Woo hoo, I didn't die!

Thank you everyone...I'm overwhelmed by your response. This story is easily the most popular Spyro fanfic I've done to date. I truly hope I keep everyone's interest.
A pile of reviews, and all good, has made me find a groove, so thank you to Smauoggle, Holycross9, Dragonmaster000, MCZ, GhostChris, Dragon-Uprising, and dun dun dun for the inspiring words.

Chapter Three – That's what makes you Mom

"Come on! Really!" Spyro remarks, looking upon the clock on the wall again, then back out the window. He can see the group of new comers now huddle outside Mason's blacksmith shop, talking.

"You cannot be serious! How much longer are you going to talk, Mason!? "

The purple dragon literally walks around in a small circle, then looks back up at the clock again.

"It's been ten damn minutes already...I'm gonna kill him!"

There were only two other times Nina saw her adopted son acting this anxiously. Once, when he went to school for the very first time with his normal sized brother, and again when he learned of his heritage, which sent him venturing off to the dragon city.

"I have to know who and what I am, Mom." he said that fateful day, but the little dragonfly already had the answer to that question

You're my special baby...

Nina recalls the pain in her heart, as Spyro left to find himself, truly wondering if she would ever see her beloved purple angel ever again. She knew Avalar was in turmoil, but never could have guessed how her 'special' boy would have been so influential in the fate of their world.

And when the war was over, Nina was sure he would remain with his own kind. But when the dust settled from the battle with Malefor, and the world returned to a whole, there was only one place the purple dragon truly considered his home.

...and you came back to me.

Now only five weeks later, she is looking at losing him once more, but in her mine, this time it will be permanent.

"Come on...not again!" Spyro yells, startling Nina from her terrifying thoughts.

The purple dragon gets back up off the cushions he literally sat down upon seven seconds earlier, and throws his arms up in the air.

"Why are you guys stopping over there now!?"

The entourage cannot hear Spyro lose his mind for the tenth time, as they are stopped every few feet on the crowded welcoming streets of Warfang.

"You can say hello to them LATER!" he barks out the window, then looks to the door as it creaks with movement.

"Cynder!" he cries, hoping the dark dragoness has returned to help calm him, as she is also weighing heavily on his mind. However, when he sees whose there, Spyro's nerves quickly quiet themselves.

"Oh! Hi mom!" he remarks, showing the same boyish smile he always gives to the one that made him feel safe. However, seeing her floating there, the purple dragon's nerves suddenly return to fear.

"Oh no! Did I wake dad again!?"

Nina returns a very joy-filled grin and quickly buzzes over to her purple hero. She places her tiny hand upon his nose, looking deep into her son's eyes.

Spyro is sure she is going to reassure him about his father's sleeping habits, and how he wouldn't wake up if the city was bombed. However, he is stunned by what she says.

"You're still going to call me... Mom?"

The purple dragon's attention finally breaks from the window and quickly he notices the tears that begin welling up in Nina's eyes.

"Why would I stop calling my Mom...my Mom?"

His answer is so bluntly honest that Nina's fears are wiped away in an instant, however, she still looks out the window towards the entourage that finally leaves the small blacksmith's shop.

She says nothing, but Spyro is a smart boy, and he figures it out quickly.

"I love you." He adoringly remarks while placing his paw softly upon his tiny mother's back and hugging her against the front of his round nose. His eyes stay focused upon hers, making sure she understands what he says now comes from deep within his soul.

"No matter whose blood flows through my veins, you will always be my mom. You are the one who cared for me when I was sick, and praised me when I did good. I will always look to you and Dad for guidance, because you have yet to steer me wrong."

Nina tries hard to hold her emotions, but fails miserably. She gently pecks the tip of the purple nose she once remembers was not much larger than her other son's.

"I love you too, my special little baby." she cries softly, easing her physical grasp upon her adopted son, knowing now the internal bond between them will never be broken. Nina gives another gentle peck upon the tip of Spyro's nose, then rubs it softly while reminiscing about the moment she first saw him.

"I remember the day we found your egg..." she quietly confesses to her special boy, staring at the purple eyes that have captured her imagination for the last fifteen years. "...I was only a week from giving birth to Sparx and was terrified, absolutely sure that I was going to fail as a parent."

Spyro balks upon hearing his mother's fears, but before he can say a word to dispute her thought.

"Then I saw your brother for the first time, and I knew at that moment..." Nina pauses, recalling the moment Flash handed their newborn child to her shaky unstable arms, and feeling the strength that quickly found its way into her soul.

"...I was not allowed to fail."

Nina smiles as Spyro begins to tear up and she hovers closer to his face removing the large tear from his right eye.

"Then only an hour and fifty three minutes later...out of that shell you came." Nina pauses again, recalling the moment Spyro's egg cracked open and the sudden fear that overtook her in and instant. However, it was also at that moment, with her child in her arms and another being tended to by her husband, that the new mother understood what her purpose in life was.

Nina takes a deep breath, showing her son how strong she became in that instance.

"That's when I knew I couldn't fail..." The small dragonfly crashes into her youngest son's nose once more, hugging him as tightly as she can. "...I wouldn't fail."

Spyro gently lays his paw atop of his mother, holding her to the bridge of his nose as tightly as he can without hurting her.

"And that is what makes you my Mom."

Suddenly both of their ears perk up, as a familiar voice echoes down the long hall.

"SPYRO! HELP!"

The fear imbedded in Sparx's voice has both dragon and dragonfly heading for the door in an instant.

"Easy! Sweetheart...What's the matter!?" mom remarks with concern, as her youngest son opens the door wide, revealing the fear-filled face of the child who came from her loins.

"The Terror of the Sky has returned!" Sparx replies in a tizzy, adding more concern to a mother as his voice speaks only the truth.

"You better stop that crap, Sparx!" Spyro replies angrily, as he thinks his brother is only poking a joke at Cynder again, however, as the tiny dragonfly finishes his thought, the purple dragon does a one eighty.

"I'm not talking about Cynder, you oversized purple idiot...there's another dragon in the dungeon with her!"

Spyro is gone in a half a heartbeat, hauling his butt down to the old dungeon in only a few seconds. His eyes quickly focus upon the sleek black and red dragon that is now standing before Cynder, his right arm drawn back to strike.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" he calls in anger, Comet Dashing across the room in an instant and crashing into the side of the larger drake.

The black dragon falls to his side, but quickly flashes away in a smoke-screen of Shadow, then reappears directly before the purple hero on three paws, holding his ribs in pain with the other.

Spyro immediately gets between Cynder and this new threat, yet he cannot break the feeling of Deja Vu, as he stares down a dragon that looks exactly like the one who now stands behind him did, four years earlier.

"Well...Well... Well... if it isn't the mighty purple hero himself! You know, It's quite an honor to meet the dragon who saved our world...then turned his back on it!" The black dragon remarks angrily, then actually bows to Spyro.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Scythe, and I am here to kill this abomination that stands behind you."

Spyro's anger increases as this new dragon points a sharp talon at Cynder. He broadens his gold chest, digging his hind claws into the ground for leverage. Spyro's tail then begins tapping the ground in front of Cynder's feet, showing her he is ready to fight.

"Why do you want to do that? The purple dragon asks, trying diplomacy first, but already concluding in his mind that this will get physical. It is the eyes of this opponent that makes Spyro sure of his conclusion, as he has seen this look before.

However, it is his familiarity with these green eyes that forces the purple hero to continue trying a diplomatic solution.

"I admit I don't knowing everything, but I know when I see a strong family resemblance." Spyro glances back at Cynder for only a second, then returns his eyes to a dragon whom looks like a twin of the Terror of the Sky, only more muscular. Spyro can tell this dragon is only a few years older then himself and Cynder, bringing forth another easy conclusion.

"Do you really want to kill your own sister?"

Scythe becomes enraged and rises up on his hind legs. The large dragon opens his wings wide to show off the decent size difference between he and the purple hero, then slams his front feet back down to the ground, shaking the room with his raging power.

"THAT EVIL BEAST IS NOT FAMILY! MY SISTER DIED BEFORE HATCHING!" he yells with a primal anger in his voice, reliving the moment that has made this confrontation necessary to him. His memory quickly stirring up the unforgettable images from his youth and the day his family was ruined by the one that should have completed it.

"I swore to my father, as he gasped his last breath, that I would kill the dragon that destroyed everything."

Spyro remains in his defensive posture, especially as Scythe moves a step closer to Cynder.

"You're too late for vengeance...I already killed Malefor." the purple hero replies, keeping his eyes focused hard upon the encroaching black dragon. "He was the one responsible for their deaths."

Scythe steps closer and shakes his head.

"Do you think I'm stupid, Spyro...I saw what I saw." he replies, now focusing his eyes on the purple dragon. "And if you decide to stay in my way, then I will be forced to kill you too."

Spyro growls angrily knowing another fight is now imminent and he rises up on his hind legs. His orange-gold wings open wide to show off his size, but it is the glow of power that flashes from his frame that makes Scythe take notice.

"I don't want to hurt you!" he grunts, as the influx of energy begins to darken the scales of the purple dragon. His paw is quickly thrust out in an instant, stopping his open palm less than an inch from Scythe's scarlet red chest.

The Shadow dragon does not stop, pushing his chest up against Spyro's paw, then lowering his eyes down to the posturing hero.

"You are not a threat to me...little dragon."

A look of concern fills Cynder's eyes, knowing the true power she possesses and how influential it could be in a fight. She goes to stop the altercation that Spyro would have no chance in winning, but before she can make a move...it begins and ends.

Spyro in his rage, shoves the larger dragon, and Scythe quickly goes to work.

He falls backward with the momentum, grasping Spyro's paw and pulling him off balance. The large dragon then yanks the teetering Spyro to his chest and surrounds him with his arms to hold the purple dragon tightly.

"DON'T!" Cynder screams, as Shadows begin to form around the pair and quickly both dragons are gone from her sight.

"SPYROOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Her screams are so terror filled that the concerned dragonfly, whom just arrived to see where her son ran off to, quickly knows something is wrong.

Only a dark cloud and the Shadow dragoness that helped her sons, and whom she has come to love, is visible.

"What happened, Cynder..." she cries, hastily flying over to the shuddering dragoness. "Where's my son!?"

Suddenly Nina's eyes focus on a black dragon that appears out of the Shadowy cloud, alone.

"NOOOO!" Cynder screams again, quickly running to her brother, and grasping him by the shoulders. "Don't kill him...kill me!"

Scythe's paw is quickly across the face of the dragon he hates most, knocking Cynder to the ground with relative ease.

"I have every intention of killing you, you worthless bitch!" he retorts arrogantly, lowering his head down to get muzzle to muzzle with her, and showing the pure anger he has within. "...but first, I will make you to feel like I did, and have you beg helplessly for his life. Just like you made me do!"

His paw is around her neck and Cynder does not fight back, however, a small yellow dragonfly suddenly stops the assault, slamming into the dark dragon's long narrow muzzle.

Scythe is startled for only a moment, and loses his grip on Cynder's neck, allowing her to run.

He quickly swats at Sparx with his now empty paw, coming away with nothing.

"Where's my brother..."

Scythe sprays the tiny dragonfly with a blast of Shadow Magic from his mouth, which is bitter cold and very disorienting. It quickly knocks the little insect back a few fee. However, having spent enough time in Cynder's presence, and having dealt with her countless attempts to blast him with this deterrent, it is not enough to dissuade Sparx from being...Sparx.

"... you Jerk!"

"He put him in the Shadow Realm, Sparx." Cynder replies with fear in her voice, knowing only a Shadow dragon can survive in that bitter cold vacuum of nothingness.

"Well what are you waiting for, an invitation?!" Sparx replies emphatically, wondering why she's just sitting there weeping instead of jumping into the Shadow Realm to retrieve his brother.

"Go get him, Stupid!"

"It don't work that way...little fella" Scythe remarks confidently. "The Shadow Realm is as vast as the Universe itself, and completely empty of life an substance. There would be no way this evil creature could find a single dragon in something so big."

"He's gonna kill Spyro because of me." Cynder quickly breaks down crying, her voice showing how hopeless their situation is.

"Please..." she pleads, crouching down before her brother to beg, like he did. "...take my life... not his."

"In do time..." he replies, lowering down to smile in her face, just like she did to him. "...I want you to suffer before I kill you."

"You're not killing anyone!" Sparx says angrily, knowing he has one attack in his arsenal that will work against a dragon, because it left his much larger little brother completely defenseless. And though he promised Spyro he would never do that to any dragon ever again, the yellow insect knows it is his only chance to save him.

However, before Sparx can do it, the only other person to witness what Sparx did to Spyro, does it first.

Nina flies directly up to the nose of Scythe and burrows herself into his left nostril.

Watching her children get into many disputes, as young brothers do, Nina would watch Spyro use his size to influence his tiny older sibling. The young mother thought she would have a difficult time raising them together as brothers, knowing one would always dominate the other. That was until the day Sparx flew up his brother's nose.

"AAHHHHHH! BY THE ANCESTORS!" Scythe screams, grasping helplessly at his muzzle to stop the odd pain, as Spyro's mom digs her way deeper into his skull.

"Bring him back."

Her voice echoes inside the head of a now trembling dragon, whom starts flailing at his muzzle desperately.

"Please...stop!" Scythe begs, falling to the ground and grasping his snout in writhing pain. "I'll do anything you want...just stop!"

"I said...bring my baby back...NOW!"

Cynder and Sparx watch as the black dragon disappears into a cloud of shadows, then returns only a second later holding Spyro in his arms. Scythe releases him quickly returning his paws to his nose.

Spyro hits the ground and convulses several times, coughing hard as oxygen returns to his lungs after a few moments without. However, it is the freezing cold temperature in the realm of nothingness that keeps the purple dragon shuddering.

"Damn, that was cold!" the purple dragon groans, as Cynder smothers him with her body, her wings, and her warmth.

"Are you OK!?" she asks, holding her hero tightly, never wanting to let him go again. However, before Spyro can answer.

"I did what you said..." Scythe cries, hoping the pain will soon stop. He falls to the ground himself, helpless to stop the agony of Nina's jostling "...Please, get out of my nose!"

The large dragon then looks upon the one he tried to kill, showing the Hero of Avalar a pair of desperate eyes.

"OK...OK...I'll say it, I'll say it" he cries, hearing another order from within his head.

"..I'm sorry...I'm sorry...Please...I'm sorry!"

"Sparx!" Spyro calls for his brother, knowing it must be him. "You promised never to do that again!"

"It ain't me, bro..." To Spyro's shock, the answer comes from his right horn, as Sparx has taken his normal place by his brother's side. "...I'm right here dude!"

"Well then who the hell is up his nose!?"

"It's me sweetie!"

His mother's voice echoes from inside the black dragon's muzzle, and the purple dragon is stunned beyond belief.

"Are you kidding me!?"

Nina slowly pulls herself out of Scythe's right nostril, then looks at her son with a big smile.

"What?" she remarks, as Spyro's jaw remains wide open with surprise. "I would do anything I can to help my special boy."

"Like I said before..." Spyro grasps his mother with a soft paw, and pulls her to his nose. However, knowing where she just came from, her youngest son forgoes giving his mother a kiss. Though, he does rest her gently upon his nose, hugging the one that would do anything for her special son.

"...that's what makes you my Mom."

Hope you enjoyed this part, but I won't know unless you say something. Just a few kind words, or some harsh ones if you think that's necessary.

NotMarge, my best friend on this site, I dedicate this chapter to you, and to every other mom who goes above and beyond the norm for their children...like mine.

Until the next posting...