Welcome back to Ashes of Midnight. Last time, we finally learned what Spyro, Iron Man, and Doctor Strange were visiting Johnny Blaze for at the beginning of this madness. He is the guardian of something called the Parchment of Power, the missing page of a dark tome called the Darkhold, essential to reviving the dark god Chthon. And as we left, Fallen Spyro and the newly revealed Fallen Sabretooth were ransacking the Quentin Carnival that Blaze calls home to find it. Hopefully the good guys are already on the way. But will they be in time? Read on to discover...
(The scene opens on disaster. The Quentin Carnival is in hellfire and there's a pack of hellhounds looking for anyone they can devour. And tossing around civilians, is Fallen Sabretooth)
Fallen Sabretooth: He didn't have it. What about you?
Crossbones: (Via a comm system) We're getting paid to find the page, Creed. Have fun on your own time.
Fallen Sabretooth: Who said this was about money anymore?
(Fallen Sabretooth is just about to slash through a civilian when he's knocked back by a hellfire shotgun blast fired by none other than Johnny Blaze, back in action)
Johnny Blaze: (To the civilians) Get inside. (To Fallen Sabretooth) And you can go straight to Hell.
(At this point though, Johnny Blaze realizes Fallen Sabretooth isn't the only one here and tries to fire a shot straight into the air as Fallen Spyro flies overhead, surrounding the other Spirit of Vengeance in green and violet flames)
Fallen Spyro: Let us see you get out of that, Spirit of Vengeance.
Johnny Blaze: (Realizing what he's seeing) Oh, hell no. Spyro? They got to you too?! Fine then. You can ALL go straight to Hell!
(Johnny Blaze leaps over the boundary of flames, firing shotgun blasts at both Fallen Sabretooth and Fallen Spyro, as well as their hellhounds before some banshee looking thing with a scythe emerges from a shadow)
Johnny Blaze: (Seeing the thing) Aw crap.
(The banshee looking creature hits the ground with it's scythe, summoning chains to bind Johnny Blaze, and it actually works.)
Johnny Blaze: That's just cheating.
Fallen Spyro: Surrender the page, Blaze.
Johnny Blaze: (Realizing who's controlling this banshee thing) Nice meat puppet, Lilith.
Nest Mother: Surrender or be destroyed.
(But before Johnny Blaze can respond, a Limbo portal opens, allowing Cynder and Captain America to enter the scene)
Cynder: (Recognizing The Hunter's energy on Cynder) I see Junior's back in the game too, though far from the way I expected.
Nest Mother: Child...
Johnny Blaze: Guess I struck a nerve there. Then you're going to love this.
(Suddenly, a familiar figure jumps into the fray, somehow Wolverine made his way here, and has now freed Johnny Blaze from the chains binding him by knocking the Nest Mother away)
Fallen Spyro: I see you survived, Mutant.
Wolverine: Spyro, you've got to snap out of this! (Looking over at Johnny Blaze) I thought you were dead!
Johnny Blaze: That was kind of the idea. I'd ask why you're here, but I think I just pumped a few rounds into both of them.
Cynder: Johnny, it's good to...
Johnny Blaze: So long as that Hunter brat's in your head, you're no friend of mine. Hear that screaming? That's their fault. So go ahead and play with Mommy Dearest and your boyfriend all you want, I've got people to save.
(And as Johnny Blaze runs off to save civilians, Wolverine can only look at Cynder confused)
Wolverine: Do I even want to know?
Cynder: I'll explain later, Logan. (As Captain America joins them) Right now, we've got bigger problems.
(And with that, the battle against the Nest Mother and Fallen Spyro begins. And surprisingly, they go down quite easily, which surprises even Cynder.)
Nest Mother: You cannot stop it, Child.
Fallen Spyro: The Prophecy will be completed.
(For some reason, their words hold Cynder's attention, almost like she can sense something. Thankfully, Wolverine steps up to finish the job, slashing away the Nest Mother with his claws)
Wolverine: Maybe, but not today.
Cynder: We certainly hope not.
(At this point, Johnny Blaze comes flying back into the scene, getting knocked around by Fallen Sabretooth)
Fallen Sabretooth: Not so tought without that little pop gun of yours, are you? I'm going to enjoy this...
Wolverine: Not as much as me.
(Wolverine just head on tackles Fallen Sabretooth into the ground, causing him to drop Johnny Blaze, and the two go at it)
Wolverine: Somehow you just keep getting uglier every time I see you!
Fallen Sabretooth: And you get smaller, runt!
(Cynder and Captain America try to help Johnny Blaze, but he just waves them in Wolverine's direction)
Johnny Blaze: Stop fussing over me, you idiots! Help him out!
(Fallen Sabretooth knocks Wolverine into what's left of the big top, but just as the two square off, Captain America and Cynder arrive)
Wolverine: No escape this time, Creed.
Fallen Sabretooth: I was going to say the same thing to you. ALL OF YOU!
(Fallen Sabretooth summons a band of demons to his side, but thankfully, the trio of heroes emerges on top, with Fallen Sabretooth trying to pull the same trick on Cynder that he did earlier)
Cynder: Nice try, Creed. I'm not falling for that injured trick again.
Fallen Sabretooth: Who said I was using the same trick twice?
(That's when Fallen Spyro swoops in from behind, and lifts Cynder into the air)
Fallen Spyro: This should teach you to meddle in our affairs!
(As Fallen Spyro prepares to rip Cynder's wings off, she can't help but hear something under his breath, what appears to be his real voice)
Spyro: Cynder... Help... Me...
(But before Cynder can even analyze that, Johnny Blaze fires off more hellfire shotgun blasts, causing Fallen Spyro to drop Cynder and retreat alongside Fallen Sabretooth)
Johnny Blaze: You're welcome.
Cynder: Johnny, we need to talk.
Wolverine: Maybe, but not now. These were his people that got stuck in the middle of this.
(Cynder just brushes past Wolverine, and soon enough, she's right next to Johnny Blaze, looking around at the devastation that's been wrought.)
Cynder: Johnny, we did what we could.
Johnny Blaze: That's what folks with bloody hands always say.
Cynder: (As Johnny Blaze picks up an old poster of Roxanne's stunt show) Johnny, if we don't stop the Midnight Sun, the world's going to be drowned in blood.
(Johnny Blaze isn't even listening at this point, he just crumples up the poster and throws into a fire)
Johnny Blaze: Not my problem anymore. Forget the Prophecy. I know for damn sure I am.
(With that final remark, Johnny Blaze picks up his motorcycle, starts it up and rides off)
Cynder: (To Wolverine) Aren't you going to follow him?
Wolverine: No. He may not have been listening. But I am. I think it's time we got caught up on what's going on.
Cynder: (As Captain American joins them) Agreed.
(And as the Limbo portal back to the Abbey opens up, our tale ends for today)
And that looks like a good place to wrap up for now. So, not exactly a good outcome with meeting Johnny Blaze for the second time. But on the plus side, Wolverine has joined the party! And this really ends kind of neutrally, since there's still no sign of the Parchment of Power. It doesn't look like it was kept at the Quentin Carnival. Or if it is, Fallen Sabretooth and Fallen Spyro didn't find it. So, what's going to come of this turn of events? Tune in next time to find out. Same time... same channel...