//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: Turnabout Darkness - The Defense // Story: My Little Pony: Clash of Dragons // by RobtheMorpherPony //------------------------------// Currently, there was some chatter about what just happened. "My mother and father always told me that I owed my birth to miss Cynder. Didn't think that meant they would've never gotten together if it wasn't for her." Society Ember said. "How did you know exactly where the dragons your corrupted self-took where?" Twilight asked. "Just because I wasn't in control of my actions doesn't mean I wasn't aware of them." Cynder said. "So yeah, I knew exactly where each and every dragon that had gone missing where located. To prevent that ape Gaul from getting a hold of any of them, I told the guardians where all the dragons that had gone missing where located. I didn't want anyone else to become used by that stupid ape and Malafor." She explained. "What exactly happened to Gaul exactly?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Certain circumstances lead to Spryo killing him." Cynder admitted. "Dad killed him?" Spike asked. "It was a few days after the Guardians rounded up the missing dragon children that Cynder left the safety of the temple. Shortly after that, Gaul's forces attacked the temple and Ignatus sent me off to look for Cynder, starting by looking for a giant tree. During that time, I was guided by a voice from my dreams I came to know as a dragon known as The Chronicler. The guardians all knew the name, not the face apparently, but knew it was a being I could trust. Eventually, it was discovered after an attack on the Pirate Squadron that Gaul's forces had recaptured Cynder and took her to the Mountain of Malafor otherwise referred to as the Well of Souls. When I told the Chronicler that's where I wanted to go, not only did he not stop me, but he also opened up a short-cut that allowed me to get there quickly. When I eventually cornered Gaul, we fought for some time, but during the battle the battlefield we were fighting on collapsed, and during that time, I had fallen into the corrupting force of the Well of Souls itself." Spyro said. "It was then and there I realized how much of a victim Cynder was at the end of the day." He added. "Wait, what exactly happened after you fell into that corrupting force?" Fluttershy asked worriedly. "I couldn't control myself, but I was fully aware of what I was doing. I couldn't help but watch as I used dark powers to outright kill Gaul. But I knew deep down it wasn't me who was controlling me. And it was three years later when I found out exactly why The Dark Master had used me to kill Gaul." Spyro said. "Yeah. Turns out Malafor had no love loss for the apes. He turned the lot of them into ghost skeletons; doomed forever to wonder the world." Cynder said. "O-oh my..." Fluttershy said, hooves over her mouth. "I was lucky that Cynder snapped me out of the influence and stopped me before I got further. I guess because I hadn't been affected long, I didn't go full blown like Cynder had." Spryo said. "...Court's about to resume." He added. "Right. I'm ready." Cynder asked. "I'd hope so." Blackout said. He was fully aware of all the details, and he knew Cynder would be able to say the truth. And thus, Cynder did indeed testify as she had stated the truth about what she had been charged with, revealing that she was not in control of herself, and that her actions were driven by Malafor himself. The Fire Kraken tried to argue that that shouldn't change the charges, but then Cynder had pulled the ultimate uno reverse card. "Oh really, Fire Kraken? Then tell me, why was Princess Luna never tried for her crimes as Nightmare Moon?" Cynder asked, smirking. "Well...that's...err..." The Fire Kraken was shaken. "...That's...honestly a good question..." He stated. "Because Princess Celestia knew that her sister wasn't fully herself as Nightmare Moon. That sort of situation is the same as mine: Yeah we were both fully aware of what happened, but we had no control over our actions. I couldn't tell you who had a hold of Princess Luna, but I know Malafor was in control of me. If anything, Malafor is the one responsible for what occurred while I was essentially corrupted." Cynder said. That caused a lot of murmurs amongst ponies in the gallery. "I...I..." Fire Kraken wanted to object, but before he could, the entire gallery suddenly took Cynder's side as it erupted in support of Cynder. "Please every pony! Order in the court." Princess Celestia said. "Kraken, how do you wish to proceed from here, hmm? Because it's clear beyond a shadow of a doubt that these charges against Cynder are completely fabricated." She added. "...The...the prosecution...rests..." Kraken said, head hung low in defeat. "A wise decision." Princess Celestia said. "This court herby clears Cynder of all charges." She added. "Wow, that moment when Kraken realized he was unable to win no matter what he could do was just awesome." Rainbow Dash said. "And now we just wait for Smolder to get with Dragon Lord Ember and convince the dragons in the dragon lands to leave mom alone." Spike said. Two days later... Smolder was entering Dragon Lord Ember's room. "Sorry for the intrusion, Dragon Lord; but I wanted to talk with you." Smolder said. "Make it quick, I'm busy." DL Ember said. "Busy with wh--" Smolder noticed the map in front of her. "...Wait, what are you doing?" Smolder asked. "That witch believes that she's getting off easy with her testimony? Well if those ponies want to protect her from suffering for her crimes, then I'll just kidnap Cynder and kill her personally." DL Ember said. "But...that will cause a massive war between the ponies and The Society." Smolder said. "So? I don't care. I want to make that witch pay for what she's done." DL Ember said. "My father will never forget what he suffered through because of her, so neither will I." She added. Smolder said nothing as she left. I've got to stop this before it starts! She thought to herself as she flew off. Ark 2: Turnabout Darkness End