Dragon on Ice, Part 2

Having freed three Electric Dragons and retrieved an Orb along with several Eggs from the Ice Citadel, Spyro, Elora and Sparx now made their way towards the next Portal. The name on it said 'Ice Cavern'.

"So, we have to go in there?" Sparx worried as he gazed at the Portal.

"Yes, that's where the second Orb is. At least, I hope there is..." Elora answered.

"Well, let's go through," Spyro said and he dived through the Portal.

"I swear, that guy is gonna be the end of us," Sparx whined.

"Hey, go easy on him," Elora frowned. "He means well."

"Doesn't change the outcome of his actions," Sparx argued, but nonetheless he followed Spyro alongside Elora.

Ice Cavern was a winding maze of tunnels that glowed pink and blue. They all connected to a large, icy ravine that gaped under an open night sky, alight with a shimmering aurora. The cave entrances were fortified with guardrails and ramparts. Icy mist rolled through the caves as though they were alive and breathing.

Two Apes guarded the Portal that led into the Ice Cavern. They were just considering having an idle chat, when three people came tumbling through: a dragon, a faun and a dragonfly. The former two skidded on the ice.

"Hey!" one of the Apes cried. Elora dug her hooves into the ice and quickly fired two arrows, felling the two Apes, just as Spyro managed to steady himself.

"Whoa! Very cold!" Spyro said.

"Man, it's colder than the Citadel!" Sparx said, shivering and moving closer to Spyro.

The trio looked around in amazement, awed by the sight of the Ice Cavern.

"Whoa..." Spyro said.

"It is beautiful..." Elora agreed. "But how will we find an Orb here?"

"Hmmmm, maybe one of those guys know," Spyro said, glancing at the two injured Apes.

"Considering the last time we tried to get answers out of an Ape, I doubt it," Sparx said. "Hey!"

One of the Apes had crawled over to an alarm device. Spyro charged over and head-butted him in the stomach, but not before he had pulled the switch. A loud, wailing klaxon started up, echoing across the ravine.

"Oh no!" Elora fretted, her ears flattening alongside her head at the noise.

"We got to hide, come on!" Spyro said. He, Sparx and Elora ran into one of the tunnels searching for a hiding spot. Just as they reached it, more Apes arrived and found their wounded allies.

"We'll have to move quickly!" Spyro said, leading his friends through the caves. "Before they make off with the Orb!"

"Right!"

Up ahead, they saw more Apes. One of them sat behind some kind of cannon. The moment the trio were spotted, the gunner took aim and fired a blast of ice at them. Spryo and the other scattered, barely dodging the frozen shell.

"Allow me!" Spyro declared, gathering Fire in his throat. He released a stream of flames at the Ape Gunner, melting the gun and making the Ape howl in pain. Another Ape blocked Elora and Sparx's path as a third went for Spyro. The young dragon dodged his swiping claws and countered with a charge, sending him crashing into his fellows. The one confronting Elora swung a blade, which she parried with her own sword before slashing across the stomach. Sparx managed to trick another Ape into throwing himself over the ravine through an attempt to catch him. The foolish Ape then fell, screaming all the way down.

More Apes moved back into formation. Spyro charged his throat with Electricity and unleashed it onto them, rendering the Apes convulsing husks.

"Heh, that'll take care of them," Spyro smirked.

"Now we need to find an Orb and the Eggs before more Apes find us," Elora said.

The trio went into another cave area where the ground rose above a pool of pink water. It didn't appear safe to drink or swim in. They looked around the spring.

"Now if I was a shiny Orb, where would I be kept?" Spyro wondered.

"Maybe in that chest over there," Sparx said, pointing to a wooden box nearby.

"Well this is convenient. Let's see."

Spyro, Sparx & Elora walked to the chest and opened it. There were gems inside the chest.

"Whoa," Elora gasped.

"Lots of gems and jewels but no Orb," Sparx noted. "This is just regular treasure. Still cool, though."

Elora spotted another chest nearby, one that was made of metal. "Why not this one?" she pointed.

"Let's find out." Spyro charged at it, breaking it. There were a few more gems inside, as well as a golden Key.

"A Key?" Spryo titled his head.

"Reckon it opens a door?" Sparx wondered aloud.

"Guess we'll just have to take it with us," Elora said, slipping the key into her coat pocket.

They found another interesting discovery further down the tunnel. Spyro saw another Crystal Statue, along with a blue-hooded figure next to it, sneaking away with an egg in its arms. The trio realized it was a Thief.

"Hey, you!" Spyro shouted. The Thief jumped and took to his heels. Spyro charged after him around the cave, shooting fire at the Thief's back. The Thief suddenly swerved to the left and ran around the back of the statue. Sparx tried to block him when he came round the other side, Spyro and Elora following him, but the Thief brushed Sparx aside as easily as a cobweb.

"Nah-nah-na-na-nah!" he taunted. This made Spyro angry; that Thief was carrying a Dragon Egg, threatening its safety, and now he dared to taunt them?! In that moment, Fire engulfed his body and he charged forward at great speed, hitting the Thief squarely in the back and knocking the Egg out of his hands. Spyro realized he had made a mistake and dived after the egg before it hit the ground. Time seemed to slow until Elora caught it gently in her arms.

"Whew, that was close." Spyro said. He then glared at the Thief, growling menacingly, smoke billowing from his nostrils. Terrified, the Thief scrambled to his feet and scurried off.

"Heh, that'll show him," Sparx said, puffing out his chest

"Yep, good riddance," Spyro said. He then turned at the Dragon statue and walked to it. "Let's see who we'll free this time?"

As Spyro stepped onto the pad, the statue begun to shake and crack. The Dragon inside looked old, supporting himself with a cane that had a potion bottle as the handle. The Dragon's eyebrows were bushy and his horns spiralled around a red crystal floating above a purple hat. A purple sash hung around his waist and he wore bronze bracelets.

"Ah, thank you, young whippersnapper!" he said in relief, stretching. "These bloomin' Apes have no respect for their elders; in my day-"

"You have to get out of here, sir!" Spyro interrupted. "Before more Apes come!"

"Ah yes!" the dragon said. "Of course! Here, let me take that egg for you! There are three more being held here, along with three of my friends! Good luck, err..."

"Spyro."

"Ah, thanks. Name's Boldar!"

"Hurry over to the Portal, Boldar!" Elora said. "You'll find Ignitus, Cosmos and two others on the other side!"

"Ignitus is here?!" Boldar said. "Thank goodness! Well, thanks. And be careful!" With that, he hobbled away with the egg tucked under one arm.

"Oh man, we should've asked him about an Orb here!" Sparx said.

"I don't think he would know," Spyro said. "Come on, let's look around some more."

The three walked further into the tunnel and came into another room. There, they spotted some Apes and Deal Trolls guarding a locked treasure chest, as well as two more Crystal Statues.

"Great... more Apes," Spyro said, unimpressed.

"And Troll zombies!" Sparx cried.

"Come on, we can take these guys!" Elora said, drawing her sword.

"Now we're talking!" Spyro smirked.

The two charged at the Apes and Trolls. Spyro used his Electric Breath, leaving those on the receiving end smoking and jerking wildly. Elora impaled a Troll, but the creature, larger than any of the others, seemed not to feel it.

"Uh oh!" Elora yelped, before the Troll swiped her back with his axe, sending her crashing into a wall. Spyro watched in horror and rage boiled inside him.

"You'll pay for that, you overgrown compost heap!" he roared and unleashed a wave of fire so powerful that it blasted the armour right off the Troll, along with its rotting skin. For a moment, Spyro thought he had defeated it. However, the skull, rib cage and right arm continued to move, swinging its axe.

"Whoa!" Spyro dodged the axe, surprised to see the corpse still fighting. "Well then, I guess it's time to break his bones."

He dodged another swipe, leaving the axe stuck in the ground. Then he leapt up and smacked the bones around with his tail, employing the moves Ignitus had taught him. Finally, Spyro blasted the Troll bones to ash with a stream of fire, leaving black scorch marks on the ground.

"Elora!" Spyro said, turning to his sister, only to find she'd been grabbed by a remaining Ape. Before he could do anything however, Sparx fell into the Ape's ear, startling him. This gave Elora the chance to kick the Ape in the stomach, and Spyro finished him off with an Electric stream.

"Man, that was tough," Spyro panted.

"I'll say. Now we should hurry and break those two dragons free, along with whatever's in that treasure chest," Elora said, dusting herself off.

Spyro and Elora each stepped on one of the pads, causing the Dragon Statues to start shaking. With a flash of light, the two Dragons broke free. One was a male, with sandy brown and white scales, three large horns, and a purple-and-blue shirt with a matching hood. He was holding a leather-bound book that looked well-used. The other was female with the appearance of a traveller, wearing red and purple clothing, a red hood, and a belt holding a case of scrolls as well as her own book. She was also holding a staff topped with a gold eagle.

"Ah, thank you for releasing us," she said.

"No problem," Sparx said. "Your names?"

"I'm Hexus," the female said. "The other is Zane."

"I'm Spyo, and this is Elora and Sparx!"

"Hello."

"Charmed."

"Thanks you so much for that," Zane said, shaking with apparent fright. "That was scary, being a statue!"

"Now for the chest." Elora went over to the metal chest, put the key in the lock and opened it. Inside were more gems and a large Orb.

"Orb number 2 retrieved," she said.

"Yeah, just need one more Orb and we'll be set to save Volteer," Spyro said.

"An orb, you say?" Hexus asked. The trio nodded. "Maybe you'll find one in the Towers of the Tundra. That's what we know."

"The towers; got it." Spyro said; he turned to Elora and Sparx. "Better let Ignitus and Sgt. Byrd know. But first, we have one more Dragon to free and three more Eggs to retrieve. You two," he said to Hexus and Zane, "take the Orb with you and get out of here. We'll handle the rest."

"You crazy?" Zane cried. "You have to get out of here! More of those beasts will be here soon!"

"Pull yourself together!" Hexus scolded sharply.

"Don't worry; we can handle it," Spyro said. "You should just get to the nearest portal."

"So where is the last dragon?" Elora asked.

"Jarvis should be in the last cave along the cliff," Hexus said, pointing to the next tunnel. "I think the Eggs might be there too, unless those Thieves have made off with them already."

"Not on my watch!" Spyro said, and he charged off into the tunnel. Elora and Sparx hastened to follow.

"Good luck, young ones!" Hexus called after them.

"You know they're still children!" Zane said to Hexus, frowning at her.

"I'm sure they'll be fine, now come on."

Soon, Spyro, Sparx and Elora arrived at the final cave.

"We better find the Eggs and Dragon and get out of here soon," Spyro said.

"I'm amazed we're doing well so far," Elora noted. "So how does it feel having Electric Powers Spyro?"

"Have to say, pretty awesome and I'm getting the hang of this," Spyro said with a smile.

"How about saving the chit-chat for later?" Sparx snapped. "Look!"

A few Blue Thieves were ahead, each with an egg in their hands. They were walking cautiously towards Spyro and the others, but failed to notice them yet.

"There are the thieves!" Elora said.

"They're not getting away that easily!" Spyro said.

They hid behind a wall, ready to strike. The thieves were worried, certain Spyro and his buddies were on their way.

"I don't like this," one of the Thieves said. "That nasty little iguana could be here any moment!"

"He will get here if we don't get a move-on!" the second snapped. "Let's get these Eggs out of here! And quick, before the Eggs get too cold! If that happens, that purple dragon will be the least of our worries!"

Spyro leapt out at them. "Well then, I guess I don't feel bad about doing this." And he bashed the two Thieves' heads together, catching the Eggs before they hit the ground. The third shrieked and made a run for it.

"Yikes! I'm bailing!"

Elora drew an arrow and fired it into his leg. The Thief screamed in pain, sending the Egg flying and Spyro, quickly placing the other eggs down, charged forwards and caught it just in time.

"Yes! More Eggs saved."

"OWWW! You she-goat, that really hurt!" the Thief shouted, his teeth gritted in pain.

"I'm not a goat, I'm a faun!" Elora growled, slamming her hoof into his Thief, knocking him out. "You dork!"

Then they spotted another Dragon statue at the end of the path.

"There, that must be Jarvis," Elora said, pointing at the statue.

Spyro knew the drill now; he walked to the statue and touched the plinth. A moment later, Jarvis was free. He wore a purple hat with matching belt and scarf, feathery wings and a beak-like snout.

"Ah yes," he said. "Much better, thank you, young dragon! Now, let's get out of here!"

"No problem," Spyro said.

Later, Spyro, Sparx, Elora and Jarvis exited the Ice Cavern and regrouped with Ignitus, Cosmos and Sgt Byrd.

"Well done, young dragon!" Ignitus said. "Thanks to you, we should be able to get to Volteer in no time. Now, just one Orb left."

"Hexus told us that the last should be in the Towers of the Tundra," Spyro said.

"Towers?" Sgt Byrd said. He swung his flipper through the air like he was trying to punch it. "If only I had my jet pack, I could get that last Orb for you."

"Hang on!" Elora said. "Maybe Spyro could fly you up there."

"But I can't fly," Spyro said.

"Not yet," Ignitus said. "I apologize for not teaching you sooner, but better late than never, as they say. Allow us to teach you how to fly."

"Okay then," Spyro said, feeling excited.

"It's easy, purple boy; just flap your wings and you'll be set," Sparx said to Spyro.

"I don't think it'll be that easy as you think, young one," Cosmos explained. "Dragons have heavier bones than other winged creatures. In order to fly, we must first use the magic that lies within us."

"He's right," Ignitus said. "You do it like this: close your eyes, take a deep breath and calm your mind; let go of everything."

Spyro hesitated, and then did as Ignitus told.

"Don't force your mind to be calm," Ignitus said gently. "That just makes it harder to relax. Just let all thoughts come and go. Feel the power of our ancestors coursing through you. Forget all you know; even yourself. Only then, will you know... that you can fly!"

It was a very surreal feeling for Spyro; clearing his mind. It felt like he could feel every tick of time; it was almost like he was part of the earth itself.

"Spyro!" Sparx and Elora said, as if from a great distance. "You're flying!"

Spyro opened his eyes. He was flying by himself!

"Wow! This is so cool!" Spyro whooped. He lost focus for a bit and dropped an inch, but stayed airborne.

"Come on then, kid!" Byrd said, strapping two rocket launchers to his back. "Seeing as I have my rocket launchers handy at least, let's give them chimps what for!"

Spyro swooped over and picked up Byrd. Surprisingly, Byrd wasn't that heavy. Together, they flew off one of the Towers in the Tundra to find the last orb.

Spyro found that flying was just amazing; the rush of wind across his scales, the feeling of weightlessness and the incredible view below.

"I could get used to this," he said, more to himself than Byrd.

"It is pretty amazing, isn't it?" Byrd agreed.

As they flew on, he saw Apes on Dreadwings flying towards them.

"Uh oh, trouble ahead!" Spyro shouted.

"Not to worry, young man, I can handle them," Byrd said, and he fired two rockets at a Dreadwing, sending it tumbling down to Earth.

"Wow!" Spyro said impressed. "Good shot!"

"Glad to see I haven't lost my marksmanship," Byrd said proudly. Spyro shot a fireball at the other Dreadwing and it fell shrieking, its fur set alight.

Just then, a fireball shot towards them. Spyro dodged it by swooping to the left.

"That was close, kid," Byrd said. "Must be one of those Elemental cannons they've been working on! Down there!"

He pointed at a cannon on the ground with his flipper.

"Allow me!" Spyro said, and spent a blast of Electricity at it. The cannon exploded in a blast of smoke.

"There's bound to be more!" Byrd said. "Keep your guard up, Spyro!"

"Understood! What do we do when we reach the tower?"

"Proceed with caution, son; the tower is where the Apes are keeping. It might interest you to know that it's where they house information of the other lands of Avalar."

"Got it!" Spyro said. As he flew on, more Dreadwings suddenly appeared, pursuing them,

"There's the purple dragon! Kill him and that ice bird, so we'll get the reward!" the Ape Commander said, raising a cheer from his fellows.

Spyro looked back at them, and dodged an attack. "Whoa! They don't know when to quit."

"No they don't. When they serve Cynder and the Ape King, they couldn't give up even if they wanted to," Byrd said.

At that moment, more shots from the ground came flying at them.

"Now what?" Spyro asked.

"I have an idea!" Byrd said. He climbed up onto Spyro's back, facing backwards. "You shoot the chimps on the ground; I'll take care of the blighters on the Dreadwings!"

"Brilliant idea, Sergeant!" Spyro said. "Let's do it!"

"Take this, hairballs!" Byrd said, opening fire with his rockets, while Spyro started firing at the ground.

The Apes on the ground panicked. They scrambled out of the cannons as they exploded. Meanwhile, Byrd's rockets hit one of the Dreadwings. It spiralled to earth, crashing into debris, throwing its rider free.

"Oooooh, that's gonna hurt," one of the Apes said, wincing.

Spyro laughed at this. "This is exciting! We're really showing them who's boss!" Then, he spotted the tower ahead. "Ah-ha, we're going up!" he told Byrd.

"Then ascend!" Byrd shouted. The dragon flew up with the Dreadwings doing so too.

"Watch out, Spyro! They have air defences against flying dragons; but hopefully, your small size might prove an asset!"

"Okay," Spyro said, a little uncomfortably.

When they reached the top of the tower, the Apes on the tower saw Spyro and Byrd in an instant. One screamed. "It's the purple dragon! Tower defences, knock that creature out of the sky!"

The Apes took aim with the Elemental Cannons and opened fire at Spyro, but he dodged by rolling out of the way. The shots hit the Dreadwings instead, sending most tumbling to earth.

"Hold your fire, you fools!" the Ape Commander shouted. "You're going to keep hitting us instead of him!"

This lapse in defence allowed Spyro to gather an immense amount of energy from within and unleashed a huge fireball, blasting the cannons to bits and leaving the Apes ablaze.

"Retreat! Retreat!" The Commander shouted and he scarpered away. Spyro and Byrd landed on the roof, amongst the burning Apes. They ran over to the door that led inside the tower, following the Ape Commander. The duo scurried down the stairs and ran into an office, where the Commander was trying to hurriedly gather up his belongings, only to get hit in the back with a rocket, slamming him into the wall and knocking him out. An orb rolled out of his hands."

"Awesome, there's the orb!" Spyro ran to get it.

Byrd went to the desk, where a map sat upon it. Spyro went to join him.

"Whoa, so this is the whole map of the Dragon Realms?"

"That's right," Byrd said, running a flipper over it. "Each group lived in different areas of the lands. As you know, the Ice Dragons once lived here. However, all of the dragons we've met are Electricity Dragons. These lands are quite far from their home territory, Concurrent Skies."

"So why bring them here?"

"Out of their element, I expect," Byrd replied, shrugging. "Even if they got free of the Crystal Statues, they'd still be weaker than they would be in their element. Come on; let's back to the others."

"You don't think there are any dragons here?"

"I don't think so. This is a storehouse, not a prison. It's too small to keep dragons here along with all of the supplies."

"Right."

Back in the Tundra square, Spyro and Byrd regrouped with the others with the last Orb in tow.

"Well done, young dragon," Ignitus said, with a proud smile.

"Well it was nothing, though I did have great help," Spyro said.

"Indeed, it is an honour helping you in battle," Byrd replied.

"Hey, don't forget us," Sparx said.

"You didn't do that much, Sparx," Elora noted. Sparx pouted.

Cosmos took the last Orb and inserted into the Portal that led into the main Fortress. It activated at once.

"Now, it's time to head inside and save Volteer," Spyro said. "Anyone wish to accompany me?"

"I'll go with you, son. I need payback for my imprisonment," Byrd said, ready for battle.

"I will assist you also. To make sure Volteer is all right," Ignitus said.

"I would like to stay to make sure Sapia is all right," Elora said. "Plus, I feel like I need some rest."

"Okay," Spyro said, looking at his sister. "You'll be alright?"

"She'll be safe with us," Cosmos said reassuringly. "You go on in and save Volteer."

"Right," Spyro said, and with that, he, Ignitus, and Byrd stepped into the Portal.

"You should go too, Sparx," Elora said. "Spyro could use your company."

"Nah, I think he's got this," Sparx shrugged.

"Aww, come on!" Elora said teasingly. "You want to help, after all. Maybe you can find something to do for them."

Sparx sighed. "Fine! But if I die in there, I'll be haunting you for the rest of your days!"

Elora giggled as Sparx flew into the Portal. "I'll be ready."

Soon, Spyro, Sgt Byrd, Ignitus & Sparx entered the fortress. The room they arrived in was massive and looked gloomier than the Ice Cavern. Spyro felt a bit scared.

"Creepy," he muttered.

"Hello?" Sparx called, his voice echoing through the room.

"SSSSSHHHHHHH!" the other three cried hastily.

"Quiet, you gnat!" Byrd hissed. "You'll give us away!"

"To whom?!"

"To one of Cynder's strongest generals here: the Ice King," Ignitus said gravely.

"Oh great... Either a creepy freak of nature or an old wizard who loves princesses," Sparx said with a snarky tone.

"I can confirm the former. He is said to be the conqueror of the Winder Tundra, turning it into Dante's Freezer," Ignitus said as they came to a big door.

"I remember him," Byrd said. "He was the vagabond who had me imprisoned. Blooming ogre!"

Ignitus gently pushed the door open. The room beyond was massive, cavernous and ornately decorated. There, across the room, lying unconscious on a small icy ledge, was an Electric Dragon, wearing robes like Ignitus', though his were significantly different; in addition to being yellow and electric blue, words and symbols were written across them, that seemed to change every few seconds.

"Volteer!" Ignitus breathed.

"Well, we found him," Sparx said. "Now let's go!"

"Let's not get hasty, kid," Byrd said. "This seems too easy."

"Easy? What, you want to experience more Apes and those Ice Freaks?" Sparx said as he flew ahead.

"Byrd is right. Something feels… off here," Spyro frowned, suspicious and anxious.

"Off? Like what, no Ice Monster here or some generic evil guard here!" Sparx said, unaware that something behind him had started to move and was growling.

"Err… Sparx?" Spyro said, his eyes widened.

Sparx heard heavy breathing behind him. "Is that who I think it is?!" he said nervously.

"Look out!" Ignitus shouted.

Sparx dodged a swipe and flew back to the group as an armoured monster rose up from a throne. It was the Ice King. He stood at a towering nine feet tall, with two ice horns protruded above his helmeted head. In his gauntleted hands, he carried an Ice Sword and Shield. Two blazing yellow eyes were all that was visible of his face.

"Who goes there?" he said in a growling voice that was as cold as an icy wind.

"We are here for Volteer," Ignitus declared firmly.

"Ah, Ignitus, the Fire Guardian," the Ice King said. "So nice of you to turn yourself in. Saves us a lot of trouble."

"He's not going anywhere with you!" Spyro said firmly, while Sparx cowered behind his head.

"Well, well; the purple dragon I have heard is indeed alive after thirteen years... Now I can finally slay you myself, after all of those Apes failed." The Ice King saw Byrd was here too. "I see that the penguin is out of his cell, too. No matter; I will execute him, myself."

"You will not take another innocent life while I'm up and standing!" Byrd challenged.

The Ice King laughed, and it echoed all around the room. "You will not stop the law of the Dark Master! Now I'm up and standing, it's time I bring an end to your journey!" And with that, he drew his Ice Sword.

"Get ready, everyone!" Ignitus said, raising his lance for attack.

"Why?" Sparx asked. "Just hit him with fire and he should melt instantly."

"It's not that simple, I'm afraid!" Ignitus said, before the four dived out of the way as the Ice King charged forward and brought his sword slashing down at them. Ignitus moved in and jabbed his lance forward, sending a blast of fire at the giant monster, causing him to stagger. It didn't do much, but Ignitus hadn't intended to. This was merely a distraction, while Byrd fired his rockets and Spyro shot a fireball. These blows left cracks in the Ice King's armour, but he remained standing.

"Impressive!" he growled. "But it'll take more than that to stop me!"

And he surrounded himself in an icy force-field, which repelled a shot of fire Spyro tried. Then, the Ice King spent ice shards flying in all directions.

"Watch out!" Spyro shouted as the heroes dodged the icicles. The Ice King laughed maniacally

"Fools, you cannot defeat me, I am the conqueror of the Winter Tundra! No one stands before me."

"Well, we are!" Spyro charged at the Ice King but the armoured beast kicked the purple dragon back.

"Spyro!" Sparx shouted, running over Spyro as the Purple Dragon shook his head, dazed from the blow.

Byrd fired more rockets at the Ice King. The Ice King blocked them with his shield, before slamming his foot down. Spiked blocks of ice formed and slid across the floor towards the Emperor Penguin, who rolled out of the way.

Ignitus brought his lance forward to clash with the Ice King. The monster blocked his blows with his shield, driving his fist to Ignitus' stomach, knocking him to the floor, winded. The King raised his sword.

"You fought well, Ignitus but it's time for you to die!"

Spyro got back up to see the King ready to kill the Fire Guardian.

"NO YOU DON'T!" he growled and zapped the monster with his Electric blast, stunning the King as he drops the sword as Ignitus saw an opening, and burned the King with his Fire Breath. This blew the shield out of the King's hand and left more cracks in his armour. Some bits fell off completely, showing bones underneath.

"You're tougher than I thought!" he growled, producing an axe with a long handle. "But it won't be enough!"

"Bring it!" Spyro said, charging forward.

The Ice King swung his axe down, but Spyro leapt over it and smacked the King hard across the face with his claws and tail until the King grabbed Spyro and tossed him away. Byrd responded by firing more rockets at the Ice King, blowing more of his armour, and showing more bones underneath. The Ice King growled and breathed Ice at Byrd, trapping him in ice. As the Ice King laughed, Spyro got back up and suddenly felt a surge of great power inside him. Almost by instinct, he summoned Fire and Electricity at the same time and next moment, a stream of hot gas, glowing like lightning, came streaming from his lips. The Ice King responded by firing ice again, only for it to melt instantly. The Ice King was blasted into the air by the stream of gas. The moment he hit the wall, his armour shattered and the skeleton underneath fell to the floor in pieces. The skull rolled across the floor.

"Impossible!" it growled. "How could you defeat me, the conqueror of the Winter Tundra?!"

"Because he's the Purple Dragon, bonehead!" Sparx said.

"And I had help!" Spyro said and he charged at the Ice King's skull, hitting it across the room and into a chasm below, where it tumbled, screaming, until it hit the bottom with a distant thud. The Ice King was no more.

"Well that takes care of him," Spyro said, just as Ignitus managed to thaw out Byrd.

"Thanks, Ignitus," Byrd said. "And well done, Spyro! Good riddance to that creature!"

Ignitus went over to Volteer and shook him.

"Volteer? Volteer, wake up!" Ignitus said. The Electric Guardian stirred and opened his eyes.

"What the? Ignitus, is that you?" Volteer asked.

"Yes, old friend, it's me."

"Thank goodness, you're alright. It borders on miraculous, incredible, stupendous! We feared the most horrific, abominable, disgusting, ghastly-"

"Yes, but I'm fine," Ignitus said patiently. "And now you are too, thanks to Spyro here." He gestured to the Purple Dragon. Volteer's yellow eyes found Spyro and widened, as Ignitus said, "He finished off the Ice King."

"A Purple Dragon named Spyro!" he said excitedly. "Defeating that... that thing! Thank you, thank you so much! Oh, there was talk, rumours that another Purple Dragon would come, but most considered it hearsay, gossip, legend, hard to believe, amazing to comprehend, ah, ah..."

"No wonder they gagged this guy," Sparx said.

"Yeah, he's always like this," Byrd said. "He often has to repeat himself so we understand; he talks so fast."

"Ignitus, what's been happening when I was captured? Are the other Guardians safe? What become of the Apes?" Volteer asked his fellow Guardian, each question trailing off the last.

"Calm down old friend, there'll be time to explain when we regroup with the others," Ignitus said.

"Others?"

"Yes sir, with the other Dragons, Elora and the Professor," Spyro said.

"Ah yes, Professor Mendelcomb. I do have a lot to say to him," Volteer agreed. "But first, I need to free my fellow Electric Dragons."

"Don't worry, Guardian Volteer," Byrd said. "Spyro and his friends have managed to free a good number of the Dragons trapped here."

Volteer smiled, looking relieved. "Oh, how wonderful, incredible, stupendous, amazing, a gift from the Ancestors-"

"Maybe we should've left him unconscious..." Sparx muttered.