Love of My Life

by TARDIS1039

5 years after defeating Malefor, Spyro and Cynder have been living a quiet life full of love and peace. However when that turns upside down, they must reunite with loved ones and gain new allies to stop a threat not known to any realm in existence. (Full-length sequel to Crazy Little Thing Called Love) AU

7. Another One Bites The Dust

Hello and welcome back to another chapter for Love of My Life! I was unfortunately unable to put any update for anything in September because of the writer's block that emerged while I was working on Eternal Darkness. I was able to get a thousand words out but at the rate I was going, I wasn't sure if I was able to get it out in time.

But now I'm back with another chapter of this story! Last time, Spyro and Cynder struggle to come to terms with Spyro's sudden revelation that Ignitus was actually his biological father. Before they could get time to swallow this information, the duo are invited to the Skylanders' graduation which they only attend because of the free drinks that are supplied. The two then leave after meeting up with three character cameos and after bumping into Ignitus, they prepare for the worst as a sudden arrowstorm comes flying at them.

With an attack coming from nowhere, how will our dragon duo survive? Let's find out, enjoy!

(Chapter 6: Another One Bites The Dust)

An attack begins to escalate…

(SPYRO's POV)

Screams. That was all I could hear.

My eyes were clenched tightly as I held on to both Cynder and Sparx for dear life. I wasn't sure what to make of the chaos I could hear; all I could pick up were the frightened and confused cries of the partygoers around me. No one expected this attack and no one was even prepared for it; it was a terrible thing to even think about.

Who would even come up with such an attack? What purpose would they have in potentially killing hundreds of people?

My heart started to sink. Were they coming after me? Being the purple dragon and all, I would certainly make a lot of enemies during my missions around the realms. But how did they know where I was? I never mentioned that I came from the Artisan Valley to anyone just in case an incident like Gnasty Gnorc's attack occurred.

Oh ancestors… What had I done? Was I responsible for another attack on the Valley?

"Spyro… is it over?" I heard Cynder whimper in my chest after a few moments. She sounded terrified, almost to the point of panic. This seemed to scare her more than when she was trapped in Malefor's lair… even he wouldn't resort to this kind of tactic.

Surprisingly, everything had started to strangely die down. However since I chose to keep my eyes firmly shut for now, I couldn't detail the level of carnage just yet. I slightly lifted my head to listen out for any noises of horrified screams or signs that the attacker would shoot a second wave of fire arrows, but thankfully all was silent… for now, anyway.

"It seems to be… yeah," I mumbled, opening my eyes as Cynder and I started to slowly separate. Sparx, meanwhile, was taking in big gulps of air besides us. "Sparx, you okay?"

Sparx took a deep breath. "Sure, give me a minute. Any longer trapped between you two would've been the death of me!" Even through a devastating attack, Sparx's humourous spirit never failed to break... I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

I then softly put a paw on Cynder's cheek. "What about you, Cynder? Are you okay? Did anything hit you?" I wondered, concerned for my girlfriend's safety. I knew I had put up a wall of earth to protect her, but you never know if a stray arrow could've hit her or something.

Cynder shook her head. "I'm fine, nothing got me…" she answered. "Anything hit you?"

"Nope, I'm good…" I quickly deduced, citing my lack of pain as evidence.

"I'm glad to see that both of you are okay…" I heard Ignitus quietly mutter behind us as he approached us. Oh great, now I had two things to deal with.

As much as I wanted Ignitus to just leave me alone for just a little longer, the situation we were in wouldn't let him do that. The Valley was in danger, lives were at stake… At this point, Ignitus and I needed to work together, rather than against each other.

"Ignitus, what the hell is going on?" I questioned.

Ignitus merely frowned. "I am not sure, young dragon… I've never seen such an attack before. Not to this extent, anyway," he answered.

"We need to get everyone to a safe place…" I suggested, looking at the panic-stricken partygoers around me. "What's the best place for them to hide?"

"Town Hall; it's large enough to keep everyone in…" Ignitus replied. "That's if it hasn't been attacked yet."

"It's a start… round up the Guardians and gather everyone you can, lead them away from the town," I started to order. "Cynder, Sparx and I will find who's responsible for all this."

Sparx's eyes widened. "We will?" he buzzed.

"Spyro, I can't let—" Ignitus tried to say.

"It's not up to you, Ignitus. I'm the purple dragon, this is my home and it's my job to save it," I interjected immediately. "Now go do yours…"

My fire guardian-turned-father gave me a surprised look, noting the slightly harsh tone I was using, but he ultimately let it slide and gave me a nod, before starting to make his move. Before he left, he turned to me one last time.

"Young dragon… try not to die," he muttered.

"Yeah, you too…" I murmured back. Despite what he and I were currently going through, I couldn't just not say anything back. No matter what I thought of him, he was still my father… that I'll admit. If this was the last time we see each other alive, it was best to give him some kindness before we part ways.

As Ignitus went to gather the Guardians, helping out some of the partygoers along the way, I glimpsed at Cynder looking out towards the Valley behind me. Her eyes had a slight wetness to them. Her face was plastered with a look of horror as if all her worst nightmares had come to life in a blink of an eye.

"It's horrible, isn't it?" she whispered, trying so hard to break down.

I said nothing as I stared into the Valley in front of me. It was a dreadful sight; everything from the trees to the buildings was engulfed in a great wildfire. The flames flickered at the top of the Valley, a plume of smoke almost obscuring the land in ash and darkness. I wasn't sure how hundreds of arrows with the tiniest bit of fire were able to escalate to this level of monstrosity. Maybe the trees helped to spread it? Did the attackers have explosives built into the arrows? I wasn't too sure…

This level of destruction reminded me of a story I read once as a hatchling: a story about a dragon, apparently nicknamed 'the chiefest and greatest of calamities', that took over a kingdom under a mountain. Towards the end, the dragon swore revenge on a town built on the surface of a lake and completely burnt it down in sheer anger. It only took a single black arrow to kill the dragon, slain by the town's bowman.

As a hatchling, that story scared me. Mainly because someone like me could easily be responsible for the chaos around us, but the frightening part was that it wasn't a dragon… it was someone crazier and bolder.

"It is…" I finally replied, grasping Cynder's paw reassuringly. "Are you going to be okay? Maybe you should go with Ignitus…"

Cynder shook her head. "I'll be fine, Spyro… I'm not leaving you, not like this."

I then turned to Sparx. "What about you, Sparx? You with me?"

"Till the end, buddy," Sparx responded with a slight smile. "This old-timer still got some spring in his step."

"Let's put a stop to this… stay close to me, okay?" I then said, staring into the abyss once again. This was it, no turning back now.

However, before any of us could make our way into the blazing Valley, there was a sudden ear-wrenching scream that made all our heads turn drastically. It sounded like it came from near the stage, which had started to burn down.

"HELP ME! GET THIS THING OFF ME!" the voice cried out. That voice sounded familiar somehow… but it couldn't be? Oh, I hope it wasn't who I think it was...

"Come on!" I exclaimed to Cynder and Sparx.

Racing through all the flipped-over tables and arrow-clad carnage, we eventually made our way to the stage area. Out of the entire party area, the stage was the least affected since it was the furthest away from the firing zone. However, since the arrows were flaming from the tip, the few that penetrated the stage was enough to make it burst into flames.

The trees nearby were also affected. One particular tree had been cut down. There was a nice, clean cut at the bottom of the trunk, but strangely, I couldn't see the tool that was used to cut it down.

What made my eyes widen was who was getting crushed under the tree.

The Skylanders, all dressed in now dusty formal-looking attire, were surrounding the tree, trying to lift it to no success. Surely the three of them would be able to lift that, right? The tree was large and thick but not that large.

But what shocked me the most was that Eruptor was the one trapped under the tree. The ground around him was now blackened with ash and burnt grass as he thrashed around trying to pry himself loose. Oddly, no matter how he was heating himself up, Eruptor couldn't seem to get the tree off himself. Wouldn't the tree just crumble away from the heat?

"Get this thing off me!" Eruptor exclaimed loudly.

"We're trying!" Jet-Vac barked, shielding his eyes with his wings. "Your body is giving out too much heat for us to approach you!"

"You need to calm down…" Stealth Elf muttered, turning to Pop Fizz. "Pop, please tell me you've got a potion up your sleeve somewhere."

Pop Fizz scratched his head confusingly. "Uh… about that. I kind of didn't bring my stuff along…" he admitted.

"Are you serious?" Jet-Vac murmured frustratingly, folding his arms towards the gremlin.

"What?" Pop Fizz shrugged innocently. "We're at a party, why would we need to bring them?"

Stealth Elf face-palmed, tensing as if she was about to brutally slap him. "Always bring your equipment, Pop!" she scolded. "You should know that by now!"

Despite the dire situation, Cynder and I exchanged glances. Thank the ancestors that I was born as a dragon; imagine having to carry around things like a magical hammer, an indestructible shield, or even repulsor gauntlets all day… you'd be on attack mode twenty-four hours a day!

Eventually, before Cynder or I even made our presence known, Stealth Elf turned behind her and gave a sigh of relief when she saw the three of us standing there.

"Oh Spyro… am I glad to see you," she murmured.

I stared at Eruptor with a quick puzzled look before turning to Stealth Elf. "What happened to him?" I wondered.

Stealth Elf gave me a confused glance. "I don't know… we found him like this after the attack, it looked like he had been there for a while."

"And you haven't been able to get him out?"

"Tried to," Stealth Elf answered. "Guy's a walking furnace. He's radiating too much heat for us to get close…"

I gazed thoughtfully at the tree trunk for a moment before an idea popped into my head. "Let me try something…" I muttered before stepping in front of the tree trunk, opening my mouth as the power of ice and cold started to power up inside my maw.

Eruptor fidgeted slightly under the trunk. "Wait… what are you-?"

Before he could finish his sentence, I hit Eruptor and the tree trunk with a thick stream of my ice element. After a few seconds, the fire around the tree had completely been snuffed out as small blue icicles were plastered on the bark.

As for Eruptor, he didn't seem too happy to be hit with my ice element. When I closed my mouth, he stared at me with a pissed-off glare. There was even a cone of snow that was piled on his head. If there wasn't this chaos surrounding us, I would've laughed.

"Great…" he mumbled. "I'm going to die from both hypothermia and being crushed!"

I rolled my eyes, knowing that his response was expected. "You're welcome," I said before turning to Cynder. "Cyn, go to the other side of the trunk. We're going to use our horns to lift the trunk…"

Cynder then gave me a look that plainly said 'you're joking right?', which I immediately retaliated with a disappointing frown. She was so tempted to say it aloud but decided to stay silent since it was completely inappropriate. I wouldn't be lying if I had the same thoughts as Cynder at the moment… but being a hero doesn't work that way, even if it was Eruptor.

However, that didn't stop Sparx, who thankfully no one understood except for myself. "Spyro, you're not going to actually save that guy?" he pondered.

I ignored Sparx and maintained eye contact with Cynder, who sighed and began to approach the log after seeing my frown. She stood a couple of inches away from me, standing by for my next command.

Nodding silently to her, we both then lowered our heads and dug our horns into the gap between the trunk and the ground. Cynder's horns were smaller than mine so by the time she got a good hold on the trunk, her head was basically resting against the bark.

With a quick countdown from three, Cynder and I simultaneously lifted the heavy trunk off the ground. Once we lifted it, we then tossed it to the side. Once the tree was out of the way, Stealth Elf went to Eruptor and helped him up onto his feet.

"Thanks…" he acknowledged quietly as he stared at me.

Sparx hovered beside my ear and whispered, "Wow… he actually said thanks. Looks like you gave him one helluva brain freeze!"

Again, I ignored the dragonfly and kept my focus on Eruptor. "Don't mention it," I muttered. "What are you even doing here anyway?"

"I came to warn everyone…" Eruptor started to explain.

Cynder scoffed. "About the arrowstorm? I think you might be a bit late for that…" she interjected.

"No! About who fired the arrows!" Eruptor exclaimed. "I know who did it!"

"Really?" Stealth Elf queried, sounding unconvinced. "Who?

"Okay, so I was walking in the woods near the northern border of the Valley… with everything that's happened, it was a good place to clear my head a bit," Eruptor answered. "Then I saw smoke rising from a small clearing just overlooking the Valley, so I went towards it thinking it was just some ordinary campers…"

"And it wasn't?" Jet-Vac guessed.

"No… it was worse," Eruptor continued. "It was a tribe of cheetah warriors…"

At this point, everyone exchanged confused glances. Ignitus used to tell me about how cheetahs used to be Warfang's city guards back in the day. They had a code of honour, similar to that of a samurai, they always faced their enemy head on and never used any tactics of fear to gain an advantage.

But after Malefor's demise and the end of the war, did any of those cheetah warriors still exist? Even so, would they be responsible for this attack? An arrowstorm wasn't exactly honourable…

"Cheetah warriors?" I raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"You would have to be blind to not recognise those spots on their fur…" Eruptor said, his eyes widened.

"Cheetahs are known to be excellent archers," Pop Fizz pointed out. "There was one teaching archery at the Association."

"There are also those that have abandoned their code of honour..." Jet-Vac theorised. "Maybe they were responsible?"

"Doesn't explain how Eruptor ended up here being crushed by a tree…" Cynder said, eyes narrowed towards the fire golem.

"I was getting to that!" Eruptor retorted. "I saw them at their camp; I accidentally made a noise; I ran before they could spot me… or so I thought. When I eventually reached the headquarters, one of them ambushed me from behind."

"Wait… one of them followed you here?!" Stealth Elf barked. "What happened to them?"

Eruptor didn't seem as concerned as Stealth Elf was. "Relax," he muttered, batting her away. "I hit him with a fire blast just as he cut the tree… there's no way—"

Before Eruptor could finish his sentence, a thick blanket of smoke appeared out of nowhere, instantly blinding everyone as it enveloped us, and we started coughing rapidly. I was able to squint my eyes slightly to see a tall dark shape sneaking through the smoke towards Eruptor, a small blade grasped in its paw.

"Eruptor! Behind you!" Stealth Elf called out.

Eruptor immediately turned to see the shape lunge towards him, aiming his blade towards his face. Before the figure could reach him, Stealth Elf threw one of her dual blades at the creature, hitting him directly in the shoulder. This allowed Eruptor to scurry away to a nearby table, hiding from view. The mystery biped grunts in pain as he staggers back while clutching the blade in one of his paws as he tries to remove it.

While the shadow was distracted, Cynder breathed out a huge gust of wind from her maw, blowing the smoke away, allowing us to get a good look at the attacker.

Eruptor's claims were confirmed as a cheetah warrior stood before us, just a head taller than me. Most of his body was cloaked in brown fabric, a hood covering resting over his face. Piercing yellow eyes shone through the dark opening in the hood. The cheetah wielded a long katana, and a smaller tantō blade rested next to it; a longbow was also slung around his shoulder. Under the cloak was light-weighted samurai-like armour that covered his chest and legs.

The cheetah's chest armour had been burnt in the centre, obviously the result of Eruptor's fire blast. It appeared it would take more than a simple burst of flame to defeat this guy.

The cheetah remained quiet as he studied everyone, removing Stealth Elf's blade from his shoulder, before tossing it to the side and grasping his katana with both paws.

Stupidly, Jet-Vac equipped his vacuum blaster and aimed it at the cheetah. "We've got you surrounded…" he said, not a sense of fear in his voice.

"Jet-Vac… don't get any closer," I advised cautiously. I'd played enough samurai video games to know what this cheetah was doing…

Ignoring me, Jet-Vac kept his gun locked on the cheetah's head. "Whoever you are, whatever you are… this ends now," he muttered, approaching him slowly. "This doesn't have to get ugly, so I advise you to surrender now or we'll—"

At a terrifying speed, the cheetah unsheathed his katana and unleashed a single deadly swipe towards Jet-Vac. The hawk had no time to react before drops of blood sprayed from his body and onto the grass around them. Everyone stared in shock as Jet-Vac limpingly dropped his vacuum blaster onto the ground, before he too collapsed onto the grass, eyes still as a look of surprise was cemented onto his face.

Jet-Vac was dead… like, actually dead.

At that moment, Pop Fizz growled in anger and went to grab a rock next to him. "Jet-Vac!" he bellowed before charging violently towards the cheetah. "You son of a bitch, I'll—"

"Pop! No!" Stealth Elf barked.

But it was too late. The cheetah didn't even flinch as he threw a small kunai blade at lightning speed directly into Pop Fizz's head, killing him instantly as he skidded onto the ground near Jet-Vac face first. Sparx, Cynder, and I stared wide-eyed at the monstrous sight in front of us. The cheetah hadn't even moved an inch and he'd already taken down two of the Skylanders.

Seeing her friends being killed in the space of ten seconds, Stealth Elf screamed mournfully at the cheetah, tears in her eyes, and immediately disappeared in a puff of smoke. Before the cheetah could react, Stealth Elf reappeared behind him and sliced the cheetah's throat open in one clean swipe before landing in front of the cheetah, who dropped dead, clutching his throat that was gushing with blood.

"Holy shit!" Sparx buzzed in distress, on the point of gagging. "Oh man, I think I'm going to throw up…"

Stealth Elf stared darkly at the now-dead cheetah, her blade, painted red with the cheetah's blood, still firmly gripped in her hand. She gazed at the assailant for a couple of seconds, making sure that the cheetah was truly dead. Once she was sure that he was definitely out for the count, Stealth Elf moved towards the bodies of Jet-Vac and Pop Fizz and knelt down beside them.

"Oh, you idiots…" Stealth Elf croaked, almost on the point of breaking down.

I didn't know how to react. Seeing death wasn't too much of a problem for me, having seen Malefor die through my very eyes. But this? This was different. There was no honour here, no evidence that there was a fair fight. Pop Fizz and Jet-Vac were just gone like that, as if their life was controlled by a light switch.

I hardly knew them… in fact, the only time that I'd interacted with them was when they bullied me, or more accurately, when Eruptor bullied me. But they didn't deserve to die like this; no one did.

I could've done something… I could've killed that guy before he could kill them. Why didn't I? Too scared? Too shocked? I wish I knew why…

Quietly, I wandered towards where Pop Fizz and Jet-Vac laid and sat on my haunches. Cynder and Sparx followed suit and stood close as we struggled to wrap our heads around what had happened. Eruptor emerged from his hiding spot, trauma painted on his face, and stared as his friends, who he just saw alive a minute ago, slain in front of him.

"I'm sorry, Stealth…" I muttered. I wasn't sure what else to say; I didn't want to accidentally cause her to break down because I said something stupid or offensive.

"They had no idea what they were getting into," Stealth Elf mumbled. "I should've stopped them…"

"Me too," I said in a whisper.

Our moment of silence was predictably ruined by Sparx, who was gently tugging at my horn like a shy child trying to get their mother's attention.

"Psst, Spyro…" he buzzed. "Hate to ruin the moment but we need to get a move on. The longer we stay here, the less of a chance we have of catching the maniac."

As much as this was not a good time to just leave, Sparx was right. Whoever sent that assailant was around here somewhere, and this was our one chance to end this before anyone else got hurt. If we captured the one responsible, then no one else had to die. I wouldn't let anyone have their lives taken from these maniacs.

I briefly glanced towards Cynder and a glint of worry hit me. I couldn't let Cynder fight beside me again… not after seeing what that cheetah warrior did to Jet-Vac and Pop Fizz. What if that happened to her? I couldn't bear to even think about that!

"Stealth… I need you to take yourself and Eruptor to the town hall," I suggested quietly. "There's nothing more we can do for Jet and Pop right now."

Stealth Elf whipped her head around to face me. "What about you?"

"Someone's got to stop whoever is doing this…" I responded.

At that moment, Stealth Elf instantly stood back up. "Then I'm coming with you… we're all coming with you!"

I shook my head. "No, there are still villagers needing to be evacuated. Get them and yourselves to safety. You two are the best defense in case any more come for you."

Judging by the way she was staring at me right now, I knew that Stealth Elf wasn't happy with my response. "Fine," she grumbled eventually, surprising me. I figured that she'd want revenge against the creature responsible; maybe killing the assailant was enough for her?

Wishing us luck, Stealth Elf and Eruptor started to head away from the party area and towards the outskirts of the city. As the two Skylanders reached a distance that was out of view, Cynder turned to me with a concerned look on her face.

"You okay?" she wondered, putting a paw on my shoulder.

I briefly glanced at the bodies of Pop Fizz and Jet-Vac before turning to my girlfriend. "Yeah… yeah. It's just a lot to take in," I muttered, taking a breath.

"I know," Cynder murmured. "I've seen death many times… but this? I know the Skylanders were jerks but even they didn't deserve to die."

"Come on…" I said as I led Cynder and Sparx into the burning village. "Best we can do now is find the guy who ordered the attack and stop him. Eruptor said they were in the hills above the town; that's where we should go…"

Without any arguments, the three of us soon entered the village. The cheetah warrior may have bested the Skylanders but there was no way I was letting anyone else that threatened us get to the ones I care about.

This ends… now.

(-)

The village was quiet as we cautiously walked the streets, always on guard in case the cheetah warrior Stealth Elf killed had any friends waiting in the wings.

The fire that had engulfed the town had slightly died down, enough so that we could walk around without having to worry about smoke entering our lungs. Many buildings that we walked past had crumbled down to dust and ash, leaving only a charred husk of what remains.

This whole scene reminded me of when Gnasty Gnorc attacked our home many years ago, back when I was just a mischievous little purple dragon that had no clue about his true purpose in life. He and his Gnorcs ravaged the town looking for me and almost killed Ignitus before I was able to put a stop to him for good.

However those guys were brutes, they had the one job on finding me and would kill the ones who would try to get in their way.

What I was currently walking through? This wasn't something the Gnorcs would do.

That cheetah was skilled and fast, like an assassin. What would assassins want with a quiet little village like the Artisan Valley? We weren't a threat to anyone; we were a place of creativity for ancestors' sake! The only reason why they would attack this place would be because…

...of me…

Was that assassin going after me and just used Eruptor to find out where I was? Had I endangered everyone in my home once again? Had the Artisan Valley become a target for destruction just from me living here?

This was all my fault… I, alone, was responsible for the destruction of my home.

"I know what you're thinking, Spyro," Cynder suddenly spoke. "None of this is your fault…"

"It is, though! I failed to protect my home!" I exclaimed. "I failed everyone… how could I let this happen?"

"Some things are beyond your control. You shouldn't blame yourself," Cynder calmly assured me, wrapping me in her wing. "Even you can't save everyone."

I lowered my head in sadness. "Sometimes I just wish I could…"

Before I could enjoy Cynder's comforting embrace for at least a second more, Sparx, who was flying ahead of us, came zooming towards us and stopped abruptly at our eyesight.

"Guys, there's company ahead!" he remarked. "We should hide…"

Cynder turned to me, looking confused. "What's he saying?" she questioned.

"He said there's trouble just ahead of us," I translated. "What kind of company, Sparx?"

"Just saw a cheetah just by that building there…" Sparx responded, gesturing to the white building behind him. Remarkably, it was one of the few buildings that were actually still standing. "I'm not sure if there's any more, I only saw the one and ran back."

"A cheetah?" I raised an eyebrow. "Was it a villager or someone like the one from earlier?"

"The second one, maybe? I didn't get a good enough look…" Sparx replied.

"Okay, there's a cart just a little bit ahead of us…" I started to plan after hearing Sparx's information. "Let's hide behind it and see what we're up against."

Soon enough, the three of us quietly wandered over to the cart that was left parked on the street. Slowly and carefully, Cynder and I pulled the cart so that the wheels were hanging on the side. It allowed us not to be seen by any prying eyes since the wheels would give us away and the cart was too thin for the three of us to cram inside.

Unfortunately, the distance between us and the supposed cheetah was still quite long—long enough that fog started to fill the streets, obstructing what lay ahead from view.

"How are we supposed to see with this fog?" I wondered.

Cynder gave me a smirk. "Don't worry, I've got this…" she said confidently.

She then got onto her hind legs and looked over the cart before opening her maw to unleash a powerful stream of wind towards the fog. As the power of the wind hit the fog, it immediately dissipated which allowed us to get a better view of the streets. I stared at the scene, amazed; Volteer had certainly taught her well…

"Yeah… that wouldn't look suspicious at all," Sparx then commented, earning a glance from me.

"At least we won't be going in blind…" I muttered. "Now let's see what we're up against."

I then joined Cynder by standing on my hind legs and looking over the streets. They were absolutely clear, with no signs of any cheetah warriors or even bodies of the dead. Where was everyone? Did they make it to the temple? Were some captured? Were they killed? I couldn't begin to figure it out.

Everything was empty until I caught sight of the school building. I easily recognised the pearl white building since I visited it many times to demonstrate my elemental abilities to the kids, an idea that the Guardians dreamt up. The kids weren't the problem, it was more speaking to them for an hour or so. I guess when you didn't have many friends growing up, having creatures actually listen and look up to you was difficult to adjust to.

The cheetah warrior that Sparx saw earlier was standing in front of the building, donning similar armour to the one Stealth Elf killed earlier I squinted to see that the cheetah warrior was aiming his half drawn bow towards a group of hatchlings, all huddled fearfully around their teacher.

I stared in horror. Ancestors… he was going to kill them.

"Oh my ancestors…" Cynder murmured, covering her mouth with a paw in shock. "That cheetah's going to execute them if we don't do something…"

"How can we get behind that cheetah without him seeing us?" I wondered. There was no way I could get over there stealthily; my purple scales could be seen for miles. Flying was also a risk; that cheetah was probably watching carefully for dragons in the sky.

"Not we, Spyro," Cynder responded. "Just me."

"What? Are you crazy?" I exclaimed. "You'll be seen too…"

Cynder merely shook her head. "Not if I use shadow… I can dive into the shadows and strike him from behind."

"But… are you sure?" I queried worryingly. "You haven't killed anyone since…"

"Gaul, I know," Cynder finished off, staring at her paws anxiously before closing both of them into fists. "But it's either the cheetah or the kids. I have to do this, there's no other way."

As much as I didn't want Cynder to go through with this, considering the last time she had to kill someone, I made no further argument. Despite me hating this plan, Cynder was right… there was no other way.

"We'll be right behind you…" I assured her, putting a paw on Cynder's shoulder in comfort. "Be careful."

Cynder nodded as she closed her eyes and started to shift into her shadow form. All her scales, all her features completely darkened and turned into a form of black dust, except for her eyes which turned into a piercing white.

After briefly glancing at me, Cynder dived into the shadows, disappearing from view. Sparx and I then noticed a small puff of black smoke traversing quickly through the streets. I gripped the wood of the cart tightly as I worried for my girlfriend's safety. I knew she could handle herself but it didn't hurt to worry… right?

Eventually, Cynder reached where the cheetah warrior was standing. A few of the kids had begun to notice the black smoke that was sneaking behind the cheetah but thankfully they kept their mouths shut.

Once Cynder had snuck behind the cheetah, she leapt out from the shadows and onto the cheetah's back. As she wrapped herself around the feline, the cheetah dropped his bow and went to grab his tantō blade. Fortunately, he was unable to as Cynder used her tailblade to puncture the cheetah's neck.

Blood seeped out the cheetah's neck as Cynder dug her claws deep into the warrior, who was crying in pain. She ultimately managed to retract her tailblade from the cheetah's neck and brutally stabbed him multiple times around his neck area.

As the cheetah began to die, Cynder released him, letting him fall to the ground. Cynder stood victoriously over the cheetah's body as a pool of blood leaked out. With the cheetah now dead, Sparx and I began to make our way to Cynder's position where, oddly, I could hear the kids cheering at her.

"Woah! That was awesome!" one of the kids, a young earth dragoness, exclaimed in delight.

"Now that's some assassin shit right there!" a young fire dragon shouted out. Wow, swearing in front of their teacher? That's bold.

Sparx and I exchanged looks as we approached the group. They weren't traumatised by Cynder killing that cheetah? The teacher sure was but not the kids? How strange…

"Is everyone okay?" I asked the group.

"Y-Yeah, we're fine…" the teacher, a fear dragoness, answered. "Thank you, to the both of you…"

"What am I, chopped liver?" Sparx muttered to himself, folding his forelegs in irritation.

"Get yourselves to the Town Hall, you'll be safe there," I said to the teacher softly.

"We will… bless you, Spyro and Cynder, bless you…" she muttered, grabbing the children and leading them away. "Come along, children."

The teacher and her students soon started to walk in the direction we came from. One of the kids, a little shadow dragoness, stopped in her tracks and looked up towards me.

"Um… Mr Spyro?" she mumbled.

I looked down and gave her a small smile. "Yes?"

"Your girlfriend is super cool, I want to be like her someday…" the little dragoness murmured. "She's lucky to have you…"

I couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "I'm lucky to have her," I said. "You better run back to your class; it's not safe here…"

The hatchling nodded at me, beaming with excitement despite the chaos around us, before she darted off to catch up with the rest of the children. I smiled as she left; I really was glad to have Cynder by my side… without her, that little hatchling and everyone else would've met a grim fate.

"Hear that, Cyn? Looks like you have a fan…" I said, turning to my girlfriend.

I turned to see that Cynder was staring silently at her tailblade, which was dripping with the cheetah's blood. Her eyes were widened but they had yet to turn into the snake-like slits that I saw when she killed Gaul many years ago. Was that a hint of regret on her face? Or was it fear?

Seeing how silent Cynder was, I immediately rushed to her side. "Hey, you okay?" I wondered in a concerned tone.

Cynder stayed silent as she continued to stare at her blood-soaked tailblade.

"Cynder?" I spoke up again, tapping her shoulder cautiously.

At that moment, Cynder seemed to snap out of her state and darted her head towards me. "Huh? What?" she muttered.

"You alright?"

Cynder blinked and rubbed her eyes frustratingly. "Yeah… yeah, it's just… bad memories."

"Are you able to keep going?" I queried.

Cynder nodded. "Spyro, I'm fine. It had to be done…"

"Holding children like that? That's just cruel," Sparx chimed in. "What are these guys planning to do anyway?"

"I'm not sure; part of me doesn't want to know," I replied. "But part of me thinks we're about to find out soon…"

Suddenly we heard a loud thunderous roar erupt from nearby, shocking the three of us to the core. It sounded like it was coming from down the road. The three of us all dashed around to the source of the roar and we all exchanged looks with each other.

"Someone's in trouble!" Cynder called out.

"Come on! Let's go help them!" I then ordered as the two of us began to race towards the noise.

"Hold on… we're going towards the danger?" Sparx, who we left behind, exclaimed.

Knowing that I was too far away to answer, Sparx soon began to chase after me and Cynder.

"Hey!" he shouted out. "Wait for me!"

(-)

We raced through the streets, sounds of fighting and ear-piercing roars becoming more and more louder the closer we got to them. Streams of fire, ice, electricity and earth emitted from the courtyard; the light that the elements emitted could be seen from afar.

Was it the Guardians who were fighting someone? If so, what were they doing here and not at the Town Hall?

The courtyard in front of us, usually packed with dragons, moles and cheetahs alike, had become a battleground. Market stalls were reduced to rubble and scattered around like litter at a stadium, fire engulfing them like there was no tomorrow. The circular marble ground had been cracked in many places; some panels had even been ripped out from the very ground itself.

"Spyro, look!" Cynder pointed out, gesturing to the fight in the courtyard with her wing.

There I saw all four of the Guardians fighting alongside each other as a small force of cheetah warriors attacked them from many directions. Some were using their katanas, a few of them lit on fire in order to get more damage, while some were staying back and shooting them with their bows.

Fortunately, despite their best efforts, the cheetahs didn't seem to fare well against the Guardians. Everytime they would get close to one Guardian, another one would just take them down instantly. However that didn't stop them from sustaining some damage. Cyril had a few thin-looking cuts on his body, while Terrador had a couple arrows sticking out of his back. Ignitus and Volteer seemed to be in better condition than the other two, just a few cuts and burn marks between the two of them.

"Come on, they need our help!" I barked.

Cynder nodded as she and I sprinted towards the courtyard; I went just a bit faster so I could charge up my attack. Fire started to surround my body until I became engulfed by scorching flames, before I rammed a group of cheetahs at full speed. As I came to a skidding halt, the cheetahs I hit had been knocked back and spontaneously combusted, instantly dying from the intense heat emitting from my body.

Meanwhile, Cynder also had a group of cheetahs surrounding her. Quickly, she flapped her wings forcefully, using her wind element to power up a deadly tornado around her. The tornado sucked the cheetahs in and spun them around until they suffocated from the sudden drop in air pressure.

Once the cheetahs died, Cynder released herself from the tornado with a small burst of wind, sending the cheetahs' motionless bodies tumbling to the ground. I stared at her with amazement. Was it wrong to think, in the scenario we were in at the moment, that that was downright hot?

"Young dragons, what a relief to see you here," Ignitus muttered.

Sparx, who had just caught up with us, scoffed in irritation. "Hey! I'm here too!"

Ignitus rolled his eyes half-amusingly. "And you too, Sparx. Nice to see that your spirit hasn't broken yet."

"What happened here?" I interjected, wanting to know why the Guardians were fighting the cheetahs out in the open.

"We were searching for any other survivors when these cheetahs suddenly ambushed us…" Terrador answered breathlessly, huffing from the intense fight. "It was only a matter of time before you two showed up."

"And the villagers? Are they safe?"

"Yes, Spyro," Cyril responded. "The town hall has been barricaded; Stealth Elf is looking after them while we search around."

"We heard about the other Skylanders…" Volteer murmured with a shake of his head. "Such a terrible, dreadful, awful, horrible thing to hear."

"But we're glad to see that you've made it out okay," Terrador added, a slight smile on his face.

"Who are these guys?" Cynder wondered, gazing around the corpses that are scattered all over the courtyard.

"I'm not sure… although the armour is familiar," Ignitus replied, stroking his chin in deep thought. "But it couldn't be…"

"What? How is it familiar?" I queried. I wonder how long he'd been keeping that to himself?

Volteer was the one that answered my question. "It was once the armour used by the cheetah guards of Warfang back in the war," he disclosed. "However, they all died a long time ago… so why the armour's here is simply strange."

Cynder raised an eyebrow. "Stolen?"

"Maybe… but I can't say for sure," Volteer muttered. "It's best that we track down the one in charge. I'm sure there'll be an explanation, clarification, exposition…"

"We? No, no, Cynder and I are already trying to find the leader," I protested loudly. "You guys need to get back to the town hall and make sure the villagers are safe!"

Surprised by the way I was talking, Terrador frowned. "That would be foolish, young dragon. Whoever planned this attack knew that you live here; they want youto find them. Taking on someone like that alone would be unwise…"

"I'm not alone though!" I barked. "I've got Cynder!"

"That is true," Terrador retorted. "But while she does excel with her elemental abilities, her combat skills doesn't compete with that of a cheetah warrior…"

"Why won't you let me do this?!" I exclaimed. "This is what I'm supposed to do… protecting those in danger!"

Terrador snorted frustratingly and turned to Ignitus. "Ignitus, are you going to let him do this alone?" he asked the fire guardian. "He needs all the help he can get…"

However, my father wasn't paying much attention to the argument between me and Terrador. In fact, he was more focused on a tall building behind me. I couldn't see what he was staring at since the building was shrouded in smoke. What could be so important behind that smoke?

"Ignitus?" Terrador wondered. "Did you hear what I said?"

"We should get Spyro out of here… now." Ignitus muttered gravely.

"Why?" Cyril queried. "There's no one here."

"There is, just on top of that building there…" Ignitus murmured, discreetly gesturing towards the building behind me. "And I have a bad feeling I know who it is…"

"Who?" I questioned, turning myself around to see the building as I started to get slightly frightened. Who was watching me from the smoke? Why did they want me? What would they do to me?

"I'll explain once we get to safer ground…" Ignitus replied quietly. "What's important is that we—"

Ignitus stopped talking and stared wide-eyed as if whatever was hidden in the smoke had just moved. However, I couldn't see anything through the thin black cloud, not even a shape. I squinted to see that something small slightly moved out of the smoke. Something… arrow-shaped?

"Spyro, get out of the way! NOW!" Ignitus shouted.

Somehow, I couldn't. With Ignitus' sudden raised voice, I had suddenly turned as stiff as a board. With the arrow going straight for my head, I couldn't even loosen myself up to utilise my Earth element... or any element in fact. All I could do was close my eyes and wait for the arrow to penetrate me.

However, a couple of seconds after I shut my eyes, nothing happened. No pain, no cries, no screams… nothing.

Did I die? Was I really just struck down by a single arrow?

Oh no… I'm dead, aren't I?! Oh, Cynder… I'm so sorry.

Hesitantly I started to open my eyes, expecting to see the Ancestors around me. Thankfully I saw that I was still in the courtyard where I was before, the fires still emitting from the rubble that currently surrounded me.

Wait… I didn't die? Then where did that arrow go?

Instantly, my head darted to see that Cynder was still standing by my side. I mentally sighed with relief; thank the ancestors… she's safe, I'm safe, we're all safe.

Oddly, Cynder had a horrified look on her face, but she wasn't looking at me. She was looking at something in front of me. Wanting to know what she was looking at, I darted around to where she was facing… where my heart instantly shattered.

Oh no…

Sparx was lying in front of me in a pool of clear greenish blood, an arrow stuck right through his body. He wasn't dead since his limbs were moving around in a slow manner and his face was wincing in absolute pain. But it was only a matter of time before he...

No...

No, no, no! This is not real! It can't be!

"Oh ancestors… Sparx…" I managed to choke, lying down to get close to the dragonfly.

Sparx tried to say something, but all he managed to do was cough out more blood.

"Don't try to talk, buddy…" I muttered. "We'll get you some help, okay? We'll find some red gems… get you fixed up."

I then lifted myself up and turned to the Guardians. "Red gems! I need red gems! Are there any nearby?!"

The Guardians remained silent and motionless, only giving me looks of sorrow. Why weren't they doing anything?! Why were they looking at me like that?!

"WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE?!" I cried out, my voice starting to choke. "HELP ME!"

As the Guardians still did nothing; I felt a wing wrap around my body. It was Cynder, who gazed at me calmly.

"Spyro…" I heard her murmur.

Knowing what she was going to say next, I immediately shook my head frantically. "No, no! I can save him! I can… I-I just need gems…"

"Gems won't be able to save him…" Cynder mumbled.

"It's just an arrow wound, he'll make it if we j-just…"

Cynder only shook her head. "Not for him, honey... I'm sorry."

At that moment, all my remorse had started to boil into anger. I refused to believe that I couldn't save him! I could save him! I could do anything!

"Who shot him?" I asked, focusing my attention on Ignitus.

Again, Ignitus didn't say anything. I wasn't sure why he or the Guardians suddenly had their tongues removed, but it certainly wasn't helping me in any way. How could they just stand there while I cried over the inevitable loss of someone I called a brother?!

"WHO SHOT HIM?" I then yelled. "ANSWER ME!"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" a deep, gruff voice called out.

As I whirled around to face where the voice came from, a figure leaped from the building and landed softly onto the ground. This cheetah was no different from other cheetah warriors I'd seen today, however there were a few noticeable differences. Unlike the other cheetahs, this feline's fur resembled that of a tiger rather than your typical cheetah. He even had the stripes of a tiger to go along with the fur.

His armour was the same as the other warriors: a lightweight samurai armour and all the weapons that came with it. However, the armour was gold instead of the plain old silver that the other cheetahs wore. His crimson red cloak lacked a hood, which showed off his furry features.

When the cheetah emerged from the smoke, a look of recognition spread across the Guardians' faces.

"Prowlus…" Ignitus growled. Did they know this guy? How come they didn't tell me?

The cheetah, apparently named Prowlus, smirked. "Ignitus… a pleasure to see you once again. I see that the war didn't affect your eyesight."

"That's impossible!" Volteer spat, shocked to see Prowlus standing in front of him. "You're supposed to be dead!"

"A mere exaggeration, I'm afraid, my fast-talking friend," Prowlus simply explained. "But I'm afraid I have to catch up with you later… all I want is your purple protege."

I snarled in retaliation, which made the cheetah warrior laugh loudly.

"So this is the purple dragon?" Prowlus questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Disappointing… I expected you to be bigger."

"Shut up." I grumbled. I could feel the power of my Aether element swelling up inside me, but I held it back just for a little bit longer.

"Touched a nerve, did I?" Prowlus mocked.

I almost lunged towards the cheetah warrior, only for Cynder to stop me at the last second. I was beyond angry; I was beyond infuriated; I wanted to rip his bloody limbs from his body and leave them for the crows to eat.

He shot my brother… he had to pay.

"Spyro, calm down," Cynder whispered softly. "He's trying to rile you up…"

Calm?! How could I stay calm after what he did?!

"What do you want with Spyro?" Ignitus questioned, frowning at Prowlus.

"Not me... but someone has paid me an insane amount of money to bring you in," Prowlus shrugged. "Nothing personal… it's just business."

"Then why did you try to shoot him in the head?!" Cynder exclaimed.

Prowlus scoffed. "If I was trying to kill him, I would've. It was a warning shot, that arrow was dull… it wouldn't have penetrated his scales," he then smirked. "Too bad the insect got in the way."

No remorse?! Nothing?!

That's it…

Furiously, I broke myself from Cynder's grip and charged straight towards Prowlus as my scales shifted into darkness. I burned with so much hatred and sorrow that I didn't even care if I could potentially have a seizure or lose control of myself; this bastard had to pay.

Once my dark form had completely taken over, I lunged towards the cheetah warrior and tackled him to the ground. I let out a thunderous roar straight into his face, before resorting to unleashing a series of brutal punches to his head.

Prowlus managed to break himself free by throwing a handful of ash at my eyes, blinding me temporarily as he kicked me off. He stood up straight, wiping the blood off his snout before he simply chuckled at the sight of it.

"Alright then, you want to play it like that?" he muttered, unsheathing his katana and pointing it at me. "My client wants you alive… but he didn't say I couldn't scratch you up a bit first."

I stared darkly towards my opponent. "I would like to see you try…"

Prowlus made the first move, using an attack that was almost blindingly fast, which I was thankfully able to dodge with relative ease. After his first attack proved to be unsuccessful, the cheetah warrior resorted to quickly performing a series of slashes towards my body. That too I was able to dodge, eventually using my ice breath to freeze his katana solid.

While surprised at first by his frozen katana, Prowlus ultimately still tried to fight by raising it over his head. As he swung, I managed to catch it with my paw and clutched it tightly, before it shattered to pieces. Once his katana was destroyed, I used my wings to give myself a bit of propulsion and proceeded to use my tail to bludgeon him to the ground.

However, that didn't seem to slow the feline down as he hissed and shook off the pain. He then grabbed some smoke bombs from a pouch that hung from his waist. I didn't seem to notice as I slowly walked towards him in a menacing way.

"Spyro!" I heard Cynder called out as she started to race towards me.

At lightning speed, Prowlus suddenly equipped his bow and shot an arrow at Cynder. The arrow hit her right in the foreleg, stopping her in her tracks as she stumbled to the ground.

"You will not intervene!" Prowlus barked.

My eyes widened with fury. "Bastard!" I shouted.

Before Prowlus could react, I shot a supercharged lightning bolt from my maw, stunning him long enough for me to slam my paws on the ground. This resulted in two thick blocks of earth to rise opposite the cheetah and slam into him from the side.

Once he was down, I used my ice element to freeze his feet in place, before grabbing his neck ready to knock him out.

"Enough…" I murmured. "It's over."

Prowlus simply smirked. "Not quite yet."

Instantaneously he grabbed his tantō blade and pierced the blade into my shoulder. I roared as pain flashed through my system, stumbling back while trying to free the blade from the depths of my scales.

Releasing the blade from my shoulder, causing blood to dribble down my foreleg, I stood my ground as I prepared for my next attack.

Purple lightning emerged from my maw. Prowlus stood there wide-eyed as the beam hit him square in the face, freeing him from his ice confinement.

As the beam of energy died down, I saw that Prowlus was on all fours and grasping at his face, hissing loudly. Smoke seeped from the other side of his face as blood was smeared on his paw.

The feline then grabbed another object from this pouch: it was a small stone of some kind, with a strange symbol emitting white light. Still on all fours, he lifted the stone to arms length and waited.

To my surprise, the stone started to glow brighter until a ball of white light appeared out of nowhere. The ball of light started to expand until it became a ring that had a whole different location on the other side.

My eyes were filled with horror as I saw what laid beyond the portal. The snow, the lightning, the massive array of gems and the sight of that dark tower was all too familiar to me.

The realm in my dreams… he was heading there.

Prowlus managed to stand himself up and face me once again, allowing me to see the horrid damage I had caused from my Aether attack. All the fur on the right side of his face had been singed off completely, leaving only scorched muscle and bits of his skull showing. His grey eye had been discoloured to a cloudy white.

"This isn't over…" he mumbled.

He set foot into the portal and disappeared out of sight. The portal remained open, however, which made me think. I could follow him; I had this power… I could finish him while he's weakened. Then all this would be over, just with the snap of my claws.

But I then turned to see that the Guardians were all circled around Sparx, who was slowly bleeding out. I saw that Cynder was being tended to by Volteer, a cloth tightly wrapped around her arrow wound.

As much as I wanted to go after Prowlus and utilise the full power of the purple dragon, seeing if my friends and family were okay was more important at the moment.

Besides, I was pretty sure I had to say goodbye…

Shaking off my anger, I slowly reverted back to my usual purple self and limped to where everyone was standing. My shoulder wound would have to wait for now.

"Are you okay?" I asked Cynder quietly.

"Yeah… I'm okay." Cynder nodded before she winced in pain as Volteer tightened the knot of her makeshift bandage.

"She'll be fine, Spyro," Volteer assured me. "The bandage should hold until we get to the infirmary."

"And Sparx?" I wondered, already knowing the answer.

Volteer gave me a sad look and shook his head slowly. My heart fell… oh man, this was really happening.

"Spyro? I think Sparx wants to say something to you," Ignitus murmured, maintaining his cool for as long as he could.

I simply nodded and slowly approached the dying dragonfly, tears already starting to crawl out. As I laid down to his eye level, Sparx looked into my purple eyes and smiled weakly at the sight of me.

"Hey, buddy," he whispered. "I told you you'll be the death of me…"

I chuckled sorrowfully. Even on the inch of death, Sparx still had his humour.

My sadness then returned when I saw him cough out more of his blood. "Why did you do this to yourself, Sparx?" I wondered.

Sparx smiled. "It's my job… to look after you, it always has been," he replied quietly.

"You were more than just my protector, right?" I muttered, trying my best not to break down. "You've always been like a brother to me…"

"I know… and you were mine. But just promise me something… okay?"

"Anything, buddy… anything."

Sparx's eyes then gazed briefly at Cynder. "Cynder… can you tell her that I'm sorry for... you know, everything?"

I nodded. "I will, I promise."

Sparx gave me a look of relief. "Thank you… Spyro," he said, his breathing starting to slow down.

As he started to fade away, the dragonfly looked into my eyes one more time. There were tears streaming down his face. That broke my heart even more; until now I'd never seen Sparx cry in my life.

"Spyro… it's been an honour."

Those were his last words. Sparx eventually drew out his last breath, his limbs becoming stiff as his body became rigid and still. His eyes drooped, struggling to stay open as he maintained eye contact with me, but ultimately they slowly closed for good.

Tears immediately started to flow down my cheeks. I covered my mouth in an attempt to silence myself and prevent myself from crying, but I failed miserably; all of my emotions were too much to bear.

Cynder had enough strength to limp over to me and nuzzle me in comfort, tears rushing down her face as well. I then wrapped my paws around Cynder's neck and pulled her into an embrace, my tears staining her shoulder as I cried into it.

The honour was mine… brother.

"Ignitus!" I then heard a voice call out.

I lifted my head slightly and saw that Nestor and a group of dragons I didn't recognise were heading towards us. They had someone with them, someone tied up.

Ignitus wiped a tear from his eye and took a deep breath. "What is it, Nestor?"

Nestor, after hesitating briefly when he saw that I was crying, turned to Ignitus and stood up straight. "Ignitus… we have captured one of the cheetah warriors," he reported, gesturing to the cheetah that was tied by the wrists. "Said his name was Hunter, the leader's nephew."

The cheetah looked more like your stereotypical cheetah than most of the warriors I'd seen today. He had bright orange fur with brown spots covering his body, but had serval-like ears similar to his uncle. His armour was almost identical to his uncle, albeit much more damaged.

"Captured?" Ignitus wondered, eyeing up the cheetah. "How?"

"We surrounded him while looking for more survivors… but he made no attempt to fight back," Nestor explained. "In fact, he surrendered without any hesitation."

Ignitus only responded with a frown, unsure why this cheetah especially gave up without a fight. Particularly when he was supposed to be Prowlus' nephew.

"Take him to the temple… he has many questions to answer."

Well… that just happened. Guess we'll have to wait a couple of months to see the aftermath of this brutal attack. And Hunter? Why did he surrender so easily? So many questions… yet so little time.

Next month, I'll probably be updating Eternal Darkness or I'll be doing something entirely different. Not sure. You have to wait and find out I guess…

This is TARDIS1039, signing off… Allons-y!