The first thing they smelt was the straw, oddly enough at the entrance to the mines.  Upon arriving in the caverns they encountered a small village of houses and caravans where straw had been laid out, a fire unlit in the midst of it.  No one was inside of them, with notices left upon the door in some unknown language written with great urgency.  The clutter left behind in haste testified to such with cans and buckets and tools scattered merciless beside old mine carts next to the large rails that led further into the depths, snaking a path between walls where gems sprouted in huge lustrous clumps of effervescent red, green and blue.

        "Well at least we got some lighting in here," said Liz pointing at the crystals.

        "Makes it easier fer us to get spotted too," said Holt tapping his gun, "alright lads stay behind me, ah been underground before-"

        "Uhhh pretty sure we all have," Spyro butted his leg.

        "Aye but-"

        "Plus we got the snouts, I mean eyes are good but, the nose knows."

        "Hmph...alrigh', fair nuff," he stepped back, "can't argue with a dragon that's fer sure."

        "Can't or won't?" Liz prodded a finger in his direction.

        "Mmmm fair point, hmhahah, alrigh' then you two out in front."

        "No sweat!"

They both gave a salute and grinned to each other, sniffing the air for telltale threats before heading out onto the tracks with a cautious step.  Some of the boards had rotted through which they avoided, smelling the dampness they exhumed with warnings to their friends who hopped over the cracks.  The path became narrow once it reached over the chasm, twinkling gems above their heads that lit the way as they stepped in single file making sure that no two of them were on the same plank.  The absence of petrified statues gave them little relief as they crossed the first gap and headed into a tunnel, sneaking through the gem-crusted halls as Spyro-Owain's eyes glimmered with fascination.  He couldn't help but lick his lips from their sheen across his face, the taller Spyro snickering at his expression and tapped his head to keep him focused as he brushed him off with a grunt.

Despite the initial clutter and dilapidated state of the tracks, the journey went easier than expected with sensible bridges and well-spaced platforms made from both rock and fire-hardened wood.  Sometimes they saw creatures skittering by, smaller lizards creeping within the walls as Jeremy grabbed a rope and a pickaxe in surprisingly sharp condition, twirling it in his hands with a smirk as they leapt over the stone plinths and crept over the tracks.  The sound of clattering rocks echoed into the abyss underfoot with darkness in spots, crystals shining by their own light along with the odd lantern that had been left behind to help light the way.  Eventually they found a chasm too large to cross, with platforms attached to a crane by a pulley system that swung gently in the air, linked to a console across the way.

        "Well thassa problem," Jeremy muttered.

        "Not if you have wings," said Spyro-Flash stretching his.  "Sit tight, I'll be back."

        "So what's with the pickaxe?" Liz turned to Holt as the dragon flew off.

        "Well it's pretty nice innit?" he swung it deftly.  "Need summat fer close quarters an' all, only 'ave so much ammo fer me gun."

        "Your gun doesn't recharge?"

        "Naw ah kept with the old models, feel that crackin' boom a lot better than that laser shite."

        "Yeaaah," Liz pulled out his own pistol with a grimace, "not a big fan of these honestly."

        "Ah mean if it's easy to carry, good fer long range, think of it as a distraction not a weapon."

        "Heheh, yeah."

        "I thought you were doing alright with that spear," said Spyro-Owain nudging his leg, "kicking that guy's butt pretty hard when you just BLAMMED him fulla lightning!"

        "Oh you saw that huh?  By the way nice work just charging that thing straight up, only ever saw that kinda shit once."

        "Really, when?"

        "Back years an' years ago when I was with Ganon, saw this guy just charge full on at a lynel, thought he was beggin' for a death wish."

        "Wotsa lynel?" asked Holt scritching his head.

        "Sorta like a horse but with a...full body up here," the lizalfos gestured to his pecs, "got a big fierce face like a cat, two arms, MEAN scary bastards.  But this guy, Link, kind of a legend back where I'm from, just dodged the shit outta this lynel then wrapped round to his back, rode him like a horse and stabbed him right through the back!"

        "WOAH, jeez!"  Spyro-Owain flinched with a smirk.  "Sounds crazy but, pretty rad!"

        "Yeah nobody wanted to mess with that guy fer a while."

The sounds of machinery rumbled as they saw Spyro-Flash at the controls of the pulley, pulling down the lever and turning dials in his paws to swing one of the platforms over to them.

        "Don't get on all at once!" he shouted.  "I don't think the rope is that good, Spyro you get on first."

        "Woah-woah why me?!" he cried back.

        "Well you're the lightest, and if it breaks you can glide down."

        "Yeah but...ehhh alright."

He leapt on without a problem, letting the crane swing itself round to the next platform where Lizanaich jumped on after with Holt taking the third.  The dragon at the controls rotated them carefully to the other side, giving them enough time to depart before he joined them in a glide and headed onwards in front as the track spiralled downwards in a circle, wrapping around a central shaft as Lizanaich searched over one of the minecarts that was still left on the rails.

        "Hey think we could use one of these to go faster?"

        "HEY great idea!" the smaller dragon jumped in.  "Buuut, I don't think it's big enough fer all of us."

        "Hmmmm...yanno, got an idea in the back of my head but maybe we oughta wait until we're at the bottom."

        "Oh aye?" Holt grinned with a cheeky stache.  "Whut sorta idea?"

        "Leeet's just keep this cart in mind for a while an' head on."

They all nodded with a growing smile as they went by foot, both dragons keeping further out front with their nostrils opened as a scent picked up on the breeze.

        "Rhynocs," muttered the shorter drake, "definitely on the right track."

        "Zat a pun?" Holt gestured at his feet.

        "Nah, I can do better than that."

        "Aw are you fer wheel?"

        "I mean axle dumb question get a stupid answer-"

        "Alright," Spyro-Flash said looking back with a smirk, "try not to derail your thoughts."

        "Pffft, haha nice!"

        "You guys sure seem chipper," scoffed Liz crossing his arms, "considering we're in a place of ruin an' desolation."

        "You gotta lighten up a LITTLE," said Spyro-Owain rolling his head, "can't be serious all the time."

        "Trust me I wanna let loose, but I can't really focus til I get what's mine back."

        "Snrrrk!"

        "Tha-no, NO, that was NOT a pun, do not laugh!"

        "S-sorry, sorry dude...don't have a cart-attack!"

        "PFFFFT HHHAH!" Spyro-Flash almost choked on his laugh.  "O-okay, okay that one was good."

        "I hate both of you," the lizalfos tightened his grimace, "just keep yer noses out fer enemies alright?!"

They nodded without another word as they kept trailing deeper into the earth, following the tracks with a greater stride as Spyro-Owain sped up his pace to motion briefly his other self to follow with a soft muttering between them.

        "So uh," he began, "you wanna like, talk about what that Beaufort dude said?"

        "About knowing our name?" said Spyro-Flash bending down.

        "Yeah I mean...he said that, dragon-hunting dude took out his soul, right?"

        "Something like that, I'm not sure how much of what he said was a rumour or not, it seems a lot of things happened above."

        "So what do you wanna do when we face that bonehead again?" the smaller drake tapped his other's snout.  "He left a pretty rough mark on you too."

        "You don't think it's poisonous do you?" Spyro-Flash rubbed his blackening scar.

        "I mean it makes ya look pretty cool!  It's not hurting you is it?"

        "Not really, I think I'm okay...next time we fight him, we don't underestimate him, we go in full-force against him."

        "You bet!"  He raised a paw to fistbump with him before stopping.  "Hold up I hear something."

The sounds of mining  clanged with a sharper echo as they came upon a large open quarry.  Rhynocs of up to 7 feet were hammering their pickaxes into the walls and shovelling crystals into minecarts placed upon several tracks that crisscrossed through the quarry, the sounds of cracking rock and tinkling gems filling the air with grunting snarls as thick-armoured rhinos swung their picks.  The place was covered with crystals more than any other room they had seen, glistening across every single rock to almost blind them to the point they thought they had wandered into a glacier.

        "Wot's the plan 'ere lads?" asked Holt from round the corner.

        "Need to find out who's leading them," said Spyro-Flash ducking low, "any ideas?"

        "Whoever it was musta gone ahead," said Spyro-Owain, "I didn't get a good look before we got sucked through."

        "We grab their leader an' make 'em confess?" muttered Liz peering past them.

        "Pretty much...hey, yanno that idea you had a moment back?"

        "Yeah?"

        "HOW GOES THE EXCAVATION?!"

They all looked towards the quarry as a voice boomed across the way, a rather portly shadow lumbering its way out of a tunnel as two smaller rhynocs stood to attention.  A shining monocle transfixed their gaze from the face of a brown bear whose snobbish grin matched the penguin-coloured suit he wore upon his body.

        "A-ah, sir!" the little rhino saluted.  "Things are going well, we estimate to have excavated a good forty-percent of this quarry!"

        "Excellent," the bear rolled his fingers against his chest, "this cavern has such SUMPTUOUS treats, and without any of the competition I have it allll to myself."

        "U-uhhh, we are getting paid right sir?"

        "Oh of COURSE you are my good friends," he patted the runt's head, "in exposure of course, you make a good impression on our new boss and he shall reward you with a future far beyond what I could give!"

        "Th-that's great!" the rhynoc forced a grin.  "Real...great, but, it'd be nice to have something, yanno, physical, to-"

        "But for what?  Are you planning to return back with me for my investments?"

        "Well maybe some of us want to, I mean I haven't like asked a consensus yet, wanted to wait 'til we were done."

        "Very wise of you," the bear leaned forwards with hands behind his back, "I am sure your new lord Hektore will reward you far graciously than my humble origins could."

        "MORE LIKE HUMBUG YA FAT SACK O' SPIT!"

The dragons leapt forth upon two rocks as the rhynocs stopped working, yelling out with fingers pointing and pickaxes wrapped in their sausage fingers.

        "WHA-YOU, Y-YOU!"  The bear stuttered pointing at both of them.  "Th-they really, T-TWO-...HMPH!"

        "Long time no see Moneybags!" said Spyro-Owain flicking his tail.  "I thought I smelled you all the way down here."

        "Indeed," he straightened his tie showing a jewelled brooch, "seems that mister Dragonhunter had more problems than I expected with a runt like you."

        "Well two heads are better than one," said Spyro-Flash standing proud, "we're here for your master, if you tell us where he is and don't cause any trouble we'll let you leave."

        "And trust me," the other Spyro snorted a thick plume, "you don't want any trouble from me, cuz now you got double!"

        "BAH!" the bear waved them off dismissive.  "You think you can frighten me, when I have a loyal army willing to throw themselves at my behest!?"

        "U-uhhh define loyal," muttered the small rhynoc beside him.

        "What's yer deal anyway?!"  Spyro-Owain walked forwards off the rock.  "Why are you here working for this Hektore guy?"

        "Is it not obvious?" he swept his hand across the crystal caverns.  "Forging my new empire, one that starts with the greatest capital I could imagine!"

        "Ohhh big surprise you just hoard money again, you ever actually BUY anything jerkbags?"

        "I do not have to explain anything to a simpleton such as you, the point is that once I have gained enough funds from this tremendous asset that Hektore has so generously donated to me, I shall return to Avalar and invest properly in its futures."

        "And what future is that?" Spyro-Flash leapt closer with thumping paws.

        "A future that I can guide properly as its ruler," the bear fiddled with his cufflinks, "Avalar has always been such an uncouth place without any direction or central form of office, but if I were to instill that with a, ahem, personal council, then I shall make certain the right sort of people are elevated to a greater stature."

        "So you're a rich thug," the dragon sneered, "too much a coward to get his hands dirty so you want to pay everyone else to do it for you."

        "A simple brute such as you would call it cowardice," said Moneybags scoffing with a big shrug, "considering your kind hoard gems in some musty cavern rather than consolidate it in an account like civilised folk."

The smaller Spyro gave a long whistling sound of derisive disbelief.

        "About as civilised as selling a baby dragon off in the market?!"

        "A-AH, DON'T!"  The bear flicked his finger at him.  "You know very well as I do that was ONE time-"

        "SO WHAT?!" he stomped his front feet.  "YOU got no right to talk about 'civilised' when you were locked up people for the sorceress-"

        "All of whom were CRIMINALS in a society, regardless of one's motives there is no excuse for vandalism!"

        "You tried to sell a baby dragon?!"  Spyro-Flash reeled his head back.  "That...that's horrible, you're a monster!"

        "IT WAS NOT WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE!" he thundered shaking his fist.  "I was simply finding it a better home, out of the Sorceress' hands once I realised what she was up to-"

        "SHUDDUP!"

Spyro-Owain charged before one of the rhynocs came barging forwards with a swing of his pick, the dragon ducking underneath with a fast-roll tucking his wings underneath to slam into Moneybags' chest.  But the bear was ready as he grabbed the smaller rhynoc beside him and tossed him in the dragon's path, bouncing off his horns with a scream as he slammed into a minecart with Spyro leaping after the bear who pulled out a surprisingly-futuristic pistol.  The dragon dodged once more and blasted a flame close to the ursine's feet, causing him to yelp and leap back whilst swinging his gun to pistol-whip the dragon, clacking harmlessly off his horn as the second Spyro came flying from the side to punch his head, sending him falling with an oafish yelp as he dropped his gun clattering across the way.

        "GH-GAAH, YOU BELLIGERENT-"

        "SAVE IT!" Spyro-Owain shouted as his other self joined him.  "You already seen what happened outside right?!  So you know totally what this Hektore's gonna do to everyone if they get their way!"

        "Which is WHY I must be employed in his service," he argued stumbling on his feet, "I could rein him back w-with my-"

        "You couldn't rein back a dead fly, you really wanna get stuck with another creep wizard?!"

        "Well now that is simply offensive!  GUARDS!"

He clapped his hands to the rhynocs now gathering behind the dragon who turned to face them.

        "Take these little pests under custody for our new lord, in fact, I will give two-hundred gems for whoever grabs them first, EACH!"

        "Wooow big spender!" the smaller dragon chuckled.  "Yanno you guys really oughta start a union, if you're gonna catch me you should be askin' for more-"

        "Be QUIET you filthy whelp!"

        "He's right you know," said Spyro-Flash.  "You guys look like you've been working hard all this time, how much is he really going to pay you?"

        "U-uhhh," one of the thugs tapped his pick, "we just like bein' useful."

        "Well that's great but wouldn't it be nice to get paid with actual gems, so you could buy nice things?"

        "ENOUGH!" Moneybags stomped his feet.  "Take them down, IMMEDIATELY-wh-what the, WHAT?!"

        "CANNONBALLLLLL!"

The sound of a rumbling set of wheels came hurtling from the entrance, the rhynocs all turning a bit too late before they were mowed down by a screeching minecart.  Piling through the mob of miners the cart went clattering off the rails as Holt and Lizanaich leapt out in time with pickaxe and harpoon at the ready, the gang of thugs falling apart like bowling pins with a much-similar noise than expected as they groaned clutching their armoured bodies.

        "NOBODY MOVE!" shouted Holt.  "YER MONEY OR YER LIFE!"

        "We're not robbing them dammit!" snarled Liz.

        "Lissen don't spoil it fer me ah never get thuh chance to do this!"

        "WHO in BLAZES are you?!" fumed Moneybags swiping his fists.

        "Ahm thuh pied piper, an' ahm here to fuckin' COLLECT!"

        "GAH!"  He turned to the staggering rhynocs and frantically pointed.  "FIVE, five-hundred for each captive you grab and that is FINAL!"

        "Y-YES, SIR!"

They shook their heads free and grabbed their tools, spinning pickaxes and brandishing shovels with clubbing swings as they rushed forwards en masse.  Holt clashed against one of them in a hard cross with his own axe, clanging sharp with his pick against the shaft and scraping hard in a fast twist of the axe to throw the brute aside before slamming a hard a boot into his gut.  With momentum he swung in a circle to crack the pick against the rhynoc's helmet, crumpling his side hard with a deafening ring that knocked him unconscious as his buddy came rumbling hard after with a colossal cleave, the soldier staggering to the side in a half-roll that made him gasp when he pulled a muscle and gritted his teeth.  Seeing this the second rhynoc smiled as he marched forwards swinging his pick, taunting the wounded sergeant who forced himself to stand firm and waited for his attack.

Nearby the lizalfos twirled his spear behind his back and stared down two of the guards who swung their shovels upon his head, the reptile spinning them back before he spun his body round to swing at their legs and knock down one of them with a pulling hook.  The rhynoc who kept on his feet leapt forwards and whalloped Liz across the face, sending him down hard with a burning cheek before he flicked out his tongue to jab the enemy in the eye and briefly frighten him.  Clutching his face from the yelping sting of his eyelid being plucked, the rhynoc failed to see the monstrous swing of Lizanaich's spear that came cracking to the side of his armoured head, before he spun a second time aiming at the legs to throw him down in turn.  The first of the two guards had pushed himself back up and immediately stumbled forth with a thrusting stab of his sharp shovel, the lizalfos deflecting hard with an upwards slice before shimmering from his horn with a spark when he slammed his head into the rhynoc's armoured front.

        "GA-A-A-A-A-AAARGH!"

        "HAH, ya like that?!"  The lizalfos smirked watching him spasm on the floor.  "I got plenty o' juice left and you're ALL wearing metal so guess what?!"

He cracked his neck with a terrifying look towards the other rhynoc who had just managed to push himself back up, stuttering when he saw the arcs flickering out of the lizard's head.

Spyro-Owain went chasing after Moneybags who was stumbling for his gun, the dragon slamming into his posterior with a bounce that made the bear yell and fall even further forwards scraping his knees on the hard floor.  Kicking back with his shoes against Spyro's head, he scrabbled for the pistol to turn and fire a hot laser blast to stop the dragon in mid-charge, side-rolling out of its path towards another rhynoc who came down with a shovel in a mighy roar.  The small drake shouted with an upwards thrust, meeting his strike with the full force of his horns to crack against the flat steel and smash it back against the miner's face, dull vibrations shuddering through his skull before Spyro jumped in a single headbutt to crunch the rhynoc's face and knock him down on his back.  He heard the click of a trigger just in time to avoid the next shot, but the laser scored past his tail with a searing singe that made him grunt as he turned to face the bear once again.

        "That's right, don't mess with me!" he taunted the dragon with shuffling feet.  "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bear!"

        "Yeah, stingy like one ya cheap shot!" Spyro hopped with a bark.

        "Well come on over then!"  He gave a mocking little jab-and-swipe.  "These fists of mine are bantamweight-registered!"

        "Your gut is a heavyweight and your head is a lightweight, so why don't you come over and put your money where your fists are?!"

        "INSOLENT little BRAT!"

He took another potshot at the dragon who rolled and charged to slam into Moneybags' face, but the bear this time was ready as he punched his head with the pistol then followed with a swiping haymaker to throw Spyro down and finish with a stomp on his face.  But the drake angled his horn towards his shoe as he yelped when it jabbed through the sole to make him stagger back on one foot, hopping to fall over as Spyro leapt onto his portly belly to stomp him with all four feet as he choked with a dry heave.  The rhynoc with the shovel recovered enough to come swinging with a whack against Spyro's side, knocking him off his boss' gut to send him rolling across the dirt.

        "NNNGH...impudent snotnosed vandal!"  The bear stood up brushing himself off.  "Running around leaving footprints on my suit like some MUTT!"

        "Takes one to know one, bugbear!" Spyro swished his tail with a fiendish smirk.

        "Do you know much this cost?!"  He gestured to his besmocked front.  "THIS is prime dracklet silk, it costs more than you'd make in a month IF you ever got yourself a job!"

        "My job is breaking that fat head of yours an' it pays pretty damn good!"

On the other side of the tracks, the other Spyro stared down upon four rhynocs who clubbed their picks against their hands, charging two at a time to come in a cross-strike as he dodged underneath in a brief charge before he spun his body fast with a cracking slice of his tail, ice shimmering around its length to crunch against their bodies and throw them both back before the other two guards came thundering upon him.  Spyro dug his claws into the earth and felt a shift in his energies with a thickening lump in the back of his throat, his throat filling with a green mossy texture as he blasted a thick leash of green magic that twisted out to form a thick sphere upon its end like a morning star.  The orb swung out against one looming pickaxe that tried to come down on Spyro's head, cracking against the strangely-solid sphere with the sound of stone as Spyro whipped his open jaws around to flail it above his head, swinging harder to crunch against one rhynoc's face, another getting slammed in the gut, and a third he struck upwards high before he leapt into the air and backflipped harder into the thug's head, crushing his body into the earth with a short bursting shockwave that sent his friends stumbling onto their rumps.

One of the rhynocs however managed to jump off his feet quicker than the rest, swinging his pickaxe like a mace to crack against the side of Spyro's head and send him rolling across the floor.  The dragon gasped with a dizzying glare in his eyes before he shook himself clear and came charging back, running towards a higher ramp near one of the walls to leap off and blast forwards with a burning breath from his throat that wrapped round his body.  His head clashed hard with blazing heat against the rhynoc's head, burning his metal helmet to a roasting red that made him shriek and throw off his helm with panicking flaps of his fingers.  When another of the guards came striking upon him the cracking boom of a shotgun threw him back hard with a crumpling dent in his metal chest.

        "NEED SUM HELP!?"

The sound of Jeremy came from behind as Spyro-Flash grinned up beside him.

        "Didn't think ah wuz gonna leave you now did ya?"

        "Nope," the dragon raked his claws in the dirt towards the rhino-fiends, "just keeping my horns sharp for the real fight."

        "Haha, good lad good lad!"  The human pumped his weapon as the goons backed up.  "Lessee how you handle MY firebreath now ya big bastards."

Closer to Moneybags the smaller Spyro kept dodging between his shots, almost taunting him whilst his guards clanged their thick shovels against the earth trying to hit him much to their frustration.  The dragon flapped backwards to leap upon one shovel that clunked the dirt, letting the rhynoc flip him upwards into the air as he divebombed hard towards the bear's face making him panic and stumble back to get punched in the gut.  Groaning with a deep wheeze he clutched his stomach and tried to lazily kick the dragon back, but his guard managed to catch him off-side with a whack of the shovel to his side like a golf club, yelping with a snarl as he stumbled back up with a shake of his body before he saw Moneybags take aim with his laser pistol.  He leapt quickly with a flap as the searing shot tore through the earth underneath with a scorching trail of black as he saw two rhynocs marching towards him with a cackling snort between them.  Before they could strike their bodies stiffened with sharpening screams as bolts of jade lightning twisted round them like serpents, followed by a slam from a harpoon against one of their heads to send him falling.

        "Three against one?" Lizanaich smirked behind the grunt.  "Let's even that out shall we?"

        "Yeah!"  Spyro-Owain snorted a puff of flame.  "How 'bout it Moneyfats, think you can handle two reptiles?!"

        "I'm not afraid of some overgrown lightning conductor!" he scoffed with a sharp sniff.  "BOTH of you are going to pay with your servitude to your future master once I am through with you!"

        "Only masters I got are four ladies," the lizalfos taunted, "and none of 'em are here to watch me beat your ass to dust."

        "J-just, GET THEM, ALL OF THEM, SIX HUNDRED GEMS FOR EACH!"

        "Wow look at us!" Spyro snickered.  "Getting popular enough for a price on our heads!"

        "Never had that before," Liz smirked, "not gonna change the fact I'll break their jaws open."

Both reptiles waited for the guards to come at them first, the rhynoc coming for Spyro with a mighty carve of his shovel sideways as the drake dodged and burst his fire breath to frighten him back whilst keeping one of his eyes on Moneybags who was waiting for his shot.  The other rhynoc came for Lizanaich who swung his tail low to trip him up, sending him staggering forwards as he drove his fist forwards to crunch deep into the rhinoceros' chin which sent him down hard to the floor.  He was fast to recover and grabbed the lizalfos by the leg, wrenching him down as he thrust his harpoon hard enough to pierce the helmet and knock it straight off the rhynoc's head to frighten him briefly, but he grabbed for the spear's shaft with his other hand and yanked in a tug of war before Liz grinned with a sinister chuckle and glowed his horn.  His body jolted with lightning as it rippled through the steel lance, jolting through the guard who shrieked in ululations of anguish with muscles too tight from the electrocuting force.  He only fell back when Lizanaich allowed him to, shutting off his lightning jolt to let him fall back as Spyro cried:

        "HEY, do that to my tail!"

        "What?!"

        "Just trust me, do it at like half-power!"

        "Uhhh, kay?!"

Gripping the dragon's tail he focused his electrical energy to a half-spark as it rippled through Spyro's body, giving a brief seizure of excitement as he blasted from his throat an exceptional burst of lightning, sparks of white shotgunning against the other guard's chest with a sonic boom that threw him back hard enough to crush against Moneybags and almost trap him.  Gasping with a heave the bear managed to drag himself out and stumble frantically towards the exit.

        "H-HAAAH, GAH, USELESS, ALL OF YOU!"

        "Time to pay up!"  Holt marched forwards away from the remaining rhynocs in a pile.  "You tell us where yer boss is an' we won't turn ya into a rug."

        "O-OH, GOODNESS!"

        "Niiiice," Spyro-Owain nodded at him, "I bet he'd cover a whole room."

        "Y-YOU, BARBARIANS!" the ursine stuttered as he grabbed something from a crevice.  "Since you're all so eager to meet my new employer perhaps you should meet him!"

        "Well that's nice of ya," the soldier grinned, "so you just turn yerself round an' march-"

        "I shall have you meet him at the DEPTHS of the world!"

Something clicked in his fist before explosions came rippling through the cavern, deafening bursts of red that pulverised the walls and shattered crystals into deadly shrapnel that they dodged fast.

        "WH-WHA, SHIT!"

        "Ta-ta, little ones!" said Moneybags with a cocky wave.  "If you manage to survive THIS come find us at the jungle!"

        "HEY, GET BACK HERE!"

But the bear had leapt through a passage beyond their reach, the steps rising up towards it suddenly crumbling apart as more explosions rippled through shaking the earth.

        "WHAT KINDA PSYCHO SETS EXPLOSIVES IN A CAVE?!" cried Lizanaich.

        "AH DUNNO!" shouted Holt.  "MINING IS ONE THING BUT NOT WHEN YER IN IT!"

        "THIS WAY!"  Spyro-Flash leapt upon a ridge.  "I SEE A TUNNEL OPENING UP!"

They raced past the rhynocs who started to stagger out of their daze, weakening gasps as they rushed towards the entrance to the mines whilst their opponents fled deeper within.  The constant quaking of the earth caused them to stumble and fall in mid-run, both parties dodging between falling rocks the size of boulders that either cracked into a dozen pieces or started rolling towards them with a monstrous speed.  Beyond the tunnel was a precarious track over the abyss that twisted like death throes of a serpent, the larger Spyro flapping between the falling rocks and trying to keep off the rails whilst the smaller drake jumped over platforms and hopped between ledges as Holt and Lizanaich followed after.  The human struggled with a stumbling fit, trying to barge his way through wooden safety barriers whilst the lizalfos hopped over them with Spyro-Owain beside him.

        "SHIII-I-I-I-IIIIT!"

        "THERE BETTER BE A WAY OUT!" cried Liz.

        "I SAW LIGHT THIS WAY!" Spyro-Flash shouted from above.  "JUST KEEP YOUR HEADS UP AN-WOAH!"

An entire pillar nearly fell on top of him, crumbling fast with several boulders twice their size to come crashing down straight through the railway tracks.  Metal and wood became torn and split through the seams beneath the weight of falling rocks and stalactites that pierced from above.  Holt almost staggered off the edge before Lizanaich dove by and grabbed his arm with his tail, yanking him back up before they kept on running side by side.  Both Spyros moved ahead almost in sync, searching for more exits as they crossed from the treacherous rails to another closed tunnel that threatened them with its lower ceiling.  The further in they went the tighter it became as they tried to run as fast they could through the ever-threatening passage that crushed harder and smaller upon their bodies to the point it started to become a squeezing crawl.

        "G-GHHHHRD!" the human heaved his gut and pulled through.

        "COME ON HURRY!"  Spyro pulled him by the sleeve.

        "M'TRYING, GAH!"

Out the other side they found another open space where boulders constantly fell, forming a large slope that they stumbled onto and ended up almost running full-tilt down upon.  Spyro-Owain grabbed an old signpost and did his best to skate upon it, tossing other large pieces of wood towards Holt and Liz who followed his example whilst Spyro-Flash kept flying above them.  Stalactites came down like swords to crack parts of the slope, some even rolling like logs threatening to steamroll them from behind as they tried to steer hard away from the danger.  Spyro-Flash blasted shots of green breath to send out his earthen sphere, twining magic that caught against one of the deadly rollers and threw it out of their path before they reached the bottom.  Then they saw the sheer drop into nothingness as they looked at each other with a growing panic with the small plateau in front of them too high to jump for.

        "OKAY NOW WHAT?!" Spyro-Owain cried.

        "AH GOT THIS!"  Holt quickly tied the rope from his side to the pickaxe he had carried.  "FLASH, WEDGE THIS INTO SUMMAT!"

        "GOT IT!"

The sergeant hurled it up high as Spyro grabbed it, the dragon flying towards the higher plateau and shoving the pick between two solid boards of metal to wedge it in place, making sure the rope hung over the edge as they came closer towards it waiting to jump.  Spyro-Owain leapt first using his wings to glide over and grab the cord with his teeth, scrabbling up quick as he could before Jeremy followed with a lunging leap.  The lizalfos was last as their boards fell into the dark, climbing fast beneath the constant rain of falling rocks and crumbling columns that roared in their descent, shards from above splitting barricades in two as the dragons led them on with the scent of a cold breeze whistling through the passage beyond.

        "KEEP GOING, WE'RE ALMOST THERE!"

        "THIS SHIT BETTER STOP SOON!" cried Liz staggering through the rumbling wake.

        "JUST HANG ON TO ME!" Holt offered his arm as they stepped over a crackling bridge.  "ONE FOOT AT A TIME!"

        "YEAH SURE!" Spyro-Owain shouted back to them.  "LIKE THAT SONG YOU PUT YOUR LEFT FOOT IN AN-W-WOAH, WOAH!"

        "LOOK OUT!"

Spyro-Flash grabbed for his other self who suddenly stumbled over some boards.  Too late did he realise that the boards were weak and covering a hole buried beneath the unsettling dust from the roof as he just missed the smaller drake's tail.

        "SPYRO!"

        "A-AAAAAGH!"

        "HOLD ON I'M COMING!"

Before he could even think the larger dragon dove into the shaft, much to the fright of their companions who rushed over shouting.

        "FUCK ARE YA DOIN'?!"

        "COME ON DAMMIT!"  Liz pulled Holt away.

        "SPYRO FER FUCK'S SAAAKE!"

        "YOU WANNA FOLLOW AFTER HIM OR NOT FUCKING DIE?!"

Grabbing the sergeant he pulled him from the hole despite his frantic protests, knowing he could do naught as he watched Spyro-Flash make a circling glide with occasional drops to avoid the broken beams and old rusted blades that had once been fans to ventilate the world beneath.  Spyro-Owain was struggling to keep himself afloat, flapping his wings desperately to slow his descent as the twisted teeth of old fans threatened to sever him when they moved from disrupting quakes, creaking from their wretched states as both dragons dodged the best they could in a half-dive.  The larger drake soon caught up with him, quickly grabbing his paw to try and help pull him up.

        "FLY, COME ON!"

        "I-I, I'M TRYING!" the smaller shrieked.

        "I KNOW YOUR WING HURTS JUST KEEP GOING!"

        "I-IT, AAAGH, DAMN IT!"

It was not enough for them to escape the shaft, falling slowly into darkness as they flapped as much as they could without exhausting their energies, sharply turning in their glides as they tried to land on rotting boards that crumpled under their weight and sent them further into the depths.

They landed eventually within a dark cavern, one left strangely untouched by the miners with no trace of their tools left behind except for the ventilation shafts above them.  The rumbling earth soon subsided, the tremors fading off and the world returned to a stable silence, giving both dragons time to digest their surroundings as giant crystals loomed high above their heads, shining pillars of translucent sheen that glinted bright enough to see but not enough to reveal.

        "You alright?" asked Spyro-Flash.

        "Yeah," Spyro-Owain shook his tail, "you don't...have to stay with me-"

        "No, I'm not leaving you."  He placed a paw upon the smaller head.  "Until your wing is better and we can both get out, you're stuck with me."

        "You mean, you're stuck with you, right?"

        "Hah, hhhahahah yeah, I guess so!"

        "spyroooooo!"  The voice of Holt echoed from above as they looked to the shaft.  "spyrooooo answer meeee!"

        "DOWN HERE!" Owain shouted.  "IT'S FINE WE'RE GOOD, JUST GET OUTTA THE CAVE!"

        "you sure?!" cried Lizanaich faintly.  "don't like the idea of splitting up!"

        "WE CAN'T GET BACK UP TOGETHER!" said Flash loud as he could.  "WE'LL FIND ANOTHER WAY OUT, JUST MAKE FOR THE EXIT AND FIND A SAFE PLACE!"

        "alright, if ya say so!"

        "we're not goin' far!" Holt called from beyond.  "just keep safe alrigh'?!"

        "YOU GOT IT!" Spyro-Owain shouted back before turning to his self.  "Soooo what now?"

        "Well we have to find a way out," said Flash striding forth, "must be some kind of exit out here."

        "And if not, we'll just make one like dragons do!"

His taller self chuckled at the stance Owain made, snapping his tail with legs spread out as if ready to pounce before heading alongside him to explore the depths.  The sounds of crackling lava could be heard somewhere in the distance, a tender heat radiating from beneath their feet as they headed out of the first cavern towards a long winding path above the sea of crystals below them, sharp glinting daggers of icy blue as they leapt over the cracks in the soon-decaying ridge that crumbled next to their feet.  Even their wings flapping over the stones sent their fragile selves tumbling to their doom, clattering against the crystals with a brief empty song.

        "This place is beautiful," muttered Flash.

        "Yeaaah," Owain snickered, "shame it's not got any popcorn."

        "Wha, popcorn?"

        "Yeah!"  The little drake hopped into the next tunnel.  "Me an' Hunter we used to do this thing back in this cavern underneath the Magma Cone."

        "Magma?" the taller dragon followed into the red glistening passage.

        "There were these shards right, and they popped out of the ground through these cracks so Hunter said 'I bet you can't get more than me' and I was like 'yer on pussycat' and I TOTALLY smoked him!"

        "Hhhahahaha, is THAT what he sounds like?!"

        "Yeah!"  Spyro-Owain pulled his neck down to make a deep surfer voice.  "'Hey SPYYYYYRO check out dis new plaaaane I got fer FLYYYYING!'"

        "Pffffthahahaha, wohow he sounds like, a lot of fun!" Flash wheezed shaking his head.

        "Yeah he's a cool guy," he shrugged as the crystals turned from red to green, "not doing as much since he's been with Bianca but-"

        "But you still do stuff right?" he nodded with verdant lights trickling down his back.

        "Yeah just not as much, but hey it's fine I mean I got like, other friends, I mean I have Sparx he's ALWAYS up for stuff with me-"

        "Wait...Sparx?"

He stopped as his smaller self halted in turn.

        "Did you, say Sparx?"

        "Yeah, why?" Owain cocked his head at him.

        "Is he...he's not a dragonfly is he?"

        "Y-yeah, yeah he is how'd you know that?!"

        "Because I have a brother named Sparx too."

They looked at each other with a widening glance, something flickering in the back of their minds almost simultaneous as the larger Spyro continued.

        "I was found by dragonflies when I was an egg.  Sparx was born the same time I was, and his family raised me.  My mom and dad, they looked after me great until I had to go because of all...this."

He gestured vague to his body.

        "I never met another dragon until I was...old as you are."

        "Wait, you're not, how old are you?" the younger stratched his head.

        "Uhhh...maybe a couple years older than you I think, sorta got frozen in time for a bit."

        "That...huh," he squinted his eyes close towards his elder as Flash stood still with tensing nostrils, "sooooo raised by dragonflies yeah?"

        "Yeah, Sparx is basically my brother, I mean what else he could be?"

        "But a different one from my Sparx right?"

        "I mean he's got to be," he bent down towards his self, "does he have a family?"

        "Nah, neither of us do."  Owain shrugged and turned to walk.  "I never knew who my mom an' dad were, neither does Sparx but every dragon in our world gets paired up with a dragonfly."

        "Really?" Flash followed on as green changed to blue.  "Sparx and I are just brothers, what's it like for you?"

        "I mean we're brothers too, but like..." he looked up towards the crystals shining cyan upon his face.  "It's kind of deeper than that...like...I felt weird having him not here, like...like I'm sorta drifting, like if you had a balloon without its pilot."

        "I know what you mean," Flash nodded, "we're still here and doing stuff but a part of us is sort of-"

        "Missing, right?"

        "Yeah."  He sighed closing his eyes and walked past Owain.  "Well that's just more reason to finish this and get back home right?"

        "Right!"  The younger drake came galloping through.  "We got families to get back to right?!"

        "Right."  The older smiled headbutting him soft.  "Come on, let's find our way out."

The passage was longer than expected with a rainbow over their heads, crystals of every shade from amber to violet traced upon their faces as they kept walking on to find a split in the path.  Their noses kept them straight, keeping on the path towards the faintest scent of a breeze from the outside world as rose became jade, emerald to ochre and bronze to golden.  Dust scattered beneath their feet, reflecting the light whilst sprinkling across their bodies like dry flecks of paint, coating them in a tapestry of colours that made them look at each other with a gasp of wonder.  All around them, both sides and above were gemstones casting their own light across the dirt, transforming the ground to a stained-glass window of illusions, the smaller drake feeling a tingle in his chest as he cantered in a half-circle to watch the colours fracture off his scales, shaking the dust off his back to watch it sparkle over his head as his older self laughed.

        "Everything's so SHINY!" Owain beamed with eyes wide.

        "It's pretty magical," Flash snickered, "you look like a fairy."

        "Minus two wings," he flapped them once to scatter more dust.

        "Your wing feeling alright then?"

        "OH, yeah yeah I think I managed to uh, straighten it out."

        "That's good," the elder nodded as blue and orange painted his face, "I was worried I'd have to carry you."

        "Pffft yeah right!" the youth snapped his tail flicking green off his back.  "Yanno I bet you got a pretty good life without anyone holding you down."

        "What you mean?"

        "I mean like Hunter and Bianca, he doesn't do much stuff now cuz he's all lovey-dovey with her."

        "Ohhhh right," Flash rolled his eyes with a growing smile, "well actually I...do have someone."

        "WHAT?!"  Owain turned with a gasp.  "Wha, s-seriously?!"

        "Well, it's not like I planned it."

        "AuuuuUUUGH!"  The smaller dragon cringed through every bone.  "Okay, I gotta ask, why?!"

        "Why what?" Flash raised his paw.

        "The whole, LOVE thing, I thought yanno you wouldn't fall fer that!"

        "Like I said, I didn't plan to.  I just, there was this girl and, she's been through a lot-"

        "Nope, not interested!" the brat walked off in a march.  "You wanna throw your life away with all that dumb stuff that's all you!"

        "Why are you so upset?!"  Flash padded after him.

        "I'm not upset, come on!"

        "Well you're not happy about it, do you-"

        "NUH-UH!"  He stomped harder in his walk.  "Let's just keep going alright we got stuff to do-"

        "STOP!"  The elder rushed in front of him.  "Don't be like this, come on Spyro.  What's wrong?"

        "N-nothing."  He snorted looking away.  "Let's just go."

        "Did something happen?  Did..." he bent forwards close to his head.  "Did you lose someone?"

        "Um, no?!  What you think I waste my time chasing after girls or boys like that?!"

        "Well I didn't chase after her."

        "Then why'd you do it?!"

        "Because she lost her mind to a monster and needed help!"  His snarl crept through causing the younger to flinch.  "She was trapped, she...needed help and I broke her free and we became friends because she needed someone and, she did a lot of things that she was not in control and just needed a friend.  But we became more than that and...I didn't choose to be with her that way but we both...we both had been through a lot."

He looked down to his feet with a deep sigh as shining lights of gold and sapphire draped across his head.

        "I'm not going to lecture you about love and all that stuff, but I'm just going to say this.  It's not about committing yourself to someone for the rest of your life.  It's about being with one of your closest friends, someone who understands you better than anyone could.  Maybe one day you'll find someone you feel that way about, but if you don't, hey, that's okay."

        "Mmmm."  The young dragon scratched his claw into the dirt as crimson dust cloaked his back.  "I guess when you put it that way it's not...not so bad, sorry."

        "It's alright."  He gently butted his head with a grin.  "Don't worry about it, just...think of it like a different kind of friendship."

        "Yeah...jeez this place is something," he looked over the hall of crystals, "wish I had a camera."

        "What's a camera?" asked the older drake.

        "It's like aaa, small, thing you hold and it records a video."

        "Vi-dee-oh?"

        "...ehhh never mind," he shook his head walking on, "I think the humans got them at their place, they'll show you when we get back."

The passage twisted with alternating paths as they followed the breeze, traipsing their feet as the crackling sound of magma came closer to their ears the further they went in.  The dragons soon found its source in a greater hall, this time a burning red with sweltering heat that to most would feel like their skin was melting, but to their hardened scales was simply uncomfortable.  Bubbling froth and spewing pops beneath a cracked expanse of black basalt that steamed at their paws and puffed thick white clouds between them.  The heat was exhausting, causing their breaths to shorten as Spyro-Owain tried to dip his paw onto the black stone before pulling back with a hiss.

        "Ooof yeah that's too hot," he muttered, "this is gonna be a problem."

        "Not if you know how to cool off," said Flash wiggling his eyebrows at him, "I'll fly above and make a path for you."

        "Really, how?"

He demonstrated with a deep sucking of breath, cooling his throat before something twitched in his mind's eye and a soft shimmer of blue trickled over his body.  Then he blasted out a thick frosty plume that formed into a snowball as big as his head, rolling over the lava stone before it suddenly burst upon the black to replace it with a harsh white platform that sizzled above the heat.

        "Woah!"  Spyro-Owain gasped.  "Th-that was awesome!"

        "Alright get on quick!" said Flash budging him forwards.  "I'll keep you moving ahead just follow me."

With one flapping in the air and the other jumping forwards, both Spyros worked in alternating motions as Flash shot out balls of ice that cracked apart and filled out more cold platforms above the lava.  The smaller dragon leapt with claws skating over the ice as each platform behind started to shrink and drip to nothingness, never staying still for too long as one flew above the other, keeping watch over alternate self as he cleared out a path of ice.

        "Now THIS," Owain shouted, "is where you'd find some popcorn crystals!"

        "Do you, eat them?" asked Flash shooting another cloud of frost.

        "Nah we just call it that cuz they go pop out of the ground, you ever had popcorn?!"

        "I mean, I burned some maize and it popped pretty good-"

        "Did you just say maize?!" the youth skated in a half-turn looking at him.

        "That's what it's called right?!" the elder swerved avoiding the steam.

        "Well they don't call it popmaize do they?!"

        "No but, actually why don't they call it that why two words for the same thing?"

        "I dunno," Owain shrugged with pirouette over a lava stream, "language is weird like that."

        "Yeah but," Flash shot two more bursts ahead, "having magic really helps with that barrier."

        "I mean the humans got those collars like the one they gave Liz."

        "Well when you don't have magic you've got to work with what you have, like just learning it."

        "Yeah but that takes ages!"

        "So?"  Flash landed on the other side of the pit.  "All the best things take ages."

        "Not with me," Owain landed on one foot like a cherub, "I learned things pretty quick like how to shoot a cannon, play hockey, ride a trolley and a skateboard, even a manta-ray a couple times!"

        "You rode a giant fish?!"

        "Yeah!" he breathed on his paws to warm them up.  "Hunter trained one fer some reason, so I helped him out."

        "I never rode anything," Flash walked on into a smaller tunnel, "I just fly everywhere but sometimes I get in a portal or two."

        "Oh yeah we got those too," Owain trotted beside, "like everywhere except for like the realms, you need a balloon for that."

        "Why a balloon?"

        "Cuz they're easy to make, they can carry lots of people I mean, all you really need are nylon fabrics for the envelope then you need a burner."

        "Huh," the elder patted his head, "you know a lot about balloons."

        "I used to uhh ride in them a lot, just when my wings are tired and I talked to balloonists a lot."

        "You ever think about being one yourself?"

        "Yanno, kinda yeah!"  He pranced with his toes in the dirt.  "Being a dragon I got infinite fuel so all I'd worry about is not tearing the balloon!"

        "I was expecting you to be something more active," said Flash as the cave turned darker.

        "Well just...yanno," Spyro the smaller shrugged as pitch darkness cloaked them, "not everyone gets to fly around like we do so, the balloonists make sure everyone gets to go wherever they want."

        "That does sound real nice when you put it like that."

        "So, yeah, I guess I...just, don't want others to feel like they can't go anywhere they want, because of...not having wings."

        "That's what makes you a hero."

The younger drake felt the brush of his other's face as he smiled in the dark.

        "You think about others who don't have what you have and commit to helping them."

        "Guess what's why there needs to be two of us," said Spyro-Owain, "then we jus-wait."

He felt something splash beneath his foot as they stopped to smell the air of the new room ahead half-obscured in the fading dark.  A cold moist air drifted past their nostrils as they stepped forwards to feel the water wrap round their legs, the light somewhat returning from shafts of light that blinked through the crevices to reveal a large shallow lake in a mostly-circular room.  They sniffed over the pool then lapped at its water to taste the purest sweetness, full of minerals with each taste revitalising their senses with a sharpness as they spread out around the perimeter, hunching their backs and minimising their steps in the inch-high lake.  The soft clattering of stones made them wince with a piercing sharpness as they saw the exit beyond where the strongest breeze came whistling from.  They nodded to each other as they braced their feet, sensing the eerie quiet and waiting for the wind to cease before they ran straight for the exit.  They would not reach it in time as a black thunderous strike shot them both back across the lake and rolling over the water, bursting around the exit to create a spark of shadows that formed a blackish-purple field of lightning that blocked their way.

        "Yeah," Spyro-Owain grunted pulling himself up, "I knew that was too easy."

        "Who's there?!" shouted Flash stumbling through the lake.  "Are you working for Hektore?!"

        "I don't work for anyone."

Something landed in front of the passage.

        "I warned you not to come after him."

The shadow almost hovered above the waters, making not a single ripple with its feet unseen as it stepped towards them.

        "I'm gonna give you one last chance.  Turn back now, or I'll make you."

        "With what a sick note?!" barked Spyro-Owain splashing his feet.  "What's your problem, why you hogging all the glory?!"

        "This has nothing to do with glory!"  He swept his front leg with eyes piercing beneath his hood.  "I'm trying to stop him, and if you morons come after him then you'll just give him what he wants!"

        "What DOES he want?!" shouted Flash stepping forth.  "If you're up against him then let us help, we're after him too!"

        "I don't NEED help!"

        "The more of us there are the better chance of stopping hi-"

        "NOOOO!"

The phantom slammed his feet into the water, causing ripples of darkness to crack and shudder towards them like frigid ice across the dimming lake.

        "I have...to stop him.  I have to stop him before he...before I'm gone, and if you get in my way...I'll...make you SUFFER LIKE I DID!"

Charging forwards his cloak became wings that stretched out towards both of them, the dragons dodging over and underneath as the creature turned sharp and spiralled towards the air in flight before divebombing straight towards Spyro-Owain.  The dragon dodged with a fast roll as his wings tucked against his belly, kicking his back legs against the fiend to knock him sideways with barely a stagger as he turned fast to try and flame him.  The shadow countered with his own burst of flame that shielded his body briefly, surprising the young drake with a larger fireball that slammed into his head to send him down with a splash.  The second dragon came from the side in a hard slam, knocking him aside to immediately strike with a lashing tail of ice that struck across the hooded face.  The spectre stood his ground taking the full hit to slam his head into Flash's chin, bursting a fireball straight into the dragon's chest with the force of a sonic punch that crushed him against the wall like a pinned moth.  The fiend rushed towards him before something pounded into his back from above.

        "TIME OUT GOTH-BOY!"

Spyro-Owain stomped his back and wrapped his front paws round the hood, grappling his neck to throw him down and beat him with swiping claws that hammered upon his hidden face.  The shadow chomped on his paw to throw him forwards then slammed his back feet against Spyro's waist to toss him down into the water, pushing himself up to rake his paws in a threatening charge towards the young drake.  The moment he galloped he breathed a thick flame that twisted around his hood forming horns that curled with burning embers, ripping through the shallow pool that parted with curtains of steam round his nebulous cloak that Spyro dodged at the last minute, seeing his other self come from the sky to divebomb at the phantom with a surging flame wrapped round his body, crashing hard with a heated splash as the shadow rolled fast with a flying leap to counter with a burst of fire beneath his feet, burning the air above Flash's head as he ducked close to the water to avoid the searing ring of fire.

        "GUH!"

        "I warned you TWICE!"

The phantom stomped on the circle of flame to crush upon Flash's back.

        "You should've RUN!"

        "I NEVER RUN!"

His shout signalled a sudden jet of green magic swirling from his throat, forming a thick ball of weight that crunched against the phantom's side like a sledgehammer to crush him against the wall before it swung for a second hit.  The fiend dodged quick as the sphere cracked against the wall, swinging in a wide circle that chased after the flying beast who swooped high then low evading the earthen flail as he gathered speed lifting higher above them.  Flash only stopped when he saw the gentle arc of a deadly spiralling slam as he flew back with a start, watching the shadow land with devastating crunch that sent shockwaves echoing through the cavern and through the water punching both dragons back against the edges of the lake, flattening their bodies with the force of the waves that sloshed back into the pool as the shadow stared them down with eyes of pale death.  Screeching as he charged towards Flash, he dodged one bursting snowball that flew over his head but failed to evade the shrapnel when it exploded in the water, shattering crystals that pierced his cloak as he shuddered halting breaths briefly from the shock.

It was enough time for Owain to catch up from behind with a ramming charge, punching the back of his legs to mow him down before jumping on his head with a stomp of all his feet that enraged the phantom further.  With a wretched force he fumed a deep black essence that tore across Owain's skin causing him to yelp and leap away, shuddering from the flames that crept into his side and raked over his thighs like burning coals as he staggered away giving Flash the chance to attack.  The shadow however was ready, sucking all the darkness back inside his form to channel through his throat, sending a piercing beam that shot straight for the wall behind the dragon who veered quickly out of its path.  The spectre followed him still shooting its beam of black, dripping violet toxins from his chin as the screeching laser ripped over the stone and left a trail of ash behind it with Flash keeping ahead in a frantic race circling around the room.  Rocks started to fall crackling out of place, pounding short waves that rippled through the lake and shuddered the walls around as raining daggers came from above causing all three to start dodging between the hailstorm of stalactites.

        "HEY, HEY STOP IT!" Owain shouted.  "YOU WANNA BRING THE WHOLE CAVE DOWN ON US?!"

        "THEN LEAVE NOW OR I'LL BURY YOU BOTH!"

In this brief distraction Flash came charging towards the phantom, Owain seeing his attack and quickly dashing towards the foe to have him leap straight into his other's path, piercing through with his horns to send him crunching along the watery grounds as Owain followed with a turning charge to slam twice into the shadow's body until he crunched against the bottom of the wall.

        "You...I won't, let you TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME!"

He staggered up to face them with eyes turning a violent gold.

        "Not this day, not this day!"

        "Wh-what's he doing?!"

        "NOT THIS DAAAAAAAAY!"

Raising his hood he screamed a vile sound that petrified their hearts briefly, a horrifying shriek with a burst of flame that swarmed across the ceiling and grew beyond their heads.  Daylight had come to the depths as the dragons gasped from the surging fire that smothered the sky like a blanket of death, thickening amber tongues of a thousand serpents as the shadow roared pulling his head down towards them.

        "SUFFER THIS DAAAAAAAYYYYY!"

        "GET BEHIND ME!"

Owain leapt behind Flash at his shout before the older dragon blasted a thick fountain of frost above their heads, showering them within white icy crystals that latched upon their scales and tightened like woven chains, trapping them in a shield of frigid snow as the sun-burning force came down upon the lake.  Inside their bubble of ice they felt the heat roasting, sweating through their eyes as steam turned thick with Flash forcing more of the deep cold from his throat to push against the constant flames that tore across the ice like sunspots, lashing whips of torrential flame that flensed the snow from their bodies until it finally stopped.  The shadow staggered with a gasping shudder amidst a now-barren room filled with steam, fogging up to a heated mist with not a single drop of water left beneath their feet.  Rushing forwards the two dragons took advantage of his weakened state, grapping one arm each in theirs to piledrive him onto his back before dual-stomping him flat.

The spectre punched both their faces back, bursting a dark breeze beneath his form before slashing Spyro-Owain with both of his wings across his face, whipping a black tail across Flash's face before rolling to face both of them with a seething fork of lightning that shot both their bodies point-blank, electrocuting briefly with a gasping yell that burned their throats.  The smaller Spyro almost crumpled, but the elder dragon stood fast and roared another shot of ice towards the fiend like a shotgun blast, stunning him brief before switching his breath to a jade stream that balled up into a mace, thwacking the phantom's hood then striking him upwards to end with a crushing thud to his back with the earthen-breath sphere.  Flash braced himself for the spectre's attack, claws raking beneath the cloak as he spun his body with a nebulous tail that Flash ducked under and burned with a hot crackling flame, roaring as he shook the fires off himself. shocking sparks of lightning from his hood that the dragon dodged quick just before Spyro-Owain made a thundering charge to crash straight into their foe, knocking him back brief.

        "SPYRO, STAY THERE!" Flash shouted.

        "Wha-why?!"

        "TRUST ME, JUST KEEP YOUR HEAD AIMED AT HIM!"

        "YOU GOT IT!"

The older dragon started rubbing his paws frantically into the stone, feeling the moistures drip from the steam as static crackled through his body faster and faster before his breath became a hot white that wrapped around Spyro-Owain's body.  Briefly startled the younger dragon felt a surge of electric power through his form, suddenly volting towards the phantom like a shooting star to collide with devastating force.

        "GAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGH!"

The spectre crumpled at the exit just before his dark barrier disappeared, struggling to push himself up with a shuddering breath as he snarled at the dragons with weakening eyes.

        "NO!  NOOOOOO!"

        "STOP IT!" shouted Flash.  "LET US HELP YOU, WE'RE TRYING STOP HEKTORE AND HIS HUNTER!"

        "NO, YOU-KH-KHRRRHH!"  He sputtered coughing black bloody fluid from his hood.  "YOU CAN'T, S-STOP HIM!"

        "I thought you WANTED to stop him which is it?!" cried Owain gasping.  "You're really, starting to tick me off, h-hhhh!"

        "If you find him," the phantom panted, "then you'll doom us all.  I...I have to stop him, I have to STOP HIM BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!"

        "BEFORE WHAT'S TOO LATE?!"

        "BEFORE I'M GONE!  FOREVER!"

        "What?"  They stepped forwards gasping.  "What do you...mean?"

        "SH-SHUT UP!"

He forced a shadow beam that tore across the empty lake, missing them inches from their horns to scar deep into the wall.

        "JUST GO HOME, LET ME DO THIS!"

        "We can't GET home unless we stop him!" shouted Owain.  "What's your excuse gothy?!"

        "I have to save...my...h-h-home."

He raised his head towards them and pointed a black claw to Flash's snout.

        "H-he already...marked you.  You...will die like me, if you come after him."

        "I won't."  The elder dragon walked forwards with a hardened glint.  "Let us help you, please.  We can stop Hektore, if you go after him yourself you'll-"

        "It's not too late...it will be for you...but not for me.  Don't, follow me, or else my world will...die, with us together."

He wrapped himself in his wings before swiftly charging through the exit, fading into the darkness as the dragons looked at each other.

        "You think he's serious?" asked Flash.

        "So what if he is?" scoffed Owain still gasping.  "We just...gotta kick that Hektore's face...an' get back home right?!"

        "I'm not turning back either but we should be careful.  He said I was marked, I don't like that-"

        "He was just trying to scare you, come on you're not chicken are ya?!"

        "No!"  He touched his snout feeling the groove deep against his paw.  "Let's just take them seriously, no holding back, no fooling around-"

        "Alright dad sheesh," he rolled his eyes trotting forwards to the exit, "come on, we gotta find Liz and Jeremy before they start putting out flowers for us or something."

        "Don't jinx us," muttered the elder, "worse things can happen than that."

        "And we are the worst thing that can happen to Hektore!" Spyro the younger stomped turning to face him.  "Besides the sooner we're done, the sooner I can get back to playing hockey with Elora, I owe her a rematch after last week!"

        "I thought you weren't into that love nonsense," the elder flicked his head in passing.

        "WHA-n-no, NO i-i-it's not like that, we just skate around an' shoot pucks!"

        "Ahh huh."

        "Don't you 'ahh huh' me, it's just fun!"

        "I'm not judging, it's fine!"

        "Yeah, YEAH it's fine, she's just a friend, not anything weird like-"

        "Thin ice Spyro, just warning ya."

        "You're on thin ice times two, thinner than ice, you can't even see it cuz you already went under an' now yer frozen cuz you didn't see the ice!"

        "HAH, hahahahaha!"

The dragons walked off with steadying breaths as they exited the mountain depths, keeping their minds focused as they could towards the next leg of their journey as the empty lake mourned its lost waters and fractured walls, draped with deepening shadows from a fury long unquenched.