In the Dark Hollow Region of the Artisan's Homeworld.
Spyro,Cynder and Sparx were,Still,Traveling Together,Continuing to resume Their Journey to the Skylands,Where Night has,Now,Fallen,Onto the Trio.
As They were Walking,Through the Land,Sparx began to Wonder to Himself,About,Who or What could have caused such a Disaster to take Place,Not seeing,Who or What could've done It,He decided to speak Up.
"Hey,Guys. You Guys,Wondering the Same Thing,That I am?" Sparx brought Up,Wanting to Know,If the Others were Thinking the Same Thing,That,He was.
"And,What is That,Sparx?" Spyro asked,Softly as He stopped Walking,To speak to Him.
"Who or What could cause such a Catastrophe to Happen?" Sparx wondered,Curiously.
"Well,We'll know the Answer,Once We reach the Skylands,Through Monastacia," Spyro replied,Confidently,as He started Walking,Again,Trying to pick Up the Pace a Bit,So,They wouldn't be Too Late.
"Hmm,Maybe,Malefor has Something to do with This," Sparx speculated.
"Uh,That would be Ridiculous,Sparx,Since We were the Ones,That,Got Rid of Him for Good, Believe Me,Malefor is Long Gone," Spyro reassured,Explaining to Sparx,How his Return would be Impossible.
As Sparx and Spyro talked about Malefor,Hearing It from the Two of Them Enough,Cynder began to feel Worried about Malefor's Return,Stopping Walking to Admit her Worries to Her Mate.
"If Malefor is Back,I might be a Danger to You," Cynder admitted.
Sparx and Spyro heard,What She Said as They Both stopped,And,Walked Over to Her,To Comfort Her.
"Cynder,That isn't True," Spyro retorted.
"You don't know That,Spyro. There is So Many Things,That,He could do to Me," Cynder shot Back.
"Like What?" Spyro questioned.
"Like,What if He takes Control of Me,Again? What if I abuse My Powers to the Point where I become Consumed by Them and I end up hurting You Guys,Or,Even Killing You,Like,I tried to do Before?" Cynder responded,Fearfully,Worrying that She was going to become Corrupt,Once More,And,Lose Everything,That,She had Gained.
Hearing All the Worry clouding his Mate's Mind,Spyro decided to stop Her,From going Any Further,By putting his Hands onto Her Shoulders,Getting Her Attention.
"Cynder,You are Way Too Strong-Willed to Allow That to Happen," Spyro pointed Out,Softly.
Cynder opened Her Mouth,About to say Something Else Negative about Herself,But,Spyro didn't let Her,as He,Just Continued On.
"Besides,Even if Malefor returns,You won't have to face Him Alone,Look if You get consumed by Darkness,There will always be a Small Speck of Light within You,That,Will lead You back to Us," Spyro elucidated.
Cynder Smiled,Contentedly,as She put Her Arms,Around Him,And,Hugged Him,Tightly,Holding Him in a Warm Embrace.
"Wow,You could not have made That Message Any More Cringe," Sparx warned.
"Heh! As if You could come Up with Something Better to Say to your Mate,Considering the Fact,That,You don't have One," Spyro retorted,Confidently.
"Hey,I'm,Just waiting for the Right Dragonfly," Sparx responded,In an Insulted Tone.
Spyro and Cynder,Hearing His Statement,Broke Out,Into Laughter,At his Comment,Both Sparx and Spyro,Successfully,Getting Cynder's Mind Off of Her Current Worry.
That was When.
All of a Sudden.
Three Familiar Villainous Figures appeared,Before,The Three of Them,as the Figures walked Out of a Portal,Right,In Front of the Three of Them.
The Familiar Figures,That,Stood before Them were None Other than Sorceress,Gnasty Gnorc and Ripto,The Same Villains,That,Spyro,Cynder and Sparx had been Fighting Off,Repeatedly.
"Sorceress!" Spyro shouted,In Surprise,Seeing Her and the Others appear,In Front of Them,With a Shocked Look on his Face.
"Ripto!" Sparx announced,Shockingly.
"And Gnasty Gnorc,Together," Cynder added,Concernedly,Not liking,What She was Seeing,At All.
"So,You Guys Ready to get your Butts Torched,Again?" Spyro commented,Confidently.
"That will No Longer Happen to Us,Soon,You'll be the One,That is Torched," Gnasty Gnorc informed.
"Ha! What are You Guys Up to This Time?" Cynder interrogated,Suspiciously.
"Isn't It Obvious? We're carrying Out Universal Domination and Vengeance,Upon Malefor's Request," Ripto said.
Spyro and Cynder's Eyes Widened,In Surprise,When They heard Ripto say That,Considering,The Fact,That,He was Supposed to be Dead.
"So,Malefor is Alive,After All,Doesn't Mean,That,You Guys can stop Us,From protecting the Universe," Sparx remarked.
"You want the Universe? Come and Take It from Us!" Sorceress shot Back.
"With Pleasure," Spyro shouted as He shot Up,Into the Sky,Before,Flying,Right,Into Gnasty Gnorc,Tackling Him to the Ground.
The Minute,Ripto and Sorceress saw Spyro do That,It,Immediately,Started the Fight,as Both Ripto and Sorceress charged towards Their Enemies.
Ripto chose Sparx as He charged towards Him,To Attack,While,Sorceress went for Cynder.
Sorceress pointed Her Scepter towards Cynder,as It,Slowly,Began to Glow,Powering Up to Shoot Out and Hit Cynder.
However.
Cynder didn't let Her do a Thing,She,Just flew Up to the Sky,And,Spinned Around in a Circular Motion,Before,Ramming Her Head,Directly,Into Sorceress's Stomach,Which shoved Sorceress and Her Scepter Down to the Ground.
At the Same Time.
Ripto and Sparx were,Still,Fighting Each Other.
Ripto shot Blasts of Acid,Directly,Towards Sparx.
Sparx Smiled,as He saw the Blasts Coming.
"This All You Got!" Sparx taunted as He sped Flew,Around Each of the Blasts,By,Just Flying,From Side to Side,With Impeccable Timing.
Ripto Growled,Angrily,as He raised his Scepter,And,Swinged It at Sparx.
That was,Until.
Sparx flew Down Underneath the Scepter,And,Flew into Ripto's Legs,Making Him Trip and Fall Flat on his Face.
Now,Only Spyro's Fight Remained.
Gnasty Gorc,Attempted to Swing his Club,Into Spyro's Wing,But,Spyro,Quickly,Caught It,as They Both,Now,Stood Face to Face.
Gnasty Gnorc pushed against his Club,To hit It in to Spyro,While,Spyro was pushing It Away,From Him,And,At Gnasty Gnorc.
"Come On,Spyro,Finish It Off!" Sparx ordered,Firmly,Seeing Spyro's Feet Dragging against the Dirt,And,His Arms Shaking,Repeatedly,Struggling to keep the Club Away from Him.
"You got This,Spyro!" Cynder announced,Encouragingly.
The Minute,Spyro heard his Mate Cheering Him On,He Smiled,as He,Then,Raised his Leg,And,Jabbed his Knee,Into Gnasty Gnorc's Stomach,Making Gnasty Gnorc stop Applying Pressure to his Club and Put Pressure onto his Stomach,From the Pain.
Gnasty Gnorc shouted Out,In Agony,as He took Both of his Hands Off of the Club,Onto his Stomach.
Spyro,Taking his Chance to finish Him Off,Grasped the Heavy Club,Tightly,as He hit It,Right,Into Gnasty Gnorc's Face.
Gnasty Gnorc flew,Through the Air,And,Right Back in to the Portal,From,Whence He had Came.
Ripto and Sorceress,Knowing,That,They had Lost,Stood Up,And,Walked Over to the Portal,Where They had Come From.
The Two of Them stood,In Front of the Portal,About to Head Back In,While,Staring at the Three Heroes,Who,Stood Victorious.
"You Guys lost,Again," Sparx bragged.
"For Now," Ripto retorted.
"Malefor will Soon,Rule the Universe," Sorceress declared,Before,Both Her and Ripto Walked in to the Portal,as It Closed,Right,After They stepped Through.
Once They had Disappeared,Into the Portal,Sparx and Cynder,Both dropped to the Floor,In Exhaustion,At the Same Time,From Their Fight with the Villains.
"Okay,We should,Probably,Make Camp for the Night,So,We can get Some Rest," Spyro suggested,Looking at his Tired Friends,as He,Then,Suggested,That,They make Camp for the Night.
"I think,We're with Ya on That One," Sparx stated.
"Definitely," Cynder agreed.
Meanwhile.
In the Dry Canyon.
Nightfall had settled upon the Dry Canyon as Max and Blayz sat Down,Around a Campfire,Getting Ready to have Dinner.
Blayzwas the One doing the Cooking,While,Max was,Just Sitting Down,By Himself,Quietly,Waiting for His Food.
Blayz made the Salmon Meat and Vegetable Soup for Dinner,For the Night.
Blayz,Having just Finished making the Dinner,Poured Some of the Soup,Out of the Pot,And,Into a Small Bowl,Before,Setting It Down on a Plate,Where the Salmon laid on the Side,as He,Then,Carried the Plate,Over to Max,To Hand It to Him.
"Here You Go,You'll need your Strength," Blayz whispered to Max,as He gave the Plate,To Max,Before,Getting a Bowl and Plate for Himself.
Blayz,Carefully,Walked Over to Max,And,Sat Down,Beside Him,Hoping for Max to not find It a Problem,That,He was sitting Next to Him.
As the Two of Them ate Their Meals,Max decided to Say Something,About Blayz saving Him Earlier.
"Hey,What You did for Me Back There...Thanks." Max thanked,Softly.
"No Worries,You helped Me,As Well,That's What Friends do for Each Other," Blayz replied, Happily.
"Friends? Is That What We are Now? Max questioned,With a Raised Eyebrow.
"Well,That depends on How Nice and Honest,You're willing to be with Me,Just a Thought,Really," Blayz answered.
Max,Then,Began to Feel Sad,as He started to Remember,Why,He was acting the Way,That,He was,Before,He looked Down,Into his Soup with a Sad Look on his Face.
"Seriously,Though. Why are You,So Angry? Why do You have to be So Mean to Everyone? They only want to be Friendly,And,You just keep pushing Them Away for No Reason,I can Always tell,When Something is going On with People,Who act like That,All the Time, So,Why Try and Hide It?" Blayz brought Up,Softly,Wanting to Know,The Reason,Why,He was Acting,The Way,That,He was.
"I can't talk about It," Max informed.
"Can't or Won't?" Blayz asked,Curiously.
Max was about to Say Something Else,To Push Him Away,But,Blayz wasn't Finished Talking,as He opened his Mouth to Continue.
"Come On,I know You Better,At This Point,And,It's not because We're forced to be Together like This,I know,That,We're not Friends,But,If We're going to be Working Together More,We have to Learn to Trust Each Other,That's What builds Friendship. I want to Help You,So,If You have a Problem,I need You to start Opening Up to Me. If You can't do That for Me,Then,For Who? There's Nobody Else Out Here except You and Me,I can't help You,Max,If You won't help Me,Please," Blayz pleaded,Trying to get Max to Understand,What He was trying to do,By Asking Him about It.
Max,Carefully,Thought about,What Blayz was telling Him,And,After Much Thinking,Realizing,That,Blayz was,Just Trying to Understand,Max decided to Surrender and tell Blayz his Story.
Max looked Down,Into his Soup Bowl,as He prepared to Explain It to Blayz.
"When I was a Toddler,I had My Mother and My Father,My Mother,She was a Medical Doctor,A Medical Doctor,That,I loved More than Anything Else,Even More than My Dad,Who is a Navy Soldier,Now,Whenever My Dad would leave for the Military,I was Always left with My Mom,Who always made Time for Me,She was always There taking Care of Me,That was,Until,One Day,My Mom found Out,That,She was Struck with Stage-4 Cancer. She refused to tell Me and My Dad,Worried,That,It was going to Worry Us to Death,So,She kept It to Herself until She could figure Out a Way to counteract It,But,Every Attempt proved Unsuccessful. It wasn't Long until She was Hospitalized,Forcing My Dad to Come Back Home and See Her,One Last Time,Before,She passed," Max explained,as He just continued to Look,Into the Bowl,While,He explained It to Him
"Oh,Max," Blayz whispered,Empathetically,Feeling Awful,By,What He was Hearing Max tell Him.
"After Witnessing My Mother's Death,I haven't been the Same,In Fact,I blamed Myself for Her Passing,And,Still Do. You See,When I saw Her Death for the First Time,I,I just could not get Over Seeing Her Lifeless Body lay There,While,I just watched Her Die,I developed,What People call Survivor's Guilt,I didn't let My Dad know,About My Sadness,Like,He would Understand,Anyway. I Guess,My Response to the Guilt w-was Anger and Denial,I may be acting All Tough on the Outside,B-But,On the Inside,I'm Depressed,Devastated,Even Broken." Max continued,as his Eyes started to Tear Up,The More,He continued on about It.
"My Mother was the Light of My Life,And,M-Maybe,Despite,Me being very Young,I could have Done Something to prevent Her Death,Instead of,Just Sitting There,Pain is like That,Sometimes,It can make You Sad or It can make You Angry. I Suppose,I always chose the Latter,Even to This Day. That's Why,I push People Away,Because,I'm always getting More and More Afraid of Losing More People,More than the One's,That,I've Already Lost," Max elucidated,as his Eyes welled Up with Tears,While,He talked,And,He began to Cry.
The Minute,Max finished Talking,He started Sobbing,For the First Time in his Life,From All the Sadness,That,He had kept Inside.
That was When.
Max Said to Blayz,What He Always wanted to Say,From the Start,"I'm Sorry."
Blayz,Understanding Max's Story,And,Now,Happy,That,Max Finally opened Up to Him,Wrapped his Arms and Wings,Around Him.
"It's Okay,Max,It's Okay,I forgive You," Blayz murmured to Him,as He pulled Max,Into a Warm Hug.
As the Two stopped Hugging,Max began to Wonder,What Blayz's Story was.
"Wh-What about You? What's your Story?" Max mentioned,While,Sniffling and Wiping Away his Tears.
"Well,Honestly,I never really knew My Birth Parents,They died in the Dragon Wars,Titan and the Other Peacekeeper Dragons are the Only Real Family,That,I've Ever had,Even though,There are Times,When I feel Depressed about My Parents,No Longer being Here to Guide Me,I,Still do Everything,That,I can to be Better and Do Better,Even before Titan revealed to Me that I was prophesied by Ignitus,Who passed on his Power to Me,While,I was,Still,An Egg,Making Me his Descendant and the One to Carry on his Legacy," Blayz replied.
"Wow,That is a Huge Responsibility for You to have,I can imagine,How Hard,That is," Max voiced.
"Yeah,Well,I know,I have a Part to Play in This Universe,So,I do Exactly That. You Know,You can have a Part to Play, As Well. You,Too,Can be Better,You can do What's Right for the Ones You love,And,If You do,You can become,What You were Always meant to be; a Hero." Blayz responded.
Max,Feeling very Moved by Blayz's Story,And,His Desire to Help Others,Started to want to be a Better Person Himself.
"I'll Try to be a Better Person,Blayz,I Promise,Not just for Myself,But,For Everyone around Me," Max vowed.
"Hey,Blayz," Max called.
"Yeah?" Blayz answered,Happily.
"Thank You... for being my Friend," Max thanked,Softly,as He,Then,Hugged Blayz,Tightly,To Him.
The Minute,Max hugged Him,Blayz Smiled,Brightly,as He put his Arms,Around Him Back.
"S-So,We should,Probably,Go to Bed,Huh?" Max suggested as the Max let Go of Him,And,Sat Upright.
"Yeah,We,Probably,Should," Blayz agreed,as He stood Up,Onto his Feet,Walked Over to the Campfire,Before,Putting It Out,And,Heading Off to Bed,With Max heading Off to Sleep,After Him,Sleeping,Right Beside Him.
Both Boys looking Forward,To Continuing Their Journey,The Next Morning.