Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the characters I made up.

Returning to the Professor's lab, Hunter told Gildas what happened on Bloodthunder Mountains.

"I see," Gildas said, "This is indeed a dire misfortune. If the legends of the Heart of Zyrax is true, then this Darkbane could be unstoppable."

Hunter nodded in agreement, "That's why we need to stop him as soon as possible and make him release Spyro."

"It won't be as simple as that." Tomas, the Dragon Elder said, "Darkbane has to be a powerful wizard to be able to possess Spyro so easily and now, with the Heart of Zyrax, his powers will be greater."

"Plus, Red and the Sakorcs will be there to defend him." Gnasty added, leaning ageist one of the Professor's inventions.

"But Spyro needs us!" Sparx's buzzed, "Darkbane said that his spell will merge him and Spyro together permanently within the next few days."

"The Spell of Ultimate Merger" Tomas said, sagefully, "a powerful, yet forbidden spell. All the Dragon Elders of that time were there when the High Council of Magic decided to destroy all copies of that spell, how this Darkbane fellow got his claws on it we may never know."

After awhile Bianca asked, "If this council knows about the spell, won't they know how to break it?"

"Yeah, that's it!" Blink said, jumping to his feet, "We can go and ask the Magic Council for help!" Tomas shook his head and said, "You can't, and even if they do know, I doubt the council will help."

"Why is that?" Hunter asked,

"The Magic Council is made up of five of the greatest wizards, said to have been granted eternal life as long as the council exists." Tomas explained, "They have isolated themselves from other life in the most dangerous of lands, and even if someone ever manages to reach them, the council may choose to not listen."

""We still have to try."

Gildas nodded and said, "They're right Tomas. It's the only course of action we have." The Dragon Elder looked at him and then sighed, "Very well then. Here's what I know about the Magic Council."

"So, it's agreed then?" Darkbane asked, looking round the table from Red to Ripto and his two minions, "You will serve me and in return, you'll each have… a modest share in ruling the lands."

Just then, Korsporer thudded into the room and approached Darkbane, "My Lord," the golem said, "the Sakorc, sent to spy on Spyro's friends have returned. They say the Heroes and the Gnorc are leaving for Midnight Mountain, apparently looking for the Magic Council."

"WHAT!" Darkbane yelled, standing to Spyro's full height.

"Apparently. Form what our spies could gather. They hope to free Spyro from your control." Korsporer finished.

Darkbane paused for a moment and then looked at Ripto, "You will stop them." The dragon said, "Take an army of Sakorcs if you have to, but I want them stopped." The short Riptoc nodded in understanding and left.

"They won't succeed, so stop your hoping."

Spyro turned to face Darkbane and replied, "That's what you think. My friends will stop your plans and toast your butt!"

The wizard laughed harshly and stood up, "They're nothing without you, Ripto will crush them like bugs!"

In the Midnight Mountain of the Forgotten Worlds, Hunter, Gnasty Gnorc, Blink, Bianca and Sparx began their quest to save the world and Spyro.

"According to what Tomas told us, the Magic Council should be at the top pf the highest mountain in the Crystal Islands." Bianca said,

"I still don't get why they choose to isolate themselves in such a far away place." Blink said as he followed Hunter through the Portal to the Crystal Caverns,

"It's like what Tomas said," Hunter Replied, "The Magic Council decided that they had no place in the world or the right to make choices about it, so they choose to seclude themselves someplace hard to reach and far away."

"But the worlds are much larger then the areas we've been to on the adventures Spyro and us had, so how can we be sure they 're here in Crystal Islands?" Sparx asked, buzzing overhead.

"According to the Dragon Elder archives, when the Magic Council last called the Elders were at "the tallest mountain of the Crystallised lands". And seeing as the date of this meeting was before the Sorceress banished the dragons from the Forgotten Worlds, that concludes that they were talking about the Crystal Islands." Bianca answered.

"My, my, what a claver little rabbit you are!" a familiar voice behind them said, turning round the heroes saw Ripto.

The evil wizard was standing on top of Gulp as he usual does; the large Crush standing beside them was almost dwarfed by the collective bulk of the Sakorcs.

"Ripto!" Hunter said, "Your working for Darkbane as well?"

"He sent his servant over and made an offer I couldn't refuse." Ripto said coldly, "If you think your going to see the Magic Council, think again!" The Sakorcs then charged towards Hunter and the others.

Due to his quick reflexes, Hunter quickly began to fire arrow after arrow at the oncoming Sakorcs while Gnasty Gnorce knocked the brutish beasts away with heavy blows from his club. Meanwhile Sparx zipped left and right between the Sakorcs, spitting the fireballs he uses in his missions, while they couldn't a creature the size of the Sakorcs, they did distract them while Blink attacked them with his glove-lasers and Bianca attacked them with her magic. Ripto stayed back and watched as the Sakorcs were slowly being beating, "Crush!" he snapped at the large blue dinosaur at his side, "Do something! Get them!"

Crush nodded slightly and lumbered towards Hunter, club raised. Seeing this, Gnasty stepped in front of Crush and with a swing from his own club, sent the dinosaur flying back.

Ripto looked from the dazed Crush to the winning heroes and muttered, "I think it's time to leave." Opening a portal, Ripto left through it followed by Crush and Gulp back to Darkbane's castle.

"So they beat you." Darkbane said after hearing what Ripto had to say.

"…Yes." Ripto reluctantly said, wincing at the cold glare on the face of the possessed Spyro and, much to his disgust, wishing that it were the cocky smirk that use to be on the face of his most hated foe.

"No matter." Darkbane eventually said, "Even if they do reach the Magic Council, it won't do them any good. With the Heart of Zyrax, not even the combine powers of those mystic fools can stop me now!" he then began to laugh so evilly, that it made Ripto shiver as he began to feel as if he has just meet someone more evil then himself.