The Legend of Spyro: Cynder's Darkest Hour
Chapter 1- The Vision
Terrador stood at the front entrance to the Temple, where he watched as five guests entered what used to be the training room.
The reason was one that he would never have wished for.
And that one reason was because of a funeral. The funeral of the world's savior: Spyro the Dragon.
Spyro had died during a rescue mission. The one that was supposed to be saved: Cynder. As he helped the dragoness he loved, Cynder, out of the castle she was being held hostage in, the malignant pink dragoness, Zyla, confronted them both. He was able to get Cynder out of the castle, but the castle was destroyed, Spyro still inside.
Before that, Spyro and Cynder were living their normal lives in Avalar Valley.
Then they were summoned to the cheetah city of Kasi to see if they could help the cheetahs in a battle with some of Zyla's warriors.
During the battle, Cynder was knocked unconscious and was taken by Zyla, along with Spyro, to her own castle.
Spyro had been able to escape, but Cynder was not as lucky. Spyro came back for her, along with Terrador, a cheetah named Hunter that had helped her and Spyro back when Malefor had returned, and the new leader of the cheetah tribe of Avalar, Mara (neither of whom could be at the funeral). The old leader, Chief Prowlus, had been killed by Zyla. While Spyro helped Cynder out of the castle, they were confronted by Zyla.
During the fight, Terrador, who was soon going to be overwhelmed and killed, unleashed a large fury. As the castle was destroyed, Spyro got Cynder out, but Spyro was not as lucky, and the castle was destroyed. But Zyla was able to escape.
Cynder believed Terrador to be the cause for the dragon she loved's death, along with Zyla.
Cynder decided to find Zyla and kill her, and then she flew off.
Cynder tracked Zyla down and attempted to kill her, but just as she was winning, Zyla hit grazed her back with her tail, which had a blade on the end, and bit her neck.
Zyla then left her for dead and flew away. Luckily for Cynder, Terrador had followed her and found her close to death. He took her back to the Temple and nursed her back to health.
When Cynder woke, Terrador tried to explain to her that there was still something to live for even though Spyro was gone.
However, Cynder admitted that she still blamed Terrador for Spyro's death and flew off.
Terrador sadly made his way over to Cyril, the Ice Guardian, and Volteer, the Electricity Guardian, and asked, "Cynder didn't show up while I was getting the water from the Silver River, did she?"
Cyril sighed with exhaustion. "I'm afraid not, Terrador, but you should not give up the hope that she will come to the funeral later."
Terrador also sighed and walked into the training room. He turned to the guests and began his speech.
"We are gathered here today to mourn a special dragon," he said. "Spyro was the one who ended Malefor and the one who saved Cynder when she was under the Dark Master's control, and the one who saved the world when Malefor threatened to destroy it. We, the Guardians, knew him to be the dragon who saved us from Cynder when she was under the Dark Master's control. Today is a day to remember him. We give our hearts to those he loved, including Cynder, who isn't here right now…"
"I'm here," announced a sadness-filled voice.
The guests (Spyro's foster parents, Nina and Flash, and foster-brother, Sparx, and two moles Spyro saved in Munitions Forge, Mole-Yair and Exhumor) turned around to see Cynder.
Her emerald eyes were red and puffy and, to Terrador and the other guardians, she looked thinner and her black scales with a purplish hue were paler.
As soon as she'd limped over to where the guests were, she was bombarded with questions.
"Cynder, what really did happen to Spyro?" Sparx eagerly asked the black dragoness.
"Were you really there when it happened?" Mole-Yair asked. "Were you?"
Before another question could be asked, Cynder burst into tears. Sparx stopped asking questions and tried to comfort the small black dragoness.
"Hey, you need to just calm down, Cynder," Sparx told her.
"Calm down, Sparx?" she asked. "How can I calm down? It's impossible! You don't know how it feels, Sparx! You just don't know how it feels to have lost everybody you truly care about! I never knew my parents, unlike you, and Spyro had foster parents, so that means that my true family is probably dead, and my life-mate, Spyro, is dead! I just can't live in a world without Spyro!"
Terrador was taken aback by what Cynder had said. She had truly cared about Spyro, no doubt about it.
And he knew that she still blamed him for Spyro, her mate's, death.
Cynder tried to wipe her tears, but was stopped by another, more fresh flow of tears.
"I just feel so empty all the time without him. And none of you get how bad my pain is!" Cynder exclaimed.
Terrador suddenly stepped forward. He had a sad look on his face, but burning earth could be seen in his bright green eyes, which was a bad sign.
"Cynder," he began fiercely, "what you don't get is that I also mourn for those I've lost every day! I too mourn Spyro, Cynder, as I know you do and probably always will, but he's not the only one I mourn."
"Who the heck else do you mourn, Terrador?"
"Ever since I learned of his death, I mourn Ignitus, who, just like Spyro, died to save you. And it seems that in both instances, you went and did something that was dumb. The first was confronting Malefor, but that ended well, with Spyro and you saving the world. But when Spyro died, you flew off and confronted Zyla. And look what happened, Cynder! You were almost killed! If I remember correctly, she hit your spine with her barbed tail, and then bit your neck. If it hadn't been for me following you and finding you, you would have died and you would not be here right now, Cynder. Please realize that."
At the mention of Cynder being bitten on the neck, Sparx's mother gasped and covered her mouth.
Cynder stared at Nina, then looked back to Terrador. "That is something that I don't need any reminding of, Terrador. And also, I've still got the scars from that fight, didn't you know?"
Terrador suddenly saw the scars on Cynder's neck from Zyla's bite and the scar on her back from Zyla's bladed tail.
Pure hatred filled Cynder's emerald eyes and Terrador took a step back, fearful.
"I never wanted to remember any of that, Terrador, you know that," said Cynder.
"All right," said Terrador. "I'm sorry, I never meant to say that. I know how you blame me for Spyro's death, but-"
He silenced himself when he saw Cynder flick her bladed tail in pure anger.
Tears formed again in her eyes and she ran off into the room that held the Pool of Visions.
Since Ignitus's death, only one dragon could look into the Pool of Visions, and that dragon was Cynder.
As one of the tears flowed freely, something dark came into focus in the pool.
She squinted hard through her veil of tears and saw something she never thought she would again: her old abandoned fortress, which she used when she was under the dark influence of the Dark Master and where Spyro first truly confronted and fought her. A gasp escaped her lips: It was still hard to think of Spyro.
A decision formed in her mind: she would go to her old abandoned fortress to see what was there in the first place.
As she began to leave the Temple, Terrador stopped her by standing in front of her.
"Where are you going, Cynder?" he asked.
"I'm going somewhere," she answered. "But I won't tell you where, and you know exactly why I won't, Terrador, I know you do."
As Terrador opened his mouth again, Cynder took off into the night sky and disappeared.