Chapter 25: The Beginning of the End
"We're getting close to Warfang!" Spyro exclaimed as the Dragon City became more clear to see.
"Yeah, but they got there first." Cynder pointed at the legions of Apes bombarding the city, they seemed to be attack the east wall, so the two Dragons could go to the main gate and hopefully not draw any attention to them.
"Hello!?" Spyro called out, only to almost get hit with a spear.
"Look out!" Cynder pulled him to her out of the spear's trajectory.
"Hey, what's the big idea, Punk!?" Sparx raised his fist in the air as two Ice Dragons appeared over the gate.
"Look! It's the Dragon of Destiny!" One of them called and they disappeared, allowing the gate to open and let the three of them in "We're sorry, but the city is on high alert, the Dark Master has been attacking us at every point. You, go and inform Ignitus that the Purple Dragon has arrived!" One of the guards ordered the other and sent him off.
"Come on, we should inform you of our situation, while we're together." The Guard beckoned Spyro and Cynder to follow him.
"We've been under siege for a few hours now, some of the Apes broke in and stole something from our vault. Ignitus believes it's the Time Crystal. But right now, Malefor is holed up in his fortress over a volcano he formed using magic, and we believe that's where the Crystal is now." The Guard directed the Dragons attention to the floating fortress which was indeed, over a volcano.
"The Dark Master...this is the battle of the universe the prophecy foretells." Spyro said as Cynder seemed concerned for him, just then they noticed Shard flying overhead.
"Spyro! Cynder! Hey!" He waved and landed, fist-bumping him. "It's a good thing you guys got here when you did, the Apes are preparing to-" He was off when a loud rang throughout the city.
"Siege Towers have breached the wall!" a Trooper announced, causing Shard to sigh.
"They were preparing to do that..." he finished, and saw Flame alongside Alastor running in the direction of the commotion.
"Come on, Shard! Wait...Spyro!?" Flare exclaimed in surprise and relief while Terrain was running past with Scatha.
"Yeah they're back, come on, Spyro, you and Cynder can help stop one of the Siege towers. Come on!" Shard gestured for them to follow and Sparx came along, letting them take to the skies.
"Over there!" Cynder pointed to one of the towers that was deploying Apes, one of them noticed the four Dragons, and fired an arrow at them, Spyro was able to dodge it and charged into the Ape, knocking him down.
"Defend the city!" He exclaimed and grabbed a nearby Ape, slamming him into the ground and using his fire to keep the others away from him, allowing Cynder to charge in and blast some away with her wind.
"You got it, Spy!" She replied and clawed one of the Apes' arms, as Shard landed with the others and held the line, using his ice to freeze up certain limbs the apes tried to use to strike other unprepared Moles and Dragons. Flare was scorching other Apes, meanwhile, Flame was trying to take care of the Siege tower.
"This thing is massive! How're we going to destroy it!?" He demanded an answer while Terrain and Scatha took flight to attack it head-on. Meanwhile, Sparx was trying to punch an Ape, but to no avail.
"Come at me, you big bozo! I'll beat ya, I'll do it!" Sparx challenged the Ape, who growled and raised his axe.
"I've had enough of you!" He was prepared to strike, but Spyro rammed into the Ape and knocked him over.
"Don't go picking fights with someone bigger than you, Sparx, or you'll be more than someone's lantern..." Spyro told him sternly and charged at the Ape, knocking him out cold with the enhanced strength of his Earth Element. But he found that his strength had diminished greatly, and noticed that his Mana energy was being drawn to a Black Crystal in the center of the lower wall on the Siege Tower.
"That's it!" He realized that the Dark Crystal must've been siphoning their Mana energy to it to ensure that the Siege Tower was kept at maximum efficiency.
"Shard! Aim for the center Crystal!" He called out to Shard, who acknowledged and redirected his forces to attack the Crystal, which surprised Spyro, and he flew up to him.
"I didn't know you had command over other Soldiers." He pointed out while zapping a nearby Dreadwing with his Lightning.
"Yeah, well they were short on Commanding officers...plus I was also the most qualified for it, at least that's what Cyril insisted upon." Shard responded and froze up another Dreadwing. Soon enough, the troops had destroyed the Crystal, causing the Siege Tower to fall back on the ground, crushing some more Apes, and Spyro felt his Mana return to him.
"We've got more Siege Towers incoming, Commander!" One of the troops called out to Shard, who groaned.
"Ugh! At this rate, we won't be able to keep this side of the city secured, and we can't let any Apes breach Warfang. Spyro, I need you to man that cannon over there and blast those Siege Towers into the dust." He told Spyro, who nodded and flew down to a gold cannon embedded in the ground on the tower platform. He loaded up some ammunition into the cannon, and got into the cannon's seat. Grabbing the control sticks.
"Okay, this shouldn't be too hard..." He took a deep breath, and grabbed the control sticks, only to realize that more panels and controls revealed themselves. "Nevermind." He sighed and begun flipping various switches and buttons.
"Spyro, we need that Firepower now!" Shard exclaimed, causing Spyro to be slightly annoyed.
"Well, this thing doesn't exactly have an instruction manual!" He retorted and grabbed the left control stick, pressing the button on the top, and a large cannonball fired from it, and hit one of the Siege Towers clean through the middle. He watched in satisfaction as it crumbled to the ground and began setting up another firing round. He saw Dreadwings above him dropping cages which held more Apes, and they started attacking the cannon.
"Dammit...Shard! Keep these Apes off of me!" He said to the Ice Dragon. In response, Shard sent Cynder and Flare to help him, keeping the Apes away from the cannon, allowing for him to shoot again. Hitting another Siege Tower, he turned the cannon to face the final Siege Tower.
"Come on..." Spyro grumbled and set up the cannon for the final shot...but the cannon wouldn't fire, he turned back to see that the wiring for the cannon was torn up. "Shard! The cannon's busted!" He called out, and the Ice Dragon flew down to him and saw that he could easily reconnect the wires.
"I need cover!" He told the girls, who turned back and did just that, allowing for him to rebind the wires, and give Spyro the all clear to fire.
"Here goes nothing..." He muttered and prepped the cannon for the killing blow, and pressed the button to fire. He watched as the cannonball shot out of the cannon and into the final Siege Tower, knocking it down. "The Towers are down!" Spyro announced to Shard, who nodded and sent a signal to his troops.
"Prepare the bombardment!" He ordered them, and two four-group squadrons moved in, dropping bombs onto the Ape forces below, desecrating their numbers and hindering the assault.
"Good job, Spyro, looks like they're falling back for now." Shard congratulated the Purple Dragon as he hopped out of the cannon, and Cynder walked up to him.
"Just doing my job." Spyro responded when he spotted four Dragons flying down to them.
"Look, it's Ignitus!" Cynder said as the Elder Dragon landed in front of him.
"Young Dragon...it is good to see your face again." Ignitus smiled as Spyro walked up to him.
"Thank you, Ignitus, but I think this is far from over." He replied.
"Indeed, Malefor himself is here at this battle, which clearly means this is one of importance."
"What we do know: is that he has the Time Crystal, and is possibly going to use it to destroy reality as we know it." Terrador added while Volteer and Cyril trailed behind them.
"Come along Spyro, Cynder. There is much to catch you up on." Ignitus beckoned them along with Sparx and Shard to follow them, and they did so.
"So, Malefor believed he could harness you and Cynder's powers to become stronger because of the imprint?" Shard asked Spyro, who nodded in response while they walked through the streets with the others.
"He certainly was intent on luring Cynder to the Fortress, but I guess he found out about that Crystal and thought it was more powerful...so he sent Rose to terminate me." Spyro recalled the fight with a slight pain.
"Rose...Spyro, what happened to her? I thought she'd be here at this battle, considering the Dark Master himself is also present." Shard wanted an answer, causing the Purple Dragon to sigh heavily.
"She's dead, she was told to execute me, but I tried to save her from Malefor's influence...it worked...but at the cost of her life. I'm so sorry, Shard, the worst part about it? Was that she wanted to fix things with you, to rebuild trust and come home...but she never got the chance." Spyro explained as he turned to see Shard tear up slightly.
"I always knew she could never have truly shut me out of her life. But I've been seeing Janne lately for therapy...did you know she's the only Cadet who specializes in Psychology? It's weird, but helpful." Shard responded while Spyro looked at Cynder, then at the Guardians.
"Momentum has swung to our side, Ignitus. This could be our only chance to attack Malefor's fortress head on and retake the Time Crystal." Terrador commented as Ignitus nodded in acknowledgement.
"I'd like to believe that, Terrador...but with Malefor, nothing is certain." The Fire Guardian remarked wearily.
"Ignitus...are you okay?" Terrador inquired.
"I'm not sure if I can go through with this."
"You can't go through with killing the Dark Master? Ignitus, he's slaughtered countless lives, his oppression is vast, he doesn't deserve mercy."
"But you forget, Terrador. I grew up with Malefor, we were like brothers, how can I kill my brother?" Ignitus asked the Earth Guardian, who shrugged.
"I suppose you're right Ignitus, I was there too with you and Malefor, but it is a shame that Synthia isn't with us, she was the only one who could convince Malefor to let go of his evil." Terrador reminisced with Ignitus.
"Yes...her and Incendia...but we can't focus on the past, Terrador, we must find a way up to the Fortress...and I think I know a way." He glanced back at Cynder, who wasn't paying attention to them. Suddenly, a large purple crystal was dropped from the sky by a Dreadwing. The crystal showed a projection of Malefor.
"Citizens of Warfang: Congratulations, you shall be the first to witness the great rebirth of this world. As you know, I have your precious Time Crystal, and in 30 minutes, this entire universe will be non-existent...and I will forge a new one, teaming with life. A world under my rule, nay, a universe under my rule...if your "Dragon of Destiny" can hear me, I have but one declaration for you: Come, and let us see is the ancient prophecy will be fulfilled." The projection dispersed, and Spyro looked at Ignitus.
"I fear, we will have to make our final push now, come with me, Spyro, Cynder. I have a plan."
"Ignitus...rebirth or not, the Apes will stop at nothing to take the city, we have to hold them off while you go and fight the Dark Master." Shard pointed out.
"Yes, Shard, I am aware, which is why I'm leaving you in charge of our defense command, Terrador and Gaia will assist you in taking the necessary steps. Cyril, take the other Cadets and defend the east wall with Glacia. Volteer, I need you and Voltea to escort the citizens to safety. Now, we have 30 minutes till all hope is truly lost...but until then, we have an edge: The Dragon of Destiny." Ignitus looked down at Spyro.
"But how will we get up there without being ambushed in the air?" Cynder asked.
"I'm glad you asked, Young Dragon, come, as said before: I have a plan." The Fire Guardian beckoned Spyro and Cynder to follow, while Terrador stayed with the others.
"Alright: You heard the Dragon, let's move!" He told them and they scattered, except for Shard. "Come, Gaia will be waiting for us in the Command center." He told Shard and they took flight.
Ignitus walked with the two Dragons to a corner tower in Warfang, when he noticed Sparx was also with them. "Cynder, what I'm about to ask of you will be one of the most intense things you've done yet, now listen closely." Ignitus told the Dragoness.
"I need you to harness your Wind Element, and create a safe jet-stream for you to fly towards Malefor's lair." He explained to her.
"What!? You want me to create a Wind current that goes all the way up there?" Cynder asked.
"It's okay, Cyn, I've taught you enough for you to do this." Spyro reassured her, but she remained skeptical.
"But we never finished our lessons on Wind, what if I lose focus, what if one of us is injured, what if-?" Cynder was cut off when Spyro took her paws.
"You can do this, Cynder, I believe in you." he smiled, while Ignitus smiled.
"Indeed you can, Cynder, as for myself, I will not be able to come with. I must defend Warfang with the others...this is something you must do: Spyro." Ignitus informed them and was prepared to walk off, but not before he spoke to them one last time. "May the Ancestors look after you...may they look after us all." He said and flew off.
"Alright, Cyn, now concentrate. Remember what I taught you: Feel the breeze flowing through your body." Spyro backed away and Cynder closed her eyes. "Very good, now I want you to harness that breeze, and channel it outwards..." He had her focus, and before she knew it: she had created a jet-stream.
"I...I did it!" She laughed slightly and Spyro kissed her cheek.
"I always had faith." He smiled at Cynder when Sparx flew up to them.
"Well: let's go!" He crossed his arms, but Spyro seemed saddened.
"Sparx...you can't come with me: this is something I have to do...with Cynder." He responded.
"But not me?" Sparx seemed a little offended.
"Sparx, Spyro's right: you might die, and he doesn't want to deal with a third death on his conscience." Cynder justified it.
"Well I...Cynder, take care of him for me...we've been through a lot together."
"I promise." Cynder flew into the jet-stream, but Spyro turned back to face Sparx.
"Take care of yourself, and be that glamorous hero you've always wanted to be...we'll see each other again, I promise." Spyro comforted the Dragonfly, who flew in and hugged his snout.
"Be careful, bro...make sure Spikey doesn't try anything." Sparx pulled away and Spyro nodded, taking flight into the jet-stream...to face the Dark Master.