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Well here is the 26th installment of The Spyro Chronicles. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 26: Mendobara Pass

The Nighthawk soared over the mountains, the wind slapping against it as it flew. The Mendobara region was a mountain range in the Dragon Realms, it had a forest that had trees similar to Douglas Furs back on Earth and had a fine blanket of snow covering it. The mountain range was split by a pass, referred to as the Mendobara pass. In the center of the pass was a rock formation that had a slope on one side and a drop off on the other. It was tall, but not as tall as the surrounding mountains. On its peak was a temple, built just like the other Council temples were.

As the craft banked lower, the winds picked up and a bit of drag formed on the wings, slowing the air craft down. Soon, they were running low on fuel.

"Lt. Buckman, we have a situation!" Lt. Bertan called out from the cockpit. Buckman walked up and looked out of the canopy.

"What's the problem?"

"Sir, we are low on fuel, we won't make it all the way to the temple. We will have to land near the base of the hill sir."

"Damn, well... we have no choice. Set us down as best you can." Buckman was worried, it they lost the Nighthawk, then how would they get to the Final Solution once they learned where it was? He sighed; they would have to find that out later. The craft flew more before Bertan and Prince tried to lower it. They tried to land it but the winds kept them in the sky. Before long, they had exhausted their fuel; they were essentially gliding at that point.

"Everybody buckle up, we're coming in hard!" Prince called in over the microphone. Everybody in the troop bay held onto the ship as it accelerated downward. It soon collided into the ground, the snow dampening its impact.

Spyro slowly got up from where he lay, the impact knocking him onto the floor. Everybody groaned as they got up as well. Karson and Allison both pushed on the troop bay door until it came loose. They were rewarded by a jet of cold, frigid air that blasted everyone in the troop bay. What wasn't good was that nobody had winter clothing. They had uniforms tailored for jungle fighting, not winter combat.

"Ah shit! It's fucking cold!" Riley called out.

"No shit, ah Christ! It's supposed to be summer!" Henderson said in response. They staggered out into the snow, many of the Marines shaking and fidgeting for they didn't have winter gear. They did have an extra jacket in their packs, but even that was only made for temperatures in the 50s. It was well below 0 in that valley.

Spyro felt really cold as well, he and Cynder weren't ice dragons so they were susceptible to the cold temperatures.

"C-c'm-mon m-men, lets m-move out!" Buckman said as he crossed his arms tightly across his chest to keep warm.

"AGH, why is it so fucking cold?!" Anderson called out, kicking some snow and shaking in response.

"Get used to it, a bit of cold never hurt anyone." Spears said smoothly.

"A bit more cold and my ass will fall off..." Henderson said under his breath.

"Wimps..." Sondohwa muttered as he walked, raising his arms to his chest. Spyro saw him start to shiver and mentally laughed. As much as the Lakadors mocked the Marines, they were just as cold.

As they talked, clouds came from their breaths, as did more frigid air rush in from the sky. They walked a bit, Spyro and Cynder helping to get the wounded moved, especially Wagner, who needed help walking since his hip had taken a hit. Spyro and Karson gladly helped him walk. He didn't talk much though, if he did the medic shut him up, saying he need to try to conserve as much strength as possible.

All the time they walked, the Marines gripped about how cold it was. They finally decided to make camp, at the base of the slope. The slope was high, but it would take less then an hour to climb its height. They found some logs and set up a fire, which Karson and Spyro kept alive. Buckman and Anderson walked to the Nighthawk and got a can of fuel that they had found. They poured it onto a small patch of ground they dug up and lit it on fire. The Marines huddled around it and tried to keep warm.

Spyro lit a small fire which he and Cynder huddled around, trying to use its warmth to keep them from the cold's grasp as well. Cynder still shivered in the cold and he placed his wing on her, trying to keep her warm. She smiled and he returned it. The snowy pass delivered another cold wind which caused Spyro to shudder. The frigid air kept sweeping through, and the small fires weren't going to do much in the way of warmth.

"Oh Spyro, don't worry about me, just try to keep yourself warm." Cynder said as he tried to shield her from the cold.

"Oh, I'm not cold, don't worry, it's you I'm worried about." Spyro lied, the cold was hitting him just as hard and he was miserable. There were no caves around them to seek shelter in, just trees. As they sat they heard the sound of tree branches snapping. They turned to see two apes, dressed in snow gear and armor fall from a tree. They had similar outfits to what they saw at Tall Plains. They also had the same weapons.

"Go! Go!" Buckman yelled as the Marines grabbed their rifles and fired at the two apes. The apes fired back, bullets peppered the air around them. The Marines made use of a small hill and used it to conceal them while they fired back at the two apes. Soon, they both took a hit and fell over dead, their blood staining the white snow.

"We can't stay here, they know where we are! We have to go!" Buckman yelled. They all scrambled and got their gear. Karson helped Wagner move and Spyro and Cynder made sure nothing followed. Jason took point with Buckman and they went ahead of the group. They started up the hill, slowly going up its length. They soon just came to a walk instead of the faster paced one they had been doing earlier. Some of the Marines continued to gripe about the weather.

As they walked, Spyro heard some explosions in the distance. The Marines stopped as well, they had heard it too. A soft whistling sound could be heard and that's when Buckman yelled "GET DOWN!" Spyro was wondering what he meant but got the answer as the sound got louder and the ground near him exploded.

The blast knocked him off his feet. Cynder supported him as he back up and more explosions blew around them. Snow and dirt were kicked up as explosions blew. The Marines scrambled this way and that, trying to avoid getting hit. Cynder whimpered and let out a low wail as the explosions grew louder and dotted the landscape all around them. Spyro held her close, putting his wings on her and covering her so she didn't get hit.

Suddenly, just as fast as they started, the explosions stopped.

"What the fuck was that?!" Riley said as he picked himself from where he had been lying. Buckman brushed himself off and looked around. No-body had been hurt.

"Looks like the apes have captured and learned how to use our artillery guns. They must have used them, and I must say, they are pretty good shots." Buckman stated.

"Lieutenant, did you just compliment the enemy?" Henderson asked as he brushed off snow from his chest.

"Yes Henderson, yes I did." They all smirked and shivered as the cold air swept over them again. Spyro loosened his wings around Cynder and she slowly came out. She looked like that barrage had scared her to death.

"Cynder, are you alright?" The dragon asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." She replied, trying to make a smile to Spyro who put on a nervous one in response.

"Uh sir, we have a problem." Ackmar said as she held up a blown up back pack.

"What would that be private?" Buckman said as he turned to her.

"All of our food and rations were hit during the bombardment. We have no food." Ackmar said while rummaging through the remains of their food pack.

"Dammit, I guess we'll have to look for some more food up here." The officer said that before looking around and seeing the remains of their food scattered in the snow.

"Well let's get moving, we have to get to the top of this hill!" Buckman yelled. Karson and Allison both helped Wagner walk again, for his hip was still badly injured.

The kept going on through the snow for the better part of that day, the temperature falling as the sun fell through the sky. The Marines kept griping about the cold and Spyro was starting to feel its effects really hurting him. He did have control over the ice element, but that didn't mean he could withstand such frigid temperatures for prolonged periods of time. He was cold blooded after all.

He ended up placing his wings over Cynder as he tried to keep her warm. She smiled when he did this and nuzzled against him. At one point, Wagner gave up his coat so that Cynder could wear it to keep warm. Spyro and Cynder both rejected the offer at first, but Wagner kept up his argument that he was fine and that he didn't need it.

They kept moving onward up the hill, finally coming to a stop halfway. The sun was setting and they had to find a place to stop and rest. The wounded, especially Wagner, couldn't keep going and they had to set up camp. Luckily, they found a cave where they set up a small camp. Spyro and Karson started a fire and they made it a point to get Wagner near it. He had started to shiver uncontrollably during their climb.

"Alright sir, I'm going to check your wound to make sure it didn't get infected." Mclowsky said before removing the bandages. The bullet that hit Wagner had really done some damage, penetrating deep into his skin and causing massive bleeding. When she removed the bandage, she was surprised to find that it had healed a lot during their climb. Wagner said it didn't hurt, but his groans said otherwise.

As night came upon them, they all huddled inside the cave, the temperature had fallen dramatically in the past few hours and it was taking a toll. Spyro and Allison froze the entrance to the cave, blocking the winds and giving them a nice way to keep warmer.

Spyro and Karson both left in search of food for them. They were gone for about an hour, looking for any animals they could cook. They didn't find anything. The snowy pass of Mendobara was devoid of any food. And none of them wanted to eat dead apes for dinner... the very thought repulsed them. Spyro and Karson returned to the cave with nothing to eat. They would have to go without food for a while until they ran into something eatable.

As the night grew on, the Marines fell asleep and Spyro lay on the ground, unable to fall asleep. He heard something near him and turned to see Cynder next to him yawn.

"What's the matter Spyro, couldn't sleep?" She asked him.

"No, I just couldn't stop thinking..."

"About what?"

"A lot of things."

"Ah come on, you can tell me."

"Well, you for one." Cynder smiled when he said this and he kissed her on the cheek.

"What else?"

"Well, I was thinking back to what Fang said... about him killing Ignitus and Sparx..."

"Don't listen to him, he's just saying that. We don't know for sure if he killed them or not."

"Well, then where would they be? We have searched for days and we havn't found them... I just don't know Cynder, I just don't know."

"Don't know what?"

"What to believe. I want to believe that they are out there, but part of me is telling me that they are dead."

"Well, Spyro, only time will tell but for now, we have each other." He smiled at her and she returned his kiss. She sighed happily and he rolled from where he was so he could face her better. She got up and stretched. He did the same and yawned a bit.

He smiled at her and she laughed. Suddenly she started to shiver, a draft that come in. Spyro was a bit confused, he thought that the only entrance to the cave was the one he had froze. Upon a quick glance he verified that it was sealed tight. He looked around for what was causing the draft. He saw a hole in the cave wall, towards the very back. They must have missed it earlier.

Spyro went towards it and Cynder followed him to the hole.

"Spyro?" He didn't answer her. Instead he poked his head into the hole and looked around. What he saw was a huge underground river with crystals hanging from the walls and a purple and bluish glow filling the cavern. He jumped down and landed on the rocky ground. Cynder followed him and eyed the cavern with wonder.

"Wow, it's so beautiful..." She said as she eyed the crystals. They reflected light and bounced it all over the cave walls. The river sat in the middle of the cave, running both left and right, snaking as it went farther. Spyro started to move to the left side of the cave, still not saying anything. Cynder followed without saying anything, still admiring the beauty around her.

They kept walking until they reached a waterfall where the water came from. Spyro seemed to spot something on the other side of it and he walked inside. He passed through the waterfall and its waters splashed on him. It felt warm to him, a big contrast to the extreme cold outside of the cave. When he entered the new cave, he found a large crystal in front of him.

"Wow, what do you think this place is Spyro?"

"I don't know, but it seems familiar..."

Spyro couldn't place it, but it was like he had been here. He didn't see this place before, he must have still been an egg, but it felt like he had been near these crystals before. Something glimmered on the ground which caught his attention.

"What the..." Spyro walked over and pushed a shell casing with his claw.

"Isn't that a casing from one of their rifles?" Cynder asked as she walked up and saw it.

"I think it is, but how did it get down here?" Spyro heard something else too, like a radio or something. He could here it, but he couldn't see the source.

"Recon...in... do... visual. Please... recon... Theta Co-... Grid 2232... Over." It sounded like a garbled radio broadcast, but the sentences kept getting interrupted by a sort of loud garbled up sound. The sound went away and Spyro looked around the cave but didn't see anything.

"That sounded like a radio."

"Yeah, it did, but where is it, and who was on the other end?"

"Should we tell Wagner?"

"I don't know, but I have a weird feeling about this place. Like, I have been here before, yet I've never been here before."

"That's weird, I have a similar feeling as well, what do you think this place is?"

"I don't know but-" Spyro yelled in pain as he clutched his head with his for-paw and fell to the floor. Cynder screamed and rushed to his side.

Spyro suddenly saw eggs, lots of them, all around him. Eggs of all colors, scattered all around him, with older dragons in the room, they all looked worried. There were also young Lakador babies and human babies as well, with human soldiers and Lakador soldiers. The humans didn't look that different from the Marines; their armor looked a bit more advanced though. The Lakadors looked almost the same as they did regularly.

He then saw his egg, a purple one being carried by a human wearing a cape and hood. He was also carrying a black egg as well; it looked like Cynder's egg. One of the dragons walked up to him.

"So did you manage to find her parents?" the dragon asked.

"No, sadly, her parents didn't make it. When the base fell, they died but managed to give me her egg before they died.

"So she's an orphan now..."

"Yes, she is one. But at least Aquanos and Medina gave their lives for a good cause. Several dragons were evacuated by them dying... I just wish I could have helped..."

"Don't say that Rithul, you would have been killed too and then what would Hethina do. She can't raise these children by herself!" The human took off his hood. It was Rithul. He looked just like he did when she last saw him.

"Yeah, I guess your right." At that moment Spyro saw Diablo walk into the cave.

"Rithul, the dark armies are coming, we can't hold them off! They will attack this burrow if we don't move!"

"Did you manage to find Meserdan and the other detachment of the 607th?"

"Yes I found them, but... they're all dead. And they took the 4 chosen ones they found!"

Rithul punched the wall and sighed. He put the eggs down onto the ground and looked around before responding.

"Damn, that means they have 8 chosen ones and we only have 15. We'd better move them before we loose any more. Diablo, lets take these 10 chosen ones with us, Endermos, take the other 5 and we will meet up back at the Dragon Temple." The other dragon that had been talking to him nodded and he and a few other dragons got the children and they moved out of the cave. As Spyro watched he heard someone calling his name. He heard it again.

"SPYRO!!!!" He jumped up as he noticed the cave revert to its present form and Cynder sitting beside him, yelling in his face.

"What, what happened?!"

"You zoned out or something after you started to yell with pain."

"I saw this vision; this cave was where they hid us during the Great War so the dark armies didn't attack us."

"So that's why it seemed so familiar..." She looked around the room and she sighed. Cynder yawned and Spyro too fell into a yawn.

"Maybe we should go and get some sleep." She suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds good..." He looked at her and smirked. She giggled and they both left the cave together.

"Spears! Move your platoon on the left! Jason, cover that flank!" Buckman yelled orders as explosions dotted the ridge line around them. Marines and Lakadors fired their rifles across a small gulley and onto the opposite ridge line. Triple cracks of the M23A and the full auto tat, tat, tat, of the M74D buzzed all around. Bullets flew this way and that, impacting both sides of the ridge.

Spyro and Cynder were airborne, and they flew in and ambushed a group of apes that were moving along a flank. They were wearing clothing and armor that looked like they had taken a standard Marine uniform and modified it with their own looks. They all carried rifles, makeshift rifles, and what looked guns they had built themselves.

Some of the apes fired at them, bullets peppering the air around them. The guns they had made themselves spout fire and ice shards at them. Cynder banked low, catching one in the chest as it tried to hit her with the butt of his rifle. It was knocked off his feet and into the snow where she finished him off. She leapt off of him and went onto another ape trying to hit her.

Spyro flew right up to one and he saw the sheer look of terror in its eyes. He hit it with an Earth blast point blank, knocking it several feet through the air and into a snow bank. Its buddies started to throw fits and fired their rifles blindly at Spyro. One of them roared loudly and looked as if it was trying to get the others to calm down. They regained their focus and started to aim their shots. By this time however, Spyro had used his electric breath to pick up one of the apes and hurl him through the air. It screamed as it was sent into other apes that were trying to help. Spyro spat a barrage of ice shards at them, the shards impaling the apes and pinning them into the snow. Cynder and Spyro both finished up and they flew off into the sky again.

Buckman and the Marines were busy trying to hold them on the ridge, but as they finished the group of Apes on the opposite ridge, a larger group came out and fired at them.

"Mclowsky, get the wounded a bit farther back!"

"Yes sir!" She jumped off her feet and helped Prozjowski and Wagner to get farther behind the battle. Wagner didn't want to leave, but he had no say in the matter. O'Brian helped her move them both back.

An explosion blew Gardenah from where he was and he landed on the ground next to Mclowsky. She checked the Lakador's pulse. He was dead. She got up out of the snow and as O'Brian was coming back, they heard explosions in the distance, just like before. Buckman froze where he was and looked off in the distance.

"INCOMING! GET DOWN!" He yelled as a whistling sound grew louder and louder. Spyro and Cynder flew down just in time to see a large explosion blow across the Marine position. They jumped to what cover they could find, but artillery shells blew all around them. As O'Brian tried to get to a safe spot, a round exploded underneath him. Spyro watched as this chest armor shattered and a spray of blood accompanied the shattered pieces of metal. He fell onto the ground and didn't move. Lt. Prince, one of the pilots, also got hit with a shell and he screamed as it shredded him.

"Get down!" Spyro yelled as he pushed Cynder into the snow and jumped on top of her. She whimpered and he bore his teeth as shells continued to pound the area around them. One exploded only a few feet from them and he was buried under snow and rock.

Suddenly the shelling stopped. Spyro shook off the snow and he got off of Cynder. She got up and looked at him a bit nervously. He grinned sheepishly and she did the same. They looked around and then before they knew it, Apes were in their faces and looking for fights. They had taken advantage of the confusion and had rushed across the gulley and now were almost nose to nose with the Marines.

Some were blown away by Yahade's dark energy blasts or by Jason using his electricity to hurl them through the air, but several kept coming. Spyro and Cynder saw a group moving to where Mclowsky had moved Wagner and Prozjowski.

"Cynder, we have to go help Wagner!" Spyro said as he motioned to the group of apes.

"Right, let's go!" They both ran as fast as they could to beat the apes to Wagner. They darted through the snow and came upon a few apes that were hovering over a dead Marine. It was Prozjowski, they had killed her. However, Wagner was nowhere in sight. The Marine Lieutenant had vanished. Cynder leapt at the apes though, and Spyro followed her. They finished up those apes rather quickly, Cynder tossing one into Spyro's prepared kick, Spyro unleashing fire onto them and burning them to a crisp, Cynder using her fire breath to melt the snow and cause large piles to fall onto them.

"Move, cover that flank!" Buckman yelled as he fired a burst from his rifle before hitting an Ape across the face with the butt of his weapon. Karson and Allison both charged their fists with energy and let loose a barrage of elemental attacks on the apes. Karson pounded his fire fists into the apes, catching them ablaze with his punches. Allison used her ice to impale her enemies and sent them into the snow banks, blood oozing from their wounds.

Spyro and Cynder went around in circles looking for Wagner. The Marine had vanished and they kept looking for him. They finally had gone in a circle and came back to the battle unfolding between the Marines, Lakadors, and Apes. The Marines and Lakadors had pushed the apes back to their own ridge line and the apes looked like they were about to quit and run away altogether.

As Spyro and Cynder neared the battle to help, he heard a low rumble in the distance. He turned and watched as the first shells impacted the snow and blew Tamez and Picante from where they were. The snow had absorbed the lethal metal shrapnel that came from the shell, but the force blew them into the snow.

More rounds exploded and Allison went to go help Tamez out of the snow. As she ran over to him, a round exploded behind her and knocked her onto her back. Karson saw this and went to go help her when a round exploded in-between them. It had gone off right in front of her and the force knocked Karson into the snow a few feet behind him.

"NOOOOO!" He yelled as he picked himself off the ground. He rushed over to where she was when another round pounded the ground near him and forced him onto the ground.

"No! Allison!" Spyro yelled as he rushed over to help her. Cynder trailed behind, but the exploding artillery caused her to go slowly. Spyro tried to get closer, but a shell would explode in front of him and he couldn't go any father.

Suddenly, a wall of red flew over them, almost like a dome of elemental power. The shells hit the barrier and exploded harmlessly on it instead of them. A red dragon, the same that had helped 1st platoon at tall plains, came down and landed in the snow. It helped the Marines and Lakadors who had been previously lying in the ground onto their feet and huddled them into a group. He helped Karson up and used his maw to carry Allison over to him. Karson and Mclowsky both hovered over Allison as she lay unconscious.

There was a hole in her armor towards her upper right hip. Blood oozed from the wound, forming a small puddle in the snow. She moaned as she opened her eyes and saw Karson and Mclowsky hovering over her.

"Karson... what happened..." She asked as she lay there.

"Nothing happened, your going to be alright." He replied trying to get her chest armor off so the Corpsmen could get a better view of the injury.

"No, something happened, who's hurt?" She asked him, oblivious to her own wounds.

"Nobodies hurt, now hold still." The Corpsmen applied a white powder into the wound and put a bandage over the wound.

"Is she alright?" Spyro said as he approached the scene. Cynder slowly approached from behind.

"She needs to be kept warm, Karson, use your fire!" Mclowsky yelled. Before he did, the dragon lowered his muzzle and let out a small breath, the heat from it keeping her warm.

"Uh, thanks..." Karson said. The dragon just looked at him and looked back at the barrier. Spyro guessed that the dragon was powering the barrier, though how? He didn't know.

"Hey, Sarge, isn't that the same dragon from Tall Plains?" Henderson asked, helping Tamez move since he had been tossed by the artillery shell.

"Hey, yeah, your right. It's the same dragon. Spyro, do you know this guy?" Spears asked as he looked the new dragon over.

"No, I thought me, Cynder, and the Guardians were the last dragons left."

"Then who the hell is he?" The Sergeant asked. Everyone shrugged. Spyro did note that the dragon had a wound near its hind legs, on the left side. It looked as if it was healing though.

Some apes passed through the barrier, sporting fire and ice guns. They fired them at the men and Spyro sprung into action. Before he did however, the dragon plowed into them, brushing the fire off like it was nothing. The ice melted in his fire breath as he unleashed a jet of white hot flames at them. They screamed and collapsed to the ground as a heap of burning flesh. He grabbed an ape and tossed him into the snow, using his tail as a club to smash the creature in more. As the apes threw their guns to the ground and split into a run, they saw the same creatures that they had seen at Tall Plains assault them again. The Marines picked off a few, but the dragon used his tail as a whip, striking them and crushing them with his claws. He made use of his fire breath to blast them and Spyro watched as he unleashed a fire fury. The fire energy blew the Marines into the snow, but the creatures caught the blunt of it as they were incinerated in the wall of fire.

The dragon landed in the now melting snow, his fire fury had blown away all of the opposition. They turned their attention to Allison who Mclowsky was trying to bandage up, but blood was still coming out. Cynder let out a wail and started to run off into the snow.

"Cynder? Cynder! Come back!" Spyro gave chase as she ran off into the snow and he caught up with her.

"Cynder, what's wrong?" He asked as he walked in front of her.

"Spyro... I don't think I can take it anymore..."

"Take what? What's wrong?"

"Everyone getting hurt! All of our friends have been getting hurt and there is nothing I can do about it! Ignitus is gone, Linburg's gone, Wagner's gone and now Allison is injured! I can't take seeing our friends getting killed like this!" Tears began to stroll down her cheeks as she spoke. Spyro put his wing over her and brought her close.

"Cynder, you said it yourself! We don't know if Ignitus is dead or not, and Wagner is just missing. Allison is going to be fine, she will heal up and it will be fine."

"And what about Linburg! I'm sure he's not fine!"

"Well, I-"

"If we hadn't of left him, we could have saved him! Now he's dead!"

"Cynder, we couldn't have saved him even if we wanted to."

"And why not?!"

"Cynder, he was hit in the main artery. We wouldn't have been able to help him. When a human's main vein is cut... well... it's a mortal wound. There was nothing that could have been done."

"So you left him there because 'there was nothing that could be done'."

"Cynder, it wouldn't have made any difference if we had stayed anyway. He sacrificed himself so we could leave."

"And what about me, if I were the same way? Would you just leave me there do die?!"

"No! I wouldn't do that!"

"Why?!

"Because Cynder, your-" Spyro started to bring Cynder into a hug at this time.

"Different? What about Linburg? Doesn't he deserve life after all he's been through?" Cynder said shoving him away. Spyro, though hurt by this action, stared her in the eyes.

"Cynder you're different because I love you. Nothing will ever tear us apart and Linburg gave his life so we could escape. I would never let anything happen to you or anyone. This whole thing is going to end and we will win and nobody else has to die."

"Spyro, you know you can't save everyone. You can't stop death..."

"Cynder, we can try. If we try, then what else is there for us to do? We have to do something Cynder, we can't just give up."

"But Spyro if-" She was cut off by an ape who swung an axe at them but a spray of bullets blew the axe apart. Another spray caught the ape and he landed in the snow. They turned to see the origin of the bullets and saw Lt. Wagner standing near a tree, using it to support himself.

"Wagner!" Cynder yelled as she ran over to him. Spyro followed and helped him move from the tree. The others ran up and helped him as well.

"Wagner, where have you been?" Spyro asked the human.

"Been trying to avoid the apes, got knocked out earlier but I woke up and have been trying to find you guys."

"It's good to have you back sir." Buckman said and Wagner smiled.

"Guys, let me try to walk on my own." Wagner requested. They let him go reluctantly and he started to walk on his own. He did a bit of a limp, but he was walking on his own nonetheless.

"Well, sir, I think maybe you should take over as Company Commander again, seeing how you can walk now."

"Well I guess I will take back my spot. Though you seemed to do a good job."

"Thanks sir."

"Hey sir, that dragon from Tall Plains is back and he totally kicked ass! You should meet him!"

"Yeah sir, he's right over..." They all turned to where they had last seen the dragon but he was gone. Karson and Mclowsky were still hovering over Allison and they were trying to help her onto her feet. Wagner saw this and ran over to her.

"What's wrong with Allison?"

"Artillery shell." The Corpsmen replied, tying a knot on a bandage.

"Will she be alright?" the officer asked.

"She'll be fine, the bleedings stopped, we just need to get her to a safe spot." Mclowsky said as she finished up wrapping a bandage.

"Well the sooner we find this locater the sooner we can get the hell out of this frozen pass."

"Well let's go then."

"Right, everybody, let's move out!" Wagner yelled. They all moved out and started off towards the top of the hill. They had to carry some of the wounded though, Mitinie had taken a shell and his leg had been hit and Tamez was still a bit shaken from the blast, his hearing had been temporarily knocked out and he had trouble hearing.

They continued their walk to the temple until they finally reached the top of the hill. The temple looked like all the rest, the structure in a cone shape, everything leading to a point. It also had braces that ran along its sides and its base was a large octagon. Its point wasn't so much conical in shape, but it did all come to a point on top. It also had what looked like a large observatory on the side of the temple facing the cliff.

They entered and encountered no resistance. As they entered the main chamber of the temple, they saw the observatory was a large window with a walkway to get up there. In the center of the room was what looked like a large mirror.

"Anybody have any idea how this thing works?" Wagner asked as he looked around in confusion.

"No, do you?" Buckman asked as he walked over and put his hand on a slot which looked like it took an object into it. Wagner looked at the pedestal in which Buckman was observing.

"I wonder..." He grabbed the light crystal and placed it into the slot. It fit. He ran over and put the other crystal into a second pedestal across from it. The room shook and the light from outside reflected off of the crystals and onto the mirror. The light came to a single spot on the window of the observatory. Spyro walked up to it and Wagner was right behind him. The light was over a mountain in the distance with a spire structure on it.

"There it is." Wagner said softly.

"The Final Solution..."

"Well people listen up! We have found the Final Solution and now we are going there. How? We will just have to find out when we get there but for now, we know where it is and let's get over there and kick the Dark Master's ass!" The Marines cheered and the Lakadors smiled. Spyro held Cynder close. With all that she had been through, the arterially barrages, Ignitus going missing, Linburg dying, them getting attacked constantly for days now, any normal person would have snapped. But her, she was special. She was still here. Though it took some nudging, she was still here and he would always love her. Now that the final leg of their journey was there, she and he could finally be together and enjoy themselves. No more war, no more death, just their love and nothing else. That's what he truly wanted and they were so close to getting that.

As they exited they found that behind the temple, facing the cliff there was a little surprise for them. A Nighthawk drop ship lay crashed into the snow. A few HACOs lay dead in the snow as well. A few grenades and extra clips lay scattered about and Lt. Bertan went inside and inspected it.

"She can fly sir, she is ready to fly!" He said in excitement.

"Right let's get aboard." They all got on board and the ship's engines flared and lifted the craft off of the ground. It ascended into the sky and out of Mendobara Pass. When they entered the pass they had at least 15 Marines, 3 Lakadors, and 2 dragons. Now they were leaving with 12 Marines, 2 Lakadors, and 3 dragons. The third dragon seemed to follow them wherever they went. They didn't know who it was, but he was a welcomed ally and with his help, they would defeat the Dark Master and restore peace to the realms.

End of Chapter 26

Whew, got it up. Not going to say much with the time I have to spar but the next chapter is going to be worked on as soon as I get home! Cya!