Chapter Nine: Main Worries
Sonic Boom and Sunburn were wondering how much longer they would have to stay on their guard. They were very worried for Cynder now. Sonic Boom had paid at least ten visits to Cynder before she'd woken up. They knew now that she was with Spyro. But Sonic Boom wondered how much longer Cynder could take it without collapsing underneath all the pressure.
"I'm so scared for Cynder right now," Sonic Boom admitted to her mate. Sunburn turned to look at her, which allowed her to know that he was listening intently. "I've been thinking everything through. I want to know how we can keep her safe, but every single time I come up with a good way, it falls through, because I don't know just how cunning Aemus truly is. He's the worst enemy I think we've ever faced! As bad as Kaos and Malefor were, Aemus is a breed all his own!"
"I know," Sunburn told her. "I know how you mean. I've been thinking the same exact thing. There is one problem, however, that we haven't exactly realized. If you haven't noticed, every time we ask Cynder to run, she comes right back into the battle. I'm not trying to go against her, but I'm just saying. When Whirlwind was injured, Cynder came right back into the battle to save her, and as much as I value that, she got herself badly injured at the same time! I love Cynder as if she were my own sister, but I have to just say, that was a very stupid decision, Sonic Boom!"
"No, it wasn't!" Sonic Boom yelled at him defensively. "She did it because she has goodness in her heart! She couldn't stand to see Whirlwind be killed! Can't you see that, Sunburn?" Sunburn saw the tears in her emerald eyes. "Sunburn, I want you to realize that she's been doing all this for a reason! She doesn't do it just because she wants to get injured! She's doing it to keep us safe! And I know why! She feels responsible for what's happened. She feels deep remorse for all the crap that has transpired, from when she was taken by Malefor, to Kaos, and now. She just wants everything to end. She's trying to save us from an unimaginable fate, and while I want her to remain safe, I think she's trying to do what she can! Please, just see that!"
"I can see that!" Sunburn exclaimed. "I'm trying to tell you that we need to protect her more! I need you to stop trying to tell me that what she did was for the right reason! I want you to see that I understand that what she did was for the right reason! But I need her to stay behind on everything else! I need her to just stop what she's doing, and rest! Can't you understand what I'm saying?!"
Sonic Boom couldn't believe what she was now hearing. She felt as if she were ready to slap her own mate right then and there. But she held herself back. "Please, Sunburn, please realize that Cynder is doing what she can! She can't stop herself from getting into these battles, because she feels her responsibility for all that has transpired! She wants to stop Aemus so she can finally rest. Without our help, she won't be able to stop this monster. Please understand what I'm trying to say! I'm only trying to tell you what I completely believe in! I need you to understand me for once!"
Sunburn was taken aback by Sonic Boom telling him to listen to her "for once." When had he not listened to her before? "What are you meaning by that? I've always listened to you!" Sunburn told her seriously. "I've always listened to you, Sonic Boom! So don't you dare tell me that I've never listened to you!"
But you haven't! Sonic Boom wanted to say. You haven't always listened to me! You've sometimes been completely on the other side! I love you so much, and I know how much you love me, but it seems I haven't been listened to in a long time! But then suddenly something else came to her mind. She realized why he might not be listening to her at that moment. He isn't listening to me because I kept the secret of Cynder leaving; he's not listening to me because I revealed that I knew what had happened to Cynder. I realize I was stupid to not reveal that to everyone so much earlier, but at that time, I couldn't reveal such information to them. I didn't know how they would react. Cynder didn't want me to tell them, either, and that's why I never revealed it to you, Sunburn. I respected Cynder too much. I love her like a sister. She is my sister. I had to keep that secret, no matter how much it hurt me. And now everything is coming up. Now everyone is beginning to know the truth behind all these secrets.
Finished thinking everything through, she tried to say something to Sunburn, but instead she just hung her head and became silent. She didn't know what she was supposed to be saying now. As much as she loved Sunburn, she couldn't bring herself to say anything more to him. For her, it all hurt way too much. She believed that if she opened her mouth again, he might possibly tell her to shut up or even slap her across the face. She didn't want that.
But Sunburn, who could tell what she was possibly thinking, was not thinking of doing either of those things. He loved her too much. He still had anger inside him for all that had happened, but he realized it was best he put all the anger behind him. He could tell he was scaring his own mate, and he wanted her to remain being his mate. He didn't want her to leave him any time soon.
"Sonic Boom, please, I'm sorry for all I've said," he told her. "I know you're only trying to stand up for her. You're only trying to stand up for Cynder, and I believe that's the right thing to do. I just don't know what I'm supposed to keep believing. I want Cynder to be safe, is all. We have to keep her safe, but what she's done recently is scaring me so much. I don't know what I would do if I lost such an amazing friend. I know you're probably thinking the same exact thing." He lifted Sonic Boom's head and kissed her. "I will remain by her side as long as I must do so. But I need her to promise that she won't go into another fight in such a way. It all scares me too much."
"It scares me too," Sonic Boom told him. "But I'm going to keep believing. I am going to keep believing that Cynder will get through all this, and the only way for her to do such a thing is to confront her demons. Aemus is the worst demon she's ever faced. Yes, there was Malefor, but he wasn't as hard for her to get through. Aemus has put up more of a fight than any of our enemies so far. He has an army that seems to never leave or completely die off, and that's something that puts chills down my spine. I'm ready for this Hell to be over. I'm ready for Cynder to live her life normally. And we need to help her through that. She's going to continue living, and once all this is over, we'll be there still, watching her and loving her. She will be getting through this, but the only way for her to do so is for her to confront Aemus. I hope you realize that what I'm saying is true, Sunburn. I want Cynder to continue living through her life without any problems."
Sunburn smiled at her. "I agree with you now. I believe that what you're saying is right," he said. "But when another battle comes up, I'm going to make sure I'm not far from her. We need to keep our minds on Spyro, too, because he's the most worried of us all. I found him sobbing near the healing tent after the last battle with Aemus. He's obviously hurt mentally by this whole terrible event, and no one can blame him." He sighed. "It seems we've gone through all this before so many times, and I hope we never go through it ever again once this is over. I hope life will return to normal."
The both of them got into their bed, hoping to sleep peacefully for the rest of the night into the late morning. Once they woke, they would be paying a visit to Spyro and Cynder to help cheer them up. After all, that was what friends were for.
Sonic Boom closed her eyes and began to rest peacefully. But Sunburn felt he couldn't go to sleep just yet. He felt he needed to think everything through. So much had already happened, and he knew that soon a lot more would be happening. And it would be for better or for worse, something he hated. He wanted everything to be simple. That would not be happening anytime soon, however. Life was not something that would ever be simple, he knew. Life was something that everyone would have to go through, and as painful as everything was, as Sunburn believed, it was good to keep getting through it, because many good things would start coming up and showing through the unsightly cracks that sometimes massacred it.
This will hopefully be the last phase of this battle with Aemus. Soon enough we will be able to go back to normal lives. Spyro and Cynder can sleep without trouble. Cynder can stop dealing with this hellish nightmare, and the Skylanders will be able to go a little while without having to fight. I'll be happy when that happens.
As he finally closed his eyes, he suddenly heard a tapping sound outside the treehouse. He groaned and got to his feet, hoping that he was being woken up for a very good reason. And when he let the shades fly up, he saw Camo standing there. He had dark circles under his eyes, which did not surprise Sunburn.
"Hey," greeted Sunburn. "What's going on?" He saw the sweat dripping off Camo's face. "What's happened? Does it have to do with Whirlwind?" He was suddenly very afraid.
"Yes," Camo said. "We were talking about Cynder, and Whirlwind told me about these visions she's been having. She told me that they were all real bad, and that in them, Cynder usually dies in them, and she just recently had one. According to her, she was with Sonic Boom and Cynder in this very cold place. She could hear Aemus's voice calling out to them. She saw Cynder, and Sonic Boom. According to her, Cynder was badly shivering and Sonic Boom had blood dripping from her nose. From what Whirlwind said, Sonic Boom had been beaten, and they were hiding from Aemus. Whirlwind said she heard Aemus was coming closer to them, and suddenly he appeared right there in front of them. He attacked them, and Whirlwind said that was where the vision ended, with all three of them dying." Camo took a hard swallow. "She said her chest was stabbed through, that Cynder had her heart ripped out of her chest, and…Sunburn, she said that Sonic Boom had her throat slit." Camo had tears running down his face. "Sunburn, I'm so freaking scared right now. I want Cynder to be safe, but I also want my mate to be safe, and I want Sonic Boom to be safe. This crap is taking us so darn long to finish! We're all so tired and wasted, and none of us can go anywhere without looking over our shoulders half the freaking time! What is it that we can do?"
Sunburn sighed and shook his head. "I don't know, Camo. We're in deep crap now, and as much as I hate it, I think more is in store for all of us. This will not be ending until Aemus is finally killed. But I do not know how we will be able to kill him. He's the most cunning villain we've seen. He can't be taken down without one of us getting injured. I hate this more than anything. I want to sleep for once without knowing that Aemus will be coming back to kill us! No, he's not coming back to kill just us! He's coming back to kill Cynder, and that's something we have to stop! I've gone through too much Hell already, and I'm sure everyone else has already. Cynder has nearly died three times thanks to Aemus! The first was his first appearace to all the Skylanders. The second was when she had that nightmare while swimming underwater. And the last time was the same time when Whirlwind was injured. Cynder has done so much for all of us, and to me, it seems we've done nothing to help her. We have so much power coursing through us, and yet, we haven't been able to come to her side and help to save her from that demonic creature! What in the name of God is the matter with us? She's given up so much to protect all those she loves, and this is how we repay her?"
Finished speaking on that part of the subject, Sunburn sat down on his haunches and stared at Camo. "I'm sorry if I've said so much, but I'm just so mad that all this is happening. It's tearing us all apart. When we want peace, we have some enemy who appears, taking it all with us and screwing it up. How do we get ourselves into this crap, Camo? Can you answer that for me?"
"No, I can't, and I know how you feel," he admitted to Sunburn. "I want Whirlwind to be my mate, but with all this crap happening, I'm not sure I even want her around here. I want her to be safe all the time, and I allowed her to be injured. It's thanks to Cynder that she's still alive, and yet Cynder was still hurt. There's one question that I've been asking myself for so freaking long, and that would be this: What in the name of God is this forsaken realm coming to? Can our lives become a normal utopia for once? Can we go through life without Hell coming right back for us?" He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "All that matters now is that we stop Aemus. Once that is done, Cynder will be free of her chains, and she and Spyro can live their lives in peace once more."
He looked around the treehouse and grimaced. "But maybe my hope is all too much to be hoping for. I can't keep believing in things that probably won't be happening. Anyway, I'm going to go to sleep, Sunburn. I hope you can sleep peacefully tonight." He looked behind him. "It seems that Sonic Boom got lucky. Anyway, goodnight." He waved and then turned around. However, just before he was about to climb down the ladder—the only way in which he could get down—Sunburn called him back for a moment.
"You shouldn't give up that hope," Sunburn told him. "Just because these things seem so darn bleak doesn't mean you have to give up hope. I know what it feels like to be that sort of a person, but that does not mean we have to stop believing. Life is full of many letdowns, unfortunately, but just because that happens doesn't mean we have to give everything up. I think that's how Spyro and Cynder do it. That's how they're able to continue on this strange and dangerous world. Now only we need to try that sort of a thing." He smiled. "Go get some sleep. It's the best thing for any of us to do." He looked over to Sonic Boom. "And fortunately, we both have someone to keep us company. So does Cynder. I think we know we'll be able to move on, because we have each other. We have friends, and we have those we love."
Camo smiled. "Thanks, Sunburn," he said. "I knew I could count on you. Night!" He began climbing down. Sunburn watched as he did so, trying to make sure he got to his treehouse without any trouble along the way. When Sunburn had made sure, he turned back to Sonic Boom and smiled at her.
She suddenly opened her emerald eyes. "You did well," she said.
"So you were listening?" Sunburn asked.
"It was kind of hard not to," she explained. "You and he both have those kind of voices that carry. Do you understand?" He nodded. "I understand what you were saying, and I trust you with everything you said. Now, how about you come back into bed so you can sleep? It's always hard to sleep without you, too."
Sunburn smiled and climbed back into his bed with Sonic Boom. He knew she would keep giving him peace. That was someting he believed they had in common with Spyro and Cynder. That was why they were the greatest friends with one another. They were able to know what the other was thinking. And that, Sunburn believed, was something they needed to have. That was how they would be able to help the other.
So long as we have each other—I and Sonic Boom, Spyro and Cynder—as well as all our other friends, we will be able to continue on in life. We will be able to find a way to get through this. It is Cynder who needs the most help, and we will be able to do such a thing. I won't stop believing.