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Well here it is. The 29th installation of The Spyro Chronicles. This is it. This is the final battle between Spyro and the Dark Master. What will happen? Can Spyro win? Can they fire the Final Solution and stop the Plague? Find out for yourselves!

Chapter 29: Darkest Before Dawn

The Nighthawk soared over the vast valley, nearing the other side. The sky was starting to turn an angry black with swirling dark clouds and raging winds. On the other side of the valley there was a large open plateau. It was mostly baron, minus for the craters and spikes of rock that came out of the ground. In the center there was a mountain that jutted from the ground. A bit of lava streamed from the mountain and as they got closer, they saw that the mountain was just a wall of rock. In other words, the mountain was hollow and was opened up at the top.

In the center, there was a temple that jutted from a pool of lava that sat in the base of the mountain. The temple was of Ancient architecture, and was connected to the mountain by means of what looked like gondolas.

The Nighthawk sank a bit lower; it had been sailing high in the clouds to avoid much detection. As it sailed lower, the Marines inside prepared their weapons. They loaded M21MP Rocket Launchers, LR22MM Sniper Rifles, M74D Assault Rifles, M22 Combat Shotguns, M10 SMGs, M23As, M78C Carbines and other rifles and weaponry for their battle with what Wagner suspected would be a battalion of apes and other creatures that would try to stop them from reaching the Final Solution.

As they were about 4 Kilometers from the mountain, Spyro walked to the cock pit. He looked out and saw the weapon as it towered out of the mountain. It was enormous. The baron landscape that lay before the mountain went off in all directions. The whole plateau that the mountain sat on was just one big desert of lava and dark grey volcanic rock.

As they grew nearer, some of the Marines preyed and others sat quietly. The Lakadors sat and thought about their lives and regrets and Spyro and Cynder both sat next to each other, not saying a word for they already knew about everything that the other was thinking. Each of them wanted for the other to be safe and they would do almost anything to see them through.

3 Kilometers. Lt. Bertan armed the .50 machine gun turret on the nose and Riley and Ackmar manned the two Mark 43 .30 Machine guns positioned on either side of the Nighthawk's fuselage. The troop bay opened up and they all smelt sulfur as the scent flooded the troop bay.

2 Kilometers. Lt. Bertan picked up contacts on the radar. Several of them. He peered outside the cockpit to find several flying creatures, Dread wings, ascend to meet the Human drop ship. On their backs, an ape clutching either an M21MP rocket launcher, or some captured assault rifle. As they grew nearer, they opened fire. Rockets sailed through the air and a few were heat seekers. Bertan broke off and positioned it to where Ackmar and Riley fired the machine guns at the Dread Wings. Some screeched and tumbled back to the ground while others pressed on.

Bertan tried his hardest to avoid the rockets as they sailed towards the drop ship. He launched a salvo of counter-measures to take out the heat seekers. A few blew up, but one trailed slowly behind. Spyro leapt from the troop bay and launched a wave of super heated fumes at the rocket. It exploded and debris rained down to the Dragon Realms.

Cynder joined Spyro outside and kept the Dread Wings from downing the drop ship. However, a beam of dark energy shot up from the ground and connected with the left engine. It exploded and the ship shuddered under the impact. Bertan struggled to keep the ship under control, but soon they were tumbling downwards as well.

"Mayday! Mayday! We are going down!" Bertan called out.

"We will have to jump!" Wagner yelled as the winds howled through the open troop bay. He grabbed parachutes and handed them to each Marine as they leapt out of the tumbling Nighthawk. Their chutes opened up and as each Marine left, they could see the trail of smoke and fire that lay behind the spiraling Nighthawk.

Soon everyone was out and the ship hit the ground hard and detonated in a ball of fire and smoke. The Marines tried to loosen their rifles and they fired, even from their falling position as Dread Wings crossed the air above them.

Spyro and Cynder both knocked out as many Dread Wings as they could, the Marines picking off the rest. Spyro was worried. He saw all the Marines falling to the ground, even with their chutes, they would all be separated. Small white circles dotted the ground below as they landed and deployed below. They were 1.5 Kilometers from the mountain. They had a lot of ground to cover.

"Cynder! We have to help them get to the Final Solution!" Spyro called out.

"Yeah, let's go!" She replied. They both swooped down and bombarded the ground beneath them with fire. Wagner's suspicion was right. A battalion of hundreds... no... thousands of apes marched to close the gap between them and the Final Solution. They would slowly encircle and kill each Marine and Lakador. Where the hell was that dragon that had helped them so many times before? They would be hard pressed to reach the Final Solution in their current condition.

As many of the Marines hit the ground, they struggled to get back to their feet and get into a combat stance. Many landed is small craters, valleys, ridges, crevices and were essentially given access to cover. Some of the Marines linked up, formed firing squads and poured fire back at the Apes. Spyro spotted Wagner standing atop a hill of sulfur rock, shouting orders and firing his rifle. Two Marines crouched next to him; he took them to be Anderson and Tamez.

Buckman was also shouting orders. He had linked up with Riley and Ackmar. Bertan, Picante had linked up with the Lakadors and Mitinie had grouped up with Karson, Allison, and Jason. Henderson and Spears were still drifting down to land as the small fire fights erupted across the 50 yards in which they were separated.

Spyro and Cynder swooped in and kept blanketing the apes that were marching towards them with fire and other elements. A few rockets and grenades detonated, blowing apart the apes that marched closer and closer to the Coalition. Even so, they slowly advanced upon the Final Solution. They were now only 1.2 Kilometers from it.

Soon the apes started getting much closer. The closest ape was about 62 yards from the Marines' position. And with 1.2 KMs to cross, that was close. Soon, a large cluster of maybe 200 apes, along with other creatures that had allied them, cut off their path to the Final Solution. Even so, Spyro and Cynder flew over head and spat fire onto the oncoming waves of enemy soldiers. Karson, Allison, Yahade', and Jason used their powers as they unleashed electricity, darkness, fire, and ice across the open expanse and towards the dark armies.

Spyro and Cynder both flew into the masse of enemies that blocked their paths and unleashed two massive fire furies. The energy blew the apes out of the area and cleared another path. Seeing this, Wagner ordered the men to dash across open ground to get to the pathway. As they went, Buckman took a bullet in the left leg and he screamed and fell over. To everyone's surprise, Sondohwa grabbed him and slung the wounded human over his shoulder and carried him to the other side. Mitinie even covered Anderson as he moved to the new position, for he was still wounded.

Karson and Allison both ran to the front and helped move Spyro and Cynder out of the way. Their fury had drained them. As they pulled them out, Karson and Allison in turned unleashed their own fury, keeping the path open for them. Jason and Yahade' did the same and unleashed a dark and electric fury. Soon, the Coalition had moved to only .7 of a Kilometer from the mountain's base. However, more apes swarmed their position.

Picante sniped a few apes and the other Marines pelted their positions with assault rifle fire. A beam of darkness flashed from the mountain and Mitinie vanished in a flash of purple energy. Picante, who had been near him, screamed as the super hot dark energy burned his skin. Ackmar grabbed the Marine and moved him into better cover. Spears caught a sphere of dark energy from a Lakador assault rifle and fell over, screaming as the energy burned him. Henderson grabbed him and moved him to safety. Bertan also took a bit, a burst of 4 rounds hit him and he fell over. Wagner also got grazed by a bullet. It had almost taken off his head.

Yahade' fell over as a burst of machine gun fire struck his left calf. Sondohwa helped him move to better cover as well. Soon, they were bogged down by wounded and Mclowsky had her hands full. The apes had moved back and cut them off once again. Soon, their advance was stalled and they sought cover in a trench. Spyro and Cynder took flight again and tried to keep the apes and other creatures at bay. However, their efforts were being outmatched by the sheer number of forces moving onto them. Now, the closest ape was only a dozen yards from the Coalition's position.

Spyro and Cynder desperately tried to recover the assault, but soon, they were totally surrounded. An ape wielding a custom made gun fired a burst of dark energy which hit both Spyro and Cynder. They were thrown into the dirt and they watched as the apes slowly overpowered them. Was this really how it was to end? To die here, only half a mile from the objective? No. Spyro wouldn't let it happen. He slowly lifted himself off of the ground and walked to the edge of the trench in which the Marines and Lakadors had taken up residence in.

Thousands of enemies crowded around them, all wanting to silence the purple dragon and his comrades. Spyro used all the strength he could muster to unleash a jet of fire. It soon died out and Cynder had to grab Spyro and pull him back into the trench. Wagner tossed a couple of frag grenades to try to stop the inevitable.

Suddenly everything all happened at once.

A rocket sailed over head and detonated in the masse of enemy soldiers. More missiles danced across the sky and blew apart enemy formations. Two UERNF Raven fighters streaked across the sky, blowing apart anything that wasn't human or Lakador. 4 Lakador fighters soon followed the Ravens and they pelted the ground with their dark energy weapons. 3 Nighthawks and 4 Lakador drop ships sailed over head and strafed the ground. On the horizon, about a dozen M7887 Jaguar MBTs moved into position and unleashed a volley of 80 mm HE shells. About 150 Marines ran through, firing their assault rifles and they were followed by 200 or so Lakadors. They slowly pelted the Apes as they tried to take the small band of fighters in the trench.

Spyro looked up and looked in awe as the UERMC and Lakadors retook the battle. What he saw that took his breath away were 6 dragons flying over head, pelting the apes below. They were Ignitus, Cyril, Terredor, Volteer, Hethina, and Diablo. They were all alive.

A loud CRACK filled the air as the main gun aboard the Archilles fired. The UERNF Heavy Destroyer flew overhead, its missiles and other weapons blaring as they pelted the ground beneath and saturated the apes in bombs and explosions.

A Nighthawk swooped right above them and a few ropes fell from its open troop bay. Medics, fresh Marines, and a caped figure came from the drop ship. It was Rithul.

Rithul ran over to Spyro and helped him up.

"Are you ok?" Spyro was silent. He couldn't say a word. What did make him speak was who darted out of the drop ship after the Marines. It was a glowing yellow dragonfly. It was Sparx.

"SPARX!" Spyro exclaimed. The yellow dragonfly flew in front of him with a smile.

"Hey buddy, figured you'd need some help fighting off the DM and all... and I thought that muah would be more then happy to help." Sparx said, observing the reverse side of his hand. He was soon grabbed by Spyro and brought into as much of a hug as he could manage.

"Oh Sparx... I thought you were gone..." Spyro said.

"Actually Spyro, thanks to Sparx, we managed to stay alive and find you guys. I'll explain later but for now we got a weapon that we need to fire and a realm we need to save."

"Wings... getting... crushed..." Sparx slowly said. Spyro released him and he started to breathe.

"Man, you sure can hug..." Sparx said.

"Spyro, we will clear the way, we just need to evac the wounded and you guys can get inside of the temple!" Rithul called out, blowing down an ape with light energy. He also used an M74D assault rifle to cut down apes. Spyro regained his senses and with the help of Cynder, helped carve a path into the apes and once again, the door was open for them to get into the Final Solution.

By now the tanks had gotten within several dozen yards of where they were and the armored column was punching through. The Marines and Lakadors had split up along the flanks, the Marines advancing up the left, the Lakadors on the right, and the Coalition effort down the middle.

The new Marines that had deployed with them were assaulting with effort that Spyro hadn't seen before. He guessed it was because the Marines he had been fighting with had been fatigued, deprived of food, and were all around used more then they should have been. Even so, none of them snapped. They had kept with it right up until now. Now, all of them were in this that could still do it. Henderson, Tamez, Wagner, Sondohwa, Karson, Allison, Jason, and the others were still able to fight and they needed all the help they could get if they were going to get through this alive.

The new Marines yelled "Ooh-rah!" as they gunned down apes and tossed grenades. Spyro felt proud. It was the assault of light over darkness. Good over evil. Heroes over villains.

Soon they were at the foot of the mountain. There was a tunnel built of metal alloy that ran into the mountain and led to the gondolas. Inside the hall, there were several ramps, posts, and other things. There were probably guards placed there during the days of the Great War. This was, after all, the Weapon of Light. The Final Solution for the Plague.

They entered the passageways and were immediately met with apes who leapt from the walls. They all grabbed at the Marines and tried to halt their assault, but they fought them off, using their assault rifles to cut them down.

Spyro was grabbed by two and he kicked off into the air, and then went downwards and used them to absorb the fall. They fell off and Spyro grabbed one and hurled him into the ground. The other leapt back at him, but he met him with an Earth Blast at point blank range.

Cynder used her tail and whipped an ape in front of her. She breathed a wall of fire which engulfed him. Another soared through the fire and swung a blade at her, but she kicked it into the wall and a Marine finished it off with a well aimed burst.

As they pushed on, they came to the gondolas and they boarded them. They were like the ones they had used in the other temple, only this time they went over lava and a bit of snow started to fall as they got onto the gondolas. There were two and Spyro, Cynder, Rithul and the Marines boarded the first while an HACO team boarded the other. Nighthawks soared over head and fired upon any apes who tried to board the gondolas.

Wagner and the other original Marines kept up the fire and fought just as tough as these new Marines. The only difference was that they looked more war-torn then the other Marines. A testament to the amount of fighting and hardships they had to endure.

The gondolas were halfway there when they felt the gondolas shake. They looked up and saw a Lakador fighter engage a huge black dragon in the sky. It was the Dark Master. The Dark Master spat a beam of dark energy which severed the fighter's engine. It spun out of control and smashed into the Final Solution's side. Spyro looked up at the Final Solution. At this close, he could make out details on the weapon.

The Weapon was large at the base and went off into four spires which surrounded the center. They looked as if the spires charged the weapon and something internal fired off the central mechanism. The Dark Master flew into the center, showing that it was probably hollow inside. They had to catch up to him. As the gondolas got nearer to opposite side of the chasm, figures were visible on the other side. They were Plague.

The Plague got onto the rods connecting the gondola to the other side and started to climb over to the gondola. The Nighthawk overhead unleashed a wall of .50 cal and .30 ammo in an attempt to stop them from reaching the Marines. Some made it through though and Spyro had to help mop up any survivors. Spyro had yet to see Rithul in battle and he had to say, he was impressed. The human used fighting moves he hadn't even see any Marine or Karson use. He did handstands and reversed them, using the momentum of his feet moving to kick the Plague. He then used light and blasted the creature off the side. Marines would use either combat knifes or would put a burst into the Plague. Spyro shot a glance over to the HACO's gondola and saw a few HACOs chunking dead Plague off the side of the gondola.

They finally reached the other end and the Coalition left the gondolas and entered the Final Solution. The entrance was large. It wasn't high, it was wide. Both teams could meet up with each other but they decided to move along the flanks. As they came nearer to the other side, they saw Plague and apes fighting.

The apes were loosing, but a new group of Apes came out. These wore camouflaged armor and only faint ripples could be seen of where they were.

"What the hell?!" one of the new Marines asked. Wagner and Tamez both tossed Fragmentation grenades at what they thought were ripples in the air, only to be rewarded by a dead ape as it fell from the grenade.

Karson also let of fire which caused several of the apes that were invisible to appear before the Marines. Allison used her ice to reveal a few apes and Cynder just blew a jet of fire which caught both Apes and Plague. Soon the battle was over. The Marines had won.

On the opposite end of the room, there were two ramps which lead to an elevator. It probably lead to the Final Solution's firing chamber.

"Spyro, take your team and go up there. Fire the weapon and end this once and for all. I and the Marines will remain here, let nothing up the elevator."

"Thanks Rithul." Spyro said. As they got onto the elevator and as it ascended up the shaft, Rithul whispered: "Good luck Spyro. May the Ancestors watch over you. May they watch over us all."

The elevator ascended for a while until it came out onto an open room. The room looked as if it was at the base of the four spires outside and the roof was opened up. There were two pedestals in the center of the room. There was also a circular pattern on the floor in the center; probably the weapon's firing mechanism.

Wagner, Tamez, Cynder, Spyro, Riley, Sondohwa, Anderson, Karson, Allison, Ackmar and Jason come off the elevator. It was all that was left of the original 18 that they had started out with that hadn't been wounded or killed.

They walked slowly, scanning the room with their assault rifles. There were no contacts. Suddenly, a large black dragon swooped in from above. It was Malefor, the Dark Master.

"So, it seems here we are again Spyro..." He said evilly. Spyro simply huffed in response.

"Well that's no way to greet an old friend. And Cynder, it's good to see how much you have grown since I first saw you as a hatchling. It's almost painful to see you on that side. And to you others, you all made it this far and I commend you all. Too bad this has to end so soon... I was starting to observe you as a son Spyro and Cynder like my daughter..."

"I'M NOTHING LIKE YOU!" Cynder screamed. Spyro huffed once before responding.

"I'm not your son Malefor, I am the one who will defeat you like I did before."

"Tsk, Tsk. And I assume you, Lieutenant Wagner, are going to finish this fight with them?"

"I don't see myself doing anything but." Wagner said in a cool voice.

"Ah Wagner... if only you knew the truth about you. If only Spyro and Karson would listen to what I would tell them. They would learn more about yourselves then they think."

"Like what?" Spyro said.

"What could you know that we don't already know you over sized ass?" Karson said in anger.

"Your parents for one."

At the mention of that, Spyro and Karson both froze.

"You know who our parents are?" Spyro asked with interest.

"Oh yes, I know all about them. Where they came from, how they died, and how I killed them and where they are right now."

"WHY YOU SONOFABITCH!!!!" Karson yelled. He fired his M74D until its 36 round clip ran dry. The ammo hit the Dark Master's scales and bounced off some sort of dark barrier. In essence, they didn't even touch him.

"Hmm, if you'd let me finish I'd tell you more. But you seem so interested in killing me before I even tell you who they are."

"Then who? Who are they?" Karson asked. Spyro was starting to get irritated and the Dark Master was trying his patience.

:"Who are they Malefor. I want to know." Spyro finally said.

"Very well Spyro, I tell you them just for you. They have been closer then you thought. You have been around them this whole time and didn't know it. Those light warriors? Rithul and Hethina was it? Well, they are your parents." As he said that, Spyro and Karson both froze. They had always had a feeling, but they couldn't put two and two together. How could they have been so blind this whole time?

"So now you see... they raised you, they sent you into the future right before I killed them and they sacrificed themselves to light so they could watch you grow. It's pathetic really... And that Diablo, he's your uncle. I cannot believe you, of all people Spyro didn't see that. I will be happy of course to kill them again along with you. Hmm, maybe I could get you to do it for me."

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!" Spyro yelled. He dashed at the Dark Master in a blind fury and he simply stepped aside and hit Spyro with his claw. The blow sent him into the ground and the Dark Master crushed him under his claws.

"Spyro!" Cynder yelled. She leapt forward, as did the other Marines, and they let loose the opening shots of the battle.

.22 ammunition bounced off of his dark shield and he roared and nailed Cynder out of the air and used a wall of energy to blow the other Marines of off their feet.

Karson leapt to his feet and let out a jet of white hot flames which coated the Dark Master. He roared and tried to hit the human. Karson jumped up, avoiding the strike. The Dark Master then blew dark energy at them. The energy boiled away at the floor beneath them and the explosive force caused Tamez to hit the deck. Allison jumped behind him and used ice against him but he swished his tail and knocked her against the wall.

Riley fired a rocket at the Dark Master. The rocket knifed through the air and detonated. His shields caught the blunt force of the rocket and collapsed. He roared as he hit Riley with his claws. The Marine hit the ground and skid to a halt before slowly picking himself back up. Spyro and Cynder took advantage of his shield less form and Spyro jumped on his back and breathed fire all along his back side. Even unshielded, this didn't faze the Dark Master much. He kept swiping at the Marines beneath him and almost ignored Spyro.

Though he didn't ignore Cynder who flew over head and spat fire balls onto his muzzle. He used his wings and created a whirlwind which destabilized her flight pattern and caused her to fall to the ground. Spyro was also knocked off by this action.

The Marines fired their rifles again, some of the ammo bouncing off of the Dark Master's scales, however, some passed through. He cringed as the .22 ammo pierced his skin. However, he pressed on. He moved at such speed that the Marines barely saw him move, let alone react when he used his massive claw to hit them against the wall.

Cynder got back up, as did Spyro. They flew around the Dark Master and pelted him with fire balls. The Dark Master flung his arms and tried to nail them out of the air, but couldn't. He thrust himself into the air and flapped his wings. Spyro and Cynder hit the deck as the high winds sent them down. The Dark Master then tried to hit them with his talons but they rolled out of the way. The Marines tossed grenades and they detonated near the Dark Master. His shields were down so the shrapnel hit his scales. Though only a few penetrated his scales.

He roared and blew dark energy at them. The Marines leapt out of the way as the energy blew away the ground. The Dark Master growled and launched several waves of darkness at the Marines who still fired their rifles at him. Some were swept off their feet, but their combat armor kept them from being killed.

Suddenly the Dark Master roared loudly. They looked up and saw a Nighthawk flying above them, its .50 cal machine gun turret firing at the large dragon. The Dark Master fired a beam of dark energy at it. It hit, but it didn't hit a crucial part for the drop ship shuddered, but regained its flight. It fired a missile and the Dark Master erected a dark barrier which covered the whole roof and blocked the rocket. He also used the time to replenish his own dark shield.

Wagner took advantage of this distraction and ran over to the pedestals. He placed one light crystal into one of them and quickly went over to place the second one in. The Dark Master saw this and reacted quickly.

Wagner screamed in pain as the Dark Master knocked him off his feet and drove his talons through his armor and into his flesh. Blood trickled from the wounds and Wagner let the crystal fall to the floor. The Dark Master picked up the crystal and laughed.

"So this is the pathetic thing you have been fighting for this entire time? How worthless..." With that he crushed the light crystal. In a large flash of light the crystal was pulverized and dropped to the ground in nothing more then dust.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Wagner yelled as he watched. Their only means of firing the Final Solution had been destroyed. Their only way of defeating the Plague had been stopped and now they couldn't even defeat the Dark Master.

Cynder roared and leapt at the Dark Master. He grabbed her and brought her close to his muzzle.

"You think you can win? You think that this little display can fool me into thinking your superior? FOOLS!" He tossed her back to the ground and she landed hard.

"You cannot defeat me! However, you will all make excellent slaves..."

His eyes began to glow purple and everyone in the room felt weird. Riley clutched onto his head and started to scream as it was assaulted by something sinister. Cynder started to bang her head against the floor as she too felt this presence. Soon everyone in the room was feeling something invade their minds. Spyro started to shake and soon he converted to Dark Spyro. His scales turned black, his eyes turned a pale white, and his body grew into an adult dragon.

"No... get out of my head..." Cynder said as she continued to bang her head against the floor.

"Don't try to fight it Cynder... You won't win. The dark energy I had those cheetahs put into you will make sure of that." The Dark Master said coolly.

Cynder then started to morph into a large dragon. She grew into her former adult self that she had been when she ruled the Dragon Realms with and iron fist. The Marines lay on the ground, clutching onto their heads as the Dark Master invaded their minds as well. Ackmar and Riley rose, their eyes a pure red. Tamez, Henderson, and Wagner lay on the ground, trying to fight the presence inside their heads.

Karson and Allison were also fighting back, pounding into the walls in frustration as they fought his evil. Sondohwa rose as well, his eyes now filled with red. Anderson lay on the ground as well, trying to fight it. Jason rose at this point, red filling his eyes.

"Fools! You cannot fight it! Just let yourselves be part of the darkness. It will show you a power you never knew!" Spyro and Cynder both went into a laugh that was joined by the Dark Master.

Wagner rose as well, though when he opened his eyes, they weren't red. They were his regular eyes. With all his might, he grabbed his pistol and slowly rose it. He fired one shot. Two shots. Three shots. He kept firing until he exhausted the clip. The rounds simply bounced off the Dark Master's shield and onto the floor. He then let the pistol slip from his fingers and he once again clutched onto his head. He tore his helmet off and let his fingers run through his hair as he screamed. He fell to his knees and continued to fight the presence that was inside of his head.

"You're a fool to fight it my young Wagner. Just join us. It won't hurt." Malefor said in a sinister voice. The other Marines stood up as well, though they, like Wagner, were resisting. They slowly waked up, though they moved like something was holding them back.

"It seems you all need further 'convincing'..." The Dark Master placed his paw on Wagner's head and it glowed black with dark energy. Wagner let out a loud scream as his mind was further assaulted. Suddenly, his pupils went narrow, almost like a dragon's. He exploded with energy and the Dark Master was forced to pull his paw away from him. Suddenly, golden energy engulfed the Marine Lieutenant and a large Red Dragon emerged from the light. It had been the very same dragon that had helped them at Tall Plains, Mendobara, and the Castle. It had been Wagner the whole time.

Wagner roared and breathed fire. His eyes were unchanged. He was still against the Dark Master. Wagner then went to Henderson, Tamez, Anderson, Karson, and Allison and he touched them, letting a bit of light energy flow into them. They managed to regain complete control of themselves and they were ready to fight again.

"Oh Wagner, if only you knew the extent of your power... Spyro teach him a lesson in power." Spyro roared and charged at Wagner. Wagner met Spyro with full force and they both locked their for-legs together. It was a stalemate. Wagner pushed a bit and Spyro pushed a bit but no-one won. Finally Wagner let up a bit and let Spyro fall into his own weight. Wagner then made use of his hind legs to kick Spyro away from him. Spyro snarled and leapt forward again. Wagner rolled out of the way and spat fire at Spyro. Spyro roared as it hit his scales and heated them up. Spyro in turn blew dark energy at him. Wagner erected a barrier which deflected it.

Wagner charged Spyro, but Spyro grabbed his horns and tossed him to the side. Wagner used his maw to grab onto Spyro's tail and pulled the dragon down with him. They both skid across the floor and Spyro clawed at Wagner, sinking his talons into his scales and skin.

Cynder had engaged Allison and it was Riley vs. Henderson, Anderson vs. Jason, Tamez vs. Ackmar, and Karson vs. The Dark Master.

Cynder banked left, avoiding an ice blast and let a jet of fire out which Allison narrowly avoided. Allison ran as fast as she could and rolled to avoid another wall of fire. She shot ice shards which hit Cynder. Cynder roared as the ice broke against her scales. One of them penetrated her scales and sank into her flesh. Blood trickled from the wound and Cynder gripped the ice as best she could and melted it. She roared again and thrust herself at Allison. She sank beneath the assault, and grabbed onto Cynder's tail. She climbed onto her back and used her fists to pound Cynder. The dragoness roared and bit Allison. Allison screamed as blood flowed from the wound on her arm but grabbed Cynder's muzzle and punched it. She formed ice on her fists and hit Cynder hard across the face again. Cynder roared again before hitting the floor and skidding into the wall. Allison leapt off of her and Cynder stood back up for more.

Henderson moved to the left as Riley threw another punch at him. He grabbed Riley's arm and threw him into the ground. Riley snarled and grabbed Henderson's legs and threw him down as well. Henderson rolled on top of Riley and grabbed his face. Riley grabbed his arms and they locked each other in a stale mate. Riley finally kicked Henderson and he flew off of him. Riley then used some of the dark powers that the Dark Master had given him and spat ball of dark energy at Henderson. He narrowly avoided it and used a bit of light powers that Wagner had given him. Likewise, he spat light energy from his hands and it struck Riley in the chest and sent him into a wall. Furious, Riley fired more dark energy at Henderson and he was also hit back into a wall from the blast.

Jason used an arch of electricity and it hit Anderson square on the chest. Anderson yelled and fell over. His HACO armor had taken a lot of the hit for him, but the electricity still arched through his body and played with his nerve endings. Jason picked up Anderson and threw him into the floor. He slowly got to his feet and managed to get out of Jason's next punch. Anderson grabbed Jason with his left arm and used his right to nail Jason right in the gut. Jason grunted and grabbed Anderson. While in mid-air, Jason coursed electricity through Anderson's body. Anderson yelled in pain as the electricity played hell with his body. Anderson used a bit of the light energy Wagner gave him and broke Jason's hold on him. He jumped down and charged light energy into his fists and thrust Jason into the air.

Ackmar threw a punch and landed it right in Tamez's face. The Marine spun around and came back with his own punch. Akcmar avoided and grabbed his arm and brought him into a head lock. Tamez struggled, but she had a tight grip on him. He finally bit her and she released him a bit. It was enough for him to kick her and he tossed her onto the ground. She rolled over and blew a ball of dark energy at him. He was hit and he flew through the air and hit the ground hard. He slowly picked himself up and used a bit of light energy. He fired 4 bolts of the golden white energy; 3 of which hit Ackmar and sent her flying into the wall. Tamez ran over and grabbed her. He tossed her into the ground and began to hit her in the face before she bit his leg and grabbed him. He flew onto the floor and she began to pound his face. He grabbed her fists and broke the stale mate by forcing her to hit herself. She came off of him and he readied for her to come again.

Karson spat four fire balls at the large dragon, trying to hit him. None of them did, and the Dark Master simply grabbed the human and tossed him to the ground. Karson recovered and leapt onto the Dark Master. He climbed up and released a volley of fire onto him. Malefor howled and used his own dark breath to hit him off. The Dark Master took to the sky and used the wind element to send Karson off of his feet.

"You fool. You cannot hope to win!" He grabbed Karson and flung him onto the ground. He groaned and slowly got up. He tried to shoot more fire at him, but he lacked the energy. Malefor laughed and knocked Karson off of his feet. He landed hard and tried to get up, but couldn't.

Spyro flew upwards, avoiding Wagner's fireball. Spyro spat a fire ball of his own downward, only go get Wagner to brush it off and sail upwards. He smashed into Spyro and tossed the dragon downward. Spyro recovered and kicked Wagner high into the air. Wagner hit against the Dark Master's dark energy barrier and Spyro flew upwards and met him. He drove his horns into Wagner and he let out a howl of pain. Wagner used his hind legs to kick Spyro off. Spyro recovered and tried to get Wagner pinned again but Wagner met him first and he drove Spyro down into the ground. He kept Spyro pinned until he let loose a wall of dark energy which Wagner dove off to avoid. Wagner blew a few fire balls which caused Spyro to stay down.

Spyro then rolled to a side and took off into the air. He was met by Wagner as he pinned him against a wall. Spyro roared and bit Wagner on the right for arm. Wagner let a wail of pain leave his maw as he drove his horns into Spyro's side. Spyro didn't release Wagner from his bite and he began to draw blood. Spyro began to build a dark energy blast and it would take off Wagner's arm if he used it. Wagner reacted fast and bit Spyro's own maw. He built up an explosive fireball which blew them apart. Wagner managed to recover in mid air while Spyro caught the full force of the blow, being pinned against a wall. Spyro slid down and regained his senses. He blew a beam of pure dark energy and Wagner answered it with a beam of fire. They collided and exploded in a fury of fire and darkness.

Spyro and Wagner both charged at each other. As they met in the smoke, Spyro applied more dark energy into his for arms, which brought him more strength. This extra strength overpowered Wagner as they collided in mid air. They hit the ground, Wagner skidding along the floor. They finally came to a rest along a wall and Spyro drove his sharp talons into Wagner's chest. They entered and Wagner let out a howl of pain. Blood squirted from the wound.

Allison stood up, clutching onto her wound. Cinder lay beneath her, not moving. Allison slowly stumbled down and walked off a bit. She had used up a lot of energy during the fight and she could barely stand. She looked over back to Cynder and she saw how a light grew around her and she shrunk to her normal self. Cynder groaned a bit but lay still. She looked over and saw both Henderson and Riley lying face down in front of each other, obviously it was a stale mate. She also saw Tamez and Ackmar still fighting, though it was slow and they were both tired. Anderson was slowly standing over Jason who lay on the ground not moving, thankfully he was victorious. Though Sondowah approached Anderson and was ready to fight. She also saw Karson lying face down in front of the Dark Master who sat laughing. She ran over to help Anderson and Tamez fight off their opponents. Ackmar was easy to finish off, though Sondowah was a bit harder. Finally, they all ran over and picked up Karson.

"You think that you can delay this?" The Dark Master said as he swept them off their feet. They landed and groaned a bit as they slowly got up. Allison felt blood flow from her face and she saw the Dark Master slowly approaching.

Spyro pulled out his talons from Wagner and tossed the dragon to the side. Wagner tried to get up, but was hit by a ball of dark energy. Wagner glowed gold and reverted to his human form. He lay still on the ground and Spyro closed if for the kill.

Tamez managed to see this at the corner of his eye and sprinted to help the Lieutenant. On his way he grabbed a rocket launcher and dove in front of Wagner's prone form. He used what light energy that Wagner had given him and charged the launcher with it. He pressed the trigger at the oncoming dragon and the rocket glowed a golden white as it sailed down range and impacted Spyro. The dark dragon was knocked off out of the air and landed on the ground.

Tamez picked up Wagner and carried him as best he could out of there.

Who am I? What's my purpose? A war? A conflict? Who am I? All these questions flowed though the head of the purple dragon as he lay floating in a void of inky blackness.

He sat and wondered. Nothing made sense to him. All he knew was the blackness that surrounded him. Faces passed though his head, though he didn't know their names. He was a prisoner in his own mind.

Suddenly the dragon felt a pulse. Something warm in contrast to the cold that consumed him. His mind flowed with memories. The Dragon Realms, the Ape armies, the UERMC, the Dark Master, and most importantly of all: Cynder's loving face.

Apparently, Tamez's rocket had done more then just stop Dark Spyro, it had reawakened the true Spyro. The one that had lay dormant in him for years. It was finally coming out.

"Spyro, finish this filth for me. Get them out of my sight." Malefor said in disgust as he saw the small band of Humans try to fight him. Spyro snarled and flew in front of them. Tamez fired a rocket at Spyro but he merely hit it with his forearm and sent it flying of course and it exploded on the wall harmlessly. He built up a charge of dark energy and-

"Spyro, don't..." a voice croaked. It was Cynder's. She slowly got up and strode over to where they were. Spyro canceled his attack. Something about this dragoness seemed familiar. It was someone he knew and loved. But who? Then he had it. Of course, how could he have forgotten? It was Cynder.

"CYNDER!" Spyro screamed at the top of his lungs. He still sat in his own head, screaming to himself, but to no avail. He saw himself about to attack them, but then he canceled the attack. Had his dark side heard what he had said?

Suddenly he saw two dragons before him. They were both him. One was dark while the other was light. They both held out their paws and Spyro grabbed both of them. They pulled him from the blackness and set him in the light. Both dragons merged with him and he felt power flow though him. The Darkness flowed through him, yet it didn't control him. He controlled it. The light flowed through his veins and gave him strength. He opened his eyes and they turned a solid gold color. He broke the chains that held him in his head and released the true dragon within him.

"Spyro, what are you waiting for? Destroy them like I command you to!" Spyro roared and sealed his eyes.

"I... don't... listen... to... you... anymore!" Spyro roared, turned around and opened his eyes. They were solid gold. He opened his maw and a beam of dark energy flew and hit the Dark Master. He roared and flew back. Spyro blew another beam of darkness at him and the Dark Master flew straight at Spyro. He sunk his talons into Spyro's chest and dug them deep. The talons emerged on the other side of Spyro and blood gushed from the wounds. Spyro roared and his body began to become a bright gold color. His body glowed with bright light and it flowed up the Dark Master's arm and into him.

"ARGH! WHAT IS HAPPENING! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" The Dark Master screamed.

"I am ending this... once and for ALL!" Spyro roared and a column of light exploded from him and engulfed the Dark Master. The energy caused the whole room to shake and the beam cracked the Dark Master's barrier and broke it. Light energy exploded everywhere and the beam was visible to all the Marines and Lakadors fighting outside of the weapon.

The Light Fury blew though the room and everyone in there held onto something for the energy was too strong. Allison saw Cynder just sitting there, watching the beam of light engulf her mate and the Dark Master. The beam slowly vanished and a small figure of a dragon lay in mid-air, his body still giving off a high amount of light energy. The Dark Master was lying on the ground, not moving. The Dark Master then reverted back to the crystal trap that he had been in for so long.

The figure of the dragon finally manifested into Spyro. The dragon slowly plopped onto the floor and lay still. A pool of blood flowed from a large wound in his chest that ran all the way to his back.

"Command this is Anderson, I am requesting medical support from inside the Final Solution firing chamber! Repeat, I need medical support from inside the Final Solution firing chamber, over!" Anderson said as he keyed his mike.

"Roger. This is Alpha 4776, we are inbound, over."

"Spyro?" Cynder asked as she ran up to him. He didn't respond. She started to shake him and he still wouldn't move.

"Spyro... please... answer me... ANSWER ME!!!!" She screamed, tears falling from her eyes and falling onto Spyro's still form.

"Please Spyro... get up... please... please..." Cynder begged. Spyro still didn't respond. She sobbed and a few tears few onto his still form.

"I thought you promised you'd never leave me..." She sobbed.

"I would never leave you Cynder..." Spyro coughed and lifted his head. She smiled and grabbed him.

"Cynder... there is one more thing that has to be done..." Spyro said as she released him. She looked into his eyes as she tried to figure out what he was saying. He put his paw into hers and held her close to him.

"Cynder... no matter what happens... I will always be with you..."

"Spyro... what are you..." As Cynder said this, his paw glowed a golden white. A crystal started to form in it. It was a replacement crystal for the one the Dark Master destroyed. She looked into his eyes and saw something leave them.

"Cynder... I... love... you..." Spyro managed to say before his gaze became fixed and his paw slipped from hers and clattered onto the floor. Cynder's eyes filled with tears and she stared at him.

"Spyro? Spyro?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" She buried her head into his chest. She sobbed and rivers of tears flowed down her cheek. Wagner slowly got up and placed his arm on her shoulder. Spyro lay still.

"Spyro please... COME BACK!!!! Don't leave me Spyro! Please... come back..." She started to shake him uncontrollably

Wagner rubbed Cynder's shoulder and she placed her head into his leg and wept.

A Nighthawk swooped in from overhead and several Marines came from its troop bay and roped down to the floor. A team of two medics ran over to Spyro and started to check him. One of them rolled him onto his back and tried to restart his heart using CPR. Spyro didn't react.

Cynder looked at the Marine Medic and the medic caught her gaze. They looked into each other's eyes and the medic caught her question that Cynder was asking though her gaze. She sighed and the medic checked Spyro's pulse. She checked his breathing and remained silent. She placed her hand on Spyro's head and turned her gaze to the stars.

Cynder let out a wail of agony as she understood the medic's simple message: Spyro was now amongst the stars...

End of Chapter 29

Holy Crap... is this how it ends? Spyro ended his own life to forge that crystal... now only one thing remains... the firing of the Final Solution itself... only one final thing is needed to be done...