Chapter 20: Clash with the Darkness
"Cynder's Lair is where hope goes to die, Spyro. Once the place where Volteer and his fellows studied Electricity, Concurrent Skies is now a dark, foreboding fortress where Cynder plans her next assault, while dark monsters summoned from the underworld by her dark magic skulk about.
"We will draw the brunt of Cynder's forces. It is up to you to rescue Ignitus, before Cynder can charge her last Orb."
Spyro stood with Elora, Sapia, Sparx and Sheila, gazing up at the large, ominous fort that towered above the crystalline landscape, as they wanted for Terrador's signal.
"The next time I say I want to face Cynder, please punch me in the mouth," Sparx cried.
"Okay," Sheila replied and aimed a punch at the Dragonfly, which he dodged. When he gasped at her, she said, "Hey, you technically said you wanted to face Cynder."
"Oh, quiet, you two!" Sapia hissed. "This isn't the time!"
"Sorry about that," Sheila apologised. "Just trying to let off a bit of stress."
"Same. I'm just scared," Sparx admitted.
A rumble of thunder overhead made them look back up at the castle ahead of them. Spyro hadn't taken his eyes off it.
"It'll be our biggest challenge yet," Sapia noted.
"Into the dark dragon's den!" Elora agreed.
"You guys are so dramatic!" Sparx sighed.
"Okay," Sapia reminded them, "when Terrador does the signal, that's when we go ahead!"
"Right!" The others agreed.
They stayed put, waiting for when Terrador and the others provided a distraction.
Elsewhere, the five Guardians were in hiding near one of the main entrances to Concurrent Skies. Accompanying them were several Fauns and Dragons of each Element.
Terrador was watching from a distance with binoculars as several Apes patrolled the area, one guarding a Crystal Statue. He lowered the lenses and turned to his men.
"Okay; Battalion 1-" A group of Dragons and Fauns raised their hands. "-get ready to move. Remember; strike, then quickly retreat to a safe spot."
"Yes, sir," Battalion 1 acknowledged.
"Right. Go!"
Then the battalion went ahead and wait for the Apes to be distracted. One of them smelled something as an Ape looked towards his buddy. "What?" he asked.
"Something isn't right..."
Then without warning, dragon soldiers emerged. They knocked out the apes and dragged them out of side. Another patrol of apes passed by as the Fauns then stuck, knocking them out. As quickly as they had attacked, the Dragons and Fauns withdrew. This pattern continued multiple times, chipping away at the enemy forces discreetly.
At Spyro's position, he and his friends kept their eyes on the sky for the signal. Finally, they saw a brief flash of lightning that came, not from the sky, but the ground; Volteer.
"Alright," Sapia breathed, "let's go!"
With a curt nod from each, they began to move towards the castle as swiftly and silently as they could. The ground crunched beneath their paws and hooves as they went.
"I hope we don't run into any-" Sparx began.
"Don't jinx it, Sparx!" Elora advised.
"I agree," Sheila nodded. "Though I don't mind a good fight..."
Soon, they approached a set of wrought-iron gates, beyond which lay the entrance to one of the Towers. "Reckon Ignitus is in there?" Sparx whispered.
"Nah. He'll in the tallest Tower, with Cynder," Sapia replied. "We need to activate the nearby Towers to conduct the lightning before we can make it in there. That way, our allies might be able to help us if needed. Come on!"
They gently pushed the gates open and approached the Tower cautiously. But then, a large white Ape emerged. Raising a sceptre with a red gem on it, a barrier of red lightning formed around them.
"Now, worthless mortals, meet Cynder's dark minions!" he crowed.
An unnatural chill swept over all of them. Eerie whispers reached their ears. Next moment, hands, rotten or skeletal, burst from the ground, followed by the most terrifying creatures Spyro had ever seen: Undead monsters. Dragons, Fauns, Atlawa, Manweersmalls and other people reanimated by Cynder's Dark Magic. And that wasn't all. Ghosts and ghouls emerged too, some looking mournful and tragic, others grinning wickedly.
"U-U-Undead?!" Elora cried.
"And I thought the monsters in Dark Passage were terrifying!" Sparx whimpered.
"Any last words before you join them?" the Ape crowed.
"Yes. Despite being alive, you're the ugliest here!" Sapia jibbed.
The Ape growled. "ATTACK!"
The Zombies charged. Spyro quickly unleashed an Earth Shot, which did blow several back, but it didn't seem to phase them; they just got back up again.
"Back-to-back!" Sapia advised, drawing her dagger, as Sparx shot for cover.
What came next was easily one of the most intense moments of Spyro's life thus far. The Zombies, Ghouls and Ghosts came at them in dark, terrifying waves, all admitting terrible cries and brandishing various weapons. He lashed out with blast after blast of Elemental power - Fire, Ice, Water, Earth, Electricity, Wind, Ice, Electricity, Fire, Earth, Water, and so on. Elora and Sapia slashed with their blades, feeling their arrows were too small to cause much damage; Sheila kicked and punched all within range. But that was just the Zombies and Ghouls. The Ghosts, though mainly intangible, were able to affect the physical world, and often tried to trip up the heroes by swooping at them.
It sickened Spyro to see Ancestors knew how many reanimated by Cynder's Dark Magic. What sort of twisted Dragoness was she?!
"This is awful! Using dead people to do your bidding!" Spyro snarled, as he torched another Ghoul. "Isn't harming the living bad enough?"
"Dead people are more obedient!" the Ape General crowed. "And when the Dark Master returns, we will have a whole army!"
"That's not doing to happen!" Spyro growled. He charged at the Ape but a Ghost swept him back. In frustration, Spyro unleashed another burst of Fire.
It was only now that Spyro properly registered that the Undead creatures seemed to cringe and recoil at the sight of Fire.
"So don't like to be burned huh?" Spyro smirked, as he sent a stream of Fire in all directions, causing the Undead to recoil further.
"No! NO! You worthless fools! Destroy them!"
"Hey guys, stand back!" Spyro advised his friends. "Fire Fury!"
They didn't need telling twice. Elora, Sheila and Sapia dashed for cover, as flames gathered around Spyro, getting larger and hotter, before streaming out in all directions. The corporeal Undead were incinerated instantly, as was the Ape, who failed to find cover in time. The Ghosts weren't physically affected, but they swooped away in retreat.
"That's another of the Apes done with," Spyro sighed.
"Impressive that you're getting better Spyro," Sapia smiled.
"Thanks. Now, to the Tower."
"Agreed, let's get moving."
They hurried into the Tower; the inside was dark and ominous, with ogives arches and black architecture. "This place needs more colour," Sparx commented.
Just then, from a crystal set into the wall, a stream of pink electricity flashed out, and a large crystalline ball appeared; pink lightning bolts extended from it and hoisted the ball off the floor.
"Conduits!" Sapia noted. "Security devices in these Towers!"
"Best we smash the dome!" Sheila said.
She bounded forward and punched the Conduit square in its crystalline eye. But the blow hardly seemed to phase it; Sheila, however, was phased by one of its lightning bolts. In retaliation, Elora and Sapia fired arrows into the Orb, which cracked it. Spyro finished the Conduit with an Ice Shard, which shattered its body completely. "That takes care of that!"
Just then, more Conduits appeared and advanced on them. "I see your future as being smashed up!" Sparx quipped.
At another Tower, Volteer, Aureole and a few others were dealing with more Undead creatures in Volteerorder to get into another Tower.
Zen cleaved at the heads of the Zombies and Ghouls with his axe, slicing them clean off, leaving the bodies to collapse. Chief Kain, decked in a tunic and helmet, swiped a scythe through the air, hacking the monsters to pieces. Volteer shot an Electric Arc, causing three Zombies and two Ghouls to lift into the air, leaving them open to be impaled by Electric Darts.
"Your lack of sufficient metabolism makes your battlefield conduct highly incautious!" Volteer rambled.
Just then, they heard a loud scream, and looked round. Aureole was getting overwhelmed by the monsters bearing down on her; despite continuously blowing enemies back, one Ghoul had managed to latch on to her arm. Meanwhile, the Ghosts kept whispering taunts to her.
"You failed your daughter!"
"You let yourself get tricked by Sirorrialth!"
"You dishonoured your marriage!"
"Your husband!"
"The Dark Master will return!"
"And we'll have you to thank for it!"
"Noooooo!" Aureole cried, tears in her eyes, as two more Zombies pinned her down, prepared to bite.
Suddenly, Terrador charged into view and smacked the Zombies away with his tail-mace. Volteer drove the Ghosts away with his spells, while Terrador tended to his wife. "Are you all right?"
"No... I am not," Aureole whispered. "My daughter..."
"I know," Terrador soothed. "Hopefully, we'll find a way to free her. For now, let us activate this Tower to help our allies."
Aureole nodded solemnly.
Once the guards were taken out, a few Fairies and Wizards hurried into the Tower to activate it, while the Dragons drew attention of any reinforcements. Zoe was among them.
When two Conduits appeared and advanced on them, Zoe, Storm and Lucia moved forward.
"Take this!" they cried, and sent a stream of Magic at the two security devices.
Another Conduit fell with a crash to the floor, as Spyro leapt over it into the Tower's control room.
"Okay, I'm at the controls!" Spyro reported. "Time to make things easier for our friends." He pressed a few buttons on the control panel and there was a humming noise, followed by a crackling, as the Tower came back to life. "There we go!"
Spyro then spotted a Crystal Dragon statue. When he touched it, it released a fiery red Dragon wearing blue and grey armour. Unlike all the other Dragons, this one looked quite young; just over 20. He also looked very similar to Spyro; similar horns, snout shape and wings.
"Ooooh, finally!" he gasped, stretching to ease the stiffness from his joints. "Thanks for that! Are you that Spyro fellow I've heard about?"
"Yes, I am. Who are you?"
"I'm Flame, son of Ignitus. Are you with him?"
Spyro's eyes widened. Did this Dragon just say what he thought he had? Did this mean...? Just how big was his family?
"Excuse me, did you hear me, Spyro? Are you with Ignitus?"
"Err, yes; I mean, no. Well, I've been working with Ignitus lately, yes; but I'm not with him now. Because he's been captured!"
"What?! Father's been captured?!"
"Yeah; he's being held here, Flame! Our father is being drained of power by Cynder!"
"Well, you can count on my help to save him! Wait, what do you mean 'our father?'"
Spyro hesitated for a beat. "Sorry, mere slip of the tongue," he lied, just as his female friends entered behind him.
"Okay," Flame accepted, though he still looked curious.
"Oh yeah, this is my brother Sparx and the others are Elora, Sheila & Sapia assisting us to save Ignitus and stop Cynder. Everyone, this is Flame."
"Charmed," Flame greeted. "Now, come on. Let's go rescue my father!"
And he sprinted from the room.
"Wait," Elora noted, "when he said 'father', was he talking about...?"
"Yes," Spyro confirmed. "I know; I'm as puzzled as you are, Lora. But this isn't the time. Let's just save Ignitus first."
They all hurried back down the Tower stairs and back outside.
"Change in plans: our allies can handle the Towers," Sapia advised. "We should go for Cynder's fortress; the sooner we get to Ignitus, the better!"
"Agreed!" Spyro and Flame said simultaneously. Spyro hadn't meant to speak so fervently at the same time as Flame; they looked at each other for a moment.
"But what if we run into Cynder?" Sparx asked, looking anxious.
"Then I guess we'll finally have the chance to show her what happens when she tries to take away our freedom!" Sapia declared.
"I agree; it is now or never if we face her," Sheila added.
They went through the crystallised fields to Cynder's fortress. Suddenly, a Dreadwing flew overhead and dropped a container. It exploded the moment it hit the ground, revealing a grinning Ripto and a scowling Sirorrialth.
"That's far enough!" Ripto leered.
Spyro gasped, and growled. "You two again..."
"So, decided to show your ugly faces again?" Sapia said.
"Heh, I was having a worthwhile victory; until you rats arrived to crash the party!" Ripto replied, brandishing his crystalline fist. "But now, I have a score to settle with you, Dragon!"
"You meant we do, shorty!" Sirorrialth corrected.
"Shut up, you freak!" Ripto shouted. "I'm having my moment here!"
"Funny that you hate Dragons, and yet you're working with some!" Elora taunted.
"Can it, she-goat!" Ripto snapped.
Elora was tempted to say 'I'm a Faun!', but relented.
"Spyro," she advised. "You and Flame go on ahead and save Ignitus! We'll deal with these bozos!"
"You sure?"
"Yeah; we can handle these big-headed windbags! Just go!"
"You heard our sis, Spyro. Let's go!" Sparx insisted. Spyro hesitated, but then nodded. He trusted his sister and their friends to handle themselves. So, he and Flame flew right over Ripto and Sirorrialth and ran on, leaving the two Generals stunned.
"What the?! Hey! Get back and fight!" Ripto shouted.
"Come on Ripto, you & your ugly friend have prison cells with your names on them!" Sapia taunted.
"You're not worth our time!" Sirorrialth sneered, And he made to fly after Spyro and Flame. But he had barely taken off, when a powerful gust of Wind, combined with a swirl of Fire, sent him crashing back down.
"You're not going anywhere, traitor!" Aureole hissed, as she swooped in, accompanied by a few Fire Dragons; mostly fiery shades of red and orange and yellow, garbed in armour and wielding shields and various weapons. "It's time for you to pay for what you did to me and my daughter!"
"You!" Sirorrialth shouted in shock. Aureole leapt at the evil dragon as Ripto sent lightning bolts flying into the air. The Peace Keepers blocked with their shields and swarmed at Ripto.
"Back! Back, you demons!" Ripto snarled, but then Elora ran at him and kicked Ripto in the face, knocking him back. Ripto clutched at his cheek, furious. "Bad move, goat!"
"Oh, I'm just getting started!" Elora cracked her knuckles, ready to fight the sinister wizard, alongside a few Peace Keepers.
"You have spirit, young Faun," noted Titan, his battle axe at the ready. "But stay close to us, and be on your guard!"
"Like you even need to tell me!"
Meanwhile, Spyro, Flame and Sparx arrived at the gates that led into the central Tower.
"You sure your friends can handle those two?" Flame asked, concerned.
Spyro sighed. "To be honest, I don't know. I don't doubt their abilities, but Ripto and Sirorrialth are tough; I've fought them both myself, and I can verify."
"You seem particularly close to that Faun," Flame noted. "Elora, is it?"
"Yeah; we grew up together in the Swamp, and..." Spyro began.
"Save it for later, bro!" Sparx chastised. "I'm afraid for them too. But we've got... Flame's father to save!"
"Got it!" Spyro nodded. They hurried through the massive gates and up the wide set of steps towards the door. Before they could reach the doors, however, the doors flew open, and a wave of Electricity sent both brothers flying back down the steps. As they got up, they saw a large figure clad in armour advancing on them.
"What is that?!" Sparx shouted.
"Great, it's another of those monsters..." Spyro groaned. "And he looks like the Ice King from before."
"You fought the Ice King?" Flame asked.
"Yeah; I bet this will be no different with this guy!"
Next moment, more Undead creatures appeared around them.
"Okay, I spoke too soon!" Spyro cursed himself, as he and Flame stood back-to-back.
The Electric King roared, commanding the monsters to attack the Dragons. The zombies were brandishing swords and axes. Spyro and Flame took evasive action. Spyro sent out an Electric Stream, while Flame sent a whirl of Blue Fire at a group of three monsters, incinerating them on the spot.
"How's that?" Flame smirked.
"Not bad," Spyro congratulated, impressed as he dodge an attack from the King.
"It helps when you have the Fire Guardian himself as your father!" Flame proclaimed proudly, before Comet Dashing into the Electric King.
Spyro's brow ridges creased. "Father..." he murmured to himself, as he blew several Undead creatures away with a Cyclone.
The Electric King growled as he punched Flame back. But the young red Dragon recovered and shot more Fire at him. It was so powerful that pieces of armour were off. Growling fiercely, the King summoned an Electric sword and took a swipe at Flame. He flew over the blade, only to be struck by a bolt of power. This sent him crashing into Spyro. As they got up, they found themselves surrounded by Undead.
"This is tough! But we have to make it through!"
"You have a plan?" Flame asked Spyro.
"I am very mad and I feel I can do..." He thought of it. "...a Fury! Maybe we could do a powerful fury together!"
Flame smiled. "I like it! But let's save some energy for saving Dad, okay?"
"Right, then! Together!" Both Spyro And Flame turned their focuses inward, drawing power from within. Flames gathered around, well, Flame, while rocks crashed down Spyro. Next moment, Fire and Earth blended together into a wave of Magma, which streamed in all directions, melting the corporeal Undead and causing the Electric King to fall, overwhelmed by the heat and physical force.
The King struggled to regain his feet but he was too wounded. Taking advantage of this, the two dragon brothers nodded at each other and leapt into the air and delivered a double horndive to the King's chest, knocking the creature down the steps. He crashed down at the bottom, and his armour shattered, while his body dissolved into nothing.
"Whoo-hoo! That is awesome!" Sparx cheered.
"I agree, you were quite cool Flame!" Spyro complemented.
"Thanks, same with you! Flame agreed.
"Right! Now let's get going!" They ran inside Cynder's tower.
The inside was so dark, it was difficult for the three of them to see, even with Sparx's light.
"Sheesh, that Cynder really likes her blackness, doesn't she?" Flame whispered.
"Allow me," Spyro offered, and he closed his eyes for a moment. Next moment, his body lit up again, allowing them to see where they were going. It also showed that a number of Undead creatures had tried to pounce on them in the dark, only to cringe away from the light.
"Whoa, they're scared of the light!" Sparx noticed.
"Then we're in luck! Let's move ahead!"
Taking advantage of the Undead's incapacitation, they ran on through the Tower, until they reached a large room with what looked a large hexagonal panel in the middle of the floor, with six crystals on each side. Standing on top of it was a large Ape, who raised his staff, sending red streams of Lightning into each crystal.
"I'm afraid this lift is out of commission to all Dragons!" he sneered.
"Well guess we'll have to make you fix it!" Spyro challenged the Ape.
"Bring it, little runt!" the Ape shouted, shooting a laser at the two brothers. They flew over the bolt, and split up. The Ape blocked Spyro's horn-dive, while Flame came at another angle, tail-whipping the Ape in the face.
"You Apes are all the same; gutsy, but stupid!" he quipped, before he flew upwards and made a grab for the Ape's staff. This led to the two grappling for a few moments.
"We'll see who's stupid, Drag-ARGH!"
The Ape got it good in the back with an Earth Blast, courtesy of Spyro. This caused the Ape to drop the staff, and it shattered on the floor. As a result, the electrical field vanished, and the panel, or platform, more accurately, began to rise.
"Going up!" Flame grinned, before torching the Ape. The Ape screamed and ran off the platform, crashing to the floor below.
"Okay, we're so close! Ignitus should be at the top!" Spyro whispered.
"Do hope the others are okay!" Sparx fretted.
Spyro sighed. "Me too. I know Sapia said they were willing to die, but..."
His voice trailed away.
"If you're with Terrador and Aureole, then they stand a chance," Flame assured them. "We've always strived to minimise casualties, without compromising our effectiveness, through Terrador and Aureole's strategic instructions. Although..." His smile faded. "They're not always perfect."
"Gee, thanks for ruining that encouraging talk, pal," Sparx frowned.
They fell silent as the lift rose. They expected more troops to try and stop them, but none came. Spyro didn't like it; it was too easy for him. Sparx fidgeted uncomfortably. Flame was looking at Spyro, curiously.
"What is it?"
"Sorry; it's just that... you look similar to me..."
"Oh... well, this might be... a bit of a shock, Flame, but... you have a brother..."
Flame stared at him.
"A brother? Where?"
"You're looking at him," Spyro decided on the spot. "I'm Ignitus' son too."
Flame's eyes widened in shock.
"Y-you're my brother?!"
Spyro nodded.
"Oh man... how come Father never told me about you?!"
"I think it's because he felt unworthy of being my father."
"Rubbish! He's a great father! Look at me!"
"Looks like you guys are going to need a long talk when this is all over," Sparx observed.
They said no more, as they continued their ascent. Finally, they approached the top: a large open area, with lightning flashing about them and a glass dome over them.
Flame nudged his brother, and pointed. There, floating in a hexagonal magic cage, was Ignitus. Streams of energy surged into a sixth Orb, and Ignitus appeared to be writhing in pain.
Spyro and Flame looked at each other, and nodded. They began to approach their father cautiously, listening all the while for warning sounds.
Sparx looked about, nervously.
"Spyro, Flame... I don't like this... it seems like she's baiting us... I'm getting smarter at all this..."
Spyro and Flame said nothing. Both kept looking around, ready to defend themselves.
Ignitus opened his eyes with a loud groan. Then, he saw his sons approaching.
"Spyro! Flame! You have to destroy the crystal... quickly!"
Upon hearing their father in pain, Spyro decided to throw caution to the winds.
"Come on! We have to get him out of here before Cynder gets back!"
Flame nodded curtly. The two Dragons ran towards the Orb. But before they could reach it, a massive figure appeared in front of them. It was Cynder!
"If only things were that easy, little ones!" she hissed.
"S-s-s-so B-B-BIG!" Sparx cried.
Cynder smiled wickedly, and advanced at the two brothers. "Ah, the sons of Ignitus... as foolish and sentimental as their father... you've been lucky for too long, Spyro! It's time you learned how difficult life can be!"
"Oh, I've learned how difficult it can be, Cynder!" Spyro snarled, trying not to succumb to the rush of dread that had settled the moment Cynder had appeared.
"Then let me remind you!" Cynder circles him as she tail whipped the two dragons back across the room, sending them flying into a wall.
"Run, Boys! Save yourselves!" Ignitus shouted in fear.
"No way, Dad!" Spyro growled, as he got up again. "This time we'll fight!"
"And we're not leaving without you!" Flame agreed.
Cynder chuckled. "This should be amusing! Bring it!"
Bringing her wings wide, the Terror of the Skies unleashed a burst of Shadow Fire. The two brothers dodged to the sides, before Comet-Dashing into Cynder's side. But she herself dodged by merging with her shadow. The dark shape slithered across the floor at Spyro, but the young Dragon flew upwards as she emerged with a claw slash.
Spyro struck back with a lightning vortex. This stunned Cynder, but she recovered in time to block Flame's Fire Spurt with her wings and tail-whipped him back into a pillar.
Cynder chuckled evilly. "You're a foolish child, Flame. You think you can defeat me? Have you forgotten how I imprisoned you in crystal once already?"
"I won't give up! Even when my dad is in danger!" Flame surged to his feet and charged at Cynder again, only to be hit by a blast of Fear. Flame cried out in agony, clutching his head as his mind was assaulted by voices and visions.
"Flame, it isn't real!" Ignitus called. "None of it is real! Fight it!"
"Silence, fool!" Cynder snapped.
Spyro leapt at Cynder and grabbed her around the neck. "Why do you serve such an evil Dragon?" he demanded.
"I don't need to explain myself!" Cynder hissed, throwing Spyro from her in sheer contempt. Cynder shot a stream of Poison from her mouth. Spyro rolled out of the way, before creating a water whip to lash at Cynder.
"Not bad..." Cynder commented, as she retorted with Shadow Fire again. "But do you really think you stand a chance, Spyro? You are but an inexperienced child; a Purple Dragon, perhaps, but a whelp, nonetheless!"
"I will not let you hurt my father!" Spyro yelled, shooting an Earth Shot at Cynder, which created a tornado about her, but she shrugged it off.
"Father? What good is a father who was never able to be fully honest with his son?" Cynder hissed.
"I don't care!" Spyro declared, shooting a blast of Plasma at Cynder, which scorched her side.
"Impressive! Looks like we'll have to change that!" And before Spyro could fully react, his mind was suddenly assaulted, once again, by feelings of intense fear; of visions where his friends and family perished horrifically. This time, however, they were accompanied by images of the dead Dragoness Aurora; of Elora being Poisoned; of Shabae being struck down by him; Ignitus' disappointment...
"No!" Spyro cried. "It isn't real! I won't give in to your tricks, you rotten old witch!"
He summoned as much willpower as he could muster to push the fear away, back to Cynder. In doing so, he suddenly found his mind flickering with thoughts and emotions that weren't his. There was cold, hard anger; sheer contempt; utter focus on reviving her Master; and... fear? Horror? Desperation?
'HELP ME, SPYRO! PLEASE!'
"Enough!"
Spyro felt suddenly as if someone had hit him hard in the chest; he collapsed, dizzy and confused.
"It's so sad that it must end this way," Cynder chuckled, though she appeared to be panting slightly. Suddenly, Flame, freed from the Fear assaulting his mind, flew at her, unleashing a stream of Blue Fire. Cynder, caught slightly unawares, cried out in pain as the heat scorched her side. But she was protected from the worst of it by her dark magic. She swatted Flame away with her wing.
"Now, where was I?"
She flew over to Ignitus, grabbed the Orb, and flew off with it, causing Ignitus' prison to disappear. The Fire Guardian collapsed, while Cynder smashed through the ceiling, causing glass to rain down on them.
"Did she really have to break the glass?" Sparx wondered.
"Spyro; Flame; are you two alright?" Ignitus asked weakly, just as the other Guardians arrived with Elora.
"Never felt better, Father," Flame groaned.
"Spyro! Are you okay?" Elora ran to her brother.
"I'm fine..." Spyro panted. "But it's like I just took a blow to the brain."
"Ignitus are you okay?" Terrador asked.
Ignitus groaned. "No... Cynder has all she needs now."
"Ignitus... Dad? There's something off with Cynder..." Spyro noted. "When I brought against her Fear attack, I think my mind connected with hers for a moment. And I heard someone cry 'help'. It sounded like Cynder, but younger..."
"It should, Spyro," Ignitus confirmed. "But first of all, don't call me 'Dad', Spyro. You have a dad; Flash." Before Spyro could say anything in protest, Ignitus went on. "You and Cynder share more than you know." He looked at the other Guardians, particularly Aureole. They all nodded.
"It's time you learned one last bit of truth."
Dragon Temple, 13 years ago
Ignitus looked upon the scene before him in horror. The Grotto had been utterly devastated; the other Guardians lay sprawled across the floor; and all the other Eggs has been smashed! Tiny bodies, some still in the process of development, lay among the Egg fragments. It was unbearable for Ignitus. So many innocent children robbed of their lives before they even hatched!
Then, he realised one was still intact and unharmed. But Ignitus' relief was quickly stifled when one of the Apes grabbed it. Just as he did so, Aureole raised her head.
"NO!" she screamed, and scrambled to her feet to try and stop them.
"After I took your Egg to the Silver River, I returned to stop the Apes, only to discover that the Eggs has been smashed by the Apes. All except one which belonged to Aureole... The Dark Master had sought to prevent the coming of the second Purple Dragon, but he also needed a Dragon..."
Ignitus and Aureole ran to stop the one who took the egg but Ignitus got struck by a blast of energy from Gaul's staff, while Aureole was stopped by falling rumble. The Apes laughed mockingly as they took their leave.
"Why would the Dark Master need a Dragon?" Spyro asked.
"Malefor was sealed away by the Guardians, Spyro," Terrador explained. "Only a Guardian, or a Dragon born of Guardian blood, would have the power to free Malefor's essence from Convexity."
"Wait, Aureole told me her daughter had been taken long ago, and-" Spyro's voice caught in his throat, and he looked at Aureole with dawning horror.
"Cynder's your daughter, isn't she?"
Aureole neither spoke nor even nodded. But she didn't need to. Her face was screwed up in pain; tears leaked down her cheeks; her paws were clenched tightly; and the wind whirled about her.
"They took my baby," she whispered, every syllable a struggle. "They took my daughter!"
Spyro, Elora and Sparx gasped at such terrible news, while Terrador comforted his wife.
"Easy, my gentle breeze," he soothed. "Let it out; let it all out..."
"So, Cynder was born the same year as Spyro?" Elora inquired.
"But then, why is she so, so..." Spyro began.
"Evil? Monstrous? Dark? Big? Sexy?" Sparx asked. "Oops, did I said it out loud?"
"Not now," Elora hissed.
"Because, Spyro, after she was taken," Cyril explained, in a surprisingly somber tone, "I believe Cynder was corrupted by Malefor's dark essence; forcibly aged into an adult to do his terrible biding."
"But if you say is true, Spyro," Cordelia noted, "perhaps the real Cynder still has some awareness of herself."
"I fear it may not matter," Ignitus sighed. "She's on her way to Convexity now. It may not be too late!"
As he spoke, a large portal opened in the sky above them.
"Then we must go after her!" Spyro declared.
"Right!" they agreed, except Ignitus, who collapsed again with exhaustion.
"Dad! Are you all right?" Flame asked anxiously. "Can you stand?"
"I think so, but it will take a while for my powers to be regained."
"Not all of us are in peak condition," Terrador noted. "We won't stand a chance against Cynder."
"We have to try," Spyro declared. "We've come too far to fail now."
"The young whelp is right," Cyril acknowledged. "And I think I know a way we can all help. Since all of us are together, it should work."
Ignitus, Terrador, Aureole, Volteer and Cordelia all looked at each other.
"Are you certain, sure, completely confident?" Volteer rambled. "Sharing cerebral energies can be excessively difficult, not to mention perilous, and might cause severe mental strain, and..."
"It's the best option we have right now!" Cyril snapped.
"What are you talking about?" Spyro asked, rather anxiously.
"No time to explain, Spyro," Ignitus replied. "Just follow Cynder through the portal to Convexity."
"What about you guys?"
"We have a plan that might work; just trust me on this."
"Like you didn't trust Spyro with the truth of you being his Dad?!" Sparx accused.
"Sparx, not now, dear," Nina admonished.
"I'm coming with you, Spyro," Elora declared.
"Elora, it could be dangerous facing Cynder..."
"I know, but we've been through a lot since we first met. Family do need to stick together!" Elora insisted.
"Okay, I could sure use the help, sis," Spyro smiled.
"Convexity is a dangerous place, so you need to stay together if you enter," Sapia advised, concerned.
"We will," Spyro, Sparx and Elora acknowledged. Elora looked at Terrador.
"Terrador, I'm really sorry about your daughter..."
But Terrador shook his head.
"Cynder is not my daughter; not biologically, anyway."
"What do you-"
"There's no time to explain."
"If Malefor escapes, a shadow will fall over the land like never before," Ignitus agreed gravely. "And who knows what will happen then?"
Spyro nodded. Elora climbed onto his back, and the trio flew off towards the portal, after Cynder.
"May the Ancestors look after you," Ignitus prayed. "May they look after us all..."