Sorry for that lack of updates. I have been busy with the writing side of things when I have spare time. With participating in a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, work, the BB unit update for Battlefront II 2017, hype for Clone Wars season seven, and other things (including reading fanfics that I am following); life has been pretty hectic.
More elements of other franchises aside from Spyro/Skylanders, The Legend of Zelda, Star Wars, MLP, and Percy Jackson are coming. However, the story will dictate when they will appear. They might have to wait till a sequel, as the main plot of Twilight Princess has been severely diverted for retelling the events of the Legend of Spyro trilogy. Though some ideas might come up that are inspired from other franchises to make fight scenes fresh, they will be there in a similar vein to the references in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to characters that didn't exist in that franchise until a later film (like something that looked like Captain America's shield in Iron Man 2 or the reference to Spider-man in Ant Man).
Now onto the Events of The Legend of Spyro: Eternal Night.
Chapter 45: Waking Nightmares
Darkness enshrouded the land when Cynder awoke. A starlit sky greeted her after a dreamless, tranquil sleep. She rose feeling strangely weightless. Where was she? What time was it?
Suddenly the ground beneath her trembled violently and, one by one, the stars were smothered by inky shadows. The night sky somehow turned darker, almost as if a massive dark claw was reaching across the land. Cynder had no idea what was going on but instinct told her that she didn't want to be anywhere near here to witness what was about to happen. She ran.
She ran as hard and fast as she could, trying with all her being to get away from the shadows that pursued her. She had no idea where she was going. She didn't know how far she'd come. It was like running through an endless void. All of a sudden, a mountain loomed before her.
She knew this place-the fortress where she'd been raised, the dreadful place the Apes had called the Mountain of Malefor...
At the mere thought of his name, a wave of fear washed over Cynder, paralyzing every fiber of her being, chilling her to her very soul and leaving her rooted to the spot, unable to even cry out!
"There is no escape," a mocking voice called out from behind her, harsh like a crack of thunder. "There is no escape from my power."
Cynder knew that voice. It was one she had hated and loathed for years. It was one that had her in its thrall, forced her to commit horrifying atrocities and unspeakable crimes while she was under the influence of a shard of the Mirror of Twilight. It was the voice of the Dark Master.
"Y-you ca-can't be here. S-s-Spyro stopped you," she managed to stammer through her clenched teeth. This couldn't be happening. Stark terror coursed through her entire body, eclipsing all rational thought.
"It is of no consequence," Malefor's voice boomed. "For soon, I will return."
Suddenly, the moon-the last light in the sky-went black. A huge figure loomed in the backdrop-a vaguely draconic shape but infinitely more massive than any normal dragon should've been. It reared its head, crowned with cruel horns, and opened its maw, filled with stalactite-like fangs, and roared in triumph. The murky shadow of its tattered wings blotted out the sky and a black skeletal claw stretched forth and seized her in its crushing grasp.
As she was caught up and dragged away, Malefor spoke again. "You will never escape your fate, Cynder."
Then the inky black shadows engulfed her, smothering her, choking her, blinding her. She could do nothing but wait for the end as everything went dark as a face engulfed in a mane of fire emerged, laughing evilly.
Cynder's eyes snapped open instantly and she sat up with a jolt. Her breath came in shallow, rapid gasps. A blank, featureless stone ceiling greeted her after her restless sleep. She took a deep breath, relieved. It had all just been a dream. No, not a dream, a nightmare. She got up, feeling sore all over. It came back to her now. She was in the Dragon Temple. It was probably daybreak judging by the lack of light from her window.
The nightmares had plagued her for so long that she was surprised she was still scared of them at all. And every night, it had been the same nightmare. Years of being the Dark Master's favorite instrument of destruction had left their mark on her.
She lashed out a claw at the wall in frustration. Her talons tore jagged scars in the stone but it barely made Cynder feel any better. It wasn't her fault! She had never asked for any of this. She didn't even belong in this place. It had all been decided before she'd even hatched. She'd been stolen from her home by dragons who had believed that she had a part to play in some ridiculous prophecy to end a war she had no part in. But not everyone had been keen on allowing the outcome of the war to be decided by a group of 'prophecy dragons'.
So one such dragon, Burn, perhaps the most vicious and bloodthirsty dragon Cynder had the misfortune of knowing, had intercepted an egg and thrown it off a cliff, intending for all hope in the prophecy to die with it. Death would've been a mercy compared to what followed.
An ape from a distant land, the Dragon Realms, had stumbled upon her as she lay on death's doorstep. Out of sympathy, or perhaps in accordance with the dark will of his master, the Assassin had brought her back with him and Malefor had been able to drag her back from the brink of death. His dark magic had saved her life but inadvertently it had twisted her and warped her to the point where she was unrecognizable as an Elemental SkyWing.
Malefor had spent the next four years deceiving her, molding her into a weapon which he then used to subjugate the Realms following her exposure to a shard of the Mirror of Twilight. She had unknowingly enacted terrible deeds in his name and by the time she realized Malefor's true nature, he had corrupted her with the mirror shard.
But in the end, no matter how hard she wanted to believe that everything hadn't been her conscious doing, she found herself confronted by the despairing knowledge that it was still her doing. She had to acknowledge the grudging satisfaction she'd felt in the power she'd wielded as Malefor's greatest servant. It wasn't just satisfying, it had been intoxicating! To her horror, she had actually felt a small part of herself enjoying the havoc she wreaked, the fact that others had been at her mercy when she had none to offer. In a way, the mirror shard influenced her to no longer be the victim.
She knew she could've resisted Malefor-she'd done it after the memory of becoming the monster she had been resurfaced thanks to Link's powers. She should've fought him harder, she should've been stronger than she had been. Whenever she looked at her sick, sorry past, she felt anger boiling alongside the grief, a hatred of an enemy who'd turned her into a weapon.
And that was why things would never play out like they had in her nightmare. She wouldn't cower when Malefor came for her, she wouldn't try to run. She would stand her ground and make him bleed for what he'd done to her, she would fight the battle she should've fought long ago.
But something seemed off about her nightmare. Namely, the face bathed in a mane of fire.
Cynder got up, shaking her head. The still air in her room was stifling and she needed to get out into the open to clear her mind. Quietly, she opened her door, careful not to make too much noise. The others-the Guardians, Spyro, Flame, Luna, the dragonets, and Midna-were probably still asleep now. They'd been kind to her; in spite of everything she'd done while under the influence of the mirror shard, they'd forgiven her and taken her in. It was the least she could do to not wake them.
She crept through the halls of the Dragon Temple as eerie shadows danced and stalked in the light of daybreak, like so many talons reaching out from the darkness. Much of the Temple was still foreign to her-it hadn't felt right to prowl after her hosts had so graciously accepted her. She turned a corner to one spot she knew well-the balcony that overlooked the nearby swamplands. There, she saw the last dragon she'd been expecting.
"Spyro?" she asked.
He wheeled around to face her, his body severely tense, like he was trying to hold up a code of responsibility. "Oh, Cynder," he said, relieved. "It's you. Sorry, you just had me startled. What're you doing up this early?"
"I had a nightmare," she replied shortly.
"Oh," he said simply. By now he'd gotten used to how Cynder never spoke much. He stayed silent and moved to one side of the balcony so she could have her own space.
Cynder tried to speak but the words never came. She hadn't intended to come across as being so cold and distant. Spyro had saved her from Malefor, freed her from the influence of a shard of the Mirror of Twilight, and personally saw to her recovery from injuries induced from Malefor when he tried to kill her. And deep down, she was really grateful for that.
Sometimes, her mind wandered to romantic thoughts about him. During the weeks that he saw to her recovery, she had developed romantic feelings for him.
When Link saved her from Malefor's wrath due to rejecting the Dark Master's influence, Malefor had unintentionally undone most of the enchantments that the Mirror Shard and himself had done to accelerate her growth and returned her to the size of an elemental dragon of Link's age with features of a SkyWing. He'd looked past her misdeeds as the influence of the mirror and Malefor without a moment's hesitation, despite her past efforts to kill him. He'd been kind and open to her but she had simply turned aside each time. But it wasn't that she held any grudges from their past enmity, she had no idea how to talk to him face to face, especially since her sister, Queen Ruby of the SkyWings, basically had Cynder betrothed to Link for some unknown reason!
Her heart screamed at her to say something. She was afraid to be rejected. Glory and Tsunami saw through her shyness a few days prior, knowing that Cynder had deeply longed for a more romantic relationship with Link.
Link, however, didn't expect Cynder to say anything. He already knew about her feelings for a while now.
"So what're you doing here at this hour?" Cynder asked, trying to sound as conversational as possible.
"I usually wake up at this time," he replied, sounding slightly surprised. "It comes with habit, being a rancher for several years and attending school when I was a child. It might sound silly coming from me but visions of my past keep haunting my dreams. None them concerning you, of course."
Cynder looked at him, confused.
"The cloak that I wear when in human form was a gift from the Hylian princess of the era I am from," Link stated, his eyes tearing up. "She sacrificed herself to save Midna. Not that I knew her much, I only met her twice. It's her selflessness that gave tears to my eyes."
He stopped for a moment and looked at the sunrise, noticing Cynder's jealous expression. "Romantic, isn't it? Watching the sun rise on a new day."
At that, Cynder blushed a deep blood red, obviously embarrassed. "How did you..."
Link chuckled. "I'm from the future, Cynder," he replied with a knowing smile. "I was told the legend of the Purple Hero and Dragon Goddess. When I was told the tale, I couldn't possibly imagine actually becoming the one being I idolized."
He stopped talking for a moment, waiting for Cynder to say something.
"Hey, how about we start training together?" she asked, trying to change the subject. "I know I could use a bit of practice. So that when Malefor does show his craven face, we'll both be ready? If you're up to it that is. You do need to learn the wind element."
"Sure," Link replied. "It'll feel good to be doing something other than just waiting around for him to make the next move."