The Planeswalker presents:

A Light in the Dark

Disclaimer: The Legend of Spyro and its content belongs to Sierra Entertainment / Activision. A Light in the Dark is a work of fiction, and is for entertainment purposes only. No money is being made off this story.

A Light in the Dark and its characters, factions, and ideas not belonging to The Legend of Spyro or its creators instead belong to me.

Please do not steal artwork or content from this story. Images that do not belong to me will be marked. For readers on FFN, check my dA page for the version with images. The link will be on my profile.

Thank you to DragonOfIceAndFire for the Spyro font, NewLegend1 for some custom art, my dad for editing, and to Jared Pullen, whose art and ideas led to the betterment of this story.

Enjoy.

Prologue

"Ignitus Fernowing of Avalar, Chronicler of the Dragon Realms, you stand accused of aiding and abetting in the breaking of the First Rule, disrupting the balance between Aether and the Dark, and jeopardizing the lifeforms of this world."

The pale blue dragon stepped forward, ebony talons clacking against the white marble floor. Anxiously, he held his head high and straight, but he mentally forced his tail to relax. Stiffened tips and bristling plates would make him look unrepentant, which he was, but he did not want the Elder Gods to know. His blue eyes stared into the infinite yellow orbs of the Elder God in front of him. Under that impenetrable gaze, he bowed, dipping his shoulders and wings in acquiescence.

All three Elder Gods, though aetherial beings themselves, took on primitive avatars for us mortal dragons to comprehend- dragons with solid blue, gold, and white scale colors with matching eyes. Frills sprouted from behind their jaws and ran down their spine, ending in a spade-shaped tail. In the mortal Realm, they would have seemed oddly-colored but otherwise typical dragons.

But, it didn't take much to feel that these were no ordinary dragons.

Being in the presence of the three beings that gave birth to the races of the world was… overpowering. Ignitus could feel their very essence resonate in the space around him, a low-hum emanating from their bodies. For these creatures bridged the Aether. They towered above the Chronicler, filling him with an awe he hadn't felt since he first discovered Spyro in the Swamp.

"Rise, Chronicler. Tell us how you plead," commanded the voice. Ignitus breathed deeply. A calm state of mind would greatly assist him through the ordeal ahead, especially for what he had to say.

"I plead not guilty to the charges."

The vast ethereal hall erupted into noise as the words left his mouth. Lesser gods shot from their seats to roar their furious epithets of disgust, though the Ancestors and Spirits cheered for him. Ignitus cringed at the reverberating echo of the room.

"Silence," said the Elder God in a commanding tone. It was more felt than heard, a slight pressure within the mind, and the roaring stopped. "You are not children. We will hear his words and the words of the other accused before Judgement."

Ignitus glanced around the hall as those assembled reluctantly retook their seats. The Hall of Judgement was vast, constructed by the Elder Gods in the higher levels of the Aether Realm. Straight-edged marble floors flowed into sweeping blue and gold metal pillars, which rose high above to disappear into the sky. Banners fluttered in a magical wind.

Running down the middle of the hall, the walkway glowed with etched runes. On either side were raised platforms, tiers upon tiers of seats, as if Judgement were a spectator sport in a Coliseum of Law. Thousands of Ancestors and dozens of Lesser Gods filled the seats, their forms ranging from anthromorphic, to feral races and to larger gryphons, dragons, serpents, and even the occasional elemental.

Standing motionless in front of all were the Aether Guard, tall golems of metal and Aether, limbs held together by what Ignitus presumed to be Aether energy. Clad in the white, blue, and gold colors of the Gods, with the symbol of the Aethercrest stamped on their armored chests, they stood ready to quell any disturbances.

Or haul off the prosecuted, Ignitus trembled at the possibility. The High Guard were twice his width and more than thrice his height, and their bodies hummed from the powerful Aether within. Their staves, almost twice as long as his old friend Terrador, would cut through him with ease, and their boulder-sized fists could break enchanted stone. If only we had these in the war.

"Now then. Ignitus, enlighten us as to why we should not cast you down for your transgressions?"

The smooth, soothing voice caused Ignitus' eyes to snap to the Elder God who spoke. Emiar, Elder Goddess of Magic, if he remembered his Gods correctly. She, like the other Elder Gods, sat on an ornately detailed bench in the far end of the hall. A semi-circular gap, ten wingspans in length, separated their bench from the rest of the hall. It was a necessary precaution.

Ignitus straightened.

"I do not plead guilty to the charges of the breaking of the First Rule. I merely performed the task presented to me by the Ancestors: to guide Spyro to be the Purple Dragon, the one created to defeat Malefor and the only one who could restore balance to the Realms."

Murmurs rose from the audience, lesser gods obviously displeased. The Elder God sitting to Ignitus' far left, Peqisar, Elder God of Knowledge, stood.

"We know the Ancestors broke the Rule by creating a Purple Dragon, but now you are saying they not only gave him life, but a Destiny as well?" Peqisar's voice reverberated through the hall. Ignitus nodded.

"Yes. Without Spyro, the Realms would have fallen to great darkness. We tried for nearly a thousand years to awaken you, but Malefor seized control of the Temples. Our cries were rendered mute. It was only by the work of the Ancestors that Malefor was defeated. It was Spyro's destiny to save us. The Rule had to be broken."

Cries of outrage erupted from the audience at Ignitus' words. As the Elder God in the center, Avar, God of Light, called for silence once more, Ignitus glanced at the upper-left corner of the room to the gray dragon. His eyes met Ignitus, and a silent understanding passed between them. I'll take it from here. Ignitus returned his gaze to the Gods.

"Your words may have meaning, Ignitus, but that merely raises more questions for us. We would hear from an Ancestor next to corroborate your story," said Avar, golden eyes already sweeping the audience.

"I stand to represent the Ancestors, Avar," croaked a voice from Ignitus' left. The gray dragon made his way down to the walkway. Hushed whispers ran through the Lesser gods as Avar watched, his muzzle twisting with contempt and amusement.

"Tolifaros," Avar's deep voice boomed. "Why am I not surprised? Every time the Ancestors have gone against the will of the Gods you are leading them. Tell me: how and why did you create Spyro, knowing that your actions would break the First Rule?"

Tolifaros came to stand to Ignitus' right. His cracked scales were a dull ashen-gray, and the fins around his face and spine looked torn and aged. There were dozens of poorly healed wounds in his wings, and he was missing the last quarter of his gnarled, densely-scaled tail.

The prehistoric Ancestor gave Ignitus another short nod as he walked up to the speaker's stand. Peqisar's eyes narrowed at the gesture.

"You talked to Ignitus before this court came to session, didn't you Tolifaros? That's another law you've broken. How many more did you break while we slumbered?" the God of Knowledge asked, wisps of blue light angrily dancing off his titanic body. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him what he needed to know. He had just been appointed as the new Chronicler when you were awakened, and being new to the Aether Realm, I decided to… enlighten him as to what would transpire. He had no idea of what his position would entail, and certainly did not expect to be put on trial for his actions."

"It does not change the fact that you broke a second Rule, but no matter. That offense is still nothing compared to your creation of this," Avar twisted his paws, and two small dragons materialized in the air next to him.

More murmurs spread through the audience as they laid eyes on the two figures: one purple and gold, the other black and red. They hovered next to the Elder God, motionless, eyes and minds closed to the happenings of the outside world. Ignitus' heart leapt when he saw them, a deep sense of pride filling his veins. They do not deserve this treatment.

"The purple dragon, Spyro, and his Convexity-corrupted partner, Cynder. You will give us an explanation as to why you created Spyro, why this dragoness is so heavily corrupted, and why we should spare your lives and theirs," Emiar spoke, her tone icy and laced with anger.

"I already explained it! Nothing else but a purple dragon could stop Malefor or his armies!" Ignitus defended himself, a toothy snarl forming at the edges of his muzzle.

"If he became so powerful, why did you not have the Chronicler defeat him? Why did you not attempt to summon us? We could have easily dealt with Malefor and healed his spirit which remains locked away in the Ancestral Core. I want to know why you placed him in the strongest dungeon in the Realm!" Avar roared, golden wisps of light dancing off the corners of his eyes.

The God's roar was matched by the audience, primarily from the Spirits and Ancestors in defense of Tolifaros and Ignitus. The new Chronicler could only shuffle his paws, unable to come up with anything that would help his cause. "I-I did only what I could."

Fortunately, Tolifaros came to the rescue.

"Malefor has been corrupted beyond comprehension by Convexity… He let it into the Realms. It corrupted the land so heavily that we could not stop the Great Slumber. If we had not created Spyro, the Realms in their entirety would have been destroyed and absorbed into Convexity. Everyone, mortals and Gods alike, would have been corrupted," Tolifaros dropped a bombshell.

The volume and temperature plunged like a rock at Tolifaros' words. A chill ran through Ignitus as all eyes came to rest on the ancient Ancestor, staring at him as if he insulted one of the Gods. The new Chronicler didn't understand most of what Tolifaros said, but it was enough to stun the entire Court into silence.

Concavity was a word he had never heard before. He knew about Convexity –at least, as much as any other mortal dragon did – and how it acted as a gateway between worlds and dimensions. Even a prison, as previously demonstrated with Malefor. But from the way Tolifaros spoke about it…

It sounded like there was far more to Convexity than any mortal could imagine.

"We want the full story. Now," Avar curtly demanded, a snarl forming at the corners of his muzzle. His anger was palpable and cold, if the snowflakes around his head were anything to go by. The golden light around his eyes had returned, but the wisps were larger and took longer to dissipate than before.

Tolifaros nodded, and embraced the cool sensation that filled his head as the Elder Gods entered his mind to watch his memories. With a boisterous voice, the Ancestors began his story.

"It happened one hundred years after the Slumber began. Malefor had nearly mastered the elements, and began teaching himself how to wield the Aether. At the rate he learned the Guardians believed he would soon overtake them with his powers. It was around the time the old Chronicler visited Warfang for Malefor's hatchday that Malefor changed. His lust for power grew tenfold, and he demanded the Chronicler show him the secrets of Aether. When the Chronicler refused, Malefor attacked him, only to be defeated and banished by the Guardians.

In his banishment, his hatred of the world grew to the point he desired to see all destroyed. We spoke to him from beyond, trying to bring him back, but Convexity had taken a hold of him. The Dark Aether that changed his form broke his mind, and he was convinced that all beings of Concavity had to be eradicated.

The night he declared war on the world was the night he let Convexity into the Realm. Though the mortals could not feel it, we did. It smothered Concavity, destroyed the balance between Aether and Dark Aether, and threw the Realm into utter chaos. We did our best, but the corruption was too much, and we could do nothing but watch as his armies swept across the land, killing everything in their path. Even when Malefor was imprisoned within Convexity we still could not overcome the corruption."

A shudder ran through Ignitus as vivid memories of that battle from centuries ago raced back to him. He had only been a youngling when the First Battle of Warfang began, when Malefor and his armies marched against the ancient dragon city. The city held on valiantly for weeks, repelling wave after wave of the corrupted while the city's allies scrambled to reinforce them.

Tens of thousands of dragons, moles, and anthros died in the siege, and countless more died in the counter-attack that would see Malefor imprisoned within Convexity. Ignitus could remember it so clearly: the bright lights of explosions blowing apart buildings, the sounds and cries of the dead and dying, the distant booms of the defensive cannons, the news that both his parents died while fighting Malefor…

A pang of sadness swept through him as he shut the memories away. The battle may have happened so long ago, but the pain of loss and sorrow still stuck with him through the years. His emotions did not go unnoticed by the Elder Gods, who briefly glanced at the Chronicler with inquisitive eyes, silently watching his memories.

Tolifaros continued.

"With no other options, I turned to Adela; one of the last Primevals and the only remaining Lifeforger on the planet. We struck a deal: she would create a vessel for a new purple dragon, one which could wield all the elements in time, and in return we would continue to hide her from the rest of the Realm. Once completed the body, we combined our consciousness' and birthed a soul that could learn every element and both types of Aether. We gave the egg to Ignitus, in the hopes that he could raise and train the hatchling to defeat Malefor.

Despite our precautions, Malefor's agents staged a raid on the Swamp Temple the night the eggs were supposed to hatch. Only two survived: Spyro, and Cynder, who was captured and corrupted by Malefor. Under his influence, Cynder enacted a campaign of genocide upon the Realms as she searched for a way to free Malefor. Spyro, meanwhile, was raised in the swamp for ten years by a dragonfly pair before stumbling upon Ignitus. He was eventually able to break Malefor's hold on Cynder, but the Dark Master escaped his Convexity prison during the Eternal Night and resumed the war.

In the end, Spyro and Cynder weakened Malefor enough for us to imprison him within the Ancestral Core. As the world crumbled around them, Spyro released his Aether and purged Convexity from the Realm, pulling the world back together in the process. Were it not for them...

A deathly silence reigned as Tolifaros finished his story. Both the Lesser and Elder Gods stared in the direction of the Ancestor, eyes blank as their minds processed the horrifying tale. Never had they imagined something so terrifying coming to their Realm, let alone during the Great Slumber.

"Your story is compelling, but I question the idea of letting the younglings live, let alone a purple dragon which could learn the Dark elements," Lortoral, Goddess of Entertainment, broke the silence. Maroon feathers shimmered in the light as she looked at Ignitus. "Your memories revealed they touched Convexity. Dark Aether is a part of them now. If we let them live, then surely Spyro would follow in the path of Malefor, and attempt to destroy the world?"

"It is naïve to think that Convexity will not try to corrupt the Realms again," agreed another Lesser God. "And what better way than by tempting a purple dragon with unlimited power?"

"I trained him!" Ignitus spoke out, anger tinged his voice. "Spyro knows the difference between right and wrong. He won't fall to Convexity." Ignitus felt insulted at the idea of a fallen Spyro. "He and Cynder together can stop-"

"That's what Malefor believed as well, and look what happened," the god interrupted. He leaned forward in his seat, ash-colored eyes staring into Ignitus' red orbs. "He may be a purple dragon, but Spyro is still mortal. He will make irrational decisions, and that could lead to another incursion by Convexity."

"Thousands of purple dragons before him never fell to Convexity," argued an Ancestor.

"Malefor and Spyro are the only two known purple dragons to be tainted by Dark Aether. We've seen what happens when they lose control. And with Spyro able to control all the elements, even the Unnatural ones, he poses a far greater threat to the Realms should he fall!"

"Quiet," Peqisar boomed, quieting the arguing Gods and Ancestors.

"We have reached a verdict," Avar announced. "It is done." He and the other Elder Gods stood. "Given the evidence, Ignitus and the Ancestors are determined not-guilty of breaking the First Rule with malicious intent. Their act of breaking the Rule was to save our Realm from the threat of Convexity, a threat we must take more seriously."

The Ancestors erupted into cheers. Ignitus bowed deeply, a sigh of relief escaping his chest. Tolifaros smirked at the verdict, earning himself an annoyed glare from Avar.

"Ignitus, it is by our blessing that you are formally designated as Chronicler of a new age. It will be your duty to watch and chronicle the mortal Realm and its inhabitants. We will speak to you privately about your role once the court has been dismissed," said Emiar in her silken voice, blue eyes twinkling and a smile gracing her muzzle. Ignitus humbly nodded and bowed again.

"As for Spyro and Cynder, they shall be returned to the mortal world. Spyro must fulfill the prophecy of the purple dragon, and Cynder must atone for her crimes against the Realms. Both shall work to overcome their corruption by Convexity."

From the audience's uproar Ignitus realized the announcement was contentious. Avar, unperturbed, raised a single digit in response, and the noise abated.

"While it is certainly possible Convexity could turn them, I believe the bond they share will prevent such a calamity," he explained. "Besides, it will take too much time to find a new dragon worthy of a such a burden. Spyro has proven himself capable of holding the mantle of the purple dragon, and Cynder has shown she is worthy of redemption."

"Once their training in the main elements is complete, we shall guide them on how to control magic and Aether directly. Ignitus," Emiar called out, and the blue-gray dragon stepped forward, scaled chest puffed up. "You will assist us in that cause. The younglings admire you; I am certain you will train them well."

Several Lesser Gods, still enraged at the judgement, attempted to speak out, but were silenced once more by Avar.

"If you harbor complaints, we shall hear them later." Avar glared at the angry lesser gods. "We should not be arguing about the youngling's fate, but instead working to repair the damage done by Malefor."

The Elder Gods stood and spread their huge, shimmering wings, refracting the artificial light onto the walls and floor. The Golems along the walkway began to glow a light purple, the Aethercrest symbol appearing above their floating heads. Avar spoke again, baritone voice reverberating throughout the room.

"With the dawn of a new age comes much rebuilding. The mortal world is in dire need of Restructuring. We must all do our parts to breathe life back into the Realms. For the next twenty years, we shall work directly with our children to ensure their future is a bright one."

"This court is hereby dismissed. Go now, and together we shall restore the Realms to their former glory," Emiar ordered.

Bursts of magical light filled the room as the audience dissolved, Ancestors and Spirits returning to the mortal Realm while the Lesser Gods went to the Realms' two moons. In a few moments, the hall was emptied, except for Tolifaros, Ignitus, the Elder Gods, and the sleeping forms of Spyro and Cynder.

Tolifaros padded next to Ignitus, the old dragon grinning from frill to frill.

"You did a good job Ignitus. I know you will be a great Chronicler. Should you ever need guidance, the Ancestors and I are always ready to give it." The Ancestor smiled, and burst into light.

Ignitus turned his gaze to the still-unconscious forms of Spyro and Cynder nestled against Avar. He watched as golden arcane energy enveloped their limp bodies and sent them back to the Dragon Realms, a pang of worry rushing through him.

Peqisar sensed it. "They will be safe, Ignitus. We will watch over them as they journey back to their friends." the God of Knowledge smiled softly.

"Meet us at the White Isle when you are ready, Ignitus," Avar proclaimed. "Do not stay here too long."

The Elder Gods and their protective Golems vanished in a flash of light, leaving the dragon alone within the Hall. Curious, he pulled out a small year-watch from the chest pocket of his robe and checked the time, noting that five years had passed since Spyro remade the world. The Guardians must be sick with worry.

We will meet again. I promise.

With that thought, the old fire dragon teleported to his new home, leaving the Hall empty and cold.

It's been a long time. How have you been?

Welcome to the new and very much improved rendition of A Light in the Dark. The old version felt too bloated and cumbersome, and I really, really started to hate it after a while. Too many characters from other people, plot-holes and bad ideas galore, and a general lack of enthusiasm on my part.

This is going to be a long journey. A Light in the Dark is only the start. I don't know when or how often I will update thanks to college and other side-projects, but I assure you I will see ALitD and its sequels to the end.

Thank you to everyone for being so patient with this story, and I hope you all enjoy it!