In response to a fan question, if any of you wonder why Spyro does not go into his corrupted form (Dark Spyro), it is because he has no control of it, and because he does not wish to hurt Cynder. This is because Spyro and Cynder are scared of one another's corrupted form, and especially because of the past few events in The Darkest Hour and Savior Rising.
Chapter Two: Pain of the Past
Spyro couldn't believe what had happened. It all seemed too unreal. Though he'd felt this way before, now it was in a way that hurt him when he thought of it.
The White Dragon had arrived, and he and Cynder had obviously known one another. But she'd seemed scared, while the White Dragon only wanted to kill her.
Some of it didn't completely make sense as he thought of it a little more. Though he attempted to think it through, nothing came, much to his disappointment. He wanted to know what was going on, but knew he would most likely have to wait for that.
Sonic Boom and Sunburn were on either side of him. The others were behind them, including Stealth Elf, Trigger Happy, and Gill Grunt. All of them were completely shocked.
"Why is this happening?" Spyro mumbled to himself. "I've been told things happen for a reason, but none of this makes any sense! I mean, I already knew there were some under Cynder when she was first corrupted, but I don't know if that's the case with this."
"Well, all we need to do is wait," Sonic Boom said. "Hopefully she'll wake up soon, and when she does, we can ask her who this mysterious Dragon is. Of course, we need to make sure we don't bombard her with questions. If we want her to rest, that's not the way to help her with it."
While the last part was meant as a joke, Spyro didn't take it in such a way. He only wanted Cynder to wake up. She was on the bed, covered in a warm blanket. She was using a breathing device, as the shard of Ice had begun to attack the vital organs in her body, including her heart and her lungs. As Spyro thought of that, he cringed, unable to take it.
"Will she be okay?" Flashwing asked. She had taken it the hardest, as seeing one of her friends come so close to death was something she'd hoped to never see as a Skylander.
"I'm not sure," Spyro admitted. "I hope so."
He saw Cali enter the room and knew it was time to talk about Cynder, to make sure she was understanding of her. He knew what the last battle had done to her trust, but now he wished to renew it.
"Cali," he said.
"Yes?" she asked.
"Do you still have trust in Cynder at all?" When he'd finished asking the question, she seemed to tense up.
"Why are you asking me this?"
"Because I've seen how you don't want to be near her. Did the last fight get to you in a way?"
"Yes," Cali finally said. "It was hard for me to get past that. I know what you said, but when I think of Cynder, I wouldn't have thought of that monster. She's too great of a friend. When I think of that monster, it hurts me to think it's her."
Spyro nodded, understanding.
Suddenly Cynder began stirring. Spyro hurried over to her side and watched carefully.
Slowly she opened her eyes. When she saw Spyro and the others and realized she was using a breathing device, she asked, "What happened? Where am I?"
"It's okay, Cyn," Spyro assured her. "You're fine."
"The last thing I remember is the pain, and…" Her eyes widened as she remembered the reason for her pain. "Oh no."
"What is it?" Spyro asked.
"I know who attacked me," she said. "I can't believe it. I never thought I'd see him again."
"Who was it?" Flashwing asked.
"His name is Aemus. He's a monster. I hate remembering my past, but he was under me when I was corrupted. But unlike me, he's not corrupted. He joined Malefor's army willingly," Cynder explained. "He was thought dead by many of us. But now he's returned, and I guess he wants revenge on me."
"Why did you never tell us of him?" Spyro inquired.
"Because I couldn't remember, okay?" Cynder snapped. Tears began to flow from her eyes. "I just couldn't remember."
Spyro realized she'd thought he was angry at her. He found that it was not a question he should have asked. It was one that seemed to be more confrontational. He felt sorry for that.
"I'm sorry, Cyn," he apologized. "I didn't mean it like that. You know how everything is, how all our emotions are running high due to the past few events. I wasn't trying to confront you."
"I understand, Spyro, and I'm sorry, too," Cynder said. "It's just hard right now. To think that Aemus has returned and that he's trying to kill me makes it all so much harder. I never thought I'd have to deal with this. And now that it's all coming, I feel like I'm being attacked."
"You're not being attacked, Cynder," Sonic Boom said. "You're loved by all of us, both as a sister by us, and as a mate by Spyro. I know what pain you've gone through, but you just need to keep your head up. Maybe this will end sooner than you think."
"Thanks." Cynder looked back to Spyro. "What happened after I was attacked? I remember being hit by the Ice shard, and then all went black."
Spyro didn't want to say it. It hurt him just to think of it.
"You fell to the ground, and as much as I hate to say it, you began to have a seizure. You weren't breathing right, either. The Ice almost destroyed your lungs and almost killed you."
Spyro was now crying, the thought of almost losing his mate too much for him to handle.
Hearing this, Cynder couldn't believe it. It was almost too hard for her to bear. But what she realized is that she had not died, thanks to her friends. That was something that cheered her up a small amount. But after hearing Spyro's explanation of what happened, she was nearly distraught. She felt as if she wanted to hide.
"I can't believe this," she said. "When he was thought dead, almost everyone knew for sure, because it was near a volcano that erupted. He was supposedly killed by the lava and the fire. It was something that everyone believed, because Ice cannot survive Fire. But somehow, he lived, and now he's come back to haunt me. I'm not sure what to do."
"There's one thing I know for sure," Sunburn said. "When I saw him preparing to attack you, he had pure hatred and malice in his eyes. He couldn't stand seeing you in your normal form. Some of his anger is resonating from the fact that you're not who he once knew and followed. While it's different, it reminds me of Malefor. When he saw you'd been returned to normal, he was angry, almost the same way as this guy was tonight. What's his name again?"
"Aemus," Flashwing reminded him.
"I'm guessing he learned I'm not a follower of Malefor anymore. I wish everything in my life was simpler."
"Well, what you need is to sleep, Cynder," Drobot told her. "That's what's helped more than most things, isn't it?"
"I do need sleep," Cynder said. "I've been getting it, at least. But after tonight, I need it even more. I don't know what's going on. I want this all to end, but all these demons are coming back to haunt me. I want it to stop already! Why can't I have a normal life? Why is it I have to deal with all this crap?"
Any answers her friends had for her were stopped from being told by Cali, who came into the tent and told Cynder, "You can take that off," referring to the breathing device. "You don't need it anymore. All your organs' functions have returned to normal, including your heart and lungs. Those are what matter more than anything."
Cynder nodded and took it off. She felt good as she breathed normally. "So am I able to leave?" she asked.
Cali nodded. "Be careful, all of you," she warned. "We have to set up more defenses to keep that Dragon out. If he is able to enter back in, then all our lives will become endangered. I'm sure none of you want that."
Cynder slowly jumped down from the infirmary bed. She hugged Spyro, happy she could see his face again. She remembered what had happened after being struck by the Ice shard. She couldn't and didn't want to think that Spyro had almost lost her.
"I wish everything would become normal," she whispered to Spyro. "That I'd never seen Malefor or Aemus. I know that if it hadn't been for some of these events, I would have never met you, but I don't want to have to deal with this!"
"I know you don't, and you don't have to," Spyro said.
"Is that so?" she asked him. "Then tell me, what will I do about Aemus when he comes back and attempts to kill me again? He's a formidable opponent to me, because he controls Ice. I can't be struck by another Ice shard. If I do, I'm sure I'll die! I have no body heat left, Spyro! You of all people should know that! I don't want to live a life like this! Despite all the friends I've met along the way and all the great things I've done with you, I want to just live a normal life!"
She broke down and began sobbing. It hurt all her friends to see her in such a way. She was so much more powerful, and to see that something had gotten to her so much made them sad.
Spyro draped a wing over her. He looked around him and realized they were by the Core. It reminded him of the night he'd found her there, the night after he'd saved her from Malefor. She'd been crying like this that night, as well.
"Cynder, please, I'm trying to help you," he whispered to her. "You are the love of my life, and I know how you feel. We've both gone through this before. You need to remember you're not alone when it comes to these problems. You have Hex, you have Sonic Boom and Sunburn…and you have me. Allow us to help you through this. We will keep you safe. I don't want to lose you. If you allow us to help you, then these problems can all go away."
"Spyro, I don't know what to do," she admitted honestly. "My past keeps coming back up, and when it does, it hurts. I want to stop it from happening so badly, but it won't stop ever! I know I have you to help me, but none of you have gone through completely as much as I have. I never even had a childhood, unlike all of you. I've dreamt of that, but it's never worked. Now it seems to me that my dreams will never come true. Few ever have. The only dream that's come true is being with you, but when it comes to me wanting to redeem myself, that path is blocked by those here who hate me and distrust me. I can't take it. It all hurts so much."
"Cyn, you need to remember that I've gone through some of this," Spyro said. "When I grew, I learned that I didn't completely belong. I found the Dragon Realms, yes, and although I was accepted well, I felt left out, too. Just like you have. I'm someone who understands you better than anyone. I'm not letting you go."
"Spyro, please, just stop," Cynder told him. "I can't take it anymore. As much as I love you, due to these events, I'm still feeling like I mean nothing. Nothing anyone says can help me. Nothing. I feel like nothing. And it's all true, I'm sure. I'll never be someone others can understand. I'll just be some freak forever. I don't even want to be in the Skylanders anymore."
Spyro couldn't believe what he was hearing. He knew he had one more chance before she went into a depression.
He knew that was what would happen if he didn't do something soon. And he didn't want that to happen.
"Cynder, if you leave, then I'm coming after you. I'll follow until the end of time. I believe in you. More than anyone, perhaps. If you haven't noticed, all those who are here with us trust you a lot. They love you, and I love you. No matter what happens, I'll be there by your side. I need to be there. One way you can know that I won't stop being there for you is the fact that I gave up all my powers for you. When Malefor put you under all that torture, under his evil control, I gave up everything just to save you. And I'll do it again if it means that I will save you and protect you from all that comes your way. I can't leave you alone, because I love you too much to ever have that happen. No matter what comes forward in the future, I'll protect you to the best of my ability. It will be all right. You have no reason to worry about me leaving you, because I never will. I'll give my life to save you. Even when it seems dim and dark, I'll be there to light the way, to give you as much hope as I can. And you know why that is? Because I love you more than anything in the universe, and my love for you will never end."
Cynder looked up at her mate and smiled at him. Her eyes were teary, but she didn't have the same fear and sorrow in her eyes as before. Instead she had glowing happiness. That was what happened when Cynder felt loved.
She got back to her feet and made her way with him to the treehouse they shared. The others were still with them. They were all feeling sorry for Cynder and what she'd gone through.
They were all wanting to be there by her side no matter what happened. They were ready to come to her defense when the time came and to die for her if the need be.
They all loved her like a sister and understood her well.
Spyro looked over to her and draped his wing over her again. He'd known for a long time that was something that made Cynder feel safe.
"I wonder where the others went," Sonic Boom said. "Most of them probably decided to leave after she was hurt."
"It doesn't matter anymore," Spyro told her. "What matters is that everything's fine for now. We just need to be careful in the future."
"You're right," Sunburn said.
"What do you mean?" Cynder asked. "If you mean being a bodyguard for me, please don't. I don't need one."
"No matter what, you're going to have me by your side," Spyro told her. "So technically, you already have one."
Cynder laughed a little. When she realized that she had, she seemed a little surprised. Spyro wasn't though.
He'd been hoping she'd laugh soon. He loved hearing it, and believed that without it, his life wouldn't have as much joy as it did now.
"I think we're going to bed now," Spyro told the others. "After tonight, we need it. And tomorrow, we need to be sure we find a way to keep intruders like Aemus out of here. We can't have another incident like that happen again."
He and Cynder opened their wings and flew off to their treehouse. When they were out of range, Sonic Boom turned to Sunburn.
"I'm scared for Cynder," she said.
"So am I," he told her. "We need to keep her safe."
At the same time in the treehouse, Cynder curled up next to Spyro, who held her close.
"I still feel cold," she said.
"That's why I'm keeping you close," Spyro told her. He kissed her right cheek softly.
"Goodnight," she whispered.
"Goodnight," he whispered back. Minutes later, after she'd fallen asleep, Spyro looked at her and said softly, "I'm not letting you go."