Chapter Text
In the beautiful valleys of Avalar, as the rays of a golden sun graced the pristine landscape. One would think that this seeming paradise is kept tranquil and quiet, but amongst the tall grass that danced elegantly in the wind, one would if lucky enough catch a glimpse of a purple blur followed by an even swifter black blur.
"Come on, Cynder! Are you even trying?" The male purple dragon, Spyro, yelled gleefully.
"Don't get too cocky mister!" Said the female black dragoness, Cynder.
Both Spyro and Cynder had been enjoying playing the game of tag for the past few hours, and while it seemed Spyro has the advantage of being ahead, Cynder had keeping count of the times they won and she definitely has more wins under her wings. They both then entered a forested area where both dragons weaved past the trunks and low hanging branches. Spyro tried kept trying to find some way to throw her off but Cynder is gaining fast on him.
He then spotted an old hollowed out trunk that looked big enough to fit through, so he flew directly in with Cynder following after him and once out he immediately flew upwards and out through the tree canopy out of Cynders' sight and then back down, though this time he stayed hidden in the leaves. He can hear Cynder burst out from the canopy and through the leaves he can see her visage looking around this way and that, she looked quite confused.
"Okay, where ever you are Spyro, come on out! You know hiding isn't one of your strong suits!" Spyro internally giggled as he watched her disappear back under the canopy and he listened as she started flying away where he is. Once the noise is gone he then flew back down and hid behind an old stump. He then laid there as he proudly grinned that he actually gave Cynder the slip.
Spyro never thought of this before, but this is practically the first time he is having fun with Cynder. Even though they are considered teenagers at this point he couldn't help but feel happy about playing tag with her, even though it's considered childs play. And given what they have both had been through, who really cared.
It had only been a week since, but it felt like yesterday when they were in both in a conflict that decided the fate of all the world. For within this worlds' very core they fought against the most powerful dragon in this worlds' history, The Darkmaster Malefor. Who despite being blessed and imbued with the almighty powers of the Aether, and had been given so much praise and admiration from his peers and mentors, he yet craved more. His ambitions and lust for more drove him away from a life that would have been perfect, but instead he wallowed in dark desires for power.
Spyro wonder why though, even though Spyro being a purple dragon himself means he to is blessed with the Aether, Malefor had it all though. Family, friends, a future where he was loved and wanted, why throw it all away, and for what?
He was so distracted however he didn't see the pair of piercing green eyes looking at him. Spyro couldn't register in time as a black mass flew directly at him and tackled him, sending them tumbling through the forest and out of the tree line. The pair came to an abrupt stop with Spyro on his back and Cynder leaning over him wearing a smug grin.
"Told you hiding isn't your best skill." She said with a smirk.
"Yeah yeah, you win." Spyro groaned as he then turned over and laid on his stomach.
He then looked out from where he is laying and perceives that they had reached an edge of a cliff. "Woah." He whispered as he stood back up with Cynder following him to the very edge where they looked and saw the rest of Avalar valley and out in the distance, silhouetted in front of the setting sun, they can see the tallest buildings of the dragon city Warfang, a city dedicated and built for the dragon race by their allies as a sign of goodwill. And there they knew that their friends and their fellow dragon kind are there waiting for them, especially Spyros' annoying yet humorous adoptive brother Sparx.
Spyro and Cynder were amazed by this sight, and to think it all was nearly destroyed by a mad dragon, yet saved by them.
Spyro then looked at Cynder sitting at his side. "It sure is beautiful from up here." Spyro remarked, while secretly also referring to Cynder.
"Yeah." Cynder replied, though a slight grief in her tone as she looked on at the dragon city. "Hey Spyro, I know that you want to see everyone as soon as you can but...can we just, spend one more night out here?"
Spyro looked at her a bit surprised. "Okay, but why?"
"Well uh, you know that the others will be very happy to see us and everything but once we get there they are going to be all over us. So I think we could just stay out here for just one more night, enjoy the peace and quiet while we still can?"Spyro looked at her skeptical at first as she looked back with pleading eyes. It didn't take two moments to realize what she's thinking. "Cynder, I know you, and I know what you are thinking."
"Huh?"
"People may think differently, but I know you better than anyone that what happened wasn't your fault."
"But yet I still did those things! All the innocent lives I've destroyed. Sure I was corrupted but..."
"So I guess it was my fault that the Darkmaster was released from the Well of Souls?"
"No it wasn't! It was something out of your control."
"Exactly! I was indecisive ever since then, but I had to except that. It is just as you told me, there are some things that even I can't control. You helped me through that." Spyro then placed his paw gently onto hers. "You've been there for me, so let be there for you."
Cynder had to look away to keep Spyro from seeing her face flushed red, but she still feels unsure. "But people will still hate me."
"Maybe, but you still have me and the Guardians and we will protect you. And hey given time, they all will love you eventually."
Cynder can only hope so, it will be hard, but not impossible. But wether she, Spyro, or the Guardians can help it or not, she still has killed so many, and it is impossible for everyone to forgive her, even in a lifetime. But she suppose can at least take comfort knowing she is no longer alone in this world, and that she now has someone to lean on in times of hardship.
Before she can answer for Spyros' kindness however, she spots something of in the distance from when she looked away from Spyro. On the cliffside nearby there seems to be a large archway etched into the cliff face with much debris fallen around it. She thought it was another one of Warfangs' ruins they traveled through recently, but this was different. "Hey, what is that?"
Spyro then looked to where Cynder was seeing and perceives the open archway. "Hmm, maybe another one of Warfangs' ruins, but I suppose a little exploring won't hurt."
They both then flew down to where the opening is. However most of the entrance is still blocked by boulders and a lot of stoney debris, thankfully there is a small rock platform for them to land on so they don't have to cling to the cliff wall. While there is still an opening large enough for them to crawl through, Spyro figured he can just use his elemental powers to move the rest of the earth out of the way. Since he being a purple dragon means has has control over all of the four elements and everything in between.
He channeled his inner mana to manifest his control over earth, but the boulders wouldn't budge. "Huh, that's weird." He tried again, but again nothing happened. Not even a pebble moved.
It was then that he made a sudden realization, and he loudly groaned in frustration that it happened again. "Oh come on! I lost my powers again! Why does it keep happening!?"
"You simply overexerted yourself when you pulled the planet back together." Cynder acknowledged before assuringly saying. "But don't worry, you already went through this twice now, just like before it will come back."
Well, she is right, but he guesses he has to make do with the what he has now. And at least they still have the opening to crawl through, to which Cynder is already making her way through easily thanks to her lean body. Spyro follows after her and squeezes himself through till he popped out the other side, he ends up losing his footing and then tumbles down the rocks till he lands on the floor flat on his belly. He looks up annoyingly flustered at Cynder who is keeping a paw on her mouth to keep from laughing too hard.
"Don't worry, I won't tell Sparx about that." She remarked.
"Good, please don't." He said back at her. He knew his brother would take any little mistake and turn it into a joke.
Now inside however he can begin exploring, and what a marvelous discovery it is inside. It is a dome like structure similar to a dragon temple however it is much smaller than one in the swamp, it also it doesn't seem as well made to be a temple to begin with, considering there is now a giant gaping crack letting the setting suns' rays in. The stone walls, though smooth to the touch, look unpolished and seemed chiseled directly out from the earth. In fact it seems that this whole room was hastily made out from the very earth itself. There weren't even any decorative stonework to add life to the room.
One would mistaken this as a cave if it weren't for the obvious dome shape and masonry handiwork of chipped stone.
"Woah." Spyro gasped. "We must be the first ones to ever enter here in ancestors knows how long!"
"Yeah, definitely the first." Cynder said as she looked down and sees that her paw pads are covered in dust, she then notices that the entire floor is completely coated in it, showcasing by the trail of footprints left by her and Spyro. "This place must have been left here for eons! The cataclysm must have revealed this place."
"Then what is this built for? It is definitely not once part of Warfang." Spyro inquired as he tries to pat what's left of the dust off him. "Maybe an old place of worship? Or maybe someone buried something here."
Cynder then sees something on the walls and her eyes immediately lit up. "No, but you really need to see this."
Spyro then looked and gasps, for lo and behold on the very other side of the room is a painted mural with a single ray of sunlight casting its light upon it. Spyro felt drawn to the mural to get a closer look, and depicted on is a great battle between a dragon and a bunch of bipedal creatures wielding weapons.
"Apes." Spyro muttered as he peers at the bipedals in the painting with a lick of disgust.
"I guess bad blood between dragons and apes runs even deeper." Cynder remarked.
But the closer Spyro studied the ape-look-alikes, they didn't look too much like apes. They aren't wearing the same kind of armor that he sees in all apes, theirs seemed more sturdy and made from both metal and animal parts. Their weapons don't look so fiendish either, each one brandishing a different weapon, one with a lance, one with two small blades, another a large hammer, and one was even wielding an enormous great sword. Depicted in the mural they are fighting a large dragon as they are being bathed in it's fiery breath.
Strangely the ape-look-alikes appear to look valiant as they fought the dragon.
There was also another detail that Spyro noticed, these...whatever these ape-like creatures are, are either comically smaller than apes, or the dragon was much, much, MUCH larger than the average dragon. And while the mural was painted with exquisite detail and in many colors, the dragon itself was...black. Not like Cynder who has a red colored underbelly and wing membranes and is the only known dragoness with such a color.
No. This dragon is a deep, charcoal black.
The dragons' chest glowed like smoldering embers and its mouth was lit aflame like a furnace unmatched as it released a torrent of fire that whisked around the apes in a flood-like inferno. But what creeped Spyro and Cynder out the most was the dragons' eyes, eyes that burned with a strange hatred at the ape-look-alikes below it. The black fire dragon just looked so wicked, hateful...malevolent.
"Geez, won't Volteer have a field day with this." Spyro remarked, but with a hint admonish as her continued looking at the black dragon.
But Cynder was a bit more hesitant. "...Maybe it's best we don't."
And as he continued looking at the mural, Spyro could actually agree. There was something about this picture that gave him a sense of unease. But before he can say any further he catches a glimpse of an inscription cut into the stone wall directly below the mural.
"Hey Cynder, what does that say?" Spyro asked.
Cynder took a few steps closer and inspected the sentence etched in stone, and she noticed that there's something wrong with it. "Huh...it looks like an old poem. And I think it's about the dragon in the picture! But look at this, it looks like this dragons' name has been scratched out."
Spyro took a closer look and can see that not only was this true but he knows what did it. "Wait...These are dragon scratch marks! Look at the pattern."
Cynder gasps. "You're right! But why?"
"I don't know. I guess there is something about this particular dragon they don't like." He then asks again. "So what does it say?"
Cynder then, despite having the name crossed out, tries to tell the poem aloud. "When the world is full of wyverns...the legend is revived...meat is eaten, bone is crushed...and blood is sucked up dry...he burns the earth and melts through iron...he boils the rivers...and mows down trees...he awakens the winds...and lights an inferno...he is called F̶̜̋̈ͅa̸̗͂ṭ̷̢̪̮̻́á̷̞̯͚̠̝̍̀̇͊l̷̹̰͇̪͙͗i̵͖̟̪̜͗s̸͔̦̥̊...the wyvern of destiny...he is called F̵̟̓̍a̴͓̞̞͊͒͂ţ̴̭̈́à̸̝l̵͓͓͆í̷̤̦͆s̵͚̉ͅ...the wyvern of destruction...Ḟ̷͚̻̫á̴͉͖̺͝ț̷̣̊ȁ̵̪̯̋͝l̸͇̬̼͋i̴̻̭̋͠͝s̸̪̖̜͗ ̶̜̒̀̈́F̸̯͍̓a̶̪̟͗t̶̢̢̜̾͛͠a̴̩̒͒̔ľ̶͈͉̠̈ï̸̢s̸̼̩̾̏, Heaven and Earth are yours...Ḟ̷͚̻̫á̴͉͖̺͝ț̷̣̊ȁ̵̪̯̋͝l̸͇̬̼͋i̴̻̭̋͠͝s̸̪̖̜͗ ̶̜̒̀̈́F̸̯͍̓a̶̪̟͗t̶̢̢̜̾͛͠a̴̩̒͒̔ľ̶͈͉̠̈ï̸̢s̸̼̩̾̏, Heaven and Earth are yours."
After Cynder finished the inscription, all they could do is simply sit in silence. "Hmm, it sounds a little like Malefor." Spyro said. "Only he is capable of some of those things in that poem."
"Maybe the apes wrote this poem and made this painting in reverence to him." Cynder suggested. "They did follow him at one point."
"Yeah. But in the mural, it shows the apes fighting what is supposed to be Malefor, so how is this in reverence to him." Spyro pointed out. "And besides, this dragon in this painting is black, not purple, he doesn't even remotely look like Malefor. None of this makes sense."
Cynder stared at the mural for awhile longer, all this really doesn't make any sense. "Oh well, wether this is or isn't about Malefor it doesn't matter. He's gone. Maybe some old ape went nuts and made this."
Spyro then shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe or maybe not. Oh well, guess we'll never know."
He then perceives from the crack that leads outside that the sun has finally set, and replacing the suns' warm golden rays are the pale silver rays of the twin moons. While he did wish to go to Warfang and be with his friends as soon as possible, he does like the idea of spending one more quiet night with Cynder.
"Hey, since it's night already, maybe we should stay in here for the night."
Cynder looked at him surprised. "You're sure."
"Yeah, figured it will be nice to have some peace before inevitably getting Sparx again." He replied jokingly.
"Haha! You can say that again!" Cynder laughed as she then laid on the floor near the wall. Spyro followed suit and found a place next to her and laid there, letting their body heat share the warmth with each other.
"Oh Spyro, look!"
Spyro then looked and through the crack in the ceiling they can see the twinkling stars in full view as well as the shining glow of the twin moons, it was the night sky in all it's dazzling glory. But while the night sky was beautiful to look at, it was almost nothing compared to what he sees in Cynder. The way the moonlight casts its light on her jet-black scales makes refract and create a stunning iridescent glow that just adds to her slender figure. To Spyro, everything about her is beautiful, her silver horns, the contrast of black and red scales, and her emerald green eyes.
Spyro was so enraptured by her though he didn't noticed that Cynder is looking back at him. Then their eyes met and Spyro knew he had been caught, but Cynder was just smiling at him. "What are you staring at purple boy?" Cynder said softly.
Spyro immediately turned away blushing hard. "Im sorry! I'm very very very sorry!"
Cynder however kept smiling and tenderly placed a paw on his. Spyro felt shocked that Cynder is being so touching, he always knew her to not be the mushy type. But to Cynder, she could care less. For it had not been long ago, within the the very center if the world, that she said that she loved him. However though, it was in a moment of great peril, so it sort of just slipped out. But despite this, she still holds those strong feeling for the purple dragon, so much so, she may even believe she meant it. She only hoped that Spyro might reciprocate those feelings.
The problem for Spyro however, is that he doesn't know how to. For in what felt like the last moment of his life, he heard her, and it spurred him to push himself just enough to the world and her. Then afterwards for the past week his mind was in turmoil on how he could handle this. For he too holds strong affection for the black dragoness, but the problem was that he doesn't know how to approach her with this. He worries he might mess up, or offend her in some way.
But here, now, and alone with nothing but the celestial bodies above as witnesses, he feels now is the only perfect time to ask her out.
Spyro gulps nervously and begins. "H-Hey Cynder?"
"Yeah?" She whispered, looking deeply into his eyes.
"Uh um, well, I know that after everything that has happened, and with the Darkmaster gone, I know that you will want to go your seprate way and find yourself like last time."
"Yeah."
"Well, I-if, if you are planning on staying around for longer, and have some time, I was thinking maybe, uh, we um, could. Oh Ancestors how do I say this?"
Cynder however leaned in closer, she has been waiting for this and she isn't letting him stop. "Just say it."
He then sighed, there is no point in holding back. "Cynder, I know we don't know each other for long. I mean seriously, we only knew each other for about two months. So I know this may be sudden, and you have every right to say no. But, I would like to know more about you, and, I want to spend more time with you."
"Are you asking me out on a date?"
"I uh um, well uh, I mean...yes."
That is all she needed to hear, she then gave Spyro a soft kiss on his cheek. For Spyro, it felt like his mind has gone blank, she actually accepted?!
Cynder then replied while smiling. "I will love to spend more time with you too, you big purple dork." She then laid herself back down and scooted ever so closer to Spyro, looking at him lovingly. "Goodnight, Spyro."
Spyro then smiled, and laid back down next to her, putting a wing over her. "Goodnight, Cynder."
And as he rests there he then thought of how Sparx would react to this and how to handle it. And as he drifts off to dreamland with Cynder under his wing, the mural of the black dragon loomed over them.
Things are about to change...