FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 3

He worked restlessly for the next many hours.

It wasn't like this at the beginning, at first this whole scenery, the pounding details in his head, the screams filling his skull...it was a horror. He was used to death, he was used to the feeling of stealing somebody else's life, it wasn't a joyful sensation, it was an unnecessary one, yet paradoxically unavoidable. However if a silver lining can be find in killing then it's self-defense, every victim of his draconic might was his enemy.

Until now.

Flashing details, taste of blood and flesh. Screams.

This is when Torment does publicity, smiling happily.

Unending flashes, stronger with each minute, the pounding in his head, like the sound of thudding hoofs of a powerfully built galloping horse. It just didn't want to stop.

It's a merry go round and around and around. A merry go round and around and around. Merry go round and around and around.

It's a merry go round.

Funny thing, he can't really clearly recall anything else besides the suffering of his conscience, whatever he was doing in the meantime was a blur, a practically faded dream from last night. He wanted to be alone from what he remembered, how he achieved that was a different story, he either lurched around or huddled somewhere in a corner, or one led to the other.

He had a very difficult time digesting everything that happened, his stubbornness forced him to challenge the consequences of his actions all by himself, and it wasn't a simple struggle. It involved a lot of mumbling, muffled screaming and crying.

It's not like they wanted to leave him, they were offering their help, even she was in her poor condition, but he shunned them both away. The memory of attacking his own brother and seeing his best friend bleeding all over the place only made him more depressed. He didn't want to see them, he didn't want to look in their eyes, guilt and shame just didn't allow it.

In that moment when he pushed everyone away, in that moment of complete terror and devastation surprisingly he remembered his parents. When was the last time he visited them? Do they know that he is still alive? The sole thought about disappointing his parents only intensified the feeling of complete depression.

He didn't feel like a total failure because he didn't visit them like every loving son should do, this only led to something much worse. They BELIEVED in him and today he ruined all that faith, he failed them. He can't show up there, not after today, they would not recognize him, besides he wouldn't even have the courage to show his stupid snout out there.

They kept telling him that they are proud of him, that someday he will do great things, meet a nice girl and have a family of his own. Why? Because, as they said, their son had something no one else did, something that when someone sees it for what it truly is, he or she won't be able to resist it's specific lure.

They always said "You have...

*

...a heart of gold son"

"And an overweight" Sparx added after his father

The young purple dragonfly walked happily towards his family, an alchemical vial dangled on a tiny string from his neck. He held the wagon, the dragonflies were unable to keep it steady and hold back the big barrels on it. The wagon was swaying wildly in every direction, the wood was breaking, it was seconds before collapsing and sending the barrels rolling down the hill towards where the party was about to begin. Who knows what havoc would they cause, one thing was for certain, they obviously threatened the well-being of the party itself as well as its participants.

So this is why he jumped towards the wagon, right in the spot where it was breaking, despite his parents shouting. It was an impulse, he just had to do it, he wasn't thinking about himself, the well-being of the people mattered the most. So he pressed his body to the creaking wagon, the boards were giving away but his scaly dragonfly body prevented them from breaking completely. The dragonflies above kept fighting with the barrels, more and more of them kept on appearing, almost like the whole Swamp gathered in a single place. Eventually the sheer numbers overpowered the wagons and the barrels. The day was saved.

Then the screaming started.

When he looked at his parents his smile only grew wider. His father, being a rather serious blue dragonfly who doesn't give to emotions lightly was beaming with pride, the two gold bracelets on his folded arms on his chest seemed to reflect every dose of joy from his golden eyes.

It was totally different regarding his mother, her hands were pressed together in front of her mouth, as if she was kissing her fingers delicately. The aquamarine dress she was wearing only added more charm to her already beautiful image. What he really loved about her was the inability to conceal her feelings, whenever she was happy the glow she emitted from her pink figure and aquamarine wings was almost blinding.

"Your boy is going to be a hero one day!" the merchant of the miraculously saved cart exclaimed from behind

A tremendously loud sound of an applause soared into the sky. People who gathered around started to clap in their hands fiercely, they began shouting, whistling and chanting Spyro's name.

The young draconic dragonfly shivered at the sound of people shouting his name, his head went down towards the ground in embarrassment, a fierce blush filled his scaly cheeks. He quickly skidded towards his parents, who laughed when their son ran behind them as if trying to hide behind their backs and disappear.

Flash who was currently the adoptive proud father turned towards his son and patted his purple head.

"This is not the reason to be shy or ashamed Spyro. As your father I know that you are meant to do great things. Take pride from what you did, more situations like this will come, people will adore you in the future"

Nina who was currently the adoptive proud mother placed a wavering hand on her husband's blue shoulder "Don't put too much pressure on his shoulders husband. Spyro my boy just be yourself. It's all any of us can do"

Their son nodded several times, yet his nose was still pressed to the ground.

"Dude please!" Sparx whined " Don't embarrass me! This isn't what I taught you!"

"Sparx" Flash admonished his son

The yellow dragonfly rolled his eyes "Yeah, yeah, he's the shy type. Fame, instead of taking it he sniffs dirt. I'm so proud of you bro" he shook his head

"Isn't he cute?" a different female voice joined the conversation, belonging to an old, green dragonfly, old friend of the family "He doesn't like to be in the center of attention, does he Nina?" she said warmly

The aquamarine dragonfly giggled "To put it mildly"

The older female smiled and lowered down, so she was just below the dragon's forehead "What do you have there sweetie?"

Spyro shifted his paws nervously "A vial"

"A vial?" she repeated surprised "What kind of vial?"

The dragon swallowed "Alchemical vial"

"Really? May I see it?"

Sparx covered his eyes behind his hand "We're not related, we're not related, we're-"

"Sparx" Flash admonished his son again

Spyro gulped again and reached towards his neck, he slid his claw underneath the brownish string and yanked it forward. The vial jerked forward, the bluish liquid within swirled mysteriously.

The dragonfly gasped, emphasizing her polite shock "Impressive, do you know what it is?"

His purple eyes landed on the swirling liquid inside "That man said that it is whatever I desire" he said uncertainly

Sparx clapped his hands mockingly "Yeah bro! Imagine a pony and you'll get one!" his eyes widened " Or no! Imagine an UNICORN! In a moment the flask will grow legs, hoofs and a colorful tail! In seconds you'll get your own magical horse with rainbows shooting out of it's a-"

"SPARX!" both of his parents exclaimed

"This is it young boy" Flash said fiercely making his glowing son gulp "We're going home"

"Relax Flash" the old female said comfortingly "Rivalry and jealously is a natural thing among siblings"

Sparx snorted and turned around offended "Jealously" he quietly and mockingly mimicked the female's words

The senior dragonfly turned towards the purple dragon "So what do you want it to be honey?"

Spyro played with the vial for a while "I don't know"

"Do you want to be a hero son?" Flash spoken while clenching tightly Nina's hand

He shrugged.

"Today you saved some people's property, maybe even some lives. How does it feel?"

"Nice I guess"

"Why did you do it?"

Spyro shrugged again "I don't know...it just happened"

Nina pushed away from her husband and cupped her son's snout in her hands "This is you Spyro, you're a born defender. You help because you know that's the right thing to do. Do you know why is that?"

He shook his head.

His mother reached towards his chest, she pressed her hand on his golden chest. Spyro's eyes impulsively followed her every move.

"Under there hides the reason. Your gold heart"

His eyes widened "Gold heart?" he mumbled excitedly "Like...like made from true gold? Shiny and valuable?"

Nina laughed "Not literal gold, no" her expression turned serious in a second "But undoubtedly valuable" she caressed his chest "This is your gift" she listened to its every beat blissfully as her palm bounced to the rhythm it created "Can you hear it?"

Spyro lowered his head, almost pressing his chin to his gold scales and listened with furrowed brows.

Nothing.

"Not really"

His mother laughed and planted a kiss on her son's forehead "If you ever hear that somebody likes to listen to the sound of your heart you will know that you are being deeply loved by that someone" she smiled longingly " I already envy the girl who hears it"

Spyro's eyes impulsively traveled towards the old female, she was eyeing him closely, her broad smile made him feel awkward to say the least.

"Mom please..."he mumbled timidly and averted his gaze. Blush heated his cheeks once more "Stop it"

"By the Ancestors Nina, don't put all that romantic nonsense in his head. Leave some room for a father to make his son a bit of a man" Flash commented

The pink dragonfly giggled.

The blue dragonfly folded his arms once more, seriousness replaced the earlier happy, proud, face "Remember Spyro that all gifts come with a price"

The dragon cocked his head, bewildered "Price? I have to pay for them?" he snorted, a puff of youthful arrogance wafted from his nostrils "Gifts suck"

"Yes bro, you have to pay for them with real gems! It's not like a gift can be received for free, it would ruin its whole definition" Sparx mumbled to himself with a roll of his eyes

Flash observed his angrily muttering son "Gifts aren't a bad thing, if you know how to use them, and you surely do. You could use those people, take advantage of their gratitude to fulfill your wishes and desires, but you won't do that. You just help them because you think that's the right thing to do. This is your gift, to help selflessly"

"The price for this?" the dragonfly spread his arms and began to turn as if he wanted to embrace the whole world "This, people will worship you as a hero"

Spyro took a step back, a grimace of sheer terror filled his snout "I don't want this! I don't want people chanting my name!"

Flash smiled caringly "Unfortunately nothing can be done about it. You need to well up the courage in you and face your fears" his expression suddenly shifted back to its natural, unreadable grimace "To make things worse, this isn't the only price you'll have to struggle with"

"I doubt there can be something worse than this!"

Nina placed her hand on her husband's shoulder once more "Maybe this is not the right time for this"

The blue dragonfly looked into the female's eyes and squeezed her hand gently "Better if we tell him this before he finds out on his own"

She kissed his hand and nodded silently.

He returned the affection in the same way and turned towards his son " Spyro listen to me very carefully. You are a very special dra..." his voice suddenly trailed off

Spyro furrowed his brows at seeing his father's strange hesitation.

"Dragonfly"

His voice seemed to awaken the dragonfly from his moment of shock, he shivered and smiled reassuringly. There was something in that smile that Spyro didn't like very much.

"Yes, a dragonfly" he cleared his throat "You won't stay with us forever, one day you'll want to explore the world. A world where there are many more people than here in the Swamp. A world where these people will need your help, remember to help them if you can but also remember that you can't be there for everyone"

The draconic purple dragonfly swallowed, there was something odd in his father's voice, he sounded like one of the hermits that sometimes pass through their village with words of prophecies and imagined futures. It was fun to listen to them because none of what they said was true, no matter how scary they wanted it to be.

This was different, a child like him might not understand many things but the instinct of an intelligent, young mind is a fact. This instinct told him that his father is wrapping something horrible in those somewhat soothing words. Something he will have to stand against, something that was unavoidable.

He didn't like this in the slightest.

He felt his heart being gripped by the cold hand of fear.

"They might not like that you didn't put your attention towards them, they might curse you for helping someone else instead of them. This is unfortunately the fate for every hero"

He couldn't take this no longer, he didn't like what he was hearing, not a bit.

"I don't want to be a hero!" Spyro cried out, making his father flinch "I don't want to explore the world!" tears of despair filled his eyes "Why I can't stay here with you?"

'it's okay darling" Nina kissed his son's nose and wrapped her hands around his snout protectively "Nobody is throwing you out, you can stay with us for as long as you want"

"Mom" he sobbed "I feel strange, like...like I'm out of place here. What father said...I'm scared Mom"

"Shh" she caressed his nose lovingly "Everything is ok" she pressed her forehead to his scales, her gaze went down. She blinked, the dancing flask on his chest seemed very important all of a sudden

"You know how we can deal with fear?" with that question hanging in the air she yanked the flask upwards "With this"

Spyro observed the vial with shimmering eyes.

"It can be anything you want, correct?"

He nodded slowly.

"Make it your weapon against fear" she snapped her fingers "Better yet, make it a weapon against your every doubt and moment of despair. Your heart might be golden, but even the most virtuous people have to face challenges. No matter what yours might be, you have the means to fight it"

She pushed the string several times with determination. Spyro's eyes instantly narrowed on the vial and the liquid inside. By some strange means it felt suddenly magical.

"When you feel that you can no longer take it, drink up, to the last drop, no matter how bitter taste it will have. You keep on drinking until it's empty, if one didn't help find another, empty ten if need be, but make sure that after you're done you can press on without anything holding you back"

The purple dragonfly swallowed and took the vial in his paw, observing the elixir closely.

"But what is it exactly?"

Nina smiled "You heard the merchant"

Flash placed his bluish hand on his son's shoulder.

"Whatever you desire"

*

Spyro gasped loudly as he pushed from the water and shot straight up in the air. Glimmering droplets of the river shot in every direction as his wings pushed down fiercely. Streams of water were flowing down from his body, reflecting the rays of the sun magnificently from his moist muscles and scales.

Water was bulging inside his maw, his sharp draconic teeth shimmered as the droplets of the river escaped his mouth with the invigorating gasp he was making. The dragon made a long spin in the air, his back went first, time slowed down for him as he was making his way along the wide arch.

His head eventually directed itself towards the river below, droplets of water were falling down his vertically stretched body, like droplets from a recently used shower head.

Time sped up after that.

He dropped into the river like some sort of a bomb, there was a rumbling splash when his body touched the delicately swirling azure surface. Waves of water shot in every direction like debris from an explosion.

The world turned blue for him.

Like the liquid in the alchemical vial.

He needed that magical elixir, needed it badly so why drink it vial by vial when you can just dip your whole body in it.

The world was different underwater, bluish and calm, peaceful even if not counting his diving draconic body rippling the serenity.

This is the second time he went for a swim, his body isn't just able to accumulate that much magical liquid to keep guilt at bay constantly. One run wasn't enough to bury the bodies, yet after this one, the death he caused will be in the past.

Not for him.

This water is what I desire. I want it to be my black scar.

I want it to scar my golden heart.

The thing that happened in this ruins will not be forgotten, it will be a warning signal that even altruism has its darker part. From this day forth I will relive this past few days constantly, every injury or notion to end someone's life will make me flinch.

I'm a killer.

This scar will burn forever and ever.

I will not forget.

This is me.

I'm the shinning and valuable golden heart.

And I'm the black scar.

I am darkness.

He pushed from the river, water was dripping from the corners of his filled to the brink maw.

He swallowed a mouthful of it.

*

"You should grow another pair of paws, I won't be here always to babysit you" Sparx asked as he was wrapping another self-made bandage around the still horribly looking and bleeding right black paw

Cynder observed him work, the patch that protected her wounded leg was nothing more than a set of leafs pulled pitifully together by the more elastic branches of bushes. It was uncomfortable to wear, but it did its job, and when the time came to change it you just pulled it off like a sock. It stung, but you just can't keep on wrapping more and more leafs on top of each other.

She looked back at her folded tail along her rump, a pair of stones were embraced close to her black scales "I'm seriously trying to incubate those rocks but they just don't want to hatch" she sighed longingly "I've always dreamt to be a six-legged spider dragon"

"You don't need six legs to be a spider. You're already ugly as one"

She giggled bashfully "You always knew how to complement a girl. No wonder they just can't have enough of you" her eyes widened "Hey I think I hear one already heading your way!"

She started to listen intently.

Sparx glowered at her.

"Nope!" she exclaimed innocently "That's just a fly"

He pushed the branches tighter, forcing a painful hiss from the dragoness.

He winced "Shit, my bad, I always forget how strong my hands are"

The dragonfly looked at her arrogantly and stretched the tiny branch he was holding to its limits.

The corners of her mouth twitched into a weak smile and with one powerful jerk of her neck she snapped the branch with her dagger like teeth. Way more aggressively than it was needed.

Sparx pushed away with a startled gasp.

The dragoness smirked.

He folded his arms on his chest "That was uncalled for"

She waggled her eyebrows "I have a different opinion on the matter"

The dragonfly snorted and began to look around, as if searching for something in the sky "Days flow quickly"

Cynder knew Sparx long enough to tell what he is trying to say through his very indirect way of speaking. He usually doesn't share what's on his mind, no different was right now, but she had no doubt that they were both thinking about the same thing.

Screw it, they waited long enough.

She pushed herself up and began limping towards the recently wrecked wall of the ruins, where the portal and the bodies were. And Spyro among them.

"Hey! What are you doing?" he shouted and began to circle around her bobbing head "He told us to stay away!"

"Spyro says a lot of things"

"Alright fine! But I'm not going in there first!"

"That's a shocker"

Moments before she eventually limped her way to the hole in the wall Cynder took a deep sniff of the air and was content with what her nostrils told her.

No heavy scent of death and blood hung in the air.

With three more uneven steps she pressed herself to the remains of the wall and peeked inside as if expecting to be shredded by arrows the moment she puts her nose in the open. The glowing head of the dragonfly quickly appeared above hers.

The room where all this started was neatly cleaned, as far as a ruined room can be cleaned that is. There were no corpses sprawled on the ground, not even blood or any other bone could be seen stuck to the marble floor or the columns. Everything was scrubbed to near perfection.

The two curious peepers looked at each other in confusion. When their gazes met they said only one thing, and they said it in unison.

This was unnerving.

Cynder frowned and looked into the room again. What idiocy is this? Would it be better if the room would be still filled with bodies and dripping with blood? Would it be better if Spyro didn't do a thing and just sat there among the corpses? Would it be better if he wouldn't go inside in the first place and stood at the edge of the, with only one step before entering the room, as if silently asking for help?

He didn't do any of those things.

Then why she has the feeling that something horrible has happened?

An unexplained cold shiver of terror quaked her whole body.

"Look"

Cynder blinked at the sound of Sparx' voice coming from above her horns, she threw a quick glance up and noticed his finger pointing somewhere. She followed its invisible trail, her mouth went slightly agape when she spotted Spyro in the distance, sitting in front of the magically created slit in the world.

Both of them looked at each other again.

With one last look at his purple friend Cynder entered the ruined structure, with Sparx closely following her feminine back.

"Spyro?"

He momentarily turned his head around, even from here she saw his amethyst eyes shimmering with concern as he looked at her roughly bandaged leg. In seconds he jumped on all fours and was making his way towards her.

"Cynder you should be resting"

"I'm going to be fine" she responded while watching being slightly glad and surprised just how quick he reached her 'How about you?"

He observed her bandaged leg closely "I'll manage" he pushed his head up, his eyes danced between her and Sparx "Listen guys I'm sorry that I've threw you out and shouted at you and...all that. I had to deal with this on my own"

"Hey Dude no problem, if you really want to pretend that you're the head of our crazy bunch I'll let it slide" the dragonfly narrowed his eyes in fake threat "Just this once"

The dragon smiled and looked at his black friend pleadingly.

Cynder shrugged "Every now and then you deserve some shouting time. I can't have all the honors all of the time"

"Thanks"

"So bro what you were doing?"

A confounded silence befallen on the room.

"Umm..."Sparx scratched the back of his head awkwardly "...besides the obvious I mean?"

"I wanted to clear my head, so I decided to tinker with that thing" he nodded at the thin slit "No luck so far"

"You're planning to keep on fighting?"

The dragon shook his head "No point in that. As I said, I need to see Volteer, he's the only one who can at least tell me how can I improve my time manipulation skills. If that's even possible in the first place"

Sparx clapped his hands "it's settled then. Next stop-Warfang"

Cynder cringed at the sound of that name "Speaking of which" she looked at her wounded paw sadly "I don't think that me showing up there is a good idea"

"Oh no" the dragonfly whined "What did you screw up again?"

She sat on the floor and sighed defeated "I've tried to stay away from those guys I really did. Our own guys kept throwing themselves at me, wanted to take advantage of the battle I guess"

Spyro's eyes flared up furiously "Who?"

"It's unimportant. What really matters is that four of them managed to surround me, I had nowhere to run"

Cynder shivered at the sound of her friend's claws scratching the ruined floor.

"...it got ugly really fast. I really tried not to fight them but something cracked in me and...and I threw myself at one of the them. To make this story short he received a blow that was intended for me and dropped dead"

"If you wouldn't have done anything you would be dead" Spyro commented icily

"I doubt anything of that matters to them"

"It matters to ME!" he roared, some loose stones fell down from the broken ceiling

Cynder's head went down even more.

"We're going back there, this is your home. I don't care if they don't like you as their neighbor"

"I know we had this conversation countless times Spyro already, but you can't put your neck on the line. It's different now, if you keep protecting me all the time you might snap again"

"So what?"

Cynder's head reared back in horror.

"if It'll help me to protect you all go dark even now. If they won't learn then I guess I'll end up killing all of them"

"You don't mean that" she muttered devastated

"I do!"

She bit her shaking lip and turned her head away.

Spyro darted in front of her snout, a painful sting struck his heart when he noticed tears in the corners of her tightly shut eyes.

"I know it sounds horrible Cynder" he said caringly "But this is me, that dark part is still me. it always shows when people I care about get hurt. A protective, black guardian angel"

He eyes snapped open, they were eyeing him reproachfully. The shimmer of her tears gave them an ominous glow.

"You can't be serious"

"Just think, it always shows on one condition and that power never hurt anyone who didn't deserve this"

"Power? Did you forgot already how you got it you fool?"

Sparx cleared his throat.

"I remember Sparx, but maybe it's different with siblings? That thing likes aggression, maybe brotherly rivalry confuses it"

"Do I understand what you're trying to say?" Cynder growled "Are you trying to find excuses for that murdering freak?"

"That murdering freak is me Cynder"

"No!"

"I had some time to think, I can feel it. it's a part of me"

"NO!" she roared and struck Spyro across the snout, the brothers didn't even notice when she got up.

Sparx gasped while the dragon touched his pulsing lip, completely shocked.

She felt the wounds on her right paw she used for the swing opening again.

"This isn't power, this is a curse. I've been corrupted by that thing so I know what I'm talking about. This isn't you evil side or some other shit! This is a parasite!"

"it was different with you" he muttered as he ran his tongue along his swollen lip

"How was it different? Just because my eyes weren't white doesn't mean I wasn't invaded by that thing!"

"If you were invaded then why do you feel guilty?"

Cynder stifled down a scream, her whole body shook, at first she hit him out of impulse but now she wanted to beat his ass up. Wrath and pain filled her in equal measure, she wanted to throw herself at him, claws first. Looking for reason for this mess...why? How can he do such a thing? How can he question her?

Sparx threw himself in between both dragons "Alright Dude listen, some things are better left unspoken. Seriously"

Spyro looked surprised "What? I just want to know why Cynder thinks that there is no chance that Dark Spyro is me, Because right now, everything seems to point that we are one and the same"

"You are not the same" she hissed, her voice was wavering

"How can you be so certain?"

She growled ferociously and shoved the dragonfly away as she moved towards the purple drake.

"Because if you two were the same I wouldn't have fallen in l-" her mouth snapped shut suddenly with a loud click of her closing teeth

Spyro stared at her confused, seconds ago she was yelling at him furiously and now it all ended in the middle of the sentence. Just like that. He waited for her to continue, not knowing how to proceed from here, but Cynder only turned her head and leapt into the air, leaving a splotch of blood where her wounded paw was risen above the ground.

He stared at the small crimson pool, like into some magical wishing well,the feeling of his stomach turning around and lungs squeezing told him that he didn't wound her leg only.

"Nice tact bro" Sparx commented admonishingly

He barely heard his brother's words, the dragon's amethyst eyes remained locked on the blood. The only sound he heard clearly was that of his weeping soul.

"How could you say such things in front of Cynder? You know what she's been through, you know how this whole corruption stuff riles her up. People blame her for that, she blames herself for that. Everything that happened while she was corrupted was evil, its simple as that"

Spyro swallowed, the saliva tasted bitter and hurt his throat, it was like he swallowed a small spiked ball.

"But it was different with her" he muttered, his voice as silent as the voice of a lunatic

Sparx threw his arms in the air "So what? Who gives a crap about logic? Not in this situation, you might be right, you might be wrong, it doesn't matter. For her its black and white, everything that's dark is evil, you don't support evil, you don't look for logic concerning evil. Especially you don't call Dark Spyro a guardian angel. Are you freaking insane?!"

"But I didn't mean-"

"Who cares what you meant!" he cut his brother off "Corruption disgusts her, she doesn't want anything to do with it. People can say everything they want, it'll hurt but she'll survive, but not you bro, it can't be you. You were openly looking for an explanation, when you should be devastated by this stuff"

Spyro winced, the scar on his heart burned fiercer than before, releasing all the bottled up sorrow and fury underneath the crack.

"Do you think I wasn't!?" he roared, his voice wavered as if he was at the brink of tears "You know what I've been doing here in the beginning!? I was CRYING! Crying like a little baby!"

"Maybe not long enough"

"You were the one who told me to start making hard choices! YOU! So I chose! I had the opportunity to keep crying and drown in regret, or remember about the regret and face the truth. I chose the latter!"

"What truth? How can you know that this is the truth? Sorry bro but I don't remember anyone saying that besides you" Sparx shook his head "You and your idiotic chase for sense"

"Then why I am such a good killer? Why didn't I have nightmares after my first kill, huh? Simple coincidence or perhaps I'm not as good as everyone seem to think"

"Would you kill your own family back then?"

The dragon snarled irritated "I told you that this power is wild"

"Power you got during zombie night! Bro seriously when you start thinking too much about stuff you mess things up and believe in them way too stubbornly"

Spyro snorted "I feel I'm right about this. It's hard to accept, but I believe I'm right"

Sparx folded his arms arrogantly 'I hate to ruin your day man, but I'm not the biggest fan of your feelings. Dude, you believed you were a dragonfly"

"What has that to do with anything? I was young and stupid back then"

"You're still young and stupid"

Spyro wanted to retaliate but only air came out from his opened mouth. those simple words sank surprisingly deeply, hitting the right spot. His eyes impulsively traveled to the pool of blood on the floor.

He is stupid. Very stupid indeed

"Gods what was I thinking?"

Without seconds thoughts he sniffed the air locating her scent in a second. Spyro instantly dashed in the direction where the smell was the strongest.

"Bro!" the dragon stopped in panic at the sound of his brother shouting and turned around to face him

"Take some leafs and twigs with you"

*

He lost her scent out here in the open, yet by some strange means he knew exactly where to go. He was drawn to her, just like they would be still shackled by the magical chain.

On his way to her he took Sparx' advice to heart. Using his ice element he prepared some pitifully looking bag which he filled with leafs and tiny branches. He worked fast, very, very fast and to tilt the situation in his favor even more he used his Time element to slow down the circling sun above.

He wasn't satisfied until the provisional bag was filled to the brink. With his equipment ready he renewed his slow chase after his friend. Constantly telling himself just how stupid he is.

It didn't take long for him to spot her, she was sitting on a small hill, with her gaze locked on the forest and her back facing him. Spyro swallowed, not only he felt guilty and idiotic but was also scared. He was afraid of her reaction, he didn't know what he will do if she won't talk with him.

"Please Ancestors, let her forgive me" Spyro muttered under his breath pleadingly and pressed forward.

As he uncertainly walked towards the dragoness he caught a glimpse of something with the corner of his eye. Up here the wind was stronger, its gusts howled through the trees and shook the grass fluidly. Something really interesting stood out from the grass and danced to the rhythm of the wind on its own.

It was a flower, it's perfectly white petals seemed to gleam under the sun. it wouldn't have really caught his attention if not for the fact that it was growing here all by itself. No similar flowers thrived nearby, in fact there were no flowers in close vicinity, even of different kind.

Spyro knew that this bloom is unique the moment he saw it, there was only one dragoness that he knew that he could call special. Just like with this flower, one glance was enough for him to say that she is exceptional. Just like her the flower stood solely against the idiocy of this world. It was blossoming among the angry waves of the grass, grass that surrounded it from every side, yet no matter how tall it grew, it just couldn't feed on the flower.

It stood proud against the greenish waves, the sun above fueling it with determination.

All changed when his shadow fell on the flower, in seconds he saw it decaying and shrinking when his dark shadow blocked the light. Spyro didn't know if this was his imagination playing tricks on him, or this was some weird joke of nature, but it filled him with unspeakable terror. His heart seemed to stop for a second when he saw the grass taking advantage of the flower's weakness, it was taking more and more fertile soil for its own, making the flower die in front of his eyes.

With his soul bleeding and panic pulsing in his mind the dragon plucked the flower from the earth.

"Cynder?" he called her name gently, seeing if the sound of his voice will stir her.

Nothing happened.

Spyro stood behind her abashed completely,, not knowing how to proceed from here. He wanted her forgiveness, craved for it, but it is her who has to be sure if he is worth forgiving in the first place.

They remained like this for a while. Raging a battle of awkward silence.

For Spyro it felt like he was standing behind her for all eternity.

"Will you talk to me?" he finally blurt out bluntly, desperation is the first and last step to lose any fight it seems.

"Depends with who I am speaking with"

The purple dragon jumped at the sound of her voice, a tiny spark of hope flickering within his soul

"If you are my stupid friend then we can talk for a while. If you're the other guy who nearly broke my heart...you know the way back"

Spyro's legs bent under his weight, as if all strength has left them and all muscles waned in a blink of an eye. Nothing remained but a pair of thin, purple twigs which were about to break in any moment.

Her voice rang inside his skull, repeatedly resounding with only three words.

Broke my heart, broke my heart, broke my heart...

"Cynder" he squealed like an injured dog and sprang in front of her momentarily "I'm an i-" his hectic voice trailed off when he spotted bloody strands and pieces of the provisional bandage she was wearing earlier sprawled in front of her legs.

He never before really focused on her wounds, but now he caught up on that omission. Her paw looked terrible, broken scales dotted her leg like cracks on an old pottery, pulsing, bloody flesh was protruding from cuts and lacerations on her black paw. It looked even more awfully from up close, to make things worse she was keeping in pressed to the ground, if the shaking of her injured leg was any clue she was doing it against the will of her mind.

The leg was bleeding, it hurt just to look at it, and as he raised his gaze another sting ran through his heart like a bolt from a crossbow. Her eyes were filled with glistening tears of pain, that was both physical and psychological.

Spyro driven by his protective impulse channeled his Ice element and directed his snout at the bleeding paw.

Her leg straightened up and shivered, as if ready to escape if need be.

"No" she snapped at him

He looked at her with wide and pleading eyes "Let me help"

"I've said no. We both have something to regret" her eyes landed on his lip for a second just to turn on her wounded leg after "This is my penance"

"That's not true" he dropped on the ground obediently and completely devastated, like a slave grovels at his queen's feet "I deserve far worse for betraying you. I don't know what's gotten into me but I won't do it ever again"

As she watched him lying on the ground in front of her paws, speaking to her with his begging voice she couldn't help but feel extreme disgust for herself.

Not like this.

"Spyro get up" she ordered sternly

He hurriedly picked himself from the ground "I'm an idiot Cynder, I don't deserve to be you friend, no friend should hurt you like this. I only beg you to stop being mad at me...and...and accept my sincere apology. I NEED you on my side"

More tears filled her eyes. If he only knew just how much she needs him, he would know that all this pleading is pointless.

I love you idiot.

"I can't be mad at you Stupid" she whispered lovingly under her breath

He craned his neck closer "What was that?"

Cynder blinked fiercely "On one condition" she announced with wavering voice that still carried the echo of her loud thinking and didn't sound as commanding as she wanted it to be.

He didn't seem to notice.

"You will never go dark for me, you will never cross that line for me, especially you will never kill innocent people in my name" she inhaled deeply, realizing that this doesn't sound like one condition "You will give up on Dark Spyro. I want you to be yourself"

Spyro nodded hastily "Done"

She swallowed bitterly, trying to quench the misgiving feeling that wrecked her instinct the moment she laid eyes on him this day.

With no luck but she ignored it.

"I also have a request"

The dragon perked up "Anything"

"Keep your distance from me, I don't want my crimes to be put on your shoulders, I don't want people equating you with me. Stop defending me"

His enthusiasm vanished instantly, replaced by sheer determination.

"Never"

Cynder sighed sadly "Then nothing changed"

"Listen, you can't ask me to do that. I don't know how about you but I'm actually sad that the chain that shackled us together lost its power"

She looked at him, uncontrollable warmth filling her heart.

"The idea of you being a part of me sustains me somehow" he scratched the back of his head "I know it sounds stupid but I keep imagining that the chain isn't gone, that your troubles are mine troubles and Ancestors I'm proud of it. I'm proud to be your friend Cynder, if people don't see this screw them, we're together in this. If it would be up to me I would chain us together again and throw away the key, but since we're bonded you need to make your mind also"

He looked at her nervously and impatiently "So what do you say? Want to lock this chain and throw away the key?"

She didn't respond, the second his question started to hang in the air she sprang forward and planted a soft kiss on his lips.

It was the feeling of his lips and startled breath on her scales that woken her up from her trance. For a moment her wide eyes locked on his, it was the obvious shock in his huge amethyst orbs that made her pull away.

Her cheeks were burning in embarrassment as she averted her gaze.

"Shit...sorry" she mumbled hectically and began to scratch at her choker frantically, yet it didn't prevent her shaking emerald eyes sift to the corners of her eyelids and observe him

The world swirled around like crazy, his legs felt numb, he had troubles keeping his balance and began to sway in place, making uneven steps in every direction as some kind of drunk ready to collapse. The powerful pulses of excitement tearing through his every vein threatened to wreck his pounding heart. Not even knowing when, his numb paw found its way to his mouth, it shook violently at the feeling of her soft lips still present there.

"That'sssss...." he slurred like some sort of an addict "...a yessss then?"

His reaction made her curl even more in shame but that didn't prevent her throat from letting out a stifled giggle.

"Yes"

"Whoa" he exhaled deeply, his heart was pounding so hard that it almost felt like a heart attack "I need to rest for a while" and he dropped on the ground with a hollow thud like a pile of purple rags

Cynder let out a confounded and amused snort "You okay?"

Spyro's paw slipped under his chest, it began to rub at the place where his lungs were as if trying to comfort them that the sudden inability to catch a breath is only temporarily.

"I...I don't know"

She giggled weakly again.

"A girl never kissed me before. Not counting my mother and excluding the one moment when Sparx made me believe that kissing a wet brush feels just the same"

Cynder laughed "Really?"

He shrugged with a smile "I thought I was a dragonfly"

The dragoness cried out happily once more.

Spyro looked up, when their eyes met her mouth closed forming a wide and nervous smile, the longer the gaze lasted the fiercer the flush on her cheeks began, together with the reddish line across her nose that really reminded him of that fire's illumination back in that hermit's cave all that time ago.

Was it truly the fire's light?

He desperately fought back the urge to throw himself at her and kiss her into oblivion.

WHAT?!_he heard his own voice screaming inside his head _"WHAT ARE THINKING ABOUT!? SHE'S YOUR FRIEND! FOCUS ON SOMETHING ELSE!"

His eyes nervously landed on her bleeding leg "Did...ummm I earn the right to take care of your paw?"

She blinked, if he wouldn't have mentioned it she was sure she would forget that she has legs at all. Her eyes impulsively traveled down and she winced feeling the pain and at the sight of her wounds awakening in her mind all over again. Her reckless move as blissful as it was didn't serve her bleeding paw very well.

As if sensing her anguish Spyro instantly sent a cold mist at her bleeding leg, making Cynder shiver both in surprise and relief.

He instantly got up and darted towards the bag he dropped some time ago, he didn't even knew when. As he spun around he noticed something wrapped in his tail and momentarily remembered what it was, he pushed his tip closer and uncurled his tail.

The flower that he held in his protective embrace was nothing more than crushed petals now, it seems that in his excitement he ruined the only thing that reminded him of her that would serve as a perfect apology gift.

Yet now it was destroyed.

The sight of the crushed flower falling on the grass filled him with some kind of unexplained dread. He scratched his chest, it felt like something was burning from within. He couldn't explain this but for a very brief moment he felt that he was his tail, embracing that flower, holding to it as strong as he could and yet in the end it still slipped from his grasp.

He shook his head and threw the stupid thoughts away.

"You thought you were a dragonfly" he mocked himself and darted for the bag filled with twigs and leafs.

She is all that matters.