"We have to fight him again?" Spyro asked.
"Indeed," the Chronicler said affirmatively, "but this time, you won't have to do it alone. If you can make it back to the mainland, you will have the entire world on your side. Everyone still waits for the three of you back on the Great Plain, and it will be no difficult feat to rouse them to your aid."
"Well, it's pretty convenient that everyone's been preparing for the Sorcerer's return," Sparx commented.
"Indeed," agreed the Chronicler. "The preparations they would have to make to fortify themselves against Malefor are essentially the same as those which they have been making for the Sorcerer."
"But how do we get past Malefor?" Cynder asked, slightly annoyed that everyone kept referring to something she didn't know about.
"Yeah, I doubt he's just gonna let us walk through and have a couple hours' head start," Sparx said.
"A couple of hours?" Spyro asked Sparx.
"Yeah," Sparx answered. "I mean, we're gonna have to get everyone ready. It's not like we're just gonna fly in there and tell them to turn around and attack the big scary dragon behind us."
"Well, why not?" asked Spyro. "I mean, yeah, it'd be nice to give people a warning so they could brace themselves, but I don't see why we have to. Like you said, people all over the world have been preparing for the attack of a great, powerful dragon anyway."
"Well, for one thing, most of the people on the Great Plain can't fight," Sparx pointed out. "Most of them are like the Manweersmalls; you know, how they were so weak and boring that the Skavangers didn't bother putting them on display in the arena? A lot of them are gonna just have to, you know, get the hell out of there. Plus, it'd be nice if we could actually set up some sort of welcoming party, know what I mean?"
"Yes, Spyro, you'll need as much time as possible to prepare the mainland for battle against Malefor, even despite the preparations that have been made," agreed the Chronicler. "Remember that times have changed, and no one creature in the world acting alone, yourselves excepted, would be able to put up much more of a resistance to the Dark Master than a bog rat."
"That still leaves the question of how," Spyro argued. "Like Sparx said, if Malefor's waiting for us outside, he's not just going to let us get past him. Wait," he said, remembering something, "the Chronicler - I mean, the old Chronicler - he sent me to the Well of Souls through this hourglass. Can't you do the same thing?"
"I'm afraid I cannot," the Chronicler answered sadly. "This hourglass has become nothing more than a relic of the old times. There isn't enough magic in the world for it to be used to take you anywhere. Be that as it may…" He turned to the doors, which opened. "Spyro, Cynder, Sparx, remember that I said my time was coming to an end. I will help you get past Malefor," he continued, walking out of the room, "but all of you must promise me that once you take flight, you will not look back."
"What? No!" Spyro exclaimed. "You're not sacrificing yourself for us again! I won't let you!"
"I'm afraid, young dragon, that Malefor will leave neither you nor I a choice," the Chronicler replied heavily. "I myself am more than happy to leave this place and see the sky one more time before I pass on to join the Ancestors, and I am also happy to do my part in this battle one last time. Come; if we don't go soon, he'll come to us, and then there will be no escape."
Cynder had been walking beside him from the start, and Sparx had been trailing them, but Spyro refused to budge from the threshold of the door to the Chronicler's Library.
"I won't let you do it this time," Spyro said firmly. "I'll fight him on my own if I have to. Cynder and I took him out once before; we can do it again." As he spoke, he marched up to them, his eyes narrowed, ready for battle.
The Chronicler sighed. "We shall see," he told Spyro. "I will, however, join you outside regardless."
Together, the four of them that were all that was left of the Great Era approached the entrance to the citadel. It opened.
There was no one outside.
Spyro stood on the threshold, looking everywhere; he could find no trace of Red or Malefor.
"Did he already go?" asked Cynder.
"No," the Chronicler said without hesitation, "he has no further intentions of destroying the world. All he wants now is to destroy the three of you…though he will not hesitate to destroy anyone, or anything, that gets in his way."
"Well then, where is he?" asked Sparx, flying outside and showing a streak of bravery that was unlike him. He searched the entire courtyard, then turned back to the others.
"He's not here!" Sparx called to them.
"Oh, he is," the Chronicler assured them. "If I had to guess, I'd say he's waiting out of sight, ready to attack when we show ourselves."
"Then why isn't he attacking Sparx?" Spyro asked.
"My guess is that Sparx is of the least importance to him out of the three of you, as he poses no threat," the Chronicler replied. "Once you two step outside, however, he will come."
"Hey, what do you mean, 'no threat'?" Sparx demanded, crossing his arms. "You fed me a magic butterfly! I am so a threat!"
"Not to him, you're not," the Chronicler said, more to himself than to Sparx. He closed his eyes for a moment, as though fortifying himself, then said to the two young dragons beside him, "Come on. There's no point in standing around." Then, he hobbled outside. Spyro and Cynder, hesitating for a moment, looked at each other uncertainly, the same question on both of their minds:
Does he have to die for us again?
Neither of them could find an answer. Instead, they nodded to each other wordlessly, and followed the ancient dragon out into the courtyard.
~o~
From his vantage point atop the wall of the citadel, Malefor waited patiently for the dragons and dragonfly to come out. A few hours passed, and Malefor was just starting to get antsy when he felt the door open beneath him.
Yes.
He crouched, hiding himself from view and preparing to pounce at the same time. He watched as Sparx flew out of the citadel and inspected the entire courtyard.
I'm up here, Malefor thought, amused. He watched Sparx turn back to the citadel, presumably to his friends who still stood in the doorway. Malefor was patient. He knew that his foes would come into view any second…
He saw more movement at the entrance, and was about to attack when he realized that the form that was walking out the door was large, larger than a dragon Spyro or Cynder's age, and was white and black, and cloaked in blue.
The Chronicler himself? Malefor thought, surprised. I thought he never left his inner chamber. Well, well, this is an honor…
He couldn't imagine why the Chronicler would forsake his room, and thus, his duty. Still, he knew Spyro and Cynder had to be right behind him; Sparx wouldn't be there if the two young dragons weren't coming.
Where are you…?
Finally, he saw two small figures, one purple, one black, emerging from the building.
Yes!
With a roar, he launched down onto his enemies, not even bothering to slow his descent with his wings.
~o~
"Look out!" Sparx cried, seeing the monster that was plummeting toward them like a meteor.
Spyro and Cynder looked up and behind them, hearing both Malefor's roar and Sparx's warning at the same time.
"Aah!" cried Cynder.
"Whoa!" exclaimed Spyro.
They jumped in opposite directions, almost escaping the impact of the giant dragon that landed right on top of where they had been. Malefor hit the ground so hard that the earth shook, dust and pebbles scattered everywhere, and Spyro and Cynder were blown backward to opposite sides of the courtyard and slammed against the walls, whereupon they both fell to the ground, stunned.
When the dust cleared, Malefor was standing there, radiating power and malice, braced in an attacking stance. He looked at the Chronicler and chuckled.
"Ignitus," he said, his voice rumbling deeper than thunder, "I should have known. Only you would turn away from your duties to join these whelplings."
"I have not neglected my duty," the Chronicler declared strongly, looking him in the eye; "it is you who has neglected your duties, both as a dragon and as a sorcerer."
The Dark Master laughed maniacally.
"Oh, Ignitus, always so righteous. Just like my old mentors…" the Dark Master said mockingly. "You think I don't know how many times you allowed your role as Master of Fire to be seconded to helping these whelps? You abandoned your duty multiple times, and I partially owe my freedom to that fact, since, had you not allowed yourself to be captured so long ago, Cynder here wouldn't have been able to charge the crystal with your power."
"I do not regret any decision I've ever made," the Chronicler replied.
"Really?" taunted the Dark Master. "What about the time when you ferried the purple dragon's egg alone to safety, instead of defending all of them like you were supposed to? You practically gave my henchmen Cynder's egg! And as I just said, what about when you attacked Cynder in order to save your precious whelpling? You knew that your power was the last ingredient Cynder needed to give me the strength to break free, and you willingly allowed yourself to be taken! And of course, we cannot forget the time you gave your own life to grant Spyro and Cynder access to my lair! Do you know how abandoned that made the purple whelpling feel? It was so easy for me to break his spirit after the blow you dealt to him, and had Cynder not loved him, I would have crushed him like a bug!
"And now, here you stand, once again turning your back on the duties that have been entrusted to you. You do know that the inner chamber of the Temple of the White Isle is never to be left uncared for by the current Chronicler, don't you? Time itself could start to unravel without its caretaker, and yet you're out here, old, broken, powerless…You're not even alive, and yet you still intend to fight for Spyro! If you die again without passing on your duty, the very fabric of space and time will fall apart!"
The Chronicler's head had lowered more and more in shame as the Dark Master spoke, his eyes closed; not only was it all true, it was exactly what he had thought of restlessly, day after day, wondering if he'd made a mistake, if he'd allowed the Dark Master to destroy the world in the first place…if the whole thing had been his fault. The Dark Master's words spoke directly to the deepest, darkest places in the Chronicler's heart, filling him with doubt, just as Malefor had done to Spyro and Cynder all those years ago.
"But I will give you one last chance to redeem yourself," the Dark Master continued. "I will allow you to return, unharmed, to the chamber that is your home, if you walk away now. That is the only offer I will give you; make good use of it!"
For a moment, the Chronicler was still.
Maybe I should… he thought. Perhaps it would be for the best if I stayed out of it this time…
"Make your choice, Ignitus; I won't give you all night."
Yes, thought the Chronicler, I'm no match for him. If I stay, the universe itself will collapse. It's not my destiny to end him, anyway; it's Spyro's destiny.
Spyro…
The Chronicler raised his head again to glare into the eyes of his enemy, all self-doubt vanquished.
"No," he said sternly. "I will not run. I will not leave you to have your way. I am going to stay right here and fight you. That is my duty."
To accentuate the Chronicler's assertive statement, Sparx threw an orb of light at the Dark Master, hitting him square between the eyes.
Malefor blinked and shook his head slightly.
"So be it," he said after taking a moment to shake off the mild sting of Sparx's attack. "I shall destroy you first!"
During this exchange, Spyro had been struggling to stand back up; the force with which he'd hit the wall had knocked the wind out of him. Now, seeing Malefor charge at the Chronicler, he cried helplessly, "Ignitus! No!"
Suddenly, the Dark Master stopped, held back by some invisible force.
It was Cynder. Ensnaring him with her power, she caught the Dark Master's wings and used them to trap him in a pocket of wind, rendering him motionless.
This took a great deal of magic, and everyone present knew it. She couldn't keep it up for longer than five seconds before her magic ran out, and the Dark Master was released. In the moments that Cynder managed to buy them, the Chronicler gave his final command.
"Spyro, Cynder, Sparx! Fly away from here as fast as you can, now! And remember; don't look back!" he cried.
"But-" Spyro protested as the Dark Master turned to attack the Chronicler once more.
"Farewell!" the Chronicler called to the three heroes. Then, as Malefor charged, he reared up on his hind legs…The crystal around his neck started to glow…
"Come on, let's go!" Sparx called to Spyro.
Cynder took off right away, darting through the air as fast as she could to get away from the island. Sparx tried to follow, but his tie to Spyro, which was as strong as the bindings of the Dark Master's snake charms in times of danger, held him back.
"Come on!" Sparx yelled again, tugging at his magical bindings.
Spyro stood motionless, not hearing his friend. He couldn't let it happen again…
Suddenly, Cynder swooped down out of the sky and grabbed him. Mustering all her strength, she lifted him into the air.
"No!" Spyro cried deliriously, mindlessly struggling against Cynder's grip. "No! I won't leave him behind again!"
Cynder didn't waste what precious little energy she had arguing. She just strained her muscles, struggling to get away as fast as she could without letting go of Spyro.
"Turn back!" Spyro commanded her. "Turn back! I'm not leaving him again!"
"Spyro," she gasped, fighting to fly higher, "either you leave him, or you leave me!"
Spyro was stunned into silence for a moment. How could he choose?…
Then, just before they cleared the top of the wall around the citadel, the two dragons and Sparx heard a blast from behind them. Sparx turned around just long enough to see the shock wave expanding rapidly to cover the island.
"Aah!" he cried. "Hurry! It's gonna catch us!" He zipped away, high into the sky.
Cynder flapped her wings harder, digging deep within herself, Spyro a dead weight in her claws. Spyro hung limp, watching, transfixed, as a wall of magic sped toward them…Cynder wasn't going to make it…
"Spyro!" Cynder cried desperately. "Lend a wing, would ya?"
Spyro barely heard her. All he could see, all he could think of, was the Chronicler's distant form…
Sparx tried to help Cynder, pulling at his magical bond with Spyro, trying to lighten her load, but his efforts offered her little relief. Cynder dug deeper, trying to gain some strength from the fact that Spyro wasn't struggling anymore, but she was quickly getting tired. Unable to keep up the pace, she began to be overtaken by the blast, Spyro's tail quickly becoming enveloped by the oncoming force. It didn't blow her away, though. On the contrary, it somehow seemed to make Spyro heavier…
"No…" she groaned in defiance of the magic that was dragging her down, "no…come on…come on!…"
Suddenly, just as her strength was about to give out completely, the shock wave stopped advancing, allowing her to pull Spyro's half-submerged body out of the way. With a final burst of effort, she hurled Spyro away from the island toward the ocean, then allowed the air to catch in her wings and keep her suspended without any effort on her part.
After about a minute of falling, Spyro automatically caught himself in the air and flew up to hover by Cynder's side. Silently, the three companions hovered together high in the night sky, moonlight gleaming off the two dragons' scales, as Cynder panted hard, trying to catch her breath. Fortunately, there was a slight updraft that kept her aloft without pushing her higher, allowing her to rest in the air without flapping her wings.
"Spyro," she panted after a few minutes, "do not…make me do that…again!"
Spyro didn't answer. He gazed down at the island far below them, unable to look away. After a minute, Cynder and Sparx looked down, too.
They gasped.
The wall of magic that had almost enveloped them hadn't disappeared, but instead encased the island like a giant eggshell. Inside, time stood completely still. They could still see Malefor and the Chronicler, both of whom were frozen like statues, Malefor about to tear the Chronicler apart, and the Chronicler frozen in a stance on his hind legs, the crystal around his neck glowing brightly.
"Spyro…we have to go," Cynder said after another minute. "I doubt that that's going to last very long; he told us not to look back, so I think Ignitus is just trying to buy us time to get out of here."
"Why?" Spyro demanded of her then, tears welling in his eyes. "Why does he always have to sacrifice himself to save me? Why do I always have to leave him behind? I'm a purple dragon! I'm supposed to be powerful! But here I am, about to run away again, while Ignitus dies for me, again!"
"Spyro, the thing is, Malefor's a purple dragon, too, and he's a lot older and more powerful than you are," Cynder said gently. "He has the kind of power that comes with age and experience. You're young." When Spyro just glared down at the frozen forms beneath them, she added, "Ignitus is doing this so that we'll be able to prepare everyone on the mainland for battle against Malefor. The only thing we can do for him now is make use of this last gift that he's giving us."
"Yeah, you should listen to your wife, Spyro," Sparx said, snickering.
Spyro turned to glare at his friend.
"Ignitus is giving his life for us, again, and all you can think about is making fun of me for being married?" Spyro demanded of him angrily.
"Look, buddy, I'm gonna miss the old man, too," Sparx said, relenting. "I mean, he made a magic butterfly for me so I can fight now, like you! That's really cool; I've always wanted to be able to do that!"
"You've always been able to fight, Sparx!" Spyro snapped.
"Yeah, like crawdads and insects and stuff," Sparx retorted, crossing his arms. "Now I can fight big stuff too; that was the point of the 'like you' part of that statement. I definitely owe Ignitus for this. But there's nothing we can do for him now except leave. If we go back down there, we'll get frozen too, and then Ignitus will be ripped to shreds by that evil dragon anyway, and all of this will have been for nothing."
"Sparx is right, for once," Cynder said to Spyro. "We need to go now. Come on. It's what Ignitus wants."
Spyro didn't care about why Ignitus was sacrificing himself again, didn't care that his friends were right, didn't care about getting back to the mainland and getting ready for battle. All he wanted was to be able to save his mentor and friend. He stayed where he was, looking back where he had been.
"Come on," Cynder said again, and she started flying away, Sparx leading her in the right direction.
Spyro stayed for several moments longer, no longer being tugged by his bond to Sparx. Then, before he finally turned away to fly after his friends, he said the words he'd never gotten to say before:
"Goodbye, Ignitus."
Then, he flew away, tears streaming from his eyes.