"I love you," Cynder whispered. The end was drawing near, and she saw no reason in hiding it anymore. After all the fighting, all the struggles they had been through, was it worth it? Was it worth it to keep how she felt in the shadows anymore? Though, it almost seemed futile, the roaring flames, and falling debris would have made it nearly impossible for anyone to hear her.
The dragoness looked over to Spyro, he was engulfed by a blinding light of pure Aether, the light made seem as if her eyes were burning but she pushed through the pain, setting her eyes on him one last time. He seemed so calm, given the circumstances he was in, after all he was pulling an entire planet back together. As the light intensified, she was forced to shield her eyes.
From behind her wings she heard a pulse, then another, and another until she noticed a pattern, the beats sounded almost sounded like that of a heart. The beating got faster and faster till the point where it was nothing but a high pitched squeal. A purple light passed through her, startling her for a second, and as she looked to see what had happened, she gazed upon the shards of earth hurtling back toward them. Her pupils shrunk as the reality of the situation struck her, they we're going to be buried by the very planet they had fought so hard to save.
The light of Spyro's power expanded to beyond the reach of the planet, surrounding it in a purple sphere, bringing all the pieces to a halt. Spyro let out a thunderous roar, and as if the earth had been commended, it all started to fall back down toward the core. Their last moments were upon them, and Cynder could only watch as the pieces came crashing down. She gave a relaxed sigh and closed her eyes, and in a momentary flash of red, orange, and black; it was finished… they saved the world.
In a matter of seconds, he felt herself slammed against the floor of what seemed to be a sphere. The dragoness opened her eyes, shocked to see that she was in an Aether shield, riding the wave of magma that was now shooting its way back to the surface. As Cynder looked around to assess the situation, she saw Spyro, riding the molten rock in the same fashion she was, but something was off. Just as she realized what was wrong, Spyro shield broke, and he shot up and into the walls of the volcano. Cynder watched in horror as Spyro was smashed against the rocks again and again, she attempted to conjure a sphere around Spyro just as he did for her.
"Come on, come on!" she said to herself as she tried to focus on forming it. Spyro burst into flames, the fire almost consuming his body. Again she tried to summon the protective shield, and once again her attempts were met with failure. Tears of frustration started flowing from her eyes, no matter what she did, she couldn't shield Spyro from the wrath of nature.
They both shot out of the top, flying high into the atmosphere. Chunks of rock flew past her, some hit the shield, sending Cynder into the walls. As she got her baring, she could see Spyro, still set on fire and she could see him wailing in agony as he desperately tried to put of the flames that swallowed him. Another boulder flew past the sphere, startling Cynder.
"Spyro!" She cried as the rock headed right for him, pinning the purple dragon to it.
The shield broke and no sooner, Cynder shot through the sky like an arrow. Using what wind she could at that altitude, she pushed herself faster and faster until she had narrowed the gap between her and the rock. She charged up an Aether beam, blowing it to pieces. She could finally see Spyro, his limp body still flailing around, still approaching the ground at dangerous speeds. Cynder darted between the falling debris, slowly approaching the falling dragon.
The ground approached fast and she instinctively spread her wings as to not collide with it. Only seconds after a plume of dust shot up from the ground, leaving a crater in its place. Cynder blew the dust away and immediately started looking for Spyro. Her eyes darted around, looking for any sign of him, she flew around the crater, searching for even the slightest hint of him, only to find nothing.
"No… it can't end like this." She thought to herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted smoke billowing from the treeline, and Cynder darted over as fast as she could. Landing and running to Spyro's side. As she approached, she stopped dead in her tracks, a look of terror spread across her face as she gazed upon him. He lay on his belly, from head to tail his once vibrant purple scales were now a charcoal black, some even melting, slowly deforming the mighty Purple Dragon. Large gashes covered his body, cutting deep into his flesh. Crusted blood was spread across his body, with more leaking from every orifice it could. His wing membranes were all but gone. Some bones stuck out from his skin and were in the open air. His forelegs bent unnaturally, each of them snapping almost completely backwards. Cynder ran up to him, hoping to find some sign of life from him, but expecting the worst. She almost gagged as she approached him, the smell of his charred flesh filled the air.
"Please… don't let it end this way..." She leaned in on his chest scales and listened for anything, a heartbeat, breathing, something to tell her that Spyro still was alive; to her relief, she heard breathing, faint, but enough to give her some hope.
The dragoness took to the air and looked for a bundle of red crystals, they were the only thing she could think of to give him more time. After searching for a few minutes, she was able to find a small bunch of crystals on the side of a river. She wrapped her talons around them, collecting as many as she could, and with a flap of her wings and a burst of wind she was up in the air once again.
Cynder rushed to Spyro's side, placing the crystals beside him. She moved closer and started to straighten his forelegs. A feeling of disgust came over her as she felt what was his leg, feeling as if it was nothing more than mush. Cynder hastily moved them back into position, trying to get the feeling out of her mind. She backed off and smashed the red crystals into bits, allowing the fragments to fly to the Purple Dragon's body. When they made contact with him, Cynder saw that something was wrong, the crystals didn't appear to be healing the wounds. She stood there, unable to think of another way to help, and suddenly the obvious solution came to her.
"Warfang… I need to get him to Warfang!" And with no hesitation she began her attempt to lift him off the ground. Delicately, she slid her snout under his neck, his scales still hot from the volcano. After a few moments, she was able to get him onto her back. His blood was spilled onto her back, trickling down her black scales. She disregarded her discomfort and took to the air, the mangled body of Spyro loosely staying in her back with the use of her wind element.
As she flew through the air, she tried spotting any familiar landmarks, a tree, a river, something to point her in the right direction. She looked to the sun, still rising from the east, knowing that Warfang was south of the volcano, she started heading in that direction, the thought came to her that perhaps the world might have been reformed differently after it's reformation. For a second, she pondered what would happen to them if this was true; would she reach Warfang? Would she overshoot it? Was she even heading in the right direction anymore?
Cynder shook her head and pushed those thoughts aside, she had to remain focused on the task at hand. As she began her journey back to the Dragon City, she looked back at Spyro, still deformed and bleeding profusely.
"Just hang in there Spyro."
Two weeks later...
The dragoness sat on her haunches, soaking in the morning light. Her perch was a room overlooking Warfang she had been given by the Guardians. It was made with adult inhabitants in mind, which only made the room feel more empty. Below her, moles were running to and fro, trying to repair the damage dealt to the city during the Reformation. Earlier, Cynder had insisted that she could help with the reconstruction, and though her eagerness to help was met with gratitude, both Terrador and Cyril thought it wise for her to rest.
Her knife-like talons tapped against the limestone balcony anxiously, it had been one week since she had arrived in the Dragon City, with barely a word on Spyro's condition. When she left the hospital, the doctors had said "His fate is... uncertain." Like bells, those words rang in her mind, leaving her restless all throughout the week. A part of her wished that the week long flight to Warfang would have bared good news, but not to her surprise, things seemed to be turning out for the worst. Suddenly, the door creaked open and in a flash Cynder was in a defensive stance, ready to brace herself for an attack. Her heart was pounding, every second seemed to drag on, until a mole came out from the doorway.
The mole seemed much older than the ones she had fought beside weeks prior, her hair was a bright grey, almost white. In her arms, she carried a book and pen, filled with empty pieces of paper, free to be written on. "It's just me, do not fret." Her voice seemed to calm Cynder, allowing her muscles to relax. "Annabel… uh… sorry, I just-" The dragoness stumbled. Her head was in shambles, from the lack of sleep, to all the events that had transpired over the last two weeks, it had left her head spinning in circles. For the first time in her life, she had been given time to think.
Annabel raised her hand, "There's nothing to be sorry about young one, you've been through quite a lot, would you care for some tea?" the mole asked inquisitively.
"If you wouldn't mind." Cynder had taken a liking to the drink as of recent, it's warmth helped to ease her troubles, even for the briefest of moments.
A smile crossed the moles face a cloth on the floor, gently working out the wrinkles that had been formed. She placed two cups down on the fabric, then brought out a small pouch. Opening it, Annabel poured out the amber liquid, distributing it evenly between the two of them. They both took a seat and Cynder bowed her head down. "Thank you." A soft smile formed on her snout as she looked back to the mole.
"You are quite welcome." Annabel raised her cup and gently blew on it, sending the light mist away from the warm drink. Once she had taken a sip of her tea, she looked to the dragoness, seemingly lost in the steam of her own.
"What seems to be troubling you today?" Cynder's head snapped up to look at the mole, somewhat startled. "Oh, I- I… don't know, everything is just getting more confusing by the day."
"Have you been using the herbs I've been giving you?"
"Yes, and they've helped, but..." The dragoness let out a sigh of disappointment.
"It takes time, dear. So what has kept you from sleep?" Cynder thought of a response, she was never keen on giving people her true thoughts, they were for her alone.
"Well… I know it's for my own safety but... it would help if I didn't have guards watching me all night," The dragoness said sarcastically, to which Annabel gave a chuckle.
"Quite understandable," the mole replied.
The room fell silent once again, the wind continuing to echo through the room.
"Was there something else?" The mole questioned.
"No- no… nothing," Cynder said rather hastily. There was a small moment of silence between them, and as they sat there the dragoness started glancing out the window, the fate of the Purple Dragon being the only thing on her mind.
"And what about the Purple Dragon?" Cynder's eyes widened and her heart started to race for a second, she had just ended up in a conversation she wanted to avoid. "Does his fate concern you, Cynder?" After a few more moments of silence passed, the dragoness finally spoke.
"I-" Cynder said being slightly embarrassed by the observation made by the mole.
"I see, perhaps you should have some tea." The dragoness looked down to her drink, it still steaming from the heat, as she drank, the sound was not of the calmness of Annabel, but sounded erratic. Cynder looked back up at Annabel, who still bore a smile on her face.
"Hmm… I'm feeling like a stroll through the gardens, care to join me?"
Cynder tilted her head a bit, caught off balance by the sudden offer. "The guards wouldn't let me out of the room, you know that,"
Annabel looked to the dragoness, the smile still worn on her face. "If it's what the doctor ordered, then they will,"
With that the mole got up, with Cynder following suit. As they packed their Annabel's things and headed out the door, they were stopped by two guards, each one clad in armor.
"The dragoness is not allowed outside of her premises." he said.
The mole looked up at the dragon guard, almost to the point where her head shot straight up. "I say she requires some time outside, if you wish you could join us." The two guards looked over to each other, they both nodded to each other and escorted them out of the building.
The four walked into the gardens, with the two guards keeping their distance but keeping close enough to act if something were to occur. A soft breeze blew across the arboretum, gently pushing the flora that lay on the ground. Annabel sat near one of the trees, letting herself settle near its base. Cynder followed and settled down on the mole's left.
"Now, let your mind relax, and take in the scenery around you." Cynder looked at her, the moles eyes were already closed.
She looked away to the trees below, her mind still flooded with concern. Suddenly, a sound caught her attention, and her head looked toward it to see a bird, letting out it's morning song. She put her head down on her front legs, and tried to focus on the ambient sounds of nature. The world soon started to fall away, her mind finally permitting her freedom from recent events.
She let out a deep sigh, her body relaxing in the soft grass. Soon, she found her own eyes closed, and her mind starting to wander. Seemingly out of nowhere, the ground shook, the guards fell off their feet, and the two resting opened their eyes to see a bright beam emanating from the city's hospital. Without hesitation Cynder shot off into the air, heading toward the disturbance, leaving the mole and the guards behind.
Cynder landed in front of the hospital and rushed in through the doors, using her shadow element to slip past the moles and dragons walking through the halls. As she got deeper into the building, she heard another energy build up shoot out of the building, and rushed to the room; to her utter terror, Spyro had awakened.
He yelled in agony, his voice sounding coarse. Cynder's heart almost stopped when she heard it, she wanted to reach out and let Spyro know that she was here, so he wouldn't have to suffer alone but something... held her back. Two dragons pinned him down, while another frantically looked for an herb to return him to his slumber. As the Cynder watched the dragons struggle to hold Spyro down, she saw electric energy building up in the back of his throat.
Spyro continued to wail in pain as he let a burst of lighting from his mouth, shooting in all directions. Each of the dragons braced for the attack, the majority of which hit the two dragons next to him. The one on his right, an ice dragon who seemed to be a little over a decade older than Spyro, backed off and clutched his left foreleg. The other dragon looked over to Cynder, who was still standing in the doorway wide-eyed, "Get over here and help me keep him down!"
The assistant attempted to hold the Purple Dragon down himself as Spyro was trying to claw at his own face. Cynder stood there, still dumbstruck by everything going on. "Now!" The dragon shouted. With that she snapped back into reality, and rushed over to Spyro's side, and held him down. She shut her eyes and waiting for this to end, she was living a nightmare.
She was caught off guard by one of the doctors, startling her enough to opened her eyes. Cynder saw him holding a cloth up to Spyro's snout, and after a few minutes he seemed to settle down, at least enough for him to stop feeling the pain of his injuries and his breathing returned a somewhat steady pace. Finally the two dragons were able to let go of Spyro, his body now resting on the bed. Cynder looked down at Spyro, and a single tear dropped from her cheek down to Spyro's shattered foreleg. Soon after, the guards came through the door, demanding she come with them.
She snapped her head toward them, behind her the doctor looked at her. "We'll take care of him, I promise." Cynder looked from Spyro to the doctor, his face baring a genuine look. Cynder nodded to the doctor and walked with the guards back to the room. As Cynder exited the room, Spyro slightly stirred in his sleep, he muttered to himself,
"Where's… Cynder,"