The Legend of Spyro: The Road to the Darkest Hour
-Prelude-
Spyro looked at Sparx and Cynder sadly. The Well of Souls had already started to fall apart. "Come close to me." Spyro said softly, folding his wings to protect his two friends. Energy was channeled into his body and he released a burst of fire. He only had one objective in his mind that time; that is to protect his friends, he would rather die for them than seeing them die for him.
As Spyro continued to release his Fire Rage, he felt weaker and weaker every second. This is because there were no Fury Gems available for him and he forced himself to use every bit of his power to perform Fire Rage. "Spyro, please stop! You're tiring yourself!" Cynder cried. "I can't, Cynder. I'm not sure whether we're safe yet." Sypro replied. It has been approximately two hours after Spyro started to use Fire Rage to create a protective barrier around them. As strong as Spyro may be, he has his limits.
Suddenly, Spyro felt very weak, he could not help but to stop using his Fire Rage and dropped to the ground. "Spyro!" Cynder cried. "Hey, buddy, you okay there?" Sparx asked. Spyro did not reply, he laid on the ground, motionless. "Is he… dead?" Cynder asked. The Well of Souls stopped falling apart. Their best guess is that they are trapped in this debris.
Spyro remained motionless, however, he's still breathing. "Sometimes, he faints out of the blue and then wakes up later." Sparx said. "I see…" Cynder replied. To their surprise, Spyro disappeared from their very sight. "Where did he go?! He's not leaving us here, is he?!" Sparx asked. Cynder, who appeared to be struck with grief, remained silent.
-Hour 1: The Painful Reunion-
Spyro opened his eyes. He felt groggy. It took him a while to realize that he's back in the Temple, where the Four Guardians are. Also present was The Chronicler, who looked like he just finished using a spell, since he emitted a blue aura. "Spyro, you're safe!" Ignitus called out, relieved. Spyro panicked. He looked around for Cynder and Sparx. They don't seem to be anywhere near. "Where's Cynder??? Where's Sparx???" Spyro asked, concerned.
"They are waiting for you to save them, Spyro." The Chronicler replied. "What? How can I do that?" Spyro asked. "I've decided that I shall teach you my best ability, therefore I took advantage of this situation for you to test it out after you master it." The Chronicler explained. "Test? Test??! Their lives are in danger! Why couldn't you just bring them back here, with me??!" Spyro shouted, as a hint of teardrop rolled from his right eye.
"Be thankful, Spyro. No dragon has ever learned the elements of Time. You should be grateful for that. Even elites like me don't have a chance to even learn it." Cyril said. "Grateful?! Cynder and Sparx could die any second! And here I am, trying to learn some new ability! I'd rather…!" Before Spyro could finish his sentence, Ignitus tackled him. Spyro flung and hit the solid hard wall. It was painful.
"You've disappointed me, Spyro. How can you expect to defeat the Dark Master if your mind is clouded with thoughts like that?!" Ignitus bellowed. "But… Cynder… Sparx…" Spyro replied weakly, as he attempted to get up from his fall. "I had high hopes for you, Spyro. It seems the Darkness influenced the way you think." Ignitus commented solemnly. "No, Ignitus! I… I'm sorry. Please don't be angry. I take back the words I said earlier." Spyro apologized, as he got up from his fall.
"Remember, Spyro. Before you rush mindlessly into things, think twice and analyze the outcome of your action." Ignitus said. "Yes, Ignitus. I'm really sorry." Spyro apologized once more. "Now, now. I shall reawaken the element of Time within you, Spyro." The Chronicler said. "Time? You mean Dragon Time? I could use that already." Spyro replied. "No, Spyro. The true element of Time." The Chronicler answered back. "Using that ability, you can reverse, fast forward and stop time, Spyro. It's an ability that only purple dragons and Time-based dragons like The Chronicler can master." Volteer said, hypothetically.
"Reverse, fast forward and… stop?" Spyro asked. He thought for a while. He came to the conclusion that he can indeed save Cynder and Sparx using this ability. Now, he felt even guiltier for talking back to them earlier. Did the power of Darkness really influence the way Spyro think? Did it change him as a whole? If not, will it change him?
Ignitus, who appears to be disgusted with Spyro's current situation, flew out of the temple. "Ignitus…" Spyro whispered. "Don't worry about him; he just needs to cool down." Cyril said. "He's been worried about you ever since you took off to the Well of Souls. He had always wanted you to master all the elements. Of course, we all do want that, as well. However, upon seeing you clouded with your attitude earlier when you came back didn't make him very happy." Volteer said. All the other dragons in the room looked at him. "What? I was just telling the truth. Solid facts. I've studied Psychology for a while, you know. I'm just applying the situation to Hadr's Theory of Feelings." Volteer blurted. "Volteer, next time you talk, please keep it simple." Terrador said bossily.
Flashbacks began to play in Spyro's head like a movie. The time when Ignitus thought him how to use the Fire element effectively, the time when he first met Ignitus, the time when Ignitus shows his concern for him before he took off to fight Cynder and the time when Ignitus showed him around the temple. Ignitus was like a father to Spyro. Spyro never realized how much Ignitus had done for him till now.
"Don't you want to save Cynder and Sparx?" The Chronicler asked. Spyro stopped thinking about Ignitus and turned to The Chronicler. "Yes. I'm ready to reawaken the element of Time within me." Spyro answered. "Close your eyes, concentrate… feel the movements of time." The Chronicler said, softly. "The harder you feel, the more you'd notice that time doesn't wait for anyone…" he continued. Without warning, a burst of blue lights appeared around Spyro, encircling him. Roman numbers were seen floating around him. When he opened his eyes, the ray of lights shone brightly, and the numbers spun quickly. It stopped at one point and then exploded. As Spyro looked around the room, the guardians were lying on the floor, except The Chronicler.
"You're a natural, Spyro." The Chronicler commented. "Is everyone alright?!" Spyro exclaimed, concerned. "We're fine. Just startled by some waves." Terrador said, as he got up. "Go talk to Ignitus. I'm sure he wants to know how you've been doing." Cyril said. Spyro nodded and rushed to the balcony, wanting to see Ignitus, before he goes to save Cynder and Sparx.
-Hour 2: A respectful apology-
Spyro saw Ignitus sitting on the balcony, looking at the sky. It was a starry night. Bright stars twinkled up the sky and the occasional shooting star passed by. "Ignitus…?" Spyro greeted softly. Ignitus turned to look at Spyro for a while, but then turned back to look at the sky. "Ignitus, please don't be angry at me. I was not thinking right that time." Spyro said solemnly. Ignitus kept quiet, trying to ignore what Spyro said.
Spyro remained silent. Both dragons did not talk to each other for a brief period of time. "Ignitus, I remember when we first met. I wanted to see this temple. You brought me here and thought me how to master the Fire element." Spyro spoke calmly. "I'm not very good with words, Ignitus. But you know, you're like a father to me. You're the first dragon I met. You took care of me. You thought me everything you knew. You gave me guidance…" Spyro continued. Ignitus found it difficult to ignore Spyro this time, but he still kept quiet.
"Ignitus, please don't be angry at me. It pains my heart to see you like this. From the bottom of my heart, I seek your sincerest apology." Spyro apologized, lowering his head. This time, Ignitus turned to look at Spyro. "Don't worry about it, Spyro." Ignitus said softly. Does it mean he forgives Spyro? Or, could it have some sort of other meaning? Seeing how troubled Spyro is, Ignitus muttered; "I forgive you" softly.
"Also, I don't whether I should say this, but…" Spyro spoke uncertainly. "What is it?" Ignitus asked. "I'd like you to be my godfather. You know, you've always been a role model for me. So…" Spyro said nervously. Ignitus smiled and nodded his head. The stars shone a little brighter. Spyro looked up to Ignitus and smiled. "Now go, Spyro. Go save your friends. They need you." Ignitus said. Without even asking, Spyro followed his godfather's orders and flew to the Well of Souls.
Ignitus looked up the starry sky, murmuring "May the Ancestors look after you, Spyro. May they look after us all."