Chapter 18: Spellbound
"What's going on!?" Shard exclaimed as he and Terrain rushed up to Flame. "It's Incendia, she's trying to kill Ignitus!" He replied as Shard shoved him aside.
"I know that, why is she doing it though?" He asked as Flame shrugged and they rushed to see that Incendia had Ignitus tightly grasped by the neck. "Incendia, my love...why are you doing this!?" Ignitus desperately searched for an answer from her, but her eyes gleamed a soulless purple with slight flames burning from the sides.
"You really thought it was true, didn't you? that your love could return from the grave!? Nonsense, no one could undo such damage!" Incendia spoke, her voice mutilated and seeming to house two beings, but Ignitus knew who it was. "Malefor..." He grimaced, causing the possessed Incendia to laugh.
"You finally figured it out, old fool, bravo, I'll give you that." Malefor laughed through his puppet and she started glowing purple. "But why this, Malefor?" Ignitus asked. "Didn't have the courage, that's what I'll say." Nero growled as Incendia's body blasted him away with a stream of purple fire.
"Because why not take such a glorious opportunity to wipe you all out with the very dragon you love, Incendia here is a timebomb, an emotional one at that, within minutes she'll wipe everyone in this accursed Temple to dust, including herself!" Malefor cackled as his voice faded and Incendia lifted further upwards, glowing brighter and brighter.
"Everyone, we have to evacuate the Temple now!" Ignitus yelled, causing everyone rushed for the exit. "Wait!? Where's Spyro!? He's still in the Temple somewhere!" Cynder cried as Ignitus stopped.
"You're right..." The Fire Guardian turned to face the Temple, and then grabbed Cynder. "Wait!? What are you doing?" She asked as Ignitus closed his eyes.
"I'll explain later, Cynder, but first, we need to not get vaporized." He clutched the Dragoness close to his chest as Incendia let out a massive blast of purple energy, which spread out across the entire Temple, but no further. As Ignitus landed with Cynder in his arms, his back was covered in dirt and muck, but she was clean as a whistle.
"There you are, Young Dragoness." Ignitus put Cynder and walked to the others. "Is everyone alright?" He asked as they all looked around.
"All the guardians are present and accounted for." Terrador looked amongst the other guardians and their mates. "Wait...where's Nero and Spyro?" One of the cadets asked as they looked at the smoldering wreckage of their former home.
"No..." Cynder was concerned while Ignitus looked down in distress. "Everyone, listen to me, our home may be gone, but take solace...we shall march to the city of Warfang for refuge, it will be close, I promise, from there we can discuss the situation we find ourselves in." The Fire Guardian announced as they started their voyage, but Cynder was still concerned.
"Cynder, it's all right, Spyro is alive." Ignitus told her as she looked at him, confused. "When we were escaping the Temple, I could not detect his elemental signature within the building. He's out there." He explained and Cynder appeared to have shed a small tear.
"Are you going to be okay, Ignitus? With what has happened?" Terrador walked to him as he sighed. "I shall deal with my own emotions in due time, but right now we must focus on finding Spyro...wherever he is."
"Ah, excellent!" Malefor smiled as he watched the destruction of the Dragon Temple through dark magic. "My lord, Rose returns." One of the Apes bowed to him as he watched Rose enter his fortress with a peculiar package.
"Malefor, my master, I bring you a prize...the purple dragon." She held an exhausted Spyro up to Malefor, who plucked him out of her grip with dark magic as it formed around his paw and floated him towards the Dark Master.
"Leave us." He commanded as Rose looked up in surprise. "But my lord-" She was cut off as Malefor gave her a menacing stare. "You think I fear him? He couldn't even beat me on his own, now: Leave. Us." He growled, and Rose did so, leaving the two purple dragons together.
"Funny that we find ourselves in this predicament once more, purple dragon, it's a shame that I forgot your name...not that I cared." Malefor chuckled as he forced Spyro into a cage made from dark magic. "You won't get away with this, Malefor. My friends will-" Spyro was cut off by Malefor's laughing.
"Your friends!? Your friends have been turned to ash!" He snapped his fingers and showed Spyro to destroyed Temple. "No...Cynder!" Spyro cried as Malefor rolled his eyes.
"Ugh! I forgot about how annoying you were about her, I really had hoped that she survived. I could've used the extra power." Malefor's statement drew confusion from Spyro. "What are you talking about?" He asked The Dark Master, who seemed to be mumbling to himself, but eventually turned to face Spyro.
"Naturally you have no idea how important you and Cynder are to my plans." He replied and begun to explain. "Why do you think there was never a second fear dragon at your temple? Think about it." Malefor had Spyro thinking.
"Because Ignitus and the others weren't able to find a second Fear egg, and so they replaced it with another Shadow egg...Cynder." Spyro answered as Malefor clapped. "You catch on quickly. Yes, They couldn't find another one...because I arranged it to be so. Ignitus was so certain that he'd kept me in the dark on training you lot, that he instinctively let his guard down, I knew of your egg, and I needed it. But I knew you'd never be willing to join me, that's where Cynder came into play, I stole her egg and implanted instructions to ensure you fell into my hands, as it was that I pulled the strings that allowed for your safe transportation to the Temple. Your parents on the other hand...had a much different fate." Malefor paused as Spyro growled.
"After that, I ensured that Cynder's egg found it's way into the hatchery...but, your blasted nobility got in the way, you imprinted upon her...it overrode the instructions I had so clearly put into place. I was forced to come up with a new plan because of this, and so it was that I had Rose use a spell to brainwash everyone into believing you and Cynder hated each other, and made Cynder your rival...but you broke through that spell too. However, if Cynder lives, I'll trap her, and then drain both of your life-force, making me the most powerful dragon in the world, as it always should've been." Malefor had finished his rant and allowed Spyro to process it all.
"But...I...I will stop you!" He said confidently, causing Malefor to laugh evilly once again. "What do you think you'll be able to do, the cage you're in is impenetrable, only powers that you can't even use are able to destroy it, which makes you powerless to do anything...including stopping me." Malefor responded as he left and kept Spyro to himself.
"Oh Cynder...I hope you're alright."
Cynder looked at the various trees as they kept treading through the forest. She could feel that Spyro was somewhere, she just had to look. "Hey Cynder? You okay?" She turned to see Shard. "Yeah...I'm fine." Cynder responded as Shard kept walking with her awkardly.
"Hey, listen...I know we didn't get off to a great start when you and Spyro first started...you know, dating. But I wouldn't mind having a clean slate with you, if that's okay." Shard requested as Cynder stared at him.
"Sure, I'd be happy too...but right now I need to find Spyro." She quickly turned away while Shard appeared disgruntled. "But Cynder, Ignitus told us to reach Warfang first, and then discuss our next move of attack." He explained while Cynder brushed the comment aside.
"I know, but look around. Our moral is low, Nero is dead and Spyro is missing, possibly captured by Malefor. I can't just sit around and do nothing while he's doing who knows what to the only Dragon I've ever loved!" Cynder exclaimed and blasted a tree stump with her poison, causing Shard to back away. "Woah, I didn't think you and Spyro thought of each other like that." He pointed out as the Dragoness calmed down and turned back around.
"Ever since that battle in the training arena, everything changed between us, we just...clicked together, he was the only one to look at me like I wasn't a freak...I don't think you really knew how I was viewed amongst them?" She pointed her tail blade at the other Secondary Element Dragons. "No...I thought you were like the top of the food chain." Shard figured as she shook her head.
"They thought I was a freak, Spyro was the only one I trusted...especially when we were younger." The last part made Shard flinch. "I think I'm starting to remember...me and Spyro were close friends in our youth, and then...Rose...Rose made us hate each other, I remember...I know why I love Spyro, and he was plucked away from me through a spell, and now...he's been plucked away by Malefor..." Cynder explained as Shard seemed greatly surprised.
"You...actually remember." He said as the Dragoness nodded and looked at the sky. "I'm going to get Spyro back...whether Ignitus is okay with it or not...I'm going to save the one thing I hold dear, and bring him home, Shard." Cynder turned to face him as they kept walking with the other Dragons.
Gaul was sharpening his blade when Rose entered the armory. "Shouldn't you be sulking in the shadows?" He asked smugly as Rose scoffed. "Shouldn't you be boot-licking Malefor?" She retorted in an equally smug tone, causing Gaul to growl.
"At least I get the job done more efficiently." He replied while Rose yawned. "If by that you mean jeopardize our plans all the time, then I agree." Rose grinned while Gaul turned to face her with his sharpened blade.
"Make no mistake, Whelpling, I will be Malefor's most ruthless and effective general in his entire army. While you merely retain the petty role of spy, I will be conquering battlefields!" Gaul declared confidently while Rose laughed.
"Oh please! You can't even kill two little dragons properly, what makes you think you'll be a competent general?" She asked mockingly. "The Dark Master has faith..." Gaul presented this point, causing Rose to have slight concern about her position of power, though she didn't show this.
"Well, Malefor wouldn't waste such time with you, you're not nearly as powerful as I am." Rose exclaimed as Gaul merely moved for the exit. "And yet...I'm the general of Malefor's armies." He left Rose to take in his point, now it seemed like he would get the respect he deserved. Meanwhile, Rose was beginning to worry about how long Malefor would keep her around.
"He wouldn't...would he?" She wondered as she left the Armory and went to her quarters to contemplate this.
"Everyone, we will take shelter here for the night, find a place to rest for the night, we move out in the morning." Ignitus announced as everyone prepared to rest for the night as the two full moons showed themselves in the sky amongst the stars, Cynder found a place amomgst the others and watched the sky while the others would drift into sleep, but she didn't. Instead she quietly grabbed a small satchel, one of the few items they had preserved from the Temple, and walked over to some red and green crystals.
"I'll probably need these..." She whispered as she yanked out the stem of the Mana gems and placed it in her bag, then she grabbed the health gems and placed those in her bag. "Cynder? What're you doing?" She turned to see Sparx.
"Sparx, go back to sleep, this doesn't concern you." She replied sternly, causing the Dragonfly to cross his arms. "Last I checked, everything you did concerned me...you're going to save Spyro, aren't you?" He asked as Cynder sighed.
"I can't just leave him with the Dark Master, I'm going and you can't stop me." She replied while Sparx smiled. "Who says I was gonna stop you, I'm coming with you, Spyro's my bro." He surprised Cynder.
"One question, how do you know that the Dark Master has him?" Sparx asked Cynder as she started walking. "Just a feeling..." She trailed off as they walked into the forest, away from the others.
Ah look, the internet guy is back and writing stuff, in other words, I'm going to try and not be as inactive, especially with the direction I'm taking for this story, think of it like IDW's Transformers comic books, as in we're gonna take the characters in new directions and whatnot...anyways, bye.