Chapter Four: Flashwing's Helping Hand
As Flashwing made her way to where she hoped Cynder might be, she saw Slam Bam standing near the cliff. He was smiling for some reason.
"Good day, Flashwing," he greeted. "How are things going?"
"Why do you give a crap?" Flashwing snapped.
"Wow. A little bit of a jerk today, aren't we?" he said.
Flashwing turned to him with a snarl. "Look, idiot, I'm tired of all you've said to Cynder!" she told him. "You've always tried to hurt her. You've never given her a chance. What in the name of God is the matter with you? You even broke her leg and made Warnado squeeze it! You keep calling her freak! What in the freak is the matter with you, you selfish piece of crap?"
Slam Bam had been caught off-guard by her words. He couldn't believe the way in which he'd been spoken to.
"Watch how you talk to me!" he yelled at her.
"Why should I?" Flashwing retorted. "You're not the leader of the Skylanders! You don't deserve anything. Your selfish attitude has proven that to me. I used to think you might be a friend, but then I learned the truth about Cynder. She's nice, she's friendly, and she's sacrificed a lot for us. She's going through a lot, and if you make fun of her or attempt to hurt her in any way, I will personally stab you with one of my crystals. How does that sound? Now goodbye."
As she walked away, Slam Bam just thought, What in the heck is going on?
As Flashwing continued down to the beach, she kept thinking of all the painful things she'd heard Slam Bam say about Cynder. She'd been told by Whirlwind how he'd just said, "Too bad, freak," after Warnado had squeezed Cynder's broken leg. Tears came to her eyes as she thought of the pain Cynder was going through emotionally.
Looking around the beach, Flashwing finally found Cynder laying near the surf. She seemed to be sleeping. But Flashwing didn't know what she was actually doing.
"Cynder?" she said. She saw Cynder pick up her head off her front paws and look behind her. When she saw Flashwing there, she half-smiled. "Are you doing okay?" Flashwing asked her. "Everybody's really worried about you. We just want to know if there's a way we can help you."
"I thank you for trying to help me, Flashwing," Cynder said. "But I don't know how you can. I've gone over the edge now."
"Cynder, please don't say that!" Flashwing exclaimed. "I know things have been hard, but you can't just give up hope that things will get better! I don't know what it's like to be messed with and ridiculed. Well, I sort of do, but that's beside the point. Cyn, I know you've been dealing with a lot, but we can help you. We can find some way to help you through this. Just trust me."
"I trust you, Flashwing," Cynder replied. "I just feel empty. I can't let my life keep going like this. It's a painful thing. Life is a—well, it's just hurtful. I've heard some say it's lovely, it's fun, but in reality, it's a living Hell. I've gone through so much, and for some reason, I can't get past the pain. My pain keeps coming back, either in physical or mental form. It attacks me as I sleep. When I try sleeping, I fail. I can't keep it up much longer. I want everything to end already. I want to find a way in which I can make it end. I just want help. I want someone to understand me."
"Cynder, I do understand you, and quite well," Flashwing assured her. "When I first met you three years ago, I thought to myself, 'I can never trust her. She's too weird.' I thought a lot of that crap, and now I feel embarrassed for ever doing so. I know I can trust you. I know I'm able to see past what others say. If they want to hurt you, they'll have to get through me. I'm not going to let them hurt someone I think of as a sister. Yes, I think of you as a sister. I know it's weird, but it's true. I never thought I'd think that back in the day. But now I do, and I won't stop, because I need you to stay being that amazing Dragoness you've always been. I need you to realize there's more than you can imagine. Yes, times are tough, and I understand. I understand you don't want to keep moving on. There are times when I don't wish to do so, but I do, because I know good things will come out of it. We only feel pain because it helps us to be stronger. We need to feel it so we can move on and find something more. Don't you see what I'm talking about? Skylands is full of things that want to hurt and kill. Despite that, we must learn to move on from it. Yes, we should sometimes fight it, but we just need to get on with life. We can't let things in the past hinder us too much, Cynder."
"How do you know so much, Flashwing?" Cynder asked. "It's like you've gone through this kind of thing before. Have you?"
"Well, no," Flashwing admitted. "I guess this is all just coming from my heart. It's coming because I want to help you get back on your feet and find a way through this. I don't want you to be hurt. Can you please allow me to help you through everything? Please, Cyn. I don't all this to have been for nothing, you know what I mean?"
"I just don't know, Flashwing," Cynder admitted. "Maybe soon I will become who I used to be. I mean, all my life I've been different. I need to find a way I can go back to normal."
"I'm here to help," Flashwing told her. "I will help you until the end of time. As long as I'm around, you need to be sure to keep your head up and never stop believing that things will get better. I swear to you that things will be getting better. I remember this saying that said, 'As long as you keep believing and keep trusting in yourself and in your faith, you will succeed, and good things will come out of it.' Do you believe in what I'm saying, Cyn?"
Cynder turned around to look at her. Flashwing could still see the tears in her eyes.
"I believe you, Flashwing," Cynder told her. "I'm still trying to get through these terrible thoughts, though. They've been coming back since…you know. It hurts a lot. I want someone to help, and you've done so well, and so has Spyro, and Sonic Boom, and Sunburn, and the others. But it's just been hard, if you know what I mean. I need some time to get through everything. When I hope for things to be simple, it never happens. I've trusted in my faith for a very long time, and it has helped—that's how I met Spyro, after all—but I just need something more now."
Flashwing went closer to Cynder and put a paw on her shoulder. "Hey, I'm still here for you," she assured her. "And so are Spyro, Sunburn, Sonic Boom, Camo, Whirlwind, and Drobot. Oh yeah, and Trigg and Gill. We're all here for you, and none of us are leaving you. Just try to remember that."
She's right, Cynder thought to herself. I know they're all there, and I thank them for all they have done. I need them to help me. I know who I can turn to when I need help. I need to return to Spyro. He's the one who understands me the most. He's the one who kept believing in me and never stopped loving me. Even when I couldn't bring myself to tell him how much I loved him, he somehow seemed to know. And now we're mates, I need to rely on him, and I need to rely on the others. I've made my decision, and that is it. Case closed.
Cynder finally looked up at Cynder. "I know I can go on," she told Flashwing. "I know for sure I can keep moving on. Thank you."
Flashwing nodded. "You're welcome," she said. She looked into Cynder's eyes. "You know that day when I said that it was my gems that were the same color as your eyes? Well, they aren't the only parts of me that are that color. Your eyes are the same color as mine, actually." She smiled. "I'm not surprised I understand you so much. I'm glad I do. I love you like a sister, Cyn, and I won't stop. I know that you need help in places other than this, and I will help you until the end of time, if I have to. Of course, I hope it doesn't take that long, but besides that, I'm sure something good will come out of this. Just keep believing."
Cynder looked to Flashwing and smiled again. "Thank you," she said. "I am not surprised that you've become one of my greatest friends. You've helped me through so much tonight, and I wish I could award you something for that, but of course, I can't."
Flashwing giggled a little. "I don't need an award," she said. "Having you as my friend is a great enough reward, if you ask me."
She saw more tears in Cynder's eyes, but she knew these tears were those of joy, and not sadness.
"Would you mind doing one last thing for me?" Cynder asked softly.
"What is it?"
"Would you mind watching over me as I go to sleep? It might help me tonight."
Flashwing hugged her and said, "Yes, I will watch over you. You have nothing to worry about. Maybe all you need is a friend to stay there near you and make sure nothing bad is around."
And so Cynder put her head on her paws. She closed her eyes, and soon her breathing became quite soft. Flashwing knew she'd fallen asleep. The fact she'd done it so quickly made Flashwing smile.
Soon Spyro, Sonic Boom, and the others came and found Flashwing with Cynder. When they saw that Cynder had fallen asleep, they smiled.
As Spyro came near them, Flashwing whispered, "Quiet. Don't wake her. She needs sleep."
Spyro knew Flashwing was right. He laid himself down close to Cynder and stroked her neck as softly as he could. He knew from his experience of being her mate that it made her feel safe and that it let her know there was someone out there who cared for her and would never leave her.
"I think I can take over from here," he whispered to Flashwing. "You can go to sleep. I'll remain here with her until she wakes up." Flashwing was about to say something, but then got up, smiled at Spyro and Cynder, and left them.
When Flashwing was gone, Sonic Boom came to Spyro. She smiled at Cynder.
"What should we do now?" Sonic Boom asked quietly.
"Let's just wait," Spyro said. "Maybe things will come to us when we're patient. We just have to wait and see."
He soon fell asleep alongside Cynder while stroking her back, with the others watching them. None of them wanted to wake Spyro and Cynder, and so they either left or kept silent.
At least Spyro is here to make Cynder happy, Sonic Boom thought to herself with a smile. If only life could always be this way. I really wish it could be. I don't want Spyro and Cynder going through anymore pain. They deserve a happily ever after, and they will. We just need to keep the faith in ourselves alive and never-failing. That is when everything good starts coming.