Flame was proud of his name, for he loved fire. Try as one might to mitigate its spread, a flame will burn everything it touches. Certainly, fires could be put out, but a fire of sufficient strength could endure such efforts long enough to do its duty. That was why he'd gravitated toward the tank class with access to fire-based ranged weapons. He could outlast the tide and never run out of ammunition; in spite of his low damage output, eventually all would burn save for himself. More accurately, his burly mole avatar would not become a useless ragdoll, but there was no difference to Flame, not when he was so immersed in his task. "Damn it. I couldn't save him." Bianca had proved more helpful than a brand new player had any right to be, but her luck had run out, being swarmed while trying to save Drobit. The horde finished them both off in less than a second. Flame was the only player left. The random player, already long ago defeated, left the match, no longer confident that he would be rescued on respawn.

"I've got this." Time and again he forced openings to land a few shots on the abomination that was displayed on screen, a visage of a dragon tainted by an excess of shadow magic and some minor exposure to aetherial chaos. Flame had never seen such a thing in the real world, only depictions and simulations, but he knew enough about them to be disgusted. Furthermore, he had a new friend to impress and the skills to manage victory, if he could only remain perfectly focused. Perfect management of his allotted dodges and stamina, both slowly recharging, and stolen moments to vent or fire his ranged weapon kept the horde in check and gradually brought the healthbar of his toughest foe lower. Deft avoidance of specialized enemies as they spawned saved him from the constant threat of an instant defeat, and quickly the defeated muttering of his teammates changed to excited advice and timely warnings.

"Hopper on the left ridge!" He dodged back and smashed it apart with his hammer for daring to leap at him.

"Plasma elementals on the right!" They could give him trouble, being ranged and immune to fire damage, but he used the mini-boss as cover until he could get close enough to end them, the horde being cleared in the process. "Finish it off before more show up! Kick its ass!" With angry hammer blows and shot fire-blasts the mini-boss was whittled down, bit by bit, and Flame continued to avoid damage in that time. Though it took several minutes and his fingers were sore by the end, Flame slew it, but he didn't allow himself to relax. Already another horde had spawned, but he refused to falter after all that work, gradually pushing forth to the respawn checkpoint where his allies were waiting to rejoin the fight. He made it all look so much easier than it was, and Drobit and Bianca were laughing as they congratulated him for saving the match. Soon, it would be over.

"Do you have your own Smoke profile, Bianca?"

"Yep. It has a few good RPGs that I like."

"Send me your info. I'm friending you."

"You simply must play this with us again, Bianca." Drobit added. "You are much better at this than your mate."


Bianca leaned back in Hunter's chair and slowly removed his headset while staring at the victory screen, the spoils going into her husband's inventory. It had been fun, but she knew she had to take the next step. It seemed she'd acquired an audience, Elora and Hunter standing behind the chair and watching the final moments of the match. "Hunter, I'm getting this game."

"I'm glad you've got a new hobby, but we should probably get going now. We wouldn't want to keep Spyro waiting too long." This was the first Bianca had heard of her time being offered, but she could tell Hunter really wanted her to come along and she always enjoyed seeing Spyro.

"He doesn't like waiting around, that's for sure. Just let me freshen up a little before we head out."

"Hmm." Elora tilted her head at the screen and flicked an ear. "'Victory', huh?"

"It was just a game." Bianca said, waving a hand dismissively, attempting to hide how proud she was of her first Lizard Bleeder match.

"Even so." Elora raised her pan flute to her lips and played a short, triumphant ditty, rapping her left hoof against the floor to create a chipper and fast-paced rhythm. When she finished Hunter was clapping and laughing, Bianca blushing in embarrassment. "Congrats."

"Thanks. That was…" Bianca shook her head, searching for the right words, but unable to find any that seemed sufficient. "Wow." It was still true that Bianca and Elora didn't know each other very well, but for the first time Bianca saw that as a problem that needed solving. "I'll be ten minutes, tops."

While Bianca retired to the bathroom to get her face looking prettier, Elora looked between the three screens visible in the room while Hunter closed programs and put the computers to sleep. "So, are you two entirely electric these days, or do you still have some low-tech entertainment around here?"

Hunter quirked a brow at her, trying to work out what she meant. "Well, I've still got my skateboard and my bow, if that's what you're asking."

"Books, Hunter. Do you have any books?"

"Oh yeah, tons of them." Hunter lead Elora into the bedroom, two separate bookshelves on either side of the window in the far wall. He pointed to the one at their right and said, "Bianca's spellbooks," and then at the other bookshelf, stating, "everything else. That includes my collection of first edition Spyro biographies. It's hard not to be a fan when you know him personally." Elora nodded in agreement at that, gravitating to the tomes at the top row of the left bookshelf, reading the titles on their spines. "Spyro's First Calling", "And Along Came Ripto", "The Sorceress and the Eggs", "Red's Dark Gems", "The Shadow Realm Conspiracy". All were thick, heavily bound accounts of Spyro's adventures, retelling them from the perspective of those who were saved. Elora suspected they might not be perfectly accurate, but she didn't need to guess when she could ask one who'd read them.

"How accurate would you say these books are, Hunter?"

"The facts of what happened are all there." He replied. "But I think that somewhere along the way the author forgot that Spyro is a mortal dragon, or maybe he just doesn't believe he is anymore. Some dragons think he's an angelic servant of Bahamut, or even a Demi-God. It's really weird to read that kinda stuff about my best friend."

Elora nodded. "Yeah, no kidding." Elora took down "Spyro's First Calling" and flipped through until she found the number she was looking for near the beginning. Spyro had only been fifteen years old when he'd defeated Gnasty Gnorc. Then she flipped to the back and read the short section about the author. That particular dragon had been 6,752 at the time. "I don't know if he'd agree, but I'd rather he didn't have to do anything like this again."


Bianca's makeup was in place, her eyeliner immaculate, her eyeshadow likewise, and her artificial blush lighting her cheeks. She often didn't bother with lipstick, as was the case this time, since it tended to bother her whenever she was eating something. She'd done what she'd said she needed to do, but she wasn't yet truly finished, for it was midday and Bianca was a spellcaster. She had a poem to recite.

"Oh Great Dragon, allow me to breathe as you do, to grip the earth with strong talons as you do, to beat the air with wings only you have,

and to feel the magic as only you can."

Bianca was beyond ecstatic to be living in the Dragon Realms, but trying to engage socially with creatures so revered by her order had been very awkward. Beyond Spyro she hadn't built up any strong relations with the dragons surrounding her, but something about the detachment from reality that a video game offered had allowed her to forget her nerves while speaking with Flame and Drobit. Hunter had spoken about the two of them on occasion, so she'd known that they were dragons, but it had been so much easier to befriend them than she'd expected. "You know three dragons now, Bianca." She told her reflection, next gazing down at her phone, studying the two dragonesses on either side of Spyro in the picture he'd posted to Realmbridge. "Now you can get to know two more. Just stay calm and be cool."

Wizards were often at odds with dragon kind, but in spite of old animosities and ancient battles dragons were still revered by the strongest of spellcasters. There were exceptions in far-off lands, but in places where dragons ruled or once ruled in the past they were held in the highest regard in magical circles, being the most naturally magical beings aside from the Fae themselves. Even Hunter didn't know of Bianca's secret love for all dragons, but it had always driven her actions. Even when she was serving the Sorceress and stealing dragon eggs, she had done it to bring dragons back to her homeland, to see them rise and fill the Forgotten Realms with magic once more. The moment she discovered that her mistress had never intended to let the dragon hatchlings live she switched sides to save them. She would not allow her opportunity to properly integrate into dragon society at long last pass her by.

Bianca rejoined the others, and together the three of them purchased a ride from a balloonist to take them swiftly to the portal leading to Spyro's world. Hunter was bringing his skateboard, bow, and ten arrows along in addition to his phone, while Bianca took her personal spellbook and Elora brought her instrument, both girls carrying a few essentials in their bags. Soon, they'd be in the company of dragons, and nothing could excite Bianca more.


Spyro had opted to take a quick shower, wasting no time so he'd have plenty for practicing his boarding in the massive skating area elsewhere in his castle. There were many competitions and events lined up for the summer; he was expected to do well at each of them and he hated to disappoint his fans, but he also had a motivation he didn't want to admit. In the privacy of a shower or the quiet of a bath his mind often lingered on unpleasant memories of his many near-death experiences. A squad of gnorcs firing machine guns or swinging enchanted swords while wearing heavy armor. A vicious rhynoc swinging a magical blade of electric energy. A manic, vicious spellcaster raining explosive death from a robotic bird over a field of boiling lava.

Within minutes he'd stumbled out of the shower and started toweling himself down, hastily cutting off the water and making his way into the hall. He forced his breathing to a calmer pace and looked around, sure that Cynder had just started her shower, but surprised to see the light for Ember's chosen bathroom was still on. He tossed his towel onto his back and made his way to the door, planning to tease her a bit for taking so long. Afterall, she'd started quite awhile before he and Cynder had bothered to. When he opened the door the sight of her stalled his thoughts and stayed his tongue, the jokes he'd expected to make dissolving away.

Ember's pink scales shined with moisture, every glimmer revealing perfect cleanliness. There was no speck of dirt nor dust to mar her image, nor scratches or stains that had not been buffed out long ago. Her soft lips gave a serene smile, and together with her perfectly smooth horns they framed her beautiful eyes, which seemed a brighter shade than he remembered under the bright light in the room, almost cyan. Her hot-pink crest and tail-crest drew his eyes down the curves of her body, and the skin of her wings was free of any blemish. Her perfect white claws were on display at the lip of the bath, as she had been climbing out before he entered. "Oh, there you are. I was hoping you'd get here before I left." She stopped pulling herself out and delicately lifted her hand, beckoning Spyro to her with a few slow waves of a finger. "You built these tubs to fit adult dragons, so there's plenty of room for both of us. Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

"Actually I, uh, just finished showering?" It came out like a question because he was questioning himself for daring to contradict her, already eagerly stepping closer.

"Oh? You don't look like you did. Must have been a very rushed job. That won't do at all, Spyro. Not for a dragon as handsome as you." She extended her hand to him when he was close enough, and he let her fingers envelope his, flippantly shrugging off his towel and letting her coax him into her bath. "I'd love to show you everything, but we don't have too much to work with here. You should stock your baths better, Spyro; then, I could really look nice for you." Spyro released a quiet gasp of disbelief at the thought that she could look any better, but he knew it was true. He'd never seen her fresh out of a bath before, but there was a certain shine to her scales that he was sure she maintained with polish that he didn't have. "You deserve the best, but we'll make do with what you have today."

"Ember, about what I said in the kitchen, taking you whenever I want and all that-" She put a gentle claw to his lips, quietly shushing him.

"Spyro, I know that you'd stop if I asked, but I won't ask. The thought that I could just be performing some menial task, just going about my day, and you'd still find me irresistible, just the sight of me enough to get you in the mood. That..." She looked down into the water, fluttering her lashes, her eyes shimmering with emotion. "That makes me so happy. You make me feel so sexy and powerful. Whenever you give me that hungry look or say all the things you're going to do to me, I melt for you. I want to be yours, Spyro. Take me whenever you want me." He kissed her, suddenly and without warning, and she just melted into it, giving into his passion as she always would. When their lips parted he was smiling, feeling free. "I will live with you, Spyro. I don't care what my parents say. I'm old enough to make this decision, and I couldn't ask for a better mate."

Spyro nuzzled her comfortingly, and then he felt her cleaning between his scales, rubbing soap in with her finger-pads and carefully scraping away stains with her claws. She started with his face, and he submerged himself completely when she asked, the process relaxing and peaceful. When she started to move her expert hands down his neck he began to speak, his voice soft with admiration. "This place needs a feminine touch. Your touch. And so do I."

"You can say that again." She declared, scrutinizing his neck-plates and snorting out embers to heat the water, trying to work clumps of grime out of deep scratches and chips in Spyro's natural armor. "You've never shied away from a fight, I see. In less powerful lights I hardly noticed; your colors are naturally vibrant enough to shine through these stains." The water had been plenty hot enough to work with when she'd first entered, but after her bath it had cooled significantly.

"Here, let me help." Spyro held his hands together, the tips of his left claws touching just above his right wrist and both hands cupped, the draconic hand sign for fire. He closed his eyes and focused on the raging inferno, letting out a measured trickle of its power, until a few wisps of vapor rose from the bath. "There. Is that better?" Ember nodded and thanked him, making much swifter progress. She worked her hands up and down his arms, then carefully cleaned each of his fingers, kissing his hands affectionately before moving on. She gently took a washcloth to the membranes of his wings, amazed by how totally relaxed he was as she did. Dragon wings may have been tough by the standards of other creatures, able to deflect powerful blows and resist blunt trauma, but to the sharp claws of another dragon they were the most vulnerable part of a dragon's body. In all the romance novels Ember had read, the exposing of one's wings to another dragon was a sign of great trust and love, and she could see in Spyro's eyes that he understood that very well.

"Your wings are the color of the rising Sun. They'll be just as glorious a sight as a Sunrise when I'm done." Spyro looked down bashfully, the soothing sound of Ember scrubbing him clean bidding him to relax and simply enjoy her touch. By the time she'd finished with one sensitive wing and moved on to the next he felt his slit parting open, his tip gradually sliding out into the water. He sighed gratefully, feeling all the tension in his body fading away as her hands traveled to his back, Ember working her way down his spine, cleaning his scales and crests. When she reached his rear he groaned and felt himself harden, her touch as reverent as it had been the previous night. After she finished cleaning his tail from base to tip his dick had fully emerged, and that was when she asked him: "Could you lay on your back for me, Spyro?" She needed better access to the rest of him if she was to finish her task.

With a slight smirk he did as she asked, showing off his erection without shame and watching her blush deeply as she saw it. "That's your fault, you know." Her gorgeous wings twitched as he said it, her smile growing from the thought. "Don't stop now, Ember. It feels so good." She gently held his left ankle, using the washcloth to clean his foot next.

"I won't, Spyro." After the initial rub of the cloth on both of his feet she set it aside, using her bare fingers and claws to finish the job as she had with the rest of him. She bit her lower lip, debating internally for a moment, and then lowered her face and nuzzled the pads of his feet. Spyro's cock twitched beneath her and his toes pressed lightly into her cheeks, the intimate contact drawing a content hum from both of them. She spent a good long moment just letting him squeeze her cheeks with his toes, working her way down his legs afterward. After she finished cleaning every individual scale of his inner thighs she worked her delicate fingers under the ridges of his cock, making him groan with satisfaction. She stroked under each ridge from tip to base, and then ran her soapy hands over his balls, finally giving his vent a good rub before moving further up. She traveled higher, first over his belly and then his chest, cleaning out every scratch and buffing off every stain. By the time she was laying over him he was as clean as he'd ever been in the past ten years, and she dunked his horns down into the water to clean them too. Finally her hands came to rest on his chest, her task completed.

They were so close then, his ridges teasing her slit as she'd worked her way up. One small shift further forward and he'd be ready to take her again, and from the look in his eyes she knew that he would. The majority of his body was submerged, obscured by suds of soap while his fingers traced down her form, her shoulders and wings just above the water. Taking a firm grip on her ass he pulled, just a little, lining her up and burying himself deep. He squinted and hissed from the warmth and slickness of her silky flesh, sensitive with need after the long bath. He watched her take the initiative, gyrating her hips to increase his pleasure, showing she'd learned much from watching how Cynder moved. The sight of her gorgeous, bright scales shimmering in the light and her soft pink wings practically glowing behind her face was captivating on its own, but her unfocused eyes, slightly parted lips, and quiet moans of pleasure made the entire spectacle even better, Spyro's cock throbbing inside her. It was too much, and he found his pleasure mounting faster than usual, watching her expression closely for signs of weakness, and he found it. Gripping her ass more firmly, he shoved her down at the perfect moment, digging his cock into one of her sweet spots and letting himself go.

Ember collapsed into him and he held her steady above the water, filling her womb with his seed while she rode out her own orgasm, her claws weakly gripping his sides under the water. He crossed his ankles over her tail and then squeezed her thighs with his own, his balls rubbing against her vent while the last strands of his release coated her insides. "Thank you, Ember." He spoke warmly, kissing her head and nuzzling her while she recovered.

"Oh, anytime, Spyro." She whispered back, sluggish in her afterglow. "Just wait until you see yourself now." Ember giggled happily, content to wait with his dick in her until he decided to let her up, and they laid there peacefully for a good long while.

Long enough for Cynder to peek in, just as curiously as Spyro had earlier. "Ah, so that's what took you so long." Ember gasped and lifted herself, sheepishly stepping back and smiling awkwardly. After a moment her expression calmed, seeing as the intrusion was from someone she was very comfortable with. Free to right himself, Spyro started to clamber out of the tub, and Cynder's eyes widened when she saw him. "Wow." Spyro shook his head, laughing at her reaction, until he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror over the sink.

He slowly lifted his hand to his cheek, smiling at the sight. "Ember, remember that list of kitchen supplies I asked you to make?" She hummed in affirmation, letting the water drain and climbing out of the bath herself. "Make one for the bathrooms too, would ya?"

"Sure thing, Spyro." Ember strutted past Cynder and Spyro with a self-satisfied grin on her face. "Just wait until you taste my chocolate souffles."


The pane of aether within the confines of the gate leading to Spyro's world rippled as his guests stepped through it, glancing curiously at the lush landscape. Hunter quickly became preoccupied with his phone, letting Spyro know they'd arrived as they began their walk to the moat over the inactive mines. Bianca was quietly reciting spells from her book without pushing any magic into it, simply going through the motions for the sake of practice, but she wasn't too distracted to notice Elora's tail excitedly wagging. It was invitingly flagged as well, though that seemed to always be the case, only ever lowering when Elora was in a sour mode. She was as far from that as possible, tapping her flute in anticipation and a slight bounce in her step.

"Dude, I'm telling you we're only a few steps away from the moat. Get up here and drop the bridge." Hunter nodded to himself after hearing a response and then ended the call. "He's on his way." Elora took a deep breath, feeling the purity of nature in the air, the majority of the world untouched by civilization. The structure in front of her represented the total effect of habitation in the world, no factories or refineries nearby to ruin the air, and the subtle scent of clean water rose up from the moat. Within a few more seconds her quiet appreciation was interrupted by the dropping of the bridge, and Elora heard the familiar clacking of sharp claws on metal, looking down to see Spyro running right for her.

Only it wasn't Spyro as she'd often seen him. Before he'd been scuffed up with the dirt of a recent fight, or weary with the stains of prior conflicts. She had seen him clean, fresh from a swim at the beach, but never so perfectly pure. Scrapes and nicks could be seen all along his horns and chest-plates, but each was as clean as a prized trophy, every one of them a testament to his heroism. His claws shined with every step as he lifted them into the light before bringing them back down. A serpentine pattern of glimmers produced by his rich purple scales, shifting with his every movement. More immaculate scales framed his vibrant eyes, which shined like amethysts when the sun caught them, becoming a deep and noble purple when they had a cloud's cover. When his orange wings fanned out and caught the light as he drew close, Elora felt as if the warmth of the dawn itself was coming to greet her, all of it framed by the gold of Spyro's wing bones and crest.

"Elora!" He was clearly excited to see her, hopping up to her chest and gripping her shoulders with his hands. She had carried him before when he was younger, cradling him almost instinctively, his thighs on either side of her waist while he nuzzled her. It was a much more enthusiastic greeting than she expected, but she returned the gesture, in spite of the weight and height he'd gained since the last time she'd held him in such a way. "I'm glad you're here." When he started flapping his wings to lift himself and give her some space she felt some soreness in her arms from the strain of holding him up, and when he landed he was standing on only his legs, his head as high as her bosom.

"I'm glad your new home is finally finished." She managed to hide her surprise at how casually he held his upright posture, having only seen him do so sparingly before. Perhaps he simply felt more comfortable where they were and in friendly company, as opposed to in the open in a foreign world. Afterall, he'd always been on all four limbs during a fight, or whenever he anticipated one. "May we enter, oh Spyro, Lord of this Land." Elora even added a little curtsy to her tease, delicately lifting the leaves of her sparse dress as she crossed her legs. She noticed two other dragons were standing behind him in a similar manner, and she recognized the shorter, pink one, who clasped her hands and fluttered her lashes when she heard Elora's words, gazing at Spyro affectionately. Elora had the impression that Ember might say the same words with absolutely no sarcasm.

Spyro just rolled his eyes at Elora's little jest, formally introducing Cynder and Ember to Hunter, Bianca, and Elora. While Elora was looking forward to getting to know Ember a little better, she was a bit nervous about Cynder. She was as tall as Hunter just standing at rest, but her neck could straighten to make her a bit taller, and the flexibility of it let her study everyone else's faces from multiple angles with ease. Cynder seemed particularly interested in Bianca, taking note of her modest robes and spellbook. Introductions concluded, Spyro gestured toward the entryway. "Come on, ladies and..." Spyro gave Hunter an appraising look, settling on: "and dude. We've got a lot of catching up to do."


The den was comfortably furnished, in spite of its large size. Spyro had settled down on one of a number of colorful floor cushions, Ember on his left and Cynder on his right. The small talk had stalled when they reached the room, Hunter and Bianca sitting on one of the couches and watching Elora curiously. The faun seemed drawn to the dragons, sitting and crossing her legs on a cushion just in front of Spyro, her hand sliding into her bag to hold that silly, crumpled old letter. "Spyro, I came here to apologize. I've been avoiding you these past few months for some stupid reason that I'd rather not get into." Her grip on the letter still hidden in her bag tightened a little, her eyes downcast. "I know you noticed, and it wasn't fair of me to do. I've been under a lot of stress in Avalar, but you always manage to make me feel better. I guess, what I'm saying is, I'll be around a lot more often, if you can forgive me for being such an idiot in the first place."

Spyro shook his head, staring hard at her bag, almost as if he knew what she'd found. Cynder gently nudged his shoulder and whispered. "Go on, Spyro. Tell her."

Spyro took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment to get his thoughts in order. When he opened them again there shined a confidence in them that gave the weight of absolute certainty to his next words. "Elora, I love you. I have loved you for a long time." He fanned his wings out behind the dragonesses at his sides, tilting his head toward them in turn as he mentioned their names. "But I love Ember and Cynder too, and just as deeply. This is the dragon way, and I don't want to live without them. I can understand if you can't accept that, but if you can then I will give you all the love you could ever need. That is a promise, Elora. And if you really don't feel the same way, or you don't want to share a lover, then I'll still be your friend, always."

Elora felt as if a spell had just lifted when Spyro finished speaking, the conviction in his voice having captivated her. She brought her hand out of her bag, considering her response carefully and trying keep her emotions suppressed. "I don't know if I'd be okay with that, but I never really thought about it before. My people always settle down with just one lover, after we're finished being wild. I've already fallen for someone thirty years before I was supposed to." The way she looked at him let Spyro know that he was the one she was talking about, and he resolved then and there to make her admit it more directly; to make her let herself be happy. First, he had to understand what was holding her back.

"Please, tell me why you've been so distant. I need to know, Elora."

To Elora's surprise, Ember spoke next. "We just want to help you, but we have to know what's wrong first."

"If you need protection from someone in the Dragon Realms then I can arrange it." Cynder added. "Just give me names."

Hunter stood up and cleared his throat, loudly. He didn't want Elora to feel crowded, but that wasn't the reason she stood and took a few steps away. "I just need time. Time to think. I'll tell you everything tomorrow, just… let me figure it out first."

Spyro nodded patiently, but each of the dragons still looked deeply concerned and contemplative. Elora left the room and Hunter followed, Bianca staying in the den to try to cheer up their hosts. At the drawbridge was where Elora finally stopped to talk to Hunter, the cheetah confused by her destination. "Tell Spyro to meet me on the beach tomorrow morning. In fact, tell Ember and Cynder to come, too." She turned to him with a tired smile, taking another deep breath of the fresh air. "I've been away from nature for too long. Maybe it can help me decide how much I should say."

"You can't mean that you're going to spend the night out in the open!"

She let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head. "I know how to handle myself in a forest."

"Okay, fine." Hunter took his bow and arrows and held them out to her. "But take these, just in case. We don't know what all is out there yet. This is pretty new world, you know."

"Thank you, Hunter, but don't worry about me." She turned away from the tall fortifications, gazing out at the untouched land as the sun began to dip lower in the sky. "I have a good feeling about this." As Hunter watched her stride out at full speed, kicking up dirt with her hooves, he felt that maybe she was right.

Even though she was too far away to hear, he spoke to her one last time before turning away. "I hope you find how to be happy, sister." He turned around, walked back inside, and lifted the bridge. "Man, I sure hope Spyro doesn't freak out about this."