#i also feel like they could have done more with malefor too

[6clawdy6]

Cinder or Malefore?

Couldn't really pick, so I chose both. Cynder's in the red, Malefor is in the dark purple.

Mild rambling in the tags ahead.

[skylanders-after-the-end]

A new Nightmare begins

Kaos and Glumshanks were face to face with Kaossandra, who had inexplicably escaped her imprisonment from within the mirror.

“Mother!? How is this possible?” Kaos looked over to Glumshanks who could only shrug his shoulders as the slender woman approached the two. “You were supposed to stay in that mirror forever!”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you Kaos.” Kaossandra patted her much shorter son on the head while observing the main hall inside the family castle. “Unfortunately, even I do not know how this could happen. I was inside the mirror, dreading my fate as usual, when suddenly the glass broke and it crashed down. Then you arrived.”

Kaos turned around as his mother kept admiring all the objects and furniture which have been just out of her reach for such a long time. “So, you didn’t free yourself?”

“If I could, I would have done so years ago.” Kaossandra turned to one of the windows, allowing her to get a good view of the castle garden. “But this is something different. I can feel it.”

Glumshanks, who clutched onto Kaos’ shoulders, couldn’t tear his eyes away from the woman. “And what’s that, mistress Kaossandra?”

“My powers are weakened, despite not using them for such a long time.” Kaossandra was brooding. “Perhaps… no it cannot be.”

“What cannot be?” Kaos moved away from Glumshanks to better hear what his mother had to say.

“My powers stem from no other source than the Darkness itself, as do yours.” Hearing that, Kaos looked up to the symbol on his forehead which was briefly taken from him by said Darkness once. He knew what she was talking about. “But it’s more than just a power source, it’s a being. If it so desires, it can take our powers in an instant. The only reason it doesn’t is because it needs accomplices and hosts ever since it’s been banished by the Ancients.”

Kaos thought about that, but something didn’t add up. “That can’t be right! When I set the Darkness free and the Skylanders defeated it, my powers were still there! I mean it took a while to get them back, but still!”

“That’s because you can’t just defeat the Darkness, you fool!” Kaossandra hissed at her spawn. “The Skylanders have no idea what they’re up against. The Darkness is far more powerful than anything this world has to offer! They might have been able to destroy its physical form temporarily, but the true Darkness will always remain.”

“Then where is it now?” Kaos was curious but also nervous about what might happen if that dangerous threat was ever to return.

“I don’t know, I can’t connect with it like I used to. That’s anything but a good sign.” Kaossandra thoughtfully looked out the window, wondering why all of this was happening now. “It looks like the Darkness has other plans for the Skylands. One that doesn’t include us.”

Kaos gulped and Glumshanks began to tremble as they all gazed through the single window in front of Kaossandra.

One week has passed since Hex’ and Malefor’s ambush on the Academy. Even though the witch surrendered and destroyed Malefor before more harm was done, the Skylanders lost a beloved ally during the battle. Not to mention that Kaos managed to escape as well.

Spyro was lying in his bed staring up at the ceiling. He didn’t feel like getting up today. He hasn’t been feeling like getting up on any of the last few days in fact, but he had to. After a long sigh, the dragon pushed himself up, put his feet on the ground and left his room. He walked through the Academy where he was greeted by his many companions. The leader didn’t return more than a dry “Morning” and some nods. In front of the main entrance, Spyro stopped and looked to his left. He saw Cynder’s monument which was built after her unfortunate passing. In the center was a portrait of the Undead Skylander with black and purple flowers adorning it and some lit candles underneath. Even though it was there to honor and remember her, it always made Spyro feel like his heart was being pierced with a dagger.

“Hey.” Stealth Elf walked up to her friend as her sight went towards the shrine. She let out a heavy sigh. “I really wish that didn’t have to be there.”

At first Spyro had the obscure thought that the elf was suggesting that there shouldn’t be anything to honor their fallen friend, but he quickly realized that she actually meant there shouldn’t have to be anything to honor her in the first place. “Yeah, me too.” They looked at the memorial for a few more moments before continuing their path together. “What’s the plan for today?”

Stealth Elf pulled out a piece of paper which she used to write down all the assignments of the day. It was crumpled and the words were messily scribbled, but it was good enough for her to read it. “There have been reports about the Kaos situation. Some activity at his family castle, so it’s safe to assume that he’s returned there.”

Spyro nodded. “That’s good to hear, then we have to send a team.”

Stealth Elf continued. “Besides that, there were a few evil minions sighted that we should take care of. No Golden Queen though, it seems Sprocket really got the job done.”

“I sure hope so.” Even though the technician told them that she buried the queen beneath her palace, none of them knew that she survived. “Anything else?”

“One last thing…” Stealth Elf was hesitant about that point, but she didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. “Someone needs to check on the villains at Cloudcracker Prison. The Trap Masters have taken some time off after making sure they were all locked up again, but an inspection is overdue.”

Spyro remembered how most of the prisoners had to be released and kept inside the cafeteria in order to make room for the possessed Skylanders until that was resolved. “That won’t be a problem, I can go and check on them-”

“All of them.” Stealth Elf put emphasis on all. Spyro went silent and had an empty stare. He wanted to say something but just couldn’t. When he opened his mouth, the Life Skylander stopped him. “Nightfall already said she’d go. I know you can’t see her yet.”

Spyro closed his mouth again and nodded. “Thanks.” He didn’t look the elf in the eyes anymore and just kept walking straight ahead.

Northwest from the Academy only a few islands away was the infamous Cloudcracker Prison standing in its full crystalline glory. It was currently holding more villains than ever before, ranging from the sinister Doom Raiders to the smallest of greebles. Below the many floors and cells was one dark room hidden in the lower part of the building. It was a big, cave-like area with a dome-shaped forcefield in its center. Inside it was the now mortal Hex, leaning against the solid blue wall of energy.

After giving up all her powers and ending Malefor once and for all, the witch was transported to the prison and locked inside that highly secured room. The Skylanders didn’t want to take any risks since she got closer to defeating them than any other villain before.

During the seemingly endless silence, the only door leading inside the room opened and Nightfall entered. Hex tilted her head slightly to see the dreadwalker through her messy black hair before turning her sight to the floor again. Neither of them talked. Nightfall approached the forcefield and stared at Hex for a good while. “Do you need anything?” The Supercharger’s raspy voice echoed through the room.

“As if you care.” Hex responded dryly, not even bothering to give the Dark Skylander another look.

“You’re a mortal again, you have to drink and eat.” Nightfall didn’t say that out of sympathy, she made it clear that she was just following orders.

“I’m well aware of that.” Hex finally moved her head again before staring back at the ground. “And why did they send you? Do they think that I would talk to someone who’s just like me?”

“I’m nothing like you!” Nightfall hissed.

“You aren’t?” Hex asked with a hint of sarcasm. “You aren’t an outsider? You don’t distance yourself from everyone around you?” Hex remembered how Nightfall was one of the few Skylanders she communicated with from time to time, exactly because of their similarities. “I dare to say that you were closer to me than anyone else. Anyone but…”

“Enough of this, witch!” Nightfall interrupted Hex and had to fight the urge to storm off without fulfilling her duty. “What you did was more than enough to show me what kind of person you really are. And I think nothing of that kind!” Despite Nightfall’s aloof and sometimes antisocial behavior, she did have a strong sense of justice and knew right from wrong. “I sympathized with you before because I thought you were like me. Restrained and quiet, but also loyal. Now I know that you’re nothing but a hate-filled and wicked person!” Hex had nothing to say in response, perhaps because it was true. “I’ll send a meal your way, even though you’re not even deserving of that.”

The dreadwalker turned around and left without another word. Hex remained sitting on the floor, her knees bent and her arms on top of them. She didn’t know if she would ever see the blue skies or floating islands again, but what the witch did know is that she did what she considered to be right for her.

Meanwhile at the Academy hospital on top of one of the many beds was an impatient Wild Storm. A week has passed since he was taken out by a mysterious dart out of nowhere and Whirlwind demanded another checkup. The knight was tapping his armored fingers onto the steel bed frame, eager to finally get a result.

After another minute the hybrid entered the room. “So, Wild Storm.” The Air Skylander began whilst holding a wooden board with her paw. “There are still some traces of the venom which was injected into your body and nearly made you unconscious, however you endured it very well and don’t have anything to worry about anymore. I must say I’m impressed by how quickly and easily your body processed it.”

When the head of the hospital says something like that it must mean something. “Thank you, Whirlwind.” The Sensei turned to the ledge of the bed and stared at her with his glowing eyes inside his mask. “Do you know what exactly that was?”

“Well, it was a paralyzing toxin commonly found in nightshades and other nocturnal plants. I can’t tell you where it came from but maybe it would help to inspect whatever hit you.” Whirlwind didn’t find anything unusual on the knight when he was brought in, so she was curious about what happened. “Tidepool was the one to bring you here, maybe you should ask her.”

Wild Storm nodded before Whirlwind excused herself. He really should talk to Tidepool, not only about this but also everything else that’s been going on between the two. They haven’t properly spoken in months and when Wild Storm lost control Tidepool suddenly confessed that she loved him. Even though he was in his beast form and his memory was cloudy, that is the part he remembers most clearly.

Wild Storm soon left the hospital and went to look for Tidepool. He spotted Boom Bloom nearby and approached her to find out that the quickshot should be in her room. The Air Skylander followed the advice and entered the long hallway with several Skylanders’ rooms. Eventually, he reached Tidepool’s. Everyone had their own personal doorplate attached so they would know whose room it was. Tidepool’s was a gorgeous depiction of the ocean with sea creatures like squids and whales just like the ones that aid her in battle. He knocked on the door and after hearing a neutral “come in”, the knight slowly entered.

When Tidepool turned around and saw the familiar figure she froze in place. Wild Storm closed the door behind him before the two stood still and stared at each other. “Wild… what brings you here?” Tidepool already knew the answer, but she didn’t know what else to say.

“I wanted to talk to you.” Wild Storm began.

“I wanted to talk to you too, actually.” Tidepool responded with the same intention, which lead to another moment of tense silence. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“It definitely has.” Wild Storm never wanted to cut his friend off like that, but he saw no other way to keep the beast inside him away from her. “I wanted to ask if you know what happened that day when I… lost control.”

“Oh…” Tidepool expected to hear such a question, but she wasn’t quite prepared. She was nervous. She didn’t know if he remembered anything. If he remembered what she said. “You want to know why you ended up in the hospital I assume?”

The knight nodded and sat onto a wooden chair in the corner of the room.

“That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about as well.” The Water Skylander turned around to grab something. She held it in her hand and moved it closer to Wild Storm for him to see. “You got hit by this dart and almost became unconscious. I guess because you were in your beast form you took it pretty well, but anyone else would have been down for hours.”

“Whirlwind told me that, but it sounds like you know more about this.” Wild Storm observed Tidepool as her expression was getting more nervous and her eyes focused on the small missile. “Do you know where the dart came from?”

“I have an idea, yes.” Tidepool turned around again and took a deep breath as her back was facing the Air Skylander. “That’s why I have to go away for a while.”

Wild Storm was caught off guard. “What?”

The Water Sensei turned back around holding her two squid guns, only that they were missing the grips, so they were just regular squids. “I know this is sudden and I can’t tell you what it is, but there’s something I must do.” She looked down at her marine pets in her arms as they turned their heads to look back at her. “I also want to ask you for a favor.”

Wild Storm didn’t understand what was going on, but he wanted to help his friend, nonetheless. “What is it?”

Tidpeool took a step forward and moved her squids towards the knight. “Can you look after them while I’m gone? I can’t take them with me, it’s too dangerous. I would ask someone else but… you’re the one I trust the most.”

Wild Storm stared at the two squids and then at Tidepool again. He never really knew those animals as anything other than weapons, but after giving it some thought he took them into his arms, despite the slimy feeling. “Of course, I would love to.” He observed the squids while they were gently moving across his arms before looking back at his friend who had a saddened but also certain look on her face. “But Tidepool, where are you going?”

“I really wish I could tell you, but I can’t.” The Sensei was hoping that this wouldn’t upset the knight, but his willingness to care for the squids gave her confidence. “Any word about this mission could put you and every other Skylander in danger, I can’t do that to you. You have to trust me.”

Wild Storm was looking deep into Tidepool’s eyes, he can’t remember the last time that has happened. He knew her well, despite their recent hardship, and he knew that she could take care of herself. “I trust you.” Tidpeool’s mouth formed a smile and she pet her squids goodbye. “Just promise me that you’ll be careful.”

“Always.” Tidepool responded and her eyes met those of Wild Storm again. “I don’t know when I can come back, it might take months, even a year, but you can’t tell anyone about this. If someone asks just tell them that I’m on a longer journey and I will be back later, hopefully no one will notice.”

Wild Storm nodded and had to twist his hands to prevent the squids from falling down. “And what about these two? Is there anything I have to know?”

“Don’t worry, they can take care of themselves. I just want you to keep an eye on them, so they don’t get into trouble.” The Water Skylander gave her pets a stern look before they nodded to assure her that they’ll behave.

“If they’re as tough as their owner then I have nothing to worry about.” The Senseis smiled before another wave of awkward silence washed over them. Wild Storm thought if there was anything else he had to say. Ultimately, only one thing came to his mind. “I’ll miss you Tide.”

Tidepool looked at Wild Storm and felt her heart beating inside her chest. A part of her just wanted to hug him and confess her feelings all over again. Her love towards him hasn’t changed, even if he still didn’t know it. However, she had to hide it again because she knew that this was more important than that. “I’ll miss you too.”

After those words the friends hugged each other one last time before Tidepool stepped out of the room, threw Wild Storm one more look, and closed the door, not knowing when she would come back. The knight stayed in her room and sat on the bed with the squids clinging onto his arms. “Guess it’s just you and me now.” This was not what Wild Storm expected when he came here, but he could tell that whatever Tidepool had to do was important. He hoped that they could finally spend time together again so he could confess that he loved her too. But he would have to wait, just like Tidepool did.

The next day was an exciting one for the Skylanders. Eon’s niece Aurora was gone for several months on a mission to look for remaining portals connected to Earth, and she has finally returned. An entire crowd of Skylanders was eagerly waiting at the port until her airship arrived. When Aurora opened the door and stepped outside, she was greeted by loud cheering and clapping. With a smile the Sensei got off the ship and rejoined all her friends and allies. Even though she had many things to share, there was one person she wanted to talk to before anyone else.

Master Eon was sitting inside his office, busy with some overdue paperwork. Suddenly someone knocked on the door. “Enter.” The spirit answered bleakly, unaware of who just entered the room.

When Eon lifted his head, he was at a loss for words. Even though he was expecting his niece to come back home any day now, he was still shocked to finally see her again. “Hey uncle.”

“Aurora!” The relatives were about to go in for a hug, but then stopped themselves. “It’s… wonderful to see you again.” They awkwardly stood in front of each other since they were unable to hug due to Eon’s ghostly state.

“It’s good to see you too!” Aurora sighed while looking at the ghost of her uncle. It’s been years since the attack that destroyed his body and she missed hugging him and feeling some kind of physical contact to her last family member, but she was eternally grateful that he was still there in the first place. “There are so many things I have to tell you!”

“Then do tell!” Eon said with glee as he magically pulled out the chair in front of his desk for Aurora to sit on.

After the swashbuckler told Eon all about her journey and the portals she’s discovered, he was impressed to hear that there are in fact still some active portals which could potentially transport the Skylanders back to Earth. Of course, there was no need for that after the Skylanders were freed from their imprisonment on the foreign planet and managed to return to Skylands for good.

“It was amazing uncle, I have never even seen some of the places I went to!” Something not many Skylanders knew was that Aurora has spent many years lost in another realm. She only managed to escape alongside the other Light and Dark Skylanders after the destruction of Cloudcracker Prison which released them from their respective realms. “I only remember all those books and drawings that we used to have years ago, but I never thought I’d see those places for myself! And how much they’ve changed!” The Sensei was as excited as a child.

“I’m glad that you had the opportunity to visit them.” Eon was the happiest he’s been in a long time. He was desperately looking for his niece after her disappearance, many years of hopeless searching. When she then finally returned, he was already a spirit and felt like he could never have the same bond with her again, but they tried making the best of it. However, Eon’s smile faded into a frown as he had some bad news to share. “There’s something you need to know.”

Aurora was curious. “What is it?” Before Eon could answer, the Light Skylander guessed it herself. “Oh, you mean what happened with Hex? The entire Skylands have heard about it! I can’t believe she would do something like that-”

“There was something else.” Eon hated to interrupt his niece and tell her something even worse, but she had to know. “During Hex’ ambush when some Skylanders were corrupted, Kaos managed to escape.”

Aurora went silent. Her family had a long and complicated history with that of Kaos’ and his escape could only mean trouble. “Well, then we’ll just take him down like we always do. Right?”

“It’s not only him this time.” Now came the part Eon feared the most. In the last few days, he has felt unsettled, a familiar feeling. He tried to figure out what it was and used his powers to look for a connection until he finally knew. “Kaossandra is free as well.”

This time Aurora was not only quiet, but visibly shocked, almost afraid. “Ka- Kaossandra?” The Sensei’s mind was rushing as she recalled all the stories she had heard about the dark Portal Mistress. “But she’s been trapped in that mirror for years, how…”

“I don’t know, but I can sense that she broke out of it. Her aura has no equal.” Eon has a past with Kaossandra, but he preferred to not talk about it, even with his niece. “I’m not sure what her and Kaos are up to, but with everything that’s happened recently I have reason to believe that we need to brace ourselves for the worst.”

Aurora slowly nodded, still lost in thoughts. “I understand.” She slowly raised herself up from the chair and made her way to the door, completely absent-minded. “I will get back to training as soon as I can and… I will watch out.”

As she closed the door behind her, Aurora reached into the collar of her armor with Eon’s face engraved on it. She pulled out a necklace with a small golden key attached to it. She looked at it for a few moments and sighed before hiding it inside her armor again and walking along.

Eon remained in his office for the rest of the day and couldn’t help but worry. He thought about the past year and everything that’s happened. The betrayal of the reformed villains and Snap Shot, Malefor’s return, Hex’ curse. It almost made Eon doubt the trust he has in his loyal Skylanders. All those events reminded him so much of the past, where he was betrayed by Kaossandra as well.

The day came to an end and the Academy progressively shut down. After Aurora’s return and all the exciting news everyone was tired and ready for bed. Tuff Luck had just finished her patrol at Cloudcracker Prison and was heading to the Life Realm where she would enjoy the vast and untouched nature.

As the Life Trap Master was strolling through the Academy, she heard something nearby. There was no one else there besides two guards at the main entrance, but she was too far away to be hearing them. There it was again. The feline swiftly summoned her Traptanium warblades and listened carefully. She heard something behind her and turned around whilst swinging her blades, but she didn’t strike anything. Before she could move another inch, a cloaked figure appeared right in front of her. The Trap Master furiously looked into its face and what she saw terrified her. The figure wore a gruesome mask with glowing blue eyes which stared right into the Trap Master’s soul. Before she could attack the intruder, Tuff Luck’s jade green eyes were suddenly filled with a light blue fog. The Life Skylander stood there like a statue, she couldn’t move and her weapons fell to the ground. The figure in front of her calmly walked away and turned into thin air, disappearing from the Academy.

Tuff Luck found herself on a grassy field. The last thing she remembered was seeing that strange figure at the Academy, but now she was on this small, isolated island surrounded by a pitch-black sky. Even though there was no source of light to be found, she could see herself and the grass underneath her as clear as day. When she looked further a forest appeared right in front of her, but instead of the usual joy she experienced seeing a forest, she gasped in horror. The trees and plants were slowly decaying and falling apart, as if a plague was passing right through them. Tuff Luck was terrified as the decaying forest began to spread until she was surrounded by it. This was her biggest fear, for all the nature in Skylands to die off. The feline ran away but there was no end to the forest, she just kept on screaming and running in agony. While she was experiencing all that in her head, Tuff Luck’s body was standing still at the Academy, her foggy blue eyes staring into the distance. It was nothing but a shell, while Tuff Luck’s mind was hopelessly lost.

[kos-mos]

Here it is, way after i first promised it, a family tree for Ember and Flame. I took a good bit of inspiration from many other people's headcanons for the characters but also wanted to throw some different ideas in with those

- Garnet Flashflare

When she was young Garnet's family was relatively close and she lived in relative comfort. She lived somewhat in her brother's shadow, and then after the war with Malefor her family fell apart and she was very much isolated. Her husband and son were the closest family she had for a long time before said husband was reported dead. Garnet still does her best to take care of flame herself, luckily Nanny Shoutfire has very much been her close family friend and has done what she can to support her even after Red's betrayal.

- Flame Flashflare

Flame was born in the Dragon Orchid village away from the war about a year before Spyro and Cynder were. Him and Ember grew up very close and the two were more like siblings than cousins.. He was a lot more privy to the fine details of the war than the other villagers (the village had no significance to Malefor and had the least damage done to it) due to his dad being a soldier. Flame is in fact the only in the village who knows who Cynder really is as he knew more of her than simply the title "terror of the skies".

- Red Flashflare

Red was one of the few shadow dragons in his family of primarily Fire dragons, as well he was training under Tomas to be the new elder of the village. He met Nanny Shoutfire on a whim while on a trip to the market and the two got married within a year and had their daughter Ember hatch around the same time as Flame. During the time Spyro and cynder were trapped in the time crystal it was found out that Red was working for Malefor, Growing their dark crystals and working on some of the dark army's technology.

- Blitz Spitfire (Shoutfire)

She was given the nickname "Nanny Shoutfire" by the children she watches (quicky becoming something all the villagers called her) ironically despite the fact that she doesn't often shout. She also has a very fire-like appearance and name due to her parents believing she'd be a fire dragon, but surprisingly she ended up inheriting a type of ice flame from her grandmother. Shoutfire didn't have great memories of her time with Red and Tomas officially declared him dead after he went missing as a favor to Shoutfire so that she could officially be considered no longer married to him with him missing. During the meeting with Tomas she met Cho-Lei, and while she didn't want to quickly move into a new relationship couldn't help but find herself with such strong feelings since for years.

- Ember Spitfire

Ember was born in the Dragon Orchid village and hasn't really ever left it, as such most everyone in town knows her. She also often helps her mom with her work of watching the eggs and hatchlings. Embet had a much better relationship with her father than her mother did, though that left her with much mixed feelings towards him and a few of her former friends leaving her due to her relation to Red. Despite her not so bad past with her father she did end up taking her mother's last name and essentially cutting her ties with her father.

- Cho-Lei Hao

Cho-Lei was born to an old family with a rich lineage and history, they run the oldest dojo in the nearby village. Cho-Lei not only helps run the dojo, but also acts as village elder and helps run and defend the village. During the war Cho-Lei met a traveler who ended up becoming her boyfriend and promised to end his travels to stay with her. However after Cho-Lei ended up laying their daughters egg he didn't handle it too well and ended up leaving her without a trace. She had a difficult time after that, raising her daughter as well as running her dojo and being village elder, until she met Shoutfire. It started with Shoutfire offering to watch Mei with the other children, free of charge, and their feelings for each other just escalated from there.

- Mei Hao

Mei hatched long after her father left and her mother married Shoutfire when she was quite young, and as such the family she has now is pretty much all she's known. She was a bit nervous around Ember at first, but over time she really warmed up to her as Ember would often go out of her way to help care for and spoil her stepsister. Ember even gave Mei one of her treasured old necklaces and the two are a very close familly now.

[seventeendeer]

Okay, for the character ask, can you answer it for the first character that made an impact on you and brought you into your first fandom? (I love undertale too, but my first fandom was a Broadway XD)

I’ve been super obsessed with fiction since I was a little kid, but my first ‘real’ fandom where I interacted with other fans online and such was Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning, and the character that made me fall in love so hard was Cynder!

favorite thing about them

I was 10 or so and my reasons were simple: she had a cool af color scheme, and it blew my tiny child mind that she was a good guy all along and that she stayed goth and scary-looking even when she was turned back into her good self. I still feel exactly the same way, except I now also appreciate that she’s a fat little baby that looks kinda like a cat and a dog and a spike collar in one, and I wanna protect her

least favorite thing about them

ngl while I enjoyed The Eternal Night and Dawn of the Dragon on their own terms, I feel like they missed an opportunity by keeping Cynder’s story all dramatic and constantly having dark forces get on her case. I would have loved to see her just hang around and be treated like a normal secondary character like the elemental guardians instead. it would’ve been fun to see an evil-looking character just be a nice normal girl with a normal life. the writers could’ve just chosen to let her have no memory of what happened to her in the past and she could go about her day back at the temple chilling out and finding out what she wants to do with her time now that she’s free

favorite line

Cree Summer generally did a fantastic job voicing her, but the way she says “no mercy this time” stands out in my memory as chilling the first time I heard it, which is saying something bc I did Not understand English back then. the intent was clear enough, I guess lol

brOTP

I want her to be friens with the guardians, this kid needs parents and they’re the only ones we got!!! idk why but I remember as a kid I was very attached to the idea of Terrador being a parental figure for her the way Ignitus was for Spyro, I guess I saw potential in a nice, stable, friendly dude taking in a weird lil goth kid and helping her adjust to normal life

OTP

I remember being absolutely Hyped about Cynder being Spyro’s love interest, at the time I’d never seen a character like her get to be the hero’s love interest, and tbh I still? haven’t seen many love interests like her?? it is not often that the female romantic lead gets to be scarier-looking than her partner, unless she’s also conventionally cute or otherwise attractive in a vamp-y kinda way. I think it was just really touching to me to see a female character be cared for and loved even though her design didn’t signal her as having that role at all, for a little tomboy like me that was extremely validating

random headcanon

the blue bits of her markings are the same color that she would have been if she hadn’t been pumped full of dark magic goo since before she was born. she’s implied to be a messed-up wind dragon (wind often being associated with blue bc blue skies and whatnot), and in that one flashback her egg is the same shade of blue. her white horns and green-blue eyes are probably also her natural colors.

unpopular opinion

relating to the ‘least favorite’ bit above, all the angst that was heaped upon her in the two sequels was ... kinda boring. would’ve been much more interesting if the writers had let her develop at her own pace instead of constantly throwing unpleasant situations at her in order to force a character arc that didn’t need to exist in the first place. just give the baby amnesia and let her have a nice chill b-plot about finding her way in life and be done with it tbh

song i associate with them

Astronomical by SVRCINA is only vaguely related to her character, but something about the mood is perfect for the time when she was under Malefor’s control.

favorite picture of them

they are both so SMALL ...

[miloscat]

[Review] The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon (DS)

Might as well round out the trilogy! With a new developer and Cynder having proper deuteragonist status, could it be that the third game is the best one? Maybe! Kinda!

Krome lost the chance to make the third console Legend of Spyro game, but some part of the process stayed in Australia as Tantalus handled the DS version. This time it’s a sidescroller, like the two previous Legend instalments had been on GBA (as well as the GBA Crash crossover, the java phone tie-in for Shadow Legacy, and all three phone Legend games). The graphic style is more detailed than any of those, with textured polygons throughout and a more realistic, grim tone. This extends to the enemy types, who are all new and all ugly. I was impressed by the look at times though, especially in the flying sections.

The levels are fairly open in design, requiring some exploration. Your reward for being thorough is the occasional health or breath extender, and more enemies to fight for experience, which goes to making one of your four breaths more powerful. Levels are broken up by flying sections, which are impressive setpieces capped by a boss fight; these whole sections take the same touchscreen-controlled form as ANB’s boss battles but I preferred them here.

Combat is once again a staple. Spyro and Cynder have a wide variety of moves between directional light and strong attacks, elemental attacks, and functionally different breaths, but it’s not overwhelming and you can pull off something impressive-looking by mashing. Get a good juggle on though and you’re rewarded with more gems and stuff. It’s got depth (you can also account for enemy weaknesses) but it’s not too demanding, and it kept me fairly engaged.

The plot goes somewhere, unlike TEN. Malefor the dragon baddie is, like, evil or something. He summons a big giant golem monster, you blow it up. Dragon mentor guy sacrifices himself. Oh and Hunter’s there! It was nice having a recurring NPC, especially one of the very very few characters to return from the classic series, but his non-wisecracking non-silly voiced presence only serves to remind how disappointingly dour everything is in comparison. These characters are also still-portrait-cutscene-only; the only creatures you interact with are the goblins and whatevers that you punch.

Anyway, what impressed me was the pace. Spyro and Cynder move pretty snappily, which is a big thing I’d been missing so far in the DS Legend games. You can run, glide, walljump, and it feels pretty good; it’s just a shame you’re stuck in a 2D world. Of course the other benefit was having Cynder as a full playable participant. She comes with her own set of breaths, all dark spooky magic stuff. Ageing up the characters makes the story feel impactful, and having Cynder as a full partner gives her merit. For all these reasons, I enjoyed DotD the most out of the three. Or maybe it was because it meant I was done with this cul-de-sac of a subseries.

[purplecynder]

Dark Spyro/Purple Cynder PLOT NOTES intertwining plots: - spyro's corruption - cynder coming into her powers - ape dissent - spyro/cynder romance - ignitus as spyro's father* - PREMISE: end of EN, diverging so that spyro, cynder, and sparx escape the well of souls and are able to regroup with the guardians (no time crystal) - spyro and cynder spend three days traveling by night, exhausted from the ordeal; after the first night they meet with terrador in the shattered vale and he travels with them. - the other guardians are waiting anxiously at the temple and are relieved to see that the young dragons have returned. cyril apologizes to cynder for being suspicious of her before, and then bites his tongue when her powers surface. - their main objective is to plan for the next phase of the war; gaul is now dead, which means the apes will be disorganized and possibly abandon the war effort, and malefor is not yet free, but he is much closer to the realms than he was and could be freed at any moment. the dragons must plan accordingly and try to strike while his forces are leaderless, none of them having a direct connection to malefor. - however, the guardians insist that spyro and cynder rest rather than joining in on the discussions, limiting them to light training and only selectively answering their questions. they are worried that they've already traumatized the young dragons and don't want to push them, but this frustrates both spyro and cynder, who want answers as well as to help. - ignitus is certain after his travels that he is spyro's father. he is still brooding about whether or not to tell him, and because of this is acting very shifty and guilty. - spyro was in the celestial beam long enough for his malefor to establish a connection with his mind, which allows malefor to begin speaking to him: at first anonymously, and then when spyro figures out who he is and tries to block him out, he begins making strategically timed comments designed to make spyro doubtful of the guardians and more trusting of malefor, including hints that *he* is actually spyro's father (this is of course a lie) - cynder's powers are beginning to return, so she discovers once they're safely back at the temple that she can wield wind; excited by this, the guardians press her to see what else she can do, and she discovers she can also wield shadow, poison, and fear. - these darker powers make her a little uneasy and she asks hesitantly if she had always been a black dragon... what she would have looked like, and what element she'd have if her egg hadn't been taken. ignitus grimaces and admits that they had no way of knowing. all he knows is that cynder's egg was black, which he remembers because it was unusual- black dragons are uncommon, and have been known to possess basically any element. "however, your eyes... your eyes make me think that perhaps, you might have been a wind dragon." - this leaves her with even more questions, but unfortunately ignitus doesn't appear to have the answers. she still worries that these leftover powers mean that malefor's presence might linger somewhere deep inside of her, but as the days pass and she doesn't feel even a tingle, she begins to relax. - cynder learns to use her powers deliberately in ways that she never had under malefor- in better, less destructive or vicious or intentionally bloody ways. she wants to distance herself from all of that. - unlike cynder, spyro hasn't discovered any new powers cooped up in the temple. he is sick with guilt over killing gaul and impatient to learn more skills as soon as possible so that he can end the war for good. the battle at the well of souls depleted his powers again, however, so his recovery prevents him from training like he wants to. he still tries to push himself but is reprimanded for it. his overeagerness makes some of the guardians (cyril, terrador) uneasy, as it resembles the tale of how malefor became what he is, which he overhears them talking about. - ignitus is angry about it and tells them never to make that comparison again, but spyro doesn't hear that part. - spyro realizes that he still knows very little about history, including malefor's past, despite the story the chronicler told him. when he hears terrador mention *other* purple dragons before malefor, he begins to doubt everything the chronicler said. - he tries to ask the guardians about these things but they either think that the information is trivial, or they won't give him comprehensive answers. they're trying not to discourage him and protect him from the gruesome truths he wants, but spyro sees this as a sign that he isn't trusted, that maybe malefor's voice is right when it says that they expect him to turn any day, and that they're prepared to cast him aside the moment they think he's a threat. - cynder has been lost in introspection. spyro walks in on her one night while she's crying and fumbles to make her feel better, and she tells him that gaul had been right at the well of souls and all of this was her fault. "i was awake the whole time, spyro, i could see what i was doing- i could feel it, everything... i was just too weak to stop it..." spyro vehemently tells her to stop thinking like that. "you were so YOUNG, cynder. i saw the pictures in the chronicler's book, of what they did to you... (they both shudder) ignitus said Gaul even tampered with your *egg* to force it to hatch- you didn't stand a chance! the dark master is the most powerful dragon there's ever BEEN. he must be a thousand years old by now, and we're still barely bigger than hatchlings! (echoing what cyril had scoffed about them earlier) if you had even tried to resist he probably would have killed you, and then we never would have met. i never would have gotten to see you become this strong, and brave, and..." at a loss for words, he starts again. "you're so strong, cynder. even without any magic at all... you're so brave, and you're so much more clever than i'll ever be, and funnier, and- i would never have made it this far without you. i would have given up and probably just died in the avalanche if you hadn't forced me to fly. the only special thing about me is that i'm *purple*, but you... you're just... amazing." - he gets flustered comforting her, realizing he might be revealing his feelings and clamming up, but cynder is greatly comforted and gives him a lick and a slow full body nuzzle. they go to sleep together that night with cynder contemplating what it means that she's her own dragon now, free of malefor, free to make her own decisions... and repentance. - she makes the deliberate decision to put her jewelry back on, to remind herself of her past sins as well as symbolize her overcoming them and choosing to make reparations. - cynder is spending more and more time training with cyril and terrador, which makes spyro extremely jealous. he's conflicted though, because she continues to come sleep with him in the nights, which she hadn't done before she'd run away... he's more aware of his growing feelings for her than ever and it makes him nervous. - he begins to reluctantly listen to malefor's instructions and goes sneaking out, exploring the temple and the surrounding area without telling the guardians. everything malefor is telling him keeps turning out to be true, which makes him even more convinced that the guardians don't trust him and are lying to him, while malefor is being understanding and entirely truthful to him... - after cynder begins mastering her furies, spyro finally asks malefor to train him. he's anxious to learn more powerful attacks that will go further to protect his friends. he's lost sight of the fact that the one he's protecting them from is actually malefor himself. delightedly, malefor agrees, and the first thing he teaches spyro is the element of poison. - spyro leaves the temple of his own volition at malefor's prompting- he is manipulated, but not forced, into making the conscious decision to leave - cynder POV: similar to how cynder had snuck out of the temple months ago, spyro is sneaking out of the temple in the night when cynder wakes and follows him. there's something wrong with him - he's walking strangely and shaking his head, mumbling and trailing an uneasy dark aura, shadow leaking from his mouth like drool. - she cautiously approaches and tries to speak to him, but at first he can't seem to hear her- and when he looks at her it's clear he's in his dark form. she doesn't know what triggered him but she starts gently trying to talk him down. it works until he's lucid, and then he begins to lose control again. in his distress he yells at her and cries, admitting to everything in a jumbled manner, confessing that he doesn't know what to do because he doesn't trust the guardians and they don't want him there- cynder tries to talk him down some more, but when spyro is forced back into his dark form and runs off she has the chilling realization that it was probably malefor's voice planting those ideas in spyro's head... - as spyro escapes, out of desperation cynder shoots an elemental attack at his back, which turns out to be... ice? this confuses her for long enough that spyro gets away. she stumbles immediately into the sleeping guardians room where she rouses them in a panic and tells them everything, including her observation that spyro's scales have been changing color, and that he appears not to have a firm grasp on reality anymore. - when that news settles down, ignitus peers at cynder and begins asking her about her new element- ice. Cyril is delighted and wants to teach her to control it immediately, but ignitus wants to know how far this goes, and if she could potentially master even MORE elements. he says he has a theory, but he wants to test it before saying more. - the next day cynder is subdued, but ignitus insists on proceeding with the experiments that he's designed. he's tried to recreate the circumstances which lead to spyro discovering each of his elements, but cynder doesn't know that yet. she walks into the obstacle course not knowing what to expect, and at first it seems rather normal- there are pits to glide over, a series of darts to dodge in midair, randomly appearing dummies to take out- but there's also sparx, who gets "captured" by a frogweed, a cannon which cynder can't reach with any of her elements, and at the end, a stone bell which falls on top of cynder and traps her. - it becomes clear by the end of it that cynder has control of all eight of the known elements. the guardians burst into a frenzy of shouted theories and ideas. ignitus is the one to announce that he believes he was right in his hypothesis.. cynder is now a purple dragon as well, because of malefor's tampering with her magic. they all peer closely at her scales for confirmation and they are indeed less black than they used to be, with a deep violet undertone beginning to emerge. - spyro is having doubts about leaving, exhausted and resting in the chill of dante's freezer before making the flight to the mainland. he'd followed malefor's directions and taken a long, twisted route rather than flying directly back to the well of souls, hoping to mislead the guardians if they tried to tail him. but now he wishes cynder had followed him. malefor reprimands him, and spyro feels very small and alone, but he stops arguing and trains as directed despite his exhaustion. - cynder notices that ignitus is disproportionately upset about spyro's disappearance in comparison to the other guardians. while she's training with him to master fire fury, she asks him about it, and he confesses that he'd been meaning to tell spyro that he was his son but hadn't had the courage to do it after all the danger he'd put him through. this makes cynder so determined that she has no problem mastering her fire fury on the second try. - there are reports of spyro sightings in dante's freezer, and cynder rushes off to pursue them the moment she hears, disregarding the guardians' protests. - spyro has sequestered himself in the ice cavern while malefor continues "training" him, and his guilt is eating away at him for leaving without cynder. he begs malefor to let him go back and convince cynder to come with him. he's harshly denied, and then forced to attempt the shadow fury again, but it isn't going well- and then his concentration is shattered completely when he hears cynder's voice calling to him through the tunnels. - he rushes to let her find him, torn and deluded, and they greet each other excitably. cynder notices that spyro is deteriorating even more and expresses her concern but he freezes up on her. he starts trying to convince her to come with him, voice cracking as he confesses how lonely and afraid he is and how he can't get malefor's voice out of his head. she tells him he doesn't have to listen to it, that he could come back, and he tells her he left because he wanted to- malefor didn't force him. but she almost starts to sway him, especially when she starts to tell him about ignitus... so malefor takes control of him before she can finish, forcing him into his dark form and initiating a battle with cynder. she doesn't want to fight him and after several pleas and clashes, she shoots a series of icicles into the base of a large stalactite and causes it to come crashing down, filling the air with swirling ice and aiding her escape. - spyro wonders if what he saw was really cynder using *ice*... malefor vehemently denies it, but he seems very uneasy about the idea. spyro's guilt about hurting cynder makes him want to go back even more, so malefor hints more about his heritage to confuse the ideas cynder had proposed, about ignitus, and then forces him to take flight in the opposite direction. - the guardians are, predictably, unhappy with her and make her promise not to leave the temple grounds until they've come up with a solid plan, but cynder secretly remains unrepentant. she tells ignitus details that she hadn't told the rest of the guardians with the fear that they might turn against spyro if they thought he was a lost cause. he promises to help her find a way to save spyro from malefor's influence, as soon as possible. in the meantime though, the guardians want her training to continue- she hasn't mastered her elements yet. - spyro is horrified to find that he can't control his actions. he's flying across the ocean, and he can hear the chronicler calling to him faintly in his mind but he can't force himself to follow the voice no matter how hard he tries. malefor directs him to light down on the mainland and go searching for a crystal, which he intends spyro to charge with his own aether and use to release him from the rubble at the well of souls. a band of defecting apes passes them by in the forest, talking about abandoning malefor's cause, and malefor becomes angry enough that he forgets the task he'd set for spyro and spyro is allowed finally to sleep. - in his dreams, the chronicler finally manages to visit him without malefor's intervention. spyro is upset with him for keeping the full truth from him, despite his initial desperation to follow his voice, and the chronicler expresses his deepest guilt. he admits that he had wanted to protect spyro, and to give him the opportunity to find the good things out for himself (like ignitus' parentage). he sees now that his mistake nearly cost spyro his life and vows to rectify it. - malefor's presence is stirring in the back of his mind, so they have to hurry. the chronicler gives him an invisible token, a mental gift to protect and conceal his innermost thoughts from malefor. he also gives him the quick and painful version of a basic education in his remaining elements, in a different way than malefor had taught them, and tells him never to believe that these elements are dark or evil- it's only how one uses them that matters. he tells spyro to protect himself, and to trust cynder, who would be his best chance of defeating the evil inside his mind and body. - ignitus wakes cynder in the dead of night to give her something of great importance: the chronicler had visited him in his dreams, to ask his help in rectifying a mistake, and told him to place a small crystal at her chest to give her the power she needed to bring spyro back. - the message is cryptic and they're both wary but desperate to try anything. the crystal seems strange but almost ordinary... until it begins to shine violet and sink into cynder's chest, searing and painful. once inside it glows from beneath and between her scales, spreading out from her chest until it riddles her whole body, from toes to wingtips. it's aether, the only element that she hasn't attempted yet to use for fear of harming herself or anyone else. - the chronicler whispers to her that she has always had this power within her... she realizes that malefor accidentally created his own demise in trying to twist her. newly confident, she asks ignitus if he had a plan in mind, and - slightly awed - he sits down with her to plan how they will head spyro off before he reaches the well of souls. - upon waking up again, spyro is bombarded by malefor's anger and suspicion. he's interrogated but amazingly, the chronicler's token holds out, and malefor is smugly content with spyro's apparent helplessness. malefor tells spyro that there is a change of plans; in light of the apes conversation that he had overheard, he wants to find the new, current leader of his ape army and show them that he's dominated and turned the other purple dragon, in order to reinforce their sense of admiration in him. spyro reluctantly agrees and they go searching for the new leader, by the name they overheard the night before. - cynder is furiously flying toward the well of souls without stopping. she can hear the chronicler's instructions echoing in her mind and she knows that time is limited. she reaches the shattered vale and encounters a ragged band of dissenting apes, who jeer at her for being small and "weak", and attempt to attack her when she doesn't respond. - somehow, through magic spyro isn't even sure that he wants to know more about, they find their way directly to the new ape leader. the gathered apes observe his darkened scales and brokenness, and laugh. malefor attempts to possess spyro's body to speak to him, and it seems as if it's working- but, in pain and fearful of giving his body up completely, spyro begins to fight back. - seeing this, [the ape] commands spyro to be chained and bound. they begin marching him toward the nearest spirit crystal, planning to follow through on what parts of malefors plan he managed to share. - the other guardians, particularly cyril, realize that cynder is no longer on the temple grounds. ignitus hastens to explain the situation to them and has a heated argument with cyril, which is only broken up by terrador. he insists that despite cynder's request that they don't follow her, that they go to support her at the well of souls... and to collect whatever is left of spyro. he reasons that it's likely the remaining apes are going to be there as well, and if they are dedicated, they might be able to decimate the last of the dark masters army in one final battle. ignitus reluctantly agrees and they prepare to leave. - cynder has managed to shake off the apes, but only after decimating their ranks, and it cost her time. she is desperate to get to the remnants of the mountain before spyro can, and she arrives at the ruins frantic and searching for them, only to realize that she got there first. - the ruins of the mountain are sinister, still haunted by the same wraiths and an overwhelming sense of despair. cynder shudders and shakes it off, realizing how similar it feels to malefors power inside of her... and then abruptly realizes that it probably IS malefors power, tendrils caressing her and searching for what he really wants- which is spyro. disturbed, she finds a place to hide where she will hopefully see them coming, gathering the aether inside of her. - spyro regains consciousness as they near the collapsed mountain, feeling drained and hopeless. he can feel that his aether has been sapped from him, the same way it had felt after his battle with cynder, and he is effectively helpless. the ape leader carries the crystal reverently. they step into the rubble and spyro feels abruptly surrounded by malefor's presence, the chronicler's voice fading and cutting out in his mind. as the apes shift some of the rubble aside and try to guide him into a tight passage, spyro uses the last of his strength to scream for help, sending out flares of energy with his remaining magic. his scales glow weakly, even warped and dark as they've become. - cynder swoops out of hiding and knocks the crystal from the ape leaders hands. spyro has fallen to the ground, disoriented and flickering the way he had when malefor had originally possessed him. the feeling of malefors presence intensifies until cynder feels as if she's suffocating, but she allows the aether to fill her lungs and coat her scales, insulating her. her scales are a lightening blue violet, untainted. - his dark aether surrounds her like a black cloud, attempting to take her, but though she can hear his taunting he can't find a way into her mind. when malefor realizes that she's immune to his power he throws a fit, retreating from her and rushing toward spyro, the black aether surrounding him and penetrating every orifice, sinking beneath his scales and making him scream with pain and horror. - horrified, cynder rushed toward him, trying to talk him out of it as she had the previous times. but spyro's power is too depleted, and he's retreated into the safety of his mind behind the token. malefor has full control of his body. he grins, gruesome, his body warping and stretching impossibly, growing into a monstrous version of himself similar to cynder's corrupted form but larger and less solid. he seems ripped apart and half made up of sickly dark aether, like a diseased living corpse. - the apes have backed away in awe watching his transformation, but when malefor begins to speak they close ranks again around the dragons, shrieking victoriously. malefor laughs and tells cynder that she's too late, and that spyro and him are one and the same now- that they always were. she refuses to believe him and attacks him with her own shadow breath, panicked now that her plan has been foiled. - the attack is ineffective, shadows absorbing into darkspyro's chest. malefor is high on his victory and summons an army of wraiths to fill the ranks of the apes, commanding them to deal with "the runt". he summons the crystal from where cynder had dropped it and holds it lovingly before taking off into the ruins, leaving cynder surrounded by enemies. - she battles valiantly but no matter how many apes she knocks out, more wraiths seem to appear. she doesn't want to use her fury now, saving it for her confrontation with malefor, but that leaves her vulnerable and unable to defeat the ape leader who is coming for her with a vengeance. thankfully, at that moment ignitus and the other guardians arrive, blasting the wraiths away with their full strength and clearing away the last of the apes. - cynder is left facing the leader while the others are battling. he has the complicated stolen magic of his predecessor, gaul, but he's younger and spry, and even more crafty... he keeps sending her own elements back at her harder than she can throw them. he nearly manages to drain her collected energy from her chest with the amulet he wears- but she blasts him at last with the aether, furious with him for taunting her about spyro, and he's left in a heap. - without stopping, cynder darts for the opening of the passage that will lead them into the depths of the collapsed mountain. she's anxious to get to spyro, but the passage is narrow and dangerous, and will not fit the fully grown guardians. terrador intervenes by widening it forcefully and holding it that way, gritting his teeth and telling them to go ahead of him. - malefor, in darkspyro's body, approaches the very heart of the mountain, in the deep cavern where the beam hit spyro and gaul was killed. it still reeks of powerful, evil magic. spyro begins to stir and struggle again, to no avail; malefor taunts him out loud as he carefully approaches the altar that gaul had constructed. - he explains that the eternal night should have provided him the power to return to his body, buried here in the earth by the ancients when they stripped his soul away and sent it to another realm. he tells spyro that he failed to stop cynder from releasing his spirit from convexity- it's here, living in the mountain now, unable to reseal itself to his body but still alive and strong. spyro STOLE the power of the beam, he tells him, and so really it's his own fault that he's forfeited his body like this- if he hadn't taken what was malefors, then he could still be back safe in the temple with the "traitorous runt", cynder, "sharing delusions of grandeur". but he's made sure to drain all of that stolen power and then some into the crystal he holds now, and with it, he will be able to finally reunite with his dormant body, and his magic. they come upon a humongous body, seemingly perfectly preserved... - cynder bursts into the chamber and shouts at malefor to drop the crystal, blasting the stone behind the altar with ice when she misses him. she's already glowing furiously, bright purple, in preparation for the battle ahead- but of course, malefor isn't done assaulting her mind. - as the other guardians enter behind her, he begins chipping away at her resolve, telling her how spyro had feared her when she was his soldier, and how even after they escaped the avalanche he still hadn't entirely trusted her. he tells her how obvious and "pathetic" her infatuation with him was, implying that she's only attracted to spyro's power because it resembles malefor's own, and then goes on to claim that all purple dragons are the same- that spyro was always an extension of him, and that she isn't a TRUE purple dragon, but she still belongs to him. - she feels the pent up rage of her own years of trauma coupled with her fury that spyro is being made to suffer the same way. she attacks him with her green fire, trying again to blast the crystal out of his claws, which only makes him taunt her more ("you call me a monster, but look at you... my little one. my prodigy. you are what i've shaped you into, runt. you should be grateful to me. but I suppose you still aren't a /real/ purple dragon... do you feel abandoned, runt? cheated? jealous that i've taken on a new apprentice? don't worry... this one is nothing but a vessel. i've killed his mind to use his puny body, but you. you can earn my attention again when I've regained what was stolen from me." - the guardians have circled them while malefor spoke and cynder attacked, trying to get between him and the body. cyril and volteer stand guard over it, throwing up a forcefield, and terrador remains in the mouth of the passage looking down on them, blocking exit and ensuring that the mountain doesn't collapse further and kill them all. - ignitus attacks malefor while he's speaking, using an advanced form of fire that cynder has never even seen, furious. he advances on him and screams at him to release spyro, if he's so certain he can win with his own power. malefor only laughs and taunts him for being too sniveling, weak, and insecure to claim his only son... and for not noticing spyro's deteriorating mental state back at the temple. - this seems to hit hard, and while he is fumbling for the words (uncertain if spyro might be listening) ignitus falters long enough for malefor to clutch him by the throat with his shadows, raising him up and out of the way above them all, keeping him from speaking again. - cynder, cyril and volteer all attack at once in alarm, but their elements slide off of him like water and he continues to advance on his body. - volteer is thrown away by his own electricity, convulsing and shrieking in pain, and Cyril is furious. he steps between them, forgetting the body for a moment, and vows to kill him for the last time. malefor scoffs and points out that cyril had never believed in cynders goodness, and constantly argued to cast her away or even imprison her out of suspicion and loathing. cynder feels her heart break a little listening, but only her expression betrays her- she chooses to ignore it right now, for spyro's sake. ("none of that matters now. we know who our enemy is- you're going to pay for the pain you've caused.") - cyril is overcome with shame, and even as cynder is launching her next attack on malefor's shadowy form, it gives him the opportunity to knock cyril out of the way and reach his prone body at last. he lowers the crystal to the snout and the body begins to glow- as cynder screams and blasts him with the aether, red eyes snap open, and spyro's mutated form crumples to the ground, shrinking back down into his adolescent body. - malefor rises slowly from the dust in his body, enormous and menacing, glowing with power. cynder backs away for a moment with unease, but stands firmly between him and spyro's shuddering form, protecting him. he laughs and tells her that he has no use for "that husk" anymore- now what he wants is /her./ - again, the rage wells up in cynder and she feels the chronicler fortifying her mind. the other guardians are up again and circling, unsure of what to do. she tells malefor coldly that she was never his, and she never will be- and slams her aether-clouded body directly into the suspended ignitus, who is abruptly released from his shadowy bonds and falls gasping to the ground. - malefor becomes furious, not having expected her to be able to counter his power like that, and so easily. he begins taunting her again for not being a "real" purple dragon, saying that she's deluding herself if she thinks that she'll have the power to defeat him, and that she ought to give up her petty revenge in favor of joining him at his side where she belongs. - cynder snarls that she is already at the side of the only dragons she's loyal to as the guardians regroup behind her, forming a wall between spyro's crumpled body and malefor's awesome power which is rising around him like an enormous cloud of black wraiths, whispering and humming. he cackles in their faces, apparently amused that they all think that he's so easily defeated. he reminds them that all ten of the ancients had been necessary to subdue him before, and that none of /these/ pathetic remaining guardians could ever hope to live up to those legends. - malefor mocks the guardians for being lead by a "broken runt of a hatchling". he sets the wraiths on cynder as he speaks, saying that she still hasn't been punished for her failure /or/ for her defection. she is encased in darkness for a long moment and the guardians attack the cloud in alarm, trying to free her, and malefor is free to put the full force of his power into trying to take her back - body and soul - circling the other dragons and raising a wall of aether, trapping them, cutting terrador off from the battle entirely. - cynder is forced to take the battle to her mind, and she can feel herself weakening the longer she staves off the assault. she feels so disconnected from everyone, including spyro and ignitus, who she's come to view as a mentor, and begins to feel hopeless. but the aether begins to glow again from within her. she looks down at herself and hears the chronicler's voice echoing "a purple dragon will bring an age of peace" - she realizes that all this time she's thought of herself exactly the way malefor described... not a "real" purple dragon, but an imposter, an accident, inferior. but she's no less purple than spyro or malefor, even if she wasn't born that way. the prophecy never said the purple dragon had to be born that way. - with a surge of magnificent aether, cynder bursts free of the cloud and dispels it completely, startling the guardians who are still trapped with her inside the vortex that malefor created. they express their concern and panic for her safety, but she is mostly unharmed- she tears apart the wall of darkness with powerful flaps of her wings, tearing at it with her teeth and her claws, glowing with the aether. - on the other side of the wall, terrador is holding malefor off by himself, preventing his escape... barely. he's clearly starting to succumb to exhaustion. malefor is briefly taken aback when cynder emerges from the prison he'd created, free of shadowy tendrils and in full possession of her mind. he recovers quickly though, and grins as he tells her that if she won't join his side, then perhaps he'd better give her some better motivation. - he lunges for spyro's body, but cynder cuts him off with a powerful blow and shouts for ignitus to stand guard over his son. she isn't holding back, matching malefor blow for blow, both of them glowing with power. the guardians are doing their best to attack him as well, although none of their attacks seem to be landing as they should. - malefor goads her, asking if she's getting tired and reminding her that no matter how long she holds out, eventually he'll kill all of the guardians as well as her and spyro. if only she'd cooperated, maybe he would have let her keep her mate... but now, since he has no use for him, he'll just dispose of him. - cynder responds by blasting him with aether, and he does the same... neither of them seems able to get the upper hand. she's beginning to panic and has to center herself again with the chronicler's words, coupled with the desperate encouragement being yelled at her by ignitus and the other guardians. - she pauses, enduring the pain of malefors blows as she closes her eyes and calls upon the aether as deep as she can go, feeling for the connection with the ancestors- this is the moment that "proves" whether she's really purple or not. - malefor backs away when he sees the spirits manifesting - they aren't dark like his wraiths, but they are made of light, and as they take shape he realizes that they are the spirits of the ancestors, and of the modern guardians he killed as well. - this is a power he's never seen before from the aether, and despite himself he's frightened. he demands to know how she's doing this. the spirits crowd towards him, condemning, and cynder opens blazing eyes. - "you did this to yourself... you had the power to do incredible things, and you used it to start a war, to torture and murder your own kind, to kill dragons before they could even hatch... you were willing to use your power to destroy anyone who might challenge you, using /me/ as a tool. but you made a mistake, malefor, because you made me into what i am. you /gave/ this to me. now /I/ have the power to do impossible things... and the first thing that I'm going to do is end the war. I'll obliterate you!" - finally, she begins her aether fury, and as if in slow motion the guardians and the spirits alike move to join her. the air crackles with power. malefor roads and throws out all of his aether at once, like a black hurricane of sickening power, but it's torn to shreds by the combined white light of all of the elements at once, and once more he's face to face with cynder. - she's glorious, having regained her sense of self and reminded of what she's fighting for. she hardens herself and glares down at malefor, who looks significantly less intimidating when he's drained of so much of his power and beginning to look tired. - they trade melee blows brutally for a few moments. spyro is stirring- he weakly shouts at cynder to be careful, and it gives her the resolve she needs to end it. - they circle each other, and cynder spreads her wings threateningly, charging up a final blast. malefor does the same and his wingspan seems to take up the entire cavern, looming over all of them. their aethers meet midair as they had before but this time malefor is too weak to keep his up- and the ancestors and guardians, seeing him falter, begin to attack him as well. - malefor emits a horrible scream as his spirit is torn from his body again and drawn pulsing and black into the air, then blasted apart by cynder's light aether. his massive body collapses, empty and finally dead. cynder nearly falls unconscious where she lands, having expended so much power that she feels almost completely empty. she stumbles over to spyro's side and they reunite with sobs of relief, unable to stand any longer. ignitus spreads his wings over them protectively, gathering them up. - as cynder is losing consciousness, she dimly hears terrador frantically warning the others that he can't hold the tunnels up around them much longer, and feels ignitus scoop both her and spyro up in his mouth as everything goes black. - FALLING ACTION: back at the temple, cynder wakes groggily at last and is stricken by deja vu. it's been days and she and spyro have barely been conscious, only long enough to eat and drink as often as they could hold it down, and it has passed in a blur. she feels weak but somehow cleansed. immediately she thinks to look for spyro, stumbling out of the room they'd shared for weeks in search of him, and encounters volteer in the hall. he asks her gently how she's feeling, and she gives an honest answer but is anxious to find spyro. he tells her to go see the other guardians when she feels up to it, but points her in the direction that he watched spyro go earlier. - she finds him standing at the pool of visions, alone, staring mournfully at his reflection. he tells her quietly that he's sorry and that he knows he's nothing more than a traitor. his scales are still darkened, perhaps permanently. he tells her that he doesn't know how to live with this guilt, and that he doesn't deserve to be ignitus' son after allowing malefor to lure him away and nearly destroying the world they'd fought to protect. - cynder scoffs and tells him that if she can deal with the guilt of her past sins, then spyro will get through this. he's taken aback, having forgotten that she was in a similar situation, and although he weakly argues she doesn't concede a single point. - terrador walks in on their argument and drily interrupts that they can continue once they've had something to eat. they reluctantly follow him out onto the grounds, where it's warm and summery now and there's plenty of food set out to eat and crystals nearby to recharge. - ignitus rushes to their sides the moment they appear, full of concern- for both of them- and cynder feels as though she's going to burst. over lunch, the guardians each apologize for the things they did wrong, and spyro tearfully apologizes to everyone, while cynder is congratulated profusely. - according to Cyril, there's plenty of adoring public come to offer their gratitude to the new purple savior, but thus far they've been turned away in favor of her recovery. nearly no one knows about spyro's corruption, and they plan to keep it that way. the apes have reportedly all dispersed, none left are loyal to malefor. - while cynder goes to talk with cyril about Things, spyro tries to stray off by himself, still troubled. ignitus finds him and gently coaxes him into talking. he tells him that he's very proud to have him for a son, and feels that it's his fault that all of this happened because he wasn't honest about it to begin with. - cynder comes searching for spyro eventually and they sit out together on the balcony as they had that night after her rescue, staring at the stars. it is hard to come to terms with the war being over. cynder is still reeling from the knowledge that she's now purple, and spyro doesn't know how to act around her, flustered and still a bit guilty. he tells her he feels undeserving, and that she's being too kind to him ; she bluntly tells him that she loves him and that that's just how it is, and she wouldn't change it. she tells him that he was the one who inspired her to become a better person and try to repent for all she'd done. - "you don't owe anyone anything now, spyro. you've done more than enough... i think we all have. malefor is gone for good... you can relax. it's going to be okay." - it takes him a long moment to reply, absolutely floored by her confession, but eventually he stutters out that he loves her too, and that's why he feels so much like he failed her. she thinks that's ridiculous and nuzzles him forcefully, purple scales against purple scales. - tentatively, spyro asks if maybe this means that she'd like to come back to the swamp with him and sparx to visit their parents soon. - EPILOGUE: fifteen years later; while the temple has been undergoing renovations, spyro and cynder have been living at Warfang with the guardians and a whole host of other dragons they never knew existed, who reportedly lived in the catacombs beneath the city for the duration of the war. they've made some friends out of the younger dragons there, but they're eager to get back to the quiet of their home. ignitus has been deliberately mysterious about the whole thing and wouldn't tell them what sort of changes were being made. they're both embarrassed to realize that all references to malefor have been removed from the temple, and in the place of the great statue is one of spyro and cynder, half twined together and looking regal. (they're much more fully grown at this point) - cynder has spent years now traveling to all the places she harmed when she was under malefors command and doing what she can to make amends, with spyro at her side. as a result they are wildly popular throughout the realms. - cynder had expressed to spyro before her desire to maybe spend her life protecting and raising young dragons, the way she never was. spyro told ignitus; the second part of their surprise is that the old hatchery at the temple is open once again to the public, and there are already several eggs that need tending.

[skylanders-after-the-end]

Witch Hunt

„That doesn’t make any sense!” Spyro was marching from left to right, shaking his head. “Why would Hex work with Malefor and attack innocent people?”

“We saw her transform those molekin into the same monsters as the mabu you found, it was her all along.” Knight Light wasn’t sure why, but he had no doubts about Hex being behind all this.

“Why would she do that?” Spyro stopped and considered all the odds. “What if Malefor is controlling her as well?”

“She didn’t have black eyes.” Smash Hit, sitting on a chair with his arms crossed, was looking straight forward and talked. “She looked at us and then disappeared.”

“Malefor must have convinced her to join him after all.” Stealth Elf argued. “She spent months with him, who knows what he told her.”

“Guys, I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for this. It has to be a misunderstanding.” Cynder was probably the most shocked to hear the news. Hex was one of her closest friends, she was always like a sister to her. For her to join the side of their mortal enemy, unimaginable. “If we could just talk to her-”

“Talk to Hex? Good luck with that.” Stealth Elf hissed. “She’s always been distant from us. I’m honestly not surprised that she would turn out to be evil.”

“You don’t know what she’s been through!” Cynder couldn’t stand by and listen to all those accusations. Someone had to defend the Undead Skylander. “We’re to blame as well! We left her with Malefor all this time and just ignored the problem instead of facing it!”

“We had more important things to do!” Stealth Elf turned around and looked the furious dragon in the eyes. “She went with him willingly. She’s the only one with the power to keep Malefor at bay, what were we supposed to do?”

“Calm down!” Smolderdash stepped between the rage engulfed Skylanders. “Fighting over this will not solve anything. We have to do something.”

“This outcome is logical.” Gearshift spoke and directed all attention to her. “Hex has spent centuries in solitude, rejected by society. Her lack of companionship among the Skylanders and cold nature increased the likeliness of her eventually turning against everyone.”

“You know, I never understood why people are so scared of her.” Roller Brawl was sitting on top of a golden fence at the side of a small bridge in the Academy. “I’m a vampire with actual roller blades, yet no one seems to mind me.”

“Everyone has a reputation RB.” Cynder has been thinking about that issue a lot, and she had her own theory on it. “Everyone used to be afraid to death of any undead, but seeing more and more undead Skylanders and other harmless undead creatures, things changed. Even I got accepted at some point.” Cynder could feel her mouth forming a smile after talking about the positive changes that came from such a dark place. Yet that smile soon faded away. “But Hex… there were always rumors surrounding her, about Malefor and making deals to gain more power. And besides that, she just has this eerie presence. Even I felt unsettled at first.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying!” Stealth Elf used the opportunity to convince the others of her mindset. “We have to get to the bottom of this, isn’t that right Spyro?”

Spyro didn’t even listen to the elf, he could only think about Hex. He made it his duty to make every Skylander feel comfortable and part of the team when he became the leader. Even though she always avoided contact, he did get to talk to the witch a few times. She was aloof, never showing a smile or being considerably kind, but sometimes he could see something in her eyes. A looming sadness, as if she had lost something a long time ago.

“Spyro?” Stealth Elf pulled the dragon out of his trip down memory lane.

“Of course.” He looked through the group of patient eyes waiting for an order. “We will find Hex and talk to her. We won’t attack her until we know what’s going on, she’s still one of us.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, even Stealth Elf found that to be the most sensible option, though she was always ready to fight.

“I’ll come with you, maybe seeing a fellow undead will make her realize that she isn’t alone.” Roller Brawl got off the fence and sharpened her skates on the rock floor underneath.

“I’m coming too.” Smolderdash grabbed her whip which she had put to the side and was ready for a new mission.

“Knight Light?” Spyro looked over to the angelic human, expecting him to tag along as usual.

“You know it.” The Trap Master pulled out his scimitar and spread his glorious wings.

“Then let’s go Skylanders!” Spyro headed out, followed by the group of heroes. Gearshift and Smash Hit stayed behind. The warsupial has been awfully quiet since their fight with Malefor and sported wounds all over his body.

“You should visit the hospital to have your wounds looked at.” Gearshift advised the Supercharger.

“I’ll sit it out, I don’t need some potions and rainbow magic.” Smash Hit refused.

Gearshift noticed his drastic change in behavior, nothing she hasn’t seen before with other Skylanders. “Suit yourself.” The robot left without another word, leaving the grumpy Earth Skylander alone.

The Skylanders began their journey on an airship. They decided to go straight to the underworld, since Hex and Malefor were only seen outside of it for their brief ambushes. Only a few of the heroes have been to the land of the undead. Of course, Cynder knew the place like the back of her claw and helped navigating the ship. They visited the most prominent places down there but had no luck with finding the undeads. While the others tried to figure out the way, Spyro noticed Cynder retreating to the edge of the ship. It has become a habit of hers to sink into deep and thoughtful moments during such rides.

“Mind if I join?” Cynder turned her head around and smiled after seeing Spyro before the dragon sat down next to her. “You look unhappy.”

“How couldn’t I?” Cynder looked at the dark cave like structures surrounding them. “Something’s wrong with Hex. We don’t know what, but we have to help her. I won’t believe that she’s turned evil until I see it.” The dragoness kept staring at the dark rocks they were passing. The place she used to consider her home seemed so foreign now, like she’s only visited it during her nightmares. “You’ve known her as long as I have, she’s always been trustworthy.”

“She has.” Spyro had to give the witch that. Yet he wasn’t innocent when it came to judging her. “But she’s been down here for months and we…”

“We didn’t help her. She has every right to be mad.” Cynder understood what the witch went through, since she also spent such a long time with Malefor in the underworld. “The Skylanders never leave anyone behind, that’s one of the first rules and we broke it.”

“There was nothing we could do. Malefor is invincible and Hex was the only one who could restrain him.” Spyro repeated the things Stealth Elf said earlier that day. And even though he didn’t want to admit it, he also wanted to forget about the dragon king. “Not to mention that we had the Golden Queen to worry about.”

“And what good did that do? She didn’t do anything while Hex was down here suffering and Malefor plotted his next steps.” The purple dragoness sighed. “I know what that’s like.”

Spyro put his paw on Cynder’s shoulder to show her that he’s there for her and that he will do everything he can to fix this.

“We’re here!” Smolderdash exclaimed upon reaching the next destination – Malefor’s throne.

The Skylanders all gathered at the front of the ship to take a look at the ancient monument. It was a giant chair, large enough for a dragon like Malefor to sit on, made of dangerously sharp rocks at the top to intimidate anyone who dares to come here. A single opening above let a dim pillar of light fall onto the throne, making it appear even more glorious and threatening.

The ship landed and the six Skylanders set foot on the cold dark ground in front of the cliff the throne was positioned on. They carefully observed the area, looking for any sign of life, which wasn’t an easy task in the underworld. Suddenly a purple cloud of smoke appeared right in front of the throne. All eyes were fixed on it before it vanished, and a familiar figure emerged.

“Hex!” Cynder cried out to her friend, who floated in place without a hint of emotions. “I’m so glad you’re okay!”

Hex looked at the Skylander who came running towards her. “It’s good to see you again, Cynder.” The dragon’s smile eventually faded when the sorceress continued. “Again, after letting me rot here for months.”

Cynder didn’t know what to say. Hex was rightfully angry, and there was no justification for the Skylanders’ dismissiveness. The rest of the team joined Cynder’s side and stared at the witch, who was clearly displeased to see them.

“Hex, what happened? What’s with all those possessed people and Malefor?” Spyro was hoping that Hex would have a reasonable explanation, but after everything he’s heard, his hopes were low.

“What happened is that I finally realized who I truly am.” Hex had a sinister tone in her voice, one the Skylanders have never heard before. “You must be confused and scared, but that was the point.”

“So you are evil after all!” Stealth Elf had already grabbed her daggers and was ready to strike the witch.

“After all?” Hex repeated that last part. Proof that the Skylanders were just like her old friends and all those ungrateful people she used to protect. “After all the things I’ve done for you? After always putting others first and sacrificing myself for you, I’m evil after all that?”

Spyro gave Stealth Elf a stern look after her reckless accusation. “Hex, let’s talk about this. You’re not evil, you never were.” The dragon desperately tried to calm the witch down after realizing his mistakes and wanted to prevent anyone else from getting hurt. “I know we neglected you and I am truly sorry that things ended up like this, but please think about what you’re doing. It’s not too late.”

“No, it is too late.” Hex made a dramatic pause, leaving the others to wonder what she was about to say next. “It’s been too late a long time ago.” The sorceress began to lift herself further up into the air, looking like she was on Malefor’s throne. “After hundreds of years of me always trying to prove that I am the person I used to be, nothing has changed.” She clenched her fists remembering all the times she was judged and harassed only because of her appearance. “You mortal creatures are so quick to jump to conclusions you don’t even think about what you say or do. After joining the Skylanders I thought the world would finally see that I’m not the villain, but I was wrong. Even you Skylanders didn’t trust me, or simply didn’t care.” Hex then turned her head to direct her sight towards Cynder. “Yet you’ve accepted the Black Dragon.” Receiving angered and somewhat scared looks, Hex continued. “But I kept on trying. It’s true I was never the most eager Skylander, but I always did what was right. And what did I get? Ungrateful looks and hostile mumbles.” Hex descended from the heights she’s reached and floated closer to the ground in front of the throne again. “Those days are over.”

Roller Brawl skated in front of the line of Skylanders and spoke up. She did join Hex on a fair amount of missions and considered her a friend, regardless of her cold behavior. “Going nuts on the Skylands will only make things worse. Please, if you just-”

“Do you think I want to make things better?” Hex sounded almost insulted. “You don’t deserve that. No matter what I did it was always wrong, you would always see me as someone with wicked intentions.” After taking a moment to cool off, Hex decided to get to the point. “No, I will give you exactly what you want, what everyone wanted for centuries. I will be the villain that everyone wants me to be.”

“I’ve heard enough!” Stealth Elf clenched her daggers and sprinted towards the witch.

“Elf, wait!” Spyro shouted after her, but the assassin didn’t listen.

Stealth Elf was running across the dark ground as she approached the cliff. Meanwhile Hex summoned a couple of orbs and aimed them at her, which the Skylander was able to dodge. Before reaching the cliff, Stealth Elf launched herself into the air and was about to strike Hex down with her blades. The witch remained calm and lifted her hand to engulf the elf with her dark magic before tossing her back on the ground.

The team watched in shock as Stealth Elf was trying to push herself up through her painful coughs, but once she did, she was ready to strike again. Knight Light decided to help his ally and ascended into the air before speeding towards Hex as well. The sorceress created a circle of skulls around her waist and launched them one after the other at the knight. He was able to destroy two of them with his scimitar and wings, but the other ones were able to hit and bring him down as well.

“You give us no choice Hex, this has to stop!” Spyro declared before he and the rest of the group joined the fight as well.

Cynder was the only one who stayed behind. She watched in horror as one of her closest friends was shooting down one Skylander after the other. It was hard to see her give in to the darkness, especially since she’s been there as well. “Guys, Hex, stop it! This won’t fix anything!”

“There is no fixing this!” Stealth Elf was thrown backwards and landed right next to the dragoness. She stopped for a second to look into Cynder’s eyes. “Now even you have to see who she truly is.”

Cynder couldn’t argue against that, but neither did she want to hurt Hex. Stealth Elf groaned before jumping back into action.

Smolderdash managed to float at eye height with Hex. The fiery humanoid created a ball of fire before whipping it towards Hex, who stopped it by catching it with her undead magic and transforming it into spectral fire. She threw it back at the Skylander, who was unable to react and got hit by it. After shaking the attack off, Smolderdash dashed through the air while turning her upper body to go after Hex with her whip. The witch was able to move back in time, allowing the whip to create a trail of fire in front of her instead. Hex kept her eyes on the flames. A grim reminder of the day where she was nearly burned alive by those she once trusted. That only fueled Hex’ hatred further and the sorceress aimed at one of the stalactites above Smolderdash, causing it to crumble down onto the heroes.

The Skylanders were able to move aside before it crushed them, but chunks of rocks which broke off managed to hit them nevertheless. Roller Brawl, being the fastest member of the group, was passing all obstacles, attempting to reach Hex. Even though the witch used to be her friend, after what she just heard and saw, the roller jammer didn’t feel the urge to hold back. With her sharp skate blades, she was able to go up the cliff and reach Hex, who gave her another cold look as if she never truly cared about her. Roller Brawl skated as fast as she could and tried to slice the witch with her roller claws to subdue her, but Hex didn’t make it easy. She was floating around Roller Brawl’s movements all while shooting her projectiles. Each orb got closer to hitting the vampire, until one finally did. The Undead Skylander was catapulted down the cliff. Before she hit the ground, Knight Light swooped in to catch the skater and gently put her down.

Spyro used his wings to keep himself in the air. Hex summoned countless orbs and skulls to launch at her former allies. Even though they outnumbered her, the witch’s magic was superior to all their combat skills. She blocked and evaded all attacks and countered with blows that always ended up hitting them. “Stop this Hex!” The leader has had enough of the sorceress’ fury.

While casting her spells, the witch paused to look up at the angered dragon. Once all Skylanders landed on the ground, she proceeded to raise both of her arms and make spiky bones shoot out of the ground everywhere. She was able to catch all the Skylanders besides Spyro and Cynder in between them, interrupting the fight and piercing some of them in the process. Cynder gasped in the background and prayed for the witch to come back to her senses. Hex lowered her arms and glared at Spyro menacingly. “Or what?”

“Or I will make you.” With his deepest and most serious voice, Spyro attempted to stop Hex through intimidation, but she remained unbothered.

“You think you can stop me?” Hex wasn’t the type to gloat, but since she was turning on the Skylanders, she wanted to let them know what they were up against. “Five of you Skylanders were no match for me, yet you hope to defeat me on your own?”

“You leave me no choice!” Spyro inhaled with all his might to charge up the powerful daybringer flame.

When the dragon unleashed the great ball of fire at the witch, she used her powers to color it purple and redirect it behind herself, destroying Malefor’s throne. Hex floated in front of the flickering mix of orange and purple flames, summoning a skull to aim at Spyro. Surprised that she was able to avoid his attack, the dragon was unable to dodge hers and fell to the ground.

The witch looked at the collection of fallen heroes beneath her. Even though she has beaten them all to the ground multiple times, they were still fighting to break free from the bones, and Spyro didn’t give up just yet. Hex soon noticed that Stealth Elf behaved awfully calm and remained inside the bony fortress, even though she could have easily escaped thanks to her agility. When the sorceress saw that there was hay coming out of one of the cuts on the elf’s body, she knew what was going on. Instantly, the witch turned around just in time as Stealth Elf exited her invisible state and pounced towards the witch, her blades gripped tightly. Right before she could strike, Hex reached out to grab the elf by her throat, cancelling the attack and choking her.

“No!” Spyro yelled upon seeing the scene. “Don’t you dare hurt her!”

Stealth Elf was like paralyzed, she was unable to move and couldn’t break free from Hex’ grasp. The witch tightened her grip and colored the Life Skylander’s veins along her neck black. “You will leave the underworld and not repeat another attempt to stop me.” She pressed even harder against Stealth Elf’s throat, who could only release a pained moan. “Or the elf will pay the price.”

“Spyro.” Cynder called after her friend with worried eyes. It seemed as if she suggested that he does as Hex says.

Spyro was angry, but also afraid. He couldn’t let Stealth Elf die, but he had to stop Hex. Time was running out as the black veins spread further across the elf’s body and her skin became paler with each passing second. “We’ll leave! Let her go!”

Just what Hex wanted to hear. She dropped Stealth Elf on the ground, who coughed and breathed hastily as the dark veins faded and her skin gained its color back. Spyro flew up to his friend and picked her up while making deadly eye contact with Hex. The witch moved her hands in a downwards motion to lower the bones around the Skylanders. Wounded and devastated, the team gathered to give their former ally one last disappointed look before turning around and leaving. Cynder stayed a little longer to look at Hex. Unlike the others, she showed only sadness after seeing the transformation of her friend. Finally, Hex turned around and left as well.

Cynder remained standing there until she could hear Spyro calling for her and hurried to catch up with the others. When the Skylanders returned to their airship and were about to head back, Cynder stopped in front of it.

“Cynder, are you coming?” Spyro asked on top of the ship, looking down on his fellow dragon.

“No.” Cynder responded. “I have something to do here.”

Spyro’s eyes widened and he was overrun by a feeling of fear again. “Cynder, please-”

“I have to, Spyro! I know that there’s still good in her!” Even though her actions spoke volumes, the dragoness who once walked the same path as Hex was certain that she could get through to her. “You would do the same thing for me.”

Spyro had dozens of reasons to keep Cynder from staying in the underworld, but looking into her eyes, he knew that he could trust her. And after all, Hex didn’t attack her. With a long sigh, he finally gave in. “Please be careful.”

“I will.” Cynder gave her friend a reassuring smile before the ship set off and the Skylanders left.

Cynder turned back around and stared at the enormous entrance of the place that used to be her home. Malefor used her once and he’s using Hex now, but the Skylander would not give up on her friend that easily.

[skylanders-after-the-end]

A Perfect Team

The Skylanders at the Academy had already forgotten about the Golden Queen, and instead focused on the terrifying undead duo that was Hex and Malefor. They couldn’t defeat Hex in battle, yet the only way to get rid of Malefor is by breaking their immortal bond. No one was sure how to do that besides Spyro, who was still hesitant to tell the others that they had to kill the witch in order to succeed.

“Why don’t we try to just get rid of Hex’ powers?” Tidepool was part of the group suggesting ideas on how to stop the foes. “If we can’t defeat her or break the bond, why not just get rid of what created it in the first place?”

“That’s not going to work.” Cynder decided to join the discussion, mostly to make sure that the plan didn’t involve too much harm. “When Hex, Zook and I confronted the Weather Wizard to obtain a fragment of the Mask of Power, Kaos’ Undead Energy Extractor was overloaded by her amount of power and exploded. It was able to absorb the undead energy of an entire town previously, so you can guess how much it will take for Hex.”

The Skylanders were at a loss for ideas. After some silent moments of thinking, the Skylanders heard a fluttering noise approach the Academy. When they looked up, a fairy was diving towards them until she stopped right in front of Spyro’s snout. “Skylanders! Please, you have to help me!”

“Calliope!? What’s going on?” Spyro recognized the fairy who was once being used by Malefor and nearly caused the Skylanders’ downfall.

“It’s terrible! Malefor’s returned! He’s attacking my village, everyone’s in danger! Please Spyro, you have to help me!” The desperate and horrified look in her eyes was enough to tell the dragon that it was urgent.

Before answering, Spyro looked over to Cynder. She was as suspicious as him about the fairy’s sudden appearance. They were tricked by Calliope before, but there was no reason for her to be a decoy now. Malefor teamed up with Hex, what would they need a simple fairy for? “I’m sorry Calliope, but there’s nothing we can do right now.”

“What?” Calliope’s expression became even more hopeless. “But my people, my family!”

“I know, but we can’t get rid of Malefor that easily. There’s no point in fighting him.” Spyro hated to stand by and let a villain like Malefor cause so much pain and destruction. He had to find a way to stop him. When the Skylander looked at Calliope again, he remembered something that could be the solution to this problem. “Wait, you took our powers! Hex’ powers! How did you do that?”

Calliope was starting to calm down when she realized that the only way to help her village was to help the Skylanders. “You mean when I used the energy crystal?”

“The what?” Cynder stood next to Spyro and became curious.

“The energy crystal.” Calliope explained. “We fairies know all about magical powers and energy. We have ways to strengthen and improve such abilities, but we can also remove them.” The rest of the Skylanders all got closer to the fairy while listening. “There are countless energy crystals all across Skylands, it would be impossible to obtain all of them. The closest one is located in the far northern regions covered with ice and snow.”

“Are you talking about the Ice Kingdom?” Spyro quickly recognized the description.

“And how are we supposed to get that crystal?” Tidepool questioned the group. “We have never been to the Ice Kingdom and who knows what obstacles await us there.”

Cynder peeked through one of the windows of the room. The shimmering silver armor of a Skylander caught the dragon’s attention and she knew exactly what to do. “I know just the Skylander who can help!”

Many islands away was an air balloon travelling through grey clouds.

“You know it’s funny.” Knight Light was standing inside the balloon next to Enigma. “I’ve been going on so many missions and I can’t name anyone I’ve been teamed up with more than you. What is it, the 8th, 10th time this month?”

“13th.” Enigma responded dry while he kept looking straight ahead. “There’s a reason for that. You are skilled in close combat and your wings grant you with you high agility, while I have my ranged attacks and the ability to remain undetected. That makes us suitable for almost any mission.” Enigma remained calm when the air balloon flew right inside a cloud while Knight Light smiled to feel the refreshing breeze. “We’re a perfect team.”

Knight Light looked over to the sorcerer who has been facing forward throughout the entire flight. Even though he was always very closed off and barely laughed, the angel enjoyed his company. “I guess we are.”

The Trap Masters soon arrived at a small collection of islands connected by bridges. When they got out of their aircraft, Knight Light was surprised to see how empty the small village was. “This place is like a ghost town.”

“We were told that this used to be Hex’ home before she turned into an undead and was cast out.” Enigma was an expert at remembering important details about missions and strictly following the objective. Knight Light on the other hand preferred to follow his gut. “It’s safe to assume that she’s been here and took her anger out on the inhabitants.”

The Skylanders slowly strolled across the pavement leading to the center where a dried-out fountain was positioned. It seemed like a cozy town, only the haunting emptiness and the cold wind coming through gave it a ghostly atmosphere. “And what exactly are we supposed to do here?” The knight kept looking for any sign of life, but to no avail.

“If we find a possessed citizen, then there’s a spell that might be able to reverse the effects of the curse.” Enigma went to the other side of the town in hopes of finding someone. “There’s no guarantee since Hex’ magic is far superior to mine, but it’s worth a try.”

While Enigma was busy peeking through the dusty windows, Knight Light didn’t hesitate to open the doors and get inside. The Light Skylander was standing inside a house where spiderwebs and creaking floors were the most interesting discoveries. When he exited, he spotted his companion sighing after finding another empty building. “Hey Enigma!” Knight Light caught the Magic Skylander’s attention with his call. “Before you became a Skylander, did you live in a town like this one?”

Enigma flinched his head in irritation. “How is that relevant to the mission?”

“It’s not, I’m just asking.” Knight Light was slowly turning his head as he observed the rest of the town. “We’re allowed to talk you know.”

“That’s not the point, Knight Light.” Enigma had to endure several questions from the knight on their many excursions, but all he wanted was to complete the mission. “Please just focus.”

Knight Light was disappointed to receive another rejection, but he’s gotten used to it by now and followed the order to keep on looking.

Cynder hurried across the bridge connecting the library to the rest of the Academy. On the fountain near the entrance sat Chill in her blizzard armor. She was lost in thoughts whilst looking at the greyish sky.

“Chill!” Cynder approached the ice warrior. “Do you have a moment?”

“Sure.” The Water Skylander responded with her Russian accent, making her sound harsher than she intended. “What is it?”

Cynder then realized that the following question might be more difficult than she thought considering everything that’s happened in Chill’s past. “Well, you know about the whole thing with Hex and Malefor.” She started lightly, she didn’t want to assault Chill with anything too personal. “We might have a way to defeat them, but it requires a certain energy crystal.”

“How can I help?” Chill didn’t know what exactly Cynder needed her for, but she would do whatever she had to stop the villains.

Cynder inhaled as she thought of the right words for her question. After moments of awkward silence and a confused look from Chill, the Undead Skylander finally got to the point. “That crystal can be found in the Ice Kingdom. None of us have been there besides you. Do you know anything about it?”

Chill didn’t know what to say at first. “A crystal?” She gripped a part of the fountain, and as she did, the water behind her slowly began to freeze. “There was one, yes. Only… the queen and I knew of it.” As the warrior was thinking back, Cynder couldn’t ignore the ice climbing up the fountain. “But…”

“It’s okay.” Cynder put her claw onto Chill’s shoulder. “I know what happened, Roller Brawl told me.” She could see the shock and embarrassment that Chill expressed, but Cynder wanted to assure her that she had nothing to be ashamed of. “I didn’t expect it to be there anyway. We’re running out of options, I just wanted to make sure.”

Chill sighed. “It’s my fault.” While the Skylander lamented, the frozen fountain water thawed. “It’s my fault the castle is destroyed and the crystal is gone.”

“Don’t say that.” Cynder noticed Chill’s distant behavior before her talk with Roller Brawl, she knew how affected she was by that trip. “I wasn’t there, I don’t know the whole story, but you did the right thing. The Snow Queen was a villain, you only-”

“She wasn’t a villain!” The ice warrior shouted out of nowhere which startled Cynder. Chill’s eyes suddenly teared up before the Skylander’s head sunk into her hands. “She did bad things, but she’s still my queen. And I…”

“Still love her.” Cynder finished the sentence and Chill looked up at the dragoness.

Seeing Cynder’s calm face made Chill feel even worse. “I promised Roller Brawl that I’d get over it! She’s done so much for me, I can’t drag her down again.” Chill turned her head, she couldn’t look Cynder in the eyes. “I’m terrible, aren’t I?”

“No, you’re not.” Cynder decided to give the Water Skylander some space and talk to her from a distance. “Our feelings are complicated. Sometimes we care about someone even if they’ve done bad things. They may not even deserve our love.” Cynder knew too well what that was like. “You need to know when to get away from someone, but you don’t have to reject all your feelings right away. You can take as much time as you need to process them.”

Chill was holding her arms in a protective manner when she looked over to Cynder who said just what she needed to hear. “It’s okay that I still love her?”

“As long as it doesn’t endanger you or others, yes.” Cynder has grown a lot during her time as a Skylander. She feels guilty for many things, but she’s learned that she doesn’t have to feel guilty for the way she feels.

“Thank you, Cynder.” Chill was able to give the fellow Skylander a gentle smile as she thought about the Snow Queen and how she truly felt about her.

“No problem.” Cynder returned a smile before heading back to Spyro and the others to find another option to stop Hex and Malefor.

While she was walking, the Undead Skylander glanced over to a window of the library. The same window she once broke on accident. The same glass. The same eyes. Cynder froze. They’re back. The glowing eyes that were haunting her a year ago were back in the same window Cynder once saw them in. The dragon blinked and they were gone again. It may have been her mind playing tricks on her, or it may have been a sign. Whatever it was, Cynder had to get back to the others. She knew with certainty that Malefor was the one behind it. They had to stop him.

Thick grey clouds blocked the sunlight above the village Enigma and Knight Light were in. After an hour of unsuccessful searching for Hex’ victims, the Trap Masters decided to move along.

“There’s no one here, we’ll need to look somewhere else.” Enigma told Knight Light who just left the last empty house.

The magician headed towards the air balloon at the edge of the island. As soon as he got inside the basket, Knight Light noticed that his staff glowed shortly. “What was that?”

“What was what?” Enigma was once again facing straight forward and didn’t even look at his ally while he was talking.

“Your staff glowed.” The knight was now more curious than ever to find out one of Enigma’s secrets. “Did you just cast a spell?”

“No. Now get inside the balloon we have to get going.” Enigma remained stubborn.

“I’m not leaving until you tell me what that was.” Enigma may be persistent, but so is Knight Light. The Light Skylander crossed his arms and patiently waited in front of the balloon.

“Ugh, fine!” Enigma made his staff glow once more and suddenly moved his head again. “Whenever I get onto a balloon, and sometimes even an airship, I create an illusion in my mind which makes me believe that the aircraft is right above the ground at all times. I have to keep looking straight ahead otherwise it doesn’t work.”

Knight Light had to listen carefully to understand what the sorcerer was trying to say. “Why would you do that?”

Enigma was hesitant to answer. He eventually sighed and realized that it’s best to just get it over with. “Because… I’m afraid of heights.”

Knight Light didn’t expect to hear that. “You’re joking, right?

Enigma turning his cloaked head towards the angel was enough to tell him that he was being serious.

A Skylander who’s afraid of heights. Knight Light wanted to laugh at first, but that would have driven the Magic Skylander even further away, so he restrained himself. “Afraid of heights? But you live in a world with floating islands!”

“May I remind you that I used to live in another realm.” Enigma never told anyone that before. He hated feeling so vulnerable. “I tried to overcome it but it never fully goes away, so I came up with that spell.”

Knight Light couldn’t help but feel bad for the Trap Master now. He was glad that he finally shared a secret, but he didn’t want Enigma to feel like he’s making fun of him. “Hey, don’t worry about it. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. In fact, I’ve always been afraid of water. Mostly because my wings are a disaster when they get wet, but I’m also not the best swimmer.”

While the angel was continuing to share some information about him, Enigma spotted two figures appearing in the middle of the town. “Uh, Knight Light.”

The Light Skylander stopped talking and turned around just to be startled by two zombie-like creatures getting closer. What the Skylanders didn’t know was that those two were Raven and Zion, Hex’ former friends and her first victims.

The elven sorceress and the spell punk stared at the heroes with their empty black eyes before summoning projectiles to toss at them. Enigma jumped out of the balloon while Knight Light rose into the air. “Looks like we were successful after all!”

“Don’t speak too soon, we still have to subdue them so I can try the spell.” Enigma held his staff in front of him and aimed a magical laser at Raven who got hit before immediately getting back up again. “That might be harder than I thought.”

As the Skylanders got into an intense battle with the corrupted magic casters, a pillar of light pierced the clouds and hit the ground behind the two Skylanders. From the heavens descended Angelica, an elite member of the Guardians who always keep watch over the Skylands. As usual, she was staring at her halo in the form of a screen, completely unaware of the fight happening right in front of her. When a fire ball passed her head a little too closely, the woman finally looked up. “Now what’s going on here?”

Knight Light recognized the familiar voice and swiftly turned around just to sigh with annoyance. “It’s kind of a bad time Angelica.”

“It always is.” Angelica scoffed at what she considered yet another failure on the Skylander’s end. “I assume those are the zombies that your fellow Skylander created?” The Guardians have heard all about Hex’ betrayal and her actions. They were just waiting to interfere.

“If you want to protect the Skylands like you always say, then why don’t you help us take them down?” Knight Light dodged an incoming orb from spell punk Zion and used his light powers to blind the enemy for a short moment.

“I don’t have time for this nonsense.” Angelica moved her hand to multiply her halo and place the glowing rings around each limb of the possessed sorcerers, making them unable to move from the spot. She then turned her sights back to Knight Light. “I am here to inform you that your wings rightfully belong to us.”

“What!?” Knight Light was furious. He has been going on missions restlessly to prove that he was worthy of his wings. This didn’t make any sense. “I’m going on daily missions! I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in months! I-”

“My superiors do not consider you worthy of them. It’s not for me to decide.” Even though it sounded like it wasn’t anything personal, Angelica couldn’t hide a quick smirk.

Knight Light was completely beside himself. This couldn’t be happening. He desperately looked over to Enigma who was holding his Traptanium sigil tightly as he approached the subdued Raven. “You know how much effort I’ve put into this! Tell her! Tell her that I deserve my wings!”

“Not now Knight Light! This might be our only chance to try the spell!” Ignoring the deeply shocked and hurt angel, Enigma moved his staff closer to Raven who tried to break free from the halos with all her strength. He recited some gibberish sentences and the staff emitted a magical light which engulfed the sorceress before she dropped to the ground and lied there motionlessly. The trio eagerly waited for some reaction. Suddenly the sorceress pushed herself up and created an explosion, sending the Skylanders and Angelica flying. While they were on the ground, the still possessed Raven used the opportunity to free Zion and flee from the island.

“It didn’t work!” Enigma hissed as he got back on his feet. “Hex’ magic is too powerful, there’s nothing we can do against it.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Angelica stood in front of the two Skylanders with crossed arms before she once again summoned her halo as a screen. “I will inform my superiors about this. That witch seems to be a bigger threat than we thought, we will have to take matters into our own hands.” The Guardian finished typing onto her screen and placed the halo back above her head. She then looked at Knight Light. “You have 24 hours to come to the Highlands where your wings will be removed. If you’re late, we’ll have to take them by force.” And with that, another light pillar appeared around Angelica and the woman ascended into the clouds before the sky darkened again.

The sound of thunder shook the area. Single drops of rain fell from the sky and hit the ground before the grey clouds began pouring down water. “We have to go.” Enigma turned around and headed towards the air balloon as the rain was dripping from his hood and shoulder pads.

“I thought we were friends.” Knight Light stood there looking down onto the wet ground. “You don’t even care what happens to me.”

Enigma held in. There was a moment of silence where only the showering rain could be heard. “I do care, but there’s nothing I can do. I don’t even know those Guardians!” He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you like this!?” Knight Light raised his voice and once again stopped Enigma from walking away. He looked at the sorcerer with clenched teeth while water was running down his mask and the feathers of his wings. “We’ve been going on missions for months! Whenever I feel like you open up in the slightest bit you turn around and close yourself off again!”

“I go on missions to do my job, not to open up!” Enigma turned around to face the angered Light Skylander. “Why are you so obsessed with befriending me?”

“Because I want to!” Another awkward moment of silence occurred. Knight Light shook his head in anger before grabbing his hawk mask and throwing it to the ground, revealing his golden blonde hair and blue eyes which appeared more sad than angry now. “I want to get to know you, Enigma.”

Enigma had nothing to say, he just stared at the Trap Master as his short messy hair became wetter with each passing moment. There were many things the sorcerer could have said, but after giving it some thought, he settled for the easy way out. “Enough of this, Knight Light. We have to go.”

Knight Light’s saddened look then shifted to become even more furious than before. “Of course, use the mission as an excuse again! Is that all you can do? Come up with excuses!?” The Skylanders were standing in the pouring rain, one fueled by rage and the other eager to leave, yet neither of them moved an inch. “That’s what your hood is too, isn’t it? Just another excuse so you won’t have to confront anyone!”

Suddenly a lightning strike enlightened the sky and for a split second, part of Enigma’s blue skinned face was visible. However, Knight Light could only see his mouth. The magician wasn’t happy, he could tell. The angel gave the cloaked Skylander another glaring look before clenching his fist and exhaling. “Go to the Academy, I have to take care of something.” A much calmer tone of voice.

He didn’t want to admit it, but Enigma felt terrible. The last thing he wanted to do is to leave Knight Light like that. Yet instead of saying anything he simply turned around, entered the balloon and left. Knight Light stayed in the rain. The Light Skylander grabbed his mask off the ground and turned his head towards the sky. He clenched his fists after putting his mask back on and ran across the wet pavement before spreading his wings to fly straight up.

Back at the Academy the Skylanders were still looking for a way to protect themselves against Hex and Malefor. Cynder told Spyro that the energy crystal from the Ice Kingdom was no more, which forced them to reconsider their options. After many discussions and ideas, Spyro finally came up with the perfect solution.

The purple dragon ran off and entered a building nearby. “Spyro, where are you going?” Cynder followed her friend, as did Calliope.

“I have it Cynder, I know how we will protect ourselves!” Spyro ran further down the dark corridor until they reached a circular room with a book on a pedestal in the middle of it. “We need a shield around the Academy, but making one would trap us inside and make it impossible to react to anything outside. Unless it didn’t.”

“Spyro please explain what this is all about.” Cynder watched as the dragon skimmed through the pages of the giant book with a hopeful smile. Calliope curiously peeked over the leader’s shoulder.

“The Book of Skylanders! We can use it to alter the shield so we can move freely and have a place where we’re protected!” Spyro was proud of his idea and eagerly waited for the response of his ally.

“You mean you want to magically connect the book to the shield so that it allows all Skylanders to pass through it?” Cynder rephrased what Spyro said in a way that was more understandable for her.

“That sounds brilliant!” Calliope was impressed. “That way your enemies can’t reach you, but you can always reach them!”

“Exactly!” Spyro was glad to hear the fairy’s enthusiasm before seeing the more skeptical Cynder. “It will work, I know it will.”

Cynder looked at the book and then back at Spyro. Something was telling her that it wouldn’t work, but what other option did they have? “Fine, let’s do it!”

The Skylanders followed through with Spyro’s plan. By combining the technology of the shielding system and the magic of the book, they were able to create a barrier which would keep anyone but the Skylanders in and out. The heroes could get out in the case of an emergency and back to the Academy to retreat. The plan seemed perfect.

Before the shield was activated, Calliope said her goodbyes and left. She watched as the light blue hexagon patterns appeared around the Academy. Her friendly smile then shifted into a frown as the fairy flew further away. On a small island nearby, yet out of the Skylander’s sight, were Hex and Malefor. They were waiting for her.

As soon as the fairy arrived in front of the two intimidating villains, Malefor opened his dangerously sharp mouth. “What are they planning? Speak, fairy!”

Hex raised her hand to silence the dragon while keeping her eyes on Calliope. “Tell us everything they told you. And don’t even think about lying to me.”

Calliope hesitated. She gulped before licking her lips and revealing the Skylanders’ plan. “They have a shield which will only let the Skylanders through, everyone else is locked out.”

Hex kept her neutral expression while Malefor squinted his eyes. Calliope carefully tried to look behind the witch and giant dragon to see if there was anything there. The fairy put a forced smile on to appeal to the undeads. “And… where are…”

“They’re right here.” Malefor moved his wing aside to reveal Calliope’s family. Her mother, father and three sisters.

Normally Calliope would be happy to see them, but instead she had a look of horror on her face. Her entire family had haunting black eyes and they were slowly moving towards the fairy in an unsettling manner. “Mom… dad… sisters? It’s me, Calliope! I saved-”

Before she could speak another word, the fairy family unleashed ear-piercing screams and threw itself onto its youngest member. Calliope screamed as her family violently attacked her.

Hex watched without a hint of emotions while Malefor’s mouth curved into a sick smile. When Calliope’s screaming ceased, the remaining family members all reverted to their normal state and were horrified to see the fairy’s dead body in front of them with her blood on their hands.

Through the crying and sobbing of the fairy family, Malefor conversed with Hex. “The Skylanders still believe they have the upper hand. What utter fools.” The dragon scoffed.

Hex looked into the distance where the Academy was being protected by the new shield. The place she once considered her home was now nothing more than a fortress filled with ignorant creatures that deserved to suffer. “Their time has run out.”

The witch stretched out her arms which created a light purple fog around the island she was floating on. The cloud grew and spread across the entire sky until it finally reached the Academy. The Skylanders were worried and confused to see the strange fog appear out of nowhere and stick to the shield. Whatever it was, they were prepared to face the worst.