The Legend of Spyro: The Next Generation

CH 1: Joys and worries

It has been ten years… ten years since Spyro first became mates with Cynder, the black dragoness… his one true love. Ten years spent together, fighting countless battles alongside each other, keeping the peace that came with Malefor's death.

Now a new day has begun. But this was no ordinary day because today was the day that Spyro and Cynder have been looking forward to ever since they became mates. For on this cool, autumn day at the Dragon Temple, Cynder was ready to lay her first egg, their first child. This is it, the purple dragon thought to himself, the moment of truth has finally arrived! He looked down on the bed where Cynder was laying, her eyes closed tightly as she went into labor.

"AHH!! It hurts Spyro! I can't take much more of this!" screamed Cynder as another round of pain shot through her like a bolt of lightning. Spyro's eyes widened with worry, "Don't give up Cynder! I'm here for you! You're almost done!"

In one final effort, Cynder gave one big push and finally, after spending the whole morning in pain from labor, her egg was finally laid. The effort of it all took its toll on her though, as she fell unconscious on the bed.

"…der…" she heard someone say. "Cynder… are you okay… Cyn?" She slowly but surely began to wake up from her slumber only to look up and find Spyro still hovering his head over her, a look of worry in his eyes. She gave him a weak smile to assure him that she was fine and just needed her rest.

"Cynder… Thank the Ancestors you are alright! I thought I lost you there for a second…" said Spyro as a tear formed in his eye.

"Well," Cynder responded weakly, "that was painful, but it'll take a lot more than that to get rid of me." She gave him another smile, this one slightly stronger than the last and wiped away the tear that stained his face. "So… where is it?" she asked, looking around.

"The Guardians took it into a special heated chamber for safety but we are allowed to go in and see it whenever we want. And don't worry, they are keeping a very close eye on it." Spyro said as he leaned close to her cheek and gave her a small kiss. "If you want, I can carry you over there now," he said with a smile. Cynder simply giggled. "Yu sure know how to treat a lady don't you? But that's okay, I'll go later after I get some more rest."

Spyro couldn't help but be a little bit concerned, but he let the matter fall out of his mind as he nodded and left Cynder so she could rest peacefully. "Spyro, wait…" she called before he left. Spyro turned his head around to look at her. "What is it Cyn? Are you still in pain?"

"No I'm not but… Spyro a thought just came into my mind… Now that we have a child to look after, you do realize that we won't be able to spend as much time together as we did in the past right?"

The thought struck Spyro hard on his chest. She's right! He thought to himself. Now with our child's life in our hands, we'll have to think less about ourselves and more about him… or her. Dear Ancestors, this is going to be a rough road… "Yeah… you're absolutely right… but if it's for our child's sake, then I'll do whatever it takes to keep him or her safe and sound!"

The black dragoness gave a low chuckle as Spyro took a heroic stand, showing her that he truly was determined to give anything and everything up for their safety. Another thought suddenly crossed her mind, "Spyro, we still need to choose a name…"

"Good point, hmmm..." Spyro began to ponder a nice name as he walked back to his mate. "Should it be a combination of both of our names? Maybe Cynro… you think that's a good name?" Cynder chuckled at the name that Spyro came up with. "Well it does sound nice… but I was thinking more like… Synthie if a girl hatches or… well, Cynro sounds like a perfect name for a boy."

"Synthie or Cynro… those are beautiful names for the beautiful child that will hatch soon." Said Spyro as he traced his left forepaw across Cynder's delicate face. He leaned in and gave her a romantic and passionate kiss on her lips as the thought of actually being a new father excited him. After the kiss, Cynder rolled off the bed and began to walk out of the room, Spyro close behind her. "Are you sure you can walk honey? I thought you wanted to get some more rest."

"I'm fine Spyro, really. I just want to go see the egg and I couldn't wait any longer. Umm… where exactly is the chamber hat has our egg?"

"Heh," Spyro chuckled as he took the lead. "It's not far from here but it is well hidden, so those who might have bad intentions won't find it. I doubt that will ever happen but it's just an extra precaution." Cynder just smiled and she couldn't stop smiling because she was finally going to see the creation that came out of her. She walked up next to Spyro, laid her head on his should and let out a loving, comforting growl. They came up to a wall that looked like a the other ones. A stonewall, still riddled with a few cracks from all the battles that ensued there, with a candelabra sticking out of it, holding three unlit candles. Spyro walked up to the wall, took the candle on the left off, and used his fire breath to send a small flame forward and light the candle. Well that's odd, Cynder thought to herself, it's the middle of the afternoon. Why is he lighting the candle? Unless… As if to answer her question, Spyro replaced the candle back on the wall and, as soon as the first drop of melted wax hit the bottom of the candelabra that held it, the wall cracked open to reveal a secret set of stairs heading down to some sort of basement. Cynder gasped is surprise as she saw the new place. "Come on, it only opens for a few seconds and closes for a couple of hours to 'avoid the crowds' according to Ignitus. The only way it'll open before this is if it's opened from the inside to let us out." As they were walking down the stairs, they noticed a small, golden light just around the corner. When they rounded it, they saw Volteer, the Guardian of Electricity, talking with Sparx about something. "… is gonna be a nightmare… now I'm probably gonna get stuck babysitting this kid while those two lovey dovey dragons go out on their adventures together…" they heard Sparx complain. "Hey now that sounds like a good idea. What do you think, my lovey dovey mate?" Cynder chuckled. Sparx spun around only to see the couple smiling wickedly at him. "Oh um... hey guys… h-how's it going? Heheh…"

"You know Sparx," Spyro began to say, "we weren't considering having a babysitter look after our child… but now that you mention it, I think that it'll be a great idea as well."

Yea but Spyro we have to think about the baby… I mean, Sparx would probably annoy our baby so much that he or she will accidentally eat Sparx… and we don't want our kid to have a stomach ache now do we?" Spyro, Cynder, and even Volteer couldn't help but burst into laughter at what Cynder said. "Hahaha… very amusing she-dragon… now if you'll excuse me…" Sparx began to ascend the staircase when he stopped and looked back. "Hey, but in all seriousness, congratulations you two. I know this might not mean much to you guys but… I'm very happy for you both and I know that you will be great parents to your new kid." Sparx once again began to go up the stairs but Spyro stopped him. "Wait Sparx… thank you very much. You're words really do mean a lot more to us than you might think. Thank you, my brother." When Spyro finished, Cynder came up to Sparx and gave him a gentle lick. "That means a lot to me Sparx, especially since you and I argue a lot. Thanks so much."

"Yeah well, it's the least I could do," said Sparx, face turning red from embarrassment. He continued his way back up to the Dragon Temple, this time without interruption.

"Well how are you two doing today? Are you well? Fine? Do you want me to get something for you?" Volteer began to say in his usual hyperactive, energetic voice. Cynder answered, "No that's fine Volteer, thanks. But I would like to see out egg, please."

"Yes of course, your egg is safe, sheltered, sound right behind me on this table."

Volteer shifted himself to the side to reveal the precious egg that was delicately set on the table. Above it, there were more candles to keep the room warm and lit. Underneath the table was a small furnace, used to keep the egg on top of the table at a perfect temperature. The egg itself was standing upright and perfectly protected by small walls on its sides and on top, forming a sort of cabinet just for the egg. "It's beautiful… so much more than I could have ever expected!" Cynder exclaimed in her happiness. The egg was perfectly smooth, giving off a wondrous shine as the light from the candles reflected off of it. In the light, Cynder could see that the egg was colored black and had two small light-purple lines going around the egg horizontally, dividing the egg into four even sections. "Spyro isn't it absolutely beautiful?" Cynder exclaimed. The proud purple father nodded in agreement, "Yes it is… but it's still only second to your beauty."

He leaned closer to his mate, the mother of his soon to hatch child, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. In response, Cynder turned her head towards Spyro and began to give him a very passionate kiss on his lips.

Volteer cleared his throat. "Well, you two should head on out and enjoy your day, make plans for a romantic dinner or take a romantic or…" he went on and on but Cynder and Spyro only heard so much until his voice began to sound like mumbles to them. "Very well then Volteer, we'll do just that," assured Spyro. "Just please be sure to watch over our baby while we are out."

"With my life, as if it were my own child," promised the electricity guardian.

Soon after they left the secret egg chamber, Spyro and Cynder walked around the Dragon Temple, enjoying the cool breeze that blew through its many windows. They walked in silence, thinking of the miracle that they had created, it was the only thing on their mind. They didn't think of their hunger, friends, or even of pleasing each other… they only thought of the egg. They were lost in their new world, preparing for all the good times and the bad times that were on their way. "Oh Spyro, this has been such an amazing day… first I laid my first egg-"

"Which you clearly handled better than I did" interrupted Spyro quickly.

"Yeah… but then, when we went to see our miracle, that topped everything off… there's nothing at all that could make this day any better than what it already is," she said as she nuzzled Spyro on the cheek. Suddenly, Cynder lost her balance, sending her to the floor hard. "CYNDER!!" cried Spyro as he helped her get back on her feet. "Are you okay? What happened just now?"

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"I'm fine babe, I guess just thinking about all of the day's events just made me weak… I think I'm going to bed early tonight."

"Okay, let me carry you to our room… I don't want you to trip again."

Cynder let out a small giggle, "My hero, you're always there for me aren't you?"

"And I always will be, no matter the cost." Spyro then stood on his hind legs and took his loving mate in his arms. He took to the air, making sure that Cynder was still comfortable in his paws. He flew slowly though the long hallway and into their room. He then gently placed her on the bed of straw and looked deeply into her beautiful sapphire green eyes. "I love you so very much honey."

"I love you too… goodnight."

"Goodnight and sleep tight," Spyro finished. He gave Cynder a kiss goodnight on her head and turned to look out the window only to gasp in amazement. "What is it Spyro?" Cynder asked curiously. "Look out the window." She did so and there she saw the most amazing sunset she had ever seen. The sun was just on the horizon glowing a dull orange. The sky above was already turning dark and millions of stars were already visible on the perfectly clear skies. "The perfect end to a perfect day," Cynder whispered to herself but still loud enough for Spyro to hear. They both stared at the gorgeous scene until the sun was completely set, at which point, Cynder laid her down on the bed and before long, Spyro could already here her soft snoring. I'll see you in the morning my love, Spyro thought to himself.

He walked out of the room thinking of what to do now because he still quite a bit of energy left to spend. He paced around the hall just trying to think up of anything that could entertain him for a while. After pacing around for ten minutes nothing came up. Spyro sighed and said, "Guess I'll head back and…" And that's when an idea struck him. This is great! This is the perfect thing I could do now! I only hope it's not too late just yet.

Morning broke through the windows in Cynder's room as the sun rose in the distance, welcoming a new day with warmth and fresh air. Cynder slowly awoke from her slumber and let out a mighty yawn. "Wow, what a great and peaceful sleep I had."

"Well that's good to hear," said a voice behind her. She quickly craned her neck around to see Spyro was already awake, resting on his haunches, staring at her. "Good morning Spyro," said Cynder before she let out yet another yawn. "I'm glad to see that you rested well last night, I on the other hand couldn't get any rest at all…" said Spyro looking down on the floor. "Oh baby, what happened? Why couldn't you get sleep last night?" asked Cynder. "I couldn't sleep because I was far too excited and my mind kept running with so many thoughts… I just found it impossible and sat here guarding you instead."

"Aw Spyro, you're always so sweet… be careful though, any sweeter and I just might to take a bite of you." They both chuckled at her comment, then Cynder asked, "So, what thoughts were you having last night that kept you up?"

"Oh, well, some were about how perfect yesterday was, others were how life is going to get so much better once our baby girl or boy finally hatches from their egg, and others were about how you would react…"

"Me? React? React to what?"

"To this…" Spyro moved his left forepaw behind him and brought out a beautiful golden box that glimmered in the morning sunlight. Cynder gasped at it as she started to reach for it. "Beautiful isn't it? But that's not what I wanted to show you." Spyro then opened the box, revealing an anklet that was even more gorgeous than the box it was carried in. Cynder gasped once again and her eyes began to water from the pure happiness that she was feeling. "Oh Spyro, you got this beautiful piece of jewelry for me? Oh you shouldn't have!" she exclaimed in between sniffles. "Let's see if it fits," said the purple dragon as he walked closer to the bed. He lifted up her right forepaw and gently detached the lock on the anklet. "Cynder, before your put this on, I want you to read what's engraved on its surface. Cynder took the anklet from Spyro, careful not to get even the smallest scratch on it and looked closely for the engraving. It read, "My love for you will remain like this anklet, pure, bright, and beautiful." Upon reading these loving words, Cynder began to sob even harder now. "Thank you (sniffle) so much Spyro, I… I will always, always love you (sniffle)." She handed the anklet back to Spyro and he in turn put it around her ankle and locked it. "Perfect fit," they both said. Cynder, still sniffling a little bit, got off the bed and hugged her lover with both wings and gave him a long and passionate kiss, heavy on the passion.

"Come on, let's go get some breakfast, I haven't eaten since the night before I went into labor," said Cynder. "Okay, let's eat… but afterwards, we should go look for Ignitus, I want to ask him how long it usually takes a dragon egg to hatch."

"That sounds like a plan to me."

Soon after they had their fill for the morning, both Spyro and Cynder went in search of Ignitus. It didn't take too long to find him for he was at his usual place: the room with the pool of visions. He was staring into it obviously looking at something and by the concerned expression on his face, things didn't look good at all.

"Ignitus? Are you alright?" asked Spyro. But Ignitus completely ignored him, still staring at the pool. "Hello? Ignitus? Are you with us?" Still no response from the guardian of fire. "Spyro, let him finish looking into the pool, then we will talk to him. I'm if he is ignoring us like this it's because it's something important," said the black dragoness. Spyro nodded in agreement and waited patiently for the elder to finish. Once he took his eyes away from the pool, he finally noticed the couple waiting for him. "Ah Spyro, Cynder, is there something I can do for you two?"

"Well," started Spyro, "we were both wondering… how long does it usually take a dragon egg to hatch? Since we are both new at this, we were just curious."

"Well, on average, it takes about four to six weeks for an egg to hatch, but there have been many who hatched later than expected and some hatched earlier than expected. It's very difficult to tell exactly how long it will take for each egg because each is different. But I wouldn't worry, I am more than certain your egg will produce a fine hatchling."

"Thank you Ignitus, that's all we wanted to here," Cynder said as she bowed her head in respect to the guardian. The lovers turned around and began to leave the room but Ignitus called them back, "Wait… there is something I feel I MUST tell you…" Spyro immediately noticed the elder's face grow sorrowful and knew that what he had to say wasn't going to be good. "What is it Ignitus? Is it what you saw in the pool?" asked Spyro.

"Unfortunately, yes… I saw your child… chained up against a wall surrounded by those retched apes. I couldn't tell what they were up to, but I can assure you, they were up to something devious and dark. I fear that they were trying to use your child as part of a ritual to resurrect Malefor."

Cynder and Spyro's eyes shot wide open at the terrible news they have just been given. "But how is it even possible to resurrect him with our child???" Cynder asked in a panic.

"You see, when a new dragon is born, their powers are concentrated inside of their bodies. At first, they cannot access these powers because they don't even know of its existence. As they grow, their powers become less concentrated and more controllable, allowing them to discover their element, or in your cases elements, and they can then learn to master it. It is that very same raw, concentrated power that they must have been after. If they were to release that power and gain control of it… well, there's no need to go on. But do not fret my friends, remember, this is only speculation and I highly doubt those apes have the intellect for such things."

Even though he had reassured them that this was only a guess, they were still extremely concerned. "Ignitus, what you've just told us is troubling indeed…" said Spyro, "but thank you for telling this to us. Looks like we'll have to keep our eyes open right Cynder?"

"Right," she nodded in agreement. "Thank you for this information Ignitus. It has not fallen on deaf ears."

"You are very welcome but remember, this is only a possibility, do not let it plague your minds for you will surely make irrational decisions in the future." Ignitus warned.

END CH 1