A/N: This is just a side project I did while taking a break from my primary writing projects, thought I'd post it somewhere. In all likelihood this is probably going to just be a one-off, but in the event that I do more, this should give enough setup for me to work with. Whatever it is though, anything I write is going to be just fluff and slice of life stuff with a focus on Spyro and Cynder. No story arc, no drama, no OC focus, and any OC's that are in are just to show there's other people in the world too.

Hope you enjoy!

A year had passed since the destruction of the world had been halted mid-cataclysm. All of the lands, fragmented and breaking apart, yet that act by one dragon not only stopped the disintegration of the world but even began the process of pulling it back together. Only a little more than half of the world came together at first, and the remaining scattered fragments were left suspended but safe. Many thought the world would never be the same, and indeed it may not, but by the will of one dragon, it would at least return to its original shape.

In the year after the war's end, the legendary purple dragon Spyro traveled to the ends of the land in every direction, calling upon his power to reign in each piece of the planet one at a time. Each was restored to its former place, and by the end of that first year, the world was whole once again. With every scar of the land stitched, it was hoped that perhaps the process of healing could officially begin, and given the time of peace that followed, it was a well-founded hope.

Warfang's significance before and during the war maintained in the time after, and it became a central location for the restabilization of the realms. Being such an important figure at the time, it was little surprise to anyone that Spyro chose to take up residence there, if for no other reason than to oversee the rebuilding of the city. In truth however, the guardians and city officials handled the affairs of such and Spyro only had a hand in the physical rebuilding, and considering that the city had a year's head start by the time he returned, there was little required of him.

For the time being, he lived in the Warfang temple where among also lived the guardians, some displaced by the war, and of course those who inhabited it prior to either's arrival. Much larger than the temple in the swamp, the Warfang temple was as great as a giant castle, not including the underground network of tunnels and caverns below, and as such it had no trouble supporting its current population and even remained quite spacious in the process. Of course, this went even moreso for him as both his status as purple dragon and direct friendship with the guardians meant his room would be near theirs, situated on the less crowded upper levels. And as for Cynder?

They were going steady. Through the past year, she followed him on his journey and assisted him at every step she could. Despite some officials' initial protesting that quickly silenced with some decidedly angry purple stares, she was readily accepted into the city and roomed next to Spyro. Though her acts in the war caused her presence to be controversial at minimum, she proved herself a pivotal figure and invaluable asset in the end days. It also helped that most who heard the title 'Terror of the Skies' knew only of the giant, cruel serpent rather than this significantly smaller and younger girl. Most really didn't even recognize her, and even acted surprised when she gave her name out.

For both, their basic needs were met as a form of thanks from the city, and their future duties played a much more passive role. Cynder's military experience made her an excellent advisor to the Warfang Guard, occasionally visiting the garrisons to oversee training and discuss logistics. Spyro on the other hand was relegated from being an active duty warrior and instead returned to training, not just to better his control of the elements but himself as a purple dragon. This also meant working to discover new elements, as the purple dragon was not limited to only the main four, as evident by his experience with time as well as convexity. Cynder's ability to use four entirely different elements further proved this, as did the existence of dragons who even had one of those four unorthodox elements as their own. His training aside, he spent some of his spare time among the city, doing odd-jobs for a little extra money but also for the joy of helping others.

Each of the guardians continued to offer training when possible for their respective elements, though they were stretched thin as it was between political affairs and also finding a new fire guardian. Though all three guardians participated in all three activities, there was a certain unspoken prioritization that occurred naturally between them. Cyril, with both experience and personality suitable, spent the most time of the three with politics. Terrador felt obligation towards finding a successor for Ignitus, and so took consideration of candidates to bring before the other two for discussion and possible training for guardianship. This meant that for Spyro, the guardian he spent the most time training with was Volteer, which worked out as the yellow dragon's intellectual inclination proved to work quite well in helping Spyro in studying elements. Of course, such was only true once the purple dragon managed to adjust to the lightning-fast lexicon of his trainer. As for training with fire, Spyro did this alone. Fire was natural, the blood of fire dragons ran through his veins, and the memory of Ignitus was all he needed to better himself in this.

That morning, Spyro roused himself awake, ready to put in the early training hours. With a big yawn, his body was slow to heed his will, but a good stretch with popping joints gave it some encouragement and he managed to pull to his feet. Stepping out to the balcony from his room, it was easy to see why he was so sluggish. A thick fog had rolled, bringing with it a chilly and moist air, the kind of combination that makes the body want to just curl up till the sun shines through. The sky still held the deep navy blue of the pre-dawn hours, and among the city one could barely pick out a few orange glows of torchlight, their light softened by all the layers of fog. It would be a good morning for a brisk workout.

Taking a satchel full of spirit gems with him, Spyro headed out and padded down the hall. As he entered the training room however, he found he wasn't the only dragon with the same idea. In the center stood a lone black dragon, stance low as three training dummies stood around him. His legs shook violently and breath labored to the point that the purple dragon could hear him from the entrance. Still yet, he held the power to strike, tearing one dummy in half and giving a full forced hind-kick to another, slamming it into the wall across the room. By the time he finished with the last, he finally dropped to his knees. Apparently he had already been at it for awhile.

As the black dragon noticed the purple, Spyro lowly chuckled, "You don't rest much, do you?"

A laugh returned to him as the black dragon shook his head. He was a good friend the purple dragon picked up from the past year, having offered hospitality and a place of rest to Spyro and now with the favor being returned, rest being a relative term in this case as both dragons were more familiar with war times. Stumbling back to his knees, the black dragon simply motioned that he was done, raising a front paw up and clenching it into a fist, a sign that he was still holding strong. Without a word, he left the training room, leaving the purple dragon to his own devices.

Making his way to the center of the room, he glanced around. It was much like its counterpart from the swamp temple in its design, bringing ripples of nostalgia. He wouldn't need any dummies yet however, as first he felt the need to concentrate, to consider his thoughts and to prepare his mind before body in this case. That there were other elements he could control, he was almost certain, but finding out what and how was the problem. In the way that Ignitus taught him how to fly, he was rather sure that it atleast meant he had some control of wind like Cynder did, and he could just feel the tinge of some sort of untapped elemental control whenever he took flight. Although perhaps he simply over-thought it, as that would mean other dragons also have that potential element at their disposal. But was that such a farfetched thought? Cynder could control multiple elements, although he wondered if her exposure to Convexity had something to do with it, Malefor's corruption somehow transferring aspects of a purple dragon's power. But perhaps a purple dragon's power isn't the ability to use multiple elements, but rather the proficiency to do so?

Questions for another time. He shook his head and refocused himself, but on what he wasn't sure. Spyro didn't feel particularly inspired to try and work with wind. Staring at the ground, he clicked his claws against the stone floor in thought. He wanted to break ground in something completely new to him. Tracing his shadow with his eyes, he considered, If not wind...hm, feels like it's...just right in front of-...oh. Oh.

This would require some assistance. The purple dragon waited patiently in the halls that evening. It had taken awhile for openings in their schedules to coincide that day, but it would be a wait well worth it. In all truth, he had been searching for more opportunities to spend time together, but this particular idea had yet to cross his mind until that point.

In time, a black dragoness emerged from her room, "Alright, that should do it for the day. What did you need, Spyro?"

"Cynder, would you mind being my mentor for a bit?" he asked of her.

She tilted her head at his request, "Er...sure? I'm not sure what I could teach you though. Normally we just spar. What do you have in mind?"

As he thought about it, he reflexively pawed at the ground, "Well I thought...perhaps you could try and teach me your shadow element."

Cynder leaned her head back in surprise for a moment, "Oh!...I...Spyro, are you Able to use shadow?"

Shrugging in response, he simply said, "I don't know. I've never tried before. Wouldn't hurt to try though, right? Maybe I could teach you an element in return, even."

"I don't know...are you sure it works that way?" she said, brow raised skeptically. "I would have thought the elements are more set in stone than that."

"You mean like how you have five elements?"

"Five? I only have four. Shadow, wind, poison, and fear."

With a raised claw pointed to her, he added, "And fire."

"Uh...Spyro. I don't have fire." she chuckled dismissively.

"Didn't you breath fire whenever we fought the first time? I could have sworn you did."

Her smile slowly disappeared as her eyes widened in realization, "...You...you're right! Although, are you sure it wasn't just my shadow flame?"

"...Shadow...Flaaame?" he emphasized with an ever growing grin.

"Ok now you're just being cheeky." she said as she walked past him, lightly patting his cheek with the tip of her tail.

The two followed the hall to the training room, trainer with trainee in tow. With some luck, the room was empty and free for their use with no sign of them being interrupted any time soon. Leaving a satchel of spirit gems at the edge of the room, Spyro stepped to the center with her, ready to begin. "So how does this work? What is shadow like?"

"It's...empty." Cynder began. "Not a lonely kind of empty, but physical. Not as if something is missing, but...as if there's nothing there at all. As if you're not there. Unlike other elements, you don't just project it. You become it. And you don't really control or command it...you submit to it."

"...That sounds dark." Spyro unwittingly said.

"Of course it is. It's shadow, silly." she laughed. While he sat, she began to slowly walk around him, "But it's not bad. You're not gone, rather you're just...observing. Stalking." Then, directly behind him, she whispered to his ear, "Waiting. For that right moment." When he turned to see her though, she was nowhere to be found, but her shadow was left behind, molding with his own. Then as if from straight out of the floor, she jumped up and was physical once more. Done with the initial exposition, she then began to instruct him, "To start, let's try having you lie on your back."

"Er...alright then." Spyro reluctantly obeyed, easing down to his backside, wings splayed out to the sides.

"Good. I thought it best if you took a more...submissive position."

"Yes ma'am." he responded all too happily, getting a snicker from her.

Beginning to pace around him, the black dragoness gave instructions, "Now...empty your thoughts, what you feel, as if even your body itself is empty. Like you're in a void. Let yourself...slip back, down into your own shadow. Disappear from the world. Let slip your last breath. And the-..." Cynder stopped in her tracks. Eyes watering, she couldn't help but stare at the sight before her but tried her best to not make a sound in the process.

"It feels...cold...dark." Spyro said, muzzle poking up from the ground. He wasn't in his shadow though. Somehow in trying to sink himself into his shadow, he had instead invoked his earth element and had just covered himself in dirt and debris.

"We're going to have to work on this a bit…" Cynder managed to say without laughing. "If only Sparx could see this…"

It had taken a few days for any sign of progress to even begin to show. Most elements he hadn't truly been taught in their initial discovery however, as most of them came by accident while out on his journeys. Given this, it seemed as if the time he needed to learn was outright disgraceful, but to gain an affinity of something within days rather than the extensive work others required was a true testament to the ability of a purple dragon.

In the training hall once again, Spyro and Cynder continued their attempts to see if he had the aptitude for the shadow element. Patiently she stood by his side as he gathered his thoughts, watching and letting him go at his own pace. "Sorry if this isn't going as well as you had hoped, Spyro…" she apologized. "I guess I'm not the best teacher when it comes to elements."

"Nonsense, you've been wonderful. Ancestors know I'm just thick-skulled as of late."

"If you'd like, I'm sure we can find a proper teacher. I know there's a few dragons who have picked up shadow as an element."

Shaking his head in protest, Spyro insisted, "Nope! That won't be necessary, you're doing just fine." With a shift in his tone, he then added, "Besides...we've gotten to spend a fair bit of time together as a result, haven't we? I'd rather fail with you than succeed without you."

"Aww, that's sweet!" she said in an over-appreciative tone. "When we die a horrible death because you couldn't use something I failed to teach you, it'll be the thought that counts!" The sarcasm was palpable. Nevertheless, both laughed from her dark humor.

"Alright...I think I'm close to getting it. I'm feeling good about this one." Spyro told her after a few more moments of thought.

"Okay then…" Pacing around him again, Cynder spoke, "Consider the times you had to wait and watch. Bide and Brood. Empty your essence, and become an observer from the shadows."

Spyro knew just the experience to recall on. Three years gone in that accursed crystal. Perhaps that was why he had a hard time with shadow, the apprehension that came with being paired to such an experience, but he knew that feeling. Instead of being frozen in a crystal however, this was his own shadow he would watch from, of his own accord and to end when he saw fit rather than years later. With that, he managed to shed his apprehension and relaxed.

It was just...slight. The ceiling seemed to be farther away. He felt closer to the ground. Focus secure, his eyes glazed as his thoughts became more pointed to his objective. Meanwhile at his side, a hopeful spark showed in Cynder's eyes as she saw his shadow energy begin to manifest. With each step she took around him, she lowered into the ground as if stepping down into a pool. Shoulder deep into the 'pool' of her shadow, she stopped beside him, raising a paw and lightly placing it on his chest. Whispering encouragement into his ear, she gently pulled down on his chest. His shadow rippled with resistance at first, but quickly accepted her influence and he began to sink further. Slowly, softly, he drew further into his shadow at the beckoning of his partner.

In his concentration his eyes had closed, but when he began to feel Cynder's touch leave him, they eased back open. Initially he thought he had made an error as he still saw the training room, but then he noticed there seemed to be a strange appearance to it, as if he were looking at it through glass. In fact, the way his claws tapped against the glass and the way he stood, it almost felt as if he were in a different place altogether, inverted so that the training room was now upside down and below his feet. When he turned to the presence he felt near him, he saw his partner sitting there beaming, perhaps the happiest he had ever seen her. She didn't quite seem solid in appearance, but not anything else either. Each movement sent ripples through her, but as he looked down he found himself to share the same attributes.

"Welcome to the shadows, Spyro." Cynder cooed as she approached him. "You finally did it. And a full shadow walk at that. I could only meld into my shadow at first, but you managed to fully submerge on your first success. Well done." she continued to purr her praise to him.

The purple dragon simply shrugged and returned the favor, "I told you you're a good teacher, didn't I?"

"Oh shush." Stepping forward, she leaned in to nuzzle him, but as their muzzles would have brushed together, they instead passed through. Though it was only brief, an intense sensation washed over them as their essences mingled. The shock of it pulled each away from the other, not from pain but just surprise. It felt...

"What was that?" Spyro asked warily.

"I-I'm...not sure. I've never interacted with anyone Inside the shadows before…" she answered, eyes darting away and back. To her surprise, Spyro stepped forward to where he was once more. Though hesitant, she also returned, and slowly she touched the tip of her muzzle to his.

Intimate. It was like a new kind of intimacy, one scarcely felt in the physical world. Touch didn't quite come in the shadows the same way that it did physically. Rather than being a solid point or area with either contact or no contact, it seemed to bloom from the space it occurred, sending ripples throughout their bodies that they could distinctly identify as coming from one another's essence. A sensation nigh indescribable, it was entirely new to them, and they savored the moment while it lasted, but ceased for the time being lest it spoil them. There would be more appropriate times to...delve into that sort of thing.

Pulling back from one another, Spyro asked a question of a certain importance, "So...how do we get out of here?"

"Simple." Cynder said. "Just release. No need to be gentle, just let go of the shadows and you'll be ejected back through. Make sure to look where you're going to pop out though." On that note, she demonstrated and leaped up, diving through the ground as if it were water. Through the clear ground, he saw her standing there in the training room, like a reflection at his feet.

As she said, the return was easy. Following in her lead, he leapt up and let go of his energy, passing effortlessly through and back to the training room. Despite slight disorientation from the sudden shift of his momentum, he managed to land on his feet. The black dragoness padded around and rubbed against his side, nudging him happily and giving a lick on the bridge of his muzzle as she offered one last congratulatory purr.

"I can't wait until you've grown proficient with it." a sly grin crossed her face.

"...We're going to have a little too much fun in the shadows, aren't we?"

"Ohhh definitely…"