Despite all the insane stuff happening today, Spyro couldn't complain. Not because he didn't have stuff to complain about, but because he literally couldn't complain. The muzzle that had been strapped over his snout did a really good job of stopping that. The metal dug into his scales, and the leather straps that wrapped around his head where just… Too tight! For over an hour he'd been face down trying desperately to rip the metal cage off his face.

The last while was a bit of a blur. Mostly the fault of that Menace. Spyro hadn't had much of an opportunity to do anything before he was jumped by the two apes who Menace had brought with him. From there it was mostly a fight down narrow corridors, a blaring alarm, and his immediate recapturing. In the end, he was tossed into a cell.

But there was a silver lining to all this. The jar outside his cell was empty. Sparx had managed to make his escape while Spyro had drawn the attention of the Apes and the dragon. Leaving Spyro's fate completely unknown, and Sparx's fate even more up in the air than before. At the very least he knew Sparx was smart enough to get help of some kind, if that even existed. If he could get to the portal he'd be more than capable of getting the guardians to help.

The room itself was empty except for Spyro. With that strange purple dragon gone, it left Spyro with only questions. Who was he, this Menace? He could very well be a danger to the world, but part of him was more concerned about the state of the world outside. If this was a world with Malefor in charge, what was it like outside this castle? Ruins? Was there even a resistance? Was there a version of himself out there fighting the good fight? That question may never be answered, unless he got lucky and got out of this cage.

Spyro had begun to pace back and forth, claws scraping the floor. His cell was small, only a about double his length in both directions. This didn't give him much room to work with, especially since he was at least thankful they didn't chain him down. His wings stretched out, flexing as if at any moment he'd need them to escape.

"So, where did you come from?"
Spyro turned in surprise to the door, spying the silhouette of Menace. Now that he had more time to process all this, Spyro got a better look at Menace's scales. They were defiantly purple, but a different shade from his own. Clearly more muted, darker, and part of him knew it was because of some dark influence. In fact, a little more violet. Could it even qualify as purple at this point?

"You're not much to look at, are you?" Menace said, his words more blunt than Malefor's more seductive voice. Malefor was always a schemer, but this Menace seemed more… What's the word… Demanding. Just the way he looked at others seemed to carry a bit of a full of himself attitude. Spyro didn't reply, and not because he was muzzled.

"Doesn't really matter. You'll tell me what I want to know. Like why you decided to impersonate me." Menace smiled there, as if he was amused that anybody thought they could be like him. "After all, it was clever. But you blew it. You used up the only time a trick like that could work. And you wasted it trying to free a spy. I could think of a hundred ways in which I'd topple a castle if its occupants believed I was in charge."

Sure, keep talking. Spyro was unamused, and Menace barely seemed to notice when his attention drifted. What a blowhard. Though even Spyro had to admit that gloating to prisoners was probably more satisfying than gloating to apes. They'd just nod and agree with everything, and Menace probably needed the fresh company considering how empty the cells were. Spyro snorted loudly, causing Menace to look over to the purple dragon for the first time since he'd entered the room.

"Oh right, the restraint." Menace grumbled, as if finally remembering why Spyro wasn't pleading for mercy or freedom. "I can't exactly take that off. I don't even know what you can do. Purple isn't your natural color after all. What is it then? Fire? Ice? Lightning? Oh, I bet you're an earth dragon. No… Earth dragons are a lot… Well a lot more than you." He laughed at his own terrible joke, and then snapped back to the moment.
"Oh please, you're acting so sour, open a little. How about this, I'll bring some guards in, and we'll get you a much nicer place to stay if you agree to tell me all you know about your 'friends.'" The darker dragon added in air quotes, as if he was resisting the urge to say what he really thought. "You can nod. No need to speak."

Spyro did nod. Why not? He knew nothing about any 'friends' and chances were he'd have a better method of escape without this restraint over his mouth. Maybe explain his situation if that ever seemed like a good idea. Heck, he could probably keep Menace distracted long enough to find a way to get Sparx back and the two of them could escape through the portal. Have Cyril blow it up afterwards since he seemed all for it. He wasn't sure about leaving this world to Menace, but… He couldn't allow this strange purple monster to reach his own. Part of him was wondering if Menace even knew the portal was active.

"Excellent! I'll have the apes move you to your new cell shortly. It'll be much nicer." Menace grinned, tail whipping against metal bars of Spyro's prison. Spyro was left in darkness when he left…


What a mess! An absolute mess of a situation, and Sparx was at the center of it! It's hard enough trying to hide when your whole body isn't a lightbulb, but even worse when apes are actively searching for said lightbulb! But… He had to admit he'd been lucky so far. The apes didn't seem to have much vertical intelligence, and hiding in the rafters of one of the main rooms had bought him hours of time. The problem he was running into was how heavily they had started patrolling the narrow corridors leading to the portal. In short, he was a prisoner just as much as he was before, except now he was sure he'd be squashed if he was captured.

The castle he'd discovered was fairly large, if somewhat simple. Lots of narrow passages, and clearly not designed for dragons who prefer more open spaces. In Sparx opinion it was a stolen castle, that had been rebuilt solely for its use as a location to horde an army, rather than because it was something Malefor or Menace wanted. While remaining hidden, Sparx had managed to spy the strange purple dragon a few times. Always prowling about, or spending time in a special room off to the side. Sparx never had the chance to see what lay inside, but he doubted it was as bad as the cells he had spent a few hours in.

There was only one way out, and that was a window, or the main doors. Sparx tried his best to be optimistic, mostly since it made him more likeable. But boy did he really not like these odds. If he left his hiding place, he was more than sure he'd be spotted by at least three or even twenty apes that prowled around the castle. It seemed he'd have to rely on a distraction.

The room he was in was fairly large. Sparx figured this was some kind of ballroom, though it would never be used for such in the next hundred lifetimes. Windows lined the walls, but most seemed to be boarded up, as if in preparation of an attack. What was once a place of party was not a fortress it seemed. The rest of the room was pretty barren, and mostly in the way of there was only a rug… And dust. There was only one window that wasn't sealed up, and that seemed to be the one the guards were in the process of nailing shut. Long wooden planks were dragged into the room, dropped, and then slammed down with some nails to hold them in. A slapdash job if Sparx ever saw one. But, if he didn't act fast he'd never make it out..

"Oh man, just when you wish you still had Spyro to fight his way out for you." Sparx moaned to himself, head in his hands. His antennae were drawn back, pressing against his head in worry. "Okay, Sparx baby, you need to pull yourself together." He mumbled softly, slowly sitting up. "What would Spyro do!? He'd… Um… Blow them away with lightning… Okay, what would Cynder do. The same, but evilishly… That doesn't work for me either… What would dad do?" He paused, and remembered for the first time in forever his parents.

How long had it really been? Like five years, possibly? But that… Well that was something to worry about for later. A reminder that when he got home, first trip was to actually go home. Taking a deep breath, he thought about what dad would do. First… "Dad would look around, and see what he has to use." Sparx turned his head along the rafters, spying only a few rocks that had fallen from the ceiling. "Okay, rocks… That's all I've got. Second… Dad would…" Sparx thought back, remembering the time his father had fought that viper. He'd run away, leading the snake down into a hole, and into the hungry mongoose who lived beneath. Sparx didn't have a mongoose, but he did have apes. Apes, and rocks. "Three… Dad would hightail it out of there as soon as he could." Sparx nodded, with a grin plastering his lips. Exactly!

The rocks weren't too heavy, since he wasn't planning to actually hurt the apes. Carrying a bundle of pebbles, he planned more to annoy. Underneath, and currently busy with nailing, was two apes. Perfect for Sparx's little plan. Zipping down behind the two, he chucked a rock full force at the one by the window. He was gone when the ape looked back, scowling and glaring at his confused partner. Sparx repeated this two more times, zipping, and then out just at the right time. After the third, he got what he wanted.

"Why Fog bother Vog!?" He roared, tossing his nails and hammer at the other. The hammer bounced off Fog's head as Vog stepped away from the window.

"Fog do no such thing to Vog!" Fog roared back, rubbing his head in frustration and pain. He took a step closer to Vog, butting heads with a snarl on his lips. "Fog helping Vog!"

"Vog no need help from Fog! Fog jerk!" Vog snarled as he shoved the other ape. "Vog do all work! Fog sit and criti-Cro-Crip-Circus!" He shouted, eventually giving up on the word criticize. He tossed his hammer again, which Fog dodged this time, and then tossed back. The window smashed wide open as the hammer sailed through it, missing Sparx by an inch as he'd been wrestling with the lock while the duo bickered.

Sparx turned to look at the apes, who now looked at him with eyes bloodshot and full of rage. "Bug attack Vog!" Fog shouted, pointing and gesturing at the now exposed Sparx.

"Fine, I admit it. If only because I owe you two for the easy escape route." Sparx replied, pointing to the hole that was big enough for him to buzz through. Hey, if they knew he was escaping, why not rub it in? By the time the two managed to reach the window, Sparx was gone. Having zipped away into the night air that lay outside.

Huh… Nighttime already. At least he was out of the castle.


Spyro wanted to fly. As he gazed through the observatory window his wings stretched out, aching to let him soar through the air. He wanted to feel the wind against his scales, the chill of a night air. But as the air brushed against the folds of his wings, and he began to lift up off the air, he was reminded how ground bound he was with the soft metal clunk of the chain around his neck.

Spyro had moved out of the cells and into a new room. This room seemed to be Menace's private study, judging strictly from the fact that it was the largest room in the entire castle that the purple dragon had visited. The room itself was n observatory, or a modified version of one. Once used to gaze at stars, the scope had been removed, and the hatch turned into Menace's private window to the outside world. Outside Spyro could see trees reaching out into the distance, with this elevated tower high above it all. He could see no civilization out there, and yet he swore he could see the flicker of a fire if he peered out far enough. And yet, as wind billowed through the room, and filled the massive dome, Spyro was no closer to freedom.

A sturdy chain was clamped down on Spyro's neck. Runes glowed brightly, and he was more than ever that it was to keep him from using magic. Menace seemed to be a bit of a showoff, but he wasn't stupid. Spyro could respect that, even if he secretly wished otherwise.

"Getting comfy?" Spyro looked up to the second floor, a series of walkways that had been clearly added in to give Menace more room to move about. The area around the dark purple dragon was marked with horrible scorch marks against the metal. In fact, the whole dome seemed to be in such a way, and in some areas he could even make out claw marks. As if something had been tortured in there.

"Well, I'm thankful you removed the um… Muzzle." Spyro said after a long pause.

"I do try to make my guests comfy." Menace said, jumping down, wings spread out to slow his fall as he landed just outside the small area Spyro was allowed to move in. "Now, cutting all the formality away… What is your name?"

"Spyro. Your name is Menace, right?" Spyro snapped back, matching the gaze of the ever so slightly taller Menace.

"Funny, but I'm asking questions, not you." Menace let his claws scrape along the ground, and the grooves they made seemed to line up perfectly to the ones that lines the walls. "So, next question, what's your real scale color."

"Purple."

"You're lyinnnnnnng." Menace trilled in annoyance. "There are only two purple dragons in existence. We'd know if there was a third."

"How? For all you know I'm one of the two."

"Because I'm one of those two! Malefor and Menace! There is no Spyro!" Spyro was forced to step back when Menace stepped in. Black fire sparking around his bared fangs. "Now, tell me the truth! You're a red dragon, aren't you?"

"Nope, pure purple, like you."

"Stop lying to me. It's a disguise, isn't it? You're a distraction. Your little wild friends are plotting something and they want to keep me busy chasing some legend about a new purple dragon."

"I can't make you believe me then. You're clearly not listening to the truth."

"The truth? You snuck into my castle. Tried to break out a spy, and I'm to believe you when you tell me you're really a purple dragon of legend?" Menace prowled closer, his claws splayed out as he moved in till they were snout to snout. "And what if I did believe you were magically a purple dragon? You look to be my age."

"Well… That is a… thing?" Wait, could they be the same age? Part of Spyro was jumping up and down, as if it knew what was going on. But he couldn't just jump to conclusions. "But what does that prove?"

"I am the only purple dragon of my generation. If there was a new purple dragon… Well you'd be younger or something. Doesn't that stand to reason?" Menace seemed to be stating facts at this point, and Spyro wasn't sure how to reply without telling him about the portal.

"Fine, I admit it, I'm… Actually a fire dragon." Spyro muttered softly, that last bit under his breath. To be honest, it was better if Menace thought it was one way rather than the other. Digging into this could be worse for his realm. "It was a spell, and I figured I could get in and out fast without being noticed. You caught me." He held up his claws in defeat while Menace stepped back with a grin.

"Knew it." The dark purple dragon grinned from ear to ear in self satisfaction. "So, tell me what the brave rebel leader is up to. After all, Ember has been a thorn in my side for a while."


The night dragged on and the moon was overshadowed by clouds and darkness. The trees had already begun to feel same-y, even when Sparx kept going in one straight line. The golden dragonfly was on the search for civilization, or just about anything that wasn't going to eat him. He had to rescue Spyro, but he couldn't do that on his own. Only a few times in his life had Sparx ever felt this alone… But if he was going to get home, he had to swallow his fears. His antennae began to twitch as the sounds of rushing water trickled in from the distance. WATER! All civilizations began at water!

Buzzing his wings with renewed hope, Sparx zoomed through the forest, ducking between branches. He broke through the leaves of a tree, and found himself float in front of a river. That… And a very angry dragoness.

Dark scales shimmered in the night and twisted silver horns glinted with moonlight. Her eyes were focused on Sparx as they stood across the river from each other, which was less than a rapid and more along the lines of a small stream. The silence itself was deafening, until Sparx finally spoke.
"Cynder?" Sparx was out like a light a moment later when the dragoness leapt at him, claws open wide.