A/N: I know, almost a year from when I said I was going to be rewriting these. Well, here it is. Hope y'all like it. I'm posting two chapters at a time.

Song: Kiss This, by Aaron Tippin.

"AAAAHH-Ugh!" Came a grunt of pain following a cry as a purple and gold blur flew through the air.

"Spyro!" A gold glowing blur came flying before slowing down, revealing a dragonfly. "Spyro, are you alright man?!" The dragon that the dragonfly was speaking to groaned and shook his head around as he rose to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm just dandy. Like as if I was never thrown into a wall to begin with, Sparx." Said the now named Spyro as he looked at the dragonfly. "Or wasn't in a fight with a full grown dragon."

"RAAAAAAWW!" Roared Spyro's foe as it continued to circle Spyro while staying low, ready to attack again. The dragonfly, known as Sparx, eyed Spyro's opponent, a black dragoness that towered over both of them.

"Good point. Well, I'll let you get back to it!" And the dragonfly was gone again. Spyro whipped his head to the side as he followed the dragonfly's trail.

"What a brother you are!" Spyro yelled after him.

"RRRAWW!" The dragoness roared again. Spyro looked back at the dragoness.

"Oh, shut up. If you really wanted me to shut or start fighting again, all you had to do was ask." The dragoness flinched back in slight shock at Spyro's outburst. "Alright, let us continue." Spyro shook his sides, rattling his scales, and spread his stance, ready to continue the fight. The black dragoness' eyes narrowed slightly. Spyro froze when he saw her actions before shaking it off.

'I don't need to get distracted, Ignitus needs me so I need to end this now.' Thought Spyro. Focusing on the dragoness once more, Spyro saw an opportunity. The dragoness was looking away briefly, but that was all he needed.

Lunging forward, Spyro launched a fireball. The resulting blast surprised the dragoness. Stumbling backwards, the dragoness was surprised to see Spyro flying through the smoke and dust left behind by the explosion. Raising a single foreleg, the dragoness blocked the attack then retaliated by whipping her tail forwards and hit Spyro across his chest.

Seeing the chance, the dragoness decided to end the fight right then. Just as she started to reach out to bite Spyro's neck while he flew back, a voice thundered through her head.

"No, don't kill him, my servant. Take him as a prisoner Cynder." The dragoness, now known as Cynder, shivered as the voice of her master stopped her. The mere voice of The Dark Master filing her head sent shivers down her spine like a cold goo being poured down her back. It left her feeling like a ghost went through her body. She didn't like it, and if she had a choice, she would never let it happen again.

But she didn't have a choice.

"I have other plans for him when I am back. Take him with you to my mountain after you release me." His voice faded from her mind and Cynder released a ragged breath. She looked at the prone form of Spyro. She assumed that was his name as that was what the glowing dragonfly called him.. She didn't want to kill him. She never wanted to kill anyone.

But she had been forced to ever since the ape king forced the dark energy into her so The Dark Master could control her anytime he wished. That merely being one of many reasons. Due to the darkness that now flowed through her she controlled more elements than she should have been able to, grew to the size of a full adult too early, and her once young innocent mind was forced to mature far too early. The only reason she never fully went insane was due to her caretaker who was forced to educate her when The Dark Master wasn't.

Cynder closed her eyes as she remembered the slaved mole, Salvia. She had taught Cynder everything she knew outside of anything combat. When she wasn't teaching her she would tell her stories when she got the chance, trying to give her some semblance of a childhood that she lost. The stories inspired Cynder and made her believe that everything she was doing would one day be corrected. This hope came from one of the many legends she listened to. A story telling of when a new purple dragon would rise and finally put an end to The Dark Master. A hope that she would one day be free of her. A hope that died like Salvia who had finally succumbed to her wounds caused by her many punishments at the paws of the apes.

Cynder sighed deeply as she opened her eyes, her gaze falling on the purple dragon before her. For the briefest moment in their fight that hope was rekindled. But like all things, it was swept away. And now she had to bury it for good.

Reaching out, Cynder picked up the purple dragon before turning and taking to the sky. She grabbed the gemstone that housed the power of the Fire Guardian and set off for the portal that opened in the distance at the Dark Master's will, permitting her passage to the convexity realm.

Flying through the swirling purple and blackness that formed the realm, Cynder finally landed on the central island that floated in the center. In the middle sat an archway with stairs leading up to it. Leaving the unconscious dragon behind, Cynder approached the archway and placed the gemstone in the middle. The reaction was instantaneous.

Cynder backpedaled as a swirling portal formed within the archway, sucking the gemstone into it. Unlike the previous times she had done this, the portal stayed. The wind soone picked up and Cynder felt it trying to pull her into it as well so she backed up more. As she did she saw the dragon she had brought with her was sliding towards the portal as well.

Not wanting to anger the Dark Master any more than needed, Cynder grabbed the dragon and took wing once more, this time leaving the realm. After leaving the convexity realm, Cynder turned to circle her fortress, waiting for the Dark Master to leave the realm as well. So she waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Just when she was debating whether or not to reenter the portal, it closed in on itself and disappeared. Curiosity got the better of her as Cynder wondered what had happened, but before she could do anything the booming voice of the Dark Master thundered through her head, stopping her dead in mid-air.

"NO! I SHOULD BE ALIVE!" Cynder wasn't sure what exactly the Dark Master was referring to, but she had a good idea. "Nevertheless, I am now free of that retched place. Servant, return to my Mountain and cage that dragon there and wait for my next orders." Cynder's body shook as the Dark Master left her mind once more, still hating the feeling.

She looked back at her fortress briefly. Just as she turned away, Cynder saw the Fire Guardian retreating off into the distance, the golden glow that once accompanied the dragon she held with him.

'At least some are escaping this hell, even if only temporary.' Cynder though somberly. She locked her eyes forward as she too left the fortress behind.

The eyes of the purple dragon fluttered open before closing tightly as light shined into them. Dragging his head against the cold ground that he was laying on, Spyro attempted to go back to the sweet embrace of sleep, hoping to ignore the rising sun.

'Wait, when did I go to sleep?' Spyro thought suddenly.

Bolting upright like as if he was struck with lightning, Spyro looked around. All he saw were stone walls in front and on either side of him with a small window that the light shined through. Spinning around, Spyro found thick iron bars blocking his only escape.

"You have got to be kidding me?" Spyro asked no one.

Chuckling suddenly started up and the largest ape Spyro ever saw came walking into his view. Instantly Spyro was on guard. He couldn't get to the ape but he would be ready for whatever came.

The ape let out a laugh at the dragon's action.

"Seems like luck is with me. Just as I come to see you, you wake up as if expecting me. Saves me the time it would take to wake you myself. Though that would have been more fun." The ape sneered and grabbed the bar as he leaned forward to glare at Spyro. "Don't bother trying any of your powers. So long as you are within these walls they are gone."

Spyro's eyes narrowed at that and tried to bring his fire from within his chest but found that it was gone. A little surprised, he looked away before facing the ape again. The ape was covered in black fur with dark armor and a pair of swords on his hip.

"Who are you?" Questioned Spyro. The ape chuckled darkly again.

"What does it matter to you, but if it'll sate your puny mind, I am the King of the Apes, Gaul." Said Gual with pride. Looking to his left at the sound of the creaking of a door opening then closing, he continued. "And you already met her." Spyro eyed the one who was coming but the person had yet to reveal themselves.

"The Dark Master summons you, Gual." Said a distinctly feminine voice. Gual's eyes narrowed at the obvious disrespect, who Spyro guess was a female, her voice.

Gaul huffed and glared at Spyro one last time before marching his way out. Spyro, who was now leaning to the side trying to see who was there without getting too close to the bars, kept trying to figure out who it could have been. Then, the female made themselves known. Cursing under his breath as he jumped back, Spyro glared at the newcomer and took a defensive stance.

There, just outside the cell he resided in, was the cause of his imprisonment, the servant of the Dark Master.

The Terror of the Skies.

Cynder.

The dragoness stopped just in front of his cell and sat down on her haunches, looking the way she came.

"Don't take anything he says seriously. He may be a king, but he's actually quite the scaredy cat." She turned to Spyro, a blank look on her face. Spyro continued to glare at her. Their stare off continued for so long that the seconds that passed soon turned to minutes and soon Spyro feared that they would be like that until his scales turned gray and he would crumble away into dust.

Finally, one of them gave.

Cynder turned away and looked down at the ground and started to scratch the ground with her claws.

"Would you please stop looking at me that way?" She asked. Spyro snorted, surprised. Her voice was suddenly different, as if it didn't belong to an adult dragon. As if it belonged to one not much older than he was. Upon that realization, Spyro looked Cynder over, analyzing her form with a calculating gaze. He soon realized that her eyes were not clouded with white like they were before. How he didn't notice this before was beyond him. Unlike when he last saw her, Cynder's form was sagging as if she didn't care anymore about anything. Spyro saw multiple ways that she could easily be attacked and beaten from that alone.

Another was the way she was clawing the ground. She looked like a child in a sense doing so, as if she was being shy. Her gaze was drifting, seemingly lost in thought. And the way she asked him something.

Spyro started to relax out of his stance and took a step back into a sitting position.

'This isn't right. Something is up here. Why is Cynder, The Terror of the Sky, of all people, asking for something instead of demanding it?! Ordering it?!' Though Spyro. Giving her a scrutinizing look, Spyro spoke his mind.

"What is wrong with you?" She didn't immediately respond but she did stop scratching the rock floor. She continued to stare aimlessly at nothing for awhile.

"Everything." She replied. Spyro was actually surprised she even answered, doing so in the childish tone. He was so surprised that his stance faltered.

"How couldn't everything be wrong." She laughed darkly. "I was taken even before I had a choice. Forced to do things that resulted in night terrors, and if I didn't do so willingly then I'd be forced to watch through my own eyes as my body did the deed against my control. I'm not sure which is worse. Willingly killing hundreds, or be forced to watch it happen without being able to look away." She finally looked up at Spyro, who now stood in slight shock while eyeing her warily. "I hate to give that bastard credit for anything, but I'll give him this; he knows how to make someone suffer." Spyro now looked bewildered as his brows rose slightly. Cynder noticed his look.

"I'm talking about Malefor." Spyro's breath hitched. Cynder raised a brow. "What? Who did you think I was talking about?" Spyro shook his head lightly.

"I don't understand." Cynder sighed and lowered her head, shaking it a bit. Looking back up, she spoke.

"Did you seriously think that I did all of those acts out of my own free will?" It wasn't really a question. "When I was an egg, Gaul took me from my nest, wherever that was, and brought me here. He then used dark magic to force me into this form so Malefor could use me like a puppet on a string. For about five years it went that way before he stretched his power too thin and I regained control. Though I couldn't escape. Gaul had imprisoned me the moment I had control. Not like it mattered. I was a hatching in a body I didn't understand and only knew of nothing but death. Since Malefor couldn't control me like he did before, he had me taught everything that could be. From basic speech and writing to complex algorithms. All so I could be his war machine." A lost look came over her briefly before it passed.

"During that time I was given a choice. Fight and kill whoever he told me to, or be forced to do so like before. Now that I had understood what I was doing was wrong, I resisted. But the result was always the same. Eventually I just did as he told me. It was easier and I could actually say sorry to everyone I had to kill and even gained some freedoms. But every night was the same. Everyone that I had ever killed, willingly or not, haunted my dreams." Her voice trailed off at the end of her story, a haunted look glazed over her eyes. Despair was laced throughout her voice as she told her tale, something that Spyro easily caught.

Said dragon had now completely dropped his guard as he stared at the dragoness in front of him. Right there, right in front of him, was the only other survivor of the attack on the temple so many years ago. The only difference was that Ignitus had managed to save him while Gual stole her egg. They were raised differently and yet so similarly. Both were isolated and only knew of one kind of life. The differences were few but great.

He had a happy childhood and fought by choice. She didn't, and was now feared because of it.

Spyro shook his head and closed his eyes. Even if by some miracle that she would be able to escape the torment that plagued her, no one would ever accept her because of what she was forced to do.

Spyro snarled and raked his claws across the stone floor, leaving deep gouges behind. He had never even met any other dragons than the Guardians, but he knew from the tales that they told him that everyone that was left would judge and accuse her of her actions. Actions that weren't even her own.

Cynder flinched back at Spyro's reaction to her past. Thinking that it was due to him thinking she was lying, Cynder decided to leave. She had orders after all.

Cynder looked away from Spyro and started for the door.

"Food and water will be brought to you. I recommend that you replenish your strength." Said Cynder. Spyro looked up, his snarl disappearing, and watched as she left. Thinking she misinterpreted his actions he tried to stop her, stepping up to the bars to speak but saw that she was already gone. He sighed as he turned back around and laid down in the middle of his cell, waiting for his next surprise.

Gual marched down the dark halls of Mt. Malefor with his shoulders high and his swords sheathed on his hips. Apes cowered around him as he passed them by. But he paid them no mind. He was their king and they were merely servants to him, nothing more.

Soon, he reached a door that rose high above him. Stopping before it, Gaul raised one of his large fists and beat on the frame. By this point there were no other apes nearby as they all feared what resided on the other side. The echo of Gaul's knocking sounded through the door for the empty chamber that the door blocked.

Lowering his fist, the Ape King waited for permission to enter and soon found himself waiting for longer than he wished. Eventually, a voice permitted his entrance. The doors suddenly open when made to open them himself, startling him. Hiding his surprise behind a face of conviction, Gual stepped into the room. What lay before him was what any would imagine a throne room too look like. A long hall with pillars lining along the sides of the walkway leading to the throne itself.

However, instead of a thrown, a large, dark purple crystal grew from the ground that glowed eerily. Gual stepped lightly to the crystal almost as if the mere sounds of his footfalls would break it. Being the only lighting in the great hall, the crystal was the centerpiece.

A light pulse from the crystal startled Gual, freezing the ape for a moment before he lowered himself into a kneeling bow.

"It seems you at least still know your place." Came a ghostly voice that made the hall to tremble. Gual warily raised his head, eyeing the bottom edge of the crystal.

"Of course my lord. I am forever your servant." Said Gual. A dark chuckle reverberated throughout the hall.

"Of course you are." Said the voice as if not believing the ape. Gual gulped and stayed frozen as he contemplated running; believing that his master was going to kill him. Before he could decide on what to do, the voice spoke again.

"Nevertheless, we have work to do." Gual let the breath he had been holding free out at his master's words. "Now rise." The Ape King did as told and stared headlong into the crystal. "As you can guess, freeing my soul alone from the Convexity Realm did not give me the physical body that I need to continue my campaign against the forces that oppose us. And the longer I remain like this the longer I will fade away into nothing." Gual's brow crested together. As much as he liked that idea himself, he knew he was nothing without the Dark Master.

"What do you require to survive?" Asked Gual.

"Magic, Dark magic. I can easily recreate my body, but without the needed amount trying would be useless. The coming of the Eternal Night would provide me with more than enough. But as it stands, I will not make it till then." Gual gained a confused look upon his face until realization dawned upon him.

"You are deteriorating away too fast right now. You will die before then if you don't get some magic to sustain yourself." The crystal pulsed once more.

"Correct. Perhaps there is a brain in there after all." Gual withheld his grumble. "Yes, without more dark magic I will die and I cannot manifest it on my own like this." Gual's master seemed to become longing as he said his next words. "As much as I hate too lose such a good weapon, we will need to drain Cynder of the dark magic that flows through her. It will be more than enough to sustain me until then." Gual grew confused at that.

"But Master?! Without the magic in her it will be impossible to control her." Stated Gual.

"Then get rid of her once it is done. And that excuse of a purple dragon. Spyro I believe his name was. Make an example of them before the rebellious forces. Or better yet," Said the voice, turning darker in tone as it went on. "Make them an example before the Guardians. Find where they are and have them killed before them. Make them watch. That'll show them that there is no hope left." A nasty smile had found its way upon Gual's face.

"It will be done, my lord." No more needed to be said as Gual bowed once more then turned on his heel and left the room. The doors closing with a resounding boom echoed through the hall.