Chapter 7: The Purple and Black Dragons

They stood there in silence for what seemed to be like hours became years, staring at each other in complete shock, no one willing to move or utter a single world. Terror was on Spyro and Cynder's minds while they were having a hard time taking what is going on. Shine being the red-orange Dragon's son was shocking, so they had a feeling that the older dragon wasn't hostile towards them. But they were cautious, they didn't trust the older dragon. But for reason they didn't run - not after finally reaching the end of their journey, finally finding one who could tell them what was going on.

Little did they know that Spyro and Cynder's journey had only just begun while Crystal's had ended.

Much to Spyro's relief, the golden saviour broke the terrible silence. "And I thought Shine was huge. Goodness…," his voice was mixed with the usual sarcasm that he did all the time and a tone of breathy wonder as he stared up at the creature before them. Sparx was right - he was a lot taller than the four dragons.

"Shine…," the tall Dragon said before he gulped, soothing his harsh voice, roughened from what sounded like years of complete utter silence. "Thank the Ancestors… Nova, come over here. Our child has returned." As the other silhouette came closer, Cynder sniffed the air. The red dragon looked at her and smiled. "You know who that is?"

"She, smells familiar," Cynder said. "But how?"

"Because you are Shine's brother, my child and hers as well," the red dragon said.

Cynder was shocked when she heard that. She never knew this would happen, all she imagine was finding out what a Dragon is and what they do but not this, finding out about her family.

The red dragon looks at Spyro and Crystal and smiles. "Shine has told me about two purple Dragons being born from one egg. Twins…"

Nova comes up, Cynder then sees everything that Nova. That giant black Dragoness looked exactly like Cynder. Black scales, red underbelly, blood red wings, a scythe tail blade, emerald green eyes, and nine ivory horns. "Hello there," the giant black dragoness said as she came up to the three young ones. "Ignitus, I'm proud of you for giving me another daughter. Now we have two daughters and a son."

"Yes, if only Quartz has returned back from Warfang," the old male dragon said as he walked up to them. "I'm glad that you three are here but only two must come."

His voice had fallen in a contemplative murmur as he stared at them with his wondering eyes gazed graceful at them. Spyro and Cynder back away a pace again. Why was he looking at them like that? For some odd reason, they couldn't quite put a claw on it, it just reminded them of Flash…

The bright eyes of the great orange giant suddenly flickered out and died. His gaze turned from us to the muddy ground and he shook his head. "But it doesn't matter that you are here. It's too late… Too late…"

"It's never too late," the orange Dragon looked at his son. "If it was too late, then all of the Dragon race would be killed. Just look at the rest of the Guardians, only three are gone while we are here. The Apes are not that smart. But we can win. You are abandoning hope when your hope is right in front of you." Ignitus was struck back as what was said by his son. Shine never showed this side before but time, it was different. "We have to make sure everything is right for us. It's never too late."

Spyro's fear faded away then, replaced with curiosity and had a burning desire for the truth of what is going on. This Dragon… it didn't seem like he would harm them. Though rough and old, his voice was also kind and very gentle. And besides, he was wound up in their past somehow; that they were sure about that from his monologue. Maybe, just maybe he could tell them everything.

Spyro found words before Cynder could. "T-too late," he stuttered, speaking so quickly that the stumbled over the words. "Too late for what?"

"I know Shine, your son, had to keep tabs on us? But can you tell us where we came from," Cynder asked, firing her own volley of questions at the dragon who now stared at them with his mouth agape, trying to find a place to interject. Shine walked over to her and shook his head, she knew what that mean and it meant stop talking which she did. "Sorry."

Spyro's voice began to rise as his excitement grew. "Who are you? What are we?"

"WHAT AM I," Spyro and Cynder cried in unison. We silenced then, waiting for Ignitus' answer with much anticipation. The shouting might not have been necessary to get their point to him but they were just so worked up - here, standing before them was the answer just waiting to be revealed.

Their sentence - carrying seemed to confuse him and Nova, though for they blinked and just stared at the young ones for a moment. They suppose processing all of this was just too much to comprehend for a while. As confusion crossed the old dragon's face, he answered them by motioning Shine to tell them everything. Shine grew wide eyed and shook his head. "No way I'm telling them. I told them that they need to get to the Dragon Temple so that they can train."

"But you must tell them," Ignitus said as he looked at the young ones. "You're her brother and you're are the purple Dragon's guardian. You have to tell them."

Shine grunted as he looked at them. "You three are Dragons like I said," his voice tone was implying that they knew that already.

"We got that," Crystal said as she heard about that. "But what is going on? I need to know." She was glad that someone told them the truth about what they were but now they had to deal with what they had to do. And something about what Shine was about to say was no answer she and the others wanted to hear. Something that deals with a future.

"Thirteen years ago, the Temple Raid happened and your eggs were taken away," Shine said in a somber tone, voice reflecting on what happened in the past, so much remorse and grief. "It was our job to protect the eggs. Didn't matter if they were green, grey, or another color, they all had to be protected. But our first eggs that needed to be protected was yours. We were lucky that we saved them but lost the others…" He closes his eyes and bows his head as a hint of pain was seen across his face. Spyro couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the three Dragons that day.

Not wanting to disturb them, he hesitantly asked, "What happened?"

Shine just continued to stare at the ground as Ignitus wrapped a wing around him. "The others were killed or captured."

"By who," Crystal asked.

"Your father, Malefor," Ignitus bluntly said. "He is a tyrant that wanted power for a long time. Corruption from the dark side of elements. He is very dangerous. There were six of us - Guardians, that is - and we all had just one job: ensure that all the eggs were hatched. It was the Year of the Dragon, after all, and our very survival depended on those eggs. but the Temple and Grotto are now gone… Overrun by…," he trailed off, and Spyro could see a bit of anger flashing through his eyes, not at them but at the ones that done this.

"What do you mean our father," Spyro asked.

"Malefor is the tyrant that wants to be powerful so that he can rule the world with an iron paw," Nova started. "He is very chaotic. When he learned about the eggs, he wanted to have them destroyed because he feared that one of the eggs would end his life of corruption and purge that evil to make him good and back to the Malefor he used to be."

"Okay, and what do that have to deal with us," Crystal asked.

"Because of you three," Ignitus said. "There is a prophecy spoke of a purple and black dragon - well two purple dragons with a black dragoness, but this is exceptionally rare. Which makes you even a threat. A purple dragon, after all is only born once every ten generations. And a Black Dragon was only born seven times. The Purple dragon had been born more than that. Malefor being the first one created, which he died but was brought back to life about twenty years ago. During the time that Malefor was killed, there were over sixty thousand purple Dragons that were born. And now you three are here."

"'You'," Sparx asked scratchily, mimicking Ignitus' hoarse voice. "What, you mean them? Wait - this long? Spyro, Cynder and Crystal, some special once-in-a-purple-and-black thing" He laughed, shaking his head in disbelief at what he was hearing. "I think you may mixed that one up, old man. Woo… that's a little… bit of a stretch."

"The signs of Malefor returning is a pink Dragon, which we all saw," Shine grimly said. Sparx looked at him with a confused looked.

"What pink Dragon?"

"Try that Dragon that was in the sky before we got to the caves," Shine said as Sparx's jaw dropped.

"Right," Sparx finally said after a few moments of silence. "You have been away from people for so long that you don't even know what way is up."

Spyro and Cynder shot their respective death glares at him, while both of male dragons just stared sternly at him, unamused. Cynder considered smacking Sparx with her tail blade, but simply huffed before rolling her eyes. What was that suppose to mean? Sparx really must not believe anything.

"I've heard so, ah, doozies within my time, but this one takes the cake," Sparx said, wisely finishing his spiel before any of the young ones became too irritated enough to teach him one hard lesson that would stay with him for a long time, though much to their annoyance his little golden body still shook with suppressed laughter.

Shaking his head at Sparx's antics, the old orange dragon said, "Spyro, Cynder, and Crystal is it?" All three nodded at the sound of their voice. "Well, you three, I assure you I'm telling the truth. Same with my son. The Dark Armies attacked, intent on destroying the eggs and killing the rest of us." The young dragons exchanged looking upon on another; he's said it as if Dark Armies attacked your just some everyday affair. "And they nearly succeeded. Few were left alive. Then, while our numbers dwindled, they lay siege to the rest of the islands. We were at war! And we are still at war. This war is no longer just a Dragon War, it is time that the other races help because Malefor won't stop until everything is under his control.

"For many years, we fought all over the islands. The brutal clashes with the armies of the Dark Master - Malefor - who was intent on preventing the prophecies from coming true, consumed our lives. The five other Guardians and I led our small but valiant forces into battle after battle against our ruthless, brutal, merciless, mercenary foe. Then, just as we were beginning to turn the tide… Ember came."

"E-Ember," Spyro stuttered. Both of the young females shivered as he said that name. The name made not only blood run cold but send also made them become paralyzed with fear for a short time.

"Yes…," the Guardian bowed his head, recalling the terrifying memory. "Ember. Ember was… no. Nor was. She is… a monster, horrified and ferocious. A pink Dragon that fills the Skies with Terror; an unstoppable force of nature…"

"Uh yeah, you had me a ferocious," Sparx said, shaking his head. "Listen… sounds like the thing that was chasing us, Spyro."

"And it was." Shine murmured, recalling the pink streak that shot through the sky like lightning; here for a moment then gone within a few seconds.

"Yes. She still searches for me, Shine, and Nova. And years ago, me and Nova watched as Ember plucked the others from the battlefield… like so many ripe grapes from a vine that were destroyed, our cause was lost after the other three were gone. Now it's just three of us and even then, we can't win. I, Ignitus, managed to escape with Nova." The old Guardian turned his remorseful gaze from the young ones to the ground. A single tear was drawn from his eyes. "I watched my brother die, my other brother get taken away from Ember. Not that if matters anymore. Ember and her master now rules all… and we sit here wondering what might have been. What else I might have done. What could we have done to prevent this? And I come to the conclusion, but it is not a good one because then Spyro and Cynder - you wouldn't be here -, killing Malefor."

"Kill our father," Spyro grew wide eyed and looked at the fire Dragon. "As much as I want to hate that, but that seems to be the only answer…"

"Spyro, please don't talk like that," Cynder countered. "Sure your father is a tyrant but you are here and not like him."

"I know but if he was dead, none of this would have happened. Nothing evil would have happened."

"Wow…," Sparx said quietly, just as shocked as Crystal was. Attempting to light the mood, he hovered over to Shine but couldn't find cheerful words, "That sounds horrible… what happened? I want to find out right now with this people." Shine looked at the little Dragonfly and shook his head.

"If you are trying to joke, don't bother with it little one," Shine said as he laid down. "Everything went to Hell. First the Temple Raid, then the death a Guardian, next three Guardians gone, then nearly all of the Dragon race is killed or captured, and now the end."

"Son don't be like that. You need to have that grime façade away from your sister," Nova said as she placed a paw on his shoulder. He looks at her and then looks at the ground before drawing something in the ground with his claw.

"Why have you given up like that, all of you," Cynder asked as she walked over to them. "We just find out that we are some sort of special Dragons, but you're telling me all is still lost? That we have no home or anything else of that matter because of Spyro and Crystal's father?" Shine and Ignitus look at each other as Cynder gazed at the ground and her eyes narrowed with a fire for liberty. "No…," she yelled out. "We've come way too far to give up now, after all of this. I want to see where I came from and who my real family is. I'm sure the others want to."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa -," Sparx flew in front of Cynder with a distorted face while Cynder stared at the three older dragons with a pleading looked mixed with defiance. "Hold up, savior girl, were you not listening to what those two have said or did it fall on deaf ears? Shine was talking about what happened when the… uh…"

"Dark Master or Malefor," Shine put the words in Sparx's mouth.

"Dark Master got in power. And the other, Ignitus was talking about flying dragon, war, and horrible, horrible, things… this is bad stuff, alright? I don't think we're hearing the same thing."

"You're friend is right, Cynder, it's not as simple as that. The prophecies did speak of a purple Dragon destined to end the evil tyranny that Malefor had, but they did not foretell the devastation that surrounds us now. War is inevitable," Ignitus shook his head as Shine laid his down. "I will not put my daughter in danger."

"And if we do nothing, then what," Cynder asked. "Ember will hunt us down until we are captured or dead. There is only two escapes and one of them deals fighting head on while the other deals sleeping in an undiscovered cave. We will have pain."

"You will feel and understand pain when Ember torments you in your sleep, daughter," Ignitus said as he looked at Cynder. "I'm not risking you like I did with Spotlight to join with the Skylanders. I'm not risking a child of mine anymore. Even if the plea for if. Nothing will change my mind." Nova looked at Ignitus and shook her head. "Nothing will."

"And why would you want them to be like this," Nova asked as she came close to Ignitus. "Don't you think it's time that Malefor is put down? Don't you think that it's time for something that will bring peace to the land and make a new era?"

Ignitus looked at his mate and sighed in defeat. "You're right."

"I grow tired of being under Malefor's rule," Nova continued. "If the prophecies wanted this, then it should happen. Who are we to judge and allow to go out? We can't do anything like that. We must do the right thing. And right now it's taking these three young ones with us."

"She's right you know," Cynder, stepping forward and gazed squarely up at Ignitus; she was not going to take no for answer and what seemed to be good was all evil thanks to Malefor's touch. She won't accept no for answer because it is time that there is freedom. 'A Dragon with no freedom is nothing but a slave,' she thought. "A Dragon choices, a slave obeys. What do you want to be, a Dragon or a slave?" Ignitus was struck back at the question, never once in his life was he asked that question. "You can't just spend your life living on a 'maybe' because some old dusty prophecies says there's no reason to go on. The past happened, the present is a gift, and the future was never written in stone - it changes, it always will change. It's what you do to make a different one. If we just sit here in this cave, then that makes your prophecies become true but if we fight our way to the Dark Master, then we will win and have freedom for everything. Hope is what we fight for, it is what we live by. Our hope is stronger than any destruction that your prophecies has given. Everything else will fade away but not our hope because when all things are lost, hope will light our passage way. We have a reason to go on." She stopped there to catch her breath and surprised at the speech that came out of her mouth; the words had just spilled out of her unbidden and with a rapid flow of truth.

Ignitus turned his gaze to the three young dragons and then to Shine and closed his eyes. They could tell by the pained look on the face that he wanted to say no, but somehow he just couldn't. Opening his weary eyes, he nodded and caused them to break into a wide, ecstatic smile - even Sparx was smiling with them.

"Very well then young dragons," he said as he turned around to Nova. "And my mate is right about one thing. Malefor has to be stopped because no hope. And hearing that speech from you daughter, you have given us a chance. After all, you deserve to see your beginning… before it all ends with Malefor's imprisonment." He had hope right now, he was very sure that three young dragons would return victorious over Malefor. "May the Ancestors give us hope and courage to win."

Though Ignitus wasn't very pleased and looked… even a little worried, but they followed him as he went deeper in the cave. Nova beside him while the three Dragons and Sparx were behind them with Shine behind them. Cynder could be a pessimist sometimes, but never this bad; perhaps Spyro's optimism had finally got a hold on her or perhaps she could see what was so clear to all but not the old Dragon. There was always hope.

As there journey really began, with their first steps into the depths of the cave, Sparx began his characteristic complaining. "Am I just the only sane one here? He's telling us we're doomed, alright? That's when I go, 'Ah! Maybe we should go back to the forest and Swamp with the flowers and the fun stuff!'," he watched as the Dragons continued. "Yeah, they're insane." Everyone ignored him, of course. No one liked Sparx's smartass, sarcastic, or stupid remakes - some of his jokes were tolerated.

'A secret tunnel,' Crystal thought as they went further inside until the mouth of the cave was lost in the twisting, turning passages and they walked in practically pitch black. It was quiet as they plodded on, the only sound the soft echoing of their footsteps and their breathing, so she was left in her thoughts.

A small slitter came as Ignitus looked over his shoulder, "Come out." After a few seconds a Naga comes out with giant sword in one of his hands and wearing steel armor that covered his chest and below. He looked at the Dragons and bowed.

"Ignitus," the Naga said. "I saw four Dragons come to your position, and I made sure that they came to you as I defeated the Apes in the Swamp for them to fight less." Shine looked at the Naga very carefully and grew wide eyed.

"You, helped us? And I remember seeing you," Shine said as he walked to the Naga. "It's good to see you General Slithar."

"Likewise," Slithar said. "Anyway my master," when he said that, all four young ones looked at Ignitus with wide eyes, "What do you want me to do?"

"Just follow us until we are ready. I need you to be at the Temple Grounds when we take that back. Our first stage of attack is getting that Temple back then we focus on training the young ones," Ignitus said as he continued to walk. "But before we go only two are going do the fighting of Ember and Malefor, while the other stays behind to protect us. When the first two go out. I don't want us to be like the other Guardians."

"Okay, I'm sure that the Guardians of Light will be glad to know that he will be helping them because after you get the Temple, I will be working at Warfang to help the people over there to win against that evil Dragon," Slithar said as he slithered to the edge of the cave. "I'm sure that no matter what happens, we will win this rebellion. We have to win. Or we get no freedom for a long time until another purple and black dragon comes in."

"True. We won't lose though."

The three young Dragons were surprised today. Here they were, trusting an adult they never even met before; a complete stranger. They had no reason to trust him, to think he could help them, yet they were - quite literally - blindly tripping after him like a lost pup.

"Ignitus, I have to ask you," Spyro started, which made Ignitus turn his head towards him. "Who is in the rebellion?"

"Many races. Elves, Dragons, Humans, Dragonflies, Naga, Golems - excluding the Stone and Crystal ones -, Gillman, Moles, Fairies, Serpentes, and Elementals are on our side. Wyverns, Orcs, Shadows, Apes, Ghosts, Dreadwings, Snails, Trolls, Drows, Chompies, Minotaurs, Harpies, Skeletons, Cyclops, Dinosaurs, Flesh Eaters, Cerberus, Dwarves, Zombies, Spiders, Mantids, Gnorcs, Rhynocs, Mages, Demons, Gremlins, and Thieves on your father's side." Ignitus took a deep breath before continuing, "And we are trying to get more to help us but that is going down slowly because we lost our best negotiation speaker. I do not know where he might be but I will see if I can find him."

"So right now, his father is in the winning of alliances and other things correct," Cynder asked. Ignitus nodded. "Thought so. But a rebellion. Why not find him yourself and end it."

"Because where he is it will end all those that enter. The only way to counter that is by having more than two people with you in order for one to die and the others to pass through."

"I still think this is a bad thing."

"It is better to have a rebellion than to lose someone that you care. Think of it this way: If Shine was able to counter that, it would take him instead and if you two fail to defeat him then Shine's sacrifice would mean nothing. But if you do defeat Malefor, then his sacrifice means the end of rebellion."

Was this right thing to do? What would Flash and Nina think? Would they agree with this because of Shine or would they get angry? What they were doing is going against what was taught… Don't trust strangers, don't trust adults, if one tries to talk to you or get you to follow them, run away and never look back. And if they were talking about gloom and dread, then what?

But… it was just hard to explain, they felt like they could really trust him, even Cynder was having this feeling and she just found out that this orange Dragon is her father. They had a feeling that he was no antagonist, wouldn't harm them but wanted to help. And besides, what choice did they have? Those three could be the last Dragons they ever encounter and he seemed to be the key to their past as well. By running, they would be throwing everything away, everything they had fought for. And no these weren't the last three Dragons they would encounter. Even later in life, something big would reveal itself in due time.