Welcome back to Ashes of Midnight. Last time, we figured out where Cynder, Nico Minoru, and Magik ended up, stuck in a HYDRA base. But not just any HYDRA base, the very one Bruce Banner was taken to after Lilith and Malefor took control of him. And to make matters worse, it was revealed the two did the same thing to Wanda, creating Fallen Scarlet Witch. Thankfully, Magik managed to get her, Nico Minoru and Cynder out of there quickly, as both Fallen Spyro and Fallen Scarlet Witch started attacking them. And all The Hunter in Cynder's head could say to do was kill them. So, what happens now that the good guys have gotten out of Dodge, what awaits? Read on to discover...
(Our tale opens with Cynder, Nico Minoru, and Magik tumbling out of the portal away from the HDYRA warehouse and back into the Abbey on a rainy night.)
Cynder: Well, that could have gone better.
Nico Minoru: Did you see what I saw?
Magik: If you mean Spyro and Wanda trying to kill us, then yes.
Nico Minoru: I mean the look in their eyes. They hesitated!
Magik: And then blew up the ground where we stood.
Nico Minoru: Look, all I'm saying is the real Wanda and Spyro are still in those things. Somewhere.
Cynder: (Seeing something just out of sight) They're not there. THEY'RE HERE!
(Sure enough, Cynder's eyes are not deceiving her, Fallen Scarlet Witch is stretching the Limbo portal they came through back open, allowing her and Fallen Spyro to start crossing through.)
Cynder: Magik, close it!
Magik: (Using all her power to try and shut the portal) What do you think I'm trying to do right now?!
(Magik forces all her Limbo power into the portal, but ultimately Fallen Scarlet Witch's Chaos Magic and Fallen Spyro's Corrupted Aether prevail over it)
Fallen Scarlet Witch: No escaping. Not anymore.
Fallen Spyro: This time...
(But before Fallen Spyro can finish that thought, he and Fallen Scarlet Witch are hit by golden beams of magic, as Caretaker enters the fray)
Caretaker: You were saying?
Fallen Scarlet Witch: You...! This is your fault! You will be no more...
Fallen Spyro: On that much, we agree!
(As Caretaker powers up her magic, Fallen Spyro manages to leap through the portal and fires a beam of Corrupted Aether at her, but Caretaker has been doing this for centuries longer than the Purple Dragon has been alive, and with one final burst, casts Fallen Spyro and Fallen Scarlet Witch back through the portal, finally closing it. And needless to say, when she sees what the team has been up to, she's not happy)
Caretaker: I am not Agatha.
Cynder: No offense, but what the actual hell is that supposed to mean?!
Caretaker: It means, I'm not going to just let you fool around with magic like this. It almost let them into the Abbey. I warned you those two were bad news.
Cynder: It isn't their fault! They're being controlled by Lilith and Malefor!
Nico Minoru: Cynder's right! There's got to be a way to undo this.
Caretaker: There is. (Turns and walks away) By slaying them.
Cynder: No.
Caretaker: What?
Cynder: I said, No. That's not how we work. You're the one who put this team together, so you should know that better than anyone. There's another way to turn them back, and even if it kills me, I'm going to find it.
Caretaker: Last I checked, you're not the only one in there anymore.
Cynder: If The Hunter wants to complain, tell him to shut it. I'm not taking suggestions right now.
(And with that, Cynder walks off, presumably to confront The Hunter in her sleep, or maybe as Ignitus for advice, as our tale ends for today)
And that looks like a good place to end for now. Admittedly, not much in this one, but sometimes we all need a shorter chapter, and given I have a project in the real world to start in the morning as of writing this, it's kind of intentional. Anyways, it looks like Cynder and Caretaker are going to be at it again, plus we know she and The Hunter aren't getting along right now either. So, how's this relationship going to spiral out of control? Tune in next time to hopefully find out. Same time... same channel...