Okay, it's here. The last chapter is finally here and this series is actually complete! I gotta warn you guys that there's a throwback to chapter 18 from The Fire Within in case it looks familiar, but it will start making sense ;) Once again, thank you to everyone who has faved, followed, reviewed or even just read this entire trilogy! I appreciate every single one of you!

I'm also curious: what was your favorite story out of Eternal Flame, The Fire Within, and Solstice Sun? :)

xxxx

He wasn't coming back, was he? Even though he had promised her that he would be back, Tigress knew that he wasn't ever going to be back again. She continued to look out over the restored Valley of Peace, searching high and low for any signs of a panda or a dragon, but there was none.

In all her grief, she hardly noticed that the cheering pandas and villagers had fallen silent, that the rain had stopped and there was a bright and colorful rainbow that stretched nearly all the way across the Valley.

She was vaguely aware of Shifu's voice in the background. "Tigress..." he said slowly, eyes wide. But Tigress hardly even noticed Crane's beak dropping in utter surprise.

Anger replaced her grief. Why, Po? she thought mournfully. Why did you have to go and save the world by yourself? You promised. You promised you would come back, and you're not here.

"Tigress...behind you," Shifu tried again. Still, Tigress ignored her master, closing her eyes in a tight squeeze. She wished that she had never met that stupid panda, then his absence wouldn't be hurting her as much as it did now. When had she become so weak?

It's all his fault, Tigress's mind screamed. It's all Po's fault.

It wasn't until she was jostled by a strong bump from behind her that she finally turned around, coming face-to-face with...

"Po! You're back!" she cried in relief, instantly wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. He rumbled joyfully at their reunion, happy to be back at the Jade Palace.

A certain little panda cub instantly ran around in circles in excitement. "Po's back! Po's back!" Bao cried happily, grabbing Lei Lei with a paw to swing her around.

He did it. He'd kept his promise.

But there was only one problem.

"I told you he turned into a dragon," Bao told a small bunny that had participated in their show and tell class. The bunny stared wide-eyed at the reptile, mouth agape in fear and wonder.

Releasing herself from their hug, Tigress looked up at his face to find that...Bao was right. Po was still a dragon.

No...she thought frantically. He'd saved the world. Shouldn't the dragon be at peace now? Why hadn't he changed back into a panda?

"I...I don't understand," Tigress said in confusion, trying her best to figure out why this was. But she came to her own resolve; she'd made herself promise that she would help Po find a way to change back into a panda no matter what happened, no matter how long it would take to find a 'cure.' She would even go back to the Spirit Realm with him if that was what they needed to do. "We'll all help you, just like we've been doing," she reassured the dragon calmly.

If he was permanently stuck like this, then he himself was being pretty calm about it, as well; Tigress didn't know what she would do if she were in his place.

Much to their shock, Po shook his head. He grinned and closed his eyes, and there was a bright green flash—so bright, that they had to shield their eyes.

"You...you can switch back on your own now?" Tigress questioned when the light finally dimmed, eyes widening.

Po grinned again. "Watch this."

He concentrated on his dragon form, and the crowd of villagers gasped when the massive creature appeared after another flash. He rumbled in delight, wrapping his tail around the stunned group and sliding them closer to him.

"Awesome!" Bao laughed with glee, throwing his little paws up in the air. Shifu nodded in agreement, absolutely shocked that Po had actually learned how to switch between forms on his own.

Tigress stared up in her own shock at the golden dragon. He was smiling down at her with a different kind of look in his eyes—like he hadn't seen her in forever and wasn't about to let her go anytime soon.

He transformed in a flash of green and pulled her close; Crane's beak dropped even further when she snuggled into his warm and fluffy chest. She couldn't explain it, but she herself felt that she hadn't seen him in a very long time.

"Don't let go," she whispered in content, hardly caring about the many eyes that surrounded them, or the way that Li grinned and nudged Mr. Ping lightly on his shoulder.

"I'm never letting go again," Po reassured her gently, squeezing tighter. Glancing over her shoulder, he could see that the Valley of Peace had been completely restored and was no longer the empty Forbidden Zone. There weren't any tall buildings; there wasn't a TV in sight, and there was no amount of electricity that could match the power his heart was generating.

He was back where he belonged.

xxxx

Po paced back and forth, his nerves getting the better of him as he awaited news that Tigress was going to be alright, or if she had gotten worse. It had been hours and he'd had to endure listening to her screaming and howling in absolute pain until he was kicked out of the Jade Palace, forced to wait outside the stone walls with his fathers. The Furious Five and all the others, unfortunately, would not get a chance to see her until much later.

Just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, the palace gates opened at last.

Po's words raced. "Issheokay?Aretheyokay?Didsomethinghappen?"

"Panda!" the gruff voice of Shifu shouted. Po stopped, glancing down at his master.

"You may go in now," Shifu said, rubbing his head in exasperation. "The process went well without any issues, but she is very tired and weak. You must take care."

Po nodded in understanding, breathing a sigh of relief as the good news registered that Tigress was alright. Shifu led the three of them inside.

xxxx

"Hi..." Po whispered as quietly as he could upon entering the room where Tigress rested. She blinked wearily and raised her head so she could see him better, smiling when she realized that the Dragon Warrior and his fathers had come in to see the new bundles of joy.

"Hi," Tigress whispered back, her voice practically gone from all of her screaming; but Po knew that every second of her pain was going to be worth it.

His eyes trailed over her, double checking to make sure that she was alright. She lay on a bed, warm underneath its soft and gentle covers.

Then his eyes rested upon them.

Tigress held them both, cradled protectively against her chest. She smiled weakly, relieved that the hard part was over at last. Li, Mr. Ping and Shifu stood close enough to see, but far enough away so they could have some space.

"Can you hold one for me?" Tigress asked, reaching an arm out so Po could take one of the little bundles covered in blankets.

Po nodded in slow motion, moving forward as if his legs were made of jelly. Once he had a bundle in his arms, he knew that he couldn't stop for fear of dropping the tiny life that it held inside.

He couldn't believe it.

He was a dad...he'd helped create the two little lives before him.

His heart fluttered and his breath caught in his chest as he realized that his daughter had his eyes.

She had his bright green eyes and black eye patches, and her mother's beautiful black stripes that stretched along snow-white fur with big and small orange splotches that were splattered here and there. Gazing down at his daughter's brother, he could see that the only way to tell the difference between the two was that his son had faint black freckles around his nose, and he had his mother's gorgeous yellow eyes.

"They're like us blended in together," Po laughed quietly, holding his daughter closer to his chest.

Li laughed along with him. "I can't believe we're granddads!" he exclaimed in a whisper, reaching down to wrap Mr. Ping into a hug. The goose didn't even bother to resist, too mesmerized by the newborn cubs to argue.

"I can't believe I'm a dad..." Po knelt down closer to Tigress and grinned. "We're gonna be the best parents ever." He hoped that Bao wasn't going to be jealous over the new arrivals. As busy as his days would become, Po knew that he still had to make time for his friends, especially the little dumpling kicker.

Shifu felt that it was time to bring up the subject. "Have you decided on names?"

Tigress nodded in Po's direction. "It's up to him."

Po answered without hesitation. "Chao."

Tigress smiled once more. "Chao?"

"After a friend..." A friend who wouldn't be born until a thousand years later. Even though Tigress hadn't had kids with the one she had fallen for after he had gone to sleep, Master Oogway said Chao would be safe. He would still be born, and Po hoped against all hope that fate would allow him to be reunited with his brother who was also going to get a second chance.

"And you're Lotus," Po told his daughter warmly, stealing a glance at Li. The panda's eyes were shining in approval, threatening to break loose at any second.

In that moment as Po held onto his new family and their breathing synchronized and their hearts connected—everything was perfect.

He wasn't going to be alone or forgotten in the dark ever again.

He was Lotus.

He was Shanzhi Siyu—Warrior Thinking of the World.

He was Po.

He was the Dragon Warrior.