Chapter 3 – Switched Bodies?

Groaning after enduring the excruciating pain in her head before hearing a loud popping sound, Cynder found that she could finally move. She moved her arms, and to her horror, she noticed that they were white, and she was wearing a different outfit. It quickly dawned on her that her mind was now in Ash's body, and all the while, Ash had assumed Cynder's form.

"How do you like my Mind Switch spell?" she asked with an evil smirk on her face. "Now everyone will think I am you!"

"You thief!" the real Cynder hissed. "Give me back my body!"

"Sorry, I can't do that, Princess," jeered Ash. "I am taking a shining to your body as it really suits me well!"

"My friends will never be fooled by your masquerade, Ash!" declared Cynder. "They'll soon sniff you out and realise that you're an impostor!"

"You truly are pathetic, my black-skinned, or should I say now, white-skinned friend," laughed Ash. "Our minds may have been swapped, but our voices are still the same, so I can get away doing bad stuff while pretending to be you! In fact, I sound a lot like you, so I'm really going to enjoy running down your good name while making one for myself at the same time!"

Seething with anger, Cynder lunged towards Ash. Ash stood calmly as she stared disdainfully at the dragoness in her body before delivering a plasma burst attack that struck her on the chest, causing her to howl in pain as she went crashing to the ground. Cynder tried to get up, but she was still hurting from the attack.

"Ouch!" she groaned. "I never thought that my own plasma burst could really sting like that."

"The pity," said Ash. "Here you are, the mighty Cynder, finally taken down. Now you know how I felt to be humiliated by you! Guess the tables have finally turned, am I right?"

Cynder could only grunt in agony.

"Well, I guess I'm done with you," continued Ash. "Next I shall go after your friends, and this time, you won't be able to stop me as they won't be suspecting anything!"

With that, Ash turned around and entered into the forest to reach the village, laughing maniacally. Cynder struggled, slowly getting up, but still powerless to stop Ash.

"I've got to warn Draco, Darky, and the others about Ash…" she croaked. "They'll be in grave danger if I don't stop her…"

But Cynder knew that with her in Ash's body, it would be difficult for her to convince her friends about Ash's true identity. She could only hope that they won't be easily deceived and will figure her out the moment she started behaving strangely around them.

Back at the village, Draco and the others waited impatiently for Cynder to return. She had already been gone much longer than she said she would take, so they began to worry what might have happened to her.

"Where could she be?" asked Draco. "She should have been back by now."

"I hope she's alright," said Blaze. "I'm sure she is though. She's a strong dragon girl, so she should be okay like she said she would."

"I really hope so," said Draco worryingly. "Maybe we should start a search party to see where she is."

"Relax, Draco," said Bowser. "You'll see your beloved Cynder when she returns. She couldn't have gone far off. Maybe she's just taking a swim at the beach, since you know how much she loves swimming and fishing."

"I guess that might be it," said Darky. "Cynder sure does take her time whenever she's fishing, as far as I know."

"Why don't you play around with the Nightriders app up to pass the time?" suggested Torden. "That's what I'll do whenever I'm bored and don't want to feel like I'm waiting for too long."

"Hey, look!" exclaimed Tails. "I think that must be Cynder coming!"

Everyone looked, and there was Cynder making her way to the village, though they were unaware that it was really Ash in her body. Quickly, they gathered to greet her.

"Hey, welcome back, Cynder!" they exclaimed happily.

"Ah, hello there," said Ash. "It really is good to be back after spending some time at the beach."

"Cynder, my love, give this Charizard a hug and a kiss," said Draco as he spread his arms out to embrace her.

Reluctantly, Ash walked towards Draco and did as he asked, but while they hugged and kissed, Draco noticed there was something about the way the fake Cynder was doing it. It felt rather short and detached than engaging and affectionate.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "You don't seem so eager to show me your love."

"Uh, I'm fine," replied Ash. "It's just that I'm a little parched, that's all."

"That reminds me," said Lily. "What took you so long, Cynder? You were supposed to be back much earlier."

Ash thought for a moment on what to say. "Well, if you really want to know what happened," she spoke. "I just got into a tangle with that no-good Ash, but I took care of her without any problem at all!"

"That albino Twilight Storm is still around?" Jakkin asked indignantly. "She never learns anythin' at all."

"She won't be bothering us for now, that's for sure," said Ash. "Now, let's get going, everyone! I need you dragons to come with me as there's an important mission I remember I must do."

"That's odd," said Percival. "I don't recall you having another mission, when not even Blaze had said anything to you earlier."

"Are you questioning my integrity?" inquired Ash with a threatening expression on her face. "There's no time to be asking questions, so quit standing and come with me!"

"What about us?" Shu asked. "Surely we could be of some assistance, right?"

"That will not be necessary," replied Ash. "This is just a mission for dragons only."

"What gives, Cynder?" Tails pouted. "This isn't like you to leave us out like that."

Ash tried to think up of an answer, but realise that she was dangerously close to revealing herself. "Gotta run now," she replied hastily. "Come on, dragons! Off we go!"

So without asking any more questions, the dragons followed the fake Cynder out of the village. Tails and Blaze looked on feeling very bewildered as they had never expected Cynder to behave like that before. They looked at each other and nodded understandingly as they could sense that there was something not quite right.

Indeed, Cynder was acting like a completely different dragon…

Author's Note: So Ash in Cynder's body has begun to start stirring up trouble. Will Cynder's friends realise in time that she is not the real deal? And will the real Cynder be able to arrive in time to intervene? The plot thickens!