A brilliant light exploded across the land, where moments before the monstrous dragon had flown. Vanessa and Alexander tumbled down, down, and came crashing to the sand. Little Janie and Frank sprawled beside them as bolts of lightning flashed from the sky and a huge dragon-shaped cloud erupted from the earth. It spun wildly into the greatest tornado the world has ever seen, and vanished into space.
A cheer exploded from the hundreds of people clustered about the edge of the forest. Some of them ran to help Vanessa and Alexander and Frank and Janie. The boys were ponies no more, once again wearing their golden bronze tunics. Frank climbed unsteadily to his feet, but Alexander, his broken leg twisted beneath him, simply lay there, in pain but with a huge, thankful smile on his face.
The dragon was gone forever.
Someone rescued Kathy and Tristan from the ocean. Others ran to the foothills and the meadow to bring back Alyssa and Aaron and Grace and Spencer. Christina and Steven regained consciousness, and everyone walked toward the forest, with Aaron and Steven helping Alexander to hobble along on his one good leg.
“Welcome to Paximus,” said Princess Melisande as they left the desert and stepped beneath the cool shade of the trees. “Everyone has been hoping for the day when you all would be set free.”
“Thank you, your Majesty,” Christina said.
“You’re welcome to stay here with us,” the Princess said.
“That’s very kind of you,” Alexander replied, “but I think we all want to go back to our own world now.” He looked around at the others, who were nodding their heads. “We have our whole lives to catch up on.”
Vanessa was troubled. “What will happen to Partequineus now?” she asked. “When we’re gone, will it go back to being grey and lifeless again, the way it was before Guaryntis captured Janie?”
“No, dear,” the Princess said. “The happiness that children bring can never be destroyed or forgotten. Partequineus will become a part of Paximus now, and even the desert will soon bloom with beautiful flowers.”
“We have to go,” Grace said excitedly. “Excuse me, your Majesty, I don’t want to seem rude, but… Well…”
“I understand,” the Princess said. “But remember, you can always come back to visit. The purple mist will enter the house on Chestnut Street every Friday at four o’clock, and you’ll always be welcome here.”
“Thank you,” everyone said in unison, and Christina said, “Who wants to be first?”
“Me!” shouted Janie. “But I’ll miss you all,” she said sadly.
“We’ll miss you, too,” Christina said, “but you have to go back. It’s where you belong.”
Janie smiled. “One, two, three!” she cried out, and she hopped backwards and vanished in a puff of purple smoke.
“Her mother and father will be so glad to see her,” Vanessa said.
“Of course they will,” Aaron said, “but they won’t know where she’s been. Where Janie is now, it’s still two hundred years ago.”
“I’m going right now,” Evan announced, and took three steps backward and disappeared.
“Me, too,” Alyssa said. One by one the children vanished, going back to their interrupted lives, until only Vanessa and Alexander were left.
“You saved us,” Alexander told her. “If not for you, we would never have figured out how to defeat the dragon.”
“I think you would,” Vanessa said, “sooner or later. But I’m glad I could help.”
“Will you ever come back to Partequineus?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Not right away, anyway. It will be nice to have my life settle down for a while.”
“I feel the same way. Let’s go. But you’ll have to help me.”
“It will be my pleasure.”
Alexander leaned on her shoulder, and she put one arm around his waist. “Count with me,” he said.
“Goodbye, Partequineus!” Vanessa shouted. She helped Alexander to hop backwards on his one good leg. “One! Two! THREE!”