The world hung on a thread, a single hope, even as its heart ached for renewal. The ground shattered and lifted into the air, as trees uprooted and turned to ash against the fiery winds. The skies blackened, the oceans turned to dust and steam, and all life cried out for deliverance from the unspeakable evil that now afflicted them.
Their last hope hinged on two young Dragons, just barely into adult age. They had suffered so much, fought far longer than anyone else, and had answered the call of the Ancestors. They had flown willingly into fire to destroy the very heart of the evil that had dared to destroy their world. They had to, for if they didn’t nobody else would, for nobody else could.
And so, deep within the planet’s core, the two Dragons fought their sworn enemy. They fought with every last remaining ounce of strength they had left, which was quickly draining. They were two tiny flickers of light against overwhelming darkness, and the darkness made sure to remind them well of that fact.
The Dark Master, Malefor, the world’s greatest threat, slammed both Dragons under his massive claws against the walls of the planet’s core and listened to their cries of pain with unrepentant glee, intending to grind them into the molten stone until they were dust. His power was greater than theirs, and they knew it. He was, after all, the latest in a long line of Purple Dragons that had been destined to destroy the world, and he would not be denied that destiny like so many of the failures before him. He would crush the two whelps that dared to defy him and their heritage, and show them what true paradise would look like after the world had been reborn in the fires of creation.
He had sacrificed much to make it to this moment, and by the Ancestors, he would not fail now.
The two young Dragons screamed as they were pushed into the stone, and braced their legs against the wall to push the larger Purple Dragon off of them. Spyro’s scales erupted in an explosion of flames as he used a little of his remaining strength to perform a Fire Fury in desperation, and with a jolt Malefor was thrown off into the air, and they were free.
Malefor quickly recovered and growled at the two “heroes” before him, even as they righted themselves and prepared to attack once more. While he could not allow them to win, he had to respect their determination. Most Dragons would’ve fallen by now.
“Cynder, now!” Spyro yelled, flying towards the black-scaled Dragoness.
Cynder merely nodded and linked claws with him, before they both surged towards Malefor in a combined attack of shadow and flame and rammed into his chest, sending all three of them plummeting deeper into the core.
Time seemed to slow as they fell. Continents rose into the sky beside them, and flecks of lava and rock whipped past their heads, but they paid none of it any heed. Down and down they fell, and they continued to press their attack until finally the titanic Purple Dragon managed to shove them off once they had reached an enormous cavern with an ocean of fire beneath --- a fitting location for their final showdown.
The three Dragons hovered in the air, panting from exertion and glaring at each other. Malefor narrowed his yellow eyes at them and curled his mouth downward in an intense scowl, while Spyro and Cynder both grimaced, just barely keeping it together. They were tired, and so was Malefor, but he would never show it.
“Spyro...” Cynder wheezed, looking at him weakly. “We won’t survive this...”
“I know,” Spyro replied sadly, looking her way. “But for the lives of everyone we left behind, and...and for those we lost, we need to keep fighting.” He closed his eyes. “Even if it’s our end if we do.”
“I know...I just wanted to say it now, before the end. I’ll die by your side than be ruled by him, and if it means fighting a little longer, then so be it,” Cynder whispered softly as she faced Malefor once again, yet her words were heard by both Purple Dragons. Spyro looked at her with pride, while Malefor smirked.
“You two hatchlings don’t get it, do you?” he said, catching them off guard. They hadn’t anticipated to be given any sort of break, but Malefor wasn’t doing this for them. He was buying precious time. “You never stood a chance. You can defy fate all you want, but fate always finds a way to happen anyway. Kill me, save the world, it won’t matter, because you’ve already lost. The moment I unleashed the Destroyer upon the world, your fate was sealed. Whether a hundred years from now or a thousand or even ten thousand, the world’s destruction will happen again, and again, and again until it is finally complete! You can’t keep fighting forever.”
“Perhaps,” Spyro conceded, feeling a tiny bit of his strength return. “But tomorrow is a new day, and even a hundred years is enough time to heal.”
“And if our fate is sealed, then all we need to do is to take you down with us,” Cynder finished, glancing at Spyro briefly and shooting him a small smile.
Malefor chuckled and flapped his mighty wings, sending him higher into the air above the two smaller Dragons. Even as they trembled under him they continued to hold fast and meet his gaze defiantly. His chuckle briefly slipped into full-blown laughter, and his eyes glowed. “Even when faced with death, you still don’t understand. You can never truly defeat me, I AM ETERNAL! My plans, my destiny, it is all eternal! It was written in stone and in the stars themselves that this world would die today, so why don’t we end this charade and let evolution take its course?” Without even giving the two Dragons time to respond, Malefor opened his maw and his throat glowed, before a raging beam of violet Aether poured out of his mouth and tore through the air at them.
Spyro and Cynder unleashed their own beams of Aether, pouring their last remaining energy and strength into them. The two beams of light met with Malefor’s beam of darkness, and all three clashed between them in a pulsating explosion, bathing their cavernous surroundings in a purple glow.
Malefor put forth more energy into his own beam, and slowly, the two smaller beams of Aether began falling back to their owners. Cynder screeched in fury and desperation, and Spyro slammed his eyes shut and called out to her.
“Just...hang...on!” he urged. He knew he couldn’t follow his own plea, but he’d be damned if Cynder succumbed before he did. She had given him strength that he never knew he had, and if she died today...
“I...” Cynder coughed, tears forming in her eyes from the pain that tore at her. “I can’t...”
Spyro’s thoughts raced, even as Malefor’s beam inched closer. He couldn’t hold it back either. He could feel the power radiating off of it, and could already feel the skin under his scales burning. It was too much power for a Dragon to take.
Unless...
Spyro swerved suddenly in the air and moved closer to Cynder, touching his left wingtip to her right. Her eyes glanced towards him, and he met her gaze. An understanding moved between them, and she realized what his plan was.
One Dragon and their Aether could not withstand Malefor’s, but two united beams...
Spyro and Cynder moved a little closer, until their beams joined together as one, facing Malefor’s together. Suddenly the power shifted. Malefor’s beam was pushed back to the middle once more, and both heroes felt less pressure against their own. They were doing it! They were winning!
Malefor’s eyes widened as he realized what was happening. The two beams of Aether continued to fight, only for Malefor’s to wane. How was this possible? How could his power not be enough? Had he made a miscalculation?
All his rational thoughts fell away as his single questioning doubt wormed its way through his mind, and suddenly his Aether beam was gone. For a split second, all he saw was a flash of light, and then he was thrown across the cavern with an undignified shout of surprise. He landed in a heap on a large purple and black crystal situated on a pillar emerging from the lava below --- the very heart of the planet itself. He lay there for a moment before clamping his claws down on the surface and lifting himself up. He would not fail now! Not when he was so close! He now knew how they defeated him, and he wasn’t going to make the same mistake.
The two younger Dragons hovered in the air, looking down at Malefor in shock. “That should’ve killed him...” Cynder said, aghast. “Our Aether...”
“Wasn’t enough, I know,” Spyro whispered, hanging his head low.
“What do we do now?”
“I don’t know...Ancestors, save us...”
Malefor’s smug smile grew, and he stalked towards the edge of the crystal pillar, spreading his massive wings wide. “I’ll tell you what you’ll do. The two of you will now live just long enough to watch each other die, as a warning to all those who heedlessly defy prophecy.” He reared his head back to charge another beam of Aether.
Only to stop and close his maw in surprise. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement where there shouldn’t have been any. He craned his neck behind him, then all around him. Several ghostly apparitions had appeared next to him on the crystal, five in total. They quickly surrounded him and took to the air, looking down at him with undisguised disdain.
“What...what is this?” Malefor hissed, scraping his claws against the crystal. “What devilry is this, purple whelp?!”
Spyro and Cynder looked at each other in bewilderment, and Spyro shrugged helplessly. Neither of them knew what was happening as much as Malefor. They had seen ghosts before, but never the ghosts of Dragons.
Then Spyro’s eyes widened slightly. Could it be them...?
Malefor took a step back, and that movement was enough to anger the spirits. They opened their mouths in silent roars and dived at him. Ghostly chains latched onto Malefor’s legs, holding him down before he could escape. He attempted to charge another Aether beam, only to be struck by one of the spirits. Two more encircled him, and he could feel himself being pulled downwards. He looked down and witnessed in horror as his claws began to vanish within the crystal. He was being sealed inside!
“No...no! NOOOOOOOOO!!” Malefor bellowed, yanking at the chains and reaching up with a claw in desperation, but the spirits were relentless. They continued to encircle him, firing off spells and Aether beams until he was knocked down. With one last roar of fury, the Dark Master was sealed within the crystal. The spirits, satisfied with their work, vanished into the crystal alongside him.
The result was instantaneous. The crystal pillar glowed white through its black and purple surface, and beams of light shot out from it in all directions, tearing holes through the planet and soaring off into the far reaches of space before disappearing. The cracks caused by the beams of light continued to spread across the walls of the cavern, however, and before Spyro and Cynder’s very eyes, the planet itself began to break apart.
With nowhere left to go, the two exhausted Dragons fluttered down and landed on the crystal pillar, their chests heaving with pain. Spyro’s legs trembled even as he walked over to Cynder, and Cynder looked around them in sorrow.
“Spyro...” she said, her voice cracking from emotion. “I’m sorry...I’m so sorry...”
Spyro knew what she meant, but he refused to dredge up the past again, not when he had already forgiven her long ago. “Don’t be,” he said, putting a comforting wing over her and pulling her close. “It’s over now.”
“So this is it?” Cynder asked, already knowing the answer.
Spyro couldn’t answer her, either from not daring to or simply not knowing how. Besides, what was there to say? Both of them knew what they had been getting into the moment they answered Ignitus’s call for aid. They both knew there was a chance they wouldn’t be coming back.
Then, in the back of his mind, Spyro recalled something Ignitus had once told him so long ago, during his training at the old Dragon Temple. It had been a lesson he had kept close to his heart for a long time, and it had been more pertinent than ever since his mentor’s passing.
When a dragon dies, he never truly leaves the world. His spirit would live on, binding itself with nature and offering hope for the future.
And then, in his heart, he knew the answer. His spirit would live on, but there was a chance Cynder wouldn’t have to make the same sacrifice.
“I know what I need to do,” Spyro said, catching her attention. “Just get out of here, Cynder.”
The Shadow Dragoness looked at him, not comprehending what she was hearing, until she saw the look in his eyes. Her own eyes widened in realization of what he meant. “Spyro, no!” she gasped. “You don’t have to do anything! Let’s just go.”
“Where, Cynder?” Spyro countered. “There’ll be nothing left; the world is breaking apart. But...but I think I can stop it. I think I’m meant to.”
Cynder’s frame trembled, and she stepped towards him, embracing him with her magenta wings and nuzzling his neck. Her black and magenta scales shimmered in the light of the fires all around them. “Then I’m with you...” she whispered to him, closing her eyes. She had stuck with him for years, she would never leave his side again.
Spyro held her close, his chest to hers, and couldn’t help but shed a tear over her shoulder. He didn’t deserve her loyalty, but he had it anyway. For a moment the two of them sat there, not wanting to let go even as the world burned around them. But they both knew the moment couldn’t last forever.
The Purple Dragon pulled away and looked into her green eyes full of love one last time. Then he closed his eyes as his body glowed with a soft golden light. His body lifted up into the air as the true power of the Purple Dragon revealed itself. It manifested itself in many different ways throughout the millennia, usually in the form of great peril and disaster, but in Spyro it did so in a way that defied all knowledge and expectations.
For, if granted to a Purple Dragon of pure heart and spirit, it could heal and change the world.
A pulse of violet energy emerged from Spyro’s body and expanded outwards, flowing through the planet. Then another came. And then another. Pulse after pulse spread throughout the cavern, bathing it in holy light once more. The planet glimmered in the darkness of space, becoming a star in its own right as a ring of purple surrounded it.
To Cynder it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and her heart soared as she watched the Dragon she had grown to admire and trust over the years rise to meet his destiny. She couldn’t be prouder of him than at this moment, and she had to express that pride in the only way she knew how.
“I love you...” she whispered, her gentle voice echoing throughout the cavern.
Spyro heard her, and he smiled warmly even as his body glowed brighter. “I love you, too...” he whispered back, although he didn’t know if she heard him.
At that moment, at the end of all things, he had only one desperate thought running through his mind.
Please...I don’t know if you’re out there, or if you can hear my prayer, but hear me now. Ancestors, help me...help me save them all. This world is dying, but I refuse to let our race die with it. I’ll do anything to save them, even if I have to cross time and space to do it...please...
His silent prayer finished, he closed his eyes as one final, massive pulse of energy emerged from his body. Cynder, blinded by the light coming from Spyro, put up a wing to shield her eyes as she felt a sudden warmth envelop her. The entire world was drowned in white light, and then the two Dragons knew no more.
(Equestria, Ponyville, present day)
A Unicorn paced nervously on the boardwalk of the Ponyville train station, his violet plate armor and silver chainmail clinking against his grey fur. His smooth, blue mane streaked with white ruffled slightly in the breeze, and his face twitched with impatience. Behind him, several more Unicorns and Pegasi armored in similar fashion stood at ease as they waited for the Friendship Express to pull in. It was mere moments away, and Captain Silver Moon wanted to make the moment as impressive as possible.
After all, it could very well be his last if Princess Twilight was angry at him for his failure to stop the Changelings from kidnapping her and her friends. It had been up to her student, Starlight Glimmer, to rescue them alongside a rag-tag team. It should have been Silver who had mounted a rescue operation, but to his shame, he had failed in his basic duty as Princess Twilight’s captain of her guard, the Dusk Watch.
They had been chosen by Celestia from her personal guard almost a year ago after Tirek’s assault, upon realizing that, as Princess, Twilight’s life was only going to get more dangerous as time went on. The Dusk Watch was comprised of the finest battle mages and Pegasi enforcers, and given the honor of protecting Equestria’s newest Princess and anypony who was close to her. Unlike the other branches of the EUP Guard, the Dusk Watch operated mostly behind the scenes in smaller teams and platoons, hidden everywhere and always watching for trouble.
That mission quickly changed once Twilight was put in charge, and Silver understood why: the Cutie Map inside the Castle of Friendship was a powerful tool, and it allowed Twilight and the other Element Bearers to find any problem, friendship-related or otherwise (although usually the larger ones were solved by the Bearers themselves). Twilight could see the potential to do good throughout all of Equestria and beyond, and as Princess of Friendship it was her duty to ensure that Ponies and creatures of all shapes, sizes, and races got along well with each other. As such, the Dusk Watch were now delegated to being adventurers and peacekeepers, sent throughout the land to protect villages from monsters, patrol the lands surrounding Tartarus, and even acting as “diplomats of friendship”. All those in the Dusk Watch were on board with the idea, and the fantastic results spoke for themselves. Ponies were happier, the world was safer, and the other nations were pleased to have such dedicated allies.
Nevertheless, the Dusk Watch’s main purpose was never forgotten, and Silver Moon ensured that nopony under his command never strayed from that purpose. Celestia and Luna may have been the rulers of Equestria, but to Silver, Twilight was his Princess. He was loyal to her first, now and forever.
But after what happened recently, he now began to question his own competence.
“’Keep her safe’, she told me...” he muttered under his breath. “Idiot, those were your orders! Celestia herself told you to watch the one Pony she considers a daughter, and you failed!”
“Train inbound!” somepony yelled.
Silver immediately straightened up and snapped his legs together, facing the rails. “Dusk Watch, atten-TION!” He lifted his right forehoof in a sharp salute, just as the train pulled into the station. Behind him, the platoon of Dusk Watchers that had accompanied him all stood at attention, horns raised proudly. A team of four Pegasi, two at each end of the platoon, lifted up their Dusk Watch banners: a lavender flag with Twilight Sparkle’s Cutie Mark in the center, surrounded by a laurel of golden leaves and the black outline of a shield.
The train whistled, and screeched to a stop, making Silver wince ever so slightly. Those breaks desperately needed to be replaced. Finally, the train’s doors opened, and his charge stepped out, followed by her student and her friends. All of them looked exhausted.
“Your Highness,” Silver announced. “Dusk Watch Platoon Delta, ready for inspection!”
Twilight looked up at him with half-lidded eyes. She blinked at him, and then remembered her place. She raised her head higher, attempting to look more regal, and pried her eyes open. “Captain Silver Moon,” she said. “At ease.”
Silver visibly relaxed and let his legs spread outward slightly, his troops doing the same. “Welcome home, Your Highness.”
“Silver, I’ve told you before,” Twilight said, stepping closer. “Call me Twilight.”
Silver nodded. “O-of course, right, my apologies.”
“Can’t we do this some other time, Twi?” asked Applejack from behind her, the farm mare tipping her hat to Silver. “Ah’m beat.”
“Ditto,” said Rainbow with a yawn. “I need to catch some Z’s. The Wonderbolts have an air show planned in a week and I need rest.”
“You girls go on ahead, I’ll catch up later,” Twilight told them.
“Marvellous, darling,” Rarity said, also yawning. “I shall see you all later.” Then, as she passed by Silver, she winked at him. “Good day, captain.”
Silver nodded her way. “Lady Rarity.”
Rarity giggled and then trotted out of sight, quickly followed by the rest of Twilight’s friends. Pinkie was carrying a sleeping Fluttershy on her back, while Rainbow zoomed through the air towards her cloud house and Applejack trudged towards her farmhouse, head hung low in exhaustion. Starlight and Spike opted to stay with Twilight and Silver.
Twilight sighed wistfully after them and looked back at Silver. “Why all the pomp, Silver? You never did any of this before.”
“That’s because I’ve never failed in my duty before,” Silver replied, glancing away. “Princess Celestia founded the Dusk Watch for one purpose only: to protect you, your friends, and Ponyville. We have failed in this singular duty, and I don’t deserve to be your captain.”
Twilight and Starlight looked at each other, and Spike grimaced off to the side. “What are you talking about, Silver?” Twilight asked. “You’ve done a fantastic job at keeping Ponyville safe in your first year here.”
“And yet you and your friends were taken and replaced by Changelings right under our noses while the Ponyville garrison was on a mission in the Everfree,” Silver countered. “Had it not been for Starlight Glimmer...”
“You still would’ve found out eventually,” Starlight interjected, stepping up. “I just found out first, that’s all. If anything, I should’ve gone to you immediately once I discovered the Changelings’ ruse.”
“Yes, you should’ve,” Silver murmured, sweeping his emerald gaze towards her. “And thank Faust that you still managed to save the day without me.”
Twilight put a hoof on his shoulder and smiled at him. “Don’t beat yourself up about it, Silver. Like you said, you were on a mission in the Everfree. A mission that I gave you, if I recall correctly. Neither of us could’ve known that the Changelings were going to attack.”
“But it’s my job to know,” Silver insisted.
Twilight sighed. “We’re not flawless, Silver. I’ve made mistakes that I wish I could take back or redo a thousand times over. We just can’t let those mistakes define us. You’re a good stallion, Silver, and more than that, you’re the best captain the Dusk Watch could ever have. You’re brave, selfless, and have stood watch over Ponyvlle and beyond when my friends and I couldn’t be there. I couldn’t be prouder of all of you, nor could I ask for a better captain or a better friend. As Pinkie would say, ‘stop being a grumpy-pants’.” She smiled at him and patted his shoulder.
Silver’s face flushed under the compliments, and he nodded. “Message received, Twilight.”
“Great!” Twilight exclaimed, clapping her hooves together and fluffing her wings. “Now that that’s over with, how about we all head back to the castle and relax for a bit. I could use a cup of coffee, myself.”
Starlight chuckled. “Same here.” Spike nodded in silent agreement, stifling a yawn of his own.
Silver turned to the platoon. “Dusk Watch, dis-MISSED!”
The platoon snapped to attention, spun to the right, marched precisely three paces, and then dispersed. Silver gave a single nod of approval and then trotted up next to Twilight and Starlight as they began their walk to the castle on the outskirts of town, with Spike sitting comfortably on Twilight’s back. The four of them struck up a conversation, and Starlight began to tell her humble tale of how she, Thorax, Trixie, and Discord saved Equestria from the Changelings.
The townsfolk around them, meanwhile, didn’t even look their way twice. They had seen this sight before. This was just another average day in Ponyville. Just another new day in another new year, and yet another crisis averted.
In other words, idyllic. Peaceful. Calm. Safe.
Normal.
And so it would always be.
(Eastern Dragon Lair)
Dragon Lord Ember stood on the tallest peak of the Eastern Dragon Lair, looking out over all of Halflinger Grove with a calculating, nervous gaze. She had only been Dragon Lord for a little under a year now, and she had faced her share of problems during that time, but never in her wildest dreams did she think she’d have to deal with something like this in her first year.
She was seriously starting to reconsider her life choices right about now.
Sighing, she turned to her left and looked at the red teenage Dragon next to her. “Are you sure?”
“Positive,” Garble said, crossing his arms and huffing. “I know what I saw.”
“I’m sure you do,” Ember muttered, putting a claw under her chin in deep thought. “Still, I can’t believe it myself.”
“You can check with the scouts yourself if you want, I’m not gonna stop ya.”
“Watch the tone, bub,” Ember growled, holding up the Bloodstone Scepter. “I’m still the Dragon Lord, and I can still make you hug the Ponies when they get here, just like you did with all the Dragons in the Lair.” She flashed an evil smirk.
Garble shivered at that particular memory and wisely backed off. “Right, right, no need to get all nasty. But why do we need to have a buncha pansy Ponies running around anyway? Isn’t this a Dragon problem?”
“It may be on our problem and our territory, but portals are their area of expertise, not ours,” Ember replied with a nod. “Besides, I think they’d want to see this for themselves.”
She turned her attention back to the forest and narrowed her eyes at the enormous, walled, somewhat crumbled city that now stood within Halflinger Grove. Its damaged parapets were being patrolled by strange bipedal creatures, and larger, scaled beings soared in the skies above, looking down upon the forest around them with wonder and suspicion. The landscape around the city had inexplicably changed to match the city. What was once a lush forest was now a small mountain with a castle or temple at the top, the foothills from which spread the city itself. Rolling hills grew from the ground and fit the city’s walls seamlessly, as if it had always been there. And from the walls hung emblems and flags that she had never seen before, and that frightened her.
But what frightened her more was the crimson blood that stained those walls in great swaths, painting a mural that spoke of great wars and dark history. This city wasn’t just alien; it was a fortress, one that had withstood power and conflict she could never even imagine, or dare to dream of.
“After all, it’s not every day that a city full of alien Dragons, mole creatures, and armed cats suddenly appears out of nowhere.”