It was around midnight currently for Spike and the other dragons at the temple, they all had gone to sleep after the sun had set, Spike still had a lot on his mind with what's happening, even with his real birth mother here, he's still having trouble accepting he came from such.. dark origins, Spike and Spyro had went to sleep on the balcony because they enjoyed the night sky view, but Spike's nerves of the moons growing closer grew more and more as each night passes, and he feels a dark power rising within him, something he may not be able to control..
Spike and Spyro were fast asleep and trying to wait for tomorrow, but Spike and Spyro have been having strange visions whenever they sleep, dark visions of terrible places that house the Dark Master's forces, Spike felt his heart race whenever they saw those places, and in this current dream/ vision, he and Spyro saw a dark mountain far far away, and a green spiral shot up from it as they hear the echoes of they're battle against Cynder happen.
Spike and Spyro both see the moment where Cynder is returned to normal, and she's now at the same age as the both of them currently, which is 12. The scene where they rescue her plays out like we last saw them, Spike saves her from going into the portal, and he and Spyro carry her off to safety, but as they left, that same.. malicious voice was heard again.. something that gave them chills..
"Spyro.. Spike..." The voice echoed again as Spike and Spyro look back at the portal collapsing along with the Convexity dimension as they escape once more..
But as they kept trying to sleep, back in the real world, Sparx had come out of the door to tell them something.
"Spyro, Spike, you awake guys?" Sparx asked in a different voice which woke them up.
"Ugh.. what is it Sparx? It's the middle of the night?" Spike asked tiredly while rubbing his eyes as he and Spyro got up.
"Sorry, but it's some night huh? It's beautiful.." Sparx said as they looked at he night sky, but Spike just felt chills when looking at the moons.
"Not to me it's not.." Spike said with worry while they tried waking up.
"What is it you want Sparx? It's literally midnight by now." Spyro asked a bit annoyed with being woken up.
"Heh, why would I want something, I'm just ready to begin the best day ever now that that evil-psycho- she dragon is gone." Sparx said referring to someone they know.
"Sparx, watch your mouth, that's my mother your talking about." Spike threatened while showing his claws.
"Your talking about Cynder? What do you mean, where is she?" Spyro asked getting worried for her.
"Whoa calm down you two, your awfully tense. You haven't been sleeping much? You should listen to Volteer and his stories, that'll put anyone to sleep." Sparx joked while they yawned again.
"It's hard to sleep when you wake us up like this." Spike added while stretching his wings a bit.
"Sparx what happened? Where's Cynder?" Spyro asked really wanting to know where she is.
"Okay you two ready?" Sparx asked as we see a flashback of where Cynder went.
Sparx was currently flying through the halls trying to collect his thoughts after all that's been happening.
" I got up to get some air, haven't gotten much sleep since.. Spike's mother has been hanging around, but low and behold, I saw her sneaking out into the garden on my little stroll." Sparx said as he saw Cynder sneaking out of the place.
"She can't just go out like that, it's not safe for her." Spike said already getting ready to go.
"Your right, come on guys, it's not safe to be out at night, especially with right now." Spyro said as they started to move.
"Hold on a minute guys, it's dangerous for any of us, besides you still need to wait for your powers to return.. because your weak.." Sparx said snickering a bit which made Spike shake his head again.
"There's no time to argue, come on guys." Spyro said as they started moving through the place again.
" Ah.. ( cough) you two would be lost without me, so it's better I .. ( cough) come with you." Sparx said as he was coughing a bit.
"You alright Sparx? What's up with your voice?" Spike asked as he noticed it's a bit lighter then normal.
"Just going through growing up stuff, you'll go through it too, it's nothing to worry about alright buddy?" Sparx asked which did assure him a bit.
"As long as it's not something serious.." Spike said as they started to move through the Temple again.
Spike, Spyro and Sparx had went into the dojo room again, it looked a lot different compared to it in the daytime, Spike just felt strange whenever he looked at the night sky, it's almost like something was watching over him.. and Spike specifically..
"So Spike, how you been holding up with this whole.. dark dragon thing that's happened recently?" Spyro asked with concern as they kept moving around the statue.
"It's a lot to take in Spyro.. I feel this.. dark power within me.. and I feel like I'll lose control of myself if I overuse it.. yet.. I feel like I'll HAVE to use it at one point.. I just don't know when.." Spike said with worry while he still felt different then he did before.
"Yeah, you've become like a second Cynder as of lately with how you two look, but I guess it's because you are.. mother and son.." Sparx said shivering at the thought of it which made Spike look down sadly again.
"How you processing the news she's your mother? I'm sure your friends back home will need to hear all of this too.. that is.. if we can ever find a way back for you.." Spyro asked feeling bad that Spike's basically stuck here at this point.
"I honestly don't know.. one the one hand, while I'm wanting to do whatever I can to support her, the reason I'm even here just makes me keep questioning myself.. and I worry if the Dark Master will use me as another puppet.. or something worse.." Spike said shivering at the thought of it.
"Yeah.. Cynder herself said that you could have dark powers that are like hers, and with the state your in.. you could awaken them at any moment.. and I still don't have mine back either.." Spyro said a bit afraid of what could happen if that comes to be.
"I know, and that's what scares me Spyro, each night when those moons get closer and closer, I feel like they're another step into me awakening them, and I don't know if they'll corrupt me fully.. or if I can control them.." Spike said with fear while looking at his dark body.
"Hey try and keep things positive buddy, we still have time to rest and recover, and whatever comes our way, we'll stop it together, right?" Spyro asked while they moved through the vision pool room again.
"I hope so.." Spike said unsure if he'll be able to control it..
Spike and Spyro made they're way through another door that was to their right, and they emerged into the other room where Ignitus and the other guardians were sleeping, they still didn't have proper rooms yet with all the repairs being made, so they had to share some rooms to save up space for now, and it was a bit loud in here with all the snoring they were making.
"Careful, we mustn't wake the." Spyro whispered to them both, but Sparx didn't hear it.
"What?! I can't hear your over all this snoring!" Sparx shouted loudly which didn't wake them up somehow.
"Shh! Let's go quietly.. slow.. and steady.." Spike whispered while they quietly began moving through the room past each one.
"Yes.. of course..." Cyril said in his sleep as he was dreaming about something with the others.
"In the truth of the matter.." Volteer said in his sleep while they passed by him too, Ignitus was the only one sleeping soundly as they passed by him and they made sure not to make any noise at all.
Soon enough, Spike and Spyro made they're way out of the room and were about to come upon the garden, they sighed in relief with not being caught and quickly made they're way to it, and after bashing down a weak door in front of them, they finally found Cynder was walking through it, she still looked upset about everything, and they both were worried for her.
"Cynder, wait up." Spike announced which got her attention, she turned to them and sighed sadly with seeing them both here.
"Spike.. Spyro.." Cynder said sadly as they all came up together to talk.
"And Sparx miss dragon." Sparx added while crossing his arms.
"Cynder, what are you doing out here, it's not safe?" Spyro asked wondering what she's doing.
"I'm sorry, you shouldn't have followed me you two.. especially you.. son.." Cynder said sadly looking at them.
"Well, that's enough for me, see ya!" Sparx said really wanting to go now.
"Please, don't make this harder then it needs to be, I didn't want to tell you this because I knew you would come after me.." Cynder begged while looking at them both.
"We're just trying to understand what's wrong." Spyro replied concerned for her which made her sigh again.
"I'm leaving you two.. I don't belong here... not even with my own son.. after all I've done and what I've put you through, i can't stay.." Cynder said while looking down again.
"Cynder, no one blames you for what you did.." Spyro said while he was feeling sad to hear this.
"Mom.. you don't have to go, what you did wasn't your fault, it was the Dark Masters, no matter what happened, it was all on him, we talked about this earlier, didn't we?" Spike asked while trying to make her stop this.
"I'm sorry son.. every day I'm reminded of what happened.. and I can't get the thoughts out of my head, Spyro, son, your place is here, your destiny is here. You need to help find Spike a way back home.. where he can be with his real family.." Cynder said with a tear saying that herself.
"Cynder, we don't want you to go, there is a place for you here, you just need to see it." Spyro said while they came up to her a bit more.
Spike sighed seeing her like this, and tried to stop her from leaving.
"Mom, I know what we've been through is.. rough. With the threat of the Dark Master still lose, and the world still trying to repair from the war that was waged here, I understand it's tough for all of us, especially you. But you need to try and look past this.. there's more to you then you think, you aren't a monster, you aren't anywhere close to being one. You are my mother, you have no idea how much I've wanted to know who my birth parents were, even though my origin is dark, I know that it came from a place of care because of you." Spike said while he rubbed her head.
"Spike.." Cynder said regretfully while they looked at her.
"Spike is right Cynder, no matter what's happened, we know your a good person deep down. Spike has a great life because of what you did, and it wouldn't be complete without the one that gave him it. I know you feel like a monster for what happened, but this wasn't your fault, no matter what people see you as.. Sparx especially.. your not a puppet or monster, you are Cynder, and that is whoever you choose to be." Spyro said comforting her as well.
"Cynder.. It's been a lot for us.. but I don't think I can go on without you, especially with me having dark powers like you, I don't think I'll be able to control them without your help, and if something happens to you.. I don't think I'll be strong enough to save you.. I want to protect you, just like you want to protect me. But leaving this place won't do anything to make it better, Ignitus and the other's are here to support you, Spyro's here for you, and most importantly.. your son is here for you.." Spike assured while he gave her another hug which made her cry a bit.
"Son.. I'm.. so sorry.." Cynder said sadly while he looked at her, Cynder pulled out the photo she's had for a long time, and sighed seeing her corrupted form with Spike when he was an egg.
"Mom.. what you did was your choice, and that choice had compassion and care, I know you would've protected me my entire life if I did hatch under you, and I want you to experience what it's like to have a family, I don't wanna continue on without you, especially with how your handling things right now, I'm not handling them well too, but I know.. we can make it through it together.." Spike said with a soft smile which made Cynder feel a bit better.. no matter what dread and sadness she's felt, seeing her son in front of her always gave her some form of joy..
"Cynder, you have a place here just like us. You need to be here, not just for us, but for your son. Please don't go Cynder, we can't just let you go off to either get captured, hurt.. or even killed.." Spyro begged hoping she would stop this.. and after some heavy thinking.. she knew that during this time it's far too dangerous for her to be out there alone, and she had to help her son with his powers, if she can't help him with them.. they may completely corrupt him..
"Spyro.. son.. your right.. it's far too dangerous for any of us right now, and the best thing for us is to stick together, no matter what.. especially with you my son.." Cynder said while she looked at them both.
"Don't worry mom, we'll make it through this, I promise." Spike assured while the two hugged eachother again.
And after a few minutes, they finally pulled away and looked at eachother, and while they were about to head back inside, Spike and Spyro were suddenly feeling drowsy.
"So can we finally go back inside and get some shut eye? It's way past our bedtimes." Sparx asked while yawning a bit, but that's when Spike and Spyro were feeling odd, and felt something strange happening.
"Ugh.. what is this?" Spike asked while holding his head.
"What's going.. on?" Spyro asked while they're heads were shaking around.
"Spyro, son, are you okay?" Cynder asked worried for them, but they didn't even have time to answer before they both fell on the ground and fell asleep suddenly which shocked them both.
"What? Spyro, Spike! Can you hear me, wake up!" Cynder shouted while she tried shaking them awake.
"Guys, anyone there?! Yoo hoo?!" Sparx shouted as they were passed out completely..
Spike and Spyro groaned as they were finally waking up somewhere, but they didn't feel the ground of the garden they were at before, instead they felt a solid rock like structure which shook them up.
"Wha.. where are we?" Spike asked while they were standing back up again, they looked around the place and and were confused with what they were seeing, there was dozens of ancient floating objects in the distance, and they could see the huge moons up close, this place almost looked like the Convexity dimension in a lot of areas.
"Hello? Is anyone there?!" Spyro asked around the dark void hoping someone would answer, and luckily someone did.
"Do not be frightened young dragons. You are not alone here." The voice answered which worried them a little.
"Who are you? What is this place?" Spyro asked while they both looked around the void.
"I have summoned you both here so that you might be warned, the Celestial Moons are counting down, and time is running out." The voice warned which concerned them as they were hearing more voices around them.
"So much.. darkness.." Spike said with fear as the voices were almost screaming in they're heads.
"Make it stop!!" Spike and Spyro shouted at once with wanting it to end, but that somehow caused a strange affect in front of them, a spinning object suddenly came to a snails pace in front of them which led to the other platform, and that surprised them both.
"How.. how is this possible? Is this.. a time ability?" Spike asked shocked while they hopped on it and slowly made they're way to the other side, and once they got to the other side, they hopped off again and were in complete shock.
"How did we do that?" Spyro asked looking around for this voice.
"The purple dragon can wield many ability's that others cannot, including the manipulation of time itself, even you young Spike, are capable of this ability. Learn to master this ability, and you will be able to see things almost before they happen. But, use this gift sparingly, only when certain moments demand it. Manipulation of time is not to be done without the utmost care." The voice advised which they nodded in understanding from.
"Right.. being able to slow down time.." Spike said amazed that he's able to do this with Spyro now.
After gaining enough awareness of what they need to do, they began to use they're new time powers to slow objects around the area so they could use them to get across, this place was like a dream, yet it felt so real at the same time, even here Spike could feel an ancient history in this place, it was like something even Luna could never reach despite her own powers. But after a few platforming and time slow downs, Spike and Spyro saw a red and black platform just ahead of them, and Spike felt strange as they came upon them.
Spyro went to the platform that looked like one of fire, and Spike went to one that looked to be made of.. Shadow..
"You both seemed to have abandoned your true callings. It is your destiny to harness the power of the elements, yet you cannot. And Spike has the potential to wield far more power, then he could imagine, and it can be controlled" The voice said while they looked down at them.
"We haven't been able to use our powers for some time now.. " Spyro said a bit ashamed they haven't gained them on your own.
"I'm honestly afraid of what my true calling is by this point.. especially if it means the shadows will corrupt me fully.." Spike said as his heart felt something strange happening.
"Yes.. right now your powers lay dormant within you, but you have the chance to awaken them again, and you Spike, can gain powers you haven't used before, and trust me, they will help you, you just need to find the courage to move through it." The voice advised which gave them a bit of determination.
"Well.. let's see if we can awaken them.." Spike said as they took a deep breath, and they walked onto them together.
Spike felt something dark awakening within him, a power he hasn't felt before compared to what else he's used, and Spyro felt the fire's around him begin to swell and surge like they once did before.
"Clear your mind you two, let the fire run through your veins, don't give into your fear of the dark, embrace them both, and let them surge.." The voice advised as Spike and Spyro began floating in the air again, they felt the powers of both Shadow and Fire swell around them, and Spike made a low growl of anger as he felt the shadows give him a power he's never used, and with a loud battle cry, they unleashed the Fire and Shadow around them both in a huge explosion, like the Elements they've used before.
Spike and Spyro breathed heavily as they finally landed back down, and they felt they're powers begin to awaken again.
"Excellent young dragons! Your a natural!" The voice said proud of they're work while Spike looked at himself, and he could feel the shadows forming in his hands.
"The power of darkness.. it's.. just like Cynder's.." Spike said both scarred and amazed with what he's doing right now.
"You two have a lot in common Spike, don't worry, if she can use the Shadows, so can you, just focus your mind and try to use them, they'll be a big help for us in the future." Spyro said as the fire door in front of them faded away which opened up another path with platforms floating in the air.
"What else can she use?" Spike asked as he felt the darkness grow inside him even more, but he didn't feel pain or fear from it, in fact.. he felt a lot stronger for embracing some of it..
Spike and Spyro quickly made they're way across the platforms again, they were some of the weirdest platforming they've done yet, but it felt like a trial of skill and wit for learning they're new powers, and this only proved to be the case when they reached the next platform, and they saw some old statues begin to move with weapons drawn.
"Looks like we have to torch these guys." Spyro said as he began to ready his fire.
"Let's see if they fear the darkness.." Spike said as he held out his hands and the shadows began to form in front of it, Spike focused his mind like how he did with the other powers he's used, and thought of a weapon he could use to fight with, and with the proper focus, Spike's hands gripped the shadows as they formed into a weapon, it was a 7 foot long Scythe, with a razor sharp blade that could cut through foes easily, and Spike twirled it around like it weighed nothing at all.
"Let's fight." Spike said seriously before they lunged at the statues with rage.
Spike twirled his Scythe around with fast speeds, he was easily deflecting any sword slashes the stone statues tried hitting him with, Spike quickly ducked under another sword slice from behind him and twisted his weapon around and sliced through a statue in one slash, Spike then put his weapon on the ground so the stick was facing upwards, and Spike jumped off of it to go into the air, he raised his weapon in the air to deliver a strong move, Spyro torched most of the statues in the ring to ash, and Spike finished the rest of them by delivering a powerful Shadow attack, and he slammed his weapon on the ground which created a shockwave which knocked the rest of the statues off the platform, which made them the winners.
"That felt.. strange.." Spike said as he put his weapon away, he didn't know he could wield a weapon like that, but this proved him wrong.
"It's really amazing with what weapons you forge with your powers, let's hope you make things just as cool the further we unlock them." Spyro said with hope as the path began to appear before them, and they saw a teleporter of sorts just ahead.
"If I'm gonna have dark powers, might as well have scary but cool looking weapons right?" Spike asked as they stepped onto it, and they teleported somewhere else.
Spike and Spyro appeared on another platform with more statues around them, but they saw they were closer to an ancient temple just ahead of them, and they saw a purple gem in the center, it was like the Spirit Gems they've used before to gain power.
"If we know anything about this, we should get through this easily." Spike said confidently as they saw the statues moving again, and began attacking them yet again.
"Let's do this like pros." Spyro said confidently as they began smashing at the Sprit Gem and slashing fighting off the statues at once.
Spyro jumped in the air and used a new move that made him twirl into a cyclone, it let him smash through the enemy's in a straight line which took most of them down easily, Spike kept smashing the crystal with his new weapon, and they both felt the power of Aether beginning to flow through them, knowing what's to come next, Spike and Spyro waited for the next wave to appear around them, and they knew what they had to do next.
Spike and Spyro took a deep breath and harnessed the powers within them, Spike's body began to become pitch black as the shadows swelled around him, Spike felt his anger growing, his strength surging, and his eyes briefly flashed white as he embraced the darkness, and Spyro felt the fire swell around him like what's happened before, and when the statues were about to strike, they made a loud roar of rage and the combined powers exploded around the area, the blast was so strong it shook the area in a powerful manner, and this destroyed any statue that was still attacking them, and they finally landed on the ground again, and felt the power surging in them still.
"So this is what Cynder felt when using the darkness.. it feels so strong.. yet I can understand the fear she has when using it now.." Spike said with worry while he looked at his body, and saw the shadow fade away which made him look like how he does now.
"It just makes you and here more special, I'm sure with time you and her will be able to use your powers with full control, and can use them to protect others." Spyro assured again as a final set of platforms appeared ahead that led them to the temple ahead.
" I hope we can master them together.. and maybe she can teach me some of it one day.." Spike said hopefully before they both hopped over the platforms and made they're way to the temple ahead.
Spike and Spyro went into the large door that led to the center of the place, there was a large vision pool in the room, along with symbols that represented the elements of the guardians, this place felt so ancient, it felt more ancient then anything in Equestria's history, and Spike just wanted to know more of this world and the story's that are told. Spike and Spyro went to the vision pool and looked through it, and hoped they could find something from it.
"You both have done well, and now you must return home. But be careful young dragons, the enemy approaches." The voice warned which Spike already got a bad feeling about..
"Wait! You still haven't told us who you are!" Spyro pointed out as he didn't tell them yet.
"Yeah, who are you, what's your name?" Spike asked wondering who this was as well.
"You two shall know me as the Chronicler, seek me out young ones.." Chronicler instructed as they saw a strange tree within a dark forest.. and they felt themselves fading from this world.. and back to their own..