Skylanders: EoP: The Black Dragoness

In the Skylanders: Elements of Phazon series.
Previous: Serpent of the Ocean - Next: Unfounded Revenge
==Chapter One: Much Disappointment==
Spyro Duskshine and his friends Tails Prower, Sunburn Isihoryn, Flashwing Ispammala, Gill Grunt, and Ridley Spiritkiller sat with earplugs on the grass and Smile Dog Shivermoon had a box of tissues.
"Please, you can try again next time! Maybe you will be in Super Smash-whatever 5!"
Rayman Magicmoon stood in the patch of grass crying with snot dripping out his nose.
"You don't understand, Smile Dog! I have been training to be in Smash 4 for years! IT'S NOT FAIR!"
Rayman screamed as Smile Dog stepped away covering his ears. Ridley took his earplugs out and walked over to them.
"I know your pain, I can't believe I'm a boss and not a fighter! Apparently, I'm too big."
Rayman snorted and rubbed his face.
"At least you're in the actual game and not just an assist trophy! The trophy doesn't even look like me! I don't have derp-eyes and a black tongue!"
Rayman wailed and stomped his feet on the ground. Spyro got up from his seat with steam coming out his nose.
"Oh my Arceus! Would you just shut up! You sound like a big baby! We have so many other things that are more important than this! Cynder is still missing and we have to find her!"
Cynder Duskshine hadn't even crossed Rayman's mind ever since he started crying. Spyro snorted at him.
"Your crying is even more annoying than Gill Grunt and Vecoline's singing combined!"
Fortunately for Spyro, Gill Grunt had still been wearing his earplugs so he couldn't hear what Spyro said about his terrible singing. Rayman closed his eyes and tried to block out Spyro's insults as he thought to himself.
Could this day get any worse? First I'm disqualified from SSB4, Cynder is still missing, and now I'm getting insulted by a petty SkyWing!
Rayman glared at Spyro.
"Didn't you want to be in Smash 4 as well?"
Spyro snorted and stepped back.
"No."
Rayman tried to hold back his tears, but it was no use.
"Ridley is a boss, I'm a trophy, and it's not just that, but some anime people are gonna take MY place!!"
Tails stood up and took his earplugs out.
"You mean Robin and Lucina from Fire Emblem?"
Rayman spit on the ground and growled.
"Yes! Those stupid anime people are apparently better than me!"
A figure then dropped from the ground. It's mechanical wings folded against it's body as it landed. It was Claus Ryuka, Ridley's Portal Master.
"What is going on?"
Spyro stood up and walked towards Claus.
"We are so sorry for the noise, it's just that he have bad news."
Claus looked towards Ridley.
"What is it?"
Ridley nervously twitched.
"Rayman is a trophy and I'm a boss battle."
Claus frowned.
"What am I, a trophy too?"
Rayman walked over to Claus, his tears were finally drying up, but inside he was still wailing.
"Portal Master Claus, I wanted to inform you that this Robin anime guy stole your electric yellow sword thingy."
Rayman spoke in a matter-of-fact sounding voice and Claus simply glared at him.
"Um, okay?"
Rayman opened his mouth to say something right before Spyro knocked him to the side.
"Portal Master Claus! There is something really really important I need to tell you!"
Claus nodded. Rayman got back up and pushed Spyro away.
"Don't listen to him! I am more important!"
Spyro leaped up and scratched Rayman across the face with his sharp claws, causing Rayman to fall on the grass with blood pouring from his face.
"Claus! My sister has been missing for a month!"
Claus stood up and opened his mouth to say something before Rayman got up and punched Spyro in the eye, which nearly cracked his skull. Spyro lay on the grass with a black eye. Spyro growled and swiped his talons into Rayman's eye. Rayman screamed and fell on the grass. Claus leaped up and held the two back.
"BOTH OF YOU, STOP FIGHTING THIS INSTANT!"
Claus roared at the two heroes. Rayman was bleeding out his cheek and eye as one of Spyro's teeth hung loose as his black eye swelled.
"Now what is SO important that I must know it this instant!?"
Claus was growing extremely impatient. Claus dropped the two on the ground. Spyro rolled to the side and slowly got up. Spyro stared at Rayman who was laying on the grass.
"This what it's like in Super Smash Brothers, Rayman! There's blood, broken limbs, and lots of violence, but they censor all that stuff in the retail release so the parents won't have fits! But obviously you can't survive in a real  fight! Maybe you're better off as a trophy after all!"
Spyro then stood up and looked at Claus, who felt sort of uneasy at what Spyro had said.
"Claus, me and my friends need your help. My sister, Cynder Duskshine, has been missing for about a month, and no one knows where he is."
Spyro's held dropped, he felt hopeless.
Claus gazed over at Spyro's friends, who were still sitting with their eyes shut with their earplugs, Claus had assumed that they didn't notice Rayman and Spyro's fight.
"Alright, I will help. When was the last time you saw Cynder?"
Spyro closed his eyes, trying to remember.
"Last month, she told me she was going to Chaos Island to investigate some havoc going on there, she never returned."
Claus thought for a moment.
"Isn't Cynder the Black Dragon of the Skies? Malefor's puppet?"
Spyro glared at him, feeling disgusted.
"NO! Cynder is a Skylander, she WAS with Malefor, but I saved her."
Claus then tried to remember. Claus felt lucky to have only three Skylanders, unlike other Portal Masters who have over thirty. Trying to remember everything about them would have made him insane.
"Now I remember. Cynder is an undead dragon. If that's so, then the place most likely she'd run off to would be the Land of the Livid Dead."
Spyro's eyes widened.
"The Land of the Livid Dead!? You mean, the kingdom of Malefor? The Underworld!? But, why would she go there!?"
"Because creatures of the Undead Element are naturally attracted to the lands of undead. The Underworld is the closest undead-land here."
Spyro snorted and stepped away.
"You have no idea what you're talking about, "great and wise" Portal Master Claus!! Cynder would do anything in her power to stay as far away from Malefor as possible! Why would she even DARE go near his kingdom!?"
Claus shrugged.
"If you don't want to follow my advice, so be it."
Spyro's head drooped.
"Well, I don't seem to have a choice, do I?"
Claus nodded.
"I can show you the way to the Underworld. Follow me. But first, let me tell you a story."
Spyro groaned and fell to the ground.
"Last night, I ordered a pizza, and when it came, it was cold, so I gave it to Porky, and he ate it. Then, he died."
Rayman then got up from the ground and pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil from his pocket. He wrote down something on the paper.
l'azt nigt
i ordurd a pizzua
and wen it cam
it wuz KULD!!!!!
so i gav it 2 porkee
and he ate it
and he dyed :((((
Spyro glared at the paper, squinting his eyes to try to figure out what it said. Reading terrible grammar with a black eye was not easy.
"Why are you writing that down!?"
Rayman shrugged.
"Everything Claus says could be used as helpful info in the future."
Spyro and his seven friends followed Claus through the forest to the Land of the Livid Dead. Tails pulled out a map.
"If we want to get to the Underworld, the fastest way would be to go down."
Spyro was puzzled.
"Down, as in, go under the ground?"
Claus nodded. Flashwing Ispammala ran towards the two.
"I'm an earth dragon! I can dig!"
Flashwing then struck the dirt with her pointed tail spade. She dug at the dirt with her purple talons, in a few seconds, she dug a hole about sixteen feet below the ground. She continued digging for a while before climbing back up to the surface.
"The Underworld is down there! Let's go!"
Claus then went down the hole, with the rest of Spyro's friends following. Spyro was just about to step inside the hole, before something struck him across the face. Spyro groaned and fell to the ground as he slowly lost unconsciousness.
==Chapter Two: Everything Claus Says Is True==
As Spyro slowly gained consciousness, he saw that he was in a hallway, but not in any hallway he knew. The floor looked as if it was recently mopped, and hundreds of metal lockers were lined up against the wall.
"Where am I?"
Spyro felt the tapping of talons on the floor behind him. Spyro turned around to see the Fire Skylander Vecoline standing before him.
"You must be new here."
Vecoline spoke in a very bored voice.
"Vecoline? How did you get here? Where am I? Where's my friends?"
Vec rolled his eyes.
"They're in class, stupid."
Spyro was puzzled.
"Class?"
Spyro then heard the sound of a bell ringing. Suddenly, a door swung open and Spyro's friends came out.
"Guys!"
Spyro ran towards his friends, who looked confused. Smile Dog stepped out of class clutching a book in his paws.
"Spyro, why didn't you come to class?"
Spyro stepped back a little.
"Class!? Guys, we have to find Cynder! How did we even get here!?"
Smile Dog looked at Spyro as if he was an alien from outer space.
"Umm, what?"
Tails hovered in front of the two.
"Um, Spyro, have you forgotten that we're in school?"
Spyro's eyes widened.
"School?"
Tails nodded.
"What kind of school?"
"High school, Porky Minch High, the Underworld's most popular school, to be exact."
Spyro's heart sunk to the bottom of his stomach. Spyro turned around and ran down the hallway, his mind racing.
-
Meanwhile, in a closet full of mops, buckets, and other cleaning items, Rayman was kicking the door, trying to get it open. Claus was sitting in the corner playing with the mop head, trying to figure out if they could use it to open the door. Claus put the mop down and gazed at Rayman who was kicking the door.
"You know, the door is made out of thick stone, I don't think it can be kicked down."
Claus spoke in his ordinary monotone voice, Rayman growled and fell to the ground.
"Well, what amazing ideas do you have, the great and wise Portal Master Claus?"
Claus snorted.
"Well, maybe if you'd shut up and listen, you would know my ideas."
Rayman took the paper out of his pocket, a grin appeared across his face.
"Want to hear a story?"
Claus didn't answer, but instead closed his eyes and said something to himself.
"Oh, if Ridley, Drago, and the UC were here, they'd know what to do."
Rayman unfolded the paper and read the text out loud.
"lazt nigt, i ordurd a pizzua, and wen it cam, it wuz KULD!!!!! so i gav it 2 porkee, and he ate it, and he dyed."
Claus groaned.
"Porky, if only he would die of cold pizza."
Rayman then looked at the tiny window at the top of the door, in which the lights from the hallway shone into the closet.
"Can I borrow that mop?"
Claus picked up the mop and handed it to Rayman. Rayman took the handle of the mop and proceeded to hit the window with it. Claus snorted.
"You know, just FYI, the window is made out of pure crystal, not glass, so it will take much more than a mop handle to break it. And even if you did get it broken, it would be too small for anyone to fit through it."
Rayman threw the mop at Claus, who quickly dodged it.
"Would you just shut up!"
Spyro walked down the hallway for a few minutes, trying to process through his brain what his happening. Spyro looked and saw a room, he walked in and saw that it was the school library. Spyro looked through the books, and he realized that every single one of the thousands of books on the shelves were all the same. They all had the title "Turtle Tumble" and had the same text. Spyro looked through one of them.
Spyro realized that it was a really bad fanfiction about the Air Skylander Warnado.
Warnado just defeated the final boss of a game (Turtlegoal) when there was a major earthquake at The Tutler Island. He flew out of the house with some Shrell. He used the Shrell to buy a seat at the Earthquake Shelter.
"WHAT!? First of all, Warnado is an Air Skylander! Air Elementals use earthquakes as their own POWERS! And why would he have to BUY a seat? If it's an emergency there should not be a price."
Spyro didn't even bother to read the rest. He closed the book and took a closer look at the cover.
"TURTLE TUMBLE, WRITTEN BY PORKY MINCH." the title read. Spyro gasped.
"Porky Minch? That guys name is also in the school! Whoever this "Porky Minch" is, I need to find him!"
Spyro charged out the library and ran into a closet and slammed the door. Spyro breathed heavily, he tried his hardest to calm down, but he felt useless.
"What am I going to do!?"
Spyro took out an iPod; strange technology brought to Skylands from planet Earth.
"Alright Spyro, time for your confidence theme!"
Spyro stuck the earbuds in his ears and played the song Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz, which was Spyro's most favorite song in all of the Universe, as he claims. Spyro charged down the door which fell down like cardboard. Spyro smirked.
"I have sunshine in a bag alright!"
Spyro ran down the hallway, only to crash into Vecoline. Spyro fell over and crashed into the ground.
"Ummmm, hi Vec!"
Confidence, confidence! Spyro thought to himself.
Vecoline reached down and picked up the iPod with his beak.
"Don't you know that these are banned from the school? Principle Porky said so."
Spyro's eyes widened.
"Can I see Principle Porky?"
Vec nodded before throwing the iPod on the ground.
"His office is just down the hall."
Spyro nodded and ran down the hall, he stopped at a door labeled "PORKY'S OFFICE." Spyro opened the door and slowly walked in. He saw a chair, and a desk.
"How may I help you?"
The chair swung around and reveled the principle of Porky Minch High.
"So you are Principle Porky?"
Porky nodded. His blond hair covering his eyes made Spyro shiver for some reason.
"Indeed. What brings you here, SkyWing?"
==Chapter Three: Dawn of the Pork==
Inside the janitor's closet, Rayman sat with his back against the door. Claus was nearly half asleep.
"Lazt nigt, i ordurd a pizzua, and wen it cam, it wuz KULD!!!!! So i gav it 2 porkee, and he ate it, and he dyed."
Rayman had read the story from the crumpled up piece of paper to Claus at least fifty times. Claus banged his head against the wall.
"How many times are you going to repeat that phazoning AWFUL story before I rip your head off!?"
Rayman rolled his eyes.
"Hopefully soon, I'm bored of life. Hey, maybe when we're both starving we can eat each other! That would be SO fun!"
Claus glared at him,
"Oh yes, it would be so fun. Now would you PLEASE stop talking and listen to me!?"
Rayman didn't answer, but instead glared at the paper, obviously he was proud of his handwriting skills.
"If we want to get out of here, we have to look for other ways, like, they obviously put us in this room thinking we'd try to kick the door down, they're smart! So we should find another way out, a way they wouldn't expect us to get out!"
"Alright Santa Claus, find us a way out they wouldn't expect us to get out in."
Rayman spoke in a very sarcastic tone and didn't even look up from the paper. Claus was enraged.
"Why you disrespectful little s-"
Claus was cut off by Rayman grabbing onto his head.
"What are you doing!?"
Rayman pulled Claus' mask off his face. Claus stumbled to the floor and covered his head with a broom.
"Getting out a way they wouldn't expect us to."
Rayman took Claus' heavy mask and bashed it against the window. The crystal window started to crack, before shattering to pieces. Rayman then threw Claus' mask on the floor. Claus picked it back up and swiftly put it back on his head.
Rayman then reached out the window and felt for the doorknob. Rayman opened the door and the light from the hallway blinded Claus as the door opened.
-
Spyro sat at Porky's desk and listened to Porky's endless ramblings about how no one in the school follows his rules.
"Would you like another cup of coffee, Mr. Duskshine?"
Spyro had already drank four cups of coffee, he needed it to sit through Porky's rants and not fall asleep, though it did make him feel sick.
"No thanks."
Porky nodded. Suddenly, the phone on Porky's desk started to ring.
"Excuse me."
Spyro politely nodded and walked to the other room. Spyro took mental notes of all the things in the room. There was a water cooler, a shelf full of books - all of Turtle Tumble, and a portal of power.
"Why would he have a portal?"
Spyro walked over to the portal, it was just like any other portal, except it had a strange black aura around it. Spyro walked over to the door and peered out the crack, secretly listening to Porky, who sounded quite annoyed.
"Agh, come on, Malefor. I went all out of my way to get these stupid Skylanders just so you can eat them or whatever, and now you're giving me this!?"
Porky then hung up the phone. Spyro walked towards the desk.
"Why do you have a portal of power!?"
Porky smiled.
"You've figured it all out, haven't you, Spyro?"
Spyro stepped back.
"What?
-
Rayman and Claus walked down the hallway. Rayman was still clutching the crumpled up paper.
"Lazt nigt, i ordurd a pizzua, and wen it cam, it wuz KULD!!!!! So i gav it 2 porkee, and he ate it, and he dyed."
Claus was relieved to be finally out of the closet, but it didn't make his splitting headache go away.
"I regret ever telling that story." he whispered to himself.
The two then caught sight of Spyro's friends, who were walking down the hall. Claus ran over to them.
"Where is Spyro?"
Ridley shrugged.
"We have no idea. We don't remember anything, how did we get in this place?"
-
Inside Porky's office, Spyro was tied to a metal pole.
"Let, me, go!"
Porky rearanged his Turtle Tumble book collection.
"Maybe, maybe not. When that phazoning slug of a dragon Malefor eats the other Skylanders, I'll untie you."
Spyro's eyes widened.
"Malefor!? You mean, he's behind this!? I thought he was dead!"
Porky smirked.
"His Highness has been alive for a very long time, SkyWing, in fact, my Skylanders are going to come here any moment now and escort you to his palace. It's going to be a fun night."
Spyro spat a puff of smoke at the evil Portal Master.
"You're sick."
Porky giggled.
"I know."
The portal behind Porky soon started to glow, and three creatures appeared on it. They were Portal Master Porky's three "Skylanders" Darkhowl, Mother Brain, and Noctisark.
Noctisark was an Umbreon with a gray vest which connects to a strange piece of machinery. He wore glove with a bit of magma in it that burns whoever he claws or punches. His right eye had a wire that connects to his vest. Two robotic wings with Umbreon rings sprout from his vest, and the rings glow like actual Umbreon rings.
Mother Brain was a skeletal creature with an exposed brain. She has one, white, round eye. There are numerous silver spikes all over the brain, and the reason she has these is unknown. Three large, long spikes extend from her back, and her limbs appear to be made with Chozo technology.
Darkhowl was a gray wolf with a moon symbol on his right hind leg. He has scars on his legs and tail, and wears a green mask to hide more of his scars and his face. He has blue eyes and deer antlers, as well as firey fur in between his wings of an Arcanine to burn foes. Darkhowl has one neon dragon wing and one white pegasus wing. He wears a gray chain, a glowstick, and a blue collar around his neck.
Darkhowl walked over to Spyro and slowly untied him.
"It's going to be a long night for you, SkyWing."
Mother Brain walked over and helped Darkhowl untie him. She peered down at Spyro, her exposed brain made him shiver.
"Indeed."
Mother Brain and Darkhowl put a metal collar on Spyro, and attached two chains to it. Mother Brain and Darkhowl pulled Spyro by the chains and led him to the portal.
"STOP!"
A voice called from the door. Spyro's friends barged into the room. Spyro was filled with relief that they were okay. Claus appeared from the crowd and walked towards Porky.
"I knew it would be you, Porky Minch. I hope you know that thanks to you, I had to sit in that HORRIBLE closet, stuck in a TINY space, with that horrible limbless THING, that kept on telling me the SAME story about you FOR SIX HOURS."
Porky laughed.
"Serves you right Claus!"
Spyro stared at his friends.
"Why did you guys act like everything is all normal?"
Gill Grunt appeared from the crowd.
"What?"
"You guys were asking me why I missed class, like we actually go to this school."
Porky than laughed.
"I brainwashed them, you idiot! While they were unconscious, I brainwashed them to make them believe that they belong in this school, apparently it seems to have worn off. Except for Vecoline, he was all into helping me out."
Spyro was shocked.
"What!?"
Porky smirked.
"Vecoline was so angry that is popularity had declined, he decided to get his revenge, so he agreed to help me and Malefor capture you and your friends. He considers it his unfounded revenge against the Skylanders."
Porky picked up Claus' sword that he stashed under his desk after Claus and Rayman were locked in the closet. Porky zapped Spyro's friends with the sword, causing them to be paralyzed.
Noctishark flew over to the group of Skylanders and put collars on each one of them. Noctishark led them to the portal along with Mother Brain and Darkhowl. Darkhowl then pointed at Rayman and Claus.
"What about them?"
Porky grinned.
"They will be sacrificed as well, just for fun. But you should get the Skylanders in first, they are the most important."
Porky's three "Skylanders" then disappeared into the portal, along with the seven Skylanders. Darkhowl and Mother Brain then returned in only ten seconds. Porky yawned.
"Get these two out here please."
Darkhowl went over to Rayman and Claus. He put the metal collar around Claus' neck and held the chain in his mouth. Mother Brain then tried to put the metal collar on Rayman, but became confused.
"He has no neck, HOW DOES HE HAVE NO NECK!?"
Darkhowl spat at the brain creature.
"How am I supposed to know!?"
Mother Brain searched Rayman's body for any place to put the collar. Rayman awkwardly smiled.
"He has no legs, no arms, HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE!?"
Darkhowl growled.
"Who cares!? Just get these two in there!"
Mother Brain kept rambling.
"If he has no neck, how does he breathe, how does he eat, how does he do anything!?"
Darkhowl shouted.
"Just tug him in by the hair! Who cares if he shrieks!?"
Mother Brain and Darkhowl argued as Claus whispered to Rayman.
"Now's your chance, don't worry about me, I'll find a way out of this myself, you go into the portal and try to find the Skylanders."
Rayman nodded and slowly slipped out from inbetween the two arguing "Skylanders", who were too busy arguing to notice. Porky was too busy reading Turtle Tumble to notice Rayman slipping into the portal.
"Isn't Turtle Tumble just the greatest thing you ever read?" Porky said to himself.
==Chapter Four: The Undead Dragon King==
Noctisark led the seven Skylanders to Malefor's palace, high atop a giant hill. The palace was huge, and was embedded with black and purple crystals. Noctisark held the chains of the Skylanders' collars in his mouth as he pulled them up the long stone bridge leading up to the castle.
The large stone door of the palace was wide open. Noctisark pulled on the chains and led the Skylanders up a large number of spiraling stairs. The castle was full of strange decorations, skulls were scattered on shelves and tables, and crosses hung on walls. Noctisark led the Skylanders into a large throne room, a giant black throne stood in the end of the room. Above the throne hung a large banner dark purple with a drawing of the Undead Dragon King himself, Malefor on it.
Sitting on the black throne was the Undead Dragon King, King Malefor, who was a purple dragon of prophecy, like Spyro, and was the ruler of the Land of the Livid Dead. Spyro and Malefor looked in each other's eyes.
"Well well well, if it isn't Spyro Duskshine, it's been quite a while."
Malefor spoke in his deep sinister voice.
"Ah, and you brought your friends along, how exciting."
Spyro's friends growled at the undead dragon, but Spyro remained silent. Malefor looked at Noctisark.
"Good work, Noctisark, I'm sure Portal Master Porky will be so proud of you. Now, put them in the cells."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Noctisark tugged on the chains and led the Skylanders out the door. They went down the stairs and back into the main room. They were then led down another set of stairs which took them to the dark basement of the palace. This was where Malefor kept his prisoners.
Noctisark threw each one of the Skylanders in their own cell all across the prison. Noctisark then threw the last Skylander, Spyro, into his own dark and murky cell. The bars slammed shut, and Noctisark stuck the key in the lock and smirked, before taking it out and walking out the prison.
On the outside of the palace, Rayman stood in front of the now-closed door.
"I hope Claus knows what he's doing."
Rayman then climbed up one of the pillars of the palace. He managed to make it to the stone hard roof. The two moons shone brightly over the black palace. Rayman then came across a skylight, he smashed his fist into the glass. The skylight shattered as Rayman dropped into the palace. He looked around, and tried to find any sign of the Skylanders. Rayman walked down the hall before bumping into a giant dragon.
Rayman fell on the ground. He looked up and saw Malefor standing before him.
"Ehhh, hi?"
Malefor grabbed Rayman and held him close to his face.
"So you're the Nymph's creation, of lums and electoons. To me, you're nothing more than a backup plan for the Skylanders."
Rayman scrabbled to escape Malefor's tight grip, but it was no use. Malefor clutched the hood of Rayman's sweater in his mouth and carried him down to the basement. Malefor opened a cell and threw Rayman in, before slamming the cage door shut and walking out of the prison. Rayman rubbed Malefor's saliva off his sweater.
"Well there goes that plan."
Rayman then realized something that Malefor didn't. Rayman waited for Malefor to leave the basement, he then smirked and squeezed through the bars, it was very easy and fast, seeing as how Rayman had no limbs. Rayman ran down the prison in search of Claus or the Skylanders.
Spyro walked in circles in his cell. His entire world was falling apart at this very moment. Spyro sang to himself to calm himself down.
"I ain't happy, I'm feeling glad, I got sunshine, ummmm, in a bag."
Spyro stopped and stomped his paws on the ground.
"UGH! This is not working!"
Spyro looked around the cell, searching for any way to escape. He then caught sight of a tiny narrow hole in the crack of the floor.
"No, it's too small, I wouldn't be able to get my paw in there, unless..."
Spyro walked over to the hole and peered his eye inside it. He could see a tiny patch of night sky.
"Unless I use magic!"
Spyro lifted his paw, which glowed a yellow aura. Spyro then shrunk himself down to the size of a fly. The tiny Spyro then made his way through the narrow hole and out to the outside of the palace. Spyro then flew around the palace, and caught sight of a small garden located on a very large balcony connected to the palace. Spyro landed in the garden and turned back into his normal size.
Spyro looked around the garden, it was full of different plants with thorns and poison ivy. He turned as he heard a familiar voice.
"I'm sorry, young dragon."
Spyro turned around and saw a cell high above the entrance to the garden. Claud stood in the cell.
"Claud?"
Spyro flew over to the cell and hovered in front of Claud.
"How'd you get here!?"
Claud took a deep sigh.
"Malefor's forces abducted me from Volcano Island, they are going to sacrifice me by sunhigh."
Spyro gasped.
"They are!? Don't worry you two, I'll get you out, just wait here."
Spyro jumped down from the ledge and ran into the palace. Spyro ran down the stairs down the dark basement prisons in search of his friends, Spyro then managed to find Ridley's cell.
"Spyro! How did you get out?"
Spyro walked up to the space pirate dragon's cell.
"I used a spell to shrink myself to fit through a tiny hole I found."
Spyro then dug his talon into the keyhole holding the door closed, looking for any way to pick it.
"We have to get you and the others out before sunhigh."
Ridley's orange eyes widened.
"Why?"
Spyro didn't want to talk about it, but he knew he had too.
"When I escaped, I found Claud's cell above the palace garden. Malefor's forces have taken her from Volcano Island, and she's supposed to be sacrificed by sunhigh."
Ridley then looked at the bars.
"I think I'm skinny enough to squeeze through, help me."
Ridley flattened his body as much as he could and tried to squeeze in between the bars. Spyro grabbed onto him and pulled him. Ridley then managed to slip out of the bars and out of the cell. Ridley got up to his paws.
"We did it! Let's get the others!"
==Chapter Five: The Black Dragon of the Skies==
At the darkest corner of the prison, a dragon sat in her cell. The she-dragon had black scales, six silver horns, a silver blade-like tail spade, black ridged wings with dark pink membranes, along with a silver horn at the tip, a dark pink underbelly, silver talons, and blue eyes. She wore silver spiked bracelets on her front legs, along with a silver spiked collar.
It was Cynder Duskshine, Malefor's once-puppet who was stolen by his forces from Pyrrhia, and was corrupted into an evil undead dragon in order to free Malefor from the Underworld. After Cynder was defeated by Spyro, she agreed to fight for good, and even became a well-known Skylander.
Cynder could hear footsteps, suddenly, a ichneumon appeared. It was DarkRay, who was a clone of Rayman once created by Polokus' nightmares. He looked exactly like Rayman, except he was purple and wore a blue sweater, and had sinister yellow eyes. DarkRay had traveled to the Underworld, and decided to become one of Malefor's servants. DarkRay opened the cell door and put a plate of rotten food on the floor. It was Malefor's dinner leftovers from last night. On the plate was stale bread, moldy steak, and lettuce with brown spots. Cynder looked at the plate and back up at DarkRay.
"Hey Rayman recolor, you actually expect me to eat that?"
DarkRay nodded.
"You should be grateful you get food served to you. Malefor never gives me anything. I have to go hunt for food myself."
DarkRay's voice was very different from Rayman's. It was deeper and more monotone, and sounded less happy. Cynder looked at DarkRay with confusion.
"Why did you agree to become his servant, then?"
DarkRay drooped his head down.
"To be honest, I have no idea."
Cynder stuck her paw through the bars and lifted DarkRay's head.
"How long have you been his servant?"
DarkRay sat up and gazed over at the black dragon. Her scales shimmered different hues of violet and dark blue in the light of the cell.
"I lost count, I never keep track of time. What year is it again?"
Cynder rolled her eyes.
"It's 2014."
DarkRay drooped his head in embarrassment. Cynder smiled at him.
"Have you ever thought about running away?"
DarkRay was puzzled.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, like, running away from Malefor and the Underworld, and having a new life."
DarkRay frowned.
"Sometimes... I do, but I know that His Highness would probably use his dragon sense to track me down. He would probably kill me, or worse, lock me in a cell and starve me for weeks."
Cynder's eyes widened.
"Has he done that before?"
DarkRay held back the urge to cry.
"Well, to be honest, I did try to run away once. His Highness' apes tracked me down, I was starved for months. I promised him I would vow to never leave the Underworld again, but just to make sure, he put a curse on me, so if I ever tried to leave the Underworld, I would disintegrate."
Cynder was shocked.
"Disintegrate? You mean like, you would just disappear into thin air?"
DarkRay nodded. Cynder then had an idea.
"My good friend Hex knows a lot about curses, how about, if you help me escape, I'll have her be able to break the curse, and you'll be able to escape from this horrible place and never look back, deal?"
DarkRay closed his eyes and thought for a moment, before standing back up, Cynder could see a small tear escaping his eye.
"I'll think about it, goodnight Cynder."
DarkRay then walked down the hall and disappeared up the stairs.
==Chapter Six: Cold Pizza==
Claus stood in his own prison cell. He was so happy to finally be out of the janitor's closet, and now he's stuck in a prison again, except this time, he was alone. Subconsciously he missed Rayman telling him the pizza story thousands of times. Claus stood up and looked at the bars on the cell door.
"Maybe if I flatten myself enough, I'll be able to fit through."
"No, I'll get stuck."
Claus then caught sight of Rayman making his way to the bars of his cell.
"Lazt nigt, i ordurd a pizz-"
Claus put his hand on Rayman's mouth.
"No time for jokes! Help me escape!"
Rayman nodded and kicked the bars of the gate, which easily broke. Claus' eyes widened.
"How'd you do that?"
Rayman rolled his eyes.
"Malefor sure has dollar store quality bars. These things are so easy to break! He probably thought that since he's the king of the Underworld of course the bars would be unbreakable, so no one would even attempt to break them. It's cheaper."
Claus then kicked the bars with his boot, which broke.
"You're right!"
Claus walked out the cell.
"I think I know how we can save the others."
Claus and Rayman then managed to sneak out the basement. They creeped down the hallway and up the spiraling stairs into Malefor's throne room. To their surprise, Malefor wasn't seated in his throne. They walked through the throne room, Claus pointed towards a door.
"That's the control room, it's what controls all the prison cells' locks. We can unlock Spyro and his friends' cells, then we escape."
Rayman gazed over at Claus.
"What about Cynder? That's the only reason why we came here, remember?"
"I don't think Cynder is here, but if she is, we can unlock her cell too, if we can find it."
Claus then slowly walked into the control room. Rayman followed. The two slowly opened the door, and to their shock, Malefor and Porky were looking at all the computer screens showing the insides of every cell in the prison. Malefor pounded his paws on the ground.
"Three of them have escaped! Spyro, Ridley, and Rayman, their cells are empty!"
Porky handed the purple dragon a Turtle Tumble book.
"Here, read this, is makes everyone feel better when their prisoners escape!"
Malefor flipped through the book.
"Oh I love this part! Where Shelly wins the race!"
Porky laughed.
"Eh, no, actually it's the saddest part of the book."
Porky and Malefor laughed as they looked through the book. Neither Rayman or Claus have seen Malefor THIS happy. The Undead Dragon King, laughing and being happy? Impossible most in Skylands would say. Claus then had an idea.
"Rayman, I'm gonna go to one of those bookshelves and get a copy of Turtle Tumble, then I'll take it down to one of the cells and put it on the floor. When they see it, they will certainly go down there to retrieve it, then, while they're down there, you go in the control room and unlock the Skylanders' cells."
Rayman stopped Claus before he was about to take off.
"But won't they see you on the camera?"
Claus smirked.
"That's even better, because once they see me on the camera, they'll really want to go down there. So when I put the book down there, I'll run back up the stairs and hide. Oh, and remember that paper?"
Rayman was confused.
"What paper?"
"The pizza story."
Rayman took the folded piece of paper out his pocket.
"This? What use would this be?"
Claus pointed at the paper.
"Remember when you said that you wrote it down because anything I say could be good info in the future?"
Rayman nodded.
"Well, you were right, look."
Claus led Rayman in the crack of the control room door, Claus pointed at a box with six pizza slices.
"You'll understand. I have to go now."
Claus then took off down the throne room and out the door. Rayman was extremely confused.
"What the heck is he talking about?"
Rayman then unfolded the paper and read from it for about the hundredth time.
"Lazt nigt, i ordurd a pizzua, and wen it cam, it wuz KULD!!!!! So i gav it 2 porkee, and he ate it, and he dyed."
Rayman then grinned.
"Claus you are a genius!"
Rayman put the paper back in his pocket and slowly entered the room. Malefor and Porky were still reading Turtle Tumble, Malefor was laughing.
"Haha, Warnado had to buy himself a seat!? Amazing!"
Porky laughed with him.
"I know, right?"
Rayman picked up a piece of pizza and took a bite out of it for fun. Malefor then looked up from the book and saw Claus putting a Turtle Tumble book on the ground on the computer.
"Porky, look!"
Porky looked from the book and saw it all.
"That idiot! How dare he put one of the thousands of copies of the greatest book in all of Skylands down there!?"
Porky and Malefor then ran out the door. Rayman ran towards the control panel.
"Uhhhh, how do I work this thing?"
Rayman managed to open the gates of Tails and Flashwing.
"Uh oh. Claus, why don't you ever think anything through?"
Down in the prison, Malefor and Porky saw the doors of Tails and Flashwing's cell open. Malefor growled.
"Someone's hacked the control panel!"
Malefor and Porky ran up the stairs to the control room. As fast as he could, Rayman opened the gates of the rest of the Skylanders.
"Cynder! I knew she was here!"
Rayman saw the cell of Cynder and pressed the button to open it.
Before he knew it, Malefor and Porky stood in the door. Steam was rising out of the purple dragon's nostrils. Claus then appeared behind them.
"The pizza!"
Rayman grabbed the slice of pizza and threw it at Porky. As it fell on the floor, Porky picked it up and ate it.
"Wow, I forgot about this pizza!"
Rayman threw another slice of cold pizza at Malefor, who also picked it up. Malefor and Porky walked inside and started chowing down on the cold pizza. Rayman ran to Claus.
"I got the cells open. You know, Claus, are you sure you can't predict the future?"
Claus laughed.
"Well, not exactly. Porky didn't die, he just got distracted. Come on, let's get the others out of here! And by the way, did you find Cynder?"
Rayman nodded.
"I opened Cynder's cell, Spyro will be happy."
The two suns had finally come up. Malefor and Porky ate the last of the pizza. Porky had almost forgotten about Claud's planned sacrifice.
"Malefor, should we cancel the sacrifice? Without the Skylanders being decapitated, it won't be as interesting. I wanted to eat their insides and put their heads on my wall above my throne."
Malefor shrugged.
"It's too late now, let's just get it done."
==Chapter Seven: The Sacrifice==
It was sunhigh, though it was much darker in the Underworld than it would ever be anywhere else in Skylands. Claud couldn't sleep, she knew that her fate was coming, how could anyone sleep knowing that they will be sacrificed the next morning? A pair of undead dragons flew to Claud's cell, they opened the prison door and put a metal collar on her. Claud sighed.
"This is it." she said to herself.
The guards escorted her to a large arena located right by the palace. Crowds of thousands were gathered around the arena. On top of a large rock was a black throne which seated Malefor, along with another smaller black throne which seated Porky. Sitting by Porky's throne were his three "Skylanders" Darkhowl, Mother Brain, and Noctisark. Darkhowl and Mother Brain hadn't spoke one word to each other since they let Rayman escape. Standing by Malefor's throne was DarkRay, who was still thinking about Cynder's offer.
The undead dragons strapped Claud to the ground of the arena with chains. Malefor stood up from his throne and looked at Claud in the eyes.
"Well if it is the raiser of the suns, Claud, if anything, you look more like a chicken than a phoenix."
Claud puffed a ball of smoke at him.
"You will never get away with this, Malefor! When you finally die, you will be rotting in the Doom Void where NO ONE will be able to save you! May Arceus have mercy on your soul."
Malefor laughed, and so did Porky.
"Oh yes, they will have mercy indeed."
Malefor then picked up a double edged battle axe that was leaning on his throne, and handed it to Porky.
"Porky, will you do the honors?"
Porky grinned.
"Of course."
Porky held up the large battle axe, ready to swipe it down on Claud's neck. Just as Porky was about to swipe down, a large yell echoed across the arena.
"STOP!!!!!!"
Everyone, including Malefor and Porky, looked up. Spyro and his seven friends stood at the other side of the arena. Spyro looked at Claud in the eyes, before turning his gaze to Malefor and Porky.
"You will not do this!"
"Move guys!"
Rayman pushed the Skylanders out of his way, Claus followed. Claus gazed over at Spyro.
"Look who we found."
Then, Cynder Duskshine appeared out of the cave which connected the arena to the palace. Everyone in the arena gasped. Spyro yelped with joy.
"CYNDER!"
Spyro hugged Cynder tightly. Cynder looked at Spyro in the eyes.
"Malefor kidnapped me and brought me here for the sole purpose of baiting you here."
Spyro gasped.
"You mean, you were brought here just so we would come here, and they could sacrifice us because they know we're a part of the prophecy to release the Creators from the Great Protoon?"
Cynder nodded.
Malefor stomped his foot on the ground.
"ENOUGH!"
Claus poked Rayman in the back.
"T'he pizza" he whispered.
Rayman and Claus had found some more cold pizza in the palace kitchen. They kept it just in case they needed it, plus some copies of Turtle Tumble for good measure. Rayman opened Claus' jetpack where the pizza slices were stored. He took out a slice and threw it over to Malefor and Porky's thrones. Malefor and Porky then jumped off the thrones and started to fight over the slice. Spyro was shocked.
"Great move guys! This is our chance!"
Spyro and his friends ran to Claud and untied her. Claud got to her feet and flew into the sky. Suddenly, Malefor's undead dragon guards were flooding the arena. Spyro led the others a way out the arena.
"Come on, hurry!"
Finally, Spyro and his friends, along with Cynder and Claud, were safely far from the arena. Cynder then caught sight of someone. It was DarkRay, who followed them from the arena. Cynder smiled.
"I knew you'd come."
DarkRay smiled, but it quickly turned into a frown.
"I know I didn't really help you, but I still trust you, I really want to leave the Underworld."
Cynder then had an idea.
"How about you stay here just for one more day, and then I will return tomorrow with Hex, where she can break the curse."
DarkRay smiled again, this time it stayed.
"Thank you Cynder."
==Chapter Eight: Home==
Spyro and his friends said their goodbyes to DarkRay as they searched for a way out of the Underworld. Claus pointed towards a portal.
"That's the exit portal, let's go."
Finally, the group were back in the Everglades, and they made their way back to the grassy meadow where they started. Claud smiled at Spyro.
Claud then said her goodbyes to the group and flew back to Volcano Island. Rayman took the paper out his pocket.
"You know, Claus, this really should be published."
Claus then had an idea.
==Epilogue==
-One week later-
Claus had published the pizza story. It soon became a popular meme in Skylands. Rayman sat on the bench and looked at the paper it was written on
"Wow, my grammar is horrible, was it really published like this?"
Claus rolled his eyes.
"Yes, it was."
Rayman snorted and folded the paper back up.
"Just so you know, you stole my meme."
Claus was confused.
"How?"
"Well, when you published it you put it under your name."
Claus rolled his eyes.
"That's because I first told the story. You just wrote it down."
Rayman then unfolded the paper again.
"Lazt nigt, i ordurd a pizzua, and wen it cam, it wuz KULD!!!!! So i gav it 2 porkee, and he ate it, and he dyed."
Claus then remembered something.
"Rayman?"
Rayman looked at the paper closely.
"What?"
"I think I left my sword in Porky's office."
END.
Category:EoP