Hey guys just a heads up, if you didn't know, this happened a few months back, but I removed the Lemon stuff from the book entirely, just because someone wants one, doesn't mean I should have to go through with it, you can thank SKdaGamer for that, he's been helping me improve my craft through the reviews he's left, once this is all over, I might go back to work on the previous chapters to grammer-fix them and make them better. Since we're at the 20th chapter, I feel like I owe you some kind of speech (Which I will do again for my 50th chapter when that comes), I'm very grateful to all of you who've stuck around for this long. I'm going to admit that the beginning of this story was very rocky with some concepts and execution, but all we can do now is look towards the future, and I feel like the current story I'm working towards will be pretty good, and much less jarring than the beginning of this tale. Personally: I'd like to thank Illusionmaster17, Anacondra1, and of course, SKdaGamer for sticking with this story for as long as they have, with the latter giving me good advice and ways to improve my craft and whatnot. This is starting to get long enough already, so I'll say this much: Thank you, stay safe, and wash those dirty hands, now...onto the story!

Chapter 20: Inner conflict

"Cynder...how much farther?" Sparx groaned in irritation while Cynder ignored his complaining, and continued to scale the side of the tower. "Seriously, my wings are getting tired." He whined, causing Cynder to reach out and pluck him in her paw, and placed him in her gem bag.

"There, now quit complaining or I'll turn you into a lantern." She said briskly while coming up on a large hangar bay door, but not before looking down, all she saw were the clouds below her as she moved to the hangar. "Just keep climbing, Cynder." She herself was starting to get nervous from the height she was at, as she climbed over to the hangar bay, she lost footing on part of the wall.

"Woah!" She cried, startled and fearful, and unfortunately, she was loud enough that some nearby Apes heard her.

"What was that?" One of them said as they walked over to the hangar door.

"Spikey, what's going on?" Sparx peaked his head out of the bag, only to have him shoved back under by Cynder, who at this point was hanging by one paw. She then used her Shadow element to turn invisible right as the Apes looked over the edge.

"I don't see anything." One of them said.

"Probably just a bird." The other Ape guessed while the first one raised an eyebrow.

"That's a weird sound for a bird to make." The first one replied as they walked away, allowing Cynder to put her other hand on the ledge of the hangar, and crawled in, still invisible.

"That was close." She sighed quietly in relief and snuck past the guards, as soon as she was certain she was alone, she uncloaked herself.

"Phew, that was close!" Sparx flew out of the bag.

"Be quiet! Your blabbering could be the death of us!" Cynder scolded the Dragonfly as they looked around the dreary and saturated Purple hallways.

"So...where do we start?"Sparx asked as the Dragoness shrugged and they walked to the left, beginning their search for Spyro...and speaking of Spyro.

Spyro was slammed into the wall as Rose attempted to swipe at him with her claws, but he managed to hold back her massive paw by channeling his Earth element to strengthen herself. "I still don't get it? Why betray Shard? He loved you." Spyro asked trying to keep her claw tip from making contact with his eye.

"I'll say what I said at the Temple: I had a higher calling." She grabbed Spyro and tossed him further down the hall, Rose towered over the Purple Dragon (To give you a size estimate, she's probably as big as corrupted Cynder from A New Beginning).

"Are you sure, or is that what the Dark Master made you think?" Spyro started trying to peel into her inner layers, all while trying to avoid death at her paws.

"You know nothing of Malefor!" Rose roared, trying to blast him with Fear, but he dodged and zapped her slightly with his electricity breath, stunning her briefly as he flew in for quick punch in the face...only to have it happen to him while Rose grabbed his face and slammed him in the ground. "I know The Dark Master, he would never lie." She growled while watching Spyro struggle.

"Do you really know him? You served him loyally for all those years, and you never questioned what he'd do once you weren't useful to him anymore? Dammit, Rose! Actually think rationally for a moment! What was the point of serving him if all you did was betray those who trusted you...especially Shard. He still thinks about you, day and night...Rose, come home. We miss you..." Spyro's statement made Rose hesitate for a moment, her eyes shifted slightly, they changed to her natural blue eyes instead of the red eyes she possessed normally.

"I...I can't go home...I have nowhere else to go!" She snarled in defense while Spyro was still trapped under her unyielding grip.

"Rose...you have a place among us, you always have...Shard still believes that." He responded, suddenly Rose became more hostile and her eyes changed back to red as she pushed Spyro further into the ground.

"You're trying to fool me! It won't work!" She threw Spyro as he slid across the ground, and behind Rose emerged Malefor.

"Excellent work, Rose, my faith in you is restored." He said calmly, causing Rose to raise an eyebrow. "Well...isn't this quaint? The Purple Dragon unable to fight back...Rose, I expect you to finish the job." He plainly said to her as she nodded and walked up, kicking Spyro in the stomach, and grabbing his neck, preparing to choke him.

"This will be the last thing you ever see." Rose snarled as she was prepared to take the final blow.

"Rose...is this what Shard wants? Think for yourself for once! I thought you loved Shard...but if you're gonna do it...then do it." Spyro plead one final time, and then became more submissive, waiting for the blow. Rose was conflicted severely, her eyes slowly turning blue again.

"Well Rose? Go ahead, end this pretender." Malefor goaded her as she closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She removed her paw off of Spyro's neck, allowing for the Purple Dragon to stand up.

"Thank you..." He said with a weak smile, causing Rose to give a slight look of empathy.

"How disappointing..." Malefor sighed as he froze Rose with dark magic.

"Ack!" She started losing air as Spyro stood up in shock and rushed towards her to try and help, only to be blasted back by Malefor.

"Why do you think I made such a pathetic prison for you? Purple Dragon? Do you think I'm that naive? I know Cynder and Sparx are in this very fortress, I knew of Rose's conflict within herself. I wanted you to escape...to test her...alas, it seems that nothing can ever really work out for long." He explained as he put one of his hands on Rose's shoulder, keep in mind he's still behind her..and imapled her with his own hand, grabbing her writhing heart, all while Spyro was watching.

"I told you...I don't tolerate disobedience..." He whispered to Spyro as he crushed her heart, blood spluttering onto Spyro's face, all while he watched in horror as Malefor removed his bloody hand from Rose's chest, she looked at the hole he'd left, and then at Spyro...and he could see that her eyes were filled regret...regret for leaving her only love in the world, and she fell on her side, trying to mutter something, but was unable to finish as the life faded from her eyes, and she reverted to her normal size.

"How disgusting...I expected her death to be more dramatic too." Malefor inspected the hand that was drenched in Rose's blood as Spyro charged at him. But he merely used Dark Magic to brush him aside into the wall. All without looking, as Spyro slid across the ground, he saw Malefor use Dark Magic to form shackles around him to chain him to the ground, and begun to shock him with Dark Lightning. The Dark Master watched in pleasure as Spyro writhed in pain, and screeching in agony. All the younger Dragon could keep his eyes on was Rose's bloody corpse while Malefor continued torturing him.

"Now: let's finish this." Malefor clenched his fist and resumed the Dark Lightning coarsing into Spyro.

"Where is everyone?" Cynder asked Sparx as he shrugged.

"Don't know, but-" He was cut off by a scream of agony ringing throughout the halls.

"That sounded like..." Cynder and Sparx both knew who it was.

"SPYRO!" They both said in unison while looking at each other, they were about to find the source of the scream but they were ambushed by a number of Apes.

"Uh...I'm just gonna go over here while you fight these guys." Sparx slowly flew to the side while Cynder entered a fighting stance.

"Well then, boys...come at me!" She challenged as the Apes all rushed at her simultaneously, and she begun to fight them, leaping into the air with grace and charging at one of them, kicking another Ape into the wall, scratching the one who she had in her grip, and kicking the Ape away.

"Is that the best you got?" She asked confidently as all the Apes charged at Cynder again, who was prepared for fight.

"Come on! Just die already!" Malefor grew irritated as Spyro tried to resist the painful lightning coarsing through his body.

"Never..." Spyro said through gritted teeth, all that did was increase the power of the lightning on him, making it all the more agonizing for the Purple Dragon.

"Oh stop being a hero for five seconds and let it kill you!" Malefor growled, then he caught sight of someone...it was Cynder.

"Spyro!" She cried as she tried to help him, but Malefor created a magic barrier that prevented her from breaking through. Spyro's vision was starting to fade as he couldn't make anything out, but just as the lightning was about to end his life...Malefor hesitated, and he started holding his head in pain, causing the shackles, lightning, and barrier to disperse.

"Spyro! Spyro!" Cynder ran up to him as she checked his pulse, he was alive...barely.

"Cynder, we gotta get him outta here before that guy comes out of whatever's happening to him." Sparx pointed at Malefor, still holding his head in pain.

"Right..." She managed to get Spyro on her back, and had his arms wrap around her neck, and fled with Sparx.

"No! I'm in control! Not you!" Malefor scolded himself as his eyes shifted color, and he collapsed from the sheer pain, and passed out.

"Malefor, wake up my dear." Malefor opened his eyes to see a Dragoness laying in bed with him.

"Good morning Synthia." He smiled lovingly and sat up and nuzzled her.

"For a moment I thought you'd stay asleep on me, come on, we've got to meet with Hazan." Synthia got out of bed, but Malefor was hesitant.

"When will we tell them...about us? I'm worried about how they'll take it, especially Ignitus, you know how he is." Malefor said to Synthia, who grinned at Malefor's nervousness.

"We'll tell them when the time is right, now come on." She kissed Malefor on the cheek as he sat up and they coiled their tails.

"Alright, I guess we can go now..." He replied and they left Malefor's quarters.

"Cynder, the hangar's this way!" Sparx pointed right and the Dragoness chose to go that way.

"There!" Cynder ran past the Apes trying to get her and the unconscious Spyro.

"So, Spikey...how we gonna get out of this one?" He asked Cynder as she grabbed the Dragonfly and put him in her gem bag. "Oh don't tell me we're gonna..." Sparx trailed off as Cynder jumped out of the hangar.

"JUMP!" Sparx screamed in terror while Cynder started channeling her wind abilities to make a current for them to travel safely through the air, she also spread her wings to make it easier to glide in the current, as soon as they found a good landing zone, she landed, and grabbed Sparx and some red gems.

"I'm gonna vomit..." He gagged as Cynder put him on the ground and broke the red gems, letting them swirl around Spyro and fly into him, healing the damage that was inflicted on him. Now she had to wait for him to wake up.

So, Chapter 20 is done, once again, thanks to all of y'all for sticking with this story for this long, and I hope you guys do well in this time of panic, now, bye.