Chapter 35: Unusual Visitors
"Ugh, my hindlegs are killing me!" A Dragon groaned in irritation as he trekked through the forest with a large Black Dragoness.
"Cease your whining, we're nearly at Warfang." She responded harshly.
"Do we even know if this place can be trusted? Yeah it's Warfang...but it's not what I remember it to be." The Dragon considered as the large Dragoness turned around.
"Why wouldn't it be?" She inquired.
"I don't know, but I'd prefer talking to a Dragoness I recognize. Besides, I don't think your appearance would sit too well with the citizens." He suggested as the Dragoness scoffed.
"Fine." Her form suddenly shifted and she turned much smaller, bearing three ivory horns on each side of her face instead of the metallic-like helmet she bore before.
"Much better, now let's get going, if Warfang is the same, then perhaps we can find the Guardians." The Dragon told her as they walked towards the city gate.
Malefor thrust open the doors and rushed through the corridors of the Dragon Temple frantically, desperately trying to find the right door. Soon enough he saw Ignitus and rushed up to him. "Is he okay?" He asked worriedly as Ignitus nodded. "Take me to him." He requested as the Fire Guardian lead him to the Med-Bay, and let him in. Soon enough he laid eyes on Spyro in a bed, Cynder, Shard, Voltea, and Volteer were beside him, his left wing was in a cast, and his lower chest was completely wrapped in bandages, he also had some smaller bandages covering some cuts.
"Dear Ancestors..." Malefor gasped as Ignitus walked past him.
"He'll make a full recovery, but he'll have to be in extensive care for at least a month." He informed Malefor.
"What exactly happened to him?"
"Well, he sprained his Wing, broke some ribs and his spine, and he's got a wounded jaw." Voltea answered and walked up to him.
"Who. Did. This?" Malefor clenched his fist.
"Here's the culprit." They turned to see Terrador violently drag in Terrain by the wing.
"Ow!" He yelped as he was tossed onto the ground, he looked up to see Malefor slowly walk towards him, purple mist came out of the sides of his maw as Terrain was cornered.
"If the circumstances were different, I'd gut you like a fish for what you did...but, you're a student of Ignitus, and so I must respect what he wishes to do to you." Malefor growled and turned away to walk over to the wounded Spyro.
"Ignitus, what're we going to do? The public will be curious, this incident will make them view Spyro and his father as weak, and further drive the hate and ridicule towards them." Terrador commented as Ignitus walked past.
"I know, I know. We can't tell them anything, and you must find those that witnessed the event, do whatever you have to to keep them quiet, as for Terrain..." They looked at the Earth Dragon.
"I wish it didn't have to come to this, but you have carried this out too far...guards!" Ignitus called in two guards. "Imprison Terrain in the brig below." He ordered them and they grabbed Terrain, who attempted to resist. It didn't help his cause because both guards were Earth Dragons, and they overpowered him, taking him below. "It pains me to know that hatred for Spyro's lineage causes such destruction in oneself." Ignitus sighed as he looked at Spyro.
"This is just concerning, terrifying, shocking, the fact that Spyro was placed in such critical condition is just ridiculous!" Volteer expressed his concern as Voltea sighed.
"Calm yourself, Volteer. You're doing it again." She referred to his rambling.
"I apologize, Voltea, it really only happens when I'm nervous. But it doesn't change the fact that Spyro was beaten to such a wounded state...why didn't he fight back?" He wondered aloud.
"Because Spyro is a Dragon of respect and honor, and Terrain isn't." Malefor answered his question, suddenly a Mole rushed into the room.
"Ignitus, there's something urgent that's come up." He told the Fire Guardian.
"What is it?" Ignitus asked.
"Well...it's difficult to explain in words, you'll have to see for yourself." The Mole beckoned for him to follow.
"Shard, Cynder, come with me." Ignitus had the Dragons follow him outside.
"What do you think this could be?" Cynder asked Shard, who shrugged.
"I don't know, right now I'm more concerned about Spyro." He responded as they walked outside the Dragon Temple.
"Now, what was so important we had to be out here?" Ignitus asked the Mole, who pointed forward.
"Just look." He replied as they looked up and were utterly stunned at what they saw. It was Spyro and Cynder.
"What the Hell?" Shard said aloud as Cynder walked up to her duplicate.
"Ignitus, I don't recall Malefor ever making a clone of me. What's going on?" She asked him.
"I'm as confused as you are, Cynder." He replied as the copy of Spyro looked at him.
"You're...not dead?" He was stunned and started to tear up a little.
"Of course I'm not dead, but my Spyro is on the brink of it." Ignitus was startled when Spyro hugged him.
"I've missed you, Ignitus..." He pulled away quickly as Shard snapped his fingers.
"I've got it! These guys are Spyro and Cynder, but they're not our Spyro and Cynder." He stepped in front of Ignitus.
"Really? What gave that away?" The Cynder duplicate retorted in a sassy way.
"Just shut up and let me speak, please? Earlier today, I was talking with Spyro about his final duel with the Dark Master and he spoke about the Time Crystal a lot. He mentioned seeing parallel timelines, do you think it's possible that the Dark Master's plan to destroy time caused a rift which brought these guys into our world?" Shard's theory seemed plausible to the rest.
"That is possible, but if they're not from our world, how do we get them back to theirs?" Ignitus wondered as their Cynder turned to face him.
"What I want to know is what makes them different to us?" She wanted to know as the Cynder duplicate tapped her shoulder.
"Well for starters, I can do this." Her body began to rapidly grow and change shape, until she towered over the other Dragons, causing Cynder to stumble back.
"My name: is Zirra, I hope you remember it." Zirra said briefly before shifting back to Cynder.
"What was that?" Shard peered over Ignitus's hindleg.
"Zirra is an Adalisk, a being who merged her soul to my body to become Malefor's puppet, she's different now, though. I believe that anyone can change." Cynder's duplicate explained as they heard the doors to the Dragon Temple open.
"Well, it's relieving to see that not everyone is so narrow-minded, hello Ignitus." Terrador walked down beside him.
"Hello Terrador, we've got ourselves a situation involving different realities, I suggest we bring in these two before they draw more eyes. Remember what I told you, go and find the ones present at Spyro and Terrain's fight and keep them quiet. We don't want a public outroar." Ignitus said the last part in a whisper to Terrador, who nodded and took flight. Ignitus then brought them inside.
"There is something you need to know upon entering. our Spyro is critically wounded, and at best, he'll need a month to recover from his injuries. You may go and see him if you wish." Ignitus informed them as he led them into the Med-bay.
"Woah." Spyro was in shock at seeing his duplicate in such a wounded state as he walked towards the bedside. "Who did this to him?" He was concerned.
"An Earth Dragon named Terrain, he and Spyro have been at odds with each other for some time now, but I never imagined such violence could ensue from a simple arguement." They all turned to see Malefor.
"What!? The Dark Master!?" The Alternate Spyro shielded his Cynder from him while Shard and his Cynder guarded Malefor.
"Please just hear us out, okay? We have no idea what the hell is going on in your dimension at the moment. But our Malefor is one of the good guys, try to understand that." Cynder explained.
"Well, this is...something." Malefor was quite confused. "How's my son?" He asked Ignitus, which surprised the duplicates of Spyro and Cynder.
"Doing well." He replied and let Malefor walk past.
"Wait...I'm your son in this world?"
"Well, I don't know how in hell either of you exist, but to answer your question: Yes, I am Spyro's biological father." He knelt down beside his son.
"That's certainly a bombshell." The Alternate Cynder remarked as Ignitus walked up to them.
"Indeed, but now we have to focus on other things at the moment, like where you shall stay. You may be from another world, but you're still our guests, this way, Young Dragons." Ignitus lead the duplicates out of the Med-Bay, with their Cynder following close behind.
Many Years Ago...
Stars. They were something many Dragons took a big interest in, probably due to the mystery of it all, being such a small being in such a vast cosmos. "GET DOWN!" A large boulder smashed into the snow as an Ice Dragon flung himself into a trench. His heavy breathing felt like the loudest thing in the world.
"I need a medic!" An Earth Dragon was beside a Wind Dragon with a broken leg as the Ice Dragon rushed through the trench. Frantically, he grabbed a spear and shield and looked over the trench wall as he noticed a platoon of Apes charging towards their camp.
"Sir, we've got a platoon rushing the camp." The Ice Dragon told a high-ranking Fire Dragon that was with him.
"Well, what're you waiting for, an invitation? Meet them on the battlefield! Go! Go!" He said the last part to the other Dragons as they leaped out and rushed the Apes. But soon found they were severely outnumbered as the Apes slaughtered the Dragons. The Ice Dragon backed away in fear and fell over as an Ape solider raised it's sword, and was ready to plunge it into his chest when he started levitating.
"Woah! Hey!" The Ape cried out as the Ice Dragon looked over to see a Purple Dragon lifting him into the air.
"Captain!"
"Please, it's Malefor." He sighed and rammed the Ape into his comrades. "Get back to the camp, I'll handle this." He stepped in front of the Ice Dragon, who eagerly retreated. "I'd advise you all to surrender. So less Bloodshed will occur." Malefor attempted to reason with them, but the Apes raised their weapons.
"Fine, it's your choice." Malefor sighed as a Fire Dragon whooshed over his head. "Ignitus! Comet Dash!" He exclaimed as Ignitus's form start generating fire around him, and he charged into the group of Apes, sending them flying into the distance.
"Well, that was something." Ignitus stretched as an explosion occurred beside them.
"There'll be time for conversation later, into the trench!" Malefor exclaimed as they both leapt into the trench, once they were in the clear, they left and entered the inner bunker, as they entered, they saw many Dragons walking through the corridors. "Three months, three damn months spent trying to take the Winter Tundra from these Apes. I'm sick of war." Malefor grimaced as Ignitus patted him on the back.
"Don't worry, from what I've heard, we're very close to taking their camp. Now let's go the command center." He replied as they entered the command center, where Synthia and Terrador were at the table.
"Hey, guys." Malefor greeted them as Synthia turned to see him.
"How's it going outside?" She asked Malefor as he walked up to the table beside her.
"Well, we're still holed up here, so that gives you some ideas for progress, our rations are short and we've got limited supplies. None of our nearby allies can send any of these things to us, and we've trying to secure the Winter Tundra for three months with no success." Malefor listed out how things were going and looked at their war table.
"Lovely." Terrador grumbled as they started to plan their next, Malefor glanced at the positioning of the Ape Camp, and a plan started coming to mind. Synthia took notice of his expression.
"You're thinking of something, aren't you?" She asked as he looked over at her.
"Am I that obvious?" He inquired.
"Yes."
"Whatever, I was wondering: the Ape Camp isn't that far away from us...what if we snuck in to steal some of their rations?" Malefor suggested to the others.
"The Commander will never approve of this, too risky." Ignitus reminded him.
"Commander doesn't need to know." He winked and explained his plan more in-depth. "Now, as far as entry is concerned, I could sneak into the camp at night, since most of the soldiers will be asleep by then." Malefor explained to them.
"Their nightguards would be on duty, if you were spotted-" Terrador was cut off by Synthia.
"He won't, not if I go with, I could use my Shadow Element to cloak both of us, they'd be oblivious to our presence." She added on.
"That could work, but the two of you wouldn't be able to secure a whole lot of rations. You'd need backup." Ignitus said as Terrador backed up.
"We'll come up with the specifics later, but for now: this conversation never left the room." They all agreed and left the command center, Malefor walked with Synthia through the dimly lit stone corridor while Ignitus and Terrador went elsewhere.
"You look tired." Synthia noticed the dark circles under his eyes.
"Oh, this? It's nothing, just late nights, that's all." Malefor tried to brush it off, but Synthia wouldn't let him.
"You really need to get some sleep." She considered as he sighed.
"I'll tell you what I need: some peace and quiet, every night, I can't even sleep either due to the bombardments made on our base, or just anxiety. I hate this war, I hate fighting, I miss the Temple, and I miss Hazan." Malefor snapped suddenly, slightly startling Synthia. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take that out on you...I just don't want to fight, being a pacifist in a large war is difficult. Every day I got outside and see the same things: blood and death." He apologized while Synthia coiled her tail around his.
"I understand where you're coming from, it's hard, and I certainly don't like this war any more than you do. But some things are worth fighting for." She replied in a sympathetic manner as they continued to walk through the corridor, eventually they reached the barracks and Malefor laid on his bed.
"It's just...I get that we're fighting to keep the Dragons from being enslaved, but is starting a war really the best option?" He asked Synthia, who sighed and shook her head.
"I don't know, the problem is that everyone let it simmer for too long until a movement became a revolution." She replied as they laid on separate beds.
"Synthia, what if we went to the Ape Camp tonight?" Malefor suggested to her, Synthia considered it for a moment.
"It'd be risky, but if we had the right plan, it could go well." Synthia said, their conversation was soon cut off as they heard explosions from outside.
"We might want to help them." Malefor pointed out as Synthia nodded and they left the barracks and went out to the Battlefield.
Hello folks, I apologize this took awhile, I've been doing some other work on different stories that I still haven't finished and plan to release. We got a new Chapter for Spyro: Worlds of the Past coming, but I haven't started. If any of you are fans of my FNaF books, I'm writing a new chapter for my latest one, so a lot of stuff is coming along with this Chapter, so I'll see you all then. Oh, and before you ask: Yes, I did ask Seeraphine for permission to use her characters for a few chapters. I thought it'd be cool to do, and obviously, she said yes as you can see. Anyways, I'll see ya later.