A/N I wrote the orginal New Eclipse two years ago and in order to get back into the flow of writing I decided to rewrite it to hopefully be better. This version will be different to the old one, no one is safe. If you enjoy please say so, favorite and follow if you want to stay up to date. Constructive criticism is welcome but don't try to be nasty, no one likes a nasty review. Until next time folks!
The Dark Master has been defeated, and the world was put back together by Spyro the last purple dragon. The dragons returned to the city to be greeted by a celebration and an official ceremony proclaiming them as heroes. The entire week following their return was a city-wide party, even a statue was made in their honor. After that everything was slow for the next five months.
Cynder appreciated these past few months, it's been refreshing to be able to rest and clear her mind. She often found herself watching the clouds in a small park by her room. To her, nothing was more peaceful than anything else in the city. Today, her mind fell back to those last moments where she confessed to her companion. Did he even hear me? Does he not feel the same way and sparing my own feelings? Maybe he just doesn't know how to respond to it. Getting up from the grass, she began wandering the streets.
Since the fall of Malefor, dragons from over the continent came out of hiding. They flocked to Warfang seeking shelter and safety from the remnants of his forces. The city never looked so full, dragons ranging from the darkest black to the lightest white roamed the city streets. Moles ran between the lumbering giants, carrying various mechanical parts for repairs. Cheetahs from the valley also walked among them but they mostly stayed to Avalar.
Cynder tended to stick to the outskirts however, avoiding most of the chaos that is the city center. Her thoughts began to bounce from topic to topic, even delving as deep as her time under Malefor's control. She thought about the horrors of the war, on both sides. She thought about how Malefor broke her, how love was the only thing that kept her going. She thought how Spyro would've let her kill him after Malefor corrupted her again.
She remembered the dragon before Spyro saved her. Her only friend in the Dark Master's army and the only other dragon besides Malefor himself. His name eluded her, it stayed hidden deep within her own memory. Is he even still alive? She wondered, wishing she knew the answer. Spyro would've surely died if he was with me then. He was too young for the likes of him. She knew that if he was with her when she and Spyro faced off, then the purple dragon would've been killed.
Cynder eventually stopped at one of the gates along the walls, watching the wind push the grass across the fields. She continued to let her mind drift but the dragon from her past dominated her thoughts. What was his name and why did I love him?
On the other side of the field, along the treeline, a group of four dragons eyed the city with excitement.
"Finally." The light blue dragon sighed as he sat down on the hill they emerged from. His equally blue eyes rested on the comforting walls of the great dragon city. He stretched out his legs and unfurled with white wings, reflecting the sun back into the sky.
"For once I agree with him, we're here." Another red dragon stepped out from the treeline with the first smile he's since the beginning of the trip. His yellow eyes jerked behind him as a white dragoness bounded out of the trees and into the field below. "Someone's definitely excited to be here." He smiled as she began rolling around in the field's grass.
"Even the grass feels safer." She shouted as she tumbled down the hill, giggling until she reached the bottom.
"How does the grass feel safer?" The blue dragon began feeling the grass as if its new.
"I don't know, it just does!" She tackled the blue dragon, then rolling down the hill with him.
The red dragon looked around, noticing that someone was missing. He frantically peered back into the forest, only to see who he was looking for was sitting down just before the trees turned to grass. "You okay? You've been silent lately." He sat down next to his friend how looked up into the sky.
"Yeah, I just have a lot on my mind." He smiled at the red dragon, bringing his silver eyes to meet the red dragon's yellow gaze.
"Anything you wanna talk about?"
"Don't worry Ardere, I'm fine." He got up off the ground and broke the treeline. "C'mon, lets not slow down the other two." Ardere quickly joined him, and together they watched as the white dragoness and blue dragon begin to argue.
"Bets on Frost." He told the black dragon beside him.
"Did I miss when he actually beat Aurora?" He smiled at Ardere. These bouts usually happened whenever Frost managed to anger Aurora. As if on cue, Frost tackled the smaller white dragoness. Ardere gave him a sly look which quickly disappeared when Frost was pinned beneath Aurora. "I guess not." He returned the look to the now disgruntled Ardere.
"One of these days you'll have to learn Frost." She smiled down at the still struggling ice dragon. "I'm still a better fighter than you."
"Can you get off of me? I surrender." He sighed but she didn't move, only smiled.
"I believe those aren't the words you're supposed to say."
"Aurora," He groaned then looked up at the grand city. "Please, everyone's probably watching us."
She joined his gaze but only saw what looked to be a lone black dragoness watching them. "Already trying to impress the ladies are we?" She laughed as Frost tried to get out of her grip. "Besides the only ones that can here us are the two knuckleheads over there." Motioning to their friends further up the hill.
"But."
"No buts. Only confessions mister." She looked up at the two dragons watching them to see that Ardere was now yelling at the laughing black dragon. She giggled as she knew that his complaints probably fell on deaf ears. "Either one of them saves you or you tell me what I want to hear." She sat down on his chest.
"How are you so heavy?" He wheezed under her.
"Are you calling me fat?"
"NO. You're just heavy."
"Now you need to apologize otherwise he's going to come down here and beat you." Again motioning to the black dragon.
"You're going to let your brother be beaten by a trained assassin?" He questioned
"Maybe." She teased with another smile appearing. "Back to the business at hand."
"Fine." He sighed, casting a look at their companions, then to the dragon city before them. "Aurora is the greatest sister in the world, a far better fighter than me, and is the most beautiful dragoness the world has ever seen."
"Thank you." She got up and as Frost joined her, she pushed him down the hill. "That's for calling me fat." She yelled after him, trotting back to the other two. She nuzzled the black dragon before sitting next to him and resting her head on his shoulder. "Glad you could join us."
"Glad I could too." He smiled down at her.
"You'll be fine, worst case scenario, we'll sneak you in." Ardere offered a small laugh but it quickly dissipated.
"Do you think they'll pardon me? Even after those last three years?" The black dragon looked over the city he attempted to destroy last time. He remembered the battering ram, the siege towers, he remembered watching the Golem fall. He remembered everything, even the rage he felt when he saw Spyro and Cynder defending the ramparts. They ruined everything that day.
"-lipse!" Aurora brought him out of the trance from the past, his talons had sank into the ground while his eyes could only see a deep shade of red. "Your okay, your okay." She whispered soothingly.
He noticed that Ardere was now embracing him with Aurora, their wings covered his back as if their were protecting him from the sky. These episodes weren't frequent, where he would begin to fall back into his old self. Usually, it would be whenever his past was brought up, other times it would just happen. Aurora always found a way to get him out of it, either by simply talking to him or embracing him. Ardere and Frost tried to help whenever she wasn't around but they would make it worse or end up with some kind of injury.
"I'm sorry." He let his gaze fall to the ground. He contained the past memories and hid them further in his mind. "This place brings back memories." He gave off a weak laugh trying to appease them.
"Get Frost and head into the city, we'll be right behind you." She told Ardere, which he followed solemnly.
"I'll be fine, go with them."
"Eclipse, I know you. I'm not leaving unless you're walking with me." She laid down beside him, retracting her wing. They sat at the top of the hill and watched Ardere and Frost approach the city together.
It's time to let go.
Cynder wondered if everything was okay with the two dragons on the hill but she stayed to greet the other dragons approaching. She was watching them so hard that she didn't even notice her purple friend land next to her.
"More refugees I presume?" He asked following her gaze to the two dragons below.
"I think so."
"I got you something." Changing the subject, Spyro reached into his bag and pulled out a silver, emerald necklace. "One of the cheetah merchants was selling some jewelry. I saw this and thought you would like it."
"It's beautiful Spyro, thank you." She looked over the necklace, noting how the gems glittered in the sunlight. "Do you mind?" Cynder turned around to allow access to the back of her neck. He undid the clasp to her old choker, letting it fall to the ground with a satisfying clank. Cynder wanted to take it off but she wrong without it on. Yet when Spyro put on the necklace, she couldn't feel that wrongness, the nakedness. She felt like she was completely free from Malefor. "Well, how do I look?"
"Stunning." The look in his eyes said more. It told her that he thought more of her, that she was more than just stunning to him. Say it again, tell him. She looked at his smile, remembering everything he's done for her. He deserves it but… what if I'm only a friend? She noticed how close they were to each other. Attempting to hide the ensuing blush, she turned back to the now full group of dragons on their way to the gate.
"They look young, where are their parents?" The absence of adults made her question how they made it to Warfang. They looked like her age and usually, they would still have some sort of parental protection.
"Died during the war perhaps." Cynder heard the grief in Spyro's voice.
"Still, how did they make it?"
"We did didn't we?"
"That's because your a purple dragon and I learned how to fight from my time under Malefor." This group of dragons began to peak her interest as possibilities raced through her head. Parents died on the way? Were they close by? Spies? That's when the black dragon's features were more easily seen. No… surely. She eyed him closer. The tail blade… the silver eyes… the colors… His shoulder, she needed to see his other shoulder.
"Cynder? Is everything okay?" Her body tensed, the black dragon turned around. The marks, it's him. Without another thought, she leapt off of the walls and soured down towards the dragon in question. It was the dragon from her thoughts, the one that dominated her past memories. She needed answers and she wanted them from him.
"You worry too much." Ardere responded to the growing concerns of Aurora.
"They'll have space, trust me." Eclipse agreed turning his whole body around to face her. "Besides, Mr. Snore more likely to get thrown out then you." He smiled while motioning to her brother.
"I don't snore!" Frost defended himself
"Do too." Ardere gave him a playful push. "We're lucky you didn't bring the whole dark army down on us." He snickered while moving out of his reach.
"Whatever." The blue dragon puffed.
"You'll be fine." Eclipse reassured her.
"So will you." She offered but he just snorted.
"You put too much trust in the ability to forgive."
"And you put yourself down too much."
Without warning, Eclipse was tackled by someone. He scrambled to get his attacker off of him, he could hear Ardere and Frost chasing them. Another dragon landed nearby, causing his mind to go into battle mode. He wiped his tail around, trying to either strike the attacker or the stab into the ground. He felt it slice into his attacker's leg, then the blade went to the ground. The attacker was flung off of him and he could see everyone.
"Cynder stop!" It was Spyro. That must mean.
"Cynder?" His world came crashing around him. Kill her, she betrayed you. No, I could never hurt her. You already did. His eyes fell on the blood coming from the wound on her leg.
"Who are you?" She yelled at him.
"It's me. Don't you remember?" Her question made him ask his own. She forgot about you, abandoned you.
"I remember you saving me from apes. I remember you staying with me. I remember everything but your name." Her response didn't help at all. My name, she forgot my name. Why?
"Cynder, it's me…" Their eyes finally met and he could see himself in the reflection. "Eclipse"