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Cynder (シンデル Shinderu in Japanese) is a dragoness who appears in The Legend of Spyro series and is Spyro's love interest in the trilogy. She was once an antagonist in The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning, but had become a protagonist in The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night, later evolving into a hero alongside Spyro in The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon. She is a black dragoness with a pink underbelly, a blade-like tail and blade claws on her wing thumbs, big pink wings, and six silver horns on her head. She also has two silver bracelets on her two front paws, and a silver "choker" on her neck and her tail made of iron. Also, Cynder has markings on her head, back, and forearms. Although she worked for Malefor, at the end of the first game, she was returned to her normal self had she not been corrupted.
Personality
Cynder, before becoming your partner in Dawn of the Dragon, is your enemy but later turns good and becomes your friend.
After Spyro freed her from Malefor's grasp, Cynder felt responsible for the suffering she caused everyone, even Spyro. As time passed, however, Cynder realized that Spyro really cares about her, and started to care about him in the same way. Her friendship with Spyro eventually blossoms into true love due to his heartfelt understanding of her, as it becomes strongly hinted near the end of the third game. Spyro also shows Cynder that it wasn't her error while the other denizens still remember her corrupted days and despise her still, and the young black dragoness quickly takes on a more positive attitude, even admitting her love for Spyro. She turns good and after defeating Malefor, she (Cynder) becomes Spyro's girlfriend.
Cynder and Spyro's companion, Sparx, don't seem to get along very well, mostly due to him still thinking that she is still evil, unlike Spyro, who truly understands her, or might be jealous of her garnering Spyro's attention rather than him. She always takes a more sarcastic personality when "conversing" with him. The argument between the two seems to be over when Sparx cannot accompany Spyro and Cynder to face Malefor, and the two know their differences should be saved for another one.
The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning
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Evil Cynder
The black dragon Cynder is the main enemy in The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning.
The story reveals that she has been in a war with the Guardian Dragons Ignitus, Terrador, Volteer and Cyril. Ignitus was the only one who managed to escape and hide from Cynder. Spyro soon meets the Dragon Guardian of Fire, who tells Spyro that Cynder has managed to capture the three Guardian Dragons, and her army has taken control of the Dragon Temple.
After Spyro saves the three Guardians, it is explained that Cynder is utilizing the elderly dragons to charge up energy crystals to free the Dark Master. Cynder chases Spyro and attacks him, until he is rescued by Ignitus, who gets imprisoned after protecting Spyro from Cynder.
After learning how to utilize Earth, Spyro goes to Cynder's fortress to rescue the Fire Guardian. They begin to fight, but Cynder heads for the hills to Convexity with the final crystal. The weakened Ignitus, exhausted from getting his energy drained, crawls to the floor and tells Spyro that Cynder was born in the same clutch of eggs that Spyro was in, making her the same age as Spyro. She was taken from the shrine when she was an egg and was corrupted by Malefor's dark energy, which made her grow at an unnatural pace.
Spyro follows her but arrives too late, as Cynder had already triggered the portal and provided Malefor with a way to escape. Once she sees Spyro, Cynder attacks him, willing to get rid of the purple dragon once and for all.
After a fierce battle, she is beaten by Spyro, and her body is freed from Malefor's control, changing her back into a young dragon again. However, the gateway to Convexity starts to fall to pieces after Spyro and Cynder's fight. Despite a difference of opinion between Spyro and Sparx, Spyro rescues Cynder and flees from Convexity, making a narrow escape.
Cynder is returned to the Dragon Temple, where the four Guardians apologize to her for not guarding her. That night, Spyro goes to the temple's balcony, looking for any sign of Malefor's return, and Cynder soon joins him, as they both feared that Malefor wasn't defeated yet.
The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night
Just before the release of the game a teaser trailer was released, involving a short cut scene not featured in the game. In the clip, Spyro, Cynder and Sparx head to the dragon cave, in which, Cynder teaches Spyro to use some of his powers. However, they are ambushed by Gaul the Ape King but Spyro soon saves them both. This clip showed that Cynder had lived in the temple for a while before leaving at the beginning of the game. Though this could be a different story, and has no connection with the series. 'Cynder, free from the Dark Master's Control in A New Beginning and The Eternal Night.' The story begins with Cynder departing from the Dragon Temple. Spyro catches up to her and asks her to stay, but Cynder refuses, telling him that she felt guilty about the things she did when she was under the Dark Master's control. She also tells him that she needs to find her own place in the world, despite Spyro telling her not to do so. Cynder soon runs off, leaving Spyro and Sparx behind.
Sometime later, Cynder is captured by a group of pirates, who intended to have her as a combatant in their stadium. Spyro is captured as well, and is soon made to fight other combatants. After beating his last opponent, he is shocked to find out that Cynder was to be his next opponent. Despite appearing to be evil again, the young dragoness reassures Spyro by telling him to fake the fight. However, the fight is interrupted by Gaul's Ape army, and Cynder is captured once again.
Later, it is revealed by the Chronicler that Gaul captured Cynder to leave her fate in the hands of the Dark Master, telling her that he would either take her back for being a faithful servant, or destroy her. Spyro, who has developed feelings for Cynder since he rescued her, refuses to accept this as the truth, and goes to the Mountain of Malefor to rescue her. When he arrives at the castle, he is approached by Cynder, apparently wanting to fight him. However, this is proven to be a ruse as well when she tells Spyro to line her up with Gaul's staff. As the fight starts, Cynder makes an effort to snatch the staff, but Gaul catches her by the neck and throws her to the wall, knocking her out.
After Gaul and Spyro fight, the floor gives way under them and they fall to a lower level. The moons eclipse each other, and its evil energy zaps through Spyro, transforming him into Dark Spyro, who swiftly and cruelly defeats Gaul. After he flies back up, Cynder is horrified to see Spyro as a creature of darkness, and soon knocks him out of the beam, returning him to normal. Spyro apologizes for his inability to control his new powers, though Cynder forgives him, saying that he is with friends; she probably begins developing feelings towards Spyro for his determination to save her despite her past. However, as a result of Spyro's battle with Gaul, the mountain of Malefor begins to collapse. Spyro recalls the Chronicler's words as he utilizes his Time Fury to freeze Cynder, Sparx, and himself inside a crystal, protecting them from harm as the mountain crumbles.
The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
Cynder's true self
In The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon, Cynder becomes a hero alongside Spyro (wich means she is good now) and is a playable character. Due to the game being set three years after The Eternal Night, Spyro and Cynder have been given a new look to make them appear older, but this may be due to the game being made by a different game developer.
The game begins with Spyro and Cynder being broken free of their crystal in the Catacombs of the Well of Souls by a group of grublins. A pair of magical necklaces in the shape of snakes are attached to them whilst they lie unconscious, linking the two dragons together and preventing them from being able to move freely or away from each other. They are then pinned by the chain to the floor and forced to fight waves of grublins, until a large Golem arrives and scares the grublins away.
Spyro and Cynder manage to break free of the floor, but remain tethered together, and they try to repel the Golem. When they fail to defeat it, Hunter saves them, telling them that he had been sent to find them by Ignitus three years earlier, much to their disbelief. He begins to take them to the dragon city of Warfang, but along the way they encounter an old hermit, who Cynder does not recognize. The Hermit insists that he knows her, however, recognizing her as the monstrous dragon from A New Beginning, telling her that even though her body has changed, her eyes remain the same. She appears visibly upset over this, but Spyro reassures her and tells her not to listen.
When they arrive at Warfang, Cynder assists in the defense of Warfang. After the Golem is defeated, Spyro and Cynder are happily reunited with Ignitus and the other Dragon Guardians. She then asks Ignitus for a way to get rid of the chain she and Spyro still wear, though the great dragon replies that it is irremovable. But he also says that the chain is more than a hindrance, but a reminder of the bond Spyro and Cynder share, and their destinies are intertwined. Cynder and Spyro turn to each other, and share what seems to be loving glance, which indicates that she is starting to fall in love with Spyro.
After Malefor declares his plan to end the world and lets loose the Destroyer, Cynder comes up with a plan to stop the immense Golem: destroying a dam holding back the water from a valley. With the Destroyer momentarily halted as a result, Spyro and Cynder try to destroy it, only to find that it is unstoppable. They decide the only other course of action is to face Malefor himself.
Ignitus takes the two through the ring of fire, sacrificing himself in the process. Spyro is upset over this and nearly follows, transforming into Dark Spyro in his grief. However, Cynder brings him back to his senses and comforts him in his despair by nuzzling up to him, reminding him that he's not alone. Together, they venture through the wastelands and finally find Malefor's Lair. Cynder decides at first to give up, but Spyro reminds her that they mustn't otherwise their journey's been all for nothing. She agrees on his behalf, but hides her real reason (which is her love for him) and quickly says that she simply wants to rid herself of their chain. Soon, the two dragons make their way out, and finally arrive at Malefor's Lair. Cynder tells Spyro that she's scared, but despite that they both venture on after Spyro tells her to stay close to him.
Once there, Malefor begins the task of verbal corruption of Spyro, and states that they have more similar qualities than just their color. Spyro immediately begins to deny Malefor's words, and the Dark Master proceeds to release him and Cynder from the magical chain linking them. Cynder tells Spyro to not listen to anything he says, and it is then that Malefor claims that his influence over Cynder has not been extinguished, saying he had caused her to lead Spyro to him and that she tricked Spyro into ressurecting Malefor. Cynder at first denies his words, but gradually begins to become unsure, allowing Malefor to once again unlock the darkness within her and turn her back to his cause.
She begins to attack Spyro, who only shrinks away whilst Malefor continues to talk, claiming that there had been many purple dragons before them, and that their purpose was to destroy the world, not save it. He goes on to say that, during each age, the purple dragon would call upon the golems of the deep and bring about the "Great Cleansing". Spyro refuses to believe him, while Cynder continues to attack relentlessly.
After striking him several times, she demands to know why he doesn't fight back. Disheartened, Spyro tells her that losing both her and Ignitus has left him nothing to fight for. Upon hearing those words and discovering Spyro's feelings, Cynder breaks free of Malefor's hold, and lovingly replies that there is always something. Enraged by the turn of events, the Dark Master chains Cynder back to Spyro and declares that she will share his fate.
During their battle, the Destroyer manages to throw itself back into the Volcano from whence it came, thus completing its cicuit and beginning the destruction of their world. Spyro, Cynder and Malefor continue to fight, however, and the Dark Master is soon thrown down to the planet's heart, a giant purple crystal, by a joint attack by Spyro and Cynder. He declares that he cannot be defeated. However, the spirits of the Ancients, the dragons who taught him all he knew, emerge from the purple crystal upon these words, and then proceed to drag Malefor into the planet's heart, much to his dismay and the awe of Spyro and Cynder.
With Malefor gone, the chain around Spyro and Cynder's necks disappears, but Malefor's plan is still underway as the planet began to shake itself apart. Cynder apologizes to Spyro for her past actions, and Spyro forgives her, telling her that she shouldn't be sorry now that it's all over. With Ignitus' words in his head, Spyro asks Cynder to leave, not wanting to risk her death should he fail. Not wanting to lose Spyro again, she refuses to leave him, and, as Spyro uses his powers as a purple dragon to try and prevent the world's end, Cynder whispers "I love you" to him. At the very end of the game, it is shown that Ignitus is now the Chronicler of the new age, and Spyro and Cynder are shown to have survived, flying above Avalar, finally earning their happily ever after, and Spyro and Cynder become boyfriend and girlfriend.
Powers
In A New Beginning, Cynder was controlled by Malefor, making her his puppet. Due to her exposure to his dark energies, she was an adult-sized dragon despite her age, and was endowed with several unnatural powers. Namely, she had control over Poison, Fear, Wind and Shadow, although this wasn't shown until Dawn of the Dragon. She also possessed the ability to breathe fire (although hers had a darker color than usual) and Convexity.
She also had enough strength to beat a Guardian Dragon, shown when she managed to defeat and capture Ignitus.
In The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon, she still possessed some of the powers given to her by Malefor. She maintained her control over Poison, Fear, Wind and Shadow, and she could still use the Convexity breath. However, she lost the ability to breathe Dark Fire, which she lost after she became small in A New Beginning.
Like all dragons, she is also able to fly.
Trivia
- Cynder is one of two roles in The Legend of Spyro series to be constantly recast (the other being Sparx). She is voiced by Cree Summer in A New Beginning, Mae Whitman in The Eternal Night, and Christina Ricci in Dawn of the Dragon.
- Despite Cynder being a black dragon, her scales sometimes appear to be purple, be it dark purple, when compared to Spyro. This appears mostly in concept art of Cynder, and in the final game of the series (where her body is seemingly always shown to be purple, making her more purple than the purple hero). It could be a glitch.
- Taking both the original and The Legend of Spyro series into consideration, Cynder is one of the only other playable dragons who does not have the same elements as Spyro.
- Cynder is the only female character that has really proved to Spyro that she is in love with him in Dawn of the Dragon.
- Many people think that, after Dawn of the Dragon, Spyro and Cynder are dead, but it clearly shows that they had survived and went to maybe live in Avalar.
- In the Italian version of The Legend of Spyro Trilogy, Cynder is known as "Cinerea"
- Given the situations, Cynder may have been cast as the damsel in distress. First being under the control of Malefor and almost sucked into the Convexity vortex in A New Beginning, then being kidnapped and held hostage by Gaul in The Eternal Night.
- It is assume that Sparx is jealous of Cynder because Spyro is always with her.
- In the movie called dragons destiny of fire, there is a dragon called Marina that is very similar to Cynder because they have the same horns, the same eyes, both are partners to the main character, they have almost the same color and have the same intension: as Cynder wants to be Spyro's girlfriend, Marina wants the same with John John and the ending of the series as Cynder becomes Spyro's girlfriend, Marina becomes John John's girlfriend.