"What!" Cynder shrieked. "Malefor is back? But how is that possible!"
"Calm down Cynder!" Terrador ordered. "Getting so worked up won't help to fix this problem."
"What's not to get worked up about!" Cynder snapped. "That dragon is the cause of so many problems, the reason why so many of us carry the pain of the past to this day! He nearly destroyed the world and all of us with it!"
"Cynder! Calm down!" Terrador bellowed and slammed a massive paw on the floor, causing the tower to sway. The black dragoness relaxed about three scales but fell silent. "We chose not to act because revealing to the world that the Dark Master has returned would cause wide-spread panic and chaos. And that's just what Malefor feeds on."
"Do we know anything about what's going on?" Ember asked stepping in to try and cut the tension down a bit.
"It is unclear what the Dark Master intends at this point." Hunter shook his head. "We may suspect that he is out seeking revenge against Spyro and Cynder for his earlier defeat. But anything beyond that is a mystery to us."
"What I want to know..." Flame groaned grabbing everyone's attention. "Is that guy even capable of attempting to destroy the world again?"
"Thankfully that power only resides within the purple dragons." Volteer frowned. "And purple dragons only. My theory is that the Dark Master may be trying to get to Spyro and have him initiate another cataclysmic event such as before."
"Which is why we need to find Spyro immediately." Hunter said, a savage growl resonating within his throat.
"Ugh. Where am I?" Spyro moaned. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was back in his own room. Outside the wind howled and the rain beat against the wet stone.
"It's about time you woke up." Spyro froze at the sound of the familiar voice.
He was about to get up when he felt a heavy paw slam down on his back, pinning him. Malefor shook his head as he let his claws dig into Spyro's back causing the purple dragon to cry out in pain. "Young dragon, you never now when to accept defeat. I told you not to tell your guardian friends but you went ahead and defied my words anyways." The black dragon reached up and grabbed a crystal dangling from his neck. It was long, slender and jagged. "Even if I do not have the power to summon the golems of the deep, or even the Destroyer, I will have my former power back!" He snapped the crystal from its chain and held it delicately in his talons. "But I'll be sure to take it back in the most slow and painful way possible.
Spyro's eyes widened as a flash of lightning caught the tip of the crystal giving it a deadly glow. "No! Cynder!" He screamed in his mind. "Cyn-der!
Cynder's eyes grew wide and her pupils suddenly dilated.
"Spyro!" She gasped and her heart suddenly began to race out of control. The dragoness staggered and fell against Terrador's leg.
"Cynder! What's wrong!" The earth guardian asked in alarm as he watched the young dragoness clutch at her chest.
"I-it's Spyro! He's in trouble!" She forced herself to stand again. "I have to find him!" She took off running down the stairs.
"The Dark Master is already here!" Terrador shouted to the other dragons. "We will sound the alarm for the city. You young ones need to go and get the refugees to shelter." Every head nodded. "Good. Now go! We are short of time!"
Malefor pressed the spearhead of the crystal into Spyro's back. The stone instantly cut through his scales and slipped into his warm flesh. The purple dragon screamed, trying to thrash about as the Dark Master slowly pushed the shard deeper in.
"Good! Feel the pain! This is nothing compared to what you will experience when I finish with you!" Spyro's eyes widened and his cries grew louder as the Dark Master began to twist the jagged shard around inside his back. Tears began to flow from Spyro's eyes and he kicked his hind legs to try and get away, but he was held fast. "You're not going anywhere!" He pressed the shard in deeper and suddenly Spyro felt paralyzed. His screams died off and his legs went limp. His body began to convulse, trying to get air and his cries turned to squeaks as he tried to breathe.
"This is one of those many nerve points on a dragon that are hard to hit unless you have pinpoint accuracy." Malefor explained as he continued to twist the shard in a casual manner. By now, Spyro's blood was flowing freely and soaking into his floor. "It's much easier to hit when your prey is lying still or has their back to you in an unsuspecting manner."
Spyro turned his head and glared at the Dark Master who laughed. "See, even now you refuse to give up." He laughed and tweaked the crystal again. "And now..." The black dragon leaned down and lowered his voice letting his words stab into Spyro's heart. "Now, as I promised, I'm going to kill that precious dragoness of yours that you stole from me."
Suddenly something snapped inside Spyro. He reared back, knocking the black dragon off balance and let loose a blood curdling roar. Spyro turned and glared at the Dark Master. "I won't let you hurt Cynder! You'll never touch a single scale on her ever again! Not while I still have a breath in my body to stop you."
"Then let me change that!" Malefor lunged for Spyro. The purple dragon tried to side step but the shard in his back slowed him down. Malefor tackled him to the floor, stepping on his neck and letting his claws dig into the young dragon's muscles. "Do yourself a favor and give up!"
"If I had given up, I would have never beaten you before." Spyro spat. "And I'll do it again!" He turned his head and spewed a wave of fire into the Dark Master's face. The dragon howled and clawed at his burning face. Spyro staggered to his feet. The Dark Master stumbled around, pawing at his face and then suddenly stopped. He looked back at Spyro as his skin healed over. "Just kidding."
"Spyro!" Both dragons turned their heads towards the doorway.
"Cynder!" Spyro shouted. "Get out of here! Run! It's the Dark Master!"
"Perfect." The black dragon smiled and his tail blade twitched excitedly. Spyro's heart skipped a beat as the dragon lunged towards his dragoness. Suddenly time slowed down. Spyro leaped forward in and placed himself in front of Cynder. His time control wavered then quit before he could take up a defensive position. The black dragon's tail blade stabbed into his shoulder and he roared in pain as he fell back on top of Cynder.
"Spyro!" Cynder cried. Malefor stood over them and struck at Cynder again. Spyro threw himself on top of her as the blade cut into his wing. Malefor struck again and again, each time aiming for Cynder but wounding Spyro further. Spyro cried out with each blow but forced himself to endure the pain. His urge to protect the dragoness gave him strength. At last Malefor had had enough. He raised his tail blade with the flat side ready to hammer in the crystal for the final killing blow. "Now, to end your pitiful life!"
Cynder's eyes grew wide as she looked over Spyro's bleeding shoulder. "No!" She screamed and coughed out a spray of venom. The Dark Master bellowed as he fell onto his back, tearing at his face. His flesh burned and the wretched smell filled the air.
"Thanks...Cynder." Spyro wheezed as he got to his feet.
"Spyro, why didn't you tell me?" She asked, ready to burst into tears as she looked him over.
"I'll explain later." Spyro turned back to Malefor who was trying to recover but the toxin was slowing his progress. "I can't fight him like this." Spyro sighed and stood on his hind legs as much as he could without making the crystal embed itself into his back more.
"Oh my god! Spyro!" A sickened look spread across Cynder's face as she saw how deep the shard was.
"Can you do anything about it?" Spyro gasped.
"No!" Both dragons turned to see Malefor look at them with blood-red eyes. His dark aura spread out and engulfed the black dragon's body. Spyro moved in front of Cynder more as the manifestation of the Dark Master reared his massive head in a loud roar. "I will not be beaten by a pair of hatchlings again!"
"Give it up Malefor!" The dragons turned to see Terrador drop from the sky and hover just beyond the railing. "If you try and go after Spyro and Cynder, you will face the wrath of the guardians once more. And I guarantee it will be the last this time."
"I would like to see you try old timer!" Malefor turned to face him. Just then Cyril and Volteer dropped down beside him along with Stella, Ember and Flame. "You old dragons are no match for me! And now that I have a younger, better fit body, I can..." His voice trailed off. He felt the taste of mercury in his mouth and blood trickled down the black dragon's back and from his open mouth. Malefor turned to see Cynder had plunged the crystal shard into his host's back. Her paws bled as the razor sharp edges of the crystal cut into her skin. The young black dragon coughed as more blood spattered against the railing.
"You little bitch!" The Dark Master roared, feeling his host's body begin to give out. "You've stood against me for the last time!" The manifested dragon raised a claw and struck Cynder across the face, sending her flying against a wall.
Spyro felt his blood boil as he watcher her slump to the ground. "That does it!" Spyro roared and his body began to glow with convexity. His blood that trickled from his wounds seemed to stop and hover in the air around him. "I'm going to kill you for good Malefor!" He charged up a blast of the purple energy and fired, letting it burn through the black dragon. The Dark Master and the dragon bellowed in agony and the manifested Malefor began to dissipate.
Spyro saw the dragon collapse to the floor and the dark energy around him faded away. "Do you really think that this is the end of it?" Malefor scoffed. "No, not by a long shot young dragon. I have a plentiful supply of hosts that I can use for a body, any time I choose. I will be back soon, and I will make you and the rest of the world suffer!" With that the last of the dark magic disappeared. Spyro panted heavily and collapsed onto his hind legs.
The black dragon coughed and his sides heaved as he lay dying on the floor. Spyro dragged himself over and looked down at Niner.
"Th-thank you." The black dragon whispered. "Maybe now...I can rest...."
"You'll be all right." Spyro placed a paw on the dragon's shoulder trying to comfort him in his final moments.
Niner shook his head sadly. "No. I'm not going to make it." He wheezed. "Just as well. I need to pay for my sins. And maybe...i-if I'm lucky... I'll be able to see my best friend again."
Spyro sighed and watched as the tears rolled down Niner's cheeks. The black dragon closed his eyes as he felt his end come. "I'm sorry Blaze." He whimpered. "I'm so sorry."
Spyro watched sadly as the dragon's sides rose and then fell one final time. He dragged himself over to Cynder's body and lay down next to her. She didn't move but was still breathing, much to Spyro's relief.
"Thank the ancestors." Spyro gasped as he felt the loss of blood take over his world and fade to black.