Spyro: Price Of Darkness ch. 4

Seven Years Later

"Eira! Get back here!" A young dragon yelled while running after the blue dragoness.
"You gotta catch me first Luna!" Eira yelled back.
The two dragons ran through the streets in the city of Warfang, weaving in and out of the crowds professionally. Eira kept running while looking back every few seconds to see where her pursuer was. After going through a crowd of dragons she ducked under a meat stand and laid down low. After seeing Luna run by unknowingly she sighed in relief.
"May I help you miss?" someone asked her.
She looked up and saw a fire dragon looking down at her curiously.
"Uh, no sir, I'm just hiding from my friend." She answered.
"Oh, alright then." The dragon replied. "You may hide here as long as you need to."
"Thank you!" Eira exclaimed before looking back to the crowd in search of Luna.
After a minute of looking she could not find her anywhere. Thinking that it was safe to go out she crawled out from underneath the stand and stood up, still keeping an eye out for Luna.
"Thanks again for letting me hide here!" Eira exclaimed.
"Anytime young one." The dragon replied.
The young ice dragon gave him a smile before running off again. She continued through the market at a slow pace, keeping an eye out for her friend. She walked underneath an arch, unaware of the danger from above.
"Aha! You fell right into my trap!" Luna exclaimed.
Eira looked up and saw her friend ready to pounce on her. Before she could turn and run Luna had already jumped down and tackled her.
"Ack! Luna!" Eira gasped while trying to catch her breath from Luna's tight hold of her.
Luna smiled as she hugged Eira, saying "you can never hide from me!"
"Okay! I get that! Can you let go of me now?!" Eira exclaimed, still trying to get air.
"Oh, sorry." Luna replied while getting off of her.
"Thanks." Eira said while catching her breath. "Well, guess it's my turn to chase you!"
"Yeah!" Luna cheered.
They began running again, this time with Eira chasing Luna. They stopped when they saw a young electric dragon watching them.
"Hey Thunor!" Eira shouted.
"Hey cousin. Are you two having fun?" he asked.
"Yeah! A lot of fun!" Luna exclaimed.
"Good, but I'm afraid you are going to have to end it now."
Eira groaned and asked "how come?"
"Because your parents asked me to come and get you Eira."
"What does she want?"
"I don't know, that's why she wants you!"
The ice dragoness sighed and turned to Luna, saying "I guess I gotta go."
"Alright, we can play later I guess."
"Yeah! Of course!" Eira exclaimed before hugging her best friend.
Luna hugged back and watched Eira run to her cousin before walking away with him. Once they were gone Luna ran off in a different direction to go to her own home. Within a few minutes she walked up the steps and opened the door.
"Mom? Dad? Anyone home?" she shouted.
"In here sweetie." Cynder answered from her room.
Luna walked in and saw her mother laying on her bed. "Hey mom, are you alright?" she asked.
"Yeah, just feeling tired." She answered. "Did you have fun laying with Eira?"
"Yeah! We had so much fun!"
Cynder smiled and said "good, I'm glad you are having fun."
Luna smiled back and joined her mother on the bed. Once she was comfortable Luna closed her eyes and began taking a nap. Cynder on the other hand could not sleep. Her mind was stuck on Phoenus.
"If only you knew, how much we miss you." She whispered quietly.

Eira was escorted home by her cousin, Thunor. When they arrived at the house she walked in and found Murghus and Glacia both citing in the living room.
"Hey mom, hey dad." Eira said while hugging Glacia.
"Hello sweetie." Glacia replied.
"Did you have fun?" Murghus asked.
Eira nodded and said "yeah, I always do."
"Good, because it will be the last one for a while." Murghus told her.
"Why's that daddy?" she asked.
"Because we are going to be going to the city of Pyry tomorrow to see its completion." Glacia told her. "Your father has to go to escort the queen back, and I was thinking that we can go as well to take a vacation."
"Oh, I see." Eira said while taking it in.
"I'm sorry to tell you on such short notice, but we just found out this morning." Murghus told her.
"It's okay, I understand." Eira said. "As long as I can say goodbye to Luna then I'm alright with it."
"We will most certainly let you stop by her house again." Glacia said. "She is your best friend after all."
"And it won't take too long. It's a one day flight there and back, and we might stay for a couple of days." Murghus added.
"Alright, sounds good to me." Eira told them.
"I'm glad you like it." Glacia said with a kiss to her forehead.
Eira smiled and hugged her again. Everyone looked up when a knock was heard at the front door. Murghus got up and opened it to see Tundra and Eirlys standing outside.
"Prince Tundra? What brings you here?" he asked.
"I have heard the news about Pyry, and I wanted to say farewell." Tundra told him.
"What do you mean? Aren't you coming with us?"
"I'm afraid we can't, not with the condition Eirlys is in."
"Oh yes, I forgot." Murghus stated. "When do you think it will come?"
"I feel like it may be this week." Eirlys answered. "I just hope everything goes well."
"I am positive it will." Glacia said while she walked up to Murghus' side. "It will hurt, yes, but in the end it is worth it."
"Oh I know it will." Eirlys stated. "As long as I have my loving prince by my side I know things will be fine." She added with a nuzzle to Tundra's cheek.
He returned the nuzzle then said "so we will not be able to make the trip there, and I doubt we will be going back anytime soon."
"I understand your decision your highness. And do not fear, we will be returning to Warfang after a couple of days." Murghus told him.
"Great! Well, see you later then." Tundra said before walking away with his mate.
Once they were gone Murghus closed the door and returned to the living room with his family. "Now, shall we go out for dinner tonight?" he asked.
"Yeah, let's go to Damian's restaurant, I've heard that his mate has recently laid her egg. I want to see if she is there with it." Glacia answered.
"Very well then." Murghus said before going back and opening the door. "After you milady."
"Thank you kind sir." Glacia replied while walking out with Eira behind her.
Once they were out Murghus followed after closing the door and together the happy family walked through the streets of Warfang together.

Blazelight sat in the living room of her parents' house, where she too lived. She and Shadow have gotten married several months ago, but have not been able to buy a home for themselves. Flame has offered to buy one for them, but they wouldn't allow it. They both agreed to earn everything themselves. Until the time came that they earned enough gems to buy their own house they stayed with Blazelight's parents.
They both had jobs as well. Shadow was limited to being Flame's assistant. He wanted to be a soldier more than anything, but without his wings he was unable to do so. Flame made sure he had plenty to do, and once their day was done he would take him to the dojo and train with him to keep them both in shape. Blazelight followed her mother's career in being a healer dragon. She was only an assistant for now, being there to learn everything from her mother and great grandfather's experience. But now she had to take a break from work.
She sat there, waiting patiently for her father and mate to return while her mother cooked dinner in the kitchen. She fiddled around with her paws a bit and felt her heart beating fast with excitement. When the front door finally opened she nearly jumped through the roof when she got up. Blazeliight immediately ran up and hugged Shadow tightly as she always did when he returned.
He returned the hug before saying "hello my love, how was your day?"
"It was amazing!" She replied. "How was yours?"
"It was alright, just did a lot of paperwork today."
"Yeah, sorry about that Shadow." Flame said to him. "It seems that nothing big is happening in Warfang anymore."
"What about the scout's sent to Volos? Have they returned?" Ember asked as she entered the room.
"Gravel returned last night with the scouts." Flame answered. "He says that nothing suspicious was going on. From what they could gather the Earth Kingdom is not ready to make any attack."
"That is wonderful to hear!" Ember exclaimed. "Maybe we can finally end this pointless war once and for all!"
"That would indeed be wonderful." Flame stated. "When that happens we can finally return our focus to Demetrius and what he's up to."
After everyone nodded in agreement Blazelight said "I have something I wish to tell you guys."
"What is it, Blazelight?"  Shadow asked.
She took a deep breath and smiled before saying "Shadow, I'm pregnant."
The black dragon felt his heart jump from hearing his mate's words. He tried saying something but couldn't find the strength to say it. Flame, too, was at a loss for words. He knew this day would come someday, but he never really prepared for it.
Blazelight and Ember only smiled at their reactions. Ember had already known because she was the one to confirm Blazelight's superstition.
"You… you are?" Shadow finally managed to ask.
Blazelight nodded and said "I am, we are going to be parents!"
A single tear of joy slid down Shadow's cheek as he hugged his mate. Silently Shadow was thanking the ancestors for giving him this wonderful gift. After all the pain he has been through, after all the suffering, he was now finally living a happy life.

When it was dark outside Granite found her way to Damian's restaurant, which was now turned into a bar for the older dragons. She took a seat at her usual spot at the counter and stared at her paws, just as she did every day. It didn't take long for Damian to notice her and walk to her.
"The usual?" He asked. After only getting a nod from her he said "alright, I'll be right back."
Once he was gone Granite laid her head down on the counter and sighed sadly, saying "another day without him."
A few minutes later Damian returned with her drink. He just put it next to her and left her alone. When he first started running the bar he learned the hard way to not disturb her. At first he had her pay for each drink, but after a couple of weeks he stopped making her pay and made them on the house for her.
She took a little sip of her drink before laying her head back down and starring of into nothing. She had no care for anything around her, not even the group of drunken dragons approaching her.
"Hey there cutie." The leader of the group said.
Granite did not acknowledge them at all and just kept starring at the wall.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!" The dragon shouted before slapping her rear.
This angered Granite and she swiftly grabbed her glass and smashed it against his head, making the dragon fall over unconscious. Before the other two dragons could react she used her tail to swipe their paws out from underneath them.
One of them got up and said "you are going to pay for that you bi-"
"No she is not!" Damian exclaimed. "You two better get out of here right now or I will make you leave!"
Wasting no time the two conscious dragons lifted their knocked out friend and left through the nearest exit, breaking a table before leaving.
Granite started picking up the broken pieces of glass and said "sorry about that Damian, I shouldn't have…"
"No Granite, don't be sorry." He interrupted while helping her. "Moss had it coming to him anyways. He shouldn't have touched you like that."
Granite sighed and said "yeah, I guess. Thanks Damian."
"Anything for my friend." He replied while taking the pieces of glass and throwing them away.
While he went to get her another drink Granite sat back down and looked at the floor. When he returned with her drink he asked "what should I do Damian?"
"About what? Phoenus?" he asked. After she nodded he said "well, if you truly love him as much as you say you do, then I suggest you wait for him to return."
"But what if he never comes back?!" Granite asked as she looked up at him. "What if I never see him again?"
"then it is his fault for missing out on being with a wonderful dragoness." He answered. "Granite, do you remember that dragoness I went out with for a while when we were younger?"
"You mean the one that cheated on you?"
Damian sighed and said "yes, that one. Do you remember how miserable I was with her?"
"Yeah, you were never the same happy dragon we all knew."
"That's because I was with someone I did not truly love. Yes, I did have fun with her every now and then, but it didn't feel right to be with her. I could tell She was not the one for me."
"And your point is?" Granite asked.
"My point is that you will never be truly happy if you are with someone you do not love. You may like another dragon, but you will never feel the same love that you have for Phoenus. It will be a sad relationship for you, Granite. When Heartia and I started dating I could feel that she was the one I wanted to be with forever. You have that feeling for Phoenus, and he feels the same about you. So what I suggest you do, is wait for him. I know he will come back for you someday."
She allowed his words to sink into her mind for a minute before saying "you're right, I love Phoenus more than anything in the world! Thank you Damian, thank you for everything!"
"It was my pleasure Granite." He replied.
She gave him a small hug before asking "is it at all possible to stay at your place tonight? I fear that those dragons will make a surprise visit to my house."
"Of course you can! Our  spare bedroom is open again now that Leon has  gotten his own place now."
"Thank you." Granite said.
"I'll take you there once my shift is finished in ten minutes."
Granite nodded and took another sip from her drink while he went to help some of the other customers.

"Ah!" Luna screamed as she woke up from a bad dream.
Within a couple of minutes the door opened to show Spyro looking around. "What's wrong Luna? Are you alright?!" he frantically asked.
"I'm fine daddy." She told him. "Just had a bad dream."
Spyro sighed in relief before saying "alright, that's good."
He walked up next to her bed and laid down before she asked "do you ever have bad dreams?"
He nodded and said "I do, everyone does."
"Eira told me her dad has a lot of them. She keeps waking up from his screaming."
"Well, Murghus has had a rough life. He has gone through so much, I am thankful he has ended up here with his mate."
"What was his life like?" she asked him.
"I'll tell you when you are older." He told her. "Now, you should get back to sleep."
"Can I hear a story first?"
Spyro chuckled before asking "didn't mommy tell you one before you fell asleep?"
"Yes, but it was a boring story that I have heard a lot." She told him. "I want to hear a new one!"
"A new one huh? Hmm, how about the story about how two dragons saved the world?"
"Yeah! That sounds good!"
"Alright, I'll tell you this story, then it is back to sleep. Understand?"
After she nodded and got comfortable Spyro said "alright, this story takes place long ago, long before you were born. There was this evil dragon that wanted to take over the world. He was the strongest dragon alive, no one could defeat him! The guardians back then lost all hope of defeating him, until two brave dragons stood up to him. They were only several years older than you are now, taking on a dragon three times their size and strength. Against all odds the two dragons emerged victorious after a long battle."
"They did?! What happened to them?" Luna asked.
"They went on to live their lives together. They ended up having a daughter and still live with her to this day."
Luna gasped before saying "that was you and mommy?! You saved the world?!"
Spyro nodded and said "yes, your mother and I saved the world together."
"That's amazing! I never knew that!" she exclaimed. "How did you do it?"
"Your mother and I had a secret power that our enemy did not understand."
"And what power is that?"
"Love. Our love for each other and for all of our friends was stronger than anything. It still is to this day."
Luna smiled before letting out a gentle yawn. "That was a nice story… so romantic…" She said before laying her head down and closing her eyes.
Once he knew she was fast asleep Spyro gently kissed her forehead before walking out of her room and back into his. He laid down next to his sleeping mate and wrapped his paws around her.
"I love you Cynder, so much." He whispered before falling back asleep.

Meanwhile a loud roar filled the halls of Demetrius' castle. Every ape jumped in shock and fear, they knew their master was not happy and that would not go over well for them.
"Go, find him!" The mighty black dragon roared.
Standing behind him Phoenus bowed and said "it will be done, master."