Disclaimer: Everything in this story for the exception of Vesta belongs to Activision, not me. I take absolutely no credit for the creation of anything except for her and any fan-created locations.

A quick note: Thoughts, are written in italics.

Chapter 1: The Birth of a Nightmare

Uneasiness. Anxiety. Fear. Those were the three emotions that had been plaguing Vesta's mind since she had returned to her homeland; the three emotions that pulsated from the core of her instincts, into the far corners of her mind and into the darkest depths of her soul. They promoted a feeling of foreboding, a sense that told her that tragedy would fall and her world could collapse at any moment. The rose colored dragoness had tried to discuss this with those she trusted the most: her father in law, her closest friends, and even Ignitus, the Guardian of Fire and her mate. All of them had responded the same way, by simply brushing her off and telling her to "relax and enjoy the festivities".

Vesta herself knew that she should have been in good spirits. Like most of the female dragons at the time, she was a mother to be, eagerly awaiting the birth of not one, like most, but two hatchlings.

But it wasn't that simple. Unlike other Year of the Dragons, this one was special. A purple dragon egg had also been laid. They were a rare species of dragon; one was only born every ten generations that had the ability to wield all four of the elements and many other abilities that were impossible for other any other. Prophecies foretold that a purple dragon would direct the fate of the era in which it was born. Vesta had a premonition that the forces of Darkness in the lands beyond were on the move, seemingly planning the demise of them all. If the purple dragon was to be born during this generation, then an attack on the Temple by the Dark Master's forces was inevitable.

Vesta cautiously entered the Grotto. Four torches lit the cave in a dim, eerie light. At its center stood a sacred pool in which visions of the future, or what was happening in distant places, would appear if the dragon had a special ability known by most dragons as the Sight. A plethora of eggs of all colors and sizes lined the walls of the room, neatly organized in nests of grass from the fields that grew east of the Dragon Temple. In the very back of the room, was a pedestal, and atop it, in a bed of red velvet, laid the egg of the purple dragon, basking in the warm, golden rays of the setting sun, giving it a look of pure radiance. The sight seemed to mock Vesta, as if telling her that the whelp to hatch from that egg, would be the answer to all of their problems.

"What does it matter if the child who hatches from that egg is gifted with rare powers?" she thought to herself. "That hatchling doesn't deserve to be given special treatment without even proving itself. Given the right motives, any one of the other children here could accomplish the same thing. Why put this one on a pedestal of honor above all of the other ones here if it has yet to have done anything, let alone have been born yet?"

She padded over to the Pool of Visions and gazed deep within its iridescent waters. She focused her thoughts on wanting to know part of the future, hoping to discover exactly what lay in store for her family. To her disappointment, the waters of the pool remained unchanged. Just as she was about to give up hope, a flash of intense blindingly white light met her emerald eyes. Vesta watched in shock as the light gradually faded, revealing an image of a cloud of suffocating darkness surrounding a bloodstained version of her home. Soon, the entire pool became black. A purple aura began to glow in its center, that then was engulfed an intense wave of fire that swept across the blackness that slowly began to recede. The fire was being closely followed by embers that glowed warmly with a soft golden light. A heavenly blue light peaked through the fading image of the embers; it slowly began to grow, causing the rest of the pool to become increasingly brighter. Soon the entire pool shone with the pure, angelic, light that penetrated through even the darkest shadows of the room. The blue light then shrunk into the upper section of the pool as the images of the flames and embers slowly appeared, taking up the two bottom thirds of the pool. The image then slowly faded into the usual crystal clear waters of the Pool of Visions.

Vesta, unable to move, overwhelmed from what she had witnessed, heard a soft mellow voice floating in the wind.

"Vesta Wardrowski, Mate of the Guardian of Fire," it whispered. She snapped out of her trance and glanced up to find a sight that made her jaw drop, her eyes as wide as saucers. The specter of a young human woman stood before her. The woman bore what appeared to be a scarlet colored dress, embroidered with gold trim, and the emblem of the Element of Fire imprinted in its front. Her entire body seemed to be engulfed in fire as it emanated from her ginger colored hair and shone deeply in the flames that burned where her eyes would have been. In her hands, the woman was gently cradling two dragon eggs. One was the color of the fire from the torches surrounding the Grotto, and the other was the same shade as the petals of the cherry blossom trees that grew beside the Silver River.

"Who are you and what do you want with my children?" Vesta hissed upon realization that the two eggs the woman was carrying were none other than the ones she had laid. She crouched on her haunches, preparing to spring at the otherworldly intruder.

"Be at ease child," the spirit replied softly. "I don't wish to harm you or your offspring"

Vesta made no movement to retreat from her position. "Okay, then what do you want, and once again I ask, who are you?"

"I have come to convey a message from the Great Spirits of the Past. Though your peers are too blind to see the signs of what is about to occur, you are right. A great evil is approaching, and darkness is rising much faster than you may think"

Vesta narrowed her eyes, glaring at the ethereal being. "And if I already know what is about to happen, then why are you telling me? What do you expect me to do about it?"

The deity-like figure strode over to Vesta and handed her the eggs, who snatched them out of the spirit's hands and clutched them closely to her chest. "I cannot control the decisions you make in life. However, if you care about the welfare of your children I advise you to take those eggs and hide them as quickly as you can," the woman said to her in a hushed tone. "You mustn't tell anyone what you saw here today. In the coming days, remember the vision and remember my words. If you do, all will come clear in time".

Vesta looked down silently at the eggs which she held, then stared back at the feminine deity."I think… I think I can trust you, but you never answered my question. Who are you?"

"You shall know me as the Goddess of Fire from the Heavens," and with that, she vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving the dragoness alone in the room once again.

Vesta stared blankly into the dancing flames that resided in a nearby torch. She was completely unsure what to do with the information she had just received. Nothing made sense. What was she to do about an impending attack on her home that she was forbidden to tell anyone about? Why had the Fire Goddess chosen to tell her? At that thought, realization dawned upon her. If Temple was about to be attacked, then the rest of the eggs were in danger as well.

"Well, then I'll just have to take action myself. I'll simply take my children somewhere safe; maybe a nest of reeds in the swamp or a cave somewhere off in the mountains. Then I'll come back here and take as many of them as I can," she thought to herself. If she took the eggs and hid them in other lands and perhaps even other worlds if could find a way to open various portals, then the hatchlings would have a better chance at not being found by the evil forces that soon would overtake the Realms.

The dragoness strode briskly back towards the door still pondering upon the events that had just occurred and the task at hand.

Ignitus looked up toward the warm glow of the setting sun in the late evening sky, its fiery center settled just over the crisp pure blue oceans whose waves gently rolled and seemed to sparkle with radiance as rays of the sun's light danced upon its surface. Above it, the sky was shaded in a rainbow of colors that were slowly fading in to the rising darkness that would soon bring forth the night. Stars were just beginning to appear upon the horizon; showing themselves as nothing more than faint white specks being overpowered by the blazing radiance of the setting sun. A cool breeze swept through the air gently caressing the dragons face. Other than that, all was still; a blanket of silence overtook the world as the inevitable night approached.

The male dragon heaved a sigh as he gazed upon this sight, sitting upon the circular balcony of the gargantuan sandstone Dragon Temple. It stood upon a cliff that overlooked the rest of the northern end of the island. The mushroom forests that flourished below, the beautiful forests that grew to the east that blocked a vast prairie from view, the memorial cemetery that stood to the west, and the majestic silver river that flowed across the center of the land all seemed to express the peace he felt at that moment.

This was home for the dragon. The place he was born, the place he grew up, the place he had become Guardian of Fire, the only place in the world he felt he belonged. The father-to-be was very intent on making it the same way for his children. Since the day he had found the pair of eggs that his mate had laid, he had promised himself that his offspring would grow up in a safe and secure world with everything they could ever want or need. This was the only thing that had been on the young adult's mind.

"Just as the sun setting marks the end of today, the setting sun also marks the end of this time in my life. As tomorrow dawns, a new day will begin, and the future will become the present, and who knows what that future may bring," he thought.

Now the sun was almost completely below the horizon, the stars shone brightly against the cloudless, pure night sky.

"It's getting late. You should be heading in to prepare for guard duty, my friend," a deep baritone voice broke Igniuts's thoughts and brought him back to reality. Ignitus whirled around to see no one other than his best friend and fellow Guardian, a battle scarred forest green earth dragon with a large stock build and curved horns similar to that of a ram's.

"Yes, I suppose you are right Terrador, but tell me you haven't happened to have seen Vesta anywhere recently, have you? I haven't seen her since about halfway through the festival," he responded as he remembered his wife who had gone off during the middle of the banquet that had been held earlier in the day as part of the Year of the Dragon festival and had not returned since. She had been acting odd since the beginning of the day and he was quite worried about her whereabouts and safety.

"No, can't say I have Ignitus, but while you take the first shift tonight with Volteer, I promise I'll take a search party out to find her," Terrador replied.

"I suppose I'll have to leave this one to you, though I do hope she's alright," Ignitus sighed. He was reluctant to leave his current state for a half a night's worth of standing in the middle of the Grotto with the most talkative dragon in the entire Realms.

"Well then I'd better get going. Goodnight Ignitus," The earth dragon said with a flap of his powerful wings as he propelled himself into the air, and flew off into the night.

Ignitus ambled through the Temple's Dojo, the room just inside the entrance to the Temple from the balcony, looking up toward a large statue of a dragon with an imposing and commanding air about it that stood in the center of the room. The walls were lined with tapestries of each of the four elemental symbols. The moon cast a faint light through the stained glass ceiling that held a peculiar pattern of geometric pattern of various shapes, shaded in pastel colorings.

Ignitus reached the exit of the dojo and the door to the Grotto, the next room in from the entrance. He shot a blast of fire at the door, unlocking it for him to enter. The door was guarded with an enchantment that only allowed beings to enter if they were able to harness the elements, to prevent intruders from invading. He carefully stepped inside but abruptly stopped in his tracks when he found that he had nearly run into none other than Vesta. She too had skidded to a halt and slowly backed away.

"Um… hi…Iggy," she greeted him, using the affectionate nickname she had given him back when they had started dating, a look of guilt written upon her scarlet face. Ignitus said nothing but stared right into her eyes. He then noticed that she was holding a pair of eggs; their eggs.

"I'm here to get started on our duties," Ignitus replied, "Volteer and his wife should be here shortly. What are you doing with those eggs?"

"Oh, these guys?" she quickly spoke up with fake enthusiasm, instantaneously shoving them back where they belonged, "I was just um, you know singing to them, they are our kids you know. I actually heard somewhere that communicating with your eggs can strengthen the bond between parent and child? Besides, don't you know that these hatchlings are due to be born in a few days? We might as well let them get to know us now"

Ignitus knew she was lying, but decided to play along with it anyways, whatever she had really been doing was probably harmless and simply wanted to hide it.

"I suppose you're right. We should be in better spirits now anyway, for soon will be the arrival of what I hope will be two wonderful children!" Ignitus proclaimed. "Not to mention that we also must prepare for the birth of the purple dragon". Vesta glared at him; a snarl arose from her throat.

"What may I ask is so important to you about that- that purple thing, that causes you to place it up on a pedestal above all of the other dragon whelps in this room, already giving it a higher status and better treatment than everyone else here when it has yet to even have been born yet? What makes that one particular egg so great? Who cares if it has more abilities than most of us? Did you forget what happened the last time one of its kind was born, the turmoil that it later put the entire Dragon Realms through? I don't care what some ancient, inaccurate so-called prophecies say! That egg should not be born with a silver spoon in its mouth before we even know what it's like. For all we know that egg could hatch what will become another monster! I cannot believe that you would put someone else's thing over our own children and every other soon to be born child in this room! What is your problem Ignitus Wardrowski? What by the ancestors is your problem?" Vesta screamed, causing Ignitus to back away at the intensity of her voice.

"Vesta … I think you're taking it the wrong way. This has nothing to do with favoritism of the purple dragon over our kids. I'm simply trying to ensure that he or she will be remembered. The birth of a purple dragon is a very rare occurrence, and I only want to make this time special. The Spirits have blessed the Dragon Realms with this child for a reason," he stammered.

Vesta said nothing in reply, her gaze shifting to the glowing Pool of Visions. Her mind recalled the message given to her by the Goddess of Fire, "A great evil is approaching, and darkness is rising much faster than you may think". She knew that both Ignitus and the Goddess were right.

The two sat in the room, an unwavering silence settled in the air. At last Vesta couldn't stand it any longer and grumbled. "Fine Ignitus, you win. You were right and I was wrong. Our society needs that whelp no matter how much I may hate him."

"Just as I'll need you and our young ones to survive," Ignitus replied.

"Sure honey, sure," Vesta laughed, her mood lightening significantly. She nuzzled him roughly under the neck. Ignitus returned the gesture, taking his wings and wrapping them around her in an embrace. Vesta did the same for her husband and the two stayed that way for several minutes, enjoying the peace, and stillness of the moment.

The moment was abruptly interrupted when the ground beneath them began to quake. An increasingly loud rumble came to a crescendo as it echoed in the walls of the Grotto and the rooms outside. The ceiling above began to crumble, derbies of dust, mud and rock began to fill the room. Demonic shouts, grunts and roars could be heard from the outside. Ignitus and Vesta instantly let go of one and other, and stood completely still, petrified from the sudden outburst.

"What's going on?" Ignitus heard his mate call out to him.

"I… I don't know," He choked out his response, voice cracking from the dust that he had inhaled.

Ignitus couldn't believe what was happening before his eyes. His entire world was literally collapsing around him. Everything he had ever had or dreamed of was being destroyed at that very moment. He continued to cough as the high impact of the falling dust suffocated his lungs. A voice called out to him from the distance just as he and Vesta had turned to escape the collapsing room.

"Ignitus, Vesta! Save them! Save the eggs! The Dark Armies have come!" It was the Electric Guardian, Volteer who spoke. He was closely accompanied by his mate. The look of urgency on both of their faces was clear. They were all in great danger.

Vesta remembered the warning Fire Goddess had given her as the words echoed in her mind "I cannot control the decisions you make in life. However, if you care about the welfare of your children I advise you to take those eggs and hide them as quickly as you can". She then realized what had to accomplish at that very moment as she watched Ignitus, who without any hesitation, grabbed the egg of the purple dragon and ran out of the Grotto as fast as his legs could carry him, without looking back.

Ignitus's heart hammered in its chest as he thundered through the dojo and out toward the balcony, desperate to make an escape from the hell that had been created from his own home. The ground continued to shake, the tremors causing the banners that hung on the wall to swing violently, like a pendulum in a tornado. The stained glass roof began to crack, shards tumbling to the ground at a dangerously high speed, threatening the safety of anyone who was in the room. The imposing, violent war cries of the barbarians who had dared to invade the sacred temple pierced his ears in the most unpleasant fashion.

He swiftly exited the temple and leapt off the ground and into the air at the Temple's exit. Ignitus flew out into the night, his wings propelling him into the celestially lit sky. A cold wind pushed his wings while he soared. As he flew, Ignitus's mind raced as he desperately tried to devise a plan to get the egg to safety, or find a place to hide it. As if the Spirits had already planned a course of action for this event, his heart skipped a beat when he caught sight of the Silver River effortlessly flowing south from the direction of the Temple. An idea had come to him at just the right moment.

He stopped flapping his wings, allowing himself to glide gently towards the ground. Ignitus landed at the banks of the river in a clearing of the mushroom forests. Here, everything was completely silent, save for the gentle babbling of the water beside him. The sky was cloudless, allowing the stars to shine brightly above. The moon cast an opalescent light across the glittering waters. The state of the place made the destruction that was currently taking place in the Temple feel like a world away. Ignitus, though with a heavy heart, was slightly reassured by this sight that what he was about to do with the egg was the right decision. He looked around searching for something to place the egg in and settled on a small mushroom cap that laid on the riverbank. Gently placing the egg inside cap, he secured the egg into a temporary nest. Taking a deep breath, Ignitus gave the mushroom cap a soft shove, causing it to slowly flow down the river.

He stood there for a moment watching the egg ride the currents of the Silver River, away from what was a collapsing world, and toward what Ignitus hoped to be a place of peace and salvation. Closing his eyes with a sigh, Ignitus recited the formal blessing of the dragons; a prayer to the Spirits for who it was spoken to and all who stood on their side.

"May the Ancestors look after you. May they look after us all…," he called out into the night. Ignitus then took off back into the skies, intent on finding out what had become of his home, and those who were dear to him.

Ignitus approached the dragon Temple, zooming through the air at an incredible speed. The sight that met his eyes when it came into view made his heart freeze. Flames penetrated and singed the entire structure, large chunks of the building itself had crumbled to the ground. Dust and debris were scattered across the area surrounding it. He heard the yowls of various dragons as they fought to defend the unborn hatchlings and one of the most sacred locations to their race, and the insane screeching of the invaders. Ignitus nose dove through the ceiling of the Dojo, not caring about the shards of glass that dug into his skin, causing blood to seep out from within his body. He charged into the thick smoke that filled the room, and straight to its source, the Grotto.

Blood. That was all Ignitus could see throughout the entire Grotto. Bloody carcasses and the remains of what was only a few hours before an entire generation were spread out across the room. The walls were heavily smeared with blood and bodily fluids with the remains of eggshells attached, as if his enemies had painted it there to taunt him with what he had lost. The most morbid sight though lay across the floor. Six mortally wounded and blood soaked adult dragon bodies, with fresh wounds lay strewn across the floor. Three bodies were piled in the very back while the others simply lay in various locations. Scattered amongst the adult bodies, were countless underdeveloped dead dragon fetuses.

Ignitus stood, completely frozen by what he saw. Everything inside of him went numb. His mind was blank, his heart although it was now pounding rapidly felt like it wasn't even there. The earsplitting uncivilized shrieking of the invaders echoed within the walls as they charged into the Grotto one final time. It was then that Ignitus came face to face with the demons that had brought everything he had ever known and loved to an end.

Apes-ravage, dissolute, psychotic, mentally disturbed, insane, evil, blood thirsty, weapon-happy power hungry murderers; they were the arch enemies of the dragons. In ancient times the apes had served the evil entity known as the Dark Master and were unwaveringly loyal to him. It could only mean that he was on the move again. Vesta had been right.

The apes attacked Ignitus upon sight, leaping onto him, daggers and swords unsheathed. Ignitus's muscles tensed as he felt the weight of the mass amount of primates push him down. Gathering as much strength as the weary dragon could muster, he shook his body as hard as possible, throwing as many apes as he could off of his back, slamming several of them into the wall in front of him. While they were stunned, Ignitus took a deep breath, and then drew a torrent of fire at them, incinerating the some of the smaller apes. The two apes who survived his fire blast ran behind him, attempting to regroup with some of their other comrades. He extended his left front foot stabbing one of them with a quick swipe of one of his claws, while striking the forces behind him using his tail. He heard the screeches of those around him, yowling in pain at his attack.

A throbbing sensation erupted on his backside, as he felt something cold and wet drip down his flank. With a roar, he whipped his head around; catching sight of a dagger embedded in back side, its ape owner clinging onto his tail for dear life at the abrupt movement of the dragon. Ignitus continued to thrash his tail at the monster, slamming it against the ground, smashing in its skull, blood pouring out of the creature's sunken-in head. Knowing that he now had a moment's rest, Ignitus slowed himself for a moment, closing his eyes; trying to catch his breath. He gripped the blood soaked dagger in his forepaw. With a yell, he ripped it out of his body. The wound opened further as the stream of blood turned into a river. He felt his heart hammering in his chest as he gasped for air.

A grunt caused him to pull himself together, looking up to find the cause of their misfortune. Adorning an eye patch across one of his eyes, a horn like helmet atop his head and a magical staff alongside two oversized daggers stood the king of the apes, Gaul. With him he carried the single remaining dragon egg; it very well could have been the only being with a chance of surviving the attack. Ignitus lowered himself onto his haunches, a low growl emanating from his throat.

"Hand the egg over, or you'll never see the light of another day!" Ignitus demanded.

"I don't think I'll need to," Gaul taunted.

Ignitus sprung at the hideous primate with all of his might, claws unsheathed and teeth barred. That lunatic wasn't going to take the sole remaining member of the next generation under his watch. A green spark erupted form Gaul's staff as he raised it into the air. The spark sped toward him at a defining rate. The light caused the Fire Guardian to falter; its blinding light pierced his vision. He was only inches away from the ape king, when he made contact, the spark hit his forehead. The force of a thousand fury attacks surged though his body, as the spark transformed into a shockwave, knocking him back. The leg bones Ignitus's body cracked as it skidded across the ground, tumbling backward, more wounds opening as the earthen rocks shredded his scales. The ape then made his escape along with the rest of his forces as their victorious battle cries slowly died out.

Weary, Ignitus slowly stood up using the little strength he had left in him, body in excruciating agony, muscles aching to the point of paralysis, blood continued to surge from his countless wounds. He staggered over to the dragon bodies that were sprawled out across the room. He reached limp body that he easily recognized as that of Terrador's. Placing is forepaw on his friend's bloodied chest, he felt for a pulse- he felt a slow faint steady thump. Terrador was alive! Just barely, but yet still he was alive! Ignitus sighed in relief; at minimum one of them had a chance at survival. Encouraged by this fact he moved onto the other two bodies- Cyril, the blue Ice Guardian, and Volteer who both thankfully were alive. He clumsily dressed their wounds with torn cloth from the various destroyed banners and tapestries that formerly had hung on the walls of the room. Ignitus turned to the bodies which lay in the pile at the corner of the room. When he reached the pile, his blood ran cold. All of the bodies there were female; he recognized each of them: Gaia, Tundra, and Fulgora- the mates of Terrador, Cyril, and Volteer respectively. He gently tested the pulse of Gaia. Nothing. There was no sign of life in any of the three dragonesses. Then it hit him. The apes had murdered the females and beat the males within an inch of their lives; why they had chosen to leave the three Guardians alive he didn't know. His wife was not amongst the Guardians, nor anywhere near the deceased dragonesses.

Frantically, Ignitus stumbled with the last of his strength around the room fearing the worst for his mate. He had already lost his children and three of his friends, but there was still a small spark of hope that burned within him. Perhaps Vesta had gotten lucky and escaped the attack alive. She wasn't amongst the dead. With no luck of finding her body amongst the carcasses in the Grotto, he stampeded out of the room, like an insane elephant on a rampage, grimacing in attempt to ignore the burning agony that raged in his bones. Ignitus charged through the hallways shouting his wife's name.

"Vesta!" he called.

Silence.

"Vesta!" he shouted.

No response.

"Vesta, it's me, Ignitus!" he yelled.

Stillness.

"Vesta Jane Wardrowski!" he howled

The world remained deathly quiet.

"Vesta," he sobbed. The world around him began to sway and spin. His legs began to quiver. Nausea erupted from within his stomach. His limbs went numb. Ignitus's legs slowly gave away under the weight to his body.

"Ignitus!" a distant, familiar voice hollered to him. It was the last thing he heard- before he fell to the ground with a thud…

"Vesta?"

And everything went black.

Author's Note: Hi there! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter/ intro of my first ever written fan fiction! This story will be the first part of a long running series that novelizes the entire Legend of Spyro Trilogy while expanding on the universe created by Sierra back in 2006 by adding various characters (some OCs and others will be brought back from the original series), locations, and plot twists. I am accepting OCs for use at some point in the series as part of the supporting cast, as well as plot, story, pairing, and location ideas that will be taken into consideration for use. I also would like to know if there are any particular characters from the original series that you'd like to appear at some point. For OC creations please submit a comment with the following info.

Name of OC:

Species:

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Personality and/or Short Bio:

I can't wait to hear your feedback and ideas! Remember to review!