Legend of Spyro - Four Pillars of Aether Book I

by Blazcowitz43

Twelve years after the Temple raid, the four survivors of that dreadful night live a happy, carefree existence. They are Spyro, Cynder, Flame and Ember; the four who lived. Spyro is a rare purple dragon who has been taught his whole life that great things await him, but as darkness approaches can he and his friends truly stand up to the evil that threatens the world? Book II soon.

12. Chapter 11: Escape from Mount Malefore!

Chapter 11: Escape from the Mountain of Malefor!

The moment he felt his conciseness return, Spyro could think of only one sentence;

'I've doomed us all.'

His great escapade had come unstuck. His chance to prove his worth had failed. His attempt at being a hero had sealed the fate of not just himself, but of the friends who had decided to accompany him. The fact that he knew he was, for the moment, still alive came as little comfort to him. Spyro's vision was still black as he felt his senses returning. The first sensation he felt was the burning pain and heaviness in his head and lungs that still lingered from the exposure to the gas. There was a cutting tightness in and around his feet and a weightlessness to his body, almost like he was flying or in some way not touching the ground. He heard the sound of dirt and stone being crunched underfoot and the sound of voices that he could not yet decipher. He knew they were ape voices, but he was still too groggy to understand them. His heart pounded with alarm but his body did not react, a feeling he could only liken to that of a fly caught in a spiders web, unable to escape the gummed string that it has caught itself in. He felt himself breath weakly, the total blackness of his sight beginning to crack, a hazy blur of grey and violet muddied his eyes. He finally gained enough awareness to realise that he was upside down, his vision clearing enough to see the back of an ape soldier as it carried the end of a long wooden pole over its shoulder. The sight only further alarmed him, finally urging his body to react as he tried to move his legs, but the tight numbness he already felt only intensified. Lifting his head weakly, he held it up just long enough to see his legs tied to the wooden pole the ape was carrying, along with the second ape at the back.

"Hey, purple boy's awake," said the ape at the back, Spyro twisting his head left and right deliriously at his surroundings, only making out the grey, dimly lit walls of a cave.

"Then put him back to sleep," said the ape at the front as the cave began to curve around to the left. Spyro mustered the strength to lift his head again, looking down between his legs at the face of the ape as it scowled wickedly at him. The curve in the cave gave him a brief glimpse over the shoulder of the ape, the purple dragon seeing another pair of apes carrying another pole with the unconscious body of Cynder dangling beneath it. The sight of her filled him with both relief and forlorn, for he knew at least where she was and probably Flame and Ember, but where they were was of course was one of great peril. Another ape suddenly appeared to his right, Spyro looked towards him just as a wooden club struck him across the side of his head, the young dragon exhaling a yelp of pain.

"Go back to sleep, your legendariness," the ape with the club laughed mockingly, Spyro letting his head hang limp once more as he sealed his eyes, trying not to wince at the pain the hit had caused him. He held his breath, trying to paint a picture of unconsciousness, hoping the apes would not notice that he was still awake. He braced for the expected follow up hit, thinking they would batter him until they were sure he was in fact out, but a few moments went by, then half a minute or so he thought and no second strike came. He kept his eyes lidded only enough to not look like he was trying, breathing only shallow breaths and letting his body relax as much as the discomfort of being bound would allow him. He wanted more than anything to call out to his friends to see if they would answer back, but such a notion was foolish and dangerous. It did not, however, stop him from mentally talking to himself.

'What have I done?'

He tried instead to focus on not what he had done or what he could have done, but what he would do now. As the apes soldiered on, he tried to unveil his eyes discreetly, just enough to get some picture of where they were without being noticed. He tried to will his hearing into being sharper as his mind and senses slowly cleared up, trying to rely on sound if he could not look without his charade being exposed. He kept hearing the heavy crunching of footsteps on the surface of the cave floor, the blurry glimpses he gained yielded nothing but the ape's tail end as the grey walls of the cave gave nothing for him to recognise or remember. He had no idea how long it had been since he had collapsed and no way to be sure where they were except underground. Spyro tried thinking back to what he had heard before he had passed out; the last words he had heard thr apes say when he lay helpless on the bridge.

'Something about the King… about Gaul,' he thought ominously, the image of the ape ready to cut his throat coming back like a lantern flickering in the wind. In that second, he thought he was going to die; die before he'd had a chance to live. That vision that he thought would be his last made him feel sick, but somehow he controlled his reflexes and kept up the act of being asleep. The memory of that vision brought with it a recollection of what had been said, playing over in his mind like a band replaying the same song over and over;

'The King will be more pleased if we bring him alive. Bring the others too.'

'But our orders were to only keep the black one alive.'

'Doesn't change the outcome. Gaul will be glad to slay the purple whelpling himself. There might be promotions in order.'

'Guess we didn't need that scrawny cat after all.'

'He'll make good chow for the Deathhounds. Now hurry up and bound them and let's go home…'

Spyro broke each sentence down individually, whether it was for the sake of being meticulous or because his aching head could only handle so much, he wasn't sure, but so he did. Gaul's troops had orders to find him? To kill him? For how long and why now? The black one? Cynder? Yes, he remembered thinking that just before he passed out. They were going to kill them all, but not her. Why? What did they want with her? The last minute decision by the glory hungry Ape Commander had spared them, if only temporarily. Spyro couldn't remember them saying anything about Flame and Ember, only that they would be bought to the Ape King as well. He presumed they were otherwise not significant to the apes, not enough to be mentioned specifically unlike himself and Cynder.

Scrawny cat? That was Meadow! The apes had captured him, though that was never really in doubt. They had said they didn't need him now? Why? Spyro was in little doubt now that he had been correct; that the apes had wanted to interrogate him about his own whereabouts. Did the apes have foreknowledge that they were coming to Avalar? Had the kidnapping of Meadow been carried out to lure them into a trap?

'But how could they know?' Spyro thought, 'That we would go off on our own like that? We could have just stayed with the Cheetahs. They couldn't know we alone would come after them. They would never expect that…'

The weight of all the blood rushing to his dangling head caused it to ache along with the smack from the club it had received, but he forced his brain to keep thinking. He pondered how it strained credulity that anyone, much less the apes, could have orchestrated such a scheme to play out as it had. If they did know about the presence of Spyro and his companions in the valley, they could not predict they would so recklessly go off on their own on an ill conceived rescue mission. The embarrassing, terrible truth was that Spyro had led his friends unknowingly into the viper's nest, unintentionally giving the apes more than they could have imagined; the purple dragon effectively offering himself on a silver platter with his companions as side there was home. The home the Ape commander said they would return to with his prizes for the King. The mountain fortress of death and despair; the Mountain of Malefor, not as plucky rescuers to save a friend but as prisoners. Prisoners did not live long in Gaul's lair.

'What have I done?' he asked himself again dismally before giving the answer, 'I've doomed us all.'

He let that thought stew in his mind as the apes carried him along, his only comfort being the obvious displeasure they were in for having to carry his weight. Spyro's eyes remained closed as he wallowed in pity for the mess he had led his friends and himself into. He knew it wasn't helpful, but it lingered and sucked away his hope like a leech even as he tried to pull himself together and think of a way out of the disaster he had created. He reminded himself that the others would be counting on him. Spyro had to do something to make it right. Escape was the first goal, but it was out of the question right now. Though he had fooled the apes into thinking he was unconscious, trying to use his elements while bound would be fruitless, especially as the number of apes walking past seemed to increase the further they went along. He would only throwing his life away to try; he had to wait until an opportunity presented itself. As he kept up the act of being dead to the world, the noise in the cave changed.

The marching of their guards and the passing of others was added to by the sound of a heavy rumbling like the ground shaking with an earthquake and the metallic clapping of tools against rock or steel. It grew louder and more refined as they marched on, the ground suddenly becoming steeper as they went. Spyro opened his eyes as much as he dared as he tried to get some hint of the sounds, his view still mostly blocked by the back of the guard, but catching a glimpse of a great orange glow in the tunnel ahead as the noises vibrated down towards them. He heard shouts and insults and the cracking of whips, the strained and pained groans of apes as they were driven to some behemoth task. The rumbling had a more metallic sound now, Spyro felt a quiver of excitement but also trepidation as they stepped into the glow, the cave wall to his left vanishing into a great open cavern of which the sounds were now coming from full bore where he couldn't look. He nearly twitched his head to see, his eyes unable to turn far enough as they walked on past whatever was happening here, the creaking of steel and sharp crack of axes or picks he recognised as something he had heard elsewhere.

'Sounds like mining,' he thought, 'Like at the Muntions forge…' Suddenly he lurched forward violently as the ape in front caught his foot on something and tumbled over, pulling Spyro and the second ape with it as he slammed his back hard onto the ground. The impact kicked the air out of his lungs as he could not help but gasped painfully as he fell to his right side, his eyes bulging as he looked upon the scene happening below.

'It is a mine!' he thought with the elevated walkway the purple dragon gazed upon a huge cavern filled with activity; he saw glowing pits of fire that cast the near blinding glow against the wall behind him. He saw dozens of apes with pickaxes and shovels breaking down huge boulders into small wheel barrows with the higher-ranking taskmasters cracking whips against their backs to hurry them along. He saw two pairs of heavy steel rails running across the ground through huge tunnels that had been mined for them with trains of large steel mining carts being pushed and pulled on each one. Those going forward were empty, those heading back loaded with stone. He could only imagine how far those trains had to go to reach wherever the furthest ape miners were. He had seen such operations when Ignitus had taken him with the other young fire dragons to Boyzitbig island, the entire island essentially being one giant mining camp. It looked almost like the apes had copied it verbatim.

"You worthless sack of fleas! Get back on your feet!" roared an Ape lieutenant who came storming from behind him, the same one who had smacked him with the club, "Get the prisoner off the ground!"

'What are they mining for?' he asked himself as the two carriers hurriedly picked up the pole and lifted him from the dirt, his state of awareness not going unnoticed by the lieutenant. Spyro looked helplessly into his hard face as he raised the club,

"Thought I put you to sleep before. Guess you didn't get the hint," he chuckled coldly before he whacked Spyro across the head again, the purple dragon crying out with more distress than previously before the second hit finally blacked out his mind and eyes. He didn't feel the sharp jab to his side as the ape prodded him to be sure he was not faking it before the group continued in marching along the path. This time, only numbness accompanied him when Spyro felt himself coming awake again. It was a few moments before the pain in his head came at him not unlike the club that was responsible for it. This time he was in no hurry to open his eyes, not eager to find out how much more doomed he was.

He could still feel that he was being carried along tied to the pole, the grunting and frustrated exclamations of the apes now something he was getting used to. The thought occurred to him he could have been on the move for hours or even days. There were so many unknowns about the apes mountain fortress that for all he knew it was like an iceberg; only showing a fraction of itself on the surface. Images of the mountains hellish, gaping jaws filled his heart with fear as if the physical mountain itself was going to devour him at the end of all this. Who could say for sure that wasn't possible?

"You guys don't know how much of a mistake you've made," a voice suddenly threatened from behind, the sound of which was enough for him to throw caution to the wind as he threw open his eyes as a gruff voice shouted back to it,

"Shut your trap, girlie!"

"Cynder?" Spyro exclaimed as his eyes darted around like flies, clinging to the walls of the new space they were in. They were being carried through a circular corridor of large stone bricks, lit with flaming torches and supported intermittently by thick stone arches shaped almost like hearts. They were no longer in a cave so it seemed, or at least one that had been heavily modified by the apes. In spite of the torches the air was cold but in a way that didn't feel natural. The ape lieutenant walking alongside him looked down impatiently before prodding his ribs with the tip of his club.

"So purple boys finally awake! Thought I mighta' put his lights out for good!" he laughed cruelly as he dangled the club menacingly close to Spyro's head.

"Spyro! You okay?" he heard the voice of Flame call from somewhere behind.

"I said can it!" he heard another ape snap harshly.

"He's going to teach you all a lesson!" Ember's voice cried out defiantly.

"One more word and that pretty head of yours is going to roll on the floor!" threatened yet another ape voice. The retorts promptly stopped as Spyro peered ahead where he could past the back of his guard as the corridor ended and opened up into an enormous room. The low ceiling of the hall vanished as the space opened up and appeared to be similar in size and shape to the temple's training dojo, a faint green glow laying across the grey stone floor. Looking straight up to the ceiling, Spyro saw a stone mosaic disk with glowing green runes and symbols, again not unlike the one in the temple dojo save for the ominous green glow. The chamber appeared to be a mostly natural shape that had only been mined enough to give the room a more complete circular shape. Spyro tilted his head to the left and saw a pair of apes standing guard beside a tall wooden doorway with a small doorway like the one they had just come out straight across. The smell of burning candles wafted under his nose, causing him to his head to the right and saw dozens of candles lit around the base of some great stone monument that his eyes latched onto and began drifting upwards. Spyro felt his heart freeze in his chest as began to take in the detail of the colossal monument as they were carried on by.

He saw the disk-shaped pedestal the statue was sat upon. He saw the enormous wings folded around the front and back of the statue like a pair of stone cloaks. The left wing was folded down and around the lower half of the body while the right wing was folded around the back and the right side of the statue. His eyes traced over the protruding chest plate worn across the front of the monument, the shoulders of the armor bearing the inverted Aether crest, the symbol of Dark Aether, filled with the sickly green light of the ceiling. The thorny, demonic face with the fork like horns that he had seen in the nightmarish images conjured by Roaraya and in the books of him he had read, stared down vengefully at the purple dragon with solid green eyes. It was Malefor and this was the place he had made his home when he had plotted vengeance against the world. They were in the Mountain of Malefor.

'No wonder I feel so cold…' Spyro thought painfully as they passed by the statue, looking down to see Cynder, Flame and Ember all tied to their poles and looking with the same horrific disbelief that he had. Behind the statue could be seen the arching staircase that lined the back wall of the chamber, working its way further on up. Looking ahead he saw the ape taking the first step of it as, with exhausted but synchronized feet, the two apes began to carry him slowly up the rising staircase, the club wielding lieutenant taking a step back in line with the ape at the rear, granting the young dragon an unobstructed view of the statue of his nemesis as the slowly made their way around it.

"You really think you could've been a match for him?" the Ape lieutenant asked scornfully, "Some of us even thought you'd be a problem for us. Haha!" he laughed egotistically, the other apes joining in on the merriment as Spyro remained as silent and as crestfallen as he had ever felt in his life. A part of his mind urged him to say something, offer a retort or insult to them or to Malefor while he still had the chance to. But he, the purple dragon of legend, didn't think he deserved even that as he reminded himself how he had led his friends to their fate. The four who lived were soon to be the four who died.

All life had drained from Spyro's face as they reached the top of the stairs onto a large stone platform that the eyes of the Malefor statue were level with, staring straight ahead at the grand doorway like that seen downstairs. It too had a pair of guards who stood together in front of the heavy doors open as the ape convoy approached. The party came to a halt as the guards looked to Spyro and the three other captive dragons, turning to each other in surprise as they reached towards the door and knocked the heavy steel handles against the wooden door.

"Enter!" replied a harsh, low toned voice from behind it. The two guards looked back to the colleagues casually before they pressed their hands and pushed open the giant doors.

"Fresh meat for the king," one of the guards mused wickedly as the pole bearers marched past them, their pace accompanied by a renewed eagerness that told Spyro that they knew the end of their task was near. He looked around timidly as they passed through the doors, entering into another wide circle shaped chamber. Torches burning with unnatural green flames lined the walls as they themselves radiated with green light through the numerous cracks on their surface. There was a walkway that circled the room with what looked like an arena like area taking up much of the center from what he could see from his unfavorable position. Spyro's eyes were then caught by the ceiling above, a honeycomb like glass roof that glowed in a shade of purple not dissimilar to his own. The glass was made of numerous interconnected hexagon shaped panels, a dominant panel taking up the center of the ceiling. In the center of it there was a hexagon shaped hole, putting it directly above the centre of the room.

Looking down he saw a small well like hole in the floor directly below the opening, wondering what their purpose was. His eyes moved to the six carved stone pillars that held up the begrudgingly impressive glasswork, each one bearing a frightening gargoyle head that stared towards the middle of the chamber. Spyro's carriers stepped down a few steps into the central arena, the young dragon looking forlornly towards the door as Cynder, Flame and Ember were each carried down the steps with him, the fear in their eyes as clear as it was in his own.

The four pairs of ape carriers stood evenly spaced apart with their prisoners still weighing down their shoulders as the club wielding lieutenants of each pair remained beside them, standing firmly. Spyro looked across to his companions as they all looked across to each other helplessly, but a menacing shake of the club from the four higher ranking thugs diverted their eyes back to the ceiling.

"Eyes up and keep quiet!" the apes barked, Spyro gulping hard as he obeyed the command, hoping for the sake of his friends they were doing the same. He did not even dare to look towards the top of his head, knowing already whose presence they were in though they had not yet seen him. The apes then all took a knee and bowed their heads, the pole bearers lowering their charges almost to the floor as they did before getting back up.

"Untie them, then shackle them," ordered the voice they had heard earlier. Spyro knew that his doom was impending as he was dropped roughly to the ground and hastily untied from the pole as the ape lieutenant stood over him with the club pointed towards him, ensuring his eyes did not wander as another ape came carrying shackles. He did not try to fight them as a metal collar was clasped tightly around his neck, Spyro simply closing his eyes as they handled him without thought or compassion, his heart felt like it was being slowly squeezed by clawed hands that slowly dug their nails into it. He let out only a mild gasp as he was yanked to his feet by the chain attached to his collar, and had almost no reaction when he was hit again in the side as the apes yelled for all of them to keep their heads down and their mouths shut. The only thing Spyro wondered as he stood with his head low and eyes closed, was if he feared the source of the voice that was bearing down at them most or the faces of his friends and them knowing he had failed them?

"Look at me!" rasped the coarse voice one again, Spyro reluctantly opening his eyes as he prepared to find out. He turned his head and eyes to the right as he slowly lifted his chin, looking across to Cynder who was doing the same towards him, as did Flame and Ember after first looking to each other. He faintly gave them a glum shake of his head in apology that his decision that had bought them here. He reluctantly shifted his eyes forwards as he lifted his head with the others and stared up at the hulking menace glaring down at them with his left eye glowing like a green gem.

Standing before a menacing throne, it base made of stone, it's structure built from dragon bones bound together with what could either be leather or wing membrane, with four lengths of dangling chain attached to the arm rests was the Ape King, Gaul. His name alone had bought nightmares to the four young dragons; the four who had survived the massacre he had led twelve years ago and now stood before them. He was even larger than Spyro had ever imagined; even larger than the broad-shouldered Commanders who outsized the lower ranking apes. His knees were at the purple dragon's head height, his legs and feet clasped in dark violet sabatons. His mammoth shoulders were covered by the same violet armor plates as his subjects, albeit larger with thick wrist plates with extended claw like blades growing over his hands. His hideous face was slashed by red claw marks, likely explaining the missing eye. His body was covered in disgusting green warts and thick clumps of bushy grey fur.

Adorning his head was the distinctive horned helmet, the two sides forming a shape like a long bow before the tips curved outwards. Gaul's left arm clutched a sharpened staff which he aimed down towards the four who lived, its three-pronged head holding a green crystal inside it that made a hissing sound like a snake as it sparked and shimmered, as if eager to unleash its power on them.

"So, the four who lived," Gaul remarked deridingly, his one natural eye slowly scanning across them as his false green eye produced a swirling light that rotated clockwise, "The ones who escaped me. And you," he said boastfully as he aimed his staff at Spyro, "The famous purple dragon, the prophesied savior of the realms. How peculiar that you would walk right into my domain like little lambs for slaughter."

"We came looking our friend, Meadow. We know you took him from Avalar!" Spyro retorted softly but harshly, as much as he dared in the face of the murderous baboon who had killed off their nest mates ultimately in pursuit of him. Gaul's mouth formed a cruel smile as he raisd his staff and lifted his bottom lip thoughtfully.

"Oh, yes, the feline, I'd almost forgotten him," he said as he slammed the bottom of his staff twice into the ground, a heavy echo rocking through the chamber. A moment later there was the sound of a door opening somewhere behind the throne and the chilling sound of rustling chains. Spyro and others gasped as an ape came around the left side of the throne, dragging a shackled figure into view.

"Meadow!" cried Cynder.

"Oh, no!" Flame exclaimed horrifically. A pair of blackened eyes stared out from his bruised face as Meadow limped into view, his clothes ravaged and bloodstained with his paws clasped together in irons as he favored his left leg as his right was lifted painfully just off the ground.

"How embarrassing it is that I thought we would need to torture him to find you and yet here you are having graciously brought yourself to us. Now I suppose I can release him to my troops for their amusement," Gaul remarked flatly, the apes around the room beginning laugh and cheer with vicious glee.

"Leave him alone!" Ember demanded, Spyro tugging on his chain as the ape handler pulled him back violently.

"You've got me here now! Don't hurt him anymore!"

"I'm sorry, my friends…" Meadow croaked weakly before the Ape king swung around to him angrily.

"Silence!" Gaul roared, japing his finger at him, "Or you'll lose that tongue!"

"Do you feel powerful hurting those who can't fight back?" sneered Cynder vehemently, "Or are you just a coward?" she demanded, Spyro half impressed and half afraid for her antagonizing words. Gaul swung back hard, pointing the tip of his staff towards her, the green crystal hissing again as it started to glow. Spyro looked and saw her eyes shrink as a ball of green energy formed from the staff, Flame and Ember edging away as they saw what was coming.

"No!" Spyro yelled, lurching forward to the surprise of his handler, the ape's grip on the chain giving enough for Spyro throw himself in front of her as the ball of green energy fired from the staff, hitting his side as the green ball spread over his body like ink spilled over a white sheet.

"Spyro!" he heard Cynder and the others cry as he fell to the ground, his nerves and limbs feeling like jelly all of a sudden. The ape handler fastened his grip and yanked on the chain angrily as Spyro for a moment lost the feeling in his limbs. The pain was fairly light to his surprise, but his insides felt hollow all of a sudden and an intense hunger overcame him. Cynder, Flame and Ember were hastily pulled back by their handlers as Gaul stepped down the few steps into the central arena, Spyro weakly lifting his head as the Ape King glared down at him. Spyro's eyes focused on the protruding fangs of his bottom jaw as the ape growled at him. The purple dragon remained unmoved by his evil scowl, perhaps already resigned to what fate had in store for him.

"You dare defy me, whelpling?" Gaul snarled furiously.

"I've played right into your hands, haven't I?" asked Spyro gloomily yet defiantly. Gaul's scowl unsettlingly turned around into a cunning smile as he saw the feebleness infecting Spyro's eyes.

"What did you do to him?" Cynder cried hotly, straining on her chain as did Flame and Ember as their handlers wrapped the shackles around their hands and pulled back the defiant dragons. Gaul lifted himself and turned his head to the black dragoness to his right,

"Let me show you," he replied with a smirk, pointing the tip of his staff towards her.

"No…" Spyro groaned weakly, trying to lift himself as Gaul's staff shot its green energy bolt towards Cynder, the dragoness letting out a cry of fright as the green aura shocked her body. He then turned to Flame and Ember, Spyro's heart damning himself for being too weak to stop him as he watched the Ape King fire the green spheres of magic into his friends. The purple dragon opened his mouth, trying to summon anything he could towards Gaul, the consequences be damned, but his stomach felt like it was twisting itself into a knot. Nothing, not even so much as a puff of smoke or faint spark would come forth. Flame and Ember both collapsed as the green magic sapped their strength.

"Something the matter?" Gaul laughed smugly, "Can't find your breath?" he grinned as Spyro rose unsteadily to his feet and seemed to bite the air in front of him as he failed to summon any one of his elements.

"You dragons rely too much on your magic breaths. Without them you are just lizards with wings. Shackle them to the walls!" he ordered as Spyro's legs gave way and he flopped on his belly. Without waiting, the Ape handlers dragged their weakened prisoners across the floor to four of the six pillars inside the central arena.

'What was that magic? It sapped all of our Mana…' Spyro thought with alarm as he was dragged to the back-left corner of the arena, the ape locking his shackles onto an iron ring on the stone pillar. He saw Cynder be shackled to the pillar ahead of him while Flame and Ember were shackled to the pillars across the other side of the arena.

"Bring him here," Gaul ordered the ape holding Meadow's shackles as he pointed to his throne. He nodded and dragged the injured Cheetah over to left side of the throne, smacking him in the back to force him to his knees as he was then bound in front of the left armrest of the throne.

"Why are you doing this?" Spyro pleaded, "I'm the one you want! Let the others go!"

"Still trying so hard to be a hero, aren't we?" Gaul replied mockingly, brushing the edge of his staff against Meadow's injured leg, seeming to enjoy the sight of his wincing face as he flinched painfully. "You came all this way to save the life of a wretched Cheetah, foolishly thinking you would be a match for us. Your Guardians did not teach you well… or did they simply not have the courage to come here themselves?" Gaul went on with fiendish delight. The edges of Spyro's mouth lifted into a growl, though he lacked the strength now to utter one. His eyes kept going back to his companions shackled as he was, and the numerous observing apes all grinning deviously at what seemed like great entertainment to them; their sworn enemy falling so easily into their clutches and failing to be any kind of significant threat. Spyro couldn't think of a lower place than to be a disappointment to both his friends and his enemies.

"You see, my subjects?" called Gaul aloud, "The arrogance of the dragons has led them to think that this whelp, this child, was their saviour! So much that they would send him and his companions here instead of themselves! Are these the actions of a proud and noble race?"

"No!" the apes shouted back.

"Are these the actions of a race that deserves to claim guardianship of all the realms? To send their youngest and least experienced to face the might of us?"

"No!" "Would we send our greenest troops to face down their greatest warriors? Would we show such arrogance and lack of understanding of our enemy?"

"No!" again roared the apes.

"No one sent us!" protested Cynder coldly, "It was our decision to come here. We followed Spyro here because he knew it was the right thing to do!"

"Yeah!" Ember concurred, "We came to help our friend!"

"We weren't going to let you apes get away with taking Meadow!" Flame proclaimed bravely, even as one of the ape lieutenants nearest him snarled at his impertinence.

"Silence!" yelled the Ape King, slamming the base of his staff on the floor before opening up his arms as he again addressed his troops, "You see how these dragons act? Thinking they know all even when their arrogance leads them right into our hands!"

The other apes laughed heartily, their merriment almost a worser torture than anything else they might have in store for the four who lived. Spyro's anxiousness grew by the second as he tried to fathom some way out of their crisis, wishing and hoping that the glass ceiling would shatter any moment and Ignitus and the other Guardians would come to the rescue. But he knew how hopeless such a thought was. If there was a way out, it would have to be one they found themselves. As he tried to find it, Gaul continued boasting before the gathering,

"But we have always known this about them; the dragons and their hollow virtues and pretensions. Lording over us like it is their divine right, grinding us into the dirt and denying us our rightful place! Only one of them ever saw the truth of this; our Master Lord Malefor when he turned his back on that treacherous race and imbued us with his knowledge and power. His so-called masters tried to restrain him, to use him as their pawn for their own gain, but he refused them and came to us. We have loyally served him since that day and even after his mortal form was vanquished, we have remained loyal still for when the day he returns! Today brings us one step closer to that day! Twelve years ago, these whelplings escaped death by our hand. But thanks to their own foolishness, we shall make that right and pave the way for our master's return!" he bellowed and raised his right fist, the apes cheering and chanting his name triumphantly,

"Gaul! Gaul! Gaul!"

'Time's running out. I've got to do something now!' Spyro thought desperately. He saw the same desperation in the eyes of his friends, all hoping he had some way to rescue them. Meadow lifted his head solemnly as stared across to him, his gaze being one regret; regret for what he wasn't sure. Was it regret that he had been captured, or that him being captured had inadvertently bought the four of them into the Ape Kings possession? Gaul lifted his staff up and slipped it behind his back into a sheath, the colossal ape flexing his fingers eagerly as his subjects continued to chant his name. He walked down the few steps down into the central arena, waving his hands towards himself to further arouse the bloodlust of his troops. Cynder, Flame and Ember all huddled back against the pillars they were chained to, but Spyro remained standing on the edge of his chain's length, eyeing Gaul as he turned his head towards him and began striding to him. He saw the spiked wrist guards and imagined them being plunged into his neck or the Ape King simply tearing into him with his bare hands. Worse than that was what the thought of his friends being forced watch it happening to him as they waited their turn. He wondered if he deserved credit for still thinking about them as death was walking towards him.

"Hope this was worth twelve years of waiting," Spyro told Gaul cynically as the Ape King came to halt just in front of him, bearing down on the purple dragon, mouth open hungrily.

"You'll wish you had perished with your nestmates in the temple," Gaul told him menacingly, but for whatever reason, Spyro stared him down and did not cowl even as adrenaline pumped through his veins like lava sprouting from Boyzitbig. It seemed that if there was dignity in death, he was going to try for it. He watched Gaul's eyes expectantly, waiting for the involuntary blink before he set upon him like a wild animal. But the body language he read was that of a creature in thought, not in motion. The extra seconds added to the tension as he waited for the stab, swipe or bite that would begin his demise. Gaul suddenly reached and grasped the bottom of Spyro's chin in his right paw, his claws poking into his cheeks. Spyro knew then that his short life had just ended.

Then it didn't.

The Ape King tilted his head as if confused, like a cat watching a fish in a bowl, his green eye beginning to shrink as he contemplated the purple dragon, his arch nemesis, helplessly but sternly looking back at him with an unspoken resolve.

"You are mine, to deal with any way I wish. Your life ends tonight," he said as if needing to remind him of the plight he was in.

"Then stop wasting time," Spyro replied impatiently, "Because I'm sick of listening to you." Some part of him hoped that would set Gaul off, knowing his end would be long and unpleasant it was better to get it started than to have it drawn out. Gaul pressed his ugly face close to his muzzle, thinking he had just achieved that. But a smile then creased the Ape's face, which somehow unsettled him more than anything previous.

"But why should you have the privilege of dying first?" he said with a cruel smile, tearing his hand away from Spyro's face and clawing his cheeks, blood beginning seep from the razor like slashes on his cheeks.

"What?" Spyro asked in horror, seeing Gaul turn his back to him, revealing a pair of massive violet scimitar like swords worn in sheaths across his back. He marched towards Cynder on the next pillar, the black dragoness ducking down like a fawn trying to hide in the grass even as she snarled rebelliously at the Ape King. He pulled on his chain, the ape lieutenant quickly knocking him back with his club. Gaul stopped just short of Cynder, looking over his shoulder to the purple dragon as he looked across into her emerald eyes with terror.

"You monster!" he yelled, "I'm the purple dragon! I'm the most dangerous one here! I'm the one Malefor sent you after!"

"His plans go so much further than just destroying you…" Gaul replied mysteriously, "As do mine." He then took the last few steps towards Cynder, who suddenly leapt from the floor towards him with her teeth bared. Gaul's fist struck her muzzle, twisting Spyro's heart as he then grabbed a hold of her in his fist, holding her up like a doll in the hands of a child.

"Get away from me!" she screamed as she wriggled and thrashed as hard as she could, her tail swinging up like a pendulum trying to strike him as the Ape King chuckled villainously before throwing her back against the pillar, stunning her.

"Cynder!" Spyro cried out, the ape lieutenant grabbing him by the neck and lifting him so that only his back feet touched the ground as he kept trying to pull towards her.

"Leave her alone!" Flame demanded fiercely, even snapping at the ape that guarded him as he pulled on his chain.

"You'll be sorry!" Ember threatened confidently even as she was threatened by a beating with the club. These small acts of resistance went unchallenged by the Ape King as lifted Cynder's awake but docile form into the air in both hands, his face glowing with insidious delight. He turned his head back to Spyro who continued to heaving on his chain even as it choked the life out of him, his back feet weakly scraping the floor.

"Foolish dragon. When you see what I do to her and see what happens to your friends, you'll think it an act of mercy when I grant you death."

"Leave…" Spyro croaked as his chest heaved, "Leave her alone…" he said as his eyes lowered into a furious scowl. Gaul laughed again as a broad, drooling grin danced across his face as the black dragoness weakly bu t fearfully stared into his demonic eyes. The sight of this changed something within Spyro, something that seemed to happen all on its own as fear gave way to anger. His hollow, tightened insides unraveled like a twister laced with fire, though he knew his powers had been sapped. Unconsciously, he clenched his front paws into tight fists, his back feet coming to a halt and planting themselves on the floor. His pupils seemed to tighten and in the space of a single blink, changing from purple to a burning, fiery orange.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" he bellowed, unleashing the burning twister he felt inside him. His mouth opened into a glowing tunnel of flame, his amethyst scales spontaneously erupting into a cloak of burning flames across his body. The ape lieutenant screamed as the shackles he held became white hot and melted into his palms before he erupted into a gruesome fireball. The collar around Spyro's neck melted away as he suddenly propelled towards Gaul with the speed and flaming trail of a comet, the Ape King dropping Cynder as Spyro violently slammed into him, coming to a halt as Gaul launched through the air and crashed through the throne towering over them, Meadow throwing himself down as the impact shook and shocked the entire room.

"Spyro!" Cynder cried triumphantly as she stared in amazement at the living fireball he had miraculously become. Before she knew anything, he turned and Comet Dashed right behind her, her shackles breaking apart like glass as she shot by her. As the three ape lieutenants charged him, his body of fire enraged again as he Comet Dashed straight through them, sending the trio flying into the walls as he dashed past Flame, slicing through his chains before dashing through Ember's the very next instant.

"Spyro's on fire!" the red dragon cheered joyously as Ember watched Spyro dash almost instantly to the center of the room, facing towards the shattered throne. She squirmed with happiness and she almost danced in awe of her freedom.

"Who wants payback?" she proclaimed with a cocky scowl and smile, the three young dragons readily running up beside Spyro, Cynder on his left and Flame and Ember on his right with the strange well between them. The flames that encased his body suddenly disappeared, his new orange eyes and scales fading back to their original purple.

"You guys okay?" he asked quickly, seemingly unphased by his sudden transformation.

"We'll find out after this," Cynder replied dryly as the four of them stared up at the throne and the surrounding room as the rest of the apes stood ready with weapons in hand around the chamber. A furious roar came from behind the shattered throne as Gaul lifted himself from the ground, snarling as he eyed the four survivors eyeing him smugly from the middle of the chamber. He clambered over the broken pieces of the throne, drawing the giant blades from behind his back and letting out another deathly roar.

"You dare smite me?! Nothing will prevent this!" he shouted as he jumped down into the arena, followed by the other apes as they leapt down from the high ledge, surrounding the four dragons vengefully as they brandished their weapons eagerly. Spyro did not take his eyes off Gaul for a moment even as they became surrounded, his friends having enough faith to watch behind him and let him cover the front, acutely aware that they had not regained their powers although he seemingly had.

"What's the plan?" Flame asked over his shoulder with reserved anxiousness as he eyed the apes edging closer to them.

"When I say so; jump and stay off the floor. You got that?" he responded resolutely.

"Jump?" asked Ember.

"Exactly," he nodded firmly. Spyro inhaled deeply as he watched Gaul waving his blades, clenching his hands around their hilts. He saw the giant ape lean back like a predator about to pounce, throwing his arms forward as he leapt up a great height with his swords bearing down on them.

"Jump!" Spyro yelled, launching himself in the air as his friends did the same. Gaul's eyes widened in surprise as the dragons split up in the air except for Spyro who rocketed up towards him. He passed over the Ape King by inches as he came down, slamming his blades into the ground, embedding them in the floor. Spyro wasted no time and dove back down as the others remained hovering above, watching him in awe. He pulled himself into a ball and rolled across the floor before he unfolded and pounced back to his feet, spinning around and skidding to a halt on the throne side of arena as all the apes turned their eyes on him. Gaul ripped his blades from the floor and spun to him with an enraged howl, breaking into a charge at him with the rest of his troops following.

Spyro leapt stiffly into the air, stretching back his limbs as if trying to flatten himself in the air. A leafy green haze suddenly appeared around his paws as he slammed his four feet hard down onto the floor, the impact shaking the ground and making a roar like an avalanche ripping through the whole mountain. Spyro flew up as giant cracks rippled through the floor like it was made of glass, Gaul's furious roar changing to one of shock as the floor gave way, he and the other apes falling through as it crumbled like dirt beneath them.

"Holy heck!" Flame exclaimed as he and the others watched the stone arena collapse beneath them as Spyro flew up to join them. There was another cry of despair that caught their attention as they saw Meadow, whom they had almost forgotten, slip from beside the broken throne and dangle precariously down the newly created hole by his shackles.

"Help!" he cried desperately, his legs hanging below helplessly.

"Meadow!" the four of them cried together, gliding down quickly towards the throne. Spyro and Cynder flew down to grab his legs as Flame and Ember landed on the edge of the throne and grasped the hanging chain in their teeth. Spyro glanced downwards and saw Gaul and the other apes had fallen to a lower floor some distance below, laying among the rubble of the shattered floor, apparently mostly unharmed. Looking back up, together with the others they lifted and pulled the Cheetah out from the collapsed floor until he sat wide eyed and panting heavily beside the throne's armrest.

"Thank you, my friends," he said breathlessly, but an enraged bellow from below the floor quickly diverted their attention, the four dragons peeking over the edge of the hole.

"Get them! Don't let them escape!" Gaul raged as the apes surrounding him hurriedly stood to their feet, some limping and grasping injuries sustained during the fall, but fearing their King's wrath as they rushed to exit the room. There was a sudden uproar of shouting and running footsteps coming up the stairs outside the throne room as other apes evidently had heard the commotion.

"Wait here!" Spyro answered swiftly as he sprang into the air once again, shooting across the gaping chasm and landing in front of the door. He inhaled deeply before he blew a freezing stream of Ice down the centre of the door and across its base, a thick icy barrier forming and crackling as it hardened over the door.

"That should slow them down," he announced as he flew back across to the others as they worked on Meadow's chains, the sound of countless apes bashing and crashing against the frozen door heightening the tensions as they struggled with Meadow's shackles. Flame tried chewing through the chain binding him to the throne while Cynder and Ember tried to unlock the irons clasping his hands.

"It's not working!" Ember panicked as the crashing at the door grew louder.

"Hold on!" Spyro cried as he rushed between them, eyeing the herbalist reassuringly before he looked down at the shackles thoughtfully.

"Maybe if I freeze them, then I could…"

"Make way!" Cynder shouted exasperatedly as he suddenly turned her back and lifted her tail, the scythe like blade gleaming as her companions hastily leaned back as she drove her tail down like an axe, cleanly slicing through the chain binding his hands, Meadow gasping in relief as he held up his now free hands though still with the cuffs around his wrists.

"Wow!" Spyro said in surprise, "Guess you didn't need me, huh?"

"Maybe this once," she replied with a cheeky smirk as she stepped around and slashed her tail through the chain to the throne, finally freeing Meadow.

"Come on, lets get out of here!" Flame yelled urgently, but the herbalist's face twisted in pain as he tried to pull himself to his feet, his right leg quivering in pain.

"My leg… I think its broken!" Meadow said despairingly, all at once the hearts of the five of them dropped through the floor into the hands of Gaul.

"You've got to go. They'll break through the door any minute!" Meadow said mournfully.

"No! We came here to rescue you and that's what we are going to do!" Spyro promised boldly.

"But where are we going to go?" demanded Ember hastily. Meadow raised his right arm and pointed over his shoulder to behind the throne,

"Gaul's chambers are there. That's where he kept me. There is a balcony outside, you could escape through there," he coughed huskily.

"You're coming with us," Spyro affirmed almost harshly, "Help him up, lets go!"

Cynder grasped a spear from a rack by the wall in her mouth and carried it over as Meadow tried to stand, taking it in his hands to use in place of a staff, grimacing as he rose unsteadily. There was a loud crash against the door as a chunk of Ice broke from the center and shattered onto the floor. "We've got to hurry!" spurred on Flame as he rushed ahead to the door behind the throne, Spyro running after him with Cynder and Ember staying by Meadow's side as he limped slowly towards the door. Flame waited for Spyro to join him before the two of them barged the door open with their horns, opening up into Gaul's personnel chamber. It was yet another round room with the same green mosaic in the center of the floor he had seen above the statue of Malefor. Spyro's eyes shot across the room to the open doorway leading outside, a flash of lightning streaking across the black sky as if in response to their intrusion.

His heart jumped at the sound of thunder and the sight of the path of escape before he and Flame quickly made room for the others as they shuffled through. To the left was an enormous bed draped in black fur skinned covers, on top of the four bed posts were the clean white skulls of dragons staring towards the opposite wall, Spyro not looking at them for long as the thought that one of them might have been Pyra crept into his mind. At the end of the bed was the edge of the mosaic, on the other side of which was a once grand dining table worn from years of neglect covered in a tattered violet cloth. The cooked remains of some unknown meat lay strewn over the table while a colossal grey bricked fireplace burned on the other side of the table, the menacing stone likeness of Malefor's snarling head watched from atop of it. Hanging above them was a large candle lit chandelier made of bones in the same manner as the throne.

"Close it, quick!" Spyro hurried as he and Flame together again pressed their horns into the heavy door and closed it behind them, the purple dragon quickly breathing a thick layer of ice over the lock and doorlatch, gasping for breath as the stream of freezing magic floundered quickly.

"That's the best I can do," he panted regretfully as Meadow sat on the edge of Gaul's bed as the others took in their surroundings. Cynder curiously inspected a wooden cart parked beside the bed, a heavy white blanket draped over its content which rose high above the sides of the cart. She stood on her hind legs and pulled the blanket back with her front paws, a glistening green cluster sparkling in her eyes.

"You guys need a pick me up? Better do it now!" she proclaimed cheerfully as she gazed into the three headed pyramid of a cluster of green Spirit Gems, the four young dragons quickly rushing over to rejuvenate their mana. Cynder was the first to do so, standing up again and pressing her front paws into the shimmering crystal. As soon as she did so, she gasped as if cold water had been poured over her, closing her eyes as the Spirit Gem began to glow as she took long breaths as her body vibrated with elemental energy. The process lasted barely five seconds before she tore herself away from the gem, fully revitalised. Flame and Ember did not wait as they pressed up together against the green gem, the physical and spiritual empowerment of the crystals more potent than they had ever known, Gaul's disenchantment of their elements having left them so exhausted of them more than Terrador's most vigorous training sessions.

"How did you get your powers back like that?" asked Cynder curiously, still reeling from the rejuvenation as Spyro waited for his turn.

"I have no idea. I just got real angry and it just came to me out of nowhere. Its almost like I was in a trance or something," he answered before quickly jumping up to the Spirit Gem to replenish his mana as Flame and Ember stepped down. He drew a deep breath as his paws clutched the gems and his body flinched as it became empowered by the green spirit energy. He breathed heavily but calmly as it took several seconds longer to feel his abilities become fully replenished. Behind him, Ember had rushed over to the door and cast her own Ice breath over it, covering the whole door in a thick iceberg that would hopefully give them more time.

"I cannot walk out of here," Meadow said pointedly, "You can fly but I can't. Save yourselves before its too late!"

"We're not leaving empty handed," Cynder told him firmly, "Or else this would have all been a great waste of time," she said with black humor. Spyro jumped down from the gems and ran towards the opening outside, his view being filled by an endless black sky as lightning and thunder howled like demons. He leapt up onto the stone balcony, gazing anxiously around for any sign of the landscape, but the blackness of the outside was all consuming and the height of the mountain too great. A bolt of lightning suddenly crashed into the side of the mountain to his left, making him jump back from the balcony in fright. He turned to head back inside, seeing Flame just as he was coming out to find him.

"Spyro, the apes are in the throne room!" he cried with fear as the purple dragon rushed past him, seeing Cynder and Ember both watching the chamber door warily as a loud thud came from behind the block of Ice, the apes trying to break in.

"It's a lot stronger but it won't hold for long," Spyro observed bluntly, "We've got to go."

"But what about Meadow? How can we take him with us?" Ember asked quickly. Spyro looked back towards the orange Cheetah, his eyes solemn in the belief that his fate was out of his hands. Another thud against the door reminded them that they had little time to find a solution, the four young dragons beginning to move around the room looking for anything that might give an answer. Spyro paused by the weapons rack, eyeing the many instruments of death it contained and quickly surmised they would be of no use unless Meadow wished to renounce his stance on pacifism in the last moments of his life.

"Did you really come just to save me?" the herbalist asked tentatively, Spyro quickly moving over to him as he gave him a sheepish grin in spite of the current situation.

"We sure did!" he said brightly, "What would Prowless have said if we came back without you?"

"Yeah, he'd turn us into dragonskin coats!" added Flame seriously as he passed by, another loud thud banging against the door.

"What about the others? The Guardians?" Meadow asked.

"We came without them. We figured it would be too late before they arrived," Spyro shrugged his shoulders, candidly admitting how foolhardy the whole endeavor had been. A sad smile rose on Meadow's face as he folded his hands on his lap,

"I'm very grateful to you; all of you. But I fear that your heroism will have been for naught…"

"Hold that thought…" Spyro interrupted as his eyes caught site of something juts poking from beneath the large pillows at the head of the bed. He leapt up onto the bed and rushed over, brushing the pillows away with a swipe of his paw. The object he had glanced looked like a flute, carved from dark wood with the likeness of a Dreadwing's snarling face just below the smooth mouthpiece, the creatures wings extended outwards with intricate detail. A thin but thick leather strap looped through a ring at the back of the flute. Spyro grasped it with his paw and dragged it closer as he lowered his face nearer to it, eyeing the small dark purple crystal that sat in the middle of the wooden tube.

"What is it?" asked Meadow from behind as the other began to take notice of Spyro's discovery.

"Your way out of here!" he exclaimed excitedly as he grasped the flute in his mouth and hurried back to the Cheetah, where he dropped it into his lap.

"This is your ticket out, Meadow. Blow it!" Spyro told him earnestly.

"What is it?" he asked again as he eyed the frightening if stupendously detailed piece of woodwork.

"Just blow it!" Spyro cried impatiently, Meadow eyeing the object warily, acutely aware that Gaul's foul mouth had been around the flute. He wiped the mouthpiece with his tunic before he put his trust in the word of the purple dragon and blew into the flute. No sound came from the flute as Meadow pulled it away from his mouth and stared at it in confusion.

"I didn't hear anything…" he remarked as the others gathered around, their eyes bulging as they settled on the ghoulish flute.

"That's a Dreadwing whistle!" Cynder cried in shock, Meadow dropping the whistle immediately upon her remark.

"What?" he yelled in disbelief as he eyed Spyro with anger and confusion.

"Yikes! Just the pictures of those things scare me!" Flame gasped.

"What have you done?" squealed Ember as they all looked for Spyro for an explanation. Before he could give them one, a blood curdling screech came from the outside balcony, accompanied by a heavy thud as a huge Dreadwing landed just outside the door. The monster landed without looking into the room, turning its back to the doorway and staring out into the violent sky, awaiting its rider to climb onto its back. Everyone in the room froze, except for Spyro who jumped down from the bed and stood next to the tattered dining table.

"The Dreadwing will answer to whoever blows the whistle. Only they can hear it! That's how we're getting Meadow out of here!"

"By riding a Dreadwing?!" asked Cynder incredulously, "You're crazy!"

"Its our only chance! Meadow, grab that whistle. You'll need to wear it or that thing won't let you ride it," he explained calmly. Meadow kept his eyes on the bat monster untrustingly as he groped over near where he had dropped the whistle, finding it and then slipping it over is neck.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked nervously.

"Pretty sure… I think," Spyro answered anxiously. A heavy crash against the door produced a crack in the ice that covered it, quickly eroding any thought of challenging the proposal, no matter how insane it might have been. Certain death or merely probable death?

"What's to stop it from attacking us?" queried Ember uneasily as Meadow rose unsteadily to his feet, holding himself up with the spear.

"Well, let's not let it see us until we get Meadow on its back. If it does, we'll get it to chase us away from the mountain," Spyro replied plainly.

"I don't like this plan," Flame shook his head doubtfully.

"It's all we've got," added Cynder grimly as they walked cautiously towards the Dreadwing. Meadow limped in front of them as the others kept a short distance behind, hoping to go unnoticed by the creature at least until it had become mounted by the Cheetah. That is if it would allow him onto its back at all and wasn't conditioned to only allow apes to control it. The sound of the ice cracking behind them quickened Meadow's pace despite the pain he was in, pausing just behind the beast as fluttered its wings softly, its head tilting with fascination as it watched the lighting dancing in the sky. Without further or do, the wounded herbalist stepped up to the Dreadwing's scrawny back legs and tiny stump for a tail, grasping the legs and pulling himself onto its lower back, the creature letting out a high pitch of discomfort as he shuffled up its back towards the saddle strapped onto it. Spyro and the others watched precariously as he straddled the creature's back, dragging his broken leg along its hairy body as he sat himself in the oversized saddle that was intended for a large ape like Gaul and not a Cheetah.

"Okay, you holding on tight?" asked Spyro quickly.

"I think so," Meadow answered back as he grasped the handlebars on the front of the saddle, "What do I do now?"

"Don't let go!" he cried as he suddenly spread his wings and took flight, swooping around to the left of the commandeered Dreadwing, the others being caught off guard as the monster turned its head as he flew past, screaming in alarm at the sight of the purple dragon. It snarled before it took off in pursuit, Meadow letting out a frightful cry as he held onto the saddle for dear life.

"Let's go!" Spyro called back as he sped off into the black sky, lighting flashes streaking as far as he could see, looking over his shoulder to see the Dreadwing pursuing him and the others quickly flying out after it. Meadow's eyes were as big as the moons as his hands clasped like vices onto the saddle. He had expected that the monster would give chase once it saw him, though he had hoped otherwise. His only consolation was that it was seemingly only aware of him and not his friends, meaning that as long as he stayed out in front, he could lead it where he wanted.

"WHAT DO I DO?!" he heard Meadow shout desperately.

"Just hold on and keep me in sight!" he shouted back, banking sharply to the left as he made to head back around the other side of the mountain towards where he thought Avalar was. As he completed his turn, he looked up towards his left at the harrowing sight that had been just out of view above the balcony; the colossal stone edifice of a demonic dragon skull with its fangs extended towards the heavens. A bolt of lightning crossed in front of its hollow eye, filling it just briefly with an unnerving flash of anger as if it was watching him and his defiance. Spyro in that moment had never felt such an unnatural chill run down his spine, not even when looking in the face of the Ape that had murdered his nestmates and the idol to them all, Pyra.

Another scream brought his eyes upwards, the purple dragon struggling to see through the darkness but another flash of lightning lit up the sky to reveal what it had hidden; a dozen or more Dreadwings diving from above the mountain towards them.

"Follow me!" he shouted to the others as he dived headlong into the clouds below, the Dreadwings above screeching as they plummeted after them. The wind rushed by at breakneck speed as Spyro strained to see through the night, catching only momentary glimpses of clouds before he broke through them, the near continuous lightning being his only illumination. He strained to see behind him, seeing the large Dreadwing piloted by Meadow following closely with Cynder, Flame and Ember just visible behind it. The longer he dived, the more he feared he would not see the ground until it was too late, the sky rumbling with thunder and lightning but becoming no clearer. His heart jumped as he heard a scream nearby, a lightning flash giving away the shape of a Dreadwing coming at him head on. On reflex, Spyro fired a cluster of fire straight ahead, the ball sailing ahead blindly before it found its mark, the flying pest catching alight and flailing off to his right by barely a foot. That was one down, but of how many? Did that give him any hint how close they were to the ground?

Another flash of lightning shot by him, close enough to make his scales tingle with its electrical power. Suddenly the answer came to him; use lightning to light the way! Spyro opened his mouth and cast a stream of yellow electricity ahead of him like a crackling whip, the streak of yellow light illuminating far ahead through the clouds. It was hard to judge how far ahead it reached, but it was enough to reveal yet more sky as he plummeted on, aware that he was also making it easier for his friends and foes to see him but it was better than not being able to see at all. Every second that passed he was draining his mana and Spyro feared he may not have any left to fight with if he had to, but that was a problem for later.

'Got to be close now,' he thought as he drew on all his strength to keep the lightning rod going, not breaking it to see if his friends were still with him or their pursuers, having to assume they still were. He heard the snapping of the jaws of Meadow's Dreadwing close behind, but he didn't move his eyes an inch as he looked ahead, hoping his lightning stream would show him the ground before it was too late. The clouds finally seemed to have passed as Spyro saw only the darkness of the night with his lighting stream cutting through it like a spear. He saw shapes whizzing by below him, the thorn like ridges of the mountain drawing closer to him as it widened nearer to its base. He pulled up slightly from his dive, slightly higher than the curve of the mountain, now feeling confident enough to cut off the stream. He looked behind to see the terrifying eyes of Medaow's Dreadwing just behind his tail, making him let out a shamefully high-pitched yelp of fright.

"I CAN'T CONTROL THIS THING!" Meadow screamed as he looked at the purple dragon desperately.

"Pull it back! Get it off my tail!" he shouted as he rapidly looked forwards and backwards, unsure if the snarling jaws behind him or the darkness in front of him was more dangerous. Suddenly there was a shape that appeared on his right, Spyro turning to see Cynder's emerald gaze as she swooped in beside him.

"Cynder?" he asked in confusion just as the form of Flame swept behind him and to his left, moments later followed by Ember who flew on the red dragons left flank.

"We thought you might be getting lonely up front," jeered Cynder, "Ember thought we should join you."

"It was your idea!" the pink dragoness retorted.

"What's it like back there?" Spyro interrupted as he tried to see through the darkness ahead.

"Bad!" Flame answered panickily, "There's hundreds of them!"

"I'm kind of more worried about the one right behind me trying to chew off my tail…" he remarked dryly as Meadow tried pulling on the saddle to reel in the creature he was the supposed pilot of. A streak of lightning from high above crashed down ahead of them, the brilliant white flash lighting up the world below for an instant, finally revealing the ground to them. The brief glimpse showed a desolate expanse of grey rock less than a few hundred feet below, but they were thankful to know it was there.

"Stay on me!" Spyro shouted, sweeping down into the darkness below, edging down a few feet every few seconds, trying to gauge from how high he could see the ground. He did not want to exhaust any more mana trying to illuminate their path or highlight their position to the apes in pursuit. Though the darkness was no longer absolute, he could still only see a short distance ahead even as he kept cautiously dropping his altitude. A clam shaped boulder suddenly came into view, the four dragons splitting in two to go around it as Meadow's Dreadwing hopped over it and remained close behind.

"I think that's low enough!" Cynder suggested frantically as they quickly flew higher to avoid anymore obstacles. A flaming bolt suddenly shot over their heads, followed by Meadow's shout of, "They're shooting at us!"

The four dragons looked behind to see the pursuing Dreadwing riders had closed the gap to fire crossbows from their mounts. They were not only firing at them, but the captured Dreadwing that to its mind was part of the pursuit as well. Meadow forced the creature to duck left and right to try and avoid them, but already there were a few bolts that had pierced its wings.

"Split up!" Spyro cried, "Take evasive action but don't stray too far!"

"Right!" they all answered more or less at once, the four dragons breaking formation, ducking and weaving to avoid the increasing volley of fire. Meadow's Dreadwing kept pulling back after the purple dragon even as the Cheetah tried to control it, confirming to Spyro that it wasn't as interested in the others. But that also meant any attempt to confront the other Dreadwings would bring it and Meadow in tow, and he couldn't risk the herbalist being captured again. Running it seemed was the only option if they were to have any chance of rescuing him.

Spyro's eyes had adjusted to the dark enough to see the rocky ground below, but unable to see the horizon he was little more than hoping they were headed closer to the edge of Avalar and not further into the wasteland of Malefor. He barrel rolled to the left to avoid more shots, repeating the act to the right, fearing that their aim was getting better. He heard a howl behind him, glancing over to see captive Dreadwing crying out as arrows embedded in its wings, Meadow somehow having avoided being hit as the creature cried out in confused pain, unsure why it was being attacked by its own side. It couldn't endure that forever and he knew he had to do something to get the pressure off it, if only for the sake of Meadow.

"Heads up!" a voice ahead warned, Spyro catching glimpse of Cynder as she soared over him, glancing back and seeing her swoop over Meadow while casting a strong gust of Wind at their attackers, their next volley of arrows being blown wildly all around as she dived daringly through their formation. He looked ahead just in time to see Flame and Ember wing on wing, sweeping over him and letting loose a duo of Fire and Ice into the Dreadwings, several of them falling all at once. "We got ya, buddy!" he heard Flame sing triumphantly. Spyro laughed with joy, something he could never have conceived doing as the others swept back around to follow him, the remaining Dreadwings hanging further back just out of range.

"Nice work, guys!" he shouted as his companions flew three abreast high above and just behind Meadow's Dreadwing, the beast continuing its howling even as it still tried to keep pace with Spyro. The sounds of its anguish began to worry him, even feeling slight pity for it as it had been a useful if still dangerous and hostile bat monster. He looked behind to see Meadow was still holding on, his mount still chasing Spyro's tail though it was weakened. He wondered what they would do if the creature collapsed and how they would get Meadow the rest of the way. With that thought on his mind, Spyro looked back just as a flash of red came barrelling out of the night in front of him, his body acting before he mind as he pulled up to clear the red fireball. It struck the ground somewhere behind him, the force of the explosion spinning him violently in the air, losing track of everything in an instant as was thrown helplessly through the sky.

He felt a great whoosh of something flying past him from where the fireball came, the explosion blunted his ears and he did not hear the voices of his friends crying out his name as he hit the ground. He cried out as he cartwheeled like a ragdoll across the rocky earth before falling to his side and tumbling on, stones and coarse arid dirt grazed his scales and wings like ground up glass. He felt bruised all over when he finally stopped rolling, falling on his right side as he lay gasping for air. His hearing returned just as a figure went sailing past him and a loud crash happened just after him, looking down despite the pain to see Meadow's Dreadwing tumbling to a halt just in front of him, the creature letting out a high pitched death scream as it reared back like a horse before crashing down lifelessly in the dirt. Its saddle was empty.

"Spyro?! Spyro!" he heard voices yelling above, too disorientated to tell them apart. His heart was still rolling in his chest as he tried to process what had happened. He coughed as he wiped the dirt smudged into his face, expecting to feel the claws of the pursuing Dreadwings tearing at him any second. He dragged his head upwards along the dirt towards the figure he had seen go flying past him, seeing the figure of Meadow through the dark just ahead to his right, face down and lifeless. The sight gave his nerves a jolt, enough to try and force himself up with his right leg before his elbow slipped and he fell down again.

"Help…." he groaned roughly, the edges of his mouth lifting as his gritted his teeth painfully, his right paw reaching out desperately.

"Spyro!" he heard a voice exclaim, now recognizing it as Cynder as she suddenly landed beside him, Flame and Ember swooping down to the ground beside Meadow. The black dragoness blended well with the night, her green eyes and red underbelly standing out as she rushed over to him.

"Cynder…" he gasped weakly.

"Get up, Spyro! You've got to get up!"

"What was that thing?" he asked as she slapped her paws over his back and pulled him towards her, heaving him up off the ground and rolling him onto his belly, his flailing paws finding the ground as he tried to force himself up.

"A Dreadiwng, but it didn't look the like the other ones…" she answered curiously as they looked up towards their companions.

"Meadow's out! He unconscious!" he heard Flame shout as Spyro flinched painfully as he forced himself to his feet, his head bobbing as Cynder led him towards them.

"Is Spyro okay?" asked Ember swiftly as she and Flame rolled Meadow on his back, nudging and shaking him in the hope he would wake up.

"He's okay," Cynder answered sharply, "Come on! They'll be all over us any second!"

"What are we going to do?" Flame asked fearfully as Spyro and Cynder gathered with them around Meadow.

"Is he breathing?" he asked hastily.

"Yeah, but he won't wake up!" added Ember.

"We've got to move him before they find us. Come on!" he said as he ran around the side of Flame and grabbed Meadow's sleeve in his mouth. Ember did the same for the other as they began dragging him across the dirt, Cynder and Flame nervously watching the sky as they followed. There was a chorus of howls and shrieks from numerous Dreadwings hidden in the dark sky above, but for the moment at least it seemed that had lost track of the five escapees. Spyro battled the pain in his body and the fear in his heart as he dragged the unconscious Cheetah across the dirt, straining to see anything but a short distance ahead, wondering how long it would be before they were found again. Then what would happen?

The ground wasn't all flat, it was dotted by small mounds and boulders of varying sizes that they had to navigate through as they went on. There wasn't as much as a whisper amongst the group as they moved as quickly and quietly as their injured friend allowed, the sound of Dreadwings swooping so close overhead that they were sure they were caught yet nothing came of it. The darkness was their friend for the moment, but the dark or their luck had to end sooner or later. Spyro saw a shape ahead of them, something like a wave frozen in time arching across in front of them.

As they neared it, the ground suddenly dropped down sharply, falling several feet into what looked like a dry riverbed. Spyro and Ember nearly lost their footing as they slid down the incline, dragging Meadow still as Cynder and Flame rushed ahead of them towards the shape they had seen. It was a large, hump shaped boulder with a mostly flat bottom that reached over both sides of the riverbed like a bridge, apparently having placed to act as one generations ago. Spyro and Ember pulled Meadow under the large rock as they four of them paused to catch their breath now they had overhead cover.

"Keep your voices down," Spyro whispered, "We can't stay here for long."

"Oh man, we're cooked for sure!" Flame whimpered in despair. Spyro strode up to him and clapped him warmly on his left shoulder,

"Keep it together, Flame. We're not done yet," he said gently.

"Yes we are!" the red dragon snapped tensely, "There's no way we can get out of here with Meadow. They'll catch us and feed us to the Deathhounds!"

"We're not leaving him here," Cynder replied coldly as she glared at him with scornful eyes, joined swiftly by Ember.

"We can't abandon him and just go ourselves," she scowled harshly, "That's why we all came here."

"I know. I never said anything about leaving him," Flame retorted hotly, "I'm just saying that we've put ourselves up the creek without a paddle. We all know this will only end one way for us," he remarked sombrely. There was a thoughtful pause between the four dragons as they cast their eyes soulfully to each other and contemplated the gravity of their friend's observation. It was indeed doubtful that without transportation they could hope to rescue Meadow themselves and survive. If they chose to abandon him they might still escape with their lives, but the latter had never been an option, unless perhaps Meadow had already been killed before they could rescue him.

The poignant fact was they knew they would not leave him as long as he still lived. That fact caused Spyro to turn back towards the herbalist, eyeing his unconscious form thoughtfully as the others watched him with intrigue. He looked up to his left to outside the shelter of the rock, the sky still howling with danger as he looked back to the Cheetah and asked of his companions,

"If he died now, would you want to leave him here?" Spyro did not look back to them as he left the question hanging in the air, a flash of lightning striking the ground back from where they had come, briefly showing the daunting shape of the mountain fortress they had escaped. The sound of beating wings passed over the hideout of the group, making their position feel more precarious by the moment.

"Not to these animals, Spyro," Cynder answered definitively. Behind her Flame and Ember looked at each other for confirmation if they felt the same, reading each other's expressions as clearly as writing on a scroll. The space under the rock felt heavy as they confronted the grimness of the conviction. "Well, in for a penny, in for a pound…" Ember reflected resignedly, the red fire dragon taking a step nearer to her, rubbing his shoulder up against her warmly as she lowered her head. Spyro turned around and saw them, his demeanour strangely calm given the circumstances. His appearance prompted a curious eye squint from Cynder as she knew the signs when he had come to a grave, final conclusion.

"Can you carry Meadow through the air?" he asked them blankly.

"Well, maybe all of us together could but…" Cynder began before he sharply interrupted her.

"No, can the three of you fly him out?" he asked more pointedly.

"What do you mean three?" Flame asked cynically.

"Someone has got to give you guys a chance. If you hold his legs, Flame, and you two take his arms, you should be able to do it," Spyro observed thoughtfully.

"What are you talking about?" demanded Cynder. Spyro shook his head in pre-emption of the opposing words he knew she would launch at him,

"I'm the big prize for them. The purple dragon is the one they want. If they all see me they won't see you," he explained.

"Spyro, you're crazy!" Cynder objected, just as he had expected.

"I know, you already said," he replied tersely as he spun around, making a quick gallop outside the cover of the rock bridge. The others called him back but he ignored them, running over the edge of the riverbed beside the large boulder. He clambered up the parched soil of the riverbed, peeking his straight out towards the direction they had been flying a few minutes ago. He made out the shape of a cloud in the far distance, owing to a light source smothered on the other side of it. He kept watching it, his body tensing up with the knowledge he might be spotted any second. Suddenly there was break in the clouds and the shimmering light of the Celestial moons came into view, bathing the darkened earth in their mixed glow as it swept across the land. They shone like a pair of beacons, showing the way home.

"Time to go," Spyro whispered to himself, hopping down from the edge but staying put as the other watched him anxiously from under the rock bridge.

"It's your last chance! Go now!" he told them.

"But Spyro…" pleaded Cynder.

"Follow the river as long as you can, then stay low and head straight for the moons. Don't stop no matter what!"

"Spyro, wait!" Ember cried mournfully.

"Take care, guys…" Spyro replied sadly, turning his back to them stiffly before he spread his wings and took off into the sky, the new light evaporating the cover the darkness had given him and the enemy. Almost immediately he saw a flight of Dreadwings passing straight overtop of him, a chorus of voices shouting in alarm somewhere below. Spyro hovered in place high above and saw a group of apes with their Dreadwings standing around the area where Meadow's Dreadwing had crashed, pointing up to him as they yelled and hurled insults at him.

"There's the purple punk! Get him!" shouted the commander of the group as they hurried to remount and give chase.

"Come get me you filthy apes!" Spyro shouted venomously, "Come get your pound of flesh!"

He shot a fireball towards them, not staying to see the result as he took off like a cannonball, his ears filling with the howls of numerous Dreadwings as they honed in and gave chase from seemingly anywhere and everywhere. He took off towards what he thought was the east, the lighting flashing against the sky showing more Dreadwings in the skies around him. He flapped his wings hard, the already inflamed membrane stinging with every beat but he pressed on. He thrashed around the sky, left, right up, down in rapid manoeuvres, anything he could do to prolong the chase to give his friends more time to slip away. The screams of Dreadwings grew more vexed with every move he made, Spyro consciously not looking back, knowing it would slow him down.

He heard a pair of shrieks somewhere ahead of him, seeing two of the giant bats appear out in front, closing in on him. He eyed the gap between them as they hurtled towards him, but realised he would not be fast enough to pass between them and that he was going to fast to either climb or dive over them in time. The wish for more speed suddenly came true, Spyro's body rippled with electricity as he shot between them as if time had come to a halt, moving as fast as lightning flashed the twenty or so feet he needed to clear them. The two Dreadwings tried to brake in the air just before two others coming the others way slammed into them, the four of them falling part and dropping from the sky.

"Wow!" Spyro exclaimed, watching the electricity fizzle out across his body, his nerves twitching from its vigor, but he could not marvel at it as it also illuminated him in the black sky. He sucked in his breath and climbed higher into the clouds as the squadron of Dreadwings continued the chase. The thought of going closer to the Mountain of Malefor filled the core of his being with dread, but his only concern was keeping the apes distracted and away from his friends. He pierced through the layer of clouds, shooting up into the lightning storm that seemed to get closer with every flash. He finally cleared the top of the cloud canopy, the harrowing peak of the mountain appearing in the distance. He eyed its frightful mouth and hollow eyes, thinking it might suddenly turn towards him and become some horrific, dark magic infused monster of stone, not being surprised if it had done so. He looked behind to see the Dreadwings tearing through the cloud layer behind him, dozens of them at a glance. He headed straight towards the mountain, not sure what he would do when he got there. His eyes narrowed as he sped towards the hateful false temple, the swarm of hostiles spreading across the sky behind him stretching as far as the night allowed, though it might as well have been horizon to horizon for all it mattered to him. He started ducking and weaving as before, keeping the mountain peak in his sight, bracing himself for what was beginning to form in his mind.

A crossbow bolt passed to the right of Spyro's head by a feather's width, spiking his already racing heart even further. He strained to move himself faster as the bolts started zipping over and around him, the riders trying to anticipate where he would be next. The gaping jaws of the mountain were approaching fast, the lightning intensifying as if it was trying to ward him away from the hellish stone edifice, perhaps even altruistically so, for surely nature itself was appalled by the unnatural rock formation conjured through the powers of darkness. It didn't matter and didn't make him turn back, Spyro knew he would see it through to the bitter end. He reached the mountain just as another crossbow bolt nearly speared his head, pulling up vertically straight above the mouth of the fortress, the thin air sparsely filling his heaving lungs. The purple dragon soared higher than he had ever flown before, feeling his weight more than ever too as exhaustion started to sweep through his body like a fever. Spyro closed his eyes as drew in as much breath as he could, ready to take the leap. "Here goes nothing…" he muttered softly, and then he let go.

His wings became still and his body loosened, the young dragon limply fell from the sky. He fell over on his back, tumbling down towards the countless snarling jaws of the pursuing bat monsters and the menacing stone maw of the fortress. Several crossbow bolts passed him by harmlessly, the Dreadwings howling in surprise as their prey simply fell past them carelessly. Freefalling, Spyro began to guide his with fall snaps of his wings and sways of his body, casting his elements wherever his mouth was pointing; Fire, Ice, Lightning shot across the sky with reckless abandon, burning, freezing and shocking any Dreadwings in its path. The Dreadwings started breaking away as he tumbled through them as one after the other fell to his sporadic elemental projections.

He spun himself around, smacking his tail across any foes who came to close, often only feeling the impact and not seeing them as he fell. The jaws of the mountain seemed poised to consume him, Spyro finally turned himself over and dived at the mouth of Malefor, streamlining himself as he made out the glass ceiling of the throne room as he closed in. He scowled furiously as he thought of the dragon bones and skulls he had seen, determined that if his fate were to join them, he would be sure to not be alive to endure the pain and indignity of becoming a trophy.

His fire swirled like a tornado in his belly as he felt burning embers flow through his veins, Spyro pulling his head back and then launching forwards, a cloud of blue flame soaring out from his mouth. The flame spun in a sphere, lighting up the sky like a blue sun as it sailed into the mouth of the stone monster. Spyro hid his surprise at what he had summoned, straining his neck and back as he pulled up to clear the edge of the stone mouth, gasping in fear when it seemed he would not clear it. The fireball erupted as he felt the heat nearly burn him as the wind swept over his underside, the salient fangs of the mouth missing him by a hair's width. He looked behind as he pulled away to see the fireball erupting like a volcano inside the head of the mountain, spitting streams of flame from its mouth and eyes into the sky like the mountain itself was breathing fire.

"Hotshot!" Spyro exclaimed, watching the eruption as he straightened out, not knowing how much if any real damage had been done, but it made him feel satisfied in a way he never had before. He suddenly wished that the whole mountain would collapse, the very thought was enough for him to want to survive just for that day. But he had acted not expecting too, wanting to leave as much of a mark as he could before his time ran out, hopefully enough for Cynder, Flame and Ember to carry Meadow to safety. He looked forwards just as his vision turned white, a blinding lighting strike dazzled his eyes as it shot across in front of him, the air sizzling as his brain went blank for a moment, unsure if he had been struck or not. He gasped in fright as his vision flashed erratically, the black sky dissolving into a haze of fluid shapes like rain streaking down a dirty window.

"I can't see!" he panicked, waving his paws around fearfully as he tried clamping his eyes shut and opening them again, hoping his vision would return. He saw more flashes as he heard more lightning, hoping it was his eyes readjusting. The blinding whiteness lingered, his constant blinking revealing something ahead, maybe, but he couldn't know for sure. He made out the glowing eyes too late, the four of them their were, two tiny red ones atop the Dreadwing eyes he knew straight away just before it slammed into him. Spyro cried out as he felt the monster's fangs snapping at him as his wings slapped against it's belly. He felt himself beginning to fall as he blindly spat fire with what mana he had left, but a muffled laugh from the red eyes proved he had missed. Suddenly he felt clutched in a pair of vicious talons, dangling helplessly in their grasp as heard the heavy wings beating against the air.

"Not good! Not good!" he exclaimed as he thrashed inside their grasp, only now was his vision starting to come back. No sooner had he looked up and seen the masked Dreadwing than it suddenly dove vertically, clutching him tighter in its grasp as it nosed towards the ground. Spyro's breathing became erratic as he squirmed to no avail as he plummeted towards the earth, knowing now how a mouse felt to plucked from the undergrowth by a hawk. The cloud cover had broken away, allowing the Celestial moons to shine brightly across the horizon, casting their light across the previously shaded wasteland. Spyro's eyes bulged as he saw it coming towards him, sure the Dreadwing was going to slam him into the ground. He closed his eyes and braced for the end, only hoping that he had bought enough time for his companions to escape.

A violent jolt threw his eyes open, seeing the ground passing by under him several feet away as the Dreadwing swept low, apparently not about to drop him like a stone to his demise. The joy was short lived when its talons let him go, Spyro slamming his eyes shut again as his back spines hit the ground first, tumbling over himself like before, the raw pain of his previous bruises replayed tenfold. He thought his head was about to roll off when he finally stopped tumbling, both his sides heavily grazed. He fell on his left side this time, his insides thrown around so much he half expected to see his lungs hanging out of his mouth. Spyro tried to brighten himself with the thought that the pain was very surely near an end as was his life most certainly.

He heard footsteps running towards him, knowing it was not Cynder coming to encourage him to his feet this time. Sure enough, he saw several grinning apes running up and standing around him, snarling and laughing heinously as they viewed his bloodied and bruised body. They continued laughing as he lifted his head, trying to stand up for whatever it was worth, none of the apes seeming to regard him as much of a threat now. Spyro rolled onto his belly, his limbs numb with pain as he tried to stand, more apes joining in with the rest, watching him with hungry eyes as the purple dragon summoned enough will to rise unsteadily to his feet. Through watery eyes he stared and through a bloodied nose and mouth he breathed, ready to die on his feet. He thought some of the apes even looked impressed as the massive Dreadwing that had dropped him glided down towards them, the ape soldiers making space as it landed on the ground before him.

"Sure there is enough of you?" Spyro said weakly, eyeing the hairy barbarians that surrounded him as a short, armor clad figure jumped down from the Dreadwing's back, a pair of glowing red eyes behind his helm. His helmet was adorned with three wicked spikes, two on his right side and the third half broken on the left. His shoulder pads and wrist guards were also spiked in a similar way, the figure taking a few steps towards Spyro with his fists clenched. The purple dragon stiffened his stance just before the armored ape jabbed his gauntlet clad finger at him,

"Pr'per to meat yor dombb!" he said, his voice muffled behind his oversized helm.

"What?" Spyro asked, unsure if it was his senses failing or the ape.

"Yor dooombb!" he repeated, his red eyes narrowing in frustration.

"Huh?" Spyro asked again, fairly sure at least it was not his hearing that was failing him. The ape with glowing eyes growled furiously, turning to his subordinates around him and pointing his finger at the young dragon violently.

"Tak 'is 'ead orf!"he ordered them, the ape soldiers all looking to each other obliviously.

"You want us to rake his bread loaf?" one of the apes asked curiously.

"TAK- 'IS- 'EAD- ORF!" the armoured ape bellowed, still receiving only clueless glances in return. He threw his fists up and yelled towards the sky, the other apes jumping back in fright before he spun around and refocused on Spyro. The young dragon drew a sharp breath as the spiky horned ape started creeping towards him, the others at last understanding and beginning to close in on him, fingering their weapons eagerly. Even as it caused him pain, Spyro scratched the dirt like a bull ready to charge, letting out his own growl even as blood seeped from his lips. There was an especially loud crash of thunder even as the storm clouds receded, signifying that the climatic end to Spyro's young life was at hand.

Even in his weakened state, Spyro heard something above before the apes did, moments before the ground to his left exploded into flames, along with the apes who had been standing there. The Dreadwing screeched in alarm and took off in fear as Spyro's head shot upward, he and the red eyed ape watching a crackling ball of yellow lightning strike the ground to the right of them, searing the ground like a hot iron as sizzling electric arches chained through several apes at once. Spyro saw four winged silhouettes against the sky, red, blue, green and yellow flying abreast and aiming towards him. The hulking green shadow of the group plummeted like a stone towards the ground and quickly fell out of view, a heavy sound like a boulder crashing suddenly rocked the earth in the distance. As the apes behind Spyro began to flee in panic, a hailstorm of ice picks rained down from the sky on them, every one of them instantly becoming a frozen statue as the ground continued to shake.

The red eyed ape was suddenly thrown into the air, the patch of dirt he had been standing on springing out of the ground like a giant weed, Spyro ducking as the ape was sent flying over him and slamming hard back against a rock, falling limply and face down. The purple dragon looked back just as Ignitus, Cyril and Volteer soared gloriously overhead, each carrying a bow wielding Cheetah on their backs. Spyro's face brightened into the widest smile he had ever worn as they passed over him, burning, shocking and freezing the barren land of the ape soldiers who scattered like rodents.

"SPYRO!" he heard Ignitus shout just as he passed him, seeing Hunter riding the Guardians' back and firing arrows towards the enemy.

"IGNITUS!" Spyro called back, his throat straining with the effort as he turned his body around as he watched them. The Fire Guardian reared back in the air, Hunter grabbing hold of his neck spines as Ignitus hovered in place, gazing down at him.

"Keep your head down, young dragon! We're here to help!" he told him before he set off to follow Volteer and Cyril. As he flew off, Spyro heard a low grumble just in front of him as he saw the armoured ape push himself up and lift his glowing red eyes towards him, only stunned by the rock he had been catapulted into. As the Guardians had missed him, Spyro turned to face him as the armoured ape slipped his fingers under his helmet and blew a whistle. The Dreadwing that had fled moments before appeared through the dark and landed beside its master, the short ape jumping onto its back, his red eyes glaring at the purple dragon.

"Yo' arvent' seen tha larst o' meee!" it declared through its helm, Spyro growling defiantly as the Dreadwing took off into the air, headed towards the mountain away from the threat of the Guardians. As he watched his enemy soar away, Spyro heard heavy footsteps pounding the ground behind him, turning his head painfully to see the towering form of Terrador running towards him. He managed to bring himself around as the Earth Guardian finally reached him.

"Are you alright, Spyro?" he asked hurriedly, his booming, deep voice rife with anxiety.

"I've been better…" he replied weakly, "Where are the others? Did you find them?"

"We found them; they are safe. But we must leave here, now!"

"Alright…." Spyro nodded faintly, his eyes becoming heavy, his mind starting to become cloudy. His strength seemed to be going all at once, like a leech drawing from his blood. Before he could even say anymore or his body could raise the alarm, he felt his feet go out from under him and he fell.

"Spyro? Spyro!" he heard Terrador shout just as his eyes flickered, seeing only a blurry image of the Guardians green feet as his eyes closed over as if drawn over by an invisible hand to make him fall asleep.

'Am I going out again?' Spyro's drowsy brain managed to force out at the last moment, 'Or am I going out for good….?'

He felt hard vibrations in the ground around him, not knowing if they were friendly or enemy and powerless to do anything again. His vision now black and ears closing, Spyro thought he heard a voice and the sound of steps moving over closer to him. He hoped that he was right in what he thought he heard said…

"Hold on young dragon," said Ignitus, he thought, "We'll get you home…"

It all felt like a dream, yet some lingering doubt kept his mind razor sharp. Spyro's head felt like it was swimming underwater yet he could still breath like he was in the open air. The last image he recalled was that of Terrador's feet as he collapsed and the voice that he was sure belonged to Ignitus. He felt almost sure that he had in fact passed on, that his body simply gave out from exhaustion and that he had died right there outside the wicked Mountain of Malefor. His only comfort was that his friends had escaped and that his body would not become a trophy for the Apes. But he would never fulfil his destiny. He would never stop the resurrection of the Dark Master. He would not complete the prophecy that had been laid out for him. Spyro would be just another name added to the ever-growing list of fallen heroes.

'But then how am I thinking all this?' he wondered mentally, 'How can I feel all this?'

Like a shade being drawn open inside a dark room, Spyro's eyes suddenly shot open and beheld a vision of an unfamiliar sky. He felt the hard stone ground pressed against his right side, lifting his head up wearily as he surveyed his surroundings. He saw that he was not anywhere near where he last recalled being. He was not laying on the desolate wasteland around the Mountain fortress, but on the edge of some kind of stone platform, perilously close to a high edge. The sky was a blend dark blue and purples, like the visions of space he had seen through a telescope.

Turning his head around, he gasped as he saw two massive dragon statues, like that of the temple dojo, perched either side of him. Behind him was a massive building almost identical to the temple, only made of grey stone with glowing blue elemental carvings. There was an open doorway that led inside, though he could not see far enough to know what was in the building. He did not feel any of the pain that he had moments before and he did not seem to have any of the bruises or scratches he had gained. Spyro rolled onto his feet, moving his head around slowly as a foreboding thought branded his mind,

'Is… is this it? Did I really die?'

End of Chapter 11

Next Chapter: The Heroes Return

So there we have it, the longest chapter to date. I hope the longer wait was worth it. I will be going back to my usual schedule of a new chapter every month. Hope you will join me for all my future installments!