Righting wrongs.

by Sylif Daring Doo

Academy Days: Anger and Hope.

Author's Note:

I've got a surprise for you guys...it's a trick that I recently learned how to do and I LOVE IT.

So...HUZZAH FOR EXPERIMENTATION!

In all seriousness though, I should have figured this out long ago, I should have tested out all the tools that are given to writers but I didn't...so I kind of felt like an idiot when I figured this out.

*The Skylands, Skylanders Academy, ten minutes later, Dark Spyro's POV*

The weather of the Skylands is very pleasant today, I don't know why I never noticed it before but the weather is very nice and is perfect for an outdoor nap, I lay down from my sitting position on the grassy island under the shade of a tree, I yawn and look around, I see that there are cadets and trainees out and about already. 'Something must have caused a short day.'

Not really caring about that right now I rest my head on the grass and close my eyes to try and get some much needed sleep and try to catch up with it, I inwardly smile at the fact that I don't hear any voices or see any visions anymore, I yawn again and I feel sleep beginning to grasp me.

But of course, in following with the pattern of events that today seems to be throwing my way, I am interrupted from my attempt at sleep once more by a voice. "Hey you!" A young male voice, a young teen from the sound of it called out, he seemed angry.

I open my eyes and look at the owner of the voice, he is a brown and red salamander that stands upright on two legs, he is wearing a pair of black pants and a black jacket, his eyes are a fierce yellow and he looks kind of like a punk or a bully of some kind, he has two people behind him that don't seem to share the angered look that the salamander has.

The first of the two others is a pale yellow skinned creature with short and spiked brownish blonde hair that stands on two legs and has four arms as well as a tail that was long enough to wrap around its waist, it's eyes are brown and it is wearing a pair of silver glasses, it also has a pair of blue jeans with a brown belt and a pair of brown boots on, it's wearing a simple light blue tee shirt with white diagonal stripes, the last details of this creature were that it has a pair of brown lab goggles on its head and is holding a small electronic device in one of its arms as it looks at me with curiosity. "Are you sure this is him?" It asked in an unsure feminine voice before readjusting her glasses.

The other creature is another elf, but unlike Stealth Elf this one has pale blue skin and is a male, he has the same ghostly eyes that my former friend has, he has dark green hair on his head that is tied into a top knot on the back of his head, he is wearing a white undershirt and a brown zip up hoodie, he has wooden flats on his feet and simple brown pants, the most notable thing about him was that he has a wooden bow slung over his shoulder and that his eyes seem wary as he looks at me. "This is definitely him, matches up perfectly." He said with a calm and quiet voice, arms crossed.

Seeing the three of them, I quickly put it together that they were a team and that the Salamander was the leader. 'I just hope they don't want to start anything, but from the tone of the Salamander I doubt that.' I note before standing up, after I am fully standing I speak. "Yes? what is it?" I ask in a calm voice, trying to be diplomatic to avoid a conflict.

"You have a lot of nerve coming back here after what you did Dragon." He said the last part with so much venom I almost flinched, almost. "And I personally don't think you should be getting off so easily, so I'm gonna teach you a lesson myself!" He declares as he snorts a puff of smoke through his nose in an attempt to intimidate me.

Normally I wouldn't be intimidated by this, after all he was a cadet and I have combat experience, but wth my current condition I doubted I would be able to do much right now, especially if the others joined in...unless they were newcomers of course. "I don't think I should be getting off easy either." I tell the trio which seemed to give them pause. "But I also don't think 'teaching me a lesson' is a good idea." I admit, which was the truth because the last I wanted to do was cause problems even if I didn't start them.

Unfortunately my words only served to anger the Salamander and he growled before gaining a knowing grin. "Why's that huh? you gonna beat up some cadets?" He questioned before taking a step forward.

I immediately realize where he was going and I inwardly groan, knowing that the Salamander had all the cards right now, I quickly try once more to convince him not to attack, knowing that was what was going to happen. "No, I'm not going to beat up some cadets, I am just trying to turn over a new leaf." I say, though this didn't seem to help my current predicament.

"And what better way to do that?" The Salamander began before charging straight at me, I readied myself to fly away but then the Salamander did something I wasn't expecting, he suddenly skid to a stop six feet away from me and spat a fireball straight at me, it flew too fast for me to do anything and it impacted hard, sending me sliding a few feet back from the surprising force. "Then a good old fashioned fight!" He said with a large smirk that I recognized as pride.

I look at the Salamander. "Impressive, I honestly wasn't expecting that." I say, feeling genuinely impressed by the attack, it looked obvious but it was still surprising enough to work.

The Salamander charged again, though as he charged me I was ready as he did the same trick again, I quickly jumped into the air, dodging the fireball but not the object that knocked me out of the air, I landed hard and looked at what hit me, I surprised to see an arrow with an odd rounded arrowhead on it, I look over and see that the Elf had his bow drawn. 'So that's their strategy, the Salamander attacks head on and the Elf supports from a distance.' I get up and look at the Salamander, I realize that I am caught between both of them.

"Come on guys, this is a really bad idea, what if you get caught?" The female of the trio asked with worry on her voice as she watched from the side.

The Salamander laughed heartily, clearly he was enjoying this. "No way! all the teachers are away right now, no one here but us trainees and cadets!" He said before charging at me again, but in a different manner than before that I couldn't place.

Seeing no way around it, I do the smartest thing I can possibly do in this situation, I wait and make no movement as the Salamander charged head on at me, I keep waiting in anticipation of the incoming fireball or tackle, I am broken out of my concentration however as the Salamander suddenly shifts direction to my right, I raise an eyebrow but before I can act I feel another hard impact from the archer throw me to my side right into the charge of the Salamander, I tumble a little bit and groan quietly as I force myself to stand up, but just as I did I am hit hard by another fireball, I am thrown back again and I quickly get up, feeling the pain from the attacks I groan and look at the Salamander and Elf, the former of the two looks over at their four armed friend.

"Come on Tinker! Get over here!" The Salamander said with an eagerness in his voice.

Tinker shook her head and looked at the crowd that had formed, many of them were watching with varying expressions, ranging from curiosity to disappointment. "I'm not getting into this Marx." She said before walking to the crowd.

Marx, the Salamander groaned and looked at the Elf. "What about you Chen?" He asked.

Chen grunted in reply and readied another arrow, he took aim at me and held it, his eyes unblinking.

I prepare to try to dodge the two, and just as Marx went to charge at me we all stopped when we heard a familiar voice call out. "Alright break it up!" Soon enough the voice was followed by the Lava Monster by the name of Eruptor, the Skylander took a look around the scene and then looked at the two who had been fighting me. "What's going on here?" He asked firmly.

Marx seemed to pale while Chen returned his bow and arrow to their rightful place over his shoulder and quiver respectively. "N-nothing captain! just a sparring match that got out of hand." He stated shakily.

"Just a sparring match?" Eruptor then looked at Chen who nodded wordlessly, the Lava Monster then turned his gaze to me, it was obvious that he saw my pained state. "What happened?" He asked flatly, clearly not in a good mood.

I glance at the trainees and they seemed to be worried I would talk, after a moment I sighed and looked at my former friend. "It's the truth, it was just a sparring match that got out of hand, we're alright." I say, and for once I was surprised that I didn't feel that bad about the lie, though I didn't let my surprise show.

Thankfully, Eruptor didn't seem to press the issue further. "Fine, but save the sparring for the ring from now on." He ordered before walking off, the crowd dispersed and Tinker walked over to her friends.

Marx looked like he wanted to say something but I spoke up first. "Are we done now? I need to get some sleep." I say before walking away, heading to somewhere that I feel that I don't have to worry about being interrupted.

"Thanks for not telling the captain." Marx said, I look back at him and I nod before continuing to walk off.

*Skylander's Academy, fifty minutes later.*

I look around the secluded island I chose to try and get some sleep, it was a nice quiet island, with roughly a hundred feet in each direction, I was laying next to a large rock that was split in two closer to one end, there were a few trees around the small clearing and I could hear some flowing water nearby somewhere, I take in a breath of fresh air before laying down, I curl up a little and close my eyes, eager to finally get some sleep.

"Wow, it's true, you're back." A familiar female voice said with disbelief, I mentally did a check on who the voice belonged to but I drew a blank.

"You here to beat me up? That seems to be a running theme." I ask with annoyance, having been confronted by quite a few trainees looking to vent or punish me for my crimes.

"Why would I beat you up?" The voice asked, sounding offended at my question.

'Alright, this is beginning to bug me that can't name the voice.' I open my eyes to see just who was bothering me and I feel my blood go cold and I freeze up like a deer caught in the headlights.

Standing before me, looking at me with curiosity was Cynder, the violet scaled dragon that I had been too afraid to even try to save from her father, I slowly get up and blink my eyes, I open my mouth to try and speak but nothing comes out, we both stood in an awkward silence for a while before Cynder spoke. "So...uh...awkward." She said.

I nod slowly and close my mouth, I quickly forced the whirlwind of emotions down and I finally speak up. "Y-yea...awkward, how um...how are you?" I ask, trying to force some sense of calm in the conversation.

Cynder picked up on my awkwardness and spoke up a moment later. "I'm doing better now, it's good to be back and away from my dad." She replied, surely feeling a little awkward herself, she sounded a little unsure on what to say. "What about you? how are you doing?" She asked with curiosity and concern.

I freeze for a second when she mentioned her father but I don't freak out this time, her concern does make me feel a little better. "I'm...as well as could be expected for someone who almost died." I say, Cynder flinched at my words but she still looks concerned and curious. "I'm being made a cadet again, though I don't think I necessarily deserve it, not when I've done the things I've done." I say sincerely. "I'm gonna make sure they don't regret giving me a chance though." I add, no deception was in my voice as I meant every single word.

Cynder smiled for a reason I couldn't understand or recognize in her eyes. "That's good to hear." She said before her expression became a serious yet comforting one, it was weird to see her this way I have to admit. "I will say though, you shouldn't have so much to worry about when it comes to making things right with everyone, after all you want to make amends, and if anyone knows what it's like to come from a dark place, it's me." The dragoness replied with a small smile.

I nod in appreciation. "Thanks Cynder, that's means a lot...and I'm sorry I didn't try to save you, I just couldn't...can't, face your father." I say, shuddering at the mere thought or memory of the underworlds ruler.

"Yea...Spyro had that problem too." Cynder replied as though she could understand, I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt though and kept quiet as she continued to talk. "I can forgive you for that though, my father is...terrifying, but I was wondering if we could just...talk?" She asked as she awkwardly rubbed her right claw.

I blink in confusion, I feel my mind do a double take for a second. 'She wants to talk to the guy who literally left her alone with her father and was indirectly the reason she was trapped in the underworld?' But as I watch Cynder wait for my reply I know what I have to say. "Sure...we can talk." I say before sitting down, Cynder sat down near me and I wasn't sure where to begin.

Thankfully Cynder seemed to have an idea as to where to begin. "So uh...can you maybe tell me about what happened to you? If that's alright?" She asked with uncertainty, as though she didn't know what to say or how to approach me.

"Do you want to hear everything?" I ask the dragoness who nods to my question, I mentally prepare myself and I lay down, I sigh and look at Cynder who had a curious expression on her face. "Has anyone told you how I came to be?" I ask.

Cynder shook her head. "No, everyone seems reluctant to really talk about the time that Strykore was around, or at least they don't want to tell me for some reason." She replied, she sounded a little sad that she was left out of it, but now it was clear she wanted answers.

I nod in understanding. "Alright, this will take a while then." I say before starting at the beginning, from Spyro's reckless confrontation with Malefor, it took everything I had just to tell that part without freezing up, though Cynder did notice my hesitation when it came to her father, she didn't stop me and let me work through it.

I told her everything, confessing to the kidnapping of King Pen, Spying on the Skylanders for Strykore, my struggles to open the Wumpan Puzzle Box, my doubts and my brief and sudden betrayal of Strykore followed by my magically enraged assault against Stealth Elf during the race, I also displayed my confused as to the attitude that everyone had that day, as though some weird emotional roller coaster had sprung up out of nowhere, I then described the battle I had with Spyro in my mindless rage, followed by my escape and ending up outside the village of Jade during a blizzard.

Time flew by for the two of us as I told my story, I went into detail about my journey in the Crystal Empire, from when I woke up in Garnet's house, to going to the Capital city with Cosmo to save her father and sister, I described going to the castle and searching it from the bottom up, I described meeting Sunset and later Twilight, I described my fight with King Sombra and Cynder laughed when I told her about my little battle cry followed by my new attack, I then told her about when I went to the slave mines to save Silver and Garnet, I described the rundown fort and the mines as well as the following battle and meeting Tempest.

Then I told Cynder about the following days, how I slowly descended into madness from sleep depravation and my dreams, she was interested to hear about my dreams and the statues, I had some difficulty telling her about the dreams and visions I had been seeing before I finally confronted them, we shared a laugh when I told her about my hallucinations and my crazy attempts to return to the Skylands.

I then told her about yesterday, my reaction to seeing the Skylanders thinking they weren't real, seeing Stealth Elf and my insane rambling which led up to getting a slap to the face, I told her about the conversation I had with everyone and then today, about the events leading up to now.

Once I had finished my story the dragoness had asked about my new friends and obliged, I told her about Sunset and Twilight, Tempest and Silver as well as Cosmo, I also told her a little bit about Shining Armor and Princess Cadence who seemed to like me, for some reason Cynder seemed to be especially interested in Tempest, I don't know why and I didn't bother asking.

I soon notice the orange sky that follows a sunset and I chuckled. "I spent most of my time here trying to catch up on sleep, and now I've gone and talked the day away." I joke before stretching, I feel my bones pop as I get up and stand. "You should go, I don't want to even think about the rumors that would spread if you didn't get back." I say as I work on my stiff muscles.

Cynder nodded and stood up, she had been the smart one, she remembered to actually move around a little unlike me, she looked at me. "So, you really went with Dark Spyro huh? makes you sound like Spyro's twin brother." She joked with an amused tone, yet it was good natured.

I laugh quietly at the joke. "Yea, I guess I'm just used to the name by now, and Spyro really doesn't like it when anyone says that we are brothers, I think it bothers him more than anything." I say with mirth in my voice. "It was great to talk with you though, it's nice to still have friends here in the Skylands." I add truthfully.

Cynder raised an eyebrow. "What about your old team? Master Eon, Sunset and Tempest?" She asked, now confused from my words.

I sigh and start walking in a direction, followed by Cynder. "Spyro hates me, Elf treats me like I'm going to snap so she doesn't act like herself at all around me, Jet-Vac and Eruptor watch me like Hawks, they don't trust me but they're giving me a chance to prove that I'm not an enemy, and I don't even know where Pop stands in all of this." I shake my head and look up a the sky as I walk. "Eon...I can see it in his eyes, he doesn't know what to do right now, I know he has things he wants to say to me but he's afraid that I'll slip back into madness or that I will leave and never come back, so he refuses to confront me and say everything he wants to say, like he's dealing with very fragile glass or something." I explain and focus my attention on walking.

"As great as Tempest and Sunset are, it still hurts that my old friends see me as they do, honestly the best thing they could do would be to confront me and just get it over with." I sigh and as we near the edge of the island I look off and see the Academy in the distance. "The worst part of all of this is knowing that they are lying to me" I say solemnly.

"What do you mean?" Cynder asked with curiosity and confusion. "What lie?" She added, clearly having no idea what I am talking about.

I look Cynder in the eye, I didn't even have a mental debate on telling her what I knew to be true. "That they couldn't arrest me." I reply. "The truth is that everyone who is able to make the accusation refused to do so, I am happy that they would do that for me, but the fact that they are lying about it is what hurts, and I don't understand WHY they are lying." I shake my head and lift myself off into a hover with a few wing beats. "I'm going to see where I can sleep for the night, I'll see you around Cynder." I say before turning to fly towards the Academy.

"Wait." Cynder said, I pause and look at the dragoness who seemed a little nervous, I raise an eyebrow at her but she speaks before I can even think about replying. "If you want...you could come to live at my place." She offered with a nervous tone.

I pause and I immediately see an issue which I decide to bring up. "What about your team? I doubt they would thrilled with the idea of having a traitor living under the same roof." I point out, knowing that Team B had moved in with the dragoness a while back, I then see Cynder rubbing her arm nervously. "What's wrong?" I ask, my voice turning serious.

Cynder didn't reply immediately and after a minute she spoke. "They uh, sort of moved out, Roller Brawl, Hex and Skull went off with Bad Breath and Food Fight to find the Doom Raiders, I'm uh...kind of on my own in that house." The dragoness stated, she seemed on edge now which I didn't think suited her very well.

I said nothing as I mulled the offer over in my mind, I knew that I needed a place to stay and Cynder was offering, but I also didn't want to leave Sunset and Tempest without a place, so I decided to check on that. "Do you think it would be possible for Sunset and Tempest to spend at least a few nights, I don't want to leave them hanging." I ask, showing concern for my friends.

Cynder nodded immediately. "No problem! there's more than enough room." She stated quickly, she didn't seem nervous about that at all and even seemed eager at the idea of having more people over, which made me curious, she then seemed to notice her eagerness however and reigned it in. "Y-yea, it's fine, I'd like to meet them anyway." She said calmly, even though her voice was normal, I could still see the anxiety in her eyes.

I sign and land next to Cynder before I fold my wings to my sides. "Alright, what's the problem Cynder?" I ask softly, catching her off guard with the question.

"Problem? what problem? I didn't say anything about a problem! why would I have a problem?!" The dragoness replied quickly, she laughed nervously and took a step back, she then unfurled her wings and flapped them, sending her into a hover, she then flew to where I had been hovering a few moments ago, clearly intending to fly off in a panic.

I sigh and shake my head, I look at Cynder with worry in my eyes and I speak before she flies off. "You're having nightmares aren't you?" I say, my words make the dragoness stop and look over her shoulder at me with surprise. "I just told you about mine, I like to think that I can see the signs." I say quietly. "Can I ask what they are about?" I ask with a curious yet gentle tone, not wanting to make my friend more uncomfortable than I already have.

Cynder lowered her head and looked away from me, she said nothing in reply but made no attempt to fly away, the silence continued for a while and it felt like an eternity before she landed next to me and spoke. "Malefor, my father." She finally said, the name causes me to instantly freeze up and I feel the familiar panic setting in, thankfully I manage to find the willpower to force myself to calm down for Cynder's sake. "The nightmares are always different but they always end in the same way, with him defeating everyone and taking me back to the underworld, and I'm powerless to stop him." She looks at me with fear in her eyes. "I'm afraid to sleep lately and I feel that if I have someone else in the house, it might help me sleep." She admitted.

I say nothing as I walk up to Cynder and wordlessly hug her, she tenses up for a second but she doesn't try to break away, we were like that for a few moments before I spoke. "It'll be alright, I don't know if it will work, but you should try to confront your nightmares head on, if it's M-m-Malefor that you are afraid of...I don't know, use his weaknesses against him?" My words went from comforting to nervous as I said the name of Cynder's father.

Cynder let out a humorless laugh and lightly returns the hug. "If only it were that easy...thanks for trying to help though." She whispered.

We both broke off the hug a moment later and I look to the rest of the Academy. "We should get going, I really don't want to have to deal with rumors that I kidnapped you or anything." I say before unfurling my wings and flapping them, I soon end up in a hover and Cynder followed suit. "I gotta find Sunset and Tempest, let them know what's going on." I say.

Cynder nodded. "Ok, I'll see you later." She said before turning to fly in slightly different direction to the Academy, she paused and looked over her shoulder at me. "Do you remember where my place is?" She asked, curious if I remembered that detail.

I opened my mouth to say yes but I stopped myself as my mind drew a blank on that detail, I rub my chin and then a free a few moments I shake my head, not recalling any memory of the dragoness' place. "Nope." I finally say.

Cynder didn't seem annoyed as she looked to the Academy. "I guess I could go with you, it would be easier for me to show you anyway." She replied, her voice betrayed no hint of it being a problem or inconvenience.

I nod in agreement and start flying to the Academy, I make sure to fly right to the Grand Library and nowhere else, figuring that the large building would be a good place to look for Sunset and Tempest, I glance over my shoulder and see Cynder following behind me. "So while we fly...what have you been doing lately?" I ask curiously, seeking to end the uncomfortable silence.

Either Cynder managed to understand why I asked that, or she was grateful for the chance of a distraction and started to tell me what she had been doing ever since the defeat of Strykore, it was mostly uneventful but I was glad to hear that there was still some normality in the Skylands.

And in my mind, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders, just knowing that I still had some friends in the Skylands was a great comfort to my tired mind, and I felt better knowing that if nothing else, I could at the very least try to make things right, one day at a time.

Comments

[fnafdragon]

Nice one dude this is an awesome story.

[Sylif Daring Doo]

10147618
Thanks, that means a lot.

[Arcticlizard52]

OK I really loved that conversation between Cynder and Dark Spyro