The Dark Master

by The Grimm Reaper

Chapter 3: Inverse Effects

Having travelled far with Malefor in tow, Zonoya found herself enjoying the purple dragon's company. Why wouldn't she? He didn't mock her name, therefore he was already in her good graces. Unfortunately, carrying the purple dragon was proving more difficult for Zonoya than she had planned. She'd expected it to take three days to get to Equestria, but she'd only made it half way thanks to hills and mountain ranges. Not to mention the forests and having to find pathways between the trees wide enough to fit them both.

Finaly, they came to a river. "Hey, you hungry for fish? Quick-draw river's known for its Bullet Tuna." the dual-coloured dragoness offered. Malefor awoke from his light slumber and moaned.

"Sounds good to me." he replied, going back to sleep as Zonoya placed his support back down. The dragoness dove into the river, her talons managing to spike a few fish already. She flung then onto the riverbed beside Malefor and continued to fish for more.

By the time she'd caught five fish, Malefor opened his eyes again to watch her flounder around for her prey. The purple dragon smiled before tapping a paw on the ground. Thin spikes of earth shot up around Zonoya, blocking the river's flow. The dragoness stood on end as dozens of fish hung from the hundreds of spikes that trapped her.

"Warn a girl next time you're gonna do something like that! You nearly gave me a heart attack." the dragoness shouted at him. Malefor chanced a chuckle at her expense. It only hurt a little. It appeared he was beginning to heal on his own, but he had no doubt he'd need some proper surgery. His body could take care of flesh wounds and infection, as well as bruising of the bones, but he couldn't mend broken bones, and that's what he had.

The spikes with fish on them bent and made their way over to Malefor's side to join the fish Zonoya had caught. The rest just retreated back into the earth, restoring the flow of the river. "Apologies, my dear Zonoya. You are right, of course. I shall endeavour to be more forthcoming with my intentions from now on." Malefor teased.

"Whatever. Just don't call me 'dear'. I ain't nobody's 'dear'." she said somewhat aggressively.

"A double negative? My, the ideas that could run through a dragon's head after realising that... I shudder to think." he goaded her.

"Yeah, well as long as you're still crippled, you're no use as a mate, even if I did fancy you." she defended.

"Got something against the disabled, have we?" Malefor asked.

"Yeah, they're weak and can't protect their mates, let along their hatchlings, should they be lucky enough to have any." Zonoya retorted.

"You're starting to think like a common animal, Zonoya." Malefor teased.

"Your chances with me are getting slimmer, Malefor." Zonoya teased back.

"Oh, I have chances, do I? Something to look forward to, then." he declared. Zonoya realised what she'd said and blushed red under her scales.

"You can cook your own fish, then." she said. Malefor huffed as if to say he didn't care all that much. He further disgraced Zonoya by picking up a fish in another spike of earth and grilling it. He then had the earth drop it into his mouth and he consumed away.

"Smarty-pants." she said, defeated.

Having enjoyed a nice meal more or less together, the two found it was growing rather late. Malefor created another Earth dome around the pair and lit the inside up with heated rocks, doubling as a source of warmth for the two of them. Despite the obvious better alternative for warmth, Zonoya chose to huddle up beside Malefor. He had no objections. He'd grown quite fond of the dragoness in the past few days. So this was what it was like to be Spyro, to have friends, to love and feel loved. It wasn't so bad, he guessed.

---

"Twilight, something ails you." Luna said, descending onto Twilight's balcony after seeing the young alicorn staring up at the night sky.

"Yes, Luna. I don't know what it is though. At first, I thought it was just more reservations regarding my new status as a Princess, but now I think it's external to me. I feel like something is on its way here, and it spells trouble for us all." the lavender mare replied. Luna sat beside her friend and niece, draping a wing over her to try and comfort her.

"I know the feeling, Twilight. Celestia and I had similar feelings after having defeated Discord and Sombra. Many mention the eerie calm before the storm, but next to nopony mentions the uneasiness afterward. After having dealt with So many of our old mistakes... including myself, you're getting the feeling like we're due for another threat to Equestria. Am I wrong?" Luna asked.

Twilight considered her new Aunt's opinion of the situation Twilight found herself in. "You know, now that you mention it; I believe that's exactly what it is. Now that I know what keeps me up at night, how do I deal with it?" she asked.

"Celestia and I used to have maids and assistants that kept us company during the late hours of our designated rule, like Spike is your assistant. After Discord, I could hardly get any sleep without the maid's company. Then one day, she told me something that made me feel much better." Luna said. Twilight waited patiently, holding her breath.

"She told me that even if a new enemy were around the corner, he or she would not come tonight. Villains need sleep too, and with the guard patrolling day and night, night would be the better option for them. After hearing that, I knew that I would always be awake when a villain came, and should one chance coming in the day, My sister would protect me, and vice-versa." Luna explained. Twilight smiled at her friend. "And know this, Twilight. Celestia and I both love you very much, for different reasons too. Celestia because you grew up around her, and you've become like a daughter to her. As for me, I owe you my life, my role as Princess of the night, even the night sky itself. I would not have these things back if not for you, Twilight. Should a new threat occur, it will never reach you before you awake." she assured.

Twilight smiled from cheek to cheek. She truly was happy to be a Princess with Celestia and Luna. Twilight felt she would personally favour Celestia, but Luna had proved to be a great comfort during the nights when she had time to think of whatever ailed her. She would never admit it, but Luna was without a doubt, her favourite Princess. Perhaps because she too had only recently begun her own duties after a thousand years, that Luna understood Twilight's woes. Either way, they were the best of friends.

A knocking on the door interrupted their moment and a Night guard peeked his head through the door. "Apologies, Princesses, but I have news from the East Equestrian border." the guard said.

"Do report, sir guard." Twilight offered, earning a smile from the Lunar princess.

"Your highness. The Eastern Border patrol says Intel from Gryphon allies reported sightings of two dragons headed our way. One was apparently injured while the other one dragged their companion on a support. The Patrol is requesting permission on how to proceed when they arrive." the guard said.

The two princesses looked at each other with a mixture of confusion and worry. "Well, at least we know for sure the danger won't be coming tonight." Luna assured Twilight.

"Was one of the dragons purple like Spike?" Twilight asked the guard.

"I'm uncertain, Princess. Colours weren't specified in the report. Shall I ask in the response message?" the guard asked. Twilight hesitated to answer. She'd had a dream about a purple dragon, huge with glowing white eyes. Granted, it was only a dream, but still, better to be safe than sorry.

"Please." she said. The guard nodded and turned to Luna.

"If they are in need of assistance, then perhaps aiding any way we can will help smooth our relationship with the Dragon Empire. Some good may come of this. Tell the patrols to let the dragons into Equestria." she ordered. The guard nodded once again and left the two to their own devices.

"The colour of the dragon is important, Twilight? You've had a nightmare about one?" Luna asked. Twilight nodded solemnly.

"Yes, Luna. I fear a dragon may be our next biggest threat to Equestria." she replied. Luna considered her words for a moment.

"Not all is as it seems, Twilight, either in dream or reality. A purple dragon may be among the pair headed toward us, but would it be the same one, or will this one be our saviour?" Luna suggested.

---

"Cynder, hold on. I'm still tired from our encounter with Malefor, you know." Spyro chuckled. Cynder said nothing as she circled around the purple dragon and nuzzled him gently. "Is everything alright, Cynder? You've been quiet all day." Spyro noted. Cynder seemed guilty about something.

"Spyro, I'm sorry. I was hoping to keep this up for a little longer. But it seems you're about ready to awaken." she said. Spyro began to grow confused.

"Cynder... I don't understand." he said.

"You will, Spyro. And I'm sure you won't like what you discover. But know this; I love you, with all my heart. And I will always love you, till the day you die and forever after. You're the love of my life, Spyro, and you're my hero. Don't let what you discover stop you from doing what you know is right." she replied.

"Cynder?" Cynder's voice and form began to fade away, along with the world around him. Everything began to fade to darkness.

"Goodbye."...

...Spyro woke up. His head hurt and his body ached. The last thing he remembered was spending time in blissful happiness with Cynder. Now he was confused. He lay on a mountain peak with a flat surface on the top. All he saw was stone and bone. Confusion struck him immediately. Where was he? Why was he here? How did he even get here?

As questions began to fill his head, he found his most recent memories of Cynder slipping away. Pretty soon, the most recent thing he remembered were those three words: 'I love you!'. The quote seemed to whistle in a wind strong enough to roll a bone to his paw. He looked down to see a skeleton standing to his right where Cynder had been when he'd realigned the Dragon Realm. Fear began to overcome him and was quickly confirmed as the bone that had rolled onto him bore the same shape and horns as Cynder herself. The rest of the proof lay in her shackles which were wrapped around a set of leg bones and the disk of a tail. This was Cynder. This... was her skeleton.

"Cynder..." under the midnight sky, a pair of eyes turned white with rage.

Author's Note:

Alright! I'd hoped to wait before revealing the situation with Spyro and Cynder, but it just seemed necessary there. So, here's the latest update. Rate and Comment people!

Comments

[Gatekeeper]

Noooooooo! My fav dragon dead. Gimme nice revenge.

[Tachyon Xenophile]

FIND THE TRAITOR!!!!!

[Stone Cold Steve Buscemi]

Spyro has turned evil all purple dragons do!!!! Now Malefor is gunna kickass and ....... Chew bubble gum.

So cheesy had to put that in there !

[Lunason]

3120128 WHAT BUBBLE GUM!?!?

BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRNNNNN!!!!!! just kidding!

[Stone Cold Steve Buscemi]

3123077

The most tasty bubble gum

[Tachyon Xenophile]

3120128 Malefor vs. Spyro Re-Re-Rematch!!!
This time, with moral alignment reversed!!!
i.imgur.com/lU8JL.jpg

[Stone Cold Steve Buscemi]

Finally Malefor has a friend and maybe a new ... Hphm love interest DAMN he quick getting the lady ..... BUT then Spyros gonna fly around blowing shit up its gonna be like BOOM then BOOM then when the world is finally burning he gonna sing " WE DONT NEED NO WATER LET THAT MOTHER FUCKER BURN. "

Then off in the distance you hear " Swag "

[Stone Cold Steve Buscemi]

I would also like to add that Celestia got a report saying two dragons are heading towards the border there in the dragons territory it's not weird.... but one being pulled by a cart yeah kinda weird the ponies are just really racist.

Then off in the distance you hear " Swag "

[Kethalles]

MOAR I Love spyro and I love what your doing here looking fwd to update.

ps. I love all your writing....just sayin XD

[The Grimm Reaper]

3177130 It's P.S's like that that make me love what I do.

[Dragonlover553]

Cinder is dead....must...kill...author...

[The Grimm Reaper]

3204229 u mad, bro?

2.bp.blogspot.com/-gNDjSFjktWo/Tfrug4TkyJI/AAAAAAAAGA0/n2La1Hg-tAs/s1600/24914+-+coffee+sitting+solo+twilight_sparkle.jpg

[Dragonlover553]

3205733 Yes. Watch your back Grim. I'm watching you.

[The Grimm Reaper]

3205922 So I've noticed.

[Dragonlover553]

3205976 Good. Word of advice: Sleep, and your dead.

[The Grimm Reaper]

3205991 I'm not losing any sleep over this.

[Dragonlover553]

3207515 or are you?

[The Grimm Reaper]

3210828 Nope.
img.izismile.com//img/img4/20111101/640/like_a_boss_part_2_640_09.jpg

[Dragonlover553]

3213281 lol

[Black Snow]

NO!!!!!!! NOT CYNDER!!!!!!!!!!!

[icedude94]

hang on everybody/pony this is going to be a bumpy ride

[Drakozozh]

An interesting inversion of the game archetype, and perhaps a look into what might have driven Malefor himself all those years ago?
Personally, as a villain, I would take even the great King Sombrero over Malefor. Sure, Malefor gets actual time, but Sombra is a much better villain of presence. Malefor is "EVIL BECAUSE EVIL EVIL." And that's no fun.

[Tachyon Xenophile]

Just checking, is this story dead?

[The Grimm Reaper]

3489644 no. just on hold.

[Tachyon Xenophile]

3489983

You've got a true jewel here.

[The Grimm Reaper]

3490268 Thanks. I'll keep that in mind.

[Tachyon Xenophile]

3491679
I will look forward to more Malefor wryness.

[Lord Nopony]

Is Cynder truly dead?! What'll happen next?! YOU'D BETTER UPDATE THIS SOON!!!!

[Kit-San]

3491679 Oi when do you plan on updating!

[salman332]

Malefor: Spike im your father

[The Grimm Reaper]

5392769 I love it when people make fan-art of non-canon characters.

[Pen Dragon]

When is the next chapter

[The Grimm Reaper]

5523656 I expect sometime this year.

[The Grimm Reaper]

5997216 eventually.

[darkstone57]

Dude! You killed off Cynder?!? I await the next chapter with hopeful answers. Ok, on a serious note. I am enjoying the story so far. Looking forward to more. :)

[ShadowCloud]

Question: Update?

[Autumn breeze24]

Holy shite dude.... killing Cynder and making Spyro the BAD GUY?!

[The Radiance]

Well, it's dead Jim

[TheGreyCrow]

Is this dead? Great another good fic gone dead. This place is slowly dying cause of the lack of good stuff like this.