Spyro and Cynder stood before the huge 31 foot black dragon, Malefor, once a powerful rare purple dragon who had been corrupted by the extent of his power. Spyro and Cynder knew they had to destroy Malefor. They had to kill him, to rid their land of horror, despair and evil that Malefor had brought upon with his armies of apes and other twisted creatures.

Both small dragons roared as much fire as they could at Malefor. It wasn't enough. The black dragon laughed, a cold, bleak laugh without any humour, and roared a huge eruption of fire back at Spyro and Cynder, swallowing their flames and almost burning them, but they jumped back just in time. Spyro changed the element he was using to electricity, while Cynder started mightily breathing her poisonous gas. She flew into Malefor's face, still exhaling the poison. Malefor started to cough and choke, and while he was distracted, Spyro darted around him on his wings, electrifying him. The black dragon crashed to the ground, twitching as the electricity zapped him, locking his muscles together so he couldn't move, the poisonous gas entering his bloodstream and weaving its way to his heart.

Both small dragons landed and looked at each other, relieved and triumphant.

"We did it," panted Cynder. "Finally, finally the Dark Master is gone."

But none of them noticed that dragon in question rising slowly from the ground, regaining control over his limbs, shaking his head confusedly, but then dark eyes focusing on the rejoicing Spyro and Cynder.

The eyes narrowed.

An earth shattering roar snapped the dragons out of their happiness. They swung their heads around and stared in horror as Malefor roared fire into the sky, but it was black fire.

"No!" shouted Spyro.

"Yes!" bellowed back Malefor, laughing.

"How did you release yourself from our power?" asked Cynder.

"Your puny control over the elements is no match for my POWER!" the evil dragon released his last word in an ear blasting growl.

Cynder snapped out of her horror first. She flapped her wings, flying over to Malefor. She sank her fangs into the side of his neck and wrenched her head to the side, ripping out some of his flesh. Malefor snapped his jaws at her, but missed. Cynder flew around to his leg and bit him. Malefor roared in pain again. Quicker than Cynder could fly away, he grabbed her with his rough paw, talons digging into her. He lifted his hand and threw her violently into the wall.

There was a crunch.

"CYNDER!" yelled Spyro. "Wake up! You have to wake up. You can't be dead. I-" he paused, and whispered brokenly, "I love you."

Cynder did not stir.

Spyro's eyes focused on the black dragon, changing from a bright, warm purple to a dark, pulsing purple. "If she is dead, you will pay," Spyro hissed threateningly at Malefor.

Malefor laughed dismissively. "She is probably dead. And soon you will be!" he lunged for Spyro.

But Spyro was now Dark Spyro. His rage and anguish created an uncontrollable inferno in the depths of his being, and his pure hatred for the corrupted dragon added the fire until it was almost exploding him. His body began to glow with Convexity energy. It bathed his body in purple light.

Spyro and Malefor didn't know this, but Dark Spyro could use Convexity to bring dragons back from the brink of death. Convexity could destroy, and created, and save. But the easiest way to use it was to destroy, and Malefor's character was too weak to choose. Spyro was strong, but he had no knowledge of Convexity's extra powers, so he could not use it.

But...

Cynder felt the all-encompassing pain cover her entire body. She heard Spyro calling her name, but she was drifting towards the peaceful darkness of death and couldn't move. Spyro's desperate voice was fading, and she heard him say something that sounded like 'I love you' but she didn't believe it, thinking that it was just her persistent imagination making her hear things. Cynder's shallow breaths slowed as her wounds overwhelmed the strength of her body.

The inferno of Convexity in Spyro streamed into Cynder. It had reacted to Spyro's deep down longing for the little dragon with the crescent of her forehead, and the little dragon had unknowingly directed it to Cynder, healing her.

But it was also responding to the hatred, anger, grief and loathing for Malefor.

The Convexitial energy formed into a sphere around Spyro, a sphere of defence, so when Malefor tried to hit Spyro or blast him with fire, ice, electricity or throw boulders at him with earth, it couldn't touch him. Malefor grew increasingly frustrated and worried, he rampaged around the cave, trying to bring his fury down on the little dragon, but it wouldn't harm him.

Then Spyro roared.

It wasn't like Malefor's horror inducing roar. It wasn't like Cynder and Spyro's roars of defiance and hate. It was an ancient and terrifying roar, releasing the Convexity that had built up in Spyro. It was aimed at Malefor's black heart, a purple bolt shaped like a spear. The beam struck Malefor, the rippling force of it throwing him to the ground with a crash. Red, green, yellow and cold blue streams of light shot out of Spyro and wound themselves around the purple spear, melding into it. With an intense flash, the spear of Convexity and elements drove itself into Malefor's heart. Malefor's eyes opened wide with astonishment as he looked upon the little dragon that had defeated him.

"How..." he choked out. Then the black eyes glazed over and Spyro collapsed on the rocky ground and sighed with despair over Cynder as darkness clouded his vision, not knowing that Cynder had been healed by Convexity.

Cynder felt a soft, bright purple light pull her from the brink of the welcoming darkness. She moaned, trying to get back to the dark, were she wouldn't feel any pain. But the light was too strong, and she came back to reality.

The pain of her wounds was astounding. It was only the light that kept her from falling back into death. But the pain was gradually fading as Convexity entered her spirit and healed her, knitting bones back together, closing the deep slashes in her skin, restoring her breath, sight and heartbeat.

She saw the terrifying battle carry out. She saw Malefor trying to kill Spyro, and Spyro encased in a purple sphere. She saw Spyro unleash his spear of Convexity, but what most disturbed her were his eyes. They had changed from the friendly, bright eyes she knew to a dark, pulsing purple. They were exactly the same as they had been when-when...when Spyro had turned into Dark Spyro at the Well of Souls, when the dark power of the eclipse corrupted him.

Those emotionless, blank eyes terrified her, as well as the blank look upon his face. She didn't know that all this was coming from Spyro's longing from her, all that power.

Then she saw Malefor collapse and after a small teetering moment, Spyro collapse too, the aura of killing fading, replaced by an aura of despair as Spyro's eyes slowly closed.

Spyro came to himself. He felt the hard, rocky ground beneath him, and a female voice calling his name.

Cynder...

"Spyro? Spyro!" Cynder called. She was standing over the small purple dragon's body and plaintively crying his name.

"Cynder..." Spyro's throat was dry.

"Oh Spyro! Are you all right? We've got to get you to the healers at the temple."

"Cynder...is this a dream? How are you alive? I saw Malefor...throw you against the wall... am I dead...?"

"No! Don't be silly," said Cynder anxiously. "Of course you're not dead. I'm alive, though I don't know how. I know this sounds silly but a purple light...kinda 'pulled me back'..." she trailed off uncertainly.

"Well, since we're both alright-" Spyro began, but Cynder cut him off.

"Alright my foot. Have you seen yourself? Try to get up."

Spyro tried to haul himself to his feet, to no avail. His aching injuries prevented him from moving.

"I've got to get a healer," said Cynder worriedly. "You apparently haven't realised that Malefor did hurt you, and you are bleeding."

She crouched next to Spyro. "Can you get on me?"

With a lot of difficulty, Spyro hauled himself onto Cynder's small back. She grunted under the weight, and began the slow struggle towards the entrance.

After about an hour, when they finally got there, Cynder simply collapsed on the outdoor ledge.

"Can't go on..." she murmured and blacked out.

Spyro lay there for what seemed like forever, his worry for Cynder making it even longer. He couldn't move, he was still half on Cynder's slender back.

It was actually only half and hour that Spyro spent lying down unable to move. Cynder was still unconscious, the weight of Spyro making her only able to take shallow breaths, returning her strength slower than normal. But then the purple dragon had an idea.

Summoning up his last reserves of energy, he blasted fire into the sky, and gradually, the yellow-red fire turned purple. It had turned into Convexity energy without him fully knowing.

Spyro blacked out yet again.

"...Yes, yes. We know that Malefor has been defeated, but we saw no trace of him in the cave...Terrador and Cyril went deep down to the end of the tunnel where it opens into the volcano but Malefor was not there...I went down myself to reach my powers into the lava but I could find no trace of Malefor, and the Chronicler says no new entries for dragons have been put in the Book. Even if Malefor has been corrupted, he is still a dragon..."

Spyro heard the wise, old voice full of concern above hi. "What, where..." he mumbled.

"Spyro! You are alright!" the old voice was now directly above him. Spyro's eyes adjusted to the bright light and his fuzzy vision slowly returned to clarity. Ignitus' face blinked into view.

"Malefor...is dead," coughed Spyro, his throat dry. "I killed him with Convexity and the elements."

"Yes, you said that all the way here when we carried you," said Ignitus. "Cynder was still under you, but once we got her to the healers she woke up and is fine."

"We...?" asked Spyro.

"Terrador, Cyril, Volteer and I. We flew you here from Malefor's volcano. You were speaking all the way about how Malefor is finally dead, so after you got to the healers Cyril Terrador and myself went back to check, and their was no trace of him.

"Sleep now, young dragon, you have much to recover from in body and mind."

Spyro slept.

He woke up the next day to Cynder's face.

"Cynder! You're alright!"

"Yes, I am, silly. But you still need to rest."

"To hell with resting! I need to see the Guardians and ask them about Malefor, and see Ember and Flame."

"Yeah, I want to see them to. But are you sure you can get up?"

Soon Spyro and Cynder were walking off, Cynder supporting Spyro, who had a limp. They walked past many dragons, who either congratulated them quietly, knowing that Malefor was no-where to be found, or stared at them in awe or jealousy.

Not being able to find the Guardians, they headed off to find Flame and Ember. The red dragon and pink dragon were in Flame's cave playing Dragon Chess.

"Checkmate," giggled Ember.

Flame grunted in admission.

"That's the third time I've won! Bow down to me, Flame," Ember pretended to prance around the cave, then caught sight of Spyro and Cynder. Her expression turned embarrassed, the worshipful, because Ember always had a humungous crush on Spyro. The Perfect Hero, she called him in her mind.