Darkness and a numb sensation enveloped my every fiber and planted its roots deep in my consiousness. Or rather my unconsious mind.My mind is still active so i must not be dead, only exhausted from the amount of energy I expended that forced the world to piece itself back together. I'm exausted after that so I think I'll rest for a while, where I am, I do not know but neither do I care. If the world traps me within its core then so be it, I would give anything for a bit of sleep now.

That's not entirely true. I wouldn't give up the lives of my friends for anything in this world or beyond it. My friends. They are all safe in warfang, except a black dragoness that was forced to come here with me! 'I must wake up and get her to safety!' I thought as I opened up my eyes and threw up my head a little too quick as I am now light headed and see dark spots in my vision.

I closed my eyes waiting for the blood to return to my brain that it craved so much, when I opened them my sensed came normally as if nothing ever happened. Fatigued I looked arount to see grass, trees, bushes and most Importantly the aforementioned black dragoness named Cynder. She was laying on her belly keeping watch for nothing in particular, she wasn't looking in my direction nor did she hear my gasps for breath or the silent pained moan I let out when my vision was infested with dark splotches.

Cynder was completely lost in the pleasant chilled wind the earth exhaled unto this valley we lay in, listening to the birds chirping and leaves rustling. No harm in having a little fun here right? I laid my head back down and shut my eyes, I started to spasm and convulse much to the dismay of my tired muscles. The artificial scene drew her attention as i hit the ground with my entire flank, head and tail drawing her from her tranquil trance.

" Spyro?!" she yelled with confusion and worry present in her voice. She laid a paw on my side which at her touch I only had pleasant sensations as my endorphins released a warm feeling throughout my body. A pleased smile tried to come onto my face but I couldn't let up the illusion that soon. Ohhh no, the fun was just beginning.

I hid the smile behind a grimace and an agonized yell and she immediately yanked her paw back as I went limp and breathed in short gasps only croaking out " The pain." in a strained voice as if the wind was knocked out of me. Cynder looked at me with pleading eyes, slightly glistening with tears as if I would give her a clue about how to help.

The sight of her saddened eyes pulled at my heart and guilt set in. it was time to end this charade. In one last big convulsion and a shout of agony I once again went limp and breathed with each getting slower and more labored, after the 13th i slowly let out an audible sigh as if it were my last lungfuls of air my body would ever receive and left my unmoving eye open with the rest of my facial muscles loose. I focused on nothing as to not move my eye but the dragoness made ot difficut as she flopped herself over my neck with head buried in her paws, sobbing.

She believed she just lost her best friend, damn I'm a good actor. Once I felt the warm wet sensation of her tears on my scales I couldn't bear the grief for her sadness anymore. I gingerly moved my tail ro wrap around hers which she unknowingly accepted gratefully and squeezed tightly, which she then noticed the movement and looked at the two intertwined masses through blurry eyes and then back to mine. After blinking my now dry orbs I bashfully said " Hell of a tear jerking perfomance huh?" She only giggled and threw her arms around my neck and sighed with satisfied relief at the revelation.

This didn't last long however as she pushed herself back and planted a decent scratch across my snout. "I deserved that." was my only response as she went off in a huff to a nearby river. For five minutes she did nothing but pout, looking pensively at her reflection.

"Ah damn it all" I muttered as i got up and slowly made my way over to her.

"I'm sorry I did that to you, it was wrong and I knew it wa-"

"Go away." she cut me off.

"Look how can I make it up to you?" you wat a back rub?"

" That would be a start, but not right now. Im busy being-"

" pouty, childish, a complete pain in the tail?" I tried to answer for her.

" I was going to say pissy but the first two work, as for the third I have the right to be after what you pulled." She was right, there was nothing more to say after that. carefully thinking through my next plan to get her to not hate me and I thought of what she said back in the center of the world.

I nuzzled her neck just below the side of her head and prepared myself for what is probably going to be the most awkward moment of my life " Hey Cyn, I heard what you said back there."

She sprung away with a shocked yelp, probably out of surprise that I had heard her and remembered it or the fact that I used what i would use as her pet name, maybe both for that matter. Just under her dark scales I saw her cheeks take a slight red hue, almost turning them a darker shade of her magenta underbelly. Though it would go unnoticed for most, i have seen the difference on some occasions, we would be flying or walking and I would feel like we were being watched, I would glance behind me just to see her dart her head away and cheeks flush. This happened many times in the Valley of Avalar and even once when we blew the dam.

The right side of my mouth tugged upward into a slight smirk seeing her reaction and stepped foreward to drink from the stream. "W-wh- what do you mean? I didn't hear anything down there? You must be going crazy I didn't say a word!" she rambled on

At this point I stopped listening but instead chuckled slightly as I withdrew my maw from the crystal blue water. I turned to her, the anticipation tugging at my brain stem pleaded me to stop, placed my paw on her shoulder, the anxiety grew futher. She let out a slight yelp as it landed. Five words was all it took.

"Cyn" she silenced and sat bashfully with the blush ever more prevelant on her snout. " you talk too much." And with that I played my trump card. My lips met with hers as butterflies exited their cocoons and began their newly gifted flight in my gut. I pulled away after a few wonderously long seconds as my euphoria was unquenchable, hoping to extend this moment in my memory.

She turned away from me with her cheeks now red without any chance to hide under those dim scales. My ever lasting confidence told me to say something bold but my brain told me to play it safe. I took heed to its word and whispered to her. "It'll be our little secret" she choked on her next words stunned by my confident affection toward her that I never showed before. "Ok"

With that we flew off.