Chapter Fourteen: The Trek
Once outside the gate, Spyro and Cynder came closer to one another, hoping to comfort each other before they arrived in the Ice Caverns. Spyro knew he would have to keep her warm when they arrived there. He didn't mind doing that.
"Are you ready for this to end?" Spyro asked her.
"Yes," Cynder replied. "I've been wanting this to end for a long time. I know you understand what I mean. It's been hard for me to go through this, and it makes me happy that I'll be able to find peace in life. I have to do this." She looked over at him. "Please, don't try to stop me during my battle."
Spyro nuzzled her. "I'll try not to," he said. "It's just…I want you to be safe. I need you to be safe. You understand that, I'm sure."
"I understand everything. I understand all you're trying to tell me, and I like what you're trying to do." She sighed. "I've got to end this. I've got to find how to end my nightmarish experience with this demon. That sounds so childish to me, but it's the best description for this entire ordeal." She turned her head to look at him. "Wouldn't you agree?"
Spyro nodded. "You're right. I'll allow you to finish this, but I'm going to keep a close eye on you just in case. I need to make sure you're okay."
Cynder nodded, knowing it was only natural for him to think that way.
Sonic Boom and Sunburn were behind them, watching the two Dragons. They had heard the entire conversation, though it was not because they were eavesdropping. It was more because Spyro and Cynder hadn't spoken as softly as they had possibly thought. Sonic Boom turned her head to Sunburn and motioned for them to come up on either side of Spyro and Cynder.
They did so, and when Cynder saw Sonic Boom, a smile lifted up her lips. The Black Dragoness didn't mind seeing her best friend by her side. It made her spirits rise somewhat, and that was what she needed.
"How long do we need to keep walking?" Slam Bam's obnoxious voice yelled from far behind them.
"We have a long trek ahead of us," Spyro called back. "We probably won't get there until tonight, and then we'll wait until the morning to enter the Ice Caverns. We need to make sure Aemus doesn't know we're around here, too. Sunburn, Drobot, Camo, you'll be helping me with that. I might take a few more, but for now, that's all I'm going to be taking for the moment." He heard the sound of groaning behind him. He didn't care.
He knew this trek would be taking them a long while, but that was meant for a reason. He remembered the phrase, "Good comes to all those who wait," and he believed that was one of the most true quotes he'd ever known. He used it as one of his life's main mottos. But nowadays, he was beginning to question the quote.
Surveying the area before them, Spyro saw the sky was the same blue color as Whirlwind's eyes. He wouldn't have minded if the sky was the same color as Cynder's eyes, but to him, it was all right. The ground was covered in thick, green grass. None of it was brown, but he knew that soon enough, the grass would either become brown, or there would be none at all, replaced by ice or snow. There were rock formations around them, and he was fascinated by them, with their color and how they came to be.
"Nature's beautiful, isn't it?" Cynder said. Spyro snapped out of his trance to turn his gaze to her. He smiled and nodded. "I know what's going through your mind right now. I have the mental link with you, remember? So I know what you're thinking, and I know what you might try to think. I know it's crazy, but you can't hide any of your emotions or thoughts from me."
"Who said I wanted to?" Spyro asked. He smiled at her, and she returned the smile. "I like sharing everything with you. It gives me peace when I need it. Of course, there are some things that I don't always wish to share, but that's because they're personal. I can't share every single detail of my life, if you know what I mean."
"I understand you better than possibly anyone," Cynder told him. "Some of your friends back in the Dragon Realms might understand you well, but they can't come anywhere near my level of understanding. I mean, how could they? You've spent the last three years of your life with me. Nearly four years. So, I pretty much understand all of what you mean. You can't keep anything from me nowadays."
"That, and we share a mental connection, so sometimes I can read your thoughts," Spyro told her with a small smile. "I don't try to, but it's kind of hard sometimes, especially when you're kissing me."
Cynder laughed a little, something Spyro had been hoping to hear.
"Spyro, I know it's best we don't stay on this subject for long, but we need to talk about how we're going to take Aemus down," Cynder said. "I know, it's not a very good subject to be on, but it's the only thing I can think of. There must be a possible way to end him. I mean, no one is immortal. We proved that when Malefor was defeated."
"I know, and you're right," Spyro said. "Is there something we haven't done before?"
"Have you tried every element you have?" Sunburn asked. "If you use all of them—"
"It won't work," Cynder said. "One of Spyro's elements is Ice. That would only help to strengthen Aemus. But I have an idea. Why don't we combine our elements? All at once maybe. My Electricity, Spyro and Sunburn's Fire, Flashwing's crystals, Whirlwind's energy rainbows, or whatever they're called—" she looked behind her and smiled at Whirlwind, who returned the smile— "and the Sun Blasts from Camo. Maybe, just maybe, if we combine them, we can take Aemus down, and we'll never have to deal with him ever again. Do you think that's plausible?"
"Quite possibly," Sonic Boom said. "Unfortunately, that's the problem. We're not sure about this, and it won't help in battle if we're not sure about something. That's led to the downfall of so many, both those who are heroes, and those who are villains."
"But that won't happen when it comes to us," Spyro said indignantly. "We're going to win this. I know that for sure. We can't keep questioning ourselves. We have to be strong, and we have to be sure about what we're about to face."
"Sometimes it's a little hard, if you know what I mean," Sonic Boom said. "I understand you have a good meaning behind that, but you have to admit, after all that's happened, we don't know the outcome of all this."
"Just keep believing," Cynder said. "That's all that needs to happen. We've been waiting for some peace for a very long time, and I definitely have. I know I'm only talking about myself here, but it's just that I've gone through so much that I need my life to become peaceful."
"There's no need to keep going into this, Cyn," Spyro told her. "Like I said before, we need to keep believing. We need to stay strong." He looked over to her and smiled. He decided to change the subject. "You're so beautiful. After we had our lifemate ceremony, I always wondered why God allowed me to have such a beautiful Dragoness by my side."
"To me, it seems like it's the other way around," she replied. "After all that's happened, I'm surprised I have any luck left. It seems there really is a God. I've had my doubts, especially with all this, but I think my faith is slowly returning, and that's what matters."
Hex came up to be near Cynder. "Something is in the air," she told her. "I can definitely feel it."
"What do you mean?" Cynder asked, suddenly feeling a smidge of fear. "Does it have to do with Aemus?"
Hex nodded. "I think so," she said. "It's cold, dark, and evil. I'm not sure how close we are to the Ice Caverns' entrance, but I'm sure what I feel has to do with Aemus."
"Are you sure it doesn't have to do with the one beside you?" came Ninjini's voice from behind them. "After what she did that one night, right after we saved Dragon's Peak, I'm sure there's something cold, dark, and evil in her. Can't you see that, little Hex?"
Cynder felt her cheeks burn. She looked over to Hex, whose fists were balling up. Cynder noticed a violet glow shining through her fingers. She was obviously trying not to throw a Phantom Orb at Ninjini, and Cynder could not blame her. She looked over to Spyro, who looked back at her and sighed. He obviously wasn't happy with what Ninjini had said, obviously.
Why do I always have to be picked on? It makes life harder than it already is at the moment! Cynder thought. Ever since I arrived here, I've been picked on, and I've been hurt by others. I always thought I would be able to get through life after my first corruption without trouble, but instead, I've been continuously hurt by others' words. Why can't my life be normal?
"How much farther is it?" came Flashwing's voice. "I'm sorry to ask, but I'm beginning to get really tired, if you know what I mean."
"I agree," Spyro told her. "I think we're all getting tired. But we need to keep moving just a little bit longer, Flashwing. I'm sorry, but we have to. It's the only way we can get to the Ice Caverns without being detected."
"I understand," was her only reply before the whole group fell into silence.
Soon enough Trigger Happy and Gill Grunt came up be next to Spyro and Cynder. They were both smiling a little. Cynder noticed the scar Gill Grunt had received during the Battle of Dragon's Peak. Trigger Happy had a slight scar near his right temple, a result of a battle with a mysterious figure with the Person in Red, an associate of Malefor, who had caused trouble for the Skylanders after Cynder had gone missing. They hadn't been around with Spyro and Cynder in a while, but it seemed now that they decided to get back near them.
"Hey guys," Spyro greeted. "It's good to see you two. How're things going?"
"They're going fine," Gill Grunt said. "We've mostly been hanging around. Of course, we haven't been able to hang with you guys in a while. It's been hard, with everything that's been going on."
"It has," Cynder agreed. "At least we can group back together right here." She smiled, a true smile, which she was both surprised and unsurprised. It was a strange aspect for her to realize.
"How have you guys been doing?" Trigger Happy asked. "I mean, I know all this has been going on, but there are worse things that have happened, I'm sure." He laughed, and then noticed Spyro and Cynder's expressions. "Or maybe not."
"You're an amazing friend, Trigg, but it's just that there have been so many things bothering us that we can't think of joking around like this at all," Cynder told him. "I'm really sorry. I don't mean to kill your spirits, but—"
"Hey, no need to tell me," said Trigger Happy. "I completely understand. "We all want this to be over, and we'll do anything to help you make sure that happens. We've seen how much stress this has put on you, Cynder, and we don't want that to keep going. You are one of mine and Gill's greatest friends, and despite all that's happened in the past, we're going to keep supporting you. I want you to know that."
Cynder was feeling better suddenly. Hearing such words were helping her to get her life back in order, though she knew it wouldn't happen while Aemus still ran wild. But it would soon all end. That she knew.
As they continued on their way, Cynder looked over to Flashwing, who was speaking with Sonic Boom and Sunburn. All three of them were smiling, and Cynder knew the smiles weren't fake. They were all obviously engaged in a normal, friendly conversation.
Suddenly a chill went up Cynder's spine, and she knew the Ice Caverns were coming closer. Spyro saw her shiver, and he draped one of his wings over her body, and she felt warmth radiating through the membrane.
"It's getting colder," she observed. "How far are we from the Ice Caverns now?"
"About an hour or so," Spyro replied. He looked up at the sky and saw it was beginning to turn to a dark golden color, the color of dusk. If it was getting dark, then that meant he would need to be hurrying up with his speed, as did all the others. He looked over to Cynder. "Are you starting to limp badly?"
"No, my leg isn't hurting me as much," she said. "I think it's beginning to heal, fortunately."
"Good. I don't want you to become any more hurt than you already are," he said. "That's what makes this whole mission so dangerous."
"Please don't get into this…" Cynder began, but she was cut off.
"Are you surprised that I'm getting into this crap?" he asked. "I don't want you to be hurt, you know that!"
"Yes, I know that, and I love that you care, but it's too late for this to be happening. We're almos there, and I think it's time we start picking up the pace. I want to get there just as night settles over the place. We have to be ready for what is to come, and when we arrive there, we have to go over our strategy for all we're about to face."
"And do you think we're supposed to listen to whatever strategies you're going to give?" came Bouncer's voice, sharp as a sword. "You're a weakling. After all, you gave us up to Kaos and attacked us. You probably did it because you wanted to. Spyro only broke you out of it because he believed, in the most stupid of ways, that you were still the same freaking Dragoness. But I know he was wrong. You're still a traitor. You're not supposed to be a Skylander. So why don't you just leave us all alone and run to your master?"
Cynder couldn't take it anymore. In her mind she remembered all the other times she'd been made fun of, and she'd begun crying in some of those places. But she wouldn't do that now. She was becoming stronger. Her pain was still there, in a place she wished it had never entered, but she wouldn't let that hold her back. She was going to stand up for herself.
"I want you to shut up," Cynder snapped, whirling around on the other Skylanders. "I may not have seemed as strong in the past, but I'm going to tell you right now, you need to shut up. You've made fun of me in the past, and that sucks. I'm not even sure why you don't like me. But if you do it again, I might as well throw you all out of the Skylanders. I have the power, so long as Spyro gives me permission. And I'm sure he will give me that permission, seeing as how you've all been. Being a member of the Skylanders mean you should accept others, no matter what you dislike about them. There are some things that shouldn't be allowed, and while normally, someone that's almost killed you should be one of them, but in truth, I haven't done such a thing. I was corrupted and forced to fight all of you. It was never my fault. I want you all to accept me for who I am. I do my best to not judge others, no matter how much I hate them or want them to leave. I do the same with all of you, and if you can't do the same, then you might as well leave. I don't give a crap what you have to say any longer. Thank you, good-bye, and the end."
She finished with a tone of finality, turned around and continued walking forward. Spyro saw the shocked expression on Slam Bam's face, with his mouth agape. Spyro just smiled and returned to the trek. He hurried to catch up with Cynder, who was now getting a little farther ahead of the others.
"You did amazing," he said when he finally caught up with her. "How did you know what to say? I mean, I never could have done something like that."
"I just put all my courage into it," Cynder replied. "I don't care what they might say to me anymore. It might hurt me, but I know now that I have the strength to keep moving. I've gone through a lot, and I know that in the past year or so, I've been putting the Skylanders through a lot of crap, so it's not too much of a surprise that not everyone else loves me. But I know I can keep moving on, I know I have enough strength to keep living through all my years despite the pain that might come with it."
Soon enough more of their friends came over to them. Flashwing put her paw on Cynder's shoulder for a moment and said, "You did really great, standing up for yourself like that. Not many people can do something like that without cowering at least a little bit. But you showed that you have a lot of strength in you, and that it won't go away anytime soon."
"Thanks," Cynder replied.
"If only more of us could be as brave as you are," Sunburn said.
"Are you kidding me?" Cynder asked. "I'm a little bit of a coward in some places, you know that."
"Everyone has that little bit of fear in their lives sometime or another. But that doesn't mean you're not strong. You've shown everyone just how strong you are, and while some have not seen the truth, that does not mean they never will."
Cynder looked over to Spyro, who was smiling. He looked over to her, and she knew he was happy about what he was hearing.
"You know, I've been thinking," Camo said. Everyone turned their heads to him. "I think the tide's turned for us. We're definitely about to win, I know that for sure. Aemus doesn't stand a chance against us. We're going to win this battle, and there's nothing that's going to stop us from kicking Aemus's butt."
"It'll be a fun day when that happens, and hopefully that day will be today," Whirlwind agreed.
Spyro looked around and saw piles of snow packed up on either side of them. He realized the Ice Caverns were very close, and he looked over to Cynder, who he realized, despite how much she was smiling, was beginning to shiver.
"We need to stop here for the moment," he said. He turned around to the others. "We need to try and rest. I realize we're all tired from walking for most of the day, and I completely understand that. I'll be starting a fire for us all, and then we can rest."
Spyro quickly started the fire, thanking God that was his primary Element. Once he was finished, he made sure the space he was about lay down on was warm enough, and once he was sure, he beckoned Cynder over to him. She laid down, and he cradled her close to him, hoping to warm her.
"So, does anybody have any campfire stories or something?" Trigger Happy asked. "I just don't want to get too bored and then fall asleep, if you know what I mean."
"Well, it actually wouldn't be that bad of a thing if you fell asleep right now," Spyro said. "We need someone to watch us. I think I'll do it for now, and then I'll give it over to someone else. Who wants to watch after me?"
"I'll do it," Cynder volunteered.
"No, you need to keep your strength up for what's coming," Spyro told her. "I can't allow you to be too hurt, beautiful." He stroked her cheek. Slam Bam, as usual, rolled his eyes. No one saw this, but it didn't matter anyway.
"I'll do it," Hex said. "I don't sleep anyway. Actually, I'll take the first watch. You can sleep with Cynder. You both deserve it, especially with what's to come."
Spyro nodded, and that was that. He looked around, wondering what more he could do, but he realized he was becoming sleepier by the moment. He looked down, and saw Cynder was already asleep. He listened to her soft breathing, and then fell asleep himself.
The other Skylanders watched the two Dragons sleep.
"They look so peaceful together," Flashwing said.
"I agree," Drobot said. "I think I might fall asleep myself."
And so all of them did, all except for Hex. She smiled as she watched her friends sleep, and while there were those whom she did not trust, it did not matter.
All that mattered was that this whole ordeal was coming to an end. That was all Hex wanted, and she was sure that was what everyone else wanted.
She saw the orb far from her reach. She wanted to stretch out her paw and touch it, but it was impossible to do so. She was unsure why that was.
It was the only thing that could stop the apocalypse from happening. There was no other choice but that.
Looking down, she saw on her claws blood, and she felt sickened. But she knew she would be able to clean it off later. That was something she knew for sure.
"I know you're around here somewhere," came a cold, menacing voice. But it did not belong to Aemus. It sounded very familiar, and although it was not the monster's. It was distorted, but it was not as distorted as Malefor's, and that was a very surprising notion. If the voice was male, distorted, and familiar, yet not Malefor's, then who else could the voice belong to?
Cynder edged around the pillar, hoping to get away from her position and find someone she could receive help from. But at the moment, she was scared. She didn't know she wanted to do so. She wanted to remain safe, but knew safety sometimes onl stopped others from doing what they needed to do. And at the moment, this was one of those types of situations.
"I can smell your blood, little Cynder," came the voice again. "You cannot hide yourself from me, you little freak!"
Cynder suddenly realized whom the voice belonged to, and tears came to her eyes at the realization.
Looking back at the blue orb, she reached her paw out one more time to touch it, and as soon as she did so she felt claws dig into her shoulder. She gasped at the burning sensation that entered her body. She attempted to slash back at her opponent, but when she whirled around, she realized just who the assailant was.
Spyro stood there in front of her, in his corrupted form, a form she nicknamed "Dark Spyro." Seeing him in this form kept fear fresh throughout her body. She felt his claws dig deeper into her shoulder, and she screamed.
But then his hold on her was gone, and she slowly backed away. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do now. Spyro began coming closer. Looking down, Cynder saw the orb was still clasped within her paw. She took it, turned away from Spyro, and ran for her life.
She heard him running after her, and fear grew within her chest.
"He will find you, no matter where you run, Cynder!" came another voice Cynder did not know. And then she remembered that she did know it, but that she remembered it from a distant memory. It was not a memory that she could recall at that very moment. She decided it was a voice belonging to an enemy she'd faced from the past.
But that enemy had corrupted Spyro, and that meant they weren't stupid. They obviously knew what to do when it came to manipulating others during battles.
"This is where your life truly ends, you miserable wretch!" roared the deeper voice. It was not the corrupted Spyro's, much to Cynder's relief. Or at least, it was somewhat of a relief. There were many things she believed could help to make her relief grow. But for now, she would have to wait.
"You're dead," came the other voice, and suddenly Cynder felt Spyro's breath on the back of her neck. She froze in place. Looking down at the orb, she tried to remember why it was so important. Then it hit her, and her eyes widened, she blinked once, and then turned around, knowing waht she would see as soon as she did so.
Spyro's scales were black, and his eyes were a pure, glowing white. It was evil.
"Please, Spyro, don't do this," she pleaded. "Please don't hurt me."
"Shut up!" the corrupted Purple Dragon commanded.
The corrupted Purple Dragon, she thought. The corrupted Purple Dragon, who is also my mate.
"I've done nothing to hurt you," Cynder said. "Why would you dare to hurt me? Why would you dare to hurt your own mate? What have I done to you?!"
Tears flowed down Cynder's cheeks, not wishing to die. She wanted to keep living, to keep moving on in life, and she wished to do that with Spyro. But it seemed that would not be happening, so long as he was corrupted. It brought even more tears to her eyes.
She felt Spyro swipe his claws across her chest, and then across her neck. She felt herself beginning to choke on her own blood, and she realized she was about to die. She heard the other voice laughing, as well as the corrupted Spyro. She felt Dark Spyro's claws tear through her flesh and pierce her heart. Cynder saw her blood pooling on the ground, and finally, all went black.
Cynder shot up, gasping and sweating, but not crying. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. She knew Spyro was already awake, and she looked over to him. She hugged him, as he hugged her, and she realized she'd woken everyone else up.
"Cynder, what's wrong?" Spyro asked.
"I had a…I had another nightmare," she replied. "I can't explain exactly what I saw…I just saw flashes of light, and other things. But it ended with my death at the hands of someone." Cynder knew she was partially lying, but she couldn't reveal everything to everyone, not even Spyro. She believed he would be hurt if she told him what she had seen, and she didn't want that.
"Cynder, it's all right," Sonic Boom said. "But don't worry, all those nightmares will go away once this is all over. You have nothing to worry about."
"Thank you," Cynder said. "I'm just not sure why I have to deal with all of this nowadays. It's so painful, and I hate it. I've gone over this same crap over and over before, and I know how repetitive it seems, and I'm sorry about that. But I think you guys know how I feel when I talk about this crap. I know I'm strong, and I know I have the power to get through this, but it's hard. I have to admit that, because it's true. I hate admitting such things, but once again, it's true. I think you guys know what I mean when I say this. At least, I hope some of you understand what I'm talking about."
"We do understand, Cynder," Flashwing said. "You just need to remember the words I spoke to you on the beach. I will help you until the end of time. I'm still here for you."
"We've got to keep believing," Whirlwind said. "Times might seem tought, but the darkest hour is just before the dawn, and that's what's coming. We just have to keep believing and trusting one another."
"I wonder how everything's going to go when it all returns to normal," Camo said. "Will the peace be even better than before, or will it be around just the same? I would love to go at least a year without any trouble, in all honesty. I hope I'm not alone when it comes to thinking that."
"You're most certainly not," Whirlwind said. "Cynder deserves the peace most, I would say, but that's just my opinion. I know that some might have differing opinions when it comes to stuff like that."
Slam Bam was about to open his mouth, but he suddenly saw Hex look over at him, and he became scared. He was not wishing to face anyone's wrath at the moment.
"You know, I've been thinking about something," Spyro said. "We've all gone through so much. It's amazing what happens when others go through pain, because that brings a lot of others closer together for some strange reason. I've never thought of something like that until now, and now that I think of it, most of us have been brought together by this. It's like war, which, I guess, is what we're in at the moment. We've all faced our low moments during what we've been forced to go through, and now we're all together. Truthfully, I think Cynder is to thank for that." He smiled at his mate, who smiled back at him.
Bouncer, Ninjini, Bash, and Slam Bam were not very understanding of what was going on with the other Skylanders there in front of them. They did not have very good opinions of all of them, that much was obvious. But once more, that did not matter one bit to any of the other Skylanders present. All they cared about was loving one another, as they all counted each other as brothers and sisters. That was all that mattered to them at the moment.
Suddenly there was the sound of rustling leaves. Everyone stopped doing whatever they were doing at the moment to stop and listen. None of them had an idea of what was going on. They knew that the rustling of leaves had not been made by the wind, but by someone. They heard the sounds of someone grumbling, and a small Goblin came into their view. He was walking along the path, and as soon as he saw the Skylanders, he froze in place, looked around for a moment, and then ran for his life.
"What the heck?" Slam Bam whispered. "Why didn't you go after him?" he asked Spyro.
"Because it wouldn't matter," Spyro said, realizing what had just happened. "Even if I'd killed the Goblin or taken him hostage, the information would have traveled."
"And what information are you speaking of?" Bash asked.
"Aemus knows we're here," Cynder said.
Spyro quickly stamped out the fire using some of the snow, and got close to Cynder. "We're going into the Ice Caverns now. I wanted to wait until morning, but we have to do it now. Let's go." He draped a wing over Cynder and said, "Stay close to me," as they made their way toward the Ice Caverns, unsure of what was about to happen.