For those of you who still have requests that need to be done, I am holding off on those for now. I'm having a little bit of difficulty getting those specific characters' personalities accurate. I have heeded the requests, and I will get to them at a later date.
Chapter Twelve: Spyro's Dragon Temple
Before becoming the leader of the Skylanders, Spyro was just like the rest of them.
That's not saying the other Skylanders aren't equal to Spyro in anyway. Oh no, that's not what this is about.
But there was a time when Spyro was simply another face in that enormous crowd. The Skylanders often had their own cliques, preferring to hang out with the people they trusted the most. Spyro couldn't quite fit into one specific group, unsure of where he wanted to be. That being said, the Skylanders vaguely recognized him as one of their own, very few even knowing his name- those that did hated him.
The hatred was mostly fueled by the strong bond Spyro shared with their Portal Master Eon. Eon was the last good Portal Master in Skylands, and was the one that directed everyone to their missions. He'd taken Spyro under his wing, and they had formed a Skylander-Portal Master bond. A bond like that couldn't be broken, all Portal Masters detached from simple philosophies knew- but the Skylanders, like all other denizens of the universe, could only know those simple philosophies. It was hardly understood as to how bonding worked, and it was thought that a bond could be destroyed just like anything else.
"Spyro, I have an important mission for you," Eon told Spyro one day in the Citadel's meeting room.
"I'm ready for anything," Spyro promised. "What is it? Bandits in the Perilous Pastures? Gnorcs in the Summer Forest? Trolls in-"
"A terrible black dragon has been pillaging Skylands for several weeks now. Villages have been destroyed. People have gotten hurt."
"Any casualties?"
"Not that we know of yet. I've sent several Skylander teams out to defeat the dragon, and they've all come back with little success. It seems to feed off the shadows, healing from its wounds and becoming stronger than anything we can face. You must fight the dragon alone. Throw it off from our usual tactics. Get the dragon high into the air in the middle of the day, away from the shadows cast by the floating islands, and I know your power will be enough to destroy the dragon."
Spyro's heart sank. "Destroy?" he stammered. "But the Skylanders don't 'destroy' anything."
"It can be hard to understand," Eon said gravely. "This is a hard fact to accept, Spyro, but the Skylanders do resort to destruction from time to time. When the greater good needs to be protected, and no other alternatives can be found, drastic measures need to be taken to ensure the safety and security of the innocent. This dragon is a threat to that peace, and there is nothing more we can do. It cannot be allowed to live another moment with its warmongering ways. Please Spyro, I need you to listen to your heart. You must do what is necessary for Skylands, no matter the cost. The situation is more drastic this time."
Spyro nodded. "I'll do what is right," he promised.
That is what had led Spyro to Stonetown, a small, insignificant village in the middle of Skylands, where the dragon Master Eon had described was found. Blue fire rested on the houses, slowly turning them to ashes. The townspeople were backed up into a corner, the dragon advancing on them. Sparks danced off of Its body, a sort of purple electricity. It didn't relent, nor waver, nor pause in Its quest for desolation.
"Hey!" Spyro shouted. "Why don't you face me?"
The dragon turned to see him. Silver spikes protruded from the sides of Its head. A brand was set on Its forehead. The dragon looked at Spyro blankly, pale eyes glowing purple with the rest of Its sickly aura.
"I won't let you hurt another soul," Spyro said, staring the dragon in the eye, refusing to waver. He knew what was going to happen. He had to kill this unfeeling, unloving thing, if only to save these people.
"Bring it on, then," the dragon replied in an ominous, echoing voice.
Lightning shot at Spyro, barely giving him enough time to dodge the attack. His wings had been hit, aching with terrible burns. That was more power than he'd ever seen in his life. Spyro fled out of the way of another lightning attack, hiding behind a house. He tried to fly, but the pain stung deeply when he tried to flap his wings.
He had been grounded.
The thing somehow knew that Spyro wanted to get It into the air.
It had the advantage.
His heart pounded in his chest, the sweat rushing down. Spyro leaned from the corner, blasting fireballs at the thing. The moment It turned around, Spyro rushed behind another house to avoid the lightning rush. The electricity sparked out, reaching for something, but fortunately never grabbing it. The shadows moved, and the thing had flown to the spot that Spyro had previously been. More fireballs shot. More lightning rained down. Spyro was hit on the tail, needles rushing to his chest, and he just barely made it back to the center of the ruins. He ran inside the derelict remains of a shambling house as the thing once again flew through the shadows, shooting lightning from Its mouth. Buildings were blown away from the resulting blast.
"Don't make me do this!" the thing cried.
Spyro recognized the tone of voice used. Shame was laced through there, as well as guilt, regret, and sorrow. There was a person in that thing, trying to regain control, wishing no harm to come to the purple dragon. Spyro couldn't kill It now. Heck, he didn't even have the ability to. What was Master Eon thinking, sending him out alone to face the threat?
Spyro ran to another abandoned house. The dragon flew through the shadows into the derelict shack he had previously hid in, obliterating it. He ran to another house, and the dragon destroyed that other one as well. It was a chase that was created, all throughout the village, until all but one house had been destroyed. No search had to be made. There was nowhere else that Spyro could hide.
The dragon lunged out from the dark, pouncing on Spyro. His back to the ground, he had been pinned, staring into the thing's lifeless eyes. He could almost see an outline of color, shades that made out irises and pupils. The eyes seemed so familiar, yet Spyro knew this was the first time he had seen this dragon. His eyes cast down, noticing a chain hanging from the dragon's neck- a red amulet. Maybe that was…?
"You should have stayed back," the dragon growled somberly.
The dragon opened its mouth, white sparks dancing inside, prepared to completely eradicate Spyro by turning him into a pile of cinders. Spyro grabbed the amulet, yanking it off. Electricity bounced from the piece of jewelry, burning his paw and forcing him to drop it. Sparks also bounced from the dragon, shooting all around. He pushed It off of him, shooting flames at the amulet. The amulet sizzled and burned, cracking with a loud explosive pop! Spyro saw the dragon on the ground, writhing in contortions, the sparks launching higher and higher. Sensing the danger, he bolted out of the house, back onto the green of the village, ushering all bystanders away.
They didn't get far before the house exploded, sending planks and splinters flying from all directions. Everyone ducked for cover, avoiding the force of the blows that the wood sent. Smoke wafted over the village after this, a gentle breeze clearing it away to show that the battle was over. Spyro looked up, seeing the house completely obliterated. A giant black ring was left, created by the force of the explosion.
Murmurs wafted from the crowd, the number one question being "is it dead?" Spyro stood up, walking over to investigate. He was limping, the burn remaining on his paw- it might turn into a callus later. He walked over to the ring, looking in. The amulet couldn't be seen, but the dragon remained. He walked inside, walking next to the dragon. Spyro couldn't believe the change- the dragon's scales were now violet in color, no longer possessing a dark aura. The form was now much clearer, making Spyro realize that his enemy had been female. Her eyes were closed, and she was breathing heavily. Spyro looked back at the crowd, all of them looking at him expectantly, hoping he would do something.
Like what? End her life? That was what Spyro had technically been sent here to do. But…he couldn't do it. He looked at the dragon's resting form, seeing no darkness or hatred. She was perfectly normal this way, as if she hadn't been a monster at all. She could be redeemed. She could change. No, no, Spyro wasn't going to kill her.
A few days later, things at the Core of Light, and in Skylands, returned to normal. While Spyro enjoyed the serenity, he often found it unusual and frightening. How could this world face a near-apocalyptic event and keep on living after the danger passed? As if nothing had ever happened. He didn't get it, as glad as he was that everything was safe.
The dragoness had been brought to the medical ward after the battle. While her survival had been confirmed, she was still comatose. No doubt that she would feel jarred when she came to. Spyro would probably be the only one who knew enough to help her adjust. At this point in time, nobody else exactly…knew who she was.
"Can you tell me exactly how the battle with the dragon went down again?" Master Eon said.
Spyro had been sitting in the medical ward beside the dragoness, watching over her. He had been surprised to discover that Eon had sought him out. Was he in trouble? Had the Portal Master caught him for lying?
Spyro cleared his throat. "It began in Stonetown, when I found the heartless monster beating up this dragon," he lied. "Everything had been destroyed when I arrived, burning in flames. Everyone else had run away, and the dragon had caught the last refugee who couldn't quite get out in time. It seemed to want to watch her suffer, to slowly kill her and see her pain."
"That seems odd. The dragon hadn't displayed any methods of torture in the past when other Skylander groups tracked it down."
"I thought it was weird too, Master. Anyway, of course I wasn't going to just stand by, so I lured the dragon away from her. I did as you said, and fought the creature in the sky. Flame danced with lightning, intertwining in a great battle of hatred and ferocity. When the last blow was delivered, the dragon dissipated in the air, and I saw no sign of it after that. I know it's gone."
"And where did you get the burns that the medics treated you for?"
"I went into the fire to save the dragoness. The flames had spread that far by the time I got back down, and I had to hurry to save her."
"And why did you bring her here?"
The answer remained the same- the only truthful part of the story. "I don't know," Spyro replied. "This just seemed like the best place for her."
Eon nodded. He then took out a piece of paper from his robe, looking it over. "I believe that will be enough information necessary in order to write it into the Scrolls," he noted.
"You need it to be accurate?" Spyro stammered. "Master, I've read the Story Scrolls in the library. They're always embellished."
"This isn't a simple Story Scroll that I'm working on. This is a Skylander Scroll- yours, to be specific. Just like Skylands has a Story Scroll detailing parts of its history, each Skylander has their own Scroll detailing their own history. Their stories are tracked, new details added whenever new exploits are created, and thus stored for new Skylanders and Portal Masters to read and study."
"You're expecting to find new Portal Masters?"
"Yes, but not now. That should come in the future, when things become more serious."
Spyro looked at the Scroll. That was his? What would he find? What had been written down in there? He almost thought to ask and look. Eon would allow him that, he knew. Spyro decided against it. He already knew of the mediocre tasks that had to have been written down in there, so there was no need to look.
"I hope you don't have any trouble writing, then," Spyro told Eon.
Eon didn't look up, still studying the Scroll. "Thank you for your kind wishes, but I'm afraid they've come too late," he sighed. "I'm already having trouble. For the life of me, I can't seem to get those words down. My heart isn't into the story. I thought hearing it again might help me, but I still can't think of what to say in the Scroll."
"Ugh, writer's block. That always stinks."
Eon suddenly looked at the purple dragon. "Spyro, you don't have to stay here and wait for her to come to," he insisted. "Why don't you head out and train? It won't do you any good moping about the Citadel."
That was a big problem. Spyro had to be here when the dragoness woke up. Suppose she came to when Spyro was gone and Eon was here. She might be inclined to tell Eon what had happened to her- the truth- and who knows what Eon would do once he found out that Spyro had lied? Nothing good could come from that.
"You're not worried about me, are you?" Spyro asked.
"I am worried about you," Eon admitted. "I asked so much from you. You are strong-willed and valiant, but I still recognize you as a child that might get stressed or scared from a mission as important as the one I gave you. And it is a big order, asking you to take another life- even the most seasoned Skylanders get upset at the prospect. You're not having trouble performing daily activities?"
He wasn't bothered by the battle. It didn't haunt him in the day. "No," Spyro replied. "I mean, I'm not having trouble."
"What about at night? Are you having nightmares?"
Well…he was. But they weren't about fire and destruction like Spyro thought they might be. "Nope," he fibbed.
"You're not at all troubled by what you had to do?"
He was…but not in the way Eon was asking. "I'm fine, Master Eon," Spyro insisted. "Trust me. If I was having any major troubles, you'd be the first person I talked to."
Eon nodded. "Of course you would," he agreed. "I'd still like you to head out and train, though. Just to be safe."
Spyro got up. "Fine, I'm going," he replied. "I'm going to bring forth a Daybringer Flame the likes of which you've never seen, Master!"
Eon chuckled, saying, "I'm sure you will."
Spyro left the medical ward, walking down the halls of the Citadel. His worries came back to him. Yes, he'd been having nightmares. But instead of fire residing in them, there were horrid ape-like beings bringing destruction, crushing and stealing eggs, tearing down walls and trees. He wasn't sure where they came from, but he'd started having them when he brought the dragoness home. She seemed so familiar, but Spyro was so certain that he'd never seen her before. It was baffling, and he couldn't wrap his head around it.
And in accordance with the battle, it wasn't what he'd done that brought his woes, but rather what he hadn't done. At least, the future that was to come of this. Spyro didn't regret leaving the dragoness alive, but at the same time he wasn't sure if it was indeed the right choice Master Eon had wanted him to make. And more from that, once again Spyro had to wonder what would happen should the truth of the matter be discovered. What would the punishment be for lying, especially about something as important as this?
During his walk, Spyro realized that other Skylanders had been looking at him. He looked at them, and they were staring at him intently. He kept on walking. A few Skylanders were walking down the same hallway he was, and speedily scampered off when he came by. They hugged their backs to the walls, also staring. Spyro was baffled by this. Before, nobody had noticed him. What had changed?
"Hey guys," Spyro smiled awkwardly. "How's it going?"
"Fine, fine," an elven Skylander insisted. "Hey, you did a great job fighting off that terrible dragon. None of us could even leave a scratch on it."
Spyro nodded. "Thanks," he replied.
He kept on walking, taking a flight of stairs. Skylanders avoided him there as well. Spyro walked, exiting the main lobby and heading outside to the training yard. Skylanders had been attacking dummies there, but fled when they saw him. A few of them had fear in their eyes. This was even more mysterious. What had Spyro done?
"How are you guys on this lovely day?" Spyro stammered.
"Fine," one draconic Skylander replied. "We're all fine. Are you fine?"
"I'm…fine."
The other Skylander had said that they were fine as well. That seemed oddly suspicious. "Fine" was a bland word, used to tell someone else that they were okay when everything really wasn't, or just to get someone to leave you alone. Spyro felt like kicking himself, realizing that he'd said the exact same word to Master Eon. Had Eon been convinced of the fib?
So he decided to ask, "Did I do something wrong?"
"No, not really," a water-based Skylander insisted. "You're just…really intimidating."
Spyro looked down at himself, sure that he was small enough not to be considered intimidating.
"Not everyone could face off against a demon such as that dragon and live. You must be something else."
Murmurs rose from the crowd. Spyro looked at every single one of them. Were they scared of him? Just because he faced off against the evil dragon? Or was his perceived ruthlessness the threat that they saw? He'd never wanted to make enemies here. Could he actually be dangerous?
"SPYRO!" a voice shouted- Eon's voice. Spyro looked up at the Citadel, finding the old Portal Master poking his head out of a window. From the position of the window, he was probably in the medical ward. Though he was too far away to properly see, Spyro sensed that Eon was angry.
"Yes, Master?" Spyro muttered.
"Come up here," Eon replied, his tone calm but its meaning bitter.
Spyro flew upward, toward the window that Eon had been looking out. He met the Portal Master's face. Eon had a bland expression, not quite a frown but still close to being one. Anger boiled in his eyes. Spyro's heart pounded. He immediately knew what was wrong.
"Spyro, I was looking at the dragoness you saved, and I couldn't help but notice that she had a brand on her forehead," Eon began.
Spyro had noticed that as well, though he'd hardly paid any heed to that. "Uh huh," he nodded.
"It is the Brand of the Undead. It is rare for dragons to be born Undead as she has been, but that is not to say that it never happens."
Nod.
"That same brand was on the forehead of the dark dragon I asked you to fight."
Nod. This time, slowly.
"Would you care to tell me how the battle with the dragon went down? For real, this time?"
Spyro bolted away as fast as he could.
He knew he shouldn't have run away. It was no use to run. Running would only delay the inevitable punishment that Spyro would receive. But he'd panicked, and so he fled.
He had fled like a coward.
It was too easy to describe him as a coward. That would be the word Eon would use to describe Spyro in his Story Scroll. "The diminutive purple dragon Spyro was the biggest coward there ever was. Too afraid to kill someone to save the world. Too afraid to tell the truth about his blunder. Too afraid to face the music once judgement rained down on him." Yup, that was Spyro alright. That was how generations of Skylanders would remember him.
Great.
Spyro flew for the longest time, passing islands on his left and right. The sky turned red and orange, indicating that night was approaching. He'd have to stop flying for now, and wait until morning. The Swamplands were just beneath him, and he swooped down inside of them. Tall trees, plants and vines blocked his way, and the mud squished underneath his feet. It made no sense as to who would prefer to live in this area. Spyro needed to find an actual shelter, or build one himself.
He continued walking, hovering slightly as to avoid disturbing the creatures in snake holes and badger dens. A hill came up, and on it were a few alabaster stones- far different from the dulled gray ones that were found in the water. These must've been carried here in order to build something. Spyro flew up the hill, keeping track of the alabaster stones. As he continued onward, the stones came up closer and closer together, until eventually a staircase could be seen. And even farther up still, Spyro came across an amazing sight.
A grand temple was seen here. He was just at the threshold, but the temple grew higher than he'd ever think would be here. Vines covered the building, fronds and saplings growing from the cracks, threatening to completely break the ground apart. This stone was the same kind of alabaster, yellowed by the ages- if such a thing could happen.
Spyro walked onward, observing the stone. Things were carved into it- strange symbols he had never seen before, but also pictures of dragons. He walked inside, heading down a long hallway. The dragon scrawls were seen here as well, depicting a kind of story as the subjects moved along the walls, fighting each other, with one dragon eventually reaching to and sitting upon a large throne. Once he passed that point, the images went backward, as if the subjects farther down the hall had not yet participated in that ancient battle.
He emerged into a larger room. The room was circular, drawing of dragons once again scrawled on the walls. Shelves swept most of the room, probably to serve as nests. Looking up, a giant hole could be found in the ceiling- while hints of vines could be seen, they hadn't yet reached down in here. This whole room seemed to have been designed as a rookery, where eggs might be kept warm and protected before they hatched.
Spyro suddenly realized the kind of ruins he had stumbled on. This was an old Dragon Temple, a place where dragons were protected and raised by Guardians until they were old enough to live on their own. He had heard of Dragon Temples, but he'd never really been sure as to why the mothers couldn't raise the dragons on their own- he hadn't yet seen a functioning Temple. And he never had grown up in one.
The stars came out. While there was still so much more of the temple to explore, Spyro curled up against a wall to try and sleep. His head was filled with too many thoughts, and sleep was hard to come by. And once it did, it wasn't exactly a peaceful slumber. The nightmares came, showing Spyro the horrid creatures destroying eggs. They did as they normally would- throw eggs against the wall, tearing down stone, a few of the creatures attacking each other. Tonight, however, Spyro saw something on one of the walls. It looked like a dragon scrawl, maybe one in the rookery. And tonight as well, he caught sight of one of the ape creatures stealing eggs, hiding them away for himself. The eggs had been blue, purple and black, carefully concealed in a bag he had.
Spyro jumped awake. He stood up, looking around the rookery. The room looked the same as the one from the nightmare. What had happened here to put this Temple into ruin? What was even more frightening was that he had been here before! As an egg! And so had the dragoness he had saved.
"Spyro!" a voice shouted from the hall- Eon's voice. He had tracked Spyro here! Spyro looked up at the hole in the ceiling, thinking that he could make a quick getaway if he had to. He stood his ground, nonetheless, aware that running was futile. Spyro sat and waited, listening to the incoming footsteps, and looking at the hallway as the old Portal Master came in.
"I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble," Spyro muttered, looking at the ground.
"What trouble? Just the fact that I had to stretch out the gaze of my Portal in order to find you once the rest of the Skylanders had no clue as to where you are? Then subsequently trudging into this jungle once I finally saw you?" Eon said with seething sarcasm. "No, it wasn't any trouble at all."
No comment.
"What happened during that battle? I wanted the truth, and you never gave it to me- even after you said you'd talk to me if you had a problem."
"You wouldn't have liked it if I told the truth about that battle. Yes, I was too scared and I didn't know what to say."
"Tell me now, then."
Eon hated him for sure. He must have. Spyro suppressed tears as he spoke, explaining, "The dragon singed my wings before I had a chance to get into the air. Most of the battle was spent with me ducking into houses before it could touch me, and me trying to send fireballs at it. And when I finally cornered the dragon, I just…I couldn't do it. There was something inside, something that I thought I could save. I know you gave me the order, but I just couldn't do it."
"So instead you lie to me about a grave matter concerning the fate of the world?" Eon replied gruffly.
"I know that's not what you want to hear. But that's the truth. That's all you care about, isn't it?"
Eon knelt down to hug him. Spyro leaned in, the floodgates having been opened. Would things really have been better if he'd simply told the truth in the beginning? It didn't sound right. Eon would have been mad at him much sooner, and Spyro would have no chance against that.
"I never wanted to send you out there," Eon explained. "Something had to be done in order to protect Skylands. I never wanted to ask you to destroy the dragon, but I didn't know how else to save the world. And when you came back confirming that the dragon had been destroyed, hardly looking upset over that like any other Skylander would, I thought I had destroyed you as a hero."
"You really thought that?" Spyro pouted. "You never explained that you were worried about me because of that."
"It's not easy to explain. Spyro, darkness can enter your heart at any time, and something as serious as that battle can be a gateway to much more dangerous things. First it's your indifference to killing, and then what? Pillaging the towns you used to protect? Enslaving the people you used to save? Becoming worse than the thing I asked you to destroy? I was scared that the battle had changed you for the worse, and that it had been my fault."
"I'm okay, though. I don't think like that."
"I know. And I'm glad that you didn't destroy the dragon, actually. If what you said is accurate, it means that you saw another option that I did not. You saw light where I did not. That dragoness has a new chance because of you. Why don't we help her see it through?"
Spyro nodded. "I want to go home," he concluded.
Eon released him. "Then let's go," he agreed.
They walked on, away from the rookery and back down the hallway. Spyro looked at the dragon scrawls once more. The images from his nightmare came back- he wasn't necessarily afraid, but he still wasn't sure what to make of this.
"Hey, Master," Spyro added, "it feels like I've been here before. I'm not sure you would know anything about that-"
"Lost memories can be a tricky thing to find," Eon explained. "No, I don't know if you've been here before. But your heart can be trusted, so those memories must be there as well."
"And not just me, but the dragoness as well."
"We can see if she remembers anything, too. A new chance has been granted- we should use it to full extent."
Yay, I learned how to add line breakers! I added some to the previous chapter in case reading it confused anyone.