Cynder wandered endlessly through the hallways of the dragon temple, thinking. She was depressed; her horrific past clouded her and filled her with grief and pain. She didn't belong here, not with people like Spyro, who, despite his cocky attitude, represented the opposite of her evil. As the nights went past, she became more solitary, remaining only in the room the Guardians allowed her to stay in.

Sparx was doubtful that she planned on staying there forever.

"I'm telling you that girl is crazy!" Sparx repeated. "We should keep our distance, who knows what evil plans she's hatching up in there. Ha-ha 'hatching', that was an unintentional pun.

"Sparx how many times have I told you, it wasn't her fault" rejected Spyro.

"Not her fault?! You're making it easier for the psycho" exclaimed the dragonfly.

"Well that is the idea, isn't it?" Spyro agreed.

"Not my point" moaned Sparx.

Spyro decided to wait patently outside Cynder's room. Although, Ignitus did say he was free to go where ever in the temple he pleased, he wanted to give Cynder some space and allow her to keep to herself when she wanted to and also it would be rude to barge in there. But this was to much space- no one had heard from her in days.

"Come in!" Cynder answered Spyro's knocks.

Spyro entered followed by Sparx, nervously. He gazed around the room, trying to figure out where the traps or plans were hidden. But there were none.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Actually I wanted to ask you that question" revealed the purple dragon.

"What do you mean?" questioned Cynder.

"You've been reclusive for days now, is there a reason for that?"

"Of course not! I'm not planning to destroy the temple, if that's what you...I mean Sparxs' is implying" denied the black dragoness.

"Hey it's like you read my mind!" commented Sparx. "Can she do that? All evil people can do that!"

"...Cynder" Spyro continued insinuating that something was wrong. "Those emerald eyes of yours can't hide your true self, that's is how I knew your weren't evil after all".

Cynder let out a defeated sigh and turned to Spyro.

"Your right something is wrong" she admitted. "I'm looking from the window every day and all I see is the endless destruction I caused and I can still hear the cries of the dying and their families as I slaughtered them, smashing through my eardrums".

"Yikes, graphic" whispered Sparx.

"Cynder I don't know why you keep thinking that was your fault" questioned Spyro, keeping to his calm tone.

"But maybe it was!" she cut him off. "Maybe I could have resisted, maybe I could have broken free if I tried".

"...You couldn't"

"HOW WOULD YOU KNOW!" she yelled at him.

"Hey don't you be talking to my boy like that" defended Sparx. "Come on, Spyro lets get out of this creeps-vile".

"I''m sorry, Spyro, that's no way to treat my hero" apologised Cynder. "But not everyone is as forgiving as you".

Spyro was at a loss for words, before noticing something on Cynder's black scales. A thick cut running along her elbow to her right arm.

"Cynder what's that?" he asked, concerned.

"That? Must've gotten it from you during our battle, it's nothing" she dismissed.

"No I don't think I could've scratched a giant like you like that" said Spyro, grabbing her arm gently. Cynder allowed him to, despite knowing what conclusion he had come to. The feeling of his paw against her's was a re-assuring one. "Have you been...

"No!" Cynder denied.

"Cynder your guilt is getting to you, come maybe we should talk to Ignitus about this" decided the purple dragon.

"No don't!" she interrupted him. "Please, it was just an accident I swear! I won't do it again, I promise!"

"Are you sure, Cynder, I'm just looking out for you?"

"Yes, I'm sure!"

"If you say so" Spyro backed down. "But I'm not letting you stay in here for another day".

Cynder gave up and went with him and so did Sparx, reluctantly.

"It's hard to believe we were both born twelve years ago" said Spyro.

"Yeah I know, must've been hard to tell cause I was so big and scary and-

"What was the one word you called her, Sparx?" teased Spyro, remembering what he had called her corrupted form.

"What, what are you talking about?" denied Sparx, hiding a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah you didn't say anything" Spyro continued laughing.

Cynder gave them a confused look.

"So I'm twelve right now?" asked Cynder. "We're twelve right now, I mean?"

"Yes, in fact my birthday was only four months ago, meaning yours was as well" answered Spyro.

"It's been six years" gasped Cynder.

"What?"

"Nothing!" denied Cynder. "It's getting pretty late, you think we should you know get some rest?"

"Um ok" Spyro confusingly agreed. That was a sudden change in tone.

Now her mind was made up, she couldn't stay in the temple. She would be putting Spyro and everyone else in danger! That, coupled with the guilt she had been feeling, urged her to make this decision.

At night, when everyone was asleep, she silently crept to the underground crypt, where a huge map of the Dragon realms were presented on the cold, stone walls.

"Changed, Cynder?" a looming voice asked.

Cynder jumped before turning around and before her was a pink dragoness, sitting defeated next to a destroyed section of the room- no doubt her doing.

"Ember!" she cried, recognising her as the dragoness she had met while she was slowly being corrupted. Malefor had used her, being the only dragon Gaul could find the same size and age as Cynder, as a means to train young Cynder until she steadily became a corrupted adult.

"You're normal again I see" she weakly noticed.

"I'm happy to say I think I ran into the purple dragon you once talked about" replied Cynder. "His name's Spyro right?"

"Ah so you do remember some parts of your life before your full corruption".

"No, Spyro's here at the temple. He was the one who freed me! I got to say, you were right about him. Aside from his occasional cockiness he's got to be the nicest person I've ever met".

"Well, he seemed to avoid me back when him and Sparx got lost and ended up in our realm, he thought I was too obsessive" groaned Ember. "You might have better luck".

"What...do you mean, I'm not" the black dragoness turned red. "And to what do I owe this visit to?"

"He forced me to, I thought about refusing but I knew this could be my chance to warn you, that and there is no where in the world I could escape from him" she gravely replied. "Salazar, sent me".

"Oh, so it's time" Cynder whispered.

"Six years he's been trapped in the Bloody sea, awaiting the time for the sea to run dry, which it has thanks to the Dark Master's forces" explained Ember, dreadfully. "And now he's coming for you".

"B-but, I can't defeat him again, I'm no longer filled with that dark power" stammered the black dragoness. "Have to admit, the trick I pulled was pretty good".

"Yes, but make no mistake, the admiral will not underestimate you again" warned Ember. "And what of Spyro?"

"What about him, I'm leaving and putting him out of any more danger? He's already got his hands full now that the Dark Master and Gaul know of his existence".

"It won't make a difference, Salazar will continue his old plans: to kill all dragons and then find Master Eon".

"Any idea how long it will take him to find me?" asked Cynder.

"I'm sorry Cynder, I will be forced to reveal your location, nothing can stop the Silent Blade" warned Ember, the mention of the terrifying ship sent chills up Cynder's spine. Ember vanished, leaving the terrified young dragon to continue mapping out a route. She would leave in two days.

Cynder was unable to sleep, dreaming about the disastrous things Salazar would do to satisfy his lust to kill her. Just another thing for her to feel guilty about. Then, up in the sky was a source of warmth and light...never mind it was just Sparx. The dragonfly noticed Cynder awake and went down to her, as she lay sadly on the floor.

"Hey I didn't like the way you talked to my bro today, Miss. Creepy" he insulted. "Don't think I don't know what your planning: your trying to steal him away from me. And it's working, you've got his complete attention but mark my words, I know you're gonna do something. When we least expect BAM, you're gonna kill him! Well I won't let you, sister, I'm a master detective. For instance, I know your still the same wicked, cruel, evil, terrifying, big, se- forget that- revolting creature"

Usually, Cynder wouldn't care for Sparx's remarks, she knew he was either dumb or just an attention seeker but this time those words hurt. Something made them hurt. Whether it the fact that she was now with spending more time with her purple counterpart or the return of Salazar that triggered it, her eyes slowly welled up with tears.

"Your not big anymore, actually come to think of it, your all big to little ol' me but-" Sparx then looked at her crying- something which he had never seen a 'terrifying' dragon like Cynder do- and began to feel like he had done something bad. "Uh-oh Spyro ain't gonna like this".

Cynder covered her eyes with her tail and tried sleeping but Sparx was still there.

"Er, you know I was joking, right?" he guiltily grinned. "You know ol' Sparx, full of stupidity". Nothing. "Um, maybe you'd like to spend the night out on the higher platform, you know with me and Spyro".

Cynder rubbed her eyes. Maybe spending some time with someone like Spyro would relieve her of her worries.

"Ok, I would like that actually" she quietly agreed.

"I instantly regret offering but since I did, lets go" huffed Sparx.