Fluttershy!” Pinkie exclaimed, hugging the yellow Pegasus from behind. “Always looking out for everypony. Or everydragon, in this case!”

Spike hopped off the bed and opened the door. “I’ll go get started on the sandwiches,” he called over his shoulder.

“Thanks Spike, you’re the best!” Twilight called after him.

“I know!”

“Sandwiches?” Spyro asked.

“You’ve...never had one before?” Rarity asked quizzically.

Cynder shook her head. “We usually eat our food either raw or cooked, with some spices on it for the occasional preparation if it’s for a formal occasion.”

“Well then, you’re in for a treat!” Twilight declared as they piled out of the room. “Follow us, and be amazed at the culinary delights of Ponykind, and the mastermind who crafts them: Spike.”

“You’re welcome!” Spike shouted from down the stairs, causing the mares to chuckle.

---

Blades had to admit, it was a nice town. Certainly more fanciful and cozier than most of the common households in Warfang, but maybe not as opulent or grand. Still, if they weren’t holding the heroes of Dragonkind hostage, he wouldn’t have minded to spend a few weeks vacation here.

The trip to get to the town wasn’t too long, thanks in no small part to Blades’ mastery over the Wind Element boosting their speed beyond that which was normal for their size, but it was mostly uneventful. The first third of it was just over boring ocean, and while that managed to perk up Echo a bit, it still did little to improve her mood past “mildly irked”. As for everyone else, they took it in stride. It was only until they reached the mainland again when things started to pique their collective interest again.

They first passed over a swamp not unlike the one that used to form around the Silver River back in the Realm, and then after that, a rather bleak desert. However, the desert wasn’t nearly as barren as they at first thought. They passed over a couple towns, and Sprocket’s keen eyes even spied train tracks in the sand, which they followed northwest, believing it would eventually lead to their destination, if Sprocket’s navigating and Terrador’s vision were correct.

And, a few hours later, it did, but it didn’t stop there. After curving around a massive, dark forest, they found the town they were looking for, judging by the massive crystalline structure at the edge of it. Mountains, rolling hills, and the occasional flat plain surrounded them on all sides, but there was one lone mountain that stood tall and proud above the rest, upon which rested what was certainly a grand city. Blades had good eyes, but not nearly as good as Sprocket’s so he couldn’t quite make out any details beyond the bare minimum, and the mountain city wasn’t their mission anyway. As interesting as it was, it could wait.

Presently, all six Rangers were hiding in the treeline of the forest, watching the town for any points of entry. Sparx, who had decided to hitch a ride with them to find Spyro (which Blades was fine with for the most part, although Blackout objected strongly to the notion of having a civilian in the mission), was among them, although he decided to stick to the upper branches of the trees instead, claiming it gave him a better vantage point.

Blades knew otherwise, but didn’t say anything. It spoke volumes that Sparx even came on the mission, he didn’t want to make the poor Dragonfly feel even worse.

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, Blades crawled over to Sprocket’s hiding place and nestled into place beside him under a bush. “What d’ya see, Sprocket?” he asked in a whisper, peering out from the bush to the town.

Sprocket lifted up his gem goggles and muttered back, “Ponies. Town. Crystal castle. Diagnosis: correct location.”

Blades sighed and rolled his eyes skyward. “Okay, look man, I know ya think ya might need a quirk to fit in with the group, but this isn’t it. It just makes ya sound dorky.”

Sprocket raised an eyebrow and looked at him quizzically. “Always talked like this. Easier to understand. Succinct. Efficient. Emphasized. The point has been made.”

“Right, right...alright, any guards?”

“Negative. Few guards on patrol. Mostly civilians.”

“Nice, I’ll tell the captain we’re ready to move in. You stay here and keep watch until we move.”

“Understood,” Sprocket nodded, slipping the gem goggles back on his head.

Blades crawled back to the rest of the group and told them Sprocket’s report, and Blackout nodded. He raised himself up and said, “Spotlight, Sprocket, Blades, you three will stay here and provide cover in case thing go south. Flashwing, Echo, and I will attempt to contact the locals to see if we can find out Spyro and Cynder’s location from there.”

“And if you can’t?” Flashwing asked.

“Or if they decide they don’t particularly like Dragons?” Echo added.

“Well, the Guardians did ask us to keep bloodshed to a minimum, and only if necessary,” Blackout replied grimly. “I’d rather not harm such innocent creatures.”

“Awww, you adorable softy, all gruff and stuff,” Spotlight giggled, giving him a quick peck on his cheek.

Blackout rolled his eyes and pawed the ground. “Spotty, ahem, not in front of the kids.”

“At least not in front of me, geez...” Sparx muttered from the branches above them.

“So we’re good with the plan, then?” Flashwing asked.

Blades shrugged. “Not a fan of sticking behind, but ya can all count on me to do my part. I...” His voice trailed off, and his eye twitched. “Did anyone hear that?”

Everyone stared at him, and Sprocket raised his goggles. “Hear what?” he asked.

A nearby rustling sound answered him, making every Dragon flinch. They whirled around, looking for the source of the noise. For a moment, all was silent, until...

“Holy Celestia...”

“More Dragons!”

“We gotta tell Twilight!”

Sprocket growled and spun towards the source of the voices. “Multiple unknown targets detected. Hostility unknown.”

The remaining Rangers and Sparx turned just in time to see three small heads pop back into the underbrush, followed by the sounds of scuffling and grunting. Several nearby bushes shook, heading away from the group and towards the path leading outside of the forest. Flashwing dove towards the bushes, attempting to grab whoever or whatever had been spying on them, only to receive a handful of leaves, twigs, and dirt for her troubles. Blackout’s body suddenly melted into a black fog that swept across the ground, following the source of the disturbance. However, even he couldn’t catch the spies in time before they burst out of the forest, running at a full gallop towards the town.

There were three of them, all of them young fillies. One was orange with a purple mane, another white with a pink mane, and the third butter yellow with a red mane topped with a bow. All three bore nearly identical marks on their flanks, and were covered in tree sap for some reason.

Blackout’s shadow form stopped at the edge of the forest, and with a sigh, he transformed back into his body, staring after the retreating forms of the foals. He had intended to capture the intruders, but upon seeing who and what they were...

The rest of his team burst out of the forest after him, skidding to a stop behind him. Blades looked between the trio of Ponies and Blackout, slightly puzzled on how to continue. “Oh, well that’s bloody brilliant. What now, boss?” he asked.

“Welp, so much for our cover...” Blackout muttered. “Now we do this the annoying way.”

Spotlight gasped and her eyes lit up. “We try to make friends?!”

Blackout groaned and slapped a claw to his face. “The very annoying way...come on, we better catch up to them before everyone gets the wrong idea.”

---

“So that was a sandwich,” Cynder murmured and she and Spyro stepped outside the castle alongside the mares. Starlight had opted to stay inside, saying that she needed to pack for a trip. “Not bad, I must say. The daisies were interesting, but surprisingly tasty.”

“Still confused by why there were gems inside them, though,” Spyro added. “I mean, I enjoy a good energy boost as much as the next Dragon, but not that way.”

“I’m sorry,” Spike said, kicking the ground in embarrassment. “I thought that since you were Dragons, you’d be able to eat gems.”

“Oh, do Dragons eat gems in this world?” Spyro asked.

“Yes they do,” Twilight answered, glancing down at Spike and giving him a hug. “Dragons, especially babies, need all the gems they can eat for nutrition, otherwise they won’t grow as well as they should. This little guy almost ate Princess Celestia’s private gem stash when he was little. She was saving them for a bribe to get the former Dragon Lord Torch to visit for a trade deal. Imagine her surprise when she found Spike sitting on the pile and digging into a fire ruby the size of a watermelon with the happiest grin a Dragon cold ever have on his face.”

Spike buried his face in his claws. “It would do me a whole universe of good if you’d stop mentioning that story, Twilight...”

“Well, I don’t know, Spikey-Wikey, you sounded like quite the little rascal when you were younger,” Rarity tittered. “I’d like to hear more.”

“So would I,” Fluttershy admitted with a demure smile.

“Later,” Twilight interrupted, before they could heckle her poor, blushing assistant any further. Only she could do that, anyway. “I think it’s time that our guests got their first proper taste of what Ponyville has to offer.”

“A tour?” Cynder inquired, looking past them towards the town with curious eyes.

“Something like that,” Twilight answered. “It actually kills two bir--” She paused, glancing at Fluttershy, who flicked an ear in confusion. “I mean, uh, it catches two worms with one bird for us, since the girls need to get their things together for our next trip.”

“That analogy doesn’t work as well as it should, Twilight,” said Fluttershy. Then she giggled and added, “But thanks for thinking of me.”

“What kind of trip?” asked Spyro.

“Actually...” Twilight said, a sly smile adorning her face. “I was kinda hoping you’d help us with something. You see, a couple days ago, it seems that this massive city suddenly appeared out of nowhere near the Eastern Dragon Lair.”

Spyro and Cynder whipped their heads towards her, eyes wide and hopeful. “This city...” Cynder said. “Did it have Dragons in it? Cheetahs? Moles?”

“Well, it did have Dragons in it, according to the letter we got from Dragon Lord Ember,” Twilight answered, her smile growing. “And she did mention creatures that looked like Moles--”

“YESSSS!!!” Spyro whooped, throwing his claws into the air and embracing Cynder, both of them laughing and swinging around. “It worked, it worked, it worked!”

“Yay, I’m so happy it worked!” Pinkie cried, dancing with them. Then she paused mid-step and raised an innocent eyebrow. “Uh, what worked?”

“Ah take it y’all know the place?” Applejack asked with a grin.

“It’s Warfang, the last Dragon City in the Realm,” Spyro explained, after he and Cynder settled down. “Remember the story we told you, with the siege? That Warfang. As far as we know, it held the last remnant of Dragonkind, along with thousands of Moles and a few Cheetah tribes. It was our final stand against Malefor, and when we defeated him, I wanted nothing more than to save them all.”

“Dude, that’s hardcore,” Rainbow smirked, crossing her forehooves as she hovered in the air.

“Well, I guess you did save them, in a most unusual way,” Rarity remarked.

“This is fantastic!” Twilight exclaimed, clapping her hooves in excitement. “Now we can open up proper talks with them, and you can vouch for us!”

“This calls for a party!” Pinkie added, jumping up into the air. “And not just any party, but the biggest, most stupenderifantastically awesome ‘Welcome to Equus and Ponyville and Glad You’re Still Alive to Be Our Friends’ party of...all...TIME! I must go, my planning cave needs me!” And with that, before anyone could blink, she was gone. Just gone. No dust trail, no galloping, no noise, just gone.

Spyro stared at her former place, pointing to it and trying to form words, only for them to die on his lips. Cynder simply dropped her jaw. Rainbow noticed their confusion and snickered. “Guys, trust me on this, you don’t wanna know.” She raised a hoof and pointed it at Twilight before the Alicorn could speak. “Twilight, don’t tell them. We all told you not to try, but you did, so now I’m telling you, let them try to figure it out themselves; it’s more hilarious that way.”

Spyro eventually gave up trying to figure out how Pinkie left and instead shook his head and cleared his throat. “Well, ahem, so...about that tour?”

“Ah yes, of course,” Twilight coughed. “Well, I think the Carousel Boutique is nearby, so we can head there first.” She stepped down from the castle entry steps (rolling her eyes as the two on-duty Dusk Watch guards saluted her) and motioned for Spyro and Cynder to follow her, smiling. “Don’t worry, nopony will panic around you if we’re standing right next to you. We even fought a bugbear in the middle of town once and everypony still went to the market to buy their daily veggies once they saw us dealing with the problem.”

“Good times, good times...” Rainbow murmured, flying after her.

Spyro and Cynder glanced at each other and shrugged, before following the Princess and her friends. Rarity smiled as they joined the group and put a hoof to her chest proudly. “Trust me darlings, I think you’ll enjoy what my humble home has in store. Why, in this light, I do believe your scales are giving me ideas already for new--”

“TWIIIIILIIIIIIGHT!” somepony screamed in a high-pitched voice, causing everyone to jump and look down the street. Three small fillies came hurtling towards them, tripping over themselves at the last moment and sliding to an inglorious halt in front of Twilight and the others.

“Applebloom?” Twilight exclaimed. “Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, what are you three doing here?”

“And in such a hurry too!” Rarity added, as she, Applejack, and Rainbow rushed to their respective sisters. “Are you dears alright?”

“We’re bein’ chased by Dragons!” Applebloom answered, jumping up and grabbing her sister’s shoulders, shaking her. “A whole army of ‘em!”

“Ten!” Scootaloo cried.

“No, twenty!” Sweetie interjected. “They were hiding in the Everfree, we saw them and wanted to tell you, and now they’re chasing us!”

The three fillies then looked behind Twilight and saw Spyro and Cynder staring at them quizzically, and they screamed. “They’re already here!” Sweetie squealed. “It’s an invasion!”

“Oh, for Celestia’s sake...” Rarity admonished, brushing the dirt off of her little sister’s fur. “There is no invasion, Sweetie, those are Spyro and Cynder, and they’re friends.”

“But what about the other Dragons?” Rainbow asked, glancing at their guests. “Friends of yours?”

Spyro shrugged. “Depends on who it is.”

“Tick Tock,” Twilight called to one of the two guards in front of the castle. “Alert Captain Silver, and then round up a few Dusk Watchers to investigate. We don’t want another panic in the streets. Clover, escort the fillies to their clubhouse, they’ll show you the way.” The guards saluted and one retreated into the castle.

Several muffled screams sounded off from somewhere in the town, and Twilight sighed. “Aaaand, of course, it’s too late. Never change, Ponyville...alright girls, let’s go.”

After sending the Cutie Mark Crusaders to their clubhouse with their escort, everyone abandoned their original plan for touring the town and ran down the main road instead, following the source of the disturbances. They didn’t have to go far. By the time they reached the town square, it was clear what was causing everypony to run around like headless chickens: six Dragons, standing by the town hall, and looking terribly befuddled and a little lost by what they were witnessing.

One of them, a blue Dragon with sword blades and plate armor covering his body, was trying to get somepony’s attention by waving his wings, but that only made the situation worse as the blades on his wings gleamed in the daylight. Another Dragon, this one pure white with an almost reflective sheen, was smiling innocently throughout the whole thing, looking about as cheerful and friendly as Pinkie but without the extra bounciness. The other four simply gaped at the sight.

“Come on, people, we don’t mean any trouble, we just wanna talk!” Blades shouted, before letting his wings fall to his sides. “Ugh, it’s no use. This was a terrible plan.”

“Orders: do not engage in hostilities,” Sprocket recited. “We are following orders. We are trying to negotiate.”

“You need two people to negotiate, not one shouting into a crowd of maniacs,” Flashwing said with a roll of her eyes.

Something caught Spotlight’s eye and she glanced to the left, gasping. “Look, it’s Spyro and Cynder!”

All the remaining Dragons whipped their heads around, following her gaze until they all landed on the two Dragons standing next to Twilight and her friends. Spyro raised a claw and waved at them.

“...Soooo, not being tortured and imprisoned against their will?” Echo snarked.

“It seems so,” Blackout replied, stepping towards the group.

“Y’know sometimes I think that Terrador has tanked one too many boulders to the head,” Blades said as he and the Rangers followed their leader.

Both groups stopped a few feet in front of each other, with Spyro, Cynder, and Twilight smiling at the six newcomers. Twilight offered a hoof forward and said, “Hello there! My name is Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. Sorry for the rude welcoming, we don’t get many Dragons around here.”

“A pleasure, Your Highness,” Blackout stated, taking her hoof in one of his claws and shaking it. He then turned towards Spyro and bowed his head. “Master Spyro, Master Cynder, it’s an honor to meet you, and a great relief that you’re both safe. The Guardians saw a vision of you in this place, and they assumed you had been taken prisoner. We were sent to rescue you.”

Cynder smirked. “Well, good job.”

“Indeed.” Blackout put a claw to his chest. “I am Captain Blackout of the Rangers, and this is my team. My lieutenant and mate, Spotlight; Sprocket; Echo; Flashwing; and Blades.” He pointed to each Dragon as he named them, and they nodded to the Ponies in turn.

Twilight’s grin grew wider as she motioned with a hoof to her friends. “This is Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and...PINKIE PIE?!” Everypony (and Dragon) did a double take to see the pink party pony standing innocently among them, balancing a tray of cupcakes on her back with a smile. “How, where, WHEN?!” Twilight cried.

Pinkie blew a raspberry. “Oh please, Twilight, I know when I’m needed,” she said. “And besides, my Pinkie Sense said that I might find even more new friends here, and look who showed up! Seven new friends, all in a row like Fluttershy’s ducks! Can you say ‘best day EVER’?!”

“Um, there’s only six, Pinks,” Rainbow corrected her.

“Oh, so that isn’t a talking Dragonfly buzzing behind Spyro’s ear and preparing to poke his snout from above? Silly me.”

“Dang it!” a new, somewhat obnoxious voice roared. “So close!”

“Told ya!”

Spyro’s eyes widened and his head spun around to see a glowing yellow Dragonfly floating next to him. His jaw dropped. “SPARX?!”

Sparx pointed his two thumbs towards himself and smirked. “In the flesh, bro! Your savior --- and his oddball crew --- is here!”

Spyro laughed and jumped into the air, snagging Sparx in a large (but delicate) bear hug. Tears fell from his eyes in streams, while Sparx simply smiled wide and hugged his brother back. None of the other Dragons and Ponies could say anything, but they could feel their hearts being warmed at the sight. Even the usually stoic Blackout let a small smile grace his features.

Finally, after a solid minute of Sparx and Spyro holding each other close, Sparx pulled away and looked his adoptive brother up and down. “You’re still fat,” he remarked.

Spyro snorted while Cynder chuckled next to him. “Seriously Sparx? That’s the first thing you say to me?”

“Hey, would you have it any other way, bro?” Sparx replied with a smirk.

Spyro shook his head. “Nope!”

“OH! Dude, I’ve got great news,” Sparx exclaimed, pulling himself closer. “Mom and dad, they’re alive! All the Dragonflies are in Warfang.”

Spyro sucked in a breath and his eyes widened as memories flooded into his mind. It had been so long since he had seen Nina and Flash, and to hear that they were alive after all this time and not killed by Malefor...he couldn’t fathom how he felt. Instead, he hugged his brother once more, letting out a rumbling, happy chuckle. “They’re...they’re alive. Thank you...”

“Um, no problem bro,” the little Dragonfly replied. “Uh, kinda want to say one more thing, if ya don’t mind.”

Spyro let him go, and Sparx turned to Cynder, neither of them saying a word for a moment. Cynder’s smile faltered somewhat, and so did Sparx’s. Sparx buzzed up to her snout and crossed his arms. Finally, after a few more moments of silence, he nodded his head. “Cynder,” he said, his voice low.

“Sparx,” Cynder replied in the same tone.

“Soooo...heard you and Spyro kicked Malefor’s butt.”

“We did.”

“And that you both saved the world.”

“We did that too.” Cynder’s eyes narrowed. What was he getting at?

“And I can also see that you kept your promise,” Sparx added, nodding towards Spyro.

Cynder’s smile returned, and her eyes twinkled as she looked at the Purple Dragon. “Yes...I did.”

Sparx looked back at her, and nodded once more. “Then...I guess we’re cool. You’re okay, Cynder. Still a she-witch, but maybe not so evil.”

Cynder giggled. “Thanks, Sparx. That means a lot to me.”

“I know.” He looked around, seeing all the happy faces around him and smirking. “Look ladies, I know I’m a handsome son of a gun, but let’s keep the staring to a minimum. Unless they’re bedroom stares, of course.”

Rainbow’s face scrunched up and she gagged off to the side, Rarity raised an eyebrow, Fluttershy blushed, Applejack frowned, Pinkie giggled, and Twilight facehooved. Spike clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Dude,” he muttered. “Mood. Killer.”

All six Rangers glanced down at him, noticing the little Dragon for the first time. Spotlight blinked and pointed at him. “...Is that a Purple Dragon without wings?” Spyro groaned and slapped a wing over his face, while Spike grinned a waved a claw at her.

---

(Frozen North, Mount Everhoof)

The wind roared, the snow slammed against them, and they could barely walk, but walk they did. They were a long line of black amidst a sea of unending white, with only the dim light of their glimmerstone torches to guide them. They carried only what they needed, leaving all the rest down at the abandoned camp far below them near the Crystal Empire.

It was a fact that Changelings hated the cold; hated it with a passion. Their exoskeletons were never meant to be pummeled by icy winds, freezing snow, sleet, hail, and anything else the hell of the Frozen North could ever throw at them, and yet here they were, miserable, cold, depressed, and starving. It was as if the universe had decided to make them its punching bags ever since their Queen decided to wage war against the Ponies. They had replaced their dreams for an empire with prayers for deliverance from the unrelenting storm.

Several of the infiltrators had already succumbed to the cold or to the lack of love in their bodies, slipping into a chilled, numbed slumber where they stood and falling into the snow, never to rise again. The green glimmerstone torches they carried fizzled out as their bodies were buried. Their companions looked on in pity and sympathy but also without mercy, walking away and leaving them for the Frozen North to devour. Cold-hearted as it was, what else could they do? They barely had enough strength for themselves.

Such was the situation that Chrysalis’s last loyal Changelings were in, following their Queen and her increasingly concerned general Pharynx as they slowly trudged up Mount Everhoof. They had already been going at it for days, but had made very little progress due to the unnatural, uncontrollable weather of the Frozen North. Still they persevered, not knowing where they were being led, but trusting in their Queen to not lead them astray. After all, she had never led them astray before. She was the Queen, the wisest, strongest, and most beloved of all of them, and they lived and died for her.

Still, that didn’t stop Pharynx from speaking his hidden thoughts. “My Queen?” he asked when he drew near to her. “Are you sure there’s shelter up ahead? We can’t survive much more of this storm.”

“Are you doubting me, general?” Chrysalis responded in kind.

Pharynx shook his head. “No, my Queen, but my troops...they’re dying out there. I don’t want to see more of them fall. I just want to know what it is we’re searching for?”

Chrysalis looked on ahead and hummed as the immense, dangerous majesty of Mount Everhoof towered above her. “A purpose. Destiny. Revenge,” she hissed, her voice echoing throughout what remained of the Hivemind. “Follow me. Shelter is ahead, I know it.”

Pharynx nodded to her and looked back to his troops and waved them forward, standing in the snow and patting each one on the back to comfort them as they passed by. Most ignored him, too exhausted and focused to do anything else but keep walking forward. Some, however, sent him either puzzled glances or small, timid smiles, thankful that someone out there cared about their well-being as much as their Queen did.

Eventually, the line ended, far too short according to Pharynx’s last calculations. They had lost another section to the storm, and nobody had gone back to see if any of them could be saved, effectively dooming them to wander without a lead to shelter. Even worse, if he attempted to send someone out there to rescue them, chances were they would only get lost as well, and no one was strong enough to even try.

Letting out a deep, remorseful sigh, he turned his back to the sea of white and trudged after the line once more, whispering an apology to all those they left behind. He tried not to imagine their struggle, or the feeling of their voices disappearing from the Hivemind, one at a time, until they were all silent.

Soon, to his surprise, he found his hooves stepping on stone and crystal rather than snow and ice, and though it was cold, the wind had faltered slightly, giving his body a brief respite. He looked up and blinked through the snowflakes, pulling his cloak down past his face to see the entrance to a cave covered in purple and black crystals. All of the surviving Changelings had rushed inside, eager to get out of the wind and the storm, leaving him the only one outside. He gazed back one last time, bidding farewell to the Frozen North and his fallen soldiers one last time, and then entered the cave.

Several Changelings had already started up a few fires with their portable stoves, and dozens had huddled up next to each other to conserve heat. One particularly weakened mare inched her way painfully across the floor as she crawled towards one of the huddled groups, but no one even looked at her or attempted to help her, being too focused on staying warm. He bent down next to her and helped her to her hooves, carefully moving her closer until she lay down next to one of the stoves. She looked up at him and smiled gratefully, her left eye a pale, milky white color. The storm had blinded her on that side.

His heart ached for her, and he knew that unless something miraculous happened, she wouldn’t last much longer. Even with the heat warming her up, she was deathly cold, and far too weak to move. Nevertheless, as much as he wanted to, he couldn’t keep her company; he had somewhere else to be.

He paused for a moment to warm up his hooves, and then continued deeper into the cave as he searched for the Queen. The cave went deeper than he had expected it to, and led him down twisting tunnels and large, bubbly chambers until he eventually found her at the very back, staring at something and whispering to herself, her voice echoing throughout the cavern.

“My Queen?” he asked, taking a hesitant step forward. “What is it?”

Chrysalis chuckled and faced him, revealing her fangs. “A purpose. Destiny. Revenge.”

Behind her was a solitary crystal, half buried in a pile of snow. Its features were extraordinary, beautifully carved with two twisting horns, one black and one purple, spiraling around each other until joining at the top. At the very center, encased by the horns, was an orb of black, and Pharynx could see his reflection staring back at him through it. From the base of the crystal grew violet crystalline tendrils that snaked over the entire tunnel, leading all the way back to the entrance. A hole above the crystal had been covered up by a whole wall of the stuff, and it glowed and pulsed with powerful, dark energy.

And then he heard a Voice in his mind, speaking in a soft, gentle whisper, like a tongue of silver mixed with a guttural growl.

Welcome, General Pharynx. I have been waiting for you and your Queen to arrive, and now that you have, we can speak. Do not be afraid, for I mean you no harm. I know of the pain your Queen feels, for I have felt it as well. I want to help, if you’ll let me.

Pharynx had never known fear before in his life, not even when he first led the attack on Canterlot under the Queen’s banner. He didn’t know fear when he faced Princess Cadance in her own chambers and took her and her daughter down without much effort. He never even knew fear when he was following his Queen up this forsaken mountain.

But today...

Today his heart froze.

---

Author's Note:

Meet the Rangers! Observant readers will recognize most of them: they're some of the Skylander Dragons. It took many weeks for me to come up with the team of Dragons I wanted, and Camo and Whirlwind almost made the cut, but I decided on these ones instead.

However, they aren't quite the same here as they are in the Skylands. For example, Flashwing in Skylanders was of the Earth Element, but in here, she's a mixture between Earth and Ice. Some of their backstories have been changed too (Spotlight's especially), and others (like Blackout's) mostly remain untouched save for a few key details that enable them to fit within the Legend of Spyro universe.

These Dragons will also be the only Skylanders to appear in this series.

But who's this Sprocket fellow? There is a Skylander named Sprocket, but she's no Dragon. I wonder who he could be? I'll give you a hint: he is not an OC.

Anyway, meet the other five!

Lucky/"Blades", of the Wind Element.

Flashwing, of the Earth/Ice Elements.

Blackout, of the Shadow Element.

Spotlight, of the extremely rare Light Element.

Echo, of the Water Element.

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[RainbowRaptorDash1]

“On the contrary,” Volteer snickered. “They are rather...eccentric, even by my standards. You see, we took a less traditional route in their training, because these six are very nontraditional Dragons. Rare breeds, hybrids, magical creatures, one and all, as you shall soon see.”

Sunburn, Camo, Zap, Whirlwind, Bash and Flashwing?

[GTthe4th]

11043414
Only one of those is correct. If you’re still reading, keep reading.

[RainbowRaptorDash1]

11043416
Already did. My bad.

[SonicStreak5344]

Uh oh now our main bad guy is about rear his ugly head. Hope Spyro and Cynder along with their new friends are ready for battle.

[schorpioen007]

“A black Dragon! Haven’t seen one of you guys in a thousand years or so,” Samwise answered.

Cynder is i think dark pruple skin

[GTthe4th]

11048463
She’s been explicitly stated to be a black Dragon in the games, with Spyro and Malefor being the only purple Dragons. As for her color in Skylanders, that is not the design I’m going for in this story, and regarding her color in Dawn of the Dragon, I blame that on the lighting engine of that game rather than that color being her real color. You can actually see that if you go into more shaded/darker areas her scales turn a little blacker.

Thus, she’s a black Dragon here.

[Teraunce]

Well here's hoping Phasma manages to escape and join Thorax's hive.

[Absentialucci]

“Guys, trust me on this, you don’t wanna know.” She raised a hoof and pointed it at Twilight before the Alicorn could speak. “Twilight, don’t tell them. We all told you not to try, but you did, so now I’m telling you, let them try to figure it out themselves; it’s more hilarious that way.”

...
...
Reminds me of a certain scene from a movie about a lost civilization called Atlantis...
Talk about nostalgia...

[Absentialucci]

Succumbing to the cold...
What a horrible way to go. Only thing worse, I feel, would be drowning.
May the lost changelings of Chrysalis find peace in the comforting glow of Tír na nóg

[Comma Typer]

Finally got caught up to a big chunk of the story, and... to be honest, I usually do not actively look for crossover fics, but you've done a good job of making the Spyro characters clear to my mind without out-of-place exposition and things like that (and as you can tell, I know only the bare basics about the Spyro franchise), so this is going to be a breath of fresh air for me.

You've got a couple storylines going on at the same time, and they're just starting out here, so I'm looking forward to how you're going to make them all connect and worth it to follow everything. Thanks for what you've got so far!

[GTthe4th]

11098022
Super glad to hear that you’re enjoying the story so far. And yeah, there’s quite a bit going on for the first half of the story, but eventually all the major plot lines will join up and lead to the same story climax. I chose to do it this way to set up more parts of the world simultaneously while setting up an even grander scale for the narrative, making the world feel more alive and active than it did in the show (which mostly focused on Ponyville and Canterlot, with maybe the occasional dip into other territories).

You’re in for a wild ride, my friend. Just bear with the slower chapters for a little while longer, and you won’t regret it.

[Enderstorm]

Sprocket raised an eyebrow and looked at him quizzically. “Always talked like this. Easier to understand. Succinct. Efficient. Emphasized. Point made.”

Ah, just like Mordin.

[A Soul In Limbo]

“Every time I see a Dragon my butt always catches on fire somehow! If I had a bit for every time it’s happened, I’d have five bits, which isn’t enough to make me rich, but it’s certainly enough for me to cash in for a ‘NOPE’ ticket right outta this place. I’ll hand in my resignation papers, just give me five minutes.”

Nice twist on two different classics! I absolutely love this trio. XD

[A Soul In Limbo]

The Dragoness, on the other hand, was quite possibly the strangest Dragon Sparx had ever seen. She had white scales (blue for her belly), and seemed to be covered in an assortment of amethyst gemstones and crystals. Even her wings looked more like crystalline sheets with sharp points rather than leathery flesh. In a word, she looked flawless --- every gem was polished to perfection, every scale individually shined, every talon sharpened to a fine point, and even her brilliantly blue eyes sparkled like the gems that adorned her.

I take it you have a thing for the combination of white and blue, particularly for characters in armor?

[vorxil]

The triplets are such delectable little dumplings. Love 'em.

And we have six new dergs, suspicious in number, design, and personalities. They certainly seem interesting and—

Skylander Dragons

Ahem. Sorry, force of habit.

Anyways, I wonder what happened to the new Chronicler?

[GTthe4th]

11520798
Ah, don't worry, you'll grow to love what I've done/am doing with these particular Skylanders. :P

And yes, the Triplets are an absolute joy to write. You're gonna be seeing them a lot, and their antics are only gonna get crazier (and their teamwork shown in full force).

[A Soul In Limbo]

Spyro stared at her former place, pointing to it and trying to form words, only for them to die on his lips. Cynder simply dropped her jaw. Rainbow noticed their confusion and snickered. “Guys, trust me on this, you don’t wanna know.” She raised a hoof and pointed it at Twilight before the Alicorn could speak. “Twilight, don’t tell them. We all told you not to try, but you did, so now I’m telling you, let them try to figure it out themselves; it’s more hilarious that way.”

I know this is a reference to that time Twilight tried to study Pinkie...but did you also mix it with a reference to Sweet from Atlantis: The Lost Empire? ;)