Spyro: Return of Darkness, Chapter 1 -- Peace? Or Quiet Unrest?
This is my first story on here, so please, go easy on me, k? I take constructive criticism, so please leave comments/suggestions. I've had this story bottled up in my head ever since seeing A New Beginning on YouTube and reading up on the new game trilogy. I've only played the original Spyro, I still have yet to play ANB, but I'm hoping to get it and Eternal Night really soon.
I'm making up stuff as I go (being a fanstory and all...I have no clue how the Dragon Temple or game landscape is laid out so bear with me XP) ... in no way do I own Spyro or any related characters. Yiff Dragon and Kroqgar, your writings have helped inspire the (planned) romance and a few scenarios in this...never stop writing!
If you are not old enough (IE if you're under the age of 18), wtf are you doing on this site? Either go Google some flash games, or lock your door and hope no one finds your activities.
Note: my story takes place after the assumed ending of the third game (yet to be released), after the Dark Master has been defeated, presumably forever...or has he planned something?
Spyro: Return of Darkness
Chapter 1 -- Peace? Or Quiet Unrest?
"See anything, Spyro?"
"No...but I've got a bad feeling..."
"Mmmm...me too..."
It seemed like so long ago since Spyro and Cynder had stood on the balcony of the Dragon Temple after Spyro had defeated Cynder and brought her back. Now, a little over a month after the defeat of the Dark Master, they were close friends, and had grown a bit since their original meeting. Both had become a bit taller and longer (not much different from their appearance in ANB, but still a bit noticeable). Cynder was sleek, but had a feminine curvature to her whole body that made her movement visually fluid. Spyro had developed some musculature, but he was still a bit thin. Over the months of training, the Elders had had a new bedroom constructed for them, not too far from the balcony yet close to the main central room. Now, Cynder and Spyro sat next to eachother on the balcony, talking about their past adventures. They'd become very close friends in their adventures, and would sometimes slip away together to stop some mischief from arising or to just plain have fun. As they chatted, they slowly fell silent, looking at the stars, until Cynder sighed, reminiscing. Spyro turned his deep purple eyes to her.
"Something on your mind?"
"Hmm? Oh...yeah..." Her voice fell and her face went a bit serious.
"Cynder?"
"I'm sorry...I just...I keep remembering something the Dark Master said to me while I was in his service...and lately it just keeps coming back to my mind."
Spyro's face went serious too. "What did he say?"
"He said that I...I could 'never be fully rid of him'..." She shuddered at the memory and a teardrop formed at her eye, the moonlight glinting in it and drawing Spyro's attention--and pity--to it.
"Cynder...he's gone. We defeated him a month and a half ago, remember? You dealt the finishing blow if I remember correctly."
She recalled the memory and smiled at the look on the Master's face when she unleashed her Fire Fury on him. She'd learned Fire Fury but was still jealous of Spyro's elemental abilities.
"Yeah, I remember."
"Do you feel him out there?" he asked quietly, and after some hesitation she nodded. Spyro's eyes darted to the moonlight reflecting off the pattern on her forehead but snapped back to her eyes, which were downcast. "Cynder...even if, for some odd reason, he does come back, we'll beat him. He'll never take you back."
Thanks, Spyro," she said, looking sideways at him and smiling. He returned the smile, but hers faded and she sighed again. "Something...something just doesn't feel right, though."
"What do you mean?"
She hesitated. "I keep thinking that, when he told me that, he meant more than just to scare me...it fells like...part of him is in me. I hate it so much..."
He reached out his purple paw and lifted her chin up gently, turning her face to his. "If he has a way of returning, I will see to it that he does not harm my best friend."
"I thought Sparx was your best friend?" she asked jokingly.
"He's my 'brother', that's different," Spyro said, but he couldn't help smiling at her humor.
Cynder tried to smile but Spyro saw that she was trying not to cry.
"Cynder? Please, tell me what's wrong. We're friends; you can tell me."
She looked away, trying to hide her tears. "Oh Spyro...I just...I feel like...by me being here, he'll come back."
He thought for a bit and leaned closer. "You're afraid that he can't be truly gone unless you die?"
She nodded, giving a little sob. Spyro put his paw on her shoulder and she looked at him. "I will do everything I can to protect you, Cynder. Even if he does come back, I'll make him wish he'd never become the Dark Master."
Cynder smiled at him. "Thanks, Spyro...thanks for being my friend." After some silent star-gazing they non-verbally agreed to go inside. Their bedroom was a small circular room with their beds about seven feet apart on one side of the room, and on the other side, a row of three large (unfinished and open) windows. Cynder jumped onto her bed and settled down, closing her eyes and slowly drifting to sleep. Spyro crawled into his bed quietly and rolled over, looking at his pitch-black friend. Her underbelly and wings had become a richer red than when he had freed her from the Dark Master's service, and her horns had grown just a tiny bit. She still resembled a smaller adult Cynder, but as she was no longer poisoned, her form no longer seemed threatening--she was still sleek, but didn't seem to be developing the evil appearance she'd carried in her slavery. As an adult her face had been long and pointed, and her horns had had a cruel-looking fang-like curvature, but right now she showed no signs of ever developing that way. As Spyro gazed at her in the moonlight, he felt that weird feeling again...
During their trek to ultimately defeat the Dark Master, Spyro had been hiding his feelings from Cynder, but now those feelings were becoming stronger and harder to keep in check. Also, as Ingitus had said he would one night when Cynder was out in the woods, Spyro had been feeling a strange pain between his hind legs at his tail-base. Every time he thought of Cynder, that pain grew again. Now, as he looked at her, he felt oddly guilty, but he didn't know why. The fire started up again at his tail-base and he winced. Whenever he tried to talk to her on normal occasions, he stumbled over his tongue as he spoke, and had noticed funny looks on Cynder's face when he suddenly stopped in the middle of a sentence, unable to remember what he was saying. At times he felt heavy-headed around her, and at others he felt light-headed and dizzy. But yet, at the same time, he always wanted to make sure she was happy--how could he, though, if he couldn't even talk to her properly? As these feelings raced through his mind, Spyro shook them away with a frustrated groan and put his head down, trying to sleep. He listened to Cynder's gentle, peaceful breathing...it was like listening to running water; music to his ears.
* * * * *
The next morning dawned unusually cold and hazy. Spyro yawned as a cool breeze washed over him from the open windows, and the first thing he saw was Cynder sitting nearby, waiting for him.
"Good morning," she said, walking over to him. "You overslept."
His eyes shot open in shock, and she giggled.
"Gotcha. But if you don't hurry, Terrador's gonna be angry."
Spyro groaned and hopped off his bed, and after a quick breakfast of berries he raced down to Terrador. Ever since defeating the Dark Master, their training had been a bit more lenient, but the elders till wanted to keep Spyro's and Cynder's skills honed. Cynder watched Spyro for a bit before going off to find Ignitus about her physical training. She couldn't help looking back at Spyro...every time she did she felt...odd. She'd never felt this way before...it was like she liked him. She shook her head in disbelief and finally found the fire guardian. When Spyro finished his earth-training, he took a break to go watch Cynder. He never tired of watching her fight--her thin frame moved so fluidly between moves he was completely mesmerized by the sight. And she moved so fast that her combos were over before would-be enemies would know what hit them. She moved fast, but Spyro had more physical strength, and therefore hit harder in melee combat. When it came to the fire-training, though, Cynder scorched him every time. Her firebreath had far more range and power than his. She'd learned how to do the Fire Fury attack a while ago, and when she unleashed it, it was a towering inferno of white-hot flame that never failed to impress the purple dragon. Spyro knew the other elements, but he was always awed by her fiery prowess. When Cynder was finally done, they both walked away from Ignitus to go out on the balcony. It had become a habit, a daily ritual for them, whether they talked or not.
"You fight so well, Cynder...I could never move that fast," Spyro commented.
"What about fire, huh?" she asked with a sly smile, trying to tease the answer out of him.
"Okay, yes, you're better than I am when it comes to fire...I suppose..."
"But you know the other three elements, and Dragon Time as well...you're so lucky, Spyro."
"Me? My Fire Fury is just a burst of flames, yours is a pillar of wrath!"
"You hit harder than I do, and can freeze and zap enemies as well. My Fire Fury really drains my energy..."
Spyro looked out over the mushroom forest with a half-smile, then noticed something in the distance. He squinted and got up on the railing to see better.
"What is it?"
"I dunno...better go check it out. C'mon." Jumping off the balcony he rolled in the air, spreading out his wings, and swooped over the ground, rising into the air. Cynder followed, but just simply jumped off the balcony straight into flying. As they flew to the moving light, they saw it drop into the forest. Spyro swooped down and landed, hurrying over to whatever it was. Sparx lay there, panting heavily, his wings just barely flitting.
"Sparx!! Where've you been?!" Spyro shouted, picking up his tiny friend. The dragonfly attempted to speak but was too exhausted to say anything coherent.
"We gotta get him back to the Temple," Cynder said. Spyro nodded and, holding Sparx in one paw, took off after Cynder and headed back to the Dragon Temple. Ignitus was looking for them, and saw the look in their eyes before they landed.
"Bring Sparx inside, quickly," the old dragon said. Spyro put Sparx on his head and hurried into the building.
* * * *
A few hours later Sparx woke up with a splitting headache. Spyro left the room and Cynder met him. He opened his mouth to say something, but felt that annoying bubble block his throat.
"I should've told him to stay here," Cynder said, looking down.
Spyro swallowed the bubble and forced himself to speak. "Where did he go?"
Cynder sighed, not looking at him. "While you were in training two days ago, Sparx told me he'd go see his parents again, and look around for any signs of trouble. I meant to tell you but Ignitus caught me before you finished and I forgot all about it. Sparx said he'd come back if something was going on..."
Spyro's eyes fell--trouble was back. The pain between his hind legs came back, but Cynder didn't notice him trying not to clench his legs together. He gritted his teeth, hoping she wouldn't see something was bothering him. With a sigh she started to walk away.
"I'm so sorry I forgot, Spyro..."
Spyro wanted to tell her not to go, but that bubble came back and he coughed. When she was out of sight he bashed his head against the wall in frustration.
That night, Cynder passed by the balcony and saw Spyro sitting on the railing, stock-still as he looked through unfocused eyes at the stars. He didn't hear her at all; his mind was racing. She paused, gazing at him, hesitant as to whether or not she should try to talk to him. The starlight glinted off his purple scales softly and gave a cool silver glow to his horns and the fins along his head and back. He held so still he may as well be a statue on the railing, his body swaying unnoticeably as he balanced. Cynder sighed--he looked so lonely...kind of the way she felt right now. For some reason she just wanted to be with him...
"Something troubling you, Cynder?" came Ignitus' voice quietly from behind her, and she jumped. "He's got a lot on his mind, let's leave him be for now."
She nodded and followed him farther into the main room, glancing back at her purple friend.
"Ignitus? What's wrong with him?"
Ignitus sighed. "He's going through phases that come with growing up; I don't doubt you too will soon be experiencing what he is." Cynder cocked her head, confused, and Ignitus went further. "As young dragons begin their journey to adulthood, their paths are confounded with physical and emotional changes that preapre them for later on in life. I still remember my youth at his age--everything seemed so confusing and I always felt lost."
Though she didn't respond, Cynder felt that she was beginning to feel this as well.
The old fire dragon continued. "Don't be too surprised if his behavior changes abruptly, Cynder. It happens to everyone. Now, I suggest you go get some sleep."
She yawned and nodded, and Ignitus left her to her thoughts. She turned her head and looked at Spyro out of the corner of her eye, then shook her head and headed to the bedroom.
Spyro's thoughts were interrupted by that burning pain again, and as his hind legs pinched together involuntarily, it threw off his balance and he spread out his wings and tail, trying not to fall over. He grimaced--why was this so painful? What was going on? He groaned and slid backwards into the floor of the balcony, staying still until the pain dulled enough that he could walk. With a frustrated grunt he slowly walked to his bed, stopping to look at Cynder as she lay there in slumber. Her face contorted in pain suddenly, but Spyro figured it was a bad dream as he crawled up into his bed. As he looked at her, though, he soon figured that she was experiencing the same pains he was--or close to the same.
"Why doesn't it bother her during the day?" he thought to himself. He shook the thoughts from his head and slowly fell asleep, his tail-base feeling like the embers of a dead fire.
___________________________________
Chapter 2 is in the works, but I can't promise quick chapters seeing how I don't have much time. And I hate short chapters as much as the next guy...I don't like leaving out details and stuff.
Anyway, hope you all enjoyed! My inspirations come from Yiff Dragon and Kroqgar's stories, (so I apologize if something may seem like theirs), but this story will be different in the long run.
Comments, suggestions, feedback? Changes, keeps, dos/donts?
If I got some keywords or classifications about the story wrong, I apologize, but I'm still getting used to the site.