Author's note: Damn... I actually cried when I wrote the end of this chapter...
This is the last chapter. Enjoy...
Chapter 20- Sacrifice (Part 2)
Inside Malefor...
Orion screamed in pain. It was so horrible that he couldn't even move, except for rolling around in agony.
Lavender tried to shake him out of it with her front paws, unable to speak because of the Convexity Connection.
This has been going for two minutes already, and there was no end in sight.
The purple ray of energy that constantly hit Orion's back tormented him, but Lavender knew that they are running out of time.
Then she closed her eyes. "Orion, run away. Now!", she thought desperately as she touched the ray of purple energy with her tail.
Soon enough, she would be yelling too due to the pain, only the Connection blocked most of the sound.
A few seconds later, Orion slowly opened his eyes to see Lavender shaking with pain. But that wasn't the only cause for worry- the connection started becoming less and less stable as Malefor's convexity traveled up the purple dragoness' body, towards the purple chain connecting her and Spyro. The portal was also getting smaller.
He then struggled to get on his feet.
"Come on... Why won't my legs listen to me?", he yelled as he realized he can't get up. He was still shaking with the pain from a few moments ago.
"No! I won't let us get killed like this!", he exclaimed.
"Forget...", a voice whispered.
"Huh?", he asked in surprise. No one was there. He couldn't recognize that voice.
"Only by forgetting... Will you remember the ancient powers that lie dormant within you... Close your eyes and forget everything, Orion...".
"Who are you?", he asked nervously. There was no answer.
He looked at the suffering purple dragoness and made up his mind. "I have no other option. I just have to trust that voice... Whoever it is...".
Orion closed his eyes and emptied his mind, as best as he could with his aching body. Soon, seemingly out of nowhere, energy started building up in his body, or more specifically his wings...
"I flew before... But then I used Malefor's dark powers... Now I can feel it... I can fly...", he muttered. "With my own power!", he then called.
He started flapping his wings, slow and then faster. He shut his eyes tight, concentrating as much as he could.
"Yes, I did it!", he then exclaimed happily as he was completely above the surface.
Lavender already clenched her paws because of the pain, determined not to lose the connection.
"Here I come!", Orion called and flew as fast as he could toward Lavender, then quickly lifted her with his paws and carried her towards the portal.
"Just hold on a bit longer!", he called as he flew as fast as he could.
The connection started disappearing. "Almost there!", Orion yelled, and just before the purple portal closed... They made it outside.
The purple chain vanished a moment later, and so did Malefor's convexity that hurt Lavender.
Orion landed down next to Spyro, safely letting her go.
"No!", Orion heard Malefor yell, but he couldn't care less.
"Lavender, are you alright?", he called, worried.
Lavender slowly opened her eyes. "Never been better.", she muttered with a faint smile.
Orion sighed in relief.
"I'm glad to see you alright as well.", Spyro said, smiling towards her as she got back up.
"Do you know him?", Orion asked Lavender.
"This is Spyro. I told you about him.", the purple dragoness explained.
"Sorry, but there will be time for introductions later.", Spyro said. "Cynder is battling against Malefor on her own as we speak!", he said and was about to take off when Roxine flew in front of him.
"No. You are to go to the portal as quickly as you can. We, the guardians will handle it!", the green dragoness ordered.
"What are you talking about? I've defeated Malefor before and I can do it again!", Spyro called.
Roxine stared at him for a moment. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but this is too dangerous. You must leave this dimension at once! The portal is over the big ocean not far from here.".
"I don't have time for this!", Spyro yelled and flew by her.
"No! Stop, young dragon!", she ordered, but Spyro already headed into the battle between Malefor and Cynder, that was taking place near the top of the volcano.
Meanwhile, Malefor managed to corner Cynder against the wall of the volcano.
"Any last words, my servant?", he asked with a grin.
To his shock, Cynder smiled. "Yeah. Watch out below.".
Malefor looked down and his eyes widened in shock as he saw Spyro charging at him with full power, and it was to late to evade the blow.
Malefor got a direct hit from Spyro's horns in the stomach and was sent a few meters further up in the air.
"Oh no! The bomb!", Cynder yelled as the bomb flew out of Malefor's claws and started falling down.
The black dragoness was about to dive and get it before it hits the ground and go off, as was Spyro, but in a bright yellow flash, a big, yellow dragoness appeared and caught it.
"Nice catch, Joltina!", Hailey called.
"This is too easy.", Joltina laughed in response.
"You kids are insane!", Roxine called angrily as she flew towards Spyro and Cynder, but she also seemed impressed.
"Why you!", Malefor roared as he charged at Joltina. The yellow dragoness flew quickly and agilely out of the way.
"Give up, Malefor! You're alone and cornered!", Flametta announced.
Malefor clenched his teeth furiously. "How did you manage... To bring my plan so close to destruction?", he roared.
"Dragon Time!", he then called and activated his ability.
Before anyone was even ready, Malefor was already holding the bomb again.
"So close... Yet so far.", he said with a victorious smirk.
"Now... Watch as I bring your pathetic world to its end!", he called and took off through the opening of the volcano with the bomb.
"Cynder, I'm going after him. Make sure everybody here can fly and then get out of here.", Spyro said and took off. Cynder nodded.
"Who the hell does that brat think he is?", Flametta demanded.
"Him? He's the hero of our world- Spyro.", Cynder answered with a smile.
"Anyway, who here can't fly?", Cynder asked.
"Me.", said Glacos, Phoenia, Ampira, Selarus and Lavender.
"Guys, all we need to do is forget. Only by forgetting will we be able to use the power to fly, that lies dormant in us. At least that's what Ignitus said.", Lavender said.
"You... You met Ignitus?", Flametta muttered in astonishment. The other guardians looked shocked as well.
"It's a long story. But right now just do what she said- close your eyes and forget everything. The power to fly will awaken within you without you even notice it.", Orion then said with a smile.
They all nodded and closed their eyes, believing him without hesitation.
A few moments later, they all found themselves flapping their wings in mid-air, much to some of their own shock.
"We're sorry. We should have taught you to fly long ago.", Roxine said sorrowfully.
"It's okay. We already know why you didn't.", Selarus answered with a smile.
Roxine looked confused, so did the other guardians. "Let's just say we learned a few things in the past few days.", Glacos laughed.
"Let's go then, quickly!", Hailey called and flew out of the volcano, the others following her.
Spyro and Malefor were battling mid-air not far from them, and close to the ocean. They too weren't fighting as seriously as they could, as they were both concerned that the bomb may explode.
The two of them exchanged physical blows and elemental breaths, but most of the attacks missed, once again because of the large bomb which made the two dragons more careful about their fight.
"You will not foil my plans once more, dragon whelp!", Malefor roared as he charged at the young purple dragon again.
Spyro tried to fly above him to avoid the blow, but his paws were still grazed by his body, including those that were burnt by the bomb.
"Spyro!", Cynder yelled as the purple dragon screamed in pain, but he himself seemed to bear with it after a few moments, though he clenched his teeth.
"Hailey, did you notice?", Flametta asked.
"Yes. The bomb is getting unstable.", the blue dragoness replied.
"What do you mean 'unstable'?", Cynder demanded.
"The bomb is getting larger. Didn't you notice? The force of four elements... With the amount of four trained, adult dragons held in such a small space... It's only a matter of time before it goes off anyway. And it will be far from just a big 'boom'.", Joltina said in a grim tone.
Everyone stared at her, horrified.
"How long do we have?", Ampira asked.
"A minute, at best.", Joltina muttered. The bomb started increasing in volume rapidly now, even making Spyro and Malefor stop fighting and stare at it.
"Roxine, where is the portal?", Lavender suddenly asked in her most serious tone yet.
"It's straight ahead of us, why?", the green dragoness asked.
"I'm going to use my ability to teleport that bomb into the volcano and then us to the portal just before it explodes. We should be able to gain a bit of time like that.", she answered.
"Are you crazy? If you move all of us at the same time-", Selarus yelled, but froze when the purple dragoness stared at him with an extremely serious expression.
"Spyro will be surprised, so tell him what to do.", she said quietly.
The guardians stared at her quietly, as did her friends.
"If anything happens, go forward and don't look back.", Lavender instructed.
"Got it.", Cynder said.
"What? You're crazy!", Selarus exclaimed.
"Shut up.", Cynder shot at him. His eyes widened in shock. "If you don't understand what's going on here then be quiet. We don't have much time.".
No one looked at either Selarus or Cynder, not even Roxine or the other guardians.
"Dragon Space!", Lavender called.
"No! The bomb!", Malefor was then heard yelling.
"Dragon Space!", Lavender called once more, teleporting everyone (besides Malefor, of course) in the portal's direction.
Some distance away...
All of them appeared in mid-air and immediately started flying. The portal wasn't too far ahead. It looked like a big, colorful whirlpool to them.
"Spyro, everything was taken care of. We just need to go through the portal!", Cynder quickly said. Spyro nodded.
"Lavender, are you alright?", Selarus immediately asked, shocked that she was still conscious after teleporting four adult dragons and 8 young ones, including herself.
"Yeah. I'm...", she began with a smile, but then closed her eyes, and as if in slow motion fell down, the soft smile still on her face.
"No!", Selarus yelled and dove after her, forgetting to use his Dragon Time ability.
Roxine was quicker, however, and caught up with him. She stopped him by grabbing him with her right front leg and held him tightly to her chest.
Then, a massive explosion unlike any has even seen or heard shook the entire world. The force of the explosion was seen forming back on land, but was growing larger and was about to reach them.
"Let me save her!", the young green dragon called, struggling to break free from her grip.
"We still have time! Don't you care about her? She just saved us all!", he yelled desperately, when he suddenly felt something wet touching his head.
He looked up to see his guardian crying. "You fool! Didn't you think she would know what will happen? She chose to sacrifice herself in order for us to live! What would she think if you just go ahead and die too?", she yelled, her voice breaking.
He looked up to see the other dragons. They were all crying as well, the tears shining beautifully under the setting sun.
He looked down to see her one more time. Her purple scales glittering. How did he never notice that before?
"Lavender... I always...", Selarus whispered just as he entered the portal with Roxine after the others, leaving his tears behind.