Chapter Three: Trust in Friends
As Cynder woke, she thought of all the past events. Everything that had happened recently was still affecting her more than she wanted. Especially now that Aemus had returned from somewhere in her past. It hurt a lot.
Will my life ever be simple? she thought. Probably not. That's my curse. She looked to Spyro and smiled. At least I have someone who won't leave my side no matter what. Of course, there's Sonic Boom and them, but Spyro's the one who won't leave me no matter what. And that's why we're mates. That's the reason I love him so much, and why he loves me so much: because neither of us will leave each other, no matter what it is that happens.
Spyro stirred and opened his amethyst eyes. When he saw Cynder, he smiled.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"Better," she replied. "I'm still a little shaken over everything, of course. But I'm doing alright. I guess it could be worse, right?"
"It could be," he said, "but I don't want that happening, of course. You're too important to me, and I need to make sure nothing more happens to you."
"Let's just get our minds off that for now," Cynder said. "Let's get our minds to something better-ow." She felt pain in her back right leg, realizing she'd moved it quickly, and as it was broken, it was painful. "Sorry about that. I'm still dealing with my leg, you know?"
"Yeah, I need to talk to Slam Bam about that. He shouldn't have done that to you," Spyro said. "He didn't know it was you, of course…"
"But that doesn't matter," Cynder reminded him. "He hates me anyway. He's been making a joke about it, remember? How he made Warnado squeeze my leg? You weren't there, but it wasn't right. He should have known better. I mean, I am the second-in-command of the Skylanders. He knows there's the possibility I could kick him out. With your permission, of course."
"That's true, but even if you do that, he'll likely come back somehow. We just need to wait. Maybe things will get better when it comes to that."
"I hope so…"
Spyro kissed her. When he finished, he said, "Let's go down there and find the others. If they're awake, we can do something. Okay?"
"Good idea."
She grunted as she got up, the pain in her leg coming back a little. Suddenly she felt cold, and she shivered, unable to take it.
"Hey, you okay?" Spyro asked her in a concerned tone of voice.
"Yes," Cynder lied. "It's just—I think I might still be recovering from that Ice shard. My body's not made for that, you know? Or at least, it isn't now. I wonder how things might have been if I hadn't been corrupted. When I think of all this, I feel a pang of pain and fear deep down inside, because I don't want to have to think of where I'd be without you or any of the others. It's because of you that I'm even here, and without you, I'd have nothing to live for. I just—"
She was cut off as Spyro kissed her and pressed his forehead against hers.
"You don't to need to be scared, Cyn," he told her. "We all have our fears, and I know how badly a lot of this has affected you, but you have those who love and care about you. We will help you. I've been telling you this a whole lot, and I know that it's hard and you don't want to keep listening to me, but—"
Cynder cut him off this time. She smiled and nuzzled up against him. She knew he was right.
"Spyro, I do want to keep listening to you, because every time you tell me something, it always helps," she told him softly. "It's one of those kinds of things. It's hard, because I have to deal with the demons in my past. It all started with Deathmatch, of course. And then it went on to Malefor, and now we're here with Aemus. As long as you're near me, and as long as you help me, I know I'll get through this. There's nothing and no one that could ever tell me otherwise." She kissed him again.
Cynder saw Sonic Boom and Sunburn near the Core. Drobot and Flashwing weren't too far away. They were both conversing about something. When they saw Spyro and Cynder, they both stopped speaking. They both did their best to smile at Spyro and Cynder, but Cynder could tell it was hard. She guessed it had to do with all that had happened. She wasn't surprised. Everything was still hard for her. But she had her friends and her mate. That was all she needed. She kept telling herself that, trying to make it all go by quicker.
"So, have you remembered anything?" Sonic Boom asked them. "Have you remembered anything new about this White Dragon? Aemus, I mean."
"No," Cynder replied. "I don't really want to remember him too much. I know it's vital to do so, but I don't feel like I want to. It's hard for me, know what I mean? I don't want to have to deal with such an evil creature all over again." She swallowed hard. "It hurts, you know. To think I still have someone hunting me, wanting to kill me. I'm used to Kaos, but when it comes to a demon in your past that you thought to be dead, it's not easy."
"Well, you can keep trusting us when it comes to this," came Camo's voice from behind her. "If you need us to, we can try to learn more about this guy."
"Can we just try to not talk about Aemus for today?" Cynder snapped. "I'm sorry, but I just don't want to have to deal with it all. It kind of hurts my head to think about him. My throat feels like it's being constricted when I speak his name."
"Oh," Whirlwind said, coming into her line of vision. "We're sorry, Cyn. We really didn't mean to do that. We were just trying to help."
"I know, and I thank you all, but sometimes the help I get doesn't always work. I feel different emotions all the time," Cynder explained. "You see, there are parts of me that I don't have control over. When it comes to me being corrupted, there is a part of my mind that gives into it. I try to put that part of me back, but the past few times, it really hasn't helped. That's the worst problem I've had to deal with. At least, with my mind, it is. With the other things in my life, I've dealt with a whole lot worse. I guess the best thing to do is keep hoping that there will be a breakthrough for me. I would really appreciate one right about now. Thanks for always being by my side, guys."
"No problem," said Flashwing. We need to keep by our friends when they are in need. Just saying that reminds me of the speech Spyro gave just before our fight at Dragon's Peak. He told you about that fight, right?" Cynder nodded. "Well, just before we went to fight Kaos, Vathek, and their armies, Spyro gave this really cool speech. I thought a lot of it really rang true. I mean, that's what I think. I know some people have differing opinions on this kind of stuff."
"No, you're right," Sonic Boom told her. "Spyro's speech gave us a lot of hope that night, Cyn. I wish you could have been there to hear it. When we were in battle against those armies, we never gave up hope that we would win. Yes, there were some injuries along the way, but what fight doesn't have some sort of an injury? It seems like no one can get away without one. But back to what I was saying. The speech Spyro gave…actually, it might be better if you said it yourself, Spyro."
Spyro smiled. He turned to Cynder. "'Even in the darkest of times, there is always hope. But sometimes fear clouds our vision. Sometimes our strength gives out. And yet sometimes, when all seems lost, a light shines through the darkness, and even the smallest amount of courage can turn the tides of war.' After I gave them that quote, they all cheered. It's a quote that gives me hope, and it's one that gave them hope." He gestured to their friends around them. "I know this is already a rough time, but it is best that you remember that quote. It will help you when you most need it. I'll do my best to help you remember it, of course." He smiled. "Now come on. I think we've had enough of a talk about this. I think we need to do something that doesn't require sadness. We have a lot to do around here, after all. Now let's go and do it."
Throughout the day Cynder couldn't help but think of Aemus. She couldn't get the White Dragon out of her head, for some odd reason. She kept remembering him. His appearance…his eyes…his words…it all hurt her still. She tried to keep her mind on what was right there in front of her.
But she couldn't do it.
He kept coming back to haunt her, like some forbidden demon. Perspiration dripped off the sides of her face. It ran profusely.
What is happening to me? she thought. Is this some kind of test? And if so, why is it that I can't get over it? It hurts so freaking much! I need to forget Aemus, and I want to, but it's almost like I can't. He keeps coming back into my mind every time. I really need help, but who can I turn to? Spyro's a good friend, and a good mate, but sometimes, I just need someone else. Maybe one of the new friends I have, like Drobot or Flashwing. They both seem like they wish to help me, and I want them to. I'll find some way. I'll find a way to get through this.
She found herself being stared at by the others. They seemed concerned for her still.
"Are you okay, Cyn?" Sonic Boom asked. "You seem to be sweating quite profusely right now. Do you need to just sit down and cool off?"
"No, I'm fine, Sonic Boom," Cynder lied. "I just need…" She sighed. "I need help. I need someone who can help me through everything that's going on in my life. I trust you all. Of course, all those I trust are the ones who trust me back, so that's you guys. Can any of you help me? I guess you could call it therapy, but it's not exactly the same."
"We understand," Flashwing told her. "I know how I can help. I did something like this while in another city. They kept coming to me a lot. Of course, some of the visitors seemed to only want to see me to look at the gems I'm made of, but there were some I was able to help a lot. And of course, you have Hex and Sonic Boom."
"I know Hex can help me, but I want to give her and Sonic Boom, as well as Spyro and Sunburn, a break. They've helped me a little too much."
"Well, that's because we care about you so much," Sonic Boom told her. "We don't want you to be hurt or anything like that. It hurt us to see you get hurt when Aemus did that. We just want to help you. Please, allow us."
"Cyn, please," Spyro said. He hadn't spoken for a small amount of time. "They want to help you, and I definitely do. If you want help, you don't need to keep waiting. Just ask us, and we'll do our best. You know we can help. We've done it before, and we can do it again. You know that, don't you?"
Cynder nodded. "I know," she said. "It's just not easy. Is there some way I can escape this life? Is there some way I can just be a normal Dragoness without all the pain? I've probably said this a lot, and I'm sorry if this little scene is becoming repetitive, but it keeps coming back up, you know? I want to get out of this mess before it gets any worse. The only question is, can that really happen? It doesn't seem like it, if you ask me."
Spyro attempted to put one of his paws on her shoulder to comfort her, but when he did so, she gently pushed it off and walked away. "I'll see you guys later," she said.
When she was out of sight, Spyro turned to the others. All of them were saddened. Most of them had seen some sort of this side of Cynder, but never in a way like this.
"Poor Cynder," Sonic Boom said. "Why is it that every time we try to move on from the past, it comes back to bite you in the butt?"
"I'm not sure," Spyro replied. "It's just the way it is. I want one of you to find Cynder and try to help her. I need to see if I can learn more about this White Dragon. If Aemus comes back, the only thing on his mind will be killing Cynder. That's something we can't allow to happen. So, while I look over defenses and find out more about Aemus, who will find Cynder?"
"I'll do it," Flashwing told him. "As her new friend, I think it's best to make the attempt to show her how much I care for her."
Spyro smiled. He left the scene, too, and then the others started leaving. Soon only Drobot and Flashwing remained. Flashwing looked to Drobot. "Do you want to come with me?" she asked.
"No," Drobot replied. "I want to help her, but it's best if I just wait and see what you might do."
He walked away, leaving Flashwing alone. She started on her way towards Cynder. I'll do whatever it takes, she thought. I'll do what I can to help Cynder.