Alright, guys. Here is book four. Please note that this story will have more blood in it than the others, and that some of it will be much darker. This one was a favorite while I thought it up, and I hope you love the story as much as I do. Have a nice day, and God bless!


Chapter One: The Celebration

It had been three weeks since it had all happened. Since the fight she didn't want to talk about. The fight that caused some of the Skylanders to trust her even less. While she had gained some trust from others after revealing her backstory, Cynder still felt that she wasn't the most-loved.

She was dealing with it better than she had in the past, but it was still hard despite that. Some of them had made attempts to make her leave, although those had been stopped already by her mate, Spyro, and her friends. And those who had tried it had been warned that if they kept it up, they would be kicked out of the Skylanders themselves. But Cynder still wished to be loved a little more.

The day was hot. To her, that was all she needed. She was unable to deal with cold weather due to the corruption she'd dealt with as both a hatchling and more recently. The corruption had taken all the body heat out of her, and now if she went anywhere that was cold, someone would have to be there to help her warm up. She hated that fact, but it was true.

Looking around, Cynder saw none of the Skylanders who trusted her. All of them seemed to hate her, and that was the problem she had to deal with. She realized it could be worse, but she hoped they didn't try anything on her.

She had to limp due to an injury she'd received during her last fight, which had been in her corrupted form, thanks to Kaos. The only reason she hadn't gotten out of that form was due to a red crystal he'd put around her neck.

In the last moments of the fight the Skylander Slam Bam, who trusted her least of all the Skylanders, had used his Ice Prison attack, hitting her back right leg. The attack had been too powerful, and her leg had broken. At the same time it had taken off the necklace, which Spyro had destroyed, reverting her back to her normal form.

And now here she was, being trusted less by the Skylanders. She still had her friends, though, and she was attempting to make it through with them.

As she moved past the Core of Light, some of those who trusted her the least, including Slam Bam, watched her. At first they hadn't seen her, and then Boomer, a Troll in the Tech Element, nudged Slam Bam and pointed.

"Look who it is, guys," he said quietly so she wouldn't hear them. "What should we do?"

"Well, if we make another attempt to make her leave, we'll be kicked out of the Skylanders, unfortunately," said Slam Bam. "But with that broken leg she has, we can always see who gets close enough to touch it. Warnado, you wanna try it?"

"Sure," Warnado replied. "But what if she electrocutes me when I get there? What if I can't do it fast enough and I'm seen by her?"

"Well, then, that'll be a problem," Slam Bam said. "But who cares? Just go do it. We'll think of a cover story later, don't worry."

Warnado smiled and hurried as fast as he could to Cynder. He did his best to not be heard, although he didn't know for sure if it was working well for him. When he was finally inches, away, Cynder realized someone was behind her and began turning around, but by then Warnado was too close, and he squeezed her broken leg.

Cynder cried out in pain and fell to the ground. Tears escaped her eyes. Looking behind her, she saw Warnado, Slam Bam and the others.

"I hate you all," she said.

"Too bad, freak," Slam Bam said.

"What's going on here?" came Sonic Boom's voice. She was coming their way, and Slam Bam and the others knew they were in deep trouble.

When Sonic Boom saw Cynder on the ground, groaning in pain, and Warnado standing there behind her, she realized what had happened.

Warnado believed it couldn't get worse until he saw Whirlwind not far from his Element Captain. Both Whirlwind and Sonic Boom were part of the Air Element, as was he, and both of them trusted Cynder very much. And when both of them got angry, it didn't always end well for those they were angry at.

"Warnado, I expect better from you!" Sonic Boom told him. "What the heck were you thinking? I've been warning you and the others, and if you keep screwing around like this, you're going to be in big trouble!"

"Why does it matter?" Slam Bam exclaimed. "She's a freak!"

"Slam Bam, shut your freaking mouth, now!" Whirlwind growled. "If you don't, I will shut your freaking mouth for you! Stop being a piece of crap for once!"

Slam Bam knew to not mess with her. He'd learned that not long ago, and he kept it fresh in his mind.

Whirlwind went over to help Cynder up. Sonic Boom glared at Warnado and said to him, "If you don't stop, I will take you out of my Element, and you'll possibly be exiled from us."

She left that spot and went over to Whirlwind and Cynder.

"Are you okay?" Sonic Boom asked.

"No," Cynder said. She dried her tears. "I hate them so much."

"I know," Sonic Boom said. "I'm sorry you're going through this. Let's talk to Spyro about them. He's probably not going to kick them out. The thing is, as big of jerks as they are, they're pivotal members of their Elements. We all are, Captains or not. The only two in the Skylanders who are of higher importance than the rest are the leader and the second-in-command. That'd be you and Spyro. When something happens and Spyro's not around, you'll be leading all these guys, and at that time, they'll learn just how special you truly are."

Cynder stopped and turned around. "Thank you," she said with a smile, and hugged Sonic Boom. Whirlwind decided to join in. "I just need to sleep for now."

"Hey guys," came Spyro's voice from behind her. "Did I miss something?" he asked when he saw that Cynder's eyes were the red they became when she cried.

"Slam Bam and the others played a joke on her," Whirlwind explained. "Warnado squeezed her broken leg."

Spyro felt his anger rise.

"I already talked to him, don't worry," Sonic Boom assured him. "They hopefully won't try anything else for some time."

"If they do, they'll be in deep trouble," Spyro said. "When will they realize they aren't allowed to do that?"

"We don't know," Sonic Boom admitted. "I guess they didn't care about what you told them three weeks ago. I knew there'd be someone like that. But all we need to worry about for now is what's going on tonight."

Spyro smiled.

"What?" Cynder said, confused. "What's happening tonight?"

"Don't you remember, Cyn?" Whirlwind asked. "The celebration for the Skylanders is tonight. They're celebrating us!"

"I guess I forgot," Cynder said. She laughed a little. "So much has been going on, and thanks to that, I forgot all about it."

"Don't worry," Spyro told her. "I'll help you remember next time. Now, do you guys know where Sunburn, Drobot, and Camo are?"

"Sunburn should be back at our treehouse sleeping," Sonic Boom answered. "He likes taking naps before celebrations, remember? It's a guy thing."

"Camo's down at the beach," Whirlwind said. "Drobot and Flashwing are together by the treehouses."

"Okay. Well, I know Stealth Elf is in the healing tent. Trigger Happy and Gill Grunt are probably with Hex. For some reason, the three of them get along together real well. It surprises me, but it works."

"That's good," Cynder said. "So, are there dates or something tonight?"

"Yes, there are," Spyro said. "Would you like to be mine?"

"I would be delighted," she said. "Anything to get my mind off this crap today. What time does it start?"

"I think right at six. Not sure when it ends, though," Sonic Boom told her.

"Alright. I'll be seeing you guys there," Cynder said, and flew off. It was easier for her to fly than it was to walk, as her broken leg had proven itself to be an obstacle.

"It seems she's not taking it all too hard," Whirlwind acknowledged.

"No, she's not," Spyro said. "That's what I'm glad about. She doesn't need to be worrying right now."

Cynder soon found herself in the row of treehouses. In the middle of the row were two Skylanders that now trusted Cynder and that Cynder trusted back: Drobot and Flashwing.

Drobot was a Dragon who, at a young age, had put robotic machinery on his body that helped to protect him during some battles. When he'd first found out that Cynder had once been corrupted, he'd decided to hate her. But after learning of her complete backstory, he'd decided to finally trust her and become a great friend.

Flashwing was a Dragoness made of gems who had been brought to the Skylanders after the Earth Element Captain Bash had wished upon a shooting star. The shooting star had landed, and she'd appeared from it. She'd been dealing with mixed ideas about Cynder for a while, but like Drobot, after learning of her backstory, she'd decided to trust her and soon became one of Cynder's greatest friends. That was something that made Cynder smile whenever she thought of it.

When the two of them saw Cynder, they smiled at her.

"Hey Cyn," Flashwing greeted. "How's it going?"

"Good," Cynder said. "Have you heard of the celebration tonight? I mean, you probably have, I just forgot about it."

"Yes, we remembered. Drobot and I were planning to go as dates, actually," Flashwing said.

"Really?" Cynder exclaimed. "That's great! But I thought you were in a relationship with Bash?"

"Is that what you've heard?" Flashwing asked. "Of course he'd say that. I never truly had feelings for him. I could have had them, but with the way he acted after learning of your backstory and all that, I decided it was a lost cause."

"Oh," Cynder said softly. "Well, I'm going to go get ready."

"Cynder," Drobot called as she prepared to fly up to the balcony. Cynder looked at him. "Did Slam Bam and the others attempt to hurt you today?"

"How can you tell?" Cynder inquired.

"By your eyes," he answered. "They're the same red as most would be if someone was crying."

Cynder sighed. "Yes, they attempted to hurt me, and they sort of succeeded. Slam Bam made Warnado squeeze my broken leg, and it hurt a lot."

"What jerks!" Flashwing exclaimed.

"They were told off by Sonic Boom and Whirlwind, though, so don't worry about doing it yourselves," Cynder told them. "I just wish they'd stop."

"Don't worry," Drobot said. "We'll keep a close eye on them tonight. If they dare to mess with you, they'll be sorry."

"Thanks, guys," Cynder said. She opened her wings and flew up to the balcony.

She got low to the floor, despite some of the pain in her leg, and looked under the bed for a small case. Taking it out, she opened it and found the sapphire necklace she loved so much. While she'd lost her taste for most necklaces because of the red crystal necklace used to keep her corrupted, she knew she would never stop loving the necklace given to her by Sonic Boom for the day she and Spyro had become mates for life. The sapphire, she knew and had been told, was the same color as her eyes, and brought more light to them. Remembering that ceremony brought happy tears to her eyes.

In the same case had been the bracers and choker that had no spikes on them, as she'd felt those that did wouldn't be right for the ceremony. But now, those with the spikes were in the case. She'd begun wearing the ones without, as they were more comfortable and made it easier with her broken leg. It also helped if she fell asleep while still wearing them.

Taking out the sapphire necklace, she held it up for a minute and put it on. It helped her to feel better. The memory of Slam Bam and the others hurting her was now leaving her mind.

All that was left on it was the thought of her friends and of Spyro. She was ready for tonight to be amazing, and she believed no one could stop that.

She was finally done being ready for the celebration. Remembering all those in the past, she remembered how many inhabitants would be coming to celebrate alongside the Skylanders. She just hoped none of them asked too many questions. As she thought, if they did, someone would hopefully do something about it. She didn't want to have to feel anymore pain. And she knew none of her friends wanted her to feel that way either.

As she left the treehouse, she found Sonic Boom and Flashwing waiting for her. Both of them were grinning big. Their eyes were lit up.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Nothing," Flashwing said.

"Just admiring how beautiful you are," Sonic Boom explained. "How are you feeling now?"

"Great. I'm ready for tonight," Cynder said. "I don't care what happens. No matter what anyone says about me, I'm going to enjoy it all."

"That's the spirit!" Flashwing told her. "I hope you have the time of your life tonight. You really deserve it."

"She's right, Cyn," Sonic Boom said. "I think that, sooner or later, we should just take some time off and hang out with each other. Get Whirlwind and Hex, and find somewhere nice and sunny."

"Well, being somewhere sunny, like a beach, isn't always where I would wish to be," came Hex's voice. She floated eerily from the shadows, although the other three were too used to it to care, especially Cynder.

"Hey Hex," Cynder greeted. "Do you have a date?"

"No, of course not," Hex said. "How's your leg?"

"It's good for now," Cynder said. "But what matters most tonight is us having fun. That's all we need. Now, where's Whirlwind?"

"Most likely with Camo. You know how they are. Despite the fact we count them as mates, and that they count each other as mates, they haven't had the official ceremony just yet. I'm not sure, but I think they said it'll be next week," Sonic Boom explained. "I can't wait."

"Well, at least there will be three sets of mates now: Spyro and I, you and Sunburn, and Whirlwind and Camo," Cynder said. "Do you think you and Drobot will ever become mates, Flashwing?"

Flashwing's eyes widened. "What?" she exclaimed. "You're joking, right?"

"No, we're not," Sonic Boom pushed on. She wanted to know herself it would ever happen between the two of them.

"Well, I'm not sure, okay?" Flashwing said, laughing. "You know how things are. Sometimes these things don't work out until the end."

It was with the ending of the conversation that the four of them realized they'd arrived in the location of the party. It would all be done near the Core, and although the four of them knew it was where the last battle had taken place, they weren't going to care. All they were wanting was a night to spend with friends, and in Cynder and Sonic Boom's cases, as well as Whirlwind's, those they loved.

Spyro was already there, talking to Cali.

When Cali saw Cynder, she said, "I'll talk to you later," and then left. Spyro was left standing there, and just turned to where the others stood. When he saw Cynder, his jaw dropped.

"Wow," he said. "You're definitely the most beautiful Dragoness I've ever seen."

"Why, thank you," Cynder said. "I just wanted to look real good for you tonight. Did I do real well?"

"Most certainly," he replied. They hugged one another, leaving the others to smile and love the moment.

Sunburn, Whirlwind, Drobot, and Camo soon arrived, and just as they did so, the celebration began.

Cynder stayed mostly with Spyro, Sonic Boom and Sunburn for most of the celebration, as the others had gone off to do different things.

"Hey Cyn," Spyro said a few hours after the celebration had begun, "how's it feel to be doing this again?"

"Great," she said, noticing some of the Mabu running past her. One of them was named Quigley, who, for some reason, had asked many weird questions to her and the other Skylanders the year before. "I wish it could always last this way."

"So do I," he said.

He reached in for a kiss, which she returned. But before their lips touched, both noticed a disturbance near the Core. There was now a large white cloud there, and it was moving.

Soon something began to materialize within it. Neither Cynder nor Spyro understood what it was. And neither of them truly wished to know.

"What is that?" they heard Sonic Boom say.

And then a large White Dragon appeared. Their eyes were a dark gray, and their skin was covered in what seemed to be pieces of Ice. That meant they were an Ice Dragon. But no one could tell if they were male or female or friend or foe.

Everything had gone silent. No one was talking.

And then the Dragon spoke. Their gaze was upon Cynder.

"Long time, no see, Cynder," they said, the voice a male's. "I was wondering where you'd made a home, and truthfully, when I learned you'd become a Skylander, I was utterly amazed. I couldn't believe it was true. But that doesn't matter now. What matters is that I can get my revenge at last." He smiled in an evil way.

Cynder was not moving. Her expression was that of great fear, and now Spyro wondered why that was. Who was this Dragon in front of them? And how did he know Cynder?

But before he could ask his questions, the Dragon released an Ice attack, sending shards of Ice everywhere. Spyro jumped in front of Cynder to protect her and returned the favor with Fire.

The Dragon was stronger than Spyro, but when he decided he would keep attacking until Spyro gave out, he saw the other Skylanders coming in to protect Cynder. He realized he was outnumbered, and that he would have to wait and try again soon.

He stopped the Ice attack, with Spyro stopping his Fire attack, and swore, "We'll meet again."

He was gone in a swirl of Ice.

Spyro was panting a little from the small duel. He had questions for Cynder, but knew to be careful with her when he asked them.

"Spyro," he heard her say softly behind him. He turned around to look at her, and that was when his eyes widened.

A shard of Ice was protruding from her side, near her chest, and suddenly her face developed a blue hue to it.

Sonic Boom and the others didn't know what to do. She touched the shard gingerly, grasped it, and pulled it out. It was not large, fortunately. Some of Cynder's blood was on it.

"Are you okay?" Camo asked.

But then Cynder fell to the ground. She was still breathing, much to Spyro's relief, but then suddenly she began moving around on the ground uncontrollably. Spyro realized what was happening: she was having a seizure due to the shard having entered into her body.

"Someone, help!" Whirlwind exclaimed. "She's seizing! Please, someone!"

Cali came quickly and administered something to her. Cynder stopped seizing, but Spyro realized her breathing was not normal.

He was crying, unable to believe that his mate had almost died.

"We need to get her to the medical tent!" Spyro told the others. "Stealth Elf, where are you?"

"I'm here," she said, coming out of the crowd.

"Pick her up, but be careful," he said. "We need to get to the medical tent and warm her up. Hurry!"

As he and the others followed Stealth Elf, Spyro wondered why it had all happened in the first place.